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A lot of our content is catered around the marathon distance. We know that the marathon is super popular and many people when they first start training for marathons will start to follow more specific training as the distance is super daunting THUS we have a lot of content to reach those people. However, did you know that most elite marathoners actually focused on the 5k distance first? That is right! Focusing on the shorter distance races can actually make you a better marathoner. Today we are going to shift focuses on shorter distance races for a bit because it IS an important topic. Training for shorter distances races might be all the rage this time of year if you are not gearing up for a fall marathon. Many athletes set their sites on local 5k races during the summer months. Is training for a 5k significantly different than training for a marathon? There are a lot more similarities than differences, but today we are going to go over exactly what these differences are and how YOU can capitalize on your potential in the shorter distance races while still having a great base to ramp up for marathon training.

Training Differences


More speed endurance training/intervals 


More racing in general



If you haven’t reached your potential in the 5k or raced the distance often, one might be in good 5k shape after or during a marathon training cycle. Aerobic development is transferable. 

Give up on the old mentality and go into something new

So many fun distances

Stomach felt weird running that fast

I was not used to the pain

“That is it?”

Race Day Approach


What does the warm up look like?


Mental readiness



Set Realistic Expectations & Have a Proper Pacing Plan


1- Do you think pacing is important?


2- Can you race without pacing correctly??


3- What happens if you go out too hard?


4- How can you ensure the best chance for a negative split and to hit your goal?

It is HOT outside! It is that time of year again where the heat, humidity & dew point  is really starting to drag us down. We wanted to do a podcast chatting about this weather and what it all means for us. We should all be adjusting our paces in this heat anytime we run in over 60 degrees. There are temp conversion calculators out there created specifically for this. Have you ever heard the phrase, it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity? We will chat specifically about the humidity and dew point factors.


What is the common theme you hear this year from athletes?



It depends on the intensity of the summer


Checking the weather and being aware but analysis paralysis 


Knowledge is power 



Humidity is the measurement of moisture in the air. 60 degrees with 30% humidity vs 99% humidity is completely 


I know there are a lot of calculators out there to adjust paces: is it more variable than that?


What are signs you struggle more in the heat than others?


Should you keep a log of temps and workouts?


How do you survive a full summer of training?



Midwest is ideal for fall marathon training


Not ideal for spring marathon 



Starting workouts at 5am or taking them inside?


Adjust training to have the hottest weather days be easy days?


How much is too much adjusting?


How does the humidity make things harder than the heat?


Is the humidity typically better later in the day so those early morning workouts are even harder?


Dew point is the temp at which the air is 100% humidity: so if it’s only 78 degrees but the dew point is 72, that means that at 72 degrees it is 100% humidity which is insanely humid


Humidity above 70 degrees is going to start to feel very hard and pace adjustments need to be made


Does this mean you are losing fitness?246


Will this actually make you more fit in the fall?


What if you keep bombing workouts? Should you skip to more of an effort based approach?


Should you ignore HR and paces?


What are some last min tips for staying cool?

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Training for a marathon is a big deal! We want to make sure your training cycle is framed up with the best shot of success at performance. At the time of this release we are about 17 weeks away from the Chicago marathon. Lots of questions pop up over the course of training. How long should my longest long run be? What if I have to miss a week because I’m sick? Should I increase my long run every weekend? Should I race a half marathon 3 weeks out from my marathon?  We will be going over the entire cycle of the marathon including the key long runs and workouts. We also want to chat about the timing of your races


How many weeks should I train?
Working backwards from your goal marathon date
give yourself at least 16-20 weeks to build up from your longest run of 12 miles up to 3 hours
Every other week or 2 weeks build, 1 week cut back
3 weeks build, 1 week cut back


Should you do 20+ milers or opt for back to back long runs?
2-2.5 hours is the sweet spot for long runs
3+ hour long runs take longer to recover from
What pace?

Add in workouts when you are at the level
Most long runs should be done at an easy pace




When should you schedule races?
Closest half marathon RACE 6-8 weeks out
Could use a half marathon as a workout at GMP
5k-10k either in the build up or as a tune up 4-6 weeks out

Doing these races as a cut back week


Be aware that racing to frequently during a marathon cycle makes it challenging to hit peak mileage week after week

Limit racing so you can maximize training


Still want to have practice pushing yourself


Should you make up any long runs that you miss? & building long runs every week
Usually not but if it was a major long run, you may opt to have your sick week be your cut back week and move things around
This is why cutback weeks built in in-advance are helpful
Building every week is not wise


Should you train using goal paces or at current fitness?
Current fitness not where you want to be


Best workouts to do
Threshold– less volume

5 x 1 mile
8 x 1k
6 x .75 mi
4 x 2k
3 x 2 mi
4 x 1.5 mi


Steady State or MP work- more volume

3 x 2 mi
4 x 2 mi
8 x 1 mi
5 x 1.5 mi

We did a podcast about postpartum and pregnant running back in spring of 2021, and we decided to do another episode about this topic to answer questions we have gotten from our listeners. In this podcast Coach Mary will be joining me in chatting about her 2 pregnancy and postpartum running experiences. I am a mom of 3 kids 6 and under myself. Together we have had our share of struggles and triumphs during this stage of life. We hope sharing our experiences can help you navigate this season without feeling so alone. We will be talking about lots of pregnancy and postpartum related things in this episode, so if that isn’t your jam, probably best to skip this weeks episode :) We also are not medical professionals and just sharing our our experiences. Please consult with your doctor before starting any exercise program or advice on your specific situation.

Pregnancy Experiences:


Pre pregnancy & TTC



Lots of messages about how long it takes to get pregnant


Does running impact fertility?


Have you ever lost your period from running





First Trimester



Symptoms 


How does training change


Fear?



Second Trimester



Symptoms 


How does training change


Unsolicited advice?



Third Trimester



`Symptoms 


How does training change




Birth Experiences:


“Does training help with birth”



C section vs vaginal


Spontaneous vs induction


Epidural vs no epidural


Birth = so many unknowns




Recovery timeline


Rest/Healing 2 weeks


Walks 4-12 weeks


Core engagement exercises expecting and empowered 


Pelvic floor PT


Walk/Runs 6-12 weeks



What is postpartum like?


Everyone’s situation is different



Sleep


Help/support


Recovery


Desire to train



Is postpartum running harder than pregnant running?



Expectations vs reality 


It took you a long time to build the fitness before pregnancy, so it will take awhile to get back to old levels


Pregnancy takes 9 months to make the baby… give yourself time to get back to feeling like yourself




Breastfeeding


How do you ‘maintain your supply’


Best breastfeeding sports bras


pumping/feeding before and after runs


Mastitis



Training


How long does it feel to get back to norma


How long does it take until you sleep again?


How do you find the time to train?

Long runs are the cornerstone for many half and full marathon training plans. Many people have bucket list goals to train for a full marathon and train their body how to run 26.2 miles at a time. This endeavor will require a person to be able to run for long periods of time. It can almost seem unfathomable to build from a 3-4 mile long run to 20 miles as a long run. We often see athletes struggle to get to a place where they feel comfortable running for 90+ min at a time. While it is always a challenge to run for long periods of time, it is something that can be trained for and done without leaving you feeling like you were hit by a truck! We are going to do a deep dive into how to build your long runs and the common mistakes we see in building up longer runs.


What is the prerequisite long run to begin training for a full marathon?



90 min is a good benchmark


Long runs in marathon training are usually 2-3 hours 2-3x a month



What type of weekly mileage do you need to support long runs



We have used the 30% rule in the past which states your long run should not be more than 30% of total aerobic volume


If you workout 6 hours in a week, no more than 2-3 should be a long run


There are exceptions to this rule & we need to find what works best for the individual


Marathon training is more than just the long run & the more volume we do on one day the higher the chance for injury.


Balance risk vs reward



10% rule: We don’t want to increase long run too much too soon



10% of time of mileage


Do not increase every week


Having a cut back week



Consider having every other week be a build long run



We don’t need to run long every single weekend


More to marathon training than 1 single long run



SLOW THE F DOWN



You need to go slow enough to be in zone 2


Run/walks work well



FUELING



Fueling will allow you to run better


Carbs are fuel for long distances

We spend a lot of time focusing on the training for race day but sometimes athletes find the art of racing to be complicated. We rarely practice racing for the obvious reasons because we can only have so many A races a year without burning out or compromising our training.

However, if we never practice digging deep into the well, the already daunting task becomes even more daunting. It is similar to a lot of things in life. Like public speaking, we can prepare and rehearse everything perfect, but we rarely get the exact opportunity to speak in front of the large group. For this reason, many people fear public speaking. Although, those who do practice regularly seem to have less of a fear.

I know public speaking and road racing are not entirely the same, but they do share some similar principles. Today we are going to talk about the things you can do to become a better racer.


Pacing Practice



How you do anything is how you do everything


Practice negative splits in workouts & you will find it comes naturally on race day



Practice a Positive Mindset



Confidence boosting when you have experience. People who ran in high school or were athletes in high school. Some people are naturally more aggressive physically and they naturally want to push themselves more. Others more cautious


How do you talk to yourself during training runs?


What do you tend to focus on?


Practice saying 5 positive things after every run




Have Realistic Expectations & A Plan



Look at how your training went & develop a data driven plan



Practice doing uncomfortable things/pushing yourself



Many people say once they become a mom, they have ‘new strength’. I don’t think this is physical. It may be mental. Perhaps you realize you can handle more than you thought


Practice mental discomfort every day in non-running related ways