Hey guys :) Hope you enjoy my piece on training! Please comment, vote, and follow!
Me (left) and my investing partner (right) on our first half marathon! Next spring will be the first full Marathon!
Marathon Training Principles
Set your goals first! Your time you want to complete a 5km, 10km, half marathon, and marathon in, and figure out what the pace per km would be in order to achieve that!
Marathon Training Philosophy: 1 long/paced run, 1 fast/short run, 3 HIIT strength/flexibility, 2 rest days
Run Long:
Once a week to:
- build endurance
- Increase fat metabolism
- Increase body's ability to store glycogen
- Help train mind for long distance
- To build up, increase run 2km/wk for 3 weeks. 4th wk decrease run by 25%. Repeat
Run Fast:
Once a week to:
- Increasing pace will help overall your speed in a long distance race
- Hill repeats, track intervals, tempo runs
- Taxing on body and can lead to injury if done to frequently
HIIT Strength Training:
- reduces risk of injury
- Improves running posture and helps withstand body's rigours of running high Km
- 15-30min strength training 2-3x a week is all that's needed - perform circuits
Flexibility:
- reduces risk of injury
- Increases recovery time
- Improves running efficiency
- Hold stretches 30sec 2-3times for best efficiency (only stretch warm)
Rest & Recover:
- just as important as training
- New runners need at least 2 days off a week to prevent over training/injury
- Yoga/walk/swim on off days if you want to stay active
Training Golden Rules:
- 2hours digest before workout
- Starting the race with a pace that feels more than light effort must be avoided – or physiological and metabolic damage to muscles/body will occur and PR will decrease.
- Warm up to elevate core temp (if cold it takes more effort to produce the ATP and ligaments/tendons/muscles won’t be as elastic & by warming up it speeds Cardiac Output)
- Warm down to reduce lactic acid pooling, keep blood going to muscles requiring it, reduce post-exercise muscle soreness.
- 10min walk/slow jog before training
- If something hurts two days in a row while running, take two days off
- "Even taking 5 complete rest days it has little effect on your fitness level
- For each mile I race, I need one day recovery with no workouts
- You don't get all the energy back you spend going uphill when going down
- Sleep one extra minute for every km you run in a week (30km - 30min more sleep)
- You need carbs to replenish glycogen stores and protein to repair muscle within an hour after your run
- Shoes last approx 500miles
- A tempo run pace is a pace you can run all out for one hour
- Run in middle of road where it's flat
- When running a track change directions repeatedly
- don't run on concrete
"Best way to improve running is to run. But if all you do is run expect injuries. Use low impact sports like cycling & swimming & strength training to help running muscles rest"
“Best way to beat a personal best is run at a paced out race evenly from start to finish. If you run fast at the start you almost always pay for it later”
Carbohydrates and Running:
For fuel for a run eat complex carbs: veggies, fruits, dairy, legumes, whole grains, potatoes - better for weight loss compared to simple carbs
Simple carbs (although beneficial for quick burst of energy before a run) like sugar syrup glucose are good during the run
Don't excessively carb load the day before as that can effect your GI. Rather, gradually increase your carb loading 3-7 days before a run. (Aka have some healthy moderate complex carbs with each meal and keep meals avg size don't over due it)
Carbs are beneficial for muscle recovery within an hour after workout (along with protein)
Moderate activity (1hr) 2.3x grams of carbs per body weight (414g/1650cal)
Heavy activity (4+hrs) 4.5x grams of carbs per body weight (810g/3240cal)
1 gram = 4 cal
Glycogen stores and Fat Stores (Energy):
These are the two energy sources in which the body pulls from as fuel. Pre-marathon meals will help fill these reservoirs but tapping into them efficiently will make the biggest difference during the run.
Our body has up to 18-20 miles of Glycogen store available before its completely depleted. It will then only be able to draw from fat stores. When you run out of Glycogen stores its referred to as “Hitting the Wall”. If you run to hard at the onset, you will burn through these glycogen stores faster and hit the wall too soon. If you pace yourself, the body will draw from both Glycogen stores and Fat stores simultaneously, giving you a bit more energy for longer.
Fat stores require more energy and oxygen in order to utilize so when your tapping into just fat stores you will feel more fatigued and you leave the “steady state” your body found during the race and begin to have to work harder to maintain the pace. This point is where gait will change to try to tap into other muscles glycogen stores, posture weakens, and it becomes a mental strength tester. At this point using Visualization (seeing you cross the finish line) and Association/dissociation (tapping into how your body is feeling or blocking out certain feelings) will become most handy.
Physiological Occurrences During the Race:
First Mile:
- Adrenaline is released (fight or flight kicks in – causing nervousness at starting line)
- Core temperature rises as body works to produce ATP
- HR will soon go up to 150BPM with Respiratory Rate increasing oxygen consumption
Miles 4-8: - “Steady Physiological State” reached. This is where the body reaches an equilibrium and is able to work the least at the specified pace your running.
- Dehydration sets in (2L fluid loss)
Miles 8-13: - Glycogen stores start becoming more and more depleted
- HR and RR stay consistent
Miles 13-17: - Glycogen stores depleted and will tap into more fat stores which will consume more energy causing harder work for the same pace
- Repetitive pressure and fatigue on tendons, ligaments, and muscles will start showing their pains. The chaffing of skin will form blisters.
Miles 17-21: - Dehydration is big – 4L of fluid loss
- Increasingly reliant on fat stores energy.
- Mental toughness is key (Visualization/association/dissociation)
Miles 21-26: - Dehydration leads to 2% body weight (up to 6L) fluid loss
- Increased risk of cramps from no glycogen stores
- Running gait and posture changes to tap into fresher muscles
- Endorphins released from race completion will mask pains temporarily