Base Training Starts This Week

I've had good workouts this month even though the frequencies have been sporadic. That being the case I hadn't considered Oct to be the start of my base phase. But my runs had been very enjoyable recently that I've decided that this week be the start of my marathon training for the KL Marathon next Mar 30th.



Now comes the interesting part which is crafting the training program. There's not too much hurry in coming out with the program (even though I have an idea of what I want to do) this as base phase involves mostly aerobic enhancing Easy to Steady paced runs with a smattering of tempos and hillwork. No particular need for Tempo Intervals for now. I also want to establish a more consistent weekly mileage with lesser dips and rises but I'm also aware of life's uncertainties. With the 205, I think I will get a more accurate picture of my progress this time around.



The workout just now consisted of Steady to LT paced laps. Drizzly at the start but went off suddenly. The sun came out and it turned warmish. Since I'd lost 30 minutes to work, it was nearly 6pm when I started - not enough time for a long one. KM Splits: 6:02 > 6:01 > 5:58 > 5:47 > 5:53 > 5:53 > 5:39 > 5:28. Was a little tired, no doubt due to the pace.



During our run yesterday, Ben and I got down to talking about what kind of race strategies to run a good marathon race. Ben is always adamant about going out as fast as you can to compensate for the later stages. His thought was that you can afford to lose some of the time gained in the fast early stage even if you walk a bit.



I'm of the stand that the race should be run at even pace or if stronger, at negative splits. And that's not because I've read enough race reports to know that it's the way to go. Every marathon training coaches out there from Higdon to Daniels and from Galloway to Pfitzinger advocates a conservative start. Even if I haven't read the philosophies of present high-profile coaches such as Steve Jones, Terrence Mahon, Bob Larsen and Alberto Salazar (being the exception that I've read), all of whom have marathoners vying for the top 3 spots to the Beijing Olympics this Saturday I believe they're of the same thoughts as well [The Trials will be streamed LIVE on the Internet via the NBC website]. Consider also the statement below.


"Every recent world best in the marathon was set by athletes who ran at an even pace or ran negative splits", so said Kevin Hanson, one half of the Hanson siblings, coaches to the 13 Hansons-Brooks runners toeing the line at Central Park this Saturday. [Article in the NYT]

Me, Myself & My Garmin

Part of successful training means employing correct pacing for each of the workouts. In simple terms, run slow when you're supposed to go slow, fast when the session calls for speed. One can't improve training at the same pace (be it consistently/always fast or always slow). There's a time for everything. Even in a distance race (Half Marathon and above), you don't go out at top speed - even an elite will settle back into a steady pace after the initial surge to get a head start.

 

 

I've been largely adept at keeping to the pace but in order to reap the rewards of the workouts I need to know the RIGHT pace in which to run the different workouts. For this, I turn to a running calculator widely acknowledged to be the best available - The McMillan Running Calculator. Developed by Greg McMillan (now also a columnist with Running Times), this tool allows me to use my best recent timings to come up with an optimum pace chart for all your workouts. There's one for Endurance, another for Stamina, one for Speed and one for Sprint. The Stamina section is broken down to Steady State, Tempo, Tempo Intervals and Cruise Intervals. Endurance section differentiates the Long Run pace versus Easy and Recovery paces. This calculator is printable and I've one stuck on my office cubicle wall and another at home. I highly recommend this tool.

 

What's the downside of not running to the correct pace? Injuries for one. Press too hard and you'll end up with overuse injuries. Then there's the plateau. Running at a slow pace (unless you're just running for health and fitness) all the time won't get you to the next level. Finally, there's the burnout, and this can happen mentally and physically when you're unable to recover from previous workouts yet you continue to hammer your next ones. Former elite Ironman, Coach Troy Jacobson has an excellent take on burnout and the often misleading signs of initial improvements. Click here to listen to the MP3 (to download right click and select Save Target As). The Endurance Planet website has loads of great advice and comes highly recommended.

 

Yesterday I put the Garmin's Interval features to work. I set 6 x 1,000m with 1 minute recoveries in between. I also included warmup and warmdown laps. As I've not familiarized myself with setting the target pace for each interval, I just ran according to gut feel. The workout was to be a Tempo Interval with target pace between 5:13 to 5:23. The weather was great, just after a heavy shower. After a 6:56 warmup, I hit the following splits: 5:13 > 5:02 > 4:57 > 5:06 > 4:56 > 4:46. I brisk walked during the 1 minute breaks. Total workout time including the walkbreaks was 53:29 covering 9.16K. The downside was I didn't have time for a cooldown lap. Did some stretching immediately after the last repeat and again on the bed before I slept. I don't have any soreness in my legs this morning and will do a light recovery jog at 6:50 pace and an easy run of 6:10 pace on Friday before heading to Kuantan on Saturday. Looking at the interval splits I hit, I ran a little fast, but I always felt in control - maybe it was due to being the first ever intervals but will try to readjust to slightly slower the next time.