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You don’t plan your future. You plan your actions today and those actions create your future
Race Programming
Today marks 10 months out from the Chicago Marathon I will be running in! As I’ve said before, I am shooting to run Sub 2:50, which is a 6:30/mi pace. With this humongous goal, I’ve created key points that I want to focus on in my training program and below I’ve shared with you what those points are so you can implement them in your next training for a marathon, half marathon, or any other distance! As well as a program for your next race that’ll be tailored specifically to your goal race pace!
Nutrition
Nutrition is often overlooked when it comes to preparation for a competition. This is an essential component to your training program. Prior to runs, eating simple carbs can help fuel you in your run. This could include some type of fruit like a banana, apple, grapes, etc. Or it could include a couple pieces of toast with jam or peanut butter.
Throughout your training for your race, it is important to include a healthy amount of carbohydrates in your diet. You want to include this in your diet so your body continues to use carbohydrates as fuel during your run instead of turning towards protein as fuel (muscle tissue).
The break down of muscle tissue can hinder your recovery, reduce strength, and result in overall muscle loss leading to decrease performance in your race and possibilities for injury.
Aim for about 7g of carbs per kilogram of bodyweight. To find this number, take your bodyweight and divide it by 2.2. Then multiply that number by 7. This should give you your daily intake of carbs. On your long run days, multiple by 10 instead of 7 to calculate how many carbohydrates you need to consume on that day.
Lastly, carb loading the three days prior to your race is a proven strategy to maximize storage. Instead of multiplying by 7 or 10, multiply your body weight divided by 2.2 by 11-12! This is A LOT of carbohydrates. Heres a list of foods you can get these carbs from. Remember, you’re not increasing your calorie intake, its just that more of those calories are from carbohydrates!
Tortillas
Oatmeal
bread
pancakes
waffles
bagels
yogurt
juice
pasta
rice
Lactate Clearance
Lactate clearance refers to the process by which lactate, a byproduct of anaerobic metabolism (energy system used during shorter and harder workouts), is removed from the bloodstream and converted into other forms for energy or disposal.
This process is essential for maintaining performance and delaying fatigue during exercise, especially during prolonged efforts. Efficient clearance will also help restore pH and energy balance more quickly after exercise improving recovery.
Doing Pace Tempo runs are the best way to improve your lactate clearance ability. Which brings us into our next big point. The different types of runs in our program!
Zone 2 Runs / Interval Runs / Pace Tempo Runs
Often, a mistake made in training for your first race is running hard for every training run. Instead, the program should include a variety of different types of runs to improve your aerobic fitness and efficiency.
Zone 2 runs are training at low heart rate and is often implemented more often in the earlier phase of training. To find your zone 2 do 220-Age then take 60-70% of that number. This is the heart rate range you should shoot for during this run. Don’t stress too much if you can’t stay in this range in the beginning, it is very difficult. This is just an aiming point. If your heart rate is too high during this run, here are some things you can do to try to lower it.
Slow down your pace
focus on your breathing, control it
change your route to a less hilly route
By staying in this range, you’ll improve your fat burning ability, build an aerobic base, and have cardiovascular structural changes (improve ability of your heart to pump larger amounts of blood per beat) as well as a shift of type 1 muscle fiber changes (operate off the use of oxygen).
Interval runs are a 1:1 work: rest ratio. This is good for building strength, economy and speed. This pace is typically at your goal race pace. This pushes your body to adapt to higher levels of effort. Additionally allowing you to build mental toughness in running at an uncomfortable pace.
Pace tempo runs are at lactate threshold. This is also similar to race pace. Which is why building a strong lactate clearance ability allows you to run at this pace at a heart rate of 220-age than taking 80-90% of that number. This should come into your program closer to your performance. The work to rest ratio is 2-3:1 for these types of runs.
In the end, its your run and yours alone. others can run it with you but no one can run it for you. Embrace it. Be strong. Keep moving forward.
Running Economy
Running economy refers to the amount of energy a runner uses at a given pace. It is a critical determinant of endurance performance. A runner with better running economy uses less oxygen at the same speed compared to someone less economical, which translates into improved efficiency and endurance.
Basically, a good running economy allows you to sustain a faster pace with less effort. With less effort used, you conserve energy, allowing you to run longer.
Factors that can improve your running economy include having the proper cadence (efficient stride length of landing under your center of mass requiring less braking force and less energy) as well as frequency of 170-180 steps per minute, proper footwear for your type of feet (which can prescribed to you at a footwear store like fleet feet), and proper muscle strength and elasticity which can be improved with weight lifting!
Weight Lifting
Lastly, and often overlooked by many runners is weight lifting. As said above, muscle strength and elasticity can improve your running economy. But it can also prevent injuries occurring during your training. Including lower body compound movements like squats and lunges can be a good way to replicate running by the use of muscles across multiple joints. Additionally including single leg exercises can increase your stability and strength because in reality, you run on one leg at a time. Both legs are never on the ground at the same time. Single leg exercises can include Single Leg RDL or Single Leg Body Squat. (focus on not letting the knee go inwards toward midline during single leg body squat)
With weight lifting, the goal isn’t to bulk and build muscle. The goal is to build strong efficient muscles to prevent injuries. Therefore, using lower weights with higher reps is often encouraged!
One of the most powerful forces in life is consistency. Being able to do something in repetition over and over again. Thats how you start big movement. Thats how you get big results. Thats how you build a body, thats how you build a business is consistency. Its small wins everyday
Training Program
Go to Go&Race.com
Scroll down until you see the picture below. And click on marathon, half marathon, or 10 KM.
Scroll down to the picture below. Enter your desired finish time, Date of race, and units of kilometers or miles
Podcast of The Week (not a podcast, but one of my favorite audiobooks) -