Dear Coach: What are your thoughts about racing before a marathon? I am running the Marine Corps Marathon this year and want to run a fast time. Bill

Dear Bill: I believe that experienced marathoners can reap benefits from running several races in the last two months of marathon training. Racing can help in developing a pre-race routine so there will be no surprises on race day in terms of race-day diet, shoes and clothing, pre-race hydration, and important bodily functions. Racing can help develop mental toughness. For that reason, I suggest you consider running the Georgetown Classic 10K. This race has an extremely challenging course with a great after-race party as a bonus. You can analogize the hilly part of the race to the way you might be feeling going over the 14th Street Bridge at miles 22 to 24 in the marathon. I suggest that you also consider finding a half marathon or ten-mile race and use it as a marathon practice race. Go out easy the first mile (15 seconds slower than predicted marathon pace), and then run the rest of the race at marathon pace. Most runners should limit racing to every other week, racing on the weeks on which their long run is relatively short as opposed to the weeks when they are doing their 18 to 22 mile long runs.

Dear Coach: I am 27 and run religiously six days a week, four to five miles per day, pushing my two kids in a baby-jogger. I have started experiencing sharp pains in my left knee, on the outside. I play tennis three to four times per week and am in good shape, although I do not take time to stretch or lift weights. Do you have any suggestions other than seeing a physician, as I am currently uninsured. Emily

Dear Emily: When runners are injured (insured or insured), the first recommendation is to take a week off from all activities, take ibuprofen, and use ice to get the pain under control. The principles of RICE apply to many running injuries, namely Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. My next step would be to go to a running specialty store such as those that advertise in the Washington Running Report. A trained shoe salesperson can help determine whether a runner is in the right kind of shoes--avoid chains like Foot Locker and Sports Authority like the plague. Inappropriate shoes can cause major leg and knee problems. You should also consider finding a good running podiatrist because many running injuries are directly related to imbalances in the feet. Again, there are several advertisers in this publication. A consultation with a podiatrist is usually less expensive than an orthopedic surgeon. In many cases, store-bought inserts can correct the problem. As a last resort, an orthopedic surgeon may be necessary when the podiatrist cannot solve the problem.

Dear Coach: I am 39 and have been running for five years. I now train with a heart monitor. I have been running four times per week, averaging 30 miles per week, with a long run of 14 miles at an 8:15 pace. I run about a 20 minute 5K. I want to run a 3:30 marathon. I started doing some workouts from a running magazine's web page, including a 30 minute run at 85 to 90 percent of maximum heart rate, which ended up being a 6:40 pace for 4 1/2 miles. I was also doing a series of 800-meter repeats. After a few weeks, my legs started feeling dead and I was very tired. I have only run a total of 12 miles for each of the last three weeks. Yesterday, it took me 50 minutes to go five miles and I had to walk some of the time. My marathon is less than five months away. I am afraid to take any more time off because I will lose all of my conditioning. Rob

Dear Rob: It sounds to me like you are way over-trained. Try taking two weeks off with no running. There is still a lot of time before the marathon, so you will be able to get back into shape. While the heart monitor is a great tool, it can be dangerous if not used correctly. First, you need to determine your maximum heart rate--I recommend reading Roy Benson's chapter in the Human Kinetics book Precision Heart Rate Training. As a general observation, you were probably doing your long runs too hard given your current level of fitness. Your pace should have been closer to 8:45 per mile. Your anaerobic threshold run was also too long and too hard. Limit it to twenty minutes and run around 7:00 per mile. There is a great danger when you try to set up your own training program based on a magazine article or a web page. View them with a grain of salt and make sure that it makes sense for you. There is no way that any coach, including myself, can set up an effective training program for a particular individual without sitting down with that individual and understanding all of the factors that go into that person's running. A coach needs to know the person's history, including average weekly mileage, race experience, injury history, work and family responsibilities, goals, abilities, etc. before setting up a training program.

Coach Kirt West is a private coach for motivated adult runners. Questions for him can be sent c/o of Washington Running Report or by e-mail to kirtwest.