Dear Coach:
I recently began running again after about a ten-
year layoff. For three months, I slowly built a base, increasing
the length and intensity of my runs. My mileage was getting
close to 30 per week with a long run of 10 when I began to have
calf problems. My calves seem to be overly rigid--even when not
running--and strain easily (and painfully) after a few minutes
of
moderate running. My shoes only have a couple hundred miles on
them. What is the cause of this and how can I stop this from
happening?
MikeDear Mike:
Several things could be causing your problems. First,
you probably increased your mileage too quickly. To go from not
running for 10 years to 30 miles per week in three months put
undue stress on your body. Reduce your mileage to 15 to 20 miles
per week with a long run of six to eight miles for the next two
months and after that increase your weekly mileage by no more
than ten percent per week.
Second you probably would benefit
from training with a heart monitor to keep your intensity at
sixty to seventy percent of your maximum during your aerobic
base-building phase.
I also suggest that you find a sports
podiatrist and get checked out to make sure that your calf
problems are not due to a foot imbalance. You also need to go a
running shoe specialty store to make sure that the shoes you are
using are appropriate for you--the wrong kind of shoe could be
causing your problems.
Finally, you need to make sure that you
do a five to seven minute warm-up before your run and that you
stretch after each run.
Dear Coach:
I am getting ready for an event that includes a 10K
run, 22-mile bike ride and 3-mile uphill climb. I need some help
regarding speed work to improve my 10K time and still have lots
of gas in my tank.
Terry
Dear Terry:
The best thing you can do to improve your 10K time
is anaerobic threshold running once or twice per week. My two
favorite workouts are three one-mile repeats with a one minute
recovery at eighty to eighty-five percent effort using a heart
monitor and a 20 minute run nonstop at that effort. An eighty to
eighty-five percent effort translates to roughly your 10-mile
race pace or 15 to 20 seconds per mile slower than your 10K race
pace. Given that you have a bike ride and hill climb after your
10K, you probably should plan on running the 10K at anaerobic
threshold effort so that you still have a lot left in your
tank.
Dear Coach:
I am a beginning runner who started six months ago.
I have gradually increased my miles and have set PRs in 5Ks. I
want to run a half-marathon in a few months. I have built up to
a long run of eight miles but have not yet done much speed work.
How should I approach training?
Mark
Dear Mark:
You need to do more base building before tackling a
major race. Too much too soon can lead to injury and a forced
layoff. I have seen too many beginning runners stop running for
good because they failed to build an adequate aerobic base.
I
would suggest spending this spring running a few 10K races while
very slowly building up your mileage base. Once a week, you
could do an aerobic threshold run that would be about 30 seconds
per mile slower than your 5K race pace. You should be ready to
tackle a ten-mile race or half marathon next fall.
