Dear Coach:
I am training for a 10-mile race and want
your advice on how to proceed. The race is coming up in two
months. I play soccer and run two or three times per week.
Currently, I run four miles each day. I would like to finish
strong.
SteveDear Steve:
The first thing that you need to do is
gradually lengthen your long run by a mile a week so that in six
weeks you are running 10 miles. Once you hit 10 miles, hold it
until the race. I would not be particularly concerned about
speed work right now because you are getting sufficient speed
work through your soccer games. Instead, run two other times per
week at a very comfortable conversational pace, covering four to
six miles. If possible, do not play soccer the week before your
10 mile race so that you are rested.
Dear Coach:
I am training for a half marathon and
wonder what kind of speed work I should be doing. I have trained
for a 10K by running 1000-800-400 meter repeats. I also want to
know what kind of speed work I should be doing to run a faster
10K.
Cesar
Dear Cesar:
I recommend that you start doing some
anaerobic threshold workouts that can take the form of three one-
mile repeats with a 400 meter (one-lap) recovery between miles.
This should be run at a few seconds slower than your 10K race
pace. Even though it is slower than 10K race pace, running at
this effort during training will, in fact, raise your anaerobic
threshold, thereby enabling you to run faster at the 10K as well
as the half-marathon distances. In addition, in terms of
focusing on the half marathon, do some pace work. Start off by
running a couple of miles at your predicted half-marathon pace.
Add a mile each week until you are up to seven or eight miles.
By running at predicted pace, you will be training your body and
your mind to run at that effort and you should be able to hold
it for the entire race.
Dear Coach:
I have started training with a heart
monitor and am confused about training effort. I have a very low
heart rate of 38 and a maximum of 190. This means my 70% effort
is 144. However, someone with the maximum of 190 but a resting
heart rate of 60 has a 70% effort of 151. This would seem to
mean that this person can exercise at a more intense level
because if I run at 151, my Karvonen percentage is closer to
75%. Is this a paradox?
Will
Dear Will:
It is not a paradox because the Karvonen
formula recognizes that you are probably fitter by virtue of
your lower resting heart rate. Look at it this way. When you
wake up in the morning and start walking around, it takes a
while for your heart rate to climb to 60. The person whose heart
rate is 60 who is doing the same kind of activities is probably
up around 80. What this means is that you are getting the same
workout effort at 144 as the other person is at 151. His 70%
effort at 151 beats per minute feels similar to him as your 70%
effort is to you at 144 beats.
Perhaps even more important is
the fact that resting heart rates, training zones, etc. are
personal to you. They are just numbers that tell you what your
appropriate training zones are and nothing else. Heart rate
numbers, like salary, is something you are better off not
discussing. Just appreciate the fact that the monitor will
ensure that your recovery days are easy so that you do not over
train and you are rested for your hard days. That will help you
get faster.
