Ask the Coach
Ask the Coach: When Too Much is too Much
By Coach Kirt West
September/October 2009
Dear Coach:
I just read your online Washington Running Report article regarding summer running. I have been struggling with slower times this summer and hope I'm on to something after finding your report.
I've been running races since 2003, but did my first marathon in 2008. My long runs picked up quite a bit when I started marathon training. My 5K/5 mile summer race times got steadily faster each year from 2003 to last summer. I ran 5Ks between 21:30 and 22:02 last year.
To make a long story short, I balanced road races with fall marathon training. The straw that seemed to break the camel's back was my last long run before tapering for my first marathon. I had done a relay on a Friday-Saturday (running 3 legs in 24 hours with little to no sleep) and attempted my long run two days later on a very warm day. I made it 16 miles and thought for sure I was going to die. After hydrating and resting, I was able to go out later that day and run four slow to have a 20 mile day.
Nine days before I ran the marathon, I went to my doctor complaining of pain in my right side and cold/flu symptoms. I ended up on antibiotics but was still able to run a 3:52 marathon. Adrenaline must have gotten me through because six days later, I could barely run three miles without getting out of breath . . . almost like I suddenly contracted asthma! After weeks of allergy testing and pushing myself through run after run, I figured I must have been overtrained and needed rest more than I needed to train.
Since then, I've run a 16 miler, another marathon (Boston 2009), and a handful of 5Ks with disappointing results. My 5K times are about 45 to 60 seconds slower than they were last summer. I'm 37 years old and thought I still had some improvement ahead of me.
I didn't do much speed work at all when I trained for 2009 Boston. Once I recovered, I resumed track workouts on May 14, 2009. My first outing was (4) 400's. I have tried to do tempo once per week (LT) and track OR hills once per week, thinking I was just "stuck" in universal race pace. One thing I have done fairly religiously since the beginning of 2009 is incorporate one complete rest day each week where I don't run, lift weights, or cross-train.
I'm planning to run a fall marathon in honor of a friend who lost his battle with brain cancer. Time goal is secondary to this race as honoring his memory is most important to me. Any thoughts or feedback you may have on this would be greatly appreciated. I love running and want to do well in races, but if I keep getting slower, I am afraid I'll lose my love for running altogether.
Cyndi
Dear Cyndi:
It appears that you ramp up too quickly when doing your long runs for the marathon. Distance runners should maintain a weekly long run of 10 to 12 miles so they can prepare for a marathon by increasing their long run to 20 miles in a very short period of time without shocking their system. I also prefer that my runners do a long run of more than 12 every other week, e.g., a 12-week program might look like this 14-12-16-12-18-12-20-12-20-12-20-12.
It also appears that you try to come back too quickly after a marathon and do not give your body sufficient time to recover from the abuse it undergoes during the marathon. Thus, I recommend a month recovery after a marathon that includes no speed work and no running the first week after the marathon. The goal for week 2 is 30% of pre-marathon weekly mileage; week 3 is 50%, and week 4 is 75%. This is the pattern I personally follow after a marathon.
I recommend that you rotate through phases of training-your speed work appears to be unfocused and somewhat haphazard. There are several good books that explain how to train in phases. Jack Daniels has a great book (Daniels' Running Formula) as do Scott Douglas and Pete Pfitzinger (Road Racing for Serious Runners). They will give you a better idea of how to construct a training program designed to run PRs. Part of successful training involves having a down period once or twice a year (several weeks of very low mileage and no intensity) followed by several periods of focused training of differing intensities.
Finally, I have observed that many runners who run marathons back to back within a few months end up training their bodies to run slow. I recommend that my runners run at most one marathon a year and race the other seasons where they can cut down on mileage while increasing quality. This will help maintain speed and will result in faster marathon times.