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Ask the Coach: Starting Again
Ask the Coach
By Coach Kirt West
November/December 2009
For the Washington Running Report
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Dear Coach: I was a longtime runner through my early 50s who fell off the wagon several years ago and almost stopped running completely. Meanwhile, I put on a few pounds but now I'm trying to get back into shape and finding it really difficult. I would like to start racing 10Ks and have a goal of running the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in 2010. Can you give me some tips?---Sam
Sam: The first question you need to ask is "How long did it take me to get out of shape?" If it took a long time, then you should expect that it is going to take a while to get back into shape. You have to start training at your current level of fitness-not at the level of fitness you once had or the level of fitness you think you should have.
A heart monitor can be a tremendous tool to get you back into shape. It prevents you from running too hard and too fast at the beginning-the reason is that your 60 to 70% effort will be slower than it was when you were in shape. For non-heart monitor runners, 60 to 70% translates to an easy conversational run. You should plan on spending at least three months building your base with no speed work, hard runs, or races.
Also, follow "The 10 Percent Rule," which means your weekly mileage should increase by no more than 10%. Once you have built your aerobic base, you will want to include a weekly long run and over time increase it to 8-12 miles per week. Only at this point will you be ready to start serious training and this should give you 2-3 months to focus on preparing for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run.
---Coach
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From the Coach's Notebook---Running is an experiment of one
One thing I have learned as a coach is to be willing to challenge traditional assumptions and to test various hypotheses. I know that it is harder to maintain vigorous training as we get older. I'm almost 62-years-old, and (like Sam above) was faced with trying to get back into shape after four to five years of reduced training due to work responsibilities. Last year I tried to run two marathons with limited success mainly because I skimped on mileage (averaging 20 to 25 miles per week) and long runs (not many over 12 miles). I had been following the traditional wisdom of only running three to four days per week thinking my body could not handle running day after day.
After speaking with my friend and mentor, Coach Roy Benson, I decided to see what my body could handle and to my surprise I have been able to slowly build up to 35 to 40 miles per week running 5 to 6 days a week. What did I learn? While the first few weeks were a struggle, I slowly started to become stronger as my mileage increased. Soon, 16 to 20 mile long runs became as easy as the daily five to six mile runs compared to last year when four-mile run was often a struggle. Although my training pace has picked up about 45 seconds per mile, my race pace for 5K and 10K races still needs work. More on the speed issue in future columns.
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Coach Kirt West has been running for more than 30 years and coaching adults for the past 15 years. He is the online coach for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Virtual Training Program. He is a former member of the RRCA Coaching Committee and past Vice President and member of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club Board of Directors.
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