Training Review Request and St. George advice

[Nicki]

Hi - I'll be running the St. George Marathon this year and hope to qualify for Boston.  BQ is 4:00. Please review my training log and let me know where to go from here as far as building up mileage/long runs, etc.  During the spring, I was beginning to prepare for triathlon season, but I think it will be better, with my very busy work schedule and taking a college course this summer, to focus my training time more on running and leave cycling for cross-training on Saturdays and maybe one other short ride during the week, and maybe swimming occasionally. Realistically, there's just not time to do it all!  Thanks in advance for your help!

Nicki

[Sasha Pachev]

Nicki - your training has been fairly solid. You have been able to improve your 10 K from last year by over 2 minutes. That is a good sign. With St. George course being as fast as it is, and your current speed level you have quite a bit of cushion to hit 4:00. You are able to race a 10 K at around 7:44 pace, and you marathon target is slower than 9:00. The cat is almost in the bag, but the following "predators" might show up on the trail to snatch it:

* You have not run longer than 7 miles in a while. That is mitigated somewhat by long bike rides, so I am not as much concerned about fuel as your legs giving out from the stress of running.

* You still have been missing days here and there. That may cost you some at the end of a marathon.

* St. George has a lot of downhill. If your legs have not been trained for downhill, this could cost you quite a bit at the end.

Suggestion to address the above:

* add longer runs. Probably start at 13 miles and build them up to 18. Ideally once a week, every other time push the pace on those and see how you feel at the end. Racing a half without a prior taper is also good. A midweek run of 10 miles would also be good. In fact, running 10 miles every day would be great as well, but the concern is your ability to recover. What you can do is if you have slept well, feel good and you know you can get a nap afterwards, go 10 or more, otherwise go 7. Pay attention to your body signals.

* on the days when you do not have time to do your full run, run less. 2 miles is better than 0. When tired/sick, first try running slower, and if that still feels unhealthy, then run less. But do not bag it altogether just because you are not feeling well unless it is really not feeling well such as 102 degree fever.

* Find the longest possible downhill stretch to practice on. Start with downhill strides (100 meters) to learn proper downhill form. Do them fairly fast. Practice not breaking, let the gravity carry you down. Then move on to running longer stretches. This would be a good place to do a long run. Again be careful, listen to your body, ease into it. Downhill running done too much can leave your legs very sore and may even cause an injury.

Also, try racing more often. Do it without a taper. This helps in several ways. It teaches you to be race mode mentally tough. It helps your body learn to adapt to running at faster speeds. And your times and splits in shorter races provide an idea of what to expect in the marathon.

[Nicki]

Thanks for the review and feedback.  I will include the suggestions in my training.  This summer, I'll run MRTC road-race series (2 races per month) and will pick up as many other races as are available and will fit into the schedule.  Yes, one major problem I encountered in my only marathon was an IT band injury which I could feel after mile 20 and only got worse from there.  In long-distance training, my legs seem to have a hard time getting past the 18-mile mark - that's when pain/injuries seem to start to occur.   As far as downhill stretches in the area, not sure of any very long stretches - will start with the shorter ones and keep my eye out for a longer one.   Thanks again for your help!

[Lybi]

Omigosh, Nikki, there is no way you will miss the BQ!!  You can do it!

[Nicki]

Thanks Lybi!  Here's hoping the training goes well!

[Nicki]

Hi Everyone,

(9/7/08) Thanks again for the advice in June.  I incorporated most of the the suggestions into my training, and had the best of intentions of incorporating all of them.  However, here it is, almost time for the St. George Marathon, and I don't think I'm ready to run a marathon yet.  Seems like I do not have enough long runs in yet, and the last thing I want to do is attempt a distance I'm not ready for, get injured, and not be able to run for weeks or months, as happened in my previous marathon attempt.  Any suggestions about where to go from here as far as miles per week and distances of long runs to build up to the marathon, as well as what would be a reasonable target date to run a marathon.  My local marathon, St. Jude, is coming up the first weekend in December, and I should be ready for it.  The other question is, should I attempt a different one before that?  Just a thought.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Nicki

(9/8/08) P.S. - I also wanted to say thanks for your philosophy of building base miles 6 days a week - I'm starting to see the results in PRs in the road race series I have been doing this summer.  I did the same series 3 years ago, and my times are _much_ better this year.  I also see improvements this year - I set a PR in 10K in the spring, and my time in the 10K yesterday was even faster! 

[Sasha Pachev]

The longer you have to prepare for a marathon, the less risky it would be to run it. In your situation running St. Jude is definitely going to have less injury potential than St. George given the steep grades and the closer date. However, your time in St. George also will likely be faster, and you've already paid the money. Find a long fairly steep grade somewhere (about 5 miles or so at 3-5%, or do the best you can find in your area) and just run on that with a friend ready to pick you up in case a problem occurs. Stop every half mile or so to evaluate the state of your legs as far as injury is concerned, and discontinue the run if your body tells you you've done too much. If you are able to run 5 miles and then resume your normal training without major soreness in the following days, you are ready for St. George. Otherwise, run St. Jude.

[Michelle Lowry]

Nicki - It's much more conservative to not run St. G.   I'd love to meet you though, but selfish rationale aside, I'd say skip it and prepare for St. Jude.  I have run my only two marathons with three 20 milers and I feel like that is bare minimum.  If you do run St. G, I would say to train right through (go ahead and run a 20 miler this week and next and next).  The training will help more than your lack of taper will hurt.

You are running very well.  It is fun to track you.  Us mommies still have some PR's in us left, don't we?  The only thing you are lacking to make a marathon a success is marathon specific training, mostly long runs.  The races help provide quality tempos.  Instead of a marathon between now and St. Jude, I would suggest seeking out a couple of 1/2 marathons.  They provide great marathon-specific workouts and don't interrupt training like a marathon can. 

[Nicki]

Thanks Sasha and Michelle.  I'm in for St. George - booked the flight and the room.  I have to give myself permission to run it conservatively so I don't get injured and will continue training until then without a taper. 

Just like all most of us, I want to continue running well without injury and yes, us mommies (and grandmothers) DO have a few PR's left in us! 

Nicki