Getting over the hump

[Jeff Necessary]

Obviously, I'm happy with a 72-minute PR at Memphis, but I didn't quite get there. I'd like the gang's input on what I need to do for the next race to get over the hump and get to Boston. I put some thoughts down in my blog entry for 12-10-08, and I'd like suggestions on what you think will get me those three minutes I need -- whether I'm on the right track or I'm missing something. Thanks.

[Sasha Pachev]

Jeff:

I would attack the following angles, you've spotted some of them already:

a) Continue to improve aerobic base. This often comes not only with increases in aerobic capability, but also neurological improvements that allow you to run more efficiently. This is particularly true for novice runners who have not average consistently over 60 miles a week for a period of 3 years.

b) Improve your gas tank and fuel economy at target race pace. 10-15 mile tempo runs done weekly as part of your long run at 8:00 mile pace. My approach is a long run without a tempo is a wasted long run.

c) Do something about your 1 mile - 5 K speed. If you push this up without losing fuel economy or gas tank size, you get a "free" upgrade of your marathon race pace. This is tricky. Several problems. One - 5 K pace interval workouts can send your body a wrong message - use glycogen early on at any cost to run 5 seconds per mile faster at the same perceived effort. So you start your marathon, everything is going great, then you run out of fuel and hit the wall hard. Two - different people respond differently to the same workout. General idea is hold time trials on all distances from 100 meters to 5 K on comparable courses and see where you are failing. If you fail at 100 meters, the training is 10 second hill repeats with full rest. If you fail after the mile, the training is long 5 K pace intervals with short rest. Three - interval work must be approached with caution due to a high potential for injury.

d) When you bonk you never really bonk. The cup has bitter dregs at the bottom that you can still drink. So we teach the nervous system to reach into the bottom of the cup. A workout like this could help teach that: 15 mile tempo at 8:00 pace, jog 3 minutes, do 2x400 all out. Or a race. Go out at a dream pace and see how long you can hold it. Think one more minute at that pace, one more minute. Then jog in if you do not make it to the finish.

[Jeff Linger]

I'll throw my 2 cents in and back up the "go out at a dream pace and see how long you can hold it" bit. I did a 5 month season that culminated with a BQ performance at St Louis last April (3:11:31). I began another training season in June and after 4 months felt that I should be able to run better than I was. I had previously hit a 1:30:35 half last November and in September was only able to run about 5 seconds/mile faster than I had done last November. I couldn't figure it out. I had this hankering that it was my race approach. I tend to go out conservative until about the half-way point and then drop the hammer. Most of this was based on a fear that I couldn't do it. So in October I went out for a training run. I did a 2 mile warm-up at 7:45 pace, then hit 2 miles at 7:00 pace, then I dropped the hammer down to 6:15 and just tried to see how long I could hold it. To be honest, I didn't realize I was running 6:15s, which was probably an advantage, had I known this, I might have convinced myself that I couldn't hold it. I was able to hold the pace for 7 miles before I found myself back at home. My splits were 6:13s for 3 miles, 6:11s for 2 miles, and 6:09s for the last 2. I didn't check my splits while I was running though. Somewhere around mile 8 of the 11 mile total run I found myself talking out loud. Saying things like, ok, lets try to hold this for 5 more minutes, ok, lets go for the crossroad of such and such, ok, lets go for 1 more mile. Had I not run out of real estate I might have been able to hold it longer, who knows. But the short of this long was that a month later I was confident in my ability to run a sub 6:30 pace for a half marathon or better. I went out at this pace and ended hitting a 6:28/mile ave pace. There is no doubt in my mind that this single workout was the breakthrough workout that I needed.