Questions & Answers
I just completed my very first marathon (the Boulder backroads marathon) yesterday! I'm signed up for another marathon in 9 weeks, and I want to take a solid week or two off of training. How would you recommend working back into the mileage so that I can perform another 26.2 on Nov. 28th? Thanks!
Congrats on completing your first marathon! I wish I knew more about your prior training but in general it's not a great idea to leave so little time between your first and second marathons. Most coaches (and my personal experience) recommend taking it very easy for a full month before you starting a new training cycle. The equation changes somewhat if you are a high mileage runner with many long runs close to the marathon distance, you recovery fast and you have reasonable expectations about at least one of the marathons i.e. you run one of them easier than the other. All that said, if you are determined to run another one on Nov. 28th., I'll give you some general guidelines on how you can approach the 9 week time period. But please realize that you must listen to your body. If you feel pain at any point you must back off or you'll just make injuries worse.
week 1: lots of rest and recovery. A few days walking, running or cross training. Short runs if you don't feel any pain. Take some ice or cold water baths if your legs/feet are sore. 20% of your highest mileage weeks from first marathon.
week 2: lots of rest but start introducing more easy runs. 30% of your highest mileage.
week 3: Continue to increase mileage to 40%
week 4: mileage to 50%
week 5: mileage to 60% - introduce some speed work such as tempo or MP run on one day if you used speed workouts in your first marathon.
week 6: mileage to 75% - one speed day during the week if applicable.
week 7: mileage to 70% - taper week 1
week 8: mileage to 60% - taper week 2
week 9: mileage to 40% - taper week 3
Good luck and feel free to check in and let us know how things are going.
Cheers,
Coach John
Is 4 months enough time to prepare for a 10K?
The answer to that depends on your current fitness level. If you are already participating in other aerobic sports or doing high mileage power walking you could probably run 6.2 miles with just a little training. But if you are starting from scratch it might take you longer than 4 months.
The 'couch to 5K' program is a good one to follow if you are just getting started in running and takes 2 months to work up to the 3.1 mile distance. Here's a link that goes over that training plan.
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
Once you work up to the 5K distance it would be good to evaluate how the training went to see if you are ready to increase your distances. The body is very adaptable to increasing muscular and aerobic endurance and those training adaptations can occur relatively quickly. But as I mentioned in another post, the other parts of the body like the ligaments, tendons and even bones take longer to adapt. You shouldn't be in a big hurry and increase distances too fast or injury is more likely. Believe me, running is a lot more fun when you can avoid injuries!
If you make it through the 5K program in good shape and you feel you can run 2.5 miles fairly easily then you could start a 10K training program.
Hal Higdon has a 10K novice program that takes 2 months to get your ready for the 10K distance.
http://www.halhigdon.com/10ktraining/10knovice.htm
I hope that helps get you started but feel free to give us more details that will help us give you more personalized answers. Maybe there is someone in your area that you could train with which makes sticking with the program much easier and more enjoyable.
Cheers,
Coach John
Got my mind prepared and now I am starting on the training . How many weeks of power walking should I do before I start to jog ?
I would love to answer your question but I need a little more to go on first. What program are you following? Are you currently active?
Started doing the Couch to 5k program and now I want to talk about Diet...
When I work out I am HUNGRY all day, what foods should I eat and not gain weight?
Thanks;)
Great to hear the you have left the couch and embarked on a healthier lifestyle and desire to go even further with the nutrition side of the house. You ask a great question as well, and one that is common for many folks who have begun to exercise more. That increased hunger is a good sign actually, it means you metabolism is kicking in! However, no on likes to feel hungry. Here are some simple steps to take to help you get on the right nutrition track.
You asked what food you should eat that will not make you fat. Well, to be honest, all foods can make you fat if you eat too much of it. It’s not so much the food itself but the calories we are concerned about. Calories are energy so when we talk about food we are actually talking about energy management. Energy in and energy out. So, how much energy (calories) do you need?
How Many Calories Do You Need:
Follow this simple formula to determine your caloric needs as a runner.
Step 1. Body weight x 10 = BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)
Step 2. Daily Activity = 300 -1,000 Calories
Step 3. Training = miles/week x 100/7
The Formula: BMR + Daily Activity + Training = Your Caloric Expenditure
Dividing That Up:
Your Daily Caloric Intake should be divide up as follows into these macronutrient groups.
Carbohydrates- 60-65%
Fats- 20-25%
Proteins- 12-15%
A great place to go on the wed to learn more about what sort of foods to eat is http://www.mypyramid.gov/.
Here are some additional nutritional tips I give all my clients no matter what their goals are.
1. Eat 5-6 meals a day.
2. Eat your meals 2 1/2 - 3 hours apart. This is vital! Eating at these intervals will keep your metabolism fired up and your energy levels high. Your muscles and cells will also get the proper building material to keep them strong and regenerating. This will also help with that hungry feeling.
3. Each meal should have a portion of eat macronutrient in it.
4. PLAN AHEAD for your meals! One of the greatest reasons people fail on the nutritional side is because they do not plan ahead and do "spontaneous eating." Spontaneous eating is dangerous! Depending on what kind of persona you are you may need to plan either a day ahead or a week ahead.
5.Take a multi-vitamin. Most of use do not get all the vitamins we need in the foods we get today. Just to be sure, go ahead and take a one a day vitamin to cover your bases.
6. Drink 8-10 cups of water a day. Start your morning with a cup of water and keep it coming through out the day. Besides keeping you hydrated it will help with flushing toxins out of your system. Cut out calorie drinks! You should not drink your calories, it will not satisfy your hunger. Water is also a natural appetite suppressant.
7. Supplementation if needed. Sometimes it is hard to get those meals in on the run.
8. Take a day off. Set aside one day a week as your "splurge day." Even if you do not want to take it, do it. It will convince the body that it is not starving, that all is ok, and will help boast weight loss.It is also a great mental tool as well in overcoming eating temptations throughout the week knowing that on that one day a week you can eat that cheesecake or ice cream.
Please keep in mind that these are general guidelines and each of us have different nutritional needs and that sometimes it might be best to consult a nutritionist or dietitian for a more specific nutritional plan.
Hope this helps get you started.
Chris "Autism Runner" Fales
I used to be an athlete but I have not ran in 16 years and am overweight out of shape.
How can I get started and raise awareness for Autism and my son Jayden?
Start by doing a little bit of exercise each day, even 20 minutes of walking will help to prepare the body for running and increase your metabolism for losing weight. Make it a habit! Promise yourself and others that you will do a little each day and follow through. The toughest part is getting out the door because once you do the actual exercise will be easy to follow through on. If you can find someone else to train with that can be a big motivation for both of you (or the group).
Then I believe the best way to start running (again) is to follow a 3 day per week program that involves both walking and short jogging. A very good program is the 'Couch-to-5K' running plan (see link below) that builds up slowly to a 3 mile run distance in 2 months. From there the sky is the limit but just remember to build up slowly and make consistency the main ingredient in your fitness goal.
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
Of course everyone starting a fitness program should get a check up by their doctor first.
Thanks for the question and thanks for wanting to do something to raise awareness for Autism! Please check back in, let us know how you are doing.
Cheers,
Coach John
So I have completed the C25K and completed a 5K (90% running) I was having issues and found out I had a herniated disc in my back, so recovering. Once I am on my way back I was thinking of training for a10K possibly a half? What is the time line I should be realistically looking at?
Hi. First off, congrats on completing your 5K! It takes a lot of will power to go from Couch to 5K and glad to hear you achieved that running goal.
I would first make sure you are addressing why you ended up with a herniated disc and correct things so you don't have a relapse. Increasing your core strength may be necessary. Check with your doctor to see when you can incorporate core work. Also be very conscious when you walk and run that your posture is good as the body will absorb the shock of running much better with good posture. If you slouch or otherwise fail to keep a strong core/posture you risk putting lots of stress on the joints, including the back.
Make sure you are running in the right kind of shoes. A good specialized running store should have trained personnel and ideally video treadmill equipment to record your running stride and fit you will the right type of shoe.
I think you should train again for a 5K first. When you are fully healed, do the 9 week C25K program (you should be able to progress a little faster this time around but don't rush it) and see if you can run the entire 5K.
Then, after a successful 5K race, you can set your sights on the 10K distance (remember, it's twice as far!). Only after you complete a 10K successfully, would I suggest training for a half marathon. You are able to build endurance and muscle pretty quickly as evidenced in your 5K program but to run longer distances (like the half marathon on up) you need to build up your tendons, ligaments and even your bones which takes longer and must be done slowly or else you have a high risk of injury. Don't be in a big hurry to get to longer and longer distances but get to the place where you really enjoy your running and the feeling of it get easier and easier as you build endurance.
I hope that helps. Let me know if you need additional info or clarification.
Cheers,
Coach John
