RaceReady News

Question: Mary,
I am training for the Chicago Lasalle Bank marathon on Oct 9.
My last long run of 20 miles is to be this weekend.
Last year ( and probably this year) I substituted a 25K race with a time of 2:03.
Do you see any problems with this?
Ed

Answer: I think this is an excellent idea! I have often used Half Marathons to incorporate some fast & fun miles into a long training run. Just keep in mind that your 25K is NOT your goal race....don't run these 19 miles too fast or you will be too tired for optimal perfomance in your marathon. Doing other races before the "goal race" also helps you prepare mentally for your racing. Mental focus is an important ingredient of marathoning. Since you will be running "hard" this weekend, you really need to concentrate on tapering before the marathon. I wish you success in the Windy City.
Mary

Posted by mary button at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I feel very fortunate to live near the largest urban park in the country, Los Angeles Griffith Park. Our RaceReady office is also near Griffith Park. Consequently I find myself doing most of my running in the Park. Even on my "off days" from running I find it rewarding to go hiking or walking in the Park. These days I do almost all of my running on running trails. I save the pavement for the occasional run or race. My knees have been thanking me since I became a trail runner.

The Dept. of Recs & Parks is currently reviewing the Griffith Park Master Plan, which is a Plan designed as the guideline for Griffith Park for the next 25 years. It is a scary document at over 175 pages! Not only is it scary because of the length, but because of the content. This Master Plan proposes more parking structures, a Destination Restaurant, aeral tramways, an expanded golf course, and many other scary ideas.

I have read most of this Master Plan and counted the number of times I have seen RUNNER mentioned. The number is zero or zilch. Is that indicative of the priority that is to be given us runners in the Park? Already we have seen our running trails taken away as the Zoo expansion project has occurred. I'm a fan of Joni Mitchell's music, and now can truly relate to her lyrics about "paving paradise and putting up a parking lot."

If you are interested in learning more about the Griffith Park Master Plan & what you can do to help, please visit the website Save Griffith Park http://savegriffithpark.org

Hopefully we can continue to enjoy & run in our Griffith Park during the next 25 years.

Posted by mary button at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Question:

Vlad asks...

Hi Mary,

I've been slowing down in the seconf half of the marathon. I have been training for marathons for the last three years with a weekly mileage between 40-60 miles. This year, I ran three marathons (Boston, Vermont, Quebec) and, in all these marathons, I significantly slowed down in the second half (by 15 minutes in Boston, 7 minutes in Burlington, and by about 6 minutes in Quebec). Yet, during my long runs, I have been running either steady pace or occasionally negative splits. I know that an obvious answer can be that I started off too fast, but my PR fom my last year is 2:51:53 and my half-times from this year were comparable to that pace. So even though my training times have improved against the last year, my marathon times are legging behind. Perhaps, the weather conditions might be partly at work here--Vermont 70 degrees plus higher humidity; Quebec: 70 degrees and rain. But still it seems that I might be doing something wrong. What do you think?

Answer:

The obvious answer would be to run the first half a little slower. However, it does sound like the weather could be a factor. 70 degree humid weather is NOT ideal for running 26.2 marathons. I think it is normal to slow down in that type of weather condition. You may want to focus on staying well hydrated and well nourished during your next marathon. Remember that you must drink & maintain your energy levels during the early stages of the race, in order to get through the latter stages without a struggle (ie slowing down.)

I generally try to drink fluids at least every few miles. I also recommend doing an energy gel every 40 minutes. I tend to drink just water for the first half of the marathon, and then switch to the electrolyte drink during the second half. Again, I can only tell you what has worked for me. Try & experiment during your long training runs to come up with the formula that's right for you.

I wish you success in your next marathon and hope it is a "negative split."

Gotta run,
Mary

Posted by at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question:

Ed asks...

Hi Mary,

Do you have any recommendations as far as alcohol consumption during marathon training. Assuming moderation, is there a time to abstain before a marathon and what are the benefits?

Answer:

I think the key is moderation. Going out and having a drink or two occasionally I don't think will hamper your marathon training. It never seemed to cause me any harm. However, one of the effects of drinking alcohol is the possibility of becoming dehydrated. Make certain to drink plenty of water to counter-balance the alcohol.

I would also be cautious of drinking the evening before a long run or an important race. When I would compete in marathons (race day of Sunday) I found it OK to drink a glass of wine or beer on Friday night, but then would play it safe & conservative and drink just water on Saturday. This worked for me. I also had no problems with a celebratory toast the evening following a great race, but I would make certain to down plenty of water first.

I hope this helps. Again, don't try anything new before an important race.

Gotta run,
Mary

Posted by at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)