RaceReady News

Question: Hi Mary, I just read your article in the Shippensburg University Magazine. I am a recent grad of Shippensburg myself. I found your article to be truly amazing. I have always liked running, in high school I was better than I am now. Now I only run on a treadmill, and I don't run more than 20 minutes at a time. Do you have any advice on how to improve my running? I even found a running club near me, but I want to get some experience before I start running with them. I know I can do it, I just need the proper advice. I just started a full time job and have been thinking of active things to do in my spare time, after reading your article I am convinced this is exactly what I need. I work out regularly so I am in good condition but I want to take this further and really become determined, and of course have fun. I look forward to hearing from you! Take care.
Mary Ellen

Answer: Mary Ellen:

Thanks for the question, fellow Shippensburg alumni! My advice for you would be to start running on your own gradually. If you can run on a dirt trail it will be easier on your body than running on pavement. Since you sound like you are already in decent shape, you can probably start out by walk / running 15 minutes or so every other day. Try to keep increasing the amount of time you are running vs walking until you can run 15 consecutive minutes. From that point, add 5 more minutes of running so you are running 20 minutes. Do that for a week or so, and then increase your mileage again to 25-30 minutes. When you are comfortable running for a half hour, you will probably feel confident enought to join a running club. Most running clubs welcome runners of all abilities.

I also suggest you pick a local 5K race to run within the next few months. I find having a goal helps making the training more fun & rewarding. Also, I recommend you develop a stretching routine and stretch your muscles after your running workouts.

I hope this helps and you enjoy many happy healthy running years. I certainly have.

Cheers,
Mary

Posted by mary button at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question: I am planning on running my first marathon this fall 2008, what training tips, race day tips, etc. do you have for a novice to this type of race. I have only done 5k's and my fastest 5k (so far) is 24:02 (I'm a 33 yr old woman). I am using McMillan running time estimates for training and I am running 3 days a week with 2 days of weight training as cross training. Will this work okay? Shanan

Answer: I would recommend entering a 1/2 marathon race if you can before your marathon this fall. That would give you some experience at racing at a long distance; so you can practice drinking water at the water stops, taking your energy gels, pacing yourself within the crowd of other runners, etc. I also think a goal for most fiirst time marathoners should be to finish the race, without any specific time goal. That being said, I think your 3 days of running and 2 days of cross training is OK. You might benefit from trying 4 days of running and 1 day of cross training for a few weeks, and see how your body holds up. When I was training for competitive marathons, I found that I ran my best marathons when I could run high mileage, but only to the point that I wasn't breaking down and overdoing it. I hope this helps, and I wish you success this fall.
Mary

Posted by mary button at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Name: Phil

Question: My last long run (20 miles) in marathon training can be done in a race; should I try to run it at my planned marathon pace (8:00/mile), or should I run it more slowly? I don't want to use up energy needed for the marathon, but I also want to get my body used to running marathon pace.

Answer: My thoughts are that you should not run the entire 20 mile training run at race pace. I think you should wait until the marathon race to do that distance at goal race pace. However, I am a firm believer in incorporating some race-pace training in your long run. Often times, I would run a 1/2 marathon at race pace with 2 or 3 miles easy warm up and 2-3 miles easy cool down afterwards. Perhaps you can do this in your 20 miler: run the first 3 miles easy, followed by 14 miles at race pace, finishing with 3 miles easy. This will give you practice at running long at race pace, but not tire you out for your goal marathon.
Have a great marathon & I hope you achieve your goal!

Posted by mary button at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question: Hi Mary,

I am training for my first marathon, but have trouble with frequent side aches. I have given up eating/drinking (other than a little water) before my runs, but still have issues. Any suggestions on what else I can do? If I get a side ache, they are frequently so bad that I must stop running altogether, which is very frustrating. Thank you! Greta

Answer: I did some research, and here is what I found. Personally, I have rarely suffered from side stitches. The only time I can remember is when I would push myself on my hill run and was really breathing hard.
The side stitch is especially common among beginners who are still adapting to the demands of running and may have weak abdominals. But even elite runners get stitches.

What causes stitches is a spasm of the diaphragm, the muscle that controls your breathing. When you’re running too fast or too hard, the diaphragm is deprived of oxygen which results in the spasm. Or another cause is when you breathe exceptionally hard, it forces the diaphragm downward and the ligaments that connect the diaphragm are stretched. Result: Pain.

Whatever the exact cause, if your breathing too hard while running, the diaphragm can often bark back with a stabbing pain. Sometimes in a race you’ll be pushing hard to catch another runner and the straining can cause a stitch. This can also frequently occur when racing downhill because the jarring motion tightens the abdominal muscles. Or, if you are running too soon after eating, your heavy stomach may literally be tugging at the ligaments connected to the diaphragm. Sometimes drinking very cold water during a race has been known to cause stitches.

If you’re hit with a stitch, the best remedy is slow down or stop. Don’t panic, concentrate on getting your breathing under control by belly breathing. That is, force your belly out when you breathe in and relaxing it as you breathe out. Take deep breaths when you inhale and exhale forcibly. Usually this works within a minute or so, but if the pain is just too much to endure and you’re forced to stop, bend over and raise your knee on the side of the stitch while pressing your fingers deep into the painful area and tightening your stomach muscles. Or just walk while belly breathing.

Try and practice belly breathing on shorter training runs so you’ll be prepared for the next stitch. Also, try doing abdominal work after every run. Do bent-knee sit-ups to strengthen the abdominal muscles. Or crunches. Also, make sure you don't eat too close to a run.

I hope this helps.

Posted by mary button at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question: I'm training for this year's Boston Marathon (my first) with Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. Given your experience on the Boston Course, I'd like your opinion on pacing myself during the race. I'm hoping to run just under 4 hours which seems like a good possibility given my training on the course. However, I've been told it's easy to start out too fast. Should I try to run slower then do negative splits (on the hills?!) or try to run evenly paced or take advantage of the early downhills? Since this distance is new for me, I'm not sure how fast I'll be doing the last 6.2!
Thanks! Linn

Answer: Boston is a wonderful marathon. I refer to it as W.G.M. (World's Greatest Marathon.) The excitement of all your fellow runners, plus the wonderful spectators along the course, coupled with the history of the race really make it a remarkable experience. That being said, it is very easy to get caught up in the excitement and start off too fast, especially since the first few miles are downhill. I would recommend running a fairly even paced race. Do not go out too fast. Instead, go out at your "goal" pace. You may want to pick up your pace a little bit after you reach the half-way point. That way you have a little margin for slowing down on the hills to come. The hills in Boston aren't that bad, it's just that they occur late in the race when your legs are already fatigued. That being said, most runners have to run those miles (between 16 and 21) somewhat slower than most of the other miles of the race. The last 4 miles are downhill into the finish. I hope this helps and that you enjoy the Boston Experience! Mary

Posted by mary button at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Question: Hi Mary:
When breaking in new running shoes we often worry first about blisters. Can new shoes cause your legs to become unusually tired as well?
from Marcia

Hello Marcia: I have found that I like to break in shoes by wearing the running shoes for a few hours each day (not running) for about a week before I wear them for running. Actually, my personal experience is that my legs usually feel LESS tired when I wear a new pair of running shoes. However, I can easily understand how a new pair of shoes can leave your legs feeling tired at first, especially if they are a stiffer, heavier shoe than your previous shoes.

Posted by mary button at 4:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)