Continued from How to run a marathon (parts 0 to 9)
The one type of training session that is the yardstick of a long distance runner's progress is the long run. To do a marathon, or a half marathon, you need to be able to run a long distance, and this can only be achieved through sheer practise. Hence the weekly long run.
Why weekly? Because it would be very difficult to run long distances more often. Do a long run everyday, and you'll likely end up either injured or completely exhausted. It's only ultra long distance runners who undertake that type of regime, but ultra distance running is not our concern. We are 'only' long distance runners...
Shorter training runs during the week (for practical reasons, long runs are normally carried out in the weekend, specifically though of course not necessarily on Sunday) serve two purposes:
- less demanding training sessions to allow for complete recovery from the rigours of the weekend long run, and
- specific work on other aspects of athletic form, in particular speed.
In the weekend, most people have more time on their hands that will allow them to carry out a longer training session. And this is where we train our bodies to get used to running for a long time, over a long distance. This is where our muscles are made to work for a longer time than they are normally used to, which will in turn induce our body during the week to rebuild the worn muscle tissue and overcompensating in anticipation of the new demands being made upon it. This is where our cardiovascular system, i.e. the continuous work done by the heart in pumping blood around our body, combined with intake of oxygen through the lungs to be absorbed by the blood and transported to the working muscles, becomes ever more efficient and able to keep working at a relatively high rate for several hours.
It's called endurance. It's that characteristic that enables you to do an active exertion for a long time without getting too tired. To go up a staircase or walk up a steep hill without getting breathless. You will notice, as you get fitter, that your pulse rate at rest starts to get lower. This is because your heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood. In fact your pulse rate at rest is another measure of your current level of fitness.
In our beginners' schedule, we have, bit by bit, increased the time of the Sunday run to 80 minutes. These runs, as in the case of the standard 10k sessions, are done at an easy pace. Depending upon your natural ability, they may vary from 7.5 minutes per mile if you're a pretty fast runner, to 10 minutes per mile if you're on the slower side. The majority of runners do their long training runs at 8 to 9.5 minutes per mile. There's no specific ideal type of route for a long run, although it would be better to avoid very hilly routes, as the aim here is simply to improve running for a long time. Tough hills could be just a bit too much for this already demanding type of session.
Most runners prefer to carry out their long runs in company. This certainly has several advantages, among which:
- the camaraderie among runners makes the Sunday long run something to which to look forward;
- a group of runners possesses a wide pool of knowledge of different types of route and distances available from any given meeting point;
- being committed to meet someone is a big incentive to get out of a cosy bed on those occasions when your will power lets you down;
- running in company is much more interesting than a long run all on your own, where time and tired muscles tend to seem to last forever...
... but be careful to run with someone in the same league as yourself. If you agree to run with just one partner, this partner needs to have just about the same pace as you do, otherwise he or she will tire you out within a few minutes, or if they are too slow you will feel as if you're not doing any training at all. Alternatively, if you run with a large group it will be much easier to fall into step with someone who runs at your preferred pace. A third possibility (mine, partly due to circumstances, partly due to choice) is to run on your own, and you're 100% free to dictate the pace. But it's a lonely choice, and the longer runs seem to last forever!
That's it, folks. Next time I'll write on the build-up to a half marathon or a full marathon. In the meantime, enjoy your running. Here's Week 13 of our beginners' schedule:
Mon: rest
Tue: 10k easy
Wed: 10k tempo
Thu: rest
Fri: 10k easy
Sat: rest
Sun: 1h30m easy
No comments:
Post a Comment