Pain vs Suffering?

You can be assured of one thing this Sunday if you're running the marathon. It's going to hurt, at some stage towards the end. There's pretty much no getting away from that. Your response to that hurt will determine how well, or how fast you finish, and may be the difference between getting that elusive PB, or not.

So, when the question is asked, what will your response be?

““Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say you’re running and you think, ‘Man, this hurts, I can’t take it anymore. The ‘hurt’ part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself.”


”

— ― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Ooh, It's the deep burn. Oh, it's so deep. - Ron Burgundy.

Pain vs Suffering?

When the question is asked, what will your response be?. Pain, or suffering? This usually occurs somewhere after the 32km mark of your marathon race, and will determine how well you finish. Perhaps whether you get that PB you're after!

Think of the child who runs and runs and runs, laughing, playing, until they collapse exhausted on the ground, still laughing. The children playing in the cold ocean waters in early Spring, having too much fun to notice anything but cold water.

They feel the sensation - cold, exhausted, breathless, yet do not suffer from it. 

Pain in the body is the most immediate form of suffering. But is pain really the same as suffering?

Pain is just a physical sensation. It is our mind that tells us we are suffering.

Suffering comes from our experience, that we learn and develop as we get older based on what we've experienced before. Essentially suffering prevents us from continuing with the discomfort or sensation that we are experiencing. Whist sometimes this can be to avoid potential injury, our bodies are very capable of enduring much, much more than our mind will often allow. And this is the point of training hard, which trains our mind to accept pain ( discomfort) and deal with it, even use it to keep us going. In this sense, to the seasoned runner, pain & suffering are mutually exclusive.

Physical running ability is certainly the primary determinant of performance in running races, but pain tolerance — or perhaps more accurately 'suffering tolerance' — is also a major factor. Read more here.

When you run the marathon, you will be asked the question as you approach the final stages of the race, typically beyond 32kms. Can you sit with the pain, are you comfortable to carry that with you to the finish, or will you let your mind bring suffering into the equation, and allow it to slow you down?

““WHATEVER DOESN’T HURT IS JUST YOUR COMFORT ZONE””

— Daniela Ryf, Ironman World Champion

Pain is inevitable, Suffering is optional.

If you're in search of a big PB this Sunday, you better be prepared to make pain your friend.

To quote from Alan Jeans, in the 1989 Grand Final - Are you willing to pay the price? 

Good luck to all the fabulous competitors that have made it to the start line in the Melbourne Marathon this Sunday!

Daniela Ryf, Ironman World Champion. - surely, she doesn't race in that?

Read more about Daniela Ryf here.

And if you're looking for some more inspirational quotes about running the marathon, you will find them here.

CHANGE YOUR LIFE, RUN A MARATHON. RUN WELL.

The Ten Commandments of running a Marathon Race

With a little more than a week til Race Day for Melbourne marathoners, our focus turns to race day & our race plan.

If you're interested in getting the most out of your race day, read on to see my top Ten Commandments for running your marathon race. 

Be a finisher!

Remember your 10 Commandments for Running a Marathon; 

1. Know your Race Plan & follow your plan. 

2. Don’t weave through people at the start, you’ll just waste valuable energy.  Relax, there’s plenty of time. 

3. Run the tangents, corner to corner, don’t make it any longer than it already is! 

4. Don’t wear a hat, you’ll overheat, and you need to sweat to keep your cool! 

5. Drink early & often, don't wait till you're thirsty.

6. Don’t do your shoelaces up too tight, and do double knots. 

7. Run with the pack as much as possible for the first 30km. 

8. Don’t fight the wind. Sit in behind a pack into a headwind, & wait til you’re downwind & relax to increase your pace. 

9. Use the gradients – relax downhill, let your pace increase. Uphill - shorten your stride but maintain your cadence, ease your pace back a bit. It all evens out in the end. 

10. Your goal is to get through to the 32k mark, or back onto St. Kilda Road in good shape. Your race starts here!

Finally, the marathon is all about economy & efficiency. Be mindful of this as you run. 

How you run your first 10km will determine how you finish your last 10km! i.e. be conservative early to save your glycogen, for a strong finish, when you’ll need it! 

When running, think about being relaxed. Think smooth, light & easy with your running form. If you’re not feeling this, ease off a bit, settle into your rhythm again before gradually picking it up.

And if you don't have a race plan, you better make sure you're not planning to fail!  

Need advice for your Race Plan? It's not too late, click here!  

Taper Time...no time to switch off!

Whilst we like to think taper time starts after finishing our last long run, it is not actually the case, as the training week 2 weeks out is just as heavy as many of those before. As far as our body, or legs are concerned, they're still doing a lot of work, and will most probably feel just as tired as they have for this previous month of high mileage.

So, in reality our taper starts from this weekend (2 weeks to go!) if you're preparing for the Melbourne Marathon as our weekly running volume reduces by about 20-30% in this second last week, and reduces again for the final week, thus allowing for full recovery. Your running frequency and schedule should remain the same, it's just the volume, distance or number of reps that reduces.

And with that, here's a few tips that I like to suggest to keep you focussed on Race Day and to ensure you get to the start line in the best shape & ready to race.

Taper time is essentially the time our body needs to recover from the heavy running loads & high mileage training we have done, particular in the past month. This of course serves to ensure we are at our physical peak to perform on Race Day.

Enjoy your taper time.

So, what do we need to do?

1. Assist Your Recovery ; stay hydrated, well rested, get plenty of sleep, and avoid alcohol.

2. Muscle Maintenance ; Continue or even pay more attention to your physical maintenance ( active recovery) to ensure your legs are at their peak by Race Day. This means massage, stretching, using your foam roller & spikey ball regularly.

3. Remain focussed on the goal ahead ; No cramming! Don't be tempted to start doing extra 'other' sessions or more running than your program says. Keep your running frequency the same, it's just your mileage or number of reps that will reduce. As you start to feel better and fresher in the legs, the temptation to do more comes up, but don't, simple. You're at more risk of overdoing it now than ever, so just Don't! 

Also, this is not the time to start up some extra circuit training or the like to fill in the extra time. Focus on running well, make your sessions sharp. Apart from that, relax, and take the time to recover. You deserve it & you need it!

4. Reflect on all the hard work that you've done, and consider all the long hard Interval and Tempo sessions. You will gain confidence by acknowledging the hard yards you've been through. Try not to overthink this, as you have nothing further to gain in these final two weeks from a conditioning perspective. The work is done, recover, and focus on your Race and Race Plan.

5. Eat well, nourish your body. You don't need to eat more, and you definitely don't want to eat less ( just because you're running less). Ensure your muscles are recover and are well stocked with glycogen by the night before Race Day. Stay hydrated, and ensure you are fully hydrated throughout the last week before Race Day.

However, it is also a time that some may start to wonder or ask a few questions about whether you are well enough prepared, whether you've done enough miles etc? Whilst it's hard to back off the training mileage when it's all you've done for the past 4-5 months, you must trust in your program. Understand that you've done a lot of training, a lot of hard speed & strength work, and a lot of miles. Now, is the time for you to recover from all that, in preparation for Race Day. Don't overlook how important this final stage is. If you don't get to the start line fully recovered, your performance will suffer!

Well done! You're nearly there, but you're not done yet!

On your marks, Get Set...

Arm swing & Running Economy

"The arms drive the legs!", I can still hear coach Bisinella's words ringing in my ears, as we pushed hard around the bend into the final straight of a 400m repeat. 

That lesson, along with many others learned on the track have carried over to my distance running & will serve you well when it comes to running economy & importantly when racing. 

This excellent article will shed a little more light on the subject of running economy & arm swing, click here

In running your arms work in sync with your legs as counter levers keeping you balanced and limiting trunk rotation as you run.  When running easy paced they act passively in doing this which suits long distance running where energy conservation is crucial. However when the pace quickens and you're looking to extract that extra few % out of your legs, ironically it's your arms that can make a big difference in getting you going & keeping you there!

As you increase your running pace for tempo work or pushing up your pace for racing, your leg speed, cadence, knee lift & stride length will all increase. Along with that, & importantly knee drive increases in amplitude & force, leading to stronger glute activation and downward force as you push yourself forward and away from the ground.

And this is where the arms come into play.

Focus on pushing your elbow back as your opposite leg pushes down through the ground. Simultaneously the other arm reaches forward in time with the opposite knee also coming forward. 

Understanding this relationship can help you add extra impetus to the whole mechanism as you focus a little energy into the arm swing to pick up your cadence and pace.  

Think elbows pushing back and hands moving forward. Avoid your hands crossing over the midline of your body which creates unnecessary & unproductive trunk rotation.  

Try this on the track, in accelerations, tempo running & when trying to maintain race pace when you're battling fatigue.

When you're pushing through the final stages of your race, think cadence, drive & arm swing!  

Gain confidence & fresher legs with your next Long Run: 4 ways to Step it up this month.

Fast finishers

The Long Run is without doubt the most important run in your marathon training program. These runs are specifically designed by pace & heart rate to maximise your body's ability to burn fat & spare your limited muscle glycogen stores as well as improve your leg strength & condition to allow you to make the distance.

As we approach this weekend, we look forward to our first of 3 x 30+ km runs over the next month. This month represents the peak in your running mileage and arguably the most critical stage in your marathon preparation.

Having completed 8-12 weeks of structured running thus far, you will have built up a good level of aerobic conditioning courtesy of your easy paced, steady Long Runs at your prescribed pace to maximise your aerobic threshold training effect.

However, if you're anything like many runners I speak to, it's common to start to wonder how on earth you're going to manage to run 42.195 kms at your desired race pace, when you've been doing all these miles at a much slower pace.

Thus, with 8 weeks to go this is an ideal time to start to work a bit of Race Pace into your Long Runs. This I believe will serve you well on two fronts;

Firstly, to give you a feel for what it's like to run at Race Pace on tired legs. These runs will show you that you can run at Race Pace even under these conditions of high mileage training on often tired legs. This will give you confidence that you can take into race day. 

Secondly, after many weeks of slower paced Long Runs, your legs will relish the opportunity to open up a bit, utilising more glycogen as you push your pace up to your desired Race pace. Paradoxically, your legs will feel fresher and alive with the extra work - the change of pace will recruit more intermediate muscle fibres, allow you to increase your cadence, reduce your ground contact time as you increase your pace. Think of it as giving your legs a break from the slow easy pace, as you train your body to work hard under conditions of fatigue.

Here are 4 tried & tested ways that you can step up the pace on your upcoming Long Runs.

These techniques have been practised & endorsed by some of the great runners & coaches of our time, such as Arthur Lydiard, Gabrielle Rosa, Greg McMillan, Hal Higdon & subsequently many thousands of athletes since;

1. FAST FINISH:

For a 32 km Long Run, run the first half (16km) at your prescribed easy Long Run pace. Gradually increase your pace over the next 8 kms up to Race Pace by the 24km mark. Hold your Race Pace through to 30km, and finish the last 2 km even faster if you can. 

2. SURGES:

Run the first half of your Long Run at your easy prescribed Long Run pace and work up towards your Race Pace ( RP) in the last km . Hold your Race Pace over the next 3 km, then follow this with 3 km at easy pace, then 3 km at RP and so on. Perform 3 x 3 km at RP, with 3 km easy pace between. Finish your last km at Easy pace.

3. THE 3/1:

Run the first 3 quarters ( 24km) at your prescribed easy Long Run pace, and run the last quarter (8km) at Race Pace.

4. HILLS/TRAILS: 

Increasing your pace is increasing your work-rate. You can also do this on a hilly course or hit the trails. Work hard up the hills, and ease off on the downs. A great place for this type of run is Kew Boulevard in Melbourne; a tranquil undulating 14 km return roadside course.

Incorporate these runs into your next 3 x 30+ km runs over the next month only if your body is feeling up to it. These runs will give you the confidence and better conditioning for a stronger, faster finish come race day!

An additional note for these runs is that you might want to take gels with you. Firstly, to practise for race day, as well as provide some extra carbohydrate energy for your fast finishes. You don't need to consume your gels in the early part of your runs at easy pace, but wait until just before your faster run sections if you wish.

With the additional demands of these runs, please make sure your recovery is up to scratch. If you missed my recent blog on best tips for recovery you can find it here.

As always, Run Well.

Think about this on your next Long Run...NYC Marathon 2016!

For a long time it's been a dream of mine to run the New York City Marathon. There are many well known marathons held around the world, and this is definitely well up there on many a runner's bucket list as the famous run takes you through all 5 boroughs of the one city.

Training for the marathon is hard work, that requires your utmost dedication & commitment for many months if you want to reach your goal. If you're struggling for motivation on some of your long runs throughout this marathon campaign, perhaps the thought of qualifiying for next year's NYC marathon will get you going again!!

However, gaining an entry has not always been so easy. You can always pay your way via Travel Partners which is quite costly, or you can join the NYRR which is tricky living in Australia or you can run a qualifying time. This also hasn't always been so easy as it is very competitive until more recently.

I've recently learned that the NYRR have made some changes, and increased the numbers of entries to qualifying athletes. They have also relaxed their qualifying times for certain age groups to allow greater access for runners from around the globe to come and run in this great event.

Here's the link to your age qualifying times. This might give you the extra motivation you need to keep pushing through the next 9 weeks of training. Think you can make the grade?

If you need help training for your specific goal time to qualify, or your new personal best, I can help. To train for a specific goal time, you will need to train with prescribed paces for each of your runs from speed/interval, tempo and long runs to develop the speed and endurance required to reach your race pace goal. Combined this with an effective race plan for the big day, and your goal will be in sight.

It's not too late to tweak your program to help you build more strength & speed to get you that time goal you are after.

Drop me a line with your details if you'd like me to receive a free follow up phone call to discuss your needs and goals for this or your next marathon. Alternately, if you're thinking about or planning to run the NYC Marathon in 2016, Run Well will be joining you as we will be providing a complete training & coaching package to get you there in great shape to realise your goals!

New York City 2016, here we come!

Best tips for Long Run Recovery

With less than 10 weeks to go till the MM, we are at about the half way point of our training program and on the cusp of some bigger mileage as our long runs approach and go beyond 30kms. This is the time to start to think more seriously about recovery as our running load reaches it's peak over the next 6 weeks.

Having just completed a 28 km run on the weekend, I was reminded of what it feels like when you're running a long way. Once we hit 30kms and beyond you start to get a bit excited about really Long Runs. For many this will be the longest runs that they have ever undertaken, which is an exciting and perhaps nervous time. 

With the longest of Long Runs, also comes an increase in length of Tempo and Interval work, resulting in much bigger cumulative loads as our weekly mileage peaks at beyond 70kms or more per week. Some of you will run further than you have ever before, and further in the next 6 weeks than you've run in the previous 12 weeks!

As runners we are in a constant state of destruction and adaptation, as we stress our bodies with harder, and longer runs, in order to achieve physiological adaptation to become fitter, stronger & faster runners. The key ingredient to facilitate this is recovery. If your recovery is not adequate, you will break down, and get injured. Simple.

Here's a few very important and effective tips to ensure your recovery is sufficient to get you through your long runs, and long weeks of running to ensure you arrive at the start line in good shape.

1. Ice baths : I try to finish all of my Long Runs beyond 2 hours bayside, so that i can have a good soak in the very cool waters of the Bay. I believe 15 minutes of slow walking in it up to your waist is perfect. Failing that, sit in a cold water bath for 15 minutes, and just add ice. 

Why? Immersing yourself in cold water helps to take the excess heat out of the stressed and damaged muscles, thus reducing and controlling the inflammatory process and getting you to your recovery state quicker.

Along with many other athletes of all sports, I've been doing this for years and it works. You will feel much different the next day for your recovery run. After the bath or bay, go and prepare your meal & wait another 45 minutes keeping your legs cool before having your hot shower.

2. Post Long Run Re-Fuel ; Your Long run will leave your glycogen stores depleted so you need to replenish these as quickly as possible. Consume protein with carbs in the first half hour after your run, when it is most easily absorbed. The best way to do this is in the form of a shake. I prefer Endura Maximiser which gives me the right mix of carbs & protein. Follow that over the next 90 mins with a good meal of quality carbs and protein. Your ideal protein: carb ratio is 1:4, meaning if you weigh 73kgs (160 pounds) you need 160g carbs to 40 g protein.Ingest 50% of this in the first half hour ( shake), then the other 50% over the next 90 minutes as a meal.

My favourite - my own muesli mix, yoghurt, fruit, seeds & nuts. Poached eggs on toast, with avocado and bacon. Or if I'm feeling decadent, which I am mostly then it will be more like french toast or pancakes, bacon & maple syrup. Another favourite well worth a try  is Sofie's 'Naked Seeds' healthy pancakes, 

3. Re-hydrate : Keep drinking plenty of water throughout the day, or a light mix of Endura powder to keep re-hydrating and topping up the glycogen.

4. Roll, stretch, Roll : You don't need to do this for long, but do it regularly & often. Great at the end of the day.

5. Compression : Whether tights or compression sleeves, these assist the transfer of fluids ( toxins, lactic, blood) out of the muscles by maintaining a firm pressure gradient on the muscle cells. This I believe helps your recovery post run & overnight.

5. Sleep : Your body heals & recovers at rest, and in particular when sleeping. Get plenty of good quality sleep during this heavy running time.

7. Recovery runs : A very low intensity short run performed on the next day will assist recovery and aid physiologic adaptation > gets you fitter & stronger. Steve Moneghetti would call these 'absorption' runs as it is during these runs that your body will benefit from the longer, harder runs done previously. This promotes movement & blood flow into the healing muscles to increase vascularisation and mitochondrial growth - essential for endurance running.

8. Massage : achieves a similar effect to recovery run, just easier, however probably more painful. Essential for recovery, improves blood flow, and relieves congestion & tightness in muscles that you are unaware of. Start booking in regular massage from here till race day to keep you running well.

9. Get off the grog! : Even that innocent glass of wine with dinner through the week will have an impact on your recovering body during these weeks of high mileage running. Take a dry month to 6 weeks into your marathon race for optimal performance.

Three year old Duke taking much pleasure in adding ice blocks to my cold bath, whilst baby Sonny steals my muffin!

Noosa, The Perfect Holiday destination, for Runners!

Noosa is known as the jewel in the crown of the Sunshine Coast, as it boasts stunning scenery, excellent climate, great restaurants and shops. But the real jewel in my opinion is the Noosa National Park. With nearly 500 hectares of forests, coves, beaches and high cliffs, and walking ( = running ) trails in which to access and appreciate the stunning scenery and breath taking views, it is easily in my top 5 best runs in Australia.

As I embark on another winter getaway to this fabulous destination, I thought I'd share with you some of the great running training opportunities to be had here. For if you love running as I do, then wherever you go, so does your running training. 

DAY 1: LONG RUN

What better way to start a holiday than with an Easy paced Long Run to take it all in. From where I am staying, it's a 10 minute easy warm up into Noosa, run out past Little Cove another km to the gates of the NP, to where the fun starts. Finally some hills, and trails to absorb as you trace around the cliff tops, overlooking some of Australia's most beautiful coastline up to Hell's Gates. Continue up & over into the park along the undulating trails that course through beautiful forest and finally around to the start again. The full circuit is about 7 km, so another circuit beckons, or back to base for a stunning & very rewarding run.

DAY 2: 1 km INTERVALS

Back down to the gates of the NP, again an easy 15 minutes. Over to the right of the car park is a short trail that winds up and around, and back down to the car park again. It's Trail #1; distance 1.07km. Simply perfect for some 1 km Intervals, with a bit of extra difficulty in the form of twists turns, tree roots, a dozen or so (up) stairs and immersed in nature. Enough to keep you focussing hard on good, strong form, finding where your forefoot will land & picking up your feet- then trying to stay smooth, light & easy...then fast!

5 x 1km repeats with 2 mins rest; then that bloody big hill ( Noosa Drive) back towards the Junction for your cool down. I can see that being a feature for a future run.

DAY 3 : REST DAY

Okay, just an easy stroll or jog into town for a 1 hour massage.
Walk back, drink plenty of water. Have a swim.

DAY 4: HILLS

Can't avoid that hill. it's too bloody big, too long, too irresistible to not to run up it. Besides, it would be rude not to!

Start at the bottom at the roundabout of Noosa Drive & Hastings St. Take the path to the left to the staircase that winds up into the trees. Don't start too fast, it's long, 259 stairs in all, plus some flatter trail sections!! Follow the road, turn right and return back down via the roadside path to the start. Nice long recovery. Repeat x 5-6.

For a harder repeat, try to hit every second step. You'll be at your threshold before you know it, you'll have no choice but to drop back to each step. Focus on picking up the feet, knee drive & glute activation.

An alternate set of stairs (pictured) you'll find at the south end of Hastings Street. 200 or so steep, short steps. Short & fast repeats, as performed by 3.5 year old Duke.

Duke hits the stairs

DAY 5: TEMPO

Nice easy warm up to the NP again. Tempo run the full circuit of 7km. You won't maintain your Tempo pace, but work hard up the hills, keep up your cadence on the flats as you recover a little before the next incline. Check your time, and Repeat!

Easy run back to Noosa Beach for a cool down & swim in the pristine waters.

Does it get any better?

DAY 6: Deserved day off or optional EASY RUN.

Noosa National park trails.

DAY 7: LONG RUN

Take the road toward Sunshine Beach. Turn left off David Low Way onto Solway Drive, follow down to Surf Life SC. Off to the left you will find the boardwalk, take this high point alongside the beach and pop out onto the sand with about 500m to the end and where the National park starts. You are welcomed by a steep climb of about 220 steps to get your heart rate going!

Follow the trail up & over to Lion Rock, down onto the stunning Alexandria Bay. Enjoy 1 km of uninhabited golden sands to the end where you ascend further up into the NP trail near Hell's Gates again. You can go either way here, following the same trail or explore some of the many cross trails that all seem to end up back around towards the Park gates. When you've had enough, head back through Little Cove to Noosa Beach for your rewarding & cooling swim to finish.

P.S. Don't leave Noosa without indulging in possible the best burger EVER, from Betty's Burgers & Concrete Company. You've earnt it.

Liss & Betty's!

Have a great holiday!