Should I do track work? I get this question with some frequency. And yes, there are reasons to do it. But your goals and/or your coach should dictate whether you give it a shot.

Track work is useful in that it helps us understand pacing. It allows us to feel what it's like to pace ourselves to hit a particular split time for a particular set of intervals. 

For example, I have two clients who have run about four marathons apiece. They decided to take this fall off from marathoning and work a little more on their speed. So I have them at the track at least every other week, as a part of a larger training program. 

They do fartleks (a Swedish word which means "speedplay"), which are timed increases of speed, usually with equal rest on the road, during a long run. They also do tempo work, progression runs and longer runs for endurance, as part of a complete plan. 

But when they started doing shorter races, they found they were having a hard time pacing themselves. They'd take off too fast in some races, too slowly in others. And yes, learning how to pace yourself is a matter of experience and getting practice doing it in a race environment, but it also can be aided by working on the track. Again, hitting consistent, pre-calculated splits will teach you how much is enough and how much is too much with regard to pacing.

For example, the week before a 5k I will sometimes send these runners out to do 200-meter runs (half the distance of a regulation 400-meter track). This will involve a warm up, some strides to turn over the legs and get them ready for the harder work, then the intervals themselves. For instance, I'll have them run 200 meters at a brisk pace followed by a 200-meter jog rest. They'll do this eight times.

The goal is consistency. If you take off too hard, you might run the first 200 so fast that you are unable to get the remaining segments even in the ballpark of the initial one. If you reach the end of the set and run your last one hard and it is significantly faster than your others -- you've gone too easy.

Say I have given the client a goal of 42 seconds per interval, they should get between 40 and 44 for the set. Sometimes it takes a few sprints to get going or to settle in. So you need a little leeway. But not a lot...

We work different distances for different goals. My marathoners will generally be doing mile repeats, 800's, etc... or segments of 2-mile repeats. My 5k/10k clients will spend more time running shorter intervals, like 200s and 400s. We use this kind of work for what we call the "top end" or the VO2 max. That is the point just under where we cross into anaerobic work and working in that area not only allows increased footspeed and turnover but an ability, when worked as part of a larger training macrocycle, to keep speed in the body and sustain it without flipping over the line and going anaerobic. 

Always warm up properly and cooldown properly. Make sure you recover between the segments, depending on the work you are doing. Always check with your doctor before starting any kind of work that taxes the body. And use proper running form (hips tucked under you, legs striding under the carriage of the body, arms relaxed and coming up to the centerline of the body, but not crossing it, and landing on the midfoot and rolling to the toe to pushoff). If you are new to the track, start small. Don't take on a huge set of work the first time out. That's a good way to get injured. You need to build up to this carefully and with forethought.

I am usually at the track at least twice a month. It is a tool I use for myself, and it allows me to assess where I am, where I need to go and how I need to get there.

Tags: Fitness Training Track

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A few weeks ago I ran into a good friend of mine at a 5k. He is a heck of a skier and runner.  He's in his 60s now and still racing. He does the American Birkebeiner, a 51K cross country ski race, every year as well.

One of the things we discussed was the difference in training philosophy from his 40s into his 50s then 60s. He was saying that no one really talks about what is different and why it should be so.

So let's do that.

We can remain fast long after conventional wisdom says we shouldn't. It isn't that conventional wisdom is totally wrong, but it is off target. We lose speed for reasons that don't have much to do with capability.

There are two camps, basically. On one hand are those who think if they are over 40, they should start shopping for a nice plot next to their parents or perhaps pick out a walker. One the other hand is the group that thinks they are still 25 and can train that way. 

Neither is true. 

To address the first, we are much more capable of fast times after 40 than we believe. It isn't so much that we lose speed, as we need more recovery. Increasingly, we are seeing that the drop off in performance happens later than originally thought and is much less significant in our 40s and 50s than we anticipated. We need to just keep the speed and lose the junk miles, junk races, and junk workouts, staying within a training schedule that allows us to work hard, and rest, recover and assimilate accordingly.

And this ties in with the thoughts from the second group. We are not 25 anymore. We need to treat the body differently than when we were that age. If training hard and maintaining speed is the goal, then nutrition, sleep, proper training and attention to recovery are all mandatory.

We could get away with much more when we were in our 20s and even 30s. No more. Your body is there for you and will continue to be so, but it's our responsibility to give it the optimal opportunity to do what we ask it to do. Makes sense, right?

So if you ran seven days a week in your earlier years, didn't worry about recovery or nutrition, you have to change your tune if you want to keep your speed.

This would be a typical workout for one of my 50-something clients who has an extensive running background and is trying to stay on top of his form. If his goal isn't a marathon, his week might look like this.

Monday: 6 miles with some speed work included.
Tuesday: Off, or 45 easy spin minutes on the bike
Wednesday: Tempo, 2 easy miles then 3 miles at 5k race pace (plus 20 seconds) and then 1 to 2 miles easy cooldown
Thursday: Off
Friday 4 miles easy
Saturday 8 to 10 miles, negative splitting the run but keeping it conversational
Sunday: Off or a swim, no intervals just a straight and easy swim. No big distances.

Obviously, this is general, and everyone is different, requiring different length workouts and intensities. But you get the idea. Quality is king, not massive quantity. And predictable and frequent recovery is a necessity.

If you don't recover, you'll spend all your time in the red wondering why you can't improve. 

So set some goals for yourself you may have let go of and see if you can take it step by step to get there, knowing how important it is to train smarter, eat well, sleep enough and recover fully.

Tags: Recovery Aging Speed

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I just finished training some folks for the Boston Marathon. They unanimously said they sometimes feel like they train to taper. That made me giggle. I've felt that way too at the end of several months of intense marathon training.

Tapering into a big race is vital. But I find there are misconceptions about what makes a good taper.

I coach my clients so that taper involves a reduction of volume (the race distance and the athlete's experience dictates how much) but a sustaining of intensity.  

For example, I taper my marathoners for three weeks rather than two. The first week's volume reduction isn't that severe. But during weeks two and three, it is much more noticeable. During those weeks, I will increase the intensity on shorter workouts; short bursts of work within a shorter distance or timeframe.

What I find often can happen in taper, is that an athlete reduces everything - both volume and intensity - and I believe that results in getting to the start line stale. Countless studies have shown the best tapers involve volume reduction coupled with a reasonable amount of intensity left in the program.

Tapering also helps mentally. As you rest and begin to get sharper from that rest, you will find your quality of the intensity improves, and that can be a big confidence boost right before a big race. Right up until four days before the race, I have clients on the track. These are short sessions, but they consist of explosive speed. It works like a charm.

Taper also means resting the body in other ways. I recommend trying to avoid stress as much as possible. The work stuff will wait til after your event. Steer clear of stressful people and situations. And if that's unavoidable, stay conscious and in the moment so you don't let it get to you.  

Sleeping enough and paying extra attention to nutrition is also important during a taper. This is the time you are restocking and rebuilding so you can use those resources on race day.

An effective taper will almost always mean a good race. So when the main training work is done, try to rest and recover intelligently.

Tags: Training Taper

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Sometimes I feel like Carrie Bradshaw from "Sex In The City." Only because we have this in common: What happens in our real lives affects what we write. The things I encounter as both a coach and an athlete inform what I write about here.

And one issue seems to be coming up quite a bit lately in my life as the weather improves: How much should we race?

Obviously, which sport you participate in affects racing frequency. If you are a cyclist and crit rider, racing every weekend can be part of the training, depending on the average length of the crits you do. 

But you shape your training around that racing, and the racing is a big part of the whole picture in regards to training. The kinds of instincts and strategic sense one needs as a crit rider can only be developed by doing -- in the actual race. 

Bike racing requires that we train without the racing in the off season (if you have a cold winter to contend with), with intervals and well-placed/reasonable volume, then trim some of that interval work back a bit as racing season starts and racing becomes a means to improve.

And this works in cycling because recovery is a little easier than those sports that require impact, such as running and, to some degree, triathlon. 

Racing every weekend in either running or triathlon can prove costly to the body. So to answer the question of how often for a runner or triathlete, we need to think in terms of fitness level and goals. 

If your fitness level isn't so great and you try to "race yourself into shape" you run a very high risk of injury. The body just isn't ready for that kind of work and it will probably push back against it. The athlete is better off working into training and using racing as a testing ground of sorts to check progress. And once you're in shape, racing works as a way to get in a high level workout.

But too often, even when an athlete is in "shape", I see people racing each and every weekend for months on end as a means of training. That's just not smart. Race too much and you will get injured -- especially the long races and especially for those of us over 40. We really need to be sensitive to recovery and where we put hard and long efforts into our weeks and our overall cycles of training.

I realize that racing allows us to often achieve a level of performance we cannot always get in training. And that is part of its value. But if we go to that place too often -- especially on longer events -- it can really break the body down. 

So well-placed races do help us get better. I recommend races be put in the training at the outset of the cycle, so you know what you are shooting for and allow the training to be informed by that goal race. Then you can include races at points in the training where popping a peak performance will help advance the goals. 

For a runner, a couple of times a month is probably about as many as you want to do, if your goal is to race all out. Triathletes need to make the decision of how often based on the distance of the event. The longer the races are, the more I'd stretch them out. Triathletes can use shorter races as speed prep and tune ups for mid-distances races. But again, be judicious about how often.

The rule here is to allow for recovery. Use the racing in conjunction with effective training to get the most out of both.

Tags: How Often To Race

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I find that the older I get the less sleep I seem to need. I can get by easily on seven hours now. Back even a few years ago less than eight and I was in trouble.

Though we sleep less as we age, the paradox is that sleep becomes more important to us as athletes as we get older. It is the time our body recovers and repairs from our training.   Sleep less and you recover less.  

Recent studies have also connected lack of sleep to acceleration of the aging process. Sleep too little and you could be old before your time.

Since most of us want to stay active, healthy and able for as many years as possible, sleep is a pivotal part of that.

Also as we age, it seems like weight is easier to put on and harder to get off. Given our healthy and active lifestyles, that may not be something that affects us as much as our inactive peers. But here is something interesting.

Researchers have now connected a lack of sleep to snacking. In other words, the more sleep deprived you are, the more you will snack, taking in more calories over the course of the day. Apparently, the brain, when it senses fatigue and a lack of sleep, sends signals to the body to snack, as the brain is looking for ways to help the body have a higher level of energy. It also seems that you will tend to crave higher sugar, higher calorie or higher fat items. The brain is looking for an energy fix for the body and it knows where to find it.  

So you snack. And yawn, and snack some more, until the end of the day comes, you may feel a little bloated and your cupboards are empty. Where did it all go? Into your body to help you stay awake. And into storage in fat, because you took in more calories than you burned.

Be a chronically sleep-deprived person and imagine what that will do to your waistline.

Too often when I ask my athletes about sleep and they tell me they stay up very late. "Doing what?" I ask, not trying to get personal. But most of the time they do a lot of nothing: TV or just kind of hanging out. I tell them they will be better served to get themselves on a regular sleep schedule and retire at an hour that allows for enough sleep.

The body is a machine that works best with routine, from when you eat to when you sleep and how long. So try to set a similar bedtime each night, waking at roughly the same time each day.

Seven to eight hours is great if you can do it. You'll find your training goes better, you recovery better and you'll eat reasonably over the course of the day. Sleeping well is as important as the time you spend training in your sport, so spend some time horizontal.

Tags: Weight Loss Sleep Training

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Who do you train with? Anyone? By yourself or with a few people? Are you in a program with a larger group? Is one preferably over the others?

Even with individual sports, the people you train with are a very key part of your program. 

So I have a few rules of thumb for the people who I coach, most of whom are runners, triathletes and cyclists -- individual sports participants for the most part.

First, don't compromise or change your training plan to accommodate someone else. Make sure whomever you choose to train with is O.K. with your workout, or you are doing similar enough workout that you can do it together. 

Last Wednesday, my son, who is a high school 800-meter/400-meter track guy, had to miss his workout with his teammates due to an eye doctor's appointment. had to complete the workout that evening on his own. I still had to get my own track workout in, so we went to the track together. I recovered during his work, and he recovered when I was running my work. It worked well. We took splits for each other and yelled encouragement. And we were able to warm up and cooldown together.

Now it would be a wonderful thing if I could pull down times like my son's but that just isn't going to happen? So we work together in the same context, supporting each other but doing slightly different things. Definitely at different speeds! But it works.

The other side of this coin, is make sure you work with people who have similar or slightly greater ability. Too often, especially with marathoners I know, they sacrifice running a well-paced run in order to have company, and wind up training repeatedly at paces that are much too slow for them. On easy days or recovery days, that is fine. But not on a regular basis or on days you need to be going faster or harder. Train with folks who are your speed or slightly faster, so there is benefit to you from that work.

Don't get into contests with the people you train with. Yes, it's good to have a little friendly competition. But when it becomes an all out match between you and the person or people you are training with, it's time to reevaluate.

Also, allow some time to find the right mix of people. Sometimes that takes time. You may have to go to different places and find new groups or new individuals. There are many resources out there to do so. But shake it up and have the patience to find just the right mix. It is well worth it.

And finally, even if you are someone who likes to train solo, try a training partner. You may find the training more enjoyable and of higher quality when you have someone there to work with you.

Tags: Workout Training Partners

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I often get asked about how to set up a race season. How do you place the goal, the training you have to do and any kind of racing that will help get you there? How many times do you reach a training peak in a year? How long will this training peak last?

You can train very gradually if your event is far off. Say it's April, and your marathon is in November. You can use a very deliberate and gradual approach, timing your training peak for the event and only the event.

But I find I have the most success with the athletes I coach when we strive for a couple of training peaks within a year and choose goal races to support those peaks.

For example, I currently coach a Masters runner who is off to run the Boston Marathon in a few weeks. We use this part of the year to build base. We did a fair amount of speed work as well, but mostly tempo work, progression runs and some race-paced tempo. We've done a little shorter, faster stuff as she is tapering, and we'll do more of that as the volume continues to be reduced, so she stays sharp as she tapers into the event.

But the races that are most important to her occur in the fall. So we use the Boston Marathon for strength training and a good, hard race effort. When she returns from Boston, she'll rest and recover. After that, we will begin to focus solely on her speed. We'll pull her volume back from the levels of the marathon training and work her tempo and then VO2 range. She will race shorter distances and race them hard, as we strategically choose races within her training cycles to optimize the work she is doing.

Finally, as she approaches her goal in the fall, we'll return to the higher volume once again for a set time, as she prepares for that fall marathon. But this time, she will be able to do faster work in her tempo and progression work from the strength and speed she has gained in the work post-Boston. We'll work her so that she once again peaks in the fall in time for her marathon goal. It should work nicely.

Along the way she will race. We will pick those races and those distances that reflect the stage of training she is in. We'll incorporate that racing so that she can maximize the work we have done prior to this, as well as use the racing to build her speed for her fall goal. 

Training and racing and peaking all have to go hand in hand in order to get the most from all of them.

Tags: Training Marathon Peaks

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I get asked about cross training with some frequency. As we cross 40 and continue to grow older, it is more important to consider recovery for ourselves. And how do we get that recovery and still get in a workout? This is where cross training can be very useful.

What is cross training? It just means taking a day or two a week and devoting that time to an activity and a workout other than your usual or primary sport. Generally, it's participating in an alternate form of cardio or strength training. If you are a runner, cycling and swimming are good cross training activities. If you are a cyclist, speedskating in the off season, or swimming during racing season are good. It varies by person and by sport, as your cross training needs to be part of a larger athletic picture for each individual. Your goals help determine what your cross training should be.  

For me, I like to be on the bike. As a runner, I find I run better after I spend time on the bike. We use mostly the muscles up the backs of our legs for running -- hamstrings, calves, glutes. When we bike we use more of the front, by using the quads, though the calves and glutes are also involved. That helps to create muscular balance in our legs and even out strength, so that we can actually help our running and minimize injury.  

So if you are running four or five days a week, take one or two of your days off and get on your bike for an easy spin. Or get in the pool for some easy laps. The intensity on these cross training days should start easy. As you improve you can increase duration and intensity, but always remember this is a day we are trying to get in "active recovery." Cross training should still be a day of rest from your primary sport and the muscles that support it.

So that's the beauty of proper cross training. You can still burn calories, stay in shape, do something different, yet still recover. Perfect.

Tags: Cross Training Running Cycling Swimming

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In training, we try to peak for a particular event. Or we can have more than one peak over the course of a season. The elusive peak drives us to research and read about training cycles so that we may come up with the perfect peak - as a coach or as a self-coached athlete.

After years of trial and error on myself, I found a way to coach my athletes that allows them to maximize their peaks. And it is a tad unconventional, but it is based on what some may consider "classic" phases of training.

A classic arch of training would look like this. A macrocycle is one complete training cycle, from your first workout until after your event. That big cycle is broken down into smaller cycles, called "mesocycles." Most often, athletes are coached in three mesocycles; base, threshold, vo2 max.  

Base training is what it sounds like it is. High volume amounts at lower intensities to build overall strength. Threshold is working at the body's aerobic threshold, building strength and ability in moderate speed, holding a particular pace at the threshold, often for longer units of time and or distance over the course of the cycle.  

Finally, VO2 Max work works that top end. The length of the phase is usually dependent on the event the athlete is targeting. A longer event, like a marathon or an ironman, would spend more time in the base phase and less time in the VO2 stage, as that stage isn't particularly important in the kind of work they are trying to do on race day. And a 5k guy will obviously spend more time in VO2 training then a marathoner will... so you can see the relevance of each stage, though all are important.

I use this methodology in my coaching. But then I head in another direction...

What I find is that when you adhere too closely to one kind of work for too long, the body grows stale. So even though you are mostly doing base work, I am throwing in some speedwork. And when you are in the tempo/threshold mode, I am throwing in some top end work. Not exclusively, obviously or we wouldn't be in a classic macro/mesocycle training form. But enough to keep the body on its toes.

I find this combination is the best way to maximize the training for net improvement.

But at the end of the day, what is most important is to have structure to what you do. If you wake up each day and decide, it probably isn't going to net you the kind of results you are looking for. It takes planning, structure and execution within specific terms to achieve maximum results.

I'm off to do a threshold workout... base is over!

Tags: Training

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