Long, Slow Distance Runs to Prayer

Now that I am comfortable running 10 kilometers, I have decided to start with my base training. My plan is to enter a half-marathon next year, perhaps on my first year anniversary into running sometime in September-October 2009. To prepare for this, the recommended training for a beginner like me is to do base training for at least 8-12 weeks, strength training for 4-8 weeks, speed training for 4-8 weeks, and peaking/tapering for 2-14 days. But I need to adjust my training depending on when the 21k event will be. For now, I will use the 2nd International Subic Marathon on October 24, 2009 as basis of my training program because there is a 21k event listed there. I will not aim for the marathon yet because experts would advise that in order to train for a marathon, you should have been running for at least a year already, which is definitely not the case for me.

For the base training this afternoon, I started with the LSD (Long, Slow Distance). This means running at a relaxed, conversational pace lasting for at least an hour to an hour and a half. The heart rate is approximately 70-78% of your maximum heart rate. How to compute for your maximum heart rate? There are many ways:

Running for Fitness gives a formula to predict for this: For men - MHR = 214 - (0.8 x age) while for women - MHR = 209 - (0.9 x age).

If you want a more accurate way of determining your own maximum heart rate, you can do it on the track or on the treadmill. You must do your warm up first and then run at an even pace, as fast as you can. Do this for three minutes then recover by jogging for two minutes and then do the fast paced three-minute run again. Your maximum heart rate is the one taken during the second three-minute run. But please don't do this latter exercise without medical clearance especially if you are overweight or have problems with high blood pressure or hypercholesterolemia.

Anyway, it was much of an effort for me not to look at my stopwatch and note my distance because this only tempts me to increase my speed. So, I decided to enjoy the music and the cool evening air. Eventually I began to relax and to meditate. Yes, I have discovered that running is actually a form of prayer for me. While your body is busy doing the motion of running, your mind and your spirit can lift itself to heaven. I always found my running time so conducive to prayer except when I am conscious about my speed especially when am preparing for an upcoming race. But now that the race I am preparing for is still months ahead of me and I am forced to do long, slow distance (LSD) runs I am able to relax and switch to prayer mode. Running does not only refresh my body, it also refreshes my soul. LSD is the one that makes a runner addicted to running. Perhaps that is the reason behind the acronym.

Am I Ready for a Marathon?

Perhaps most of you who have hurdled the 10-km event now feels that the next goal to go for is the half-marathon or the marathon.

I do not have much details regarding the half-marathon for now, but for the marathon, it is recommended that you have a running history of at least a year with the frequency of three times a week. That is according to the Running for Fitness book. That makes me ineligible until August 2009. Though my husband thinks we should set our goal towards the half-marathon by middle of next year. This morning I ordered some books from Amazon.com which covers this topic but I will not get my hand on these precious treasures until December, when my sister-in law comes home from the US.

Anyway, for now, let me use the Complete Guide for Endurance Training as reference. According to this book, there are different periods for training: 1) Base training which is the preparatory building phase and the most essential foundation of the training which covers aound 8-12 weeks; 2) Speed training which is when you push your body to prepare it for the demands of the event which covers your next 4-8 weeks and finally, 3) Taper and Peaking which gradually reduces your training in 2-14 days.

So for the base training, the rule of thumb is to run slow for long distances. The goal is to build your endurance. You can start shedding unwanted weight at this stage. The speed training will initially deal more with training intensity rather than duration. So you decrease the length of time you run but you increase the speed. However, you should mix this with intervals of slow, long runs in order to maintain your endurance. Then towards the end of your speed training, you do the overtraining. This part is when you push your body to the limit but this should be done only during the third or second week before the competition. The most important part about the overtraining is that it should immediately be followed by the taper because it is during the taper when the adaptation occurs. Without the taper, the body will not be able to recover and this can lead to serious injuries or overtraining.

This kind of training can also be adapted for shorter races but this is more important for long races. A lot of people may get away with doing a 10-km without much training (that's me!) but the marathon is entirely a different thing altogether and should be planned carefully. That can mean looking at the Takbo.ph calendar and looking at the possible races for 2009 so that you can carefully lay out your training program.

How to warm up and warm down

I have this mistaken notion that warming up is only for those who will be running the marathon. That is defined as a long distance run of 26 miles, 385 yards, or 42.195 km. How greatly mistaken I am. On the contrary, warming up is actually geared more for those who will be running short distances than for the marathoners. Surprise!

You see, the purpose of warming up is to actually prepare your body for that sudden burst of energy. It increases your muscle temperature so it can do its function better , which is contraction and relaxation. It also increases blood flow so that blood can continue to bring oxygen to the different parts of your body especially where it is needed the most,....our muscles for running. Have you ever experienced muscle cramps? Well, it is not just due to lack of stretching, but mainly it is due to production of lactic acid, a toxic waste product of anaerobic metabolism. Sounds like a lot of hype?! I would not want to delve into biochemistry here. Let us keep this simple. You just have to know that lactic acid can cause you fatigue and muscle cramps.

If you are running less than half a marathon (21 km), then you SHOULD warm up 20-30 minutes before the race. Why? Because it will take time for your body to get well-oiled for that short run and the sudden burst of energy will cause the body to shift to anaerobic metabolism which will in turn lead to easy fatigue. How intense should be your warm up? Start with a slow jog and gradually increase pace just up to that intensity where you can still do the Talk Test. Then stretch for 5-10 minutes then continue with running at an easy pace until 5 minutes before the race starts.

For those who are doing longer runs, however, you do not need to do as much warm up because what you want to avoid is the depletion of your glycogen stores. Meaning you want to conserve as much energy as you can for that long hurdle. You may just want to do a light jog, nothing of great intensity, for a shorter duration.

What about warming down? I guess a lot of you out there are guilty of not doing a warm down. After approaching the finish line, you just want to be with your friends, drink your sports drink and exchange anecdotes. But a warm down is just as essential as a warm-up for those who ran distances less than the half-marathon. Again, another surprise!

The purpose of a warm down is to eliminate the toxic wastes from your body. So you need to keep moving in a slow pace (jog or brisk walk) for 10-15 minutes and allow the blood to wash off the metabolic wastes that were produced during your heavy exertion. This will help your body recover faster, otherwise, the sudden halt will also bring down your metabolic rate abruptly and this will cause the waste products to remain in your system. The warm down also prevents the dizziness from occuring because it will keep the blood from pooling into your legs which can make you wobbly. As for the marathoners, warming down may just consist of continuous movement for a while since only a few would still have that energy left to do a jog or a brisk walk.

Basic Training Concepts 2nd round

I guess by now you have already assimilated the first seven basic training concepts. Good for you! Let me continue with the remaining seven.

8) Maintenance

Some countries have off-season for running competition so those who live in these countries tend to stop training during these seasons. Maintenance simply means to continue on doing your running program even when it's off season. Since I am new to running, I am not sure if there is an off-season in the Philippines at all. I'd presume not. Perhaps there may just be cancellation of scheduled races when a typhoon hits the country but other than that, I'd say races tend to be scheduled year-round. If weather restricts your running on your usual outdoor track, hit the gym instead, just to keep up with your programme.

9) Listen to your body

I think this is the most consistent admonition that I encounter in running books. All runners must learn to listen to their own bodies before, during and after training. There is a big difference between the usual soreness that you feel after a hard workout and a specific pain in a specific part of the body. The latter needs a consult with your physiotherapist or a sports medicine specialist. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. You must also know the symptoms of overtraining and learn when to just lie in bed and recover or to hit the tracks.

10) Quality vs. quantity

More does not necessarily mean better. Have a good training plan that will put the right type of training for your particular goal, with the right type of intensity and duration.

11) Goal Setting

Goals should be specific, reasonable and realistic. Do not set to train for a marathon in just four weeks! There are specific guidelines for the duration of training and the frequency with which you train depending on the type of event which you plan to participate in. You can check the table on the left. I'd surmise that the half-marathon event would require a preparation time between 12-16 weeks. It's not specifically stated in the book but you can actually deduce from the other given information in the table. Actually ,I am very guilty of not following this type of guide, since I did not know this existed at all. My first walk-run was for a 10-km event (remember the Men's Health Miracle Run?) and my history for training at that time was archaic, if any. The angels have been very kind to protect me from injuries.

12) Trainability

You may not be consistent with your progress but the key is you should be very patient with yourself.

13) Warming up, warming down

You do warming up before your training and warming down after your training to reduce injuries and improve your performance. I think there's a good material for this and I might tackle this on my next blog.

14) Technique

There are techniques and strategies that may work well for you. Refine these techniques.

Hope these basic training concepts will come in handy for you. My husband and I just recently registered for the Isuzu Shake, Rattle and Run event. I think it's gonna be cool... I mean, literally (!) since it's gonna be a night run. But this time, I will just do the 5-km event. The Adidas King of the Road run last October 11 was extra challenging not just for the run on the flyover of Buendia but for the scorching heat of the sun! Now, I have added to my basic paraphernalia a sports sunglasses and a sunblock. The Spyder eyewear is nice because it is not so expensive, not so heavy and you won't mind your sweat soaking the rims.

I hope the Night Run is just as prompt as the Adidas KOTR event. My husband and I were really impressed with the organizers of the KOTR. Our salutes to them!