In running as well as most endurance sports and all
competitive sports, athletes have to
train hard to prepare for their respective seasons. As a runner, I try to train year around, although
it is not always easy to do considering that there are so many obstacles which can
and do arise every day. These obstacles
include, but are not necessarily limited to, everything from the weather, battling health and injury issues, and fighting
the little voices inside your head that continue to tell you to just give
up. I also find myself doubting my own
abilities, questioning whether or not I am good enough to consider myself a
runner.
Although running is an endurance sport, and very competitive,
the only person I choose to compete against is myself. Everyone running in a half marathon or
marathon has different reasons for being out there. Some people may be competing with themselves,
and others may be competing for a cause, then again others, the elite runners
who travel around the country and even the world in order to compete at a much
higher level, may be competing with everyone else at the event or even
competing for time with someone who may be running an entirely different event
at the same time.
I have spent the past few months training for what I hope will
be a successful running season. I have
not been able to get in as much training as I would have hoped due to some unexpected
health issues I’ve faced, and also limited time availability/time constraints. However, I feel that the training I have been
able to get in, has been good quality
training. I have started using an
elliptical machine which can be adjusted to different levels of performance to
change up workouts and programmed to address different muscle groups
and areas. This has proven to be very
helpful during days of bad weather as well as when work or extra hours of studying
have made it impossible to get outside and run.
I have to admit though that, by far, I prefer running outdoors as opposed
to indoors. Getting outside is a big
part of why I love running so much to begin with, although the convenience of
the elliptical is amazing.
There are many different ways to prepare and train for
running a long distance race. It is not
recommended to run a half marathon as your first ever race, although I tried,
and failed miserably on my first attempt.
There are multiple sources and training guides available for a beginning
runner who wants to prepare for a half marathon. A great plan which I have been loosely
following, charted below, was developed by Anthony Whiteman. He recommends a sixteen week training plan
based upon the idea of starting with a 10K run and building up to half marathon
distance. Iin the beginning, it is recommended that runners start out slow with only two or three workouts
a week, and then work their way up to the big event. Of course every trainer has different ways to
prepare for an event like this, but for the most part almost all will agree
that it is at least a twelve to eighteen week process to train for an event of
this size.
|
eTraining
Week
|
Session
1
|
Session
2
|
Session
3
|
Session
4
|
|
week 1
|
25 mins
|
30 mins
|
|
|
|
week 2
|
3 x 3 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
30 mins
|
|
|
week 3
|
Intervals: 5 x 3 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
35 mins
|
|
|
week 4
|
Intervals: 3,5,3,5,3 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
40 mins
|
|
|
week 5
|
Intervals: 5,3,5,3 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
40 mins
|
40 mins
|
|
|
week 6
|
Intervals: 5,3,5,3,5 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
40 mins
|
45 mins
|
|
|
week 7
|
Intervals: 5 x 5 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
45 mins
|
50 mins
|
|
|
week 8
|
Intervals: 5 x 5 mins, 90 secs recovery (
rep 2 and 4 hard)
|
45 mins
|
55 mins
|
|
|
week 9
|
Intervals: 5 x 5 mins, 60 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
45 mins
|
60 mins
|
|
week 10
|
Intervals: 5,7,5,7,5 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
45 mins
|
65 mins
|
|
week 11
|
Intervals: 5,7,5,7,5 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
45 mins
|
70 mins
|
|
week 12
|
Intervals: 3 X 5 mins, 90 sec recovery
|
30 mins
|
30 mins
|
10k or 10 mile (preferred) RACE
|
|
week 13
|
Intervals: 5 x 3 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
45 mins
|
70 mins
|
|
week 14
|
Intervals: 5,7,5,7,5 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
45 mins
|
75 mins
|
|
week 15
|
Intervals: 5,7,5,7,5 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
45 mins
|
80 mins
|
|
week 16
|
Intervals: 3 x 5 mins, 90 secs recovery
|
30 mins
|
30 mins
|
RACE
|
There are also many other factors to consider when training
for such an event. One of the most
important upon which to focus is maintaining a healthy diet while in training. Many people who are training for long
distance runs think that they can simply supplement their diets with protein
bars and shakes in order to get the nutrients and vitamins they need to prepare
themselves for their upcoming events.
While most of the protein bars and energy shakes do make good meal
substitutes, it is still recommended that an athlete maintain a stable
diet. Finding the right balance that
works takes time and “testing,” because, although there are a lot of “perfect
training diets” available, each athlete has different dietary needs.
Nutritionists like Dawn Jackson Blatner, R. D.,
believe a "flexitarian" diet is about striking the ideal balance:
Namely, making plant foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes) the
mainstay of our meals, while still eating animal protein—just less of it. Not
going completely vegetarian means you still get beneficial nutrients in red
meat and poultry (iron, zinc, protein, B
vitamins) and fish (omega-3 fatty acids). But by eating less of
them, you take in less of the unhealthy stuff, like saturated fat and
cholesterol. (Girdwain)
After properly preparing with the appropriate type and amount of training,
and ensuring the most effectivediet, there is one more aspect that should be
considered in final preparation for the
big event. A runner absolutely must consider the mental
aspect of being ready for the race. I
constantly find myself doubting my own abilities. I have to remind myself that this is not my
first race and that I have done everything that I can possibly do, both mentally
and physically, to prepare for this race.
One thing that can really help is to develop at least one positive
mantra to use during the race, for instance: I’m strong, I’m healthy, and I’m
fast. Practicing this throughout
training and during the race can help an athlete through some of the barriers that the mind
will ultimately try to throw out.
According to Jerry Lynch Ph.D., here are a few things runners should do
to relax while running.
- Let
your jaw slacken and your eyes soften and droop. Facial muscles control
the degree of tension in the entire body. Relax the face and you'll relax
the body.
- Keep
your upper body perpendicular to the running surface--shoulders back,
buttocks forward.
- Make
sure your hands are not clenched but closed softly, as if you are holding
eggs.
- Focus
on a smooth stride. Avoid over- and understriding, as they waste energy.
- Shake
out your arms, relax your shoulders, and carry your arms low with elbows
firm but not locked.
- Try
this: As you run, repeat the word "calm" or "relax."
- Don't
apply power; float with strength.
If you can implement this when you start feeling tight or tense
during your run, you will find that you will get through the mental barriers
your mind puts up.
Now that we have gone through everything it takes to successfully
prepare ourselves for the big day, LET’S GO RUN A RACE…
I feel that over the past few months I have joined an elite group
of bloggers who are writing about our passion for running. I have experienced some ups and downs during
the process, but overall I feel that it has been an amazing experience. I have really enjoyed blogging on a topic
which I feel has become a major part of my life. I look forward to getting home each night to
see how many people have read my blog and am excited when I find that people
from very far away places (such as Alaska and Russia) have been there. I hope that everyone who has taken the time
to read my blog, has found some kind of enjoyment from the entries that have
been made, and has been able to take at least a small part of it and use it in
some way as a lesson in your own life.
For someone else who chooses this topic, I say just stay true to
yourself, and follow what you feel. It
is almost like running, every once in a while you hit that proverbial wall, but
if you just relax and stay calm, you will get through it.
Girdwain, Jessica. The Perfect Diet. n.d. 25
April 2012.
<http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-300--13236-0,00.html>.
Ph.D., Jerry Lynch. Want to Run Faster? Learn to
Relax. n.d. 25 April 2012.
<http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Want_to_run_faster___or_just_better__Learn_to_relax.htm>.
Whiteman, Anthony. Beginners Half Marathon.
n.d. 25 April 2012.
<http://www.city-runs.co.uk/training/beginners_half_marathon/>.
