195. Can Trail Running Make You Faster? & other ask the coaches questions

www.run4prs.com

 1.Trail running vs road running: How can running in trails be a benefit?

- not ultras, just getting miles in on the trail during training blocks. I run alot of my long days on the trails, it kind of forces you to run slower, and i feel way more ab engagement than just on the road. Any recommendations on how often to trail run? I’m a New England runner so lots of great trails out here.

2.  I am getting ready for the Murph workout this year, and the workout is bookended with a 1 mile runs wearing a 20 weighted vest.

What about wearing a weighted vest once or twice a week for runs?

Too much on the joints? Good way to increase strength?

Very hard on the joints. Risk for injury unless you increase slowly.

Rucking involves wearing a weighted pack.

DO NOT:

Run with a weight vest if you’ve never run before or never lifted weights before.

Run with a weight vest if you have a serious injury.

Wear a weight vest all day.

Run with a weight vest over long distances.

Wear a weight vest that is too heavy for you.

You might go on some runs after lifting to account for the fatigue

3. Eye injury– 2 weeks off running go straight into it?

2 weeks isn’t enough time to really lose a ton of fitness, but with any time off I usually recommend easing back into things slightly and see how the body responds. Also considering eyewear?

4. If I have been training at a BQ pace, how should I pace the marathon?

Training at exactly BQ pace is tricky because it doesn’t give a ton of room for error. Often marathon courses measure 26.4 miles. A sub 3 hour marathon is 6:52/mi pace but even 6:50 per mile on most courses will not be enough to break 3 on your watch. It is nice if you calculate the pace you need to run based on the assumption that your watch will measure the course as 26.5 miles AND that you will want to run something with a 30-60 second buffer. For example

A 3:29:30 on a 26.5 mile course is actually 7:54 per mile instead of the 8:00 per mile

A 8:00 pace for 26.5 miles in 3:32- 2 min shy of the goal.

I would take this into consideration for pacing

5. How do I lower my heart rate while running? I tried running really slow like 13 min pace and it is still not working

Make sure you are measuring with something that is accurate. Wrist HR monitor is NOT accurate. The chest strap is better. Then, be realistic with the paces. 13:00 pace is not that slow. If you run a 5k at 8:00 or 9:00 per mile, 13:00 pace might be your easy pace at a low heart rate as your body adapts. It could also be a sign of overtraining. Other things also impact HR such as stress, caffeine, medications. I would look at all the things that could be impacting HR and see if we can’t find a reason.