192. How fast should you run on race day? & more ask the coaches questions

1 .What pace should I am to race at for a 5k or half marathon? Threshold? Intervals? Slightly slower? Slightly faster?

Answer: if you download our guide at www.run4prs.com it will go over this in great detail written out. We will summarize here. First, it’s important to do a fitness test. This fitness test usually looks like a time trial of running 1-3 miles ‘all out effort’ to see where your current fitness is at. If you have absolutely no idea where your fitness is at, start at a pace 30-45 seconds faster than you run on a good ‘moderate/harder’ effort run. We can’t establish paces without first understanding where you are at currently. If you totally bomb the time trial, that is okay, we can always test again. The result will still be a good guide within reason.

Your 5k pace is usually the same (slightly slower) than your time trial pace.

Intervals are going to be done anywhere from slightly faster than 5k pace to threshold pace.. It depends on the purpose of the workout

Your threshold pace is about 20-30 seconds per mile slower than time trial pace

Your half marathon pace is 5-20 seconds per mile slower than threshold pace

Whenever we do an event for the first time or even if it’s the 5th time, but you feel newer to racing, we might not go out at that exact pace I said above. We might want to ease into things and start slower. We build confidence by having positive racing experiences.

2. What are the worst things to eat before a long run?

Depends on the person. The worst thing you can probably do is not eat. Next, anything with insanely high fiber content. Like multiple fiber one bars. Spicy foods, etc. Some people have very strong stomachs and could literally tolerate anything. I have a friend who can’t eat veggie straws the day before a run. Knowing your body is key! Usually they say to avoid fiber and greasy foods. Also if you have food intolerances, avoid that!

3. What are the effects of birth control on female runner performance

I would look into the book roar by Tracy Sims. Anytime you take synthetic hormones, you are changing systems in the body. There can be some benefits to taking birth control, but are there some drawbacks? I think it’s important for people to do their research and have this discussion with their doctors.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32666247/

Oct 2020: The Effects of Oral Contraceptives on Exercise Performance in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Conclusions: OCP use might result in slightly inferior exercise performance on average when compared to naturally menstruating women, although any group-level effect is most likely to be trivial. Practically, as effects tended to be trivial and variable across studies, the current evidence does not warrant general guidance on OCP use compared with non-use. Therefore, when exercise performance is a priority, an individualised approach might be more appropriate. The analysis also indicated that exercise performance was consistent across the OCP cycle. What exercises/workouts/circuits can I incorporate in the gym to help my running?

Running is going to be the best thing you can do that directly makes you a better runner. Other workouts the strengthen the endurance of the muscles that are used for running can help but nothing helps as much as running. Biking, stairs, etc.

Why do runners lift then?

Strength training can help you stay injury free. The longer you are able to stay injury free, the better you will be able to run consistently.

Runners need: Postural alignment, stabilization, strength and power

Train for strength 8-12 reps