Run4PRs

Www.Run4prs.com for a free week or personalized workouts! Many people show off their monthly mileage totals on social media. It is a great way to track your progress in some respects, but in other respects, it is easy to get ‘caught up in the numbers game’ of running. Two runners of the same abilities might run vastly different peak mileages in marathon training yet run the same finishing time. It is less about what your weekly mileage is and more about finding the sweet spot of mileage for you during this season of your training.

1. Progressive overload: more usually is better until it’s not

1. Aerobic base: science

Legendary coach Arthur Lydiard’s philosophy was that it all starts with mileage. That's because endurance training stimulates many physiological, biochemical and molecular adaptations. All his training programs would consist of an 8-10 week base building phase.

1. stimulates more fuel (glycogen) to be stored in your muscles

2. increases the use of intramuscular fat at the same speed to spare glycogen 

3. improves your blood vessels' oxygen-carrying capability by increasing the number of red blood cells and hemoglobin 

4. creates a greater capillary network for a more rapid diffusion of oxygen into the muscles 

5. increases mitochondrial density and the number of aerobic enzymes through the complex activation of gene expression. This increases your aerobic metabolic capacity.

2. Time of feet: science

Time on Feet follows the principles of Lydiard training to reach peak performance. This is achieved by using a systematic approach to training. The emphasis is on conditioning in the early stages of a programme, in order to give the individual a feeling of a 'tireless state.' This is looked at as a crucial phase if achievements are to be made later.

2. There becomes a point where running more is not productive

1. Overtraining signs

Constant niggles

Feeling run down

Mentally feeling down in the dumps

Train smarter not harder: 

How much running can you physically and psychologically handle?

For example, the mitochondrial enzyme content of rats has been shown to reach its maximum adaptation with running 60 minutes per day, five days per week. 

A study published in European Journal of Physiology in 1998 on horses training for 34 weeks found that increases in muscle fiber, # of capillaries number of capillaries per fiber plateaued after 16 weeks of training. After the first 16 weeks, the horses were divided into two groups: a control group and an overload training group, which trained with higher mileage. Both groups increased mitochondrial volume and VO2 max with the increased mileage over the next 18 weeks, but there was no difference in those variables or in muscle fiber area and capillarization after 34 weeks despite the two-fold difference in training volume between groups over the final 18 weeks. Clearly, there is a limit to muscles' adaptive response to training.

If you look at the training data of elite athletes, you find that the optimum training volume for the world's best athletes lies somewhere between 75 and 110 miles per week

What is REDS syndrome?

Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S) syndrome, or what’s more commonly known as the Female Athlete Triad.

Not eating appropriately for the amount of energy an athlete expends

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

We have almost all been asked the question when someone finds out you are a runner, the next thing they typically ask is if you have done a marathon. Everyone knows that marathons are hard work. They know this is the very long race that seems to be viewed as the pinnacle of running success, but is it? Why have the 100 or 50 miler ultra marathons not taken on the same allure in the running community? We are going to do a deep dive in this episode about marathons and some of our theories around why we think the marathon is so popular! We are also going to give some advice to those who really want to run to their potential in the marathon. The answers may surprise you because we actually recommend some athletes take time off of the marathon to get faster at the marathon

How long people run before doing a full marathon

Why is an elite training going to look different from a beginner in terms of workouts/long runs

Why it becomes important to work with a coach who really understands your background and the distance

What is the advantages to working on speed before going to the marathon

Why does running a fast 5k not translate directly to the marathon distance

What is the best type of music to listen to while running?

Depends on the purpose of the run

Workouts: hard music

Easy runs- slow music

How do you fuel when you are not hungry but must eat

High caloric foods that taste good

When during hill repeats or speed work is it okay to walk?

The goal of the recovery between for shorter intervals is to get breath back under control so that you can push hard on the next set. Most shorter intervals are anaerobic so it might take a more reduced pace like walking to recover. Check HR.

A really slow jog is already hard for people because they slow down on easy days. Sometimes walking is wiser.

20x400 could actually be a threshold workout.

How to get back to running after pregnancy

Usually you will get cleared to run at 6 weeks by your OB. Many people need longer and recommend getting seen by a pelvic floor physical therapist. It depends on the person but most people start back with walk/runs even if they ran throughout pregnancy. Your core is very week and went through trauma. Allow yourself grace and time when coming back into things

You may also be nursing which can be a new factor

Is body weight strength training as effective as using weights

Body weigh training can be highly effective. It depends on your starting point, how you are lifting, and your goals. Many body weight plyometrics can be challenging even for the strongest athletes. We always want to strength train with a purpose. Plyos work on speed and power.

Everyone says running is bad for knees.. How do I prove them wrong?

Pull up research studies of the benefits of weight barring exercises. There are myths like this about running but I think it is important to address that many people have injured their knees from running. Even elite runners sometimes need to have knee replacement type surgery. Let’s talk about WHY. Overtraining can lead to overuse. When you are pushing your body to the limits like an elite/professional runner where your job is to literally do everything you can to get faster sometimes you toe the line and things happen. Overuse injuries are common because many people unintentionally overtrain.

Let’s say your grandma knows someone who ‘blew their knees out from running’. Perhaps they did because they went from 0 to 50 miles in 2 months and ran a marathon then could never run again. This is why the progressive overload and offseason are key. Weight bearing exercise actually makes your body and knees stronger BUT if you overdo it, you do put yourself at risk.

www.run4prs.com

As coaches we work with a lot of athletes who have young kids and other life responsibilities like busy careers. A question that often comes up with athletes who begin to ramp up their training is when do you have time to train? How can you put in 7+ hours of training per week? We don’t have a one answer solution for you because everyone’s life looks different. We do however have a few ideas for when/how you might be able to utilize different resources to get your training in even with small kids and/or a busy career.

Time of day:

Working out while kids are sleeping

Pros: easier

Cons: lose out on sleep

Working out while kids are awake and at home:

Pros: you get to sleep

Cons: you miss out on family time, logistically harder

Working out while kids are at school/daycare

Pros: you get to sleep

Cons: logistically easier, guilt

`1. Treadmill at home

Investment: $2000+ dollars

2. Treadmill at gym with daycare

Investment: $150/month

3. Stroller outside

Investment: $500

Babysitter

Investment: $20/hr

Is it worth it to invest in yourself and your hobby? How do you deal with guilt associated with going on a run or running a race? Waking the kids up at 5:30am to go to a race? My kids like to go to races and run races themselves now. What they see as normal they will take mental notes. It’s one thing to say something is a value, but when you live it, kids witness it. It becomes a part of their identity.

I don’t have the answers, but I can share my experiences and sometimes that can help.

Is it worth it to train for big races?

How does the competitiveness/running change after having kids?

Coach Breanna shares all about her journey from small town farming to becoming a professional runner. We took a deep dive into her recent marathon debut of 2:42 at CIM. Not only was this her first ever full marathon, but she also tackled it at 9 months postpartum with her first child. We talked about her journey running throughout pregnancy & postpartum and her plans for future racing. Coach Breanna has been coaching at Run4prs for 2.5 years and is currently taking on new athletes. If you are interested in working with her fill out the form at www.run4prs.com or reach out to us via email [email protected]

Injuries are tough and a taboo subject. We don’t like to go through these times of setbacks because the uncertainty starts to creep in. How long until I can run again? How much fitness will I lose? Will I ever be as fast/fit again? These fears can often cause runners to comeback into running too quickly after being injured OR to avoid taking time off when they first feel an injury come on.

Before we dive into things:

What to do if you are injured!

Why do some injuries happen

Overuse

They don’t always happen right away!

Stress= body can only handle so much

Underlying issue

Running on sand

Rolling an ankle

Strength Training

What is the injury ‘cycle’

Are comeback runners more likely to get injured

Coming back too quickly

Ego is high

Run/walks

Getting to the root cause instead of hoping rest will help

Helps to avoid future injurywww.run4prs.com

How do I increase my calories in a healthy manner

Calorie dense foods

PB, nuts flax seed

More carbs: fruit juices, maple syrup, honey

Favorite season to train in & race in

Depends on where I live

Fall is ideal because summer training is ideal with temps never hitting more than 75-80 degrees in the early morning

Humidity is poor man's altitude

How to do you pick a run coach?

Personality fit

Open

responsiveness : some people don’t care but take it as a red flag if someone doesn’t understand

Philosophy fit

Opennesses

Understands your goals

Has a clear plan for how to get you to your goals

Communicates the plan to you

Can help you learn and grow from experiences

Not all races will go well

We learn from each race

3:38 PR long term goal to BQ but wants to get pregnant 1st

Have something to train for when TTC that you have a lower investment in like 5ks

Postpartum comeback slowly and give yourself grace

Lots of unknowns but consistency is helpful

What to do when life happens and you miss a workout

Depends on what happens

Illness- going to take time off and not try to make anything up

Other situation- might have you make up the workout

Either way these both require you to probably re-work the entire plan because you are going to have less time in between workout days, etc.

Depends on what you missed for a run

20 mile long run vs 5 mile easy run totally different

How long until i expect to see muscle gains with the strength program

How are you measuring progress

Progress pictures

Weight gain

Measurements

Gaining muscle is hard to do if you are in a catabolic state (undereating, over exercising with cardio)

What are your goals with lifting?

How many races is too many? A lot of people are thinking about their goal race schedule for next year. It is good to look ahead and plan out your races so that you don’t over commit yourself. There are so many options and it can be tempting to sign up for all of the races, but what if we focused on building the year around your goals and then schedule races to accommodate those goals?

Deciding on your goals for the year

How to find races that will be in alignment with your goals

How frequently should you race?

How realistic is it to PR at every race?

Half marathon PR in the build of for a full marathon?

Should you wait to register for some races?

Benefits of keeping ‘options open’

WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK? . As we approach the end of the year, many people begin to think about 2023 racing plans. Before we dive into signing up for all the races, we believe it is important to assess your 2022 progress and set yourself up for success in 2023 by setting goals. If we don’t assess the past mistakes we can be doomed to repeat them again! No one had a perfect running year in 2022 even if you PRed in every single race distance, there is STILL something you can learn from this year and bring into 2023 to become a better runner.

Weekly mileage: was it too much? Too little?

Workouts: did you do them? Were they too hard? Is that they you skipped them? Were expectations too high?

Did you run easy enough on easy days

Did you get injured?

Seasons of life & routine

What season of life are you in? Will it change in 2023? Is it realistic to train more or less next year?

What did your routine look like in 2022, will you be able to keep it or will changes need to be made?

Are you getting enough support?

Races

How did your races in 2022 go?

How can you improve mentally?

How could you improve physically

What is your long term goal

Define a goal 5-10 years out and then narrow down on a benchmark to get there

My long term goal is to run a 100 miler some day

Bite sized goals in 2023 that are challenging enough to motivate you to train but not so ridiculously that it throws you off

Set a goal 2-3 years into the future

Set a goal for next year

Break 2023 into 2 parts

Part 1: first half of the year

Part 2: second half of the year