Luke Humphrey Running

Introduction: In the world of running, it’s easy to assume that increasing mileage is the key to improving performance. However, as Luke Humphrey discusses in a recent episode of the Luke Humphrey Running Podcast, there’s more to the story than just logging more miles. This blog post explores the nuances of increasing running volume, emphasizing the importance of a solid foundation before taking the leap. Section 1: Understanding Volume in RunningLuke begins by addressing a common misconception among runners: that simply running more miles will lead to better performance. He shares the story of a runner who made a significant improvement, going from completing marathons in five hours to achieving a time of around 3:30. This impressive progress raises the question of whether the runner should immediately increase their weekly mileage to continue improving. Section 2: The Case for CautionWhile it may seem logical to increase volume, Luke cautions against rushing into higher mileage. He emphasizes the importance of maximizing benefits from the current training level. For instance, if a runner is currently running 50 miles a week and still seeing improvements, it might be wise to explore other areas of training before jumping to 60 miles. This could include focusing on strength training, mobility work, or flexibility routines. Luke notes, "Are we doing the strength training? Are we doing mobility?" These elements are critical for building a strong foundation that can handle increased volume. Section 3: The Long-Term PerspectiveOne of the key insights from Luke's discussion is the need for a long-term view of running progress. He reflects on his own journey, noting that it took him over a decade of consistent training to qualify for the Olympic Trials. For many runners, especially those in their 30s or older, making substantial jumps in training requires patience and a focus on gradual improvement. Luke highlights that rushing through training levels can lead to injuries and setbacks, ultimately prolonging the time it takes to reach goals. Section 4: Baseline vs. Peak VolumeLuke introduces the concept of baseline volume, which is the weekly mileage a runner can sustain without injury, and peak volume, the highest mileage a runner can handle for a short period. He explains that increasing baseline volume should be a priority for long-term success. By gradually building to a sustainable weekly mileage, runners can position themselves for future training cycles and race preparations. He encourages runners to find their sweet spot, stating that if they can comfortably run 30-35 miles a week, they are just a few weeks away from being race-ready. Conclusion: Key Takeaways for RunnersIncreasing running volume is not as simple as it seems. As Luke Humphrey highlights in this podcast episode, it’s essential to build a strong foundation, incorporate strength training, and maintain a long-term perspective on training. Runners should focus on gradually increasing their baseline volume while ensuring their bodies are prepared to handle the added stress of higher mileage. By adopting this approach, runners can achieve sustainable progress and reach their potential without unnecessary injuries. Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/LHRunning LHR Community: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/community/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehumphreyhmm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukeHumphreyRunning Training Plans: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/training-plans/Team LHR: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/team-lhr/Personal Coaching: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/coaching/Books: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/books/

In the world of running, setting goals is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in crafting a training schedule that aligns with those goals. In this lesson, we delve into the art of blocking out your schedule to ensure you're not just running, but running smart. Understanding the Importance of Recovery: Recovery is non-negotiable. After a big race, jumping straight into another intense training block without adequate recovery can be detrimental. Whether you've just completed a marathon or a 5K, understanding the nuances of recovery is crucial. For instance, transitioning from a 5K to a half marathon might not require full recovery, but some downtime is essential. Crafting a Race-Specific Training Block: For those aiming for half marathons or marathons, dedicating 8 to 10 weeks to race-specific training is vital. This period should include a taper phase, allowing your body to adjust and prepare for peak performance. If your schedule is tight, reassess your goals to ensure they align with your available training time. Balancing Life and Training: Life doesn't pause for training. Whether it's work, vacations, or holidays, these factors can disrupt your schedule. Planning around these events is key. For instance, avoid scheduling ski vacations during peak training weeks, as they can hinder your progress. Adapting to Time Constraints: Not everyone has the luxury of a full training cycle. If you're short on time, focus on the last 6 to 8 weeks of race-specific work. This period is crucial for building the necessary endurance and strength for your race. Effective training is about bridging the gap between recovery and peak performance. By understanding your body's needs and planning accordingly, you can achieve your running goals without compromising your health. Remember, it's better to start slow and build up than to risk injury by pushing too hard too soon. Subscribe now to stay updated with more insights and tips on optimizing your training schedule. Support our work: buymeacoffee.com/LHRunning LHR Community: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/community/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehumphreyhmm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukeHumphreyRunning Training Plans: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/training-plans/Team LHR: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/team-lhr/Personal Coaching: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/coaching/Books: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/books/

Summary In this conversation, I discuss the intricacies of marathon pacing and the realistic expectations for runners aiming to improve their times. The focus is on how small adjustments in pace can lead to significant changes in overall performance, particularly for experienced runners. Takeaways You're an experienced runner, chances are you aren't making a huge jump in your goal. The pace is probably only affected by a few seconds a mile. Five seconds a mile can mean a huge difference for you in the marathon. Ten seconds a marathon is a significant change. If I've run three hours, the next logical step is probably like 257. Incremental improvements are key for experienced runners. Some are trying to take big chunks of time off. Goal paces can be affected by 15, 20, 30 seconds a mile. Realistic expectations are crucial for marathon training. Understanding pacing nuances can enhance performance. Chapters 00:00 Mapping Out Your Running Journey00:38 Understanding Goal Paces and Current Fitness Support our work: https://buymeacoffee.com/LHRunning LHR Community: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/community/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehumphreyhmm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukeHumphreyRunning Training Plans: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/training-plans/Team LHR: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/team-lhr/Personal Coaching: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/coaching/Books: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/books/

Summary In this conversation, Luke discusses the essential components of successful marathon training, emphasizing the importance of endurance, stamina, consistency, understanding fatigue, and maintaining a healthy relationship with nutrition. He outlines how to build endurance and stamina, the significance of consistent training, and the need to differentiate between general fatigue and overtraining. Additionally, he highlights the importance of proper fueling for performance, encouraging runners to view food as a source of energy rather than a restriction. Takeaways Endurance is the ability to cover a distance without regard to pace. Focus on building volume before intensity in training. Stamina is crucial for maintaining a desired pace during a marathon. Consistency in training is key to long-term success. Understanding the difference between tiredness and overtraining is essential. A healthy relationship with food can enhance performance. Nutrition should be viewed as fuel for training, not a restriction. Runners need to adjust their caloric intake based on training demands. Losing weight should not be the primary goal of training. Focusing on five key areas can lead to successful marathon training. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Marathon Training Essentials02:12 Building Endurance and Stamina05:20 The Importance of Consistency in Training07:30 Understanding Fatigue vs. Overtraining10:09 Nutrition and Fueling for Performance Support our work: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/LHRunning LHR Community: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/community/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehumphreyhmm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukeHumphreyRunning Training Plans: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/training-plans/Team LHR: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/team-lhr/Personal Coaching: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/coaching/Books: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/books/

Summary In this conversation, I discuss strategies for training for the Boston Marathon, emphasizing the importance of planning, recovery, and hill preparation. He outlines a timeline for training, the significance of a structured approach, and the benefits of joining a supportive running community. I share insights on how to effectively transition between races and the unique challenges posed by the Boston course, providing you with actionable advice to enhance your marathon experience. Takeaways Running your best Boston requires careful planning and preparation. Start training with the end goal in mind to avoid burnout. 14 weeks of dedicated training is often sufficient for experienced runners. Hill preparation is crucial for success in the Boston Marathon. Recovery is essential after races to prevent injury and fatigue. Hills can serve as effective speed work in disguise. It's important to allow time for mental recovery after intense training cycles. Racing before the Boston Marathon can be beneficial if approached correctly. Joining a training group can provide valuable support and accountability. A structured training plan can help runners navigate the unique challenges of the Boston course. Chapters 00:00 Welcome and Introduction to Boston Marathon Training01:43 Planning Your Training Timeline10:17 Importance of Hill Preparation14:56 Recovery and Base Building Strategies21:31 Racing Before Boston: Considerations28:48 Final Thoughts on Training and Recovery Links for Boston 6 Week Prep: https://bit.ly/4myndqj  Boston Plans: https://bit.ly/3IDlC4B  Training Group: https://www.finalsurge.com/coach/LukeHumphreyRunning/training/programs/bostonmarathontraining

Summary In this episode of the Luke Humphrey Running Podcast, Luke discusses the transition from fall marathon training to preparing for spring marathons. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining training consistency during the off-season and provides insights into effective training strategies, including volume building and speed work. Luke outlines two scenarios for runners looking to improve their marathon times and offers practical advice for winter training considerations. Takeaways -Fall marathons are ending, and spring training begins in January.-Focus on maintaining training consistency during the off-season.-Consider joining a training group for structured support.-Volume is crucial for improving marathon speed.-Assess your weekly mileage to align with your marathon goals.-Incorporate speed work to improve race times.-Winter training requires adaptation to weather conditions.-Stay engaged with the running community for motivation.-Small, consistent progress is key to long-term improvement.-Avoid neglecting training to prevent setbacks. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Overview of Marathon Training01:07 Spring Marathon Training Plans03:03 Assessing Fall Race Performance03:42 Scenario 1: Increasing Marathon Speed through Volume08:36 Scenario 2: Improving Speed for Marathon Success12:40 Training Strategies for Winter Conditions15:31 Consistency and Health in Training Important Links Please support our work: buymeacoffee.com/LHRunning Boston Training Group: https://www.finalsurge.com/coach/LukeHumphreyRunning/training/programs/bostonmarathontraining FREE LHR Community: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/community/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehumphreyhmm/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukeHumphreyRunning Training Plans: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/training-plans/Team LHR: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/team-lhr/Personal Coaching: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/coaching/ Books: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/books/

Transcript: Hey guys, this is Luke Humphrey. Welcome back to the Luke Humphrey running podcast. I appreciate all the great feedback from the last one. Yes, the audio is much better, right? And so I think that will be a much better listening experience. And a lot of you reconfirmed what I was kind of aware of. A lot of you listen to the podcast while you're running or doing whatever. It's nice to have that instead of just a YouTube video, which I would tend to agree with. In today's episode, I'd like to discuss the prerequisites for the HMM beginner plan, as they seem to be a fairly common source of confusion. And part of that is, when I wrote the book and talked to Kevin and Keith, we were aware of some things, but other things we were not aware of, and so some of it was just, we didn't know it was an issue until more people read the book and then it became apparent that it was an issue. And I think some of it is just because of how the beginner plan is set up and all that good stuff. So today, that's what I want to talk to you about because it really is our goal to make people as successful as possible. And so two, that means we have to make sure that they are in the right training plan, right? If they're not in the training plan, the training plan itself could be great, but if it's not the right one for you, then it's not going to do any good. So we want to make sure that you make the right choice in training plan and that it fits you where you're at no matter you know, one of things I'm going to talk about is just the fact that like sometimes you have to throw out the whole, you know, title of beginner intermediate advanced because a lot of times it's really just based on what you're trying to accomplish and what you can fit in during a week, right? It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or not. cause I think a lot of people will tell you that the beginner plan of Hansons Marathon Method is much more like an intermediate plan compared with other programs. So, with that being said, who is the beginner plan for? And I think that's the first place we should probably start. And so, you know, it's not necessarily recommended for those who are brand new to running, know, meaning that you signed up for a marathon because it was something that you wanted to do before you turned a certain age and you've never really run before and now you're gonna run a marathon in 18 weeks. This probably is not the best plan for you. I would recommend other things. So if that's you and you're listening to this, I encourage you to listen through this the whole way, but recognize that you're going to be better served taking another avenue. And it can still include this plan, but it might require more time between the time you're deciding to start this now. and when you really should be starting for your next, for your first marathon. cause I think there's, there's things you need to do to get ready to be able to handle what this schedule is going to be asking you to do. And so from my experience, a lot of people, put themselves in a situation. It's probably going to be a little over their head, maybe not right away, but what it's one of those things where you get six, eight, 10 weeks down the road and it just is all added up over time. It just becomes too much to be able to for your body to to keep up with and that's when things get bad pretty quick and then we're scrambling to try to even get you to the starting line and I think if we approach it the right way we don't have to we can take a lot of that worry out right and so so if this is you just talking about being a first-time marathoner what I would encourage you to do is take some time the very least build your volume up to 20 miles a week, right? So if you're starting from zero or you're only like, you know, a couple miles, a couple times a week and you're like, know, my kid is a perfect example. Like I thought she was gonna be running 10 miles a week in cross country this year. And I would say she probably averaged six a week. And that was basically her running at practice two miles, three times a week, right? Is what it came out to. So if that sounds about like you, then I would take some time, build that volume up to, you know, I would start with adding days first and then add volume to that, right? So if I'm running three days a week, I would go to four days a week and then five days a week over several, over a few weeks and then add volume to those runs to the point where you can get to 20 miles a week and feel fairly comfortable with that. And I think if you did that for four to six weeks, you could probably do that pretty easily. And then you would be in a position where maybe you could start the training plan. For instance, if you're listening to this and you have some time, but that date that you're going to run the marathon is set, like you already signed up, it's going to happen regardless, and you can't get out of it, then you have say 22, 23, 24 weeks, start now, build that volume up and get to the point where you can handle that volume. And then you can at least set yourself up for when you get to doing workouts in the beginner plan, you're going to be in a much better situation to handle them. Because now the volume itself isn't new. You're used to the volume. The only new thing that we'd be adding would be intensity. And it's when we're adding both volume and intensity at the same time that things can go pretty sour in a few weeks. Usually you can handle it for two to four weeks. And then it's just you've kind of reached that breaking point where It's just not tolerable anymore. Right? So the better option would be if there's not a date set now, take your time, build that volume to like 20 miles a week, like we talked about, and then do a training segment, like where you're doing a 5k would be the simplest thing to do, right? Train for a 5k run that 5k. Cause then you're going to introduce yourself one to more volume. You're going to introduce yourself to newer things in training, like some longer runs, some repeats on the track, some threshold runs, things like that. You're going to get more accustomed with that. So it's not necessarily about running the 5K itself, but it's more about learning the different variables in training and being able to apply those in training so that when you come to the marathon, which is much more important to you, then you'd be more prepared to be able to handle that. And you're going to know why we're doing certain things, right? And it's going to be much easier to apply to yourself than if we're just throwing you into it all at once. And so that's a lot to ask of somebody to learn all these new things that they're not necessarily accustomed to, and then add all these things in their training, that's probably gonna be too much and a little bit of overload for them. And it really doesn't set you up for a good chance to be successful in the marathon. That would be better, and then you can use that 5K that you race, and you can use the time from that, or whatever you decide to race. And then you can set an established time to start training for the marathon, you would give yourself a much better baseline to kind of know at least where to start on for a goal time, right? So, you run a 5K and X amount of time and you throw it into a chart, and it says, "Well, I can run a 430 marathon. Okay, well, that's a great place to start." We can throw that training in, and we can set our paces based on that 430 marathon. And then we can adjust accordingly based on how you handle that, right? So it just makes more sense to do it that way, but I get that. You might be behind the eight ball on this, and you've already signed up and now you're like, man, I'm, I've got to figure this out real quick. So, that's the adoption would be to just at least build your volume up before you start the training plan, and then start the training plan and go from there. All right. So, given all that, I would recommend the beginner plan for a person who has experience as a runner. They've run other races. They've run, you know, 15, 20 to 30 miles a week before they've done different types of workouts or at least are aware of these different types of workouts, things like that. It can be their first marathon. That's not, know, if somebody has experience in racing, you know, five Ks, 10 Ks, maybe even a half marathon, then yes, absolutely. The beginner plan would fit that person pretty well, right? It's more about if a person is brand new to running, this plan itself is probably. a little much for that person. Especially if there's no time. If you're starting right from scratch, jumping into a plan, probably too much. But if you have experience and you've raced other races, the Beginner Plan is a great place to start. I would even argue that if you've run a marathon or two, maybe three marathons, say your first one, you just kind of took on a whim and you just followed a plan on the internet. And then the second one, maybe you got a Hale Higdon book or something like that, or a Galloway book or whatever. And you followed those, but now you're trying to get, okay, now I'm more performance minded. I really want to see where I can go. You're looking at what we were, it was in the plans, and you're like, Wow,, that beginner plan might be too easy, but the advanced plan is probably too much. I would start with the beginner plan. I've had people run, you know, well under three 30 on the beginner plan. I have people who just stay with the beginner plan, right? They used it once they started seeing improvement. So that's just kind of what they stick with. And they know, I think they throw in a little bit of their own personal tweaks here and there, for the vast majority of the schedule is the beginner plan, and they have done really, really well with it and it fits a lot of people. So that's what I was talking about earlier,

Transcript:Hey everyone, welcome back to the LHR podcast. It's been a while. We've been revamping a lot of stuff behind the scenes on our website and things like that. fortunately the podcast took a little bit of a backseat, but I think we're back now. I think we're going to be in a position where we can do things much more regularly. when I was going back and looking at some stuff, you know, we got some pretty old, it's a pretty old content that probably needs to be updated. So, Be on lookout for that, just some new updates on some old topics, maybe more just really improving the quality of the content. I know some of the audio and the older stuff that we have out there is pretty rough at points. So trust me, I know. I'm aware. That was a long time ago. And things have definitely improved since then. So. Be on the lookout for that, but we're going to start off today with kicking some things off with spelling some myths of Hanson's Marathon Method, which if you don't know, my name is Luke Humphrey. I am the owner of Luke Humphrey Running. I've been coaching since 2006 and myself and alongside a lot of the assistant coaches that work for me, we're members of the Hanson's Distance Project for a number of years. have a couple. current athletes still there. And then I am the author of the Hanson's Marathon Method book series. you know, we've been not the sometimes we get confused with being the authors of the program, but that is definitely not me. That is for sure, Kevin and Keith Hanson, which I guess I've just kind of become a spokesperson for over the years. But, you know, our a lot of our coaching is based off of what Kevin and Keith have taught us. And And as the author of the Hansen's Marathon Method, I get to field a lot of those questions. So what I want to do today is just kind of discuss really the three biggest things I get with people who are kind of on the fence with Hansen's Marathon Method. Maybe they have some friends putting some things in their ears. Definitely some people, some influencers and bloggers and YouTubers with their own take on things, which I would. agree with some of it not necessarily all of it. think there's some things that need to be clarified. think when you see when I see people say or write certain things it's kind of clear to me that they didn't necessarily look at the whole program they just looked at a PDF file of the plan and didn't really look at what we explain in the book. So hopefully this will help you. make a decision, whether it's not to be with us, we just want you to be in the best program for you, but we do feel that this will help this program, the Hanson's Marathon Method will help a lot of people reach their goals, whether it's to run, you know, sub three hours or just complete their first one, you know, as best that they possibly can. And, you know, whether that's, you know, three, thirty, four or five hours, we definitely feel like we can we can get you there. So let's jump right into it. The first one that I get a lot is that it's a low mileage or less is more type of program. And I can attest to you that that is not the case. Even VeloPress, who published Hanson's Marathon Method books, they were kind of on that train at the start as well. They wanted a title to kind of reflect that. I know that when Kevin and Keith gave me the opportunity to write the book, we saw it and we're like, I don't really know if that's the best route to go. And we kind of explained to them, you really have to look beyond certain aspects of the program and you'll realize that it's definitely not a less is more. You're running six days a week and even though the long run is only 16 miles, you're putting in… a significant amount of mileage and really more miles than a lot of programs you'll find, you know, free programs on the web or, you know, what you see in other books and things like that. So you really have to take a whole 30,000 foot view of what the program's really saying and not be so hyper-focused on one aspect. And so, as I mentioned, I think that, I think that people get stuck on that 16 mile thing pretty easily, because that's what, you know, that's the point that people see the most. Like that's, you know, that's what was marketed in the book. And that's what people will first bring up is that the long run is only 16 miles. And like I said, I think people get really fixated on that. And it's not, it's not the whole program. And they tend to put blinders on what they just see that they don't really look at, you know, what you're doing before and after that. And so I think you really have to look at what you're doing leading up to that 16 mile long run and then what you're doing after that. And so it really becomes a point of balance and being able to fit a lot more stuff into a program than just putting a hyper focus on the long run. And then I think too, where people get fixated is they will look at like the first two weeks of the program and more so the beginner program. a little bit less in with the advanced program because you jump into certain things a little bit quicker in the advanced program. But in the beginner plan for sure, you have several weeks where it's a very gradual buildup. And I agree that that, when you look at that, yes, you would kind of look at that like, oh, it's not really a whole lot. But once you actually get into the program beyond that first few weeks and we start doing some things, then I think that… it becomes clear really quick that it's not a less is more, not a less is more plan. So, you know, I'm going to talk more about the 16 mile long run in a second, but the truth is with HMM, you definitely put in a significant amount of miles. Like I said, you're building to six days a week. You're running two to three, you know, what we call SOS days per week, which, you know, two workouts in a long run. And then your easy volume is fairly significant with You know, being over an hour for a lot of people on your easy runs. so it, the mileage will add up pretty quickly. And, know, what we have found that it's not necessarily the volume that gets to people. It's when the intensity is too much for a person. And so, but we do, I think a really good job of just putting that into context in the book and trying to explain and, know, whether you see on these podcasts and things like that, where we really put a lot of emphasis on. appropriate intensities given the day. And I think if people can kind of lock into that mentality, they not only survive the training, but they actually thrive with the training. And so it's hard for sure, but it's incredibly doable when you go beyond what you just see in highlights and what other people are saying about, the book or whatever, but haven't really put it into practice completely. And so you can, you, can do a lot more than you think you can. And we hold your hand and do that for you with the book, with everything on our site and everything like that. So I would take a little bit deeper dive into some of that stuff and see if it's a right fit for you. Moving on from that, though, I think the second point is that 16 miles is the longest you're allowed to go. And I think the biggest thing you have to clarify here, Kevin says this all the time when Kevin was doing Kevin, you know, I've spent a lot of time with Kevin when he was doing a lot of the programs and, know, this all comes back from Kevin and Keith wanting to do a training program for people training for the Detroit Marathon, which we're in the Detroit Metro area. Their four stores are in the Detroit Metro area. And, you know, obviously the Detroit Marathon is a big part of the running community around here. And so they really wanted to do a good program for that. you know, they were doing clinics and hosting clinics in the stores and that's kind of how. I got started with kind of looking at that after I finished my master's degree at Oakland University. And they said, well, you'd be a good fit. And their kids were getting older and they wanted to kind of move away from that so they could spend more time with their family. And so I was like 23, 24 at the time. And so it made good sense for me to move into that. But anyway, he would say that it's not about 16, it's not about 20. Neither one of those numbers are. are magic numbers, right? They're not the end all be all, you know, as I've coached, you know, I've been coaching since 2006. I've seen a lot of things in those, those two decades where, know, you'll see people hit the wall at 16 miles and then you can have people not hit the wall at all. you know, and I think you get stuck on that where you see so really everywhere you look, it's like, well, the 20 miles race begins at 20. It's true. Yes, the race, it's almost like your halfway point is almost like the 20 mile mark, right? But it's not, it's not a given and it's not a, prerequisite to being able to run a marathon that you can cover a 20 mile long run in your training, especially if it's a 20 mile long run that takes you four hours to do, or, you know, you focus so much on that 20 miler that you really aren't doing much the rest of the week. And so. That's really where I really feel like Kevin and Keith were coming from with that. It's like, we kind of have a rule 25 to 30 % of your weekly volume and kind of combine that with three hours, right? So for the vast majority of people that we work with, 16 miles fits well within that 25 to 30 % of their volume and that three hour rule. But I would also say too that if I've had a person who's run that's gone through the program a couple times and they've done really well, they've managed the training pretty well, they've seen success, then I have no problem moving them up to 18, 20 mile long runs because, especially with the advanced program, you're peaking at about 60 miles a week, little over maybe,

As a coach or an athlete, we look for guides as to how much work is an appropriate amount for a given athlete. I have mentioned this before, but again, often we discuss the 80/20 rule in training- 80% of our work should be easy and 20% hard. The question then becomes what is hard and what is easy, and in terms of hard, how should that look? So, I’d like to break down some general guidelines. In terms of the 20%, for most of my athletes, that’s going to be anything faster than half marathon pace. However, when talking about true definitions of hard, researchers will argue that 20% is anything harder than the lactate threshold, or the pace that you can hold for about an hour. Race pace, that’s anything from 10k pace to just under 20k race pace for my fastest athletes.  Right now, let’s look at threshold work. Now to be clear as mud, the term threshold has a lot of names. The most current is LT2, which stands for 2nd lactate threshold. In practical matters, it’s the point where blood lactate starts to accumulate exponentially. You have probably also heard the terms anaerobic threshold, lactate threshold, the onset of blood lactate accumulation, or maximal lactate steady state. These are the same thing.  Ok, got it? Good! Now, what you want to know- how much can I include in my weekly volume? Well, the rule of thumb appears to be that I can include about 10% of my weekly mileage in the form of threshold work.  Now, I must caveat this with the point that, when reading this, don’t think that every week should include 10% threshold work. No, we are just saying that when including threshold work, these should be your guidelines.  What kind of workouts should I be doing? At the basis of theory, you have two options. The first is the traditional tempo. The second would be repeated at your LT. Is either of them better than the other? I wouldn’t say that, as both have a place in training and they both have different features. So, any type of runner would benefit from incorporating both.  Tempos: Most coaches agree that a 20-minute tempo at LT is the staple of building stamina in the endurance runner. Now, coaches will extend those out based on ability. For example, coach Joe Vigil talks about extending these out to 6-8+ miles for his elite runners. On the other hand, Jack Daniel’s talks about doing longer tempo runs, but slowing the pace down, the further you go so that by the time you get to about 60 minutes, the pace is much closer to the marathon pace than the original threshold pace.  As a lower mileage runner, a 20-30 minute tempo run might essentially be your 2-3 miles allotted for a threshold allowance for the week. It might also be a pretty tough run. If you are a higher mileage runner a 20-minute tempo might be 4 miles, but you are under that 10% allotment. We then have an issue- do we get that extra few miles in another workout, make the current workout longer, or just let it go? That’s where LT repeats can come in for both groups.  LT Repeats LT repeats would be like any other repeat you did for speed, just a little slower (maybe) and less recovery. You might end up with a little overall volume. Overall, we are looking at repeats that are maybe 3+ minutes in length with a pretty short recovery. For most athletes repeats of 800’s to km’s are the Goldilocks distance.  6-10 x 800 5-10 x 1k 4-8 x 1200  These would all be staple workouts.  I like the repeat for a few different avenues. One, when just building up. These make a lot of sense for all groups. Whether you are just starting as a beginner or just the beginning of a segment. It allows athletes to accumulate more time and volume without quite as much stress. It also opens the door to getting creative with some combination workouts (speed and LT or LT and half marathon pace). If LT is hard for you then going the repeat route allows a little faster recovery to allow for a second quality session along with a long run if placed right. Whereas a tempo might need to negate that second workout for the same runner. There are quite a few plays with this.  Now, don’t take this as me saying I don’t like tempos. I certainly do. In fact at higher mileage, when running a half marathon, not only would a person do a tempo of 10-20 minutes, but they could do something that would represent multiple tempos on the same workout. I think using a tempo or a race that will put you in that 20-30 minute range every 4-6 weeks during the appropriate segment makes a lot of sense as a checkpoint in development.  I mentioned it earlier, but what about doing half-marathon pace work? How would that work? Well, let’s look at it this way. Say you are a 60-minute 10k runner (about 9:40/mile), that would put an equal ability half marathon time at about 2:13. The faster you get, the closer half marathon pace is to the true LT pace, while the slower you are, the further away you get from what your lactate threshold pace would be.  Regardless, the half marathon pace is significantly slower than LT, so I don’t necessarily adhere to that 10% guideline as much. Depending on the person, and how fast they are, I might keep their LT work to repeats, but as a second workout of the week, add an appropriate distance half marathon pace “tempo” run, that is, easier to manage. Secondly, it is a race-specific pace that I would want a person to be dialed into by the time the race came around. How much that is, to me it really depends on the person and how well I see them tolerating what I am giving them.  Runner LevelLT WorkHalf Marathon WorkBeginner400-1k repeats800-mile repeats/ build to 2-4 miles @  goal pace runsIntermediate600-1200 repeats1-2 mile repeats/3-6 miles @ paceAdvanced runner800-1 mile (maybe 2-3k)1-3 mile repeats/3-7 miles @ goal pace Examples of how I might progress runners based on mileage and ability. That should give you a start on the topic of threshold training. If you want to dive a little deeper, you can check out the articles below.  https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/lactate-threshold-and-the-marathon/ https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/mixed-pace-workouts/

In the third part of this series, I want to discuss the race itself. In particular, the challenge of the potential weather. This comes in two parts. The first is the time of year the race is and the second is the different start and finish locations.  Today, let’s discuss the potential weather. In a dream year (2011), you get solid temps and a 30 mph tailwind. What’s interesting is that was the world’s “best” time that was not allowed to be a record, but now 2:03 for the men’s isn’t anything and you can just strap a pair of special shoes on your feet for instant fitness. Eh, I digress. In any case, the weather in Boston can be a crapshoot mainly because of its location off the water and that it’s in mid-April. So, you can expect anything from a Noreaster to a taste of July heat and anything in between.  How the weather is, will affect people differently. For my southern friends, you tend to do better in the warmer years, because the temps are usually a lot closer to what you have been training in. When it’s cooler, it feels cooler, but you are still okay because it’s like us in the summer. The heat provides certain adaptations that carry over to colder weather. Regardless of where we are at, we get those benefits during the summer and it makes the 50-degree day on race day that much more productive.  However, if you are used to training through the snow and cold all winter and then all of a sudden you get even a 65-degree day, then it’s a big shock to the system. It feels even warmer than it really is. What’s that saying, 60 degrees in the spring is shorts weather. 60 degrees in the fall is sweater weather. This potential for a warm day feeling like a hot day is real and it’s difficult for those who train in the colder climate to be ready for it. It’s just one more challenge that we have to account for in training.  So how can we? The treadmill. You instantly put yourself in a warmer environment and surround yourself with higher humidity. We have discussed this in previous Boston blogs.  Sauna or a hot tub after a cold run. This can be of benefit, but BE CAREFUL. If you have blood pressure issues, this probably isn’t the best option.  Hot shower immediately following a run. Same issues as above.  Overdressing during the day. Make yourself hot, but not during exercise.  We will discuss these options in depth during our Boston Marathon Training Group, starting December 4th, 2023. Join us: https://bit.ly/459jiYk

In part one, we talked a little bit about timing, but more specifically how training starts at maybe the worst timing of the year- the holiday season. Today, I want to expand once into what will really affect a lot of people- the winter months! Where I am at, in metro Detroit, winters aren’t too bad through the end of December. We might get some snow, but there’s been plenty of times when we don’t have any snow on the ground. The problem is, once January rolls around, the average high is below freezing and whatever snow we get is usually stuck until March! We might not get a ton of snow, but it’s usually very cold and the wind chill is brutal. The interesting thing is that, if you just go over to the other side of the state, in the Grand Rapids area, they get a ton of snow due to the lake effect off of Lake Michigan. The bottom line is that it is cold, dark, and windy. We tend to have poor footing and are wearing a bunch of layers. The cold affects performance in a number of ways. Training in it can seem like we are going backwards and knowing our true fitness level is often difficult.  If you are in a warmer climate, you are probably at an advantage and you don’t necessarily need to take this post in any further. By the way, if that is you, we are so jealous! For those who deal with this kind of weather, I probably don’t really need to explain the challenges it provides us. The biggest thing I can do is offer some guidance on how to approach and navigate.  When it comes to winter running and how to navigate, you know exactly what is going to be said and I can hear the collective “Ewww! No way!” or the macho acting tough and trying to tell me it’s not real running. Okay, sure whatever. Honestly, if a person is doing a base plan, or they are running 30-60 minutes a few times a week, then yeah I love the ability to get outside and embrace the cold. However, there’s a big difference between getting your daily exercise and training for a marathon.  I want to run outside, I am definitely in the camp of “if I can, I’ll run outside.” However, over the years, I have seen so many athletes (and myself) develop issues in their feet, achilles, hips, knees, and calves from trying to just do everything on poor footing. I am 100% convinced of that. With that… https://youtu.be/HenJye0PFS4 Balance time outside with time on the treadmill.  Invest $10/month and join Planet Fitness and commit to doing at least your easy runs on poor footing days to hitting the treadmill. While you’re at it do 20 minutes of strength training afterwards! Even if you only need it for January and February, you’ve spent $20 and kept yourself healthy. Say you use it once a week for two months, that’s $2.50 a run to just give your body a break. I feel like the ROI on that is pretty good.   The biggest thing I want to do by encouraging you to be open minded about a treadmill is more about just giving your body a break from the constant poor footing on sidewalks and streets. Secondly, every once in a while it’s not a bad idea to use it as a checkpoint with something like a harder long run or a tempo run just so that confidence is not all lost. We can adjust based on temperatures and recognize that if I am wearing five pounds of clothes, my performance will probably be affected. But, every once in a while it’s nice to not have to worry about all of that stuff.  The biggest complaint I get with doing runs on the treadmill is that I can’t run fast on a treadmill, I get bored, or I just get dizzy or vertigo. I want to discuss running fast in a second but quickly address the last two. Getting bored does suck. Podcasts and music will only do so much. I see it as an opportunity to get attentive to yourself- focused on what you are doing. I actually do my best thinking on the treadmill, I just never bring anything to write down and forget by the time I have something! Being bored is a great opportunity to develop focus and mental toughness. It’s a great opportunity to learn how to zone out, get in the rhythm, and save mental energy for when you’ll really need it. As for getting dizzy or anything like that. I get it. I know some people just really struggle with it and I am not one to say, just suck it up and figure it out. I’ve seen a few people lose it on a treadmill and crash. It’s not pretty.  Alright, as for running fast on a treadmill. Yes, I understand the issues. I think anything in the speed category or faster, I would personally require a tether from the ceiling because I fear I would fly off the back end. So, the best workouts for the treadmill are- dedicated hill workouts and just the breaking up of the grade is a big benefit, mentally. A tie for first would be the long run. Yes, it’s boring and no I don’t expect every long run to be on the treadmill. However, the long run on the treadmill provides the perfect opportunity to “set and forget” your pace, practice with fluids and fueling, and control the terrain (hills). Lastly, I’d say tempo runs and maybe strength runs. We’ll talk about it in a second, but you can use our treadmill calculator to easily manipulate speed/grade to match the desired outdoor intensity. If you aren’t familiar with our treadmill calculator, check it out HERE.  Be flexible on your workouts Being flexible in your workouts is crucial for winter training. Being flexible can mean a number of things. It can just switch your days around to accommodate a better time to run or better weather improving chances of better footing. Let’s say you have a week where you have a big marathon pace workout, but not a significant long run. If you drove out to the Metropark, you know the footing would be pretty solid, but it’s Thursday and you ain’t got time for that! But you do have time to go put 90 minutes easy around the neighborhood or on your basement treadmill. So, you do that, and then move the workout to Saturday, when you have time to get out there and do the workout.  It can also mean, that instead of going and doing an 8 mile tempo, maybe you do 4x15 minutes at marathon effort. It’s bad footing out, and you could do something on the treadmill, but an 8 mile tempo scares you. Okay, do the 4x15 minutes instead and put in the appropriate intensity using the already mentioned calculator. You could also move outside and adjust to effort-based.  Other points of interest Scope out workout spots. I’ll use myself as an example. I live off one of the busiest roads in Oakland County, Michigan. It’s Woodward Avenue and runs all the way from Pontiac to Campus Martius at the center of Downtown Detroit. That is the first road to get plowed in the winter. My street is a few blocks off of that and it might be days before it gets plowed. Sidewalks are a crapshoot. However, there is a small subdivision by one of the parks close by that uses their HOA money to get their street plowed privately and it’s usually done really quickly. So, guess where I do a lot of runs on the days following a snowstorm? Correct! Also, the Metroparks by us are very good at plowing the bike paths very quickly. They usually will do those at the same time, or even before, they do the roads in the parks. On the other hand, any rails to trails by us are pretty much useless from the first major snowfall until late March at the earliest. The cross-country skiers and snowshoers take them over and it’s their turf until spring!  Understand how much extra “weight” affects performance. Weight is always a touchy subject, but it’s pretty well understood that carrying an of, let’s just say, non-muscle mass, slows you down. With that being said, wearing a ton of extra clothes can hold you back. Now, I am not saying strip down to your half tights and let it rip polar bear style, but wearing tights, a couple of layers of tops, hats, gloves, and wool socks- it adds up and adding 5-7 seconds per mile to your pace isn’t a stretch.  Cold and windchill can have an effect, just like heat. To see the 8 ways the cold can affect performance, read a blog from yesteryear: https://lukehumphreyrunning.com/winter-running-performance/  If you are ready to make Boston your best race yet, take a look at our Boston Training Group! Spots will be limited, so check it out here for all the details: https://bit.ly/459jiYk

I read an interesting article from Steve Magness the other day, “How the need to prove yourself in practice can ruin your race day.” In the beginning, he listed some crazy fast workouts he did before a race but then faltered on race day. He came to two conclusions which I thought were great:  Getting fit is easy If you are sufficiently motivated, it is easy to train yourself into the ground.  Over the rest of the article, he discussed how it was a coach's job to make sure you expressed the fitness you had gained in training in the form of quality race results. He also discussed how it was his own security that probably pushed him into training so hard, but not seeing the results that he wanted. In the end, he quickly touches on how as coaches, we can’t just say it’s mental (on the part of the athlete) and really work through the physical to dial in why the races aren’t producing results that the fitness is indicating. I have thought about this a fair amount and I think back to an inside joke we had at Hanon’s where we would experience an incredible training segment and then end with a disappointing result. We’d call it, “Leaving our race at Stoney.” Stoney Creek Metropark is where we did the vast majority of our workouts, particularly for marathon segments.  It was a quick post, probably by design, but I finished wishing there was a little more. What I wanted to see was more of a tie-in from the two fantastic bullet points to the title of the article which is something I experienced myself and what I see many of my athletes struggle with. So, how does leaving your races in training relate to the idea of getting fit and how easy it can be to train yourself into the ground? Let’s take a crack at it.  The link between getting fit is easy, and ruining my race day… what is the link? That’s what I sat down and really thought about. I had a conversation recently about this idea. We were talking about how some people are surprised when they sign up for coaching or buy a plan and they are expecting these top-secret workouts and there really aren’t any. Personally, I have a saying that if I can just get a healthy person to run 40 miles a week for a few months, I can make them a pretty darn successful marathoner. So, it really is fairly “easy.” I guess that maybe easy isn’t the right word because you have to do work and that is not necessarily easy. The right word is probably simple. The process of getting fit is relatively simple. If you can be consistent and do a little bit of work across the spectrum of paces, you can get pretty fit after a few months. Where this relates to ruining your race day is when we try to take it simple and make it complicated by focusing too much on data and metrics or doing fancy workouts that don’t have any bearing on what you are trying to accomplish. You wouldn’t believe how many times I have simply taken what an athlete usually does and moved it a day over for more rest, or went from 6 workouts every two weeks to 4-to 5 and see how much they improved in a single segment. I mean going from thinking that they will never hit a goal they’ve spent years attempting, to having to set a new faster goal at the end of this segment.  This ties into the second part of this, which was that if you are motivated, it’s quite possible to just run yourself into the ground. There’s a lot to this. For one, I would say that the vast majority of people I work with, regardless of ability, know how to work hard and even if they don’t love running, they want to work hard. Many times it’s too hard. If 5 is good, 6 is better. If fast is good, faster is better. This ties into the first point because, if it is easy to get fit, and then we make things harder than they need to be, especially early in a segment, we end up putting too much of ourselves into training and there’s nothing left for the race. One analogy I have heard is that we are like a well. There is a finite amount of performances we have in our well. Every time we dip into that well to have a performance above what is required for the day, we pull from that well. Do that too many times and there’s not enough left on race day- the well is dry. Now, of course, some workouts are meant to be come-to-Jesus moments, but we are talking about 1-2 times a segment. Overall, the vast majority of your workouts should be described as average. I felt average. I was able to bounce back and do the next workout when I needed to and it felt average. Your weeks should be boring sprinkled with a workout that didn’t go particularly well for no apparent reason. Even more seldom, there should be that workout where things clicked and you just had to blow out the pipes on that supercharged aerobic engine you built.  Why do I say you should have some bad workouts? Well, obviously not a string of poor-performing workouts, as that usually is a signal that something is off. But every once in a while, you should metaphorically get punched in the mouth and know you can get back up from it. I say that because the unicorn (not Boston) is the race you get where the stars align and everything goes perfectly on race day. You should know how to deal with things not going right in real time, adjusting, and making it through the other side.  At the end of the day, the vast majority of your training should be pretty boring. We can take something and shake it up now and then but maintain the purpose of what we are accomplishing. However, the secret is… there is no secret, it’s just that a lot of people don’t want to do it or can’t wrap their heads around the idea that it really is just that simple. When I looked at logs of Boston Marathon winners and Olympic medalists, I had never seen a workout or a system that a runner did and thought, “Wow, that’s it!” No, it was just logs and logs with months of running that never looked that much different than the page before.  So for me, if you can do the following, you’ll see performances that are much more in line with what your fitness is indicating on a much more regular basis.  Be really good at the basic stuff and never get away from those basics.  Most of your workouts should be pretty boring, allowing you to focus on the basics. A couple of workouts a segment should be ones where you test the current limits and hopefully show you that you can hit that level.  A couple of workouts should “punch you in the mouth” and force you to make game-time decisions on whether you adjust, give up, or push through as far as you can.  If you can do that, I promise you that you can leave your races at the race instead of lane one of the workout track. Keep that well full enough with the reserves needed to complete and compete.  Made the cut for Boston? Take a look at our Boston Marathon Training Group Boston Group

We have talked a lot about adjusting workouts due to heat and humidity for quite some length, but what about strategies to cool ourselves before or during workouts so that we don’t have to adjust our paces? I wanted to explore this a little bit more as I thought about people attempting last-chance qualifiers in early September and even those racing into the middle of October. I mean, I have run the Chicago Marathon wearing gloves and a beanie in 34 degrees and I’ve slogged through it at 80 degrees. That early fall weather can be hit or miss.  I had thought about the ice vest, and even own one, but never really considered it. However, recently I came across an article from the Sports Performance Bulletin that looked at head cooling. This article mentions different methods like an ice vest, along with cold fluid ingestion, mouth rinse, palm cooling, and neck cooling, which you can probably deduce really is focusing on tricking the brain that you are cooler. After a brief mention of these, the article shifted focus to head cooling, which I found to be really interesting.  Head cooling has been looked at using a spray bottle, with some decent results. However, it’s not really practical. Low and behold, there are actually running caps that hold about 300 grams of ice. The study in here looked at a company called “Iced Cap” and I know from an Amazon search that Nathan also makes one. The thought in looking at this is that having the cooling effect right next to the brain would have a greater impact on the central nervous system.  The gist of what was done was those triathletes were tested doing a sub max run of 10 minutes and a 5k time trial afterward. They did this with a cooling cap and without, as well as, did the tests on two different days. Their forehead temperature was measured, times, and then thermal discomfort was measured. They did these tests on a treadmill with an ambient temperature of 90 degrees.  What they found was probably not a big surprise. Forehead temperatures were lower throughout the tests. Also, times were, overall, faster when wearing the cap. Lastly, thermal discomfort was lower throughout. However, by the 5th kilometer, the difference was negligible. This makes me wonder if it was simply because the runners were nearing the end of a 5k and putting themselves in a hurt locker. Or, was it because they really were losing the effects of the cooling hat? That got me searching for some other info available and came across an article in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. It looked at wearing a cooling vest for 30 minutes during a warmup and then performing a 10 km time trial. Statistically, there was no significant difference in performance between groups. What also stood out to me was that heart rate responses were similar and while core temperature was definitely lower in the vest group before the start of the time trial, there was minimal, if any difference by the end of the 10k time trial.  Looking at these two different articles, it becomes clear to me that from a practical standpoint, there’s not a lot of benefit to these cooling mechanisms for the marathon. The longer the race, the less effect you will see. So, for a 5k, there's a good chance you can see some performance improvement, but by the time you get to the 10k, the benefits are pretty much lost. Extrapolate that out to the marathon and it’s probably a washout scenario.   I was really hoping to have better news, but it just doesn’t seem like there’s a strong benefit with anything with pre-cooling and attempts at cooling through cold fluids that will help with anything past 25 minutes, or so. It would be interesting to see if you could take one of the caps and test the theory with new loads of ice every 20-25 minutes, but again, how practical is that going to be? Now, don’t get me wrong, if you are at a race and they hand out cold towels or little baggies of ice, heck yes I am taking them. I’d put a towel around my neck, I’d put a baggie of ice in my shorts, ( or women in my sports bra), and I’d tuck it under my cap. Whatever it takes! However, this would be short-lasting and maybe just make us feel a little better, but maybe that’s enough to keep persevering.  At the end of the day, your best bet is to get acclimated the best you can and have a decent idea of what you can tolerate on a warm race day. Adjust your mindset to compete and not necessarily be focused on a certain time. The thing that stinks about that is that a lot of times the reason we are doing a September marathon is to get that BQ or give ourselves a little more cushion before registration. I think if that’s where you are at, then you have some decisions to make- do you stay in it and push for what you can, or do you pull back and maybe save your fitness for another later date? That’s a tough call, and to be honest, most of the people I coach would probably opt to just rock it and let the chips fall where they may.  Join the club! Do you enjoy our content? Want more? Join the Run Club and get access to all of our training plans, private coaching forums, and exclusive content!

Alright, as summer gets ready to peak, some of you are questioning why you decided to train for a September or October marathon! Many of you are not hitting your paces and question not only your sanity but your fitness levels too! Well, I can assure you that if you can trust that your training is still working, that good things can happen this fall. Now, that is not the big idea here, but rather, what I feel are your best options for adjusting your workouts so that you don’t dig a hole too deep to get out of. Before we go into this though, I have to preface with some tough love. The only way you’ll get anything out of this is if you are open-minded and trust me that if you adjust your workouts in some capacity you will be fine.  You all know the basics- run early or late, and adjust your paces, so I won’t rehash all of that. Instead, let’s blend some adjustments we can make, but still feel like we are getting in what we need to.  First things first, we need to acclimate to the weather. Even if we aren’t racing in it in the fall, we have to acclimate. If done right, it can make you a much stronger performer. So, with that, your easy runs should just be outside soaking in all that heat adaptation. On the other hand, we have to balance that out. We really can’t push it in even moderately extreme conditions six days a week without consequence. And, what I am going to share doesn’t have to be done all the time, but if you really need a break from the heat and humidity, then these ideas can pull you back from the edge on occasion.  Speed Workouts The most obvious way we can adjust (beyond adjusting our paces), is to bring workouts inside to the treadmill. I know, it’s a dirty word for a lot of you. And the “hardcore” is going to explain to me how you’re not a real runner, or whatever. That’s cool. Having heat stroke doesn’t make you a runner at all for a while, maybe worse. For speed workouts, I am probably less likely to do this. Personally, I have a fear of blowing off the back end. So for speed, I might just turn into a hill workout on the treadmill.  Do hills instead. Any shorter speed workout with repeats that are in the 1-5 minute range can be turned into a hill workout instead. Hill work is speed in disguise.  Turn into a fartlek. Fartlek is really more about effort over time instead of pace over distance. So, if we are running in the heat, we can say, go do 8x2 minutes at a hard effort instead of forcing yourself into 8x600 meters at 8:00 pace. It takes the pressure off the goal of the workout to be at a certain pace.  Strength Workouts Strength is an oddball intensity for a lot of people. For the 4-hour and above crew, it’s not much different than the marathon pace, so you might be fine just doing these as they are written. For the 3:30 and faster crew, you do start creeping closer to lactate threshold territory, so you do need to be careful as to not go over that here and then have to cut the workout short because the intensity with the duration put you in the danger zone.   If running a fall marathon, strength workouts wouldn’t really be hitting until late August and into September for October marathons, so adjusting these will probably not be a point of action for most of you. I would say that for many of you, strength pace is probably the earliest you’d feel comfortable doing on the treadmill. You can always use our treadmill calculator and create that perfect combo of speed and grade to get the job done.  Tempo Runs To be honest, from Mid-June through the end of August, I rarely give my athletes big continuous tempos (6-10 miles). When with the ODP, we rarely did them in the summer, either. Here’s a great example of a common marathon pace workout (I actually did it today)- 6x1 mile at marathon pace with 2:00 jog recovery. So, the breakdown is some repeat, no less than a mile, going up to about 5 miles per repeat, followed by a short recovery jog.  So early on, it might be 6x1 mile, then 4x1.5 mile, much like the strength workouts, but a touch less recovery. I’d gradually build the volume to 8 to 10 miles of repeat volume. Once I did that, I’d focus on building the volume of the repeat. So, you might get to the point where you are doing 4x2 miles, 5x2 miles, 3x3 miles, 2x5 miles, 5-3-2 miles, 4-3-2-1 miles. Lots of options here. By the time you get to these workouts, you’ll probably be transitioning to cooler weather, so I would use these on the hotter days, but then do a traditional marathon pace tempo on cooler days. Besides, it helps break up (no pun intended) the monotony of just doing a tempo every Thursday.  Of course, you do always have the treadmill, as well. I actually like doing treadmill tempos because it allows me to have zero excuses to practice my fueling at a marathon pace. This is a skill that is just as important as knowing the pace.  Long Runs Run for time. Many times over the summer I will schedule my athletes with 90-minute to 2:30 (sometimes 3:00) long runs. I’ll see what they are averaging pace-wise on their easy days and use that as my guide for 12-16 mile long runs.  Again, I like the treadmill for the long run because it gives you a great opportunity to run a faster long run and really nail down your nutrition at the schedule that you want to maintain during the race. Is it boring? Probably? Is it worth becoming really good at fueling? Absolutely.  One caveat to using the treadmill is that if your treadmill is in your garage and it’s warmer in your garage than it is outside, then by all means, skip the treadmill. But, if it’s in the basement or air conditioning or a gym, then it’s a great opportunity to see where your fitness truly is at instead of bassing it on a tempo run done during the morning with a dew point of 74 degrees and an air quality in the 100’s.  As I mentioned earlier, you don’t have to do this all the time, but you have to balance what is being thrown at you. I am all for hard work, but being foolish about not thinking that it has an effect on you isn’t going to do you any favors. I see it all the time, people just beat themselves down way more than they should- mentally and physically. By the time they get to the fall, they are just spent in both areas and then they never race to their potential. Let’s not just prove we can train hard, but let’s prove that we can train with our heads so that we can race our best!  Want access to our training plan library? We have over 200 training plans for all distances and abilities. 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You might find yourself in a situation where you plug in a goal marathon time and the training paces for speed, which represent 5k to 10k race pace, don’t line up with what you have actually raced. What should you do? If your actual race pace is slower than what is suggested based on your goal time, then I would usually have the athlete do the slower pace. Why? Well, we aren’t necessarily trying to improve top 5k speed during the marathon as it’s just not the priority of the segment. Of course, there are exceptions to this. If you are attempting to race some 5k’s over a summer period, then jump into a marathon plan of 12-14 weeks, then yes, you might want to do some work at the faster paces. Even then, I wouldn’t do all of it at that faster pace. I’d work into it over the course of the training. That could be gradually running faster during the workout individually or ratcheting down the pace a little bit every week. However, for the most part, I err on the side of caution and use the slower paces, especially if the runner doesn’t race shorter distances and considers speed work a necessary evil.  If your race pace is faster than then the suggested pace, then you have a choice. If you have raced those paces recently, say within 6 months, then sure, I think stick with those paces. If you don’t race often or are new to the marathon, you need to be careful. Personally, I’d test it out. Start out at the slower, suggested pace and see how that feels. Once you get into the 600’s and 800’s if it’s still pretty comfy, ratchet the pace down a little. For example, if there was a 10 second per mile difference between the suggested and actual pace, cut that in half and see how you feel. The same exceptions would apply as already stated.  As you can tell, for the marathon segment, I am fairly conservative with the speed paces overall. For the marathon, the risk isn’t really worth a minimal reward. What I would do after the marathon segment, is work on the race distance you need to in order to get those paces a little more in line with each other.

As I write this, we are in the build up for the fall marathon season. For the early October races, we are into about 6 weeks. More advanced runners are cranking into workouts while beginners are just starting more intensity. Regardless of the level of the runner, it is far too early to be complaining of the dreaded “cumulative fatigue.” Yet, so often I will see people saying that they are just completely out of it and not sure if they are going to make it. That is a tough spot to be with that long left to go. Like anything in life, it’s usually not just one thing that is causing the issue, but a combination of things. However, if we do fix one thing, a lot of times it leads to improvements in other areas. In this case, the usual culprits are training too hard, not adjusting for the heat, and underfueling. Over the years, we have addressed training too hard and not adjusting for the heat early on enough. I’ll list some references to key blogs below on those topics. For now, lets focus on underfueling and the consequences of not fueling for work.  Individualizing heat and humidity calculations Heat Acclimatization  It is easy to overlook underfueling because a lot of times, the symptoms are the same as overtraining. The conundrum is that a person rarely wants to take time off, so they push through and ultimately it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They were underfueled, masked as overtraining, but never fixed the underfueling so their body eventually just broke down. Given that, what are we looking at with symptoms of underfuleing?  Symptoms.  While there are many more you can add to the list, I included what is most common with the athletes I work with. These seem to be the most common.  Lack of energy. This is definitely the most common, but also the most likely to get confused with overtraining. If you are just dragging and you are only a few weeks into your training or even 2 months, then there is a good chance that being underfueled may be playing a part.  Insatiable hunger OR No appetite. Many times, you’ll see people who are training for a marathon for the first time and they are eating everything in sight and at any point during the day. To me, these are usually newer runners who have never been in this position and don’t necessarily quite get how hard they are working. People who chronically eat less than what they really should be at seem to be able to suppress the feeling of hunger.  Nagging injuries (slow to heal injuries too). I’ll see this a lot. As soon as we ramp up training, things go great for a few weeks, then it’s a gradual spiral to downtime from injury. The athlete seems to develop something regardless of the type of training, how slow they build up, or how long they have done recovery exercises. The first thing I’d look at is the amount and types of calories the person is eating.  Frequent illness. Along the same lines, the athlete might be very susceptible to developing an illness like colds, flu, etc. Whether it’s injury, illness, or both- if they can’t stay healthy we have to look at why.  Gradual loss in performance- As I mentioned people will assume they are in cumulative fatigue way before they really should be. Things will start out fine, or they might just be hard to begin with (depending on what the person is doing), and then just seemingly gets worse. The bottom line is, feeling like crap and getting slower is not cumulative fatigue. That’s either overtraining or underfueling for the most part. I would argue that it’s overtraining brought on in part by underfueling.  Why it is so important to avoid? While for the short term, like a few days, having a deficit doesn’t really impact performance. Maybe even a season of lower caloric intake. Unfortunately, you see this with women’s running in particular (at least back in the day). I think now that culture is finally shifting past the “fat don’t fly era.” You used to see it all the time in cross country or with a really good individual. They’d get really thin and have a great season. But, by the time they got back from the winter break, they’d be done. A lot of times they wouldn’t even make it through track season. If they did, it wouldn’t be anywhere near what the xc season was. A lot of times, those times were never replicated. The thing to remember with performance is that you will only perform long term if there is fuel being supplied. If not, you’ll eventually break down. Long term issues can lead to hormone imbalance that leads to tissue breakdown. Performance will decrease. Even if you can stay healthy, I see a lot of athletes spend time chasing times they won’t get because they just don’t eat enough. The usual response to poor performance is that they need to train harder and just set the cycle into even more turbulence.  How it happens Unintentional underrating. When a person signs up for coaching we offer a nutrition guide for the athlete. I feel like more times than not, a person had no idea that was the amount that they should be eating. Sometimes, it’s not even an issue of adding more “stuff” to their diet, other than actually fueling during workouts and long runs (including pre and post workout). A lot of times, just doing that bumps them up into a much more sustainable range.  Not recognizing actual caloric needs. On the flipside, some people do that consult and they go into complete denial stating that there is no way that they need that much and refuse to admit that they need to eat that much- even though they exhibit a lot of the symptoms we talked about. I will tell you that there is no way you can train for a marathon at 60 miles a week and be under 2000 calories a day.  Trying to lose weight. While it might seem conducive to train for a marathon and lose weight at the same time, it’s not usually a good idea for the performance based runner. Now it might be a byproduct of the training, but it shouldn’t be something that the runner is actively seeking it. At least not during the final 12 weeks. If they are doing a base period and want to change their body composition, then there are some things we can do, but that’s beyond what this post is about. In general, trying to lose any significant weight during the marathon is usually a recipe to just hurt performance and lose the stuff we don’t want to lose.  Fear of carbohydrates. I always get pushback on this, but you need carbohydrates, like you need fat and you need protein. If you are doing something that burns a lot of carbohydrate, you need to replace it. Going back to what I said about unintentional undereating, a lot of times, it’s not even adding a ton more carbohydrates to your diet, but rather fueling your pre-during-after your workouts and that will greatly help with supplying your needs. You just can’t be in the mindset that if I ate all these carbs around my workout, I don’t need any carbs during the rest of the day. No, what I am saying is that if you keep carbs to 40-50% in your diet, keep your diet at that, but also supply the carbs you need for the work you doing. If you do that, your daily diet can stay the same, but overall you’ll consume more carbs (that will either be immediately put to use or replenish what you utilized out of storage).  What to do if you suspect At the core of the problem, you don’t have enough calories left over after exercise to fully support physiological function. When you separate the two variables, we are looking at two items, the amount of work we are doing and the number of calories we are taking in. The reality is, we probably have to adjust both of these areas.  The question becomes, should I track calories? Oh, I loathe it, and I am definitely not a fan of long term caloric tracking. However, to see what is really going on, it might not be a bad idea. With something like MyFitnessPal, you can easily track your activity and your food intake. If there’s something like a 100 caloric difference, you can probably chalk that up differences in accounting. But, if you see consistent drastic differences (especially to the negative) in caloric expenditure versus intake, you probably have some things that need to be addressed.  One, we probably have to reduce the volume and the intensity that you are running. If you are already injured or sick, this might not require any extra work on your part! For those in training, this might be a blow directly to your soul, but let’s be honest, if you don’t take the time now, you’ll be taking it later and your hand will be forced. Even if you were to take a week off, your fitness loss would be negligible. If you simply reduced the volume and ran easy for a week you won’t lose any fitness AND you’ll start to feel better. I feel like that’s a win-win.  The second part would be adding more calories to your day. This can be a struggle if you are the type of person who runs so you can eat and then I tell you to back off running. No! At the very least, keep the same volume of food you have been eating. Potentially with the reduction in calories being burned, your body can start to restore balance. If you can find a way, while taking a reduction in training, boost your caloric intake with something nutritious. Fruits, veggies, a quality meal replacement shake (as a snack). Really, this might mean just making sure you are eating three quality meals a day. If you do that, try adding a protein and carb snack before bed. Have small snacks a couple of times during the day. My point is, you might have a lot of calories to make up during the day, but a lot of times that overwhelms the person so we have to just pick something that you think you can do and incorporate that into your day. Small changes over time is usually the best bet. It might not be perfect, but we are just looking for better.  Ultimately, our goal is to be healthy and able to train consistently. How long it takes for that to happen, well, depends, right?

It seems like all easy running is the same, and I was in the camp of indifference for a long time, I grew to realize that as we advance in ability, how we approach our easy runs will change with the circumstance. I’ll be honest, I know what I want to convey in this post, but I am struggling with how to present it, or at least get the conversation started. So, let’s start with a common scenario that I see.  The runner finishes a training segment and takes some down time. They come back and the first several runs are really easy. This typically lasts a week or two.  The runner gets into a groove and as mileage builds, so does the pace of their runs. During this time, there are either no workouts or very light workouts.  Runner builds into full training and easy run paces stay the same as workouts increase in frequency and volume.  Training gets real. Cumulative fatigue begins to take hold, but runner gets frustrated because they are really forcing themselves to maintain a moderate run pace, despite being in the heaviest amount of training.  Does that sound familiar to anyone? It sure does me! What happens is we start off with our easy runs being the primary basis of our fitness, but we don’t allow our change in priorities to dictate how hard we run on our easy runs. In other words, we are saying our east runs are there for the same reason during weeks 12-17 as they are for weeks 1-11. They aren’t, and that’s what I want to explain.  When easy runs are discussed, there are a lot of terms thrown around about defining a truly easy run. You may see it defined as 2.0 mmol of blood lactate, 60% of heart rate max, Zone 1-2, or an increase in lactic acid. In short, these are all centered around the idea of a person running around their aerobic threshold.  When a person is just starting out running, these all occur at pretty low levels of running. Just getting out and jogging will probably cause you to reach these levels. The theory surrounding this is nice- that as you become fitter, you will naturally run faster at the same markers. For example, when you started, your pace at 60% HRmax was 9:30 per mile, maybe at the same percentage it is now 9:00. This is all pretty true, however, there are a couple of things I see with this camp that I don't necessarily agree with. The first, is that do we continue to get the benefits from those runs all the time? Is that the staple of how our fitness is gained months and years later? I don’t think it is. I think this type of running is great for general fitness or endurance, but from a performance standpoint, I think doing this type of running all the time for my easy days will limit my aerobic growth. Secondly, I think that this type of running would shift from being my aerobic development driver to my recovery during hard training. This is probably where I would differ from other coaches who work with recreational type runners. We tend to run a lot more miles than those other plans, so we have enough maneuverability to have different types of easy runs that serve different purposes.  When a person follows one of my plans, they will see easy to moderate, moderate to long run pace, and to a lesser extent, recovery paces when talking about runs normally referred to as the easy runs. If you are a zone person that’s going to include runs anywhere from what you would say zone 1 and zone 2. However, from my experience these aren’t necessarily cut and dry and I feel like there is some overlap between these zones. As much as they say that these eliminate “grey zone” training, I say that these create their own grey zones, but that’s another discussion for another time. If you read some more older school coaches, you’ll often just hear the terms regenerative, easy, aerobic, or even something like steady.  What I want to get into a bit today revolves around the intermediate and above runners. Someone who’s been doing this a while and wants to continue to take it to the next level. This all comes down to easy runs that are helping you recover (regenerative) and those that are going to help push your aerobic fitness higher. The question is, what to do and when? The best way to approach this is probably looking at a schedule in the idea of blocks of schedule. Let’s take it from after downtime following a race. These next 2-4 weeks would be in the regenerative category. We aren’t looking to gain fitness, but rather just get our legs back underneath us, make sure we are still ok and just get back into the routine of running consistently again. These are going to be shorter runs with no real motive, other than enjoying the time exercising. If you are following an HMM plan, particularly the beginner plan, this would be those first several weeks. If following the advanced plan, this time is much shorter and would probably be done before you actually started the plan up through the first week of the plan. One thing I’d consider is that your first few runs are probably going to be the slowest, but as you get back into it, the paces will naturally increase. For an experienced runner, this segment shouldn’t be too long, unless there is a specific reason for it.  Now, as we move out of this segment, let’s assume we are ramping up for another marathon. Again, if following an HMM plan you would move into the speed segment. Now the number of easy runs will go down and will be replaced with speed, tempo, and long runs. For a number of weeks, there will be easy runs that stress the upper limits of the range. Some of these runs should really stress the moderate side of that easy range in order to continue to develop the aerobic system.  For example, let’s look at the basic setup of weeks 6 and 7 of both HMM beginner and advanced plans.  WeekMonday TuesdayWedsThursFridaySatSunWeek 6Easy SpeedOffTempoEasy EasyEasyWeek 7Easy SpeedOffTempo Easy Easy LongHow it is written WeekMonday TuesdayWedsThursFridaySatSunWeek 6RegenSpeedOffTempoRegenE/ModModWeek 7E/ModSpeedOffTempo RegenE/ModLongHow I might adjust As you may know, this is fairly early into the training. Still not quite halfway through. We are at a time when things shouldn’t be in that “cumulative fatigue” state, but we are fully aware that we are in training. Let’s look at how’d navigate some of this. First, to end week 5, we are coming off a long run that put some fatigue on it. In that case, the Monday following (the Monday of week 6) should be a regenerative run. We just spent the day before putting a big aerobic effort in and the long run causes fatigue. So Monday should be a time to recover by not pushing the pace- keeping things light. This will actually allow the long run to give us those adaptations we are looking for because remember that stress + rest = growth. If we run the long run and then push the pace on that easy run, we don’t recover as much as we should and then that also means that over time, we never get ourselves out of that hole and each following workout is less and less effective.  Ok, so we recover on Monday, then turn around and do speed on Tuesday. Wednesday is off, so choose an activity wisely. Thursday is tempo, another big effort. Now that means that Friday should be a regenerative effort for the same reasons we already discussed. If done right, that means you can come back on Saturday and Sunday to put in bigger back-to-back moderate days that will stress that aerobic development in ways that those low-intensity regenerative runs won’t. We can recover but still push our aerobic development.  Then you come back to Monday, which is usually shorter. Depending on the person, if can be considered a regenerative or moderate run. For beginners, I’d probably say keep regenerative. More advanced, play it by how you are feeling. Then we go through that same cycle through Friday. When we get to the actual long run weekends, what I might do would change depending on the runner. For those using the beginner plan, I’d say that your first goal is to just build endurance by focusing on completing the volume at an easy to moderate pace. The volume alone will provide enough aerobic stress and development that pace would be secondary. For the more advanced runners, I’d say that the Saturday run should be easy to moderate, but then the Sunday run is one I really like getting after it (within reason) to not only run long, but run long with some intent on the pace. I might start out easy and work towards being within 30 seconds of my marathon pace, averaging maybe 45-60 seconds/mile slower than my goal marathon pace for the long run entirety. The key is that the next day if I averaged 7 mins/mile for my long run, my 4-6 miles the next day is going to be 8 mins a mile. So as you can see, we aren’t abandoning one for the other, just using strategically to balance recovery and building that aerobic engine foundation.  MondayTuesWedsThursFridaySatSundayWeek 12EasyStrengthOffTempoEasy Easy 10Easy 10Week 13EasyStrengthOffTempoEasyEasy Long Section of the strength block MondayTuesWedsThursFridaySatSundayWeek 12RegenStrengthOffTempoRegenEasyModerateWeek 13E/ModStrengthOffTempoRegenE/Mod Mod/LongA fresh way to look at it. Next, as we move out of the speed and into the strength portion. At this point, between the strength, the tempo, and the longest long runs, we are putting a major emphasis on moderate and faster paces. This is already a major chunk of the weekly volume and by now fatigue has begun to set in. So at this point, if we are around marathon pace for 14-16 miles a week, plus running a long run at a moderate clip, that’s three runs left and they are all surrounding our biggest workouts. The thing you should take from this is that most of the development we’d get from our easier volume has taken place. Now it is time to finish the training from the workouts and let the easy runs serve as the recovery between the workouts.

Every coach I had, from high school to professional was a stickler for pace. That’s not to say that we weren’t monitoring other variables, but the pace was what we focused on. It’s safe to say that over the years, I became pretty good at judging effort and correlating that closely to paces. To say it’s a skill is an understatement, and from the feedback I get from athletes, is that it’s not a skill that can be learned quickly enough. So, hopefully, we can get you on the right path if you find yourself struggling.  The biggest issues I see with runners are:  Looking at their watch all the time!   Overcorrect Rely on all the data except how it feels What you will see, is a runner takes off, looks at their watch and it’s too fast (or too slow) and overcorrected. They then look after another 20-30 seconds and it becomes a game of too fast and too slow, but never settling into the rhythm of the night. Oops, I mean the rhythm of the pace. What else I will see is a runner has to be exact on the pace. So, if their tempo says 6 miles at 8:00 pace, then dangit, they are going to hit 8:00 pace! The problem ultimately goes back to whether they have a hard time finding the rhythm or just finding themselves aiming for perfection in an unperfect world. The third thing I will see is that the runner tries to absorb and react to all the data at once. I don’t see it a lot with power. I feel like those who run with power, just look at that. However, if they are using heart rate and pace, it can create issues.  Ultimately, what happens in some capacity is that the runner can’t find the right rhythm, over-corrects, and something hidden in what we are saying, they forget to correlate how they are feeling into the equation.  Does any of this sound like you? I don’t want to make it sound like it’s not a big deal to fix this, but there are things we can do that, over time, will make you a much better pacer at all speeds.   There are a lot of things we can put into practice, but there are two things that you have to accept before we discuss. The first is that it takes time! And despite the age of having everything now, this will take time to develop. Definitely more than a month. More than likely, more than one training segment. It’s a skill that takes practice, so don’t get frustrated if after two workouts you don’t see any improvement. Give yourself some grace. It’s like I tell my kid in softball, I don’t care if you strike out every time as long as you get the bat off your shoulders! The second thing is something from my days at Hanson’s where we really dug down on nailing pace. That is, don’t overcorrect. If you overcorrect, you aren’t accomplishing anything! For example, if your prescribed tempo pace is 8:00/mile, but you come ripping through in 7:45, the goal isn’t then to still come through the second mile in 16:00, it’s now 15:45. But, Luke, that’s fast! You said to get on pace!? That’s right, but the pace is 8:00, so if you come through at 16:00, then that means that you ran the second mile at 8:15, too slow! So now you have two miles that aren’t on pace and nothing has really been accomplished. Again, it just goes to experience and learning how that feels, so give it time and take comfort in knowing that even if you aren’t perfect, you are improving! With that said, let’s jump into some things you can do to accelerate the rate of learning pace through feel.  Things I do and teach:  The first is having setpoints. This could be laps on the tracks, or a mailbox on a loop you run, or a mile marker on the bike path. This goes to what we discussed at the beginning of the post today. A person looks at their watch within the first few seconds of the repeat, it’s too fast or too slow, they overcorrect and then are on the other side of where they wanted to be. Let’s think about what’s going on, when you go from either standing or light jog to running hard so the pace is usually pretty fast, then you kinda smooth out (hopefully) and settle in. If you look at your watch during this initial phase, the pace is rarely going to be accurate this early on. So what I like is to have a checkpoint that’s at least a minute away and I just gauge effort til that point and then check my watch. I have a couple of data screens, but for workouts, I use one with lap distance and current lap average. One, I keep it to two data points so it’s easier for me to see! And so, it just cuts a lot of the extra noise out. I am also a creature of habit, so I run the same loops a lot, particularly for workouts. So, I’ll have some checkpoints that are fairly close to ¼, ½, ¾, and 1 mile. I try to force myself to not look at my watch until I hit these checkpoints. It is important to remember that unless you are way off, only slight adjustments will yield pretty decent changes in paces. A lot of times it’s just telling yourself to relax your arms or something and the slight pace adjustment can be enough. It’s rarely a huge adjustment to what you are doing. Set a pace range. With our structured workouts, we have them set up so each pace we want you to run is in a range. For example, if your goal tempo pace is 7:00/mile the range is set up for something like 6:52-7:07.I believe it is something like 7-8 seconds either way. It’s enough so you aren’t required to be perfect, but not so much that you change the scope of the workout. If you go out of the range you get an annoying little buzz. But that’s annoying, coach! Yes, that’s the point! Ideally, you can take the buzz of the watch and use it to learn the feel of the pace and let that guide you instead of looking at the watch all the time.  Long warm up. For faster workouts, something I like for runners who think if fast is good, then faster is better, I like to try a long warm up and then do the speed workout. So instead of doing 1.5-2 mile warm ups, maybe we can stretch that out to 4-6 miles and tucker ‘em out a little bit. Or, maybe do a regular warm up, then a short 1-2 miles @ lactate threshold, and then do something like 400’s or 800’s at 5k pace. I like stuff like this because it teaches runners proper pacing when they are tired. Teaches them how it will feel during the later stages of a 5k or 10k race.  Cutdowns/survivals. Many of you have seen our cutdown workouts, where we will start out at about 60 seconds slower than the goal marathon pace and workout down to 10-20 seconds per mile faster than marathon pace. These are great because it goes from easy to hard and you’ll really get to know at what point your lactate threshold is. For me, It was always super easy from 6:00/mile to 5:30. Then 5:20 was like ok, we working a little, then 5:10 was like, ooh. This is now serious. Then 5:00 pace was like, man I don’t know if I can go another one. Then 4:50 was pretty much racing. You learned real quick where your limits were. These are good during early buildups and when you can’t think of another workout to do. I love these as they hit it all and teach you how to control yourself when it feels easy and how to balance the line when it’s getting tough.  Now a couple of other workouts that we don’t do too many times are the survival cutdown and the 5x5. Ironically I have used both mostly for cross country, but they can be done anywhere. The survival workout was done on about a 2k or 3k loop. The only rules were that each loop had to be faster than the last one. If you didn’t you were pulled. It came down to the last man standing. There were some epic battles back in the day. This is when you need a tough workout. I’d use it sparingly! The 5x5 we did in college it was always a big boy. One we circled on the calendar. We always used it as a checkpoint. Once early season, once mid season, and once before championship season. With these, you had to get farther on each one. We never knew the distance of the loop we were running (and this was pre GPS) and the goal was to get further each one. So, kinda like the survival workout, but if you bombed it, you still had to keep going! Overall, it taught us to internalize the pace and be able to trust our judgment on if we were going over our head. So, in a way, failure was not a bad thing here- as long as you learned from it!  Things I haven’t taught or done, but make sense.  The first one is to time the workout and take the splits of your workout, but don’t look at your watch until AFTER the run. So go by feel during the workout, and then analyze after. I like the idea and with Final Surge and our pace zones for the structured workouts, it is really easy to access the workout and compare the data. Again, it’s not necessarily about being perfect during the workout but learning and internalizing pace to effort. If you can do that and start putting the data to the feeling, you will make some huge strides (pun intended)!  The Second is to start small. I took this from Steve Magness who was tweeting about how if you want to improve VO2max, it’s probably easier for beginners to start with short repeats at high intensity- say 30 seconds apiece. If you go longer amounts of time, and you go out too hard, you defeat the purpose of the workout by going out too hard and then fatiguing, so you don’t really spend any time at where you are supposed to. All you did was get tired! The same idea can apply to pacing for workouts. In particular, I am thinking about the marathon tempo runs. If you struggle with going out too hard and then fading, then maybe try breaking them up at the beginning of the plan. Try doing 10x800 or 5x1 instead of a 5-mile marathon tempo. Make the repeat at marathon pace and the recovery very short, the shorter the repeat the shorter recovery. Each repeat is an opportunity to reset and dial in the pace instead of trying to average it out. I wouldn’t do this all the time because there’s also tremendous value in learning how to suffer through the long tempos. However, if you truly struggle with them,

When we talk about long runs, the long run for the marathon is always the primary debate. For shorter races, even up to the half marathon, the long run is further than the race distance or at least up to a big percentage of what you’ll be racing. Yet, for the marathon, unless you go 20+ miles, the long run is going to not going to approach those same percentages. With that, when I prescribe a 16-mile long run, they are hesitant, if not downright defiant about not doing 16 miles.  I don’t want to rehash some of the things I have discussed at length some of the attributes of the marathon length, but there are certain “rules” that need to be laid out before we dive into some of the new topics I want to discuss. It’s not about 16 or 20, it’s about keeping the long run within certain guidelines that will allow for other aspects of training to occur. In other words, we aren’t putting all of our eggs in the long run basket. We want to share, fairly equally, the importance of marathon-paced running, and running faster than marathon pace. For our athletes, we want to keep long runs at less than 30% of total weekly volume and really under three and a half hours. This allows us to take part in all the other workouts during the week. I would argue that the 16 mile long run (which fits into the guidelines I just stated for the vast majority of our runners) allows us to do much harder training and accumulate more weekly volume for longer stretches of time than if we just killed ourselves to get in a bunch of 20 milers on Sundays.  Ok, with that out of the way, I want to hit on something that I didn’t discuss too much in blogs or in the book. So, you can pick up here if you are just here for the good stuff. This all goes back to the idea of super-compensation (If you are in the Run Club, watch out for a team talk about this), and how it relates to training. I have done blog posts on super-compensation in the past. You can see them here:  How am I going to make it 26.2 at this pace? Stress/Recovery Principles In terms of super compensation specifically for the long run, I want to first go back to the tempo on Thursday. A tempo run is going to take anywhere from about 24-30 hours to go through the immediate decline in performance ability to recover, to super-compensation. So, if you do your runs in the morning, that means by Friday morning to Friday afternoon, you have reached that full “recovery” phase and by Saturday morning you have reached super compensation. However, on a week you have a 16 mile long run you will usually have an 8-10 mile run before that. A run like that is probably going to take in the 12-24 hour range to recover from.  When I say recovery in this case, it’s referring mostly to glycogen replenishment. You are probably going to be at baseline, slightly below baseline, or slightly above baseline. Then you go and do the 16 mile long run. You put that all together, and you have put together 24-26 miles within a 24-26 hour period. That’s pretty good, right? I think so. So when Kevin says that the 16 miler you are doing is more like the last 16 miles of the marathon and not the first, this is a big part of why. You haven’t had so much recovery from your last SOS that you are in full super compensation mode. The key here though is that you have to be recovered enough from your previous SOS, which is why your easy runs have to be slow enough to allow that regeneration and recovery.  What I will see is runners wanting to take Saturday off completely and then run long on Sunday, which then takes away some of the effectiveness of the shorter long run. I’d almost say then your long run on Saturday and take Sunday off, in that case. Then you don’t negate what we just discussed. I don’t think it needs to be the full 8-10 because if you do a tempo on Thursday, you only get one day before the long run, so I don’t believe you need to push it farther than the 6 miles you probably have on your schedule.  The last part of this is to go back to whether 16 or 20 is the magic number. The truth is neither one are a magic number. My advice for people who are new to the Hansons Marathon Method and want to cheat that long run up, is just to be careful. It’s not an easy schedule. If you have been through the plan and feel like you are truly maxed out at what you can accomplish at that level, then start increasing the volume or changing the structure of the long runs. When you look at the criteria, at 60 miles peak, a long run can bump up to 18 and at 65 we’ll round up to 20 miles. What’s key is understanding what you are doing and why you are doing it. Try to look at things in bigger picture terms before narrowing the focus down to one run, because one run is impacted by what you did before and what you are going to do after. Hope that helps!  If you are interested in our full discussion on super-compensation, join the Run Club Lite or Run Club for access to all premium content. You can sign up at www.lukehumphreyrunning.com/membership

In my Boston Marathon training plans, I have a lot of specific hill-based workouts. Some straight uphill repeats, some workouts I call “Tired Hills”, some downhill repeats towards the end of the long run, and maybe a few other things. However, I don’t specifically say when a person should get on hills for the marathon tempos. I do this on purpose, but I also recognize that this should be addressed.  First, let’s look at what we are trying to accomplish with the marathon tempo.  1) learn pace. Some will argue that you aren’t in the right “zone” but to purposely skip out on learning what your race pace feels like to be in a certain zone, I feel like you are flirting with disaster come race day.  2) Learn how to take fueling and fluids in at a race pace. This is a skill that doesn’t seem important at the surface level but will pay dividends on race day. 3) Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.  4) Learn patience In essence, from a nonphysiological standpoint, we are learning how to navigate the marathon. We are learning how to be patient early on and how to keep pace when we are tired.  From a physiological standpoint, I have a big argument that the marathon pace creates physiological gains.  1) running economy. You become the most economical at the pace you train for. So if you want to be economical at a marathon pace, do some training at a marathon pace. You also learn to be more efficient metabolically.  2) Specific Endurance. Daniels states that there aren’t a lot of benefits physiologically that differ from what you would gain from easy running. I would argue that the more fit you become, the less benefit you will get from really easy runs and that stimulus has to change. For marathoners, you are looking at both general endurance (easy days) and pace endurance (mp tempos). A number of coaches echo this sentiment. Easy runs are viewed more as regeneration runs and don’t necessarily aid in physiological gains to performance. Keep in mind that we are referring to athletes with years of moderate to the high volume under their belts. Anyway, the point here is that marathon pace is doing a great service for your specific endurance in the event while staying below your lactate threshold.  Ok, so I realize I went on a tangent there, but I think if we understand what we are trying to accomplish, then we can make better workouts. What I really wanted to get to was the idea of getting on a course similar to what you are going to be racing on. So, a course like Boston is a good example. It has a lot of rolling hills, some big uphills late in the race, and t is sandwiched between two sections of fairly big downhills. The overall result is a net downhill. Yet, whereas a race like Berlin or Chicago will see scorching fast times, a course like Boston will always be on the slower side (next to NYC) as the fastest major marathon course- despite being a net downhill!  Continuing with the Boston theme, the emphasis is always on getting on hills by doing hill workouts and hilly long runs, which we prescribe as well, but what about marathon-pace runs? Let’s say in Boston you want to run 8:00 miles. I would bet you that you would have 0-5 of those miles at a range of 7:57-8:03 per mile, but still might very well average an 8:00 pace for the race! In 2006, I ran a PR of 2:15:22 about a 5:10 pace. Ironically, the only mile split that was 5:10 (or close to it) was miles 20-21 up Heartbreak Hill! Given that, you should put some tempos in that are going to simulate what you are going to be doing in the race.  For a race like Boston or something like a Revel race where they drop you off a helicopter and you land at the bottom, I have a few guidelines. No more than 1-2 hill-based workouts in a week, maybe even less when just starting out the segment or you don’t do a lot of hills. So, if you have dedicated hill repeats on Tuesday, then stay flat for your next workout. Early on, you might not do any more dedicated hills for 10-14 days later. Assuming you are rolling along, then it might be Tuesday hills, flat for the next few days, including the tempo on Thursday. Then, if the runner wants, they can go out and get some hills in on their long run. The following week would then be flat for the first few days and then maybe the tempo could be on some hills, followed by a fairly flat long run on the weekend.  To summarize No more than two dedicated hill workouts (in some capacity) a week. If you live in a hilly area, there is an exception as you’d probably be better prepared anyway.  No back-to-back hill workouts in a row. No hill repeats then a tempo or strength workout on hills. If comfortable, you can do tempo and long runs back to back because the intensity isn’t as high on either of these runs. Let muscle soreness be your guide on that.  Allow at least 2-3 days between bigger efforts that involve hills.  These guidelines have helped our athletes for a number of years thrive on courses like Boston and other bigger net downhill races, but the same protocol is useful for overall hilly courses, as well. The biggest thing is to recognize that hills create extra stress, particularly on muscle structure and it needs time to adapt and heal after each session. If you allow that to occur, then you’ll be extremely resilient on race day. You’ll also be comfortable with effort and overall pace when individual mile splits may cause someone else to freak out. In short, you’ll know what to expect on race day because you prepared for the race better! https://www.lukehumphreyrunning.com/membership Check out our membership options- including the run club! It's the next best thing to a personal coach.