Start Out Steady and Finish Strong

I’m not just days into my marathon training runs, not even weeks. I’m now many, many months into this training plan and here is what I’ve learned.

You obviously cannot run 26.2 miles every other day to prepare for 26.2 miles. Even running half-marathons of 13.1 miles per week as you get started could ultimately get you prematurely burned out and possibly injured. So, what happens when you see a scheduled training run of anything less than 8 miles?

These are the times you can improve your stamina and prepare for the longer distances. Start out steady and finish strong. Steady for me right now is around the 9-minute mile pace and each mile I do my best to shave seconds off per mile. Finish strong can mean you shave off nearly 1 minute per mile from your first.

Give your body a chance to get into “the groove” — the point where you don’t even realize you are running. A Forest Gumplike-state. If you come out of the gates too fast, you’ll definitely know you’re in for a battle, especially if you have another 10 miles or worse, 25 more miles to go. I’ve done both. When I first starting training, my machismo was in control and I wanted to run so fast. Now, with a little experience and my machismo in check, I’ve learned that a steady start is key to a strong finish.

Not only does this build the needed stamina for those long runs of 10-plus miles, but it also helps build speed and that all-elusive “kick” we hear so much about as we approach the finish line instead of that painful grimace so many of us wear as we break the tape.

I’ll put this to the test tomorrow for a 10K race.

Morning weight = 172. Post run = 169.5

Today’s Meals:

• 3:10pm (Meal 2.1) — Corn Pops Cereal, Blue Diamond Almond Milk, and 2 scoops of Herbalife Personalized Protein Powder. There’s no reason why you can’t add your favorite protein powders to your favorite cereals to boost the nutritional value and the protein content. It doesn’t even change the flavor, well maybe a little, but the benefit of the added protein far outweighs any change of flavor. Just make you to add all the dry ingredients first, mix with your spoon, and then add your milk, soy milk, or almond milk. If you do it the other way around, you’ll be staring down at a bowl of cereal gu.

Today’s Activities:

• Today is a 5 mile easy run. RunKeeper basically says take it easy and there’s no need to push the pace. They do recommend running on soft surfaces and terrain similar to the event.
• I start out slow and steadily “push the pace” but nothing too much. What I have learned … start out steady and finish strong. This will prepare you for long runs.

Friday, 10-11-2013