Thursday, December 19, 2013

NYRR #runchat transcript

You don't have to be signed up for a particular race to get big value out of following that race's Facebook or Twitter pages. For example, here is a transcript of the last live chat of 2013 with New York Road Runners coaches. No matter whether you are an NYRR member, follow facebook.com/NewYorkRoadRunners:

  • Ashlee Reilly Hi guys! Happy Holidays! What's the best and most effective way to build endurance back up when coming back after an injury that had me out of commission for a while? I've been doing walk/run intervals, but I would really like to decrease the amount/time of walking and be able to more consistent during the running portions (which I would like to be longer in time/distance!)
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Ashlee Reilly--You've pretty much answered your own question: gradually replace the walking with running until the walking isn't needed anymore. You can also add cross-training sessions with low-shock options like swimming, cycling, elliptical trainer workouts, and deep-water running if you want to put in more time.
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • Ashlee Reilly New York Road Runners -- thank you! Glad to see I'm on the right track with getting back up and running! Any tips for increasing speed once I've switched over to mostly running? (I've always been pretty slow, ~12:00min/mile, and it would be nice to break out of that rut a little bit!)
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Ashlee Reilly--You should add an intervals/speedwork day. This means running for short bits (like a minute at a time) with rests between them, and running faster than usual (even quite a bit faster) for the "pickups." Let's say you're doing your 12:00's easily. Try doing a warm-up mile at that pace, then doing three 1-minute runs at about 10:00 per mile with two minutes of slow jogging after each one. Finish with another easy mile. That's an intro to the kind of training that will make you faster; you'll gradually add repetitions and pick up the pace. Good luck!
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago · Edited
  • Leila Saramäki Some coaches say that going to gym and getting muscles is not good for runners. What is your opinion? Sorry my bad English... I write from Finland, Kuopio and we have here running team Rauhalahti Road Runners  That's why I joined this group 
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Finland! Your country knows more than we do about running distances; do you know who Hannes Kolehmainen was? (I'm not just going to say "Paavo Nurmi," obviously.) If you're a marathon runner, these coaches have a point--extra muscle weight won't help...See More
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • Mark Newman
  • Nick Cevasco What are some good training tips for doing the nyc half marathon first timer
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Nick Cevasco--first time at the NYC Half, or first-time half-marathoner? If the latter: the three most vital elements to training for a half are a long run (starting at what's currently long for you and gradually increasing it each weekend or on two out of three weekends) until you can run 10-13 miles comfortably; second, a faster run of about half the race distance ("tempo run"), and third, the kind of speed workout that we just described for Ashlee, above. If first-time YC Half runner: All the hills are in the first five miles! It's flat and fast after that. Good luck.
    • Mark Newman
  • Erik Lennon Rodriguez 7:30 per mile is a good start????
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
  • Patrick Voo what are your thoughts about transitioning from marathoning to ultrarunning? what are the key training changes that make it a smooth move?
    Like · Reply · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Patrick Voo--the element that changes is typically just the weekend long run or runs: ultrarunners often do one on each of the weekend days. The rest of the week may actually decrease in mileage and/or number of days of training because of the demands of running so far at once (or twice) on the weekend. A friend of ours here at NYRR just won the 60K in Central Park in her first ultra; she raised her weekend run from 20 to 25 to 30...it worked very well.
      Like · 2 · 22 hours ago
    • Patrick Voo thanks for your response guys - much appreciated!
    • Mark Newman
  • Tom O'Beirne What kind of weight training can you suggest? I find my weight lifting schedule really is pretty terrible during endurance season.
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Tom O'Beirne--most distance runners don't do leg weights, but do things like lunges and plyometrics (jumps, squats, etc.) with body weight instead. Upper-body lifting can help in a shorter race--sprinting uses the arms a lot--but carrying extra muscle weight is generally counterproductive for distance runners. Look at Mo Farah sometime--he's thin as a rail, but he's far from weak; the top runners do tons of core work and other less-bulking strength work.
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • Mark Newman
  • John Schweighardt Does wearing long pants instead of shorts on a cooler day slow down your running time?
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
  • Oscar Barillas When Does the training program for the NYC Half starts?
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile

  • Julie Gonzalez I'm training for my first half in January and I'm nervous about running in slush, ice, sleet, snow, etc. Any advice or recommendations?
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Julie Gonzalez--good question. Runners can break bones slipping on ice--especially the often-invisible "black ice." Running in snow is typically okay until it gets deep, when it throws your footplant off and can cause hip-muscle strain. Slush: very unpleasant without super-waterproof socks; look for neoprene. (Bike shops are good sources.) Sleet is just painful if it hits you but it won't endanger you or slow you down much. HOWEVER: The cure for all of them is an indoor workout on a treadmill or a cross-training session or another aerobic-exercise machine--or, best of all, a speedwork session on an indoor track.
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • Mark Newman
  • Christine Boyer McKeon How much room is there for improvising in a training plan for a half marathon? Not always able to do the weekly mileage... But always the long run.
    Like · Reply · 1 · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Christine Boyer McKeon--More than you might think. See our reply to Ashlee above; cross-training can be substituted for running when running isn't possible or easy or when you're maxed out on run mileage. The elements that you should try to keep in your program are a tempo run (or the equivalent in a cross-training workout) and a speed workout (some kind of intervals). But the most important element is the one that you're always doing, luckily.
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • Mark Newman
  • Claire Harrison I currently train 6 days a week in preparation for a sub 3:15 london marathon can this be achieved over less days less miles? Will provably reach around 80 per week
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Claire Harrison--that's enough mileage, no matter how many days you run it in. Whether you can break 3:15 is another matter; we'd have to know a lot more about you and your running. But many world-class athletes take a day off per week. Be sure to taper in your last three weeks--something like 60-40-20.
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • Mark Newman
  • Øistein Røisland My next race is Boston Marathon. Can I replace some of the easy runs and long runs with cross country skiing without losing too much?
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Øistein Røisland--you might even gain, not lose! XC skiing beats running in a few ways: better for the upper body, less shock, and no winter impediment to training. Frank Shorter (Olympic champion, 1972) did a lot of XC skiing; it seemed to work! Good luck.
    • Mark Newman
  • Meredith Johnston How many miles should I run in my sneakers before its time for a new pair? Training for Boston Marathon '14. Thanks!
  • Laura Cope how do you recommend eating for longer runs? I've heard two hours before, but by then, I'm hungry again! thanks!
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Laura Cope, Two hours is about right to be sure that you can use the nutrients; too long after that and you'll just feel full and carry it through your run. Carbohydrate drinks are a good middle ground before and during the run. Feeling a bit hungry before a run isn't always a bad thing, either.
    • Laura Cope awesome! Thank you!!
    • Mark Newman
  • Kristen Moody Stepanishen Hello Coaches! I've run 3 half marathons and it seems each one is getting slower than the last. Yikes! I think my problem in the last two was losing steam after mile 10. Do you have any training suggestions to help? I usually do one LSD, one speed workout, then easy jogs. Thank you!
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Kristen Moody Stepanishen--what did you do before the first, fastest race? We suggest that you replicate that training. Also: How close together were the three races? You might not be recovering completely or getting the time to properly build up ad then taper again for the next trace. Lastly: Are you going out too hard? Wait until at least 10K into a half before you race anyone, including your past selves.
      Like · 1 · 22 hours ago
    • Mark Newman
  • Yolande Rose How long of a break should I take from running to allow a stress fracture in my shin heal?
    Like · Reply · 22 hours ago via mobile
    • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Yolande Rose--that's a question for a doctor, but layman's wisdom says that more rest is better after something that serious; in other words, err on the side of caution. Stress fractures can be signs of other trouble, like nutritional deficiencies.
    • Mark Newman

  • New York Road Runners (NYRR) Thank you for tuning in to the last Live Chat of 2013. Happy Holidays--use than time off for running, not just eating! We'll see everyone in the New Year.
    Like · Reply · 2 · 22 hours ago

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