Today’s Ask a Coach question comes from Pat about the the purpose of post-run “strides.”
Question: Can The Run SMART Project do a video on strides? I’ve always been confused on the purpose of doing strides and the proper pace for them. I’m familiar with coach Jack Daniels’ training paces (Easy, Threshold, Interval, and Repetitions) but don’t know how strides fit in. Are they at Rep pace, but shorter distance? Thanks.
Today’s Ask A Coach question comes from Lior who is training for the Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in Phoenix.
Question: Will I lose time because of the low altitude (1350 feet) compared to all of my sea level marathons? Is it going to affect my performance (targeting sub 2:45) even by as little as one minute or so?
Run SMART Coach: Coach Daniels says the effects of altitude on endurance performance starts at an altitude of about 1,000 meters (roughly 3,000 feet). An altitude of 1,000 feet will have no impact on your performance. Stick to your normal game plan and good luck going after sub-2:45!
Email askacoach@runsmartproject.com if you have a question you’d like one of our coaches to answer.
Latest Ask a Coach question comes from reader Pat regarding the efficacy of low calorie “energy” drinks:
Question: I recently saw some people taking a low calorie energy drink/shot like 5-hour Energy before a half marathon. Is there any science behind those high B vitamin drinks? By definition a calorie is a unit of energy, so if those drinks have little to no calories, then they can’t have much energy, right? Are they tricking our bodies into feeling more energetic?
Kasie from Vermont asks: I am a coach in northern Vermont and many of the runners I work with are also nordic skiers. I’ve noticed an injury trend in the springtime as the high school runners switch over to the spring track season and as the adult runners jump into spring marathon training. While these runners maintain, or often improve, their cardiovascular fitness from skiing during the winter they do not seem to maintain the musculoskeletal adaptations. In order to help with this transition, I have advised keeping up with a certain amount of running during the winter season.
My question is, how much on the ground running is needed to maintain running-specific, impact-related adaptations? (more…)
Question: Jack Daniels has done some studies on premier runners and found their stride rate to be 180+ strides a minute. Is this for a particular distance race such as half and full marathons or is this for all distances from 5K and up?
I am training for a half marathon and my stride rate is at 160 strides a minute. Should I try to reduce my stride length to achieve a higher stride rate or should I stay where I am and try something different?
Question: I would like to know your recommendation for integrating hill training into a marathon program. Specifically:
Run SMART Coach Jack Daniels: I like to think of hill training as another form of resistance training, and certainly resistance training can benefit a runner. Resistance training could be hill running, or squats in the gym or circuit training, bounding, or deep-water running, etc. In other words, training that may be overall beneficial for the development of a runner in terms of holding off injury or developing muscles that may normally become fatigued in races of various distances.
Question:
I was wondering as accomplished coaches and runners what your opinion is on stretching before you run? I know that there is a major difference to dynamic and static stretching, but does either in your mind have value, especially to younger runners?
Question: I make adjustments to threshold pace for the duration of a tempo run. How should I adjust threshold pace at altitude? I coach runners at 5,200 feet.
Run SMART Coach Jack Daniels: If using sea level race performances and associated VDOT values (or typical sea-level training speeds) while at altitude, you must adjust the paces. At 5000 feet of altitude, the adjustment for Interval and Threshold runs would be about 8-10 seconds PER MILE (about 2-3 sec per 400) SLOWER than the sea-level paces. No adjustment needed in Rep paces as the duration of rep runs are short enough to not need to adjust, but you may need a little longer recoveries between bouts of work in a Rep session. No adjustment needed in the recoveries in Interval or Threshold work bouts because you are adjusting the training paces. (more…)
Question: Would you recommend doing a second run on days where you have a hard workout or just doing two easy runs on a non-workout day?
Run SMART Coach Rod Koborsi: Running twice a day is helpful in two ways…
Question: Should I get new running shoes for the marathon, and if so – when?
Run SMART Coach Vince Sherry: This question is a good one (as well as a common one) that marathoners often ask me about one week before the big day. It is most often part of the final pre-marathon panic. In the quest to make sure everything is perfect for race day, runners will look to their shoes at some point. Unfortunately, it’s often when the race is right around the corner, which leads me to my first tip; never purchase running shoes in a pressured state. A rushed decision is not usually a very good one. Try to plan ahead and get your marathon race-day shoes at least two weeks prior to the race. You should be lining up with around 20 to 40 miles on your trainers (less if your wearing racing flats).
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