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| Advise me on my upcoming race please. (Read 471 times) |
| view log Slow-smooth-fast |
posted: 4/22/2008 at 8:49 AM
modified: 4/22/2008 at 8:52 AM |
I have got a race on Saturday. It is a 10k, and on the description it says it is not one for PBs and it has some nasty hills. Apparently one of the toughest local 10ks around too!
The thing is I have not raced since last year, and I am very nervous, especially because I have been up and down with injury.
I feel like I am a noob all over again, and would like some advice regarding the runs leading up to the race. How much, what intensity etc, so I am best prepared. I did 10 miles last night. First 5 at tempo pace, and then for the last 5 I felt very sluggish, like I had zero energy and my legs would not move. This was a strange feeling, and so I am defo not running tonight.
I need my legs to be fresh for the race so I can give it my best possible performance. Comments and advice welcome.
PS, all the family are going and this is the first time they will have all together seen me and my brother in the same race who is going to knock about 8 minutes off my time. So I want to give as good an effort as possible. |
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Professional Magician |
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| view log Blaine Moore |
posted: 4/22/2008 at 8:29 PM |
If you were sluggish last night, then go real easy (if at all today) and then see how you feel tomorrow. If you feel all right, get a good warm up, then do a few short repeats at race pace with full rest and then cool down. if you still feel sluggish, then do an easy run of just a few miles.
Friday and Saturday I'd keep to easy runs of a few miles a piece. If you decide you want a day off, I recommend Friday over Saturday (I hate not running the day before a race.)
Thursday can be easy or short repeats depending upon how you feel tomorrow night.
That should give you some good rest. Make sure you eat plenty of food and drink plenty of water. You'll be in good shape come Sunday. 1 sharpening workout won't overly fatigue you and will keep your body making adjustments and you'll have plenty of time to recover from the minor workload. If you still feel tired and lethargic, take time off and don't worry about getting anything quick in until race day.
You might want to do some striders after a few of the easy runs (short pickups of less than 100m and slower than race pace - can practice high knees / butt kicks / etc if you want and it loosens you up.)
My 2 cents. |
Run to Win
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posted: 4/23/2008 at 4:01 AM |
Eddy,
With injury history, I would take it easy the rest of the week. 10 mile run with 5 at tempo is hard (hopefully you did those tempo miles at slow tempo pace and not hard tempo pace). Get miles in this week but slowly. One day do some quick striders after your run. Get your legs back. Agree with Blaine to run a few slow miles day before race. Take off Thur or just an easy run. Don't kill yourself over this race. Use it to get back in flow. Don't start too fast in race and then listen to body and finish strong. |
| Those who try, fail! Those who do what it takes to succeed, succeed!! |
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Hello Portland! |
posted: 4/23/2008 at 5:02 AM |
I'd definitely take it easy this week. You've got a solid base, so just rest up this week and you'll do great. Run some easy, low miles this week. I would agree with RunToWin and rest Thrus, run a couple easy on Friday, as like to get out there the day before a race as well. Then give it all you got on Saturday and give your brother a run for his money! (If i remember right from your comments, he's a running powerhouse, so just hanging in there will be a triumph!)
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| Ah, there's nothing more exciting than science. You get all the fun of sitting still, being quiet, writing down numbers, paying attention...Science has it all. -Skinner |
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| view log Slow-smooth-fast |
posted: 4/23/2008 at 7:45 AM
modified: 4/23/2008 at 8:29 AM |
My race is on Saturday at 1.15 pm. I rested yesterday. I am going to go out tonight for a super easy 6 miler, to stretch out and 'get my legs back' Then following your advise I will throw in some 100m pickups during the run. I am going to also do an easy 5 or so tommorrow and rest Fri.
I am not going to go all out on Sat, I dont want to injure myself again. Instead I am thinking of not racing off at the gun, taking it moderate and relaxing into the race, then after the first 5k, I will aim for a negative split, and gradually increase the pace for a fast finish. I will let you all know how I fair.
BTW, there is a huge hill at 3k that lasts about a k in length. Should I therefore go out faster than I normally would do to make up for the deop in pace up the hill?
How do you guys address hills? Lean into it, short strides etc? Recovery at the top? Do you keep going with the same exertion once you have peaked the hill, and let the flat bring your breathing back to normal?
Sorry for going on, you can tell I am nervous.
this is the route by the way.
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Professional Magician |
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posted: 4/23/2008 at 12:19 PM |
Quote from Eddy on 4/23/2008 at 7:45 AM:BTW, there is a huge hill at 3k that lasts about a k in length. Should I therefore go out faster than I normally would do to make up for the deop in pace up the hill? How do you guys address hills? Lean into it, short strides etc? Recovery at the top? Do you keep going with the same exertion once you have peaked the hill, and let the flat bring your breathing back to normal? Sorry for going on, you can tell I am nervous. this is the route by the way.
No pressure Eddy. You are going into this without huge goals so let race come to you. For hills, just run. I think people "think" too much when hill running. Keep the effort constant. At top, you will know if you need to take 30-60 sec. to bounce back. You will be fine! Good luck! If you don't run FRI, do some cardio (not hard) to keep blood volume high.
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| Those who try, fail! Those who do what it takes to succeed, succeed!! |
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posted: 4/23/2008 at 12:48 PM |
I personally hate hills as they really tire me out so I generally will shorten my strides and lean into it and go at a slower pace. If I keep the same pace going up a hill, I get up to the top absolutely stuffed.
As for the race, can you get there early enough to either walk or bike around the course so you know what to expect? If you have an idea as to what's coming up during the race, you may feel more confident and know when you can pick up pace or slow it down before you hit it. |
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| view log Official Club Member |
posted: 4/23/2008 at 12:58 PM |
Was watching the Boston coverage last night on Tivo, and heard the announcers say this about Cheriyot (sp? - the men's winner) As he was heading up the Newton hills, they said they had once asked A. Salazar about how he handled them, and Salazar's response was that his coach told him to do four things - 1) shorten his stride a little, 2) try to stay perpendicular to the hill (i.e. not lean into it), 3) swing his arms a little more and a little more forward than normal, and 4) only focus about 10-15 feet ahead. (I'm thinking this last part is so you don't get pscyhed out by the size of the hill and just keep working). As they said this, and commented that it looked like Cheriyot was doing just that, it occurred to me that I do exactly those things! (Thank you, Mr. High School Cross Country Coach!!!)
Hopefully those tips should help get you up that hill, and if they don't, remember - they came from Alberto Salazar's coach, not me!  And if it gets really tough, you can always walk part of that one hill.
Michael |
Michael
Revised 2008 Goals: 180#s | 1000K | 100 pushups challenge
Upcoming Races: | Manchester Thanksgiving Day Race | Newport RI 10K
2009 Goals: 160# | NJ Marathon | New Haven Labor Day 20K | NYC Marathon
"The race goes not always to the swift, but to those that keep running." * ~ Unknown |
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