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We ask the audience on IG what questions they have and we answer in a podcast forum allowing for a greater discussion of the question than on an IG story. We love to help runners achieve their goals and grow a better understanding of the sport.
1- WHY IS SLOWING DOWN SO HARD? I FEEL LIKE I AM ALWAYS IN THE GRAY ZONE
Running easy feels different. Your form changes. It feels very slow to slow down 2-3 min per mile slower than 5k pace. Many people do not find it comfortable because they are not working as hard. It doesn’t feel they are doing as much. Our mind doesn’t have to focus on running so much so it can wonder.
1- make sure you actually have hard running days too
2- make sure you are running enough mileage
3- don’t listen to music
4- run with slower people
5- don’t have caffeine before your run
6-opt for no watch and run in trails
2-HOW OFTEN SHOULD I DO SPEED WORKOUTS FOR HALF MARATHON TRAINING?
There are many different types of workouts runners can do. Speed workouts are usually intervals that work on 5k pace or faster. During half marathon training, we want to build your aerobic system as much as possible because the half is 99% aerobic. We would do workouts like threshold runs often. Within a month, we may do 5 tempo workouts and 2 speed workouts. There are benefits to doing some speed workouts but it should not be the only time or the primary focus during half or full marathon training.
3- FOR FIRST MARATHON HOW MANY RUNS & STRENGTH SESSIONS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?
We would want to start at the level you are currently at for running and slowly build. 4-5 days of running per week is a common starting point for marathoners. We would do 1-2 ‘hard running days’ per week. We recommend strength training 2x a week on your harder running days.
4- DO PEOPLE END UP RACING IN THE GRAY ZONE? IS THAT BAD?
The gray zone is roughly 1-2 min per mile slower than 5k pace. It is the pace we want to avoid during your easy run days. Easy run pace is 2-3 min per mile slower than 5k pace. When we run too fast on easy days, it prohibits us from running to our potential in workouts/during race day. Marathon pace is usually the upper end of your gray zone. Many people set less aggressive goals for their marathon times than VDOT marathon pace, so their ‘goal marathon pace’ may actually be in the gray zone. This is okay. It is good. We only want to really avoid this gray zone on easy days.
