Four Training Universals
Rest means no running. Give your muscles and synapses some serious R&R so all systems are primed for the next workout. Better two quality days and two of total rest than four days of mediocrity resulting from lingering fatigue. Rest days give you a mental break as well, so you come back refreshed.
Easy runs mean totally comfortable and controlled. If you’re running with someone else, you should be able to converse easily. You’ll likely feel as if you could go faster. Don’t. Here’s some incentive to take it easy: You’ll still burn 100 calories every mile you run, no matter how slow you go.
Long runs are any steady run at or longer than race distance designed to enhance endurance, which enables you to run longer and longer and feel strong doing it. A great long-run tip: Find a weekly training partner for this one. You’ll have time to talk about anything that comes up.
Speedwork means bursts of running shorter than race distance, some at your race goal pace, some faster. This increases cardiac strength, biomechanical efficiency, better running economy, and the psychological toughness that racing demands. Still, you
want to keep it fun.
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CariFin/Nature Valley Team in Training had a great time at UWI Half Marathon ’09. Our team of 110 members was generally pleased with race day conditions and the organization of the race. All the runners on our team crossing the finish line had that feeling of satisfaction for a performance for which they could feel proud.
Rodney Julien makes good of his boast to clock 1.25 by easily covering the 13.1 miles of the UWI half marathon on Sunday November 01, 2009. Nicole Budd looked stronger, smoother and more purposeful as she completed the course in 1.43 three minutes faster than her last year attempt. Julien improved on his 2008 time by four minutes when he finished in 1.25.18. It is evident that Rodney takes a liking to the flat, fast course and the weather was the best in years and the UWI race in particular. Using Runner’s World pace calculator it shows that he ran the race at 6.30 per mile pace and this is a good indicator based on the fact that it is a four minutes increase in his performance. This improvement was not had in the easiest or most satisfactory situation or conditions but it was clear to me that he had injuries issues leading up to the race, and problems with gears to name a few and the absence of these negative situation is an indicator that Julien could go a lot faster. In 2007 he posted 1.29.42 and followed that with a 1.31.05 in 2009. “I was happy with my performance and the way how I ran the race,” Julien responded when asked how he felt about his performance. He ran his own race, his own style, never once feeling overwhelm by the moment, the occasion or the bigness of the race, he held firm to his conviction and purpose. For once he felt that his training had paid off big time, every mile was a challenge but the corresponding exhilaration more than compensate for any effort or discomfort as he kept pace and continue just running his race. In the end he felt more than compensated with the race and performance.
Nicole Budd “It was a moderate improvement over my 2008 performance and I felt less winded and could have gone faster,” This is how Nicole Budd felt about her 2009 performance at UWI SPEC half marathon. Nicole Budd started somewhat slowly in the race; having to shake off the effects of an early spill at the start of the race, but built to the speed she felt challenging enough to maintain a pace that allowed her to pass a number of runners male and female along the course. From a night before when she felt she was losing the joy of running and felt like she would skip this race or at least it would be her last one to turning in her best performance in 5 years. As every success story has its ups and downs, this is not without its own, leading up to the race a virus struck Budd which she found quite difficult to shake off which resulted in lost time for training. But like a true committed runner she soldiered on. In the end she posted 1.43.07 and improvement of some three minutes over 2008 time. Budd did a 7.52 per mile pace over the 13.1 mile course, a runner who still seems to be feeling out her way on this course of “fast, flat asphalt”, but seem ready to unleash a much faster run next year.