Besides talent, perhaps the biggest difference between the way elite runners approach their training compared to us mere mortals is in the amount of racing they do as part of their important training segments. Elite runners often spend months toiling in obscurity for the chance to peak and perform their best at one single race.
For example, before the 2007 Olympic Trials, Ryan Hall didn’t do a single tune-up race, which was also the same strategy he used when he set the American Record in the half marathon.
The result? An Olympic trials record on what many consider the toughest course ever used for the Olympic Trials.
Other than the occasional tune-up race, which is used to assess fitness and address training weaknesses, most elite marathoners don’t jump into races willy-nilly. Each race they contest is carefully chosen to elicit the best possible training build-up for their goal race.
Contrast this approach with what your last marathon or half marathon training segment looked like.
If you’re like a lot of your teammates here at RunnersConnect, your schedule was filled with a few charity 5ks, a couple of fun 10ks with your friends, and a half marathon because it was in your neighborhood. Since you’re not a professional runner and your livelihood doesn’t depend on your race performances, you shouldn’t feel too bad about having this type of race schedule – heck, running is supposed to be fun.
However, if you’re like most runners, setting a new PR is a big part of what makes running enjoyable. So, it’s important to strike a balance between optimal training and adding in fun races.
That’s where this article comes in. I am going to show you some of the unique ways we can incorporate those small, fun races into your training while still keeping the integrity of your training plan intact.
Method 1: Races as part of a long run
Incorporating a race part of a long run is a great way to maximize training while still having fun, especially if you’re training for the marathon. In essence, running a race as part of a long run mimics a fast finish long run.
The race/long run combo works great if your expectations going into the race are either:
- You want to run decent, but it doesn’t have to be great (the results will be published in the local paper, so you’re just looking to run a respectable time)
- You are just out to have fun with fellow runners (time is trivial, you’re just out to enjoy the course and the post race food).
The advantage to using a race as part of a long run is that you can simulate taking fluids and energy gels while running fast and low on glycogen. It’s the perfect opportunity to specifically practice and hone your fueling skills.
How to execute
The specifics are easy to accomplish. Simply substitute the race distance for the last miles of your long run (excluding a 1-2 mile cool down).
For example, if you have a 16 mile long run scheduled, and the race is a 10k, you would run 8 miles at your normal long run pace, race the 10k, and then “cool down” for the final two miles.
The key to successfully executing this type of workout is finishing your easy miles as close to the start of the race as possible. The shorter you can make the time between your easy miles and the start of the race, the more closely you mimic a true long run. For crowded races, this might be a little difficult, but for your typical local race, it shouldn’t be too tricky.
How often and when in training
You can confidently execute this type of “race long run” every two to three weeks in place of a fast finish or up-tempo long run. Try not to do a fast finish long run (or any hard long run) and a “race long run” back-to-back if you’re not an experienced runner or you run the risk of overtraining.
Doing a workout after a race
Alberto Salazar popularized the post race workout with his star pupil, Galen Rupp. Not wanting to sacrifice the volume of training needed to reach the podium, yet still needing to work on Rupp’s finishing speed and racing tactics, Salazar began having Rupp run workouts after some of his races.
However, you don’t have to be an Olympian to benefit from this innovative workout concept.
While this type of race/workout combo means you have to wait to get your post race snacks, it’s the perfect solution if you want to run the race well (i.e. your local rival is making an appearance and you’d love to flatten them) and not drastically interfere with your training.
How to execute
Similar to the race/long run combo, working out after a race takes a little planning, but if you get creative, it’s not hard to accomplish. You simply need to pick a workout that fits within your training goals, give yourself the appropriate rest after the race, and find a good, safe place to run hard.
For example, when training for the marathon, you could do a workout like one of these:
- Normal race warm-up, 5k race, 10 min rest, 5 x 1km (run the course again) at 10k to HM pace w/60 sec rest. Great for working on your lactate threshold
- Normal warm-up, 10k race, 10 min rest, 8 x 60 secs at 3k to 5k pace or 8 x 60 sec hill repeats w/equal rest. Develops speed and teaches you how to run fast when tired.
- Normal race warm-up, 5k race, 5 min rest, 5km at marathon pace. Excellent way to work on lactate clearance.
Depending on your pace and the course layout, you can either run the course again (yes, you may look silly, but we all do in short running shorts anyway) or find a nearby track or traffic-free road.
How often and when in training
Like the race/long run combos, these days can take a lot out of you – more than a normal workout because you’re running so hard. I suggest no more than one of these race/workout combos per month.
How to adjust your training schedule
Finally, the question remains, how do you adjust your training schedule to account for these smaller races?
- First, you shouldn’t taper your mileage unless it’s a tune-up race or you’re using it to test your fitness. These types of fun races should slide into your training seamlessly and tapering mileage to run well could sacrifice your preparation for your goal race.
- Second, choose the type of race combo workout you want to do and don’t go crazy. One of the biggest mistakes I see is when runners go into these races thinking, “oh, I’ll just take it easy and run for fun or run a certain pace.” However, as soon as the gun fires, the adrenaline starts pumping and they are running as hard as they can.The problem with this is that you’ll very likely push yourself too hard and find yourself struggling in two weeks when the effort catches up to you. You know yourself, so be honest with how hard you will run and stick to the plan you set out ahead of time.
- Lastly, make sure to give yourself extra recovery time. More than likely, the race effort was harder than a normal workout would be for you. As it is with any workout, the results don’t come from the torture you put your body through, but from the time you give the muscles to repair and rebuild.
With a little planning and innovation, you can turn those fun local races on your training calendar into great workouts while keeping your eye on the big goal race down the road.
If you have questions on how to implement races as part of your overall training plan, let me know in the comments section and I would be glad to help.
12 Responses
Look silly in short running shorts? Nothing could be further from the truth – it’s hard to look sillier than with “shorts” that come below the knees. Especially in a race. 🙂
The only thing I’d suggest is to run the course backwards for your workout, so you don’t make anyone who’s still out there feel bad when you fly by. Even better, cheer those people on – if they’re still out on the course when you’re doing your workout, their effort is probably a lot harder for them than yours was for you. Cheering people on costs you nothing and can really make someone’s day, plus it shows just how nice runners of all speeds can be.
cheers… -Adam
Great article. Something I will often do is just get into race mindset for a long run and test the difference between that and my usual long run mindset.
Thank you.
I couldn’t find the page you were trying to link to at the start of the article regarding Ryan Hall. Could you check it please and possibly send me another link?
Thanks again,
John
Hi John, sorry about that. That was an interview with RunnersWorld. I don’t know why they would have taken it down, but they did. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to find it again as it was their interview and probably was republished anywhere. In the meantime, here is something similar: http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-239-569–12140-0,00.html
Im wondering if anyone has experience racing a half for a fast time and perhaps a PR time (although training specifically for the Marathon may comprimise this) with 4 weeks out from the Marathon. I would like to do this as part of my training. Of course I would taper a week or so out from the Half and take the week after the Half easy. Any advice or details would be very helpful
Thanks
Well, it depends on what your PR is and how important the marathon is to you. Meaning, the faster/better your HM PR is, the harder it will be able to do. While both events are long, the specific demands are quite different. If you’re training correctly for the marathon, you should not be able to PR in the half (assuming your HM PR is something that represents your ability level and isn’t a “weak” PR). For the marathon, your focus needs to be on fat utilization, aerobic threshold and long runs. Those physiological demands are not important to the half marathon.
Likewise, if the taper and recovery from the half take away 10-14 days of marathon specific training. That’s at least two important workouts and one or two long runs. Missing that type of training in the most important final weeks is probably not the best idea if the marathon is your true goal.
Here are some helpful follow-up articles:
Race specific training
Half marathon specific workouts
I sometimes enter two marathons that I really want to do, the first being six weeks before the second. If I am happy not to run the first one hard, should I still taper down before it (as well as before the second). I have had stress fractures before but partly from not knowing about running the weekend long runs slow till recently! Typical last 9 weekends wd be: 18mi LSR – 12mi marathon pace – 8mi LSR – ‘training marathon’ event no.1 – rest/walk – run easy – 15mi LSR – 12mi marathon pace – 8mi LSR – main marathon event (no.2). I am 57 and feel fine but recovery presumably slower owing to age. Thank you, Tom
Tom, there are a few reasons you develop stress fractures. The most common is “overuse” or doing too much too soon. If you have never heard of the 10% rule, it is a great guide for most runners. Don’t increase your miles more than 10% from week to week.
Stress fractures are when the bones are taking more of the running impact than the muscles. Have you experienced shin splints prior to the fractures? Hopefully your doctor or physical therapist have been helpful in diagnosing what is causing the stress fractures.
Hi I’m doing my first marathon in 8 weeks, did a half marathon 2 months ago in 2hrs 33, I’m 50 yr old female and just hoping to get round. Planning to do a half this weekend in place of a 15 mile long run and planning to take it easy. I took the last one easy and enjoyed it. What do you think?
Hi Jeff,
I’m Dutch and sometimes I don’t understand what you mean. For example in the text above:
‘Normal warm-up, 10k race, 10 min rest, 8 x 60 secs at 3k to 5k pace or 8 x 60 sec hill repeats w/equal rest. Develops speed and teaches you how to run fast when tired’
What do you mean by: w/equal rest. w?
Please help me out.
Hi Christine, thanks for reaching out, and we are glad to hear that you ask rather than just ignoring it. When Coach Jeff says w/ equal rest, he means that whatever time you run for that repeat, you will use the same amount for rest. Using the example you used, you would do 60 seconds hill repeats followed by 60 seconds of recovery/rest. Does that make sense? Hope that helps, and let us know if you have any other questions!
Hi
First I want to say RC is AWESOME.
Back to running :-). My first Marathon is on 18 Sept 2016 and I have a 30km tune-up race on the 14 Aug 2016. Should I approach this the same as I would my Marathon with regards to pace? My Marathon pace should be 6:45 to finish in 4:45. I am definitely going to apply my knowledge gained from the NB for testing my race fuelling. Thanks