Analyse Your Training To Run Your Best!

Examine last year’s training log and plan how to run stronger this year.


Michelle Hamilton |

Examine last year’s training log and plan how to run stronger this year. – By Michelle Hamilton

Illustrations by Rami Niemi
Illustrations by Rami Niemi

If this year has you dreaming of a fast finish, you’re probably pondering which race you’ll run and how you’ll train. Start by analysing your past: “Your previous races and training cycles are filled with clues that can help you get to the next level,” says Andrew Kastor, head coach of the Mammoth Track Club. Kastor and head coach of Chicago Endurance Sports, Lori McGee Koch, can help you learn from past efforts – to make your next ones the best they can be.

LOOK AT MILEAGE

When it comes to performance at any distance, your weekly volume is the most important factor, says Koch. Every run you do increases your blood volume and the number of mitochondria and capillaries in your muscles, which improves aerobic capacity. The more kays you log, the greater your stamina.

To assess if you’re running enough for your racing goals, compare the average weekly mileage you ran the last time you trained for your target distance against these minimums: 40 to 48 kilometres for 5-K, 48 to 56 for 10-K, 56 to 64 for a half marathon, and 64 to 72 for a marathon. If you were below, bring your volume up to these baselines. If you were at or over the minimums – and not injured – a small increase might still help, says Kastor. Do this by adding one 20- to 45-minute run to your week – if you run four or fewer days, make it another day; if you run five or six days, make it a second run on an easy day. And be on the lookout for grumpiness, excessive fatigue, or recurring aches and pains – all potential signs that you need to back off.

LOOK AT PACES

While most of your mileage should be done at an easy pace, each week should also include time at a comfortably hard (‘tempo’) pace as well as a hard (5-K or faster) pace. “Running a variety of paces ensures you’re hitting the specific training zones that lead to becoming a faster runner,” says Kastor. Fast intervals boost the cardiovascular system, and tempo kilometres work the metabolic system.

Both paces improve your biomechanics, while easy days allow recovery. If you weren’t doing any speed variation, start by adding four to six strides (30-second pick-ups) after easy runs for two to three weeks. Then, do a weekly workout of 6 x 400 metres at goal race pace with equal time for recovery. (If you’re aiming for eight-​minute average pace, run two minutes for the 400s with a two-minute recovery jog.) If you were logging speedy kilometres, make sure you hit all three paces.

“Some marathoners do tempo and long runs but miss tapping into a faster pace – while some 5-K runners think all they need is intervals, when tempo work helps sustain 5-K pace too,” says Kastor. The ideal week: one goal-specific workout (intervals like 8 to 16 x 400 at slightly faster than goal race pace for 5-K or 10-K runners; 30- to 60-minute tempo runs for half- and full-​marathoners); one long run at a comfortable pace; one grab-bag workout that introduces the missing pace (3 x 5-minute repeats at tempo effort for 5-K or 10-K runners; 800s at 5-K pace or strides after an easy run for half- and full-marathoners); and a couple of short, easy runs.

LOOK AT RACES

Study past race splits to see whether your pace was especially off in the early, middle, or late kilometres, says Koch. Explore why, and create strategies for addressing those issues in training. If fear of bonking made you start too slowly, focus on getting on pace during the first repeat in workouts.

If kilometres 13 and 14 in the half marathon were slow due to negative thoughts, or simply a wandering mind, use long runs and tempo workouts to practise staying focused and upbeat. Late-race fatigue? Try taking walk breaks or running negative-split long runs to sustain energy.

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