Marathon Training - Team In Training eTools

Marathon Training

Winter Running Tips By Coach Jenny Hadfield For Active.com Running outside in winter? Are you crazy? Although cold weather and the holidays can really play havoc on your running regimen, it is one of the best seasons to be a runner. The weather is cool, the path isn't crowded and the running outfits are adorable! It's easier than you think. All you need are a few key strategies and a firm running goal, and you'll be running in any kind of weather. Set a Specific Goal: There is nothing more motivating than to train for a race or specific goal. You can plan to run a 5K, half marathon or reach a number of miles every month. You'll have instant motivation in knowing you have to train for the race or hit your target mileage. Reward yourself when you reach your goals, then set another one. Run With a Buddy or Group: Make your workouts safe and social. You'll have a built in motivational source, a friend to chat with along the way and it is safer to run in numbers. Running with others (or pets) is a great way to beat the winter doldrums. If that's not enough motivation, reward yourself with a fun race destination like Arizona, Florida or even Mexico. Accessorize: Having the right apparel makes all the difference in the world. Layering is the key to avoiding over- or under-dressing. Consider wearing a layer that blocks the wind; pants, tights and top that wick the moisture away from your skin; and, for the coldest days, a mid-layer that fits more loosely like fleece that insulates and moves the moisture from your base layer away from your skin. Your winter running wardrobe should include a running jacket, hat or headband, gloves, tights and a few long-sleeve shirts. Your body temperature increases as you run, so you don't need many layers in most winter conditions. Dress for 15 to 20 Degrees Warmer: Over-dressing is easy to do in winter running. Dressing for 15 to 20 degrees warmer than it actually is will allow your body temperature to increase and reduce the risk of overheating and excessive sweat. You should feel chilled when you walk out the door. If you are toasty warm, remove a layer. Less is more. Run During Light and Warmer Times of Day: If possible, run during daylight hours so you can absorb that needed sunshine we rarely get in the winter. You'll get your miles in during the warmest time of day and come back with a smile on your face. Be Seen: If you run when it is dark out, wear a reflective vest or flashing lights so you're seen by traffic. In snowy weather, wear bright clothing. Run with identification or a runner's I.D. in your shoe or pocket?just in case. Hit the Treadmill: When the weather gets bone-chillingly cold and icy, hit the treadmill. Treadmill running is a great way to stay fit and you'll get in quality miles without risking an injury from slipping on ice. Gear Up: Wear trail shoes or a traction device like Yak Trax. They will give you better traction and stability in the snow. I used these to tackle the Antarctica Marathon and they worked really well on the snow and ice. Note: Avoid wearing the Yak Trax indoors or on roads without snow. They're portable enough to keep them in your pocket until you hit the snow. www.TeamInTraining.org

Page 1 of 16

Marathon Training

Stay Low: Shorten your running stride and keep your feet lower to the ground. You will run more efficiently and reduce the risk of slipping, falling or straining muscles. Choose to run on fresh snow rather than ice or packed snow. You will get better traction on fresh snow and reduce the chance for slipping. Watch out for snow-covered cracks and holes in the road. Take Extra Time To Warm Up: Your body will warm up more slowly in cold weather, especially if you run in the morning. Take at least five minutes to walk briskly before you start to run. It may take 10 to 15 minutes of running before you are completely warmed up and in your running tempo. Take a hot shower to pre-warm your muscles or put your clothes in the dryer on hot for a few minutes then head out for your run. Hydrate: It is just as important to drink fluids in your winter runs as it is in the summer. Make sure to hydrate before, during and after your runs to avoid dehydration. Use warm fluids in your water bottle or tuck it under your jacket to avoid freezing. Start into the Wind: Start your run into the wind so you have the wind at your back on your way home. You'll avoid getting chilled by the wind after you've been sweating. Keep it Fun: Mix up your route, run through the neighborhood holiday lights or run a holiday race. It will get you outside and enjoying winter rather than cursing it. Happy trails!

www.TeamInTraining.org

Page 2 of 16

Marathon Training

Training Tips from The Penguin When you think of a long distance athlete what do you see? Do you see a solitary individual logging in lonely miles along some forgotten highway? Do you see someone who looks like they could use a good meal? Do you see someone who looks like they're running 150 miles a week? Well it isn't that way anymore. The days of the solitary long distance athlete have gone the way of waffle trainers and nylon running shorts. Today's long-distance athlete is much more likely to be a man or woman with job and family responsibilities who is lucky to squeeze in 25 miles a week in between everything else they have to do. If you don't believe me, all you have to do is hang out at a half or full marathon finish and see for yourself who is out there running, walking and waddling across the finish line. They are, for lack of a better word, normal people. They are young and old, tall and short, male and female, thin and not so thin. And each one of them deserves our best coaching and our respect. What's important to remember, from my perspective, is that the modern long distance athlete is trying to balance lots of competing pressures and activities. For the most part, they are not able to devote anything like full time to the process of training and racing. As enthusiastic as they may be at the information sessions and kick-off meetings, life very often intervenes. And when it does, the first part of their life to be sacrificed will be their training. As coaches, it's important to be flexible in your own thinking so that you can help the participants be flexible in their thinking. Too often, training seems like an all or nothing proposal to the participants. They believe that they either get in all the miles that we recommend or they are doomed to fail. It's incumbent on all of us to help them understand that if they keep their expectations realistic and their race goals in line with their training volume, most will be able complete the distance. They can't finish what they don't start. They can't succeed unless we give them the opportunity to line up and do their best. As important as the training schedules are, what's more important is helping each participant learn to be honest with themselves, aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and able to choose for themselves what success means. Waddle On, friends. John "The Penguin" Bingham has become one of the running community's most popular and recognized personalities. Through his books and columns Bingham has inspired a generation of new runners to find joy in walking, running and racing. Once an overweight couch potato, he looked midlife in the face -- and got moving. Since then, he's participated in over 25 marathons and hundreds of 5K and 10K races.


Page 3 of 16

Marathon Training

One very long day By John Bingham For Active.com When a friend suggested running the Hood to Coast relay, a 200 mile team race from the summit of Mount Hood to the Oregon coast, I was less than enthusiastic. I'd heard very good things about the event, but wasn't convinced that I had the nerve or the patience to run three times over 24 hours while riding in a closed vehicle in between. I couldn't imagine the dynamics of six sleep-deprived runners trapped together in a van for 36 hours. I wasn't enthusiastic as I boarded the plane for Portland. I wasn't enthusiastic as we sat around eating dinner devising our race strategy or loading the van with enough food to feed an infantry regiment. And I definitely wasn't enthusiastic as we all gathered in a cabin the night before the race. Most of the team members were veterans of the Runner's World Alaska cruise. Thinking back, it seems to me that the idea of doing the race came after a night that included more than a few adult beverages. It's funny how an idea that sounds great a year in the future suddenly turns into what you're doing tomorrow morning. I'm happy to report that all my misgivings were for nothing. The team, the race -- the entire experience was fantastic. Team captain, Cindy, assigned the rotation. For reasons that are unclear to me, even after asking her nearly non-stop for 48 hours, I was runner number two, legs 2, 8 and 14, the second most cumulative miles of all the rotations. Leg two begins with a six mile downhill run that drops 1,500 feet. While it's not as tough as leg one, it's enough to make you wish you could exchange your quads for fresh ones. Leg eight is on part of the Portland marathon course, and I still have no idea where leg 14 was. The good news about being early in the rotation is that you finish your segment early. That's also the bad news. You spend most of your time trying to get ready for your next leg. That, and trying to eat, sleep and cheer for your teammates. The 1,000 teams in the race start in waves of 50, every 15 minutes, for over 12 hours. Teams predicting the slowest times start first. This meant that we started being passed within the first hour and continued to get passed for the next 32 hours. There wasn't one leg where we weren't passed. A weaker team would have gotten discouraged. But not us. With every mile, with every leg, we got stronger. With every hour, we got closer to the finish and closer to each other. We learned what made each other laugh, what irritated us, what we liked to eat and how our bodies functioned. We also learned that despite differences in gender and age and more, we were all struggling to find something in our running that we couldn't find anywhere else in our lives. The hours and miles wore away our masks. We dropped our disguises and our inhibitions. Whatever it was that separated us at the beginning now bound us together. We learned that the only people we could truly count on, and the only ones that truly mattered, were the one running and the ones sitting in the van. We became our own world. Because we were in the first van, our race was over nearly five hours before the actual finish. As we sat at the beach watching team after team finish, I fell asleep. This provided my teammates with the opportunity to put a "will run for food" sign behind me to the delight of nearly everyone who passed by. www.TeamInTraining.org

Page 4 of 16

Marathon Training

When we spotted our final runner we rushed to join her as she crossed the finish line. It was a moment unexpectedly absent of much enthusiasm. Rather than the sort of crushing emotions that I've experienced at the end of other long events, this was marked by an almost silent acceptance that no one of us had held the key to finishing. Each of us was required only to do our part. As is so often the case, a life lesson came to me a day or so later. I hadn't tried to do more than my part. I hadn't tried to take control or even responsibility for anyone else's runs. I was there to do my part. And doing my part was all that I needed to do. It's all any of us ever needs to do. If I was tired, I still had to run. If someone else was tired, I couldn't run for them. I had to take care of myself in order to take care of the team. The most selfish act would have been to focus on everyone else and forget about myself. Giving too much became an act of betrayal. We each had to find that point of balance between taking care of ourselves and watching out for each other. We had to share our resources without depleting our own reserves. It is a balancing act that many of us are not very good at. We are often fooled into thinking that caring for others is more important than caring for ourselves. We deceive ourselves into believing that if we give away what we truly need, that someone else will provide it for us. It isn't true. Once again, running has been my greatest teacher. I've learned that I am only ever responsible to be me. I cannot run, think, feel or chose for anyone else. I need only to live my life well and let others be free to do the same. We live our lives alone with others, and with others, but alone. And in the end, life is a victory that we share. Waddle on, friends.


Page 5 of 16

Marathon Training

When to Say When By John Bingham For Active.com It isn't always easy being a runner. It isn't always easy being the Penguin. Sometimes it's almost impossible to be both and to be true to either. One of the canons of the Penguin philosophy is that running -- all running -- is joyful in its own right. It's the act of running, being in the moment of the motion, that brings satisfaction. And it's the process that matters most, not the outcome. But some runners wrongly think that this focus on participation rather than competition means that performance doesn't matter. Folks who routinely finish races before I reach halfway sometimes believe all that matters to me is being out with friends on an easy jog with water tables and police protection. That isn't the case. Running towards a goal For me and others like me, great satisfaction comes from making an honest effort. Consequently, we feel bitter disappointment when we don't achieve a goal. Our devastating sense of failure is no less profound when our goal is solely personal. Such was the case for me at mile 18 of the 2000 Tucson Marathon. As I walked off the course, the pain in my body was no match for the pain in my spirit. A sense of failure -- the feeling that my legs had betrayed me, that my training had failed me and that my strategy had been flawed -- overwhelmed me. It was of little consolation that my goal of running my first sub-five-hour marathon in nearly two years meant nothing to anyone but me. Facing disappointment Those around me were quick to point out the objective reasons for my failure. I'd run a very difficult marathon (as a training run!) only four weeks earlier. I'd run an "on pace" half-marathon the week before. I'd also taken two international trips in four weeks and had come down with a monster cold and sinus infection just a few days before the race. Yes, there were reasons. But on Sunday morning as I walked to the starting line, those reasons seemed like excuses to me. I'd trained hard, planned carefully and dreamed about this moment for months. I was ready. I'd done all the work necessary to succeed. In the months leading up to the race, I'd calculated how much I could push my body. I arrived at the start prepared for and expecting only one outcome: a sub-five-hour marathon. The race initially unfolded according to plan. I hit the halfway point at 2:27:32, right on target. At mile 15, I was still there. By mile 17, I was three seconds off pace, but still hopeful -- even though I was beginning to feel the signs of impending disaster. www.TeamInTraining.org

Page 6 of 16

Marathon Training

Then in one sputtering, stuttering moment, my dream shattered. My legs, my lungs, my entire body gave out. My will was no match for them. As I hobbled and wheezed my way to mile 18, I was forced to concede defeat. I would not succeed on this day. My race, my hope and my dream were dashed. It still hurts, and that's ok As friends and colleagues congratulated me on my wisdom to stop, I smiled wryly. Yes, I know I did the right thing. I know I'll run other races. I know that it's never smart to push through that kind of pain. I know that I showed respect for my body. I know I acted like a true athlete. I know. But somehow that didn't keep my heart from aching. In the end, knowing you've done the right thing doesn't stop you from wishing you hadn't had to. Waddle on, friends.


Page 7 of 16

Marathon Training

Penquin Tips According to former star runner Frank Shorter, who wrote the foreward for the new Bingham/Hadfield book Marathoning for Mortals: A Regular Person's Guide to the Joy of Running or Walking a Half-Marathon or Marathon, "They remind us that a big part if running and walking - the part where the fun and personal gratification are kept - is the journey. They know that simply finishing can be one of life's personal joys" Once considered a feat for superhuman athletes, long distance walking and running is now within the grasp of nearly everyone. National spokesperson John Bingham and former Illinois TNT head coach Jenny Hadfield have joined forces to bring you a winning plan. In the book, you'll find eight training programs to walk, walk-run, run-walk, or run the half or full marathon, the advice you need to physically and mentally reach your dream, tips to customize your training, buy the right shoes and apparel, and all the motivation you need. The book was written for and dedicated to TNT participants. For more information or to order an autographed copy, go to www.JohnBingham.com


Page 8 of 16

Marathon Training

Recovery Train to recover -- Don't recover to train By Matt Fitzgerald For Active.com Running doesn't make you fitter. If it did -- if you actually got fitter while you ran -- you would be a stronger runner in the last mile of a marathon than you were in the first. And we all know that's not the case! It's recovering from running that makes you fitter. The stress of running flips a number of hormonal and genetic switches in various parts of your body, allowing each part to adapt in a way that renders it better prepared for the next workout. But these adaptations can unfold only when your body is at rest. For example, running stimulates the genes responsible for building mitochondria, the organelles within muscle cells where oxygen is used to release energy. As a result, the number of mitochondria in your running muscles increases between workouts, boosting your aerobic fitness. Since the majority of fitness adaptations occur through recovery, the goal of your training program should be to maximize recovery. In other words, instead of recovering to train, as many runners do, you should train to recover. What's the difference? When you recover to train, your focus is entirely on the workouts themselves. Rest is just a necessary evil. You assume that merely completing a workout suffices to deliver benefits -- which isn't true. When you train to recover, you look at workouts against the backdrop of the recovery opportunities that precede and follow them, and without which running delivers no benefits. This leads you to adopt better ways of balancing your workouts and rest periods -- such as the following four -- that will allow you to experience greater fitness gains from the same amount of training. Obey the hard-easy rule The strongest recovery response follows from the most challenging workouts -- runs that are near the maximum limit of what you can handle at your present fitness level. But you can't do such challenging workouts every day; two or three per week are plenty. Your other runs should be easy, so they don't interfere with your recovery from the most recent hard workout or spoil the next one. A typical runner might train five times per week, with each run representing a "5" on a 10-point scale of difficulty. It would be better to do two "8's" and three "3's." Both schedules add up to 25 points, but the latter schedule will stimulate more recovery and, consequently, bigger gains in fitness. Train opportunistically In order to get the most out of your tougher workouts, you need to do them on days when your body is ready to perform at a high level. Since it is often difficult to know whether your body is primed for a good effort until you start running, it's a good idea to train opportunistically.


Page 9 of 16

Marathon Training

What does this mean? It means don't lock yourself into your plans. If you start a planned hard run and feel sub-par, substitute an easier workout. Likewise, if you start a planned easy run and feel you're on the verge of a breakthrough, take advantage of the opportunity by switching to a challenging workout. Scroll down for a few examples of "Plan B" workouts. Grade your workouts Remember, when your goal is to maximize recovery, it's not enough just to complete your key workouts -- you also need to perform well in them. By grading your workouts you can measure how much you're getting out of them and adjust your training appropriately when it's not enough. After completing each run, give it a grade in your training log: for example, "great," "good," "fair," or "bad." Three consecutive "bad" days indicate that you are not getting enough recovery to perform adequately in workouts and should rest or take it easy for a day or two. A full week without any "good" or "great" workouts indicates the same. Use step cycles Step cycles are two-to four-week blocks of training in which your training load steadily increases until the final week, when it is cut back for recovery. Like the hard-easy rule, step cycles allow you to train harder when you mean to train hard, yet also absorb your hard training more fully, than when your training load is less varied. You may need to experiment to find the step cycles that work best for you. A good place to start is with a three-week cycle with a 20-25% reduced training load in the recovery week, as in this example: Week One: 25 miles (three hard runs) Week Two: 28 miles (three hard runs) Week Three: 20 miles (two hard runs) Plan B workouts You've scheduled an easy workout today, but when you start running, you feel ready to race. Don't waste this opportunity to perform a breakthrough workout. Head to the Hills Alter your planned route and make a beeline to the nearest hill. Charge up the hill at an effort level of 9 (on a 1-10 scale) for 60 seconds, then jog slowly back down. Complete 6 to 12 intervals and cool down with 10 minutes of easy jogging. Race Me to the Lamppost Turn your planned easy run into a fartlek workout. Scatter 6 to 10 hard efforts lasting 20 to 60 seconds apiece throughout an otherwise moderate-pace run. Make it fun by picking landmarks ahead and running hard until you reach them.


Page 10 of 16

Marathon Training

You've begun your warm-up before a planned hard workout and you feel like death. What should you do? Super-Long Warm-up Although it's unwise to force yourself through a hard workout when you're poorly recovered from previous training, don't give up too easily. Sometimes it takes a while to find your legs. Try doubling or even tripling your normal warm-up; if you start feeling better, proceed with the planned workout; if not, try again tomorrow. Option X If you feel too depleted to do a planned hard run but don't feel like taking a day off, do an easy cross-training workout instead. Non-impact activities such as swimming and cycling will give you an aerobic training stimulus without hindering your running recovery.


Page 11 of 16

Marathon Training

Walking Tips by Tom Dooley National Team In Training Walk Coach and Advisor Tom Dooley is a former two-time Olympian and multi-national record holder, and participated in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics, representing the United States in race walking. He won a silver medal in the 1971 Pan American Games, was a member of the National Race Walking Team from 1967-1980 and holds 11 American race walking records. Dooley became the head walking coach for the Northern California Chapter's Team In Training rogram in 1994. Since that time, he has trained more than 1,100 volunteers to complete various marathons through the Team In Training® program. Dooley has authored numerous articles on the training and conditioning of walkers. Marathon Preparation As you prepare for the big day, the following information and checklist may help them to remember those little things that marathoners may forget - no matter what their experience. The list also is geared for a warm-weather marathon. Packing list for race day: • • • • •

Two pairs of shoes (worn and broken in, at least one pair of which was worn in the longest training walk of 20-22 miles) Two pairs of socks (those that were worn in the long-training walks) Team In Training marathon shirt (washed and preferably worn, if possible) Hat or visor, sunglasses, and, for women, Jogbra (if worn during training) Additional items: sunscreen, Vaseline, lip balm, fanny pack, antibacterial ointment, bandages, second skin, deep heat Mentholatum, Advil, energy food, carbo-drink or POWERade, epsom salts (for after the race).

These items can be carried in a fanny pack and used during the marathon. Epsom salts mixed into bath water greatly aid muscle soreness after the marathon. Body Prep Use Vaseline on all areas of the body that tend to chafe. Body lotion applied to arms and legs can help retain body warmth, as the morning of the marathon may be cool. The Start of the Marathon Most marathons have large fields. Unless walkers have an early start, have your walkers line up at the staging area according to their expected marathon time. This greatly reduces jostling of the slower walkers as faster participants pass them.


Page 12 of 16

Marathon Training

Post-Marathon Tips Rehydration Drink plenty of water following completion of the marathon. After drinking 24 to 32 ounces of water, you should drink a liquid carbohydrate drink (i.e. POWERade) to make sure you are replacing your electrolytes. Food Your body will be able to digest simple carbohydrates such as fruit, pasta, etc. during the first six hours following the marathon. Walkers may experience indigestion if they try to resume an ordinary diet immediately after the marathon. Rest Walkers should not attempt to sit down and rest immediately after the marathon. You should walk around slowly and do some light stretching to reduce the onset of cramping and soreness. Following the marathon, walkers should soak for 20 minutes in a warm (not hot) bath with epsom salts (1-2 cups per tubful of water). This will help reduce overall soreness. Continue drinking water while in the bath and afterwards. Following your bath, you should get some rest before attending the Victory Celebration. Massage Getting a massage the day after the marathon will continue to reduce overall muscle soreness. Many hotels offer this service.


Page 13 of 16

Marathon Training

Running Tips by Jack Daniels, Ph.D. National Team In Training Run Coach and Advisor Jack Daniels, Ph. D.Jack Daniels, Ph.D., is a past winner of silver and bronze Olympic medals in the modern pentathlon. He has coached 24 NCAA national individual champions, seven NCAA national team championships, 110 All Americans collegiate athletes, and four Olympic marathon medalists. Daniels is a two-time recipient of the National Coach of the Year award and is the author of Daniel's Running Formula published by Human Kinetics, and more than 50 articles and research studies involving elite athletes. Respect the Heat Of all the adversities that marathoners (or any distance athletes, for that matter) face, heat is one of the worst. Although not necessarily so, excess heat often leads to dehydration, another major enemy of endurance athletes. Remember, it is possible to be adversely affected by the heat without becoming dehydrated, and you can also become dehydrated without getting over-heated. These two conditions can affect the body independently. Over-heating An over-heated body is the result of inadequate cooling. And adequate body cooling depends on evaporation of water from the skin. It is not just wetting of the skin that counts, the fluid must evaporate (the process of which takes heat from the body's surface). You can easily prove to yourself how effective evaporation of fluid from the skin can be. On a warm day feel how warm your skin is at different locations. Often, the stomach is several degrees cooler than are some other areas (a bare middle can become a great site of cooling), and certainly, the skin is cooler than are the muscles, or the blood that helps carry the body's internal heat to the skin. So, the process is that when the body heats up, it starts to sweat and also starts to send more blood to the periphery (skin) where it is cooled by coming in contact with the relatively cooler skin. The cooler blood then circulates around the body, picking up heat from exercising muscles, which allows them to continue contracting more efficiently. When the cooling mechanisms cannot keep up with heat buildup, the core temperature rises, and with even just a few degrees higher temperature, body functions start to suffer. We always hear about the need to "warm-up" before a race, and an increase of about one degree among the exercising muscles is desirable for improved performance. However, when the temperature rises more than just a degree or two, function is adversely affected. Also, consider the effect heat has on providing oxygen to the exercising muscles. When blood flow increases to the skin (for improved cooling), this means less blood is being directed to the muscles. And with less blood going to the muscles, less oxygen gets to the muscles, which affects performance. The body is more interested in self-preservation than it is in ideal race performance, so it usually chooses to maintain a desirable temperature before it allows you to keep a particular pace that would interfere with cooling. It really boils down to either going at a pace slower than you want, or over-heating (which the body despises). Give in to your body under these circumstances - it knows best. Slow down in the heat, if you must be in the heat.


Page 14 of 16

Marathon Training

Minimize the Effects of Hot Weather You can acclimatize somewhat to hot weather, and exercising in the heat will speed up that process. However, it is not advisable to purposely exercise in the hottest part of the day, with the idea that facing greater heat will help acclimatization. Rather, seek out the cooler times of hot days - early morning and evening. Early mornings are the coolest part of the day, but are often more humid. Evenings are often less humid, but considerably warmer. It is really a matter of personal choice higher humidity and lower temperature or higher temperature and lower humidity. Either is certainly better than exercising when the sun is up and radiation is adding its effect to that of high temperature and humidity. Wear light, loose-fitting clothing. Experiment with different types of garments, caps (that can provide some shade, but also may produce a very hot head), socks, etc. Dehydration Dehydration is most often associated with the heat, but can occur even in cool weather. It is simply the process of losing fluid from the body. Again, the body knows what is best for it and when fluid levels get below a certain desired amount, the body protests by slowing down (in hopes of lowering the stress that is leading to the loss of fluid). If fluid levels get low enough, the body will just about stop functioning and you will pass out (lowering functions to a very low level in hopes of continuing on a little longer). Dehydration is a terrible way to go and must be avoided at all costs. Naturally, the body can become dramatically dehydrated during certain illnesses - vomiting and diarrhea can quickly result in dehydration. Among healthy individuals, exercise is the most usual cause of becoming dehydrated, as a result of loss of fluid (via sweat) as you work to maintain desired temperature (explained above). Just as in the case regarding many body functions, different people react differently to the same set of conditions - heat, for example. In a highly-controlled study that I performed a few years ago in Arizona, four groups of runners raced the same 25km road course on three consecutive weekends. The temperature varied from about 65 degree to 85 degrees for the three different runs. Each runner was weighed before and after each run and the exact amount of fluid that each drank was carefully monitored. Two of the subjects provided some interesting results. The two in question each weighed 165 pounds, each ran the 25,000 meters within one minute of the same time and each drank exactly 1,000ml of the same fluid. Both were also residents of the Phoenix area and well acclimatized to the local weather conditions. At the end of the run in question, one runner had lost a net of 1,500ml of water (3.3 pounds), the other weighed 8.8 pounds. Less, which means he lost 4,000ml more than he took in (5,000ml - 1,000ml = 4,000ml, or 8.8 pounds). What it boiled down to was that the first runner had a net water loss of 100m. per km run (100 X 25 = 2,500ml, minus the 1,000ml intake = 1,500ml or 1.5 liters or 3.3 pounds). The second runner lost 200ml per km run (200 X 25 - 5,000ml, minus 1,000ml intake = 4,000ml or 4.0 liters or 8.8 pounds). Look at the difference in fluid loss between these two runners - 100ml vs. 200ml per km run. In a marathon (42km) this would mean fluid losses of 4.2 litters (5.64 pounds) and 8.4 liters (18.48 pounds), for the two runners respectively. These losses represent 3.4 percent and 11.2 percent of the runners' body weights. A loss of about 5 percent will negatively affect performance; more than 7 percent or 8 percent will not be tolerated - someone who loses 200ml per km will not make it to the end of a marathon. Actually, this 200ml per km net loss was the result of a 240ml per km gross fluid loss, coupled with a 40ml per km replacement (1,000ml over the course of 25km run). Minimize the Effects of Fluid Loss www.TeamInTraining.org

Page 15 of 16

Marathon Training

First, learn to drink during long runs or walks. Drink a lot with higher ambient temperatures. Figure your body can absorb about 1,000ml of fluid per hour, so learn to be able to take in that much, if necessary - just over a cup every 15 minutes. On the other hand, drinking more than about 1,000ml per hour may not be beneficial, if not more than that can be absorbed anyway. In fact, if you lose 240ml per km (10 liters) and drink 4 liters in a 4-hour marathon, the net loss is 6 liters (13.2 pounds - 8 percent of a 165-pound runner's body weight - not good). My point is, some people will have real trouble completing a marathon, others very well may not. But, if it is hot enough, almost everyone will have trouble, and under some conditions, a run must be given up or the approach altered (walk/jog or just walk, which will lengthen the time taken to complete the distance, but which allows for greater fluid intake). There is more to sweat than just plain water As you sweat, you lose water and electrolytes, which is the reason specialized sport drinks have become popular - they provide you with water, electrolytes and energy, all three of which are good for an endurance athlete. Unfortunately, many distance athletes become serious about what they consume only during races, but the body can gradually become lacking in electrolytes if fluid intake during daily training sessions is water only. Get in the habit of consuming a reputable sport drink during practice sessions. This will get you used to that particular drink and will also keep your body supplied with needed nutrients. I often think that the trouble some endurance athletes have in competitions is brought on by inadequate attention to what they do during practice, and they go into a competitive effort already partially depleted in some important nutrients. How To Calculate Your Reaction To Warm Weather Follow these steps to prepare your own guide to determine how much you need to drink to avoid dehydration during a marathon. 1. Record your nude body weight prior to and following runs or walks of 40 to 60 minutes at the intensity you expect to perform in your marathon. 2. Record the temperature and humidity conditions for each of these test efforts. 3. If you drink during any of these runs or walks, record exactly how much you drink. 4. Generate a table that presents the rate at which your body loses fluid under different temperature conditions, and what the loss would be over the course of a full marathon. 5. Take the steps necessary to counteract the predicted loss, to stay under a 5-percent loss. The table below indicates how much slower you might expect to complete a marathon under different temperature conditions (compared to a nice day of about 55 degrees and moderate humidity). Under the indicated temperatures and with abnormally high humidity, these adjustments may underestimate the effect. Walkers will face similar reductions in time, but they have more time to inject and absorb fluids so the problem should not be as great. Temperature

Race Duration (hour:minutes)

C°/F°

2 hr:10

2 hr:30

3 hr:00

4 hr:00

5 hr:00

21/70

+2 min

+2.5 min

+3 min

+4 min

+5 min

27/81

+4 min

+4.5 min

+5.5 min

+7.5 min

+9.5 min

32/90

+6 min

+7 min

+8.5 min

+11.5 min

+14.5 min

38/100

+8 min

+10 min

+12.5 min

+17.5 min

+22.5 min


Page 16 of 16