The following is an excerpt from our coach which explains why we employ the training methods we are using. I am getting ready to go to bed, because I need to get up at 4am in preparation for tomorrow's big run.:
"Let’s talk about why we train the way we do. I want you to understand these concepts both intellectually and emotionally.
We're not making this up as we go along here at AIDS Marathon. We've successfully trained over 20,000 runners. Our system works and it's grounded in science, not some article from Runner's World. Aside from being based on Jeff Galloway’s marathon training program, it is inline with what Al Schmidt teaches (the head track and field coach at Mississippi State University and considered the leading expert in endurance training in the United States today). It is also inline with what Tudor Bompa says, who wrote the book on training theory and is considered the leading authority on training in the entire world.
But, you won't peak on race day if you just go out and do your own thing. You'll underperform.
The physiological reasonsWhen we started we timed you for 3-miles. You all ran 3-miles about 1:00 to 2:00 minutes per mile FASTER than your current training pace. So, why aren't we running at the pace at which you ran your 3-miles. There are four primary physiological reasons:
Reason Number 1 - Slowing down by about 1:00 minute per mile means that on average, your heart will be working at about 65% of its capacity during our long training runs. That's the optimal range to build the necessary aerobic condition required for the marathon. While it will vary with age, your heart should be at between 130-149 BPM during our long training runs. The older you are, the lower the number needs to be. But, on average this is a good range. If your heart is beating faster than this, you are running too fast and you are NOT increasing your aerobic threshold. This is only accomplished by keeping your heart rate in the aerobic condition zone.
Reason Number 2 - Slowing down by about 1:00 minute per mile during our long runs also trains your body to actually STORE more energy. This is REALLY, REALLY important. Why? Because when you started training, most of you could store about 1500 calories of energy. By the time we finish training, you will be able to store about 2000 calories. But you only accomplish this by running at the slower training pace. We're altering your body's biochemistry to make you stronger. Why do we care? Well, in the marathon you will need every calorie of energy you can possibly store. We burn on average 100 - 125 calories per mile. I think you can do the arithmetic here. That's enough for about 17-20 miles and you will be going 26.2 miles. So, we have to figure out a way to make the limited amount of energy we can store stretch out over 26.2 miles. Which leads to the next reason we train at the slower training pace.
Reason Number 3 - By running at the slower training pace, we actually train our body to use fatty acids stored in the bloodstream as a source of energy. That's a really good thing, because it gives us the additional energy we need to cover the 26.2 miles. But, we don't use fatty acids if our heart rate gets above about 149 BPM (lower the older you are). If it's above that rate, you're using the energy stored in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. And we already know based on Reason Number 2 above, that we can't store enough of that energy source. So, we have to use fatty acids as a fuel source and we have to train our body to use it effectively. That can only be accomplished by running at our slower training pace.
Reason Number 4 - You're all doing very well and should be very proud of how far you have come but in reality we have not yet done any serious running. The serious runs we have are still ahead of us and they generally start at 17 miles (it's because of the amount of energy we can store). Running too fast increases your chances of injury, which puts all of the hard work at risk and puts the marathon in jeopardy. Running at the proper training pace reduces the chances of injury. The hardest thing about running the marathon is training for it. Training at a proper pace means that you will recover in time for your next training run. Your goal is to peak on race day. We don't want to coach "training run" champions. It's no good if you cannot perform on race day. That's your day to run hard and fast. If you get injured, it compromises your training and may actually prevent you from competing in the marathon. It's been my experience in coaching many runners over the past 5 seasons that people who train at above their training pace underperform on race day.The psychological reasonsReason Number 1 - Completing a marathon is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. Training for a marathon is the same. You should finish every training run feeling like you can run another 1-2 miles. You should finish every training run with your heart rate in the low 130's BPM. You should finish every training run feeling energized and emotionally ready to run the next long run. You won't do that if you run too hard, if you finish out of breath, if you finish exhausted, if you finish feeling like you just went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson.Reason Number 2 - You should finish every training run feeling a sense of accomplishment and confidence. If you run too hard in training and finish feeling badly, you will plant seeds of fear, uncertainty and doubt about whether or not you can actually accomplish your goal. The words "I can't" will begin to creep into your vocabulary. And remember, the person who says "I can" and the person who says "I can't" are both right. If you train at the proper pace, you will finish your run believing "you can" and having the confidence that you are ready to tackle the next long run."
