Should You Join a Marathon Training Group?

Now obviously I have running and marathon training groups and make a small income from people who desire to run marathons (or half marathons). But when I meet clients for a first time, I sit down with them for 30-45 minutes and ask them a list of questions to see what, if anything, I can do for them and their running goals.

I try to look at every person's situation and see what makes the most sense financially, socially, and within their day-to-day life. While I do believe running groups can help the majority of people to stay motivated, push themselves more, and meet new people. It's finding the right running group for you that is the trick.

Take me, for example, when I was 10-15 years younger, it was hard to find a running group that I could fit into because I was pretty fast. I wasn't a future Olympian, but I was a good local runner. Many groups I found had wonderful people in them, but they all ran at best 7-minute miles. Here I am a guy who could run 450-530 miles from distances from 5k to marathons, and did my training runs usually in the low to mid 6s...It was really defeating the purpose of joining a group. I never had anyone to run with in these groups, and I felt sort of like a "freak" because I was the "fast guy" who no one could ever run with - not fun.

With the internet really coming into it's own over the last 5-10 years, finding people like you has become easier than ever before. Now, you can find runners of all levels on the internet and maybe even find someone in your neck of the woods who has the same ability as you.

You need to ask yourself what kind of group do you wish to be a part of:

1. Competitive group - runners who have time goals, age group studs, hard core training people, and individuals probably racing weekly or at least monthly.

2. Social Running Group - Yes, some of the individual might be some pretty good runners, but the majority of the group are people who do get their training in, but like the social aspect just as much as the running aspect.

3. Training programs - You join these usually with a particular running goal or race in mind (many times its for longer races like half and full marathons) and usually has individuals with a wide range of abilities. These are more structured usually with training schedules attached to them.

4. Track Clubs - These can be low key are more intense, but obviously these are geared towards track events and not on road races.

5. Charity Running Programs - Same as training programs, but you join knowing that you will be raising money for a specific charity and in return you will get training advice, coaches, race entry,
and possible travel expenses all covered at no cost to you (as long as you raise the amount of funds required by the foundation or organization).

6. Online group/program - These are great for those people who simply love to run, have a goal race in mind, but truly have a busy schedule due to work or family commitments, and can never meet up with people on a regular basis.

Whatever direction you choose for your training, I would highly recommend you don't go about training for an event like a marathon (or half marathon) by yourself. Yes, it can be done, but unless you are very intrinsically motivated or you have run a marathon before, usually the do-it-yourself method will lead to injury or disappointment.

At the very least, consult a coach or trainer about a marathon training program you downloaded from the internet and ask him his feelings on the training plan.

Enjoy your training...and train smart

Run Marathons for the Right Reasons

My company is called Marathon Coaching Consultants, and one would think that I would be a huge proponent of running marathons...well, I am and I am not...Let me explain.


You see, while I believe that running a marathon is a tremendous achievement for anyone (elite or novice runner), I don't think it makes you more of a "runner" if you do one...In this case more is not necessarily better. Is a sprinter less of a runner because he's racing only a few seconds vs. a few hours of a marathoner? Of course not.




Yet, I come across way too many individuals who love to flaunt their numerous marathon finishes, or that they are training to run uphills both ways at 10,000 feet altitude in some "Run Up into the Thin Air and Drop Dead marathon" somewhere in the Himalayas. Or better yet, I love the individuals who are perpetually injured but love to tell how they ran their last marathon on tweaked knees, shattered collar-bone, and deviated septum, and now can't train for a month, but are going to try to gut it out in two weeks for some 30K tune up race in Alaska.






Am I saying you shouldn't be proud of your accomplishments? No, what I'm getting at is that there are those who want everyone to "look at me" and there are those who run for themselves and don't really care if you think they are crazy or not for wanting to run 26.2 miles on an early October morning somewhere in the Midwest.






So why am I in favor for running a marathon? I am in favor for the following reasons:

1. Great self-confidence builder
2. Great challenge to put on yourself
3. Training gets you into great cardio shape
4. Attainable goal, but commitment is needed
5. The amount of training makes working out a habit - which is a good thing
6. Wonderful way to meet people.
7. Training gives you quality time with friends and family if they do it with you.

Why I am NOT in favor of running a marathon:

1. If you are making the training a chore and are getting no joy out of it at all
2. Because you want to see how much pain you can take
3. Because you want to be a "real runner"
4. If you are neglecting family and friends because you "have to get this training in"
5. You don't have the correct amount of time to train for one safely


So, run a marathon because YOU want to do one, NOT because you feel everyone in your running group is doing one, so you guess you should too. That's not a good reason. Run a marathon because you want to see if you can put in the time and effort to finish such an enormous feat. Run a marathon for a loved one, or to inspire your kids.

My favorite distance to run is the mile - I love that race. Of course when you get to be an adult, there aren't too many competitive mile races you can jump into, but there are a boat load of marathons to enter. When I have the time and the energy (which are few and far between these days with two little ones, coaching, and a new 9-5 job) I do enjoy getting in shape for a marathon, but when I try to get in the training I need with a limited time schedule, the training becomes work, especially when I know I won't hit the time goal I would be satisfied with.

So, please run a marathon...or don't...you will still be a runner either way. Just run one for the right reasons, that's all I ask.

Heat and Marathon Training

It's hot all over the country now (and has been for a while out here in Phoenix, AZ), and for many it's when we start training for our fall marathons. And although it's nice to lose the hat, gloves and tights from our winter running, we all still need to be very vigilant when outside on our runs (especially our weekend long run). So here is a quick list of things and/or items you should be aware of when going for your runs in the summer heat:



1. Get out early if possible. I know out here in Phoenix this is the best time to run. With my groups at Marathon Coaching Consultants we run as early as 5 a.m. on the weekends for our long run. If you are going to run before the sun gets out, I would just HIGHLY suggest to run with a partner - one can never be too safe.



2. If getting up early is not possible, then at least try to get most or part of your runs in a shady area. I know out here in Arizona, this is virtually impossible, but for others around the country, I know there are a myriad of trails to jump on and get a good run in.





3. Wear a fuel or water belt! Especially on those runs over 30-40 minutes. This should be an essential item on your person. You don't want to get caught on a run without water.





4. If for some reason you don't own or have a fuel belt (or hate to wear them like I do!). Then make sure you run a route where you know you have access to a water fountain at least. I would suggest doing a shorter loop run with a water fountain on the course, which you can run a few times in order to get more miles in.



5. On really long runs (over an hour) don't just have water in your fuel belt, but have some sorts of sports drink on you as well. You'll need to replenish your electrolytes if you're out on the roads/trails for a considerable amount of time - water just won't cut it!




6. Wear sun block on your runs. Sure there may be a nice breeze, you can squirt water over your head every mile or so, but that doesn't stop the UV rays from damaging your skin if you can't find a shady place to run. So if you're going for a run let's lather up like we're at the beach.




7. A running cap and sunglasses are a great compliment when running on a hot sunny day. I go for just the cap pulled down low to keep the sun out because I'm not a big fan of wearing sunglasses on a run. But sunglasses allow you not to squint or cause any potential eye damage when logging in those long miles.




8. Last idea is to simply run in the evening, if possible. Again, like the early morning run, make sure you are safe and try to run with a partner. Usually, it's cooler in the evening to run then most other parts of the day. But again, this may or may not be possible for you depending on your schedule.




So those are some quick pointer to getting through the summer heat and logging in those miles for your fall marathons. Enjoy the sun this summer...just be smart about it.

Peaking at the Right Time and Running PRs

How does one know how to peak at the right time? How does someone continue to set personal records (PRs) year after year? These two questions can be answered with a simple word..."planning".

When I coach my athletes I am always thinking of how I can help them get faster. But at the same time I am thinking about who they are, their fitness level, their daily routine, their job/home life stresses, age, and what sort of training they have done up to the point they are meeting with Marathon Coaching Consultants.

These are all critical questions and one that I never take lightly. I wish there was a magic formula that I could just say, "Ok Joe, run this, run that, rest, lift, eat well, and you'll PR no problem." But of course that is not the case. I have high school kids on my team at Mountain Point HS who play club soccer during track season. I have adults who can only run 3x/week max due to their job, travel, and family obligations. Then I have clients who are coming off injuries and need to be coached with that at the forefront of my mind.

The reason why I have success with my runners is because I truly try to understand where they are coming from and what is motivating them to come out weekly and train with me. Some clients wish to make it to Boston, while others are quite content jumping into 5Ks every other weekend and not caring about their times...

I usually call "BS" when someone tells me they don't care how fast they run in a race, they just want to have fun and be healthy. It's not that I don't believe what they are telling me, but I think for many individuals, it's safer to say they just want to race, then put out a goal for themselves that they may not achieve. No one likes to fail, so I understand this sentiment.

What I try to get across to my runners (of all levels) is that you first need to understand how fast you are capable of running, so you can train more effectively and efficiently. Why would a person who runs a 5:30 marathon not want to finish in 5:15 or 510? The answer is that they would. And usually it's not that the person needs to train harder, but simply train smarter and with a plan.

And this is where a coach comes in so handy. A qualified coach can put a runner on a program that at the very least will have him/her running a more evenly paced race; but probably with the proper plan, will have his runners dropping times they never even dreamed of...

Case in point, every Tuesday I have track workouts with my adult running group. These individuals are usually 30-40somethings with kids, spouses, important jobs, and are looking to stay healthy. Most of them run about 3x/week but usually have not done too much speed/track running before they joined up with us. It's amazing to see a person's surprise when he/she runs a sub 90-second 400 m who usually runs a 9-minute mile on a long run. They simply can't believe they could ever run that fast...and that's the point, most of my runners (before joining MCC) simply didn't know what they were capable of and over time they have become much more aware of what they can achieve on the roads.

This article from Cool Running puts into more detail the phases of how to run PRs and peak at the right time.

You want to set yourself up for success. It's not a bad thing to first have goals that are pretty attainable because this breeds confidence within you. As you reach these attainable goals, then start with a more far-reaching goal. Give yourself enough time to reach this goal. Put together (or have a coach) put together a plan for you to get you to this goal. Make sure the goals hits all phases of training (endurance, strength, speed, rest/recovery, racing). And listen to your body! More is usually going to get you less results. If you are feeling washed out, fatigued, getting sick, then take the training back a couple of notches and reassess your plan.

I wish you all well out there on the roads...Good luck!

When Should our Kids Start Specializing in a Sport?

This is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. Although I love running (obviously) to this day still, if my mom hadn't pulled me out of the intense club track team I was on, I may have never continued running.

I began running at an early age (6 years old) and was pretty darn good. I ran a 2:48 880 yards when I was only 7 years of age, ran a 5:35 mile when I was 9 years old, and was a bit burnt out from the sport at around 11 years of age.

Why? Because I was focused on winning and not enough people were telling me

that if I didn't win, life was going to be alright. I was stressed out before races, got asthma that I believe to this day was psychosomatic , cried if I didn't place in the

top 3. Although, I didn't realize it then, I was not having a fun childhood in regards to running, but a pressure-packed stress-induced one. As I mentioned in the first paragraph, my mom saw what this intensity was doing to me and pulled me out the club team I was on.

Although I loved to run, I loved all sports. I would have played football (if my mom allowed it), but I still played organized baseball , basketball, soccer, and even

was on a swim team for a season or two. I never specialized in a sport. Even when I was running at a very serious level (age 6-10), I still took time off for other sports, and by no means ran all year round.

Not until the age of 16 (my junior year) did I finally run throughout the entire year. And do I think I would have been a better HS runner if I had run everyday of every year from the age of 6 on? Absolutely not! I actually know (and the medical research back this up) that by playing soccer, basketball, baseball, and swimming, allowed me to use different muscle groups and avoid injury. I was never injured because of a sport until college (where I ran XC, indoor, and outdoor track @ The University of Pennsylvania) and that was only for the indoor track season my freshman year.

Let's fast forward 15-20 years to the present day, where more kids are having sports related/induced injuries than ever before. I can't tell you how many kids I hear and see have stress and micro fractures, tendentious, knee problems,

shoulder problems, etc. It's ridiculous! The cause...kids focusing on one sport or playing one sport 365 days out of the year.

I think as a society we need to take a collected deep breath and exhale. More is not always better when it comes to kids and sports. Starting your 5 year old little

girl in gymnastics all year long will not guarantee she's on the cover of a Wheaties box in the 2020 Olympics. I would argue that you are

actually hurting your child's chances (even if he/she does have natural ability) at becoming an olympian or professional athlete by focusing on one sport at such a young age.

Think of it this way, does a genius kid become dumb if we put her in a school that isn't as academically enriching as the one down the street? Does the child prodigy not learn to play beautiful music if he's not given a Yamaha or Steinway to

practice on? of course not. And so is true with a gifted athlete. Of course one needs to practice, have determination, and possess a good work ethic to get better in any sport; but talent is a key ingredient to becoming a scholarship, professional, or olympic athlete; not limiting a child to one sport for the next 12-13 years of his/her life.

Read the excerpt below:

“In 1985, a study by the Swedish Tennis Association suggested that early specialization is unnecessary for players to achieve high performance levels in tennis. Among other things, this study found that the players who were part of the Swedish tennis ‘miracle’ of the 1980s, including the great Bjorn Borg, were keenly active in a range of sports until the age of 14 and did not begin to specialize until about the age of 16,” (Launder, 174). (Associated Content)

At Marathon Coaching Consultants we coach many different athletes of all ages and abilities. As the high school distance and Cross Country Coach at Mountain Pointe High School, in Ahwatukee, AZ I am keenly aware of the different levels, ages, and abilities of my runners. I don't necessarily run a top freshman runner the same way I would run a top junior or senior runner because of their physical and emotional maturity. I want all my athletes to continue to improve every year with me, and never have a stale or plateau year (unless due to injury or illness of some sort). And this occurs on my team because of the manner in which I approach my athletes - as individuals and not as "the kid who I need to work as hard as I can, no matter what the negative affect on him, so as long as I look like a great coach."

I have never been a high mileage type of coach for this reason - especially with youth and high school athletes. Because even if a child/young person could handle the work load of high mileage training, he would definitely improve, but at what cost? I, as a coach, by heaping on mile after mile of training, am rolling the dice on this athlete's future in regards to his mental and physical well being. And that's a risk I am not going to take just to say I coached a runner who took 1st place at State. I want my athletes to run because they enjoy it. No point doing anything if you don't enjoy it, in my humble opinion - seems simple, but how many people really live their lives this way?

Let your child enjoy sports. I know there's pressure out there to have your child be on 4 traveling teams, 1 all-star team, a summer league, etc...But wait until he/she is at least in high school for all of that. Childhood should be about experiencing as much as possible in all disciplines. Winning should not be the goal in youth sports. Learning how to play a sport, improving skills, understanding the nuances of a sport, should be the first set of goals in youth sports.

Don't misunderstand me, I'm not one who believes everyone deserves a medal. Because there is a huge value in learning how to both win and lose in any competition; but at the same instance, if we teach and coach our children about how to become good team players, have SMART (Specific Measurable, Adjustable, Realistic, Time-based) goals, learn how to play the game the right way, to have a good work ethic, and truly enjoy what he/she is doing, than as parents/coaches/educators we have done our job.

In the end, your high school athlete will most likely need to make a choice on a particular sport if he is talented enough to play or perform at the next level. But that choice should be because he wants to play at the next level, enjoys the sport, and wishes to see how far he can go in this arena. But to think before the age of 12 - 14 years of age, he needs to be routinely put in a batting cage and take 500 swings, swim 100s of laps in the pool, or practice 30 yard passing plays for hours on end to become the next Major Leaguer, Olympian, or NFL star QB, than you are simply missing the point of youth sports...

To have fun!

Below are a list of links to articles that relate to this topic of youth specialization:

Parenthood.com

AAP Policy

Problems with Early Specialization

Associated Content

Ideafit.com

Learning Pace without GPS, HR, and Watches

You have the GPS, the wrist chronograph, the heart rate monitor, and still you manage to go out 30 seconds a mile faster for your first couple of miles in any race you sign up for. You end up feeling very fatigued by the end of the race.

How is it the guy who just ran 15:00 for the 5K race looks fresh as a daisy and is warming down another 3 miles, while you are gasping for breath like you just had a heart attack?

The answer is quite simple. The person who won the race probably ran the proper pace for himself, and thus, while he may be fatigued, is not overly tired because he ran within himself. You, on the other hand, went out at a blistering 7 minute mile, when you are an 8-minute miler and crashed and burned somewhere around 1.5 to 2 miles of the race.

So what do you do?

Well, there is nothing to worry about. This is a common problem for many newbie runners (and even for the not-so-newbie-runners as well).

What you need to start doing is to start associating when you're running and not disassociate. When dealing with my running group in Phoenix, Arizona, I let them know that while it is fine to run with an iPod to get them through their longer runs, it is necessary to listen to their bodies and how it is responding during a run. Are they tired? Do their knees hurt? Are they winded? Are their shoulders relaxed? Etc. And yes, what pace are they running?

I am always surprised at how many people don't time their runs or don't know exactly how far they run. I don't say this to be some sort of anal individual. But the more you know about how long it's taking you to do a run, the better idea you have on your pacing.

Having lived in Ahwatukee (the south eastern part of Phoenix) for almost 5 years, I can tell you how far it is from nearly any point in the area because I have run it; and even if I haven't run that exact route, I can estimate within a quarter mile after I have finished a route because I know my internal clock so well.

The track is the best place to learn pacing and get in touch with your inner-Timex .

The reason for this is because you always know where you are on a track and it's a flat surface. The below Runner's World article discusses how to use 400s to achieve better pacing.

Runner's World Article on Internal Clock

What I do many times is simply let people learn from their mistakes. Every Tuesday night at Mountain Pointe track my group does a workout - usually with the intention of learning proper pace. What I may say to my athletes is we are going to do 10-12 x 400s or 5 x 800s with a 2-3 minute rest and I want them all within 2-3 seconds of each other. I usually tell them to base their pacing on their 5K times. If they have not run a 5k in a while, I let them know that they can roughly drop or add 20 seconds per mile for each major running event to find their average mile pace for a distance they haven't run yet (example: If they run a 7:00 pace 10K, this would mean they could roughly run a 6:40 pace 5K or 7:20s for a 1/2 marathon).

What inevitably happens to many new runners to the track is they go out way too fast. I will query something sarcastic, but with a smile:

That was just a 90 second 400 meters, are you a sub 19-minute 5k runner?

Usually the answer is:

No, I'm a 24 minute 5K runner (or something to that regard)

I tell them to slow down. Or I will simply say to the entire group after their first interval:

If you are breathing hard and bent over you are going way too fast - slow down, remember we are doing 10-12 of these, not just a couple.

This method is by no means the only way to work on the internal clock, but I do find my athletes learn how to maximize their bodies depending on how far we are running. As the group gets more comfortable with their pacing, I will do workouts where we drop their 400s, 600s, 800s by 1-2 seconds each interval. I tell them to start a bit slower than their avg. 5K pace and that their last few should be definitely below their 5k pace by quite a bit (5-10 seconds). Amazingly, most people who have been with my program after only a few weeks understand

what their bodies can handle and push themselves to limits they didn't realize they could get too.

Other ways to work on pacing and one's internal clock is:

1. Don't look at your watch when you are doing a run and tell yourself you want to run at x pace and see how close you come to that when you are finished.

2. While doing a long run hit your lap button when you're at a location where you know how far it is to run a mile. When you get to that ending mark, hit your lap button again and see if the pace you were running that mile in was pretty accurate.

3. Do intervals without looking at your watch after the first few times and see how even you are running.

4. When first trying to learn pace, map out runs beforehand and know the mile markers. This way you can see what pace you are running when you are not pushing and this becomes your base pace. Once you know this base pace, then you can internally know what paces you are running when you are pushing it or easing off.

Again, we at Marathon Coaching Consultants help runners anywhere, but work best with people face-to-face in the Phoenix, East Valley, Ahwatukee areas.

"Human kindness through running"

Distance Runners Need to be Strong Too!

I hope in this day and age, most of you who are runners know the value of strength training, speed work, and a solid flexibility regimen (whether it be straight stretching, yoga, or pilates) in regards to your running performance. I will use other posts to discuss the importance of speed work, balance, yoga, pilates and their important relationship with running. Today I will focus on the issue of strength work - in a particular for runners.

For those of you who say, "Dave, I barely have enough time to fit in my runs. There is no way I can go to the gym and pump iron a few times a week."
I say to you nay-sayers that there is always time to get some strength work in. I'm not talking about 1-2 hours a day, I'm talking about maybe 2-3 times per week for maybe 30-45 min tops. And especially if you are a new runner (maybe a former couch potato), over the age of 30 then you should definitely be doing some strength work with your running.

Why? You may ask. Because as we get older we definitely need to do strength training to hold off the loss of bone density that occurs when we become sedentary. If you combine the amount of impact placed upon your body when running a strength or weight lifting plan is crucial to ward off injury.

Out here in Ahwatukee (the far southeast section of Phoenix) where I live we have a great YMCA. For the past 4 years I have been going there regularly to do strength workouts. I don't spend hours in the gym (only if I combine a treadmill workout with lifting). My lifting routine is done no longer than 45 minutes.

If gyms aren't your thing, than I would recommend you check out a company called Beach Body. They have home workout programs that I think are just awesome (just to be clear, I do not get money or any sort of compensation for talking about this company)! They have many different types of home workout programs. The ones I have used before are P90x and am currently doing INSANITY. When I had done P90x it was definitely working, but my training regimen for running was over 80+ miles a week and there was no way I could handle both. INSANITY, which I am currently doing now I enjoy immensely because there is no need for weights - it's all body resistance training, which I love.

The picture to the right is me one day 1 of the INSANITY training. Not in too bad shape, especially for a long distance runner, but we'll see how much tighter and cut I can get.

The bottom line is this, we at Marathon Coaching Consultants believe in more than just running with your distance or running program. With the many gyms in the Phoenix area, dvds you can buy to help you get stronger, or the many personal trainers in your area, there is no excuse not to hit the weights or do a few core and strength body resistance exercises a couple times a week.

If you wish to be a consistent distance runner as you get older, than combining balance, strength, and endurance all into your weekly workout regimen are essential elements to a successful, injury-free, and pain-free conditioning program.

"Human kindness through running"