> What does it mean to do a Recovery Run? Recovery runs generally make up the bulk of any training program. These runs can be as slow as you need and are often referred to as a conversation pace, meaning you should be able to chat with your running partner without feeling too winded.
> What is Aerobic Capacity? Every time you run you teach your body how to more efficiently transport oxygen from the legs to the muscles no matter what pace you are running. The more efficient your body is at this, the higher the aerobic capacity. Anytime you are working towards getting fit one of your goals should be to increase your aerobic capacity.
> How can I prepare myself to not go out too fast or too slow at the beginning of the race? A good way to work on this is to do Pace Workouts. Whatever distance you are training for, 5k, half marathon, marathon, etc., you want to first determine what your minute per mile pace goal is or what you believe you are capable of running. For example, let's just say your goal is 9 minutes per mile for a half marathon. To then do a Half Marathon Pace Workout, you would want to run between 6 and 8 miles at a completely even pace of 9 minutes per mile. This helps train your body to hit the exact pace that you want to run on race day. Once your body becomes use to this pace, it will help you prevent going out too fast or too slow on race day. If you are a beginner, you may only do 4 pace workouts of a shorter distance throughout a 12 week training segment, for an intermediate or advanced runner, you may do 5 or 6 and the distances may be a little longer. Regarless, these workouts are key to any training segment for any distance.
> Why do I need to do Speed and Strength Workouts? Speed workouts help with your leg turnover and give your body a chance to get your heartrate up--remember, your heart needs a workout as much as your legs do! Speed Workouts are generally shorter in length, faster pace and have multiple repetitions like mile repeats, 1/2 mile repeats and Fartleks. Whereas, Strength Workouts are the most challenging workouts designed to really increase your threshold. These will be at a pace slower than your Speed Workouts, but faster than your race pace. These workouts tend to be a little longer in length to help train your body to maintain endurance and pace over further distance. The most common Strength Workout for a distance runner is a tempo run.
> Why are Long Runs an important part of my training? Your Long Run is not any more important than your other runs, it is an equal part of your entire training plan. You may do a long run every week or every other week. When training for longer races, like a half marathon or marathon, it is not necessary to run the entire distance of your race before the actual day. The key to the long run is to cover the distance, pace does not matter. Typically, you want to stick to a pace that feels similar to your Recovery Run days.
> What exactly is a Fartlek Workout? Fartlek is Swedish for speed play and is actually one of the best workouts around. Less structured than a repeat workout, a fartlek can be done anywhere because it is not based on distance. In simple language it is running fast for a certain amount of time and then slow for a certain amount of time. You can set those times beforehand, for example, and run for 20-30 minutes with 3 minutes hard, followed by two minutes easy, or you can just go where the wind takes you and run around the neighborhood or the park and pick out lightposts or landmarks and run hard until you get to them and then take it easy again until the next one and continue that pattern.
> Why are Hydration and Electrolyte replenishment so important to training? When you commit to a marathon or half marathon training program you commit to a lot of running. When you run you perspire and when you perspire you lose essential nutrients involved in muscle recovery. In other words, if you do not replenish those nutrients before, during, and after exercise you will feel sore, tired, and run-down. Besides water, you should be consuming energy drinks and gels. These provide the electrolytes that water does not. Practicing water stops during your everyday runs is also a good way to practice for race day when you should be taking water at every station and trying to take in as much as 70 ounces during the entire race.
