Virgin money london marathon count down – Training Tip
April 7, 2017
London Marathon 23rd April 2017 Sub 3 at 41 Years
May 8, 2017
Virgin Money London Marathon Count Down
Tapering less than 2 weeks to race
Second week of taper. This week, I reduce my mileage to 60 % from 100+ kms a week to about 60kms whilst maintaining the same training routine.
Tempo run today-Tempo runs increase the body’s lactate threshold, or “LT.” which is the point at which lactic acid begins to accumulate in muscles.
Lactic acid is a by-product of the body’s metabolization of glucose, which is the primary energy source for running. This accumulation causes increased levels of acidity in the muscle tissue, causing the fatigue and soreness that runners experience in races.
Easy run
These are easy low-intensity effort of a short to moderate duration allowing for recovery from the hard days. In addition to recovery, the easy runs help prevent glycogen depletion. After a hard intensity long or fast run the body will require 24-48 hours to replenish the used up glcogen.Running high intensity on consecutive days risks going into the second day with partially filled glycogen and having a difficult and bad workout.
Interval/speed training run
These are short, intense efforts followed by equal or slightly longer recovery time. The saying goes that if you want to run fast you’ve got to run fast. These runs do exactly that. You run at a fast speed.The intensity and speed of the intervals will vary slightly for each runner. Newbies will want to start out slower than veteran runners. Those in peak shape will be able to run faster intervals than those who are starting out.
Resting to manage taper mileage
Rest days are important to runners because they allow the runner to not only recover but also improve. It is during rest days that improvements are actually made as opposed to during the days when the runner is training. This is because the training process breaks down the muscle fibers while the rest days allow the muscles to have time to repair and strengthen. When this happens speed, endurance and strength are all improved. Rest days are therefore absolutely necessary for a runner to realize the payoff for all of his hard work.
Last Medium long run
A medium-long run is a run that lasts for more than an hour, to a maximum of 120 minutes/2 hours. For most people, that equates to covering between 10 and 20K. For those who are a bit more experienced and aiming to run a personal best or speedier race, running up to two hours and covering up to 25K could be a reasonable option.
Easy run
Demanding workouts like speedwork and long runs put a great deal of stress on muscles, and “any time there’s a stress, you have to allow some recovery time for those tissues to rebuild. Time spent going easy also builds your fitness base and staves off burnout. “Easy runs allow you to focus on enjoying the run and your surroundings,” says Michael Sachs, Ph.D., a sports psychologist at Temple University.
