Easy week and Go juice
Duncan has been trialling different gels and squeezies on his long Saturday training sessions. For the frequency do some maths and you’ll need your reading glasses for the small print on the squeezie label: 1 gram carbohydrate for every kg of your body weight, per hour. Eg, for my 75 kg, I take one Leppin squeezie every 20 minutes with how ever much water I need for the heat of the day.
He’s found that the squeezies really work well in conjunction with plain water in his camel back, although he was surprised that squeezies made him feel thirsty and he drank more than he thought he would. That’s the great thing about testing things like this in training, there’s time to adjust before the race (never use anything new on race day!) On his 3 and a half hour run he drank 1.5 litres of water. I’m not surprised at this and would actually expect him to drink a little more than this. If it’s a hot summer’s day come race day on November 22nd, you could even sweat/drink up to 1 litre per hour, so be prepared to drink more if it’s a hot day. Consequences of not drinking enough are usually cramps, and then fatigue and headaches later on, (..well more fatigue than usual after an awesome session!)
On race day you won’t need to carry your own camel back or drink bottles as the race will have drink stations providing water, Powerade sports drink, toilet facilities and first aid. There will be 11 aid stations on the marathon course, 5 on the half-marathon course. I’d expect you’d drink one or 2 cups at each station. There’s no need to stop to do so, just grab and run whilst drinking…. And there’s another skill to practice in your training!
Stretch some more
We’ve learned stretches for calves, quadriceps, hamstrings in week 8 and last week. Remember my advice to stretch immediately after your session whilst you’re at your hottest.
(http://www.stevegurney.co.nz/blog/marathon-training-week-8 and http://www.stevegurney.co.nz/blog/marathon-training-week-17).
Here are some more important runners stretches:
ITB and Glutes
Transition from Downward-facing Dog to One-legged Pigeon pose to stretch gluteals and hips, which in turn help to release the tension in the illio-tibial (IT) band. You’ll want to feel the stretch in the big powerful gluteal (bum) muscle. IT band syndrome is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The IT band extends from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, as it moves from behind the femur to the front of the femur during activity. It’s good to do most of your training off-roads to avoid ITband tightening.
Hip flexor
We want to stretch these muscles to allow a long stride during the toe-off phase of running. You’ll feel a stretch in the front of your groin on the side with the leg back. Holding torso upright with abs and core strong drop your crotch toward the ground. Make sure front knee is directly above your front ankle (knee at 90 degrees).
Raising your arm and leaning as Duncan is in the picture will increase the stretch.
Week eighteen training schedule:
This week is your easy week, a recovery week between 2 hard weeks. That means we’re easing back on the intensity, and increasing your rest to give your body a chance to rebuild stronger. We still do the long endurance session on the weekend but it’s at an easy pace. Make sure you eat and drink healthily this week.
Thursday 16th Oct
Warm-up jog; 15 minutes
Easy recovery run, 30 minutes
Warm-down jog; 15 minutes
Friday 17th Oct
REST DAY Treat yourself to a recovery sports massage, especially concentrating on tired / tender muscles.
Saturday 18th Oct
3 hrs, 45mins long, super easy pace this time, long endurance run / jog.
Start at 8 am.
Eat breakfast 2 hours prior.
Pace yourself to jog or run the entire time, (no walking) to show yourself the discipline for race day.
Soft trails such as dirt, gravel, grass etc to avoid injury.
Stretch straight after, and ideally get a massage to aid recovery.
Sunday 19th Oct
Easy walk or hike, eg with friends or family. 30 to 60 mins. Make it scenic and fun.
Important to make it easy, to help recovery from yesterday’s long session.
Monday 20th Oct
Warm-up jog; 15 minutes
Easy recovery run, could do some fun fartlek (speed play)
Warm-down jog; 15 minutes
Tuesday 21st Oct
Rest day (no time trial this week)
Wednesday 22nd Oct
Steve’s Strength and conditioning clinic:
5:30pm sharp! til 6:30 pm Meet 5:25pm at the Tennis courts on the grassy banks Lake Avenue, Frankton, Queenstown.
Alternative: 60 mins, easy pace jogging with fartlek = speed play.. Undulating small hills.