Use Your Brain 12 Ideas 4 of 12 Proper Pace, Negative Splits

4. Proper Pace, Negative Splits

Last blog, I mentioned the two biggest problems on race day. Overtraining, and going out to fast. Lets' talk pace.

Having run quite a few marathons, I feel very lucky indeed, when I finish with a negative split. This means I ran my second half marathon faster than my first half marathon. Almost all runners hardly ever do this. I've been lucky enough to have run about half my marathons, maybe less, as negative splits. It's my mantra, but even still, I often fail. Further, I figure I bonked, hit the wall, stumbled in, about every seventh race. It's really, really miserable. But I've managed to run well over half my marathons as Boston Qualifiers. Most of those, right on the edge, with in a minute or two, or even closer. I'm not a gifted athlete, but perhaps a bit more disciplined than many. That's all.
So lets talk about the secrets to proper pacing and negative splits.

A negative split simply means you run the second half of whatever faster than the first half.
Proper pace is the discipline that engenders this end result. It is EXTREMELY hard to run negative splits. But not because of physical requirements, but rather EGO!!!

Lets start with Pace.

Almost all runners over reach when setting pace early in races, insuring the dreaded and awful positive split.
A general rule is for every 1 second you go too fast in the first half of a marathon, you pay for it 13 times over in the second half, or in other words, you repay it EVERY SINGLE MILE on the back side. It's perhaps not that bad, but it can compound out of control.

Example:
Your actual pace should have you running at a 4:05 marathon. But you want to run a sub 4. You go out at a 1:59:59 pace in the first half. Everything is ok until the death zone (the last 10k... miles 21-26). The wheels come off, and you walk the last 3 miles, after puking. You get the medal, except it takes you 4:30. You ran a positive split. Your more cogent, less ego driven alter ego runs a 2:03:00 half, and finishes running the second half in a grueling and hurtful 2:02:00, total time 4:05:00. Negative split 1 minute.
what happened?

When you blow pace early, you don't get to "ADJUST" later. You instead CRASH!
Here's why.
It's Lactic acid and calories Stupid!

Two ideas:
Lactic Acid
Metabolic Requirements of Pace

Lactic Acid

Most runners run the very first mile at pace. Then they run even a little faster to put "time in the bank". This insures you create lactic acid, since you are not warmed up yet, and therefore blow right through your lactate threshold. First mile! You feel fine right then, but it's a ticking time bomb sure to go off. We are still learning about lactic acid, but it's what makes your muscles sore and slows you down. It takes 24 hours to remove just 50% of it! Staying UNDER your lactate threshold means you don't accumulate it, or at least delay it long enough to finish. This is why you need to spend large amounts of your training schedule addressing it and learning where it is.

Running distance is like running with a knapsack. After every mile, a brick is added. But the bricks can be of different size and weight. Smart runners collect smaller bricks, most runners collect really big bricks. Eventually, reality sets in, and no matter how mentally tough you are, when your knapsack gets too heavy, every one of us hits the wall, and it's all over!

"Fatigue makes cowards of us all" said Vince Lombardi.

The trick is, is to hit the wall about 100 yards from sight of the finish line, and gut it out for the win!
(this rarely, if ever, happens to occur, and is really the holy grail of every runner)

Metabolic Requirements

Not being a PhD. in kinesiology, I will keep this simple, but there's plenty of source material on the subject. I'm just trying to make you aware here.
1. You have about 2200-2400 calories of stored glycogen WHEN FULLY TAPERED and rested. You'll burn about 80-120 calories per mile, not including exogenous course environmental issues, like temperature, humidity, wind etc.
2. When glycogen is present, you get to burn fat along with it. This is good, since 2400 calories is not enough to complete 26.2 miles, as plain math indicates. ( 2400/120=20 miles)
3. When you run out of glycogen, your body switches over to protein. Less efficient, and by the way, your muscles are the source of the protein. Bad news.
4. The FASTER you go, the more glycogen you burn. the sooner you run out. The sooner you stop accessing fat. The sooner you start eat your muscles to complete the task.
5. I recommend TRYING to ingest somewhere around 800-1000 calories during the race, and also moderating pace, to at least TRY and keep your glycogen furnace from running out of fuel. Also note that the faster the pace, the less you'll be able to ingest and hold down in your stomach DURING the race. Figuring out how to get 1000 calories in your body without puking it up is part of course management, which I will cover in another blog.
6. When you run out of glycogen, you hit "the wall". You'll know it, and bye bye race pace and desired finishing times. Compounded!

The BEST way to determine race pace

So, you tell me, I can keep my ego in check (prove it), I know how to taper for the race so I am not over trained, and I will marshal my metabolic resources. But how do I actually determine the correct pace, not too fast, not too slow, so that I can run a negative split like you advise?

TWO Steps to Proper Pacing for a marathon:
1. Be conservative and run at least half the distance under control a number of times. Confirm you know how to run negative splits at smaller distances.
For instance, to properly determine pace for a marathon, run a few half marathon distances, in negative split fashion, and under control. There is then a formula you can use to determine pace. It works something like this:
Take you BEST recent 1/2 marathon time. Double it. add 15 minutes if it's under 4 hours, 20 minutes for under 5 hours, and about 1/2 hour for under 6. Run a negative split by about a minute or two. Done!

This will not be your BEST race, that's coming up. But it will be pretty close. You will have learned how to properly pace, how to keep your ego in check, how to execute a plan, how not to endlessly blow up and not be quite sure you are closing in on your best time, how to command the back side of the course instead of it commanding you. Not bad for your first time out. You'll be in the minority if you accomplish this, however, and my experience tells me your ego will not let you accomplish this goal. But good luck and I sincerely hope you can and will run this way.

2. See above. Also, run not only a 1/2 marathon, but also

10k's (http://www.liebreich.com/LDC/HTML/Various/RunCalculator.html) and the
Yasso 800's(http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-255-624-0,00.html)

By using all three of these times, you should be able to get an AVERAGE extrapolation of how fast you should pace. For instance, all through my 40's I was running half marathons at 1:29/1:32. I was running my Yasso 800's at 2:52 to about 3:00, and I was running 10k's at about 38-42 minutes. Indications for race pace were about 3:10 to 3:20 or so. I ran some sub 3:10's after learning pace, and easily ran 3:25's. Interestingly, my fastest indicators were the 800's. But my weight, at 182-195lbs., didn't translate as well as did the 1/2 marathon +15 minute rule. My Yasso 800's predicted FASTER times. But age and weight worked AGAINST me at longer distances. I learned to zero in my times by basically using BOTH 1 and 2 herein, with multiple times. Your ego will try and cherry pick pace, my advice is AVERAGE all 3 methods. This isn't exact science, this running stuff. Sooo many variables. It seems logical to me to be a bit conservative on your first attempt at ANY distance.



General rules about pace and negative splits:
1. You can't put time in the bank! Fogettaboutit. Even if it appears you did, you didn't run optimally!
2. You MUST learn how to determine proper pace BEFORE the race.
3. Negative splits keep you in control of pace.
4. Learn to run races just below lactate threshold
5. When you violate pace, you probably don't get to slow down. You often STOP. If you somehow manage to keep going, you pay back a compounded rate per mile to the course.
6. VO2 max is generally genetically set, Lactate Thresholds can be adjusted upwards quite a bit by most runners with proper training.
7. Train negative splits in order to race negative splits
8. First mile or two should be SLOWER than race pace, anywhere from 1/2 to a full minute. It takes guts to believe you will be able to SLOWLY recoup these seconds throughout the race.
9. Let your PACE group go ahead of you in the first half of a marathon, then finish the race AHEAD of them.
10. I've read that world class runners, on flat, cool courses, don't vary pace per mile by more that 2% average. Lactate Threshold management for sure!
11. There's two races in the marathon. A 20 miler, and a 10k to finish.
12. Train with speed work way faster than race pace.
13. Learn to run 1/2 marathon distances in your sleep. You have to be relatively "fresh" at the half to run a negative split.
14. This is why I am not in agreement with most training programs that have lots of runs OVER 2 hard hours. You eat up too much protein in training, and don't develop enough reserve speed. Less miles, faster speeds, SOME long runs. I'll go in to detail on another blog.
15. About a 7% slower pace off of optimal time will mean the difference between excruciating pain and a wonderful "workout" race that you can recover from fairly quickly. For an optimal timed best day on the course runner at 3:30, it means you can cruise it relatively easy at 3:45. I'm not saying not to go for it sometimes, but 15 minutes means an enjoyable, fun race with quick recovery time.
16. Most charts, websites, and advice columns are administered by or supported by the GGGS's. (genetically gifted, genetically sifted) Bless their small framed, oxygen processing, man meat deprived little skinny young bodies.
But when extrapolating data to indicate running schedules or indicated running times, please be realistic for making adjustments for your age or weight. See next link for age:

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/agegradingcalculator/0,7977,s6-238-277-415-0,00.html

But even more astounding is this one for age AND weight:

http://academic.udayton.edu/PaulVanderburgh/weight_age_grading_calculator.htm

Confused??? Me too.

So to review:

1. Run Negative splits on ALL workouts. Make negative splits second nature.
2. Use multiple sources to estimate pace. Become more optimistic ONLY AFTER you have completed a lower test successfully, ie. Negative split AND held pace throughout the race.

Use Your Brain 12 ideas 3 of 12 Preventing Overtraining

3. Preventing Overtraining
or.....5 Steps to INJURY

or... YOU CAN'T RUN WHILE ON THE BENCH!

If you've read some of my other blogs, you'll know I continually harp on two overwhelming mental problems that affect race day performance of almost every single athlete, including yours truly.
One is overtraining, the other is going out too fast.

Lets talk overtraining.

My previous post in this series talks of periodization. Read it again, if you need to. Merely by adhering to a written macro schedule, whereby you incorporate the principles of periodization, you win a tremendous mental advantage in your quest to become a better runner. Mediocre runners become solid journeymen, capable of perhaps even winning a medal or two on occasion. How exciting to move up the ladder without an increase in training load, by just working out smarter! A virtual freebie!!!

Here's the rub for most of you. You can't do it. You can't overcome the desire to continually work out harder and harder. Faster and more miles without regard to my 5 steps to an injury whereby you snap the weakest link in the chain and end up sidelined.
But overtraining is solvable. Continually work out harder and harder, but separate blocks of it with REST. That's called PERIODIZATION!
WHAT A CONCEPT.... I GET FASTER BY RESTING!!!!

Let's review the 5 steps to injuries...
You increase your 1. aerobic and 2. muscular capacities to their maximal capacity to ensure you will eventually injure: 3. bone (usually stress fractures)4. ligaments and/or 5. tendons.

It's as predictable as the sun rising. It's common to watch runners, especially newbie OC's, go right off the cliff. Happens all the time. I usually call it beforehand, and even notify them of the impending disaster, to no avail. Like in Rebel Without A Cause, Natalie drops the handkerchief, and it's pedal to the medal. What cliff? I 'll know when to bail. Oopsie, that first step is a killer!
Such is human nature.

So what expresses itself as a PHYSICAL problem, is in reality, a mental issue.

Suggestions/ Comments from the wizened one:

1. Rest makes you faster and safer. Periodization in a written program tells you when and where.
2. It takes only weeks to improve your aerobic/ muscular components. It takes months or years to improve bone density, ligaments and tendons. Outrun the last three, get a seat on the bench. A guaranteed "I told you so".
So interposed periods of BASE TRAINING, incorporating rest, are a must!
3. Once injured, the rule is this... It takes, at a minimum, TWICE as long in recovery to regain where you were relative to how long you were out. For instance, you go OC.

You injure on January 1. Stress fracture. 4 weeks no running, maybe 6. Then you enter another HIGH RISK recovery zone where you get to try and show how stubborn and clueless to your body you really are. The forces that drove you to the stress fracture now drives you to a too early recovery. You start running Feb 1 , and by mid Feb. you are feeling great, run hard and ooopsie! Back on the bench for another 4 weeks with same or new injury. You comment on your "bad luck" and on and on .
In reality, you should have crosstrained, then VERY SLOWLY recovered all of February , then slowly regained miles and speed well into late March, IF YOU ARE LUCKY. So, you just went from January 1 to March 31st, WITH NO GAIN IN PERFORMANCE, AND HIGHER RISK THE WHOLE TIME. Just because you got frisky. Best scenario!! And your base is compromised which still leaves you in a higher risk zone! Oye Vey!!!
4. Big Races leave Big Shadows. After your first marathon, the risk shadow may go out 3 months or even longer. The first 6 weeks are incredibly dangerous. For the more experienced, those numbers are 2 months, with high risk for 3 to 4 weeks. It happens so many times... they tell me they feel great and going to run another race at x pace, or they need to quickly return to hard training so they don't lose the edge. I advise caution, then bite my lip days or weeks later when they tell me "bad luck" has visited upon them, poor folks.
5. Become an ADULT. Learn to defer gratification. All comes to he who waits. You'll be so smug when you reach your goal, just take a little extra time to do it.
Really, what's the hurry, it's a journey!

Use your Brain 12 ideas 2 of 12 Periodization

2. Periodization
In our continuing series of Mind Blowing ideas to help you run (or workout in general) mo betta.....
More effective but in spirit like Professor Harold Hill's "Think System", you merely need to use your brain to train better, and to perform better. Kinda like free lunch
Same effort, but smarter techniques get better results!

Please read this link when you can.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sports_periodization

I have been on a periodization program since I was about 32 years old.

Basically, periodization has 4 phases. A ramp up of 1, 2 then 3 weeks, followed by a cut back 4th week. Then week 5,6,and 7 increase either/and/or speed/load of weeks 1,2 and 3. Week 8 cut back. This goes on indefinitely.

IN A NUTSHELL.. you gradually increase 3 weeks in a row, then 4th week cut way back. Then do it again at a slightly higher level!

Read the following only if you want to go deeper, get a brain cramp, or tell me my math is really bad...this is an APPROXIMATION....

Four weeks would look like this....(week1+week2=(week1+x)+week3=(week2+x)+week4=(week1-2x))

then....the next 4 weeks become ((week5=(week1+x))+(week6=(week2+x))+ (week7=(week3+x))+(week8=(week5-2x)) and so on, if I got my math right.

Note week 8 is relative to the start of the new 2nd series.....the fourth week recovery is always relative to the first week of the series. I have approximated the cutback 4th week to (-2x) as a representation of the considerably LOWER workout requirements of the fourth week. You could subtract more or less x every fourth week. In any case, it should end up being about 30% to 40% less than your hardest week of the previous 3 weeks. x, the increase, should probably be around 3% a week, so you never violate a total increase of about 10% total for the month, ballparking the cumulative increases and cutbacks. Someone with a math background might help me explain it better, so feel free to comment.
Every fourth week is a considerable cut back!

Notes:
1. As I've mentioned earlier, inability to adhere to a periodization schedule is the very touchstone of confirmation that you suffer OC (Obsessive Compulsive) disorder, an all too common affliction of endurance athletes. The result of an unending desire to improve without rest leads to a performance plateau, followed by malaise, followed by depression over slowly deteriorating times and performance, along with injuries and unhappiness. If you move into the journeyman status of running, you will see the landscaped littered with such poor souls.
2. Periodization schedules can be micro and macro overlaid into all sorts of other activities. For instance, if you are weight lifting and running, you could use two schedules to minimize or taper weight lifting as you approach a footrace, while concurrently maximizing a macro schedule for running to attain peak race day performance. Cycling, skiing, rock climbing etc. can all have their day, while keeping a shadow schedule of other activities in the background without the effect of overtraining. (OC's are incapable of such nuancing)
3. The anti injury benefits of Periodization Schedules are incredible! Successively harder weeks followed by a 4th week of relative rest keeps your physical component fresh.
4. The MENTAL aspects of periodization are no less beneficial. Every fourth week you get to kick back. You can see it coming to help maximize 3rd week performance. You get to spend some weeknights or weekends with spouses, family, loved ones in a planned environment. This will likely lead to more support for your endeavors from these often neglected people in your life.
5. Periodization forces you into a schedule, so you train not how you feel, but how you can MAXIMIZE the workout/performance ratio. Remember the previous blog on 5 steps to injuries... aerobic and muscle will force injuries of bone, ligaments and tendons. The weakest link concept. Periodization on a written schedule greatly reduces this risk.