Training For The Half Marathon Article By: Marco Ochoa, Orange Coast College For many athletes running a half marathon is not on their annual racing schedule. Runners usually tend to race distances that are familiar to them so they can compare and measure their success and improvement. The half marathon can be considered an awkward distance to be racing which makes it difficult to focus on such a distance. Developing a training program for this distance can be complicated for many runners mainly because of the odd distance. It can be too long for a 5k-10k runner or it may be too short for the marathon runner; so many runners pay no importance to this specific race distance. Training A Miler Article By: Rich Medallin, Esperanza High School Rich Medellin's thoughts/beliefs on coaching Ryan Bousquet to a 4:06.97 mile. When asked, "What do you feel is the reason for your big improvement this year (from 4:16.98 to 4:06.97) in less than 50 words," Ryan could not answer the question. He said that the best way for him to answer the question was to use singular words but he felt people would not get the complete picture (and I agreed). Running Training, Principles and Needs: Part 5 Setting Up A Season of Training. Article By Jack Daniels: Any time that you go about the task of setting up a running training program -- be it for yourself, an individual you are coaching, or a team of runners -- there are several questions that must be answered relative to each runner in the program They include such considerations as available time, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, current fitness, etc. Training For The Marathon Article By Marco Ochoa, Orange Coast College Running a marathon has always been a big challenge for many runners. Even if it is going for a fast time, trying to go for a personal best, or just to finish the race, runners are always looking for the best training program that will lead them to accomplish their goal. The individual runner will be faced with many questions concerning his or her training. Questions like; how many miles to run per week, the intensity and volume of the work-outs, recovery, long runs etc, etc. Well, first of all we need to understand that there is no specific answer to these questions because every individual runner is unique. But, a coach can prescribe a specific training program to the athlete according to his or her ability and goal for that specific marathon. Running Training, Principles and Needs: Part 4 Determining your current level of fitness. Article By Jack Daniels: By using standard values for running economy and by having a timed Performance over at least one running distance, a fitness ("VDOT") value can be assigned to you for training and race-prediction purposes. Table 1 provides this information. To use this VDOT Table, you merely look up a time associated with a distance you have recently run and read across to the column headed by "VDOT". VDOT is an adjusted V02max (which may or may not match a laboratory-generated V02max), which tells you how you might race for other distances (in the row, associated with the same VDOT), and also tells you how first to perform different types of training (Table 2 provides the training-intensity information). Running Training, Principles and Needs: Part 3 Goals of Training Article By Jack Daniels: What a runner is really trying to accomplish through traiing are the following. (1) Improve the body's ability to transport blood and oxygen, (2) Increase the ability of the running muscles to effectively utilize their available oxygen (to convert carbohydrate and fat fuel into useful energy), (3) Increase V02max, which is a sum of #1 and #2, above, (4) shift lactate threshold to correspond to a faster running speed,(5) improve speed, and (6) lower the energy demand of running (improve economy). Naturally, there are other goals of training, such as improving race tactics, elevating self-confidence, changing body composition, bettering self-image, etc., but these less-tangible factors will all result from improvement in one or more of the above-mentioned factors. Running Training, Principles and Needs: Part 2 Aerobic Profile Article By Jack Daniels: The following discussion summarizes the importance Of V02max, (maximum oxygen consumption), running economy (VO2submax), and lactate threshold (threshold) for a distance runner. Running Training, Principles and Needs Article By Jack Daniels: Training principle #1 -- the body reacts to stress. There are two types of reaction to the stress of exercise: 1) An acute reaction, such as you would experience if you got up from your seat, went outside and ran to the comer. Heart rate speeds up, stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped with each beat of the heart) increases, ventilation rate and depth of breathing increase, blood pressure rises, your muscles feel some fatigue, etc. If you perform this ritual--running to the comer-on a regular basis, then you will continue to get regular, acute reactions to this activity. You will also get a different reaction to the repeated, chronic exercise, or training, as we favor calling it. Developing the 800-1,600 Meter Runner Article By Skip Stolley: Coordinator AAF/CIF Coaching Programs In a race proceeding at 6-7 meters per second, tactical errors can be irreversible. 800-meter runners have to make decisions and respond to events in their race in a split second. A moment's hesitation can be the difference between winning and losing in a race that lasts about two minutes. The Total Distance Runner Article By Jim Arquilla: Long Beach Wilson Many distance coaches have trouble getting their runners to enjoy track. Distance runners enjoy the wide open spaces of cross country running, but many feel confined by running continuously around a track. If they become bored and lose interest it results in poor performances. Athletes who are great cross country runners may become only good or average track runners. Restoration and the Transitional Period Between Cross Country and Track Season Article By Jack Ransone Ph. D. : Restoration is a very important component of any exercise training program. Hans Selye, back in the 1950's, outlined the stress-adaptation syndrome of which recovery was a key to adaptation and compensation. Further research of Matveyev (USSR) and Harre (GDR) in the 1970's applied Selye's basic research in a stable and useable training philosophy. They applied work to recovery ratios to the training of athletes and establishing training cycles where exercise and recovery were theoretically quantified. Coaching the 800, 1500-1600 Runner Article By Manny Bautista When coaching the 800-1600, the coach must find the right combination of both speed and endurance for that particular athlete. The coach must first determine if that athlete is a 400/800 type or a 800/1600 type. If your athlete is a 400/800 type, then they have good speed and handle short interval workouts well, but they don't handle the longer repetition type workouts as well. When working with 800 runners, in general, you don't need lots of time on the track. Remember, they only run 2 laps. The most important thing is to simulate parts of races in training. If you have a sophomore boy who you think can run under 2:00, then at some point that athlete has to get used to coming by the 400 in 58 seconds and keep going by the 600 in 1:28 at least. Northern Arizona University Distance Running Article By Ron Mann, Head Track & Field coach Northern Arizona University If athletes follow sensible progressions of workouts throughout the course of the season, they will not experience what we often refer to as "peaking out." Workouts must be kept interesting, as well as challenging, to prevent athletes from imagining they are experiencing this phenomenon. However, if early season interval workouts, for example, are made too intense and if too much emphasis is placed on major competitions early in the season. International Copyright © of CoachesEducation.com. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of CoachesEducation.com is strictly prohibited.