Training — What’s the longest run I should complete to prepare for a half-marathon?

JoeEnglish - 3:35 pm | 4

running advice bug Training Whats the longest run I should complete to prepare for a half marathon?Bari writes in with a question about running to the forum Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. I recently completed training a group of Sisterhood contributors for their first half-marathoners and Bari wants to know more about their training.


I just completed my 2nd 10k using Hal Higdon’s 10k novice training program. I’m now toying with the idea of a 1/2 marathon in October. I’ve downloaded Higdon’s 1/2 marathon novice program. I’m a bit perplexed as to why the longest run during the training is a 10 miler the week before the half. Does Hal really expect me to add essentially a 5k to my longest run ever? His intermediate program has training runs up to 12 miles, but there is also a ton of speed work and other “stuff” that I’m just not ready to incorporate.

Here’s my question: When you lovelies were training for your half, what was your longest run before the race and how did you feel moving from that distance to race distance? Also, how in the heck did you find time to train, what with kids and families and jobs and all that other crap?

Good questions Bari. In my answer here, I’ll try to explain how long your longest run should be to get ready for a half-marathon. I won’t try to answer the second part of your question regarding finding time to train, other than to say that we all have to be creative in making the time to train. When it comes to taking care of the kinds that may mean using a baby jogger, a day-care service at your gym or swapping babysitting duties with another runner so that you can each workout. It can be a real juggling act to get in those runs. But the bottom-line is that if you want to make your half-marathon happen, the most important part is finding time to do that training. I’m sure that you’ll find a lot more on the Sister Hood of the Shrinking Jeans about those topics.

What is the longest run needed to get ready for a half-marathon?
To answer the question of the longest run needed to get ready for a half-marathon, we first need to start with the type of runner and the amount of time available. I would split first-time half-marathoners into three groups: a) first timers with very little time to prepare, b) first timers with lots of time to prepare and c) more experienced runners who are stepping up to the half-marathon for the first time and want to be more competitive in their first race at the distance. There are some interesting nuances that come about when you separate runners into these three buckets, so let’s look at each.
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Training — Troubleshooting Diarrhea Problems in Runners

JoeEnglish - 4:13 pm | 1

running advice bug Training Troubleshooting Diarrhea Problems in RunnersA reader named Simone writes in with a follow-up question about running and diarrhea after reading our two-part series on the topic of Runner’s Diarrhea. Here is her question:


I’m getting back into running and am training for a sprint triathlon in mid-August. The problem has been that I have been having diarrhea nearly every day this week. I didn’t know there was a connection with running and diarrhea. I will try some of the things you suggested—your two-part diarrhea article and hydration article were both helpful. I think I have an idea now what might be causing it.

I do have one question, I’m pretty sure I am sensitive to all the sugar in drinks and bars. Is there any product that is not sweet that replaces electrolytes? I read your review on NUUN and will try it. Do you have any other suggestions? And are there any bars that aren’t so sweet? Do “salty” bars exist? I’ve been trying to create my own at home and am getting closer to something I like, but I’m not quite there yet.

I’m glad that you’re working toward solving your problem. Usually experimentation is the key to figuring out why you’re having these kinds of problem and it takes some trial and error to finding the root cause. But let me give you some additional food for thought (pun perhaps in intended.) You may also want to watch the episode of our video series on this topic, which may be less helpful than funny I’m afraid.

Season 2 – Episode 13 — The Runs on the Run from Joe English on Vimeo.

Here are a couple of things that I’d suggest:
– Make sure that you are getting enough fiber in your diet generally. Before bed every night you may want to drink a glass of water with a fiber supplement (like Metamucil) or have a bowl of cereal such as All Bran or Fiber-1. Many times these types of problems are caused by a lack of dietary fiber. Ensure that you are getting enough fiber in your diet in general, by eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
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Training — Dissecting the Overweight Runner

JoeEnglish - 9:56 pm | 3

running advice bug Training Dissecting the Overweight RunnerIn a post earlier this week, I was writing about methods for people to start running when they are overweight. I mentioned in that post that despite the fact that there is an image of runners as “tall skinny people”, we runners have been heartily challenging that image lately. The number of runners carrying more than their fair share of weight around during marathons seems to be climbing.

So the question that I wanted to revisit today is simply this: how is that some marathon runners can be overweight?

The answer is really not that complex. Runners are subject to the same rules as everyone else when it comes to the food choices that we make. Let’s dig in and look at four factors that could lead runners to be overweight.

Fat Factor 1 — you can’t eat whatever you want, just because you run. Although running burns calories, we runners still need to match our caloric intake needs with the amount of calories that we actually burn. Too often I hear runners say, “I run so that I can eat whatever I want.”

Most runners burn about 115 calories per mile, so in a 4 mile run, they’re looking at burning just 460 calories. A McDonald’s Big Mac has 560 calories in it (according to McDonald’s web-site) and when you add a shake (550 calories) and fries (380 calories), you can start to see how we really can’t eat “whatever we want” based on running a few miles a day.
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Training — Overweight and Starting a Running Program

JoeEnglish - 4:56 pm | 3

running advice bug Training Overweight and Starting a Running ProgramA reader of another forum named Debra wrote in with the following question:


Q: My question is all about running. I’ve just read that if you are fat and overweight that you shouldn’t run because it’s just too much strain on the joints. But I’ve also heard/read people say that anyone can run regardless of size. Also, there seems to be varying advice about how often to run. Daily is OK says some yet others will say never run two days in a row. I’m a newbie, overweight runner and have no idea what to believe. What’s the scoop on running safely?

A: First, let’s start by clearing up something that might help with the first part of your question: there a plenty of fat runners. Anyone that tells you otherwise is either not a runner or has never been to a running race. I say these with a certain amount of glee, because so many people have an image in their heads of the “skinny runner” and today the spectrum of people that run spans every imaginable body type. (The subject of WHY there are fat runners is another topic that we won’t go into today.)

So if there are fat runners, then that leads right into your question: how does one start running when they are overweight in a manner that will lead to successful, weight loss inducing, injury-free running and even a modicum of happiness? I’ll give you five tips on the subject that I hope will answer this question and debunk a few more myths in the process.

Tip 1: start slowly, be patient — I realize the double-entendre when I’m advising you to start slowly, but I’m not so much talking about speed here. What I mean is that when you take on a running program, take it in small bites and let the results happen over time. The worst thing any new runner can do is to go and start running say 4-5 miles a day, every day. Within a week, you’ll sitting with ice-bags on your shins wondering what went wrong. Start out with just one to two minutes of running interspersed with one to two minute walking breaks. Doing five run intervals and five walk breaks would take just 20 minutes and this should be a great place to start. If that’s too much, do even less. The important thing is to start small.
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Training — Help me Improve my Half-marathon Performance

JoeEnglish - 12:58 am | no comments

running advice bug Training Help me Improve my Half marathon PerformanceJulie from the UK writes in with the following question about improving her half-marathon performance:


“I would really like to beat my previous half marathon time and hope to do it in 2hrs 10mins or less. Distance wise my current long run is 10-12 miles once a week. I have no idea what to do to get more strength in my legs to help me get through this race as, on my long runs, it’s always my legs that quit first. The micoach tells me to do a couple of 30 min slow recovery runs a week, a long run and speed training (which I am particularly bad at as I don’t enjoy it). Is there anything else that you could advise me to do to help strengthen my legs?”

I can help you out here.

Unfortunately, you aren’t going to like my answer very much. The way to get faster is through a combination of that speed work that you dread and faster, shorter, runs. You see, if you are running 10-12 miles training for a half-marathon, then you have the endurance to do the race. The way to get faster now is to break down the distance in smaller chunks and run those smaller chunks faster. In other words, you can’t just decide to run 10 miles at a faster, but you can go out and run 2 miles faster. You need to start with shorter distances and build from there.
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Training — What’s on your running performance check-list?

JoeEnglish - 9:49 pm | 2

running advice bug Training Whats on your running performance check list?We runners have good days and bad days. We hope the good outnumber the bad, but quite frankly sometimes it doesn’t go that way. There are times when we find ourselves in a rut, grinding out the miles, and maybe even seeing disappointing workout performances. When that happens, the first thing I always go to is my check-list, which helps me look across the different variables that I know impact my running performance and then I try to figure out where I’m going wrong.

It occurs to me that many runners may not have a check-list that captures these variables, so my encouragement today is that you start collecting one. When you go through this process, you should really think about your life in fine detail and start to catalog those items that are likely impacting your workouts: things like your daily schedule, what you’ve been eating and how much stress is on your plate.

I thought I would share my own check-list, the one that I go to when the wheels start falling off, in hopes that it might spur some thoughts in each of you. Everyone is different, so this isn’t meant to be a guide, but the larger topics may help in guiding you to finding those items that move your running needle from positive to negative.

Coach Joe’s Personal Performance Check-list
1. What did I eat yesterday and how have I been eating over the past week? When I’ve been skimping on meals, especially protein, I notice a marked decline in my ability to recover. I start by re-setting my meal plan and making sure that I’m eating high-quality foods.
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Training — What Causes Race Day Fatigue?

JoeEnglish - 9:29 pm | 2

running advice bug Training What Causes Race Day Fatigue?A reader named Sarah wrote in with a question about a marathon that didn’t unfold quite as she had expected. After her training going well with three long runs of 20 miles or more and plenty of other miles, she came into the race prepared but then something went wrong. As Sarah writes:

“I really struggled with sleep the week before the marathon. Was particularly anxious and just keyed up for some reason. I traveled with friends and we stayed at a hotel. I woke up Marathon morning feeling okay, but I didn’t have my usual nervous excitement. I was excited about running, but it just felt different. I knew my training was good, but my taper was terrible with the bad sleep and anxiousness. So we get to the race and I started and felt okay. It takes a few miles for me to lock in and get that “i can run forever” feeling. Well, mile 5 comes and goes and it’s not locking in so much. Mile 8 comes and I’m starting to panic because everything feels incredibly heavy and the thought of running the full seems to be very daunting at this point. My legs felt like I was carrying 20 pound weights on each leg. I tried getting my mental game on to get me though it, but it wasn’t happening and I was struggling…”

So the question is what went wrong on race day. It would be easy to say that the fact that Sarah struggled with her sleep the week before the race might have had something to do with her performance, but I don’t think this is really the culprit. It is fairly typical for marathon runners not to sleep well for a few days before their key races and this has been shown in research to have little impact on their marathon performances. There are a few other things here that seem more likely to have come into play.

There are two likely causes for what amounts to an unusual fatigue on race day and both of them have to do with the taper portion of the marathon training cycle. The first is a lack of recovery from the longest training runs that come right before the taper and the second is a taper that doesn’t include enough speed work to keep the body “fresh and fast” going into the race. Let’s look at both of these in turn.
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Training — Energy Gel vs. Energy Drinks — The Face-off

JoeEnglish - 12:18 am | 3

running advice bug Training Energy Gel vs. Energy Drinks The Face offLast month at the Boston Marathon, the good people from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute put me through the paces of some endurance testing. It was an interesting experience with one key learning — although not a big surprise — I burn a heck of a lot of calories when I’m running all out. In fact, they found that I burn close to 1,000 calories an hour while running at my marathon pace, which is a whole lot of calories.

20100418 0159 Small Training Energy Gel vs. Energy Drinks The Face off

Coach Joe English During Fitness Testing

Gatorade Scientist Kim White suggested that I replace about 250-300 of those calories in an hour, rather than the entire 1,000 calories, because there are limits to the number of calories that can be absorbed by the body during hard exercise. You can listen to the conversation in the episode of our video series on the subject of sport nutrition for athletes.

Then we turned to the method of replacing those calories. The question: would it be better to use an energy gel or an energy drink to get those calories into my system? It sounded like a good challenge and I’m always up for a challenge. So today I present the energy gel vs. energy drink face-off.

I should also add that many runners feel that they absolutely must use an energy gel in order to get their calories in and that there is not enough carbohydrate in energy drinks to support their needs. I think after the outcome of this experience, I’d say I can debunk that myth, but that a balanced approach using both products might be a better approach.
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Training — Lingo Lessons – Decoding the Language of Running

JoeEnglish - 4:36 pm | no comments

running advice bug Training Lingo Lessons Decoding the Language of RunningI recently contributed to a lengthy Running Guide for the June 2010 issue of SELF magazine. The article includes a basic training plan for running your first 5K, 10K and half-marathon, which you can download from the SELF web-site. One fun section didn’t make the final cut of the article and I wanted to to share it with you. I was asked to provide a decoder ring for new runners, which we called “Lingo Lessons”. Enjoy!


Lingo Lessons — Decoding the Language of Running
Hitting the Wall: “Marathon runners my “hit the wall” any time after mile 16 in a marathon. Don’t worry, there is no physical wall. They’ve just run out of energy and have seen a sharp drop in their pace. The wall can usually be avoided by going out at an easier pace.”

Speedwork: “Any type of track workout that involves picking up the pace and pushing hard can be called Speedwork. Runners like to tell tales of their speed workouts, which may include fancy sounding terms like Pyramids, Ladders or 4×400s. Just know that these workouts are usually run on a track and involve trying to run faster than normal. (See also Tempo Run and Intervals.)

Tempo run: “A Tempo Run is a painfully difficult high-speed run that will last about twenty minutes in length. If you’ve been invited along on a Tempo Run, you’re either talking to someone that is a serious runner or who is trying to sound like one. You may want to pass on the opportunity unless you’re ready to really push yourself.”
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Training — Do I have to run more miles to get faster?

JoeEnglish - 5:18 pm | 2

running advice bug Training Do I have to run more miles to get faster?A reader named Tim writes in with a question that comes up frequently. Although Tim is an advanced marathon runner, the answer is applicable to all runners as they look to improve and are seeking methods to do that. Here’s the question:

So far, I have done 5 marathons and my time has progressed from 3:19, 3:08, 2:55, 2:52, to 2:45 (recently, at Boston). With the exception of the first marathon, I have followed Hal Higdon’s Advanced-II training plan, pretty much to the T. It has a peak weekly mileage of about 60 miles, with most weeks in the 35 – 45 mile range. I think Hal’s plan has been especially effective because of the emphasis on quality training days (tempo runs, speedwork, hill training, pace runs) as opposed to sheer quantity of miles, which can often lead to “junk miles” as you talked about several weeks ago.

I would like to keep improving. However, I also realize that it’s going to get really challenging, and I feel like I will plateau if I follow the same training plan again. It seems that most runners 2:40 or faster put in > 70 miles a week, so mileage seems to have a strong correlation with race time. For my next training cycle, if I try to bump up my weekly mileage, while keeping everything else consistent (still doing the high quality workouts) and being careful to avoid overtraining and injuries, do you think that would likely translate into a faster marathon time?

First, Tim, you’re doing the right things for you. With your times progressing and with you staying healthy and injury free, you’re close to finding the right balance of quality and quantity, which is a very good thing. The question that you’re asking here and that often comes up is “do I have to run more to get faster?” The answer is that the key to getting faster will be increasing the amount and type of quality work (AKA speed work) and then assessing what else you’re doing to see if other miles can be removed to make room for that speed work. If everything that you’re currently doing is optimal, then you may have to run more miles to get in those additional miles of speed work. But far more likely for runners is that they will find miles that can come out of their schedules and then run these additional quality miles without increasing mileage.
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