Training — How much running is too much for teens?

JoeEnglish - 6:38 pm | no comments

Coach Dean Hebert

Coach Dean Hebert

Coach Dean Hebert joins us today to answer a question from a parent, asking about how much running is too much for teen runners:

My daughter runs on a local cross country team. They start running every morning in the summer, 3 miles to 4 miles a day. In August they begin running 4-6 miles a day with races every weekend. In September they begin running 4-5 miles in the mornings and 3-5 miles in the afternoons. They had a retreat over the weekend and ran 20 miles of practice. Every year by this time of year…. the girls team of about 15 members, ages 13 years old to 18 years old at least 1-2 girls have stress fractures in their legs. Are they being trained too hard? Is this too intense for this age group? Marki

The proof is in the pudding. Though teen runners are more likely to encounter injuries due to their initial lack of conditioning and lack of year round training something like stress fractures at that rate is extreme. In all my years of coaching runners of all ages (including teen girls) I would be exaggerating if the incidence of stress fractures are 1 in 100 (or more) per year. 1-2 out of 15 is indeed excessive.

The rule of thumb is still to increase mileage about 10% per week. So let’s do the math together. If the team runs everyday 3 or 4 miles per day then they are running 15-28 miles per week to start out. By September, they are running as much as 8-10 miles per day, which is 50-70 miles per week! And add to that 20 miles in a single weekend retreat. This would be a lot of miles even for marathon runners, but the question I have is for what purpose are all these miles being run? Their cross-country race is only 5k!
Read more…

  • Share/Bookmark
Filed under: Training Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Multi-sport: USAT annouces 2009 National Championship events

Joe English - 12:43 pm | no comments

USATNATCHAMPLOGOCOLORADO SPRINGS– USA Triathlon (USAT) has announced the dates and locations for its 2009 National Championship events — and there are a lot of them.

The 11 National Championship events are being held in nine different states. Four of the locations are serving as hosts for the first time, while the others have a long history of supporting multisport events.

“Athletes can look forward to some new venues but also to returning to a few great venues. All the venues have proven strong support for the sport and a hunger to welcome great athletes into their communities,” said USAT National Events Director Jeff Dyrek.

USA Triathlon National Championship events provide competition for both amateur and professional multisport athletes in the United States. For amateur athletes, the events not only provide the right to be called a national champion, but also qualifying opportunities to compete with Team USA at International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships. World championship teams are fielded for Short Course Triathlon, Sprint Triathlon, Long Course Triathlon, Short Course Duathlon, Long Course Duathlon, Aquathlon, and Winter Triathlon.
Read more…

  • Share/Bookmark
Filed under: Triathlon Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Training: Dealing with performance anxiety in running races

Dean Hebert - 3:05 pm | no comments

Coach Dean Hebert

Coach Dean Hebert

A reader named Susan writes in the following question:

I have been running for the last five years, although not really competitively, I work with a trainer for weight lifting and he coaches me on my running. I am a very anxious person and enjoyed running. I ran two half marathons and one full, 5ks and 10ks. I don’t know if this happens to anyone else, but I know that I can run a certain distance and pace myself. I have a Garmin. So, I can go out for a run and do a 9 minute or slower mile on longer runs and 8 minute miles on shorter runs.

My problem is this: A year ago, my coach was pushing me to do 5ks, so I did not one last year. At the one mile mark, I saw that my pace wasn’t where I wanted it be so I stopped and turned around. I signed up for a half marathon, practiced the training course (I live right by it) and the most I ran was 11 miles. I had a great run last Sunday, 9 miles; did little running during week and light weights. I get to the race and felt good about it. I really wanted to run it under 1:50 (I did it once before). I got to mile 4, not even, and I feel sick. I watch people I know pass me and I get a ride home. How can I overcome this anxiety, if that is what it is?

Indeed it would appear that there is a good chance you have a performance anxiety. As a mental games coach, I work with athletes on this issue. Only through a more in depth assessment can this be determined for sure as well as what the probable origins of the issue are.

Performance anxiety happens at many levels. I have one runner who freaked out over running a 5k and just never showed up for the race she was so afraid. I have a master’s All American track runner whose anxiety prevents her from breaking through in races despite workouts that would indicate the target times are more than achievable. I have a high school runner who runs great as a junior varsity runner and can’t match the times when he is put on the varsity squad.

So, be reassured you are not alone. And, be reassured that it is conquerable if you really want to. I’ll give you a general pattern and some suggestions however, most often, it requires one-on-one work to tailor the mental game plans and work with them day by day, week by week and race by race. (You can visit my website for more information on this service.)
Read more…

  • Share/Bookmark
Filed under: Running Tags: , , , , ,

Races: Two runners die after 2008 ING New York City Marathon

Joe English - 1:59 pm | no comments

The New York Road Runners has confirmed that two runners have died of heart related conditions after this weekend’s New York City Marathon. Two other runners had hear attacks, but were revived by emergency medical services and transported to local hospitals.

The New York Times reported Tuesday:

“One of the runners was Carlos Jose Gomes, 58, of Brazil. He fell unconscious shortly after completing the race in 4 hours 12 minutes 15 seconds. A resident of São Paulo, Gomes was pronounced dead at Lenox Hill Hospital at 5:21 p.m. An autopsy Monday revealed that he had a pre-existing heart condition and died of a heart attack, said Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the chief medical examiner’s office.

The Road Runners did not release details of the second fatality. But The Staten Island Advance reported that Joseph Marotta, 66, of Tompkinsville died, apparently of a heart attack, hours after finishing his fourth New York City Marathon. He walked the course in 9:16:46.”

The deaths of the two runners caused considerable stir in the media and the Internet, as people questioned whether marathon running is a sport too risky for the masses. The incidence of deaths in marathons is very low, although it does appear to occur most often in very large marathons, in part, due to the wider audience that they attact and the larger populations of runners involved.
Read more…

  • Share/Bookmark
Filed under: Marathon Running Tags: , , , , , ,

Training: Marathon Bomb — Was it a lack of sleep?

Dean Hebert - 2:02 pm | no comments

Coach Dean Hebert

Coach Dean Hebert

Here’s a question from a reader named Stacy that asks about the impact of sleep in particular as it related to a marathon gone wrong. Being the dad of a 13 month-old myself, I can attest to the fact that sleep deprivation goes a long way to undermining training recovery. Coach Dean jumps in with the answer:

I just recently ran a marathon and on my day of the marathon I just didn’t feel good even at the start. I am thinking I lacked in some rest. I have a one year old daughter who wakes up at least one time a night and I work full-time. These last few weeks I have been so ready to get the marathon over with. I don’t think there was a mile that I felt good at. I felt pretty weak/dizzy at mile 10 already. I also drank an espresso right before the race which I usually just do some coffee. I ate well the week the before the race and I did Gu and other food during the race. I ended up walking quite a bit at around mile 15. I remember when I did my 18 and 20 mile run it was pretty good. What do you think happened? My goal was to finish right around 4 hr, but I did 4 1/2 with all the walking. I am happy I finished, but disappointed because I know I can do better. When would be a good time to do another race?

The fact that you had decent long runs earlier on in your training indicate you were on the right track. You were getting in better shape; getting stronger. However, without quality recovery time it is very possible your body was still suffering after effects from training when you hit the starting line. Your last long run should have been about three weeks prior to your race. There is very likely a connection between your lack of rest and recovery with your performance.

Sleep is essential to recovery from training. Lack of sleep, disrupted sleep, irregular eating patterns and the general stress associated with being a parent of a young one are real. All these things can effect race as well as training performances. Rest is what makes you stronger. That is when your body rebuilds from the micro-damage done during training. It is not just the easy days of training (in the hard-easy workout pattern)… it is your ongoing sleep, rest, nutrition and hydration, which play a huge role in your training recovery.
Read more…

  • Share/Bookmark
Filed under: Running, Training Tags: , , , , , , ,

Racing: Radcliffe wins Great South run in pre-NYC tune-up

Joe English - 4:08 am | no comments

Paula Radcliffe at NYC 2007

Paula Radcliffe at NYC 2007

PORTSMOUTH, England — One week before defending her New York City Marathon title, marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe put Olympic disappointment behind her by setting a record in the 16KM Great South Run on Sunday.

Finishing 23rd in the Beijing marathon in August, Radcliffe finished this flat, 16KM road course in a British record of 51 minutes 11 seconds in her first race since the Olympics.

The 34-year-old marathon world record holder showed no effects of the stress fracture to her left hip and the calf injuries that ruined her preparations for Beijing. Winner of seven of the eight marathons she has completed, the Radcliffe will go for her third NYC Marathon victory next Sunday.

Radcliffe will square off once again against Gete Wami, who finished second to her in the 2007 NYC Marathon after a step-for-step match-up that last from start to finish. Wami dropped out of the Olympic Marathon after about 18 miles last August. (For an excellent article about Wami and Radcliffe, click here to visit the New York Times web-site.)

[polldaddy poll=1048260]“The only thing to recover from in Beijing was that I wasn’t in shape,” said Radcliffe, who took 30 seconds off the previous national record set 17 years ago by Jill Boltz.
Read more…

  • Share/Bookmark
Filed under: Running Tags: , , , , , , ,

Races: Rock N Roll San Antonio to sell out at 30,000 runners

Joe English - 10:02 pm | no comments

Rock N Roll San Antonio

Rock N Roll San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO, TX — With over 28,000 registered participants, the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio will become the largest marathon and ½ marathon in Texas history.

The inaugural race will be capped at 30,000 participants, so prospective runners are encouraged to register now before the race reaches its capacity as soon as next week.

“We are thrilled at the response for the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio,” said Lucy Diaz, event manager. “When we started planning this event, we estimated a field of 15,000 runners and walkers, and now, a year later, we have capped the event at 30,000 participants. San Antonio’s appeal as a running destination has been demonstrated by the phenomenal response as well as the reputation of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series.”

The event recently announced that the British rock group The Cult will headline the post-race concert on Sunday, November 16, 2008. Held at the Alamodome, over 30,000 runners, walkers, volunteers and music fans from around the world will celebrate at the show.
Read more…

  • Share/Bookmark
Filed under: Marathon Running Tags: , , , , ,