Taper Time

Running Tip #16. A guest tip from Meb Keflezighi who was an Olympic silver medalist in the marathon in 2004 and won both the NYC marathon in 2009 and the Boston Marathon in 2014. I had the pleasure of meeting Meb twice in NYC, after the UAE Health & Kidney 10k race in Central Park as well as after the screening of the Boston Marathon documentary in Union Square.

Meb tapers 11 days before a race maintaining normal training until then. His last hard run is a 5 - 6 mile tempo run one week out, incorporating strides - fast 100m bursts - at the end of most easy runs . He also reminds us to get to the start healthy. Stay hydrated, take Vitamins and carry hand sanitizer.

Break it Down

Running Tip #15. Don’t get caught up counting each mile. Break down a long run or a marathon race distance into segments like every 4 miles when you have a gel. This will help you win the mental game.

For tough, shorter segments during a race, like the Queensborough Bridge or the 5th Avenue climb in the NYC marathon, break those down too and power through. They will go by in a flash!

Nutrition Plan

Running Tip #14. Gel + water + salt: have a nutrition plan and stick to it. Gel + water every 4-5 miles or 30-45 minutes. Sports drink every 2 miles after the first gel. Salt tablets at miles 13 & 20. Practice nutrition during training even if you feel like you don't need it. If you sweat a lot or it's over 70 degrees, be more liberal.

For Gels, try PowerGel as it has 3x sodium than Gu. SaltStick caps are good for electrolyte replacement and preventing cramping. Finally, avoid caffeine a few weeks before the race and then use it on race day for an extra boost!

Visualize Success

Running Tip #13. Train your brain to race your best. Picture yourself overcoming hard parts of the course and crossing the tape. Create positive mental images while training and before sleeping. These triggers will help you relax and feel incredible on race day!

Shoe Dog

Running Tip #12. Many runners buy shoes that are too light, small, or stylish. Distance running requires support. Use lighter shoes only after getting used to them. Feet swell when running so go 0.5 - 1 size up. Replace every 400 miles or based on wear & tear, and use a shoe with 50-100 miles for race day.

Pro tips: Use a parallel lacing technique to increase comfort. And try a pair of toe socks if you get blisters as they eliminate skin-to-skin friction. I always run my marathons in them!

Be Weather-Proof

Running Tip #11. You can’t control the weather so be prepared for anything from sun and heat to rain and thunderstorms or freezing conditions. If it's raining during a key training session, you may use the dread-mill or skip the run but make an effort to get out there so you have confidence if it rains on race day. Training in the heat with proper hydration is also great practice but avoid extreme winds or ice to prioritize safety above all else. And if you really want to guarantee perfect conditions, run an indoor marathon!

Stretch and Roll

Running Tip #9. Stretching should be a big part of training. Ideally every run starts with easy running and dynamic stretching. But it's most important after running.

Here are some of the best static stretches for running and cycling:
-Standing quad stretch
-Seated Pigeon pose to open the hip
-Child pose and cat-cow for the back
-Use a foam roller to fully stretch the IT band, hamstrings, and calves
-Use a hard ball to roll out the glute & under your feet

Cross-Training

Running Tip #6. Avoid boredom in one sport (e.g. running) by cross-training (e.g. cycling, swimming, strength training). Cross-training improves total body strength and flexibility. At easy/moderate intensity, it can also prevent injury by correcting muscle imbalances caused by running or other activities that you're not aware of.

Cycling is complementary to running by strengthening quads to reduce the risk of knee pain, the most common running injury. But my favorite cross-training activity is swimming, a full-body workout with zero-impact. Swimming builds the cardiorespiratory system by forcing your body into an oxygen-deprived state. To quote Drake, "Michael Phelps with the swim moves!"

Rest is Good

Running Tip #4. Running is high-impact and endurance training can be taxing both mentally and physically, so it's important to know when to let your body recover especially after hard workouts or races. In the last few weeks before a race, listening to your body and resting helps aid injury prevention and muscle regeneration. There is little incremental benefit a training session provides during a taper period. Finally, the more you train, the more sleep you need. Try sleeping early and waking up early more often, since that will be needed for race day!

Eat Right

Running Tip #3. Poor nutrition is the largest cause of "hitting the wall" or glycogen depletion. Focus on good foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, and grass-fed meat and avoid refined grains, fatty meat, excess sweets or added sugar, and fried food that deplete glycogen faster and lead to weight gain. 1 extra lb = 1 extra second / mile! I love plenty of good carbs, but they should be proportional to training load, i.e less carbs with less miles during taper. Make sure to get protein within 30 minutes of finishing a hard workout or race.

23.5 Hours

I really like this video, cleverly illustrated with an important message.

This is something we all can incorporate in our day and should encourage others too as well, from as early an age as possible. Build it into school curriculums, in one form or another, from pre-K through college. 

This is one thing we should all be required to do, just like reading & writing. 

This has tremendous benefits, primarily for ourselves but also quite visibly for those we frequently interact with.  

I'll let the video do the rest of the coaching!

Why is Everyone Running a Marathon?

In 2003, it took over 8 months for the Chicago marathon to sell out. In 2011, that time length was down to 31 days. And In 2012, it sold out in only 6 days. Perhaps it's not with surprise that the Chicago Marathon sold out in just a few hours in 2013, accompanied by technical problems that suspended registration for 2 days. The race has since moved to a lottery system, along with a few others including the Berlin Marathon.

Chicago was established in 1977 and one of the 5 world marathon majors, among Boston, London, NY and Berlin. The marathon as a race has been around for centuries.  

So why all of a sudden are we seeing huge increases in registrations and sell-out rates? 

Surely with improvements in health research and awareness, there is more emphasis on healthier lifestyles and daily exercise, but national obesity rates continue to creep up (~30% of the US).  As you can see from the chart below, the # marathon finishers has steadily increased over the past 30 years, as running grows in popularity and new races are launched.

I speculate that the rise is largely due to social networks and the ability to easily share intent with family and friends.  The event itself can efficiently market to today's tech-savvy runners as advertising moves away from TV & print to online channels. 

A few other interesting stats about the Chicago marathon: it creates $150million of economic activity, ~1k jobs and $70million+ for charities.  Maybe it shouldn't happen only once a year!

The Benefits of Stair Workouts

I was intrigued when I heard about the 30-year old race up the Empire State. There is apparently a whole class of stair running professionals and several "run-up" races, including the Willis Tower in Chicago, CN Tower in Toronto, and the Sydney Tower.

One veteran Empire State participant told me, "they are really fun in a sort of sick way."  

The coolest part is reaching the top, often an observatory deck, and looking down to grasp the vertical climb you accomplished.

As a workout in your training program, stair climbing is one of the best ways to improve your VO2 max and strengthen oft-neglected lower leg muscles. Especially if you don't have easy access to hills, it mimics uphill running with less impact, but also less ventilation! If done at lower intensity for a longer duration, it can be used to effectively increase your aerobic capacity.

But descending can be more stressful on the legs, so slow down and use it as recovery ;).