Coaches' Corner

Team coach Russ Brennen are avilable to answer your questions about training. We will post some of the most common questions here. If you have questions about your training, please feel free to email them at rfrcoach@gmail.com.

Question: When should I buy the shoes that I will be running the marathon in?

Answer: You should be thinking about your race shoes now, about a month out from the marathon. The best thing to do is to get your shoes now so that you can wear them enough over the next month to be sure they are right and properly broken in. You want your marathon race shoes to be almost halfway through their life. If they are too old, they will not have their original function and cushioning, but if they are too new you might have your race day ruined by blisters. I would get the shoes now and slowly work them into your routine. If your race shoes are the same as your training shoes, I would have the new pair ready for the 21-mile long run.

Question: Is it a good idea to run a half marathon hard on April 1st?

Answer: If you want to run the half marathon with friends or just a change of scenery, that is fine, but be sure NOT to run it hard. Run it easy and make sure you are comfortable the whole way. If you run it too hard, you run the chance of putting your body in a place where it cannot recover in time for the marathon. So if you know you won’t be able to take it easy, just go and cheer!

Question: My knee has been bothering me lately. It is stiff in the front in the morning the beginning of runs, but goes away as I warm up. What should I do?

Answer: It sounds like you have patellar tendonitis. If the pain goes away as you run, then that is a good sign. That means that you can run on it, as long as it doesn’t alter your running stride. As for getting rid of it, there are two things to consider: 1) You need to get rid of that pain—ice it after running, take advil, and start your runs slow—let your body warm up. You can even stop after 10 minutes and stretch to loosen things up. 2) You need to figure out what is causing it. Usually it is an imbalance in the quad and hamstring—try stretching those, and of course make sure your shoes are in good shape.

Other things to try: Stay away from downhills, stay on soft surfaces and cross train to give it a rest.

If none of this gets rid of the pain, see a PT and they can help you find the cause.

Question: Are the “workouts” listed on Thursday important?

Answer: In short, yes they are. Here are the reasons—come race day, you will be asking your body to run 26.2 miles at a given effort. If you only run at one pace, then when your body gets tired, it will run slower than that pace. If, however, you can give your body a chance to run faster then it will ever have to, race pace seems more comfortable to it. These workouts are also important as they get your body used to running efficiently, plus they break up the monotony of everyday running. That being said, there is definitely a level of importance to your days. First, Long runs should be the major focus of any week. After that, getting in other days of running is important. Finally, choosing one of those days to do a workout is the last thing to add in.

Question: Why is it helpful to run easy days during the week?

Answer: These days are important for many reasons. First, they let your body recover from hard runs like the long run and workouts. The act of running a shorter run uses the muscles that you stresses on those runs and helps them to more efficiently get rid of any lactic acid. Secondly, they build strength and efficiency in your running stride. The more you run, the better your body gets at being economical in its usage of fuel and in its muscle and nerve groupings. Finally, these runs can help give you the confidence that you put in the time and miles to get ready for the big day! That being said, if you are injured, sore or the weather is bad, cross training in lieu of some of the runs is a great idea.

Question: I have a question about the different types of running you recommend. In particular, I don't really understand how the various types of runs compare to my anticipated marathon pace.

For example, you say that both tempo and threshhold runs are harder than marathon pace, but how much harder? It seems that the tempo run is steady pace, faster than marathon and I'm able to maintain it for the duration of the run. Threshhold, on the other hand, while faster than marathon pace, will vary depending on how long the interval run is—I should be pretty winded at the end, whether it's 10 min., 20 min. or whatever.

How do fartleks differ? Strides, I believe, are a bit below a sprint, right?

Finally, do you consider our long runs to be run at our anticipated marathon pace? Or should we strive to be exhausted at the end of each long run?

—Dave Amidon

Answer: Dave, I will try to clear it up:

Tempo runs should be faster than marathon pace—basically a point where you feel like you are at an 8 out of 10—you should be able to speak in brief phrases about halfway through the run.

Threshold is your anticipated marathon pace (maybe slightly faster if you are feeling good).

Fartlek paces are generally tempo paces.

As far as the strides—at your fastest, they should be just below an all out sprint (90-95% of max)

Long runs shouldn't generally be marathon pace—that's why we have the workouts during the long runs—to try and get the body used to being tired when running for a long period of time.

Question: Do you have any advice for stretching?

Answer: You should probably try to avoid stretching before a run or workout, at this point your muscles are cold and there is more of a chance of having small microtears. If you are sore or stiff at the beginning of a run, just start your run at a slow shuffle and work into your training pace. Take time after your run to stretch—make a point to stretch each of the major muscle groups (hamstrings, glutes, quads, calves, groin) and others if you have a problem with them. Each stretch should be done twice for 20-30 seconds...the following website has some good basic stretches if you are interested: http://www.nismat.org/traintip/runner/stretch.html.

As always, if you have questions, or these stretches don't help, feel free to e-mail us and we can help you!

Happy Running!

Question: What do I do if I am just beginning the training now—how do I catch up to the group?

Answer: First of all, don't panic—at this point (Jan 9th)—you are not too far off of the training and you have plenty of time to get ready. We would suggest that you start at the beginning of the program—then increase by following the schedule by doing the mileage/workouts for every other week until you are caught up to the group. That being said—if you feel any soreness, pain or other problems, e-mail us and we can tailor a program that will help you reach your goal for Boston safely and healthy!