16-WEEK RUN PROGRAMME 21.1KM TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Pledge 2 Introduction 3 The importance of planning 5 Road rhythms 15 Other considerations & tips 18 Post-race recovery 19 Elite athlete-inspired 16-week training schedule PLEDGE "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." “ Les Brown Target time & pace: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Other goals: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 1 INTRODUCTION The half-marathon (21.1km) commands a blend of mostly stamina and some speed. Specifically, running economy (i.e. efficiency) is more essential than speed (icing on the cake). It is an ideal distance for citizen runners who want to venture beyond the popular 10k, perhaps with the long-term intention of racing a full marathon one day. How does it compare to the marathon? Just like the full marathon, the 21.1km race demands physical and mental endurance. However, it is also short enough to allow a relatively more flexible approach to preparation and recovery. The half-marathon is often considered the optimal distance to test the human ability to run long distances at a fast pace. This is because glycogen levels usually deplete at approximately the 30km mark. Therefore, the body can run at its lactate threshold for the entire race without fear of ‘hitting the wall’. 2 THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon Winner Source: https://www.pinterest.ch “It’s something I believe I can [do], and with time, I will plan.” Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor’s thoughts on breaking the half-marathon world record Source: http://www.letsrun.com 3 For many years elite athletes know that the foundation of success lies in careful planning. Just like the world’s best, you will need a carefully developed training plan to maximise your chances of hitting your target time. Planning also allows you to gauge what’s achievable in context of family and work-related commitments. Furthermore, it reduces your risk of overuse injury. Sweat Elite brings together the tens of thousands of hours of training, racing and coaching experience of the world’s best athletes, to form this plan to guide you to half-marathon success! 4 ROAD RHYTHMS To achieve peak condition for a particular race(s), it’s important to select your races well ahead in advance so that you can plan your training cycle carefully. Divide your racing season into 4 key phases shown below. Each phase builds on top of each other such that mileage, strength and speedwork combine to produce a synergistic & multiplicative effect at just the right time. Base (5-6 weeks) Strength (4 weeks) Speedwork (3 weeks) Tapering (1-2 weeks) Each of these are incorporated in our 16-week half-marathon training schedule. 5 Base (5-6 weeks) The base (aka endurance) phase is the “cornerstone” of distance running. It should be of utmost importance for every runner, from beginner to elite. Of all phases, it is the longest in duration, but the good news is that this is the most trainable facet. Your aim is to get used to running longer (not faster) distances, essentially ‘banking in’ more and more miles as the initial weeks pass by. Let’s look at Eritrean Zersenay Tadese (21.1km WR holder 2010-2018). His weekly mileage would typically range anywhere between 150-180km. Of course, these volumes have been built up over many years. What’s the purpose? Why is this important? The goal is to develop your In the half and full-marathon, aerobic capacity leading to aerobic metabolism contributes 99% physiological adaptations such as of the total energy required to run a more diverse capillary network, these races. Aerobic metabolism and increased myoglobin and uses fat as its primary fuel source mitochondrial content (see and is cultivated by training at lower http://www.sweatelite.co/aerobic- intensities where your muscles have running/ for more details). enough oxygen to produce all the energy you need to perform. 6 How do I maximise this effect? What speed should I run at? Training fasted or a ‘carb-less’ Optimal easy (aka recovery) run state, at slower speeds, assists in pace for aerobic development the body’s adaptation in using fat is 55-75% of 5k race pace, with as its primary fuel source. For “fuel an average of 65%. efficiency” workouts, avoid eating Optimal long run pace for 2hrs before your run; only eat aerobic development is 50-55% after. of 5k race pace. A word of caution… During this phase it can be tempting to increase your mileage by significant amounts each week. However, it is important to remember that this is a long adaptive process. The best runners listen to their body and show self-control to decrease risk of acute and chronic injury. During the subsequent 3 phases, the easy and long runs will continue to play an important role in your weekly training schedule. 7 Key takeaways: The base endurance phase is about setting a foundation: To stay injury free Gradually building the distance you can run – showing the body ‘the duration’ Ensuring we do not over-stress the body too early Ideal Habits in this phase are to: Run off road Making sure you stay hydrated (important in every phase) Slowly training your body to recover faster session to session 8 Strength (4 weeks) In this phase, the mileage remains similar while the load changes. We will incorporate weights / core / plyometric training, rolling (aka undulating) hills and hill climbs. Repeating the stress-recovery cycle will enable you to run stronger and sets up the transition into the next phase. Also, here we start focusing on the quality, in addition to the quantity, of the mileage. For the most part, success in the half-marathon comes down to the ability to fatigue less, rather than being ‘fast’. Hence the importance of strength work to develop your resistance to fatigue. Rolling Hills This forms the key component of strength training at St Patrick’s (David Rudisha’s training group in Iten, Kenya). Here the terrain is often very challenging, and the altitude is 2300-2500m (7500-7800ft). The group incorporates hills into their daily runs (except for track workouts), including warm ups and cool downs. 9 Through this phase, the hills will work as a natural resistance, enabling your heart rate to rise and fall at lower speeds. The hills also encourage correct running posture and form, with the key elements being; head up, shoulders relaxed, hips up, knees up, running on the front half of your foot in a ratio of 60:40. It is important that whenever you run on hills, your focus turns to technique. Your arms should be driving your knee drive and you should try where possible to remain relaxed as the fatigue mounts up. Weights/Core/Plyometric Sessions Benefits of these sessions include injury prevention, enhancing strength and power, improvements in running technique. Coach Alberto Salazar and physical therapist David McHenry assigns 3 sessions per week to Oregon Project’s elite athletes including Mo Farah and Galen Rupp. These include medicine ball lunges, runner pulls, side planks, clamshells, mountain climbers, etc. 10 Speedwork (3 weeks) This is the peak phase! Mileage is maintained, if not slightly less than in the base and strength phases. However, the emphasis is on quality. Intervals, fartleks and tempo runs are more commonly featured. During this phase, elite runners tend to do up to 3 speed workouts on alternating days. This is the most high-risk phase of the lead-up! So for yourself, you will need to consider your training history in quantifying the most appropriate load for you to handle. For example, here is Joyciline Jepkosgei’s biggest week in March 2017, approximately one month prior to her half-marathon world record of 64:52 she set in Prague (source: www.si.com) 11 AM 16K hilly run in 70 minutes Monday PM 8K in 40 minutes AM 15x400m in 68 seconds, 1min rest. 2400m altitude Tuesday PM 10K in 50 minutes, 1hr physio AM 12K in 50 minutes Wednesday PM 10K in 50 minutes, 1hr gym 2x(3km/2km/1km) 9:48, 6:24, 3:04 and 9:45, 6:20 and 3:04. AM Thursday Rest was 3:00, 2:30, 2:00, 3:00, 2:30. 2400m altitude PM 10K in 60 minutes AM 18K in 90 minutes Friday PM 10K in 50 minutes, 1hr physio AM Rest Saturday PM Rest AM 25K in 87 minutes. Long run done at 2160m altitude Sunday PM Rest One strong tempo was also included late-March: 12K in 39 minutes at 2160m altitude. Her weekly mileage is 140-150km and she does her easy runs at 5-6mins/km. As you can see, elements from all 3 phases are maintained in this heavy week: Base – e.g. 10K in 60 mins; 25K long run Strength – e.g. 16k hilly run in 70 minutes; 1hr gym Speedwork – e.g. 15x400m; 2x(3k/2k/1k) 12 How fast should I run? Speed sessions for both world record holders & recreational runners should be slightly faster than target race pace. While the strength phase is all about fatigue resistance, the speed phase is literally ‘squeezing the juice’. It’s trying to get small incremental benefits in leg-speed. Don’t underestimate this – a small gain can add up to several minutes over a 2-hour race! Closely monitor the following key elements: Your recovery from the sessions – specifically track work Perform dynamic (as opposed to static) stretching in your warm up.