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Lead Stories: Monday, December 1, 2008

Quote of the Day: 11/21/07

Posted November 21st, 2007 at 7:00 AM by Martha Jones

Section: Motivation, Famous Quotes

“The pain that you get in your legs is counteracted by the excitement of what you hope you’re managing to achieve.”

- Sir Roger Bannister

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How to get the most out of your late race push …

Posted April 29th, 2007 at 9:00 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to TheFinalSprint.com. Make sure to also check out his own personal running and advice site: “Jim2’s Running Page”.

end of race kick_edited-1 [After recently discussing a reader’s questions regarding their problems during a late race push], I thought I would offer a few things that I do to help maintain or increase pace in those late stages of a race when your legs and cardio-respiratory system are crying for relief.

There are certain things you can do in training to help prepare you for this challenge, such as increasing the pace toward the end of a long run when you are tired. And making sure that your speedwork is paced so that the last couple of intervals or hill repeats are the fastest, as well as the hardest. But, once you are in a race, it’s too late to deal with training. You’ve got to make the most you can of the preparation that you have.

If you have run the first part of the race much too fast and are in severe oxygen debt with a lot of lactic acid built up in your legs toward the end, you probably blew it and won’t be able to maintain pace. You will just have to accept a slower finish and learn from the experience. If you have run a smartly paced race, or even more conservatively than necessary in the first part, you have a good opportunity to really “go for it” at the end.
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Benefits of hill training & inclined runs

Posted December 2nd, 2006 at 11:00 AM by Jenna Sumara

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

Many runners avoid hills like the plague. When mapping out routes for training runs or even races to run in, runners will stay as far away as possible from anything that even remotely resembles an incline. Often, if faced with no choice but to run the hill, runners will choose to walk it and reserve energy for the remainder (and flatter!) position of the route or course. While it’s true that hills can provide difficult, and even sometimes dangerous, challenges - runners can also derive tremendous benefits from the occasional hill workout. Read the rest of this entry »

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Crunch Time - ‘Worry, Set, Go!’

Posted May 23rd, 2006 at 8:00 AM by Arthur Rosen

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Training Tips

traffic light I train endless hours climbing up and down the hills, the speedwork, the tempo runs, the long runs, the recovery days. How many miles did I log this week? Sixty? Seventy? The humidity got to me this week, I felt like I was dragging myself. The rain helped cool me off but it did raise some blisters that will need my attention for at least a week. My legs aren’t fully recovered from last week’s mileage, my knees hurt, what’s that pain I feel in my arch? Will my lower back ever stop hurting? Will it heal by marathon day? I must go on. I’ve put too much into my training not to run the marathon next month. I swear it will be the last one. I will be prepared. I am ready to prove to myself once again how much I have in me, that I am ready, that I will be the best that I can be.

“The marathon is the reward for all of this training” they say.

Finally it’s taper time. Let’s bring down the mileage. I need that. My legs so badly need that. I am starting to feel a bit antsy as I’m not running as much as I have the last few weeks. I’m feeling fat. I want so badly to run more and damn the taper! Stay lean, stay healthy, keep hydrating, keep that “edge”. Did I carb-load enough? Did I eat the right foods? Did I do the past eighteen weeks all right, will someone tell me if I did it right damn it! I don’t know! I’m confident but I’m nervous, so nervous that I hardly got any sleep last night. Drink, go to the bathroom, drink some more, go to the bathroom some more. Are my laces knotted right? Is the chip on properly? Everyone standing around me is running, stretching, drinking. Why does everyone look more fit than me? Am I really deserving to run in this race? I’m feeling pumped, my stomach is in a knot, but the day is here and it’s a perfect day. Pace right, drink often, run your race. Ready, set, go!

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