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Lead Stories: Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Hitting the Wall and …
… How to Run Through It!

Posted April 23rd, 2007 at 5:09 PM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Motivation, Training Tips

A note from TFS: Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to The Final Sprint. Make sure to also check out “Jim2’s Running Page”, his own personal running and advice site.

Below you will find his latest post about getting past the wall . . . It’s a must read for any marathon runner!

…Don’t depend on what you eat or drink during a marathon to get you past the wall! Gels and powerbars certainly aren’t “the only way to make it past the 20 mile wall” . . . In fact, they play a relatively small role in determining how hard you hit the wall and how well you deal with it.

Sure, you need to stay hydrated (drink water) during the race or you will be in big trouble toward the end….that’s a no-brainer. And the sports drinks that first appeared in marathons about 17 years ago….they weren’t available for the first 90 years in the history of the modern marathon….do help to further prepare you to deal with the latter part of the race. Do gels and power bars help even more? As you can tell from my previous post, I have serious doubts.

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Crunch Time: Optimum nutrition for runners

Posted January 25th, 2007 at 8:00 AM by Christopher Jack

Section: Running & Training, Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Race Prep & Recov

Find yourself dragging through those morning runs? Your 10k pace not where you want it? Sprinting toward the porta potties on race day? There could be an easy fix and it all starts with your diet.

Every runner’s training regimen, regardless of experience level, should have a focus on proper nutritional maintenance. When and what you eat can significantly affect your workout and performance will suffer without the proper balance of nutrients.

A common mistake made by runners, especially those early morning warriors, is running before fueling up. Without the proper nutrients in your system, your body will suffer from lowered glycogen and blood-glucose levels; depriving the body of essential energy and sustenance.
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Negative Splits: Use Them to Perform Better in Your Next Marathon

Posted September 25th, 2006 at 3:25 AM by Jim Fortner

Section: Running & Training, Training Tips

race clock.jpg A note from TFS: Jim Fortner is a weekly, guest contributor to The Final Sprint. Make sure to also check out “Jim2’s Running Page”, his own personal running and advice site.

Negative splits are the time proven way to best run a marathon. All “experts” and most experienced marathoners that I am aware of recommend targeting negative splits of 2-3%.

The problems with a race plan that is based on positive splits, even small ones, are: (1) faster consumption of glycogen, which means that your body becomes more dependent on fat for fuel earlier in the race; (2) you reach your AT/LT earlier in the race, so a greater portion of the race is spent running anaerobically, i.e., the wall arrives earlier and harder; and (3) it allows for less margin of error in case you miscalculated your ability on race day or any of many other variables bite you in the butt. You wind up running a greater percentage of the race in the less efficient mode, which exacerbates your late race “decline” and can lead to a hard crash.

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