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Lead Stories: Sunday, November 23, 2008

ASK FLASH:Base Building, Boston Marathon Predictor, and Flash on a Mountain

Posted April 1st, 2007 at 3:32 PM by Joshua Flash Gordon

Section: Running & Training, Columns, Training Tips, Ask Flash

Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.

Hope all you folks are enjoying the nice weather that is finally rolling in this time of year! Keep the questions coming…

Q. Most of the time, summer is the time to put in the miles and build a base for the fall races. Previously, all that was advocated was long slow easy aerobic running during the base building stage. Lately, some schedules have been written to include tempos, strides, etc … in the base building stage. What is your opinion?
~Base in Baltimore

A. To answer your question, let’s begin by asking what is the purpose of the base training period? Every period and every run should have a purpose. Yes, fun is an acceptable purpose. The base training period is primarily about preparing yourself mentally and physically for the demands of the more rigorous portions of your training program. Whether you are training for a 5k or a marathon, you can’t declare a fitness resolution and get at it whole hog. So, how exactly should the base training period be performed to prepare for the tempo runs, long runs, fartleks, intervals, hill workouts, strides, and other components that most running programs rely heavily on?
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