On today's episode of RUN with Coach Parry we help Alex put a plan in place for the New York Marathon. Which happens to be the same weekend as Soweto Marathon and Kaapsehoop Marathon - so there's lots to get out of this even if you're not training for New York Marathon specifically.

Lindsey and Alex also discuss the value of having a community around during training- like we have on the Coach Parry membership forums- and how inspiring it can be read others stories and be able to share your own with like minded people. To join the membership site click here

You can enter the Coach Parry.com Soweto Marathon competition by clicking here.

Transcription

BRAD
You're listening to run with Coach Parry. My name is Brad Brown. Thank you so much for downloading and listening to this podcast. We're doing things slightly differently today. So I've been away for a few weeks. So this one structure wise is slightly different to what we normally normally do. I'm working on my own, the coach Lindsay Parry, is working on his own as well. But I think you are going to love the format.

But today, you get the opportunity to be a fly on the wall on a coaching call that the coach did with Alex Spiller about her running and what she's up to. And I can tell you that Alex is training for the New York Marathon, which is the first weekend in November this year, and that happens to be the same weekend as the Soweto Marathon as well as Kaapsehoop as well here in South Africa.

So even if you're not training for the New York Marathon, I think there is lots to get out of this podcast in itself because the timings are perfect. So take the marathon out of it. If you are training for one of those two races, I think this podcast is going to be perfect for you. So, enough for me, let's get straight into Lindsey's chat with Alex.

Alex's goal

LINDSEY
Okay, so Alex, you're going to be doing New York in November. So let's kick off by telling me what programme you will be following. What is your goal?

ALEX
So my goal for New York would be to do it under sub 4. I normally just try and get the time that would be achievable. But definitely, I hope that the sub 4 programme will get me to about 3:45-350 mark.

LINDSEY
So at the moment, if we run your numbers through, your 5K PB at 24:02, gives you a potential of a sub 50 10, which you haven't quite done yet, but you're pretty close, and it gives you a 1:51 half which you've come very close to. That translates to about a 3:54 marathon. Okay, so I think I think targeting around about 3:50 mark a little bit quicker for a start that's realistic. So you are on the right track. At the moment, you are doing three days a week of running and then the three days of your high intensity barr class.

So if you've got things fairly well covered from a training perspective, and I think adding in that extra day of running, and that would then depend on your lifestyle, if you're able to do one day running where you do your class and run, or if you only have time for three days a week, then we would then have to just chat a little bit to adapt that. So going forward looking at your training time available there, does that allow for one day in the week where you would do a short run plus the class? So you're able to fit in the four days a week, or is your time full? So it's a case of we either run three days a week and three class, or eight to 10 weeks, we cut back on a class and do four runs.

ALEX
I would be happy to cut down on a class or then look at training twice a day for one of the days, especially if it was a shorter run. Maybe I do a class in the morning, and then run in the evening. I've always generally run in the evening because my runs have always been with the time trials.

LINDSEY
Yes. Okay. That's right. Of course, the whole picture's starting to come. I now remember reading your story on the forum. So let's then move on to you asking me a couple of questions based around your time availability and what you want do. Then I'll wrap up the call with a little bit of advice that I think you you could then use to make the journey more successful.

Preparing for your marathon

ALEX
Yes, so for me, really, it's just that this year, I think I set myself some big goals. And a long term goal for me that I've tried to break up and keep it exciting because the big goal would be to do Comrades as a 30th birthday present to myself. Because I had quite a bit of difficulty, when I wanted to start running, it was a lot of stuff and start so I want to take things slow, and to reach the 42 I think or I hope I'll be on track and especially with the time and obviously just to run and enjoy it and stay far away from injury as possible.

Also just to keep running, I want to just be really prepared for that day, and know that I'll be able to run the whole way. I don't like walking during races. Then from there, it just be to know what's the distance that I need to push once I get to that 42 because I won't be doing a full marathon before New York, but then from there to keep up the pace at that level, to then hopefully do Ocean's ultra at Easter next year.

LINDSEY
Okay. So doing the classes, the strength stuff that you're doing is really good, okay, so that is going to play quite a good role in keeping you injury free, also nice and strong for the marathon running. So I quite like that and I'm happy for you to keep those three in there, as we discussed and then your shortest run of the week, I would just plan that for the day that we'll call that your double day. On the programme, you should get there to at least 30k's, you will want to run at least a 30k training run before race day and you'll probably end up with one of your runs being roughly in the 33 to 35 k range.

Now, obviously you may feel like but hang on that's quite a long way still from a marathon. But when we train, you've always got to look at a training programme as a sum of its parts. So the consistency over a number of weeks, plus a couple of those long runs, all of that will add up to really give you the fitness to be able to carry on running the whole way. The trick, this is where a lot of people make a mistake, is that the trick is that if you run too much of your running either at your planned race pace or faster than your planned race pace, you actually end up getting to race day quite tired.

Then what happens is that your legs at some point in the race tend to get very sore. And people are often confused, how could they do so much running at the marathon pace, but then they couldn't actually execute? It's difficult for people to process but actually running most, almost all, of your running slower than marathon pace is actually what's going to prepare your body the best to be able to maintain that marathon pace all the way.

How to pace on hills

ALEX
Talking about the the race day pace. For me, I've always been very fast downhill and on flats, and then very slow uphill. I've always had to try and figure out an average. But is the goal to do the same pace uphill and downhill?

LINDSEY
Absolutely not. In fact, for New York in particular, that's a lesson I learned the hard way. Not that I tried to run the same pace uphill, but I definitely ran the hills too hard. Look, in South Africa, we have hills, the races in the international marathons don't have hills, but that does also make us a little bit arrogant. So in order to run a really good New York Marathon, you actually wants to run those hills really slowly and they must do as little damage to you as possible. Then you do make up lost time on the very long stretches of flats and on the downs that every single up in New York has a corresponding down.

ALEX
That's great to know. Because when I did my PB for the five k was actually last night and for an indication I was going down the hills at the Wanderer's 5 at about 4:10 a k and then on the up, my pace is probably five and a half, if not a bit longer, on the uphill so it is quite a big difference for me always on the hills.

LINDSEY
That is okay, and it is something when we get to talking about Two Oceans and Comrades, then it is a weakness that we do want to address and you say that you don't like walking, but that is, particularly on the ultras, that really is where it becomes key is that if you run walk those hills, then particularly being a bit weaker on them, yes you lose a bit of time, but the hills don't do any damage. And when the hills don't do any damage, it allows you to use your natural speed on the down and flat sections.

Once you've gotten through this marathon, I like the way you speak, you want to get through it without injury, you want to do this slowly. So you're going to run this marathon, you've got a really good chance of getting under four hours. And once you've completed this marathon, then the next programme that you select should be one that incorporates a little bit more intensity than the programme you're following now.

I think based on the way that you're training now, I would do a hard time trial every two to three weeks, I wouldn't race it hard every week, but certainly every second week, every third week, there is room there for you to get some intensity into your programme safely without an unnecessary injury risk. Then to get through this programme, you know, to get through to New York, run a great New York, and then the next step will be to add in some form of intensity work in the form of hill work or intervals or some track work but you just want to introduce that sensibly.

How important are warm ups?

ALEX
Yeah, because I'd love to better my hills especially. But it seems like it's still not there yet. Talking about the time trials and going hard, what I did last night is that I warmed up with four laps around the field, it felt like an easy pace and I was quite surprised to see that I was running at about 5:10 and that felt easy. I think that made a difference, you know, for the start, and I just tried to push from the minute I started. But on the longer runs, is it important, is it necessary to warm up? You know, like these Sunday runs, I'm joining the RAC group, but is it necessary to warm up before such a long run?

LINDSEY
So your body will always feel much better, if you ease it into anything. Okay, so you learnt a really great lesson there all on your own. And to be honest, those are the best lessons to learn because you won't forget it. So typically, what I encourage people to do and what I do myself is, even on the long runs, is the first kilometre to two kilometres, don't worry about your watch, don't worry about anything, just run really, really easy and allow your body to warm up.

I've been been running now for 35 years, and I've only ever trained with one human being that doesn't need that. Okay, his name is Kirsten Lehman's and we head out the door, and as much as I love training with him, when we run together, I know that I'm going to suffer more than normal because when we hit the pavement we are running. When I run on my own or in any other group we run, we always, the slowest K is always the first K.

ALEX
That's a lesson I need to learn. For me it's like the fastest one.

Starting slow

LINDSEY
No, and you just feel your body settling, it's actually a really nice feeling, it's one of my favourite feelings in running is that if you start really slowly on the long runs, and you just ease your way into it, you don't actually quite notice when it happens, but you suddenly get this feeling where you really are floating and you look down and you're like wow, look how low my heart rate is and look at the speed that I'm running at. It's almost like that just allows your physiology and your muscles and everything to get into perfect harmony and then those are always the best runs and the best races.

So if I can't warm up before race, then I will use the first two to three K's to warm up properly, before I really start to push myself. Every time I do that, I still end up with a better time because in the middle section and the end, you're able to run so much better, whereas if you try and push yourself hard from the get go in a race and you haven't warmed up, you kind of almost seize up and nothing feels like it's flowing and your joints don't feel like they have their full range of motion. So warming up is actually really important, all the time.

ALEX
With Knysna next weekend, what kind of warm up would be suitable to do before a 21 K, especially like that where the start is on the mountain and it's dark so there's not too much space?

LINDSEY
Yeah, so that exact advice that I gave you on the forum is to say that your starting position for Knysna in particular is more important than everything. So I would then, and the first 4k's are literally the hardest 4k's of the race. So what I would do is I would get to the front and as I said the first two or three k's are up that hill but you just really run them easy. Don't worry about who passes you or anything like that, you just the first k 2k's. Then from three k's, you can start, you know, pushing a little bit, but of course it's still the hill so you want to be saving yourself and when you turn right and turn onto the dirt and go in there between the trees, that's where the race starts for you. That is the best way of running that race.

ALEX
I think that I still have so much excitement for every time I start running that it's just a whole lot of adrenaline and nerves that it just, like I always push I think too quickly and even in time trials and longer races, always my first three seem to be my fastest. I think it's just because I'm so excited to be running. I need to actually rein that in and take your advice, start easy, especially on the longer runs. Then work up to that pace.

LINDSEY
Yeah, you gave yourself the perfect advice there. Obviously, I understand these things, adrenaline starts to pump, it's sometimes harder done than said, but at least if you thinking about doing the right things, over time with experience, and keeping repeating that to yourself, you will get better at it. Then once you see the results of going out more sensibly, then you'll be sold and obviously, it'll become easier and easier to do it.

ALEX
Yeah. Because last year, I did the Tough One, and it was kind of just on a whim. I hadn't trained for it, I had done Soweto I think just before, which I find quite a difficult race to do. But I ran with friends at a bit slower Comrades runners and I found to run really well. I ran the whole of the Tough One and I actually left those friends, because they then wanted to start walking at about half way. And I said to myself, if I start walking now, I'm not going to be able to get running.

And I was so glad I finished and on that race, I suppose, I saw the importance of running or starting slower for the longest distance, because then we found the pace and then I found my own pace. Probably with the confidence of getting at least 15 Ks behind me, I realised that I could carry on by myself and it didn't need that support or to run at somebody else's speed.

LINDSEY
That's awesome. So I'm gonna wrap the call up with some really good news, which could potentially be bad news, is that I really think you haven't even scratched the surface of your ability. You are going to end up going a lot faster than you are now, which means that you're probably going to be sucked into this running thing for good.

ALEX
Yeah. That would be great news. Because, you know, a few years ago, I think I mentioned it, I had a disease, it's called lumbosacral plexus neuritis, which was partial paralysis in my left foot. I couldn't drive, I couldn't do a lot of things. And when I started running, the neurologist said to me, because I had a lot of knee pain, he said to me, I don't think you are a runner and I think you need to realise that. Back then it was only five K's I was struggling with, So to hear that from you and to know I am sitting today. It's exactly what I want to hear.

LINDSEY
Then it's good news, which is good news.

ALEX
All good news. Thank you.

LINDSEY
Good luck, and stay in touch with us in the forum. I'm sure last night was your first PB of many. It'll be a cool community to share it into and when you achieve, you also help to motivate people around you.

ALEX
I love reading all the comments on the forum and I really find it so inspirational. I'm competitive with myself but I find everybody stories os encouraging and to see the starting points and what they're going for, I love, and I sit there and read everything.

LINDSEY
Great, so that is the intention there. So yeah, like I said, when you get a PB or whatever don't think of it as bragging, think of it as inspiration for the other people in the forum. And yeah, look forward to interacting with you on there.