Team In Training Coach Update Week of July 11 - Longer Distances

"The marathon lifestyle promotes doing rather than watching…by adopting the marathon lifestyle you can confront your own lions, be your own hero, fight your own battles, challenge yourself." 
--Richard Benyo

 

 "Courage is the greatest of all the virtues.  Because if you haven't courage, you may not have the opportunity to use any of the others." 
--Samuel Johnson

 

Hello Team,

You are all doing so great!  This week is a cutback week…enjoy it because next week we are ramping up again!  We have our Training for Longer Distances Clinic after training this week.  Read through the coach's tip below for an introduction to what you will learn in detail on Saturday.

Plan on attending the clinic if you can….the long trainings are the back bone of your successful event day.

 

Good luck to our Fleet Feet 5K and 10K participants.  Their race is on Sunday!  GO TEAM!!! 

Some of you have been complaining of shin splits. Please click here to read up on some stretches and exercises to help you out. 

 

Group Training

 

Midweek Training

Wednesday, July 13, 6:30 PM

Location;  Palatine Track Park District
Click Here For Directions

 

Saturday, July 16

Location:  Half Day Forest Preserve Shelter A
Click Here For Directions

Length of Trainings:

Full Marathons:  6.2 Miles

Half Marathons: 3.1 Miles

Fleet Feet 5K:  3 miles

Fleet Feet 10K:   6 miles

 

 

Coaching Tip of the Week

 

Purpose of the Long Training

For the purposes of this discussion, the distance of a long training is considered to be 10 miles or longer as well as runs/walks that last over 90 minutes.

The long trainings are the most important component of half-marathon or marathon training because they teach the body to both mentally and physically tackle the challenges presented in completing the endurance event. Physiologically, the body must learn to tap into and utilize energy reserves from fat storage sites after the glycogen (fuel stores in the muscles, converted over from carbohydrate food sources) have been depleted. Through long trainings, the capacity to store more glycogen within the muscles increases. An increase in glycogen stores translates into the ability to maintain one's pace during the event and delay the onset of fatigue. Conversely, trouble is on the horizon when you run out of glycogen, as your pace will significantly decrease.

 

One must also be accustomed to running or walking for very long periods of time, and the mental toughness that develops from completing long training pays off handsome dividends during the actual event.

 

The long trainings also provide an excellent opportunity to experiment with a variety of issues and concerns (e.g., shoes, nutrition, pacing, etc.) that should be experimented with so that there are no surprises on race day.

Above all, our half marathon and marathon training schedules are designed so that athletes are adequately rested prior to undertaking their long trainings.

Benefits of the Long Training

• Provides the necessary endurance to complete the half-marathon or marathon.
• Strengthens the heart (increases stoke volume) and opens the capillaries, both sending energy to working muscles and flushing waste products from fatigued muscles.
• Other physiological benefits include the increased number and size of mitochondria and increased myoglobin concentration in muscle fibers.
• Strengthens the leg muscles and ligaments, thus improving your endurance.
• Recruits fast-twitch muscle fibers to help with slow-twitch tasks (like running a marathon).
• Teaches the body to burn fat as fuel.
• Develops your mental toughness and coping skills, thus increasing/enhancing your confidence level that you can go the full marathon distance on race day.
• Increases your overall speed, even for shorter races.
• Allows you to experiment with all of the factors that can affect you on race day. 

Thank you for a being a part of Team in Training!

 "One seed can start a garden.  One smile can lift a spirit.  One candle can light a room.  One step can begin a journey."'  --Unknown

Remembering the Reasons,
Your coaches,

Marianne Cantieri   847-912-5981            mkcantieri@yahoo.com

Bobby Dobroski     224-588-7442            bobby.dobroski@gmail.com

Also you can check the status update of training on our Team in Training Hotline 312-651-7356 x 7761 or http://www.runningforacure.info.

----

Bobby Dobroski
Cell: (224) 588-7442

Follow me online:
http://twitter.com/sideshowbobby71
http://runrunbobbyrun.blogspot.com 

http://www.runningforacure.info

"Happiness is a choice. You can be happy or miserable. Either way the distance is the same."