PUBLISHED 02/04/2008
KATE: Today I did 5.5 miles at 6:33-6:40 pace, but had to stop and stretch my quads at mile 4 because they were cramping. Any idea why this might be happening?
TOBY: Cramping usually occurs because you are either dehydrated and/or lacking some potassium in your diet. Luckily, this is an easy fix. Try drinking more throughout the day and eat a banana with breakfast or lunch.
For more information on how much you should be drinking GO HERE.
For more information on potassium and its benefits GO HERE.
KATE: How much water should I drink during the half-marathon?
TOBY: The theory on hydration used to be drink 14 to 27 ounces every hour (depending on your body weight), but now, due to problems like hyponatremia, the theory is to drink when you're thirsty. Because of this shift in attitude, I truly believe an athlete who is well trained, and can run a half-marathon at or around 90-minutes, can hydrate well the days prior to the race and not drink so much in the actual race. Unless, of course, the weather is very hot.
I've discussed this theory with Dr. Tim Maggs, a sports biomechanist, who agrees that water stations act as momentary resting spots and can throw off a runner's pace. I am more inclined to have the athlete dump water over their head because of the cooling affect it has on the body. Grabbing a few sips and having to wait 20-minutes for digestion really isn't doing the athlete all that much good.
So, on race day, if you come into the race hydrated I believe you can absolutely do 90-minutes in a March race, on the east coast, without needing to drink.
For more information on the various theories on hydration GO HERE!
KATE: My speedwork goal this week was to do 4x1200 at 86-88 seconds per lap. My adrenaline was pumping on the first interval, and as a result each lap was between 83-84 seconds. The second one, however, was at 90-95 seconds per lap, and the third and fourth sets came in at 98-100 seconds per lap. I was working so hard I thought my lungs were going to fall out, but I just couldn't meet the time goal. How concerned should I be with meeting that 86- to 88-second goal?
TOBY: While the clock is important, it's secondary right now. First and foremost is the effort you're putting into the workout. If you feel like you're working hard during the interval, then you're doing it right. Remember, intervals should be done at around 95% of you maximum heart rate and you shouldn't be able to talk at all. That said, you should also leave the workout with a little something left. You don't want to feel like you couldn't run another step. Leave a little something in the tank.
I think now's the time to tell you the "cooking speed" story as some inspiration. When I was training with the Kenyans several years ago, we'd start off easy, then someone would say, "time for cooking." We all knew that really meant "time for pain." We would start to push the pace to where we thought our lungs would burst and someone would inevitably yell "mo fire," which of course meant go faster. My point here is we weren't obsessing over time, we were going off our bodies and how they felt. So, hang in there and remember: Don't obsess on the time. These are only guidelines. Listen to your body.
