We are happy to answer your questions
ask the coach
ASK THE COACH ARCHIVES ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
WE'LL TRY TO ANSWER YOUR RUNNING RELATED QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE SOME NUGGETS OF WISDOM. KEEP IN MIND THAT DIAGNOSIS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR PHYSICIAN. COMMENTS POSTED HERE SHOULD NOT BE MISCONSTRUED AS MEDICAL ADVICE! USE THE FORM BELOW TO SEND IN YOUR OWN QUESTION FOR THE COACH. ASK THE COACH ARCHIVES ARE AVAILABLE HERE.
Have a question for the coach?
How to determine split goals
Hi Running Strong, Derek here! I've been running on and off for 8ish years, I've ran a few marathons and a few halfies but never with a time oriented goal in mind. Now I think I'm ready to race :) My question is regarding splits and time goals. Right now I run 3 times a week: 1) 7-9 km race pace 2) 5-7 km fartlek, or intervals 3) 15+ km long run How do I determine what my split goals should be during these runs based on a desired half marathon time of 1:40 (4:40/km)? Is it important to have splits in mind during all my training runs or only at certain times and at certain distances? I don't currently have a race scheduled so I'll be starting from 'scratch' for my next race. Let me know what you think. Thx for reading! Derek. Halifax, NS, Canada
reply - coach janet
Hi Derek, Training should be based on several factors – your goal race distance, your current fitness level, any injury history or current injuries you’re battling, the number of days per week you are available to train, your previous race paces and goal race pace (just to name a few factors). For any race you choose, the first and most important aspect is to build enough of a weekly distance base to support the speedwork needed to race the given distance. For a 5k – most people can get away with a lower weekly distance base than for a half marathon. A good half marathon base would be on the order of at least 35 miles a week (50-55km per week at a minimum). You report that you’re running about 30K a week (roughly 19 miles) so I’d think perhaps your first step would be to get your weekly distance a bit more robust. After you’ve built a solid foundation of distance at easy effort – then it’s time to add in some spice in the form of hill work and/or speedwork. Even then you have to respect that you’re adding in a small volume of this higher intensity stuff and the majority of your runs are still at easy effort. If you do all your training at/near race pace – you’re setting yourself up for an overuse injury. A good rule of thumb is to do no more than about 7% of total weekly mileage at high intensity (think 5k race pace) – so at your current base you’d only be able to do about 2k of speedwork at that pace. That’s a pretty small dose. If you built your foundation up to 50k a week – you could get away with 3.5km (a bit over 2 miles) of 5k speedwork. As your speedwork target paces slow to 10k or half marathon race pace you can estimate safely tolerating perhaps 10% of total weekly mileage at those efforts. It’s all about that base… build it up – this increases the likelihood that your muscles, tendons and bones will tolerate the speedwork you need to do to improve your race time. I can certainly help with this if you’re interested. Feel free to reach out or check out the services page for more information. Best regards, Coach Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, USATF-level 1, RRCA-certified coach
Recurrent calf pain - mick
Hi, I have been running for more years than I care to remember (without any main injury issues), running anything from a 10k to a marathon over the years. Unfortunately in the last couple of years I seem to get hit with a pain in my right calf after approx a mile. I have laid off running for several lenghts of time when this occurs (from weeks to months). When I start back running things seem to start well but after a few weeks, months of running I get hit with the same pain in my calf. I am 63 years of age and really enjoy the sport so would like to try and get to the course of the problem so I can run pain free again. Kindest Regards Mick,
reply - coach janet
Hi Mick, without knowing a lot more about your method of transitioning back into running, and also your routine in terms of stretching and strength work it's hard to be sure but here are a few things you can invesigate to see if you can have an effect on your symptom pattern.
1. Are you stretching routinely? Runners tend to get tight in their calves, hamstrings and quads as well as their hips. A general routine of stretching these muscle groups daily is a good place to start. Stretch gently, but consistently.
2. Do you warm up a bit with some walking before you transition into your run? If not then perhaps doing 5 or more minutes of brisk walking before you start running might help.
3. Are you running at the proper effort/pace for where your fitness is at this point or perhaps you're running at a pace that you used to run at but it might be too fast for your current fitness. Do you take walk breaks? If you're transitioning back into running after a time off - it helps to be generous with the walk breaks for a bit
4. What's your nutrition and hydration like these days? Do you take any medications that might tend to dehydrate you (some blood pressure meds tend to dehydrate you). If you're on various medications make sure to discuss with your doc about any things you need to do to maintain fluid/electrolyte balance.
5. Are you using running shoes that are a bit fatigued? Perhaps they're new but are a different model than what worked in the past and that is contributing?
I am happy to help you try to work through this but I'd need to know a lot more about you. Please feel free to reach out to me directly if you would like some assisance on a personal level. (coach at runningstrong.com) Hope this helps - Coach Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, USATF-level 1, RRCA-certified coach.
runners knee 18 days out from marathon - angelina
I have been training for the Chicago marathon for 18 weeks and am about 18 days out. I ran my 20 mile run last week and have not been able to run more than a mile since because my knee has been in pain. My doctor said I have runners knee but I need to run this marathon. I am okay with going slower and not reaching my goal time, but what should I do to get better in these coming days?,
reply coach janet
I'm never a fan of sending an athlete to a start line injured. It just usually doesn't work out well. Is this your first marathon? If so - that makes it all the more important that you toe the line healthy. Between now and race day your most important thing is to get the symptoms settled down. Your training is basically behind you at this point. You've got as much fitness as you're going to have. You may be able to do some deep water running in a swimming pool, you may even be able to maintain your cardio fitness with some biking. What you don't want to do is force running or walking or other activities that bring symptoms on. If your symptoms aren't resolved by the week before the race, you'd be smart to postpone your marathon. Think about it - what's the BEST case scenario? The best you can hope for is that you'll have a sub-par performance but you'll come across the finish line no worse than you were at the start,. That's not the most likely outcome. The more likely outcome is that you toe the line injured, and fight your way to the finish but your body is really beat up and you have to take a much longer training break afterward to recover. The goal should be to have a fun event and want to do it again sometime... not to look back on it as a painful experience. They'll make more marathons, you want to be healthy when you run it. Please think this through and really look at the long term, big picture -- running injured is no fun.
Coach Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, USATF-level1, RRCA-Certified coach
middle foot pain - manny
I have been training for a 10km for October. I began running in May. Moving gradually up from 2km to 7km. I run 2-3 times a week and I also play soccer 2-3 times a week. I ran 7km last week. I went for a run for a past few days and can't seem to get past 1km-2km. I feel an aching pain at the bottom of both feet. It's not an injury as it is not a "piercing" type pain. It's a gradual build up to an unbearable aching. The pain is from the middle to the top. The heels stay relatively ok. Is this a case of I am overworking? Or do I just need to push through this pain?,
reply coach janet
Hi Manny, I’m never a fan of just “pushing through” pain. That often leads to worse outcomes and longer training breaks because whatever was injured got beat up and injured worse. There are a few things to think about. 1. When you run are you running at the proper training pace or are you pushing yourself to run fast, thinking that will make you faster. Training is training… racing is racing. Don’t race your training runs. Speedwork should be included but only once your base is adequately built. If you’re only running twice a week, it’s highly likely your distance base is not very big. 2. Make sure you’re running in shoes that adequately support your feet and that aren’t overly fatigued. 3. Address strength and flexibility deficits. Often foot pain is related to weak hips and tight calves… that’s certainly the first place I’d look to make an intervention. 4. If you increase frequency of calf stretches, your shoes are good, and your training pace is where it’s supposed to be – then I’d be suspicious of an overuse issue in the bones of your midfoot. A simple x-ray likely wouldn’t pick up a stress fracture but any doc you go to will want to start with that before they get to the diagnostic imaging that might actually provide a diagnosis (CT scan, Ultrasound, or MRI). At the very least, you’re wise to listen to the feedback from your body and not push through this. Figure out what’s going on…determine the factors that are causing the symptom and address those. Then when your symptoms are resolved, start back into running and take a more consistent and conservative approach. Best of luck – Coach Janet Hamilton, MA, RCEP, CSCS, USATF-level 1, RRCA certified coach
Our Athletes Share their stories
"We are undefeated coach! We prepared for 5 marathons together and we set a PR every time!"
Paul S (NY)
"Janet's education, experience in patient care & as an educator give her a credible resume for advising runners. More importantly to me, she is able to reach out and see where I need a boost - nutrition, race day preparation, etc. She is intuitive in reading my running log and tweaks my training accordingly. I have worked with Janet for several years and I have been injury-free while snagging half marathon PRs."
Cheryl (KS)
Over the years my running goals have evolved, and, thanks to Janet, I’ve achieved them all! Janet’s background in physical therapy and biomechanics was invaluable to get me back on my feet after a bad hamstring injury. Janet uses her knowledge of the latest scientific evidence to optimize performance. With Janet’s help, I’ve reached the podium for races from the 5K to the marathon and qualified for Boston. Most importantly, Janet has a positive, supportive coaching style, and is a pleasure to work with!
Kathrine T (GA)