Run a faster 5K, 10K, HM, Marathon... 😄

[roseabi]

Hi all!

I posted about this on Strava yesterday, and I thought I'd copy and paste it here, ha 💥

I listened to Tina Muir's podcast interview with the American "masters runner" (that just means a runner who's over 40) and coach Pete Magill last week.

tinamuir.com/pete-magill/

What he said on it really chimed with my recent thinking about half marathon training, and a simple plan he suggested has inspired me to get to work on improving my speeds at 5K, 10K, and half marathon - and also the marathon! Although I'll not be doing another one of those until next year 😊

The following comes from Tina's website, with a couple of tiny edits by me 😊

If you are getting back into running, or running into old age, it is imperative that you recover correctly. Magill says that recovery is not the goal, super compensation is the goal. Super compensation is the second part of recovery when your body has strengthened to complete an even more difficult training session. To reach super compensation, Pete recommends resting for one additional day after your body feels fully recovered.

The other aspect of proper recovery is to avoid training too hard. This can mean skipping your last set, or running 10 minutes less than you planned. Pete says that you can only make a little bit of improvement each day, so you shouldn’t over work for that little bit of improvement that is possible. Be consistent, take the time to recover, and don’t over train in your individual sessions.

💥 A SAMPLE 5K WORKOUT FOR A MASTERS RUNNER (OR FOR ANYONE!) 💥

Pete says that if you train your body to run a fast 5k, then you have also trained your body to run a fast 10k and a fast marathon (with a few additional long runs). Training for a 5K requires you to train, slow, medium and fast twitch muscle fibers. Once you have built a strong body that uses all your muscle fibers, you are ready for any race.

★ Monday: V02 Training. This is your fast twitch training. In these runs you want to run at a 5K or even a 3K effort. In your first week you should start by running 5-10 sets of one-minute runs with a 3-minute jogging recovery in between each run. Increase the time and the intervals until you are running 5 sets of 5-minute runs.

★ Thursday: Tempo Work. This is your intermediate muscle group. Do 1-2 sets of 10-20-minute runs at a 10K (or half marathon) effort. Just like the V02 training, you should work up to the number of sets and the duration of the run.

★ Sunday: Long Run. Easy effort. Your slow twitch muscles. For 5K training, these long runs should be between 90 and 120 minutes. Like the other two workouts, work up to the amount of time you are running. Long runs can do wonders for your 5K. Some of the benefits include: generating a better stride, teaching your body how to burn fat, and creating a more efficient nervous system.

Obviously this is a nine-day cycle of running, similar to my original half marathon plan 😊 If you need to organise yourself around a seven day week you will have to take longer breaks between the runs sometimes. So for example if you can only do your long run on a Sunday, it would have to be every OTHER Sunday making a pattern of three runs one week, two the next, and so on.

💥 About Pete Magill, from his website petemagill.com

Magill has coached at the youth, high school, open, and masters levels. As a masters athlete and coach, he’s led his Southern California clubs to 19 masters national championships in cross country and road racing. He’s won the individual title in six masters national cross country championships, holds multiple American & World age group records, and ran 14:45 for 5000 a few months before turning 50, a time never matched or beaten by a runner 49 or older.

💥 The picture is of me running the 2016 Beachy Head Marathon in my parkrun top, demonstrating another way that a 5K can improve your marathon 😄

NB Running the Beachy Head Marathon faster is definitely one of my goals!!!!

💥 Here is a link to my post about the Half Marathon Training Plan:

healthunlocked.com/marathon...

[Tbae Metric Marathon]

This is just a fantastic post Abi.👏👏

Must watch all the links and I will reread this many times I am sure.👍

I seemed to be winning my battle with Achilles tendinopathy and I will not get ahead of that repair.

Cannot wait to refinish C25k and take up a serious interest in this post and so many others you have posted on here.👊💥

Thank you so much Abi for giving me much food for thought.

👊💥🏃‍♀️🌟💥💫👏👏

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Tbae]

I'm glad to hear about your Achilles, Tbae! Always good to see you here too xxx

[Tbae Metric Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Thanks Abi.

I incorrectly found myself a bit torn and appropriately respectful when repeating and posting on C25k.

It’s one big magic forum I know but when I get ahead of myself with some daft ideas that leads to confusion is certainly not supportive to all you Magic Admins.

So soon be finished C25k second time round, and hopefully better able to manage the Achilles and send it to sleep.

But when I am ready I cannot resist trying stuff.I think I will always be a novice in that respect.

This post has just lit my 🔥.

Wow.

Maybe even manage towards the end be able to enter your speed challenge and see if I can knock a few secs off my PR.

That’s the joke of the century.🙈😂😂

👊💥🏃‍♀️🌟☄️☄️👏👏

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Tbae]

No joke - it's wonderful!

And keep on being you xxxxxxxx

[Oldfloss Administrator]

This is Brilliant!

I joined the Masters club after the tail runner on my sandy Park run suggested it..he is also a Masters Runner and had just got back from Poland where he had been representing GB! This is so opportune and really helpful...thank you x

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Oldfloss]

Masters of the Universe, that's us! 💗💗💗

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to roseabi]

That is totally us!!!

[Whatsapp Half Marathon]

I've seen plenty of people run a parkrun in a marathon top, so why not?

I like the term masters runner better than: veteran or senior

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Whatsapp]

Absolutely! (to both points!)

[Tbae Metric Marathon in reply to Whatsapp]

Love this WhatsApp/ Dave👊💥

Including old, Victor Meldrew, etc,

🤔🙈😂😂

[Oldfloss Administrator in reply to Whatsapp]

Me too...better than Old snail too!!

[Tbae Metric Marathon in reply to Oldfloss]

Your Mo Farah, Floss compared to my pace.🙈😂😂

Hey ho Floss I answer to anything now.🤔😂

Go you Floss 🌟

👊💥🏃‍♀️🌟👏👏☄️☄️

[steviej99 Half Marathon]

Great post roseabi, thanks. This really resonated with me. Especially "Magill says that recovery is not the goal, super compensation is the goal" This is so true. The difficulty though is reconciling our natural desire to see "instant" results and improvement with the reality that "you can only make a small improvement each day" So I've done C25k, I've reached 30 minutes, I've reached 5k - so running 10k and running faster should be easy? Nope - so how do we reconcile what we know is true with our desire for instant reward, how do we make sure we enjoy the process rather than focusing on the outcome which comes from the process? Any ideas?

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to steviej99]

Hi Stevie!! Welcome to the racing forum!!!

I think you can enjoy the outcome of the process - by which I mean that no, running longer or faster may not be easy while you're doing it, in fact it's really difficult! But when you've finished that hard workout my word it is satisfying!!! 😊😊😊 Attention to recovery between runs is crucial to expanding that feeling of satisfaction, and there is other work you can be doing to build on this - cross training and building your strength in ways that you enjoy can be fabulous fun and very rewarding.

You can't expect a hard workout to feel easy - if it does it isn't a hard workout! Gratification comes in the form of safe completion of the workout (and a few endorphins!), and you can look back over time and see how far you've come xxx

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon]

This is so helpful and resonates with many of us, I'm sure. The timing is good for me since I'm just finishing my HM plan this week and will be starting a new one in the next 3 weeks. It seems whenever you look at many plans online, they all have 4-5 runs per week which I know I can't do (work and life are too busy!). After my last 17 k run, I was really tired when I was supposed to do my next run so I didn't run it. I felt slightly guilty for a millisecond then I let it go. This last week has been hellish at work. I'm supposed to run 5k as my last run tonight before I do my HM attempt on Friday. I've decided to see how this nutty day at work goes and if I need a stress relief after work I'll run it, but if I need to just decompress on the couch, that would be ok as well (maybe I can get enough get up and go to do my glute workout instead). So thanks for the good timing and reminding me that yup, I'm a Master at something (even if it is just due to my age 😂)

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

You are definitely a Master of the Universe!!! xx

[Snuffy_T Half Marathon in reply to SaskAlliecat]

You're brilliant, most people I know wouldn't even walk to the corner shop if it was raining, let alone run in sub zero snow.

[SaskAlliecat Half Marathon in reply to Snuffy_T]

Aw, thanks 😊

[Flyingred 10 Miles]

Many thanks for posting this, Abi, it's really informative. I remember reading somewhere in 'Born to Run' something to the effect that we maintain our ability to run into old age and that in theory it's possible to be as quick at 64 as we were at 18 (or similar). Evidence of the Tarahumara running strongly regardless of their age supports this. My take is that age compensation (other than heart rate zone calculations) isn't necessary for us over-40s.

I'm following the Phil Maffetone/John Douillard plans which concentrate on working at 50% MHR to build aerobic capacity and Douillard suggests it's ok to train every day at 50% because there's no strain/pain that requires recovery days. My Forerunner bears this out by suggesting 10 hours recovery most days. The caveat is not to train if waking RHR is 10 bpm higher than the previous morning.

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Flyingred]

I don't think anyone ever told any of the Tarahumara that they can't continue running into old age 😊

Pete Magill does actually mention doing "recovery runs" in between hard workout days, but I cut that bit out. Its fine if it is, as you say, very gentle, but personally I just like to take time off running to do other things. Also, I have found that a lot of beginner runners tend to have less variability in their paces and find that each run is something of a challenge until they gain fitness - so in those situations I think it's better (and less complicated) to stick to walking on recovery days.

I don't do heart-rate-based training at the moment, but it is something I'm interested to try at some point.

[Flyingred 10 Miles in reply to roseabi]

I guess the Tarahumara don't have any other way of getting around!

Thanks for the supplementary info about recovery runs – that makes a lot of sense.

I agree with you about beginner runners finding each run challenging (and therefore probably overdoing it). That's a big advantage of heart-rate based training. The plan is 'warm up for 5 minutes then jog for 30 and if your HR reading goes above 135, walk until it's down to 120, then jog again'.

[Tbae Metric Marathon]

I know I have posted on here earlier.🙈

But life and stuff get in the way.🤔

Pete Magill would not be impressed by what I am about to do.

But I am going to manage an accelerated repeat of C25k programme for my final 8 runs by doubling them up to 4 runs with of course the one day repair in between and finish by 02/05/19.

Do a few consolidation runs with Laura’s 3 podcasts, get back from, god willing, the birth of my 5th grandchild and I am going to pursue this post Abi, your bridge , your speed challenge, your HM.

Gosh Abi you have given so much info and opportunity and hope that a pace improvement can be realised.

👊💥🏃‍♀️🌟👏👏☄️☄️

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Tbae]

As I remember it the last eight runs of C25K are variously 25, 28, and 30 min. Do you mean you're going to do four runs of around an hour each?

If you have eight runs left they will only take just over two weeks to complete - might it not be better just to stick with the plan? What's the rush? 😊

Gosh, you make it sound as though I'm taking over!!! Must take a step back... 😊😊😊

[Tbae Metric Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Yes Abi 50 mins - 60 mins each of the 4 runs.

Your right no rush.Much safer to stick with the plan.

It certainly does not respect the 10% rule, but between being back in control,and this is not my first C25k I was going to take it at a very slow steady pace.

No worries and your not a stepping back person. 👍👏👏😂😂👊💥🏃‍♀️🌟

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Tbae]

You have plenty of experience, but you are currently recovering from injury so must be cautious! Xxx

[Snuffy_T Half Marathon]

Great post. I'm all about recovery..! A big thing for me as well as being a master runner is the dealing with the menopause and how it effects me physically. Some women sail through it, I felt as if I ran into a brick wall. I've signed up for the Brighton tri this year and HM 2020. It will be my second time for both ( having just chucked myself in before I was ready last time) . I'm going to compile my own training plans this time, and try out the 9 day cycle. This time I'd like to finish towards the middle of the pack, instead of holding up the rear, if possible, we will see. I'd love to do the beachy head marathon, maybe next year?

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Snuffy_T]

I know how you feel, menopause symptoms hit me hard a couple of years ago. I was training for the Brighton Marathon and feeling so tired (and hot!) it wasn't long before I was asking my doctor for hrt 😊 Doing fine now, but not looking forward to coming off the pills in a couple of years!

Sounds like the 9 days thing could be good for you, looking forward to seeing how you get on!

Beachy 2016 was my first marathon and I loved it! From talking to others on the way it seemed I was far from alone in running it as my first. I just took it slowly and enjoyed the scenery - there's a 9 hour cut off so it's very relaxed. Recommended 😊😊😊

[Snuffy_T Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

I think a run / walk beachy head is a maybe for 2020 😀

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Snuffy_T]

Cool!

[Anniemurph Half Marathon]

This is really interesting, thank you. On a very small scale, I have the Longhorn on Sunday and am supposed to be running this week, but am soooooo tired from my last runs! I can't see the point in forcing myself out for a run when I'm already knackered, but thought it was just me being lazy! I'm going to be very slow on Sunday anyway so it really doesn't matter but this post has made me thing about what happens after Sunday - great advice, thank you! xx

PS - how can I save it?

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Anniemurph]

Save this post? Interesting question!

Can you see the pinned posts on here?

[Anniemurph Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

Yes, I can see pinned posts, so I can see your HM plan, for example I like your HM plan and intend to start it soon but I like the explanations in here as well. I'm a theory geek...

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Anniemurph]

Would you mind following a link from the HM post to this post? I realise it is an extra step, and I could just pin THIS post, but I like to keep the 'pin board' as simple as possible 😊 I have already linked this post to the HM one, and I think it would make sense to also have a link to this one from the HM.

Alternatively you could save a shortcut to this post on your desktop or home screen, or save a file with the link in it. Unfortunately HU doesn't have a 'save favourites' facility, although it would be quite handy actually!

[Anniemurph Half Marathon in reply to roseabi]

That will work brilliantly, thank you! xx

[roseabi Ultramarathon in reply to Anniemurph]

It is done 😊