SQUADRUN kick-starter guide
How to Hawkes Bay – The SQUADRUN kick-starter guide for those running the New Zealand Sotheby's International Realty marathon, half marathon or 10km.
We at SQUADRUN want you to have a successful and rewarding race. With 3 months to go this is a great time to get a better understanding of where you are at and what you need to focus on between now and race day. The following is a brief review of the questions we see most of at this stage of training. We hope that it gives you insight and motivation to accelerate into the final 12 weeks remaining.
When should I start my training?
NOW. Earlier than now if possible. Regardless of what distance you’re running in May, the important thing to appreciate is that aerobic conditioning takes a long time so the sooner you get to work the better prepared you will be on race day. Think of your training like a savings account with compounding interest. Do a 10km training run today and it is somehow worth a bunch more than doing the same training run two weeks prior to the main event. Get the hay in the barn early and you’ll be building the best possible foundation for yourself in the months ahead.
How far should I be running?
Just because you’ve entered a 42.2km run it doesn’t mean you should be out running over 30km every weekend. Just because you’ve entered a 10km run it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be running over 20km every weekend.
You have to train at the level of fitness you are at now and add volume conservatively on top of that. If you are only running 20km/w it is unrealistic to think you should suddenly boost your training threefold simply because the even you entered 42.2km. You don’t reach the top rung of the ladder by trying to leap from the bottom step the very top in one bound. Look at where you are now and aim to increase it gradually. If you can only run for 5 minutes before you have to walk, try extending it to 6 minutes or slightly reducing your walk breaks gradually over time.
How often should I be running?
Frequency and consistency is better than volume. More is not necessarily more and more often is certainly best. Your body loves overload stress and with adequate recovery you will likely absorb reasonable amounts of training every day or two. Training more often will result in better adaptation than training less frequently but longer. A 4hr weekend run is not necessarily better than 4x 1hr runs through the week. Eat the elephant with relentless small bites. It all adds up! Swim, Hike, Cycle or simply walk more and you will be better prepared come race day.
How hard should I be training?
The vast majority of your training at this stage should be ‘easy aerobic’ volume. Over 65%maxHR is fine but the sweet spot is around 70%maxHR. The rough gauge is at an effort of about 4 or 5 out of 10. We call this ‘conversation pace’. Do 80% of your weekly training at an intensity that would allow you to maintain a full conversation without becoming short of breath. EASY STUFF EASY!
Further support from SQUADRUN, can be sought by picking up a 4-week coaching trial from here or by joining us in the official training group on Facebook here.
