Question:
I've decided I want to become much
more serious about my running. For
the past 4-5 years, I've been a
basic runner of 3-4 time a week
2.5 - 4 miles. I love it, and find
it to be great exercise, but I'm
at the point where this amount doens't
make me any fitter, and I have a
tendency to fluctuate in dedication.
I also ski occionally, roller blade,
etc, and other activities.
So - I'd
like to start running correctly
with proper diet, and actually train
for a goal. Short term, I'd like
to be able to run 10k races locally,
and reach a 10 or 12 mile run. Long
term, if I'm doing okay with my
short term goal, I'd like to run
a marathon.
Suggestions,
books, ideas for the beginner?
Answer:
You're a perfect candidate to begin
training for racing. From your posting,
it sounds like basic running fitness
is well-established and you're looking
to progress to a more competitive
level. Your goals are also in order.
Work your way up from 5K/8K/10K
to half-marathon to marathon. You
are probably ready to run a 5K right
now.
A very commonly-used
next step is to add in one speedwork
session per week, and to gradually
lengthen one of your sessions until
you are covering distance in excess
of your target racing distance (or
at least close to it in the case
of marathon races). Some common
ways to add in speedwork are Fartlek/strides
(my own personal favorite), hill
work (tough, but makes *you* tough),
intervals (extensively studied,
proven effective), and tempo runs
(good for pace and pushing back
lactate barriers). You can find
many others by searching on, for
example +running +training in your
favorite search engine.
As far as
good books go, there lots of them.
I suggest visiting Amazon.com and
searching for running books, then
checking the reviews to see what
other runners have said about them.
Once you have settled on three or
four top candidates, go to you local
better bookstore and page through
them. Eventually you'll find one
that's right for you. I have my
own favorites which I won't mention
here because they might not be suitable
for you.
I tend to
be heavily into the running physiology
aspect, which most runners find
boring and not terribly useful.
I will say that if you're going
to buy only one book, it should
discuss running form, running shoe
selection, and each of the training
techniques mentioned above (fartlek/strides,
intervals, hill work, and tempo
runs). Sample training programs
for the distances you want to focus
on can also be handy, but use them
only as guides. As others here often
quote: your mileage may vary!
