We started with out 15 minute warmup.

• Ran up to 100 meters and back down
• Rest
• Ran up 200 meters and back down
• Rest
• Ran up 300 meters and back down
• Rest

I did 4 sets of this.  I was wheezing and so out of breath by the 4th set.   But good for my legs.  I hope don’t tire myself out for the Sunday 10 miler race.

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2. Speed training tips: Sprint Runs
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Now you must be having problems going up and down stairs, walking fast, whole body is aching and feels really beat up.  Here are some tips to help you with a speedy recovery because I know you want to get back out there running your heart out.  On average it will take 2-3 weeks after the marathon to fully recover.

5 Recovery Tips The Minute You Cross The Finish Line

1. Start walking.  Walk 10-15 minutes to get your legs and breathing back to normal.  It will be painful, but continue to walk throughout the day for 15 minutes.
2. Refuel muscles with meals that include carbs, protein and sodium.  For example, you can eat peanut butter sandwich, banana and gatorade.   If you cannot eat after a race, you can opt for recovery drinks such as Hammer RECOVERITE, CLIF SHOT Recovery, PowerBar Recovery, V8, chocolate milk; most available at your local grocery store.  Check out other Recovery drinks available.
3. Drink lots of water.
4. To reduce the inflammation soak your legs in tub of cold ice water or shower your legs with cold water.  Another option to reduce inflammation in your legs is to go for a soothing salt bath.
5. Sleep and get lots of rest.
   

Recovery Tips for Day After Your Marathon

1. Go for a massage or see the chiropractor.
2. There are products such as The Marathon Stick and Foam Rollers that allow you to do deep tissue massages for hamstrings, calves, thighs and hips yourself.
3. Do light hamstring and calve stretches to loosen your muscles.  Wear comfortable shoes, your feet will be sore.
4. Eat enough for recovery but try not to eat too much to gain unnecessary weight.

Recovery Tips Days After Running Your Marathon

1. The worse thing you can do for marathon recovery is to stop exercising.  A few days after your marathon should be an active resting period, but there should be no running.
2. Consider doing low impact exercises such as yoga, biking, walking or swimming which are great to keep your legs an body moving.
3. After week of active resting, you can start to reverse taper your marathon regime.
4. Start off slow and short and gradually get your legs, lungs and brain ready for another season of running.  If you start to feel pain in your legs or knees, stop and rest.  Keep your running intensity low for at least three weeks.

Giving your body adequate time to heal is best way for recovery and prevent long term injuries in the future.  Remember to always have fun and enjoy your downtime.

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Trail Running is Great for Speed and Hill Training.

If you are a beginner runner, choose trails that are more flat.  For more intermediate runners, find a more challenging trail where you can run hills or speed train.

Buddy Up

Trails are very peaceful and quiet with lots of shade.  The air feels crisper with all the trees around which is why I love it so much.  There are no traffic lights or cars to worry about like when you’re running on the roads.  These are areas that don’t attract a lot of foot traffic unless out they are out for a morning stroll.  Most trails are very quiet and secluded which makes it wise to get a friend to run with you or at least tell someone which trail you are running and your estimated return time.   Be wise and don’t run trails at night.  I always carry my cell phone in case of emergency.

Be Aware Of Surroundings

Don’t keep your head down when you run.  Look ahead to foresee any obstacles in your path like branches, rocks, mud or patches of puddles.   Be alert when you run.  I know I tend to drift off in my mind when I start to run, but I will always remain alert when running through secluded paths.  Always look behind you to make sure no one is following you.  Don’t listen to music too loudly so you can hear any footsteps or if anyone is shouting.   Always keeps your eyes moving, looking at the trees or bushes.  Make sure you listen or see if any one is lurking in the shadows.   Turn around immediately if you sense any danger.

Careful On Downhills

If you run downhill don’t get too crazy running.  Some trails get slippery at night or early morning.

Know The Trail

Be familiar with the trail before running it and know it’s in a good location.   Do some research on the trails before running it and know where it starts and ends.  I do not recommend straying off the trail path because last thing you want is to get lost in a wooded forest with no idea where you are.

Be Prepared

There are many things to aware before you go trail running.  Be conscious of the trail distance and ensure you conserve enough energy to make it out of the trail.  There are no “water” stations along the trail so make sure you have enough fluids so you won’t get dehydrated.  Lastly, be prepared for weather conditions.  Dress appropriately for the run.  Wear high performance running clothes that are suitable for all potential weather conditions.

Trail running is great.  Don’t let the above tips scare you off.  Just be aware of your surroundings and run safely.

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When running, you either “plod” or ”float” and the difference is how quick your cadence is.  Most runners plod which means a longer contact your feet have with the ground.  If you watch the elite runners they practically float.  Their feet contact the ground very lightly and push off very quickly.   They don’t use the traditional running shoes but wear racing flats (or sometimes called running flats) which are less bulky, smaller and helps with running on the forefoot making you run faster with a quicker cadence.  The less time you contact the ground the less chance for injury.

Measure Your Running Cadence

How do you measure your running cadence?  Running cadence is usually measured by counting how many times your right (or left) foot strikes the ground in one minute.  There is a magic number for cadence.  On average a runner should run at a cadence of about 85-95 on a flat course, 60-65 on uphills and 100+ on downhills.   If your cadence is below 85 on a flat course, you are possibly over-striding and should to work on increasing your leg turnover and shortening your stride.  When you over-stride, you put your foot too far out of the center of gravity and it reduces your momentum.  You should focus more on maximizing your cadence and your body will naturally produce the most optimal stride and turnover rate.  If your cadence surpasses 95, you might want to consider training with Usain or Priscilla.

Try Cadence Running

Run a set of 8 x 400m on the track:

Run the first two at 90 cadence.

Next two at 92 cadence.

Next two at 95 cadence.

Last two at 100 cadence.

After you get comfortable with running short distances faster you can increase the distance to 800m and then slowly graduate to a more difficult cadence training.  Try to run 20 minutes at 90 cadence, 20 minutes at 92 cadence and 20 minutes at 95 cadence.  Overall, the faster your feet turnover the faster your pace will be.

Related Running Tips:

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Speed Play is great training for racers who wants to harness that extra power for a strong finish or to push ahead of a group of runners.  This method simply alternates 200 meter runs with fast and recovery speeds.  I usually run 40 seconds fast and then a 30 seconds recovery.   This trains your body to shift gears when you’re racing and feeling tired.  This method is very effective in races and extremely tiring.   I usually put this speed training into use when I hit the last mile of my race.

Initially it’s hard to gauge what your pace should be when you run the faster 200s, but just remember it should be a pace faster than you would normally run in long interval training.  For intermediate runners this pace is your 1 mile race pace.  The recovery 200s allows for buffering of pain (lactic acid).  These pace changes help fortify your surges when you’re running a race.

I usually repeat Speed Play about 7 to 8 times which is about 10 minutes of pure running.  If needed you can take a minute rest in between each iteration.  Here’s a tip on how you can incorporate Speed Play into your speed training efforts.  Please make sure you do not have any heart conditions before attempting.

For Beginner Runners:

1. Run 15 mins warmup.
2. Run 15 mins Tempo Speed training.
3. Run 7 mins of Speed Play with a minute rest in between each iteration.
4. Run 20 mins cool down.
5. Remember to stretch after your run.

For intermediate runners:

1. Run 30 mins warmup.
2. Run 30 mins of Tempo Speed training.
3. Run 15 mins of alternating the Speed Play – You can rest for a minute in between each iteration.
4. Run 30 mins cool down.
5. Remember to stretch after your runs.

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I was drinking tons water and Gatorade, eating bananas and other fruits which I thought was the best way to recover but it was obviously not enough. My muscles needed something to help speed up recovery because I was always feeling drained the next day and I am pretty active in sports. Everyday I am doing a different sport. In addition to long distance running and training for marathons, sometimes I swim run and weight lift in the same day. Then I’m biking, running and playing softball the next. So a few months ago, I decided to investigate a little into muscle recovery drinks and there are a few on the market. Endurox Accelerade, and Endurox Endurox R4 were at the top of my list. These products advertised that they help speed up muscle recovery, enhance rehydration,extend endurance, and reduces muscle damage.

Endurox R4 and Accelerade are made by the same company “Endurox”. They all use a very popular Carbohydrate-protein ratio (four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein) also known as the 4:1 ratio. Endurox Accelerade is a formula sports drink that should be consumed during and Eurodox Endurox R4 (yes the product name is also Endurox) is taken within 2 hours after running.

During long runs, the body breaks down muscle to meet energy needs. After doing some research it shows that consuming Accelerade or Endurox R4, both carbohydrate-protein sports drink during running can minimize muscle breakdown. Carbohydrate is necessary to give you back the energy and protein is just enough start rebuilding muscle. Protein provides amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during intense long runs. It can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines and improve muscle hydration. If you eat more protein than that, it has negative impact because it slows down all the benefits it would normally provide.

In regards to taste, Endurox Accelerade is more refreshing and tastes more like gatorade while Endurox R4 has a more cremier and thicker taste to it like a creamy smoothie. They both have a wide variety of flavours. For the Endurox Accelerade my favourite are Orange and Lemon Lime. I don’t really like creamy sports drinks but Endurox Endurox R4 Chocolate and Fruit Punch appealed to me more.

Both these products are great taken together for maximum results but it will work just as good to take just one. I suggest taking the Endurox Accelerade. It helped in my muscle recovery, improved my protein balance and also decreased the soreness I usually got after running so the next day I could perform at my max in my other sports.

Click to find recommended flavours of Endurox Accelerade:

Endurox Accelerade, 60 Servings, Lemon Lime Price $47.99 On Sale $38.39
Endurox Accelerade, 60 Servings, Orange Price $47.99 On Sale $38.39

Click to find recommended flavours of Endurox Endurox R4:

Endurox Endurox R4, 4.63 Lbs., Chocolate Price $54.99 On Sale $43.99
Endurox Endurox R4, 4.63 Lbs., Fruit Punch Price $54.99 On Sale $43.99

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I participate in a lot of sports such as rockclimbing, dragonboating, snowboarding, swimming, softball, ultimate, yoga, squash, cycling and more.  But those are not my main sports, I don’t tie myself to any one of them.  I pick them because they have a unique feature in them that will help me improve my running, whether it be in upper body strength, speed training, core strength, breathing, stretching and the list can go on.   So you can also pick a sport or multiple sports that you not necessarily enjoy, but have access to and you can add to your cross training routine.

I’ll give a highlight of each sport and their benefits to running.

Rockclimbing – helps build arm, quad and calf muscles.

Dragonboating – helps with upper body strength, arm strength and stamina.

Snowboarding – helps build co-ordination, quad muscles, breathing in cold weather and strengthens your ankles.

Swimming – helps build overall body strength, core strength, and breathing.

Softball – helps build arm strength, hand eye feet coordination, and sprint training.

Ultimate – helps immensely in building stamina in speed and sprint training, also helps you control your breathing, and pushes your lactate threshold.  Highly recommended for long distance runners to help with speed work.

Yoga – helps build core strength and with stretching.

Squash – helps with sprint training and stamina.

Cycling – helps strengthen legs.

All these sports are great if you already have a high level of stamina as with most long distance runners.  You will be able to last longer in each sport but try to exert yourself to the max when participating in them.  In other words, running slow to first base or biking at a very low speed and intensity, just doesn’t cut it.  Push yourself to 100% each time you run.  If you get tired, just think it’s only for a few more minutes.  Ultimate or Softball runs don’t last long, they are just tiring because it’s short sprints across the field.  I know that soccer and volleyball are also great sports to participate in but I’m just wary of all the injuries with sprained ankles and dislocated joints.  I don’t want to injure myself in secondary sports for my primary sport of running.

Overall, have fun in your sports and try to pick a mixture of low to high impact sports.

Related Running Tips:

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When you run, your muscles produce Lactic Acid and your body burns this off so you don’t feel anything. Like when you’re walking or going for a light jog. As your running intensity increases, your muscles produces more lactic acid and hits a point where it doesn’t burn the acid fast enough and accumulates in your legs.  When lactic acid accumulates dramatically you know you’ve hit that threshold.

Athletes who are fit and run all the time have higher lactate thresholds. If you run more and do speed workouts, your muscles will adapt and process oxygen faster and then reduce the accumulation of lactic acid. Mixture of interval and tempo speed training with a main focus of staying in Heart Rate Zone 4 will help you push this threshold.

As with all speed training, this should be done in moderation.   Running fast is good but over time it might lead to injuries from over training.

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There are 5 different heart rate zones:

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