Tips For The Self-Coached Runner
Most MCRRC runners do not use a running coach and are in effect their own coaches. This column will try to provide some tips to both those self-coached runners who are looking to run fast times and those self-coached runners who are trying to stay injury free.
If you are going to be successful as a self-coached runner, you need two things going for. First and foremost you must be able to be objective about yourself and your training. Second and related to the first, you should have a sensible training philosophy that allows you to train hard while minimizing the risk of injury. The problem is if you talk to five runners, you will probably hear five different training strategies.
So what do you do once you decide to coach yourself. You can read publications such as Runners World and Running Times, but unfortunately those publications have no consistent outlook or strategy regarding training. Often articles from one month to the next contradict one another. You can listen to your fellow runners and probably pick up some really bad advice. Fast runners have great genes, but they don't necessarily train smart. Even among successful coaches, there are many different training strategies and philosophy that have worked.
I am going to make a couple of simple suggestions, which if you follow, will probably lead to a lifetime of successful training and competing. This advice is based on a system that I use and have seen work for runners of all abilities.
First purchase a heart monitor (e-mail me if you want recommendations) and train with it. Second, get at least one of the two books I discuss below. Doing so will provide more than enough information to put together a sensible training program that should result in positive improvements in your running while helping to reduce the likelihood of injury.
The first publication is Precision Heart Rate Training edited by Edmund Burke, Ph.D., (published by Human Kinetics [800] 747-4457 or humank@hkusa.com) contains a comprehensive discussion of how to train with a heart monitor.
The most important chapter is Coach Roy Benson's chapter on running, although for tri-athletes there is also a chapter on multi-sport training. Benson tells you how to figure out your maximum heart rate without having to shell out money for a treadmill stress test. This is very important because runners can have maximum heart rates as much as 24 beats above or below the predicted value for their age. Benson also provides a graph so that you can determine the appropriate heart rates for various training efforts effort you should train.
Coach Benson discusses some of the anomalies that those of us who have trained with heart monitors have probably experienced and don't quite understand. This is also valuable information for those beginning to train with a monitor because without it you can become quite confused.
For instance, Benson tells you why an increase in heart rate does not always equate to an increase in speed, why if you go to hard too soon that your heart rate will not rise very high) and why your heart rate does not always correlate with effort.
Finally, Coach Benson offers sample training plans for the major three phases of training runners need to go through to get into racing shape. My only complaint with Coach Benson's chapter is that he is giving away many of the secrets and training tips that I use as a coach.
The other book is Daniels' Running Formula by Jack Daniels, Ph.D. (also published by Human Kinetics). Daniels is one of the most successful college cross country coaches and has recently taken on clients like American marathon record holder Jerry Lawson. Like Benson, Daniels, is a proponent of anaerobic threshold training. Although he is ambivalent about training with a heart monitor, the principles in Daniels' book are the same as those employed in heart monitor training. Run very easy on your easy days. Train hard on your hard days. The Daniels book provides some very detailed training programs for the 5K, 10K and the marathon. He also explains in great detail what kind of speed work you should do, when you should do it and how often you should do it.
Get a heart monitor, get these two books and you will be on your way to learning the secrets of successful training. For those of you who don't have the time, energy or desire to be self-coached, contact one of the MCRRC low key coaches to work with you or consider hiring a private coach.
Coach West is a licensed coach, affiliated with MCRRC, and available to coach motivated adult runners. A portion of his coaching fees for MCRRC members is returned to MCRRC. For further information about personal coaching opportunities, contact Coach West at kirtwest@comcast.net.
