Country Music Marathon / Half Training

We are doing the exact same thing that we did last week except we'll start at 8 a.m. In fact...

FROM NOW ON, OUR SUNDAY RUNS WILL START AT 8 A.M.

Where: Centennial Park - meet at the parking area half way between West End and the Parthenon.

When: 8 a.m.

What:  Long slow distance on the course.  If you don't know the route, please print out a map.  We will run the first 8ish miles of the course, then continue straight down Wedgewood, turn right on Natchez Trace - run past the track and the stadium cross West End to enter Centennial Park.

Novice: 10 miles

Intermediate: 1 mile loop of Centennial + 10 miles = 11 miles

Advanced: 2 loops + 10 miles + 2 loops = 14 miles

Remember, this week is just time on your feet.   Learning the ups and downs of the course is going to pay big dividends on race day, but Sunday is not race day.  So keep your heart rate and effort level low.  Run with other people, even if it means that you have to slow down a little.  This is also a great week to invite friends if they are interested in running the race course with a big group.

Nutrition / Hydration

We will have gatorade on the route as well as some Gatorade G1 - gel type things.   But please bring some of you own calories/hydration for after the run.   Every so often we will run out of fluids for after the run, and this will be our first long run where it is a little bit warmer.

See you on Sunday at 8!

Mak

1/2 Marathon Training

Important!  Location Change!

Where: Centennial Park!  We meet in the parking area half-way between West End Ave and the Parthenon.

When:  9 a.m.  (We may move up to 8 a.m. soon, but not this week.)

What: Time on your feet.  Just an easy, conversational distance run on the 1/2 marathon course.

Novice: about 10 miles easy

Intermediate: about 11 miles easy

Advanced: 14 miles easy

Note: you need to either know the half-marathon course, or print off a map.  Here is where you can download a map.  You may want to have the map beside you as you read on...

Course:  We are going to run the first 8 miles of the course.  Then, instead of turning right on music row, we will continue on Wedgewood, cross 21st, and turn right on Natchez Trace.  We'll pass the Vanderbilt track and football stadium on our way back to Centennial Park.  The extra mileage for the intermediate and advanced groups will come from laps of Centennial Park.  The advanced group will do two one-mile laps before the course, and two after.  The intermediate will do one lap before the course run.

No brunch this week, but use this as an opportunity to revisit pancake pantry, or, if you are coming back to the East Side, try  Marche or Sky Blue Cafe - my two brunch-time favorites.

Speaking of eating...

Over the last couple of weeks, I have brought protein recovery drinks out to the long runs.  Why? Because, for some reason, you body readily accepts and processes calories within 30-60 minutes of a workout.  After that, your body starts to slow down the recovery process.  It has also been found that protein and carbs (in a 1g of protein per 4g of carbohydrate mixture) helps even more than just one or the other.   With these longer runs, it is essential that you do everything you can to aid your recovery.  Please consume the cough syrup recovery drink that I bring, or bring something yourself!  (If is topic interests you, here is a great article (Update 3/10 - link fixed...sorry, but this article is definitely worth reading!) from Outside magazine from a long time ago that highlights research by Ed Burke.  The guy who invented Endurox.)

Also, as we complete these longer runs we need to practice taking in calories during the run. As a general rule, if your race is going to be under 90 minutes, calories are not really necessary  In fact, I would recommend against them because they may upset your stomach.  But after 90 minutes, calories are essential to prevent a major bonk.   From now on, we'll have gatorade out on the course, and for a couple of weeks we'll have some gatorade gu-type things.   Now is the time (during training) to check out different flavors / types of gels to see what you like, ecause most of us will be out on the course for longer than 90 minutes and you don't want to be trying something new on race day.   Head over to Fleet Feet or NRC and check out their selection / suggestions or gels, blocks and various other ways to quickly get calories...

See you on Sunday.

Mark

Sunday March 4 - Tempo Miles

Where: Shelby Park - by the nature center

When: Sunday, March 4, 9 a.m.

What: Tempo Miles.

Novice: 15 minutes easy + 6 x (1 mile tempo + 1 minute walk/jog) + 10 minute easy

Intermediate: 15 minutes easy + 6 x (1 mile tempo + 1 minute rest) + 15 minutes easy

Advanced: 15 minutes easy + 8 x (1 mile tempo + 1 minute rest) + 20 minutes easy

Doing tempo intervals rather than steady state tempo runs has pros and con.  First, the con: it trains you to expect breaks during a race, which hopefully you will not be taking during the Country Music 1/2 or full.   The pros: it allows you to keep a faster pace than you would be able to without breaks - and it is not as taxing on your body as an 8 mile steady state tempo run.  (Which we will do on April 1...)

This is also a good week to practice negative splitting.   That means that our first mile should be our slowest and our last should be our fastest.   As far as our pace goes, start at about 40 seconds per mile slower than your time trial pace, and finish about 20 seconds per mile slower than your TT pace.  (Heart rate - 85% - 90% of your max...)

For planning purposes, starting next week we will be heading over to Centennial Park for three weeks.

Brunch is Back!

After the workout it's time to head over to Duane's for brunch!  It's only about a mile from the park, so no excuse.  The food is great, but at the end of the day it's a great time to really connect with your fellow East Nasties.  Everyone is welcome, especially if you are new to the group, or even new to town.  Check out the details here and sign up to bring something.

Tom King Water Stop

Next weekend, you have three options: (1) run the Tom King half or 5k, (2) help out with the East Nasty Tom King water stop or (3) give birth (this option applies to only a select few people...)

Everything we do at East Nasty is free, and we just ask that you guys give back once in a while.  One of the ways that we give back to the running community is to work a water stop.   But believe me, this is not your typical water stop...I guarantee that you will have a good time.  Next week we will have more details - but please pencil this Saturday morning activity into your schedule!

Friday night

Finally, remember that our good friend Kevin Kaz is hosting his second annual Funky Umbrella party at 3rd and Lindsey tonight starting at 9:30.  The Jones Brothers Experience will be the emcees.

See you Sunday.

Mark

Tempo #2

Sunday 2/26 - We are back at Shelby Park.  9 a.m.

First of all, last week's long run was epic.  This week we are back at Shelby.

During the course of our 1/2 marathon / marathon training, we have several different types of runs.  Of course there are those standard, obligatory (and important) steady state long runs.  That is where you just start slowly, and build into a steady pace that is about 1:30 to 2:30 minutes slower per mile than your 3 mile time trial pace.

Interspersed in these long runs we have 4 structured tempo runs.  We still run a fairly long distance, but for periods of time, we will run at or above our goal 1/2 marathon pace.  (Tempo pace, which is 85-90% max heart rate, or between 20 and 45 seconds slower per mile than 3 mile TT pace.)  This week is one of those workouts...  The first 2 parts of the workout are the same for everyone the bold part is different:

Novice (80 min total): 15 minutes easy + 5 x (5 min Tempo + 1 min easy) + 20 min easy + 5 min tempo + 10 min easy

Intermediate (90 min total): 15 minutes easy + 5 x (5 min Tempo + 1 min easy) + 25 min easy + 10 min tempo + 10 min easy

Advanced (105 min total): 15 minutes easy + 5 x (5 min Tempo + 1 min easy) + 35 min easy + 15 min tempo + 10 min easy

Note: You need feedback for these types of run.  Types of feedback include heart rate, pace and perceived effort level.  During the "tempo" portions of your runs, your heart should be between 85 and 90% of your maximum.  Your pace should be around 20-30 seconds per mile slower than your 3-mile time trial pace.   (If you don't have a GPS watch, I am going to mark the quarter miles on the 3-mile Shelby Loop.)  Finally, your breathing should never be auditory.  i.e. If you can hear yourself breathing, you are going too hard.

Calling All Parents...

Part of our mission at East Nasty is to support local businesses...because we love East Nashville and want to make it a great place to live and run.   Well a couple of East Nasties have gotten together to open a new baby & children's consignment store!  You'll learn more about Amanda Silvera and Casey Sloss soon, but their new store (called "Cheep Cheap") has their grand opening this Saturday from 10-4.  Cheep Cheap is located in the Porter Road East complex, 711 Porter Rd.

See you on Sunday !

Mark

Sunday February 19 - Just logging miles

Sunday will be our last long run in Percy Warner Park, before we head back to Shelby Park for two Sundays of structured workouts.   Once again, this week we are just spending time on our feet.  The pace should be conversational, the duration is the same as last week, and we will have groups on the trails and the roads.   And the best part is that afterwards we will have brunch!

When:  9 a.m.

Where: Percy Warner Park under the Stone Gates the end of Belle Meade Blvd

What:  Novice: 80 minute run, Intermediate: 90 minute run, Advanced: 120 minute run

Looking ahead, we all need to do another 3 mile time trial in early March.  We won't be doing one as a group on Sunday morning, so you need to make plans to either: (1) do one on your own or (2) run a local 5k.  Personally, I am going to run the Tom King 5k before I head over to work the infamous Jones brothers water stop...Be sure that you print off the training program so you know what we are doing and where we are meeting!

Brunch

The best part of Sundays...the East Nasty brunch.   Check out this link right here.  All the necessary information is included.  Our gracious hosts are Nick Abruzzo and Christina Young, who live right close to the park off of White Bridge Road.  Please sign up and to show off either your cooking skills, your cleaning skills or your shopping skills!

1/2 Marathon / Marathon Shirts

Every year, we get East Nasty shirts for the Country Music half and full marathons.  In a race of 33,000 people, it's fun to look around and see a bunch of other nasties in the same gear.  This year is no different except (1) we are actually ordering them early so we don't have to stress over getting them printed in time, (2) we are ordering on line, and (3) we have a different design for marathon runners vs 1/2 marathon runners vs. people who just want a shirt.

We will be closing orders this coming Wednesday (February 22) at midnight!   We may have a couple of extras, but don't count on it.  So if you want to get yourself a shirt, or grab one for an out of town friend, place the order soon!  All the details are here.

Those crazy kids...

So a 17-year old Kenyan just won a world class half marathon with a winning time of 60:34.  That's 4:38 pace for 13.1 miles.  That's got to be the world record for juniors (18 and under)!  Wrong!   That record is held by Sammy Wanjiru - winner of the last Olympic Marathon, and perhaps the most talented marathoner ever - who ran 59:16 when he was 18 years old, but is now dead after jumping out of a window following a bad encounter with his angry wife.  It's really a pretty crazy story.

See  you on Sunday.

Mark

1/2 marathon training

This week we're back in Percy Warner Park just logging miles.  Nothing structured, just "time on your feet."   The purpose of Sunday's run is duration, not intensity.  And even though we're adding miles and hills, the entire run should be conversational.  Under 75% of your max heart rate - maybe peaking at 80% on the hills.   There will be groups running the road loops and trails.

Also, it's going to be cold...but being in the woods will keep you sheltered and out of the wind.  This is the precise reason why we run at Percy Warner in February...

Where: Percy Warner Park at the Stone Gates.  (At the end of Belle Meade Blvd.)

When: 9 a.m.

What:

Novice - 80 minute run

Intermediate: 90 minute run

Advanced: 120 minute run

No organized brunch this week.  But looking for something new?  Try Sky Blue Cafe at 700 Fatherland Ave.    One of the best brunches in Nashville.

1/2 Marathon Training - Shelby Park 9 a.m.

This week we will still be meeting at Shelby Park outside of the nature center. (Which is a good reminder to download the training schedule.  It has all the workouts outlined of course, but it also lists our Sunday morning meeting locations.)

This week's workout is not completely straight forward, so please take a moment to read below.

Last week we ran a 3-mile time trial. Time trials / races are essential workouts because that pace is a benchmark that will determine our training paces. To begin, divide your three mile time by three to get your mile per pace, and we'll go from there. (As I explain the workout, I am going to use a hypothetical intermediate runner, "Bob", who ran 23:00 for the time trial last week.  Which is 7:40 per mile.)

The run is split into three parts: the warm-up, the workout, and the extra mileage. The first two parts will be the same for everybody (run at different paces of course), the last part will be different for the novice, intermediate and advanced groups.

We will run at two paces this week: our long/easy pace and tempo pace.

Our long run pace is 1:30 - 2:30 minutes per mile slower than our time trial pace. That pace for Bob would be 9:10 - 10:10. In terms of heart rate, that pace is under 75% of your max heart rate. (Another good estimate is 180 - your age.) Tempo pace is 20-45 seconds per mile slower than your time trial pace. In terms of heart rate, tempo pace is between 88-92% of your max.   Since we are doing tempo intervals rather than a steady state run, our tempo pace will be on the faster end of that range: 20-25 seconds slower than our 3-mile pace or about 90% max HR.

Part 1 - the warm-up  (everyone) 20 minutes at about 2 - 2:30 minutes slower per mile than their 3-mile pace.

Bob would start at 10:10 pace and speed up to 9:40 pace during the warm up.

Part 2 - The workout  (everyone) 5 x (5 minutes tempo pace +  1 minute easy)  - 30 minutes total.

Bob would run 5 minutes at 8:00 - 8:05  pace, then jog easy for 1 minute. He would do this sequence  five times.

Part 3 - Extra mileage novice adds 20 minutes, intermediate 30 minutes and advanced will add 45 minutes. This pace should be about 1:30 slower than 3-mile pace.

Bob would run at 9:10 pace for 30 minutes.

We're also going to move off the greenway, and run 5k loops of the park. Why? To prepare for the race by adding a little bit of rolling terrain. (The Country Music 1/2 marathon is hilly, the greenway is not...) Here is the loop that we will use. I am going to try and mark the miles on the ground tomorrow - no promises, so make a mental note of the mile marks.

Dubai Marathon

Yesterday at the Dubai marathon, Deressa Chisma Edae ran 2:05:42 (4:48 pace)...and finished 8th. Wow. The race was won by a 21-year old Ethiopian, Ayele Absharo, in his debut marathon. (He earned a cool $250,000 for his efforts.) Even more amazing was the fact that his last 2 miles were run in about 9:04. (Once again emphasizing negative splitting:  1:02:22 first half, 1:02:01 second half.) He broke the lead pack apart by running the 39th kilometer in 2:46 - for you track guys, a 2:46 kilometer is 66.4 seconds per lap! For more check out the race coverage here.

No Brunch

Last week was amazing! Belgian waffles, pancakes, bacon... Outstanding! Many thanks to our gracious host Sara Spencer. This week, you're on your own. My post-run East Nashville food suggestions are Mitchell Deli and Marche. A third option would be Bongo Java East. Of course they make great coffee, but they also have some fantastic bagel sandwiches.

See you on Sunday.

Mark

Update: 1/21  We do have brunch this week hosted by Sara Spencer.   Check out the details here and sign up to bring something!

Time Trial

Every year I will have one or two people come up to me and ask: "I've been running for about 2 years now, how fast do you think I can run the 1/2 marathon?"  Or "This is my second half-marathon, I'm in much better shape.  How much time do you think I can drop?"   The answer:  I have absolutely no idea.  Now when someone comes to me and says: "I ran a 20:30 5k race last weekend, what do you think I should shoot for in the 1/2 marathon?"  Now that's something I can work with...

When the race distance doubles (i.e. from a 5k to a 10k) seasoned runners slow down by about 16 seconds per mile, while novice runners slow down around 32 seconds per mile.   (GREAT runners slow down by about 12 seconds per mile....)  So you can estimate your longer race potential by running a shorter race and then extrapolating.  For example, to estimate your 1/2 marathon potential from a 5k, the distance basically doubles twice (5k to 10k then 10k to 20k).   Therefore, from a 5k to a 1/2 marathon your pace should slow down between 32 and 64 seconds per mile.  Of course that seems like a wide range...and it is.   Faster, better trained runners slow down less, and slow less seasoned runner slow down more.   A good goal for those of us between 7:00 pace and 9:00 pace on a 5k is to slow down between 40 and 50 seconds per mile.     If you want to be really specific - check out the McMillan Pace Calculator - a lot of runners swear by it.

This week all of us are running a 3 mile time trial to get a benchmark for our potential in the 1/2 marathon.   The intermediate and the advanced are going to jog SLOWLY out to the 3 mile mark, and then time trial back in.  The novice will run for 10 minutes around the lake, then time trial out and back to the 1.5 mile marker.  After that, you can add on as much extra mileage as you might need...  Then we are going to use these times for our workout next week (January 29)....more on that later.

See you Sunday morning, 9 a.m. in Shelby Park by the nature center.

Mark

Sunday January 15 - Training plan, Olympic Trials, no brunch... 1/2 Marathon Training continues. Sunday at 9am at Shelby Park Nature Center. (8:30am for full marathoners)

There are two ways to make runs "hard", quantity or quality.  Distance or speed.  Of course the final goal is to combine both and run a good half marathon - but running fast for a long time is very taxing, and should be done sparingly.

Most long runs are hard because they are long - not because they are fast.  That goes for this week as well...  But what makes a run "easy"?  Well, (1) You should start slowly (this goes for every run, hard or easy).  (2) Pace wise - we're looking at 1:30 to 2:30 minutes per mile slower than your 5k race pace  (3) Heart rate -  keep your heart rate below a certain value.  180 - your age, or 75% of your max heart rate are both good rules of thumb.   (4) Conversational.  You should be able to talk without gasping for air.

(Note: we will have strides again this week.  Strides are a great way to transition between easy running and harder workouts.  This week add strides to  two or three easy runs...)

Novice:   60 minutes easy (below 75% max heart rate).  + 8 x 30 step strides at mile race pace .   (Every 1/4 mile mark for last 2 miles)

Intermediate:  70 minutes easy (below 75% MHR) + 10 x 30 step strides at mile race pace.  (Every 1/4 mile mark for last 2.5 miles)

Advanced:  80 minutes easy (below 75% MHR) + 12 x 30 step striders at mile race pace. (Every 1/4 mile mark for last 3 miles)

No Brunch??!!  

Our organized brunches will take a hiatus this week, but we encourage you to visit one of the local businesses. Mitchell Deli  and  Marche have two of the best brunches in Nashville.   And if you have plans to go to brunch, invite someone new!  Welcoming new runners with open arms is one of the core values of East Nasty...

Olympic Marathon Trials

The race is Saturday morning, but will be broadcast on NBC at 2p.m. Saturday afternoon.  Stay off the internet, and head over to Nashville Running Company to watch the race with people who actually care!  2 p.m. at the store....

Mark

In this post: easy vs complicated, 1/2 marathon training and brunch time.

Easy vs Complicated

Running is not complicated.  "So you mean it's easy?"  No...I didn't say that.  Running is certainly not easy, but it's also not complicated.  The longer I coach the more I realize the truth of this statement.  Sure there is a difference between training for a half-mile and a half-marathon - but at the end of the day, running is about putting one foot in front of the other quickly and efficiently.  And the greatest thing that you can do to improve your running, is to go out and run consistently 5-7 days a week.  Frank Shorter was once asked what was the best training plan to follow, and his answer was "any of them, as long as you are consistent."  More recently, Haile Gebrselassie (sub 2:04 marathoner) was asked how to become a great runner and he said, "run twice a day, every day."  Complicated?  No.  Easy?  Heck no.

But we want details!  "How far?  And how fast?" you ask.  Well, that is the other thing that I am learning the longer that I coach.  Most of your runs should (1) be conversational, (2) go from slow to fast  (3)  be adjusted by feel not dictated by a certain pace and (4) you should run as much as your lifestyle/running goals allow.   (Note: One or two of your weekly runs should be dictated by pace, or heart rate.)

These facts should offer you encouragement and freedom in your running!  It's exciting to hear that most runs should be conversational.  There is freedom when you learn to speed up or slow down based by how you feel, and not be married to a particular pace regardless of how bad you feel.   Knowing that a 30 minute run will improve your fitness, and you don't have to do 5 miles of hard intervals, makes running 5-6 days a week (or even 7...) an exciting and achievable proposition.

1/2 Marathon Training

Our training starts this Sunday.  9 a.m. Sunday morning at Shelby Park near the nature center.

Novice - 50 minutes w/ 2 miles of 30 step strides.

Intermediate - 60 minutes w/ 2.5 miles of 30 step strides

Advanced - 70 minutes w/ 3 miles of 30 step strides

How does this work?  For all groups, all running should be conversational - except the strides.  During the last 2, 2.5 or 3 miles of the run, at every quarter mile mark on the greenway,  you should perform a fast stride (30 steps per foot for 60 total steps.)  The pace should be fast, but under control.  These strides are short enough that you recover very quickly and never feel out of breath.   Between strides, you should run your normal easy, conversational pace.

Brunch Time

The first Sunday brunch of training is at Polly & Rich Alexander’s place at 10:30am directly following the run.  If you’ve never done brunch with us, you’re in for a treat!  There is nothing like a warm breakfast with friends after a cold morning run.  We basically get together at a local EN home and have a big potluck.  We fry pounds of bacon, admittedly drink too much chocolate milk, and wax philosophical about whatever comes to mind.  This is all possible because everyone chips in.  Come with a dish to share or staples from the store and be prepared to help cook and wash dishes! Please sign-up on the Google doc to bring something, and we’ll see you Sunday morning!

Rich & Polly's address: Rich & Polly Todd Alexander 904 14th Ave N. Nashville TN 37206

See you on Sunday. - Mark

In this post: First Wednesday run of 2012, shoe donations, 1/2 marathon training, couch to 5k training, brunch and facebook...

Happy New Year!

The new year means that our Wednesday night runs start over with Route #1.  It's almost exactly 5k, so it's a good week to invite a friend. As always, we meet Wednesday at 6pm at the corner of 11th & Holly in East Nashville. Be sure to wear your reflective gear and maybe a headlamp.

Leave your shoes behind on January 11

East Nasty collects old shoes, cleans them, and donates shoes that still have life in them to local schools, track clubs, and to our own couch to 5kers.  We collect shoes every week, but next Wednesday, January 11 we are going to have a big shoe drive.  We're calling all our runners to "leave their shoes behind."  Hopefully Santa brought you a new pair of shoes, because after you run next week we want you to leave your old shoes behind.  (We could use your shoe boxes as well.)

1/2 Marathon Training

East Nasty's world famous 1/2 marathon / marathon training begins officially this Sunday at 9 a.m. in Shelby Park.  Click here for more details, including two important notes: (1) Amanda Tungett is going to be leading the Thursday night workouts, and (2) Daniel Hudgins (with help from The Blaze) will be leading full marathon training.

Brunch

Yum. Yum. Yum.  We will have our first brunch of the year after the Sunday run.  Check back here Friday for more details.

Couch to 5k

Are you are looking to train this new year, but a half marathon is a little too much to take on right now?  Nashville Running Company is going to hold a couch to 5k training program this winter.  Click here for more details because it starts soon!

Facebook & Twitter

We have a brand new Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/eastnasty. Be sure to 'like' us (you can use the button in the right hand column of this blog) to get updates, connect, and share with other East Nasties on Facebook. Find other runners to train with, info about upcoming races and events, share discount codes, even check out photos from our Christmas party. (If you were a part of the old Facebook 'Group' page, be sure to 'like' the new page as we will eventually shut the 'Group' page down). Also, you can follow us on Twitter at: twitter.com/EastNasty4Life

East Nasties, Half marathon training kicks off @ 9am January 8th in Shelby bottoms, and with it comes my favorite East Nasty activity... the post run Sunday brunch. We will be holding one big brunch per month (more details to come), and are currently looking for hosts... specifically one for January 8th! If you live in East Nashville and can handle a large group of friendly runners, please let me know!

Thanks, Zach Barnett