Training secrets of an elite marathon runner
Today I’m posting an interview I did with my friend Vanessa. She rocks! She participated in the Olympic marathon trials. Long story short, Vanessa and I played club soccer together back in the early 90′s. She and I both went on to play D1 soccer at different universities and slowly lost touch. A few years ago I came across an article on her in the Northwest Runner magazine and found out she had taken up the sport of marathon. I got in touch with her and asked all sorts of marathon training questions and posted the interview here.
When did you run your 1st marathon?
I didn’t start running until I was 26; I’d always enjoyed running but had never trained for anything before. I’d always wanted to run cross country in high school but couldn’t because it was offered during the same season as soccer. The idea of completing a marathon seemed like the ultimate challenge and something I always wanted to do. I remember picking up a running magazine in college and thinking, ‘One day I’m going to run one of those things.’ So when I was 26 I decided to run a marathon just to finish!
My first marathon was the 2001 California International, which I chose because my mom had a business conference in Sacramento around the same time. I had no expectations for the race except to finish it in one piece! At that point, I was just a novice runner and didn’t know the right things to do to prepare myself properly. In any event, the race fell on some freak weather in the Sacramento area; it was pouring rain and there were 30 mph gusting winds. I remember waking up on race morning and looking out the window to see the rain coming down sideways. At that moment, I knew I was in big trouble. Suffice it to say it was a painful experience! I think I ran a 3:19 or something and I remember crossing the finish line and thinking “I’m never doing that again!”
What is your best marathon time?
2:42, Houston Marathon January 19th, 2009
How many marathons do you run a year?
1-2 max
How many miles per week do you run?
That completely depends on what distance I’m preparing for but if I’m in marathon training than my peak mileage during the training build up will be in the 90 – 100 range. When I’m training for shorter distances I’ll run closer to 55 – 70 miles a week.
Do you have a coach? And, do you follow any specific weekly running program?
I do have a coach, Tom Cotner, out of Seattle. He has been a fantastic coach for many reasons but what I appreciate about him the most is that he understands that my life is not just about ‘running’. I love to run, yes, but there are so many other things going on in my life and he really understands that. He has so much confidence in me as a runner and that is a great support, especially when I’m not feeling quite as confident in myself!
No matter what distance I’m training for my weekly running program almost always consists of two hard workouts a week (intervals, tempo, hills, etc.) and a long run. I don’t always love the hard efforts or the long run but those are truly the cornerstone of my training. Without those I wouldn’t be able to run nearly as fast.
Favorite pre-race meal?
Pre-race is a challenge for me because I’ve usually got nerves going on so I’m happy to get whatever I can in! I like to get in something carbohydrate-rich, like toast with a little peanut butter, cliff bars, and bananas always seem to go down pretty easily.
Favorite post race meal?
After a marathon in particular I always crave red meat. I don’t know if it’s because I spend so much time focused on carbs before the race (and hence never want to eat another carb again!) or if my body just needs the iron or something but I always want a big hamburger or a steak. And of course a beer, does that count??
What do you like most about running?
There are two things that I love about running. First, the great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment I get. Even when not racing, just putting in the training and being devoted and disciplined is hard work. Making it through a particularly hard workout or hard training week gives me a sense of accomplishment that is hard to replicate in daily life. Sometimes just getting through my daily run is an accomplishment I’m proud of!
Secondly though, it’s the camaraderie and social side of running that I love so much. My close training partners are not just people whom I see occasionally to run with. These are people that I respect and admire as runners, certainly, but even more so as people. I wouldn’t be the runner that I am without them. If I had to do all of my running by myself, well, I just wouldn’t be as motivated. Watching them accomplish their goals or run amazing times really inspires me to want to do the same. And the great thing is that the inspiration is all positive. I don’t ever feel like I’m competing with my training partners, but rather working together to accomplish the same goal. This supportive environment is a big part of what motivates me to keep pushing and competing.
What is your way to approach running a marathon? I.e., slow at first, negative splits?
Ha ha…I’m laughing at this question because I wish I could say I had a good approach! I definitely believe in starting out very conservatively and running a smart race. I wish I could say I’d actually executed a marathon where I started out slow and negative split but I never have. I’ve run about 7 marathons and I’m still hoping that one day I’ll run a negative split! You’ve got to start out conservatively though. Really, the race starts at 20 miles and the marathon is a REALLY long race. Don’t screw it up in the first 10 miles by going out too fast. That leaves a lot of miles still left to complete!
Do you strength train? If so, how often and what is a typical workout?
I am a huge advocate of strength training, exercises and stretching routines and think these additional activities really round out most runners. Very few people are talented enough to get by without doing all of the ‘extras’. In a perfect world I would do running- specific weight training 2-3 times per week and do yoga for strength and stretching 2 times per week. I also think cross training is really important. With all of that said, it is a huge challenge for me to even get my mileage in when I’m training for a marathon so I end up missing out on a lot of these important things. In a perfect world I would have 4 extra hours in my day!
Any last piece of advice?
If I had one piece of advice to runners, it would be to find a good group of people to run with!
Great, thank you Vanessa.
Not all of us aspire to run a sub 3 hour marathon, but the training for a successful marathon finish is very similar regardless of your goal time. As Vanessa stated above, she makes sure to complete 2 hard workouts and one long run per week in addition to strength training and yoga. Any level runner will benefit and improve marathon results with this type of training and focus.
Feel free to make a comment or question below. THanks
Posted by admin | in Faster Marathon Time, Marathon, Run Training | 4 Comments
Wow I really like this interview! Thanks for posting it. Sometimes I get discouraged with my pace and splits because I want to be faster, but I like to focus on the bigger picture because I’m training for my first marathon right now. So I want to just finish also. It’s inspiring to hear Vanessa’s story and see how far she has come.
Thanks for this. It is always good to see inside the head of others that are doing better than I am, and hopefully I gain some insight on how to improve.
That was such a great article for me to read as it has been hard to find information from elite runners and how they train, eat. I also appreciated that you love to run but running is not your life.
Thanks,
Chas
thanks Chas.
I usually pick up a few tips when i interview an elite runner. Running is not my life, but I do like to challenge myself to run better and finish faster without having it take over my life.
Good luck.
jill