Coach Jay,

Is there such a thing as holding back too long on a certain pace and then being unable to pick up the pace when the time comes because your legs are pretty much shot?

I just ran the Chicago Marathon last Sunday. I was aiming for a negative split of 1:41 for the first half and 1:39 for the second half, with a total time of 3:19-3:20. But for some reason when I started to pick up my pace at mile 17 from around 7:45-7:50 to 7:30-7:35, my legs were unresponsive. Both calves were really tight, the bottom fronts of my feet were sore and I really had no bounce.

I made sure to take Gatorade Endurance at every other aid station. I took GU and even a little banana at one aid station. I didn’t feel any leg cramps, and my breathing was relaxed. This was my second marathon in 4 weeks. The first one was more of a training long run and I took the following week off before I began my low-mileage, high-intensity, 3-week tapering for Chicago. Did I hold onto my pace too long and my legs weren't able to make the transition? Also, can you recommend some leg strengthening exercises for leg balance?

Let me give you a little background on my running. I have been running for over 15 years and have completed 17 marathons, including one in Boston. My marathon PR is 3:14:23 and my half PR is 1:29:41. I train about 30-35 miles a week (1 long run day, 2 easy days, 1 speed day). I’m 6’1” and weigh 165 lbs.

Any advice or tips you can provide will greatly be appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Chaike

Chaike,

Thanks for the detail in this question and thanks for your candor.

My initial thought is pretty simple. While you've run good marathon and half marathon times in the past, you probably weren't running enough to have your legs ready to change gears, even though it was only 10-15 seconds a mile. I'm sure your speed workout each week had you running faster than the 7:30 pace you were trying to get down to in Chicago. But a speed workout once a week isn't always enough to be ready for the specificity of changing gears.

Try a progression long run. This simply means running the distance of your weekly long run but finishing the last 20-30% of the run at the marathon pace you wanted to run in Chicago. Or, on your speed day, try the classic Yasso 800m workout of 8-12 x 800m runs with 400m recovery jogs (800m is two laps around your local 400m track).

If you want to run 3:10 or 3:20 in a marathon, try to run each 800m at 3 minutes 10 seconds or 3 minutes 20 seconds. But the key to this workout is simply this. You should be running a 6:20-6:40 mile pace in that workout AND you should be running 7-8 miles on the track between the 800m repeats and 400m recovery jogs. My guess is that you were missing this type of workout, as well as a progression run that ended at marathon pace or faster.

The other thing to consider is simply running more times per week. I bring this up because a friend of mine PRed by 21 minutes in Chicago by running 3:16. He ran 6-7 times a week. He did a weekly long run and, on alternating weeks, he did the Yasso 800m or a fartlek run. That had him alternating between a goal marathon pace and a half marathon PR pace. That's not surprising. But incorporating a weekly long run and a weekly workout that has you running a goal marathon pace while you're fatigued are keys to good marathon training.

The bottom line is that the marathon is always tricky, and for all we know you're just 6-8 weeks away from a new PR with your current training method. However, if you want to run faster this winter or spring, try running more and adding a marathon specific workout.

Coach Jay,

I have recently started the Nike+ 12-week 5k training program and am enjoying it so far. I noticed on the days I don't run that there is something that says "10 min GS." I was confused about what the "GS" means. I could make up my own words, but I'm almost certain my guess would be incorrect. Please clarify for me. Thanks so much!

Renee

Renee,

Thanks for the question. This "GS" refers to "General Strength." Nike has a series of videos posted on the site that detail five different general strength routines (you'll find the link for them at the bottom of this page). You want to start with the Myrtl Routine or the Back Routine after each of your runs for a week or so. Then you can add the Lunge Warm-Up before each run and then do the Back and Myrtl Routines after each run. This will give you 10 minutes after your run and 3-4 minutes before your run.

The reason I think General Strength is a key part of training is that 90% of runners' cardiovascular systems get fit BEFORE their muscles, connective tissue and bones are ready for serious running training. Whether it is stress fractures or shin splints, plantar fasciitis or knee pain, many running injuries for novice runners are a function of the heart and lungs making an adaptation before the structural elements of the body.

Thanks for the question, Renee, and I hope you can find the time to integrate the GS work into your daily and weekly training.

Coach Jay coaches athletes at RunnersCoach.com and blogs at CoachJayJohnson.com. And don't forget, if you have training question for Coach Jay, email him here: coachjay@nike.com.

Interested in Coach Jay's General Strength videos? Click here to check them out.

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