Are you afraid of pushing too hard?                                            Do you feel like you hold back on race day and are disappointed with the result?

Former Olympian Lynn Jennings shared that her best races were ones in which she wanted to quit halfway through. Why? Because she was out on the edge, pushing herself physically, and having to fight herself mentally to keep pressing against that edge. The result was championship level performances. It is particularly important that runners know how much the mental race is a huge factor in determining their performance in the physical race.

The most important thing in the mental race is confidence.

Confidence comes from positivity: positive self-image and positive thoughts about workouts, teammates, coaches, family, and friends. Everyone has doubts and negative thoughts. It is, however, what you choose to do with those thoughts that matters. I would never tell athletes that a workout was easy. The term easy was not used in our program. Runners need to be proud of themselves and gain confidence that comes from the knowledge of completing something difficult and doing it well, despite how hard it was.

All of us have a little, critical version of ourselves, sitting on our shoulders during races. This little self tells us we are going too fast. It challenges our sanity. It demands that we slow down. It ridicules us for thinking we can race at such a pace. The voice is negative and demeaning and critical. Now here is the key: Do not ignore that voice. Instead, have an answer ready. The secret is to respond with positive facts, such as, “I have done the workouts to be able to go this fast . . . I have trained for this goal . . . I have prepared for this challenge, for this race, for these competitors.” Make sure you have an answer that emphasizes positive and fact-based responses to dismantle that negative voice.

It is essential to have real tools, as well as reinforcing positivity. The goal-setting activity described next helps provide positive, factual reinforcement of the runners’ realistic goals, based on their own actual workout results. They can race this fast because they have practiced for it and planned for it.

Goal Setting and Confidence

Runners can use a goal sheet to write down and commit to their goal time, place, pace, and what they specifically planned to do to execute this plan. Following the race, perhaps the next day runners should complete a self-evaluation of their race. Include three things they did well and three things they wanted to improve for the next race.

This self-examination/documentation is particularly important and productive. Everyone needs to know where they currently stand, where they are going, and how to achieve and get there. When there is weakness, it is imperative to understand it. The more the runners know, the clearer and more confident they can be about the plan to improve.

The power of visualization is vital to success in running.

My runners always did a mental race prior to the actual race. Research has shown that a focused mental approach has statistically significant physical benefits. Visualizing a race in their mind can cause a runner to race faster. It is science! Teach the mental race technique prior to the first race of the season. Have the runners lie down or put their heads on a classroom desk. Tell them to relax and begin to visualize the race site and scene as you describe it. Take them through the race from start to finish in approximately three minutes. Emphasize positive visual cues. Here is a brief example:

“You are at the starting line, and you feel great. The warmup was the best. you have done.  You know you are prepared. The Race Plan you prepared is great.. The starting gun goes off, and you get a terrific start—not too fast . . . exactly right. You settle into a good spot and make that first turn. You are right where you want to be. As the race continues, you start to pick off runners who started too fast. You hit the first mile mark and check your split. You are on pace, and more importantly, you are feeling the best you have ever felt in the first mile.”

The mental race goes on until the runner crosses the finish line in a great position and with a time under what he/she has planned. The athlete feels great.

Mantras and confidence

The final tools for mental race preparation are called mantras. These are short phrases that the athlete can repeat over and over again to give themselves confidence, fight negativity, and have something to focus on when things inevitably get tough. Examples of mantras are, “I can do this,” “I am prepared,” or “I am strong.”

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WOULD YOU START A ROAD TRIP IN YOUR CAR WITH NO GAS?

WOULD YOU CROSS THE DESERT IN A TRUCK WITH NO WATER IN YOUR ENGINE?

By Coach Ken Sayles    Author of Coach Run Win

I would be the first to admit to screwing this up a time or two. Not enough fluids, not enough food. The body is the engine that runs your workouts and races for you. Just like no one would start a race in a car without adequate gas or water, no one should imagine that the body will function in workouts and races without the proper type and amount food and liquids.

            In this article, I want to highlight some keys to maintaining proper hydration and nutrition and give you a special tip on hydration you may not have heard of so don’t run out of gas

Hydration for Runners

Most of us are generally aware of the need to stay hydrated. As a runner there are two particularly important reasons.

First, the health and safety of the runner depends on proper hydration.

Second, poor hydration can lead to dire consequences, especially in the heat. Performance suffers with as little as a 2 percent loss of fluid balance. When a runner is not sufficiently hydrated, the blood, which is primarily liquid, thickens. Therefore, it becomes harder for the heart to pump oxygen out to the muscles during exercise.

How much fluids are needed? There are a wide variety of formulas for proper hydration. In my experience, a runner needs at least sixteen ounces upon waking, another sixteen ounces during the day prior to workouts, and yet another sixteen ounces during workouts. Immediately following a workout, they should have enough fluid to replace fluids lost.

Urine Test, the most important test of hydration. Urine should be relatively clear, not yellow. The darker it is, the less hydrated the runner is. Absolutely clear urine may indicate too much hydration, which can also be a problem. The runner may be flushing out too many good nutrients by overhydration. You may have heard of this formula: a minimum of one-third of body weight in fluids as a base point and then enough fluid to replace what is lost during exercise (checked by the urine test).

Other tests of hydration- weighing oneself before and after a workout is also a particularly good measurement of how much fluid was lost. Within an hour or so of finishing practice, a runner should have hydrated enough to be near their pre-workout weight.

As to what to drink, it is important to emphasize that drinking only water may not be sufficient to account for the loss of minerals, including sodium and potassium. Certainly, a good diet that includes good sources of sodium and potassium can help a lot. However, using a sports drink along with water or mixed with water is necessary. Try to avoid drinks with too much sugar. If you study comparisons of the major sports drinks, you will not find significant differences between drinks. Find the drink you will use!

Tricks of the Trade-I suggest avoiding fluid consumption in the twenty minutes prior to a workout. This keeps the stomach from feeling too full. Most experts suggest six to eight ounces every fifteen to twenty minutes during a workout. An ounce is generally a swallow. A trick I discovered through some research indicates that if a swallow of liquid is put in your mouth, swished around, and spit out, it tricks the body into thinking it received more hydration than was the case. This can help maintain proper hydration during workouts without that bloated feeling.

Nutrition for Runners

There is certainly an abundance of articles and books about nutrition for runners. For your weekly diet plans find one of those books or articles. I will highlight some key considerations when dealing with this topic.

Most endurance athletes are looking for a balance of 60 percent carbohydrates, 20-25 percent protein, and 15-20 percent fat, give or take 5 percent. Distance runners, and females in particular, must be careful about having too little fat in their diet. Carbohydrates provide the energy you need to get your muscles to work. Proteins are key in strength of your bones and muscles.  Too little fat can lead to an increase in injuries. Additionally, fat is a source of energy. Studies show that the existence of sufficient fat stores in the body prolongs the time when the body taps into the carbohydrate stores, which sustains the length of time the runner can run. This is a good thing for a distance runner.

Here are some tips for pre and post run foods so you dont run out of gas:

Sample Pre Run Foods—combine in various amounts depending on how your stomach handles food and digestion.

      Bananas- natural sugar and sodium and potassium

Whole wheat toast/bagels with almond butter or peanut butter-healthy carbs and fats

Oatmeal with berries and honey-good complex carbs

Timing of food intake prior to runs -If early am run, you can keep lighter but at least 30 minutes prior to run. For runs later in day with a chance for fuller meals, try to have them 60-90 minutes prior to running to allow time for digestion

Sample Recovery Foods and Timing-have 100-300 calories of a protein type food within 30 minutes of completion of workout.

      Simplest and best-Chocolate Milk- lots of protein, carbs and minerals

      also consider-half a bean and cheese burrito-protein and carbs

Within 60-90 minutes consider a bowl of Greek yogurt, granola and berries with honey

Other considerations

Older women may have more trouble processing and using protein so it is particularly important to make sure you are taking in protein routinely but particularly right before and after your workouts and races

In conclusion, don’t be casual about your food and fluid intake prior to workouts and races.

You need to have a plan and implement it. You don’t want to run out of gas!!!

For video on this topic see Videos to Improve Your Running – Ken Sayles | Coach, Run, Win

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I always answer, “there is no BEST running shoe, there is only the shoe

That is BEST FOR YOU!”

I’d like to help you pick the best running shoe for you

First, you need to do some thorough self evaluation by having the answers to these questions:

                What is the shape of your foot is it straight or curved?

What is your arch type, is it high, medium or low which would mean you have flat feet? You can test this by standing with wet feet on a surface that would then allow you to look at your arch

Do you pronate (foot turns slightly in on landing) or supinate (foot rolls out on landing) You can check this by looking at the wear pattern on your shoes. Pronators, wear more on inside and Supinators more on outside of sole

What is your foot strike like? Heel? Midfoot? Toe? Again, check bottom of your shoes, especially if you have had them a long time it should be clear

Do you like more or less cushioning?

What is your body type? Light? Medium? Heavy?

Second, you should be able to answer these questions about your running

To help determine the best shoe for you

What surfaces do you run on? Street? Dirt? Grass? Mix?

How much will you be running? High mileage (50+miles a week), mid(25-50 miles a week) or low mileage( less than 25 miles a week)?

What race distances  will you be training for? 5k? 10k? ½ marathon? Marathon?

Finally, I highly recommend going to a specialty running shoe store with the above answers and information handy to share with the specialists

Many stores now have special equipment that will allow testing and evaluation of the best shoes for you

Go on line to a site that will allow you to input the above information

Running shoes are your key piece of equipment but they don’t have to be costly. Some runners make a mistake by choosing the most expensive thinking it must be the “best” but it may not be the right shoe for you at all.

Shoes wear out from the inside out due to use and sweat. 400-500 miles is the recommended guideline for switching shoes

Check out my video on picking the right shoes   https://youtu.be/G1f-E4P5vng

Good luck   and if you want some help improving your running (who doesn’t?)

Check out my special offer to buy my book at a deep discount of $10 and get

$200 of bonuses all designed to help you run “smarter not harder”

Click here for this special offer Click here

Coach Ken Sayles

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Here is an explanation of how to put your training plan together

PHASES OF TRAINING

By Coach Ken Sayles, author of Coach Run Win

When I first started out as a runner and then as a coach, I had NO IDEA what workouts to do and especially when to do them.

In this article I will take you through the phases of a training cycle, the key workouts in each and the amount of time each phase should take.

A season or training cycle has four phases–

Base Phase

Strength/Stamina Phase

Speed Phase

Peaking/Tapering Phase

Some coaches and authors describe the phases in terms of a pyramid. On the bottom is, of course, the Base Phase. It is the longest phase, and it’s necessary to support the other phases that build upon it. You cannot just skip to speed workouts.

Each of the other three phases are built on top of one another, forming the pyramid.

Base Phase

Assuming a training cycle of 20-24 weeks, base phase lasts about eight to ten weeks. Certainly, with appropriate concern for mileage buildup, this can last as many as twelve weeks, if the types of workouts do not become too intense. This phase is all about miles and minutes. The key workout is the long run, and second in importance is the medium run. All paces are aerobic. There can be some hills incorporated in the runs.

Strength/Stamina Phase

Strength and Stamina phase lasts six to eight weeks. The key workout here is the tempo run. The long runs continue and even peak in mileage during this phase. Hill workouts are incorporated once a week, and speed development workouts are used following the tempo workouts. This period can overlap with the start of racing, so the challenge is to find time in the schedule to get all the workouts in. Races are a form of speed work. Look at them that way amid weekly or monthly planning. A runners total mileage per week probably peaks during this phase.

Speed Phase

Speed phase lasts four to six weeks. The long run may be shortened or excluded all together. This is when traditional race pace workouts are done. The mileage per week should be declining as you are likely into racing mode.

Peaking/Tapering Phase

I have talked with many coaches over the years, and we all agree: this phase can be a mystery. There are many theories and much research done about what a runner should and should not be doing to taper. I will share my approach with you and why I choose to do it this way. I like about three weeks to taper. Mileage can come down perhaps 25-35 percent from peak. There are no long runs and no tempo runs. The speed work must be high quality and low quantity with longer rests. Some authors and researchers suggest a radical reduction in mileage; others support a very minimal change in mileage. My approach strikes middle ground. The key is to maintain the intensity of workouts and watch rest and recovery so that runners do not become stale. Distance runners like to run! Whether it is physiological or psychological, I have found that too much tapering is not good for runners.

Planning Your Training Cycle

A word about the mix of workouts. Much has also been studied and written about the right mix of types of workouts. That is, what percentage or how much mileage should be devoted to each of the types of workouts in each phase. During the Base Phase, almost one hundred percent of the running is aerobic. In the Strength/Stamina Phase, about 80–85 percent is aerobic, and 8–10 percent is tempo, with 2–3 percent speed development. During the Speed Phase, 70–75 percent is still aerobic, but 10–15 percent is speed, and 2–3 percent is speed development and tempo. Finally, in the Peaking/Tapering Phase 60–70 percent is aerobic, 15–25 percent is speed, and 4–6 percent is speed development.

In conclusion, there are four phases to a training cycle and I have explained they key workouts and amount of time spent in each phase. For more information on the types of workouts see my article on types of workouts at my website www.trainrunwin.com.

While you are there grab a copy of my award-winning book, Coach Run Win.

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Types of Workouts

By Coach Ken Sayles, author of Coach Run Win

When I was beginning my running career and then as a new coach, I was unsure of what workouts to do and when to do them.

In this article I am going to help you understand the different types of workouts you can do to improve your running and racing. I’ll explain how and when to do them in your training cycle or plan.

Long Run:

This run is typically done once a week and constitutes the longest distance done by a runner during a week. The distance itself varies depending on the experience, skill level, and week of the training cycle. For beginners, early in training, it could be three to five miles, and for more experienced runners, it may be six to seven miles. The distances go up a mile or two each week over the first half to two-thirds of a training cycle. The long run becomes deemphasized when peaking and tapering begins. The length of the longest run depends on the race being trained for.

The pace varies, of course, by experience and goals. The simplest explanation of pace is that a runner should be able to carry on a conversation for the duration of the run and not lose their breath. If out of breath, especially early, they are going too fast.

The purpose of the long run is twofold. Physically, it builds more mitochondria cells, which transport oxygen and blood to the muscles. More mitochondria mean more oxygen and more endurance. This physical build-up is a necessary steppingstone to other workouts and other phases. Mentally, it develops toughness and confidence in runners. The longer they go past the racing distance whether 5k or half-marathon, the more confident runners can be in being able to complete that distance.

Medium Distance Run:

As the name suggests, this run is more in the four-to-seven-mile range with a time of thirty-five to fifty-five minutes. The pace is like the long run. It could be a bit faster as long as it remains conversational for the runner. The purpose is also like the long run, both mentally and physically. This run is often done midweek, especially early in the training cycle.

Recovery Run

This run is done in the minutes immediately after the completion of a hard effort, often a speed or tempo workout. The day after a long run can also be a recovery run. These runs can vary from two to four miles and are also at conversational pace. The reality is that right after a particularly hard effort, the ideal pace might be a challenge. I always felt that if athletes could stay within fifteen to thirty seconds of the ideal recovery pace, they were doing fine. The times here may range from fifteen to thirty-five minutes.

Tempo Run:

This is the run in my training cycle. I attribute much of my success as a coach to this one workout! Tempo Runs occur weekly for six to ten weeks, depending on experience and race being trained for. You may see this workout done in a variety of ways: two-mile intervals, continuous twenty-to-thirty-minute runs, one-mile intervals, or 1200 meters. I prefer 1000 meters. It is a very manageable distance both physically and mentally. It can be done in a confined area. Runners can start out with three or four x 1000 with between 1:00- and 1:30-minute rests, depending on ability and background (more on calculating this later). Eventually, runners advanced to eight to ten x1000.

The pace is key. The paces are twenty-four to thirty seconds a mile over three mile/5k race pace over 82–87 percent of max heart rate. The rest between each 1000-meter interval is short to prevent full recovery, which is the desired training effect. The purpose of the workout is to increase the anaerobic or lactate threshold of the runners. Done at correct paces over two months, this workout allows runners to race faster and longer and do shorter speed workouts with less rest and more volume at higher paces.

Traditional Race Pace Workouts

Here, I am referring to a variety of workouts characterized by working at, or under, three-mile/5k race pace. Examples include 4×1 mile, 6×800 and 12×400, with equal rests. These workouts are hard and a couple of days of rest/recovery are necessary afterward. I have come to believe from research and experience that these workouts are productive for five to seven weeks but probably not much more, especially if you race frequently. They become too tiring.

In conclusion, you now know the key types of workouts to incorporate into your plans and when and how to do them.

For more detail on how to create a training plan and to calculate paces see my website, www.trainrunwin.com and my award-winning book, Coach Run Win.

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Few people leave on a road trip without knowing where they are going. Most people use a map or maps on their device to help them get there. Similarly, coaches and athletes benefit from specific goal setting during workouts. I don’t believe it is enough to tell an athlete, “run 70%”. What does that mean? As a coach I give specific goal times to runners for each and every workout. The athlete’s performance is then recorded on the workout goal sheet.

On another article on this site, Determining Training Paces, I discuss my adaptation of Dr. Jack Daniels VDOT training system. This provides specific goals for each athlete in each workout. Those goals are based on the runners’ current level of fitness. As you will see in the sample, I write the goals down ahead of time and provided to the runners. Coaches, injured athletes or others then record the times actually run by each athlete. The results can then be analyzed, and future goals can be adjusted accordingly.

I regularly emailed or posted the workout goal sheets showing the results of the workouts. This helps athletes be accountable. Hopefully it inspires them to do their best.

Sample Workout Goal Sheet

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When planning for the State Meet, a cross country coach needs to do several things. First, study the race results for past years. Note what race times it takes to get to the State Meet from your qualifying races. In California this would be the section finals. In some of the ten California sections there is also a preliminary race. Second, study the race results for each of your seasons scheduled races. You will be working backward, studying each of your races until you arrive at the season opening race. The point of this exercise is to understand what your team must do each week of the season to place themselves in contention for the State Meet. See this spreadsheet https://coachrunwin.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/State-Meet-Goals.xlsx for an example I used with my team for the 2018 season. It is based on the results of the 2017 season when we did make the California State Meet for the sixth straight year.

What to consider in setting your goals to get to the state meet?

You as the coach need to be clear about how much you can progress from meet to meet. Each race is different. There may be different terrain and different weather. The weather of course can vary year to year. What you are trying to do is to realistically determine the times your team needs to run at each meet. Look at results of past races. What do they predict about how one week will compare to the next?

Setting up the workouts to achieve your goals of getting to the State Meet

Once you have established your season long, race by race goals, plan the workouts that will get you there. In Chapter 3 of my book, Coach, Run, Win, I explain how to plan your workouts from end of season to beginning. I also provide complete day to day explanations of the workouts used by our team in 2017. In the book, I explain my adaptation of Dr. Jack Daniels VDOT training system. This allows for very accurate, science-based predictions of how workout results translate to race times.

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Establishing a strong base of miles run in the summer prior to a fall cross country season is an important precursor to sucess. I have discussed this principle in Coach, Run, Win and in other articles on this website. Summer Workout Plan I believe that a good practice for any high school cross country coach is to keep track of the summer miles athletes run.

There are several reasons for this. First, if you as a coach, are requiring attendance, it is a good record keeping device. Second, you may require runners to run a certain number of miles to be on the team or qualify for special camps. Keeping track of summer miles ensures accuracy and accountability. Third, requiring and documenting miles run has a defensible safety and preparedness aspect. Athletes are more likely to be injury-free, safe and healthy for the first race if they have logged the required base of miles.

How to Keep Track of Summer Miles

I am including a sample of a worksheet I used to document summer miles run. As you can see, it includes daily totals, weekly totals and a comparison with previous years for veterans. Daily totals include any warmup and/or cooldown. Additionally, the “other” column is where I logged miles run away from team practice. Often in the summer, athletes had work, school or vacation conflicts. I believed that as long as they were getting the miles in, I wanted to document them.

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This article presents an overall approach to setting up and implementing a summer workout plan. https://coachrunwin.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Summer-Workout-Plan.xlsx The examples here were for a high school cross country team. At a team’s Newcomers or pre-summer meeting, establish clear guidelines establishing your expectations as the coach. Explain how much you want athletes to run. Indicate how far and how fast they should be running. If you will have requirements for how much they need to participate, make those clear.

Rules Considerations for participation in the summer

Make sure you understand any rules that your school, region or state may have regarding participation in the summer. These vary widely across the country. As a coach, you need to then communicate these clearly to athletes and parents both newcomers and veterans. For example, I was not allowed to lead practices for a prescribed period early in the summer. Athletes could organize and meet on their own. Usually, captains would set this up without my direction or participation.

Tryouts and the summer workout plan

If you as a coach are going to use summer participation as a criterion for team selection, make that clear. If you are going to hold tryouts during the summer workout plan, make sure you have made the standards for selection clear. I did not hold a tryout. What I did, was to “require” a certain minimum participation in terms of practices attended and miles run. I coached females primarily and found that there were too many examples of athletes who developed over time. Had I implemented a tryout, they may not have made the team. I would have lost the chance to have valuable contributors to the team. Additionally, many of them would have missed out on a great opportunity to be a part of the program.

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For a Fall Cross Country season, begin in the summer with the earliest workouts, recording distances, times, and paces for each athlete. Once you have two weeks of workout recorded, begin to individualize the workouts. Use my “Training Paces on One Page” table 1. It is my adaptation of Dr. Jack Daniels Table, “Training Intensities Associated with Current VDOT”.

TABLE 1 training paces based on vdots

Jack Daniels wrote Daniels Running Formula, in which he presents his VDOT system. Dr. Daniels is a renowned exercise physiologist and coach. He measured, tested, and studied thousands of runners over many years. His research combines heart rate, VO2 max, and other measurements of fitness to arrive at his VDOT system. His scientific studies provide an accurate way of telling athletes how fast to run in any given workout. This maximizes their individual development. Daniels’s work has taken the guesswork out of determining at what paces athletes should run. Instead of saying, “run at 80 percent” or “run hard”, it is possible to give each runner a specific pace that matches their current abilities.

For more on Dr. Daniels and VDOT calculation:Jack Daniels’ VDOT Running Calculator | Run SMART Project

How to individualize and determine training paces

After you have gathered the initial data about distance, time, and pace, find the average pace of those runs in the E pace column on my “Training Paces on One Page” table (Table 1). Then look to the far left and find the VDOT associated with that pace. This is the athletes initial VDOT. Do this for each athlete. Continue to record data for all subsequent workouts and adjust the VDOTs as training progresses.

For any given workout, from long run, to tempo workout and speed sessions, find the pace indicated for a given workout by simply looking at the VDOT and moving across to the workout column. For example, an athlete, with a VDOT of 50, doing Tempo 1000’s, look under T paces 1000. The pace indicated is 4:14. I would prepare a goal sheet for a workout, with each runners’ goals listed. Record the results and use to adjust VDOTs and goals for future workouts.

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