The Stride Guide - November 10th, 2024

👀 This week’s Running Hot Take

• Matt Choi, a running influencer, caused controversy at the NYC Marathon by having someone record him on an e-bike during the race. This resulted in Choi being disqualified and banned from future New York Road Runners events.

• Sydney Marathon is the Latest Addition to the Abbott World Marathon Majors, joining Boston, Chicago, NYC, Tokyo, London, and Berlin. The race will be on August 31^st,2025

• Swiss brand On introduced the Cloudboom Strike LS trainer featuring a revolutionary sprayable upper called LightSpray. This innovative technology allows for rapid production of lightweight shoes with a reduced carbon footprint.

• This year's NYC marathon saw a diverse group of celebrities participating from actors like Randall Park, Vinny Guadagnino from Jersey Shore to Casey Neistat the YouTuber.

📚 Pace Pointers

When you start running, or training for a race, whether a 5k or a marathon, it is important to include several types of runs that serve different purposes in building your endurance, speed, and overall fitness.

Here are the main types of training by runners:

Base Runs

Base runs are really the foundation of your training. They are designed to improve your aerobic capacity. The aerobic zone meaning "with oxygen” helps strengthen your heart’s ability to pump blood and your lungs.

Also called zone 2 training, these are relatively short to moderate-length runs done at a comfortable, conversational pace. If you have a heart rate monitor or a smartwatch, this would be at 60%—70% of your max heart rate.

They make up the bulk of your weekly mileage and help you adapt to the physical demands of running.

Long Runs

Long runs are crucial for marathon training. These extended runs are typically done once a week and are designed for anaerobic training. Anaerobic means “without oxygen” and is when the body uses energy stored in the muscle, called glycogen, to produce energy.

Training in this zone aims to increase your anaerobic capacity, i.e. increasing your glycogen capacity, which improves your overall endurance. Similar to your base run, they should be at your base pace, meaning around 60% to 70% max heart rate.

Long runs also provide an opportunity to practice your fueling and hydration strategies. As you progress in your training, these runs may incorporate pace changes or finish at a marathon pace to simulate race conditions.

Interval Workouts

Interval workouts are the last foundation of training for a race. They can improve either aerobic or anaerobic capacity, it just depends on how the workout is structured. In general, these workouts consist of repeated shorter segments of fast running separated by recovery periods.

These workouts improve your running economy, speed, and VO2 max. VO2 max means, how efficiently the muscle is at using the oxygen it’s receiving. These exercises are a lot more intense, where you would be at 85-95% of your heart rate.

While there are many interval workouts out there, one example of an interval workout is the Norwegian 4X4. This workout consists of 4 sets of 4 minutes at 85%-95% max heart rate with a 3-minute recovery. The recovery between intervals can be a slow jog or walking, depending on the workout's intensity.

Remember to tailor your training to your specific goal, as this is just an example.

I would say those are the key fundamental workouts you must have in your training plan. However, there are other types of runs you can also incorporate.

Other Runs:

Recovery Runs

Recovery runs are short, easy-paced runs typically done the day after a hard workout or long run. Their purpose is to promote active recovery, increase blood flow to muscles, and add some easy mileage to your training without compromising your ability to perform in more challenging workouts

These runs should be done at a very comfortable pace, slower than your usual easy pace if necessary.

Tempo Runs

Tempo runs, also known as threshold runs, are sustained efforts at lactate threshold intensity. For most runners, this is about the pace you could maintain for an hour in a race.

These runs improve your body's ability to clear lactate and help you sustain a faster pace for longer periods. Tempo runs typically include a warm-up, a sustained effort at a tempo pace, and a cool-down.

By incorporating all these types of runs, as a runner, you can develop a well-rounded fitness base and improve your performance over time.

🏃‍♂️💨 Race Ready

Here is our curated list of upcoming races you can join:

1. Outer Banks Marathon

   • Date: November 10, 2024

   • Location: Nags Head, NC

2. Richmond Marathon

   • Date: November 16, 2024

   • Location: Richmond, VA

3. REVEL Big Bear Marathon

   • Date: November 16, 2024

   • Location: Big Bear Lake, CA

4. Harpeth Hills Flying Monkey Marathon

   • Date: November 24, 2024

   • Location: Nashville, TN

5. Philadelphia Marathon

   • Date: November 24, 2024

   • Location: Philadelphia, PA

6. California International Marathon

   • Date: December 1, 2024

   • Location: Sacramento, California

7. Tucson Marathon

   • Date: December 7, 2024

   • Location: Tucson, Arizona

8. Rehoboth Beach Seashore Marathon

   • Date: December 7, 2024

   • Location: Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

9. Honolulu Marathon

   • Date: December 8, 2024

   • Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

10. Palm Beaches Marathon

    • Date: December 15, 2024

    • Location: West Palm Beach, Florida