Transcription:
Mini Marathon Training Tips

Melanie Cole (Host):  The half marathon is a friendly distance and beginners who’ve gotten their introduction to road running in a 5K or a 10K can look to a half marathon as the next step upwards. Some call them “mini-marathons”. Here to tell us how to train for those is Keith Groppel. He’s the senior staff physical therapist at Hendricks Regional Health. Welcome to the show, Keith. So, when people say to you, “Okay, I’ve got a new goal. I want to try to do a half marathon or a mini-marathon” what’s the first thing you tell them?

Keith Groppel (Guest):  Thank you, Melanie, for having me. The first thing I tell them is make sure you have a plan. A lot of people who may have done a 5K or a 10K race, you know, they’ve done a smaller distance but 13.1 miles is a longer distance, obviously. So, you want to have a good training plan in place to prepare yourself for that feat and to make sure that you don’t get injured along the way.

Melanie:  Let’s start with a novice and what would be a good training plan?  How early do you think they should start training?

Keith:  For novice runners, someone who may periodically run mile or two, your distances, as far as how many weeks you would want to train before the race, will probably err towards the 16-week plan mark. If you’re more of a beginner runner who has done a 5K or those kinds of runs, you could probably get by with a 12-14 week plan but, typically, between 12 and 15 weeks is a good amount of time to prepare your body as well as get a lot of miles in under your feet so that you can cross that finish line at least a happy runner.

Melanie:  So, should they be more interested in their time or their distance?

Keith:  For a novice runner, I recommend just be happy finishing. 13.1 miles, again, is a good distance. On your first half marathon or mini-marathon you want to make sure that you just finish, again, happy, be proud that you finished your first mini-marathon. If you’ve done one before, then you can start to experiment in trying to go faster. Whenever someone tries to go faster, it also increases their chances of injury during that time. For novice runners, I typically say finish happy, finish strong. Be proud of your accomplishment and then, look towards your next mini-marathon to maybe look at a time goal.

Melanie:  As we move toward, in a minute, more experienced runners, what do you tell the novice about walking?  Sometimes by training, they have to run, walk, do a little shuffle. Is that okay?  Will that help their training?

Keith:  Sure. At Hendricks Regional Health, we have a mini-training program that we do have groups that do a walk/run kind of interval training. There is some research out that shows that one can do that kind of an interval training and reduce the amount of strain on their joints and muscles throughout that 13.1 miles. There is a runner who used to be an Olympic racer, Jeff Galloway, and he has promoted that kind of a training program. So, it is okay to do that interval type of running style and you see many people, at least novice runners, try that first. Then, as your experience grows and your body gets stronger, then you can look into more, potentially, into running the entire race.

Melanie:  Is there any cross-training involved when you’re training for one of these?

Keith:  We recommend cross-training. It does allow your body to recover from your training runs and it also allows you to continue to build some strength in the muscles that you would be using but in a different way. We typically recommend things like swimming or cycling or those kinds of things to help kind of get your aches and pains out of your legs but in a different kind of fashion but without pounding the pavement as much as one would if they went to run seven days a week.

Melanie:  So, Keith, if someone wants to train on the treadmill versus outside, are they getting the same benefits?

Keith:  Actually, research will show that it is the same form that you would run on a treadmill as well as outside on the pavement. I would recommend, though, if you are going to do treadmill running or, at least training, to go ahead and increase the incline on the treadmill approximately 1% grade. That will help account for the belts moving as opposed to you moving yourself over the pavement. It also allows for that wind effect or at least a little bit more perceived exertion that you wouldn’t be getting if you’re running outside in general wind or those kinds of conditions.

Melanie:  So, what about shoes, especially for the novice who doesn’t know what kind of shoes to start with?  There are so many on the market, Keith, and your shoes can make or break your ability.

Keith:  Very good point. You have to have great or good running shoes. It’s very challenging to determine what kind of shoe for what kind of foot type. A general rule of thumb would be if you try on a pair of running shoes and they don’t feel good, you’re in a wrong kind of shoe. There are, typically, three kinds of shoes one can use. One is the supportive shoe that kind of controls the ankle. We, typically, recommend a supportive shoe for someone who may be either a little bit overweight or if they have what’s called “flat feet”. Someone who has more of a neutral arch on their foot, you may want to go with a neutral shoe or a cushioned shoe. Then, there’s another one called a “motion control shoe”. Those are for people that have overly flat feet and that gives you even more stability. The other thing you want to look at is how long should you wear those shoes before you change them out. A good rule of thumb is to basically replace the shoes after approximately 400-500 miles during your training log. So, go ahead and log your miles that you do in training and you may want to look into replacing them at that 400-500 mile mark. Obviously, it’s not a fast rule to say replace them at that time. Usually, if I’m training and my legs start to feel kind of achy, it’s almost about time for me to probably change my shoes if I haven’t altered my training program much.

Melanie:  You brought up the word “achy”. Especially for novice and newbies, they are going to be sore after they’ve done their first couple miles. After they’ve made it for their first three miles that day, what do you tell them about dealing with that soreness and is it normal?

Keith:  Sure. So, anytime that you’re doing any kind of exercise you may become achy during and, potentially, after your exercise or your runs. Typically, if you’re achy near the end of the run, it’s your body saying basically, “Okay, I’m getting tired”. The question becomes when is it an injury or beginning of an injury and when is it normal?  Normal aches and pains should go away fairly quickly and I usually say within the next 12-24 hours. If it lingers beyond that, it’s your body saying you did too much. So, that’s why you want to try to choose a training plan that gradually builds in the amount of distance that you cover over a week. However, if you do get some sharp pains during your run sharp is never good. If anyone gets sharp pains, I usually tell the patient or the client to go ahead and stop running. Let’s figure out what is causing that sharp pain. It may be your distance. It may be your speed. It may be your shoes. It may be a whole host of things. So, stay away from sharp pains. Aches are natural--should occur--but it shouldn’t linger on.

Melanie:  What do you tell your patients and people that you’re helping train for these mini-marathons about nutrition and whether they should be using electrolyte replacement beverages or what to do after they’ve been training particularly long distance to get ready?  What do you tell them?

Keith:  Well, again, we usually will recommend a regular well-balanced meal. Something that you will eat three to five times a day on a regular basis which will include fruits and vegetables, protein and some carbohydrates. We try to choose a complex carbohydrate instead of those that are refined, such as whole grain breads and those kinds of things, fruits and vegetables. We would also recommend, if you are going to take electrolyte replacement, know that there’s a lot of sugar in those and so you may notice that your weight may be fluctuating at times. So, I use electrolyte replacement for, obviously, warm training times. If there’s not, water is fine. As far as what to eat prior to the race and those kinds of things, I will usually recommend eating a couple of hours before your race and nothing too heavy. Usually, I would recommend something like peanut butter on toast, maybe a banana and some water. You want to try to eat it a few hours before the race and something that you’re used to eating. At least that you’ve eaten before on a training run. During the race, some people will take in these gels or goo’s, which are energy replacements. Typically, if you’re going to be exercising greater than 90 minutes, you may want to try to take some of these. One is approximately 100 calories and you take them usually every 30-45 minutes during your activity. The best tip is make sure you’re hydrated. Not overly hydrated but hydrated. Some people ask, “Well, what is hydrated or not overly hydrated?”  Usually, it’s when, if you do urinate it looks like weak lemonade. That’s approximately where you want to be going into a run or race.

Melanie:  It is such great information, Keith. Thank you so much for being with us. In just this last minute, give your best advice for people training for, maybe, their first mini-marathon and why they should come to Hendricks Regional Health for their care.

Keith:  Sure. I guess the best advice is go slow, build a base of longer runs and be happy running. If you come to us, we typically would look and see what kinds of things are you having troubles with and we will figure out what those are so that you are running pain free and enjoying that aspect of it. The last thing I would say is, try to run with a partner. Having that accountability helps keep you going longer and helps you kind of get that next stage of running over, especially on those longer miles. Come to Hendricks, basically, because we will take the time and look at you. We will use video analysis to look at your biomechanics and your gait and see if there are any issues that we can foresee that we might need to tweak or change, basically, to get you back on the road to a pain free race.

Melanie:  Thank you so much for being with us. It’s great information. You’re listening to Health Talks with HRH. For more information you can go to Hendricks.org. That’s Hendricks.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.