Do you know what pace you run at?  You might be thinking it doesn't matter because you just want to complete the run, or you might have a vague time goal of trying to run under 2 hours. Both of these goals are great, but as you become a better runner, which you will,  you want to be able to challenge your body to adapt to different paces and stresses. During our training clinic we are going to run intervals one day and then our long runs on another day. These two types of runs are very different. One is about speed and power and the other about muscular and cardiovascular endurance. If you tried to do both these workouts at the same speed, do you think you would see improvements in both?  You wouldn't, you would either be really slow during your intervals or really fast for the first 5km of your half marathon.  

Knowing what pace you run at can help you set a goal and purpose for every run workout. There are a few websites that have pace calculators that you can plug in your goal time, run distance and choose either a kilometre or mile pace time.   Once you know your goal pace time then you can test it out either running on a treadmill, on a track, or pace out a distance on your own to see if your goal pace is realistic for you. During your training you will use that time to help you set goal times for your intervals, which will be at a faster pace than your goal time, especially if the interval is short, and during your long runs, where you will want to run 45-60 seconds slower than your pace time. When you are going for a tempo run, which is a run just below your race pace, you will add about 15-30 seconds per mile depending on the distance of your run. (An example is 20-30 sec/mile for 5km race pace and 15-20 sec/mile for 10km pace)

For beginner runners and adult runners, a great way to incorporate some speed work into your run is doing something called a Fartlek, run which is Swedish for Speedplay.  During your run you add in short bursts of speed where you try and run faster than your regular pace. For many beginners and some experienced runners who like to run in their comfort zone, there is a fear of your heart rate getting too high or not being able to finish off  a longer run in case you go too fast.  Fartlek runs allow you to pick the distance or amount of time that you want to run faster for. You can go out and run fast from telephone pole to telephone pole or run fast for 1 minute on, 1 minute off, during your run regardless of the terrain.  This is a great way to play around with your speed and have some fun doing it.

So before you head out on your next run, set out your goal pace time for the Whistler Half Marathon!! 

Happy Pacing!

As we move into this month's nutrition topic, I want you to briefly think back to last month. Are you finding that you are more aware of your nutritional habits?

If you are hungry do you know what you are hungry for? Does your body require some good fats to help with recovery? Do you need some colorful foods to balance out your micronutrients?

Once you ask yourself some of these key questions, and you have made mindful choices with regards to what you are eating, you realize just how good you can feel not only during your training, but also during the other aspects of your day. The question often arises...."How do I make it stick?"

And just like a good training plan, a nutrition plan is based on consistency. Keep in mind though that consistency does not need to be boring! The best way for consistency to stick is to make only 1 or 2 changes at any given time. It can get super overwhelming to think "I have to do this, I have to do that," and often times rather than making new habits stick we get overwhelmed and revert back to our older and often not as healthy habits.

A few areas to concentrate on as you increase your training and want to have energy for your workouts are:

• Starting your day off with a good breakfast. This is Key! Especially if your day starts at say 6:00am. Aim to get � of your daily intake for your first meal of the day - or even divide up this meal between 2 breakfasts. This will allow you to have the energy for both your workout, recovery and to get on with the rest of your days' activities
• Get that afternoon snack into you so you can have good energy for your evening workout. Too many times you have a great lunch at noon and then you go 5+ hours without any other fuel before your evening workout. A good rule of thumb is 200-300 calories 1-2 hours pre-workout depending on the duration and intensity.
• Hydration!  As we shift from winter to spring, it is a great time to concentrate on getting the hydration your body needs. Aim to get 8-10 cups/day and for every hour of activity you want to take in approximately 500-750ml during activity. A simple equation I like is for every pound of body weight you want at least � a fluid ounce of water.  So you weigh 150 pounds, you will want at least 75oz of water. Ironically, it does usually fall into the 8-10 cups, but it is nice to individualize your needs.

Bottom line..... think about one or two new habits that you are looking to work on and allow the changes to be gradual.  Before you know it your new habit will be a healthy old habit!  Just like a new recipe - try it at least 3 times in 3-4 weeks so you know it, you know the ingredient and then you will own it and can start playing with the ingredients and truly making it yours.

Recipe: Hot Quinoa Cereal - Download 

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