Unfortunately in endurance sport the little things take time to add up making the completion of goals, at times feel like a lengthy process, for some less successful, to long a process. Those that see it through however are greatly rewarded.

As a coach this is tough as well, I spend everyday trying to figure out how I can help athletes become better with my latest thoughts on optimal physiological training plans and more recently the development and emphasis on even more technique focus and specific strength training for their sport. Like the athlete’s goals, I to need to wait sometimes a whole season to know if what I have suggested will bring the success they are trying to achieve. Changes in technique and sport specific strength is a progression of steps that break down with lack of patience and consistent, mindful training, sometimes not given the chance to provide all of its benefits.

Lately we have been working with athletes in our Strength Training for Endurance Athletes course and some ½ and full day run clinics.  The emphasis being on appropriate strength development and technique. I recently received an email from a participant who is training to solo the death race.  She came to us because of a long time battle with Plantar Fasciitis, and this was before the Death Race training mileage began. It began with one of our run clinics and then a winter of specifically developed strength training. Following is a bit about her success thus far and the commitment she has made to the little steps.

“I had to write you with exciting updates and to thank you.  Improving my running efficiency was really important to me.  I always felt like a fish out of water running as I am not a natural runner with a runner's type body.  But it has really turned around for me...I have been training my butt off for the Death Race...up to 26 sets of Royal Glenora stairs in 1 hr 30 min....able to run back to back days of 3 hours with little difficulty other then mentally....strength is through the roof....and my recovery is unreal...
 
This past weekend I ran the Vancouver marathon with the goal of running 4 hrs 30 min to get time on body (could run a 4 hour)...one of my big other changes has been running without a garmin just setting a time and doing a turn around at half time...so I set out with the pace bunny....but it was getting annoying so at half way I took off on the bunny and relied solely on what my body felt....if I felt like I was running at my training pace I would pull back a bit...never paying attention to my time/distance ratio just using my watch for 10 and 1's....so if you have ever done Vancouver than you know that the hills all come after the 28 km mark...the first time over Burrard Bridge then through Kitsulano and then back over Burrard Bridge...well I killed the bridge both times....never hit the walll....and sprinted in on the last mile...photos to prove it! 
 
What was really impressive was my splits which I have pasted below for you:
 
5 km: 31:05     10 km:  1:01.57     15 km:  1:33.17     21.1 km:  2:12.01     30 km:3:40.09  
   42.2 km: 4:24.12
 
So I was almost dead even all the way through....from the half and the finish there is a 10 second difference...
 
Also...no muscle soreness at all...a little bit of tight calves which I got IMS for on Tuesday...I ran 10 km today and could have gone another 10 easily...feeling nothing that would indicate I ran a marathon 4 days ago.
 
Point...I really credit my strength training of course but have really focused on the little things in my running technique...shortening up my stride has been huge as well as midfoot landing and push off...
 
Thank you again for your contribution to my success to this point and I will keep you posted as my journey to soloing the Death Race continues...next Blackfoot 80 km!
 

Another area that seems to take awhile sometimes to sink in is the making of race plans. At the same Vancouver Marathon another athlete really reaped the rewards of sticking to a good race plan developed from his previous experiences and interaction with his coaches, a lesson that took sometime to commit to. The race plan itself is almost irrlelevant, but the fact that he went in with a strategy kept him on course when things happen during the race as they always will, that will often lead racers a stray. The commitment to his plan made for a perfect day.

“My main goal was to stay focused throughout the whole race, which to me meant sticking to my target pace of 4:40-4:40 per km and heart rate no higher than 156. In past races, I would have some young stud fly by me or I would get chicked by a good looking gal and I figured I could keep up. I threw that old runner thinking out the window and dug my heals in and stuck with the plan.

 Even weaving through the huge pack for the first 5 km, I was feeling really good. I was taking a cup of water and gatorade at each aid station and I had a gel that I was slowly taking from the 45min mark to about 1hr mark. Every 30 mins afterwards, I would take a gel and wash it down with a nice water & gatorade mix.

 As I approached the bridge for the first pass, I kept my focus and decided that I would push a little harder once I reached the 35 km mark. It worked out perfect!! I pushed my pace to about 4:30 till I reached the bridge for the second time. I burnt out last time in 2007 crossing the bridge on the big incline and this time, I was going to make that bridge My Bitch. I was actually getting angry approaching the bridge knowing what it did to me last time. I smoked it this time through!! This was my shining point of the race!

 Crossing the finish line with all I had left, I stopped the clock at 3hrs 22 mins. I accomplished my goal of keeping my pace and racing my race ..and to top it off, shaving 13 mins off my previous marathon!!! “

 Congrats to these athletes for their level of commitment and resulting success.