Mental Manatee Mentors Part 3--CLOSED (Page 53)

Saweeeet! Heck yes! I am so excited for you. 

Another piece of excellent news!

Ooooh and your full name. I am *really* going to stalk you now.

Well this is Galloway's website, but I don't see anything succinct that describes his method. I also have his marathon book, and basically his philosophy for that distance is that by employing a run-walk strategy, you increase the amount of time you can be on your feet. You use different muscles for each, so you rest the "run" muscles while walking and the "walk" muscles while running. Over 9 miles, lets say for the simplicity of math because I suck at it, if you use a 2-1 run/walk, you actually end up running just 6 miles instead of 9, while still covering 9 miles.

So it's more than just pacing.

The ratio can change for each runner. He talks about some speedy marathoners using a modified run/walk. They basically run fast, and then every mile or so "glide" for a short distance. (I can't remember now what that distance is -- 100m?) It's just another way of giving one group of muscles a break while still moving.

He is not a proponent of coming to a full stop. Ever. He argues that if you stop, or heaven forbid, sit down, you are basically done.

It's intriguing, especially the argument about resting muscle groups while still maintaining forward motion.

ETA: To answer the other part -- you have to practice it because you need to build up endurance in your walk muscles just as we do for the run muscles.

This looks awesome! Have you used it before? I may have to rent one for Galveston for my wife

Well, you are still using the same muscles while maintaining forward motion. It's not like marathon pace is us all out running.  I'd see it more as a break aerobically. 

I got a big packet of Boston information this weekend. They said that people can get cell phone updates for the 5K, 10K, HM and 30K splits.

THey said I needed to bring the phone numbers of the people who want to track me when I pick up my bib. Not sure if there is an option other than that or not?

THe packet of information is ca-raaazy. They've obviously been putting this marathon on for a while 

You have the long run building from 8, 9, 10, and 12, and then 13.1 on race day. You're younger than I am and maybe can do that, but I find that I need to build for two weeks and then step back and then build again. So, using your numbers,  the increase in the long runs would look something like this: 8, 9, 7, 9, 10, 8, 10, 11, 9, 11, 12, 10, etc . . . Granted, to get up to 13.1, you'd need more time doing it that way.

I also agree with Salty that optimum training would be to have a long run longer than 13.1. I haven't had the luxury of doing that yet (time, illness, etc), but I see the wisdom in it. Galloway, in the marathon book I have, points out that it's not a coincidence that runners hit "the wall" precisely at their longest training run, which is why he is critical of marathon plans which have 23 or 24 miles as the longest training run. (I will also add that the Hal Higdon novice half marathon plan has a long training run of 10 miles -- right where I usually hit some kind of wall at the 13.1 distance.)

I am installing the app now. I can't wait to "see" you in action!!!

That's the thing. It's what Jeff claims, but there just isn't any good science to back it up.

That doesn't mean it isn't possibly true, but it would be for other reasons. It IS a very well-defined effort break and mental break.

Also, most beginner runners--and some intermediate-ish runners, like me--pretty much have one run pace. Slow. Physiologically, my running pace, if it were any slower, would be a walk. I can actually run a 17-minute mile. Especially if it's slidy slippery gravelly rocky ground going uphill. But even if not.

I've thought about it like that as well, but actually, because his marathon plan calls for something like a 30 mile training run/walk, that's serious time, especially with the walking. He's all about covering the distance, without injury. So, for Kirsten or anyone else being cautious or coming back from an injury, I think he is spot on.

Otherwise, and this is from reading his book, I think that some of the issues he brings forward can be taken care of with proper pacing. By "proper" I mean, pacing that is appropriate for a particular runner. For instance, my 12 year old and I can both easily run a 10 minute mile. I run the whole thing. He sprints, then walks, then sprints, and walks. I keep harping on him: pacing, pacing, pacing.

That being said, I still walk quickly through water stations on long runs (although not in training very much), not so much for the rest but because I don't want water poured all over myself. I am not very graceful.

The Galloway method? Or just run-walk?

Well, better PMS now than later, I guess.

I hate tapering. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.

I am very excited about Oceanside for you. It is going to be amazing!!!

I think it is important to keep the plan's objective in mind. I did Higdon novice a couple of times, which will get you to the finish of a HM. I then went plan free after that, well, not really, just home grown/halfa$$ from a few other plans. This last race had the most planning and prep. I did a number of 10 & 11 mile runs in my build, with my longest pre race run at 12 miles.  I can see the value in longer runs, especially depending on your goal.

For me, the only goals in the past two years have been improvement and enjoyment. It has really been 2 years of base building for me.  So any advice you hear from me is tempered with that as my point of view.  Although, I do find all of the discussions interesting.

I still am not sold. But we can agree to disagree. I'd never ever recommend one of his plans other than the case that Yanti stated about long enduro-marches and maybe within an IM plan. 

The mom in me is quite displeased with these two ideas for Adrienne at this time. Dance party, I give my approval.

Yeah, and all of the advice I gave was definitely with the "I want to PR" lens. 

Heh heh, thanks mom! Nah, I won't be doing those things ... or I will try not to. But I do have a bday celebration so the dancing is a must. 

I seriously do get all caught up during taper though. I think, "Oh I have all this extra time! I should make up for all the stuff I have had to say no to ..."

Crap, Salty. I keep replying to your texts so some poor (or lucky) sap in Tonga or San Francisco or Malta is getting the highly inappropriate scantily-if-at-all clad pics.

That was too hard and long to write in lolspk so I posted it here.

lolz

Welp, gotta make SOMEONE's day. May as well be a Tongan! 

This. I don't know. Like I said, I am also a bit skeptical. I still read the book, but I'm not sure I bought the philosophy a hundred percent as a way of running life. (Well, obviously, I didn't because I don't train using his method.) For injury prevention and for just getting out there and finishing with a group of friends . . . I think it could work. But personally, I don't like to walk if I don't have to (like drinking water -- see previous comment about gracefulness.)

BTW I would not (I can't say never, but mostly not) recommend a Galloway plan for the run part of triathlon training, especially distance. His plans are (basically, but with a lot of very important provisos) two 30-45min training runs per week and one progressively longer (with some cutbacks esp. once into the teens) run each weekend, going up to 26mi for the marathon-prep long run.

Way too much recovery required from those long runs.

He does allow for cross-training, but basically it'd be just enough to "just finish" sprint distances of S/B, although truth be told if one can swim in the day's conditions and bike, one can probably "just finish" an Oly, maybe even an HIM without really training.

Run:walk is another thing altogether.

Thongin' for the Tongan.

Have we totally screwed up your RR writing with all this talk?

If not, we can always move on to the Hanson's Method 

OK, now I gotta make sure some people have my cell #!!!!!