Marathon: You Can Do It

Most diabetic patients are over weight and complain of fatigue and they assume they can never be athletes. That is wrong. From the New York Times, I remember reading an inspiring story of David Shack a diabetic athlete

Yes. Even Diabetics can be triathletes.

David Shack’S Type 1 diabetes had been so out of control for so many years that he had had more than 100 seizures.

Mr. Shack was recruited for the 2008 Ford Ironman Wisconsin by John Moore, 31, who also has Type 1 diabetes. The competition was organized and designed specifically for the diabetes community as part of a study. Participants would have to follow a 2.4-mile swim with a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run.

Mr. Shack completed the race after 17 hours. The winner Chris Macdonald from Australia had finished in a time of 8 hrs 43 minutes. But these two runners were all winners. Finishing late is a relative thing in the triathlon. For most mortal humans, finishing at all is an incredible accomplishment.

Tags: diabetics, Inspiring Stories, Marathon Running, Running, Training

Runners accept pain as part of the sport. But not all pain is the same. You have to learn to separate the good pain, associated with the positive progression of your fitness, from the bad pain, which tends to be unfamiliar, infrequent and generally localised in one particular area of the body. It is an early-warning sign of injury, the final severity of which will be determined by how much notice you pay.

Remember to pay attention to unfamiliar pains. Ease off, and seek medical help where necessary.

Tags: Marathon Running, Running, Running Injuries, Running tip

By any measures, 2008 was a very good year for daily running tips dot Com and myself. I accomplished many of the goals I set for myself and saw some amazing growth from the blog and most important I was able to run my first sub three hours marathon.

At the start of the year the blog was hosted on wordpress dot com, it is now self hosted with it’s own domain.

Start training many months in advance

My running goal at the start of 2008 was to run a sub three hours marathon at the 2008 Nairobi Marathon, which is run in October. Am happy to say I achieved this goal by clocking a New P.B of 2 hours 54 minutes.

Speed works and hill runs

I started marathon training in February. For five months I did a 25K run once a week on Sunday mornings. In July I started serious preparations for the marathon that consisted of speed work and and hill running.

Years Of Training Equals Marathon Experience

After three years of marathon running I arrived at the start of 2008 Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon feeling strong and confident.  I was able to maintain a constant pace of 4 minutes per kilometre from the start to the finish. I did not suffer any leg cramps in the final stages thanks my continued training. After I crossed the finish line I was surprised to find myself walking comfortably that is when I realised I could have run a faster time if only I had pushed harder.

The question is will I continue improving in 2009 or have I peaked?

Thank You for an Awesome 2008

I want to thank everyone who help make this blog what it is. Without you, daily running tips  dot Com would just be like any other of the 120+ million blogs in the sphere. Thanks to you, this blog has become something special.

Happy New Year and let’s make 2009 the best ever!

Tags: Marathon, Marathon Running, Marathon Training, Nairobi marathon, Running, Training

Catherine the great has been one of the most consistent Kenyan runners. She is a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon. She has run 12 sub-2:26 performances and three sub-2:20s in her career. Runner’s World ranked her the No. 1 Runner of the Year for five years.

In an interview with running times magazine she revealed the secret to her longevity in the sport. Her training plan has been designed to avoid over training and fatigue.

Weekly Training Milage 

Catherine  runs 75 to 90 miles per week. “This way I can keep my body fresh, and recovered,” she reasons.

Interval Training 

Long repeats with short recoveries. Short recoveries are a hallmark of Kenyan training. She does 1K repeats

Run fast one day, slow the next day

On easy days her pace does not creep any faster than 7 minute per mile–slow considering her 5:17 per-mile PR marathon pace.  On easy days, if you start pushing then the next day you cannot give 100 percent.

The long run. 

She does easy speed up to 22 to 23 miles maximum.

Her philosphy is run hard, rest easy

Tags: kenya Runners, long runs, Marathon Running, Running, Training

5 K, It’s the perfect distance: 3.1 miles require relatively little build-up, the training doesn’t take over your life, and the race is over fairly quickly unlike the half marathon or marathon.

Training for a 5K

According to a runners world article I read , by logging only three or four runs per week, you can be ready to toe the line of a 5K in just five weeks.

If your goal is just to finish, your training runs should be at a comfortable pace. If you are aiming to beat a time then you should consider adding some faster training to your schedule, it is the best way to improve your speed and endurance.

Running Tip For 5K

Don’t start running at a fast pace. Start slowly and save energy for the last mile.

Tags: , Marathon, Running, Training, training tips