BC ENDURANCE BLOG
Training tips, stories, reflections and more.
The Right Training Distance for the Marathon
The first practice race scheduled in the BC Endurance marathon training is the Windward 25K (15.5 miles). It comes a mere seven weeks into the training when our longest workout will have been only 2.5 hours long. So, many of our athletes wonder how they can finish 15...
Mastering Pre-Race Mental Preparation
Everything we do in life is preceded by a private, mental conversation. In the weeks before a marathon, for example, your thoughts could represent competing ways of pacing the race, e.g., start fast or slow. Your thinking always decides the issue.You could be...
Prepare to Race in Hot Weather
One of my associates from the early 1980s, Alan Titchenal, was an experienced and wily marathoner. On the occasional days when the Honolulu Marathon was run in particularly hot and humid conditions, Alan would start the race at a deliberately slow pace, letting most...
Nutrition Guidelines for Long-Distance Races
The following guidelines assume you are preparing for an early-morning race in hot-weather Hawaii.Storing Glycogen Energy (carbohydrate loading). Glycogen, a form of muscle sugar which derives from carbohydrate (starchy foods) is the limiting factor in long-distance...
Run the Marathon without Hitting the Wall
Pacing is the most important skill in the sport of long-distance racing. Go too fast at any point in a race and you increase your risk of a fatigue-induced, crashing slow-down before the finish. Go too slow and you risk the equally ignominious embarrassment of a...
A BC Endurance Pre-Race Checklist
Experienced runners usually have a pre-and post-race routine, including the following checklist of race day items they’ll need to feel comfortable before and after the race. Race Clothes. Staying comfortable and as cool as possible should be bywords. Long sleeve...
Debunking “No Pain, No Gain” Training
When I ask my athletes if they are into pain, nobody raises a hand. Yet when pressed, they reveal a no-pain-no-gain training bias. They think, for instance, that post-workout muscle soreness is a sign of having done a “good” workout. Indeed, some claim that all...
When you’ve Finished a Good Workout
In the BC Endurance training system, we end all workouts at the first sign of fatigue. Fatigue contracts capacity for exertion. Workouts should have the opposite, expansive effect. So, it doesn’t make sense to run into significant fatigue during training. The usual...
Knowing When You’re Fully Recovered
How do you know when you have “recovered” your energy from one of our weeknight workouts? What does it mean to be recovered? A related question is: How would you know when you are “fully” recovered from a race or workout? These questions require an understanding of...
How to Avoid Colds & Injuries Before Races
You and your body are two distinct entities. Increased fitness develops when you engage your body as a teammate. As team captain, your body sets the rules; as its teammate, you’re there to play by the rules, because disregarding them jeopardizes team results.The book...