Q -
Coach Bob,
I train in Florida for a half marathon in San Francisco. Every year I feel great and do a lot of speed and agility training with my running schedule, but every year I have incredible knee pain during the race and after. I even have to walk most of the second half of the race. Should I wear a brace below my knee while training and during the run? How should I prepare for San Francisco hills in Florida? Thanks so much, Rhonda (40 year old female)
A -
Hi Rhonda,
Thanks for your great question. First, I would recommend a complete static and biomechanical evaluation by a competent sports physical therapist to determine any muscle strength or weaknesses that are leading to the knee pain. You might need “pre-hab” type exercises to balance out some of your muscle groups that may get too tight. A competent sports PT will provide those exercises that are important to keep any runner healthy.
You may be doing too much speed and agility type activities and maybe too many miles on the same day or on back-to-back days. Unfortunately, your quad muscles will get tight, causing your kneecap to track properly which will result in patella-femoral or knee pain. If you combine speed and agility activity with a challenging day of running it might be too much. I’d ask the therapist about the brace but if you have that much pain, I would not even be trying to run. You may need to get on a bike or swim until the knee pain resolves. You can train hard every day with non-weight bearing activities as long as you are not experiencing any knee symptoms.
You are prudent to prepare for the same type of terrain you will be facing in your upcoming half marathon. Even if you have to drive a few miles to find hills at least one day a week, I would do it. You may even have to find stairs or as a last resort, a treadmill that you can use in elevation mode to simulate the course hills.
Q -
Hi Coach Bob,
I just finished my freshman year in high school. I am 16 years old, average 45-50 miles per week and have been running for one year. I am a middle distance runner with PRs of 4:48 mile, 10:25 two mile, 16:30 three mile, 17:16 5k. I have read about top high school runners running 90 miles per week and young world class runners running 150 miles per week (seven days a week) and “1000 miles in 12 weeks” running clubs for high school middle distance runners. I have heard others, including coaches, talk about “burn outs.” I am wondering, is there a risk of physical or mental burn out by increasing miles to 100 miles a week on a seven day a week basis?
A -
Hi, Sophomore to Be,
Your question is timely and important. I coach on the high school level and am very concerned with how many miles some young runners are trying to rack up during the summer to get stronger. Many young men and women who have run fast times at 15 and 16 years of age with high mileage rarely run well or don’t compete at all in college because they get burned out. I remember listening to Bill Bowerman a few years before he passed away, talking to a group of high school kids after a Cross Country meet in Bend, Oregon. He asked them: “How much fun are you having? Your running has to be fun. And when it isn’t fun, then find another sport that is.” You should enjoy your running at least 90% of the time and feel good about not running on a particular day if it does not appeal to you, if you are too tired, or if it does not fit into family plans.
I understand that you are very competitive and want to achieve a very high level of excellence. Here are some guidelines I teach the runners I coach:
1. Always try to run where it is the most fun and avoid running too fast when it does not feel very good (Look at the RPE scale and keep your runs between # 3 and no higher than # 5 or # 6).
2. If you are feeling tired for more than one day, then your miles may be too high.
3. When you do get tired, take as many days off that you need to regenerate; start building back slowly to the prior miles that you were trying to hold; If the tired feeling returns, then you know you have hit your limit. Drop back 20-30% and slowly build back up to the miles you feel good at maintaining.
4. Keep your miles to an optimal level, meaning you feel fabulous each day.
5. Add 1 mile to the longer run. It does not have to be more than 10-12 miles at your age.
6. Always take recovery days of training before and after a challenging training session, sometimes you will need two days to fully regenerate.
6. Eat a lot of food at each meal time and don’t forget mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. Also drink a lot of liquids throughout the day and add a sports drink to replenish the salts and other nutrients you sweat out.
7. Don’t compete very often but if you do, be VERY realistic with your expected finish time, take 2 days of easy jogging for 20-30 minutes to fully recover and read number 2 again.
8. Run with friends and avoid running with those who are more fit on your recovery day (chances are you will not get adequately recovered), or run with less fit runners on your recovery day.
Good luck, have fun, and enjoy each training session.
Q -
Coach Bob,
I have a stress fracture in my right foot and I am wondering what I can do to maintain what I have gained thus far and how best to start running once it is mended. Also, is a stress fracture in the foot likely to happen again? I am 56 years old, have been running since I was 50, have participated in 3 half marathons, some 10 mile races and 10k’s. I run 30 minutes 2x a week and complete a long run on Saturdays. I am still trying to figure out how this has happened as I have approached my running on a conservative basis. I will not have access to a pool for water running.
A -
Hi,
Thanks for your interesting question. Without knowing how fast you were running on your 30 min days and long distance runs, I can only surmise that your long run might be too long and you are trying to run too fast without appropriate supportive miles during the week.
It is also possible that you might have been trying to run too fast or were running too hard on unstable surfaces. I am sorry you have a stress fracture in your foot, as they seem to take longer to heal. Your best bet is to do full non weight bearing activities such as cycling or an elliptical machine. The critical element here for success is you should not have ANY symptoms while you run or any kind of exercise. So, according to the PT’s and MD’s I talk with regularly, you can exercise vigorously on a daily basis as long as you have no symptoms in the affected foot.
Slowly return with a walk/jog program progressing back to 30 minutes and then adding 10 minutes per week to your longer run.
Q -
Hi Coach,
Is it true that some bodies just aren’t built for speed? I’ve been trying to improve my 9:30 minute mile for some time now and just can’t seem to get any faster. I am 5′7? and have a more muscular/stocky build. Could it be that because I’m not of a thinner stature, that 9:30 will always be my best time?
A -
Hi,
Yes, some bodies are not meant for speed because they do not have the required muscle fiber types to be able to run “fast,” not only in sprinting but in long distance running. Usually one’s running speed should stay comfortable, unless you have a desire to run a little faster. Dropping some body weight might help but smart running is the best way to get faster. If your body weight is optimal don’t try to lose weight. Try doing some 1 to 3 minute pick ups after a 10 minute warm-up. Refer to the RPE scale and you don’t have to run any faster than an RPE of a 5. Start at a comfortable pace and gradually pick up your pace for one minute. Try 3-4 reps and if they feel good, maybe try 2-3 x 2 minute pick ups. The goal is to be able to do 4-6 x 2-3 minutes weekly and that will help you improve your overall training speed.
