Runnerâs World Magazine, the reference media outlet for the running community for over 50 years, ran an article on April 27, titled âHow to Pace a 5K So You Can Hit Your PRâ. It was written by Stephen Sheehan. The expert quoted throughout the narrative was Coach Adolfo Salgueiro, head coach at Foultips.Run.
 âI have been a Runnerâs World reader since the early 1980s,â Stated Coach Salgueiro. âBeing able to contribute to one of their articles is a dream come true. The fact they wanted my expertise on the subject is a statement to the value of the decades of experience and preparation Iâve put into this passion of mine.â
 This is the second time Coach Adolfo has been in Runnerâs World. A summary on his running career ran back in March 2021.
To read the full Runnerâs World article you may click here.
 Be aware that Runnerâs World has a limit on the number of free articles non-members can read a month. If you have exceeded such a number, you may have to come back next month to read it. Or contact me and I will send you a PDF version.
As a ânaked runnerâ (1), for many years I enjoyed the freedom of not being attached to tech gadgets. Gadgets that most runners use to measure mileage, pace, heart rate and what not. They come in different forms of watches, headphones or wearables. These days most smart phones can track you, just as your significant other does (just joking).
What is it that a naked runner enjoys? This is a good question for a podcast, as it may need a long answer. I can only tell you about my experience. I enjoy the conversational running, the sound of the waves by the beach, the flapping of bird wings and even the occasional âget out of the f*$%ng bike lane!â reminder. With this mindset Iâve ran 5K, 10K, plenty of half marathons and even one marathon without proper training, where my buttocks hit the ground (literally). In some smaller races I even placed in my age group, including a 2nd place in the birthplace of Ricky Martin (San Juan, PR).
However, events involving my close family happened this year and made me reconsider my comfort zone. What I mean by that is that I felt like I got into a comfortable running routine that my body just got used to. It took a doctorâs advice to snap me out of it. He said: âsometimes you have to endure physical pain to obtain unique benefitsâ.
So, I registered for a half marathon in Panama, where the humidity would likely be 100% and my goal was to smash my PR on the distance by almost 10 minutes. To accomplish this, I decided to get a coach with enough experience to turn a ânaked runnerâ into a âdressed runnerâ.
I needed guidance, arduous work and some luck to transition into this new chapter of my running life.
Fast forwarding to race day, luck ran out. I started to cramp up at mile 7. But suddenly, I recalled on the sacrifices Iâve made to get here. Waking up early, watching and timing my food, pushing my body to a certain pace, trying new goals, sometimes with uncomfortable results. And then, the lessons learned as a âdressed runnerâ started to pay off.
I looked at my Garmin and I adjusted my pace. I also timed my intake of salt and fluids the way I trained for. At the end, I was able to shave off six minutes from the same race back in 2019. Not what I wanted but I was satisfied with the result.
Was I disappointed at missing my PR? Of course! God willing, I still have 2023 to accomplish it. Now as a âdressed runnerâ.
I want to thank Coach Adolfo, my running partners Dmitriy, Wayne, Luis and Luis âChamoâ, as well as the rest of my running group for their support during my quest.
*Ruben Urieta is an experienced runner based in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He has completed multiple half marathons and one marathon. He runs with No-Club Runners on Saturday mornings, and he is also a good friend.
(1) â A naked runner is one who runs exclusively by feel, with no assistance from any type of tech gadget or wearable gear. It has nothing to do with running in the nude.
It is human nature to doubt when your running is not going your way. You doubt your training, or your training plan, or your gear, or your health, or your coach. Especially as racing season or your goal race approach and you may not be hitting all your workouts or paces on the dot. I am not saying it canât be one or more of those topics, maybe a combination of all of them, sure. Yet, if youâre able to identify the culprits and tweak your training, you fall in the category of the perfectly normal runner. These things come with the territory.
Doubting during a difficult time is human nature, but it doesnât necessarily mean defeat (Photo by Andrea Piacquadio, Pexels)
It is imperative differentiate if whatâs happening is an isolated incident or a chronic issue sabotaging your entire training cycle. I recently had a trainee questioning his training because he couldnât hold marathon pace on a 3rd 2-mile rep within a 14-mile long run. It was later determined that he started way too late, so it was too hot; a rest day was skipped, and not enough water was consumed during the training session.
An athlete must understand that all workouts have a specific purpose, and workouts are interwoven with each other. A long run alone means nothing without the speed workouts, cross trainings and rest days that compliment it. Understanding the objective of each workout is a shared responsibility between runner and coach.
These are some factors to consider when doubt starts creeping into your training, so you can return to the path of success and be in a position to conquer your running goals:
Training vs. Racing: In 40 years of running, Iâm yet to see the first medal or podium for winning a training run. Too many runners train at 100% effort on a regular basis, not understanding they are undermining their performance by basically racing once, twice or even three times a week. Training is training and you shouldnât be racing through it. It is that simple. If you train at 80% effort, you should be able to race at 100% effort. It is basic physiology. If you run faster, you will run shorter.
Long run: Sure, it is one of the staples of training and one of the most important drills in our entire plan. But on its own, it does nothing for you. If you donât run throughout the week, if the long run occupies too large a percentage of your mileage or if you are running faster than prescribed, you wonât be reaping the benefit you are supposed to obtain. Even worse, you could end up injured.
If your training runs end up with this feeling, you are in for a rude awakening (Photo Pexels)
Peaking: Most have questioned at one time, how am I supposed to run 26 miles in October if we can barely make it through 16 in July. And the answer is quite simple: follow your training plan. It is designed to help you run a certain distance, at a certain pace, on a certain period. It is not good to be ready to run goal distance at goal pace, 6-8 weeks before the race. It is physiologically impossible to keep yourself at top performance condition beyond 3-4 weeks, so the time to peak must be managed.
Accumulated Fatigue: As training evolves, the athlete accrues fatigue. This results in heavy legs or not hitting the mark on certain training sessions. When you need to run 20 miles, or 10×800 with four weeks to go on a marathon training cycle, you should be very tired. It is normal. But remember a tapering period is on its way so youâll be to get the starting line with fresh legs and a strong mind.
Recovery: Runs together with fatigue. Recovery is as important of an element in a training plan as the work itself. Now, as you train hard, the time will come when a recovery run or one off-day is not enough. Be smart and take an additional off-day or a recovery week if needed. Be wise and donât overtax yourself by completing a specific workout when your body just doesnât have it on any given day. You are better off cutting a few miles or a couple of reps than spending additional days recovering from an excessive effort.
Adrenaline: Be mindful that race conditions are way different than training conditions. Starting a pre-dawn run around your block is not as appealing as the starting line of the Berlin Marathon or arriving to First Avenue at the NYC Marathon. The spectators, the surroundings and your excitement will give you an adrenaline boost to carry you through. So, donât overthink it if you lack enthusiasm for a few days. It is covered during race day.
While many of these parameters seem to be common sense, it comes the time when the obvious must be stated so a struggling athlete can be guided to that eureka moment that will allow him/her to regain the trust in the process.
The following is a post I recently read in LinkedIn, from the pen of Coach Nick Bonnedahl. It is short, to the point, and it touches on an issue that affects so many runners. It mirrors the way I think about coaching certain athletes, but Coach Bonnedahl, beat me to it and wrote it first.
Blog post reposted by persmission of Coach Nick Bonnedahl
What he states in the post affects so many runners just looking for a quick solution to their athletic problems. It reflects the reality of those who complain the coach is not doing his job because they are not progressing. It echoes the mindset of those who canât reach their goals, so it must be somebody elseâs fault.
With the authorâs permission, I am reproducing his post here.
I do not want to coach you ifâŚ
You are looking for a quick-fix.
You like to cut corners and look for a magical pill.
You are unprepared to put down some work and ready to go for it.
You are not ready to invest in yourself emotionally.
You are not doing it for yourself but for someone else.
You come with excuses, not turning up.
You blame others or events instead of the real reason (YOU).
You are not honest with yourself.
But, if you are someone that wants to get the result and work for it, ready to change habits and routines, prepared to invest in yourself to feel better, younger, and happier. If you want to get into/back to running, want to lose some weight, getting motivated, inspired, having accountability, getting coached in a fun way, physically and mentally for long-term results and changes, drop me a message to see if you are a fit.
Nick Bonnedahl is a qualified running coach, ultra-running coach, personal trainer and weight loss specialist based in Thailand.
 On Sunday, January 16th, I participated in the 50th anniversary edition of the Chevron Houston Marathon. I want to start by stating that it was one of the most amazing experiences Iâve had in 40+ years of racing. From the organizational perspective, the race is at the same level of any big-city event. It is up there with any Major. On the personal side, it was uplifting. From the coaching side, it was memorable.
About to cross the finish line with a hand in my heart and the other one thanking The One who made this miracle possible
I knew the eventâs center of operations was the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is huge. I never expected it to take the entire place. The execution of the bib pick up was flawless even though a bit more signage would have been welcome for the sake of out of-towners, such as me. I did not visit the expo, though. Friends told me it was a smaller version, given the Covid reality of the world.
Running morning was cold, cold, cold. Thirty-six degrees when we left our Airbnb. But we were able to find refuge, toilets and a place to rest while we waited for our corrals to open. Everything was so well organized and orderly that your only worry was walking to the start. The whole shebang was taken care of for you.
The course was flat, sans an overpass and two, minor underpasses. We ran through beautiful areas of the city and crowd support was solid without being overwhelming. There were so many port-a-pots throughout the race that I never saw a waiting line. There were even urinals at the starting line, first time Iâve seen this in the US. I stopped about mile 14, not because I had to but as a preemptive measure, just because I could and there were no lines.
Last mile, back in downtown, was stunning. Lots of fans and photographers lining up to welcome back the runners. After picking up our spectacular finisherâs medal, we went into the Convention Center to get our finisherâs shirt and food bag. The only unflattering thing I have to say about the race is the shirt. It was a cheapy fabric, fits poorly and the design was nothing to write home about.
I fully recommend this event to anyone interested in a big-city race. This is a Marathon-Major-like organization without the Marathon Major label nor price tag.
COACHING EXPERIENCE
I had a wonderful experience with my four coached athletes in the race. All three marathoners set PRs even though two of them contracted Covid just three weeks before the race. This hindered their expectations and the size of their PRs, but they both achieve their A-Goals through courageous performances. The half marathoner was able to cross the finish line strong, healthy and with a big smile on his face. His goal was finishing after a long hiatus, and that was accomplished, too.
All runners trusted the process, followed their training diligently and executed their race plans to the tee. Thus, the results.
There is nothing more satisfying for a coach than one of your runners telling you: âThank you. I couldnât have done it without youâ. Even though it sounds (and it is) self-serving, it reminds you that, even though they all had in them the ability to achieve what they just did, your guidance made a difference in this runnerâs race. And that is priceless.
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MY RACE
On the personal side, I was able to complete the Houston Marathon (my 11th), just 207 days after open-heart surgery. I trained with a race/walk protocol that allowed me to make this a reality, despite having time for just two long sessions (16 and 17 miles). Yet, in just four months, I was able to complete the race in 5:16:45. The time is nothing special, but on my race, time was irrelevant. It was all about crossing the finish line.
Even though it was my 11th marathon, this finish line was special.
The chilly weather was helpful. I ran the first 7 miles biting an 11 pace, and from there started my walk/run protocol of .18/.82 (weird splits, sure, but it was where, after much practice, I felt more comfortable). I reached miles 16, 18 and 20, tired but strong. Legs started to hurt reaching miles 21 and 22 and after the walking break for Mile 23, the legs just stop firing. I tried to restart the running, but it wasnât happening. I ran some quick math and realized that if I restarted now, I could go sub-5, but the legs were shot. Then I realized that being at Mile 23, 30 weeks after OHS, was miracle enough and I wasnât going to let the clock dictate the terms of my happiness or what God was allowing me to do. So I walked most of the last 5K with a big smile, never resenting the time lost or wondering why I didnât go for the half.
I crossed the finish line with teary eyes and a couple of seconds later, I hear the unmistakable screams of my beautiful wife welcoming me. Unfortunately, she was on the other side of the street, and it would take about an hour for me to hug her. But the fact that she witnessed the miracle of my finish, firsthand, uplifted my spirit.
Houston was a spectacular experience in every sense of the phrase. As a runner, as a coach and as the protagonist of something improbable. Because what I personally accomplished is so unlikely that it can only be explained by the divine intervention of God, through me. This is what proves that it is a miracle. Sharing it with my friends from the No-Club Runners multiplied tenfold the experience.
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