by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Mar 7, 2023 | Article, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
As the 2022-23 racing season move towards its end, with just a handful of goal competitions left in the calendar, the time to start planning for the 2023-24 season rapidly approaches. The running season usually goes from November-March, with adjustments depending on your latitude and location. This is time to reflect on what happened, what did not happen and why did or did not happen.
The first question that comes to mind after this intro is: Do runners really need time off?
Rediscover the pleasures of sleeping in on a weekend morning instead of going for a long run (Photo Pexels)
It has been discussed for decades, but based on my years of experience, my answer on the matter is a blunt and unequivocal YES!!!. In all caps and with three exclamation points.
Regardless of your age, level of fitness and commitment to the sport, your body cannot keep its peak level of fitness forever. There is such a thing as an upper limit which cannot be surpassed regardless of how much you run, lift or cross train. So, it is imperative that you provide your body with enough time to rest and relax. This will inevitably decrease your fitness, sure, but you must see it as an investment, a process to go through to continue your path of long-term progress.
The key concept is that once you have recovered and you are ready to restart, given that you havenât overdone the junk food, alcohol and time off, you will be doing so at a higher level of fitness than where you started last season. This may allow you to achieve an even higher level for the upcoming season.
I will define the off-season as the period between your last race of one season and the first race of the following one. Within that period, I have identified four phases to devote individual attention so you can prepare properly for success.
1 – Rest and recovery â This doesnât mean you stop all sports activities until next race. Some runners may need a week to a month off just to reset the body and have fun catching up on the pleasures of life that theyâve deprived themselves of during hard training, such as pizza, beer, binging on TV until late or sleeping in. Other runners will want to drastically cut their mileage, or their running days so their bodies can recover and prepare for what is coming up. You must enjoy the process and runningâs gotta be fun. Otherwise, a burn out may be on its way and you will no longer run.
2 â Planning â This phase may overlap the previous one, or even with the previous racing season. The time has come to figure out what are your goals for next season. I am a firm believer that having multiple races in your schedule is what will allow you to remain focused so you donât slack off until you realize the race you were shooting for is around the corner, or it is sold out. You donât want to plan every workout for the next 6-8 months, but you just need to know when you need to be ready and for what goal.
This is the time to enjoy the pizza and the beer, but obviously, donât overdo it (Photo Pexels)
3 – Build up â After your recovery time is taken care of, it is time to rebuild your endurance and your speed. This takes time, method and requires patience. Accept you will not start at the same point where you left off. The silver lining is that you will be able to get back there sooner and safer the longer you have been running. Getting back to 50-mile weeks is a quicker process for someone who has been doing it for 10 years than for a runner who just did it last year for the very first time. Put you plan on paper. Block and label the weeks and/months you will need to go through this process. Then, execute.
4 â Training â Everything you did between your last race of the season and the start of this phase is what will determine the success of your next season. A 16-week training plan, especially for a marathon, doesnât mean youâll start running again 16 weeks prior to race day. It means that 16 weeks before race day you must be ready to hit the ground running. By then, your aerobic capacity, your core, your strength program and your speed training should be a work in progress. So, in these 16 weeks you just dial in the variables to achieve your goal at the set date.
Other components such as nutrition, sleep, hydration and recovery are year around elements than need to be addressed continuously and are part of all four phases.
If you take the time to plan ahead, even small injuries, periods of sickness, vacation or any other unexpected surprises life will inevitably throw at you, may be fit into the off-season. Prepare yourself with plenty of time and enjoy reaping the benefits of a well-executed plan.
by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Sep 27, 2022 | Article, Coaching, List, Science
As the fall and winter marathon season starts heating up, and as the preparation for the spring marathons approaches, I feel appropriate to repost an article I wrote last year, that it is still relevant at this time of the running season. Enjoy!
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
 Tapering time approaches for those about to run the Abbott World Marathon Majors this year. Training time approaches for those eyeing their marathon towards the end of 2021 or start of 2022. So, seems like a good time to review some basic mistakes that runners, from beginners to experts, should avoid. This way they can reap the most benefits out of their efforts.
Training for a marathon is a process that involves multiple moving parts that need to work in sync. It needs to reach a point where the body can be stressed enough to compensate its deficiencies and adjust to the workload-thus improving- but not to a point where it becomes too much, and it canât recover to do it again. This means overtraining and, most likely, an injury if intend to tough it out and train through it.
No need to overstress yourself if you avoid these basic mistakes in your training (Photo by Pexels.com)
The following are nine of the most common mistakes runners incur into during a marathon training cycle:
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Running the long runs too fast: There is a time to go fast and there is a time to go slow. The long run has that name because it is designed for you to go long. It is not called the âfast runâ for a reason. They are intended to build up your aerobic system, which, for a marathon, it is used 99% of the time, even if you are the world-record holder.
 2      Focusing too much on the long run: The long run is an important part of your training, sure, but it is just one element, not the bulk of it. The success in your race will depend on the accumulated effect of all the elements in your training, not just one.
 3      Doing the same workouts all the time: Because about 80% of the training needs to be done at a slower speed, there is a small number of hard sessions available, usually no more than two per week, so distance, speed, intensity, and other parameters, need to be worked so the body can benefit and adapt.
 4      Poor fueling and hydration plans: if you donât test strategies during training, you wonât know what works for you. The time to find that out is during training, long runs, especially. The time to realize a certain gel upsets your stomach, is not during the race. Same applies to hydration. What to drink and when needs to be part of race plan, shouldnât be improvised on race day.
 5      Skipping rest days: Not running on a specific day is part of your training. These days should be written into your schedule and followed to the tee. No amount of ice baths, compression socks or protein shakes will do you any good if you donât give your body a break to recover so it can run again.
Rest is as part of your training as your work. Donât skip it!
6Â Â Â Â Â Â Not scheduling cutback weeks: Â During training you build up endurance, aerobic capacity, Vo2Max, and multiple additional parameters. But you canât build up forever. Your body has a limit and needs time to actively rest so it can adapt to the benefits provided by your workouts. Programming a week to cut back on your training provides your body with time to adjust and recover, is key.
7Â Â Â Â Â Â Cutting sleep: Â Remember you donât improve when you work out, you improve while you sleep. The long run the tempo, the weightlifting, or the speed session damage your body. It is when you sleep that your body gets repaired. If you skip on sleep, you wonât realize all the benefits of the training, but you will keep the muscle damage.
 8      Screwing up the tapering: Physiological adaptations after exercise, take between two and three weeks to adapt. So, there is no benefit on one last long run in the last couple of weeks. You need to actively rest and recover your body so it will be in its best shape for race day. During tapering there is nothing to gain, yet a lot to lose.
 9      Following someone elseâs training plan: There is nothing wrong with talking to your buddies about what they are doing, but they may not have the same goals as you and you do not have the same physiology as them. Set up YOUR PLAN, adjust as needed, and stick to it. Trust your coach. Trust your plan. Trust yourself.
Of course, there are more than nine mistakes you can incur during a marathon training cycle. These are just some of the most common and they mostly apply to any distance. As you finish your training for your Abbott Marathon Major or get ready for your upcoming goal race, make sure you are on the lookout for the aforementioned mistakes, so you wonât screw up your hard work. Â
by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Apr 12, 2022 | Coaching, List, Reflection
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
As runners, we would all like to improve on a weekly or monthly basis. If we could set up PRs in all our trainings, races and in all our distances, why wouldnât we? It must be a lot of fun. But the human body is not set up for an indefinite, upward linear progress. There comes a time when such progress wanes down. And there are also times when you get in a running rut.
Keeping the motivation alive is the key to the success of your running journey (Photo: run-ffwpu, Pexels)
It is easy to lace up and hit the asphalt or the trail when things are going well. When you are running in-the-zone, effortlessly, when the miles pile up without feeling them. But the key to becoming a successful and life-long runner is to be able to keep your motivation up when things are not going well. When you are injured, when you canât figure out why your body doesnât give you more than 4 miles, when it hurts just to think on putting on your running shoes, when everything just sucks.
 Fortunately, there are plenty of strategies to apply to keep that running journey alive. To get back to where you want to be. Here are eight of them:
 1 â Create feasible, short-term goals to keep you focused: Regardless of where you are on your journey, having an achievable goal in front of you is crucial to keep moving forward. The operating adjective here is âachievableâ. Even amid a long-term goal, such as a BQ in 3 years or running 2000 miles this year, you must structure a plan that will allow you small triumphs to keep your dream and your motivation alive.
 2 â Register to a race, now: I am convinced there is no bigger motivation out there than being registered to a race. This way, you know you need to be ready to run X distance by X Day. This will allow you to set up a plan, set expectations and motivate you to keep moving forward during the inevitable challenging times. Even more, let everyone know you have registered, so it is even tougher to back out.
 3 â Find a running partner/group: While running could be the perfect time for introspection and solitude, having a running partner with similar goals to be accountable to, is always a good strategy. You can also join a running group or team where you can find yourself welcomed and become part of your local running community. This will change your running life. Guaranteed.
Diet doesnât have to be fancy. Just eat more of the the good stuff, cut the junk, and you will see immediate improvements. (Foto: Polina Tankilevitch, Pexels)
4 â Dial in your nutrition: If you eat junk all day, there is no training plan able to help you become the best runner you can be. Nobody expects you to never again eat a donut, but you canât eat six them and flushing them down with Coke, every single day. A solid and balanced diet will take you a long way. It doesnât need to be a fancy nutrition plan. Eat your veggies, consume good carbs and fats, take it easy with the alcohol and donât overindulge. That alone, will take you a long way.
 5 â Make rest part of your program: You can work as hard as you want, but if you donât allow your body to heal and repair, you will become overtrained and injured. Not a matter of if but when. Cross training days, when your body works out but doesnât receive the pounding, or a weekly day with nothing in your schedule, should be an integral part of your plan, so you can keep healthy and so you wonât burn out.
 6 â Do not sacrifice sleep: Remember you donât improve when you work out, you improve while you sleep. The long run, the tempo, the weightlifting, or the speed session damage your body. It is when you sleep that your body gets repaired. If you skip on sleep, you wonât realize all the benefits of the training, but you will keep the muscle damage. It is that simple.
 7 â Work with a coach: This is not a self-serving tip. There are reasons why even multi-billion dollar companies hire consultants. Someone who can see things from the outside and assist in maximizing their resources to improve results. Same applies to your running journey. The knowledge and experience of a specialist at your service, can only enhance your experience and thus, your performance.
 8 â Just have fun: If you donât have fun, you wonât last as a runner. It is that simple.
 Any other tips you may want to contribute?
by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Aug 24, 2021 | Article, Coaching, List, Science
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
 Tapering time approaches for those about to run the Abbott World Marathon Majors this year. Training time approaches for those eyeing their marathon towards the end of 2021 or start of 2022. So, seems like a good time to review some basic mistakes that runners, from beginners to experts, should avoid. This way they can reap the most benefits out of their efforts.
Training for a marathon is a process that involves multiple moving parts that need to work in sync. It needs to reach a point where the body can be stressed enough to compensate its deficiencies and adjust to the workload-thus improving- but not to a point where it becomes too much, and it canât recover to do it again. This means overtraining and, most likely, an injury if intend to tough it out and train through it.
No need to overstress yourself if you avoid these basic mistakes in your training (Photo by Pexels.com)
The following are nine of the most common mistakes runners incur into during a marathon training cycle:
1Â Â Â Â Â Â Running the long runs too fast: There is a time to go fast and there is a time to go slow. The long run has that name because it is designed for you to go long. It is not called the âfast runâ for a reason. They are intended to build up your aerobic system, which, for a marathon, it is used 99% of the time, even if you are the world-record holder.
 2      Focusing too much on the long run: The long run is an important part of your training, sure, but it is just one element, not the bulk of it. The success in your race will depend on the accumulated effect of all the elements in your training, not just one.
 3      Doing the same workouts all the time: Because about 80% of the training needs to be done at a slower speed, there is a small number of hard sessions available, usually no more than two per week, so distance, speed, intensity, and other parameters, need to be worked so the body can benefit and adapt.
 4      Poor fueling and hydration plans: if you donât test strategies during training, you wonât know what works for you. The time to find that out is during training, long runs, especially. The time to realize a certain gel upsets your stomach, is not during the race. Same applies to hydration. What to drink and when needs to be part of race plan, shouldnât be improvised on race day.
 5      Skipping rest days: Not running on a specific day is part of your training. These days should be written into your schedule and followed to the tee. No amount of ice baths, compression socks or protein shakes will do you any good if you donât give your body a break to recover so it can run again.
Rest is as part of your training as your work. Donât skip it!
6Â Â Â Â Â Â Not scheduling cutback weeks: Â During training you build up endurance, aerobic capacity, Vo2Max, and multiple additional parameters. But you canât build up forever. Your body has a limit and needs time to actively rest so it can adapt to the benefits provided by your workouts. Programming a week to cut back on your training provides your body with time to adjust and recover, is key.
7Â Â Â Â Â Â Cutting sleep: Â Remember you donât improve when you work out, you improve while you sleep. The long run the tempo, the weightlifting, or the speed session damage your body. It is when you sleep that your body gets repaired. If you skip on sleep, you wonât realize all the benefits of the training, but you will keep the muscle damage.
 8      Screwing up the tapering: Physiological adaptations after exercise, take between two and three weeks to adapt. So, there is no benefit on one last long run in the last couple of weeks. You need to actively rest and recover your body so it will be in its best shape for race day. During tapering there is nothing to gain, yet a lot to lose.
 9      Following someone elseâs training plan: There is nothing wrong with talking to your buddies about what they are doing, but they may not have the same goals as you and you do not have the same physiology as them. Set up YOUR PLAN, adjust as needed, and stick to it. Trust your coach. Trust your plan. Trust yourself.
Of course, there are more than nine mistakes you can incur during a marathon training cycle. These are just some of the most common and they mostly apply to any distance. As you finish your training for your Abbott Marathon Major or get ready for your upcoming goal race, make sure you are on the lookout for the aforementioned mistakes, so you wonât screw up your hard work. Â
by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Dec 22, 2020 | Article, List, Science
By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro
Recovery. What a concept!! Who doesnât love to pull off a hard workout feeling strong, ready to PR on that upcoming race? But at the same time, we know that if we had to do this same workout, tomorrow, we would not be able to do it, again. Why? Because we havenât recovered.
Recovery starts even before you are done with your current workout. Thatâs what the cool down is for
Recovery, according to an article by Erin Strout in Runnerâs World Magazine, âis the restoration of energy-producing enzymes inside the muscles, functional proteins, fat and carbohydrate stores, and the regeneration of the endocrine and immune systems. [âŚ] Recovery comes down to repairing, resting and refuelingâwhile still allowing the body to adapt to the training workload and reap fitness gainsâ.
In other words, it is allowing your body to heal from the stress you just put it through, so you can do it again, soon, without stretching its abilities to the point where it canât repair itself, thus, becoming injured.
The following are eight quick tips to kickstart your recovery so you can keep working hard on your training plan, pursuing that elusive PR and avoiding injuries.
1 â Cool Down: Either by dropping off the pace on the final mile or two; or walking the last mile back, or taking the time for your body to calm down, the idea es to reduce your heart rate, breathing rate, and core body temperature in order assist your body to return to its pre-exercise condition.
2 â Stretch: This is not for everybody and it doesnât have to be a long process. But you should develop a personal routine that works for you while your muscles are warm so you can aid the start of recovery. You may feel much better once youâve done so.
3 â Change clothing: If you are not planning to take a shower right away, make sure you change off your wet clothing. Your body needs to go back to its normal core temperature as soon as possible and your sweaty shirt, hat and socks are not helping.
4 â Hold that beer: A cold one with your buddies after a run is an amazing reward after a good workout. But make sure you hydrate yourself with water and electrolytes before gulping down your prize. Remember alcohol will dehydrate you, so donât overdo it.
Owning a foam roller is not enough. You have to use it!
5 â Refuel your body: After you submit your body and its natural reserves to a stress consuming from its resources, it is essential to start renourishing it as soon as possible. This way it can start repairing itself right away and, you can do it again, sooner. Especially if you have gone through a 90-minute effort or longer, make sure you ingest a 3:1 ratio of complex carbohydrates and protein. Chocolate milk is a great option. Personally, Iâve had successfully experienced Recoverite, by Hammer Nutrition.
6 âSelf-Massage: It is not enough to own a foam roller or a massage stick. You must use it and learn how to do so properly. These can foster blood circulation to enhance recovery speed as well as decreasing muscle tension while increasing flexibility, both good options to avoid injury.
7 â Do not sacrifice your sleep: Having no time to sleep as a badge of honor is a recipe for disaster. During our time asleep, the body repairs itself and the brain flushes away the waste byproducts built up throughout the day. Doesnât it sound important enough?
8 â Days off: A training plan consists of work and rest. With very few exceptions and only by seasoned athletes, scheduled days off are must. You canât be afraid of taking a day off to socialize, drop off your kid at college, attend your daughterâs recital, take care of personal business, or simply vegetate. Your body will thank you for it. And never eb afraid of taking an extra day off if you need it. Your body will thank you for it.
Anything else to ad?
