Taper Madness: The End of Marathon Training

Do you know what a taper is?

If you've ever participated in an endurance event, you surely do. But if you haven't, you may not be aware of how training changes in the last few weeks leading up to a race. It's kinda crazy.

The simple idea behind a taper is that in the two to three weeks before your race, you gradually dial down the intensity and duration of your workouts. So for runners, that means scaling back on the distance, and cutting out speedwork and heavy lifting. It seems counter-intuitive -- why wouldn't you keep working hard right up to the race? But studies have shown that a taper can improve your performance by as much as 3 percent. My goal is to finish under 4 hours, so 3 percent translates to more than 7 minutes.


What Actually Happens to Your Body?

As you probably realize, marathon training pushes your body well beyond what even reasonably fit people are comfortable with. My peak week, right before the taper, included 46 miles of running -- about 7 hours' worth of exercise. (And that doesn't even count warmups, cooldowns, walks to and from work or any other activity.) Really, you're on a razor's edge: You're maximizing your endurance and fitness just short of the point of overtraining or injury.

Lily has been resting up, too!

So by gradually dialing back on mileage, you really accomplish three big things:

• Replenish your energy stores, particularly your glycogen. Glycogen is the blood sugar your body prefers for energy.
• Gives your muscles a chance for recovery. In other words, get some rest!
• Allows you to heal up all those little twinges and dings and aches you've been nursing.

So How Do You Go About Tapering?

Experts say the taper begins "immediately upon completing your last long training run, which is usually between 20 and 23 miles." That's generally three weeks out from the race, as it was in my case, when I went just shy of 22.

You won't find me lifting!

Dial back the mileage. The idea is to start allowing your body more rest, but you don't want to give back all of your gains. So you can't just stop running altogether. Instead, you gradually decrease to the point where, in the week just before the race, you're running just enough to keep your muscles limber. My last Sunday run was 8 miles.

No strength training. The taper is a time for your muscles to repair. In three weeks, you're not going to lose significant strength. But you can do some damage if you keep trying to lift heavy. You want those muscle fibers to repair, not to get torn again. Plus, much as with dialing back mileage, cutting out resistance training will help build glycogen stores. Even non-aerobic training uses energy.

Dietary changes. This is when the carb loading really starts. To avoid the dreaded 20-mile "bonk," you want to go into the race with as much glycogen in your system as you can hold. In week one of the taper, you also try to ramp up on protein, to aid in muscle repair. But after that, you start building up your carbs. In order not to overload on calories, that means a big reduction in fat -- as little as 10 percent of your calorie intake. I've been eating so much fruit, rice, potatoes, pasta, bread and other carbs that I'm ready to cry. After the race, I may just grab a spoon and a jar of pesto. I've also cut even further back on alcohol and limited myself to one cup of coffee a day, since both are diuretics.


But Really, It's Mental

The hardest part of tapering for me is the mental game. I'd just spent the past three months or so working as hard as I possibly could to prepare for the rigor of 26.2 miles. And all of a sudden, you're supposed to take it easy. No, having an extra half-hour because you only ran 3 miles doesn't mean you should add in a HIIT routine. Yes, it's OK to stretch out on the couch. No, there's no benefit to adding in a few extra miles. And go ahead and eat, eat, eat -- just make sure it's carby.

When you've been driving this hard for this long, the idea of letting up is enough to drive you nuts.


Have you ever tapered for a big event? What successes and failures did you encounter? Sound off in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter!

6 Last-Minute Marathon Mistakes I Won't Repeat

It's nervous time.

I have less than three weeks before I run the New Jersey Marathon, and I'd bet I've done more thinking and researching and reading and mulling in the past few days than I did over the last few months.

I've put in the hard work. I've run more than 400 miles already in this training cycle. I've been consistent with speedwork and strength training. I've cut way, way back on alcohol and been vigilant about my nutrition. And now that I've entered the taper phase -- where you cut mileage to rest up and restore depleted energy stores -- I don't want to mess everything up.

Two years ago, I ran out of gas at about mile 23. Part of that was the conditions: There was a hellacious headwind for the last six miles of the race. But part of it was attributable to mistakes I made -- mistakes I don't plan to repeat.


Nutrition

Mmmm...carbs!

To be honest, two years ago I didn't really focus that much on nutrition at any point during my training. Yes, I understood that carb-loading happens in the week before the race, not just the night before, but beyond that I really didn't pay a ton of attention to what I was eating.

This week, I've ramped up on protein and carbs, and tried to cut back on fat to compensate. The protein will help repair the muscles I've broken down over the past few months, and especially the past week with a long run of 22 miles. The carbs will restore my energy stores.

Next week, I'll shift to more carbs. And then during race week, it'll be almost all carbs.


Alcohol

None of this during race week!

Looking back on my old blog, I can see that I drank too much beer in the weeks leading up to the marathon. I had two the night before my final long run leading up to the taper. I kinda went to town at a party two weeks out from the race. And even the Friday before the marathon, I had a couple after attending the race expo. Not smart:

• Alcohol impacts your sleep and messes with other systems at a critical point. I need my body to be all systems go.
• It's a diuretic. The glycogen your body produces via carbs requires more water to carry it in your bloodstream. You want to remain as hydrated as possible, and not just in the couple days leading up to the race.
• Who needs the empty calories? It probably didn't add much, but every bit of weight I can avoid carrying is a plus.

I'm also going to try to cut back on caffeine, which is also a diuretic.

Working Too Hard During the Taper

Two years ago, there were a few runs that were just outright fast -- way beyond race pace. And again looking back at the blog, I was still doing heavy strength training close to race day. Both of these are bad ideas. The taper is a time to rebuild the muscles that you've been taxing for months. The stress of speedwork and weight-lifting tears muscle fibers. Normally, that's a good thing -- that's how you build muscle. But do it too close to your race and your body won't have time to recover fully.

Yesterday was my first taper run, on the treadmill. As badly as I wanted to speed up and get it over with, I stuck with a nice, easy pace -- :30/mile slower than my recent half-marathon. And I've had to keep telling myself that less is more. No need to do heavy lifting. No need to add mileage. Keep your pace in check. 

I'm doing just enough to keep my fitness levels up over the next few weeks. 

Too Much Fun at the Expo

Bought one of these at the expo.

In the few days leading up to a marathon, you want to spend as little time on your feet as you can. So why in God's green earth did I spend two hours at the race expo the Friday before the marathon? I circled the place three or four times. I checked out every booth. I even sat in the massage chair -- a huge error. You don't want anything breaking down muscle fibers right before your run.

I've learned my lesson on this one. Get your race packet, do one loop to see if there's anything worth checking out, and go home. 

My Fueling Strategy Sucked

More precisely, I didn't really have a fueling strategy. 

In my training runs two years ago, I found that my body generally had sufficient glycogen to carry me through about a half-marathon. In fact, in the half-marathon I ran that year, I did not even use GU. I had some Gatorade thing that I took at mile 3, and that was it. It was fine for that distance.

That does not work in a marathon. I waited until about the halfway point to ingest my first GU packet. (GU is a specially formulated gel designed to deliver quick-digesting carbs to your system mid-run.) I felt fine, so why would that be a problem, right? The problem is that there's a lag between the time your liver runs out of glycogen and you burn it all out of your bloodstream -- the point where you bonk. And once it's gone, you'll never catch back up. It takes 10 or 15 minutes for the stuff to get back into your bloodstream, and really, there isn't enough in one packet to make a difference at that point. (And more than that at a time won't digest properly.)

So during long training runs this time around, I've been taking a GU every five miles, regardless of how I feel. And I haven't totally bonked on a training run yet (aside from the 17-miler right after I was done being sick). 

I Left Time in the Bank

Even though I bonked at mile 23 two years ago, I think I ran an overly cautious race. I hit midway at 2:05, which was a full 9 minutes slower than the half-marathon I'd run, and left me zero chance of breaking 4:00. I don't think the bonk would have come sooner had I been a bit more aggressive. And I probably should have used the tailwind to my advantage instead of just trying to play it safe worrying about the headwind coming back.

And I'm also hoping that, if I do all of these other things right, I won't feel the need to be too conservative. I can go out at a pace that would put me within striking distance of my "A" goal, with the knowledge that I should have more in the tank than I did in 2014. 

I'm hoping that when I get to the final 5K, I have enough in me to make a real push at a great time. And if not, at least to be ahead of where I was last time around.

  

Don't Get Me Wrong

My medal and a photo my dad framed

I'm proud of what I was able to accomplish in 2014. In a little more than a year since I got serious about my health and fitness, I went from couch to 26.2, and I did it in under the median finishing time for marathon runners that year. 

But I've improved my running significantly since then, and I want to see this thing through. That means doing whatever I can to get the next two and a half weeks right, race weekend right and my race plan right.

What's been your biggest fitness bugaboo? You know, that one thing that seems to trip you up despite all your hard work. Sound off in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter!

Training for a Second Marathon: Lessons Learned

26.2 miles.

I am getting down to brass tacks in my training for the New Jersey Marathon on May 1st. I have one 20-mile run in the books, and after a "step-back" week this week, one more long run before I enter the taper phase. I am looking forward to it.

On yesterday's 5-mile run, I got to thinking about what's been different this time around. What did I learn from my first marathon, and how have I improved in the two years since?

Headed for the finish line in 2014 (courtesy Christine McDevitt)

I've been more serious about alcohol.

Two years ago, I wrote about my training experiences on a blog I called Beer or Gatorade. The basic gist was that training was all about making the right choices. And for the most part, I did, with a few exceptions. This time around, I've taken that particular choice out of the equation. I've cut down to a hard limit of 5 drinks a week, and I'm averaging about 4. There have been two big benefits:

• I'm carrying less weight than I ever have for a race. Honestly, this was my primary consideration.
• No worries about hangovers getting in the way of training.

I've been more mindful of overtraining.

About eight weeks out from the marathon two years ago, I had a bad long run. Rather than chalk it up to a bad day, I decided that I wasn't pushing myself hard enough to be prepared. I added a fifth running day a week and bumped the mileage on most of my runs. The result: I wound up skipping a workout during the last week before the taper, and I bonked during that final long training run. Physically, it probably wasn't the end of the world. Mentally, it left me with a ton of doubt right up to race day.

This time around, I've been much more cognizant of the difference between "I don't wanna" and true fatigue. I've reworked my schedule (more on that below) and allowed myself extra rest days when I really need them. I won't say I'm fresh as a daisy, but I feel ready to make that final push.

I'm less of a slave to the program.

I set out following Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1 program. It has you running 5 days a week, with 1 day for cross-training and no speedwork. It took me about three weeks to realize that this wasn't going to work for me.

• I need a second rest day each week. It's as much of a mental break as it is a physical one.
• I don't agree with his idea that speedwork is best left to other times of the year. Most training programs incorporate it.
• Stubbornly sticking to high reps/light weight for strength training ignores your fast-twitch muscle fibers. I need to set aside time simply for lifting, not just a little auxiliary work at the end of runs.

The one thing I really like about the plan is back-to-back weekend runs, so that the long run simulates the feeling of fatigue at the end of the race. So that I've kept. But I eliminated the third midweek run and moved my cross-training to that day. Here's how my week works:

• Monday: Repeats (usually 800 meters or miles)
• Tuesday: "Longish" run (peaking around 8-9 miles)
• Wednesday: Cross-training and lifting
• Thursday: Rest
• Friday: "Longish" run
• Saturday: Long run (peaking at 20-21 miles)
• Sunday: Rest

I'm more thoughtful about nutrition.

Yeah, I ate carby dinners before most of my long runs two years ago. But beyond that, I took the approach that "a hot enough furnace will burn anything." I'm not going to claim that I'm totally hardcore about lean proteins and perfect macro ratios, but I consider my nutrition, and what it's doing for me, all week long -- not just the night before a big workout.
  

My strength training has been more purposeful.

Two years ago, I did incorporate some strength training. But I wasn't very comfortable with a lot of it, and so I limited myself to:

• The exercises I knew, regardless of benefit to running.
• Machines over free weights.

In the past year or so, I've forced myself to learn more about lifting -- specifically, how best to benefit the kinetic chain to maximize my running performance. Yes, that includes a solid dose of core work, as any coach would recommend. But it also means squats. Real squats. With a barbell and heavy weight. This has boosted my hip strength and mobility more than anything else I've ever done. And I've come to believe that your hips are the real drivers of your running ability.
  

I've fixed my running form.

Two years ago, I would've scoffed at the notion of an "ideal" running form. Many, many knowledgeable people argue that your best form is your natural form. But I've changed my tune on that. 

What I do believe is that you can't just all of a sudden switch up your mechanics completely and expect some kind of magic to happen. And that's where the strength training really comes into play. 

I'm going to relate my own experience, but I'm pretty sure it's not unique to me. I've found that by paying attention to my foot strike -- and landing mid-foot, instead of on my heel -- I ensure that my weight is over my feet when I push off. What that does is engages my quads and glutes -- the big muscles in my legs. But none of that would do me any good if I hadn't increased my hip mobility and strength. I'd be engaging weaker muscles with lesser range of motion.

But I have worked on that, and the proof is in the pace. I recently PR'd in the half-marathon by 8 minutes.

I've tried to compartmentalize.

Let me admit flat out: It's hard for me to focus on stuff other than running and fitness right now. But I have made a real effort to put that part of my life into a box, and try not to open that box when other boxes need attention. 

That means focusing on work, family, my wife, my responsibilities around the house, and so on. A few weeks ago, it meant waking up at 2 a.m. to drive my son to the airport. It meant going outside at 4 a.m. in the rain to shoo a raccoon off my roof.

Look, marathon training takes over your life. It just does. But I've at least tried to keep in mind that I'm running to live, not living to run. In other words, Keeping Fit and Living My Life.

  

I walk.

I work in New York and am in the office 2 or 3 days a week, most weeks -- frequently on days when I've run in the morning. A short, brisk, after-lunch walk around Soho really helps me:

• It makes my legs feel better. I don't know if I'm clearing lactic acid or simply loosening up my muscles.
• The natural vitamin D from the sun is good for me.
• With all the hubbub about sitting for extended periods, getting up and moving kind of resets the system.
• It clears my head a bit.

Two years ago, I felt that after I'd run, I'd done my bit for the day and didn't worry about additional exercise. Now I'm a strong proponent of a good walk.
  

It's really been a lot of small changes instead of any one big thing.

To anyone who's watched me through both of my marathon-training cycles, there's probably nothing they can point to as significantly different this time around. It's all about small improvements. But if each of those changes has gained me 5 or 6 seconds a mile, that adds up to about 45 seconds faster. And that's where I am.

And really, that's kind of a metaphor for life, isn't it? You always have a lot more success, long term, making small, incremental adjustments rather than one huge change.

Thoughts? Questions? Insults? Sound off in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter!

Stuff...Stuff I Need: Essential and Non-Essential Fitness Gear

Go into any running shop or sporting goods store, and you'll see all manner of fitness gear. Water bottles, water belts, hydration packs, fitness trackers, GPS watches, armbands for your phone, extra pockets for your keys... Not to mention all sorts of shirts, shorts, pants and shoes. It's enough to make your head spin.

As I've said before, sometimes when I'm running, I feel like a prop clown with all the stuff I'm carrying. But compared to some other runners I've seen, I'm actually pretty low-maintenance. So I thought maybe it'd be helpful to give you an idea of the gear I use and what I leave behind.

The bottom line is that I want to be comfortable, not distracted from what I'm trying to do.


Stuff I Need

• Running Shoes: You can't run consistently without a good, supportive, properly fitted pair of shoes. They're not a guarantee against injury, but running without them is a guarantee you will get hurt.
• Armband: I put my phone in an armband. Some people use a belt clip, but that's personal preference. The key is not to have to carry it in your hand.
• Moisture-Wicking Clothes: I sweat. A lot. You want to get that moisture away from your body. Your innermost layer should always be something that wicks away water. But it doesn't have to be expensive. I buy much of my workout gear at Old Navy.
• Hand Towel: No matter how cold it is outside, I sweat. I need to wipe it from my brow. I use freebie golf towels I get at pep rallies and the such.
• Fuel: For cardio workouts (generally runs) more than an hour, I carry GU energy gels. You're going to burn through your glycogen stores. Getting some fast carbs in you is essential.
• Pockets: Not really gear, per se, but be sure you have places to put the crap you're carrying. You don't want to have to hold things.

Stuff I Don't Need

• GPS Watch: Lots of people I know rely on them, but I simply map out my run and try to pay attention to my effort. It takes a little getting used to, but I am much better at pacing as a result. I just set the stopwatch on my phone and go.
• Fancy Water Carriers: I've recently started using a hydration backpack on long runs, but I definitely don't need it. Nor do I need a belt with water bottles. I can easily plan a route that takes me past my house or, if I go to a nearby park or trail, past my car. Again, the key is not to carry it in your hand. Less of a big deal at the gym, obviously.
• Expensive Cold-Weather Gear: When it's cold, I wear a regular wool cap. I dress in layers, and my outermost layer is an old sweatshirt that has been through the wars with me. I do have a pair of running gloves, but they were less than $15. I buy long running pants at Old Navy -- I wait for sales and get them for $15. I have a balaclava for when it's really cold -- that was $10 at Costco.
• Headphones: This is a matter of personal preference, but I can tell you that you don't need music to exercise. And if you're running outside, I really recommend against it -- both experience's and safety's sake.
• Orthotics: My orthopedist told me flat-out that there's actually no science backing the use of orthotics in your shoes. If it feels better to you, go for it, but it's just preference.
• Sports Bra: I'm a guy. But I'm told by Regular Gals that a proper sports bra is essential.

Stuff I Sometimes Need

• Poop Bags: If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know I often run with my dog. If you do the same, be a good neighbor and clean up when she poops.
• Recovery Drink: If my workout isn't in my own neighborhood, I bring a recovery drink with me. For cardio, it's a carb-protein mix (such as chocolate milk). For resistance training, I use when protein.
• ID: If you're working out solo -- especially if you're on a run or a bike ride -- have an easy way for people to identify you in case of emergency. I carry an expired driver's license.

What Stuff Do You Need?

What workout gear have you found to be absolutely essential? What have you found you can do without? What do you wish you had, or with they would invent? Comment below, on Facebook or on Twitter!


A Quick Note

I linked to some retailer and product pages in this post. I have gotten no payment, product or any other consideration for those links -- it's stuff I use and recommend. (Of course, I do plan to tag those companies on Twitter!)

Lessons From a Raccoon: Life Doesn't Stop for Your Fitness Training

My personal Facebook friends may have seen that Sunday night (actually around 4 a.m. Monday), we had a raccoon clambering around on our roof. I'd run 17.5 miles on Sunday, but instead of a good night's sleep, I was standing in the cold, dark rain trying to persuade a wild animal that my house isn't worth its time and energy.

And last night, even though my powers of persuasion seemed to have worked, I didn't sleep well either. Any little bump in the night got me going. My daughter got up to go to the bathroom around 3:00, and the dog jumped out of bed around 4:00.

Both of those things, especially the latter, kept me awake. So I wound up not doing my run this morning. I'm hoping to sneak something in after work. But there are a few things you can learn from this:

• You can do only what you can do. One of the big reason elite athletes are elite athletes is that it's their job. Regular Guys have to fit calamities into their everyday lives, and sometimes that means you're going to miss a workout. It's OK.
• Look for ways to adapt. Since we set the clocks ahead this weekend, I have an extra hour of daylight this evening. Perhaps I'll be able to get something done then.
• Focus on the long term. One missed workout isn't going to be the difference between fitness and obesity, or in your ability to hit your goal in a race, or whatever.
• Something is better than nothing. I'd initially planned 800-meter repeats today. I'm still pretty tired. I might just do a regular old run. That's better than no workout at all.
• Rest is so important. You don't realize just how important until you're really in a hole like I am. 
• Focus on what's important. Keeping your family safe, happy and healthy is always priority one. Staying fit is a means to that end, not the goal in and of itself.

How do you keep up when life throws you a curveball? Comment below, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Photo credit: *~Dawn~* via Foter.com / CC BY

You Have It in You: My Awesome Half-Marathon

Yesterday was a big test for me: the 40th annual E. Murray Todd Half-Marathon.

I've vowed to run this race every year, no matter what. It's run by our county's parks department and is no frills, but it's a beautiful course, and it's extremely well organized.


It Was an Awesome Experience!
I've improved my pace significantly in the past 12 months, and I wanted to see what I could do this year. I was gunning for a PR -- to beat 1:56:36. But my goal, which I didn't really tell anyone about, was to go faster than 1:50.

That was ambitious, especially since illness had interrupted my training two weeks earlier. I was very, very nervous. I worried I'd start too fast and wind up walking, or that I wouldn't be able to hold my goal pace for 13.1 miles.

Here I am just before mile 2. (courtesy Jackie Richter)

At 10 miles, I wanted to hit 1:25, which would give me 25 minutes over the final 5k to hit my goal. I hit that at 1:24:27. I knew the PR was sewn up. That last stretch has one downhill and then about 2.5 miles of flat terrain through a park. So the question was: What do I have in me?

Around mile 9. Needed to lose the hat. (courtesy Jackie Richter)

Well, it turned out I had another gear. As other runners were flagging, I was speeding up. I ran the final 5K in 24:07 -- which would be my PR in the 5K by almost a full minute. Apparently I was moving so fast at the finish that I caught my wife by surprise and she didn't get a picture. Final time: 1:48:23. A full 8 minutes faster than my PR!

OK, so I'm bragging a little bit. But that's not really my point . Yes, I'm proud of my accomplishment. The important message, however, is in what I learned about myself.


What I Really Learned: You Are Awesome, Too!
Despite running faster than a PR pace for 10 miles, I was able to sustain a serious finishing kick. Did I want to slow down? Heck yeah. Was I worried I was going to bonk? Definitely.

But I never did. I had it in me.

And you do, too. One of the unspoken truths about being a Regular Guy is that you're actually an Extraordinary Guy. You're capable of amazing things.

• Don't sell yourself short. So many people tell me they could never do what I do in a pair of running shoes. Yes you can! I'm living proof that anyone can do this.
• Set lofty goals. Regardless of whether it's running, lifting, biking or whatever, set the bar high. You'll never find out what you're capable of if you don't.
• Keep learning. A big part of my improvement has come from making changes to my training based on what I've read. I don't have all the answers, or even that many of them. But the more I learn, the better I get.
• Work hard. Being a Regular Guy means keeping fit and living your life. But your exercise time is You Time. Make the most of it. Push yourself beyond comfortable. You owe that to yourself.
• Stay consistent. Consistency is a big key to improvement. Create a routine in your life and you don't have to rely on "motivation."

Defining Your Awesome

The winner of the race finished in about 1:11 -- 37 minutes before me. My friend Dan finished about 14 minutes ahead of me -- a PR for him, too. But that doesn't diminish how proud I am of my accomplishment.

And whatever your endeavor, what other people do isn't a reflection on you. What matters is whether you're reaching new heights for you, and how that makes you feel about yourself. When you accomplish something that you would never have thought possible, it's just tremendous.

So what is your awesome? Let's hear it in the comments, on Facebook or on Twitter!

Mechanics, Interval Training, Squats and Rest Days

I try not to brag too much on the blog, so I don't talk too much about specific improvements I'm making. First of all, who besides me really cares? And second of all, what looks like a breakthrough to me is just another day at the office for someone else. Everything is relative.

But I'm going to set that aside for a second. Two years ago, I ran the New Jersey Marathon in 4:18 in difficult conditions. I might have done 10 minutes or so better without the major headwind in the last 6 miles. About two months before that, I ran the E. Murray Todd Half Marathon in 1:56, which is just below a 9-minute pace.

I am running both of those races again this spring, and so far my pace in training runs has been significantly faster -- 8:30/mile or faster on longer runs. And it feels very comfortable. I'm pretty sure I can hold that pace for 13.1, and even if I slow down for 26.2, I'll be well ahead of where I was two years ago.

So what gives? How have I gotten better? 

I can speak only for myself. Others have had success with their own programs, but a few elements have helped me, and I want to share them.

Mechanics

After last year's New Jersey Marathon, where I was a volunteer and a spectator, I wrote about running form. It's not universal, but there's a clear pattern in any race: Faster runners tend to use good mechanics, and the slower the finishing times are, the more likely the runners are to have weird form. I try to focus on a few things:

Weight over my feet!

• Mid-Foot Strike: I don't believe this is make or break for everyone, but I've found that I'm much better about keeping my weight above my feet if I focus on landing on my mid-foot instead of my heel. Otherwise, I tend to overstride and lose efficiency.
• Arm Swing: I don't allow my arms to come across my body. A little bit of twist, in conjunction with hip rotation, is OK, but more than that is a waste of energy.
• Quads and Glutes: I pay attention to which leg muscles are doing the hard work. If I feel like I'm asking too much of my calves. I try to lean forward a bit and "loosen up" to allow my quads and glutes -- the big guns -- to move my legs.

Interval Training 

Two years ago, I was hit-or-miss with interval training. Without making it a regular part of your program, and doing it at least once a week, you're not going to get a lot of benefit from it. This time around, Monday is interval day, period. I don't have a complicated program -- I do three basic lengths, with half those lengths recovery.

• 400-meter repeats faster than 5k pace, with 200-meter recovery.
• 800-meter repeats around 5k pace, with 400-meter recovery. This is a bedrock of marathon training.
• Mile repeats at 10k pace with 800-meter recovery. 
• One I haven't done in a while: Straights and curves. Go hard on the straights of the track, ease up around the curves. Good for explosive speed, not so much for endurance speed.

Intervals help build cardiovascular strength by forcing a lot of blood through your heart. The real work actually gets done in the recovery phase, when your heart is trying to slow down and the blood is rushing through.

Squats

courtesy Hookgrip.com

As I mentioned, one of the keys in my running mechanics is trying to be sure the big muscles -- the quads and glutes -- are doing the work. But that's only going to pay off so much if those muscles aren't up to the task.

Enter squats. Not bodyweight squats, or kettlebell squats, or dumbbell squats. Real squats with a barbell. The first time I tried them, over the summer, I found out just how much room I have for improvement. And I've made a point of working them into my marathon training.

The key, I've found, is making sure you're doing them right. Don't let your lower back do the work. Make your quads and glutes push you up. And don't cheat -- get your thighs at least parallel to the ground. If that means less weight, so be it.


Rest Days

When I started out in this training cycle, I adopted Hal Higdon's Intermediate 1 marathon plan. It involves running five days a week, with one day for cross training and one full rest day.

My running partner needs a break, too!

It took me only about four weeks to realize that six days on, one day off doesn't work for me. It simply doesn't give my body the time it needs to recover. And recovery is the key to getting faster or stronger. Exercise tears muscle fibers; they repair themselves at rest. If all you do is tear and never repair, you're going to plateau.

So I've gone to running four days a week, with one day for cross. I'll still get plenty of miles done, and I'll have more time to rest up, heal up and push forward.


But What If You're Not Training for a Marathon?
Most Regular Guys aren't looking to run 26.2 miles, and probably never will. That's not a black mark -- in fact, my fitness regimen was much better rounded before I went into race training. But these tips aren't actually just for runners.

• Mechanics matter in any exercise. The better your form, the more you benefit and the less likely you are to get hurt.
• HIIT is a great way to work some strength into an efficient cardio routine.
• Squats are one of the most effective full-body exercises you can do, no matter your goals.
• The principles behind rest days apply to any fitness routine.

So if you're a fan of the Regular Guy mantra of Keep It Simple, Stupid, this is as good a road map as any.

What Do You Think?

What are the basic principles that you apply to your exercise regimen? How much attention do you pay to mechanics? How many rest days a week do you take? Let's hear it! Sound off on Facebook, on Twitter or in the comments below.