Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 123, October 2019

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED... Quality vs Quantity – Which is Best? • You need to increase (gradually) one or two of your runs, so that you get in a longer run of minimum 25km three to four weeks before the marathon. By running slower on your easy days, you will be able to run slightly higher volumes without the increased risk of injury, and you will better develop your aerobic system, which is vital when you do exercise lasting longer than 30 minutes. You will also be much fresher come your hard running days, and get more out of your speed and strength sessions. A fabulous question popped up recently in the forum of the Coach Parry Online Training Club: “I have been running for two years. Over those 24 months, I’ve run a few half marathons, with my best being a 2:15, and two full marathons with 5:15 being the fastest. I recently ran a sub-60 10km. I am currently running about 40km per week, and I am also adding strength some evenings, and low impact cardio. I am determined to run a sub-5:00 marathon, and I’ve been told that quality over quantity at this stage in my running is best. Is this correct?” The strength training is a great addition to any training plan (You can grab a free strength programme here). You will want to keep the strength training going until seven to 10 days before your marathon attempt. The most common mistake made by non-elite runners is running too hard, too often. Doing this compromises your ability to convert your times over the shorter distance into the longer distances. Based on a 10km time of under 60 minutes, you should be running 21km in 2:13 and a marathon in 4:40. In order to get your times over shorter distance to translate into those times over the longer distances, you need to make the following changes to your training: • You should only be running hard a maximum of one session per week. • Your hard running should make up a maximum of 15% of total weekly volume, in this case maximum 6km per week (including warm-up and cool-down). If you’re interested in learning more about the importance of building a strong aerobic system, then watch this video on how to run faster by slowing down. Are you still struggling to run faster? Transform your running in just 12 weeks by training smarter with Coach Parry... Get 25% OFF any of our 12 week training plans when you use the coupon MAOCT at checkout CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 63

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 123, October 2019 | Page 63