To be honest I don't tend to do a lot of steady running. Its usually easy or hard! My easy running up here at 7,000ft is anywhere between 6 minute miles to 7 minute miles. It changes so much because I feel so different after each days training. If I really want to recover for hard workouts then I will run really slowly and make sure that my body really isn't being taxed. During times like now, when I am training for a marathon or during a base phase, I usually don't ever run much slower than 7 minute pace because I don't have lots of races to worry about and its all about as getting as strong as possible. The main thing for me has been to listen to my body and respond accordingly. For example, this past Sunday I just did one easy run because I knew I was tired. The next day I felt great and was able to run pretty quickly. At sea level thing were different. I almost always did none of my main runs slower than 6 minute pace (my morning runs were always pretty slow) except during the track season when everything would be really slow as the main focus was to run as fast as possible during the hard days. Hope this helps a little!
I was wondering what sort of drills you do and when you do them? Do you do drills before and or after a run or both? Does core strength have any impact on foot strike? (Niall McGrath)
I do my drills before and after runs depending on what the run is. If its an easy run I will do the drills after followed by strides so that my muscles will lengthen back out to the state they were in before the run (your muscles shorten as you run and this is what can cause tightness). If I am doing a hard workout then I will do the drills before the workout so I can be as loose as possible so I can run hard without tightening up. In regards to core strength and foot strike I am not the best person to ask about this. Changing your foot strike may not be a great option as this can lead to injuries. On the other hand, it can help with your speed if you are able to push off your toes more efficiently. My former coach in Scotland spent a year trying to get me to be more efficient as I would tend to lift my head back when I got tired. This lead to me shortening my stride and moving to a heel strike so every time this happened he would shout something like think of Liz (Liz McColgan who was the epitome of someone always moving forward) and this would trigger me to drop my head and reopen my stride. It also took a lot of sprint drills (these were very tough), plyometrics and an increase in mileage for me to be strong enough to always run off of my mid foot.
I've never tried an ice bath before but tempted to give it a go. How often would you suggest having an ice bath and is it more beneficial after a long run or interval session? How long do you tend to stay in the water? (Iain Taylor)
Ice baths aren't the most comfortable thing in the world to do but they really are great for your muscles. They are beneficial all the time as they help to constrict blood vessels and decreases metabolic activity, which in turn reduces swelling and tissue breakdown. I find them most beneficial after both long runs and any hard workouts as that is when I've put my legs through the most stress. Of course it is a lot easier to do this during the summer time when the weather is nice but I find it necessary to have them year round. I stay in anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes and anything below 60F (15C) is good. I prefer close to 50F (10C) and then take a nice shower afterwards. There is also the option (if you are able to do it) of a contrast bath where you go from a cold bath to a hot bath (I did this a lot at FSU as both the hot and cold tubs were next to each other). This basically opens and closes your blood vessels so that you are basically getting a shunting effect that helps to pump out inflammation. I used to do a 3 mins cold to 1 min hot ratio.
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