Training for the Race to Robie Creek Half Marathon

Tomorrow is the Race to Robie Creek half marathon, my favorite race to run each year. This will be my seventh attempt to run over the mountain. My times have ranged from 2:07 to 1:31.

I think there are many people that sign up for the Race to Robie Creek that are unsure how to train for it. I decided to jot down some ideas and some training philosophies that I’ve developed over the past few years to offer training advice for those attempting Robie. I’ll split it into two parts: Training to survive, and training to thrive.

Part 1: Training to Survive the Race to Robie Creek

First, the Race to Robie Creek is challenging, but it’s not as hard as a marathon. I want to start with that since I’ve seen some people get overwhelmed by the challenge of it and give up before race day. Yes the race has a lot of uphill and downhill, but the length of a marathon makes even a flat marathon much more difficult to endure.

If you are just trying to make it over the mountain to Robie Creek, then you should first focus on building your endurance. Being a half marathon, the race is about 13.1 miles long. If you want to do fairly well in the race, you’ll need to build up to the point where you can run about 13 miles in a single run. Really though, you can probably build up to 8-10 miles and still be able to run most of the race.

How do you train in order to build mileage? I would suggest planning on three runs per week. For example, plan on running every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The intention of the first two runs is to enable a better long run on Saturday.

Where you start your training depends on what your capability is. How far can you run today? Make that distance your first Saturday run. If you can run 3 miles, then target a 3 mile run on your first Saturday in the first week, and something less than that on Monday and Wednesday (perhaps 1.5 miles each of those days). If you can cross train on other weekdays it would help, but it’s not necessary. Cross training can include things like biking, swimming, yoga, crossfit, basketball, etc.

Each week, add one mile to your long run. Lengthen your two shorter runs slightly each week. If you’re still drained on Monday from your long Saturday run, then don’t worry about lengthening your Monday run. Your goal is to build the Saturday run slowly over 2-3 months so that two weeks before Robie you are somewhere between 8-13 miles in that longer Saturday run. If you have time, it would also be good to take one week a little lighter where you don’t add a mile — that will help you recover.

The mileage is most important, but it’s also a good idea to run some hills. Try to run hills about every other week during your longer run. If you don’t live next to hills, you may need to drive. I live in Meridian where the biggest hill is the nearby freeway overpass. I often drive to the foothills, to the Lucky Peak Dam, or to the dump loop near Eagle to get a hill workout.

What makes Robie challenging is the uphill. What makes you sore the next day is the downhill. Focus on both uphill and downhill during your Race to Robie Creek training. Many runners make the mistake of fighting against the downhill. Don’t put on the brakes the whole time you’re running down a hill! Let the hill do the work and roll down the hill. Don’t lean back too much — try to keep your torso as perpendicular to the hill as possible.

Most runners below the ~2:00 mark at Robie walk the last portion of the uphill — from about Mile 7.6 to the Mile 8.4 peak. That is fine and may save you a lot of energy. Besides that portion, I think that if you can do a ~10 mile run, you should be able to run the rest of the race.

Remember on race day to relax and have some fun. The Race to Robie Creek has a fun atmosphere and I’ve always had a great experience running it.

Part 2: Training to Thrive at the Race to Robie Creek

It’s one thing to train to survive the race, it’s another to train to improve your time.

Generally speaking, anyone who puts in more miles is going to improve their race time year over year. Aerobic capacity will enhance your performance at Robie. I noticed a large improvement in my performance once my long runs peaked at 15 miles rather than 10-12. I continued to improve as I trained for marathons with long runs reaching 20 miles.

However, if you want to get faster it’s not always enough to just run. You will need to train with speed. There are two typical speed workouts you can do to improve your speed.

Intervals consist of repeated running at high speed for a short distance, and resting between runs. The rest can either be actually stopping or just jogging at a slower pace. (Fartleks are basically the same thing.) Intervals can vary in distance. I usually focus on distances of 400m, 800m, and 1600m. For example, a workout may be 6x800m at a fast pace with a 400m jog between each.

To make these more relevant for the Race to Robie Creek, you can do intervals going up and down hills, although this isn’t completely necessary.

Tempo runs consist of running at a faster pace for a 20-50 minutes. Typically you should target a heart rate around 80-85% of your max. I generally warm up for a mile or two, then run the tempo, then cool down for a mile or two. These runs are usually at a pace that you can’t sustain for too much longer than you run them.

I use interval and tempo runs on two of my workouts each week, then do a longer run as well.

It’s also very important to train on hills if you want to improve at Robie (obviously). I wouldn’t suggest doing big hills every workout since your legs need to recover. I try to do a long run on hills about every other week, with my other long run being on flatter terrain. I feel like this gives my quads a break and enables them to heal and improve.

Finally, what has helped me improve my times at the Race to Robie Creek the most is consistently training through the year. If you wait until February to start training, you may or may not beat your time from the previous year. Working hard over the fall and winter has helped me to make continuous improvements and build on what I’ve already established.

To all who sign up for the Race to Robie Creek: good luck! I love the race and I look forward to running it every year I can. I think the difficultly makes it more valuable and adds to the great feeling everyone has when they finally cross the finish line.

 

Back to 20

This morning I completed a 20 mile run! It felt good overall — it’s been a little while since I last did 20.

In fact, the last time I ran 20 miles was on November 17, about 3 months ago. Before that I hadn’t ran 20 miles since the Foothills 50K Frenzy on October 3. I feel that running a 20 miler means I’m back into full training mode. I may do a 21 or 22 miler between now and my next marathon, but sometimes 20 is my max.

Why has it been 3 months? After running the Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving, my Achilles was sore. It remained that way all through December. I was able to somewhat maintain my conditioning by doing one run per week and cross training, but it’s just not the same as running 30+ miles per week.

In early January I began carefully ramping back up, gradually increasing my total weekly mileage as well as my weekly longest run mileage. Two weeks ago I hit 17.5mi on my long run and last week I did 14.7mi. This morning I woke up at 4:45 and set out in the 28F weather. It was cold, but I was excited to get a good run in. I was hoping to do hills this week, but there aren’t any by my house and I decided I can focus on hills after my full base is established.

That led to a wandering run criss-crossing freeway overpasses so that I could at least get a tiny bit of hill work. I was carrying a water bottle and a flashlight, so despite wearing knit gloves, my hands suffered through much of the run. Around mile 13 and 14 my hands were painfully cold and numb and it became pretty distracting. Somehow I managed to get my last gel out of my pocket and holding it and eating it managed to warm me up. I kicked for the last 2 miles to hit marathon goal pace (~6:50/mi). It felt pretty good and I was happy I had enough energy left at the end to get that in.

Cyndi had some warm French Toast waiting for me when I got home. I slathered them with peanut butter and a little syrup and nothing ever tasted better 🙂

2016 Goals and Training

We’re already more than a week into 2016. I’ve been thinking about my goals, but also a bit about how I’ll achieve them. It will be hard for me to have a better year than 2015, but it’s definitely possible to match it, particularly if I can remain injury free. If I can remain injury free, I fully expect to beat all my PR’s 10k and up. (My high school 5k (16:32) and mile (4:34) PRs aren’t going anywhere soon.)

My primary goal is to run faster than 3:00:00 in a marathon. My goal last year was to qualify for Boston. I did, but I didn’t qualify by enough and I ultimately didn’t make it into the race. I’d really like to make it in next year, or even just get to the point where I have the option. I’m pretty sure if I actually make it I’ll sign up and go as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

With a sub-3:00 marathon being my primary goal, how do I get there? I was originally thinking about running more miles and getting up to ~55 miles per week. However, as I’ve thought about this more, I don’t think it’s something I necessarily want to commit to. I’m fairly injury prone and injuries are the most likely obstacle to me reaching my primary goals. Right now my plan is to stick with the 3+2 regimen set forth in Run Less, Run Faster. Three days of running and two days of cross training. On the sixth day I’ll either rest, cross train, or do a recovery run. (I don’t exercise on the Sabbath, so I only have six days of training per week.) I got a road bike for Christmas, so I expect to mix in more cycling into my cross training.

Besides regular training and cross training, I really need to do more stretching and strengthening drills and exercises. I plan on doing these about twice a week for at least 15 minutes. I think I mostly just need to develop the habit. I can do some stretching at my stand-up desk at work or while I’m at home watching a movie or reading. Thus, it doesn’t take too much time and I don’t have a good excuse not to do it — I just need to develop the habit.

Another goal I hope to achieve this year is to break into the top 10 at the Race to Robie Creek. I think I can do it if I continue regular training. Last year, the 8th, 9th, and 10th runners all came in at 1:28:xx. The year before was fairly similar. However, I know that last year the top runner has some issues and dropped out in the last 5 miles. I also know another runner that beat me at Zeitgeist that will likely move into the top 10. And I’m pretty sure the guy that won Zeitgeist didn’t run Robie last year, and he could possibly win Robie if he shows up. I’m thinking I’ll need to hit <1:27 to make sure I’m there. That’s definitely possible, although it will take some work and a good training stretch. We’ll see!

One other option, depending on injury, is to do a Half Ironman. I now have a road bike. I’ve often done 20-30 minutes twice a week on the stationary bike for cross training. I’m fairly confident with 2 or 3 months of good training I could do a solid Half Ironman. My biggest obstacle is the swim. I’d have to get a gym membership and work on my form quite a bit, but I think I could survive it with some practice. The Half Ironman is a back up option, as I’m much more concerned with qualifying for Boston for the time being.

Basically, I feel like I still have 2-4 years of steady improvement before I peak. I’ve been improving for 3 years now, so assuming the general rule of 7 years to peak, I should have a couple solid years left. If I increase my mileage and avoid injury I can probably get a lot from these next two years. Even if I just repeat my training regimen from 2015 I think I can improve. I hope I can make the most of 2016!

2015: Year in Review

2015 was probably the best running year of my life. The only other year that comes close is my senior year in high school, but I’m not sure it was quite as good as 2015.

My recent running life reemerged in 2013. That year I cut 19 minutes off my time from the year before at the Race to Robie Creek. I also committed to run the St. George Marathon with my father-in-law, and then I surprised myself by getting a personal record (3:24), beating my PR set in 2001 when I was 18 years-old. I had a great experience at the marathon and immediately wanted to run another. I also realized that I could potentially qualify for Boston at some point if I worked at it.

2014 was a fairly disappoint year. I was plagued by injuries that cost me 3-4 weeks of training at a time. First it was a foot tendon issue, then it was a strained calf, then another foot tendon issue (I get these a lot), and finally a sore knee to finish out the year. I barely achieved a marathon PR (3:21 at the Phoenix Marathon) and it was in March — early in the year. Nevertheless, I think I improved my base endurance capability quite a bit, and I learned some valuable lessons about injury prevention and not being stupid.

In late 2014 I signed up for the Newport Marathon, which was going to be on May 30th. That gave me plenty of time to train and improve leading into May. I used the 3:05 marathon training schedule in Run Less, Run Faster and got to work. The schedule is for 16 weeks, so I had a few extra weeks built in. That turned out well because I was sick a couple times and ran the Race to Robie Creek in April (which required a small taper and some recovery).

A week before Robie Creek I achieved a post-high school PR in the 5k (18:48) at a little fun run my company put on. That totally surprised me.

Then I achieved a big course PR at the Race to Robie Creek (1:31).

While I didn’t do as well as I hoped at Newport, I still achieved a PR (3:13).

I continued training through the summer and picked up a half marathon PR at the Idaho Falls Half Marathon (1:23 — excluding the wrong turn).

Then in September I finally met my goal of a 3:04 marathon at Mt. Nebo.

I felt great and my fitness was better than ever, so in October I ran the Foothills 50k Frenzy, my first ultramarathon.

Finally in November, I picked up a course PR at Zeitgeist (1:28) despite a strained calf.

That was followed by a 10k PR at the turkey trot (37:27).

Like I said, my best year ever. I PR’d in every distance 10k and above, as well as a post-high school 5k PR. Unfortunately the year didn’t end on a high note, as a small Achilles strain kept me from training much in December. Nevertheless, as long as that heals up I’m looking forward to a good 2016.

What made the difference this year for me? First was consistency. 2014 and 2015 were my most consistent running years since high school. 2013 wasn’t too bad either. What separated 2015 from 2014 was the lack of injuries. I think before December I only had two or three weeks that I couldn’t run due to a strain. One contributor to fewer injuries was that I would adjust my schedule if something was hurting. I also did more cross training and was sure to adjust my effort (rather than going really hard every run). I also bought some cheap compression ankle braces which I felt helped prevent sore spots from worsening.

All of that led to logging about 1359 miles of running in 2015, plus another 344 “equivalent” cross training miles (basically I count about 10 minutes of cross training as 1 equivalent running mile). That was by far the most I’ve ever ran and trained in a year.

I’m hoping for a great 2016. I’ll post again regarding my goals.