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For runners the change in weather is welcome. With cooler mornings and evenings, runs become better in both distance and speed. In hot weather, the body heats up, and it seems stamina and energy are more difficult to keep for the duration of the run. For marathon runners needing those miles in training to prepare for the marathon, it can be dangerous because of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. We had a group in the summer that ran the Freeman Ranch Road to Wimberley, and it was only a matter of time before it would be a runner’s time to hit the wall and have to walk or slow jog the last miles. The distance was 11 miles and on a dirt road for most of the distance. When the weather cooled in the fall it seemed everyone made it with no problem. The one thing that the group noticed is that the time it took to run to Wimberley was less. The pace was slightly faster. The run was an easy run for fun and not a race type run, but the pace was still slightly faster.
For a marathon runner building up to distances of 18 to 20 miles the cooler temperatures definitely help run the entire way. I remember trying to start my buildup of distance late August for the San Antonio Marathon that was the first marathon usually scheduled for Texas marathons. Dallas was in December, Houston was in January and Austin in February. San Antonio was in late September or early October, and building up the long runs had to start five or six weeks before. Trying to run the first 10 mile run in late August or early September seemed to be the hardest run because of the warm weather. As the weather cooled and the temperature dropped into the mid-40’s, it made the 15 to 18 miles easier.
I remember running Dallas one year with the temperature close to freezing. The hard part was knowing that after over 3 ½ hours the temperature was going to be close to 50 degrees and deciding what to wear at the start was the question. If you dress to stay warm for the first few miles that nylon jacket becomes too warm. Tying it around your waist was an option but still made running difficult. Some of the more experienced runners would take a throw away jacket or sweat shirt to wear at the start and then a few miles into the run would toss it alongside the road. Since I was running in the middle of the pack, it was like running through a bargain basement of used clothes from mile three to mile six. My choice was to tolerate the cold and know that it would warm up after about 30 minutes. A wool sock cap and some garden gloves for my hands were the only cold weather gear worn.
For local runners getting ready for the Thankful Turkey 5K on Nov. 23 and the Jingle Bell 5K run on December 14, this is a perfect time to put in some faster paced runs for your morning runs. It isn’t necessary to try a race pace for the training run. Adding a few fartlek sprints in the run will help you lower your time in the race. Even practicing your finishing kick for two blocks at the end of your run will help make those slower paces in the training run much easier. If you plan on walking either of these races, it helps to pick up the pace for a few blocks several times during the run to make the walk faster.
If you have never tried picking up the pace in training runs a beginning runner will be amazed how much improvement can be accomplished with very little effort. Experienced runners know that putting in speed work in a training run makes going slower easier and at a slightly faster pace. The faster pace depends on the speed of the runner. Running at a seven minute per mile pace makes an eight minute per mile pace feel like an easy jog. For a ten minute per mile runner, try running a few blocks of the run at a nine minute pace. Going back to the original ten minute pace will feel slow. It may take some time to adjust to the faster pace in a run but the distance does not have to be that far or fast. As the runner becomes in better running shape, the distance can be lengthened and the pace can become a little faster during the run. It is not necessary to try to do a training run at race pace for the entire run. Keep the distance reasonable and a comfortable pace for the speed portion of the training run. The only difference is the amount of time between the faster portions will be shortened. This will be easier than it sounds as you will be in better condition, and recovery from the faster portion of the run will be shorter also.
Enjoy the cooler weather and take advantage of lowering that PR in a race with a few fast runs.
