![]() ![]() We scale the volume back a bit but just enough so the athlete can stay on point mentally and stay sharp physically."įor the marathoners he coaches, Ashley likes to keep a race-pace workout in the weekly rotation all the way up to the goal race, so five days before a marathon, he'll have his athletes run a steady effort of 3 to 5 miles at their goal race pace sandwiched between a warmup and cool-down. "The main focus is not to let people think their body is on vacation that final week, so we'll keep the same training rhythm and do the same type of workouts we've been doing all along. "It's important to keep the same training rhythm the week before a big race," says Ashley. The volume of the workouts is adjusted to allow for maximum recovery, but the rhythm and intensity of the training sessions remain the same. So, if Tuesday is usually a tempo run and Thursday typically involves interval work before a Sunday race or long run, that doesn't change in the days before an important race. Randy Ashley, a former 2:19 marathoner and staff coach at ZAP Fitness in Blowing Rock, N.C., is also keen on having his athletes maintain the same training rhythm in the week preceding a key race that they have become accustomed to over the course of the entire training cycle. In the week of a peak race I will be more focused on staying in sync with what we have been doing all season and staying sharp as opposed to getting a lot out of the workout itself." ![]() For some, we may finish off a workout with a short tempo so that they feel like they are getting enough work in, all the while being wary of doing too much. "One follows the other so that you feel quick first and then the race effort feels easier. "As a coach, my preference would be faster efforts combined with some intervals that maintain race pace," says Nedeau. Rather than shift straight to speed in the days before a key race, Nedeau likes to mix bouts of faster running with race-pace efforts to keep his athletes' wheels spinning and their confidence levels high. The workout would not be taxing it feels good to stretch the legs and helps to build the confidence that the pieces are in place."Īs the head cross country and track coach at Division III Amherst College, where he has guided several national champions and dozens of All-Americans since taking charge of the men's and women's programs in 1995, Nedeau employs a slightly different approach when designing race-week workouts for his athletes. "The pace is well below the pace I will be racing at. "I like to be getting sharp with faster efforts and a little more rest," says Nedeau, who focused on the 1500m for a large chunk of his competitive career. As a veteran of three Olympic trials and countless national championships, Erik Nedeau knows exactly how he wants to feel during his final workout before a big race. ![]()
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