Run Your Next Marathon under 3 hrs 30 minutes

I recently was asked how I would train someone to run a sub 3 hr 30 min marathon. That is 8 minute per mile pace for 26.2 miles.

No problem. I like to keep it simple when it comes to developing training programs. No complex formulas, just hard work. Ask everybody from a particular race that breaks 3 hr 30 min, and you will likely get countless different training methods that enabled them to run that time. Pop your survey at about mile 19 or 20, and I guarantee most will tell you they wish they had done a few more long runs, and they are probably right.

First of all, you need enough speed/endurance to run at least 22 minutes for a 5K. If you cannot do that, I would say a sub 3 hr 30 min marathon might be tough. If you are already that fast, then you need to focus on 3 key components when preparing for a big race.

Total weekly miles: The number of miles you have run in the previous 12 weeks correlates well with your ability to maintain pace the last 10 miles of a marathon. The questions are, how many miles should you do and what is too much? Without conducting the survey, my guess is a peak of 40 miles per week will be necessary to break 3 hr 30 minutes. You can go more, but here is where you need to develop a feel for balancing training and recovery so you can avoid burnout or injury.

Long run: The second component you need for a successful marathon is the long run. No way around this one either, but again the question is raised, how long is too long? You will want to build up your long run gradually. Once you can do a 10 miler I would just add 1 or 2 miles per week until you reach 17 or 18 miles. Do not worry if you have to cut some of these runs a little short because your legs cannot handle it. If you average 9 minutes per mile, that is going to take you in the neighborhood of 2 hr 40 something minutes. Long enough.

How many of these do you need? The more long runs you do beyond 2 hours the better, but my recommendation is try for at least 4 in the 17-18 mile range, completing the last one 4 weeks before your race.

Pace training: You should run miles at 8 min per mile pace or faster, but how many? Set aside one day per week to work on your race pace, using either an interval program or sustained tempo runs. If you choose intervals, then I use the old Yasso 800s, starting with 6 and moving up to 8, with maybe 1 peak workout at 10 if you can handle it. According to theory, these would be done in 3 min 30 sec or under, with at least 3 minutes to recover. If you choose sustained tempo runs, then I would begin with 3-4 miles and work that up to 7-8 miles at 8 min per mile pace or faster.

You might like to race 5Ks, which are usually held on Saturdays. If that is the case, just cut your Friday run in half. You should still be able to run long on Sunday without too much trouble.

Other issues you must consider are preparing for hills and hot weather, but for now lay out the basic plan to see what it looks like.

Sunday is your long run, adding 1-2 miles each week. Four weeks before your marathon, do a 13-15 mile time trial.

Monday is a rest day, or light cross training.

Tuesday is an easy 5 mile run.

Wednesday is 800 repeats, starting with 6 increasing to 8 by week 4 or 5.

Thursday is another easy 5 miles.

Friday is an 8 mile run.

Saturday is off or light cross training.

You end up with approximately 40 miles per week, 4 quality long runs, and a good solid base of tempo work. As you can see, the 2 days off provide a great opportunity to add some easy miles if you feel the need, or even better cross train. Let the taper begin!

Most taper programs are designed over 3 or 4 weeks. Here is my suggestion.

4 weeks to go: Schedule a time trial 4 weeks before your race. If a half marathon just happens to be on the calendar, perfect. Otherwise take it easy for a couple of days then see how well you can handle your goal pace for 13-15 miles. Wear the gear you plan to use on race day, eat and drink the same way. Lay out an accurate route that simulates the hills that you will encounter on race day, and you can even start at the same time of day as your race. Do not worry if your pace is a littl slow- often the extra rest you get the week before your big day makes all the difference.

You should feel some soreness for a day or 2 following this effort, which is exactly what you want. Take a couple days off and slowly ease back into running. I tend to believe that my legs always come back stronger a month after a hard effort like this.

3 weeks to go: Your long run is now down to 90 minutes. Everything else stays the same.

2 weeks to go: Same long run, but during the week there will be a difference. On Wed and Fri, run a 1 mile warm up then 4 or 5 mile temp run at your 8 min per mile or faster if you can. You will want to feel comfortable running the pace you need to hold on race day.

1 week to go: Your last long run is 60 minutes, then two more mid-week 4-5 mile tempo runs ought to do it, preferably Tuesday and Thursday if your marathon is Sunday. Anything else is just easy.

Day Before: Just relax, eat and drink!

The time to work hills into this schedule would be Friday or actually in the middle of your long run. To prepare for heat, you might want to wear an extra layer or run later in the day starting 3 weeks before your race.

Dave Elger is a well respected authority within the running community having written hundreds of articles on the topics of running and wellness. You can contact him at http://www.daveelger.com. He also supports the Okinawa Running Club

Burn Body Fat And Lose Weight 24 Hrs A Day - Lose Fat Even When Sleeping

Burn body fat 24 hrs a day is simple. Yes, I said simple but I did not say it is easy. That is because you must have a firm commitment and mental discipline to do it. However, it will get easier and easier when you adapt to your new lifestyle and when your lose fat goal is achieved.

So how do you burn fat 24 hrs a day? Here are some simple steps to lose fat 24 hrs a day.

* Build muscles. Muscles are active cells and they are great calorie burners. The more muscles you pack on, the more body fat you will burn because the calories you have eaten will be burned for energy by your muscles.

* Do your cardio exercises in the morning before breakfast. Make sure that your cardio exercises raise your heart rate sufficiently to burn more fat. The exercises must be intensive and will leave you puffing, panting and sweating. This is to make sure that you will continue to burn calories hours after you stopped your cardio exercises.

Do your cardio exercise 5-6 days a week. On top of that, because your carbohydrate store is low in the morning, your body will burn more body fat to fuel your cardio exercises.

* Eat 5-6 times a day with about 3 hrs intervals. Make the meals small consisting protein and complex carbohydrate. Complex carbs are carbs that are more difficult to digest so that they do not spike insulin quickly to be converted into body fat. So instead of eating white rice, eat brown rice. Instead of having white bread, substitute it with brown bread instead. Have plenty of fresh leafy fibrous vegetables.

The frequency of meals will tell your body that there is plenty of food and so your body need not store body fat for emergencies. On top of that, your digestive system will be constantly working to digest the food and so that means burning of calories.

* Do weight training 3 times a week with rest days in between. Do your weight workout in the evenings so that you will continue to burn fat. Workout with compound exercises such as bench presses, squats, lunges, dead lifts etc to activate more muscle fibers and so that these large muscles will carry on burning calories for many more hours into the night.

* Take slow release protein supplement before bed such as casein protein. This is to feed your body throughout the night and help your muscles to recover from the day's activities and at the same because casein protein is slow to digest so will not turn to fat easily and thus your body will continue burning calories even when you are asleep.

So with a combination of all these activities, you will be burning body fat almost 24 hrs a day. Simple? Great. Let's start to lose weight by burning body fat round the clock now.

Chris Chew is a personal trainer of fashion models, pageant winners, actors and other celebs. See his sites for more free fitness tips. Lose fat fast. Build muscle fast. Personal trainers and certification

Chronic Fatigue System - How Does it Affect Sleep?

Or to turn it around - How does improving your sleep lessen the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)?

Our aim here is to understand the connection between the two as it may be possible to confuse the symptoms of CFS and sleep deprivation. There are however definite differences.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms

Constant and persistent fatigue lasting 6 months or more

Feeling feverish

Sore throat

Muscle aches and pains

Tender or swollen lymph nodes

Joint pain

More headaches than usual

Abnormal lethargy after exercise

Poor concentration

Depression

Poor quality sleep

Although not everyone who suffers with CFS will display all of the above, two or more of these symptoms would definitely bear further investigation.

CFS often follows a bout of flu or other respitory disease. It occurs more frequently in middle age and twice as often in women as men.

CFS is a debilitating illness which is hard to diagnose due to the symptoms being non specific. Also the symptoms described by the sufferers often cannot be verified. For instance, patients often describe feeling feverish although their temperature is normal. Recent studies indicate CFS may in fact be an immune disorder.

There are medical practitioners who still believe it to be a disease of "malingerers". In fact some of those suffering with CFS often wonder sometimes if they are imagining their symptoms. But CFS is very real and can lead to broken marriages and wrecked careers.

It is very important for those who suspect they have CFS to seek medical attention straight away. If you feel your doctor is not taking you seriously, get a second and even a third opinion. It helps if you have been seeing the same doctor for some time, as they know you and can recognize that you are not a "hypochondriac" or a time waster looking for sympathy.

CFS is certainly not new, although the association of symptoms under the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome only took place in the 1990s. Previously it was largely overlooked or thought to be something else, for example low blood sugar, Lyme disease, allergies, fybromyalgia, yeast infections etc.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment

These vary from antidepressants, steroids, immune system medications and anti-histamines to the more holistic treatments like evening primrose oil, diet therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, removal of dental fillings (mercury poisoning) and gentle exercise programs.

Although lack of a definite treatment for CFS leaves a lot to be desired, the above treatments, whether all or a combination, can prove fairly effective. The broad answer seems to be to treat the symptoms as they occur.

Therefore the quality of sleep of patients must have a direct effect on the severity of the disease. If depression is the main problem, treatment of that can significantly improve the quality of sleep, thus relieving somewhat the persistent fatigue.

A combination of better quality sleep with gentle exercise, optimal diet and cognitive behavioural therapy would go a long way to improving the lives of patients with CFS.

Want to know how to have better sleep? Find out how. Check out http://www.insomnia-connection.com your resource for detailed information on better sleep and curing stress. The author, Wendy Owen, has had a lifetime interest in general and alternative health as well as being an ex insomniac!