Ask Kevin

Have a question about running? Then ask Kevin Castille. Kevin is an Olympic Trials qualifier who now lives in the Lexington area. He has excelled at distances from 3K up through Marathon and he's also a long time personal trainer and running coach. Submit your question to askkevin@johnsrunwalkshop.com and we'll try to post an answer here in the coming days.

Q: I am 22 and used to run cross country in high school. I got way out of shape for a couple years and now am back in running shape and trying to continually improve. My last 10K time was 38:30 in November and I haven't taken any time off since then. I have heard a lot about interval running being the key to better times but am still a bit skeptical if I am doing intervals correctly (I have only done about 3). What I have done thus far is interval running on cold days inside on the treadmill so I know my exact paces. I have been doing a warm up for about 5-6 minutes and then doing about a minute at 6:00/mile pace and then 90 seconds at 7:49 to recover and repeating that for about 20-25 minutes and then doing a minute at 5:40 pace and recovering at 7:40 pace for about 90 seconds to two minutes depending on how I feel. I do the second faster paces for about 10-15 minutes. Does this sound beneficial and what are intervals supposed to be? C.L., Lexington
Kevin: OK, first lets talk a little about your fitness/performance peak or slump which is what you are calling it. In acquiring or achieving a certain level of fitness what we are actually doing is committing to our memory, muscle memory, a certain or desired goal pace. By doing that we sometimes think that once that particular goal is reached then we should automatically be able to go faster, farther and longer. However, that is not always the case. Think about how much work it took for you to reach that 38:30 10K and whether it was your best or not. That's what you accomplished from the fitness you acquired during the training period prior to that particular race. Now hypothetically speaking what if after the 38:30 you were at max performance, what if you were at your peak? The question you are probably going to ask next is, how would I know that? How would I know if I reached my peak?  One indicator is that your times won't improve, and sometimes they may even get worse, sometimes just a littler, but often considerably slower. What happens next is people tend to panic yet keep the same routine and hope they cannot only work themselves out of that slump but get the faster, or go further or longer hoping for at least one and not caring about all three anymore. Nevertheless, the smart thing to do would be to give yourself a mental and physical break. Take a step back, get back to easy and enjoyable running, whether it's a couple of weeks, a few weeks, you decide that. Your body and mind need to recharge and after that you will have to do something different. Try not to repeat the same program to its entirety because although you had good results its only outcome was that 38:30 and if your OK with that, then repeat it and you'll probably get those same results again. However, sounds like you want more out of your races, sound like you feel like you can go faster, further and longer. If that's the case, the interval training would be a good alternative especially since you don't have interval experience. That change alone could give you great benefit, but remember you never get something for nothing so plan accordingly. You did 3 interval sessions, or what you thought were intervals. Three! Kinda like starting a new vitamin and or food plan and only doing three days and deciding that 1) It won't work or 2) Before you proceed you will need more information. Unless you're racing on the treadmill then if the weather permits I highly recommend doing intervals in race like situations, like the road, track, trails, hills, etc. This will make the training more real life and the benefit will be greater. What are intervals and the benefit of intervals? Intervals can be beneficial to your workout program but you must know how to do them. Interval running is running at anaerobic pace, it is taxing for the body. Interval pace is faster than your lactate threshold pace, it is the pace where you feel lactic acid building in your legs. You will not be able to hold this pace for miles and miles without having to slow down. But why do intervals? Intervals help improve the oxygen delivery system to the muscles. The more oxygen delivered to your muscles the faster and farther you will be able to run. There are tons and tons of interval type/training sessions that you can incorporate into your routines but I'd recommend starting off simple, giving your body the necessary adjustment times. Make sure you do your homework when planning intervals, or simply ask for help! Example of types of intervals would be 200s, 300s, 400s, 800s, 1Ks, mile repeats, 2Ks, etc. Make sure easy recovery runs follow hard interval days to allow the body ample recovery time. Also, if you do decide to start interval training make sure you sit down with someone who has some experience and have them help you balance your new program/routine. Happy Running!


Q: What is the deal with shin splints? I have run two 5Ks and decided I would start working towards a half marathon. In the process I started getting these pains in my shins which I presume to be shin splints. Obviously they hurt and I don't like pain so what can I do to not get them? What is the best method for getting rid of the pain without giving up training for several days? M.B., Nicholasville
Kevin: Shin Splints are simply the pain resulting from the stress of the lower legs. Medial tibial stress syndrome would be the medical term. Right off from experience I can almost promise you that your shin splints are a direct result from the increased mileage, increased pounding, and increased stress on the lower legs. Going from a 3 mile training program to a 13 mile program is more demanding so the body takes more of a beating. The race itself is 4 times as long, so careful consideration should have been taken prior to the start of the longer training program. To be honest with you I don't know if there is a way for you to not get them. Reason why is because the average person does almost all of his/her running on pavement, so the rule of thumb is if in the beginning you are developing or have developed shin splints it's going to be a long and painful season. However, there are ways you may be able to help yourself. The best ways to TRY and prevent shin splints are doing at least 50% of your running off the pavement. Try throwing in some grass and/or trail runs. The RICE method should also be incorporated into your program, with or without shin splints. R-rest, I-ice, C-compression, E-elevation. Stretching on a regular basis is also important, before and after the runs you should stretch your calves, giving yourself a better range of motion and preventing excessive soreness. Taking anti-inflammation meds will help ease the pain before and after the runs also. Shin Splints are one of the most common problems that runners face and are a work in progress, there is no one single thing that will make them go away but staying on top of tight or sore calves can save you a great deal of pain, along with alternating running surfaces.  Just remember MORE is always MORE, so the more you do, the harder you will have to work to keep yourself going!

Q: Do you add any sort of directional component to your running, i.e., involving curves, turns, lateral movements, uneven surfaces? Do you do 'hill' workouts? What motivates you to run? What is your favorite race distance?  What is your best distance? M.K., Lexington
Kevin: If you're asking about me personally, yes I do add different elements into my training. Since running is mostly done in the frontal plane about 99.9 % of my run time is in that plane, since it takes thousands of hours for a certain motion to be perfected. So, any and all soccer drills, ladder drills, specific curve running is typically out for me, unless it's encountered on one of the normal run routes, but certainly not planned for nor a specific task. During the course of the week I usually incorporate hills in my usual easy training runs and I also have days where I'll do hill repeats at Raven Run, normally 8-10 x 60+ second hill repeats. It gets the heart rate up, builds that lactic acid in the legs, and calls for a pretty challenging workout. Personally, I'm driven/motivated internally! A long time ago when I was a young kid I was lost, without parents, sometimes without food, but mostly without hope. My first coach saw something in me that I didn't and he learned my name! Yes, he simply learned my name and that was all it took, I've been running for HIM ever since. Although he has not coached me since 1990, every morning when I don't feel like running and every afternoon when it's time for that second run, I think about that lost, uninspired boy and I think about making that man who inspired me proud, each and every time I run, win, lose or draw. Thats what drives me, still to this day, the fire is still burning and hopefully I can run until the flame dies. When you reach a certain level best and favorite races are relative to what time of year and/or what season you're in. I particularly don't have a favorite I just love the fact that I have a pretty good balance across the board, so whether I'm running 3K, 5K, or 21K I'll always try and go for broke meaning always giving my best for and on that day, whether it's a small race or a big one. So, my daily goal is working hard and dreaming big!

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Q: My question involves pacing. With the obvious exception of speedwork, my legs seem to fall into the same pace no matter my distance. I run within a 15 second (per mile) range whether I'm going out for a 3 mile run or a 13 mile run. My heart rate remains in the same range as well - about 167 bpm, which is about 85% max for me. So my question is - should I be working to get my short runs quicker, my long runs easier and slower...or should I just stay as I am and work on getting it all collectively faster as I train? (For reference, I run between 8:00 - 8:15 minutes per mile.) J.S. Lexington, KY
Kevin: When it comes to pace and pacing it's so common for us distance runners to train our body to fall into one gear, the comfortable one!  I don't think we do it intentionally, but over a given amount of time we end up like you said, whether we're going 3 miles or 13 miles, the pace seems to be the same all the time no matter what. It's not because we can't or won't go faster, it's just that we have allowed our mind and body to set it's personal cruise control. Most times that's OK with us because its just that, comfortable, and it feels good.  So let's look at our body as a manual type car with different gears. What we should realize is that we have other gears/paces, we just choose not to use them at times. The potential to have a variety of paces is definitely there, however we have to figure out a safe progressive way to accomplish that. The down side of training at that one pace/speed all the time is that we tend to be more injury prone because we burn that gear out, or over use it, so finding a variety can be both beneficial as it relates to less time and will also help with injury prevention. So how do we accomplish that? You stated you were an 8:00/8:15 mile pace runner, so that's good information. Why? Our training programs should have a variety of paces/speeds no matter if we're running 8 minutes or 5 minutes. So a little something to help you see what's possible is training at race pace, faster than race pace, and slower than race pace. Again let's go back to the 8:00 min mile pace.  Think about your fitness in terms of race time or race fitness. Use those times in training. Try not to use what you really do in training, use those times that you finish races in. OK, we're not talking about intervals that's totally different. We're just talking about regular runs 3/5/7/9/10 milers whatever they may be. Keep your race times in mind, and start all your runs relatively easy using the first part of the runs to warm up then progressively increasing the pace/speed of the runs. The shorter runs are dependent upon if you're doing a recovery run or not. You can allow yourself to have faster easier runs than you're used to. Ideally, on the shorter the runs (3-5 miles), towards the end of those runs you should try and finish the last mile or 2K close to your 5K race pace. Again, only if this is not a recovery run. If this is a recovery run then you should be recovering, period. The same applies for the longer runs 5-9 miles, again if not a recovery run try and get the last couple of miles close to what your 10K pace is. For the longer runs 10+ miles get a few miles, maybe 3-4, at marathon pace or close.  Doing this along with your interval training will help you get out of that ritualistic pace we all fall into and will also give you a more balanced routine. Just remember you never get something for nothing, runs like these add more stress to the body and your workout routine so be careful about throwing too many of these runs in after hard interval days. However, these are good substitutes for interval days when the weather is bad or you don't have time for an interval session.  Just whatever you do find a good balance in your routine and make sure your recovery days are just that, no matter how slow the pace is. So the plan is easy out, with progressive increase but within reason!

Q: I am trying to increase my running mileage. I went from running 5k's to running a 5 miler then the next week I moved up to a 7 miler. I did fine on both of them but then took it to a 9 mile run.  I was fine up until about a half hour after the run. My stomach was so messed up and I was so weak for hours afterwards!  I don't think I have ever felt so sick!  Had about 32 ounces of water and some Energy bites during the run. What can I do to prevent this from happening again??! I am really nervous now to try it again. I have occasionally done this after a few 5K's as well but never this bad. I did take some ibuprofen before running could this have played a part in it? J.M. Frankfort, KY
Kevin: As you know increasing miles/mileage and nutrition are factors that work hand and hand. To be honest this could have been just one isolated incident. Yes, ibuprofen is very hard on the stomach especially if you're taking with colored drinks, along with stressing the body at the same time. I experienced the same thing 3 days in a row after returning from Africa, and all 3 days I had taken ibuprofen before each run and some type of colored drink (Gatorade/Powerade) during the run. I'm sure with the energy bites sitting in your stomach that was not a fun experience. We distance runners are usually good about getting calories in prior to our planned runs so bank on that energy you have put in your system. Sometimes the concentration of drinks can be a problem. Before your runs cut the drinks with half water. Yes, you will only get half the calories but it won't be such a shock to your system. You'll probably have to drink more often during the run but it will be safer and easier on your stomach.  Don't be afraid to incorporate some water on those drink stops especially when you're doing gels or bites. It may also help the stomach from all the concentration all at once.  If you have to take ibuprofen wait until after or take it much sooner than normal, giving your body time to adapt and adjust to what's being put into it. I don't think you should be nervous just for the simple fact that our bodies are so amazing at adaptation. If you repeat the same routine over and over again you would probably be OK because your body will recognize it this time and may not go into the overload mode. Or, the same thing could happen again, you just never know. To be on the safe side just prepare a little better and pay attention to the simple things and you should be fine.

Q: I'm a 32 year old female who just started running.  How important is stretching for runners?  How flexible do runners need to be?  Do you recommend stretching before or after a run? R.E. Lexington, KY
Kevin: Flexibility or Stretching for runners is probably one of the most single boring things that we have to endure. For some runners it's typically a form of torture. However, be that as it may is it important? Absolutely! Stretching is recommended for all ages and the older we get the more we tend to loose our flexibility. Stretching is important because it enables us to have better or what some may call the complete range of motion. If as a runner your range of motion is limited it will cause you to be less efficient thus causing you to burn more and unnecessary amounts of energy while running. The advantage of stretching is achieving a full range of motion. However, runners don't need to be as flexible as, let's say, dancers, so what is the disadvantage? High degree of flexibility reduces the energy/tension, which is great for some sports but not for running. Some muscle tension is required for long distance running. Stretching will also help with injury prevention. Stretched muscles tend to work better than not tight muscles. So you need to be flexible enough to have what is your personal and individual full range of motion. Stretching before you run can allow you to have better workouts or runs. Stretching after, can help speed up recovery thus allowing you to be better prepared for the next run. If after running certain muscles in you body need to be stretched or need a bit more attention, than by all means do so.  Partner stretching can take some of the boredom out of stretching and will have a slight advantage over stretching alone. So partner up! Although stretching may not be great fun it could be one of the most important parts of your routine.

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Q: I keep reading about people doing strides following their runs.  What are the benefit of these short, fast efforts?  How many do you recommend doing, what distance do you recommend, and how much rest do you take between each one? R.N. Lexington, KY
Kevin: Strides! Strides? Great subject! First off what exactly are these "Strides?"  Strides are exactly as you stated, shorter and faster accelerations up to about 100 meters. Along with a combination of speed/sprint drills strides can make a world of difference even for "us", the distance runners. From a coaching standpoint why would I incorporate strides in my athletes running program whether it's pre or post workout? Because as a coach we are always looking for ways to teach, give or help our athletes with being efficient. So, if we're teaching or preaching efficiency the subject probably won't come up much on a long run day, long intervals, or maybe not even on race days. However, we can drill and drill our athletes about mechanics, running form and or proper technique in shorter accelerations type exercises like strides. Strides also help with basic speed, stride length, and stride rate. So getting to your question of how many or more importantly how long it really depends on the individual and/or the daily work load of the individual doing the strides. For example, a first time strider post warm up or post run would start off conservative and build up over a period of time, 5-6 strides of 50-60 meters. 1st one at @ 50%, 2nd @ 60%, 3rd at 70%, then 80, then 90. Notice not starting anything all out or 100% not just yet. Recovery between strides again depends on the work load, there is no set or structured recovery period between strides. The ideal recovery time would be double the time it takes to do the stride itself.  Repeat this for the first couple of weeks and increase in number if need be but keep the distance the same. After the first 2-3 weeks start going for the 85-95 % speed effort range when getting towards the end of the set. Next phase would be increasing the distance from 60 to 75/80 meters progressively building to 8-10 strides of 100 meter distance and 100% speed. Is it ok to do 100 meters and or 100% out the gate or at the very beginning? We distance runners take pride in our patience so why not have that same mind set when it comes to strides, don't be so hasty to get that quick fix. Think about injury prevention when it comes to running fast and training out of the norm. Strides are great and again can make a world of difference if done correctly. So, if you're going to do them do them right, and yes it's OK to do them all the time, after warm up, pre workout, pre race, post race, or post workout. Remember why we train and what we do to our bodies when we do muscle memory. So, doing the strides will give your muscles a little speed to remember and will also help when going from one phase to the next especially when the racing distance gets shorter. From an athlete's stand point when I know the season and race schedule is about to change and the work load or workouts are about to get quicker I'll incorporate strides in some part of my daily routine. Starting off easy building and working up to longer distance and faster strides. So stride happy, but stay smart because you only have one body!

Q: I'm having trouble getting my nutrition nailed down on my long runs.  At what point do you recommend taking in calories on a long run?  How often do you think you should take in calories? T.S. Lexington, KY
Kevin: Nutrition is one of the most vital parts of our training regiment because just like the intervals, the long runs and everything else our programs require if you don't get the calories in when needed, then the race becomes much harder than we anticipated.  An individual can go into a planned race coming off the best routine, program and/or workouts ever and something as simple as unplanned or unpracticed nutrition will deal you a set back unimaginable for the longer races. Nutrition is just like anything else in life it differs from one person to the next, because what works well for one person may not work the same for others. The basic or ideal rule is runs under 90 minutes energy comes from stored muscle glucose, and runs that exceed 90 minutes after stored glucose depletion energy comes from blood and liver glucose. Fueling with carbs during your longer runs will prevent you from running out of energy and help boost your performance. So, ideally 100 calories after 1 hour of running and another 100 every 40-45 minutes of running. However, it may be more depending on a persons size and the speed they are running. If you feel hungry or thirsty it's OK to consume calories "off schedule". When you say long runs that can mean 5-20+ miles depending on who you are. I love the trial and error method of training because it's not like reading something that worked amazingly for someone. You will know almost immediately if this particular thing will not or can possibly work for you. There are so many different avenues of nutrition one can venture off into during the course of training. Sports drinks, gels, bars, jelly beans and the list goes on and on. The body is amazing at adaptation so when it comes to routine or something it is familiar with it becomes incredibly more efficient. Distance runners train like no other species on this planet and sometimes it's hard for us to change from the training mode to the racing mode. My recommendation is make your training fun but more times than normal simulate the training run into a race type situation whether you're doing a marathon of half marathon and start your calorie consumption at 25 minutes or 4 miles. Make sure your body knows what's going on because if it knows what to expect it can make the adjustments and will make the run much easier. It's hard to say how much or how often each individual should take in at any given time but patience practice makes perfect. An important reminder, also make sure you make the necessary temperature adjustments because extreme heat can require more fluids and calories than normal. On the opposite end of the spectrum extreme cold can require less intake than normal. Try different formulas like liquid, gel, liquid, liquid, gel. Or gel, liquid, gel, gel. Just simple examples. From my experience I've learned that the nutrition in the most difficult part of the equation, reason being you know physically what you put  in your mouth but what you don't know is how or even if your body will respond the way it's supposed to when it's supposed to. Make it a point that when you do long runs its like your science project record everything, distance, time, pace if possible, amounts of fluids you took, number of gels, when you took what and during what part of the run. Total time finish pace for last 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 of total distance, and volume should also be noted and compared to past and future similar runs. All I'm saying is, it's a norm that our fitness increases with time. It is also a norm for our time to decrease or get better with time and proper nutrition during the course of our training.  So make it fun but take notes because if you don't you may miss something simple that can actually be the key to getting it right or missing it all together. A wise man told me a long time ago, "It's better to have and not need, than to need and not have!" So when you have perfected your training runs and translated them into races follow the script but always be prepared for unexpected occurrences.

Q: What kind of speed work or intervals do you recommend when marathon training? K.S. Lexington, KY
Kevin: It's funny that this question is asked to me! Because, I spent the month of September in Kenya wanting to know the same thing! Two days before I left Kenya I finally either got the nerves to ask or earned enough respect to ask. Not long after I asked, a few Kenyans sat down with me and I wanted to know what did they do that made them so different from us? What made them better? What made them quicker, faster, stronger? My question to them was how did y'all perfect the marathon? I was amazed by the answer! I think we the distance people, especially when it comes to marathon training, get caught up, too caught up in the LSD, Long Slow Distance, and we take the Slow literally. We perfect that Long run like nothing else, but fail to realize that distance running is about balance. So we trade in all we've come to know, all we've learned, all that we've worked for, to perfect that long run whether it came on that Sunday long run or the race itself.  When in reality, a balanced program needs to be maintained, whether you're training for a 5K or a marathon. Never lose the ability to do interval training so incorporate intervals like 1Ks, 2Ks, 3Ks, tempo runs, steady runs, mile repeats, fartleks, etc. Just make sure it all ties in together with the goal being the marathon. Like most of us if you have trouble with putting it all together and making sense of it get help, don't sacrifice your training investment by guessing, hoping, or wishing for luck.

Have a question about running? Then ask Kevin Castille. Kevin is an Olympic Trials qualifier who now lives in the Lexington area. He has excelled at distances from 3K up through Marathon and he's also a long time personal trainer and running coach. Submit your question to askkevin@johnsrunwalkshop.com and we'll try to post an answer here in the coming days.