If you’re running the United Airlines New York City Half Marathon on March 17, 2019, and are a little lost when it comes to where to begin or how to train, I’ve got a plan for you!
Customized training plans tailored to your skill level and personal goals created by me (RRCA-certified running coach Erin Kelly) will be delivered to your inbox within ~3 business days.
Plans are $150 and can be payable via Venmo.
What are you waiting for? Sign up here to get a customized training plan today.
If you’re signed up for the United Airlines NYC Half, you’ve probably entered the period of your training that just might the most difficult: the taper.
For what it’s worth, the taper is typically the two or three week period leading up to a race when a training program starts ‘tapering off’, if you will, calling for less running, fewer miles, and more recovery.
If you’re wondering, ‘Wait! I thought the taper was a time to rest and relax! What’s so hard about that?’, well, the only way to answer that is to ask another question: Have you ever known a runner to be good at relaxing?
Sure, resting is good in theory — especially when paired with brunch and a delicious beer after a long run or hard workout. But after a day or two, most runners are itching to get back to work. Working hard, putting forth our best efforts, and breathing heavy just come naturally to endurance athletes.
While I’d love to applaud those who are motivated to run more throughout the taper period (while simultaneously wondering where the heck that motivation was during your last speed session….), as a running coach I firmly have to advise you to slow your roll and respect the taper period. A productive and effective taper will allow your body to repair, recover, replenish, and regroup before you tackle the biggest challenge of your training plan: race day.
Here’s how to make the most of your taper for a successful race.
And I don’t just mean running less. Yes, reducing your weekly mileage is an important part of every taper, as resting your muscles means an increase in strength and power output, increases in VO2 max and a more efficient running economy. But don’t try to fill up the time you’d normally spend running doing a million other activities. Try to stay off of your feet as much as possible, and give yourself time to relax, sleep more, and actually rest. While overtapering is a real thing, it’s rarely as threatening as the draw of taking on more social or work commitments that can lead to exhaustion. Continue reading “In The Taper We Trust…Wait, Do We?”
Welcome to The Runner Diaries, where we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look into a week of training with runners of varying ages, paces and GPS coordinates. Get The Runner Diaries delivered to your inbox, here.
This week, we have Willa Tellekson-Flash, a 21-year-old runner, writer, and student at New York University. Follow along as she balances her senior spring semester course load, an internship, a whole lot of fitness and peanut butter, and training for a spring half marathon.
Name: Willa Tellekson-Flash
Location: New York, NY
Age: 21
Training For: NYCRUNS Ladies’ First Half, March 2018
Occupation: Student, Writer
Following a training plan? I have a fabulous running coach 😉
How long you’ve been ‘a runner:’ Around 5 years
Goal weekly mileage: Currently around 30 mi
I always hated running as a kid. I got a terrible side stitch, dreaded the timed mile in gym class, and was convinced that I just was not cut out for it. It wasn’t until I joined the crew team in high school that I started to use running as a way to try to improve my endurance, and to stay in shape when I spent a year in France and wasn’t rowing. I haven’t looked back since, and even though I don’t race very often, running has become a huge source of joy for me since moving to New York for college about 4 years ago.
6:30am — I wake up and have a glass of water and a ginger shot before my run. Everyone has the flu in New York right now, and I’m doing everything in my power to make sure my cold doesn’t turn into the flu. By 7am I’m out the door for a run. I have an easy 45-60 minute run scheduled for today, so I run 6 miles at a comfortable 8:30 pace, and finish with some striders and stretches.
8:30am — I have a jar of overnight oats for breakfast that I made last night since I’m in a bit of a rush to head to class. Since I’ve reached a point in my training where I’m running more miles than my non-training norm, I feel like I’m hungry all the time, so I add a big scoop of coconut butter to my oatmeal to keep me full until lunch time. I also have a concoction of hot water, lemon, apple cider vinegar, and marine collagen that I make every morning before breakfast. I don’t like coffee, so this is my version of the drink that makes me feel set to start the day.
9am — Off to class! This semester, I’m working on my creative thesis, which consists of me writing a Sex Ed curriculum that is far more concerned with students’ emotional well being than simple biology instruction, and I have to give a presentation on my project this morning. I grab a bottle of Pressed Juicery Green Juice No. 5 from my fridge (a splurge… they were having a sale!) to sip on throughout the day.
11am — I don’t have class again until dinnertime tonight, and I find the library at school extremely sad, so I’m always on the hunt for places to work that don’t require me to purchase $7 matcha lattes. A friend and I head to Hub Seventeen, a free workspace in the Flatiron lululemon store to get some work done.
12:30 PM — Lunchtime!
One of the best parts of working at a space that isn’t a café is that I can bring my own lunch, too. Using food that I meal prepped yesterday, I packed a bowl of steamed kale and green beans, roasted sweet potatoes and carrots, hard boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, and a peanut dressing that I made. I’m in general quite a healthy eater (I’m one of those lucky humans who loves vegetables), but I haven’t always had the healthiest relationship with food, so I try not to adhere to any specific diet too closely to avoid too much rigidity. That said, it’s easiest to describe me as a pescetarian. I do a fair amount of meal prep each weekend too, which helps keep me fueled and saves me a ton of money. I like to think carrying around my lunch and dinner tupperware counts as strength training too… 🙂
1:30pm — I pop up a block to Athleta to exchange a pair of running leggings for a different size. They have the best return policy… even though I bought these leggings a month ago, they let me exchange them no questions asked for not only a different size, but a pair with better pockets!
3:30pm — After a very productive afternoon, I walk home, have a snack, and do some more reading. I’m trying to take advantage of my last semester of college and the days when I have a little more flexibility in my schedule, so I curl up in bed for an hour with Bird by Bird, a great book on writing that I’m reading for a creative writing seminar, and a mug of vegan yogurt, granola (if you haven’t tried Purely Elizabeth’s Chocolate Sea Salt + Peanut Butter Granola, you haven’t yet lived… it’s that good), and blueberries. I do a little stretching and spend some time on my foam roller too, which is a bit of a challenge in my apartment as I seem to always knock something over, but my calves appreciate my efforts.
6pm— Back to school! My creative writing seminar goes from 6:30 to 9, so I bring my dinner with me to eat midway through class. It’s not all that different from lunch, but still tastes pretty darn good. I try to change it up a little, though, and have a bowl of quinoa, kale, green beans, carrots, turmeric tofu, peanut sauce, and sunflower seeds.
9:15pm — Today feels like it’s been a long one. I make myself a mug of peppermint tea, lather a rice cake with peanut butter and add some banana, and do a little more work for school.
10:15pm— I’ve started putting technology away between 10 and 10:30 so that I can properly wind down before I go to sleep. It’s tough to get myself to do it, because lying in bed and scrolling through Instagram can be rather tempting, but I’ve been sleeping so much better. I also diffuse lavender essential oil in my room at night, which makes the whole going to bed thing extra calming. My lights are out by 11.
Total Miles: 6 Continue reading “The Runner Diaries — Willa Tellekson-Flash”
The New York City Half Marathon is one of New York Road Runner’s most celebrated races, and this year the course has gotten a major makeover. I won’t say “upgrade” because I know some people are unhappy with the new details, but I will say that the course update comes with new and unique challenges — like crossing the Manhattan Bridge within the first three miles before shooting up the East River Parkway, and ending amongst the rolling hills of Central Park.
While personally I like the idea of finishing in Central Park over Wall Street, those inclines and declines (chutes and ladders, if you will?) will undoubtedly be difficult in the final leg of the race. Which brings me to my next point… race preparation! Continue reading “Join My Group Training Program for the NYC Half Marathon”
Inspired by Refinery29’s Money Diaries and The Cut’s Sex Diaries, welcome to The Runner Diaries, where we’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look into a week of training with runners of varying ages, paces and GPS coordinates.
This week, we have David Leshaw of Jerusalem, Israel — a father and startup founder juggling fatherhood, his faith, and his CEO status with half marathon training.
Name: David Leshaw
Location: Jerusalem, Israel
Age: 26
Training For: Trail half-marathon in Jerusalem Mountains (March 10th), Jerusalem Half-Marathon (March 17th).
Occupation: CEO at Finishers Club
Goal race? I’d love to do an Ultra or an Ironman before I turn 30, but I don’t have anything particular in mind, just yet.
Following a training plan? Nope.
Part of any running communities, clubs or training programs? Finishers Club, and a few local Strava groups.
How long you’ve been ‘a runner:’ Since 2012.
Goal weekly mileage: 30-40 miles. Continue reading “The Runner Diaries — David Leshaw”
Run From Your Problems 