How Would You Have Trained Caroline Wozniacki for the NYC Marathon?

NY Times article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/sports/caroline-wozniacki-crams-for-new-kind-of-test.html?_r=0

I can't really see her running any faster than the pace she did for the 13 miler. Without solid long runs under her belt she will likely be just trying to finish, so she'll go at a steady pace that doesn't stress her.

She should have done a 2 hour run somewhat regularly. I don't think mileage should have been the direction to take with her long runs. Recovery during tennis season is what matters to her, so better to focus on run durations that coaches generally agree are good for adaptation without going into too much risk. Better to run for 2 hours every couple of weeks and know you're making adaptations for the marathon. Then add a 2.5 hour run in there if time permits, such as during the big break she had.

On a side note, she never did follow-up with me again about running the NYC Marathon together but I did raise over $4,000 for her charity which goes to a good cause.

I'll still enjoy running the marathon in front of my hometown friends and family, would've been a cool experience to run with her but such is life.

Reg Fields wrote:

On a side note, she never did follow-up with me again about running the NYC Marathon together but I did raise over $4,000 for her charity which goes to a good cause.

I'll still enjoy running the marathon in front of my hometown friends and family, would've been a cool experience to run with her but such is life.

If you tweeted at her in the middle of a tournament or right after she lost then maybe you just timed it all wrong...

At the topic, I would do easy runs AFTER matches. In some ways the days after a hard match are going to hurt more anyways and a cooldown will help loosen up the muscles. Between matches, maybe short runs plus some strides/sprint drills to stay sharp. When you get a week without matches then you can fit in the long runs.

Not a coach or trainer but if she sets out to run four-four and a half hour pace she should be able to butch her way thru the distance. Lacking the long runs is the biggest drawback for her and most of the other fit people who jump in the parade without much event specific training.

I have no statistics but my impression is the fit successful other sport athlete subset often completes NYM successfully around 9:00 to 9:30 min per mile pace.

I'd say 4:30 to 5:00

wineturtle wrote:

I have no statistics but my impression is the fit successful other sport athlete subset often completes NYM successfully around 9:00 to 9:30 min per mile pace.

From Wikipedia

[edit]

Rolf Aldag, former professional road bicycle racer, 2006 Hamburg Marathon (2:42:54)

Lance Armstrong, former professional cyclist, 2007 New York Marathon (2:46:43)[10]

Daniel Atienza, former professional road bicycle racer, 2013 Zurich Marathon (2:29:27)[11]

Kajsa Bergqvist, former high jumper, 2010 New York City Marathon (3:56:57)

Chris Boardman, former professional cyclist, 2009 London Marathon (3:19:27)

Jenson Button, Formula One driver and 2009 World Champion, 2012 Honolulu Marathon (2:58:34)

James Cracknell, former British Olympic rower, 2008 London Marathon (2:59)

Roger Craig, former San Francisco 49ers running back, 2004 Chicago Marathon (3:54:00)

Jennie Finch, U.S. Olympic softball player, 2011 New York City Marathon (4:05:26)

Laurent Jalabert, former professional cyclist, 2007 Barcelona Marathon (2:45:52)

Ingemar Johansson, former professional heavyweight boxer, Stockholm Marathon (4:40.12)

Sebastian Kosiorek, MOS Ełk, Olympic rower, 2013 Warsaw Marathon (3:09,42)[citation needed]

Heikki Kovalainen, ING Renault F1 driver, 2007 New York City Marathon (3:36:56)

Justin Leonard, Golfer, 2001 Dallas White Rock Marathon (3:54:40)

Amélie Mauresmo, former professional tennis player, 2010 New York City Marathon (3:40:20)

Leontien van Moorsel, former professional road bicycle racer and 4 times Olympic Champion, 2008 Rotterdam Marathon (3:28:57)

Pavel Nedved, 2003 European Footballer of the Year winner and former Juventus F.C. football player, 2012 Prague Marathon (3:50:02)

Apolo Ohno, U.S. Olympic short-track speed skater, 2011 New York City Marathon (3:25:12)

Abraham Olano, former professional road bicycle racer, 2006 San Sebastian Marathon (2:39:19)

Kyle Petty, NASCAR Nextel Cup driver, 2005 Las Vegas Marathon (4:18:34)

Clancy Rudeforth, Australian rules footballer, 2005 New York City Marathon (3:15:32)

Edwin van der Sar, retired Manchester United goalie, 2011 New York City Marathon (4:19:16)

Kerri Strug, gymnast, 2008 New York City Marathon (3:56:06)

Lynn Swann, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, 1993 New York City Marathon (4:26:41)[12]

Pat Tillman, former Arizona Cardinals safety, 2000 Avenue of The Giants Marathon (3:48:48)

Amani Toomer, former New York Giants wide receiver, 2010 New York City Marathon (4:13:45)

Jarno Trulli, Formula One driver, 2000 New York City Marathon (4:02:21)[13]

Michael Waltrip, 2001 and 2003 Daytona 500 champion, 2005 Las Vegas Marathon (3:59:23)

Mats Wilander, retired tennis player, 1997 New York City Marathon (4:19:19)[13]

Wozniacki is listed at 5'10", 143 lbs. Jennie Finch is listed at 6"0", 170 lbs. Finch ran 4:05:26 in NY. Looking at Finch's race picture she doesn't look like she weighed 170 lbs on race day.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2011/11/new-york-city-marathon.html

I would thing Wozniacki would make a better marathon runner than Finch.

Thanks

About 60% of that list falls into a 3:40ish to 4:40ish window.

Kim Alexis a self labeled 'gym rat' was a good HS level swimmer with about 3:50 as a PR and more than a half dozen marathons under her belt.

I would implore a stress-reducing therapy within my office 4x per week, that would make her smile.

Shoebacca wrote:

She should have done a 2 hour run somewhat regularly. I don't think mileage should have been the direction to take with her long runs. Recovery during tennis season is what matters to her, so better to focus on run durations that coaches generally agree are good for adaptation without going into too much risk. Better to run for 2 hours every couple of weeks and know you're making adaptations for the marathon. Then add a 2.5 hour run in there if time permits, such as during the big break she had.

I agree that time is more important than distance.

Ben Bradlee wrote:

I'd say 4:30 to 5:00

I think the guy who said 9-9:30 pace might be more accurate. That would be 4-4:10.

Oprah ran 4:29:20 in her marathon. I have to think a top ranked tennis player is fitter than Oprah. But running a marathon is way different than being fit.

It'll be interesting to see how she does the last few miles.

Amelie Mauresmo and Wozniacki are about the same size (Mauresmo an inch shorter and a few pounds heavier). Amelie was retired when she did her marathon.

Tennis players practice and do conditioning all day. As long as she picks a very modest pace (@4-4.5 hrs), she should have no problem completing the race. Her body is used to taking a lot of pounding running around the tennis court. I would maybe have her try to run 16 max to see if she breaks down to badly to risk running the race. But she should be just fine with a minimal amount of running. With 4-6 mi a day plus training and matches, she is probably doing the equivalent of 8-12 mi a day in terms of pounding on her legs.

I would have had her run for 2 hours after the end of her final match of every tournament. The cumulative time on her feet from the match and the run would be sufficient for a long run.

Time on feet during matches counts? That sounds like when Wejo included soccer as training for his last marathon. It got him under 3 hours. Maybe cumulative time on feet is more important than miles?

Man cyclists can get it done.

I would have started dating her, come up with a good merged name, Grilliacki would have worked, get pictures of our budding young love posted everywhere, become a power-couple, then one week before the event, dump her via text. She'd go on to have one awesome event then go back into standard above average not great self.

800 recorder wrote:

Man cyclists can get it done.

Not a huge suprise. It's certainly not running, but it's definitely a big time endurance sport that guys train for 20-25 hours a week for.

Ben Bradlee wrote:

...It'll be interesting to see how she does the last few miles.

Mostly medium-slow running, around 10:15/mile pace, with walk breaks getting progressively longer (around a minute), every 3-4 minutes over the last ~4 miles or so.

reverse psychology degree wrote:

I would have started dating her, come up with a good merged name, Grilliacki would have worked, get pictures of our budding young love posted everywhere, become a power-couple, then one week before the event, dump her via text. She'd go on to have one awesome event then go back into standard above average not great self.

(let the jokes pivoting on her attractiveness as a tennis star begin)

First, she needs to keep proper pace on her runs so I'd ride along in a scooter behind her to observe her posterior biomechanics.

I would have recommended, also, a leg strengthening regimen, to be overseen by a knowledgeable expert like myself. Squats, pilates, downward dog yoga poses.

Seriously, though, it's very interesting to hear about her sport performance improving from a running regimen. I've always believed that running would help any sport performance, to some ceiling. Since many sports require intensive highly esoteric/specific repeat motions, like soccer and tennis, it is conceivable that the fatigue, tendon/ligament weakening or slow-twitch training could interfere with explosive, herky jerk, repeat motions of the elbow and knee so prevalent, say, in tennis and soccer. For soccer and running, I speak from experience, in feeling that one excludes the other, but I'll save space and spare the lecture.