From Strength to Strength with Nell Rojas
Article by Tait Hearps
Things have been clicking lately for Nell Rojas. She has just signed a deal with Adidas a couple of months after placing 6th (1st American) at Boston Marathon. Nell sat down for a conversation with Sweat Elite founder – Matt Fox – not long after this performance. Here she shared many of her learnings from her career, Boston and the build to the race.
Nell is an elite distance runner based in Boulder, CO. She ran for NAU during her collegiate years and graduated with a bachelor’s in Exercise Science. After college she moved into professional triathlon for several years before shifting focus back to running – more specifically, the marathon.
Her first major race back on the roads was California International Marathon where she placed 7th in 2:31:23 in 2018. The following year she won Grandma’s Marathon in 2:28:06, qualifying for the Olympic Trials. In Atlanta she placed 9th in 2:30:29, a great result on a tough course. 2021 saw her reaching new heights, with a win in the USATF 10-mile champs (52:13) showing her form during the build to Boston.
Nell says her time in Boston was quite stressful as she was feeling ill in the lead up to the event and spent the days prior to the event trying to get on top of her symptoms. Despite this, she never questioned whether or not she was going to make the start line, once she started the warm up she knew things would be fine. The race went out at a slow pace, prolonging the eccentric loading caused by the downhills for which Boston is renown. She ended up leading much of the first 17 miles and came through in a new personal best of 2:27:12.
Nell is a strength training specialist. Prior to her first marathon at CIM she says she was doing huge amounts of strength training, and after running well in her first few long races on the road she attributed much of this success to her strength. However, in the six months leading into Boston she backed off on much of this strength work and focussed on mobility work and targeting specific deficiencies that she identified such as hip extension and toe extension. Her great base in strength training meant that she was able to focus on loading of specific tissues rather than a more macro approach.
This strength work is something that she has always done quite a lot of, starting it off in the garage with her father – ex-elite runner Ric Rojas – way back in middle school. Moving out of college she progressed onto working in personal training and attended clinics and courses to learn about how to apply this training to herself, and the athletes she now trains. Nell is coached by Ric, who trains a group of elites in Boulder. She also coaches runners in Boulder herself, and works as a strength coach with many athletes including Olympic triathlete Morgan Pearson.
Improving speed has been a big focus for Nell lately as she and Ric have identified this as something that she needs to improve on. The major marathons are often won with a negative split second half in 1:10 or under, and so being able to feel comfortable running this pace is crucial. Nell just ran a PB at Houston Half Marathon in 1:09:42.
Recently we reached out to Nell to ask a few more questions about her training during the block building to her stellar run in Boston.
What did a week of training roughly look like building up to Boston?
Mileage was roughly 85-100 miles of running.
Alternating weeks:
- Week A) 1 high quality speed session, 1 tempo session, and 1 easy long run.
- Week B) 1 longer interval workout and 1 long run with quality in it.
- Easy doubles 3-4x/week.
- 4 days per week of strength training:
– M-lower leg strength/mobility
– Tu-Hip strength/Hip Rotational strength
– Thu-Spine rotation
– Fri-Quad Strength
What were some key workouts during the build?
Most of the key workouts were races:
- America’s Finest City 1/2 Marathon 8 weeks out (1st – 1:11:44)
- Cherry Blossom 10 mile 4 weeks out (1st – 52:13)
- Cooper River Bridge Run 10k 2 weeks out.
Other key workouts are:
- 6400 @ goal marathon/3200 @ 10k /1600 finish hard
- 20 Miles as 5 easy/5 @ goal marathon/5 easy/ 5 @ 1/2 marathon
- 20 Miles as 7 easy/7 moderate/6 goal marathon
- 5×1600 as 1) 1/2 marathon 2) 5k-10k 3) time trial 4) 1/2 marathon 5) marathon
- 3200 @ marathon / 6x(2×400) / 1600 @ 10k
What was your final workout before the race?
My final real workout was 12k tempo as a race sim: get out slightly under marathon pace/settle into marathon pace/finish hard
My pre-race workout 5 days before was 3x(1600/200).
How far were your long runs during the build?
Week 12 – 18 easy
Week 11 – 18 race simulation
Week 10 – 20 moderate
Week 9 – 16 easy
Week 8 – 20 – Boston Sim
Week 7 – 19 – Half Marathon Race
Week 6 – 20 – Magnolia Rd.
Week 5 – 22.5 (Boston Simulation – downhill/hilly/flat)
Week 4 – 15.5 (Cherry Blossom w/ warm up and cool down)
Week 3 – 22 (5/5/5/5)
Week 2 – 15
Week 1 – 14
RACE WEEK!
What are strength or mobility exercises you prioritize the most?
Hip mobility/strength, eccentric quad strength for the downhill at Boston, spine rotation, lower leg mobility and strength.
Do you have any races between now and Boston? Any major changes in how you will prepare this time? (she’s racing again this April)
I took a week of light work after Houston 1/2 and then began a big 12 week cycle for Boston. I’ll be racing Gate River Run 15k March 5th and Cooper River Bridge Run 10k April 2nd. Changes between last build up for Boston and this build up will be slightly more mileage (100-115), more downhill running, more specific quad strength, and more hills if that’s even possible.
Since Boston in October what have you been working to address before starting the next build to another marathon block?
Since Boston, we’ve dialled in some speed to try to get my half marathon time down so that I can have a huge negative split the last half of Boston, which is historically how the leaders will race – sub 70 min last half.
What does your speed work look like building into a marathon? Any example sessions?
I do a 3 month “speed cycle” before a 12 week marathon cycle where I just focus on 5k/10k speed work. When the 12 week marathon cycle starts I keep a speed session in every other week.
It can look like:
1) 3200m tempo/6x(2×400)/90 sec recovery/1600m tempo
2) 8x(400/200)/200m jog recovery
3) 1600m tempo/6×600/1600m tempo
4) 1600m tempo/6x(2×200)/200m jog recovery/1600m tempo.
5) 1 mile time trial
6) 2 mile time trial.
A massive thanks to Nell for sharing so much valuable information and we wish her nothing but the best for her build to Boston round 2!
Nell has recently launched her Back to Boston YouTube series, here is the first episode looking at her foot and lower leg strengthening regime.
If you would like to more about Nell’s coaching or enquire, visit https://rojasrunning.com/. Although for now she said she’s only taking on elite and sub-elite clients.
