For those coming with us on our Sunday morning run or want some inspiration for a future run, here is a 10K route starting from the Fredericton Running Room. (It actually says it's 9.6K but I have a feeling it's closer to 10K.) Anyway, follow this link to Google Pedometer.
As I always warn, it's kinda boring. It sticks to city streets but in this weather, we have few other options.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Notes from Hill chat
Notes from Hill Training session
First: I plan to post a map of Sunday's run on the blog later this week.
For those interested in getting a rough idea of potential running routes, go to: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
At that site, you just type in Fredericton and you can start mapping out routes and it will give you an approximate distance, which is generally accurate within 200 metres. Once you get the hang of it, it is a pretty handy website.
I also plan to update the clinic run schedule on the left hand side of this blog this week. That is a bit time consuming, so please be patient.
Why do hills?
Strength training
House analogy, 35 per cent
Acquired skill, takes practice
Builds confidence
Benefits running on flat surfaces because of added leg strength
Strengthens muscles in knees
Watch for injuries, especially in Achilles tendon, before commencing hill training
Hill training can be as effective in building aerobic power as speed intervals
Strengthens: hamstrings, calves, glutes, hip flexors and Achilles tendons
Avoids injury: lessens impact of foot fall. Impact force is major contributor to injury
How to do hills
The perfect hill
250 metres to 600 metres
Incline of eight to 10 per cent
Always warm up for 10 minutes
Run to hop of hill first, jog down and then start repeats
Try and maintain the same stride frequency as you would on flat ground and shorten it as you adjust to the grade.
Use your arms, when your leg turnover starts to slow near the top, pump your arms a little faster and your legs will be sure to follow.
Keep your posture erect, rather than leaning too far forward. Try and look parallel to the surface of the hill. In doing this the hill appears to flatten and is not visually as tough as if you looked up with your eyes while keeping your head down.
Concentrate on good form and increase the rhythm of your arms slightly as you near the crest of the hill. Push over the crest.
Keep your chest up and out. Keep your breathing relaxed.
Pay attention to any signs of stiffening up, keep jaw, shoulders, arms, fists relaxed
Maintain the same effort as you go up the hill. Your speed will slow slightly and increase again as you reach the crest of the hill. Keep the same effort at the crest and run past the top before turning around.
Never stop once you have reached the top. Continue a slow jog or a walk. This hill training is pretty intense. By continuing to keep moving, you will enhance your recovery and be ready sooner for your next repeat.
For those using their target heart rate, intensity is 70-80% of maximum heart rate. Always rest for at least as long as it takes to run up the hill or until your heart rate is below 120 BPM. Rest is part of your training.
Remember, hill training is not a race but a quality individual workout. Run to the hill and do the warm-up with the group, but the hill is yours alone to conquer and at your own speed.
Hills build your confidence level and increase your self esteem as well as prepare you mentally to be a better athlete.
Problems and possible causes
Uphill
Breathing too rapidly: Overstriding
Tight leg muscles: Overstriding
Tight lower back: Leaning too far forward
Shoulders/arms tired: Too much arm swing
Downhill
Tight hamstrings: Overstriding, "too much air"
Arms flailing/loss of rhythm: Going too fast
Sore lower back: Leaning too far forward
Sore quads: Overstriding
First: I plan to post a map of Sunday's run on the blog later this week.
For those interested in getting a rough idea of potential running routes, go to: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
At that site, you just type in Fredericton and you can start mapping out routes and it will give you an approximate distance, which is generally accurate within 200 metres. Once you get the hang of it, it is a pretty handy website.
I also plan to update the clinic run schedule on the left hand side of this blog this week. That is a bit time consuming, so please be patient.
Why do hills?
Strength training
House analogy, 35 per cent
Acquired skill, takes practice
Builds confidence
Benefits running on flat surfaces because of added leg strength
Strengthens muscles in knees
Watch for injuries, especially in Achilles tendon, before commencing hill training
Hill training can be as effective in building aerobic power as speed intervals
Strengthens: hamstrings, calves, glutes, hip flexors and Achilles tendons
Avoids injury: lessens impact of foot fall. Impact force is major contributor to injury
How to do hills
The perfect hill
250 metres to 600 metres
Incline of eight to 10 per cent
Always warm up for 10 minutes
Run to hop of hill first, jog down and then start repeats
Try and maintain the same stride frequency as you would on flat ground and shorten it as you adjust to the grade.
Use your arms, when your leg turnover starts to slow near the top, pump your arms a little faster and your legs will be sure to follow.
Keep your posture erect, rather than leaning too far forward. Try and look parallel to the surface of the hill. In doing this the hill appears to flatten and is not visually as tough as if you looked up with your eyes while keeping your head down.
Concentrate on good form and increase the rhythm of your arms slightly as you near the crest of the hill. Push over the crest.
Keep your chest up and out. Keep your breathing relaxed.
Pay attention to any signs of stiffening up, keep jaw, shoulders, arms, fists relaxed
Maintain the same effort as you go up the hill. Your speed will slow slightly and increase again as you reach the crest of the hill. Keep the same effort at the crest and run past the top before turning around.
Never stop once you have reached the top. Continue a slow jog or a walk. This hill training is pretty intense. By continuing to keep moving, you will enhance your recovery and be ready sooner for your next repeat.
For those using their target heart rate, intensity is 70-80% of maximum heart rate. Always rest for at least as long as it takes to run up the hill or until your heart rate is below 120 BPM. Rest is part of your training.
Remember, hill training is not a race but a quality individual workout. Run to the hill and do the warm-up with the group, but the hill is yours alone to conquer and at your own speed.
Hills build your confidence level and increase your self esteem as well as prepare you mentally to be a better athlete.
Problems and possible causes
Uphill
Breathing too rapidly: Overstriding
Tight leg muscles: Overstriding
Tight lower back: Leaning too far forward
Shoulders/arms tired: Too much arm swing
Downhill
Tight hamstrings: Overstriding, "too much air"
Arms flailing/loss of rhythm: Going too fast
Sore lower back: Leaning too far forward
Sore quads: Overstriding
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Hill Homework
Tonight's Running Room clinic subject is hill training. So I thought I'd post these two Runner's World articles on the blog. Under normal circumstances I would link to them but for some reasons with that web site that endeavour always proves difficult. So instead, so I've opted to paste them here and am making an extra effort to ensure they are well flagged as articles that have appeared in Runner's World to avoid being targeted by the plagarism police.
Can Hill Running Make You Faster?
Some runners avoid hills because they can cause injuries and they're, well, hard. Time to reconsider.
By Amby Burfoot
A few years ago, the Runner's World editorial offices were briefly moved to the other side of town. The new location was nestled at the foot of what we call "South Mountain," so I soon found my noontime runs steering up and over the mountain several times a week. A month later, I noticed that I was feeling stronger, quicker, and more light-footed on all my runs. Yes, the hills are alive with training benefits.
I am not the first to discover this. East Africans have been traipsing up and down the steep slopes of the Great Rift Valley for millennia, and in the last half-century have rewritten the distance-running record books. Today, they run the hills harder than ever. I experienced this first-hand on a 1998 trip to Kenya. One morning, I joined a handful of marathoners who were being coached by Dr. Gabriele Rosa as they tackled the infamous Fluorspar Hill (40 miles east of Eldoret) that rises nearly 4,000 feet in 13 miles.
Truth in editorial: I managed to hang on for only 10 minutes before bailing out. I hopped into Rosa's Jeep to watch the rest of the impressive workout, which ended 82 minutes after it started. Rosa likes his marathon runners to do strenuous hill running every 10 days during their marathon buildup. "Marathon running uses a lot of quadriceps muscle fibers, and this is the best way to build the quadriceps," Rosa told me recently. "In Italy, we use the gym also. But the Kenyans do not have any gyms, so we run hills."
Medical research isn't exactly brimming with hill-training studies, but I located several with impressive results. A 1977 article in the European Journal of Applied Physiology concluded that runners who followed an intense six-week program of hard uphill running enjoyed "significant improvements in training distances, anaerobic capacity, and strength." A chapter in the International Olympic Committee's 1992 book Endurance and Sport reported a study of runners who did 12 weeks of regular training, plus "hill training with 'bounce running.'" After the 12 weeks, the subjects' running economy (or how efficiently they ran) increased by an average of three percent. That's a nice increase in a running variable that's not easy to improve. Of course, not everyone appreciates hills. Running up hills is not recommended for beginners because it puts too much stress on muscles and connective tissues that may not be ready to handle the load. It may also put extra stress on the knees and Achilles tendons.
Hill training made its first big impact in the early 1960s when runners from tiny New Zealand, including Peter Snell (three-time Olympic gold medalist), suddenly began winning a disproportionate number of big races. Their successes were based on the training philosophy of Arthur Lydiard, a marathoner-turned-coach. Lydiard broke from the generation of coaches before him who believed mostly in interval training. Who could blame them? They had just lived through the 1950s when runners like Roger Bannister and Emil Zatopek used mind-bending interval workouts to help them shatter the world records of that era.
But Lydiard believed even middle-distance runners should begin their seasons with marathon-like training, and then move into what he called "hill circuits." Lydiard first described his program in the 1978 book Running the Lydiard Way, coauthored by Garth Gilmour. In its ideal form, Lydiard's hill training takes place on a two-mile layout that includes a steepish uphill of 300 to 400 meters, a not-so-steep downhill of about 800 meters, and relatively flat stretches of 800 to 1,000 meters at the top and bottom. You begin by running the uphill stretch, in Lydiard's words, "springing up on your toes, not running but bouncing. This gives you muscular development and flexibility."
At the top of the hill, jog 800 to 1,000 meters to recover, then plunge into the downhill run. The idea now is to "run fast, with relaxed, slightly longer strides." On Lydiard's personally designed loop in Auckland, where the downhill was approximately 800 meters, it is said that Peter Snell once ran a 1:48 and regularly hit 1:50.
At the bottom of the hill, do several sprint repetitions, varying between 50 meters and 400 meters. Says Lydiard: "These sprint repetitions begin the development of your capacity to exercise anaerobically." After six weeks of hill circuits, you're ready for four weeks of track work to reach a competitive peak.
Every guru needs a disciple, and Nobuya Hashizume has ably filled that role for Lydiard. Growing up in Japan, Hashizume was inspired by Frank Shorter's victories in the Fukuoka Marathon, and began reading every running book he could find. Running The Lydiard Way was "the first book I read in English," he says. He was drawn to it because he liked how Lydiard "used science as the basis of his training programs."
Hashizume traveled to Auckland to run the infamous 22-mile Waitakere Mountains course that once reduced Snell to tears. He also tackled the original hill circuit. "It was steeper than I expected," says Hashizume, who now lives in the Twin Cities and maintains a Web site that promotes Lydiard's training methods (fivecircles.org).
While New Zealand runners no longer rule the track, they have continued to excel on hills. A native of Wellington, Derek Froude followed Lydiard's principles with zeal. He ran a 2:11 marathon, and in 1990 became the first person to break 60 minutes in the Mount Washington road race. Froude clocked 59:17 for the 7.6-mile course with "only one hill," as participants like to say.
That record lasted until 1996, when it fell--no big surprise--to a Kenyan. When Daniel Kihara ran 58:21, onlookers termed his effort "awe inspiring." Of course, they had not yet seen nor heard of Jonathan Wyatt.
Last June, Wyatt stormed up the Mount Washington road in 56:41, nearly two minutes faster than Kihara's old record. That's roughly the equivalent of someone taking four minutes off the marathon world record. Wyatt, also originally from Wellington, has won four World Mountain Running Championships in recent years, and deserves to be called the greatest hill runner of all time. When you bear a mantle like that, you get asked only one question: What's your secret? "I think it's just that I love the mountainous trails and have been running hills since I was 13," says Wyatt, 32. "I seem to get stronger every year."
Oh, c'mon Jonathan, that's so lame. I ask him to plumb deeper into the subject, even though Wyatt is one of those plainspeaking Kiwis who would rather run up a mountain than rhapsodize about it. "Relaxation is one of the keys," he says after a long pause. "You don't ever want to go anaerobic. You need to push hard, but not go over the edge. I chop down my stride to become as efficient as I can, and I try to conserve arm energy. I don't think you need to pump your arms to run well on the hills."
Wyatt finished 21st in the Athens Olympic Marathon, a great performance, but not quite equal to the efforts of Americans Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi, both honed to an Olympic peak by the hill-training methods of Coach Joe Vigil. "Deena and Meb are always on the hills when they're training in Mammoth Lakes [California], but we even use undulating hills when they train in San Diego," says Vigil. "A quarter mile up, and a quarter mile down."
Vigil has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology, so he views hill training through a technical lens. "We use oscillatory terrain to increase the athlete's adaptation to stress, and to teach a more efficient use of glycogen," he says. "It also gives them a nice reactive power that improves their running economy."
This marks the first-ever use of the word "oscillatory" in a running-training context, but Vigil is a scholar, so he has earned the right. Here's the second use: To improve your strength, endurance and speed, be sure to do hill training on an oscillatory basis. Your running will come alive.
Training Model: Hill Running
Follow these elements of the Wharton Performance Model and you'll be able to climb any hill come race day.
By Jim and Phil Wharton
Some race courses are so flat that bumps in the road are of no concern. Others (the Boston Marathon comes to mind) are legendary for their "heartbreaking" hills. The following tips, which are part of the Wharton Performance Model (see runnersworld.com/wpm for more), will help you climb any hill come race day.
>>Knowing what you're in for--becoming familiar with the course so that there are no surprises--will put your mind at ease, which will help you relax and perform better.
>>Before charging a hill, do a shoulders check. Are they creeping up to your ears? If so, roll them both forward then backward to relieve tension and keep them low and relaxed.
>>If you feel tightness in your quads, gently "kick" your leg back slightly farther than normal at the end of each stride while you are going up. Don't do this on a down slope.
>>When running downhill, instead of landing each stride on the heel, focus on the feeling of naturally gliding downhill--almost in a free fall--landing evenly across the midfoot.
Can Hill Running Make You Faster?
Some runners avoid hills because they can cause injuries and they're, well, hard. Time to reconsider.
By Amby Burfoot
A few years ago, the Runner's World editorial offices were briefly moved to the other side of town. The new location was nestled at the foot of what we call "South Mountain," so I soon found my noontime runs steering up and over the mountain several times a week. A month later, I noticed that I was feeling stronger, quicker, and more light-footed on all my runs. Yes, the hills are alive with training benefits.
I am not the first to discover this. East Africans have been traipsing up and down the steep slopes of the Great Rift Valley for millennia, and in the last half-century have rewritten the distance-running record books. Today, they run the hills harder than ever. I experienced this first-hand on a 1998 trip to Kenya. One morning, I joined a handful of marathoners who were being coached by Dr. Gabriele Rosa as they tackled the infamous Fluorspar Hill (40 miles east of Eldoret) that rises nearly 4,000 feet in 13 miles.
Truth in editorial: I managed to hang on for only 10 minutes before bailing out. I hopped into Rosa's Jeep to watch the rest of the impressive workout, which ended 82 minutes after it started. Rosa likes his marathon runners to do strenuous hill running every 10 days during their marathon buildup. "Marathon running uses a lot of quadriceps muscle fibers, and this is the best way to build the quadriceps," Rosa told me recently. "In Italy, we use the gym also. But the Kenyans do not have any gyms, so we run hills."
Medical research isn't exactly brimming with hill-training studies, but I located several with impressive results. A 1977 article in the European Journal of Applied Physiology concluded that runners who followed an intense six-week program of hard uphill running enjoyed "significant improvements in training distances, anaerobic capacity, and strength." A chapter in the International Olympic Committee's 1992 book Endurance and Sport reported a study of runners who did 12 weeks of regular training, plus "hill training with 'bounce running.'" After the 12 weeks, the subjects' running economy (or how efficiently they ran) increased by an average of three percent. That's a nice increase in a running variable that's not easy to improve. Of course, not everyone appreciates hills. Running up hills is not recommended for beginners because it puts too much stress on muscles and connective tissues that may not be ready to handle the load. It may also put extra stress on the knees and Achilles tendons.
Hill training made its first big impact in the early 1960s when runners from tiny New Zealand, including Peter Snell (three-time Olympic gold medalist), suddenly began winning a disproportionate number of big races. Their successes were based on the training philosophy of Arthur Lydiard, a marathoner-turned-coach. Lydiard broke from the generation of coaches before him who believed mostly in interval training. Who could blame them? They had just lived through the 1950s when runners like Roger Bannister and Emil Zatopek used mind-bending interval workouts to help them shatter the world records of that era.
But Lydiard believed even middle-distance runners should begin their seasons with marathon-like training, and then move into what he called "hill circuits." Lydiard first described his program in the 1978 book Running the Lydiard Way, coauthored by Garth Gilmour. In its ideal form, Lydiard's hill training takes place on a two-mile layout that includes a steepish uphill of 300 to 400 meters, a not-so-steep downhill of about 800 meters, and relatively flat stretches of 800 to 1,000 meters at the top and bottom. You begin by running the uphill stretch, in Lydiard's words, "springing up on your toes, not running but bouncing. This gives you muscular development and flexibility."
At the top of the hill, jog 800 to 1,000 meters to recover, then plunge into the downhill run. The idea now is to "run fast, with relaxed, slightly longer strides." On Lydiard's personally designed loop in Auckland, where the downhill was approximately 800 meters, it is said that Peter Snell once ran a 1:48 and regularly hit 1:50.
At the bottom of the hill, do several sprint repetitions, varying between 50 meters and 400 meters. Says Lydiard: "These sprint repetitions begin the development of your capacity to exercise anaerobically." After six weeks of hill circuits, you're ready for four weeks of track work to reach a competitive peak.
Every guru needs a disciple, and Nobuya Hashizume has ably filled that role for Lydiard. Growing up in Japan, Hashizume was inspired by Frank Shorter's victories in the Fukuoka Marathon, and began reading every running book he could find. Running The Lydiard Way was "the first book I read in English," he says. He was drawn to it because he liked how Lydiard "used science as the basis of his training programs."
Hashizume traveled to Auckland to run the infamous 22-mile Waitakere Mountains course that once reduced Snell to tears. He also tackled the original hill circuit. "It was steeper than I expected," says Hashizume, who now lives in the Twin Cities and maintains a Web site that promotes Lydiard's training methods (fivecircles.org).
While New Zealand runners no longer rule the track, they have continued to excel on hills. A native of Wellington, Derek Froude followed Lydiard's principles with zeal. He ran a 2:11 marathon, and in 1990 became the first person to break 60 minutes in the Mount Washington road race. Froude clocked 59:17 for the 7.6-mile course with "only one hill," as participants like to say.
That record lasted until 1996, when it fell--no big surprise--to a Kenyan. When Daniel Kihara ran 58:21, onlookers termed his effort "awe inspiring." Of course, they had not yet seen nor heard of Jonathan Wyatt.
Last June, Wyatt stormed up the Mount Washington road in 56:41, nearly two minutes faster than Kihara's old record. That's roughly the equivalent of someone taking four minutes off the marathon world record. Wyatt, also originally from Wellington, has won four World Mountain Running Championships in recent years, and deserves to be called the greatest hill runner of all time. When you bear a mantle like that, you get asked only one question: What's your secret? "I think it's just that I love the mountainous trails and have been running hills since I was 13," says Wyatt, 32. "I seem to get stronger every year."
Oh, c'mon Jonathan, that's so lame. I ask him to plumb deeper into the subject, even though Wyatt is one of those plainspeaking Kiwis who would rather run up a mountain than rhapsodize about it. "Relaxation is one of the keys," he says after a long pause. "You don't ever want to go anaerobic. You need to push hard, but not go over the edge. I chop down my stride to become as efficient as I can, and I try to conserve arm energy. I don't think you need to pump your arms to run well on the hills."
Wyatt finished 21st in the Athens Olympic Marathon, a great performance, but not quite equal to the efforts of Americans Deena Kastor and Meb Keflezighi, both honed to an Olympic peak by the hill-training methods of Coach Joe Vigil. "Deena and Meb are always on the hills when they're training in Mammoth Lakes [California], but we even use undulating hills when they train in San Diego," says Vigil. "A quarter mile up, and a quarter mile down."
Vigil has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology, so he views hill training through a technical lens. "We use oscillatory terrain to increase the athlete's adaptation to stress, and to teach a more efficient use of glycogen," he says. "It also gives them a nice reactive power that improves their running economy."
This marks the first-ever use of the word "oscillatory" in a running-training context, but Vigil is a scholar, so he has earned the right. Here's the second use: To improve your strength, endurance and speed, be sure to do hill training on an oscillatory basis. Your running will come alive.
Training Model: Hill Running
Follow these elements of the Wharton Performance Model and you'll be able to climb any hill come race day.
By Jim and Phil Wharton
Some race courses are so flat that bumps in the road are of no concern. Others (the Boston Marathon comes to mind) are legendary for their "heartbreaking" hills. The following tips, which are part of the Wharton Performance Model (see runnersworld.com/wpm for more), will help you climb any hill come race day.
>>Knowing what you're in for--becoming familiar with the course so that there are no surprises--will put your mind at ease, which will help you relax and perform better.
>>Before charging a hill, do a shoulders check. Are they creeping up to your ears? If so, roll them both forward then backward to relieve tension and keep them low and relaxed.
>>If you feel tightness in your quads, gently "kick" your leg back slightly farther than normal at the end of each stride while you are going up. Don't do this on a down slope.
>>When running downhill, instead of landing each stride on the heel, focus on the feeling of naturally gliding downhill--almost in a free fall--landing evenly across the midfoot.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Post 200!
I can't believe this is my 200th post on this running blog. Wow, that is pretty crazy. I'd like to think that I've conveyed a lot of useful information here because I know it has been a huge release valve for me when it comes to talking about my running ups and downs ... sometimes, I think there have been more of the latter than the former.
Tonight was an easy 5K tempo run. I finished in 20:29, which is slower than I wanted. It was a beautiful night for a run. The snow was softly falling but the road clear enough that I was not worried about slipping on black ice. I really need to crank up my mileage because I can tell my base is slipping a bit. There is no doubt my biggest impediment is the lack of a consistent time slot to run. If that darn shower was still open downtown, I could at least squeeze an hour-long run in each day but c'est la vie.
Tonight was an easy 5K tempo run. I finished in 20:29, which is slower than I wanted. It was a beautiful night for a run. The snow was softly falling but the road clear enough that I was not worried about slipping on black ice. I really need to crank up my mileage because I can tell my base is slipping a bit. There is no doubt my biggest impediment is the lack of a consistent time slot to run. If that darn shower was still open downtown, I could at least squeeze an hour-long run in each day but c'est la vie.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
clinic night
We had a nice 4K run tonight. We kept it to the York/Charlotte/University out-and-back and it was a perfect night. It was a bit cold when we started but once we started running it was great. I had the chance to chat with a few of the clinic members about their running aspirations and potential times. We have a pretty quick and goal-oriented group. I didn't check my Garmin when we finished but I'd say we finished pretty close to 21 minutes or so. Everyone should be really proud of the progress so far.
Week IV -- Winter Running
Week II
- Introduction
- Introduction
- Ask about weekly runs? Any stiffness?
- New schedule, explain
- New schedule, explain
- Pace charts
How to dress for winter
Key: Layer do not bundle
Your lungs will not freeze, even though you may!
Three layers -- it's all about layering
- Base
- Thermal (or insulating)
- Shell
Key: Layer do not bundle
Your lungs will not freeze, even though you may!
Three layers -- it's all about layering
- Base
- Thermal (or insulating)
- Shell
You don't have to spend a lot of money if you target the right pieces of clothing.
Base
Critical. It is all about the wicking.
Keep warm and dry. Think Coolmax, polypropylene, etc
Cotton is out because it holds moisture -- sorry that old, tattered high school sweater should stay in the closet
Remember sweat freezes -- like you need to get any colder
Thermal
Optional – mainly for really cold days.
Polar fleece.
It continues moisture transfer process. Traps body heat.
Shell
Waterproof/wind resistant jacket
Should prevent moisture from getting to you.
Examples:
Cold winter day
Base: Long-sleeve technical shirt, medium-weight tights.
Shell: water/windproof jacket
Really, bone-chilling cold winter day
Base: Long-sleeve technical shirt, long underwear
Thermal: Fleece/technical vest/shirt, medium/heavy-weight tights
Shell: wind/waterproof jacket, wind pants
Waterproof/wind resistant jacket
Should prevent moisture from getting to you.
Examples:
Cold winter day
Base: Long-sleeve technical shirt, medium-weight tights.
Shell: water/windproof jacket
Really, bone-chilling cold winter day
Base: Long-sleeve technical shirt, long underwear
Thermal: Fleece/technical vest/shirt, medium/heavy-weight tights
Shell: wind/waterproof jacket, wind pants
Nice fall/early winter day
Base: short-sleeve technical shirt, light-weight tights
Shell: wind/waterproof jacket or vest
Other items:
Gloves vs. mittens
-Mittens warmer: fingers together gives greater body heat.
Hats/Toques/Balaclava
-Major (50 per cent) heat loss from head
Wind briefs -- for the guys this is not an option, spend the money
Base: short-sleeve technical shirt, light-weight tights
Shell: wind/waterproof jacket or vest
Other items:
Gloves vs. mittens
-Mittens warmer: fingers together gives greater body heat.
Hats/Toques/Balaclava
-Major (50 per cent) heat loss from head
Wind briefs -- for the guys this is not an option, spend the money
Winter Running Tips
Don't be a hero: -30 is cold enough to find a treadmill
Do not expose skin (remember to pull tights over socks)
Apply Body Glide to any exposed skin
Chapstick
Adjust intensity of workout
Shorten stride to improve footing. Stay loose.
Run a loop on the really frigid, windy, icy, snowy days so you can head for home if it gets too bad.
Reflective gear -- buy extra strips if your jacket/pants don't have enough reflective gear
Head light -- I don't use one but they may work
Speedwork indoors
Steady pace – no quick accelerations or stops
Drink – keep water bottle under jacket
Get out of wet cloths quickly
-drop body heat and could trigger hypothermia
Second Cup Clause: Drink warm coffee/tea/anything to warm up core after the run
Speedwork indoors
Steady pace – no quick accelerations or stops
Drink – keep water bottle under jacket
Get out of wet cloths quickly
-drop body heat and could trigger hypothermia
Second Cup Clause: Drink warm coffee/tea/anything to warm up core after the run
Monday, January 22, 2007
A sick day, a few snow days, a cold day ...
Excuses, excuses. I bailed on four runs last week so I only got out on Tuesday and Sunday morning. that is not what I had in mind when the week started. I wasn't feeling well on Wednesday once I finished work and the snow was piled up too high to run on Thursday or Friday. I was all set to run on Saturday evening after the girls were asleep and then I stepped outside and the frigid minus-35 made me think better of it. So I braved a 9K with the RR clinic on Sunday morning, it was a comparatively balmy minus-15 or minus-28 with the wind chill. I ended up running a few extra kilometres trying to find a few who had wandered off. I'm trying to post a version of the run but because my new computer doesn't have my Garmin installed, I'm having some troubles. If you copy and paste this link: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=659099 into your browser, a Google-pedometer map should appear of next week's 9Kish run. It says it's just under 9K but G-ped is not 100 per cent accurate, plus we could always add 200 metres if we're a tad short. I just want to make sure people have a copy before we run on Sunday.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Tuesday night clinic notes
(For new people just checking this site. I do my best to post my speaking points for our weekly running clinic. These tend to be bits and pieces that I've acquired from different running magazines, Internet articles, tips along the way or just speaking to a lot of runners over the years. It's meant just for some basic information purposes and is not meant to be some Pulitzer-winning blog entry.)
Running Room – Week Two: Goal setting and program design
Goals
Having goals is key
Goals can change as needed
Pick short-term and long-term goals
Five Golden Goals
Long-term dream goal
Dream goal for season
Realistic goal for season
Self-acceptance goal
Daily goal
Goals can be weight, speed, distance, races, events, running with friends
SMART Goals
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time
Record your goals
Set up a running log or a computerized running diary
Include distance, time, how well you were feeling, stretching, etc.
Modify your goals
Tell people your goals
Enjoy the journey - Running must be fun or why would we do it?!
Make sure that the goal you are considering is something that you would enjoy working towards and accomplishing.
Weekly training time needed - Be sure that you have adequate time to train during the course of the week. Three days a week should be a minimum. Take into considering family, friends and work commitments.
Long-term training time needed - Respect the distance. You need time to properly train. Prior to setting a goal, be sure that there is adequate time in the long-term.
Natural ability - We aren't all Steve Prefontaine or Roger Bannister. Improvement comes quickly and relatively easily in the beginning for most runners. Although we may put forth our best efforts in training and racing, progress doesn't come nearly as rapidly or easily when you've been working hard over the course of months and years. Genetics, the natural ability we are born with, plays a significant role in determining one's ultimate potential.
Be sure that the goal is yours - Pick goals that are suited to you, not someone else. Running with friends is why we typically join groups but don't set goals just because someone else is doing it. Enjoy your Sunday runs but if speeds or distances are getting too long or fast, don't be afraid to slow down or agree to meet for coffee afterward. Stay injury free!
Don't be compulsive - Overtraining is counter-productive to accomplishing your goals. Remember the 10 per cent rule. Remember the hard-easy rule! If something hurts, stop. Listen to your body.
Make your workouts interesting - Don't let it ever get boring. Find a variety of routes, run in different parts of town or surfaces, run for time instead of a specific distance. If things get dull remember to mix it up. Try to cross-train in cold weather (or really hot weather).
Tweaking your goals on race day - I missed out on having fun (and getting my much sought after PB) at a race last year because I didn't adjust my goals to the weather. It was too hot and I sped up instead of slowing down. I just melted three-quarters into the race. You need to pay careful attention to the conditions on any given race day. If you are not feeling well or are just coming through an injury, don't push it. Be strong enough to change your goals even as you approach the starting corral.
Reward yourself for your accomplishment - This always motivates me. If you record your PB, take yourself to dinner or buy a new pair of shoes. If you want to run a marathon, reward yourself with an exotic location? Or two new pairs of shoes! Find something that will motivate you to accomplish your goals.
Developing your training program
Everyone is unique, programs should reflect that diversity
Develop ultimate goal and short-term goals
Follow a program to avoid injury
Build the house
Base before speed
Build a strong base
- one-year of running (for new runners)
- two months of aerobic running
- four to six weeks of hills
Hard-easy principle
Watch out for injuries; listen to body
10 per cent rule
Follow long/hard run with easy/short run
Add cross-training when possible
Design your own training program
Factors:
How much time can you commit
Available facilities
Present level of fitness
Mental demands
How to design your sked:
Pick a distance
How many workouts
Select specific days for a run
Determine total mileage (10 per cent rule)
Determine how long will run (easy/hard)
How long to run
How much free time do you have and how much time can you commit
Mentally fit
Fit and injury free?
Running Room – Week Two: Goal setting and program design
Goals
Having goals is key
Goals can change as needed
Pick short-term and long-term goals
Five Golden Goals
Long-term dream goal
Dream goal for season
Realistic goal for season
Self-acceptance goal
Daily goal
Goals can be weight, speed, distance, races, events, running with friends
SMART Goals
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time
Record your goals
Set up a running log or a computerized running diary
Include distance, time, how well you were feeling, stretching, etc.
Modify your goals
Tell people your goals
Enjoy the journey - Running must be fun or why would we do it?!
Make sure that the goal you are considering is something that you would enjoy working towards and accomplishing.
Weekly training time needed - Be sure that you have adequate time to train during the course of the week. Three days a week should be a minimum. Take into considering family, friends and work commitments.
Long-term training time needed - Respect the distance. You need time to properly train. Prior to setting a goal, be sure that there is adequate time in the long-term.
Natural ability - We aren't all Steve Prefontaine or Roger Bannister. Improvement comes quickly and relatively easily in the beginning for most runners. Although we may put forth our best efforts in training and racing, progress doesn't come nearly as rapidly or easily when you've been working hard over the course of months and years. Genetics, the natural ability we are born with, plays a significant role in determining one's ultimate potential.
Be sure that the goal is yours - Pick goals that are suited to you, not someone else. Running with friends is why we typically join groups but don't set goals just because someone else is doing it. Enjoy your Sunday runs but if speeds or distances are getting too long or fast, don't be afraid to slow down or agree to meet for coffee afterward. Stay injury free!
Don't be compulsive - Overtraining is counter-productive to accomplishing your goals. Remember the 10 per cent rule. Remember the hard-easy rule! If something hurts, stop. Listen to your body.
Make your workouts interesting - Don't let it ever get boring. Find a variety of routes, run in different parts of town or surfaces, run for time instead of a specific distance. If things get dull remember to mix it up. Try to cross-train in cold weather (or really hot weather).
Tweaking your goals on race day - I missed out on having fun (and getting my much sought after PB) at a race last year because I didn't adjust my goals to the weather. It was too hot and I sped up instead of slowing down. I just melted three-quarters into the race. You need to pay careful attention to the conditions on any given race day. If you are not feeling well or are just coming through an injury, don't push it. Be strong enough to change your goals even as you approach the starting corral.
Reward yourself for your accomplishment - This always motivates me. If you record your PB, take yourself to dinner or buy a new pair of shoes. If you want to run a marathon, reward yourself with an exotic location? Or two new pairs of shoes! Find something that will motivate you to accomplish your goals.
Developing your training program
Everyone is unique, programs should reflect that diversity
Develop ultimate goal and short-term goals
Follow a program to avoid injury
Build the house
Base before speed
Build a strong base
- one-year of running (for new runners)
- two months of aerobic running
- four to six weeks of hills
Hard-easy principle
Watch out for injuries; listen to body
10 per cent rule
Follow long/hard run with easy/short run
Add cross-training when possible
Design your own training program
Factors:
How much time can you commit
Available facilities
Present level of fitness
Mental demands
How to design your sked:
Pick a distance
How many workouts
Select specific days for a run
Determine total mileage (10 per cent rule)
Determine how long will run (easy/hard)
How long to run
How much free time do you have and how much time can you commit
Mentally fit
Fit and injury free?
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
2006 Year in Review
I posted the following on the Runningmania.com board this weekend. We were discussing how 2006 played out for us runningwise. I thought it was apropos so I'm posting it on my blog.
I'm a constant analyzer. So I've thought about this question since I ran my last race in November. But to make a very long story (relatively) short, 2006 was my best running year ever. I say that for three specific reasons.
1) Racing: Although I had a disappointing showing in Ottawa, I ended up PBing in the half marathon by three minutes in November. I dropped my 10K PB down by two minutes. I finished first in my age group in New Brunswick's running series. Overall my finest year ever racing.
2) Running for fun/fitness: I started running in January and ran almost the entire year. I'm not sure if I logged more distance than ever before, I didn't do the huge long runs like I would have done in the past for marathon training, but I was out consistently. I'm at my leanest physique in years (although it could be a bit more lean...). I also stayed relatively injury free.
3) Running with the community: Running has always been such a special refuge for me and I've always wanted to find a way to give back. In my own little way, I thought instructing two clinics at the Running Room would help in that goal. I tell every clinic the same thing on that very first night. I'm not the fastest runner, there are others who have logged more races or achieved some amazing feats but I love running, it's a part of my soul and my only hope is that I can pass a long some of that passion. Seeing some people continue from our little 10K clinic to run a full marathon in December for charity or just continue to run every Sunday with friends they've met at the clinic has been truly rewarding.
So for those three reasons, I rank 2006 as my best running year ever.
I'm a constant analyzer. So I've thought about this question since I ran my last race in November. But to make a very long story (relatively) short, 2006 was my best running year ever. I say that for three specific reasons.
1) Racing: Although I had a disappointing showing in Ottawa, I ended up PBing in the half marathon by three minutes in November. I dropped my 10K PB down by two minutes. I finished first in my age group in New Brunswick's running series. Overall my finest year ever racing.
2) Running for fun/fitness: I started running in January and ran almost the entire year. I'm not sure if I logged more distance than ever before, I didn't do the huge long runs like I would have done in the past for marathon training, but I was out consistently. I'm at my leanest physique in years (although it could be a bit more lean...). I also stayed relatively injury free.
3) Running with the community: Running has always been such a special refuge for me and I've always wanted to find a way to give back. In my own little way, I thought instructing two clinics at the Running Room would help in that goal. I tell every clinic the same thing on that very first night. I'm not the fastest runner, there are others who have logged more races or achieved some amazing feats but I love running, it's a part of my soul and my only hope is that I can pass a long some of that passion. Seeing some people continue from our little 10K clinic to run a full marathon in December for charity or just continue to run every Sunday with friends they've met at the clinic has been truly rewarding.
So for those three reasons, I rank 2006 as my best running year ever.
Windy Wednesday
I'm going to keep this brief, much like my run. I had intended for 12K or so, but I had a crazy busy day at work. I ended up vegging in front of a new episode of CSI: NY and getting out for a quick 5K run at 9 p.m. I decided to turn it into a tempo just to make things interesting. Well, I ended up having three "weak GPS signals" that ended up throwing my first two splits way out of whack -- 4:33 and 3:33 -- and that just meant my run spiralled out of control. I ended up finishing with a ave. 4:10 min/k, which is the range I want it right now but I just felt like I struggled the entire run. I never found my natural rhythm. But hey, I ran. And that is what counts.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Sunday morning Seven
Did 7K with my half-marathon clinic this morning. For the first time, I had Elle in the jogger stroller for the entire run. We started at City Hall and followed along the trail -- in January, which is really odd -- although we did hit a few muddy parts, which made the pushing a bit more difficult. I think the group ended up running at about a 6 min/k pace. It was a great day for a run. There were a lot of faces from my previous clinics out with us, which was also really encouraging. My legs are a bit stiff after two runs in such a short period of time -- finished my Saturday night run at 9 p.m. and started this one at 8:30 a.m.
Oh and that coffee at Read's after was absolutely divine!
Oh and that coffee at Read's after was absolutely divine!
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Saturday night rain
I got back from my Saturday LSD. Well, kinda. My marathon training schedule of the moment said 14K but I ended up curtailing the run a tad. At around 6K it started pouring and I started to spot lightning in the distance. At that point, I knew I wasn't going to get the full 14K in but I thought I'd run loops around my neighbourhood to see if the weather got worse and if it did I could make a bee-line for home. I ended up running 13K with an average of 4:41 min/K. That is in the range that my program is suggesting. Tomorrow is the half-marathon clinic's group run. It's our first long run and the group is heading out for 7K. If the weather is a bit better, I'm hoping to take Elle with me in the jogging stroller.
I ended up getting out for a quick 6K last night. Nothing special, just trying to log some extra kilometres in my tune up phase.
I ended up getting out for a quick 6K last night. Nothing special, just trying to log some extra kilometres in my tune up phase.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Two nights in a row, wow, this is a first in months! I'm really easing back into my distance to avoid any potential injuries. I did 8K tonight and if you can believe it I have not poured over my Garmin splits to analyze my run. Am I reformed man? Likely not, I just don't want to humiliate myself by comparing my splits to what I was doing before my hiatus. I know that I did the majority of my kilometre splits in around 4:25, with a few closer to 4:10 and a couple others in the "hilly sections" around 4:30. The icy conditions were quite dangerous. Coming around Case St., I was checking my latest split time and I ended up in a push-up position before I knew what was happening. Note to self: don't check the Garmin while turning on an icy corner.
For the next two weeks, I hope to build up my mileage and keep the speed slow, especially on anything above 10K. I'm going to skip speed sessions at least until next week as well because I'm just concentrating on base, base base. I am really excited about throwing myself back at a marathon. As crazy as that may sound! With the half-marathon clinic and a potential late May marathon, I'm so anxious for a wonderful winter of training.
For the next two weeks, I hope to build up my mileage and keep the speed slow, especially on anything above 10K. I'm going to skip speed sessions at least until next week as well because I'm just concentrating on base, base base. I am really excited about throwing myself back at a marathon. As crazy as that may sound! With the half-marathon clinic and a potential late May marathon, I'm so anxious for a wonderful winter of training.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
First Half-Marathon clinic
We had a great start to our Running Room half-marathon clinic last night. The group is now up to nine runners, which is a nice size because it is big enough so people can find pace groups and small enough that we can tailor the next 15 weeks to the group. The first night is always pretty ritualistic insofar as we go through the Sunday/Wednesday run club, some of the "rules" and just lay the groundwork for the clinic.
Despite the somewhat icy conditions we went out for a 4K run last night. I had a chance to run with almost everyone, even if it was only for a few minutes. There is a wonderful mix of runners and everyone in the group is really speedy. The time between the first and final finishers wasn't more than 90 seconds or so, which is great.
Despite the somewhat icy conditions we went out for a 4K run last night. I had a chance to run with almost everyone, even if it was only for a few minutes. There is a wonderful mix of runners and everyone in the group is really speedy. The time between the first and final finishers wasn't more than 90 seconds or so, which is great.
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