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Training TipsRunning Tip - Week #1 Hi Team!
Okay we are still more than half a year away from the big day, so there is no need to start looking at your race training plan yet, but there is a need to prepare the body for the rigors of the distance. One reason why running is unique is that the body takes a lot of pounding over a lot of miles; not necessarily a bad thing! It is hard to find a doctor who does not recommend running, but many doctors do recommend training with a smart head! One thing that is imperative is to prepare for the training you will be doing! So to look at the training plans and ask yourself, Is this something I think I can do (I know you can), and work towards. For instance if you intend to run a marathon plan that has four days of running, and you are only running two days per week, then gently work up to running four days a week -- this could be done by running the next two weeks adding one day, then taking two weeks back down to two runs, followed by a week at three runs. The idea is to gently introduce the body to the stresses of marathon running. A common question -- is running bad for my knees with all this pounding? A quick (personal) answer, for about ten years I averaged around 100-miles per week per year -- no knee problems, whereas my non-running brother has had two knee operations during that time! So, Go run! Toby
Running Tip – Week #2 Water, Water everywhere, and not a drop to drink! It is easy to remember water in the summer dog months, when we run and have dreams about
jumping in the pool, gulping down liters of water, but as the summer turns into fall it Monitor how much water you drink, also weigh yourself before and after a run to see how When I first started running I never drank, one day at the physios he asked, "You don't So, the morale of this story, is to drink, drink, everywhere, not only when you are One liter of water, the juice of one orange and one lemon, one tsp salt and one tsp sugar Toby
Running Tip – Week #3 Good, I was going to say Afternoon, but as we are all over the world in different time zones I will say 'Hello' - the topic of the day is gels. A recent email Q was, are any gels kosher, and the answer is yes - hammer gels, and also team lifeline will have kosher sports drinks there for you on the day. But hold up, have you practiced running with these products? Never come to the starting line and run a race and do something that you have never done in training. Thus I always tell runners to prepare early -- every time you run for over an hour, eat a hammer gel, if you pklan to use them in the race. For runs of less than one hour they are not really necessary, and many runners do tend to take in too many calories! My recommended dosage for you with gels is to take one at 6, 12, 18 and 23 miles. Okay, but then do I need to take a sports drink? In a word no, because gels are really condensed sports drinks! If you are going for the sports drink route, I recommend (on any run over an hour) taking fluids every 20-25 mins, but just a swig of a couple of ounces (3-4-oz). Then of course some people just take plain water the whole route, like Moses Tanui who won Boston in 1996! If you do this route, always eat a big breakfast two hours before any long run... On that note I am getting hungry writing about these things!
Running Tip – Week #4 Okay it is now time to start thinking.. what is my goal, and think about the journey that is going to take you there!.... GOAL SETTING Add realism, and know yourself better than you believe possible - your strengths, and your weaknesses. The most rewarding satisfaction is that in conquering ourselves. As in the words of Lao-Tzu, SELF DISCIPLINE SHOULD FAILURE ARRIVE in ANY FORM IN THE TRAINING PLAN… Write down what went wrong, and why. Get back on track as fast as possible. Knock backs are part of arriving at a goal, accept this as a cog in the process of success. “The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they are no less difficult.” Winston Churchill. AWARENESS Revisit your goals, and use tools to remind yourself of your progress. Offer reward. Learn from other examples. Talk about your goal to others, especially those who are also motivated by bettering themselves. Consistency is the key. Work towards total consistency. Challenge yourself. Be honest, and don’t either be afraid to increase the odds
Running Tip – Week #5 The training log - one of the most important tools. This log will be very useful for feedback as the weeks roll by. It is a great confidence booster to look back over the accrued weeks of training when approaching the race day. Also we can check to see what you were doing, and what works. The above schedule I send you is a guideline that I hope you can follow, but your log with give you an accurate blow by blow of what you have done! Here is a typical entry from a log that includes enough info (no need for too much): 07/02 ran before work, 4-miles. Felt an 8/10 in terms of freshness. A little tired in the legs from yesterday’s run, and noticed a little twinge in the calf, left, muscle. Slept good. Stretched properly. Time was 33-mins, Joe’s loop. Hence Key points to record: I suggest you make your own log from an A4 book that will last a few years. Also don’t try to write lots or feel that every day should be an entry. This is why a book where you don’t fill in ‘day blanks’ is a great idea. I don’t want you to become competitive with the log, wanting more mileage, and more impressive entries.
Running Tip – Week #6 Muscle Soreness Prevention. Over training. Pounding on hard surfaces. Racing. Walking round malls…. Small inflammations in the muscle reduce blood flow, as do tight spots. These give us the feeling that our legs are dead and will not operate at the rate we want them too. Sometimes you can surprise the body and still give a great performance, but could you have given better on fresh legs? One belief is that speed works kills the legs. However the long runs are the real enemies. Speed work just requires recovery time. Below are some of the best methods for enhancing a quick recovery to soreness and allowing us to train harder as a result! ------------IDEAS-------------------------------------- The Ice Bath! Hose your legs down, or better still in ice cold water for 5 minutes. They do it to race horses but most humans complain too much. The alternative try a luke warm bath, though this is not half as effective as icey cold. For really sore legs you can use the hot/cold treatment that I explained earlier to you. Ice packs. Especially effective over a sore muscle, not so easy to ice the entire legs. Strolling. If the race, or hard work out is in the morning then go for an easy stroll in the late afternoon. Or a light spin on the bicycle Massage, and Stretching. For a massage check how many massages the masseuse has given prior to your turn. The chances are if it is more than three the hands of the expert will be tired and not so effective. The muscles always tighten up with running, then they will not perform at 100% so supple muscles are critical to smooth running. Self-massage is an option with baby oil. Stretching, of course, is essential! Refuel! After a hard workout hydrate and eat ASAP! You have a 40-minute window after a hard workout when the muscles need energy for rebuilding. If you are running pre-breakfast make sure you eat as soon after the workout as possible (within an hour). Later in the day it is not so important as then you are likely to have ‘stored’ energy.
Running Tip – Week #7 To race or not to race,that is the question. So you have your goal race, should you walk to the line in January without having raced a single race beforehand? The answer is 99% no. Only if you have run a thousand races before in years gone by (I add this disclaimer as I did it recently). A race is a dress rehearsal of the big day; you do not have to go over 10k inthe pre-race event, but it does help to go through the rituals beforehand for a number of reasons: You learn the line up procedure. You test your form and shape You practice drinking on the road and taking fluids from a table. You learn the importance of making a check list. And, for those who are more serious with their running, it is a great way to speed train. Here comes the clause, don't over-race. I would advise two races from now till January - one 5k and one 10k for people running the half, and for marathon people one 10k and one half. The races should be completed BEFORE december 31st... this way you are hankering for that next race by the end of january -- don't run so many races that the event no longer seems special to you. The more experienced you are the more effort you can put into your race -- don't worry, you will recover after a couple of days... So, go for it, sign up... and run!
Running Tip – Week #8 During a lecture I gave for the ING NYC a runner asked a question to the doctor who sat next to me, "I have a pain on the inside of the knee, what is it?" The Doctor stood up and reeled out off three minutes of Latin names, plans of rehab, actions and causes.. till the runner got the idea. A diagnosis of any running injury should be done sitting on a Doctor's chair, in the Doctor's office. There is a huge difference with some minute injuries that means run, or
don't run. However because of that 10% I thoroughly recommend ANY one to go to a Doctor and get the medical hands on. However, if I was a Doctor, the advice I hear most often from them: If it is a sharp pain, stop. If it is a dull ache slow down, reduce the mileage for a couple of days, then pick up. If it alters your running form (you start to limp) stop. There are all kinds of treatment, rest, ice, heat, stretching, not stretching, and many opinions... so try to find a good sports recommended doctor too!!
An important factor in training is SLEEP! You must sleep more when you train. The rule of the thumb is when you train for one hour per day, then you must get one hour more of sleep. hard? Well at least try! Even thirty minutes will be better than nothing. An example; Margaret Okayo, who has the course record in NYC, sleeps ten hours per night... AND takes a two hour afternoon nap! Definitely after a long run try to take a small nap if possible!
Running Tip – Week #10 Hi, commonly when people get into the final few weeks of marathon The pulse test 2) Stand up, and check your pulse after 20-seconds. 3) Take your pulse again after 100-seconds, again an average is okay if 4) Now you have numbers 1, 2 & 3. Perhaps - 55, 90 & 80 would be a When you are in a state of rest, and not over-training, then your The warning signs are usually when the reading of #3 is ten-twelve beats The reason why science supports this idea so much is that your nervous So, unlike your love life, be ruled by the heart! (Sorry, couldn't
Running Tip – Week #11 Swedish scientists found that the human is incapable of putting 3-4-hrs worth of a job inside the head. Far better to split the Marathon into sizable chunks. Thus instead
of dismounting and
imagining, "I've
got 26.2 miles
ahead.." To
think instead, "here
comes the next stage,
10-miles."
I
advise the race to
be split into three
sections; 2)
11-20
miles Stage Two,
be glad that stage one
is out of the way, think
and 3) 21-26.2 miles The Race, as Marathoner's say. The mind plays the big role - How badly do you want it? Anyway, hopefully you get the picture -cut up 26-miles, don't cram the miles into one mind-space!
Running Tip – Week #12 Not long now! Hang in -- this is the critical time to get lots of sleep and |
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