Run Training…Intervals

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In the previous Run Training posts, I described the tools which runners typically use to improve their running performance. Whether elite or recreational, all runners bodies respond to the training effects of Base Training, Hill Training, Strides, and Intervals. In regards to interval training, many folks just beginning their exercise journey may engage in interval training to increase calorie burn. And almost all sports use some form of interval drills to improve athletes’ aerobic and anaerobic exercise thresholds. So what does interval training involve? Basically, interval training uses measured bouts of hard-easy repetitions to help athletes adapt to higher levels of aerobic and/or anaerobic exercise. For runners, interval training is meting out hard-easy running in bouts measured by time or distance (minutes or meters). Unlike tempo training (comfortably hard effort) interval training involves running at a high level (near red-line) of exertion for a short amount of time, followed by a recovery interval equal to or greater than the work interval. Novice and recreational runners should begin interval training only after they have laid down their base training. While extremely effective to improve a runner’s running form, economy, endurance, and fat-burning, interval training need only be included once a week if the runner also performs other training methods (strides, hills, tempo) in their weekly runs. Read this article from Active.com about interval training. This is an excellent resource which describes the science of intervals together with interval training plans for runners who want to improve their 5K or 10K race times.

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Run Training…Strides

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It’s time to mix things up a bit in your running workouts as you near the end of your 500 mile base training. In a previous post, I discussed the value of tempo training for runners of every fitness level. In today’s post, I would like to introduce you to another tool for your running toolbox: strides. By definition, strides are short bursts of swift running usually held for 60 to 100 meters. Strides are valuable for runners who want to improve or promote better running form while also engaging fast twitch muscle fibers. Also known as pick-ups, strides can be interspersed into any of your conversational pace training runs. Perform 3-5 strides after your initial warm-up; divide your each stride into thirds (first 10-20 meters at conversational pace; increase speed and intensity over the next 20-60 meters; slowly decelerate to conversational pace for the last 10-20 meters). If you are not sure what 100 meters looks or feels like, go to the nearest running track a jog the straight sections. These sections are roughly 100 meters long. So one stride (divided into three parts) would last as long as that straight section of track (give or take several meters). Once you have a feeling for how long 100 meters is, you can add strides to your next easy run. Practice these once or twice a week and you will surely build your strength, stamina and speed! Want to read more about strides? Go to this article from Runner’s World.

Run Training…Tempo Time

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A 500 mile training base may seem like an astronomical goal to achieve for novice or recreational runners. However, as discussed in a previous post (Run Training…500 Miles), laying this foundation is a critical step in developing a runner’s fitness and running economy. At some point before reaching their 500 miles though, many runners are wanting to increase their running speed often before they increase their running distance. This need for speed seems primal and perhaps it is even hard-wired into a runner’s psyche. From my experience, once I was able to run comfortably for 3 miles, I wanted to beat my own run times, and run those 3 miles faster. Intuitively, I began to employ ‘tempo runs’ into my 3 to 5 mile runs long before I knew about this bread and butter workout. Simply described, tempo runs (also known as lactate threshold) describe a comfortably hard pace which a runner can sustain for at least 20 minutes. The actual pace of that 20-minute period is individual to each runner’s current fitness level; the key training outcome of performing weekly tempo runs is that these workouts will actually help you become a stronger, faster runner! How do you gauge if you are running too fast during your tempo run? I like to keep it simple and suggest that if you can’t hold your up-tempo pace for at least 10 to 20 minutes, then you are running too fast. The purpose of a tempo run is to train your body to become efficient, in fuel metabolism and running mechanics. The tempo-run is not an all-out sprint; rather, it is learning to pick a pace that is not conversational which can be maintained over a one or two-mile distance. It takes time to practice and dial in your comfortably hard pace, but if you have a need for speed, this is a worthwhile training tool to add to your runner’s toolbox. Read this article from Runner’s World for an in-depth explanation of the mechanics and benefits of tempo training.

 

Strength Begets Strength

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Similar to the way we gain unwanted pounds over months and years, we can accumulate strength over months and years when we engage in focused fitness activities. I train older adults in physical fitness using running, strength, and Zumba Gold group classes. It is always a delight to hear from these folks during and after their weeks of training that they are able to complete activities of daily living (lifting, shoveling, pulling weeds, walking, etc) with greater ease and no muscle strains or joint aches as a result of their improved physical fitness. They seem amazed that they are now able to do tasks that require a measure of strength and endurance which their younger selves could not perform only a few months or years ago. I assure them that their improvements will continue for as long as they maintain their fitness programs, yes, even into their 7th, 8th and 9th decades. How is this possible? Because it is an immutable law of nature. A body in motion, stays in motion. When once the habit to stay physically active is engrained onto the hard drive of our psyche, it is possible to delay, maybe even stall, the aging process with regular bouts of  moderately intense exercise. Many elders have gone before us and proved this true; and many more 70, 80 and 90+ year old athletes continue to complete in competitive athletic events and break records every time they show up. For myself, and I think it may be true for most adults who are not sporting competitors, the most alluring reason to stay strong and fit into our later decades is to become the best that we can be (in body, mind and spirit) when we cross our final finish line. Whether you are 50 or 70 or 90 years old, it is never too late to become more active than you were in your youth. If you have even the slightest inclination to get moving, then take that as your inspiration and move it! Walk, run, dance, hop, skip, jump…don’t wait another day…just move it. Strength begets (gives birth to) strength, not by thinking about being physically active, but by being physically active…every day.

It is my prayer that none of us will allow where we start to determine how we finish. T.D. Jakes

I have always had the initial faith that if God put something on my mind and in my heart, it could and should be done, but both elements must work together-mind to initiate it and the heart to propel it.
Sister Madonna Buder ~ 85 year old tri-athlete

Run Training…To The Hills

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After laying down a running base of 500 miles, serious run training (i.e. intensity) can now be safely added to a runners training program. Hill repeats are drills that build runners’ stamina and strength quickly. Here’s a link to an article regarding the specifics of hill training from Competitor.com magazine.
Today I ran with a small group of local (Oracle) runners and we ran hills today… again…why? Because no matter where we run in our little mountain town, we run hills. Up hills, down hills, there is no relief from the rolling, undulating topography. We have no choice but to run hills for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of us like to complain about our hills; and I don’t know any local runners who do the ‘hill drills’ we so often find in those spiffy half marathon training plans. I think it’s because we’re too tired from running the ‘hills’ we find before us the moment we jog out our front doors. The only place we get to run flat and fast in our town is around the junior high school dirt track. Funny thing is though, most of us local runners prefer the hills to the track…go figure. Even though we love to complain about our mountain geography, lately some of us have noticed that our hill training has made us stronger runners; and maybe even a tad bit faster too…especially when we go down the mountain to run the big city races. So all in all, hill running clearly has its own reward, and it also makes for beautiful metaphors and parallels when we compare the hill running life to our non-running life. Running the hills is not only good run training it’s good life training too!

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Run Training…500 Miles

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How far, how fast, how long? The answers to these three questions form the basis of every training plan created to improve runners’ performance. Whether elite or recreational, all runners must lay down base mileage before beginning the rigor of their training cycle, and the magic number for this base training seems to hover at 500 miles. Why so many miles? Because physiologically, those base miles boost aerobic conditioning, develop slow-twitch muscle fibers, increase blood volume and glycogen storage, strengthen connective tissue, and enhance the body’s ability to burn fat*. But here’s the best news about the 500 mile base: they are to be performed at conversational pace! That means an effort level of 6-7 on a scale of ten. This is an extremely doable effort for most all runners; and because this effort is not race pace intense, individuals wanting to run every day can lay down 3 miles a day, 5 times a week and reach their 500 mile goal in 8 weeks. In my next post, I’ll outline the types of training that runners use to advance their fitness for specific race distances.

*Source: http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/build-better-base

Love-Hate Relationship with Exercise?

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Do you find yourself ‘zoning out’ during weight training repetitions or while you’re running for miles and miles on the treadmill? Are you looking for ways to distract yourself from the discomfort of your exercise routine instead of enjoying the physical activity for its own merits? Do you ever reach your fitness goals or do you lose interest or motivation long before a goal deadline? If you have a love-hate relationship with exercise, maybe you should ditch those exercise activities that you hate and start doing those activities you love. There is a strong connection between your mind-body when it comes to the benefits gained during exercise. If we don’t enjoy the activity, it is quite often not going to be beneficial to us. If we are not in-sync (mind/body) during exercise then we are inducing a stress response to exercise that negates any benefits we might otherwise reap from the activity. Instead, take the time to really dig down into your psyche, your memories, your feelings about exercise and consider the ways of moving your body which bring to mind happy thoughts or memories. These remembrances are the keys to identifying those activities in which you can happily engage on most days of the week. There is an oft quoted saying which states that “if we do what we love, we will never work a day in our life.” This same outlook or attitude can be transferred to the fitness activities in which we choose to engage. Once identified, activities that we love to do will seem more like child’s play rather than a prescribed, must-do exercise routine. So before you pickup another dumbbell or drag yourself to another group fitness class, make sure you know, deep down, what really drives you to stay fit; once identified, this knowledge will make reaching your fitness goals a journey you’ll enjoy rather than dread.

You have to fall in love with building the identity of someone who does the work, rather than merely dreaming about the results that you want. In other words fall in love with boredom. Fall in love with repetition and practice. Fall in love with the process of what you do and let the results take care of themselves.  James Clear

An Army of One

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I have always been intrigued by the ‘Army of One’ slogan. It conjures the image of an individual dressed in military camouflage engaged in military activities without the benefit of doing those activities with the Army of Others. The ‘One’ ideal, it seems, is more adept at preparing an Army of ‘individuals’ to work together rather than training the ‘herd’ to work as an Army. Regardless of whether this ideal works for training soldiers, it has merit when applied to our own individual goals, especially in regards to our exercise or fitness goals. There are myriad plans and trainers to chose from in the current marketplace. Whether virtual or local, the fitness market is flooded with exercise programs that can be trendy or based on solid training principles; it can be difficult to know which activities are safe or worthwhile in which to engage. However, if we employ the ‘Army of One’ mentality to our exercise training, this gives us the freedom to pick and choose the setting, the exercise and the intensity that best suits are current fitness needs. Consulting or training with an exercise professional will almost always enhance your exercise outcomes too. The most important thing to remember is this: if you want to be an Army of One, then you have to train like you have enlisted for service. You must follow up on the commitment you made to yourself, and engage in those activities that will bring you health and vitality each day of the year.

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Put Your Mind Where Your Muscle Is

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If you want to gain power, strength or stamina from your exercise training, then try putting some mindfulness into your next exercise session. Whether you are training for strength or endurance, pay attention to what you are asking your muscles to do for you! Put your mind on the muscle you are currently working, make sure you focus your attention on your form during every repetition. Involve your mind in the exercise activity and require it to focus its understanding on feeling what the muscle is doing. Can you visualize the muscle lengthening and shortening with every repetition? Can you focus the energy of your breath on your working muscle(s). Do you perceive health and strength surging through your blood vessels as weakness is expelled with every exhalation? When you practice this kind of mindfulness during  exercise, you are effectively training not only your body, but also your mind; this is how your brain is made strong and how you increase mental discipline! With every mindful intention you make during your exercise session, you are making new neural connections between your mind and body and you are laying down new foundations for well-being; you are teaching yourself how to re-create vitality into your body every time you put your mind on your muscle!

Everyone is an athlete. The only difference is that some of us are in training and some are not. George Sheehan

 

 

Forgiveness…A Repetition Worth Repeating

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This morning I was considering the fundamentals of strength training and how weight training plans are designed to build strength into our muscles and our physical body. Weight training jargon always uses ‘sets’ and ‘repetitions’ to describe how many times an exercise participant should lift, push or pull a given amount of weight to obtain the desired fitness outcome. In weight training, muscles can be trained for power, or strength or endurance. The amount of weight used and the number of sets and repetitions varies depending on the participant’s goal. For some unknown reason (maybe inspiration?) when I thought about how many sets and repetitions are required to build endurance in our muscles, I immediately thought about a question that St. Peter once asked Jesus: “How many times do I forgive my brother who has wronged me? Seven?” (Matthew 18:21-22). In weight training, seven times (or repetitions) is the range that a participant would use to build power in their muscles: fast, ballistic, scary big muscle power. In a sense, Peter was flexing his big, powerful ‘faith’ muscle by suggesting a forgiveness repetition of seven times. He knew it took a lot of strength to forgive the SAME person, for the same transgression, seven times in a row; but his forgiveness building goal was too short sighted. It was a short term goal that could not overcome a long term problem. Jesus wanted to teach Peter something about endurance, because that’s what a repetition range of seventy times seven will build! Those kinds of repetitions are designed to build stamina into our muscles, wherever those muscles are located, body or soul. Realize this: the weight required to build endurance is LIGHTER THAN the weight required to build strength or power. Forgiveness repetitions are meant to be light enough that you can forgive those who transgress against you many, many, many times throughout the days, weeks, and years of your life. Some heavy forgiveness repetitions are required in every life too, but overall, if we practice high repetitions we lay a foundation to build strength into our muscles as well. So the next time you flex and extend your muscles, think about how this translates into your relationships:
FLEXING = receiving forgiveness  ~  EXTENDING = giving forgiveness

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