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Aerobic Workouts: Fartlek

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Fartlek workouts are one of the simplest aerobic workouts and can be used at the start of a block of training, with both young athletes and older athletes.

Fartlek is a Swedish term that means “speed-play.” You simply oscillate between two or more paces in your run. The simplest fartleks should be done in 5-minute blocks. So you can do 2 minutes “on” – a pace that is challenging, but one you could do for 15-20 minutes. Then do 3 minutes “steady” – a pace that is slower than the “on” pace, but faster than your easy run pace. That is a solid 5 minutes of running. Do 4 sets and you have 20 minutes of running; do 8 sets and you have 40 minutes of running. So you can complete a 10-minute warm-up and a 10-minute cool-down, then do 4-8 sets in the middle, giving you 40-60 minutes of running. Simple.

The common mistake with fartlek workouts is to go too fast during the on and too slow on the steady. So, run VERY easy during the first on segment, but keep the steady at an honest pace. Again, the on portions should be at a pace you can do for 15-20 minutes, so running just 2 minutes at this pace is not that challenging.

This workout is the antithesis of 10 x 400m with 60 seconds of walk/jog. In that workout you go super hard, then walk/jog; in this workout you run a challenging, but not hard pace during the on portion, then make the steady portion fast enough that the 5-minute block is challenging, but highly doable. [Read more…]

Pool Walking for Runners

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What follows is an excerpt from the Geek Out section of my book, Simple Marathon Training. Enjoy!

Pool Walking for Runners – Dr. Richard Hansen

Standing on the starting line of any race, it’s natural for runners to run down the checklist of, “How does my body feel, and will it do what I hope it can today?” Soreness is a natural and common occurrence with any training plan. It’s the response of our bodies trying to adapt to a new stimulus. When soreness lingers or the sensation turns to pain, it can inevitably raise concerns that the goal on race day is slip sliding away.

Reduce this fear by utilizing one of the easiest and most efficient recovery tools: pool walking. A pressure gradient is created the deeper your tissue is below the surface, which helps to prevent pooling of inflammation and move lymphatic fluid. For example, if you are standing at a depth of 4.5 feet of water, you are creating a pressure gradient equivalent to 77 mmHg at your calf (approximately 3.5 feet below the surface). This is over 2x greater than standard graduated athletic compression socks or sleeves (which are usually around 22-32 mmHg). Now, add walking to this equation and you create a joint pumping mechanism called imbibition to help mobilize the joint and further aid circulatory flow.

Additionally, pool walking can provide a valuable benefit in assisting muscle repair following a hard workout. Resting blood flow response in muscles has been shown to increase from 1.8ml/min/100g of tissue not in water compared to 4.1ml/min/100g in water. This means that pool walking is 225% more efficient at assisting oxygen supply to muscle tissue than walking on dry land, which is a crucial process for tissue repair.

Aqua therapy is also a commonly used rehabilitation practice for spinal cord injury patients due to a reduction in pain threshold noted when irritated tissue is submerged. Following intense bouts of running exercise, over-stimulus of the nervous system is a common occurrence. Having the ability to calm down the nervous system following intense or prolonged workouts can improve pain perception and decrease tissue sensitivity.

The challenge is finding time to get to the pool or finding access to a pool in your area. Try to pair pool walking days with workout days requiring gym equipment (e.g., squat racks, elliptical machines, free weights, etc.). This way the trip to the gym can be multi-faceted, saving you time and money. Keep yourself healthier by utilizing one of the most efficient and effective recovery tools available – the pool!

Imagery for Runners

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What follows is an excerpt from the Geek Out section of my book, Simple Marathon Training. Enjoy!

Use Imagery to Run Your Best Race

I strongly believe that runners need to use mental imagery to run to their potential on race day. Using imagery isn’t complicated. Find a quiet space and imagine yourself going through the race. A quiet spot and 3-10 minutes is all it takes. I used imagery on and off during my collegiate career. There is no doubt that my best two races (a 14:20 5k on Friday night, and a 8:20 3k on Saturday afternoon, at the Big XII Indoor conference championships) were the result, in some part, of the mental imagery I used to prepare for the race. There were countless races where I didn’t use imagery in the days leading up to the race, and, in retrospect, I think my performance suffered.

I recommend you start this process ten to fourteen days out from your marathon. Start with just 3 minutes a day, and as you get closer to the race, work your way up to roughly 10 minutes. As weird as it may sound, I find that sitting on the toilet in a bathroom is an ideal place to do this work. That said, don’t use the port-a-potty as your quiet space on race day, keeping your fellow runners waiting to take care of their important business. You won’t be very quiet, calm, or popular if you do.

The idea of mental imagery is to see yourself in the race: running the race and grooving the pace in the opening 20 miles, grabbing water and sports drinks with ease, taking a gel and having it go down easy, seeing runners pass you in the opening miles (runners who are going out too fast and will not doubt come back to you in the last 6.2 miles of the race), hearing the music at the start line, passing dozens of runners in the last 6.2 miles, and the crowd cheering at the first mile. You should be able to tune in to how your legs are going to feel, how your respiration will feel, and how your posture will feel. This all should feel good as you envision the first 20 miles. In the first few imagery sessions you want to envision everything going well. Once you’ve made this positive picture in your head, it’s time to envision things going wrong. See yourself going through a tough mile, or coming to a full stop at an aid station to get your water or sports drink. The key here is to envision something going wrong and then seeing yourself positively dealing with it.

Finally, what self-talk are you going to use in the final 6.2 miles of the marathon to help you grind out the last section? You can come up with your own version of Cindy Kuzma’s, “You do hard things.” The key is that you use imagery to hear yourself using positive self-talk to grind out the last 6.2 miles. Imagery is a powerful tool, so make sure to use it in the final ten days leading up to the marathon.

Growth Mindset for Runners

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What follows is an excerpt from the Geek Out section of my book, Simple Marathon Training. Enjoy!

Growth Mindset, by Travis Macy – Ultra Endurance Racer, Author of The Ultra Mindset

Years of experience as an athlete, teacher, and coach have taught me that a subtle distinction in mindset can lead to a significant difference in improved performance, health, and enjoyment in running.

I learned about growth mindset vs. fixed mindset when I read Carol Dweck’s excellent text, Mindset. The book made such an impact that I started teaching about it every week in my high school English classes. I subsequently wrote about the growth mindset as related to endurance training/racing and life in general in The Ultra Mindset: An Endurance Champion’s 8 Core Principles for Success in Business, Sports, and Life.

Someone with a growth mindset, simply put, focuses on getting better; one who adopts the opposite­—the fixed mindset—focuses on being good. The difference is subtle, yet revolutionary. [Read more…]

Aerobic Workouts: Introduction

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Developing the aerobic metabolism is the number one goal of any distance runner. Why? Take a look at the percent energy contributions from the following three metabolisms, keeping in mind that aerobic means “with oxygen.”

Distance Aerobic % Anaerobic % Phosphogen %
 800m  60%  35%  5%
 1,600m  82%*  18%  0-2%
 3,200m  90%  10%  0-2%
5,000m  95%  5% 0-2%

*There is a debate as to the exact percentage for the 1,600m, ranging from 80% to 85%.

The second key with the aerobic metabolism is that you can improve it year after year. This is why the best marathoners in the world tend to be older than the best sprinters in the world…and it’s why many masters runners, who come to running later in life, continue to run faster year after year.

The way I like to think about the aerobic metabolism is that you’re building your engine when you train aerobically. Now, you need a strong chassis to handle this engine (so LMLS and SAM work daily – videos here), but the key to your long term success as a runner, and the way you’ll run PRs at a variety of distances, is to continue to improve your aerobic system.

What follows are four fundamental aerobic workouts. They are presented in roughly the same progression that you would do the workouts, one per week for the busy adult and perhaps two per week for serious high school and collegiate athletes. The long run is the key aerobic workout of the week and I’m assuming that you’ll be doing a long run virtually every week that you’re training. [Read more…]

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