Distance Running Tip- No Changes for Races

Over the years I've had a bad habit of occasionally trying something new for races without testing it in training.

I've been racing for a very long time now in an old pair of Brooks Burn (now discontinued) and beat up old Spenco Poly Sorb Inserts , however I suddenly realized (too late as usual) that I'm due for an upgrade.

Earlier in the week I was giving serious thought to racing in my new Brooks Ghost in tomorrow's half marathon, so wore them for a two mile time trial on Wednesday. They felt fast, but before long I began noticing some friction like discomfort on the bottom of both heels, not something I want to take a chance on in a 13 mile race (or maybe it was the new socks I bought at the local market- they feel great but at under $10 for 10 you have to wonder about quality).

I'm resisting the the temptation to go with those Brooks, so tomorrow I'll be running in the old Brooks Burn and beat up insoles. Don't be surprised if I haven't upgraded my shoes and insoles by the next race.

Weekly Update for Oct 2-9

I got in a slow 14 miles on Sunday, my longest run in over a year, and actually bounced back with a little 3 mile tempo Monday. I felt very strong on Wednesday's 2 mile, but messed up when I missed a turn and had to double back. I still ran under 12 minutes (since I was wearing the GPS, I stopped when it hit 2 miles).

I can now tell my cardio fitness has surpassed that of my legs- a sign that it's time for some 400s at a quicker pace. Friday I did my 2 x 800 in 2:53 and 2:51, much quicker than the 2:57s I did on Friday two weeks ago prior to my 10K race. A good sign I hope.

Total for the week = 47 miles run and just 8 on the bike.

Distance Running Tip- The Taper!

Less than 2 weeks ago I raced a distance slightly less than 10K and felt great! I'd like to reproduce that feeling this weekend in a half marathon, so will try to duplicate that taper. Prior to that race, I did a long run the weekend before with a quality interval session on Wed. This week, I did 14 miles on Sunday and today (Wed) I did a 2 mile hard effort. I felt very strong- under 12 min despite the misfortune of missing a turn thus having to do an abrupt 180 to get back on course. I could definitely tell that my leg speed and not breathing was the limiting factor. Maybe it's time for 400s? I felt leg fatigue the rest of the day so didn't do anything else.

I'll run an easy hour tomorrow and do the 2 x 800s on Friday, then hope for the best. On Sunday I plan to go out at 6:15 per mile and see how long I can hold it. Pray for good weather!

Al Roker Running New York Marathon!

"I don't enjoy running. Somebody told me that running is 20 percent physically and 80 percent mental. I feel that if I'm running six miles, that sixth mile is the hardest," -nydailynews.com

MY COMMENT: Hope he makes it- the guy had stomach surgery and dropped 115 pounds! I'll be watching!

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Distance Running Tip- Intervals with Progression!

Which of the following workouts is more difficult?

6 x 800 in an ave of high 2:53s with 90 seconds recovery (last Tuesday)

8 x 800 in 2:57.5 with 60 seconds recovery (today)

Believe it or not, for me the 6 in high 2:53s felt harder. The point I'm trying to make is don't get stuck on the same interval routine week after week. Remember you have 4 different variables to play with- number of intervals, length of each interval, length of each rest interval, and time. The shorter rest today was tough, but I was able to maintain the slightly slower pace.

For the most part, I stick with 800 intervals, however once in a while I feel the need to drop it down to faster 400s if my progression with the 8s has slowed. (more of my thoughts on intervals here)

Weekly Summary:

Sun- 10K race, 7 miles total
Mon- 7 miles easy, 10x 100 swim
Tue- 5 miles easy, 4 miles bike
Wed- 10 miles easy
Thurs-am 6 miles including 6 x 200 meters at tempo pm: 2 miles with kids, 4 miles bike
Fri- 3 miles easy, 3 miles with some tempo
Sat- 8 x800, total 8 miles

Weekly total: 51 miles run
1,000 meters swim
8 miles bike

Note: Following the 10K race, I ran everything easy until Thursday when I started to gradually reintroduce some faster pace strides followed by Friday's little tempo run.

It must have worked because I felt strong (but not fast) today. I'm also pleased because my legs did not feel very beat up the day after that race- a positive sign that my conditioning is coming along.

I also tried a little experiment following the 8 x 800s this morning. I wanted to see if I could follow those up with 2 more 800s at 6:15 per mile pace. After a minute rest, I took off on what almost felt like a jog. Judging pace wasn't easy, but I was right on with a 3:07. I only took about 15 seconds before heading off for number 2, and actually caught myself daydreaming! As a result I slipped to 3:12 on the second one.

I'm going to keep this in mind for future workouts-I'm thinking 8 x 800s followed by 2 miles at 6:15 pace. Ouch!

Ryan Hall Withdraws From Chicago

Week after week I felt my overall energy and strength to be able to run the long tempo runs and long runs, which are so important to marathon training, gradually deteriorate. In an effort to restore my body I tried everything from nutritional supplements to acupuncture, yet nothing seemed to help. I tried resting from training for three days and I tried cutting all my afternoon runs until a couple of days ago, at which time it was clear that I was out of time and the only solution would be complete rest, which is why I am not going to race again until 2011. I am going to take a good break and then begin a much more gradual training cycle as I begin preparations for a spring marathon -Ryan Hall (Why I Decided To Not Run Chicago)

Besides the obvious (blood test to check for anemia other abnormalities) what should Hall do?

I found this interesting article Overtraining Effects On Performance: If you want to prevent staleness and overtraining, keep a record of your quality of sleep and levels of fatigue! that identifies poor sleep as a leading indicator.

From a personal perspective, I was running well a couple of years ago with a 2:55 at the 2008 Seattle Marathon and again in March 2009 at Napa Valley (see splits here). At the time I was only doing 17 mile long runs, and felt that I might improve if I got that up to 19 or 20. The problem was the longer run led to a longer recovery, and I ended up in a state similar to what Hall is describing. Looking back, I also underestimated the importance of sleep (I had my share of bad nights living upstairs in an adult family home).

Unless Hall is absolutely zapped, my recipe for recovery would be to come down from altitude for a month and just run comfortably as he feels and add some cross training until he snaps out of it. I'm not a believer in extended lay-offs because to do so requires a build-up, and those are never fun. Just my opinion, but I think that's the hard way to do it.

Here is more good insight on overtraining from Owen Anderson (I wondered whatever happend to him!) at educatedrunner.com.

Masters Legend Doug Kurtis Running Marathon Number 200

Lots of people (i.e. Marathon Manics) have run 200 marathons, but if you calculated his average finish time, I doubt anybody who has run 200 comes close to Doug Kurtis. Headsweats ambassador and marathon running legend, Doug Kurtis, is getting ready to run his 200th marathon on October 17th at the Detroit Free Press Marathon. Kurtis, 58, was a former director of the marathon

I have a couple of Doug Kurtis stories. Years ago I was on a 17 mile run in Stuart Florida and spotted a runner up ahead as I ran the Hutchinson Island stretch between Stuart Beach and Jensen Beach. I caught the guy and recognized him immediately- turns out his parents had a condo. We had a nice chat about training, etc. Cranking out a sub 2:20 marathon a month as he was doing back in those days, his long workouts were easy 7 min miles. As I recall he normally did one interval session a week but that was a long time ago.

At the 1994 Boston Marathon, I was 40 and looking for a masters PR. We had a tailwind, and I had an exceptional race finishing 2 hr 34, which I felt put me in the hunt for a top 10 finish. I went to the awards ceremony and 10th Masters Men was announced- 2 hr 25! Kurtis won that year in a masters course record of 2:15. I was 19th.

Distance Running Tip- Races Sometimes Exceed Expecations

Sunday was one of those days I realized why I do all the training. Running a 9.something kilometer race in Seoul, I knew right away that it was going to be a good day. The only bad news was that as I crossed the start mat and punched the start button on my Garmin 205, I heard 2 beeps, meaning it was probably stopped.

Staying out of trouble in a crowded start while screwing around with your GPS is not a good idea, but it took me a good 20-30 seconds to confirm that yes the thing was on. So much for measuring the course, but at least I could get my ave. pace.

Running in cool, overcast conditions I felt great the entire way- hitting the 5k with 6:03 showing on the ave. min per mile pace, finishing strong with a 6:08 average- that's 38 flat for 10K and trust me when I say that I was not slowing down. This course dipped down from the main road to follow a bike path along a river going out, which meant of course we had a hill to negociate on the return trip, hence the slow down. We also had a very slight headwind coming back, adding a few but not a lot of precious seconds to the final time of 36:03.

I finished 8th overall on a course that a friend of mine clocked at 9.47 kilometers with his Garmin (I guess the Koreans are just as concerned about course accuracy as Americans over here). Rounding off slightly, this was 500 meters short of 10K, so running 6:08 per mile (92 seconds per 400 meters), you could add 1:55 and come up with a tick under 38 for 10K.

That's a very good race for me, but the way I felt I am almost surprised that it wasn't a bit faster.

Another factoid about Korean races-other than the big races, they don't bother with age groups! Fine by me, unless they are giving out something worthwhile. The last thing I need is another certificate I can't read. I have enough of those from my years of racing on Okinawa.

(certificate above is from the DMZ 10K last month for finishing in the top 10)

Distance Running Tip- Be Ready on Race Day

Summary for Sept 19- 25

run: 47 miles
bike: 12 miles
swim: 1000 meters

My tri season has ended (2 races- spring and fall!) and I'm taking a breather from swimming and the bike to focus more on running. The temperatures and cooling and the weather has been fabulous the last few days!

I had a decent week with a long run of 12 miles on Sunday and quality intervals on Wed. I'm feeling better on hour runs but I still haven't done anything over 13 miles. I also haven't been on a sustained tempo run for a while, but at least that changes with tomorrow's 10K in Seoul.

Last month I did something a little unusual prior to racing - 2 x fast 800s on Friday, and another on Saturday (I even did a 4 mile bike!).

Why would I run fast like that the last 2 days before a 10K? Call it an experiment based on a version of this post I did a couple of years ago on how to taper.

I'm taking a more conservative approach this time, running 2 x 800s on Friday in 2:57 (9 seconds slower) and an easy 3 miles on Saturday followed by a comfortable 6 x 200 at race pace. I felt flat on the 800s (10 mile day on Thurs was too long), but better on the 200s. The real taper comes before a half marathon on October 10.

As everybody knows, better to error on the easy side.

Last month at the DMZ 10K I averaged 6:20 per mile- the goal tomorrow is 6:15 (the race is a short 9.28K)

Distance Running Tip- Intervals and When to Shut it Down

The benefits of interval training are anything but secret, so I'm wondering why so few runners take advantage?

More on that later, but today I wanted to share a piece of advice that I think is important when it comes to running intervals- how do you know you've done enough?

This morning I did 6 x 800 meters in 2:54, 2:55, 2:52, 2:54, 2:51, 2:57 with 90 seconds recovery. Intervals 2,4, and 6 were run into a slight headwind, so no surprise they were slower.

Why only 6? My general rule of thumb on intervals is when times drop off by more than 3 seconds, it's time to shut it down. While I was pretty confident I could squeeze out another low 2:50s on number 7 with the tailwind, I certainly was NOT keen on finding out what I had left for number 8 (I don't know why this is but I NEVER run an uneven number of intervals- it's always 4,6,8, 10, or more).

I like to compare each workout with a recent similar effort. Last week I did an interrupted 9 x 800 and averaged 3:04 (I know I said I never do an uneven number but this was one screwed up workout!). Today I ran 10 seconds faster (2:53.8 ave)! That's a huge improvement for 800s, and in terms of progression, a good reason in my mind NOT to incease volume. If I'd done those 9 all under 3 min last week, then perhaps I'd reconsider.

Another key indicator for me is this- if I can't jog the cool-down, that's a sign that I overextended in the workout. Today I was close- walking back to the apartment sure felt a lot better than slow jogging, so I split it and did a little of both. Clearly any more than 6 would have put me over the edge.

Other thoughts floating around in my head include an upcoming 10K race in just 4 days and the idea that I'd like to go out for an evening jog to pad my weekly miles. Another 2 intervals run to exhausion may affect both.

One other note- stopping at 6 leaves me 2 good options for my next interval workout- adding 2 more or cutting the rest to 60 seconds. If I was gearing up for a 5K, I'd probably cut the rest and keep it at 6, but with a half marathon as my primary goal, next time out I'll go for 8 and leave the recovery at 90 sec.

Distance Running Tip- Extend Your Rest!

Take the extra 8 hours in a day to recover following a longer workout by running in the evening! Sunday I ran 12 miles in the morning, and at this stage of fitness and age I normally find it difficult to do anything substantial the following morning (I ended up doing 8 miles on the bike rollers and 10 x 1000 meters swimming!). Then Monday after work I cranked out a respectable 8 mile run and felt halfway decent.

This works! You get 2 extra meals in addition to several hours of rest, making back to back running workouts much easier to handle. Now, the question remains what do I have left for Tuesday? Fortunately, this is a planned easy day so I can bounce back and be ready for intervals tomorrow!

(I'm searching for some scientific evidence to support this but so far have come up with nothing- not giving up though)

Brooks Ghost 2

Just ordered a pair of Brooks Ghost 2 for $56.87.

The reviews are mixed, so stay tuned!

Weekly Update Sept 12-18

Run- 41 miles
Bike- 41 miles
Swim- 3,400 meters

Summary: My long run was 11 miles on Sunday,the day following a 9 x800 meter workout. On Monday evening (with the extra 8 hours recovery), I felt good enough to run tempo the last 3 of a 6 miler. Wednesday was a good effort on 2 x 2 mile repeats, and Saturday's triathlon kept my weekly total miles from being higher.

10K in Seoul next Sunday!

Triathlon- If you want to run faster- bike more!

This morning I did a short triathlon on Camp Humphreys- 400 meter swim, 20 K bike, and 5K run.

SWIM: On Thursday I did 400 meters in 7:50 in the indoor 25 meter pool. Today, with a diving start I checked the watch at 8:13 when I emerged from the 50 meter outdoor pool. I guess that means the more wall push offs there are, the faster I can go.

T1: Run to the bike, on with the bike shoes, sleeveless top, helmet, sunglasses, and off I go. Probably a minute or more but I didn't bother to look.

BIKE: 2 x out and back on a relatively flat course. Coming back on the first leg I unexpectantly hit a bump and nearly lost it- unfortunately my water bottle flew out of it's cage meaning there wouldn't be any water until the run (fortunately, I had the foresight to plant another bottle in the transition area). I finished up with the bike computer reading 38:55 for 12.96 miles- call it 39 min for 13 miles. Ave speed read 19.9 mph. That's good for me.

T2- Off with the helmet and bike shoes, on with the running shoes. No fancy stretch laces so I spent the extra time lacing up. Chugged some water and dumped the rest over my head. No cloud cover today with a 9:15 am start- and no water on the bike I was getting warm.

RUN: Legs felt like crap- normal for right off the bike in a triathlon. I passed 2 guys who were doing what I call "the triathlon shuffle". They were running about as good as I can swim. Finished in 1:08:? 6th overall (the winner finished under 59 min- very strong bike leg!)

COMMENT: My lack of bike training really cost me on the run, as my legs never really came around so I could get rolling (or maybe it was the heat). I only bike 25-35 miles per week, 4 miles back and forth to work a few times a week, and 2 miles back to do the kids running program. I know that putting in an occasional longer bike would pay huge dividends on the run, but whoever said I was training for a tri? Post race weight was 124.

How to Run Faster: Lose Weight if You Need To!

Basically, you gain 1% in running speed for every 1% reduction in body fat. To put this in perspective, if you currently run a 10 K at a pace of eight minutes (8:00) per mile, losing 5% of your excess body fat will improve your time to 7:36 per mile (8:00 x 0.05 = 24 seconds faster; 8:00 - 0:24 = 7:36). Consequently, you will run the 10K about 2.5 minutes faster, and your marathon about 11 minutes faster. - Training to Improve Your Running Ability by Mel Williams, PhD

MY COMMENT: So lets say you weigh 150 pounds and are 15% fat (22.5 lbs of blubber). If you lost 5% as in Williams example, that would take you to 10%,(so now you carry 15 lbs of the stuff). You've dropped 7.5 pounds.

Another theory on body weight and running performance was offered up by Tom Osler, who believes every extra pound of flab cost you 2.5 seconds per mile .

Back to the example by Williams, a 7.5 pound drop in fat weight means you'll run 24 seconds per mile faster. Using Osler's theory, you will run just under 19 seconds per mile faster.

The formula mentioned by Williams is based on "oxygen consumption dynamics" measured in a lab, while Osler reviewed data from actual runners and their performances.

Remember- you can also go too low with your body fat percentage! Skinny world class male distance runners can be as low as 4-5%, but most of us carry more fat cells than they do and find it near impossible to get below 15%. You won't run well on a starvation diet either.

Workout Update Sept 15

Rather than bore you with the daily workouts, I've decide to only post the key workouts, along with a weekly summary. Today (Sept 15) I jogged a slow stop and go mile with Sumo,then ran at least 2 more.

2 x 2 miles with 5 min recovery. 12:29 and 12:27. I made it a point to keep the pace below anaerobic threshold and felt pretty good. I think I could have done another but then I would have been late for work. Considerably faster than the last time I did this workout (13:10 and 12:55)Aug 20. 8 miles total.

pm: 30 minutes of easy cycling on the rollers. Call it 8 miles

NOTE: Did a decent swim workout yesterday- 6 x 150 meters and I hit 2:51 on a couple in the middle-pretty quick for me (these are very similar effort and time wise to running 800s, at least for me). I'll get in the pool tomorrow and be ready for my tri on Sat!

What To Do With Your Old Running Shoes

If you have old shoes laying around, check out soles4soles, a charity that distributes dontated running shoes to the needy. Watch the video- wow!

Founded by Wayne Elsey, who also has an interesting blog titled Get off The Couch. I'll say this- Wayne is certainly passioniate about making a difference. What a great idea!

Week Summary Sept 5- Sept 11

Run- 42 miles
Bike- 24 miles
Swim- 2,000 meters

A light week, but one day off brought down the totals. If I use Monday through Sunday as my week, it looks like this:

Run- 53 miles
Bike- 24 miles
Swim- 3,000 meters

That's why I don't get too hung up on weekly totals. One day off doesn't make a difference, and in fact the rest may be needed.

Workout Update Sat Sept 11

am: Steady rain this morning so I hopped on the rollers for 30 minutes of cycling- call it 8 miles. I left a puddle of sweat on the floor, and weighed in at 123.2! Perhaps the scale was a bit off- I wish I'd done a pre-workout weight and double checked the post workout.

pm: How to salvage a screwed up workout! Jogged the half mile down to the start of an 800 I measured on the rice paddy roads. Wearing an old, tight-fitting pair of Adidas Boston's, I decided to go without socks, something I rarely if ever do. I happened to have run a couple of sockless interval workouts in these shoes before without blisters, however this time I added the HTP Heel Seats for extra protection. That changed everything.

This is a workout I wanted to go well, and it's been 3 weeks since my last intervals so I started comfortable finishing in 3:04. I decided on 90 seconds for recovery and came back in 3:03. Number 3 was going well until half way through I suddenly felt a hot spot on the back of my heel. I hate stopping in the middle of an interval so pushed it to the end in 3:06- a little tentative.

I removed my shoe which revealed torn skin, so there was no way to continue without some repairs. I limped it back home (one mile), taped up, changed to my favorite long distance racing flat (the discontinued Brooks Burn), and jogged the half mile back to the start.

The next interval went in 3:04, again a little slow. Coming back, with less than 30 seconds to go I spot a dog. As I got closer, I realized he was tied to the motorcycle of a Korean checking on his rice or something. Do I charge through and hope the dog can't catch me with bike in tow? Screw it- I had to stop,then slowly get by him and finish in 3:12.

The rest of the way went without incident- 3:01, 3:04, 3:00,3:00.

All in all, a total of 9 x 800 ave with 7 at 3:04 or faster. Total miles in this workout added up to 7. Hopefully one I can build on leading up to a 10K at the end of Sept and half marathon Oct 10.

Finally, while I'll probably feel it later, I had absolutely no sign of heel discomfort! And i just weighed in again at 123.2. No doubt I am a little dehydrated and need to monitor my weight more often. Light is good, but not if I'm low on fluid and glycogen.

Resistance Flexibility Training

I'm a fan of Bob Cooley who came up with this concept. I just wish I could figure out a good way to stretch my hamstrings without partner assistance! meridianstretching.com

Workout Update Fri Sept 10

pm: 7 miles in 60 min- wind and some pelting rain. I've had better runs. Spent the day on the train- to Daegu and back, about 3 hours each way. Deugu is hosting the track and field world championships in 2011- can't wait!

Workout Update for Thurs Sept 9

am: just a short jog with Sumo- he didn't want to do anything this morning.
pm: 2 miles with the kids including a few 300 meter races. Too tired to try intervals, but did 6 miles and a reasonable pace followed by 4 miles biking. I ran from home to work the long way to pick up my bike.

Workout Update for Wed Sept 8

am: easy 2 mile jog with Sumo,then easy 4 miles. 4 mile bike to work

pm: 1,000 meter swim

Weather permitting, I am planning some 800 repeats tomorrow so consider this a rest day. I haven't done intervals in about 3 weeks and now is the time to get back in.

World Mountain Running Championships

The men's race was held over a 12 kilometer course with more than 4,200 feet of vertical gain. The route started in a wide, grassy meadow and quickly merged into a paved and level roadway for the next kilometer. The terrain changed to a gravel road and started to climb. For the next 10.5 kilometers, the course varied from steep, rocky terrain through both forest and wide open spaces. There was one descent of 300' on this mostly uphill course.

"This (course) makes road running look like a walk in the park" -16th place finisher Max King (from runningusa) who has an 8:31 PR for the 3000 meter steeple and has also run for the US at the World Cross Country championships.

In this interview, King describes a 100 x 200 meter workout! Are you kidding? Sounds like something Jim Ryun would have relished back in his day.

King has some other interesting entries on his blog, but too bad he hasn't been able to keep it updated.

Workout Update Sept 7

am: 1 mile with Sumo then 8 miles easy.
pm: 1 mile with the kids
8 miles of biking.

Nothing special- my heel was pain free running in the morning but I feel it slightly this evening. I am planning on a hard long interval session later this week. Thursday or Friday.

Nice pic and story in runnersworld about Rachel Booth who I did some long runs and interval workouts with in Okinawa- another Wisconsinite running well!