High Intensity Intervals!

So you think you work hard on your intervals? Check out the videos Part I and II by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a osteopathic physician who is well known for his nutrition and health recommendations that often go "against the grain" of traditional advice. http://mercola.com

This particular workout is designed to boost metabolism (Mercola was once a competitive pairs figure skater, and according to his bio once ran the Chicago Marathon in just over 3 hours).

Workout Log Jan 16-22

Sun: Nothing- sick and recovering from yesterday

Mon: 2.5 miles with Sumo, then 6.5 miles

Tues: 2 miles with Sumo, then 6 miles

Wed: 2 miles with Sumo, then 7.5 miles with 2 miles under 13 minutes. I ran over to the outdoor track and ran on the artificial turf for 2 miles. I didn't catch the time on the first one but mile 2 was similar (6:24).

Thurs: 4.5 miles. Tired

Fri: 2 miles with Sumo, than 5 x 1 mile indoors in 6:30-6:35. 3 min recovery. It's impossible to run fast on this 10 lap track, but I wanted to get some sub 7 min miles in and hopefully not be trashed for tomorrow's long run.

Sat: 2.7 miles with Sumo, then 15.3 miles. The footing was ridiculous. We got some light snow that did a great job covering up the ice. I made a big mistake by running the trails rather than the roads on base- had a foot slip at least a dozen times and finally did go down with a mile to go. Hamstring is still an issue on these long ones- but more than likely I aggravated in on Friday.

Total for the week= 56 miles with a day off. Not bad but no quality. I am going to start tracking the number of sub 7 min miles- only 7 this week. Hamstring and weather are major roadblocks.

Can The Common Cold be Cured?

Probably not, but there is some evidence that you can shorten it.

Researchers at Charité -- University Medicine Berlin were the first to show that a specific food supplement made from fruit and vegetable juice concentrates significantly reduced the number of days with severe cold symptoms. -ScienceDaily.com The secret? Juice Plus, a fruit and vegetable concentrate.

I just have 2 questions- who paid for this research and can V-8 produce the same results?

According to webmd.com, Researchers aren't clear about the exact role saunas play in prevention, but one 1989 German study found that people who steamed twice a week got half as many colds as those who didn't. One theory: When you take a sauna you inhale air hotter than 80 degrees, a temperature too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive. That's good enough for me. I've been in the sauna twice in the last 3 days.

Other remedies include Vitamin C and Zinc. I'm taking 4,000 mg of Vitamin C and 30 mg of zinc daily.

I'm drinking low sodium V-8 but only in the morning.

Workout Log Jan 9-15

Sun: 2 with Sumo, then 10 miles in 73 on the indoor Supergym track, 2 mile jog. Too windy to get a decent workout outside, so I just made up my mind to run 10 indoors. This track is 10 laps to the mile with very tight turns so not a bad workout. 120 laps is probably not a good idea to repeat too often though.

Mon: 2 mile jog with Sumo, then 5 x 150 meters swim

Tues: 3 mile jog with Sumo, then 3 miles in 19:30s on the indoor track again.

Wed: 11.5 miles - a few inches of snow fell overnight so this was a long very easy jog on poor footing that I enjoyed. My legs felt fresh after 2 low mileage days. pm: 5 x 150 meter swim

Thurs: 6.5 miles

Fri: 3 mile with Sumo and still fighting off a cold.

Sat: 2.7 miles with Sumo, then 15.3 miles in 2 hr 14. Not feeling very good but got in the miles. Spent my entire Sunday in bed recovering.

Total for the week = 59 miles

Comments: I have a cold, the weather has been rough at times, and my hamstring is still not 100%- in other words I still feel it and must be cautious running sub 7 min miles. In other words,things are not going well for my marathon preparation (March 20). My weekly totals are not bad, but I am sorely lacking quality workouts. All I can do is keep plugging along and hope to get through this bad stretch.

Workout Log Jan 2-8

Sun: 8 miles slow, swim workout
Mon: 8.5 miles slow, short bike
Tues: 5 miles slow, swim workout, pm: 1.5 miles
Wed: 9 miles slow
Thurs: 9.5 miles slow, swim workout (5 x 150 meters)
Fri: 3 miles, then 15 x .2 miles under 7 min pace, 2 mile cooldown (8.5 miles total)
Sat: 3 miles slow pm: swim (5 x 150 meters)

Total for the week= 53 miles

Despite a slight hamstring problem (caused by stretching) I was able to get in several easy runs. Finally on Friday I felt able to do something other than slow jogging. I found a .2 mile clear stretch of back road near my house (most back roads are snow and ice covered). Despite 3 degrees F in the early morning I did 15 x .2 mile with about 30 sec recovery- I didn't time them - too cold to check the watch! I did peek at the GPS and noticed that most of the time my speed hit 6:40s, enough to wake up some muscle fibers that have not been used for a while!

This wasn't a great week, but not a bad one either- when you run very slow you spend more time on your feet. It's almost like altitude training- you can get very fit (endurance)with high volume slow running but you won't run fast until you get back into doing some quality.

I've gotten back into the pool hoping to make up for the lack of intensity with some quality anaerobic work- it will take a couple of weeks to get back some of the upper body fitness I've lost so I can hold the intensity.

Ryan Hall Carries His Arms Too Low

Compare Ryan's arm carriage in this video to the one below of his American record half marathon performance in 2007. I see a clear difference in the angle at the elbow and his hands are now consistently swinging below hip level. Unfortunately, the quality of the American record video isn't the greatest, and the soundtrack is even worse, but you can clearly see that his elbows are breaking 90 degrees and his hands are consistently held higher.

I believe a lower arm carriage can make a significant difference in energy cost over 26 miles. According to Coach Roy Benson,
To see how tightening the angle at your elbow will make your arms swing through their range of motion quicker, picture a pendulum like the one in a grandfather clock as it swings back and forth with a counterweight attached. The length of the arc of the pendulum swing will depend on the center of gravity of the pendulum, and that’s determined by the position of the counterweight. The lower the center of gravity, the longer the arc and hence the more time the clock takes to record each swing. Thus, If the clock is too slow, by raising the counterweight, you’ll raise the center of gravity and thus shorten the arc of the swing back and forth. In short, the clock speeds up and runs faster. -runningtimes.com

I know about this because I have the same bad habit.



In case you are not familiar with Ryan Hall, check out his bio at wikipedia.

Heel Striker or Forefoot Debate- Watch the Video!

Elite Men in the 2010 Boston Marathon - Super Slow Motion from Runblogger on Vimeo.

Should you be trying to change if you are a heel striker? Excellent info at runblogger.com. Thanks Pete!

Workout Log Dec 26-Jan 1: Running with a Cold!

Sun: 3 miles with dogs (I am watching the neighbor's), then 8 miles. Legs are beat.
Mon: 1.5 miles with the dogs, then 6.5 miles. pm: 3 miles with the dogs.
Tues: 8 miles (coming down with a cold)
Wed: 8 miles
Thurs: 1.5 miles with Sumo, then 6.5 miles. Snow and slippery!
Fri: 14.5 miles on snow covered trail- 2 hr 8 min. Last mile was tough. The good news is other than a little congestion cold symptoms are nearly gone.

Sat: 2 miles with Sumo,then 8.5 miles. All slow. PM: 500 meters swimming, some jump rope.

I was lucky to survive a cold without missing any days- the miles were slow but I got them in. I do have some sort of strange leg discomfort going on- feels like a hamstring, adduction problem that improves once warmed up. Need to be careful because I want to start hitting some tempo stuff soon. Back to cross training workouts!

Total for the week = 71 miles ALL SLOW!

Is Running on a Treamill Harder Than Outside?

Logic says that hopping on a treadmill is easier than running outside- no wind, the belt is moving, and so on. The other day I hopped on for a short workout and was suffering at 8 mph, 1% grade. On the other hand, I had no trouble averaging that pace on a tight 10 lap track despite jogging the turns.

Others have reported the same opinion that treadmill running feels more difficult. letsrun.com.

I like one comment at pponline.com

Running on a treadmill is easier since you don't have the wind resistance when you are running on road. Your muscles have to adjust though to the differences of the treadmill vs road running. A person running road for years and then jumping on a treadmill and finding it harder is a no brainer. The opposite could be said also. A person running only on a treadmill and then jumping on the road would find that harder.

Great discussion on the physics behind the question on the letsrun.com message board.

Workout Log Dec 19-25

Sun Dec 19: 2 miles with Sumo, then 9 miles. Felt good.
Mon Dec 20: am: 2 miles with Sumo, then 7 miles in some of the thickest fog I've ever seen. Before sunrise I could not see more than 10-15'. pm: 10 x 100 swim
Tues Dec 21: am: 2 miles with Sumo, then 3 miles in 25 min on the treadmill. pm: 3.5 miles with Sumo
Wed Dec 22: am: 2.5 miles with Sumo, then 7 miles
Thurs Dec 23: am: 1 mile with Sumo, then 15 miles in 2 hrs. Felt good until the last mile.
Fri Dec 24: am: 3 miles on the treadmill, then 2 miles on the track, 7:30 and 7:00 (this is with a jog around the tight turns)
Sat Dec 25: am: 1 mile warm up, then 5K in 19:16 (6:15 pace), 1 mile cool-down. I felt ok but with a minus 2 F windchill and no sub 7 min miles in about a month what can I expect?

Total for the week= 64 miles

Christmas Day 5K in 19:16

Not a great time, but everybody seemed about a minute slow today- about 10 degrees with a little wind. A little disppointed the time but 6:15 per mile isn't bad without any intervals in nearly a month and a pretty hard 15 miles on Thursday. At least the course was accurate for once!

Map Your Workouts!

Name: 2010/12/22
Type: Regular Run
Date: 12/22/2010
Start: 17:59:36
End: 19:56:12
Time Taken: 01:56:36
Workout Route: 2010/12/22 Import
Total Distance: 15.00 mi.
Burned: 1,774 (kcal)

Go to MapMyRun.com and sign up! Of course you'll need to upload data from a Garmin.

The Best Running Movie Ever

According to a poll by top running website letsrun.com , Fire on the Track: The Steve Prefontaine Story comes in at #1. Only 58 minutes long, so I am curious about the 3.5 hours of bonus interviews included with this Collectors Edition.

Improve Your Marathon Without Extra Training!

MY COMMENT: OK you have me convinced. I don't have access to Somax but I can stretch!

30 Second Sprint Runs Improve 10K Time

In a recent scientific study just published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Bangsbo and co-workers demonstrate that by reducing the volume of training by 25% and introducing the so-called speed endurance training (6-12 30-s sprint runs 3-4 times a week), endurance trained runners can improve not only short-term but also long-term performance. -Runners: Train Less and Be Faster (Nov 2009)

MY COMMENT: I'm not doing this! "the runners improved their 10-km time by 1 min from 37.3 to 36.3 min after just 6-9 weeks of changed training. Six of the participating 12 runners obtained a new personal record on the 10-km"

Logic tells me this will help all the way up to the marathon distance!

Drink According to Thirst During a Marathon

The three groups, by time, and their weight loss:

Those who finished under three hours averaged a 3.1% body weight loss.
Those who finished between three and four hours lost 2.5%.
Those who took more than four hours to finish lost 1.8%.-Weight Loss During Marathon Improves Running Time

MY COMMENT: Ok, this is exactly the opposite of you would expect, but Tim Noakes, an expert on hydration and heat related problems, has been on the trail of optimal hydration during marathon and ultra events for several years and knows his data.

What I'm wondering about is what the runners weighed just prior to the start of this marathon compared to their normal weight (I assume when you are optimally hydrated and carb. loaded you are a 2-3 pounds heavy, which makes this finding even more amazing! I'd also like to know the average body weight of runners in each group- my guess is the faster runners were lighter, yet they lost the highest percentage of total weight. (note: I'm too cheap to pay for access to the orginal article published in the British J of Sports Med)

Noakes is clear on this: "Drinking either more or less than to thirst impairs exercise performance".

Marathon Training- Don't Try This!

On a typical school day, Westover is awake by 4:45 a.m. and setting her treadmill to 9 miles per hour (a 6:40 per-mile clip); she does 15 to 20 miles at that pace before work. She's showered and out the door by 7:10 to start the 20-minute commute to the public school in Charlestown, N.H., where she teaches from 8 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. After the school day -- and any requisite faculty meetings -- she heads to Fall Mountain Regional High School at around 4:40 in the afternoon to do a 10- to 15-mile run at 6:30-6:45 pace with her coach, Larry Sayers.
-Heidi Westover High-mileage teacher

MY COMMENT: Are you kidding? Westover has run a 2:35 and 1:11 for the half, but 200 miles a week, much of it run at a quick tempo pace and half of her workouts on a treadmill? There are not many American runners, male or female, that could handle this workload.

I'll be tracking her results in the future. Good luck Heidi!

Hanson's Marathon Training Program

Unlike some other elite running programs, the Brooks Hansons Distance Project has no qualms about sharing their training secrets.

In the January, 2011 issue of Runners World, Adam Buckley Cohen shares his Chicago Marathon experience after following the Hansens training program (New Year New You: Way of the Renegades ) that included no long runs beyond 16 miles!

According to Kevin Hansen, "..it’s not like running the first 16 miles of a marathon, it’s more like the last,".

The Hansens (Kevin and brother Keith) designate 3 key workouts a week- the long run, the marathon tempo, and the speed/strength workout. In preparing for the last several marathons I've done, I've made it a point to rest the day prior and after the hard long run. Hansens, on the other hand, insert an off day prior to a mid week marathon tempo run up to 10 miles, but sandwich the longest runs between workouts up to 8 miles. Tough!

Weekly Workout Summary

Sun Dec 12 am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 8 miles. First run after a week off.

Mon Dec 13 am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 5 miles. pm: 2 miles with Sumo

Tues Dec 14 am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 10 x 100 meters swim. pm: 2 miles with Sumo

Wed Dec 15 am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 7 miles. pm: 20 min bike

Thurs Dec 16 am: 2 miles with Sumo, then 7 miles.

Fri Dec 17 pm: 2 miles indoors- one mile in 7:30 and 2 x 800 under 3:20. This was on the 10 lap indoor Super Gym track- just wanted to ease back into some quicker runs. Jogged around the corners. 8 x 100 meter swim.

Sat Dec 18: am: 2 miles with Sumo, then 14 miles in 2 hours. Some ice so had to run slow. I didn't feel bad until the last mile, then was only able to shuffle home.

Total for the week= 63 miles.

Why Kids Should Run

Boys’ skill windows reside between the ages of 9 and 12 and for girls between 8 and 11.

It’s argued that if this is not done during the appropriate skill windows, then whether it be speed or another skill, the adult will never be able to achieve their true physical potential. This is something to ponder on -Coaching Young Athletes to Produce Future Stars

Kids need to run!

Cold Hands May Help in the Heat

The available research suggests that immersion of the hands for 10 minutes in cold water at a temperature of 15°C can lower core temperature and aid recovery/performance -Physiology in sport: keeping your hands cool can help your performance




Interesting concept- I wonder if somebody is working on glove/sleeve technology designed to keep your hands and forearms cool!

Angkor Wat Half Marathon Results

How about that? I was 15th (14th male). Angkor Wat Half Marathon Results

No doubt I was in shape to contend for top ten, but lack of heat training and a hard race the week before didn't help.

I have not run a step since the race, traveling Vietnam where running is no easy task. Can't wait to get started again!

Ankor Wat Half Marathon Summary

The last few hot weather races in Korea I wore the loose Sleeveless Under Armour T-shirt and experienced no problems (I don't like the feel of their tight version). Today for some reason I went with the sleeveless Nike Dri-fit. Big mistake.

Looking at the 2 shirts now, I realize the Underarmour is thinner and much lighter, crucial when running in warm, humid temperatures. This morning once my Dri Fit got wet, it felt uncomfortably heavy and never lived up to it's name.

Hoping to stay cool and feeling strong, I went out at around 6:15 per mile, but I could tell early that this was going to be a tough day. I began pouring water over my head at every water station, but all that seemed to do was weigh down my shirt, and I noticed the skin on my face and arms was soon bone dry- and that's a problem. Was pouring water somehow inhibiting my sweat response (to be honest, I am going to have to do some reaearch on that one)? A more likely explanation was my failure to acclimatize sufficiently.

Thinking I might begin to sweat, I abandoned that strategy and slowed the pace to avoid a major blow-up. While I did take water early on, after half I didn't drink much since my gut felt full. I began feeling better and while I wasn't going to get back down to 6:15s, I did hold a steady pace sub 7 to finish in 1:26 something, or a 6:30 per mile ave according to my GPS-and my Dri-fit was still soaking wet (I am not positive but pretty sure I finished 18th or 19th).

This one could have ended up much, much worse. Right now, about 11 hours after we started, the temperature in Siem Reap sits at 29 C or 84 F with 66% humidity and the sun is down.

I wasn't ready for these conditions.

Angkor Wat Half Marathon

Got into Cambodia around 11 pm- 1 am Korea time I so was beat. I did 6 x 800 yesterday around 3 min (under with the tailwind, over against the wind), so the combination of that plus 8 hours of sitting (bus and plane), my legs felt pretty rough this morning.

Obviously it's hot, but I got out around 7 am for 5 miles and it didn't feel too bad. The 0630 race starting time, plus, at least according to one source, water every 2.5 kilometers on the course should be enough to keep dehydration at bay.

This race is bigger than I thought- more than 4,000 in all the races. Angkor Wat Half Marthon They also offer a 100K bike tour on Sat!

Christmas Gift Idea

I love my Garmin Forerunner 205- use it to track distance and speed or find yourself out of a confusing trail.