High School Cross Country: When do you step in?

I would not gotten this kid help after the 5th runner on my team swept by.

8th Grade Boys Run 4:43 Mile!

Stretching Before Running

The most significant risk factors for injury were a history of chronic injury or recent injury in the past four months, and a higher body mass index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight).

In addition, the runners found that starting -- or abandoning -- a pre-run stretching regimen was more hazardous than just sticking with a usual routine.

-yahoo health

My comment: Don't make any sudden changes in your normal routine!

Branched Chain Amino Acids May Help Distance Runners

(image from wikipedia.com)

BCAA supplementation increases resistance to fatigue and enhances lipid oxidation during exercise in glycogen-depleted subjects.
-Branched-chain amino acids supplementation enhances exercise capacity and lipid oxidation during endurance exercise after muscle glycogen depletion. Looks like subjects did a long glycogen depletion exercise bout followed by a short, maximal stress test the following day. (note only 7 subjects in this study)

Good summmary of branched chain amino acids at HealthNews

New Rules for Lifting Abs

Forget crunches and take a look at these New Rules for Lifting Abs. Great ideas for developing core strength. Can you hold the plank position for 2 minutes?

I'm ordering New Rules for Lifting Abs!

Life at These Speeds

“Definitely my favorite book! A beautiful tribute to all runners, and a reminder that being true to yourself is more important than setting records.”

—Alan Webb, national record holder for the high school mile, at 3:53.43


I bought Life at These Speeds years ago but reread it on vacation. A little far-fetched but well written. 800 meter runners out there might especially enjoy this one!

Back from the Phlippines!

Following a hot 10 x 800 meter beach workout- I was wasted!


I just returned from 4 days in Boracay- a nice break from the frigid temperatures and a chance to get in at least a couple of quality workouts.

It was hot so I was out the door by 6 am every day. While I didn't run many miles (8 was my longest day), I did a couple of quality beach workouts including 10x 800 in 3:09-3:12 (except the first two in 3:15).

The question is, will this break hurt my chances of running well in the Seoul Marathon on March 20, less than 4 weeks away? I'm hoping not.

B.A.A. Announces New Boston Marathon Registration Procedure

In 2012, the BAA will institute rolling admission for qualifiers with the fastest runners being allowed to enter first. The field will be filled with the fastest of all qualifiers.

Then, in 2013, the BAA will make it more difficult to qualify by lowering time standards by five minutes across all age groups and both genders. -boston.com

Steve Magness Hired by NIKE

Steve Magness, who ran 4:01 for the mile as a high school senior, probably dreamed of getting a NIKE contract one day. But never in his wildest dreams did he expect to get one as an employee, and not a runner.

Magness, who has a degree in Exercise Science, maintains a Science of Running blog and occasionally publishes in Running Times, received an unexpected phone call from Alberto Salazar, who just happened to need an assistant and liked what he'd seen from Magness. “I’ll tell (Magness) this is what I’m doing, and he can look at it and give me the scientific basis for it,” Salazar said.

Magness will also be assigned with tracking the daily data from the runners in Salazar’s group and analyzing every aspect of training, diet, sleep, etc.

And he can also be where Salazar isn’t, so that when athletes fly in different directions for races fewer of those trips will be made alone.

So before he knew it, Magness was on a plane accompanying NIKE runner Galen Rupp to Germany. -trackfocus.com


MY COMMENT: I think this is a good investment by NIKE, and probably cheaper than the Cyrotherapy Space Cabin they purchased last fall. In case you didn't know, Salazar has cardiac disease, high blood pressure, and who knows what else going on, so Magness can take some of the pressure off during peak racing season.

Workout Update

Sumo has been a faithful running buddy since October 1998!












I guess I need to use my garmin for every run and enter it into dailymile.com. I don't see a way to enter post dated miles.

This was another very good week for me.

Sun: 3 miles with Sumo, then I did 2 laps around Camp Humphreys hard, finishing up 10 miles at 67 minutes. Felt good. 13 miles, 10 under 7 min/mile

Mon: I was pleasantly surprised that there was no soreness today. I did an easy 2 in the morning and after work with Sumo. 4 miles total

Tues: 2 miles with Sumo, then 5 miles at the outdoor track. Running on the artifical turf I averaged 6:20s for the first 3 but each mile was progressively slower as leg fatigue set in. Normally I would have just shut in down and jogged some more but wanted to see how my legs would feel pushing it for 2 more. I took no more than 3-4 minutes to remove a layer of sweats and reeled off 2 miles on the track under 12 minutes, only feeling tired on the last lap. I can't explain how I was able to come back so well. 7 miles total, 5 under 7 min/mile, 2 under 6 min/mile.

Wed: 2 miles with Sumo, then 8 miles in 55 minutes. Felt pretty good but I had to push pretty hard the last mile, especially against a moderate wind to keep it under 7 min pace. Another long tempo in the books! 10 miles, 8 under 7 min/mile

Thurs: 2 miles with Sumo, then 6 miles easy in about an hour.

Fri: 2 miles with Sumo, then 4 x 800 on the rice paddy roads near my place. All were run within 1-2 seconds either side of 3 minutes with 1:40 rest. I had to run nearly flat out to hit my target, and cannot explain why the track is so much easier (I use the GPS there also). I will remeasure this distance one more time and hope it's a little long. All I know is on these road 800s I have to dig much deeper and breathing becomes a limiting factor. On the track, leg fatigue plays a greater role. 4 miles with 2 under 7 min/mile and 6 min per mile

Sat: 2 miles with Sumo, then 16 miles in 2 hr 19 min. Legs were beat but that's the purpose! I had intended on giving a shot at 15 miles under 7 min but threw that idea out the window with wind chill in the single digits this morning. Can't wait to see how my legs recover. 18 total miles.

Total for the week was 64 miles, with 25 miles under 7 min per mile and 4 at 6 min per mile.

USA Cross Country Nationals

You can catch a live webcast of the race at runnerspace.com starting at 9:45 PST, Feb 5.

I still believe American distance runners are "missing the boat" on cross country. Getting away from the track in the fall and winter with focus on cross country builds strength for outdoor track without the potential for burn-out.

A list of entries can be found at usatf.org. I'll be intested to see how former U of Minnesota star Megan Duwell runs (Megan now runs for McMillan Elite in Flagstaff). Megan's dad and uncle were college teammates of mine at U of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Heidi Westover

Remember Heidi Westover, the high mileage teacher who runs up to 200 miles per week (see post here)?

Heidi (1 hr 11 min PR in the half marathon) ran 1:15:16 last weekend in Houston (results).

Had she run 1:11, I would tell Heidi to keep doing what she is doing. Pure speculation, but I suspect she would run faster by cutting back on miles and focusing a little more on quality/tempo.

Workout Update: Big Week!

The geese were out yesterday!

Seoul Marathon in just 42 days!

Sun: 2 miles with Sumo, then 8 miles

Mon: 2 miles with Sumo, then 7 miles (6:55 per mile ave)

Tues: 2 miles with Sumo, then 3 miles on the treadmill with 5 or 6 two minute repeats at 8%. I haven't run up a hill in weeks!

Wed: We finally got a break in the weather so with temps. in the mid teens after a 2 mile jog with Sumo I laced up my light-weight pair of Brooks Launch and drove to the outdoor, .2 mile track for some 800s. I hit the first one in 3:06, then 3:02, but the next 8 were all 2:55-2:57 for a final average of 2:58 with an average rest of 1:40-1:45. I'm not saying this was easy but compared to some of my other Yasso 800 workouts I would have to say it was. I even had thoughts of tacking on one more sub 3 just so I didn't have to count the first slow one. One mile cool down so 8 miles for the day. The stepped up tempo and long interval workouts must be working!

Thurs: 2 miles with Sumo, then 6 miles easy. Seems like I haven't done an easy distance run in a while so this one felt good.

Fri: Lunar New Year and a day off, so I was torn- do I try adding on more sub 7 minute miles or go long (2 hours plus)? Common sense took over and I decided that I've been lacking long runs, so after 3 with Sumo I added on another slow 16 miles. I stopped several times, not really caring about the time on this one. 19 miles total.

Sat: Usually the day following a long one is dedicated to recovery and cross training, but given the slow pace yesterday I decided to see how my legs would feel running a few short miles at marathon pace. After a 2 mile jog with Sumo, I headed to the track again (even though the rice paddy roads are now clear) for a short tempo run. I was shocked to see my GPS average speed hovering just under 6:20 or so though one mile and 12:32 through 2. Feeling OK, I decided to tack on another 2 miles, bringing it home in 24:20- 6:05 pace with the last 2 each under 6.

Totals for the week= 66 miles, 16 miles under 7 min pace, with 7 of those miles under 6 min pace

This week was a big confidence boost, especially those 800s and the 4 miles at 6:05 pace this morning. I've still got some hamstring issues so intend to add some strength training exercises.

Note: Who knows if it makes a difference but I've started taking 200 mg of Co-Q 10 (50 mg in the Cooper Elite Supplement 2 x daily plus 50 mg CoQ10 twice a day. A quick look at the research revealed no benefits with 100 mg per day, however one study out of Japan did report "measurable improvements in performance during exercise and a marked reduction in fatigue after exercise."

Distance Running Tip: Dynamic Warm-up at Runnersworld.com

Give your hips more range of motion with this excellent dynamic warm-up at runnersworld.com. I could use more of these!

Workout Update- 25 miles This Week 7 Min per Mile or Faster

Sat: Today I had planned to try for 15 miles but the wind and temperatures send me to the indoor track. I didn't feel very good but turned in a good workout. That last one was hard!

2 miles with Sumo
3 miles in 20 minutes (6:40 per mile), x 3, resting about 7 minutes.

Total for the week= 50 miles
Total miles run 7 min per mile or faster= 25 (ave pace 6:40 per mile) See yesterday's post.

Track with a Hill

This is in Spain and I think it's real. architizer.com

New Marathon Training Strategy

Here are the facts:

1. I've got a marathon in less than 2 months, with a sub 3 hour goal in mind.

2. I've been logging in some decent miles (close to 60 per week).

3. Until recently, all of it has been slow, and I mean 8:30 to 9 min mile pace slow. Continuing down this path is not going to get it done, even with 18-20 mile runs.

4. Running tempo or interval workouts in the dead of winter in South Korea is not easy.

So here is my new plan. Rather than focusing on weekly miles, I decided to see just how many miles I could run at or under 7 minutes per mile (a 3 hour marathon is 6:52 pace). My theory is very simple. The more miles run at marathon pace or faster, the easier that pace is going to feel on race day. Just a guess, but I feel that averaging 26 sub 7 minute miles per week for the next 4-5 weeks should be enough. The trick will be to keep the pace of any one workout from getting too fast so I can run these workouts on consecutive days.

This is going to require running some workouts on the indoor, tight 10 lap per mile track, or the outdoor (yes they did remove the snow) track when early morning temperatures are hovering in the single digits.

So far so good.

Monday: 3 miles on the indoor track in 18:58 (approx. 6:20 pace).

Tues: 5 x 1 mile on the indoor track with 60 sec walk recovery.
6:48, 6:34, 6:34, 6:33, 6:32 Time for the 5 miles including rest was 37:08. This workout is almost a modified Galloway with planned walking breaks. The indoor air is very dry, so the short break enabled me to get water. I also found the 1 mile goals much easier mentally compared to running 50 non-stop laps.

Wed: 3 miles on the outdoor track in 20:11 (6:44 pace) The track is a 3 mile jog from home, so I got in 10 miles total (including 2 with the dog to start the morning).

Thurs: Getting out of bed I was contemplating something similar to Wed, however I wasn't too confident my legs would respond. So instead of the extra 6 slow miles to the track and back, I came up with the novel idea to DRIVE, and felt good enough to run 5 miles in 35 minutes flat. Still an 8 mile day including 2 miles with Sumo and a one mile cool-down. The good news is this pace was comfortable enough that I actually found myself daydreaming to pass the time! That's a good sign.

Fri: Today is just a slow 3-4 mile jog.

Sat: The plan is to go on base and run the perimeter (5 miles) x 3 at 7 min miles (as always, weather permitting), probably with a 5 minute break between each. For the week I've got 16 miles in at 7 min per mile or faster, so if I can do at least 10 more tomorrow I've accomplished my new goal. Stay tuned!

Tommy Fulton: Whatever Happened To?

Back in the spring of 1973, I was in Arkadelphia, Arkansas for the NAIA National Track and Field Championships, and had the opportunity to witness an amazing performance by a Texas Southern runner by the name of Tommmy Fulton.

He's a guy you've never heard of, but take a look at what he did at NAIA in 1973 (Mike Boit won the bronze in 800 meters in the '72 Olympics and ran a 3:49 mile in 1981! He had his hands full and more racing against Fulton. If I recall correctly, that was the first sub 4 minute mile run in the state of Arkansas). Counting heats, Fulton raced 8 times over a 3 day span.

1973 NAIA

Wednesday, May 23

7:45 pm 1 mile heats
1. 4:08.3 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
2. 4:08.8 Mike Boit, Eastern New Mexico

9:20 pm 880 heats
1. 1:50.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern

10:30pm 3 mile heats
1. 13:58.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
-------------------------

Thursday, May 24

8:40 pm 880 semi-finals
1. 1:50.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern

9:20 pm 3 mile final
1. 13:33.4 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
2. 13:34.2 Rex Maddaford Eastern New Mexico
3. 13:38.2 Phillip Ndoo Eastern New Mexico
-----------------------------

Friday, May 25

7:45 pm 1 Mile final
1. 3:57.8 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern
2. 3:58.5 Bob Maplestone, Eastern Washington
3. 4:00.3 Mike Boit, Eastern New Mexico

8:45 pm 880 final
1. 1:47.7 Mike Boit, Eastern New Mexico
2. 1:48.8 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern

9:15 pm 6 mile final
1. 28:42.2 Peter Fredrikkson,
2. 28:55.2 Tommy Fulton, Texas Southern

I found this at letsrun.com.

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!