Initial Thoughts on Deagu

First off- that 16 oz beer cost me only 2500 won- not much over $2! The problem was, they were selling out so fast you had to look hard for one that was even cool. Eventually they just started storing them in freezers with the ice cream.

Second- thinking I was going to eat something at the track, I put off dinner, and I won't be making that mistake again. I ended up with some kind of dried fish and a bag of chips for dinner. What I would have given for some Miller Park food!

Third- getting there was simple- they had shuttle busses ready at Dongdaegu station that took us right to the track. Getting home was another story- after waiting in a non-moving bus line I took off decided to join a crowd of spectators leaving on foot- presumably to the nearest subway station. I presumed correct and got back to Dongdaegu with about 30 min to spare prior the last train departing to Waegwan. I finally got back to my hotel right around midnight.

Tonite the meet goes even later, so I am thinking I might get a head start and skip the women's 100 meter, check the bus line, or just jog the 1.5 miles or so to the subway. Hope I make it.

Finally, I am undecided if Usain Bolt is good for the sport or not. No question he was the reason many were there last night (I spoke to one Korean guy in line that took the KTX fast train down from Seoul and was heading back right after) but his antics were starting to get a little over the top for me. I admit seeing him false start and get dq'd was something that I thought was just what the doctor ordered to tone down his act. We'll see if he takes it out on the 200 meter guys.

The 10K went about as expected in a world championship- nobody wants to take it out resulting in a slow early pace with a mad dash at the end. Poor Galen Rupp never had a chance.

Off to Daegu and the Cycling Debate

I am heading down to Daegu to watch some of the track and field world championships shortly. Started the day with a hard 13.1 mile run in 1 hr 33 min.

I am still debating the benefits of cycling during hard training. I don't do long rides, but over the last 2 days I have covered 20 miles, some of it pretty high intensity. I'm pretty sure those miles made today's run more difficult, but is that good or bad? What's more effective, running 1:33 on tired legs or 1:28 on fresh ones?

Almost half of today's run was on dirt and stones, not very fast, so I am optimistic that I can knock this time down further (last week I did 1 hr 36).

Start Young! Youth Triathlon Camp on Humphreys

Day I- swimming and Transition 1. This will be fun to see the kids put it all together on race day this Saturday.

AFX Ankle Foot Maximizer

Check out this AFX Ankle Foot maXimizer designed to strengthen muscles below the knee-something every runner could possibly benefit from. I've watched the videos and agree the traditional approaches to strengthening those tissues (bands, curling a towel with your toes, etc.) are inferior to this device) for preventing or treating common running injuries such as shin splints or plantar fascitis.

Should You Spend More on Running Shoes?

I stumbled onto this video, of all places, on the yahoo finance page Should You Save or Splurge on Running Shoes?

Bottom line is they recommend that you splurge, and I could not disagree more. For the most part, I've been able to stick to the $50 or less for running shoes rule for as long as I can remember, with few exceptions. I routinely look for shoes marked clearance, discount, discountinued, 20% or more off, sale, you name it.

My guess is it's more important for you to run more off-road if you want to reduce injury.

Check out one of my posts from 2009 Why Expensive Running Shoes May Be a Waste of Money.

sub 7 min miles

Sun: 15 miles in 2 hours
Mon: 10 mile bike, pm 500 meter swim in 10:12
Tues: 2 x 2 mile repeats on the turf with 5 min rest. 11:53 and 11:29. Always run faster on "the magic carpet" pm: 6 miles on the bike
Wed: 9.5 mile run- got soaked in the rain. pm 500 swim in 10:03
Thurs: 8 mile run pm 6 mile bike
Fri: 4 mile tempo in 27 min felt comfortable. pm swim 500 meters in 10:12. slow
Sat: 13.1 miles in 1 hr 39. last 2 miles under 7 per mile. Negative split ave about 7:15 per mile coming back.
Sun: 18.5 mile bike, 500 swim in 10:03.

Miles run = 54 miles
Miles run under 7 per mile= 10

I am feeling pretty good about where I am at right now- I felt a little discomfort in my achilles on that Sat long run so cut it short and will be careful - heel lifts in my walking around shoes, eccentric calf work, and stretching before running. Next race is the Pyeongtaek Half Marathon Oct 2. Can't wait!

The Day After Long Runs

Yes, I probably could have run today after a 15 miler yesterday. My question is, will it help me race faster 2 months from now?

I am banking on the answer being no, but I guess that depends on how much damage my leg muscle fibers have endured and the length of time needed to recover. There is a time and place for overstepping the boundaries of fatigue, but the day following your longest run of the week is probably the best time to lay low or do something else. Intuitively, I like to use 2 hours as a threshold for not running the next day, but that doesn't mean I don't cross train. I feel surprisingly good on the bike the day after a long run!

It's a constant dilema among serious runners- what's more important- a higher weekly mileage total or sacrficing some easy miles in hopes of turning in an extra quality workout? Normally, if I can bounce back with a good session on Tuesday following a Sunday long run, I think I've made the correct decision.

Check out Rethinking Junk Miles- A Fresh Look at Recovery Runs by Matt Fitzgerald

Weekly Update- Miles or Quality?

Sun: 15 miles slow- just working on completing the distance.
Mon: Bike 10 miles, swim 10 x 100 meters
Tues: 7 x 800 meters on turf, 60 sec recovery. All 2:56 or faster. Great workout!
Wed: 9 miles easy, pm 10 mile bike
Thurs: 5 miles easy, 400 meter swim
Fri: 3 miles in 19 flat- really struggled to maintain 6:20 pace
Sat: 4 miles in 25:12- better than Fri but still found it hard the last mile (6:18/mile)

Total= only 42 miles. 9.5 miles under 7 min pace.

My weekly total is too low, and I'm thinking it may be a better approach to just target one week a month to really nail a high number of sub 7 min miles. Increasing weekly distance while trying to run more quality runs at the same time isn't going to work. I'm encouraged by the Tuesday workout, but Fri and Sat felt way too hard.

Running Times Article

Thanks for the free publicity! Author Jim Hage bio.

Ten Tips to Revitalize Your Long Runs

Like it or not, long runs are a crucial piece of any marathon training program. Guilty of neglecting the long one (my definition of long is anything over 2 hours or 14 miles)for some time now, it's time to see if I can get back into it. Here are some of the principles I am putting to work.

1. Run a new route. I find tackling the same route week after week mentally draining, so I've decided to seek out some new places to run. What a difference when you don't really know where you are going to run or maybe for how long! The danger is getting caught running considerably longer than you plan, which may actually be a good thing.

2. If you can, try to put together 4-5 different long run options, but keep one as sort of a time trial course that you periodically can go back to and test your fitness.

3. Find some off-road. If you are running your long ones on roads, see if you can include some off-road miles. I think it helps recovery.

4. Slow down and forget pace, especially in the dead of summer and winter. If it's been a while since your last 2 hour run, keep the pace slow enough so you still feel ok by the time you hit 10 miles. Today I even went so far as to plan one minute walks every 10 minutes of running (yes-Galloway!). There is something to be said for time rather than distance when quantifying the value of your workouts.

5. Take breaks. It's foolish to think that you diminish the effects of a long run by taking a 5 minute break. I routinely take breaks this long, especially to cool down in hot weather.

6. Leave early. In the summer heat, get out the door early.

7. Extra water. Staying hydrated is crucial. Weigh yourself before and after to make sure you are not losing more than 2% of your body weight. Carry water and/or money.

8. Put in some miles the day before. I'm not ready for 20 miles in one day, but I can do that much on consecutive days. Yesterday I put in a comfortable 11 miles, followed by 15 today. Once my fitness level improves I'll drop the miles on that first day and try to make that second day count.

9. If you are training for a marathon, allow yourself at least 3 months to prepare if you currently have a decent base and can run up to 10 miles. If not, then give yourself 6 months to build up.

10. Run with somebody. I run alone 99% of the time, mainly because I like the convenience of running from home, running my own pace, and not being committed to being someplace at a specific time. However, if you are having trouble psyching yourself to get out the door, it's an option to consider.

Training Update: Dave's Workout Log

After a long spell struggling with a hamstring issue, I am finally able to begin the road back to racing. I'm taking a page out of my Seoul Marathon build-up and starting to count sub 7 min miles.

Sun: 10 miles with 4 at 7 min pace coming back
Mon: rest day- legs are trashed
Tues: 2 x 2 miles in 13:16 and 13:11..8 miles for the day
Wed: 6 x 800 in 3:10, 50 sec recovery..5 miles for the day
Thurs: 8 miles total with 3 at 6:53 pace..
Fri: rest day- legs are trashed- 2 mile jog
Sat: 3 miles in 18:02.. 4 miles total
Sun: 14 miles in 2 hours

Total miles run= 51 with a few light bike workouts and some swimming
17 miles at 7 min pace or under

I'm tracking everything on dailymile.com
but I'll try to post a weekly summary.

Minimalist Training Shoe Alternatives

Call me old school, but I don't see why you can't run "minimalist" by removing the insole of an already lightweight racing flat. Back in my day the popular shoe of choice was the Onitzuka Tiger, shoe that offered no protection other than a thin rubber sole. We had to run light on our feet!

Take a look at some of the lastest 2011 racing flats at competitor.com.

If you want to really go outside the box, , I done some occasional slow jogging in an old pair of $15 Kodomo Aquarius sandals I picked up at a Big 5 store (I added a thin innersole from another pair of running shoes). Unfortunately, from what I gather Croc's filed a patent infringement claim and they may have been discontinued.

I love these sandals and wish I could get another pair.

Other options- go to invisibleshoe.com
and check out their Huarache Sandal kit or Luna Sandals designed by Barefoot Ted. ZEMgear.com is another company I am not familiar with but looks interesting.

For more minimalist options, check out amazon.com.

Adding Salt Before May Improve Running in the Heat

Currently in the testing phase at Sherbrooke, Goulet says, sodium-induced hyperhydration--essentially, drinking lightly salted water in the several hours preceding hot weather exercise--is clearly showing that it produces as good if not better results than glycerol-induced hyperhydration. The biggest trick, Goulet concedes, is making the substance palatable. For his trials, Goulet had the salt water ( just over ¼ teaspoon of table salt per cup) blended with Crystal Light and served at roughly 35 degrees, but adds, "You have to find what works best for you."
-runningtimes.com

In case you missed it, check out
Is Chicken Noodle Soup Better Than Sports Drink? that I posted back in Nov 2009.



Occasionally I mix up some vegetables, seaweed, kidney beans, and chicken with miso paste and hot water in the morning before running.

Can Ed Whitlock Break 3 Hours at 80?

Last April 80 year old Ed Whitlock ran 3:25:43 in the Rotterdam Marathon. In July he ran 5K in 21:32 and 10K in 42:39 at the World Championships for Masters Track and Field in Sacramento. In October he'll be gunning for another age group world record in the Toronto Marathon.

Using the the McMillan Running Calculator, Ed's 10k time predicts a 3:20 marathon finish. My guess is a sub-3 is probably out of reach, but Ed will run somewhere in the 3:15 range.

Ed Whitlock's Five Rules for Marathon Running

5. Personalize your training.

4. Take each run in stride.

3. Run alone.

2. Don't overthink stuff.

1. Enjoy your finish lines.

For more go to Ed Whitlock's still going at 80

What's Your Average Training Pace?

I'm re-reading some of my old running books, including The Silence of Great Distance, a classic historical account of women's running in the 1980s featuring former University of Wisconsin athlete Stephanie Herbst.

In the book Murphy covers the career of Mary Decker, who may have been the most talented American-born middle-long distance runner ever.

-1972 Set an age-group world record in the 800-meter race
-1972 Won an international race in the 800-meters
-1973 Set three world records: the outdoor 800-meter, the indoor 880 yards, and the indoor 1,000 yards
-1973 Ranked first in the United States and fourth in the world in the 800-meter race
-1974 Set a U.S. high school record of 2:02.29 in the 800-meter run
-1979 Gold medal in the 1500-meter race at the Pan American Games
-1980 Set a world record in the mile, with a time of 4:17.55, becoming the first woman to break the 4:20 barrier
-1982 Set seven world records
-1982 Won Sullivan Award for best amateur athlete
-1982 Became first woman to win the Jesse Owens award, presented annually to the best American track and field athlete
-1982 Named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
-1983 Becomes first woman to run 880 yards in less than two minutes
-1983 Gold medals in 1,500 meter and 3,000 meter races at the inaugural World Track and Field Championships
-1983 Named Sports Illustrated's 1983 Sportsman of the Year
-1984 Held American record at every distance between 800 and 10,000 meters
-1985 Set a world record in the mile
-1985 Set a world record in the indoor 2,000-meter race
-1985 Named Sportswoman of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee
-1997 Set a new record in the 1,500-meter event in masters competition

source: novelguide.com

Nobody had more trouble staying healthy than Decker, who reportedly went under the knife on more than 30 different occasions! In 1981, running under coach Dick Brown, to avoid injury Decker did very little interval training for a world class 800/1500/3000 meter runner, but according to Murphy, she averaged as low as 5:34 per mile in one weekly training cycle!

Sun:
am 3 miles
pm 5.25 miles in 31:55

Mon:
am 4.25 miles in 24:24
pm 5:25 miles in 37:19

Tues:
am 3 miles in 18:26
pm 6 miles in 36:40

Wed:
am 3 miles in 19:11
pm 10 miles in 59:40

Thurs:
pm 5 miles in 31:00

Fri:
am 4 miles in 26:11
pm 3 x 200 in 35,34,34, then 2 x 400 in 69,68, then 1 x600 in 1:48, then back down with 2 x 400s and 3 x 200s. 7.25 miles total

Sat:
pm 6 miles in 40:47

MY COMMENT: Amazing detail, long before runners were strapping on their GPS and downloading workouts. Initially I didn't like this idea, thinking it may discourage the use of slow recovery days. But in reality, what it does, if you want to lower your average, is force you to keep your recovery runs very short!

Soft Tissue Injury and Scar Tissue

Since scar tissue heals three dimensionally, it does not fall into place like a brick. Instead, scar tissue reaches in the direction of the fascia and the neighbouring muscle sheaths, binding these tissues together. For example, when a runner strains a hamstring, the sheath tear heals and binds to neighbouring muscle sheath. The hamstring muscle group still functions to flex the knee, yet the athlete complains of dull ache or pain in the posterior thigh. The reason may be that independent movement has been lost and the area of scar tissue has limited the extensibility of the myotendinal unit. Muscles do function and limbs do move, but the normal gliding that occurs between neighbouring tissues is lost. As a result, there is a constant low-grade inflammatory process at the site of the decreased mobility. Scar tissue has a poor blood supply and is not as strong or resilient as the primary tissue it replaces. This area will likely be a site of re-injury secondary to the transition zone of normal tissue to scar tissue. -iaaf.org

MY COMMENT: One of my former neighbors when I lived in Florida was former U. of Oregon runner Bob Hensley, a physical therapist by trade who happens to be one of a handful of runners who have qualified for the Olympic Trials Marathon FIVE times. I'll never forget how he always stressed the use of deep, painful cross friction massage on soft tissue strains and tendinitis.

I've been battling what seemed like a minor hamstring issue for months now! I've been symptom free than had it flare up at least 6 times. Now I've got the pain localized with finger tip palpitation and have started self-cross friction massage as deep as I can go to prevent this. I'm also using electrical stimulation and yes, trying not to run.

Get Ready to Rumble- Roll!

I'm ordering a Rumble Roller today! If you are not familiar with foam roller therapy, this looks like it's going to be painful at first, so I recommend some initial work with a conventional roller.

Another option is the hollow Grid , that is more expensive than the regular foam but is more portable and should be more durable.

Mo Farah's Breakthrough Secrets Revealed!

Salazar cites three reasons for Farah’s improvement: greater body strength from weights sessions, a better structure to his workouts and, above all, a step-change in the pace of his training runs.

“He used to run all his mileage very slowly,” Salazar said. “His average pace was probably 6min 45sec per mile. Now the average pace that he and Galen run is about 5-45, and that’s 17 to 20 miles a day. They sometimes do 20 miles and go 5-30 pace, and that isn’t a particularly hard day.”
-The Telegraph

MY COMMENTS: Mo Farah is a British athlete that moved to Portland to train under Alberto Salazar- since the move he won the New York City Half Marathon in 60:23 and the Prefontaine Classic 10,000 in 26:46. Tomorrow he races a 5,000
in Birmingham. (Check out universlsports.com for live coverage- I don't think it's available for viewing in Korea- bummer!)

How Long Before The Benefits of a Workout Are Felt?

"...most athletes will see a benefit from an individual workout 10-14 days after it is completed." -Joe Rubio, a two-time U.S. Olympic trials marathon qualifier and head coach of the ASICS Aggies

Good article in Running Times How Long Does it Take to Benefit From a Hard Workout? that discusses some of the other factors that may be involved.

The experts agree that your last VO2 max workout (something like 5 x 1000 meters at 5K pace)should be eight to 10 days prior to an important race.

Don't Ignore the Long Run!

The biggest difference for me was the long run. That was probably the biggest deal. Maybe I'm a great elevation trainer and it didn't translate to sea level (at Oregon) for me. There are some coaches that are interval-based coaches and you're on the track and you're working out three or four times a week. I don't consider our (Colorado's) program much like that. But for me, it was really focusing on a significant long run for me. For me, that's a huge factor. We had long runs with (OTC) but there wasn't a lot of emphasis put on it. That was definitely one big difference. I'm sure there are a lot of little differences in the programs that added up to one big thing, but that was the most significant thing for me.

-Billy Nelson, who will represent the US at the World Championships in the steeplechase, commenting on two different types of training. After moving to Oregon and not seeing any progress in my racing or fitness, he packed up and moved back to Boulder. Looks like he made the right decision.

Read the complete interview at runnersworld.com.

Alternative to Yasso 800s

Anybody that has run with me in the last 10 years knows that I am a firm believer in 800 meter repeats for any distance 5K and beyond. Yasso 800s, in case you did not know, are named after Bart Yasso, who discovered that if he could run 10 x 800 in 3 minutes, with 3 minutes recovery, he was in 3 hour marathon shape. If he could do them in 2:30, with 2:30 rest, then he was in 2:30 marathon shape (Yasso 800s in Runners World).

My only beef with Mr. Yasso is the length of recovery. When I'm fit, I can do the 10 x 800s with 60-75 seconds recovery. Three minutes to recover from a 3 minute 800 is too long, even when you are doing 10.

In preparing for the Seoul Marathon last March, I remember waking up the week before the race thinking I needed a good quality workout, but didn't even feel like running!

Knowing I had to do something, I headed over to the 5 lap per mile track on post and decided to measure off 400 meters on the artificial turf with the GPS. Running just inside the track, I started at turn 4 and found the finish line right where it should be, about 100 meters in front of the start.

With the tight turns, I was managing only 92-93 seconds per 400. Certainly nothing to brag about, but remember I didn't even feel like running in the first place. For recovery, I jogged the 100 meters back to the start, and after 10 I noticed on the GPS that my average time was right at 7 minutes per mile. That sounded better than 92-93.

Instead of running the 400s faster, what I tried to do was bring down the average pace by increasing the speed of the 100 meter recovery jogs. For some reason that idea really clicked, and I was able to finish off the next 10 with a final average time of 6:45 per mile, totalling 6.5 miles.

I'm still a fan of Yasso 800s, but I will definitely revisit this workout when preparing for my next big race.

Exercise Your Breathing Muscles to Run Faster?

According to Matt Fitzgerald, "Your respiratory muscles may also become tired. And to the degree that these muscles fatigue first, it is their fatigue—not that of your legs—that limits your performance. In fact, as your respiratory muscles begin to fatigue, your nervous system will redirect oxygen from the muscles of your limbs to those of your diaphragm to keep them going. Thus, during running your legs may fatigue because your respiratory muscles have begun to fatigue first—and to prevent these muscles from fatiguing to a dangerous extent."   -How Fit Are Your Breathing Muscles

Power-
Lung is probably the industry leader, although I did find a few less expensive options.  I believe there may be something to this- purely subjective but I believe swim intervals helped my breathing- of course those also involve high heart rate, anaerobic metabolism, exhausted muscles, and the rest. 

Virtual Runner!

Check out http://virtualrunner.net/

Cooling Collars Help in the Heat!

Cooling the surface of the neck improves time-trial performance in a hot environment without altering physiological or neuroendocrinological responsesThe maintenance of a lower neck temperature via the replacement of a CC has no additional benefit to an acute cooling intervention.

-Neck Cooling And Running Performance In The Heat: Single Versus Repeated Application.


MY COMMENT:  I'm not familiar with neck cooling devices but check out http://www.coolcollars.net/.  Note that cooling the neck has no effect on core temperature or other variables. 

Dot McMahan- 2:31:48

McMahan ran the second half of Grandma's more than a minute faster than the first half, and finished in 2:31:48, a 5:48 pace over the 26.2 miles.


A conference champion in the 800 meters at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, McMahan is now looking to build the speed she needs to compete with the best in the world.  -Milwaukee Journal Sentinal

MY COMMENT:  McMahan, a converted middle distance athlete, runs for Hansens Brooks Distance Project. Another example of a young American female to keep an eye on for the next Olympic Trials (8th in 2008)

Runners World Interview here.