10K RUNNING - 10K Running

Maximizing the long run

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:16:13 -0500

In distance running, there’s a million ways to skin a cat. Training programs can vary widely and still be equally effective. But one component that most every coach agrees is essential is the long run. Ever since Arthur Lydiard made it the cornerstone of his athletes’ training in the 1960’s, it’s been a weekly staple of training programs.

There are a number of physiological benefits that come from the long run:

Muscle strength and endurance
Increased bone density
Increased mitochondria production
Increase in number and size of capillaries

But like anything else in distance running, there’s going to be some guidelines that will help you maximize your long run....

The first question to look at is how often should you do your long runs? This is going to depend a lot on what race you’re training for.

If you’re training for a marathon, your long run will approach or exceed 20 miles and you’re probably doing one every other week or every third week. If you’re training for a 5k/10k, most people will go anywhere from 12 to 17 miles. Depending on how quickly you recover from hard efforts, it’s definitely possible to schedule those every week.

Some runners and coaches like to schedule a long run every 10 days. I’ve found, though, that this requires a lot of flexibility in your daily schedule. I like scheduling them on the weekend when I’ve got more free time.

The next question is how far to run. The general rule of thumb used by coaches is 20 percent of your weekly mileage. However, world-famous coach Jack Daniels recommends up to 25 percent.

Which of these approaches to use will probably depend partly on how much mileage you’re doing. At a coaching clinic last winter, Oklahoma State coach Dave Smith stressed the importance of keeping the long run appropriately “long,” even for athletes who are running lower mileage.

With that in mind, I like to use the 25 percent figure for my athletes at lower mileage levels (up to about 55-60 miles a week). That way they still get the great benefits of the long run, and it “backloads” the week so that they are able to run fewer miles, or even take days off, during the rest of the week.

For more experienced runners, or higher mileage runners, I generally use the 20 percent figure – or realistically something between 20 and 25 percent. That still gives them a long enough run to get good benefits, but doesn’t tire them out so much that they can’t recover for the next speed workout.

Beyond these guidelines, there are other things that can help you maximize your long run that I’ll cover in a future post. But use these rules of thumb to tweak your training program and I think you’ll find that you feel stronger and recover better!

Carl Leivers

Introduction to plyometrics for runners

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 22:39:09 -0500

As runners we tend to spend most of our exercise time, well, running. But there are a number of things outside of running that you can do to make yourself a better runner. Previously I talked a little bit about core work and its importance and benefits. Today I want to talk about the basics of plyometrics and how it can help make you faster.

Plyometrics are exercises and drills that are designed to produce explosive movements – building strength while also training the nervous system. Without getting too in-depth in the science behind it, the basic idea is that your muscles will contract faster and more powerfully if they are first lengthened.

For example, if you are doing squat jumps, you’re able to jump higher and more powerfully by squatting down first rather than jumping from a standing position. So you’re using the elastic properties of your muscles to “cheat” and get a more powerful contraction that you would be able to otherwise.

Now, for distance runners, the idea of “explosive movements” is probably a little intimidating. We tend to like nice, long, measured efforts where we feel in control. And it’s true that we don’t have to do the same explosive training that a triple jumper or short sprinter would do. But, training your muscles to contract quickly is still beneficial for a distance runner.

When I start an athlete out on plyometrics, we tend to start with very low-impact exercises. In fact, people who work with sprinters and jumpers would probably argue that it’s not plyometrics. And they’re probably right, but these exercises help bridge the gap between long, sustained running efforts and more explosive movements.

Walking calf raises – there is a slight lengthening aspect to this exercise, but there is no impact. That combination makes it a great exercise for beginners.

Body squat – another good exercise with a slight lengthening aspect and no impact.
As you begin to feel more comfortable with these exercises, you can progress to exercises with more explosiveness and slightly more impact.

Remember, though, that more explosiveness and more impact means more chance of injury, so don’t rush into these. Start with 1 set of 6 reps, and build from there. If at all possible, do them on grass or another soft surface, and I usually recommend keeping your shoes on to protect you better from the impact.

Frog leaps – a great power exercise for competitive middle distance runners.
Rocket jumps – basically body squats with more power; these are useful for everything from 800 to 10k.

Try adding these in slowly, a couple days a week at first and see how you feel. They’re not for everyone, but you may find they’re the missing component that will take your training to the next level!

Carl Leivers

Re-training the brain to run

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:33:17 -0500

“My dear, it’s not your body that’s broken. It’s your brain.”

That’s just what I wanted to hear during the first consult with my new physical therapist. There’s nothing like hearing a medical professional tell you your brain isn’t working right, especially when you walked into the office thinking the pain was in your hip.

I didn’t want to believe him. But he told me to lay on my stomach and lift one leg using my glute muscles.

“Nope. Try it again,” he told me.

Whatever! I thought. I can do this, my stubborn mind said. So I tried again, and failed again. I failed all the tests he threw at me that day.

“How do you think you can run properly if you can’t do something as simple as lifting your leg?” The new PT said. It was a rhetorical question. So we started retraining my brain.

Neuromuscular Re-Education

The therapist calls it “waking up” my muscles. My insurance stub calls it “neuromuscular re-education.” iHealthspot.com gives this easy definition:

Together, your nerves and muscles work to produce movements. Nerves send signals between your muscles and your brain about when, where, and how fast to move. It is a complex process. Theorists believe that over time, nerve tracts are reinforced and muscle movement (motor) patterns are learned and stored in your memory.

My PT’s theory is that years ago, after an SI injury, my brain reacted by cutting off connection with certain muscles. Even though I would eventually feel like the injury was healing and I could run again, my brain was working on a different level. As it shutdown connection with my glutes, it started sending signals to alternative muscles to pick up the slack.

But since running wasn’t the primary job for those alternative muscles, they couldn’t sustain the amount of miles I wanted from them. Those secondary muscles and tendons would get worn out and I’d get hurt again. It was a vicious cycle.

“My job is to wake up those muscles and get your brain to use them,” the new PT said.

The Process

I’ve been through physical therapy plenty of times, so I’m a pro at clams or exercises with balance boards and swiss balls. But retraining your brain is different.

“I don’t care how high you can get your leg during these exercises. I don’t care if you can do a bridge twenty times or five times,” my new PT said. “I just care that your brain is telling the right muscles to do it.”

The exercises he put me through at first barely seemed like exercise. Most of the moves required very little physical movement. But I’d get incredibly frustrated because, just as he suspected, I really couldn’t lift my leg relying on the right muscles. I had to think about it. A lot. When I started running again I started whispering the phrase “Fire. Fire. Fire,” to myself with every step, hoping I could force my brain to make the connection to get the right running muscles to fire.

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

“How long is this going to take,” I asked the PT after that first consult. He told me sometimes patients get it in two weeks. Other times it takes months. They don’t call it retraining your brain for nothing. Approach it like you do a race. You don’t start training two weeks before your marathon, right? It’s going to take some time for your brain to break old habits and pick up new ones.

Once your brain can trigger the correct pathways, the process starts to mirror traditional physical therapy with strengthening and conditioning drills, but the emphasis remains on making sure each muscle is doing the job it was designed to do.

Jess Baker

Runner Profile: Olympian Wilma Rudolph

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:03:22 -0500

“Wilma Rudolph, once known as the sickliest child in Clarksville,Tennessee, became one of the fastest women in the world.”
-Caltrise Smith

A generation or two ago, everyone was familiar with the story of Wilma Rudolph. Today, she has become a historic figure that many younger runners are unfamiliar with. Wilma is a real inspiration, a true legend and hero. Let her triumphs motivate and encourage you!

Wilma Rudolph was born premature on June 23, 1940, in Clarksville, Tennessee. Wilma was the 20th of 22 children. She was born with Polio, and one of her legs was so twisted she had to wear a brace on it. She was so crippled she couldn't attend school until she was 7. When Wilma was 12, she was in church one Sunday. Out of nowhere she just reached down, removed her brace, and walked down the aisle normally. By that time, Wilma had already beaten the chicken pox, the measles, whooping cough, pneumonia, and scarlet fever. No matter, by Wilma's sophomore year of high school she was setting records on the basketball team and leading the team to a championship season.

So far so good, right? By the age of 16, Wilma, who only ran track to stay in shape between basketball seasons, had earned a spot on the US Olympic team running the 4x100 relay. It was the 1956 Melbourne Games, and Wilma, who hadn't been able to walk just a few years earlier, came away with a bronze medal....

Wilma's participation in the 1956 Olympics was in large part due to being spotted by Ed Temple, the track coach at Tennessee State University. Ed invited Wilma to train during the summer with his team, and the rest is history. In 1963, Wilma was awarded a full-ride athletic scholarship to Tennessee State. She graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and later worked as an elementary school teacher. In the midst of her studies, Wilma managed to pull off another stunning Olympic performance—this time in Rome (1960).

In temperatures over 100 degrees, Wilma claimed gold in the 100 meter, 200 meter, and 4x100 relay. Her 100 meter time (11.0) would've been a new world record if it hadn't been deemed “wind aided.” Her 200 meter time (23.2 seconds) was an Olympic record. Her 4x100 relay time (44.5 seconds) was also a world record. Wilma dedicated her triple gold performance to her idol Jesse Owens, an African-American who as you probably know won three golds in the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany. Wilma was the first American woman to accomplish this feat.

Wilma Rudolph's legacy still inspires today. Wilma has graced a postage stamp, had highways, buildings, and schools named after her, and has been inducted in the Track and Field Hall of Fame, the National Black Sports Hall of Fame, and the US Olympic Hall of Fame. Sports Illustrated voted her one of the top 50 greatest sports figures of the 20th century.

Staci Marquez-Nichols

Teaching to the test

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:02:05 -0500

I’ve got a pet peeve when it comes to workouts (actually, I’ve probably got a lot, but we’re only going to talk about one today). My big complaint about a lot of workouts is that it seems like people don’t put any thought into what they’re trying to accomplish.

Partly I think the rise of exercise physiology is to blame. Don’t get me wrong, huge advances have come from the scientific study of running. But I think the focus on measurable physiological factors has misled us.

I think in a lot of cases, athletes could get more benefit from their workouts if they thought about what they’re trying to prepare for and then simulate that (or pieces of that) in the workout.

For example, most runners and coaches now have a pretty good understanding of the benefit of tempo runs – they help to increase the anaerobic threshold and allow you to run faster without relying on the anaerobic energy systems.

Of course this is vital to good distance running. But, I think we get too caught up in raising the anaerobic threshold and don’t think enough about how to use tempo runs to help us run faster in a race.

Obviously doing tempo runs is a good idea. But, I would argue that if you’re going to do them, you might as well get the most racing benefit out of them that you can. So when my athletes do tempo runs, they always run faster in the second half of the workout and finish the last mile pretty hard.

Is that the most effective way to raise their anaerobic threshold? Nope. If we were testing them in a laboratory, they would probably be able to raise their anaerobic threshold more effectively by running a steady pace the entire run.

But, I don’t care what happens in the laboratory. I care what happens in the race. And having the experience in a tempo run of crossing the anaerobic threshold will leave them more prepared for what happens to them physiologically in the second-half of the race.
To me, this is “teaching to the test.” That phrase is often used negatively to mean that the students aren’t learning anything except whatever is going to be on the test. While that may be a bad thing in the classroom, it sure isn’t in distance running.

So the next time you’re coming up with a workout to run, I’d encourage you to think about what you’ll be required to do physically in your goal race and “teach to the test.”

Treadmill Running Workouts

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:21:05 -0500

“The treadmill allows you to have a more intense and rewarding workout compared to just regular jogging or running. The key is to know how to use the treadmill to its full potential.”
-RunningWorkouts.net

Yea, I know treadmill running is for “softies.” But when the next blizzard or heat wave hits, it's good to know a few treadmill running workouts to challenge yourself. If you want treadmill running to be less monotonous (who doesn't?), then knowing a few treadmill tricks can help keep things fresh.

Runner's World recommends setting your treadmill's elevation to at least a few degrees of elevation. “This compensates for the lack of air resistance in treadmill running and makes your speeds roughly equivalent to similar speeds outdoors,” writes Owen Anderson.

Runner's World also recommends these four treadmill running workouts:

Workout 1: Warm up easily for 10 minutes. Then set the speed slightly more (20 seconds or so) than your 5k pace. Run three-minute intervals at this pace with 10-minute “easy-paced” breaks.
Workout 2: After your warmup of 10 minutes, run 5 miles at your faster-than-5k pace. Don't forget a gentle cool-down.
Workout 3: Warm up for 10 minutes. Then raise the degree of elevation by one degree and run for two minutes. Raise the elevation again by one degree and go for 2 minutes. Continue until you reach 7 degrees.
Workout 4: Warm up as usual. Then run your 10k pace for 10 minutes and jog easily to recover for 4 minutes. Run another 10 minutes at 10k pace then do a 10 minute cool down.

You can also add this interval workout to your treadmill running workout repertoire:

Slowly jog for 5 minutes.
Then run 3 minutes at 20 seconds faster than your 5K race pace.
Then recover by jogging easily for 3 minutes.
Again, run 3 minutes at 20 seconds faster than your 5K race pace.
Again, recover by jogging easily for 3 minutes.
Run 3 minutes at 20 seconds faster than your 5K race pace.
Recover by jogging easily for 3 minutes.
Run 3 minutes at 20 seconds faster than your 5K race pace.
Recover by jogging easily for 3 minutes.
Run 3 minutes at 20 seconds faster than your 5K race pace.
Cool down by jogging slowly for 5-10 minutes.

Staci Marquez-Nichols

Runner Profile: Vegan Ultra-Marathoner Scott Jurek

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:34:32 -0500

“In regards to competing and training I noticed my recovery times had shortened, that I was less injury prone, and had a higher level of energy. Above all, the major changes were in my relationship to food preparation and intake. I became very concerned not just about veganism, but about proper nutrition.”
-Scott Jurek

As a vegetarian athlete myself, I greatly admire vegan ultramarathon legend Scott Jurek (pronounced “Yurek”). Scott began eating a vegetarian, whole foods diet in 1997 then transitioned to veganism in 1999. He was concerned not only about his health but also about the environment. Most people are left in utter shock upon learning that Scott competes in 8-10 ultramarathons per year on a 100% animal-free diet (no eggs, no dairy, no meat, no animal by-products). His website states that all 7 of his consecutive wins at the most prestigious ultramarathon in the world, the Western States 100, were performed on completely plant-based fuel!

Scott Jurek began trail running as a child in the woods of northern Michigan. Although he competed on junior high and high school cross country teams, he didn't start to really build up his mileage until his sophomore year when he competed in nordic ski racing. He ran his first 50 mile event at age 20. Also, Scott has a Master's Degree in Physical Therapy and currently lives in Seattle.

Scott attributes meeting his wife Leah for his diet changes. Leah was a big fan of Andrew Weil’s books Spontaneous Healing and Eating Well for Optimum Health. Scott's big eye-opener came when he read Mad Cowboy by Howard Lyman. Scott says, “This book really opened my eyes to the factory farming nightmare and how unhealthy it was for me, the animals, and the environment. I was so inspired after reading this book that I committed to cutting out all animal products from my diet from that point on."

The amazing thing about Scott Jurek is not so much that he's a vegan ultra-marathoner, but that's he's a world-class, legendary ultra-marathoner. Scott is the only North American to win the Spartathlon (153 miles from Athens to Sparta). He set the course record in the Hardrock Hundred, a Colorado race with a 33,000 foot elevation gain, considered the most difficult hundred-mile trail run. He also set a course record on “the toughest footrace on earth,” the Badwater Ultramarathon (135 miles from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in 130 degree temperature). This is just a part of what makes Scott Jurek a true champion!

Staci Marquez-Nichols

PRP: PART TWO: Long-Term Recovery Plan

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:29:44 -0500

A couple weeks ago I wrote about Platelet Rich Plasma therapy (PRP) for chronic injuries. In that post, I explained that short-term recovery means no activity for at least two weeks after the injection. Doctors also tell patients to stay away from anti-inflammatory over-the-counter drugs (like ibuprofen or naproxen) and no icing the injection spot for six to eight weeks.

So once patients clear those hurdles, what comes next? If you’re considering undergoing a PRP injection, here’s what you can expect during your recovery...

Gradual Return to Activity

Your doc will likely tell you you’re not allowed to do any activity harder than breathing the first two weeks after the PRP injection. Yes, those first two weeks will stink, especially mentally if you’re used to running every day.

Once the two week period is over, your doctor will likely give you the green light to gradually return to activity. If you’re not too sore, and you feel physically prepared to go to the gym or run, the good news is that you can start clearing the mental cobwebs that built up from your two weeks of sheer boredom. The bad news is, you can’t expect to hit the ground running on that first week – or first month – back.

Here’s how it went when I tried returning to my run after the PRP exactly two weeks after the injection. My first attempt running on my regular trail lasted all of 13 minutes. And the spot where I’d had the injection hurt just like it had hurt before the PRP. Four weeks post-injection I was able to run 30 minutes. I finally got into the 45 to 50 minute run range two months after the PRP, but it took about three months for the daily aching to end.

Physical Therapy

If you’ve had a chronic injury, you probably have been through a couple rounds of physical therapy. Get your insurance card ready because your doctor will very likely send you back to therapy after the PRP injection. You’ll need to relearn how to use the injured part of your body the right way. The hope is that while your cells are hard at work healing the tendon or muscle, you and your therapist are hard at work regaining your joint’s range of motion, or correcting the imbalance that contributed to your injury in the first place.

Once your range of motion returns, you may find new aches and pains. Once I started running again, my left toes were sore for weeks. My physical therapist explained that since we’d been retraining my glutes to work better during a run, that meant I was using my ankle and foot differently as I ran, which is why my toes were hurting. Thankfully the toes got used to the workload.

Anti-Inflammatories & Ice

If aches and pains return, either from your therapy or from running, the good news is after about eight weeks after the PRP, you should be able to use ice and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories to calm down the pain.

Jess Baker

VO2 Max - How does it help runners?

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:00:00 -0500

Hang around runners long enough and someone will bring up VO2 Max. It's an important determinant of running performance, and increasing yours is a vital part of any effective training plan.

Simply put, your VO2 Max is the measure of how much oxygen your muscles are able to use. No one is able to utilize all of the oxygen in their bloodstream. But, the more you are able to use, the faster you'll be able to run.

In order to increase your VO2 Max, you don't actually need to know what yours is. -- which is good since measuring it often involves a lot of lab equipment and a really painful testing protocol. What you do need, however, is an idea of your velocity at VO2 Max -- (v)VO2. For most people, (v)VO2 is going to be roughly the pace you can hold for 10 minutes of all-out running...

Measuring your (v)VO2 Max

As you might imagine, one way to measure (v)VO2 is to go out and run as far as you can in 10 minutes. Another approach is to simply use your current 3k or 5k race pace. Although these races don't last exactly 10 minutes, they are close enough to give you a range of paces to incorporate in your workouts. And using a race performance has the added benefit of increasing the chance that you gave an all-out effort.

(v)VO2 Training

Training at vVO2 (or 3k-5k pace) is going to provide the most effective stimulus for increasing your VO2 Max. Relatively long repeats (3-5 minutes in duration) at that pace will generally yield the best results. The total volume of the workout should be between 3-5 miles. And the rest interval can be in the neighborhood of 1/2 the time run to equal to the time run.

A classic VO2 Max workout is 5x1600 w/ 3 minutes rest. I've found with my athletes, though, that mile repeats are a bit more intense than I'd like a VO2 Max workout to be, and they have trouble recovering from them.

Instead, we substitute 1k repeats and shorten the rest to 2 minutes. 1k is still long enough to stimulate development, but beats them up less and allows them to have a stronger workout in the following days. But, really, any distance you enjoy will work -- or a ladder workout that mixes the distances (800, 1k, 1600, etc.).

In addition to these basic VO2 Max workouts, there are other, more race specific ways to get the same result -- especially if you're training for something other than the 3k/5k. I'll talk about those in a later post, but remember these simple guidelines and you'll be bumping up your VO2 Max in no time!

Carl Leivers

A new runner asks: How can I run farther?

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 17:15:14 -0500

“I wish I could run a 10k! I can do 2 miles but can’t seem to get past the 2 mile mark. I’m not sure if I psych myself out. Any advice?”

How do you push past your mental mileage barrier, especially if you’re a newer runner? I started thinking about the topic when my cousin Dana the above question on my Facebook wall. Well, Dana, here’s what I would say.

Are You Ready for it?

Before you go pushing any mental boundaries, you have to make sure you’re physically ready for more mileage. This means no aches and pains. If you’re saying “My knee has been hurting a little after my runs,” then by no means is this the time to run more. I know it seems like common sense, but we’re runners and we don’t always think like rational people. ( We wake up early on weekends; we run in the cold and rain - are those the actions of rational people??!!)

If you don’t have any aches and pains, then proceed with prudence. Remember the 10-percent rule: increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10-percent.

Ready for More

Once your body is ready for the mileage, let’s talk about getting your mind in the game. I have my own methods, but since my cousin is a newer runner, I also wanted to ask other newer runners what tips and tricks they use to run longer. For that perspective, I turned to Brian and Mark, a couple of my co-workers. Both of them just finished the ING Georgia Half Marathon. Neither probably would have considered themselves runners a year-and-a-half ago, but here they are today, half marathoners. (Congrats again guys!)

Distraction, Distraction, Distraction

Music and movies top the list of how to run farther without feeling like you’re running farther. When I ran at 5 a.m. on the student center treadmill in college, I’d be listening to my CD player while watching local morning news – anything to keep from looking at a clock. My co-worker, and fellow runner, Brian, tells me he’s watched “Bourne Ultimatum” about a hundred times while running on his home treadmill. (I thought that was a great movie choice. Think about it: whatever situation Jason Bourne is in, it’s likely much more painful than your extra five minutes on the treadmill).

Mix it Up

Mark, the other newer runner I quizzed about his methods, says interval training helped him push past his same old routine. He says he “kicked up the speed for a certain amount of time, and then walked.” He says eventually his pace increased, even on easy days, and then he was able to run farther.

Brian also uses a run/walk method to help him run farther. “I run for 10 minutes and walk for one. It really helps me catch my breath. There’s no shame in walking, especially when I pass the other runners halfway through a race.”

Reward Yourself

Brian calls it his “carrot and stick” method. “If I want something, I’ll make myself wait until after I’ve done my mileage,” he says. Start by setting a daily or weekly goal. If you reach it, give yourself more than a pat on a back. I tend to think of my run as my reward, but I did make myself wait until I finished this post to download the latest LOST Podcast on iTunes.

What tricks do you use to run longer? We’d love to hear about them right here on 10k-running.com.

10K RUNNING - 10K Running

Maximizing the long run

Carl Leivers

Introduction to plyometrics for runners

Carl Leivers

Re-training the brain to run

“My dear, it’s not your body that’s broken. It’s your brain.”

Neuromuscular Re-Education

The Process

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

Jess Baker

Runner Profile: Olympian Wilma Rudolph

“Wilma Rudolph, once known as the sickliest child in Clarksville,Tennessee, became one of the fastest women in the world.”-Caltrise Smith

Staci Marquez-Nichols

Teaching to the test

Treadmill Running Workouts

“The treadmill allows you to have a more intense and rewarding workout compared to just regular jogging or running. The key is to know how to use the treadmill to its full potential.”-RunningWorkouts.net

Staci Marquez-Nichols

Runner Profile: Vegan Ultra-Marathoner Scott Jurek

Staci Marquez-Nichols

PRP: PART TWO: Long-Term Recovery Plan

Jess Baker

VO2 Max - How does it help runners?

Measuring your (v)VO2 Max

(v)VO2 Training

Carl Leivers

A new runner asks: How can I run farther?

Are You Ready for it?

Ready for More

Distraction, Distraction, Distraction

Mix it Up

Reward Yourself

Jess Baker

“Wilma Rudolph, once known as the sickliest child in Clarksville,Tennessee, became one of the fastest women in the world.”
-Caltrise Smith

“The treadmill allows you to have a more intense and rewarding workout compared to just regular jogging or running. The key is to know how to use the treadmill to its full potential.”
-RunningWorkouts.net