Now I suppose it is time that I address my least favorite topic in relation to running, overtraining. I hate the idea of days off because I love running, but the fact is that we do not improve unless we allow ourselves to recover. This is why I suggest only running 3 days a week with 2 days of strength training thrown in as well.
I am only beginning to understand the value of rest after seeing what a week off after the concussion has done for my times, strength, mood, and resting heart rate (which dropped from mid to upper 60's to 52).
Those who know me know my training ethic and would adequately describe it as insane. I started off training 6 days and more than 20 hours per week. That is what got me from walking shape to a sub 2 hour half marathon in 3 months and completing a full in 6 months. But when your runs get longer and longer there is just no way around it, you need rest. If running is all you do in the course of a given day because you get paid for it and are an elite athlete, more power to you, I'm jealous and hope to be in your shoes one day.
But for the rest of us who run because we enjoy it or want to get in better shape, exercise is not the only form of stress that can come up in our day-to-day lives. We have jobs, families, school, relationships, etc. All of which add psychological stress which also effects us physically, as do sickness, and natural bodily cycles such as menstruation.
But in essence overtraining is classified as a physical, emotional, and behavioral condition which results from an individual's volume and intensity of exercise exceeding their capacity to recover adequately. This can stem from excessive training in preparation for a race or from addiction (my case) to the endorphins or physical/psychological byproducts of exercise.
Long story short before the list of symptoms, take days off. Your body needs it, especially if you're just starting, because nothing kills your motivation like the negativity associated with overtraining and working your butt off to see no results. Again, please learn from my mistakes and avoid making your own.
Some symptoms of overtraining include:
Physical:
Lymphocytopenia (low white blood cell count and increased infection risk)Excessive weight loss
Excessive loss of body fat
Increased resting heart rate
Decreased muscular strength
Increased submaximal heart rate
Inability to complete workouts
Chronic muscle soreness
Fatigue
Increased incidence of injury
Depressed immune system
Constipation or diarrhea
Absence of menstruation
Frequent minor infections/coldsInsomnia
Heart Palpitations
Lower Testosterone Levels
Higher Cortisol Levels
Psychological:DepressionLoss of appetiteIrritabilityLoss of motivationLoss of enthusiasmLoss of competitive drive
Performance:Early onset of fatigueDecreased aerobic capacityPoor physical performanceInability to complete workoutsDelayed recovery
These are just a few of the possible symptoms, severe overtraining can actually lead to a potentially dangerous protein deficiency due to our bodies using more amino acids than they are uptaking. The science and experience of many are clear...take days off.
The most simple ways to treat overtraining are very simple, take extra time for your body to recover (increase sleep time, get a massage, hot/cold therapy, etc.) and change your diet so that your calorie consumption matches your expenditure and to ensure your body is getting all essential nutrients.
Probably the biggest factor that I notice in all this is the fact that overtraining not only kills your motivation, but it increases your injury risk. Do what you love. For me that is running and cycling, for you it may be any number of things, but if you overdo it to the point where you begin to loathe the very idea of it...well you get the idea.
Don't become the victim of another failed fitness plan or another injury statistic. If you're going to live healthy, you've got to live smart too.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Diet and an alternative beginning approach...
So it was brought to my attention by a friend (thanks Evan!) that I had forgotten to mention another method which is very useful to those just starting out which also makes target heart rate training a little easier to track. Oh yeah, and that I forgot to talk about resting heart rate.
So as for resting heart rate calculation, it is easiest with a heart rate monitor, but you can also calculate it manually too. Your best bet is calculating it early in the morning right after you wake up (unless you have to use the bathroom, if so, then do that and wait a moment before calculating because having to use the bathroom can raise your heart rate). Calculate it for 3 straight mornings, average that and you have your resting heart rate. Improving fitness should lower your resting heart rate gradually, however if it up more than 10% for unexplained reasons (you're not sick, stressed, etc.) it is a sign that your body is in overtraining (I'll have an entire post devoted to this later) and that you should take a break or do an easy workout that day.
Once you have this you can use it to determine the heart rate range which will be your target based on your heart rate reserve which is your maximum heart rate minus your resting rate, or in my case:
194 - 62 = 132
The next step in this is to calculate your target heart rate by multiplying your heart rate reserve by your training specific percentage which breaks down to this:
40-60% Beginners coming from a sedentary lifestyle (to acclimate to workouts)
60-70% Easy workouts/recovery
70-80% Endurance/strength
81-85% Just below lactate threshold for most
86-90% Intervals/hills/race pace ( < 3 hour race)
91-100% Speedwork/sprints
Based on these percentages you can calculate the upper and lower limits of your heart rate in each type of workout and with the help of a heart rate monitor stick within them and train more effectively. Again, for example, my upper and lower limits during and easy workout would be:
(132 x .6) + 62 = 141 (lower limit)
(132 x .7) + 62 = 154 (upper limit)
Applying all these rates and calculations during workouts requires some diligence and a heart rate monitor. While they may seem a bit tedious to start with, getting in good habits as far as workouts go will help you improve more quickly and reduce injury and overtraining risk in the long run. More information about target heart rate zone training can be found here.
And now to the question of questions: What diet is right for me? My answer: None of them, because diets DO NOT WORK BY THEMSELVES. In rare cases they may, but for those of us who are not anomalies exercise is a requirement in conjunction with healthy eating habits. The goal of your diet change and exercising should not be to lose weight either, it should be to get healthy. You may or may not lose weight as a side effect of living a healthy lifestyle, this decision is about taking care of yourself because you really want to be healthy, not because you want to drop a damn pant size...if that is what you're after I suggest you check your motives at the door and rethink things because if your goal is weight loss or improved appearance alone and not overall health you will most likely fail or lapse back into old habits after success and regain all that you worked so hard to lose. But that is an entirely different rant altogether.
As for diet (as in what you eat overall, not going on one), there is a wealth of information available out there from people who know far and away more than I do about the subject. The most interesting thing that I have happened across recently as far as nutrition is concerned is the idea of metabolic typing. It is a new idea to me which I haven't really researched nearly enough yet in my opinion. However, essentially, everyone's body is different and based upon those differences and examining and answering a few questions (like in the quiz found here) you can determine the best types of food for your body. I happen to be a slow-oxidizer which functions better on higher amounts of carbohydrates and lighter foods. Hence, I am a vegetarian because heavier proteins like red meat and such tend to make me feel very sluggish.
What it comes down to is that if you listen to your body (via cravings and performance after consuming certain foods) and experiment with your diet a bit you can easily discover your metabolic type and adjust your diet accordingly to improve your performance and overall health. But when it comes down to it you have to learn to make healthy choices in your diet such as steering away from fast food, food loaded with preservatives, and refined sugars. Research nutrition on your own or talk to a dietitian if you have access to. The best thing you can do is take an honest inventory of your eating habits and make some feasible goals. This is best accomplished to me by keeping a food journal and tracking what and how much you eat for a period of a few days or a week. I was astonished when I kept mine to find that I was consuming the better part of 5500 calories a day.
But to reiterate, this change should be about wanting to be healthy, not just losing weight. And I encourage you to find an exercise activity you enjoy doing. This way, your workouts become less like workouts and more like simply having fun. The training programs I've listed here for running are simply for those looking to become competitive in the sport as I am. I run because I love it, much like I cycle because I love it.
What is it that you love to do? Swim, bike, dance, lift weights? Whatever it may be, the important thing is that you go and do it.
This post was a little brief and I may add to it later, but for now, I am feeling the concussion fatigue pretty badly and going to bed haha.
To add to the section on diet and metabolic typing, I found a quality test with a video explaining the system here.
So as for resting heart rate calculation, it is easiest with a heart rate monitor, but you can also calculate it manually too. Your best bet is calculating it early in the morning right after you wake up (unless you have to use the bathroom, if so, then do that and wait a moment before calculating because having to use the bathroom can raise your heart rate). Calculate it for 3 straight mornings, average that and you have your resting heart rate. Improving fitness should lower your resting heart rate gradually, however if it up more than 10% for unexplained reasons (you're not sick, stressed, etc.) it is a sign that your body is in overtraining (I'll have an entire post devoted to this later) and that you should take a break or do an easy workout that day.
Once you have this you can use it to determine the heart rate range which will be your target based on your heart rate reserve which is your maximum heart rate minus your resting rate, or in my case:
194 - 62 = 132
The next step in this is to calculate your target heart rate by multiplying your heart rate reserve by your training specific percentage which breaks down to this:
40-60% Beginners coming from a sedentary lifestyle (to acclimate to workouts)
60-70% Easy workouts/recovery
70-80% Endurance/strength
81-85% Just below lactate threshold for most
86-90% Intervals/hills/race pace ( < 3 hour race)
91-100% Speedwork/sprints
Based on these percentages you can calculate the upper and lower limits of your heart rate in each type of workout and with the help of a heart rate monitor stick within them and train more effectively. Again, for example, my upper and lower limits during and easy workout would be:
(132 x .6) + 62 = 141 (lower limit)
(132 x .7) + 62 = 154 (upper limit)
Applying all these rates and calculations during workouts requires some diligence and a heart rate monitor. While they may seem a bit tedious to start with, getting in good habits as far as workouts go will help you improve more quickly and reduce injury and overtraining risk in the long run. More information about target heart rate zone training can be found here.
And now to the question of questions: What diet is right for me? My answer: None of them, because diets DO NOT WORK BY THEMSELVES. In rare cases they may, but for those of us who are not anomalies exercise is a requirement in conjunction with healthy eating habits. The goal of your diet change and exercising should not be to lose weight either, it should be to get healthy. You may or may not lose weight as a side effect of living a healthy lifestyle, this decision is about taking care of yourself because you really want to be healthy, not because you want to drop a damn pant size...if that is what you're after I suggest you check your motives at the door and rethink things because if your goal is weight loss or improved appearance alone and not overall health you will most likely fail or lapse back into old habits after success and regain all that you worked so hard to lose. But that is an entirely different rant altogether.
As for diet (as in what you eat overall, not going on one), there is a wealth of information available out there from people who know far and away more than I do about the subject. The most interesting thing that I have happened across recently as far as nutrition is concerned is the idea of metabolic typing. It is a new idea to me which I haven't really researched nearly enough yet in my opinion. However, essentially, everyone's body is different and based upon those differences and examining and answering a few questions (like in the quiz found here) you can determine the best types of food for your body. I happen to be a slow-oxidizer which functions better on higher amounts of carbohydrates and lighter foods. Hence, I am a vegetarian because heavier proteins like red meat and such tend to make me feel very sluggish.
What it comes down to is that if you listen to your body (via cravings and performance after consuming certain foods) and experiment with your diet a bit you can easily discover your metabolic type and adjust your diet accordingly to improve your performance and overall health. But when it comes down to it you have to learn to make healthy choices in your diet such as steering away from fast food, food loaded with preservatives, and refined sugars. Research nutrition on your own or talk to a dietitian if you have access to. The best thing you can do is take an honest inventory of your eating habits and make some feasible goals. This is best accomplished to me by keeping a food journal and tracking what and how much you eat for a period of a few days or a week. I was astonished when I kept mine to find that I was consuming the better part of 5500 calories a day.
But to reiterate, this change should be about wanting to be healthy, not just losing weight. And I encourage you to find an exercise activity you enjoy doing. This way, your workouts become less like workouts and more like simply having fun. The training programs I've listed here for running are simply for those looking to become competitive in the sport as I am. I run because I love it, much like I cycle because I love it.
What is it that you love to do? Swim, bike, dance, lift weights? Whatever it may be, the important thing is that you go and do it.
This post was a little brief and I may add to it later, but for now, I am feeling the concussion fatigue pretty badly and going to bed haha.
To add to the section on diet and metabolic typing, I found a quality test with a video explaining the system here.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Beginning workouts part 2 of 2 (now that my day is not a blur)
My sincere apologies for the delay on this second post, I meant to get it on here yesterday evening but I was feeling a wee bit concussed after my lovely biking adventure yesterday haha. Back to the foundational workout types.
Mile Repeats and Tempo Runs: These are in my mind race specific training runs (but they can be used in a normal fitness regimen as well). The first of these is pretty self-explanatory, in mile repeats you run timed miles and repeat. The goal here is for a comfortable and sustainable pace that you can hit on the money pretty much every time. Remember, if you're just starting out this pace is going to be slower. There is absolutely no shame in 15 minute miles starting out. As I've said, we all have to start somewhere and if that is walking for you then do it, these workouts are meant to establish a firm foundation for race day or basic fitness which can be built upon. That is the beauty of running, you may start slow and have to be patient to see results, but eventually you do see them. Another benefit to starting slowly is that it takes time to build up joints and connective tissue, do too much too early on and you're setting yourself up to be another statistic (an injured runner). So take it slow and remember conversational pace and aerobic zone heart rate.
As for tempo runs, they are similar to mile repeats in that you are doing mile repeats or a set distance (the choice there is yours). The difference is that these runs are where you push beyond your normal pace for each mile. My suggestion with starting off is aim to cut 15-20 seconds off per mile in these (or whatever you want to shoot for) and if you're going for a set distance (say a 5 miles) I personally like to shoot for negative splits, which means increasing effort with every juncture at which you check your time and pace. So on a 5 mile tempo run with negative splits I'd shoot for something like this:
Mile: Time:
1 8:15
2 8:00
3 7:45
4 7:30
5 7:15
This is a bit more of an advanced practice and takes time to get to, but regardless, the point of the tempo run is to push yourself not necessarily to the absolute limit, but beyond what you would normally do.
Strength Training: That's right, go do isometrics or lift weights, whatever suits you. I know, I know, you want to be a runner and not a powerlifter. That's all well and good, but I have news for you. Without a strong core and legs you'll be a weak to mediocre runner at best and only see minimal results in the weight loss department (which may or may not be your goal). This is because muscle mass is what burns fat away most effectively and quickly. And the less body fat you're carrying around the less work running will be in terms of calories.
For example:
At my beginning weight (last summer) of 270 running 6 miles I would have burned 1260 calories
At my current weight of 225 I burn 1067 calories
At my ideal weight of around 175 I would burn 830 calories
You can find calorie calculators online in a lot of places. I used this one.
I recommend 2 to 3 full body strength training workouts a week. Now you may be asking yourself why I talk of building muscle to cut mass since muscle fibers are much more dense than fat. This is because as I mentioned, building muscle is the best way to reduce body fat, but also because if you strength train in a way that promotes endurance then your muscles will be primed for that instead of maximum strength. Lean muscle, not bulk is the key. What I like to do is a variety of exercises (bicep curls, tricep push downs, bench, squat, leg press, you all know the basics I'm sure) with a moderate weight. The key for me is repetitions, for each exercise I do between 15 and 20 reps. This keeps me from getting the mentality that I need to go for max weight and do only 2 to 3 reps. If you don't feel any burn at all though, up your weight. And as with every workout listen to your body. It knows best, and if it is telling you no there is probably a reason.
There you have it, the basic types of workouts you'll be doing to start off with, I recommend 3 days of running a week starting out and 2 to 3 of strength training (which can be doubled on a running day if you'd like an extra rest day). The key to starting out is as I've said, to take it slow. This is your foundation for all you'll do in the future. Don't make it faulty or everything can crumble. As much as I hate to admit it (to those of you who know me) rest days are important. Take them because if you don't, you'll be forced to when you're laid up and injured or your body will enter over training and you will see next to no progress (as I did).
That's it for today, hope you found it informative and helpful for starting out. If you have any questions about any of this do not hesitate to ask in a comment or wherever you'd like. I'll answer all that I can.
“We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves. The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable.” - Roger Bannister-
Mile Repeats and Tempo Runs: These are in my mind race specific training runs (but they can be used in a normal fitness regimen as well). The first of these is pretty self-explanatory, in mile repeats you run timed miles and repeat. The goal here is for a comfortable and sustainable pace that you can hit on the money pretty much every time. Remember, if you're just starting out this pace is going to be slower. There is absolutely no shame in 15 minute miles starting out. As I've said, we all have to start somewhere and if that is walking for you then do it, these workouts are meant to establish a firm foundation for race day or basic fitness which can be built upon. That is the beauty of running, you may start slow and have to be patient to see results, but eventually you do see them. Another benefit to starting slowly is that it takes time to build up joints and connective tissue, do too much too early on and you're setting yourself up to be another statistic (an injured runner). So take it slow and remember conversational pace and aerobic zone heart rate.
As for tempo runs, they are similar to mile repeats in that you are doing mile repeats or a set distance (the choice there is yours). The difference is that these runs are where you push beyond your normal pace for each mile. My suggestion with starting off is aim to cut 15-20 seconds off per mile in these (or whatever you want to shoot for) and if you're going for a set distance (say a 5 miles) I personally like to shoot for negative splits, which means increasing effort with every juncture at which you check your time and pace. So on a 5 mile tempo run with negative splits I'd shoot for something like this:
Mile: Time:
1 8:15
2 8:00
3 7:45
4 7:30
5 7:15
This is a bit more of an advanced practice and takes time to get to, but regardless, the point of the tempo run is to push yourself not necessarily to the absolute limit, but beyond what you would normally do.
Strength Training: That's right, go do isometrics or lift weights, whatever suits you. I know, I know, you want to be a runner and not a powerlifter. That's all well and good, but I have news for you. Without a strong core and legs you'll be a weak to mediocre runner at best and only see minimal results in the weight loss department (which may or may not be your goal). This is because muscle mass is what burns fat away most effectively and quickly. And the less body fat you're carrying around the less work running will be in terms of calories.
For example:
At my beginning weight (last summer) of 270 running 6 miles I would have burned 1260 calories
At my current weight of 225 I burn 1067 calories
At my ideal weight of around 175 I would burn 830 calories
You can find calorie calculators online in a lot of places. I used this one.
I recommend 2 to 3 full body strength training workouts a week. Now you may be asking yourself why I talk of building muscle to cut mass since muscle fibers are much more dense than fat. This is because as I mentioned, building muscle is the best way to reduce body fat, but also because if you strength train in a way that promotes endurance then your muscles will be primed for that instead of maximum strength. Lean muscle, not bulk is the key. What I like to do is a variety of exercises (bicep curls, tricep push downs, bench, squat, leg press, you all know the basics I'm sure) with a moderate weight. The key for me is repetitions, for each exercise I do between 15 and 20 reps. This keeps me from getting the mentality that I need to go for max weight and do only 2 to 3 reps. If you don't feel any burn at all though, up your weight. And as with every workout listen to your body. It knows best, and if it is telling you no there is probably a reason.
There you have it, the basic types of workouts you'll be doing to start off with, I recommend 3 days of running a week starting out and 2 to 3 of strength training (which can be doubled on a running day if you'd like an extra rest day). The key to starting out is as I've said, to take it slow. This is your foundation for all you'll do in the future. Don't make it faulty or everything can crumble. As much as I hate to admit it (to those of you who know me) rest days are important. Take them because if you don't, you'll be forced to when you're laid up and injured or your body will enter over training and you will see next to no progress (as I did).
That's it for today, hope you found it informative and helpful for starting out. If you have any questions about any of this do not hesitate to ask in a comment or wherever you'd like. I'll answer all that I can.
“We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves. The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable.” - Roger Bannister-
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Beginning workouts pt. 2 postponed
So I got in a pretty bad bike wreck today and got myself a concussion and the like so the second part of the workouts isn't going up till tomorrow at earliest. And so much for the 50k...sigh. I'm more pissed about that than my body being banged up honestly, but what can ya do?
Monday, February 28, 2011
Beginning workouts...(how to start better than I did) Part 1 of 2
So as I said before, with running everyone has to start somewhere and pacing is key. So when you start running, walking, or jogging remember two words: Conversational pace.
What this means is that during your endurance runs and mile repeats (if you're shooting for race times eventually) that you should maintain a pace that you can hold a conversation at. This keeps your heart rate up but not above anaerobic threshold where your body switches to burning up glycogen stores instead of fat stores as it does with aerobic exercise. Having a heart rate monitor or being on a treadmill with one helps here because it can be difficult for some to realize what speed their heart is at.
Going at a slower pace like this and keeping your heart rate around 70-80% of your max not only gives you the ability to run longer, but makes fat the primary source of calories burned (which is why many people run if they're honest...to lose weight/fat), trains your body to do this at faster paces as you keep at it, and helps prevent compensatory eating after workouts which is common if the intensity is higher and depletes glycogen stores.
Your max heart rate is generally calculated by the following formula:
MHR = 220 - (your age)
Or in my case:
220 - 26 = 194
There are indeed other formulas which take any number of methods into account, but for the sake of simplicity I'll use the above formula (others can be found by googling or here: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm ).
So my aerobic zone which is 70-80% of this is between (rounding):
194 x (0.7) = 136
and
194 x (0.8) = 155
These are important for two types of workouts and for any sort of longer runs in particular. As a beginner you should run at the most 3 to 4 times a week doing different types of workouts to develop all-around cardiovascular health and fitness.
Your main workout types will be:
Interval Training - These involve warming up in your aerobic zone and then pushing into your anaerobic zone (80-90% MHR) for a given period of time or distance. This is followed by a set rest period during which you return to your aerobic zone and then repeat. With this type of workout you can vary the intensity as you see fit, my personal favorite has become the pyramid approach which I do on a 400m track as follows:
aerobic anaerobic
300m 100m
200m 200m
100m 300m
400m 400m
100m 300m
200m 200m
300m 100m
800m(cool down)
This puts you at an even 2.5 miles with the given distances. These workouts are important because recent research is showing that interval training is actually the best way to build endurance (and it also does so in far less time than a 10-20 mile run), though longer runs are still necessary if you plan to race to get your body conditioned to the prolonged impact.
However, a good suggestion for beginning interval training is to do something like 2 minutes at aerobic pace followed by 30 seconds at anaerobic pace and repeating as many times as you desire (probably 3-5 if you're just starting out).
Endurance Runs - These are pretty self-explanatory, they are your long run of the week. Best advice for beginners is to stick to a slow and steady pace for these. Pacing is the key for these as it is with anything. It is especially crucial with these runs, because if you get ambitious and push hard the first part of the run then the rest will most likely be miserable. Remember the two magic words here: conversational pace. And it is important (even if you're crazy like me) to take a rest day after your long run of the week. Because if your body doesn't get time to recover then you'll see much less in the way of long-term improvement.
Speaking of rest...that's it for today, I'll post the other half of these tomorrow. I've got a 50k trail run on Saturday that I hope not to embarrass myself at too terribly.
Today's lesson to learn from my mistakes: Start slowly and build your foundation as solid as you can with simple workouts and a good routine. Become a runner for life, not a runner for a season who devolves into an injury-prone mess after a year or two. And don't give up, the best things in life rarely come with little effort. This is especially true with fitness, if being in shape were easy we'd all be there instead of being shapely.
What this means is that during your endurance runs and mile repeats (if you're shooting for race times eventually) that you should maintain a pace that you can hold a conversation at. This keeps your heart rate up but not above anaerobic threshold where your body switches to burning up glycogen stores instead of fat stores as it does with aerobic exercise. Having a heart rate monitor or being on a treadmill with one helps here because it can be difficult for some to realize what speed their heart is at.
Going at a slower pace like this and keeping your heart rate around 70-80% of your max not only gives you the ability to run longer, but makes fat the primary source of calories burned (which is why many people run if they're honest...to lose weight/fat), trains your body to do this at faster paces as you keep at it, and helps prevent compensatory eating after workouts which is common if the intensity is higher and depletes glycogen stores.
Your max heart rate is generally calculated by the following formula:
MHR = 220 - (your age)
Or in my case:
220 - 26 = 194
There are indeed other formulas which take any number of methods into account, but for the sake of simplicity I'll use the above formula (others can be found by googling or here: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/maxhr.htm ).
So my aerobic zone which is 70-80% of this is between (rounding):
194 x (0.7) = 136
and
194 x (0.8) = 155
These are important for two types of workouts and for any sort of longer runs in particular. As a beginner you should run at the most 3 to 4 times a week doing different types of workouts to develop all-around cardiovascular health and fitness.
Your main workout types will be:
Interval Training - These involve warming up in your aerobic zone and then pushing into your anaerobic zone (80-90% MHR) for a given period of time or distance. This is followed by a set rest period during which you return to your aerobic zone and then repeat. With this type of workout you can vary the intensity as you see fit, my personal favorite has become the pyramid approach which I do on a 400m track as follows:
aerobic anaerobic
300m 100m
200m 200m
100m 300m
400m 400m
100m 300m
200m 200m
300m 100m
800m(cool down)
This puts you at an even 2.5 miles with the given distances. These workouts are important because recent research is showing that interval training is actually the best way to build endurance (and it also does so in far less time than a 10-20 mile run), though longer runs are still necessary if you plan to race to get your body conditioned to the prolonged impact.
However, a good suggestion for beginning interval training is to do something like 2 minutes at aerobic pace followed by 30 seconds at anaerobic pace and repeating as many times as you desire (probably 3-5 if you're just starting out).
Endurance Runs - These are pretty self-explanatory, they are your long run of the week. Best advice for beginners is to stick to a slow and steady pace for these. Pacing is the key for these as it is with anything. It is especially crucial with these runs, because if you get ambitious and push hard the first part of the run then the rest will most likely be miserable. Remember the two magic words here: conversational pace. And it is important (even if you're crazy like me) to take a rest day after your long run of the week. Because if your body doesn't get time to recover then you'll see much less in the way of long-term improvement.
Speaking of rest...that's it for today, I'll post the other half of these tomorrow. I've got a 50k trail run on Saturday that I hope not to embarrass myself at too terribly.
Today's lesson to learn from my mistakes: Start slowly and build your foundation as solid as you can with simple workouts and a good routine. Become a runner for life, not a runner for a season who devolves into an injury-prone mess after a year or two. And don't give up, the best things in life rarely come with little effort. This is especially true with fitness, if being in shape were easy we'd all be there instead of being shapely.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
from sedentary to marathoner...
So I figure I should start this out with just a little about who I am and what got me to the point where I decided to start this thing up.
About six years ago during my second year of university I was a full fledged couch potato. I was pretty much completely sedentary and was pushing around 300 pounds, which I supposedly carried well with my large 6'2" frame, but was about 120-130 pounds over my ideal weight. I was carrying around an extra person and it was taking its toll on my health via hypertension (at 20 years old) and various joint problems (ankle and knee), as well as emotionally in the form of pretty substantial depression and a lot of body image issues.
Then I worked at a summer camp for 14 weeks and fell in love with the outdoors. And I continued to work at one for six summers after that. This, combined with starting to actually take care of myself and eat well got me to within reach of a healthy weight. Then, through circumstances which shall remain unmentioned in my family I quit eating healthy and being active and got back up to about 285. But even at that weight when working at camp and playing games I realized, "Hey, I'm pretty fast for a big guy...imagine if I lost weight." Then I began to fall in love with running.
I'd always thought I was a sprinter and couldn't really do much in the realm of distance. I thought distance runners were masochists and crazy people, because every time I upped my distance my legs and back revolted and started killing me. Then I began to research and stumbled across the idea of bare-footing and that shoes were preventing my natural range of motion and gait and all that began to change. I started toying with minimalist shoes and looking into running research back around 2007-2008 and was astounded to find that shoes were actually being proven to often be the culprits as far as injury and the like are concerned. I tried to hit the ground running with bare-footing from the start and found myself injured and frustrated once more when things began to click in my head. Even though this was the best and most natural way to run it would take time to get used to.
Our feet have been imprisoned for most of our lives and kept from doing their extremely important tasks of shock absorption, balancing, and stabilization. And our primary means of support in the evolutionary wonder that is our foot? The arch, one of the most stable structures of all time...and any architect or engineer worth anything knows that supporting an arch from underneath (as shoes do) compromises the structure and risks it crumbling. And this lifetime of neglect and what I would not hesitate to call abuse of our feet is why we must start slowly as I failed to do. Because with a weak foundation the whole structure is weak, and if we've been running and walking restricted our entire lives it will take time to correct form and strengthen all the necessary muscles and connective tissues.
Which is a part of why I'm starting page up, to encourage those of you who are out there who think, "I could never run more than a couple laps around the track." to start slowly and keep with it. As with any skill, the only way to see improvement is to practice consistently. It has taken me about 4 years to go from couch to marathon in total, because I count getting into walking shape before running shape as part of the process.
And as for races...sign up for one. The running community is pretty fantastic and it isn't about winning races unless you've got sponsorships to keep. At the end of the race, first or last, all that matters is that you finished. And there is a great sense of accomplishment in that, whether it is a 5k, 10k, marathon, ultramarathon, or whatever the distance may be.
I'll do my best to post interesting research I happen across on here as well as links to workouts and encouragement for various levels of runners. And as for the picture, it was taken by my girlfriend at about 5 a.m. the morning of my first marathon last Sunday and I thought it fitting to accompany the goofy blog name.
Just remember, everyone has to start somewhere, whether it be walking 20 minute miles or jogging 10 minute ones, no one cranks 5 minute miles with no training. Run because you love it and because when you run with the world, the world runs with you. And never forget, you were born to run.
About six years ago during my second year of university I was a full fledged couch potato. I was pretty much completely sedentary and was pushing around 300 pounds, which I supposedly carried well with my large 6'2" frame, but was about 120-130 pounds over my ideal weight. I was carrying around an extra person and it was taking its toll on my health via hypertension (at 20 years old) and various joint problems (ankle and knee), as well as emotionally in the form of pretty substantial depression and a lot of body image issues.
Then I worked at a summer camp for 14 weeks and fell in love with the outdoors. And I continued to work at one for six summers after that. This, combined with starting to actually take care of myself and eat well got me to within reach of a healthy weight. Then, through circumstances which shall remain unmentioned in my family I quit eating healthy and being active and got back up to about 285. But even at that weight when working at camp and playing games I realized, "Hey, I'm pretty fast for a big guy...imagine if I lost weight." Then I began to fall in love with running.
I'd always thought I was a sprinter and couldn't really do much in the realm of distance. I thought distance runners were masochists and crazy people, because every time I upped my distance my legs and back revolted and started killing me. Then I began to research and stumbled across the idea of bare-footing and that shoes were preventing my natural range of motion and gait and all that began to change. I started toying with minimalist shoes and looking into running research back around 2007-2008 and was astounded to find that shoes were actually being proven to often be the culprits as far as injury and the like are concerned. I tried to hit the ground running with bare-footing from the start and found myself injured and frustrated once more when things began to click in my head. Even though this was the best and most natural way to run it would take time to get used to.
Our feet have been imprisoned for most of our lives and kept from doing their extremely important tasks of shock absorption, balancing, and stabilization. And our primary means of support in the evolutionary wonder that is our foot? The arch, one of the most stable structures of all time...and any architect or engineer worth anything knows that supporting an arch from underneath (as shoes do) compromises the structure and risks it crumbling. And this lifetime of neglect and what I would not hesitate to call abuse of our feet is why we must start slowly as I failed to do. Because with a weak foundation the whole structure is weak, and if we've been running and walking restricted our entire lives it will take time to correct form and strengthen all the necessary muscles and connective tissues.
Which is a part of why I'm starting page up, to encourage those of you who are out there who think, "I could never run more than a couple laps around the track." to start slowly and keep with it. As with any skill, the only way to see improvement is to practice consistently. It has taken me about 4 years to go from couch to marathon in total, because I count getting into walking shape before running shape as part of the process.
And as for races...sign up for one. The running community is pretty fantastic and it isn't about winning races unless you've got sponsorships to keep. At the end of the race, first or last, all that matters is that you finished. And there is a great sense of accomplishment in that, whether it is a 5k, 10k, marathon, ultramarathon, or whatever the distance may be.
I'll do my best to post interesting research I happen across on here as well as links to workouts and encouragement for various levels of runners. And as for the picture, it was taken by my girlfriend at about 5 a.m. the morning of my first marathon last Sunday and I thought it fitting to accompany the goofy blog name.
Just remember, everyone has to start somewhere, whether it be walking 20 minute miles or jogging 10 minute ones, no one cranks 5 minute miles with no training. Run because you love it and because when you run with the world, the world runs with you. And never forget, you were born to run.
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