Wednesday, July 31, 2013

I Do What I Want (Running Wise)

I've decided not to follow any rules of training for the next few months.  I'm just going to do what I want. Whatever. Simple.



I've read over 150 running books and have a sense of what is "correct" and "proper" training. It's inside me. Now, I'll just let things happen. I want steady progress and no injuries. I want to get faster, but stay happy.  Here is a recent chart from RunnersConnect that caught my attention:

 Why Running Harder Won’t Help You Get Faster

I want steady, but moderate progress. In the past, I've done either too much base-level easy running (with no speed work) or I insert crazy fast speed sessions. Now, I just want variety. Most will be moderate effort runs at moderate distances. I'm not a fan of track workouts, so those will probably be skipped. I tend to prefer tempo and fartlek runs. Those just fit my style. If I can ever get my Garmin HR strap to stop digging into my chest, I'll even document my runs with distance, time, pace, HR, etc. I've turned off all of my Garmin alarms and now just run as I feel. The watch doesn't control me, I control me. But, I still want to track my running shit so I'll monitor my runs (but mostly keep the watch on "time of day").

I'm not looking forward to my next race on August 10: the Howl at the Moon 8-Hour ultra. I'm not prepared. Still, it'll be a great workout and a nice time to catch up with friends. This fall I have several races planned--mostly around the 50K distance. Perfect "shorter" races. I might even throw in a really short race like a marathon! I am looking forward to this fall. Why? Because...I do what I want!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Awesome One Hour Run

Lately I've been struggling with my training. Sometimes I run, sometimes I don't. Sometimes it feels good, sometimes it doesn't. No consistency. I decided to "just run" and do what I want. No real plan. No mileage goals. No pace goals. Today it began. I just stepped on the gym treadmill and started to walk. Then jog. Then run. As I ran faster, I decided to go until I hit lactate threshold. Felt good. Then I decided to back off a bit and hold at marathon pace (about 7:30 pace). Held that pace until I felt it was enough, then walked until the hour was done. Great one hour run!

Walk=>Jog=>Run Until LT Pace=>Back to Marathon Pace=>Walk
(The small dip in pace during the marathon pace portion was me adjusting my shoe mid-run.) 

I felt energized after this run. I felt like I achieved something worthwhile, but wasn't spent. I need more runs like this one. Maybe future ones will be faster, or slower. Some will be shorter, but others longer. This was a good start on my new "just run" philosophy. Do what feels right. Do what makes me happy. 

Happy running everyone!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Van Aaken Method

People that follow my blog, or my running, have figured out I tend to follow Phil Maffetone's training ideas. His 2010 book, Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing, is my bedside staple. Maffetone's book is big, a total of 516 pages! Great book, but pretty darn beefy. In addition to Maffetone, I follow Ernst van Aaken and his training philosophy. In fact, it seems that van Aaken was the leader in pure endurance training. Maffetone clearly draws from van Aaken's teachings. Seems Arthur Lydiard did too. If you can find van Aaken's book, "The Van Aaken Method", buy it! It's a really intriguing look at run training from the 1940s and 1950s. Plus, it's only 134 pages long. Very readable. Cool insights (especially about women runners who he was very supportive of in long distance races). It's not an easy used book to find, so let me summarize a few key thoughts in his own words:
  • Run daily, run slowly, with creative walking breaks.
  • Run many miles, many times your racing distance if you are a track runner, up to and often beyond if you are a long-distance runner. 
  • Do tempo running only at a fraction of your racing distance.
  • Run no faster during tempo runs than you would in a race.
  • Bring your weight down 10-20% under the so-called norm and live athletically--don't smoke, drink little or no alcohol, and eat moderately.
  • Consider that breathing is more important than eating, and that continuous breathlessness in training exhausts you and destroys your training reserve.
If you want an even shorter van Aaken book summary...

"Run slowly, run daily, drink moderately, and don't eat like a pig." 

According to van Aaken, true health starts with endurance and from maximum endurance grows maximum performance. Good stuff!

Monday, July 15, 2013

July 8-14: Starting Double Days

This past week ended up being a good one, even though I took 2 full days off and only ran 3 miles on two other days. I kicked it into high gear on the weekend by running doubles on Saturday and Sunday.

Count:7 Activities
Distance:49.30 mi
Max Distance:12.01 mi
Avg Distance:7.04 mi
Time:8:40:05 h:m:s
Avg Speed:5.7 mph
Avg HR:128 bpm
Max HR:144 bpm
Calories:4,786 C

Hope to continue double days at least 3-4 times/week between now and Howl at the Moon 8-Hour ultra (August 10). Still need 1-2 complete rest days each week to consolidate all these gains! I don't feel sore or achy today, but I do feel tired. Just a general sense of fatigue. Today is a well-deserved rest day.

I'm reminded of a training plan I proposed back in 2010...

Devil's Training Plan

Maybe the 666 plan can get me to my final destination.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Running Week in Review: July 1-7

Here's a quick "week in review" for last week's running:

Count:8 Activities
Distance:55.68 mi
Max Distance:9.54 mi
Avg Distance:6.96 mi
Time:9:08:23 h:m:s
Avg Speed:6.1 mph
Avg HR:129 bpm
Max HR:147 bpm
Calories:6,449 C

Not too bad! I was happy with the number of runs, total mileage, and average HR, but the longest outing was only a 10-mile trail run. Next week I need to increase my long run--something like an 18 mile trail run would be nice. I have just under 5 weeks left until the Howl at the Moon 8-Hour ultra. Just enough time to build a bit more endurance and get heat acclimated.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

My Progression Run

Lately, I've really enjoyed doing a progression run once a week. I start by walking, then move to slow jog (10 minute/mile pace), then slowly increase the pace every 1/10 mile by 0.1 mph. It seems insignificant, but those 1/10 mph increases add up! Within 3 miles, you are running at 9 mph. I usually hit my lactate threshold around 6:20 min/mile (breathing pattern changes quickly) and hold it there for about 1/2 mile, then go back to "nice jog" (about 7:40 pace) for about 1/2 mile, and finally finish with a walk. Great workout with a fairly small chance of injury since everything is very gradual.

Garmin Connect Data:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/336853795

Check out that graph of the gradual pace progression (red line is speed)...and my running cadence (black line)!


Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Value for Your Racing Dollar?

The week of rants is officially over, but I still have some issues to discuss. This isn't quite a rant, but more a guide to selecting races based on dollar value and distance needed to travel. I suppose if a race is too expensive, then I would say "Screw you RD" and this column could be considered a true rant! So, if your race is more expensive than the guidelines below allow, then you should lower the costs! In many cases, I don't believe us racers are getting the best dollar value per mile run.

When I was president of Second Wind Running Club, I'd write the standard "President's Corner" columns in the club newsletter. One of them keeps coming back to me. I wrote a piece about how I decide which races to run. It was mostly about how much the race costs and how far it is to the start. I developed a few rules for deciding whether a race was worthwhile. Here is an updated version of that newsletter column that I wrote back in 2003. Ten years later, I still like these two basic rules.

There are so many races to select from, how do you pick? Well, I have a couple of pointers or rules that I follow. Here are two of my rules: 

(1) race entrance fee must be equal to or less than $15 + $1 per mile
(2) the time needed to travel to the race must be equal to or less than 10 minutes per mile raced

Quick examples of the cost issue. A 5k race (3.1 miles) should cost less than $15 plus $3 = $18. A 10k can go up to $21, half marathon $28, and a full marathon $41. I run ultras too so they fit the same rule—a 50k (31 miles) can charge $46, 50 miler $65, 100k (62 miles) $77, and a 100 miler can charge $115. This seems very reasonable to me and it works for all the races I enter (except the Chicago Marathon, which I will not run again!). Longer races have more costs so they can charge more. 

Why do race directors need more money? They have sponsors and clubs or organizations backing their race. Why should runners be ripped off? If Chicago wants to award $100,000 to the winners--that’s fine--just don’t ask me to pay $175 to run your race. Ask Bank of America for a little more sponsorship money. As I look at local races I like what I see. The Buffalo Trace 5-Mile Trail Run charges $15 for early entry fee. That fits my rule! Awesome race. So does the Allerton trail race (if you register early). Kennekuk’s races fit the bill too. Most of Lake Run Club’s are right on target as well. I also like races that give their members discounts. Club members should be tossed a bone now and then.

What about that distance rule? The longer the race the longer I’m willing to travel. I’ll go 10 minutes travel time per 1 mile of race distance. For 5ks that’s only 30 minutes—anything much outside of Champaign-Urbana is off my list. No Sweet Corn 5k in Hoopeston, no Memorial Day 5k in Danville, no Dog Days 5k in Bloomington. But increase the race to a 10k or so and I can go to the Bagel Run in Mattoon, Lake Run in Bloomington, or Wild Wilderness trail run in Danville. Get the picture? Marathons allow me to travel over 4 hours (26 miles = 260 minutes = 4.3 hours). Drive fast and you might extend that boundary. Fly and you can really go far. Start running ultra marathons and you can get some good travel time in—just over 5 hours for a 50k and over 16.5 hours for a 100 miler!

So what’s the best deal for me when combining cost and distance?  Buffalo Trace 5-Mile Trail Race is a pretty awesome deal, 1 mile to the starting line and only $13 for club members. Howl at the Moon 8-hour Ultra is a nice bargain too. It’s an 8-hour race (allows me to run over 45 miles) and is only 45 miles away (less than an hour drive). Entrance fee is as low as $53 if you’re a KRR member. Hard to beat that combination. According to my formula, I could travel 400 minutes (6.5 hours) and pay $60 for this race. Good job Kennekuk!

Did I mention my aversion to roads? One more rule for me—I only do trail races. Roads are no fun. I have made three exceptions for future road racing—the Boston Marathon (most prestigious marathon in the world), Comrades Marathon (the oldest ultramarathon in the world), and the Badwater Ultramarathon (the hardest running event in the world). Oh yeah!

Think about all the races you run. Are you getting fair value for your race fee?