[sig:SeanMcKeon]

“Our sponsorship of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series leverages one of the most unique health and fitness marketing platforms in the industry,” said Todd Vore, President of Implus. “Catering to runners from novice to elite, the national series will provide us with numerous channels to highlight our innovative products and unique brand attributes.”

Sof Sole has partnered with the largest marathon series in the world to spread the word about their performance insoles and overlays designed to provide shock absorption, enhance shoe comfort and support, and reduce lower body fatigue. As the official insole sponsor of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, Sof Sole will have a significant presence at each of the 14 national Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon & ½ Marathon events in cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Dallas, Seattle and Las Vegas, among others.

“As an innovative leader in their industry, Sof Sole recognizes the importance of the many opportunities the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series provides our partners,” said John Smith, Senior Vice-President of the Competitor Group. “Sof Sole has a long tradition of producing quality footwear accessories and we are pleased that they chose Competitor’s events as outlets to their customers.”

Sof Sole will showcase its footwear accessories at each event’s signature Health & Fitness Expo and at retail locations in the respective race areas. Each Rock ‘n’ Roll event draws 15,000 to 30,000 participants, and more than 100,000 consumers tour the two-day expo.

For more information about Sof Sole, please visit www.sofsole.com.

About Implus Footcare, LLC

Headquartered in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park, Implus has evolved to become an innovative leader in “below the ankle” footwear and outdoor accessories. Implus’ brand families include well-respected industry product names Sof Sole®, Yaktrax®, apara®, Airplus®, Sneaker Balls®, Sof Comfort®, Granger’s®, Little Hotties® and Highgear®. From insoles to performance socks to shoe care to navigational tools and accessories, Implus proudly distributes in over 75,000 retail outlets across North America and in 65 countries worldwide. For more information, please call (800) 446-7587 or visit www.implus.com.

Your key to getting leaner and racing better may be metabolic efficiency training

Written by: Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS

Now is the time of the year when thoughts of dropping weight and body fat become extremely popular among runners.  But what about planning your race-day nutrition to eliminate the demon of GI distress that rears its ugly head during your races?  Attaining metabolic efficiency will have a significant impact on your body composition and GI comfort during races and will also reduce your need for simple sugars when racing.

“Efficiency” is a term that is typically associated with sport. From a nutrition perspective, being metabolically efficient simply means being able to use the proper nutrients that are stored in the body at the right times.

Metabolic Efficiency Training

Metabolic Efficiency Training (MET) comprises specific nutrition and physical training techniques that manipulate cellular processes in ways that improve the body’s ability to utilize macronutrients. The main benefit of MET is that it allows the body to more efficiently use macronutrients.

Aerobic training induces cellular changes that improve the body’s efficiency in using macronutrients, specifically fats. This is important, because fat burning is the main source of energy when the exercise intensity is low.  Because the muscle stores of glycogen (carbohydrate-based fuel) can deplete rather quickly (after two to three hours of moderately intense exercise) and supplemental carbohydrates (e.g. sports drinks) cannot provide adequate energy for longer-distance training due to the GI distress they cause or the inconvenience of transport, it is beneficial to teach the body to become more metabolically efficient in using fats as an energy source.  These metabolic changes can typically happen in as little time as two weeks with the proper eating and training program.

The Crossover Concept

The crossover concept is a physiological term that describes the relationship of fat and carbohydrate oxidation to intensity of exercise. As exercise intensity increases, the body prefers to use carbohydrate for energy.  The crossover point is the intensity where fat and carbohydrate intersect with the energy from fat decreasing and the energy from carbohydrate increasing. The crossover point, or what I term “metabolic efficiency point”, can be manipulated with proper aerobic training, but only if intensity is maintained at lower levels.  Training at higher intensities will surely improve power and speed but it will not improve fat metabolism during training.  A runner who is more aerobically conditioned can use more fat as energy at higher intensities and this can provide a glycogen-sparing effect.

The metabolic efficiency point can be further manipulated through nutrition.  Eating a higher carbohydrate diet will lead to an increase in carbohydrate oxidation. While the benefits of eating a higher-carbohydrate diet are certainly justified during certain times of the year when the training load is high, this type of eating can work to a runner’s disadvantage during lower-volume and -intensity cycles.

Eating and therefore oxidizing more carbohydrates decreases the body’s ability to oxidize fat at higher intensities; therefore, to properly teach the body to utilize fats more efficiently, carbohydrate intake should be more balanced with lean protein and healthy fats. This is not a recommendation to follow a low-carbohydrate diet. The goal is to balance macronutrient intake so proper metabolic changes can happen.

The good news is that any athlete can accomplish these metabolic changes in a short amount of time. There are no special tools or devices that you need. The following three steps will help in your quest to become more metabolically efficient and use more of your fat stores as energy.

1. Adopt a nutritional paradigm shift.  As you approach your daily food selection, prioritize your meals and snacks.  First on your plate should be a source of lean protein and healthy, omega-3-rich fat.  Second up is a healthy portion of fruits and/or vegetables.  Then, save just a little room for those whole grains and healthier starches if you decide you need them at this point in your training cycle.

2. Use the “out of sight, out of mind” concept.  Nutrition supplements that are high in simple sugars such as sports drinks, energy bars, gels and chews will inhibit your progress toward metabolic efficiency. Focus on eating good meals as I described above and save the nutrition supplements for when you really need them.  Remember, you are trying to teach your body to use its fat stores more efficiently and these products will just interfere with that goal at this time.

3. Follow the 90/10 rule.  Stay on track with these steps 90 percent of the time and allow yourself to “miss” the other 10 percent of the time.  Remember, you are human and life happens.  Don’t stress out if you have the occasional “miss”.  Be gentle with yourself and allow some room to deviate.

This is the best time of the year to implement a metabolic efficiency plan.  Focus on good aerobic training with some nutritional shifts and you will be on the road to using more of your internal fat stores as energy.

***

For more information about this topic, refer to Bob’s newly published book Metabolic Efficiency Training: Teaching the Body to Use More Fat.

Bob Seebohar, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS, is one of the foremost experts on sports nutrition for endurance athletes. He was previously the Director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Florida and most recently a Sport Dietitian for the US Olympic Committee.  Contact him at coachbob@fuel4mance.com

Looking for more runs in the Denver, CO area? Search the MapMyRun.com Running Route database to find a route near you.

Parks

Washington Park

Washington Park is one of the largest parks in Denver featuring a 2.6-mile running path and is part of the Denver Marathon course located at S. Downing St. and E. Louisiana Ave. (Washington Park website)

City Park

Denver’s City Park is located just northeast of downtown Denver and is part of the Denver Marathon course. Visit City Park website for a vitual tour. (City Park website)

Red Rocks Park

Nestled in the Rocky Mountain Foothills fifteen miles west of Denver, Red Rocks Park encomapasses 818 acres and is open to hikers, runners, and sightseers year-round. (Red Rocks Park website)

Sloans Lake

Sloans Lake is located at Sheridan Blvd. and W. 17th Ave. and has recently gone a $1.5M redevelopment project that includs a 2.6 mile trail around the lake. (Sloans Lake website)

Bear Creek Park

Located at S. Raleigh St. and W. Hampden Ave., this 90-acre park features a bicycle/pedestrail pathway, football field, fishing, horseshoe pit, and softball field grass infield. (Bear Creek Park website)

Cherry Creek State Park

Denver’s background playground, offers unlimited recreation opportunities anchored around a 880 surface acre lake and is located just one mile south of I-225 on Parker Road, adjacent to south Denver. (Cherry Creek State Park website)

Tracks

North Denver

Broomfield High School, 1 Eagle Way in Broomfield. A good rubberized oval in good condition that’s usually not crowded.

Central Denver

North High School at Speer and Federal. It’s the closest track to downtown, Denver.

South Denver

Cherry Creek High School, 9300 E. Union Ave., Greenwood Village, CO. An excellent track as the tall football grandstands help block the wind on blustery days. (Cherry Creek High School website)

Boulder

Potts Field track is located on the University of Colorado campus, one block east of 30th and Colorado Ave. A popular place for world-class runners on weekday nights. (Potts Field website)

Written by: Mario Fraioli

If you’re a new runner and you’ve recently caught the racing bug, finishing a 5K is likely no longer an issue; finishing it faster is the new challenge. Time to add speed work to your training.

As a new runner, you’re probably running over the same roads or on the same treadmill at the same speed every day. You’re using the same muscles in the same manner every time you lace up your sneaks. Then, when it comes time to race, you find yourself stuck in second gear from start to finish. In order to shift into overdrive, you need to give your muscles some new stimulation.In particular, you want to add strides, fartlek runs, and track work to your program. Here’s how.

Strides

When introducing speed work into a training program, it’s important to do so safely. Running faster will force you to break out of your comfort zone and start recruiting your previously unused fast-twitch muscle fibers. Doing too much, too soon, however, will result in injury, so it’s important to sprinkle in speed work in small doses.

Strides are an easy and effective way to gently fire up those fast-twitch muscle fibers that will power your future speed workouts. So, how do you do them?

After one or two of your regular old runs during the week, find a flat stretch of road and accelerate for 10-15 seconds. Once you approach top speed, gradually decelerate back down to a jog. Repeat four to six times and take a minute or so between repeats to catch your breath and get ready to go again. Remember, these aren’t all-out sprints but short accelerations. Focus on running relaxed with fluid form: get up on your toes and lift your knees a little more than you ordinarily would while covering ground quickly and comfortably.

In the beginning, a set of four to six strides two to three times a week after your regular runs is plenty. As your training progresses, strides will become something of a speed maintenance session, as well as serve as part of a warm-up routine for some of the more advanced speed workouts described below.

Fartlek

Once you’ve made strides a regular part of your training regimen, you’ll be ready to start stepping up the speed work ladder. Fartlek – Swedish for “speed play” – is a great way to get your wheels spinning. This type of speed workout can be done on the roads, trails or treadmill and all you’ll need is a little imagination or a reliable watch.

Essentially, fartlek is a series of faster pickups with a recovery interval in between. The length and speed of the pickups, as well as the recovery intervals, is totally up to you. When out on the roads or trails, after an easy warm-up jog of a mile or two, find an object off in the near distance, be it a tree, rock or telephone pole, and run to it at a pace faster than you ordinarily would. Once you reach your destination or start feeling fatigued, jog gently or even walk until you’re feeling recovered and then repeat the process all the way home.

If you prefer a little more structure in your speed play or are tied to the treadmill, set your watch so your pickups are of a predetermined duration, whether it’s 30 seconds, 10 minutes or anything in between.  Use the shorter pickups to practice sprinting and utilize the longer intervals to run strong at a steady pace you hope to maintain in a race. A mix of short, fast running and longer, steady stretches will tap into your anaerobic system and increase your aerobic capacity, thus improving your ability to maintain a faster pace. Try to perform a fartlek workout once a week and allow yourself a few days of easy running or rest afterward to ensure you recover completely.

Track Workouts

When most new runners think of speed work they immediately think of gut-wrenching laps around a track. This misrepresentation of the truth behind track workouts often prevents a lot of runners from deviating from the safety of their regular routine.

Regardless of your ability level, this shouldn’t be the case. Track work in the form of interval training is one of the most precise ways to keep your speedometer in check on race day. Similar to fartlek training in that bouts of faster running are separated by recovery intervals, track training will better allow you to keep a close eye on your pace and give you an accurate idea of what you’ll be capable of on race day.

Introduce track workouts into your training schedule only after strides have become part of your regular routine and you’ve had some fun with a few fartlek workouts. When setting out to do a track workout, warm up with a mile or two of easy jogging and then perform a set of four to six strides in order to get your fast-twitch muscle fibers ready to do some work.  As for the workout itself, aim for two to three miles’ worth of intervals ranging from 200 meters (1/2 a lap of the track) to one mile (four laps) and run them at your goal 5K race pace or even a few seconds per mile faster. For recovery, jog or walk for half the duration of the faster interval before starting the next one.

So, for example, if your goal race pace for 5K is 8:00 per mile, a sample track workout would be to run one mile at your goal pace of 8:00 and follow that that with 4:00 of slow jogging or walking for recovery. Then run 2 x 800 meters at 3:55, or 10 seconds per mile faster than your goal race pace, and follow each of those intervals with about 2:00 of walking or jogging. Finish fast with 2 x 400 meters in 1:55 with about a minute recovery in between and cool down with a mile or two of jogging afterward. You should finish the workout feeling pleasantly tired and not absolutely annihilated.

Track workouts are very demanding on the body, so be sure to treat them with the respect they deserve – performing them once a week or even every other week is plenty, especially if you’re racing regularly. And as with any other type of hard session, recovery is key, so be sure to run easy or rest in the days following a track workout.

***

Mario Fraioli is a 2:28 marathoner and online coach living outside of Boston. He coaches runners through his website at www.mariofraioli.com

Written by: Mario Fraioli

In the final weeks leading up to his goal marathon, Ricky Runlong did everything right, or so he thought. He cut his mileage in half, started taking more days off to rest, and ran workouts so much faster than his target race pace, he was positive a huge PR was waiting in the wings.

Fast forward to race day. Ricky hits the halfway mark feeling flat despite being right on pace. A few miles later he starts fading fast, and by 20 miles the wheels have fallen off the wagon and he’s doing the survival shuffle. Ricky finishes well off his target time and instantly starts racking his brain for answers to the question of what went wrong with his race. Perhaps it was a poor fueling strategy, or not getting enough sleep the night before the race.  Maybe it was too many long runs, or not enough workouts.

Or maybe it was a combination of all of these things, along with a whole host of other factors, which contributed to Ricky’s race-day woes. Specific mistakes aside, Ricky was the victim of poor planning and an imperfect peaking strategy, resulting in a sub-par performance when a PR should have been in his back pocket.

Does this sound familiar to you? If so, put these simple strategies into practice and plan your next peak precisely.

Work backward

The first step in the process of progressing toward the perfect peak for your next big race is planning—specifically, planning in reverse. By doing so, you can map out exactly how long you’ll need to prepare and divide the training cycle up accordingly. It’s imperative not to rush any one phase and give each a specific objective. To ensure that you peak properly, keep a close eye on your long runs, races and workouts over the final few weeks of training heading into your goal race. You can screw up a lot more than you can improve during this time period, so focus on staying fresh rather than trying to “get fast.” The reality is that no one long run or workout during this time period is going to make your race – but it could very well break it if you’re not careful. Be sure to precede the peak phase with a solid stretch of training that mixes strength and speed work, but only after you’ve given yourself a big enough aerobic base of easy to moderately-paced running to work from.

Avoid the speed trap

For the marathoners I coach, “speed” workouts during the final four weeks heading into a peak race orbit closely around goal race pace. Target paces (even on shorter intervals) are no more than 15 seconds per mile faster than the pace the athlete will try to run on race day. A common mistake many runners like Ricky Runlong make in the final few weeks of training heading into a key race is to run all their workouts at a pace far faster than they’re capable of racing at, believing that by doing so they will make goal pace feel easy on race day. These same runners are often the ones who end up going off the starting line a lot quicker than they should and end up fading fast over the final miles. Don’t let this happen to you.

By keeping a majority of your faster running at race pace or just slightly faster in the final weeks leading up to your race, you’ll better prepare your body for what it needs to do on race day. The human body is a programmable machine. If your goal race pace is 6:00 per mile, you need to develop your training to the point where you’ve practiced running that pace so much that it becomes automatic. Why spend most of your time at the track running 5:30 pace if your goal is to run 6:00 pace?

The same principle can be applied to peaking for shorter races, as limiting your speed in key workouts to race pace or just a touch faster will allow you to recover faster, feel fresher and perform your best when it counts the most.

Don’t over-taper

Every runner loves to talk about the taper but there are very few who know how to do it properly. It seems that the longer the race is, the less running people feel like they need to do leading up to it. This is, in a word, wrong!

More often than not, tapering your training too much heading into a peak race will do more harm than good. Why? Over the course of a given training cycle, especially for a marathon, you’re putting in a lot of work. Your body has gotten used to high-volume training and lots of running on tired legs. All of a sudden, three weeks out from your peak race, the long run mysteriously disappears from the training schedule. Then you start taking days off to “rest” but can’t figure out for the life of you why you can’t fall asleep at night.

Quite simply, your body isn’t used to these drastic changes and instead of feeling fresh you find yourself in a funk with the most important race of your life right around the corner. How do you prevent this from happening the next time around?

The answer is by not tapering too much. In the final few weeks leading up to the peak race, you want to reduce your overall weekly volume, but by no more than 25 percent. You likely never did that at any stage of the training cycle, so it’s senseless to start doing so right before your big race. Instead of running your last long run three weeks out from your peak race, do it just two weeks prior, which still leaves your legs plenty of time to freshen up. And lastly, don’t take unnecessary days off. If you were used to running almost every day during your big buildup, it will do more harm than good to start taking days off before your race for the sake of rest. Don’t taper too much – your body won’t rest, it will rebel.

***

Mario Fraioli is a freelance writer and coach living outside of Boston. He coaches runners through his website at www.mariofraioli.com.

January 12, 2010 – The Competitor Group (CGI) today announced that online registration has opened for the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon and Half Marathon. The race, scheduled for Sunday, October 17, 2010, is expected to draw over 15,000 runners and will feature entertainment along every mile of the scenic course. The Mile High City will come alive with runners and spectators creating a community-wide celebration that culminates with a rockin’ post race celebration at the Finish Line Festival in Civic Center Park.

The 2010 event will utilize the existing Denver Marathon race course that begins in front of the State Capitol, and travels past many of Denver’s major landmarks including the Denver Public Library, Art Museum, Larimer Square, the Pepsi Center, Union Station and Coors Field, as well as City, Cheesman and Washington Parks. The course has little to no elevation change and is certified by USA Track & Field as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

Online registration for the event is open at www.runrocknroll.com. The first 500 runners to register for the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon & ½ Marathon can take advantage of special entry fees, which will offer registration for the half and full marathon events at $55 and $70, respectively.

“The majestic Rocky Mountain backdrop coupled with the area’s lush green parks makes the Denver marathon course a runner’s delight,” said Kari Logan, Event Director. “We look forward to welcoming many of our loyal rock ‘n’ roll alumni and offering a host of new runners the opportunity to challenge themselves in this fantastic destination.”

Event weekend will begin on Friday, October 15 with a two-day Health & Fitness Expo at the Colorado Convention Center. The free Expo, where all participants pick up their race number, t-shirt and timing tag, will feature up to 100 exhibitors with samples, the latest in running gear and sports apparel, and a full schedule of interactive clinics.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver is now part of a national series of fourteen musically themed marathons and half-marathons. Launched in 1998, the groundbreaking concept uniquely combines entertainment with a 26.2-mile road course. The series, which originated in San Diego, includes events in Phoenix, Nashville, Seattle, Chicago, Virginia Beach, San Jose and San Antonio.

For more information or to register for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Denver Marathon & ½ Marathon, please log onto www.runrocknroll.com or call 800-311-1255. Information regarding the Rock ‘n’ Roll relay and Kids Race will be available soon.

Spirulina is microalgae, powdery and brilliantly green, that is touted as a “superfood” because of its nutrient profile, which includes a lot of protein, vitamin B-12, the essential fatty acid GLA, beta-carotene, iron, and other vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. It is sold in powder and capsule forms as a nutritional supplement to be added to smoothies and such.

While it is not often claimed that spirulina affects exercise performance, a team of Greek researchers went ahead and investigated the effects of spirulina on running performance. Nine moderately trained male subjects received either supplemental spirulina or placebo daily for four weeks. Before and after this intervention, all of the subjects ran on a treadmill at 70-75 percent VO₂max for two hours and then at 95 percent VO₂max to failure. The whole experiment was then repeated with subject who received spirulina the first time receiving placebo the second time and vice versa.

On average, subjects were able to run more than 30 percent longer after spirulina supplementation (about two minutes and 40 seconds with spirulina versus 2:03 without). Researchers also found that spirulina supplementation increased fat oxidation and reduced carbohydrate oxidation during the two-hour run and reduced oxidative stress and increased antioxidant activity after exercise.

It is possible that spirulina supplementation enhanced performance in the high-intensity portion of the workout by reducing carbohydrate use and thus leaving more carbohydrate available. But spirulina’s antioxidant affects may also have played a role in boosting endurance at 95 percent VO₂max, as free radical build-up in the muscles during exercise is an underappreciated cause of fatigue.

The study was published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

Written By: Matt Fitzgerald

Some runners have funny ideas about the meaning of the word “anaerobic”. It’s not their fault, though, because even many exercise physiologists harbor an outdated understanding of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism. Often I hear athletes talk about “going anaerobic” when their running intensity exceeds the anaerobic or lactate threshold, which is a moderately high but not extremely high intensity—one that most fit individuals can sustain for a full hour. This expression—“going anaerobic”—reflects an incorrect belief that the working muscles get their energy either entirely aerobically or entirely anaerobically, whereas in fact they almost always get their energy from both systems simultaneously, with the balance shifting gradually from aerobic toward anaerobic as exercise intensity increases. And indeed, exercise intensity must increase far above the lactate threshold before the muscles even get a majority of their energy anaerobically. If you were to run as far as you could in two minutes (in other words, as hard as you could for two minutes), your muscles would get about half of their energy aerobically during that effort.
This much is understood by most exercise scientists. But what all too many of these professionals don’t know is that most of what is classified as anaerobic metabolism is actually just incomplete aerobic metabolism. Recent research has shown that roughly 75 percent of the lactate that is produced through the anaerobic breakdown of glucose is further broken down aerobically within the muscles cells to release energy. The rest is shuttled to other organs and tissues, where it is either broken down aerobically to supply energy or converted back into glucose for future aerobic breakdown.

If anaerobic glycolysis is reclassified as incomplete aerobic glycolysis, as it should be, then virtually the only truly anaerobic metabolism that occurs in the muscles is the breakdown of high-energy phosphates. This type of metabolism becomes predominant only at the very highest exercise intensities, such as during 100-meter sprints.

While true anaerobic metabolism has only a tiny place in running, anaerobic fitness—or speed and power—is critical to distance running performance. The average runner thinks of factors such as VO2max, fat-burning capacity and running economy as being the keys to running performance and tends to forget about pure speed. But if you set aside your prejudices and look at the speed of world-class distance runners, you will see that pure speed is at least as important as the other performance keys. The typical 2:11 marathoner is capable of running a sub-48-second 400m. Folks, that is flying!

Research confirms the importance of pure speed to distance running performance. A study by Finnish researchers found that 20m sprint times were nearly as powerful a predictor of 5000m race times as VO2max. Studies by the same group have demonstrated that explosive power training effectively improves distance-running performance.

It may seem strange that anaerobic training enhances distance-running performance when there is virtually no anaerobic component to actual distance racing, but it’s true. The primary reason appears to be that anaerobic training increases the bounciness of the stride, so that the feet come off the ground faster and more forcefully. This improves running economy, because half of the energy that propels forward motion during running is supplied not by the body but by the force of impact, and the less time the feet are in contact with the ground, the less of that free energy is lost.

In short, for runners the point of performing types of training that involve anaerobic metabolism is not to developing anaerobic metabolic capacity but rather to increase the speed and power characteristics of the muscle fibers.

Therefore, true anaerobic efforts deserve a bigger place in your training than they have in your races. There are three specific types of anaerobic training that you should be sure to include in your training regimen: sprints, plyometrics and weightlifting.

Sprinting

It’s amazing how few runners ever run at full speed—I mean full speed, the way you ran virtually every time you ran as a kid. All-out sprinting is not only exhilarating, as every six-year-old knows, but it is also great training, even for distance runners. Sprint training increases stride power and running economy, benefits that transfer all the way down to marathon speed and below. Sprinting also forces your body to confront the technical limiters in your stride, resulting in better form.

A little sprinting goes a long way. Elite coach Brad Hudson has his athletes perform a set of 4-12 steep hill sprints of 8-10 seconds once a week after an easy run. The steep hill serves to reduce the risk of hamstring and Achilles tendon injuries. This is about all the sprinting you ever need to do, except at times when increasing your raw speed is a major fitness priority, when you will also want to perform repeated flat sprints of 100 to 300 meters, also once a week. Start with shorter sprints and extend them gradually over several weeks in order to first increase your maximum speed and then blend your new speed with endurance.

Plyometrics

Developed in the 1960s by Eastern Bloc sports coaches, plyometrics consists primarily of jumping exercises designed to enhance the power of the legs. Studies have shown that adding a small amount of plyometrics to the training regimen of endurance athletes improves performance. A 2003 study by Australian researchers found that the addition of plyometrics to the training of high-level runners for six weeks resulted in an average 2.7-percent improvement in 3K race times.

An example of a good plyometrics exercise for runners is the single-leg box jump. Stand on your left foot facing a sturdy platform 12 to 18 inches high (such as stacked aerobics steps). Bend your left leg, swing your arms back then forward to generate momentum, and jump up onto the platform landing on your left foot. Do not allow your right foot to touch the platform. Immediately jump back down, also landing on your left foot. Continue jumping for 30 seconds with the left leg, then switch to the right.

Few runners care to make time to add plyometrics workouts to their training regimen. But you don’t have to. As an alternative, incorporate some single-leg running into one or two of the runs you’re already doing every week. Start by running on just your right leg for 10 strides and then on just your left leg for 10 strides. Gradually increase the number of strides you do on each leg until you reach 30 strides per leg. You will notice that it gets easier to go longer on one leg, which is a sign that your legs are adapting to the stress and your stride is becoming more efficient.

Weightlifting

As with sprinting and plyometrics, a little weightlifting goes a long way for runners. If you select your exercises well and really get after them, you can gain significant performance benefits from just three, 15-minute weightlifting sessions per week.

The mistake that many runners make is going too light with their loads. There is a common misconception among runners that they should use lighter loads and greater numbers of repetitions than others do because, after all, they are endurance athletes. But the point of going to the gym is not to get more of what you are already getting from your endurance training. Distance running does not build strength. Building strength enhances running performance in a way that distance running cannot match. The most effective way to build strength is with heavy loads. Runners should lift heavy loads!

Studies prove it. For example, in a recent study by Norwegian researchers, a group of 17 runners experienced a 21-percent increase in aerobic endurance after doing heavy barbell half-squats for eight weeks. How heavy? The runners did four sets of just four repetitions with their 4RM max load—that is, with the greatest amount of weight that each runner could lift four times.

Here’s an effective total-body strength workout for runners that includes just four exercises and takes no more than 15 minutes to complete.

Heavy Barbell Squat – 3 sets

Cable Low-High Pull* – 1 set pulling left to right, 1 set pulling right to left

*Stand with your left side facing a cable pulley station with the handle fixed at ankle height and pull the handle upward and across your body with both arms in a movement that somewhat resembles shoveling snow.

Single-Arm Dumbbell Snatch – 1 set with each arm

Cable Low-High Pull** – 1 set pulling left to right, 1 set pulling right to left

** Stand with your left side facing a cable pulley station with the handle fixed at head height and pull the handle downward and across your body with both arms in a movement that somewhat resembles chopping wood.

[sgi:MattFitzgerald]

Written By: Matt Fitzgerald

The final two days before a race are very important. The final workouts, meals, equipment and mental preparations and logistical planning you do in this window can have a major impact on your performance – for better or worse. Here’s a checklist of things to do in the 48-hour race countdown to ensure that you get the most out of the hard training you’ve done.

48:00 – Do a short, fast workout
Your next-to-last workout before a race should be relatively easy, so you’re not fatigued on race morning, but it should include a dash of speed to prime your nervous system for competition. For example, run three miles easy, then run 6 x 30-second relaxed sprints.

47:00 – Start carbo-loading
Research shows that one day of very high carbohydrate intake (4.5 g of carbohydrate per lb of body weight) is sufficient to maximize muscle glycogen stores. But you might as well start two days out for good measure. The best time to start carbo-loading is right after your short, fast workout, when your muscles are most receptive to glucose.
It takes some work to consume 4.5 g of carbs per pound of body weight in a single day. To get there, be sure to consume high-carb foods and beverages at every meal (e.g. oatmeal and orange juice for breakfast, noodle soup for lunch and a rice dish for dinner) and supplement with high-carb beverages such as Ensure between meals.

47:00-39:00 – Stay off your feet
Avoid spending any unnecessary time on your feet today. The yard work can wait until next weekend!

31:00 – Get a good night’s sleep
Getting adequate sleep is critical to endurance performance at all times, but it is never more important than in the final days before a big race. In a recent British study, runners covered 6 percent less distance in a 30-minute time trial after being awake for 30 hours than they ran after a full night’s rest.  While that’s a pretty extreme sleep deprivation, even a few lost hours of rest could keep you from reaching your race goal.
Because of pre-race jitters and early-morning race starts, it can be difficult to get a full eight hours of shuteye the night before a race.  So be sure to get a good, long sleep two nights out.

22:00 – Do a short, easy workout
A short, easy workout is better than none at all the day before a race. It relieves mental and physical tension and keeps the body primed for performance.

21:00-10:00 – Keep carbo-loading
Maintain your high-carb diet throughout the last day before you race.  Choose familiar foods that have always worked well for your body in the past.  Now is not the time to experiment.

20:00 – Get your gear together
There’s nothing worse than showing up at a race venue and realizing you forgot something important. To avoid this nightmarish experience, take some time to get all of your gear together now.  It’s best to create a race gear checklist that you use for every race.  Go through it and check off each item before you travel to out-of-town races and go through it again on the morning of pre-race day, so you have plenty of time to replace anything that’s missing.

18:00 – Plan for race morning
Race morning logistics can be a pain in the neck, especially if you are not prepared.  Minimize the hassle by making a concrete plan for race morning that includes a wake-up time, a route to the race venue, a parking site and arrangements to get home after the race. Spend some time on the event website and/or looking over the race’s official printed materials to gather all of the information you will need for a smooth race morning.

9:00 – Visualize your race
Mental rehearsal, or visualization, is a powerful tool of psychological preparation for a race. It is not a tool you have to save for the night before a race, but there is certainly no better time to use it.  After settling into bed, clear your mind and imagine the next morning’s race as vividly as you can.  Obviously, you can’t go through the entire course in real time, so focus on critical parts such as the start, challenging hills and so forth.
Imagine moving with impeccable form and feeling strong, but not unrealistically so.  Don’t complete your mental rehearsal race miraculously free of fatigue.  Instead, see yourself fighting through the fatigue.

3:00 – Wake up early
Research on the relationship between circadian rhythms and exercise performance suggests that optimal performance is not possible within a couple hours of waking up in the morning.  So set an early alarm to give your body plenty of time to get up to speed.  Try to climb out of bed at least three hours before the start horn blasts.

2:45 – Eat your pre-race meal
Nutrition is more important than sleep on race morning, so it’s also important to wake up in plenty of time to consume and digest a high-carb pre-race breakfast. Aim to consume 75-100 grams of carbohydrate three hours before your race start, or at least 50 grams two hours out.

2:15 – Make sure your gear is ready
Before you leave home, go through your gear checklist and your actual gear one last time. Be sure not to forget the small essentials such as sunscreen, race number, etc.

0:30 – Warm up thoroughly
Start your warm-up about half an hour before your race start. Begin with easy jogging, then do some dynamic stretches such as walking lunges and arm circles, and finish with a few 20-30-second bursts at race pace.

Good luck!

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

Every runner has a natural running pace.  It’s the pace you fall into automatically when you go for your typical moderate, steady run of a certain predetermined distance or duration—five miles, 45 minutes or whatever (a format that probably accounts for 90 percent of all runs performed daily by the worldwide population of runners).  For each runner this pace changes over time as fitness is gained or lost, and it even changes from day to day based on how one feels—a factor that is influenced by fatigue from preceding training, above all.

Photo: Laverrue

What determines a runner’s natural running pace?  Exercise scientists have made few efforts to answer this question, and the few answers that have been proposed are unsatisfactory.  In a 2001 study, researchers from the University of Udine, Italy, tested the hypothesis that natural running pace is determined by the blood lactate level.  They expected to find that natural running pace would correspond to the maximal lactate steady state, or the fastest pace a runner could sustain without lactate accumulating to a concentration that would cause fatigue.  Eight recreational runners were first tested for their lactate threshold speed and heart rate and were then asked to run for one hour at their natural pace. On average, the runners did complete the one-hour run at approximately their maximal lactate steady state; however, while there was a lot of variation in the individual lactate steady state speeds among the eight subjects (i.e. some were much faster than others), there was significantly less variation in pace levels maintained in the one-hour run, a finding that led the study’s authors to conclude that “besides the need of avoiding lactate accumulation in blood, other factors must be involved in the choice of speed in running.”

There were two problems with the University of Udine researchers’ lactate-based hypothesis.  First, there is no evidence that running pace is strictly limited by blood lactate levels.  In short races, for example, runners routinely achieve blood lactate levels that exceed the lactate threshold value. If such high lactate concentrations are “allowed” in short races, how could they impose an immovable ceiling on running pace in other circumstances?  The second problem with the lactate hypothesis is that there is no mechanism whereby blood lactate could regulate running pace even if it did cause muscle fatigue. If blood lactate did regulate running pace throughout exercise prior to fatigue, then each runner would run the same pace in every run—the pace corresponding to the “right” blood lactate level.

What the University of Udine researchers were forgetting, and what almost all exercise physiologists forgot in all of their work until sometime after 2001, was the role of the brain in exercise regulation. It is the brain that tells the muscles how hard to work—in this case, how fast to run—during all exercise situations. Therefore the true explanation of the natural running pace phenomenon must be seated in the brain.  This truth was suggested by another 2001 study—this one performed by researchers at Wayne State University in Wayne, Nebraska.  Eighteen men and women were asked to complete 20-minute workouts at their individual preferred intensity level in three separate modalities: treadmill running, stationary cycling and stair stepping.  The physiological variables were all over the place in the three workouts. On average, the subjects completed the cycling workout at a much higher percentage of VO₂max than the treadmill and stair stepper workouts, and completed the stair stepper workout at a much higher percentage of their maximal heart rate than the cycling and treadmill workouts. However, their ratings of perceived exertion were almost exactly the same in all three workouts.  Clearly, then, natural running pace and preferred intensity in other forms of exercise are not totally determined by physiology but are instead selected by feel.  And where does feeling happen? In the brain.

Other studies have produced similar results.  When given the freedom to go by feel, exercisers consistently choose an exercise intensity that is toward the high end of the comfortable range in relation to the duration of the workout they are trying to complete. Why this particular level of exertion? I believe it represents a compromise between two competing desires that the brain manifests in every exercise session: the desire to complete the task as quickly as possible (in other words, to get the workout over with) and the desire to feel comfortable. So your natural running pace—whether it’s 9 minutes per mile, 7:30 per mile, or 6:15 per mile—represents the running-specific version of this compromise relative to your individual running ability.

But is your natural running pace a good thing or a bad thing with respect to your goal of increasing your running performance level? After all, the mere fact that it is natural does not necessarily make it an effective means to the competitive ends you seek as a triathlete.

Well, it so happens that natural running pace corresponds closely to the running intensity associated with the maximal rate of fat burning, making this pace ideal for longer runs designed to increase fat burning capacity and raw endurance. And because natural running pace does not tax the body as much as faster paces, it is possible to maintain a greater overall volume of running when most of your running is done at this pace, and the more you run, the more your running economy improves.

So your natural running pace does have a place in your training.  However, runners commonly do too much of their running (in many cases all of their running) at their natural running pace. At least one of your weekly runs should include a dose of running at higher intensity levels, which yield fitness benefits that complement those produced by running at your natural running pace.  These faster runs don’t always have to be grueling interval sessions and lactate threshold runs. You can also modify your steady-state runs at your natural running pace to incorporate a modest amount of faster running.

For example, in a fartlek run you sprinkle a handful of short, fast bursts (e.g. 6 x 45 seconds at 5K race pace) into an otherwise steady, moderate run to develop a little speed and supra-threshold fatigue resistance.  Fartlek runs work well in the base phase of training, when you are not yet ready for those grueling interval sessions.  Progression runs are steady, moderate runs with a segment of faster running (typically 1-3 miles at marathon to half-marathon race pace) tacked onto the end. These runs also work well in the base phase, when you are not yet ready for grueling threshold runs, as well as anytime in the training cycle when you feel especially good on a planned “easy day” and want to take advantage of the opportunity to subject your body to a greater training stimulus without going overboard.  Finally, progression runs work well as modified long runs in the peak phase of training, when you want to transform the raw endurance you have developed with long, slow runs into race-specific endurance.

Aside from knowing when and when not to use your natural running pace, it is also helpful to simply monitor it. Indeed, tracking changes in your natural running pace is one of the simplest and most motivating ways to monitor your running fitness level. As the training cycle progresses, you should see this pace gradually come down.  That is, you will run faster and faster at the same, high-end-of-comfortable exertion level. Just go by feel and let it happen.

Cytomax Recovery is an example of a post-run recovery drink.

Written by: Shawn Talbott, PhD

Recovery is the neglected performance enhancer, and proper nutrition is the best recovery enhancer.

Everyone is training hard – but the winners are recovering better. Athletes at the highest levels of competition – Tour de France, Ironman, Olympics – understand that the ability to recover quickly and completely often makes the difference between peak performance and poor performance.

What happens if you recovery poorly? Your body remains in a depleted state, tissue damage continues, immune system activity becomes suppressed, and injury sets in. The first and most obvious way to enhance recovery is by simply replacing what you’ve lost during exercise. Secondly, by preventing the downward spiral of continuing tissue damage and immune suppression, you can coax the body’s physiology out of a “catabolic” state (marked by tissue breakdown) and into an “anabolic” state (characterized by tissue repair and rebuilding). Finally, the athletes who recover more fully from one intense workout to the next can train at a higher level without illness and injury or risk of overtraining. The instructions for high-level endurance performance are not rocket science: 1) Train Hard; 2) Recover Fully; 3) Repeat.

The adaptations to exercise training (stronger muscles, improved endurance, and higher oxygen consumption) occur during the recovery phase of training. Workouts provide the stimulus for change, but it is during the post-exercise period that the actual physiological and biochemical changes take place to help us become faster and stronger for the next effort. Without adequate recovery, not only do we place ourselves at risk for illness and injury, but we also hamper these post-exercise adaptations (and our performance). Why would you punish yourself through a hard set of intervals (setting in motion the stimulus for adaptation), but then effectively “shut down” the physiological and biochemical adaptation phase with inadequate recovery?

Grabbing a banana and a glass of water after your workout is certainly a step in the right direction – but while this might be OK for the occasional fitness jogger, it’s simply not enough for avid endurance enthusiasts who push themselves on a regular basis.

There are three major aspects to optimal post-exercise recovery: (1) Hydration, (2) Glycogen Replacement, and (3) Biochemical Balance (encompassing inflammation and oxidation, repair of tissue damage, and restoration of normal immune function). Attention to any one of these areas will aid post-exercise recovery, but attention to two or three areas will optimize recovery and set you up for better training and performance down the road.

Hydration

The research is quite clear on a couple of important points with regard to hydration during and after exercise. The first is that you will become dehydrated – even with a short workout. Count on it and plan for it. The second is that electrolyte beverages with low sugar concentrations are clearly superior to water in absorption and retention in the body.

Glycogen Replacement

The most important effect of your post-exercise snack is to rapidly stimulate glycogen resynthesis. Almost any combination of carbs and protein will do the job: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a glass of chocolate milk, one of the commercial post-exercise recovery drinks, etcetera. Endurance athletes should shoot for about 300-500 carbohydrate calories consumed as soon as possible following exercise.

Biochemical Balance

The biochemical changes that occur during exercise encompass a wide range of systemic disruptions such as increased inflammation and oxidation, tissue damage (mostly to the skeletal muscles and lungs), and temporary suppression of immune system activity. If not adequately addressed, these biochemical derangements can increase your risk of illness (colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections), injury (tendonitis, fasciitis, and stress fractures), and overtraining (lethargy, depression, and irritability).

Getting inflammation and oxidation under control is as easy as getting some more antioxidants into your diet. Brightly colored berries (blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries), most fruits juices (orange, grape, and apple), and even dietary supplements that contain flavonoids (antioxidant) and proteolytic enzymes (anti-inflammatory) are an easy approach to combating these biochemical compounds that can delay tissue repair.

Enhancing the tissue reparative process is also fairly simple. The protein that you may already be consuming with your post-exercise carb-based snack will provide the amino acid building blocks that the body will use to rebuild damaged muscle tissue.

Finally, one of the most overlooked aspects of post-exercise recovery is restoring immune system function. Intense bouts of training and competition can suppress immune function for a full day or more, with a marathon-distance run suppressing immune system activity for about two weeks. Restoring immune function back to normal levels is partially accomplished by consuming antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients, but also by providing specific amino acids (glutamine and the three branched-chain amino acids – valine, leucine, and isoleucine) that immune cells use as a fuel source when fighting infection and repairing tissue damage.

Summary

Most of us have no need to become “Tour de France” adept at post-exercise recovery (so we can ride 100 miles a day for three weeks). However, the majority of us maintain our endurance training as just one part of our complicated lives. Enhancing your ability to recover quickly and fully can help you to enjoy that other “stuff” in your life, while at the same time helping you reach that “next level” in your training and competition.

Shawn Talbott holds a PhD in nutritional biochemistry (Rutgers) and MS in Exercise Science (Massachusetts) and is an avid endurance athlete competing in Ironman triathlons and ultra-marathons.