Dream Chaser's 'Set a Goal and Capture it!' Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 6)

Good advice.  Speed definitely comes last and is the icing.  In the beginning build steadily and carefully.  Stretch after runs.  The foam roller is indeed your friend.  Runs over an hour I almost always take an ICE BATH. 

Once you are comfortably running 20-25+ mi per week, Strides are excellent for developing speed and training your body to run faster.  Strides are when you run fast, close to sprint speed, but you DO NOT alter your form.  You keep relaxed form and you do strides for short distances - for example, I count 40 or 50 footstrikes per right foot.  An example of a strides workout is,  1 mile WU - 4 miles Aerobic pace with 1 set of strides per mile, for 4 strides - Mile CD.  After inserting strides for a few months, your Aerobic Pace slowly becomes your beginning stride pace from a few months prior.  At least this has been my experience.

ALSO, VERY IMPORTANT, for running - run barefoot for 30 or 40 yards.  Normally you'd like to do it on a stretch of grass, but with the snow and all, if you can find a long stretch in your house or an indoor gymnasium, run back and forth barefoot or in your socks.  Pay CLOSE attention to how your foot lands on the floor.  This is your natural running gait.  Now, mimic this same gait in your running shoes.  This is why I run in neutral ultra-light trainers, because they allow me to feel the road and more natually reciprocate my natural running gait. 

If you have ANY questions, please ask.  That goes for EVERYONE!  And if I don't know an answer, someone else in the group may know.

I'm off for a short Run.  HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE! Let's get this Party Started!!!

J-E-T-S  Jets Jets Jets!!!! 

One study showed that COLD tap water (around 55 degrees) was just as beneficial as actual ICE.  I, however, am old school and have one of those fancy fridges with a big removable ICE bucket, so I use actual ICE. 

ICE and the foam roller have been the single most useful tools in helping me to maintain a high volume of Run training in the past with minimal soreness and ease of Recovery.  Doing say a 2 hour Long Run with no ICE bath, and doing a 2 hour Long Run and taking an ICE bath, the difference the next day is NIGHT and DAY.  They are wonderful after Long Bike rides as well. 

I also use them as Mental HTFU training.  I'm a little sick... yes... I know.  But they work, are used by olympians and many a professional athlete.

How long do you torture yourself in the ice bath?  I'm thinking for me a cool bath with some ice cubes thrown into it would get the water cold enough.  Also, how long after your workout?  Is it part of your cool-down cycle or a little later in the day?

My body hasn't reacted well once I've tried to go over 11-12 miles in run training so I'm looking for some additional ideas.  I don't have any runs planned for longer than that in my plans but would like to know in case I do something stupid like a full IM. 

Good point.  Yeah, and I DO NOT RECOMMEND anyone start barefoot running   Even running in racing flats beats the crap out of my legs -- calves especially.  It has taken me years to change my overall running form.  Easy does it is a great mantra for running in general.  In general: the more you run, the more efficient you will become.  Focusing on Form takes discipline and many, many months of work.  But it is most-definitely worth it.

For ICE Baths I've found a simple formula that has worked phenomenally well:  1 Minute For Each Mile.   The second my toe hits the water I start a stop watch, I drink my recovery drink, and I read Triathlon Magazine or Runners World - helps pass the time.  

As for your body not reacting well over 11-12 miles, one thing that is very important when you run distance is to FOCUS on FORM.  Often times when we run a longer distance, the body begins to fatigue and the FORM you had the first few miles all but disappears.  It takes some concentration, but keep relaxed shoulders and keep your form tight as possible without excessive arm swinging or side-to-side movement.  You want to concentrate on any movement being back-and-forth and you want as much energy as possible directing you forward.  Running is very similar to Swimming in that sense.  On the bike your body has several contact points with the equipment (5 I believe) so maintaining your form is much easier when fatigued.  When swimming, if your form deteriorates your speed will drop dramatically.  This is just the same in Running.  And at first, yes, it's a pain in the butt to run and concentrate on form.  It's work and mentally draining.  But it gets easier and eventually you'll be able to run long with a lot less effort and your Form will get easier and easier to maintain.  At least this has been my experience.   

This isn't clear for me.  What is the benefit of counting your strides.  Also, what are you trying to prevent? ...taking longer strides as you run faster?

Do you recommend the blue or the black?  Which do you use?

I've been doing a bunch of these stability drills in both my leg workouts (single leg squats, which I do real slow) and in Yoga (where they do all kinds of one-legged balance fall over stuff). 

Those balance/stability trainers are great...they had one at my old gym and I would do squats with a light medicine ball above my head.  It was easily the most difficult part of my whole workout.

Update to training plan:

I'm dropping my current plan to just do volume-building over the next four weeks (when my main training plan starts).  There is just too much interval training in the current BT plan I'm using because it expects me to be racing in four weeks.  I need to be swimming 3-4x/week so I can get in shape for the 2500y swims at the start of my Olympic/HIM plan.

Strides are speedwork you can throw into your general aerobic runs.  You count the steps of one foot to measure the distance.  When doing strides, you want to keep your stride the same length as normal.  You want to keep your form the same while running at a tempo pace.  When I do this, my stride does tend lengthen a touch.  The term strides comes from Pfitzinger's Advanced Marathoning book.  It's really doing short tempo work without beating your legs up, because it's not an entire tempo run -- it's short tempo bursts or strides. 

The purpose is to teach your body to run fast while maintaining efficient form.  By inserting one set of strides into each mile (not including your WU and CD) you are waking up/stimulating your neuromuscular system.  Again, it's a great way to gain speed, learn to run with speed, and do so without beating up your legs as a consecutive multi-mile tempo run would do. 

This book is my running bible.  To give you an example, my cousin ran NYC and Boston 2:50 and 2:48 respectively.  He then dnf'ed a few other marathons.  Then he read this book, followed the training program as it's outlined, and he ran a 2:41 at the Houston Marathon.  http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Marathoning-Peter-Pfitzinger/dp/0736034315  I ran a 3:34 at NYC.  Followed an abbreviated Pfitz plan and BQ'd at Steamtown with a 3:15.  This book is the single reason I BQ'ed. 

I recommend black because it's the hardest.  Hardest in difficulty that is; by feel it's the softest -- as it's not foam like the other colors, it is entirely air-filled.  And you will get good on the foam ones quick and will upgrade to this one, so might as well save some money!!

When using this tiny simple device, it's amazing the burning I feel EVERYWHERE!!  And just from 60 seconds of using it.  The entire sole of my foot, my outer calf, quads, hips, glutes, it just works every nook, cranny, muscle, tendon, and myofascial material that supports and stabilizes your ability to run. 

The one example that keeps popping into my brain is all the running pictures where people are running and one foot is on the ground and the other foot is completely up and bent back.  Everytime you run it's the act of one lone foot and leg hitting the ground.  We run one foot and leg at a time, and that is why it's critical we stregth train each leg individually and treat each leg as it's own entity.  I've found much success in doing this.  Also when stretching, it is important to spend time focusing on each leg as an individual; not a pair!!!  They act independently! And if one is 100% and the other is 80%... eventually the 80% leg will negatively affect the other leg.  This has been my experience.   

Aerobic Base Building sounds like the way to go indeed.  A couple 100m tempo sets at the end of your swim 1x per week, 5' or 10' interval on the bike 1X per week, and a few strides during 1 run per week will help you keep speed.  I've read a lot about keeping speed during the Winter, and many triahtlon and running coaches admit you need only do a small amount of speed.  http://video.competitor.com/2010/11/running/ask-the-experts-how-important-is-speed-work-in-the-off-season/  Of course, there are other philosophies, like shortening your duration of workouts during the winter, but doing a lot of speed and interval work to build sport specific strength and speed, and then adding volume come Spring.  I am not a fan of this philosophy for the bike or run, but I like it for the swim.   

There are a few sites where you can find it for 34 bucks, it's not cheap but I promise it will help your running - and help strengthen your plantar fascia.

What is everyone up to?  It has been pretty quiet on here lately.  Any specific training folks are looking to accomplish this weekend?  I am shooting for a 2 hour endurance spin class on Sunday.

Greg