Racing Flats

On the subject of running away from zombies... should everyone be wearing racing flats? Let me start off by saying that the idea of wearing racing flats has always scared me just a bit. I've been terrified of getting injured after racing the 2-mile for a few months in high school in spikes and winding up with really bad shin splints (granted, they were sprinting spikes... I had no idea they made different types until college and figured that I could just run in the same ones I used for hurdling). After that, I outright refused to wear anything but my regular training sneakers for anything longer than 1000m until about 2 years ago. Then, I finally warmed up to wearing lightweight trainers for 5k's, and eventually worked up the courage to run a half in them. Recently, I've been trying to train more in my lightweight trainers in the hopes that I can eventually wear a traditional racing flat.

So, all that was to say that I've recently been doing more research on racing flats when I came across the article linked above. And, to go back to the original question... does everyone need to wear racing flats? There are obvious advantages: improved efficiency (1-2% improvement in VO2max with every 3-4oz you shave off your shoes), shorter ground contact time (which leads to faster turnover), and a psychological effect. But, these do not come without some costs: increased injury risk (there is virtually no cushioning to absorb and distribute impact forces) and increased recovery time (for basically the same reason). So, if you've weighed all of these in your head and you're still interested, here are some general guidelines:

• Make sure your "healthy" and have trained some in your new racing flats before, well, racing in them
• One size does NOT fit all: 5k's - 10k's (5-6oz); 10k's - half marathons (7-9oz); half marathons - full marathons (7-10oz) [note: I think the weights are for men's shoes]

Shoe Laces

Static ("normal" laces) vs. elastic ("quick" laces - shown in picture... the top one... the bottom picture made me laugh... although they are "quick tie laces"), does it make a difference? Elastic laces have been popularized by the need for speedier transitions in multi-sport events. The concept is the same as normal laces, but instead of knotting them off, they lock off with a special clip so they don't come untied (for more information than you ever wanted to know about static laces, including the best/worst for staying tied, check on this article). So, do they work the same? Unfortunately, elastic laces stretch a little bit more than static laces, compromising shoe-to-foot contact (aka the foot can move more in the shoe). This increases the risk for blisters, especially on the sole of the foot. When I first tried elastic laces, I initially got shin splints because I tightened them too much (because I felt like my foot was slipping). I loosened them up for the next race, and was fine. So, bottom line, make sure you run a few miles with your new laces before using them in a race.

1/28-29 Race Reports

Brad B. (6th overall, 2nd AG) and Mark Newton (25th overall, 3rd Master's) turned in some fast times at the CRC Winter Classic 8k (results)... NICE JOB GUYS! Other than that, stuff was pretty quiet around here.

Weekend Outlook

Once again, it appears that there's not much going on in terms of racing in NC. The only things that I could find were the CRC Winter Classic 8k (Charlotte) and the North Carolina Fat Ass 50k (Fort Bragg). Oh well, February looks a little less sparse.

So, after Meb set a PR and won the trials in GOrun's, I decided to revisit my gut reaction to a Sketcher's brand running shoe. Maybe I wasn't giving them a fair chance. After all, "for real" running shoe companies make mistakes and launch shoes or updates that everyone hates, so maybe ShapeUps belong in that category. Looking at the GOrun's, they pretty much look like a cross between the Kinvara's and Brook's PureProject line to me. Being that the Kinvara's are Saucony's second best selling shoe ever, and the PureProject shoes were back-ordered when first released... well, the GOrun's are actually pretty legit and look kind of cool in bright orange. So, while I'll never change my mind about ShapeUps, the GOrun's and I can peacefully coexist (I know y'all were real concerned about that).

However, the real question is, what the @#$% was Nike thinking dropping Meb?! 

Dear Treadmill... it hasn't been long enough

The treadmill at my parents' house and I have a sort of love/hate relationship-- I hate running on it... but I love being able to still get a workout in when there's it's 40 degrees and raining, or there's a foot of snow on the ground, or when the temperatures dip to the single digits and I can't breathe! However, just running on the treadmill is torture, even with music. Some time ago, I realized that if I changed something every half mile, I could make it more than 20 minutes without going completely insane. Basically, by only thinking about surviving a 1/2 mile of boredom at a time, the run was broken up into manageable segments... plus 800m is my favorite length repeat and close to the length of 1 song (because if a song lasts longer than 3.5-4 min, I usually get tired of it, and advance to the next one).

However, thinking about running 10+ x 1/2-mile was still less than spectacular, and I still kept creeping up the pace so that I'd be done quicker. So, shortly after discovering my initial jedi mind trick (but mostly because my legs were dead after running a couple days in a row on a treadmill), I realized that I can't do an "easy" run on one. This left me with two options - (1) learn to be patient or (2) make my treadmill runs my tempo / speed days. The first is never going to happen... I've tried yoga... I can't handle savasana... so option two it was! I cam across this article from Running Times that gives some pretty good treadmill workouts.

Or, you could try my "favorite" treadmill workout: after a mile warm-up, begin at your marathon pace and increase the speed 0.1-0.2 mph every half mile until you end at around your 10k pace (for me, this usually works out to ~5-5.5 miles). The worst part of the workout is not the pace that you're running, but increasing the speed when you're already tired (even though you can't actually feel the slight increase, you know you hit the button)!

Breakfast

It's the most important meal of the day... and maybe the only meal you'll get to eat pre-race / morning run... so make sure it's a good one! Unfortunately, 3 out of 5 of those suggestions include a banana, which I can no longer even look at, let alone eat (note: never ever put a banana in a salad with spinach, kidney beans, roastbeef, and raisins... not even balsamic will cover it up). Secondly, I am not going to sit there and count raisins! I have my wake-up, get-ready, and go routine pretty much timed down to the minute (I am not joking... I set my alarm 60sec earlier if I have to look up the weather). So, my point in saying all this is... experiment with different breakfasts during training runs to see what works best for you. Personally, I prefer a chocolate PowerBar and a cup of coffee... it's like eating a brownie for breakfast!

Miler to marathoner, and all runners in-between

Training like a miler makes you a better runner in general, at least according to this article. First off, how do milers train? Well, they do shorter repeats (200-400m) at their 1500-3000m pace (~15-40sec per mile faster than your 5k pace). The entire workout might only total 1-3 miles in length, but the pace is quicker than what many of us are used to (there are some example workouts on page 3 of the article). So, why is this beneficial? Well, these shorter repeats  result in a faster accumulation of lactic acid. Training at this level helps you to tolerate higher levels of lactic acid by improving buffering capacity. Additionally, faster repeats puts more stress on your heart, causing it to pump harder. Over time, your heart becomes stronger, resulting in an increased stroke volume with each beat (which results in a greater cardiac output). Aside from these physiological benefits, running fast improves leg strength and neuromuscular recruitment, which makes you a more efficient runner. Just make sure that you're warmed up before starting the workout, and be sure to stretch out afterwards!

Note: the only distance that this type of training produces no benefits for is the 5K Marathon... mainly because it is a FICTITIOUS DISTANCE (what the heck LiveStrong?!?)