Scope

Note: once again, this post is me rambling about my thoughts on running

So, I know I said last week how breaking longer efforts into small goals and focusing on meeting them helps. And I concluded by saying that the "rest of the workout/race will take care of itself", with a cautionary "maybe". The topic of this weeks rambling is going to be the "maybe".

Breaking things up and focusing on the small chunks helps only if you don't lose sight of the "big picture". For example, a mile is 4 x 400m (+9m), but breaking it down this way and running each quarter like the race ended there would just be dumb. Instead, figuring out what you want to run the mile in and dividing it among the quarters (and concentrating on running each in that time) is the logical strategy. This brings me to the single, most helpful piece of running advice that any coach has ever given me:

Figure out how fast you can run a given distance in and run that pace. 

I know that sounds obvious, but the blatant statement is what finally clicked for me. While I seldom struggle with not running hard enough and having too much to give at the finish line, the opposite is usually true. I generally start off too fast, thinking that I'm going to fade so I need to "bank" time. Inevitably, I do fade, and then I die, and then I have to keep running. So, what I started doing is asking myself in the first half mile of every race or hard workout:

Can I maintain this pace/effort for X distance?

If the answer is no (I'm already huffing and puffing and approaching red lining within the first mile of a 40min tempo run), I slow down. If the answer is yes, I'll usually maintain the pace for at least a mile and re-evaluate. If I'm still feeling pretty good (especially if I'm halfway or more done), I might try and pick it up a bit. Or, if I'm starting to question my initial "yeah, I can do this", I try and settle down and maintain effort level (but not necessarily pace). I mean, the end of whatever should feel harder than the beginning because you don't want to have much of anything left over!

The first race that I tried this on worked out well, and I've had more success with tempo runs when I've done it. This is not to say I run every hard workout this way (or even race, although I am more hesitant to deter from this strategy because my PR's are generally evenly run races). Every once in a while, you need to push yourself out of what you "know you can do" or you'll never know what you can... maybe that will be the topic of next week's post!

Another one bites the dust...

Lance Armstrong NEVER won the Tour de France 7 times.

Lance Armstrong did NOT win a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics.

In fact, he has NOT competed since August 1, 1998.

Wow. Go ahead Peter La Fleur, I guess it's ok to quit.

8/25-26 Race Results

Wahooo... I finally have some results to post! Team RRO/FASTcoaching had a great showing at the Raleigh 8000. Jim M. was 3rd master's, Matt C. (10th overall with a new PR) and Jonathan W. were 1st in their age groups, and Chris G. and Bill C. were 3rd in theirs. Linda W. was 1st in her age group and Laura B. and Meghan H. went 2-3 in theirs. Our friends also did well- Tim M. was 3rd overall, Michelle H. was 2nd female, and Lisa G. was 2nd in her age group! I saw more RRO singlets out there, so let us know how you did, and thank you to everyone who volunteered (saw Donna C. out there!). results

Let the fall racing season begin!

Weekend Outlook

The weather is getting a little cooler (wahooo... mid-80's... cold front!), so racing is starting to pick back up again:

• Raleigh 8000 (Sat. @ 7:30AM, Raleigh... this is a RRO-sponsored race!)
• MacNair Farm 5k/10k (Sat. @ 8AM, Raleigh)
• Run For Life 5k (Sat. @ 8:30AM, Cary)
• Continental Divide Trail Race (Sat. @ 9AM, Laurel Springs)

And, if anyone is considering the Continental Divide Trail Race, I have two words for you... have fun:

I Scream, You Scream...

So I've been hearing all of these advertisements for Greek Frozen Yogurt. I know that non-frozen Greek yogurt has like twice the protein of normal yogurt, so I was curious to see if the frozen stuff was equally as "more good" for you. To keep it fair, I looked at frozen dairy products (yeah, I have no idea how to refer to this list) from one brand:

• Regular Ice-cream (Strawberry Cheesecake): Calories- 250, Fat- 15g, Carbohydrates- 26g, Protein- 3g
• Greek Frozen Yogurt (Strawberry Shortcake): Calories- 180, Fat- 5g, Carbohydrates- 28g, Protein- 6g
• Frozen Yogurt (Cherry Garcia): Calories- 200, Fat- 3g, Carbohydrates- 37g, Protein- 8g

Ok, so the frozen yogurt probably has a lot more sugar (looking at the calorie content and number of carbohydrates), but it does out-rank the Greek frozen yogurt in terms of protein. However, the Greek yogurt does have twice the protein of regular ice-cream... might have to check it out!

Q: What's the best time to workout?

Km: What works for one person might not work for another. Exercising in the morning "gets it out of the way", which is important for people with busy schedules. It's usually also a little cooler and a little less humid in the morning, which is nice during the summer months in NC. However, your body temperature is higher, reaction time quicker, and blood pressure and heart rate lower in the afternoon, all of which can help improve performance and reduce injury. Either way, the key is sticking with a routine, as your oxygen consumption and perceived effort will be lower if you do!

Running distracts me from running

Note: this post is me rambling about my thoughts on running and does not have any real scientific merit, but tries to tie together a couple of different approaches to training/racing.

Yup, I know that sounds odd, but that's the statement that I made one morning. Granted, even though it was probably only a little after 7AM, it had been a while since my last cup of coffee, and we were 10+ miles into a run. We had about 2-miles left, were dragging quite a bit, and were supposed to do a few 4-min pick-ups. The debate was whether or not to do them, or just slog on back and curl up in a ball in the parking lot. Ultimately, we resolved to at least try because it would get us back quicker.

That's when I made the genius statement that the "pickups would distract me from running." A few steps later, I started laughing and said that it was "interesting" that running could distract me from running, but there ya go. I started thinking more about this because, logically, it makes no sense, but reality said otherwise. Earlier in the run, we had done pickups also, and that 20-min seemed to fly by compare to the rest. Even though it felt a lot harder, I knew that I only had to run that pace for 4-min before I got a break. That seemed a lot more manageable than the miles we had put in after that which, even though they were a lot slower, had no clear starting and ending point (we were just running and running and running, and because I have no sense of direction, I felt like this could have gone on forever).

This reminded me of why I don't like perfectly flat runs. Basically, even though hilly routes are more difficult, running up a hill and trying to get to the top momentarily distracts me from the fact that I am running to get there. Again, there is a clear goal- the top of the hill. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. I mean, who wants to do a long run out at the American Tobacco Trail?! It sucks. And, it's not even like our pace is that different than when we run in Umstead, even though it's a lot flatter.

And then I thought back to another conversation that I had with a runner related to the run-walk training methodology. We had both agreed that the run-walk plan was a good way to increase your mileage quickly and get people exercising longer. We also agreed that once people get their endurance up, it might not be bad to transition away from walking breaks (unless you actually need them). However, people have had a lot of success with this regimen, and can even turn in faster times when they've increased their fitness to a level where they could average at least the same pace for the majority of the run. So, what is it? Ultimately, the other runner pointed out that knowing you can take a break every once in a while makes gives finite conclusion to the "uncomfortable" segment. The majority of people are more likely to push themselves when they know it's going to be over soon (think of the end of a race).

And this reminded me of a piece of advice that Sean had given me before my first marathon- when you're teetering on "the wall", try to pick the pace up for a few minutes and then settle back down. Often times, you can prolong crashing this way, and might even be able to fight through it. In addition to recruiting different muscles (which gives the ones that are now fatigued a slight break), you once again have a small, manageable goal (run 0.5-miles versus the remainder of the race). Plus, if you pick it up, you get done quicker, which doesn't hurt.

So, in conclusion, try to break up longer efforts into small goals and focus on meeting them to the best of your ability... the rest of the workout/race will take care of itself (maybe).