Tips & advice from your coaches
Each weekly newsletter will include comments and
information from each of our head coaches. Happy
Training!
ATP
Running Safety
Running is easy. You put your shoes on and hit the road, right. Well,
some people do that. I got to have my favorite shorts. Then I have
special running socks. It's going to be hot, I'll need a towel and
water. Don't forget the iPod. I need my music. Heart rate monitor. I
need that too, but is it charged. Should I take the dog with me today?
Okay maybe running is not completely easy.
But once you hit the road... Well... you have to run safely. There are
times when I find my "happy pace" and I'm cruising along. Good
songs on the iPod, nice breeze in my face. That's when you step on a
rock that sends pain shooting up your leg. Or you twist your ankle. Or a
car zooms by and scars you. Or that low tree branch hits you in the
face. (I hate when that happens.) You have to pay attention to what is
going on around you.
I love my music. I enjoy running with my iPod, but if you got it turned
up loud you can not hear the car coming up behind you. What I've done
is cut the left earbud off of my headphones and only use the right
earbud. That way I can still hear my music, talk with my friends and
hear what is going on around me.
You always run against the traffic. It is easier to see the car coming
at you so that you can react. You also need to run no more than two
people side by side. Any more than that and you can get a ticket for
obstructing traffic. Also when you see a car coming toward you and you
can also hear a car coming behind you go ahead and get off the road and
let them pass. Better safe than sorry. We've had several people hit
with rear view mirrors by passing cars. It's not worth it. The car is
bigger than you and you will lose.
Always take water. It is hot. You will sweat. If you get thirsty you
are already dehydrated. You need to drink water even on short runs.
Watch the ground you're running on. One year I stepped on a crack in
the road and twisted my knee. It hurt the rest of the year. One misstep
can ruin all the hard work that you've put in. Run on a familiar route
or if you are running a new route pay extra attention to the area in
front of you.
This past Saturday the ATP group ran 10 miles on 1604. After 8 mile on
the way, back 3 of the group watched a jeep miss the Blanco exit and go
flying across the creek crashing into the other side. They ran over and
rendered aid (one of them was a doctor) and waited until the lifeline
helicopter took the person off. Then even though they had offers to
drive them back to the store the 3 ATP runners ran the last 2 mile to
finish their run.
The Moral of the Story? You don't have control over everything, but
you have to be ready of anything. Run Smart. Run Safe.
Keep Smiling
Larry Graf - ATP Coach
"The runner's greatest asset, apart from essential fitness of body, is
a cool and calculating brain allied to confidence and courage." - Franz
Stampfl, running coach and author
Blue / Green
Greetings Blue / Green Group:
Speed Work: Many of you have heard me preach about patience and watching your pace, and staying in your aerobic zone for your Saturday runs. When doing your Speed Work this is where you'll hear me say that you need to be working anaerobically, instead of aerobically. If you don't know your anaerobic threshold (AT), you can estimate this by doing a "talk test". If you can talk comfortably at the pace you are running, you are likely below your AT, and if you can't talk comfortably for more than 2-3 syllables, you are likely above your AT. Another way to think about this is that you will be running at a faster pace during your Speed Work sessions than during you Saturday runs.
That being said, there are a few things to be aware of about Speed Work:
- You should limit the amount of time you spend above your AT to no more than 20% per week (10% is a pretty good number).
- You should never have two "hard" workouts on consecutive days. A hard day is defined as a day you do your speed work (e.g., hill repeats, intervals, tempo run), or the day you have your longest run of the week (e.g., Saturday). The day after a hard day should be an "easy" day, or a day where you either rest or cross-train.
The purpose of you Speed Work is to help make you stronger and faster. It helps teach your body how to process lactic acid (what makes your legs burn, or feel heavy toward the end of a workout), plus it helps your body run more efficiently.
This week, your schedule has you doing Hill Repeats on Tuesday, and a tempo run on Thursday. If you can make it to RGR on Tuesday or Thursday at 7:00 p.m., there will be someone to lead you on your workout.
Happy Running!
Coach Rudy
Yellow
Hello Tri Pointers!
To my friends at RGR, I miss you guys!
This week's topic: Speed Work.
The way to improve on times is by putting in speed work and many times you may find that you're doing it on your own, but hey remember the saying: "Champions are made when no one is watching."
There are different kinds of speed work. Before any of them warm up!! When you're done, cool down. And, as always HYDRATE!
Intervals = Are usually done on a measured track and pretty structured (4 x's 200 etc.). Sprint the measure distance and jog/walk the prescribed break distance or time.
Fartleks = Swedish for "speed play". Fartleks are less structured and can be run on any route. The way they work is by sprinting from point to point during your run and alternate by slowing for a while until your breathing/heart rate settles down then repeating.
Hill Repeats = Basically, find a hill, sprint up and jog or walk down. You'll see programs that say to find a hill at 15% or 10 %, but since I flunked High School algebra twice don't expect me to be able to tell what a 10% hills looks like. It really doesn't matter short, steep, long or short. Just run hard up! Try 4 repeats and work your way up. On hills remember to lean forward just slightly, keep your head up and pump your arms.
Tempo Runs = Start out with an easy pace then pick it up and hold a "comfortably hard" pace. Your running hard, but not at a racing pace. If you know your heart rate you want to keep it at 85-90% of your HR. If not, using the "talk test" you should be able to have short question and answer sessions, Feeling ok? etc, but not able to hold a conversation.
C-ya,
Ron
Red
This week we start our "speed" workouts on the schedule. Many of you who are new to the program may wonder what these are and why we do them. Speed sessions come in a variety of forms; we have hill training, tempo runs, and intervals on our schedule. Running hills makes your legs stronger, builds stamina, speed, and running efficiency. You can either find a hill nearby and run up and down repeatedly - hard and fast on the way up, and easy (or walk) on the way down or you can find a course that will have several challenging hills on it. You want to be sure to warm up 5-10 minutes first, do the hill repeats, starting with 4 or 5 and building to 10-12, and then cool down for 10 minutes. Please be sure to look at Red Groups SAFit09 google groups website for more hill training information. Hopefully you are all signing up to be members.
Tempo runs help build "speed endurance" by forcing you to run hard continuously. To do a tempo run, warm up, then pick up the tempo to a pace that feels hard but not too fast. This should be about 80% of your maximum, just outside your comfort zone. It should be faster than a regular training run but slower than intervals. Maintain this pace for at least 10 minutes, working up to 15-20 minutes. These workouts emphasize maintaining speed for an extended period of time and help us prepare for races that are 10ks or longer.
Intervals will come after hills on our schedule. Fast paced intervals improve running economy and develop explosive speed. Yes, even us 10-11 minutes milers can be explosive! We start with 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off, meaning we run 30 seconds at close to an all-out effort with a 30 second recovery in between. The distance and or time can be increased as your endurance increases. This of course is done after a good 10 minute warm-up and followed by a 5-10 minutes cool down.
Follow the schedule so you are not putting two speed sessions back to back, this could lead to injury and over training. These sessions can be difficult and at times uncomfortable, but you will enjoy a great sense of accomplishment too.
If you can do these with a partner or group you will benefit even more. You won't be talking too much during one of these sessions, but you will find the energy of the group or your partner pushing you along and helping you to maintain your fast pace, or an even faster one!
Please ask any of the coaches if you have any questions. You are all doing a great job and we really appreciate all your patience and cooperation on Saturdays.
The Red Group Coaches
Orange
"Train Smarter, Not Harder"
Have you seen those new billboards around town for Baptist Health System's Cancer Center? Their slogan is "Fight Smarter, Not Harder," and there is a photo of a woman wearing red boxing gloves. I think the same concept can be applied to our USA Fit training - "Train Smarter, Not Harder." Whereas other marathon training programs propose lots of mileage during the week as well as long runs on the weekends, we advocate quality vs. quantity. This method works, as we are focused upon building strength, preventing injuries, and educating our participants.
This week we've begun varying the speed and exertion level of our during-the-week training. We do this to "mix it up" a bit and not let our bodies get used to one pace or degree of intensity. If you're not already, become aware of your heart rate during training these next few weeks. Figure out your aerobic heart rate range, and make sure you stay within those limits.
This Saturday make sure to bring an electrolyte replacement product with you on the run, as the weather is getting hotter and we'll all be sweating more. Remember: train smarter, not harder, and Go Orange!
-Your Orange coaching team
--
Have you met Marge?
Marge is a neighbor of Danny Dreyer, author of my all-time favorite book on running, Chi Running. This is how Danny describes Marge:
"Marge lives across the street. We consider her the village elder, because she cares so much about all of the families up and down the block. She's been here since just after WWII, back when houses sold for five figures. When I see her out in her garden watering the plants, I usually ask how she's doing, to which she inevitably replies, "I've got a lot to be thankful for...I woke up today. And when you get to be my age, things like that are important." I couldn't agree more on both counts. She is a model for me of someone who takes advantage of every day, because she might not be around tomorrow. She's as fit as a fiddle and sharp as a tack because she has spent years eating well, exercising, caring for others, and generally holding the attitude that life is something to be treasured...every day."
This paragraph seems strange coming from a book on running, but Danny Dreyer goes on to describe "Chi Running" as a way of life, a way to incorporate lessons from running into your everyday living. The running aspects of the book can teach you a running technique that can heal and prevent injuries and also to run faster, farther, and with much less effort at any age. I will talk more about this book as the season progresses, but if you want to pick up a copy for yourself, ask at Run Gear Run or any major bookseller. I am confident that it will become your favorite book on running.
In order to meet our own "Marge," practice the habits of being a good neighbor. Greet every person that you come across on your runs. Smile and wave at each car as they drive by. Smiling will relax the muscles in your face and put back a spring in your step. It will distract you into running with good form for the few seconds that it takes a car to pass and by then you will have forgotten that you are dying, feet hurt, muscles aching, etc. Most importantly we want to fake the neighbors into believing that this is fun and they should be joining us, instead of cursing us. Cheer on other runners as they approach, and be courteous to your team members by calling out, "car back" when a car is approaching from behind you and "car front" when you see a car approaching from the front.
I hope these suggestions help you on your weekly runs and our Saturday long runs.
Keep running and keep smiling!
Coach Kathy Seastrunk
Orange Zest is the Best!
Purple
Hello walkers. It was great to see you all out on the course last Saturday,
and to have a chance to get to know some of you a little better.
As was stressed in the first week's seminar, it is extremely important to drink plenty of water when we are outside in the heat ( 6 - 8 oz every twenty minutes). One way to tell if we are replacing lost fluids, is to weigh yourself immediately before training and then weigh yourself again immediately after. If you have lost weight, this indicates that you need to be drinking more fluids during training. For example, if your pre-training weight was 140 lb, and post-training weight was 139 lb, then the 1 lb weight loss represents 16 oz of fluid that needs to be replaced. Even apart from exercise being adequately hydrated is extremely import to our health; most of us don't drink enough water daily. The general recommendation is that we should be drinking a quart of water daily for each 50 lb of body weight, so if you weigh 150 lbs you need 3 quarts daily. Coffee, Tea, alcohol and most soda act as diuretics (you lose more fluid than you gain from drinking them), so can't be considered for fluid replacement. You really need to try and drink the purest water you can obtain (culligan water is quite good and reasonably priced). This is a lot more water than most of us are used to drinking. To help you meet the goal I recommend that you always have a water bottle at hand, and sip from it constantly. For more information on the importance of day-to-day hydration check out the following link.
Aqua
AQUA GROUP - RGR STONE OAK
What is with this 100° weather this week? This is extreme hot! Running in hot weather can have adverse affects to your body if you aren't careful. Your body temperature rises, which can cause heat stroke, dehydration, dizziness and cramps. You need to take it easy when running in hot conditions. If you are not used to running in this heat, you should build up gradually. This may mean slowing down your pace and less distance during your runs. Once you become adjusted to the heat (it takes about two weeks for your body to adapt), you can build back up your pace and distance if you pay attention to your hydration, clothes (no cotton), and the time of day.
The best time of day to run is early in the morning before the sun rises or late at night. You may encounter higher humidity in the morning, but the air quality is much better. If you can't work these times into your schedule, opt for a shaded trail or route. Dark surfaces absorb heat and create hotter conditions. You can also head for the gym and hit the treadmill. It is air conditioned! If you need to run in extreme heat, try and stay close to home or areas where you can get water. If you feel dizzy or feel the adverse affects of the heat, you can stop and cool off. Incorporate walk breaks every 4-8 minutes to cool down during your run and manage your core temperature.
Always wear lightweight and light-colored clothing, which reflect heat, and don't forget your sunscreen. (Remember "cool-max" from our previous article?) Also sunglasses that filter UVA and UVB rays and a hat or visor are advisable.
You need to hydrate yourself before you start running and also during the run. In extreme heat, your body loses more fluids. Sports drinks have a low level of electrolytes and replenish glucose (to give you that boost). Try diluting your sports drink with water for your run or carry a bottle of both.
Please don't forget to sign in and sign out during our Saturday runs. We won't know you are there if you don't and might leave without knowing you are still out there.
Coach Laurie and Coach Rose
AQUA GROUP - TRI POINT
Even though speed work can increase your pace, it's also the cause of many running injuries. The speed work should only be done after building a good base of endurance and strength, which is what the schedule has had us doing during the first few weeks. You MUST warm up before any type of speed work out. Warming up decreases muscle tension and reduces muscle soreness. Most of you will be sore for a few days but don't worry, it's normal. Don't be intimidated by the faster runners at the track. Everyone has to start somewhere. Follow the schedule properly and do not try to do more than your body can handle. Stretch after a speed and hill workout! Do not wait more than 5 minutes after you've stopped running/walking. Don't dread these workouts, have fun with them!! :)
**Athletes who have joined the program late and have not yet built their base mileage to at least 30 minutes, skip the speed work for another week or two.
Coach Andy
Things to remember...
