Tips & advice from your coaches
Each weekly newsletter will include comments and
information from each of our head coaches. Happy
Training!
Did you notice some folks wearing colored bandanas last week? Those are your coaches! We are trying out the bandanas to see if it helps you all identify your pace group. Let us know what you think!
ATP
Here's Johnny
Many of you know my love for music and how I relate that to running
cadence. The song Don't Stop the Music by Rihanna has a tempo of
120 beats with 4 beats per measure. Hit your right foot every other beat
and you got a pretty easy 60 beat cadence. In a lot of the running books
they recommend a 90 beat cadence. So turn up the speed of the song and
get Rihanna sounding like Alvin and the Chipmunks.
In the background of the song you can hear them singing, Ma Ma Se,
Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa.. You might think it is some African fertility
chant or something to keep Chris Brown away from her, but actually it is
from Michael Jacksons song Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' . I
think that title would be a great theme for a running group or a
political campaign.
The song is on Michael's Thriller album and he is still a little in
his Billy Jean phase which is another song about a girl that
accused Jackson in the press of being the father of her baby. In this
song he says that Billy Jean is Always Talkin', wanting to get
Startin' Somethin' . He also maybe talking to Billy Jean
when he says in the song If you can't feed your baby, then don't
have a baby. With all the baby talk it brings new meaning to the baby
sounds Ma Ma Coo.
Now that Michael is gone the end of the song now has extra meaning.
You Got To Be Startin' Somethin'
Its Too High To Get Over (Yeah, Yeah)
Too Low To Get Under (Yeah, Yeah)
Youre Stuck In The Middle (Yeah, Yeah)
And The Pain Is Thunder (Yeah, Yeah)
Lift Your Head Up High
And Scream Out To The World
I Know I Am Someone
And Let The Truth Unfurl
No One Can Hurt You Now
Because You Know Whats True
Yes, I Believe In Me
So You Believe In You
Help Me Sing It, Ma Ma Se,
Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa
Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa,
Ma Ma Coo Sa
[Repeat/Fade-Out]
Bye Charlie.
Larry Graf ATP Coach
Blue / Green
There are so many characteristics of good running form; here is just a little information for you to help perfect yours:
First of all your posture should be up with chest out and elbows bent at 90 degrees (like an L). Your arms move back and forth in a straight line, never crossing your body! Your foot strikes the ground under your center of gravity and landing flat foot also! That way you dont over stride causing a braking effect which can cause you to waste energy and lead to possible injury. Concentrate on dorsiflexing your foot to put it in the proper position for a flat footed touchdown. (When you raise your toes you are dorsiflexing your foot at your ankle.) Did you know that you waste/lose a lot of energy the longer your feet spend on the ground during running? To decrease your ground contact time you should dorsiflex your foot and land with your foot directly under your center of gravity as mentioned above! Remember to always stay relaxed with a smooth and fluid stride. Let the natural motion and momentum of your stride pull your heel high, keeping your knees soft and slightly bent with a slight forward lean that involves your entire body, beginning at your ankles. Dont lean forward at the waist. (An upper body lean only can cause a stumbling, high impact stride with a lot of wasted vertical motion.) Lead your body to run easy with as little effort as possible!
Try to practice this every time you run and get ready for our 12 miler on Saturday! Make sure you have your proper hydration and nutrition ready!
Coach Loretta
--
Greetings Blue / Green Group:
Form Tips: There are several things to review when talking about running form:
- Posture: Your posture should be erect. If someone were looking at you from the side, they should see your head, neck, and spine lined up vertically. The chest should be open, and youll bend your elbows ~90 degrees, and swing your elbows in a straight line. Often, when runners tire, they collapse their core, and they slouch when they are running. Even when Im getting tired, the thing I try to focus on is maintaining my form. This is another reason that core exercises are beneficial to running success.
- Foot Strike: There are basically three types of foot strike that runners have:
- Heel Strike
- Mid-Foot Strike
- Running on the Balls of Your Feet
Running on the balls of your feet is something youd only be likely to do if you were a wide receiver playing football, or a sprinter. This form would put too much stress on your calves, and you would not be letting your larger leg muscles (quad, hamstring, and glutes) do the bulk of the work.
The heel strike is not uncommon; however, there are several reasons not to do this. First, it means that youre running with brakes onthe effort you spend to propel yourself forward is then halted when you strike with your heel first. The second thing is that this foot strike can contribute to injury. Whatever impact is not absorbed by your shoe now must be absorbed by your body (ankle, knee, hip, lower back).
The mid-foot strike is the preferable foot strike. This is where your foot lands pretty much in the center of your arch. A good way to envision this is to stand on one leg. This minimizes the impact of running.
- Cadence: This is the number of foot strikes you have in one minute. I measure this on one foot, and strive for 90 foot strikes per minute (+/- 5 foot strikes is okay). If your cadence is too slow, you may be overstriding, and should look at taking shorter strides more frequently. If your cadence is too fast (few runners have this problem), you should look at opening up your stride and slowing down your cadence.
- Breathing: This depends on the level of effort youre at. Usually, I look at X number of inhalations per stride, and Y number of exhalations per stride. If Im running easy, perhaps Im inhaling for 4 strides, and exhaling for 4 strides. As my effort increases, this may change to 3 in / 3 out, or perhaps 2 in / 3 out. Its okay to have your ins & outs off by perhaps 1, maybe 2 strides. I tell runners to focus on the exhale, and the inhale will come naturally.
If you are considering modifying your running form, you should practice for short periods during a few of your runs to make sure your body doesnt have any adverse effects to it. Perhaps your form is not ideal, but if youve been running uninjured for some period of time, it may not be worth making a change.
Happy Running!
Coach Rudy
Yellow
There will be a lot of input on running form techniques from the other coaches, so I'm not going to focus on stating how you should run. I'm going to take a different angle, but it will loop back to running form.
My group has heard me talk about "perceived exertion". My old running coach used to drill this into my head (which is hard to do since it's thick). This concept has to do with the factors that limit you from running at a certain pace. I generally use the 5H method of explaining why you might not run as fast as you normally do. This H's are:
- Heat
- Humidity
- Hills
- Hydration
- Health
We had at least three of these factors contributing to our run last Saturday. They are probably going to stay around for most of the summer and each of them makes you a little slower. Don't get frustrated, because they are most likely not going to be there on marathon day. You will get your speed back. Don't worry. However, in the mean time, you need to realized what these H's are doing to you in the later part of the training runs. They wear you down. You start to slump, drag your feet, and start wishing you were someplace better. This is when you should pay special attention to your running form. If you can't keep proper form, WALK! I walked part of my run last week and I plan on doing it again and again. Run smart. :)
See you in a couple of weeks,
Ross
Red
Running Form
As we start getting into our longer mileage on Saturdays, its even more important that were maintaining good form to prevent injury. The back should be straight, shoulders square, eyes looking comfortably forward (not down) and a slight lean forward. The shoulders should be relaxed with the arms bent at 90 degrees at the elbow with the hands soft and not clenched. If the shoulders start to feel crunched up, extend the arms fully and shake the hands and arms to loosen up. An efficient arm swing should see the hands reaching back to the ribs as the arm goes back and the elbow shouldnt reach further than the ribs as the arms come forward; this will keep the legs overturning at the same proportion.
As we try to increase our speed, we often over stride with our legs. One way to make sure youre not over striding is to check your cadence, or foot strikes per minute. Once you settle into your groove on Saturdays run, count how many times your right foot hits the ground over a minute. Efficient strides should be around 90 strikes per minute. Anything less and you are likely over striding; to correct try taking a shorter step with a quicker overturn. It may feel odd at first, but with practice it will become more natural and your stride will be more efficient.
Lastly, make sure that you are keeping a slight knee lift or drive. Shuffling the feet is common once fatigue sets in, but youre more likely to trip or twist an ankle. The foot should hit the ground between the heel and midfoot and then roll forward with the ankle maintaining a flexed position to help spring forward.
Great job with the training so far, everyone! Ask a coach or a fellow runner to check out your form to see if there are any adjustments that should be made. Running is partly putting one foot in front of the other but having a good form can make it all the more easier!
See you on the road-
Red Group Coaches
Orange
This weeks topic is running form. We want to maintain a good running form in order to run as efficiently as possible were expending enough energy as it is just keeping cool and making our mileage lets not waste any on poor running form! Here are a few essentials: 1) ARM MOVEMENT: your arm movement while running can have a significant effect on your efficiency. Keep your arms moving forward, NOT crossing in front of your body, and NOT moving side by side. Keep your arms swinging at hip level, and parallel to the ground. Ensure that your arms and hands are relaxed. Keep your fists loose - do not clench them tightly. A popular image to remember this is to pretend youre holding a butterfly (or a potato chip) while you run. 2) RELAXATION: this is one of the major keys to being a good runner. You may consider setting a timer for every 15 minutes or so to remind yourself to evaluate your form. Start with your head and go down your body, making sure your neck, shoulders, arms, and legs are relaxed. Its very easy to tense up during a run, especially as time progresses and you become more fatigued.
Now for the fun stuff after this weeks run, Id like to meet up at the Grace Cafe adjacent to TriPoint to have our own Orange group bagel break. The cafe opened last week, and they serve Seattles Best coffee, smoothies, breakfast breads, and sandwiches, in addition to having free wi-fi and complimentary computer workstations. Lets plan on spending a bit of time exchanging war stories and getting to know each other, in an air conditioned setting :) Remember we start at 6am this week!
Go Orange!
Your TriPoint Orange coaches
--
Formwhere to start. Well, first off, my form is far from perfect. I have had bad posture all my life and it shows in my running. Last year ATP Coach Larry wrote that your running is only as strong as your weakest muscle. How true this is. I took that to heart and added core training to my routine.
An internet search on running form turns up a plethora of information and videos on the subject. Here is a link to a running form article on Runners World that I found interesting and informative.
One of the biggest energy wasters is the arms crossing the front of the body. Make a conscious effort to keep the arms pumping forward at your sides. When running hills, I make sure to pinch my shoulder blades together and pump my arms as if hitting myself in the face. This prevents slumping over on the hill.
I hope you are enjoying the hill workouts. Those who were there this week will most likely see a difference in your Saturday run. Great Job! I hope to see more of you out on our fabulous hill and at sprints when we start those later in the month.
Of course, as with anything else in running, find what works for you. Yes, there are ways to improve form, but running should be what you are comfortable with as well.
Stephanie
--
Race report from Coach Kathy:
Dateline: June 27, 2009. 4:00 a.m.
The sun was peaking up over the horizon and we felt a cool blast of air as we walked out of our condo. We had a short walk to catch a shuttle to the start of the Inaugural Seattle Rock-n-Roll Marathon.
As we unloaded from our bus the sun was bright and it appeared to be the start of a perfect day. We passed the time wandering through the crowd at the gear check and laughing at Janel's jokes and admiring her race wear.
Finally we said goodbye to our SMT Team members and entered our prospective corrals. The Star Spangled Banner was sung and we began the slow progression to the start.
The first half had us running along Lake Washington. People gathered along the streets and sidewalks and the bands kept us jamming. The path was shaded and cool. I noticed people stopping and pointing up and cameras and cell phones were being pointed up skyward. A bald eagle was perched on a tree at the edge of the path looking down on the runners and wondering what the commotion was about.
At mile nine the route moved out to Lake Washington to an out and back across the floating bridge. Halfway across I looked to my right and saw Mount Rainer jutting up with it's majestic snowy peak. I was almost choked up by it's beauty.
Once off the bridge we got a break from the sun in a tunnel. I felt like a gopher working my way out back in to the sun. We ran up on the highway and made our way toward Quest Field. We would approach Quest Field two more times before we were finally at the end. I saw my family waiting at mile 14 ready to provide support and encouragement for the next 12 miles, except the rest of the route was on the Viaduct, a highway that had us going north toward the Seattle Center, another tunnel, and an out and back. No spectators allowed! The water station volunteers were enthusiastic but I was looking forward to seeing my family every couple of miles. This was my sixth marathon and my husband and kids are eager to be on my pit crew.
By mile 20 I knew that I was in for a slower finish time and my legs were finished well before the last out and back again along the highway past the Quest Center toward the shipyard and railroad tracks. I was pretty grumpy with myself and the annoying purple team groups that were the only spectators allowed on the course. Find me a marathon that is "purple-free" and I don't mean our wonderful walking team.
Once I crested the last hill at mile 25.5 I could see my family at the bottom of the exit ramp. I didn't want them to see me walking so I started running and didn't stop until until I crossed the finish line and grabbed my emerald green medal.
Back at the condo I forced myself to sit in the cold water that comes off the mountain straight in to the tap.
My vacation had officially began and I was no worse for wear. We were bicycling along the beach the next day, hitting the Seattle Center and Experience Music Project, and Pikes Place Market.
It has been a great experience and I am thrilled with the PR's and impressive finish times of my SMT Team members. Just like the training runs, the coach came in last. I was just making sure everyone came in ok. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Kathy
Purple
Hello Purple Group,
Congratulations Tri Point Coach Janel (and RGR Coach Josie) for Rockin the Seattle Marathon, Texas-style!
Im so proud of how everyone at Tri Point handled the Olmos hills on Saturday. That route really challenged our comfort zone. Training for a marathon taps into the minds ability to focus, the spirits resiliency and the bodys capacity to adapt to change. Reflecting on issues encountered in training each week, will increase your understanding and help deepen confidence. Keeping a log or journal will help you track all the changes.
This weeks focus is on Form. Posture is the basis of good walking and running form. Hill walking form is somewhat different from walking on a level surface. To help you tackle the upcoming hills, here are some tips for achieving good form and efficient movement by Danny Dreyer, the author of Chi Walking:
- Imagine yourself reaching the top of the hill before you begin your ascent.
- Synchronize the rhythm of your breathing with your movement.
- Engage your core, using your lower abdominal muscles to level your pelvis.
- Pelvic rotation is at the heart of all movement. Your pelvis rotates at the junction of T12/L1 everything below that point moves in unison. As your leg swings to the back, let your hip swing with it. Feel the twist in your spine. Your foot should fall under your center of mass, preventing you from over-striding.
- Always lean up the hill, so that your upper body remains directly over your feet.
- Increase your cadence (# steps/minute) & shorten your stride length, while maintaining a consistent pace.
- Swing your arms forward using an uppercut boxing motion on uphill sections (elbows are bent at 90 degrees with hands held closer to your chest). The uppercut motion will take some of the extra workload off of your legs.
- Knees are bent, both ascending and descending hills.
- Keep your heels down in contact with the hill.
- On the downhill, tuck your tailbone, to flatten and reduce stress on your lower back.
For those of you using the Run/Walk method, Jeff Galloway also believes that as runners improve their hill technique, they find that a shorter and quicker stride reduces effort while increasing speed.
I recently took a workshop from Danny Dreyer where he taught us the following method to correct our form:
Place your hand on the backside of your neck and brush your fingers in an upward direction. While you're doing this, lift up on the back of your head, like you're trying to reach for the sky with the crown of your head. This motion will stretch all the muscles on the back of your neck. It will also help you straighten your upper spine.
By lengthening the back of your neck upward, your chin naturally lowers and your collarbone rises, expanding your lungs. This upward focus of your attention will quickly straighten your posture and actually (believe it or not) lighten your footstep by counteracting the downward motion of your foot coming onto the ground.
Having your neck in the correct position has an effect on the rest of your spine all the way down to your tailbone. You'll find it easier to level your pelvis and to relax your shoulders, keeping them low. Your posture is the absolute keystone of all your movement and structural support. When you have strong physical center, it has a direct influence on your mental and emotional well being, too.
Visit the Purple Google Group to read articles and view short video clips on the subject of form.
Remember that we will be starting a half-hour earlier starting July 4th, to beat the heat. So put your purple tag on your shoe and start hydrating now.
Keep Cool and Walk Strong,
Coach Nancy
--
Just wanted to remind everyone of the importance of staying hydrated, especially in this extreme heat. Choose as pure a supply of water as possible. Distilled water is good, or you can buy reverse osmosis purified water at numerous grocery stores around the city. Carry a water bottle with you whereever you go, and constantly sip from it.
Concerning sports nutrition, the main advice is to each a carbohydrate rich diet up to 3 days before race day. On race day, eat a high carbohydrate breakfast 2 - 3 hours before the race, for example bagels, bananas etc. During the race, you will need to take in some carbohydrates to alleviate fatigue. This would probably be in form of a sports drink, jelly
beans or maybe even real food such as a piece of fruit, a small nutrition bar, a piece of bagel etc. . One advantage of walking rather than running is that it is much easier to eat real food on the course. To reach higher levels of overall health we also need to strive to improve the quality of what we eat everday. Suffice it to say that the more organic minimally-processed fruits and veggies we can eat the better. A good book on general healthy nutrition is "Prescription for Dietary Wellness" by Phyllis A. Balch. Finally, after laying the foundation of a good diet, it is very helpful to supplement with high quality vitamins and minerals.
Aqua
AQUA GROUP STONE OAK/RGR AND TRI POINT
Great run on Saturday! New route, new fast times! On Saturday, we will begin to increase our mileage (and stay with the online schedule). As our group run covers more distance, we need to be more aware of our running form. How you hold your body is very important - and that means from head to toe. Our form starts with our head and ends with our feet.
The way you hold your head is key to your overall posture, which will determine how efficiently you run Let your gaze guide you. Look ahead naturally, not down at your feet. This will straighten your neck and back and bring them into alignment. Don't let your chin jut out.
Shoulders play an important role in keeping your upper body relaxed while you run, which is critical to maintaining efficient running posture. Your shoulders should be low and loose, not high and tight. As you tire, don't let them creep up towards your ears. You might think about shaking or rolling your shoulders out every so often to release the tension. Your shoulders should remain level and should not dip from side to side with each step.
Even though running is primarily a lower body activity, your arms aren't just along for the ride. Your hands control the tension in your upper body, while your arm swing works in conjunction with your leg stride to drive you forward. Keep your hands loose. Try not to clench your fists, and allow your fingers to lightly touch your palms. Pretend you are holding a potato chip in between your thumb and index finger and you are trying not to crush it. This will keep your hands from being tense. Your arms should swing forward and back, not across your body, between waist and lower chest level. Your elbows should be bent at about a 90 degree angle. When you feel your fists clenching, or your forearms tensing, drop your arms to your sides and shake them out to release the tension.
The position of your torso while running is affected by the position of your head and shoulders. With your head up and looking ahead and your shoulders low and loose, your torso and back naturally straighten to allow you to run in an efficient, upright position that promotes optimal lung capacity and stride length. If you start to slouch during a run, take a deep breath and feel yourself naturally straighten. As you exhale, simply maintain that upright position.
Your hips are your center of gravity, so they are key to good running posture. The proper position of your torso while running helps to ensure your hips will also be in the ideal position. With your torso and back comfortably upright and straight, your hips naturally fall into proper alignment--pointing you straight ahead. If you allow your torso to hunch over or lean too far forward during a run, your pelvis will tilt forward as well, which can put pressure on your lower back and throw the rest of your body out of alignment.
When it comes to legs/stride, sprinters need to lift their knees high to achieve maximum leg power; distance runners don't need such an exaggerated knee lift. Instead, efficient endurance running requires just a slight knee lift, a quick leg turnover and a short stride. Together, these will facilitate fluid forward movement instead of diverting and wasting energy. When running with the proper stride length, your feet should land directly underneath your body. As your foot strikes the ground, your knee should be slightly flexed so that it can bend naturally on impact. If your lower leg (below the knee) extends out in front of your body, your stride is too long. To run well, you need to push off the ground with maximum force. With each step, your food should hit the ground lightly-landing between your heel and midfoot - then quickly roll forward. Keep your ankle flexed as your foot rolls forward to create more force for push off. As you roll onto your toes, try to spring off the ground. Your feet should not slap loudly as they hit the ground. Good running is springy and quiet.
Your coaches will be watching your form on Saturdays and might make suggestions as you run. If you run on the treadmill, watch yourself in the mirror and take a good look at your form just dont trip or lose your footing while trying to adjust!
Happy running, Coaches Laurie, Rose and Andy
Things to remember...
