Tips & advice from your coaches
Each weekly newsletter will include comments and
information from each of our head coaches. Happy
Training!
ATP
Don't Wine.
ATP was well represented last Monday at Dry Comal Creek Winery for the Labor Day 5 mile Whine Run. ATP did great with 4 of the team placing in their age group. With that great news we were also sad that two of our team are out with a navicular stress fracture in her foot and herniated disc in his lower back. Both hope to be able to run the RnR SA half. True ATP Runners - Seriously Serious.
I've even had aches and pains this season. My ankle was hurting for the Whine Run, but I did not whine about it. As a young man I had hiked many miles with minor injuries and I knew I could walk 5 miles. So the gun fired and off I walked. My ankle hurt at first, but after couple of miles the sharp pain was replaced by a dull pain. I toughed it out, finished and got my glass of wine. All in all a good morning, but even after icing my ankle down it was still swollen when I showed up for ATP sprints Tuesday evening. Maybe I should have not worn high heels the day after a long run. Just kidding. But I will need to take it easy to let my ankle recover. I will also talk with other runners to ask how they have dealt with similar problems and if I continue to have problems I will go see a doctor. Or if it the first Saturday of the month you can ask the physical therapy folks at the bagel break.
Even though you might be hurting, still try to stay active. Lift weights, do yoga or go swimming. I'm going to try and do more stretching. San Antonio Fit has a great support system. All you have to do is ask.
Keep Smiling
Larry Graf - ATP Coach
Blue / Green
Greetings Blue / Green Group:
Muscle Recovery: Our bodies have an amazing ability to adapt to our training program. On various parts of our training program, we "stress" our bodies. This could be in the form of our speed work on Tuesdays & Thursdays, or in the form of our long runs on Saturday. On our recovery or rest days, this is when the body rebuilds itself, and gets stronger, and that's why it's important to never have hard training days back-to-back. The SA Fit training schedule applies this principle, along with gradually increasing our load, and alternating weeks of increased mileage with reduced mileage.
Sometimes, athletes fall into the line of thinking that "If a little is good, a lot must be better". They feel that if they ease back on the training plan a bit, they'll rapidly lose their fitness, and thus perform poorly come race day. As we get closer to race day, athletes will start fretting over workouts missed earlier in the season, and attempt to "cram for the exam". Usually this is a recipe for overuse injury, burnout, etc. Your body has a way of telling you when you're doing more harm than good to it, so listen to it carefully. That said, sometimes we all hear the little voice that says "This bed is too comfortable to get out of today-I'll just skip my workout". That's a different voice from the one that is saying "My knee / ankle, etc. is hurting, maybe I should take a day of rest", or "My legs feel dead-I'm going to substitute my speed work today for an easy run".
First off, don't forget your recovery drink / meal after a hard run. You need to quickly replenish your glycogen stores after a hard workout. An ice bath after a hard workout will help reduce inflammation, and speed up recovery. The water doesn't have to be 32F for the ice bath, so this does not have to be excruciatingly painful, and 10 minutes in this, can really help the legs recovery. Easy runs, or even long walks the following day are a great way to help your muscles recover (i.e., get stronger). A massage will also help, but after a really hard workout, it might be best to wait until the next day for the massage.
Listen to those messages your body is sending you, and filter out the excuses from the facts.
Happy Running!
Coach Rudy
Yellow
I'm a big fan of tapering/recovery since it means I can be lazy. Although, it took me a while to trust that tapering works. I've had a lot of runners that just can't seem to make themselves taper. They usually end up injured or having a bad marathon.
Why? It all comes down to how the muscles work. When you push your muscles (like on a long 17-mile run with wicked hills at the end and you feel like you are going to die...), you create micro-tears in your muscles. Lifting weights does the same thing. If you continue to push yourself, you just keep creating tears that never get a chance to heal which can lead to injury. You actually get stronger when you give your body a chance to heal those tears; not during the run.
In addition, you are using up your stored muscle fuel. Tapering gives you a chance to refuel your body before taking off on another long run. So, be lazy, rest, and recover. You've earned the rest.
Ross
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Hello Tri Pointers!!
Y'all will have to excuse my writing. I am a product of the Massachusetts public school system and a correspondence degree from the Air Force.
From looking at the weather forecast for this weekend we may be in for a treat. We could get wet. As long as there is no lightning, we will be running. Looks like 10 for Red and 11 for Yellow.
You can't pick the weather the day of your race. Case in point, the Prickly Pear a few years ago. It was raining so hard the dry streams in McAllister Park turned into rivers, but that ended up being one of the best experiences I ever had running. It was a blast!
Some things to think about for running in the rain:
- Wear a hat with a bill. It'll keep the rain out of your face.
- Don't over dress. It will still be in the 70's when we start and it could get humid fast after a rain shower.
- Remember to use Body Glide or Vaseline for those areas you normally chafe. Guys, Band-aids are your friends! Water will keep that shirt close to your chest and the shirt will rub. Trust me been, I've there!
- Hydrate! See tip 2
- Make sure cars, etc. can see you and don't assume they can.
- Watch you footing, some roads get slick in wet weather and puddles could hide potholes.
- If you want to stay dry before the run (or a good trick before a race in the cool weather) use a trash bag. They can be easily thrown away before you start.
I'm sure there are more tips, but just have fun. I love to run in the rain! It's refreshing to me and I even enjoy seeing the looks I get from people wondering why I'm not smart enough to stay in out of the rain.
C-ya on Saturday rain or not! (Teresa, that means you too!)
Ron
Red
Red Runners!
Wow! Awesome job on 15 miles last week. Hopefully you have taken some time to write some notes in your log book about what worked and what did not, if anything. Our weather is still rather hot and humid and hydration is so important. We can not stress enough the need for all of you to be sure you are carrying enough water/sports drink for at least 5 miles. Have you all registered for the Rock N Roll yet? Hard to believe but it is just 10 weeks away! It is exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. Hopefully your training is giving you the confidence to realize you can do it. It did sell out last year, so you want to be sure you don't miss out and wait too long. Training for 6 months is a big commitment. We are so proud of the progress and dedication of our runners. We realize you have made a lot of sacrifices to be here with us on Saturday mornings. We have mentioned it before, that if you have missed a few weeks and fallen back in your training because of an injury or other reason, that you can still come back and join us. You can always train for the half marathon distance or consider the walking program. If you feel you are still struggling with finding the "right pace", talk to one of the coaches. We would be more than happy to help pace you on the training runs. It always helps to find a running buddy, and hopefully most of you have done that by now. The miles can feel a lot shorter if you are sharing them with someone else.
This week we are running 10 miles. You will notice that our schedule will bring us to a new peak distance, then back us off a bit the following week or two. The weekday workouts may even be shorter or a bit easier. Tapering, as it is called, gives your body a chance to recover, rebuild, and prepare for the next peak distance challenge. It is important that you follow the schedule and don't over-train by doing more. Sometimes our mindset is that more is better; we have to keep up the hard work and the distance to stay strong. Tapering will help in avoiding injury as well. When you give those tired muscles, hard workout after hard workout, you stress and weaken the muscle making it more susceptible to injury. Enjoy and allow these recovery weeks to improve you physically and rejuvenate you mentally. It is a good time to try a massage if you have not already. September 26th, we will be running 18 miles! A quick reminder, Red Group still needs volunteers to man the water stops at both locations; RGR and Tripoint. Please let us know if you know someone who can help us out. Everyone truly appreciates the support of our water /aid stations on the course. See you Saturday! Red Coaches
Orange
What is that stuff falling from the sky?
I love to run in the rain. It brings such a relief from the killer heat, however it does a number on my skin.
I have the world's most sensitive skin. I can prove it on Saturday when you see what happened to my knees by kneeling in the sand for several hours building sand castles. In the case of rain on Saturday, you may find that Body Glide becomes an important aspect of your prep routine. The increased moisture may cause even more chafing and blisters than you have already experienced. Be aware that rain may happen on our run and be proactive by protecting your skin with lots of Body Glide.
Orange Zest is the Best!
Coach Kathy
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Hi Orange! So how did you survive last Saturday's 15-mile run? It wiped me out, but I'd had very little sleep the night before, and ended up with a stomach virus, the effects of which I began feeling immediately afterward the run - not pretty. I think some of us at TriPoint did an extra mile or so...so kudos to you!
This week's and next week's 10 miles are a good example of "recovering" and "tapering." Many times, we plan our pre-race (or pre-long-run) activities very well, but we do not plan for the hours, days, and/or weeks afterwards. For proper recovery, after a long run or race, you should keep walking, replace fluids, begin to consume carbohydrate replacement, perform some gentle stretching, avoid diuretics such as alcohol and caffeine, and avoid warm baths and hot tubs. Then you should rest and slowly return to easy running. That is what our weekly schedule sets out for us.
In terms of tapering before a big race, we must reduce or "taper" our training just enough to eliminate fatigue and promote proper muscle recovery without sacrificing our hard-won fitness. Again, this is why our schedule will dictate shorter distances and slightly less-intense workouts before a particularly long Saturday run.
It was wonderful to see some folks this past Saturday who we had not run with in quite a while, and I hope to see you again soon!
One last note, re: RAIN: if by chance it is raining on any Saturday when your alarm clock goes off, YOU'D BETTER NOT just turn over and thank your lucky stars...WE WILL RUN REGARDLESS, and we will be expecting you!! We would only cancel a run if there is lightning that persists. Even if we see lightning at 6am, we would wait half an hour to see if it would go away. Running in the rain is a great experience that benefits us all (and it will make you feel tougher, too!) Just imagine all those military movies you've seen with the guys running in formation through a downpour...that can be you! ;) Seriously, though, one of the main reasons for practicing how to run in the rain is that it prepares you for those conditions were they to happen on race day. Just like other aspects of race preparation, you do not want to be experiencing a new weather condition for the first time on the day of the marathon.
To make a run in the rain more bearable, here are a few tips: wear a visor or hat to keep the water from dripping into your eyes, bring a towel to dry off and a change of clothes to change into after the run, bring a pair of sandals to change into after the run (staying in wet socks promotes blisters), consider bringing a lightweight or disposable poncho to protect you from the rain before the run while you're standing around, and wear running gear that is sleeveless or will not chafe. Go Orange!!
-Sonya
Purple
Hello, once again, to all our Purple runners and walkers!
How was last Saturday's training session? Have you been able to keep up with your midweek workouts? As we prepare for another Saturday training session, it is important to note that we will be increasing our mileage making today's topic very timely: tapering and recovery.
We've briefly covered these topics during our past workouts. This week, we will be going into greater detail - specifically, the need to taper or adjust our training sessions throughout the week to allow our bodies time to recover. With increased mileage, we are more likely to become injured. With proper rest and treatment, we allow our bodies time to recover and rebuild muscle so we're better prepared to continue our training.
Tapering can consist of cutting back on distances and intensity of our workouts during the week. Since our mileage will continue to increase on Saturday mornings, adjusting your weekday workouts will help. You can also change the weekdays you train if you're energy level has been low recently between sessions. Try to avoid training on Fridays if you know you're going to put in high mileage on Saturday morning. It's important to listen to your body, and recognize if you're feeling either physically or mentally tired or exhausted. If you haven't been keeping up with proper stretching techniques prior and after a workout session - definitely start dedicating time to this as it may help. You may also want to begin thinking about getting a massage after an exhausting training session. There has been mixed opinions about whether a massage helps or hurts your recovery. Everyone is different and our bodies may react differently to different treatments. There is still plenty of time before the actual marathon. Now is the perfect time to try out different recovery techniques to find what best works for you. The night before or the day of the marathon is not the time to test out new techniques or practices.
The goal of the tapering period is also to try to get additional rest, i.e. sleep, if this is something you haven't been getting enough. You can't begin to feel rested if you continue to exhaust your energy reserves without replenishing them. Much like gasoline or battery in a car, without the necessary components, you might look fine on the outside - but you won't get far.
As we get further in the training program, you will see that we will again focus on the need to taper your training sessions. You might even want to consider this a practice period and try different approaches to your weekly workouts. We will continue to increase our mileage as the weeks pass, and about mid-October - we will begin to lower our distances as we prepare for the actual marathon/half-marathon. (Yes, this would be considered tapering.)
Make sure to continue focusing on eating properly and staying hydrated. We can't emphasis this enough.
If you're having any difficulties or have questions for us, we will be meeting again after our training session on 8/19 at the Lighthouse (by RGR, Stone Oak location). We encourage anyone interested in joining us for some post-training breakfast and Q&A to join us. Coaches will be on hand to answer any of your questions, offer advice, and to also chat and get to know you better.
Hope to see everyone soon!
--
Hi Everyone,
Did you notice how dark it was on Saturday when we started out on the route? Well, autumn is near and as our daylight hours decrease, we'll need to take extra precautions for our safety. I recommend you add lights to your gear to illuminate yourself and the road ahead. Tiny LED headlights that attach to caps do a wonderful job of lighting the road ahead. A red, flashing tail light can clip onto the back of your cap or water belt to keep you visible from behind.
Several of you have asked why our mileage decreases during the final three weeks of training, after our last benchmark race. "Tapering" is the final phase of our training. Tapering doesn't mean that we literally stop walking & running during the weeks before the marathon. It means that we reduce the duration of our workouts, while we still maintain their intensity (speed and power). We keep the quality, but cut the quantity to a quarter of the length of our longest distance walk/run. Cutting back on mileage during the taper allows our bodies to rebuild themselves. It's a time to recover both mentally and physically, so we can be at peak condition on race day.
Our muscles need to repair all the micro tears and cellular damage from distance training. It's also important to replenish the energy in our muscles by storing carbohydrates (fuel in the form of glycogen). By creating extra energy reserves, you'll be able to finish stronger and recover faster. While the body begins its repair, more nutrients are needed. It's best to increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, lean protein and fluids during the taper. Be aware of the quality of the food you eat during the taper. Since you will not be training as long as usual, it's easy to put on extra weight.
Sleep is an essential part of the taper, as muscles repair themselves during rest. By the time you reach the taper phase, you've done the training and know you can go the distance. The main focus of the taper is to stay healthy and avoid injury. Tapering gives your body the opportunity to be well rested, so that you'll have the stamina to hold your pace late in the race. Though it's tempting to train longer and harder during a taper, there are no known advantages to it.
Do your mental preparation for the race during the taper. It's important to keep a positive attitude as race day approaches. You can do this by familiarizing yourself with the course, keeping your race goals in mind, and employing relaxation and visualization techniques. Remind yourself that you have done the work and you are fully capable of finishing the race.
Train with intention,
Coach Nancy
PS - thank you to the Camden & Curnow families who volunteered at the Tri Point water stops last Saturday!
Aqua
Are you sore after midweek speed work or Saturday long runs? Sometimes calves tighten, hips hurt, lower backs ache, and you are downright exhausted. Below are some recovery tips from your coaches and running pros.
1. Begin recovery efforts immediately after your run (within 30 minutes). Walk five to 10 minutes after your run. You can eat and drink while walking, just move at an easy pace. Stretch. Stretch some more. When you get home, lie on your back on the floor with your hips and rear as close to the wall as you can and elevate your legs (leaning up against the wall) for about 10 minutes.
2. Cold water soaks work very well for recovery. You will want to soak your legs for 5 to 10 minutes. All cold water works - tub, pool, tap water-some even put ice cubes in their tub water. A few hours after your run is still okay to soak. Avoid the hot shower - it can actually slow down your recovery process.
3. Massage. A massage can improve circulation and remove waste products from your muscles. Some pain is possible from stiff muscles immediately after the run so avoid deep tissue rubs to avoid cramping. The lines are long after a long run or race for good reason!
4. The day after a race or long run, talk a walk (not run) rather than taking the complete day off. Walking makes the blood flow with nutrients and oxygen to your tired muscles and speeds up the recovery process.
5. Rule of thumb after a hard race: Take one day easy for each mile run. (Looking forward to that!)
6. Nutrition. It is crucial to appropriately fuel up before, during and after exercise. Before, eat a good breakfast, hydrate and get plenty of rest. During, continue to fuel with carbs and electrolytes every 20-30 minutes after a 60 minute period of time. After, experiment with a recovery drink which replenishes carbs and electrolytes. Some even have protein added as well. Try AfterShock, Accelerade or Endurox in a flavor that suits you and mixes with water. (I leave the recovery drink powder in a sports bottle in my car and fill with water and drink when I return from my long run.)
7. Listen to your body. If you need a rest day, take it. Don't push your muscles and body to excess where injuries might be incurred. Your recovery is just as important as your training.
See you Saturday for another long run! Coach Laurie, Rose and Andy
Things to remember...
Tapering & Recovery
