By Mike
Ran this race on October 29, 2011 as part of my marathon training. I wasn't too sure how I wanted to pace it since I was just coming off a minor injury (or major inconvenience) and I haven't been running too much (~20 miles per week). Part of me wanted to try a marathon pace effort and the other part of me wanted to do a true race effort.
The morning was a nice 50 degrees and partly sunny. Gun went off and I tried to pace by my watch. My watch kept reading 7:10 pace with a very high heart rate though... oh crap I recalibrated the watch on the treadmill and it didn't seem to correspond to actual running outside. Not only that but the mile markers were way off... my first mile came in at the 8:30 mark with my watch reading 7:10ish. At the very start of the race, my heart rate was also picking up some other peoples' watches too.
Realized I just had to go by feel at least for the very beginning. It was around this point that I decided to just race it. The race was somewhat crowded at the start with the 5k and 10k racers starting at the same time as the 15k runners. Rather than pace off the incorrect mile markers or my poorly calibrated watch I just decided to pace with some of the faster folks (most of whom I suspected were doing the 5 or 10k). That definitely helped.
Aid station situation was not ideal. I didn't get any water during the except for a tiny half sip at the 5k mark. They didn't set up the water table properly.. there were no volunteers handing them out and the many of cups were empty. I had a half filled cup at 5k and I drank nothing at the 10k mark. I didn't bring any gus with me either since I wasn't planning on taking this "race" too seriously. I was really starting to feel it after 10k and the only thing that kept me going was this one other 15k racer. She passed me passed me at the 4-5 mi mark and dragged me along for a few miles. I drafted her for 2 miles, then ran shoulder to shoulder and then made my move to repass her at the 7 mi mark. It was sort of a 2010 IM Macca moment. I could tell she put out a big effort to catch me in the first 4 miles because she started slowing down a tiny bit at mile 7. With ~2 miles left I just decided to go all out and try to catch the one other 15K runner ahead of me. Even though there was a nice out-and-back section, I wasn't sure if he was 1st place or not since the course was now intermixed with 10k runners.
There was a short while when it seemed I might be able to catch him but he seemed to have the same idea as I did for the last 2 miles (accelerate hard). I didn't catch him but I had a strong finish with slightly negative splits for each 5k. My finish time was ~1:02:50.
Plugging in a 1:02:50 yields a 3:08:30 marathon assuming similar course (I think Vegas will be harder). It's short of my goal of 3:05:00 for a BQ so I'm going to try and get two more hard weeks of training and see if that does it. In any case, I feel confident about beating my marathon PR of 3:29:38 but I don't know if I'll be strong enough to BQ at Vegas.
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
First Runs of the Year
By Mike
Last week (Saturday) I had my first run of 2011. I've been doing trainer rides just fine but it's been very tough to get out and run due to the weather conditions. I ran for about 4-5 miles last Saturday and it felt quite awkward. Everything starting hurting and aching. Getting back into training or a specific type of training (running in my case) after a long break is always tough.
The last 9 days or so have been good though. They've consisted of 4 runs (4.5, 2, 2, 6.5 mi), 2 gym workouts (mostly legs and core), two trainer rides (1hr each), and a day of snowboarding. Today's 6.5 mile run felt quite good. It was slow but it I didn't feel any randoms aches. Yesterday's snowboarding session felt pretty good too - my legs felt quite strong considering it was my first day out - perhaps a credit to some of my other cross training activities.
It was also interesting to see many people taking Gu Gel on the slopes. I think there may have been someone giving them out because the people taking them seemed confused on how to eat them. Whereas a sports nutrition veteran would likely have finished a packet in 5 seconds, this one particular person was taking a good 3-4 minutes and I don't even think he managed to eat the whole thing. Still it's interesting to see the idea of winter sports nutrition start to take off; I think it's long over due.
So despite a slow start in January, February is starting off well. It's also time I make some final plans for the season. I'm still planning on an early season (April-May) marathon but that may change. My big race of the 2011 season is likely to be a Half-Iron race again but I am not sure which one I'll do or where. Right now I'm thinking about breaking 3:10 on a marathon, ~1:26 on a half-marathon, some new PRs on 5-10K races, and going well under a 5:00 on a Half-Iron. I'll likely have firmer plans in the next 30 days.
Last week (Saturday) I had my first run of 2011. I've been doing trainer rides just fine but it's been very tough to get out and run due to the weather conditions. I ran for about 4-5 miles last Saturday and it felt quite awkward. Everything starting hurting and aching. Getting back into training or a specific type of training (running in my case) after a long break is always tough.
The last 9 days or so have been good though. They've consisted of 4 runs (4.5, 2, 2, 6.5 mi), 2 gym workouts (mostly legs and core), two trainer rides (1hr each), and a day of snowboarding. Today's 6.5 mile run felt quite good. It was slow but it I didn't feel any randoms aches. Yesterday's snowboarding session felt pretty good too - my legs felt quite strong considering it was my first day out - perhaps a credit to some of my other cross training activities.
It was also interesting to see many people taking Gu Gel on the slopes. I think there may have been someone giving them out because the people taking them seemed confused on how to eat them. Whereas a sports nutrition veteran would likely have finished a packet in 5 seconds, this one particular person was taking a good 3-4 minutes and I don't even think he managed to eat the whole thing. Still it's interesting to see the idea of winter sports nutrition start to take off; I think it's long over due.
So despite a slow start in January, February is starting off well. It's also time I make some final plans for the season. I'm still planning on an early season (April-May) marathon but that may change. My big race of the 2011 season is likely to be a Half-Iron race again but I am not sure which one I'll do or where. Right now I'm thinking about breaking 3:10 on a marathon, ~1:26 on a half-marathon, some new PRs on 5-10K races, and going well under a 5:00 on a Half-Iron. I'll likely have firmer plans in the next 30 days.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Does stretching prevent injuries?
By: Michael Donikian, NASM-CPT, USA Certified Triathlon Coach
The short answer is no. There has been a great deal of research on the subject including a recent study conducted by USA Track & Field (USATF). For the most part, these studies show that a pre-exercise stretch routine provides no injury-prevention benefit (nor does it cause any harm).
Does this mean you should stop stretching? No, for two reasons:
1) The USATF study showed that athletes who had a stretch routine but were then randomly assigned into a "no stretch" group for the purpose of the study were more likely to develop injuries than those who did not switch regimens. The study implies that any drastic changes in routine can lead to injuries (not surprising at all). When starting any new training program be sure to gradually build up to it.
2) It depends on the type of stretching routine used. Most studies use a static stretch routine which is considered the least effective type of stretching. In addition they use a very broad stretching routine that targets all muscles equally whether they need stretching or not. I see stretching as a precision tool designed to be used on tight muscles or muscles with limited mobility not as some sort of generic warmup. You know that saying.. when your only tool is a hammer you tend to see all problems as nails.
I would like to propose a study as follows. Create three randomly assigned groups. One group will be assigned the "no-stretch" warmup, one group is assigned a generic stretch routine as a warmup, while the final group is assigned a coach who will design a custom stretch/warmup protocol for each athlete using a combination of dynamic stretching, PNF* stretching, and light cardio warmups. The athletes in the latter group will also conduct regular check-ins with their coach who will modify the warmup protocol over time to meet the stretch needs of the athlete. The coach will provide no other guidance.
The aim of my proposed study will be to not only show the merit of stretching vs non-stretching but to also show the merit of a targeted stretch/warmup protocol designed by a trained coach.
Absent this proposed study, my general recommendation for injury prevention is to begin every workout with a light cardio warmup and some foam rolling. I then like to throw in some dynamic stretching or other dynamic warmup drills before beginning my workout. I like to end all workouts with a light cooldown followed by some icing. Avoid heat as it promotes inflammation, which will only further aggravate any injury. As always please consult your coach before making any change to your workout routine.
*Dynamic Stretching and PNF Stretching are two types of more advanced stretching protocols that involve movement through the stretch. Both these types of stretching have extensive research searchable on www.pubmed.gov
The short answer is no. There has been a great deal of research on the subject including a recent study conducted by USA Track & Field (USATF). For the most part, these studies show that a pre-exercise stretch routine provides no injury-prevention benefit (nor does it cause any harm).
Does this mean you should stop stretching? No, for two reasons:
1) The USATF study showed that athletes who had a stretch routine but were then randomly assigned into a "no stretch" group for the purpose of the study were more likely to develop injuries than those who did not switch regimens. The study implies that any drastic changes in routine can lead to injuries (not surprising at all). When starting any new training program be sure to gradually build up to it.
2) It depends on the type of stretching routine used. Most studies use a static stretch routine which is considered the least effective type of stretching. In addition they use a very broad stretching routine that targets all muscles equally whether they need stretching or not. I see stretching as a precision tool designed to be used on tight muscles or muscles with limited mobility not as some sort of generic warmup. You know that saying.. when your only tool is a hammer you tend to see all problems as nails.
I would like to propose a study as follows. Create three randomly assigned groups. One group will be assigned the "no-stretch" warmup, one group is assigned a generic stretch routine as a warmup, while the final group is assigned a coach who will design a custom stretch/warmup protocol for each athlete using a combination of dynamic stretching, PNF* stretching, and light cardio warmups. The athletes in the latter group will also conduct regular check-ins with their coach who will modify the warmup protocol over time to meet the stretch needs of the athlete. The coach will provide no other guidance.
The aim of my proposed study will be to not only show the merit of stretching vs non-stretching but to also show the merit of a targeted stretch/warmup protocol designed by a trained coach.
Absent this proposed study, my general recommendation for injury prevention is to begin every workout with a light cardio warmup and some foam rolling. I then like to throw in some dynamic stretching or other dynamic warmup drills before beginning my workout. I like to end all workouts with a light cooldown followed by some icing. Avoid heat as it promotes inflammation, which will only further aggravate any injury. As always please consult your coach before making any change to your workout routine.
*Dynamic Stretching and PNF Stretching are two types of more advanced stretching protocols that involve movement through the stretch. Both these types of stretching have extensive research searchable on www.pubmed.gov
Monday, February 15, 2010
What kind of sports nutrition do I take during a run?
This is such a common question, I figure it deserved its own article. Freshly published on sportsbistro.com. In the article I discuss not only what to take, but how often. I also give some examples for common run distances people do. Here's a snippet:
Example 1: 2-hour run
0:15 min before: take one gel and some water/sports drink/nuun
0:30 min in: take one gel and some fluids
1:15 min in: take another gel and some fluids
2:00 min in: take final gel and finish off the fluids
The one final gel is a little known secret for improving recovery. After a workout, you have a limited recovery window of about 30-60 minutes where the body will quickly replenish muscle glycogen using all available fuel sources. Taking that one extra gel will aid your recovery especially if you can't get to your recovery drink in time.
Example 2: 10K race
0:15 min before: take one gel and sme fluids
5K into run: take one gel, fluids and keep pushing harder
The initial gel will kickstart your system. Taking one in the middle will give you an extra boost so you can push even harder in the last 5K. For races of all length I also recommend taking the uber-gel Roctane.
Example 1: 2-hour run
0:15 min before: take one gel and some water/sports drink/nuun
0:30 min in: take one gel and some fluids
1:15 min in: take another gel and some fluids
2:00 min in: take final gel and finish off the fluids
The one final gel is a little known secret for improving recovery. After a workout, you have a limited recovery window of about 30-60 minutes where the body will quickly replenish muscle glycogen using all available fuel sources. Taking that one extra gel will aid your recovery especially if you can't get to your recovery drink in time.
Example 2: 10K race
0:15 min before: take one gel and sme fluids
5K into run: take one gel, fluids and keep pushing harder
The initial gel will kickstart your system. Taking one in the middle will give you an extra boost so you can push even harder in the last 5K. For races of all length I also recommend taking the uber-gel Roctane.
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