How to start “slow” and race aggressively fast
In this excerpt from Matt Fitzgerald’s new book On Pace, the author argues that runners don’t hit “any kind of hard physiological limit until they are within about 30 seconds of finishing, as it is humanly impossible to sustain a maximal effort longer than half a minute, give or take.” In other words, you’re not running all-out in the early or mid stages of a race even when it feels like you’re running really hard. Aggressively, scarily hard.
Which is exactly what Fitzgerald challenges you to do in your next big race. “I ask you to consider experimenting with an aggressively conservative pacing strategy in an upcoming race.”
What will happen? One of three things.
You might mess up badly, Fitzgerald admits. You might run just so-so. Or “you will execute the plan well and achieve a breakthrough performance.” He’s absolutely certain about one thing: He guarantees you “will NOT spontaneously combust and never run again.” Worth a try? More at Runner’s Tribe.
Complete guide to Ground Reaction Forces--a key to injury control
Any time you feel a slight ache or pain, or are coming back from an injury, or perhaps returning to running after pregnancy, you should pay attention to vertical ground reaction force--GRFs. This is the force with which your body hits the ground with each step.
The lower the force, the less you’ll experience pain or continued soreness. On the other hand, a low force also means you have to keep building up before you’re ready to run normally. It’s a delicate balance, requiring patience and a slow progression.
First you’ve got to know something about relative GRFs. Which you maybe didn’t yesterday, but you do now, thanks to biomechanist Max Paquette and colleagues at the Univ of Memphis. They’ve just published a long list of activities and GRFs as measured in serious runners who were averaging about 35 miles per week.
First things first. According to the new paper, your GRF is 2.46 (body weights) when you’re running on flat ground at any easy, relaxed pace. For recovery and rebuilding, you’ll obviously want lower GRF activities.
Here are a few: The lowest measured was just 1.02 for the mini squat jump. (Note: I’m linking to YouTube videos here, but the videos were not produced by Paquette’s team, and may not represent the forces the team recorded. Be cautious with all new exercises.) A higher squat jump would raise the GRF to 1.35.
An ankle jump comes in at 1.69, double jump roping at 1.97, and the popular A-skip exercise at 2.0
Fast running scores a 2.66 and plyometric bounding a 2.78. I asked Paquette about downhill running, and he responded that it could increase forces by 40 to 70 percent, which makes it a definite no-no when you’re injured. On the other hand, fast uphill running produced a score of 2.54--barely above the 2.46 of easy running on the flat. The researchers note: “Uphill running may provide an alternative to speed workouts during injury rehabilitation.” More at Physical Therapy in Sport.
“Just because you can do something …
… doesn’t mean that you should do it.” I heard Chelsea Sodaro, this year’s Kona Ironman champion, say this on a recent podcast. It’s one of those simple-but-profound guidelines that would benefit many.
Just because you can do your easy runs faster doesn’t mean that you should. Just because you can run 4 miles farther on your tempo day doesn’t mean that you should. Just because you can keep it going for 24 miles on your long run doesn’t mean you should.
You get the idea. All of the above, and many more tough runs, might make excellent workouts. But only on days when you should be doing them. Which are quite sparing. (No link. Just a brief commentary.)
4 surprising insights on endurance nutrition
The SweatScience guy, Alex Hutchinson, doesn’t often come upon endurance nutrition wisdom he hasn’t heard before. But he recently attended a conference that did include a few such pearls. Like, do you know what’s wrong with big salads? Or when fruits and veggies aren’t necessarily the healthiest foods? If not, follow the link below.
I figured out some of this stuff a few years back from my own experiences, and now counsel others to “Eat healthy 360 days a year, but not necessarily before your most important marathon races.” With help from Canadian sports dietician Jennifer Sygo, Hutchinson also has some good advice on keto diets, the risk of low iron, and … well, pooping for faster times. More at Outside Online.
Curious about plyometrics? (Me, too). Start here
I’ve been interested in plyometrics (skipping, jumping, bounding, etc) for a long time, especially the thought that it might give me a little more energy return at the ankles. But fear always stopped me. I worried about injuries from vigorous movements I had never tried before. I wanted a kinder, gentler approach to plyometrics, but never found one.
Then last week I stumbled across a 35-second video that fit the bill. It even has a cool name--“The Rudiment Hop Series.” It’s simple and low impact, and you can vary those impacts by jumping lower or higher. I’m sticking to lower at the outset--really low. I want to work on smooth, coordinated movements first, and also to master the changes in direction. Take a quick look if you’d like to join me. More at Twitter.com/JasonHettler.
Do you need to know your foot type and arch height?
Years ago runners were advised to use the “wet test” to determine their arch type and best shoe selection. This involved wetting the bottoms of your feet, and then placing your feet on a dry sheet of paper to see what damp, darkened shape they left behind. This would place you in the flat feet, normal arch, or high arch category.
However, the “wet test” practice has fallen out of favor, since there is little evidence to support it. That’s probably a good thing, because, according to this new paper, few athletes have any idea about their foot “morphology” (ie, the foot shape, especially the arch height). These days runners are mostly advised to buy shoes by “feel.” If they feel great in the store and on a brief running test, that’s your best guide. More at European Journal of Human Movement.
StairMaster a good option for your training tool box
Recently I decided to return to the StairMaster machine at my gym. I felt that I needed to do some whole body “lifting” efforts, so I did a few 4-minute intervals climbing 2 steps at a time. It was really hard work, reminding me of my first StairMaster efforts 30 or 40 years ago. I plan to continue on a regular basis.
At gyms, it seems that StairMasters have mostly been replaced by elliptical machines. But apparently I’m not the only fan. While I don’t expect to spend 45 minutes on a SM any time soon, I agree that it’s “one of the least appreciated training options in the stationary toolbox and one of the toughest workouts out there.” Give it a try if you can. More at Trail Runner.
Cardiology experts explain how to keep your heart healthy
Most journal articles are purely descriptive. They give you the results of an experimental trial or perhaps a review of evidence on a topic, but they rarely offer “how-to” advice.” Which, of course, is what we want to know.
A new paper by exercise cardiology experts goes the extra mile, with “prescriptive methods for exercise training.” The article is long, but also free, so you can review it yourself at the link below. It’s full of important points.
Among them: Highly active individuals can gain 7-8 years of life. You don’t have to be a world champ; there’s little extra benefit once you reach the “good fitness” level. Heart rate (including the 220- minus-age method) is so variable that it has little value. Relative Perceived Exertion is better, with “fairly light” to “somewhat hard” being suggested when you start training, and “somewhat hard” and “hard” after you’ve gained fitness.
Also: You don’t have to exercise for continuous periods like 10 minutes. Short “exercise snacks” during the day will also get the job done. In terms of calories burned, a mile running equals 2 miles walking equals 3 miles bicycling. You don’t have to enter marathons or triathlons, which both have associated risks. It is currently premature to conclude that HIT training is safe. Exercise is great for diabetes prevention. Strength training “should be recommended.”
Lastly: The benefits of regular physical activity “are often underestimated by many clinicians and the public at large.” And it’s always good to remember this axiom: “The universe rewards action.” More at American J of Preventive Cardiology (free full text).
“Skip the Gatorade. Make mine sea water.”
Recently I wrote about an old friend who used to win age group titles in the Boston Marathon after drinking ocean water pre-race. He believed the salt content helped him hold onto fluids during the marathon.
Now I’ve just located a journal article titled “Physiological Benefits and Performance of Sea Water Ingestion for Athletes in Endurance Events: A Systematic Review.” The authors concluded that drinking sea water during running races produced “significantly lower” lactate levels than pure water, and also improved recovery. Therefore, “The present review demonstrates that seawater consumption could significantly improve the capacity of recovery after exercise.”
How does this work? Maybe because seawater “ is characterized by being a deep natural mineral water of moderate mineralization.” The end of Gatorade? Probably not, but fascinating. More at Nutrients.
How to deal with the “most chronic disease” of endurance athletes
Winter’s nearly here for many of us, and it can be a tough season for those with EIB--or exercise induced bronchospasm. A new review labels it “the most common chronic disease among elite athletes” and particularly troublesome “for athletes of endurance, winter, and water sports.”
A good warmup and the use of heat exchange masks can prove helpful, as well as prescribed medical inhalants. These, of course, will require consideration of current anti-doping regulations for anyone involved in elite competition. More at The Physician & Sportsmedicine.
SHORT STUFF you don’t want to miss
>>> Unexpected report: Bruce Lee probably died from hyponatremia (excess water drinking).
>>> How to wobble your way into the Olympic Marathon Trials. Inspiring story. Plus--harrowing video (click on image at lower right of page).
GREAT QUOTES make great training partners
“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
--Maya Angelou
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading. See you next week. Amby