MAY 17, 2024 xx
Intervals Made Easy = You Get Faster
Here’s a Reddit post for a training method that the main proponent calls the “Easy Interval Method,” EIM. He’s trying to sell a program, so buyer beware.
But reading what’s here is free, and interesting, and you can put the pieces together yourself.
Klaus Lok believes that too many midpack runners spend too much time running slow and easy, which of course is a great way to train yourself to run slow. But what if you want to get faster?
Since Lok has won 24 Dutch national championships from 1500 meters (3:38) to 10,000 meters (28:24), he’s got plenty of credibility. He also says that his coach developed many of the EIM principles from interval wizard Mihaly Igloi.
In this article, Lok proposes an alternative to slow, easy training. He says his approach is simpler, builds fitness faster, takes less time, and may even reduce injuries.
The secret? Do many speed workouts every week, but make the speed “slow speed” in small doses with long recoveries. Hence, the easy interval method.
This approach to interval training bears little resemblance to the many hard repetitions, with ever-shorter recoveries, found in traditional interval programs.
Lok also believes in several modest tempo runs a week to build lactate clearance. Overall, I think it’s a refreshing, wholesome approach. I’ve been trying it myself recently to break out of a winter of slow, marathon-training runs. More at Reddit Running.
How Long Does A $500 Running Shoe Last?
When Tigist Assefa ran a 2:11:53 world record in the Berlin Marathon last September, that was pretty good proof that the Adidas shoes on her feet were fast--really fast. But there were a few drawbacks for regular runners interested in the shoe.
First, the price tag: $500. Also, Adidas told the NY Times that the shoe would last for just one marathon, “plus an unspecified ‘familiarization period.’”
This made the shoe--named the Adizero Adios Pro Evo 1--a non starter for most runners. After all, you can get a different type of really fast shoe from other companies for a mere $250. :)
But what if the shoe actually lasted longer? Then the calculus might change.
In this article, a reviewer ran in the shoe “until it gave out.” When did that happen? “I’ve logged more than 300 miles and, while they’ve passed the point where I’d want to run a marathon in them, I’d still feel as confident lacing them up for shorter distances like 5Ks and 10Ks as I did when they were new.”
Not only that, but the shoes also felt fantastic from the first step. Running in them was “pure bliss, mixed with a bit of disbelief. How could a shoe be this lightweight yet have so much cushioning and a stack height of 39mm in the heel, 33mm under the forefoot?”
After 300 miles the shoes continued “to deliver a speedy, lightweight, and responsive ride superior to non-carbon-plated uptempo trainer/racers, and even other super shoes, given how much less they weigh.”
Adidas is even changing its tune vis a vis the shoe’s limited durability. A Running VP at Adidas now claims: “What we said is that it is optimized for one race--not that it’s one and done. Optimized means you get the best performance in your first race.” More at Run Outside.
Revealed: A “Top-Down” Approach That Prevents Running Injuries
There have been many efforts to design an injury-prevention program for runners. Few have worked. Here’s one that seems to make a difference.
It involves a “top-down” approach to prevention vs a “bottom up” program. What that means: Focus on strengthening your hips and core rather than the ankle and foot muscles.
A team from Finland divided adult novice runners (average age 40, mostly female, running 5K a week) into three groups: One received physiotherapist instruction in core and hip strengthening exercises, one got PT-guided foot exercises, and the third got PT-guided static stretching exercises. Each group included about 120 subjects.
All received the same general run-training advice, including “good running form” instruction from a veteran coach (but no guidance as to foot strike). The subjects followed a 4-times a week running routine for 6 months. It included gradually-increasing distances.
Result: The hip-core group had a 39% lower rate of injuries than the control group (static stretching), and a 52 percent lower rate of “substantial overuse injuries.” The ankle-foot group had slightly more injuries than the stretching group.
What made the difference between these injury-prevention programs? The researchers hypothesized that the hip-core exercises (like squats, lunges, planks, and single-leg hip raises) targeted the large muscles of the upper leg and calf that are most likely to suffer overuse injuries in running.
A secondary finding: Stretching did make a contribution. It was most effective at reducing acute muscle injuries that occurred with speedwork or uphill/downhill running. However, these acute injuries represented such a small percentage of total injuries that this finding did not change the primary outcome.
Conclusion: “A physiotherapist-guided hip and core-focused exercise program was effective in preventing lower leg injuries in novice recreational runners.” More at British J of Sports Medicine.
8 Ways To Run Smoother And Faster
We’d all like to improve our Running Economy (RE) because enhanced efficiency leads to faster times in most races from the 5K up. This article summarizes the best methods to improve your RE.
And the advice is all good, although it doesn’t include a really big factor: Choose your parents well. At some level, RE is related to your genetic foundation--the structure of the muscles you were born with.
That said, you can do things to boost your RE. Every mile you run--and, in particular, every year you run--inches you forward on the RE continuum.
Changing your biomechanics and neuromuscular connections is a complex challenge. But substantial research indicates that excessive bouncing--”vertical oscillation”--has a negative influence on your RE. Also, landing with your foot ahead of your knee and center of gravity lessens your RE.
So run with a modestly short stride, and push forward--not upward.
Plyometrics, hopping, and similar drills can smooth out and strengthen your body movements, increasing RE. Many also believe in doing “strides” during or after a run to increase your speed efficiency.
I chuckled a little over the last of the 8 strategies presented here: “Try carbon plated running shoes.” Yes, you can pay more for shoes with more expensive technologies--super foams and carbon plates.
This is rather like buying premium fuel at the gas tank. It usually works, but you have to decide what best fits your finances and your goals. More at Marathon Handbook.
Great New Running Tool (Free!)--A Sweat Rate Calculator
Hydration experts have long argued that we should all take a personal hydration test to determine our sweat rate (since rates differ substantially from individual to individual)
So you strip naked, weigh yourself, go run for an hour, keep track of any fluids you drink, finish your run, strip naked again, wipe off any sweat on your body, and weigh yourself again.
I know approximately no one who has ever bothered with this laborious routine. Besides, it doesn’t do you any good unless the day of your test has the same weather as the day of a big, upcoming race. You also have to run at your race pace.
A group of researchers from Australia recently decided to try another approach. They gathered a large group of runners and cyclists, and put them through a 60 minute test in conditions that included different temperatures and humidities and wind speed.
When finished, they crammed all their data into an online calculator that “can guide individualized hydration management in advance of outdoor running and cycling.”
They put their new tool at SweatRateCalculator.com with nice “sliders” that let you adjust your weight, height, distance covered, and the temperature data as necessary. The Calculator asks for your Power rather than your running pace, so I just left it at the preset 175 watts. Your final output will tell you how much water you need to consume per hour, and whether or not you will become more than 2% dehydrated if you don’t drink.
More at J of Applied Physiology and Sweat Rate Calculator.
They’ve Run 100+ Marathons. What’s Their Physical & Mental Health?
What can be said about those relatively few runners who have completed more than 100 marathons? Quite a bit, it turns out, if you interview 830 of them (from 40 countries on 6 continents), as this paper did.
First, they have an average age of 51, are 60% male, and run about 35 miles/week. That’s not much given that 12% report running a marathon every week, and 80% say they do one a month.
They get most of their mileage in races.
Otherwise, the stat that jumps off the page is the 94% who responded that “multi-marathoning was positive for their mental health.” That’s a self-report, of course.
The multi-marathoners also said their hobby provided: a way to stay fit and healthy (18.32%), a sense of accomplishment (16.26%), a “way of life” (13.62%), enhanced social engagement (11.53%), travel opportunities (8.82%), and the achievement of reaching certain milestones (8.3%).
Shoe use: 45% preferred cushioned shoes, 27% stability shoes, and 20% minimalist shoes. Also, 93% used GPS watches, and 44% ran with headphones in training.
You might imagine that these folks had lots of injuries, but that wasn’t the case. “No specific multi-marathoning injury types or specific overuse injuries were noted.” In fact, the subjects reported little more than blisters and chafing issues. At the same time, 67% took “medications that relieve pain around events.”
Conclusion: “The active participation of older individuals, including those in their sixties, seventies, and even eighties, challenges stereotypes associated with age. It suggests that multi-marathoning offers opportunities for lifelong engagement in physical activity and underscores the importance of promoting inclusive practices within the sport to cater to diverse age groups.”
Worth repeating: 94 percent felt frequent marathon running was good for their mental health. More at PLoSONE with free full text.
Have We All Gone Protein Crazy?
At the beginning of a run last week, my training partner told me she had just listened to an NPR report about the need for more protein, particularly among older women.
Strange. An hour earlier, I had read an article stating that our current protein obsession is basically a myth.
In the myth article, I chuckled over the explanation from Harvard nutrition expert Dariush Mozaffarian. “It’s the only micronutrient left standing,” he said.
Here’s what he meant: We’ve vilified carbs and fats as bad guys. That leaves protein. Since one of the three basic micronutrients must be good for us, it seems protein is the logical good guy.
And of course it is. (As are carbs and fats, in the right amounts from the right sources.) But are we lacking in protein consumption? Do we need to eat more protein to stimulate muscle, health, and endurance?
Protein supplements are surely the most highly promoted and advertised supplements on the market these days. If you simply did squats while holding those big powder-filled canisters, you’d build plenty of strength without ingesting any of the powder at all.
When I review the available research, that’s the first and most important point I see from the most credible experts. To build strength, you’ve got to do strength (resistance) training. Consistently.
Second, protein does build muscle. But there’s little evidence that any of us are lacking in protein--even vegans and vegetarians. Here’s a paper by top nutrition experts concluding that “protein-rich foods, such as traditional legumes, nuts and seeds, are sufficient to achieve full protein adequacy in adults consuming vegetarian/vegan diets, while the question of any amino acid deficiency has been substantially overstated.”
Third, older adults can suffer from frailty and sarcopenia (lack of muscle). This often results from poor diet and poor exercise combined. Improve the diet, add some exercise (especially strength training), and the problem begins to resolve. You don’t need more protein. You need exercise and a healthy, well-rounded diet. More at Inverse.
Marathon Great Eliud Kipchoge Attacked On Social Media
The last time I saw Eliud Kipchoge up close, at the 2022 NYC Marathon (where he was a guest, not a competitor), he was surrounded by two burly security guards. At the time, I thought this a bit excessive. Now, I’m not so sure.
People of his stature, even if just runners vs politicians or rock stars, are lightning rods for the worst sorts of attention. Now, in a horrifying interview with BBC Sport Africa, Kipchoge has disclosed that he received online threats last February after the car accident that claimed Kelvin Kiptum’s life.
In October, Kiptum had broken Kipchoge’s world marathon record. The online trolls accused Kipchoge of purposefully killing his young countryman, and warned that reprisals were imminent. "I received a lot of bad things,” he said. “That they will burn the (training) camp, they will burn my investments in town, they will burn my house, they will burn my family.”
He worried especially about his children, biking to and from school, and around town. “We had to stop them. We started to drop them off, and pick them up in the evening.”
The mental stress on the two-time Olympic Marathon champ was almost overwhelming. When he traveled to the Tokyo Marathon in early March, he didn’t sleep for 3 nights, and finished an unusual and disappointing 10th.
Kipchoge is widely known as a quiet, serious, respectful, and even philosophical human being. He likes to read self-help books, and apply the lessons he has learned.
He has traveled widely, been honored and feted, and won millions in prize money and appearance money. Yet when it comes time to prepare for his next race, he returns to a basic training camp with his teammates, and performs shared kitchen and bathroom chores with the others.
Now, he will try to recoup and recharge in time for the Paris Olympic Marathon on August 10th. No one has ever won 3 Olympic Marathon gold medals.
“"It's about getting up and going straight again, to your goal," he said. “I want to go into history books, to be the first human being to win back-to-back-to-back."
That won’t be easy, especially now. But the whole world will be following his quest, and no doubt rooting for him. More at BBC Sport Africa.
SHORT STUFF You Don’t Want To Miss
GREAT QUOTES Make Great Training Partners
“I need solitude. I need space. I need air. I need the empty fields around me; and my legs pounding along roads; and sleep; and animal existence.”
—Virginia Woolf