March 9, 2023

 The craziest training program ever to produce a marathon world record

In December, 2018, 70-yr-old American Gene Dykes stunned the marathon world by breaking the age-group record of the legendary Ed Whitlock. Dykes ran a 2:54:23 in Jacksonville, FL. A little more than 3 years later, Dutchman Jo Schoonbroodt, 71, took 4 seconds off Dykes’s mark at the Maasmarathon in Belgium.

And he did it with a training program that seems to have broken all the rules.

But first, a little background. A year after Dykes ran Jacksonville, the New England Journal of Medicine (free full text) published a Letter describing the outcome of laboratory testing on Dykes. Last week, Frontiers in Physiology published a much deeper investigation (link below) of Schoonbroodt’s training and physiology, and directly compared him with Dykes. The contrasts are startling, and perhaps illuminating (Though one can never extract too much meaning from these one-off “case studies.”)

Here’s the “tale of the tape” as comparisons between boxers used to be termed. The two runners weighed almost the same (142/143 pounds). Both were a little taller than I would have expected at 5’ 11’ (JS) and 5’10” (GD). They had nearly identical vo2 max results, 46+ ml/kg/min. Dykes was substantially fatter at 19% body fat vs Schoonbroodt’s 13.6%.

(Medical studies don’t use subject’s names, but they are allowed to say things like “broke the record for the 70-74 yr old marathon in May, 2022.” So it’s not hard to deduce who’s who in these reports.)

Treadmill testing revealed modest differences between the two runners, primarily that Schoonbroodt was about 8% more economical than Dykes. Then again, he wore super shoes during the treadmill testing, and Dykes didn’t. (Both wore super shoes in their record-setting races.)

What made Schoonbroodt more economical? There’s no sure answer to this question, but that didn’t stop researcher Bas van Hooren (himself a 28:41 10K runner) from speculating. He was no doubt emboldened by the rather remarkable 7-plus years of training information that Schoonbroodt provided. This data was backed up by his Strava-logged runs, plus 3 weeks when he wore a heart rate monitor provided by the researchers.

In 2015 Schoonbroodt ran an average of 49 mi/week, which he increased to 58 the next year. Then he got down to work. By 2021, he was logging 83 mi/week. Sounds nasty, right? But quantity means little without a quality factor, and Schoonbroodt was chugging along at a pedestrian 11:30/mi pace. Despite the slow training, he ran his record-setting marathon the following May at 6:39 pace.

A zone by zone analysis of Schoonbroodt’s training found him in Zone 1 for 97 percent of his running. He had no injuries during this period. By comparison, Dykes reports that he was running 40 to 50 miles per week during his buildup to Jacksonville (along with an amazing number of ultra races on weekends.)

Can we draw any conclusions from this side-by-side comparison? Van Hooren writes: “The better running economy [of JS] is likely a consequence of an almost double weekly training distance.” He also has a very high percent of slow twitch muscle fibers--over 90%. Dykes has not been tested for fiber types.

This paper adds to a preliminary amount of research suggesting that top age-group marathon runners maintain performance more through high-mileage training (even if at a slow pace) rather than high-intensity training. More at Frontiers in Physiology (free full text).

How do you know when you’re training too hard?

We all want the same thing from our training. We want to train hard enough to produce a genuine impact on our fitness and performance. But we also want to avoid overtraining, since this could send us spiraling in the wrong direction, ie, downward. The question is: What’s the best way to find the red line without going over it?

There are different methods, of course. Heart rate. Fluctuations in weight. Various systems that attempt to measure training load or training stress. Power output. Perceived exertion. And more.

A team of Dutch exercise physiologists decided to dig a little deeper into this issue. They asked a group of “recreational cyclists” to do 4 different workouts, immediately followed by a 3km time trial. (Earlier they had done a similar time trial while fresh.)

The study team monitored their subjects with several of the above mentioned systems (heart rate, etc) to see which most accurately reflected fatigue as measured by performance-loss in the time trial. In total, they analyzed 7 systems--4 related to heart rate, 2 related to power output, and one related to perceived exertion.

And the winner? ”Perceived exertion was the only one in line with the acute performance decrements found in this study.” In other words, while you might find it ever so tempting to rely on an objective, probably digital reading of your fatigue (such as your morning heart rate), there’s a better way. Substantial evidence supports the usefulness of relative perceived exertion. Listen to your body. And believe it. More at International J of Sport Physiology & Performance.

While we’re on the subject, here’s a great “hack” to avoid overtraining

Gordo Byrn is a former winner of the Ultraman Hawaii championship that covers 320 miles of swimming, cycling, and running (52.4 miles) in 3 days. He trained hard to achieve this, and made a lot of mistakes along the way. Over-training was one of them.

As a result, he eventually created a “rule” to make sure he never went over the edge again. It’s one I haven’t heard before, but I like it, because it’s easily stated, and should be quite effective. 

Here the rule: Every week should include at least two easy days back to back. Not one. That would be the traditional hard/easy approach, and it can be pushed too far. But two easy days: hard/easy/easy. 

This gives you a lot more safety margin against overtraining. More at Feel The Byrn.

What to eat just before bedtime

Just about everyone I know is trying to reduce their post-dinner snacking and calorie consumption. Even if you’re not on a Time Restricted Eating program, you’ve probably gotten the message that consuming extra calories before a long period of inactivity (like sleep) can send your blood glucose out of control. On the other hand, moving right after eating helps control glucose.

But there might be an exception to this nighttime snacking rule for hard-training athletes. A new RCT study has shown that consuming 360 calories of a whey-casein protein snack before bedtime “increases both mitochondrial and myofibrillar protein synthesis rates during overnight recovery from exercise.” 

The study began when the 36 male subjects completed an hour of endurance exercise in the lab 4 hours prior to their bed time. Then, just before sleep, they slurped down a whey or casein protein drink, or a noncaloric placebo drink. Both protein drinks “resulted in greater mitochondrial and myofibrillar protein synthesis overnight when compared with placebo.” The whey and casein proteins produced similar results--neither was better than the other.

The implication here is that a pre-sleep protein drink could increase all the other good things that happen when you are asleep. You get training adaptation, and recovery. More at Sports Medicine (free full text).

A pain paradox. But true. And it feels so good

There was a time when runner’s high was regarded as a quasi-mystical, zen-like state that some athletes experienced while running. Now it’s more often seen as a condition that results from the release of endocannabinoids in the brain. That is, it’s not so much mystical as biochemical.  

The release of these “eCBs” is believed “to alleviate pain, induce mild sedation, increase euphoric levels, and have anxiolytic effects [anti anxiety effects].” In our stress-filled world, many find these an important reward for their running. More at International J. of Molecular Sciences (free full text).

There’s also new evidence, from a study of more than 31,000 individuals, that those who exercise regularly report “lower odds of experiencing pain” in their daily life. In fact, they were only half as likely to report pain as low-level exercisers. This means that regular exercise is a “potential risk factor for minimizing development of chronic pain.” Nice. I’ll take it. I especially like that it’s opposite to the “exercise produces pain” belief that many mistakenly harbor. More at Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

The truth about caffeine and fat burning

No one doubts that caffeine improves performance. It’s on virtually every list of ergogenic performance boosters compiled by endurance experts. (And these lists are very short.) The question that remains is mainly one of mechanisms--how exactly does caffeine work?

Decades ago, an early stab at the answer suggested that caffeine enhanced fat burning during endurance exercise, which could “spare” glycogen, and thereby extend endurance. More recently, this theory has been largely replaced by an emphasis on neurotransmitter effects or central nervous system effects, ie, reducing perceived exertion.

However, the fat burning hypothesis survived this new meta analysis and systematic review of 94 studies. It concludes that caffeine has a “highly significant effect” on increasing fat metabolism. “Therefore, the fat metabolic theory for CAF for exercise (and rest) remains viable based on this systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis.” More at International J of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism (free full text).

What female runners should do to prevent knee injuries

Knee injuries are a major concern for runners, and females are often found to suffer these more often than males. That has led some to conclude that females have weaker quad muscles that may not stabilize the knee while running.

However, this study didn’t find that to be the case. It used a “a 2D patellofemoral joint model” that looked at “estimates of quadriceps muscle force and sex-specific patellofemoral contact area.” The females didn’t appear to have weak quads but rather peak hip adduction and internal rotation angles during running that were greater than males. This means that strength training of the hip muscles--adductors and abductors--could prove useful in preventing knee injuries. Other studies have reached a similar conclusion. More at International J of Sports Physical Therapy (free full text).

When to consume “energy drinks” or shots, and when not to

The International Society of Sports Nutrition has updated its Position Stand on energy drinks (ED) and energy shots (ES). In all, the new stand includes 13 key points. Here’s my brief summary.

EDs and ESs can improve performance, mainly through the use of caffeine and carbohydrates. Most of the other stuff dumped into ED and ES has little to no effect. There is “limited evidence” that low calorie ED and ES could provide “enhanced training capacity,” but be careful not to consume higher calorie doses that could add weight. ED and ES “are not recommended for children aged 2 to 12,” and adolescents aged 12 to 18 should “exercise caution and seek parental guidance” when considering ED and ES. Diabetics and those with cardiac concerns should speak to their physician. Indiscriminate use of ED and ES, including multiple servings a day along with other caffeinated beverages “may lead to adverse effects.” More at the International J of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (free full text).

SHORT STUFF you don’t want to miss 

>>> Leg muscle engagement little different between treadmill and over-ground running. Free full text.

>>> Young runners respond to “extrinsic motivation” (friends and social relationships) to stick with running, but masters athletes use intrinsic factors like challenge and self-competition.

>>> Ear’s a surprising development: South Korean biomechanics specialists have invented an earbud that provides stride-analysis data. (Not yet available outside So Korea and Japan. But an interesting approach.) Free full text.

GREAT QUOTES make great training partners

“I’ll be happy if running and I can grow old together.”

--Haruki Murakami

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. See you again next week. Amby

March 2, 2023

How to train like the Norwegian superstars

We have entered the era of Norwegian training. This follows on the heels, historically speaking, of Finnish training (Nurmi et al), Swedish training (fartlek), German training (intervals), New Zealand training (Lydiard, Peter Snell) and perhaps Kenyan training, though that one’s a bit hard to pin down. 

We know we’re in the Norwegian era because athletes like Jakob Ingebrightsen, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden are winning Olympic and world titles and setting records. And also because the training system is so precise, and being studied and written about by so many.

Since training methods are of great interest to all runners and readers of this newsletter, let’s dig in. Before we do so, here’s a reminder. Training systems come and go, and they are built on the arc of great runners and coaches. This doesn’t constitute science, or a proven method. It’s not about data--it’s about “stories” and natural histories that evolve on the track and roads. Just keep that in mind. 

Like me, the “SweatScience” guy, Alex Hutchinson, is  “not a big believer in magic workouts or secret training plans.” But of course he’s “curious about what it’s all about” since it involves a number of significant athletes and victories. 

Basically, Norwegian training is high volume but ow intensity training, which many know as the 80/20 training system. I’d be tempted to say the Norwegians have pushed the needle toward 90/10. They’ve done this mainly by making sure their tempo training stays in the modest range, and doesn’t go over the top. (I’ve long believed that many American runners push their tempo training to an unnecessary degree, often extending their tempo runs to 8-10-12-or more miles. This is never what tempo training was meant to be, and it doesn’t prove that you’re tougher than the rest. It may just push you toward the overtraining zone.)

At any rate, Hutchinson writes at Outside Online that the Norwegian stars monitor their lactate thresholds during such training to make sure they don’t go too far or too fast. They use quick, mini blood tests mid-workout to achieve this.  They also tend to prefer interval workouts to continuous running--again, to keep lactate under control with the jog-rests between intervals.

Hutchinson bases his report on this new paper in the International J of Environmental Research & Public Health (free full text). It’s titled “Does Lactate-Guided Threshold Interval Training within a High-Volume Low-Intensity Approach Represent the ‘Next Step’ in the Evolution of Distance Running Training?” and is written by an impressive group of distance running experts.

The paper includes a nice summary of the above-mentioned historic training systems. It also notes that by using shortish intervals for their lactate-threshold training--rather than longer, steady road runs at half-marathon pace--the Norwegians attain faster paces without excess fatigue. Lastly, the Norwegians do one hard session of hill sprints per week, but again with appropriate jogs for recovery.

More Norwegian training, part II

Here’s a fantastic conversation between veteran U.S. bike and triathlon coach, Joe Friel, and Norwegian triathlon coach, Arild Tveiten.

Tveiten is responsible for his country’s current crop of top competitors including Tokyo Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt and 2022 Ironman winner Gustav Iden. The Friel-Tveiten exchange includes a number of great points and anecdotes you won’t want to miss. 

Tveiten says that the following are central to his coaching philosophy: A) consistent, committed work over many years; B) educating the athlete to understand the whys and wherefores of their training, and to gain confidence independent of the coach’s oversight; C) building aerobic fitness over pushing anaerobic limits; and D) a sense of humor and having fun. The most striking observation: This low key approach resulted in Blummenfelt’s vo2 max gaining an unexpected and almost unbelievable 10 points over several years (from 75 ml/kg/min to 85.)

Finally, adds Tveiten: “Don’t rush short-term solutions. Be patient. Go out, have fun, enjoy the training process. I think that the best athletes, with some exceptions, are the ones who are late bloomers–who are not the best athletes as a junior or youth athlete.” More at Fast Talk Labs (might require a free membership).

Okay, but what about Eliud Kipchoge?

Last time I checked Kipchoge wasn’t Norwegian but Kenyan. Also, he’s everyone’s pick for the greatest marathon runner of all time, so he must be doing something right in his training. (Will he face his Waterloo at Boston in mid-April, as Abebe Bikila did in 1963? That’s going to be a fun one to watch.)

When sports science expert Ross Tucker looks into Eliud Kipchoge’s training, he sees a lot of runs that are just plain “boring.” Kipchoge may be the fastest marathon runner of all time, but his training is monotonous. He does easy run after easy run, with faster stuff thrown in occasionally for good measure. And he’s been doing this for almost 20 years. Kipchoge set his 5000 meter personal best, 12:46.53, way back in 2004.

Rather than criticizing Kipchoge’s training for its sameness, Tucker finds the repetition a strong positive factor. “Consistency is the key,” he writes. “We need to avoid the temptation of tinkering.” A better approach: “disciplined repetition.”

Kipchoge runs up to 125 miles per week, but 85% of those miles are at an easy, relaxed Zone 1 pace. He edges into Zone 2 and Zone 3 paces only about twice a week.

According to Tucker, many runners fall into “the trap” of allowing their “Zone 1 training to drift up into Zone 2.” This is relatively easy to do--Zone 2 training isn’t fast, it’s just a bit harder than Zone 1--and that’s what makes it a trap.

Tucker believes the moral of the Kipchoge training story might sound like a cliche, but it’s true nonetheless: “Train to race. Don’t race in training.” More at RW U.K.

You better believe it: Females have more endurance than males

A big data analysis of “matched pairs” of female-male trail runners (with similar performances over shorter distances like 10K) has revealed for the first time that females slow less than males as race distances get longer. In other words, the paper seems to show that women runners have more endurance than men.

This doesn’t mean that women ultra runners are faster than men. Normally, they aren’t, even with increasing numbers of women in the top ranks of ultra finishes. “The top-performing men are faster than the top-performing women,” the report states, “and this is likely to remain the same in the future,” mainly because men have higher vo2 maxes and lower body fat than women.

The new paper, supported by organizers of the UTMB race organization, looked at 38,860 trail races from 1989 to 2021 in 221 countries. It focused on 7251 female-male pairs who had similar performances in shorter trail races (25K to 45K) but also finished races up to 260K long (162 miles).

The results showed that the females slowed by just 3.25% for each additional 10K of race length, while the males slowed by 4.02%. Conclusion: “This study shows for the first time that the gap between men and women shrinks when trail running distance increases, which demonstrates that endurance is greater in women.” However, “top male performers still outperform the top women.”

Where does this greater female endurance come from? That remains speculative. For now, the main explanations include: less fatigability, due to a higher percent of Type 1 (slow twitch) muscle fibers; higher fat burning, which spares glycogen; and better pacing. More at Sports Medicine.

The ice cube cure: Yes, it seems to work

Maybe Paula Radcliffe was right afterall. Two decades ago, the former marathon world record holder popularized cold water immersion for recovery from hard workouts. This set off a frenzy of runners determined to prove they were tougher than the rest by stepping into freezing cold mountain streams and tubs full of ice cubes. 

Then came the skeptics who found reasons not to like treatments that might limit blood flow to the muscles. However, a new systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression has concluded that cold water immersion “is effective for promoting recovery from acute strenuous exercise in physically active populations.”

The authors came to this finding after reviewing 28 studies that looked into “other common recovery modalities on recovery of athletic performance, perceptual outcomes, and creatine kinase (CK).”

Their search revealed that “CWI was more effective than active recovery, contrast water therapy and warm-water immersion for most recovery outcomes.” On the  other hand, “Air cryotherapy was significantly more effective than CWI for the promotion of recovery of muscular strength and the immediate recovery of muscular power (1-h post-exercise).” More at Sports Medicine.

What you need to succeed in running

Here’s the short answer, which includes both social and physical variables: involvement in sports in your youth, support from other family members, and especially--most recently--your training.

The study involved more than 1000 Brazilian adult runners. The researchers seemed slightly surprised by the youth sports finding, which was especially strong among females. Men were more influenced by family members and participation in a training group. No shocker: “Weekly  volume was the most important variable to connect and provide changes in running pace.” More at Sports Medicine Open (free full text).

4 running pains you’d be stupid to ignore

I’ve previously linked to several journal articles from Heather and Kevin Vincent at the University of Florida. They ‘ve done a lot of work in the field and know what they’re talking about. Here’s a blog post that describes some of their best tips on shoe selection, warmups, running form, and 4 types of  pain that you shouldn’t ignore. Number 1 is “Pain that worsens during a running session.” More at University of Florida Health.  

Are you running from personal demons or toward “self expansion?”

Someone has noted--or perhaps we’ve all noted--that running is a super simple activity that requires no particular attention to details and can easily fill an hour or several. In other words, while you’re out there, you’ve got plenty of time to think.

And the kind of thinking you do can determine how much mental benefit you get from your runs. An article at Fortune magazine interviewed the author of a new study about the “escapism” you employ while running. If you run mindfully, this can be seen as “self-expansion,” a positive mental approach that leads to improved overall well-being.

On the other hand, escapist runs that amount to “self-suppression” are not so helpful. These are the workouts when you are almost literally trying to run away from a personal problem. “When you try to suppress your negative emotions, research shows that you also kind of restrain your positive emotions,” says the study author. “It’s not possible to suppress your negative emotions, and let the positive emotions flourish.” Here’s the original study in free full text at Frontiers in Psychology.

ALL the reasons to avoid midlife weight gain

Here’s possibly the most important health-fitness advice for millions of 40 to 60 year old adults: Avoid midlife weight gain. And here’s why: If you don’t heed this guidance--you’re going to face a big hurdle at age 60 or thereabouts. (Most Westerners gain 1 to 2 pounds per year in their middle decades.)

That’s when, at 60, you’ll likely realize you need to take action. You’ll be tired of the belly creep, you might feel the creakiness in your knees, you’ll have friends developing chronic diseases that require more and more prescription meds … the list gets long and frightening. 

There’s some good news here. At 60, you might be retired (or close), and have fewer family and job responsibilities. You’ll have more time for self-care.

The problem? Exercise itself doesn’t get easier at 60--quite the opposite--especially if you’re overweight and out-of-shape. You’ll want to develop an activity and health plan, but could be facing a horizon that looks like Mt. Everest. The following links describe how lack of exercise in midlife too often leads to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, incipient arthritis, dementia, frailty, hospitalization, and the like. 

I realize that readers of this newsletter are already following a sound weight-management plan. And that’s good. But we all have friends and loved ones who haven’t quite gotten the message, and we need to find ways to nudge them along.

I also agree that we should avoid “fat shaming. At the same time, I think it’s short-sighted and irresponsible not to acknowledge the health risks associated with extra weight at midlife--risks that increase with each passing year of inactivity, and get harder to overcome.

So, stay as active as possible now, watch your diet, and weigh yourself frequently. More at Dr. Mirkin and BMJ Open and JAMA Network Open.

SHORT STUFF you won’t want to miss

>>> Tart cherry juice has no effect on body composition, but could “lessen muscle pain and accelerate strength recovery.”

>>> A nice surprise: High intensity exercise beats lower intensity for sports, and life quality.

>>> Ultramarathon runners vs shorter distances: Training volumes are different, but not injury, sleep, or nutrition scores. Ultra runners more likely to report binge eating in month before race.

GREAT QUOTES make great training partners

“Only the disciplined ones in life are free. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and your passions.”

--Eliud Kipchoge