About Pete Pfitzinger

 

 

 

Researched Topics and Articles for Distance Runners

 

• AFTER MARATHON – Resuming Training After a Marathon: After months of toil, you’ve accomplished your marathon goal, and are blissfully content. After a few days, however, the initial euphoria wears off, and post-partum depression sinks in. You ask yourself the terrible question, “what now?” Last month, we looked at ways to improve your recovery after running a marathon. This month, we look at the next stage, how to re-motivate yourself and safely resume training after the marathon. Specifically, which types of workouts to do, which to avoid and why [continue reading…]

 

• AGE – Mother Nature and Father Time: Age is less kind to some of us than others. High school reunions often dramatically illustrate this point. Among runners, declines in performance plague some runners in their early thirties, while others (notably Carlos Lopes who won the 1984 Olympic Marathon at age 37, and then ran 2:07:12 at age 38) remain at their best much longer [continue reading…]

 

• ALTITUDE – Living High and Training Low: Training at high altitudes has been popular among runners since the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. From the results of those Games it was obvious that to compete well at high altitude it is necessary to train at high altitude. It is not clear, however, whether training at altitude provides an advantage for competitions at sea level. The few well-controlled studies have found mixed results when athletes train at altitude to prepare for sea level races. Yet, places such as Boulder, Colorado, and Albuquerque, New Mexico are practically shoulder-to-shoulder with world-class athletes and wannabes seeking the high altitude edge. Let’s take a look at the physiological effects of altitude training and the latest ideas on how to improve your performance with high altitude [continue reading…]

 

• BACK TO BACK – Strategies for Back to Back Hard Days: In last month’s column, we discussed the hard-easy principle, and that sometimes the best plan is to train hard two days in a row followed by two or more recovery days. Two specific situations in which back-to-back hard days can be effective are during weeks when you are racing, or when you are so busy during the Monday to Friday work week that you must get in most of your high quality training during the weekend. Or, you may have a race on Saturday, but still need to get in your long run on Sunday. Back-to-back hard days come with the danger of wiping yourself out on the first hard day. If you are dragging the next day, then the quality of your training will suffer, and you will probably not obtain the necessary training stimulus to improve your running [continue reading…]

 

• BAREFOOT – Should You Try Barefoot? Running shoes are wonderful things. They protect your feet from nails and broken glass, allow you to run on concrete, and are particularly useful in ice and snow. While protecting your feet, however, running shoes also treat them like planks that only bend a bit at the ball of the foot [continue reading…]

 

• BASIC – Basic Training Principles for Runners: The running mentality lends itself to extremes. But the motto “Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess,” ultimately leads to disaster. To fulfill your potential as a runner, you either need a seasoned coach who can prescribe and monitor your training, or to learn to design your own well-balanced training programs [continue reading…]

 

• COOL DOWN – Cool Down for Quick Recovery: You have just completed six repetitions of 800 meters at your goal 5 km race pace and are feeling pleasantly exhausted. Next, should you: A) jog once around the track, get in the car and drive home; B) head straight to the nearest bar for a well-earned beer; or C) do a thorough cool-down? [continue reading…]

 

• CROSS BENEFITS – Should You Cross-Train? As I rode the exercise bike in the lab this morning, it occurred to me that there are 3 good reasons to cross train: 1) you are injured and can’t run, so you need to do something to keep your sanity; 2) you want to improve your cardiovascular fitness without getting injured; or 3) you want to improve your running by doing other activities (such as weight lifting or yoga) that do not target your cardiovascular system [continue reading…]

 

• CROSS INJURY – Cross Training to Prevent Injury and Improve Technique: Here, we looked at several forms of cross training that help you maintain or improve your cardiovascular fitness while avoiding injury. Other types of cross training can enhance your running performance too, by improving your muscle balance and running technique. Long distance running develops muscular endurance in specific leg and hip muscles and is wonderful for your cardiovascular system, but tends to make some muscles strong and tight while others remain weak. “Proximal stability” training, drills, and flexibility sessions can eliminate these imbalances, not only preventing injuries, but improving your racing times as well [continue reading…]

 

• DEHYDRATION – The Dangers of Dehydration: Summer is here, along with the twin menaces of heat and humidity. Running in the heat can quickly lead to dehydration, which ranks up there with dobermans among runners’ worst enemies. Dehydration hurts your performance, and slows your ability to recover for the next workout. Continuing to run when dehydrated can lead to heat stroke and death [continue reading…]

 

• DETECTING – The Over-training Detective: Over-training is a danger for any motivated distance runner. In striving to improve your performance, you progressively increase the volume and intensity of your training. When races go well, the positive reinforcement spurs you to train harder. When races go poorly, you figure you aren’t fit enough, and train even harder. At some point, you hit your individual training threshold. This is the amount of training stress above which you start to break down [continue reading…]

 

• DE-TRAINING – What Happens If You Stop Training: Please answer the following question: When you take a break from training, your body starts to turn to mush: a) after a few months; b) after a few weeks; c) after a few days; or d) almost immediately. Most runners apparently believe the correct answer is (d), and that the fitness gains of years of running are in danger of quickly vanishing into thin air. This behavior is manifested in phenomena such as running streaks, double workouts, and a propensity to run through such potentially life-threatening conditions as blizzards, electrical storms, and bronchitis [continue reading…]

 

• EAT DRINK – Eat, Drink and Finish Strong: You train for 5 months for the big day. You’ve done 23 long runs, worn out the inside lane on your local track, spent a small fortune on massage and new shoes. You are the fittest that you have ever been. The gun fires and you feel great. You are on personal best pace for 18 miles. Then something starts to go wrong. You feel progressively more sluggish. By 22 miles, you’ve slowed down to the old familiar death trot. Guess you need to train harder next time [continue reading…]

 

• EFFECTIVE PLAN – Developing Effective Training Plans: A 10 Step Process: Improving your running performance requires you to set goals and develop plans to achieve those goals. Your training plan describes the steps involved in reaching your goal. Your progress as a runner, therefore, is only as good as your ability to plan [continue reading…]

 

• EPO – Illegal, Effective and Deadly: The scandals that plagued the 1998 Tour de France largely surrounded the systematic abuse of the synthetic hormone EPO to improve performance. Early in The Tour, Team Festina cyclists Alex Zuelle and Laurent Dufaux admitted taking EPO, and their team director confessed organizing doping under medical control. While the popular press expressed shock over the widespread use of EPO among top cyclists, those close to the sport indicated that EPO abuse has been pervasive in the top echelon of cycling for the past decade [continue reading…]

 

• EX-PHYS – Concepts of Exercise Physiology for Runners: Capillaries. Myoglobin. Slow-twitch fibers. Glycogen. These are the stuff of long-distance running. The Kenyans have lots of them. President Bush (#1 and #2) has them. And you have them too. This is also the stuff of exercise physiology [continue reading…]

 

• FAT – Fat Facts: Burn fat. Lose fat. Fat free. Fat-related messages bombard us constantly. Yet, much of what is written about fat metabolism is hogwash. There is a lot of misinformation circulating about how our bodies store and lose fat, and when our muscles use fat to produce energy. Two concepts that are often confused are: 1) the role of fat as a fuel during exercise; and 2) how to reduce body fat. Most RT readers shouldn’t be concerned with reducing their already low body fat levels, but distance running performance will benefit from training your muscles to use more fat, thereby sparing your carbohydrate stores. Let’s try to clarify these issues [continue reading…]

 

• GOALS – Setting Goals for Runners: With the 3rd Millennium upon us, it seems appropriate to dream grand dreams, reach for the stars, or at least set a goal to reach a personal best. The problem when reaching for the stars, however, is knowing how high to reach. How much can you realistically hope to improve in a few weeks, a few months, a year? [continue reading…]

 

• H.A.T. – Guide to High Altitude Running: Elite endurance athletes around the world train at high altitude to try to improve performance. Assuming you are a serious runner, should you train at altitude? To help determine whether high-altitude training is right for you, consider the following questions and the answers that follow [continue reading…]

 

• HEART RATE – Factors That Effect Heart Rate While Running: At the September 1999 Pre-Olympic Sport Science Congress in Brisbane, Australia, I met with Mike Lambert, PhD, who is one of the world’s leading experts on using heart rate monitors during training and competition. Mike is an exercise physiologist who also has impressive running credentials, having run South Africa’s 56 K Comrades Marathon many times. Mike and I discussed the key factors that affect heart rate during running, which are explained in his excellent article published in the Journal of Sport Sciences in 1998. Although some of the information is a bit technical, understanding these factors will allow you to use your heart rate monitor more effectively to optimize your training [continue running…]

 

• H.R.M. – How to Obtain Optimal Results Using a Heart-Rate Monitor: Heart rate monitors are a simple and effective training aid. By running within specific heart rate training zones, you help ensure that you train at the appropriate intensities for optimal results. Without realizing it, however, you may be training harder or easier than planned unless you know your true maximal heart rate, your resting heart rate, and take into account the various factors that influence heart rate while running. In this column we will look at how to determine your maximal heart rate and your individualized training zones. In next month’s column, we will look at several important factors that affect your heart rate during running [continue reading…]

 

• H.R.M. Pitfalls – Pitfalls to Avoid While Using a Heart-Rate Monitor: Like any tool, a heart rate monitor only helps you if you know how to use it. The more experience that I have working with runners who use heart monitors, the more I realize that many athletes are training too hard or too easy because they do not realize the variety of factors that can affect heart rate. Let’s look at five points to help you use your heart rate monitor effectively to improve your running performance [continue reading…]

 

• IMMUNE – Lymphocytes, Immunoglobulins, and Running: You run the best track workout of your life. Four repeat miles, and you feel like Moses Kiptanui. You hang around in your sweat-drenched clothes, talking splits with the other runners, and savoring the atmosphere. The next morning you wake up with the Russian Army marching down your throat. You have the flu [continue reading…]

 

• INCREASE OR NOT – How High Should You Go? The best distance runners in the world train from 100 to 160 miles per week. Yet, the belief has developed among some runners that high mileage is not necessary for high level running performance. Scientific evidence has even supported this belief-studies show that you can maximize your VO2 max on less than 40 miles per week. So, why does almost every world class distance runner do high mileage? Are they wrong? [continue reading…]

 

• IRON – Running and Rusting: You head out the door for an eight-mile run. Right from the start, your energy level is down, and your legs feel heavy. After 2 miles of uncharacteristic drudgery, you stop-then jog and walk home [continue reading…]

 

• LESSONS – Training Lessons I Learned the Hard Way: Youth brings with it boundless energy and enthusiasm, and the opportunity to make mistakes. Age brings experience, scar tissue, and occasional glimpses of wisdom. During 34 years of running, I have made many mistakes and learned many lessons (some of them, unfortunately, more than once). Through hard work, determination, and a healthy dose of luck, I enjoyed a successful competitive career. Good luck was definitely involved in reaching peak fitness for both the 1984 and 1988 Olympic trials. The problem with good luck is that you cannot depend on it. If I could relive my running career, I would, hopefully, avoid making the same training mistakes all over again. If I knew then, what I know now, here are seven things I would do differently [continue reading…]

 

• LISTEN – Listen to Your Body: When RT Editor Gordon Bakoulis and I discussed “listening to your body” as the topic for this month’s column, I hesitated because it sounded a bit soft for my tastes. After further thought, I agreed and, as usual, searched the scientific literature for supporting information. Not surprisingly, there was no data on the benefits of listening to your body for athletes because those benefits are impossible to measure. Thus, the insight that follows relies on over 30 years of running experience. As a two-time Olympian, you might think I had training figured out right from the start. Au contraire. The mistakes have been plentiful, and, alas, some lessons have had to be learned over and over again [continue reading…]

 

• LONG RUNS – The Many Benefits of Long Runs: The snow melts. Your Gore-Tex suit is back in the closet. Spring marathons loom on the horizon, and runners everywhere are putting in long runs to prepare. But, why run long? What do these annual rites of spring do for you? There are at least 7 physiological benefits to long runs, and there are other advantages as well. Let’s start with the physiology [continue reading…]

 

• MARATHON DECISIONS – Decision Making During a Marathon: Achieving your marathon goal requires numerous factors to come together on race day. Much more than in shorter races, the decisions you make during the marathon often have a large impact on your result. That is one of the reasons that the marathon is not just another race. Two key decisions during the race are: 1) whether to run alone at your own pace or speed up/slow down to stay with a pack; and 2) on an off-day whether to persevere or drop out. Let’s take a look at these two important race-day decisions [continue reading…]

 

• MARATHON RECOVERY 1 – Recovering from a Marathon, Part 1: You train for six months, taper perfectly, and run the marathon of your life. It’s the next morning. You wake up stiff and sore. Now what?Well, for the next couple of days, try walking downstairs backwards. Why do you walk downstairs backwards after a marathon? Because that’s where the kitchen and the rest of the world are, and your quads scream at you if you try going downstairs the conventional way. But hey, they’ve earned the right to scream. You just pounded your legs on the hard pavement over 25,000 times [continue reading…]

 

• MARATHON RECOVERY 2 – Recovering from a Marathon, Part 2: After running a marathon, there are basically 3 options. You can: 1) vow never to run again; 2) take some time off and then gradually get back into training; or 3) jump into full training as quickly as possible. Option 1 is not recommended, and option 3 should be chosen with caution. Option 2 is almost always the wisest choice. Your best strategy for future success after a marathon is to take a well-deserved break. A few days of no running followed by a few weeks of easy training will help your body to recover and your mind to develop new challenges. There is little to gain by rushing back into training, and your risk of injury is exceptionally high after the marathon, owing to the reduced resiliency of your muscles and connective tissue [continue reading…]

 

• MARATHON TAPER – Tapering for a Marathon: Train hard. Race well. Train hard. Race well. The runner’s basic instinct. Everything we do is based on hard work. We train. We brave the elements. We endure. We run through blizzards and bronchitis. We do not wimp out. We do not rest.This “just do it” philosophy is necessary to drag our bodies out on the roads day after day after day. With hard work and consistency, we grow stronger and faster. There is one time however, when working harder is counterproductive to performance. That time is the last 3 weeks before a marathon. That is the time to taper. [continue reading…]

 

• MISTAKES – Common Training Mistakes: We each have a limited amount of time and energy to devote to training. This time is valuable and we need to use it as effectively as possible. Unfortunately, many runners put large amounts of time and energy into training and achieve only mediocre results. The same training mistakes get repeated over and over. Let’s take a look at 4 common running-related training errors. By avoiding these pitfalls you will help optimise the effectiveness of your training and make best of use of your precious training time.#1: Running intervals too fast [continue reading…]

 

• OVERTRAINING – Are You Overtraining? “Got up. Got out of bed. Man, do I feel dead. Then I went outside and tried to run. Something feels broke, and I hope it’s just a dream…” Ballad of the Overtrained Runner (with apologies to the Beatles)Have you ever woken up in the morning with your legs feeling heavy, wondering how you were going to find the energy to go for a run? Sure you have-every distance runner has-fatigue is a hallmark of training. Training produces fatigue and provides the stimulus for the body to reach new levels of fitness. There is a threshold, however, beyond which the stimulus overwhelms your ability to recover and you enter the domain of overtraining. [continue reading…]

 

• PERFORMANCE – What Really Determines Performance: What is the single most important factor that determines running performance? Is it VO2 max? Not exactly. Is it genetics? Only partly. Is it Power Bars? Not likely. Mental toughness? Well, it helps. Reindeer milk? Bee pollen? Caterpillar fungus? Try again. Dr. Edward Coyle, of the University of Texas at Austin, knows THE ANSWER. Dr. Coyle has been unraveling the mysteries of endurance performance for 20 years. In a series of 8 studies with runners, cyclists, and race-walkers, Coyle and his colleagues looked at everything from aerobic enzyme activity to gross mechanical efficiency, and how each of these factors contributes to racing speed. In a 1995 paper in Exercise and Sports Science Reviews, Dr. Coyle condensed the results of 2 decades of research into 3 words. [continue reading…]

 

• POLLUTION – Should You Run in a Purple Haze: Runners experience life to its fullest. We feel the heat of the sun and the bite of the wind more intimately than those who shake their heads at us from their car windows. Our hearts, lungs, and muscles strain and improve with our efforts. As we suck up the marrow of life, however, we bring thousands of liters of air into our lungs-air that may be dangerously fouled by pollutants. In fact, urban runners are exposed to much greater quantities of air pollution than sedentary folks due to the large volumes of air we breathe while running. [continue reading…]

 

• PRE-COOL – Pre-Cool to Run Fast in the Heat: On a per capital basis, Australian athletes win more Olympic medals than any other country. The Australians’ success is due in part to their systematic application of sport science. One example of their attention to detail is the development of special vests to cool off their athletes before competition in the heat. The technique is called pre-cooling and the theory behind it is that by cooling off prior to hot weather exercise, the body has more capacity to store heat, and loses less fluid, during the competition. This is a relatively new area, but several studies have already shown that pre-cooling before exercise can improve running performance in the heat. [continue reading…]

 

• PREDICTIONS – Limitations on Psychological Predictions: Recently, a promising young distance runner named Ben did a fitness test at a local gym to determine his VO2 max. The gym didn’t explain that his VO2 max was not actually being measured, but just predicted from a formula. Ben’s predicted VO2 max was 57 ml/kg/min. He was crushed, as he knew that other top young runners typically have VO2 max values in the high 60s or even the 70s. Ben left the gym dejectedly, thinking he was destined for mediocrity. A few weeks later, Ben reluctantly underwent a VO2 max test in our lab. Much to his surprise, he reached 74 ml/kg/min, which indicates outstanding potential. [continue reading…]

 

• PREPARING LEGS – Preparing Your Legs for 26.1 Mile of Hard Road: Perhaps the most basic Principle of Training is “Specificity” which simply states that your body responds very specifically to the types of training that you do. If you do not prepare your body for the demands of racing, then you cannot expect it to be ready to handle those demands. For marathoners, if you do not train for the specific conditions your next marathon will throw at you, then it is very likely that you will have problems on marathon day. [continue reading…]

 

• RACE ANALYSIS – Race Analysis: Have you ever run the perfect race? If so, perhaps you could do it again if you were able to capture how you prepared and how you ran the race. For all of your less-than-perfect races, it is useful to write down what errors you made and how you could do better next time. Too often during our racing careers, we make the same mistakes again and again. We all know the obvious cases, such as the runner who always starts too fast and “blows up.” But, there are many more subtle racing errors that may not be obvious until you analyze your races. Perhaps you don’t give yourself time to warm-up properly, or you let your concentration ease during the middle miles of races. [continue reading…]

 

• RACE PREP – Race Preparation: On April 15th, were you looking for your form 1040? Did you write your term papers in college the night before they were due? Do you buy Christmas presents on December 24th? Don’t let a habit for procrastination spill over into your running. Surprises on race day can be disastrous, so try out every detail of your race day plan during training. Ron Hill, former course record holder for the Boston Marathon, used to have a “full-dress rehearsal” before every major marathon. Ron would put on his racing shorts, singlet, and shoes and head out for a hard run a few days before the race to make sure everything was in order. As the holder of the record for most consecutive days run (including hopping 1 mile the day after foot surgery), Ron might be considered a tad obsessive, but you too can benefit from eliminating the element of surprise from your racing. [continue reading…]

 

• RACING RECOVERY – How to Speed Up Recovery From Racing: Your ability to compete successfully multiple times over the course of the year depends on how quickly your body recovers from racing. The toll that racing takes on your body is related to: 1) the distance of the race; 2) the terrain; 3) the environmental conditions; and 4) how fatigued from training you are going into the race. Once you reach the starting line, these factors are out of your control, but they have major implications for your body’s need to recover. What you do in the first few days after the race, on the other hand, affects your body’s ability to recover. Let’s consider each of these factors and what you can do to recover more quickly from racing. [continue reading…]

 

• RACING SCHEDULE – How to Plan Your Racing Schedule: One of the most critical components to distance running success is developing your racing plan. Unfortunately, many runners do not put much thought into planning their races, and base their race schedules primarily on convenience, tradition, or “what everyone else is doing.” If you are passionate about racing, then it is worth taking the time to develop your racing plan for optimal performance. Here are a few guidelines to assist you in developing an optimal racing schedule. [continue reading…]

 

• RATIO – Finding You Optimal Workout/Recovery Ratio: Many runners do not follow the basic principle of work followed by recovery to improve their running. Too many runners are still training in a monotonous routine of daily hour runs with a longer run on Sunday, or 30 minute lunch-time runs with a bit more during the weekend, week after week, month after month, and year after year. Many wonder why their running performance has reached a plateau and why their personal best times were set a decade ago. Others are caught in the cycle of continuously increasing their training load (the age-old more-is-better principle) until they break down, and seem equally surprised each time they end up at the physical therapist’s office. [continue reading…]

 

• REDUCING SHOCK – Reducing Shock to Prevent Running Injuries: To control injuries, you need to understand their root causes. The root cause is usually predictable-the system is pushed too hard and the weakest link gives out. Running injuries can usually be prevented, therefore, by increasing the ability of your tissues to tolerate a force repeatedly, or by decreasing the cumulative amount of impact shock your tissues must withstand. In the last Pfitzinger Lab Report, we looked at how to prevent injuries by correcting muscle imbalances. This month we look at the other side of the injury equation- minimizing the amount of shock your body must absorb. [continue reading…]

 

• RISK REWARD – Risk and Reward: Through coaching and writing, I try to pass on information to help runners improve their performance. Much of the advice focuses on how to avoid overtraining, how to avoid injury, and how to stay healthy. I preach about balance and recovery. And, sometimes I am wrong. I have just started advising a promising elite marathoner (let’s call him Bill) who will shortly fly to Kenya to spend eight weeks training at an altitude of 7,000 feet. Going to altitude presents all sorts of interesting questions about individual physiological responses. After years of learning how to plan altitude training so runners positively adapt and do not wear themselves out, I am reasonably confident in developing a program that will work for Bill in Kenya. [continue reading…]

 

• RUNNING AGE – What’s Your Running Age?  Have you ever wondered why some runners pay little heed to the calendar as the years pass by while others seem to run into a brick wall? Or why others come out of obscurity to become age group aces when they reach their 40s or 50s? Don’t you just hate it when a “new kid” of 50 or 60 knocks you back a place in your age group? Why is it that some runners age more gracefully than others? [continue reading…]

 

• SAFE INCREASE – How to Safely Increase Your Mileage: In a related Lab Report, we discussed the physiological benefits of increasing your training mileage. But, can you increase your mileage without breaking down through injury or overtraining? With a little planning, and some common sense, you can certainly swing the odds in your favor. Let’s look at how to safely increase your mileage to improve your racing performances. [continue reading…]

 

• 70’s and Now – Training in the ’70’s Compared to Today: In the 1970’s, training knowledge was expanding rapidly, thanks to innovative coaches such as Bill Squires, elite runners searching for a world-beating edge such as Bill Rodgers and Olympic Gold Medallist Frank Shorter, and exercise physiologists such as Jack Daniels, PhD. Through trial-and-error, these athletes, coaches, and scientists added to the foundation built by Arthur Lydiard during the 1960’s. Since then, long distance running has become a worldwide phenomenon, and training methods have been further influenced by runners and coaches from Japan, Kenya, Ethiopia, Italy, Australia, Mexico, Spain, Morocco, and many other countries. [continue reading…]

 

• SLEEP – Sweet Dreams for Runners: Do you have trouble sleeping at night? Do you find it hard to slow down and fall asleep after a hectic day? If you have trouble sleeping, you are not alone. According to the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research, over 40 million Americans have chronic sleep problems, and over 20 million more experience periodic insomnia. Most runners assume that training leads to improved sleep (we look like we’re about to fall asleep much of the time). But, is there scientific evidence that exercise improves the quantity or quality of our sleep? [continue reading…]

 

• SPEED – Improving Speed for Distance Runners: If you want to improve your racing times, it is logical that you need to increase your speed. But, what is speed? Should you train to improve your top speed (which can only be maintained for a few seconds), or to maintain a faster pace over the course of a race? There are several definitions of speed, and which type of speed you aim to improve determines the types of training that you should emphasize [continue reading…]

 

• STRESS FRACTURE – Returning to Running After a Stress Fracture or Any Other Major Injury: In another Lab Report, we looked at how to stay fit and sane when a stress fracture or other serious injury prevents you from running. Over the past few months, several readers have asked about the next step. How should you start back when your doctor (finally) gives you the green light to begin running after a major injury? The answer to that question depends on the site and severity of the injury, how long you were off running, and your overall health status. On average, it takes 90 days for a stress fracture to heal completely. So, while you may be able to resume running 6 to 8 weeks after the initial diagnosis, it is critical to start back slowly and increase your mileage gradually to allow the final healing to take place. Let’s investigate how to get back into training after an injury. [continue reading…]

 

• SUMMER – Safe and Effective Summer Training: Preventing dehydration through the long hot summer is essential during both training and racing. Becoming dehydrated negatively affects your running performance during today’s run, and also slows your ability to recover for the next workout. To enhance your running performance, reduce your recovery time, and ensure your health, you need a strategy to minimize fluid losses during running, and to replace lost fluids as quickly as possible after running. [continue reading…]

 

• SUPERCOMPENSATION – Training, Recovery and Supercompensation: One of the realities of running is that if you do a hard workout today, you won’t be a faster runner tomorrow. In fact, tomorrow you will just be tired, and therefore a bit slower. At some point, however, the fatigue of the workout will dissipate and you will adapt to a higher level. This leads to two questions: 1) how many days after a workout do you actually reap the benefits of that workout?; and 2) how much time should you allow between hard workouts or between a hard workout and a race? Let’s try to answer those questions.[continue reading…]

 

• SUPPORT – Developing Your Support Team: We runners are independent beasts who pride ourselves on our self-reliance. We do not need extensive equipment, nor do we rely on team-mates, and like nothing more than the freedom of slipping on a pair of shoes and gliding out the door for a 15 miler. Alas, in the long run our independence is illusory. Eventually, we require the help of others. The precipitating factor may be an injury, illness, or simply the need for more structured training. [continue reading…]

 

• TAPER – Tapering for Optimal Race Performance: Like most Running Times readers, you no doubt spend countless hours training through all of mother nature’s extremes. As a dedicated distance runner, you know all about intervals, tempo runs, and long runs, and how blissfully tired training can leave you. Training provides long-term improvements in fitness but produces short-term fatigue. The challenge leading up to an important race is to find the optimal balance between training to get into the best possible racing shape and resting to eliminate the fatigue (both physical and mental) of training.. [continue reading…]

 

• TOUGHNESS – Developing Physical and Mental Toughness: Who is the toughest runner you have ever seen? How could you tell? It is hard to judge “toughness” in runners because talent and training contribute to race results as much as mental and physical toughness. Undoubtedly, though, some runners are tougher than others. Some runners have the ability to dig down deep and persevere when others would give up. The toughest runners simply will not be dropped in a race and can conjure up a finishing kick even when they look like they are barely hanging on. [continue reading…]

 

• TRI-RUN-TRAIN – Should Triathlete’s Training Differ from Elite Runner’s Training?  1) Comparison of physiological demands. 2) Comparison of athletes and training. 3) Which physiological variables matter? 4) Implications for training. 5) Can swimming/cycling replace running mileage? 6) Individuality. 7) Mistakes to avoid [continue reading…]

 

• TUNE-UP – Tune Up Races: Racing is about setting and achieving goals. To be ready for an optimal performance in an important race, you must train hard. There is a difference, however, between being fit to run and being fit to race. Your training provides a variety of stimuli that lead to physiological adaptations, and gives you the confidence that comes with achieving challenging training goals. Training does not, however, completely prepare you to race. There is an additional component to racing well that can only be gained by, well, racing. [continue reading…]

 

• TWO-A-DAYS – Should You Run Twice Per Day?  Runners often start running twice per day before weekly mileage warrants it. Doing “doubles” sounds like serious training, so it must be better preparation. In specific situations, this is true. Most runners, however, should resist the urge to switch from single runs to doubles as training mileage increases. Let’s take a look at when double workouts are and are not beneficial, and how to add doubles to your training program. [continue reading…]

 

• WATER RUNNING – A Nine Week Water Running Plan to Stay in Shape While Injured: You are guilty of enjoying your running too much and ignoring the early warning signs of an injury. Your sentence is 8 weeks off from running. You’re injured, and it’s a big one. The doc says absolutely no running for 8 weeks and then a gradual return. This is the news Scott Douglas received this past October-stress fracture of the tibia.[continue reading…]

 

• WEIGHTS – To Lift or Not To Lift, That is The Question: If you visit the Kenyan National Training Camp, you will see the best athletes in the world running high mileage at high altitude. What you won’t see is Moses Kiptanui or Delilah Asiago lifting weights. In fact, the Kenyans are so secretive in their iron-pumping that no one has ever seen them lift. Travel to Ethiopia, and you will see an equally impressive absence of muscle-building. [continue reading…]

 

• WINTER – Gaining The Winter Running Edge: When the days get shorter, snow and sleet are not far away. With the prospect of poor footing and several months until spring, many runners make winter running a low priority. If you are serious about your racing in the warmer months, however, the winter is a critical portion of your yearly running plan. Winter running can give you a competitive advantage over your weaker-willed competition. While they come up with excuses why not to run (too dark, too slippery, too windy, too cold), you have the opportunity to develop an edge that will serve you well when racing season arrives. [continue reading…]

 

• WOMEN MARATHONERS – Will Women Marathoners Catch Men? In the months since Paula Radcliffe broke the world best time for the women’s marathon, many comparisons have been made between the men’s and women’s marathon records. As in 1983, when Joan Benoit Samuelson slashed the women’s best by running 2:22:43 at Boston, there is talk of the best women eventually beating the best men. The case is based on analysis of trends in the record books and physiological differences between the sexes. Let’s see if the argument stacks up. [continue reading…]