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bigkevmatthews@gmail.com

General day to day ramblings,Racing

A smorgasbord of racing.

24 April bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 0 Comment
WA Athletics Stadium 400m track, home for the weekend.

On Thursday I’ll compete in the Australian Masters Athletics Championships in Perth. It’s a four day event and I must admit to getting carried away with entries when I first registered. I mean I was offered so many events it was easy to click here, click there, next thing I know I’m running four days straight in events I’ve never ran before some with hurdles and water jumps, what could possibly go wrong ? If it’s half as good as the World Masters in 2016 it will be an awesome event. Back in 2016 me and the boys put on the Green and Gold and did Australia proud with some great results in the Marathon as well as other events. It was a unique experience to be running for the same country and you certainly felt a huge sense of pride and solidarity as you all worked towards the same cause, on the same team.

World Masters 2016 Team Aussi!….  (Truth be told in the photo you have the T-train, English, Mike K. Ukranian English, myself English, a token Australian in Mark L, Brett a South African and Mark C as Scottish as sleet and snow!)  We’re a diverse lot us Australians.

This time it will be for my state rather than country but I’m hoping the feeling of togetherness will be the same as the Worlds. If nothing else I’ll get to run on the track which I find challenging but in a nice way. Twenty five laps on Thursday for the 10,000m and then seven and a half laps Friday for the 3,000m steeplechase. On Saturday another twelve and a half laps for the 5,000m before concluding on Sunday for an 8k cross country .  Doesn’t sound that bad does it ?

The steeplechase will be interesting as I’ve never ran it and truth be told I don’t remember every leaping over a hurdle or water jump. It will be a baptism of fire on Friday but I’m hoping to master the technique tomorrow afternoon when we are allowed to practice on the track. Just to be sure I also watched some YouTube footage this afternoon at work and it looked very do-able. (Well the 20 something American track team made it looked easy enough?) I must admit to avoid the videos showing ‘when steeplechase goes bad‘ because no point focusing on the negative right ? Maybe I should wear speedos under my shorts just incase I spend more time in the water on the water jump than planned.  I could always borrow Jon’s floaties that he was made to wear on the first hill of the 6 inch ultra after falling in the one and only puddle on the whole course the year before, actually I think he fell in twice if I remember correctly. Not sure the pink would go with my WA singlet though and they don’t look very aero-dynamic ?

Maybe I need to borrow these for the water jump?

Competing in a four day event will be good fun, assuming I can avoid pulling a hammy on Friday leaping like a young gazelle over that water jump and hurdles, and I’m targeting a top 3 finish in all events for my age group. It’s important to keep yourself honest when you enter a race and the best way to do that is to let people know what you’re aiming for, can be the difference when you’re suffering and need to pull yourself together. Think about the water cooler conversation if you achieve your goal time or alternatively when Sharon from accounts gives you grief for falling short, nothing worse than verbal abuse from Sharon from accounts I can assure you. I wonder if Sharon reads this blog and, if she does, I’d better prepare myself on Monday if I fail to podium four times over the event.

Right I got more Youtube videos to watch , I really need to nail that steeplechase , I mean imagine if I slipped, the family jewels would never forgive me, now that would be a post worth reading ? (assuming I could type from the emergency ward?)

Finally today I went segment hunting on Strava. ( http://www.strava.com ) This is where you target segments and then you and your friends see who can get the furthest up the leader board and/or ahead of each other. This is good race preparation as the segment will force you to run as though you have a bib on your chest and  are being chased by Lucifer himself. At work currently there is some rivalry between two of my colleagues, Chan the Singaporian Scud missile and Sascha the South African Stallion. Sascha had bragging rights over Chan and myself until we both decided to bring our times down on a segment close to work in Kings Park. Today I managed to sneak a quick time in to put myself above my two colleagues but the Stallion was disappointed to only draw level with the Scud Missile. There was much head shaking and look of bewilderment in the afternoon as Sascha checked and double checked Strava. I’m sure on Thursday as I’m racing at the Masters Sascha will be planing his next assault on that segment and probably gaining those extra few seconds needed to wrestle that 2nd place from the missile. The point of this is you can find excuses to race everywhere and with Strava you can track your times and compete against your fellow runners. Hell if you get lucky you may even find a few segments Sharon from Accounts has run but I’d probably avoid running faster than her times, she can take things personally and she controls the purse strings and the water cooler conversations…..

 

 

 

 

General day to day ramblings,Nutrition

Want to improve by doing less, easy.

20 April bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 2 Comments
“Suns out, Guns out” … well maybe a couple of pistols ?

 

It’s a flashback Friday post today. This is where I look back at the blog and find interesting articles I wrote when only my Mum followed me. (Truth be told my readership is probably not that much larger 18 months later but Mum always like a mention.)

All runners can relate to this post on weight. If you run , and worse,  run competitively, you worry about weight and this then goes hand in hand with nutrition , another one of my favourite subjects.

Have I discovered the perfect diet yet, after many years of looking, the answer is no but I have found opportunities to improve my diet, lose weight and run faster. Of course this means sacrifices but this is a ‘runners lot’, what we do demands sacrifices. Friday night drinks with your work colleagues, sorry ‘going long’ Saturday.  Game of kick around on the oval, no way baby, tight hammy’s ! Chasing kids around the back yard, are you mad, all that lateral change of pace, has long term injury written all over it . You get the picture, a runners life is one of sacrifices but these are sacrifices I am willing to make. (Never been one for Friday night drinks anyway and my footie kicking is poor at best!)

Diet unfortunately is another form of self sacrifice that can return dividends. The old days of the ‘if the furnace is hot enough, it burns anything’ approach is flawed and if you really want to improve your running you need to look at what you are using for fuel. Of course there will always be the runners that seem to survive on junk food but constantly produce jaw dropping times but these are few and far between and are normally just blessed with natural talent and genetics. I am not unfortunately, like 99% of the running population it is just plain old boring hard work that gets me where I need to be. Again I’m ok with that and must admit to enjoying the runners post long run pancakes or waffles as a form of recovery; it’s not all bad.

Carbohydrates or the high fat, low carb diet, I’ll leave it to you to decide but the most important final statistic is your racing results. Get it right and hit your racing weight and you’ll see the benefits, too low or high and you’ll also notice the difference. We’re all different of course but lets face it , when’s the last time you saw an over weight runner at the front of the pack. Sorry people the ‘just escaped form a concentration camp‘ look is the way to go, much to my Wife’s disgust. She often encourages me to put on weight, drink more and tries to butter me up with digestives (normally with dark chocolate!) , not many men can say that about their partners. I of course rebuke her advances and proudly mention I am at racing weight and have no need for any extra muscle as it serves no purposes for us runners. Muscle or fat are merely an extra weight we have to carry around the race distance and this need to be jettisoned as soon as possible. Sorry Karen but the ‘Schlinders List‘ look is what all us runners aspire to and no amount of chocolate digestives is going to derail me…..

 

 

I have mentioned weight in relation to running a few times on this blog but with all good subjects there is always another good article to highlight. It really is common sense that the lighter you are the faster you will run with the same amount of energy. My Dad use to always sprout ‘It’s Physics Son‘ at me on so many occasions over the years for numerous different scenarios, in this scenario it really is.

So to improve with the same amount of training all you need to do is put down that donut (Jon !) and pick up that lovely celery stick, Yum ! Hang on, to quote Homer Simpson ‘Donuts taste good‘ and I agree with Mr.Simpson whole heartedly but to work off a donut it’s about 30 minutes of moderate exercise, and who can stop at one donut which is why you buy Krispy Kremes in boxes of 6 or more. That’s 3 hours of running nearly a marathon for 10 minutes of pleasure. (Would you have to run the 3 hours straight after eating 6 donuts or can you wait, either way I would probably envisage trouble ahead.)

I can certainly testify that at my racing weight of 70kg I am considerably faster than if I let myself go and hit 72kg. You feel the difference and also in training with every step you moving that extra 2kg, remember physics, not a runners friend when he’s been embracing his friend Mr. Kreme.

So the answer is to find your racing weight and stick to it. How easy is that ? Actually not easy at all as your racing weight is always so damn low and to get to it in the first place you normally starve yourself or have to avoid all the food groups you love.  Then when you hit the racing weight you spend all your time worrying about putting weight on. No one said being a runner was easy, we train hard in tough conditions, give up our social life, friends out with running are ignored and even sacrifice family time but to forego the donuts or worse the Yelo muffin, life is cruel.

Is there an answer to the weight conundrum, there may be. Rather than try and maintain your racing weight all year you can train using the periodisation technique. (Is it a technique or just a way of training, you decide?) . Periodisation is the theory and practice of how to vary a training program over time to bring the runner to a physical peak for major competitions. It is considered simply as planned and organized variety. The periodisation variables we can manipulate include frequency, intensity, recovery, variety, specificity, and duration of training. I suggest part of this could also involve Krispy Kreme donuts, though when Arthur Lydiard, first started experimenting with periodization in 1947 I’m not sure he had donuts at the forefront of his mind.?  Anyhow you could define periods of your training when you can add a little weight and enjoy life a tad more than normal before then starving yourself back to your racing weight.

It would be easier of course if we didn’t have a sweet tooth and we could maintain our weight by enjoying the good things in life like cabbage, celery, carrots, swede or my favourite green peas. Not going to happen,  so until they make chocolate calorie free it’s back to my old friend ‘hunger pains’ and the odd Yelo muffin when I can persuade myself that running 100 miles does justify one muffin as it normally contains fruit (mixed in with the chocolate)

Amanda MacMillan wrote this article for Runners World in 2014 but it still holds true today unfortunately. Worth a read but we all know what we should weigh, it’s our decision whether we reach that goal and when we do how long we can hold it for. That is of course until chocolate becomes calorie free then it’s on for young and old…

 

The root of all evil...
The root of all evil…

It may have been a while since you’ve stepped on a scale.

You’re fit, you feel great and you run, a lot. So who cares if your abs aren’t as flat as they used to be? Even if your weight’s not on your radar as a health issue, though, it should be as a performance one. Because there’s a good chance you’re not at your ideal racing weight—that is, the weight at which you run your fastest and feel your best.
Perhaps you have always had the same body and never considered what adding a few pounds of muscle or dropping a few pounds of flab might do for your performance. Alicia Shay, a professional runner and nutrition counselor in Flagstaff, Arizona, says weight shouldn’t be overlooked. “Anyone who cares how fast they’re running should consider their weight part of their overall training strategy,” she says.It’s most common for runners to find their weight has crept up over the years. Pete Magill, author of Build Your Running Body, didn’t think much about his own gradual weight gain until, at 44, his usual 15-minute 5K times began to suffer.“When I ran 16:20, I knew I was in trouble,” Magill says. “I’d been racingat 170 pounds since starting masters competition, almost 10 pounds over my race weight back in my 20s.” He couldn’t train any harder, so he went on a diet and dropped to 164. Over the next few years, he set the American men’s 45–49 record for the 5K, at 14:34.Magill’s not alone. “I can’t imagine you can talk to a competitive runner who doesn’t have a weight-loss-equals-faster-time story,” he says.But getting to that ideal number can be hard work—especially if you’re already logging major mileage and are used to eating whatever you want. And it’s a delicate balance: Dipping below it or losing weight in unhealthy ways could put you at risk for injury, illness and disordered eating behaviors.Why Lighter Equals FasterAs a general rule, runners move most efficiently when they’re at the low end of what’s considered a healthy body mass and body-fat percentage. “Running is really just a form of jumping,” says Matt Fitzgerald, certified sports nutritionist and author of Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance. “You can’t move forward without moving up, and the more you have to lift against gravity, the more energy it requires.” Imagine running with an extra 5 pounds strapped around your waist, he explains.Body weight affects performance in running more than it does in other sports, such as swimming and biking, according to a 2011 Swiss study on Ironman triathletes. And lower body-mass index seems increasingly important as race distances get longer: A 2014 study found that the optimal BMI for male 800m runners was between 20 and 21, while it dropped between 19 and 20 for male 10,000m and marathon runners. (Generalizations about BMI shouldn’t be used prescriptively, Shay says, because it doesn’t take into account lean muscle or body fat.)There are other reasons lighter means faster: Larger people are less efficient at delivering oxygen throughout the body. Losing weight doesn’t change your lung capacity or function, but it does mean that each breath doesn’t have to go as far.Leaner athletes can dissipate heat better, too, because they have a higher surface-area-to-body-weight ratio and less insulating fat tissue. They also burn carbohydrates more efficiently. So while weight isn’t everything, it’s certainly a big thing. “Four factors determine how fast you are,” says Sean Wade, a top masters athlete and coach of the Houston-based Kenyan Way running program. “Genetics, form, how hard and smart you train, and your weight—and not necessarily in that order.”

Age Makes a Difference

Masters runners may have the hardest time losing weight—no matter how much they run. Fred Zalokar, 54, averages more than 100 miles a week and for years oscillated between 170 and 180 pounds. But since he cleaned up his diet four years ago, he’s dropped more than 20 pounds, increasing his speed and turnover along the way.

“Weight loss has never just happened for me, even when I was regularly running ultras,” Zalokar says. “If I’m not consciously cutting my calories, I can make up for all that mileage without a second thought.”

That’s because adults begin losing muscle mass in their early 40s, which can impair performance and decrease metabolism, says Emily Brown, RD. Getting enough physical activity (including resistance training to maintain muscle) is especially important, as is cutting back on junk food and oversize food portions.

Tom Storey, 50, who has run Boston seven times, attributes his first qualifying run, in 2007, to weight loss. In just more than a year, he went from 205 to 150 pounds and shaved more than 30 minutes off his previously 4-hour marathon time. Today, maintaining his weight requires sacrifices he’s willing to make. “There aren’t a lot of things I can do to make myself a better athlete,” he says, “but if I can keep my weight down, I know I’ll be faster.”

Crunching the Numbers

Finding your ideal weight—the healthy weight at which you really perform your best—takes some time. “You can’t predict your optimal race weight beforehand,” Fitzgerald says. “You can move toward a goal, and when you have the race of your life, you weigh yourself and get your body composition tested, and there you have it.”

Andrew Lemoncello, 2012 Olympian for the U.K. and a coach for McMillan Running, didn’t find his ideal race weight until going pro after college. “I used to live by the saying, ‘If the furnace is hot enough, it will burn anything,’ “ he says. “I ate healthy foods, but I also loved desserts and never paid attention to my portions.”

When he began spending time with other pro runners, Lemoncello realized he needed higher-quality fuel for his furnace to run at its most efficient. He began planning his meals and stopped mindless eating, and he dropped from 150 pounds to 145. “I started setting PRs and had more energy and confidence,” he says. “If I’m eating well and training hard, that’s the weight my body naturally gravitates to.”

For any weight loss or gain, it helps to have something to aim for. Several online calculators, like Fitzgerald’s at RacingWeight.com, will estimate your ideal racing weight based on your age, gender and current fitness level. In this case, ideal is defined as what you would weigh if your body fat was at its lowest attainable-yet-healthy percentage, Fitzgerald explains.

Then there are the stats about how much quicker you’ll be by slimming down, like the commonly cited 2 seconds per mile, per pound you are above your ideal weight. But this will vary from person to person, says exercise physiologist Paul Vanderburgh, creator of the online Flyer Handicap Calculator, which helps runners see how their race times stack up against competitors of other ages and weights. Based on VO2 max estimates, it computes your predicted time if you were 25 years old and a scale model of yourself at 110 pounds for women or 143 pounds for men. “It’s strictly meant for comparisons,” he stresses, “not for figuring out the weight you should realistically be to hit a certain time.”

In Build Your Running Body, Magill and his co-authors plot a chart of estimates based on VO2 calculations—for example, that a 200-pound runner can shave 19 seconds off a 20-minute 5K time by losing 5 pounds. Wade takes a simpler approach: “One minute slower per 1 pound overweight is what I tell my marathoners,” he says.

These tools can be good motivators, according to Rasa Troup, a certified specialist in sports dietetics (CSSD), a 2008 Olympian and current nutritionist for Team USA Minnesota, but she adds that athletes shouldn’t take them as gospel. “My biggest concern is that they distract runners from listening to and understanding their own bodies, because they’re caught up in reaching some number,” she says. “It’s more important to be aware of how tired hungry or sluggish you are feeling.”

Kimberly Mueller, CSSD, owner of San Diego-based Fuel Factor Nutrition Coaching and a 2:52 marathoner, warns that calculators can skew too low with body-fat goals, as well. “Some have estimated my ideal body composition to fall around 12 percent,” she says, “but I know I lose my menstrual cycle if I fall below 14.”

How Much is Too Much?

Many runners could benefit from shedding a few pounds, Troup admits—but only if they have excess weight to lose and only if it’s done in a way that supplements their training, rather than sabotaging it. “Well-fueled athletes will perform well, and well-fueled means something different for every person,” she says. Of course, losing weight isn’t a good idea for all competitive runners. For those who are naturally very lean or who work hard to stay at the low end of their healthy weight, the threat of falling below that point at which you race your best is real.

Stephanie Bruce learned that the hard way when she finished a disappointing 16th at the 2013 Boston Marathon. She and her husband, pro runner Ben Bruce, have spent years perfecting their race-weight strategies, she says, and weigh themselves daily leading up to a big race.

“We didn’t have a scale in Boston, and it was difficult to get in as many calories the day before as I would have been able to at home,” she says. (Bruce has celiac disease and has to be careful about eating food prepared outside of her own kitchen.) “I was probably under by only 2 or 3 pounds on race morning, but it made a huge impact. I had no power; I just couldn’t hold the pace.”

Bruce says she works hard to maintain a healthy weight and has never dropped so low that her health has suffered. But many runners, without enough calories or nutrients, can develop weak bones and compromised immune systems.

That’s what Brian Rosetti figures happened to him. After he graduated from college, he spent two years training almost full-time. His mileage was increasing, but he was focused on low weight instead of nutrition for performance. Just as he made a breakthrough in his training, and as his weight dropped to an all-time low of 146 on his 6-foot-1 frame, he suffered a sacral stress fracture. “My bone density was below the median level, and I don’t think I was getting the right nutrients,” Rosetti says. “I was focused on keeping as light as I could. That’s a scary place to be.” The injury, in effect, ended his career.

Fitzgerald says impaired performance is usually the first sign that a runner has dipped into dangerous territory. “It’s the canary in the coal mine—your body’s signal that it’s under too much stress.”

For women, a missing menstrual period is also an indication of an unhealthy and unsustainable weight, with potential complications like infertility and osteoporosis. And while it’s less talked about, competitive men can struggle, too. A recent Southern Utah University study found that almost 20 percent of male high school cross country runners were at risk for disordered eating behaviors like bingeing and purging. Some boys expressed a desire to gain body weight to be more attractive, while others wanted to lose it to improve their running.

To keep your weight loss from becoming detrimental, the American Council on Exercise recommends maintaining a BMI that stays at or above the normal weight threshold of 18.5 and a body fat percentage above 14 percent for women and 6 percent for men. Some elites dip below these guidelines, Troup says, but it’s not recommended without careful monitoring.

Fitzgerald also recommends tracking your performance. “If you’re getting skinnier but your times are getting worse, you’ve passed the point of beneficial weight loss,” he says.

And above all else, Shay says, listen to your body and your mind. “If you’re starving all the time or you’re irritable and cranky or you’re bonking on runs, you’re probably being too ambitious and getting too light.”

Timing is Everything

The time to prioritize weight loss is in a four- to nine-week period before you start ramping up your workouts, while you’re building your base. “You can’t maximize fitness gain and weight loss simultaneously,” Fitzgerald says.

Mueller agrees. During a competitive season, athletes shouldn’t restrict themselves by more than 500 calories per day. For those who want to lose only a few pounds, 200 to 300 is even better. Stop restricting calories the week of a big race, she adds, because your body will perform best on a full tank.

Bruce says she goes into her training cycles about 3 to 5 pounds over her racing weight, a product of relaxed eating habits and less exercise during her offseason. “I like to have a reserve to pull from, because once I start working out harder, I lose it pretty easily,” she says.

Lemoncello follows a similar schedule during his training period, gaining 5 to 10 pounds when he’s not racing. “It’s good for my running,” he says. “The break helps me feel energized, and I come back motivated.”

General day to day ramblings

Time on legs and a bib on your chest, the answer to all your running dreams.

17 April bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 4 Comments

On Monday Yuki Kawauchi shocked the running world and won the Boston Marathon against a world class field full of faster Kenyans. how did he do it, mental toughness and good old fashioned heart. The conditions were horrendous but the same for all runners and Yuki just put his foot down at the end and destroyed the field of Kenyans, winning by nearly three minutes. There really are no superlatives to describe this legend of the marathon running elite world. He has run over 79 marathons under 2 hours 20 minutes, a World Record, and Boston was his 4th this year with many more booked in for the later in the year.  I’m sure the $150,000 pay day for wining Boston will come in very handy for the ‘citizen runner‘ , plus the millions he is probably going to earn in endorsements now, and every cent well earned and deserved.

So what’s his secret ? How does he do what he does while holding down a full time job, with no sponsorship and self coached ? The answer is distance, with his tempo/thresholds reserved for racing. Lots of time on feet, jogging, as he calls it. To me I call it the Maffetone method, the foundation of his running built on ‘time on leg’s , albeit only once  a day rather than the two or three times reserved for the ‘normal’ elite athletes. Yuki has built a massive aerobic fitness and by racing marathons and half marathons on a regular basis he takes cares of his anaerobic needs. Very similar to the way I train , though he seems to be a bit better at it, I put that down to his age and can only assume if I was thirty I would be competing with him , at least for the first 40-50 metres ! ?

 

2018 has been a busy year for Yuki.

With more of the same to come in the later half of 2018….

 

 

 

 

One of the nicest guys in running… and Yuki , the citizen runner. Perth 2015.

 

As you can see from his weekly training 80% is at nice and easy 5min/k (well easy for Yuki anyway.)  (80/20 now there an idea…  https://mattfitzgerald.org) Around 80-100km at this relaxed pace with one day of speed work in the middle of the week and then racing and/or trails on the weekend. Probably running between 130-160k a week. Nothing unusual about this bar the results. Truth be told he runs a similar week to me but the end results are chalk and cheese. Must be natural talent I’m missing, only explanation surely ? This backs up many of my posts on ‘time on legs running’ as well as the benefits of racing with a bib on your chest. Both of these training tips are ingrained in Yuki’s training program, so it’s not just me.

What else has Yuki got to make a difference, a heart of a lion. He regularly pushes himself to his limit and this is another one of my main golden rules, mental toughness. Marathon racing is as much a mental race as a physical one. You need to master both to succeed, it doesn’t how much training you put in when you are a marathon there will be time in the ‘pain box‘ and you choose how long you can spend in there, the longer the better.

 

I met Yuki in 2015 when he ran the Perth City to Surf Marathon as defending champion after winning in 2014. He won of course and went past the Kenyans on the last hill like they were standing still, apparently. I was a few minutes behind (about 30 of them !) so only have the words of spectators to go by. It summed up his running, waiting until the last few kilometres before making his move. This is the way he runs, asking the questions to his competitors in a similar way that the American middle distance runner Steve Prefontaine would do in the seventies.  It’s a pity the Perth City to Surf dropped the prize money in 2016 as Yuki was then unable to come over and go for a three-peat. Remember he has a full time job and only travels if there is prize money to justify his trip. To further cement his legend status after the race he accepted an invite from the TRC runners for a few beers. ( http://therunningcentre.com.au/  ) He then held court, with a translator, before hot footing it  to the airport for an evening flight to get to work the next day. (I’m assuming he took a taxi?)

 

So to sum up the point of this post, nice guys can and do win, Yuki trains like us mere mortals and achieve amazing results with his mental strength. I’m not saying we can match his achievements but we can learn from his training program, training once a day , time on feet runs and plenty of racing. He may have been the last one standing on a Boston Marathon that was brutal due to the weather conditions and it may  have played into his hands but he still had to step up when the chips were down. His mental strength was there for all to see as he out kicked a top class Kenyan in the last two kilometres of perhaps the biggest marathon in the world.  Next time you’re racing and things start to get tough think about Yuki and ask ‘what would Yuki do‘ ?

 

What a legend. Nice guys sometimes finish first. Boston Marathon 2018.

 

 

General day to day ramblings

Age is no excuse to slow down.

12 April bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 2 Comments

In January 2017 I wrote a post on slowing down to speed up. Basically I was saying that by slowing down and running more aerobically, governed by the heart rate, you could, long term, speed up and race faster. I proved this by using Strava ( http://www.strava.com ) data to show how on one of my favourite runs I had actually slowed down but at the same time my race PB’s had improved, this the title ‘Sometimes you need to slow down to speed up’.  I recommend researching the Maffetone method of training. ( https://philmaffetone.com )

After the Bridges 10k this weekend I had more evidence of this theory. This was the 6th time I had run the bridges and my first sub 35 minute finish, and top 10, at the ripe old age of 51. My Bridges times are :-

2010 36:40

2011 35:59

2016 35:50

2017 35:12

2018 34:59

What has changed over time to see the constant improvement, albeit small, and the answer is experience. In 2008 I really started to run seriously while training for the Comrades ultra-marathon ( http://www.comrades.com) and I completed this race in the subsequent two years as well. Those three years gave me the foundation and spring board to racing success and I have built on that annually, each year running more and longer. This has allowed me to continually record PB’s (PR’s to the American’s among us) even into my fifties and infact the last couple of years have been the most productive with times I thought well beyond me.

So what is the holy grail of running that allows you to keep breaking records well into your fifties. ? Truth be told there is no single thing unfortunately, if there was and I knew what it was I would be a rich man. It is a combination of so many things but each one helps to build the PB running machine you need to be. My 9 Golden rules sum up most of these and if you follow them you will certainly be well on track to at least improve your running and that should translate into quicker racing.

  1. Run Further. Add distance, not speed.
  2. Run Faster. This is about adding pace after you have got your foundation after rule 1.
  3. Don’t get injured. This is the hardest rule to obey as you always want to do more of rule 1 and 2 which can result in an injury. (I even hate typing the word!)
  4. Nutrition, nutrition and nutrition… Did I mention nutrition. It’s all about the proper fuel.
  5. Weight. So important, use to believe because I ran 100k+ a week I could eat what I wanted. Not true.
  6. Baseline, document and evaluate everything. If it isn’t on www.strava.com it didn’t happen. Once you set a goal you have to be able to know how far you have come to achieving this, small steps but constant feedback. So buy a Garmin and start recording , everything !!!
  7. Sleep. So underestimated but the bodies way of refuelling and preparing for the next day of running. Common sense but so often ignored.
  8. Consistency. No point running 100k one week and then nothing. Marathon fitness is built up over time and this works hand in hand with rule number 1.
  9. It’s all in the mind. After 32k a marathon is down to mental strength and the ability to persuade your body you can still perform at your desired pace without falling to fatigue, which is the minds way of protecting itself. Never underestimate the power of the mind in long distance racing.

 

The rules themselves are common running sense but running ain’t complicated, do more and you will get better. I have said this on a number of posts over the years ‘running is the most honest sport I know’, there really is no shortcuts. When was the last time you heard someone say, after a marathon, ‘well that was easy and with no training, a 30 minute PB‘….. sorry people, doesn’t happen ! You get out what you put in, that should be the ultimate meme to running.

There are plenty of extra rules I could add but my mate Phil reckons rules need to be odd numbers and nine sounds better than eleven; and thirteen is getting too many, it’d be like being back at school. It’s a pity because I want to add a rule about double days being so productive , albeit time on feet only to protect yourself from injury (I hate typing that word.) . They certainly helped me in 2016 and I’m a big fan still, we run cause we love running so doing what you love twice a day,  instead of once, its a no brainer really. ?

There’s also the Yelo effect. Our Thursday 14k morning progressive runs, starting and finishing at the Yelo Cafe in Trigg , (http://www.yelocornerstore.com.au  ) has certainly helped my running times and those who join me. Is this the running session or the coffee and muffin afterwards ? A tough question and one I refuse to answer as there is no way, no way, I’m giving up Yelo muffins. Maybe this is rule number 11, eat Yelo muffins. Unfortunate for my global readers who live out with Perth but a bonus for the lucky runners who follow me who live close by.

Is the Yelo muffin the reason for my longevity?

 

Of course all of these runs are available on Strava (if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen, Golden rule number 6 )  and if you want to follow me feel free to click on the link below, lets you get an idea of what I do and also check out more photos of me and the boys sitting around eating muffins and pancakes mainly?

 


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Marathons

The fastest marathon runner slows down the least.

09 April bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 1 Comment

I have mentioned numerous times on this blog that in a marathon the winner is the runner who slows the least. At 32k the race begins proper, all the training then comes into play. Basically the last 10k is what all those late nights and early mornings were about. All that family time you gave up, all the social nights you avoided and all that lovely food you discarded ; it all was for this last 10k. You need to keep this in mind when the time comes and the piper demands paying, because I guarantee he will. Trust in your training and you’ll smash through that mental wall that all runners encounter at 32k, it is where the body can no longer supply the energy needed to continue at the pre-32k pace, this is where the mind starts to play games and introduces the runners mortal enemy ‘fatigue‘ into the mix.

When fatigue comes calling you need to realise this is your mind protecting your body the only way it knows how but this central governor , as Tim Noakes calls it, can be bypassed but it takes experience.  Personally when I get to 32k now I switch over the ‘finish mode‘ but I’ve ran 43 marathons and 18 ultra-marathons so experience has given me the confidence to do this.

That’s not to say the 42k distance is now a walk in the park. Somewhere within the marathon you have to dig deep, ask yourself some serious questions and face your demons; this is what makes marathon racing so addictive. For me now it’s between 21k and 32k, at 21k I dig myself a big hole and then spend 10k trying to get out of it !! Will the full 42k ever be easy, no, not if you race it. For elite runners, park runners or even weekend warriors somewhere in the marathon they have to ‘hurt’, it’s just a case of how much ‘hurt’ you are prepared to put up with. Slow down enough the hurt goes away but thats not racing , that completing and it’s a whole different animal. We don’t complete marathons we race them. 

Of course for some ‘completing’ marathons is a goal in itself and thus they hurt as much as the runners racing. That is fine and a marathon is a different challenge for each of us, the most important thing is you need to be able to look yourself in the eye afterwards (with a mirror I assume?) knowing you gave it your all.

Right back to the point of this post. A good marathon runner will have a small time margin between the first half of the race and the second, a small positive split is a sign of a proper paced race; I believe anything less than 5 minutes between the first 21k time and the second shows a good pacing strategy. If you negative split I maintain you probably went out too slow and could have run quicker but keep in mind that doesn’t mean setting a half PB in the first 21k of the race, this normally (actually always) ends in tears. I think in my 43 marathons I may have ran a negative split once or trice but no more. I have ran a + 1-5 minute positive split on a number of occasions and this is now the norm, remember what I said about experience.  In fact the last time I really blew up in a marathon was 4 years ago, since then all have been in the 1-5 minute range. This is not to say racing marathons gets any easier, hell no, I’d even say they get harder but with experience I’m mentally better prepared and can deal with the pain. I’m not selling marathon racing am I ? All this talk of pain, hurt , fatigue, the mind protecting them body.

Unfortunately racing marathons hurts , there is no sugar coating it but it does have its positives. Finishing strongly and achieving your goal is life changing and you will be a better person for it. This translates into everything you do, it takes a special person to race a marathon and push themselves, once you have achieved this you take the experience into your family life, work life and social life. You feel stronger and more empowered and as everybody knows the best part about finishing a marathon is letting everybody know about it. (?)

Over the weekend two of the boys ran great times but may have been a tad over zealous in the early parts of their respective  events. Jon ran 3 hours 2 minutes at Bunbury for the marathon and won his age group but for the first 10k he looked like he may have been confused about the distance he was running as he was cruising along at sub 2 hour 46minutes marathon pace. This was all good for 10k but then the mind realised what was going on and put the handbrake on. Jon then struggled for the next 32k but still managed to pull an age group win out of the bag and a respectable time. Funnily enough I did the same thing at Bunbury in 2014 and still find it difficult to contemplate a return, the mental scars run deep.

Jon certainly earned this age group medal.

At the same running carnival the T-train blew a gasket with 10k to go in the 50k ultra-marathon. He was chasing another great runner who had blown his head gasket moments earlier, but in a more spectacular  fashion it seems. Tone still managed a great time of 3 hours 35 minutes but was on for a sub 3:30, his initial goal, until the wheels fell off the cart and he had to work very hard to keep moving forward. This proves it can happen to the best runners. Between the two of them Jon and Tony would probably have well over 100 marathons and ultras to draw on but both got their initial pace wrong and paid the price. Luckily they are mentally strong and kept moving forward, enough that both finished well up the field. The T-train even won his event. !

A running God , the T-train, doing what he does best, winning events but he had to work very hard for the win.

Pacing can also go bad in shorter distances. In my previous post I described the Bridges 10k I had run last year, blowing a gasket at 5k and hanging on for dear life. Well it seems there’s no fool like an old fool as I replicated the same race a year later, albeit 13 seconds quicker. Yet again I set off at 5k pace and suddenly realised at 5k why they call it 5k pace. ! Made the next 5k more of a challenge I suppose, no point making it too easy. On the bright side I ran under 35 minutes for the Bridges 10k for the fist time at the 6th attempt so it wasn’t a complete disaster but there has to be a better way, surely ? Before the race I had predicted (hoped for?) a top 10 finish, an age group win and a sub 35 minute time, ended up 9th , first in 50-60 age group (how did I get so old, I much prefer the 5 year age group groupings  , 50-55 sounds so much better ?) and 34:59:49 so all goals achieved but not the most pleasant 10k race I’ve ever ran.  Luckily in a 10k race the worse that can happen is you explode at 5k and hang on, not so in a marathon or ultra. Jon and Tone worked very hard in their respective races to dig themselves out of the holes they had dug for themselves, this comes with experience and mental toughness can be acquired over time, maybe you can teach old dogs new tricks, maybe…….

 

All smiles at the end, I wasn’t smiling a few minutes earlier trust me ! photo credit to Michael Ellis ( a random spectator I persuaded to take this photo). Thanks buddy.

 

So to sum up this post,  because as always I have digressed , for any distance draw upon your previous experience and training to dial in a ‘race pace‘ and stick to it. You will always feel like going quicker at the start but this will come back and bite you at the finish , and then some.  Remember for a marathon it’s a 10k race with a 32k warm up, the race really does start at 32k and it is in the last 10k you will make or break the race. Pace it right and you’ll continue to the finish at your race pace feeling like a million dollars as you pass the rest of the field, and you will run past so many runners if you just maintain your pace, no need to speed up they’ll just come back to you. Get the pace wrong and the final part of the race will become a mental battle between you and your demons, which in itself is a learning experience and can be beneficial long term but the proper pacing option is so much easier , so lets aim for the first option.

Racing

Another weekend, another race, what else is there ?

06 April bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 2 Comments

I have mentioned a few times about the need to keep testing yourself and the best way to do that is by entering a race. Here you are judged on time or distance and your own goals and dreams. There’s no hiding with a number on your chest and you will be judged according to the result married with expectation and prediction. If either of these variables is out there will be consequences on the day (expectation) and afterwards around the water-cooler at work. (prediction)  (Do people still congregate around the water cooler at work and really did they ever ? These days it’d be a ‘Red Bull cooler’ as this seems to be the liquid refreshment of choice <sigh> )

Get your expectation wrong and you’ll be setting yourself up for failure at the ‘pointy’ end of the race , where you will be empty of all fuel and hemorrhaging  time.  It is so easy to start a race too quick as you’re ‘full of beans’  and energy but you must remember you’re racing the whole distance, not just the first 1500m, which is the pace everybody normally starts at.  In a 10k race you’ll find your 5k pace early but at 5k you’ll realize why they call it ‘your 5k pace’ . Suddenly the brain starts to ask for payment for all the chips cashed by your legs earlier in the race,  when it all felt ‘so easy’. When this happens the last 5k seems to go on forever. Trust me I’m talking from experience here and funnily enough will be racing the Bridges 10k this weekend where I found myself in that situation last year.

I remember how easy the first 4k felt and even started to dream about a PB, this of course was an illusion built on a foundation that could not possibly sustain the PB dream. At 6k the walls came tumbling down and I had to endure 2k deep within the pain box, and I mean deep! Luckily I found a second wind for the last 2k of the race, from where I have no idea, but enough to help me to a respectable 12th place overall and 11th male. Yep, I was ‘chicked’.

Lesson learnt , I hope, but probably not truth be told. I’m getting famous for my ‘scolded cat’ start and hanging on for dear life at the end. Is this the way to run races, hell no. Will I learn, hell no ! We each face our demons when we race and this is another reason why we do it. You ain’t going to push yourself to exhaustion in a training run, or at least not on a regular basis.  Put a bib on my chest and it’s on for young and old, all bets are off and my goal is to run faster , over that distance, than I have ever run before. This is why I train for hours and hours in all conditions. (I say in ‘all conditions’, in Perth it’s only really sunny and hot, sunny and really hot or just sunny. It’s a curse.) Training is enjoyable but only a part of being a runner. You also need to test yourself against who you were yesterday , ‘today is all about being better than yesterday.’  Only by constantly testing yourself can you become the best you can be.

Of course this constant testing does not have to be time, throw in distance and try to run further than you have ever run, be this on a weekly basis, monthly basis or even a ultra-type event; 24 or 48 hour race anyone ?  Running the Australia Day Ultra ( http://australiadayultra.com/ ) 100k race the last two years has taught me the benefit of proper pacing and the challenge of long distance racing including the hydration and nutrition needed to complete an event of this length. The activity has been testing but also rewarding in so many ways. Running a distance most people find difficult driving is satisfying and worth a few kudos points around the water cooler, though neither is the real reason you run such a distance. You run ultras to really see what you are made of, to test yourself and confront your fears. Add a bib to the equation and you need to measure yourself against your peers, even more pressure. I’m probably not selling this that well am I but the truth is by putting yourself in these situations you find out about yourself, who you really are. For the most part the reward is liberating and this is why we do what we do. People who don’t run just see a lot of people running around randomly, normally with a look of anguish or pain on their faces, and wonder why they do it? They don’t understand the joy of what we do, they don’t experience the runners high (and trust me people this is real!) we experience when we finish a race and can look within ourselves and think ‘ we could have done no more’, today I am a better person for the experience and have moved another step closer to being the best I can be.

This is the look of finishing a 10k race but starting at 5k pace and finding out at 5k why it’s called ‘5k pace’…!

As always I seemed to have digressed from whatever the subject was at the start of this post, I’ve actually forgotten myself so you, the reader, will probably be as confused as I am. Looking back I seem to have started to talk about setting achievable expectations and predictions to avoid failure. Of course I may have written a long winded version of that last sentence and added a photo, as is my way.  To sum up you need to race more (or run longer distances)  and set yourself goals you can achieve and, by doing this,  you will constantly be a better version of yourself, daily, and that can’t be a bad thing.

 

Racing

Sometimes the best thing to do is down grade and run faster.

03 April bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 3 Comments
The bridges calls… a Paul Harrison beauty, one of Perth’s best photographers.

After many posts on running the Bunbury Marathon this weekend I have pulled the pin and decided to down grade to the Perth Asics Bridges 10k. This was the right decision for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have been struggling to mentally prepare myself for Bunbury, it is a race that has been one of my most successful as well as one of my worst. The course itself is testing and if the conditions turn against you , mainly due to humidity,  it can really test you. Thus you need to be mentally prepared for the worst case scenario and I realised today I just wasn’t. I have three goal marathons a year and two Ultra’s as well as a smatterings of WAMC races ranging from 4k to a half marathon. Adding in Bunbury just didn’t make sense. Finally add in the Australian Masters competition at the end of April , 4 days of competition, and Bunbury had to go. It’s the right decision but still the fear of missing out (FOMO) niggles at you.

So what does the competition landscape look like now. This Sunday I have the Asics 10k  where last year I was well and truely ‘chicked’ by Linda Spencer and this resulted in a 5cm calf tear that basically finished my marathon season before it even began. I had to miss the Perth Marathon for the first time in 11 years and my City to Surf Marathon preparation was disturbed enough to make it a sub 3 attempt at best, luckily I found some form at Rottnest to end the year on a high and start 2018 on a positive note. This year will be different, no getting ‘chicked’ and I’ll have a new pair of Vaporflys 4% to caress me around the course. A top 10 finish would be nice but I’ll settle for an age group win and a sub 35 minute finish. (first beard would be another target but these days there’s a lot of fast hipsters , luckily most will behind coffee machines serving customers…..)

After the Bridges I’ll concentrate on some speed work to prepare for four days of competition at the Australian Masters starting April 26th. ( http://www.mastersathleticswa.org/perth2018/  ) I’ve entered the 10,000m, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m and the 8k cross country. The Masters competition is great fun and I’m excited to run for Western Australia, as excited as when I ran for Australia in the World Masters in 2016.  Most countries run Masters competitions normally open to anybody over 30 (far too young in my eyes, should be 40 minimum in my opinion.) , trust me it really is great fun watching and competing in these events.  It could be worth turning up on Friday the 27th to watch me attempt the steeplechase as I have never ever attempted this race before and I have no idea how I will overcome the water jump. There may be a big crowd to see if I fall flat on my face, or worse, and end up starring in  a Youtube sensation. Is there such a thing as bad publicity , I’m sure I read somewhere there isn’t ? Either way I’ll need to pop down the track and see if I can even get over the hurdle and clear the water, maybe I’ll wear a wetsuit ?

There is also the 10,000m to look forward to , 25 laps of a 400m circuit. I’ve ran this race a few times and always lose track of laps but I believe for the Masters we have electronic timing and lap counting, I’ll still lose track guaranteed. I have no idea how people run these 24 and 48 hour ultra’s on 400m tracks, maybe I’m missing out on something but it doesn’t seem to ‘ring my bell‘, call me old fashioned.

The goal for the Masters is to try and win four gold medals like another runner we all know, albeit he runs shorter distances and a lot quicker. If Usain Bolt can do it then maybe I can too. Not sure I’ll get the same press coverage as breaking world (or even Masters) records is highly unlikely unless I can persuade my electronic lap counter to malfunction and knock off a few laps or more, you never know what could happen in the heat of battle, maybe I need to contact the Russians ?

After the Masters it’ll be back to marathon training culminating in the Perth Marathon in June (my 13th I think?) before my 10th City to Surf Marathon in August and finally my 12th Rottnest Marathon ion October. As I have mentioned before I don’t travel much but with the amount of quality races available on my door step why would I? Racing is life , the rest is details; or was the Strava, either way you get the message. To be your best you need to constantly challenge yourself and set new lofty goals and racing gives you the opportunity to do this. What would we be without racing, we’d morph into ‘joggers’ running on the spot at traffic lights and before you know it we’d be cocooned in leg warmers and day-glow head bands looking like an extra from Xanadu. Be careful people it can happen so get online and sign up for a race, it really can be life changing.

 

This is the closest I got to second place runner Alex Dyer. (on my left) after the bridges in 2017. (My calf was fine at this point funnily enough?)
Racing

The secret to faster marathons.

29 March bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 1 Comment

This week I have only ran three times and it’s Thursday. Yep, even treated myself to a day off Monday, albeit I was so physically tired from my previous weeks running adventures I even took a day off work as well.  After a 160km week and 14 runs I was well and truly ready for the next two weeks of tapering before the Bunbury Marathon on Sunday April 8th.

Over the years I have had a love hate relationship with Bunbury. I ran my first ultra there while training for Comrades in 2008 and managed a second place but thought I had won as I lost track of the leader in all the chaos. I convinced myself it was a debut win but as I crossed the line was slightly confused by the apathy shown by spectators and officials alike. It seemed the winner had come in 25 minutes before me !

Three years later I ran the marathon and achieved a good pb at the time but missed out on my goal time pre-race by two minutes, which was disappointing.  No reason to be disappointed really but you set yourself goals and when you fail to meet them, no matter how unrealistic, it still hurts. This was around the time I’d run with Jon and at around 17k he’d drop me and motor off while I stumbled in behind him. There was amusing story in 2011 when I persuaded Jon to carry my Gu’s as he was wearing his now famous triathlete top with pockets. The plan came apart when Jon, and my Gu’s , left me about 17k into the race, as usual. Luckily Jon had the presence of mind to hand my Gu’s to a spectator who then handed them to me.  I assume he described me as a ‘young looking Brad Pitt like runner , balding with a full beard’ ? Whatever he said worked because I was accosted by a stranger and haded a handful of Gu’s.

The following year I was recovering from a small calf strain and was unprepared for the marathon. I had also brought a new pair of Nike Lunaracers (mark one’s) which are notoriously ‘snug’. On the morning of the race I tried them on and convinced myself they were too tight. This left me with the pair of old Asics I was wearing, which were well past their sell by date. Thus I crawled  to the start line mentally broken and this was the theme for the rest of the race. I can clearly remember running through half way in 1 hour 28 minutes and change thinking that couldn’t be right , I was knackered and the thought of having to repeat the process in a similar time filled me with dread. Needless to say every second counted on that second half marathon but I managed to sneak in with a few seconds to spare in under three hours.

In 2013 I returned in probably the best form of my life and won the event. Everything went to plan and I finished a few minutes ahead of my good friend Steve ‘Twinkle’ McKean for my first , and so far only , marathon victory.  It made up for the disappointment of 2008, 2011 and 2012 and the feeling on that day will go to me to my grave, very special.

Of course Bunbury being Bunbury the following year, 2014 , as defending champion, I totally psyched myself out and ran an awful race to finish fourth in a time of 2 hours 54 minutes when I was probably in the form of my life. I was more worried about the runners around me than my race and this turned into a disaster which put me on a downward running spiral for well over 12 months. It was only with Raf’s help from the Running Centre http://www.therunningcentre.com.au ) that I was able to get myself out of this ‘slump’.  If nothing else Bunbury proved, in 2014, that marathon running is a large proportion mental and a larger proportion than most people realise. (reference David Goggins link below)

In 2017 I set a new low by being a DNS. I had entered late and ran a 10k the week before inuring my calf. I rested for a few days and then ran and it felt good so it was back to tapering and two more planned runs. Unfortunately on the last run on Thursday evening before the Sunday I tore my calf. This was compounded by treating it as a calf knot and dry needling and massaging the ‘crap’ out of it. Add in stretching and I probably turned a 1-2cm calf tear into a 10cm calf tear.

So in a few weeks I take on Bunbury for the 6th time, with the current history of the event it could go either way, a victory , podium or a world of pain. Truth be told that is marathon racing , you can rarely predict what will happen and there are so many variables on the day all you can do is put in the training, watch your diet, weight and be mentally prepared for the pain box time that is coming your way; easy really ?

Right, back to the title of this post, running faster marathons. If you survived this long you are about to be rewarded with some great rules and tips that will guarantee a faster marathon time next time you run, guaranteed. I will give you your money back if I am proved wrong, of course for this to happen you’ll need to give me money in the first place.

 

 

Boat Shed Sunrise by Paul Harrison. If you lay in bed you miss these views… why wouldn’t you get up early ?

After my last post about the marathon being two separate distances , encompassing a 32k warm-up before a 10k ‘sprint’ to the line,  I thought I’d share one of the sure fire ways to improve your marathon finishing time.  As readers of my ‘ramblings’ will know I have some golden rules to improving your running , summarized below.

  1. Run Further. Add distance, not speed.
  2. Run Faster. This is about adding pace after you have got your foundation after rule 1.
  3. Don’t get injured. This is the hardest rule to obey as you always want to do more of rule 1 and 2 which can result in an injury. (I even hate typing the word!)
  4. Nutrition, nutrition and nutrition… Did I mention nutrition. It’s all about the proper fuel.
  5. Weight. So important, use to believe because I ran 100k+ a week I could eat what I wanted. Not true.
  6. Baseline, document and evaluate everything. If it isn’t on www.strava.com it didn’t happen. Once you set a goal you have to be able to know how far you have come to achieving this, small steps but constant feedback. So buy a Garmin and start recording , everything !!!
  7. Sleep. So underestimated but the bodies way of refuelling and preparing for the next day of running. Common sense but so often ignored.
  8. Consistency. No point running 100k one week and then nothing. Marathon fitness is built up over time and this works hand in hand with rule number 1.
  9. It’s all in the mind. After 32k a marathon is down to mental strength and the ability to persuade your body you can still perform at your desired pace without falling to fatigue, which is the minds way of protecting itself. Never underestimate the power of the mind in long distance racing

Without doubt the most important rule, in my opinion, is number 1, ‘Run Further. Add Distance, Not Speed’ This is the foundation on which you build success. Whatever distance you are currently running, do more,  with the caveat of avoiding injury of course (Golden rule number 3)  I have said many, many times ‘running is an honest sport’ , there are no short cuts, to really improve you need to run more distance and more often. For a runner there are no Zip wheels, Death Star helmets or mega-buck carbon-fibre bikes to gain an advantage , it’s just down to physical and mental strength and who wants its the most. ( This may now not be as true as the new Nike Vaporflys 4%  do seem to give the wearer an advantage over your Asics Kayano’s type marathon runners, albeit only a 4% efficiency improvement if you believe the hype; which I do.)

I believe there is no such thing as ‘junk miles’, every run you finish has helped and thus if you run more, and more often, it stands to reason you will improve quicker. Another way to turbo-charge your improvement is to run twice a day. Most runners struggle with this concept but all the professionals run minimum twice a day. Of course, I hear you say, they have time on their hands and it’s what they are paid to do but even us mortals can find time for a second run with a bit of time management. Personally I am lucky enough to be able to run every lunchtime in near perfect conditions , the curse of living in the colonies. I then normally run mornings, pre-work,  as for most of the year this is the best time to run anyway. In summer especially it can be the only time to run as my home town , Perth, is situated in a desert and for three months of the year can be unpleasant after the early morning sunrise.

Some runners find is hard to find time in the mornings with family commitments etc. so will need to step-up in the evenings and this may involve running in the dark. I personally find no enjoyment from this but understand you have to put in the hard yards to continue to improve so take one of my David Goggins ‘suck it up’ pills and off into the night I go. ( http://www.davidgoggins.com ) What I found was, in the evening, if you’re sitting at home watching rubbish on TV you should be running. This is where you can get your second run, substitute sitting down at the end of the day wasting time to doing something constructive towards your next goal race, it really is that simple, go for a run. The second run of the day is all about time on feet anyway , there are no objectives bar the actual time spent running. No pressures, no time constraints, the second run of the day can be liberating because it is running for running’s sake, nothing more , nothing less.

The second run is where the magic happens, this is the reason the professionals run minimum twice a day. It allows then to add the distance needed to see the improvements required without the risk of injury, if they are careful and the run really is a time on feet exercise. Recreational runners will also see the same benefit and probably more because they will starting from a lower level with greater opportunity for improvement.

Of course it is to be noted that this is only one of the jigsaw puzzle that is running improvement but it is one I feel every runner needs to embrace as much as possible. I understand most runners will not be able to hit the 14 times a week goal,  that is a double run a day, but any additional run to your weekly schedule will be beneficial. Small steps for big gains, maybe try one double day a week initially and then build up. Of course if this puts too much strain on you then move back to the single run but maybe try and add weekly distance before trying a double day later. Remember adding distance is all about adding to the foundation of your running and this foundation needs to be stable and strong before you start to add pace.  There are several coaches who support the distance theory of running including the late, great Arthur Lydiard ( http://lydiardfoundation.org/ ) Phil Maffetone  ( https://philmaffetone.com/ ) and Matt Fitzgerald. ( https://mattfitzgerald.org/ )

So next time your sitting at home watch that mind-numbing soap or a reality show making overweight people exercise to the brink of death maybe think ‘I could be doing something more constructive’. Go and do what you love and ‘smell the roses’ (or whatever wild flower is available in your area?) with a relaxing second run. Payback will be so sweet when you rock up for your next race and find you’ve fitted a turbo-charger and leave the pack behind as you explode towards the finish line.

 

Christine Junkermann sums up the Lydiard method below from a Runners World post in 2000. ( https://www.runnersworld.com/ )

 

Forty years ago at the Rome Olympics, athletes guided by legendary New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard made history. Among Lydiard’s protégés were a total of 17 Olympic medalists, including Peter Snell (800 and 1,500 meters), Murray Halberg (5,000 meters) and Barry Magee (marathon). Lydiard, now 82, toured the U.S. last fall, speaking to runners on the Lydiard method of training. He was as passionate as ever about sharing the methods he developed 50 years ago.Lydiard hasn’t changed his training advice over the decades, and why should he? His ideas work. Moreover, if you look carefully at the most popular and successful programs today, most have a Lydiard emphasis. For Lydiard, running to your potential is about having a substantial mileage base and not overdoing your anaerobic training. There are no shortcuts.
A Revolutionary MethodLydiard discovered running for sport when he struggled to run five miles with a friend. Forced to confront his own unfitness, he self-experimented with training, including running more than 250 miles in one week. He developed a plan that he felt confident in using with other runners. Central to his method was the importance of training in phases and peaking for major events.According to Lydiard, any successful training program must culminate in a goal race or racing period. This means planning several months. The ideal training schedule is at least 28 weeks: 12 weeks for base conditioning, eight weeks for hill training and speed development, six weeks for sharpening and 10 days for tapering/rest.Phase 1: Base Conditioning/Aerobic TrainingThis three-month period is the most important in the Lydiard system. If you want to give yourself every opportunity to reach your goal, you must commit to developing your aerobic capacity, says Lydiard. Why? Because although every runner has a limited anaerobic (speed-building) capacity, that limit is largely set by one’s aerobic potential—the body’s ability to use oxygen. Thus, the aerobic capacity that you develop determines the success of your entire training program.The foundation of Lydiard-style base conditioning is three long runs per week. These are steady runs done at more than recovery effort. To determine your pace, choose a relatively flat course and run out at a strong pace for 15 minutes, then run back. The goal is to return in the same time or slightly faster. If it takes you longer for the return trip, you paced yourself too fast. The objective of these runs is to be “pleasantly tired,” says Lydiard. Running slower will produce positive effects, but the results will take longer. Do not run to the point of lactic-acid buildup.

An ideal training week during this period includes a two-hour run and two one and one half-hour runs. On the other days do short, easy runs; one run with some light picking up of the pace; and one 5K to 10K tempo run (below lactate-threshold pace). Decrease the times and distances if you don’t have the mileage base to start at such high volume, then build gradually.

Phase 2: Hill Training/Speed Development

Lydiard-style hill training, the focus of the first four weeks of this period, involves a circuit that includes bounding uphill, running quickly downhill and sprinting. These workouts develop power, flexibility and good form, all of which produce a more economical running style. Ideally, you should find a hill with three parts: a flat 200- to 400-meter area at the base for sprints, a 200- to 300-meter rise for bounding and a recovery area or moderate downhill segment at the top. Alternatively you can work out on a treadmill with an adjustable incline.

After a warm-up, bound uphill with hips forward and knees high. Lydiard describes the stride as “springing with a bouncing action and slow forward progression.” If you can’t make it all the way up, jog, then continue bounding. At the top jog easily for about three minutes or run down a slight incline with a fast, relaxed stride. Then return to the base of the hill for the next bounding segment. Every 15 minutes (after about every third or fourth hill), intersperse several 50- to 400-meter sprints on flat ground. These sprints mark the end of one complete circuit. Lydiard recommends a total workout time of one hour (plus warm-up and cool-down). Do this hill circuit three days per week.

On three of the four remaining days, focus on developing leg speed. Lydiard suggests 10 repetitions of 120 to 150 meters over a flat or very slight downhill surface. Warm up and cool down thoroughly.) The seventh day is a one and one-half to two-hour steady-state run.

During the second four weeks, shift from hills to traditional track workouts. The objective here, says Lydiard, is to “finish knowing that you could not do much more nor any better.” This sensation of fatigue matters less than how many intervals you do at what speeds, though the workout should total about three miles of fast running. Perform these track sessions three times per week. Use the remaining four days for a long run, leg-speed work and sprint-training drills traditionally done by sprinters to develop strength, form and speed.

Phase 3: Sharpening

How many times have you died in the last half of your race? Or alternatively, finished with too much left? Sharpening allows you to test for your strengths and weaknesses as you prepare for your goal race. Three workouts do not vary. The first is the long run, done at a relaxed pace. The second is an anaerobic training session done at a greater intensity and lower volume. Lydiard suggests five laps of a 400-meter track (about seven to eight minutes of running) alternating 50 meters of sprinting and 50 meters of easy, but strong, running.

The third consistent workout is a weekly time trial at or below the distance for which you are training. A 10K runner would do a 5K to 10K trial; a 1,500 meter runner would do 1,200 to meters. Ideally, do this workout on a track and record every lap to determine your weaknesses, and work on them throughout the rest of that week and the following week. For example, if the second half of your trial is slower than the first half, run a longer tune-up race that week and a longer time trial the next week. If the pace felt difficult but you were able to maintain it pretty evenly, work on your leg speed.

Round out your training week with a sprint-training session, a pace judgment day (4 x 400 meters at goal race pace), a leg-speed workout and a tune-up race. All these workouts should be geared to your goal distance and pace.

Phase 4: Tapering and Rest

Lydiard calls the final 10 days before goal race “freshening up.” This involves lightening your training to build up your physical and mental reserves for the target competition. Train every day but keep the faster running low in volume and the longer runs light in effort.

Unquestionably, Lydiard’s program tests your commitment and desire, and it requires a solid understanding of your individual needs. If you are serious, start counting out those 28 weeks.

A rose between two thorns, or in this case Jon and twinkle, pre-2013 marathon start.
General day to day ramblings

Improve by resting, how good is running ?

26 March bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 0 Comment

What other sport makes you better by not doing it ? Running is probably unique by allowing you to actually improve over time by scheduling in rest days, giving your body time to recuperate.  Personally I love running and regularly try and hit a ‘perfect week’ which in my eyes is 14 runs a week. My logic is the professionals run twice a day (or more) so if I can replicate that then I can maybe improve ‘like the pro’s’ . Note, I do realise it will be ‘like the pro’s’ i.e. a slightly slower version.

Last week I ran 14 times and just a few hundred metres short of 160km. How did it make me feel, well and truely knackered truth be told. Yesterday I found it very hard to eat dinner and even stay awake, I had moved into over training so it was time for drastic actions, a day off. Rest days to me are alien to my twice a day normal running routine but sometimes even I have to bow to the obvious traits of over training and put away the trainers. As I have said many times on this blog I run because I love running and running twice a day is not a chore to me but a blessing that I can do what I love twice a day,  rather than just once. Non-runners will never understand this and most runners are single or intermittent daily runners. Looking back over my training program over the years I have increased my weekly, monthly and annual mileage and the best way to do this is to run twice a day with the second run  normally a ‘smell the roses‘ type run, not interested in pace just time on legs. Remember people there is no such thing as junk miles, they all count.

So the signs of over training, there’s a few. Personally my average heart rate is higher (I wear a Garmin 235 which syncs with Garmin Connect and Strava,  so allows me to keep an eye on my average HR) sleep patterns are interrupted, you feel grumpy, lose weight, your urine is darker than normal (indicating dehydration) and your workouts just don’t seem to hit those highs they did previously. Experience any of these , or all of them, and over training is the probable reason. It’s time to relax and do other stuff that non-runners do, whatever that is ? Me I just chill with Netflix and normally end up watching documentaries on running or sports related stories, just because you can’t run doesn’t mean you can’t watch people running ?

 

Anikka Brauns of McMillan Running wrote a great article describing the importance of rest days.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REST DAYS

As a runner and with most things in life when I do something I go all in, 100%, and I don’t like to break my routine. I think that most runners feel the same way and would agree that taking a day off from running can sometimes feel like a punishment. I didn’t do a lot right as a collegiate runner and I found out along the way that my body needs rest, sometimes more rest than my running buddy, and that is okay. I’ve learned that a key to successful long-term training is learning how to read your body, understanding what your body needs to train at its highest potential, and then trusting that process and sticking with it. Here are a few tips on how to handle adding rest days as part of your training program.

THE VALUE OF REST DAYS

In college I got into the habit of taking Fridays off because that was our NCAA day off (the day we were not allowed to meet as a team and my coach would allow us to cross train if needed). It just became a routine for me to aqua jog on Fridays. Sometimes I would run instead because I wanted to run with my roommates or I was short on time and going to and from the pool took longer than running out of my front door. I always felt a little beat up come Sunday if I did not take a rest day that week. Over the years as I developed as a runner and matured as a person and athlete, I have learned the value in taking a rest day. It allows my body a full day of rest from pounding, something I really needed in college when I was battling injuries and struggling to stay healthy.

Taking a rest day also allows your body to absorb the training you have been doing and you may actually see a fitness boost following a day of rest. This is the same logic that applies with lifting weights. You make your gains when you take a rest day and allow the body to absorb the work you have been doing. Running follows the progressive overload principle (the gradual increase of stress placed upon the body during exercise training) and as we adapt to that stress on our body we get strong enough to handle back-to-back runs. We don’t do back-to-back speed workouts though because it’s the easy run between them that is designed to be active recovery. Active recovery is a day or two where you are specifically recovering from the stress you placed on your body during the speed session.

Some runners can handle not taking a day off during a training segment but there are other runners, like myself, that need a rest day here and there. Think about rest days as an important part of your training and one that will only help you to improve your training quality and racing times.

SCHEDULING REST DAYS AS PART OF YOUR PROGRAM

These days I am strong enough to handle a rest day every 2-4 weeks, however, I still find it challenging to take that day. As routine people and lovers of the sport we crave our run every day. So how do we replace that feeling? I find that if I do some sort of exercise I feel okay about taking a rest day. As a busy wife and mom of two children, it is a bit harder for me to get to the gym so my go-to on rest days now includes 30 minutes of strength work with some sort of cardio mixed in: jumping jacks or spin bike for 1-2 minutes between sets. This routine seems to be enough for me to mentally feel like I did something physical but also to know that I’m taking an important day off running that my body needs to keep training at the volume and demand that I am asking of it.

Try scheduling rest days into your program whether it is once a week, twice a month or once a month or somewhere in between. Tell your coach if you need to take a rest day on a specific day that you prefer and how often you need it. If it is on your schedule you are more likely to take it and as runners, we tend to follow our schedules! I know that many of the McMillan athletes I coach ask for a rest day at least once per week. They use this day to cross train or get other things done around the house, run errands etc. Embrace the day off as an integral part of your development and improvement as a runner. Welcome your rest days and learn to enjoy that time too.

LEARN TO LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

Maybe you are the type of athlete that doesn’t ever take a rest day during your segment. I suggest planning at least one day off during your block of training: do something fun or plan it as part of a trip and take the stress away from having to cram in a run before you catch your flight. Runners tend to get so caught up in a routine that we will do anything to get our run in, even if it means stressing ourselves out to do it. If you know your body and you truly don’t need or want a day off during a training segment just keep these tips in mind and be flexible if you find that you are feeling a little bit run down or stressed about getting your run in. One rest day can give you a few more days running, especially if you are feeling run down or injury prone.

What about days off for injuries? So many times I felt like I should have taken another day off after an injury or dealing with a small annoyance, but I just kept running and it only made it worse. Greg often talks about the importance of taking one extra day off coming back from an injury. This means that even if you feel you are ready to resume training, give yourself one extra day. This strategy won’t hurt you and by taking another day of rest you can ensure you’ll stay healthy in the long run. This same principle applies with any nagging ache or pain you may be feeling or something random that pops up after a run. If you have to question the run, just take a rest day to give yourself time off running and then try tomorrow. It will probably be a hard decision if you are anything like me but you will never regret one day off if it means that you can keep running healthy and injury-free. Remember the golden tip to train smarter, not harder.

Sometimes you got to smell the roses…
Nutrition

Can eating omelettes and bacon make you run faster ?

23 March bigkevmatthews@gmail.com 2 Comments

After four weeks of solid training and a race every weekend I am well and truely knackered. (its a running term mean very tired!)  Today I ran a recovery 10k at just under 5min/k pace and finished like I’d just ran a marathon. As I sat outside my house in a pool of sweat I realised that yet again I’d pushed myself too far and was certainly suffering from fatigue. Truth be told it is becoming the norm these days and I’m finding my daily runs are slowing but the effort seems to be increasing. All signs of over training. Will I take time to recover ? Probably not, I enjoy running too much to ‘back off’ but have made an effort to try and change by reading  Mark Sisson’s book ‘Primal  Endurance’.  Mark is all about HFLC (high fat, low carb) paleo type diet with cross fit type fitness routines, short explosive workouts. This goes against the normal runners ‘run till you fall over training regime, gorging on carbs and sugar. ‘ Mark has some interesting ideas but it is certainly a challenge taking them onboard. His website is worth a visit. ( https://www.marksdailyapple.com) I’ll keep you abreast of my findings and I must admit I’m looking forward to eating more omelettes, bacon, salmon and yoghurt on a daily basis, not so sure about the cross fit training. ?

The new holy bible of running?

 

I’ve written so many posts on fatigue which are available on my website and can be easily accessed using the search dialog box, wonderful things these ‘computer thingy’s’….  Rather than reinvent the wheel I’ve attached a post I wrote in 2016 on the subject. Greg McMillan wrote a great article on recovering and its certainly worth a second visit, plus it lets me sneak off for a cup of tea early without spending the obligatory hour or two typing away. Remember people work smarter not harder, it even works for blogging.

 

I was sent this article by my friend Mike and it really does hit home. Will I take time off because of it, probably not but what I consider ‘down time’ is just running a lot less. My recovery still involves running albeit a lot less and I’ll be on this reduced training for at least a month. Is it better to have a complete break as advocated by this article by Greg McMillan in 2016 on his website.?  ( https://run.mcmillanrunning.com/ )

Looking at my training log for the last 8 years I have has no real down time as such. Maybe a week off after the Rottnest Marathon as I vacation with the family counts ? Not as long as recommend by Greg in his article. I do have a ‘reduced workload’ period for 2-3  months over the summer months in Perth where most of the major races dry up due to the heat. Maybe this has been enough to keep me focused while still maintain the intensity and running goal times in the ‘running season’.  Truth be told it isn’t reduced that much though when it gets really hot I jump on the bike and commute to work and reduce my running to once a day.

Maybe I’m actually following Greg’s advice without actually realising it ? Like all things running it is not a ‘one shoe fits all’ sport. What works for one person will not have the same affect with another. What Greg preaches is common sense and well worth considering and I will take it onboard. (maybe this will justify a trip to the local deli and another muffin ?)  Spending more time with my family, that always put a strain on the marriage ? I’ll consult with my Wife before I embark down this road. I’m not so sure the family will appreciate more BK time…

THE LOST ART OF RECOVERING BETWEEN TRAINING CYCLES

I see a bad habit forming in many runners: the lack of a recovery cycle after their big races or racing seasons.Today, far too many are simply finishing one race (often a marathon) and immediately starting to train for the next one. You can get away with this a few times, but usually runners get burned out and leave the sport for new activities after doing this too often. The grind of always “training” weighs you down. Runners may also reach a performance plateau after a few races and fall well short of their true running potential, simply because they don’t allow a proper recovery phase.

In fairness, I understand this drive to move from one race to the next. I love running, too, and there is nothing better than being fully engaged in training for a big race. But never taking a break ignores one of the most important principles that we learned from great coaches and athletes over the last century: Top runners require a regular, full recovery cycle.

Great athletes build annual breaks into their training year. Not a reduced week or two of training every now and then, but weeks of complete rest. They don’t only rest, but they gain weight, too. Some add 5 to 15 pounds to their normally light frames while they enjoy time with their families, take vacations and generally do things they normally can’t because of their training.

If you follow many of today’s great runners, you’ll see that they, too, take the time to get away from the sport. Nick Symmonds goes fishing after the track season. Bernard Lagat talks about getting “fat” during his downtime, and the Hansons require their marathoners to take two weeks completely off after a marathon.

How can they do this? How can great athletes allow themselves to get out of shape? How can they tolerate the downtime without worrying about the competition?

While we worry about losing our fitness level, or that the competition is training and we’re not, these athletes know that planned annual breaks rejuvenate the body and mind in ways that outweigh losses in fitness. The worriers who plow through often take similar breaks, but rather than planned vacations, they are mandated by injuries, overtraining and burnout. Planned breaks take the pressure off — you don’t feel that your training is never-ending, jumping from one goal to the next. Science is discovering that the chemistry of the brain, the hormonal system and the immune system are compromised during hard training. Breaks rejuvenate these systems, allowing us to train better, more consistently and with more zeal across the next training plan.

Will you lose fitness? Yes. How much is hard to calculate and will depend on how long a break you take. But it’s not about how out of shape you get, but about how recovered you are and how ready to attack the next training cycle.

Remember that the recovery phase isn’t just the downtime, but also the time needed to rebuild mileage and pace. Many runners fail even when they do take time off, because upon their return, they jump right back into full training — again feeling the need to “get in shape.” You’ll need to plan on three to five weeks of rebuilding to your full training load. I usually start at 50 percent of full mileage, then increase 10 to 20 percent each week (with a recovery week of lower mileage every two to four weeks) until I’m back to 100 percent. Use common sense and build back slowly.

In the end, what’s the rush? A few weeks of downtime never ruined anyone’s running career — quite the opposite.

COACH’S NOTES

I took nearly a month off after my last marathon. I gained a few pounds. I enjoyed some new hobbies and time with family. But most of all, I rediscovered the desire, motivation and passion that drive me as a runner, and I couldn’t wait to challenge myself to do better. The next training cycle went even better than expected because I carried all the fitness from the previous cycle, plus my recharged motivation. I was able to run 2 minutes faster in the 15K than I had the year before. I’m convinced the recovery phase played a large role in this breakthrough.

 

If only everything was black and white...
If only everything was black and white…