Today after a hard 30k Sunday run with the posse we all showered (Well covered ourselves in very cold water at the local surf club) before breakfast at Clancys Cafe for what we consider the best buttermilk pancakes in the Southern Hemisphere. (You would have seen a few images of these bad boys over the last few months so I won’t bore you with any more but today was a particularly good day for pancakes.)  Anyway imagine our surprise when the T-train turns up wearing a triathlon top, it pains me to even type  those words. I had attached an image of the sight I had to endure while I went one on one with Clancy’s best.

Now we all know the T-train ran the Bussleton half-iron man earlier this year (though we never talk about it.) as he was recovering from a nasty case of Plantar Fasciitis that he picked up in the Bunbury 50k race in 2015. Before this event I think Tony had entered just about every marathon or Ultra in WA (and placed or won most of them) for the previous couple of years. In the Bunbury 50k he was running well but had to DNF because of the injury. Now as we all know a bad case of Plantar Fasciitis stays with you a long time and is a real bugger of an injury. Every morning you wake up and hobble around like a 90 year old before it eventually (if you are lucky) calms down enough so you can continue with the day and even go for a run. Tony realised the only way to get over this injury was less running but he was keen to keep up his fitness so turned to the dark side, yep, he brought a bike and a pair of ‘budgie smugglers’. (Speedos to the non-Australian amongst us.)

For the rest of the year he would still run with us on Sunday but when we scuttled off to the Dome (Our restaurant of choice for the that period of the year as Michael Barton insisted we eat there so he could get his coffee card stamped. The things we do for each other as runners.) Tony would don his wetsuit (and thus save us from the view of him in his budgies pre-pancakes, thanks Tony.) and go for a ‘swim‘. You’ll notice I have put the word swim in italics, there is a reason for that. The T-train is a good runner but a very, very bad swimmer. One Sunday on the way to the Dome, to help Michael get a free coffee, we stopped and watched Tony swim. To this day I swear we watched him for at least 5 minutes and he didn’t actually move forward. He swims like a brick attached to another brick, and neither brick ever had swimming lessons. You’re getting the picture right. Luckily his riding was better and I feel towards the end of his training he was a half decent cyclist, still a good runner but as for swimming, he was still ‘challenged‘.

Tony did well at the half iron-man but the most important aspect of this little experiment was his overall general cardio fitness was certainly improved. He was looking a lot leaner and lost that puppy fat he was still holding onto. (albeit in his late forties!) To this end he was able to enter the race that broke him a year later and actually win it ! It had taken a year , a new bike and a pair of budgie smugglers but the T-train was back and better than ever. He then turned in a stellar year winning more ultras and placing in many more. He kept up the cycling but his swimming was sacrificed when I feel his Wife started to get concerned for his safety and insisted he only swam in water depots he could put his feet down if he got in trouble. (That was a joke by the way.)

So the point of this post is the T-train did what so many runners find difficult to do. He realised he was running too much, this had caused an injury which required rest but needed to keep up his fitness. He decided to cross-train. Being the competitive little bugger he is he also gave himself a goal and trained for a half iron-man. Luckily we didn’t lose him to the dark side and once his injury was cured, and the bike and smugglers put away, he was back 100% into running and had actually improved. Cross training it seems can be a good alternative to running or even a partner.

I must admit to cycling a few months of the year when it gets too hot to run twice a day. I run early morning and then commute to work by bike before returning home in the afternoon,  normally on a longer route. I’ve even been known to sip the odd cappuccino in lycra but that’s our secret.  When I cycle I make sure I go hard (no peloton free wheeling for me!) and also keep up a high cadence, avoiding the high gears as I’m not interested in those cycling muscles these gears encourage. As a runner a bike is a cross training piece of equipment that allows us runners to raise the heart rate and keep the general cardio fitness levels high enough so, if we have been forced to the bike by injury, when we return to running we haven’t slipped backwards too far, cardio wise.

As well as cycling there is swimming which is another great non-impact workout, and you get to wear budgie smugglers if you are under forty. Over forty the rule is board shorts in Australia and no one can ever wear budgie smugglers if you cannot see a beach.  Other good cardio workouts are circuit classes, yoga, pilates (great for the core and so neglected by all runners) and any exercise routine that gets the heart rate higher. Just make sure it’s high repetition, low weights, remember muscle weighs more than fat so we don’t want too much muscle, much to my Wife’s disgust.

So is cross training as useful as cross dressing for runners ? On the evidence of the T-trains swimming I feel he’d be better of cross dressing but overall his 6 months of cross training was a success and he returned to running a better machine than when he left. I’m actually quite looking forward to getting the bike out in a few months and I may even treat myself to a new set of lycra, just got to make sure my Wife doesn’t catch me as in her view middle aged men in lycra is worse than cross dressing. Each to their own….

 

 

I awoke this morning with the normal pre-running fatigue that tends to happen when you run twice a day , every day and are about to move into your second half century. My running friend for the morning had cried off but will remain nameless, mark lee so I struggled to the door and crawled up the street to start my 10k ‘old faithful’ route for the 181st time (thanks Strava).

The sun was about to rise behind me as I started down the first hill which is always a great way to start a run in my opinion because the auto pilot light really is shining brightly for the 1k and also gravity as a co-pilot certainly helps, initially. I hit the 1k mark as I’m about 200m up the second challenge for the day as small hill to make up for the soft start. Again a good thing as this starts to engage the mind and the legs start to wake up. This small hill then gives ways to another decline before I cross the road into Star Swamp and the highlight of the morning run.

I time my start each day so I can see the sunrise from Star Swamp and every time I do it is like the first time. To describe it as inspiring does not do this justice but it will have to do. The temperature to is normally just about perfect at 5am making the whole experience so worth the early start. It is about here I am starting to warm to the task and must admit every time I see the sunrise, through the trees and bush, it brings a smile to my face.

I get about a kilometre of trail running before I am ejected back onto the bike path and start another incline for 500m before a kilometre of decline that encourages pace and caresses you to the start of the Carine park entrance.  Here I normally get to enjoy the park alone and again bathed in sunshine peaking though the trees. I make an effort to look up while in the park as so many times I am focused on the ground 20 metres ahead of me. The park , like the trail in the swamp, can be inspiring if the light catches the surrounding trees and you have fingers of sunshine protruding all around you.

The park eventually gives way to the last hill of the run which can be used as a final test to raise the heart rate or as a time to reflect on the run as a whole and start planning run number two, one is never enough surely.

Although I’m normally chasing a sunrise I also use this as a double up run after work and race the sunset. Instead of the first light of a new dawn you’re racing against the last light of the day. Where as in the morning the sun can be on your back as you race the sunset it is ahead of you slowly disappearing to the horizon. This brings into play more wondrous images as you run into the last breath of the day.  Same run but from a totally different light, which can make it feel like a new run completely. It’s get better, there is even a third option as you run in the middle of the day and , being Perth is really built in a desert, you dart from shade to shade avoiding the intense glare of the sun at the height of it’s prowess, an intimidating beast of pure heat and anger. Running really is the sport that just keeps on giving.

So that is my old faithful, go-to, 10k. One I run at least three or four times a week and one I never get tired off. All runners need an ‘old faithful’ because training for a marathon, or any distance really, requires repetition and sometimes you just need to switch off and get the job done. Having a run that allows you to tick all the training requirement boxes without the added pressure of too much thinking is paramount to success. Let’s face it marathon training can be , at times, a ‘slog’ , and that’s putting it nicely. To me a marathon is really about two thousand  kilometres of training with a final 42k run to the finish. It’s the two thousand training kilometres in all sort of conditions that people don’t see,  not the final 42k that is for the public and record books.

Tomorrow morning set the alarm a bit earlier and go and chase a sunrise, you never know you may find a new friend that over time cam turn into an old faithful and for runners that ain’t a bad thing……..

In Perth at the moment we are heading towards summer and believe me when I say in Perth we get a summer big time ! Living in what is essentially a desert does have it’s advantages. For nine months of the year I consider the climate to be just about perfect for running. A reasonable temperature with little humidity and even less rain. When it does rain it feels like a warm shower compared to the horizontal ‘take out your eyes’ sleet I use to experience in the Scottish summers I came from. (Apparently it’s worse in winter but I never found out as it was too dark , too cold and too damn dangerous to ever wonder outside.)  When Summer does arrive you can still run in good conditions you just need to adjust your day. You need to awake at first light and race the sunrise before the Perth sauna is turned on and anyone found outside understands what it feels like to be cooked in a microwave. If you’re lucky you may get a reprieve in the late evening but when summer comes a calling you may only get that small pre-sunrise window of opportunity.

Runners though like to run and not be dictated to by temperature or season, thus sometimes they just put on the trainers regardless and brave the elements; after first bathing in suntan crème. When you are faced with anything over 30c it’s time to rethink your run. Pace needs to go out the window and in comes survival and damage limitation. Believe me I’ve been there when you’re halfway through a 10k loop and suddenly realise you’re dehydrated and the body has had enough. It’s not pleasant and it always happens when you are at your furthest from any help. (Funny that?)  It’s at times like these you need to just knuckle down and plough on, albeit slowly with walk breaks if needed. The most important thing is getting back to the start in one piece without doing to much damage, both mentally and physically.

So what’s the answer ? Running in the heat can improve your running and even make you stronger but there are certain aspects of your run that need to be adapted.  As well as running slower you must also be fully hydrated, common sense I know but still worth highlighting. This hydration process is also best started the day before the run and continued up to the run and while running, and of course afterwards. Basically drink, a lot ! I would also recommend electrolytes rather than just water , it all helps.

For me in Perth at the moment I’m out the door and running by 4:50am and although that may sound early the rewards so outweigh the early start. I get to see the sunrise every morning and also enjoy the solitude of the early morning. Everything is so much quieter and you really can bask in the new dawn. The downside of course is after I put my nine year old to bed I scuttle off to my bed myself to eagerly awake my alarm informing me I get to race the sunrise again . My Wife , who luckily is a night owl, gets her ‘Karen time’ so all is good in the Matthews household. (Spending too much time with my Wife always put a strain on the marriage. That was a joke by the way.!)  So for summer move your waking day to the left and rise early, enjoy the morning before sneaking off to bed while most people are sitting down wasting their lives watching rubbish on TV and eating ‘crap’. You know it makes sense, I’ll see you out there.

Footnote. I took my own advice for a change and rather than put myself through the sauna that is lunch time running I waited until the evening and ran a pleasant 10k racing the sunset, after racing the sunrise this morning. Both glorious runs for different reasons and so much more pleasant than a lunch time run when I would have been battling the higher temperatures and returning to work looking I’d been swimming while wearing my work clothes. So, as pointed out in the articles below, you just need to choose your time wisely when it comes to running in heat, best to avoid it really but if it is unavoidable make the best of it. 

 

I have found two great articles below that explain how running in the heat can help to improve ones running and with the right tweaks can also be as enjoyable as running in normal conditions.

 

 

One of the highest sweat rates ever recorded was that of marathon runner Alberto Salazar at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. In the months leading up to the games, which were expected to be oppressively hot, the marathoner was put through a regimen of temperature acclimation training with the goal of helping him adapt to running in the heat. While Salazar placed only 15th overall, the program was deemed a success, physiologically speaking—vitals taken after the race found that Salazar’s hormonal and thermoregulatory systems were completely normal. His body had compensated by causing him to sweat at an incredibly high rate—about three liters per hour, compared to the roughly one liter per hour for an average human.

Researchers have been looking at the effects of heat on athletic performance for decades, and their results have been consistently surprising. Studies have found that, in addition to an increased rate of perspiration, training in the heat can increase an athlete’s blood plasma volume (which leads to better cardiovascular fitness), reduce overall core temperature, reduce blood lactate, increase skeletal muscle force, and, counterintuitively, make a person train better in cold temperatures. In fact, heat acclimation may actually be more beneficial than altitude training in eliciting positive physiological adaptations, says Santiago Lorenzo, a professor of physiology at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and a former decathlete at the University of Oregon. “Heat acclimation provides more substantial environmental specific improvements in aerobic performance than altitude acclimation,” he says. And in contrast to the live low, train high philosophy, we more quickly adapt to heat stress than we do to hypoxia. In other words, heat training not only does a better job at increasing V02 max than altitude, but it also makes athletes better at withstanding a wider range of temperatures.

Athletes can adapt to heat in one of two ways. The first is through incremental improvements in tolerance over time—work out in the heat a little bit every day, and eventually your body will dissipate heat more effectively. The second way is through thermotolerance, which is a cellular adaptation to an extreme heat experience, like suffering such severe dehydration after a run that you need an IV. Essentially, if you shock your system, your body will be able to withstand greater temperature stresses later on. But successful heat adaptation is difficult—and clearly dangerous—to achieve outside of controlled settings. Lorenzo explains that performance gains are possible only when athletes elevate their core body temperature, and without careful monitoring, it’s possible to elevate your core temperature to lethal levels.

When performed safely, however, heat training can have extraordinary effects. This phenomena fascinates Chris Minson, a professor of human physiology at the University of Oregon, who studies heat acclimation responses in athletes. According to his research, heat training can expand blood plasma volume, but Minson says there also seem to be inexplicable changes to the heart’s left ventricle, which helps to increase oxygen delivery to the muscles. In addition, he says that athletes who train in warm temperatures generally get better at regulating heat by sweating earlier, as Salazar did, or developing a colder resting body temperature.

A 2011 study by a group of researchers in New Zealand also found that overall volume of blood plasma increased at a greater rate when athletes did not drink water during exercise. While some coaches are carefully experimenting with dehydration, Minson and Lorenzo are not because it adds too much additional stress. However, they do say that this type of training can be beneficial because it produces a higher number of “heat shock” protein cells.

Ahead of Western States this June, ultrarunning coach Jason Koop worked on heat training with Amanda Basham and eventual winner Kaci Leckteig. Koop believes this type of acclimating is a good example of blending an academic concept with real-world training. But, says Koop, “at a certain level, you have to compromise training quality for the heat acclimation. Acclimating to the heat is additional stress [on the body], just like more miles or intervals, so you can’t simply pile it on. Something on the training side has to give.”

One method of heat acclimation that Minson uses with his athletes is to do hard workouts on colder days or earlier in the morning, and then start training in hotter conditions with less intensity. He is also looking into adding heat in ways that wouldn’t require an athlete to train in high temperatures at all—using hot tubs, for instance.

All this being said, not everyone responds to heat at the same rate or with the same physiological gains, which makes it similar to altitude training in that it might make a high-performing age grouper, college athlete, or elite a little better, but it won’t compensate for intelligent, consistent training.

How to Incorporate Heat Acclimation into Your Training Schedule

When acclimating to heat, you’ll be forced to compromise training quality, says Koop. While he understands the benefits of heat acclimation, he still prioritizes smart, solid training. But if you want to incorporate heat into your workouts, here’s how he recommends doing it safely.

1. First, pick a protocol (sauna, hot bath, or exercising in the heat) that minimizes the impact on training, both physically and logistically.

2. Koop most commonly recommends that his athletes use a dry sauna immediately after running. “It doesn’t impact training nearly as much as running in the heat, and the effects are similarly positive,” he says. He often tells his athletes to not drink water during these sessions to enhance the effect. Koop recommends spending 20-to-30-minutes in the sauna, depending on tolerance.

3. Koop says that when he has his athletes exercise in the heat—either naturally or by wearing extra clothing to simulate the experience—it will be on a long, slow day for 60 to 90 minutes. The time completely depends on the athlete’s tolerance and previous experience. But he stresses to not do this on a recovery day, because heat training is an added stress on the body. Koop recommends drinking 30 to 40 ounces of an electrolyte drink per hour during these sessions  And for safety, he advises using low-traffic sidewalks and bike paths—not trails.

4. Despite the benefits of heat training, Koop reminds his athletes that running in the heat is extremely difficult and usually replaces a hard day. “You are substituting one potential gain for another one,” he says. In other words, use it carefully

 

One more article , this time by Jason Fitzgerald from Strength Training. ( http://strengthrunning.com/about/ ) A great read.

Summer training ain’t easy. With skyrocketing temperatures, high humidity, and scorching sun it can feel like it’s impossible to get in a good run.

A long run or fast workout is hard enough. What about a RACE? Like a friend of mine always says: In the heat, I don’t compete!

Even if you just run easy and skip the hard workouts, how are you even supposed to just feel good when running in the heat and humidity of summer?

In the last few weeks, the runners I coach have said some funny things about running in the heat. My favorite:

“I just got back from my 8-miler, and it was BRUTAL. I couldn’t do the workout… my body just isn’t ready for 90 degrees “feels like 95” at 6pm. I just tried to repeat to myself “I LOVE SUMMER!” while also being glad I wasn’t jumping over piles of snow.”

Training well through the heat and humidity of summer takes a careful approach that combines timing, gear, and an understanding of why exactly it’s so damn hard to run in the heat in the first place.

But of course, it will still be tough. A few weeks ago at the Heartbreak Hill Festival put on by Runner’s World, I was talking to another runner about a race she ran in Miami. She was lucky to meet Kara Goucher and Shalane Flanagan (two pro distance runners), who told her: “I’ll take running at altitude over running in Miami any day!”

Even the pros hate summer running!

Instead of complaining about how difficult it is to run in the heat, let’s see how we can make the best of it. And maybe even make the fall our fastest season yet.

Why is it So Hard to Run in the Heat?

If you’ve read Christopher McDougall’s fantastic book Born to Run, you’ll remember that humans are amazing endurance animals for a host of reasons. We have:

A huge Achilles tendon that produces a significant energy return while running.

A (mostly) hairless body and highly evolved sweat system

Big butts. I cannot lie: according to Harvard professor Daniel Lieberman, our glutes are “running muscles”

A special ligament that attaches the spine to the skull and keeps our head from bobbing as we run

Can you guess which adaptation here is impacted by running in the summer? It’s our incredible sweat system.

Perspiration helps cool us off because as our sweat evaporates from your skin, it takes heat with it. But when humidity rises, it reduces your body’s evaporation rate because there’s already so much water in the air. Soon, you feel overheated and have to slow down.

If you live in an arid place like Colorado where the humidity is low, a hot summer day can still wreak havoc on your training for two important reasons.

First, the dry air evaporates sweat from your body almost as quickly as you’re producing it so you can become dehydrated much more quickly. If you start a run slightly dehydrated or run long without any fluids, your performance will significantly decrease (and you’ll feel like death).

As you become more and more dehydrated throughout a run, your heart needs to work harder to pump your blood because it’s becoming thicker (among a few other reasons too). This is called cardiac drift: your heart rate increases over the course of a run even when the intensity stays the same.

Let’s not also forget the heat and sun, both of which increase your core body temperature. As soon as you start getting too warm, running will feel much more difficult. Your “Rate of Perceived Exertion” (RPE) will increase even if you’re running a pace that’s usually comfortable.

Less evaporation because of higher humidity levels, increased chance of dehydration, and a higher core body temperature means that you’ll have to run slower to maintain the same effort. An unfortunate reality of summer training.

The Dangers of Running in the Heat

This article isn’t meant to scare you. After nearly 16 years of competitive racing and running in the heat and humidity of New England and the mid-Atlantic states, I’ve never been seriously affected by the heat in any meaningful way. Neither has any of my teammates in college and high school – and we raced and ran very tough workouts in brutal temperatures sometimes.

But that doesn’t mean the dangers aren’t real. If you run too hard at noon in July, you might experience some type of heat illness. Here’s what you need to know so you can avoid these setbacks.

Heat Cramps: muscle spasms that are caused by large fluid and electrolyte losses from sweating. They can occur while exercising but also hours after your run. No need to worry, they’re not serious – but make sure you stay hydrated and get enough electrolytes with sports drinks or fruit like bananas.

Severe dehydration: we’re all familiar with dehydration. Up to a 4% loss in fluid levels from exercise is still safe, but any more than that and you may experience dizziness, fatigue, and even mental disorientation.

Prevent this level of dehydration by starting your run already hydrated (your pee should be a straw color) and replacing your lost fluids as soon as you finish running. You can figure out exactly how much fluid you’ve lost by weighing yourself before and after a hot run.

Heat Exhaustion: if you work out too hard in the heat, you may come down with heat exhaustion – a case of dehydration, headache, nausea, and a core body temperature of up to 104 degrees. It’s much more common in runners who aren’t adapted to the heat.

If you think you have heat exhaustion, stop running, get out of the sun, and cool down with a cold drink and preferably air conditioning. And next time, run earlier in the day!

Heat Stroke: Danger! Heat stroke is very serious since your core body temperature is probably over 105 degrees. Symptoms include disorientation with clumsiness, confusion, poor balance, and a lack of sweating. Immediate medical attention is required where you’ll be cooled with a cold bath, air conditioning, and cold liquids.

At the 1978 Falmouth Road Race, Alberto Salazar (two-time winner of the NYC Marathon) suffered heat stroke and collapsed at the finish line after fading to the 10th place. He was rushed to the hospital with a temperature of 107 (!) degrees and read his last rites in a tub of ice water. He recovered and went on to become one of the greatest coaches our sport has ever seen.

7 Tips to Beat the Heat

The heat of summer isn’t the time to run your hardest workout and biggest mileage weeks – unless you’re super careful.

Run by effort, not pace. Running in the heat is the perfect opportunity to work on the skill of running by feel. Instead of strictly following pace targets that you might normally follow, run by time and effort rather than distance and pace.

Run early. There’s no perfect time to run in the heat of summer. But the early morning hours offer the lowest temperatures and a break from the strongest hours of sunlight (even though the humidity will be at its highest).

Get off the roads! Asphalt and concrete absorb heat and radiate it back onto your poor, wilting body. The summer months are a good time to try more trail running. Bonus: you have to run a little slower on trails which will keep you slightly cooler and trails are usually shaded. Win-win.

Adjust your expectations. If the National Weather Service issues a heat advisory (when the Heat Index, a score that reflects a combination of both heat and humidity, is over 105 degrees) running fast or long will be difficult and dangerous.

Even if there’s no heat advisory, remember why it’s so hard to run like you normally do in summer weather. Maintain the same effort and don’t sweat the slower paces (see what I did there?).

Don’t wear dark colors or cotton. Gear matters in extreme conditions so dress appropriately! Synthetic fabric like polyester is used in most running gear these days – use it.

Start your run hydrated (and keep hydrating). Even though hydration has been overemphasized in the last decade (see Waterlogged by Dr. Tim Noakes), it’s important to hydrate well before and after your run. Unless you’re running more than 75-90 minutes, you probably don’t need to take any water with you. But learn what works for you.

Plan your run around water. I never carry any fluid with me on a run – even a 20 miler in the summer. Instead, I run by fountains in public parks where I can swig some water and stay hydrated. If you live in a dry climate, running through sprinklers can help you stay cool, too. And who doesn’t love frolicking through a sprinkler?

Running in the Heat Has Its Advantages!

With all the whining we do about summer training, it actually makes you a better runner. Running in the heat causes our body to acclimatize to the conditions and adapt:

Your body gets better at sending blood from your core to your skin, helping to dissipate heat

With all that blood rushing to your skin, your muscles now get less oxygenated blood. So to compensate, your body produces more (who needs blood doping?!)

The body learns to control its core temperature and it won’t increase as much after you’ve acclimatized

You start sweating sooner at a lower body temperature to improve the cooling process

Sweat contains less salt so you maintain the right electrolyte balance

All these adaptations improve your efficiency and make you ready to run even faster as soon as the heat and humidity drop in the fall. So embrace the heat and run through it!

Then again, there’s some evidence that suggests that summer training is difficult because you think it will be difficult.

Yeah, tell me that after I shuffle home from a track workout in the sun and I might throw you out of my living room window.

But, it’s useful to know that at least some of the drudgery of running in the heat is because of our brain. It may present a good opportunity to “train your brain” to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

When you do, you’ll be in a good position to run a lot faster this fall. Take advantage of the physical AND mental adaptations you’ve gained from a summer of uncomfortable running.

You might just surprise yourself at what you’re able to run in a few months

 

 

 

My friend Nic Harman turns 21 today and what better present than a post about reaching your true potential. (Actually Nic would probably prefer hard cash but blogging does not pay the bills….)  I first heard of Nic when he won the inaugural Carine Glades Park run in June 2014 in a time of 16:58, with my mate Steve ‘Twinkle Toes’ McKean second a few seconds behind Nic. Funny thing was Steve reckons he was catching him, if he was that was his one and only chance because now Nic is running over 2 minutes quicker. In-fact a few weeks ago at another local parkrun Nic ran 14.53 for the 5k. That is now seriously rapid. Unfortunately ‘Twinkle Toes’ had his one and only chance to beat young Nic and blew it.

Since 2014 Nic has been working with Raf Baugh, the owner and coach supreme from The Running Centre ( http://www.therunningcentre.com ) and under his tutorage Nic took out the Western Australia State 10k title a few weeks ago setting a blistering time of 30:11 and beating the long term WA Athlete of choice Dr. Roberto Busi into second place by just over 10 seconds. Roberto has been the main man in WA for many years and this was a PB run for him , which considering he turned 40 recently is very impressive.

What I believe has set Nic apart from the many young talented and quick runners out there in WA is his ability to work with a great coach and follow instructions. Raf has big plans for Nic and Nic has an unwavering obedience that allows Raf to mould him to be the runner he believes he can be. Add in a work ethic that is just about as strong as imaginable and you have all the making of a future Australian champion, and then who knows.

As well as being a very talented runner Nic is just about the most humble person I know. Whenever I talk to Nic I always come away thinking that conversation was one sided with Nic listening and offering encouragement at all the right times and actually taking an interest in what I was saying. Maybe I’ll get Nic to spend some time with my Wife (That was a joke by the way…) Funnily enough the most talented runners are normally the most humble while the normal runners start blogs, that may not have come out as I hoped it would. Even I’m confused now and I wrote this paragraph. To sum it up Nic is talented, hard working and humble. These three attributes , together with a good coach, will ensure success. There you go, got there in the end.

So what can we take from Nic’s meteoric rise to eventual superstardom. One of Raf’s favourite quotes is ‘be your best’ and we can all live this manta if we choose to. The early mornings, late evenings, double up days when you’re fatigued or at the end of a threshold when your legs are screaming. These are times when you will be challenged and these are times when you need to step up and  ‘be your best‘ . I’m not suggesting we’ll all ever run as fast as Nic but we can run to the best of our ability and leave nothing in the tank, that is what being your best is all about. Finding your limit and getting to a point where you feel you can’t take one more step, then taking one more step.

How do we measure our goals and set ourselves targets ? Through past experiences and achievable targets. Once we have our targets we then design a training plan to achieve these. This is when a coach can help but if you cannot find one for ,whatever reason, it is up to you to draw upon your experience or from a more experienced running friend. (We all have them.) Then set about putting in the hard yards to achieve your goals and ‘be your best. ‘  Targets can be finishing a certain race, achieving a certain time or just running a certain weekly distance. Each of us sets our own targets and with hard work and determination you will achieve them, who knows maybe next year you’ll be sitting behind Nic Harman running the WA State 10k feeling you have him in your sights, a bit like ‘Twinkle Toes’ in 2014, if you do you better be prepared for a battle……

 

 

 

I was reflecting on my up coming 50th birthday today and discussing with my ‘pod buddies’ at work  whether my best days were ahead of me or behind me. My colleague Rob then added “it depended on which way you were looking.”  This really struck a cord with me and on my lunchtime 17k around the bridges (which in a Perth spring was a wondrous run.) I digested his comment. Rob had summed up why, as runners, we do what we do. Each of us ,I believe , through running, is looking forward and sees their best days ahead of them whereas the general public, when they age, turns around and sees their best days behind them. This is a powerful vision and it certainly made my 17k run disappear in the blink of an eye as I devoured Rob’s  insight.

Rob has totally encapsulated what makes us runners tick as we age. I have been lucky enough by putting in the extra hard yards and following my ‘Golden Rules’ (Remember those, if not there is a category for them on this blog) to be able to lay down some running times I thought beyond me. By looking forward to my best days I was achieving goals that seemed impossible a few years ago. Changing my training with the help of Raf from the Running Centre in 2015 ( http://therunningcentre.com.au/ ) had laid the foundation for 2016 and hopefully beyond. As Raf always use to say to me ‘age is just a number’. At the time my confidence was low and I took this onboard but didn’t really believe it totally. Now I am more convinced. I understand that eventually ‘Father Time’ will come calling and start to eat away at my times and I will be dragged kicking and screaming back to the pack , but with good training and hard work I will try my best to make it a slow transition.

 

As we age, as runners, I believe we have opportunities to achieve our ‘best days’. These may be by just working harder and smarter (by following my blog for example)  or getting a qualified coach from an awesome running centre (see above) to give you new training ideas. Nutrition is another area I believe we can all probably improve on and I will be making a big effort next year as I give a sub 2:40 marathon time one more tilt in my 50th year on this wonderful planet.  Also as we age I believe we are better equipped to handle the longer distances as marathons and ultra-marathons become more manageable.  Ultra marathons also take away the need for pace and concentrate more on distance, another opportunity to shine as I also believe as we age we have a higher pain threshold. (This may have something to do with bringing up kids (in my case three wonderful Daughters)  and all the challenges this presents, bless ’em ! )

So when it comes to your best days look forward, do not turn around and look behind you, there’s nothing there worth looking at…….

 

 

 

 

I’ve mentioned before a quote from Brendan Foster below…

As I said in an earlier post I actually turn that quote around as in my experience I got to bed tired and wake up really tired. Maybe that’s why I’m not an international athlete ? This morning was no exception, at 4:50am I was in no mood to run my go-to 10k ‘old faithful’ for the 170th time (thanks Strava https://www.strava.com/activities/776584306 ) My old friend fatigue had come to visit and I could feel the legs were none too impressed as I set off on my morning 10k. As with most morning runs I soon got into the groove and plodded along enjoying the morning ambience and reveling in the sunrise as I cruised through Star Swamp. When I finally finished I had sneaked under 5min/k average for the distance and even raised my VO2 score , so all-in-all a good result.

Walking to work, after a quick coffee stop at my favourite café, I climbed my indicator stairs to get a feel of how my legs were feeling. The stair test is a good test as if you are fatigued you will feel it as you ascend, especially if you go two at a time. This morning I could feel climbing the stairs was a challenge and again the legs were complaining from the start. Fatigue had come calling.

The second week after a marathon you are still in recovery mode so I am not surprised I am feeling fatigued, I would be more worried if I wasn’t as this would mean I could have run faster. (Trust me, I could not have run faster at the World Masters 10 days ago.)  So fatigue in this case is a good thing, it just needs to be managed. By managed I mean as an indicator it is telling me to keep on doing what I’m doing,  which is recovery pace only.  I’ll feel better when I run lunch time (I can’t not run twice a day, that would be silly.) and I actually improve throughout the day. That’s why I turn Brendan Foster’s quote around.

This brings me to the main reason for this post. With fatigue being more prevalent for me at the start of the day I know to make this run the easiest. My lunch time run I know I’ll feel better so can use this one for any harder workouts. Other people feel differently (International athletes apparently?)  and would go harder in the mornings. As with all things running it is a personal thing. I sometimes wonder why I wrote this blog as I am sharing things that work for me but you need to be aware these are my personal findings, as long as you realise that and adjust for your training all is good. I’ve said before most of the topics I discuss are all common sense, I don’t pertain to be a exercise guru, just a runner who loves running and has had some success (at my low level) who also enjoys typing.

As with all things I discuss I have added an article to help or support my ramblings and surprise surprise its my old mate coach Jeff from Runners Connect.

 

Why Fatigue is a Necessary Part of Training and How to Manage It

Training is like trying to walk a tight rope. You need to balance putting in grueling workouts and mileage with the ability to let your body recover. Favor one aspect too heavily and you’ll either have a poor performance from lack of training or get injured and overtrained from doing too much.

That’s why learning how to manage fatigue, and understanding the role it plays in endurance training, is critical to improving as a runner. In this article, we’re going to outline why a certain amount of fatigue is necessary to improve as a runner, how to strategically implement it, and how to find the right balance.

Why fatigue is necessary

The basis for all training theory is the what we call the workout and recovery process. Running first breaks down your muscle fibers. The harder you run, the more muscle fibers you damage. Your body then works to rebuild these damaged muscle fibers and if the recovery process goes well, these muscle fibers are repaired stronger than before. That’s how you become faster and stronger through training.

But, as you may realize, it’s nearly impossible to fully recover from a workout in 24 hours. It might be possible following a very easy day of running, but any type of speed, tempo or long run is going to require anywhere from 2 to 14 days to fully absorb and recover (here’s a breakdown of what research says about how long it takes to recover from different workout types).

That means, unless you want to only run two or three times per week, training while fatigued is a necessary part of training; especially since we know slow, easy mileage is the best way to build aerobic endurance and is the foundation for running performance. The trick is finding that balance between running enough miles to build you aerobic capacity without overdoing the fatigue.

Herein lies the “art” of training.

However, there is also a way that we can utilize this fatigue to make your training more effective.

How to utilize fatigue to run faster

In training vernacular, coaches use a term called “accumulated fatigue”. Basically, this theory posits that fatigue from one workout accumulates and transfers to the next run so that you’re always starting a workout or a long run a little tired from your previous training.

This is important for longer distance races like the marathon because it’s nearly impossible to run the full distance of the race in daily training. Furthermore, if you were to start every workout fully recovered and fresh, it would be difficult to simulate how your body feels late into a race.

As such, we can strategically implement the theory of accumulated fatigue to better target the specific demands of your race.

For example, during marathon training, one of my favorite methods for introducing accumulated fatigue is to buttress the long run against a shorter, but steady paced run the day before. As an illustration, you would run six miles at marathon pace on the Saturday before your Sunday long run. Because of the harder running on Saturday, you start Sunday’s long run not at zero miles, but rather at six or eight miles, since that is the level of fatigue and glycogen depletion your body is carrying over from the previous run.

You can even apply this theory to 5k training. Using what we know about muscle fibers and the recruitment and fatigue ladder, I often have athletes run a short, explosive hill workout (something like 9 x 60 second hills at 5k pace) two days before a 5k specific workout (12 x 400 at 5k pace with 60 second quick jog rest). The hill session fatigues and depletes the fast twitch muscle fibers so that during the 5k specific work, your intermediary Type IIa muscle fibers (the ones primarily responsible for running at 5k pace) have to handle more work and thus are more specifically targeted.

How to find the right balance

Training would be much easier – and runners much happier – if you could just train hard and fatigued all the time. But, you can’t simply continue to accumulate fatigue and run these types of workouts all the time (although some runners certainly do try). There needs to be a balance.

• First, try to keep the specific accumulated fatigue workouts to once every two weeks and only schedule them during the race-specific portion of your training schedule. This ensures that you don’t overdo it and that you don’t get burnt out long-term.

• Be sure to keep your easy runs slow. One of the most common mistakes runners make is running their easy day mileage too fast. This hinders your ability to recover and doesn’t provide any additional aerobic benefit. Research has shown that the most optimal aerobic pace for an easy run is about 65 percent of 5k pace. For a 20-minute 5k runner (6:25 pace for 5k – 7:20 pace marathoner), this would mean about 8:40 per mile on easy days.

• Finally, don’t be afraid to take a down or rest week every five to six weeks where you reduce mileage by 65 to 75 percent and reduce the intensity of your workouts. These down weeks help you fully recover from and absorb previous weeks and months of training so that fatigue doesn’t build-up too much.

Hopefully, this lesson on fatigue and how you manage it will help you train more intelligently for your upcoming races.

 

Footnote : Managed a 10k run in Kings Park over some hilly terrain and trails lunch time. Felt a lot better than this morning as expected so will look forward to the alarm tomorrow morning as I’m running with my friend Mark Lee who is a lot quicker than me and more of a short distance specialist.  Only saving grace is we meet at Yelo so the obligatory coffee and muffin will be dangled as reward for the beating he’ll probably give me. On the downside I think it’s my turn to pay…

 

 

This weekend my friend Shaun Kaesler runs his 3/6/12 hr ultra marathon ( http://lighthorseultra.com.au ) in Perth. An ultra run in a local park around a’ beaut little 2.5k loop with a combination of ashphalt, limestone trail and boardwalk‘, Shaun’s words not mine. It is run on Remembrance day ‘celebrating the freedom we live for the service they gave‘, Shaun’s words again.

This beaut little ultra , my words this time, is one of many ultra marathons popping up in WA at the moment. All started by runners who love the tight knit ultra community and the characters it contains. Ultra and trail runners are ,for the most part, normally like-minded people working toward the greater good of this planet we spend our time destroying. They tend to work off the grid and their time on the trail is them reconnecting with nature and the very basic urge to just run , self supported , for a long time. Pushing themselves to the limits of their ability with the encouragement and friendship of fellow runners, all sharing the wonderful experience of just running in the most beautiful places untouched by man and all his vices.

The best thing about the ultra and trail community is without doubt the comradery amongst the runners. These guys genuinely care for each other and the environment. Probably because they get to experience the best of it and want to keep it pristine. Whatever the reason their cause is just and this adds to the whole feeling of enjoyment they experience when they ‘do their thing‘.  Now I’m not suggesting we all ‘run to the hills’ (that would make a great song title..) but once in a while the odd foray to dance with Mother Nature is certainly good for the soul.

 

Another great addition to the ultra calendar is the ADU, Australia Day Ultra ran by my good friend Ron Mcglinn, in Ron’s words… ( http://australiadayultra.com )

Welcome

After being drawn to the beauty of this area, and running along this stretch of coast in and around the Leschenault Peninsula over many years, I have have felt drawn to share this beautiful area with other like minded running enthusiasts. I have looked for a slot in the Ultra running and Marathon calendar where there was very little happening for an opportunity to open this beautiful gem up to the running community.

One slot that did not seem to interfere with any other major events was the weekend of Australia Day …………….the dates may change slightly each year, but hey let’s just call it the Australia Day Ultra !

The course is mapped out as a 12.5 km out and back ( 2 x laps for 25km, 4 x laps for 50km and 8 x laps for 100km + 6km Kids Event) along the Australind Foreshore, taking in the scenic Cathedral drive through the paperbark walk. ( This was the old Bunbury road once apon a lifetime). There will be an aid station at each end of the course (6.25km) apart along with a self serve water station at the 3km mark so there would be no need to carry water or supplies other than the mandatory gear. There are amenities at the Australind end with decent parking a service station and shops. Toilet blocks and playgrounds are located at the Start/Finish line and at the 2 km mark ( Fees Field). There are no significant road crossing and the foot traffic will be separated from vehicle traffic, though you can park on the side of the track all along the length of the proposed course.

We are set for a Midnight start time for the 100 km, 3 am start for the 50 km, 6 am start for the 25 km, and a 9am start for the Kiddies 6km run to beat the heat!

This is going to be Very Flat and Very Fast, the perfect PB course.

This is AURA Approved and we offer discounts on the entry fee for AURA members. This is a certified course, so records will be up for the taking for those willing to push themselves that little bit harder.

Hope to see you out there.

 

This one is special to me as I saved Ron’s life once , the first time I met him actually. We were doing a recon run for the 6 inch ultra (see below) and we set of as a group and ran the whole 46k point to point, had lunch and then drove back to the start to pick up our cars. Ron has set off by himself and we met him on his way back about 15k from the cars. Anyhow we carried on another 30k , had lunch at the Dwellingup Pub (an experience in itself I can tell you.)  and drove back to the start to see his car still parked, with no sign of Ron. Being totally unprepared we didn’t have his phone number and after a frantic call to Dave Kennedy, who also didn’t have his phone number, we started up Goldmine hill in my Prado.  When we got to the top we saw a disshelfed  Ron walking towards us. He had got lost and wondered about ‘bush’ for 3-4 hours totally lost. There was tall stories of looking for fish in brooks and Crocodile Dundee like encounters with nature. Anyway, to this day whenever we meet I remind him how I saved his life the first time he met.

Ron helped me drop down from the 100k to the 50k last year at this event which really is special at you start at 3am so the first 2 hours are in the dark and last year was a full moon. (I wonder how Ron arranged that? It’s the little things these Race Directors do that make all the difference…. ) Which was lucky for me as my ‘I don’t need a head torch I’ll run with the lead group’ plan backfired when I got dropped quicker than a Hilary Clinton victory speech and found myself alone in the dark. Lesson learnt for next  year, don’t get dropped !

Last ultra-trail marathon I’m going to talk about in this post is the infamous 6 inch ultra marathon where I  pit myself against the heat, hills and trails of the Munda biddi track. This ultra started 12 years ago as a fatass (free entry) but has morphed into a 350 runner sell out and it is one of the highlights of the year to run this with good friends.  ( http://www.6inchtrailmarathon.com/?page_id=92 ) I’ve mentioned it before but it is well worth running this bad boy if you are ever in WA around the last Sunday before Christmas. Although I treat is as more of a long run with a bib on I still try and run sub 4 hours , which I have done 5 times out of 7. The difficulty of the course is obvious from this as it’s only 3-4k’s longer than a normal marathon but takes me over an hour longer, trail running is hard work!! I’ve attached a great finishing shot taken a few years ago which sums up the experience…

 

 

 

So from midnight tonight for the 12 hour race, if you’re anywhere near Yellagonga Regional Park, Ocean Reef Rd, Woodvale, I reckon you get down there and watch some seriously  great runners doing their thing around a beaut 2.5km track, again and again and again………I’m assuming the 6hr will start at 6am and the 3hr at 9am so they all finish at midday. (seems logical anyway ? Check the website to confirm because these  ultra/trail runners aren’t one to conform to what we would expect, otherwise they be concrete junkies like me !)

 

I’ve been finding these last few days that I’m waking earlier and earlier for my morning (recovery) run. This morning I awoke at 4am with my alarm set at 5am,. Well after 15minutes thinking this is ridiculous waking so early I decided that 4:15am was no ‘as’ ridiculous so off I went into the morning. As always I was glad I did as as I ran my old faithful 10k for the 166th time (thanks Strava) I got to witness another great sunrise. There really is something wonderful getting up as the sun starts to peak  over the horizon. The light is amazing and you normally face the new day alone, basking in the solitude. My go-to 10k takes me through Star Swamp just as the Sun rises and I deliberately  set my alarm so I’m hitting a certain part of the swamp as the Sun welcomes me.

Every time I see the sunrise I think of all the people asleep in bed who just get up , crawl to work in a zombie like state and never get to experience the ‘sunrise that could cleanse the soul‘ that I experience almost daily.  These same people look at me with disgust when I tell them what time I rose and embraced the day,  explaining that I’m running in the middle of the night. Maybe their night not mine.  On a good day I get to experience the sunset over the ocean if I can get to the bike path in time. On many times I’ve ran with the sunrise in the morning and finished the day racing the sunset. How good is that ? I’ll tell you , bloody good.

As well as experiencing the sunrise you normally get to run through your local park alone or experience the city waking with very little traffic, well I do in Perth, it’s probably different in major cities but it’ll be quieter anyhow. Th early morning really is a magical time experienced by the few and that’s the way we like it. Living in Perth we are blessed with such a runner friendly climate. Nine months of the year it’s just about prefect all day and for the three summer months, where the temperature can get brutal, you take solace in the early morning when the temperature is kinder. I then bring out the bike and cycle to and from work after my morning run as this is great cardio (I’m an old fashioned cyclist who actually pedals. With the number of motorised or electric bikes on the bike paths actually meeting ‘normal’ cyclists is rare. When did it become the norm to ‘cycle’ to work on an electric bike without actually doing anything ? The world has gone crazy people with the same people then ‘clip-clopping’ into the local cafe and sipping their frothy light frappacinos’s cacooned in lycra. )  I have been known to say the odd derogatory remark about cycling but as a means of commuting in the Summer heat there really is nothing better. As for the lycra and coffee addiction, I can put up with it. Actually any excuse to drink good coffee should be embraced anyway. The lycra and headscarf, testing but after a while you get use to it and before long you’re ‘clip-clopping’ into cafes with your cycling gear fitting right in. (Although I’ve never drank a soya, light, frothy frappaccino , yet ?)

So what was the point of this post. I do seem to have ‘dribbled ‘on for longer than normal. The point is get up early and go and enjoy the sunrise and then run late and experience the sunset. They are both worth the effort and who knows if you running around King’s Park in Perth one morning you may end up in a ‘Paul Harrison classic’. (see below)

 

I attached a great photo of the sunrise in Perth take by one of my favourite photographers Paul Harrison, a very talented man.