How LSD affects your running

No, this isn't a blog about the use of Lysergic acid diethylamide while running. LSD is a running acronym for Long, Slow Distance. There is a school of thought in running circles that says Long, Slow running makes a Long, Slow Runner. They of course mean, that if you spent all of your time running slow (because of preparing for Half-Marathon to Ultra Marathon races), your body will become accustomed to the mechanics and stride of that type of running. This leads to losing speed and any type of faster pacing that would give you the ability to finish the race with a quicker time.

I don't buy that argument as an absolute truth, but there are some elements of truth in it. It is hard to run a quick 5K when your training consists of mostly long runs. But the main reason for long runs is not for speed, it's for endurance.

After finishing Grandma's, I've been looking back over my past finishes at Marathons and making a connection between the pace of my long runs and the pacing of my overall marathon time.

As a general rule I've noticed that my average pace that I can run in the Marathon is no faster than one minute per mile for my average pace in my long runs. In my fastest Marathon, I ran my average pace that I ran in my long run for 16 miles, and then a minute faster for the last 10 miles.

Hal Higdon has a fundamental that says "If you want to run fast, you need to run fast." This pertains to the 5K as much as the marathon. If you want to run a planned predicted pace in the marathon, you have to practice it by running within 1 minute of that pace in your long runs.

I know this bucks a lot of the running guides out there that say you should run your long runs at planned predicted pace (PPP) plus two minutes per mile. But from running 20 plus marathons, I can say this isn't fast enough. That said, the PPP plus two minutes is great for building up endurance to run that distance, but not that pace.

So as you start your plans for fall marathons, take note. The LSD will affect your marathon if they are not done at a speed within one minute of your PPP.

 

How much to eat before running?

My son texted me after completing a run and asked me what are the causes of feeling nausea when completing a run? While this is a loaded question (could be heat, running too soon after an illness, or trying to run off a hang-over) we quickly figured out that he had eaten very close to taking off for his run on a hot day.

But this begs a question that we don't see too much written on in running magazines, blogs, and training. How much, when and what kind of food, should one eat before running? For those just getting into running, this is an important question to address when planning a morning, afternoon, or evening run. This is also a question that many experienced runners wonder about when they have a bad performance in a race and they are wondering if when, how much and what they ate affected their performance.

For Marathoner runners this is probably a more important answer than someone running a 5K. But that is because if a Marathoner makes a mistake on food intake, that is a mistake that will either cause those minutes, not seconds in a race or have them drop out altogether.

The best rule of thumb that I've seen is Weight times Wait = Runner's Fate. In other words, you multiple the runners' weight (in lbs.) times the length of time he/she will be running to determine the total calories that can be consumed before a run. So for a 150 lb. runner that is eating 2 hours before a run/race, he/she would consume 300 calories. If their race is in one hour, no more than 150 calories. This works for the 100 lb runner as well as the 250 lb runner.

This has worked for me for years and I've never tossed cookies yet. That's not to say I haven't run a 5K that I almost lost it, but it was from effort, not food, that caused the feeling.

What should you eat? Well, it should be mostly, if not all, carbohydrate. I'm on this 4:1 ratio kick, which has me eating 4 times the grams of carbohydrate for every 1 gram of protein. I firmly believe that fat does nothing for you in preparing for a run or a race. I know, I know, you need to burn fat in a long endurance run or race, but the human body has more than enough fat to supply that need. Carbohydrate is what activates the fat burning machine.

Should it be solid or liquid? Liquid gets absorbed quicker, but if I'm eating 2 hours before a run, my choice is a quickly digestible carbohydrate, like a PowerBar, Clif Bar, Banana, Bagel, etc. Anytime less, than I would go with liquid (Accelerade, Gatorade, Energy Drink) or a soft food, like a Banana.

Remember this, food can hurt your performance when eating too much or too soon, to run/race time. If you haven't practiced this in your weekly runs, eating too many calories too close to your race can affect it.

Getting over a Bad Race

Alright, I am currently licking my wounds from running Grandma's Marathon at about an hour more than what the Prediction Charts had me at. I've had a great past six months of training and for what? Run a 5:10 when I should've had a 4:10.

Have you ever these thoughts? You train for an extended period for the planned race and fall well short of it?

I can give you my thoughts on why I failed. But before I get there, let me tell you how I succeeded.

I succeeded in the fact that I ran for the past six months while many of my colleagues didn't. I succeeded in losing 18 pounds in the past 24 weeks. I achieved a 2:00 Half Marathon that I haven't accomplished in three years. I accomplished a sub 25:00 5K that I hadn't accomplished in 3 years. I ran a personal best 53 total miles in an 8 day stretch, something I've never done in almost 30 years of running.

But I still came up short in the Marathon.

The Marathon is not your typical race. You can be in what you believe you best condition is, and a 5 degree temperature change can put all that training at risk. I'm not making excuses, but the Marathon has been for me, and many others, a crap shoot at best.

The point I'm making is that running and/or training for a race has its own internal 'Ying-Yang' balance. Yes, I had all of those positives during my training along with a bad Marathon. But all of those positives could have, I not saying for sure, but could have, led to my bad Marathon. 53 miles 3 weeks before the Marathon could've been a bad choice. Races the two weekends before the Marathon could've set me up for being tired on race day. But the key message that it taught me is that a one day race doesn't mean the past six months were all a waste. Sure, I was disappointed, but when I stepped back and thought about the successes so far this season, I wouldn't have traded a 4:10 Marathon for all of the mini-successes that I experienced.

In coming blogs, I will share some thoughts that I have, and things I've learned on what I believe makes a successful Marathon run. I've tried enough programs to know what works and what doesn't. I hope you will learn from all of my past mistakes. And also, for the successes.

 

Mea Culpa

I was sharing with a co-worker that I've been so busy lately that I feel guilty about not updating the blog. She pointed out that I need to find a way to blog while I'm running. Her reasoning is that I always seem to find time to run, I just need to find time to blog (maybe right after she suggested).

Now that I have Grandma's Marathon behind me, I have a ton to share. Expect an update tomorrow morning as I gather all my thoughts and updates. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Unhealthy Eating

If you've been running any more than 30 days, you will get to the point of wondering if there is anything you need to change in your diet. Not only if you are looking at losing some pounds but also to help in your performance. I'm not a registered dietician but I do know what works and doesn't work for me when looking at diet.

One good website to try is Dr. Weil. He's a lifelong guru in matters of food/diet and he recently sent out the Top 4 unhealthy snacks newsletter. See Link: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03621/4-Unhealthy-Snacks.html.

Now if you are just getting started in looking at what foods to eat, there are books that have been written on the subject. But a better place to start is to eliminate those foods that you shouldn't be eating. His Top 4 are:

-Instant Soup (because of the sodium)

-Doughnuts

-French Fries (actually, anything fried)

And;

-Soft Drinks (we're not talking about Diet, but Regular)

He gives a free newsletter that you can sign up for, it gives Daily Tips that can give you a chance to think about your diet, but the main thing to start is to think about what you're eating now. If you're thinking that eliminating all of the above would be too hard, try with just eliminating one of the them and building from that base. Remember, it takes 21 days for anything to become a habit, and finding the discipline to stop eating all of the above with help with not only your weigh but also your running performance.

 

 

 

 

MotionX-GPS for running

Since I know a number of runners use the iPhone for tracking the distance of their runs, I thought I'd send out a review of the MotionX-GPS app that is available for all iPhones. I've tried this out and it's absolutely fantastic if you are looking for something that you can use for tracking the exact distance of your runs. I found it as exact (and if running in a wooded area, more exact) than any Garmin running device.

The functionality of this app is way ahead of the curve. It integrates with your iTunes library and lets you use your songs, playlists, etc. as well as use the pause, play, skip forward and skip back of all your sings.

You can record pictures, if you are into that sort of thing, at different points of your run.

The one function that blew me away was at the end of my run. I was able to send to my Facebook update a map (that all of my friends could view) of my run.

If this app had a heart rate monitor with heart rate ranges, I would recommend this as a replacement for the Nike Plus system on the iPod.

I have two criticisms of it. The first is the number of runs you can store on it. But seriously, after ten runs, you should be logging the runs in your running journal but it would be nice if it had an on-line page/site to do it.

My biggest criticism, and why this wouldn't replace my Nano or iPhone is that the app, like all GPS apps on the iPhone, is a battery hog. I haven't gone more than ten miles with this on a run, but it ate 60-70% of my battery in that hour and a half. I question if it would last for a half marathon race, and know that a marathon is out of the question.

If you are looking for such a GPS tracking system for your run (that are less than 10 miles) that doubles as an iPod, look no further, this is it. I give this app 4.5 out of 5 stars, and only hold off a perfect score because of the battery and heart rate monitor functionalities.

Tempo Runs

I believe the most misunderstood, or maybe just the least known of running workouts, is the Tempo Run. What is it? Why do it? What speed? What distance? What day of the running week?

There are as many different descriptions of a Tempo run as there are running books out there. But I'll make it simple. A Tempo run is any run that you do to build up your aerobic endurance. So anything just below your anaerobic threshold and above an easy run falls into this category. From our earlier discussion, you'll remember your anaerobic threshold is about 85% of your heart max rate. So I'm talking about a run at 70-85% of HMR.

So how much of your weekly run should be a Tempo run? I have one weekly run on Thursday that I classify as a Tempo run. I warm up for 1.5 miles [approximately 15 minutes] then watching my heart rate, try to keep 4 miles at 150-162 [my anaerobic threshold is 163]. I also leave the last two miles of my long run for this heart rate range. I do this to train myself to be able to push it for my planned half marathons.

I am very disciplined in regards to the 163 heart rate mark. As soon as I hit 163, I slow up immediately until it drops down to 155 before getting into the running groove again. It's important to not change this run into a speed workout [anaerobic threshold or above].

For those of you that have watched the movie "Chariots of Fire", I follow my 163 rule by remembering one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It is the exchange between Coach Sam Mussabini and Harold Abraham as he explains the concept of over-striding for the sprinter. As he describes the effect of over striding, he slaps Abraham in the face saying: "Remember, over striding. Death for the sprinter. (slap) Knocks you back. (slap) Like that! (slap) And That! (slap)

In the same way, going into anaerobic threshold when doing a Tempo run defeats the purpose of the Tempo run. Leave the anaerobic threshold workout with the speed workout. Your training is hard enough without blowing your aerobic endurance workout.

For those of you just getting started with the Tempo run, I have a great transition method for you to find your tempo pace over the course of the weeks in your first training plan. When I got started on Week One of my 12-Week Sub-2 Hour Half Marathon training, I do my 400 meter pace at 8:00 MPM (Minutes per Mile) and the Tempo Run pace @ 10:00 MPM. The 8:00 MPM for my speed workout doesn't change but my Tempo speed will. I run at the 10:00 MPM until I can do the full four miles at that pace. As soon as I make it, the next week I move up pace by 10 seconds. So in this case, it would go to 9:50 MPM the next week. Again, each week, I keep the pace until I see my heart rate reach 163 and then I back off. If I need to walk to get the heart down, I do it. But remember, no going over the 163 heart rate.

You may look at this plan and think, 'Can you really run a 9:09 pace during the Half Marathon when doing a Tempo run at 10:00 MPM in Week One of your training?' The answer is yes. What you will find is that each week your tempo pace will get easier and easier to reach. For example, I'm in Week 6 of my training and already up to a 9:30 MPM. By Week 10, I should be doing a 9:10 MPM. If you do find yourself in Week 6 not being able to move out of the 10:00 MPM because of the anaerobic threshold, this is God's way of telling you that you're not ready for a 2 Hour Half Marathon.

I hope this helps you incorporate Tempo runs into your weekly workouts. They're a great way to not only build your aerobic capacity but also give you a test run for your coming race.