“People can't understand why a man runs. They don't see any sport in it. Argue it lacks the sight and thrill of body contact. Yet, the conflict is there, more raw and challenging than any man versus man competition. For in running it is man against himself, the cruelest of opponents. The other runners are not the real enemies. His adversary lies within him, in his ability, with brain and heart to master himself and his emotions.”
I often get into this idea of ‘running is not fun’ so why the hell do it!!!! I know there are the running geaks and lifer who can’t see themselves doing anything but running, but I cannot say I follow that belief, at least not into regards to actually liking running for the sake of running.
So why the heck would I then go out day in day out and run some god awful 100 mile weeks (well maybe not right now, but at times in the past). One will always see me giving some idea from the ‘Once a Runner’ or as I call it ‘the bible’. Well the only real answer I’ve come across is the idea from Joe Vigil of ‘satisfaction’, but even then there have been many times when I have quite simply walked away from a workout/run literally blubbering because it was no longer positive in any way. But wait…not all is lost.
If I found out anything it’s that those times that are the darkest also have the greatest impact on one as a person. I’ve always viewed running as a concept where u really find out what happens ‘when the ‘#^%^ hits the fan’. That’s one of those things where I often feel I have huge advantage over many athletes/coaches and that is in experiencing that absolute lows in combination with those moments where things simply come together. The key to that ‘stickingitoutedness’, as I would come to realize was belief…. So here are my keys to the idea of belief and an inside story which no one has ever been told (if you’ve been around me on long runs you know I tell a lot of stories):
1)You need to believe in yourself (both mentally and physically): that you have the ability to achieve your full potential.
2) You need to have faith in your training (that you have properly prepared, coach, etc… the egs I I like to use is when Shorter and Prefontaine were training in Colorado in the winter and Pre was whining about a cold and snowy…apparently more like a blizzard…when Shorter simply said ‘we are training harder than anyone in the world right now’)
3) Understand what you can control and leave the things you cannot control alone. This is a tough one, but it’s also a future blog idea and that is that your first goal should be simple…..your goal is to pay attention to the process..in other words doing all the things you can do to be your best
4) Belief will carry you through difficult times…My story about belief is kinda long so it will have to wait…..
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Kinda jumping ahead here.....
I'd love to give some first hand current inspiration, but alas my current victories are small. I at least got in 7 sessions this week and even did a small hill workout with the kids last Thurs, but that tempered by my run on Sunday that was painful.
In my quest to provide some small insight to my fundamental beliefs on running I am going to jump ahead a few topics (specifically for a friend of mine who is currently 'winterly challenged'. I've always felt that coaches can be overrated. Not to say they aren't relevant as a bad coach can ruin you, but a good coach simply allows you find out what you need to do. My belief in that regards comes from arguably the most influential running coach of all time in Oregon's Bill Bowerman and from a lesser known runner by the name of Jack Bachelor.
If you've ever read anything on Bowerman (Kenny Moore's 'Men of Oregon' being the ultimate piece of literature), you know what Bowerman was a teacher first and coach second. Jack Bachelor )the man who the infamous Bruce Denton from 'Once a Runner' fame is based on) was also one of these types of coaches who understood that the athletes needed to make the decisions and not the coach (egs Denton's talk to Quenton Cassidy the night before the big race being a good example). Their idea that the most important running lessons learned were not in being told, but in being learned by the athlete have always stuck with me as the essential truths
Hence the topic for this post is how a good training partner/s are the best people to help you learn these lessons:
1) For those who know the legendary basketball coach john wooden's 'pry amid of success' you know that places an extreme emphasis on working as a unit. With team dynamics you can go beyond day to day sport and into the realm of life,
character, etc… as you help each other improve, go through the 'wars' and os on...
2) SUPPORT GROUP:
a) Coach: the ability to communicate to one's coach (needs, wants, concerns,). In this regards the coach acts as an authoritative facilitator, who is able to mee the needs of many. I've always felt the good coaches have a few things in common. They are kinda like a chameleon who have the ability to stay the same in basic principles/values, but also have the talent to deal with may typos of physical and mental abilities/talents. It's easy to teach one event, type of person, etc.... but it's entirely another to be able to understand how to relate to males/females, fast twitch/slow twitch and young/experienced.
3) TRAINING PARTNERS:
Training partners (as malmo put it 'Compete WITH your comrades in sweat - never AGAINST them') are of course required to get the most out training, but i also feel that some true gifts from training partners are overlooked (and IMHO more important in the grand scheme of things)
i) Quite simply they help one to enjoy the daily grind of training. Have a touhg time getting out the door...find someon who will meet you on X day at X time.
ii) When all on the same page they can help create both individual and team values, goals, purpose, accountability, security, etc....
iii) Team leader/s to galvanize a team, set expectations, goals, vision, etc... In this respects I've often seen the tone set by the main athlete/s who dictate how the group functions. For example... one of the best training partners I ever had was Jerry Ziak. Jerry, like myself, was often considered an 'independent' voice in running, but as training partners both myself and Jerry were on the exact same page. We were both competitive without letting our egos get involved, and therefore pushed each other, as opposed to killing each other off.
In the end a good loyal and dependable training partner can take one far beyond what they think they can and feed off each other. On the other side I've also seen how training partners who are venomous to each other can also destroy what should be a great training environment
In my quest to provide some small insight to my fundamental beliefs on running I am going to jump ahead a few topics (specifically for a friend of mine who is currently 'winterly challenged'. I've always felt that coaches can be overrated. Not to say they aren't relevant as a bad coach can ruin you, but a good coach simply allows you find out what you need to do. My belief in that regards comes from arguably the most influential running coach of all time in Oregon's Bill Bowerman and from a lesser known runner by the name of Jack Bachelor.
If you've ever read anything on Bowerman (Kenny Moore's 'Men of Oregon' being the ultimate piece of literature), you know what Bowerman was a teacher first and coach second. Jack Bachelor )the man who the infamous Bruce Denton from 'Once a Runner' fame is based on) was also one of these types of coaches who understood that the athletes needed to make the decisions and not the coach (egs Denton's talk to Quenton Cassidy the night before the big race being a good example). Their idea that the most important running lessons learned were not in being told, but in being learned by the athlete have always stuck with me as the essential truths
Hence the topic for this post is how a good training partner/s are the best people to help you learn these lessons:
1) For those who know the legendary basketball coach john wooden's 'pry amid of success' you know that places an extreme emphasis on working as a unit. With team dynamics you can go beyond day to day sport and into the realm of life,
character, etc… as you help each other improve, go through the 'wars' and os on...
2) SUPPORT GROUP:
a) Coach: the ability to communicate to one's coach (needs, wants, concerns,). In this regards the coach acts as an authoritative facilitator, who is able to mee the needs of many. I've always felt the good coaches have a few things in common. They are kinda like a chameleon who have the ability to stay the same in basic principles/values, but also have the talent to deal with may typos of physical and mental abilities/talents. It's easy to teach one event, type of person, etc.... but it's entirely another to be able to understand how to relate to males/females, fast twitch/slow twitch and young/experienced.
3) TRAINING PARTNERS:
Training partners (as malmo put it 'Compete WITH your comrades in sweat - never AGAINST them') are of course required to get the most out training, but i also feel that some true gifts from training partners are overlooked (and IMHO more important in the grand scheme of things)
i) Quite simply they help one to enjoy the daily grind of training. Have a touhg time getting out the door...find someon who will meet you on X day at X time.
ii) When all on the same page they can help create both individual and team values, goals, purpose, accountability, security, etc....
iii) Team leader/s to galvanize a team, set expectations, goals, vision, etc... In this respects I've often seen the tone set by the main athlete/s who dictate how the group functions. For example... one of the best training partners I ever had was Jerry Ziak. Jerry, like myself, was often considered an 'independent' voice in running, but as training partners both myself and Jerry were on the exact same page. We were both competitive without letting our egos get involved, and therefore pushed each other, as opposed to killing each other off.
In the end a good loyal and dependable training partner can take one far beyond what they think they can and feed off each other. On the other side I've also seen how training partners who are venomous to each other can also destroy what should be a great training environment
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
So what now.....
Oh Yeah .....Discipline.....eeeks not a strong point for me right now. Much like the infamous fictional character Quenton Cassidy who was so jealous of the obsessive complusive Bruce Denton and Jerry Mizner from 'Once a Runner' fame I too struggle with discipline. But that struggle is only in getting going.
Once I am in my routine I am set come hell of high water. this lack of routine would probably explain why my Fall/Winter running has been a mess. Probably why I also found this quote from the great Emil Zatopek to be so enoghtening:
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem.“ (Emil Zatopek)
That's one thing I left out from my original idea to present these mental 'tricks' and that was in my philosophy. I also see running as (as corny and strange as this may sound) a from of 'enlightenment' (take your pick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment). In this regards overcoming weaknesses is my form of enlightenment. I find that in this struggle I leanr far more about life than running and in that regards it's a neverending set of experiences that constantly evolve and grow (wow existential isn't it). it's also been an idea that I try to provide to young runners. that this sport is far more than running and competing....it's about learning and evolving. In that case you are constantly motivated.
So here are a few of my tricks to reach this form of enlightment:
1) Create a plan for training, school, etc… (time
management) and have the discipline to stick so that plan (yeah easier said than done sometimes.....and whene evr you think you have trained hard.....remember you could ahve done more)
2) Routine, routine, routine (consistency rule):
“to be good a running life must be boring” – Marty Liquori - former world #1 miler & US 2 mile record holder. This has been the key for my running or as the great Villanova coach (and Liqouri's coach) said: "Live like a clock.".
Every Monday I do this...every Tues, etc...... The greater the routine (not meant to be boring), the easier it is to deal with the monotony of training. For some it's not as relevant...for me it's key!
3) With consistency there is a feeling of empowerment. See my enlightenment beliefs
4) The more you do it the easier it becomes. See Zatopek's quote!!!!
In turn all of this creates mental toughness (‘there are no secrets’ and ‘miles of trials, trials of miles’). Sounds boring but it works....
Once I am in my routine I am set come hell of high water. this lack of routine would probably explain why my Fall/Winter running has been a mess. Probably why I also found this quote from the great Emil Zatopek to be so enoghtening:
"When a person trains once, nothing happens. When a person forces himself to do a thing a hundred or a thousand times, then he certainly has developed in more ways than physical. Is it raining? That doesn't matter. Am I tired? That doesn't matter, either. Then willpower will be no problem.“ (Emil Zatopek)
That's one thing I left out from my original idea to present these mental 'tricks' and that was in my philosophy. I also see running as (as corny and strange as this may sound) a from of 'enlightenment' (take your pick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment). In this regards overcoming weaknesses is my form of enlightenment. I find that in this struggle I leanr far more about life than running and in that regards it's a neverending set of experiences that constantly evolve and grow (wow existential isn't it). it's also been an idea that I try to provide to young runners. that this sport is far more than running and competing....it's about learning and evolving. In that case you are constantly motivated.
So here are a few of my tricks to reach this form of enlightment:
1) Create a plan for training, school, etc… (time
management) and have the discipline to stick so that plan (yeah easier said than done sometimes.....and whene evr you think you have trained hard.....remember you could ahve done more)
2) Routine, routine, routine (consistency rule):
“to be good a running life must be boring” – Marty Liquori - former world #1 miler & US 2 mile record holder. This has been the key for my running or as the great Villanova coach (and Liqouri's coach) said: "Live like a clock.".
Every Monday I do this...every Tues, etc...... The greater the routine (not meant to be boring), the easier it is to deal with the monotony of training. For some it's not as relevant...for me it's key!
3) With consistency there is a feeling of empowerment. See my enlightenment beliefs
4) The more you do it the easier it becomes. See Zatopek's quote!!!!
In turn all of this creates mental toughness (‘there are no secrets’ and ‘miles of trials, trials of miles’). Sounds boring but it works....
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Determination
To enjoy training is not really the appropriate phrase; to gain satisfaction of fulfillment from training is more appropriate. ” (Joe Vigil)
A quote that I often use to describe running. If it was fun everyone would do it and often running is....well.....really not fun or enjoyable. But what it does do is offer (as Rudyard Kipling would say)a challenge if you wish to take on that '60 seconds' of pain.
But as I note (bringing out my own demons here) all too often is what a difficult sport this can be on a dialy basis. If you feel you haven't properly prepared seldom will you run to your potential (but then again if you don't know better ignorance is bliss). I try to reinforce to the HS I coach that at one time I thought I trained hard...I was wrong!!! It requires many things and the first attitude (or as i prefer to call it an underrated skill) is determination. Here then are my keys:
●One must have the ability to force their bodies in both training and racing (callusing). An idea I specifically took from Bill Dellinger (former oregon and Steve Prefontaine's coach) of how general training and more specific wokrouts can create a callusing effect on the physical and mental aspects of running. The key is not confusing single workouts callusing with consistency callusing (far better)
●Running is not glamorous and requires one to actually volunteer to feel pain/discomfort for a lengthy period of time. See if it was fun everyone would do it. i find it takes a certain type of personlity to run and it seems to revolve around two certifiable nutty traits...1)do you like pain and 2) do you like a challenge (see my previous post on Ron Daws)
●Pain threshold can be increased through pure hard work and effort (going the extra distance and doing the little things). It doesn't always have to be about pushing through pain. it can be as simple as running 5 mins longer, eating better, doing drills 15 secs longer, doing an extra set of weights, etc.... it's more about focussing on the process and then the rest just seems to happen)
● Find something to motivate you (egs Murray Halberg and his clock/withered arm). If there's one runner who I would say defined 'toughness' it would be 1960 5000m Oly champ Murray Halberg. he had an arm that was almost taken off by a horrific rugby accident, and IMHo ran arguably the gutsiest race of all time when he won hos Oly gold. But the best Halberg story comes from his race in Los Angeles. He had lost to former Canadian teen phenom Bruce Kidd and had placed 3rd. he hated losing to Kidd and received an alarm clock. He wanted to throw the clock out, but thought better of himself and instead used to motivate himself....for one whole year. Halberg used the clock as his every day alarm clock. Every morning it went off for him to do his morning run, but if he didn't feel like running he simply looked at the clock, got mad and out the door he went. The end result...he simply annihiliated Kidd and the rest of the competition one year later.
A quote that I often use to describe running. If it was fun everyone would do it and often running is....well.....really not fun or enjoyable. But what it does do is offer (as Rudyard Kipling would say)a challenge if you wish to take on that '60 seconds' of pain.
But as I note (bringing out my own demons here) all too often is what a difficult sport this can be on a dialy basis. If you feel you haven't properly prepared seldom will you run to your potential (but then again if you don't know better ignorance is bliss). I try to reinforce to the HS I coach that at one time I thought I trained hard...I was wrong!!! It requires many things and the first attitude (or as i prefer to call it an underrated skill) is determination. Here then are my keys:
●One must have the ability to force their bodies in both training and racing (callusing). An idea I specifically took from Bill Dellinger (former oregon and Steve Prefontaine's coach) of how general training and more specific wokrouts can create a callusing effect on the physical and mental aspects of running. The key is not confusing single workouts callusing with consistency callusing (far better)
●Running is not glamorous and requires one to actually volunteer to feel pain/discomfort for a lengthy period of time. See if it was fun everyone would do it. i find it takes a certain type of personlity to run and it seems to revolve around two certifiable nutty traits...1)do you like pain and 2) do you like a challenge (see my previous post on Ron Daws)
●Pain threshold can be increased through pure hard work and effort (going the extra distance and doing the little things). It doesn't always have to be about pushing through pain. it can be as simple as running 5 mins longer, eating better, doing drills 15 secs longer, doing an extra set of weights, etc.... it's more about focussing on the process and then the rest just seems to happen)
● Find something to motivate you (egs Murray Halberg and his clock/withered arm). If there's one runner who I would say defined 'toughness' it would be 1960 5000m Oly champ Murray Halberg. he had an arm that was almost taken off by a horrific rugby accident, and IMHo ran arguably the gutsiest race of all time when he won hos Oly gold. But the best Halberg story comes from his race in Los Angeles. He had lost to former Canadian teen phenom Bruce Kidd and had placed 3rd. he hated losing to Kidd and received an alarm clock. He wanted to throw the clock out, but thought better of himself and instead used to motivate himself....for one whole year. Halberg used the clock as his every day alarm clock. Every morning it went off for him to do his morning run, but if he didn't feel like running he simply looked at the clock, got mad and out the door he went. The end result...he simply annihiliated Kidd and the rest of the competition one year later.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Okay I am back in the Game
...or to quote Al Pacino... 'Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in'.
I thought I was in for good a couple of weeks ago. Got in 6 solid days of running 40-75 mins. The next week was on a roll again when an 'oops' started and I took 3 days off. I have been able to rectify that oops this week, but we'll see.
If it's any consolation we finally sold our house, bought one (final paperwork today) and begin moving in about 2 weeks, although we won't be living there til early Jan. That and Julie's impending pregnancy, Carter's endless energy, the rain and my own lack of discipline (This is the worst I have fallen off the wagon) have meant a lack of running, but when I do I feel great. My mechanics have felt good, my stride is more 'core' and powerful, but it's always a long road back. Thank god I had some semblance of 3-4 days of running before this or it would be ugly
When things go awry I often go back to the simple things and one of the reason for starting this blog was to share what I feel is a somewhat unique set of perspectives and experiences on someone who somehow made it through this sport in a very strange series of events. The sport has never been easy for me, but somehow I've landed on my feet (most of the time anyways).
In that regards 'getting it' and how difficult this sport can be goes hand in hand with my personality (hence why I have always seen the fictional Quenton Cassidy of Once a Runner fame as a soul mate). I have never been the OCD true blue distance runner and it's something I've had to work at (at times far more than most realize and definitely more than I sometimes understand).
This leads to the next series of posts (I will update regularly) rather than go on about training and my own self loathing.
I've had the opportunity to pass on some of my running perspectives at both the HS and Uni level. Over time I have had the chance to tweak a PowerPoint presentation to the point where I can do it at many levels and too many groups (not just running). Over the next while I figure I'll change gears and write about something that I already have a skeleton structure in place.
The idea behind said PowerPoint was to 1) remind me of where I've come from and what I need to do myself and 2) to give younger athletes a bit of idea on what I wish I could have told myself if I could go back in time. Nothing is that original (except my eccentric way of presentation) and instead is based upon more methodology of what I have gleamed in my own experiences and from those much greater at this sport than myself (egs Joe Vigil, Steve Ovett, Arthur lydiard, Peter Snell, etc...)...so here goes:
If could pinpoint one main place to begin in running and that is a philosophy of what the sport means to you. It's an idea I took from a man I would consider a great motivator and that is Joe Vigil. I've wrote about Joe before but his ability to connect with athletes is legendary and it left an indelible mark in my mind. One of the core ideas of Vigil was that each athlete should have a philosophy. In time of stress, concern or despair the philosophy is what you fall back on. I can be your own idea (my quote of the 'key to success is patience with a sense of urgency' has always stuck with me, but I've found a much more fluid philosophy from Ron Daws. Daws was a running eccentric and schmuck, but he also made himself into a "Self Made Olympian'. He began his training book 'Running Your Best: The Committed Runner's Guide to Training and Racing' with the infamous Teddy Roosevelt quote (and this blogs main name) 'In the Arena', but I found Daws quote even better. It really does get at the core and when I find myself struggling (as I do right now) it's my core vision of what the hell I am actually trying to do....
“Making a commitment to run comes down to how badly you want to explore your limits. It means honestly confronting your excuses. It means making time to train. Unless you go all out for something, you may conclude your life without actually having lived it. It doesn’t have to be running, but it should be a quest for excellence, and it need be for only that period of life that it takes to full explore it. That’s how you find out who you are. To live your life your way, to reach for the goals you have set for yourself, to be the way that you want to be, that is success”
(Ron Daws from ‘Running Your Best’ – 1968 Olympian)
I thought I was in for good a couple of weeks ago. Got in 6 solid days of running 40-75 mins. The next week was on a roll again when an 'oops' started and I took 3 days off. I have been able to rectify that oops this week, but we'll see.
If it's any consolation we finally sold our house, bought one (final paperwork today) and begin moving in about 2 weeks, although we won't be living there til early Jan. That and Julie's impending pregnancy, Carter's endless energy, the rain and my own lack of discipline (This is the worst I have fallen off the wagon) have meant a lack of running, but when I do I feel great. My mechanics have felt good, my stride is more 'core' and powerful, but it's always a long road back. Thank god I had some semblance of 3-4 days of running before this or it would be ugly
When things go awry I often go back to the simple things and one of the reason for starting this blog was to share what I feel is a somewhat unique set of perspectives and experiences on someone who somehow made it through this sport in a very strange series of events. The sport has never been easy for me, but somehow I've landed on my feet (most of the time anyways).
In that regards 'getting it' and how difficult this sport can be goes hand in hand with my personality (hence why I have always seen the fictional Quenton Cassidy of Once a Runner fame as a soul mate). I have never been the OCD true blue distance runner and it's something I've had to work at (at times far more than most realize and definitely more than I sometimes understand).
This leads to the next series of posts (I will update regularly) rather than go on about training and my own self loathing.
I've had the opportunity to pass on some of my running perspectives at both the HS and Uni level. Over time I have had the chance to tweak a PowerPoint presentation to the point where I can do it at many levels and too many groups (not just running). Over the next while I figure I'll change gears and write about something that I already have a skeleton structure in place.
The idea behind said PowerPoint was to 1) remind me of where I've come from and what I need to do myself and 2) to give younger athletes a bit of idea on what I wish I could have told myself if I could go back in time. Nothing is that original (except my eccentric way of presentation) and instead is based upon more methodology of what I have gleamed in my own experiences and from those much greater at this sport than myself (egs Joe Vigil, Steve Ovett, Arthur lydiard, Peter Snell, etc...)...so here goes:
If could pinpoint one main place to begin in running and that is a philosophy of what the sport means to you. It's an idea I took from a man I would consider a great motivator and that is Joe Vigil. I've wrote about Joe before but his ability to connect with athletes is legendary and it left an indelible mark in my mind. One of the core ideas of Vigil was that each athlete should have a philosophy. In time of stress, concern or despair the philosophy is what you fall back on. I can be your own idea (my quote of the 'key to success is patience with a sense of urgency' has always stuck with me, but I've found a much more fluid philosophy from Ron Daws. Daws was a running eccentric and schmuck, but he also made himself into a "Self Made Olympian'. He began his training book 'Running Your Best: The Committed Runner's Guide to Training and Racing' with the infamous Teddy Roosevelt quote (and this blogs main name) 'In the Arena', but I found Daws quote even better. It really does get at the core and when I find myself struggling (as I do right now) it's my core vision of what the hell I am actually trying to do....
“Making a commitment to run comes down to how badly you want to explore your limits. It means honestly confronting your excuses. It means making time to train. Unless you go all out for something, you may conclude your life without actually having lived it. It doesn’t have to be running, but it should be a quest for excellence, and it need be for only that period of life that it takes to full explore it. That’s how you find out who you are. To live your life your way, to reach for the goals you have set for yourself, to be the way that you want to be, that is success”
(Ron Daws from ‘Running Your Best’ – 1968 Olympian)
Thursday, October 28, 2010
There are really no excuses.....
....I always knew I was like some big train when I stopped running/training. I just can't get moving easily......
My achilles has actually been very good, but my lack of any running routine and any sort of internal discipline to get with it has led to some nice runs, but also a complete lack of focus and consistency. The 'sense of urgency' as i call it has yet entered my realm of thought.
On the plus side I've been spending more time working with the HS kids. It's fun working with them, but it's also killing my time management as having top pick up Carter, try to sell our house (final stages hopefully) and general life has made it difficult to truly be focuses. If there was any proof of that my constant 8-8:30 fall asleep on the couch times can attest to that. It's simply one of those things that will come, but for me it's never been easy.
Hence why I empathize with the HS kids we've been coaching. They are still learning, but gosh some of them have talent. We have three pretty good junior kids who have never trained for XC before and their results attest to their talent and having done enough work to have some nice results. We have one very talented kid, but we have unearthed four others who could make our school team pretty decent next year and very good the year after that. It's just getting them out. The shocking thing is that two of them gave up soccer to focus on running. Hopefully on my current comeback they can motivate me to get out more consistently.
My achilles has actually been very good, but my lack of any running routine and any sort of internal discipline to get with it has led to some nice runs, but also a complete lack of focus and consistency. The 'sense of urgency' as i call it has yet entered my realm of thought.
On the plus side I've been spending more time working with the HS kids. It's fun working with them, but it's also killing my time management as having top pick up Carter, try to sell our house (final stages hopefully) and general life has made it difficult to truly be focuses. If there was any proof of that my constant 8-8:30 fall asleep on the couch times can attest to that. It's simply one of those things that will come, but for me it's never been easy.
Hence why I empathize with the HS kids we've been coaching. They are still learning, but gosh some of them have talent. We have three pretty good junior kids who have never trained for XC before and their results attest to their talent and having done enough work to have some nice results. We have one very talented kid, but we have unearthed four others who could make our school team pretty decent next year and very good the year after that. It's just getting them out. The shocking thing is that two of them gave up soccer to focus on running. Hopefully on my current comeback they can motivate me to get out more consistently.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Yes I am still alive....
...and no running is not going particularly well. If I ever thought there was such a thing as a minor achilles problem...shoot me. Although the achilles is okay to run it's still creaky. I just cannot figure out if it's simply old age creaky, injured creaky or simply just creaky and ok to run on consistently.
My runs are good (mechanics are much better even if they feel awkward), when I do run and it often feels better the next day, but I am also paranoid as hell tnat one step forward will be one step back, and I don't think my brain could take that....oh well for now I may have to take that step forward.....this is more stresssful than any race I have ever done....eeekkkkk....
I hope to post more consistently, in my typical tangent fashion, but things have been busy. Work, coaching the HS kids, and trying to sell a house(^%$*^%*^% chafer beetles) as julie is pregnant again means things are a little unpredictable these days and I more than most need predictability to run well (I find the more of a loose cannon you are the more routine one needs, at least in regards to place and time)
My runs are good (mechanics are much better even if they feel awkward), when I do run and it often feels better the next day, but I am also paranoid as hell tnat one step forward will be one step back, and I don't think my brain could take that....oh well for now I may have to take that step forward.....this is more stresssful than any race I have ever done....eeekkkkk....
I hope to post more consistently, in my typical tangent fashion, but things have been busy. Work, coaching the HS kids, and trying to sell a house(^%$*^%*^% chafer beetles) as julie is pregnant again means things are a little unpredictable these days and I more than most need predictability to run well (I find the more of a loose cannon you are the more routine one needs, at least in regards to place and time)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Wow!! Maybe I showed too much patience
It's been a very interesting last 4-5 weeks. I figured I'd be running full time a long time ago, but this has not been the case. The achilles didn't respond to anything I did too it, so I ended up finally getting into physio (shoulda done that the first week). It's coming along, but still stiff at times (got a night splint) and tender, but my physio seems to think it's better that I think it is...
The good thing has been I purchased a hybrid road bike. it's more road bike than mtn bike and although it's a cheaper model, it's definitely smoother than anything I've been on before. if there's one thing I can actually handle when injured it's bike riding for 2-3 hours. I've only just got the bike, but I've had a couple 90min runs mixed in with some pool workouts at the Glen (where I have lived this summer) as they have two pools there and I was able to find a cheap pool running belt (BIG % is a plethora of cheap sports crap!!!). Mix that in with a few runs and things are coming along. Now, I just have to to get hold of my 'love handles' get in some SFU and Bellingham runs and hope that the Fall is not like last year (October meltdown).
At they very least it looks as though I may have a part time training partner this Fall. A young kid we've been working with at our school ran some great races to win the two distance events (1200 and 2000m) at this yrs BC Summer Games. He's still a work in progress but he shocked the hell out of us in running a very aggressive 1200m (we didn't think he'd win as the other kids have more pure speed and have been running 2:04/05 800m), but he simply bullied his way to the front with 2500-300m to go and then kicked like a mad man to win. Slow time, but he closed in 63.
In the 2000m he ran somewhat similar, but we also expected he had a good shot to win. The final times made his dominance in the race look close. The way he handled himself in the race (controlling the tactics and strategy and being patient and smart) shows he has come a long way. He simply took off with 100m to go, much like the change of pace work we had given him over the last few weeks of training (good 100m with 300 to go and then another hard surge with 100m to go), worked wonders. It was one of those things where we know he needs to get in good position with 200m to go, as he doesn't have the pure leg speed so we felt that he needed the mental routine of practice surging to run better races tactically.
Considering eh has done all his training on his own, doesn't belong to a club and is in hist first year of the sport shows the potential we felt he had...
The good thing has been I purchased a hybrid road bike. it's more road bike than mtn bike and although it's a cheaper model, it's definitely smoother than anything I've been on before. if there's one thing I can actually handle when injured it's bike riding for 2-3 hours. I've only just got the bike, but I've had a couple 90min runs mixed in with some pool workouts at the Glen (where I have lived this summer) as they have two pools there and I was able to find a cheap pool running belt (BIG % is a plethora of cheap sports crap!!!). Mix that in with a few runs and things are coming along. Now, I just have to to get hold of my 'love handles' get in some SFU and Bellingham runs and hope that the Fall is not like last year (October meltdown).
At they very least it looks as though I may have a part time training partner this Fall. A young kid we've been working with at our school ran some great races to win the two distance events (1200 and 2000m) at this yrs BC Summer Games. He's still a work in progress but he shocked the hell out of us in running a very aggressive 1200m (we didn't think he'd win as the other kids have more pure speed and have been running 2:04/05 800m), but he simply bullied his way to the front with 2500-300m to go and then kicked like a mad man to win. Slow time, but he closed in 63.
In the 2000m he ran somewhat similar, but we also expected he had a good shot to win. The final times made his dominance in the race look close. The way he handled himself in the race (controlling the tactics and strategy and being patient and smart) shows he has come a long way. He simply took off with 100m to go, much like the change of pace work we had given him over the last few weeks of training (good 100m with 300 to go and then another hard surge with 100m to go), worked wonders. It was one of those things where we know he needs to get in good position with 200m to go, as he doesn't have the pure leg speed so we felt that he needed the mental routine of practice surging to run better races tactically.
Considering eh has done all his training on his own, doesn't belong to a club and is in hist first year of the sport shows the potential we felt he had...
Monday, June 21, 2010
The patience train...
(some pics of tank)
...is beginning to leave the train station. My supposed minor achilles (it has never really been bad) simply won't go away. Having said that it's been no help from me. I figured it responded so well to initial ice, rest, etc...that I'd be completely rolling in 2-3 weeks.
Well it hasn't gotten bad, but it has also been stubborn. I tried running earlier this week (3 weeks off) and it flared up. Now this could simply be tightness and the buildup of scar tissue making things feel painful, but I am not willing to take that chance.
I figured this would simply be my down time, but that time is now getting antsy. I had originally figured I'd be rolling on the track by now, but alas I sit here and....and well sit here some more.
Once again I get to live vicariously through the high school kid we are coaching. Good story as he qualified for the BC Summer Games in the 1200 and 2000m, but his 2000m trails race was one for the ages. I should preface that this kid kinda drives us nuts becuase he can be scatterbrained (don't know anyone like that).
So at the trials he is running a great race (I wasn't there but heard all about it) and he is sitting on this kid on lap 4 when with he hits the 200m mark and takes off. Oh oh....he thought he was on lap 5. Apparently, he has this huge lead and hit the line and then realizes he has another lap to go. Right then and there the kid showed us what he is really made of as he retook the lead until 200m to go and then puts down another kick. He hangs on til the last few meters when he gets passed to place 2nd and confirm his spot on the team.
Now we just have to get him to the start line in a month of so and see what happens.... should be interesting.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
I am still here....
...but it's been a busy last few weeks (school yr ending and the high school track season being in full swing), and a tweaky achilles has put me in limbo mode. Initially I was get in the gym and hammer myself into the ground, but getting my rear to the gym has been...well...a challenge. Instead, I've taken the take a week off, get the achilles dealt with (it's not bad and I don't want it to get that way) and move on....
In the mean time it's living vicariously thru some of the HS athletes we've been working with and see if they can achieve some good results. And this is where this post begins....
We have a grade 12 student who had never gone out for a school team in her life. Over the past 18mths she began doing the school's Sun Run clinics and in the fall came out for XC. Now this is the sort of kid you root for because she has the guts, resiliency, attitude and determination to show up and train. She was our team leader in XC even though she was at best our 7th runner. Unfortunately, she lacks the 3rd main ingredient to being a successful distance runner and that is plain simple pure talent.
As this student began coming out for track we decided we would do everything possible to get her to meets (she never misses a practice and even took up the javelin). Early in the season we went to a meet in the states. We had a free entry in all events and the only way to get her into an event was the 400m. She ran as hard as she could and afterwards still had a smile on her face (once she recovered).
But alas just when one thinks that luck in life never comes into play things happen to those who have that sort of attitude that deserves recognition. We had one of our local HS teachers, and former national team walkers, agree to hold walking clinics.
Now I know what you are thinking...WALKS!!!!.....but I've had a great degree of respect for walkers since I was in grade 11 and had a walks guy show exactly how fast they are (I could barely keep up with him when running).
I realized then and there that this kids lack of pure talent was no factor (if she could learn walking technique, which is more relevant). The result has been a kid who qualified for the BCHS champs and will probably be our highest open individual placing.
Life can often be full of terrible things, but every once in a while ol lady luck smiles on you. I'd be lying to you if the lady luck was only for her because in watching her succeed (with more tangible results) I've been able to remember that often things do work out for those who deserve it.
In the mean time it's living vicariously thru some of the HS athletes we've been working with and see if they can achieve some good results. And this is where this post begins....
We have a grade 12 student who had never gone out for a school team in her life. Over the past 18mths she began doing the school's Sun Run clinics and in the fall came out for XC. Now this is the sort of kid you root for because she has the guts, resiliency, attitude and determination to show up and train. She was our team leader in XC even though she was at best our 7th runner. Unfortunately, she lacks the 3rd main ingredient to being a successful distance runner and that is plain simple pure talent.
As this student began coming out for track we decided we would do everything possible to get her to meets (she never misses a practice and even took up the javelin). Early in the season we went to a meet in the states. We had a free entry in all events and the only way to get her into an event was the 400m. She ran as hard as she could and afterwards still had a smile on her face (once she recovered).
But alas just when one thinks that luck in life never comes into play things happen to those who have that sort of attitude that deserves recognition. We had one of our local HS teachers, and former national team walkers, agree to hold walking clinics.
Now I know what you are thinking...WALKS!!!!.....but I've had a great degree of respect for walkers since I was in grade 11 and had a walks guy show exactly how fast they are (I could barely keep up with him when running).
I realized then and there that this kids lack of pure talent was no factor (if she could learn walking technique, which is more relevant). The result has been a kid who qualified for the BCHS champs and will probably be our highest open individual placing.
Life can often be full of terrible things, but every once in a while ol lady luck smiles on you. I'd be lying to you if the lady luck was only for her because in watching her succeed (with more tangible results) I've been able to remember that often things do work out for those who deserve it.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I actually made to the start line, nevermidn the finish line...
I am now officially mesmerized I actually made it to the Sun Run starting line. Because as of Sunday evening I had contracted Carter’s flu like symptoms, which apparently have turned out to be Norwalk (sp??). I originally thought I just felt kind of fatigued from the race, but as the day wore on I could feel there was something more to this uggghhh feeling.
I ended up calling in sick to work later Sunday, was being bed ridden for Mon and was only beginning to feel ‘human’ later Tues. By later in the day on Wed I was back to normal (a relative term I know), but of course with Julie being a nurse I also learned that Norwalk sticks around much longer (and is still catchy) up to two days after symptoms. So I finally went back to work on Thurs.
The worst part was Carter’s b-day party on Sat meant the sickie hit parade was on. By today’s count 16 of the 21 people at the party have also come down with said virus. Oh the fun that sick little kids create.
It might help to explain my hurting legs so early on in the Sun Run (maybe????) and my lack of energy over the latter parts of the race. It just felt hard from the get go. Oh well, maybe this is a needed rest.
I ended up calling in sick to work later Sunday, was being bed ridden for Mon and was only beginning to feel ‘human’ later Tues. By later in the day on Wed I was back to normal (a relative term I know), but of course with Julie being a nurse I also learned that Norwalk sticks around much longer (and is still catchy) up to two days after symptoms. So I finally went back to work on Thurs.
The worst part was Carter’s b-day party on Sat meant the sickie hit parade was on. By today’s count 16 of the 21 people at the party have also come down with said virus. Oh the fun that sick little kids create.
It might help to explain my hurting legs so early on in the Sun Run (maybe????) and my lack of energy over the latter parts of the race. It just felt hard from the get go. Oh well, maybe this is a needed rest.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
What a week....
It was exactly one year and one day ago that I found out what really matters. I have led an interesting life (a natural results of your father being in the RCMP and living in many different places), but last year changed everything. Why……simple…the birth of our first child. His birth (being as stressful as it was) caused both great hardship and great joy. The joy being how he has responded to his birth (we both believe he wouldn’t have made it through the weekend of his birth if my wife hadn’t had the feeling that something was wrong and had gone to the hospital), and turned into a tank of a child, who is eternally happy (even when he pukes you can still get a smile out of him).
It is when things go awry that I find myself with the simple concept that his life almost never began and that always bring me back into the real world. Today is such a day (being mothers day and all) when I can take a look back and realize that I cannot imagine much worse things than the birth of my child (I am still traumatized), but also how his resilient personality (yeah he has one) puts a constant smile on my face.
I've mentioned this before and if there's anything I've learned about myself (more so in recent times) is the requirement to become 'emotional' when I run. The past week has been a mess in regards to actually being able to focus on the Sun Run this week, and my performance showed as much. I cannot say it was terrible, but I also know it wasn't great. It was simply...'there'.
Back in high school when I played hockey I played my best when in an absolute emotional frenzy. I was one of those obnoxious (yeah imagine that!!!) player s that played on the edge and chirped away. Over the years I found that some people were able to get themselves up for any race. I was not one of those people. I could train at a high level, but I needed that extra little bit to race well.
What I also found was that getting ready to race for me was a buildup of events. I knew when and where I was going to run my best months in advance. But where problems sometimes arose (especially over the last two years has been in life getting in the way (not an entirely bad thing, but sometimes bad timing). Such was this past week.
Things began with our school track city championships on Monday. I enjoy the coaching, but the length of some of these days is exhausting. I got home around 8:30, never ran and went to sleep at 9:15. Not seeing Carter brings a great deal of stress and impatience on my part, so it was like a double whammy. Unfortunately, Tues was not much better. Because I hadn’t read any emails On Mon I messed up practice time and showed up at 5:30 (the time we had been showing up at). In turn I also had to cover our track practice as my coaching partner wasn’t there that day. Wed was another long day as I had to go to White Rock for another HS track race and didn’t get home til 6:30. Thurs was going fine til Carter was about to go to sleep and then proceeded to vomit all over Julie. That meant another late night as I was able to get in a short hill workout just it got dark around 9ish, go home and then had to go find a 24 hour drugstore to get fluids and Gravol for carter (who apparently had been puking non-stop since I had left). So another late night led to another early and long day as our final day of city championships took place. Now it was a beautiful day, but the sun and walking around are the last things I want to do before a bigger race. But wait…it gets better. I end up in bad traffic going home, get there late and can only put in a short run before I head downtown for a VIP shindig for the Sun Run. It was fine, but I would much rather have been relaxing at home. The adventures of this week don’t end there. Carter’s birthday was on Sat, s once again no down time and the to top it off I go out for a short run, come home and Julie now has what Carter had.
As always a moral…….Yeah!!!! I was totally ready to race on Sunday morning (insert sarcasm here)…. So after all this whining my Sun Run result is put in perspective (BTW I was top master and ran 30:57, but had a poor last km and was hoping for a much better time). …and that is some of our HS kids look as though they may be on their way to being successful in this sport, my wife had her first even Mothers day and most importantly Carter had his first ever birthday (or as I say to my wife, every day he is alive is a good day for me). I might be exhausted right now (not from the race), but I cannot complain.
It is when things go awry that I find myself with the simple concept that his life almost never began and that always bring me back into the real world. Today is such a day (being mothers day and all) when I can take a look back and realize that I cannot imagine much worse things than the birth of my child (I am still traumatized), but also how his resilient personality (yeah he has one) puts a constant smile on my face.
I've mentioned this before and if there's anything I've learned about myself (more so in recent times) is the requirement to become 'emotional' when I run. The past week has been a mess in regards to actually being able to focus on the Sun Run this week, and my performance showed as much. I cannot say it was terrible, but I also know it wasn't great. It was simply...'there'.
Back in high school when I played hockey I played my best when in an absolute emotional frenzy. I was one of those obnoxious (yeah imagine that!!!) player s that played on the edge and chirped away. Over the years I found that some people were able to get themselves up for any race. I was not one of those people. I could train at a high level, but I needed that extra little bit to race well.
What I also found was that getting ready to race for me was a buildup of events. I knew when and where I was going to run my best months in advance. But where problems sometimes arose (especially over the last two years has been in life getting in the way (not an entirely bad thing, but sometimes bad timing). Such was this past week.
Things began with our school track city championships on Monday. I enjoy the coaching, but the length of some of these days is exhausting. I got home around 8:30, never ran and went to sleep at 9:15. Not seeing Carter brings a great deal of stress and impatience on my part, so it was like a double whammy. Unfortunately, Tues was not much better. Because I hadn’t read any emails On Mon I messed up practice time and showed up at 5:30 (the time we had been showing up at). In turn I also had to cover our track practice as my coaching partner wasn’t there that day. Wed was another long day as I had to go to White Rock for another HS track race and didn’t get home til 6:30. Thurs was going fine til Carter was about to go to sleep and then proceeded to vomit all over Julie. That meant another late night as I was able to get in a short hill workout just it got dark around 9ish, go home and then had to go find a 24 hour drugstore to get fluids and Gravol for carter (who apparently had been puking non-stop since I had left). So another late night led to another early and long day as our final day of city championships took place. Now it was a beautiful day, but the sun and walking around are the last things I want to do before a bigger race. But wait…it gets better. I end up in bad traffic going home, get there late and can only put in a short run before I head downtown for a VIP shindig for the Sun Run. It was fine, but I would much rather have been relaxing at home. The adventures of this week don’t end there. Carter’s birthday was on Sat, s once again no down time and the to top it off I go out for a short run, come home and Julie now has what Carter had.
As always a moral…….Yeah!!!! I was totally ready to race on Sunday morning (insert sarcasm here)…. So after all this whining my Sun Run result is put in perspective (BTW I was top master and ran 30:57, but had a poor last km and was hoping for a much better time). …and that is some of our HS kids look as though they may be on their way to being successful in this sport, my wife had her first even Mothers day and most importantly Carter had his first ever birthday (or as I say to my wife, every day he is alive is a good day for me). I might be exhausted right now (not from the race), but I cannot complain.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Rolling with the punches...
…well I ran just over 31:20 for 10km at the Times Colonist 10km in Victoria. I cannot say it was a great race, but then again I don’t think things seem as bad… ( back in the day this would have been an unmitigated disaster). It’s funny how (a good word choice???) I still need some reason (based on some semblance of pressure/emotion in my case) to be able to run well. No matter how hard I try I cannot get up for many of my races and instead only pick a few to focus on during the season.
I’ve said this before how jealous I am of guys who can run the same day in day out. I can training that way, but I have never really been able to race that way. I have always needed that extra nudge to get to my potential. In today’s race such a situation occurred. Well sorta….. I don’t think I am really physically ready to race well yet, but also being a masters means I can win a division (and hence some $$$) without really pressing myself. Yeah, I know an easy way out, but in the past I never would have run such a race unless it meant something emotionally. So in this case I simply get a chance to see what I need to do, where my fitness is and how things are progressing.
Today showed that in some respects I am much closer to where I want to be, but that I also need some things to work on. I think most of us from the mainland who train with Richard Lee were fatigued and this explains some things. In my case I could feel the fatigue, but more so I could also feel the lack of any real willingness to lay it on the line. But I also think much of this has to do with not having that emotional edge (too relaxed!!!) and also in my hips/back.
The early parts to the race were difficult til about a mile and then I really relaxed. I felt great, until we hit some longer hills and then I felt as though it was a real struggle and I slightly fell back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t gain on the gap although the pack never really opened it up on me til I really packed it in around 8km. But, as always I try to take the positive out of this (and the negatives). In this case I really need to work some mechanical issues (my right hip was killing me on the warm down and throughout the day), but I also split 24:50 through 8km and running around 3:05s for the first 5km felt pretty easy. 31:20 may not seem like much, but I can tell I am much closer to breaking one than this race indicates
Training since my last post
Sat: AM 42 mins good run with Kao PM: tempo planned 20min-60s-10min-60 sec-5min, but a couple of mins into the 10min I swallowed a bug and my asthma went into over drive. I ended up shortening things up a bit felt terrible after
Sunday: 1 hr 56 mins good run
Mon: 56 mins ..it’s a down week and I have essentially had three 90+ mile weeks in a row.
Tues: 6 x 800m off 3mins ….I avg’d 2:14, but began at 2:16 and the last there were 2:13s…felt like I had some jump
Wed: 72 mins…legs banged up from tues, but still a decent run
Thurs: monofartlek at Mundy park…..decent considering how my legs felt on Wed. Maybe a bit quick (15;40 for a loop) considering racing on Sunday
Fri: 58mins..felt much better
Sat: AM 30mins at Mundy with the dog PM 20mins plus drill, strides and even some core work
Sun: 31:23 (split 15:2?? High for 5km and 24:50ish for 8km…then packed it in the last km as I was in no mans land and my main goal had been achieved…..’collect a paycheque’…
I’ve said this before how jealous I am of guys who can run the same day in day out. I can training that way, but I have never really been able to race that way. I have always needed that extra nudge to get to my potential. In today’s race such a situation occurred. Well sorta….. I don’t think I am really physically ready to race well yet, but also being a masters means I can win a division (and hence some $$$) without really pressing myself. Yeah, I know an easy way out, but in the past I never would have run such a race unless it meant something emotionally. So in this case I simply get a chance to see what I need to do, where my fitness is and how things are progressing.
Today showed that in some respects I am much closer to where I want to be, but that I also need some things to work on. I think most of us from the mainland who train with Richard Lee were fatigued and this explains some things. In my case I could feel the fatigue, but more so I could also feel the lack of any real willingness to lay it on the line. But I also think much of this has to do with not having that emotional edge (too relaxed!!!) and also in my hips/back.
The early parts to the race were difficult til about a mile and then I really relaxed. I felt great, until we hit some longer hills and then I felt as though it was a real struggle and I slightly fell back. Unfortunately, I couldn’t gain on the gap although the pack never really opened it up on me til I really packed it in around 8km. But, as always I try to take the positive out of this (and the negatives). In this case I really need to work some mechanical issues (my right hip was killing me on the warm down and throughout the day), but I also split 24:50 through 8km and running around 3:05s for the first 5km felt pretty easy. 31:20 may not seem like much, but I can tell I am much closer to breaking one than this race indicates
Training since my last post
Sat: AM 42 mins good run with Kao PM: tempo planned 20min-60s-10min-60 sec-5min, but a couple of mins into the 10min I swallowed a bug and my asthma went into over drive. I ended up shortening things up a bit felt terrible after
Sunday: 1 hr 56 mins good run
Mon: 56 mins ..it’s a down week and I have essentially had three 90+ mile weeks in a row.
Tues: 6 x 800m off 3mins ….I avg’d 2:14, but began at 2:16 and the last there were 2:13s…felt like I had some jump
Wed: 72 mins…legs banged up from tues, but still a decent run
Thurs: monofartlek at Mundy park…..decent considering how my legs felt on Wed. Maybe a bit quick (15;40 for a loop) considering racing on Sunday
Fri: 58mins..felt much better
Sat: AM 30mins at Mundy with the dog PM 20mins plus drill, strides and even some core work
Sun: 31:23 (split 15:2?? High for 5km and 24:50ish for 8km…then packed it in the last km as I was in no mans land and my main goal had been achieved…..’collect a paycheque’…
Saturday, April 17, 2010
....My 'Magical Place'...
….the term I use when training finally hits a groove. I’ve always said (to anyone who would listen), be patient, put in the volume and let the workouts come to you, not the other way around. I am finally starting to see the results of said action over the last few weeks. Even with my ‘meltdown’ session a few Tuesdays ago I knew that training was coming around (especially my tempo run a couple of weekends ago where I was running longer and quicker and easier than at any time all year).
Due to an ‘experiment’ when I first moved up to 5 and 10km I knew I had to get in more volume, I decided to put any semblance of ego aside, take my lumps in training, not force things and see what happened. The end result was what I referred to as ‘magic’. Of course ‘magic’ is defined as when one gets to the point in training where training recovery days and workouts drop noticeably (and in my case the drop is very noticeable). Now if the patience isn’t there then that ‘magic’ can go backwards (read overtraining). Bit also going through that period where your workouts suck because you are simply gaining fatigue (or the ‘calm before the storm’), when finally recovery catches up fatigue and then training becomes a daily joy.
The ‘magical place’ is also when any mental issues are taken care of. There is no I am tired, there are no bad days on running (well maybe every 3-4 weeks, but those tend to be more medium days rather than the bad ones that may have occurred in the early stages). There is simply having gotten beyond the mental and physical fatigue of earlier training.
The ‘magic place’ doesn’t yet mean I am race ready, but it does mean I am close. It’s simply the one quick, yet huge step, to racing at one’s best. I love the ‘magical place’…..
Last week:
Mon: AM 43mins PM 55 mins
Tues: 5 x 1600m off 3mins (around 4:50 +/-)
Wed: 80mins
Thurs: 30mins of 45-50 sec hills
Fri: 65mins
Sat: AM 30mins, and then spent all day at a track meet in the US PM 25mins tempo. (Actually quite good considering the long day)
Sunday: 1 hr 45min (shockingly easy and quick)
Mon: 70mins
Tues: 2 x 1600-1200-800 (off 3mins) 1600s – 4:41/2; 1200s – 3:30/1 and 800s – 2:17/18 (I think…as I recall, but in every one I dropped it down on the last lap and to say this was a controlled session is an understatement. I just hope this is the trend and not the exception)
Wed: 85 mins...too easy of a run considering Tues session
Thurs: monofartlek plus 5mins hills…once again it felt too controlled considering the paces I was hitting)
Fri: 70mins cruisy, very relaxed, yet quick
Due to an ‘experiment’ when I first moved up to 5 and 10km I knew I had to get in more volume, I decided to put any semblance of ego aside, take my lumps in training, not force things and see what happened. The end result was what I referred to as ‘magic’. Of course ‘magic’ is defined as when one gets to the point in training where training recovery days and workouts drop noticeably (and in my case the drop is very noticeable). Now if the patience isn’t there then that ‘magic’ can go backwards (read overtraining). Bit also going through that period where your workouts suck because you are simply gaining fatigue (or the ‘calm before the storm’), when finally recovery catches up fatigue and then training becomes a daily joy.
The ‘magical place’ is also when any mental issues are taken care of. There is no I am tired, there are no bad days on running (well maybe every 3-4 weeks, but those tend to be more medium days rather than the bad ones that may have occurred in the early stages). There is simply having gotten beyond the mental and physical fatigue of earlier training.
The ‘magic place’ doesn’t yet mean I am race ready, but it does mean I am close. It’s simply the one quick, yet huge step, to racing at one’s best. I love the ‘magical place’…..
Last week:
Mon: AM 43mins PM 55 mins
Tues: 5 x 1600m off 3mins (around 4:50 +/-)
Wed: 80mins
Thurs: 30mins of 45-50 sec hills
Fri: 65mins
Sat: AM 30mins, and then spent all day at a track meet in the US PM 25mins tempo. (Actually quite good considering the long day)
Sunday: 1 hr 45min (shockingly easy and quick)
Mon: 70mins
Tues: 2 x 1600-1200-800 (off 3mins) 1600s – 4:41/2; 1200s – 3:30/1 and 800s – 2:17/18 (I think…as I recall, but in every one I dropped it down on the last lap and to say this was a controlled session is an understatement. I just hope this is the trend and not the exception)
Wed: 85 mins...too easy of a run considering Tues session
Thurs: monofartlek plus 5mins hills…once again it felt too controlled considering the paces I was hitting)
Fri: 70mins cruisy, very relaxed, yet quick
Monday, April 5, 2010
Deja Vu....
..so last week i talk about how emotion I am in my running (or at least need it) and then I go out and have an absolutely mess of a planned workout due to emotions (or better described as the wrong emotions or running on empty) of having a very long day and week mixed in with some bad sleep and probably lousy eating as well.
Tuesday was supposed to be 8 x 1000m off 2mins and after the way training has gone I was expecting a bit of a jump in workouts. Instead i went about 10 steps backwards. I did 2 at below goal pace and walked off the track less than half way through #3. I was spent from a long Monday at work, another even longer day with some long parent meeting, not eating and going directly from work to practice and even getting there late. Never mind my back felt terrible and I ran as tense as I possibly could. All in all a running mess. So off I went for an easy 40-50min run and about 20-30mins in I began to see 'black' spots, but I was on the other side of the river from the track and couldn't even cut it short.
Fortunately, by the end of the week I felt much better (had both Fri and Mon off, relaxed and running became substantially better. Even a tempo session I did two weeks ago (of 2 x 20mins off 90 sec, which i thought was pretty good) was surpassed by an even longer tempo style session of 20-15-10-5 off 1min in which i ran quite a bit faster (and the last 5mins i let it loose the last 2min and felt great).
So where to from here.....well back on the track for Rues with hopefully much better results...for now it's the final final four......
Mon: 66mins
Tues: arrrhhhh......
Wed: 82 mins...felt much better
Thurs: monfartlek
Fri: AM 38 mins PM 72 mins
Sat: AM 37 mins PM 20--15-10-5 at tempo effort off 1mins
Sun: 2hr 1 min in Bellingham
Tuesday was supposed to be 8 x 1000m off 2mins and after the way training has gone I was expecting a bit of a jump in workouts. Instead i went about 10 steps backwards. I did 2 at below goal pace and walked off the track less than half way through #3. I was spent from a long Monday at work, another even longer day with some long parent meeting, not eating and going directly from work to practice and even getting there late. Never mind my back felt terrible and I ran as tense as I possibly could. All in all a running mess. So off I went for an easy 40-50min run and about 20-30mins in I began to see 'black' spots, but I was on the other side of the river from the track and couldn't even cut it short.
Fortunately, by the end of the week I felt much better (had both Fri and Mon off, relaxed and running became substantially better. Even a tempo session I did two weeks ago (of 2 x 20mins off 90 sec, which i thought was pretty good) was surpassed by an even longer tempo style session of 20-15-10-5 off 1min in which i ran quite a bit faster (and the last 5mins i let it loose the last 2min and felt great).
So where to from here.....well back on the track for Rues with hopefully much better results...for now it's the final final four......
Mon: 66mins
Tues: arrrhhhh......
Wed: 82 mins...felt much better
Thurs: monfartlek
Fri: AM 38 mins PM 72 mins
Sat: AM 37 mins PM 20--15-10-5 at tempo effort off 1mins
Sun: 2hr 1 min in Bellingham
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Chicken and egg......
Those who know of my running history know of someone who is both inconsistent, yet also consistent as well. The inconsistent would be in consistent early season race results, while the consistent would be in usually meeting/exceeding expectations in important races (a topic for another day).
I've come to realize a few things about my mental makeup. One is that I am a serious 'type B', and the other is that it takes some sort of emotional situation to get me to run fast. It's like i become so focused on the process to achieve the goal that I ignore everything else along the way. In that regards what I've often done over the years is 'create a chip on my shoulder'. Back in the day i used to have a few guys i raced against who would become the 'enemy'. Ad I've gotten older creating that 'enemy' has gotten tougher.
This past weekend was such an example. Training has been coming along (probably too well as I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew in training the last two week where i ran around 210 miles with three pretty good runs and 2+ hr long runs when I had mostly been doing give or take - mostly take - 85 miles), But I was feeling the buildup of training (mostly from Tues session) and expected little beforehand. My legs felt beaten up early on (like 400m) In the end I had my typical bad spot, which happens to the extreme when I have little emotional buildup, and when I also typically come back later in the race. In this case I caught a younger guy (Tristan Simpson) who i felt had run a really gutty race. He had impressed me so much in his attitude towards the race, in sticking his neck out there, that I tried to help him get through the last km. In the end, he survived with a decent time and I knew I had a lot left (so a good sign with some more training, a little rest and focus things will be going well in about a month).
The week:
Mon: 66mins
Tues 16 x 400m off 1 mins ..banged out 66-67s on a fairly consistent basis and it felt very controlled.
Wed: I hr easy ...legs dead from everything I've been doing
Thurs: 3 loop acceleration run at Mundy with Dylan and Steve....legs felt okay, but once the pace picked up I was a dead man walking
Fri: 30min easy...uh oh....not quick considering I felt as though I was moving and instead i was slow...
sat: 5km 15:39......I felt as though I could run another one that fast almost immediately PM gym
Sun: 1 hr 40mins at Bby Lake....felt great which I kind expected...the rest over the last few days is finally starting to kick in.
I've come to realize a few things about my mental makeup. One is that I am a serious 'type B', and the other is that it takes some sort of emotional situation to get me to run fast. It's like i become so focused on the process to achieve the goal that I ignore everything else along the way. In that regards what I've often done over the years is 'create a chip on my shoulder'. Back in the day i used to have a few guys i raced against who would become the 'enemy'. Ad I've gotten older creating that 'enemy' has gotten tougher.
This past weekend was such an example. Training has been coming along (probably too well as I think I bit off a bit more than I could chew in training the last two week where i ran around 210 miles with three pretty good runs and 2+ hr long runs when I had mostly been doing give or take - mostly take - 85 miles), But I was feeling the buildup of training (mostly from Tues session) and expected little beforehand. My legs felt beaten up early on (like 400m) In the end I had my typical bad spot, which happens to the extreme when I have little emotional buildup, and when I also typically come back later in the race. In this case I caught a younger guy (Tristan Simpson) who i felt had run a really gutty race. He had impressed me so much in his attitude towards the race, in sticking his neck out there, that I tried to help him get through the last km. In the end, he survived with a decent time and I knew I had a lot left (so a good sign with some more training, a little rest and focus things will be going well in about a month).
The week:
Mon: 66mins
Tues 16 x 400m off 1 mins ..banged out 66-67s on a fairly consistent basis and it felt very controlled.
Wed: I hr easy ...legs dead from everything I've been doing
Thurs: 3 loop acceleration run at Mundy with Dylan and Steve....legs felt okay, but once the pace picked up I was a dead man walking
Fri: 30min easy...uh oh....not quick considering I felt as though I was moving and instead i was slow...
sat: 5km 15:39......I felt as though I could run another one that fast almost immediately PM gym
Sun: 1 hr 40mins at Bby Lake....felt great which I kind expected...the rest over the last few days is finally starting to kick in.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Man o man.....
I haven't updated in while. Sort of a thought about why would be one of two future topics I have in my head 1) perspective while the other topic in my head has been 2) running with a 'chip on your shoulder'.
It's been a busy month. I have actually kinda raced (poorly and the lesson of how when you aren't in great shape a long run can really mess you up), spent a weekend seeing the mortality of my parents (disheartening, but also got to see them at probably the happiest they've been when they spend time with their grandson), got a flat tire, saw one of my best friends (guy in my wedding party), spent a weekend in children's hospital with Carter( nice way to see the Oly opening ceremonies and stressful watching him suffer), started track practices at school (we have a distance runner ringer.....this could be great..I mean really great), been down to take in at least one day of the Oly gong show (another topic of living vicariously through others??...or better yet how people from the suburbs don't know how to act in the big city???), wrote report cards, met up with a good friend from New Zealand (Jono Wyatt) and now sit here all alone as Jules, Carter and my running pal Kao have meandered down to the US for a few days.
It's when i don't think I've done anything that I actually realize a lot has occurred.
In general training has been okay. Nothing major, some good days, some mediocre, but nothing too terrible. And if it's been mediocre that's been a product of training or choice (egs on Tues I did 5 x 1000m off around 2 and a bit mins..not fast, but then again I had an amazing long run on Sunday, my legs were still very tired, it was the first time on the track in eons).
The idea with training right now is to simply get into my old 5-10km routine. It's what I call the Storey/Bideau cycle (nicknamed after British coach Alan Story who is an advisor to Aussie Nic Bideau). It's quite simple get in a day of controlled longer reps, hills, shorter tempo and long run. Simple stuff really as you don't really alter much from week to week except the intensity and volume, but other than that every day is somewhat similar.
The old routine/consistency ethos coming into play. I've probably been averaging around 80miles per week, but that's also been with a day off so in some respects my overall training load is probably more like 85-90 mile week rather than 80
It's been a busy month. I have actually kinda raced (poorly and the lesson of how when you aren't in great shape a long run can really mess you up), spent a weekend seeing the mortality of my parents (disheartening, but also got to see them at probably the happiest they've been when they spend time with their grandson), got a flat tire, saw one of my best friends (guy in my wedding party), spent a weekend in children's hospital with Carter( nice way to see the Oly opening ceremonies and stressful watching him suffer), started track practices at school (we have a distance runner ringer.....this could be great..I mean really great), been down to take in at least one day of the Oly gong show (another topic of living vicariously through others??...or better yet how people from the suburbs don't know how to act in the big city???), wrote report cards, met up with a good friend from New Zealand (Jono Wyatt) and now sit here all alone as Jules, Carter and my running pal Kao have meandered down to the US for a few days.
It's when i don't think I've done anything that I actually realize a lot has occurred.
In general training has been okay. Nothing major, some good days, some mediocre, but nothing too terrible. And if it's been mediocre that's been a product of training or choice (egs on Tues I did 5 x 1000m off around 2 and a bit mins..not fast, but then again I had an amazing long run on Sunday, my legs were still very tired, it was the first time on the track in eons).
The idea with training right now is to simply get into my old 5-10km routine. It's what I call the Storey/Bideau cycle (nicknamed after British coach Alan Story who is an advisor to Aussie Nic Bideau). It's quite simple get in a day of controlled longer reps, hills, shorter tempo and long run. Simple stuff really as you don't really alter much from week to week except the intensity and volume, but other than that every day is somewhat similar.
The old routine/consistency ethos coming into play. I've probably been averaging around 80miles per week, but that's also been with a day off so in some respects my overall training load is probably more like 85-90 mile week rather than 80
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The best online articles....
The emergence of the internet over the last 10-15 years has meant a plethora of material in regards to training. In no particular order are some of my favourites......have fun reading, but each of these is worth the time....I am sure there are many others I have left out, but these are always ones I found the ones that stuck with me over time! Most of these aren't scientific (you can find that easily) and to me represent the true blue components of my running philosophies.
Joe Rubio:
Rubio is the Aggies coach, and has produced many high calibre athletes, but I have always enjoyed his take in multi faceted training.
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4336
Jeff Johnson:
His internet famous speech at a high school border clash has gone down in the annals. Johnson was Nike's first employee and was a great coach with the Farm Team
http://www.dyestatnw.com//?pg=reg72008
CrossCountrySummeroftheRisingTidestoryJeffJohnsonspeechtext
Vin Lananna:
An absolutely fantastic article/presentation by Vin Lananna at the NCAC XC meet one year. IMHO the best firsthand stuff I've seen on the net by one of the most respected coaches.
http://www.nacactfca.org/articles/Lananna.pdf
Malmo's series of posts.....they are truly legendary and speak of an athlete who has been around the block enough times
http://2008olympictrialsakatommyleonard.shutterfly.com/filecabinet
Cruel Shoes:
http://2008olympictrialsakatommyleonard.shutterfly.com/236
Summer of malmo:
http://pih.bc.ca/summerofmalmo.html
Malmo's manifesto:
http://pih.bc.ca/malmosmanifesto.html
Joe Vigil:
The man, the myth the legend. This is his marathon training, but the guy is still motivational over the internet
http://peakrunningperformance.com/docs/THE_ANATOMY_OF_A_MEDAL.htm
Ovett:
I've always enjoyed Harry Wilson's training and since Ovett was his greatest athlete this is a really interesting read from Ovett's main training partner. I've always found it funny how some people have to write everything down in a log, while Ovett never wrote anything down.
http://www.britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/1999spring.pdf
Bideau:
IMHO Bideau is absolutely spot on with training. He used to be Mottram's coach, but they had a falling out.
http://geoffmoore.blogspot.com/2007/07/article-by-nic-bideau.html
http://forums.glenhuntly-athletics.com/index.php?s=88b33ab2d299b1d2d6f5cb3a76657d3e&showtopic=253
Wardlaw:
Wardlaw's magic words on mileage, aerobic conditioning and not leaving your races in training are rules any coach and athlete need to follow. He used to coach Bideau and interesting enough now works wit Mottram.
http://forums.glenhuntly-athletics.com/index.php?s=88b33ab2d299b1d2d6f5cb3a76657d3e&showtopic=259
http://forums.glenhuntly-athletics.com/index.php?s=88b33ab2d299b1d2d6f5cb3a76657d3e&showtopic=259
Joe Rubio:
Rubio is the Aggies coach, and has produced many high calibre athletes, but I have always enjoyed his take in multi faceted training.
http://www.runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=4336
Jeff Johnson:
His internet famous speech at a high school border clash has gone down in the annals. Johnson was Nike's first employee and was a great coach with the Farm Team
http://www.dyestatnw.com//?pg=reg72008
CrossCountrySummeroftheRisingTidestoryJeffJohnsonspeechtext
Vin Lananna:
An absolutely fantastic article/presentation by Vin Lananna at the NCAC XC meet one year. IMHO the best firsthand stuff I've seen on the net by one of the most respected coaches.
http://www.nacactfca.org/articles/Lananna.pdf
Malmo's series of posts.....they are truly legendary and speak of an athlete who has been around the block enough times
http://2008olympictrialsakatommyleonard.shutterfly.com/filecabinet
Cruel Shoes:
http://2008olympictrialsakatommyleonard.shutterfly.com/236
Summer of malmo:
http://pih.bc.ca/summerofmalmo.html
Malmo's manifesto:
http://pih.bc.ca/malmosmanifesto.html
Joe Vigil:
The man, the myth the legend. This is his marathon training, but the guy is still motivational over the internet
http://peakrunningperformance.com/docs/THE_ANATOMY_OF_A_MEDAL.htm
Ovett:
I've always enjoyed Harry Wilson's training and since Ovett was his greatest athlete this is a really interesting read from Ovett's main training partner. I've always found it funny how some people have to write everything down in a log, while Ovett never wrote anything down.
http://www.britishmilersclub.com/bmcnews/1999spring.pdf
Bideau:
IMHO Bideau is absolutely spot on with training. He used to be Mottram's coach, but they had a falling out.
http://geoffmoore.blogspot.com/2007/07/article-by-nic-bideau.html
http://forums.glenhuntly-athletics.com/index.php?s=88b33ab2d299b1d2d6f5cb3a76657d3e&showtopic=253
Wardlaw:
Wardlaw's magic words on mileage, aerobic conditioning and not leaving your races in training are rules any coach and athlete need to follow. He used to coach Bideau and interesting enough now works wit Mottram.
http://forums.glenhuntly-athletics.com/index.php?s=88b33ab2d299b1d2d6f5cb3a76657d3e&showtopic=259
http://forums.glenhuntly-athletics.com/index.php?s=88b33ab2d299b1d2d6f5cb3a76657d3e&showtopic=259
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Greatest Workout of All Time????....!!!!
As I have noted many times I have become an amateur historian of the sport of running/track and field over the years. As a result a combination of always trying to reach a synthesis of information, (isn’t that what most amateur historians do???) I’ve come across many variations of what one would term harder sessions. I’ve always viewed these as starting points on where training begins, but what how you analyze that training is where it ends.
All interpretations of training require critical analyzing a handful of information from 1) science 2) methodology and 3) personal experience. Having acted in a coaching manner at various times(with a variety of abilities and levels) in combination with observing personalities, physiology, strengths, weaknesses, etc…. I’ve come to various conclusions.
In this instance my conclusion would be if I could only do one workout and advise one workout what would it be…. The answer to the questions I often ask myself take time. I am always considering events specifics, mentality, reality, compatibility, etc…. But in this question the answer sticks out at me like the proverbial sore thumb, and that is the session I have determined one can 1) do all year round, 2) has variations and 3) is doable in any circumstance. I figured since my last post was on the Clohessy Creed that this post should pay homage to a component of the ‘complex system’ of training that Clohessy began. The workout should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me and that is the monafartlek.
Named after famed Australian Steve Moneghetti it originated when Mona’s coach Chris Wardlaw told him to do a 20min fartlek session. Mona apparently wanted to know more than a 20min session and Wardlaw told him 2 x 90, 4 x 60, 4 x 30 off equal med paced running. Mona worked that out to 18mins so Wardlaw added 4 x 15 sec and voila there was the 20mins.
The Monafartlek(sometimes spelled monofartlek) is one of those sessions Mona did/does all year around on each Tuesday. He did the fartlek around a 6km lake loop near his house. Of course success breeds imitation and many others who watched Mona’s success copied said workout. What Mona and everyone else who did the workout was that a 20min fartlek sounds easy but doing it properly is another different story. The information I’ve heard said that the hard parts were 4:30 mile pace or quicker pace, while the med parts were 5min/mile pace or quicker.
In my years of doing the monafartlek I’ve found it to be the single greatest workout, for the reasons that 1) anyone from a miler to a marathon runner can do it, 2) you can suit if to the time of the season (egs early in the season you can make the med paced the priority, while later in the season you can pay more attention to the harder sections and be more anaerobic) and 3) it can be suited to individual strengths and weaknesses while doing it ( egs a fast twitch athlete might pull away on the quicker paced, while the slow twitch athlete works the jogs, or even the opposite where the FT athlete makes the easier parts quicker and work on their weaknesses) .
The key to the monafartlek is simple and it’s what I call ‘focused variability’. If I am having a bad day I only need to get through 20mins…. If I am getting ready to race I might take it easy the for the first 10min and hammer the second half…if I am getting ready for a later season race I make the easier parts slower, but on the other side if I am training through I work the jogs…if I want more tempo I make the med paced sections hurt….I am sure you get the idea.
Even variations can be done like doing a ‘back half monafartlek’ if you are in taper mode (do 2 x 60, 40 x 30, 4 x 15). I’ve adder some sections to it when needing more speed (egs monafarltek-2min rest 6 x 30 sec hard-60 sec easy) or longer (egs 2 x 3mins off 2min and then a monafartlek for 30mins of running). Even my taper for 5-10km is based upon the monafartlek (a 9min fartlek of 3mins of 30sec hard-med, 3min of 20 sec hard med and 3min of 10 sec hard med). In the end you can get what you need out of it. Besides it may also be the most enjoyable hard workout out there….
Training:
Mon: 66mins
Tues: 5 x mile tempo (pick up a little over tempo the last 60 secs) plus 2 x 3 min 30 sec off 30 sec
Wed: 70mins
Thurs: 66mins
Fri: 68mins
Sat: AM 3 x 10mins tempo-5mins a little slower plus 4 x 60sec hard-60 sec easy-30 sec hard-30 sec easy PM 32mins
Sunday: 2hr 10 mins
All interpretations of training require critical analyzing a handful of information from 1) science 2) methodology and 3) personal experience. Having acted in a coaching manner at various times(with a variety of abilities and levels) in combination with observing personalities, physiology, strengths, weaknesses, etc…. I’ve come to various conclusions.
In this instance my conclusion would be if I could only do one workout and advise one workout what would it be…. The answer to the questions I often ask myself take time. I am always considering events specifics, mentality, reality, compatibility, etc…. But in this question the answer sticks out at me like the proverbial sore thumb, and that is the session I have determined one can 1) do all year round, 2) has variations and 3) is doable in any circumstance. I figured since my last post was on the Clohessy Creed that this post should pay homage to a component of the ‘complex system’ of training that Clohessy began. The workout should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me and that is the monafartlek.
Named after famed Australian Steve Moneghetti it originated when Mona’s coach Chris Wardlaw told him to do a 20min fartlek session. Mona apparently wanted to know more than a 20min session and Wardlaw told him 2 x 90, 4 x 60, 4 x 30 off equal med paced running. Mona worked that out to 18mins so Wardlaw added 4 x 15 sec and voila there was the 20mins.
The Monafartlek(sometimes spelled monofartlek) is one of those sessions Mona did/does all year around on each Tuesday. He did the fartlek around a 6km lake loop near his house. Of course success breeds imitation and many others who watched Mona’s success copied said workout. What Mona and everyone else who did the workout was that a 20min fartlek sounds easy but doing it properly is another different story. The information I’ve heard said that the hard parts were 4:30 mile pace or quicker pace, while the med parts were 5min/mile pace or quicker.
In my years of doing the monafartlek I’ve found it to be the single greatest workout, for the reasons that 1) anyone from a miler to a marathon runner can do it, 2) you can suit if to the time of the season (egs early in the season you can make the med paced the priority, while later in the season you can pay more attention to the harder sections and be more anaerobic) and 3) it can be suited to individual strengths and weaknesses while doing it ( egs a fast twitch athlete might pull away on the quicker paced, while the slow twitch athlete works the jogs, or even the opposite where the FT athlete makes the easier parts quicker and work on their weaknesses) .
The key to the monafartlek is simple and it’s what I call ‘focused variability’. If I am having a bad day I only need to get through 20mins…. If I am getting ready to race I might take it easy the for the first 10min and hammer the second half…if I am getting ready for a later season race I make the easier parts slower, but on the other side if I am training through I work the jogs…if I want more tempo I make the med paced sections hurt….I am sure you get the idea.
Even variations can be done like doing a ‘back half monafartlek’ if you are in taper mode (do 2 x 60, 40 x 30, 4 x 15). I’ve adder some sections to it when needing more speed (egs monafarltek-2min rest 6 x 30 sec hard-60 sec easy) or longer (egs 2 x 3mins off 2min and then a monafartlek for 30mins of running). Even my taper for 5-10km is based upon the monafartlek (a 9min fartlek of 3mins of 30sec hard-med, 3min of 20 sec hard med and 3min of 10 sec hard med). In the end you can get what you need out of it. Besides it may also be the most enjoyable hard workout out there….
Training:
Mon: 66mins
Tues: 5 x mile tempo (pick up a little over tempo the last 60 secs) plus 2 x 3 min 30 sec off 30 sec
Wed: 70mins
Thurs: 66mins
Fri: 68mins
Sat: AM 3 x 10mins tempo-5mins a little slower plus 4 x 60sec hard-60 sec easy-30 sec hard-30 sec easy PM 32mins
Sunday: 2hr 10 mins
Monday, January 18, 2010
The Legend of the Clohessy Creed
In my last post I chatted about ‘the big workout’, but I also talked about the Clohessy Creed. Growing up as a little kid and teenager, I was fortunate to be around during a time of running craziness. By that I meant there seemed to be a lot more energy and focus on running when it was on the teevee. It was during that time I came across three runners who I ended up emulating. One was marathon record holder Steve Jones, another was Oly bronze medalist Rod Dixon and the last was Rob Decastella aka Deek.
Now Deek came into fruition due to winning the very first Wld championship marathon. I was able to see those championships on teevee, but knew little about him. As I’ve stated before getting a history degree meant I also approached the sport through a historical perspective viewpoint, which meant if I didn’t know something I went out of my way to research it. Deek became one of those projects. I was finally able to provide a full conclusion to Deek when I was able to obtain his autobiography. His autobio is okay, but if you pay attention there are snippets here and there which give you some insight into both his philosophy towards running, but in his case of his coach Pat Clohessy. The chapter that stuck out at me most was the ‘Clohessy Creed’.
Clohessy was Deek’s coach from beginning to end, but what one needs to know is that Clohessy was no slouch himself. I came into greater contact when I got my first Lydiard athlete autobios of Peter Snell and Muarry Halberg. Clohessy spent time travelling with the Kiwis in Europe after going to school at the Univ of Houston. It was Houston that Clohessy learned how over the top interval training could destroy a runner. It was after experimenting with some of Lydiard’s ideas he found that the buildup of mileage was kept to athlete development.
On his return to Australia Clohessy began working with young athletes and found that they didn’t need much anaerobic work to get fit or fast. His Clohessy creed was evolving.
What many don’t know is that it was Clohessy who was setting up the training for an unknown American native runner named Billy Mills. Mills of course would ironically go on to beat Clohessy’s countryman , the great Ron Clarke at the 64 Olys. The basis for Clohessy’s training was good constant aerobic conditioning mixed in with small aspects of anaerobic work (in Mill’s case a lot of Lydiard style 100 hard-100 float for 3-5km).
But Clohessy’s greatest pupil was still to come and that was of course Deek. In Deek’s autobio he goes into great detail how Clohessy helped him with progressive training from a teenager (50miles per week) and still had him progress as he became a Sr athlete. Of course deek wasn’t the only success story. The other one who has had a major impact was Chris ‘Rab’ Wardlaw, a 2:11 Oly marathoner training partner of Deeks.
Of course Rab would go on to many other successes as a coach that being Steve Moneghetti and a handful of other great Aussie distance runners (Shaun Creighton and now Craig Mottram). In the end the lineage of Lydiard lent itself to Clohessy’s interpretation,the shock of Billy Mills (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QaDQL0rMWw), the toughness of Deek, which turned into Wardlaw’s ‘complex’ system’ tweaking, and Mona’s championship pedigree, who also coached Lee Troop and on and on and on…..the ‘Clohessy Creed’ continues.
Now Deek came into fruition due to winning the very first Wld championship marathon. I was able to see those championships on teevee, but knew little about him. As I’ve stated before getting a history degree meant I also approached the sport through a historical perspective viewpoint, which meant if I didn’t know something I went out of my way to research it. Deek became one of those projects. I was finally able to provide a full conclusion to Deek when I was able to obtain his autobiography. His autobio is okay, but if you pay attention there are snippets here and there which give you some insight into both his philosophy towards running, but in his case of his coach Pat Clohessy. The chapter that stuck out at me most was the ‘Clohessy Creed’.
Clohessy was Deek’s coach from beginning to end, but what one needs to know is that Clohessy was no slouch himself. I came into greater contact when I got my first Lydiard athlete autobios of Peter Snell and Muarry Halberg. Clohessy spent time travelling with the Kiwis in Europe after going to school at the Univ of Houston. It was Houston that Clohessy learned how over the top interval training could destroy a runner. It was after experimenting with some of Lydiard’s ideas he found that the buildup of mileage was kept to athlete development.
On his return to Australia Clohessy began working with young athletes and found that they didn’t need much anaerobic work to get fit or fast. His Clohessy creed was evolving.
What many don’t know is that it was Clohessy who was setting up the training for an unknown American native runner named Billy Mills. Mills of course would ironically go on to beat Clohessy’s countryman , the great Ron Clarke at the 64 Olys. The basis for Clohessy’s training was good constant aerobic conditioning mixed in with small aspects of anaerobic work (in Mill’s case a lot of Lydiard style 100 hard-100 float for 3-5km).
But Clohessy’s greatest pupil was still to come and that was of course Deek. In Deek’s autobio he goes into great detail how Clohessy helped him with progressive training from a teenager (50miles per week) and still had him progress as he became a Sr athlete. Of course deek wasn’t the only success story. The other one who has had a major impact was Chris ‘Rab’ Wardlaw, a 2:11 Oly marathoner training partner of Deeks.
Of course Rab would go on to many other successes as a coach that being Steve Moneghetti and a handful of other great Aussie distance runners (Shaun Creighton and now Craig Mottram). In the end the lineage of Lydiard lent itself to Clohessy’s interpretation,the shock of Billy Mills (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QaDQL0rMWw), the toughness of Deek, which turned into Wardlaw’s ‘complex’ system’ tweaking, and Mona’s championship pedigree, who also coached Lee Troop and on and on and on…..the ‘Clohessy Creed’ continues.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Big Workout.....
Sometimes topics for this blog come in waves. Others sit on a shelf for a while, until I actually get around to taking the time to really go into details. Others come naturally, while others sometimes don’t come at all. This one is probably one that has been in the back of my mind for about 15 years. Yeah 15 years…
In a previous life when I was a pure track runner I felt as though I was ready to go to the next level. I had learned my lessons, but had unfortunately, ran out of races to make the 94 Commonwealth Games. But, I also felt that I was ready to take the next step into international style running. My how things can change quickly.
I was in my car when these two young guys hit me. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but in retrospect I wished I had taken the rest of the year off. I had some minor pains, but not much. Instead I continued to go out and train hard. But the part that almost killed me was that I was getting to a point in the season where I was so mentally tough, that I had the ability to hurt myself.
And hurt myself I did. Part of the reason was the compensation of the accident…the other was approaching each workout as though it was ‘the big workout’ (now referred to as TBW). The end result was that by the end of the season I could barely walk. I could actually run races, but once I stopped I was a mess. For the next 2-3 years I spent my running career trying to train more than 2 months without my back going into spasm. It was easily the most frustrating time of my running.
I realized then that the concept of the TBW had to be tempered. In that respects I came to realize that TBW had to be planned. Rather than every week being TBW…the TBW would instead be used sparingly.
Now TBW can be defined in many ways. As a middle dist guy TBW was our peak session of 600-400-300 full out off 10+ mins rest. It was the sort of session I loved and had the fear of god put into me all at once. But I had used it sparingly as a younger athlete.
During my preparations for the Wld ½ marathon in 2005 I was also preparing for a possible Commonwealth Games marathon race. It was then that I also approached my TBW in an overzealous manner that summer. Once again my back flared up to the point where not only did I not run a marathon, but I was a barely able to complete the ½ marathon and then had a disappointing season after that time.
The lessons I learned from paying too much attention to TBW was that I had to approach it sparingly. By that I meant that the physical and mental toll from trying to do TBW too often was the kiss of death. In the end it meant approaching my training from a more casual approach until it was time to really race. In that respects I guess it means picking and choosing when you need to get ready to race. For example in my 10km preparations I always approached TBW as 5 x 1600m off 2-2 1/2mins and 5 x 1000m of alternating hard and easy 200s, a 9min fartlek run I do, and a 20min tempo run. I had done these sessions earlier in the preparation, but it wasn’t until mid and later in the season when these became TBW.
In that respects they became mental and physical workouts all at once. They became special and provided with my final mental focus I needed to race. Until that time I typically raced mediocre at best. But then again that was always my plan…race well when it counted
Although the physical toll of TBW can be tough I also find that the mental toll is just as detrimental. It’s one thing to be having some good sessions, but it’s another to do TBW week in and week out. I found that if I did this that I lost some mental edge to my racing. I needed a race to do my best, not TBW. Trying for too many BW meant I was not only physically fired, but mentally tired to really compete at my best. I might run okay, but certainly not my best.
In Bill Squire’s training book (former coach to Bill Rodgers among many other great runners) he really stresses this point in his workouts. His intervals seem reasonable in both distance and intensity.
On the other side of the world I have always taken into account the ‘complex’ system of the Aussies (Clohessy and Wardlaw) that advocated short sessions that left the athlete ready to be both physically and mentally refreshed (only 20-25 mins of total work in hard workouts). It’s not that they didn’t do TBW. They did, but it was only used sparingly and even then it was not too extreme (either ran in a race to prepare along with some 10milers for the marathon). Clohessy's rationale came from coaching young kids who didn't need a lot of hard work to get fast. He then used that same model for adults and found it worked in a progressive manner.
Either way I have always considered TBW as something one doesn’t use often and when in doubt be conservative.
The week (a planned down week so meant to take Wed-Sat easier with a sandwich of long runs and tempo intervals as bookends):
Mon: off....remind me not to take Mons off ever again. I am trying to take one day off every 3 weeks and taking Mon off is way to easy when i really need the day off later in the week.
Tues: BBY Lake 10 x 3mins @ tempo HR off 30 sec. Consistent and solid. best part was my HR stayed the same and i got faster. I call this a tweener workout. I run at tempo pace so i can in more volume without tearing myself down.
Wed: 66mins
thurs: 70mins
Fri: 67min
Sat: 37min hills (on avge 50-70 sec). Knew I needed some 'form/strength' work and had this planned far far in advance. PM 32 mins
Sun: 2 hr 2 mins at SFU trails. Nice run and felt from from the hill session
In a previous life when I was a pure track runner I felt as though I was ready to go to the next level. I had learned my lessons, but had unfortunately, ran out of races to make the 94 Commonwealth Games. But, I also felt that I was ready to take the next step into international style running. My how things can change quickly.
I was in my car when these two young guys hit me. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but in retrospect I wished I had taken the rest of the year off. I had some minor pains, but not much. Instead I continued to go out and train hard. But the part that almost killed me was that I was getting to a point in the season where I was so mentally tough, that I had the ability to hurt myself.
And hurt myself I did. Part of the reason was the compensation of the accident…the other was approaching each workout as though it was ‘the big workout’ (now referred to as TBW). The end result was that by the end of the season I could barely walk. I could actually run races, but once I stopped I was a mess. For the next 2-3 years I spent my running career trying to train more than 2 months without my back going into spasm. It was easily the most frustrating time of my running.
I realized then that the concept of the TBW had to be tempered. In that respects I came to realize that TBW had to be planned. Rather than every week being TBW…the TBW would instead be used sparingly.
Now TBW can be defined in many ways. As a middle dist guy TBW was our peak session of 600-400-300 full out off 10+ mins rest. It was the sort of session I loved and had the fear of god put into me all at once. But I had used it sparingly as a younger athlete.
During my preparations for the Wld ½ marathon in 2005 I was also preparing for a possible Commonwealth Games marathon race. It was then that I also approached my TBW in an overzealous manner that summer. Once again my back flared up to the point where not only did I not run a marathon, but I was a barely able to complete the ½ marathon and then had a disappointing season after that time.
The lessons I learned from paying too much attention to TBW was that I had to approach it sparingly. By that I meant that the physical and mental toll from trying to do TBW too often was the kiss of death. In the end it meant approaching my training from a more casual approach until it was time to really race. In that respects I guess it means picking and choosing when you need to get ready to race. For example in my 10km preparations I always approached TBW as 5 x 1600m off 2-2 1/2mins and 5 x 1000m of alternating hard and easy 200s, a 9min fartlek run I do, and a 20min tempo run. I had done these sessions earlier in the preparation, but it wasn’t until mid and later in the season when these became TBW.
In that respects they became mental and physical workouts all at once. They became special and provided with my final mental focus I needed to race. Until that time I typically raced mediocre at best. But then again that was always my plan…race well when it counted
Although the physical toll of TBW can be tough I also find that the mental toll is just as detrimental. It’s one thing to be having some good sessions, but it’s another to do TBW week in and week out. I found that if I did this that I lost some mental edge to my racing. I needed a race to do my best, not TBW. Trying for too many BW meant I was not only physically fired, but mentally tired to really compete at my best. I might run okay, but certainly not my best.
In Bill Squire’s training book (former coach to Bill Rodgers among many other great runners) he really stresses this point in his workouts. His intervals seem reasonable in both distance and intensity.
On the other side of the world I have always taken into account the ‘complex’ system of the Aussies (Clohessy and Wardlaw) that advocated short sessions that left the athlete ready to be both physically and mentally refreshed (only 20-25 mins of total work in hard workouts). It’s not that they didn’t do TBW. They did, but it was only used sparingly and even then it was not too extreme (either ran in a race to prepare along with some 10milers for the marathon). Clohessy's rationale came from coaching young kids who didn't need a lot of hard work to get fast. He then used that same model for adults and found it worked in a progressive manner.
Either way I have always considered TBW as something one doesn’t use often and when in doubt be conservative.
The week (a planned down week so meant to take Wed-Sat easier with a sandwich of long runs and tempo intervals as bookends):
Mon: off....remind me not to take Mons off ever again. I am trying to take one day off every 3 weeks and taking Mon off is way to easy when i really need the day off later in the week.
Tues: BBY Lake 10 x 3mins @ tempo HR off 30 sec. Consistent and solid. best part was my HR stayed the same and i got faster. I call this a tweener workout. I run at tempo pace so i can in more volume without tearing myself down.
Wed: 66mins
thurs: 70mins
Fri: 67min
Sat: 37min hills (on avge 50-70 sec). Knew I needed some 'form/strength' work and had this planned far far in advance. PM 32 mins
Sun: 2 hr 2 mins at SFU trails. Nice run and felt from from the hill session
Friday, January 8, 2010
Throwing up all over oneself....
Discussions on why one runs always come up. There's always the typical fitness, it makes me feel good, I like to compete, etc....arguments made, but alas I seldom like to fit myself into some running category. Hell I hate wearing running shorts.
But when this subject of why one runs comes up I have found no better way to explain it then by a section from a golf book. John Feinstein is easily my favourite sports non fiction writer. He's best know for his classic "A Season on the Brink' in which he followed Bobby Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers around for an entire season (Knight was not a happy when the book came out). Feinstein has put out many more books over the years (my personal favourite is the 'The Last Amateurs', but his next most famous book is a golf book entitled ' A Good Walk Spoiled' in which he once again followed a handful of PGA tour players around for an entire season. In his introduction he mentioned a story about Curtis Strange (2 x US Open winner), who had been playing poorly for a while. Strange had somehow positioned himself into a situation where he was one stroke away at a US Open, but over the last hole he hit a poor shot and missed a playoff.
Rather than be angry or even disappointed Strange had IMHO the best description of what competing really means....and the one I've always used to explain why I still run:
They all want to be there because they know the work that goes into getting there. Shortly after Curtis Strange had come up one stroke of making a playoff at last year’s US Open , I ran into him in the empty locker room at Oakmont.
I asked him if he would sleep that night.
“Probably not,” he said. “I’ll probably go through every shot and every thought.”
He smiled . “But you know what? That’s okay. It’s disappointing, but goddamn it, I was there. I hadn’t had that feeling in a long time. This is what you play the game for – to get yourself in a position on Sunday at the US Open so you can throw up all over yourself.”
He was glowing. “My God,” he said, “it felt great.”
He hadn’t won. But he had had a chance right to the very end. All the work was worth it, just to have that feeling. That’s what they all search for: the chance to be there on Sunday afternoon. They live to have the chance to choke. At Q-school; at Hartford or Memphis; at Augusta or Oakmont.
....so if you ever hear me talking about 'throwing up all over myself' it was probably not due to a long night......
But when this subject of why one runs comes up I have found no better way to explain it then by a section from a golf book. John Feinstein is easily my favourite sports non fiction writer. He's best know for his classic "A Season on the Brink' in which he followed Bobby Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers around for an entire season (Knight was not a happy when the book came out). Feinstein has put out many more books over the years (my personal favourite is the 'The Last Amateurs', but his next most famous book is a golf book entitled ' A Good Walk Spoiled' in which he once again followed a handful of PGA tour players around for an entire season. In his introduction he mentioned a story about Curtis Strange (2 x US Open winner), who had been playing poorly for a while. Strange had somehow positioned himself into a situation where he was one stroke away at a US Open, but over the last hole he hit a poor shot and missed a playoff.
Rather than be angry or even disappointed Strange had IMHO the best description of what competing really means....and the one I've always used to explain why I still run:
They all want to be there because they know the work that goes into getting there. Shortly after Curtis Strange had come up one stroke of making a playoff at last year’s US Open , I ran into him in the empty locker room at Oakmont.
I asked him if he would sleep that night.
“Probably not,” he said. “I’ll probably go through every shot and every thought.”
He smiled . “But you know what? That’s okay. It’s disappointing, but goddamn it, I was there. I hadn’t had that feeling in a long time. This is what you play the game for – to get yourself in a position on Sunday at the US Open so you can throw up all over yourself.”
He was glowing. “My God,” he said, “it felt great.”
He hadn’t won. But he had had a chance right to the very end. All the work was worth it, just to have that feeling. That’s what they all search for: the chance to be there on Sunday afternoon. They live to have the chance to choke. At Q-school; at Hartford or Memphis; at Augusta or Oakmont.
....so if you ever hear me talking about 'throwing up all over myself' it was probably not due to a long night......
Monday, January 4, 2010
uh oh.....
...Carter has started crawling and that means load of fun.
One might assume (if they read this regularly) that training has been going poorly because I haven't been posting. Actually it is quite opposite. I was able to get back into some semblance of discipline after my November meltdown and even hit around 100 miles this week (having the week off was nice, but it really wasn't a week off). In fact I would even say I purposely backed off so that i wouldn't overdo things.
If anything I've gone back to my more traditional approach of 'secret training' (as Joseph Kibur used to put it when we didn't see him for a while). It's not any secret, but rather that I sometimes forget I need to struggle to get my behind in gear. If I have realized anything in my years of running it's that the athlete has to make the decision. Last year I made some poor decisons in rushing parts of my training that I have felt I always needed to race well. These things aren't always physical hence why I find I need more of the mental process. That's still one of the issues regarding group vs personalized training. You can caught up in the group atmosphere (where it can be much easier to train) and forget that sometimes (and some people) require different approaches tp get to where they need to go.
I used to say to my old coach Mike Lonergan that 'you can get me fit, but you can't make me fast'. By that I meant it was mine and mine only decison to make a choice on whether I was committed to the process of racing/training focus. There can always be legitimate reasons to not train (I've had a few over the past year or so), but most of the time one can work it out if they really want.
Topics for the future: 'why throwing up all over yourself and is a good thing' and 'the concept of the 'big workout'.
Last 4 weeks:
1) 77
2) 75
3) 85
and this week (4)
Mon: 68 mins
Tues: 30min plus 3min 20-30 sec hills fartlek PM 35 mins
Wed: 66 mins
thurs: AM just under 1 hr 40mins with Tina PM 30 mins plus drills
Fri: 51min
sat: 3 x 15 mins off 90sec easy jogs done in 5min pickups (5 below MP HR, 5 at MP HR and 5 at tmepo HR PM: 35mins
Sun: 2 hr 3mins at SFU. Good as felt decent from the start and got better as i went along
One might assume (if they read this regularly) that training has been going poorly because I haven't been posting. Actually it is quite opposite. I was able to get back into some semblance of discipline after my November meltdown and even hit around 100 miles this week (having the week off was nice, but it really wasn't a week off). In fact I would even say I purposely backed off so that i wouldn't overdo things.
If anything I've gone back to my more traditional approach of 'secret training' (as Joseph Kibur used to put it when we didn't see him for a while). It's not any secret, but rather that I sometimes forget I need to struggle to get my behind in gear. If I have realized anything in my years of running it's that the athlete has to make the decision. Last year I made some poor decisons in rushing parts of my training that I have felt I always needed to race well. These things aren't always physical hence why I find I need more of the mental process. That's still one of the issues regarding group vs personalized training. You can caught up in the group atmosphere (where it can be much easier to train) and forget that sometimes (and some people) require different approaches tp get to where they need to go.
I used to say to my old coach Mike Lonergan that 'you can get me fit, but you can't make me fast'. By that I meant it was mine and mine only decison to make a choice on whether I was committed to the process of racing/training focus. There can always be legitimate reasons to not train (I've had a few over the past year or so), but most of the time one can work it out if they really want.
Topics for the future: 'why throwing up all over yourself and is a good thing' and 'the concept of the 'big workout'.
Last 4 weeks:
1) 77
2) 75
3) 85
and this week (4)
Mon: 68 mins
Tues: 30min plus 3min 20-30 sec hills fartlek PM 35 mins
Wed: 66 mins
thurs: AM just under 1 hr 40mins with Tina PM 30 mins plus drills
Fri: 51min
sat: 3 x 15 mins off 90sec easy jogs done in 5min pickups (5 below MP HR, 5 at MP HR and 5 at tmepo HR PM: 35mins
Sun: 2 hr 3mins at SFU. Good as felt decent from the start and got better as i went along
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
