7 Tips for Running Tip # 5 (Fartlek)

The Riddle of an Ironman's Life

NMMU Grass Track

Once you have developed your aerobic engine, you can aim to improve your economy, strength endurance and speed by incorporating a few quality workouts into your training. A change in training adds renewed focus, but training for a road race ( or IM/70.3) is very different and there are many added stresses, so be careful of going too fast, too soon.

There is no real need to try and become the next Haile Gebrsellasie or Raynard Tissink, but taking yourself out of your comfort zone will improve your running tremendously. At this stage I would like to emphasise the need for a ‘vision’ of what it is you are aiming for (Bill Hybels defines vision as “A picture of the future that inspires passion”), because you need to be really passionate to want to transform yourself, as moving out of your comfort zone requires determination and perseverance, as it can get…

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7 Tips for Running (Tip #4 The Long Run)

The Riddle of an Ironman's Life

“The Long Run is the Golden Key to becoming a good runner” – Alec Riddle 

The one key component of developing your ability as an endurance runner, is the Long Run, so try and do 2- 4 long runs a month (experienced runners can do a midweek long run of 90 minutes). One cannot develop a decent Base, without long runs and variety is, in my opinion, the spice in a runners life, so don’t try and do the same course, at the same time, same pace, week in, week out, or your motivation may wane.

How long is a Long Run? I would say 90 minutes or longer.

Doing a Long Run in Kona (Energy Lab) with Kyle Buckingham 2012. Young Jamie in the foreground doing his ‘long’ run!

How fast should a Long Run be? In the inital stages of Base Training, I think err on the side of caution and run…

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New IMSA Bike Route

Uploading this has been as challenging as riding the course itself, but here is the link to the all new Ironman South Africa bike route. http://ridewithgps.com/trips/2081464

This is the 3rd time I’ve ridden it and I guess a little less winter excess together with some improved fitness has made it easier each time, but make no mistake this is going to be a beast, although a Westerly would make our task that much easier.

Yesterday we had a Westerly but previously we endured the beasterly easterly, which we definitely want to avoid on race day. The link provides a map, the elevations, as well as a playback option with varying speeds.

One lap is alright albeit tough, but my concern is the accumulative fatigue which will build incessantly throughout and particularly as we do the hilly loop a second time. However, if you are well prepared (we have 14 weeks) all will be fine, so ensure you do your long rides, your hill repeats and some big gear work and try and avoid burning too many matches on the hills early  on. (You may need to change your gear ratios too)

YES, you Can, you Will, you Want to!!

10 Tips for new Ironman SA Bike Route

My Comments on new Ironman Bike Route: (By Alec Riddle)

Embracing change is half the battle, as you are what you think! Be negative and you are guaranteed to have a negative experience, be positive and you will invariably have a positive experience!

It won’t be as bad as this!

I am not a natural Hill Climber and I am fairly heavy compared to my Age Group Competitors, but I am so excited about the changes and looking forward to Ironman South Africa 2014.

 

Ironman race director Paul Wollff announced some challenging and innovative changes for the 10th IMSA in 2014.

Positives:

Bad news for those who like to ‘draft’, because this course is definitely not conducive to drafting and will break up many of those little packs that tend to form on a congested 3 lap course. Positive #1

Good news for those who enjoy the scenery, as I doubt you will experience a more Beautiful course in the world of Ironman. Positive #2

Excellent news for those who love a Challenge, as this Ironman will be very challenging and this is one Finisher’s medal you will treasure. I look forward to Paul Kaye’s words “You Are an Ironman!” on race day. Positive #3

Mentally, two loops will always be easier than three loops. Positive #4

Negatives:

Are there any? I guess there may be.

Well for those doing Ironman for the first time and for those who struggle to get home under 17 hours, this route change may, unfortunately, be a negative, if you let it. Negative #1

Preparation: (10 Tips)

1. Change your Mental Outlook as quickly as possible, the sooner you adapt your mind and embrace the changes the better the preparation will be. Do not worry about what you cannot control, as that will just drain you and make you miserable.

2. Get a route Profile and familiarise yourself with the new route. I will upload the route within the next week, so you can see the hills, gradients, etc.

3. Consider a different gear ratio for your bike, possibly a 39 (vs 42) front chain ring or a 25, 27 or 29 at the back dependant upon your weight and climbing ability.

4. Train Hills, Hills and more Hills. Caution: Gradually allow the body, the muscles and ligaments to adapt. Do not try and adjust overnight!

5. Do some big gear training, especially on hills as this will help you tremendously on race day.

6. The ride always sets up the run, but more so, now, than ever before so prepare well on the bike.

7. Ride within yourself on race day, especially on the hills.

8. Remember that Joe Friel says you have a limited number of matches, don’t burn them all on the hills on the first lap.

9. The prevailing wind is the Westerly, so that is a tail wind all the way home from Maitlands (40km +), enjoy it!

10. If the dreaded East does arrive (unlikely), treat it as your one day on ‘Survivor’, it will be a Suffer Fest!

Wishing you all the best and I suggest you ensure you work on your Body Composition (I’m doing that immediately and have asked Mark Wolff to assist me), as well as your Mental and Physical Preparation. Where possible enlist the services of a Proffesional Coach who can prepare you for the event, somebody like Raynard Tissink would be perfect. Also try and train on the new bike route if you can.

I have uploaded the bike route and bike profile in the attachment below: Elevation gain per 90km is 809m, compared to East London 1171m for 90km and Las Vegas 70.3, which has an elevation gain of 823m over 90km.

Ironman Bike Route

http://www.ironmansouthafrica.com/information/race-course

Cresting Maitlands on the 2nd lap may feel like this. Euphoric! You Know You Can!

IMSA 70.3 Bike Route

If you are racing IMSA 70.3 in East London for the first time, it may be a good idea to know what the bike route entails (follow link):http://ridewithgps.com/routes/846560

A few tips regarding Bike Route/Training:

1. It’s a steady (undulating) climb all the way to the turn around, so save something for the return trip and especially the 21km run.

2. Do not push (overdo it) the long, tough climb up to Hemingways.

3. Try drive over the bike route to visualise what is in store for you.

4. Incorporate Hill Training into your weekly plan and do some hills in a slightly bigger gear (50-60 RPM) to build power. (gradually adapt your training)

5. To run 21km after a 90k bike, implies a need for endurance so best you do some 90km+ rides in training, thereby ensuring the 90km doesn’t sap all of your energy.

6. Practise your Nutrition on your long rides and try drink/eat just after the top of a hill or on the flatter sections as Heart Rate will be lower.

7. Don’t forget the Brick Sessions (Intro to Brick Sessions coming soon)

Here is an article I wrote on Tapering for 70.3, worthwile reading now and then again closer to race day. http://ironmansa.com/2013/01/07/tapering-for-ironman-or-ironman-70-3/

       

Did you factor in the most important training block?

Never underestimate the importance of developing your Aerobic Engine!

If you are training for IMSA 70.3 you still have time and if you are training for IMSA in April you have plenty of time to maximise this little training tip.

A tough Marathon lay ahead….

Many just run easy, as they like the competitive element they get from riding the bike or chasing times in the pool. The truth is though that easy runs just don’t cut it, if you want to be better than you previously were, or if you want to maximise your potential and remember the run is the most important discipline in Ironman.

The flipside is those athletes who cut straight to the chase, doing quality track workouts or hill repeats, without building a strong base. Just as with the Three Bears, if you don’t have a strong base, your structure will collapse in time.

The most important phase of the training plan for me is the ‘Aerobic Engine’ development and this is how I go about it! I will do 8 weeks of this type of training every 6 months and have just commenced with a 4 week phase in my build up to 70.3 and then will do another 4 weeks in the build up to the Ironman (if I decide to do IM 2013). Bear in mind I’ve had quite a long break since Kona Ironman (Mid October) and am carrying an extra 4 or 5 kilos, so my pace is a little slower than normal and I’m behind the 8 ball somewhat.

For me, I will work out what my potential 5km time (and corresponding Heart Rate) is relative to my fitness ( this gives me an indication of what my threshold pace or HR is) and then I will set out to run as many runs as possible close to my threshold pace/rate. Some are steady to hard runs, but avoiding the red zone and some are easy to medium, but keeping the HR working and trying to avoid junk miles.

So for me I will try and run my easy runs at 4:45-4:50 per km (HR would be about 130) and I would rather run 8km at this pace than ‘plod’ 12-15km at 5:30’s. It won’t be long before I’m running 15km easy runs at 130 HR, especially if I am developing my aerobic engine.

My steady runs will target a HR of 140-145 which means I would be running 5-8km at about 4:30/km. Sure, I could run 5-8km at a faster pace, but then my HR would go beyond the ‘red zone’ and then I would need more recovery. (Bear in mind that I am also doing biking and swimming so I don’t want to overdo it)

My threshold pace would correspond to a HR of close to 155 and in a week or two I will add a 5 or 8km club TT to the mix and aim to target a HR of about 145-150. My long run pace would be just below 120HR (75% of threshold), so it would be comfortable and conversational, but would still fatigue me when I start approaching 90-120 minutes.

The goal is to try and run as many sessions as possible at a decent HR and for me 3 runs at ave 140-145; 2 at 130 and 1 long run at 120ish will be far more beneficial than a few easy runs at 120 or below, with 1 or 2 really hard hill or interval sessions.

The best way to monitor an improvement in your Aerobic engine is to run a set route (example 15km) and to aim to run at about 90% of your Threshold, so for me it would be about 140HR and I may record a time of about 70 minutes (4:40/km) dependant upon the terrain. Every 2-3 weeks I would run the same course and aim for the same HR and it is amazing to draw a graph and watch the pace get progressively faster and faster.

I know I am fit when I can run the same course 5 to 6 minutes faster at the same HR and once the improvement stops, or plateaus, then you know you have maximised the development of your aerobic engine. Now it is time for those intervals or hills.

Specific Conditioning)

Specific conditioning is perhaps the biggest missing ingredient in most Ironman training programmes and if you don’t focus on this key area, you will never achieve your full potential.

You can do all the running training in the world and be a world class runner, but you will never be able to perform at your best in the run, unless you ensure that you are conditioned for the bike leg and by that I mean being prepared for a 180km solo effort, the majority of the time being on the tri-bars.

If you don’t you will experience extreme muscular fatigue before you start the run and then there may be no way back, as you will be running the marathon in a serious state of fatigue. Having run numerous marathons, including the Comrades Marathon I can tell you from experience that an Ironman Marathon is a very tough challenge, both physically and mentally.

Hence it is important to consider what we can do to specifically condition ourselves for an Ironman Marathon and in this post I will focus on some of the physical aspects that I consider vital.

Core fitness is extremely vital! Having a strong core is instrumental in translating the power of the legs to propelling the entire body forward. This will improve efficiency which improves running. A strong core will help you in the swim, on the bike in the aero position and also on the run, so don’t neglect your core. If your core is weak your body, particularly on the run, is like a house of cards that will collapse under pressure.

Biking fitness is also vital as mentioned earlier and I am of the firm belief that it is a good bike that sets up a great run. Personally I’ve always prepared well on the bike, but have always held something back during the bike leg (except Las Vegas where I gambled and put it all out there on the bike but that was a 70.3), seeking to set up a decent run. This is really tough to get right, as you have to swallow your pride somewhat and forgo racing on the bike. It’s a tough ask when somebody you know comes past, especially if you believe you are stronger than they are and it can be compounded somewhat when they throw in a chirp or too as well.

One of the key challenges facing Ironman participants (particularly professionals and age group racers) is the fact that the IM Marathon is actually quite slow. A 50yo age grouper for example would ‘only’ need to race at 5 min/km.

So your normal speed-work will make you more efficient, but it won’t ensure you are specifically conditioned for your race. Hence we need to do some training at ‘race pace’, but the 50 yo would probably be doing most of his easy runs at 5 min/km which is hardly going to prepare him for how tough 5 min/km will be in an IM Marathon.

We could introduce some ‘brick’ sessions to assist us to narrow the gap between our race pace and our speed-work pace. An idea would be to do a steady bike ride (or longish ride) prior to the speed session, which should slow your pace down somewhat but not the effort, which is what we want if we are trying to simulate race conditions.

Another idea would be to ‘deaden’ the legs with a speed session or 5km steady run, then do a 2-3 hour bike ride at IM pace and then to run 10-15km off the bike at IM running race pace. I introduced Raynard Tissink to this type of session and it not only helped simulate race conditions, but also helped improve self confidence too.

Other methods of training ‘slower’ whilst still doing a quality workout, would be to do sessions with very short recoveries.

Pacing is also very important, so don’t gun it in the swim, or in the first hour on the bike, you will need all the energy that you can conserve for later in the day. Believe me seconds saved early on, could lead to minutes lost later on, invariably on the run, so remember that you are not racing anybody else, so stick to your plan and aim to beat the course and the elements.

Tapering fitness is all important, as arriving at the start line 90% fit and 100% healthy is far better than arriving 100% fit and 90% healthy, so be careful of overdoing it in the final month. Remember that you are tapering so that you can run well off the bike, not to record an awesome bike split, so stick to the game plan.

Long Rides provide endurance to set up the run

7 Tips for Running Tip # 5 (Fartlek)

Once you have developed your aerobic engine, you can aim to improve your economy, strength endurance and speed by incorporating a few quality workouts into your training. A change in training adds renewed focus, but training for a road race ( or IM/70.3) is very different and there are many added stresses, so be careful of going too fast, too soon.

There is no real need to try and become the next Haile Gebrsellasie or Raynard Tissink, but taking yourself out of your comfort zone will improve your running tremendously. At this stage I would like to emphasise the need for a ‘vision’ of what it is you are aiming for (Bill Hybels defines vision as “A picture of the future that inspires passion”), because you need to be really passionate to want to transform yourself, as moving out of your comfort zone requires determination and perseverance, as it can get tough at times. Hence, it’s best to try and do this with a couple of like-minded friends so you can motivate each other.

Training with Kyle Buckingham and Jamie in Kona, Hawaii

The Swedish word, ‘Fartlek’, meaning playing with speed, is perhaps the safest way for runners or IM athletes to improve their economy and speed, as it eliminates clock watching and racing in training.

‘Fartlek’ can be adapted and incorporated into many sessions, but here are a few suggestions;

• Speed Endurance: Instead of running your regular 60min loop at a steady state,  break it up into 5 sets of 6min steady and 4 min easy, where the steady portion is faster than that of your normal steady state run and the easy portion (keep running but not a super slow jog) ensures you recover before the next interval.  (10 minutes warm up)
• Speed Work: Go to a golf course (or similar) and have fun playing with speed, running ‘hard’ to the green, jogging to a tree, before pressing on to the next target. You may build up to 10 intervals of 60-90 seconds (with similar recovery), but don’t start off too fast, progressively build up your speed. Also watch your footing! (remember the warm up)
• Hill Work: Another great ‘fartlek’ type session is doing pyramids with the lamp-poles on a gradual hill and you will find that counting the poles takes some of the pain away. You might do a session of 4/8/12/8/4, alternatively 10 by 10, where you work hard for a specified number of poles followed by a jog down for recovery. (remember the warm up).

Progression: Remember the goal of training is to prepare and to condition athletes physically & mentally to execute a projected goal pace in their targeted race. The body has amazing adaptability, so start off with a few & start off within yourself and build upon that and you will be surprised at how well you progress. The key with running is not to try and force it!

The aim is to have a bit of fun, while the focus is on getting out of your comfort zone, but don’t overdo it, as 1 or 2 killer sessions could lead to injury, or illness, so err on the side of caution and aim for gradual improvement. Utilize the principle of progression during your preparation. You may think it’s too tough to train hills, but if you start with one and add one extra hill a week, within 2 months you will have progressed to 8 hills and probably not noticed it. (Progession)

I view training for a Marathon or Iron Man like a Jigsaw puzzle. Keep your eye on the vision or goal (the picture on the box) and gradually build the pieces. As fun as it is working on the intricate pieces (above), don’t forget what I call the blue sky days, which for many are monotonous and time consuming. Those are the foundation blocks and you cannot build a good jigsaw puzzle without them and you certainly cannot produce a good 21km or marathon without them. And just like building a house, you do need the foundation (base work) to be laid first, otherwise something will give.

One final tip, remember a good week or month’s training is the sum of many parts, so be careful of trying to smash one particular session!

A good warm up is vital

The Long Run

“The Long Run is the Golden Key to unlocking the door (potential) to becoming a better runner!” – Alec Riddle 

The one key component of developing your ability as an endurance runner, is the Long Run, so try and do 2- 4 long runs a month (experienced runners can do a midweek long run of 90 minutes). One cannot develop a decent Base, without long runs and variety is, in my opinion, the spice in a runners life, so don’t try and do the same course, at the same time, same pace, week in, week out, or your motivation may wane.

How long is a Long Run? I would say 90 minutes or longer (45-60m+ for juniors)

Doing a Long Run in Kona (Energy Lab) with Kyle Buckingham 2012. Young Jamie in the foreground doing his ‘long’ run!

How fast should a Long Run be? In the inital stages of Base Training, I think err on the side of caution and run very easy, as just running long is stressful enough. Time spent running, or Time on Legs, is more important than the quality and running too hard in the Long Run can be self destructing. As you adapt and become more comfortable running long, then you want to run closer to your Aerobic Threshold/Limit for part of the run. (or most of the run for experienced runners).

Adap-tability is important in running & in an IronMan and improving your ability to adapt to various situations can be improved, while developing your base.

I once went to a talk by Arthur Lydiard inthe early 80’s, arguably one of the greatest running coaches of all time and he said that running two hours or longer is vital. He said that you stimulate & (re) awaken dormant muscle fibers and the more muscle fibers/capilliaries you are able to recruit, the better and more improved the bloodflow, resulting in more oxygen for your muscles. (Even Peter Snell Olympic 800m Champion did 22 mile hilly runs weekly under Lydiard’s guidance)

Awesome hills/trails in Boulder, Colorado

Incorporate hills and/or trails into some of your long runs, as this will help improve all round leg strength. Do at least one of your long runs, or part thereof for inexperienced runners, say once a month at a steady pace (for IM athletes remember the marathon run in an IM is much slower than your normal training pace and it is just as important to train at this ‘slow’ pace, for specific conditioning). In my earlier days a lot of South Africa’s top distance runners, including 9 times Comrades Champion Bruce Fordyce, used to focus on ‘time on legs’ runs, whereby you just go out enjoy the run, stop for drinks and spend time on your legs. I used to enjoy those runs immensely.

At the same time we don’t always want to run slowly (the plods), so when doing an easy long run, incorporate 2-3 ‘steady’ sections into the run. Example when running a Long Run run mostly @ an easy pace, do 20 minutes at a slightly faster pace (not too  hard simply a little faster), recover for a km or two and repeat 2-3 times depending on your level of fitness, finishing off at your easy pace.

One of the biggest mistakes made by ultra runners/triathletes is believing that they will lose endurance if they don’t run long regularly in the build up to their key race. DO NOT do Long Runs (longer than 90 minutes) within 3 weeks of your target race, as you may find your legs won’t recover sufficiently in time.

Additional benefits of the Long Run:

The Long Run builds both muscular strength and fitness. If your body is not strong you can push your body too hard, leading to injury. The Long Run strengthens the joints, ligaments & muscles.

The Long Run helps prevent injuries, as it provides a foundation that enables you to do faster work as you build to your key race. Think of a building, the bigger the fundation, the higher the peak.

The Long Run importantly assists the body in the utilization of energy sources. Most people try and run too hard and burn Carbohydrates (or Glycogen) which is very inefficient. Running long (and slower) enhances your ability to burn fatty acids as an energy source, thus sparing the more limited carb stores.

Hydration is important during Long Runs

Ironman Tip/s: We will talk more about specificity in a later Tip, but I would suggest running the odd long run, after a medium bike ride, as this will assist you to ‘slow’ down.

I thoroughly enjoy reverse bricks to improve running endurance (and reduce the chance of injury) and have found these to work very well for me. This involves running first and following up with a decent bike ride. For me, this is a common 3 hour workout, where I would run 90 min and then bike 90 minutes. This was a tip I picked up in Korea from Brendon Downey of endurancecoach.com, coach of many world class Triathletes.

Illustrating the importance of building a Base in the link below…..

http://ironmansa.com/2014/04/14/the-bigger-the-base-the-higher-the-peak/

 

Base Training

Base,Base, Base!!! You have to develop your aerobic engine and the bigger the base, the more solid the foundation, the higher the peak. Build gradually, steadily
and frequently, interspersed with regular recovery sessions.

Putting in the hard yards!

The more consistent the pressure you put on your plumbing system(cardiovascular)  the better and the best way to do that is to train at a more consistent ‘effort’ level in base training, so be careful of taking the hard/easy methodology of training too literally.

I am a great believer in what I call steady state running. In an ideal world, discovering your  aerobic threshold, lactate turnpoints and key heart rate zones would be great,
but it is not absolutely necessary. Steady state running is running just beyond
conversational pace and upwards and there are two ways to judge when you have
‘maximised’ this form of training. (In other words just below the red line, as when you are red lining it you are upsetting the blood’s ph levels which can also lead to injury/illness).

One method is to do your steady state runs on set routes and the tempo/pace gradually increases automatically as you improve, or become fitter. Initially you will detect substantial time improvement, at similar effort,  session to session, or week to week, with some improvement thereafter,  although not as rapid. Once your improvement is negligible you are ready for  the next phase.

The other option, for those with heart rate monitors, is to run a set route and
either run at the same pace, while detecting a simultaneous lowering of the
heart rate, alternatively to run with the same effort, but faster due to the
natural progression and detecting a similar heart rate as previous sessions.
Once you find the effort, time, or heart rate is sticking somewhat you have
achieved your objective in this phase. Raynard Tissink used this methodology in his Base Training a few years back and the results were quite amazing.

Example: I was training 3 athletes for their marathon debut on this type of steady state training, just building a strong base and suddenly a local marathon popped up on the scene, with a US$2,000 bonus for a sub 2hr 15 min win. It was 2 months earlier than we were planning for so we had done no speedwork, not track, just steady state running and fartlek, but we decided to go for it on 8 weeks base training.  Simon Mpholo won on debut (2hrs 14) and the other two ran 2h15 (Norman Dlomo) and 2h16 (Petrus Sithole) respectively.

For me the key is to keep consistent pressure. So if I was running ‘hard’ twice a week interspersed with two easy runs (plus my long run), then I’m getting a graph where the peaks and valleys are quite far apart. So instead of woking on running the ‘hard’ runs harder, I would run those at a similar effort, or slightly easier and rather work on upping the effort in the easy runs, bringing the peaks and valleys closer, ensuring more consistent pressure on my plumbing/cardiovascular system. See pic below illustrating that in this phase of training, the graph on the left is the ideal!

Caution: Most runners are far too impatient and want instant results, so test themselves and as soon as you test yourself, you need ample recovery, which defeats the object. For this process to work you need to be patient, very patient and let the body adapt in its own time. Do that and you will be amazed at both the interim and end results.

Important tip for Triathletes: Learnt from 5 time World Champion Simon Lessing of Boulder Coaching: Runners and Cyclists often tend to neglect their swimming as it is a small component of Ironman or Triathlon, but doing more swimming is vitally important. It not only improves your swimming time (even if it is negligible) but it builds your aerobic engine with little chance of injury. As Simon says swimming helps cycling and running but it doesn’t work the other way around and good swimmers are able to be competitive in triathlons a lot sooner than good cyclists or runners. I totally agree with this, so do not neglect the swimming!

A Dream is a Wish until commited to a Plan!