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Altitude training for elite distance runners

Ever since the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games which was held at an altitude of 2300 m, the use of altitude to improve performance has been widely used by endurance athletes. Since then there has been a wide range of research that has investigated the use of altitude training to improve competition performance in elite athletes. There is a general acceptance in the athletic community that altitude training is beneficial in improving competition performance both at altitude and at sea-level. More from Dr Philo Saunders here.

Kenya’s marathon men

‘You want to know what the secret is? That there is no secret.” Brother Colm O’Connell, a retired Irish priest and one of Kenya’s top running coaches, is almost spitting with delight as he talks to me. We are standing in the grounds of St Patrick’s school in Iten, Kenya. On the grass in front of us, his athletes are going through their warm-up drills. Among them is the tall figure of David Rudisha, world champion and world record holder for the 800m. More here…

These Kenyan runners, how do they keep on winning?

A Kenyan winning the New York, Boston or London marathon has become such a constant feature of the athletic landscape that we don’t question it anymore — it is one of those things that just come with being a Kenyan. But beyond Kenyan borders, athletes and sports pundits are still baffled at how a tiny corner of the world can come to dominate so completely the world’s most universally accessible sport. More here….

Deadlier than dehydration

Like many marathon runners, Kate Mori always drank plenty of fluids before, during and after a race, rather than waiting until she got thirsty.

“I’d always been taught you had to ‘stay ahead’ of thirst and that being thirsty was a sign you were already dehydrated,” says the 42-year-old sports scientist.

Even pace running

I’ve been involved in distance running for over twenty years and the methods I try to instill in runners have come about via my successes and failures, and also what I’ve observed in others.

One of the most common questions I’m asked relates to competition and what would be the best way to successfully achieve a goal on race day. What pace should I run? Should I run the first Half of the Marathon 2min faster than the second? Given the fact I’m going to slow in the second Half of my 10k should I run 10sec/km faster than my goal pace for the first 6-7km? These questions are all typical of what I’m asked frequently.

A question from one of my online clients:
”Tell me in regards to this 8km run, if I want to finish it in 40 mins, do you suggest that I just go flat out??!! Because I am thinking it is probably the best way I will get there.”

Julie gave me permission to print her words and they are not being used by me here in any disrespectful way. I’m pleased I had the opportunity to advise Julie how to take a more sensible approach to her race as her original plan of attack was destined to fall apart.

I believe the best way to achieve………

I believe the best way to achieve a challenging, yet realistic, goal is to run at an even pace throughout the entirety of the race. All of my best performances were achieved through even paced running. Not once did I contemplate running quicker in the first half to allow for slowing later.

Take Julies goal for example. Achieving the Sub 40min goal should not be based on the mindset that the closing stages are going to get tough and ”I’ll be slowing down hence the need to have a bit of time up my sleeve around 5km” type attitude.

Indicators

Ideally the situation Julie should be in is one where she is has come off a solid preparation which contained indicators that 4.59/km all the way is going to be tough but the level of fitness gained is going to allow the testing pace to be maintained right to the end.

When all of the World’s top runners set off to run incredibly quick, & even break World records, the plan of attack is not based on allowing for slowing in the closing stages. The plan of attack comes about as a result of how well the preparation has been and how the runner has recently performed over shorter races. The quality of the preparation along with the results from these shorter races are used as indicators to determine if a certain goal time over a longer distance is achievable.

The writing is often on the wall

More often than not the writing is on the wall when it comes to what a runner can achieve on race day. Chance and luck are frequent companions.
There are no short cuts in distance running and you are doing yourself an injustice by having a crammed preparation leading into an event and expecting to slow over the closing stages.
To run a Marathon you need the best part of 20 weeks to prepare and slightly less for a Half Marathon and 10k if you expect a certain result.

What situation do you want to be in?

Do you want to stand on the start line of a race knowing you have had a long healthy preparation or do you want to stand there fearful that you will be carrying a bear on your back in the closing stages?

Your long campaign will not only reward you with a level of fitness you only dreamed about but it will also allow you to achieve your challenging yet realistic goal via a even pace.
NOW!

It’s a great feeling crossing the line knowing it all clicked on the day, so be smart and start sooner rather than later.

Sports Nutrition Training Session

Brisbane / The Ship Inn (South Bank) / Saturday April 28 /7.30 am / $220

The session will be conducted over a 1 hour training session.

More details here

Australia’s Jessica Trengove has run an Olympic qualifier

South Australia’s Jessica Trengove has run an Olympic qualifier in her debut marathon in Nagoya, Japan.A consistent 72 minute half-marathoner over the past few years, 24-year-old Trengove finished 14th to record a time of 2:31:02.

Australians to compete in New York Half Marathon

Australians Ben St. Lawrence (debut), Collis Birmingham (1:05:46) and Michael Shelley (1:02:10), and Lisa Jane Weightman (1:09:00) will compete in the NYC Half Marathon on March 18. More here.

Racing Better

One of my online clients recently contacted me frustrated by the fact he runs much better in training than in races. All of his performances in training (including a 10min 30sec 3k) indicate a Sub 40min 10k is possible however ten consecutive 4min k’s is a feat which is becoming more of an indestructible blockade than a barrier to be broken.

I have found that over-training and a high level of anxiety leading into an event are generally the two things which prevent runners from achieving a performance which ‘should’ take place.

Over training:
I had the pleasure of running with Olympic and World Champions as well as World record holders. The common trait I found with all of these individuals was that training was black and white. They either ran fast or they ran slow, there was no grey. There were no 50min – 2hr runs that were run at 76.33% of max HR.

I almost tripped myself up a few times due to running so slow with certain legends. Being the clown I often was, I was known to stop running and break out into a race walk just to make these runners aware of how slow they were traveling.
The principal of this type of training comes from the importance of recovering from uptempo sessions. Running fast on your fast days and chilling on all of the remaining runs is something I constantly instill in the runners I am involved with. This is a principal that has allowed our own Craig Mottram to currently be one of the greatest distance runners in the World.

One of my training partners had met Rob de Castella before I knew him and I asked my friend what the great man had to say. “Run hard on your fast days and easy on your easy days” were Rob’s main comments and later in my career when I trained with Deek I found out first hand that this was the policy he followed.

You need to extend yourself in training in order to improve your motor and you also need to take it easy. Running faster than ever before over a certain distance will place a runner through a certain amount of discomfort however starting the event fatigued from over training will not allow the level of discomfort to be maintained.

Anxiety:
You need to be pumped and locked into what you wish to achieve however there is a fine line between what is beneficial to your performance and what is detrimental.

When it comes to a monthly 3k Time Trial or a race there is little to worry about if you have prepared well. Achieving your goal is the execution of all of the training you have done.

Thoughts such as what if I don’t succeed and/or facing your running buddies as a failure can literally leave a runner feeling sick in the stomach.

Thoughts immediately before your event should be consumed by the fact you will be tunnel visioned once the event has started and that you will be focused and committed to the realistic pace you have been preparing to maintain.

Once your event has started and you commit 100% there is no room to entertain thoughts of failure. You are on a mission to make the most of the opportunity and filled with desire to walk away with that unique feeling achieving a goal brings.

It’s only people who are involved in sports such as running who understand the place you can go to when you go for it 100%. It’s a place where we feel like we are truly living. Running being one of the most natural of sports makes ‘our’ place a great deal more special. If you train smart and approach your event filled with confidence you will be giving yourself the best chance to experience such a feeling.

Abdi running for his life

IN 1996, Algerian Youcef Abdi had 24 hours to decide. One day to make up his mind about where to spend the rest of his life. One day to escape.

Abdi was in an Algerian military training camp in the desert. He was meant to be in a camp for elite athletes but a foul-up had him sent to a combat camp where he was to train to fight terrorists. He tried to explain the mix-up and asked to be moved to the right camp.