SKIP, HOP, AND JUMP TO A BETTER RUN!

So, I have to confess, I do not practice what I preach, at least not always. I haven’t done plyometrics since my high school track days. But in my research for this post, I have decided I will start them up again. There really is no reason other than laziness that I haven’t been doing them, so from here on out, I plan to skip, hop, and jump through my marathon trainings.

If you aren’t familiar with plyometrics, they are essentially different ways to jump or leap, for more speed, strength, and running economy. If you played football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, really any sport in high school or college, you most likely did some form of plyometrics during your drill workouts. Plyometrics teach your body to push off the ground with more force, building more lower body strength, balance, and flexibility. This in turn, increases your running economy, or reduces the energy you use while running. This can result in less fatigue and a faster run time. Some studies have even shown plyometric training to have better results for runners than traditional strength training.

Use caution when adding plyometrics to your workout routine. You will want to gradually increase the amount of these drills that you add to your training. They are generally high-impact, so there is a risk of injury if you overdue it, or land in the wrong way. Trying to explain the different jumps over a blog seems a little daunting, so I have included some links to sites describing different plyometric drills and moves. I plan to add a plyometric session to my speed days, or if you’re lucky and have P90X workout videos, you can do the plyometrics video (the P90X one is a killer workout!!!) on a cross-training day.

For detailed plyometric drills or more information check these links out:

Animated Plyometric Exercises

Video Examples (Many of these are meant for sprinters, but the bounds, the box jumps, and the split lunge jumps are good for distance runners as well.)

Running Planet

Runner's World: Get a Jump On It

American Council on Exercise

SpeedEndurance (Article summarizing research that plyometrics may be better than tradition weight training for distance runners.)

Next Week: Hit the Trails

Happy Running,

Genevieve

Injury prevention

Something all runners go through at some point in their running lives is injury. It could be something fairly benign, like shin splits, or more severe, like a stress fracture. I have experienced hip problems in the past and know how frustrating it feels. You know you shouldn't run, but all you can think about it is how you need to and should be running. But, if you deny the injury, you potentially make it worse by continuing to run on it or compensate with poor form that leads to another injury. Here are some ways to prevent injuries from occurring.

1. Don't try to do too much too fast. There is a reason marathon training plans take 16 weeks and slowly increase mileage over time. One often used rule is increasing mileage by no more than 10% per week.

2. Listen to your body. It sounds self-explanatory, but as runners, we get so focused on the distance we are supposed to run, we ignore everything else.

3. Do some form of strength training and include your hip muscles. Many knee problems can be fixed with increased hip strength.

4. Stretch!

5. Cross training is a great way to get exercise in and give joints a break. Things like swimming or cycling are great options for runners.

6. Get good shoes that are right for your foot strike and fit well.

Remember RICE if you do get injured: rest, ice, compression, and elevation for immediate treatment.

Next week: core work.

Happy and injury-free running!
Jennifer

On your mark, GetSetGo!

Athletes, we have exciting news! We have been selected by getsetgosports.com to receive donations based on customer purchases. getsetgosports.com is a web-based company dedicated to providing sports nutrition at reasonable prices, while contributing to the community through charitable contributions. As a customer you can select a charity to benefit from your purchase. 2% of your total purchase will go to the organization of your choice, and Team Red, White & Blue is proud to be one their charity options.

So if you're running low on Gu, Accelerade, or whatever your fuel of choice, check out getsetgosports.com and you can contribute to our mission at Team RWB. And spread the word to your friends.

As always,

Happy running,

Genevieve

SCHEDULE A DRESS REHEARSAL

A great way to get ready for race day is to schedule a dress rehearsal during your training. Find a half-marathon, 10 mile, 15K, or 10K race near you and register. It is a great way to get a feel for the anxiety of race morning, although not quite as nerve racking. It will give you an idea of planning your night before, your morning routine, etc. And you can use it to cover two workouts in one, a long run and a tempo run. If you time it right you can do a half-marathon on a weekend when you would normally run about the same mileage. If not just add a warm-up and cool-down to a shorter race. Don’t worry too much about the run matching your normal long run mileage. You will be running this at your race pace or faster, like a tempo run, so it will be a harder run than a regular long run. If you have 16 miles scheduled, and can find a 10 mile race, just add a mile or two each for a slow steady warm-up and cool-down and you’re good to go. Not only is it a great training run, a dress-rehearsal will give you the opportunity to work out any scheduling kinks of your race morning routine.

Next week: Plyometrics

Happy running,

Genevieve

Now that's technical!

Running seems like a fairly low-tech hobby, right? Just put on your running shoes and go! But, products like heart rate monitors, GPS watches, and iPhone apps are available to improve the running experience.

Some potential benefits of a heart rate monitor are more consistent training and less injuries. They are especially good at providing parameters for new runners. We can all benefit from less over- and undertraining with a heartrate monitor by aiming for a target as we run.

GPS watches track mileage, pace, calories burned, etc. Some GPS watches have options for recorded courses, so you can see improvement in your times as you progress in training. Many of these products double as a heart rate monitor. Several will wirelessly transmit data to your computer and compile graphs and charts with a variety of data. You can also share your workout and courses with friends. Some have optional connections for bicycles.

Attention iPhone users! The app, SmartCoach, will compose a training plan tailored for you and your goals. Nike+ iPod is another way to log miles, pace, etc. and to pair workouts with music playlists.

None of the products are a must-have to complete a marathon. But, they may give you that extra edge if you are looking to reach a certain time goal.

Some brands to try: Garmin, Suunto, Polar, Timex.

Next week: injury prevention.

Happy running!

Jennifer

STRENGTH & CROSS-TRAINING

With 8 weeks left until the Twin Cities Marathon, you are now halfway through your training! Congratulations! You’ve had a few lengthy runs so far, and your weekly mileage is still going up. Many of you may be feeling a little bored running everyday, and others may be fighting minor injuries, like shin splints. A little cross-training and strength-training can help with both of these problems.

Personally, I am fairly injury prone as a runner. In the past, I was always nursing runner’s knee, IT band pain in my hip, shin splints, and right now I’m battling plantar fasciitis. I have learned through the years that a little cross-training and strength-training goes a long way. I no longer run two days in a row, and not only do I have my injuries under wraps, I also rarely lose motivation to finish my training plan.

Strength-training is a great way to prevent injury, while improving your running. Running alone will build your leg muscles, but does little for your upper body. As I mentioned last week, your upper body is quite important in supporting your form. A strong upper body will improve your form, therefore improving your breathing and reduce fatigue. As for your lower body, the stronger your legs, the farther they’ll carry you. Take caution when building a strength-training plan. During marathon training, running should continue to be the focus of your workouts, don’t go too heavy or too hard with the weights. Build two or three strength-training sessions into your week on your cross-training or recovery days.

Speaking of cross-training, this is another great way to prevent injury and reduce boredom with your routine. You can essentially do whatever kind of cross-training you would like. Biking, swimming, kickboxing, stair-step, elliptical machine, yoga, pilates, water-jogging, dancing, whatever your pleasure. Cross-training is generally best for runners, when it is not a high-impact activity. This will give your joints a rest, without compromising your aerobic fitness. Things like the bicycle or water-jogging, will continue to build leg strength without the impact. Other activities such as swimming, yoga, and pilates, can help build upper body strength as well. If you are currently running five or six days a week, feel free to replace a couple easy recovery runs with a cross-training activity.

Next week: Schedule a Dress Rehearsal

Happy running,

Genevieve

I've been running for 2 hours - I'm hungry!

When I am in the midst of a 3 hour run, I often start to daydream about food. What delicious morsel am I going to have for my post-run feast - a smoothie? A pizza? Or the ultimate, cheese fries? There is a reason why people dream of food as they are in the middle of a long run - you are burning calories and depleting carbohydrates from your stores. Glucose is stored in the body as glycogen. When this supply is depleted, people are left feeling drained, both physically and mentally. Consuming carbohydrates while you run can help maintain your glucose level.

But, at what point do you need to worry about this and take carb replenishment with you on a run? According to Runner's World magazine, anything longer than 75 minutes requires supplementation. Anything shorter, the food you ate pre-run and your body's glycogen stores can handle. Don't wait until your body is completely fatigued to start consuming calories. It is best to start 30 to 60 minutes into a run. Continue throughout the workout in small, frequent quantities. It is recommended to have 100 to 250 calories per hour after that. The amount of calories depends on the size of the person (bigger person=more calories) and the fitness of the runner (less fit=more calories required).

So, how are you supposed to consume all of these calories as you run? There are several different ways. Sports drinks, like Gatorade or Hammer's HEED, both provide calories. However, the large volume required may cause a sloshy feeling in your stomach - not good when there are 8 miles left to go. Several runners use carbohydrate gels, like Gu, Hammer Gel, Carb Boom, or PowerBar Gel. These come in small packets, in a whole variety of flavors, and most have about 100 calories per packet. They fit easily into pockets of running shorts for portability and some even have caffeine, for an extra boost. Another form of carb replacement is gummy blocks, like Cliff Blocks (think of a giant cube shaped gummy bear) or jelly beans, like Sport Beans. Some companies make products with carbs combined with protein, for a steady level of glucose, like Sustained Energy by Hammer. Experiment with them all and find out what works for you. Some people do have problems tolerating these gels, from a GI perspective. When on a long run, blood is diverted from the gut to the muscles, making these products hard to digest for some people.

Remember, maintaining nutrition on the course can prevent you from hitting the dreaded wall. So, try a few different types and flavors and see what works for you.

Next week: running gadgets.

Happy running and eating!
Jennifer