Keir has now returned to University in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. We were a bit worried about him travelling alone through Belfast when there is quite lot of trouble there at the moment.
He was due to arrive at about 9.00pm and we had asked him to text us when he arrived. At 10.30pm we still hadn't had a message and we were, by now, starting to get concerned. Half an hour later we sent him a text knowing that he almost always replies within a couple of minutes. Another thirty minutes passed and we decided to not go to bed until we had heard from him ... or at least knew what had happened.
Within ten minutes of that decision he phoned to say that he had forgotten to send a text [teenager speak for 'stop worrying'].
Running continues to progress, and slowly improve, which is pleasing. Running non-stop for half an hour is quite tiring though !!! Even at 8:30 per mile (5:17 per km). I know that will soon get better though.
In the meantime Here's something I've recently found which addresses the issue of whether or not to eat/drink during training. Over the past few years I've read lots of evidence and anecdotes which have been contradictory and seem to be inconclusive as to which is the better protocol. For me this article by Andy DuBois clarifies everything nicely.
To finish this post I found something on the BBC news yesterday about a man who had recently received a hand transplant - the first in the UK. And the hospital where the surgery was performed is only 10 miles (16 km) from here. What caught my attention was that he needed a new hand because of complications arising from gout. I'll make sure I take my medication and be a good patient.
Showing posts with label Andy DuBois. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andy DuBois. Show all posts
Saturday, 5 January 2013
Saturday, 8 January 2011
nutritional ranking !!!!
In my last post I mentioned the official IAU World Rankings and the fact that if every race was included (not just those with an IAU label) the list would be slightly different.
This German website included all those other races and shows that for 2010 my unofficial ranking rose to 37 from 44 in 2009. Very pleased with that but I know there's still a lot more to come.
Also ... there's a very good post on Andy DuBois blog about nutrition and ultra running. I'm not sure where my thoughts lie regarding this one. I recognise the need to metabolise fats efficiently during a race ... but how to train the body to do that, and is it worth the effort anyway ?
This German website included all those other races and shows that for 2010 my unofficial ranking rose to 37 from 44 in 2009. Very pleased with that but I know there's still a lot more to come.
Also ... there's a very good post on Andy DuBois blog about nutrition and ultra running. I'm not sure where my thoughts lie regarding this one. I recognise the need to metabolise fats efficiently during a race ... but how to train the body to do that, and is it worth the effort anyway ?
Saturday, 11 December 2010
I can't think of a suitable title for this one
I've recently been reading a fascinating article about nutrition for ultra distance training on John Kynaston's blog [see link in the right hand column]. The correspondents Andy DuBois and Marc Laithwaite both have some very good ideas but after reading it all the best I can suggest is ...
... be sensible and use a few long runs and ultra races (not important ones) to experiment and see what works for you.
This morning I ran 7.2 miles fartlek on a route that took me past Stephen Smith's Garden Centre on Pool Road, Otley. As I approached the garden centre I saw a woman running in a red top about 200m ahead of me, I wondered who she was but thought no more of it when she turned into the car park. When I ran past the car park I realised there was only one car in it and the red topped runner was nowhere to be seen.
The car park is completely open with no place to hide. She wasn't in the solitary car nor had she time to run into the shop (it was closed anyway, at 8.15am). Very strange.
Apart from that ghostly beginning I had a good run. Especially as all the snow has gone and this made it much easier - and safer - to run quickly.
Many of you will have noticed one or two changes on my blog in the last week or two. Well there are also minor changes to the FUTURE RACES page and to the HELP AND ADVICE page. If you know of any interesting websites or articles that would be of interest to the wider community please let me know and I'll consider adding them to the latter page.
... be sensible and use a few long runs and ultra races (not important ones) to experiment and see what works for you.
This morning I ran 7.2 miles fartlek on a route that took me past Stephen Smith's Garden Centre on Pool Road, Otley. As I approached the garden centre I saw a woman running in a red top about 200m ahead of me, I wondered who she was but thought no more of it when she turned into the car park. When I ran past the car park I realised there was only one car in it and the red topped runner was nowhere to be seen.
The car park is completely open with no place to hide. She wasn't in the solitary car nor had she time to run into the shop (it was closed anyway, at 8.15am). Very strange.
Apart from that ghostly beginning I had a good run. Especially as all the snow has gone and this made it much easier - and safer - to run quickly.
Many of you will have noticed one or two changes on my blog in the last week or two. Well there are also minor changes to the FUTURE RACES page and to the HELP AND ADVICE page. If you know of any interesting websites or articles that would be of interest to the wider community please let me know and I'll consider adding them to the latter page.
Monday, 18 October 2010
*** RISK OF INJURY - DO NOT COPY ***
I've just spent the weekend mapping out my training for next year's World 24 hr Championships in Brugg, Switzerland - assuming I'll be selected.
There's about 33 weeks to go before the event and lots of hard training to do.
Basically my training is one of four types - cycling, strength, flexibility, running.
The cycling is very straight forward indeed. Hop on the bike and cycle for 45 to 60 minutes speeding up and slowing down (fartlek style) whilst listening to music or the radio or watching TV or a DVD. Easy (sometimes !!!)
Strength work can be broken down into three sub-types: core, upper body and legs.
Upper body work is mainly push ups and exercises for my shoulders which are a particular weakness of mine. I do three sessions of this per week. Core stability exercises take many forms but can include sit ups, crunchies, the plank, etc. Recently I've come across a post on Andy DuBois blog which has changed my understanding of these exercises.
Leg strengthening exercises include lunges, squats, step ups, etc. The composition and frequency of each session varies according to how many weeks there are before the major race.
Flexibility - just a few stretching exercises done almost daily.
Of course, the majority of my training will be running as 'running is the best form of training for running'. My running can be split into one of five types: long run, hill reps, tempo running, speedwork, steady running.
I plan to do two long runs per week, on consecutive days where possible. This week they will be 14 miles in length but will increase to somewhere between 25 and 27 miles in the middle of May. I also make the second of my two weekly long runs considerably harder than the first ... usually fartlek but sometimes much hillier or much faster (or hillier and faster occasionally).
Hill reps - there's a steep hill near where I live and I run up and down it a few times concentrating on form, not speed. I only use a 250m section and this week I'll do 8 reps but progress to 20 by mid to late February.
Tempo - continuous runs of 3 to 9 miles in length at a speed somewhere between 10k and half marathon pace.
Speedwork - intervals, fartlek and shorter races.
The above types of running account for four sessions per week. I run four consecutive days then have a day rest which means I'm running on 5 or 6 days per week and apart from that detailed above the rest is just steady running at about 8 minutes per mile (often with my clubmates from Otley AC).
One vital ingredient in my training plan is rest days. I mentioned earlier that every fifth day is free from running, well every tenth day is free from all forms of training. I feel that my body needs this time to recover from the hard work of the previous few days.
Most of what I've written about has been come about through a mixture of trial and error, listening to other runners, reading books and magazines ... and learning (not copying) from all these sources.
It's probably appropriate here to include a quote I found on (I think) Dean Karnazes website: "listen to everyone; follow no-one. We are each unique, what works for me may not work for you. Seek advice, listen, analyse, experiment and test new things. Then go with what works best for you."
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The running book I'm currently reading is Running Anatomy by Joe Puleo and Dr. Patrick Milroy. It is helping enormously, particularly with strength exercises. It's published by Human Kinetics who have a list of fantastically useful books for athletes.
There's about 33 weeks to go before the event and lots of hard training to do.
Basically my training is one of four types - cycling, strength, flexibility, running.
The cycling is very straight forward indeed. Hop on the bike and cycle for 45 to 60 minutes speeding up and slowing down (fartlek style) whilst listening to music or the radio or watching TV or a DVD. Easy (sometimes !!!)
Strength work can be broken down into three sub-types: core, upper body and legs.
Upper body work is mainly push ups and exercises for my shoulders which are a particular weakness of mine. I do three sessions of this per week. Core stability exercises take many forms but can include sit ups, crunchies, the plank, etc. Recently I've come across a post on Andy DuBois blog which has changed my understanding of these exercises.
Leg strengthening exercises include lunges, squats, step ups, etc. The composition and frequency of each session varies according to how many weeks there are before the major race.
Flexibility - just a few stretching exercises done almost daily.
Of course, the majority of my training will be running as 'running is the best form of training for running'. My running can be split into one of five types: long run, hill reps, tempo running, speedwork, steady running.
I plan to do two long runs per week, on consecutive days where possible. This week they will be 14 miles in length but will increase to somewhere between 25 and 27 miles in the middle of May. I also make the second of my two weekly long runs considerably harder than the first ... usually fartlek but sometimes much hillier or much faster (or hillier and faster occasionally).
Hill reps - there's a steep hill near where I live and I run up and down it a few times concentrating on form, not speed. I only use a 250m section and this week I'll do 8 reps but progress to 20 by mid to late February.
Tempo - continuous runs of 3 to 9 miles in length at a speed somewhere between 10k and half marathon pace.
Speedwork - intervals, fartlek and shorter races.
The above types of running account for four sessions per week. I run four consecutive days then have a day rest which means I'm running on 5 or 6 days per week and apart from that detailed above the rest is just steady running at about 8 minutes per mile (often with my clubmates from Otley AC).
One vital ingredient in my training plan is rest days. I mentioned earlier that every fifth day is free from running, well every tenth day is free from all forms of training. I feel that my body needs this time to recover from the hard work of the previous few days.
Most of what I've written about has been come about through a mixture of trial and error, listening to other runners, reading books and magazines ... and learning (not copying) from all these sources.
It's probably appropriate here to include a quote I found on (I think) Dean Karnazes website: "listen to everyone; follow no-one. We are each unique, what works for me may not work for you. Seek advice, listen, analyse, experiment and test new things. Then go with what works best for you."
.jpg)
The running book I'm currently reading is Running Anatomy by Joe Puleo and Dr. Patrick Milroy. It is helping enormously, particularly with strength exercises. It's published by Human Kinetics who have a list of fantastically useful books for athletes.
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