Hope you all watched the program on Channel 4 (UK) on Saturday morning at 7.00am. It was almost an hours worth of coverage from the second Commonwealth Mountain & Ultra Running Championships which took place in Llandudno a few weeks ago (as if you didn't know).
A very good program showing about 20 minutes from each of the three races. If you haven't seen it yet you can find it here. I believe it's available for another four weeks or so and it's well worth watching.
A few days ago there was a brilliant piece on the Sweat Science website about carbohydrate intake during exercise. In a nutshell we used to believe that humans could metabolise a maximum of 60g carbs per hour when running but recent studies have founds that 90g per hour can be achieved if we use 60g glucose and 30g fructose.
I know this isn't such a new idea (it was mentioned in Lore Of Running by Tim Noakes) but this piece reinforces, with me at least, the need to try a mixture of glucose and fructose in my future training and racing.
This afternoon I was at the physio again and the good news is that my ankle injury is much less serious than originally thought. It turns out to be Achilles Tendinopathy and the course of action is a further weeks rest followed by four or five weeks gradually returning to full training. All the while I'll be cycling lots and building up strength and flexibility in both ankles with weights, stretching and eccentric contractions.
Showing posts with label Lore Of Running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lore Of Running. Show all posts
Monday, 31 October 2011
Monday, 13 July 2009
a bad day at the office ...
Well, here's what happened ...
Arrived the night before with a tent and two crew members (Fay and Keir). Everything was fine ... runners and the organiser, doctor and other officials were chatting away and eagerly anticipating the weekend's race.
Just before going to sleep I stubbed my toe and a toenail came off. I know it had been loose since the Run To London but I didn't realise it had been so bad. An omen perhaps.
Woke up in the night with cramp in my left calf ... things were not going well at all.
Before an ultra distance race I usually snack on high carbohydrate foods right up until the race starts. This time I decided to just have a large breakfast about two to three hours before the race. The idea behind this change is that food eaten within one hour of a race stimulates the release of insulin, which increases the amount of carbohydrate used during the race.
About an hour before the race I ambled down to see the woman from the Northern Institute of Massage to see if she could help with the cramp problem I had about six hours earlier. After about ten minutes on her table I felt much better ...
The race began and I felt strong, it went like this:
FIRST HOUR
plan - to run at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
actual - ran at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
SECOND HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:51 per mile (1:57 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:41 per mile (1:55 per lap)
THIRD HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
FOURTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:03 per mile (2:00 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:03 (2:00 per lap)
FIFTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
SIXTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:15 per mile (2:03 per lap)
actual - walked for 8:45 then ran for 8:55 per mile (2:13 per lap)
SEVENTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run for 8:19 per mile (2:04 per lap)
actual - walked for 10:00 and later for 5:00. Ran at 9:03 per mile (2:15 per lap)
During the seventh hour, when I was beginning to try and understand why I was struggling, it suddenly occurred to me that the 218 mile Run To London was only seven weeks ago and it was obvious that I hadn't recovered enough to be able to run a quick 100 miles.
What came to mind next was a section from Tim Noakes' book Lore Of Running (fourth edition, page 662):
"Continuous running during marathon and ultramarathon races produces a specific form of fatigue due to eccentric-induced muscle damage with associated changes in neuromuscular function."
"Once this fatigue develops, it is irreversible, causing the runner to slow precipitously, or even be reduced to walking. Complete recovery may take weeks to months."
I then decided it would be wise to stop as I didn't want anything getting in the way of a good build up to the Commonwealth Championships which are only nine and a half weeks away.
Another thing I was trying for the first time was a different length of walking break. I usually walk for ten minutes every hour but this time I thought I'd try seven and a half minutes in a slightly shorter race. It worked well for the first five hours but then I needed more time walking ... I had been running faster than usual though. This needs to be tried again when I'm fresh.
Some of the new food and drink choices weren't due until a few hours after I stopped running so I still don't know whether or not they would have had any benefit. The Shot Bloks electrolyte chews were very good: a useful way of taking on board sodium, etc and easier to chew and swallow than expected.
The REGO Rapid (protein drink) tasted much better without the addition of a Shotz electrolyte tablet.
After I retired I spent much of the remaining 17 hours enjoying the race and talking to people such as Alan Young, Adrian Stott, Eleanor Robinson, Mike Blamires, etc. I'm always willing to listen and learn from what others have to say about training, racing, nutrition, etc.
CONCLUSIONS
- Seven weeks recovery after 218 miles is not enough for me.
- Alan and Adrian very kindly pointed out that two bad races [by my own standards] from nine ultras is quite a good ratio.
- passed the marathon distance in 3h 38:39 and 60k in 5h 16:17 (the latter a pb by over 20 minutes).
Many thanks to Dave Annandale for organising a fantastic event and thanks also to all the lap counters too (especially Emma Annandale who was mine [sorry for not collapsing at the end though !!!]).
Arrived the night before with a tent and two crew members (Fay and Keir). Everything was fine ... runners and the organiser, doctor and other officials were chatting away and eagerly anticipating the weekend's race.
Just before going to sleep I stubbed my toe and a toenail came off. I know it had been loose since the Run To London but I didn't realise it had been so bad. An omen perhaps.
Woke up in the night with cramp in my left calf ... things were not going well at all.
Before an ultra distance race I usually snack on high carbohydrate foods right up until the race starts. This time I decided to just have a large breakfast about two to three hours before the race. The idea behind this change is that food eaten within one hour of a race stimulates the release of insulin, which increases the amount of carbohydrate used during the race.
About an hour before the race I ambled down to see the woman from the Northern Institute of Massage to see if she could help with the cramp problem I had about six hours earlier. After about ten minutes on her table I felt much better ...
The race began and I felt strong, it went like this:
FIRST HOUR
plan - to run at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
actual - ran at 7:47 per mile (1:56 per lap)
SECOND HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:51 per mile (1:57 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:41 per mile (1:55 per lap)
THIRD HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 7:59 per mile (1:59 per lap)
FOURTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:03 per mile (2:00 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:03 (2:00 per lap)
FIFTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
actual - walked for 7:30 then ran at 8:07 per mile (2:01 per lap)
SIXTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run at 8:15 per mile (2:03 per lap)
actual - walked for 8:45 then ran for 8:55 per mile (2:13 per lap)
SEVENTH HOUR
plan - to walk for 7:30 then run for 8:19 per mile (2:04 per lap)
actual - walked for 10:00 and later for 5:00. Ran at 9:03 per mile (2:15 per lap)
During the seventh hour, when I was beginning to try and understand why I was struggling, it suddenly occurred to me that the 218 mile Run To London was only seven weeks ago and it was obvious that I hadn't recovered enough to be able to run a quick 100 miles.
What came to mind next was a section from Tim Noakes' book Lore Of Running (fourth edition, page 662):
"Continuous running during marathon and ultramarathon races produces a specific form of fatigue due to eccentric-induced muscle damage with associated changes in neuromuscular function."
"Once this fatigue develops, it is irreversible, causing the runner to slow precipitously, or even be reduced to walking. Complete recovery may take weeks to months."
I then decided it would be wise to stop as I didn't want anything getting in the way of a good build up to the Commonwealth Championships which are only nine and a half weeks away.
Another thing I was trying for the first time was a different length of walking break. I usually walk for ten minutes every hour but this time I thought I'd try seven and a half minutes in a slightly shorter race. It worked well for the first five hours but then I needed more time walking ... I had been running faster than usual though. This needs to be tried again when I'm fresh.
Some of the new food and drink choices weren't due until a few hours after I stopped running so I still don't know whether or not they would have had any benefit. The Shot Bloks electrolyte chews were very good: a useful way of taking on board sodium, etc and easier to chew and swallow than expected.
The REGO Rapid (protein drink) tasted much better without the addition of a Shotz electrolyte tablet.
After I retired I spent much of the remaining 17 hours enjoying the race and talking to people such as Alan Young, Adrian Stott, Eleanor Robinson, Mike Blamires, etc. I'm always willing to listen and learn from what others have to say about training, racing, nutrition, etc.
CONCLUSIONS
- Seven weeks recovery after 218 miles is not enough for me.
- Alan and Adrian very kindly pointed out that two bad races [by my own standards] from nine ultras is quite a good ratio.
- passed the marathon distance in 3h 38:39 and 60k in 5h 16:17 (the latter a pb by over 20 minutes).
Many thanks to Dave Annandale for organising a fantastic event and thanks also to all the lap counters too (especially Emma Annandale who was mine [sorry for not collapsing at the end though !!!]).
Thursday, 16 April 2009
science lesson
Read an article in the Metro newspaper yesterday about sports drinks. The piece by Jo Steele reads:
"Want to be a better athlete? Well, forget altitude training and high-carb diets - it's your taste buds you should be concentrating on.
"Swilling a sugary sports drink around the mouth before exercising can apparently boost performance - even if it is spat out afterwards.
"Sugars - carbohydrates - in liquids such as energy drinks fire receptors in the mouth which stimulate the brain to increase output, tests found.
"The result is an average two per cent boost in exercise performance, with the added bonus of athletes not even feeling as if they are working any harder.
" 'Much of the benefit from carbohydrate in sports drinks is provided by signalling directly from mouth to brain rather than providing energy for the working muscles,' said physiologist Dr Edward Chambers.
"Energy drinks have long been known to boost exercise performance but experts have said the sugar hit alone is not enough to explain the improvement ...
"[During endurance tests with cyclists] previously unidentified receptors in the mouth sent pleasure signals to the brain, which reduced the cyclists' perception of the workload, said Dr Chambers, of Birmingham University, in the Journal of Physiology.
Interesting stuff there. So, sports drinks have two roles: to provide a bit of energy for the working muscles and to provide a placebo effect for the brain. This actually makes a bit of sense - Noakes writes about fatigue in terms of a Central Governor in his book Lore Of Running. He writes on page 19 (fourth edition)
"... the increasing feeling of fatigue and the progressive reduction in the capacity of the exercising muscles to maintain a constant work output during prolonged exercise results from currently unrecognized processes in the brain, which presumably act to prevent bodily harm during such exercise. This model theorizes that performance during exercise is determined by two separate phenomena:
Hope you were paying attention at the back ...
Also updated this page with a couple of things kindly provided by John Pares. And also this page.
"Want to be a better athlete? Well, forget altitude training and high-carb diets - it's your taste buds you should be concentrating on.
"Swilling a sugary sports drink around the mouth before exercising can apparently boost performance - even if it is spat out afterwards.
"Sugars - carbohydrates - in liquids such as energy drinks fire receptors in the mouth which stimulate the brain to increase output, tests found.
"The result is an average two per cent boost in exercise performance, with the added bonus of athletes not even feeling as if they are working any harder.
" 'Much of the benefit from carbohydrate in sports drinks is provided by signalling directly from mouth to brain rather than providing energy for the working muscles,' said physiologist Dr Edward Chambers.
"Energy drinks have long been known to boost exercise performance but experts have said the sugar hit alone is not enough to explain the improvement ...
"[During endurance tests with cyclists] previously unidentified receptors in the mouth sent pleasure signals to the brain, which reduced the cyclists' perception of the workload, said Dr Chambers, of Birmingham University, in the Journal of Physiology.
Interesting stuff there. So, sports drinks have two roles: to provide a bit of energy for the working muscles and to provide a placebo effect for the brain. This actually makes a bit of sense - Noakes writes about fatigue in terms of a Central Governor in his book Lore Of Running. He writes on page 19 (fourth edition)
"... the increasing feeling of fatigue and the progressive reduction in the capacity of the exercising muscles to maintain a constant work output during prolonged exercise results from currently unrecognized processes in the brain, which presumably act to prevent bodily harm during such exercise. This model theorizes that performance during exercise is determined by two separate phenomena:
- A pacing strategy that is preprogrammed into the athlete's subconscious brain as a result of previous training and racing experiences.
- Acute alterations to that preprogrammed strategy resulting from sensory input from a variety of organs - heart, muscle, brain, blood and lungs, among others - to the exercise controller or governor in the brain. Output from the controller to the motor cortex then determines the mass of skeletal muscle that can be activated and for how long, thereby determining the pacing strategy that the subconscious brain adopts during exercise.
Hope you were paying attention at the back ...
Also updated this page with a couple of things kindly provided by John Pares. And also this page.
Monday, 28 April 2008
First Long Run
This afternoon I went out for my first 'proper' long run. Before today the furthest I've been this year is 17 miles. Today I ran 25+.
I found it much easier than expected - the first half was covered at about 8:25 per mile and the return journey at about 8:10 per mile. It wasn't planned that way but I was just feeling very good. Compression tights probably had a part to play there, as did two litres of isotonic sports drink (some of which was caffeinated).
The route was quite hilly in places and the weather was less than kind - heavy showers (one was sleet) and cold at times. Warm and sunny though for the last five miles or so.
Well pleased with this ... and the best part is that the pinch test referred to by Noakes in his 'Lore of Running' indicates no damage to my achilles.
I found it much easier than expected - the first half was covered at about 8:25 per mile and the return journey at about 8:10 per mile. It wasn't planned that way but I was just feeling very good. Compression tights probably had a part to play there, as did two litres of isotonic sports drink (some of which was caffeinated).
The route was quite hilly in places and the weather was less than kind - heavy showers (one was sleet) and cold at times. Warm and sunny though for the last five miles or so.
Well pleased with this ... and the best part is that the pinch test referred to by Noakes in his 'Lore of Running' indicates no damage to my achilles.
Saturday, 8 March 2008
Ouch
You'll never believe what happened last night. At about half past two in the morning I woke up needing to use the toilet but when I got there I keeled over !! Apparently I made such a thud that Fay woke up and, fearing the worst, came to find me ... I was still on the floor.
Later she described me as suffering from 'Exercise Associated Collapse' [see Lore of Running (4th edition) by Tim Noakes, pp244 - 249]. Fay has first hand experience of looking after me in this situation as I've suffered EAC after each of my last two 24 hr races.
The only difference this time was that I have quite a nasty gash on my forehead.
No running today then.
Later she described me as suffering from 'Exercise Associated Collapse' [see Lore of Running (4th edition) by Tim Noakes, pp244 - 249]. Fay has first hand experience of looking after me in this situation as I've suffered EAC after each of my last two 24 hr races.
The only difference this time was that I have quite a nasty gash on my forehead.
No running today then.
Monday, 11 February 2008
Stage two begins
Well, it's done. My first run of any type since 24 December 2007. How did it go ? Well ... I iced my ankle for 30 mins before setting off and for the first 15 - 20 mins it didn't feel normal but I put that down to the ice and the type of shoes I was wearing [Nike Air Max Bounty] which are still quite new and stiff. For the second half of my 40 minute outing my ankle felt absolutely fine.
I know that alternating 5 mins running with 5 mins walking is still a long way from proper training but this is another milestone reached. Tomorrow will be identical in terms of running - I hope the result is too.
After a shower the pinch test as advocated by Noakes in his 'Lore Of Running' indicated no deterioration in the achilles. Fantastic.
Used ice for 30 mins after the run too.
I know that alternating 5 mins running with 5 mins walking is still a long way from proper training but this is another milestone reached. Tomorrow will be identical in terms of running - I hope the result is too.
After a shower the pinch test as advocated by Noakes in his 'Lore Of Running' indicated no deterioration in the achilles. Fantastic.
Used ice for 30 mins after the run too.
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