Love Letter to Swiftwick

If you spend as much time as I do in training, racing, and generally using your feet, then you need the best socks. I am still amazed when I see someone wearing white cotton socks.



Photo: Swiftwick comes in environmentally friendly minimalist packaging.



Photo: I ran a 50 mile, extremely muddy trail run. Not one blister, not one issue with socks. Choice: 1" black Merino Wool blend. (Photo credit Gloria Merritt)



Photo: A week later I rode 450 miles in 5 days on the Adoption Tour. Swiftwick custom socks, comfy feet all day long.



So I was ready for the next step. I manage an endurance racing team with very distinctive uniforms, but we didn't have socks yet. Well, now we do:


Photo: 1" for the runners, 4" for the cyclists and fashionistas.



Photo: Didn't Siftwick do a marvelous job matching the color and design scheme?

On Track or Off?

I saw an advertisement the other day for a training program which offered to "help you lose weight, improve your 5K times, or help you get ready for Country Music Marathon." Setting aside for the moment that these are very diverse goals with different strategies to meet them, I was particularly struck that one of the weekly workouts (two per week, actually) is a track workout.

There is no reason to be run training on the track right now.

The simpliest argument is this simple metaphor: Speedwork is the icing on the cake. You don't have cake yet.

Moreover, no one does and no one should right now. This is the OFF-SEASON. You should be doing the correct, periodized activities for this time of year. This applies if you are doing any races (running, triathlon, marathon, cycling) during the normal competitive season (Feb-November!) If your A-race for the year is the Boulevard Bolt, Jingle Bells 5K, or New Years Day 5K, then maybe you should be doing a track workout.

What are the correct activities to do right now? By and large the vast majority of endurance athletes should be in an off-season. This might mean total time off (I don't recommend more than a couple weeks of this.) Next you should inititate and commit to a strength and stretch program, appropriate for your sport. Also you should be doing some endurance training. If you are a multi-sporter, you might do a single-sport season, which is a good way to spruce up a pesky limiter. Or do some fun cross training activities, such as mountain biking, trail running, or hiking.

I will go as far as to say that ANY running on the track should be done with the greatest of reservations. When people step on the track their common sense goes out the window. They try to race their friends and inevitably run way too fast, with soreness and injury likely. I use track workouts judiciously, but most of the time I prefer fartleks or mile repeats on the road. This is much more realistic and specific to road running races.

Put your efforts into activities that will promote your long term health, and produce real results in your next racing campaign. Not the short term endorphin buzz of high intensity speedwork at exactly the wrong time of the year.

Recommended:
Strength and Stretch (weights, ab lab, aerogility, yoga, pilates, stretching)
Fun Endurance Training (Mountain Bike, Road Bike (no aero bars), trail running)
Single sport (improving a limiter)
Drills

Avoid:
Training like you do during the main part of the season
High intensity intervals
Sedentary time off and bad eating (more than two weeks), resulting in excessive weight gain

Final Push

Photo: Are you ready to feel the heat on race day?


I am coaching a lot of people who have upcoming races: On Nov 7th I'll have athletes in Beach to Battleship, Ironman Florida, and Miami Man. A few dozen are also getting ready for the Nashville Half Marathon on Nov 14.These are some epic races, and everyone will be challenged.

We are 4 and 5 weeks out from these races, respectively. Now is the time for the "final push." The last 10 days to 3 weeks before an epic race is the taper period, where your training scales back and you find the extra mojo for race day. Before that is the last chance for the hardest levels of training.

If you are training for one of these or another race this fall/early winter, then find the toughness in yourself to go the extra mile. Do one more repeat, one more hour, one more workout, one more day-long of training. Make it hurt and make yourself suffer. Take care of the body, but punish it.

Then race day won't be so bad.

A running question

A client asks:

Stephen, I have a couple of questions for you. Did my first 1/2 marathon last Sat in Murfreesboro ( took 2 hours 51 minutes). I was doing good until mile 12 both calves cramped at same time tried stretching but had to walk for 3/4mile. After finishing was little light headed and nauseated. Have found out this happens often. Do you do any individual training? I started running (jogging) in Jan. I have never ran before in my life and have just been getting info out of magazines and the internet. I have lots of questions and do need some guidance. I have the Novemeber 1/2 and plan on going to Las Vegas in Dec for a 1/2.

My response:
I would say if you were steady to mile 12, and it was only the last 3/4 of a mile that you struggled, then you did pretty darn well. Your time is not that of a speedster, but I would guess that you are more focused on finishing and feeling good rather than running a fast time. In any case, whether you ran, walked, crawled, or clawed your way across the finish line, revel in your wonderful accomplishment. Now, what can we do to help you improve?

First step: Keep training. It takes many years to achieve your absolute potential, so stick with it. You can expect continued improvements if you keep training diligently. Keep doing long runs, and also doing intensity runs (such has Love Circle hill repeats.)

Also in the training department, consider diligently following a strength and stretch program. That will help keep your calves tough so they are less likely to cramp. It will keep your posture and form good so you can finish strong.

The other symptoms you described makes me suspect you had some nutrition issues. If you are running for longer than 60-75 minutes, you should be consuming some calories and hydration. Did you drink sports drink at the aid stations? Did you take in any energy gels? You should take in approx 150-200 calories per hour after the first 40 minutes.

Another consideration for finishing strong and avoiding cramps is ensuring you have enough electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium. The day before your next race put a few extra shakes of salt on your food. If it turns out to be a particularly hot day, you should take in a sodium suppliment such as Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes, or Thermotabs.

I hope these tips have been helpful. The most important thing to remember is that you have been running less than a year, and you have already achieved this wonderful accomplishment. Stick with it, train diligently, and increase your mental toughness to do better at your next race. You are doing something that is very good for your health, so keep up the great work.

ST

Eating: Self-Control Paradigm

Here is a link to a great article on changing your eating: Eating Right: a New Self-Control Paradigm.

I am reminded of how often someone asks me for an eating plan, nutritional guidelines, or a referral to a nutritionist. These can be useful components in changing your eating for the better. But just as often I suspect that a person is psychologically shifting the responsibility away from oneself.

"Help me help myself. Give me a plan that will make the difficult changes for me." What happens when the person gets a plan, looks at it, and decidesn the following?: "I don't want to make these changes. I am going to continue eating the way I have been eating."

The authors in this article raises many different strategies that a person can use to change their eating strategies. They some great tips. These include ways to delay impulses, distract yourself, and generally increase your willpower. They also make the important point that once you make and adhere to difficult changes, pretty soon the impulse to eat bad will be diminished.

Sure these strategies help, but at the end of the day you need to take responsibility for yourself. The thing I like is that they acknowledge you have free will, and you have the ability to make positive, healthy, correct decisions.

But I would add one more component to these tips and strategies: YOU have the ability to choose. If you WANT to eat better then you will. EVERYONE knows more about healthy eating than what they choose to apply. You don't have to be PERFECT, but you must have a good CONSISTENT COMMITTMENT to making positive change.

My clients who do this loose all the weight they desire.

Run Training Group

Here is a write-up by Barry P from a Saturday long run workout. We are getting the group ready for the Nashville Half Marathon.

Barry P writes:
Today I ran the 5.5 loop twice that Stephen Taylor planned out for the IRFTP runners. It was an absolute blast. The weather is the perfect temperature for running and the folks who ran with me were real awesome and supportive. We were over 9 miles into the run before we split up for the finish. I was impressed we stayed together that long! Our total time was about1 hour 40 for the 11 miles. Which averages slighty over a 9 minute mile.

I learned a lot of valuable lessons this morning…

1. I need to start using Goo for the long runs. (It helps! Thank you Stephen for sharing yours.)

2. I learned that chaffing sucks. I am going to buy biker shorts before Mondays run and pray that my tender thighs heal quickly as I am in a lot of pain this evening.

3. I learned that although it’s good to have something to drink in the beginning and end of the run, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have something in the middle of the run either. (Thanks again to Stephen for supplying the runners with his treasure hunt for Gatorade in the middle of the course. LOL)

4. I learned for long runs that some sort of food supply is smart in the middle of the run. I didn’t eat anything other than the goo, but I was the only one who didn’t eat, which says to me I need to fuel smarter!)

I hope to see more of you guys out there on future run days, it is a fantastic course, and you will feel awesome afterwards. If anyone has any suggestions to the above thoughts and comments, please post back!

Barry

PS. Don’t worry if you’re not ready for 11 miles yet. Stephens’s course is set up, so you can do as little as 2.5 miles to as many as your little hearts content, so come on out!

Mind-Body Connection

Mind-Body Connection

By Stephen Taylor

Life inevitably throws us for a curve when we least expect it. In an ideal world our biggest challenge in life would be getting good at cycling, and cycling provides a pleasant distraction from the more mundane aspects of life. But alas, from time to time life rears its ugly head and throws more at us than we can handle in the form of life situations. This may pertain to a difficult situation at work or with family. Financial and health stresses occur. During times of great emotional stress, the body will not be able to perform 100%.

Because I work with 50 coaching clients on an ongoing basis, I have plenty experience providing support to people in difficult times. I am always surprised when someone is going through tough times and they express concern that their training is going to suffer. It is okay. Running or cycling or strength training should be the last thing on your mind during hard times. The body needs a break from hard work from time to time, and those breaks are just as well dictated by outside factors.

It is true that exercise provides a stress reliever. But when the going gets tough, expect that you will not be able to give it your all in the gym. Don’t try. Put your energy where it is more needed, whether that be at work, home, school, etc.

As it is important to turn your attention elsewhere when life is hitting hard, when the tough times are past you need to get back on to a consistent training plan. The thing to do is to try to do just enough exercise so that when the tough times blow over, you will still be in decent shape so that you can get going again. Remember, keep a positive attitude and do your best and things will turn out okay. A support network is invaluable in this process. A coach or a training partner is a perfect sounding board, and this person can provide the incentive to get you back to where you were before.