Week #1 Wisdom

As we start our new Summer/ Fall Season, here’s some excellent advice from veteran F4 Coach Scott Gurst:

Congrats on completing your first workout of the new training season!  It was great to see some old friends, meet some new running partners, and enjoy a nice easy run last night.  Hopefully, you enjoyed it too, and were able to run at a nice comfortable, conversational pace.

As I mentioned last night, we will do a significant percentage (about 65% by volume) of running in Zone 1.  This pace allows us to build a strong base, and get in some good mileage without taxing our aerobic systems too much.  We will eventually do some harder work, but we don’t want to jump into it without having a good base first.  Building a good base will help prevent injury, and enable us to be more effective, and get greater benefits from the harder workouts to come.  And, as a bonus, the Zone 1 runs just happen to be the best workouts for burning fat, and teaching our bodies to select fat as the preferred fuel for our longer runs.  (If you like that sort of thing.)

If you think of your training as a pyramid, with Zone 1 at the base, you’ll quickly realize that the bigger the base, the more you can build on top of it.  Thus, the more Zone 1 you do, the more Zone 2 you can do, and the more Zone 2 you do, the more Zone 3 you can do, etc.

The guidelines for Zone 1 are as follows:

•         Easy

•         Able to hold a conversation while running

•         100+ sec/mi slower than threshold (5K) pace

•         35+ BPM less than heart rate at lactate threshold

•         Should be able to run at this pace indefinitely

•         Stresses muscular and skeletal system, not aerobic system

•         Benefits:  core strength, fat-burning, base-building

During a workout, your body has three main sources of fuel to choose from to generate energy:

• Fat – you (not you personally, but in general) have a large supply of this, though it takes longer for your body to convert this to energy than the other fuel sources
• Carbohydrates – you have a moderate store of this, depending on what you’ve been eating in the past few days, and it takes less time to convert to energy than fat, but longer than glycogen
• Glycogen – this is rocket fuel, converts to energy very fast, very high octane for high effort for short periods of time, but you don’t have very much of it

The largest source of fuel available is fat, but because it takes longer to convert fat to energy, your body will only choose fat as a fuel source if you are going easy enough to allow enough time for the energy to be converted.  In case you haven’t already figured it out, that’s Zone 1.  As soon as you start going harder than Zone 1, your body will no longer choose fat as a fuel source, since it can’t convert it to energy fast enough to keep up with your needs.  The more you run in Zone 1, the more your body adapts to using fat as a primary fuel source, and the more fat you will burn!

On Thursday, the main set (the part between the warm-up and cool-down) is the same as we had last night, 2 x 18 minutes in Zone 1, with a 2 minute break in between.  The only difference is that the 6 x 15 second strides at the end will be on a slight uphill.  On Saturday, we have 70 minutes total of easy running.  Note that the total time includes warm-up and cool-down.  Feel free to join the Thursday and Saturday groups if you would like to have company for your workouts.  It’s always nice to have a group to run with to provide a little extra motivation and accountability.

Topic of the Week – Personal Responsibility

As I mentioned last night, there is more to training than just running.  Each week, I’ll try to touch on a topic that I believe is important to having a successful training program, highlighting the habits and personality characteristics of successful runners.  As we start a new training program, I want to stress the importance of taking personal responsibility for your training.  This manifests itself in a few ways:

1. Take responsibility for your pacing.  As I mentioned last night, within our sub-9 group, there will be some people running slightly faster, and others running slightly slower.  Run the pace that’s right for you.  Workouts are not intended to be races.  If you try to keep up with someone who is running too fast for you, you won’t be doing the right workout for you.  Walk if you need to.  There is no penalty for doing what you need to do to take care of yourself, and getting what you need out of the workouts.
2. Take responsibility for getting healthy.  If you want to get the full benefits of a training program, you might consider taking a more holistic view of your life beyond the workouts.  Now might be a good time to make some changes.  Can you eat better, hydrate better, minimize stress, or get more sleep?  Every small change counts.
3. Take responsibility for staying healthy.  In training, growth only comes if you are willing to put up with some discomfort.  However, there is a big difference between discomfort and pain.  The first indicates that you are in the growing zone.  The second indicates that you are injuring yourself.  Nobody can know how you are feeling except for you.  If you feel like you are in pain, then stop running!  There is no stigma for stopping and walking if necessary.  In fact, if you feel like you are injured, then you should do whatever it takes to take care of yourself, even if it means missing workouts until you are healthy again.
4. Take responsibility for doing your workouts.  There are great benefits to be gained by sticking with a training program, benefits way beyond anything you might have imagined when you signed up.  Unfortunately, those benefits don’t come for free, and they don’t just come from signing up.  There are no shortcuts.  You actually have to do the work.  (Shocking.)  The more you can make time for your training, and stick to the schedule, the greater your chances of having some amazing things happen to you before we’re all through.  So, if you miss a workout, don’t apologize to me.  Apologize to the person in the mirror.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that while I will be happy to be your coach, I won’t be your mom, or your drill sergeant.  Hopefully, you signed up for this program for a reason, and know what you want to get out of it.  If you’re here to socialize and run easy, that’s fine.  If you want to work hard, push yourself toward a lofty goal, and see what you’re capable of, that’s good too.  Regardless of your reason for being here, I will support that, try to help however I can, and give you whatever you feel you need to succeed.  But in the end, whether you really push yourself or not, and whether you do 90% of the workouts or only 20% is totally up to you.  You’ll get out what you put in.

Hope that helps.  Have a great week of training, and as usual, feel free to e-mail with any questions, comments, or concerns …

- Scott

5430 Sprint Photos

Thanks to Jimmy Heuck for these awesome pics!  Click on the one below to see ‘em all:

And thanks to F4 coach Tim Beneke for these race photos.  Click on the one below to see many more:

Augment your F4 Summer Training

RUN Your BEST

STRENGTH, RHYTHM & COORDINATION DRILLS

With Olympic Running Coach

Bobby McGee

Olympic coach Bobby Mc Gee has designed a series of specific drills to improve your muscle endurance, running specific leg strength, running coordination and running efficiency.

WHAT YOU DO!

A weekly session of:

• Dynamic Warm-Up Drills
• Rhythm & Co-ordination Drills Session
• Calf-Busters—A session of run specific plyometric activities
• A Detailed Core Strengthening Session
• Post Exercise Stretch Routine

BENEFITS YOU RECEIVE!

• Improve your overall racing speed for all your events
• Improve your finishing speed
• Dramatically improve your current level of muscular endurance and leg power
• Improve your running efficiency—i.e. run faster with the same effort!
• Balanced conditioning—injury prevention, plateau busting and enhanced ability for all sports

CHOOSE PERSONAL EXCELLENCE

Where:       Niwot HS Track

When:        Weds, 7:30am, June 24- July 22, 2009

Cost:                    $112.50 for 5 sessions or $25 drop in fee.

To sign up: bobbymcgee.admin@comcast.net

2009 F4 Chutzpah Award

At our Spring BBQ this week, we awarded this year’s Chutzpah Award to Myra Aronson and Edward Dageforde.  As the name suggests, these two F4 athletes have demonstrated the true FastForward spirit with their determination to get the very most from each training season, workout, and across a range of races.  Congratulations to you both!

Here is an excerpt from Edward’s acceptance speech:

I want to thank you and your staff for selecting me for the male chutzpah award.

I am not sure what exactly I did to deserve the award other than follow all of your instructions, and then just press play in every race. This is after all what your program is all about.

I have been continually improving since joining F4, and based on the 10 year rule I can for a few years still. Can is the key word because you have to have the desire and put in the effort to actually achieve it. I have that desire to always do the best that I am capable of doing, knowing that each race will be what it will be and I can only give to it what my body is capable of on that particular day.

I guess I added my own quality, striving to gain insights into the art and science of racing so that I can do my best and improve my times, just because. I am after all just in the middle of the pack for my age group (8/16 in last Saturday’s duathlon) and so not likely to win any race awards. But that does not mean I don’t want to end a race feeling like I raced it well, I raced it right, and I ended with nothing left to give. I am ultimately competing against myself.

And then there was sharing what I have learned along the way with a few of my fellow athletes. Helping Jennifer think of a way to judge her races and effort that has worked well for me, monitoring my breathing. I think it helped her with the Bolder Boulder. Or Mike saying “What would Ed do?” when thinking about cadence or pace.

When you look at it though, it all comes back to you, your staff, and the program. Scott, you saw potential and offered me alternatives such as the Haystack Mountain TT. All of you celebrate the athlete in everyone in your program, from the fastest to the slowest, and that carries over to the individual athletes. It is a group that supports each other. Listens to what went right for an individual, and what went wrong. We are all just trying to do our best and celebrate that effort, and your program does just that. And together as part of the F4 family we continually strive to achieve our goals, whatever they may be.

So thank you for the award. I shall continue to keep doing what I have done to show that I truly deserved it.

-edward dageforde

Muscle Cramps During the Swim?

Submitted by Dr. Kelly Parcell, F4 Athlete and Resource Partner

Muscle cramps during exercise are an indicator of an imbalance in the intracellular (inside the cell) nutrients.  There are a few; sodium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, anti-oxidants and water (hydration).

A simple and inexpensive trial is to supplement with buffered vitamin C. Vitamin C is buffered with minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. All of the minerals along with vitamin C are in high demand with aerobic exercise and depleted rapidly. Another option is to take extra minerals daily. If the problem persists, you can pursue nutrient testing which will evaluates physiological levels of 30+ nutrients. The test is $265 and is not covered by insurance. It is extremely valuable for those who take supplements and wonder which ones they really need!

NatureMed, an F4 partner, offers this testing.

FastForward Open Water Swim Practice

Last evening at the Boulder Res, 50+ F4 athletes joined coaches Lea, Lance, and Cam for an educational and confidence inspiring swim practice.   Here are some highlights:

Wayne’s World

Another post from world-traveling F4 athlete Wayne Itano…

A Stopover in Boulder and Running the Bolder Boulder (Wayne)

By waynechrisitano

Memorial Day, Monday May 25, 2009
It’s hard to believe, but my stay in Australia is over, and I am back in Boulder for a few days before I leave for Japan next Monday. My trip back to the US was relatively uneventful. The flight from Sydney to Los Angeles was a little late, so I missed the connecting flight to Denver and had to take another one about 5 hours later.

I am staying at our house in Boulder, and the couple who are renting it from us (who happen to be Australian) have been gracious hosts. There is something strange about being in a house which is almost like you remember it, but not quite, surrounded by people who are not your family. It reminds me of the movie “Family Man” and also an episode of the Twilight Zone. It’s strange, but then, things have been strange for so long that strange seems normal.

In Boulder, Memorial Day means it’s time for the Bolder Boulder. The Bolder Boulder is a 10K race with around 50,000 participants. For a town of 100,000, this is a big event.  It is one of the largest races in the world. I have run it more times than I can remember. Last year was my best. I had a time below 47 minutes and placed 9th out of about 270 men my age. This year my time was over 5 minutes slower, but I was still satisfied. Let me explain. Racing is all about doing the best you can for the shape you happen to be in on that particular day. Since February, I have not been able to train as much as I normally do, mainly because of all the trips we made in Australia, which have been the subjects of many of the blog posts. I ran 3 or 4 days a week when we were not traveling, but hardly at all when we were traveling. This is less than half the volume of running that I normally do, and there was hardly any speed work. I ran a 10K race in Sydney in April in 49:21.   That race had a hilly profile, rather like the Bolder Boulder, but it was at sea level. If anything, I am in worse shape now, and the greater-than-mile-high altitude of Boulder hurts performance. Thus, my goal (the best I thought I could do) was 51 minutes. My unofficial time (it’s too early for the official time) was 52:01.
The Bolder Boulder website gives the following times for my mile splits:
mile 1  7:59
mile 2  8:18
mile 3  8:28
mile 4  8:28
mile 5  8:19
mile 6  8:41

Last 0.2 mile: 1:50

Total time: 52:01  Average time per mile: 8:22

According to my heart rate monitor, my average heart rate was 176 beats per minute and the maximum heart rate for the race was 185.

The way to run a good Bolder Boulder is to run the first mile at about the same pace as the average for the entire race, slow down a little for miles 2 and 3 because they are mostly uphill, pick up the pace a bit for mile 4, which is mixed uphill and downhill, go really fast for mile 5, which is all downhill, and try to keep up the pace for the last mile, which starts downhill but ends with a nasty uphill.  I made the mistake of going out too fast the first mile, 23 seconds faster than the average pace.  I paid for this with slower paces near the end of the race.  I think that if I had not gone out so fast in mile 1, I would have more than made up the time in miles 5 and 6.  So I think I ran a good race, but not a perfect race, and I might have shaved 30 seconds off with more intelligent pacing.

I’m not sure what to make of the heart rate data.  It is higher than normal for a 10K.  It seems that my average was about 94% of my maximum heart rate of about 187.  At last year’s Bolder Boulder, which I ran much faster, my average heart rate was 163 and the maximum was 174.  I think the high heart rate reflects my being in poor aerobic condition.  It also shows that I couldn’t have pushed myself much harder, although I could have had a better time by better pacing.  187 is the maximum heart rate that I have actually reserved.  In my case the commonly used formula (maximum heart rate = 220 – age in years) is quite inaccurate.  That would predict a maximum for me of 163, which I can greatly exceed.

Magic Race Day Recipe

Written by F4 Tech Adviser Bobby McGee

When using time trials as determinants of possible goal pace for the Bolder Boulder 10km it is essential to compare similar courses. Let’s say, for example you ran a 38:00 4-miler on a flat course on dirt on a 55* day with no wind. Using a race time comparison chart this equals a 60:21 10km. Now let’s see why the time trial was an apple & the race grapefruit, or was it?

• On the plus side you ran the time trial on dirt, while the race is on asphalt. This means that the same time trial on asphalt would have been faster
• On the minus side is that the 4-miler was flat & the race is hilly
• Another minus might be that the race may dawn warmer than the time trial, which was run in optimal weather
• A plus would be that the race is later in your training phase & you are fitter & would have run a faster 4-miler if you ran it on race day
• Another plus is that you are tapered for the race & thus physically capable of a stronger performance because of the rest & facilitation
• Another plus is that you are mentally aimed at this race, your commitment to the race is greater & your physiology & mind are correspondingly attenuated to achieve a peak performance

Once you have decided on a realistic, but aggressive time goal, you now have an overall pace that you’d like to achieve. It is important then to consider that not as the pace, but as the effort you’d like to achieve. By this I mean, that based on the above 4 miler, you may be going to try for a 9:40 mile pace on race day, but will run faster on the down sections than that & slower on the up sections. Bearing the 3% rule in mind – that all things being equal (surface, etc), the most efficient way to achieve a time goal is not to vary on either side of the average pace by more than 3%, it might behoove you to use the course elevation map, the 3% rule & your time goal to come up with a race pace plan that matches this.

Below I have broken down the course in this manner & added the various mental challenges & strategies that you might need to face to achieve such a goal. For the purposes of explanation I have used a 9:40 mile as illustration:

1. The 1^st mile is a down (to lowest point on the course – 5,284ft.), then up, more down than up – slightly so. Take care to go out at a brisk pace (after a good full warm up). Avoid saying “Don’t go out too fast”, as you will access the mental program on how to go out too fast – a disease that inhabits even the most skillful of runners – especially younger males! The internal dialogue is subjective – “Go out strong, smooth, relaxed & at goal effort”. Now this may bring a 1^st mile that is 3% faster than goal (e.g. 9:20) & that’s okay, as long as the effort was the target effort. It would also be useful to know your km split (e.g. 6:00), as this will give you more frequent & ultimately more objective feedback. Last thing about the start is to stay present, as while your 1^st mile split may be 9:20, you may have gone too fast in the 1^st .5 mile & then slowed too much in the 2^nd half – even, smooth, gradual pace judgment is essential.
2. The 2^nd mile is mostly all climb with a peak on Folsom Hill & a little drop & then climb to the 2mi marker. Here the pace can drift (but not the effort!) to just under 10:00
3. Mile 3 is similar, but alas with an even steeper grade. Just after the 2 mile marker you climb steeply to 19^th & Vista. Thereafter there is a slight respite – a down section that goes past the 3 mile marker to 19^th & Balsam – to just over half way (5km). Here with that more marked drop down 19^th, you should manage about 9:50 – 9:55
4. The rest of mile 3 (from 19^th & Balsam) is a series of turns & roller coasters in terms of elevation changes & is an absolutely crucial time to remain focused on form & balanced effort. It is easy to allow the pace to slip & the previously clear target of pace to give way to thoughts of “Maybe next year”, or “I’m taking it easy to the top of Casey Hill, (just past 4 miles) & then I’ll see where I am at”. By this time, with this lost focus, the hopes of a specific overall pace goal being achieved will be lost or at the very least seriously challenging to regain in the remaining 2 & a bit miles. Here a pace of 9:50 to 10:00 would be well done. While not allowing a slowing because of perceived fatigue, it is important also that you do not over-zealously attack this part of the course – it really requires patience, concentration & a balanced effort that gives back the least time, but at the same time spares the legs somewhat to gain fullest advantage of the down hills to come
5. The turn east for the long decent comes just after mile 4, & the 5^th mile is ALL DOWN! The bad news is that to gain time on down hills is harder because you have less time (going faster) to make up what you lost over the same distance climbing (going slower)! It is not a time to rest & recover, as one needs to attack the downs to get full benefit. This requires greater focus than what the hills required, as the body will be sending messages to the brain saying, “whoa there! You just worked your butt off & feel the consequences, what’s the hurry? Let’s take it easy down these hills!” (Especially in the 1^st part of the down). Ignore this “interference” – time is your goal, you may not be passing a whole lot of people, but if you are not on it, time will slip away & leave you disappointed come race end. Lean just off your balance point – get the turnover high & flow like water down to Walnut & Folsom (about a quarter mile after the 5 mile marker). Here you really want to try to manage 9:20 min mile pace or better for this 1.25 miles, (always thinking of the effort it would take to run 9:40 on the flats)
6. This final mile plus is less about the training & more about the mind – have you done your mental training, have you embedded your desire to achieve your goal deeply enough? In other words do you still want to have an overall pace of 9:40 at this stage of the game? At this point you may be about 15sec behind pace (worst case scenario on the above). This mile, being the last should allow you to dig a little deeper (progressively), as you need not save anything for after the race! Go hard to the base of that final vicious little hill outside the stadium, almost as if it is the finish line, as many people lose focus during that last mile by casting their minds ahead to that climb, which beats them up no matter what anyway, so you might as well have gone hard till there, take your medicine up it, by working solely on form (lean, cadence, short quick strides) & then let go down that final section to the finish. Hopefully this approach brings a 9:20 – 9:40. This is possible because even though that last mile has some demands – it is, after all, not a full mile of climbing; the 1^st quarter is down, there is a drop just before the final climb, there’s a quick drop to the stadium floor & then there’s that gloriously flat finish, &, don’t forget, it is your last hurrah!

I hope this helps you create a race plan & mindset that leads to you fulfilling your dream pace per mile for the 2009 Bolder Boulder – GOOD LUCK & ALWAYS HAVE FUN OUT THERE!

Bobby McGee                                                                                                            ©BMES 2009

F4 TRI May Highlights

As the weather has finally turned spring-like, F4 TRI athletes have been getting after it in training and practice races as major events are coming up quickly.

Click the photo below for an album of photos from the Barkin’ Dog Duathlon, courtesy of Jimmy Heuck:

Check out this video from the F4 Swim workout at RallSport on Friday, May 15th:

Click the photo below for an album of photos from the Summer Open Triathlon , courtesy of Jimmy Heuck:

Check out this video from the Summer Open Triathlon on May 17th:

F4 Track Stars

Last evening at Niwot High School, over 80 FastForward athletes took to the track to put the ’sharp point’ on their fitness for upcoming 10K, half marathon, and sprint triathlon racing.  Here are some highlights from this super high energy session: