Archive for September, 2008
How to Gain Distance in Running? Pick Up a Weight!
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How can we gain distance in our running program? One of the cardinal rules of training is that you always focus your energy doing the exercise that you want to enhance your performance on.
In the study, the effects of concurrent explosive strength and endurance training on aerobic and anaerobic performance and neuromuscular characteristics were studied in 25 distance runners, who were split into an experimental group (13 runners) and a control group (12 runners).
All of the runners trained for eight weeks with the same total training volume, but in the experimental group 19% of the endurance training time was replaced by explosive-type training, including sprints and strength drills. After the eight-week training programme, all the runners were evaluated for various aspects of performance. Some of the findings:
*Compared to the controls, the maximal speed during tests improved in the experimental group by as much as 3.0%.
* The increase in thickness of quadriceps muscles after eight weeks was nearly double in the experimental group compared to the controls;
* Importantly, the maximal speed during an aerobic running test, the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and the running economy (how efficiently the runners used oxygen to for any given running speed) remained unchanged in both groups.
The take-away: if you are an endurance athlete whose event also demands brief bursts of high-intensity work, substituting some of your endurance training (up to 20%) with anaerobic work needn’t necessarily involve a drop in aerobic performance, and may even give you a competitive edge.
And if you aren’t competing… something to think about. It may improve the workout as you stress your body out to reach maximum potential.
#6: Familiarity Breeds… a Good Run!
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(This is Rule #6 in our periodic series, “The 25 Golden Rules of Running: proven, time-tested rules of running that have worked for thousands upon thousands of runners over the miles.)
Don’t eat or drink anything new before or during a race or hard workout. This makes sense. At times of stress and great importance on what you put in your body, put things that you know will be easy to digest, will be familiar and comfortable in combination with your body’s digestion and needs, and will be less likely to come back on you in unhappy ways.
Stick to what works for you. “Your gastrointestinal tract becomes accustomed to a certain mix of nutrients,” says Dallow. “You can normally vary this mix without trouble, but you risk indigestion when prerace jitters are added.”
The Exception: If you’re about to bonk, eating something new is probably better than eating nothing at all. And have a great run!
Comfy Running Shorts
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The most intimate and important choice a female runner makes is probably her running shorts. A good pair of shorts will cost about $35-45, but over the course of their use will go on about 500 jaunts. That pegs their cost at .07 cents per run. But how do you choose them?
First off, look for running shorts with built in underwear. Those other shorts may look comfy, but you’ll thank yourself. Trying to find underwear that is made to run with you is difficult. And wearing it under varying pairs of shorts is like wearing suspenders with a swimsuit; a belt with a negligee; or worse, eating birthday cake with a steak knife. It just doesn’t enhance the situation.
The liner should be lightweight and of course, feature a cotton-crotch. No one wants to get a nasty infection from sealing in the moist environment with a nylon liner.
As for the main body of the shorts, look for a soft fabric that will wick moisture and will be breathable. The softness will be neccessary to avoid chafing and irritation. There are products that can assist with this, too, but you’ll find usually after you’ve been running for awhile, they’ll become less needed because your muscles will tighten up and any chafing problem will usually lessen over time.
Speaking of chafing, some folks fight that problem with longer shorts. So how long should your shorts be? That’s entirely up to you, but starting with the very short 1″ and extending to 7″ is reasonable. Any longer and you’re leaving the realm of running shorts and entering “pop” fashion.
Have a great run!
(By the way, you should check around the website. We do have some shorts and a really cool skirt that we think are pretty sharp. It’s a good place to start!)