Capitol
10,000
Training

Getting Started

This year's Capitol 10,000 is April 11 and if you start your training now, your race day will be fun and pain free. I hope it is everyone’s goal in Austin to do the Capitol 10K this spring. The Cap 10 brings out walkers, joggers and runners of all types. It is a celebration of health, fitness, community and spring. There is even a Junior Dillo One Mile Run on Saturday, April 10, 1999. There is truly an event for everyone in the family.

This column will help guide you safely to this years event. It complements the RunTex Training Program for the Capitol 10K, which meets Tuesday nights at 5:30 p.m. at RunTex Townlake. If you are interested in joining us call 472-3254 or the Cap 10 office at 445-3598. The program is designed for three different levels- walkers, first time runners or those getting back into running, and those wanting to get faster.

To train properly it is very important to understand how your body responds to workouts and rest. It is during your rest periods that your body improves. If you don’t rest, you won’t improve. You need a full range of workouts to maximize your potential and avoid injury and boredom. The range of workouts are long intervals, short intervals, resistance work(hills), steady states, overdistance and rest. Planning the rotation and intensity of these workouts are the key to improving without injury.

There are three main factors in a training program; Duration, Intensity and Frequency(DIF). Everyone has a current training level. It is very important that as you try to make improvements, you don’t increase these factors by more than ten percent per week. Most people go from sedentary or low levels to high levels of all three and end up injured within three weeks and then take 6-8 weeks to recover.

It is important when starting out to keep your intesity and duration low and get your frequency to 5 days a week. After you get your frequency up, you can then increase your duration to get you ready for a 10K. There is a rule that in a one time effort, you can do three times the distance of your average run/walk. We will prepare you better than this, but it is nice to know you don’t have to rush your training to be prepared. We will keep the Intensity low until you are used to the frequency and duration of this program.

The body responds to physical stress by adapting in three main areas; the heart and lungs become more efficient, the muscles become stronger and the bones and tendons increase density. If you increase your activity too much, your body will breakdown. If you are starting properly, you will avoid soreness and injury.

This program will focus on the goals of each of the groups. It is very important to understand how the body responds to exercise and how much is too much. We will have a very conservative approach for the first 4-6 weeks. The workouts I propose are not written in stone, listen to your body first, the workout program second.

. For more info, call Paul Carrozza at 472-3254 or email at paul@runtex.com.

 

Week 1	Walkers	First Time runner or Getting back in shape	Runners wanting improvement
Tuesday	rest	rest	rest
Wednesday	20 min walk	20 min walk/jog	30 min easy run
Thursday	rest	rest	rest
Friday	30 min walk	rest	30 min easy run
Saturday	walk *45 min	30 min walk/jog	45 min easy run
Sunday*	rest	rest	rest
Monday	30 min walk	rest	20 min easy run

You can interchange Saturday or Sundays Workout. Try to avoid hills this week.

Take a Deep Breath

How should I be breathing? This is one of the most often asked running questions. Runners who ask this question are starting their runs too fast. Breathing is a very natural well regulation function of the body. If you feel you are breathing too hard, it is your body telling you to slow down. If you start your runs and walks easy and allow your body to warm-up, you will never need to ask the question. If you start too fast, you will be breathing heavy, trying to get more oxygen into your body and to get rid of the carbon dioxide. This is a very uncomfortable feeling and part of the pain associated with running.

There is a natural pattern to breathing. If you are in a rhythm, you will inhale and exhale once every 3-4 foot strikes. Breath deep enough to bring in oxygen and exhale enough to let out the carbon dioxide. Finding this balance comes easy if you are pacing properly and don’t try to override your natural breathing rhythm. If you breath too shallow and quickly, you will constantly mix the fresh oxygen and carbon dioxide. A smooth breathing pattern will rid your body of the carbon dioxide and bring in fresh air with lots of useful oxygen.

It is very important to know when it is okay to be breathing heavy and when its not. If you are just starting and breathing heavy, you are starting too fast, slow down and let your body warm up. When you are running up a hill plan on an increase in your breathing unless you slow your pace or walk. When you are doing intervals expect to breathe heavily, just let your breathing go back to normal before starting the next interval.

Distance running has to be a very comfortable rhythmic activity. It isn’t about enduring pain, it is about pacing yourself painfree. You can use your breathing as a signal, like having a heart rate monitor on. Expect an increase in your breathing rhythm when you increase your pace. If your body is ready for the faster pace, your breathing will adjust. If it doesn’t, you will need to slow down until it does. This is a great way to control your intensity and pain levels.

You can interchange Saturday or Sundays Workout. Try to avoid hills this week.

Injury or Just Sore?

Am I injured or is this normal soreness? And if this is normal, why does anybody run? These are the thoughts that cross your mind every morning you get out of bed and take those first few painful steps. Soreness occurs when you begin a running program and when you are trying to increase your speed or distance too fast. If you don’t pay attention to your soreness it will turn into injury. Listen to your body and adjust your training to keep your soreness from turning into injury. The difference between soreness and injury is soreness goes away when you warm up. If your soreness persists after you have warmed up you will favor that part of your body and you will inflame another muscle or joint. This is called compensation injuries and can be worse than the original injury.

If you wake up in the morning and can barely walk, you are either over training or in the wrong shoes, or both. You can expect some soreness because your feet are the only part of your body hitting the ground. However, the foot is well designed for running and if it is being stressed properly, you will experience very little soreness. Your early morning pains are an indicator of over training and you should adjust to avoid injury.

Because we are all human and will overdue it occasionally it is important to know how to get rid of soreness quicker. The best ways to accomplish this are hydrotherapy, massage therapy, stretching, and alternative exercise. A good hot shower, bath, hot tub, or a session of hot and cold water will bring in blood flow without stress on your muscles and joints. Massage relaxes the muscles and helps rid the muscles of the "junk" that cause the soreness. Stretching your sore muscles gently will not only help remove soreness, but will increase your flexibility.

Alternate forms of exercise will help you get rid of soreness and increase your overall fitness. Cross training will keep your muscles balanced and decrease your chance of injury. Swimming, bicycling, and walking are good alternates for your rest days. I don’t recommend trying two new sports at once. If you weren’t active before this program, use water, massage and stretching on your rest days.

Bottom line is, you can’t expect to improve your fitness without getting sore. The secret is to learn how to minimize and recover from the soreness. If your soreness is excessive, your program is too aggressive or if there is a problem with your footwear, nutrition or rest. Your soreness should go away as you get use to your training. If you are the type to keep adding more to your program, you can expect continued soreness. You need to find your best method of soreness management and stick with it.

Goal Setting

If you are training for the Capitol 10,000 your goal has been set, finish the distance without pain, run a certain time, or beat the competition.  This program is designed to accomplish any or all of the above.  Training for the 10K is more than just running around townlake three times a week.  We are going to make running and walking fun by giving you a variety of workouts that will maximize your potential given the amount of time we have to prepare.  If you continue this type of training year around, how fast or far you go is only limited by your willingness to train.

Intervals are vital to a running/walking program.  There are two types of interval workouts, date pace and goal pace. Date pace is the pace you can sustain now for your goal distance, aerobically.  Goal pace is the pace you hope to attain in the future.  The difference between these two paces will be dependant on how much time you have to reach your goal.  You can't work miracles.  To make large improvements it takes consistent training over a long period of time. 

Date pace is running  hard, but staying aerobic. This means the aerobic energy system, which is painless, is adequate.  It is a pace that could be sustained and repeated. The amount of work at date pace is dependant on your race distance.  For the 10K it is important to do 3 miles of intervals at your date pace once a week. The rest between intervals is usually 1-2 minutes. The length of the interval is usually 1/4 mile to 1 mile.  Date pace workouts don't take as much mental energy and don't breakdown the body as much so they can be done more often.

Goal pace, on the other hand, is more strenuous and cannot be sustained for long in the beginning or your program. This type of workout is bound to be anaerobic which means the amount of energy needed can't be produced by the aerobic system.  The anaerobic system leaves you feeling uncomfortable.  Your goal pace should be specific to the 10k. When you first attempt goal pace, you will need to keep the repeats short enough to keep the pace.  Longer rest is necessary with the increased intensity. If you can’t sustain the pace for a 1/4 mile, 4-6 times, it is too fast.

If you are trying to beat the distance, you will need one date pace workout a week. If you want to beat the clock, you will need to add a goal pace workout as well. If you hope to beat your competition, you will need to do two goal pace workouts and one date pace workout per week.

This program with rotate these two types of workouts with  overdistance, steady states, hilly, and recovery runs/walks.  We will describe these other types next week

For questions or more information contact pau@runtex.com

IT TAKES ALL KINDS

Variety is the spice of life and the key to running success. Too many people run people run 3 miles, 3 times a week. If this describes your running program, you are missing out on the finer points of running. Their are different types of running workouts that if added to your schedule will keep your running interesting and fun. If you run at different paces, distances and elevations you will use your muscles in different ways. Everyone talks about cross training. If you vary your running workouts, you will be cross training. When you begin these new workouts you will feel like a new runner.

There are many types of workouts but the main ones are hill repeats, overdistance, intervals (date pace and goal pace), steady state, technique and form drills. Each of these help you become a better runner. While many runners are only concerned with their mileage, adding quality and maintenance workouts to your schedule will give you the balance you need to keep progressing and reduce your chance of injury and burnout.

Hills are often avoided. I say charge them. Find your most feared hill and run up it 3-5 times. Running up hill places you on your forefoot, works your hamstrings, butt and calves and increases your vertical lift which lengthens your stride. Be sure to listen to your lungs to avoid hurting your legs. The dangerous part of running hills is the stress on the back of the heel and lower legs. Hill repeats are considered resistance training. When you start hills only do a few and do them slow. A proper hill workout consists of an easy warm-up, light stretching, then run up the hill and jog or walk down. You should do 2 hill workouts a month, and one should be long gradual hills and the other short steep hills.

Overdistance builds endurance. In this program, overdistance will be 8-10 miles. By running farther than your race distance, you will have a mental and physical edge. Overdistance runs shouldn’t be fast, they should be easy and relaxed. We will gradually increase your long run so don’t worry. It may seem overwhelming now but will be easily done in 4-6 weeks. When getting ready for an overdistance run, you will need to rest extra a couple days before and after the run. By doing this, you will be strong when you start and will take the time to recover after. This keeps you from increasing your overall mileage too much.

Intervals are necessary to introduce faster pace training into your program. We discussed last week the difference between goal pace and date pace. You need to "push the pace" to help you relax at your race pace.

Steady state runs are simply 2-3 miles at your best effort (date pace). This prepares you for the reality of race day, and gives you a good idea of what pace is realistic for the Cap 10. Your steady state runs will be come more frequent and faster as the race approaches. This run isn’t long but it will feel long. This is the run where you do everything wrong. You go out too fast, feel uncomfortable, and try to sustain it. You will be very happy to finish and very proud of yourself for enduring.

Technique and Form Drills are your preventative medicine. Like any sport, there is technique involved. These drills will get you on your toes and strengthen your lower legs and feet. You need to practice your technique and form to improve it. I highly recommend a visit to our Technique class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 5:45 p.m. at our Town Lake Location. Strides are running the length of a football field 4-6 times at a quality pace (not a sprint). Strides help your muscles and joints become able to handle a faster pace. Drills consist of lateral slides, over-and-unders, butt kicks, skips, quick feet and running backwards. These are hard to get unless you are coached through them.

Your running schedule should have a good balance of the above runs as well as nice relaxing recovery runs. Advance runners will be able to do these types of workouts in a one week rotation, while others will do them on a monthly cycle, depending on your fitness, history and goals. Since these types of workouts are new to most runners it is very important understand them before you start them. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at 472-3254 or by email at paul@runtex.com, or stop by our workouts for some coaching.

For questions or more information contact paul@runtex.com

To Eat or Not To Eat

As I think back through all the workouts and races I have run, the one thing that has ruined a potentially great run was what I ate before the run. This is not about nutrition, but about when to eat and drink. As you get more experienced in running and walking you will start becoming your own expert on what works for you. I am not going to tell you what to eat, just when to eat. Every once is a while I still give in to those last minute hunger pains and eat something too close to a workout and always regret it. You want to run on an empty stomach because your body can only use what is already digested and stored in your muscles, liver and blood. Any food in your stomach is only going to compete for blood for digestion and leave you feeling horrible.

When you are digesting food your blood supply is in great demand. If you are digesting food when it is time to exercise, the competition for blood is between the internal organs and your muscles. If you exercise on a full stomach, your digestive process will suffer and your performance will suffer. The worst part of it is how uncomfortable you feel. You will be dead legged, light headed, with a side ache and sick to your stomach. Does this sound like a good way to train? To avoid this, I recommend not eating within 3 hours of exercise. By the time you start feeling hungry, it will be time to run and the hunger pains will go away when you are running. It is okay to drink within an hour of your run and the drinking can help keep the hunger pains away.

You will find that certain foods are best eaten after a workout, not before. Heavy and rich foods are hard to digest and are better eaten after the run. It is important to eat simple foods prior to running, like fruits, breads, and cereals. Eat your big meals after you run or walk as a reward. If you workout in the morning, Have a good meal the night before. If you run at lunch, eat a simple breakfast and avoid meat and greasy foods. If you run in the evening, eat a good breakfast and a light lunch.

Drinking has some of the same rules. Your goal should be to stay hydrated all day long. Drink all day long so when you go run you don’t have to tank up. You can get a bad side stitch from having fluids sloshing around in your stomach and they won’t absorb in time to help on a run under an hour. When you are done with your run, start drinking right away. This is the best time to hydrate.

The Capitol 10,000 is in the morning, so it is important to run in the mornings when you can. This will give you a chance to determine what foods you prefer the night before. Eat a big meal at night so you can limit what you eat in the morning before you run. Most people like a little something in their stomach in the morning, but avoid over eating. If you feel you need to eat in the morning before you run, get up early. People have different tolerances to an empty stomach so you need to experiment with this for yourself. Afterwards eat whatever you want.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at 472-3254 or by email at paul@runtex.com.

Racing ready with 5K, 10Ks

It is important to run a few of the local 5K’s and 10K’s as you prepare for the Capitol 10,000. You can’t expect to do your best if you haven’t had a few practice races. Athletes have their best runs at the end of the season, because there is so much to be learned and experienced before you are comfortable with running in races. Also, races are going to be one of your best workouts. They are a great steady state run. The following is a list of things that you need to know and do to run your best:

• Eating right the day before and the morning of
• Getting up early enough race morning to feel alert at race time
• Resting enough to feel good race morning
• Getting used to the asphalt roads
• Getting used to the crowds at the start
• Using a port-a-potty
• Remembering your race number
• What to do with your extra clothes after you have heated up
• Knowing your own pace as the race starts
• Practicing drinking water on the run
• Getting to know your mile splits to determine if you are on pace
• Finding out if you went out to fast
• Figuring out how to correct it if you did

It is exciting to see new runners go into events with the excitement and fear of the unknown and have it turn into confidence as they become experienced. I would recommend that your participate in two 5k runs and one 10k run before the Capitol 10,000 on April 11. The following is a list of some of the local events that are available before the Capitol 10,000.

Make sure you keep the flyer or brochure to the event when you register so have all the pertinent information when you start driving to the event bright and early on a Saturday or Sunday Morning.
Get to the race about an hour before start time. When you get to the race site, look for the bathrooms right away, don’t wait for the long lines to form. This can be very stressful, as you can imagine. You will need to have your race number pinned on the front of your shirt. Make sure you get a drink of water before the start. Double tie your shoe laces. Go for an easy 1 mile jog, possibly on the first part of the course then come back and stretch easy.
Make sure that you look at a course map so you are comfortable where you are running. Don’t line up in the front of the pack, get somewhere in the middle to back. This will help you start at an easy pace. You will have to stand around for about 5 -10 minutes before you actually start running so you will want to use the first half mile to loosen up again.

If you have a running watch, make sure you start it when the horn blows. Then get your mile splits so you can see if you ran a consistent pace or not. When you finish, stop your watch. When you get back home, put your splits and overall time in your running log.

Take time to get water on the course and don’t be concerned if you stop and walk while getting your drink. This will ensure you get enough water and the rest will do you good. Also, pinch the cup before you drink it, you will spill less. As the race goes along, expect to have to try harder to keep the same pace. So, if you have gone out to fast, walk or run easy long enough to get comfortable, then get back into your goal pace.
At the finish line, you will expect someone to be reaching at you. Don’t be concerned, they are just trying to get your race number’s tear tag off of you to give you an official time. If you can think about it, tear it off as you are walking down the chute. After you have finished getting out of the chutes, walk around for about 10 minutes, or jog if you feel good enough then sit down and stretch. This will reduce your soreness the next day. Also, if they are offering massage at the finish line, take them up on it.

I promise you that these events are a lot of fun and you will feel like a true champion if you participate. The biggest benefit will be your experience going into the Capitol 10,000 which is the biggest event of them all. Get good at smaller events so you will be prepared for the big one.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at 472-3254 or by email at paul@runtex.com.

Taking it Easy

It is very important for long term success in running that you don’t train too hard. Even though running hard is the best way to improve, it isn’t realistic for most people who have a life, job and family. Training hard leaves you without the energy to maintain your normal schedule.

How do you know if you are training to hard?

1. You dread your next run
2. You can’t carry on a conversation while you run
3. You are always sore
4. The run seems to last forever
5. You are out of breath
6. You use your arms too much
7. You don’t settle into a rhythm
8. The person you run with is talking and you can’t listen
9. You constantly want a drink
10. You’d give $100 if you could walk

The great thing about running is there’s no penalty for walking, it actually can make your overall time better. You need to throw your ego out the window and listen to your body. Kids are great examples of how to run. They run until they feel like walking, then walk until they feel like running, and so on. Pretty soon, they are able to sustain a moderate pace.

When you decide it is time to run hard, make it for a short distance or time. Make sure you know the difference between the interval days when you whole intent is to improve your pace and your easy days that are working on your aerobic base.

It is very important now that you are used to the impact of running that you spend your time running easy for longer periods of time to help develop your aerobic base. With a good aerobic base, you will be able to deliver oxygen better, making distance running more comfortable. Also, a side benefit, as you run longer and easier you will be able to burn fat, and who doesn’t want to do that.

The first thing that happens when you run too hard is you feel uncomfortable and time stops. Because distance running is aerobic and rhythmic, you need to stay in a comfortable pace while training. As your body gets better at running, you will speed up naturally. This isn’t a NO PAIN, NO GAIN program. A good running program is one you stick with.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at 472-3254 or by email at paul@runtex.com.

Know Your Feet

When you are running and walking the only that hits the ground is your feet. Your feet are designed to absorb shock, stabilize your legs and create power for the next stride. Your foot type determines whether you are a better shock absorber or a better stabilizer. If your foot is better at absorbing shock, by being flexible, it will tend to have problems with stability. Also, if your foot is better at being stable, it will be more rigid and not absorb shock as well. If you are lucky, your foot will be a good blend of the two.

How can you tell, and what does this mean to me? There are a couple of ways to tell if your feet are rigid, neutral, or flexible. One of the easiest ways to tell is to measure your feet while you are sitting and then when you are standing and note the difference, if any, in the length of your foot. While sitting on a chair, put your foot on a ruler and measure from your heel to the tip of your toes. Then stand up on your foot and see if your foot changes length or not. If your foot remains the same length, it is a rigid foot. If it grows by 1/8 of an inch, it is neutral (a good blend of cushioning and stability), and if it grows by more than ¼ of an inch, it is flexible (absorbs shock well but not stable).

Shoes are designed with these three foot types in mind and it is important to get into the right type of shoe. All running shoes have cushioning. The difference is in the softness of the midsole and the thickness of the foam. If you are a runner with rigid feet, you will need to concentrate on shoes that have the softest foams. For you to run for any distance, you will need to get shoes that absorb shock very well. If you have a neutral foot, you can get shoes that blend cushioning and stability. Your shoes will have a soft midsole, but will have a wider base and a second density on the medial side (arch area). If you have a flexible foot, your shoes should have a slightly firmer midsole and thinner midsole to stabilize your foot. You are already good at absorbing shock and will need less cushioning and mores support. The higher you lift a flexible foot off the ground, the more unstable it becomes.

Another element of footwear is insoles. The manufactures insoles are not the best available. For the rigid foot, a soft shock absorbing insole can do wonders to make running fun. And for the extra flexible foot, a supportive insole can add to your running.

It is very important to understand your foot and body type so that you can be a successful runner. So many people fail because they are in the wrong shoes or the wrong sized shoe. Take the time to understand your foot and then make sure your foot wear is right. If you are having any trouble with pain and injury from your lower back down to your feet, you should check into your footwear.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at 472-3254 or by email at paul@runtex.com.

MAINTENANCE WORK

When you get into a distance running program, you are lucky to stick with it. Now that you have made it through 2 months, it is time to become an expert in how to stay with it long term. Distance running is very repetitive ands works your muscle groups in a limited range of motion, which creates tightness and imbalances between opposing muscle groups and joints. Muscles work it two ways, eccentrically and concentrically. While running, the backside of your legs work concentrically to propel you along and the frontside of your legs work eccentrically to allow you to land smoothly. This causes the back of your body to gain strength faster than the front and then you get imbalances at the hips, knees and lower leg. To keep balanced in you need to stretch, lift weights, do technique drills and sprint( a relative term).

The more you run, the more you will realize the importance of stretching. I don’t concentrate on it early in a training program because of information overload and stretching can be detrimental if done too much or when you are sore. You spend a lot of time sore and adjusting to new workouts when you start a program. When you are sore and tight, it is very important not to try to stretch before you are warmed up.

After you finish running you should sit down and spend ten to fifteen minutes stretching out your muscles. This should be very relaxed and without pain. I always concentrate on the lower back, hamstrings, calf muscles and then the hip area. You should be able to stretch without breathing hard and be able to hold each position for 30-60 seconds. Do your stretching in intervals like your running. Stretch for 30 seconds, rest, repeat and notice how your flexibility increase each repetition.

Lifting weights is also helpful. As we all age, we all need to lift weights to maintain muscle mass. We all face the "use it or lose it" syndrome. Weight lifting doesn’t have to be high intensity or take all your time. You don’t even have to use weights. The idea is to work the postural muscles. This can be done with step ups, pull ups, push ups, sit ups, bar dips, etc… It should take a total of 20 minutes to keep your muscles strong. Remember, if you are active running, you need to concentrate on your upper body. Not that weights for your legs aren’t beneficial, just if you are short on time, worry about your upper body first.

Technique drills and sprints are very helpful to keep your running injury free. By doing the well established drills; sideways slides, over-and-under’s, butt kicks, skips, high knees, backwards and strides, you will help train your body the proper stride. By running at a faster pace, you prepare yourself to be smooth at an easier pace. You must train fast once a week. It should always be under control with proper technique. It is as simple as running six lengths of the football field, one length at a time at a pace that you can maintain good form, but run fast. You will notice that after a month of this, you will start looking forward to this type of training. This should be done with a one mile jog warm-up followed by the above drills. To learn the drills, come to any of the free RunTex University classes on Tuesday and Thursday at 5:45 at either location. After the strides, jog easy for a mile and then sit down and stretch.

This sounds like a lot to do just to be a runner. If you properly balance your workouts, you will have less injuries, run smoother and enjoy your varied training. Too many people give up running due to injury or boredom with what I call the "Townlake Shuffle" made up of 3 miles, 3 days a week which is much better than not exercising, but not even close to what running could be for you.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me at 472-3254 or by email at paul@runtex.com.