Garmin 620 & cadence

Another beautiful day for a Sunday run, 20 degrees, sunny, the beach was packed with people out and about; A great afternoon for a run. Whilst still in pre-training before the official program starts, I set out for a 14 km run, with a 5 km tempo section after the half way point.

I hadn't done any extended Tempo work for a few weeks, so thought it would be good to test the motor out a bit, and at the same time test out my new watch. I had just received my new Garmin Forerunner 620 last week and this was the first run with it. I'd only set it up with my essential details and thought I'd just see how it went. I'd had the 610 until recently when the battery died on me again, and thankfully Garmin had decided that being the third time it had broken down to offer me the upgrade, which I quickly accepted for the same repair cost.

The Garmin Forerunner 620

I was aware that this watch had a few new features besides the standard time, distance, pace and heart rate such as VO2 max estimate, cadence, ground contact time but hadn't really read up on how to use or access these and thought I'd do this later that night.

Once I finished my Tempo section of the run with a further couple of kms cool down, finishing at St. Kilda Beach, and being such a warm, sunny afternoon I was keen to cool off my legs in the water as I often do. 

It was whilst I was out there that I was pleasantly surprised when I started to scroll through the data on my watch. It was preset to record every km split, so i had a very accurate reading of my performance at each km, and most interestingly during my tempo section. I could see this as it beeped after each km, so I knew what my pace had been and hence whether to adjust it to reach my peak tempo goal pace. So this feature itself is very handy for these types of runs, or any runs at pace, which of course most training runs are.

garmin 620 cadence

But, the other feature I found very helpful and was not expecting was the cadence reading I found when looking at my Interval splits. Firstly, noting that my cadence increased with each faster interval as I would expect but actually having a reading to compare. Whilst I had done this roughly by counting steps for 30 seconds whilst running in the past and then doubling the number to give me a good idea, it was great to see it for real.

So what did this mean to me? Well it showed me that I need to work on increasing my cadence with my faster running intervals and this will become a focal point with future Tempo and faster Interval runs. I will then have an accurate reading to track my progress.

Whilst we know that cadence increases with pace, and we all have an optimal or most economic cadence:pace relationship, many runners may not realise that this is a skill to be practised. To focus on your cadence and working to increase your cadence by 5% is a very effective exercise during easy running and put into effective practise during faster runs. Training your legs to move quicker through the gait cycle will help you to run faster. However, be sure to maintain good running form, with smooth application of technique as you go. Think smooth, light & easy... then fast.

Thus scrolling through your watch retrieving info is also a very good distraction when you're braving the cold bay waters after your Long Runs in the midst of Winter, and gives you valuable information that you can use as focal points for future runs.

Hundred Up

This week's weather will have tested many a runner's resolve and commitment to get out and run. Whilst my favourite saying in this case is; " There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing ! ", there are many reasons why you may not be able to get out for a run when you'd like, be it the weather, work or family commitments.

This week I thought i would offer a good alternative exercise to replace your run that will simulate running, and as such build strength and good form to complement your running.

There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing!

Known as the "100- UP" it's a very old exercise that was invented by a champion miler from the late 19th Century, known as George who couldn't always get out for his run when he liked, and so developed this exercise which helped improve his running form and maintain some running fitness.

There are two levels that George called the Minor and the Major which represent two progressions of the exercise. It's most important to note that the focus must be on good form or technique. I will use George's own poetic words to describe his exercise:
 

First of all let me impress upon the student the necessity of maintaining perfect form in every practice, be it in the preliminary or the exercise proper. Directly the correct form is lost the work should stop. Beginners should start the exercise slowly and on no account strain or over-exert themselves. Hurried or injudicious training, or fast work while the system is unprepared for it, induces breakdown and failure. On the other hand, slow, well considered, steady practice is never injurious, while breakdowns are practically unknown among those who start their training slowly and who gradually increase distance, time or pace as the heart, lungs and muscular system throughout grow accustom to the extra strain and revel in it.

I have divided the ’100-Up’ Exercise into two grades — the Minor and the Major. The Minor is for all classes when learning and is the limit for those who are physically incapable, through age or through infirmity, of participating in the more strenuous or trying major form of the exercise.
 

The Minor Exercise

Draw two parallel lines along the ground, 18 inches long and 8 inches apart.

Place one foot on the middle of each line. Stand flat-footed, the feet lying perfectly straight on the lines. The arms should be held naturally, loosely, and, except for a slight forward inclination, nearly straight.

Now raise one knee to the height of the hip, and bring the foot back and down again to its original position, touching the line lightly with the ball of the foot and repeat with the other leg. Continue raising and lowering the legs alternately. The main thing to remember is correct action. See that the knees are brought up at each stride to the level of the hip if possible, or as near as possible to the point as can be managed by the too-fat or bodily infirm individual, and that the body maintains its correct perpendicular.
Correct form once attained, the exercise may be increased in severity by gradually working from 10 to 20, 30 to 40, and so on to the ’100-Up’ at each session, and by speeding up the pace.

The Major Exercise

This exercise is more difficult of accomplishment, yet comes easily to the student who by reason of having attained correct form in the preceding preparation will have, at the same time, acquired strength and the art of properly balancing the body when in action.

Stand on the lines marked out on the ground as before, except that the body must be balanced on the ball of the foot, the heel clear of the ground, the head and the body being tilted very slightly forward, and the hands down by the side.

Now spring from the toe, bringing the knee to the level of the hip or as near to that point as physique will permit, as in the minor exercise, letting the foot fall back to its original position. Repeat with the other leg and continue raising and lowering the legs alternately. This action is exactly that of running, except that instead of the legs moving forward as each stride or leg action is performed, the foot drops back into its original position on the ground.

The knees must be brought to the level of the hips (for full benefit) as each stride is taken, and on returning the foot to the ground, care should be taken that it is not carried further behind than the original position. Thus the body is practically kept upright except for the very slight tilt forward.

While performing the ’100-Up’ Major Exercise use the arms as they should be used in the correct way for running, i.e. hold them at full length and swing them forward half across the body and backwards a few inches behind the back as each stride is taken.

I do not advise anyone to attempt more than 20-Up of the Exercise at the start, ten for each leg. Very few can manage so many in correct form at the outset, but regular practise brings greater stamina and an easy action which renders the task less arduous, and once the 20-Up has been accurately accomplished, the number may be steadily increased.

The student must not expect to get true action in a moment. The first few attempts may even be disappointing, but keep steadily trying, and the correct form will come sure enough. Once having become proficent he can keep on working gradually up to the 100 and by judicious variation of pace and number, the athlete can so frame his exercise as to suit the speed and stamina required for the competition, race or branch of sport he has in view.

Now, you might just call this jogging on the spot, which essentially it is, however it is again all about your form.
With full respect to good form, this is what you need to be thinking about;
1. Tall posture, trunk activated, chest up but ribs low. Do not lean back, or bend at the waist.
2. Keeps your hips high and forward. Try to stay up off the ground, not letting your hips drop.
3. Foot and toes up! Think about lifting your foot up toward your butt, rather than lifting your knee. This makes all the difference in this exercise as in good running form! Note the foot lifts up past the opposite knee (see diagram of George) bringing the knee forward and high.
4. Perfect form for this exercise means the knee comes up to hip height. This is where the hard work & strength factor comes in to play.
5. Think about actively pushing the foot back down to meet the ground ( = early glute activation). This action will help to keep you tall, and high as with all strong runners.

This exercise is a form of a 'drill' we commonly see track and elite athletes doing regularly and so remains an integral part of running training today. And now, it is available to you, so give it a go.

Good luck, run well, and let me know how you get on!.

The 5 biggest mistakes marathoners make! Look out for these if you want to be a strong finisher at your next Marathon?

At last year's Melbourne Marathon, nearly 1600 entrants or 20% did not finish!
Here's the 5 biggest mistakes that you need to avoid to ensure your success at your next marathon, and be a finisher!

Which marathon finisher will you be?

An alarming statistic, but what's more surprising to people I speak to is that many of those non finishers are actually non starters. It is well known that the toughest part of the marathon is getting through the training, to get you to the start line well prepared and injury free.

As an Osteopath, with over 24 years of clinical experience, I've seen & treated many injured runners training for the marathon. And as a running coach it's important to find out how these runners have been training in order to understand why they have ended up in my clinic room. As a result of this type of study, I can share with you the top 5 reasons why many runners don't make it.

1. Fail to Plan : Many underestimate the time & commitment that is required to fully prepare your body to cover the marathon distance. The longer you have been running regularly for, the better your start position, but generally speaking you want to commit at least 6 months of regular running to prepare for the marathon. This will give you a 6-week period of easy running before your program starts, getting used to running 3-4 times per week before commencing an 18- 20 week program of slow, progressive build up of mileage, running 4-6 times per week..

2. The Right Program : An appropriate program designed for you will take into account your running ability, history, lifestyle, and importantly your running goals & needs. Your program will include the appropriate number of runs, types of runs and mileage that suits your ability & goals and to ensure you are well prepared. This means doing enough running at the right pace without doing too little or too much!

3. Paces : Many runners run their long runs too fast, and their shorter runs too slow!

When you are training for the marathon you need a goal time to train to. This sets the prescribed paces for each of your runs - Long Runs, Tempo Runs, Speed and Interval Running. These paces are specifically set to allow you to develop your running conditioning, in particular your aerobic capacity (with slow, easy long runs, within your aerobic threshold) without overtraining, and risking injury. If you don't develop your aerobic capacity well enough, you risk hitting the wall on race day! Even as a beginner marathoner, your training paces are critical to your success, for many get this wrong and end up under prepared, or risk overtraining ( by running long runs too fast) and injured, rendering them a non starter!

4. Race Plan : Fail to plan, and you plan to fail! 

It's an all too common scenario where runners get caught up in the moment, start their race too fast, and burn up too much valuable glycogen ( fuel stored in muscle, is a finite source) and end up running out later in the race, when it's needed the most.  THIS IS HITTING THE WALL, and essentially means your race is over as you struggle all the way to the finish line. However, this situation is entirely avoidable if you train smart, and plan your race. By managing your pace and intensity right from the start, and hence your energy systems to see you through to a strong finish.

5. Recovery : Your training is only as good as your recovery! 

Recovery is what gets you from one session to the next, and from week to week without breaking down. If your recovery is not effective enough, you will build up cumulative strain, develop tightness and stiffness in muscles (as niggles), which if not addressed can lead to injury as the demands of your program increase ( increased mileage & intensity). Recovery occurs when you're not running and so is affected by everything you do between runs.  Active recovery is preferable to passive recovery (rest, sitting) and is most effective in helping your body to overcome and adapt to the effects of your running sessions.

Active recovery consists of light forms of exercise at a low intensity that create stretch or change in the muscle length, promote blood flow and get your heart rate up a bit. This helps to assist in the body’s adaptation to the harder training sessions, meaning you get stronger and fitter, which again is what recovery is all about. This could include easy cycling, walking, swimming, yoga, pilates, massage!

And when niggles do inevitably develop, don't ignore them, seek an assessment, treatment and management strategy to keep you on track! Don't wait until you're injured.

At Run Well, we believe that a customised program is better when preparing for the marathon, whether it's your first marathon or you're aiming for a new personal best. Our aim is to deliver you to the start line well prepared and in good shape, to see you finish strongly, within your goal time.

Please contact us if you have any questions, or need help in preparing for your next marathon.

Don't just leave it to chance!

The Bucket List Marathon

In the past week I've met 3 people who have entered to run the Berlin Marathon for this year. This event is 3 weeks before our very own Melbourne Marathon and 21 weeks away this Sunday! An exciting time for them as they sit on the cusp of their extensive training program and buildup.

The Berlin marathon is probably most well known for having set the most new World Records of any marathon in the world, that figure being seven. Therefore it is considered a fast course, and thus a popular choice for runners looking to run a new personal best time!

Last year's Berlin Marathon saw Dennis Kimetto from Kenya set and new World Record for the Men's race in the phenomenal time of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 57 seconds. That average pace equates  to 2 mins, 54 seconds per km, for 42.195 km! That is crazy. To appreciate just how fast that is, I challenge you to try to run at that pace for 1 km, or perhaps 2km. Let alone for 42.195km!  It has started talk of whether any runner can ever break the 2 hour barrier?

Run or watch any marathon and you will see the power of the human body and spirit alive and well.. The 26.2 mile ( 42.195km) event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896 and has grown in popularity ever since, with numbers of participants and events nearly doubling in the past 10 years!

It's no wonder that this event appears high in many a mortals Bucket List, and there's no shortage of choices for where to tick off this event.

Here's a link to "The 30 best Marathons in the Entire World" , listed based on popularity, excitement, inspiration and general crowd favouritism. After the New York City marathon, the next on my list would have to be the Marathon du Medoc. This event takes runners, who are mostly dressed in hilarious costumes through the vineyards near Bordeaux, France with wine on offer at more than 20 drinking stations. If you make it to the 38km mark you can expect all you can eat oysters, cheese and ice cream in the last 4 km. Don't expect a PB here, rather just a great time.

Whichever Marathon it is, you'll commit alot of time, effort and probably a bit of money in getting there, so make sure that you get to the start line in one piece by planning well & preparing properly for the marathon.

If you're thinking about the marathon, we can show you how, and ensure you have a great race day!

My Marathon Inspiration…the seed was planted.

It was a dull, and typically grey Sunday morning in May when I found myself wandering the streets of London, I can't even be sure where I was, after a late night out and so nursing a bit of a tired, sore head. This was a long, long time ago as you can imagine when I only had myself to think about, but what happened next, i guess changed my life forever.

Suddenly I found myself upon a crowd of people and was at once a spectator in one of the most inspiring occasions I had ever seen. I was witnessing dozens of people willing their contorted bodies towards a distant finish line when I realised I was watching the London Marathon. I knew little of marathons in those days, but after playing many years of footy, would still regularly run for fitness. Having said that, I was living in West Yorkshire so the Northern English weather wasn't so accommodating.

Nevertheless what I stumbled upon that day almost moved me to tears as these runners, clearly suffering pushed their bodies of all shapes and forms toward the finish. In hindsight I figure I must have been at about the 40 km mark and I'd imagine 4 hours in as these runners were not leading any field today. Regardless, the sheer emotion, will, spirit and desire in these people convinced me enough to know that I must experience this one day. Run the marathon and find out what it is all about, and hope to hell that I don't finish like that!

This thought stayed forever with me, as I repeatedly told this story and listened to many others' first hand accounts. Not for some time mind you did i get around to it, nearly 15 years on I think it was, but the seed was planted there and then after witnessing this great display of human courage and effort. And having done the same I have an even greater appreciation for what each of those runners was going through.

The marathon is a life changing event, that leaves you with a feeling that you can achieve anything once you have run a marathon.

So I dare you, change your life, run a marathon.

But please do it properly. Your marathon experience does not have to include the misery that some endure, for the hardest marathon you will ever run is the one you don't prepare for.

If you've been thinking about running the marathon but you are not sure if you're ready, then you might want to read about being prepared for the marathon. If you are ready to run the marathon, and looking for a personalised program to ensure you are well prepared and ready to reach your goal, then here is a few options to consider.

Look out later this week for my next blog; The 5 biggest mistakes made by Marathoners!

Train smart. Run well. Race better.

How long to Run Melbourne ?

The Run Melbourne is on July 26, which means you have less than 2 weeks to get started on your program allowing for a 12 week training program to meet your goal or record your personal best time, and we'll show you how!

Your typical 12 week Half Marathon program will feature the following run types to help you build greater strength and speed that will translate into faster running, for longer to get you to your PB. This will include Interval running; such as 400m, 800m, 1km repeats at your prescribed pace. Tempo runs to build speed endurance at your prescribed pace, and Easy Runs to assist in recovery and develop strong endurance capacity in your muscles.

Running faster doesn't just happen, but is the product of a well crafted program using the proven principles of exercise science and specific training methods to boost your pace and performance. 

And if it's the Full Marathon you're thinking about in October (18th-Melbourne)  this year, then the Run Melbourne is nicely placed to be a part of your preparation.

Do one, or do the double and record two PBs this year!

Let us show you how.

Try this Lunchtime Run & Workout.

Workout Station, end of Collins Street.

You've only got an hour for lunch and you want to squeeze in a run and a bit of a workout?
Here's a great option!
If you're in the Melbourne CBD, as I am, a nice 10-15 minute jog across the river following Southbank and the Yarra Promenade, over the Webb Bridge to the Docklands offers a picturesque route to a fabulous little workout station at the very end of Collins Street.
Once there you can complete a very effective circuit of exercises using the available equipment and your body weight that will complement your running.
There are plenty of exercise options offered at each workstation, and there's even a 135m running track around the outside!
I suggest doing a series of 4 exercises TABATA style, that is 20 secs ON, then 10 secs REST. Perform each exercise 3 times before moving to the next, or do it as a circuit of 4 exercises, and repeat 3 times.
Total workout time = 6 minutes and you're guaranteed to be flogged. If you've still got something left in the tank, or a bit more time, then try another set of 4.

Finsih off with a short jog back to work with enough time for a shower & a sandwich!

Here's some exercise options;

1. Chin Ups
2. Push Ups
3. Rope Lifts - alternating
4. Cross Over Crunch

1. Box Jumps
2. Jump Switch ( from push up position, bring knee to chest, alternating, fast)
3. Step Ups
4. Mountain Climbers ( push up position, knee to elbow - outside/inside to opp elbow)

I just want to run faster!

View fullsize

I met with a mate on the weekend at a children's birthday party who had just recently completed the Run 4 The Kids. After the usual analysis of the run, and assessing his split times, his race followed a very common path of many I speak to as he started much faster than he finished, and wasn't able to hold his desired pace right til the finish. He wants to know what he can do about this problem, that I hear so often?

So i put this to him; What would happen if you completely turned your split paces upside down? You start the race at the pace you finished (slower than you intended), and build your pace through the race, and finish strong and fast. At worst you would run the same time, but feel great about finishing strongly, instead of being disappointed at finishing slowly. But better than that, you are much more likely to run a faster time as you feel stronger as you finish. 

I explained to him that this is how you want to plan your race; start a bit slower than your desired pace, settle in to the race finding your rhythm, then build your pace throuhg the middle, and finish strong and fast. This is called a Race Plan and requires some planning & discipline, but is effective. More than that though, it simply doesn't happen unless you plan for it!

Next he states, " I just want to go under 4min/km!". There are a number of accepted goal times for recreational runners; sub- 3hr marathon, under 1:30 for the half, and a sub-40 min 10k time. hence the 4min/km goal. So, you just want to go faster.

You won't get faster by just going out each week and trying to run faster - that just makes you tired, leads to overtraining and often injury from pushing too fast all the time, and it simply doesn't work like that. To get faster, you need to get stronger. You get stronger by doing shorter, faster interval training sessions. These include track sessions, interval training, hills and tempo running, all designed to increase your running strength and speed, and improve your anaerobic thresholds for running faster, for longer!

So, if you want to get faster, you need to train specifically for it. We can help you achieve your pace goal with a personalised program specifically structured to increase your pace, whatever distance or event you have in mind. 

Feel free to contact us for more information.