Ft. Collins Half-Marathon Report

What things in life are good? 13.1 miles, a full squat & a full beer.

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of running the Colorado Half-Marathon in Ft. Collins, CO. My official results are as follows:

Final time: 01:47:26 at a 00:08:12 pace.
Overall place: 204 out of 1529 in the HALF MARATHON.
Division placing: 13 out of 68 in class M35-39.

I’m not too terribly disappointed in those results. I came in in the top 20% of my age group and top 13% overall. That sounds kinda cool… Makes me think I could actually be competitive. Too bad they don’t do standings by weight class. I wonder how I did among men in the 200 lbs. range? I know I could’ve done better though if I’d been a little smarter. More on that in a moment.

Early morning & a perfect day

I couldn’t have asked for better racing weather. It was dry, clear and temps were somewhere in the low 40s at the start. Cold but perfect for a vigorous run. The pre-race meal consisted of some Bulletproof coffee and a bit of beet/celery/apple/cucumber/kiwi/kale juice. About a half-hour before the race I had an old-fashioned Powerbar which always seems to agree with me.

Start time was 6:30 am. Getting up at 4:30-ish was a little tough but being that I get up early most days, it wasn’t anything freakish. Racers boarded buses for a ride up along the Poudre River to the start. The scenery was typical of Colorado’s Front Range: mountainous, beautiful and powerful.

The race: I’ll be smarter next time.

My goal time was 1:47 and change. I did in fact hit my goal time so that’s fine, but the course was a fast course and I thought I could finish faster. (Maybe 1:45? Sounds like a nice almost-round and realistic number.) The big issue is I started off too fast. Every runner who’s ever raced more than one race has done this. The results always confirm that we are just as human as everyone else. No matter how good you feel at the start of a race you’re not going to feel that good at the end. Hold back. Feel like you’re going slow at the start so you can maintain speed at the end. Lesson learned (again.)

I planned on running with a pace group. There was a 1:40 group and a 1:50 group. I started with the 1:40 group with the idea that I’d stay with them just a little while, slow a bit and maintain my goal pace of 8:11/mile. Bottom line, it didn’t work out exactly. I slowed down near the end. If I had it to do over–which I will–I would’ve maintained even splits the whole time. Fortunately, there was beer at the end which in all truth may not be the ideal post-workout/race recovery drink but it still takes a special prize. To paraphrase Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now: “I love the taste of cold suds in the morning. Tastes like…. I ran 13.1 miles.”

The final word

I have great affection this race. Ft. Collins is a delightful place and I love going there for any reason. If you get a chance to run this race, do it. (There’s a marathon, half-marathon, 10k and 5k–a distance for everyone.) Register early though because the marathon and half- fill up fast.

It’s tempting to think about running the marathon, but training for a spring marathon during the Colorado winter sounds less-than-enjoyable. I’ll have to think on it.

Even if calorie restriction does not help anyone live longer, a large portion of the data supports the idea that limiting food intake reduces the risks of diseases common in old age and lengthens the period of life spent in good health.
– Scientific American

The second of Michael Mosley’s PBS series on health is titled Eat, Fast and Live Longer. A significant portion of the program is devoted to the health effects of fasting or caloric restriction. (He does not suggest that you actually consume your food at a rapid pace.) I’ve read and heard about some of the benefits of fasting and I’ve played around with it a little bit. After understanding the results of Mosley’s self-experiment with fasting, my wife and I both were very motivated to enact some form of fasting in our lives.

Michael Mosley PBS

Watch Eat, Fast and Live Longer with Michael Mosley on PBS. See more from Michael Mosley.

Benefits of caloric restriction

There seem to be several noteworthy benefits to fasting (aka caloric restriction.) I’ve written before that hunger actually seems to stimulate movement and alertness. The idea being that a hungry animal must go look for food.

Also, caloric restriction seems to extend the lifespan of various organisms and reduce incidence of various diseases. (Many studies have been done on animals, others in humans.) Caloric restriction seems to improve insulin sensitivity, heart function, and seems to improve memory in the elderly and may help in epilepsy treatment. Fasting seems to make brain tumors more vulnerable to radiation treatment, and calorie restriction–particularly carbohydrate/sugar restriction–appears to be an effective treatment for other cancers. (To be fair, there are other studies finding few benefits to calorie restriction. A recent study in monkeys suggests that the type of calorie matters more to lifespan than the amount of calories consumed.)

In this episode of Mosley’s show, he discusses Insulin-like growth factor or IGF. I won’t go into all the details of this compound, but it seems that it plays a key role in the development of several cancers and diabetes. In a study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, subjects with breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and ovarian cancer had higher levels of various types of IGF compared with controls. The study says:

“Evidence suggests that lifestyles characterized by a high-energy diet may affect the IGF system, which may, in turn, connect such lifestyles to high rates of cell proliferation and predispose cells to risk of malignant transformation.”

An article in the Harvard Gazette discusses studies with similar findings.

Why is this important?

Fasting decreases levels of IGF. Beyond just cutting calories, protein needs to be reduced as well. Watch Mosley’s special or read his BBC article The Power of Intermittent Fasting for more discussion on fasting and IGF.

I’m not a true academic researcher and I don’t claim to have found all the definitive evidence of this whole IGF/disease relationship, but from what I’ve read and heard it sounds like too much food may push us towards some types of diseases including various cancers. Periodic caloric restriction seems generally like a good, healthy idea.

If you look at the Wikipedia entry for fasting, you’ll see that the practice has been around all over the world for thousands of years, often for religious purposes. I tend to think though that if a practice hangs on for that long, our organism must on some level see something beneficial in it. Further, as noted in the Scientific American article How Intermittent Fasting Might Help You Live a Longer, Healthier Life, ancient humans were often forced to fast due to availability of food. A reliable supply of three (or more) square meals a day is a very recent addition to humanity. It’s possible that this pressure in evolution helped select for healthier genes that survive today.

In the next entry, I’ll discuss various types of fasts and my early experience in toying with caloric restriction.

I like this plan. You might too.

The Colorado Marathon and Half-Marathon are coming up on May 5. It’s in Ft. Collins, north of Denver. I’m running the half-. It’s actually my first half-marathon. I’ve run several 10-milers, a 15-mile trail race, 10k’s, 5k’s, and one marathon, so this shouldn’t be any radical departure. This is a very popular race that fills up early. The course is supposed to be scenic and this time of year is spectacular in Colorado. It’s also slightly downhill which should make for a fast race.

My goal time is ~~just under 1:38~~ about 1:47. That’s based on a 23:10 5k I ran last year. That it’s downhill makes me think I might get a little bit better time. I’ve been following the 3-run per week Runner’s World Run Less, Run Faster plan developed by the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST). I enjoy the plan for several reasons. First, it covers the whole spectrum of speed: fast track workouts, tempo runs, and long runs. Everything is paced. Times are based on a 5k race time. The plan pushes me to run harder than I probably would on my own. That’s good. Second, with only three runs per week it’s time-efficient. The idea is for you to do only what you need to do and nothing more. That’s another good idea.

I’ve been lifting several times per week with two of those workouts being hard workouts. The workouts are loosely based on the Wendler 5/3/1 scheme. (Week 1: 3×5 reps. Week 2: 3×3 sets. Week 3: 5 reps, 3 reps, 1 rep. Week 4: reduce the work load and take it easy. Then start the process over with more weight.) They’ve looked like this:

Workout 1

barbell, kettlebell, or dumbbell clean & press
box back squats
core work, one or more of the following: ab wheel roll-outs, hanging knee-ups, cable chops, cable lifts, side bends, Turkish get-ups, 1-arm farmer walks

Workout 2

1-leg work: pistols alternated each week with 1-leg RDLs. I mix pistols off a box with TRX pistols. Two weeks from the race I’ve done some single leg jumping on and off a plyo box.
weighted pull-ups or chin ups
bench press
core work: similar to workout 1

Other workouts

Mobility work: I’ve been religious about using the rumble roller, lacrosse ball (big-time favorite of mine), and the Stick to address my soft tissue. I’ve also been smashing my quads with a barbell ala Kelly Starrett’s Becoming a Supple Leopard pg 326. (That one’s great for nausea. That is, if you’re not currently nauseous and you’d like to be, the barbell quad smash will get you there. Seriously, it’s really improved my hip flexor ROM and helped reduce soreness.) I’ve worked a lot on ankle mobility; foot/big toe mobility; hip flexors, extensors, adductors and rotators; quadratus lumborum (HUGELY for me lately), and thoracic mobility. I’ll often combine this work with a trip to the hot tub either before or after.
If I missed an exercise one day due to time or fatigue, I fit it in on another day.
There are lots of core exercises to pick from. I don’t do them all in one workout, therefore I often get one or more in on another day.

I think single-leg work is very important. Running is a one-legged gig. Mobility, stability and strength on one leg is an essential ability. Further, it seems that getting strong on one leg makes me stronger on two legs (squat or deadlift), but getting stronger on two legs doesn’t necessarily seem to make me stronger on one leg. The last week before the race I might do some single-leg jumping only–and nothing else. It’s time to rest. More work at this point won’t improve my race performance.

The core work has been a big part of this scheme. I’ve spent more time on specific core work than I have in the past. I understand it better. I perceive its importance more thoroughly than I used to.

I’m hoping for good weather. Spring in Colorado can be sunny and gorgeous or it can be frigid, snowy/rainy, and rough. Sunny and gorgeous is my preference.

The true champion will spend more time working on weakness than showing off strength.
– Gray Cook, Athletic Body in Balance

Gray Cook

I’ve taken great interest recently in Gray Cook’s material including the FMS or Functional Movement Screen as well as two books by Gray, Movement and Athletic Body in Balance. Gray is a physical therapist, strength coach and kettlebell instructor. Much of his work focuses on identifying our weaknesses and improving our poor movement patterns. He’s been in the fitness/rehab world for a while and I’ve known of his work for a while but just recently have I really dug into it and I’m finding it very fascinating.

Functional Movement Screen

The FMS consists of several movement patterns: the overhead squat, inline lunge, hurdle step, shoulder mobility reaching, straight-leg raise, trunk stability pushup, and rotary stability pattern. These movements are fundamental to the way we move. They combine elements of stability and mobility. The purpose of the screen is to identify deficient movement patterns, asymmetries (this is a potentially HUGE issue) and pain. If someone test poorly on any of these tests then we know what areas need corrective exercise. This is a process of identifying weaknesses and making them strong.

Visit to PT Mike Kohm & dry needling

I wanted to get a first-hand exposure to the FMS and the clinical companion to the FMS which is known as the Selective Functional Movement Assessment (SFMA). (The SFMA is used by physical therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, etc. to further investigate painful and dysfunctional movement.) I looked up FMS/SFMA certified practitioners in the Denver area and I selected Mike Kohm of Neuromuscular Strategies. Mike is a PT and a yoga instructor who has experience with runners and cyclists. When I made my appointment I had nothing much wrong with me. I’ve had a little bit of right shoulder pain which has improved recently, but mainly I just wanted to see if there were any odd movement issues that I might want to take care of. A few days prior to my appointment I strained my right hip flexor while running sprints. Perfect time to see a PT.

I won’t go into every aspect of the assessment but it was a very thorough examination that did indeed expose some less-than-optimal movement patterns. He ID’d some funny movement at my right tibia and we figured out more about my right shoulder. We looked at some exercises to improve both areas. Just a couple of days later and both areas are moving much better.

As for my hip flexor, he did some dry needling on the strained area. This procedure is similar to acupuncture but it doesn’t rely on quite the same method. It involves inserting an acupuncture needle into a tight, spasming muscle. Sound like fun? It wasn’t as bad as it sounds, though it wasn’t any party either. I felt a stick and then a sudden but very brief cramp and then the muscle relaxed. Mike used the needle in three spots. It definitely felt better afterward. Mike said he thought dry needling could cut down by half the healing time for strained muscles. Sounds good to me.

FMS Self-Assessment & the Bretzel

Finally, there are a lot of interesting and informative Youtube videos discussing the FMS and corrective strategies. Here are a couple. The first is an abbreviated version of the FMS that you can use to evaluate your own movement patterns. The second is a very useful thoracic spine mobility drill known as the Bretzel. There are two versions of the Bretzel. These drills can be quite useful in addressing shoulder pain among other things. Try some of this stuff out and see what happens.

Running Awareness: Cadence, Foot Placement, Lean

I just started the new year with a run in the cold with my dog. It was a good run and I can report that I’ve tuned into something(s) important. I was aware of several gait-related details that I adjusted and played with, those being cadence, foot placement and the degree to which I lean while running. Why was any of this on my mind?

Cadence

First, upon reading the excellent Anatomy for Runners I’ve become more aware of my running cadence aka how often my feet hit the ground. The author Jay Dicharry discusses a popular notion that the ideal cadence is about 170-180 RPM. I’ve run with a metronome a few times to investigate this idea and compare this range to my normal cadence. Turns out my cadence was quite a bit slower. The problem I found when running at this higher cadence is that my cardiovascular system felt overwhelmed! Maintaining even the low end of that cadence was very challenging. Seems that I may have found a simple solution. Before I get to that, let’s discuss why a quick cadence may be beneficial.

Changing cadence to prevent overstriding

I mentioned in my last post that where your foot lands is very important in running. You want the foot to land as near to your center of mass as possible, not way out in front of you, a situation also known as overstriding. Several elite-level running coaches have discussed cadence and foot strike position. I’ll let their words do my talking. First, Steve Magness at Science of Running says:

“Then why is everyone in a rage over increasing stride rate? Because as I’ve pointed out before, most recreational runners simply overstride, which artificially creates a very low stride rate. Why? Because the foot lands so far out in front of the Center of Mass that it takes a while for your body to be over it and ready to push off. So, when some running form coach says to increase stride rate to X, what ends up happening is the runner is trying so hard to increase stride rate, he chops his stride a bunch by putting his foot down earlier and landing closer to his center of mass, thus decreasing the overstriding. Nothing particularly wrong with that.

Where we go wrong is in the logic that the stride rate increase is the key. No, it’s not. It’s the elimination of the overstriding. Using the cue to increase stride rate is a way for coaches/runners to reduce the heel striking overstride.”

The key concept here is that it’s not cadence in and of itself that’s so important, but rather by manipulating cadence we can improve the location of where the foot lands. Pete Larson at Runblogger puts it well when he says:

“In other words, reaching with the leg is bad, and increasing cadence can help us avoid doing that. Let me repeat – overstriding is what we are trying to prevent by manipulating cadence. If you don’t overstride, manipulating cadence might not be wise or necessary.”

Now, you may be asking why is overstriding an issue? Essentially overstriding is harder on the body. In contrast, keeping the foot closer to you won’t beat you up so much. I won’t go into the details but if you’re interested, then please check out Jay Dicharry’s posts on Loading Rate Part 1: What Does it Mean for You and Part 2. (Part 2 is a very interesting discussion as to why a forefoot, midfoot or heel strike may not matter at all.)

Leaning forward

I’m obviously on the lookout for gait and running mechanics information. I recently discovered a very good site called Kinetic Revolution. There’s all sorts of very useful science-based information there for runners and triathletes. Among all this wealth of good stuff, I came across the post titled Essentials of Running Mechanics. That post features a video from a South African running coach named Bobby McGee. (Insert whatever obvious Janis Joplin joke you’d like.) Leaning forward is the first thing McGee discusses. Through leaning we can go faster or slower: more forward = faster, more upright = slower.

Remember earlier I mentioned that this faster cadence was overwhelming my heart and lungs? At the 1:34 minute of the video McGee discusses this issue. He says to simply get a bit more upright (don’t lean so far forward) to slow down and control the cardiovascular exertion. I tried it today and it worked perfectly! I was able to a) maintain proper foot placement under my center of mass by b) speeding up my cadence and c) adjusting my lean so that I was more upright. The overall result is that I maintained a quick pace and felt good doing it. I felt my glutes working well. Foot placement felt ideal. All-and-all I was very pleased with what this small adjustment did for me.

New Developments: Changing Exercises & Squat/Deadlift Reading

The New Workout

A couple of posts ago I outlined my new strength program which I adapted from a Mike Mahler program. I stayed with those exercises for six weeks. Now I’m rotating most of those exercises out for new exercises that are as Pavel Tsatsouline says, the “same but different.” This means that the new exercises should look like and require similar movement patterns as the previous exercises. Here are my changes:

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I’m still doing barbell cleans but now each week I’m either doing cleans 2x/week and barbell snatches 1x/week or vice versa. I’m trying to learn to snatch the barbell and I’m pretty new to it. I’m still doing Renegade Rows and I’m trying to find time to do Turkish Get-ups 2x/week instead of just once. The TGU is very difficult so I figure I need to work on it more. (If you’re not good at something, you don’t like doing it and it’s real hard–then you should probably do a lot of it.) Similarly, I’m keeping the kettlebell windmills.

I plan to stay with this new scheme for four weeks and change it up again. I’ve also added weighted 45 degree back extensions 1x/week. I believe this plus the good morning will help my deadlift and squat numbers go up.

Why have I rotated the exercises? I’ll let powerlifting expert Louie Simmons of the Westside Barbell Club explain:

“Science has proven that training at a 90% or above for 3 weeks will cause physical and mental fatigue. With the Westside conjugate method we switch a core barbell exercise each week to avoid accommodation. “

Further, from a mental viewpoint, changing exercises keeps things interesting. I like doing new things. There are a ton of useful exercises out there. By cycling the exercises I get to stimulate the mind.

(BTW, Louie also says they at Westside “live on the good morning.” Seems that it’s essential for improving the squat and deadlift. Thus I’ll likely do some version of it for a long time to come.)

My sets & reps scheme is a variation on the Windler 5-3-1 protocol. It looks like this:

Week 1: 3 sets x 5 reps. I work up to a 5RM and do three sets

Week 2: 3 sets x 3 reps done in similar to the 3×5

Week 3: 5 reps – 3 reps – 1 rep

Week 4: Back off. I may skip lifting altogether or do something alone the lines of 1×10 reps at 50% of my 1 RM. The point is to take it easy and RECOVER.

Westside Barbell Squat & Deadlift Manual

Speaking of Louie Simmons and Westside, I recently got the Westside Barbell Squat & Deadlift Manual. There’s a wealth of fantastic info in there from literally the strongest group of people on the planet. (I look forward to reading the Westside Barbell Book of Methods and the Bench Press Manual as well.)

Most interestingly, I learned that those guys change their main exercises every week–but they very rarely do the standard issue competition powerlifts: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. They do variations on those exercises: box squats, board bench presses, good mornings and a billion other variations on the competition lifts. They use bands and chains to vary the nature of the resistance on the bar. Different bars are used and different speeds are used when lifting. Why? It goes to the concept Louie mentioned up above. All these variables are changed in order to prevent accommodation. If you’ve accommodated to the exercise then you’ve essentially gotten used to it and progress will slow.

The Marathon: Done and Done

This past Saturday I ran the Denver Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon–my first marathon. My time was 3:57:15 for an average pace of

Proof that I helped tie up Denver traffic on Saturday.

9:02/mile. (For the record, I beat Paul Ryan’s official marathon time by 4 minutes, 10 seconds. However, in his imagination, he definitely beat me.) This race was a culmination of about 10 years of my overcoming various aches and pains brought on not by running, but by moving–walking, running, standing, lifting, anything else that counts as moving–incorrectly. I’ve overcome these issues and the marathon was a victory lap.

It was definitely a fun experience but it was very tough and fairly uncomfortable. I was very sore and way beyond fatigued by the end of the race. I’m sore in some unexpected ways. My feet were very beat up it as you might expect. My thighs and hamstrings were plenty sore too which is no surprise. It’s Tuesday and I’m feeling decent now.

Interestingly, my lateral abdominal muscles are quite sore. I’m fairly certain it’s my external obliques that are sore and this is actually a good thing. It means that I was using them correctly. Part of my pain problems were rooted in incorrect use of my external obliques. Now I know they were put to very good and thorough use yesterday. (For more info on the role of the role of these muscles in running, check out this three-part video series of from the Gait Guys: part 1, part 2, part 3. I’ve been using elements of these videos with some of my clients to very good effect.) I’ll refer back to my run technique in a moment.

Things got tough at mile 18/19. I was about hip deep in the suffering by then. That’s where my pace slowed and I knew hitting my goal time would be very difficult if not impossible. My legs were hurting. The crowds had thinned out a good bit by then and what I knew would be a long lonely stretch lay ahead. That I had about 10 miles to go wasn’t the most joyous thought I’d ever had. I was functioning though and there was no sign of anything like an injury.

Difficulties: nothing major

I’d planned to run with a pace group. There were several pace groups dispersed throughout the event. My goal time was 3:45 and there was a 3:45 pace group. I got to the race very early but I was late getting to my corral. Thus I couldn’t find the 3:45 group. My fault entirely but it wasn’t a disaster, just a bit of a bummer. Got kind of lonely out there, especially at the later miles. Suffering with others is better than suffering alone. Being that I missed my goal time, I can’t help but wonder how my race would’ve gone had I gotten in with the group….

Not much slowed me down but one thing definitely took a little momentum away. I’ve had a little trouble with blisters on my toes mostly on my right foot, only once on my left. Because of this I often tape several of my toes. My mistake was that I taped some of my toes on the left but not all. Not long into the race I felt friction against my left pinky toe. I knew this would probably turn into a sizeable problem well before the race was over. The only solution was to stop, sit down, take off my socks (compression socks which are long and fit tightly thus they’re sort of hard to get back on), remove the tape, get everything back on and resume running. That took a few minutes. I took one bathroom break but other than those stops I kept running.

The final stretch

Brutal is the word I’d use to describe miles 22 through 26.2. There were several short/steep hills on what was a steady false-flat that led back into downtown. (In fact, I’m convinced that during this marathon, the very laws that govern the universe were broken. We started and finished in the same location yet 99/100s of the whole course was uphill. I believe the course was designed by MC Escher.) Four miles to go was A LONG way to go. The idea of stopping to walk just a little was very tantalizing. I knew if I started walking I might not start back running. It was also fairly warm–not hot–but warm enough to add real difficulty to the whole process.

Somewhere around mile 21 I felt a potential hamstring cramp in my right leg. I wasn’t sure if it was an electrolyte issue but I didn’t really think so. I’d taken some salt pills before and during the race and I was consuming fuel containing electrolytes as well. The cramp didn’t really come on until I was crossing Speer Blvd right at about mile 25. I felt that right hamstring start to ball up underneath my right glute. I thought I was done! I thought I was going to have to walk the last mile and I finish well over the four-hour mark. This was about to be a minor disaster. I was fine though. Why?

Earlier I mentioned my glutes, external obliques, and my running technique. I went right back to the running method described in those Gait Guys videos. I focused on lengthening through the hip into the ground and letting the right hip drop away from the right bottom rib as my right foot struck the ground. I did this for a few strides and the cramp simply vanished.

Technique! Technique! Technique! It’s all about proper movement and proper positioning! This is the undisputed key to getting out of pain and performing your best.

What’s next?

I intend to run more marathons. I’m not sure which one(s) or where. I want to get faster. Run Less, Run Faster tells me that since I finished slower than my 5k time predicted I need to work on my endurance. I definitely want to run with a pace group next time. (God that was dumb of me to miss the group…) My shoes (Nike Free 3.0) and nutrition seem solid.

My next race (probably) is the Run the Rocks 5k in October. Then I’m only doing random, unstructured runs for a while. I’ll run with my dog then some time this winter I’m going to do one or two track/sprint workouts per week with random longer runs whenever I feel like it. I’m looking forward to getting into the weight room and working on my clean and press, squat, and deadlift. For now though I’m very content to not run for a few days.

Just Over A Week ‘Til Race Day

The marathon is close and I’m feeling it. What does that phrase mean? I’m worn out! A summer of hard training, long runs, fast runs, a brutal trail race and the big 20 mile run Saturday-before-last means the organism that is me is feeling shagged out. My sleep patterns have been off a little lately, I’ve been a bit grumpy, and I’ve had two runs that were tougher and slower than they should’ve been. In other words I’m not in optimal condition.

As they sometimes ask on ESPN, “Is it time to panic?”

I went to a former client and good friend of mine to get his take on my condition. (This guy is a multiple-Ironman competitor and veteran of numerous Olympic distance triathlons, marathons and various very demanding and ugly adventure races.) I told him about all this. His words were, “Congratulations, you’re two weeks out from a marathon. You’ve been training hard. Feeling beat up and tired is completely normal.”

Wonderful! I’m normal! Psychologically, it’s very comforting to have someone who’s gone through this process tell me that all is probably very well. Seems like it’s a good time to discuss exactly what’s going on here and why I might be feeling a bit run over and rundown.

Whether we’re looking at strength training or endurance training, a process known as the General Adaptive (or Adaptation) Syndrome is at work. Rather than try to explain this myself, (I am tired after all) I’ll borrow from Cedric Unholz, a Vancouver-based collegiate strength coach and manual therapist. The following comes from his document, Resistance Training Theory and Adaptation Fundamentals. (Never mind that this is directed at resistance training. As I said earlier, endurance training processes are essentially the same.)

The Stress-Response Model

The fundamental model underpinning all training and adaptation processes is derived from the ‘General Adaptation Syndrome’ initially outlined by Hans Selye in 1936, and later refined by the same author in 1956. In most training literature this concept is commonly referred to as the ‘supercompensation cycle’.

These models very clearly highlight that training is ultimately about applying appropriate stress to take advantage of the body’s subsequent adaptive responses. Any stimulus/stressor or recovery method, regardless whether acute or chronic in nature, will cause a response that will correspond to the principles of this concept and shape the response curvature. Similarly, a lack or over-application of stimulus will also be accompanied by a corresponding response profile.

In essence, this stress-response model (Figure 2) consists of four phases:

1. ‘Alarm reaction’ following a disruption in homeostasis (e.g. a training stimulus).

2. ‘Resistance’ where the body responds to the stimulus by recovering, repairing itself, and instigating a return towards the initial baseline.

3. ‘Supercompensation’ where the body adapts to the initial stimulus by rebounding above the previous baseline, in order to better cope with the initial disruptive stimulus should it present itself again.

4. ‘Exhaustion’, which could also be termed ‘Detraining’, sees a drop to the initial level of homeostasis (or below) if there is an inappropriate application of following stimulus; whether too much, too soon, or not enough.

Figure 2. The Stress-Response Model based on Hans Selye’s ‘General Adaptation Syndrome’

So in my case, my recent poor runs suggest that I’ve had a little too much stimulation and I was somewhat deep in the alarm phase of this model–somewhere in the A/B range of the curve. The strategy now is to get well into the C part of the curve for the race.

Recovery strategy

The key word here is REST. I need to back off of the running, lifting, cycling, etc. in order to allow for supercompensation. That means lying around a good bit, sleeping in a bit, looking for any opportunity to sit. I’ve also been overeating a bit. I haven’t been too terribly gluttonous but I’ve definitely been taking in more good quality calories. I’ve also been drinking a bit of delicious tart cherry juice from I got at the local farmer’s market.

Beyond rest and eating, I’ll modify my running plan for the final week before the race. I will likely do a long run on Saturday or Sunday of 6-8 miles and I’ll run it slow and easy. Next week I’ll probably do some speed work early in the week but I’ll cut down the reps. Then the mid-week three mile run at marathon pace sounds about right.

I’ve already cut back my weight workouts and I might do one upper-body focused workout next week but even just working the upper body can tax the whole system, so less is more in this regard.

Finally, if any of this is of interest to you, then definitely have a look at this Running Times article titled How Long Does It Take To Benefit From A Hard Workout? The information here should prove very valuable to anyone trying to strategize their race training.

***UPDATE***

Today I did a 3 mile tempo run and I felt good. I hit my pace without too much discomfort. All seems well. I believe I’m right where I need to be.

All About Feet

Anyone who’s read this blog much at all knows I’m way into feet–or I should say I’m way into foot function. Lately I’ve been investigating the diabolical effects of Morton’s Toe. I seem to have a touch of this dysfunction and I think it brought on the major foot pain I had during the trail race I did recently. (And to expand on the issue of injuries, I seem to have had every single running injury known to man. There is an upside. I’ve learned how to defeat these various strange villains of movement.)

Because the feet are so intricate and so extremely important to every single thing we do all the time, I want to present some relevant information on how to fix some potential problems many people may have. So here are some videos from some experts in the field of movement impairment and movement improvement: Dr. Kelly Starrett at MobilityWOD.com and Drs. Shawn Allen and Ivo Waerlop aka the Gait Guys. I’ve found these instructionals to be extremely valuable. If you’re having Achilles issues, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, hip pain–who-knows-what-kind of pain then this information may be very helpful.

Ski Haus Continental Divide Trail Race Outcome

I ran the big Continental Divide Trail Race on Saturday and I didn’t come in last. It was on the rough side of brutal (my feet feel like they spent the weekend in Guantanamo Bay) but I’m fairly content with my performance. That said, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

The good

It’s been less than a year since I’ve returned to serious running. I finished in the top half of the participants and middle of the pack for men. (Results weren’t broken down by age group.) This is nothing spectacular but it makes me happy. I simply couldn’t have run this race at all a year ago.

I ran for almost three hours which is well into marathon-time territory. I’ve never done that. That’s good. I bet I can do it again.

Also, the race included a very long downhill stretch near the end (about 3000 ft.!) and my legs held up. Downhill running is typically very strenuous on the muscles. I’m not saying it was easy but I held up and I haven’t been unduly sore since the race. I think I hit it right with my strength program.

My only pain issues were in my metatarsal heads (the part of my toes that attach to my feet; more on that in a moment.) No Achilles pain. No heel pain. No back pain. No knee pain. No hip pain. Don’t call me “bulletproof,” but maybe… “bullet-resistant.” I’ve worked years to overcome chronic pain and I’m on the winning side.

The bad

By far the biggest negative to this race was some severe metatarsal pain, particularly on my left foot and to some degree on my right. (Specifically, we’re talking about metatarsal head pain. The met heads are the part of your toes that meet the feet. Think of the knuckles of your feet.) Holy s__t those things hurt!! And they hurt for quite a while. They’re still sore as I type this. By the end of the race I thought those bones must’ve popped through the soles of my feet. I’ve got to find a solution to this issue before the marathon.

Without going way too much into it, I’ve been reading Anatomy and Biomechanics of the First Ray to get a better feel for what’s supposed to happen and what can happen in the toe neighborhood. Further, I’ve been reading and learning more about Morton’s Toe, including the possible implications and what to do about them. This is a situation in which the 2nd toe is longer than the big toe. Wow… There’s potentially a lot to this issue. For now, I’m experimenting with a Morton’s Toe shim. I’ll probably write more about this issue in the near future. (If you’re experiencing foot pain and your 2nd toe is longer than your big toe, you may well want to look into this Morton’s Toe business. In addition to the links above, the Barefoot Runners Society has a whole discussion board devoted to the matter.)

I should’ve fueled better. I consumed two Honey Stinger gels and one package of Honey Stinger chews. Based on my weight, I should’ve had about two more gels or another package of chews. The race featured a lot of repeated ascents, some of them were quite steep. Then we had a long downhill run to the finish. I was more tired near the end than I expected, though I didn’t bonk. Not that I expected to feel fresh as a daisy, but I have no doubt that more fuel in the tank would have ameliorated some of my weariness. Lesson learned.

The near future

I’m taking it somewhat easy this week. I’m probably only running twice–easy runs with my dog–and possibly a little mountain biking this weekend. Then next week it’s back to work. I’m going to use the FIRST marathon plan. I really like the three-day per week plan. I’ve ordered Run Faster, Run Less which is written by the team that formulated the quality-over-quantity scheme. Assuming my tender toes are up for it, I’m looking forward to a track workout next Tuesday, a tempo run then a long run next weekend.

I’ve got the Park-to-Park 10 Miler on Labor Day. This is a fun, scenic race and it’s local so the logistics are easy. Then in a month is my Moby Dick. I’m planning on running the Denver Rock’n’Roll Marathon. I’ve wanted to run a marathon for years. My injuries have gotten in the way. Now I’m winning the battle and I’m ecstatic to be within striking distance of the event.

Finally, as part of the marathon preparation, I’m going to start doing group runs with the Boulder Running Co. located in the Denver Tech Center. They do group runs on Saturday mornings. Group runs should do a couple of things for me. First, I’ll be pushed to run harder. That’s good. Also, suffering through long runs with other similarly suffering individuals should help the miles go by a little easier.

Denver Fitness Journal

All Things Health and Fitness by Kyle Norman, MS, CSCS, FMS, RRCA Running Coach

Training & Racing Updates