Basic Training Concepts

Now that my husband and I have been monitoring the races that are being scheduled, I wanted to have a more laid-out plan for my running so I can improve my performance in races (in terms of personal best) as we go along.

I got this book by Jon Ackland, The Complete Guide to Endurance Training and I would like to share with you the 14 Basic Training Concepts that I found quite interesting:

1) Specificity

This simply means you have to be very specific in your training. It should simulate your racing performance as much as possible. So if your goal is to run a 5-km in 30 minutes, then that should be the pattern for your training. The closer you get to the day of the race, the closer should be the simulation. I think that really makes a lot of sense!

2) Frequency

This I find easy to do. It simply means being consistent with my running schedule. I usually run 3x a week now for 30-40 minutes with a day or two of recovery intervals. That is far better than running for 1 and a half hour once or twice a week. You cannot cram with running as you cram for your exams.

3) Overload

This simply means "do not baby yourself"! The only way that the body can adapt to greater stress is to increase your load each time your body has already adapted to the current workload. Nothing static about training for running here. It is increasingly dynamic.

4) Recovery

Do not kill yourself either! The best way to gain improvement is to provide for periods of recovery. It is said that the period of adaptation happens while the body is undergoing recovery. So if you do not rest, you will not improve!

5) Reversibility

What you gain now is not permanent. Once you stop training, you will lose what you have gained thus far because it is reversible. Do not expect to maintain those firm abs when you assume a couch potato profile.

6) Flexibility

Do not be obsessive-compulsive when it comes to your training schedule. Of course, typhoons will sometimes visit the country. Stay at home rather than risk being struck by a lightning or a falling tree. Try to weave your training into your schedule which will not compromise your work, family or your health.

7) Adaptability

It simply means your training should be gradual and continuous for more effective body adaptation. Do not rush! You will not run out of races anyway.

I shall continue with the remaining seven basic training concepts on my next blog, lest you get diarrhea and indigestion from information overload. Besides, my little one is already clamoring for my attention.

Oh, Is There Such a Thing as Overtraining Syndrome?

Most running enthusiasts love running because of the feeling of high after a run. They say that running has improved their overall disposition and that is one of the major reasons why they are hooked up with running. But what if one day, you just suddenly lose all your enthusiasm for running and you feel lethargic all day?

Have you heard of Overtraining Syndrome?

It is essential that all runners have a knowledge of this syndrome because if caught early, a simple rest of 24-48 hours would completely reverse this. However, if this is ignored, then you may have to forego running for 6-12 weeks to recover completely. Can you afford that?

Here, I share with you the symptoms of overtraining as lifted from my favorite book Running for Fitness.

But in order to diagnose overtraining, it is important to have a training log which includes the following information: your weight, the number of hours you sleep, and your pulse rate when you wake up and when you get out of bed.

Symptoms of overtraining:

• increased resting heart rate
• increase in difference between heart rate before and after getting out of bed
• susceptibility to infections, allergies, headaches; swollen glands;
• sharp reduction in training performance; sluggishness;
• lethargy; loss of enthusiasm, energy or drive;
• irritability, loss of concentration;
• insomnia;
• loss of appetite;
• lack of sexual energy and loss of libido;
• rapid weight loss;
• diarrhea and runners' trots.

Author Owen Barder emphasized on the heart rate as a good early warning indicator. If the gap between the heart rate before and after getting out of bed is 5 beats per minute or more when you get up, then you should not train on that day. Remember, haste makes waste.

Stretch, stretch and stretch

This morning I joined the Adidas King of the Road 10-km event. There were 5,000 registered runners. I just don't know if all those who registered actually ran, or just registered for the Adidas singlets that were given away.

Anyway, the event started promptly and for a while, I was in a panic because I still did not get to do my stretching exercises. Fortunately, I was able to find a space in the crowd where I was able to do some stretches. After the 10-km run, I also made sure I did the stretches again right after the run and even when I got home. It totally paid off because I did not feel sore at all. I'm sure the 8 weeks of training also contributed to my conditioning but the stretches were the major keystones. I will share with you some of the key stretches that were discussed in my favorite book Running for Fitness.

There are 8 key stretches for runners: the hamstrings, calves (gastrocnemius and soleus), quadriceps, back, hip flexors, groin and iliotibial band. The right way to do the stretches is to perform the action and to hold the position for 30 seconds before releasing.

1) Hamstrings:lying & standing 2) Gastroc 3) Soleus 4) Quads

5) Lower Back: lying & sitting 6) Hip Flexor 7) Groin 8) Iliotibial Band

According to this book, it is more important to stretch after the run than before the run. The function of stretching is to facilitate muscle recovery, reduce soreness and reduce the risk of injury. So if you want to maintain that running form, don't forget to stretch, stretch and stretch.

Drinking Rules?

Yes, there are rules as to how much and how often you should drink when you are running. It is estimated that you lose half a liter of water for every hour that you run. So you should replenish this. According to Tim Noakes in the book The Lore of Running, you should drink around 500 ml an hour but make sure you do not drink plain water because according to the book Running for Fitness, there are already reported cases of death due to hyponatremia, which means low sodium level in the blood with excessive hydration of plain water. It is therefore recommended that you take those drinks with electrolytes and some form of simple carbohydrates.

If you are joining a race, it is advised that you hydrate yourself prior to the run. Try to stop drinking within 2 hours prior to the run to avoid the urge to urinate during the run. You can drink again just before the start of the run. For those preparing for marathons, it is suggested that you do carbohydrate-loading three days prior to the run. That means eating complex carbohydrates like pasta, rice and bread.

After running, hydrate yourself again and consume carbohydrates within half an hour immediately after. Make sure you urinate within six hours after the run. If you do not urinate after 12 hours, this could mean acute renal failure due to dehydration.

Other Running Apparels and Paraphernalia

What are the recommended running apparels?

Well, if you intend to buy clothes for running, do not buy cottons because according to the book Running for Fitness, when it gets wet, it gets heavy, irritates skin, does not insulate and dries slowly. You can buy the ones made of synthetic materials that are light and easily dries up.

As for gadgets, just go slow on the pocket because there are lots of it out there.

There are those watches with special functions like stopwatch. Just make sure it has a large display for easy visibility, it is water resistant and with easy-to-press button for lap functions. There are the other gadgets like heart rate monitor, pedometer, speed and distance monitors but these are not really all necessary for running though some people cannot do without these.

What I consider necessary for me are a shoe pocket where I put my car keys and a bottle of mineral water for hydration. With my MP4 player or i-pod, I'm good to go. Of course, when the sun is up, I use sunblock or a cap. Those are the basics. The rest, I just consider as mere decorations.

There Are Different Types of Running Shoes?!

I was just talking to another friend of mine who confessed that she really wanted to run, however, she always ends up with a hurting knee after a run that is why she switched to swimming instead.

I told her that it might be because of her shoes which she immediately refutes, declaring that she has a good pair of running shoes. I then explained that some people need to have a special kind of running shoe if they tend to overpronate or oversupinate. This brought a furrow to her forehead. I then realized that not all people who run actually know this. So here goes the different major categories of running shoes to choose from depending on what kind of a runner are you:

The Motion Control is said to be the most aggressive at preventing overpronation. The Stability helps to limit overpronation but not as much as the Motion Control. The Neutral is for the runners who also run neutrally. Lucky people! The Supinators are for the minority who oversupinate. You will not see the difference at first glance but the difference lies within. Those tiny details are built into the shoe which may be invisible to the eye but "visible" to the feet.

Yesterday, when my husband and I went into two Adidas stores to register for the Adidas King of the Road race, I asked whether they can analyze if I am a pronator or supinator. They pointed me to the Trinoma branch which they claim, does that analysis. Though I feel I am a neutral runner, I want to double check just the same because I am currently using NikeFree 5.0iD which has a really great cushion but I think is a Neutral shoes. I run as though I am running barefoot.

Though a good pair can cost quite a bit, the life expectancy of most mid-sole running shoes is somewhere between 480-960 kms. So it is also wise to log your distance to give you an idea when to change your shoes. Some people look at the bottom of the running shoes to see the extent of wear to the outer sole which is actually a common mistake. What is recommended in the book is to check the mid-sole, the spongy layer between the outer sole and your feet because this is the one that hardens and eventually reduces shock absorbency. So try to compress this with your thumb and if this is no longer compressible, you should replace your shoe. A new shoe is less expensive than physiotherapy. Other tips for care of your running shoe is not to put it in washing machine nor to use hot water to clean it.

Now you see, investing in the right pair of running shoes is just as important as having a good running program because this can actually make or break your knees... I mean your running performance. And I thought all along it was just a matter of choosing the right color that goes with my outfit or getting the one that is most comfortable on the foot. This only goes to show that indeed little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Overpronator or Oversupinator?

When I was still not into running, my friend Ciela mentioned something about having her feet analyzed in a sports store to know whether she overpronates or oversupinate. I never heard about such a thing as pronation and supination in running. I thought it was just a marketing strategy for shoe stores. However, after reading something about it in Running for Fitness, I saw how important it can be for you to know if you overpronate or oversupinate because it will help in the choice of your running shoes. Here's how...

How do you run? It involves two basic movement of the feet. The pronation and supination. Pronation is when the heel hits the ground and the foot naturally rools in from the outside. This helps to absorb the impact of running. On the other hand, supination happens just before the take-off phase of running when the foot rolls back towards the outside. Some people tend to overpronate, that is, their feet roll in too much which makes the knee bend in across the center of the body towards the other leg. In the same way, some people tend to oversupinate, however there are more overpronators in the population than oversupinators. Overpronation and oversupination can cause injuries like stress in the ankle and Achilles tendon, knee pain, hip strains, torn hamstrings, pain in the lower back and overuse injuries.

So how do you check for overpronation? Again, let me lift it right from the page of the book:

1) Stand in front of a full-length mirror, barefoot, on one leg, with your hands behind your back, and your toes facing forwards;

2) Keeping your pelvis level and your back straght, slowly bend the leg on which you are standing;

3) Your knee should go straight forwards, over your second toe. If it bends in towards the other leg, past the big toe, then you probably over-pronate when you run.

N.B. There is also a hi-tech way of doing this. I just recently visited an Adidas store in Trinoma and I asked if they can diagnose if I overpronate. They made me run over a huge tablet which was connected to a computer and that registered my foot imprint as it landed on the tablet. I am glad to know that I am one of the fortunate ones who run in a neutral way.

Now, how does this relate to your footwear? Would you believe that there are now different categories of running shoes depending on whether you are an overpronator or oversupinator?

Check out my next blog entry on There are Different Types of Running Shoes?!