The Training Secret

Bridge of Flowers 10K 

SNAPSHOT

Slightly undertrained with daily recovery and consistency are the secrets to success.

DIGGING DEEPER

Do you wonder what the secret workout is that gets runners to the podium?  It is not so secret as you may think.  In addition, the method is not just for the elite.  

It is quite simple to explain. Train the body to adapt at it's highest possible rate without causing too much trauma or stress. Allow the adaptation to occur under the most optimal recovery circumstances.  All the while adding each adaptation upon each other without setbacks or plateaus, therefore creating a consistent training year.

Theresa Loomis racing in the YMCA 10 miler in May 2016.

The complexity is in the individual differences between each human.  One runner's maximum weekly mileage is another runner's low level. Each body is unique in its making and ability to withstand the pressures of running. We all need different amounts and elements to recover optimally.  The stress of our life intervenes with consistent training.

So what does this all boil down to?  How do you get faster, better, stronger?  Listen to your body. With the knowledge that slightly undertrained with daily recovery and consistency are the secrets to success, do as your body needs.  Train hard using your internal motivation, tread carefully the rest of the 23 hours of the day in order to recover, and plan carefully causing a consistent training schedule.

It is simple yet complex.  This is where turning to a coach will improve your running. A running coach keeps you on the right track towards appropriate training and adequate recovery.  They should be sensitive to your recovery at the same time challenging you just enough to cause adaptation and increased fitness.  A coach sets out your training plans and keeps you accountable.

Your finish time should not dictate whether you deserve a coach.  Whatever level you are running at, you still need someone to guide you. I have a coach.  Even this coach needs a coach to run optimally and to reach her potential. Reach out to a runner around you that inspires and encourages you.  Ask them to guide you through a successful 2017.

SOLUTION

Secret exposed, what are you going to do with it?

Where Strength OrIginates

SNAPSHOT

From the upper quads to the shoulders and wrapping from the front of the body to the back, all the way deep inside your middle, lays your strength.  

DIGGING DEEPER

My last experience recovering from injury brought home the need for deep core strength. My hip strength was lacking and causing the rest of my body to make up for it. I noticed a remarkable difference from just one challenging hour-long Pilates class a week.  Months into the new training I was on a treadmill and found that from the shoulders to my upper quads had become one strong unit like a pole from which my legs and arms moved. 

Remember your strength comes from the middle of your body. Your legs work off of your core, with core stability transferring strength to your legs. 

Using the winter months to develop your core strength will facilitate improved fitness in the spring. I am not speaking of sit-ups at all: zip, zero, nill. Sit ups will only strengthen a small percentage of the core.  Plus, you most likely are using momentum to move and up and down and not truly developing the core.  My favorite core routines are the main 18 Pilates exercises.  I add in challenging moves with a large ball or foam roller, increasing my need for balance. I often use the book Quick Strength for Runners by Jeff Horowitz.  It has 16 routines that I alternate between throughout the month.

Keeping the routine new and fresh causes a stronger core. Challenge yourself with balls, bars, and other equipment. Lay a bar across your back when performing donkey kicks. Add an inside shoulder width ball between your palms to your roll up. Balance on all fours upon a large stability ball. Anatomy for Runners by Jay Dicharry will help highlight ways to challenge your normal strengthening movements. Most of all become creative and playful with your movements.

A special note to women and especially to mothers with young children, it is vital to develop your core muscles.  I remember being surprised during my first Pilates class that I even had muscles in my abdomen. I thought of the area as only being organs.  However, those organs are encased in a wrapping of muscles that need to be identified and developed.  You will find the difference in removing the stroller from the car trunk. If you struggle at all you need to prioritize core strengthening.

SOLUTION

Develop your center strength to revitalize your running.

Your Wish

SNAPSHOT

What topic do you wish to be covered in this blog post?

DIGGING DEEPER

Your ideas and questions interest me.  I wonder what is on your mind?  What are you struggling with? I want to help guide you through your running training. So send me the topics and questions that you wish for a coach to discuss.  This is your chance to make a blog post topic wish.

Thank you to the readers who shared their struggles with injury a few weeks ago. It is helpful to hear your stories and how you are working through them.  Continue to contact me by email or in the comments below.

SOLUTION

Thanks, Readers!

SIT SIT SIT

SNAPSHOT

Oh sitting, how you have crept into my day.

DIGGING DEEPER

During breakfast, traveling, desk work, waiting room, coffee with a friend, phone call, lunch, dinner, kids' swimming and soccer practices, and on the sofa, we sit, sit, sit.  Look deeply at the normal physical routines of your day. Does sitting consume your body’s day? 

Throw running into the equation, which relies heavily on the hamstrings, glutes, and core to move the body forward, and you have a combination for lower back pain.

The one semi-heavy object that you lifted that caused you to drop to the floor and live on the couch for a few days wasn't the culprit.  It was weeks or months of strain and weakened muscles shouting, “I QUIT!” 

Sitting with a ninety-degree bend in each of the hips and knees creates a strain on the hamstring and glutes.  It also weakens the surrounding muscles since they go unused for many hours of the day. You can imagine and feel the damage of sitting.

I am not taking this battle sitting down and am seeking a healthy restful position to impact this world. This is my change list:

• Sit in the lotus position whenever possible
• Stand when on the computer 
• Keep a straight back when sitting, with my shoulders on by back
• Stroll throughout my thinking and talking periods of the day
• Pilates class once a week
• No screen time after 8 pm

Recommended Book- Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World by Kelly Starrett

SOLUTION

Copy this list and stick it near your computer for a reminder of avenues to better physical health.

Lemonade Recipe

SNAPSHOT

Stir up lemonade when injuries come your way.

Help Please

DIGGING DEEPER

Keys to your unique body come from periods of injury and recovery. An injury is a significant opportunity to learn about how your body operates.  What do your muscles and bones need in order to preform super human feats?

Each time I have dealt with an injury, I discover new tools and hints to keep my body happy.  Here are a few gems I have collected during periods of recovery.  Loose calves and gluts keep my hamstrings from tightening up. Stretching my hip flexor after a run will keep my stride smooth.  I must lift lightly in the weight room, keeping me from fatiguing secondary muscles. It was a tough day when I realized I needed to eat enough beef in order to keep my iron levels high.  All these keys to success came from failure.  They came out of the crushing blows of injury.  

Step back and remember that gains will come from this injury.  A rebuilt, stronger, wiser body will emerge.  That is the mindset of goal achievers: learn and grow from failure.

SOLUTION

Make tasty lemonade from lemons by using your unique recipe.

Thanks Bro!