How To Be A Better Runner

How do you become a better runner?

Stay injury-free and improve on your weaknesses, is the simplified answer.

How do you stay injury-free?

By training within your limits (we have more physical limitations as compared to our mental ones), you can keep serious injuries at bay. Mild injuries may be unavoidable when you step up on intensity, prior to a race. Thus, my promotion of 'Run Less, Run Faster' is pertinent, if you are already plagued by persistent niggles and soreness. 

Your build-up to the race needs to be sensible and realistic. Give yourself SMART Goals, and be mindful of how well you can prepare. Thus, in your off-season you would do better to focus on lower-intensity, fat-utilising, pace. I recommend lower-heartrate running, swimming and cycling to enhance your 'aerobic engine'. Drink Bullet Coffee (or coconut-oil infused beverages before training on an empty-stomach) to engage your body's ability to tap into your endurance system.

Get quality sleep to recover fully and reduce stress. Eat 'clean' to assist your body to assimilate new body tissues. Eat all major food groups, and eliminate food that cause you allergies. Consume more antioxidants, protect and nurture your gut flora (bacteria), and be well-hydrated. Go 80:20 with your nutrition/meals, and treat yourself,occasionally, to some 'comfort food'. I am a fan of craft-beers after hard training, and appreciate indulging in my sweet tooth. Your fitness will assist you in your day-to-day activities; not just for racing and earning PBs. Focus on building an organic machinery that enhances your life, and promotes your sporting lifestyle.

Training-wise, be smart and enlist assistance in ensuring you optimise your efforts and structural abilities: running-gait, footwear, core-strength, muscular-strength, balance and proprioception, joint-health, and muscular weakness (critical point of incidence). Diagnose your abilities and do a SWOT analysis, and tap on your collective potential and work on reducing your weaknesses. Race occasionally, so as to familiarise with your race-pace (5km, 10km, 21km and marathon).

More of these will be covered in my new Ebook.

The Structure of Sleep

‘To die: to sleep;

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;

To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause’

~ Hamlet.

My Coach advises me to sleep at least 8 hours a day. This being a new work-year, it is certainly going to be challenging to catch on so much 'shut-eye'. Yet, with eight weeks to go before my next Ironman, sleep is an essential component of my potential success. Sleep equals recovery equals tissue and cellular repair equals healing. Healing leads to adaptation: stronger muscular development and, thus, performance. Sleep also encourages healthy brain functioning, so we ward off debilitating mental conditions like depression, lethargy and malaise.

Our brain works in amazing ways! It has been, incorrectly, described as right-brained or left-brained. Technically, we have two hemispheres or halves of the brain joined by a bridge called the corpus callosum. Thus, we are whole brain with a preference or dominant side that expresses us differently as thinkers. There are numerous crossover activities that traverse across this conduit to enhance mutual collaboration. That explains why Leonardo Da Vinci was a scientist, inventor and artist.

If you are short of sleep, you can still ‘cheat’ for a short while and stay alert while training or functioning normally. Since the sleep cycle takes place every 90 minutes, with alternating periods (30 minutes) of light sleep with deep sleep/REM (Rapid Eye Moment) – sleep in pockets of 90 minutes or 1.5 hours. That is 1.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 7.5 or 9 hours. 8 hours is just within light sleep (nap) whereas exceeding the 8-hour threshold will lead to a disorientating awakening. That is why we tend to sleep through the screaming ‘alarm clock’.

You cannot cheat on sleep, nor pay it back. Induce sleep normally and naturally. Avoid medication that causes drowsiness. Instead you can use melatonin to stimulate sleep neurotransmitters in your brain, especially if you are traveling for business or a race, across significant time-zones. Sleep well, for it spells great dividends when we train hard.

Switching Gears: My Second Meso-Cycle

I am sore in my arms; a result of a fairly intense swim squad session. This evening’s Monday Night Swim session with 22 members, including recent Ironman finishers was my first serious session after a long season of racing in marathons. Tonight spells exactly one week after my post-flu, Singapore Marathon completion. It is timely to switch gears and shift from pure distance-running to triathlon-specific race training.

I have 11 more weeks to go before Ironman New Zealand. Coach has prescribed my first week of conditioning and it includes no rest, but active recovery. My schedule for the second week of my second meso-cycle (4 week-block) looks daunting, partly because I will be focused on more mileage and power-specific intervals. As I will be on two weeks of vacation, I will be able to train more diligently and enjoy more sleep. Of course, Fox has been kind to suggest some degree of flexibility for a time-crunched athlete. Olympian and veteran coach, Chris Carmichael also wrote a book to address the serious triathlete who is tight for time, yet wants to excel based on the ‘quality time’ approach.

This phase of my training that will run through the end of the year is about engaging adaptation. Apply new stress on the body gradually, and it will adapt by becoming stronger, faster and fitter. Deprive it of much needed rest and nutrition, and it may not recover well and may weaken. The axiom is: Train, recover, and race. Repeat. The delicate line of consideration is: stress the body exceedingly and briefly, but not excessively and prolonged. One hard week is followed by one easier week. Active recovery and rest is an integral part of athletic improvement and progression.

I look forward to this phase of my triathlon training as, after withdrawing from IM Canada this year, I was eager to race again. After a hectic season of running-based races, I ready to race an Ironman. Perhaps, my first 226K-race will be my opportunity to do a personal record (PR) I was denied last year. I suffered a bad crash when a taxi knocked me down while I was cycling one month before IM New Zealand. I eventually raced, although not at my best and posted a 13-plus hour completion. I was disallowed any swimming as my fractured cheek would have risked infection of my sinus.

I also signed up for Ironman Switzerland on 15 July. I chose it as the Australian M-Dot branded races were all sold out. IM Western Australia 2012 sold out in just 69 minutes, as the wave of fervent interest for the 226K-triathlon format increases. All Asian Ironman races have been discontinued, with the other Kona slots distributed over the new Australian M-Dot races.

Leadership Lessons: How do you cope with physical and mental changes? What is your coping mechanism for crisis and emergencies? How open are you to changes? How do you cope with changes in the marketplace? How do you stay relevant and contemporary? How much time do you factor in for rest and recovery?

Doing That Thing You Do

I am referring to rest. You know – that thing that you do (sounds like an oxymoron) when you do almost nothing physical.

Athletes need rest when they are not training; this excludes actual rest days in a week. The older the athlete, the more rest they require as their recovery and recuperative abilities diminishes with age. In your 20’s, you can probably recover reasonably well within 24 hours. In your 30’s, it is about 24-48 hours; in your 40’s and beyond, about 48-72 hours after an intense workout or race.

Rest is not defined as complete inactivity. It may mean spending a few days off from the actual cause of the soreness and fatigue. A long season of training can take its toll on your body through neural and physical fatigue. Physical fatigue stems from muscular stress and depletion of energy stores (over-arching), whereas neural fatigue is about the boredom and fatigue that stems from repetitive action and being adaptive to one type of sport. Cramping has also been attributed to neural fatigue due to overuse of the same muscle groups.

It is about two weeks away from Ironman Western Australia 2011, and the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2011. Some runners are still doing their long runs of up to 30K, which do not leave much room for full recovery. If our recovery experience and injuries can teach us: it is better to rest more, than bludgeon the body more. That is why a tapering period was designed prior to a race. It is a systematic way of reducing mileage but retaining the intensity of the activity. Just before the race, you can do short, sprints to activate the muscles lest the passive recovery and rest reduces muscle tone. You want to taper yet keep your muscles attuned to racing conditions. I tend to spin on the stationary-bike for about 20 minutes and do a 10-minute treadmill run, focused on my gait and landing. This is a pre-race rehearsal that prepares my muscles for the run about 12 hours before the race; I applied this approach over my previous two 3:30 marathons.

To ward off delayed muscle recovery, consider the formula for exercise known as FITT: frequency, intensity, type and time. This systemic approach to designing exercise programs can also be transferred to leadership and workplace processes such meetings, giving feedback, coaching, and measuring performance.

Leadership Lessons: How FITT are you as a manager? How often do you make time for proper rest? When do you know when to engage in argument and then ‘give it a rest’? How often do you call for a ‘timeout’ when things do not go well within your team?

Pre-Race Preparations for An Ironman Triathlon - By the Fox

Editor: This was posted sometime ago, and I felt it warrants a reprint, as there is a large group of participants for Ironman Western Australia 2011 and IM New Zealand 2012. I requested my Coach, Craig ‘Fox’ Holland to share his pre-race preparation with fellow participants of Ironman Western Australia 2010. This year’s race falls on 4 December, in Busselton, Perth. Fox, 50 years old – who finished the World Championships in Kona in 2005, will be racing again in Busselton – secured two sub-11 finishes last year. He is an international consultant, and online triathlon coach. We posted an interview of him last week.

Much has been written about taper time. However, all athletes respond differently. As with coaching individual athletes, I believe there is no one solution that will suit all. Every one reacts differently depending on your genetics, athletic ability, recovery time, work/life priorities, and the way you handle stress.

However if you are in doubt, don’t do it! REST UP…!

Tapering allows the body and mind to recover and freshen up, replenish glycogen and motivation levels. Enjoy the moment and start visualising yourself succeeding on race day.

I do not recommend doing nothing. Past experience indicates most athletes will benefit from a reduction in training volume in the last week by around 50-75%. You may feel frustrated but, realistically, you don't need to do much except keep the system alive and sharp. Some short sharp intervals will be sufficient. Cramming in extra sessions now will be detrimental.

If you can, have a sports massage and stretch as often as you can. Stay relaxed.

Maintain normal sleeping patterns, and get quality sleep. In the morning before race day, take your bike for a last short spin/check out incorporating a few surges to lift the heart rate.

Rest and get off your legs for most of the day. Do not stand around all day at the expo or do a tourist adventure, mountain climb, etc. with your loved ones. Save it for post-race activities.

Do not do anything in taper week in terms of diet and fluid intake that you do not do normally. There are no special supplements or drinks that are going to increase your performance, except for a little increase of carbohydrates.

Stick with what your body already knows. Race-week is not the time to be experimenting.

Essay & Photo-credit: Craig Holland & Mel Chan

Making Clear & Calculated Preparations

This morning, I took a 90K midday ride. Having touched down early yesterday morning, I had to fulfill my lack of sleep. In recent months, I have benefitted fully from slightly longer sleep and naps. When you are in your forties and competing in sports, you will want to gain as much advantage as possible from your recovery. Your fully recovered body can perform optimally and to your expectations when it is completely topped-up.

This morning, I am aware that some of my friends are doing their last long rides, before they begin their taper. My concern is, many of them (who are self-taught and self-directed) are not scientific in their training efforts. Some have bludgeoned their bodies with too many intense running races 8 weeks out from the big dance. Running does the most damage to a body that is already struggling to regain its health after weeks of endurance training. More red blood cells are destroyed from every footfall than with any other sport. Here to four weeks before your A-race, you should be completing your power workouts rather than taxing your aerobic fitness. More can be impeding. Less is impending.

Our personal ‘engine’ is vital to our athletic achievements. Feed it well, nurse it back to health, take it to task occasionally and it will reap rewards on multiple levels. You cannot continue to break the cardinal rules of starving it during training and competition, and depleting it continually with long-duration, high-intensity, physical challenges. Include rest and recovery when you are injured. What is up with the pain-stricken runners, who bind their knees and ankles with artificial support and sports-taping? Do they expect to improve by race-day wrapped up in pantyhose swathes? They could possibly benefit much more with cross-training (lower-impact sports selection) and active/passive recovery.

I am certain that some will continue to turn a deaf ear to such suggestions, so they will make their fair share of mistakes (thus, earning wisdom). Others will rely on their faith in mechanical technology; a few will really listen to their inner voice and outer voices to establish a clear sense of purpose. Do ask ‘why?’ occasionally to affirm, confirm or dismiss our hunches and thoughts.

Leadership Lessons: What do you do if when you have experienced static performance results for a while? How open-minded are you to changing your plans? Make breakthroughs with tweaked preparations instead of punching through each workout with dogged determination. Sometimes, less is more and it applies to aspects of our lives.

Leading with Discomfort: When Push Goes To Shove

There is innovation in desperation. They say that ‘invention is the mother of necessity’.

Today, I join many of the TNF100 runners that hobbled down steps, or anything with a sheer drop of more than 10 centimetres. Eccentric action, or movement with the muscles stretching under load, is painful for me. This pain is caused by several physical and physiological responses:

1)    Landing on the slopes (eccentric action)

2)    Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) – most severe 48-72 hours after cessation of the activity

3)    Buildup of inflammation (as a response to strenuous muscular activity)

So, the last 48 hours (the NorthFace100 event was on Saturday, 8.00am-3pm for me) was spent reducing the inflammatory response of my body (as a natural response to healing) to a minimum. I resorted to the following active and passive methods of recovery and recuperation:

a)    Consumption of carbohydrates and protein from a wide variety of natural food and supplements (whey protein from Tiger Milk – which Chrissy Wellington uses)

b)    Increased consumption of antioxidant-laden foods (vegetables, berries, pomegranate juice, ginger); 100% pomegranate juice has the highest antioxidant/phytochemical value compared to berries, cherries and red wine

c)    Walking (low intensity for at least 20 minutes), cycling and water-jogging

d)    Deep stretching poses (hip flexors, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, soles)

I am still sore in my thighs, however the pain is bearable. I walk with knees partly extended so as to provide temporary relief when walking. I know that the pain will subside fully in another day or two, as it has in the past. Stiff muscles in masters-class athletes are expected, so there is more work involved to stay in the game for a longer time. Two books address this in interesting perspective: Roy M. Wallack’s Run For Life (which focuses on the aging athlete), and Dr Phil Maffetone’s The Big Book of Endurance Training & Racing. I recommend that you read them for more interesting training and recovery choices.

I am glad that my online conversations with members of the running community have yielded their shared solutions for managing their post-exercise pain? We share much in common, yet there is uncommon sense that prevails and that works! Our personal discoveries when shared can reveal a wider net of affirmation and confirmation.

Leadership Lessons: How do you work past your discomfort? What are doing to stay ahead in your game? How creative do you get when you face challenges and difficulty? How do you seek solutions to problems that have plagued you? How much do you read and ask, and apply to practice?

So I Missed Boston by A Minute, What Else Can I Qualify For?

New NYC Marathon guidelines have emerged for guaranteed entries. This may make it easier or harder for applicants. In the past, internationals had a perceived better chance to earn a slot; those previously denied three times were guaranteed to be fourth-time lucky. The BQ for Boston Marathon has been reduced by five minutes across the board for the 2013 edition.

Ironman (M-Dot) races will raise the favour for those who have completed 12 M-Dot Ironman races in the annual lottery. The emphasis is on the M-Dot logo/WTC-sanctioned Ironman triathlons. Sorry, your Challenge Series and Enduroman Ironman-distance triathlons do not count. Many have speculated that WTC is attempting to preserve the sanctity and stability of the M-Dot brand. With many M-Dot races sold out days to hours in advance, we can conclude that Ironman is alive and well, and the Kona Dream is still the Holy Grail dream many neophytes and seasoned long-distance triathletes seek.

Will the madness end?

This morning, I partnered Hui Koon for The North Face (TNF) 100 Duo: each of us ran 50K over rugged terrain and road. I struggled after my 10K as the mid-morning heat began to take its toll on my physical fitness. I learnt from ultra-marathoners to walk up the slopes, and to run down the reverse side. The stifling heat, muddy portions of trail, and loose rocks made for a challenging race. My race attire was my Panache cycling top (no abrasion even though I wore my portable water-pack), triathlon tights, Avia Avi-Stolz trail shoes, and two pairs of socks (including Injinji as my innermost pair).


I took a wrong turn-off at the 37.5K-mark as the signpost indicated more of a leftward slant; I was among four others who realised that we veered off-course. We warned a few others running our way after we retraced our steps. I ran an additional mile (1.6K) with downtime spent reading a map and finding our bearings. I also assisted two cases of cramped runners by offering them squirts of ‘Stop Cramp’ (they sprayed the natural oils under their tongue), which seemed to work. I reckon I will not be doing another trail run any time in the future, as I prefer to do road marathons. Hui Koon did well and registered a 6:14 while I crossed the line in 6:51.

I have the Newton 30K Run in a fortnight’s time, and judging by my recovery time and current situation, I may skip this race altogether. I elect to do a better marathon in Singapore on 4 December (same day as Ironman Western Australia), and assess my chances of a personal best and even a BQ. So, rest, recuperation and lots of interval training sessions will be the menu for me, after my superbly long run today.
Photo-credit: Freddy Yeoh

Ring Around the Roses, A Pocket Full of Poses

I always wanted to watch Lord of the Dance, however multi-million dollar legs Michael Flatley retired before I had a chance to. This evening, I watched the last performance of the touring show, Riverdance - the next best thing to Irish dancing at the Marina Bay Sands. Flatley choregraphed the original Riverdance that made its debut at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The performance was brilliant! The two-act show featured a Flamenco dancer, two American tap-dancers, and a troupe of Irish/ballet dancers. The male and female leads were very skillful, and stole the show. The accompanying female lead singer (beautiful falsetto voice), and the four-piece band (comprising a female fiddler, two male percussionists, and a male drummer balanced the show’s dance-song format. This was our first time attending a world-class show at the 1,600-seat, Sands Theatre in the spanking new integrated resort.

I visited Dublin and Cork in 2004, and I certainly made the Guinness Brewery one of my highlights of my trip; I failed to kiss the Blarney Stone as I was not comfortable lying on my back at the edge of the precipice. True to my expectations, the taste was exquisite. Having spent my formative corporate years working at a renowned brewing company, I have been hooked on the distinct, sweet-sour, taste of a pint of ice-cold Guinness Stout. Earlier this week, I had a pint of Guinness Stout with my lunch at the Margaret River in Busselton, Western Australia. It was part of my passive recovery approach, less than 24 hours after my last Ironman triathlon. 

***

I rode about 60K this morning along Coastal Road. I merely cycled on the flat 15K loop. Interestingly, at about 10.00am there were still roadies and triathletes grinding away on their large chain-rings. My legs felt better, and I was able to churn out 30kph loops despite the ubiquitous headwinds ever-present along the airport runway. I wonder what happened to my race-legs last weekend in Busselton? Perhaps, I wasn’t fully recovered, or I was experiencing post-race peaking this morning. Whatever the case, I will be focusing on increasing my leg strength and power. Lanzarote will demand, endurance and strength to drive my bike up a maximum elevation of 2,500 metres. 26 May marks my second attempt at the Ironman triathlon in the Canary Islands. I look forward to improving my previous performance. 

Credit: Riverdance logo trademarked to Riverdance

Another 42K – Sounds Like An Eddie Murphy Sequel!

How long should you rest for your next long race?

It has been tossed around for a while that a 42.195K marathon can tax your body for a whole month. Can you imagine how long an Ironman triathlon can sap your physical resources? Anecdotal evidence suggests three months before another similar race. Be that as it may, we need to rest and recover in order to resume our training regime after our A-race.

The 48-72 hours after a race can be the most physically crippling. Termed ‘Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness’ (DOMS), finishers of this killer-of-a-run (ask legendary Greek messenger Pheidippides in the Battle of Marathon) can be seen walking sideways down stairs, or walking with straight knees. Every eccentric (meaning muscles stretching under tension) action jolts bolts of pain up one’s legs, and incapacitates us. It may look funny but it is not, I assure you. Thankfully, after last weekend’s Ironman triathlon I walked reasonably well on the first and second – it used to be a whole lot worst!

To ensure full recovery (accelerated recovery is still inconclusive), we can:

1)    Do active recovery a day after the vent: cycle on a bicycle for about 30-45 minutes.

2)    Walk or stand in cold water (less than 20 degrees Celcius, or as in water mixed with ice-cube). The cold reduces inflammation of the damaged muscles; known affectionately as cold baths, in the physiotherapeutic sense.

3)    Use compression attire to enhance lactic acid removal: wear full, or half-tights (example: Skins, 2XU) especially when you sleep.

4)    Avoid running for at least three days after a major event. When you do any ride or swim, keep the distance short and intensity light. The main idea is to flush waste products out of those sore muscles.

5)    Load up on food and nutrients: water, carbohydrates, and natural foods (for protein, fats and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals).

6)    Stretch, assisted massage and self-massage are useful. Trigger Point Therapy, deep tissue massage and lymphatic draining help - in heaps.

7)    Lean your feet against a wall to allow waste products to drain back to your heart/liver for metabolism. This approach was popular with Lance Armstrong and Greg Lemonde as a post-race recuperative method.

8)    Sleep is the ultimate anabolic steroid: sleep at least 7-8 hours a night to allow your tissues to fully restore and repair itself.
*****
I walked a fair bit over the last few days; some of which was on the beach. My calves took a workout. This evening, I did 30 minutes of running in a small pool, and 15 minutes of swimming (combination of front crawl and breast stroke). After a hearty dinner, my legs feel better now.