Bobbysez

3 Questions regarding mental skills

2011-08-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have been missing in action from my blog again & with the social media stuff proliferating at a rate of knots in both running & triathlon I am at answering individual requests again.

This particular coach asked some very pointed questions & I thought the answers may have a universal appeal to athletes & coaches alike. It is good to know that coaches are taking on this level of work & passing it on to those who need it most – the athlete in order to enhance performance

I want to thank you again for taking the time to teach those of us who attended the USAT Level 1 clinic back in April. I learned a lot from your presentations, and from your book, Magical Running. I felt very lucky to be able to talk to you one-on-one after your running lecture on that Friday night, and really learned a lot from you, which I have taken and directly applied to the athletes I work with.

After having put in practice those things in your lectures, reading your books, and watching your instructional DVD, I have a few questions, and was wondering if you would be kind enough to share your expertise and experiences with me?

I have 3 questions for you:

What is the biggest obstacle that you see in athletes that keep them back from mentally allowing themselves to achieve to their full abilities? –

Bobby: hmm, it varies by athlete, but I see a LOT of assessments where the athletes are poor at mental imagery. I also see a lack of professionalism around their participation compared to their jobs – careless, thoughtless mistakes of all kinds. I’d also say that athletes have a poor sense of what they really are capable of – either expecting too much from really ineffectual training or talking themselves out of a performance they are capable of by being so focused on outcome, or being freaked out & therefore not specifically focused on execution. This leads into a very poor consciousness of what they are thinking, what they might be thinking & having a handle on the process of creating a race mindset from what they currently have. Lack of knowledge of why they are anxious and what they can do about & with it other than attempts at denial & suppression – both disastrous, is why they race poorly. They care too much and they don’t know (define/understand)what it is they care about. They don’t understand how they feel, dislike it, try to avoid it & think it’s abnormal & fail to progress in managing the sensations, as they never directly address them in even the most basic sense of acknowledgement of sensation. So instead of each ensuing race providing an accumulative learning process, they either just remain ineffectual, or worse (& more commonly), they grow progressively worse as poor performance after poor performance accumulates in a paradigm of, “I really am a poor racer”.

How often do you tell your athletes (those who don't seek you out for mental coaching), that you are also focusing in on coaching their mental approach?

Bobby: You know with me this is kind of moot, as I assess them when they come on board & each quality session & race is approached from a mental aspect as well as a physical aspect & as training progresses I ensure an awareness of where training may have failed mentally & expect a culture of awareness & honesty surrounding race performances where there is agreement post-race as to whether successes or failures were partly mental, partly physical or wholly either.

What is the biggest mistake you have seen coaches make when working with an athlete’s psyche?

Bobby: Couple of things – either a rah-rah aggressive football-type pre-game psych-up job, or mostly a plethora of platitudes & over-simplified, non-specific statements, made too late, without tool/process support & insufficient time to create something of permanence or likelihood of inculcation for race day. This stems from a lack of true understanding or training on the coach’s behalf & often a fear of confrontation & the resultant unwillingness to say & then work with them (on an ongoing basis) on the really hard stuff

www.BobbyMcGee.com

Great qoute

2011-07-14T14:29:00.001-07:00

“Prove to yourself that you can do it. Prove that you were always who you thought you were, not who they said you had to be.”

Rachel Snyder

Q & A with Triathlon Training

2011-06-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

I was approached by the German magazine, triathlon training - www.tri-mag.de, to do a brief Q & A. Here's the gist of my answers:

1. What is your training-philosophy (the motto of your coaching)?

Probably individuation – person 1^st, athlete 2^nd. In Endurance sports the athlete must be balanced, healthy & happy to achieve to their potential. I see my most success when I work with the person as a unique set of needs & requirements – the training part is the easiest, the heart & soul is complex & requires so much more from the coach than simply knowledge.

2. Which moment was the most emotional of your whole career as a coach?

As a coach I’d say when Josia Thungwane, won Olympic gold in the marathon in Atlanta in 1996. As a triathlon coach probably when Barb Lindquist convincingly won the 1^st USA trials event for Olympic selection for the Athens Games. She had failed to make the team in 2000 & we had worked towards making the team in the 1^st trials event & she did.

3. What do you think about the doping-problem in triathlon sport, how serious is it?

This is hard to tell – I have been involved in triathlon since 1984 & have seen many things. If one understands human physiology it’s not too farfetched to believe that we probably do have a problem – but the greater prevalence in other sports indicates that the ITU is doing a fine job.

4. What is the major challenge for a triathlon coach?

It really depends on the individual athlete. I’d distinguish between long course & draft legal. My areas of greatest expertise lie in running & sport psychology & as far as these are concerned races are mostly won on the run & it would seem that if the run is the athlete’s limiter, it would be the hardest to impact. The run takes both a longer period of time to impact positively, than many athletes are willing to give & also requires trust, as unlike pure running, the triathlete cannot train sufficiently for the run & a huge modicum of trust is required on race day, that the run will be there. This challenge erodes the confidence of many triathletes. In triathlon in general the balancing of training to achieve the best result is always the challenge

5. Which are the three most important characteristics/qualities of a triathlon coach?

Hmm, as one involved with coach education & coaching, that’s a tough question. Probably:

1. A deep understanding of the demands of competition & the mind of the athlete

2. Patience

3. Compassion & empathy while understanding that success is predicated on the athlete’s ability to suffer

Bobby McGee is the author of Magical Running, A Unique Path to Running Fulfillment, & Run Workouts for Runners & Triathletes. He has also produced a very useful DVD, Triathlon, The Run, that explains running mechanics & the drills required to improve performance. More information can be found on his website, www.BobbyMcGee.com

In these long endurance events the walk break seems to rule

2011-05-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

To Run or Be a Runner in Triathlon

2011-05-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

To succeed at the highest level in triathlon in the run off the bike, does one need to be a runner, or just run fit? Those of you that know what I do for a living can clearly see this is a loaded question. Can sufficient run conditioning work propel a triathlete who can move herself through space on foot at the prerequisite pace to success in a triathlon race without having the running skills to do so; i.e. while looking like a runner? I say no – a Chris Lieto obviously does not arrive at the world championships not “in shape” to run a marathon that is sufficient to defend his prodigious bike result & get the W; so what’s missing then? Clearly our love of the sport lies in looking for that elusive day when we put it all together & the “gamble” that this entails every time we lay it on the line is where the magic lies.

Lately I have been standing before a new paradigm; sure, address the specific limiters I see with each individual triathlete, but perhaps more importantly & effectively, in terms of my mission to see beautiful runners in triathlon that please even the pure running fans, establish a baseline level of running skills through tried & tested key drills introduced from the beginning of the triathlete’s career if they have not come along a running pathway. All runners can skip, do the karaoke drill, bound, & sprint – not all triathletes, even VERY good ones can!

The more triathletes I work with, especially the higher performing ones with amazing swim & bike abilities, the more I realize that they have developed from a young age in especially the swim, through the regular pathway of swim drills & development – growing up to be swimmers. They eat, sleep, drink & visualize swimming (or whatever their chosen sport was) & became that thing. While maintaining those skills & giving up on some of the volume & frequency that got them there, they need to have a minimum level of cycling & running skills. It would seem to me that a far better way to approach this situation, rather than try to fix what is broken about their run, is to have them learn & master the basic skills & see if their run does not naturally progress in this fashion. Then, when they have a basic skill set in place, work on the specific limiters they display.

Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Quantification Conundrum Part III

2011-04-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Then what the dickens exactly is it that I do to earn a living? Yes there are far wiser & better trained people out there with PhDs who know far more than I do about measurement & even muscle function & human propulsion. There are also many amazing coaches, especially sprint coaches, who have a great number of incredible drills & activities & ways of presenting these that help runners get closer to their innate abilities. I use my understanding of both these worlds & the specific training, & many years of observation & experimentation & a penchant for trying to put research into use every time something new comes to light & seeing if it leads to improved performance with the individual. Of course the communication aspect is huge – the art of taking a primal subconscious activity & trying to teach/alter/replace it intellectually & through visceral experience is what I am most interested in. This can render itself very easily into a “snake oil” scenario of course, but to prevent this, the proof MUST be in the pudding, EVERY, SINGLE, TIME! Athletes must achieve either or all of the following:

1. Reduced recovery time

2. Increased running speed throughout the training spectrum

3. Reduction in injuries

4. Faster racing

Here’s where the science has a hard time quantifying the above:

• Does improved mechanics allow for longer & harder, uninterrupted training? Probably, but the harder, longer continuous training is the cause for the improvement

• Does improved mechanics allow for faster running, (removal of mechanical limiters)? Probably, but it is the impact of this faster running that improves performance through the myriad training responses, like increased rapidity of potassium ion replacement

If we have no complete model, like improved aero-dynamics, or increased K ions, or higher VO2max or extended VVO2 max numbers, or accelerated lactate metabolism that clearly defines the role of mechanics, then we cannot categorically claim that the mechanics made the difference. Or maybe we can! If, in a very short space of time, where the other changes cannot impact performance, we show improvement, then we may be on to something that’ll appease science. As Arthur Lydiard so aptly put it – scientists will eventually show why coaches achieve the results that they do. In the world of high performance sport, science has become more & more crucial to success, but ultimately it is through the willingness of the athlete to experiment with the well- educated & informed coach in search of an edge, or a method to overcome the specific athlete’s limitation that we achieve new standards in performance. Success then is about team, about guts & bravery, about science & experimentation, about striving after ever rising heights, with ever decreasing margins towards ever more ridiculously challenging performances, because that is what is so inherent in the human spirit – to get better. A few will redefine history this way, while the rest of us will strive equally, with less ability, but be on the same continuum, ever searching for the best we can be in the field of our passion, within the confines of our limitations.

Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

If you are a triathlete read what Gordo Byrn has to say ALWAYS

2011-04-08T06:25:00.000-07:00

http://coachgordo.posterous.com/if-i-owned-ironman

Gordo is a good friend & colleague. He is also one of the sanest, most innovative, savvy thinkers in the sport today. His ideas on the technical, managerial, financial & coaching side of the sport are insightful, practical & ilucidatory.

With all that I'm up to I am always cursing myself for not reading enough, especially when it comes to aspects not directly associated with coaching; but when it comes to a Byrn post, I'm always willing to find the time.

You'd think this post of Gordo's (see URL above), would not draw my attention, but it did & it's applicability across the board, from age grouper to professional triathlon entrepreneur is evident.

Enjoy

Bobby McGee

www.BobbyMcGee.com

“Be prepared to lose your most important races; I did. Many times.”

2011-04-07T14:46:00.000-07:00

This said by 200/400m great Michael Johnson. Thanks Simon.

Don't know quite how I feel about this. If it speaks to detaching from outcome, then I'm in total agreement.

The whole issue regarding the weighting of races in terms of importance throughout the course of a season remains a crucial aspect of racing.

I also recommend grading races of course, A, B & C, etc. However the very process of designating a race as the key race of a season very often derails the chances of success of many athletes as they carry the weight of expectation into this race. Placing more importance on a race should hopefully increase the intensity & effectiveness of training leading into the event. This process should also increase commitment & willingness to give that little extra – but it is a very fine line that the majority of athletes overstep & end up with a performance less than expected or wished for as they over-emphasize the importance of the event.

Self-honesty in terms of what your fitness really means is important. It is important to realize that your internal dialogue during key workouts that point to the possibility of such a peak performance being possible is different on race day. This difference is what determines success or failure. Consciously create & practice the mental skills that lead to access of this ability/conditioning – it will not just happen for most athletes.

Accepting & realizing that racing is VERY different to training & having a set of practices that ensure you race to training status (or hopefully a little beyond) is an essential skill.

Finally, many athletes do not have sufficient ability/experience/objectivity/presence of mind to interpret what the quality of their workouts really mean in terms of performance & often over-estimate their capabilities in terms of these workouts – a mistake that top pros do not make. It is often not possible for the average athlete to train at or beyond race intensity to meet the requirements of race day – being fully prepared for the rigors of racing to the max. Despite a lifetime of coaching & many personal competitive endeavors, I still often royally screwed up my pace/effort, focus or some other mental skill on those occasions when I did get out there!

It’s always a journey to match experience with ability. Enjoy the process of self-discovery & never stop searching for that elusive perfect day
Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Fly ever onward, inexorably forward; responsible not for the whole, but only the very next step

2011-04-06T11:43:00.000-07:00

A good friend & I post a Mnt Lemon, Tucson ride & I sagged!

http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Quantification Conundrum Part II

2011-03-30T12:36:00.000-07:00

We know that effective training, graphically represented, is in effect, U-shaped, i.e. the very fast stuff, like MAV (maximum aerobic Velocity) & above, & the very slow stuff – hours & hours of easy running, are the most effective. It seems that the stuff in the middle, like tempo runs, while possibly neuro-muscularly valuable if the pace mimics what we wish to produce in races & teaches us to concentrate in order to hold this for race duration, has little physiological return. Add to this, that at the top end of endurance sports, speed or velocity is still the only benchmark, whether it is 60m or 100 miles, the “fastest” man wins, right?

Further to this it is really challenging to differentiate between what is bio-energetic (fuel burning & energy production), mechanical, (gravity & posture, elastic return, minimized friction) or neurological (potentiation, nerve action & kinesthetic action/reaction).

A true, multidimensional understanding of what is happening during the running gait is incomplete at this stage.

What is it that we can then do to improve performance in running?

1. Become specifically fitter – the stronger we make the engine within the existing framework, the more output we can reasonably expect. Of course there are obvious limitations to this: If the biomechanics are unsound this increased load could lead to breakdown & the inferior mechanics may not allow improved performance despite increased output

2. Improve(or return to best) running mechanics. As I’ve said, there is some good work being done about quantification of these various components. There are also studies that show deviations in what good runners do versus what poorer runners do. What is of more interest to the athlete & coach after this, is what can be done about this & if it can be changed will it lead to improved performance (& the changes are measured to have actually occurred)?

3. Improved neuro-muscular function. As with the above, naturally these 3 aspects are all interrelated & the scientific community is having a devil of a time separating these out. Of course the coach would ask, “Do we need to?” Thus there are scientists whom I greatly respect that believe the limits of endurance are not in the bio-chemistry, but in the neurology

Add to this that the sport scientists also feel that the current definition of efficiency: “The athlete who uses the least amount of O2 at the same speed is the most efficient”, does not suffice, & I agree – too many athletes with higher consumption numbers beating those with lower numbers! I am being a little simplistic of course, because there are a whole array of other factors, not least of which are the psycho-emotional factors of motivation that come into play, but you get my point.

Till Part III (the last in this series)

Bobby McGee
www.BobbyMcGee.com

1st World Congress of Science in Triathlon

2011-03-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Just come back from Alicante Spain where I attended the 1st World Congress of Science in Triathlon. My run mechanics presentation was a little nerve wracking & increased my need to learn more Spanish! There has been some amazing research of late that can be of huge benefit to pros & age groupers alike. Dr. Randy Wilbur - head exercise physiologist of the USOC again showed why altitude training is a must for athletes who are looking for an edge in major competitions.Inigo Mujika was his usual inimitable self in presenting the current state of the science & art of tapering - it really is a key frontier in bringing hard training to bear on race day. His work is fascinating. His work with the great long course athlete Eneko Llanos is clearly as a result of intelligent thoughtful application of cutting edge science. The stuff about VO2 kinetics & training considerations for accurate exercise prescription from Gregoire Millet truly was amazing & it's not the 1st time I have heard about the uses of this cutting edge science, but it really points to a route that brings amazing performance gains to be had in an extremely economical training environment. Hats off to the ITU & the University of Alicante for putting on this event. Find references to the presentations & speakers - I highly recommend paying them close attention.
Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Critical Velocity Based 10km Training for 2011 Bolder Boulder 10km road race

2011-03-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

Starting a 10 week build to 2011 Bolder Boulder 10km race for a few runners tomorrow. Have both a hands on group & an online group. Using my new specific velocity based training approach, with O2 kinetic work & K-Pump training. If you are interested give me a shout at tel number or email on my site: http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

The Big Race Smile

2011-03-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Dedicated to Kevin & Marci for upcoming races & all those out there who seek their own level of excellence.

Thanks to Lauren Fleshman for the YouTube inspiration

Have you had the knowing?

It’s that moment in the exquisitely strung time leading up to big races, when things have clicked in training & there’s harmony in your thinking, a balance & ease in your build up; a sense of power.

You feel you have full access to your ability & there is a deep calmness born of confidence in your execution skills.

The prospect of the process that automatically culminates in excellence is intoxicatingly inviting – a chance to dance unbridled to your favorite music.

You’d do it alone, unobserved, or in front of thousands, because it would not matter… It is all about being utterly inside your body, totally present to only that second of harmonized movement & being a complete expression of being human in its purest form. It is clearly about being your best because you can be, because it’s the greatest place to be; a symphony in honor of all that is best in all of human kind. This time is gratitude, this time is self-actualization, this time is highest, this time is without wanting, this time is pristine & for nothing more than itself.

This is when you smile; as that final week begins, as you visualize, as you go to bed that final evening, as you toe the start line.

You smile, because you know…

Bobby McGee

http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Quantification Conundrum Part I

2011-03-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

Bio-mechanists have incredible tools & wonderful training that tells us what our limbs are doing when we run. They also have pretty amazing tools to measure how much our muscles are working & when. The concept of “rebound” or elastic return is harder to measure – only a few labs can do this & the results are hard to nail down – an essential, but pretty new field of research. Add to this that the picture of running effectively mechanically has no real set of baseline data that represent perfect form – there are so many idiosyncrasies in top runners. Some, like Haile Gebrselassie have tried to effect changes to no avail, but have made changes to other things, like foot strike, in his case & have gone on to succeed admirably after these changes. Generally change introduces other variables & often a whole new set of problems. This is why wise coaches sometimes leave well alone. “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” holds especially true when it comes to running mechanics. Most individuals I see come for 2 reasons:

1. They are broke or

2. They’re stuck & cannot go faster

Both good reasons if all the other factors have been considered; things like over-training, incorrect training & insufficient training. Nowadays, with the elites, I am finding that they cannot run fast enough with their current form to access the type of training response that will take them to the next level.

IF YOUR CURRENT TOP END REPRESENTS ONLY A SMALL INCREASE IN SPEED FROM YOUR REQUIRED RACING SPEED, BE THAT FOR A 5KM OR A MARATHON, THEN THE LIKELIHOOD OF YOU MAINTAINING REQUIRED SPEED FOR THE DURATION BECOMES MORE & MORE CHALLENGING.

A car that has been designed to drive along at 100mph is likely to be much less stressed at 65mph than a car that can only manage 70mph.

If one accepts that we have a fixed rate of slowing with each doubling of distance, & I do believe this, then ultimately you have a finite speed at which you can run your preferred distance run, no matter how much fitter you get.

Here's to us swine racers

2011-03-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

You can't make a racehorse out of a pig. But if you work hard enough at it you can make a mighty fast pig. - Bob Akin

Bobby McGee Running Plans on Training Peaks at last

2011-02-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.trainingpeaks.com/
Marketing is not nearly a big enough issue for me in the work that I do. I am always so enamored & absorbed in the world of performance & keeping up with all the research & how to apply that so as to ensure peak performance for my clients that there is precious little time left to pursue the more business oriented aspects of what I do.Bobby McGee

When it comes to run training I am often amazed when I meet athletes & coaches with whom I do not have a working relationship, how illogical & non-specific their approach is to run training can be. When I 1st started coaching some 20 years ago I was always looking for the perfect training plan & many athletes & inexperienced coaches still feel that way, (I meet them every week!). After about 7 years of coach education, on top of my formal training in exercise science, & coaching experience in the field, I realized that I had developed a rough philosophy of training that “answered” most of the questions I had in those early years. Of course I now have more questions than ever – that’s what happens when you learn more & more about less & less I guess! Just today, when receiving an email from one of the world’s greatest triathlon coaches in my estimation, he stated that he wishes he knew of some definitive way in which to learn the “art” of coaching – he was a numbers guy & pure scientist & is now fully in the camp of: science to evaluate, support & inform & art to apply & execute as performance.

Anyway, the approach I used that produced an Olympic champion, some world records, a number of world championships & podiums & world number 1 rankings is now obtainable in sets of training plans that are available on Training Peaks: www.trainingpeaks.com. Currently they include 3 of each plan for 5, 10km & the half marathon. These plans are sorted according to the time available to the runner to train. Unique to these plans is that each plan also has a run/walk alternative; something that I have been pushing for some years now as the answer to the high injury rate of runners & the frustrating performance plateaus that so many athletes seem to struggle with.

Check them out & see if they meet any of your run training needs.

www. BobbyMcGee.com

12. Triathletes listen up – your swim & bike could be hurting your run.

2011-02-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

This is the last of the 12 part blog that has been going on over the last few months - or more than a few actually! If you have any requests for me to revisit issues, or embelish certain concepts, let me know. Thanks for the comments on the last blog by the way! As with my Runner's World column, I'll try to mix the run & sport psych. stuff up as I go along...

• Fatigue from S&B (swim & bike) leave less margin for pacing errors on the run

• Triathletes are generally heavier than runners

• Triathletes have less time to develop the run

• S&B muscle function (concentric) is opposite to the run (eccentric)

• S&B are supported activities, no need to combat gravity on every stroke like running steps

• In triathlon the swim & bike are partial effort activities, while the run is a maximum effort

More specifically:

SWIMMERS:

• Bigger upper body musculature needed to swim lowers VO2max, raises center of mass

• Are set up ipsilaterally – i.e. the left hip and shoulder work together instead of opposite as running requires

• They have well developed engines but lower bone density – i.e. a weak chassis for running

• They have a “hard work” mindset which when applied to running may lead to break down

CYCLISTS:

• Poor hip flexor mobility may make them quad dominant runners (poor extension, high launch angle), with rearward leaning shins at impact & slower stride rates

• The muscles on the outside of the thigh (vastus lateralis) may tend to be too large – may cause patellar tracking problems, IT Band Syndrome and add speed-limiting weight to the lever

• The upper calf muscles (gastrocnemius) may tend to become too large adding weight to the leg down low; a bad thing if you want to be able to swing that lever through quickly!

• Cyclists may tend to become hunched over and their connective tissue resets in this pattern. This impacts their posture and ability to maintain a tall and “stacked” posture when they run. They bend at the waist/hips & run as if their behind is stuck in a bucket

With the above in mind, develop training that counteracts these & do not allow the other sports to “blanket” the run conditioning especially as it pertains to the run neuro-muscular skill component. This can happens especially when riding the bike too much when injured on the run – use other alternatives.

© Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports

www.BobbyMcGee.com

Thoughts to launch you into a New Year

2011-01-26T11:54:00.000-08:00

Just saw this, this morning:” A man who wants to do something will find a way. Man who doesn’t will find an excuse”. Stephen Dooley.

This points to that damning realization that knowledge does not lead to excellence, but rather a deep knowing (self-belief), needs to be cultivated. In other words the doing is always superseded by the being just as no amount of forethought & rumination can ever replace the growth that takes place in terms of who we become as we strive.

It is in commitment to & trust in a process that we succeed. It matters not in many ways whether that process is correct even to a large extent. Consider that even if an athlete follows a pathway perfectly suited to him & the journey goes without hitch, he will not be prepared to face the fires that must be crossed to achieve that of which he is physically capable & even physically prepared for. Tribulation is the key ingredient, just as the seeking of the perfect pathway is fraught with failure (it MUST be!). Those that ultimately succeed at the highest level settle for good enough; for what is done, not what should or could be done. Those that succeed are those that do not cease from striving just because that perfect pathway is unachievable. The answers lie in the very fact that true endeavor lies in striving continually for the unattainable.

Perfect IS TRULY the enemy of good, thank you Voltaire

This is dedicated to you all continuing onwards as you strive for excellence in endurance activities. Seek not as lost souls, always seeking a better way, but rather as certain that the pathway actually being followed is right. Process, process, process should always be your watchwords. Stay in the moment all the time during training & racing.

Bobby McGee

www.BobbyMcGee.com

11. “Core” specifics for Runners & Triathletes

2010-12-23T20:18:00.000-08:00

The term “core” has become so ingrained in the psyche of the exercise community as an end, in & of itself, that the implications for the need to stabilize the pelvis as a platform off of which we then drive and elastically release our legs during running, has been somewhat lost. Even this is simplified – the pelvic set & hips are key “rebounders” & the joints need to be positioned so that we can accelerate the foot to the ground with the glutes & quads & then drive & hold to bounce/release to toe off with as little leakage/dissipation as possible.

It is essential that when we do stabilization exercises as runners we see them as improving the “hold” & thus anchor points off which the hip, then knee, then ankle & plantar fascia accelerate & bounce off. So often we wish for things to be black & white & there are some populist models that would have us believe that there is no push in running. Clearly there is; muscle myography has proved this time & again.

A case can then be made for doing the majority of this “core” work while standing or balancing on both & preferably one leg, (& balancing on the mid foot to boot!). Even then there will be a need to graduate to a more plyometric approach where the pelvis is put under pressure with hopping, jumping & bounding & having the stabilizers deal with those drops & torques as a functional conditioning response.

For this reason these exercises should not only be considered as those for our abdominal muscles (obliques, rectus and most importantly transverse abs), but also the back stabilizers – most importantly the quadratus lumborum (QL) and multifidus. Also include hip flexors, glutes, groin and even knee stabilizers. And last but not least, in order to remain “stacked” through the gait cycle our upper back muscles & our thoracic spine stabilizers must be equally conditioned & trained.

Consider also the Spiderman suit that is our fascia – this needs to be released & balanced – no amount of strength or conscious effort will overcome stooped shoulders, a kyphotic (rounded upper) back & lack of extension ability/mobility with our hip flexors. We need this handled so that a lifetime of desk work & poor posture does not hold us back from our most efficient running ability

The more taught the pelvis is held dynamically, the less the loss of elastic energy (dissipation) and the greater the elastic return – so that you can SPRING forward.

Stay stacked, short in all the right places & “bouncy”!

Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports

www.BobbyMcGee.com

10. How should my foot interact with the running surface?

2010-12-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

This has been a subject of great debate lately, as the book; Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall has brought the concept of bare foot running sharply to the fore. There are also shoe companies designing footwear to force changes in foot strike & individual methodologies being marketed on how to run properly & a lot has to do with the nature of how the foot hits the surface/should hit the surface. Most runners who started running as a fitness activity simply extended their walking gait, which is a heel first strike, into running & were allowed to get away with this because of modern running footwear with well cushioned heels. “Natural” runners gravitated to the sport prior to the 1970's running boom & tended to be smaller, lighter, which is part of the self-selection process for running if NOT helped by footwear.

In running the foot should land as close to underneath the center of mass as possible, landing on the outside (lateral) edge of the bottom of the mid foot (just on & behind the pad behind the little toe). The heel will then roll down towards the surface & either lightly touch (load) as in distance running, or not, as in sprinting. The foot then rolls inward over the strong part of the outside edge, loads the arch (connective tissue/fascia & some muscle) as a spring & a shock absorber & then onto the ball of the foot before coming off the ground with the middle to big toe leaving last. Equally suitable is landing slightly further back with the “whole” outside ridge of the foot, i.e. mid foot proper – pad behind little toe, extending to just in front of the heel.

However, if you DON’T naturally run like this, be very careful & gradual with the process of doing so if you decide to change, as your plantar fascia & achilles tendon could no doubt become injured if you are too hasty, (as well as possible foot stress fractures). If you do strike heel 1st, try to have the forefoot follow VERY quickly & consider the sole of your shoe as curved like a partial car tire & rolling from the microsecond the outside of the heel hits the surface till the inside toes leave the ground. This is similar to the fore foot strike, but starts at the heel, rolls across the outside of the foot & then inwards (also loading the arch) towards & onto the ball of the foot & off the middle to big toe. Some elastic return is lost from the achilles & plantar fascia in this manner I suspect, but it is still an effective way to run & many top runners do so, albeit being more reliant on the footwear for some initial cushioning & not the achilles, plantar fascia & calf muscle complex.

More important currently in my mind is the angle of the shin – it should be vertical upon contact & not leaning rearward. This is a purer indication of not over striding & indicates well the relative position of the impact point to the dynamic center of mass (inside the pelvis) & is the point of least braking & friction.

This process is far more multi-dimensional than I have described & surmized here, but should serve as a guide to the reasoning of runners wishing to observe & experiment.

©Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports

www.BobbyMcGee.com

THE ATHENS CLASSIC MARATHON

2010-11-17T13:43:00.000-08:00

I asked my fine running friend & Master Statistician Riel Hauman if I could use this great article of his for this post. It is all about the origin of the classic Athens race as we know it today:

By Riel Hauman - Editor of Distance Running Results

This year marks the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon on 12 September, 490 BC – the event that spurred the birth of the marathon footrace in 1896. The race is run on the same course from Marathon to Athens used for the 1896 and 2004 Olympic marathons (although it is probably not the route followed by the legendary messenger Pheidippides in 490 BC). The first Athens Marathon was held in 1955, and thereafter it was run every second year until 1967 when it became an annual event. Before 1955, however, other marathons were held on the course, such as the 1906 Intercalated Games Marathon and seven editions of the Balkan Games Championships.

Although men such as Abebe Bikila and Buddy Edelen won the race between 1955 and 1968, the marathon really attracted international attention only in 1969 when Bill Adcocks (GBR) ran his brilliant time of 2:11:07.2. Over the next thirty-odd years some of the world’s best marathoners – Ian Thompson, Rodolfo Gomez, Gerard Nijboer, Douglas Wakiihuri and Abel Anton among them – would win the race, but Adcocks’ record stood untouched. It was only with the return of the Olympics to Athens in 2004 that Stefano Baldini (ITA) succeeded in finally wiping the record from the books when he clocked 2:10:55 to win the gold medal.

The ten fastest times in the Athens Classic Marathon are:

2:10:55 Stefano Baldini (ITA) 2004

2:11:07.2 Bill Adcocks (GBR) 1969

2:11:29 Mebrahtom Keflezighi (USA) 2004

2:11:49 Rodolfo Gomez (MEX) 1982

2:12:01 Douglas Wakiihuri (KEN) 1995

2:11:11 Vanderlei de Lima (BRA) 2004

2:12:26 Jon Brown (GBR) 2004

2:12:42 Paul Lekuraa (KEN) 2008

2:13:11 Shigeru Aburaya (JPN) 2004

2:13:16 Abel Anton (ESP) 1997

The picture, from The Guinness Book of the Marathon, shows Adcocks (5) in his record race with Huseyin Aktas (TUR, 6) and Kenji Kimihara (JPN, 2).

9. Correct arm usage for runners

2010-11-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

The arms are closer to the brain than the legs. Your arms are “cleverer” than your legs as a result. Fatigued limbs have a hard time responding to cognitive commands, making “access” easier through reflex, rhythm pathways. Part of this also occurs when synapses are used repeatedly – they start to lose choline & struggle to relay messages. These facts make it possible through the intricately integrated connection between all limbs, called the kinetic chain, to use your arms effectively to run better. One key component of effective running is to have your feet be on the ground for the briefest period possible for any given foot strike. This is called stride rate & if the arms & legs MUST move in unison (left knee to right elbow in front for example), it stands to reason that the quicker the arm is punched rearward & then automatically swung forward on the opposite side, the quicker the legs must move – effective running is often measured by how rapidly the foot can return for the next foot fall from toe off. (Of course stride length is the other half of the equation, but that’s another matter all together.)

Ensure that the arms remain bent at the elbow at 90* or even more closed; I often use a little pebble, held in the crook of the elbow & not to be dropped while running, to drill this component. The lowest part of the arm, at any point during the swing must be the elbow; the shorter the lever the quicker it can be swung. If there are no deficiencies elsewhere, the arms should be swung symmetrically under the shoulder – i.e. when the thighs are parallel during the running gait, the forearms should be parallel with each other & the surface & the middle of the forearm should be directly underneath the armpit/shoulder. Keep the hand above the short line. When viewed from the front the hand should be inside (or nearer the body than the elbow). If possible keep each arm on the outside of the sternum & try not to cross the center line. Some good runners do however do this & it is not a deal-breaker. What is a deal-breaker though is rotating the upper body across the line of travel where clearly there is a “disconnect” between the torso & the legs.

Good runners even close the elbow angle when the arm is swung to the front & open it somewhat when swung to the rear. Keep the hands loose & the wrists firm, with the thumb on the forefinger as a general rule of, um, thumb!

Relaxed, bent, coordinated, quick, rearward punching arms will help you be a more effective runner.

Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports

www.BobbyMcGee.com

Apologies!

2010-11-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

The previous post is clearly NOT Chrissie Wellington's quad, but her biceps!!!

Sorry she did not race, but a marvelous men's & women's race anyway.

Good luck to all of you in 70.3 World Champs in Clearwater this weekend.

I hope Gebrs has NOT retired as he said after NY....

New info post to follow soon!

8. Muscle recruitment – the way to improved running performances

2010-11-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

The picture of Chrissie Wellington's quadThat's loaded I'd say!

Ever wondered why sprinters do those high powerful vertical leaps just when they get called to the blocks? Or why baseball players use a heavy donut on their bats while warming up? The answer is muscle recruitment. You may have noticed even when you are fit that if in the course of a day you run up a flight of steps you get to the top winded with some quad burn going on. This is because you have used a small amount of muscle fibers to an intense degree to do something safely. If you had warmed up dynamically (like with my Dynamic Warm Up routine) before you ran up this flight of stairs, you would have reached the top with less effort, no discomfort & a much lower breath & heart rate – something you need to do before training & racing!
The body is a safety mechanism & only recruits sufficient muscle fibers to do things safely – it is not interested in performance unless your life is in danger, then the hormones released as a result of a fight or flight response ensure that you are optimally primed to meet this threat – a little how you feel just before the start of a race. Specific muscle recruitment activities before training & racing therefore are essential to turn your body from a safety mechanism, into a performance mechanism by recruiting more muscle than the body needs for safe execution alone. This is part of the reason why you might feel sore 48 hours after a hard workout for which you failed to warm up (read recruit) properly. IT IS BETTER TO USE YOUR LIMITED TIME BY CUTTING BACK ON THE BODY OF YOUR WORKOUT TO ENSURE CORRECT PREPARATION, THAN TO CUT THE Warm Up SHORT & RUSH THE SESSION. YOU WILL GAIN MORE BENEFIT FROM LESS WORK DONE WITH AN OPTIMALLY PRIMED BODY. Potentiate those muscles for success.
Little hops, bounds, harness work or light, short hill reps are a great way to potentiate before races & quality run workouts.
©Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports
www.BobbyMcGee.com

WoW IM WC Hawaii 2010!!!

2010-10-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

What a men's & women's race. The run times superb - Craig Alexander runs 2:42 for 4th & still doesn't have the fastest run split! Rinny goes 2:53 in 40*C!! The game has changed again, but the run still wins it. Boy did they ever run this year. Well done Macca - the mouth put his money there; that running around 8-15km was Special with a capital; when Andreas caught him, who'd have thunk that Macca would out duel & out think him. Stride rates were telling & again the higher rates, while still connected, won the day. Those that blew, like poor Mr. Lieto (whaddabike!!), saved total meltdown through maintaining rhythm. Even with her huge power to weight advantage & short stature Carfrae still has a power run at 92 steps per leg per minute. Class acts all around. Nice to see Timmy O there at the end to meet Marinda & gutsy finishes from friends Justin, Andy P, Sam & TJ; well done, the hearts are great, even though the legs departed sooner than you may have liked.

Bobby

www.BobbyMcGee.com

GOOD LUCK

2010-10-06T20:29:00.001-07:00

Here's wishing all those racing in Hawaii, Chicago & other races around the country this weekend a huge joyous experience.

I wish you a run that challenges you to gloriously display parts of you which you do not yet know. I wish you wisdom & lightness in the less than stellar patches. I wish you all the joy that completion & knowing you dug deep & gave it your best shot brings. & finally I wish you an easy focus on process, allowing a satisfying result which appears magically, because you stayed present in all the moments, observing your experience qualitatively & light-heartedly

Best wishes,

Bobby McGee

www.BobbyMcGee.com

7. Switching On

2010-10-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

Exercise science is accelerating the level at which we understand how our bodies function & it is happening at a crazy rate. I feel lost trying to catch up daily & I have been at this for 3 decades! For example, we used to believe in something called a “2nd breath” (way back in the 50s) when we’d start a race & after some time we’d suddenly feel way better – now we know we just weren’t warmed up enough! Granted I had not run many races by 1960! We thought stretching was a good idea before exercise – now we are pretty sure it’s a bad idea. We thought a warm up was for our central physiology only; getting our sweat rate going, our heart rate, getting our muscle core temperature up & so on. Turns out that one has to turn the lights on 1st, before one can prepare the space to play! Muscles that have been passive or even defacilitated through sleep or daily work need to be specifically activated before we begin our warm up & then more muscle fibers need to be recruited to perform optimally, rather than just safely. Add to this that our movement patterns need to be facilitated & initiated effectively before we can perform at our best & get the most from our training & when we compete. One can’t just flip the main switch & hope all the wiring is up to code & the systems are all A-Okay. An airplane needs a huge maintenance crew to keep it in the air. The body needs an opportunity to get fully into gear before it can perform. It’s one thing taking your Subaru out of the garage & driving straight to work & another matter entirely taking your Formula 1 car off the truck & straight into a race. Most of us can go out for an easy run without too much prior prep, but to train hard & race well, require quite a bit more forethought. The art & science of potentiation is relatively new for most individuals who exercise – look into it; you’ll be blown away at the difference it can make for you & hey, what’s not to like about better performance, feeling better & staying injury free, right? Each individual athlete has limitations, be they in their connective tissue set, injury remnants & imbalances, age, muscle type & ratio, oxygen uptake kinetics, exercise response type & many more. Spend a lifetime continually learning what works for you
Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports
www.BobbyMcGee.com

6. Are you a lifter or a pusher?

2010-09-03T00:25:00.000-07:00

The answer could be the silver bullet your running needs

Last time we spoke about the forward lean & its contribution to an increased stride rate – a highly desirable component required to being an efficient runner. That forward lean is one component that increases stride rate; power application is the other. However an increased angle of attack does not guarantee increased stride rate in some cases, as habituated lifting of the knee, in an effort to increase/maintain stride length continues to access majority concentric muscle contraction of the hip flexors. This not only slows stride rate, but greatly increases the strength requirement & therefore an accelerated accumulation of fatigue from dealing with eccentric jarring from increased support phase weight bearing time. It also creates more fatigue because the stride falls more towards the forward sector relative to the center of mass, & thus increasing work to regain this lost inertia with each step. It is a common myth that in order to have that nice high knee lift when you run you have to fire your hip flexors – nothing could be further from the truth. By powerfully extending your leg downwards it subsequently is dragged rearward (because of forward momentum & the foot striking a stationary surface). The leg is not driven in an effort to push the body while it is on the surface – this would be counterproductive as tissue is supposed to be held semi rigid as connective tissue stretches/loads in anticipation for elastic release upon toe off. It is essential that the driving phase is seen as unloaded & with gravity. In this way the hip flexors are extended/loaded & pop back powerfully because of this, leading to that light, springy high knee lift so characteristic of great runners. Again, please make sure that you do not push while the foot is on the ground, but before this; it’s like throwing a pogo stick at the ground. If you push while the foot is on the surface you stop it from unloading elastically. Good running is 5 parts elastic return & only one part strength application – the more you lift your knees & try to power your body by driving the foot while it is on the ground, the greater the strength component, the slower the stride rate, the longer the stance time, the greater the rate of fatigue accumulation. Nuf said!
©Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports
www.BobbyMcGee.com

5. Lean your way to great running

2010-08-22T09:40:00.000-07:00

A slight forward lean from the ankles, with the chest & pelvis squarely aligned is a great way to gain a mechanical advantage by utilizing gravity. A forward lean also increases cadence or stride rate, which is an extremely desirable asset to the distance runner. Please note the word slight – leaning too much can create over rotation & put pressure on the core muscles & increase loading in the hamstrings & hip flexors. Do NOT lean from the waist, this is a recipe for disaster. Keep the elbows bent 90* or less – the hallmark of all great distance runners is that bent elbow. Take smaller, but quicker steps & run lightly over the running surface. However do not chop your natural stride length down – allow the speed to determine stride length. The faster you run, the more you can lean. You are trying to reduce surface interaction time, but do not want to have to either lift the foot off the ground or get to the surface too soon & increase friction. If you are leaning too much, your foot strike becomes too loud & therefore heavy & you will have to lift your legs to clear the foot to stop it from scraping the surface – this lifting is a total no-no!
© Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports
www.BobbyMcGee.com

Get Connected

2010-08-18T13:17:00.001-07:00

If you don’t contra rotate your torso when you run, you are disconnected & if you are disconnected your Center of Mass & your strength (concentric) component is high – therefore you are inefficient; so learn how to contra-rotate, but don’t do so cognitively!
Huh?
Yeah I felt the same way when 1st I started to figure this one out.
The world of Feldenkrais is an esoteric one to say the least & it draws the more “abstruse” of us to it & thus work from this field is often pooh-poohed. But of late there is some great stuff coming from certain members of this community who teach running – they really get “being connected” when you move. Check it out.
In swim/bike/run, all are equally dependant on good solid coordinated connectedness – try climbing on the bike & not pulling with the opposite arm! Or try swimming with only lats & pecs & not core – some of us can do this (yeah me!) & hoo boy, do we swim poorly!
Trouble is, in the run, if we were not connected from the start, or we fiddled around with some “technique” suggestions from a 2-dimensional model of bio-mechanical quackery, the unlearn (of the disconnected) & the relearning (through cognitive pathways) is a tough one.
The steps are:
1. Recognition – have an expert take a look
2. Correction – 1st through understanding & seeing (video), & then through presets & drills
3. Habituation – constant repetition till cognitive gives way to automatic
4. Confirmation - in races & hard training, especially when fatigued; should feel smoother & easier & be able to go longer & faster!
For more, check out my DVD, Triathlon, The Run, with explanations (understanding) & drills (learning)
Yours in connectedness!
Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

4. Stride rate is the key to successful running

2010-08-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

The forward lean in running is free speed, but the high stride rate, turnover or cadence really is the most important aspect of successful running. The less the amount of time, per foot strike, your foot can be on the ground, the less strength is required, the less fatigue is accumulated & the less eccentric micro tearing in the leg muscles takes place. A hallmark of champion distance runners is a stride rate of over 180 steps per minute – some as high as 208! Count your cadence by counting the number of foot strikes you achieve with one foot in 15sec & then multiply that by 4. This will give you a single leg turnover. The minimum number you are striving for is 23 (or 92 steps per foot per minute, which is 184 for both feet). Your length, leg length or gender is irrelevant. Lastly, do not simply try to move up your cadence by moving your legs faster; this may lead to injury & may not improve performance. Do this by leaning slightly forward from the ankle, staying tall through the hips, bending your elbows 90*, (till you could hold a pebble in the crook of your elbow & not drop it for the duration of the run), punching your elbows rearward slightly &, most importantly, pushing your foot to the ground, (but NOT while on the ground). Do this rather than launching up into the air (pushing off) & dropping to the ground – a recipe for injury, fatigue & poor performance.

Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports
www.BobbyMcGee.com

3. Fatigued Focus on the Run

2010-07-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

New research shows lowest O2 usage (highest efficiency) when focusing on the running experience or sensation itself; simply competing or running. Staying in this less than fully conscious flow state can easily be interrupted by fatigue or any other loss of focus. When teaching runners to stay most efficient I have always advised them to focus on mood words in the beginning – words like strong, relaxed, fit, capable, ready, racer, smooth, relaxed, fun, racing, etc. Once fatigue sets in & they start to lose rhythm & their mechanics become disrupted & uncoordinated, (as they most often are right off the bike in triathlon), then flow & that type of ideal focus is lost & the runner must resort to a new tactic. That tactic is focusing on process. Focusing on fatigue or performance, especially outcome, is dissociative & has been shown to be the least efficient. Focusing on process can often return rhythm & flow. The skilled look for that beat of foot strike. A set of skills, like shortening the stride to return or maintain rhythm, can be taught/learned & can be ways back into the run.
So in summary: Focusing on anything other than that which can propel you forward faster during fatigued running can be called lost focus. Focusing on fatigue, or trying to think dissociatively, i.e. of something else to get your mind off the task at hand, when racing or running hard, leads to reduced access to fitness & ability. Focusing on how you are running (the mechanical movements) is also ineffectual, as this is a cognitive process that occurs so much slower (it is chemical), than the natural (electrical) flow of a reflex (unconscious) action. Thoughts on getting limbs & body into optimal position to gain maximum benefit from power application & elastic return are excellent ways to focus. Focusing on a feeling or image is also very powerful, especially when fresh. At the start of an endurance race, focus on mood words like, easy, smooth, powerful, relaxed, will help you to not interfere cognitively with your body’s natural ability to perform. In triathlon this would be relevant mostly in the swim & on the bike if a draft legal event. However, when fatigue sets in, it becomes useful to think objectively about what to do, especially if your form has deteriorated.

Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

How to Lay it on the Line when it Counts

2010-07-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

On the 30th of July as an added part of my regular sport psychology & run mechanics & run training lectures to USA Triathlon level 1 candidate coaches, I will be presenting a mental skills training CEU. This time it takes place in New Jersey. These are designed for USAT coaches to keep up with what’s relevant to triathlon today & remain current with their coaching certification. These are also open to any triathlete, triathlon coach or interested party.

Unlike my (& most others) lecture in the course, this 3 hour event is designed to be highly practical & as individualized as a group setting will allow. The majority of the session is participatory & I have received very positive feedback in terms of the workshop’s effectiveness.

Most triathletes know that effective mental skills like self confidence & dealing with the sensations of effort are essential for race performances to match fitness expectations. The reason why triathletes do little about it though may be due in some large part to the lack of access to practice. There are a number of GREAT books out there, but we all know how hard it is putting good ideas on paper into practice, especially under the pressures of competition! One-on-one work with a skilled teacher of mental skills for triathlon are few & far between & expensive – I get about 1 client requesting mental skills training to every 7 that want training or run mechanical skills training.

If you live in that part of the world & could use some extra mojo, here’s an opportunity. If not, then remind yourself, as an athlete, that self confidence & full access to fitness under pressure are skills that can be learned & this may be the edge you have been looking for.

Click here to sign up & get more info: http://www.active.com/running/weehawken-nj/quest-to-be-your-best-specific-customized-mental-skills-training-plan-design-2010

Below is a copy of the letter that goes out to participants in the CEU. Use it as a guideline to set some of the details as you prepare for your next race. Are you considering all these & would it be useful to do so?

Stay or get mentally strong! It’s how you show up fully on D Day!

Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

PS: Remember my book, Magical Running, A Unique Path to Running Fulfillment, is all about mental skills training & is set up as a workbook to support you as you habituate a killer mindset for race day. Available from http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Dear Participant

I would like to extend the opportunity once again to make this Mental Skills CEU as practical & as customized as possible. With this email, to you as registrant (thank you), I am including 4 questionnaires:

1. Creating the Perfect Race
2. Mental Skills Assessment
3. Psychological Performance Inventory – please note that the spreadsheets have multiple tabs
4. Sport Psychological Training Evaluation – please note that the spreadsheets have multiple tabs

Feel free to make copies of these & have athletes that you work with, or yourself, complete them. If you are using them with athletes, I strongly advise you to number them & have the corresponding name kept confidential. Of course this implies a confidentiality agreement between you & your athlete that would imply a desire to participate in such exercises.

Bring the completed forms along to the seminar & we will spend time creating effective strategies to enhance the performance of these athletes.

Please bring along a hard copy, (or have it electronically), of the relevant course maps that either you or your athletes will be peaking for as key events coming up.

I look forward to working with you.

Best wishes,

Bobby McGee

2. Dynamic Warm up Drills: How to give you your best shot at an optimal event

2010-07-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

In my previous post I spoke about the deleterious effects of passive stretching before exercise. So what are you supposed to do before exercise or competition? The answer is a series of progressively more intense activities that bring the body to a point where it is ready for peak performance. These activities include:
1. Mobility exercises – these increase the range of motion of a joint, so that it can manage the requirements of the activity safely & effectively. An example of such an activity are increasingly aggressive arm circles for a swimmer
2. Facilitation exercises – these exercises mimic the activity about to be performed in an ever increasing range of motion & intensity. An example of this might be a high knee drill before a quality run work out
3. Recruitment exercises – these exercises are careful repetitions of the movement required in an overloaded fashion. This ensures that enough muscle fibers are recruited to not only perform safely, but competitively. An example of this might be swinging a baseball bat with a weighted doughnut attached prior to batting practice

Attached is a picture of Shelia Burrell, world championship bronze medalist heptathlete & 4th in Olympics, performing a dynamic warm up drill. Below is a video of Carrie Messner-Vickers, world champs steeplechase finalist & US record holder performing a grapevine or karaoke dynamic warm up drill.

Some examples of effective dynamic warm up procedures can be found in Run Workouts for Runners & Triathletes, or The DVD, Triathlon, The Run, both by Bobby McGee. Available from www.BobbyMcGee.com

1. Passive stretching before training & racing slows you down

2010-07-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

The purpose of stretching is to allow muscles to recover by “switching off “& allow nutrients to “enter “the tissue. Muscles require downtime to metabolize the effects of hard work & repair/grow stronger. Tests have shown that passive stretching actually slows down muscle speed (sequential firing) & recruitment (the number of muscle fibers available to do the work required). Passive stretching may even destabilize certain joints, like the hip joint, & lead to injury during the training session that follows the stretching session. Studies have shown that people who stretch passively are more likely to get injured than those who don’t! In later blogs I will explain how a Dynamic Warm Up Procedure is a far better way to go to gain optimal results from your fitness. So if you want to stretch passively, do so after training & even here, I recommend that you actively stretch for a far better result, i.e. allow the muscle being released to primarily control the activity.
In a recent study with collegiate cross country runners, those with the shortest hamstrings were the best runners in every case!
To my mind the muscle groups that need to be “released” & returned or set at optimal “loadability” levels after training as far as running is concerned are the hip flexors, the soleus & the quads.
Bobby McGee – Bobby McGee Endurance Sports
www.BobbyMcGee.com

Become a Runner - with Jarrod Shoemaker

2010-07-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

Olympian & uber triathlon runner, Jarrod Shoemaker & myself are doing a webinar with USAT tomorrow at 6PM Mountain Time. Register at http://bit.ly/9erGha.

We are going to explore how one can run better off the bike by working on the run in a more organic fashion. We'll focus on training ideas, mindsets, drills & a number of issues pertinent to accessing all the runner you can be.

It's the 1st time we are trying this format with athlete & coach on the same presentation - should be fun & hopefully super informative.

Could this be the secret recipe for your run that you have been looking for.

Please join us

Bobby McGee

www.BobbyMcGee.com

Just 2 HUGE requirements for Success

2010-06-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

All you need to race exceptionally is just these 2 things
Performance in endurance sports is all about 2 critical factors:
1. How confident are you?
2. How much can you handle?
It’s kind of in your face isn’t it? I have recently written a sport psychology chapter for a training manual & just discussing what factors make up self confidence & the ability to deal with the extreme sensations that need to be managed to achieve your best possible performance took nearly 10 000 words! I guess that’s why sport psychologists will keep churning out studies & writing books, because while understanding the theory behind the psychology of endurance performance is doable & interesting, it is the application that is SO much more difficult. The very 1st review I received when I published Magical Running, my book on the mental approach to endurance events, (available at http://www.bobbymcgee.com/), was that it “is an easy book to read, a very hard book to do”. This fact points to the age old fact that while everybody knows sport psychology is the glue that turns training & potential into performance, it is largely paid nothing more than lip service. Often the excuse is that it takes too much time or that most feel they really don’t need to work on it, but the truth is:
THE ONE THING THAT FEW OF US EVER WANT TO FACE IS THE TRUTH BEHIND WHAT HOLDS US BACK
That’s why it’s called a blind spot – we simply cannot see why we fail to push through. It is a somewhat universal truth that we are all afraid of being exposed & therefore unwilling to be vulnerable. It is through ownership of our limitations that we can determine whether our beliefs are just skewed perception paradigms or hold some modicum of truth. The self statement “I am not good enough”, or the question, “Am I good enough?” needs to be answered 1000s of time during the course of a race. Our biggest breakthroughs come when we take on the process of tearing down the façade, which incidentally seems to us to be so well constructed, but is often so obvious to those that know us! A hint to involve others in this process of learning who we are as competitors & what we need to work on to become more fully whom we are capable of being.
Confidence is mostly sourced from effective training AND connecting that training & it’s implications with who we are being in competition. This requires insight , honesty & most of all a continuous passionate commitment to the execution of process actions in order to get it all out of ourselves on race day.
Some compelling current research seems to indicate that our point of failure is ALWAYS mental – no matter what the physical situation, the cessation of performance is always a decision to quit that is made at some level of consciousness!
Certain mental fatigue limits our performance capabilities & conversely, as the study seems to prove, it is possible to make considerable gains in performance through specific mental training.
The psychological lesson however has not changed – do what it takes to be as confident as possible – I’d define this as the belief that we can execute to our fitness & ability on race day & 2ndly, know in every fiber of our being that we are the toughest SOBs out there & that there is no circumstance that we cannot handle in such a way that it turns out to our advantage.
Come to think of it – that’s what I have been seeing out there on the world stage for 29 years – confidence & guts, deep grounding confidence & jaw dropping guts.
My wish for you all then: believe in yourself & know you have what the race asks.
Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

2010-06-10T15:28:00.000-07:00

Been awhile - sorry folks!

Just got this refresher from Velo of quotes for Run Workouts for Runners & Triathletes

If you haven't seen it yet, I'd be stoked if you did...

Praise for Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes
By Bobby McGee with Marathon Training Plans by Mark Plaatjes

“Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes is a modern book for the modern athlete, combining great insight, quality, and practical value.”
—Tim Noakes, OMS, MD, DSc, bestselling author of The Lore of Running

“Whether you are a novice runner training for a 5km race or an Ironman hoping to qualify for Kona, Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes provides an easy-to-follow, proven method for reaching your goals.”
—Samantha McGlone, 2004 Olympian and 2006 Ironman 70.3 World Champion

“Bobby's approach to running took my running to the next level, helping me become the #1 ranked triathlete in the world for 2 years. If you care about running fast, this book has answers. ”
—Barb Lindquist, 2004 Olympian and former #1-ranked triathlete

“Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes consolidates much of Bobby's great wisdom and vast experience as a running and multi-sport coach into an easy to use tool for athletes and coaches alike. ”
—Scott Schnitzspahn, USA Triathlon Sport Performance Director and 2008 Olympic Triathlon Team Leader

“Solid plans by knowledgeable coaches.”
—Jonathan Beverly, editor of Running Times magazine

“Since I started working with Bobby McGee in 2005, he has greatly improved my running technique by introducing me to a variety of drills. Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes has helped me to develop a mix of speed, endurance, and strength in my running. I love the mix of fresh, new workouts. The book is very user-friendly and can be a tool whether you want to train for a 5K or an Ironman. From elites to beginners, this book has all the answers! ”
—Sarah Haskins Kortuem, 2008 Olympian and ITU World Championship silver medalist

“Runners won't find a more qualified team of coaches than Bobby McGee and Mark Plaatjes. Readers won't find practical advice in a more readable format than Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes.” — Joe Henderson, former chief editor of Runner’s World, contributor to Marathon & Beyond, and author

“Bobby McGee has few peers when it comes to coaching the entire gamut of endurance sports athletes, from gold medalist marathoners to world-class triathletes to recreational runners.”
— Michael Sandrock, author of Running Tough and Running with the Legends

“Bobby McGee is one of the top 10 coaches working with runners today. So chuck those soiled socks and empty PowerBar wrappers in your gym-bag, and make space for Run Workouts. You’ll be only a page away from your next best workout.” — Rich Benyo, Marathon & Beyond magazine

“With abundant information and a smart design, Run Workouts for Runners and Triathletes is easy to use. This reference book has no fluff whatsoever, only straight information presented on sweat-proof pages in a very compact package.” — Triathlon Magazine Canada

Bobby McGee

http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Run the perfect Bolder Boulder 2010

2010-05-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Perfect Pacing for the Bolder Boulder

When using time trials as determinants of possible goal pace for the Bolder Boulder 10km it is essential to compare similar courses. Let’s say, for example you ran a 38:00 4-miler on a flat course on dirt on a 55* day with no wind. Using a race time comparison chart this equals a 60:21 10km. Now let’s see why the time trial was an apple & the race grapefruit, or was it?

· On the plus side you ran the time trial on dirt, while the race is on asphalt. This means that the same time trial on asphalt would have been faster
· On the minus side is that the 4-miler was flat & the race is hilly
· Another minus might be that the race may dawn warmer than the time trial, which was run in optimal weather
· A plus would be that the race is later in your training phase & you are fitter & would have run a faster 4-miler if you ran it on race day
· Another plus is that you are tapered for the race & thus physically capable of a stronger performance because of the rest & facilitation
· Another plus is that you are mentally aimed at this race, your commitment to the race is greater & your physiology & mind are correspondingly attenuated to achieve a peak performance

Once you have decided on a realistic, but aggressive time goal, you now have an overall pace that you’d like to achieve. It is important then to consider that not as the pace, but as the effort you’d like to achieve. By this I mean, that based on the above 4 miler, you may be going to try for a 9:40 mile pace on race day, but will run faster on the down sections than that & slower on the up sections. Bearing the 3% rule in mind – that all things being equal (surface, etc), the most efficient way to achieve a time goal is not to vary on either side of the average pace by more than 3%, it might behoove you to use the course elevation map, the 3% rule & your time goal to come up with a race pace plan that matches this.

Below I have broken down the course in this manner & added the various mental challenges & strategies that you might need to face to achieve such a goal. For the purposes of explanation I have used a 9:40 mile as illustration:

1. The 1st mile is a down (to lowest point on the course – 5,284ft.), then up, more down than up – slightly so. Take care to go out at a brisk pace (after a good full warm up). Avoid saying “Don’t go out too fast”, as you will access the mental program on how to go out too fast – a disease that inhabits even the most skillful of runners – especially younger males! The internal dialogue is subjective – “Go out strong, smooth, relaxed & at goal effort”. Now this may bring a 1st mile that is 3% faster than goal (e.g. 9:20) & that’s okay, as long as the effort was the target effort. It would also be useful to know your km split (e.g. 6:00), as this will give you more frequent & ultimately more objective feedback. Last thing about the start is to stay present, as while your 1st mile split may be 9:20, you may have gone too fast in the 1st .5 mile & then slowed too much in the 2nd half – even, smooth, gradual pace judgment is essential.
2. The 2nd mile is mostly all climb with a peak on Folsom Hill & a little drop & then climb to the 2mi marker. Here the pace can drift (but not the effort!) to just under 10:00
3. Mile 3 is similar, but alas with an even steeper grade. Just after the 2 mile marker you climb steeply to 19th & Vista. Thereafter there is a slight respite – a down section that goes past the 3 mile marker to 19th & Balsam – to just over half way (5km). Here with that more marked drop down 19th, you should manage about 9:50 – 9:55
4. The rest of mile 3 (from 19th & Balsam) is a series of turns & roller coasters in terms of elevation changes & is an absolutely crucial time to remain focused on form & balanced effort. It is easy to allow the pace to slip & the previously clear target of pace to give way to thoughts of “Maybe next year”, or “I’m taking it easy to the top of Casey Hill, (just past 4 miles) & then I’ll see where I am at”. By this time, with this lost focus, the hopes of a specific overall pace goal being achieved will be lost or at the very least seriously challenging to regain in the remaining 2 & a bit miles. Here a pace of 9:50 to 10:00 would be well done. While not allowing a slowing because of perceived fatigue, it is important also that you do not over-zealously attack this part of the course – it really requires patience, concentration & a balanced effort that gives back the least time, but at the same time spares the legs somewhat to gain fullest advantage of the down hills to come
5. The turn east for the long decent comes just after mile 4, & the 5th mile is ALL DOWN! The bad news is that to gain time on down hills is harder because you have less time (going faster) to make up what you lost over the same distance climbing (going slower)! It is not a time to rest & recover, as one needs to attack the downs to get full benefit. This requires greater focus than what the hills required, as the body will be sending messages to the brain saying, “whoa there! You just worked your butt off & feel the consequences, what’s the hurry? Let’s take it easy down these hills!” (Especially in the 1st part of the down). Ignore this “interference” – time is your goal, you may not be passing a whole lot of people, but if you are not on it, time will slip away & leave you disappointed come race end. Lean just off your balance point – get the turnover high & flow like water down to Walnut & Folsom (about a quarter mile after the 5 mile marker). Here you really want to try to manage 9:20 min mile pace or better for this 1.25 miles, (always thinking of the effort it would take to run 9:40 on the flats)
6. This final mile plus is less about the training & more about the mind – have you done your mental training, have you embedded your desire to achieve your goal deeply enough? In other words do you still want to have an overall pace of 9:40 at this stage of the game? At this point you may be about 15sec behind pace (worst case scenario on the above). This mile, being the last should allow you to dig a little deeper (progressively), as you need not save anything for after the race! Go hard to the base of that final vicious little hill outside the stadium, almost as if it is the finish line, as many people lose focus during that last mile by casting their minds ahead to that climb, which beats them up no matter what anyway, so you might as well have gone hard till there, take your medicine up it, by working solely on form (lean, cadence, short quick strides) & then let go down that final section to the finish. Hopefully this approach brings a 9:20 – 9:40. This is possible because even though that last mile has some demands – it is, after all, not a full mile of climbing; the 1st quarter is down, there is a drop just before the final climb, there’s a quick drop to the stadium floor & then there’s that gloriously flat finish, &, don’t forget, it is your last hurrah!

I hope this helps you create a race plan & mindset that leads to you fulfilling your dream pace per mile for the 2010 Bolder Boulder – GOOD LUCK & ALWAYS HAVE FUN OUT THERE!

Bobby McGee

http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Slow's the way to go Joe - Part 2

2010-05-24T12:08:00.000-07:00

So, what’s a self respecting weekend warrior to do to avoid getting into that dreaded gray zone where training is less effective and causes our fitness gains to plateau?
Build your zone 1 and 2 through walking and use the run walk method. These are 2 different training modalities. This is a great way to develop muscle endurance and develop your fat burning capabilities (with correct nutrition). Good nutrition, over and above the usual advice of eat more regularly, reduce the bad fats, keep the fiber high, get your iron in somehow (if it’s low) also pay particular attention to gradually reducing the carbs and increasing the healthy fats. Walking and the run/walk method also reduce fatigue, risk of injury, rapid recovery and allow for a safer, more rapid increase in volume.
With the walk, add 2 – 3 walks per week to your regular training. You can lower your run mileage in a ratio of about .5 to 1; i.e. for every 1 mile you walk you can add .5 of a mile to your run mileage accumulation. Example: a 4 mile walk = a 2 mile run. I mostly have my athletes simply add the walk mileage however. 2 walks of 25-35 minutes, plus a building hike, starting off at around 45 minutes and building to the time you ultimately wish to be on your legs in the marathon. With the demands of IM training I recommend a maximum of 3 hours. Add about 15min per week to this long hike till you have achieved your target volume. Pace is not so important, but form is – go for a quick stride rate of 65 plus steps per foot per minute, keep your elbows bent and engage your core with each stride.
What happens to runners is that they begin to run too fast as they become facilitated and feel more comfortable at a faster pace and incorrectly think that that’s the progress that we are all striving for. The problem is the increase of HR with pace. PACE MUST INCREASE ONLY IF IT CAN BE DONE WHILE KEEPING THE HR WITHIN THE ZONE. This is the true test of base training efficacy, pace increases, but work rate stays the same.
With the walk/run method – which I recommend to everyone, pros and amateurs alike, it is a matter of discovering which ratio allows you to achieve the fastest OVERALL time. For the longer distances what is also of importance is best pace with lowest heart rate. The whole idea with the walk/run method is to develop the ability to maintain the highest overall pace for the entire distance. It is an amazing training and racing tool. Rough suggestions are: Beginners use a walk 1 minute/run 1 minute pattern. For most athletes a 9 minute run, 1 minute walk pattern works really well. I also recommend using a 6 to 1 pattern on your long runs. A final suggestion for maximum benefit, don’t run for longer than 10 minutes at a time and don’t take less than a 15sec walk break. Again, don’t saunter – develop the ability to walk and recover faster and faster. It is not difficult to walk at 12 min pace for a minute, to recover from a run pace that is considerably faster than your ability to run continuously and end up with a huge net gain. Again, bend your elbows, take shorter, quicker steps and “roll” along – don’t dramatically spike the heel into the ground with long slow powerful strides.
Add to this the suggestion that in order to gain the most capacity from BASE training, i.e. increase the pace as much as possible, while keeping the effort (HR) the same, one should not do any intense prolonged training in other workouts. For triathletes this extends definitely to the bike and perhaps even the swim.
What you CAN do to maintain strength and neuro-muscular facilitation during this phase is to do alactic training – this means strides. After a good warm-up, do 4 x 9 second strides at your best controlled effort; i.e. fast, but without bits flying off. Very importantly you MUST recover fully between these. Build until you can do about 8 of these 2-3 times per week.
Now for triathletes the big hurdle to overcome with patience is the fact that you get to a point on the bike where you feel you can work much harder far more quickly than you do on the run. When this happens you ride shorter and harder in higher zones because this feels good and fast and strong. You then not only might plateau, but you have limited your bike fitness potential and seriously retarded your chances of improving on the run as well.
This leads to the most common mistake in long course triathlon racing – over riding the bike portion…..
Pre-race many triathletes predict with quite good accuracy what they will do on the swim and bike and fall woefully short with their run prediction with something like this, “I was doing great till 16 miles on the run when I cramped/became nauseous/lost my lunch/bonked…. If only I hadn’t, I coulda, woulda, shoulda…”
Do more work for longer in those lower zones on both the bike and run and expand your work capabilities and ultimately your race results. Once you have done this background work, it will serve you for a long time & restoring it each season becomes easier & shorter.
Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Ironman Training for the Time Challenged Athlete

2010-05-18T14:49:00.000-07:00

I am doing a USA Triathlon Webinar. Topic: Ironman Training for the Time Challenged Athlete.

The emphasis will be on the run.

It takes place on Thursday, May 20.

Time: 4-5pm Mountain, 3-4pm Pacif, 5-6pm Central, 6-7pm Eastern

Cost: $34.99

The blurb goes: For many triathletes the holy grail of their triathlon aspirations is to do an Ironman – but with the realities of the modern economy, family life and a packed commitment schedule, few are able to put together a pocket of time to prepare properly for this great event.

Spend an hour with Bobby McGee discovering how to put together some key aspects of an Ironman training plan without sacrificing real life.

Bobby McGee is an Olympic Coach, Running Expert and also an expert on Sport Psychology and Mental Skills. He has produced world record holders & an Olympic Champion & numerous Olympians as runners, over & above his work with triathletes.

No one knows better how to prepare athletes for success on race day than Bobby McGee!

Love to have you if this is of interest to you.

Till next time...

Bobby McGee

http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

Slow’s the Way to Go Joe – Part 1

2010-05-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

Predicting someone’s ability to run anything from 800m to a half marathon is really easy. A little more difficult is determining what someone may ultimately be capable of – if they are young enough to still have their best years ahead of them, is a little more challenging. However predicting what they are capable of in a marathon or the run in an IM, now that’s a whole different ball of wax! Add to this that the majority of athletes just do NOT have the patience or time to train to their actual capabilities, but still expect their potential to show up on race day, rather than their training status only. Add to this in the longer events, the tight tolerances allowed in the weather, nutritional, hydration and pacing departments and it’s no wonder so many people “fail” to achieve to their expectations. In triathlon, especially IM another huge challenge is the discipline required to ride easily enough to have an optimal run.
This brings one to the blog’s case in point – training “slowly” enough, or within the ranges that ultimately give you the greatest shot at achieving your potential. Joe Friel’s brilliant work has brought us a model that has helped thousands of athletes to train as close to correctly as modern research suggests we should. One problem thought: many athletes, especially here at altitude, are unable to run slowly enough to stay in these 1st 2 zones! It’s a different matter on the bike where riding on a flat road with 110PSI in your tubular is akin to the efficiency of a seagull in flight. In the pool also the fact that you are in a low gravity-impacted environment and you are using less musculature makes it so much easier to train in the lower zones.
The 2nd conundrum to the part-time athlete – WE DON’T HAVE THE SHEER MASS OF TIME REQUIRED TO BUILD OUR EFFICIENCY THAT SLOWLY TO GAIN THIS BROAD BASED FITNESS WHICH CREATES THE CAPACITY TO BE ABLE TO TRAIN AT THE HIGHER MORE SPECIFIC LEVELS THAT GIVES US A GREATER SHOT AT ACHIEVING OUR FULL POTENTIAL.
Compare this to an elite sprinter who can do 2 x 200m in a workout and access so much of her power that she is exhausted and the workout’s effectively done! An elite marathon runner would run 2 maximum effort 200’s and with a short recovery be able to run 8 more! Trouble is the distance runner will have run those 200’s in 29-30 seconds (which is fast – 3:53mile pace), but a sprinter of equal sprinting ability may have run those 200’s in around 24 sec and that’s 3:13 mile pace!!
3rdly, the challenge of the amateur becomes detraining while training! The runner must go so slowly that other components actually start to atrophy. Peripherally there IS such a thing as running too slowly; stride rate may decrease and subsequently loading increases with all its attendant negative consequences. You know how you feel after a long run with a friend who is much slower than you! Also, proper recovery in terms of time is tough for the average athlete – what a pro can do in a week, the average person of the same age needs at least 10 days to complete with sufficient recovery. A good pro microcycle is about 10 days, while a good age grouper would do well on a 14 day microcycle and the older athlete something like 17 – 21 days!

Be a Kid

2010-05-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Don’t let a GPS, compass, HRM, street sign, grade, surface or distance, (esp. a track) tell you how you are faring – let you tell you!
Coaches strive to quantify every detail, but there is no software or collection tool – including RPE, that can measure what you feel.
It’s not like we haven’t got the most intricate, hyper-sensitive tools already built in – another 100 years will not bring modern equipment anywhere close to giving us the kind of feedback we are capable of gleaning if we stay tuned in.
The danger is that the externally generated numbers may limit us. The emotional connection to stats derived off these impressive micro-computers when we approach what previous data has told us are our limits, may cause us to back off. We may have our best foot forward at this stage – all of us may have showed up and we miss a golden opportunity for a break through & an experience that tells us we have far greater abilities than we ever dreamed possible.
I am not saying we should totally eschew the benefits of using these devices by meting out our resources in the most economical fashion; use them for sure! But, the bottom line is that racing is all about pushing our limits however we may have derived them, perceived or otherwise. True performance is a very complex, never fully understood set of constantly changing parameters.
Getting the best out of the individual human body whose every instinct is to keep us safe and in the middle of our homeostatic ranges, requires a very technical concept (facetious here) – GUTS.
I strongly suggest runs (and swims and rides) that are both easy and very, very hard (and everything in between) without gizmos and gadgets. Assess the workouts experientially, qualitatively – with your heart and soul.
Ultimately, when we race, this is the true satisfaction meter. When we assess a result as something that leaves us feeling self –actualized it is much more about an emotional knowing and warrior sensation, than it is about the numbers.
Allow the running to come naturally, progress through feel & knowing & let the numbers confirm & support that…
Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/I recently reviewed Matt Fitzgerald’s latest book (out on June 1st) RUN: The Mind-Body Method Of Running By Feel. It’s a great read & I believe it is his best yet & it explores in depth this week’s blog concept

HEAD to HEAD – The Mental Side of Being the Best You, You Can Be

2010-05-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

A coaching friend of mine recently asked me what one could do with the very frustrating situation of athletes not achieving what they are physically capable of on race day. Now the coach happens to be one of the VERY best coaches that the sport of triathlon has & the athlete is a professional, so it is not like this coach has no idea how to motivate an athlete or has no experience with getting top results at the highest level!
After what I thought was a drug-riddled showing in the distance events in the 2000 Olympics I made a fundamental shift in my thinking as a coach—forget trying to find individuals with the physiological characteristics to be world beaters; work instead towards helping those athletes that choose you as a coach to become the best they can be. If one of those athletes turns out to be a world beater then so be it.
I am happy to say that I have since also been involved with athletes who make it to the very top – the answer lies in the acknowledgement that NO SINGLE FACTOR IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ALL THE REST. Holism is an easy word to toss around in a lecture or conversation with coaches & athletes, but a far harder principle to apply consistently with every athlete & yourself.
Most of us master of one or some of the facets that make up peak performance in endurance events & I know some coaches who have systems & people in place that manage close to all of them. However of all these facets that constitute success mental skills training is the most challenging to master.
Which athlete wants to own up to being a “head case”? Very, very few of us have the vulnerability & ego-checking capabilities of setting aside our desires of not being exposed & the guts to fully take on the very real risks of falling flat on our faces in the full on attempt required to be the very best we can be.
This process is like meditation or prayer – the minute one gets competitive with it one loses! The dialogue that leaves one’s mouth as an “explanation” of a subpar performance is ego driven & a futile exercise in avoidance of being exposed to oneself & others. Even the seemingly honest, “that’s all I had on the day” is pregnant with denial if there is information that indicates the performance failed to meet the standards set in training. The worst one for all involved of course is the “I tried my best” answer. Facing & fully experiencing failure honestly is at the very root of the learning process that makes champions of us all.
Add to this, the coach’s conundrum – they know the athlete failed mentally, the athlete knows they failed mentally & the athlete knows the coach knows! Yet, because of the many precipitating factors like avoidance of confrontation, the relationship (in terms of social environment), trust, frail egos & money, the partnership continues & the size of the elephant in the room continues to increase.
With every day a coach fails to address the obvious fact that the athlete needs to take on their mental & emotional limiters he/she is selling their athletes more & more short. Granted, if the cause of the failure is sufficiently severe & sourced in the athlete’s childhood, then the coach cannot become a psychiatrist. But can the coach become a parent of sorts? YES, if the athlete is willing.
The whole idea of consciously allowing kids to fail in a safe environment within a loving, empathic environment is so that they learn how to read situations & make smart choices when the chips are down & the consequences of failure are far more dire. (Can you tell I have a 3-year-old & I am using Love & Logic© principles!). Without an open honest relationship & a clear commitment to excellence, athletes & coaches CANNOT access the means by which the athlete may rise to a level commensurate with the athlete’s ability… Quite simply can not
Whether you are self-coached, coached or coach, if you want to experience the elation of crossing the finish line with a deep sense of knowing that you displayed full access to your talent, skills & fitness, then you must take on addressing your limiters. These may include mental & emotional hurdles that are largely unknown & unseen by you as the protagonist.
In every endurance event, 1st race to your ability & fitness levels & then, when you have gone as far & as fast as your physiology & pacing have allowed, then race & beat everyone around you, knowing that these athletes will include many with greater capabilities. In this way precious few with less talent will finish ahead of you. And many with more ability will end behind you – those who have less fortitude than that which you forged in the fire of ownership & hard graft.
Bobby McGee
www.BobbyMcGee.com

Bare Foot Running Panel & Hill Running

2010-04-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Up that Hill & do it Again!

Before this week’s post, there’s a panel discussion on, yup you guessed it, BFR tomorrow, Wednesday (April 28th) at 6:30PM at Alta Physical Therapy in Boulder, (2955 Baseline Road, Boulder CO 80303). The panelists will be one time junior phenom runner & now coach Melody Fairchild, Olympic 10 000m & Marathon runner Alan Culpepper, Danny Abshire, designer of the Newton running shoe, top running physical therapist, Charlie Merrill, Aaron Anderson, pedorthist extraordinaire & myself. As has seemed to be the case with BFR in its latest Born to Run incarnation, enthusiasm (to put a euphemistic bent on it), is running high. Moderator Barry Siff would seem to have his work cut out for him.
Any way, if you live in the Boulder/Denver area & you are interested, we’d love to see you. Perhaps I’ll need your support as the battle may be bloody as the enthusiasts on either extreme edge of the spectrum vie to get their point across! Just kidding – it ought to be a blast.
HILL RUNNING
Hill running seems to be somewhat under-utilized by runners & triathletes in the USA in my experience, I am not sure if it’s a seasonal thing – in Africa we can run hard outdoors all year around, here it seems conditions limit what you can do quality-wise in the winter months & I don’t hear of a lot of people doing formal hill repeats on a treadmill. I have found runners get really close to their peak form after a series of hill repeats & that repeat work on the track adds some further benefit, but the risks of injury are far greater.
Hills don’t help you gain concentration skills much, (steady state runs on the flat do that!), as they allow you to run only as hard as you can, but boy do they help your functional strength & VO2 max if applied correctly. Hills are the ultimate tool when it comes to self-determining intensity; no matter what set of repeats you planned your form will soon tell you when the best laid plans are to be reviewed. Allow form to be your guide – if you figured on 75sec repeats & bits start flying off at 50sec, then 50sec is what was required at that effort. Use time rather than distance on hill repeats.
Hills are a great way to build specific speed without hurting yourself, because you are fighting gravity you are not running as fast & putting yourself down more softly. A pace on the flat that delivers the physiological stress you require may be challenging your joints & connective tissue/fascia more because of heightened centrifugal force from greater velocity. But on the hill, the same effort physiologically produces less damaging forces, but the same bang for your training buck. Conversely of course what goes up must come down & here you need to either take short soft quick running steps or walk, or Lydiard-style, pick a long hill with side streets that run with the contour (i.e. flat) upon which you recover.
Build to hill repeats as follows: Do a few runs on particularly hilly, rolling courses. Then progress to running those same routes, but accelerating the climbs & recovering on the downs & flats & then progress to formal hill repeats.
A word of caution to the over-zealous – don’t do hills without your ego in check! One of the US greats & definitely a humble individual with no ego issues at all is Dathan Ritzenhein – he gave me good insight on how to do hills. Dathan, the current US 5000m record holder discovered that he might have been doing his hill repeats too hard & too steeply, even perhaps too often, as he was getting injured in the ankle. He switched to shallower, longer & therefore less intense hills, stayed injury free & went sub 13min for 5km.
Have fun in them thar hills – your improved performances will be ample reward for slogging up the same flippin hill multiple times!
Bobby McGee
www.BobbyMcGee.com

2010-04-14T13:40:00.001-07:00

Last night I gave a talk to a running group at the side of a windswept track on the merits of using the run/walk method of training & racing. A point I make about the benefits of the method is the profoundly positive impact it has on cardiac drift. At the end, a runner, who is doing an Ironman® later in the season was very interested in this concept
Cardiac drift is a characteristic of heart rate in all endurance events in which the heart rate increases progressively as the workout or race progresses even if the output is the same. Then in the later stages, no matter how hard you push yourself, it begins to drop. There are a number of reasons for this, foremost of which is most likely fatigue, followed by hydration aspects. There is some evidence that heat may be a factor also – or heat accelerates fatigue & hydration imbalance, but the net result is the same.
As far as the heart rate dropping it would seem that as our peripherals start to fail/grow weak & we are unable to return blood to the chest cavity (heart & lungs) for re-oxygenation, decreasing the need for the cardio-vascular system to operate at higher levels.
Bottom line, the run/walk method helps to slow heart rate increase, making it possible for us to operate more efficiently for longer. The overall heart rate average is lower, thus improving our chances of being metabolically more efficient, (burn more fat for longer, sparing our carbohydrates). Finally, the vascular pumping action of walking & the relative reduction in fatigue because of the intermittent, rather than continuous running ensures that we can keep the heart rate up deeper into these long events & thus be able to perform better.
The walk run method helps in SO MANY ways – this just an illustration of how it can help in respect of cardiac drift.
As always, have fun & if you feel you need Leg Speed, contact us at http://www.bobbymcgee.com/ & see if we have something for you.
Bobby McGee

Check out the trailer of my new DVD on the home page of my website: www.BobbyMcGee.com

TRAINING TO FOCUS - RACING FOCUSSED

2010-04-14T09:29:00.000-07:00

A Psychological Model to Empower the Triathlete
“Losing focus” is a term often used by triathletes and coaches when an athlete makes a silly mistake, misses a break or makes a technical error. Fact is, focus does not disappear, it either goes to a place where it is effective and good decisions are made by the athlete, or it drifts to an area where it does not promote performance and may even derail the athlete’s chance at success.

Endurance events are lengthy by their very nature—an ITU-style race takes over 100 minutes, an Ironman race over 8 hours. This means that intense task oriented focus is not possible for the entire period of the race. Athletes succeed when they plan their focus periods and regulate concentration intensity. Triathlon, being a sport of 3 different repetitive movements, also contains the need for habituation, i.e. performing swimming, cycling and running without thinking about the action itself. The same holds true for transition activities. Where then does the mind go? The athlete better know! Recognizing internal dialogue and altering it if needs be, is a prerequisite for great performance.

It is important to also know that “being in the zone” is a state of mind more predicated on rhythm which as an objective observation may be mistaken for “checking out”. However, rather than checking out, this is the preferred state for optimal performance & shows up as an unconscious driving at optimal intensity & highest efficiency. This tapping into the “beat” of whatever you are doing & not involving any cognitive intervention is a product of clever training & highly habituated movement skills with their associated fitness levels. Effective focus on the other hand is the ability to objectively observe performance & external & internal situations & act proactively so as to ensure peak performance. This focus will not disrupt flow & govern the management of choices that best impact occurrences within a race that may not fall within the scope of the flow state to handle.

A number of studies of endurance events have shown that pace is slowest or slows somewhere between 75 and 90% into an event, whether that be an 800m running race or an Ironman event. I believe that the mechanism at work here is more mental than physical. See Diagram.

Studies (with weight lifters) have shown rather conclusively that output decreases when focus is drawn away from the process of performing the activity. This was confirmed when a further study illustrated that athletes who watched TV, read or listened to music while running on treadmills or riding stationary bikes recruited less muscle and used lower levels of their aerobic capacity, than athletes who were able to focus only on the activity without distractions.

Clearly focus is being lost in this area that can be defined as the “focus zone”. The triathlete begins to consider the effort that has been expended and how this might have affected him/her up to this point and how these past stresses might affect his/her ability to finish strongly. The finish is still too far off to have the athlete begin the drive for home. This clearly shows a crucial shift of focus – a focus removed from the task at hand. Concentration is placed on factors that are not relevant to the present situation. Not being in the moment “switches the body off”, as the mind dwells on past and future events, where the athlete cannot physically “do” anything. Power is lost & muscle recruitment diminishes.

The athlete can replace this ineffectual period of concentration, by being aware of this zone and training not to loose focus. Divide swim, bike and run workouts up into these phases—the first 75% (1.), 75 to 90% (2.), and 90% to the finish (3.) See Diagram.

Triathletes should be encouraged to really do what it takes to stay present and focused in this area. Develop a habit of knowing when the mind drifts to the past or future and learn to drag it back to the “now” – a place where the athlete can bring all the ability that he/she does have, to bear on the next stroke, pedal stroke and stride, moment by moment until the finish.

Good luck - see 1st how you do use focus, assess whether it could be better & then habituate a focus pattern that becomes automatic & allows to to be the most efficient athlete you can be.

Bobby McGee

www.BobbyMcGee.com

PS: My new running mechanics & drills DVD has been released - check it out on my website

Nope, not off somewhere, just staying in good old Boulder!

2010-04-05T11:28:00.000-07:00

Does one humbly apologize for an April Fool's joke that was mostly gobbled up gullibly? That's what I love about this community - honest, open, vulnerable, striving to be better.

I don't even wish it was true - but a slightly better Colorado winter would have been nice. I have a rule though - I NEVER complain about the heat, ANYWHERE, because that allows some whining about the cold from this here Southern Hemisphere boy.

So as the days warm up here in the US don't be caught not being able to strip off a layer, drinking a little more & keeping the electrolytes levels appropriate.

Pic of me draining a crucial turn for a practice triathlon mini race!

Bobby

www.BobbyMcGee.com

I'm off! Bobby McGee gets new job in United Arab Emirates

2010-04-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Same skills, different continent - hope I'm up to it!

I have thought about this offer for a long time & in the interests of my business & family have decided to leave beautiful Colorado for (even) warmer climes. It's a 2-year deal through the 2012 Olympics & involves triathlon development at a number of levels with both federational & private involvement. I will still travel extensively & will maintain contact with all my major US stake holders.

I'll miss Boulder & all its beautiful people...

I'll still post a blog or 2 before I leave with all the thank yous & the like.

I believe I'll be able to maintain the blog in a similar fashion, but may have wild & woolly tales from the Far East!

Till next time,

Bobby McGee
www.BobbyMcGee.com

Of books & audio visual. Finally the Biomechanics DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-31T13:28:00.000-07:00

It's here after fits & starts - my running biomechanics & drills DVD. Triathlon, The Run - Comprehensive Running Biomechanics & Drills. It is available through my website http://www.bobbymcgee.com/ or http://www.endurancefilms.com/.

It's strange, all 3 books that I have written were sourced differently in terms of their initiation. Magical Running was written because I'd come to a point as a coach where I realized that the immense efforts thrown at coaching individuals, especially at the highest level, were never going to be rewarded with commensurate results. By "coaching" I mean working the physical details, designing workouts, refining training, blood work, nutrition, equipment, routes, altitude, training theory & application... All this so often amounted to nought on the day of the really big competitions because of what was going on mentally & emotionally for the athlete - here there was no distinction between normal human being & athletic super being; the normal human frailties ruled & the performance most often showed it. So often the physically "inferior" athlete won the day. But they were mentally WAY superior & I knew both through formal training & instinctively that winners can be made mentally as well. It took me years to fully grasp the subtle performance differences between the mental & the emotional. Through extremely empowering personal work that I did & within the context of my formal sport psychology training, I came up with a mental skills training model that formed the basis for Magical Running. It has subsequently been proven to a be rather successful guide for those that take on the often confronting task of self-discovery & the replacement of mindsets that hold them back from the performances their bodies are capable of.

Then came Running Sports Essentials, now sold out of its 1st edition. Again a booklet that was not directly about run training - born of a realization: when we begin running, we do not start from zero, but years of plain old living has left us at minus something in most departments. Run training alone will lead us to injury & at least to a plateau. The framework upon which we build the running needed to be Kenyanized; brought to a place where it could properly absorb training in order for performance & not breakdown, to result.

Of course when it comes to muscle activation, dynamic warm up activities, stability training & effective post training activities there is so much new research coming to the fore that I decided that Running Sports Essentials needed to grow into Running Sports Essentials Plus. And don't you know it, there is much that needs to happen before what's been percolating in my mind after countless consultations with experts, & final fruition in the form of a publication. So to those of you who are asking for Running Sports Essentials & those of you who have benefited from using it, please be patient, I will get to it!

Then came Run Workouts for Runners & Triathletes. This time I was offered an opportunity to do what I have always wanted to do, but was too busy doing it practically, to write it all down in one cohesive piece for others to apply & use. Again there was the fear of rejection & self-doubt in the light of the great books & great successes of great coaches that were already out there; but you know how it goes, nothing ventured nothing gained. At least I knew the principles had produced Olympic Gold, world records, world champions & Olympians, so it couldn't be all bad right? Writing it was a slog, I will not tell a lie, but when the 1st emails started to arrive of PRs & invigorated running, triathlon & walking success stories I felt the effort was justified - not that being published is not one of the neatest feelings out there. Yes, you read correctly, walking. Years ago I coached a multiple world champion & world record holding masters race walker, by name of Barbara Nell. She still races & now also coaches & by using Run Workouts for Runners & Triathletes, she has produced some astounding age group/masters walkers - like a 26:20 5km for a female masters athlete, or a sub 47min 10km for male masters walker. I get so many emails to the website (http://www.bobbymcgee.com/) of athletes successes on a weekly basis - thank you!

Now finally the running biomechanics DVD, Triathlon, The Run - Comprehensive Running Biomechanics & Drills. The last 8 years or so have brought the need for me to assist the countless great US swimmers that come to the sport of triathlon without a running background. Of course coming from South Africa, with a background in working with African runners who run BEAUTIFULLY because of how they grew up, it is kind of ironic! Now I have come to use my background in formal biomechanics training & the zillion hours of watching running done both well & poorly to assist in teaching individuals to do something that they would have learned naturally if they had lived miles from school on dirt roads, had no shoes & no transport other than their feet. I see athletes almost daily to help with their mechanics. I formally teach running biomechanics at least once per month & always the request was the same - "Can we have a DVD of this, how are we going to remember how to do this, how can I teach this, how am I going to learn this from what I have written down?"

To improve your fitness takes weeks at best, but some mechanical interventions can improve your running instantly. Learn how & why you run as you do, assess whether your mechanics are holding you back & do the drills - you will run easier & faster.

Well now you have it - my approach. Of course, now, a year on from shooting (last April), I wish I could have added another 30 minutes with the new stuff I have learned. So next time you see me, ask me about launch angles & set up & I'll gladly comply!

Although the focus is on triathletes, the running mechanics principles hold true for all endurance running - in fact for the average runner it is easier to relate to triathletes than elite runners as they are slightly larger & have certain running challenges because of the swim & the bike, making them more "normal" than the sub 120lb males & sub 100lb female runners we see blowing around the marathon courses & tracks of the world like nothing more than feathers upon the wind!

So visit with me on the website & see if we have something than will help you run just that smidgen faster/better.

Think fast, look fast, do fast, be fast

Bobby McGee

Mastering downhill running

2010-03-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Been in Tucson helping with run mechanics & sport psychology for age group triathletes & doing some sagging up Mount Lemmon – now that’s a cool ride & probably a monster run. Camps are the way to go if you come from colder winter climes to jumpstart your season. Tucson is literally swamped with athletes of every kind at this time of year & besides opportunities to train swim, bike & run, there’s tons to do & GREAT places to eat. This year the weather has not played ball – cold & wet, but after what’s been going on weather-wise in Boulder & back east, there are no complaints.
Then we have a new world champion! Simon Martin, a friend & regular who attends drills & with whom I work on some scheduling & advice, won the world masters cross country title in Canada recently & made the final in both the 3000m & the 1500m – indoors. Congrats Simon!
Then we have another client/friend, who dived into BFR sans boots-and-all & then owned up to getting a stress fracture shortly afterwards! There were however some extenuating circumstances, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt…; speedy recovery Simon (another Simon).
This week I am delving into downhill running. There’s so much to say about this topic & so many struggle to gain the full advantage of gravity in races. 1stly I used to agree that “letting go” was a good idea in short races, but now I think down hills need to be “run” to gain full advantage. It helps to push the arms out a little wider during descents for balance & stability & also to open the elbow angle somewhat, lengthening the arm lever to keep the kinetic chain intact while taking longer strides. BUT I THINK A HIGHER STRIDE RATE IS THE ANSWER – this provides more control & less fatigue.
Lean off the line of gravity as the vertical, rather than off 90* being vertical on the level.
Mid foot strikers are able to brake with the foot & shoe, while heel strikers have to control descents with the shin (decelerating the lowering of the forefoot) & quad. This accelerated eccentric contraction massively fatigues the legs & does micro damage as well. Some studies have shown for example that some 70% of quad power is lost in the 1st 6 miles of the Boston Marathon due to the extreme nature of that descent. Heel strikers tend to step out from a slope & therefore “fall” much further to impact, while a good mid foot runner (still putting the heel down after the mid foot or at the same time), steps down the hill, a more kinesthetic move, with far less quad demand & dissipation requirements.
I remember in the 90s when I was running altitude camps for Olympic hopefuls in South Africa how we used to encourage the athletes to keep their heart rates up on descents by running down as hard as they could. Just this weekend some top long course triathlon pros were telling me how high they got their heart rates when descending on the bike – working against resistance down the hills to attain maximum speed.
Now, unlike the bike, bad form/lack of skill when running down can be ruinous to back, knees, shins & quads. To become a master runner on the downs requires an assessment of your current ability – do others kick your butt on the downs & are you really uncomfortable when running down & are you really beat up afterwards? If so assess your foot strike, body alignment & the other factors I have mentioned. Then practice in a number of ways – strengthen your legs through progressively building eccentric strength with lunges, squats, static & then linear plyometrics like hops & bounds. Then gradually, with short duration, shallow, well-cushioned (read grass) hills slowly develop both your technique & functional strength. Add one progressively longer run per week on a course that goes predominantly up on the way out & down on the way back. Eventually run some unidirectional runs; some faster & others longer, downhill. Progression rates with this skill & conditioning will be slower than for normal running as is indicated by the fact that a taper for a race with a lot of downhill running requires about a week longer to taper effectively.
So learn to actually run downhill rather than hang on & survive – turn descents into a weapon in your arsenal.
Till next time.
Bobby McGee
http://www.bobbymcgee.com/

PS: My new DVD on running form & run drills (with plenty of extras) is now available, either order from my website (www.BobbyMcGee.com) or from Endurance Films at www.endurancefilms.com

INTRODUCTION to BFR - & I'm done!

2010-02-22T12:58:00.000-08:00

Hey my run mechanics DVD is finally available - I will be able to ship them out in about 3 weeks - watch the website.

A Coach’s suggestions to introducing BFR to your routine

(This article goes out with a clear warning – no NOT try this without first clearing with your physician)
This process can be a little easier for triathletes who do spend some time running barefoot from either the water to the bike, or the dismount to the run and hopefully training for that.
The trick with moving from fully shod all the time, to experiencing the conditioning, mechanical and performance benefits possible through BFR, is gradual progression – just like regular endurance training.
· Your specific mechanics (including weight)
· Foot wear transition process and suggestions
· Venues and surface
Somewhat obviously your specific mechanics are the most crucial aspect as pertaining to the entry process to BFR. If you are a serious over-pronator with collapsed arches who originally chose your footwear because of pain or injury due to this, you need to pay special attention.
Use this as a disclaimer (speak to your doctor). Bottom line – your feet could always use some strengthening and everyone can benefit from addressing their running mechanics, BUT SOME FOLK REALLY WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RUN AT ALL WITHOUT MODERN SPECIFIC FOOTWEAR. If you have issues either structurally or with soft tissue that logically and in the opinion of a respected expert, preclude you from efforts to do some running (or even walking) bare foot – stay away. As an individual you will know from informal barefoot experience whether this is a route for you to try or not.
Lastly, remember that the likelihood of early man, the runner who chased his lunch down, had a body fat of over 10% is highly unlikely – they had no high fructose corn syrup! An individual’s weight is key going into a BFR integration process. As an example, I set goal weight targets (based on a % body fat) for my beginners before they transition from walking to running and from run/walk to running. Similarly, neophyte triathletes from a swim background (or to a lesser extent, a biking or highly sedentary background), must first do some walking, foot strengthening and bone density increasing activities before beginning BFR. So too should any athletes who have clear limiters to BFR regarding their physical suitability.
Once you have jumped through the hoops to ensure you can safely launch into a BFR process then it’s time for HOW.
The first HOW is footwear. You might say well, if we are talking BFR then let’s go do it – run without shoes – but easy there Tiger, not so fast. A good model is the one of orthotics – have I said a bad word? Often individuals who opt for orthotics, maintain the same support shoes & end up over-supported – it is essential to reduce the amount of support you get from your shoe if an orthotic is doing much of the work already. Also consider that often an orthotic does its work in a very short time & proprioceptively improves your foot function meaning you need less orthotic VERY soon. Lastly the greater the amount of support, the greater the weakening of the foot structure as its function is taken over by external devices. This, by the way, is the whole argument of the BFR fraternity – these shoes have weakened our feet to such an extent that we have become dependent upon them. Ironically, this is also the voice of reason in the whole process: yes strengthen your feet, gain as much natural strength & function as possible & reduce the support & cushioning of your footwear to the safest point possible. The whole idea of course is to run as fast as your physiology permits & you desire & then also remain injury free, (which is the secret to optimal fitness any way – consistency!)
So using the orthotics model – the greater your dependence upon supportive shoes & orthotics & the less effective your own natural mechanics, the slower the process. This might mean wearing slightly less supportive shoes as your specific process begins, while another, who wears a neutral racer or racer/trainer can possibly go straight to barefoot work or to some kind of minimalist footwear.
Lastly the surface that is to be run on needs to be carefully considered. While thick grass is good, there are some inherent challenges: hidden dangers like glass, rocks, splinters & dog poop landmines are an ever present possibility. Grass is also uneven & can cause sprains & the like. Dirt is somewhat hard & stony. So those surfaces often require some sort of covering of the foot sole like a cross country racing flat. I really like synthetic grass surfaces – they are soft enough & firm enough & somewhat clear of debris & reasonably accessible.
Process:
1. Start off by walking about the house & garden barefoot for ever lengthening periods – good luck with the garden in northern climes (or way southern climes) in the winter!
2. Spend some time (a maximum of 10 minutes) “playing” with minimalist shoes (no heels or real cushioning or support) – Frisbee, throwing a ball, light soccer, kids, etc
3. Before run sessions, after a brief barefoot walk, run around on a smooth, softer, safe surface at a comfortable pace for a maximum of 5 minutes & gradually increase from there.
4. If you do regularly sprint or stride & do plyometric drills, begin doing some small part of these barefoot or in minimalist footwear
5. Build these until you have achieved the desired effect & you have determined a level of footwear cushioning & support that suit your needs for performance & safety
& for goodness sake – have fun with it!

Bobby McGee

Look out for my new DVD on Run Mechanics & Drills in the next 3 weeks on my website & from USAT or Endurance films

MORE words on barefoot running...

2010-02-09T11:35:00.001-08:00

This URL is brief & says plenty; check it out: http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=running-barefoot-is-better-research-2010-01-27Especially watch the video; Very clear

Yes there is less pressure on the knees of people who run on their fore foot, or at least strike there 1st. The problem arises for most runners however if they do not follow this with the heel at least lightly “kissing” the surface as the great 800m runner, Sebastian Coe puts it.Remember that a number of elite athletes do run on their forefeet, in shoes, as they were born to run. I am a plodder & run on my forefeet for heaven’s sake. A highly supportive shoe kills me, but even though I teach biomechanical drills, can demonstrate most forms of running, spend my entire childhood & much of my adult life barefoot, I cannot & would not run barefoot on asphalt – I never run on concrete; I rather run through shrubbery! And my goodness, how unnatural, I wear gloves, as this wussy South African could never finish a 30 minute session in a Boulder winter without them! My genetically given foot structure is that of a high arch with zero ability to pronate (natures natural shock absorber & foot spring). I need protection & some cushioning.Not all heel strikers are equal either – remember the heel is far closer to the body’s dynamic center of mass than the forefoot & therefore promotes a partial passing strike of the surface, allowing the body to be somewhat more upright. This landing under the body, instead of ahead of it, is a very good thing & leads to a rolling, efficient way to run. This is also a rotational force & deflects & loads quite effectively. The foot serves as a partial wheel & rolls smoothly from heel to toe. Poor heel striking, with the shin angled backward & the heel striking the ground way ahead of the center of mass, with the toe up high & the shin working like the dickens to decelerate the inevitable slap down & inward that is to follow is a sure way to entice every running injury in the book. This happens because these runners are truly mimicking walking (& how most everyday runners learned to run) – they are simply launching & dropping onto the ground in a display of aerial power walking. This comes from a lack of background in running & these individuals (the majority) have progressed their natural walk to a launched version & call it running. Of course it is unnatural, has damaging peak forces & without highly protective footwear will injure them. Again, I am all for education & returning our nutrition, etc to a simpler way, but at the rate at which safe healthy information gets to the majority of the community that requires it, we will create more problems than we solve if we allow every runner & prospective runner to hurl themselves into BFR. A well designed study done at the University of Cape Town Sports Science Institute, under the auspices of the world renowned scientist & author of what is commonly acknowledged greatest running book ever written, Dr. Tim Noakes produced interesting results. The instigator was a Dr. Nicolas Romanov, he of the POSE method fame or infamy, depending where you seat yourself. He says also that we should ALL run on our forefoot. Now similar to these other studies done on BFR, this study found decreased pressure in the knee joint & supported Dr. Romanov’s notions. Anecdotally however almost every individual in the study developed achilles tendon problems soon after the study completion. Dr. Romanov says the transition may have been too rapid. Add to this of course that there was no footwear intervention either, but I surmise that this is the biggest issue that will arise if we have a mass exodus of runners over to being savannah plains runners on the paved & cobbled streets of the world – a huge increase in achilles tendon & similar injuries.I believe I have 2 more of these (BFR blogs) in me: One on footwear that might meet the biomechanical requirements of BFR & no, not minimalist in the least, & how to transition from shod to some BFR without irreparably dinging yourself.Till then, take care, be your swiftest & have a blast.

Bobby McGee

The interest in barefoot running rages on

2010-02-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

So there it is… so much more information out there – good stuff too, lots of research being done, some out in the public domain & larger studies to come—hooray! Remember how I said that there are way more intelligent people than I out there who know so much more? So the evening after a day of BFR back & forth in the popular press, there’s a great piece out of Beaverton, Oregon. Check it out on NPR & search for barefoot running. Then there are also the groupies, who at least are passionate, whether well-informed or not. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/even-if-the-shoe-fits-forget-it/.
You know how it goes, a few individuals are super keen, have a valid story about themselves to tell & then sell it as the norm or the answer to world peace - & this cuts both ways – for or against. My appreciation to those who replied/commented as a contribution to the blog; I am glad that some have taken the time (& even admitted getting injured), but persisted & strengthened their feet & proceeded to find a level of barefoot, or minimalist running that allowed them to continue enjoying an activity they love. Also remember the silent majority who run miles, effectively, enjoyably & with shoes of some form or another. Those experts that I work with on a daily basis & who do sell shoes for a living have confirmed in their attention to my clients that sometimes too much shoe is prescribed, but in general, most people receive footwear that provides the minimum of what they need. Look at it this way, sure we were meant to run barefoot, over soft natural terrain, in certain climates. We were designed at some point in our evolution to run down our food because even though much slower than almost all our prey we had superior breathing apparatus that allowed us to go slowly for VERY long periods of time & that we dealt with heat way better than our lunch did hence we drove them to exhaustion. Nowadays we only drive ourselves to exhaustion in an effort to ward off the fact that our food no longer avoids us & just lays there; & in most cases it is barely food at all! We no longer naturally operate that way through necessity (hunger!), & we certainly are not that light, nor do the surfaces we mostly have access to allow barefoot running.
Another factor seemingly not considered is that of speed. Converts to barefoot running as the only way to go can initially, for very short distances run gingerly on their forefeet & gradually adapt to a level where they get some distance & some speed – however, once conditioned, they still need some slight cushioning & protection in the form of shoes to be able to run where they please, as fast as they are able. While they do report miraculous healing from chronic conditions, they aren’t saying much about speed. I do agree with the argument put forth that the slowness of the process of conversion is exactly what we need & it matters not how long it takes, but only that we take the trouble to recreate our feet & legs for long term health & fitness. Some (& this is most people I believe), who have developed themselves as runners & figured out what works best on their feet & are successful at doing what they want to do would be loathe to go back & relearn the process entirely & suffer the injuries en route to reinventing the wheel. If they live in an environment unsuited to the sans shoes approach, why risk it? Whether we run or play racquet ball recreationally, if we push the limits – barefoot or not we will become an injury statistic at some stage!
More next time… Like heel striking is not evil, but not all heel striking is created equally either…
Take care, run well, be adventurous & sure wonder out (or in) where it’s safe & very gradually strengthen those feet!
Bobby McGee

More on unshod or not - barefoot running's run

2010-01-27T11:08:00.000-08:00

In alignment with my attempt to seek brevity as a solution to blogging that becomes too infrequent, yesterday’s mammoth post hardly resonated! Anyway, I had had so many requests to state my case that I finally relented.
Today I want to briefly state that in preparation for yesterday’s piece, I did quite a bit of reading on the matter. Some of the pieces I referenced went into detailed, historical, well researched & anecdotal evidence for the use of shoes in some form or another. There are some really smart people out there! Of course what would be needed would be some convincing stats, from broad studies, that support the move to barefoot running en masse or not. I suspect that the level of sedentary backgrounds & social behaviors & circumstances of most individuals would indicate that the shift to barefoot running would need to be so gradual & expertly monitored as not to be possible both in terms of time & environmental requirements. I did not go into any detail on the actual mechanics involved as they pertain to wearing footwear versus going barefoot, but the prerequisites needed for the average runner to gain advantage from striving to run barefoot exclusively will in most cases be insurmountable & counter-indicated.
Add to this that there are a number of BFR (barefoot running) practitioners making a good bit of cash off their efforts to run BFR groups. This is not wrong, but to try to undermine bona fide research & efforts to make running less injurious & more pleasurable & effective for the masses smacks somewhat of hypocrisy.
Please also note that I am in no way financially supported by any shoe company or running store & am in the business to do whatever it takes morally & legally to provide a service to runners & triathletes to optimize their running experience.
Barefoot running most definitely has its place & that place is not as a full-time running alternative for all or most runners.

On Bare Foot Running, (now the buzzword is BFR) & the latest war

2010-01-26T15:29:00.000-08:00

I have been running since 1968 in some form or another & after almost 30 years of coaching runners of all guises, from the gazelles who grew up running barefoot everyday & winning gold medals in the marathon in shoes, to regular folk who’d get injured if they fetched the mail barefoot.
Come on, isn’t every war (that hurts us all) & failed bills through Congress that would benefit millions, always because we have some lunatic fringe refusing to live & let live & has to force their paradigm, no matter how poorly supported or justified, down our throats to the detriment of all including themselves?
Those of you observing this titanic struggle between those that swear if we do not run with the feet we were born with in all their naked glory, frostbite, stress fractures, cessation & all, we will definitely destroy the planet & all upon it & have a miserable time in general while we run & those who fear that their livelihood is in danger because they’ll never sell another running shoe (or device that allows pleasurable perambulation to millions ) again, take heart—between black & white are a myriad shades of grey & every other color of the rainbow.

Those than can run barefoot do & should, those that clearly should not, should not…

If we all grew up rurally in regions where there was no concrete or asphalt, or broken glass & shards of various metals lying about, then maybe…
AND
If we all started life using running as a primary mode of transport (together with walking) for EVERYTHING we did & EVERYWHERE we needed to get to, then maybe
AND
If we all lived in climates where footwear was never a prerequisite demand of our environment, then maybe
AND
If we all grew up never having the posterior side of our legs shortened by footwear with heels, then maybe
AND
If we all weigh under 110 pounds if we are female & 130 pounds if we are male, then maybe
AND
If we all had the time, the structural integrity, the youth, the willingness, the mechanics, the soft tissue, the environment, the guidance, the patience, the support & the understanding, then maybe:

WE WOULD ALL BE ABLE TO RUN BLISSFULLY BAREFOOT INTO THE SUNSET WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD, SMUG IN OUR DESTRUCTION OF THE MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR BEHEMOTH THAT IS THE RUNNING SHOE INDUSTRY

BUT ONLY IF

Now barefoot running has been around since the dawn of man & man is the only creature that manipulates his environment to such an extent that it requires of him to continually adapt to survive & function within that environment. So those that claim to be the father’s of this movement are just as full of it as Christopher McDougal (yes he who wrote the really wonderful treatise, Born to Run) when it comes to claiming ownership of the “art”. McDougal has done a great job of bringing it to international prominence & can possibly claim blame or infamy for it being such a hot topic or as a young New Jersey friend recently called it – a hot mess.
Born to Run was 1st published in May 2009 – on September 24th 2009 McDougal published a fantastic article in Men’s Health magazine called Everything you know about muscle is wrong, (again the combative in-your-face type title that seems to be his hallmark). This is all about connective tissue being the answer to all athletic health, power & performance – maybe so, & those of us in the industry have long been working in this field as well as with the other components of performance, but this a story for another day. Suffice to say that Christopher, after months of gradual conditioning with an ultra marathon coach & his heroic voyage in the mountains of the Copper Canyons, with the whimsical Arnulfo & his magical people waxed euphoric that by running with his minimalist Indian sandals he no longer suffers from any of the niggles & injuries that us mortal men do, like our most recent winner of the New York Marathon (& an Olympic marathon silver medalist) suffer. Now here, in this article, he speaks of his elusive (“piercing”) plantar fasciitis, which is “so unpleasant that I (he) can barely run or lift anymore”. The addressing of his connective tissue imbalances miraculously cured this condition. Christopher McDougall, even though he runs among the Amish farms of rural Pennsylvania, obviously does not have all of the above ifs…
I have critically observed & worked with many hundreds of runners both as a coach & running biomechanics specialist. I work with the individual running quirks of many world class athletes & regular athletes. I address each one according to need. Some actually need less orthotic, less support, less cushioning. Many have feet that have atrophied & lost critical motion capabilities because of overly restrictive or ill-advised footwear or orthotics. Many can benefit from time spent walking or even some small amount of running barefoot on well cushioned surfaces like grass or synthetic grass surfaces – this will return neuromuscular feel & function; this will teach true elastic-loading & unloading. This will also strengthen critical muscles & tendons in the foot & lower leg. It is a very gradual process & prescribed not because the athlete desires to run barefoot full time, but to heal & enhance their running experience. But even if the greatest runners in the world, with the exact background as I have described above attempted to do the training volumes & training intensities required to make the living that they do on the roads of Boston, London, New York & Chicago & then race on those surfaces at those speeds they would surely all break down – only one man has ever won an Olympic marathon barefoot & his name is Abebe Bikile, an Ethiopian who ran 2:15 barefoot because he was such a late entry into the Ethiopian team, Adidas could not find him a pair of shoes that fit – he had trained barefoot however. It is interesting to note that his father was a shepherd, so clearly he grew up exactly fulfilling ALL of the above Ifs. He won the next Olympics in 2:12 in Puma shoes. Both the 1st sub 4min South African miler, DeVilliers Lamprecht & Zola Budd ran barefoot & they both told me that eventually their feet gave them so much trouble that they could no longer run (DeVilliers) & that they had to resort to wearing shoes for training & eventually racing as well (Zola). The greatest runner of all, Haile Gebrselassie, realized after being badly beaten in the London Marathon with a time of 2:06, that he would have to forego his habit of running on his forefeet, he would have to lower his heel to the surface to compete against the world’s best. He now runs the marathon 3 minutes faster! He has run in Adidas shoes his entire career. Granted that the elites, that are so much lighter, so much more athletic, so much stronger & that have been conditioned to run since early childhood can wear very minimalist footwear—stands to reason. The great recent winning tradition of Japanese woman in world & Olympic marathoning has shown us that very thin, light-weight shoes can be worn to cover distances in excess of 130 miles per week. However, again, these ladies are tiny & they have very, very high stride rates (hence have very light foot strikes).
Many of the world’s greatest runners are heel strikers – having these athletes switch to barefoot running would no doubt destroy them – I am sure their adversaries would welcome their attempts to become members of the fiercely cultish zealots who say it’s barefoot or nothing.
Before footwear became as advanced as it did, distance running was reserved for only a small select group of men & school children participating in track – the 1st woman’s Olympic marathon only occurred in 1984! Even 5000m was considered too far in the 80s & women could only run a 3000m on the track. All this because we thought running was too hard for most people.

HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE ADVENT OF THE MODERN RUNNING SHOE, DISTANCE RUNNING AS WE KNOW IT TODAY, A SPORT OF HEALTH, FITNESS & HEROIC PARTICIPATION WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES. IT WOULD HAVE REMAINED A SPORT FOR A SMALL COMMUNITY BLESSED WITH THE PHYSIOLOGY & MECHANICS OF A BORDER COLLIE. THE LUNATIC FRINGE WHO NOW SO IRRESPONSIBLY & VEHEMENTLY VILIFY RUNNING SHOES WOULD HAVE US RETURN TO THOSE DAYS WHEN NONE BUT A FEW MECHANICALLY BLESSED INDIVIDUALS WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO A SPORT THAT SAVES & ENHANCES THE LIVES OF MILLIONS.

Could anyone with the patience & access to intelligent guidance pursue the holy grail of running some distance barefoot? Yes they could pursue it, but would the end justify the process – could they ALL succeed? Nope – many may be called by this current reigniting of the debate, but very few will be chosen & the humble PT & local running shoe store will again have salve & solace for the many who simply desire to go for a run…
It is so easy to attack big brother – but how many know of the global efforts of the top footwear companies to do exactly the opposite of what the BFR-or-die bunch say. Why would great running stores like the Boulder Running Company & top shoe companies like Brooks (http://www.facebook.com/l/f1503;www.brooksrunning.com/media/File/0900_barefoot_running_whitepage.pdf - a great series follows this by various top specialists in the field, a worthwhile read & very, very responsible of Brooks to issue), want to injure individuals? Surely they too are in the business of serving their community with equipment that enhances their experience & reduces their risk of injury – if Toyota produces a car that injures people it recalls it; similarly if a shoe company produces a shoe that fails to function, they replace it with a more effective model; shoe stores choose lines based on what they, as experts, believe will serve runners’ best interests. I have watched Nike's efforts with their Free shoe & praise them for being both innovative & responsible with their product & marketing - like everybody else, they still make plenty of shoes for average runners who could only run with the cushioning & support provided.
Even the greatest ultra distance runner of them all, Scott Jurek (also praised & described at length in Born to Run), feels that BFR need not be one or the other, but can serve as a great tool for a number of things.

Much can be done to enhance the running mechanics of the individual. I have been blessed to have been placed in the position to help many who hurt themselves through poor running technique or shoes, or help others run faster. I do this by teaching appropriate running skills & suggesting to both on occasion, that they consider changes in footwear; I will even recommend the use of barefoot or minimalist footwear walking & running as one of a number of effective tools, but what I won’t be doing any time soon is suggesting that the only true “Cool Aid©” to be drinking is that of barefoot running!

More on Walk/Run

2010-01-18T16:22:00.000-08:00

Again a good question to my website (http://www.bobbymcgee.com/) on the run/walk method for running & triathlon success.

"Hi Bobby, I'm a Level 1 Coach and recently watched your webinar 'Run/Walk Your Way To Faster Racing Times' (. I am very interested in the program and am thinking I will try it. I'm training for a 70.3 in June. I had a question - when you follow this program, do you suggest that every training run should be a run/walk? I run 3x/week. And, would that change if I ran 5x/week instead or 3x? In your webinar you suggest that someone may decide during a race to run the last 5K of a long run. If that's the case, wouldn't it be good to have some of your training runs be pure runs (no run/walk). Thanks!"

Thanks for your interest & query. If you only run 3 times per week, I believe, especially if you intend to race run/walk, which I highly recommend, that if you run walk EVERY session, you will be able to run at least one extra run per week, which will positively impact your run ability. However as a direct answer to your question I usually recommend that all runs over 45min should be walk run. Many, many age groupers would be best served running shorter, but more frequent runs & run/walking ALL of them. The pros I work with only do this on their long runs. If you ran similar volumes, but ran 5 times per week, you should see an incremental increase in your run fitness.

I understand your question regarding finishing the last 5km in a race without a walk break, but this is if you realize you are home free & could get home faster if you ran the whole way & even if you had miscalculated, at this late stage there is no harm done & you can simply take a walk break to restore yourself (reset) & then run on. If training, as you are, for a longer race it is not a bad idea to walk/run the majority of your run & then try to run the last 3-4 miles without walk breaks. This will increase your functional strength, but will increase recovery time & there is a greater risk of injury. A better bet is to simply pick up the walk/run pace in over the last few miles/km in some long runs – in this way you improve your specific fitness, teach your legs to be able to finish strongly & the risks of injury & delayed recovery are minimized.

Good luck & best wishes for a great race!
Bobby McGee

2K10 here we go. Happy New Year

2010-01-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

Fitness, fun, competition... Just love the moments & bask in the doing, such blissful silliness.

In so many ways I am the luckiest coach in the world. I have ample work to do. I feel that I still have so much to learn – both a scary & great place to be. I had & still have great mentors. Athletes seem to feel I have something to offer them that will enhance their performances. I absolutely love what I do. I wake up every morning with only one conundrum – how to fit it all in; family, personal health & enrichment, life’s menial realities & then the myriad facets of my vocation! Put this way methinks I whine too much.
As Richard Bach said, obviously my mission here on earth is not complete because I am still alive. Hmm, just had a thought; how does Tiger Woods explain to his kids what went down, when the time comes. He was leaving some legacy there for a long while & now, while the performance legacy is still intact, he now is father to another legacy that is massive in the public psyche. We all have skeletons in our closets no doubt – I certainly have & it is up to us to manage those as they pertain to our way of being as athletes.
Anyway, this needed to be said in order for me to continue to develop a doable & still useful relationship with my blog. Perhaps a twitteresque approach might be best, where whatever the current high point is of what I am working on is briefly encapsulated in what is hopefully a provocative paragraph or two & then sit back & see if this is what you guys want – via comments or emails to my website, http://www.bobbymcgee.com/, & then make sure I answer your comments with ones of my own!
Waddajaguysthink?

Oh to be lean without the mean!

2009-12-23T10:55:00.000-08:00

Another blog entry driven by an email from a client - they so inspire me to keep hard at it EVERY DAY, because truly the greatest reward for what I do is to see athletes experiencing joy in what they do.

"It has been about 18 months since my personal session with you in Boulder, and it is still as fresh and meaningful as it was the day we met. I have been working on the basic ideas you suggested, especially the “habituation” of a solid training program.

The one aspect that I have not yet mastered is what Bobby called “the fat loss game” but I am working on it and know I will make progress. If you have any additional writing and/or tips on this I am certainly open to suggestion!!!

To be honest, I am surprised that I still recall and think about our training session, but I truly do. I find it amazing that a one hour session has had such a profound and long lasting positive impact on me."

How very kind of you Joe – it makes the heart sing when you positively impact some aspect of an individual’s life. Happy Holidays to you & your family as well, (& to all of you out there that read my blog!).

The “Fat Loss Game” as you know, is the toughest one of all – here are some more guidelines, some old, some new:
· Read In Defense of Food – by Michael Pollan
o Eat often, not so much, mostly raw & unprocessed fruit & vegetables
o Eat meat as a side dish
· 5-6 meals a day, keep the caloric density weighted towards the AM
· Serve your actual (tested daily caloric requirements) with these meals; no more, no less (yes – no less)

- Also read Bob Seebohar's book - Nutrition Periodization for Endurance Athletes

· Fuel your training separately before, during & after workouts; so when you train, you eat extra to fuel that training, when you don’t train, you eat only your regular daily requirement.
· Walk plenty as part of your training – throw in a big hike (1 – 6 hours) per week. Start & end all runs with a 3 – 5min walk. Make sure that at least 60% (if possible 80%) of your other/run training is easy aerobic (below 70% of heart rate reserve – max minus resting times .70, plus resting)
· Eat (good) fats
· Stay satiated – i.e. do not allow yourself to get hungry. Snack proactively (i.e. choose, buy, decide on snacks while satiated, not when you start becoming aware of hunger)
· Watch out for the caloric density of juices, sports drinks, salad dressings & sauces

Hope this is useful,
Best wishes,
Bobby McGee

Are you Running SLOWLY enough?

2009-12-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

I get such great questions on my website that provide an opportunity for me to spout my opinion on my blog. This one should be of use to many runners & triathletes.

"Bobby, I have attended several trainings by you. Which I have taken a lot out of each one. I am an endurance coach. I was wondering if you could answer a training question. It seems my faster athletes do not have a problem doing their easy runs, easy....say 45sec or more per mile, slower then their Marathon pace. But the athletes at the other end, the 9:00 MP runners always seem to struggle with at their V-Dot predicted easy pace. They complain about running so slow. I am concerned they are spending to much time in the grey zone. What are your thoughts? Thank you."

This is a complex question & I am very glad you asked it – it is most challenging for the slower runners, they ARE going too fast & in that grey zone - diminishing their chances of transcending their current plateau & here’s why:

Their easy pace is too close to their race pace – a common challenge for marathon coaches of the masses. A vast majority of marathoners run their easy & long runs at their marathon pace. In order for them to super-adapt they must find a way to change this & initially the answer is for them to go slower in training & trust it. In this way, pretty soon, they’ll start to adapt & their projected marathon pace WILL go up (faster) & then their training pace will also. This is a mental skill also – teach the ego to shut up & then teach the body to train for adaptation. It can take years for this adaptation to take place fully. See if the following points help out – they do for my runners & triathletes:

· I have had success with teaching the slower runners at altitude to NOT run until they can run at less than 70% of their actual heart rate reserve (i.e. using their resting HR as an evening factor). They walk brisker & brisker at that sub 70% until they can run, or they run on the downs & then flats & walk the climbs (which brings them into grey if they try to run), until they adapt. It can take 18 months – but most can do this in about 6 or so weeks
· I use the walk/run method a LOT (even with elites) – this helps them run a bit faster (as they’d like), but keeps the HR down – they slow to a walk when it begins to exceed 70-75% of HRR. This helps with fat metabolism training also. Check out my webinar on USAT website, from a couple of weeks back on walk/run: https://usat.confedge.com/ap/registration/home.cfm?i=register&e=f7413f5f-8e53-4c04-b8ad-51d0b3d3e63f&grp=Archive&newRegistrant
· Have them do ever increasing hikes & get more & more hilly with these. I start with 45min & work up to even 4+ hours.
· Finally, check out the latest triathlete magazine (p106), for something that I have used & believed for years - 12 – 15% grade (on treadmill also) walking. Is exactly the same as running without the impact & HR is easily controlled

Good luck & please let me know if this helps,

Best wishes,

Bobby McGee

The Fast makes me Furious

2009-11-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

In the recent 70.3 world championships Tim O'Donnell, who was unbeaten at the distance this season up to this point, was given a 4 minute or so time penalty. He took it well, as all great athletes do, but ended up some 4 minutes back of the winning time & losing out on some significant income. In the women's pro race the lead bunch of men caught up to the lead women & most of that pack tagged along for a ride that turned out to be the fastest ever for women. Need I say more?

Years ago race walking reached an impasse that almost led to the demise of the sport. The technique of the top athletes had developed to such an extent that the naked eye could no longer determine if the athletes were actually competing according to the rules of the sport & the clause "apparent to the naked eye" was introduced into the rules.This meant that the athletes could now "cheat", which would be visible in slow motion video, but not to the eye of the officials.

Similarly, after much fighting about "true" triathlon, which implies that the ride is a non-drafting event & no rider may slipstream behind another rider & so gain as much as a 30% advantage in doing so, the Olympic movement decided that the Olympic triathlon event would be draft legal & a criterium style ride was instituted. There are various reasons for this, some of which may be that the event became more exciting from a spectator standpoint & much less controversial in the application of the drafting rules which have changed somewhat over the years.

Non-draft racing makes sense for the masses of age groupers because it is much safer. Though I still believe that a draft legal event should be offered to suitably qualified age-groupers. This would help the Olympic sport immeasurably. However the issue of policing the pros has become a major bone of contention over the years, as so often a good swimmer will see their hard earned position rapidly evaporate as a pack of poorer swimmers "work" together & catch the lone swimmer on the bike. So too the less effective biker may "sit in" & do less work on the bike & be able to have fresher legs for a superior run.

Most of my work is with the Olympic style of racing, where tactics, team tactics, superior bike handling skills & crit-style cycling smarts can make or break an athletes performance. My own competitive years were spent racing triathlon as the proverbial "race of truth", as the time trial on the bike has been called - a wholly solo affair. I therefore have no opinion either way as to which may be "better" or purer, each sport is unique, but where I am really biased is in the disadvantage experienced by the honest racer.

If the margin is so slim & the field so full that effective, fair, across the board draft officiating becomes impossible, as definitely seems to be the case in the pro sport of half & full Ironman races & the big money non-draft Olympic distance races, then the good name of the sport is falling into disrepute & becoming something of a farce.

I am close enough to many of these professional triathletes to know that a lot of money (relatively speaking) is at stake here. These athletes earn a meagre living relative to their stature, expertise, hard work & talent when compared to sports like football, baseball, basketball & hockey - even track & field & road running. There are not that many opportunities either - how many of these gruelling races can an athlete do at the very highest level in the course of a career? The sport has so many variables & a myriad things can go wrong on the day & dash months of careful planning & masses of hard work, without the spectre of either (unfair) disqualification or being beaten by a cheat being added to the mix.

I know that race directors & many influential individuals in the sport care, but what needs to be done is a review of each event to determine the number of participants that the specific course can handle & still be fairly marshaled. Clearly this is often NOT the case - it is hard enough to be a pro triathlete & have to decide, "Should I go with this pack as my competitors are doing, or should I play by the rules & end up with a position inferior to my true ability?"

Of all the non-pro athletes I spoke to who ran in the New York Marathon this year - the biggest marathon ever, the complaint was the same - "a magnificent experience, but I could never really run freely & ended up with a time between 10 & 40 minutes slower than I was capable of". The race was too crowded for a runner to actually run to ability.

In this case my advice is, "you have to run the great races, have an adventure & don't expect a great time, unless you get seeded in such a way as to be able to have an open run. If you want to run a PR, choose a smaller, less crowded event." But in the case of the pro triathletes, what are they to do?

My point? I dunno... maybe a cry to those in power to think of the long term health of the sport & find a way to have the best athletes win cleanly, whether that be in draft legal or non-draft races. I do NOT think that either type of event should consider changing to a different format, but clearly the policing & the problem MUST be reviewed & addressed - the current system is NOT working!

Bobby McGee

Meb is True Blue

2009-11-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Boy does it ever sicken me! What do people want? After reading Gina Kolata's article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/sports/03runner.html?_r=1&emc=eta1) (reporting on the web traffic saying that Meb Keflezighi is not an American & therefore not the 1st American in 27 years to win the New York marathon). I am so deeply saddened, that even amongst runners such racialism still exists. Hats off to Alberto Salazar coming out & saying that he too was born in another country & he was the last American to win NY!

I wonder how many people know that Meb's physiology is that of an elite distance runner, but no more so than any number of other elite American runners. His secret is EXTREME dedication & commitment. His attention to detail, his self-discipline, his work ethic are legendary to those in the know.

Meb, from my side, "Way to go my man - what a wonderful run, after the travails you have been through since your silver medal in Athens, this qualifies as one of the greatest comebacks of all time!"

Bobby McGee

Run Free Friends

2009-10-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

I get so wrapped up in my work with runners & triathletes who wish to improve their mechanics that I sometimes forget that the reason why most of us run is simply as an escape to a more child-like time. I watch my son run & it's always with simple & sheer joy! When racing it is important to always keep this in mind. The voluntary nature of what we do allows us to tap into areas of motivation that are different than toughness, or competitiveness, or even a winning mindset, but rather a peaceful, balanced, rhythmic process, fueled by amazement & gratitude. So in the spirit of this I refer you to a laugh out loud YouTube clip of Friends so that whether you are a serious runner or just a happy-to-be-out-there runner, you can tap into power & motivation that is available from the not so usual sources of plain joy & fun. Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_0Ta_DIWuU&feature=related

Bobby McGee

Further to New York this weekend

2009-10-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

Another note to you intrepid New York Marathoners:

I am excited for you all as you launch down the streets of New York this weekend.

If you get this next week right I believe that all that stands between you & a big breakthrough is the mental component of overcoming the inevitable bad patch. If you closely follow your plan of starting conservatively, but ensuring that you DO get into the running as soon as you can, then typically there will come the precipitous moment where you have to decide to push through at a level perhaps only achieved in the marathon once before & then get all of it out of you in those final miles – racing, rather than hanging in there.

It’s when you are at that point when the decision becomes, “I break through with a mindset that this next part is/will be particularly challenging, but relatively brief”, & then take up another challenge & that is to “compete” over the closing 6 – 8 miles with an understanding that you are physically able to do so even though you may have no recent marathon experience in support of this. Trick is to trust the training & yourself & believe that tough patches & especially that tough patch is still temporary & finite & to shake off the shock of it & have prepared a way to restart & then race the final section, i.e. succeed at the access game.

Those that do, joyously recollect afterwards as best they can, what they did when barging through the door of opportunity. Those that don’t, observe themselves as they stumble. Have Spirit & self join hands in a truly merry dance through the perceived valley of shadows that needs but a bold flip of the switch to illuminate this great festival of delight that is the willing application of mind through body to access soul.

Bobby McGee

Have a great run in NY everybody!

2009-10-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

“Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude – they were what developed enormous spirit & strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much as or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before races”. Herb Elliott

Running the NY City marathon is a lifelong dream for many runners. You have been storing up spirit for NY for a long time – through other marathons, through your career as a marathon runner, through your desire to run this race, through your willingness to have had the discipline to beat the heat & cold, the dark & the social resistance, the disappointments & the successes, the bad GIT moments & the frustrations, the obstructions, the joys, the people; meeting the demands of job & life – in short all the moments have either prepared or slowed you down for this moment & it all now lies in the moment by moment decisions you make along these last few days.

I ask you to consider an approach that goes way beyond ego – an approach that cannot be held captive in mediocrity by the subterfuges & constructs that so much of everyday life holds, because it lies beyond their influence.

I ask you to create a race time span that may be used as an epitaph to a marathon runner – one that you may be proud of yes, but more; one that will remind you of a series of unforgettable moments – etched into your heart & soul as the most enjoyable doing, a process that you wanted never to end. Imagine & pre-experience a time of unbelievable, other worldly experience – something so melodious, so in tune with a rich life’s rhythms, so in vibrational harmony with your soul, that it needs not description nor explanation, only a statement perhaps like this: “You would have had to have been there, in order to understand.” This followed by a smile so deep, so eye-wellingly emotional as to leave no doubt to the observer that self-transcendence has taken place.

Can you do that for yourself? You many runners, whom I have observed for so long, have done it for me – I ask you to do it for you.

Bobby McGee

Getting schooled on pacing

2009-10-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hoo boy, pacing really is where it’s at right now. Probably has been for a long time! Anyway, just after answering the question from Australia on pacing, it turns out that the new wisest man in exercise physiology & its interpretation, my friend Ross Tucker, is in Chicago for the marathon this weekend & they are going to try, instead of the usual 5km by 5km analysis, a 1km by 1km analysis, which would bring into much starker relief the whole issue of what these great runners, like Sammy Wanjiru, current Olympic champion, who ran an impossible 2:06 in the heat of Beijing, actually do out there.
I highly recommend you read this post for Thursday Oct. 8th: http://www.sportsscientists.com/
When you compare this, to what I had to say yesterday it becomes clear that the great modern runners are running closer to even pace & that the mental component is far from resolved – it is clear that we are approaching human limits & that the great breakthroughs in world records will become less & less & that the mind will play an ever more increasing role when it comes to accessing our human limits & determining winners & also rans.
Boy is it ever humbling & a great learning experience to be involved in endurance sports in this modern day & age.
Good luck this weekend to all of you running the Chicago marathon & taking part in the Ironman world championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Bobby McGee

Comment from someone who ought to know on the Vit. D article I referenced

2009-10-08T09:58:00.001-07:00

The Vit D article is misleading.

First, the studies quoted aren't recent as the NYT says - they go back to the 1950s, when no one knew what the hell to measure to assess Vit D levels accurately.

Second, there is also an alternative theory suggesting that the body increases vitamin D production to deal with inflammation.

Athletes are "fittest" in August, not because it's sunny and they have high vitamin D, but because that's when the season peaks, for goodness sake!
They are producing more vitamin D to deal with the increased inflammation and immune system stress.
As they ease off on training, the need for vitamin D declines and so yes, as they get less fit, vit D levels drop.

So, not totally convinced that I need to be drinking cod liver oil, bleeeuah!!!!!!

Perceived Effort versus even pace

2009-10-07T15:08:00.000-07:00

Here's a great question I got from an Aussie triathlon coach: "I had two junior girls do some time trials on the weekend and I took all their splits and have plotted them. It seems they have taken a rather common curve in their splits, fast early – slow down – bring it back at the end. What are your thoughts on pacing in a TT? Should I try to bring them back a bit early? Or is this a common curve for all athletes and I just need to work with it and work on their endurance in that middle zone?" PC

Yup stats have shown this over & over again. There are many reasons, some of which we discussed: The mental zone - come too far to quit, got too far to go to smell the barn, think about past & future, lose focus in the present moment & de-recruit/de-facilitate, de-potentiate. 2ndly the central governor is insufficiently experienced, testosterone (ego) kicks in & they go fast while they still can & the same at the end – central governor (brain?) calculates that they have a finite, comprehensible manageable amount left & they won’t blow up, so they give it schtick over the last section.

They should absolutely be taught in rep work & progressively more & more intense steady effort runs to go out at a pace that they think is right, then back off that, then mid run they should risk going harder than they feel is prudent & then go at the finish sooner than they think they can. Warm them up super well. Then using a treadmill, the GPS, or you on the bike, set a pace that you have determined they ought to be capable of. Then have them stick with the pace (even sometimes without knowing the distance they have to run!) & hold it as long as they can & only focus on dealing with the current, in-the-moment consequences of pace & effort, i.e. stay present to what is so, second by second – staying away from concerns about what impact such a pace may have on them 5sec or 5min or 50min from this moment – just stick at it, renegotiate & stick at it some more & more & more. They soon learn how to override the bodies too-early warning signs & learn how to push towards more real physiological limits that have not been filtered through the interpretation network too much.

Even do 100m, flying start strides beforehand till they master the feel of the sought-after pace. They can learn that even pace (no more than 3% on either side of sought after effort) is most economical & fastest. Effort is the key word in terms of physiology – i.e. at an effort, that under ideal conditions – flat road, no wind, firm surface, will produce a given pace; faster on downs or with the wind & slower on climbs or against the wind or on a slow surface. The mental effort is trained as a crescendo effort – i.e. in order to produce an even pace (under ideal conditions again) the effort needs to escalate throughout – a 3:30km (as an example of the pace required) for the 1st km of an 8km TT may feel like a 4:00 & a 3:30 for the 5th, might feel like a 3:20 & for the 7th an intense 3:00 in order to stick at 3:30s – get my drift?

The top Kenyans sometimes use 3 groups of training partners: the weakest group for the 1st 3rd of the workout & the strongest for the last 3rd! All workouts, from easy to VO2max go from easy to fast throughout, never the other way around – but they do train for fast starts as well.

Hope this helps

Bobby McGee
www.BobbyMcGee.com

YASSO 800s & half marathon predictions

2009-10-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

I recently received a good question regarding using Yasso's 800s as a means by which one can figure half marathon shape using the formula. If you don't know about this workout, you are in for a treat. Bart Yasso, Runner's World figure, author & running guru extraordinaire & good friend, discovered that if you run 10X800m with a 400m jog recovery between each, your average time in minutes & seconds for the workout approximates your time capability, in hours & minutes, for the marathon - so if, for example, you run 3min & 55sec for your 800s, your marathon time could be predicted at 3hours & 55 minutes - weird huh? Well there's no physiological basis for this, it's just a quirk of statistics. Anyway, I use the workouts & suggest the process in my book, Run Workouts for Runners & Triathletes that came out earlier this year.

Check out this article on Bart & the workout: http://www.madetorun.com/training/marathons/yasso-800s/

Here's the question: "LOVE your Run workout book - have a question re Yasso - for the Half Marathon - in the taper week you have athletes doing 8x800 - I know the routine for a marathon pace prediction but how does Yasso's 800's predict for a Half Marathon? Divide by two and then take another say 5% off." GW

& here's my answer: Bobby McGee: "Yassos are a good workout & as you might have read from my stuff, or even Greg McMillan’s stuff, we feel they under read by about 5:00, i.e. 10X800m with 400m jog recovery in 3:00 with sufficient mileage (55/60+p/w) equals about a 3:05 marathon. Of course with what I see at altitude it gets a little vague; but again sufficient volume is the key. I set the 8X800m as a HM workout because it is a good solid rep workout, not as any kind of prediction workout, as Yassos aren’t physiologically quantifiably justified any way – they're just a very quirky, freaky coincidence really & well done for Bart to see it & create a legend!

If however you want to use the number as a bit of a cross reference, even if based on Bart’s fantastical fancy, I suggest extrapolating the 8 reps out to 10, (say your runner averaged 3mins) & then pop that on McMillan’s calculator & add 2:30 & you’ll have a fair reflection based on the Yasso theory, i.e. about a 1:27:50 half marathon. I think your way, minus a further 5% would possibly under read too much.

Hope this helps,

Bobby McGee

Sub 13 for 5km

2009-10-01T11:35:00.001-07:00

Yes I know, it does not have that magical ring to it that sub 4 for the mile has, but it's a much greater feat. I love the 5km - it's that blend of miling speed & 10km strength that intrigues me. If a group of exercise physiologists had to have chosen events, this is the one that they most certainly would not have - too complex, requiring super human ability to master, too hard to define the prerequisites the athlete requires to master the event. The fastest athletes I have ever coached got into the teens, never 12-anything; it would be an honor indeed to coach someone to go sub 13, or sub 15 for women for that matter.

The 1st guy ever to break 13min for 5000m was the great Moroccan Said Aouita in 1987 in Rome - he was a great miler & world record holder for multiple other distances from 1500m up to 5km. He even ran in the Olympics in the 800m such was his range!

It's not been around that long - the 12.5 lap event was born from the 3 mile event. I think the real buzz around the event came about when a flamboyant Brit by the name of Chris Chattaway (who was a rabbit in Bannister's world's 1st sub 4 clocking), who did minimum mileage, defeated the Russian iron man, Vladimir Kuts, who was famous for his incredible training volumes in a Russia versus England 5000m match in 1954 by hanging on for dear life through a suicidal pace & multiple surges. He set a new world record in 13:51.6 some 5sec faster than the previous record. (About 10 days later Kuts broke this record).

The current world record is just south of 12:40 (12:37:35to be exact), held by the still current king, Kenenisa Bekele from Ethiopia & there have been quite a few runners from Africa below

the magical barrier. My interest was perked when British miler David Moorcroft, somewhat unexpectedly ran 13:00:41 27 years ago (& still the British record- 3rd oldest). This was the last 5000m record set by a non-African (July 1982!). Incidentally this time was set without pace-makers - wow some race that must have been! This was 5sec faster than anyone had ever run before. He sadly never did go sub 13, as he became injured soon thereafter (stress fracture, hepatitis & chronic pelvic misalignment) & had a tragic exit from the '84 Olympics, coming last in the final in excruciating pain.

Bob Kennedy from the USA was the 1st non-African to go sub 13min, (12:58:21) in 1996. It took many years before the Aussie, Craig Mottram followed him under 13min - 12:55:76 coming 2nd to the great Gebrselassie in a UK all comers record with a last lap of 55.67 seconds in 2004

For more check out this interesting PDF: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=Bob+Kennedy+goes+sub+13&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&rlz=1W1GGLL_en

Now to cap it all, in one glorious season for US men's 5000m running both Dathan Ritzenhein (AR 12:56.27) & Matt Tegenkamp (12:58.56) also joined the exclusive sub-13 club. They join Bernard Lagat (12:59.22 to Bekele's 13:00.04) when he beat the unbeatable Bekele, as US runners sub 13. Lagat is formerly from Kenya, so has the pedigree.

Hope that inspires you to go out & break 25, or 20, or 15min for 5km - & if you break 14 without any formal coaching, give me a call & we'll talk, especially if you are a member of the fairer gender, hee, hee.

Bobby McGee

Fascia & the whole ball of wax conundrum

2009-09-30T12:22:00.000-07:00

Having just re-read the excellent Men's Health article on connective tissue: http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=muscle.building&topic=total.body&conitem=6bde7ea369683210VgnVCM10000030281eac____ I am again confronted with the fascinating & somewhat mystifying process of "coaching" elastic return. Clearly functional mimicking is the way to go - but evaluation specifically (quantifying) becomes a bear. Understanding that good running implies a 5 to 1 ratio of elastic return to power & knowing that 50 plus % of elastic energy in running is stored, mid stance, in the achilles tendon & plantar fascia is eye-opening. It forces all run coaches to see whether plyometrics & other elastic encouragement drills have a dramatic effect on endurance running ability - especially when it comes to the risk reward issues of this "intense" joint/tendon/ligament training for the marathon & Ironman. I have of course had good results with milers & half milers (or 800m & 1500m runners for you more advanced folk!), but although my "slower" runners have had great improvement in their 5 & 10km times, I am still unsure whether the smaller range of motion, less intense drills I have done for the longer events, have produced worthwhile results. Certainly no one has been injured & I have not done an experiment where I nail down the other larger variables, like endurance training.

Thoughts/references anyone?

Strange this entry started off with a rather more esoteric coaching question - How does the athlete & coach blend & manage training that meets the demands of competition for each specific athlete when considering the mental, emotional & spiritual component on the one side & the central, peripheral, brain/spinal & endocrine component on the other? See diagram above

Running an ultramarathon

2009-09-28T11:58:00.000-07:00

I recently had a fellow coach in Australia ask me a question, that after I answered, I figured may be of value to a wider audience: "I have been reading your books and planning my ultra marathoner's preparation for a 100 mile event. In your experience what are the key areas (mechanically, physically or mentally) that the ultra marathoner should be working on, or the key areas that make the difference between a good day and a great day?"

· Mechanically I think the high cadence, low leg carriage, heel striking shuffle is key
· Physically it’s all about muscle endurance – the run/walk method rules in this distance race. Never running more than 10min at a time, helps with fat metab, vascular reset & lowers overall HR considerably & many more benefits. Must train like this also. Functional muscle endurance work essential
· Here’s where it ALL happens – very, very few individuals can actually train sufficiently for a 100 mile foot race – there are simply not enough hours in the day of the average person who has a full time job! So in these races it comes down to a management of self, a controlling of emotion. It’s very hard to go out conservatively enough for the younger racer & they shoot themselves in the foot in the 1st 30 miles. There is also no such thing as a “perfect” day out there – every race will have tough patches & the neophyte expecting everything to go according to plan is in for a rude awakening. The mantra becomes, “You will have bad patches & they will pass”. Training an ultra runner to deal with the mental emotional demands of competition is essential – visualization, manipulating & habituating internal dialogue & massive preparation that ensures an answer to every eventuality, even the ones that are not predictable is essential. Feeling ready, excited & confident is what is required in order for the athlete to reach beyond their logical capabilities on race day. It’s ALL about attitude. These races almost always take the athlete to a place of altered consciousness beyond logic & a fair amount of trust in their coach, training & self is crucial to a good performance on the day. It becomes necessary to define for themselves, very, very clearly what a successful race would be. So often a runner is disappointed by a result that to the coach & other observers seems to be in alignment with what was being said & shown in training only to be hijacked by an unsaid, un-divulged (even to self) expectation once the run is complete.
· A 4th point that you do not mention, but that is as important as the preceding 3 is the question of logistics & planning. These races are all about prepping like for military exercise – it’s hand to hand combat with yourself out there & it requires planning down to the most minute detail. I have athletes set up a large piece of poster board & as the weeks go by, they record every detail of what needs to be done, by whom, by when & how: Foods, liquids, quantities, pace, expected arrival times at aid stations, shoes, gear (warm, cold, lubrication), weather, terrain, flashlights, aid station procedures, options (especially with foods), which pacers where, what kind of motivational tools, statements may be required by these pacers, body weight, variability expected, temperatures, quirks, superstitions, tone of voice, etc, etc, etc. Accommodation, drivers, pre & post race, travel, support team & leader – all on a time line that covers the slowest possible scenario, an okay scenario, an ideal scenario, & dream scenario. What are the deal breakers – when can you pull the athlete out. Aid station procedure based on athlete status (physical, mental, emotional). Tips, cues, cue cards, idiosyncrasies etc. It never goes according to plan, but it does not go at all without a plan!
· Finally – the trouble with these long races (& this fits in with point 3, but deserves its own billing it is so important), is that there are not really a lot of lead up races that demand the same amount of focus or preparation, nor do they give enough insight as to how training is really going. It is very challenging for an athlete not to become emotionally & mentally exhausted in the final build up phase – there is so much expectation & so much to take care of & so much that can go wrong. Work very hard on creating a sense of peace, calmness & relaxation going into the event. Have ALL the tanks full, not just the physical, for the physical can drain out through the others if they have leaks

Hope this is helpful

Bobby

THOUGHTS AFTER 09 ITU WORLD TRIATHLON CHAMPS

2009-09-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

I must say that although I am all too fully aware that we need to step it up in the running department, the swim was an eye-opener for me in terms of its physicality & specific demands. I'd say that we need to do a GREAT DEAL MORE WORK on training our athletes to meet the actual demands of competition in the swim. The leaders in both the men's & women's races lifted their heads out the water almost every 5 strokes - that's very specific & must demand a high level of both skills & fitness. One of those swimmers was our own Sarah Haskins who had the swim of her life to come out almost too far ahead of the pack all on her lonesome!We also need to look into having a greater section of our gene pool in the USA participate in draft legal triathlons. Sure I know it is dangerous to a certain extent, but drawing athletes from a background of time trialing on the bike, into the sport of criterium style cycling is no way to apply the law of specificity. The difference between an animal that can put out an hour of maximum constant power in an isolated setting & the requirements of the draft legal racer, being masses of pace changes over a great variety of intensities in a much more technical setting with high speed cornering, plus the tactics of bunch riding, drafting, breakaways, etc. is vast. If cycling can have its categories that need to be graduated to, why can we not work with them & accredit our athletes in the same way - in this way we can have them race knowing that they are at least riding with athletes that have acceptable cycling skills. I am convinced that a whole new type of athlete will be attracted to the sport - athletes that may provide us with talent up to the demands of a world championship triathlon bike ride. These may be athletes who love the cut & thrust of crit racing & don’t see it as a necessary evil to get to the run in a position to do well. We have good riders who can swim & run, but too few.The US has a phenomenal collegiate & national swimming infrastructure - year after year, Olympics after Olympics the USA produces incredible swim teams. This year the US even produced a one man team that took home more medals than any other country's team combined! This is both a boon & a blessing for USA triathlon: We produce the best swimmers in the sport. Trouble is that this brings athletes that were swim specialists & have somatypes more suited to the sport of swimming than triathlon. Swimmers are somewhat larger than triathletes, needing more upper body strength & mass, which is NOT a limiter in the water, but hurts the triathlete, especially on the run. Somehow we also need to source our athletes from a domain that has taught them to swim from a very young age & developed very technically proficient swimmers, who have not necessarily gone on to full time swimming as their primary sporting activity. Let's face it - quality cyclists who come to the sport & have been cyclists for a while almost never make it to the top. I say almost, not because I know someone who has, but someone probably has! Many swimmers have made great triathletes, but in almost all cases their run has been a limiter to some extent. Similar to cyclists, but not quite as definitive are the runners. If they have not learned to swim effectively at an early age & developed a feel for the water, they are often doomed to be 2nd pack swimmers at best & spend their careers playing catch up on the bike, hoping the pack comes together & there are no significant breakaways up front. This in turn commonly leads to these “runners” not having as much run left after the herculean efforts required to make up lost time on the bike.
If we can create natural swimmers & runners with a fearless mindset (for the bike), we can develop the bike skills a little later
Finally the question then becomes: “Where do we find world beaters?” So far the answer seems two-fold:
· Create a situation/culture where triathlon is not a sport graduated to, like with so many of today’s top athletes who came from some other specialty, but rather a primary choice made by youngsters when they would have chosen football, basketball, swimming, etc. Athletes like Hunter Kemper & Matty Reed come to mind. There are about 5 such top early specialisers in the junior & U23 ranks that I know of currently – we need to ALL do our best to motivate kids to take up the sport. This seems much more common in Australia, a triathlon powerhouse, than here in the USA. This would mean introducing things like a more “professional” collegiate triathlon scene, complete with recruiting & scholarships. The bigwigs tell me that this may be the case as soon as 2012 for women—that would rock! Imagine our top collegiate coaches coaching these athletes as swimmers & runners – bring on the medals. Develop triathlon as a bigger school sport, like cross country or track. The sport grew from IM & many of the top performers today are graduates of the Olympic/ITU discipline – top tri names like Michele Jones, Macca & Sam McGlone are but a few. Trouble is kids should not be drawn to these longer races too early, but rather start in the sport much younger in the short races – develop their skills & love of the sport & then move on later to the longer races. It is time to lay down the age old grudge against draft legal racing – there is room for both & ultimately I believe that the draft legal short distance triathlon will ultimately help the US regain its top spot in the long distance races, especially IM.
· Source from multi-disciplinary sports that have swimming & running as part of their culture. The only one that comes readily to mind for me is surf lifesaving, which seems to be the source of some of Australia’s triathletes & our current Olympic champion, Jan Frodeno. Here’s what he had to say before his victory in Beijing in this regard: “I come from a swimming and surf-lifesaving background. Really it was the 2000 Olympic race that inspired me a lot and when someone said to me as a joke "hey, why don't you try a triathlon?" I thought why not and after my first race I was hooked!” (From Slowtwitch.com). Alistair Brownlee, current World Champion & World #1, was a swimmer & runner from a very early age
Hmmnn! Now I’m thinking too much again about how to inspire coaches to step their game up one more time; again & again!

vitamin D

2009-09-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

Check this out:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/phys-ed-can-vitamin-d-improve-your-athletic-performance/

2009-09-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Picture of 2000 Olympic Champion & 2008 Silver Medalist, Simon Whitfield just prior to the start of the 2009 world triathlon championships on the Gold Coast of Australia.

Whoa there is SO much going on in the world of endurance sports. My areas of greatest interest - distance running & triathlon have had plenty to talk about.

The rivalry between Sammy & Haile in Berlin that failed to materialize, the heat at that race that did not stop Haile from being on pace for over 30km of the 42.2 & the dramatic drop of pace that took him from a 2:03:33 possible world record to "only" a 2:06.

Then there is the ongoing despicable behavior of the South African Athletics Federation, ASA (Athletics South Africa), as regards the matter of Caster Semenya, the young girl who won the 800m at the world champs. She caused eyebrows to be raised after her world leading time earlier in the year. ASA was asked to look into it by the international governing body, (IAAF). They lied & said they had not & when the IAAF did the testing, ASA accused them & the world of being racist. Turns out the president of ASA was lying all along & that tests had been done & the poor kid should never have been allowed to participate in the 1st place. The IAAF messed up by leaking information that was supposed to be doctor patient privilege. Horrible - the biggest loser is now the poor athlete; she may never compete again & the emotional damage could be immeasurable. Turns out the tests, as far as the experts are concerned, were a relatively simple affair.

Then we had the world triathlon championships, where I am sad to say the USA did not bring back a single medal. 2012 is rapidly approaching & those role players involved (myself included) had better get our butts in gear. I know the athletes are working really hard, (& so too the support entities) & as of yet this is not enough.

A thinking man's game? Perhaps not

2009-09-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Spending 10 days with triathletes of varying ability, from world class to their countries best, but somewhat beginners still, I have wondered about learning & skills acquisition, both mentally & physically.
When it comes to their training, in a perfect world, most endurance athletes are considered by their coaches & themselves as being methodical. In my empirical experience nothing could be further from the truth. Both running & triathlon require some significant skills development. This is hopefully done in the tried & tested pedagogic method of setting a purpose for a workout or skills session, breaking it up into its separate parts, then learning those separate parts & finally putting it all together in sequence repeatedly until it becomes automatic.
We learn 1st automatically & instinctively as a response to the demands of our event – then as those demands evolve, so hopefully do we. Of course there are those who carefully study what we do & through science, physics, debate & thought come up with possible models by which we can do things more effectively. Then the athlete faces a daunting task; unlearn what was learned without thought through thoughtful, cognitive processes. This unlearning is best done with a “replacement” mindset – i.e. replace the existing behavior with the new (& hopefully better) behavior & then have the patience to accept a period of decreased effectiveness while habituating the new skill set & then with a little luck come out the other end a better athlete.
Good athletes allow themselves to be open to constant learning – it is a natural process. Even habituated skills get better each time we use them, especially under pressure. Like peeling the layers off an onion, we can only get to deeper realizations about our physical ability mentally, by experiencing & then revisiting our experience after the fact. Here video & photography are very useful, as we cannot always trust what we feel, but video (in slomo) does not lie! Great athletes have a hard time teaching what came “naturally” to them. I use parentheses, because it really was quite a formal, but perhaps unconscious effort on their part to get that good. Some have been lucky to have great conscious thinkers for mentors or coaches who took them along the journey with great care & attention to the processes of learning.
The process of “making automatic” is an interesting one – keen, but inexperienced coaches try to create rules for each process & then teach these rules & often young athletes learn these rules with great fervor & are left in competition trying to remember the rules for each situation without allowing habitually learned responses to show up automatically. This is also a product of anxiety – you can literally see an athlete thinking in competition – a fatal flaw! True habituated skills acquisition actually makes the conscious mind emptier. This is the true meaning of the sayings: “I just knew it. I had a gut feeling. I stayed out of my own way. I got out of my head. I just went on auto-pilot.”
Great athletes can give reasons for why they worked their magic at a certain time. The truth is they think this after the fact when they go through their performance in their mind. When Tiger Woods was asked what he thought of the phenomenon that he is, his answer was both astute & revealing. He said that he is busy with the process of being a golfer & not observing what it is to be a golfer – a BIG difference.

Racing pressure & anxiety need not be negative

2009-08-31T22:44:00.000-07:00

As I prepare for a lecture to some junior & U23 athletes as they prepare for the world triathlon championships on the Gold Coast in Australia, my thoughts go to the processes of handling pressure.

Here are some thoughts that may help you as you train hard in preparation of your next race.

-High self expectations can create stress that is perceived as negative. A more empowering interpretation can be that you have confidence in your ability – that is why you are entertaining the prospect of doing well
-Realize that setting yourself a high standard actually points to your belief in your ability
-Some anxiety indicates that you have put something important at stake that demands a higher standard from you.
-Having shown yourself (& others) that you are capable of competing at this level should bring pride rather than concern.
-Preface races & hard training with formalized thoughts around the challenges that need to be met in order to continue the process of transcending your current level of ability
-Confronting thoughts & what they pertain to should be viewed with satisfaction as they point to the purpose of training hard & give the self assurance that your efforts are meaningful & correctly directed

Triathlon in Australia

2009-08-29T01:46:00.001-07:00

My 1st trip to Australia. I have been working my tail off & I have only just got here. I love the country. Reminds me so much of South Africa. I apologize for the lack of posts recently, I know it's been a while, but plenty of work & inter-continental travel will do that. All the usual suspects - triathlon training, running, sport psychology being the order each day. Juniors, age-groupers, aspirants & pros - all looking for that extra edge.

This is a great sporting nation & it's easy to see why; every level of athlete is out there every day working at their skills & fitness.

I have often wondered why certain circumstances that logically would be a limiting factor in an athlete's development turn out to be a reason for success. Take the British dominance of middle distance running in the 80s. Training in traffic & wet miserable weather gave the world Steve Ovett, Sebastian Coe & Steve Cram, plus a few others. In South Africa it is generally the rural kids, from areas that have very little of what you would call opportunity, that produce the great athletes.

In triathlon it's nice to see that despite the super sport powers like Australia & the USA, that there is a healthy mix of top athletes from unexpected corners of the world.

Here are some themes that I am working on with coaches as we lead into the world triathlon championships:

· Training progresses linearly & logically from baselines
· Work from actual, repeatedly verifiable data
· Distinguish between open running ability & OTB running ability
· Physical training should always be viewed also as mental training & be designed as such
· Specificity is the overriding principle
· Variety overcomes plateauing – even the triathlete can easily lose effective stimulation from excessive repetition of the same workouts. Not to be confused with phasal emphases
· Maintain perspective
· Differentiate athlete & event/situation/sport performance requirements from personal /ego desires. Be brutally honest

Should we train by feel or with science?

2009-08-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have just read an interesting article on the above subject: http://bit.ly/sn6OD. Check it out & then read the following blog entry. Then, decide for yourself if you are in balance with your training, or whether a boost from either side could help you achieve the next level in your development as an athlete.

The article is somewhat subjective, contradictory & anecdotal, but raises some excellent points. It I do however agree that the Africans train by feel, & that they have a different relationship with the sensations of the sport at high intensity. For a long time now I have admonished runners for having lost their “feel” by over-reliance on heart rate monitors, stop watches, GPS’s, etc. I feel that workouts like fartlek & runs for time teach pacing & feel & too many leave them out, especially the triathletes, who want it all recorded. That’s why I love workouts that emphasize distance over time (e.g. run as hard as you can for 30 minutes, versus time over distance, (run a 4-mile time trial). Recovery based training is an excellent model for most amateurs, but it does make targeting a specific event (to have peak fitness on the day) rather hit or miss. The conundrum is setting intensity/pace & volume for athletes who have not developed feel through trial & error from years in the sport. Break down or plateauing through a “suck-it-and-see” approach is not a luxury that most coaches can afford, & breakdown through illness or injury leads to massive detraining (& loss of confidence & momentum) & therefore under training is a better way to go for most. Many, many Africans fall by the wayside due to this feel approach – we just don’t know about it. We either figure out how hard to train without breakdown & get better – metabolic progressive overload, or we don’t & break down, lose it all & start again – catabolic excessive overload. They have many more talented athletes in their gene pool who are trying to succeed than we have & an “eggs against the wall approach” (push them as hard as possible & the survivors become champs) is one that the African coaches can afford, but we cannot, (unless we have a huge recruiting budget!).

The point is well taken though, but science as a means to establish what’s working & what is not, is very useful. The heart rate monitor has long been known to have serious limitations as a coaching tool. Racing heart rates under similar conditions & the same velocity are often much higher than training heart rates. In the world of cycling, where the measure of output in watts is now a simple enough procedure, has long since all but tossed out the heart rate monitor as a training tool & uses it more as a secondary confirmation that training is having the desired effect &/or that certain training is not appropriate at a specific time. In swimming where variables are able to be tightly controlled, that besides lactate threshold testing, (again to determine the efficacy of training), velocity (speed) is all that coaches need to measure advancement & even the Kenyans measure that right?

Lastly, pros race to win & that is what this article is about, but amateurs & age-groupers are less warrior-like & more the athlete type, i.e. they wish to improve their own performance & do not often consider that they are racing to win a race outright. In this scenario, pacing & effort – especially in the longer events, greatly determines the quality of the performance – with this approach the tools of the trade can prove very useful. If I know that my pace needs to be x, to achieve a certain goal outcome & I exceed that pace greatly in the early stages, (which is really easy to do), then I am inefficient & will most likely not achieve my target. The Ethiopian star could not give a two-penny hoot about his mile pace, (kilometers in his case!), whether that be 5:15 (a pedestrian marathon pace for him), or 4:15 (approx. WR 10km pace), he knows where he is at in the race & where he needs to be positioned to win & if his physiology & fitness let him down on the day, then it’s “ah well, maybe next time”. The scientists & coaches may be able to determine why it was not on, on that day, but they cannot with any certainty determine what training & tapering exactly would have produced an optimum result – that is where the art, feel & intuition of coach & athlete come into play. Probably why so many great coaches peaked so late in their careers; it took a LONG time for them to blend the art & the science & learn the process of reading each individual athlete & then applying, testing & repeating until voila, a world beater!

Science & feel (art) need to go hand in hand; I have seen too many great performances not achieved by Africans because they failed to pay attention to what science could have foreseen. Similarly I have seen numbers-focused athletes freeze when they realized the devices were telling them that perhaps they were operating in unknown territory & were bound to implode & the thoughts alone led to the slowing or the implosion.

World Champs are hotting up!

2009-08-17T10:14:00.001-07:00

More as regards results later with the Bobbysez Blast, but in the mean time just a quick teaser to those of you who do not necessarily follow the world of T&F that closely - go & look at the uTube clip of Usain Bolt's new world record run in the 100m, sub 9.6!!! It was good to see Tyson Gay go fast as well in the same race.

While still powerful, it's beautiful to see sprinting back to the realm of the graceful & lithe again - these men are not physically as muscled as earlier generations, but they are immensely athletic & coordinated - wow.

In the classic high school mistake, that one sees quite often nowadays actually. Ethiopia lost gold in the women's 10 000m; where they may have had the sweep. Arms went up in celebration of the win, while a young Kenyan sneaked by to win it! Meseret Dafar seized up over the closing 30 meters, (ending up 5th!), allowing her team mate Meselech Melkamu to come by, thinking she had won it, when the young, but not entirely unheralded Linet Masai came by & won by a hair.

The Tour is over for this year - but...

2009-08-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

This is an extract from a February post from The Science of Sport website, which I highly recommend by the way.

"It brings to mind one of the most fascinating quotes I've ever come across in a cycling book - it was in the book "The death of Marco Pantani" by Matt Rendell, in which a story is recounted of how in the 1990's, with EPO use rampant, the cyclists would set their heart rate monitors to sound an alarm if their heart rate dropped below a certain level. On hearing the alarm, the cyclists would have to wake up, get the bike out and spend 10 minutes on the rollers, in their hotel rooms, just to jump start the circulation.

In the words of one cyclist: "During the day we live to ride, and at night, we ride to stay alive". "

Dibaba out of World's 10 000m

2009-08-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Ethiopian Olympic and world 10,000-meter champion Tirunesh Dibaba has withdrawn from the 10000m at the world championships in Berlin. She is carrying an injury. There is talk that she will go to Berlin anyway & do tests to determine if perhaps she can still run in the 5km.

Her husband Sileshi Sihine, has also withdrawn from the men’s 10,000, citing a hamstring injury. Sihine is the winner of two world and two Olympic silver medals over this distance.

Since I heard of their marriage last year I wondered what level of athletes their kids might be!

My take on the POSE method of running

2009-08-12T11:20:00.000-07:00

I often get asked what I think of the POSE method & thought it time to take the risk of putting my thoughts out there. Let me start by saying that I have not done a full, in-depth study of his teachings. I have studied the video & written materials available, as well as the research project. I have worked with many athletes that have followed his courses & teachings & can recognize a runner using his methodology. I know Nicolas Romanov & consider him an acquaintance. He is a very well-informed, scientifically-minded, interesting individual with a true passion for helping runners. We have had some fun conversations in which we have more celebrated the similarities of our work than argued the differences. We both strongly feel that most runners would do well to formally work on their run mechanics & that drills for specific strengthening & habituation are essential to achieve running excellence commensurate with fitness. We have debated the merits of his method versus my take (approach) to effective running mechanics at last year’s USAT National Bi Annual Art & Science festival on the merits of his system & my approach.

The study showed that the POSE method reduces pressure around the knee. An observation of the participants of that study also showed that a large percentage of them developed achilles & soleus injuries possibly due to transitioning from heel to mid/fore foot striking.

I think his strengthening & plyometric exercises are excellent, but that the conditioning phasing needs to be very much longer for the average athlete – in fact it should take years, rather than only weeks. The exercises may also need to be graded, as some are so advanced as to pose the risk of serious injury to the less skilled & conditioned athlete. I fully agree with the forward lean & the concept of going from one pose on the left leg to the same pose on the right leg. Closed loop, reflex actions need a starting point to begin the work of effective correction if required. Running being cyclical makes it hard to intellectualize as well as teach from a static perspective.

Let’s get down to the points where I disagree. Please note that I have always felt that what Nicolas demonstrates versus what he says/teaches in explanation of what he is doing is contradictory. What he is doing looks right, how he explains it does not. Also bear in mind that running involves so much eccentric loading & unloading & an elastic return to power ratio on 5 to 1, that is exceedingly hard to measure what is truly concentrically contracting & what has eccentrically loaded & is "passively" unloading, so both he & I speak empirically to some degree. Hopefully my ideas are an accurate summation of what pressure plate & other testing (like measuring muscle contraction & high speed videography) have shown.

Nicolas feels all runners should run on their forefoot – I disagree, many people do not have the strength, conditioning, mechanics or structure to safely do so. Transitioning a runner is slow, pain staking, risky & sometimes not possible. Some of the greatest runners on earth are heel strikers or full foot strikers. Correct forefoot running may be faster, “softer” & more powerful, but demands high degrees of resilience, specific strength & conditioning. Heavier runners beware.

Nicolas feels that there is no propulsive phase. He feels that correct lean/alignment & limb position will have you fall forward & gain momentum through gravity alone. I feel that the “springs” need to be loaded, thus there is a downward thrust of the leg to apply the rigid leg to the surface to load & then subsequently unload through the ankle, knee & hip hinges. Note that this does NOT imply “pushing” when the foot is on the surface, but before (from knee up position to surface contact). Thereafter the loading occurs passively (albeit rigidly) to preset ligaments & muscles (especially in the plantar fascia & achilles tendon) to store & then timeously release that elastic energy as propulsion. Here is the propulsion phase - the unloading

Nicolas believes that this “falling” from one pose to the next is set up by the forward lean & the concentric firing of the hamstring & in so doing raising the heel up to the hips/glutes. I disagree most strongly here, as the loading, eccentrically & elastically of the hip flexors (especially the iliopsoas) through the downward (& rearward, because of momentum) thrust of the leg through glute & quad extension causes the knee to snap elastically forward (the psoas does not actively contract, but controls the release speed). The knee folds in this process (sheer physics) of the knee being snapped forward by the releasing hip flexors, bringing the heel towards the hips to shorten the lever (& taking the shortest route, like the tip of a cracked whip). The hamstring's job is to eccentrically decelerate the lower leg from this point so as not to flip out forward & allow the knee to lock while still air born. This would lead to an excessive braking phase as the foot contacts the surface too far ahead of the dynamic center of mass. There has to be a braking point, but the runner must attempt to reduce this to the minimum – sufficient only to stop them from face planting! A characteristic of great runners is this minimized breaking effect. By lifting the heel up & falling a float phase is set up, which robs the runner of stride rate, a key determinant of successful running. By lifting the heel towards the glutes elastic propulsion is compromised & the main mass of the body is not propelled forward. That's why, in my opinion, when Nicolas, or one of his converts runs they seem to have too much range of motion with too much muscular work for the speed they are generating - they look inefficient; like they are using too much energy for the level of propulsion they are achieving.

I end off by saying that this is my interpretation of what Nicolas is teaching with the POSE method – I may very well be wrong in my assessment. In my 28 years of coaching I have come to a point where I want to help every level of runner achieve a running style or form that allows them to run as fast as their physiology will allow them, to run as far as they need to in order to achieve the desired training effect & not become injured in that process. Instead of teaching one method to every runner, I take what the runner brings & try to work with this, creating the best possible running scenario for them, given their specific physical idiosyncrasies as they pertain to their running mechanics. I try not to make them "mugus", a South African term for a square peg in a round hole!

Bobbysez Blast 6

2009-08-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

With the World Championships just round the corner, Germany has lost one of its best medal prospects. Reigning World Marathon Majors champion Irina Mikitenko has withdrawn. Mikitenko has been unable to train effectively since the recent death of her father.

In one of the US’s most historic road races, the CIGNA Falmouth 7-miler, Colleen de Reuck's placed fifth. De Reuck (45) still races incredibly; she won Falmouth in 1993 and 1997 and a dozen years later she still has the ability to finish in the top five.

It was good to see South African triathlete & Olympian, Mari Rabie, run 38:20 for 10km in South Africa. She is a great talent & has had some challenges in recent years – I hope she continues with her return to top form & again represents South Africa in London in 2012.
CIGNA Falmouth Mile

Falmouth USA, 8 August
MEN
1. Will Leer, Eugene, OR (Oregon TC Elite) 3:57.28
2. Stephen Pifer, Eugene, OR (Oregon TC Elite) 3:58.
3. Tommy Schmitz, Mineral Pt., WI 4:00.80

WOMEN
1. Erin Donohue, Haddonfield, NJ (Nike) 4:27.91 WL
2. Nicole Edwards, Canada 4:29.33 PB
3. Morgan Uceny, Ithaca, NY (Reebok) 4:31.70 PB
4. Sara Hall, Mammoth Lakes, CA (Asics) 4:32.24 PB
Donohue’s time is a world-leading performance.

All results from Riel Hauman

25 years ago: 5 August 1984 (By Riel Hauman)

For many years women had to struggle to run the marathon at the Olympic Games (they were only allowed to run the 1500 m in 1972 and the 10000m only in 1988). They finally had an opportunity in 1984 in Los Angeles – and Joan Benoit grabbed it to beat the three favourites, Grete Waitz, Ingrid Kristiansen and Rosa Mota, in 2:24:52. Most remarkable about Benoit’s victory in the LA heat was not that she set a world record, but that she had arthroscopic surgery to her right knee 17days prior to the Trials. This record stood until 2000. Benoit (now Samuelson) still runs around 50-60 miles per week and has decided to compete in the ING New York City Marathon in November. Her last marathon was last year in Boston, where she set a US 50+ record of 2:49:08 (she has won the race twice). Commenting recently on the fact that the 25th anniversary of her Olympic win coincides with the 40th running of the New York race, she said: "This will be more than a jog down memory lane. This is the incentive I needed to get out there one more time."

The Science of Sport

2009-08-09T21:31:00.001-07:00

I highly recommend this site to those of you who are fascinated by the science of performance. This particular post has some fascinating observations about the development of the 5ooom &
10 000m.

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2009/08/performance-analysis-weapon-against.html

Landing

2009-08-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

The debate rages on about modern running footwear & the frequent breakaway groups calling for less running shoe (support & cushioning), because it is robbing the body of the opportunity to cushion itself & land more effectively. Look at this facinating work being done with dancers & athletes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/arts/dance/09kour.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Consider All

2009-08-07T13:48:00.000-07:00

Since the very beginning of my coaching career I have been fascinated by the holistic requirements that determine success or failure in endurance events. I recall being adamant in the early 80s that if I could just discover the well guarded training secrets of the athletes & coaches who coached my athlete’s competition I would be able to better apply these & then my athletes would win. Then one of my mentors Tim Noakes said something that changed all this – if you train just like a past champion you will achieve the same results, all other things being equal! Why would I want that? I wanted national records, winners – I had to forge my own way.
Last week I was working with an Olympic aspirant & world class triathlete on mental skills. Previously I had worked with this athlete on running mechanics. Listening to the coach & watching the athlete race & reading the athlete’s race reports it occurred to me that there might be a run training component missing. This was based on the deterioration in mechanics as the run progressed, listening to what the perceived challenges experienced in the run portion of the race were & seeing how this confluence affected the athlete’s mindset.
What started off as work on bio-mechanics led to observation of races to see if the manipulations helped, which led to realizations of incomplete training perhaps leading to loss of form through fatigue, which in turn led to mental fatigue & lack of confidence in the physical components which ultimately led to loss of overall confidence.
The above is a very good illustration of why no amount of science or only an understanding of the psyche of the individual athlete is ever going to be sufficient. A full understanding of all factors involved in performance, plus an unsurpassed degree of relatedness between athlete & coach, with a willingness on the part of the coach & athlete to keep track of all components & to proactively recognize & act on possible “leaks” in any regard. See the diagram that goes along with this article.
Great coaches & athletes & great teams are the ones who take care of every eventuality possible. The team requires a constantly evolving, highly detailed & systematic master plan which is rigorously kept to in order to achieve consistent predictable timeous results.

2009-08-03T13:18:00.000-07:00

I am of course more than a little biased by this entry, but out of the blue South African junior Caster Semenya raced to the world’s fastest 800-metre time at the African Junior Championships in Mauritius. Semenya clocked 1:56.72 to shatter the national senior record of 1:58.85 set by Zelda Pretorius in 1991. Provided all is on the level & she can carry this form to Berlin & then is able to handle the series of rounds, Semenya is a serious medal contender at the World Championships later this month.

The ten fastest women in the world this year are:
1:56.72 Caster Semenya (RSA) 1 Bambous 31 Jul
1:57.84 Maggie Vessey (USA) 1 Monaco 28 Jul
1:57.86 Anna Alminova (RUS) 1 Cheboksary 23 Jul
1:57.90 Mariya Savinova (RUS) 1 Moscow 01 Jul
1:58.23 Svetlana Klyuka (RUS) 2 Cheboksary 23 Jul
1:58.60 Yelena Kofanova (RUS) 2 Moscow 01 Jul
1:58.62 Yuliya Krevsun (UKR) 1 Leiria 20 Jun
1:58.63 Jennifer Meadows (GBR) 3 Monaco 28 Jul
1:58.80 Anna Willard (USA) 1 Paris 17 Jul
1:58.99 Elisa Cusma Piccione (ITA) 2 Paris 17 Jul
Semenya also took the 1500 in a PB 4:08.01

An athlete that I coached years ago in South Africa, Johan Landsman, almost had his South African 1500m record broken in the Super Grand Prix meet (Herculis) in Fontvielle. Johan Cronje ran 3:33.63 in the 1500 m – a mere 0.07 sec short of Landsman’s record set 16 years ago. Cronje was ninth in a superfast race in which the first five went under 3:32 and eight of the first ten set either personal or season’s best times. Cronje is now the third fastest South African ever. Here are the results of that race:

1. Mehdi Baala, FRA 3:30.96 SB
2. Anter Zerguelaine, ALG 3:31.21 PB
3. Abdelaati Iguider, MAR 3:31.47 PB
4. Youssef Saad Kamel, BRN 3:31.56 PB
5. Tarek Boukensa, ALG 3:31.90 SB
6. Deresse Mekonnen, ETH 3:32.18 PB
7. Lopez Lomong, USA 3:32.94 PB
8. Juan Carlos Higuero, ESP 3:33.19
9. Johan Cronje, RSA 3:33.63 PB
10. Mo Farah, GBR 3:33.98 PB

The Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon in Chicago produced one of those rarest of occurrences in a major road race: a woman winning outright. Two-time USA 5000-metre champion Kara Goucher completed a very successful build-up to the IAAF World Championships Marathon by winning in 68:05. Goucher (31) beat all 14 000 plus finishers in the race, which included all of the men! Although this is not a career best time, Goucher ran her fastest ever half marathon on a record-standard course. She was faster in her debut at the distance at the 2007 Bupa Great North Run in Newcastle, but that course is somewhat aided. Her Chicago time was just 31 seconds slower than Deena Kastor's American record of 67:34 set in Berlin in 2006. It was her first half marathon in the United States. Results below:

OVERALL
1. Kara Goucher (F), 31, Portland, OR 1:08:05
2. Chad Ware, 24, Deerfield, IL 1:08:24
3. David Williams, 37, Milwaukee, WI 1:08:49

The IAAF has recognized Kenyan Micah Kogo’s 27:01 performance in Brunssum, the Netherlands, on 29 March as the world record for 10 km. His time surpassed (by one second!) Haile Gebrselassie's mark set in Qatar on 11 December 2002 (a time not ratified by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, as the athletes received illegal assistance from a truck driving directly in front of them).

In the DN Galan IAAF Super Grand Prix in Stockholm on 31 July, Jenny Barringer won the 5000m in a personal best of 15:05.25. I was wondering where she’d got to with all the other steeplechase contenders showing form as the World Championships approach.

Here are the other stunning results from that Herculis Super Grand Prix:
The men’s 800m was particularly good. Nice to see Nick Symmonds join the sub 1:44 club; he’s a class act.

Men’s 800:
1. Abubaker Kaki, SUD 1:43.50
2. Yuriy Borzakovskiy, RUS 1:43.58 SB
3. Nick Symmonds, USA 1:43.83 PB
4. Marcin Lewandowski, POL 1:43.84 PB
5. Bram Som, NED 1:44.12 SB
6. Gary Reed, CAN 1:44.24
7. Thomas Chamney, IRL 1:45.50
8. Khadevis Robinson, USA 1:45.50
9. Jeff Lastennet, FRA 1:48.84
10. Michael Rimmer, GBR 1:49.19

3000:
1. Moses Kipsiro, UGA 7:30.95 NR
2. Silas Kipruto, KEN 7:32.52 PB
3. Sammy Alex Mutahi, KEN 7:33.02 PB
4. Bouabdellah Tahri, FRA 7:33.18 PB
5. Mark Kiptoo, KEN 7:34.87
6. Leonard Patrick Komon, KEN 7:35.96 SB
7. Mourad Amdouni, FRA 7:39.10
8. Lucas Rotich, KEN 7:41.14 PB [1990]
9. Evan Jager, USA 7:41.78 PB
10. Joseph Kiplimo, KEN 7:46.21

3000 s/chase:
1. Tareq Mubarak Taher, BRN 8:07.24
2. Michael Kipyego, KEN 8:08.48 PB
3. Ruben Ramolefi, RSA 8:11.63 NR
4. Jukka Keskisalo, FIN 8:12.93 PB
5. Abel Mutai, KEN 8:14.38
6. Wesley Kiprotich, KEN 8:14.45 SB
7. Elijah Chelimo, KEN 8:15.33
8. Abdellatif Chemlal, MAR 8:15.63 PB
9. Patrick Terer, KEN 8:20.00
10. Dan Huling, USA 8:21.65 SB

WOMEN
800:
1. Maggie Vessey, USA 1:57.84 PB/WL (before the South Africa junior went faster)
2. Mariya Savinova, RUS 1:58.39
3. Jenny Meadows, GBR 1:58.63 PB
4. Jemma Simpson, GBR 1:59.07 PB
5. Kenia Sinclair, JAM 1:59.13 SB
6. Yekaterina Kostetskaya, RUS 1:59.31 SB
7. Christin Wurth-Thomas, USA 1:59.35 PB
8. Yuliya Krevsun, UKR 1:59.47
9. Élodie Guégan, FRA 1:59.77
10. Morgan Uceny, USA 2:00.06 SB

1500 (2 more girls sub 4:00 this season & Anna Willard slips a little from the incredible standard she has set thus far this season)
1. Maryam Jamal, BRN 3:58.83
2. Gelete Burka, ETH 3:59.56
3. Mariem Alaoui Selsouli, MAR 4:00.95 PB
4. Anna Willard, USA 4:01.68
5. Lisa Dobriskey, GBR 4:02.28 SB

My thanks again to Riel Hauman for the results

Pacing for triathletes

2009-07-28T13:56:00.001-07:00

Learn to try & do things as easily as possible in races at race required intensity – so often, especially at altitude, the way out of a hole in a race is not to push hard into the limitation, but to back off & then, once recovered, build into it again. In the short races, often athletes go out too fast, blow up & then push as hard as they can, in a sort of survival mode, to the finish, where they could have gone much faster overall if they had backed down, recovered (patiently) at a lower intensity & then, once recovered (heart rate, breathing), slowly built back into pace. This pace would be much higher than the “survival” pace & the overall result, though not as good as the one that a realistic pace from the start would have brought, will bring a better result than the hanging-on-for-dear-life after you’ve popped, would have brought. This is tactically & mentally also a much better idea as athletes that passed you now come back into your sights & you are more in control. You are doing the racing – the race is not doing you!

To this day, my best Olympic distance triathlon result was achieved in a race where I flatted & had an enforced rest for about 2 minutes as I repaired my flat. When I got back on the bike I was able to realize that the frantic pace out of T2 that I maintained (I was a really poor swimmer) was highly inefficient & put me in an anaerobic state which I just hung onto for the duration of the ride. The rides were typically characterized by a breathing rate & power output that showed a clear “decoupling” – where I was working too hard for the power I was producing.

I then normally, being a much more experienced runner, knew to back off out of T2 till I achieved steady state & then could race from there. Thereafter I was able to recognize that the swim & T1 had put me into a state of fatigue which would, if not readjusted, give me a slower bike time & run. I figured out that by getting into a more balanced rhythm & a perceived effort that felt somewhat easy initially, I was able to maintain better power throughout the ride & transition into a run that far better reflected my ability.