May 25, 2006

    Clinics

1. Karen Cowling Wins in Forest City
2. The Leonard's Compete in Hamilton's Duathlon
3. The Pause That Refreshes - by Tim Uuksulainen
4. Team Diabetes Plant Sale This Saturday
5. Are You Ready to Tri This Summer - by Mike Coughlin

The Leonard's Compete in Hamilton's Duathlon

by John Leonard

John Leonard

Results Here

The Pause That Refreshes

by Tim Uuksulainen

(an Article Tim wrote for the ORA on Training, Racing/Competing and Resting)

Frequently I get asked “how much rest should I take between races”? My answer is - it depends. Everyone is unique and starting at varying levels of fitness with different goals. Short-term recovery begins with how quickly you can hydrate and replenish depleted glycogen stores, optimally within the first hour or two. Other factors to consider include length of the event and terrain. Weather conditions can certainly stress the body, particularly in hot and humid conditions. Did you ran the race at 100% effort or use it as preparation for a future race, relegating the effort to a good hard tempo run? Did you taper for the race and if so partially or fully? Another key consideration is your current level of fitness. The ability to recover quickly is one good indicator of enhanced fitness. If your training has been sound and specific to the demands of the race(s) you have prepared for, your chances for a quality effort followed by a relatively quick recovery will be enhanced greatly.

However, most runners I know rarely train properly toward one or two peak performances in a year. They follow some semblance of a training routine, race frequently and hope for the best in any given race. There was a guy I knew who in one year, ran a 100 races! Sounds impossible, but true? That was his goal. He often raced 2-3 times on a weekend, usually 5-10km range, although I believe his total included at least one marathon. He also ran in a number of track meets doing 2-3 races per meet. He ran some respectable times. I did ask him, how much he figured it cost him to do run all those races? His answer was, “don’t even ask”. The key here was that completing the races were his primary goal and not performance. He basically utilized the races as his only speed work.

Of course there are some special runners who seem to be able to race at a high level with great consistency and frequency. Some examples within Ontario that pop into mind are the consistent performances of the great masters like Ed Whitlock, Earl Fee and Steve Boyd. Another example of seemingly super human effort in the form of a single week of extraordinary racing is 31 year old Charlie Bedley of Toronto who put on a mind boggling display at the August 2004 ENDURrun Run in Waterloo. The race consisted of seven races in seven days totaling 160 kms of racing. On seven consecutive days, running alone in the lead, Bedley ran in order, a half marathon in 1.12.03; 15km in 49.43; 30km 1.54.36; 10 miles 55.52; 25km of challenging cross country in 1.41.48; 10km 30.54 and topped it off with a 2.32.42 marathon on the final day for a total time of 9.37.38. The closest competitor was 2.31.06 behind. Even most well conditioned runners would be hard pressed to run one or two of these events in a given week. Besides the fact Bedley was in tremendous shape, he obviously has recuperative ability well beyond most runners.

Assuming you have put forth a maximum effort in your event you pay a physiological price for going past your normal everyday limits. Your muscles will be depleted of glycogen, your body dehydrated. As well during the excitement of the race, you have dipped into an emergency fuel supply- your adrenaline. This is the biochemical elixir that, along with a proper taper may allow you to run significantly faster then normally. But it is a gift borrowed from your reserves that must be paid. In the following day(s), particularly after longer races after your event, you may feel like someone did the river dance on your legs. While your glycogen stores may recover within 24-48 hours and your body replenishes fluid reserves, recovery after a hard race doesn’t end when there is an absence of soreness. This is often a critical point, where a runner has performed as well or better then expected. Buoyed by the euphoria of the performance, there is that feeling of invincibility and wanting to forge ahead with even harder workouts right away Conversely, this can occur after a poor performance too, when often what is needed is several easy days to ensure proper recovery and avoid a potential muscle strain or inflammation, which could escalate into something more. In either situation, don’t do it, or you may see your fitness start to slip sliding away. Recovery can continue to occur for days, weeks and even longer on the muscular, bio-chemical and psychological level. To allow for sensible recovery and rebuilding damaged muscles the following is one guide for most of us:

1500– 5,000 metres - 3 -7 days - all easy days/some off days

10,000 metres - 5- 14 days - all easy days/some off days

half-marathon - 10-30 days - all easy days/cross training/ some off days

marathon - 15 -60 days - all easy days/cross training/some off days

Let’s assume a runner is peaking for a specific race, for example the Ottawa Marathon. A sample selection of races with sufficient rest could be as follows: a shorter race in mid to late January (i.e. 8-10km) that he/she would train through; then a 15km-half marathon race in late February early March, again with minimal rest perhaps few light days or off day prior to race, otherwise normal mileage. The goal would be to hold the target marathon pace. The first key race would be Around the Bay 30km with about 25% less taper then for a marathon (one week easy) followed by post race easy week. The race target pace should at least be same as race goal pace for the marathon. In viewing results from some 20 years of the Bay races with runners I have coached, the ideal outcome would be for the athlete with the reduced taper, to run a time he/she can at least project to hold for the entire marathon distance at Ottawa. The premise has been, given a full taper for the marathon and the fact the marathon course is less challenging then last 8-10km in Hamilton this is achievable. It also let’s the runner know if they are on target and if not, what adjustments can be made in training. An final option can be a short tune up race of 8-10km in early May, which combined with the Bay result can assist the runner in identifying what range his race pace goal is at (reality check) vs what he/she thinks they can do. A caveat, a less experienced runner would do well to choose only the half marathon in March or the Bay, not both, as they may not have sufficient time to adequately recover. Or they could consider adding one short race in late march –early April (5-10km range in lieu of the Bay race. Ultimately, it comes down to knowing yourself and how your body reacts and recovers to the stresses of racing and related training. Documenting these in your training log will be beneficial is a good practice and will maximize your changes to reap the benefits of your hard work.

See you on the Roads,

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