Ironman Lance

Lance Armstrong got his start as a triathlete, competing by age 13 and becoming sponsored at 16. And this past weekend, at age 40, “old man” Lance returned to the sport in incredible form, finishing an extremely close second to New Zealander Bevan Docherty in the Panama 70.3.

Of course, Lance is best known for his incredible string of Tour de France wins. As he neared the end of his Tours, Lance began testing out his marathon legs. When he announced his intention to run NYC in 2006, speculation began running wild. Would Lance be a world-class marathoner? Could his legendary aerobic capacity (VO2 max reportedly 83.8 mL/kg/min) translate to a 2:15 marathon? Could Lance possibly set a marathon world record?! Completing three marathons between 2006 and 2008 (Boston once and NYC twice), Lance’s personal best was 2:46:43 – nothing to sniff at, but not world class.

Now back to his roots in multisport, Lance appears to have found his stride with a sizzling 3:50:55 half Iron distance debut (more detailed race report here). Official splits not yet up, but from various news sources, Lance posted 19:22 on the swim, 2:10:18 bike, and 1:17:01 run. Reports say that Lance led the run until the final mile and a half, when Docherty overtook him for the win (Lance +: 42 seconds). Docherty’s 1:12 half marathon was a full 5 minutes faster than Lance’s.

Next up for Armstrong: Ironman France this summer, and possibly Kona this fall. If Lance can overcome his challenges on the run, we may be in for some seriously fun spectating. With the right marathon training, could he win Kona? Let the speculation begin.

Pedal Power Comes with a Duty

Great NY Times article on not only the benefits of cycling, but the responsibility that comes with it . . . and not just for the cyclist, but others around us.

Click here for the article

Is GPS All in Our Head?

Julia Frankenstein, psychologist with Germany’s University of Freiburg, wrote an interesting editorial in the New York Times.  In her piece, she wonders aloud if GPS navigation is preventing us from developing mental maps.  Dr. Frankenstein contends that using these electronic gadgets dulls our ability to navigate in the raw, so to speak.

“Navigating, keeping track of one’s position and building up a mental map by experience is a very challenging process for our brains, involving memory (remembering landmarks, for instance) as well as complex cognitive processes (like calculating distances, rotating angles, approximating spatial relations). Stop doing these things, and it’ll be harder to pick them back up later.”

So, that got me to thinking, has that occurred with runners and other endurance athletes?  Has the use of GPS watches, power meters for bikes, etc. dulled our sense to self-regulate our paces and efforts?

The first marathon I ran was Chicago in 2004 and I did all non-treadmill training with one of the first Garmin watches.  I have since had a few “free” runs without my newest Garmin watch and truth be told, I found it quite liberating.  But, I always seem to come back to Mr. Garmin . . . it helps my effort/pace, it helps me keep track of my runs, and let’s be honest, this map and its associated data is pretty cool!

After reading her article, I will give an honest effort to go without my Garmin for some runs (don’t want to overly dull that mental map!) . . . unfortunately, I think I’m a bit too nerdy to quit altogether!

Dynamic Stretching for Endurance Athletes

I have written, posted and discussed stretching quite a bit over the past several years.  The concept just fascinates me!

Why is it so fascinating?

When playing soccer and other sports as a child, teenager and in college . . . when learning about stretching in college . . . when watching people at the gym or on the trail, static stretching was (and remains) a staple of pre-exercise routines for the vast majority of people.  It’s fascinating because recent research has overwhelmingly shown that not only does pre-exercise static stretching not prevent injury, it often negatively impacts performance!

So, in December of last year, I posted an article on the benefits of using a pre-run dynamic warm-up routine.  In the February issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, researchers from Florida State University reach the same conclusion and offer similar guidance.

In this study, participants had their VO2max determined and then either performed a series of novel dynamic stretches or did nothing.  Following this period of dynamic stretching or rest, participants had their flexibility measured, then performed a 30 minute preload run at 65% of VO2max.  This preload run was followed by a 30-minute performance run in which ”subjects were asked to cover their maximal distance possible for 30 minutes.”  Participants in both groups covered just over 6km in that 30-minute performance run (approximately 7:55 minutes/mile pace).  The authors conclude by stating, “in contrast to static stretching, dynamic stretching does not seem to decrease endurance performance and may increase performance in male elite runners during our particular experimental protocol.”

So, coupling these findings from Florida State with a 2010 study that showed static stretches held for 30 seconds before a long run decreased performance by approximately 5%, it is our conclusion that if pre-run stretching is to be performed at all, dynamic stretching is the preferred mode.

The Gift of Being Coached

“In the end, I guess the most important person we need to answer to is the face we see in the mirror every morning.” It’s one of those things that people say. It’s a cliche. And unlike most cliches, it’s dead wrong.

In this month’s Running Times magazine, Rachel Toor writes an excellent, introspective article on her experiences with having a running coach.

Ms. Toor (a 3:14 marathoner) is like most runners.  Stubborn.  Creature of habit.  Reluctant to try something new. (“Lift weights?  No way!”  ”Only run three days a week?  Are you crazy?!?!?”)

I’ve worked with enough runners to know that is the norm rather than the exception.  But should it be?

Ms. Toor highlights the recent coaching she received from Furman University researchers and the scientific-based approach they incorporate into their plans (the only safe, effective, productive method, in my opinion).  Despite her stubbornness, she learned, among other things, that

• junk miles, while they might provide a psychological reprieve from daily life, are mostly that, junk
• being held accountable is an important motivator

When, toward the end of my tempo runs, I wanted to slow or stop, I’d remember that I was going to have to report to my coach. I wanted not to disappoint him; I wanted, in fact, to run harder than he thought I could. So I pushed.

There are a variety of options for endurance coaching.  One is an online template that runners can download and then structure their workouts.  Interestingly, I recently asked someone what she was doing to prepare for the Lincoln Half Marathon.  Her reply? “Modify one of (a certain person’s stock) plans . . .”  There’s nothing seriously wrong with downloading a pre-made plan.  Heck, I used that same person’s plan when I ran my first marathon way back in 2004; in looking at that plan now, this person’s website offers the exact same plan some 8 years later.  For those wanting to simply finish a race of a given distance, that is not a major issue.  But, so much new research (like dynamic stretching, core stability and strength training) has been published that demonstrates improved training techniques to make us both less injury prone and faster runners.

So, as Ms. Toor points out in her article, for those wanting to improve, for those wanting to go faster (perhaps faster than they imagined), coaching is the best approach.

We’re proud of the coaching we provide at OSPT.  But if you don’t choose us to guide you through your next event, we suggest, at the very least, that you sign up with a coach that relies on the available research . . . as Ms. Toor concludes,

What I learned, other than the obvious insight that if you want to run faster you have to run faster, is that being secure enough to ask for and receive help is a hallmark of growth and maturity. You receive a more realistic image of yourself than the one in the mirror. Sometimes it’s hard to face, but most of the time it feels like a gift.

So, good luck during the training you undertake for your endurance-related events . . . we’re proud of the steps you’ve taken to get to this point!

-David