Category Archives: RCI

September 22 Races

A Lost Art: Accelerations

We accelerate our cars by pushing down on the accelerator (gas pedal), but we often forget to accelerate our running.

I recently switched training programs and now after every easy run I’m supposed to do accelerations. I remember how important these are because we use to do them a lot at Taylor, but since then I haven’t done them much but did do their close cousin: strides.

Accelerations are different than strides but have many of the same benefits. Often part of a broader plyometric set (or speed form training), accelerations are simple and can be done anywhere you run. All you need is about 100 yards of smooth surface.

The purpose of speed-form training is to improve your leg turnover (or stride frequency, as some call it), power, running economy, and relaxation while running. Runner’s World

Accelerations should be done after your body is already warmed-up, you should run for at least 10 minutes before doing these. It is best to already have a decent level of conditioning and some speed work history. If you haven’t done any speedwork you should focus on strides first.

Pick a starting and ending point,
Begin slowly. I usually walk the first step or two
gradually accelerate (pick up speed).
The last 10 meters or so should be at 100% but should feel smooth, as if you are gliding.
Recover for about 100 meters or 2 minutes and repeat.

Build up to doing between 4 or 5 accelerations.

Technorati tags: running, form, acceleration, lost art

Races on Sept 14, 15, and 16

A Lost Art: Striding

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To become faster you have to train your body to be faster.

Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon winner, describes strides as…

…gradual accelerations over 60 to 80 meters. By running four to six strides several times a week, you help your legs and the rest of your body remember what it’s like to run fast. Without strides or some type of speed-form drill, it’s easy to get sloppy in your running and do only slow running with bad form. You can find yourself slipping into a pattern where you’re training to run slowly and inefficiently rather than faster and more economically.

Strides should be done after your body is already warmed-up, you should run for at least 10 minutes before doing these. It is best to already have some level of conditioning but you can add more strides each week. Focus on your form, staying smooth, you shouldn’t be straining your body.

Pick a starting and ending point (about 100 meters),
Begin at a slow jog
Increasing your speed to 80-90% within the first 30 meters
Maintaining that pace throughout the distance.
Recover for about 100 meters or 2 minutes and repeat.

Build up to doing between 4 or 5 strides.

In the Complete Book of Running Coach Roy Benson says

Do short sprints (strides) with a fast, but easy, effort. Think legs, not lungs. The idea is to use as big a range of motion and as rapid a turnover as possible but for a short enough distance so that you never huff and puff.

A full list of running drills can be found at Running Planet.

Technorati tags: running, form, stride, lost art

Race Day: DINO Series #5

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On a cooler Saturday morning 206 eager competitors (89 in the 15K and 117 in the 5K) lined up for a muddy start to the DINO Series 5th race of the season at Town Run Trail Park in Indianapolis. The 15K started at 9am with the 5K following five minutes later. This is a little late for the current weather trend, but stays consistent with the DINO Series 9am start for all 7 races.

I ran the 15K course which is 9.3 miles, except today due to the structure of the trail and modifications by the city the course was actually more like 10 miles, and the 5K distance was closer to 5 3.3. We were dutifully informed of this well before the race start so you had time to mentally engage yourself for the longer distance. According to the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association which helps maintain the trail, the trail was modified due to high levels of erosion.

Town Run is mostly a Mountain Bike trail that is primarily single track throughout the entire course. It winds along the White River from 96th Street goes under 465 and supposedly comes out on 82nd Street somewhere. In the 15K we did a two loop course. We began by running the 5K loop and halfway through our second time around that loop we went straight out to complete and approx 5 mile loop through open meadow and more woods. After completing this grueling loop we finished along the 5K course. This was no easy race.

I started farther back in the pack than I should have and spent most of the first 2 miles trying to get around long “trains” of runners on the single track. After finding a group that I felt comfortable staying behind we got into some semblance of a pace and didn’t have to worry about the single-track much after that. I and some others faded from the main pack and around the 4 mile mark the group I was with completely disintegrated with me staying in the front and running a long while by myself before other runners started catching me. Due to the million switch backs and turn you could see those ahead and behind you at various points, but you couldn’t always be sure how far behind they actually were. I used some Clif Shot Bloks at the 5 and 10K marks, they seemed to help a little bit, but I took half the recommend amount of 6 per hour. They are given away free at the registration table for the DINO races!

I’m not excited with my overall time or individual splits, but this is actually a little faster than my last DINO race and considering the course, my current training, and nutritional habits I am happy with my 1:19:11 (7:55) ten mile time. My splits were 7:50, 6:51, 7:44, 7:43, 7:57, 8:17, 8:11, 7:48, 8:29, 8:17 (ones with similar formatting are approximately the same mile). I was very happy to place second overall in my age group and 23rd place overall.

Did you race this weekend? How did you do? Tell us about it in the comment section.

Technorati tags: race review, 15K, DINO, trail running

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