Tips from McMillan Elite

Thanks to McMillan Elite for a great week in Flagstaff.  Here are some pointers from some of our nations best professional distance runners:

1.  Run easy on your easy days - Be confident in your training and really use your easy days to recover fully and allow your body to absorb all the hard work you did!
2.  It takes time - Nothing happens over night, have patience, stay focused, work hard and you will see results.
3.  Create an environment and will enable YOU to be successful - Everyone is different, figure out what you as an individual need in your running environment to be successful.  Some people need a group, some work better individually, some like to share in the decision making with their coach, while others would rather to just be told what their workout is and do it.  Figure out what you need and find people who will support and enable you to succeed.
4.  Don't put one race on a pedestal - The first objective is to make it to the starting line.  Don't get caught up in the hype of a single race.  Train smart and stay injury free.
5.  Only you can do all the little things - You make the daily decisions.  Make good ones, take naps, eat well, do your drills and strides, make every choice count!
That being said, time to get back to work, see you on the road!

Why Train at Altitude?

My little 5 day stint (3 when you eliminate travel) is not going to have the physiological benefits described below, but I thought it would be fun to discuss what physical benefits there are to training at altitude.  (My trip was awesome and had tons of other really awesome benefits to be disclosed in future posts, thanks AREEP).  

To get the full physical advantage of altitude I would need to stay at altitude for at least 3 weeks (I have done 6 in the past and definitely received huge benefits) and for an even more effective benefit make several trips to train altitude.  To receive the greatest benefit from altitude one would be somewhere between 5000 ft. and 8000 ft. (perfect Flag is at 7000 ft.)  At altitude our blood does not carry the same amount of oxygen as sea level.  Because there is a lower barometric pressure at altitude, our body adapts by producing more red blood cells so that we will still get all the oxygen we need.  The more red blood cells in our body, the more oxygen our working muscles receive.  The muscles themselves will have an increase in small blood vessels called capillaries, leading to more blood and nutrients entering the muscles.  From a running perspective the more blood and nutrients that enter the muscles the higher our VO2 max will be.  VO2 max is the highest amount of oxygen consumption a person can achieve.  The higher your VO2 max, the faster you will run. 

So the summary::

Altitude=More Red Blood Cells=More Oxygen=Higher VO2 max=Faster Running!

Aaron can we spend the summer at altitude?!?!?!?!?!?!

Training High in Flagstaff, AZ.

Special thanks to AREEP for giving me the opportunity to join Josh Merlis and Dick Vincent on a week long running/training trip to Flagstaff, AZ!  While at Altitude we will be welcomed by the McMillan Elite team and gain some new insight into training and living the life of an elite runner.  Hopefully each day I can share with you, some key points and lessons I learn from one of the Nations premiere distance running programs.  Check back soon for the latest scoop!

Buffalo Park, Flagstaff, AZ, Dick, Jodie, Josh

Stockade-athon 15k Race Report

Stockade-athon 15k Race Report


The plan according to Mat and Aaron:
Training through this race (not a goal race so no taper or anything like that), long warm-up to better simulate a marathon, don’t go out faster than 5:55,  wait until 10k to make a move.

The result: 

Stockade-athon Champion, New PR – 54:46

Aaron and Mat ran as well, Aaron – 4^th place overall, YOU ROCK! 48:59, Mat – New PR – 57:50, NICE JOB!

Check out the Daily Gazette write-up here.

What actually happened:

Wake up at 5am.  My parents were in town to watch visit and watch us run, FUN!  I have the normal pre-race breakfast, oatmeal and a banana, and go through my usual AIS stretching and soft tissue work.  Aaron and I manage to squeak out the door just on time at 6:55am and get to the course by 7:30am.  I do some dynamic stretching and then head out on my long warm-up for about 55 minutes.  Since my goal race is the Olympic Trials in January we decided to go into the race having already ran 7 miles to simulate the idea that mile 8 will be mile 15 and so on.  The race was geared towards being more of a key workout in training as opposed to a goal race where I want to run fast.  After warming up I got my awesome new neon green ARE Racing Team uniform on, said hi to my parents and gave them my extra clothes, did a few strides, took a GU gel (I could probably survive on these if they were my only food source) and headed to the start line.  I went through mile 1 in 5:53 right on pace and was comfortably tucked in behind Ashley Gorr.  I followed race plan and stayed settled in behind Ashley until just after the 10k mark.  I pulled away from Ashley after 10k and she battled right back, what a tough competitor and fellow Olympic Trials Qualifier.  It was great to have such awesome competition!  Eventually I was able to pull away and work on picking off some of the guys who were in front of me.  I would have liked to finish the last 5k a little bit stronger and faster, but overall a solid day with a new PR 54:46. 

Check out the Post-Race Video Here.

Conclusion:

I still have a long way to go but have made huge progress in my 10 weeks back to running.  I definitely have bigger dreams and hopes, but will focus on enjoying the process now, staying injury free, and every day reaching for my goals.

Kettlebells for Runners - Preview

In addition to running I have been doing strength work with Kettlebells at Plaza Fitness with Mathew Nark.  You can check out part of the workout in the video below.

Over the next few weeks I will share some more videos from strength training, core workouts, and drills.  I will also incorporate some pointers on how to include these key elements into your running routine.