"Once he stared running, he never stopped." -Quote about Steve Prefontaine, from the movie Prefontaine
If you are going to run a marathon or even a half marathon, the “Long Run” is by far and away the most important training run that a person can do. In fact, one will likely see significant gains in a 5km or 10km by doing a long run.
In preparation for my first marathon I only did a long run once every two weeks. I was told that it is usually better to run by time rather than distance, especially early in one’s running life. This advice has served me well.
My first long run was 1 hour. Every two weeks after that I increased my run by 15 minutes. I did this until I was running for 3 hours. The improvements in my fitness that I experienced over those four months leading up to my first marathon were greater than at any other time in my life.
Now I do a long run every week. I have set routes, which I map out prior to my run. I know approximately how long it is going to take, because over the years I have learned that 5 minutes per kilometer is first gear for me (see “Give Him The Gears”). Your first gear might be 4 minutes or 7. However fast your are running while in first gear, make sure your long runs are done very slowly; take them easy. A lot of people like to run for 9 minutes and walk for 1 minute during their long runs. Even today, after 11 marathons, I sometimes take walk breaks during my long runs.
Make sure you eat well before your long run and take a snack with you. I like to eat oatmeal about 1 hour before I leave and I usually run will a couple of gel-packs. A coffee never hurts either, but make sure you are well hydrated and know where to get water if you need it.
Think about having a good run and you will.
Resolution: Add long runs to your training and watch your fitness zoom.
http://amarathonstory.blogspot.com/
web: http://www.aemg.ca
network: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessemcclinton
network: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=507683282
group: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/38193/4CF441501206
group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6705318295
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
To You from You
“My body immediately reacts to lack of exercise. ‘Take me outside,’ it cries; ‘let me out.’ ” –Paula Zahn, broadcaster and runner
Last blog entry I said that I was going to talk about “long runs” in this blog entry. I have change my mind because I want to let you in on a secret: “marathoning”, any type of running for that matter, is the ultimate gift.
Running is a gift from you to your body. It is a gift from you to your mind. No other forms of exercise positively transform one’s being as quickly as running.
Within moments of your first run you will begin to view your body in a whole new way. Within days of starting a new running regime you will be able to breath deeper. You will begin to see bumps in new places. Do not be alarmed these are muscles. Within weeks of consistent running you will be able run without feeling like you are running.
Often, but not always, I will arrive home after a 10km run and it will feel like I just left.
When I get to a point in my training where running feels second nature, I start to become more and more introspective. I slip in and out of consciousness. Sometimes I think about the day ahead, but usually I think about my life and my place in it. Where do I want to be in five years or in ten? I become empowered.
If running is so great, why don’t more people do it? I don’t know! What I do know is that even during times when I am in peak physical condition, I sometimes find it difficult to lace up my shoes. However, I also know that during the times of my life when I am not consistently running my life in general is more difficult. During those times it is more difficult both mentally and physically.
Give yourself a gift and make your life easy!
Resolution: If you are finding that your life is becoming difficult, you will make it easy by consistently running.
http://amarathonstory.blogspot.com/
web: http://www.aemg.ca
network: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessemcclinton
network: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=507683282
group: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/38193/4CF441501206
group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6705318295
Last blog entry I said that I was going to talk about “long runs” in this blog entry. I have change my mind because I want to let you in on a secret: “marathoning”, any type of running for that matter, is the ultimate gift.
Running is a gift from you to your body. It is a gift from you to your mind. No other forms of exercise positively transform one’s being as quickly as running.
Within moments of your first run you will begin to view your body in a whole new way. Within days of starting a new running regime you will be able to breath deeper. You will begin to see bumps in new places. Do not be alarmed these are muscles. Within weeks of consistent running you will be able run without feeling like you are running.
Often, but not always, I will arrive home after a 10km run and it will feel like I just left.
When I get to a point in my training where running feels second nature, I start to become more and more introspective. I slip in and out of consciousness. Sometimes I think about the day ahead, but usually I think about my life and my place in it. Where do I want to be in five years or in ten? I become empowered.
If running is so great, why don’t more people do it? I don’t know! What I do know is that even during times when I am in peak physical condition, I sometimes find it difficult to lace up my shoes. However, I also know that during the times of my life when I am not consistently running my life in general is more difficult. During those times it is more difficult both mentally and physically.
Give yourself a gift and make your life easy!
Resolution: If you are finding that your life is becoming difficult, you will make it easy by consistently running.
http://amarathonstory.blogspot.com/
web: http://www.aemg.ca
network: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jessemcclinton
network: http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=507683282
group: http://www.linkedin.com/e/gis/38193/4CF441501206
group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6705318295
Friday, January 11, 2008
Giving him the Gears...
"An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied." - Arnold Glasow
Last night I went to the Run Inn, which is a bit of an institution as far as the running scene in Kerrisdale goes. They have just started their winter training clinics. They have clinics to get you ready for the 10km Sun Run and Vancouver Half Marathon if you are interested. I will be running with them every Thursday evening at 6:30 and I am going to try and run with the group at 8am on Saturdays. The 8am runs are going to be difficult for me. I have only run at 8am in the morning 11 times in my life. Those 11 times were race day; the day of each respective marathon.
Last night’s training session was fun because my friend Michael Hoenisch, who has just started running, came for a work out. I enjoy training with the people at the Run Inn. Not only are the staff extremely knowledgeable, but also a wide range of people come out. To cater to the needs of such a random sample of runners the Run Inn splits us up into three groups.
1. Walk/Run Group
2. Road Group (Fartlek)
3. Track Group (Intervals)
By splitting us up into groups, everyone is able to get a great workout, not feel intimidated and stay injury free.
It’s never too early or too late to start running with a group. Besides getting the added benefit of being social, running groups usually take care of the two most important “runs” or training sessions that you should be doing in a given week.
To improve your running there is two general techniques. Run faster or run farther. Very, very rarely will you combine running farther and faster. If you do combine them you will likely be on the couch watching soaps with an injury.
When you are running it is good to think of yourself as a car, a car with 4 gears. Each gear has a threshold. Once you reach a certain speed you have moved into another gear. Make sense, right? Understanding and using your 4 gears will make you a smarter and better runner.
How do you know that you are in gear 1? You are in gear 1 if you are jogging. You know you are shifting up and out of gear 1 when you can no longer comfortably hold a conversation. This is the most used gear, especially if you are a distance runner (10km or more). This is the gear that you use to do all your long runs. Long runs are usually 1 to 3 hour run and they are done 2 to 4 times per month (I will talk more about long runs next time).
All your maintenance runs should be done in gear 1. To improve your fitness you should be running 3 to 6 days a week depending goals. This does not include cross training (i.e. working out at the gym). If you are not doing a long run or and interval work out, which I’ll talk more about this in a moment, you are doing a maintenance run. Typically maintenance runs take about 30 to 50min. Keep in mind that during a maintenance run you may need to walk for part of it to stay within the parameters of first gear.
Gear 2 is seldom used. It is simple to understand. Intuitively, one puts out more effort in gear 2 than when in gear 1. You should be going faster than when in gear 1. Typically, you know that you are in gear 2 if you are in the middle of a race. Gear 2 is often referred to as “Race Pace”. It usually feels good to be in gear 2. This is often when one gets a good does of the “runners high”. However, for reasons that I won’t go into now, stay out of gear 2 unless you are in a race.
The second most used gear should be gear 3, which in my opinion is not as fun to be in as gear 1 and 2. This is the gear that will help to make you a faster runner. You know when you are in this gear if you are putting out 80% to 90% effort. As previously mentioned, this is the gear that is used for “Interval Training”.
At the track last night I did a Pyramid set using this gear (it is called a pyramid set because the workout starts small gets bigger and then goes small again. Between each interval I rested for the same amount to time that it took me to do the rep.
I do not suggest doing a work out like this unless you are under supervision or you have a very solid RUNNING base. In other words, you have been running for several months and you feel comfortable running 7 to 10km. Even if you are in shape from other forms of exercise (e.g. biking), you need a running base to do this workout. There are other types of workouts that use gear 3 that I will talk about in future entries.
Gear 4 is never used except for perhaps the last 100meters of a race. Gear 4 is an all out sprint. For the average runner it doesn't serve a useful purpose. Some elite runners will train in this gear, but that is beyond the scope of this entry.
Resolutions: When you run, you will use the right gear and get the most out of every run.
Last night I went to the Run Inn, which is a bit of an institution as far as the running scene in Kerrisdale goes. They have just started their winter training clinics. They have clinics to get you ready for the 10km Sun Run and Vancouver Half Marathon if you are interested. I will be running with them every Thursday evening at 6:30 and I am going to try and run with the group at 8am on Saturdays. The 8am runs are going to be difficult for me. I have only run at 8am in the morning 11 times in my life. Those 11 times were race day; the day of each respective marathon.
Last night’s training session was fun because my friend Michael Hoenisch, who has just started running, came for a work out. I enjoy training with the people at the Run Inn. Not only are the staff extremely knowledgeable, but also a wide range of people come out. To cater to the needs of such a random sample of runners the Run Inn splits us up into three groups.
1. Walk/Run Group
2. Road Group (Fartlek)
3. Track Group (Intervals)
By splitting us up into groups, everyone is able to get a great workout, not feel intimidated and stay injury free.
It’s never too early or too late to start running with a group. Besides getting the added benefit of being social, running groups usually take care of the two most important “runs” or training sessions that you should be doing in a given week.
To improve your running there is two general techniques. Run faster or run farther. Very, very rarely will you combine running farther and faster. If you do combine them you will likely be on the couch watching soaps with an injury.
When you are running it is good to think of yourself as a car, a car with 4 gears. Each gear has a threshold. Once you reach a certain speed you have moved into another gear. Make sense, right? Understanding and using your 4 gears will make you a smarter and better runner.
How do you know that you are in gear 1? You are in gear 1 if you are jogging. You know you are shifting up and out of gear 1 when you can no longer comfortably hold a conversation. This is the most used gear, especially if you are a distance runner (10km or more). This is the gear that you use to do all your long runs. Long runs are usually 1 to 3 hour run and they are done 2 to 4 times per month (I will talk more about long runs next time).
All your maintenance runs should be done in gear 1. To improve your fitness you should be running 3 to 6 days a week depending goals. This does not include cross training (i.e. working out at the gym). If you are not doing a long run or and interval work out, which I’ll talk more about this in a moment, you are doing a maintenance run. Typically maintenance runs take about 30 to 50min. Keep in mind that during a maintenance run you may need to walk for part of it to stay within the parameters of first gear.
Gear 2 is seldom used. It is simple to understand. Intuitively, one puts out more effort in gear 2 than when in gear 1. You should be going faster than when in gear 1. Typically, you know that you are in gear 2 if you are in the middle of a race. Gear 2 is often referred to as “Race Pace”. It usually feels good to be in gear 2. This is often when one gets a good does of the “runners high”. However, for reasons that I won’t go into now, stay out of gear 2 unless you are in a race.
The second most used gear should be gear 3, which in my opinion is not as fun to be in as gear 1 and 2. This is the gear that will help to make you a faster runner. You know when you are in this gear if you are putting out 80% to 90% effort. As previously mentioned, this is the gear that is used for “Interval Training”.
At the track last night I did a Pyramid set using this gear (it is called a pyramid set because the workout starts small gets bigger and then goes small again. Between each interval I rested for the same amount to time that it took me to do the rep.
- 2km warm up
- 400 meters 1min 25sec
- 800 meters 2min 50sec
- 1mile 6min 7sec
- 800 meters 2min 45sec
- 400 meters 1min 10sec
- 1km cool down
I do not suggest doing a work out like this unless you are under supervision or you have a very solid RUNNING base. In other words, you have been running for several months and you feel comfortable running 7 to 10km. Even if you are in shape from other forms of exercise (e.g. biking), you need a running base to do this workout. There are other types of workouts that use gear 3 that I will talk about in future entries.
Gear 4 is never used except for perhaps the last 100meters of a race. Gear 4 is an all out sprint. For the average runner it doesn't serve a useful purpose. Some elite runners will train in this gear, but that is beyond the scope of this entry.
Resolutions: When you run, you will use the right gear and get the most out of every run.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Simmering Soup
"We encourage all athletes not to rush the process of becoming their best; to know that mastery takes time. Go slower, arrive sooner is the ultimate paradox of athletic accomplishment." - Warren Scott, MD sports medicine and accomplished runner.
Right now I am sitting at my desk with muddy shoes, wet running clothes and a slight pungent smell that is all around me. I kind of like the smell of my own sweat...
This is my first post run blog entry, which almost didn't happen because originally, I was supposed to go the gym today. After a long day at the office and a prior night of little sleep I should have gone straight to the gym and not home onto my couch.
I woke up at 6:30pm, which was the exactly when I was to meet an old friend. My friend came over and we went to McDonalds. I will admit, not part of my goals or a "marathoning" lifestyle but I guess it reminded us of when we were younger.
I knew that by the time we finished hanging out and she left my apartment the only type of exercise I could do was run.
My friend is really sick, so when we got back to my place from McDonald's I thought that it would be nice to make her some homemade vegetable soup.
I must digress for a moment. Over the holidays I was able to catch up with my dad's twin sister. She grew up on a farm in Norther BC. She has owned several successful restaurants; currently she owns one on Vancouver Island in Duncan. On Christmas Eve I talked to her for about 45 minutes about the secrets to making good soup. This is what she emphatically told me.
"The secret to every good soup is the broth!"
Donna's Vegetable Soup
Part1
In a large pot on medium heat pour two table spoons of olive oil. Dice 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 leek, 1 carrot, 1/2 a sweet potato, 1 stick of celery. Place in pot and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add 8 to 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45min. Let cool. Strain and throw away vegetables (you have the good stuff in the broth). What you have left is delicious broth. Take half your broth and freeze it.
Part2
With half you broth add 1 diced carrot, 1 cooked and diced piece of chicken, 1/2 a diced onion, 1 cup of noodles, and one diced stick of celery (if there is something else that you think would taste good add it, its hard to mess up soup). Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Don't forget to add salt and pepper. Most of all enjoy.
I gave my sick friend some soup that she took home. As soon as she left, I got dressed for my run.
I live on the west side of Vancouver. Sometimes there is less traffic here than in the sleepy town of Chemainus where I grew up. This makes it a great place to run, but this is Vancouver and you can bet that at 8:30pm in January it will likely be raining. This, in combination with the fact that I was sore from my two hour run on Monday and hour run yesterday, did not have me thrilled about putting on my running shoes. I decided to make it a short run (30 min) and take it really easy, which got me out the door.
This is the first time that I have gone for a run and come home to soup on the stove that I made myself. It tastes pretty good!
Resolution: Even if you put bad things into your body, take care of yourself with nutritious food.
Right now I am sitting at my desk with muddy shoes, wet running clothes and a slight pungent smell that is all around me. I kind of like the smell of my own sweat...
This is my first post run blog entry, which almost didn't happen because originally, I was supposed to go the gym today. After a long day at the office and a prior night of little sleep I should have gone straight to the gym and not home onto my couch.
I woke up at 6:30pm, which was the exactly when I was to meet an old friend. My friend came over and we went to McDonalds. I will admit, not part of my goals or a "marathoning" lifestyle but I guess it reminded us of when we were younger.
I knew that by the time we finished hanging out and she left my apartment the only type of exercise I could do was run.
My friend is really sick, so when we got back to my place from McDonald's I thought that it would be nice to make her some homemade vegetable soup.
I must digress for a moment. Over the holidays I was able to catch up with my dad's twin sister. She grew up on a farm in Norther BC. She has owned several successful restaurants; currently she owns one on Vancouver Island in Duncan. On Christmas Eve I talked to her for about 45 minutes about the secrets to making good soup. This is what she emphatically told me.
"The secret to every good soup is the broth!"
Donna's Vegetable Soup
Part1
In a large pot on medium heat pour two table spoons of olive oil. Dice 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 leek, 1 carrot, 1/2 a sweet potato, 1 stick of celery. Place in pot and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Add 8 to 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45min. Let cool. Strain and throw away vegetables (you have the good stuff in the broth). What you have left is delicious broth. Take half your broth and freeze it.
Part2
With half you broth add 1 diced carrot, 1 cooked and diced piece of chicken, 1/2 a diced onion, 1 cup of noodles, and one diced stick of celery (if there is something else that you think would taste good add it, its hard to mess up soup). Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Don't forget to add salt and pepper. Most of all enjoy.
I gave my sick friend some soup that she took home. As soon as she left, I got dressed for my run.
I live on the west side of Vancouver. Sometimes there is less traffic here than in the sleepy town of Chemainus where I grew up. This makes it a great place to run, but this is Vancouver and you can bet that at 8:30pm in January it will likely be raining. This, in combination with the fact that I was sore from my two hour run on Monday and hour run yesterday, did not have me thrilled about putting on my running shoes. I decided to make it a short run (30 min) and take it really easy, which got me out the door.
This is the first time that I have gone for a run and come home to soup on the stove that I made myself. It tastes pretty good!
Resolution: Even if you put bad things into your body, take care of yourself with nutritious food.
I am going to run a Marathon?
My name is Jesse and I am going to run a marathon... It has been well over a year and a half since my last marathon. During my eleventh marathon in Victoria B.C., Canada, I broke the three hour barrier for the first time. A goal that I had been working on for well over seven years.
A lot of things have changed since that last race. I've gained about 15 lbs, I drink a lot more and more often. Unbelievably, I even started smoking again. A habit that up until about four months ago, I had kicked for well over three years.
If there was ever a time to make a change, now is it! If there was ever a time to start running again, now is it! I think that I was so preoccupied with reaching the "3 hour goal" that I lost sight of all the benefits a runner's lifestyle brings. With running, as with any exercise, there is no "shelf life," if you don't use it, it goes bad.
Currently I do something active on average of about two or three times a week. Not bad, but not great; especially considering that I sit at a desk all day. During last December I spent a lot of time thinking about running another race, so I started doing more active things in preparation. I must admit that even just three or four months ago I was active maybe once a week. A far cry from a three hour marathoner.
Why have I started this blog? There are several reasons, but the main reason is that I want this to be a source of inspiration for you and me. I have found that most people already know what they should be doing they just usually need a nudge to get going and to stay with it.
I'm going to chronicle my experiences over the next four months of training leading up to the Marathon. I'm going to be very candid, especially regarding my lifestyle. I will let you know what I personally think works and doesn't work. Take my experiences and make them your own. Hopefully you will like it. Please feel free to comment on anything I say openly.
My goals are these:
1. Quit smoking once again.
2. Seriously reduce the amount that I drink, especially binge drinking.
3. Do something physically active six days a week that prepares me for the Vancouver marathon (I believe that everyone needs at least one day a week off).
4. Eat better. Less fatty simple foods. More protein and complex carbs.
5. Write in this blog after every workout.
If running a marathon is something that you have always wanted to do, there is no time like now!
"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is today." -R.J. Parry
Keep your first workouts (over the next 6 weeks) light and easy. Run short and often. Think how far you should run today... now cut that in half, but make sure you do it tomorrow too. If you don't want to run in the morning, don't. Go when you can and when you feel like it. Run with music. Enjoy yourself and how you feel when your body is moving. Walk during your runs if you need to. Breath deep!
"My first understanding was that you could not become a distance runner quickly. I began gradually, not doing too much." - Henry Rono, champion runner
Happy Running....
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