10K Training (Part 2: Race Preparation)

Introduction

The second part (weeks 8 to 16) of my 10K Training was Race Preparation. You can read about the preceding 7 weeks of my 10K Training here: 10K Training (Part 1: Rehab and Hills). My objective was to run on April 13th the Fila Race 10K (Buenos Aires, Argentina) as fast as I could. My revised objective was to run it under 35 minutes. Since starting to work on my 10K racing abilities and specific-endurance I've come to know better my current capabilities of running the 10K distance. I chose to practice with paces that would aim to run a 35-minute 10K. I came to this conclusion after couple of more event-like practices. Last year I ran one 10K race in 39:50 (3:59 min/km). So my progress had been pretty nifty during the last 9 months.

Figure 1: Running the Unicef Rosario 10K.

Training Plan

I read Brad Hudson's and Matt Fitzgerald's book: Run Faster from the 5K to the Marathon: How to be your own best coach. The training philosophy is called adaptive running. Hudson explains how to be your own coach which I find, as being the lonely wolf, very useful for me. This approach suits the educated runner/coach that observes closely the training, the reactions in the body, makes experiments and writes down every day in detail the training that has been done. There must be willingness to adjust the plan and not just follow stubbornly the training plan without thinking or making adaptations. In adaptive running all the key workouts will progress towards the demands of the goal race. Different writers/coaches call pretty much the same elements and practices each with their own names. Hudson and Fitzgerald have divided the athletes' training to three larger ensembles: aerobic-support training, neuromuscular training, and specific-endurance training. The Race Preparation phase in my 10K Training program emphasizes on the specific-endurance training. Aerobic-support and neuromuscular training are the cornerstones of fitness which need to be built first and then just being maintained when moving on to specific-endurance training. My 10K Training cycle was first based on one of Arthur Lydiard's 10K running programs, but later it was influenced by the adaptive running. I will really put the adaptive running to test in my next training cycle.

The Key Workouts

The key workouts in my 10K Training Race Preparation phase were the Long Intervals, Time Trials/Racing, and Short Intervals. Besides that my training included some Fartlek, shorter and longer Recovery Runs as the weekly Long Run was a 90-minute Recovery Run. The Short Intervals became shorter and easier as the training progressed. The Long Intervals and Time Trials/Racing became more event specific, that is to say they became longer and tougher in general.

Long Intervals

Figure 2: Long Intervals Progression.

The specific-endurance training progressed towards more and more race-like workouts. Even though I consider the Marathon my Main Event in which I want to excel in the future, I am still bringing more speed than endurance to a 10K race. That makes me a speedster in a 10K race. In the Long Intervals workouts this means that I can run at the 10K goal pace from the first practice of the specific-endurance training and make progress by trying to run keep the pace longer and longer distances. If I would bring more endurance than speed to the event I would run from the start longer specific-endurance practices but with slower pace than my goal pace and progress by running adding gradually speed during the specific-endurance training. I will go in to more detail about my use of adaptive running in future posts. The progression of my Long Intervals workouts is presented in the Figure 2.

Short Intervals

Figure 3: Short Intervals Progression.

Short Intervals were used early in the Race Preparation. After the three-week period of running Short Intervals they were replaced by even shorter relaxed strides and doing some of the same type of training stimulus in my easy Fartlek practices. Short Intervals provided nice stimulus of running faster than the race pace, but they are less significant than the Long Intervals and the Time Trials. In distance running it is not the speed that limits us, but the ability to resist certain speed for certain distance.

Time Trials

Figure 4: Time Trials Progression.

The Time Trial workouts were an important part of specific-endurance training. I could run them at slightly faster pace than the goal 10K pace close to maximum effort. I made one important observation about the effort levels in practice. If I can run a 5K Time Trial in practice at a pace of 3:27 min/km, next week I can almost run at the same pace a double distance in an actual race. Not that my fitness improved that much but the race adrenaline makes you that much faster and more resistant. In the end I ended up just running one 10K race, but I don't mind that. The training took effect and raised my level of running. The Time Trials progression is presented in Figure 4.

Peak Training Week

The first and most important thing to consider when making a training plan is to decide on the goal race and the date when you want to be at your peak performance. The second most important detail is to plan the Peak Training Week. The Peak Training Week is the toughest training week in the training plan usually couple of weeks (depending on the race distance) before the goal race. All the training progresses towards and culminates in Peak Training Week. If you survive this week with the desired paces and distances, you can be pretty sure that you are well prepared for the goal race to run at your level. In this particular case I ended up running my only race on my Peak Training Week. That is not optimal, but still I proved that my 10K training had worked out and tactically I ended up running a very good race. Here's the Unicef Rosario 10K Race Report. The training log of my Peak Training Week is presented in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Peak Training Week (13/16) training log of the 10K Training.

Peaking

My objective was to run the Fila Race on 13th of April. Less than two weeks before the Race for work related reasons I was forced out of the race. I had been selected for the first time in a road race to run as an Elite, but this time I missed the honors of starting a huge race (10,000 runners) at the front of the pack. But I also started to feel and suspect that I might have peaked already. The running starts to fall apart and mental toughness is reduced at least in the practice. I decided to keep on tapering and elected to train one more week and possibly run a 5K race on the following weekend. I ended up not running any race and felt that the tapering served as an "offseason". The Unicef Rosario 10K was the only race and I ran it on heavy legs, but tactically it was a very good one. Maybe I could have been able to run it even faster with proper tapering, who knows. 

Figure 6: My first elite BIB.

Overall I achieved my objective and most importantly my running fitness was improved during this training cycle. I also learned about coaching myself and training for 10K and training in general. My next big race will be the Bank of America Chicago Marathon (42K) in October in 25 weeks. But for now, I will hang My Diploma of 10K on the wall, see Figure 6.

Work And Play

It's All About Planning

Figure 1: Probably the most famous work related burn-out
in movie history. Jack Nicholson, The Shining.

I'm pretty sure that Jack (played by Jack Nicholson) would not have lost his mind in the movie the Shining if he'd just planned his stay better. All work and no play is not the way go. Or at least if he would've been a runner would've caught his wife before entering the labyrinth, or if that's not convincing, he would've had a better chance of surviving in the labyrinth: running creates tremendous amount of heat. As long as you are running, you don't freeze to death! Been there, done that (Finnish military in Winter).

The number one excuse that I hear is "I don't have time". People waste their time on complaining that they don't have time. And then there are some that have figured it out that if you don't have the time, you just make the time. Prioritize again your life. We should be out there chasing our dreams. The big dreams are not materialistic. They are deep inside every one of us. They are about what you do and just being the person that you want to be. I want to be an athlete. Fine. Now I just have to act like one. Work hard on your dream and life will reward you generously. There's no greater satisfaction than knowing that you've given your best.

The reason I write this post is not to criticize anyone nor am I trying to tell anyone how to live their life. The reason I write this is to show that it is possible and in your own control to take charge of your life. To do what I love I had to give up on sitting in cars in traffic jams and standing in crowded public transportation every morning and afternoon, and use that (extra) time to chase my dreams. Sounds like a bargain to me. They will call you crazy at first and when they see that it actually works they will still call you crazy. And it is true, you certainly stand out of line with this kind of weird behavior. It is not normal. Or maybe it is in Kenya, but not in the West. But I can go to work and still train like professional if I just plan it right.

Everyone of us is at their unique situation and there are quite a few variables to think about when putting together the puzzle. Some of the most important and fundamental things to consider:

• The type of job you have
• The working hours
• Do you need to carry things to and from work
• The distance from home to work
• Do you have a shower at your disposal
• Where can you keep your things
• Traveling

All of these things have a major influence on how to resolve the puzzle. But neither one of these things will prevent you from running (for example). They are just part of the equation at hand and will vary from case to case. I am not going to explain how to cope with each one these variables. Just get creative. The style is free, but mandatory. I guarantee you that there is always a way.

My Way To Do It

Here's how I do it. Monday is my rest day, meaning that I only run very easy home from work. Monday mornings I bring to work all the clean clothes that I plan to use that week in work. I have my locker where I keep my things. Friday is another easy day and that's when I bring back the work clothes in the afternoon. From Tuesday to Thursday I run to and from work according to Figure 2 depending how many times per week I am going to practice (running). I work often weekends, especially on Sundays, but the hours are not carved in stone so creativity has it's use again.

Figure 2: Weekly schedule. AM: Run to work, PM: Run from work,
Evening: Run after work. Low intensity (green), moderate intensity (yellow),
high intensity (red), long run (light blue).

The shortest route to work for me is 8 km. But I often run much longer and do it in the park that is in between my work and home. The only things I'm carrying while running are my keys to home and work and my Sony Walkman. Cell phones, well, I don't like them. If I really need to move my cell phone I do it like this: I remove the sim card, put it in a small plastic bag or sleeve and bring it home (or work) in a small pocket in my shorts. I have an old cell phone at home. But this is just for special occasions. I prefer the De La Soul approach. One of the best things about running is that you get to disconnect from the stressful world.

Traveling

When I have to travel for work (or vacation) I try to make use of that time as recovering from recent exercise. I might do double practice dose right before traveling and then try to relax and put the traveling time in good use. You can not follow too strictly your plans, but you can make the best out of your time, and that's enough. Traveling is not just a distraction, it presents positive things as well: you might get to train at different climate, altitude, temperature, landscape and routes. Take it as a gift, not a distraction and you will be fine. Some of us crazy guys (and gals) run at the airports and airport parking lots. Yes, that's one way to do it.

"In an insane world a sane man must appear insane." -C. William King

Unicef Rosario 10K Race Report

Introduction

I planned to run this Race as the most important practice and test on my 10K Training Program. My objective is to run the Fila Race 10K sub-35 minutes in two weeks. This Race is the second last of the very hard practices that I intend to do before the Big Race (Fila Race). This was the single hardest "practice" in my training. The next week I will run the toughest practice outside of a race. I will write more details about my practice soon in another blog post.

The Route

Figure 1: The Route.

The Unicef Rosario 10K (Rosario, Argentina) route was a "there-and-back" type of straight route. It included only very light hills and twice a tunnel of about 300 meter in length. Sadly, the tunnel ruined the collection of data somewhat (the pace measurement) because the GPS does not work underground. All in all the route was flat and fast with only one hard corner. Figure 1 shows the route tracked by my best friend (the Polar GPS). The weather was cloudy, very humid and the temperature at 19C. The track was still wet from rain the night before. The Race started at 9 am.

The Plan and Execution

My plan was to run this Race with an upward trend holding back the first part of the Race. I planned to run a pace of 36-minute race time (3:36 min/km) for the first 5 km, and then add up speed and finish strong the Race.

I got to start the Race from the first row so I was lucky to not to have to waste time or energy in the start. Eight runners picked up a pretty strong pace and I decided to let them go. I ran the first 2 to 3 kilometers at places from 9 to 12, holding back and trying to stay smart. The first runners started to pay the price of a fast start between kilometers 3 and 4 as I passed them by just maintaining my current pace. I don't have an exact split time at 5K but I think my pace was pretty even during the first and second half of the race. At half way I had already let the front of the race about 100 meters in front of me but my position had already improved to 6th (I think). I was running strong and had dodged the bullet of "a way too fast start" and I had now become the Hunter.

Figure 2: The Heart Rate (red line) and Pace (grey line)
in the Race.

Figure 3: Finishing the Race at 4th position.

The 10K is never easy, but it could be much worse with the accumulation of too much lactic acid too early. I had my gaze fixed to one runner before me who was falling off the lead group about 60 meters in front of me. I gained just 10 to 20 meters per kilometer on him, but the sight of his back really made me to push my pace and not letting my grip to go. At kilometers 6 and 8, I passed couple of pretty exhausted runners who had fallen off the lead group. My eyes and my Will were concentrated on that certain back in front of me. I caught him at kilometer 9, but to do that I had pushed myself very hard already. I passed him trying to feel if he would give up right away, but he did not. He had still juice in his tank and picked up his pace. My legs and lungs worked really well, but my guts started to feel like if I would push my pace I would shit my pants. No kidding! I couldn't respond to his strong finish like I wanted and know I am capable of. In the end I came 4th in the Race running a really satisfactory time: 34:53 (3:29 min/km). My GPS confirmed that the distance was full indeed. I beat my goal of running sub-35 minutes this season.

Summary

Figure 4: Unicef Rosario 10K Results.

A total of 1342 runners finished the Unicef Rosario 10K race. The results of the Top 10 are listed in the Figure 4. The front of the Race beat me by one minute, but I never was really racing and contesting them because of my different pacing strategy. I was really satisfied how I pulled off this time my plan and finished with a great time. My last Race was about 5 months ago the past October (Personal Maraton de Buenos Aires), where I failed. But I think it is even more important to fail than to succeed to grow as a runner and gain information about yourself. Better said, there should be a healthy ratio of failing and succeeding. The ratio could be close to fifty-fifty. This Race boosts my confidence again, so maybe it's time to get the expectations up through the roof the next time I race, eh? The Figure 5 sums up this Race!

Figure 5: Round of applause. Feeling very satisfied.

10K Training (Part 1: Rehab and Hills)

"Mind is everything. Muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind." -Paavo Nurmi

I started my 15-week specific training for 10K racing on 30th of December. This 15-week training period aims to peak at 13th of April. The goal race is the Fila Race 10K in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The original training plan could be roughly divided to three phases for their emphasis on different training elements: Introductionary period (2 weeks), Hills training (4 weeks), and Race Preparation (9 weeks). But since starting with the program I had to make some adjustments because of injury, rehabilitation and to fix a weakness I found in my current state of fitness. 

Figure 1: Training Load during part 1 of 10K Training.

In this post I will explain what I did in the first 7 weeks of 10K training, what I learned, my adjustments and how I plan to go on from here. All this aims to run a good 10K road race on 13th of April, almost two months from now. Seldom the route to the starting line is straight and that makes training much more complex and interesting. My Training Load development is presented in the Figure 1.

Introductionary Period

Introductionary Period was planned to last for the first 2 weeks of the 15-week 10K specific training. Prior to the Introductionary Period I had been doing 8 weeks of Base Training and now was the time to crank up some intensity. The plan was to start running Easy Fartlek twice (monday, wednesday), and 6x200m relaxed wind-sprints (friday) once per week. I was feeling all right until the first wind-sprints practice when I strained my left leg hamstring. More details about the injury can be found in this post. So, my plans were forced to change drastically.

Rehabilitation

Figure 2: Finishing one of my runs in
the mountains during rehabilitation.

I maintained my aerobic fitness during early part of the rehabilitation by riding bicycle. One hour bike ride every day to elevate the heart rate makes sure that the built aerobic fitness is not going away while being sidelined from running. I did strength training exercises for the hamstrings and stretching. It took me 13 days to return to very easy running. First I ran very easy and shorter distances than usual, and then I started running hilly courses maintaining low effort level. After 25 days of highly adjusted training, I got back to the original training plan. I had lost three and a half weeks because of the strain, but I had gained a lot of information about my weaknesses. Some of the training I did at altitude (mostly at 1800 m).

I learned that the best thing you can do as a runner (or athlete in general) is to run hills when your hamstrings are the weakest muscles in your legs. And they usually are. I think running hills is way better than working with weights in the gym. One needs strength to not get injured and the muscle that is the weakest (at its' functional work) will get injured first. Running hills builds strength in the right places and then makes it possible to run faster. Retired athletes get injured very easily when they are not maintaining their strength anymore. The brain has learned to give orders and signals through nerves to the muscles to act and run fast, but the muscles are not strong enough to execute those orders anymore and that's why the muscles tear.

Hills

Figure 3: After rehabilitation. Colors in bars represent
time spent on Heart Rate zone in practice.
Red line = Average Heart Rate in practice.

I had to cut down the original 4 weeks hills training phase to 3 weeks. That will also shorten the following Race Preparation phase by one week. I experienced by first hand the utility of hills training and I will not drop all the hills work anymore in my training. My training after rehabilitating my left leg hamstring is presented in Figure 3. 

I think my hamstrings are the limiting factor at the moment in my progress and I intend to do sharp short hills sprints on my easier days. To maintain the strength I think one time per week is sufficient and if I feel I still need more strength I will do twice a week. I plan not to drop out the hills practice in my next Base Training phase either. Also, my circulation practice just got easier because the hills sprints will do the lower body strength work for me. I will only do abdomen, back and upper body strength in my circulation strength practice.

My typical hills practice was a Hilly Run with 100m long medium steep hills. I run a 0,9 km course that has two of those hills, up to 24 climbs per practice. Emphasize is on the uphills, close to sprinting. You can check my week 7 training log in Figure 4. That is the most running I have so far done any week in my training.

Figure 4: Week 7/2014 Training log.

What's Next?

After the rehabilitation phase I have been running all the time stronger and stronger thanks to the hills training. My weekly kilometers have gone up again, even though the intensity has climbed up slowly as well. Last week I exceeded 100 km weekly kilometers for first time in my career. This week I did it again running 113,7 km in total. At the moment I feel confident moving on to the Race Preparation phase that will make me ready to run a fast 10K. I have the fitness in me, next I need to get used to my target 10K pace, which I don't even know yet.

PS. Yesterday was the 1st anniversary with my wife. Thumbs up for her for tolerating me inside and outside the running shoes.

Hamstring Strain

January 3rd, at 8 am in the morning, on fourth rep of 6 x 200 m relaxed wind-sprint repetitions. Weather was sunny, temperature at pleasant 23 C, and I had a slight back wind while running my reps. That's when I strained my left leg hamstring: I felt a "pop" and sudden sharp pain at the back of my leg. I was running too early too fast in my training. Prior to that day I had been running 60 consecutive days without much warning (except once I felt something in the hamstring) of an upcoming hamstring injury. The hamstring pulls or strains strike suddenly usually when you add intensity and speed.

The next day I went out really slow trying to feel the leg and I slightly pulled it again after running 1 km. That confirmed it: original training plans out of the window, and suddenly my new priority and short-term goal was to get well. It's important to stay positive and see the injuries as a challenge and as a chance to learn. The injuries can point out imbalances in the training.


Diagnosis

My personal diagnosis was that I had a mild to moderate hamstring strain in the middle part of my left leg semitendinosus muscle. The severe strains hurt a lot and I have had one in the past in my right leg hamstring. A hamstring strain is a common injury involving a tear in one or more of the hamstring muscles. This one was just a little "snap" or "pop", but it still disables you from running for some time. This is the first time my left leg hamstring strained. Mild to moderate hamstring strain should heal on their own, but one can speed up the healing. The recovery time depends on how badly the hamstring got hurt.

The hamstring strains can be graded from 1 (mild) to 3 (severe) by the severity of the strain. My injury is a grade 2 injury:

"With a grade 2 hamstring strain the athlete's gait will be affected and they will most likely be limping. Sudden twinges of pain during activity will be present. They may notice some swelling and pain will be reproduced when pressing in on the hamstring muscle as well as trying to bend the knee against resistance."

Healing

The recovery treatment for hamstring strain should start immediately following the injury. The most important phase for treatment is the first 48 hours. The leg needs to be iced as often as possible, preferably 15 minutes per hour for the first day and keep on icing 2 to 3 days. The injured leg needs rest for the first couple of days. Putting weight on the leg should be avoided during this time. Compression with an elastic bandage is used to minimize intra muscular bleeding and swelling. When laying down or sitting one can elevate the leg on a pillow. Anti-inflammatory medicine, such as ibuprofen, might be used for short-term to reduce pain and swelling. Personally, I try to avoid medicine, because I feel that if I can stay natural I feel and am healthier. I believe in preventing sickness before it happens.

It is important to stay patient. I was a bit in disbelief and tried to run very easy the next day, but it was not possible. One could try to return to the old level of physical activity when

(a) the injured leg can move as freely as the uninjured leg,
(b) the injured leg feels as strong as your uninjured leg,
(c) one feels no pain in the leg when walking, jogging, sprinting, or jumping.

If one returns to the physical activity before the hamstring strain is healed, the risk is re-injuring the hamstring and developing a permanent muscle weakness. Like I have developed in my right hamstring.

Sports massage can be used to speed up recovery, but not in the acute phase (from 48 hours up to one week in severe cases). The massage on hamstring muscle injuries helps to correct new muscle fiber realignment, minimize scar tissue and increase blood flow to the injured area. Also, MRI scan can be used to ascertain the amount of damage sustained. I didn't have any of this at my disposal at the time of the injury.


Rehabilitation

Strengthening

Strengthening the hamstrings is the best protection against hamstring strain. The strengthening exercises should always be done pain free. Basic static exercises are to be done in the early stages and as the muscle strengthens move on to more demanding exercises.

Stretching

Stretching exercises should be done when the pain allows it. It is likely that strengthening exercises will be possible before the leg is ready for stretching. Hamstring stretching begins with very gentle stretches. As the injury heals the stretching will move on to more dynamic stretches.

Aerobic Training

While being sidelined of running because of an injury, it is important to find ways to maintain fitness. A couple of days of rest doesn't do harm, but after that one has to start looking for activities to maintain aerobic fitness. If my injury were more severe, I would probably have to buy a gym membership to use their stationary arm bike, rowing machine, cycle and cross trainer. I did cycling outdoors until I could start jogging again. In Finland I would have done aqua running. Neal Reynolds (a Premier league soccer physiotherapist) has made a good list of activities that one can use at different stages of recovery from hamstring strain injury. One can move on each stage when pain is not felt during nor day after the exercise.

Stage 1 - Arm bike
Stage 2 - Rowing machine
Stage 3 - Stationary cycling
Stage 4 - Arm only swimming
Stage 5 - Stepper
Stage 6 - Cross Trainer
Stage 7 - Slow jogging (2 x 10 minutes with a rest in between)
Stage 8 - Slow jogging (up to 25 minutes continuous)
Stage 9 - Half pace running, 6 x 50m strides
Stage 10 - Shuttles: 100m at 30s (3 x 6 mins), 100m at 27s (3 x 6 mins), 100m at 24s (3 x 5 mins), 100m at 20s (3 x 4 mins)
Stage 11 - Sprints: 8 x 50m (twice)


Why this happened?

Figure 1: Hamstring muscle group.

The hamstring muscle group consists of three separate muscles: the semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and biceps femoris. The hamstring muscles work very hard during sprinting to decelerate shin bone as it swings out. Just before the foot strikes ground the muscles are working hardest at the same time as they are approaching their maximum length. This is when the hamstrings becomes injured. One or more of the hamstring muscles gets stretched too far when hamstring strain occurs. The muscles might even start to tear. Surgery to attach the muscles might be needed in severe cases where the muscle is torn.


Prevention

Athletes should work hard to avoid injuring their hamstring in the first place. The hamstring strains can be nasty. Healing a hamstring strain is much harder than preventing it:

- "Stretch before and after physical activity." But don't stretch when you are cold.
- "Always increase the intensity of your physical activity slowly." This is exactly where I went wrong this time.
- "Stop exercising if you feel pain in the back of your thigh." When hamstrings give signs you better believe it right away.


How I got back

First week

3/1 Left leg hamstring injured while doing 6 x 200m wind sprint repetitions. Icing started right after getting back home.
4/1 Easy jog was interrupted after 1 km by sudden pain in the injured hamstring. Icing.
5/1 Rest and ice.
6/1 Rest and ice.
7/1 Rest
8/1 Walking outside: still feeling the hamstring, one time sudden impulse of pain, at end the hamstring started to get stiff. Strength: Standing Knee Flexion, Hamstring Catches on the bed, Bridges (both legs and single leg).
9/1 Riding bike: for 55 minutes, don't feel a thing in the injured hamstring. Strength: Standing Knee Flexion with more intensity, Hamstring Catches "running".

Second week

10/1 Riding the bike can be done completely without pain in the injured hamstring. Strength: Standing Knee Flexion full speed, Single Leg Hip Extensions.
11/1 Strength: Single Leg Hip Extensions with better control, Single Leg Ball Pick Up snapped slightly the injured hamstring. Icing was needed. Riding a bike is still possible.
12/1 Walking can be done without pain. Strength: Standing Knee Flexion, Bridges, Single Leg Hip Extensions.
13/1 Same as yesterday
14/1 Back to the 11/1 level
15/1 Riding bike
16/1 Very Easy Run 3,5 km without pain.

Third week

17/1 Easy Recovery Run 6 km without pain.
18/1 Rest: Traveling
19/1 Easy Run Hills at 1400m elevation.

Since 19/1 I got to run hilly courses on my vacation. I decided to continue to follow my original 10K Training Program on 28/1. That's 25 days after the injury occured initially. I also had a very light "sports massage" at beach one time during the rehabilitation. From here on I will increase intensity and speed in my training cautiously, while trying to run a lot of hills and do strength training for the hamstrings. The injury pointed out that my hamstrings are my weakness at the moment, and now they are the point of emphasis on my training.

Figure 2: Happy to be back running.
And greetings from the trails near Cerro
Aconcagua (6962m), Argentina.

Back to Work (Base Training)

"The hard practice yesterday is just a warm-up tomorrow." -Anonymous

Season Objectives

The objectives of this Season are more abstract than a single race: one of the goals is to keep on progressing with my running speeds at all intensities, and to be able to run more while avoid getting injured. It's important to enjoy the running: to go on adventures, explore new routes and places on foot, to get joy out of the daily routine, and observe the progress. Still I need competition to spice it up. I want to make my new personal records to see where I have come with my training and to see where I'm going with it. The year will be divided into two parts: Training for 10K road race and training for standard 42K Marathon. The dates when I aim to be at my peak performance this season are April 20th for 10K racing at week 16 and October 13th for Marathon at week 41. I kicked off the Season 2014 on 4th of November and so far I've gone through 8 weeks of Base Training. Here's some of my thoughts about it.

Running

After having an off-season (3 weeks) running very little I started out with a conservative 70 km week. In Base Training the intensity is to be kept relatively low, but not to succumb to monotony. Every day is to be different from the day before. I varied between three running intensities during the week: Recovery, Easy, and Medium Long Run. The idea behind the Base Training is to build up the endurance and fitness in the body so that it will be ready to take the pounding of more intense 10K training. A good base is the foundation of intensive training and satisfying results. Without a proper Base, injuries will surely haunt when the intensity and distance are both there. In Base Training one can relatively safely add up weekly distance. From last season I learned that it is not wise to try to beat your previous week distance every week. This time I came out with a plan to add it up two weeks in a row, then dropping 20% of the training distance (a recovery week), then bounce back to where I was, and then the next week go for more distance. I built it up slowly and on the 7th week of Base Training I ran 96 km. That's my current record of distance ran in one week. I broke my previous record three times during this period of Base Training. My training log during my record distance week is presented in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1: Training log from week 51/2013.

This 8-week Base Training went exactly as was planned. I didn't suffer from injuries or even nuisances. I ran every practice that was planned, every day, for 8 weeks straight. That's 56 days of running streak (and counting) with minimum of 6 km running per day.

Figure 2: Daily Running distance (brown bar)
 and Running index (black line),
4th of November to 29th of December in 2013

Figure 3: Weekly Running distance (brown bar),
Average pace (green line), and Average heart rate (red line),
4th of November to 29th of December in 2013.

My daily running distance and running index during the Base Training are presented in Figure 2. The running index uses a formula that basically tells you how economic your running is. The weather, route, temperature among vast amount of other variables affect the running index but a general tendency can be seen from the line that the running has been more economical lately.

My weekly running distance, weekly average pace and average heart rate during the week is presented in the Figure 3. My weekly running distance has been going up with recovery weeks in between and at the same time my average running pace has gone up while my average heart rate has dropped. This describes very well the progress I have been making during the last 8 weeks. What these Figures don't tell for example is that lately the temperatures have been higher than in the beginning, so I believe there has been even more progress than what is visible in these figures.

Strength Training and Injury Prevention

My newest difference maker and useful trick for staying healthy has been the strength training. Not much at a time, but constantly. I want to run and I am not settling for some fixed amount per week. I want to run more and even more. Recently I have discovered that I really need to do constant strength training to be able to run more and without injury. I have now been doing a strength training program called IronStrength. I do it at home in my kitchen every Monday and Friday. Yes, that's right: it seems that my kitchen actually inspires me more than any gym. You don't need much to be able to do suitable strength training for distance runners. It's all about making it easy to start and be constant.

Figure 4: A "glass roller" from
the era before the foam rollers.

Other aspects of my injury prevention include cold baths, stretching and foam rolling. I take a 15 minute cold bath in my bathtub every time I run more than 10 km. I do couple times a week stretching by going through the biggest muscle groups in the legs. Unlike before, the trend now is to stretch in short bursts. I stretch 5 seconds, ease up for 2 seconds and then 5 seconds again. As many repetitions (about 6 reps) as it needs to get the muscles elongated. Foam rolling is something new that I'm implementing in my routine and so far I am not sure about it's efficiency. The foam roller does massage and stretching at the same time. I bought a standard foam roller, but I remember my grandfather (elite veteran marathon runner) always had the same old glass bottle (see Figure 4) that had a rough surface for the same task.

Running in Heat

I didn't have much of experience training at high temperatures before I started running in Argentina. The summers in Finland are great for training and they could be compared to the spring of Buenos Aires. Maximum temperatures at about 25 C (77 F). But when the summer starts in Buenos Aires, the daily maximum can reach up to 40 C (104 F). That is extreme case but the daily maximum hovers for weeks above 30 C (86 F). The Sun climbs up almost straight above your head and shines intense. And when it rains, it rains very hard for couple hours, then the Sun comes back. I have experimented and learned some things that I have found useful for training in the heat:

One should either go out running early in the morning or in the afternoon/evening when the Sun has started to set. They say your shadow should be longer than you are, that's when it's good to go out for a run. The heat will be out there but the Sun affects you less. I prefer running in the morning, so I get out at 7 to 7:30 am.

If you have to run during the day, then remember to use sunscreen. Go ahead use the most protective screen available. Apply the sunscreen 30 minutes before you go out to let it be absorbed, so that sweat won't take it away from skin. Be on the look out for shadows whenever available, they make a big difference.

The body adapts to the training at high temperatures in about 10 to 15 days. It's not that big of a deal after that. Your heart rate monitor is your friend when first running at high temperature. Take a step back with your pace: you are not suddenly in worse shape, it's just the heat.

I wear technical shorts and shirt, a cap or a visor and sunglasses. I don't eat before running. I want to feel light and in fact you want to have all the blood in the body available for circulation near your skin for cooling. I just drink fresh orange juice and a cup of coffee in the morning and then I'm off running.

Hydration is very important before, during and after training in the heat. When I run 18 km or more I carry a bottle belt with me. You need more water and less carbohydrate in your drink when running in the heat.

On-going Games

To keep running interesting I have some side projects going on. First of all the run streaking project: currently (today is 29.12.) my record and on-going streak is 56 consecutive days of running. The second project is to beat my previous weekly running distance record as often as I can. Not exceed it too much, just enough to make a new personal record. Much like Sergey Bubka did his world records in pole vaulting: by one centimeter at a time. One of the projects is keep on writing this blog, to analyze my running and share the experiences with people that are interested in what I do. The newest project is making running videos. I recently got me a Sony Action Camera and we shot the very first video to test the camera and editing software. Here it is:

What next? Tomorrow I will start my training and preparation for 10K road racing. It's a 16-week project and I look forward to running strong at the end of it. I don't have a time goal except I want to run the 10K as fast as I can. Stay tuned.

About Motivation

Worrying about what others think about you is for politicians, not for free men and women. Trying to imitate or copy someone else's path of life will always fail. Everyone has to find and walk their own path.

I recently received a message from a Friend concerning my motivation. Her question was basically this: 

"How did you get back to the World of sports? They always say that it depends on yourself, but to make an actual change in life there has to be some kind of impulse from the environment as well, am I right? I'm very curious!" -Frances Hilli

Figure 1: Monthly Running
kilometers

These days the World has plenty of more or less reliable statistics and numbers. If you start to compare yourself to others, in my opinion, there are only two possible outcomes: you become arrogant (when you are ahead) or you become discouraged (when you are behind). These two outcomes will every time take you away from the optimal. I love numbers and statistics, and they are one of my biggest motivators in my sport. But the key is to gather data of your own practice and performance. It is important mentally to focus and concentrate on things that are actually in your control. Not many things in life are completely in your own control. Running is great because it is simple. You will never have to battle inside your head that what if I just get someone else to do the running for me today. No you can't, and there is no doubt about it, you have to take every running step yourself. Do yourself a favor and don't compare yourself to others. I guarantee you that your life will be much more enjoyable. Share your experiences, but don't compare results. The only comparison that will benefit you is to compare yourself now and yourself in the past. Try to beat that person and you are on the right track. See Figure 1.

I got out of sports during my year in the military (2002-2003). Before that I had developed some kind of variation of celiac disease or atopic skin type of rash that would get even worse in the dark winters. That rash made sweating feel disgusting. Couple of skin specialist doctors tried to do allergy tests etc. but no one could find a solution. By the way, the problem with western medicine is that it concentrates on treating the symptoms, not to get rid of the cause. Or was I suggested that I should move on to live in a warm and sunny country? Of course not. Actually, it could be a scandal in the newspapers. Anyhow, I got out of sports and thought that it was time to move on with life and concentrate on studying. As I look back maybe that was meant to be. My studies eventually took me to Buenos Aires for half a year in Summer in Buenos Aires (during Finnish winter). My skin and my mind started to heal. The sunlight has enormous effect on physical and mental health! No pill, cream nor expensive artificial treatment up today can compete with the effect of sunlight.

I measure all kind of stuff that I find relevant to view my progress and tendencies, because I love it. One can go to library and take a book about human anatomy, study it well and then think: "now I know much about the human body". Yes, you will know the vocabulary and current medical theories to describe the matters and you will be able to discuss these matters with a real doctor at their terms. You learned their language, that's good... for communication. But, here is the thing: to understand your own body and mind, you have to experiment yourself. One has to go out and get going to understand how and where that book applies in his case. We are all different, there are such vast amount of combination of human characteristics that there will never be two of the exact same. That book can't tell you exactly how fast you can run at the moment or at your best, neither can it tell when you will hurt yourself. Life would be pretty boring if it could. We can only throw estimates according to statistics. These are things that everyone has to experiment on their own and with their own bodies. My motivation comes from doing constant work, then analyzing the data and seeing the progress in the making.


The Answer

I will now try to give an answer to the initial question above. There are tons of smaller and bigger things that I have changed since the last two years. The best memories of my teenage years are the trips and vacations around sports. They started with trips to Sweden to play basketball every Spring. The Spring is always ahead in Stockholm, so it was a pleasant to go there every time. In the high school the school's athletics team made a trip to Albufeira, Portugal in the Spring and when I was maybe 18 or 19 years we went on to train in Pisa, Italy with Johan Liitiäinen. He was a decent 800 m runner from my athletics team. Running in different climate, environment and architecture felt unreal. The trips were short, about 2 weeks, but I got a taste of what it is like to live like an athlete in other countries and climates. Those were the best trips and I still think about them with warmth. The sunlight had immediate impact, but it was also sad that I could not bottle it and take it with me to Finland.

Then in 2010 I moved for the first time from Finland to live abroad for extended period, for 5 months. And I got to experience it how the climate change affected my body and mind. 8 years had passed without having the motivation to do the thing that I really love to do and for which I have talent. I was out of shape and I played goalkeeper in the football games that we played. I was probably the worst player on the court, but I did not mind. I was participating in sports. That was a huge leap already. I bought a gym membership and went there as well. But all that was just temporary, and they were not my passion. More about my background can be read in my first blog entry: http://finnforrestgump.blogspot.com.ar/2013/09/background.html

On April 16th 2012 I tried running after a long time. I was out of shape, but I decided not to give up that easily. Inside me I knew that this is the sport that I can be very good at. This is the thing in my life that I have talent for. Besides that it's nice to go outside for a run and enjoy the day and sun. I decided to make running a marathon my first goal. A popular and a result oriented choice. What I really had wanted (which I did not realize at the moment) was to make running a big part of my life again. I quickly realized that running filled much what I had been missing in my life. And it took away things that were keeping me down like alcohol and cigarettes. I felt that running could solve everything in my life. I just need to run and life will organize itself. And I have to tell this: now 20 months later I haven't been this healthy mentally or physically before since when I was 12 years old (and back then life was great). I can appreciate the sports in my life now more than ever.


My key points to staying motivated

First of all, to be truly motivated the activity should be one's passion. One can not be passionate about something just because a website, television or a magazine tells you that this is the new trend and that all the cool kids are doing it. Also, the result oriented thinking fails so many people. For instance, let's think about all these people who are fighting to lose weight. Their goal is to lose weight. Losing weight can not be the passion of anyone, or if it is there won't be much weight to lose after a while (or probably there never was). My tip to people that battle issues with overweight is to think about what is a thing that they would like to do that is physical exercise as well? If something is boring, you have to make a game out of it. Chopping wood for example. Commit yourself to chop one hour of wood per day until it feels too easy then make a new goal to chop 2 hours per day. Put your results in Excel and draw graphs. Think about ways you can chop more in the same time without cheating. Buy better equipment. Chop some more. You will end up with a huge pile of firewood to sell as you get more skilled and better shape, but don't mind that. In fact, if my running would produce some kind of side product I would be glad to cover my running gear expenditures by selling some firewood on the side. My running just produces carbon dioxide and so far no one has showed interest in buying it. The point being sometimes you have to tackle the goal indirectly. I do running to improve my performance, I want to be the best I can in running. It's not about actually winning it although I always try to win. But what I am really gaining from this is all the positive health benefits: the physical and the mental. The quality of my life has gone up significantly.

Figure 2: I agree on this one

Secondly, don't deny yourself things that you want. The diets. I don't believe in them. At my current level, I can run about 100 km per week. The only thing that matters is constancy of exercise. Plan sufficiently hard workouts but not too hard and then commit yourself to stick to the plan. The reward is that you can eat what ever you feel like as long as you are ready to hit it hard again tomorrow. That takes pretty much alcohol out of the question right away. Sorry, you can not nail your exercise in hangover. By doing more and more exercise with less time to rest in between, the body will tell you what it wants you to eat. Running has made me crave for more carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruits. I rarely eat meat anymore. I feel like it is too heavy to digest. Hamburgers, pizza? No thanks. But I will have a chicken salad with ten potatoes, please. I have not felt this healthy for a long time. Maybe once a week I crave for chocolate, so I get chocolate tablet and eat the whole thing.

Figure 3: The cheapest, the closest and the most
time-conserving gym that I have found in my area.

Thirdly. Don't make up excuses. Many people complain that the gym is too far or too expensive, they don't have time or whatever other inconvenience and they are ready to give up right away. One should see this as an opportunity to be creative. Think about ways how you can get in your exercise even though it seems that inconvenient and difficult. At the end of the day all those inconveniences can be solved if you just get a bit creative. One of the most popular excuses is the time. You can always have time if you just prioritize your life again. Rearrange yourself. It really is your decision. Don't blame anyone else from stealing all your time, take what is yours. Make the exercise part of your daily routine, a necessity. Run to your work, if it is too far away get off the bus or car before you arrive and run the last kilometers to get the work. "There's no shower at my work." Then ask some local gym if you can use their shower in the mornings. There is always a way get in the exercise if you really want it.

Last but not least. Avoid monotony. Vary the intensity, routes and music if you listen to it while doing exercise. These are just a few tips that work for me and some other people. Everyone has to think this in their own case separately and do their own choices so to get back on the right track to be healthy and happy.


There is more to it

To get physically in good shape is the first step, but it does not end there, oh no. I have realized I haven't been yet very deep in the game after reading a couple of books of ultrarunners. But what I have experienced already is that I get to a whole new level spiritually when I'm spewing my guts out on the side of the road. In running, that is indeed a reward. You don't get there every time even when you try. It is a sign of accomplished hard work and the feeling is tremendous when your heart is pumping at maximum rate at the same time. If you haven't felt it (yet), then you are missing out. That is a door to the Other Side. Even the most cynic can become a free spirit floating in the universe, for a short moment at least. One couldn't care less about economy crisis or debt at that moment.

Take responsibility of your actions and choose to do what you love to do!