Win An Entry to the 2011 Blue Ridge Marathon in April!

Looking for a marathon that'll put a feather in your cap? Then the Blue Ridge Marathon on April 16th in Roanoke, VA is just the marathon for you!

Local runners have crafted one of the most challenging and beautiful marathons on the east coast. In 2010 the full marathon course included 3,076 feet of total elevation gain and 6,140 feet of total elevation change, but that just wasn’t enough. The 2011 course includes 3,620 feet of total elevation gain and 7,234 feet of total elevation change.  Kind of gives new meaning to runner’s high.

The uphill portions will test each runner’s strength and endurance while the equally challenging downhill sections are sure to weed out those who are unprepared. The breathtaking views and stunning Blue Ridge Mountain scenery will offer some reprieve to runners as they persevere to the finish line! Are you up for the challenge of America’s Toughest Road Marathon?

Check out what Ronny Angell, race director of the Blue Ridge Marathon, had to say about this unique spring marathon.

Blue Ridge Marathon: America's Toughest Road Marathon from Pete Eshelman on Vimeo.

Not only will running the Blue Ridge Marathon give you an awesome marathon experience it will also benefit a great cause. Proceeds from the Blue Ridge Marathon will benefit the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway. FRIENDS is a non-profit, volunteer organization that is dedicated to preserving and protecting the Blue Ridge Parkway, a national treasure. FRIENDS programs focus on preservation, protection and education.

Contest!

RunnerDude's Blog has great news! Race Chair-Pete Eshelman-has again graciously offered a free race entry to be given away on the blog! To Enter for a chance to win the free entry, simply email RunnerDude at runnerdudeblog@yahoo.com. Be sure to put "Blue Ridge" in the subject line of the email and include your full name in the body of the email. Deadline for entries is Thanksgiving Day! Each email entry will be assigned a number in the order that it's received. The numbers will be entered into the True Random Number Generator to select the winner. The winner will be posted on the blog on November 26th. Good luck to everyone and thanks Pete for providing RunnerDude's Blog with such a great giveaway!

Guest Runner Chef: Johnny Vaccaro

One of my favorite healthy food and cooking websites is Johnny Vaccaro's Running the Kitchen. Johnny's own words best describe the website's purpose, "I believe in eating healthy and staying active. My goal is to keep you motivated and perform your best in the kitchen, on your runs and workouts, and in all other aspects of your life." Johnny's culinary creations are healthy, innovative, full of good stuff and fun to make.

I contacted Johnny a little while ago to see if he'd "cook-up" something special for the RunnerDude's Blog. He was awesome and said yes. Johnny asked me what ingredients I'd like for him to use and I suggested something with Quinoa. It's a great source of protein and it's really easy to fix, but so few people know about it. I also wanted the dish to be a great pre-run fuel source or post-run refueling source. Johnny came up with a great creation he calls Warm Cinnamon Pecan Quinoa. Check it out below.

Be sure to visit Running the Kitchen for all of Johnny's other great recipes! Also check out the Running the Kitchen Facebook page.

Thanks Johnny!

RunnerDude Chats with Matt Fitzgerald

Two of my favorite training-related books are Brain Training for Runners and the recently published Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel. Just recently, I reviewed Run: The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feek on the blog and highly recommend both books to runners.

Last week I had the privilege to chat over the phone with Matt Fitzgerald, the author of both books. Matt knew he wanted to be a writer at the age of nine. His passion for writing and love of running and fitness have led him to author and coauthor more than 17 books as well as writing for several national publications and Web sites such as Outside and Runner's World. Matt is currently a senior editor for Triathlete magazine and the senior producer for the Competitor Running Web site. Matt is also a great runner having run more than 15 marathons with a personal record marathon time of 2:41.

I enjoyed talking with Matt and getting to know him a little better. Below is our conversation.

RD: I read in your bio that your running really took off when you ran the last mile of the Boston Marathon with your Dad as he finished the race in 1983. How old were you when this took place?

Matt: I was 11 just about to turn 12.

RD: So what was it that hooked you on running? Was it running with your dad? The crowd? Crossing the finish? Or all of that combined?
Matt: As anyone that experiences it knows, Boston is a magical experience. Back then Bill Rogers was still in the front of the race, so I got to see him. It was the year that Joan Benoit broke the World Record and I got to see her. It was the first year that Dick and Ricky Hoyt ran Boston. I also think it was the year 93 people broke 2:20. On top of all of that, just getting the experience of running that last mile with the mad throngs of the Bostonians out there screaming urging you on and to experience all that with my dad was very special. As novel as it was, it also seemed normal because you know when you're a kid anything your parents do, you just take for granite as normal and I thought everyone ran marathons. The very next day, my older brother and I both announced at the breakfast table that we were going to be runners too.

RD: So, was running always a part of your family? Obviously your dad must have been a runner, having qualified for Boston.
Matt: Yeah, my dad was sort of this warrior, dragon-slayer kind of guy. He was a navy frog man. He did these crazy solo long-distance swims, most before I was born. He'd swim from Canada to where he grew up in New York state, like 27 miles or something across Lake Ontario. Then he got into running. He ended up running Boston three times. So, I just got it straight from him. He wasn’t a real fast guy, but he had endurance. Actually I have two brothers and the three of us are more gifted runners than my dad, but we got the inspiration from him. Two of the three of us ran track and cross country in high school. My younger brother didn't actually get into any competitive running, but he'll jump into a race from time to time and to this day he would not call himself a runner, but he's run a 3:03 marathon.

RD: Well with a 3:03 marathon, I definitely think that qualifies him as a runner.
Matt: Yeah. (Laughing)

RD: Sounds like you grew up in a very active family. Today it seems like the childhood obesity rate is growing out of control in the US. I think running is a great way to get kids healthy and active. What do you think is a good age to get kids into running?
Matt: As soon as they're physically able to run. Not structured running as we know it, but you know kids will do it spontaneously. Running is fun. I think you should encourage spontaneous play and get them moving and as they get older start to structure it some. It’s providing opportunities that's the key. Enjoyment is also the key to longevity in running or any sport. If you take the fun out of it, kids won’t stick with it.

RD: The readers know about you as a writer and your connections with triathlons and running, but what is something about Matt Fitzgerald that may surprise the blog readers?
Matt: I guess perhaps (I don't know if this is interesting or not), but you know I wanted to be a writer before I wanted to be a runner. My dad was a writer too, so I just knew almost from the beginning that that's what I wanted to do. You know as a kid dreaming about being a writer, you think about writing the next great American novel. I never thought about putting my writing and running together. That just sort of happened when I got a job at Endurance Sports at 24. You know I read all the time. I'm made fun of here at work all time. There's a deli near where I work and you can often find me there with a book in front of my face, but it's almost never a running book. I read things like War and Peace, stuff I read as an English major in college.

RD: Well, I guess you need a break from your work, so your reading is an escape.
Matt: Yeah, I'm often asked if my wife is a runner too and she's not. I'm glad she's not. Not because I don't want her to run, but if my entire life...my wife, my work, my pleasure reading, my hobbies...were all running-related.....yuck. I like balance and variety.

RD: You've run quite a few marathons with some pretty impressive times. I think your PR is a 2:41. Which race or event is the most memorable for you?
Matt: Well, that PR marathon was pretty memorable. I ran that PR at age 36 or 37. I had long despaired of ever setting a PR. Ages 31-34 were pretty much wiped out for me due to injury. I got to a point that I doubted I'd ever even finish a marathon again. Then I just sort of figured some things out and healed and sort of got this second opportunity. Actually a third opportunity. Although I had run in high school and even chose a college with a great running program, I burned out and quit running from ages 18-26 and then got back into it in my late 20s and wished I had never quit and wanted to make up for lost time. Then I got the injury bug and lost it again. I don't think I ever got even close to the level I could have been at if I had just stuck with it. But to have had a great marathon time at age 37, I felt pretty good about that.

RD: One of the things I like about the books you've written is your willingness to say that things will change. Even in your book Run, you admit that some of your views on running and training had changed some since the previous book Brain Training. What's one of the most surprising changes you've observed in your learning and writing about running?
Matt: You know that I arrived at this place when I was working on Run that I abandoned things like using training plans and doing things "the right way" in favor of using a much more improvisational or intuitive approach to running. If you had asked me 15 years ago if I felt that improvisation or an intuitive approach were important to successful running, I would have said, "Sure." But I had no idea how important that element would be in running. The last couple of years I've had so much exposure to some of the best runners in the world and begin able to sit down and talk with runners like the great Ethiopian distance runner Haile Gebrselassie and American distance runner Ryan Hall, I've learned so much about what separates them from the rest. Up until this point, I thought it had more to do with talent, but what I've learned is that it's not that. Well it is talent, but what separates the most talented from the rest is that they've really learned to listen to their bodies. Look at Haile Gebrselassie. He's pushing 40 and running sub 60-minute half-marathons. How does he do that? He does it because he does it his way. I really don't think I'm going to change my mind about that. You have to know the workouts. At some point someone has to teach you what an interval session looks like. There's lore of running that has to be handed down that you don't want to have to recreate on your own, but once you have the basic tools, you have to learn to listen to your body, especially if you on longevity.

RD: How about your interview with Gebrselassie ("Geb")? In Run you mentioned being a little worried about the interview.
Matt: Well, it was one of those things where I was told, not that he's reticent, but A) there's the language barrier and B) there's just a different way of thinking about running in east Africa. Honestly (in an admirable way), it's that they think a hell of a lot less about it. They're not sitting around reading about running all day. There’s less clutter. Running is all simple to Geb. I would ask him some questions and he'd look at me with a “Duhh” expression and say, “You do the training. Training for a marathon, you do a little more. Train for a 10K, run a little less and a little faster.” It was all very simple to him.

RD: I thought Geb’s response to your questions about age and training were awesome. He said, he had made a few changes to avoid injury, but he also said that the reason he keeps winning is because of his age. It’s like he’s figured out the secret that everyone else is still looking for….what to do to win the race, before the race, after the race, and recovery. The thing is that it’s not something he can bottle and share. It’s what works for him. To him it’s quite simple. To the rest of us, it’s quite magical. We each have to discover our own magic.

We here in the west tend to be so exact and quantifiable. One of Geb's favorite workouts is a hill workout, but instead of a bunch of precise hill repeats, he runs up a mountain. If he gets to the top and feels good, then he’s conquered the workout and achieved his goal.
Matt: Yeah, the western way is "What's the optimal duration for the uphill portion of this workout." While Haile Gebrselassie would say, "Just run to the top!"

RD: Lots of runners that I work with run their first major endurance run and have this runner's high and they want it to continue. What do you recommend as a safe way to keep that high but not be too ambitious? Do you have any recommendations for periodization or seasons for runners? Listen to me, now I'm getting all technical (laughing). I don't want them to over train, but I don't want to stifle that new excitement.
Matt: When I say the most important thing you can do as a runner is listen to your intuition and heed it and let it guide you, that's a little simpler than it really is. We all have a multiplicity of voices inside us that often conflict. It's a process and you have to learn to sort of distinguish the most reliable and trustworthy voices inside yourself from those that are based on insecurities, fears or whatever. I gave the example with Ryan Hall in the book, where he talked about feeling like he felt like he had to do more, more, more. But then he had another voice that said, "Just let it come. Don’t' force it. Yes you have to work hard, but not all the time." It took him a little while to understand that he had two voices talking to him and through experience he learned which one to trust more. So in reference to the new runner and how much to do, it's kind of an individual thing. Only experience can teach what's the right mix for you. Sometimes it may need to be more measured, but sometimes experience is the best way to learn your abilities and limitations.

RD: I have a lot of runners coming to me in their 40s and 50s saying that they're not running like they used to. They think it’s related to aging. But, I've kind of determined that more than an age thing, it's more related to having a weak core and weak upper body. As we get older we tend to be involved in fewer activities that help keep the core fit, so it weakens. Adding more core and upper-body muscular endurance exercise really benefits these runners. What's your take on this?
Matt: Yes, I agree. I'm a strong advocate of being a strong runner. I think it's important for a runner at any age, but especially as we age. I was talking with Dave Scott, the six-time Ironman athlete who is 56. He can still do a sub 9-hr Ironman even at his age. I spent week training with this guy and he's incredible. I asked him why? He said two things...1) I've never let up on high intensity training. Lots of people let up as they get older. 2) I'm strong. The benefits of resistance training are key to endurance. Runners that have kept resistance training in their routine find that they run much stronger and much longer than runners that just run.

RD: I recently saw a picture of several elite marathon runners in profile running and they all looked as if they were heel strikers. What's your take on the barefoot running approach or just the idea of having more of a forefoot, midfoot foot strike?
Matt: Well, photos can be deceptive. Heel striking isn't necessarily the same thing as heel weighting. If your heel is the first part that hits the ground, you may actually be flat-footed by the time you're putting 3-4 times your full body weight on your foot. So you can't go by the photo. The research is pretty clear. In general the faster you are the farther forward you land on your foot. You look at the elite runners and many think, okay that's what I need to do. But you can't do everything the elite runners do. Elite runners run 135 miles a week. The average runner isn't going to be able to do that, nor do they need to.

Stephen McGregor's research shows that running is learned unconsciously. Basically you can look at running as a complex dynamic system. There is a fundamental set of rules. You let the system go and you see what happens and it self-optimizes. It doesn't perfect itself, it just optimizes it's function within existing restraints. Running is like a problem that each runner solves for themselves. You can't do it by consciously enforcing one universal set of rules. If you do, it backfires. When you try to run a certain way that's different than the way you naturally run, it makes you less efficient, not more efficient. That doesn't mean you're stuck running the way you're running now. It just means that in order to run better than you're running now, you need to keep running. Just let the process happen. Running hard appears to really help. Running in groups seems to help a lot. I still think there's a place for conscious manipulation of the stride, but more with the idea of preventing re-injury. One of the things that Stephen McGregor found is that some runners land a lot heavier than others. These runners tend to break down quicker, so here's perfect example of when conscious manipulation serves a purpose. So, if you get injured a lot, then playing with your stride is worth exploring, otherwise stick with what works for you.
RD: That’s great to hear. I've always felt that running stride and foot strike is an individual thing and is unique to each runner. If it isn’t broke, don't fix it.

RD: Tim Noakes, the author of Lore of Running (the bible for many runners) wrote the forward in your book Brain Training for Runners. In the forward he said, "I expect runners who follow these guidelines to have more success more frequently than if they were to follow other programs, mine included." Wow! What an endorsement! How did that make you feel?
Matt: Yeah, yeah, I felt great. Anytime you feel respected by someone you respect, it's awesome. That he appreciates my work, I was over the moon. It's really cool to have a relationship with someone that smart and that accomplished. I'm not a scientist myself. I'm not in the trenches. It's not the scientist's job to make runners run better. That's not really their role, but they make valuable contributions and that's not a contribution I can make. I love learning about how science can be used to help runners run better. I need people like Noakes to help me in my work. My idea of hell would be to reiterate something someone else has already said. So, I utterly depend on having relationships with people like Noakes who share their work with me.

RD: On a different topic, what do you think about the whole issue with Boston filling up so fast this year and the questions over the qualifying standards?
Matt: I haven't followed that too closely, but I would say that it's a fair question. You want gender equity in sports. Sounds good, but then you ask, "What does that mean." When my dad ran Boston the first time, it was about 85% men. That was a problem that needed to be changed. You want endurance sports to be at least 50/50 male/female. The sport has been greatly enriched by women coming to the sport. I work for Competitor Group and we do the Rock-n-Roll marathons and our events are majority women now. But if I were involved in setting qualifying standards for Boston, I think it would not be too soon to start looking at achieving a higher level of gender equity. Obviously men and women perform differently as runners so the standards need to be different, but still equitable. I think women should have just as good of chance but no better than men for qualify for Boston.

RD: So what's ahead for Matt Fitzgerald?
Matt: So glad you asked! I'm working on a new book now that I'm especially excited about. It's called Iron War. “Iron War” refers to the great battle between Mark Allen and Dave Scott in the 1989 Hawaii Ironman. I consider that to be the greatest race that ever happened in any racing sport. Not just the race itself, but the full rivalry between the two men and full richness and complexity behind the story of the race. It's such great stuff that you couldn't make it up. I've long thought about telling this story in long form and really deliver this page-turning adventure in similar fashion as Duel in the Sun. This is really a human story that anyone, not just runners, will enjoy and get something out of. It's a narrative, so it’s very different from what I usually write. I'm really excited about it.

RD: That's exciting. So when is it due out?
Matt: In about a year in time for a book release at the next Hawaii Ironman

RD: Any other exciting things to look for from Matt Fitzgerald?
Matt: I have a sequel to my book Racing Weight that will come out around Christmas or the New Year called The Racing Weight Quick Start Guide. It's a program for athletes who are more than a few pounds above their racing weight. It's helps guide them in how to lose body fat quickly the right way to set themselves up for training/performance success.

RD: Awesome. I look forward to reading and reviewing both books for the blog. Thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to share more about yourself and your work with the readers of RunnerDude's Blog.

To learn more about Matt and his books, be sure to check out his website as well as his many posts and articles at Competitior.

Hill Workouts on the Treadmill

Even if you’re not training for a race, mixing up your weekly runs is a great way to make you a stronger more efficient runner. Adding a weekly hill workout is a great way to “mix-it-up.” Runners usually have a love-hate relationship with hills. It’s one of those things that you dread, but love after you’ve completed it.

Why the dread? Well, they’re hard. They’re hard for a reason. The incline of the hill helps strengthen all of the lower-body muscles, especially the glutes and hamstrings. The increased speed needed to climb that hill helps boost your VO2Max (your body’s ability to take in oxygen and get it to the muscle to make energy) as well as push out your lactate threshold (the point at which you feel that fatiguing burn in your legs). Boosting all three of these areas does a lot to make you a stronger, faster, more efficient runner. Whether you’re a marathon endurance runner or a speedy 5K racer, weekly hill workouts can be of great benefit to your training.

A problem for many runners is the availability of hills. So, what’s a runner to do? The answer is as close as your nearest treadmill. Yep, you can get in a great hill workout right on your in-home or gym treadmill. Even if you do live in an area with hills, it can be hard to find just the right hill or hills to fit your training needs. The treadmill eliminates that problem by allowing you the ability to determine the length of your hill as well as the degree of incline. Most treadmills have a range of inclines from 1°-12°and some even go higher.

An important element of any hill workout (whether beginner or experienced) is the warm-up. It’s never a good idea to expose your body to intense speed work or steep inclines without first warming-up your muscles. So, before any hill workout, it’s best to begin with a 1-mile easy jog at 0° incline.

If you’re a newbie to hill work, it’s best to gradually introduce your body to the various inclines. If you’re a new runner or even an experienced runner who hasn’t done much hill running, the muscles and tendons in your legs may not yet have the strength for intense and/or steep hill work. Instead of discovering that the hard way by becoming injured, start out slow, gradually increase your leg strength, and before you know it you’ll be conquering any degree of incline. Often runners new to hill workouts, think they need a huge degree of incline in order to get an effective workout. Actually you don’t need much more than a 7° incline to get a great hill workout. Also keep in mind that a lower the degree of incline can involve a longer distance run and a higher degree of incline will involve a shorter distance run.

Below is a good beginner and intermediate pyramid hill workout. It’s called a pyramid because the runner begins at 0° incline, builds up to a designated degree of incline, and then works his/her way back down to 0° again. (You should be able to run at least 5-miles with ease before attempting these workouts.)

The Beginner Pyramid
Run 1-mile at an easy pace at 0° incline.
Run ¾ -mile at an easy pace at 1° incline.
Run ½ -mile at an easy pace at 2° incline.
Run ¼ -mile at an easy pace at 3° incline.
Run ½ -mile at an easy pace at 2° incline.
Run ¾ -mile at an easy pace at 1° incline.
Run 1-mile at an easy pace at 0° incline.

The Intermediate Pyramid
Run 1-mile at an easy pace at 0° incline.
Run 1-mile at an easy pace at 2° incline.
Run ¾-mile at an easy pace at 3° incline.
Run ½-mile at an easy pace at 4° incline.
Run ¼-mile at an easy pace at 5° incline.
Run ½-mile at an easy pace at 4° incline.
Run ¾-mile at an easy pace at 3° incline.
Run 1-mile at an easy pace at 2° incline.

Your everyday “outside” running routes most likely have hills dispersed intermittently throughout the route. Use the following workout to help condition your body to be able to deal with hills that pop-up during a run.

Intermittent Hill Workout
Run 1-mile at your regular pace at 0° incline.
Run ¼ -mile at a slightly faster pace at 2° incline.
Continue with the same pace and run ¼ -mile at 3° incline.
Continue with the same pace and run ¼ -mile at 4° incline.
Continue with the same pace and run ¼ -mile at 5° incline.
Run 1-mile at your regular pace at 0° incline.
Repeat this cycle twice for a 6-mile run or three times for a 9-mile run.

Hill workouts can also be used as an alternative to a speed workout. This type of workout is typically done outside as hill repeats, such as a 10 x 100m hill repeat. It’s a little further, but to make it easier to track the distance on a treadmill, change the 100m to 1/10th of a mile. If this type of workout is new to you, start with a 4 x .1-mile and work your way up to a 6 x .1-mile and eventually get to an 8 x .1-mile workout.

Surge the Hill Repeats
Run 1-mile at an easy pace at 0° incline (Warm-Up Mile)
Run .1 mile at maximum speed at a 10° incline (Speed Interval)
Run .1 mile at an easy pace at a 0° incline (Recovery Interval)
Run .1 mile at maximum speed at a 10° incline (Speed Interval)
Run .1 mile at an easy pace at a 0° incline (Recovery Interval)
Run .1 mile at maximum speed at a 10° incline (Speed Interval)
Run .1 mile at an easy pace at a 0° incline (Recovery Interval)
Run .1 mile at maximum speed at a 10° incline (Speed Interval)
Run .1 mile at an easy pace at a 0° incline (Recovery Interval)

Got a Treadmill? Got Speedwork!

Many runners at some point will find themselves in a rut. They’ve stagnated. Same mileage at the same intensity, week after week. They may even be putting on a few pounds even though they’re running. So, what’s up?

Well, the better question to ask might be “What’s not up?” Once you’ve become an established runner, it doesn’t take long for your body to acclimate to the demands you’re putting upon it. So, while that 5-miler you do every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday may be providing you some good base mileage and an aerobic workout, it’s probably not doing much to help make you faster, fitter, stronger. Nor is it doing much to ramp up your metabolism, the key in keeping those pounds off.

What’s the answer? SPEEDWORK! One weekly interval workout will do wonders to jack up your metabolism helping to shed those few pounds. It will also help increase your VO2Max, which is your body’s ability take in and use oxygen at the muscle level where it’s used to make energy. That weekly interval workout will also help push out your lactate threshold. Lactate is a byproduct of energy production. Ever get that burning sensation in your legs when you speed up and run hard? That’s due to lactate buildup. Usually the body is able to clear it out of the blood and there’s no problem. But when you ramp-up speed or intensity too quickly, the lactate can build up quicker than the body is able to clear it out of the bloodstream. Exposing your body to faster runs can gradually push out that lactate threshold, so it will take longer before you feel that burn.

So, I know some of you are saying, “I’d love to add speed work, but I don’t live near a track.” Well, if you own a treadmill, have a membership to a gym with treadmills, or have friend or family member with a treadmill, then you can get in an awesome interval workout.

An interval is nothing more than running fast for a certain distance and then running slow for the same distance or for a specific time. Typically a short interval (like a 200m interval) is run at a pace that’s about 30 seconds slower than your 5K race pace. Longer intervals (like the 800m or 1200m) are typically run at 30 seconds slower than you 10K race pace.

Does the math to figure out the pace for such a short distance make your brain hurt? Don’t worry. I’m with you. Put that calculator down and use The McMillan Running Calculator instead. Simply select the distance (5K or 10K) and then put in your race time and hit “calculate.” The next screen will tell you paces for every training distance you’d ever need to know based on your 5K or 10K pace.

Most interval workouts use some combination of 200m, 400m, 600m, 800m, 1000m, and 1200m intervals. Each fast interval is followed by a slow recovery interval. The recovery interval isn’t based on a certain distance. It’s based on time. The shorter the fast interval distance, the shorter the recovery interval time. The longer the fast interval distance, the longer the recovery interval time. For example, a runner doing a 6x800m workout would take about a 90-second recovery interval jog/walk between each fast 600m interval. A runner doing a 4x1600m workout would take about a 3-minute recovery interval jog/walk between each fast 1600m interval.

Most treadmills have an oval track diagram on the control display providing a wonderful visual to track your progress as you run your intervals. If you’ve never run intervals on a track you may not be familiar with the typical interval distances. The key below can help you better understand the distances you’re running as you’re looking at the track display on your treadmill monitor.

• 200m = 1/2 lap (1/8 mile on the treadmill)
• 400m = 1 lap (1/4 mile on the treadmill)
• 800m = 2 laps (1/2 mile on the treadmill)
• 1000m = 2.5 laps (5/8 mile on the treadmill)
• 1200m = 3 laps (3/4 mile on the treadmill)
• 1600m = 4 laps (1 mile on the treadmill)

Your body can acclimate to intervals just like it does when running that same old 5-miler three times a week. So, mix-up your interval workouts. Keep your body guessing by varying the interval distances each week. There’s no right or wrong way. Just remember to insert a recovery interval in between each fast interval. Below are some sample workouts for you to incorporate once a week into your normal running routine. 

• Workout #1—5x1000m @5K race pace with 2-minute recovery (walk or jog) in between
• Workout #2—6x800m @10K race pace with 90-second recovery (walk or jog) in between
• Workout #3—Do Three sets of the following:  1x1200m @ 10K race pace with 1-minute recovery, 1x400m @5K race pace with a 3-minute recovery (walk or jog) before repeating the set
• Workout#4—4x1600m @10K race pace with 3-minute recovery (walk or jog) in between
• Workout#5—8x800m @10K race pace with 90-second recovery (walk or jog) in between
• Workout#6—400m @ 5K race pace (30sec recovery); 800 @ 10K race pace (90-sec recovery); 1200m @10K race pace (2-min recovery); 1600m @10K race pace (3-min recovery); 1200m @10K race pace (2-min recovery); 800 @ 10K race pace (90-sec recovery); 400m @ 5K race pace

Your total mileage for an interval workout may be no more than 3-4 miles, but you’re getting a lot more out of this workout than your regular 5-miler. Think of the interval workout as a “Quality Workout.”

To better simulate outside running, be sure to set your treadmill to an incline of 1° or 2°. This will help account for uneven terrain of outside running.

Win a Free Entry to the 13.1® - Los Angeles Half-Marathon!

Looking for a great winter half-marathon to run on the west coast? Well RunnerDude has a great contest for you! Enter now for a chance at a free entry to the 13.1 Marathon® - Los Angeles taking place on January 16, 2011.

The 13.1 Marathon® - Los Angeles will begin on the Venice Boardwalk  and end at the historic Windward  Circle in Venice for and unforgettable race experience. Amidst ocean views participants will enjoy a Hollywood themed half marathon celebrating the best of Los Angeles.


Both first-timer friendly and perfect for marathoners in training, 13.1 Marathon® - Los Angeles will offer a scenic and festive run along a closed course with fully supported aid stations, live entertainment, and medals for all finishers. Participants and spectators are encouraged to wear costumes and enjoy a race “Where the Party Meets the Pavement”. 

13.1 Marathon® - Los Angeles will take place on Sunday, January 16, 2001 beginning at 7:13AM on the Venice Boardwalk at Rose Avenue. The walker-friendly course will remail open for 3 hours and 30 minutes, a 16 minute/mile pace. For more information on 13.1 Marathon® - Los Angeles visit www.131losangeles.com.

Racers are invited to join the official benefiting charity, Team World Vision to raise funds for clean water projects in Kenya and Malawi while training with local team groups. There is no fundraising minimum and team members will enjoy a Pre-Race Team Dinner, Pep Rally on race morning, and Post-Race Celebration Cookout. For more information on Team World Vision please visit www.worldvision.org.

The race is organized by the US Road Sports & Entertainment Group, a health and wellness company dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events. The mission of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset through events that are a part of the city’s culture, identity and brand. For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical and mental health and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure to help maximize their presence and message in the community.

How to Enter:
To enter for a chance to win a free entry to the 13.1 Marathon® - Los Angeles taking place on January 16, 2011, email RunnerDude at runnerdudeblog@yahoo.com. Be sure to put "13.1 Marathon® - Los Angeles" in the subject line and include your full name in the subject of the email. You have until midnight on Halloween (October 31st )to enter! Each email will be assigned a number in the order of which it was received. Then, the True Random Number Generator will be used to select the winning number. The winner will be announced on the blog on November 1st.

The contest is now closed and the winner is Julie Reyes! Congrats, Julie!

Runners, Do You Suffer From WTW Syndrome?

Well, it finally felt like fall today. When I headed out for my long run this morning it was around 39° to 40°. It was nice to have a little nip in the air. That cold air filling my lungs was a nice change from the moisture-laden air of our typical NC summers. It's this time of year though that many a runner is struck ill with a very common disorder that's pretty common among runners—WTW Syndrome.

Some runners have such a bad case of this syndrome that it may make them late for a group run or it may even make them miss the run entirely. What are the symptoms of WTW Syndrome? Well it can vary from runner to runner but most with the disorder experience some degree of

·         anxiety

·         fretfulness

·         panic attacks

·         dread

·         nervous stomach

·         mental confusion

·         neuroticism

·         problems with decision making

This very complex disorder usually affects runners (possibly cyclists too) during the onset of fall. Not to worry. It's not an airborne contagion. Usually a runner with WTW suffers in silence the first few weeks of fall and then it mysteriously disappears. So what is WTW Syndrome?

Each year during those first few days of fall when there's a nip in the air on those early morning runs, thousands of runners all across the world are struck down with WTW or What-To-Wear Syndrome. One weekend you're running in shorts and a singlet and the very next weekend you're faced with how many layers do I need? Coat? Gloves? Hat? Tights? To make matters worse, this nerve-racking angst, is compounded by the fear that you'll be the only one to show up for the group run looking like an Iditarod dog-sled musher. So what often happens is that the runner goes out way underdressed and experiences the most body-numbing run of his life. He's scared to even bend at the end of the race in fear that something important might break off.

Or, you'll have the runner that drives to the group run all slouched down in his car as he scopes out the rest of the runners deciding if he's overdressed only to put the pedal to the metal if he is. Not realizing that his pals are saying, "Wasn't that Bob!"as you pepper-spray them with dust and gravel pellets fish-tailing out of the parking lot. "Yep, he must be overdressed again."

Well, there is an easy way to avoid WTW Syndrome all together. It takes a little planning, but nothing you can't handle. First of all, a good rule of thumb to use when planning your running attire is to dress as if it's 10°-15° warmer than it really is. So, if the forecast says 40°, then dress as if it's going to be 50° or 55°. As you run, your body temperature will increase and once you "warm-up" it will feel as if the outside temperature has warmed-up.

Secondly, it's a great idea to bookmark a weather site or download a weather app to keep on your tablet or smartphone. Then the night before your run, just before you go to bed, check the forecast for the next morning. Go ahead and lay out what you'll wear based on it being 10°-15° warmer than the predicted temp. Weather predictions can often change overnight, so it's a good idea to double check the temp when you wake up to see if you need to make any wardrobe modifications.

Dressing for those early-morning runs will be made easier too if you stick to a routine. Find a spot to place your clothes, shoes, socks, and other runner gear each night. (My spot is my chair and space at the kitchen table.) Be proactive and plan ahead. If it's calling for rain the next day, go ahead and find your rain gear and put it at your spot. If you're going for a dark early-morning run, go ahead and place your headlamp by your shoes. Going to need water on that next long run? Go ahead and fill your bottles, put them in your hydration belt and put the entire thing in the fridge. (Can't tell you how many times I filled the bottles and put them in the fridge the night before only to wake up and not be able to find the belt...only to discover later that my youngest was using it as a tool belt.)

On cold days, it's best to wear layers. Layers act as insulation. Also, as you sweat, the perspiration will travel from the lower layers to the outer layers keeping you dryer (if you're wearing technical fabric clothing and not cotton). And, if you overdressed, you can easily remove a layer. Here are a few of the types of layers you'll need:

Base Layer: This is the layer closest to the skin. This layer should be made of a technical fabric such as polyester, CoolMax, DryFit,  polypropolene, Thermax, Thinsulate, etc. This layer may also have some technical fibers that provide some stretch such as Lyrca or spandex. The technical aspects of the fabric and often the weave of the fibers, allows perspiration to be wicked away from the body and to the outer surface of the base layer. When it's 40° or warmer, all you may need is a base layer for your top. On colder days when it dips around the freezing mark and below, you may need to top the base layer with a warmth layer

Warmth Layer: On colder days (mid 30s or below), a warmer layer may need to worn over the base layer. Insulating fabrics like fleece are perfect for this. Be sure that the fleece fabric is also made from a technical fabric such as microfleece, Dryline, Polartec, polyester, Thermax, etc. (Note: on really cold days, I'll often wear two base layer shirts and then a microfleece layer on top.)

Outer Shell Layer: On cold windy or wet days a protective outer shell may be in order. Be sure to purchase an outer shell made from a technical fabric like Gore-Tex, ClimaFit, or Supplex that will protect you from the elements while at the same time breathe so you don't overheat.

Running Tights or Pants: Shorts can be worn during cold weather, but when the temps dip near freezing and below, running tights or pants are great for keeping the ole gams warm. Running tights come in snug and loose-fitting styles. Be sure the tights or pants are made from moisture-wicking fabric to help prevent chafing. 

Every runner is different. For example, I can wear shorts in very cold temps with no problem, but if my core gets chilled, I'm done for. So, I'll often run with three upper layers and shorts while my running buddies may only have one or two top layers. So, experiment and see what works best for you.

  

A few more cold-weather tips for runners:

Remove any metal jewelry from body piercings (yes, ears included) before running, if it's freezing outside? Metal conducts low temperatures to your skin with amazing efficiency. So efficient, that it can increase the risk of frost bite! Ouch!

You can prevent the burning sensation in your lungs during cold runs by doing a 5- to 10-minute warm-up inside before heading outdoors. Doing this gets rid of the chemicals that cause that pain-inducing inflammation in your lungs. Try it. You'll be surprised.

If it's zero degrees or a wind chill of -20 degrees outside you should find a treadmill or an inside track for your run. Running in these conditions vastly increases your chance of frostbite.

Cover your hands and your noggin, not only to protect them from the cold, but to help retain your body heat. A runner with naked digits can lose up to 30% of his/her body heat! A naked head can let 40% of a runner's body heat to escape! Yikes!

Be sure to hydrate! You can sweat just as much in the winter as you do in the summer. The dyer air allow the perspiration to evaporate more easily so you may not look like you're sweating as much, but chances are you are.