A just learned from a friend that a great way to reduce your time without lengthening your strides is to increase how many strides you do. You can go to the stride length of a jog, but at a much faster pace. The aim is to do at least 180 strides per minute, in order to maximize efficiency.
What are the benefits of this? Shorter strides means less pressure on the legs, which means you can last longer. Additionally, it costs less energy to lift your legs, as your strides are not that long, so you can maintain a moderate heart rate while going faster.
The Filinvest Run: Crazy elevation changes
So the Filinvest Run (not the actual name, I forgot the original) yesterday was pretty damn intense. The fun run for a cause in Alabang was not really the biggest race during that 25th of April, as there are four other races in the Philippines that share their runners with each other. Less than a thousand runners participated in the said event. The lack of runners gives me an advantage: Less of those walls of people that block your possibilities of beating your time or somebody else's.
But the lack of people also poses another problem: It makes you more vulnerable to be at the end of the pack, since, well, there's not much anybody to fill that space. So if you don't run well, you'll be shamed to the back end. Nobody wants to be last in a race.
Oh, and to ruin my day even more, the trail goes through endless elevation changes. At the first leg we had to climb up a hill, then later on go down. My knees were immediately damaged by the feat. Then we had to go around the Festival Supermall, alternating between the inner and outer circle three times. The two circles are separated by elevation changes as well. Ouch!
Then we had to go through several streets and U-turns, because apparently the organizers had run out of road for our feet to run onto. The last leg of the race is an uphill climb on the West Gate hill, contrary to the sprint downhill in the same place.
After the race my feet and legs were left in terrible shape. I couldn't get up and down staircases without looking like someone with a fractured knee (thankfully I didn't have that). It only took two hours of napping, and there, my body regenerated quite easily.
But recovery isn't over yet. I didn't train earlier this morning, as I needed some rest.
But the lack of people also poses another problem: It makes you more vulnerable to be at the end of the pack, since, well, there's not much anybody to fill that space. So if you don't run well, you'll be shamed to the back end. Nobody wants to be last in a race.
Oh, and to ruin my day even more, the trail goes through endless elevation changes. At the first leg we had to climb up a hill, then later on go down. My knees were immediately damaged by the feat. Then we had to go around the Festival Supermall, alternating between the inner and outer circle three times. The two circles are separated by elevation changes as well. Ouch!
Then we had to go through several streets and U-turns, because apparently the organizers had run out of road for our feet to run onto. The last leg of the race is an uphill climb on the West Gate hill, contrary to the sprint downhill in the same place.
After the race my feet and legs were left in terrible shape. I couldn't get up and down staircases without looking like someone with a fractured knee (thankfully I didn't have that). It only took two hours of napping, and there, my body regenerated quite easily.
But recovery isn't over yet. I didn't train earlier this morning, as I needed some rest.
Changed layout
So I've changed the layout of Sulatang Takbuhan. Why is this so? Well, it appears that I am not posting here as much as often in order to fill all the categories that I have preset for the future. As such, it would be retarded to keep the magazine style format, and it also looks very boring and dull. Perhaps this new layout would spruce things up a bit despite the blog having no photos at all.
Intense run yesterday, currently resting
I had quite an intense run yesterday at the Slimmerrun at The Fort, Taguig. As usual, I am running the 10k run, which was the longest distance you can run in that particular race. Before starting the race, I assumed the run to be comfortable as most of the areas around The Fort are relatively flat and easy to traverse. It turns out, in my bad luck, that were supposed to run through steep inclined flyovers and through busy avenues with engines that pump endless airy crap into the air.
The first water station was far from the start. I think the announcer from the start was lying, as he mentioned that there will be a water station for the 10k runners every 2.5 kilometers, instead, we had to run about 3 and a half kilometers (according to my dad's trusty GPS) to reach the water station. It's a good thing that the water stations supply good hydration products, such as alkaline water, and the hilariously named Pocari Sweat sports drink.
As for now, my legs are continuously bitching me about micro-sized damages and cuts within their muscle fibers, and my right foot's arch is constantly aching. As such, the proper action for this is to call this Sunday a rest day. Usually after a race I still run the other day, only a bit light and not so intense so that I will not contract injury.
But for now I'll just sit back with my new refurbished notebook and stretch my legs, and maybe later in the day I'll go and have my foot massage machine massage my arch. It was an intense run, and I deserve a rest.
The first water station was far from the start. I think the announcer from the start was lying, as he mentioned that there will be a water station for the 10k runners every 2.5 kilometers, instead, we had to run about 3 and a half kilometers (according to my dad's trusty GPS) to reach the water station. It's a good thing that the water stations supply good hydration products, such as alkaline water, and the hilariously named Pocari Sweat sports drink.
As for now, my legs are continuously bitching me about micro-sized damages and cuts within their muscle fibers, and my right foot's arch is constantly aching. As such, the proper action for this is to call this Sunday a rest day. Usually after a race I still run the other day, only a bit light and not so intense so that I will not contract injury.
But for now I'll just sit back with my new refurbished notebook and stretch my legs, and maybe later in the day I'll go and have my foot massage machine massage my arch. It was an intense run, and I deserve a rest.
Increasing your mental endurance
The primary hindrance for most runners to attain a certain goal in their running is their mental endurance. Sure, your cardio performance may be worthy of an elite, but it isn't complete without you actually trying to go the distance.
Running is a mindgame. That said, your mind is constantly sending thoughts of rest to your body, and gives you that feeling wherein you feel like it's better to stop running and walk for a moment and catch up. Most of the time these signals are excusable, except for those moments where your body really screams for rest, for example, after a long and intense sprint.
I've been experimenting on ways on how to deal with mental fatigue, as well as reading on books and magazines centered about it. You may be asking, what's the best way to deal with mental fatigue? Well, sorry to say there isn't really a "best" way to deal with this problem, however, there are numerous solutions that you can try. Like:
Listening to music
Music, as proven by experts, is capable of affecting the emotions and, more importantly for runners, the performance of the human body. Music has the capability to make people laugh, cry, dance, sleep and wake. As such, music is vital for any runner who's willing to go the distance, so long that you're not in a triathlon.
You do not have to go overboard and sell your other pair of shoes in order to get yourself a new iPod. There are many cheaper alternatives available, to be honest. You can buy cheaper, non-Apple mp3 players online or at your nearest electronics store. Some are known to go below the price of $100. Try to pick those centered towards battery life, instead of sound quality and storage size. A 8GB mp3 player that can endure a whole marathon's worth of playing time will be worth the hundred or less bucks you spent on it.
Also, if you have a modern phone that supports mp3 capabilities, you can use it as an alternative to mp3 players. It also saves you pocket space, as you do not have to carry both a phone and an mp3 player in case it is urgently needed for you to bring a phone with you.
Most importantly, if you're going to bring music to your runs, be sure that you bring upbeat songs, not your sentimental playlist. It is also helpful to find music that does not pause or stop at the end (a mix of songs to be precise), since studies have shown that our body has developed a strange behavior in which it follows the rhythm of songs. If the song stops, there's a strong tendency for your body to pause running also.
Get a mantra
A mantra is a sentence, phrase or perhaps just a word that people use to attain concentration. Religions use these to attain total concentration during worship. If you can make a simple mantra for you to mentally speak during your run, it would be very useful, especially during those moments wherein you feel like taking a break. Your manta could range from quotes like, "A speeding bullet may go really fast, but bullets don't go 42Ks", or a short one like, "I can do this all day." The latter is one of my favorites.
Relax
No, I didn't mean "relax" as in stop and smell the roses. I mean you have to stop tensing your body when you run. Stop worrying about an injury waiting to happen or you not beating your lap time. You'll have time to worry after the race, or when if you really have an injury during a run. Keeping a clean sense of mind and your body on a lively pace can easily keep you running. Additionally, observe proper posture while running (i.e. don't slouch or stare on the ground).
Running is a mindgame. That said, your mind is constantly sending thoughts of rest to your body, and gives you that feeling wherein you feel like it's better to stop running and walk for a moment and catch up. Most of the time these signals are excusable, except for those moments where your body really screams for rest, for example, after a long and intense sprint.
I've been experimenting on ways on how to deal with mental fatigue, as well as reading on books and magazines centered about it. You may be asking, what's the best way to deal with mental fatigue? Well, sorry to say there isn't really a "best" way to deal with this problem, however, there are numerous solutions that you can try. Like:
Listening to music
Music, as proven by experts, is capable of affecting the emotions and, more importantly for runners, the performance of the human body. Music has the capability to make people laugh, cry, dance, sleep and wake. As such, music is vital for any runner who's willing to go the distance, so long that you're not in a triathlon.
You do not have to go overboard and sell your other pair of shoes in order to get yourself a new iPod. There are many cheaper alternatives available, to be honest. You can buy cheaper, non-Apple mp3 players online or at your nearest electronics store. Some are known to go below the price of $100. Try to pick those centered towards battery life, instead of sound quality and storage size. A 8GB mp3 player that can endure a whole marathon's worth of playing time will be worth the hundred or less bucks you spent on it.
Also, if you have a modern phone that supports mp3 capabilities, you can use it as an alternative to mp3 players. It also saves you pocket space, as you do not have to carry both a phone and an mp3 player in case it is urgently needed for you to bring a phone with you.
Most importantly, if you're going to bring music to your runs, be sure that you bring upbeat songs, not your sentimental playlist. It is also helpful to find music that does not pause or stop at the end (a mix of songs to be precise), since studies have shown that our body has developed a strange behavior in which it follows the rhythm of songs. If the song stops, there's a strong tendency for your body to pause running also.
Get a mantra
A mantra is a sentence, phrase or perhaps just a word that people use to attain concentration. Religions use these to attain total concentration during worship. If you can make a simple mantra for you to mentally speak during your run, it would be very useful, especially during those moments wherein you feel like taking a break. Your manta could range from quotes like, "A speeding bullet may go really fast, but bullets don't go 42Ks", or a short one like, "I can do this all day." The latter is one of my favorites.
Relax
No, I didn't mean "relax" as in stop and smell the roses. I mean you have to stop tensing your body when you run. Stop worrying about an injury waiting to happen or you not beating your lap time. You'll have time to worry after the race, or when if you really have an injury during a run. Keeping a clean sense of mind and your body on a lively pace can easily keep you running. Additionally, observe proper posture while running (i.e. don't slouch or stare on the ground).