Signs Of Improvement - Trusting the Process

Lunch run.  Fourth week in a row of running this route early in the week.   First time running at Maffetone pace where I felt faster, running easier.




Strava may not show it as a "segment PR", but believe me, this was big.  Achilles issues were at bay.  Heart rate was steady, and the 20 minutes out just clicked by.  In fact it all just seemed to click.

Considering I've signed up for another 50 miler this year, it all bodes well.

It helps to trust the process.  Stick with the plan, adjust accordingly.

All About The Base - Back to the Run

Since last fall's Achilles debacle, my running has taken a back seat.  This week I've finally been able to put feet on the ground and work on that all important running base.

Base mileage is one of those concepts I recently scoffed at...   Until I got injured...

Like anything, when you are young and really driven by something, you embrace it, and you drink the Kool-Aid.  Later, you start to figure a few things out, try another approach and discard what you started with.  You might actually repeat this process a few times with different ideas.
Then, when you are older, you realize some of those things you threw away, were actually really valid ideas.  That's where I am now.

No more quick-fixes.  It's back to the time-tested approaches I used to train other people in.  It's time to build in the base, AND... the recovery.

So it's on.

Like Donkey Kong.

So what is Base Building?

It's a simple concept really.  If you are an endurance athlete, or even someone who is just beginning.  Start slow, stay consistent, don't push it, and repeat many times for a period of about 8 to 12 weeks.

That's it.  Consistency is king here.  No need to progress, just get the time in.  Think of it as practice.

Dan John's Easy Strength is one of those books that espouse the ideal that you should lift heavy, but not too heavy, and you stop when you do the work.   How vague is that?  Well not too vague really.  It can apply to running as well.

Dr. Phil Maffetone, has a great book on Endurance Training and Racing.  I'm using it at the moment and I shouldn't have left it.  180-minus your age.  That's your heart rate upper limit value.  It works.

• Low heart rate
• Show up
• Struggle every now and then

These are the keys to success.  I've seen it happen and I'm wishing I wasn't so impatient to see results before.  Thank-you Achilles injury :)

More on this as the weeks go on.

Alternatives to Running - Powerlifting

Second in what could very well be my first series, "Alternatives to Running", this one is about moving weight.

It may not be a straight leap from considering one sport such as running to be the primary focus to suddenly following a powerlifting routine instead.

There are a couple reasons why I've chosen powerlifting as a training and health methodology.   First, strength building never goes out of style.  The adaptations the body takes on in tendon, ligament and muscular strength are worth their weight in gold.  Especially when you consider the recovery improvements when you venture back into running.

Secondly, I love it.  I can step into my garage and later walk out having done a comprehensive training session hitting compound movement patterns and knowing confidently that my body was better for it.  Being able to move weight is fantastic.

In order to make the transition from running, even if it's temporary, to something like powerlifting, you need to have a few things lined up.

The first is the access to equipment.  Should be a no brainer, but you need something to pick up, squat, and press.

Next you need a strength training plan.  My first plan was Mark Rippetoe's "Starting Strength" (SS).  It's a linear progression pattern and it gets you strong on a very predictable/stable climb.

Other plans I've tried:

• Jim Wendler's 5-3-1
• This program is simple and effective.  I'd recommend it after a year of SS.
• Smolov Jr Squat Program
• Brutal, but in 6 weeks your squat will be a LOT stronger.  Just eat your way through recovery.
• Westside Barbell
• Conjugate.  I haven't given this a fair shot, but it does appear to work well.  I refocused on running and shelved powerlifting for a while.  This was the program I ended on.
• Minimalist Method
• This program was what brought me back and has been helpful in developing and redeveloping balanced strength.  I like Brian Schwab's approach and for a 20 year veteran in the powerlifting world with ZERO injuries, my ears popped up.

NOTE:  I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH THESE FOLKS IN ANYWAY.  I DO NOT GET ANY KICKBACK FROM SHARING THEIR LINKS.

So for now, I am 6 weeks into the Minimalist Method.  I like it.  It's smart and the patterns on range of motion, weight, and progression make sense and are relatively easy to decipher.  Kind of like a "Duh" moment, but just needed to be articulated.  Brian did just that.  I'll be posting vids of progress as I go along.

As for running, I'm still in PT, but the ankle appears to be healing and the flare-ups in the Achilles are diminishing.

Oh and I'm still doing archery.

Alternatives to Running - Archery

What to do when you are told you have Achilles Tendonitis/Achilles Bursitis and are not supposed to run until it's healed:

Do what the doc says and shoot a crap-ton of arrows!

After living with somewhat debilitating heel and ankle pain for almost 6 weeks, I finally gave in and consulted with my doctor to get a recommendation on fixing this.

Two options:  steroid injections into the achilles tendon, or... physical therapy, rest and anti-inflammatory meds.

I chose the 2nd option.  It's the beginning of the second week of therapy and I can say two things are happening:

• My ankle is getting better
• My archery skill is improving

Why archery?  Well about a year ago, we got our kids youth compound bows and they've been loving it.  Later, I got one for myself and found that target practice is one of the best mind-clearing activities I've come across.  Breath, motor control and relaxed concentration are key.

When you can't run, the worst thing you can do is sit around and worry about it.  So I picked up the bow and have been setting a goal to shoot 100 arrows per session.  Sometimes I go over, sometimes I go under.  The actual number isn't as important as the thought that there is only one arrow that you are shooting.  As in one breath, one moment of zen arrow.

Right now I can hit a 20 yard target with decent accuracy, and after a few tracer shots, I can hit a target 40 yards away with consistency.  I'm no Robin Hood, and in fact have never robin-hooded an arrow (not yet), but this slow and controlled shooting practice is fun and I can't recommend it enough.

To be clear, I am not expecting archery practice to improve my running form, stride, cardiovascular endurance or ability to run hills.  I have other activities to help with that.

Two Reasons Why Runners Need the Turkish Getup

There are few movements as useful and as comprehensive as the get-up.  For runners, trail, or road, the getup needs to be part of your strength and mobility work.

There are multiple reasons why the getup should be considered.  I'm only going to cover two.

The first is the hip bridge.  For many runners, hip flexibility is non-existant.  Getting the hips to open up and 'unlock' will help release the internal brakes many of us have on constantly.

If your day job has you desk bound, chances are you don't open your hips much, and that sitting around can atrophy the hip flexors, making full opening of the hips problematic.  (check out Bret Contreras' site for more glute training) Doing the getup will help bring your hip strength back.

The second reason is ankle and foot health.  There's one movement that isn't highlighted much, but as a runner it's critical to do this movement frequently.  It's called dorsiflexion.

Dorsiflexion is where the toes are stretched toward the shin.  I currently have TERRIBLE flexibility this way, but after doing getups, I've noticed an improvement in the calf muscle soreness post run.  It's almost where I will need to do getup training as long as I want that ankle and foot flexibility.  Age is not in your favor on this one.  If you run and are getting farther away from your 20's, the ankles will take longer to recover from runs.  Especially if you run in a way that puts stress on your soleus and gastroc muscles.

So.

Do the Turkish Getup.

But first watch this:

Paying Attention to Running Form

Form is crucial to longevity in any kind of sport.  It become more obvious when you consider running.

Running is often viewed as an activity that everyone just "knows" how to do.  Depending on how you define it, that statement is true.  The key to running longer distances however is to stay healthy and injury-free.  If your form isn't dialed in, you WILL run into problems.

The run yesterday was a simple attempt to get a hill-run in while working on form.  My preferred form to emulate is POSE.  After taking the CrossFit Running Cert in 2009, and practicing Evolution running since 2005, the mid-forefoot strike while actively pulling the foot upward and practicing a forward fall works best for me.

This year however I changed shoes to the Altra Olympus and got sucked into the cushy.  While I can't definitely say that the shoes have caused my recent Achilles woes, they do suspiciously coincide as the more I ran with the Olympus, the more sore my calf muscles were.

The run yesterday was with more traditional shoes, not a zero drop, and not super cushy.  While my Achilles was still mildly sore, I was able to run POSE without the calf pain.  Quick strides, lean forward, practice falling.

As a result, I set several PR's on the run, at a lower heartrate, and still with a mild calf issue.  Not bad.  Also earlier in the day I got in a strength training session with deadlifts and kettlebell clean and presses.

Today my calf was pretty sore, so it was ice time and more deadlifts and kettlebells.

PTP Strength Training - Getting Stronger While Building Running Capacity

The deadlift is my favorite lift.  It's also one that I really suck at.  Numerous attempts at video analysis, peers checking form, and trying every kind of deadlift routine I could google, beg, borrow and steal, left me with a lot of information, but none that crystallized quite like Pavel's PTP program.

It's ridiculously simple, and has zero bedazzlement.  If you're looking for muscle confusion, this is not your program.

The idea is that you work on two movements, a press and a pull, and you keep the number of sets and reps low.  Reover, Repeat.

This first cycle I set at 5 lbs of increase every workout with a 2.5lb deload every 4th workout.  It worked, but I think it might have been slightly aggressive as I was dealing with Achilles issues as well as a head cold that lasted for a couple weeks.

This next cycle will be set at 2.5lbs of increase and will keep the same deload pattern.  Hopefully this will be the right level to focus on building ligament, tendon and running strength.

For the press (not pictured in the video clip) I'll be switching to kettlebells for pressing and will work toward pressing the big bell.

The great thing about PTP is that it builds strength without the bulk.  As a runner, this appeals to me as I know lugging around extra weight is slightly detrimental to finishing some of these longer races.   It's not that I'm overly concerned with getting heavier, it's that I want to make sure that if I do, it's weight that has purpose, not necessarily aesthetics.  Although looking better never hurt anyone...