RRCA Coaching Certification

Back in March, I attended the Road Runners Club of America Coaching Certification Clinic. I did so for a number of reasons (in no particular order):

1) I love running.

2) I love learning and talking about running.

3) I need continuing education credits to maintain my USAT coaching certification and this was a good way to do it.

4) It was a good excuse to go away for a weekend with my wife (who also did the certification clinic).

The instructors at this clinic were Warren and Patti Finke, who are both 60+ and have both been running for decades. Both have experience at all distances and have been through it all in their careers; short races, long races, fast races, slow races. I really enjoyed their perspective on the sport and could sense their love of running, even after all these years. Being able to run after that long must be a sign that you are doing something right!

When you go to these things, you have to realize that there is no one right way to do things. Lots of different approaches can work, depending on the person, etc. The thing to focus on is what can I take away and learn from this and that’s what I was trying to do. So here are my main takeaways:

1) Almost all running is aerobic exercise.

Sounds simple, but what I mean is that there are 2 main energy systems – one which fuels us via our anaerobic system and another which fuels us via our aerobic system and most running is fueled aerobically. The anaerobic system is used for any activity that is short in duration – like very short, less than a few minutes. Think Usain Bolt. The aerobic energy system starts to kick in after a few minutes and fuels us for all long-distance running. It is not a binary switch, but rather a continuum; the aerobic system is dominant for anything 800 meters to a mile or above. What this means practically is that most of our training should be done at a low intensity (relative to target race intensity) for longer distances. For example, Chris Solinsky set the American record for the 10K while training for a marathon, not pounding himself over and over on the track. Success in all races down to the 5K is primarily related to our aerobic capacity.

2) Running volume should be built up carefully.

Running can create tremendous joy and most runner’s are familiar with the “runner’s high” that often comes with a vigorous workout. There are many positive effects to running, including weight-control and better overall health. However, it can be hard on the musculo-skeletal system. Research has shown that on every foot strike, a force multiple times your body weight is transmitted up through your feet, legs, knees, and hips. A runner’s form has an impact on how much force this is, but regardless all runners must absorb this impact into their bodies. Do too much, too hard, too soon and the body’s chassis (the bones and muscles) cannot absorb the forces and starts to break down. Build it up deliberately and the body can become stronger and stronger and handle harder running.

3) Consistency is key to performance.

Because of the fact that it takes longer to build volume and run strength (relative to other forms of exercise), it is important to remain consistent and not miss large amounts of running due to injury or burnout. One of the absolute keys to long-term increases in performance is consistency, day-in, day-out, week-in, week-out, month-in-month out, etc. Don’t get me wrong, performance requires recovery, but the point is that recovery is better when its planned into the program. Missing large chunks of training or taking months due to injury make it difficult to improve because you have to start back slowly and deliberately. Push things too hard and your body tells you its too much forcing you to take time off. It’s better to do less than you think you can and stay consistent then go out and do killer workouts and risk injury or burnout.

There was lots of good discussion and I learned a lot from this course that I can use in my coaching and with my own running, but these were some of the over-riding themes on the weekend. Happy running!

Race Report - Auburn Triathlon (a.k.a. World's Toughest Half)

One of the best things about working with other people on their triathlon adventures is that for a local race, you can not only be nervous for your own day (OK, I wasn’t that nervous), but you can live vicariously through your athletes! This past Sunday was the Auburn Triathlon; the half-iron distance event is known as the “World’s Toughest Half.” I don’t know if that claim is true as there are plenty of tough half-iron races out there, but this one is definitely not a race for somebody looking for a PR as there is close to 6K feet of climbing in the bike ride. The run is not easy either – with several substantial hills. It is, however, a really great race on a great course, so I decided to partake and race along with several other athletes I work with. Racing with everyone was a ton of fun but the downside was that I didn’t get many pictures at all. Regardless, there were numerous impressive performances!

Highlights of the day included:

Rich Bach: 3rd overall in the long-course duathlon and that was in his first attempt at any multi-sport race of this distance! Talk about a doozy for your first race!

Rebecca Reichardt: 4th AG and another impressive half-IM finish on one of the hardest courses around in 6:35!

Sheila Leard: 1st AG and a new PR for the course, even though the swim was ultra long. She took 9 minutes off her bike time on this course and 10 minutes off her previous run time. Not too shabby for deciding to do the race somewhat last minute. I don't have pictures of everybody, but I did get this one of Sheila from a friend. She will kill me for putting it up, but what the heck?

Bernhard Sturm: Bernhard blazed to a 5:26 and 10th OA / 2nd AG finish on a very, very tough course. In spite of having to swim 9 additional minutes compared to last year, he still beat his previous time by 5 minutes with big chunks coming off his bike and run splits!

Justin Waller: He turned in the most impressive performance of the day. He has been dealing with a lingering hip/knee issue and so our plan was to do the swim and bike portion of the race, run one lap, and then call it a day. Justin, being the guy he is, refused to DNF and we decided he would walk the last 2 laps. For a motivated triathlete, this takes serious discipline and self-control, but Justin stuck to the plan and not only that, carried a cow-bell and cheered on all the other athletes while he finished his half-marathon. In spite of walking 2/3rd of the half-marathon, he finished in 6:49… awesome performance!

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And with respect to my race, overall I had a good day. I can honestly say I didn’t really have any time expectations. My only hope was to beat my previous time from 2 years ago and see if I could move a step closer to the top of the age group. Plus the run course was a little different as they changed it last year to a 3-looper. I hadn’t run a 3-loop half-IM before and was looking forward to it.

At the beginning of the swim, I ran into Tom Murphy, a friend/acquaintance and we tried to figure out exactly where the swim buoys were and what to do for the 2nd loop of the swim. In a few more minutes the horn blew and we were off. As I made it out into the main portion of the lake I realized the 1st buoy was not where they had it 2 years ago and tried to follow the group. It was not all that crowded – nothing like an IM start, so I felt like I was swimming fairly well right away and focusing on not dropping my left elbow. Rounded the 1st buoy and headed toward the 2nd turn buoy. Again I think I was a little off course, but plodded along, trying to keep focus on my own rhythm and breathing to both sides about every 3-4 strokes at a time.

Once around the 2nd buoy I headed back towards the start for the 2nd loop. I looked at my watch briefly and saw a 23:xx – wow, that is incredibly slow! I immediately had many frustrating thoughts in my head, but then worked to “change the channel” and just worry about sticking to my plan for the day. In some ways, I think seeing such a slow swim time helped because I really let go of any expectation whatsoever and just worked on working hard. The 2nd loop was much the same – started getting a little fatigue towards the end, but nothing too bad. I also felt a slight twinge in the calf right before I got out of the water and was glad I didn’t cramp up, which has been a problem for me in long swims in the past.

Made my way through transition and started focusing on the bike. Took me a little long to get my wetsuit off (need to keep working on that) and get things arranged in the transition bag for pickup, but otherwise uneventful transition. Headed out on the bike and started working right away – the first 6-7 miles of this course are uphill into Auburn. I just focused on working the climbs and getting into a good rhythm and shooting for the power numbers I had planned prior to the race. As far as I could tell, I think only 1 person passed me on the bike and I’m not sure I didn’t pass them back. I tried to get my HR under control in spite of the climbs and kept it in the high 150s up the climbs as best I could while keeping the pedal stroke as smooth and strong as possible. Early on in the bike, I knew I felt good and the legs were there. A very nice thing after the ultra-long swim, which ironically, helped me to focus more on my race process and less on what time I would finish in. After I made my way back up to town, I took my first gel and kept rolling out towards the foothills. I continued to pass people and found Justin around Bowman… had a nice chat and kept rolling. Next I caught up with Tom Murphy, which surprised me a bit because he is an incredibly strong biker. This was at Applegate and so I still had to make my way out to the campground. Around this time, I started trading back and forth with a 27-year-old guy which was kind of nice. We kept each other moving and played a little cat-and-mouse. Heading up the climb toward the roller-coaster section I saw the leaders, which was the same place I saw them in ’09. Then one more little steep climb and on down to the campground… this was the place in ’09 where I started having some bike trouble, so I took mental note and appreciated the fact that those fork problems are now a distant memory. Brand new frame and fork took care of that ;-) I started back up the climb out of the campground and started passing people. It wasn’t a crowded race, but I think I passed 5-6 guys heading up this climb and when I looked at the numbers afterward, I averaged 300+ watts, which was nice. I knew I was putting out a steady effort, but I still felt really good, so I pushed onward. The ride back towards town is pretty fast. There are a few short climbs but generally you are heading back downhill. It’s pretty fast, so I just put my head down and stayed down out of the wind as much as possible, still trying to keep putting power into the pedals when possible. The spur section was next and is, quite possibly, the worst part of the whole race. You are on your way back to town and you have to turn back towards the other direction for an out-and-back section. It’s demoralizing because you have to head back away from the finish; plus the road is gnarly with those little bumps every few meters or so. And it’s uphill. It was here where I caught Bernhard who, it turns out, had 8 minutes on me coming out of the water. Ouch. (need some work in the water) I told him I was going to keep pushing hard and to come with me if he wanted. I kept going, hit the spur turnaround, and headed back towards town. I thought I may have a shot at breaking 3 hours for the ride, so I kept going hard. Made it through town again and pulled into transition in 2:57 and change. I did have a bit of a loss of focus, though, and forgot to take my feet out of my shoes. Not the most graceful dismount. Need to work on staying on top of that. Saw my wife at this point, who conveniently was in a relatively empty transition waiting for me. (It’s a small race, so pretty laid back). Turns out she had a good race so that was a BIG relief after the last fiasco and I had a clear mind heading out onto the run.

My plan for the run was to run off HR for the most part. I was going to break it down to 3 laps, which matched well with the fact that it was an actual 3 lap run, and shoot for an average HR of ~155 for the first one and then let it get a little higher for each, if possible. My goal for the last lap was around 160 or a touch over that. It worked perfectly. I felt a little sluggish at first (that normal feeling coming off the bike), but after a mile or so, I felt pretty darn good. That 27-year old who I had been riding with before came off the bike just behind me, so we ran together for the first few miles. The first part of the run is through the woods on a small trail so we rolled along and finally found somebody to pass before we turned onto the park road. We ran together a bit more, but then he apparently decided to move ahead. Nonetheless, I caught him and passed him for good about a mile or two later. The new course wasn’t bad… after the section through the woods, you turned on the park road for some nice downhill and then another spur down further to a little loop around a makeshift trail. It was tough to pass people on this small loop, so I just used it to recover a bit before heading back uphill for the next mile or so to the end of the lap. I stayed pretty steady throughout and felt great most of the way. I continued to monitor HR and tried to focus on staying smooth and quick with the turnover, using my mantras to keep me going. I also got to see my family each lap and on the 2nd time around, I gave my son a kiss for an extra boost! I had no idea where I was in my AG at this point, but I knew I was a good way up the field. I also knew Bernhard was not really gaining much on me based on when I saw him during the lap. I just kept with my plan and kept working. I tried to push it a bit up the last long hill towards the end, but the legs were finally starting to fatigue. I made it to the field to finish and crossed the line in 6th overall and 2nd AG. The one guy that beat me in my AG was a pro who finished like a half-an-hour before me! I gave up 15 minutes to him in the swim alone! Anyway, I was very happy with the effort and then got to enjoy seeing every one else come in for the finish… a great race!

From a number standpoint, I hit my power target almost exactly and had a norm power of 270 for the ride. Based on my current FTP estimate, this is about an intensity factor of 0.86 – just about right for a half-IM. I was even hoping for something closer to 0.9, but I think 0.86 was pretty good and got me back to transition in less than 3 hours on one of the hardest bike courses around. And on the run, my avg pace, HR and time for each lap were:

7:07, 155, 29:59

7:15, 157, 30:19

7:30, 159, 31:16

I thought that was pretty good pacing overall and it yielded the 4th fastest bike split in the field and the 5th fastest run in the field. And oh the swim… well, that was 103rd out of 161 finishers of the half. Yeah, not so good. In Ironman, I had worked my way up to like the top 30-40% overall, but this was not a good swim. Nonetheless, I had a great bike and run combination and ended the day on a very positive note. Now I know my fitness is pretty good for the next couple of races which are quickly approaching. Tri season is now in full swing! Happy training and racing!

Spectator Report - Parkway Half Marathon

This past weekend was the Parkway Half Marathon and I was out there as a spectator, coach, and spouse. Spectator because my Mom decided to raise money for the Heart Association and run a half-marathon!!! Coach because Richard Hunter was looking for a new PR. Spouse because my wife was guiding a visually impaired runner.

I am more nervous at these things as a spectator than I am when running myself. It’s fun, but is a different experience when you are not in control yourself of what’s going on. Anyway, it was an early morning for me and the kids. We got to the parking lot to catch the shuttle and made it to the start in enough time to see everyone off. Here’s my Mom at the start.

She had been a walker for years, but recently taken up running a few miles at a time. Then a few months ago, she told me she wanted to run a half-marathon and I was stoked! She has worked very hard, been very diligent and it paid off on Saturday. Not only that, she was the (I think) 3rd highest fund-raiser in the group at over $3000. Needless to say, I am very proud of her.

I also caught up with Richard at the start. He has run several half-marathons and marathons and also done triathlon. He is an excellent runner, but has never been able to go under 1:30 for the half marathon and was eyeing a new PR. His guide (Richard is visually impaired) was an elite runner named Austin Weaver, who I knew would have no trouble “keeping up”! Here’s a shot of Richard through the crowd just before the start (red shirt, white hat).

My wife was also running, but not for herself. Another visually impaired athlete was running and needed a guide for the occasion. He was hoping to do it in roughly 2 hours, so I knew Emily would not have any trouble with that. Here’s a shot of Emily and her partner, Arther.

The race was very well organized and they even had some bagpipes and the National Anthem at the start, very cool. After that, the runners were off! And for me, it was 2-3 hours playing with my kids ;-) It was fun, we read, played in the bounce house, climbed trees, etc. Here’s Luci in the tree and Luci and Lance together.

At about 1:10 into the race, we wandered over to the finish to see the winners. The winning guy did it in 1:15 and change. But there were only a few guys who broke 1:20, so it wasn’t a particularly fast field. At about 1:25, I started watching for Richard. He’s a bigger guy and it was fairly windy, but I was still confident he was going to have a good day. He was fit and ready and had a good plan. And sure enough, around 1:29, I saw him coming. Crossed in 1:29:22 for a 2nd AG finish... very nice effort for a Clydesdale ;-)

Then it was over to the bounce house, which was a little crowded for my kids’ taste. So we played some more prior to Emily finishing with her athlete. Then, we found a good spot near the finish and I sat at the edge of the path with the kids. And my Mom made it in 2:45! I was really happy for her and quite proud.

It was a great day out at the races with my Mom finishing a half-marathon, my Wife guiding a visually-impaired runner, and a friend/client knocking substantial time off his PR and cracking the 1:30 barrier!