| April 2000
Women
in Motion
enhancing female performance Vol 1.
Issue 9 WOMEN
IN MOTION NEWSLETTER - April 2000 This Month Contains: ~Articles ~From
Around the 'Net ~Words
of Inspiration Training for Speed/Endurance A consistant training program is essential for beginning runners. It usually takes 10 weeks to build up to running for 20-30 minutes non-stop and beginning runners focus on time first and distance later. By time first, you run for a set number of minutes, not worrying about the speed or actual distance being covered. Once you can run 20 minutes non-stop for up to five times a week, you can focus on a 5K or a 10K training program. Longer or faster, can't do both at the same time. ENDURANCE: Most beginning runners need to work on endurance, that is, the ablility to run a longer distance. Here are the simple steps: 1. Slow your mile pace by 30 seconds and increase your usual run distance by only 10%. Run this distance for a week at the slower pace. (3-5 times) 2. If you feel you are comfortable at the new distance, return to your faster mile pace again. Run this way for the next week. 3 - ? Repeat 1. and 2. again, slowing your pace each time for the new distance and then running the new distance at your old pace. This can be repeated until you reach your goal distance (10K). Thus endurance is improved. Little by little (two weeks at a time) your endurance, the ability to run further will improve. SPEED: To increase speed you need to embark on a speed interval training program one to two times a week. For this you need a heart rate monitor and a method of measuring mile pace. You may also wish to start what I call the Speed Up Plan. A. Speed Up Plan. (twice a week) 1. Take your present run distance and increase your mile pace (run faster) by 15 seconds. Run this pace for one week or until you feel comfortable with it. 2. Take that run again and further increase your mile pace by another 15 seconds. Run that for the additional week. 3. This can be repeated until you reach your mile pace goal. Or until you body tells you to rest it for a while. B. Speed Intervals: 1. Here you start with a 15-20 minute warm-up at a pace one minute slower than your race pace. Record your heart rate. 2. Run one mile at a pace 30 seconds faster than your race pace. Record your heart rate. 3. Allow one minute recovery at a pace 30 seconds slower than your race pace. Record your heart rate. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 again. First week do 2 and 3 twice. Second week repeat 3 times. Third week repeat 4 times. Fourth week repeat 5 times. 5. Do a cooldown for 10 minutes and then stretch. **Deprogram your heart rate monitor after each session. Compare the results with your maximum HR (0.9 - 0.95 of that) and note the recovery rate. Yes, the idea here is to push yourself. Alternate speed days with your usual runs and put a longer run in once a week. Speed usually takes longer than endurance. For the two training schedules, write out your program, do not try to 'wing it'. Good Luck and Good Running Gord - Women in Motion After the Marathon is Over What to do when the marathon is over! It's over, you got it done. You have finished something only accomplished by a small percentage of the human population. Congratulations on attaining your goal. So what are you going to do next? "I'm going to Disneyland!" No quite yet! Your work is not done. The last stage of the marathon process still needs to be completed. You must recover. Water, Water, Water-- You have lost fluids and minerals, so immediately start replacing them. There is always water at the finish area. Drinking water and sports drinks for the next several days is a smart move. When your urine is clear, you know that your recovery process is underway. Re-Fuel -- Food is also available at the end of a marathon. Try to eat something that is offered, even if you don't feel like eating. Good healthy foods that will help your body repair any damage that may have occurred. Your muscles have experienced a good workout and need good food. Keep your diet as balanced as it was while you were training. You might want to increase your protein slightly to aide this process. Keep Warm -- Remove your running gear as soon as possible and change into dry warmer clothing. Towel-off, dry off and put on the dry clothes. Don't stand around chatting and shivering. Even on a warm day you will cool down when you stop running. Keep Moving-- Try not to drop to the ground and sit. Getting back up can be difficult. Keep walking around. if you are with friends, get them to walk with you. Your muscles need to cool down and the lactic acid in your muscles needs to be worked out. The sooner you get rid of this lactic acid the sooner you will get rid of any pain. Get a Massage - Oh yah, if a post massage is offered, take advantage of it. Some experts say that a massage right after running a marathon is not effective, but tell that to your body. It feels sooooo goooooood. Your body will definitely appreciate all the help it can get. Sore spots-- Ice any unusually sore spots (ankle, knee, etc.), treat any blisters you may have developed. Take a nice hot shower or bath when you get back to your hotel room or home. Get Out and Move-Later on in the day take a long walk. If you are with a group of runners, arrange to meet later on the day or evening and take a long walk. If you are with family, get them out with you. You may even see some elite runners and acually meet them. Stiffness will ocurr several hours later and the walk really works out the lactic acid. Document Your Experience -- As soon as you can write down your perceptions of the marathon. Record your time, how you felt and when you took fluids. If you used a heart rate monitor or recorded time intervals, deprogram your watch now and record all of this. You can reflect back on this later and see just when and where you picked up speed and when you slowed down. This can be a useful guide when you prepare for your next marathon. Other Fluids -- If you go out with a group to a post race party, celebrate by dancing but watch the alcohol consumption. Dancing helps with the lactic acid removal. That night, you may not sleep very well because your body will still be reacting to the marathon. First Day After-- You should experience some soreness and stiffness. That is normal. Some marathoners jog a little (30 minutes or less). Others just continue to walk. Remember to continure to drink liquids and eat normally. Second Day After-- This is the worst day. You wake up and feel stiff and sore all over. Most marathoners find this day the most difficult. The excitement has subsided and fatigue has had a chance overnight to get to you. Stretching will help and so will a morning warm bath or shower. This is a good day to practice laying around. The Next Three Weeks-- This time period varies for runners. A rule of thumb is to take one day off from running for every mile ran. Rest and recovery are important, but what you do to rest and recover depends on the individual. Some marathoners do absolutely nothing for next week and then slowly immerse themselves back into training. Other marathoners are running 5 Km slowly each day with no serious running. Still you need to be careful as many a marathoner has developed an injury that stays for almost ever due to rushing back into hard training. And of course, a lot depends on what physical condition you are in to begin with. Use this recovery period wisely and you will be ready and fit to begin preparing for your next challenge, whether it be another marathon or an ultra-marathon. Gord - Women in Motion
FROM AROUND THE 'NET 1. BREAKFAST ON THE RUN Rice
apparently stops the runs: So the next time you've got
the stomach flu or diarrhea, try eating a large bowl of
rice with a sports drink. The sports drink will help
replenish electrolytes and fluids and the rice, according
to new research, will encourage your intestine to stop
secreting the fluid that triggers diarrhea. 1. Blood glucose (blood sugar) and 2.Muscle
glycogen (sugar stored in the muscle). Technology
may be too much of a good thing. Too much has been done
to make life easier for us. With the advent of the home
computer, people do not have to walk to work. We only
have to go as far as the living room or den. In the last Go
for a walk around the community or plant flowers and /or
shrubs. Fix something that has broken down, cut the
grass, or play with your children. Taking the time to
enjoy an old-fashioned Saturday may be the experience
needed to keep balance and harmony in your life and
remind you of what is really important in life. Words of Inspiration "Be truly motivated to train for a marathon. Do it for yourself - - not on a bet or a dare or because 'everyone else does." -Grete Waltz, champion runner I run because I choose to, and I see it as an expression of personal freedom. The Running Woman Message Board in Diet and Fitness The Running Woman Message board continues to be very active. The number of posts has dropped as predicted but still remains very high averaging between 70-120 posts each week. A large number of new visitors whom I hope will continue to return and post questions and offer advice have appeared in March. The RUNNER'S CLUB is strangely quiet with the number of members increasing daily(300), but with a large percent of the members providing incorrect email addresses.This makes it difficult to communicate with all members. Two features of the CLUB are the ability of members to communicate with each other privately in the CLUB and the ability to arrange to chat with each other in the 24 hour chat facility. I have scheduled several chat times on various days and times only to attract a very small group of participants. As the evolution of the CLUB will depend on the direction that the members see important, we have yet to see what that will be. Good Luck and Good Running Gord
- Women in Motion About This Newsletter A reminder that experts - we are not. Information presented here is a collection of research with a taste of experience and opinion added for flavour. We don't get upset if someone disagrees with anything that has been said or written. In our experience with running groups here at home, it is difficult to get agreement on most anything. If it works for you, then it works. Neither Women in
Motion nor the author of this newsletter provides
professional medical advice. The information in this tip
is intended to help you better understand running issues.
It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician.
If you read something in the newsletter that contradicts
what your physician tells you in any way, always follow
your physician's advice. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE INFO You are receiving access to this newsletter because you emailed winmotion or cl-winmotion with a running request sometime in the past or joined the mailing list. If you do not wish to have future newletters sent to you, please send an email to: winmotion@ivillage.com using the word "unsubscribe" in the title. If you have any suggestions for topics or questions please email us. We would like to publish a monthly newsletter that reflects the interests of the female runner. Gordon
Samson, Editor LEGAL STUFF / SUBSCRIPTION INFO. "Women in Motion
Newsletter" is free, but its contents are Spread the Word Gordon and Fariyal Samson Practice doesn't make
perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
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