Category: Insights

High Altitude Training

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Practice Runs, Runners' Training1 Comment

I accidentally deleted my previous posting on this topic. I posted this topic while I was in Boracay Island for two days.

Altitude Training or High Altitude Training dates back after the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 where the city is located 2, 240 meters above sea level. It was at this time when world records on sprints and endurance sports were broken and some of the time records then were not yet surpassed up to this time. Most of the athletes from the high altitude places of Africa, Finland, and New Zealand had excelled in endurance sports events.

Scientific studies showed that when the body is exposed to altitude training, there is less oxygen in the air and due to less oxygen intake, the body tends to develop new red blood cells. New red blood cells means more oxygen in the blood which is translated to more speed, power and endurance.

This is the very reason why it was a part of my planning, practice and strategy to have my practice runs in Baguio City for a minimum of one month up to a maximum of two months. Although Baguio City (1, 530 meters above sea level) is not as high as Mexico City, it was the most accessible place where I can have my altitude training.

I may not be as competetive as the national athletes at that time who were training in Baguio City, but I knew that altitude training gave me more endurance to finish the marathon race without any pains and had faster post recovery than the other runners. In all my marathon practices, I saw to it that Baguio practice runs were part of my training/s.

Simulated altitude training gadgets are already available in the market by elite athletes in other more developed countries but they are expensive. However, I don’t recommend such gadgets/tents to average runners. Actual practice runs in higher elevated places is highly recommended as it is more affordable and economical.

Baguio City is still my best bet to practice altitude running/training. The route from Silang, Cavite to Tagaytay and running within Tagaytay area is also an option. Another option which I tried before is the route from the UP Los Banos Grounds to Mt Makiling peak.

The “Basics of Running” by Dr George Sheehan

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Running1 Comment

Important Running Tips For Every Runner to Know by Dr George Sheehan

           This column is for the benefit of those taking up jogging with the coming of favorable weather. Here are a few practical pointers to keep in mind:

           1) Keep a record of your morning pulse. Lie in bed for a few minutes after you awaken and then take your pulse. As your training progresses, it will gradually become slower and after three months or so plateau out. From then on, if you awaken and find a rate of 10 or more beats higher, you have not recovered from your previous day’s runs, races or stresses. Take the day or more off until the pulse returns to normal.
           2) Weigh yourself regularly. Initially you will not lose much weight. What you lose in fat you will put on in muscle. Running consumes 100 calories a mile and there are 3,500 calories to a pound so you can see weight loss will be slow unless you do heavy mileage.
           3) Do your exercises daily. The more you run, the more muscle imbalance occurs. The calf, hamstrings (back thigh) and low back muscles become short, tight and inflexible. They have to be stretched. On the other hand the shins, the quads (front thigh) and the belly muscles become relatively weak. They must be strengthened. Learn the Magic Six: Three strengthening exercises, three stretching exercises.
           4) Eat to run. Eat a good high-protein breakfast, then have a light lunch. Run on an empty stomach at least two, preferably three hours after your last meal. Save the carbohydrates for the meal after the run to replenish the muscle sugar.
           5) Drink plenty of fluids. Take sugar-free drinks up to 15 minutes before running. Then take 12 to 16 ounces of easily tolerated juices, tea with honey or sugar, defizzed Coke, etc. before setting out. In winter that should be all you need.
           6) Run on an empty colon. Running causes increased peristalsis, cramps and even diarrhea. Having a bowel movement before running and particularly before racing prevents these abdominal symptoms.
           7) Wear the right clothes. In winter this means a base of thermal underwear followed by several layers of cotton or wool shirts with at least one being a turtleneck. Wear a ski mask and mittens. Use nylon if necessary to protect against wind and wet. In summer the main enemy is radiant heat. Remember to wear white clothes and use some kind of head covering.
           8) Find your shoes and stick to them. High-arch feet do better with narrow heels. Morton’s Foot (short big toe, long second toe) may need an arch support in the shoe. If a shoe works, train in it, and wear it to work.
           9) The fitness equation is 30 minutes at a comfortable pace four times a week. Your body should be able to tell you that “comfortable” pace. If in doubt use the “talk test”. Run at a speed at which you can carry on a conversation with a companion.
           10) Run economically. Do not bounce or overstride. You should lengthen your stride by pushing off, not by reaching out. Do not let your foot get ahead of your knee. This means your knee will be slightly bent at footstrike. Run from the hips down with the upper body straight up and used only for balance. Relax.
           11) Belly breathe. This is not easy and must be practiced and consciously done just prior to a run or a race. Take air into your belly and exhale against a slight resistance either through pursed lips or by a grunt or a groan. This uses the diaphragm correctly and prevents the “stitch.”
           12) Wait for your second wind. It takes six to 10 minutes and one degree in body temperature to shunt the blood to the working muscles. When that happens you will experience a light warm sweat and know what the “second wind” means. You must run quite slowly until this occurs. Then you can dial yourself to “comfortable,” put yourself on automatic pilot, and enjoy.
           13) Run against traffic. Two heads are better than one in preventing an accident. Turn your back on a driver and you are giving up control of your life. At night wear some reflective material or carry a small flashlight.
           14) Give dogs their territory. Cross to the other side of the road and pick up some object you can brandish at them. Never try to outrun a dog. Face the dog and keep talking until it appears to be safe to go on.
           15) Learn to read your body. Be aware of signs of overtraining. If the second wind brings a cold clammy sweat, head for home. Establish a DEW line that alerts you to impending trouble. Loss of zest, high morning pulse, lightheadedness on standing, scratchy throat, swollen glands, insomnia, palpitation, are some of the frequent harbingers of trouble.
           16) Do not run with a cold. A cold means you are overtrained. You have already run too much. Wait at least three days, preferably longer. Take a nap the hour you would usually spend running.
           17) Do not cheat on your sleep. Add an extra hour when in heavy training. Also arrange for at least one or two naps a week and take a long one after your weekend run.
           18) When injured find a substitute activity to maintain fitness. Swim, cycle or walk for the same time you would normally jog.
           19) Most injuries result from a change in your training. A change in shoes, an increase in mileage (25 miles per week is the dividing line; at 50 miles per week the injury rate is doubled), hill or speed work, or a change in surface. Almost always there is some associated weakness of the foot, muscle strength/flexibility imbalance, or one leg shorter than the other. Use of heel lifts, arch supports, modification of shoes and corrective exercises may be necessary before you are able to return to pain-free running.
           20) Training is a practical application of Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome. Stress is applied, the organism reacts, a suitable time is given to reestablish equilibrium. Then stress is applied again. Each of us can stand different loads and need different amounts of time to adapt. You are an experiment of one. Establish your own schedule, do not follow anyone else’s.

 

My First Road Race

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, RacesLeave a comment

My first experience in running was when I was a “plebe” (first year cadet) in the Philippine Military Academy during the summer of 1970. We had daily morning runs for almost two months in platoon formations. These daily runs as part of the military training made me strong and active but exhausted at the end of the day.

On the 1st semester of that year, I joined the running team (as most of the plebes without any “talents” in other sports) of my Company (“Charlie”) for a 10-K race on the month of November. The race starts at the VOA Gate along the Baguio City-PMA Road, going towards the end of the runway of Baguio Airport and then running practically along the runway towards the trail leading to the back of the PMA Chapel. This trail was the “killer” as it ascends abruptly towards the peak of a hill where the PMA Chapel is located. From the chapel, the road is going down up to the Parade Ground.

Looking on hindsight, the training and coaching advice/tips by our upperclassmen/seniors were all wrong and unscientific at that time. They did not allow us to drink water before the race and along the route because they told us that the water will make us heavier. Stretching exercises were limited to the “Army Dozen” exercises & “Jumping Jacks”. We did not talk about pacing, time splits, and PR best times. Even nutrition and food were not considered as long as the members eat lots of “boodlefights” every after practice runs. “Boodlefights” were practically a mixture of mashed sardines with steamed rice seasoned with salt and fresh hot chili.

On the race day, I placed # 15 among 120 runners. Our Company Marathon Team won the Championship.

Runners’ Blog

On By kingofpotsIn Insights1 Comment

Little did I know that the Internet is full of runners’ blogsites. Last night, while browsing on my past postings in my other blogsite, I noticed that some “visitors” clicked on my postings regarding my running practices in preparation for a sports activity. This gave me the idea to come up with my blogsite specifically for my running activities.

I have seen blogsites of new, young and old runners in the Philippines as well as in other countries. But, “The Bull Runner” inspired me to make this blog and through my recollections of my past running feats, I could share my insights and experiences for the past so many years that I had been running to other runners and “would-be” runners.

Life, in itself, is a marathon race.