I followed my advice in my prior post and took Friday off. I just want to make sure that my knee is going to be healthy enough to handle the rest of the 30 Minute Runner project.

My day off was a good chance for me to reflect on my progress since my 5k race in the first chapter of the 30 Minute Runner project and look forward to future. Now that I’m back into the routine of training for a race, I am reminded of many of the insights that I gained during my high school and college running days.

Believe it or not, one of the most important influences on my running career has been a book called The Inner Game of Tennis. That’s right – a book about tennis has taught me more about running than most running books.

Why The Inner Game of Tennis is So Important

To understand why this book has been such a great influence, you need to know something about me: I have not always had the best mental strength as a runner.

Throughout my high school and college days I would occasionally have a tough time keeping my emotions in check during races.  Once something unexpected happened, I would immediately tense up, shorten my breaths, and destroy any chance that I had at a good race.

It didn’t take much to get me to start thinking negatively about my race.  Things that would cause me to freak out included feeling more tired than I expected, being farther back in the race than I envisioned, or getting shoved or elbowed by a fellow runner.

Once the inner negativity started, I was in big trouble. My negative thoughts included: “Why am I feeling so terrible today?” “I must have trained too hard last week.”  ”There is no way I can catch the leaders.”  This self-talk was toxic and just built on itself during races.

This is where The Inner Game of Tennis comes in.

The book is loaded with awesome mental tips for athletes, but one of my favorite is the need for an athlete to ensure harmony between “Self 1″ and “Self 2.”

The Relationship Between Self 1 and Self 2

The book defines a person’s “Self 1″ as the person’s conscious self.  This is the side of a person that engages in negative self-talk.  For example, Self 1 was talking when I told myself that I “felt terrible” in a race.

Self 2 is the unconscious, physical side of a person.  Self 2 is the part of runner that actually performs the physical tasks of moving the legs and arms to propel the runner forward.  Self 2 is often highly trained and ready to help the person run fast – however, it is often sabotaged by Self 1.

Self 1′s constant stream of doubt and negative comments can deprive Self 2 of its innate ability to perform well. The key for runners is to quite the over-thinking Self 1 and simply let Self 2 execute the physical movements that will enable a runner to run to his or her capabilities.

How to Improve the Relationship Between Self 1 and Self 2

The Inner Game of Tennis is filled with useful tips on how to quite Self 1 and allow Self 2 to perform its innate ability.  I won’t go into everything in this specific post, but one of the most important tips is for a runner to simply trust that he or she has the ability to run fast.

If a runner has firm confidence in the runner’s skills, Self 1 will not be so quick to cast judgments and negative thoughts.  One of the best ways to build this confidence is to perform well in workouts leading up to a race.

You clearly are fit if you hit your goal times for workouts, so you should have plenty of confidence that you are physically able to perform well in a race.

There is no need for any input from Self 1 – Self 2 has all the fitness that is needed to race well and Self 1′s only job should be to let go and let Self 2 do its job.

More to Come About The Inner Game of Tennis

So as you can tell, I’m a big fan of this type of thinking.  The biggest hurdle for my running career has been lack of confidence and self-doubt.  Things really started improving for me when I applied some of the principles in The Inner Game of Tennis.

I’ll talk more about the book in future posts.  But first I have the next 10-20-30 workout coming up. Wish me luck.

Have you struggled with your mental toughness in races and workouts?

What helped you?

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The Boston Globe has a good article on what a “fast running shoe” actually means. Surprisingly, a lighter shoe with less cushion can actually mean slower times for a runner in a long race (I.e. marathon).

We need the full shock absorbing benefit of a traditional shoe for a marathon. Studies show that for every 100 grams (just over 3 ounces) of reduced weight in a pair of shoes, a runner will only gain 1 to 2 percent improvement (measured in time and oxygen efficiency).
If you’re an advanced or elite athlete, that
improvement can make all the difference in the world. But if you’re a 4 hour marathoner, you will likely only gain a 2-5 minute improvement in time, while forcing your body to endure 20 percent more stress due to the reduced level of shock absorption.

The fact that a shoe is easier for your leg to lift during a stride does not always mean that it is giving the muscles a break. In order to ensure that a shoe helps you run faster, it is far more important to choose a shoe that that has the appropriate amount of support for your specific biomechanics.

Not necessarily. It is important to note that are talking about speed here, not injuries. For some runners, a heavily cushioned shoe can weaken foot muscles and potentially cause injury. That is one of the main selling points for minimalism.

However, all things being equal, you should not assume that a lighter weight marathon shoe is always faster.

[Boston Globe]

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Without referencing a chart, you risk starting too fast or too slow. If you start too fast, you could exhaust yourself far from the finish. If you start too slow, however, you could leave a lot of time on the course and run slower than your potential.

To use the half marathon pace chart, first determine your goal time for the half marathon. This goal time should be carefully thought out and based on your current fitness. Don’t assume that you can run a time that you ran one year ago if you have not been training at the same level.

Each goal time has a specific mile pace associated with it. So if your goal time is 1:42:00, then you would try to run consistent 7:50 miles. Instead of trying to calculate whether you are running consistent mile paces during the race (i.e. what is 7:50 pace at 5 mile mark?), wear a running watch so that can record your specific splits at every mile.

Half Marathon Pace Chart

Using this half marathon pace chart will maximize the chance for you to achieve your half marathon goals and really have fun in the process.

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It can be difficult to know how to correctly train for marathon. The 26.2 mile distance is intimidating. However, a high quality training program can be simplified into four phases.

[A] 12-week cycle would look like this: Four weeks of endurance work, four weeks of strength work, two weeks of sharpening and two weeks of tapering.

• Endurance:This phase includes include short, medium and long runs. The pace is easy, emphasizing bulk miles and the development of aerobic endurance.

• Strength: Continue the long endurance runs. Replace the short and medium runs with hill running and tempo runs.

• Sharpening: Move your runs to the track, emphasizing a large number of repeats of a selected distance (400s, 800s, miles or a mix) with short intervals of rest. Taper off the long-distance runs and begin to decrease total mileage.

• Tapering: This period emphasizes power intervals, few in number with increased rest in between. The overall mileage is greatly reduced (40 to 50 percent).

In the strength and endurance phases, make sure to include at least one “long run” every two weeks. The distance of your long run should gradually increase until you are running about 20 miles.

The long run is an important part of getting your body ready for the distance of the marathon.

By planing a sensible training program, you will be able to get the most possible out of your marathon.

[Daily Coloradoan]

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One of the most difficult obstacles in maintaining the motivation to run is the tendency to compare yourself with other runners. It can be difficult to accept when someone you know is able to run faster than you with less training.

In order to overcome the frustration of not running as fast as others, it is really important to understand how genetics helps determine running performance. The Florida Times has a good article on this exact issue.

The most important factor affecting endurance is the amount of oxygen the human body uses when put into motion. Aerobic capacity, or VO2 max, is the maximum amount of oxygen your body converts into energy.

Aerobic capacity is the best measure of fitness. The lungs take in oxygen, which is absorbed into the blood and pumped around your body, replenishing the muscles. The more oxygen used by the muscles, the better one’s endurance.

There are certainly things you can do to improve your aerobic capacity (training runs, speed workouts, etc.), but there’s no question that some people start with a higher capacity than others, and have an innate ability to increase their capacity at a higher rate.

The article has interesting estimation of the number of people who have won the genetic running lottery.

When you put natural fitness and trainability together, 5-10 percent of the population start with high aerobic capacity and 2-10 percent are high aerobic responders.

The odds of having a high aerobic baseline and a rapid training response — put another way, starting fast and getting faster — are exceedingly slim, between 1 in 100 to 1 in 1,000.

While seeing 1 in 1000 odds can be demoralizing, I would rather view it as a great explanation of why some runners are faster than others despite similar training.

Perhaps the most important lesson is that, in order to get the most out of running, compete against yourself instead of focusing so much on other runners. This is the best way to enjoy long term satisfaction with running.

[Florida Times]

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A recent study shows just how important altitude is to running times in marathons.

On average, each increase of 1000 meters above sea level augmented marathon race time by 10.8±0.6% in men and 12.3±0.7% in women.

Compared to race times in the Rotterdam marathon (held at 0 meters above sea level), the time taken to complete the marathon was significantly higher in competitions held at an altitude of over 700 meters.

In conclusion, the time taken to complete a marathon strongly depends on the altitude of the city in which the marathon is held. Selecting marathon competitions close to 0 m above sea level is a good strategy to maximize marathon performance.

Most runners realize that it is more difficult to run at altitude, but it is interesting to see specific time data to back this up. By choosing marathons that have an altitude close to sea level, a runner could be shaving ten seconds or more off his or her finish time with no extra effort.

Most marathons have a detailed course map on their websites with altitude figures. Make sure to check these out before making the decision to run a race.

[Libertpub.com]

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But at what age do runners the height of the potential ability? A recent study analyzed this very question. this study analyzed performances of runners from the ages of eighteen to seventy in the 2010 and 2011 New York City Marathons.

According to the results of the study, men reach the peak of their ability at age 27. Women reach the peak of their ability at age 29.

Of course, running can still be incredibly fulfilling if you are past these ages. However, if you are fifty years old, try not to get discouraged if a 30 year old beats you. Rather, compare yourself against runners in your own age bracket – or simply focus on beating your own best time.

[Springer Link]

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One of the tough parts about racing is the long period of training leading up to a race. Some runners don’t mind jumping into a race without much fitness, but others want to be in the best shape possible.

To avoid the necessary evil of planning out six months of training for one race, make it a point to build and maintain a solid mileage base at all times. With a good base, you can launch into speed workouts like tempo runs and fartleks right away without incurring significant injury risk. Check out Runner Academy for more info on base building.

[Runner Academy]

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The marathon pace chart on the left side of this page has mile paces for popular marathon goal times.

In order to succeed in even pacing, it is critical that, in the weeks and months leading up to a race, you run a few workouts at the specific goal pace. For example, run 5-10 mile tempo runs at your specific marathon goal pace. While running these workouts, pay attention to your body and learn how the pace feels.

Even if you have trained yourself to run your goal marathon pace, it can still be easier to get off pace during a race. The excitement and adrenaline at the start of a race can propel you to run faster than desired – and cause you to pay for it later in the race. If you notice yourself off-pace, gradually slow down your running and try to get yourself back on schedule. Make this correction as soon as possible because the negative effects on your race increase the longer you maintain your fast pace.

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Dates: It is important to give yourself at least 4-8 weeks of solid training before jumping into a race. Try to incorporate at least a few speed workouts such as fartleks or hill workouts. While the routine training run is important, speed workouts are essential in preparing your body for the pace of a race.

What Distance: The right race distance really depends on the type of training that you have been able to accomplish. For example, it is probably not a good idea to run a marathon as part of your summer racing if you have not been able to run a few 20 mile long runs. Also, don’t jump into a race with a hilly course without training on hills beforehand.

What Race: Once you have determined the time and distance for your race, the selection of the actual race depends on your location. Running in the USA is a good resource for checking out races near you. You may also want to look for races sponsored by your favorite charity.

You will also have to ask yourself how far you want to drive to get to a course. Remember that races are usually in the morning, so be cautious about choosing a race that is more than one hour from your house.

Best of luck with your training this summer! Here’s hoping that you have the best summer of races ever.

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