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By Janda Ricci-Munn, April 6, 2011 10:00 am

A common belief amongst competitive distance runners is that in order to increase one’s fitness, one must run … a lot.  Although I will be the first in line to advocate the fact that success in distance running requires a steadfast commitment to a long-term, rigorous training progression, I will also caution that obsessing first and foremost about the number of miles run during a given week can also present its fair share of pitfalls. Unfortunately, many runners make the mistake of correlating weekly mileage to the effectiveness of their training program. The thinking goes something like this: “If I run 80 miles per week instead of 40, my fitness will increase twice as fast, and I’ll be much faster and stronger come summer.” Let me explain why this thinking, although admirable, is flawed.

Know What Your Training For
A successful training program is one that prepares an athlete to perform in a very specific manner at a specific event/course, under specific weather conditions. For instance, training for nothing but cool weather, 5k events that all occur on relatively flat, fast courses will leave you severely undertrained for a marathon that takes place on a hilly course and features hot and humid weather conditions. Intelligent training design begins with asking yourself the following question:  “What am I training for?” Once you know the answer, you begin planning  your course of action.

Plat Specific Training Phases
The next step to intelligent training design is to plot the specific training phases that you will progress through as you build towards your key, or series of key events. Despite what some experts may claim, there are a number of training approaches that one can employ when training for a given event, the most effective of which will best meet the individual athlete’s needs. For instance, some athletes may choose to sprinkle a little more intensity into their routine during the early stages of their progression while keeping their total training volume relatively conservative. Doing so may provide slower or newer athletes with an opportunity to hone their speed while also building the necessary endurance base that will carry them throughout the remainder of their event specific build up. Another group of well trained,  naturally gifted athletes who already possess a high degree of top end fitness/speed may choose to forgo higher training intensity altogether in favor of a much higher volume approach during their base phase preparation.  Although proponents of either approach may vigorously argue the merits of employing one routine or the other, I’ve been around long enough to confidently say that there is more than one way to induce the high degree of event specific fitness that one must attain by the time the big competition rolls around.

This brings us back to our initial discussion on the prioritization of weekly training volume. The number of miles that an athlete runs during a particular training week or block is completely arbitrary and, during the pre and competitive training cycles in particular, nearly meaningless in terms of how the athlete’s degree of event specific fitness is going to be affected. Give me two athletes of equal ability who are training for a local 5k and allow one to run nothing but 70 – 80 miles per week at relatively easy paces while the other employs a more event specific, complex training routine that “only” sees her topping out at 50 miles per week, and I guarantee you that our 50 miler runner will win, by a large margin, on race day.

Know Your Training Saturation Point
With the exception (in some cases) of the base phase training phase, total training volume, at least when measured in terms of miles and/or total hours, should never constitute a priority. A very effective, albeit simple, way to the define the uppermost limit of appropriate training volume is looking at it this way:  The athlete should strive to train as much as possible until their total training volume begins to negatively impact the event specific training sessions that allow for gains in event specific fitness to occur. This training “saturation” point is going to be different for every athlete of course;  many Olympic level athletes may be able to maintain a steady diet of 100+ miles of running per week along with a full load of event specific quality work, while your run of the mill recreational runner may find that 30 miles per week works best.  As a general rule, increasing one’s fitness means increasing one’s capacity to train harder and more often, so for those of you who currently train on the lower side of the training volume perspective, don’t despair:  as you continue to log the key workouts along with those supplemental base miles, your fitness will increase, and who knows … perhaps someday you’ll be able to boast of the fact that you train like an Olympian too!

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By Landice, March 9, 2011 11:06 am

Running on the L8

Whether you refer to yourself a competitive or recreational runner, the fact of the matter is, if you’re investing time and effort into your training program, your end goal is improvement.  As a runner, improvement means being able to run faster than you have before over a given distance and/or performing at a level that you were previously unable to.  Although competitive running events are most often the best proving ground for the hard work that you lay down on a week-to-week basis, self assessment sessions can prove to be equally beneficial and are an integral means of evaluating the effectiveness of your training program.

There are a wide variety of ways to assess your body’s response to a given training progression. One of my staple, albeit very simplistic and unscientific, assessment sessions while competing as a long course triathlete, involved my favorite Sunday long run route:  A 25k (15.5 mile) run over undulating terrain.  I’d know that I was coming into “good form” when I could complete the course while running within 10% of my race day goal paces without having to push too hard to do so.  There are a variety of very controlled and precise tests that one can pay for to assess improvement as well; VO₂ max and lactate testing sessions are 2 options that come to mind.  These tests are typically executed within the confines of a laboratory setting and provide a plethora of data for the testing subject.  Unfortunately, they also come with a price tag and can be hard to access in some parts of the country.

A simple, yet very effective means of assessing your aerobic fitness on a month to month basis is by employing the “T20” test.  This test can be carried out on a flat section of road, the track or even the treadmill.  You’ll want to make sure that you’ve kept your training fairly light for the 3 – 4 days preceding the test to ensure that your system is well rested and ready to perform up to its full capacity.

The testing session involves 3 segments:

1. The warm up segment.  Approach this the same way that you would a normal track or treadmill based workout.  See my prior training tips if you are unfamiliar with proper warm up protocol.
2. The testing segment.
3. The cool down segment. Once again, employ the same cool down protocol you would upon completion of a normal track or treadmill based workout.

Equipment: You will need a heart rate monitor and stop watch.

Course & Conditions: You should strive to execute the testing session on the same course and  under similar conditions every time you employ it as air temperature, humidity levels, wind, course gradients, etc. will all have an effect on your ability to maintain a specific pace at a given heart rate/oxygen consumption rate.

Unlike a race, there is no need to run at maximal effort during the testing segment.  Upon conclusion of the warm up routine, the athlete will run for 20 minutes continuously (hence the term “T20”).  The athlete should use the first 10 minutes of the testing segment to gradually build to 85% of maximal heart rate.  In order to do so, he or she will need to gradually increase pace along the way.  If you choose to run on the track or treadmill, a safe pacing strategy would be to start off at your estimated marathon race pace and to then build by 3 – 5 seconds per mile every quarter mile/400 meters until heart rate finally reaches 85% of maximum.  Once you have attained said heart rate, maintain your pace through the end of the 20 minute segment.  Although allowing your heart rate to drift a couple of beats above 85% is just fine, try to limit it to no more than that.  Reduce pace if need-be in order to maintain the goal heart rate along the way.

Upon completion of your cool down, note the amount of distance that you traveled during the second 10 minute segment of the 20 minute run.  Denote this distance, along with the corresponding heart rate, in your training journal.  You would be wise to also denote the environmental conditions that you faced when executing the test and your degree of fatigue leading into the test (i.e. how you felt during your warm up, and during the hours preceding the testing session).

As previously mentioned, for the distance runner, one of the main objectives of one’s training program is to increase the speed at which one can run for sustained periods of time; a key ingredient in your ability to do just that is to increase your running economy.  Simply put, running economy is a measurement of the amount of oxygen your body consumes at a given speed.  Oxygen consumption rates can be correlated very closely to heart rates, as it is the blood that transfers O₂ to the working muscles; as the athlete begins to push harder, the muscles demand for O₂ increases and blood must be pumped to the musculature at a faster rate in order to deliver it.

The T20 test is a very simple and effective means of tracking your body’s response to the training load.  If your training program is an effective one, you should note an increase in pace at the same heart rate every time you execute the T20 test.  My recommendation would be to test every 6 – 8 weeks, but testing every 4^th week is also okay as long as you are not unrealistic in your expectations when it comes to self improvement (for a well trained endurance athlete, an increase of even 1 – 2% in pace per month would be considered outstanding).  If you find that your T20 pace fails to improve after 6 – 8 weeks of solid training, it’s time to re-examine your training program and identify where it’s falling short; this is where a good coach can help of course!

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By Landice, March 2, 2011 10:00 am

If you’ve ever been inside a gym or fitness center, chances are you have seen and probably even worked out on an elliptical machine. You may even have an elliptical set up in your home gym. But do you know what the difference is between an elliptical and a treadmill? Which machine will give you the best workout and burn the most fat?

The bottom line in any fitness plan is this: frequency and intensity of your workout, coupled with your caloric intake is ultimately the determining factor in how much fat you will burn. An equally intense hour spent working out, whether on a treadmill or elliptical will burn roughly the same amount of calories.

One primary benefit of the elliptical over the treadmill is the reduced impact on the elliptical. When choosing an exercise machine, first consider whether or not you can exercise on it without being injured.

Note: You should first consult your physician before beginning any exercise routine.

For individuals who are overweight, the elliptical is a better choice because the elliptical is a non-impact machine, and will build bone density because it is a weight-bearing exercise. Treadmill workouts have the same weight-bearing characteristics, but working out on a treadmill does require impact, which could be hard on knees, ankles and feet.

If you’re looking to burn fat while working out on an elliptical, there are several program options to help motivate you to reach your fat-burning goals. The Landice Executive Trainer Elliptimill comes with 5 built-in programs, as well as time, distance and calorie-burning programs. These programs will adjust resistance and incline based on the information input, such as the user’s weight and age.

If you’re comfortable managing your own workout, select the manual program option, which allows the user to manually set incline and resistance to vary workout intensity and burn more fat.

To burn fat while workout out on an elliptical, remember these key factors during your workout:

• Interval training — Short bursts of high intensity exercise is important in any cardiovascular exercise.  Increase the intensity of your workout for a 1-3 minutes with 1 minute of rest in between.
• Speed — Varying speeds is one method of interval training. Increasing speed will increase heart rate, reaching a cardiovascular workout level while burning fat.
• Intensity — Intensity is a factor of interval training.  Increased intensity by adjusting incline or resistance of the machine.

It is also important to note that it is easy to feel like you are working out harder than you actually are on an elliptical machine.  Use the heart rate monitor to measure the intensity and fat-burning qualities of your exercise routine.

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By Cliff Koraska, February 14, 2011 3:48 pm

Put down the sweet heart candies, chocolate-dipped strawberries and champagne. The greatest gift you can give yourself this Valentine’s Day is the gift of a healthy heart … a real one, not a hard candy heart.

According to the American Heart Association, an astonishing 81,100,000 Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease (according to 2006 statistics) including high blood pressure (73,600,000), coronary heart disease (17,600,000), stroke (6,400,000) and heart failure (5,800,000). Not news to celebrate.

The good news is that every day people across America choose not to be included in these alarming statistics simply by slipping on running shoes and spending 30 minutes on the treadmill or elliptical machine.

Benefits of Cardio Exercise

• Cardio exercise such as running and exercising on an elliptical machine strengthens the heart muscle, enabling the heart to function more optimally and efficiently.
• Cardio exercise improves efficiency of coronary blood flow (blood that flows through the heart, keeping coronary blood vessels pliable and functioning optimally.
• Cardio exercise helps in lowering and regulating the body’s blood pressure, allowing the heart to more easily move blood through the coronary arteries.
• Cardio exercise reduces and regulates cholesterol — a fatty, sticky substance that can build up in the arteries, restrict blood flow and cause cardiac arrest.
• Cardio exercise helps the body manage blood sugar levels by stabilizing and reducing the amount of sugar flowing through the blood stream.

Valentine’s Day is a celebration of love. Love yourself this Valentine’s Day by choosing heart-healthy habits that promote health. Be sweet to yourself. Your heart will thank you.

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By Landice, September 28, 2010 10:04 am

by Janda Ricci-Munn

Let’s get right down to it: For the competitive endurance athlete, the number one objective of any training program is to maximize your degree of event specific fitness. This being said, effective training requires both coach and athlete to first and foremost understand the unique physiological and psychological stressors that the athlete will be subjected to during competition. Simply put, if you expect your body, and mind, to be able to perform at a specific effort, for a specific period of time on a specific course while dealing with specific environmental conditions, your training program must fully prepare you to be able tolerate this very specific set of stressors come race day! As any good coach or athlete understands, event specific, or “specialized” training, is an integral part of the annual training progression; without it, peak athletic performance will not be realized. This being said, we can count on the fact that there is one, and only one approach that every athlete must take when preparing for a given competitive event or distance, right?

Wrong.

Although specialized training is in fact a key ingredient in any successful annual training progression, we must dive deeper in order to gain a complete understanding of each athlete’s unique physiology before undertaking the exact training practices that will yield the peak performance that both coach and athlete are striving so hard for. One of the “laws” of training is that in order for training to be effective, it must be individualized. In order to completely individualize an athlete’s training, we must first understand what kind of aerobic “engine” the athlete possesses, just how strong that engine is, and what kind of fuel economy it’s capable of! Continue reading 'Introduction to Metabolic Testing & Analysis'»

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By Landice, July 14, 2010 11:00 am

Photo courtesy of Craft USA.

While many runners are in the thick of racing season, others are just gearing up for their first races later this year. We’ve heard your questions about basic training, and so we’ve revived this series we ran last fall. Don’t hesitate to leave your comments and questions. We’ll answer you!

Accomplished triathlete, trainer and race director, Janda Ricci-Munn offers 4 tips for basic training. Read today about Aerobic Power.

Aerobic Power: Once your body has adjusted to the inclusion of functional threshold training, you’re ready to really push your limits.  All the easy to moderate paced distance training in the world will still leave you huffing and puffing on race day if your body is completely unfamiliar with the paces you’ll be asking it to maintain once your goal race is under way.  Interval training executed at or above your race day goal paces will leave you feeling much stronger and in control when it’s time to roll. Continue reading 'Back to the Basics–Part 3'»

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By Landice, July 1, 2010 10:00 am

Unfortunately, this is a topic I’ve become all too familiar with the past few weeks. I crashed on my bike during a recent triathlon and broke my collarbone. Injuries are a part of sports. This is probably even more so for endurance sports. Injuries are not fun at all. They are painful, they interrupt training plans, they alter the race schedule, they lower your fitness, they ruin competitive goals on the horizon, and they cause frustration, loss of confidence and possibly even a bit of depression.

Injuries are just another challenge that life throws at us. You get to choose how you want to deal with it. Are you going to embrace it and come out the other end a better person and athlete or are you going to give in to all of the negative things that an injury can bring? I hope you choose the first option. Continue reading 'Injuries: They’re part of the game'»

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By Landice, April 27, 2010 10:00 am

For more on a dynamic warmup, visit Active.com

This week’s training tip and video blog (a.k.a. vlog) will introduce our next series of dynamic warm up exercises.  As previously stated in a prior training tip, my personal preference when utilizing a dynamic warm up routine is to gradually progress from simplistic walking based movements to more explosive sprint and jumping based  exercises over the course of the warm up period.

The following three drills feature more complex movement patterns and demand an increase in speed and force output.  Unlike the simple walking and multidirectional dynamic warm up exercises, these drills take time and practice to master.  If you’ve never attempted them before, consult with an experienced track & field coach or personal trainer who is well versed in dynamic warm up execution.

Although this week’s training tip will provide a general overview of each drill, you’ll want to stay tuned for this Thursday’s podcast for a demonstration of what each drill looks like when executed by an actual athlete! Continue reading 'Dynamic Warm up Routine: Skipping Ahead'»

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By Landice, March 2, 2010 9:57 am

Photo by Chris Milliman. Courtesy of Craft USA.

At Landice, we want to help you be the best YOU you can be. We’ve enlisted the help of Janda Ricci-Munn, accomplished triathlete and coach. Together, we want to offer you practical training tips to help you reach your own fitness goals. Let us journey with you. Leave us comments and updates. Tell us how you’re doing. Let us know when you’re training for a race so we can cheer you on. Stay tuned for more running tips from Janda!

When it comes to sports nutrition, timing is everything.

Last week’s training tip touched upon carbohydrate replenishment and introduced the subject of the glycemic index. This week, we’ll talk about how you can use the glycemic index to your advantage when trying to determine what to eat post training.

As an athlete, you should consider your nutritional plan as a major part of your training, not just something that you do throughout the day. Inadequate caloric intake, poor food choices, and mistiming of meal consumption will hinder performance and compromise your best efforts on the training and racing fronts.

When you’re training hard, you have to think of your body as a finely tuned machine that requires very specific fuel sources in order to keep it running at its best. Unlike machines however, our bodies require a wide variety of fuel sources throughout the day in order to function optimally. Believe it or not, there are actually times when a soft drink such as “Coke” constitutes a better calorie source than a fresh apple or steaming hot bowl of oatmeal (yes, you heard me correctly!). Continue reading 'On Your Mark, Set, EAT!'»

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By Landice, November 24, 2009 11:48 am

Photo by Chris Milliman. Courtesy of Craft Apparel.

Winter is fast approaching, racing seasons for many athletes are tapering down, and athletes and coaches are beginning their preparation for the vigorous months of training that lie ahead.  It’s time to start gearing up for the next racing season.  Maybe you didn’t perform as well as you would have hoped this time around.  You’re not alone, and many athletes are planning on increasing their training regimen over the winter months to ensure greater success next season.

Have you thought this through?  Are you certain that hard-core outdoor training in the winter is the most efficient way to prepare for your next marathon?  Is it the safest method of training?  Are you layering on the winter coat, hat, gloves and scarf?  Are you running in wind, snow and ice?  Is this outdoor training really what you need to be successful?

And safety aside, what about the technical side of your training?  Are you focusing on your VO2Max?  Do you even know what that is or how it relates to your athletic ability?

What about the psychological aspect of training?  What are you doing to keep yourself excited and motivated?  How do you keep from peaking early in the next season, only to become frustrated with your performances soon after?

Do you know what your “limiting factor” really is?

Janda Ricci-Munn, accomplished triathlete and coach discusses his unique approach to winter training: identifying and developing the limiting factor. Continue reading 'The Limiting Factor'»