Book Review: Master The Art of Running

Master the Art of Running: Raising Your Performance with the Alexander Technique By Malcolm Balk

I picked this up as a quick read on our recent trip to Kentucky because it looked like a slim fairly easy read. I was hoping there would be some cool tricks in this book to help me increase my speed and endurance. I had never heard of the Alexander technique and had no idea how it related, but I hoped it helped me run faster. 

Instead of focusing on how to run faster or last longer (attitudes the book refers to as "end gaining") the book focuses more on using your body more effectively, good posture, good breathing, and listening to your body. Early in the book the author points out anecdotal evidence to show that the majority of people who are running or working out simply as a chore are not getting the most out of their time.  It was a study that was cited that discussed how much better runners did when not "engaged" that has helped me put away the head phones while I run and focus more on my form and my surroundings. 

There are many great tips in the book including the 3 to 3 breathing technique I have tried to adapt. I also thought the focus on the impact your posture can have on your run, even when you are sitting or standing.  

Who is Alexander? Well, I honestly thought he would be some great runner or great running coach. In fact Alexander was a voice over specialist who developed breathing and use techniques to help save his voice. These techniques have been adapted to other areas of life. You can not learn everything about the technique from this book, which is why Mr. Balk offers workshops to help train you to use the technique.

Many of the ideas in the book seem to focus on a holistic approach to running and while it offers a lot of great tips it is also full of some abstract ideas that are not fully fleshed out. Many of the tests the book recommends you to administer would be very difficult to do without a trained proctor to assist you.

If you enjoy running but would like some techniques to increase the enjoyment or to help you transition from running as a chore to running for enjoyment, I would recommend the book. If you are looking for insights into successful "end gaining" this is probably not the best book for you. I have  taken a few things from the book which has made running more enjoyable and for that reason alone I am glad I took the time.

Brick By Brick

This morning I completed My first Brick Workout.. WHat i did would not be considered by some to be that tough, but it was my first attempt at mixing running and cycling into one session and it was tougher than I thought.

I started out with a nice brisk ride. I completed 9 miles and actually clocked my best speed to date. A little more than 15mph.

As I arrived back to the house I stopped long enough to park the bike , grab a swig of water and start running. I ran for 2 miles, but my legs began to feel heavy almost immediately. Going from the low impact ride to the high impact run was not an easy transition. I was not thrilled with my pace on the run, but I wasn't too disappointed either. Just a little under 19 minutes.

I know for a more experienced Triathlete this would probably not even be considered a real brick, but I was proud of my self.

How To Do a Brick Workout

I will close out with a saying I read in a forum some where:

How is a triathlete built? Brick By Brick!

Chevron Charity Run

Last weekend I competed in the Chevron Women's Network Charity Run. This is an Annual event that takes place in Pascagoula Mississippi. The proceeds from this event go to Home of Grace Women's Treatment Center in Gautier. I usually try to have my race reviews up within a couple of days, but as I had previously mentioned it has been a crazy week. So, now that I actually have a quite minute I will go ahead and offer my thoughts.

Let me start off by saying it has been exceptionally hot and humid lately, and if you follow me on Facebook you will know the heat has really been messing with my performance in training. Last Saturday was no different. The race started at 8:00am and it was already in the mid 80s and very humid.

Usually at this point I am regaling everyone some crazy story about running late, or moving, or the wife getting a concussion; not this time. We actually left the house on time and arrived at Beach Park with time to spare and time to get ready. The park was a great place to start and end the race because of the ample open space to warm up and socialize but also because of the very nice playground to keep the kids occupied.  Getting registered was no problem (getting parked without getting hit was more of a challenge, but the nice racer did offer his apologies). Due to the city not opening the park on time there was a bit of a frantic feel to the registration process, but it still went very smooth. I got Molly and myself our racing bibs and our race shirts and we were good to go. (2 quick side notes the shirts were perhaps the least ugly shirts we have gotten so far, however the overall "registration packet" I have grown accustomed to did not exist. There were no sponsor coupons or freebies, not a big deal, just a note.)

After a brief course description and some instructions the race officially started at 8:07. The Course was a large loop that went along the beach and then through a very nice neighborhood. I must take a moment to admit, I am not a lifelong "Coastian", I have been to Pascagoula many times but I did not realize that the  city had such beauty. I always thought of Pascagoula as the industrial area with the ship yard and the refinery. However the beach was beautiful this morning and the houses through the neighborhood were splendid.

There were some elements of the race I really liked. The course was very well marked and there were 2 water stations set up one at the one mile marker and another at the 2 mile marker. I also liked that at the one mile marker there was a larger digital timer set up that showed what pace you were keeping.

Unfortunately I started farther back in the pack then I wanted to and I felt sort of blocked in after the race started, I think that led to a little bit of a slower start. I finally got up to a good pace and I was keeping pace with a young man who worked at the local refinery for quite some distance. We were keeping a good steady pace and were even able to exchange a bit of dialogue. As I glanced at my watch as we were passing the 2 mile marker I noticed it was 8:24, we were making good time; However, the heat was starting to get to me. It had been at about the 2.5 mile point on my last couple of long runs that I had "bonked" and I could feel my body starting to give out again. The young Man I had been pacing with began to pull away from me, but I still kept running, just not with much gusto.

As we were coming back along the beach to finish the race I caught up with my nephew Gavin who had Started way ahead of me, and had blown up down the back stretch,. As I pulled up beside him I slapped him on the back, reminded him that I was more than twice his age and told him not to let me beat him. I was hoping the competition would fuel both of our fires and we would finish strong. I was half right, Gavin took the encouragement and took off I searched my tank and had nothing left. I finished the race, and I finished the race running, but my Time was back to 27:46. This is 1:20 slower than my last race. Gavin finished 4 positions and :17 seconds ahead of me. The young man I paced with for the first 2.25 miles or so? He finished in 26:50.

I am not as discouraged by this as it may sound, I knew how I had been responding to the heat and the humidity, so I was not surprised, I was pleased that I finished running and did not let it get the best of me. Next time I will be stronger!

GO MOLLY!

The part of the day, that really made me proud however was when Molly ran the 1 Mile Kids fun run. She ran hard, and she finished her Mile in 8:20! She was First Place in her age group and finished second among all the runners. I am so proud of her! She got a trophy which she has been toting around. She wanted to take it to church with her last week!

All in all a good course and a good race. A good day!

One more side note before I sign off... I respect the older runners out there who have achieved the senior citizen status and can still run for miles and miles, However, at some point someone who loves them needs to tell them they need to run with a shirt. There is nothing quite like an old man running shirtless (being fit doesn't help!) So Please if you are reading this and someone you know is over 60 and likes to run, please do us all a favor and kindly suggest to them that they wear a shirt.

That is all for now the next race will be The Wesson Memorial 2 mile race here in ocean Springs on July 4th.

Until then don't stop moving... even if you are moving slower due to the heat!

C25K A Special Interview

During races, I like to find someone who seems to be keeping about the same pace I am and try to stick with them. This gives me a little extra motivation and hopefully pushes the other person as well. During the 1699 Race to Discovery last month I found a young woman running beside me keeping a nice brisk pace. We exchange a few words along the way. After about 1.25 miles I had to pull back my pace a little while she increased hers. I did not see her again until after I crossed the finish line (which she had crossed a minute or so before me).

After the race this young lady introduced herself as Lisa McCombs and gave me her card. Turns out she is the Marketing Director for a local running specialty store and she thought I may not have the proper shoe. Being the skeptic and the "thrifty" person that I am I did not take much stock in what she had to say, after all, "she just wanted me to buy some of her overpriced shoes, right?" Don't get me wrong, she was friendly enough, but surely her concern was a sales pitch.

The next time I saw Lisa, I changed my perspective. When I showed up for the Nutri-Hut 5k last weekend Lisa was not only assisting in organizing the event she was also leading and inspiring a group of people who were running their first 5k. She not only motivated them before the race, but was waiting for them at the finish line cheering as if they were her own children.

I stole only a few moments with Lisa that day, but it was long enough to decide this story needed to be told. I am doing something I have never done before on this blog and I am actually publishing part of an interview I conducted with Lisa McCombs; Marketing Director for Run-N-Tri Company

E- Lisa thanks for taking a few minutes to talk with me, It was nice racing with you; I was inspired by you, Run-N-Tri, and especially the Couch to 5K group that you were leading. I think my readers will appreciate the program and maybe some of them can benefit from what you are doing.

Lisa- Well, It is my dream to get the entire world off the couch and running one by one!!!!

E- Great goal, can you start out by telling us a little bit about Run-N-Tri?

Lisa- Run-N-Tri is a small locally owned walking, running, and triathlon shoes, gear, and apparel store.We also host different events like 5k’s, 10k’s, and triathlons, fitness and product seminars, and a variety of training assistance.

E- In the store you also offer free Gait analysis, tell me more about that?

Lisa- It’s a very personalized process that we pride ourselves in. During our free gait analysis, we evaluate pressure, arch, and width and length of feet and analyze stride with high tech video recording and treadmill equipment. This helps us understand what shoes are appropriate for your individual stride.

E- I made my first visit for my gait analysis today; but we can get into that later; for now, can you tell us about the From Couch to 5k program?

Lisa- The From Couch to 5k program is something we started back in December 2009 to get the Gulf Coast off the couch and running. The program is 8 weeks long, designed specifically for those who have never ran before, and there is an official 5k race at the end.

It is amazing, participants who never thought they could run are now running 5k's. "I can't do it" is a phrase no longer heard by the end of the program.

E- What is included as part of the program?

 Lisa- The program is super affordable and consists of the program iself (developed by one of our owners Dean, who is a USAT certified coach), weekly motivational emails, tips, and nutrition advice, two weekly group runs (and one homework run), a technical t-shirt, race registration (which also includes a t-shirt), and the best, a new healthy lifestyle with “runner” status!!

E- So, the group I saw in D'Iberville was completing the program?

Lisa- Yes, that was the end of our second successful group.

E- Tell me more about this group?

C25k Group 2

Lisa-I started the program with 33 people. 2 had to drop out early due to some previous medical issues. While a few couldn't make it to the 5k, we had 24 who did and finished their 5k. Many of them have since signed up for another 5k (this weekend) and/or are planning to sign up for Group 3.

E- Some have signed up to go through the program again?

Lisa- Yes, even though they are ahead of the program, they use the group as motivation to continue to run. We can advance the program for intermediate runners and/or work on building strength and speed. Some of our members from Group 1 did the same and some increased their 5k time by over 5 minutes!!

E- WOW! That's Impressive, it sounds like the program is successful.

Lisa- Eric, this program has changed people’s lives!! It has turned couch potatoes into runners. Several people have lost weight not only from the running, but from the lifestyle it has created for them.
One member was 65 years old, hasn't ran since high school and is now WINNING 5k's in her age group. Every member has a story like this.

E- You seem very passionate about the program?

Lisa- I love hosting the C25k program. It is so rewarding seeing the progress you make from week to week. It is so inspiring watching these folks push themselves like they never have before!! When they cross that finish line, I get goose bumps. What an amazing sense of accomplishment!!

I know some of my readers are skeptics like me and will immediately think "of course she make the program sound good... that's her job." For those who are thinking that I wanted to provide a few quotes from the participants of the program:

“This is just what I was looking for. The program is really well done, not too stressful, and as long as you believe in yourself and keep up with the runs, you CAN do it.”

“I never thought I would consider myself a runner but thanks to Lisa and the couch to 5k program I can proudly call myself a runner. The program is such a great pace to get into running and it's a lot of fun. Lisa was by everyone's side cheering them on with encouraging words of running wisdom and positive feedback. I would recommend the couch to 5k program for men and women of all ages.”

 “The C25K training has been one of my most rewarding personal accomplishments. It has been my goal for over 15 years to run a 5K. Having the planned, structured runs and the constant positive coaching from our leader, Lisa, helped me reach my goal.”

For me it was amazing to see these 24 people all lined up with their Couch 2 5k t-shirts on, knowing what they were about to embark on. I know from my own experience what a boost of confidence and self esteem it is to set a goal and achieve it. Even more awe inspiring than watching them all line up was watching them cross the finish line one by one and knowing how proud they had made themselves and everyone around them.


The Next group of C25k will will meet on June 1st for program details and sign up and will start running June 13, 2011. To sign up simply go to Run-N-Tri 9138 Carl Legett Road directly off of Lorraine/Cowen Road (2 miles south of I-10 the cost of the program is only $65.

In the second part of this post I will discuss my experience in my first visit to Run-N-Tri as well as with the gait analysis. As always thanks to anyone who may be following along.

The Ultimate Recovery Drink

I was proud to say I made it through the first month of Insanity without any post workout supplements or shakes. I Was drinking plenty of water eating a lot of protein and taking a multi vitamin and I was doing just fine.

All that changed last week when I begin month 2 and the Max workouts. After completing the first workout I commented to more than one person that only my legs, arms, chest, shoulders, and Abs were hurting, everything else felt fine. I knew based on the way I felt I would be no good at all for day 2 unless I somehow recovered and quickly.  With Insanity you don’t get a couple of days to recover you have another workout the very next day.

At lunch that day I set out to find something to put into my body to help it recover. I went to my local GNC and I looked at all there specialty products many with very high price tags. I read all about the BCAAs and the L-Glutamine, and the proper blend of carbs to proteins and there are some technical scientific things that make my head hurt. Of course I also wanted to be very careful with how many calories I consumed.

The more research I did the more I kept finding one common suggestion and quite frankly it surprised me. Not only did it seem too easy it also seemed to refreshing and too cheap. I could get an entire  weeks supply for only $3.00. I kept reading article after article about how one of the yummiest drinks ever was actually the best post workout drink in the world. Good old Chocolate Milk.

 

I have posted several of the links below but I was skeptical… very skeptical. 

Since it was a Tuesday and I didn’t get paid until Friday I decided to take a very low risk chance and I picked up a half gallon of the chocolaty goodness thinking to myself well, if it doesn’t work I will have 2 very happy little girls. 

I have drank about 8 ounces of the chocolate milk after my workout for each of the last 8 nights and to my very pleasant surprise I have not experienced any more of the performance robbing fatigue or soreness I did after the first day of the Max routines.

Of course the low fat version is a better choice and the low fat organic version is even better than that but it has been my conclusion to this point that when you consider price taste and performance Chocolate Milk is the Ultimate Recovery Drink!!

WebMD

Fitness Magazine

AskMen

Better than Gatorade..

one more

There is a lot more research available... But I would recommend giving it a try, really if it doesn't work you are only out $3

Insanity Max Cardio Conditioing

I wanted to take a few minutes to review the workout I did last night hopefully everyone would get a good feeling for exactly what it is like... here goes...

Insanity Review: Max Cardio Conditioning

The entire workout is 48 minutes. Once the main workout begins, it’s a non-stop workout until the end. 

The warm up is almost the same as the other Max workouts with a variation in the 3^rd round. The first 2 rounds you gradually increase your pace. The exercises for the first 2 rounds are:

• Jog
• Jumping Jacks – Arms Up
• Jump Rope S-S
• High Knees – Arms Out
• Switch Kicks
• Hit the Floor
• S-S Floor Hops

The last round of the warm up is about 1 and a half minutes and actually a variation on the warm up from the previous month.  The exercises are:

• Sprint
• Jumping Jacks
• Heisman
• 123 Heisman
• High Knees

At the end of the warm up it is time for the standard water break followed by a good stretch, another 30 second water break, and then the workout starts.

The main part of the workout is just under 30 minutes with no scheduled breaks until the last move of the main workout.  Each move lasts approximately 1 minute.  The exercises are:

• High Low Jab with Squat- this one consists of jumping into the air throwing a punch landing in squat position then throwing another punch; repeat for 30 seconds for each side minute
Football Runs- we called these up/downs when I used to play football- you sprint and then you leap onto the ground and then right back up into sprints
8 Ball Shots with Squat-  you simulate basketball jump shots eight times then you hop four times to reposition yourself then do it again
• Right and Left Kicks These are one of the easier exercises you simply kick your right leg for 1 minute then your left… sounds easy, but it works on you
Diamond Jumps – leap into the air touch hands above your head touch feet together at same time repeat for one minute
In-Out Push Up Jacks  4 in-outs 4 push-up jacks repeat
Suicide Jumps- these are all too familiar you jump to the ground then back up… repeat and repeat
• High Knee/Low/Floor Sprints run with high knees for an 8 count then run with quick small steps for an eight count then floor sprints from plank position for an 8 count  
Ski Abs – an old favorite from plank position bring knees to right shoulder than to left
• Kick Step Back 1st Recovery Exercise the recovery exercises are toned down a bit your heart rate is still elevated but you are not at the same level as the other exercises. The Kick Step Back  is a front kick followed by stepping back and touching the floor repeat for one minute alternating legs
• Squat Twists (2nd Recovery Exercise) hop into a squat position and touch the right foot with the left hand repeat alternating sides
• Over the River Hops (Last Recovery Exercise)- this is simply a hop back and forth from left to right while swinging your arms.
• Attack – Facing sideways throw 2 open handed strikes turn 180 degrees and throw strikes with other hand
• Power Knees – another old favorite this one comes right from the fit test 1 minute each side
• Ski Down Hooks- simulate down hill skiing hoping about six inches from side to side while throwing hook punches with alternating arms
Belt Kicks- this actually is one of my favorites from the first month it is a kick then a squat then a kick from the other leg
• Forward Back Suicides wide feet run forward about 3 steps touch the ground run backward about 3 steps touch the ground
Push Up Abs as you do a standard push-up you bring your knee to your shoulder
Plank Punches- from the push-up or plank position you throw a punch with your right hand then your left rotate hands
• 8 Jump Ropes/8 Hop Squats- simulate jump rope  lifting legs high 8 times then hop into squat position eight times
Squat Speed Bag in squat position and hold it for one minute and move your hands like you are punching a speed bag 

There is a cool down stretch that lasts about 4 minutes the finally……mercifully 48 minutes and 618 calories later we are done. 

Week in review 2/13

What a week it was...

This week was the start of Month 2 of Insanity. Month 2 includes the Max workouts and they are brutal. I thought I was doing pretty good through the first month of Insanity my body was adapting to the workouts and I was performing them a little better each time.  I knew during the warm up on Monday that everything had changed. The new workouts are longer the exercises are different and very challenging I did post a review to the first one Max Interval Circuit and will post additional reviews in the coming days. I have set a new goal for myself with these new exercises.  I wanted to share the below image this is at the end of Max interval circuit. Look at the screen see how it instructs us "don't stop moving" Now look at the carnage laying around the gym...




For anyone who may not know Insanity focuses on "Max Interval Training" where you go as heard as you can for about 3 minutes then you rest for about 30 seconds. This process is repeated several times over the course of a workout. Shaun T who is the creator of the program and the motivational on screen leader also allows you to take a break if you "need" it. By need Shaun T means if your heart rate gets too high or if your form becomes compromised to stop for a few seconds and then get right back into it. My new goal for the max workouts is to work myself up to where I am only resting during the 30 second rest periods. This will take a while to achieve as I see the fit machines on my TV still taking a rest from time to time.

 Finally got a heart rate monitor (yes that one on the left) so that I can make sure the heart rate is not getting too high but also to make sure I am getting it high enough to be effective. During yesterday's workout for 55 minute workout my Avg BPM (beats per minute) was 140. That is perfect for my target heart rate accrding to The American Heart Association.  I did not pay extra for the monitor with the calorie counter but I did find a very useful tool online that converts the information I entered and tells me that I burned 766 calories. That is a lot of calories burned.


  The runs have not gone as well as I had hoped mostly do to the extremely cold weather. But as you can see on RunKeeper I did finish the week up with a nice 3.09 mile run in just over 30 Minutes. I only have 2 weeks to go before race day and I still have a lot of work to do. I have decided to change my goal for the 5k as well. as some may recall my original goal was to finish the race. I still have work to be able to finish the race without stopping, but I have set a new goal. My goal is I want to complete the race in less than 30 minutes. I know this will still put me in the middle of the pack, but considering this is my first race that won't be too bad.

I won't bore anyone with another post about what to expect next week, instead, I will condense it into a few lines here.

Monday Max Cardio Conditioning
Tuesday Max Interval Circuit
              Run 30 Minutes
Wednesday Max Interval Plyo
Thursday Max Recovery
               Run 35 Minutes
Friday Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs (did we really need an additional workout here?)
Saturday Core Cardio & Balance (a bit of a repreive)
Sunday Run 3.5 Miles

I also plan to write 2 blog this week one about the great recovery drink I have found and one as a review of one of the Insanity workouts.

Thanks to anyone who may be following along