Notice: For those of you who only read the first lines of my  blog, here is the important stuff: we are meeting at Percy Warner Park for the next three weeks rather than Shelby Park.  Park at the end of Belle Meade boulevard, we will meet at the bottom of the "stairs".  Do not speed while driving down Belle Meade Blvd. On Being a Vegetarian

Spurred on by a discussion I had while running last Sunday, I have been perusing the internet for articles on being a vegetarian endurance athlete.  I have read articles about the benefits of red meat, which were refuted by articles about the horrors (both health wise and environmentally) about eating cows - which refuted the article I read about how humans are meant to eat meat - which in turn, was refuting the article I read about how humans resemble herbivores rather than carnivores, which was refuting the article....blah blah blah

You get the idea.  There are so many mutually exclusive opinions about just about everything, that sometimes it's really hard to know what to believe.   So here are a couple of nutritional conclusions that seemed to be pretty consistent across the more credible articles (and believe me I read plenty of non-credible articles):

1) Iron: If you don't eat red meat, and you are an endurance athlete, make sure you are getting enough iron.  Iron can be found in green leafy vegetables, but iron from meat is easier to absorb than iron from plant sources.  Aparently iron from plant sources is absorbed easier if it is taken with vitamin C, and stay away from coffee and tea.  So make yourself a orange juice/spinach smoothie.

2) Protein: Being a healthy vegetarian is hard, and instead of packing meals with extra vegetables and plant sources of protein, many people just end up eating lots of cereal and breads.  (And girl scout cookies.)  Endurance athletes need more protein than the average joe, and protein is where many vegetarian diets fall short.  One study said that vegetarian athletes tended to feel hungry a lot of the time, probably because they weren't getting enough protein or fat, and often craved sugar.   So make sure that you are eating good sources of protein with complete amino acids.  (Refer to the article above for an explanation of complete vs. incompleted proteins.)

3) Fat is not a bad word, and some vegetarians don't get enough of it.  What?  That's right, eat more fat. For endurance athletes, high fat diets are bad - but ultra low fat diets have also been found to be bad.  So make 20-30% of your calories good fats - whether you're a vegetarian or not!

4) There are other nutrients such as zinc, calcium and B-12, that vegetarians need to pay attention to.  Read this article for more details.

What's the bottom line?

The bottom line:  If you are an endurance athlete, you need to eat more than if you are sedentary.  So if you are a vegetarian athlete, make sure that those extra calories are coming from foods that are protein and nutrient dense.  Or just forget about all that vegetarian crap and order yourself the old 96er!

See you on Sunday!

Mark

Notice: For those of you who only read the last lines of my  blog, here is the important stuff: we are meeting at Percy Warner Park this week rather than Shelby Park.  Park at the end of Belle Meade boulevard, we will meet at the bottom of the "stairs".  Do not speed while driving down Belle Meade Blvd.

So for those of you who are observant, you may have noticed that there is a list of 6 runs at the bottom of the blog.  These are our six runs for the next couple of months.  We are on week 2, therefore we will do run #2.  (I'm not going to link the run here, go to the bottom of this page, and check out Run #2.) I decided not to change the route every week for lots of reasons, two of them being: 1) I was running out of time and creativity, and 2) People were getting lost...so this will give everyone an opportunity to learn the routes.  (I'm planning on making 6 new routes come summertime.)

As the days are getting nicer - be sure to join us at 3 Crow Bar after the run.

See you on Wednesday!

Mark

So the weather seems to be a little bit schizophrenic, but I'll trade a 15 degree Tuesday for a 65 degree weekend any day! Tempo Running

A 1/2 marathon is not a dash.  If you're breathing hard after 2 miles, you're in trouble.  Racing 13.1 miles requires a sustained 80-90%-ish effort;  and not just a sustained effort, but an even paced effort.  The most efficient way to run a 1/2 marathon is an even/negative split.  (Meaning that your first mile is the slowest, your last mile is the fastest, and all the rest are about the same.)

Therefore the two most beneficial workouts for a marathoner are the long run and the tempo run.  The long run is beneficial for obvious reasons - and they are fairly straight forward: you run for a long time at a conversational pace.   There is a bit more variety in how you do tempo workouts, but the purpose of all tempo runs is to raise your anaerobic threshold.  Your what?  Basically, in lay terms, tempo runs improve your ability to run at a pace that is "almost really hard" for a long time.   (As a side note: training your body to go "pretty hard " for a long period of time, may actually decrease your ability to go "really hard" for a short period of time.  In other words its hard to be a marathoner and a sprinter at the same time.)

Tempo Intervals

If you are following the workout schedule, you started doing tempo intervals this week.  You ran for 1 mile at a pace that is about 35 seconds per mile slower than your 2 mile time trial, then you rested for 1 minute: (repeat 4-8 times).  These are great workouts becuase you can run faster than you can on a continuous tempo run, but they are not great race simulators because you know that you will have a 1 minute  rest after every mile -and  that's not how races work.

Continuous Tempo Runs

For 1/2 marathoners, a much more applicable type of tempo running is the continuous tempo run.   Physiologically these workouts improve your anaerobic threshold almost as well as tempo intervals, but mentally they refine your pacing skills and concentration.  This is what we are doing this week.

Get to the point, what are we doing this Sunday?

What we are doing this Sunday:

Note: Whenever we do a long tempo run, it will be on the greenway at Shelby because every 1/2 mile is marked.

Take your 3 mile time trial from last week and add 45 seconds per mile.  (This is a fairly conservative pace, so everyone should be able to hit these times.)

Then shuffle at least 1 mile (perferably 2)  to warm up, before hitting the greenway to run 4, 5 or 6 miles at tempo pace.  If you are feeling good, you can speed up the last mile or two.

Then, take in your fluids and calories that you have been bringing ever since you read my previous blog, and head out to get some java.

See you guys on Sunday !

Mark

About a month ago, I finally bought an iPod.  I listen to it as I am lesson planning, or working outside and sometimes I will listen to a podcast as I am driving.   Last week, I took it with me on a run in Percy Warner Park.  I hated it.   Now believe me, I love music - in fact, many of the east nasties make some darn good music - so it wasn't my music selection.   I just couldn't stand not being able to listen to myself or my surroundings during a run. It reminded me of a study I read a couple of years ago.  This study surveyed two groups of runners : folks who ran for fitness, and those who ran to compete.  When asked about thoughts during a run, the fitness runners responded that they tried to distract themselves as much as possible from what they were doing.    The racers, on the other hand, were completely engaged with what they were doing and were constantly monitoring their bodies and their environment: "Am I running too fast? Too slow?"  "Damn this pavement is hard."  "It's windy, I should probably draft." "My breathing is way too fast right now" "I think Bernard Lagat just lapped me for the third time..."  You get the idea...

It made me think about how we take for granted the amazing physiological mechanisms that allow our bodies to run.  We should revel in the mystery of respiration, but instead we drown out all noise with Bon Jovi.   So take off the iPod and listen to the symphony produced by your lungs, heart, and muscles; and you'll learn what the racers know: that there is almost something spiritual about not being able to hear anything over your breathing during the last 800 meters of a race!

This Week's Run

This Wednesday when we will begin our 6 week cycle of routes.  We will start at 3 miles, build up to almost 5, then repeat the cycle.   Our runs will include treks through Lockeland Springs, forays into downtown, journeys around Shelby and even an assult on Riverside.  And as always there will be a group of runners who add two miles onto the end of the run.

This week we will start with our 3 mile run.  (Actually the starting point on the map is a bit off, so the run is almost exactly 5K.)

See you tomorrow!

Mark

"What pace should I run during the 1/2 marathon?" "Do you think I can run 8 minutes per mile?"

"How fast should I run during my training runs?"

These are questions that I often receive and the answer is "Who knows??"   These questions are completely abstract ...until that runner can give me a recent running performance by which to make a judgement.   For example, if someone can give me a 5K or 10K race time - then I can estimate (and they are only that - estimates)  their 1/2 marathon ability, and I can tell them how fast to run during their training.  These estimates are not guarantees, but it's much better than just taking a shot in the dark.

That is why we are doing a hard 3 mile run this week.  This run will be a benchmark by which we can plan our future runs, estimate our 1/2 marathon ability  and evaluate our progress. (We'll perform another hard 3-mile run in March.)  

Logistics - all the runs will be on the greenway since every 1/2 mile is marked:

Novice: Warm-up out to the 1 mile marker -  Run hard out to the 2 mile marker and back.  Catch your breath and then jog for about 5 minutes more.

Intermediate: Jog out to the 2 mile marker - Run hard out to the 2.5 - then turn around and head back.  Catch your breath and jog for about 5 minutes more.

Advanced: Jog out to the 3 mile marker - turn around and run hard back.  Cool down for about 10 minutes.

Side Note: Write this time down!  This is one reason I gave you guys training logs.  Keep track of these hard runs, so you can monitor your progress.  We will also use this time to establish a training pace for next week.

Grab a snack to eat, and then we are all invited to head over to Kali Yuga Yoga for the intro to yoga class.  Here are the details from Leah:

"After the time trials on Sunday, Feb 1st all runners are welcome to join Leah, owner and director of East Nashville's Kali Yuga Yoga, for a short but thorough yoga session. This 30 minute practice is designed to aid in the recovery and healing process of hard working muscles utilized in intense race training. In addition, through these simple but specific poses runners will improve the condition of their muscles, reduce their risk of injury, explore efficient ways to improve breathing and increase the longevity of their sport. Our session will include some of the most popular asanas and ways to safely and effectively execute them. All levels are welcome but the practice will be geared towards beginners. For any questions yoga related or otherwise feel free to contact Leah: leah@kaliyugayoga.com

TIME: 11:00

LOCATION: Kali Yuga Yoga"

See you Sunday!

Mark

Nasties - I don't have time to pontificate about the virutes of running - so just the facts this week....

This week's route (Thanks to Polly): Something a little bit different.

Speaking of runs...

Future Running Routes: Starting in February (next week), I am going to start a 6-week, 6-route rotation.  I will pick the 6 most popular routes (according to me), starting at 3 miles and working to almost 5 miles, and we will run them in a 6-week cycle.   I will post all the runs at the bottom of the blog - so we can plan accordingly.

Yoga For Runners: This Sunday after the Sunday morning East Nasty run, Leah from Kali Yuga Yoga, will be presenting a free 30 minute yoga clinic.  If the weather coorporates - it will be held outside in Shleby, if not - it will be back at her studio at 11:00.

Always remember East Nasty Rule #1 - Everyone gets home safely.  Please run with a partner, and be safe when cars are around!

See you tomorrow!

Mark

Nasties- This is going to be our longest run yet.  Check your training program for the duration of your run.  (Note: look at how I am making you check your own training program rather than telling you how far you are running this week. Links to the training programs are at the bottom of this page.)

This week, we will have a chance to buy some Sugoi clothing.   Sugoi is a brand of cycling and running apparel, and the local rep will be at our run selling some of his samples for half price!  He is bringing both cycling and running clothes, and most of them are men's large or women's medium.

Starting Slow

Every single running world record (except the 800 meters) has been negative split.  Meaning that the second half of the race was run faster than the first half of the race.  So you might be thinking, "Wow, those runners are amazing, they start fast and end even faster!"  They are amazing, this is true - but they don't necessarily start fast.  Sure it's fast for us, but for them it's completely under control.  And after running the first part of the race under control, then they finish at speeds that I can't even comprehend.  (Kenenisa Bekele ran 53 seconds for his final lap when he set the world record for the 10K)

"Well, I'm not setting any world records so what's the bottom line for me."

The bottom line for you:  The idea of starting slow, and speeding up should be incorporated into pretty much every run.  The first mile of your runs should be little more than a shuffle, and then allow the pace to naturally increase itself.  (This is especially true on morning runs - when you are still half asleep when you start running.)  Now, this doesn't mean that you should shuffle the entire time, nor does it mean that you should finish every run as fast as you can; just allow your body to slowly work its way into your pace, rather than being a slave to your watch - or at the mercy of the pace of those runners around you.

Just for fun - here are some world records:

                              Men                                           Women

Mile                     3:43.13                                        4:12.56

5K                        12:37.35                                      14:11.15

10K                     26:17.53                                      29:31.78

Marathon          2:03:59                                       2:15:25

If you are interested in more, check out athletics world records.

See you Sunday.  Remember to bring fluids, calories, and cash for coffee and clothes.

Mark

Nasties - As I look outside and see a dusting of snow on the ground, it reminds me of something I love about running:  runners live through a wider swing of the pendulum than most.  Why do you care about the weather when your day consists of moving from one shelter to the next (home - car - office - car - home)?  How can you fully enjoy relaxing, if you never expend vast amounts of energy?   How fulfilling is an ice cold glass of water after a 20-mile run in August; or how sweet is a pair of dry socks after a wet tromp through Shelby Bottoms?

Runners experience the simply beauty of donning warm dry clothes after running in the rain; standing for an hour in a hot shower after a cold January run; or perhaps the best reward of all, simply stopping at the end of a hard run.   A simple, primal act such as running fights against what Neil Postman calls Technopoly:  The surrender of culture to technology - if something cannot be judged through the sterile filter of economic expediency - it's relegated to, at best, quaintness.   

So I want to encourage all of you to enjoy running for runnings' sake, and not necessarily for the external benefits derived from running.   The experience of getting out the door and running in 35 degree rain has a beauty  in and of itself, regardless of the psychological benefits achieved from that run.

This week, our run is not going to take us anywhere:  Thanks to Matt Poag, designer of this course...

See you at 6:00 on Wednesday!

Mark

Week three.  1/2 Training. 50, 60 or 80 minutes at Shelby. Recovery Nutrition

Our runs are getting longer, and as they get longer I want to get you guys thinking about nutrition and recovery.  It is vital that you replenish your energy stores after you finish running, espeically after long runs.  We will learn about refueling during long runs later (your body stores enough energy to run for about 90 minutes - so at this point we should all be fine...)  In fact, we will practice taking in calories during a run later in the training cycle.  Today I want to talk about nutrition after the run.

When to Eat

Everyone knows that you have to refill the gas tank after you finish working out, but what has come to light recently (or at least fairly recently...), is that you need to refill the tank ASAP.  It's not a good idea to go home after your run and take a 2 hour nap before you have a meal.  After you stop exercising, your body has the ability to easily take in calories and convert them to glycogen (fuel for your muscles); but after about 60 minutes, that ability drastically descreases.  So if you wait to eat for too long, it will take your body much longer to recover from a workout becuase your muscles won't accept glycogen as readily.

What to Eat

Not only should you consume calories shortly after you finish exercising, but a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein was found to be the optimal mix of a recovery meal/drink.  Lots protein is bad, and only carbs is bad.  This fact was discovered by Ed Burke, the inventor of  Endurox recovery drink.  About 10 years ago (wow, time flies...), Outside magazine had a great article about Ed and recovery nutrition in general.   This article gives lots of suggestions of things to eat outside of the manufactured nutrition realm.  You don't need to go out and buy $200 worth of nutritional supplements, for example, chocolate milk is the perfect recovery drink.  (Carbs, protein and fluids...everything an East Nasty needs.)

Application:

BAD IDEA:  You're meeting a friend for brunch at noon.  Great.  So you'll go for a run, and you'll be nice and hungry for your meal at 12.  So instead of eating after the run, you just drink a bunch of water and wait for your brunch.  Boo.  The whole point of Ed Burke's research was that calories taken in immediately after a run, are significantly more effective than calories taken in later on.  (Even eating more calories later on doesn't help.)

BETTER IDEA:  Bring 16 ounces of gatorade and a Lemon Zest Luna bar (mmmmmm..... Lemon Zest Luna Bar), consume those immediately after your run.  Believe me, your body will thank you for it, and you will still be ready to eat at noon!

If you want more details check out the article above.  It's great.  But if you are thinking: Mark, what's the bottom line for Sunday mornings....

Bottom Line for Sunday mornings: Immediately after you run drink 16-32 ounces of fluids, and take in 200-400 calories.  Water + balance bar, recovery drink,  chocolate milk, whatever - just grab your fluids and/or snack and consume those during  your post-run stretch.  Then head over to Ugly Mugs (and/or home) to finish your meal!

See you on Sunday!

Mark

Since that lawyer guy was not accosted in Shelby, but actually faked his death,we can confidently head back down into Shelby Park!  This week's run takes us down Lilian Hill, around the lake, up Eastside hills to 18th, 18th to Boscobel and back to 11th. This run totals 3.66 miles, but remember, there is always a group of folks who run the extra 2 mile loop.  

(The park is dark, so wear reflective gear, and do run with a buddy just to make sure they don't fake their own death.)

For those of you who have met Leigh Ann Polsgrove, you would know that she is a proud ambassador for the East Nasties.  She is also quite an adventurer, as you can read in her article that she wrote for women's adventure sport magazine! Great job Leigh Ann!

When?    6:00pm

Where?  11th and Holly

See you there!  

As always, bring some warm clothes and a couple dollars for a pint at 3 Crow.

Mark

Week 2 of CMM 1/2 training. Last week we had a great showing with fantastic weather, and while we hope for more 50-60 degree mornings, don't count on it. If it's cold, make sure you cover your head and hands  - and bring some warm, dry clothes to change into after the run.  Remember the rule of thumb:  dress as if you are going for a walk in weather 15-20 degrees warmer than the current temperature.  After the run, we will be heading over to Ugly Mugs again, so bring a couple of bucks for some java and a grilled panini.  (mmmmm....grilled panini....)

There are lots of people coming to these runs, and a lot of new faces.  If you're new, there's bound to be someone who is about your pace.  Spend these first couple of weeks looking for a training buddy or buddies.  Having a familiar face to run with really helps during a 1/2 marathon - so introduce yourself to the other East Nasties who are running by your side.

So how fast should you be running?  The most common error that beginner runners make is that they run every run at the same speed.  So of course long distances are intimidating if you do your 8 mile runs at the same pace as your 3 mile runs!  Your long runs should be comfortable - meaning conversational: if you can't talk during a long run, you are going too fast. For those of you who need numbers: once your long run is longer than 60 minutes, you should be running a minute and a half to two minutes slower per mile than your 5K pace.  Or for you heart rate junkies - your heart rate should never exceed 80% of your maximum on a long run, and should probably be closer to 65-70%.

Note:  You don't need to worry about gels or goo or really any sort of calorie replacement until your runs are over 90 minutes.

The training plans are at the bottom of this blog - so print yours out and post it on the fridge.  I am planning on bring a couple extra training logs - post a comment if you want one, so I will know how many to make.

Finally - consider speed sessions.  Because if you think long runs are hard to do by yourself...wait till you try to do track workouts on your lonesome!!  Fleet Feet offers winter speed sessions specifically designed to improve your 1/2 marathon time.  (In the summer, the sessions are deisgned to improve your 5K times - but really there is a lot of overlap...)  They are on Tuesdays from late January until mid-April.  I plan and coach the morning  sessions, Drew coaches the afternoon sessions, so grab either of us if you have questions.

See you on Sunday!!!

Mark

PS Bring 16-32 ounces of fluids for after the run! I usually finish a 32 oz gatorade in about 3 gulps after a long run.  This will become even more important as our runs get longer.

We'll ease our way into the new year by running a nice easy route (Mary Thom's favorite) called "Almost exact 3...and fairly flat".  The route is almost exactly 3 miles...and it is fairly flat. Remember, East Nasties are not deterred by a little rain...or snow...or cold rain and snow!!   So rain or shine be at 11th and Holly at 6:00.  

Note:  Wet/cold weather makes dry clothes a must.  So throw a sweatshirt, jeans and a dry pair of socks in your car for after the run. 

See you Wednesday!

Mark

PS: All of these running routes are created on mapmyrun.com.  The site won't let you print, which stinks, but there are a lot of neat things that you can do.  Look in the right hand corner of the map.  You can display the elevation, or you can change the view to hybrid or satellite.   Pretty amazing stuff.

The only way I know how to print is to do a screen capture and print the map that way.  If you know how to do this, please make a couple of extra copies for runners who are new to the East Side!  Or if you can figure out another way let me know.