Rick'sRunnings first 'LIVE' broadcast featuring The bearfoot Runner and Newton shoe Road test

30 x 1 minute progression session

MARIUS BAKKEN MARATHON TRAINING, FULL ON!!!
Mon 15th
Legs not to bad after the 20 mile race, so ran with the club on a steady run, finished with 1 hour 23 min running at a easy pace. [Note this run was not part of the marius plan!]
Tue 16th
This week my training includes a 3 hour plus easy run and a 2 hour progression run!!!
Today's session was 30 x 1 min starting at below marathon pace and progressing up to [5.44] 10k pace, making each effort faster than the last. I misread the instructions and gave myself 1 min recoveries between efforts, oops should have been only 30 sec rec, naughty me! Should I go back and do the session again ??? Mmm bit tired for that!!! total time = 1.08
UPDATE
Wed 17th
Warm and sunny day for tess and me as we set off on another 3 hour plus long easy run, once again we ran over the sand dunes and through the Ainsdale and Formby pinewoods = 3.04

RUNNING WITH SPRINGS! THIS FEELS SO EASY IT MUST BE CHEATING!

In Ewen's last post he gave a link to Steve Magness's website.
I found a very interesting article he had written on 'learning how to run'. In fact Steve was basically saying everything i thought i knew about correct running form was incorrect!!!
At first I felt a bit annoyed, but I kept an open mind and the more I read and watched his video's the more what he was saying made sense.
basically in simple terms he teaches you to use the 'hip stretch/reflex mechanism' so you can run with less effort.
Think of the road like a treadmill, with the road moving under your feet.
As you land let the ground drag your foot back so your hip and leg are fully extended behind you [see photo above].
Allow a passive toe off, now the interesting bit, keep your leg relaxed as your foot lifts from the ground, now feel your knee moving forward without any conscious effort on your own part,
at the same time your knee will bend letting the heel come up towards your butt and all this happens without effort, no powerful and tiring knee drive or hamstring butt kicking needed!
And even better the faster you run the faster and stronger will be your knee drive and heel lift and I repeat this all happens without conscious effort!!!
'Hip stretch/reflex mechanism'
So how does this work ?
Simple! by letting your foot get dragged back more, which in turn extends your hip and leg, the muscles and tendon in front of the hip are stretched, as the foot leaves the ground after toe off the muscles snap back, like a elastic band, pulling your leg forward!
It took me 2 runs to get the hang of this 'new to me' way of running. It feels much easier than my normal way of running, your just using energy to hold yourself upright in a good posture instead of burning lots of energy driving the knee and kicking your heels up, very very cool :]
now as i look at photo's and video's of elite runners i notice they all have this very extended hip and knee and are using their muscles and tendons as springs!
Steve says; -The key to running is the elastic properties of the body. The body has so many reflexes and such that energy transfer and return should be a focus of training. Many parts of the body function as a rubber band. It really astounds me that more time isn't spent on exploring this concept or trying to improve it. That is one of the reasons for optimizing running mechanics. If you do it correctly then you can maximize this elastic effect, and thus minimize energy loss. Less energy lost, means less work that needs to be done.
So please read Steve's article and video and have a go at turning your legs into powerful springs, let us know how you get on, remember to keep an open mind, it will be worth it in the end!
READ HERE
VIDEO
Oh, and a big thanks to Ewen for the link!

Really cool tempo run!

On Tuesday [ my birthday, geees 49!!!] I did Marius Bakken's alternating pace tempo run.

40 mins of 4 mins 6.04-5.44 pace then 4 mins active recovery at 6.48-6.30 pace none stop!
It went well and I felt quite strong.
6.33 miles in 40 mins, average pace 6.19, total time inc warm up warm down = 1.00
Not quite as fast as Ryan Halls tempo runs!!! [see video below]
Note Ryan's stretched hip and leg, just been reading about how to use the 'hip stretch/reflex mechanism' to improve running performance, READ HERE VIDEO
Today Tess and me hit the sand dunes for 1 hour and 29 mins easy, then i ran 1/2 mile at 10k pace.
Monday was a club session with 12 fast short efforts, max speed 14.2 mph.
total time inc running down and back = 2 hours 22 mins.
Last week saw me reach almost 12 hours of running!

On Sunday I have a 20 mile race which will be a good test to see how i'm going!

The Spirit of the Marathon

NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY, VERY VERY NAUGHTY !!!
Tess and me headed out on a long one over the big sand dunes and through the pinewoods. We got stopped twice by rangers going through a private path inside the woods. Seem I need a pass from 'Natural England' who control the Ainsdale pinewoods, oh well :{ Finished with 3 hours and 1 min. Don't really like these slow runs but i know it will do me good in the end!

Experience

by Vern Gambetta

What kind of experience do you have? How long have you been doing what you are doing? Are you constantly challenging yourself to get better? Are you gaining experience or doing the same thing over and over? Are you repeating mistakes or do you learn from them and improve? Dr Joe Vigil summed it quite well for me once when he said; You can have one experience thirty times or you can have Thirty years experience.” Who would you rather be around and learn from? I have had to work too often with people who have had one experience Thirty times. It is stifling. Experience is a great teacher. You gain experience by seeking out new ideas and new approaches, you rediscover old approaches that previously did not work, but will work now. It makes each day exciting, there is something to wake up for!

Training for the week
Sat 20th
long easy run, sandhills and pinewoods with Tess = 3.01
Thur 18th
6 x 4 min [ 3 mins 6.48 pace-1 min 5.44 pace] with 1 min rec. average pace inc recoveries = 6.46 pace for 30 mins. Plus 6 x smart strides max speed 12.8 mph total time inc warm up-warm down = 48 mins
Wed 17th
Big sandhills easy with Tess, the sun was out at last = 1.27
Tue 16th
Marius Bakken session, variation of speed-going long, learning pace control, having confidence.
12 min 6.04 pace, 3 min 5.44 pace, 6 min 6.04 pace, 3 mins 6.48 pace, 9 min 6.04 pace, 3 mins 5.44 pace, 1 min 5.44 pace, 1 min 5.44 pace with 2 min recover between each.
tough session but made it through with flying colours :]
mon 15th
club fartlek session at 10 k pace, wet and windy and started to feel quite cold by the end. ran down and back = 2.07
RUNNING
The B K Method

Long Distance Marathon Training

AGELESS!!!
A customer at work said they thought I was 32, Ha,Ha OK, maybe they need glasses but I'm happy to go along with them :] Cus I'm 49 in March this year! But as they say age is just but a number and I feel better than I did at 20, back then I doubt I could have run a 1/4 mile without feeling really bad! Maybe I'm reversing the clock of farther time!!!
Today I did a long easy run over the big sand dunes and pinewoods with Tess, well the pace was easy but the hills were not. On my way back I started to feel a bit light headed, my vision narrowed down and all I could see was Tess bounding along the path in front of me, I was not to sure where I was or which path I was on, all I knew was to follow that dog! I plodded on, my fuel starved mind playing tricks with me. I came out onto the road for the last 20 mins to finish with 3 hours 1 min!
Tess seemed to enjoy the run and was still bouncing around at the end unlike me :]
Fri 5th Easy run with Niz = 21 mins

The Barefoot Professor: Video. AWESOME!

Oh Baby I'm in the groove!

Tue 2nd
Had another great run today, once again it was a Marius Bakken session.
20 mins at 1/2 marathon [6.04]pace followed by 10 x 45 sec at 10 k [ 5.44] pace with just 15 sec recovery between efforts.I felt confident and in total control of the session and hit my target pace of 6.04 for the 20 min tempo run, a few mins easy and i did the 45 second efforts round a half mile hill loop along Trafalgar Rd.
I finished feeling energized and fresh!=1.00
Mon 1st
Club session, 7 x 800m at 10k pace. Just as we finished the other club run [ steady] group cruised passed and I got on the back for a lift home =2.05

Check out this video of Earl Fee and change your perceptions of what is possible.
Amazing stride for an 80 year old, awesome!!!

ARE RUNNERS SEXY?

Stress and depression then the sunshine breaks through

I missed running on Thursday and Friday, stress and depression hit home, hard!
You would think trying to sort out a few minor issues with the club Grand Prix would be easy but yet again I hit a stone wall of negativity.
Many members are starting to feel it's time for a new leadership that will bring encouragement , positivity and creativity into the club, lets hope that day comes soon!
Sat 30th
At least the rest did my legs good, I felt quite fresh as Tess and me set off on another long run. Marius Bakken recommended 2 hours 30 min but we ended up with almost 3 hours as we ran over the big sand dunes, through the pinewoods then back between the two golf courses which included the infamous 'Big Dipper'.
= 2.49
Sun 31st
Easy run with Sarah,Jon and Tess.
Total time = 1.28
ARE RUNNERS SEXY CLICK HERE

Another good run and Synchronicity

Set out on a cool night to do another of Marios bakken's sessions, this time i had to run 20 mins at level 3 [ marathon-1/2 mp] followed by 10 x 1 min at level 4 [ 10k pace]The idea of the session is to train the body to handle a fast pace when already tired.
After a warm up i kicked into the tempo run, I was aiming at 6.04 pace as I was only running for 20 mins. the first couple of mins i got that aweful not warmed up feeling that I wouldn't be able to hold the pace, but then my legs warmed up and I settled into a fast but steady effort. my loop has a couple of short hills in the first half with the second half being faster. i was doing sub 6 pace on the way back, I wasn't breathing hard but I did have to concentrate to stop my pace dropping, onto my half mile finishing curcuit and I had 2 mins to go, i was feeling quite strong and finished right on target with 3.29 miles in 20 mins with an average 6.04 pace. Now i had a couple of easy mins jogging before I started 10 x 1 min at 10k pace.
I moved onto some quite back roads then off i charged again, i was looking for 5.44 pace and I found that no problem. I finished my 10th effort and decided to see what i could do if i really pushed it, 5.18 average was the answer for effort no 11, Awesome, I'm very happy with that :]
I did all this wearing my brand new Nike zoom red rock trail shoes!
Well, they only just came through the post, so I had to try them out! I was gutted when my last pair wore out in the summer because no one had them in stock any more, so i was made up when I saw Direct Sports had the mark 2 version [ £38 ] in stock last week, great, great shoe, light, flexible with loads of grip and so comfy too, I love em :]
I also really like the Marius Bakken 2.45 training plan, the sessions change each week and you have target paces to go for, so you feel you've really achieved something at the end of each workout,
Also i think the fact that you never go harder than 10k pace means you don't dig yourself into a hole you can't get out of, my normal way is to push to the limit on each effort, but it can take too long a time to recover from that sort of intensity!

Synchronicity
Also in the post; my internet friend David O'Meara [ The one mile runner] sent me a signed copy of his new book 'Creating Amazement'
cheers David :] I've been really getting into mind training in the last couple of weeks and David's book has lots of answers on how to change your mindset to achieve amazing things, wow! Cool!
I'll do a rewiew of his book once I've read through it.
Ok thats it for now, take care and happy running :]

20.45 miles including intervals before work

SIGNS
Left poor Tess at home looking upset and dejected, sorry girl but this is no run for a barefoot runner, oops i mean bare paw runner!
headed out early onto the roads and ran 7 miles to the club session. we did some drills then hammered out 8 x about 800m. 13 miles were showing on the Garmin by the end of the workout, so I added some extra hill loops on the way home, i finished off with marius Bakken's smart strides, running each one faster than the last.
I was almost home with 19.5 miles so i decided to finish off with a half mile loop near home at marathon pace, kicking into it I went straight past my target pace, I felt fantastic, i was floating along and i didn't want to stop.
But work called, so I finished off at 20.45 miles

PLAY MISTY FOR ME!

PLAY MISTY FOR ME
Marius Bakken's marathon training plan called for a two and half hour easy run, so Tess and me dually obliged.
We headed out into thick damp mist, there was an errie silence all around, our first port of call was the big sandhills. we could only see about 50 yards ahead as the mist swirled around in front of us, eventually we made it to the pinewoods which looked somewhat mystical in the white mist, it reminded me of a book I read and loved as a child,The Weirdstone of Brisingamen .
As we looped round the woods I took Tess up some new paths which twisted and turned through the undergrowth and took us up and down some very steep hills. After 1 1/2 hours I took on board some energy that comes pre-wrapped in a bio-degradable yellow wrapper and only costs a pound for 6!
The banana must have worked because as we came off the sand dunes and hit the road for the final mile i lifted the pace to 6.30 miling and then 6.14 pace towards the end. I'd not felt fantastic during most of the run but that last mile was good :]
Mission accomplished. 2 hours 36 mins
Sun 24th
Easy run with Sarah,Jon and Tess = 1.30
Total for the week = 9 hours 14 min

LONDON MARATHON 2010, I MAKE THE GRADE!

I will soon be consulting with Barry Magee on when to start my Marathon build up after getting my London Marathon acceptance. Exciting times ahead!

TRAINING FOR THE WEEK
Sat 3rd
Long steady run with Tess over the big sandhills and through the pinewoods, very windy! =2.16
Fri 2nd
Easy run with Niz along the velvet trail
= 33.30
Thur 1st
5k tempo run [road] 3.11 miles at 10.0 mph av, 6.00 min per mile pace, this was 8 sec per mile slower than my best time just before the London marathon in April. 18.39, total with warm up/cooldown
=50 mins.
Wed 30th
Long easy run over the big sand dunes , inc running drills, felt very tired, =1.38
Tue 29th
6 mile tempo run on the Clieves hill circuit, 1min 6 sec faster than last month [ felt quite strong] 6.17 p, 9.5 mph av, 37.44, total time = 1.17
Mon 28th
Easy fartlek session on the sandhill 6 course.
30 sec-1 min-2 min-3 min-3 min - 2 min - 1 min - 30 sec with = recovery
= 1.07