Do As I Say, Not As I Do

As always, I'll begin with my workout specs:

On Tuesday I met my buddy Joey at the track, and we ran a half-mile warm-up (4:07) and half-mile cool-down (4:11), while in between I ran 4x800 (#1--2:44, #2--2:44, #3--2:39, #4--2:38). FYI, an 800 is essentially equivalent to half a mile. Last night, I ran 4 easy miles in 31:54 (7:59 pace) and did some stretching and light strength training. Tonight, I'll run a 7-mile tempo run (tempo runs = runs wherein you start at a nice, easy pace and gradually ramp up to a pace generally comparable to what you'd run in a 10k, followed by a gradual slow-down back to your nice, easy pace).

And now on to my Mr. Rogers-esque "lesson of the day." I've found that, when in training, there are some important rules to follow in order to maximize both the benefits and enjoyment you get from an activity; this is a pretty fluid listing (including some items I've already briefly discussed), so don't be surprised if I add things to it later:

1.) The intake of enough fluids. We all grew up following/hearing the rule that our bodies want us to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid each day. But for an (insert "sweaty," "sweat-drenched," or "puddle-of-sweat" here) athlete, that's simply not enough--it's a good start, but that's all it is. According to The Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board (during a study performed in 2004), Female athletes require at least 2.7 liters of water each day (11.5 8-ounce cups), whereas Male athletes require at least 3.7 liters of water (and five more deodorant swipes per underarm) each day (15.75 8-ounce cups). Dehydration decreases performance, slows recovery and can threaten an individual's health if left unchecked.

2.) Getting enough sleep. It's commonly stated that eight hours of sleep per night is a good goal. However, most experts refute this--some hawking studies showing that people who get in between 6.5 and 7.5 hours of sleep per night live the longest, while others say that, because each person is wired differently, thus has different needs, there is not a nice, round number. As for athletes, a recent study performed by Cheri Mah of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic and Research Laboratory found that those athletes who got more sleep improved performance (ran faster, were more accurate, etc.), as well as their overall mood and alertness. Researchers speculate that "deep sleep helps improve athletic performance because this is the time when growth hormone is released. Growth hormone stimulates muscle growth and repair, bone building and fat burning, and helps athletes recover." She suggests athletes get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. So, whether you believe 6.5 hours or 9 hours is the way to go, just make sure it's the way to go for you--if it takes you a short while to get to sleep and you wake up without an alarm, you're probably getting enough sleep, while if you fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow and you sleep through to the alarm, you may be short-changing yourself.

3.) Listen to your body. I've already spoken about shortening a work-out mid-run, if you're feeling sluggish and/or overly tired, but I'd also like to suggest taking a day completely off if your body calls for it. Many runners, or even athletes in general, become a slave to their training schedule; if they hurt, that's just the nature of the game, and they push through it. They're ignoring what their body is trying to tell them because getting faster/better is penultimate. If you do this, you're setting yourself up for an injury or sub-par results. I've already discussed injuries (perhaps ad nauseum, at this point), but sub-par results can be achieved through over-training in much the same way: a gradual increase in how tired one's muscles are disallows those muscles to fire as efficiently as they would if they were better rested, therefore resulting in poor training and an overall worse outcome.

4.) Train with a friend or mix-up your route. A runner's mind can be both his best friend and worst enemy; it can help you get through an otherwise torturous run, or can make even the easiest of runs a disaster. It's "easy" to put yourself in a positive frame of mind when you first venture out to train, but when you're half-way through a 20-mile run or three repeats in to a 7x800 session...well, it's oftentimes easier to curse your mother for having brought you in to such a world than it is to smile. I've got two ways to combat this: working a friend or inviting a scenery change in to the mix. It's frequently true that a friend will run at a different speed than you, so many runners shy away from group running so that they can more closely follow their training plans. But either slowing your own pace or having your compatriot slow his is a good way for one of you to rest your legs a bit (which they very likely need), and the talking with one another that it allows is a welcome hiatus from what may, at times, seem like solitary confinement. Forgetting you're running, even if it's for a short while, is never a bad thing. In very much the same way, a change in scenery can do wonders for a stagnant mind. Runners tend to be creatures of habit, thus they have a handful of routes they could likely run blindfolded...routes they may WANT to run blindfolded, having gotten so used to the same beat-up trucks, rusted basketball hoops and barking Schipperkes. Introducing a change in to your route can give you new beat-up trucks, rusted basketball hoops and barking Schipperkes to see, and can put some much needed pep back in to your step.

Remember, do as I say and not necessarily as I do.

Lastly, here's today's more-than-appropriate "moment of Zen":