There is no doubt that goal setting can help bring the most out of an individual regardless of the setting in which it is set. For endurance sports, I believe reaching for the unobtainable result can often lead to your best performance.
One of the biggest contradictions I’ve seen with goal-setting is the idea that if you achieve your set “goal,” then you have succeeded. This is all too simple, why not set an easy goal and once it’s achieved you’ll be happy? The reason is, that goals are meant to be set to help us motivate, push, and in most cases achieve beyond our current level. I believe in setting your goals high, maybe slightly beyond what you think is really possible. Put a goal out there in a place you’re a little uncomfortable with, then dream big and go after it!
While going big and reaching for the seemingly impossible may garner your best result, it’s also important to realize that it can also cause you to fall painfully short. Often times a more modest and secure approach will offer a more likely “good” finish. This is an unfortunate reality of going BIG, and often times the fall-out after one of these shortcomings requires a lot of mental strength to move forward. If this happens, then I feel the best idea is to rely on positive thought and persistence and look to the future. Once an event is done, it’s in the past, we need to learn as much as we can from it and mostly focus on what’s ahead.
Here is an example of how I use this goal-setting method. In November of 2010 Ironman Arizona is coming back to Tempe. My best finish ever at Ironman Arizona is an 8th place where I finished in a time of 8 hours and 53 minutes. I believe that winning this November will require a sub 8:20 performance. That’s over a half hour off of my best time at this event! What’s my goal? The same as it is every year, to win the event! Why not race to go faster than my previous best? Because I know that the only thing that will make me 100 percent happy will be winning. We could list out one hundred reasons as to why I’d be more likely to do “well” with a more controlled or realistic approach, but I only need one reason to set my goal at winning. The only way to satisfy my dream on the day, is to win.
Of course not everyone has a dream of winning their next race. What I recommend is taking a little time and figure out what your personal dream is for your next running, cycling, triathlon, or other multisport endeavor. Take that dream, see if there’s a way to mold it into something real, and make that your goal. After you have or haven’t achieved your far-reaching goal, you will know that your pursuit of having giving 100% to your dream will leave you looking back more than satisfied. Then revise the goal, repeat the preparation, and do it all over again.
Runners tend to think it’s all about their lungs and their legs and while those are major aspects of running, that’s not all there is to running. A strong core and upper body is also needed to ensure powerful movement in the legs and in maintaining good running form. Youngsters in their 20s and early 30s tend to be involved in multiple activities–golf, tennis, soccer, softball, Frisbee football, volleyball, working out at the gym, etc. Because of this variety of activity, the upper body gets a good workout without the individual realizing they’re strengtheing their upper body and core. Then somewhere in our late 30s, 40s and 50s, due to work, family, just life in general, many of the activities fall by the wayside. Somehow many manage to hang-on to running. Maybe it’s because we can fit it in whenever. Maybe it keeps us sane. Maybe it’s because it’s cheap. But, over the years, that core and upper body fitness begin to wane. Don’t use it; you lose it. Probably wasn’t that obvious because as runners we tend to be lean. But lean doesn’t always mean fit. (Click more to see the video.) Continue reading 'Core strengthening workout'»
As a runner, the focus of the upper-body workout should be to gain muscular endurance. So, go with lighter weights and higher repetitions. 10lbs to 15lbs dumbbells are sufficient for this workout. You can also use light or medium resistance bands or resistance tubes instead of dumbbells.
The workout consists of a 7-exercise circuit. Do each exercise (10-15 reps) one right after the other without taking a break. Once you’ve completed all 7 exercises, take a 1- to 2-minute rest; then repeat the circuit a second time. If you’re new to upper-body exercises, then begin with 10 repetitions. Each day add an additional rep until you get to 15 repetitions. Also, if upper-body exercise is new to you, begin with one cycle of the circuit for the first week. During Week 2, complete two cycles of the circuit. If you’re advanced, try three cycles of the circuit.
It’s fine to pair the upper-body circuit with the core workout on the same day. Try doing the core workout in the morning and the upper-body circuit in the evening. You can also rotate days. For example you could do the upper-body workout on M,W,F and do the core workout on T,TH,S. The great thing about circuit workouts is that they’re quick. You’ll have a strong core and upper body before you know it and you’ll start to see the benefits in your long runs too!
Well, I apologize for being out of the Landice blog loop for a little while. My wife and I made the move back to northern Michigan a couple of weeks ago as that is where we are originally from and both our families reside up there. We both were very fortunate to find jobs and couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be back closer to family. We are finally all settled in and I have had a blast searching out the different lakes, roads and trails for swimming, riding, and running. There are hills after hills and they are already making me stronger!
Before we left for Michigan, I blogged a couple of times about different aspects of mental conditioning. I’m going to continue on that path for the next few blogs. Today we’ll cover hormones/how feelings dictate actions, emotional manipulation through action and attitude, and finally distraction, and selective attention.
We are all aware that feelings, for the most part, dictate our behaviors. When an athlete is feeling well, it is due to a hormonal balance, and the needs of the “real self” are met. When an athlete is not doing well, it wants to show on the outside. Unfortunately, this often times reveals potential weaknesses. More importantly, bad feelings can spawn a downward spiral of negative thinking and affect performance. When I read this I think of splits in a race. If you are hitting your goal splits mile after mile you will likely stay motivated and encouraged to keep pushing the pace. You may even have a big breakout performance because seeing those splits may really excite you and allow you to do something you didn’t think you were capable of. The problem is, the direct opposite can happen. If you get a bad split of two you may allow it to get to your head and suddenly your race is over because your head and heart are no longer into it. This is one of the reasons I advocate not being overly concerned with always knowing your splits, and focusing more on how you feel and staying in the moment. I rarely ever race with a watch anymore as it tends to limit me more than anything. Continue reading 'Acting to Influence Success'»
In my prior training tip, “When to Say When” I talked about the importance of listening to your body when trying to determine when it’s time to push hard during training or to back off and recover. SO many variables can and will affect your body’s state of readiness/fatigue as you progress with your training plan. Although there is nothing wrong with pushing your body to its limits during training, doing so when you’re too tired, sick or injured is a surefire way to compromise your best laid training plans and to actually set yourself back fitness wise!
Never forget: Fitness is relative. Just because you’ve logged hundreds of miles and pushed yourself through an endless succession of intense training sessions does not mean that you’ll necessarily be ready to perform up to your potential on race day. Case in point: All things being equal, the athlete who can run a 5k at sub 5 min/mile pace would be considered “fitter” than the athlete who can only hold 6 min/mile pace for the distance.
Most, if not all, of my worst athletic performances have occurred when I’ve raced during a state of training and/or stress induced fatigue. This is the number one reason that the vast majority of coaches will agree that an athlete’s best performances will typically occur during the taper (reduced stress load) phase of training, not while in the midst of major training build ups/blocks. As I’ve said time and time again, rest and recovery is 50% of the training equation and this fact must be respected at all times! Continue reading 'Form Fit'»
Doesn’t matter if you’re a treadmill runner, trail runner, or a road runner, each is great for building aerobic fitness and muscular endurance. But for all types of runners, there usually comes a time when you need to switch venues. A committed runner hates missing a day of training.
Treadmill runners who hit the open road often find that there has to be a period of transition. Running outdoors, even on pavement or blacktop requires a runner to navigate divots in the road, potholes, jumping off curbs, jumping up onto curbs, running around curbs, etc. The runner mentally has to stay tuned-in to the road and his surroundings. Because of the varying incline/decline and twists/turns of the road, running outdoors often requires the recruitment of the small stabilizer muscles in the legs. So a seasoned treadmill runner may even experience a little soreness after a run on the open road.
Road runners who are using a treadmill for the first time or the first time in a long while also need a little transition time. While they seem like the same thing, running on a treadmill is a little different than running on the road. When running on the road, you typically push off with your back foot to propel you forward. On a treadmill the rotating belt below your feet does most of this for you. You’re not running in place, however. You’re definitely moving each leg forward and going through all the motions of running. But the “moving ground” below your feet can at first be somewhat disorienting for a roadrunner. Plus, there’s a little less wiggle-room on a treadmill. Continue reading 'Treadmill 101'»
My oldest child turned 19 this past weekend and I’m feeling kind of old. Of course my three kids (10, 15, and 19) consistently remind me that I’ll be half a century in 5 years. LOL! Kids gotta love em, right? The other day, my son (who is now taller than me) was counting the gray hairs sprouting on top of my head. I believe there are at least 19 (one for each year of his life). These white hairs all seem to be clumped on the crown of my head, just out of reach to easily pluck (believe me I’ve tried).
The other day I was getting my hair cut and the lady cutting my hair, said in a high-pitched voice, “Oh look everyone! An Angel Lick!” For a second I thought this lady had gone loopy and had see an angel figure in the hair that had fallen on the floor or something and wanted to take a picture of it to sell on eBay. But no, she was referring to the white hairs on the top of my head. She said when they clumped like that, it’s called an “Angel Lick.” Lucky me. Most people have a guardian angel. I just get licked by one.
I may be getting older, I guess we all are, but I feel like I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m definitely more fit than when I was in my 20s. I think it has to do with running. You know, people are spending thousands of dollars on Human Growth Hormone injections because that’s supposed to be the new fountain of youth. And, research has shown that HGH does help stop cell degeneration and destruction. Have you ever seen that ad with the guy in his 60s or 70s with the body like Arnold? Not sure if that picture’s doctored or not, but HGH is what he’s supposed to be taking. Well, I don’t want a body-builder body when I’m 70, but I do want to stay healthy and fit as I get older. Continue reading 'Don’t think there are benefits of running as you age? Think again!'»
In our last beginner fitness tip, Where’s your heart? we looked at the concept of heart rate based training and its application during the foundation phase of the annual training plan. As previously stated, for the beginner runner, the safest and most effective means of determining appropriate pacing objectives during your treadmill based workouts is via the monitoring of your heart rate response. One of the advantages of owning a Landice treadmill is the fact that you can effectively track your “HR” response via the wireless heart rate chest strap that is included with the majority of the Landice models.
During the first 4 weeks of your build up, you’ll want to limit your HR to 80% of max during any of your workouts (click here to determine how to estimate your maximum heart rate) in order to allow your body ample time to adjust and to the new forms of stress its facing when undertaking a run specific training program. Never forget this simple principle: Effective training is nothing more than optimizing the balance between stress and recovery; hard training breaks the body down, and easier training allows it to adapt to the stress and grow stronger. Continue reading 'Aerobic Fartlek Session – Train your heart'»
For the beginner runner, the safest and most effective means of determining appropriate pacing objectives during your treadmill based workouts is via the monitoring of your heart rate response. One of the advantages of owning a Landice treadmill is the fact that you can effectively track your “HR” response via the wireless HR chest strap that is included with the majority of the Landice models. But why exactly is HR response so important and what does it mean? Let’s dive a little deeper here.
Photo by Chris Milliman. Courtesy of Craft Apparel.
We’ve looked at what gives you your power as a runner, and introduced Fartlek training. Let’s take a closer look at the importance of VO2 Max for the endurance athlete and talk about how you can go about preparing the body for the heavy doses of VO2 max work you’ll be laying down in the not-so-distant future.
As previously discussed in my article “The Limiting Factor” (posted Nov. 24), VO2 max represents the maximum amount of oxygen that an athlete can consume and the rate at which they can process it in order to produce energy aerobically. VO2 max is typically measured by the amount of oxygen (in milliliters), per kilogram of body weight, per minute (ml/kg/min.) that an athlete’s body can process. Simply put, the higher the athlete’s VO2 max, the more rapidly they can produce energy aerobically. For additional information on aerobic energy production, click here for a Wikipedia article that explains the chemical steps involved. Continue reading 'Train your aerobic engine'»
RT @FitnessExchange: According to the American Medical Assoc., a treadmill workout ranks #1 among workouts on cardiovascular machines. [landicefitness]
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