"Missing a Piece of the Puzzle"
Greetings, 1MileNation'ers...
3 days away from "The Big 1"...and I want to pass this along to you, as it came to me today, via an email newsletter from Running Times magazine. In the upcoming issue, there is an article on "Miler Training", and how it can help out runners of all levels.
All I could say is: "Woo-Hoo! It's about time!"
Essentially, they are discussing the same thing I have been discussing on this blog: the importance of short distance interval workouts to help improve one's fitness.
They have a special "pre-article" podcast up on their site, and here is that link:
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16206
You can either listen to it right there, or download it and listen to it on your MP3 player later on.
As the guy being interviewed says on that podcast, "If you're not doing these, you're really missing a piece of the puzzle."
I would echo that thought, by saying as well that athletes in general could benefit from some miler-style training workouts as a way to round-out some of their overall training programs.
I've often heard coaches of other sports, such as basketball, say "the only way you can really get in shape for basketball is to just play basketball." Well, that can only go so far...You have to look at the aspects of strength, endurance, power, agility, balance, & speed, to name a few. Miler-style training helps most on the anaerobic & aerobic endurance ends, from my perspective & experience. The aerobic systems in athletes will become more fine-tuned in helping an athlete recover better while at rest, such as on the sidelines or on a bench during a ball-game. I've had many a cross-country athlete mention to me how much better they feel during a basketball season, after coming off a season of cross-country. Why? Because their aerobic energy systems are perhaps more developed & ready to work for recovery purposes, moreso than their mostly anaerobically-trained teammates who are coming off a football season. Since the average football play lasts about 5-10 seconds, and there is 30-40 seconds of active rest between each play, the anaerobic system gets taxed a lot here. When it comes time for basketball, their anaerobic systems may adapt well, but the recovery from such different demands placed on the aerobic system to assist with that recovery isn't quite up there yet. A cross-country athlete will most likely have their aerobic energy systems running at a high enough level where it is easier for the body to recover from high intensity bouts.
What you mind find here is that the XC athlete may not be as fast as the FB athlete right away, but over the course of a practice, the XC athlete is able to recover better and still go hard at it, and end up being faster than the more fatigued FB athlete.
I first noticed this effect on my own back in high school, when I went from one of the slowest kids on the team as a sophomore, and ended up being one of the first ones to finish the dreaded 'conditioning' of 'crushers' at the end of practices my Junior year. A big part of my off-season training was working out like a mad-man on a cross-country ski machine, of all things. 20-30 minutes, 5-6 days a week in the mornings, like clockwork & a religion, all in one, I'd workout on that thing. I even wore one out, and had to get a new one after my junior year! Anyways, that style of training was largely aerobic-based, and it helped me recover greatly during practices & games for basketball. All my teammates were wondering "What the heck?" as I was finishing with the top-speed guys on my team during our sprinting line drills. Looking back, it was probably due to my aerobic conditioning base that I established over a very long off-season, which helped me recover better and still be able to go fast, while my other teammates weren't quite up there. I never realized what was really happening here until I took a few courses in college & put 2 + 2 together to figure it out. As my teammates were slowing down, I was still able to maintain my speed, and hence, appear to be just as fast or faster than them. Granted, I was never a speed demon on the court, but as my teammates told me, "Rickshaw, man, you just keep going..."
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that every athlete in the country needs to start doing track intervals, but for some, it couldn't hurt to add a little track work now & then to work on the anaerobic & aerobic energy systems.
If you are a Run-Because-I-Love-It fitness addict, and have grown tired of running endless miles at seemingly the same paces over & over, this is where Miler training comes in handy. It helps bust through plateau's and breaks up the tired, boring monotonous training programs you might venture upon through basic, generic running sites that have a 'program' for 'everyone'.
Either way, my new Kettlebolics & Endure! package can help you out. KettleBolics gives you proven kettlebell conditioning strategies that help train the whole body for improved fitness levels,(even when you can't get out & run!) while Endure! can help you see the simplicity of using GPS Speed Monitors in your training, and how they help you lock-in on your speeds you need to travel at in order to get fitter.
In fact, I see Kettlebells in a matter of years becoming the cross-training tool of choice for runners, over the indoor treadmills & elliptical trainers out there. For one, they can condition people in a variety of ways, take up far less space, and are 'green', too: no need to plug them in!
GPS monitors can be used for general speed training too, such as outdoor sprints on a football, soccer, or baseball field. I used to have my private training athletes do speed tests outside and use the monitors to test their 'top-end speed', since the monitor I used in their training measured a "Max Speed" readout using the GPS data it accumulated.
You want to talk about a motivational tool for athletes? Try watching an athlete do sprint trial after sprint trial, attempting to get a faster speed after seeing their maximum speeds pop up on a watch like an instant radar gun! It's awesome to watch!
So, visit http://kettlebolics.com today to see what that unique package can offer you in your training efforts.
Feel free to check out all the guides & articles over at http://asapworkouts.com as well, for even more all-around training information for athletes.
On a final note, the weather was warm & windy down at the track, with a lot of the water off the track, enabling me to do a better quality speed session tonight.
I did the following:
Jog 100m, Sprint 200m with wind pushing me, walk 100m for recovery, x 6 times.
My 200's I was aiming for a 40 seconds or less time. Got them each one. Was aiming for 6-8 efforts such as this, and after 6, I felt I had enough for the night. Had a long day at work with a lot of steady labor throughout the day, so I felt that pushing for 7-8 efforts would have really taxed me out.
Still taking registrations for The Big 1, over at http://asapworkouts.com/1mnvr.html
Run Strong, Run Fast....
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
Don't forget to check out:
http://KettleBolics.com
To see how KB + GPS = Super Endurance!
3 days away from "The Big 1"...and I want to pass this along to you, as it came to me today, via an email newsletter from Running Times magazine. In the upcoming issue, there is an article on "Miler Training", and how it can help out runners of all levels.
All I could say is: "Woo-Hoo! It's about time!"
Essentially, they are discussing the same thing I have been discussing on this blog: the importance of short distance interval workouts to help improve one's fitness.
They have a special "pre-article" podcast up on their site, and here is that link:
http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=16206
You can either listen to it right there, or download it and listen to it on your MP3 player later on.
As the guy being interviewed says on that podcast, "If you're not doing these, you're really missing a piece of the puzzle."
I would echo that thought, by saying as well that athletes in general could benefit from some miler-style training workouts as a way to round-out some of their overall training programs.
I've often heard coaches of other sports, such as basketball, say "the only way you can really get in shape for basketball is to just play basketball." Well, that can only go so far...You have to look at the aspects of strength, endurance, power, agility, balance, & speed, to name a few. Miler-style training helps most on the anaerobic & aerobic endurance ends, from my perspective & experience. The aerobic systems in athletes will become more fine-tuned in helping an athlete recover better while at rest, such as on the sidelines or on a bench during a ball-game. I've had many a cross-country athlete mention to me how much better they feel during a basketball season, after coming off a season of cross-country. Why? Because their aerobic energy systems are perhaps more developed & ready to work for recovery purposes, moreso than their mostly anaerobically-trained teammates who are coming off a football season. Since the average football play lasts about 5-10 seconds, and there is 30-40 seconds of active rest between each play, the anaerobic system gets taxed a lot here. When it comes time for basketball, their anaerobic systems may adapt well, but the recovery from such different demands placed on the aerobic system to assist with that recovery isn't quite up there yet. A cross-country athlete will most likely have their aerobic energy systems running at a high enough level where it is easier for the body to recover from high intensity bouts.
What you mind find here is that the XC athlete may not be as fast as the FB athlete right away, but over the course of a practice, the XC athlete is able to recover better and still go hard at it, and end up being faster than the more fatigued FB athlete.
I first noticed this effect on my own back in high school, when I went from one of the slowest kids on the team as a sophomore, and ended up being one of the first ones to finish the dreaded 'conditioning' of 'crushers' at the end of practices my Junior year. A big part of my off-season training was working out like a mad-man on a cross-country ski machine, of all things. 20-30 minutes, 5-6 days a week in the mornings, like clockwork & a religion, all in one, I'd workout on that thing. I even wore one out, and had to get a new one after my junior year! Anyways, that style of training was largely aerobic-based, and it helped me recover greatly during practices & games for basketball. All my teammates were wondering "What the heck?" as I was finishing with the top-speed guys on my team during our sprinting line drills. Looking back, it was probably due to my aerobic conditioning base that I established over a very long off-season, which helped me recover better and still be able to go fast, while my other teammates weren't quite up there. I never realized what was really happening here until I took a few courses in college & put 2 + 2 together to figure it out. As my teammates were slowing down, I was still able to maintain my speed, and hence, appear to be just as fast or faster than them. Granted, I was never a speed demon on the court, but as my teammates told me, "Rickshaw, man, you just keep going..."
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that every athlete in the country needs to start doing track intervals, but for some, it couldn't hurt to add a little track work now & then to work on the anaerobic & aerobic energy systems.
If you are a Run-Because-I-Love-It fitness addict, and have grown tired of running endless miles at seemingly the same paces over & over, this is where Miler training comes in handy. It helps bust through plateau's and breaks up the tired, boring monotonous training programs you might venture upon through basic, generic running sites that have a 'program' for 'everyone'.
Either way, my new Kettlebolics & Endure! package can help you out. KettleBolics gives you proven kettlebell conditioning strategies that help train the whole body for improved fitness levels,(even when you can't get out & run!) while Endure! can help you see the simplicity of using GPS Speed Monitors in your training, and how they help you lock-in on your speeds you need to travel at in order to get fitter.
In fact, I see Kettlebells in a matter of years becoming the cross-training tool of choice for runners, over the indoor treadmills & elliptical trainers out there. For one, they can condition people in a variety of ways, take up far less space, and are 'green', too: no need to plug them in!
GPS monitors can be used for general speed training too, such as outdoor sprints on a football, soccer, or baseball field. I used to have my private training athletes do speed tests outside and use the monitors to test their 'top-end speed', since the monitor I used in their training measured a "Max Speed" readout using the GPS data it accumulated.
You want to talk about a motivational tool for athletes? Try watching an athlete do sprint trial after sprint trial, attempting to get a faster speed after seeing their maximum speeds pop up on a watch like an instant radar gun! It's awesome to watch!
So, visit http://kettlebolics.com today to see what that unique package can offer you in your training efforts.
Feel free to check out all the guides & articles over at http://asapworkouts.com as well, for even more all-around training information for athletes.
On a final note, the weather was warm & windy down at the track, with a lot of the water off the track, enabling me to do a better quality speed session tonight.
I did the following:
Jog 100m, Sprint 200m with wind pushing me, walk 100m for recovery, x 6 times.
My 200's I was aiming for a 40 seconds or less time. Got them each one. Was aiming for 6-8 efforts such as this, and after 6, I felt I had enough for the night. Had a long day at work with a lot of steady labor throughout the day, so I felt that pushing for 7-8 efforts would have really taxed me out.
Still taking registrations for The Big 1, over at http://asapworkouts.com/1mnvr.html
Run Strong, Run Fast....
Run So As To Win!
Coach Rick Karboviak
http://1MileNation.com
Don't forget to check out:
http://KettleBolics.com
To see how KB + GPS = Super Endurance!
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