Small Changes Big Rewards

[Nick]

This article even though written for 5-10k runners has items that pretain to every race..regardless of distance..

29 simple tips for training smarter and racing better.[/size]
        by: Mark Remy  


Unhappy with your last 10-K? Convinced you could have finished a little faster? Unless you're Haile Gebrselassie, you're probably right. (If you are Haile Gebrselassie, you can skip this article.)

Or maybe faster race times don't matter to you at all. Maybe your training just isn't where it should be, but you're not sure what to do about it. The good news is there's no need to make any radical changes. With the right "tweaks," you can nip and tuck your way to better running. The trick is knowing just what to tweak and how to tweak it.

This is the challenge we issued to our panel of experts: Tell us the little things that will help us train and race smoother, easier, and faster. No suggestion is too trivial. Individually, some of these tips might not amount to much. But taken together, they can shave seconds--even minutes--from your next race, as you'll see in the racing section (we did the math for you). Even if the clock isn't running, there's plenty here to make your daily runs easier.



Training

1. Boost Your Breakfast
If you're eating a light breakfast and a heavier dinner, your afternoon runs may be suffering. "I call that 'eating backward,' " says Nancy Clark, R.D., director of nutrition services at Sports Medicine Associates in Brookline, Massachusetts, and author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. "Better to frontload the calories, so you eat a larger breakfast and lunch, run with a well-fueled body and then eat less--and sleep better--at night."

2. Start Your Runs One Minute Per Mile Slower
Take a cue from the Kenyans and start each training run super-slow. "Let the run 'come to you,' " suggests Robert Udewitz, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist specializing in peak performance training at www.behaviortherapyny.com. You may even consider walking briskly for a few minutes before easing into a jog.

3. Play Around With Strides
Finish every training run with "strides"--four or five fast repeats of, say, 100 meters each. Not only is this a great way to strengthen your fast-twitch muscles, it'll also fine-tune your form, says Greg McMillan, an exercise physiologist and certified coach at mcmillanrunning.com. "With each repeat, alter how you move your legs or arms or body position," says McMillan. "See what happens with each alteration. Do you get faster with the same effort? Slower? Play with your technique until you hit upon the form that results in the most speed with the least effort." Eventually, your body will adopt it as your natural "fast-running" form.

4. Grasp The Basics
A clenched grip relays tension to the rest of your body--and that saps energy? "Hands should be lightly cupped rather than tightly fisted," says Jim Fischer, men's cross-country and track coach at the University of Delaware. "Imagine rolling a piece of paper and holding it during a run to keep the hands relaxed."

5. Breathe Easier
You probably don't think much about your breathing--which is precisely why you should. "Most elite runners use a two-two breathing pattern--breathing in for two steps and out for two steps," says Jack Daniels, Ph.D., head coach of men's and women's cross-country and track at the State University of New York at Cortland. "Using a very rapid rhythm (one-one, for example) can be quite inefficient. A rate this rapid leads to more work for the breathing muscles." Experiment with different breathing patterns during training runs, find one that works best for you, and then practice it until it's second nature. This will only take a couple of weeks.

6. Have A Hot Turnover
Train yourself to rely less on stride length and more on a quick leg turnover. "There's no doubt that very slow turnover can be costly in terms of the energy demand of running," says Daniels. "Shoot for around 180 footfalls a minute." Which means 60 steps every 20 seconds.

7. Inflate the Grade
On a treadmill set at zero-percent incline, a seven-minute mile isn't really a seven-minute mile. It's easier. That's because, unlike running outdoors, a motor is doing some of the work for you. To counteract this effect, punch the incline up to one percent. (Or more, naturally, if you're doing a hill workout.)

8. Keep Moving Forward
Lateral motion wastes energy that could be helping you move ahead. So swing your arms in a mostly front-to-back motion, rather than side-to-side. "Generally speaking," says Fischer, "everything should go forward or back."  



9. Go Barefoot Once A Week
Strong feet and lower legs, plus flexible ankles, equal fewer injuries. One of the best ways to gain this strength and flexibility is by barefoot running, according to McMillan, because you have to work harder at each pushoff and landing. "Try to do a few strides or some light jogging equal to one to three laps of a track once or twice each week," he says.
Level grass works best.

10. Speed Your Recoveries
During speedwork, lots of runners recover fully between repeats. For a change of pace, try running your recovery intervals only slightly slower than the pace of the rep. "This will teach you to recover 'on the run' as you would during a race," says McMillan.

11. Run Through The Line
Another speedwork tip from Fischer: To squeeze the very most from your workout, run hard--don't coast--all the way past the line at the end of each repetition.

12. Strengthen Your Position
Devote one day a week to working on your stomach and back muscles, as well as the hamstrings and quads (front of your thighs), recommends Daniels. "Uphill running can also help, as can bounding and plyometrics," he says. "All these things, along with some good quality repetition running, will lead to better running economy."

13. Eat First, Then Shower
Most gains from training actually occur after your run. To get the most from your recovery, eat immediately after running, says McMillan. "Drink a shake, smoothie, or meal-replacement beverage within the first 15 minutes after a hard workout, race, or long run," he says. "Then a well-balanced meal within the next two hours."

14. Sleep On It
Rather than fixate on getting a good night's rest the night before a race, concentrate on the night before the night before. As a rule of thumb, banking some quality rest that night will relax and prepare you more than the zzz's you get the eve of your race, when you tend to be restless and excited a?yway.  


Racing
The following time savings are estimates, but they reflect the advantages we believe average runners can reasonably expect to gain when using each tip in a 10-K road race.

15. Rehearse The Race
"Visualization before your race will prime your body for action and make it more likely that you'll perform like you did in your mental imagery," says Udewitz. Picture yourself at different stages of a race: getting through a difficult mile, passing runners comfortably, finishing smooth and strong.
Time Savings: 10 to 20 seconds

16. Change Your Shoes
It may be obvious advice, but it bears repeating: Reserve a pair of racing flats or lightweight trainers just for races. The advantage goes beyond the few ounces you'll save in weight, says Fischer. "Even if the physical advantages are minimal, the psychological gain could be a real plus."
Time Savings: 10 to 15 seconds

17. Add Two Minutes to Your Warmup
"Many runners don't warm up hard enough," says Daniels. "They do a good deal of easy running and then some quick strides, but they haven't really worked hard." Try adding a final two- or three-minute run at a demanding pace, 10 to 15 minutes before the start of your race, Daniels suggests. "This will not only get you ready, but will often cause you to hold back a little at the start, as opposed to going out too fast."
Time Savings: 10 to 15 seconds

18. Run The Course
Do your prerace warmup on the course itself, adds Udewitz, or jog the course a day or two before the race if possible. Note the location of turns, hills, and water stations. "The familiarity will help you feel confident."
Time Savings: Five to 10 seconds

19. Shorten Your Stretches
"Over the last couple of years, I've tweaked my prerace stretching routine," says McMillan, "ever since an exercise therapist friend suggested I'd get plenty of benefit from only holding my stretches for a short time. Since then, I've been holding stretches for five seconds and repeating them four to five times. I find that my body stays revved up, and I can get into race mode easier."
Time Savings: Five to 10 seconds

20. Stay Away From The Start Line
When you head to the starting area after your warmup, stake out a spot anywhere but the front. Unless you're truly a frontrunner, starting at the front of the pack is counterproductive: You'll get in people's way, and could be swept into an opening mile that's way too fast for your own good.
Time Savings: 10 to 20 seconds

21. Stick To The Side
Whenever practical, try to run on one side or another of the course, where there is usually less congestion. In the middle of a dense pack, you're subject to the whims--and pace--of those around you. "Don't let others dictate your pace or your race plan," says Daniels.
Time Savings: Five to 10 seconds

22. Flip Your Strategy
We've said it a million times: Start slowly, finish fast. But just once, turn that around and see if it works for you. In shorter races such as 5-Ks and 10-Ks, it just might. "When I've tried to ease out, I ease the entire race," says Lisa Dorfman, R.D., author of The Running Nutritionist. "When I hang on to a fast start, I usually end up with a fast finish. If not, at least I feel like I've given it my best effort."
Time Savings: 10 to 15 seconds

23. Cut Corners
Race courses generally are measured along the most efficient line through turns. When you stray from those lines, you're actually adding to the distance of the race. Carve your way through the course, "cutting the tangent" of each turn--start wide, aim for the ins?de corner, then wide again. The only exception to this rule is if you're in or just behind a large group of runners. In that case, trying to cut the tangent may get you boxed in, jostled, or worse. "In a group, go wide around a turn, free of traffic," Fischer says. "You'll travel a greater distance, but you'll keep moving and won't get hemmed in."
Time Savings: Eight to 10 seconds

24. Look Up
When following another runner, look at his shoulders and not his feet, says Fischer. "It will be easier to maintain position, as the point of reference will not move." Run behind the runner and just off his shoulder, to avoid any potential tangles of feet and legs.
Time Savings: Three to five seconds

25. Wipe That Grimace Off Your Face
Maintaining a cool, relaxed expression doesn't just "psych out" fellow competitors--it also signals to the rest of your body that things are going smoothly. The result? Well, things will go smoothly. "Relaxing key parts of your body--particularly your facial muscles--is important when you're digging deep," says Udewitz. "The energy spent on tensing those muscles will take energy from crucial (running) muscle groups."
Time Saving: Five to 10 seconds

26. Bypass The Clot
Head straight for the last table at water stations. You'll avoid the crush of first-timers who inevitably clog things up at the first table.
Time Savings: Five seconds per water station

27. Grab 'N' Go
Once you have your cup, pinch the top together to form a spout. You'll be able to sip, spill-free, without slowing or stopping.
Time Savings: Three seconds per water station

28. Call Hills "Friend," Not "Foe"
It's perfectly natural to dread hills, especially during a race. But try seeing them as a positive thing--for example, by repeating silently to yourself "this hill is a welcome relief"--and you might just get to the top faster and in better form. "I always like the idea of acceptance," says Udewitz. "As in, accepting that this is challenging and difficult, and embracing the notion that you're able to put yourself in such discomfort and still maintain your pace."
Time Savings: Two to four seconds per hill

29. Run Through The Line--Again
Remember how you've been pushing hard past the line during all those speed workouts? Here's why.
Time Savings: One to two seconds

Total Time Savings: 1 minute, 30 seconds to 2 minutes, 30 seconds (not bad for a 10-K race).