1. Fitness - It makes sense that as you get fitter, so you run faster. I certainly don't have the "magic formula" for a program that will guarantee the best run result, but my gut feeling is that there isn't one. You just need consistency (which means staying injury and illness free and not too much fatigue), time and volume. Throw in some races and hills for good measure, and you will improve.
2. Rhythm - You need to be able to hold a good rhythm. Mirinda Carfrae (Ironman World Champ) totally believes that her ability to hold pace when others fade is that she has trained herself to hold a high cadence through fatigue. Check out her phenomenal running in the video of Kona 2013 below:
My cadence is currently 94 right foot strikes/min. I work during every run to hold that cadence, uphill or downhill, fresh or fatigued.
3. Efficiency - Similar to rhythm, but this relates to your technique as a runner. There are many sources of information about how to improve technique, but there is also research that shows that the most successful way to improve your technique.......is just to run! (see point number 1) Nevertheless, a really good tip, given to me about 5 years ago by Sean Foster is to imagine you are "pulling a rope". I particularly use this when I'm running up hills, or running hard on the flat. By imagining you are pulling a rope which is just in front of your body, you avoid swinging your arms too much, you relax your shoulders, and instead of feeling like you are pushing up a hill, it actually starts to feel like you are pulling yourself up (with the rope!)
4. Enjoyment - Here we are again with the mental aspects of the sport! But KEY to running well for me is enjoyment. Smiling WILL help you to relax, and improve your efficiency (see point 3). Not only that, enjoying running will make you WANT to go and do it again (see point number 1). And in a triathlon, isn't it better to get off the bike and say "great, now I get to do something I ENJOY for the next 3.5-4hrs" rather than "oh shit, now I've got to run a marathon"!!! Pete (my husband, and not historically a runner by choice!) has recently dramatically increased his run volume compared to any other race prep he has done. He came home 2 weeks ago and said "Do you know what? I'm actually ENJOYING running now!" I felt really pleased for him, but really sorry that it's taken 10 years in the sport for him to feel that joy! I'm sure most of that is the positive feedback he's had from simply improving his run fitness (point 1 again!)
So there it is "FREE" - Jo's guide to running!
Now a bit more on the mental side of racing- I've been listening to some podcasts while I've been doing my long rides, and yesterday I listened to an amazing one with Chris McCormack (Macca) about how he broke through in Hawaii, by improving his mental approach to racing. I've posted the link here:
http://www.trispecific.com/fb-98-macca-on-the-attitude-the-mindset-on-training-and-racing-to-win/
The key points he made which resonated with me were that:
2. You can improve your mental approach in races by taking the positive thoughts that come up during tough sessions in training, and focusing on those, so that when it gets tough in a race, it is the same positive thoughts that pop up, rather than the negative ones, which are likely to drag you down.
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| Some of my thoughts during today's 25k run |
I decided to try this today. Obviously on a long run, you aren't pushing very hard, but you still have plenty of time to think! And as the fatigue sets in, so do the different thought patterns. What struck me was that doing this exercise was a lot like meditation. In meditation you are practicing observing your thoughts, but not letting them overtake you. This was the same today. A thought like "my legs are gone now" would come up. I'd think to myself that I must write that one down, and instead of being consumed by it, I then let that thought go. I'm going to try to continue this table, and work on those positive thoughts.
A friend of mine, Ollie Wilkinson, who is a vet, and a marathon swimmer (he broke the WR for swimming around Manhatten Island a few years ago) recently completed the Arch to Arc as a duo with his wife, Vickie (who incidentally is an outstanding triathlete and consistently schooled me whenever we raced!) Ollie has written a great blog on the swim part of their epic event. I thought I'd share it here, because he gives some really great insights into the mental challenges of swimming 9 hours across the English Channel. He also comments on trying to keep his thoughts positive.
I feel that I'm in a really good place at the moment. I had a couple of really flat days this week, physically, but that was bound to happen after a huge previous two weeks (and a massive weekend last week). But my body is really holding up well, and I am so happy that I can spend some time working on the mental aspects of my race so far out, rather than stressing about how my training is going. It's ticking along very nicely!
I'm not fundraising for this race, but an Australian para-triathlete, Rob Paterson is. He was paralysed in 1991 in a training accident. He will achieve his dream of competing in Hawaii, but he has to do it in a wheelchair. If you have some spare money to donate, please go to his page
https://www.mycause.com.au/page/105811/robshawaiianironman2015
I feel that I'm in a really good place at the moment. I had a couple of really flat days this week, physically, but that was bound to happen after a huge previous two weeks (and a massive weekend last week). But my body is really holding up well, and I am so happy that I can spend some time working on the mental aspects of my race so far out, rather than stressing about how my training is going. It's ticking along very nicely!
I'm not fundraising for this race, but an Australian para-triathlete, Rob Paterson is. He was paralysed in 1991 in a training accident. He will achieve his dream of competing in Hawaii, but he has to do it in a wheelchair. If you have some spare money to donate, please go to his page
https://www.mycause.com.au/page/105811/robshawaiianironman2015
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