Ryan Hall's Blog, page 256

4 Awesome Cross-Training Workouts for Newbies to Elite Runners

Whether you’re shuffling along on the local 5K circuit or you’re one of the few special athletes who have the Olympics in your sights, having to sit on the sidelines happens to every runner at some point.

Oftentimes, it starts as some moderate discomfort. Then, it persists. Soon enough, the prolonged pain turns into real injury.

All the hard work and effort falls by the wayside, and instead, you’re wiping crumbs off your face while soaking in more “Game of Thrones” episodes than you ever could’ve imagined.

But there’s no need to resign yourself to nestling into that comfy couch groove.

Instead, quality cross-training workouts in the pool, on the bike, and even stretching it out on a yoga mat can assure you’re not totally dying when you make that epic comeback. And if you’re not in a walking boot and feeling perfectly healthy, building in a day to cross-train every week can be the perfect complement to staying free of injury.

These four workouts from two expert coaches will help you stay fit when you’re not pounding the pavement.

1. Aqua Jogging and Lower-Body Strength Circuit

“When you’re replacing running with cross-training (either because you’re injured or to add extra volume without additional pounding), the goal should be to choose an exercise that is as similar to running as possible,” says Carl Leivers, a USA Track & Field Level 2 Endurance Coach. “Aqua jogging will closely mimic the demands of running and the fitness you gain here will carry over better to running because it does not have the same muscular demands as running. I like to work lower-body strength exercises into the workout as long as you can do them without aggravating your injury.”

RELATED: Aqua Jogging For Injured Runners

The Workout

10:00 aqua jogging warmup

10x lunge (out of the pool)

15x bodyweight squat (out of the pool)

2-3 sets of

— 10 minutes hard aqua jogging at 5K-10K effort

— 5:00 aqua jogging recovery

— 10x lunge (out of the pool)

— 15x bodyweight squat (out of the pool)

10:00 aqua jogging cooldown

RELATED: Aqua Jogging For Injured Runners

2. Lap Swimming

“Swimming is my favorite supplemental cross-training. It keeps the blood flowing through all the muscles of the body without adding any additional impact,” says Leivers. “Because it differs so much from running, even though the blood is flowing through the same muscles, they are being used in different ways that makes it an ideal recovery cross-training workout the day after a hard workout or long run. You don’t need to do anything fancy with this workout, as 20-30 minutes of gentle lap swimming will do the trick.”

RELATED: Swimming For Runners

3. The 30-Minute Challenge

“I love this workout because it focuses on the areas that runners need to strengthen, especially the core,” says Debbie Woodruff, a running coach, personal trainer and fascia stretch therapist. “Many of the exercises are done unilaterally and help correct some of the imbalances that running creates.”

The Workout

(Note: The following 8 exercises comprise one set. Rest for one minute after each set and aim to complete three sets.)

Squats: One minute

Single-Leg Deadlift: 45 seconds

Pushups: One minute

Side Lunge: 45 seconds on each side

Single-leg Squats: 45 seconds on each side

Plank: One minute

Side Plank: 30 seconds on each side

Bird Dog: 30 seconds on each side

4. Stretch It Out

Woodruff recommends incorporating the following three stretches into your training routine to help speed up the process of bouncing back from injury.

Calf Stretch

How to do it: “Stand, holding on to a chair or wall. Step back with your right leg, keeping your knee straight and your right heel pressed into the ground. Bend your left knee. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.”

Why it helps: “Tight calves can lead to injuries such as shin splints, ankle pain, and plantar fasciitis.”

Hip Flexor Stretch

How to do it: “Start from a kneeling position. Step forward with your right leg, so that your knee is bent to about 90 degrees. Placing your hands on your right thigh, press forward over the right leg, pushing your hips forward slightly. You should feel the stretch at the top of your left thigh. Hold for 10-30 seconds, then repeat on the other side.”

Why it helps: “Many runners have tight hip flexors, caused by the small repetitive motion of running, and aggravated by weak glute muscles. Glute strengthening exercise are important too, as tight hip flexors lead to poor posture, and potentially hip and low back pain.”

IT Band Stretch

How to do it: “Take a strap in your left hand and put your right arm out to the side (T-position). Keeping your knee straight, and your right hip pressed firmly into the ground, slowly lower the leg to the left. Keep your right hip pressed into the ground, otherwise this stretch will not be as effective. Hold for 10-30 seconds and repeat the sequence on the left side.”

Why it helps: “The Iliotibial (IT) band starts at the hip and runs down the outside of your leg. If it is tight, it can begin to rub on the outside of your kneecap, potentially leading to pain in your knee.”

RELATED: Why Runners Should Embrace Cross-Training

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7 Times The Onion Poked Fun at Runners

When it comes to the hugely popular satirical news site The Onion, everybody’s a potential target for their jokes—even runners.

Over the years, The Onion has had some fun at our expense—jokes about our gear, our willingness to suffer and even our reasons for running in the first place.

We scoured through the site’s archives to find some of our favorites:

1. New Study Finds Running for 20 Minutes Each Day Could Add Years of Soreness to Life

“The real takeaway from our research is that just getting off the couch once a day may be enough to give you one or two more years of clutching at your lower back and wincing.”

2. Scientists Debut Robot That Can Run a Half Marathon, Smugly Brag About It

“The challenge was to build a bot that would be impressed with its own minor achievement.”

3. New Nike Running App Tells You What You’re Really Running From

“The new app pinpoints the unique existential angst at the core of each runner’s workout routine.”

4. Early-Morning Jogger Pities Everyone Still Sleeping

“I feel so bad for all those poor people who are missing out on this just to get an extra four or five hours of sleep.”

5. New Balance Releases ‘Laces Only’ Minimalist Running Shoe

As the race toward minimalism heated up in 2012 (before the pendulum swung the other way), The Onion satirized it to the extreme.

6. New York City Marathon Winner Does Cool-Down Jog Back to Kenya

“In an effort to reduce soreness and prevent injury, New York City Marathon winner Geoffrey Mutai immediately followed his victory Sunday with a 7,209-mile cool-down jog from Central Park to his hometown of Mumberes, Kenya.”

7. Marathon Training Tips From The Onion

Among them: “Visualize your success and how good it will feel to accomplish something hundreds of other people will accomplish before you that day.”

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Photos: 2016 Medtronic TC 1 Mile

The 2016 TC 1 Mile took place Thursday night on the streets of Minneapolis, doubling as the USATF 1-mile road championship.

Ben Blankenship made headlines, not only winning the race but shattering the event record in a time of 3:55.8, nearly four seconds ahead of Garrett Heath (3:59.7). Travis Burkstrand finished third in 4:01.4. On the women’s side, Heather Kampf captured her fourth USATF title in the event, winning in 4:34.2 ahead of Christy Cazzola (4:37.2) and Gabriele Grunewald (4:39.0).

For the win, Blankenship and Kampf earned $5,000. Blankenship earned an additional $10,000 for lowering the event record.

In all, 2,300 runners participated in the mile run, which ran along the Mississippi Riverfront and finished near the Guthrie Theater. Here are photos from the action, taken by Competitive Image courtesy of Twin Cities In Motion:

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Over 2,000 runners competed in 5 additional waves prior to the professional championship competition.

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The elite women's race.

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Heather Kampf approaching the finish.

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TC1-16 030

Heather Kampf won the USATF crown for the fourth time.

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The professional men's race.

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Ben Blankenship of Eugene, Oregon returned to Minnesota (where he attended the University of Minnesota) to take the lead prior to hitting the quarter mile and went on to break the event record with a time of 3:55.8.

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The winners.

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Winners selfie.

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The women's podium.

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The men's podium.

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Federal Judge Dismisses Run Gum Lawsuit

Nick Symmonds' company RunGum filed the lawsuit in January. Photo: PhotoRun.net

A lawsuit filed by Run Gum against the USOC and USATF was dismissed on Thursday by a federal judge, who ruled that antitrust laws were not broken because the organizations have implied immunity under the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act of 1978.

Run Gum was co-founded by Nick Symmonds, a two-time Olympian and outspoken proponent for athletes’ rights. The Run Gum suit, filed in January, alleged that the USOC and USATF “jointly agreed to exclude various businesses from sponsoring athletes in return for advertising exposure on athletes’ competition apparel” at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials for track and field, which take place in Eugene this summer.

Run Gum wants to sponsor athletes at the Trials in exchange for logo placement on the athletes’ competition attire, which is currently not permitted save for the usual standard marks on the uniforms produced by approved apparel manufacturers.

According to USA Today, Judge Michael J. McShane granted the USOC and USATF’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, stating “Despite Run Gum’s contentions to the contrary, immunizing the Regulations from antitrust liability does not unmoor the USOC from all responsibility under the Sherman Act. Rather, it allows the USOC and USATF to preclude athletes from becoming human billboards at the Trials—a ban which is necessary to finance Team USA.”

USOC CEO Scott Blackmun released a statement after the ruling that said “Congress has entrusted us with the authority to oversee Olympic branding in the United States. The court’s decision will allow us to continue to maximize the support that is available for our athletes and National Governing Bodies. That in turn will allow us to deliver against our mission, which is to help as many American athletes as possible to reach the podium at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

MORE: USA Today

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Kenya Found Non-Compliant With Antidoping Rules

The likelihood of Kenyans competing at the Olympics in Rio isn't looking good. Photo: PhotoRun.net

The World Anti-Doping Agency has ruled Kenya “non-compliant” after the country missed two key deadlines surrounding anti-doping policing, it was announced on Thursday. The ruling came down in Montreal at a WADA board meeting and puts the East African nation’s participation at the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio in jeopardy.

“As in all cases of non-compliance, WADA will now hand the decision over to its stakeholders, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UNESCO for their consideration and action,” WADA said on Thursday.

Last month, Kenyan president Uluru Kenyatta pushed through legislation which criminalizes doping in his country, saying the law was the “continuation, not the end, of our efforts to stand against cheating and corruption in the sporting and athletics arena.” The country also recently committed to establishing a national anti-doping agency on its own soil.

Kenya could face the same fate as Russia, which has been banned from international competition following revelations of widespread doping amongst its Olympic athletes. The decision regarding Kenya’s participation in the Rio Games is now in the hands of the International Olympic Committee. Kenyan athletes, who a month ago seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when the new anti-doping legislation was announced, are now more confused than anything else.

“Really @wada_ama I thought the ministry said they were in constant contact with you when developing the bill,” Wesley Korir, who was recently named to Kenya’s Olympic marathon team for Rio, Tweeted on Thursday. “We need the ministry to make public its correspondence with WADA concerning the drafting and approval of the bill.”

RELATED: Kenya Announces Olympic Marathon Teams

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Why the Bolder Boulder 10K Should Be on Your Bucket List

The Bolder Boulder 10K finishes inside Folsom Field football stadium on the University of Colorado campus. Photo: Sean Quinn

The Bolder Boulder 10K is one of the biggest running races in the world. Held on Memorial Day every year since 1979, it is one of the largest and most spirited races in the U.S. Here are a few reasons to put it on your bucket list.

VIDEO: The Sights and Sounds of the Bolder Boulder 10K

PHOTOS: 30 Great Images from the 2015 Bolder Boulder 10K

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1. Because You Can!

The Bolder Boulder 10K is special for a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason is that it’s an event that virtually anyone can do. If you’re a fast, seasoned runner, you can race to your heart’s content with some of the fastest runners in Colorado in the A or AA starting wave. If you just want to take your time and finish, you can do that too. You can jog the course easy, run in a costume or enter one of the walking waves.

2. Celebrate the Colorado Lifestyle

There are few events that scream “Colorado” more than the Bolder Boulder. Since its inception in 1979, it’s been a celebration of fitness and fresh air for all ages and ability levels. Colorado is regularly named one of the fittest states in the country (and Boulder as the fittest city), and running 6.2 miles across Boulder is certainly indicative of that. Getting a glimpse of the Flatirons and finishing in the University of Colorado’s Folsom Field football stadium are icing on the cake.

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3. Spring Into Summer

Make the Bolder Boulder one of your late-spring fitness goals and then use that fitness to launch you into summer. If you can finish the Bolder Boulder, you’re probably ready to tackle other races, hike a 14,000-foot peak, go backpacking this summer or train for a fall marathon.

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4. It’s only a 10K.

While marathons and half marathons often get more attention, the 10K is an ideal distance to run for any level of runner. Heck, it’s only 6.2 miles—short enough that it will go by quickly, but long enough to feel the satisfaction of finishing.

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5. Starting Waves

The Bolder Boulder invented the concept of starting waves for a mass participation race. While joining more than 50,000 runners in a race across Boulder might make some runners feel a bit claustrophobic, the smartly segmented starting waves, with 60- to 70-second gaps in between, help keep runners more evenly spaced. You can qualify to seed yourself in one of the faster waves or you can join a wave for joggers, veterans or walkers.

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6. Memorial Day Weekend

With the Bolder Boulder 10K and Boulder Creek Festival as marquee attractions, Boulder is in fully glory Memorial Day during weekend. The Bolder Boulder hosts the country’s largest Memorial Day celebration. Festivities include a touching ceremony to honor military veterans and Air Force jet flyovers. Plus, there are several starting waves are dedicated to current and former members of the U.S. armed forces. If you’re visiting from out of town, there’s no better time to visit Boulder than Memorial Day weekend.

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7. Slip ‘N Slides.

The Bolder Boulder was one of the original races with bands and other sideshow attractions along the course. In any given year, there are at least three or four places to splash down a Slip ’N Slide. (The best one is near 14th and Cedar just past the 5K mark.) Other attractions include belly dancers, rock bands, jugglers, Elvis impersonators, bubble machines and a variety of other fun elements that will take your mind off your tired legs.

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8. Beer and Bacon!

In recent years, spectators along the Bolder Boulder course have been known to offer a variety of snacks and beverages, including beer and bacon. Whether or not you indulge in some of those unofficial aid stations is up to you, but you’ve got to fuel up!

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9. The International Team Challenge

Watching the top international runners zip through the Bolder Boulder course to finish inside Folsom Field is a thrill for anyone. But it’s always more satisfying to watch those world-class runners knowing that you ran the course earlier that morning—the international teams start nearly two hours following the final walking wave of the morning.

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10. Everybody Does It

The Bolder Boulder is the fifth largest road race in the world—typically attracting more than 50,000 runners—but it still feels like a local, community race. Chances are you have friends who have done it or at least you’ve seen pictures. It would be a shame not to be able to brag about your finish with the rest of them.

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36 June Races to Sign Up For

Beerfit, Photo: Courtesy of Beerfit

Whether you’re gearing up for a PR or just starting your marathon training, May is when most runners have their plan in place for the year. But even if you haven’t decided which race to focus on yet, you have plenty of options to tempt you. Here are some races, from 5Ks to marathons, to think about in the month ahead.

Marathons/Half Marathons

Sunburst Marathon and Half

June 4; South Bend, Ind.

Sunburstraces.org

This 33rd annual event, which includes a marathon, half marathon, 10K and 5K, starts in downtown South Bend and finishes on the University of Notre Dame campus. The courses are relatively flat, with the exception of “Hallelujah Hill” at mile 23 of the marathon.

Hospital Hill Run Half Marathon

June 4; Kansas City, Mo.

Hospitalhillrun.com

One of Kansas City’s biggest races, the 42nd annual Hospital Hill Run features a half marathon, 10K and 5K—and plenty of hills. Runners will explore several parks and neighborhoods on tree-lined streets, as well as the city’s downtown area with a start and finish at the Crown Center.

Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon

June 4; Loudoun County, Va.

Destinationraces.com/runvirginia

An hour west of Washington, D.C., the Wine Country Half Marathon series explores the area around Leesburg, Va. The race starts and finishes at the Doukenie Winery, with a course that offers great views of the vineyards, farms and ranches in the area.

Casper Marathon

June 5; Casper, Wyo.

Runwyoming.com

Wyoming might seem off the grid, but this race, now in its 14th year, is a gem. The race may be small, but it takes good care of its runners. Most of the course is run along the scenic North Platte River.

Steamboat Marathon

June 5; Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Steamboatchamber.com

This 35th annual marathon, half marathon and 10K features a beautiful course among the snowcapped Rocky Mountains. The downhill course starts at 8,100 feet in elevation and finishes in downtown Steamboat Springs at 6,700 feet.

Divas Half Marathon and 5K

June 5; San Francisco

Runlikeadiva.com

This women’s only event embraces the fun. All participants receive a pink tutu to wear on the run, there’s a boa and tiara aid station, and a post-race champagne toast. The flat course also keeps San Francisco Bay in sight for a majority of the race.

North Shore Classic Half Marathon and 5K

June 5; Highland Park, Ill.

Northshoreclassic.com

This popular race explores the scenic neighborhoods of Chicago’s northern suburbs along Lake Michigan. While mostly flat, there are a couple of killer hills up the Lake Michigan bluffs, a rarity for the Chicago area.

Mayflower Brewing Half Marathon

June 12; Plymouth, Mass.

Mayflowerbreweryhalf.com

This hilly half marathon starts and finishes at the Mayflower Brewery taking the back roads of Plymouth with 3 miles along the coast. All runners receive a branded beer stein, which they can fill straight from the source at the post-race party.

Squaw Valley Half Marathon

June 12; Squaw Valley, Calif.

Tahoetrailrunning.com

The start and finish of this scenic race is at the Village in Squaw Valley, the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. The mostly flat and paved course follows the Truckee River and features impressive mountain views.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon & 1/2

June 18; Seattle

Runrocknroll.com/seattle

Experience the sights, sounds and fun Rock ‘n’ Roll races offer, no matter if you run the 8K, half marathon or full 26.2-miler! Each starts at the famous Space Needle and serve up an impressive tour of Seattle, including segments along Puget Sound.

Charlevoix Marathon

June 25; Charlevoix, Mich.

Charlevoixmarathon.com

Experience plenty of natural beauty in this small-town race in northern Michigan. Charlevoix sits on an isthmus between Lake Michigan and Round Lake, and runners will enjoy views of both on this flat and fast course.

Santa Barbara Half Marathon

June 25; Santa Barbara, Calif.

Sbhalfmarathon.com

This 13.1-miler features excellent views of the Pacific Ocean from several of Santa Barbara’s seaside parks and benefits the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony Education Fund. The out-and-back course also runs on bike paths as well as scenic neighborhoods.

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Workout of the Week: Speed Development Sprints

There are traditional speed workouts—think track sessions, tempo runs, hill repeats and the like—to help you develop your race-specific fitness, and then there are speed development workouts—short, explosive sprints with lots of recovery between repetitions—which are focused on developing maximum fast-twitch muscle fiber recruitment in an effort improve your pure sprinting speed as well as to make you more economical and efficient at other paces.

Speed development sessions don’t take up a lot of time in your training schedule but over time they will help you get more out of your more regularly scheduled speed workouts. While there are many variations of speed development sessions you can do, here’s a simple one to begin incorporating into your training routine this week:

WHAT: A set of 4-6 progressive 150-meter sprints that can be done on a track, a flat stretch of road or even a gentle uphill. This is not traditional speed work—it’s a short, supplementary sprint session designed to make your interval workouts and tempo runs more productive.

WHY: This workout requires maximum muscle fiber recruitment and will improve top-end speed for long-distance runners, which will help you to become more economical and efficient at race pace.

WHEN AND HOW: Distance runners need only do one speed development session every 10-12 days over the course of a training cycle—two days before one of your regular speed workouts is good timing. Accelerate to 80 percent of your maximum speed in the first 50 meters, run the next 50 meters at 90 percent effort and finish the final 50 meters as fast as you can. After sprinting for 150 meters, take another 50 meters to gradually decelerate to a gentle stop. Take a full 3-4 minute recovery between each sprint.

RELATED: Speed Development For Distance Runners

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Shoe Of The Week: La Sportiva Akasha

The Akasha is a well-cushioned shoe with ample protection for long runs in the mountains. Photo: Ed Grant

With the Akasha, La Sportiva stepped away from its short-distance racing roots to develop its first long-haul shoe suitable for ultra-distance running. It has a copious amount of soft cushioning in the heel that is enhanced by the slight rocker shape of the underside of the shoe. It has a fairly agile and smooth demeanor like a road running shoe, but it also has the smart mountain protection—a rock plate and reinforced upper and toe bumper—featured in the rest of La Sportiva’s trail line. Our wear-testers loved this shoe for long runs on semi-technical routes to very rocky trails in the mountains. The outsole is made from a sticky rubber compound and has directional lugs for superior acceleration and braking. It’s definitely made for multi-hour runs on rough mountain trails, but it’s viable for more moderate terrain too. (However, it starts to border on “too much shoe” on basic, flat dirt paths.) It’s not as light as some other trail runners, but it doesn’t feel burdensomely heavily when you’re rambling over rugged, rocky terrain. “It’s a very agile shoe with a good balance of cushion and rigidity,” says wear-tester Amy Allison. “I appreciated the supportive midsole and the protection.” (Editor’s note: Each of our wear-testers felt this shoe fit snug for its size, so consider buying it a half-size larger.)

Price: $140

Weights: 11.3 oz. (men’s), 9.8 oz. (women’s)

Heel-to-Toe Offset: 6mm; 26mm (heel), 20mm (forefoot)

Info: Sportiva.com

RELATED: Shoe of the Week—New Balance Vazee Summit

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Gear Buzz: Garmin Unveils the Forerunner 735XT

Forerunner 735XT - Frost Blue, Standard Views, UNITED STATES

The running tech world is buzzing about Garmin’s release of the Forerunner 735XT, which aims to be a jack-of-all-trades wearable for runners and the active lifestyle.

The watch features a wrist-based heart rate monitor, advanced run data tracking and built-in tracking for other activities like cycling, swimming, triathlon, hiking, strength training, cross-country skiing and more.

Even more intriguing is its connectability to outside apps. It is the first device to come with the Strava Live Suffer Score app pre-installed (the Suffer Score is a premium feature of Strava, but those who purchase the 735XT get a free 60-day trial of Strava premium). It also allows users to connect to their compatible smartphone to receive calls, texts, emails, social media alerts and more.

“The Forerunner 735XT is the ultimate GPS smartwatch for athletes who want dialed-in data for training and race day,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of worldwide sales. “It offers comprehensive data for all of their activities, keeps them connected with smart features including notifications and automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, and lets them customize their device to fit their needs with Connect IQ’s free apps, data fields and more.”

Garmin claims the 735XT’s battery life is up to 14 hours in training mode and 11 days in watch mode. The 1.4-ounce watch retails at $449. Runners can purchase the 735XT bundled with Garmin’s HRM-Run strap that tracks cadence, ground contact and other details of your running for $499.

 

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