unCoachJasonTM
VO2max
The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com
Dr. Jason Karp, running & fitness coach, consultant, freelance writer
Director & Coach, REVO2LT Running Team™
July, 2009
*******************************************************************
In
this issue:
Running Clinics in the Park™
IDEA World Fitness Convention
Mileage vs. Time?
Nutrition Tips
Athlete Spotlight
In
Press
*******************************************************************
Running Clinics in the Park™
This month,
RunCoachJason.com is hosting Running Clinics in the Park™,
a unique, laid-back series of educational clinics for runners
of all abilities at Morley Field in Balboa Park in San Diego,
California.
The PowerBar-sponsored clinics, which started in June, continue on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m.
*******************************************************************
IDEA World Fitness Convention
Are
you training for a marathon or know someone who is and need the best training
secrets to run your best and avoid injury? Don’t miss the IDEA
World Fitness Convention August
12-16 at
the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, where I will
be presenting Chasing
Pheidippides: Marathon Training 101
on August 16. I’ll show you how to specifically prepare for the
marathon, with detailed advice on the most important workouts and tapering.
IDEA
is the world’s
largest association for health and fitness professionals.
For more information and to download the event
brochure and convention schedule, go to http://www.ideafit.com/conference/idea-world-fitness-convention-2009.
If you can’t
make the convention, you can order the DVD at http://www.runcoachjason.com/merchandise.
*******************************************************************
Mileage vs. Time?
(excerpted from Karp, J.R. Training by Time. Running Times. June, 2009.)
As
runners, we tend to think a lot about mileage. Indeed, it’s
the number of miles we run each week that often defines our status as runners.
The more miles we run, the more we’re validated. However, the amount of time spent running is
more important than the number of miles since it’s the duration of effort
(time spent running) that our bodies’ sense.
A
faster runner will cover the same amount of distance in less time than a
slower runner or, to put it another way, will cover more miles in the same
amount of time. The slower runner may be running fewer miles, but the
time spent running—and therefore the stimulus for adaptation—is the
same. Endurance is improved not by running a specific distance,
but by running for a specific amount of time. The duration of
effort is one of the key factors that arouse the biological signal to elicit
adaptations that will ultimately lead to improvements in your running
performance. Focusing on time rather than on distance is a better method
for equating the amount of stress between runners of different abilities.
Your legs have no comprehension of what a mile is; they only know how hard
they’re
working and how long they’re
working. Effort over time.
For interval workouts, a
slower runner should not attempt the same number of repetitions of the same
distance as a faster runner, otherwise he or she will experience more stress
because he or she will be spending more time running at the same relative
intensity.
In an effort to equate the stress of interval workouts between runners
of different abilities, I have developed a hierarchy of strategies:
(1) Decrease the length of each work period for slower runners (or increase the length of each work period for faster runners) to make the duration of each work period the same between runners.
(2) Decrease the number of repetitions for slower runners (or increase the number of repetitions for faster runners) to make the total time spent running at a specific intensity the same.
(3) Increase the duration of the recovery period for slower runners (or decrease the duration of the recovery period for faster runners) to make the work-to-rest ratio the same.
*******************************************************************
Nutrition Tips
I
admit, my nutrition isn’t
always the best. With my chocolate
binges and sugar cereal breakfasts, my diet could use a major overhaul.
So, this month we have some nutrition
tips from Brooke Joanna Benlifer, R.D., a registered dietician in San Diego,
California who does long-distance and in-person nutrition coaching.
1. For
less sugar, more fiber, and a hefty calorie savings, buy fresh or frozen fruits
and vegetables rather than juice.
2. In general, foods with bulk that contain a lot of water (e.g., soups, salads, oatmeal, melon) are more satisfying than foods that are “dehydrated” like bars, breads, etc.
3.
Include
a banana and cinnamon (for the same number of calories as in just two
tablespoons of brown sugar) in your oatmeal for better glycemic control, more
satiety, a few grams of fiber, and some potassium.
4.
Use vegetables to bulk up your
meals. Take a frozen meal or your own lunch or dinner and pair it with
lots of veggies (1/2 to 1 pound of frozen veggies or a large salad).
5.
Including some protein
with every snack and meal helps keep insulin levels low and your blood sugar
on an even keel. Examples include: adding nuts to cereal, cottage cheese
with fruit, topping a pear with a slice of cheese, having an apple with almond
butter, and crackers with salmon.
Want to know more? Go to Brooke’s
website at http://www.brookejoannanutrition.com.
*******************************************************************
Athlete Spotlight
Sean
Mueller
A
talented and dedicated runner, Sean has been a member of REVO2LT
Running Team™ since December, 2007. He recently completed his sophomore year at
Cheshire High School in Cheshire, Connecticut, where he ran 4:22 for the mile and
9:32 for 2 miles, a significant
improvement from his freshman year, when he ran 4:36 and 10:04,
respectively. Under Dr. Karp’s
tutelage, he placed 7th in the 2-mile at the Connecticut State High School
Championships (the fastest sophomore in the state) on June 8th, 3rd in the 2-mile at the Connecticut
State Class LL Championships on June 1st, and 3rd in the mile at the Southern Connecticut Conference
Championships on May 27th. Last fall, he placed 8th as a sophomore at the 2008 Connecticut State
Cross Country Championships and 2nd at the 2008 Connecticut State Class LL
Cross Country Championships. After a great sophomore year, he is
currently preparing for his junior year cross country season.
*******************************************************************
In
Press...
From
the time the ancient Greek runner Pheidippides
ran from Marathon to Athens
to announce the Greeks’ victory over Persia
in the Battle of Marathon, humans have had a compelling interest with
endurance. Chasing
Pheidippides:
The Science of Endurance, my article that discusses
the science behind endurance and how you can improve yours using the most
up-to-date scientific training methods,
appears in the July, 2009 issue of Modern Athlete &
Coach, the official technical journal of the Australian Track and
Field Coaches Association.
Beat Marathon Fatigue, my
article that discusses the major causes of fatigue in the marathon,
with advice on how to combat them, appears in the
July,
2009 issue of the United Kingdom’s Ultra-Fit magazine.
How
Long Should You Rest Between Sets?, my Chest Essentials piece on how
long men should rest between strength training sets to maximize strength and hypertrophy of their pecs to make women
swoon, appears
in the July/August, 2009 issue of Maximum Fitness.
The Final 8 Weeks of Marathon Training, my article on what you should do
during the last eight weeks before your marathon, appears in the July/August, 2009 issues of
Colorado Runner and Washington Running Report.
The Myth of the Fat-Burning Zone, my article that busts the myths of the
fat burning zone and explains how you really can lose fat, appears in the
Summer, 2009 issue of
Duke City Fit, Albuquerque, New Mexico’s
premier fitness magazine.
Be a Runner for Life: 5 Things That Will Help You Stay Injury-Free
appears in the August, 2009 issue of SELF magazine, on newsstands in
July.
*******************************************************************
To
view past newsletters, go to http://www.runcoachjason.com/newsletter.
*******************************************************************
To
unsubscribe from this newsletter, e-mail jason@runcoachjason.com
with the word “unsubscribe” on the subject line.
*******************************************************************
©2009
Dr. Jason Karp.
home
about coach jason
coaching & personal training
consulting
writing
speaking
order merchandise
vo2max newsletter
training
press releases
testimonials
contact