unCoachJasonTM
VO2max
The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com
Dr. Jason Karp, professional coach, consultant, freelance writer
Director & Coach, REVO2LT Running Team™
May, 2008
*******************************************************************
In
this issue:
Free T-Shirts at Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
VO2max Distance Running Clinic Comes to San Diego
Fat Burning
Running Economy
In
Press
*******************************************************************
Free T-Shirts at Rock 'n' Roll Marathon
If
you’re running in or
attending the Rock 'n'
Roll Marathon on June 1, 2008 in San Diego, California, get a free REVO2LT Running
Team™ T-shirt and coaching info from RunCoachJason.com’s
Dr. Jason Karp.
For more information on the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, go to http://www.rnrmarathon.com/home.html.
*******************************************************************
VO2max Distance Running Clinic Comes to San Diego
On
July 19th, 2008, RunCoachJason.com will hold its second annual VO2max
Distance Running Clinic for runners and coaches at the Marina Village
Conference Center in San Diego, California.
Named after the most popular physiological variable related to distance
running, the VO2max Distance Running Clinic will transform your
running. Speakers include
*******************************************************************
Fat Burning
People
often assume that low-intensity exercise is best for burning fat.
During exercise at a very low intensity (e.g., walking), fat does
account for most of the energy expenditure, while at a moderate intensity
(e.g., 80% maximum heart rate or about 70-75% VO2max), fat accounts
for only about half of the energy used. While
you use both fat and carbohydrates for energy during exercise, these two fuels
provide that energy on a sliding scale—as you increase your intensity up to
your lactate threshold (the exercise intensity that demarcates the transition
between exercise that is almost purely aerobic and exercise that includes a
significant anaerobic contribution; also considered your fastest sustainable
aerobic speed), the contribution from fat decreases while the contribution
from carbohydrates increases. When
you exercise at an intensity above your lactate threshold, you use only
carbohydrates.
While there is only a minimal amount of fat used when exercising just
below your lactate threshold, the number of calories used per minute and the
total number of calories expended are much greater than when exercising at a
lower intensity, so the amount of fat used is also greater.
Research has shown that the highest rate of fat use occurs when
exercising at or slightly below the lactate threshold.
What matters is the rate of energy expenditure, rather than
simply the percentage of energy expenditure derived from fat.
Since you use only carbohydrates when exercising at a high intensity, does
that mean that if you run fast or take a high-intensity Spinning class, you
won’t get rid of that flabby belly? Of
course not. You don’t
need to use fat during exercise to lose fat from your body.
*******************************************************************
Running Economy
In 1930, David Dill and his colleagues were among the first physiologists
to suggest that there are marked differences in the amount of oxygen different
athletes use when running at the same speeds, and that these differences in
“economy” of oxygen use is a major factor explaining differences in
running performance in athletes with similar VO2max values.
For example, research has shown
that, while Kenyan runners have similar VO2max and lactate
threshold values as their American/European counterparts, the Kenyans are more
economical, possibly due to their light, non-muscular legs
that interestingly resemble those of thoroughbred race horses. The
heavier your legs, the more oxygen it costs to move them.
Running economy is probably even more important than the lactate
threshold in determining distance running performance because it indicates how hard
you’re working in relation to your maximum ability to use oxygen.
For example, if two runners have a VO2max of 70 milliliters
of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute and a lactate
threshold pace of 7 minutes per mile, but Runner A uses 50 and Runner B uses 60
milliliters of oxygen while running at 7:30 pace, the pace feels easier for
Runner A because he is more economical.
Therefore, Runner A can run faster before using the same amount of oxygen
and feeling the same amount of fatigue as Runner B. I
have yet to see a runner who has superior running economy who does not also
have a high VO2max and lactate threshold.
While many runners and coaches think that running economy is a reflection of
running form, it is more influenced by those microscopic structures that
influence oxygen delivery to and use by the muscles—capillaries and
mitochondria, the densities of which are both enhanced with high mileage. Research
has shown that runners who run high mileage (more than 70 miles per week) tend
to be more economical, which leads one to believe that running high mileage
improves running economy.
In addition to increasing mitochondrial and capillary density, the greater repetition of running movements may result in
better biomechanics and muscle fiber recruitment patterns and a
synchronization of breathing and stride rate, which may reduce the oxygen cost
of breathing. Running economy may also be improved by the weight loss that often
accompanies high mileage, which lowers the oxygen cost.
Since VO2max
plateaus with about 70 to 75 miles per week, improved running economy
may be the most significant attribute gained from running high mileage.
However, it’s hard to prove cause and effect, since it is not
entirely clear whether high mileage runners become more economical by running
more miles or are innately more economical and can therefore handle higher
mileage.
Want
to learn more about running economy? In my popular CD collection, The
3 Players of Distance Running, you’ll get all the info you could ever
want on running economy as well as VO2max and lactate threshold, including
specific workouts to improve your running performance!
To order, just go to http://www.runcoachjason.com/merchandise
or e-mail jason@runcoachjason.com.
*******************************************************************
In
Press...
Chasing
Pheidippides: Training to Combat Marathon Fatigue,
my article
that discusses the major causes of fatigue in the marathon, with advice
on how to combat them, appears
in the May/June, 2008 issue of Marathon & Beyond.
Top
7 Lessons for Coaching Runners,
my article in which I share some of the most important lessons I’ve
learned from coaching and researching runners, appears in the May, 2008 issue
of IDEA Fitness Journal, the premier trade magazine for personal trainers and
fitness professionals.
Much
has been written about strength training for the runner—everything from
lunges while holding dumbbells to calf raises on the edge of a stair to
endless repetitions of abdominal crunches while balancing on a big,
The Fat Burning Zone: Myth or Magic?, my article that busts the myths
of the fat burning zone, appears in the May, 2008 issue of the United Kingdom’s
Ultra-Fit magazine.
Show
Me The Treadmill: The Best Types of Cardio Equipment, my article that
examines the research on the best cardio equipment for burning calories, appears in the
Spring, 2008 issue of Duke
City Fit.
Four
Lessons I Have Learned from Physiology and How They Can Make You a Faster
Runner
appears in the June, 2008 issue of Running Times, on newsstands in May.
*******************************************************************
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.
*******************************************************************
©2008
Dr. Jason Karp.
home
about coach jason
coaching & personal training
consulting
writing
speaking
order merchandise
vo2max newsletter
training
press releases
testimonials
contact