unCoachJasonTM
VO2max
The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com
Dr. Jason Karp, professional coach, consultant, freelance writer
Director & Coach, REVO2LT Running Team™
October, 2007
*******************************************************************
In
this issue:
Jason Karp Receives Ph.D.
RunCoachJason.com to be Highlighted at Duke City Marathon
Workout Speeds
Which Exercise Burns the Most Calories?
Customized Training Programs
In
Press
*******************************************************************
Jason Karp Receives Ph.D.
I
have very good news to report in this newsletter. On September 24th, I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation
on the entrainment of breathing to stride rate in highly-trained distance
runners to earn my
Ph.D. in exercise physiology. Yippeee! This is one of the biggest accomplishments of
my life, and I hope each of you, in your own way, can celebrate with me!
As I learned over the past seven years, there is a large transformation that
takes place over a number of years between a master’s degree and a Ph.D.
What changes is that you go from reading the research of others to
being one of the researchers. You
go from reading the works of other scholars to being one of the scholars whose
work is read. You go from reading
the novels of others to writing your own novel.
You go from being on the outside looking in to being on the inside.
You go from watching the poker game to sitting at the table with your
own set of chips. Despite all the
stress, frustration, and anxiety that accompanies the pursuit of a Ph.D.,
that’s pretty darn cool.
*******************************************************************
RunCoachJason.com to be Highlighted at Duke City Marathon
If you're in the Albuquerque area this month, or will be participating in the Duke City Marathon, Half-Marathon, Marathon Relay, or 5-K, come check out my booth at the Duke City Marathon Race Expo at the Albuquerque Convention Center on October 20th, 2007. You'll receive lots of info about my coaching services, including the opportunity to receive one month of free coaching when you purchase 6 months and two months of free coaching when you purchase 12 months. You can also get my popular CD collection, The 3 Players of Distance Running, in which you’ll get all the info you could ever want on running economy, VO2max, and lactate threshold, including specific workouts to help you reach your running goals! And you can run in style and comfort the next day in the race with RunCoachJason.com’s official REVO2LT Running Team™ lightweight dri-fit T-shirt, which you can also order anytime at http://www.runcoachjason.com/merchandise.
*******************************************************************
Workout Speeds
(excerpted
from Karp, J.R. The Errors of Our Running Ways.
Running Times. July/Aug. 2006.)
One of the biggest errors runners make is running workouts at incorrect speeds. Run your workouts too fast, and you may not meet the purpose of the workout. At the very least, you’ll add unnecessary fatigue to your legs without extra benefit. For example, say you want to improve your maximal rate of oxygen consumption (VO2max), and you plan to run mile repeats at the speed at VO2max (100 percent maximal heart rate). If running each mile in 5:30 elicits VO2max (and max heart rate), running each repeat in 5:15 will certainly also elicit VO2max. But why run each mile in 5:15 when you can run it in 5:30 and still get the same benefit? Running faster is not always better. On the other hand, if you run your workouts too slow, you may not obtain the desired benefit at all. For example, research has shown that cardiovascular benefits are minimal when running below about 60 percent of your maximal heart rate. As a coach, I’ve noticed that the most difficult type of workout to run at the correct pace is the lactate threshold (tempo) run. Many runners, especially those who are inexperienced with this workout, have a difficult time holding back the pace and finding their fastest sustainable aerobic pace.
To
determine the correct pace, you must know the purpose of each workout.
Running at the correct pace will more specifically target the
physiological variable you’re trying to train, such as VO2max or
lactate threshold. Since the goal
of training is to obtain the greatest benefit while incurring the least amount
of stress, you want to run as slow as you can while still obtaining the
desired result. To optimize your
training, follow these pacing guidelines:
Recovery
and Long Runs: 1½ to 2 minutes slower than 5K race pace; 65 to 75 percent max
heart rate.
Lactate
Threshold (Tempo) Runs: About 10 to 15 seconds per mile slower than 5K
race pace (or about 10K race pace) for slower, recreational runners (75 to 80
percent max heart rate); about 25 to 30 seconds per mile slower than 5K race
pace (or about 15 to 20 seconds per mile slower than 10K race pace) for
talented and highly-trained runners (85 to 90 percent max heart rate).
The pace should feel “comfortably
hard.”
Long
Intervals (2 to 5 minutes): The speed at VO2max (about 3K race pace
for highly-trained runners; between mile and 3K race pace for less talented
runners); reaching 95 to 100 percent max heart rate by the end of each work
period.
Short
Intervals (1 to 2 minutes): Mile race pace.
*******************************************************************
Which Exercise Burns the Most Calories?
Want
to burn lots of calories? Hop on
the treadmill. A study published
in Medicine and Science in Sports
and Exercise,
in which subjects were free to select their own exercise intensity, found that
oxygen consumption and caloric expenditure were significantly greater during
treadmill running than during stationary cycling, cross-country skiing on a
NordicTrack, and aerobic riding on a HealthRider. Heart
rate was similar during treadmill running and cross-country skiing, but was
lower during cycling and aerobic riding. Although
subjects reported a similar perceived exertion for treadmill running,
cross-country skiing, and cycling, the highest oxygen consumption and caloric
expenditure occurred during treadmill running.
*******************************************************************
Customized Training Programs
If you’re training for the 800 meters, mile, 5-K, 10-K, half-marathon, or marathon, and want a science-based program suited to your needs, try Coach Jason’s popular customized training programs for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels! To receive your own training program, contact Coach Jason at jason@runcoachjason.com or go to http://www.runcoachjason.com/merchandise.
*******************************************************************
In
Press...
The
Three Players of Distance Running: An In-Depth Look at Lactate Threshold, Part
2 of
my series that explores the physiology of
distance running, appears in the Fall, 2007 issue of Track Coach, the
official technical publication of USA Track & Field.
Carbohydrates
and the Distance Runner: A Scientific Perspective, my research-based
article on the role that carbohydrates plays in distance
running, with recommendations for maximizing muscle glycogen
synthesis,
appears in the Fall, 2007 issue of The Coach, the
United Kingdom’s track and field coaching magazine.
Ever
wonder how many miles you should run to maximize your performance? How Much
Mileage is Enough?, my article that explores
the question of how much mileage is necessary
to maximize VO2max and other variables related to
performance, appears
in the Fall, 2007 issue of The Coach.
My
Fitness News contributions on track
workouts, exercise and anemia, concentric strength training, and getting the
most out of bench presses and push-ups appear in the October, 2007 issue of Oxygen
magazine.
How
They Train: A Study of U.S.
Olympic Marathon Trials Qualifiers, data from my research
documenting how the best marathoners in the
U.S. train, with comparisons made between men and women and elite
and national-class runners, appears in the November, 2007 issue of Running Times,
on newsstands in October.
Rare Air, my article on altitude training, appears in the November, 2007 issue of Running Times, on
newsstands in October.
My
Fitness News contributions on the importance of goals and
exercise and breast cancer appear in the November, 2007 issue of Oxygen
magazine, on newsstands in October.
*******************************************************************
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.
*******************************************************************
©2007
Jason Karp.
home
about coach jason
coaching & personal training
consulting
writing
speaking
order merchandise
vo2max newsletter
training
press releases
testimonials
contact