Kyle Defoor
04-07-10, 12:14
Just some quick notes for those who asked. There is some other good info on the other running posts on M4C. I tried to not repaet. More info on my blog as well.
Form and the barefoot craze.
The barefoort thing is a little overbored and confusing. “Barefoot” means what it says and also it applies to those who run in a minimiliast shoe with no cushioning or structure- for the most part those shoes worn by barefooters protect the feet from burning pavement, roots and rocks, but provide no shock absorbsion. Think of it as a glorified slipper. Minimilist shoes are better for less injuries and performance, but, not everyone can do it. The real lesson to be learned here is to not heel strike- do a mid foot strike, and to not elevate the heel because of cushioning- it should be level with the rest of the bottom of your foot- just like standing baefooted. Elevation of the heel and heel striking WILL cause injuries throughout your legs and lower back.
On a side note- since I’ve been running in minimilist shoes I am never sore, I’ve never had an injury( I run more now than ever), I’m faster, I don’t do any warm-up or stretch, and I can go days (sometimes weeks) at a time without running and go right back to 65 mile weeks with no issues.
Shoes
Stick with the big four- Acics, New Balance, Nike, and Saucony. Minimiliast shoes will help with technique and form- I prefer the New Balance MT 100’s and 101’s. If you need cushioned shoes go for the Cadillac models from each manufacturer- the reason is because of the materials used (foam, rubber) and the construction methods (more stitching, more glue) are of higher quality.
Buy from a running specific store, not a big sporting goods chain. The reason is that no matter what they tell you- the chains don’t get the same shoe.
Use them for running-not going to the grocery. Replace every 3 to 6 months depending on mileage.
Training
For 5k and PT tests, 800 m and 400m sprints twice a week are the key. Generally, sprints equal to half of the goal distance. Tempo runs (look it up) are good as well. The rest of the week should be mileage at a steady pace- roughly 155 beats per minute (or 2 minutes per mile slower than race pace)- that’s right, run slower get faster. Always take 1 or 2 days off per week, and not necessarily one after another or always Saturdays and Sundays- your body doesn’t know what a 7 day week is! Do it like the Kenyans- run how you feel that day with the goal being 4 or 5 days of running per week.
Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 Rest 3 m run 5 x 400 3 m run Rest 3 m run 5 m run
2 Rest 3 m run 30 min tempo 3 m run Rest 3 m fast 5 m run
3 Rest 3 m run 6 x 400 3 m run Rest 4 m run 6 m run
4 Rest 3 m run 35 min tempo 3 m run Rest Rest 5-K Test
5 Rest 3 m run 7 x 400 3 m run Rest 4 m fast 6 m run
6 Rest 3 m run 40 min tempo 3 m run Rest 5 m run 7 m run
7 Rest 3 m run 8 x 400 3 m run Rest 5 m fast 7 m run
8 Rest 2 m run 30 min tempo 2 m run Rest Rest 5-K Race
For marathons, the real key is time on your feet and mileage. Sprint work is generally not needed until you knock out a couple of races and see how you feel. Yasso 800’s (look it up) are a great marathon sprint workout and a good gauge of how you’ll do. For the long mileage- don’t worry about pace just get er done.
Week Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
1
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 5 m pace 8
2
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 3 m run 9
3
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 5 m pace 6
4
cross 3 m run 6 m run 3 m run rest 6 m pace 11
5
cross 3 m run 6 m run 3 m run rest 6 m run 12
6
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 6 m pace 9
7
cross 4 m run 7 m run 4 m run rest 7 m pace 14
8
cross 4 m run 7 m run 4 m run rest 7 m run 15
9
cross 4 m run 5 m run 4 m run rest 7 m pace 11
10
cross 4 m run 8 m run 4 m run rest 8 m pace 17
11
cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 8 m run 18
12
cross 5 m run 5 m run 5 m run rest 8 m pace 13
13
cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 5 m pace 20
14
cross 5 m run 5 m run 5 m run rest 8 m run 12
15
cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 5 m pace 20
16
cross 5 m run 6 m run 5 m run rest 4 m pace 12
17
cross 4 m run 5 m run 4 m run rest 3 m run 8
18
cross 3 m run 4 m run rest rest 2 m run race
For ultras, the key is injury prevention ( shoes and form), fueling, and very high mileage. I generally don’t go out for less than an hour (7/8 miles). Sometimes I’ll run an hour before work and an hour after during one day. In real hard months I’ll add an hour during lunch if possible. Weekends are always a minimum 15 miler. I generally believe that anything over 17/18 is counter productive.
As for fueling- you have to know when to do it, and the only way you’re going to get than info is to go until your body almost crashes. GUs are my #1 source of fuel. I know that I can run 10 miles w/o one in moderate heat. After that I need one every 30- 45 min depending on conditions. I can also do 8 miles or so without water as long as I pre-hydrate with at least one full bottle. After that I need a bottle per 3 or 4 miles depending on heat and conditions. I’ll also take salt tablets along the way with the Gus- generally one every 30- 45 min.
You don’t have to be a waif like fragile being to be a good runner. I’m 5’8”, 170 and I have friends that are way bigger and way faster. Also, don’t let bad experiences of the past (military) keep you from doing it. All good hunters run;)
Form and the barefoot craze.
The barefoort thing is a little overbored and confusing. “Barefoot” means what it says and also it applies to those who run in a minimiliast shoe with no cushioning or structure- for the most part those shoes worn by barefooters protect the feet from burning pavement, roots and rocks, but provide no shock absorbsion. Think of it as a glorified slipper. Minimilist shoes are better for less injuries and performance, but, not everyone can do it. The real lesson to be learned here is to not heel strike- do a mid foot strike, and to not elevate the heel because of cushioning- it should be level with the rest of the bottom of your foot- just like standing baefooted. Elevation of the heel and heel striking WILL cause injuries throughout your legs and lower back.
On a side note- since I’ve been running in minimilist shoes I am never sore, I’ve never had an injury( I run more now than ever), I’m faster, I don’t do any warm-up or stretch, and I can go days (sometimes weeks) at a time without running and go right back to 65 mile weeks with no issues.
Shoes
Stick with the big four- Acics, New Balance, Nike, and Saucony. Minimiliast shoes will help with technique and form- I prefer the New Balance MT 100’s and 101’s. If you need cushioned shoes go for the Cadillac models from each manufacturer- the reason is because of the materials used (foam, rubber) and the construction methods (more stitching, more glue) are of higher quality.
Buy from a running specific store, not a big sporting goods chain. The reason is that no matter what they tell you- the chains don’t get the same shoe.
Use them for running-not going to the grocery. Replace every 3 to 6 months depending on mileage.
Training
For 5k and PT tests, 800 m and 400m sprints twice a week are the key. Generally, sprints equal to half of the goal distance. Tempo runs (look it up) are good as well. The rest of the week should be mileage at a steady pace- roughly 155 beats per minute (or 2 minutes per mile slower than race pace)- that’s right, run slower get faster. Always take 1 or 2 days off per week, and not necessarily one after another or always Saturdays and Sundays- your body doesn’t know what a 7 day week is! Do it like the Kenyans- run how you feel that day with the goal being 4 or 5 days of running per week.
Week Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 Rest 3 m run 5 x 400 3 m run Rest 3 m run 5 m run
2 Rest 3 m run 30 min tempo 3 m run Rest 3 m fast 5 m run
3 Rest 3 m run 6 x 400 3 m run Rest 4 m run 6 m run
4 Rest 3 m run 35 min tempo 3 m run Rest Rest 5-K Test
5 Rest 3 m run 7 x 400 3 m run Rest 4 m fast 6 m run
6 Rest 3 m run 40 min tempo 3 m run Rest 5 m run 7 m run
7 Rest 3 m run 8 x 400 3 m run Rest 5 m fast 7 m run
8 Rest 2 m run 30 min tempo 2 m run Rest Rest 5-K Race
For marathons, the real key is time on your feet and mileage. Sprint work is generally not needed until you knock out a couple of races and see how you feel. Yasso 800’s (look it up) are a great marathon sprint workout and a good gauge of how you’ll do. For the long mileage- don’t worry about pace just get er done.
Week Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
1
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 5 m pace 8
2
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 3 m run 9
3
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 5 m pace 6
4
cross 3 m run 6 m run 3 m run rest 6 m pace 11
5
cross 3 m run 6 m run 3 m run rest 6 m run 12
6
cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 6 m pace 9
7
cross 4 m run 7 m run 4 m run rest 7 m pace 14
8
cross 4 m run 7 m run 4 m run rest 7 m run 15
9
cross 4 m run 5 m run 4 m run rest 7 m pace 11
10
cross 4 m run 8 m run 4 m run rest 8 m pace 17
11
cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 8 m run 18
12
cross 5 m run 5 m run 5 m run rest 8 m pace 13
13
cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 5 m pace 20
14
cross 5 m run 5 m run 5 m run rest 8 m run 12
15
cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 5 m pace 20
16
cross 5 m run 6 m run 5 m run rest 4 m pace 12
17
cross 4 m run 5 m run 4 m run rest 3 m run 8
18
cross 3 m run 4 m run rest rest 2 m run race
For ultras, the key is injury prevention ( shoes and form), fueling, and very high mileage. I generally don’t go out for less than an hour (7/8 miles). Sometimes I’ll run an hour before work and an hour after during one day. In real hard months I’ll add an hour during lunch if possible. Weekends are always a minimum 15 miler. I generally believe that anything over 17/18 is counter productive.
As for fueling- you have to know when to do it, and the only way you’re going to get than info is to go until your body almost crashes. GUs are my #1 source of fuel. I know that I can run 10 miles w/o one in moderate heat. After that I need one every 30- 45 min depending on conditions. I can also do 8 miles or so without water as long as I pre-hydrate with at least one full bottle. After that I need a bottle per 3 or 4 miles depending on heat and conditions. I’ll also take salt tablets along the way with the Gus- generally one every 30- 45 min.
You don’t have to be a waif like fragile being to be a good runner. I’m 5’8”, 170 and I have friends that are way bigger and way faster. Also, don’t let bad experiences of the past (military) keep you from doing it. All good hunters run;)