Long Steady Distance

LSD - The term that I have used for years with tongue-in-cheek approach to base training. You know, the psychedelic drug well known for its psychological effect on spiritual experiences and altered sense of time.  It is a way, maybe, to create excitement about going for an extended length run at a slow pace.

In a sense, it is a relief to just go out and not worry about pace or lap times. No need to push the limit each interval faster than the last. No split times because there are no intervals! Often, the destination is the focal point - finish an entire trail network, loop around a lake, or summit a mountain.

I was encouraged by getting out with a few friends for an entire day jogging around the backcountry and reaching the summit of no less than three peaks; Mt. Castlecrag, Mt. Frink, and Mt. Albert Edward. The last of which has been a goal for a handful of years. Luckily the temperature was low and below freezing so the snow that had fallen weeks prior was now frozen solid but yet had some good grip. A good eight hours of steady running. It was getting close to that psychedelic LSD I was speaking of earlier.

For the next few months the long steady distance runs (not LSD!) are still going to persist in my training plan - not only because they are important for long term adaptation but because I truly enjoy them! The next step is starting to get intensity ramped up without over doing it OR getting injured. I have been shown a new tool in guiding my training to get to the next level. WHAT IS THE PROPER RECOVERY TIME?
More on this soon... Hint: heart rate variability.

The 2015 Race Calendar:

Jan. 8 - Saanichton 8km #1 Island Race Series/BC Champs/Timex Series
Jan. 25 - Cobble Hill 10km
Feb. 8 - Cedar 12km?
Feb. 15 - First Half - Vancouver 1/2 marathon
Feb. 22 - Hatley 8km?
Mar. 8 - Bazan Bay 8km
Mar. 22 - Comox Valley Half Marathon
Apr. 12 - Merville 15km
Jun. 14 - Country Roads Half Marathon - Comox Valley Marathon
etc.

Turning the Page

The training that was completed over the winter is now paying off. I finally was able to break through some of my previous barriers that I had set over the past year. I came off four months of virtually no training when I travelled around Australia and NZ last fall to building up volume & intensities through the winter. I used some new testing protocols to guide my training bimonthly with MOXY Oxygen Monitors. This testing both helped me take the proper recovery but also implemented more specific intensities to perform with peak running efficiency.

New Science of Running

An new book was delivered this week hot of the press this month. Steve Magness brings together a pile of current research (that rocks the old theory on performance testing) in a readable format. It has two parts; the first is the science behind the radical new training programs and secondly it puts forth a suggested plan for your specific event.
I like that the book because it teaches us to get away from relying on lactate threshold levels and VO2Max testing to design a training program. For years I completed lactate testing throughout the training macro-cycle with little actual correlation to my current training and athletes that did exactly the same training would have different levels. It turns out that lactate is used as a fuel source at higher intensities. Why would we want to limit the production of this essential energy molecule? I now do workouts to train my body to efficiently transport lactate into and out of the cell, so it can be effectively used to produce energy.
The biggest part of my training this spring has been to really emphasise proper recovery sessions. I have always liked to do multi-sport days back to back with no recovery. During the winter building phase of training I think this is fine and keeps my mind motivated but as I hone into peak performance for task-specific training I need to prevent the overtraining effect it has on my body. It is actually very odd for me to take a day or two off training... at least doing something!  But, I feel much stronger because of it.

Next up is the Shawnigan Lake Sprint Triathlon May, 25th - a qualifier for the 2015 World Sprint Championships in Chicago. After that is an Olympic Distance triathlon in Victoria on June 15th, and the Xterra Off-road triathlon in Victoria on July 6th.

Fit Chiropractic.

Marching Forward!

Things have come together for the past few weeks. I have implemented a completely new training regime with the help of my coach/mentor Matt. We re-focused my efforts away from short quick runs for efficiency sake and brought back the long-steady-distance plan. And, you know what, it is working!
 I have been trying to get the most out of my limited schedule for years. As much as I want to, I don't have an unlimited amount of time to dedicate to training and performance. For the past three months I have spent some attention to be able to determine my limiting factors (in performance) and then find ways to fix them.

This is where my time spent with MOXY monitor has come in. It is a new sports-science tool to investigate what is the limiting factor in delivering oxygen to the muscles. It is a technique that has been used for a decade in the hospital but only recently has it been made small enough and mobile application for testing performance.
Through this testing I have found two things (so far) that were very important for improving my baseline. My long steady distance training was not long or steady enough! I needed to slow my pace down to a level where physiologic adaptive changes could be made (increase capillary density in muscle, increase levels of mitochondria, vaso-dilation of peripheral arterioles, etc.). Second of all, I had an oxygen delivery problem. I was not getting enough oxygen to my muscles from a limit in my respiratory system or the cardiovascular system.  Through MOXY testing we determined that I needed to work on my strength and endurance the respiratory system.
I have now been using the SpiroTiger system for six weeks. I have noticed a dramatic change in my daily respiratory rate, not to mention when I'm at red-lining!  The system is fairly straight forward: the diaphragm and accessory breathing muscles can be trained exactly the same way we train the rest of our body for performance. It is like a dumbell for our lungs or maybe more like a treadmill. It uses a computer to monitor and modify breathing frequency and a silicon bag attached to a tubing system that directs CO2 out and O2 in.

It is amazing how hard this workout is. I consider it a workout because within 3-5minutes of using it, I will break out in a heavy sweat and it takes all my focus to keep at full effort. The computer on the SpiroTiger warns if you are hypoventilating and going to pass out and it will also sound an alarm when you are breathing too deep (hyperventilating).

In my experience (along with all the research) I have noticed an ability to hold higher intensities for a longer period of time.  The muscles between my ribs and my diaphragm actually get a bit sore after a hard SprioTiger workout! For someone else to use the same set-up all they need is a user-set of tubes and a silicon balloon, the computer can be shared with a few people.  If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.