Guest post by Coach Al Lyman! If you’re new here, I’m training for the St. George Marathon using his very detailed, structured marathon plan and I was curious as to the “why” of hopping in the plan. So, here is the answer. Thought you all would be interested in this!!

If you want to be able to run faster or longer more easily, it stands to reason that one of the key goals during your training should be to decrease the energy cost of running, or to put it in scientific terms, increase your efficiency or economy of movement. If you can do that, any given running speed will be at a lower percentage of your maximum “cost,” and thus should feel easier for you. Before I tell you some quick and easy ways to improve your running efficiency, I want to tell you a little bit about what is actually going on during the run stride that directly effects how efficient you are.

As you may know, about 50% of the energy that propels you forward during the run stride comes from elastic and reactive “energy-return” of your muscles! Your legs are essentially acting like springs when you run. When your foot hits the ground, various muscles and tendons are stretched and this stretching process stores energy. When the muscles and other soft tissue recoil as you toe-off, that energy is returned to help you move forward. If you didn’t have this “energy return,” then your heart and leg muscles would have to work a LOT harder for you to be able to run at any given speed.

The key to improving efficiency, or as I put it earlier, to “decrease the energy cost of running,” is to train to enhance the energy return, or “springiness,” of your legs. If they can store more energy, and release it more fully and more quickly during toe-off, your energy cost to run at that speed will decrease, and you’ll be able to run faster. This is the principal reason why you hear me say in Runner-CORE that one KEY to improved running form is to get your feet UP and OFF the ground as quickly as possible. Short ground contact time is unequivocally one of the most important elements to improved form, and improved efficiency.

Runner-CORE is a great program to help you begin to improve your functional strength and coordination so that your legs become more elastic, resilient and “springy.” To get even more benefit and take this to the next level however, you should begin to augment your training with some specific drills which will do a great job of enhancing this springiness, and thus your efficiency.

Incorporate the 3 drills below into your running and strength routine, and watch your energy cost drop and your leg speed and endurance soar! The first drill takes an existing exercise from Circuit #3 and enhances it. The 2^nd and 3^rd drills you can integrate into any run you do.

I highly recommend you try these as a part of your Runner-CORE workouts (as outlined below), or integrated right into your “quality” run workouts, AFTER your warm-up but prior to the “quality” portion of your run. Use caution as you progress – if you’ve never done hopping or bounding for any length of time, you may well be sore in the 26-48 hrs afterward. Have fun, train smart!

1) One-Leg Split Squats with Lateral Hops:

In circuit #3, one of the most challenging exercises are the 1-Leg Split Squats. You can progress with these by incorporating lateral hops on each leg. To do these, stand with one leg forward and one leg back up on a bench or block. As you lower the front leg to the point where these is about a 90degree bend in your front leg, explode UP and hop laterally about 10-12 inches, hop back to center, and then immediately hop to the other side about the same distance of 10-12 inches, before coming back to the center one last time. That’s 4 hops in all. Maintain good upright posture at all times and keep the back leg in position. Explode upward and to the side and really feel the enhanced SPRING in this action!

2) One-Leg Hopping:

Integrated into your run workouts or as part of a Runner-CORE session, these rapid “hops” (done in place or while you’re moving gradually forward) can get challenging! Begin with one foot up and the other in contact with the ground, with support right over your mid-foot. Begin hopping on one foot as fast as you can, as though your feet are in contact with a hot stove or hot coals! Your hips should remain nearly motionless and NOT move up or down. The action is at your feet! After hopping for 30 seconds on one leg, switch to the other side. Begin with 1 or 2 sets of 30-seconds on each side, and progress up to as much as 3-5 sets of 1-minute or more.

3) Skipping!

Occasionally integrate 2-3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds of skipping into a run. Try to keep ground contact time as short as possible and explode forward, bounding farther and farther with each stride. Start with short segments until your body has time to adapt and build both duration and sets over time. Have fun with it!

To summarize, I like to integrate these “hopping” segments right into my runs, by mixing in short fast segments of running in between the hopping sets. Mix it up, challenge yourself, and have fun! When you do these, you’ll soon discover that they can tire you out quickly, and that as you fatigue, it becomes harder and harder to get your feet UP off the ground quickly!

As always, you should use caution and start conservatively as you implement these drills into your routine. They are challenging and will result in some soreness if you’re doing them for the first time. Train smart, be progressive, and have fun!

Happy Trails!

- Coach Al

Coach Al Lyman, CSCS, is a nationally recognized full time professional coach, author, columnist, and motivational speaker, who has truly “been there and done that” in the world of endurance sports and his passionate about helping other get there too. As an athlete, besides being a 25-time marathon finisher with a PB of 2:39 at the Boston Marathon, Coach Al is a 9-time Ironman Triathlon finisher and has qualified for and finished 3-times at the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. As a coach, his mission and passion is to “help people from every walk of life and ability level to achieve their dreams and goals through their participation in endurance sports.” To read his “story,” go here: http://coach-al.com/bio.html

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Reader Question:

“How do I increase my endurance? I used to be able to run 10 minute miles but now I can barely complete one mile without being winded. I’d really like to increase my speed and ability to complete a 5km in a reasonable amount of time. I’m also planning on participating in another sprint triathlon in September and I’d really like to do better.”

Multiple answers here so, readers, feel free to jump in with anything I forgot!

1. Pick a local 5km race to do NOW. I’m thinking in 6 weeks you could be ready for a 5km. Pay for it.

2. Commit to a minimum of three running days per week, plus one cross training day, plus CORE and strength training work sprinkled throughout your week.

3. Challenge yourself in your workouts. Wear a heart rate monitor and determine your zones. 1 being walking to 5 equaling a full on sprint. I’d like you to do a little speed work in each workout starting with as little as 20 seconds FAST, followed by 20 seconds slow. You will also need to incorporate some hill repeats once per week at 30 seconds UP, 30 recovery. Your objective is to complete your next 5km faster than your last, therefor, you will need to step up your running accordingly. Not a lot, but, if you don’t train your body to go fast, it won’t know how.

4. Your long runs don’t need to be any longer than 3-4 miles and you work up to that many miles.

5. Take care of your body, stretch properly, and do some networking among your friends. Find the friends that will encourage you to run faster and run with them.

6. Stay positive. Visualize yourself crossing the finish line faster than your goal time. Right now, you need to come up with a GOAL time that you’d like to see on that clock. Write it down. You can also put little sticky notes around your house with the goal time. So that you are always CONSCIOUS of your goal.

7. I also recommend finding a running group in your area to run with at least once per week. This will help motivate you to run faster during training so that you can be better equipped to run with the group.

8. You need a PLAN. Runner’s World has tons of free training plans you can simply download, Matt Fitzgerald offers some pretty comprehensive running plans starting at beginner 5kms called Brain Training for Runners, and most of you know that I am partial to Al Lyman’s (Coach Al) running/triathlon plans. He offers basic running plans or beginning sprint triathlon plans for as little as $29. If you’re really commited, you could find a running coach in your area or pay an online coaching business to help you get up and running.

Finally, the most important part of all this wonderful training is that as you become fitter, you will be more confidant. Confidence= success in my book.

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Montrail Trail Race

8km

June 21, 2008

Christina, Katy, Amber, Bobbi, Tessie, Me

Oiselle Running Tops

685 women competed in this women’s only event. The race consisted of approximately 1 mile on asphalt and the rest of the course on a challenging, single track trail. I loved it! There were two really steep GUT BUSTING hills but the rest of the course was a blast. As for the heat (100 degrees by the finish) it wasn’t a problem because most of the trails were shaded. For a women’s only event- I’m sorry to say that we had several male pirates in the race. Not only were they pirating the race, but they were causing “rolling road blocks” on a very narrow road. If you’re going to PIRATE a race, do everybody a favor and get out of the way of the women!

My team (seeMommyRun) did really well. We (Bobbi and I) were doing a Sprint Triathlon the next day, so the goal of the race was to have fun but not “to race it”. As a team we maintained a pace of 8:10 (Bobbi)- Christina (10:42) per mile pace. I’m also happy to say that both Bobbi and I were fortunate enough to place in our age groups and our prize is a new pair of shoes!! How cool is that?

Thank you Montrail for sponsoring a women’s only event! Why only Cliff Bar, Montrail, Nuun, were the only sponsors is beyond me. With that many women, you’d think there would be tons of companies whose products are primarily for women such as running clothes, gear, etc.. This is the place to promote your products! On a more positive note, we all got a perfectly fitted technical tee and a pair of socks!

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“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.” Andrew Carnegie

Today is the start of my marathon training. I am doing the St. George Marathon on Oct. 4th, 2008. As previously discussed, it is a long time goal of mine to go sub-four hours. Specifically, I have a goal of 3:30. There, it’s out there NOW. Can’t hide behind vague numbers anymore. I have a plan and a few training partners as well as a few virtual training partners in KCH and Fitarella, both participating in the NYC Marathon. This is a BIG goal for me. 40 minutes faster than my PR.

How am I going to achieve that goal? The first thing I did was organize my marathon plan in a spiffy notebook, then, I took a prior marathon finish photo of myself, decorated it and planted it in the front of the notebook. Except, it doesn’t say 4:10, it says 3:30. I have also strategically placed notes for myself all over the house about my goal time with the date. I know how 8 minute miles feel like. I can picture putting 26 miles together at 8 minutes a mile. I even have a reward picked out for myself if I achieve it (to be discussed later).

This is a pretty gritty photo of me from the Rock N Roll Marathon in ‘04. I was really pissed that some bee-yatch was attempting to sprint past me on the finish line. Don’t worry, I beat her. But, I was digging DEEP to get there first.

Jack Canfield has written a wonderful book called the Success Principles How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. I took his ideas and transferred them into my marathon goal. 1. Create a Goals Book (check). 2. Carry your most important goal in your wallet (check). 3. Write multiple goals in all areas of your life (not done yet) 4. Write goals down and read them in the morning and night. 5. Tell your friends and family your goal so that you can be accountable.

“You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process of achieving it you become someone worth becoming.” Jim Rohn

What’s your pie in the sky goal?

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What kind of athlete are you and your wife? Do you specialize in running, cycling or Tri?

Paul: I prefer triathlons. I was a swimmer in high school, so it’s been an easy transition to get back in the water. I’ve never been much of a runner, I’m getting better, but I’d still much rather walk!

Kim: I have been participating in running races since 2000. I completed my first Half Marathon in September 2001 and I was hooked! I love the distance, enough challenge without being too demanding on my personal life. I annually run the Steamboat Springs Half Marathon and it has been a goal for many years to complete two half marathons in one year. So last year I completed the Steamboat Half and the Denver Half. I was so inspired by this and so happy to have a fantastic running partner in my friend Rebecca that I have changed from a seasonal runner to someone who ran throughout the entire year (sun, rain, sleet and snow) and now think that I am ready to kick it up a notch and have aspirations to run a full marathon.

How do you workout your training to fit in to family life? My hubby is a competitive cyclist and we occasionally have issues with who gets to race.

Paul: Communication and scheduling is the key for us. We prioritize exercise into our schedule and commit to ourselves that no matter what is going on, we will work out at least 1 hour a day. With two small kids, a full time job and living 1800 miles away from your family, the deck is definitely not stacked in our favor. I started attending classes at the local recreation center (Boot Camp, Kick Boxing and Spinning) where they offer day care, which allows both Kim and I to work out together. With race specific training, it works out pretty well that Kim is a morning person and I feel more motivated to work out after work, so our schedules work together to allow us to meet our training objectives.

Kim: We’ve done a few races together, but not to many. We just did the Bolder Boulder (10k with 53k + runners), where we got a babysitter for the morning and had a blast! Normally it is difficult to complete races together with the boys so we simply pick our favorite races, make a cooperative race schedule over the winter and participate with our training partners. However, we are committed to supporting each other and we never miss a race the other is participating in! There is nothing like crossing the finish line and having Paul waiting there for me or even better having the boys run across the finish line with me! http://www.ck-photography.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=9&userid=ckiffney

What wise tips could you offer a beginning runner, triathlete or cyclist?

Paul: If you’re just coming off the couch like I was a year ago, take it slow. I started with once a week and I’ve worked up to 6 days a week, sometimes twice a day. Also get a good pair of running shoes. When I was preparing for my first triathlon, I read Slow Fat Triathlete: Live your athletic dreams in the body you have now and it was really motivating and encouraging. You don’t have to wait until you have six pack abs or perfect conditions to compete in a 5k, 10k or sprint triathlon. Get out there and do it. You also don’t need a lot of fancy equipment. I did my first triathlon on my 10 year old mountain bike and it was a blast. Another fun idea for beginners is to keep a blog to track your training, challenges and race reports. We just started one recently and it’s been a lot of fun. (www.familyfanclub.blogspot.com).

Kim: Get a partner! Finding a friend that has the same goals and objectives is the greatest thing. It gives you a reason to get out of bed early in the morning or to the gym after a long hard day. It is too easy to skip out on a workout because there “isn’t time” but when you know someone is there waiting for you to show up it strengthens your commitment. Plus I swear that when Rebecca and I run together the more we talk the quicker our pace and the faster the miles pass!

How did family fan club get started?

Kim: Paul has been attending my many races over the last eight years as the wonderful dedicated husband that he is. He has been talking about completing a triathlon for several years and I was so proud of him for making the commitment to training and achieving one of his goals that I really wanted to make it a memorable day! So I had some shirts made for the boys showing how awesome they think their dad is! It was so cute, the boys were yelling and cheering for Dad as he ran through transition, rode by on his bike and finished his first triathlon like the champion we all knew he was! After the race so many people commented on how cute the shirts were and even asked where they could buy them that we knew we were on to something!

Paul: We opened an online store in November 2007 (www.familyfanclub.net) and our shirts are being sold in several local stores in the Boulder, CO area. We’re also participating at race expos along the Colorado Front Range in 2008. Our most popular designs are Triathlon Daddy, Run Mommy Run, Run Like a Girl and It’s Business Time (Triathlon and Running). We also offer customization if you’re supporting a friend or other family member.

What is your professional background?

Paul: I’m an IT professional by day, aspiring triathlete and graphic designer by night.

Kim: I’m currently a stay at home momprenuer. In addition to running Family Fan Club and the show at home (2 boys, Connor (5) and Griffin (3)), I also have a labor and birth apparel business called BINSI (www.birthinbinsi.com), which provides women with an alternative to standard issue hospital gowns.

JUST FOR YOU!!

One lucky winner will win a RUN MOMMY RUN tank top! Simply post a comment to be entered to win. Thanks. Winner must provide a US Mailing Address and reply to email within 24 hours. This contest will end on June 4th at 9pm (PST).

*****Number 68 is the winner************

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