I've been told not to run

My running came to a sudden, unforeseen stop last Wednesday. The doctor told me not to run until my arm had "settled down" — at the moment, it's settled, but settled up! On the Monday prior, I'd noticed significant swelling in the arm, which came on abruptly. A visit to the E.D. and an ultrasound showed numerous blood clots. Turns out I have DVT in the arm — unusual, as when we think of DVT the legs come to mind. The cause in my case is uncertain. It could be due to a trauma (I vaguely recall bashing my wrist into a door a while back), or some underlying 'mechanical' cause. Further blood tests and a ct-scan later this month may shed further light on the mystery.

I'm on a 3-week course of Rivaroxaban (2 tablets per day), followed by a further 3 months of 1 tablet per day. This drug thins the blood and prevents further clotting, but from what I've read, it's the body's own systems that either break down the clots or divert blood around the damaged veins. The danger of running while I'm in this acute phase is that more rapid blood movement may dislodge a clot and move it to the lungs. The doctor said "unlikely now" [that I'm on Rivaroxaban], but that I should be careful. She said light (lower HR?) exercise is okay and encouraged, such as walking but running is out until the swelling has reduced. Apparently this could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a month or more.

So, my immediate running and racing plans are on hold. No dicing with Janene in the Mother's Day 5k Classic this Sunday! I'm hopeful of being able to race in the City to Surf in August. I think July's Gold Coast 10k could be too soon. In the meantime, I've commenced a streak of not running — now up to 7 days and counting. Go me!

 Left 'normal' arm and right 'Popeye' arm (with skin graft)

Grey is Okay

Does anaerobic running erode aerobic fitness?

Back in 2007 I wrote 'Guilty of being grey' — I confessed to being a 'grey runner' who didn't run black and white workouts (either very hard or very easy). Maffetone training is grey running, so how can it be superior to black and white training? I think, for 80% of the population, Maffetone training is the best method to improve (run faster) and stay healthy.

Many elite runners swear by black and white training, so why wouldn't a 'cut-down' version of this work for the average weekend warrior? I think the answer lies in the theory that regular lactic acid production (over time) somehow erodes aerobic fitness. There's a lot of anecdotal evidence of this — one famous 13-page thread on Letsrun.com had many examples of runners who were successful because they didn't do anaerobic interval training. Bob Hodge (2:12 marathoner) said "Most folk's never approach the pinnacle of consistent running that they can handle, therefore the intervals become 'premature withdrawals' from the bank of mileage base they try to build." Other runners reported early season PBs after a winter of steady base-building, then becoming excited and introducing interval training (to further improve their speed), only to have performances paradoxically tail off over the racing season.

I think we hobby joggers need to remember that elite distance runners are typically doing a LOT of aerobic running. Those on mixed running programmes of the type popularised by Pat Clohessy and Chris Wardlaw are running upwards of 160 kilometres per week. Less than 5% of this mileage would be lactic acid producing anaerobic running. I have a theory that the large amount of aerobic running they do is sufficient support to ward off any erosion of aerobic fitness. A 'cut down' version of this mixed training would have me doing less than 3k of interval-type training each week. Even so, would the other 57k of aerobic running be sufficient support for this breathless pain? More to the point, if all my weekly running was aerobic, as it is now (with some very short sprints and drills), would my improved fitness produce faster racing? Distance races of 5k or more, after all, are mostly reliant on aerobic energy. I found another page that takes the view that traditional 'hard/easy' training is not the best method — Re-Thinking The Hard-Easy Myth, which promotes the idea that regular repeatable daily running is the best way to develop an athlete's oxygen uptake. Pretty much Maffetone heart-rate training, but running by feel. Heart-rate monitors would come in handy to stop these kids from turning some workouts into races! In the Letsrun thread I mentioned earlier, 'dwayne pipe' recalled seeing the Lasse Viren documentary 'Running is Your Life' (on Youtube in Finnish!), in which Viren ran much of his 200 miles per week "with a heart rate in the 120's, very very slow, and he would run progressively slower if his rate continued to rise." A predecessor of Maffetone?

 10k trail ends at the grass track for short sprints on grass

Taking a look at Maffetone Training

I'm not long home from cheering on runners in the Canberra Marathon / Half / 50k races. Yesterday I raced in the feature event of the weekend — the Adidas 5k Fun Run. I had a good race! Ran strongly all the way, enjoyed some one-on-one racing with various people (mainly youngsters), caught a fast-starting Janene inside the last kilometre and recorded a respectable time — 22:46. One memorable duel was with an 8-year-old girl in pink. Caught her with about 500m to run, settled for a bit then threw in a strong surge. Thought she'd been despatched but then she came flying past with an impressive kick over the last 100 metres. All good fun!

My sister gave me a Kindle for Christmas and I've downloaded a few books, the latest being 'The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing' by Dr. Philip Maffetone. I was impressed by Mark Cucuzzella's enthusiastic review on Amazon, summing up the book as 'The best holistic approach to endurance for life.' Mark follows Maffetone's training methods and has an impressive list of running achievements, including winning the Air Force Marathon in 2:38 at the age of 44.

I've only read 7% of the book (according to Kindle) but I'm enjoying it and think it'll serve as a good reference to guide my training. Phil Maffetone is well known for using heart-rate monitors to coach athletes. What I didn't know about is the emphasis he places on the 'holistic approach' to training. Running needs to fit into one's life in a balanced way. Stressful work and home time plus stressful training (hard interval sessions and high mileage for example) doesn't produce successful racing. The Maffetone heart-rate 'zone' is the 'fat-burning' zone and running in it is usually relaxing and not stressful. My MAF (maximum aerobic function) heart rate is calculated to be 130 (180 - my age of 55 + 5 for running history) and by feel I can tell that 130 is a good number for me. Phil Maffetone recommends that as much running as possible be done in a 10 heart-beat range up to MAF heart-rate, so my range is 120 to 130. This quite suits my 'run by feel' philosophy — 130 on flat ground equates to a pace (at the moment) of about 5:30 per kilometre. As my aerobic condition improves, my pace at HR 130 will get faster. I can run well by feel on a day to day basis too — if I've had a stressful day at work I'll do a shorter run, closer to 120 HR; if I feel good and fresh, I can run longer and/or faster and/or over a hillier course. I have a 12k 'rolling hills' trail course which seems to be ideal for building leg strength. Anyway, I'll expand on my thoughts once I've finished the book and with a few months of training in the diary.

My palindromic number for the Adidas 5k

Now that's why I like racing!

I'm still thinking about the race I ran last Tuesday — 5k on the cross-country course at Stromlo. It was the final event in the YCRC 'Summer Series' of races. For once my legs felt okay during the warm-up — they weren't springy and raring to race, but just as importantly, they weren't dead tired and lifeless. After five or six strides I lined up a couple of rows back in the field of 58 runners. Weather was about as good as it gets for summer racing in Canberra, about 14C with a light breeze.

I started my Garmin (didn't look at it during the race) and ran up the first gentle hill at what I guessed was the appropriate effort, ignoring my 'competition'. After 100 metres I noticed that Speedygeoff had bolted (an unusual tactic), keeping pace with Maria and Helen. Brian was running barefoot a few metres ahead with Phil, Charlie was behind (already) and Janene was about 20 metres up the course with Miriam. Brian was despatched after 500 metres, then I ran down the first hill in the company of Phil and Greg. At this stage (1k in) I felt like I was in control, but close to my limit. On the next uphill section Phil dropped back, followed by Greg. I wanted to race Miriam and Janene, but they were 30 metres away. Miriam is an old rival (38 for 10k as a pup and 90 for the half as a Master), while Janene is a new rival. I  gradually clawed back metre after metre during the first 2.5k lap and noticed the digital clock reading 11:18 at half way. Now that's a good split! Can I catch the two ladies?

Janene seemed to tire a little on the next hill and I managed to catch up. Miriam was a few metres ahead. On the next downhill stretch the speed came on again. I was breathing hard, pretty much at my limit, so sat behind Janene down the next hill and along the bottom of the course. I needed a rest! Would have liked to 'help out' with the pace if I could, but that would have put me into anaerobic territory. Anyway, as we raced up the next hill I managed to pass Janene, then Miriam on the flat part after the crest of the hill. After that I ran as hard as I could beside the dam for the last 700 metres to the finish. Caught Daniel with 500 to go, ran with him, but his finishing kick was stronger. Don't know what it looked like, but I felt like I was sprinting! Finished 34th in 22:41, thinking to myself "now that's why I like racing!"

Criterium and cross country course at Stromlo Forest Park

An ordinary 5000 metre race

I raced in the ACT Veterans' 5000m Championships last Thursday evening. Must say that it was exciting to line up for a 5k track race which had 22 starters. Usually 5000s are combined with a 3000 and most runners 'bail out' after seven and a half laps. My race was pretty ordinary — finished 19th in 23:07.27 — quite a bit slower than the 22:17 I ran last November. Back then I was hoping to be in 21:45 form by March, but it hasn't happened. I'm not exactly sure why. I suspect it's down to two things: My training needs to improve and my recovery needs to improve.

I'm not hugely disappointed with the race because on the previous evening's 7k jog my legs had felt 'sore all over' — I seriously considered a DNS listing for the 5000. The race ended up being a bit of a solo time-trial. Kathy sprinted off to a 10 metre lead in the first lap (she would run 22:09) — my legs just weren't feeling good enough to go with her. She'd dropped from a faster group who were running about 21-minute pace. Weather conditions weren't ideal for solo running — it was cool enough, but there was a fresh southerly breeze to push into up the home straight. I tired pretty badly in the fourth kilometre and was caught by Pete with one k to go. He just went straight past! He ran 22:53. My splits were 4:26, 4:39, 4:43, 4:45 and 4:34.

On Saturday morning I jogged in the Ginninderra 5k Parkrun. If I can ever get used to racing hard early in the morning, this event (or the Tuggeranong version) could be worth lining up for a fast 5k attempt. After the race we walked around to the local retirement village's cafe and enjoyed a coffee, cake and chat. The perfect morning!

Great prices at the retirement village cafe!

How bad do you want it?

My recent training has been okay — not exactly where I want it to be, but not too bad. I should say that the idea of taking one, two, or three rest days per week (that I talked about in Bob and Janene Recovery Days), is not one that I've taken up with fervour. I put it out there as an idea that may work well — my main problem with it is that it makes for some very large mileage days if I'm to hit the weekly and monthly kilometre totals I need to maintain (or improve) my aerobic base. I've been averaging 72k per week (45 miles), which is about my 'tipping point' — any less and my aerobic condition starts to fall away.

Recent training:
Monday - 15k of easy running with the Speedygeese.
Tuesday - 10k very easy (6:25/k) during and after the YCRC race.
Wednesday - 8k with 5k at tempo pace (5:11/k) on the grass track.
Thursday - Rest day.
Friday - 17k long run, easy effort (5:43/k).
Saturday - 10k slow Mt Ainslie trail run.
Sunday - 10k Stromlo 4 x 1k intervals: 4:55, 4:50, 4:38, 4:33.

My tempo and interval sessions have been moderate. I've been holding back quite a bit with the Stromlo intervals — my legs are too creaky early on a Sunday morning to run hard. I don't want to pull a hammy or calf. I've been running 4:30 to 5:00 for the kilometre repeats (10k to half marathon race pace), so they're not anaerobic at all.

I read an online Running Times article last week which made me think I should do more — especially in terms of mileage. It was about Sheri Piers, a 41-year-old runner from Massachusetts Maine who is training to run a sub-2:35 marathon (her PB is 2:36:59). What struck me about the story was the relentless way Piers attacks her training. She never misses a session, runs 145 to 209 kilometres per week, and fits it in around motherly duties and a full-time job. She also does some crazy-sounding sessions — like 10 x 1 mile with 1-minute rests, 22 miles on an indoor track (176 laps!) and a 24 mile long run on a treadmill. An amazing lady. However, I thought it a little sad that she intends to retire from competitive running once she can no longer improve. She said "I'm not going to be falling off the cliff. I don't want to go and run a 21-minute 5k."

Balloons at Stromlo distracted from the subject of my photo - the BMW R1200 GS

Bob and Janene Recovery Days

I run most days. Unless I'm exceedingly tired or don't have the time (I'm an afternoon runner). I like running! I've always thought that rest days are overrated — have so since around 1984. Prior to then I'd always taken Friday off (we raced Saturdays) but when I switched to running seven days a week my running suddenly improved. My 5k race times went from 19 minutes down to low 18s, then high 17s. I thought that running every day had made me faster. Well, it sort of had. Really it was the consistently higher weekly volume — my aerobic ability had improved. By running on Fridays I'd added an extra 15k per week — 100k instead of 85. "Miles make champions" Arthur Lydiard had said, and while 60 miles a week was nowhere near Arthur's recommended 100, at the time it was suiting me quite well.

It's now 2013 and I'm a (slightly) older runner and (reluctantly) happy to take a rest day if I feel I need one. However I'm not quite sure that one day off does me any good! My running on the day that follows a rest day often feels creaky and rusty. So how about two consecutive days off? I'd read Janene's blog post where she reported having two days off followed by a day of easy jogging and strides. The next morning she raced 5k in 23:16, 67 seconds faster than what she'd managed 4 weeks earlier. Wow! In my training week of 11 to 17 February I took two days off and followed up with a weekend of 'good' training — 20k on the Saturday and 19k (including 1k intervals) on Sunday. That week I still ran 76 kilometres.

I think this method of training may work quite well. Days off (or very easy jogging/cross-training days) followed by 'hardish' days. These days would contain a decent number of kilometres (15 or more) — in that way, the weekly volume I need in order to be strong aerobically could be managed. I'm taking this idea from Bob's recent training. He's been running 4 days a week (3 days off) while still running around 80k per week. Yes, that's averaging 20k on his running days (which are all 'hard') — he runs interval sessions, hill repeats, tempo runs and long runs. He's also 65 years old and training to run a 3:04 marathon at Boston!

 Think outside the bubble to improve your running. Geoff and myself looking suitably stunned following Cookie's fun-run win this morning.