Requirements for an elliptical trainer

Every die hard runner prefers to go outside for a run but every now and then you have to resort to other training methods. No matter the reason the elliptical trainer is a good indoor alternative. It mimics the stride from running, training the same muscles at roughly the same levels of intensity from the perspective of cardio fitness.

"Why not going for a treadmill?" I can hear you think. It is completely similar to running outside. That is not entirely true. Because on a treadmill every stride is exactly the same as the previous whereas outside the pavement, or better still, the trails in the park changes all the time forcing you to change your stride. This avoids a monotone movement.
And yes the elliptical trainer is monotone as well as a treadmill but without the impact of the strides. With this in mind it is a good cross training method for runners.
Wanna buy one for yourself? First answer the following questions:

• How much space do I have available for the elliptical trainer?
• What is the body weight and length it can handle?
• Do I want a more heavy and stable frame or is it more important that I can easily move it around the house?
• Do I want to workout on various resistance levels?
• Do I want adjustable pedals for different users?
• What is the stride length (which is more important than the height)?
• Do I want a display and/or programmable exercises?

Did you answer the questions? Now you can find a suitable trainer matching the requirements you wrote down answering the questions. For example on Amazon.

Training at altitude

TIP from RunningDutch:

Tips for running at altitude:

• Eat more;
• Drink more;
• Sleep more;
• Watch you iron intake.

other tips

Maybe this article is better suited for the beginning of the summer season with people heading of for the Alps or the Tatra or any other high mountains suitable for a summer holiday. This post contains some facts/tips on training at altitude.

• Due to less oxygen your boy will produce more of the hormone EPO (the natural way) and increase the production of red blood cells that transport oxygen in your blood. For this your body needs iron which you can get from meat, fish, poultry, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, tomatoes or citrus-fruits;
• With these extra red blood cells you can transport more oxygen and perform at the same level as on lower attitudes. Back at sea level you can even perform better for some time before your blood levels return to their usual values;
• 3 or 4 days to bring the production of red cells up to speed;
• It takes some 10 days before your body is used to the altitude, having enough extra red blood cells and the stress on your body of adapting to altitude has worn off;
• This 'stress' due to this adaptation usually sets in between 48 hours to 7 days after arriving at altitude;
• After some 30 days your blood levels are at the levels that match the altitude you are staying at. This means the useful effect is still their but no longer increases. 

Giewont in the Polish Tatra

Can you prepare yourself for a stay at high altitude?

You can if you mind the following tips:

1. Increase your iron intake. This is a important building block for red blood cells;
2. Take extra antioxidants: The lack of oxygen at the will produce more free radicals during exercise. Vitamin C is an antioxidant;
3. Eat enough!: Your appetite will decrease at altitude but your body needs more energy! Nice for loosing weight but no so nice for your (training)results.

Now some tips for during your training at altitude;

1. Adapt: Try not to maintain your normal pace-training levels but check out your heart rate. Pay no attention to speed or pace per kilometre. This goes for intervals, tempo runs and duration runs;
2. With intervals: take longer periods for recovery. Would you usually run 2 minutes and recover 1. Change this around while at altitude;
3. Get extra sleep: You give your body more time to recover and adapt to the altitude;
4. Drink extra: You will breath more frequent and more shallow losing more moisture. Next to this effect is the air at altitude dryer. Both effect makes you loose your fluids faster!

This article is a summary of an article on running competitor.

The Stimulator: A training in preparation for the marathon

This is a nice training for anyone who is preparing for a marathon. Run 16 miles, which equals 26,2 kilometres, in the pace you have in mind for the marathon race day.

.

interview with both gents

Why 26,2? Well this has to do with both Americans that came up with this training Keith and Kevin Hanson of  Hansons-Brooks Distance Project (see video).

For those who think in miles the marathon is 26.2 miles in stead fo 42.195 kilometres. Furthermore it is more than your average duration training and it will help tp prepare yourself mentally for the big day. It gives you the feeling what it is like to maintain your marathon tempo for a longer period.

On the other hand: It is short enough to recover within a few days to continue your marathon training.

TIP from RunningDutch:

You can copy this idea for other distances:

• 13,1 kilometre for your half marathon pace;
• 10 K in preparation for the !) mile race;
• etc.

other tips

The Hansons will have their elite runners do this training some 5 weeks before the marathon.

I myself would look at my training schedule and pick a training day which lists a 25K run in the week leading up to the marathon.
Most likely you can find on of those in the 6 to 3 weeks leading up to the marathon.
Just do this training in your marathon pace in stead of the more leisurely Long Slow Distance (LSD) pace.

You can also use this training to practise your eating and drinking strategy for the race. Try to find out which sports drink is provided at the refreshing points during the race. Quit often this is one of the sponsors so simply look at the race website.
Do you consider to Carry your own drinks and gels? If so, than carry it with you during this training as well. If not, find someone to help you who can be your refreshing point en route.

As this training is carried out at marathon pace find a route with clear markers or use a GPS watch or have some with you on a bike with a distance meter.

If you are training for a marathon just to finish it and you don't have the ambition of a certain time? Than the usual 20miles run is still the best (which equals 32km and this is a nice route).

The reason to train in a group: you'll perform better

Besides that it is fun to train together; is there any other excuse you need? Science is giving you a very good one: you will perform better!

I usually train alone. It is less planning. Just put on your gear and go. I find that when I do run together with someone: it feels easier, less far, faster. I thought it had to do with the distraction the other person offers when you talk a little.
Another reason might be that you are competitive and do not want to give in towards the other person.
non of the above; It is a simple biochemical process at work!

During excercising you body produces endorphin. A hormone well known for the runners high it can induce. Like morphine it helps to deal with pain and that is why mother nature gave us this endorphin.

Research from the University of Oxford shows that athletes who completed a training on their own can stand less pain than athletes who trained in a group. This is an indication that those who trained in a group had higher levels of endorphin in their blood (Source: BBC News 2009 & site Oxford University).

Besides the positive effect on sport performance they think is might also explain why people feel euphoric when celebrating a mass or making music together.

-x-

Could it be that this evolved when we were hunting together? Read my posting on "Born to Run". The author explains how we might have evolved the way we have because we were successful in chasing animals to their deaths thanks to our body which is build (or should I say evolved) for endurance running.
This will work when you collaborate as a group. and when do you want to work together? When it is fun and when it delivers a result. The fun part comes from the endorphin. The result from the food, the meat from the animal you chased to death with your companions.

OK, you no longer run together to get the antelope but something you body developed over a long period will still function as is did when we as a species were still out their running our food to their death. Maybe Christopher McDougal should rename his book: "Born to Run Together".

Pose Method: let gravity help you!

Wanna run with an heart rate of 10 bmp below your normal HR? According to this video it is possible with the use of the so called 'pose method'.

Basically it nothing more than keeping your body tilted forward as shown by the picture below. On the left Dr. Nicholas Romanov who came up with this method tiltiign forward, on the right a 'regular' runner with an upright upper body.


With this pose you also alter your step where you don't push yourself forward but simply 'lift' your leg at the end of the stride. And as the still might suggest you probably will use fore foot landing as well as you don't extract your leg that far foreward.
This tip might be useful for a lot of recreational runners as they tend to run with a rather upright upper body. Pay attention next time you go running by looking at other runners but also at yourself. Fore example if your run in an builded area; look in a large shop window for your own reflection.

The picture above is a still from the BBC video below on the pose method.
Dr. Romanov is not just any runner. As a scientist he was part of the 2000 and 2004 British team for the triathlon on the Olympic games.

The guinea pig is this video is tested running at the same speed running regular en running using the pose method. usig the pose method he runs at a 10bpm lower HR.

Recovery: trust your gut feeling

How do you determine the duration of the recovery periods during an interval training? On your gut feeling according to recently published research findings published in Psychophysiology.

During the research three groups were asked to do a 5 times 1000 interval at 90% effort. Recovery was done by:

recover for teh same duration as the duration of the interval, the work to rest ration (WR)

recover untill the heartrate is below 130 BPM

recover on your feeling

Result: With the heartrate methode the later interval went slower. Based on feeling or the WR method there was no decline in the duration of the intervals. Howerver the recovery periods were shorter with the gut felling method.
I wonder how far the heartrate sank with the recovery periods but the this is not mentioned in the abstractof the report:(

Trainingschedule of an Olympic Gold Medallist

In the Polish Magazine Bieganie (translated: Running) was a nice historic fact. The 1908 Olympic Marathon winner Johnny Hayes trained as follows:

• every day a 3 mile run
• a longer run was followed by resting the first day en just a walk the second day and a 3 mile run on the third
• this was completed with long marches

As an example of one of these marches....during the Games in London they were bored waiting for the day of teh marathon. The team went on a 30 mile march. An extreme example of a LSD ( Long Slow Distance) run.

He won the marathon in 2:55. Not realy a time for medals nowadays but I would be very proud with a time near the three hours.

If you want to learn more on the history of teh 1908 marathon and the tale behind the marathon distance of 42 kilometer and 195 meters I refer to a nice article on Times online. For example: Hayes wasn't the first to finish but got the gold medall anyway. Why? read on....

Trainingschedule taking you to a 5k run!

This posting is for visitors hitting this blog trough a Google search. Google analytics showed a large interest in 5K runs. Usauly experienced runners are interested in schedules for half marathons of even a whole marathon. So people looking for a 5K run schedule are starting runners. So, new runners: Welcome to the legion of runners and this blog.

You have decide to start running. Very well! It does not matter if you started to feel fit, lose weight or just to get outside (I asume you are not starting in a stinkhole gym on the belt) doesn't matter. What does matter? Have some motivation. Because you might experience some setbacks. for example now in autumn with the dark evenings and rain outside. It might help to join a group. Social pressure might help.

What can help as well; set a goal. For example tot take part in an organized run. Or run without pause to a certain point in your neigbourhood. once you have reached your goal award youself somehow. Again social pressure might help: Tell anyone who wants to listen about your goals. No doubt they will ask: "How about...?"

Now you have tackeled the motivation part of starting: It is obvious you won't run five kilometers (5K running terms) in one go. Build it up gradually. Below is a training schedule for a nice relaxed speed of about 7km/hour. This speed shoud enable you to talk with your running partner. If you cannot complete the distance indicated in the schedule. Divide the training in five minute intervals with 1 or 2 minutes rest in between. You´ll notice you can skipp the intervals in not time.

The ´codes´ are:
CT = Cross Training, take up some other sport like cycling or swimming on this day.
EZ = Easy, even more relaxed than the other training days. Try to focus on your surroudings, listen to the birds or in a city environment count yellow cars for that matter
Rust is Dutch for Rest
Maandag, dinsdag and so on are the days of the week

And yes, if you look closely, you´ll see you run you first 5k after 7 weaks. Time for a reward!

If you start running to loose weigth? Don't get you hopes up to high. First of all you start burning fat after some time running so you have continue after this schedule. Second you might be building up muscle tissue. this means extra weigth. Upside of this all: your metabolism will increase so you use more energy the rest of the day as well!

Headache after running: exertion headache

Headaches after running or exertion headache: Aparantly an interesting topic as it is the most read post on my Dutch blog. I found out it is not one of the blog translated so let me set this strainght today.
I wrote my first post on this topic in May 2007 when I forwarded a request from a trainer who wantend to learn from others experience on this topic. This today is my most read posting. In response to its popularity I added a second post.

In general you can bring back the cause of headache after running to three categories of causes.

1. Muscle tension: When running you virtually use all muscles of your body including those in the neck and shoulders. Some people pull up their shoulders or are tensed when they run for other reasons (f.e. stress at work). This tension will lead to pain and strain on the muscles. This pain can radiate into the head leading to headache. This strain can also lead to the build up lactic acid in the neck muscles (just as will happen with the build up in you leg muscles while running). This acid will dehydrate the brain(cells) causing tension on the meninges which casues the headache just like with an hangover. Other casues of pain (for example problems with the cervical vertebrae) can also lead to this kind headache. If you think it might be the strain of your neck muscles: try to relax while running, let your shoulders hang or do some relaxing exercises before of during the training.
2. Dehydration: When you run you loose water through perspiration. Of course you can compensate this for the large part by drinking during your exercise. You also loose electrolytes which are harder to replace. Both causes a disbalance of fluids in your brain and just like above this will cause a headache. Secondary: the loss of water can also result in a heat stroke / hyperthermia when it is no longer able to produce enough sweat to cool the body with perspiration. Here you can find advice on staying hydrated during running. And here the symptons and again some prevention tips of which the most important is, of course, drink!
3. Bloodvessels expanding en narrowing: When starting and exercise the boody widens the bloodvessels to enhance the transport of oxygen and nutriants to the working muscles. After the exercise the vessels narrow again. A good cooling down will slow down this process reducing the risk of a headache.
   "......a headache occurring after running or other similar exercise is more likely to be caused by the increased speed at which the blood is circulating..." [http://www.brainandspine.org.uk/]
   And if you already have a headache during the exercise and not just afterwards the sudden widening of vessels and increase of bloodflow might cause it so do a relaxed warming up so your body slowly can get used to the increased pace it has to addept to.

So I hope this helps as a start if you are looking for some answers on this topic. Otherwise just google around a bit more on exertion headache. It is always a good idea to consult an expert (doctor) preferable someone with understanding of running.

Running in Business and in a vest

For those who make serious business of building their network I hardly have to mention the existence of LinkedIn. One of the groups on LinkedIn is Running in Business.
In one of the recent discussions someone poses the question how he can work on his strength during the winter season. Some reactions point him towards the gym or spinning. Some reactions (including mine) are along the line of enjoying running by being outside which is very well possible in North West Europe in winter. Besides during this season there are many crosses that also help building strength.
One reaction I find worth mentioning here in more detail. It is about a weight vest! I never heard of it but according to a link to an article in Runnersworld it has been around for 15 years.
The idea is that you train a certain period with a vest of around 10% of your own weight. During this period you won't experience any progress. Afterwards you still need a few weeks for the effect to kick in so its use takes some careful planning before a race. Click here for the article .

Marathon Bible

In one of the Google Adds Sections on the side of this blog is an add for the Marathon Bible. Once you hit the link you are forwarded to a page promising you a free marathon training schedule (see image below).

You'll get free access to the next page by leaving your e-mailaddress. However I have to warn you. The next page DOES NOT offer you a free training schedule. It is simple an addpage for the book Marathon Bible. And the promsie of a free training schedule is to lure you into leaving your mailaddress. But hey, if you want to check out the offer for the book click here for direct access to the page without leaving your mailaddress behind...so you will not be spammed

Running with music: Analyze BPM

Like I wrote in a previous blog I seldom run with music. However, every now and then, for the long endurance runs I do carry music with me. The trick then is to select music that helps you trough your run.
Of course you can choose music that fits your mood but the best way is to select music that has the right beats per minute so you can run to the beet: Every beat a stride.
OK, easier said than done. First you would have to figure out which BPM corresponds with your training plans. Going for a long endurance? Run the pace and count your steps for a minute. Do this for every running mode you want to train in.
Now you know the various BPM's for the various stages of your traning your next step is to select the music with the right BPM. But how do you know which tracks have which BPMs? Not every audio player shows this info allthough some fancy software even allows you to speed up songs or slow them down to manipulate the BMP. BUt maybe this is something for DJ's. Want to use tracks at their original pace? Then f.e. MixMeister analyses BPM's from MP3 tracks. You can download it here or hit google to find other packages.

If you go to the site run2rythm you can download three podcasts (in righthand column) on this topic with examples of music with various beats. Not really my cup of tea the music they use.

Want a bit more reading on the topic of carrying music for your run? You can do this with this article on about.com.

For those gadget oriented runners, you can consider to go for the Apple / Nike combination with their Nikeplus product. Advertised with the commercial with the voice over from Edward Norton with these words:

“I am addicted. I’ve collected footsteps before dawn, seen places I never knew
existed, run to the moon and back, been a rabbit for the neighborhood dogs,
obeyed the voice in my head, let music carry me when I couldn’t, raced against
yesterday, let the world be my witness, measured myself in metres, kilometres
and finally character. I’ve plugged into a higher purpose, left this world and
come back changed. I am addicted.” > “Run Like You’ve Never Run Before.
Nikeplus.com”

View the commercial:

Zoladztest

On my Dutch site I have shown my test results on the Zoladz tests before and discribed how it should be performed (for those who want to give it a try check it out here).
What is the test? Like a coopertest it give you an indication of your level of fitness. However where the coopertest only gives you one figure: The distance run in 12 minutes. The Zoladztest gives you your fitness level in relation to your heartrate. Let me explain how.
Before you start you have to do a bit of homework > you have to figure out your Maximum Heart Rate (HRmax). If you have not measured it you can calculate as follows: HRmax = 220 - (80% of your age). So lets say you are 35 like me, your calculated HRmax will be 220-28=192. This is just an indication as I know for sure that my HRmax is higher. Besides this figure you need a track of other means to measure your distance.
Do a moderate warming up with a few accelerations and some stretching just as you do your usual warming up. Than start your test.
Run 6 minutes at a average heartrate interval of HRmax - 50 (in this example = 142) than rest for 2 minutes and write down the distance you have run.
Run 6 minutes at HRmax-40
Rest 2 minutes
Run 6 minutes at HRmax-30
Rest 2 minutes
Run 6 minutes at HRmax-20
Rest 2 minutes
Run 6 minutes at HRmax-10

Relax and do your cooling down!
For every interval you write down the distance run. Take care, te last interval can be to strenuos for some runners and with my last test I did not manage to run this highest interval. If you are not sure about your own level of fitness than do this test under supervision of an expert.

Know you have gathers 5 distances (or 4). Plot them in a graph as shown below where you see the results of a couple of test I have done.
What can you learn from this test? Like with the cooper test: The more you can run in the intervals the more fit you are. But there is more. Ideally al the measured distances should be on a straight line. If there are measurements below this line you know that you have put more effort in training in the heartrate zone and the best thing is...this will help to lift the whole line higher, thus increasing your level of fitness overall. So in the last measurement from oktober 2007 you can see that I have to work on my lower heartrate (around 150bmp) where on some of the older measurements I had to work on the higher heartrates around 170 bmp (temporuns and interval).
So compared to the cooper test it is not only a measurement of fitness but it also gives you insight where you should put your training effort!

An Elliptical Trainer: what to keep in mind?

On about running a nice article on elliptical trainer. For me the most relevant information in in the tail of the article: An elliptical trainer can offer the same intensity of training as a treadmill but the impact is far lower, closer to that of walking. This is interesting for those runners that look for an alternative to keep in shape while suffering from (small) injuries that will heal if you can avoid the impact that running has on your legs, knees etc... A treadmill has the same impact as running on the road so this will not help.

As for buying a ellipitcal trainer? The article offers a checklist wat to keep in mind while deciding which trainer to buy:

• Check out the space the trainers requires and you have available


• If the trainer has constraints considering length or weigth of user: make sure you (and the other users you have in mind) can use the trainer given these constraints


• Ask you self if you want to move it around or not and if so to what extend (havier frame is sturdier but..)


• Do you want to control the resistance of your trainer to do your workout at different levels?


• Do you want adjustable pedals for the different users?


• The length of the stride (which is more important than the up and down movement).


• Do you want displays and programmable workouts?


• Do you want to adjust rampsettings/incline?

It is possible to order trainers online.

Running in Portugal

During the previous two weeks I have spend my holidays in the Algarve in Portugal and of course....the running gear came along. Coming from Holland where our highest hill is just over 300mtrs (which we have to share with the Germans and the Belgians) and the biggest climb in my surroundings is in the dunes along the sea I can tell you the rolling countryside of the Algarve is a great training environment.
The location
We stayed in a very nice place away from the more crowded coastline called Monte da Bravura. Set on a hill top on a dead end road towards a barrage. 6k to Lagos, in the west Algarve. I don't have shares in the place but as it was a very nice stay, a very good guest house and the owners and staff are very nice people: I can realy recommend it.
Besides running the Algarve offers great opportunities for walking, has great beaches with waves suitable for surfing and a lot of restaurants (I can recommend to stay of the beaten track because the best dinners we had in smaller restaurants outside the crowded touristic towns and off the major roads...)
The runs
I did various runs however all of them were along two routes I entered on mapmyrun. One route is from the hotel to the barage (2k - one way) and the other route is from the hotel, directly downhill turning north on a rolling gradual climb with a steep climb (according to MMR ~70m climb in 800mtrs) in the end (7k one way). Specialy this second one is - for a someone with no hill experience - challenging on the return leg when you climb back to the hotel (again some 70 meters climb in app. 800-900 meters with a very steep bit in the middle). These two routes combined to a 10k training (cutting the long one short by turing around at the 5k point and saving my self one of the very steep climbs), two 14k routes (either the 7k back and forth or the 10k combined with hte 2k run back and forth) and a 18k training (both routes combined).
Below you find the routes on the map. For the elevation go to the MMR site itself and let is show the elevation panel. This is however and indications because if you would believe the panel the run woould have been like on a roller coaster but I can tell you the roads were very nice an smooth and nothing like the jitter that is shown on the panels.
To conclude
For someone with no hills around the Algarve offers very nice running, in perfect weather conditions (early morning starts recommended in warmer periods) on quite roads.



Two other routes in the area:

Luz and Lagos. If you want to find other routes in a wider area...zoom out on the map, click the find button on the map and select 'show public route on map'. Have some nice runs during your stay!

Just for starters: Training for the 5k (or 3 miles)

A good post on an new blog on running: How to start?????
Just starting to run, getting yourself together, away from the TV en onto the road can be hard. Most people start simply to run every time the same route through the neighborhood. In the beginning they see progress but then they settle for the same route always in say 20 minutes and that’s it.
This scheme from coolrunning will help those who start to run 5K (or 3 miles) in 30 minutes and by following the program, creating a good base to head on for longer distances en who knows….marathons? Remember every marathon runner had to start sometime!
My biggest problem with the schedules was that I wanted to increase the rate of progress and started skipping runs. However someone who completes the 5K within 4 weeks and stops for a week or won’t be able to repeat the 5k. If you follow the program and then rest you’ll see you can easily run the 5k e second time and once you have….start looking for a new schedule that takes you up to the 10k or even more.
Double clikck the image for a readable format. I made a nice table in HTML the blogsoftware cannot handle it......

Runners are sexy

I came across are realy nice article about the link between running and sex. Stating that sex lives of both men and women will improve when running.
Furhter searching the net on this topic reveals that these findings from Harvard are not new as such as you can tell from this article from 2005: Running can make you a sex god
As for obstaining from sex shortly before a race???? This article makes a good read showing the research pont of view and the professional runner's point of view.

With some huomr you might say: Running gives you another excuse that the standard "no dear, I have a headache". Now you can use "I have to run tommorow". Unless you have done a serious training (see previous post)

Headaches after running

On a Dutch site a coach of a ladies running team is calling out for replies form people who have more experience with headaches after running. As I address in my original Dutch post I argument that mostly this headaches have to do with a misbalance in the levels of fluids in your head. Cause can be three fold:

1. drinking too little causing a lack of fluids in your body


2. drinking too much water causing a lack of minerals in your blood


3. tired muscles for example in the neck of running with to much tension in neck and shoulders.

People with other suggestion are welcome to respond!