Here we are, the week of your Flying Pig event!
Now that your training is over, there are 3 things you can do to get prepared for a great run on Sunday.
1. Keep all of your thoughts positive!
Too much stress the week of a marathon (half or relay) will take its toll on your physical capabilities and performance on Sunday. This week is all about positive thoughts – there’s nothing else you can do to prepare, other than some short, easy runs, laying out your running gear, and the 2 other keys below. Just remember, YOU ARE PREPARED and you WILL DO WELL on Sunday. The most important thing at this point is to absorb as much joy from this experience as possible. Go to the expo, watch some of the events on Saturday, get into the spirit of the Marathon weekend. This is a special time.
2. Create Your Race Plan
Mentally plan out how you’re going to run on Sunday. Take caution in starting too aggressively (which is likely to biggest reason for a slower than anticipated time). It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the event...or have your competitive juices kick in when the gun goes off...or even to just forget to check your pace with each mile marker.
You’re going to be jacked up with the crowd and festivities. So again, RELAX.
Plan your race out in segments and make sure you have plenty of gas in the tank for the home stretch. Check your times at each mile. For example, if your goal is to finish the marathon in 4 hours (or half in 2 hours), you should be averaging about 9:09 per mile. If you have a Garmin the tracks your pace, you’re all set. If you do not, other options include running with a pace group, or plotting out what your ideal time should be at each mile marker.
(You can go to http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm to plug in your ideal completion time and find your per mile pace).
Also, you might consider having two goals, if a finishing time is important to you. An “I’m happy with this time” goal and an “I’m totally thrilled with this time” goal. As an example, I'm running the half on Sunday. My best half time to date is 1:44:50. I'll be happy if I hit that again, but thrilled if I get close to 1:40:00.
3. It’s Time to EAT!
Starting on Wednesday, the goals is to maximize glycogen storage in muscle, which means you need to eat more complex carbohydrates than you normally do.
Remember, all carbs are not created equal. Some supply energy very quickly (with very quick corresponding “crashes” in blood sugar) while others provide a slow, steady stream of energy. Carbohydrates are classified by numbers between 1 and 100, called the glycemic index (GI).
Complex whole grain carbs are generally lower on the GI and filter into your system more slowly. Foods that are low on the GI list tend to keep your blood glucose stable and give you a steady supply of energy, allowing you to maintain longer runs for longer periods of time. Wednesday through Saturday you want a lot of low GI foods – whole grain bread, pasta, rice, cereal and beans.
And you'll want to make sure you're drinking lots of water with those carbs. The idea is to store extra glycogen in your muslces, and that requires plenty of water.
Saturday afternoon/evening, you can transition away from the pastas to more of the simple carbs. Hey, you want a few cookies or other sugary foods? The night before a long run event is the time to do it!
Just be cautious on Saturday, if you've suffered Runners Gut or other digestive problems on long runs, avoid dairy (lactose), fiber and cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and beans; they contain raffinose, a gas-inducing compound.
A simple carbohydrate is high on the GI and dumps into your blood stream very quickly. This is what you want to consume during the Flying Pig, especially if you're doing the full marathon. And whatever strategy you’ve been using for pumping sugar into your system, stay with that system. Gels, sport drinks, or whatever, don’t mess around with changing your approach on race day - whatever you used during your long runs will work for you on Sunday.
Remember, you are creating an experience that you will remember vividly for the rest of your life. Go out on Sunday, enjoy this incredible milestone, and soak up as much of this experience as possible!!
I look forward to seeing you at the Pig - Get Your Oink On!!
Your friend in fitness,
Brian Calkins
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
One of my Favorite Lance Armstrong Quotes
"Through my illness I learned rejection. I was written off. That was the moment I thought, okay, game on. No prisoners. Everybody's going down." – Lance Armstrong
What fuels your inner drive to keep training?
Brian Calkins
What fuels your inner drive to keep training?
Brian Calkins
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Alter-G treadmill uses NASA technology to make you feel light on your feet
by Zachary Lewis
Ever wish you could run on the moon? Well, now you can, sort of, and you don't even have to put on a spacesuit.
You do have to wear spandex, however. That's because this would-be interstellar journey involves a treadmill, specifically, an Alter-G treadmill, a new high-tech device that requires compression shorts and makes you feel lighter when running by encasing your legs in an airtight chamber.
Whether and how such an anti-gravity machine improves one's everyday fitness remain open questions. I only used it for a few minutes. But its therapeutic potential is real, and there's no doubt the Alter-G is unlike any other piece of equipment on the planet.
Conceived years ago by NASA, Alter-G treadmills are now being sold commercially. But at $55,000 a pop, they're not exactly intended for your average weekend jogger, but are, rather, the province of medical facilities and professional sports.
Here in Cincinnati, for instance, I could only track down one, with the Cincinnati Bengals. There's another one up in Cleveland - at the Cleveland Clinic.
Well, until now, that is. Cincinnati's HealthStyle Fitness will be the first in Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky of offer the Alter-G to the public by way of AlterG memberships. http://www.cincinnatifitness.com/running-injury-alter-G-treadmill.html
While runners have been among the first to adopt Alter-G, the machine is probably best for those who can't run. Before and after my session, I saw therapists using the Alter-G with patients who otherwise could barely walk, let alone run. There they were, though, jogging without pain or fear of falling. Amazing.
In most respects, the Alter-G looks and works like a regular treadmill. It has a monitor in front and handles on the side. The belt and frame are perhaps a bit heftier than usual.
The main difference, of course, is the anti-gravity piece, a balloon that inflates from a pump up front to form an airtight chamber around the base and your lower body. To use it, you wear "G-trainer shorts," -- the waist zips into the top of the bag like the waterproof skirt of a kayak.
Once you're locked and loaded, the belt starts moving and you're free to adjust for speed and incline, as on a regular treadmill. Only here, you can also control how much of your weight you want to feel. You can go all the way down to about 20 percent, roughly the same sensation astronauts experience on the moon.
Not that you'd want to go that low. A few percentage points suffice to make you feel lighter and freer, and by 15, you're prancing along like a gazelle. Make that a centaur, since your torso is still fully weighted.
The benefits of running on an Alter-G stem from landing on your toes as you run, rather than your heels. With less gravity to fight, your stride lengthens, and the strain on your knees, hips and lower back disappears. Suddenly it's easy to maintain a swift pace.
The appeal of Alter-G is undeniable. If you're someone who logs mileage every week in lust of a better half or full marathon, yet your body is beat up, this would be a great way to go the distance without risking injury.
And for those who are injured, the Alter-G allow you to continue training, pain free, as you recovery - without losing all the fitness you've worked so hard for!
Ever wish you could run on the moon? Well, now you can, sort of, and you don't even have to put on a spacesuit.
You do have to wear spandex, however. That's because this would-be interstellar journey involves a treadmill, specifically, an Alter-G treadmill, a new high-tech device that requires compression shorts and makes you feel lighter when running by encasing your legs in an airtight chamber.
Whether and how such an anti-gravity machine improves one's everyday fitness remain open questions. I only used it for a few minutes. But its therapeutic potential is real, and there's no doubt the Alter-G is unlike any other piece of equipment on the planet.
Conceived years ago by NASA, Alter-G treadmills are now being sold commercially. But at $55,000 a pop, they're not exactly intended for your average weekend jogger, but are, rather, the province of medical facilities and professional sports.
Here in Cincinnati, for instance, I could only track down one, with the Cincinnati Bengals. There's another one up in Cleveland - at the Cleveland Clinic.
Well, until now, that is. Cincinnati's HealthStyle Fitness will be the first in Ohio, Indiana or Kentucky of offer the Alter-G to the public by way of AlterG memberships. http://www.cincinnatifitness.com/running-injury-alter-G-treadmill.html
While runners have been among the first to adopt Alter-G, the machine is probably best for those who can't run. Before and after my session, I saw therapists using the Alter-G with patients who otherwise could barely walk, let alone run. There they were, though, jogging without pain or fear of falling. Amazing.
In most respects, the Alter-G looks and works like a regular treadmill. It has a monitor in front and handles on the side. The belt and frame are perhaps a bit heftier than usual.
The main difference, of course, is the anti-gravity piece, a balloon that inflates from a pump up front to form an airtight chamber around the base and your lower body. To use it, you wear "G-trainer shorts," -- the waist zips into the top of the bag like the waterproof skirt of a kayak.
Once you're locked and loaded, the belt starts moving and you're free to adjust for speed and incline, as on a regular treadmill. Only here, you can also control how much of your weight you want to feel. You can go all the way down to about 20 percent, roughly the same sensation astronauts experience on the moon.
Not that you'd want to go that low. A few percentage points suffice to make you feel lighter and freer, and by 15, you're prancing along like a gazelle. Make that a centaur, since your torso is still fully weighted.
The benefits of running on an Alter-G stem from landing on your toes as you run, rather than your heels. With less gravity to fight, your stride lengthens, and the strain on your knees, hips and lower back disappears. Suddenly it's easy to maintain a swift pace.
The appeal of Alter-G is undeniable. If you're someone who logs mileage every week in lust of a better half or full marathon, yet your body is beat up, this would be a great way to go the distance without risking injury.
And for those who are injured, the Alter-G allow you to continue training, pain free, as you recovery - without losing all the fitness you've worked so hard for!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
5 Ways to Train Through the Pain
By Matt Fitzgerald
Injuries often plague the life of a runner. When they happen, they are painful, debilitating and frustrating. The most frustrating part of being injured is knowing that your hard-earned fitness is deteriorating while you take time off from training to heal.
In fact, this frustration can be so great that runners are often too reluctant to take time off or tempted into resuming training too soon. Consequently, injuries become worse or last longer than they should.
One way to prevent this sort of self-sabotage is to choose a favorite go-to cross-training activity that you can switch to whenever an injury makes running impossible or unwise. Having such a fallback option greatly reduces the temptation to run when you should not because it enables you to preserve fitness even when you cannot run. Obviously, there is no alternative to running that builds and maintains running-specific fitness as well as running itself, but there are some alternatives that come relatively close.
The best running alternatives are those that are most similar to running itself. Activities such as swimming and rowing are not great alternatives to running because, while they stimulate the cardiovascular system, they are arm-dominant versus leg-dominant movements. So what are the best activities for "training through" running injuries? Here are my top five:
Antigravity Treadmill Running
The Alter-G antigravity treadmill is, in my opinion, the single most important running-related invention in history. It is a normal treadmill with a tent-like enclosure attached to it. The user steps through a hole at the top of the enclosure and seals himself in around the waist, creating an airtight seal. The chamber is then pressurized, and this high-pressure zone effectively reduces the force of gravity within it. The amount of pressure is adjustable, enabling the user to run at anywhere between 20 percent and 100 percent of his actual body weight.
I have had every type of running overuse injury that exists, and I have used the Alter-G treadmill several times. Based on this experience I can say that runners can train through any injury--pain free and without setting back the healing process--on this machine. What's more, it is not an alternative to running; it is running. Therefore it is superior to every form of cross-training in terms of building and maintaining running fitness.
Case in point: The formerly often-injured runner Dathan Ritzenhein trained exclusively on an Alter-G for several weeks while nursing an IT band injury. He was only ready to return to regular outdoor running two weeks before the 2008 USA Cross-Country Championships. Nevertheless, he won the race easily. That simply would not have been possible had he been forced to resort to pool running or bicycling.
The downside of the Alter-G antigravity treadmill is that it costs $75,000. Only a handful of units are accessible for injured runners to use in high-end physical therapy facilities. On March 30, 2010, the AlterG will be availalbe at HealthStyle Fitness, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Steep Uphill Walking
In my opinion, the next best thing to running on an antigravity treadmill is steep uphill treadmill walking. Research has shown that the human brain uses exactly the same motor pattern to run or walk briskly on steep gradients. In other words, when you crank the treadmill incline up to 12 to 15 percent, running becomes walking and walking becomes running. Therefore, walking on a steep incline is a highly specific way to maintain running fitness. But impact forces are reduced drastically compared to running, so steep uphill walking is possible with most injuries.
Many runners don't think of walking as a good alternative to running when injured because they assume they cannot match their normal intensity. Trust me: You can. Set the incline at 12 to 15 percent, increase the belt speed to 4 mph or so, check your heart rate and you'll see.
The only limitation of steep uphill running is that, while it is a low-impact activity, it is not a non-impact activity. Thus it cannot be done pain-free with all injuries. For example, I was unable to use steep uphill walking as an alternative to running once when I had an Achilles tendon strain.
Pool Running
Pool running is the traditional alternative to normal running. There are two types of pool running: deep-water running, where the feet do not make contact with the bottom of the pool, and shallow-water running (usually waist high), where the feet do make contact with the bottom of the pool. I think that shallow-water running is preferable because it enables the runner to better maintain adaptations to repetitive impact, thus reducing the risk that new injuries occur after the runner returns to normal outdoor running.
As with steep uphill walking, though, because shallow pool running is a low-impact (versus a non-impact) activity, it cannot be done pain-free with all injuries.
Elliptical Training
The elliptical trainer was specifically designed to mimic the running action without impact, and thus it offers an effective way to maintain running fitness. I find it incredibly boring, though, so I only do it when I'm really desperate.
Cycling
Cycling may seem less running specific than the other running alternatives discussed in this article, but a lot of noteworthy runners have used it with great success. For example, in 2004, Meb Keflezighi relied heavily on bike training to build fitness for the New York City Marathon because of injury troubles. He still managed to finish second.
Injuries often plague the life of a runner. When they happen, they are painful, debilitating and frustrating. The most frustrating part of being injured is knowing that your hard-earned fitness is deteriorating while you take time off from training to heal.
In fact, this frustration can be so great that runners are often too reluctant to take time off or tempted into resuming training too soon. Consequently, injuries become worse or last longer than they should.
One way to prevent this sort of self-sabotage is to choose a favorite go-to cross-training activity that you can switch to whenever an injury makes running impossible or unwise. Having such a fallback option greatly reduces the temptation to run when you should not because it enables you to preserve fitness even when you cannot run. Obviously, there is no alternative to running that builds and maintains running-specific fitness as well as running itself, but there are some alternatives that come relatively close.
The best running alternatives are those that are most similar to running itself. Activities such as swimming and rowing are not great alternatives to running because, while they stimulate the cardiovascular system, they are arm-dominant versus leg-dominant movements. So what are the best activities for "training through" running injuries? Here are my top five:
Antigravity Treadmill Running
The Alter-G antigravity treadmill is, in my opinion, the single most important running-related invention in history. It is a normal treadmill with a tent-like enclosure attached to it. The user steps through a hole at the top of the enclosure and seals himself in around the waist, creating an airtight seal. The chamber is then pressurized, and this high-pressure zone effectively reduces the force of gravity within it. The amount of pressure is adjustable, enabling the user to run at anywhere between 20 percent and 100 percent of his actual body weight.
I have had every type of running overuse injury that exists, and I have used the Alter-G treadmill several times. Based on this experience I can say that runners can train through any injury--pain free and without setting back the healing process--on this machine. What's more, it is not an alternative to running; it is running. Therefore it is superior to every form of cross-training in terms of building and maintaining running fitness.
Case in point: The formerly often-injured runner Dathan Ritzenhein trained exclusively on an Alter-G for several weeks while nursing an IT band injury. He was only ready to return to regular outdoor running two weeks before the 2008 USA Cross-Country Championships. Nevertheless, he won the race easily. That simply would not have been possible had he been forced to resort to pool running or bicycling.
The downside of the Alter-G antigravity treadmill is that it costs $75,000. Only a handful of units are accessible for injured runners to use in high-end physical therapy facilities. On March 30, 2010, the AlterG will be availalbe at HealthStyle Fitness, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Steep Uphill Walking
In my opinion, the next best thing to running on an antigravity treadmill is steep uphill treadmill walking. Research has shown that the human brain uses exactly the same motor pattern to run or walk briskly on steep gradients. In other words, when you crank the treadmill incline up to 12 to 15 percent, running becomes walking and walking becomes running. Therefore, walking on a steep incline is a highly specific way to maintain running fitness. But impact forces are reduced drastically compared to running, so steep uphill walking is possible with most injuries.
Many runners don't think of walking as a good alternative to running when injured because they assume they cannot match their normal intensity. Trust me: You can. Set the incline at 12 to 15 percent, increase the belt speed to 4 mph or so, check your heart rate and you'll see.
The only limitation of steep uphill running is that, while it is a low-impact activity, it is not a non-impact activity. Thus it cannot be done pain-free with all injuries. For example, I was unable to use steep uphill walking as an alternative to running once when I had an Achilles tendon strain.
Pool Running
Pool running is the traditional alternative to normal running. There are two types of pool running: deep-water running, where the feet do not make contact with the bottom of the pool, and shallow-water running (usually waist high), where the feet do make contact with the bottom of the pool. I think that shallow-water running is preferable because it enables the runner to better maintain adaptations to repetitive impact, thus reducing the risk that new injuries occur after the runner returns to normal outdoor running.
As with steep uphill walking, though, because shallow pool running is a low-impact (versus a non-impact) activity, it cannot be done pain-free with all injuries.
Elliptical Training
The elliptical trainer was specifically designed to mimic the running action without impact, and thus it offers an effective way to maintain running fitness. I find it incredibly boring, though, so I only do it when I'm really desperate.
Cycling
Cycling may seem less running specific than the other running alternatives discussed in this article, but a lot of noteworthy runners have used it with great success. For example, in 2004, Meb Keflezighi relied heavily on bike training to build fitness for the New York City Marathon because of injury troubles. He still managed to finish second.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Another Great Benefit to the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill
To Maximize Fitness Retention During Rehabilitation
Athletes need to be able to maintain high fitness levels while they are injured. Match the aerobic intensity of an athlete’s workout and lower the impact on his/her injured body by using a combination of adjustable variables:
Athletes need to be able to maintain high fitness levels while they are injured. Match the aerobic intensity of an athlete’s workout and lower the impact on his/her injured body by using a combination of adjustable variables:
- weight adjustment (100% to 20% weight-bearing in 1% increments)
- speed adjustment (0mph to 18mph)
- incline adjustment (0% to 15%)
“I think it's the best piece of equipment made for running in the last 30 years, the most revolutionary piece of equipment, without a doubt!”
-Alberto Salazar, Director of Nike Oregon Project & American Running Legend
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Alter-G Anti-Gravity Treadmill Cleared by FDA, Comes to Cincinnati...
FDA cleared and built on NASA technology, AlterG is changing the way people recover and athletes train. The unique technology allows you to run or walk at a fraction of your body weight, so you can dial in exactly where the pain stops and movement feels good again. Leading medical professionals are using AlterG to help their patients recover better and have a smooth return to activity. Top athletes and teams are using AlterG to recover and train smarter, reducing the frequency of training injuries by minimizing stress on their joints, while still building fitness.
Owner of HealthStyle Fitness, brings the Alter-G to Cincinnati in early April, 2010.
More information: http://www.cincinnatifitness.com/running-injury-alter-G-treadmill.html
Owner of HealthStyle Fitness, brings the Alter-G to Cincinnati in early April, 2010.
More information: http://www.cincinnatifitness.com/running-injury-alter-G-treadmill.html
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
AlterG's Revolutionary Anti-Gravity Treadmill Comes to Cincinnati...
AlterG, Inc., makers of the Anti-Gravity Treadmill, a revolutionary technology for rehabilitation and athletic training, recently launched the AlterG M300. The M300 delivers the same anti-gravity technology originally developed at NASA and found in AlterG's P200 series, only at a third of the price and with a sleek new design. This means the world's only anti-gravity treadmill will be accessible to millions of people who are looking to rehabilitate more easily from injury or surgery or who want to train smarter. The AlterG M300 is optimized in form, function and price for physical therapy clinics, athletic training and leading fitness facilities.
Cincinnati’s HealthStyle Fitness will have the first unit in the Tri-State area available on April 15, 2010.
More information on the AlterG is available at http://www.cincinnatifitness.com/running-injury-alter-G-treadmill.html
Cincinnati’s HealthStyle Fitness will have the first unit in the Tri-State area available on April 15, 2010.
More information on the AlterG is available at http://www.cincinnatifitness.com/running-injury-alter-G-treadmill.html
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