Wednesday 17 February 2010

Peak week training

Well I am peaking nicely in my periodised 4 weekly training plan. Unfortunately I am peaking in terms of the number of dry days in a week, dry days being ones without alcoholic refreshment. I haven't had a drink since last Tuesday. Over a week. I can't remember the last time that happened.

I should have been peaking mileage wise last week but caught a real beast of a chest cold off our little daughter. It has taken the whole family down. Eilidh for 10 days now, Kirstin for 8 days and me for 6 days. No running. Just a lot of phlegm, coughing and not much sleeping.

I am going to go for a 5 mile splutter filled run this evening I think to try to get my body moving again. Funny thing is, I am not even thinking of drinking. Almost JK-like in abstinence (ssh listen and you will hear the angelic chorus surrounding my very being). :-)

3 comments:

Subversive Runner said...

You'll be challenging me for that Pastor's job in Paisley next, mate!

John Kynaston said...

Hope you are feeling better soon.

I don't want you having any excuses when we line up at the Hardmoors in a few weeks time.

JK

Anonymous said...

Brians feet reply2

I suppose the question is, is there any benefit to bothering to change to barefoot?

I can see three possible benefits, the first two of which are physical and tangible, whilst the third is psychological and more personal.

(1) increased running efficiency through change of gait. My response here would be, can a more efficient gait be trained in other ways? Do all ultra runners have efficient gaits simply through having run ultras repeatedly?
(2) less incidence of injury. I am not yet convinced of, and there are no decent empirical studies that demonstrate, any causal link between trainers and increased injury incidence or severity.
(3) a feeling that barefoot running is somehow more natural and appealing. Fair enough, whatever swings your boat, but such a benefit is personal and subjective.

What do you reckon?

1. the first time a Mexican Indian runner entered the Leadville 100 he won it in sandals with no conventional racing experience.
They seem to train by drinking themselves stupid at every opportunity then spend an entire day running it off - so it should suit you sir ;¬)
Personally I think the required style more efficient, logically it must be or we would have evolved to heel strike with bare feet.
Thinking back to when I briefly got semi serious about running fast half marathons I decided from studying the literature that increasing shortening my stride and moving to the mid foot was the way to go.
This approach did get me to 90 minutes with minimal training in conventional trainers.
Wearing flats that are flexible enough to twist along the length of the foot should get you most of the same benefits.

2. Now that I am fully adapted it seems that I can do more running especially on cambered surfaces with less risk of small injuries - perhaps because my lower leg can move freely to the ideal load bearing position.
Logically if the optimum set up was to heel strike then that is how we would have evolved.
Alternatively perhaps increasingly contrived footwear if a statement of social position and so to admit this would be to diminish ourselves - to the level of the footwear free losers ;¬)

3. Hardly personal and subjective: the ability to hunt to exhaustion by using our brain and endurance defines a human and is the apotheosis of all our evolution.
Fashion and personal status are false deifications created by our society - personal and subjective ;¬)

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