annual iron post

About this time of year is a good time to touch base on the importance of iron!  Below is a link to a really good article, for those of you who want to read up on this very important topic...

http://www.runningwritings.com/2017/04/low-ferritin-and-iron-deficiency-anemia.html

For those who don't want to read, because it's summer and all, here are some important bullet points:

*one study showed by the end of a cross country season (i.e. the point in the season where you want to be your best), iron deficiency had increased to 17% of boys and 45% of girls.  And in those who were not classified as iron deficient, the majority had a decrease in their serum ferritin levels.

*the above numbers were found in using the conservative standards for iron deficient serum ferritin levels used in the general population of less than 12 ng/mL.  A case can be made that for endurance athletes, serum ferritin levels less than 40 ng/mL should be consider iron deficient.

*ferrous sulfate, taken with vitamin C, is the weapon of choice to raise serum ferritin levels; while tea, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and antacids should be avoided as they inhibit the absorption of iron.  One study showed that simply putting a slice of cheese on a hamburger reduced the amount of iron absorbed by 50-60%!

*because of the above, the iron in a multivitamin is almost useless.

Additionally, a new article just released in Outside magazine (link below), demonstrates not only the importance of iron supplementation, but that supplementing every other day was just as effective as supplementing every day.  Either way, though, you have to be intentional about taking iron and not forgetting!

https://www.outsideonline.com/2415334/iron-increase-methods-athletes

Suffice to say, your serum ferritin levels are very important to your aerobic performance.  If you are not managing your iron intake and absorption, you are putting your performance at serious risk.

Now, on to training, this week's workouts:

Tue: 8-10 x 1' @  6k or 8k goal pace with 3' easy recovery
Fri:  5 x 3' @ Threshold (~85%) with 1' easy (~65%) recovery
       OR 75% Easy Tempo run

*make sure you are taking the full recovery and running EASY during the recovery.

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
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new phase

Time to switch gears a little and enter a new phase of training...aerobic short specificity.

Aerobic, because we want to stay aerobic, not anaerobic
Short, because the repetitions will not be long
Specificity, because generally repetitions are at 6k/8k goal pace

We're just trying to get used to running a faster pace again and you will need complete recovery between repetitions, so do not start another rep until fully recovered from the previous one.  The short repetitions combined with the long recoveries will prevent the build-up of any oxygen debt.

Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday stay the same as previous weeks.  The only exception would be Thursday where you could substitute 6-8 short (~10") hill sprints with a walk-down recovery for the 6-8 x 80m fast strides, if you want to.  Tuesday and Friday now become, for the most part, fartlek type workouts, though you have the option on Friday of continuing with the 75% Easy Tempo effort.

For this week:

Tue: 8-10 x 1' @ either 6k or 8k goal pace with 3' easy recovery

Fri: 5' + 4' + 3' + 2' + 1' @ ~85% effort w/ equal time recovery @ ~65%
       OR 75% Easy Tempo run

For the women to determine their 6k pace, figure out your 5k pace in terms of minutes per mile, then add about 3 seconds.  For the men to determine their 8k pace, figure out your 5k pace in terms of minutes per mile, then add about 10 seconds.  These are off your XC 5k GOAL pace, not your current race pace.

For the 85% and 65% efforts, choose a CURRENT 5k time from the pace chart that you are confidant you could run right now, then look at the 85% and 65% columns for that 5k time.  You should adjust your times slower if your are running in hot and/or humid conditions.

Lastly, read the Tolstoy quote at the top of the blog...patience and time are always important, but certainly so at the beginning of a new phase.  Do not work too hard too soon!

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

pre-exercise salt

Hopefully the first week of full volume for many of you went well!  Some are still in varying stages of building up, so keep moving forward smartly.  And for all, just a reminder that we encourage you to share your mileage and how your weeks are going with the team through the comments on the blog post.  We had just over 50% participation, way lower than previous summers!

Several weeks ago we mentioned how important it is to maintain sodium levels by salting your food to taste and even by adding it to a sports drink.  We lose a lot of sodium as we exercise through sweat.  During the summer time with heat and humidity the sodium loss is even more pronounced.  Often we hear to make sure we are staying hydrated by drinking water.  You can regulate proper hydration by simply drinking according to thirst.  You don't need to force yourself to drink more and more water.  Rather, you can be proactive in maintaining your sodium levels by pre-salting PRIOR to exercise.  Probably the best way to do that is by adding 1/2 teaspoon to about 12 oz  of Powerade/Gatorade and drinking it about 30-45 minutes before running.  If you are a "heavy-sweater", you may need to add 3/4 to 1 full teaspoon.  You could do this before heading out to the mountain for a long run or to the river for an Easy Tempo run.  Several team members have already tried it and have felt that it helped quite a bit.

Last week of the ascending to full volume phase...aerobic short specificity on deck!

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

the summer training assembly line

It's hard to believe we're already on week seven of the training schedule - first full volume week of the new training year!  As we stack week upon week, make sure you are dialing in your training, your recovery, your nutrition, and your sleep.  Everything has to be on point!  Consider these two quotes from former San Francisco 49ers head coach, Bill Walsh, in the book The Score Takes Care Of Itself...

"The culture precedes positive results.  It doesn't get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand.  Champions behave like champions before they're champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners."

"In a way, (the summer training) is like an automobile assembly line; it must be first class or the cars that come off it will be second rate.  The exceptional assembly line comes first, before the quality car."

What is the quality of your summer training?  Make it first class!

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

let's talk about effort

Think of this week as a slight consolidation week with only a small mileage increase.  Hopefully it will allow you a little recovery as you gear up for the first full volume week coming up!

Also, with summer officially here, the daily temperatures are on the rise.  Make sure you are always paying attention to proper effort.  This means not looking at the pace chart and being beholden to hitting a certain pace per mile.  With high heat and humidity, your daily pace will be slower for a given effort.  THAT IS NOT ONLY OK, BUT IMPORTANT THAT YOU LET IT BE SLOWER.  Training in a hot climate can slow your pace down by as much as thirty seconds per mile.  In fact, there is even new information out that demonstrates how running in direct sunlight will slow you down even further (see link below).  It is important that you account for the weather conditions.  Trying to hit a certain pace without doing so will take a toll on you through the summer, and will leave you fatigued during the fall season.  SLOW DOWN if the weather conditions call for it!

The Misunderstood Science of Exercising on Sunny Days

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

xc schedule v.2020

Just a short post for this week with the tentative fall schedule below providing some great competitive opportunities!  As with all things in this time of COVID-19, this is subject to change.  Of the states we are planning to travel to, Oregon has been the slowest to begin re-opening.  We will keep you updated as more information becomes available!

Sat, Sep 5 - UGA Invitational, w= 4.5k, m= 6k / Athens, GA

Fri, Sep 25 - Bill Dellinger Inv, w= 6k, m= 8k / Eugene, OR

Fri, Oct 16 - Penn State National Open, w= 6k, m= 5.2mi / State College, PA

Fri, Oct 30 - ACC Championships, w= 6k, m= 8k / South Bend, IN

Fri, Nov 13 - NCAA South Regional, w= 6k, m= 10k / Tallahassee, FL

Sat, Nov 21 - NCAA Championships, w= 6k, m= 10k / Stillwater, OK

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel

easy tempo x 2

To go along with Tuesday's Easy Tempo that was added last week, add a second Easy Tempo effort on Friday this week.  We'll keep this Tue/Fri pattern for the next five weeks.  Remember to not make these Easy Tempos too much of an effort.  You should NOT be struggling to the finish.  Be intentional about getting in some strides, at a minimum, on Thursday's.  Gradually add each week toward getting in 6-8 x 80m of fast striding.  FYI, fast striding is not sprinting, rather a relaxed but quick stride with a focus on good technique.

In coming weeks, there will likely be some information on the importance of sodium.  Maintaining proper sodium levels is essential and a lot of sodium is lost while running.  With the summer heat and humidity, sodium loss is even more extreme.  The basic advice would be to make sure your are salting your food to taste when you eat.  Drinking a sports drink, even adding a little salt to it, after runs is beneficial.  Pickles and olives are among foods with high sodium content.

TEAM > TEAMMATE > SELF

#MTM #actachieveactualize #professionalism #juice #chopwoodcarrywater
⬈🝚x🝚   #ambitiontoexcel