Barefoot Running and other ways to improve speed

It looks like I am not really talented for running, at least not for running fast so I have to search for the one or other shortcut to catch up with my colleagues who, by very little training, still outrun me by far.

Improve technique:

One can read a lot about improving the running technique and running more efficiently by running barefoot. I did this during my holiday at the beach with some 4-8 km runs and experienced quickly how much fun that is. Automatically I land more on the mid/forefoot, the steps are shorter and the cadence higher. 

Unfortunately I am back home and there is no beach nearby but I try to do the shorter runs in “barefoot shoes”, the Vibram FiveFingers now. As the paved roads are much harder than sandy beaches I have to be more careful and after a longer run I felt my calves so I have to wait with the next barefoot run.

Improve training:

One can find a lot of training plans to lead to a marathon but those are not personalized enough for me as I have another target, I cross the Alps by mountain bike mid August so I use the help of Anke from www.MyGoal.de. She writes a detailed monthly plan about how, how hard and when to train.

I like long and slow runs but in the plan there are only very few. Instead I find what I don’t like: Sprints, intervals, strength training but it seems to work. I cannot really say for running because of lack of experience but it made me faster and gave me more endurance on the bike.

Optimize Weight

A reduction of 1 kg body weight statistically improves the Marathon speed by 3 Minutes. Compared to 9 months ago this should shorten my run by 21 minutes:

But even more important: My hamstring and left leg look and feel back to normal which the Tanita BC-601 proved lately:

The June is not really warm this year. Therefore I am happy to have this beautiful “Train with Tanita” Running Jacket:

Getting that funny feeling back!

So I woke up this morning with an ache in my neck and a slight stiffness in my legs!

I have missed that feeling, as the days progress and training gets a little more intense and positive, as your legs begin to feel like they know what they are meant to do again you know you are on the road to a place of very positive things. I began to remember the days when I would wake up and feel so full of energy I could not wait to go out for a ride, or when I could not wait to get home and put the running shoes on, the days when it seems like you have not had an illness in a long time and your body just simply feels strong.

It seems like it has been over a year since I have felt like that, but I can tell I am getting there, it feels like your waking up from a long hibernation and that constant groggy feeling and those misty eyes are beginning to clear.

I know my body is getting stronger and I know my energy is beginning to Boom, because today is meant to be a rest day, however I am sitting here desperate to run or ride or just do something. I work full time and like everybody else spend most of my working day either sat in a car, in meetings or behind my desk, which is where I am today. I am sitting here making business plans, making offers and writing copy for our new range of fitness monitors, but every now and again I get agitated, I get twitchy and have this need to do some training. I know I should rest but I am so looking forward to being 100% fit again and having that feeling of energy and strength that I just want to get out there.

However most athletes and coaches know that this is when training plans and programmes for athletes are vital, this is when top athletes can over train and burn out or have dips in performance, because most of them are so keen to get fitter and faster that they do to much and don’t allow for recovery.

Now I am not a top athlete despite my once desperate attempts to convince myself I could have been! However I can remember those times when I have done to much to soon and either got a cold or injured or just plain sick of training. That’s the balance you have to achieve, work, family, friends, rest and training otherwise we simply will not progress. Start slow and build up, the strength the fitness will come and you will feel better for it.

It is the same with weight loss, don’t try to achieve to much to soon, we know that drastic changes in dietary planning can lead to not just fat loss but lean muscle loss also if not balanced, you should aim to make manageable changes to your plans so you don’t over train or start a deitry plan that is just not manageable.

You can also use triggers and monitors to keep yourself motivated, I have set myself some small targets to achieve before Christmas, but they are small and achievable changes. Such as adding 1 extra swim a week  into training for the next 4 weeks, like planning to reduce fat intake for next 4 weeks to achieve 1% loss in body fat, I started this 3 weeks ago and have lost 0.48% already. Once this has been achieved I can review and set new targets for the next 4-6 weeks, but all the time I have the ultimate goal of wanting to stay fit and healthy so each day I can wake up with energy and strength.

Let me know what your targets are for the near future! We are aiming for Amsterdam marathon on 2012 its a long way to go yet, that’s why we focus on the short term as well.

I am using my Tanita BC-1000 with Garmin Connect to track my training and Body Composition changes and will let you know if I achieve the 1% loss before December 25th!

Keep focused!

Simon

Practice makes perfect

My name is Marc Kastermans. I manageTanita Europe since 2009. I have always been fascinated by endurance sports but personally never got further than running the occasional 5K around my house (about 10 times per year) and I usually felt very out of shape after that. I never really considered taking it any further. Then about three years ago I started feeling overweight. Maybe it was at Tanita because being on a weighing scale and measuring my body composition every other day is very confrontational. In that period the good life also got the better of me. Exceeding 100KG, 22-24% body fat, not good ! (I am 193cm. and now 43 years old)

In 2008 I also started playing landhockey again. Participating in a match every week made me feel better but also confronted me with my limitations and the idea that the field appears to be getting larger in the second half of the match. In that year my spouse also started running at the Gooische Atletiek Club. Looking at her coming home from her runs I started to feel even more out of shape.

It took until 2010 that I decided to take matters into my own hand by losing some weight and taking running and biking more serious. I started skipping all the food that I do not really like and all the snacks. No regime, just changed my food intake. In a period of about 3-4 months I dropped my weight to about 87KG and my fat percentage to about 15-17%. I started to feel much better.

Since then I have been running but I have always seen this as something ‘personal’. Just me, usually a headphone on and running every couple of days usually between 5-15km depending on my mood and my schedule. It clears my mind and gives me time to think things over. I never felt the need to do any of the organised runs nor did I feel the need to set a real goal. Furthermore I started biking. Ever since I live near a mountainbike path (yes, Holland is flat, but that’s still how we call it) I started doing some biking as well. Once a week, 50 km or so with a few friends. Nowadays I try to bike to our Tanita office in Amsterdam (25-30KM one way) a few times per week as well.

What we do best at Tanita is measuring people’s body composition. But we all realise that this leads to many questions about lifestyle, sports, exercise, food intake etc.  These conversations have made many of us change our lifestyle as well. Travelling around Europe the last years I have also had the chance to do an occasional run with my colleagues and we discuss this topic often. It is great to share a common interest ! That resulted in conversations about doing a run together.  We decided to go for a real challenge together. October 2012, Marathon of Amsterdam it is ! Can I do this ? Of course, I say to everybody with confidence. But deep down inside I know it’s a stretch. I know I can do half a marathon under 2 hours, but double of that, I feel I need to structure my sports activities.

My current methods of tracking my results:

For measuring my body I have an old Tanita BC-410 in my office.

Occasionally I use a Tanita BC-1000 and track my results via Garmin Connect. I also use our new Tanita MC-980 whenever I have the chance. What a great machine !

I use a Garmin 310XT to track my running results and a Garmin EDGE 800 on my bike and I plan to start with putting a schedule together to bring some structure in my activities. I know it’s almost a year away so there is some time left.

We can do it !

Ready Steady Go!!

The First Marathon!

Ok so I have now committed myself to run my first Marathon, after many years of joking with my father about how I still have not completed a Marathon let alone an Ironman, I am finally one step closer to achieving one of these goals, or at least I hope I will be!

So since I completed my first world record in 2000 my dad has joked about I am getting older and should try to finish one of the events which he completed so many times at his competitive peak. I have put this off for many years, but now having just turned 30 it is time to attempt phase 1 (the marathon). The problem is not only do I have to complete the event my competitive nature and of course the inter-family competition I have a target time to achieve also! I am going to keep this to myself at this early stage in the preparation, but I promise to share my target time at some stage before event day!

I have been taking a look back at my training diary’s from my bike racing career and checking out my Body Composition and performance statistics, at my peak as a young 22 year old cyclist and triathlete I was a mere 65kg, with a Body fat of 5-6%. Now however it is a little different and current statistics are 73.8kg and 11.3% Body fat with 62.2kg of Muscle mass, so things have changed since I stopped racing. Of course the target is not to achieve a wafer thin 65kg but a more realistic 6-8% body fat.

I have a little over 10 months to achieve the target marathon time and of course target Body fat, and will keep you all up to date with the progress, I have already started back a little running over the last month, and I have been back riding the bike and swimming for around 6 months. Of course fitting this into my work and family life is a little different these days, but I am optimistic with the correct plan and race calendar in the build-up. The ???? marathon time is achievable.

I will share stories and progress updates in this blog including Body Composition updates. I am currently using a Tanita BC-1000 paired with a Garmin Forerunner 610 to track and store data, and whenever possible update the stats.

Keep Training!

Simon