2 x 320m Intervals & Keto Crab Feast

8am, 14th Nov, at home in Birmingham, UK.

Pulled on my tracksuit, stepped outside into the bracing morning and banged out a couple of mid-distance intervals. 320m, uphill.

Times were 61 seconds and 67 seconds. Couple of minutes rest in between, walking back to the start.

I wore the Five Finger Treks, falling apart, but still clinging on to functional use.

I had a keto crab feast for lunch, and have a couple of steaks lined up for tonight. I did have some branch chain amino acids before the intervals, but nothing else until lunch.

I only did two intervals because I want to recover quickly ahead of a race next weekend. As ever, however, I subconsciously tailored my effort according to the expected number of intervals, and ended up hurting myself too much on the first one. So I deliberately slackened a bit for number two, and escaped without coming too close to leg failure. ... Read more

3 Reasons Mountain Running Won't Destroy My Legs

You may have noticed I've been doing a lot of fell running recently. Big ones. Tough ones. A few of the posts have mentioned sore legs, feet, knees and other body parts.

In Scotland last month, I briefly met an older guy who'd been a top performer in the Ben Nevis race in previous years. He was struggling up the stairs at the bed and breakfast where we stayed.

"You'll have knees like me one day," he said, paternally.

Then, in a recent forum post I came across, a runner was explaining how bad his knees had become from years of mountain running.

So I have been thinking about this a lot. I do not want 'bad' knees or legs. Part of being Paleo is being in tune with our ancestral past and therefore living in a way which is optimal for our bodies. Optimally-used bodies don't start giving up at the age of 60.

I think there are three reasons this won't happen to me.

1. Recovery.
2. Diet.
3. Style.

Recovery

Many runners, especially the faster ones, seem to run a lot between races. "I managed to get a couple in" is a phrase often heard from someone seen at a race the previous weekend. As though it's an obligation.

I think we were designed for more episodic, traumatic runs. Perhaps a long hunt or sudden move across the mountains to a new camp. We would then have rested when we got the chance, rather than feeling obliged to do yet more activity.

There is a line, different for each person, where the volume of running exceeds the ability to repair. The sweet spot is where your body has just finished a full repair when you next traumatise it. I doubt whether the training regime of most runners in the top 25% is on the right side of that line.

By mainly running only races, I will remain on the right side. I am certainly listening to my body, and right now it tells me I need at least another couple of weeks without any significant leg trauma. I will duly oblige.

I am happy not to be one of the faster runners - I think that is an important place to get to. The law of dimishing returns can make striving for ever more improvement a depressing long-term strategy for the mid-pack amateur athlete.

These days, my priorities have shifted towards enjoying the mountains, avoiding being timed out, and following the correct route. I am choosing longer and longer distances, which means a lower heart rate and therefore more of a Paleo-friendly workout.

Six years ago I was finishing much farther up the field, but I was training hard, running hard and only really getting pleasure retrospectively from the experience.

Diet

Another factor may be diet. High volume cardio training is often fuelled by a high carb diet, which can mean a lot of grains. There is evidence that grains aren't good news for the joints.

Could my Paleo diet further protect me?

The phrase I used earlier might actually say:

There is a line, different for each person, eating a given diet, where the volume of running exceeds the ability to repair.

Style

Mountain running, which is almost exclusively the type of running I do, takes place on a more random terrain. This means runners are less likely to get the kind of specific oversuse injuries road runners can expect.

Nevertheless, many fell running shoes have big heels just like normal running shoes. A heel strike on any terrain will create more force through the legs than a forefoot strike and therefore promote more injury.

If I successfully apply the pose running technique (I am still working on this) in the context of mountain running, it should also avert the threat of leg deterioration. ... Read more

Stretching and Mobility

I used to stretch a lot. Being the obsessive type, I developed a routine that hit all the muscles and took around 15 minutes to complete. I would do this before and after each run, and even on non-running days or after weights sessions.

Stretching Injuries

Something stuck me time and again: most of the injuries I developed appeared to originate from stretching. Not all of them, of course: as any former running shoe user, I can tell stories of runner's knee, Achilles tendonitis and shin splints. But most of them were indeed from stetching.

Over-zealousness was probably a factor. I was not content to just stretch. I had to become really flexible. Overstretching is not good.

I have now stopped stretching more or less entirely.

Why I Stopped Stretching

Other than my tendency to injure myself doing it, I stopped because I read a variety of articles that question whether it is effective. This one suggests it leads to reduced strength. This one suggests it has no impact on reducing running injury.

That said, some studies suggest it may reduce stiffness when done after exercise, so admittedly the evidence is mixed; but for me, mixed evidence did not justify the time I was spending on it - and since stopping has apparently done me no harm, why bother?

Cavemen did not 'Stretch'

Hunters of yesteryear certainly didn't stretch in a way that resembles what runners typically do, so provided we exercise it a way that broadly aligns with what they did, it should not be necessary.

Mark Sisson recommends two Primal 'stretches' - the hang and the squat (at 0:50 in the sprint video). I often do these for a minute when I feel like it, usually after a workout.

Mobility

Instead of stretching routines, I've started doing mobility work. This is more akin to dynamic/ballistic stretching, which the above study on strength suggests might not have the same adverse effect on performance. Mobility work has the added benefit of ensuring joints are able to go through a full range of movement.

The routine in this video is one I often use.



This is a good website that focuses on mobility.

More Information

Chris from Conditioning Research has done a lot of reading around this subject, so to find out more, check out his posts on stretching and mobility. ... Read more

Preparing for the Nevis Beast: Mixed Hill Training

Location: The Wrekin, Telford, UK
Date: Sunday - 29th August
Workout: 75 minutes of mixed walking, hiking, running

Next week, it's Ben Nevis beast. I keep referring to these races as beasts. Which they are. But each one has its own special form of beastliness. Last month, the Borrowdale Fell Race's beastliness derived from the length of the race. With Nevis it's the height.

I approached yesterday's training run with caution. Last week I had a great outing in the Malvern Hills, which saw me go barefoot for part of a 4-hour low-intensity hill run in which I did some Pose Running practice.

Funnily enough, I picked up a foot problem. Who'd have thought? 4 hours with no shoes trying a new running method?

Anyhoo, yesterday I decided to simply do a mixture of barefoot and fell-shoe power hiking yesterday. My new x-Talon 190 shoes had arrived, a minimalist, studded trainer I've conceded is necessary for muddy, steep, grassy fell races.

This photo shows the full range of my current grip options, from foot to fell shoe.

Workout

• 21 minutes power hiking in bare feet to the top via the light side (took a steep shortcut to make it harder but quicker)
• * At the top, donned new x-Talons *
• 7 minutes jogging / pose running down the dark side because my foot felt better than expected.
• 14 minutes power-hiking back up the dark side - taking myself closer to the lactate threshold after my success with this pre-Borrowdale (that training session is in this post.)
• 35 minutes walking back down the light side with Mrs M.

Total Time: about 1 hour 15

Food: was a hare's leg for lunch when we got back and roast chicken for dinner.

The stony paths on the Wrekin made the first barefoot part a challenge - but I feel I am continuing to build toughness in my feet and this was not an uncomfortable experience.

The x-Talons felt great the minute I got them on. It was like getting the suspension on your car fixed. Don't read too much into that analogy. I am not saying it felt 'right' - just nice!

My sore foot seemed to benefit from being used. I was nervous about the downhill, but it seemed far happier when running than when I had been walking during the week. Fingers crossed, it will be fine for the rigours of Nevis. ... Read more

Savage 300 Workout & Easy Running in Downtown Boston

Downtown, uptown, I never know the difference. There were tall buildings, so there's no doubt about the 'town' part - but beyond that, I haven't a clue. It sounded good in the title, so I sacrificed accuracy for style.

I am staying at the Lenox hotel, in which there is the traditionally 'just adequate' gym. The gyms in big city hotels are so similar, I usually feel like I've been there before. It's nice - like a home from home.

The photo, taken from their website, pretty much tells the story. Out of view, behind the photographer, is a set of 10 - 50lb dumbbells, a pull down machine, a leg raise machine and a wooden bench for sitting on. This came in handy, as it happens.

Tuesday

I improvised a cheat 300 workout using the available equipment. These were the exercises:

25 Machine pull downs @ 120 lbs
50 Press ups
50 Dumbbell deadlifts @ 50lbs each
50 Tuck Jumps
50 Floor wipers with 50 lb dumbbells
25 Dumbbell clean and press @ 30lbs
25 Machine pull downs @ 120 lbs

I deliberately chose lighter weights so I could minimise rest due to muscle failure.

Time: 18.25
Food afterwards: Asparagus and mushroom omelet

The plan worked - I may have been forced to use lighter weights by the available equipment, but by deliberately judging the other weights (such as pull downs) to avoid lots of enforced rests, I made this the toughest session I've had in weeks.

By the end, I was in serious pain. The 'sitting down' bench came in handy. It was a good job it was 4.30am and the gym was empty, because I was making a lot of noise in the closing set.

Back at the room, a brief lie down was required.

Yesterday

I have bought a heart rate monitor that connects with tracking software on my mobile phone. This means I get a map of the route and graphs of altitude, speed and heart rate. Very cool. When I have downloaded the paid-for version of the tracking software I will be able to post the graphs for future runs.

To test it, I ran around Boston 'town' for an hour, over some bridges, along some water and through some car parks when I got lost. Of course it's not possible to actually get lost anymore, since my phone tells me where I am, where the hotel is, and what direction I am moving in.

I did the run in my Vibram Five Finger Mocs - not really designed for outdoor running, but they stood up to the challenge and gave me the closest thing to a truly barefoot running experience I've ever had.

The good news: by running at what felt like about the right pace for easy exercise, I kept my heart rate at an average of 148 bmp, which I think is about right. I didn't monitor it while running - just looked at the graph afterwards.

Time: 60 minutes.
Food afterwards: none - fasted until evening. ... Read more