To Use GPS or Not

I'll admit I've been as devoted to my GPS running watch as anyone out there. As a device it's a very attractive thing, it validates your efforts, can keep you on task and promises to improve your performance through constant feedback... But is it really as useful or necessary as we in the modern era of running have come to believe? I for one am beginning to believe it's not.

My interest in ditching my watch started as I began to ramp up my weekly mileage this spring. As with any increase in one's weekly mileage you'll tend to see a decrease in your pace as you increase the distance, this is a crucial part of the ramp up as doing more mileage while trying to maintain a set intensity is a well known recipe for burnout and injury. The problem of course is that as a runner going slower sucks, especially when you're cranking out 10+ miles per day at 20-30 seconds a mile slower than you're used to. In this instance the constant feedback of my GPS enabled watch was doing far more harm than good by reminding me how slowly I was going (as if being passed by the occasional weekend warrior wasn't enough). Those runs prompted me to think a bit more about my GPS use than I had before; what services was the watch really doing for me, and what value did the data it provided actually have on the run? These questions led to more questions and a then to a complete rethinking of my GPS use.

1) Perceived Effort vs. External Data

This is the big (and usually only) complaint I hear from people regarding GPS watches, that it is hard to go easy when you're constantly reminded how slow an easy pace really is. I hear from a lot of newer runners, and I include my self in that group, that a GPS watch helps them to maintain a good effort, however that isn't always the help it seems. I for one tend to run too fast GPS watch or no, and when it comes to easy runs I regularly hammer my easy days to the point that I'm flat when I need to really go hard in a track workout or tempo run... So what is the point of relying on a device that tells me my pace when what I'm aiming to measure is my effort, isn't my own nervous system a better guide to that specific measurement? Yes, yes it is...

This is the main point that convinced me to ditch the watch. As I've become a better and stronger runner I've noticed that I easily settle into the correct pace for a given situation, I slow down just the right amount to maintain my effort on a hill, speed up enough when the wind is at my back, and that my legs no exactly what pace they can handle that day for a 10 mile tempo. The fact of the matter is my body is great at figuring out what it can and can't do... Except for when I look at my watch. When I glance down at my watch I inevitably determine that the pace that my body has selected is wrong in every way and then I make a decision to speed up or slow down, and that decision is rarely the correct one. 

2) Running is Supposed to be Low-Tech Right?

So what are some of the features of running that drew you to the sport? If you're like me the simplicity of the activity was a big draw. Coming to running from the world of cycling I quickly embraced the lack of equipment and low cost of the sport; aspects which are somewhat tarnished by the wearing of a $200+ watch which needs to be charged between uses. Now one may argue that the striping away of technology doesn't necessarily enhance the sport, for some it maybe in fact detract from the experience, and as with everything in running it is a matter of personal opinion, but for those of us who got into running in part for the simplicity the thrill of disconnecting further is a huge benefit. Not having to pack another charger when traveling is also a nice side effect.  

3) Running "Exactly" 10 Miles...

I think everyone has done this at least once... You get back from your run and realize upon reaching your front door that you have run 9.896748 miles (or something else close to a whole number) and instead of shrugging your shoulders and heading in for a shower you instead run up and down you block like a crazy person until you have run exactly 10 miles, not a step more or less. Note that you're probably tired and/or cold and all you really want to do is go back inside because you've already had a productive workout, but you keep running to reach an arbitrary end point which represents no meaningful training stimulus. The reality is of course that GPS watches are never truly accurate and it is almost certain that if you've run 10 miles exactly per your watch's calculation you've in fact run some other distance which +\- 10 miles. Why not just accept that some days you'll run more and some day's you'll run less; instead of focusing on distance why not run for time?

4) Really, Why Not Run for Time?

We tend to believe that distance is the great equalizer, if you run 10 miles today it'll be the same as running 10 miles tomorrow. But what if today there's not a breathe of wind and tomorrow is nearly hurricane force? First off why are you out running in a hurricane? But more to the point how are the two even remotely equal? Running into a strong wind sucks and no one with an ounce of logic could possibly believe that a 70 minute run on a calm day is equal to an 75 minute run into a gale, so why pretend they are? Why not instead run for a set amount of time and then sort the mileage out later? This is a technique my coach uses when we're working on ramping up the mileage or increasing intensity, it is in fact a lot less risky because it builds in a safety valve for exhaustion (i.e. if I run 8.5 miles in a 60 minute easy run today and only 8 tomorrow it means I'm tired and should be running less, it also signals to me and my coach that I'm worn down because it demonstrates a decrease in output).

None of the above if to say mileage is not significant, it's just to say that setting arbitrary mileage goals is more likely to cause over training that are time goals, and that time better indicates training volume in most instances. When training for longer distances for example Time on Feet (TOF) is considered a more important training stimulus than is distance run, after all few runners will run the full 26 miles 385 yards of a marathon in training but many will run the full time of their race (though far more slowly) during their long runs. For me this type of time first training is easier without a GPS tech strapped to my wrist. 

5) Fly by Wire Racing
And finally my chief concern, racing. In my experience racing is best done by feel and that GPS data is only useful for post-hoc analysis, this is not to say that one cannot race well with continuous GPS data, but it is one additional piece of additional information which can confuse and complicate what is essentially a simple endeavor. For many runner, again myself included, racing with a GPS watch can turn into a game of matching pace to an idealized goal, this can sometimes be helpful but other times it can cause you to out run you capabilities or even worse hold you back from a breakthrough performance. It is chiefly the urge to look at my watch and my inability to ignore this impulse that leads me to ditch the watch.

I recognize that this is not a prescription that will work for everyone, but for me at least it may be exactly the change in my training and racing that I need, a way too disconnect further from the world while running and return to the aspects of the sport that I loved when I first started. With that thought I'll say goodbye for the time being, in the mean time keep the rubber on the road!

Martha's Vineyard Hurricanes Pinkletink Pace 5k - Proud Moments in Coaching

Photo Credit: Sophia McCarron of the MV Times

This last Saturday marked a momentous occasion for the Martha's Vineyard Hurricanes Cross Country Club... we hosted our first race! The Pinkletink Pace 5k was the first annual event hosted by the Hurricanes and it was a great success for the club and most importantly for everyone who ran the race.

The certified course (which I've mentioned in a previous article) started at the West Chop Club, located at the end of West Chop in Tisbury, and traveled south along Franklin St. before turning onto Daggett Ave. and out onto Main St. which it followed along the water back up around the chop and to the West Chop Club. The course is characterized by a series of three hills along Main St. which start almost immediately after the turn off of Daggett Ave. and and continue in succession along Main St. culminating in a short steep climb right before the club. These three hills and the false flat leading up to the first mile marker make for a tough and not particularly fast course, but one which is scenic and interesting to run.

Ready to go!

Race morning went pretty smoothly for us with registration and set-up proceeding without a hitch, additionally timing (provided by Joe Schroeder) was was set-up early and didn't require a lot input from the Hurricanes coaches or volunteers. Good organization on the part of Kim and Reean (Hurricanes coaches) meant that I was able to temporarily forget my own coaching duties and sneak out for a warm-up with Rene Silva prior to the race start. 

Rene and I just before the one mile marker.

Lining up for the race was slightly delayed as we had a few last minute sign-ups that we wanted to accommodate, however even with these minor delays the race started at 10:05 AM. As would be expected with a youth focused event Rene and I found ourselves behind a mass of young runners at the start, but within the first 200 meters most of these had dropped back and a the race was reduced to Rene, Jack (one of our faster youth runners), and myself. By about 800 meters into the race Jack decided to drop back of the pace and Rene and I proceeded on together through mile markers one and two before Rene began to slip back a few strides.  

I won in a time of 16:31. Photo Credit: Sophia McCarron of the MV Times

 Leading into the final mile of the race I tried to keep the pace even and just maintain until the last hill when I planned to kick hard into the finish if needed. Upon getting to the last hill I briefly peaked over my shoulder and didn't see Rene right behind me so I decided to pick up the pace gradually rather than really kick it in as hard as I had originally planned. In the end I crossed the line in a time of 16:31 with Rene coming in shortly thereafter in a time of 16:48. Jack became the first youth runner to finish and third overall with a time of 18:56.

Rene taking second place in 16:48 Photo Credit: Sophia McCarron of the MV Times

Rene, Jack, and I stuck around for a few minutes after the race finished to catch our breath and congratulate the other finishers coming in, including women's winner Corinna Black who finished in a time of 24:57. After watching the other runners come in Rene, Jack, and I headed out for a short cool down run along Franklin St., as always running with these guys was a pleasure and we got to share war stories and plans for the season for a bit away from the confusion and excitement of the finish. 

The awards ceremony was a lot of fun with a number of excellent prizes being distributed to deserving runners. As an organizer of the event I decided against taking any prizes and my winnings were passed down to second place finisher Rene. While it is always fun to race and especially to run a solid time this race was notable mainly for how rewarding it was to watch the kids I coach succeed in running a race that they had all trained so hard for! Also it was a pleasure to spend some time hanging around with various members of the running community on the island and talking to people whom I rarely get to spend any serious time with. 

For further info and more complete results see the MV Times article on the race here.

Course Certification: The Martha's Vineyard Hurricanes Pinkletink Pace 5k

As mentioned in the previous post on the calibration course the Martha's Vineyard Hurricanes XC Club is hosting the Pinkletink Pace 5k road race on April 29th., as such Reaan and I have been working to certify the course in order to provide the accurate race distance we've advertised. In my last last post I explained in brief detail the measurement of the calibration course, and presented the official certification map for that course. In this post I'll explain a bit about the measurement of the course itself.

In choosing the race course's route Kim Kirk (co-coach and chief organizer of all things Hurricanes) picked a loop around West Chop which was already very close to a perfect 5km, as such measuring the course was not a terribly complicated procedure compared to other course measurements, and the bulk of the work was focused on confirming length and determining precise start and finish points. The actual measurement of the course is done by riding a calibrated bicycle sporting a Jone Counter (photo below) twice around the course and noting the number of counts registered, the measuring rider also uses the counts of the Jones counter to determine the precise location of all intermediate points (mile markers) along the course.

The day of measurement was not exactly a pleasant one, but it was the day we had so Reaan and I decided to just go for it and suck up the discomfort to get the job done! While dodging rain drops and bundling up against the cold we started the day at out calibration course, where we did a quick calibration of the bicycle (four rides in each direction along the calibration course) before proceeding to the race course. While on course we completed two  rides of the complete route noting all intermediate points. All in all the process went smoothly and we were only on the course for about two hours before we had all the measurements we needed and were able to head back to the calibration course for a final re-calibration of the bicycle with another four rides. 

Following the actual measurement the numerous calculations required were made and the course length was determined to be the correct length, and the start and finish points permanently marked with PK nails and washers. Finally a map of the course was drawn and the course was certified by the USATF certifier in Boston. And there we have it, a cerified course ready for a fun day of racing and an opportunity for runners to set a time on a course which is true to the advertised distance! 

Course Certification: FIre Rd. A Calibration Course

As many of you may know the Martha's Vineyard Hurricanes XC Club is hosting the Pinkletink Pace 5k road race April 29th to benefit both our organization and the First Hugs Orphanage in China (where one of our runners spent his early life). One of the goals in putting on this races (aside from raising charitable funds), was to provide a truly competitive environment for all runners, as well as to provide an accurate and enjoyable race course, and the best way to achieve those aims is of course to have the race course USATF certified.

Having a race certified is not as easy a thing as one might think, after all USATF certification means that time run on the course are IAAF record eligible, and as such courses need to be accurate to within fractions of meter. This high level or resolution cannot be achieved by simply driving your car around a race course and referencing your odometer, or even by using a sophisticated GPS watch. Race course which are USATF certified are measured by calibration of a bicycle and complex system of checks which ensure that the course CANNOT be short. All of this precision is of course laborious and extremely time consuming, however for those who care a great deal about the validity of race results it is a very worthwhile endeavor.  

The first step in certifying a course is the laying out of a calibration course. Courses are a straight line steel tape measured course which is corrected for thermal expansion or contraction of the tape and which are laid out on a paved surface. For our course Reaan and I chose the perfectly straight road behind the Martha's Vineyard High School (Fire Rd. A) and measured out a 1000' calibration course along the road. Unfortunately for us it's winter so laying out the course, and measuring it twice turned into a frigid exercise is misery, but in the end the course was measured and we had the first step in the journey to certification completed!

Race Report: St. Paddy's Day-ish 5k

Photo Credit: MV Times

This last Sunday (March 26th) was the St. Paddy's Day-ish, a Vineyard tradition and the customary first 5k of the island road racing season. In addition to being the first road race of the season it was also the first race of any sort for the Hurricanes Youth XC Club (see my earlier article on coaching youth runners), and exciting opportunity to gauge the kids' fitness leading into the spring track and road seasons. And finally it was an excellent fundraiser for the High School Track and XC programs.

Male Overall winner Rene Da Silva Photo Credit: MV Times

The race itself was a small event as island road races go with 66 finishers. The high school track teams and the Hurricanes both brought strong contingents to the race with the two groups filling out most of the top 20 positions. Rene Da Silva, my often times training partner won the men's overall race with a time of 17:58 and I followed him in for 2nd place in a time of 18:36 (more on that slow time later). Catherine Cherry, a graduate of the Hurricanes program and a stand out on the high school track team won the women's overall race in a time of 21:35, a fast time for a mid-training cycle race. I would also like to mention my co-coach Reean Steenkamp's fourth place finish in a time of 19:56.

Female Overall winner Catherine Cherry Photo Credit: MV Times

The St. Paddy's Day-ish 5k runs along the same course used for the Martha's Vineyard Hospital 5k which is held every August. The course which is currently not USATF certified, but which has previously been measured, starts at Washington park, runs though the East Chop neighborhood before descending onto East Chop Dr. and then following the coast back along East Chop Dr. back to Washington Park for the finish. The course is one of the more challenging on the island due to the presence of several significant hills and the always strong winds along East Chop Dr. The difficulty of the course coupled with it's early timing in the season and minimal competition means that fast times are rarely clocked at the event and this year was no different.

As for my race, I chose to run the race as an easy tempo, coming as it was at the end of a 75 mile training week, and given that I was running the race for the purpose of supporting the Hurricanes and not for the actual racing. Despite the slow time (18:36) I was pleased with my race as it was my first extended run of at any reasonably fast pace since hurting my foot at the MV 20 Miler in February. I started the race well in the back and ran the first few hundred meters with a few of the kids I coach in order to monitor for the inevitable sprinting starts that young runners are so prone to. Following the first 400-ish meters with our young runners I moved up in the field to run with Reean for the first 1.5 miles where I again decided to move up the field and catch up with third place finisher Aivaras Gedviles who I managed to catch by around the 2 mile mark and then hung with for the next half mile or so before moving up again to take second place. By the finish I could see Rene again up in the front but never once challenged his lead. My goal for the race was to run a progressive tempo and moving up through the field progressively throughout the race did the job nicely.

Coming away from the race I was feeling pretty good about my fitness, 18:36 is by no means a fast time or even nearing a normal race paced effort for me, however it is generally fast enough that I can feel the strain of the effort, however on the day of the race it felt like walking compared with other efforts at similar effort have felt. My hope it that the training I've been doing recently has been making a difference in my fitness and that the ease with which I ran was an indication of that progress. I guess we'll see in a few weeks when I get into the meat of the racing season.

Trust Your Training

Last night I ran a couple of miles with a few of my young distance runners who will be running a 5k this Sunday, as one would expect they were excited to race and as energetic as always; however there was also an undercurrent of tension in the group caused by pre-race nerves. Watching these youngsters dealing with the stress of racing got me thinking about my own experience with pre-race stress and how I've learned to cope with the nerves we all experience before a big event. While I am by no means a definitive expert on sports psychology, I do hold a masters degree in the subject and feel somewhat entitled to dispense some advice to the kids and to the reading audience at large.

1) Set Yourself up for Success

Setting yourself up for success in a race is for me a two part challenge; first you attend to your recovery in the days leading up to the race; and second on the morning of you eat a balanced light breakfast and get yourself to the race with enough time to warm-up properly (more on this next).

I won't touch too much on the training aspects involved in a proper taper as that's a subject for another time and another article, but in the days leading up to a race you will likely be running less mileage and will have more time as a result. While this excess time can be used for any number of pursuits the smart runner will use this time to focus on the quality of their recovery and doing little things like getting a massage (if you can afford it), foam rolling, preparing high quality nutritious meals, or taking a nap when work and life allow. These little things will vastly increase the quality of your recovery and ensure that when race day comes around you'll be in peak physical condition and ready to perform.

The morning of race day is almost as important as all the training that came before; while a good race morning will not make you any faster than your training will allow, a bad race morning can completely destroy your chances of a successful race. The successful athlete will eat a light breakfast of easily digestible (low fat and high carbs works well) foods 2-4 hours before the race, and if desired will drink a cup or two of coffee for the performance enhancing benefits of caffeine. In additional to providing performance benefits caffeine acts as a digestive system stimulant which will help to stimulate a bowel movement and reduce the risk of stomach upset while racing. As with anything use of caffeine should be experimented with on workout or long run days to test effectiveness and one's tolerance.

2) Warm-Up

I see a lot of interesting warm-up techniques whenever I go to races, and as with most things that have come to be without any serious rational thought most of what is done pre-race by the average amateur runner is not necessarily helpful, barring the benefit of routine on mental preparation. The best warm-up routines involve a healthy dose of science and rationality and as with other aspects of training and performance if you cannot give a reason for a part of your warm-up routine it is best left out the routine all together.

My personal warm-up routine invariably begins with a brief bout of dynamic stretches (i.e. legs swings), proceeds into a brief 10-15 minute easy run ending 5-10 minutes prior to the event and finishes up with 2-4 strides from the line in the last minutes before the race begins. Each of these elements has a purpose, the dynamic stretches promote mobility without inhibiting elastic contraction of the muscles; the easy running raises core body temperature, dilates capillaries, and signals changes to baseline VO2 which aid aerobic synthesis of cellular energy in the early stages of the race; finally the strides prime the central nervous system to activate a larger number of motor units and increase the speed of neural transmission to the muscular system. All of the changes listed are important for maximal performance and are a key part of a good start to the race, and thereby push back the onset of fatigue and create a better internal environment for high-level performance. For more on the biology of warming up see the Science of Running post on the subject.  

Finally, and you know as a psych student I have go here, the warm-up routine is a valuable part of mentally preparing for the race. As discussed in my article on routine replicating the same actions time and time again before a run relieves the anxiety associated with a new experience, as well as providing a distraction from intrusive thoughts or excess nervousness. Never underestimate the value of mindfulness and relaxation before a race.

3) Trust your training

This may be a less concrete instruction that the first two points, however it is not the less a valuable bit of wisdom passed down through the lines of great runners and coaches our sport has seen. It can be hard to run to ones potential, and harder still when in hunt of a PR you are trying to run faster than you ever have before, to do so not only must you be physically prepared, you also have to believe that you are capable of reaching the next level.

As runners we train, and when in pursuit of an achievement we train a lot! Logically we know all this training will make us faster, better runners, and when you find yourself on the start line you need to trust in the value of the training that you've done; the hay is in the barn so to speak and it's time to reap the fruits of your labors. While it is always wise to trust your body and listen to the signals it's sending you it is also wise to know that sometimes in absence of clear physical signals you need to have faith that your performance in practice was truly indicative of the performance you are capable of on the track or the roads. So when you are out there all alone among hoards of runners you need to trust in your training and put some faith in the process that got you there... speaking of process.

4) Be process oriented

We've already touched on this concept in other sections of this post, but I think it deserves its own section. In training it is valuable to enjoy the process as much as you enjoy the result, especially as most people race rarely and train often; if you don't enjoy the process of training it will be hard to make long term progress. On race day the focus on the process is still important and beneficial to performance, this is especially true when it comes to psychological preparation and the application of a strategy for the race.

Being process oriented in a race setting will look like the follow example: a runner wanting the result of a PR in a given race will focus on running a specific even pace or a slight negative split. In this circumstance the runner will focus not on the totality of the race and the outcome, but will instead break the race down into manageable chunks which can more easily be controlled such as miles or distinct phases of the race (e.g. the start, middle, and finish). Using this concept a runner is able to focus on the actions required of them in the present without focusing on future eventualities as these belong to another section of the race plan and have already been addressed and mentally prepared for. Obviously not all races will allow this sort of planning, for example a championship race will be determined not by a premeditated race plan, but by timely action based on the moves of other runners in the field.

Conclusion

While this is by no means a conclusive guide to racing successfully the precepts above will help to give you the best possible racing experience, and will maximize the chances of achieving the results you desire, whether those results be a PR or a podium finish. Happy racing and keep those PR’s coming! 

The Beauty of Routine

As I sit writing this it's 8:07 AM, I have a toasted bagel with jam and a cup of decaf coffee next to me as I type away, killing off the final minutes before my morning run. Of course this could almost any day of the week and you would find me in approximately the same place eating the same food and sipping on the same beverage. Does this sound boring to you? It may be a bit boring, but for a runner, or at least this runner, it's just the sort of stability I need to perform at my best... slow as that best may be.

A coach friend of mine passed along a few words of wisdom that I've carried with me from back in my cycling days, "You should be able to identify a purpose in everything you do." While he was talking exclusively about training the quote also implies the same for the 20-22 hours you're in recovery from, or preparation for, you next session. My bagel for example is a blend of two quick digesting carbs, and unlike other foods time has shown that a bagel will not upset my digestion while out on the roads, especially if I've given it the necessary 15-30 minutes needed to let it settle. My coffee, while not caffeinated is hot, wakes me up, and helps to speed up my early morning digestion just enough to get things moving. And finally the physical routine of getting up and doing these things in the same order everyday lends a sense of calm and ease that's highly conducive to the state of mind and motivation necessary to train. I have found it especially helpful to use this time to focus on the coming workout and prepare myself for any hurtles (mental hurtles that is) I may need to overcome on the run.

While all of this routine and daily preparation for a mild morning workout is not strictly necessary it is something I like, and it is partially responsible for the last year's extremely consistent training. Like many runners I used to fit my workouts in around whatever else was going on in my life, rather that carve out a chunk of time specifically crafted for the run itself, the shift in priorities necessary to given running it's own routine wasn't necessarily easy but it sure was worth the effort involved.

I write all this to point out the usefulness of developing routines that aid you, as opposed to bad habits that inhibit your training and self-care. If there is something that stops you from running consistently and you can change it then do so; your running will thrive with new habits and routine that supports your training. I will admit that applying routine to your own running is not always easy, but it is most certainly a great benefit to any training program, and the opportunity for introspection is undoubtedly beneficial to a productive and happy life.

Best of running and I'll see you on the roads!