Training

• Viridian Noosa Running Festival

  Posted on August 5th, 2009 admin No comments

  

  There were a record number of people participating on course this year particularly in the Beckmans Green Noosa 5km Run/Walk in support of the Cindy Mackenzie Breast Cancer Foundation. Competitors dressed in pink in support of the cause and costumes ranged from extremely creative pink fashionta to wonderfully wild wacky wigs.

  The Tanzanians runners showed off their style taking out both the mens and womens Viridian Noosa Half Marathon titles and, not to be outdone, was our own Steve Moneghetti in hot pursuit taking out third.

  In the Noosa 10km race Olympian Mitchell Kealey took out the mens title and pocket dynamo Clare Geraghty returned to form taking out the female title two seconds clear of her rivals.

  Peter Brock was equally impressive in the Beckmans Green Noosa 5km Run/Walk celebrating his birthday with a win and reclaiming the crown in the men’s event with 14 year old triathlete, Brigette Fischer taking out the women’s title.

  It was an amazing day, the sun shone down in style and everyone had a blast.

  Thanks to all our wonderful competitors for taking part and particularly for making the day such fun. Thanks also to our fantastic volunteers who work tirelessly to make the day happen. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2010.

  Viridian Noosa Half Marathon
  Male
  1 Patrick Nyangelo Tanzania 1:06:02
  2 Oswald Revelian Tanzania 1:06:12
  3 Steve Moneghetti Ballarat 1:08:46
  4 Tim George Alex Headlands 1:09:54
  5 Stephen Paine Prahran 1:09:57

  Female
  1 Sarah Maja Tanzania 1:18:31
  2 Roxie Schmidt Moffat Beach 1:18:55
  3 Lucy Blaber Beenleigh 1:24:06
  4 Bailey Jason
  Carindale
  1:27:39

  5 Emily Donker
  Carindale
  1:28:04

  Noosa 10km Run
  Male
  1 Mitchell Kealey Mt Gravatt 30:22:00
  2 Jonathan Peters Ferny Grove 30:59:00
  3 Jay Twist Oxley 31:32:00
  Female
  1 Claire Geraghty Camp Hill 34:29:00
  2 Leisa Smith Worongary 36:14:00
  3 Kirra Seidel Alex Headlands 38:12:00

  5km run/walk
  Male
  1 Peter Bock Cotton Tree 16:31
  2 Dylan Nankivell Tannum Sands 16:48
  3 Adam Hulme
  Currimundi
  17:15

  Female
  1 Brigitte Fischer Yaroomba 18:50
  2 Alyce Mckenzie Bli Bli 18:59
  3 Margaret Atthow Caloundra 19:13

  Australia, Run, Triathlon News

• The Foot Strike Debate, finally some unbiased information

  Posted on June 25th, 2009 admin No comments

  Written by Dave Culwick – TalkTriathlon.com

  I have read way too many articles that have been written with firm views around the foot strike debate and finished them all knowing that the writer of the article was both very closed minded and most likely had strong influences from various shoe manufacturers who are trying to create a niche in the market so that they can sell new shoes to that niche.

  

  From what I have read, back in the 80’s all the hype in shoe companies was developing shoes that would help to prevent over pronation. These are now the most common form of running shoe and some shoe companies are now marketing the “less is more” approach and promoting shoes that offer a “barefoot” feel. These new shoes are aimed at mid-foot and forefoot runners who commonly follow the “pose” method of running.

  So with all the biased and inconclusive information out there I thought I would contact a range of top triathletes to see how they ran and what their opinion was on the topic.

  Whilst there has been a lot of hype based around long distance, forefoot running, none of the athletes that I spoke to run with a forefoot strike. Australia’s number one ITU Triathlete, Brad (Sticksy) Kahlefeldt, has told me that he is a mid-foot striker. One of the top triathletes from the UK, James Lock, explained, “I’d like to think I was a forefoot striker and have tried to promote using POSE etc, but I am more realistically a mid-foot striker and heel striker when I am tired”. From Denmark Torbjørn Sindballe, 3rd in the 2007 Hawaiian Ironman, wrote in saying that he thought he was a mid-foot striker. Adam Carlton, recently the 1st Under 23yo in the Plymouth ITU Oceania Cup and 2nd U23yo in his World Cup debut in Mooloolaba, also reports that he runs as a mid-foot striker. In the heel striking camp is Dan Wilson, currently the 4th ranked Aussie in the ITU world championship series. Also heel strikers are upcoming 70.3, British, athlete James Hadley and the 2008 World 70.3 champion Terenzo Bozzone. Carlton also raised the very interesting point that whilst other exceptional runners such as Gomez and Frodeno also appear to run with a mid-foot/heel strike, the young Alistair Brownlee, recently winning two ITU races in a row making him the current ITU World Cup leader has a very different technique. Brownlee appears to land on his toes for the entire 10km with his feet in an externally rotated and averted position. Adam believes that Alistair’s running style will be scientifically analysed by coaches worldwide for some time to come.

  So the only thing that this really shows us is that it is possible to compete at the highest level with any type of foot strike. This is, in fact, the opinion of almost all of the athletes that I have had discussion with. Whilst each athlete has their own preference and opinions on foot strike, it is widely agreed that there are more important factors to help your running that should be focused on and that changing your foot strike unnecessarily is not advised. Brad Kahlefeldt told us, “I think it is important to work on your run technique but to some degree it is quite difficult to change your style completely. We were born with a certain technique and should just look to improving on that.” James Hadley also agrees with this by stating, “I have personally had experience with this matter from a range of different coaches. My conclusion is that you have to be disciplined and remain focused on improving whatever natural running style that you’re born with.”

  The athletes also raised other factors to focus on instead of getting bogged down worrying about our foot strikes. One factor that was raised by a number of athletes which they said will lead to faster running was to ensure that when your foot strikes the ground it is not in front of your center of gravity. Brad Kahlefeldt discussed his methods for achieving this, “The main focus for me is keeping the foot behind the hips. I basically lead with the hips whilst keeping a strong core to control the movement while remaining relaxed at speed.” Torbjørn told us, “Where you strike on your foot is not as important as where you land relative to your centre of mass. Many people who land on the heel strike the ground in front of their centre of mass, thereby creating a braking force until the foot is under their centre of mass.” James Hadley mentioned this same point whilst also discussing that each foot’s contact time on the ground should be kept to a minimum. He said, “Runners notice that the faster they run the more natural it becomes to land on the mid-foot as the body is in a higher position due to the increased cadence. However, whether you’re a mid-foot runner, heel striker or forefoot runner it is always important to make contact with the ground underneath your body as much as possible and to keep contact time of the foot on the ground to a minimum in order to maximise the effect of natural momentum. A coach once said to me to imagine I was running bare foot on hot coal and then to emulate the time I think I would spend in contact with the coal to the time I should spend in contact with the ground whilst running.”

  James’s base theory of running is that, “Ultimately its stride length and stride cadence that determines the speed and endurance of a runner. It’s obvious that if a runner covers the same distance with the same stride cadence but increases the stride length the runner will get to the finish faster with fewer strides. But at what cost?
  There is a natural stride length that the runner’s body is comfortable with and any increase in stride length could be considered “overstriding” if they try to lengthen it especially at the front of the run phase. This could be a hindrance and increase the severity of a heel strike which in turn can increase the amount of time in the “contact” stage of the ground. This would increase flexion at the knee which will result in a decrease in stride efficiency and overload certain parts of the body.
  Equally if the runner kept the same stride length but increased the cadence then they again would get to the finish faster. But there would also be a cost for this extra speed. In order to perform with a higher cadence a higher cardiovascular fitness and conditioning would be needed. Increasing a runner’s cadence when they lack conditioning can also have negative effects on the athlete such as increased muscle tension and fatigue.”

  Hadley then goes to explain the three main principles of fast running are stride length, cardiac fitness and strength.

  

  He says that, “Runners can improve by increasing their flexibility though stretching. This maintains a long stride, not by kicking out forwards too far but more so at the back of the run phase (the kick). They can do this by improving the range of motion at the hips and increase the flexibility in their quadriceps, hamstrings and hip flexors so the change becomes more natural rather than forced. It’s essential however to bend the knee immediately after the kick phase so the foot is closer to the buttocks rather than swinging the leg back through underneath the body with a straighter leg. The more knee flexion at the recovery stage, the less effort it takes to bring the lever through.
  The increase in flexibility will also reduce fatigue by decreasing the restriction from the antagonist (the opposing muscle group). For example, after the kick phase, the knee has to bend to bring the leg back through underneath the buttocks. If the quads are too tight then the hamstrings have to contract slightly more for the knee to bend in order to overcome the restriction of the quads. This extra contraction will ultimately increase fatigue in the hamstrings and the quads over the course of the run and can also increase risk of injury.”

  “Cardiac fitness enables all the other attributes to come together. If an athlete can’t run to the desired amount to gain a good cardiac fitness then there are other ways to increase this. This would be physical exercise such as intense swim workouts, cycling or any preferred cardio machine at the gym. The higher the cardiac fitness the higher the cadence the runner can with hold and in turn the faster they can run.”

  “Runners should perform some of kind of strength conditioning in order to help the body cope with the stress that’s placed on it. The hips, knees and back take a pounding with each step so strengthening the stabilising muscles surrounding these areas will undoubtedly increase efficiency. This will also help keep the correct running posture and assist in injury prevention. It is important to strengthen the stabilising muscles with core exercises and also build strength by adding long slow runs to your training schedule. This will increase endurance and enable the runner to maintain efficiency by delaying the onset of fatigue.”

  Finally the last major issue regarding running styles, which I previously thought to be a highly argued issue, is that of injuries. Which of these running styles is least likely to result in runners getting injured? Firstly I’d like to raise a point again made by the Brit, Hadley, that is, “Any change made to the style of a runner will have an apparent effect somewhere else in the body. For example forcing a heel striker to run on the mid-foot could actually increase risk of injury and add stress to other parts of the body due to an unwanted change in their stride.” This could indeed work the other way if a forefoot runner decided that they wanted to change to a mid-foot or heel striker. If a runner does decide to change their stride it must be done very gradually in order to give the body time to adjust.

  

  Unfortunately running is hard and stressful on the body. An article published on www.RunningInjuryFree.org tells us that fore-foot running results in less stress on the knees and ankles. Unfortunately this is where the benefits end however. This same publication, all of the elite athletes that mentioned injuries and both physiotherapists that I approached all agree that heel striking is the best running style to reduce the chance and/or occurrence of injury. Heel striker, Dan Wilson, explains, “Training with a forefoot strike for over 100kms per week, would, for myself create all sorts of stresses and strains and would lead to injury fairly quickly.” Michael Lovato, who placed 3rd in the 2009 Eagleman 70.3, has had some experience with these sorts of injuries. He told me, “About three years ago, I had a conversation with a PT and former world class marathoner. He told me he had never experienced an Achilles or lower leg injury in his career. He told me that he had run a 27 minute 10k ‘on his heels’. He then pointed to some of the injuries sustained by forefoot strikers, and told me to try slightly modifying my gait (running style). I tried, and my lower legs have never been so happy.”

  The sports physio therapist that I approached said, “In the physiotherapy texts there is absolutely no doubt, no question. Forefoot running dramatically increases the risk of stress fractures, Achilles tendon injuries and a range of other injuries. Heel striking is definitely the best way to run with the lowest risk of injury.”
  The other physio, Hudson Graham, explained to me in depth exactly what physiotherapists consider to be the perfect foot strike.

  “Correct foot strike will allow for normal foot mechanics to occur. This has implications throughout the body. For a lot of feet by-passing heel strike completely by landing on the mid or fore foot does not allow the correct amount or timing for the pronation in this phase of gait (running/stepping). This can greatly decrease shock absorption thereby increasing the load on lower limb structures and ‘the core’.
  A foot strike that is too postero-lateral (back/side) on the heel can also be problematic, interfering with the smooth progression through pronation (rolling inwards through the mid-foot) to supination (rolling outwards over the forefoot) and can inhibit activation of key core stabilizers.

  An ideal foot strike lands centrally on the heel. This allows the normal (and necessary) amounts of pronation to occur early in the stance phase and a smooth, correctly timed movement through to supination in preparation for toe off. A correctly placed heel strike will actually encourage activation core stabilizers as well as decreasing extraneous load.”

  

  I, personally, am a heel striker and am not tempted to try to change this. The main point that I am going to take away from this research is to attempt to ensure that my foot lands as close to directly underneath me as possible whilst still ensuring that I lead with my heel. Once my heel strikes the ground I believe I should be rolling forward and pushing off as quick as possible in order to attempt to have the least contact time possible and maximise my natural momentum. Apart from that all focuses will revolve around the three key areas to work on raise by James Hadley. These are Cardiac Fitness, Flexibility and Strength.

  I hope you can all get some good pointers from this information. Best of luck to you all and train safe,
  Dave Culwick

  Adam Carlton, Run

• Photos Of The Sprint Finish In Boise

  Posted on June 17th, 2009 admin 1 comment

  These photos are from Boise where Craig Alexander sprinted ahead to take the win away from a heartbroken Chris Lieto.

  

  

  

  

  

  I think these photos speak for themselves!

  Age Grouper, Australia, Bike, Bike Accessories, Bikes, Brad Kahlefeldt, Chris Lieto, Chris McCormack, Country, Courtney Atkinson, Craig Alexander, Emma Moffat, Emma Snowsill, Equipment, Half Ironman (70.3), Half Marathon, Ironman, Olympic, Run, Sprint, Swim, Training, Triathletes, Triathlon News, USA

• Follow The Jump From Olympic To Half Ironman (70.3) Racing As An Age Grouper

  Posted on May 1st, 2009 admin 3 comments

  We read in every magazine and website the stories of our sport’s elite. Their lives dedicated to training and how they rise to contest for the top spots in the world. Unfortunately I, like the vast majority of triathletes out there, will never be able to challenge the best in the world but this doesn’t mean that I don’t have great goals and aspirations that I am striving to achieve.

  Whilst I always like to be competitive, my goals are not so much focused around the places I get in future races but instead just completing the biggest and hardest races around that normal (non-triathlete) people out there couldn’t even imagine completing. The two races that I now have my heart set on are the Port Macquarie Ironman in April 2010 and then the Coast to Coast in New Zealand Feb 2011. Once I have completed these two races I will have enough experience to really know what I enjoy the most and focus on beating my times.

  I originally got into triathlons when I was getting bored at the gym and knew that I had to have a change of scenery before falling back into my routine downward spiral back into laziness. Since then I have never looked back. I only started training in October (08) but jumped straight into it and competed in most of the Gatorade Series in Queensland, Australia. I must say that the Gatorade Series is a fantastic way to get into the sport offering a range of short courses which seem a lot more achievable to the beginner than something as big as an Olympic distance race. Anyone out there who is considering giving it a go but hasn’t yet plucked up quite enough courage should give one of those races a go, you won’t regret it. On average I have always finished about 25% of the way down my age group which I have always been pretty happy with due to my lack of experience and other commitments.

  I finished my 08-09 season off with my first Olympic distance race at Mooloolaba, Australia. I came 371st out of 2058 finishers and completed the race in 2:23:52. I realised during this race that I much preferred the feeling of the Olympic race over the sprint distance races. It is for this reason that I really can’t wait to jump straight into the Half Ironman (70.3) Distance races next season!

  Unfortunately I started triathlons with very poor core stability and inwards rolling feet. Mainly due to these factors (and some serious inconsistencies in my training) I have suffered from quite a few little injuries including bruised bones in my feet and some knee pain. I have, however, been doing heaps of core work with my club and believe that everything is finally starting to fall into place. Along with a crazy amount of core work we have done a lot of different running drills recently that really highlight just how much of a difference your posture and core strength make when running. I have to admit I was a little sceptical at first when my coach told me that various abs exercises would cure my knee pain and make me run heaps faster but now I am really left with no doubt in my mind. If there is anyone out there reading this who does not focus much on core strength work but instead believes that if you just go out there and pound the pavement you’ll get just as far I must tell you that you are greatly mistaken!

  So I have booked myself into the 70.3 at Yeppoon on August 16th and have finally settled into some great, consistent, offseason training with very high hopes for beating 5:30:00 (which I am told is a very achievable goal even with my lack of experience). My coach has identified that our club in general seems to struggle the most with our run splits and so as a club we are really focussing on getting our running form perfected, or at least improved, and are putting in some high volume runs with the aim of practicing this form and getting it right before we start to increase intensity again.

  I will leave it there for now but I am going to keep this blog updated with my progress towards making the jump from Olympic Distance races to Half Ironman (70.3) Distance races. If anyone else out there has any advice for me or is in a similar position themselves please let me know your thoughts and how you are going.

  All the best, train safe, Dave, Age Grouper Triathlete.

  Age Grouper, Australia, Country, Half Ironman (70.3), Run, Training

• California Fitness Academy’s Email Newsletter

  Posted on April 29th, 2009 admin No comments

  MOTIVATION

  Goals do not just get accomplished. You do not just wave a magic wand and “boom” your goals are achieved. You must eat the right foods, get your workouts in consistently, be organized, stay positive, stay motivated and eat the right foods (yes I said it twice, it is that important)! When people first start a fitness program, the first few weeks are great. The motivation is high, the work ethic is great and the attitude is very positive. But fitness is a life long journey that needs to be addressed one day at a time. If you have a specific weight loss, weight gain or performance goal, then set a date for you to accomplish that goal. When you have a specific day and it is written down you are more likely to accomplish that goal. But what will you do after you get to that date? What will you do when you accomplish that goal? You must continue to be healthy and fit for the rest of your life. I train professional athletes. When they are done playing their sport, I would want them to continue working out and eating healthy beyond their sporting career. There is no finish line when it comes to your health. Do not make excuses! If you are consistently eating healthy and consistently working out throughout the week you WILL achieve the goals set. When you accomplish your goals, set the bar higher and continue to work towards those new goals. When you get frustrated, use that frustration to push yourself in your workouts. There is no magic remedy to fitness. It is hard work and dedication and sweat. Go out and make it a great day! Your attitude can take you as high as you want to go!

  WORKOUT TIPS

  • Are you working out on machines? If so, you need to stop. Machines do not build function. Your movement is constricted on a machine. If your program is loaded with machine exercises and non-functional training then change your program. Start implementing functional exercises like squats, chin-ups, push-ups, deadlifts, planks and free weights into your program. Check www.justintrain.com for ideas and examples of these exercises.
  • Stop with the crunches already! Did you know that doing repetitive crunching (flexion of the spine) puts unwanted stress on your lumbar spine (lower back)? Your low spine’s function is to remain stable. Repeated flexion, extension and rotation of the low spine will lead to pain in the low back. Look at it this way: take a metal hanger and start bending it back and forth. Eventually that hanger will snap. It might not happen the 1st, 4th or 50th repetition. But eventually that piece of metal will snap. This is how your low back functions. If you are constantly performing crunches then you could blow a low back disc. Start thinking stability and stiffness for “core” exercises. Planks, side planks, medicine ball throws, and chops and lifts are examples of great core stability movements.
  • Intervals are the most efficient conditioning protocol to get in shape. Stop with the long, slow distance “cardio” work. Intervals will increase your metabolism, are much more time efficient and there is a lot of variety. Try this interval workout: warm-up 5 minutes at a walking pace, then perform 3 x 30 seconds run, 30 seconds walk building your speed each set. Start off at a jog and build into a run. Then perform 15 x 20 on 40 off high paced intervals. The level depends on the individual. If you are conditioned then you can perform sprints on a treadmill. If you are deconditioned or can not run, then perform sprints on a bike. Cool down 5 minutes. This workout will take you 26 ½ minutes. It is very intense and efficient.

  NUTRITION TIPS

  • Eat all day long. Do not just eat 2-3 meals throughout the day. Keep your metabolism fired up all day by eating smaller meals 4-8 times throughout the day. Breakfast is very important for getting your metabolism started. Eating a bowl of cereal is not a good breakfast. Get quality proteins and good, complex carbohydrates in the morning and throughout the rest of the day.
  • Eat clean and eat fresh. The fresh food is unprocessed. This will aide in your progress of getting results. Processed foods are high in sodium and sugars. Stick to fresh vegetables and fruit, quality proteins and good sources of fat. Read labels and know what you are putting in your body.
  • It is getting hot outside. Make sure to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. You should be drinking at least ½ of ounce to 1 ounce of water per pound of bodyweight. So if you weight 150 pounds you need 74-150 ounces of water. The more activity you have in your day the more you need. Keep a water bottle by your side all day long.

  Do not be the person that makes excuses. You need to learn to make sacrifices in your daily life so you can be healthy, have more energy and be fit! Everyone can do this! Believe in yourself and stay positive.

  Have a great day!

  Justin Levine
  California Fitness Academy
  www.justintrain.com
  (559) 334-8990

  Country, Diet, Training, UK
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