In my time as a distance runner, I have been forced to recognize the first 15-20 minutes of my training runs as being a "warm up" period. The body changes from a state of rest to one of aerobic movement. The metabolism begins changing, the muscles warm, and the body begins moving into a fat-burning aerobic machine. During this time, breathing rate increases and then decreases, and the mind settles into focus.
Common mistakes are so often made that this 15-20 minutes is clouded and misused...often hurting the athletes training or performance. Some of those mistakes are nutritional and others are created by improper pace. All of the decisions, however, are made by each of us in our 'control center', which guides are progress or regression in endurance sports. The "control center" is my phrase for mental control of everything associated with training...and like the control center in a nuclear power plant, the switches, levers, buttons, and systems must be adjusted for proper performance of the "machine", whether that machine is a power plant or your body.
Common Mistake #1: Improper or No Pre-Run Meal
Sumo wrestlers.....(what Jerry?) Yeah, Sumo wrestlers serve as a perfect example of what not to do as endurance athletes. Sumo wresters are athletes.....they are strong, powerful, and very fat. Their practice is to wake up early in the morning and immediately begin training for several hours....when the session is complete, they eat a giant meal and go to sleep. This helps them put on fat and repair muscle damage at the same time. Sumo wrestlers are not seeking to build endurance in the manner we seek. They leverage the metabolic response to training and food by using it to gain weight.
We, as endurance athletes, need a pre-training meal and nourishment throughout the training. This constantly available energy is slowly converted to energy in the form of glycogen. Your body will process this food into available energy and store it in your muscles and liver. Through proper training (see Aerobic conditioning post) , your body will use more fat as fuel. Less trained athletes, however, must always eat something before "long runs", as dictated in their training plan, and also fuel on regular intervals....and gels, bars, etc provide that readily available source from which to draw from.
With a small pre-training meal 1-3 hours prior to training (examples include oatmeal, clif bar, banana, some processed endurance nutrition products...), your body will switch gears at the 15-20 minute period and allow you to feel much stronger and comfortable.
Common Mistake #2) Running too Fast
This is probably the biggest mistake for athletes without several years of experience. Your heart rate and breathing rate will be increased in the first 15 minutes of your run. If you start too fast, you are making it much more difficult for your body to make the switch to aerobic energy sources. "Too Fast" is a relative term.....and for the very beginning runner, this may mean gradually walking faster over a 15 minute period and then breaking into the slow jog. For moderately experienced athletes who are doing runs beyond an hour or two more regularly, the first 15 minutes should be a slow jog compared to the pace they may choose after 20 minutes. Anybody with greater experience than that already recognizes this by their training and practices a "warm up" cooperative with their level of fitness.
Jeff Galloway is considered one of the best running coaches in the world. This is an excerpt from his book, "Galloway's Book on Running 2nd Edition"
"Your body doesn't seem to believe that you're really going out on a distance run until you keep moving for more than a quarter hour...If you continue exercising longer than about 15 minutes at a pace that is within your capacity, you start shifting into fat burning."
Common Mistake #3: Too Much Sugar or Caffeine Prior to Training
If you really want to confuse your metabolism, eat high glycemic carbohydrates and caffeine about 20 minutes before your run. Hello bonk! A true "bonk" feels like hypoglycemia...low blood sugar. Shaky, weak, lethargic, high heart rate, indifference to training, are some of the common feelings. I made this mistake a few times in my training and contacted Karl King, an expert in endurance nutrition and creator of Succeed products, as commonly used by ultra endurance athletes.
Karl helped me identify the huge mistake I was making in drinking a Red Bull energy drink in my car on the way to trail head! (Oh man, do I feel stupid thinking back on that communication with him.) Your body responds to the high sugars with insulin production...and if your timing is off and your body is producing all this insulin and still managing your blood glucose at the 1-2 mile mark, you will feel like CRAP. (Proper nutritional response to this mistake is to slow down or stop, eat a gel or bar, and wait or walk for about 10 minutes....then you'll be back running again.)
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So, I could continue on this subject but I think my point is clear. The first 15-20 minutes of your training runs should be considered a warm up....not just for muscles, but for other systems in your body often not considered. Reconsider your engine.....your aerobic engine and it's capacity to burn fat as fuel, like a wax candle...slow burning and providing the energy for your LSD long....slow....distance. Eat something with carbs and a little protein in preparation for your long run......and warm up your body, engine, and mind over about 20 minutes so you get the most out of your time of practice flight.
Run long friends.
jerry
Thank you.
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