Cross-Country Running

CHAPTER 2

THE INSIDE STORY ON GETTING FASTER

By running easily and regularly, the whole body works together to help you move more efficiently while you increase your positive health potential. Lungs become more efficient; the heart is strengthened. Oxygen is processed more efficiently into the blood, and the blood is pumped more effectively through the body. At the same time, your leg muscles, tendons, joints, etc., make up a strong and coordinated system to gradually do more work, and move you farther and faster down the road.

When you decide to test yourself through speed training and racing, you take certain risks to prepare for a number of rewards. Speed training is necessary for maximum time improvement, but it will dramatically increase the risk of injury. The quest toward a time goal can send the ego on a trip that reduces running enjoyment due to the narrow focus on a time goal.

The regular but gentle increase of speed repetitions stimulates the body to improve the efficiency of the mechanical workings of the feet, legs, and joints. Behind the scenes, the mitochondria (inner powerhouses that process energy) are pushed into delivering more, even when under duress. Individual muscle cells act as pumps, helping to return blood to the heart and lungs. By testing yourself in speed sessions and races, you will be challenging your "physiological team" to achieve a higher level of performance.

GETTING FASTER REQUIRES EXTRA WORK

To get faster, we must push beyond our current, comfortable levels. All of us have a lazy streak in us. Our bodies are programmed to conserve resources by doing the smallest amount of work they can get away with. So even after we have increased the length of our runs, steadily over several months, our leg muscles, tendons, and liagments are not prepared for the jolt that speed training delivers. But only when we put the legs, the heart, and the lungs to a gentle test, week by week, does the body respond by improving in dozens of ways. The best way to stay injury free is to gradually increase the duration and intensity, eliminating the "jolt."

TEAMWORK

When stressed, the heart, lungs, muscles, tendons, central nervous system, brain, blood system are programmed to work as a team. The right brain intuitively solves problems, manages resources, and fine-tunes various processes mentioned above so that you can run faster.

THE LONG RUN BUILDS ENDURANCE AND A BETTER PLUMBING SYSTEM

By gradually extending slow long runs, you train muscle cells to expand their capacity to utilize oxygen efficiently, sustain energy production, and in general, increase capacity to go farther. Continually increasing distance during long runs increases the reach of blood artery capillaries to deliver oxygen, and promote the return of waste products so that the muscles can work at top capacity. In short, long runs bestow a better plumbing system, resulting in a greater muscle workload. These changes will pay off when you do speed training.

ENDORPHINS KILL PAIN AND MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD

When you run, at any pace, your body intuitively knows there will be some pain. This stimulates the production of natural painkillers called endorphins. These hormones act as drugs that can both relax and invigorate you with vitality, while bestowing a good attitude-even when tired after the run. If the rest interval is just right, you'll feel them kicking in between faster segments of speed workouts.

GRADUALLY PUSHING UP THE WORKLOAD

Your body is programmed to improve when it is gradually introduced to a little more work, with enough rest afterward. Push too hard, or neglect the rest, and you'll see an increase in aches, pains, and injury. By balancing the speed workouts, adjusting for problems, and having realistic goals, most runners can continue to improve throughout the season.

STRESS + REST = IMPROVEMENT

When we run a little faster than our realistic goal pace, and increase the workload a little more than we did on last week's speed workout, this tends to slightly break down the muscle cells, tendons, etc. just enough to stimulate change. You see, our bodies are programmed to rebuild stronger than before, but there must be gentle and regular stress, followed by significant rest.

INTRODUCING THE BODY TO SPEED THROUGH TWO WEEKS OF "DRILLS"

As a gentle introduction to faster running, I've found nothing better than the two drills that are detailed in chapter 14: Turnover Drills and Acceleration-Gliders. The former helps to improve cadence of the legs and feet. The latter provides a very gentle introduction to speedwork, in very short segments. Most of the running during the conditioning period is at an easy pace. These drills, done in the middle of a run, once or twice a week, will improve mechanics, get the muscles ready for the heavier demands of speed training, and initiate internal physiological changes in the muscles-with very little risk of injury. DON'T COMPETE WITH OTHER RUNNERS DURING THESE DRILLS.

A GENTLE INCREASE IN YOUR WEEKLY WORKOUTS CAUSES A SLIGHT BREAKDOWN

The weekly speed workout starts with a few speed repetitions, with rest between each. As the number of repetitions increase each week, your body is pushed slightly beyond what it did the previous week. In each workout, your muscle fibers get tired as they reach the previous maximum workload, and continue to keep you running the pace assigned. In every session some are pushed beyond their capacity with each additional repetition. Often, the pain and fatigue are not felt during the workout. But within one or two days there are usually sore muscles and tendons, and general overall tiredness. Even walking may not feel smooth for a day or two after a really hard speed session.

THE DAMAGE

Looking inside the cell at the end of a hard workout, you'll see damage:

Tears in the muscle cell membrane.

The mitochondria (energy processors inside the cell) are swollen.

There's a significant lowering of the muscle stores of glycogen (the energy supply needed in speedwork).

Waste products from exertion, bits of bone and muscle tissue and other bio junk can be found.

Sometimes, there are small tears in the blood vessels and arteries, and blood leaks into the muscles.

THE MUSCLES REBOUND, STRONGER AND BETTER THAN BEFORE

Gentle overuse stimulates your body to not only repair the damage, but rebuild it stronger. The process puts the body on alert to be ready for more hard work, and to repair damage better next time.

Two days after a speed session, if the muscles have had enough rest, you'll see some improvements:

Waste has been removed.

Thicker cell membranes can handle more work without breaking down.

The mitochondria have increased in size and number, so that they can process more energy next time.

The damage to the blood system has been repaired.

Over several months, after adapting to a continued series of small increases, more capillaries (tiny fingers of the blood system) are produced, improving and expanding the delivery of oxygen and nutrients and providing a better withdrawal of waste products.

These are only some of the many adaptations made by the incredible human body when we exercise: biomechanics, nervous system, strength, muscle efficiency and more. Internal psychological improvements follow the physical ones. Mind, body and spirit are becoming part of the process of improving health and performance. An added benefit is a positive attitude.

QUALITY REST IS CRUCIAL: 48 HOURS BETWEEN WORKOUTS

Without sufficient rest, the damage won't be totally repaired. On rest days, it's important to avoid exercises that strenuously use the calf muscle, ankle and Achilles tendon (stair machines, step aerobics, spinning out of the saddle) for the 48-hour period between running workouts. If you have other aches and pains from your individual "weak links," then don't do exercises that aggravate them further. Walking is usually a great exercise for a rest day. There are several other good exercises in chapter 17, Cross-Training. As long as you are not continuing to stress the calf, most alternative exercises are fine.

BEWARE OF JUNK MILES

A high percentage of injuries are caused by running more than is recommended on the schedule. If the "easy days" are not easy enough, the weak links cannot rebuild. The short, "junk mile" days don't help your conditioning, and they interfere with recovery.

REGULARITY

To maintain the adaptations, you must regularly run about every 2 days. To maintain the speed improvements mentioned in this book, you'll need to do at least one speed workout per week, every week. Cadence drills and acceleration-gliders will continue to improve running efficiency if each drill is done at least once a week.

"MUSCLE MEMORY"

Your neuromuscular system remembers the patterns of muscle activity which you have done regularly over an extended period of time. The longer you have been running regularly, the more easily it will be to start up when you've had a layoff. During...