Marathon Preparation & Execution

Marathon Man.

It's been a long and tiresome road, and I'd like to apologise for being offline for a while. Early starts at unfriendly times, running in the rain, wet feet and gel farts (from electrolytes) have been keeping me occupied recently. There was soreness, aches, pains and days of seemingly endless dehydration and thirst. But the journey to prepare for my first marathon was massive. It was a personal endeavour of epic proportions. It was, however, more than I had ever told anybody, and now a few days after completing my first ever marathon, and the legs are back to normal, I'd like to share.

The decision to run a marathon was not something I'd suggest taking lightly. You gotta prepare yourself in every possible way. Yes there's physical conditioning; strength training, stamina training, speed work, hill training, short runs, long runs....pace runs, time trials and well miles and miles of heart. You gotta be aware that its not just the running. It's far more than that. You need to also consider the mental preparation that you need to do - you need to force yourself to run, even when you don't want to. You might not like the heat. You may hate running in the rain.  You may not like early mornings, or hours and hours of time away from loved ones. You might doubt yourself, but whatever it is, you need to prepare yourself, and get over whatever you don't like, or usually avoid to prepare.

For me, running every weekend in the rain, most evening in the dark and spending hours away from my darling wifey, were the hardest. Sure I'm an ex-pom and I'm used to the rain, but it's physically draining, plus you get more friction from your clothes and skin, your at greater risk of trips and falls and injuries - so it's pretty de-motivating some times. It's those times I reminded myself of the reasons I chose to do this seemingly insane venture. It was also most prominent of me to remember those immortal words of Michelle Bridges (who incidentally was the head coach for the Blackmore's Sydney Running Festival) 

"JFDI - Just Freaking Do It".

My Reasons

So, what was it the pushed me through all those hours, kilometres and seriously chaffed legs (and arms)? In truth, I did the 42.2km run to test my resolve, to prove to myself I could do it and most of all I wanted to earn my Bateman running stripes by completing the cycle. Throughout my entire life I've had the pleasure of watching my parents complete every type of running festival except the marathon, and they completed them together. For one reason or another, it was a challenge to great and maybe too risky for them to attempt, and I decided that as their son I would take up the challenge and complete it on my family's behalf. I wanted a Bateman from my family to finish a marathon. It's probably silly to hear, but my parents blessed my marriage to Winnie with a very special gift that has been with them on every run, my mum's wedding ring. I now wear this ring (7 sizes bigger) as my own wedding ring, and so carry the weight of their love. I also carry (closely to my heart) the experiences that have made this ring most precious to me. It needed the marathon and it now has that too. It's up to me to add the next new experiences! 

I was told by a cardiologist that my heart operates like a marathon runner's - not bad for an out of shape fatty, but I couldn't believe that until it had run a marathon....NOW I have a marathon runner's heart, which incidentally beats very slowly, but very powerfully.

In terms of my resolve, I needed to see this through. I needed to know if I could actually do it, and if I could actually do it well.

I'm a distance runner.

I've been trained to keep going even when it's hard.

When it hurts, When it sucks.

When I don't want to

I look past it.

Relentless forward progress to the finish.

Call it what you want:

Stubbornness, Endurance, Determination. Guts.

Deep Down,

I don't know how to give up.

(and its always worth it in the end)

Preparations

Well, if you've been following this blog I've been preparing since the start of this year. I ran when I posted down to Melbourne, I ran at every opportunity and I spent a lot of time getting ready. I invested in proper running shoes and socks. I made sure I had good running clothes. I tested compression technology. I tried "Skins" and "2XU" products and I reviewed them, determining that 2XU are way better than skins. I was forced to learn and adapt myself to understand, and apply basic nutrition for runners and how to 'feed yourself' on the runs. I instigated the assistance of Iron Ray and researched glutard friendly electrolyte gels and  supplements for recovery. I planned my runs, and used tools like Map My Run and Garmin Express to keep up with my progress. It's been hard finding the time to write on tho blog but I've kept notes and now I'll elaborate!

Learning to chow down on energy providing foods, slow release carbohydrates, fast release proteins, energy and electrolyte drinks, gels, chews and the methods of carbo-loading building up to the big runs and eventually race day was one of the toughest elements. Get it wrong and you get cramps, indigestion and dehydration. Get it right and you run well, but still have to go through the ringer to train for all the other potential risks!

I found on the long runs two things that took a lot of planning that really contribute to my marathon:

Coconut Water and Electrolyte Chomps! The Coco-water was great, but I needed to run with it and the chomps needed to be timed and not just munched on for fun. I developed a routine of one chew every 15 minutes after the 60 minute mark. I then added the extra carton of coco-water at the 25km mark..my only issues were how I was carrying all this and trying not to spill the sticky-coco-water as I sipped it on the move...I was pretty tired of sticky hand syndrome (plus I felt like I was wasting precious electrolyte) so I developed a novel tool to assist me.... a straw! I pierced a straw and sipped it down like a boss! It did however take me up until race day to work this out!

Also, learning the benefits of compression tights, I realised that keeping them on post long-runs was a must for at least 30-45minutes to ease the soreness, and it worked very well for me.

In the course of 9 months or so (give or take a few weeks) I managed to clock up 413.89km of running training, thats 41:12:07 of running time and that doesn't include the time spend training in the gym, pool or on the bike. All my training has been for my three goals, but each one was building for this: 100km cycle (leg and core strength, cardio endurance and fitness), City2Surf (legs, breathing an nutrition planning) and then the marathon!

Race Day

How I put it to my friends and family: "I'm gonna finish, but I wanna be under 4:30 hrs"......

How I thought it: "I hope I finish it, If I do I wanna be back under 4:00 hrs"....

How it went: "crap I'm running too fast, JFDI, hang on I just passed 30km...crap look at that - Pyrmont Bridge....gulp....my legs are not gonna like that...." 

How I pushed through: "I'm gonna sprint finish...what's the worst that can happen...crap there's people who know me, run faster, faster keep pushing don't give up...."

Cue the Rocky soundtrack....

Finished. Jump up and down...hang on, legs can't jump. 

Here's the stats...

Distance: 42.2km

Time: 03:55:55

Average Pace: 05:35min/km

Calories Burnt: 3004 Calories

Average Speed: 10.7km/h

Max Speed: 61.1km/h

Average Heart Rate: 158bpm (85% of Max)

Max Heart Rate: 181bpm (98% of Max)

Link to a couple videos: Click Here :) and enter my Bib Number 13762 or Garry Bateman 

and watch the three short videos of my run! Im the beardie dude in turquoise singlet and 2XU Tights! 

Don't Stop Believing....(or training).

Well, Hello there! 

It's been a while.... 

...Since my last post, but rest assured I'm well and truly on my way to fit (and working hard to avoid the fat). Since my last post I've been overseas on my honeymoon with the wifey, joined my new ship (based in Sydney at last) and I've been preparing for the first milestone run of my running season - The Sydney City2Surf (C2S). In 2 weeks time, I'll be running alongside the wifey, hopefully in my new ship's team colours.

Preparation....

The key element for any event is the preparation. I've been working on endurance and distance, clocking up the kilometres for most of this year, so recently I've been working on speeding things up. I've been gradually pushing my 3km running time down and just yesterday I pushed it down to 13 minutes. I'm not sprinting the 3km, I'm striding it out running at around 4:20 min/km. I'm doing this to increase my running power. 

I've also been doing quicker 10km runs (its 10k from my house to my ship), which demonstrates how the speed training is helping too. I've incorporated more legs into my compound gym routines. Until recently I've been unable to train everyday, or even regularly in the weights room, so starting this week I'm applying the pressure (on myself) to finish work a little closer to a normal time, hit the gym and either run or cycle home...in fact I'll probably alternate between the rides and the runs... My gym workouts are more intensive, but i'm not 'building' at the moment, I'm burning the fat, tuning my muscles up for the running and having fun with my workouts...I'll keep you posted. For example, yesterday I managed a shoulder burnout and a good chest workout, with some abdominals weaved in too! I wanna try and keep my workouts during the week under 60 minutes - the plan is to keep moving all day, work my muscles in the gym for an hour then run (another hour) or cycle (around 30 minutes) home, this is intended to given my body a feeling of working at different levels for extended periods, so come long run days and marathon event day my body doesn't burn out too soon. I am trying to train smart, not just running and burning up all the muscle mass. I'm trying to strengthen with gym and diverse sports activities, create muscle memory and strength through a variety of runs to have more muscle control and endurance to go the distance at BSM. 42km is a long time to keep running, and I want to be prepared.

This also means learning to fuel myself before, during and post activities to allow my body's output to remain consistent for the duration. I'm still sampling liquid/gooey gels, and solid gel blocks for during, I still supplement with protein and glutamine post training, but I've been avoiding pre-workouts since I left Cerberus. Now, I just try to eat better and stay hydrated - I'm working on balancing electrolytes and loading with healthy carbs (quinoa, corn cous cous, rice and GF pastas), which is really helping!

My new ship has lots of stairs, and is a very large vessel (approx 200m long). I reckon that I'm ascending and descending the 12 deck levels, and covering literally tens of kilometres just walking around the ship! My quads and hammies are getting a really good workout and stretch, which is helping to add the 'hill climb' element to my training - albeit by means of walking intervals.  

My current daily activity

Planning....

I'm using the C2S as a training event for the Blackmore's Sydney Marathon (BSM) in September, and I'll be ramping up the distance, adding hills, speed and timed intervals to prepare for the marathon. It's T minus 8 weeks until race day, thats 56 days. I'm hoping to set up a link to get some sponsorship (for a charity I'll nominate soon), so look out for that.

14 Days until C2S, and 56 Days until BSM. There plenty more time to prepare, but time is certainly flying by. I've not been posting because I'm trying to maintain focus, and keep my training moving. In terms of preparation and training, I actually have less than 56 training days left, so its more like 40 training days, incorporating 2 rest days per week. Time to knuckle down then...

This kinda sums up winter run training....

Day 93 - Core Blimey!

Core Strength

Why do we all work so hard on 'core strength'. Core strength and Abdominal Strength, two very different things...I intend to get to the bottom of this.

Abdominal workouts, do exactly as prescribed - they work your abdominal muscles. These are not to be confused with core strength. Core strength does way more for your body.

Core work incorporates literally dozens of muscles, and improves strength and flexibility in your hips, pelvis, lower back, and abdominals. There are many reasons why a developed core is better than just developed abdominals. Such as:

Agility

Core muscles allow you to react faster, with greater strength. Core strength also lets your body distribute stress evenly, absorbs shock more effectively and contribute to your balance, coordination, flexibility and self awareness.

Power

Believe it or not, performing Squats and Dead Lifts with proper technique will develop your core, increasing your power but most importantly it will stabilise and protect your lower back. This type of conditioning develops your muscles, via your core, to allow your body to develop a good foundation for heavier weights and prevents injuries.

Posture

A good core workout will centre your spine and this will enable you to stand and sit with better, more erect posture. I've noticed huge development for my own posture in the past 90-odd days. The main thing here, is if you want a 6 pack or good looking abs, then posture development strengthen the lower back. You even appear taller / slimmer!

Weight Loss

Strong core equals less fatigue and reduced effort in performing daily activity. This reduced effort and fatigue directly translates to more available energy to put into gym time, running, cycling etc. You'll also be at a reduced risk of injury when you're carrying less weight, and reduced risk of exhaustion because you have the additional energy to sustain you!

Way More than a 6 Pack

I've realised from the women in my life, that strong cores as a foundation mean gym work is made far easier. I didn't realise that such a large portion of the male population don't even consider core training, and solely focus on muscle development. This often means the obliques, lower back, hips get less of a workout (if at all) and often just get pounded with heavy weights! It is the recommendation of most fitness professionals to develop core strength FIRST, to gain strength and stability to allow you to do the muscle building activity later.

But Why?

When is Core Strength useful to me, and why haven't I been doing it...Well, I actually have been. I was bashing away in the gym, decided at about 10 weeks (if I recall correctly), that my workouts would include more endurance (abs between weights), and that my weights workout since week 8 (I think) have been predominantly compound instead of isolated. Endurance training and working in the abdominals intensified and added some spice to my weights regime. Compound training added the base core work, required me to drop to smaller weights and develop better technique. I stuck with it, and now I feel particularly strong, in comparison to this time a year ago. I feel fitter today, than ever before. Good reason to kick start your routine into adding more core and compound training? I think so! 

Core strength is integral in my marathon and triathlon goals. It is pivotal in my overall development since I need to maintain a strong core so I can pound my body over 42km. I need to load my muscles with memories of endurance, strength training and the kilometres in my legs. All of this contributes, and as my core has developed (slowly), I've noticed that my running technique has improved. I was omnipresent this evening as I straightened my posture, well noticed that it was more erect as I put a swift 5km on the treadmill.

WOD

My Workout Of the Day, as created by me, was to replicate this core strengthening, and keep my legs from taking a break.

I started with 30 minutes of abdominal weights training, focusing on core alignment, and not just the abdominal workout. I then proceeded to do a 30 minute core crushing kettle bell circuit. I transitioned between medium and heavy bells, and worked different parts of my core. I also included a swift 5km treadmill run, which had me running at around 5min/km, for 25 minutes. My heart rate peaked at 143bpm and I focused on twisting my core muscles and keeping a straight posture as I ran. It felt good!

My WOD - Part 1 Abdominals: (3x15reps)

1. Standing Weighted Cable Pulldown Crunch
2. Kneeling Weighted Cable Pulldown Crunch
3. Palof Press
4. Landmine 180's
5. Plate Twists
6. Plate Side Bends
7. Kettle Bell Figure 8 Crunches

Part 2 Kettle Bell Circuit: (30second intervals x 3reps) - Odd Numbers Heavy, Evens Medium Weight

1. Goblet Squat
2. Around Body
3. Bent Over Row
4. Figure 8 (in bent over position)
5. Single Leg Dead Lifts
6. Windmills
7. Shoulder Press
8. Half Get Ups
9. Step Ups
10. Squat Swings

Treadmill Run: 5km, 5min/km, 25 minutes

Stretches, Side Plank Pulses, V-Sits, Figure 4 Abs & Thigh Crunches to finish me off.

Day 84 - Week 13 Commences.

Moving Forwards...

I love this quote.

I know, of late, I've not been as active with regard to my gym usage and blog uploads but in actual fact my training in coming into quite an important phase - Strength Training for the Marathon. 

My decision to participate in a marathon has been something I initially set as a goal, but something that has the potential to facilitate my long term health and fitness goals. I love fitness and being healthy, and I really want to keep this passion by means of gym work, yoga, running, cycling, swimming (and scuba of course). I signed up for the marathon as my main goal for 2014, and I want to be ready from a physical and emotional sense. I want my muscles and joints to be prepared. To that end I've been spending a lot of my free time reading and researching different methodologies (old techniques and new).

I've read that combining, equally, running with weights is the best way to prepare your body. I've read that developing a strong core is not all you need. You also need to develop strong glute muscles, good hip extension strength are important too. The definition of Core Strength is how well you can stabilise your upper body on your lower body; in other words how much rotation you've got whilst keeping your trunk stable. Maintaining a strong, stable core will stop you from leaning forwards, arching your back, and in therefore will stop your hip activity from being inhibited. I read that if you inhibit your hips, you end up inhibiting the muscles inside you shins and feet too. I've learnt that this is all down to posture. So, in the gym, out on runs, and basically all other times I need to be working on keeping a good posture to allow my muscles to work as they're meant to.

According to one paper I read, runners need four important things:

1. Postural Alignment
2. Specific Stabilisation
3. High Strength
4. The ability to produce strength quickly  (High Power)

Another reason to incorporate weight training into my regimen for running a marathon is that I want to maintain lean muscle mass, and if I don't train the endurance will eat away at the muscle I've worked so hard to build.

I'm learning, now more than ever to not over exert and to take more rest, including rest days from both gym and run. Since recovery will determine how the preparation builds and how strong overall I become. If I never give my body time to recover, I'll never develop. It also means not doing gym and long runs on the same day, over exertion will just sap my body's resources and leave me feeling wasted all the time. Prior Preparation and Planning, to Prevent Poor Performance!

The Run Element

The plan with the running is not to run 100's of kilometres per week, in fat its quite the opposite. I'm going to employ a variety of cardio components in conjunction with long runs to build my muscle strength and endurance plus condition my soft muscle tissue to the long endurance of a marathon. I'll be doing short quick runs (tempo runs), middle distances at a conversational pace, and intervals (including hills). I will build to around 35km then taper back as race day approaches.

The Strength Training Element

This will be a core stabilising and strengthening combined workout, incorporating compound exercises, the endurance work I've been doing and will be made up of light (ish) weights, high reps and no more than 2-3 sets per exercise. I test ran a workout like this tonight, and it took exactly 1 hour, so that was also a bonus. In sequence, tonight's workout trial consisted of:

• Barbell Chest Press
• Rest: Bottoms Up Abdominal raises 
• Barbell Bent Over Rows (reverse grip)
• Rest: Plank Holds
• Barbell Shoulder Press
• Rest: Side Plate Bends
• Smith Machine Squats
• Rest: Bicycling Abdominal Crunches
• Smith Machine Lunges
• Rest: Leg Raise Holds
• (Heavy) Barbell Dead Lifts
• Assisted Chin Ups
• Rest: Retractors
• Push-ups suspended on Kettle Bells 
• Kettle Bell Swing Twists

The Nutrition Element

Vital to my endurance, health and well being is what I actually put into my mouth. So, I've been going good so far, eating clearer, reduced my gluten intake to almost zero (you can never tell what sneaky companies use thickeners, and I'd be lying if I said it was 100% gluten free - not sure its even possible)...Reduced alcohol consumption to almost zero and good supplementation to back up a healthy diet.

I need to improve the balance of my carbohydrates, proteins and fat intake. I've read that it needs to shift to 60% Carbohydrates, 20% Proteins, and 20% Unsaturated Fats, and I've been working to 50% Carb, 30% Protein and 20% Fat. Carbohydrate loading in food will be a challenge for me, so I'll keep you all posted on how I get there with that one!

The New Training Program

The Marathon is actually 14 weeks away, but my honeymoon is a 2 week period where I will likely be resting more than running, although I'll be working on core, strength and stability wherever I can. So, I have 2 weeks, a 2 week demi-rest, then 10 weeks to bring me over the line. A major milestone in that time frame is that 8 weeks from now I will be running the City2Surf with Winnie. This is a good time to ensure my training is going good - essentially its midway between here and the main event. I can check all the elements are working as they should and I can make sure my mind and body are set up for this.

Rest Days: 1-2 per week

Gym: Combined Weights Workouts / Circuits: 3 per week upto an hour

Non-Run Cardio:  Swim / Spin / Cycle / Football or sports activity: 2-3 per week

Running: 5-6 per week

1. Speed Sessions (multiple short, sharp runs out of comfort zone)
2. Medium Distance Runs (10-20km build up)
3. Easy Runs (5-10km for recovery)
4. Tempo Runs (fast pace)
5. Fartlek Runs (speed-play workout) 
6. Long Run (Slower pace, 13-35km build up, then taper back)