Running Clinic with Marathon Dynamics

The Toronto Triathlon Club put on a running clinic at the Toronto Track and Field Centre up at York University.  It was handled by Kevin Smith of Marathon Dynamics.  He went over a lot of little things, many of which I was aware of, but most of which I didn't really understand until he explained them.

- the benefits of speed work, and the different types:

1. tempo runs
2. fartlek
3. strength intervals (2:1 run to rest and run interval of 800m or more, with lower reps up to 6) - geared toward longer distance runners
4. running economy intervals (1:2 run to rest, with shorter few-100m runs in high reps up to 20) - geared towards the shorter road distances
5. Hills
6. Time Trials
7. Racing!

- Running A, B, Cs, and Ds! Finally got a good explanation of these drills we do at XSNRG, but which I didn't ever fully understand
     A - drive knee up quickly, almost generating a short forward motion with the lead leg, not with the rear
     B - drive the leg back down to the ground, landing below the hip (using your hamstrings)
     C - kick your feet up to your butt
     D - the extra one - kick your knees up
- Striders: putting it all together on a 100m or so distance, starting slow and changing gears about 2 times, but being mindful of the ABCs techniques

- discussion of heart rate monitors: that you basically shouldn't need one unless you get properly tested for your max running range, as the guidelines in the instructions are usually way off and could stymie your potential
   - and try not to look at it during the run, but check your max hr after to make sure you were in the right range - Kevin is all about more intuitive running without gadgets - like me!
- running form, from sprinters to ultra-marathoners
    - sprinter: off the ground, leaning forward, huge strides, maximum use of the arms - basically using up the infinite amount of energy they have over the short time they have
    - marathoners + : more grounded, erect posture (to decrease weight over lungs, decrease pressure on the lower back, and create more range of motion in the front), shorter strides with higher cadence, less use of the arms
    - the sprinter form can go up to the mile range or so, while over that, one ought to straighten out more and transition to the distance posture
- cadence: aiming for 90 steps / minute (counting one foot), regardless of height or speed!
- foot strike: most would benefit from bringing it forward of where they are (i.e. mid-foot to ball of foot), and it should be directly under the hips at the point of contact

-  Speed or Endurance Bias: where you might be more naturally predisposed to doing better at either end of the spectrum (or closer to it), necessitating a training plan that fills the gaps **

In the middle of this we did two time trials, 1 mile, and then 400m.
Based on my 1/2 marathon and 5K PBs, Kevin put me in a 6:45 to 6:50 range for the mile, which I was not happy with!  That's what I was running when my 1/2 was 11mins slower and my 5K was 4mins slower.
My mile PB is 6:29 (off-track), and I'd set it when I need the time to qualify for a special training course I'd been working towards for a whole year, so I left everything on that course!!
Today, I seemed nervous and uneasy, and I didn't give it my all...

1 Mile: 6:31*
400m: 1:21

Kevin said he'll review our results and make adjustments for an indoor 200m track and give us a more "true" mile time; he said he'd also do the metrics on our mile and 1/4 mile times to determine if we do have a particular running bias.

This was a super-cool experience, as he covered a ton of practical information, and put us through a good workout as well.  Plus it was my first time on a real track!

--Distance: ~5K with the warm-up and cool-down
--Duration: 2hrs of the whole clinic

* Subsequently corrected to 6:25
** I was assessed as having a Pronounced Speed Bias