Gallagher Fitness Resources

Category: Training Tips – All Levels

Beginner to Competitor, these tips apply to all runners.

  • Three Stages of Aerobic Fitness

    You may have heard that aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to improve overall fitness. This is mostly true, but there is more to overall success in fitness than aerobic exercise. It is the necessary first step to improve overall fitness; and it is certainly the quickest step in the process.

    “Getting Fit” involves three major steps that occur in this order. Be aware, the human body is pretty wise to shortcuts!

    The Three Major Steps

    1. Aerobic Fitness – your heart and lungs get used to processing more blood and oxygen and your cardiovascular system responds by becoming more efficient. Major gains in aerobic fitness can occur in as little as 4-6 weeks.
    2. Muscle Fitness – your muscles adapt to the increase in exercise by getting stronger. This process takes a bit longer – about 8-16 weeks.
    3. Musculoskeletal Fitness – your bones, tendons, ligaments, and joints adapt to having a better cardiovascular system and stronger muscles. This process takes the longest time of all – about 3-6 months! (Depending on your beginning fitness level.)

    Whenever you try to shortcut the process, the human body usually responds with its most noticeable message – pain. Pain is the body’s defense mechanism and it can be employed at any time during these three major steps of getting fit. There are few things more discouraging than to get hurt after “I put all that time in exercising.” Listen to your heart, literally, and many of those aches and pains will never appear.

    Pain is highly avoidable if you exercise patience. You have all been told to avoid huffing & puffing and to keep your pace at a “conversation level.” The primary reason is to keep your heart rate in the right zone. The aerobic zone is between 60-80% of maximum heart rate. Keeping it there for 3-6 months during the majority of your workouts will allow your body to adapt gradually to your new level of fitness. Follow this advice and you will be truly amazed at how much higher that new level will be 6 months from now!

    Monitoring heart rate, during & after training, is a great tool to develop and maintain proper workouts. Heart rate gives immediate feedback on how the body is responding to exercise and to the conditions of the particular day. (See Factors Affecting Your Heart Rate.) The pulse is a direct measure of the effort being put on the heart and the body. Trust it! It’s the best indicator we’ve got.

  • Factors Affecting Your Heart Rate

    Factors Affecting Heart Rate
    Happy Running Heart

    Factors Affecting Heart Rate

    There are certain factors affecting heart rate when exercising. Your body relies as heavily on the oxygen/fuel ratio as your car does. Much like your car’s engine, your body uses oxygen and various fuels (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) to yield muscle energy. When this ratio is not in balance in the body, a whole series of physiological events occur.

    These events can be gauged with your body’s tachometer — your heart rate. And much like the automobile engine, the true efficiency of the body’s engine is dependent upon a multitude of parts working efficiently together. Your heart rate will indicate if there is any sign of trouble in your body’s engine.

    A Brief List of Factors Affecting Heart Rate

    These factors play a role in directly affecting heart rate while running or walking:

    1. Emotions and anxiety can raise your heart rate! Unlike an automobile that is purely mechanical, we are not solely governed by working parts. Some days you can “feel” your way to a higher HR.
    2. Body Temperature: If you become too hot or too cold your body senses a thermal stress load. Blood is sent to your skin to enhance heat dissipation to cool you or increases blood flow to warm you. Apparent temperatures (which account for humidity or wind chill) above 70 degress (F) and below 35 degrees (F) will increase your heart rate at least 2-4 beats per minute. Over 90% humidity can equal as much as a 10 beat increase in heart rate.
    3. The terrain. Walk or run uphill and your HR increases. Walk or run downhill and your HR decreases.
    4. Wind. Walking or running with the wind at your back is easy, therefore HR decreases. Walking or running into the wind is more difficult: HR increases.
    5. Dehydration. As you become increasingly dehydrated during a long walk, hike, or run, your blood becomes thicker and waste products build up in bloodstream. Your heart will work harder to maintain constant cardiac output. A fluid loss of 3% of body weight increases pulse rate because of decrease in circulating blood volume.
    6. Diminishing glycogen stores — your muscles primary fuel source. As the fuel depletes, in order to maintain the same walking or running pace, your HR rises.
    7. Insufficient nutrition. HR increases.
    8. Insufficient sleep. HR increases.
    9. Insufficient recovery after a long hike, run, or other hard workout. HR increases.
    10. Recent illness — or — a signal of impending illness. You guessed it!
    11. Medication – depending upon the medication, heart rate can either decrease or increase. Be certain to ask your physician about any medication you are taking and its effects on your exercise heart rate.

  • Your True Resting Heart Rate

    Record your “true” resting heart rate. First thing in the morning, before rising from bed, take it for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Take it 3 or 4 times a week and note the lowest recording. It varies depending on how rested and calm we are, how hydrated we are and generally how healthy we are, or not. Track how it changes, both with life variables, and over time. Happily watch your “true” resting heart rate go down as your fitness level improves. This tells you your consistency is paying off! This gives you proof that you are getting in shape.

    Next, practice taking your heart rate in various situations. For example, take your HR while sitting and relaxed; following a bit of typical daily walking, such as from one room to the next or through a parking lot; after a meal with various beverages; following a “heated” discussion; following a hectic commute, etc. You get the idea. Then practice bringing it down. In my experience, focusing on breathing is the simplest method of bringing it down. Practice, practice, practice! “Are you breathing?” We’ll talk more about breathing in another session.

  • If the Shoe Fits

    Pronation is a normal foot in motion, from foot-strike on the outside of the heel through the inward roll of the foot. Pronation occurs as the foot rolls from the outer edge to the inner edge. Everyone pronates, and the initial pronation is considered an important and healthy response to the intense amount of shock imposed upon the foot and is integral to propelling you forward. If the foot pronates too much or too little and does so frequently, several biomechanical problems may result that will cause a decrease in performance and increase the possibility of injury.

    Fit

    No matter how expensive your shoes are or how much technology your shoes contain, they will not do their job unless they fit correctly. Here are useful tips that can help assure you are getting the proper fit.

    When trying on shoes, if you have custom orthotics or over-the-counter inserts, bring them with you.
    Combining rigid orthotics with supportive shoes can sometimes result in over-correction. Consult with the experts to make sure your shoes accommodate your orthotics for a comfortable match.

    Make sure there is adequate space in the toe box. Leave 1/2 inch between the longest toe and the end of the shoe. This is about a thumb’s width. This measurement should be done while standing since the foot elongates while weight-bearing. If this measurement is done while sitting, there is a good chance the shoe will be too short.

    Check the heel counter to make sure your heel won’t slide excessively and is firm enough to provide stability. A little slippage is normal, but not too much.

    If your feet tend to expand throughout the day, try on shoes in the afternoon or evening to insure you have enough toe room.

    Walk or run in the shoes while in the store, and experience how they feel. They should be comfortable right away, not needing to be broken in. General rule of thumb: If it hurts in the store, it will hurt at home. An expert sales associate will observe your biomechanics while you try out the shoes, providing knowledgeable feedback.

    Knowledgeable Staff/Specialty Shoe Store
    Use the knowledge of staff at a specialty shoe store, Gallagher Fitness Resources. We listen to your specific foot concerns, explain the technology of the various categories, assess the wear pattern of your old, worn shoes, and observe the biomechanics of your stride. Taking all this into account, we can help take the guess work out of finding shoes that will provide you the best comfort and functionality.


    Durability

    There is a wide variety of running/walking shoes. The main types are neutral/cushioned, stability and motion control. Regardless of the type of shoe, the constant pounding will wear out the midsole cushioning before the rest of the shoe. The impact at heel strike is typically 2.5 times or more your body weight. This is the same force that is translated to the ankles, knees and lower back. Running shoes are specifically designed to redistribute and absorb shock to preserve the health of these joints. It is recommended to change running shoes every 350-500 miles or every 6 months to maintain proper shock absorption and help prevent injury.

    Minimalism

    The running shoe world has been buzzing with minimalist/barefoot hype. Gallagher Fitness has an entire line of minimal/natural footstrike shoes from New Balance, Brooks, Saucony, Nike and Altra in addition to the “minimal” racing flats we carry from Asics, Nike and adidas. We want to represent as many choices to our customer base as possible without finding ourselves awash in a tsunami of inventory. To be certain, there are some fads and pretenders trying to make a buck before this minimalist movement implodes. Yet at the same time there are some quality products built by manufacturers who have taken the time and effort to research the final offering and produce a product that will stand the test of time.

    We recommend a very careful and methodical transition to using minimalist shoes, especially if you’ve been in conventional shoes for most of your life. If you’re curious about trying them, we encourage you to talk to our staff individually when you come in for shoes. Trust the cumulative experience we have at GFR over the marketing, which can be confusing and misleading. When used correctly, minimal shoes can be a tool to strengthen your feet and lower legs and assist with form awareness. However, they don’t work for everyone. We’ve seen quite a few injuries. The Good Form Running classes at GFR twice a month will increase your awareness of form, regardless of your shoes. We encourage you to sign up. It’s more involved than princess steps.

    “If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.” However, if you try minimalist shoes, start slowly and proceed gradually. What works for some, doesn’t work for everyone.

  • Conversation Pace

    “Conversation Pace” is the key to getting started and staying with it.

    Walking and running should feel good. Your effort, in general, should be comfortable. We are often asked, “What’s comfortable supposed to feel like?” or “How do you define comfortable?”

    Comfortable means being able to talk in complete sentences while exercising. Using the “talk test,” you’re doing fine if you can “comfortably” carry on a conversation. If you can’t “comfortably” talk in complete sentences while you are exercising, you’re trying too hard. Slow down and get back to “Conversation Pace.”

    “Conversation Pace” doesn’t mean gasping for air every few words or forcing the end of the sentence, wishing the session were over. It means talking so comfortably that you are totally involved in the conversation and you don’t even notice you are exercising. The session is practically over before you realize it, and you think, “Wow, that was so easy!”

    When you are comfortable, your fitness level improves. The more comfortable you are, the more you can do, and the fitter you get. Here’s how it works… Your heart and lungs get used to processing more and more blood and oxygen every time you go out. Your cardiovascular system responds by becoming more efficient. You respond by being more comfortable doing more work.

    Most beginners and many experienced people have a tendency to “over-train” when exercising. They think they’re able to talk but it’s with way too much effort. They fail the “talk test.” They aren’t getting enough oxygen and the cumulative effect of this leads to over-training. Day in and day out they eventually get anaerobic and they aren’t aware of it. This is why staying comfortable is so important.

    Staying comfortable and exercising at “Conversation Pace” is also more fun. You get to know the people you are working out with and time just seems to fly by. When it’s fun you’re more likely to stick with it. What a simple concept this is. Regardless of the actual pace that you are walking or running at, if you simply carry on a conversation, you know you are going at the right pace.

  • Injury Cycle

    Injuries can be avoided when you discover YOU can alter the cycle that creates them.  Hydration, proper recovery, massage, and rolling out with trigger point tools are all important pieces to the training puzzle.  We want you to reach your goals.  Taking care of your body is the easiest way to get there.  If you ignore the easy things your goals are harder to reach and unexpected injuries are just around the corner.

    Here’s a message from Cassidy Phillips, Trigger Point creator, talking about the role dehydration plays in the injury cycle.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry1Q67x5NmU

  • Are You Breathing?

    As with any form of exercise, proper breathing techniques are a foundational element for success when using Trigger Point Performance tools and methods.

    Deep nasal breaths provide a steady stream of oxygen to the lower lobes of the lungs where blood oxygen transfer is at its greatest.  As we address key areas of the body with Myofascial Compression Techniques, this fresh oxygenated blood can successfully enter the muscle to restore pliability, elasticity, and fluidity.

    Nasal breathing also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which reduces stress and triggers relaxation and the recovery that is essential for optimal results when rolling out.  Many times rolling on a tender spot in the muscle will cause someone to hold their breath which will limit the muscles ability to relax.

    Begin each routine with a few deep nasal breaths to get focused and to set a pattern for the manipulation.  You will become more efficient and experience greater results with each session.

  • Hill Running Tips

    When running hills, many look up at a hill and say, “Oh my!” They panic before giving themselves a chance. A great place in Salem to practice hills is at the Soap Box Derby track in Bush Park. It doesn’t come overnight, so be patient and keep practicing your form work. You’ll get better and better as you keep working at it. Here are some tips to help you remember.

    • Eyes: Keep your eyes focused on the top of the hill. Don’t look down.
    • Visualization: As you run up the hill with your eyes up, visualize someone at the top of the hill pulling you up with a rope that’s tied to a central spot between your hips. Creative Visualization is an amazing tool that top athletes frequently use. If you practice this, you will actually “feel” your hips being drawn up the hill by this invisible rope.
    • Hips: Lead with your hips and keep them going “straight” up the hill. Visualize small headlights attached to the front of your hip bones. You need to keep those headlights centered on the road! Don’t let them “weave” back and forth across the road.
    • Head: Keep your head up! Looking up and keeping your head erect puts your body (especially your spine and hips) in the right position. It also doesn’t rob you from oxygen.
    • Short Steps: Maintain a quick cadence and keep your stride length short. Don’t over-stride.
    • Arms: Use your arms, but don’t overdo it! Reach back with your hands far enough to brush the sides of your hips.
    • Keep Going: Continue past the top of the hill and concentrate on using good form for several more yards after you’ve crested the top. Keep up the quick cadence. Going up hills with good form is very important. However, being able to continue after you’ve “conquered the hill” is what will make you more efficient, stronger and faster.

    Demonstration:

    Look up – deep breath

    Look down – deep breath

    You need oxygen when going uphill

    Eyes up – head up – oxygen

    Spine straightens up – hips align – increased efficiency

    And remember the tow rope

  • Marathon training is like homebrewing or winemaking

    If you have ever participated in the homebrewing or winemaking process you will appreciate this analogy.  Assuming the right ingredients are mixed in the right proportions and the “recipe” is followed correctly there is little that separates marathon training from winemaking and homebrewing when you reflect on these three essential components:

    • Experience – The best brewer or winemaker is nearly always the one with the most years of experience.  Sure it takes a lot of luck, but when you are in the realm of art + science, luck is directly proportional to years of experience.  The “art” is enhanced by all the mistakes made along the way.  Training for a marathon is quite similar.  You can have a stroke of beginner’s luck, but you are more likely to improve through years of experience and, unfortunately, a few mistakes and training errors.
    • Being Confident and Trusting the Process – Experimentation is always tempting when you are trying to make a batch of beer or a most exquisite wine, but you cannot change the essential process.  There are inviolable steps in making beer or wine.  You may have the most creative idea in the world for the next best brew, but if you change the order of the essential steps the results will stink – literally.  Your grand experiment will be entirely undrinkable and you will have wasted a lot of time.  Trust your training plan.  The workouts follow a specific order and plan.  The plan is your key to success.  Experiment “slightly” and “carefully” but don’t abandon the essential steps to success.
    • Patience – Wooo boy.  This is the toughest part of marathon training as well as brewing and winemaking.  Once the beer is in the carboy or the wine is in the oak barrel or stainless steel fermenter, not much can be done to change the final product.  Playing too much with the ingredients in the late stages of the fermentation process will more than likely ruin the final outcome rather than enhance it.  The same is true in the later stages of marathon training.  You cannot “cram” like you did for your college finals.  Either the work is in or it’s not.  When your marathon training reaches the final three weeks, you can only screw up the final result with final “tweaking.”  It’s patience in those final, sometimes agonizing weeks, when the aging process/training effect yields the best product.

    Feel free to make comments on this topic!  Let’s have some fun with it.

  • Race Week Advice

    Race Week Tips – (they apply equally well for both the marathon and half marathon distances):

    You Can Still Improve Your Performance During the Last 48 Hours
    [Adapted in part from an article by Jeff Galloway]
    While the physical training has been done, you can significantly enhance 1) the way you feel afterward and 2) the quality of your performance by choosing certain behaviors and avoiding others during the final two days.  Race day is near; don’t let your vision get cloudy.

    Focus

    Because of nervousness, the excitement of the expo and distractions of another city, the marathon, friends, etc., it’s easy to lose concentration on a few key items.

    You Are In Control

    You need to be in charge of your behaviors during the crucial 48 hours before the marathon. In this way you can control your attitude, your eating, your schedule, etc. This doesn’t mean that you should be sitting in your hotel room eating salt-free pretzels and Clif Bars and drinking water. Being with friends is positive. You have veto power over what goes into your mouth, where you go, and how late you stay out. Being in control of your destiny is the primary step in running your best.

    Be Positive

    Have a list of statements that you can repeat as necessary. You’re going to have negative thoughts slip out from the left brain so we’ll work on a way to bypass them and move into the world of the positive:

    • I have no pressure on myself
    • I’m going to enjoy this
    • I’ll start very slowly
    • The people are great
    • I’ve earned this!
    • Because I started slowly, I’m finishing strong
    • I feel successful!
    • I have been patient for the last 3-4 months, I can be patient until the 20 mile mark (or the 10 mile mark for the half-marathoners)

    Half-Marathon or Marathon Day

    Wake Up
    Set your wake up call so that you have plenty of time to get moving, gather your gear together, and go through your usual eating and drinking timetable which worked for you during the long runs.

    Eat
    You should use what has worked for you in your long runs. Eating about 200-250 calories of high quality carbohydrate about an hour before the long one has helped many runners to stabilize their blood sugar level for the first half of the marathon.

    Go Slowly in the Beginning
    Almost everyone who performs a personal record in the marathon runs the second half faster than the first. Slow down by 10-20 seconds per mile (from your projected marathon pace) during the first 3-5 miles. Many marathoners report that by starting out 15 seconds per mile slower, they have the resiliency to run 20-30 seconds per mile faster at the end of the marathon.

    Take Walk Breaks

    For the first 16-18 miles of the marathon or the first 8-9 miles of the half-marathon, stick with the run/walk ratio we practiced over the last 3-4 months. That way you enter that all important last portion of your event with all the energy reserves you need to finish strong!


    Eat During the Second Half of the Marathon

    Eating small carbohydrate snacks during the second half of the marathon has helped marathoners improve time goals by boosting the blood sugar level. This will enhance your feeling of well being, maintain mental concentration, and sustain a positive mental attitude.

    Remember: Everyone Has at Least ONE “Bad” Patch
    Group support helped pull you through at least one bad long run, didn’t it? By helping others through their tough times, you receive positive internal rewards. These tough runs teach you how to deal with tough portions of the marathon itself. During your race you will have tough spots. Stay positive and draw on the strength of those surrounding you in the race. Don’t be surprised by a “bad patch.” Acknowledge it and know that your training, your training buddies, and your willingness to do your best will pull you through until you start feeling better again. The closer that finish line and finisher’s prize is, the better you will begin feeling!

    Race Day Checklist

    The Night Before

    • Drink a couple mouthfuls of water (four to six ounces) every hour.
    • Mentally rehearse the marathon: feeling good, overcoming challenges, recovering.
    • Eat light carbohydrate snacks like energy bars or gels (not too many!).
    • Relax with friends or family.
    • Relax, laugh, enjoy the moment.
    • Did we mention – relax?
    • Go over the procedure, route, etc. for getting to the start.
    • Do a very relaxed mental rehearsal of the marathon, concentrating on the positive.
    • Pack your bag.

    Your Race Day Bag Should Contain

    • Race number and pins and Timing Chip on your shoe!
    • Race instructions, map, etc.
    • Shoes, socks, shirt, shorts, and gear to stay warm
    • Other clothes if it’s cold: pants, technical fiber top, long-sleeved T, gloves, hat, ear covering, etc.
    • Water (about 32 ounces)
    • Bandages, BodyGlide, etc.
    • $20-30 for reserve funds
    • Energy bars, gels, sport beans, bloks or your chosen carbohydrate source (enough for start, second half, and after)
    • Fanny pack or plastic bags
    • Some extra “throwaway” shirts and/or pants as extra layers in case the staging area is cold
    • Garbage bags as an inexpensive waterproof top and ground cover

    Race Day Morning List

    • Drink two to four ounces of water (a few mouthfuls only!) every 30 minutes or so.
    • Eat – according to the schedule which has worked for you in the long runs.
    • Bring your bag, car keys, etc.
    • Leave at least 30 minutes before you think you’ll need to leave . . . in case of traffic, etc.
    • If you have several hours at race site before start, stay warm, get off your feet and relax.
    • 45-60 minutes before the start, walk around the staging area to mentally rehearse lining up.
    • Thirty minutes before the start, walk around for 15 minutes to get the legs moving.
    • Jog for two to three minutes (very slowly) just before lining up.
    • Keep the legs moving, in place if necessary, as you stand waiting for the start.
    • If going for a time goal, get to the starting area early enough to secure a good place.
    • Those with a goal “to finish” should line up in the back of the crowd.
    • Joke around; enjoy the energy and personalities of the folks nearby.
    • Go out slowly. If it’s hot, go out even slower!
    • Get over to the side of the road and take every walk break, from the beginning.
    • Drink when you feel the need. Drinking at every water station might be too much for some.
    • If you feel warm, pour water over your head at each water stop.
    • Each walk break gives you a chance to appreciate and enjoy every mile.
    • When tired shorten your stride.
    • Don’t stretch during the run or immediately afterward.
    • You may cut out the walk breaks after mile 18-20 if you’re feeling good.

    Immediately Afterward

    • Grab water and carbohydrate food(s).
    • Walk, eat and drink. Do not sit down or lie down for at least a half hour after finishing (unless you need medical attention).

    Recovery Tips (all great tips!)
    Adopted in part from Jeff Galloway’s Marathon! (Phidippides Publication, 2000)

    • If possible, immerse your legs in a cold bath, as soon after the finish as possible.
    • Walk for 30 to 60 minutes later in the day.
    • Eat carbohydrate snacks continuously for the rest of the day.
    • Drink four to six ounces of water or electrolyte fluid (at least) every hour.
    • Walk for 30 to 60 minutes the next day.
    • Run/walk for 30 to 45 minutes two days after the marathon.
    • Continue to alternate: walk 30 to 60 minutes and run/walk 30 to 45 minutes.

    What’s Next?

    Now that you have finished your marathon, what’s next? Be certain to make a gentle return to running. If you are feeling absolutely on top of the world for a few days, that’s great! Rest up and enjoy the view from there. Don’t be in a big hurry to get back out on the roads. Your muscles and your spirit will need some recovery time even if your mind doesn’t think so.

    Walking right after your marathon and then again on the next day is a good way to ease back into your walk/run routine. On the second day after the big day, try going for a 30-60 minute walk/run, even if you feel more comfortable walking for most of the way. Over the next two weeks, you can gradually increase the ratio of run to walk. Include frequent walk breaks! Your muscles will thank you!