Chapter 8 Life on the Run - 7 Ways to Improve Your Score

7 Excellence Ways to Train for Speed ​​and Endurance If you've been exercising for a few weeks as suggested in Chapter 5, you can probably run a few miles by now without feeling tired.After a run, you'll feel refreshed and happy, work with less effort, and play with more fun.maybe you will meet So far, no longer increase the distance and speed of running, if this is the case, that's fine.As long as you run a mile and a half at a moderate pace four or five days a week, you'll be in pretty good shape.The only downside is that there won't be much improvement.When you first start running, your health improves quickly.Improvements in health then slow down as your heart, lungs, and muscles become stronger and more efficient as they adapt to work they were not used to.Eventually a state of balance is reached where your body can do what it is asked to do fairly easily, but there will be no significant improvement in health.

I've already mentioned my first race - it was a five mile race.Although I used to practice running more often, in this race, I became the runner-up.It wasn't until I started reading about the sport that I realized my exercise program was slow and not getting enough.I sometimes need to run faster in order for my body to react the way it expects.I've learned that if you're always running slow, you won't learn to run fast.If you run fast but not far, your stamina will not increase.If you run on flat ground, you won't learn how to run on hills.Kenneth Dougherty wrote in Modern Athletics, "We learn what we practice, and we achieve the speed at which we practice."

When we exercise, our bodies undergo some changes to accommodate this.Including: 1. Our ability to use oxygen has been strengthened. 2. Our heart is able to pump a larger volume of blood with a lower pulse rate and lower blood pressure. 3. Our lung capacity has increased. 4. Our ability to dissipate heat has increased. 5. After exercise, our pulse and blood pressure can return to normal relatively quickly. 6. Our muscles are stronger. 7. After we have done a certain amount of work, the lactic acid produced is reduced. Lactic acid is a substance that limits work. 8. The mechanical efficiency of our bodies increases and the oxygen used per unit of work decreases.

9. We will have greater durability. These changes happen even if we run a little bit, but not much.To produce sustained adaptive change, however, we need more regular, purposeful exercise.Exercising under the guidance of a knowledgeable trainer is probably most effective.If we haven't been exercising enough, there's still room to spare; or if we've exercised too much and weary, He can tell us.He knows how to exercise to refresh us, or at least make us feel moderately tired, not burnt out.Yet most of us—me included— There is no coach.Even running clubs in general don't have a formal coaching system.An experienced runner can sometimes give a friend some ideas, but most of the time, we grope our workouts on our own, picking up bits and pieces of experience here and there.Edward Epstein said to me, "Exercising is my creative activity. If I could have a trainer, I wouldn't want it. It's fun to come up with something on my own." I agree with that.I'm currently doing a lot of strenuous hill running, trying to strengthen my quadriceps, the muscles on the front of my thighs.My theory is that if these muscles were stronger, I would be able to take longer and faster steps.If that doesn't work, I'll try something else.

This chapter is written assuming that you have been running for a while and now want to get more serious about improving.How much you want to improve is completely up to you.You can try to improve by just a little bit, or you can set out to improve by a big step.How you exercise depends on what goals you want to achieve.But regardless of your goals, the following four principles apply: Principle number one: Make running a lifelong activity.It's a waste to work out for just one run and then let all the performance you don't get easily fade away.So make a plan to make running a daily habit, or just stop running for two or three days a week at most.This will be good for your body and mind.

The second principle: don't rush for success.If you train too hard and too fast, you can damage your muscles, or tire you out.It is best to do it gradually. The third principle: times are difficult and times are easy.Beginners often buy a running watch, and they want to run faster every time than the last time.In his book Running With Hurts, Tex Moore wrote, "I made many mistakes in my first year. The most painful mistake was always running too fast at the beginning. I was I started doing this when I got a running watch, and I was always trying to beat my personal record every time I ran, which was obviously impossible." The principle of hard times, easy times applies to individual workouts as well. Suitable for consecutive workouts, or even for entire years of workouts.The body needs a rest after a hard quarter mile, a light day after a stressful day, and a jogging period after weeks of grueling workouts.Every year shortly after New Years, I start doing longer and strenuous runs in preparation for the April marathon in Boston.In three months, I increased the miles I ran.Sometimes I feel tired when I do this.After the marathon, I'm ready to take a break.During the next few months, especially in the heat of summer, I ran only when I felt like it, seldom pushing myself, and many times the way I ran was like a country walk.Under this slack arrangement, my enthusiasm quickly returned.Sometimes I ran fifteen or eighteen miles without knowing it.When this happens, I know, and my energy is back up.

The fourth principle: the number of miles you run every week should be gradually increased so that your body has enough time to adapt. Going too fast can cause fatigue and damage. How far do you want to go? The American-British Road Runners' Club standards for races of ten miles and over are as follows (in hours, minutes and seconds): man 10 miles 15 miles 20 miles marathon World Class 0:49:10 1:14:25 1:41:40 2:15:00 Champion Class 0:50:30 1:17:30 1:47:00 2:23:00 Class 1 0:53: 00 1:23:00 1:54:00 2:35:00 Secondary 1:01:00 1:37:00 2:16:00 3:04:00 Over 40 1:03:00 1:40:00 2:20:00 3:10:0050 Over 1:10:00 1:50:00 2:30:00 3:25:00 Women

10 miles 13.1 miles 20 miles marathon World Class 0:56:16 1:14:51 1:57:38 2:37:57 Champion Class 1:00:25 1:20:25 2:06:27 2:49:53A Class 1:05:14 1:26:52 2:16:41 3:03:45 Class B 1:10:54 1:34:26 2:28:44 3:20:04 C level 1:17:37 1:43:05 2:43:06 3:39:35 Exercise can become complex and daunting.Listening to the lingo of runners, hearing them talk about "intervals" and "fatleks," is enough to make you want to ditch the sport and play golf instead.But exercising to run doesn't have to be complicated if you know that running is really just four principles. interval training

Interval exercise is the most scientific exercise method.It is generally believed that this method was invented in the 1930s by two German physiologists, Waldemar Geschler and Hans Reindel. * Interval exercise is to run hard repeatedly over a certain distance. There is a recovery stage between the two runs, that is, the interval stage. In this stage, you just jog slowly without exertion.Interval workouts are extremely versatile because there are five factors that can be varied depending on the desired effect: the total distance of the sprints, the time of each sprint, the number of sprints, and the time between sprints , and how you move between brisk runs (walking or jogging).Champions like Olympic marathon runner Bill Rogers can run half a mile, three quarters, a mile, and then two miles at 4:40 per mile.Only four minutes of jogging rest between each hard run.Then he can repeat the fit routine, which he often does.Runners with weaker bases must perform easier exercises.Experiment a little and you'll see what works best for you.But keep in mind that since you're going to run all the sprint sections at the same pace during an interval workout, you won't be putting all your energy into your first two or three sprints.For example, if you're going to do six sprints, only the last two should be really hard.If your pulse doesn't recover to one hundred and twenty beats in ninety seconds, you're running too hard.

NOTES: *Some writers disagree as to who invented this exercise method.They first thought it was invented by Finnish runner Laurie Fijara and George Tableton, who was a track coach at Pennsylvania State University before World War I. Interval training works, but you pay for it.Since this is usually done on a runway, the scenery is monotonous and there is a lot of running.Kenneth Dougherty writes: "Interval workouts don't hear the singing of birds . . . you don't see the beauty of the beach, ocean, and sky." Especially if you're exercising alone, you can't help but relax, It's easy to lose interest.

By the way, don't try to do interval workouts until you have a solid foundation for long jogging.It's a strenuous exercise.Unless you're very fit, it's easy to injure yourself.Before starting interval training, it is very important to fully prepare the body.Jog at least a mile, preferably two.Limit interval workouts to no more than twice a week, and don't let interval workouts add up to more than five percent of your total running miles. Because of the variety of interval workouts, I consciously don't recommend any specific program.I know a middle-aged marathon runner who, two days a week, runs a distance of 220 yards back and forth twenty times in thirty-five seconds each time.We just saw that Rodgers ran a lot farther.You may decide that some distance in between works best for you.No matter what choice you make, be patient and it will take at least three months to see results. fartlek exercise It's a Swedish word that means "run fast."That's exactly what the fartlek workout is about.The name was given by Costa Homer, the main coach of the Swedish team that participated in the 1948 Olympic Games.While variations on fast running and jogging vary from person to person, the purpose is always the same: get a good workout and have fun.In How They Exercise, Raoul Mollet writes: The Fartlek Exercise is perhaps the most fascinating discovery in exercise since the turn of the century.. It opens a window into the forest and at the same time creates an exercise that can be described as "pleasant". Combining forest walks and jogs with short sprints, the fartlek workout has the potential to reinvent athletics.. no doubt anyone who is sedentary just thinks Running barefoot alone in the forest and on the soft mossy ground beside the lake, one cannot help feeling nostalgic.Facing this picturesque beauty, the emotions of track and field athletes will rise uncontrollably. The fartlek workout is not about avoiding strenuous exercise, it's about avoiding repetition and monotony. This method can only be an effective workout if you can discipline yourself to do a strenuous workout.One day I went on a ten-mile fartlek run with members of the Oberlin University cross-country running group.At the beginning of the run, they brought two tennis balls.A runner sprints forward like a football player about to catch a pass, and another throws him the ball.Then there was a lot of laughter.We came to a muddy, potholed road.We galloped past.A splash of mud, we ran across a field of wildflowers, waded waist-deep creeks, jumped a few fences, and ended up running a quick mile on a country road. It was a grueling It's a tough workout, but it's a lot of fun along the way, illustrating one of the unique joys of the fartlek workout: You put up with whatever terrain comes your way. Creeks, muddy roads, or a foot of snow aren't pathetic , but a welcome challenge. LSD LSD is not an anesthetic (LSD is also an acronym for the anesthetic lysergic acid diethylphthalmide - Translator's Note), but a method of exercise.These acronyms stand for "long jogging."It is often credited with a well-respected German doctor and trainer, Ernst van Aken, for inventing the method, but in the United States, it was Runner's World editor-in-chief Joe Hender Mori.Henderson writes: LSD is more than just a form of exercise.This is a holistic view of sports.People who take this approach say that running is fun—all running, not just the race part.Exercise is not exhausting and stressful means to an overwhelming end.A daily run in the country is simple, unhurried, carefree, and almost painless.The practice itself is as much fun as running a race. "It's a run that gives you all the pleasure of walking, but with seven or eight miles an hour instead of three or four. Some of the very fast runners did the LSD method, although this seems to be a paradox.Frank Handelman, a young lawyer in New York, can run six miles in thirty minutes and a few seconds, but when exercising, he rarely runs faster than eight minutes per mile.The point, I think, is that he races a lot, so running fast during the races is enough exercise.Most runners and coaches agree that you only need to sprint about five percent of the time, which means you only need to sprint one mile for every twenty miles you run. long run I only mention this method because some people have a wrong understanding of how our body functions and want to exercise in this way.This approach will not work for two reasons: 1. The body will eventually disobey and collapse.If you're lucky, the breakdown can manifest itself as a cold or constant tiredness.But the situation could be more serious - a knee problem or a stress fracture. 2. There is a contradiction between long-distance fast running and improving the physiological state of athletes.When exercising, we tire ourselves out so that during subsequent rest periods our bodies can recover and come out stronger than before.Scientific research shows that without rest, recovery is very limited. *① Note: ① Science has been getting deeper and deeper into the running world lately.Today there are even exercise regimes that use computers.For example, a runner named Jim Gardner (with Gerry Landy) wrote a book called "The Computerized Running Exercise Program."This book presents a daily exercise plan based on the runner's current ability. Which training method is best for you?The only sure way to draw conclusions is to experiment for yourself.If you're a self-disciplined person who always fulfills prophecies, interval workouts might work for you.If you prefer something lighter, the fartlek workout or LSD workout may be best for your needs.Some people exercise one way part of the year and another way the rest of the year.After a while, when you learn something about your body, and when you start to trust your knowledge, you will know how to exercise best for your body. Not that everyone should exercise the same way.Which kind of exercise method you should take and how much you should exercise depends on the purpose of your exercise.If you're preparing to run a five-mile race, your workout will be different than that of a marathon runner.The reason, as has been said above, is that the kind of exercise you get will determine the kind of race you can run.Take two extreme cases (the quarter mile and the marathon) as examples. Chemical reactions that produce energy require oxygen.In a quarter mile, you run so fast that during the run itself you only get about 25 percent of the oxygen you need.The remaining seventy-five percent—the oxygen deficit—must be replenished after you cross the finish line.As a result, quarter mile runners must do a lot of anaerobic exercise -- that is, running without adequate oxygen. Marathon runners, on the other hand, get 98 or 99 percent of their oxygen during the run. Much of his running is aerobic, as is most of his exercise. *②Note:②Intermediate distance running requires different ratios of aerobic and anaerobic running: a ratio of 70 to 30 for a one-mile run, and a ratio of 80 to 15 for a two-mile run. ), a three-mile run is a ratio of ninety to ten, and so on. If the weather is likely to be hot during the race, try to get some exercise in hot conditions.If it's cool outside, keep yourself warm by wearing a sweatshirt (or even two), gloves, and a beanie.Since it only takes about a week to get used to it, you don't need to wear so many clothes for a long time.Regardless, the slight discomfort is worth it.When the Boston Marathon began in 1976, the temperature in the sun was 116 degrees Fahrenheit.Few of the runners expected the mid-April heat in Massachusetts beforehand, so virtually none of them were exercising properly.As a result, most people's experiences are miserable. The same principles that apply to specific features apply to topographical aspects.If you want to run smoothly on undulating roads, you must run on slopes beforehand.Running on undulating hills is different than running on flat ground.Running uphill requires strong quadriceps, while running downhill can shock your feet and knees a lot.The only way to run smoothly on undulating terrain is to do this kind of exercise. How far should you run while exercising?The answer is that you can run as far as you want.Just a few years ago, I thought six miles was a comfortable distance—enough to get a good workout without burning out. Now it takes ten miles to satisfy me (I don't know how many miles it will eventually add to, and I don't think about it).But if you're preparing for a race, you should be training for the right number of miles to get you past your breaking point -- beyond which you can do nothing but struggle like hell no. Your breakdown point is easy to figure out, at least in theory.If you run every day and don't miss a day, the number of miles is to multiply the number of miles you run every day by three.If you occasionally miss a few days, then divide the total number of runs you have made in the past month by ten to get your breakdown point. It goes without saying that the crash point is only an approximate estimate.Some runners can run farther than theoretically possible; a few can't.Of course elite runners think about how to run to their best potential, not about breaking down; so some of them run twenty or more miles a day, and the breakdown point calculation doesn't take speed into account.All this calculation tells you is this: If you exercise enough, you'll probably be able to make it to the finish line.This calculation doesn't tell you what your face will look like when you reach the finish line, that can only be known by experimentation. There are at least three ways to know how far you've run.You can drive the car across your track and use the odometer to measure it.Most odometers are not very accurate, so your measurement won't be either, but it's pretty close. Otherwise, you can run four laps of the quarter mile at your usual running pace and see how long it takes.Let's say it's nine minutes, so you can think of yourself as running a mile every nine minutes.As your abilities improve, it's okay to recheck yourself from time to time. The most accurate way is to buy a small mechanical device that counts the number of revolutions of the bicycle wheels.First of all, for the sake of calibration, measure the distance of half a mile with a steel tape, put the device for counting the number of wheel revolutions on the front wheel of the bicycle, ride the bicycle over the measured half mile distance, and pay attention to how many times the wheel rotates during the half mile.Then, without pumping air into the tires equipped with revolution-counting devices (inflation changes the length of the circumference), ride the bike over the predetermined route, marking each mile with paint. (Paint the markers where they won't be easily worn off by cars and pedestrians, I marked a route seven years ago. The mileage markers I painted on the ground level - stones on the side of the road, etc. - have long since disappeared But the marks I made on vertical surfaces—such as stone walls—are still in good condition.) If you want to buy a device that counts revolutions, see Appendix A. After you've run a few races, you'll start to notice that you run some distances better than others.There are many reasons for this, including your age, your build and the type of muscle fibers that dominate your body. (Note: For more on the science of this, see Chapter 23.) You may only want to run your best distances—if you do, your workouts will be easy. .But most people like to run various distances, treating victory and defeat like Kipling's liar.If you've worked out well, there's no reason to fret over poor grades, since it's been researched that your base speed is mostly an innate talent, not exercise.play a big role.You either run fast, or you don't run fast.What exercise can do for you is your endurance—the ability to run at a certain pace for a long time. Endurance comes with a lot of running.Elite runners run twice a day, sometimes even three.But you don't have to, unless you really like running and have a lot of time to spare.Doing so isn't even necessarily going to do you much good.In a study conducted by Edward Earter, B. A. Plotnicki, and Ellsworth Baszkek, a group of college long-distance runners was divided into two groups.For nine weeks, both groups exercised once a day in the afternoon.In addition, there was a group of people who ran a fairly vigorous six-mile run each morning.At the end of the trial, the two groups took about the same amount of time to run a mile (although differences may show up when running longer distances). What appears to be more important than the amount of exercise per day is the amount of regular exercise over a long period of time—months, years, or even decades.Dougherty surveyed the exercise time it took twenty champion runners to reach their best times. On average, it took them 10.4 years from when they started running to when they reached their best running times (they averaged about five hours of exercise per week). 8 days a year, exercise 10.2 months a year). Some runners and coaches believe lifting weights is essential to good performance.Czech running champion Emil Chattopek in the 1950s would often have his wife ride on his shoulders, and he would then do squats.If you're competing in the Olympics, lifting weights might work, but most runners don't want to do that.They would rather spend their time running. No matter what exercise method you choose, you have to persist for a long time before you can estimate its effect.Some runners are so quick-tempered that they switch from one method to another so often that it is never possible to know which one works.The body adapts slowly: some changes appear in days or weeks: others take years.If you allow your body time to adapt, the results may surprise you.There are no shortcuts to gaining experience. When we exercise, we also exercise our brainstem, and the indefatigable Ted Corbett told me that when he was preparing for a fifty-mile race, he once ran twelve hours. A man's mind is as taxing as his body, and this principle applies even if you're not going to run fifty miles. You need to make it clear to your mind that something is going to be demanded of it—especially that it exhibit a spirit of perseverance under stress or fatigue.Therefore, Zatopek often practiced holding his breath repeatedly until he couldn't bear it anymore.He wants his brain to know not to panic when his body isn't getting enough oxygen. When we play, all kinds of weird thoughts go through our minds.The stress of fatigue can sometimes make us forget how we even thought about competing in the first place.During one of my first few marathon runs, I found that I couldn't think of a reason to keep running.I was exhausted physically and mentally and quit the race.Now I don't run marathons unless I really want to finish it. If at the time of the race I couldn't remember why I was in, I said to myself, "Maybe I can't remember now, but I know I had a good reason when I started." I finally Got it, how to suppress arguments when my mind starts to make sophistry. It's also easy to find excuses to slow down as the race goes on: the pain is too much, you tell yourself: old scars are hurting again; feet are blistering; whatever , this race is unimportant.In the tense race, such arguments sound convincing and moving. Only later, after you have succumbed to such deceitful rhetoric, will you be disappointed in yourself.If you're going to run a race, it makes sense that you have to run as hard as you can. This requires mental exercise.There are several ways to increase your will to run.Whatever distance you plan to run, you have to run it.If you're going to run two miles, even if you have to walk, do it.This way you can learn how to endure when your run doesn't go well, and you can make yourself stronger for the occasional uncomfortable run.If you quit when your exercise situation isn't going well, you can only learn to run away from it and how easy it is to avoid discomfort.When I have a bad run, I write "bad" in my journal.Oddly enough, after a day or two of bad running, I almost always have a surprisingly good run, and I think the reason is that the "bad" runs are always slower than normal.This way I get a rest and make it possible to run faster and easier next time. Another great way to exercise your willpower is to follow your schedule exactly, no matter how hard it looks or how bad your run is.You're bound to come across days when everything seems sluggish and unproductive, and you'd rather stop exercising altogether.This is the critical moment to persevere.As mentioned earlier, it can be seen from some survey results that the strength an athlete feels in exercise is very close to the actual strength measured by such standards as heart rate and oxygen consumption.So even if you're running much slower than you'd like, you're likely still getting a decent workout. A third way of exercising your will is to take an unusually long run now and then.Do not run three miles a day two days in a row, but a mile one day and five miles the next, and accustom yourself to long runs.If you exercise like this, even a marathon won't seem overwhelming after a while. Another way to exercise your mind is to imagine in advance what you want to do.Richard Suin, a professor of psychology at Colorado State University, recently shared what he learned from Olympic skiers.Suyin found that if they first imagined their sliding down, their grades improved.Moreover, he found that it was good not only for their willpower, but also for their muscles—which apparently was the case. When an alpine skier imagines going downhill, I use an electromyograph to record his reactions.The stylus moved almost as soon as he imagined it.Two muscle bursts occur when the skier imagines jumping over an obstacle.The other few muscle bursts reflect effort on the hard part of the skating, while the needle stops moving on the easy part of the skating.By the time he was done with this mental exercise of imagining how to ski downhill, the electromyograph almost literally mirrored the skiing itself. After he passed the finish line, there was even a final burst of muscle activity, an incredible phenomenon that I didn't understand until I remembered how difficult it was to stop after sliding down the hill at more than forty miles per hour. . Other sports researchers confirmed Suine's belief that mental exercise was as important as physical exercise.At the University of Rochester, a professor of psychology named Robert Nidelphy discovered that mental practice greatly improves performance in almost every sport.Similarly, in The Psychology of Sports, Thomas Tutt and Jan Umbertos write: "In our treatment of sports, the psychological factor is the most important, but the least noticed factor, most of the famous of athletes admit that state of mind is the key to success." Mental exercises are especially helpful for relaxing the nerves.Relaxing your nerves is an important aspect of running.You can't run well unless you relax your nerves.The reason is that for every muscle you use when running, there is a muscle that works the opposite of it, and if both muscles are tense at the same time, the movement will inevitably slow down.For example, the quadriceps are used to swing the thigh forward.If it is relaxed on the opposite side of the back of the thigh, the leg can move quickly and easily.However, if it is tense, the activity of the quadriceps is hindered.If you mentally practice proper running style first, it will be easier to relax when you feel tired and your legs don't move. *Note:* There is a runner and meditator named John Hale who uses a method related to this.Later in the race, it was difficult to relax, so he mentally counted the parts of his body to relax in every part.He'll say, "Ears relaxed, mouth..head..neck relaxed" and so on. I also tried this when running with Halle.This approach is effective. We talk about things like tiredness, tension, blisters, and pain, perhaps making it seem like exercising must be hard and boring.That's not necessarily the case.It's hard work at times, but since you have a worthwhile goal in mind, it's not only bearable, it's also fun, and if you feel like it's more work than fun, run less.Anyway, we run mostly for the fun, not the pain. One way to spice up your workout is to find a friend to run with occasionally.Half of the time will pass faster, and you will not think about the unexpected uncomfortable feeling. Another way is to change the running route for the sake of changing the pattern, or just add a certain amount of time, instead of How far to control the distance to run.Sometimes I put on my watch and run out, wherever I like, looking for new places.If I feel like I'm running a mile every eight minutes or so, I count an hour's distance as seven and a half miles.I could be wrong by a few hundred yards, but it doesn't make much difference. 有些人似乎比我更厌烦跑步，他们带着半导体收音机，或带着那种滑稽的耳机子，看起来象米老鼠一样。如果你需要听着巴赫的音乐，或“流浪者”这样的曲调才能完成一次锻炼，那带上你的收音机吧！我甚至看到运动员在参加马拉松赛跑时带这些东西。然而大多数人不久会发现，跑步本身就够有趣的了。 在认真训练几个月以后，你将发现你跑起来轻松一些了，跑同样长的距离所用的时间减少了，而且如果你赛跑的话，你会胜过那些通常胜过你的人。在这种情况下，你可能会受到鼓舞，情不自禁地想要加紧锻炼。这是要小心谨慎的时候了。因为正如你可能锻炼得过少一样，你也可能锻炼得过了头。就象前面指出，你的身体在经过辛苦的锻炼之后，需要时间来恢复疲劳。休息阶段是锻炼活动的一个必不可少的部分。