A short while back I decided to study and test for another certification to help both my career and my clients.
While I would strongly recommend NPTI (National Personal Training Institute) to anyone who can make it work, and I do believe it to be the best certification program for personal trainers, most people with jobs don't have four days per week to commit to education. Also, the $6000 price tag scares some people off. So for the average person looking to become a personal trainer, or just wanting to learn more about applied exercise science, I recommend NASM.
the online study program is second to none. after reading a chapter in the book, going online to watch the video clips about the material, then taking mini quizzes about what you learned, anyone can learn the information fully and in a short amount of time, no matter what kind of learner you are.
you can follow the new link on the side of my page to see the full details on how you can become a personal trainer (or a better one if you already are one).
-and if you've decided to get certified, do so through the link on the right side of my page to let NASM know that i sent you and to make sure you get the best deal.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
400 meter repeats
i chose, on an impulse, to do something fast thursday night. after having such a great trail run the night before, i wanted a good, fast road run, and 400s are my favorite -i love um!
i don't feel that ultra- or trail marathon- runners have any reason to do conventional, track-style intervals (with a set period of non-active rest between them). since the ultra running motto is 'relentless forward movement,' why would you ever stop moving in a workout? -repeats for any runner who's event lasts longer than four hours should never stop or walk during workouts, period.
so the workout went down like this:
>800 meter WU(warm up)
>12X 400 meters slow: 400 meters at sub-5:20 pace
>2 mile CD (cool down)
-since I'm going to race a 1.4 mile halloween run at Clement Park Lake on the 28th, i did the workout entirely on the 1.4 mile loop that the race is going to be run on. breaking 8 minutes would be great in a costume...
-my Garmin 405 made this workout possible for me: its relentless beaps told me when to sprint and when to jog. i feel way better knowing that there isn't any human error in my workout.
i felt great with the effort and remembered fully why i love the short-lived pain that comes with fast running. looking forward to Moab, i should have the aerobic capacity to do very well, but that still seems far off
i don't feel that ultra- or trail marathon- runners have any reason to do conventional, track-style intervals (with a set period of non-active rest between them). since the ultra running motto is 'relentless forward movement,' why would you ever stop moving in a workout? -repeats for any runner who's event lasts longer than four hours should never stop or walk during workouts, period.
so the workout went down like this:
>800 meter WU(warm up)
>12X 400 meters slow: 400 meters at sub-5:20 pace
>2 mile CD (cool down)
-since I'm going to race a 1.4 mile halloween run at Clement Park Lake on the 28th, i did the workout entirely on the 1.4 mile loop that the race is going to be run on. breaking 8 minutes would be great in a costume...
-my Garmin 405 made this workout possible for me: its relentless beaps told me when to sprint and when to jog. i feel way better knowing that there isn't any human error in my workout.
i felt great with the effort and remembered fully why i love the short-lived pain that comes with fast running. looking forward to Moab, i should have the aerobic capacity to do very well, but that still seems far off
Friday, October 14, 2011
Purposefully Unprepared
this past wednesday i went out to Deer Creek Canyon Park with the almost-sub-conscious yearning to be on the trails at night without gear (headlamp, flashlight, etc).
since my junior year of high school, I've loved to nothingness that comes with runs on country roads at night. the endless roads, the cool and humid air, and the solitude. and also the occasional feelings of being watched/followed.
i set out just before 6:00 in the evening and headed toward the first peak. in the first 1.5 miles the trail goes more than 800 feet up before leveling off a bit for the next two miles, only gaining 400. that two mile section of the trail runs along the west side of the mountain and offers the best view of the Denver area that i know of. i watched as, building by building, Denver was covered by the shadow of the mountains.
the sun had set by the time i got the the top, but by making it over the peak i bought myself another 10'ish minutes of sunlight. i followed the Homesteader trail to the most remote part of the park: the Red Mesa Loop and the Golden Eagle Trail.
i could feel where the sun had been last as i ran through the western part of Red Mesa: the slight breeze was warm even after the sun had gone. after the finishing the 2.5 mile loop on Red Mesa (and more than 7 miles into the run), it was getting hard to see the trail in front of me, and the moon wasn't high enough to provide any significant light yet.
looking down at the Denver-metro area felt like i was in a plane over the city at night. if you've ever flown at night you know that its probly the most beautiful a city can ever look. -the lights defining each street and each neighborhood all glistening and displaying human kinds vast development/domestication of the land we live on. it was a strange feeling to realize that the lights and buildings i saw were providing a safety and security that i didn't have where i was. all those people were in their homes and surrounded by people while i was alone with the trail and nature. i felt like a deer looking out of the forest at a Super Target...
after a quick out-and-back up a small foothill(on Golden Eagle Trail), i started the journey back. by this point i couldn't see the trail right below me which made the trip back very unique to me. as i ran down the rocky hills my feet followed suit with my senses and seemed almost super-human as the adapted to the rugged, uneven rocks below them. i had reached a point where i was actually looking around more than i do during the day because trying to see the trail wasn't helping in the slightest anyway.
it was the most intimate moment I've ever had with a running surface. the trail seemed to reach up to me just as i reached down to it with each stride. despite how jagged the surface may be, my feet adapted to each step and took it like they've taken millions smooth, stable steps on the roads. the rest of the run back was spent entirely in my own head, enjoying every individual second of it for all that it's worth, knowing that runs like this are rare for me and non-existent for most...
i would put up with months of bad runs to get one run like this...
since my junior year of high school, I've loved to nothingness that comes with runs on country roads at night. the endless roads, the cool and humid air, and the solitude. and also the occasional feelings of being watched/followed.
i set out just before 6:00 in the evening and headed toward the first peak. in the first 1.5 miles the trail goes more than 800 feet up before leveling off a bit for the next two miles, only gaining 400. that two mile section of the trail runs along the west side of the mountain and offers the best view of the Denver area that i know of. i watched as, building by building, Denver was covered by the shadow of the mountains.
 |
| this one wasn't taken by me, but its right next to where i was as the sun was setting on Denver. |
 |
| again, not taken by me, but in the right spot: the Homesteader Trail |
looking down at the Denver-metro area felt like i was in a plane over the city at night. if you've ever flown at night you know that its probly the most beautiful a city can ever look. -the lights defining each street and each neighborhood all glistening and displaying human kinds vast development/domestication of the land we live on. it was a strange feeling to realize that the lights and buildings i saw were providing a safety and security that i didn't have where i was. all those people were in their homes and surrounded by people while i was alone with the trail and nature. i felt like a deer looking out of the forest at a Super Target...
after a quick out-and-back up a small foothill(on Golden Eagle Trail), i started the journey back. by this point i couldn't see the trail right below me which made the trip back very unique to me. as i ran down the rocky hills my feet followed suit with my senses and seemed almost super-human as the adapted to the rugged, uneven rocks below them. i had reached a point where i was actually looking around more than i do during the day because trying to see the trail wasn't helping in the slightest anyway.
it was the most intimate moment I've ever had with a running surface. the trail seemed to reach up to me just as i reached down to it with each stride. despite how jagged the surface may be, my feet adapted to each step and took it like they've taken millions smooth, stable steps on the roads. the rest of the run back was spent entirely in my own head, enjoying every individual second of it for all that it's worth, knowing that runs like this are rare for me and non-existent for most...
i would put up with months of bad runs to get one run like this...
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Xterra Marathon of Trail Races
its hard to accurately determine how i did at this one since i was one of a small group that actually finished the full marathon...
i woke up (in Littleton) to rain, lots of it. on the drive to Colorado Springs it turned to freezing rain and then to snow. by the time i was 20 miles from home i was driving in 6+ inches of snow and could barely see the highway under me. thankfully there were almost no cars out because i was swerving from one side of the road to the other and the only thing keeping me from going straight off was the rumble strips... the one hour trip took almost two hours.
the sun was out enough to see by the time i got to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but it was raining pretty hard, 34 degrees (according to my car), and windy.
i have yet to bash any race too bad, but the organization at this one was mediocre to say the least. no one seemed to know where they were supposed to go, or even when exactly the race was going to start, and seriously: what kind of race director forgets pins... that's all I'm gona say because in the end of the day i enjoyed the race and would do it again.
the race itself went pretty horribly. i started with some fast people who were running the half marathon and felt comfortable enough until about the half-way point. the cold stopped me from drinking, which stopped me from takin in anything for most of the race.
the course lived up to the Xterra name for sure. plenty of rocky parts, some slick muddy parts, and solid climbing throughout. there were a few times where falling seemed certain and a couple of downhills where i almost ran right off the side of the trail. i felt mildly nostalgic about the fact that i had been dreaming about running on trails like this for my entire running life. the snow was coming down in big flakes and the trail was steep, slick, and rugged, and by the 15 mile mark snow had settled onto about every leaf in the park creating a perfect winter-in-the-mountains look. i was beginning to really feel it, but the realization that i had made it (and i was doing what I've been dreaming about for so long) kept me moving forward as my energy completely crashed.
being soaked and cold must have taken a lot out of me. even if the course was 28 miles like a few people have said, i still shouldn't have crashed like i did in the last quarter of the race.
i got chick'ed right at the end of the race, but she was nice enough to give me a gel and a stinger waffle which instantly gave me my legs back. i finished in 10th place overall... and looking at the results, they put me in the wrong age group: I'm not 20-24 yet... pictures if i ever get them...
this was a great race to go into Moab with. other than getting one hell of a training run in, this race made me realize that if I'm going to run as fast as I'd like to I'm going to have to take in way more calories. -it made me realize how little I've learned.
i woke up (in Littleton) to rain, lots of it. on the drive to Colorado Springs it turned to freezing rain and then to snow. by the time i was 20 miles from home i was driving in 6+ inches of snow and could barely see the highway under me. thankfully there were almost no cars out because i was swerving from one side of the road to the other and the only thing keeping me from going straight off was the rumble strips... the one hour trip took almost two hours.
the sun was out enough to see by the time i got to Cheyenne Mountain State Park, but it was raining pretty hard, 34 degrees (according to my car), and windy.
i have yet to bash any race too bad, but the organization at this one was mediocre to say the least. no one seemed to know where they were supposed to go, or even when exactly the race was going to start, and seriously: what kind of race director forgets pins... that's all I'm gona say because in the end of the day i enjoyed the race and would do it again.
the race itself went pretty horribly. i started with some fast people who were running the half marathon and felt comfortable enough until about the half-way point. the cold stopped me from drinking, which stopped me from takin in anything for most of the race.
the course lived up to the Xterra name for sure. plenty of rocky parts, some slick muddy parts, and solid climbing throughout. there were a few times where falling seemed certain and a couple of downhills where i almost ran right off the side of the trail. i felt mildly nostalgic about the fact that i had been dreaming about running on trails like this for my entire running life. the snow was coming down in big flakes and the trail was steep, slick, and rugged, and by the 15 mile mark snow had settled onto about every leaf in the park creating a perfect winter-in-the-mountains look. i was beginning to really feel it, but the realization that i had made it (and i was doing what I've been dreaming about for so long) kept me moving forward as my energy completely crashed.
being soaked and cold must have taken a lot out of me. even if the course was 28 miles like a few people have said, i still shouldn't have crashed like i did in the last quarter of the race.
i got chick'ed right at the end of the race, but she was nice enough to give me a gel and a stinger waffle which instantly gave me my legs back. i finished in 10th place overall... and looking at the results, they put me in the wrong age group: I'm not 20-24 yet... pictures if i ever get them...
this was a great race to go into Moab with. other than getting one hell of a training run in, this race made me realize that if I'm going to run as fast as I'd like to I'm going to have to take in way more calories. -it made me realize how little I've learned.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
thoughts going into the Xterra Marathon of Trail Races
I'm extremely excited about the trail marathon this weekend! and with another rugged, trail marathon coming up on November 5th, this weekend will be a great chance to master my game-plan and develop myself as a trail runner.
as far as pre-race food goes, the plan is almost identical to my last few races, but during the race I'm trying something new to attempt to avoid gastric problems, and the crash i had at Bear Creek.
dinner: bacon cheese burger and a late salad, along with a lot of water
breakfast plan: strong awake tea with hemp milk and ginger, and one piece of Life Bread with organic, creamy peanut butter and virgin coconut oil
during the race:
-S!Caps (electrolyte pills) at around miles 5, 14, and 21
-half a caffeine pill at miles 10 and 20 (100 mg each)
-plain water or very diluted gatorade throughout*
I'll probly end up with well under 100 calories taken in during the race, for better or worse. my high-fat diet along with Vespa will stop me from burning through my glycogen too quickly, so energy shouldn't be a problem for marathon distance, even if it has more than 3000 feet of gain.. hopefully.
*I've never had a hydration goal, but I've also never taken in enough fluids, so this time the goal is to take in at least 60 ounces of water during the race. so i need to fill my bottle at three aid stations per lap and down it in between.
I'm not planning to go out too hard, but I'm also not going to leave anything left in the tank. I'd rather crash than feel like i wasted a race. plus, this one is 5 miles shorter than a 50k... my number one goal for this race is to get my hydration/electrolytes dialed in. if that happens, i should have a great day... i have no time goal, but a top-5 finish at a race like this would be a good step forward...
I'm planning on trying the pills and the pre-race meal during my run tomorrow. if that goes well, I'll be confident about race day.
as far as pre-race food goes, the plan is almost identical to my last few races, but during the race I'm trying something new to attempt to avoid gastric problems, and the crash i had at Bear Creek.
dinner: bacon cheese burger and a late salad, along with a lot of water
breakfast plan: strong awake tea with hemp milk and ginger, and one piece of Life Bread with organic, creamy peanut butter and virgin coconut oil
during the race:
-S!Caps (electrolyte pills) at around miles 5, 14, and 21
-half a caffeine pill at miles 10 and 20 (100 mg each)
-plain water or very diluted gatorade throughout*
I'll probly end up with well under 100 calories taken in during the race, for better or worse. my high-fat diet along with Vespa will stop me from burning through my glycogen too quickly, so energy shouldn't be a problem for marathon distance, even if it has more than 3000 feet of gain.. hopefully.
*I've never had a hydration goal, but I've also never taken in enough fluids, so this time the goal is to take in at least 60 ounces of water during the race. so i need to fill my bottle at three aid stations per lap and down it in between.
I'm not planning to go out too hard, but I'm also not going to leave anything left in the tank. I'd rather crash than feel like i wasted a race. plus, this one is 5 miles shorter than a 50k... my number one goal for this race is to get my hydration/electrolytes dialed in. if that happens, i should have a great day... i have no time goal, but a top-5 finish at a race like this would be a good step forward...
I'm planning on trying the pills and the pre-race meal during my run tomorrow. if that goes well, I'll be confident about race day.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
The Bear Chase Trail Race 50k
breakfast: 1 hemp waffle with butter (didn't eat all of it due to nerves), a half cup of strong Awake Tea with half cup hemp milk (forgot to add the ginger.)
pre race: sipped water, took Vespa Junior just under 30 mins before the start
the plan: go out hard and see what happens
the course: three loops one small (10k loop), and two big (12.5 mile loops) at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, Colorado
during the race i drank very diluted Ironman Perform (the sports drink offered at the aid stations) and slowly took a strawberry stinger gel from mile 19 until about mile 22, along with plain water. that's it.
pre race: sipped water, took Vespa Junior just under 30 mins before the start
the plan: go out hard and see what happens
the course: three loops one small (10k loop), and two big (12.5 mile loops) at Bear Creek Lake Park in Lakewood, Colorado
the start of the race was fast with three of us pushing for first, and we came through the first 10k in sub-40 minutes. i knew the pace was fast, but sub-20 minute pace for ten 5k's in a row without stopping (and on trails!) is not something I'm ready to do. so i let the duo go and slowed the pace to something that felt more reasonable. just past the 10k mark i made my first attempt to hydrate and was hit with cramps. i only in about two ounces of fluid in the first 8 miles. i knew i should take in more but my stomach wasn't gona have it after the fast start, so i kept on going and hoped for the best.
 |
| i have nothing but respect for that guy: he lead it from the start and set a great new course record |
i ran 100% of the first 20 miles, including an accent of Mt. Carbon and three water crossings, and didn't feel too bad, although the distance started to stretch out in front of me. after the second accent of Mt. Carbon(around mile 23 i think), i started to realize that walking was inevitable. there was a short, steep hill within a mile of the peak of Carbon and i planned to walk it, hoping that a few moments of walking would help me get my legs back. by that point i was starting to feel achy and just making it to the hill was a challenge. my race was starting to fall apart. after walking the small hill, i walked through each of the three final water crossings. by this point, my stomach felt like it could hold fluid, but i was miles from the next aid station and my ten-ounce water bottle had been empty for atleast a mile. after scooping some water from Bear Creek and bumming some off a nice 50-miler, i could feel how dehydrated i was.
the final six miles of the race had more walking than I'd care to talk discuss. i was in death march mode where even the downhills were miserable to run. my pace for mile 25-29 had to be slower than 18 minutes a mile, but i was atleast able to run it in during the last 2 miles or so and was still able to break five hours.
 |
| at the top of Mt. Carbon, great spot to drink in the view -since i couldn't drink anything else |
 |
| #1 for pictures of me in pain |
finishing in 17th place would discourage me, but a time of 4:50 with a crash like i had is great. i should be able to do a four hour 50k on a similar course in the next 6 months-1 year. this race also let me know that as long as recovery goes well between now and October 8th (Xterra), I'm ready for a really good trail marathon. had i not crashed like i did, i would have run a sub-4:15 50k, so once i dial in my hydration I'm certain that i can break four hours for a moderately difficult 50k.
looking forward, I'm excited to hopefully (depending on finances) be racing a few more trail marathons before winter comes. -hopefully i can master my race hydration over the course of the next 2 months.
 |
| not as fast as I'd like to be yet, but it's a work in progress |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)