Dirty Inspirations

When a running race is set in as spectacular a setting as Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos, the experience outcome for a whole lot of veteran and newbie trail runners is predictable – epic! Even if we took away the challenging single track sections, the tough climbs, steep descents, multiple creek crossings  and all the great good at the finish line – we’d still have a lovely trot through a spectacular redwood forest, on dirt, and that would be… just enough.

Thanks to all participants for making this event memorable and for all of your continued amazing feedback these past couple days! Here’s what a few participants had to say about their experience in the woods this year:

“I have run over 20 races in the last 2 years and this course was, if not my favorite, close to it!!!”

“It was a wonderful balance of single trail, fire roads and rolling hills. The river crossings were fun!”

“The location is hard to beat…”

“I love trails and getting dirty is a passion I am passing on to my daughter who ironically loves water!… I am an individual who feels strongly about nature (mother) and that we all need to tread lightly but tread nonetheless…. My daughter, nearly 4, asked if she could get dirty and run with me one day. This event has inspired me to do just that keep trail fit so we can run together.”

“This is by far the most beautiful and inspirational half I’ve ever done and I’ve done it both years.  It’s like a Fairy Tale run – going deeper and deeper into the forest.  I felt like Snow White.”

“I’m definitely looking forward to next year and plan to drag more ladies with me through the dirt! Truly inspiring day!”

In the end we give credit to all of the incredible volunteers, the pro race announcing of Eric Gilsenan, the precision organization of Penni and Tim at Finish Line Productions, or all of the top notch support from our sponsors, BUT in Dirty races, Mother Nature will always take center stage for a humans excellent experience. She’s just that good.

Continue to Get Dirty and Get Inspired! We’ll see you out on the trails…

In a continued era of ‘mechanization’ of fitness with more strength training gadgets than out of work Americans, I am a huge fan of taking strength work back to the basics. One way to do this is to implement some overall body exercises using plyometrics, push ups, and ab crunches, prior to, during, or after your endurance workout. These can be done…wherever you happen to end up and at no additional gym or personal training costs!

In short, Plyometrics exercises can promote reflex power through a broader range of motion than that which most endurance athletes experience. They help maximize power in the stretching and shortening cycle of a muscle or muscle group. The balance/strength aspect of the movements allows for the development of overall movement efficiency. These exercises also train an athlete to absorb shock better and therefore define and redefine resiliency in the joints and soft tissue.

Here are three basic plyometric exercises to get you started. Below I’ll explain how to you can place these in an overall strength training/running program on the go.

1. Walking Lunges – This would be considered a warm-up to the more dynamic exercises: Step out with your right foot far enough in front of you so that you can go into a 90 degree bend with that leg and still keep the knee over the heel. Lunge down with your left leg only slightly bent behind you, until your left knee almost touches the ground. Lift body up and over the right foot and step out in the same manner with the left foot without pause. Use arms as needed for power and balance while keeping the focus of the exercise in the quad and glutes.
2. Standing Jumps – Stand in place with your arms at your side. Squat down and jump in place while trying to bring your knees up to your chest. As your feet touch the ground after each jump go directly into the next jump. Use your arms as needed for power and balance.  The set is done when all reps are completed repeatedly without pause.
3. Side Shuffle Lunges – Step to the side with your right foot, feet slightly wider than shoulder width, then go into a full squat, arms will naturally want to move to the front of your body. Stand up while shuffling your feet to the right, moving the left foot to where the right foot was and placing the right foot another several feet to the side. Squat again, lift body, shuffle to the side and repeat the motion. A full set is a continuous motion of squatting, lifting, and sliding until the set is complete. Alternate leading legs on each set.

Sample Strength Training on the Run workout:

Run easy for 10 minutes.

End up at a staircase that takes you at least 1 minute to run up.

Do 3 repeats up the stairs.

Then do the following:

1×10 Walking Lunges

1×10 push ups

1×10 Side Shuffle Lunges

30 Ab crunches

Run easy for 20 minutes.

End up at a staircase that takes you at least 1 minute to run up.

Do 3 repeats up the stairs.

Then do the following:

1×10 Walking Lunges

1×10 push ups

1×10 Standing Jumps

30 Ab crunches

Run easy for 20 minutes.

End up at a staircase that takes you at least 1 minute to run up.

Do 3 repeats up the stairs.

Then do the following:

1×10 Walking Lunges

1×10 push ups

1×10 Standing Jumps

30 Ab crunches

1×10 Side Shuffle Lunges

Run easy for 10 minutes.

Only do this workout 1x per week. You can do the strength specific work 1-2 additional times per week on non-consecutive days. Start out doing each exercise (except the ab crunches) at 10 reps each set, after a couple weeks increase to 15 reps and then 20.

If done properly, you will get sore your first week! These exercises can be combined with any sport specific training program and over several weeks you will start to notice an increase in strength and resiliency.

For the same reason you don’t bolt out the door in a sprint, for your early Sunday morning run, it’s critical that you slowly allow your body to adapt to the fervor of a triathlon race start! So once you have set up your transition, it’s time to warm up for your race—which can involve getting used to swimming in some cold water. The quantity of warm-up you do depends on your goals for the race, your level of fitness, and the distance of the event.

If your goal is to complete the distance of the race, then you’ll want to warm up enough to feel rested, confident, and mentally prepared going to the start line. This may mean getting in a good stretch, then jumping in to get used to the water and warm up your upper body for swimming.

If you are fit and racing a sprint- or international-distance event, and your goal is to get a personal best in your race, you’ll want to toe the line lubed and ready to rock when the gun goes off. A rule of thumb is the shorter the race, the longer the warm-up. Higher race speeds require you to be fully warm and sweaty with an open vascular system so you can hit your pace right off the line. You want significant blood motion prior to asking your body to move quickly.

A complete warm-up for a fit athlete racing a sprint- or international-distance event might look like this:

*        Start your warm-up with an easy spin on the bike. This may last 10, 20, even 30 minutes if you are very fit and looking for a fast race time. Spin easy for the first third of your warm up, then throw in three to six 30-second jumps in speed–standing out of the saddle to get up to speed, then sitting for the last 15 seconds. Spin easily back to the transition, making sure that you rack your bike in the gear necessary to easily start your ride out of the transition area.

*        Do a light stretch of key tight spots before you head out for your run warm-up.

*        Jog easy for 5, 10, or 15 minutes, throwing in three to six 30-second strides within this run time–building your speed up to race pace or faster within each stride. Finish your run warm-up with some easy jogging back to the transition.

*        When you get back to the transition, you should be sweaty, lungs open, feeling loose, and ready to go.

*        You can either take some more stretching time now, or put on your wetsuit, head to the shoreline, and stretch there before you hop in the water.

*        Get to your wave start with time to hop in the water and do a swim warm up. If the water is cold, give yourself a few more minutes to submerge. Swim easy for a few minutes then do three to six 30-second surges in speed, before an easy couple more minutes of swimming. Hop out of the water and you are ready to rock.

*        If you are racing an event that does not let athletes in the water prior to the swim start, and there is no other swim location in the immediate vicinity in which to warm up, then do a swim warm up on land. Start with some light upper body stretches–triceps, chest, side stretches (see chapter 8). Then starting with the right arm, swing the arm in front away from your body and then behind you in a half circle. Let the arm swim back and forth like a pendulum easy for a minute, then switch to the left arm. Come back to the right arm and swing in full circles forward, then backward a few times, and then switch to the left arm. Swing both arms in the same or opposing directions at the same time. Do some jogging on the beach and a few push-ups. The idea is to get a solid blood flow to the upper body before you ask it to work for you.

Remember, in prepping your mind and body for the stress of an event, your body may react with a flight-or-fight type response. You may get sweaty palms or a nervous stomach, or you may be spending much more time than usual in the port-o-potties prior to the race. Your heart rate will increase, and you may even have an anxious feeling in your chest.

Whether you are racing a sprint- or international-distance race, perform a similar warm-up described above. If you are racing a half-Ironman for a personal best, take the above warm-up and cut all the times and distances in half, or less. For all events, including Ironman distance, stretching, prepping your mind, and doing a swim warm-up are the minimum you should do prior to a race. Anything less will not allow your body and mind to be ready to perform your best.