So, Tell Me About Your VO2Max

So, Tell Me About Your VO2Max

by | Jul 8, 2020 | Article, Reflection, Science

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

It is interesting when you with your running buddies and they start bragging about their VO2Max number. “Mine is 41”, says Runner #1. “Mine is currently at 39 but it has been going up for the last 3 weeks”, comes back Runner #2. “I am down to 43 but have been up to 44 as recently as last month”, chimes in the Runner #3. Funny thing is that if you ask any of them what VO2Max is, you can pretty much bet that none of them will know.

VO2Max

These are the elements that conform VO2Max (British spelling used here)

VO2Max stands for the maximum (Max) volume (V) of oxygen (O2) that your body can utilize at maximum effort. It is obvious that the more oxygen your body can handle, the more efficient it is and the faster you should be able to run. Eliud Kipchoge has been measured at 75 while the fittest of my readers most likely be under 50.

VO2Max is measured as an absolute rate in liters of oxygen per minute (L/min) or as a relative rate in in milliliters of oxygen per kilo of body mass per minute (ml/kg/min). Yes, this is a little bit technical, well, more than a little bit. The point here is to understand that if you can barely grasp the concept and how this parameter is measured, you shouldn’t make it your end-all factor to measure your progress, let alone your value as a runner.

The VO2Max is a valuable tool if you know what you are looking at. But lately it has become overemphasized, primarily because watches now flash the number as if it were a badge of honor.

VO2Max

Unless your watch can be hooked to this machine, it cannot measure your VO2Max

VO2Max is tested in a specialized lab. While on a treadmill, with a mask covering your nose and mouth, while running to exhaustion, the machinery measures how much oxygen goes into your body and how much oxygen comes out. The difference between the two numbers while at maximum effort, is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can process at such speed, thus, your VO2Max. Your watch cannot measure this, regardless of how sophisticated and expensive it is.

In conclusion, VO2Max may work or not, I am not a sports scientist nor have read enough to know the extent of its reach. But what I do know is that it is not the end-all parameter to measure your progress or success. To me, a PR on my next 5K or marathon seems a much better way. And, once again, it CANNOT be measure by an equation on your watch.

It is not in the scope of this blogpost to advocate for or against VO2Max. It is not either to explain the science and value of the parameter, which, of course, does have a value.

If you want to learns more about the subject and are ready for a deep technical read, Steve Magness, head coach for the University of Houston, and an authority on the science of running, has a few articles on this, which I highly recommend. You can click on the links below to access them:

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The Trap of Information Overload

The Trap of Information Overload

by | Jun 24, 2020 | Article, Coaching, Reflection

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

Information Overload

GPS watches are great, but not all the info is needed right away

Let’s start by stating that I see nothing wrong with being on Strava, having an Instagram account to share your runs or checking Facebook every so often to see what your running buddies are up to. It is great to live in a time when, via social media, we can still be in contact with people we haven’t seen in 30 years, or keeping in touch with that cousin that moved to another country and you rarely have the chance to see anymore.

It is great to being able to make social media acquaintances even though you never met them in person. In my case, I follow a Dutch marathoner named @mistermarathon on Instagram and he followed me back. When I visited Amsterdam, he took me for a running tour of the city, we had coffee and had a great talk. A few years later he visited Florida and even though I was injured and couldn’t run, we met for coffee and had another great conversation. That is awesome.

Now, there must be a limit. The data overload from social media, from our watches, from WhatsApp groups and from measuring up with strangers, is stealing the joy from a considerable portion of the running universe. And the main reason we run is because we like it. So, if something is stealing our joy, it must go or, at least, its presence must be adjusted.

Yes, a pre-run picture with your buddies is cool, but if you missed it, you can still run. Forgetting to charge your watch is not an excuse to skip a scheduled training. Checking your favorite elite runner on Strava and trying to match their trainings is a recipe for injury. Thinking that an ultrarunner in Germany or Australia or Argentina is your buddy because he likes your posts on a regular basis is the prelude for a letdown. Wanting to run from New York to Los Angeles because so-and-so did it, is insane.

It starts with regulating the consumption of information we get from our GPS watches. It is wonderful to have all the information you can possibly want at the flip of your wrist. But, with certain exceptions dictated by a specific segment of your training program, the usefulness of such information is relatively innocuous. It is just a reflection of what you are doing, not what you are doing and definitely not your worth as an athlete. You don’t have to pause the watch because you are at a red light or because you stopped 10 seconds to say hi to another runner. You don’t have to check your cadence every mile unless you are specifically working on it. And don’t get me started on VO2Max, that’s for another post. I think you get the point.

I am amazed by the data the website I synch my watch to, can provide. Most of it is great for analysis of my training, progress and to keep historical data. The more I use Strava, the more my mind gets blown away on what it can do, but I don’t follow people I don’t know. I only follow runners I train, so I can see what they are doing, this way, I can coach them better. If I want to know what a friend is doing, I call him or text him. I don’t need to know what Eliud Kipchoge is doing every day and compare him to my progress. I don’t need kudos on my run from 50 runners I don’t know.

Information OverloadTheodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, once said that “comparison is the thief of joy”, and I agree 100% with him. Of course, we can’t avoid it all the time, it is part of our human nature. But if we want to get joy out of OUR running, we need to concentrate in what WE are doing and what WE can control. We need to center OUR running life, in OUR progress, OUR failures, OUR injuries, OUR parameters.

Most of the data is useless at the time we are running. It is afterwards that we can learn something from it and adjust. If you list the top-10 reasons why you run, I doubt that “to show up my Mary in Strava” or “to have more Instagram followers than Jimmy”, or “to improve my likes on Facebook” makes the list. Let’s go back to basics. Take advantage of the tools that technology provides but don’t be a slave to them.  

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Training Adjustments for the Summer Months

Training Adjustments for the Summer Months

by | Jun 10, 2020 | Article, Coaching

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

 As summer approaches rapidly in the northern hemisphere, days are becoming hotter and humidity is ramping up with the passing of each day. We became accustomed to the mild spring (even if most of it was indoors due to the current world circumstances) and now we need to adjust to the harsh reality of the hot weather.

Training Adjustments

This Heat Index Chart by the National Weather Service, clearly explains the correlation between temperature and humidity. Be aware of it during your summer training. For a better view, click on the image to expand it.

When we run in hot weather, we get exhausted quicker and we must take precautions to avoid bad experiences or, even worse, dealing with dehydration and/or the dreaded heat stroke. Some situations could lead to permanent damage to the body or even, in severe cases, to death.

Adjusting to running in the heat is not just about drinking more water. It is about understanding the processes that will allow you to continue with your training in a safe way. Also, equally important, allowing you to recover quickly so you can keep going.

I have compiled 10 tips for you to be able to run safe during the summer. Especially if you are new to the activity or new to an area where heat is one of the considerations as you lace up your running shoes. These are by no means the end-all precautions to take, but it is a start.

 1.      Slow Down – Running in the heat is not the same as running in comfy weather. Your body is exerting itself at a higher rate to maintain the same level of perceived effort. You will need to run at a slower pace to keep the level of perceived effort. Make peace with this reality and keep moving forward.

2.      Plan your hydration needs ahead of time – Plan your route around places where water is plentiful. If that is not possible, plant water in your route, ahead of time. Remember to consume water before you become thirsty. Once you are thirsty, it may be too late to avoid dehydration

3.      Don’t overdo it with the water – With water intake is not about the-more-the-merrier. Hyponatremia is a life-threatening condition in which too much water in your body dilutes the amount of sodium in the blood. Keep yourself hydrated through your day and make sure your urine is lightly colored.

4.      Dress appropriately – Dress in light colors, which reflect mor light, thus deflect the heat. Avoid long sleeves, long pants, of outfits designed to sweat in excess.

5.      Stay connected– Well into the 21st Century is so easy to keep yourself connected while running. Carry your mobile phone during your runs and let someone know where you are and when are you expected to be back. You an also let a loved one track you in real time.

6.      Be aware of the effect of humidity – If you train in a region of high humidity, make sure you understand that displacing a saturated mass of air requires more effort than doing so with a drier, lighter one. This means additional effort to maintain the same pace as when it is dryer. Make sure to account for this difference. Make peace with it.

7.      Adjust your training schedule – If you are training for a fall marathon, make sure you are flexible on your schedule so you can switch that long run or that speed session to another day or time. Don’t be so strict that you end up hurting yourself because you refuse to push a difficult session for tomorrow.

8.      Opt for shady routes – Be smart with your routes. Plan accordingly, making sure there is plenty of shade, and places to stop should you need it.

9.      Don’t try to be a hero – Do not be afraid of stopping, cutting the run short, taking refuge in a shady place, asking for help, or calling it a day if you feel dizzy. Not only you will live to run another day, but your recovery process will be much easier, and you will be able to be back running, sooner.

Training Adjustments

Chart from www.weather.gov. For a better view, click on the image to expand it.

10.   Differentiate heat exhaustion from heat stroke – Being spent because of heat is one thing, heat stroke is quite different and also life threatening. Make sure you learn the symptoms so you may avoid tragedy. Please get familiarizes with the graphic below, which is borrowed from The US National Weather Service.

Conclusion

Running in the summer months is perfectly doable, but you have be smart. Plenty of people from hot and humid climates participate in great autumn races all over the world. New York, Berlin and Chicago, just to name the World Marathon Majors. The key is to plan ahead, be smart and always err on the side of caution, so you will live to run another day.

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Squats for Runners

Squats for Runners

by | Jun 3, 2020 | Article, Exercises

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

In last week’s post, guest blogger Amanda Long was recalling her challenge to complete 100 Squats daily for 30 consecutive days. If you didn’t read it yet, you can do so by clicking here and then return to today’s post. As you may recall, the first thing she did before starting the challenge was to document herself on what is the way to properly perform a squat. The squat is a great exercise that every runner should add to their repertoire, but, same as with all physical activity, it needs to be practiced properly so injuries can be avoided.

Squats for Runners

The squat is a multi-joint exercise that works on hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and hips, which power and control your stride

I’ll start by stating that I am not a physical therapist or a doctor of any kind, so I am not offering medical advice here. But one of the advantages of living well into the 21st Century is that Google and YouTube are at our fingertips so we can obtain recommendations by qualified personnel when it comes to mostly every activity in life.

First order of business is recognizing there is more than one type of squat. We are only interested here in squat for runners. The thing to understand is that as a runner you only need a certain amount of strength training. Twice a week is sufficient since you are not training to become a power lifter.

The squat is a comprehensive exercise perfect to help you maintain strong legs, able to sustain the constant pounding through mils on end on the asphalt. It is a multi-joint exercise that works on hamstrings, glutes, quadriceps and hips, which power and control your stride. The stronger and more flexible you become, the better you will run and the less likely to get injured you will be. If that weren’t enough, you could also become a faster runner.

While squats can be done with a variety of weights, it is important that novices start using just their body weight. Three sets of 10 as part of your strength routine, or after running, are a good way to start. The key, as with any exercise, is maintaining the proper posture throughout the series of movements that comprise a squat. Last thing we need is getting injured while getting stronger to avoid injury.

According to an article published by Runner’s World on January 19, 2019, the sequence for a proper squat is as follows: “Start standing with feet just wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly out, and hands clasped at chest for balance. Initiate the movement by sending your hips back first, then bend knees to lower down as far as possible while keeping your chest lifted. You should lower down until thighs are at least parallel to floor. Press through heels and engage glutes to return back to the starting position.”

There are numerous YouTube videos teaching the proper way of performing a squat. I can’t recommend one over the other. So, when researching, make sure you look for a reputable source, hopefully a physical therapist or a strength coach. Make sure you pick up a video for runners, not for bodybuilders. And make sure not to overdo it. 100 a day is not for everybody and certainly not for beginners.

The two videos I personally liked the best are the ones below, but feel free to search the ones that work for you. Also, to get additional information on the benefits of squats for runners, I invite you to read a Runners World article on the subject, published in January 2019, by clicking here.

 

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Trends, Challenges, and Going Back to Basics

Trends, Challenges, and Going Back to Basics

by | May 27, 2020 | Article, Guest Perspective

By Amanda Long

The unexpected arrival of a global pandemic changed our way of life almost overnight. We miss our friends, our routines, and for many of us, the gym. Being locked up in a tiny two-bedroom townhouse with little more than some dumbbells and a jump rope, my options for keeping fit seemed pretty limited. Aside from the ability to run the half-mile loop around my community, I felt that there was little more to do with parks and gyms being closed.

Now, if anyone is a social media user or occasional YouTube browser, chances are you have come across a Buzzfeed video at least once or twice as you\’ve scrolled. Buzzfeed is an American internet media outlet that focuses on trends and viral content. One of the prevailing trends that have circulated the social media world the past few years has been various types of challenges. Flipping water bottles, stacking cheerios on a sleeping baby, eating really hot peppers, we\’ve all seen some form of a challenge video.

Trends and ChallengesOne day, towards the outset of the COVID-19 crisis, feeling bored and unmotivated, stuck inside my house, I came across a Buzzfeed video of four coworkers taking on the \”100 Squats Per Day for 30 Days\” challenge. My immediate reaction was, \”that is ridiculous\”. However, after giving it some thought and watching the four people go through the challenge in their unique ways, I was inspired to give it a shot myself, besides, what else was I doing?

Day one of the challenge, the first thing I did was watch a couple of videos on YouTube about how to do a proper squat, because the last thing I wanted to do was injure myself and not be able to run. After a quick refresher on the proper form of an air squat, I took my measurements and began my challenge. Not having very strong glutes or quad muscles, I decided that the best technique to successfully do one hundred squats a day was to break it up into four sets of twenty-five. I set four daily alarms on my phone to remind me to get my squats in throughout the day.

The first three to four days were, for lack of a better word, challenging. My legs felt weak and started getting sore. However, after drinking a lot of water and making beetroot and turmeric shakes, the soreness subsided. I continued the challenge and began to feel stronger every day. The sheer curiosity to see if I would gain any tangible results is what motivated me to continue the challenge each day. By week three and a half, I was strong enough to do all one hundred squats in one set, a feat I never imagined I could accomplish.

Trends and ChallengesDay thirty rolled around and I was excited to get my last one hundred squats in so I could measure myself and see if there were any results. Regardless of muscle measurements, I knew that I felt stronger, could see definition in my legs, and felt more powerful during my training runs. I got out the measuring tape and was surprised and excited that I had gained three and a half inches overall in just thirty short days. My glutes stayed the same, but my quads became bigger and stronger.

By day thirty I was almost sad the challenge was over. It was difficult at times but also fun and rewarding. I learned that consistency, even in very small actions, produces results. I was also reminded that sometimes simple is good. When we are forced to suspend certain activities and ways of life, going back to the basics can also yield results. I am looking forward to life going back to normal, but I will not forget that my body is quite capable of keeping fit without gym equipment or the need to leave home. So, do not be afraid of taking on a new challenge, even if you do not think you are capable. Going back to the basics may very well strengthen your foundation.

 Amanda Long is a runner based in South Florida. She completed the Chicago Marathon in 2018 and has ran multiple half marathons.

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Your Local Running Store: Where everybody knows your name

Your Local Running Store: Where everybody knows your name

by | May 20, 2020 | Article, Personal

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

 I’ve been running since I was 11 or so. I did so with the gym shoes my mom bought me in the mid-1970s. I ran at the time with whatever shorts and shirts I had in my drawers. When I started training for my first marathon, at the end of 1982, my dad handed me first pair of running shoes, a pair of burgundy colored, New Balance that he had used to train for his first marathon a few month earlier. In Venezuela, back then, there was no such thing as a running store. You went to your local shoe store and got whatever sneakers was available, or you requested a pair from a friend that travelled to the US or Europe.

Your Local Running Store

My local running store is Runner’s Depot in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Fast forward 40 years and the running store is ubiquitous. There’s not one in every corner but each city has a handful and mostly every town has at least one. The cool thing about them is not that you will find the latest pair of shoes, the latest gadgets, or the latest nutrition. The best thing about your local running store is that if you visit it often, you will become part of its community. In a world ruled by faceless Amazon, you will find what Dr. Frasier Crane found at the Cheers Bar: a place “where everybody knows your name”.

Sure, you can find your favorite pair of shoes online and save $5, maybe $10. Sure, free shipping on your latest purchase of whatever is so convenient. But there is something you are missing that is worth way, way more than what you are saving. You are missing the chance to talk running with experienced runners. You are skipping the opportunity of getting fitted for the right pair of shoes by someone not there just to punch a card and make a commission. You are forfeiting the opportunity of being part of your local running community. You may be losing the chance to be a part of a running group. And, if that wasn’t enough, you are supporting local commerce.

 
Your Local Running Store

Post-run burgers and beers after our Thursday run club

My local running store is Runner’s Depot in Ft. Lauderdale, with the alternate being their Davie location. I went there once to buy shoes and was invited to their Thursday running group. It fitted my work schedule, so I went. I felt welcomed and within a few weeks I made friends. Today, years later, some of the people I met there are my dearest friends. Through them, I was invited to a Saturday morning running group, where I met wonderful people that have changed my life. This is way, way more valuable to me that the few bucks I can save on a pair of shoes or the convenience of receiving a gadget at my doorstep.

When my preferred running shoe goes on sale, Marcus, the store manager at Fort Lauderdale, let’s me know right away. When my Runner’s Depot hat turned into a rag from overuse, Chuck, one of the owners, offered me a brand new one. Beat that, Amazon!

Are there exceptions to purchasing at your local running store? Sure. One time I registered for some kind of running newsletter and was given an $80 coupon. I ended up with a new pair of shoes for $30. And I didn’t feel bad about it. Sometimes at race expos you find incredible deals on running shorts or compression sox, so why not? Most likely you are still patronizing a small merchant.

If you haven’t yet, locate your local running store, introduce yourself to the manager, let him/her know who you are. Hopefully, you will be as lucky as I was when I found my local running store, where now, everybody knows my name.

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