Pace guide for Lane 3 at the CIT track

One of the unusual features of the track at the CIT grounds is of course the fact that lanes 1 and 2 are closed when training. The surface in those lanes is kept free from wear and tear so that they are at their best for competitions and races.

As a result, most people train in lane 3 but of course this does mean that a lap is slightly longer.

For example, these are typical distances used...

1. One lap which is 400m in lane 1 is actually 414.7 metres in lane 3.
2. Two laps which is 800m in lane 1 is actually 829.4 metres in lane 3.
3.  Two and a half laps which is 1 km in lane 1 is actually 1036.8 metres in lane 3.
4. The mile is 1609 metres which is 4 laps plus 9 metres in lane 1. Four laps in lane 3 equals 1658.8 metres.

The charts shown below should help you determine what your actual pace really is when you run various laps.

For example, if you run two laps in lane 3 in exactly three minutes then you are running at 5:50 per mile pace...

One lap in lane 3 in 1:40 is 6:30 min/mile pace...

Two and a half laps in 5 minutes is at 7:45 pace...

If you are doing mile intervals then just do 4 laps. It's slightly longer than an exact mile but the main thing is the pace. Four laps in lane 3 in 8:30 is at 8:15 per mile pace....

You can also opt for three laps. Just use the pace per mile value to determine what your time should be...

Hills and Strength Training...by Ronan Boland

From an e-mail sent by Ronan Boland to Eagle AC members...

2013 has seen lots of great performances from Eagle members but sadly several runners (myself included) -including some of the most experienced runners in the Club- have suffered protracted absences from competition because of running-related injuries over the last year. The risk of injury (and of injury recurrence) can be minimised by taking some precautionary steps.

I thought I would share with you an important study which recently appeared in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, one of the most prestigious publications in its field internationally.

The study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials – in layman’s terms the authors pooled the data from a number of previously validated and published trials using standard criteria. 25 trials, including 26,610 participants with 3,464 injuries, were analysed. In other words – a heck of a lot of data was pooled!

The authors compared the use of strength training alone, stretching alone , proprioception training alone and combinations of these strategies.

The results were very interesting. Consistently favourable estimates were obtained for all injury prevention measures except for stretching. Strength training reduced sports injuries to less than one third and overuse injuries could be almost halved.  This is highly impressive data based on studying large populations of sportsmen and women (rather than the habit or hearsay we too often rely on).

There was already a significant body of scientific opinion suggesting that stretching is of limited value.

What is strength training?  Resistance training using weights, stretch bands or your own body weight can correct muscle imbalances and prevent injuries. Take advice from a qualified gym instructor if possible if you plan on starting a weights programme. Alternatively there is plenty of good information available in books (such as “Advanced Marathoning” by Pfitzinger & Douglas).
Certainly, vigorous stretching of muscles that are not well warmed up by gentle running for at least 15 minutes should be avoided as it increases the risk of injury. Dynamic stretching is probably better than the traditionally carried out passive/static stretching.

Many of us (myself included) find it hard to find the time or inclination to do weight training per se and prefer to spend that time running where possible. The good news is there is an alternative!

Hill running is a very useful form of resistance training. Your own body weight provides the resistance when running hills. There is evidence that running hills can produce improvements in running economy similar to those that occur through “normal” resistance training. You will simultaneously build your cardiovascular system.

The other good news is that there are plenty of hills in and around Cork- let’s get out and use them! Speak to one of the club mentors for advice on how to incorporate hills into your training.

Ronan Boland

Race Buddy concept

The 'Race Buddy' concept is pretty easy. There are times when members for whatever reason may opt to run a race at a slower pace than usual. It might be because they are using it as a training run, because they have a slight injury, etc.

In this case, they can opt to act as a 'Race Buddy' for other members who run at a slower pace.

An example of how it works is as follows....

• Member 'A' opts to run say a 5 mile race in 40 minutes instead of their usual 30 minutes.
• They send an e-mail to the Eagle AC mail list a few days in advance stating that they are going to act as a 'Race Buddy' for a certain pace.
• Members who are interested in trying for that time should contact Member 'A' directly.
• For the race, member 'A' runs at a steady even pace so that the person that's running with them has the best chance of achieving their target time.

Eagle AC 1 mile race...CIT track...Thurs 13th June 2013

At a recent meeting of the clubs training committee, it was decided that the club should look into holding a number of track races over the next few months. The idea behind this was...


a) To give members more exposure to track races without the added pressure of a full blown competition.

b) To help members gauge their current level of fitness

c) ....and of course, each of the races will be an excellent training event in it's own right.

The first track race was held in Thursday evening, the 13th of June 2013 with 15 members taking part...

Conditions for the race were reasonable with bright sunshine and a good breeze from the south-west. Temperature ~ 13 to 15 deg C.

These were the results...

Pos    Name    Time
1    John O'Callaghan    5:10
2    Daithi Creedon    5:16
3    Dave Muldowney    5:20
4    Derek O'Keeffe    5:20
5    Damian Kenneally    5:26
6    Killian Boyd    5:28
7    Ciarán Bouse    5:29
8    Donnacha Lehane    5:31
9    Maura Regan    5:33
10    Ronan Boland    5:35
11    Roger O'Mahony    5:36
12    Joe Roche    5:45
13    Tim McCarthy    5:45
14    Annmarie Power    5:56
15    Elaine Guinane    6:16

Joe Roche and Tim McCarthy battle for the line

It is planned to hold a 3,000 metre race in mid-July.

Training Progammes for the Cork City Marathon, Half-Marathon, Relay and Summer races...

The clubs Training Committee have been working away putting together a mentor programme for some races coming up in the near future. It's obvious that the immediate focus for most members will be the summer road races and the events in the Cork City Marathon.

With that in mind, the committee has put together a training programme for the Relay, Half-Marathon and full Marathon in the Cork City Marathon on the 3rd of June. The Half-Marathon programme can be used if you have another Half in mind like say Bandon and the Relay programme can be used if you just want to target other short races in the summer like the Ballycotton Summer Series.

Mentor Programme...
The role of the mentor and how the programme works is as follows...
- Contact mainly via e-mail
- Offer advice on what a realistic target time might be, how many miles per week you should be running, etc
- Offer advice on how to follow a particular training plan
- Monitor your progress and advise accordingly
- Encourage people of similar ability to train together particularly for track sessions, tempo runs, etc.

*****
Marathon...

Marathon...Novice Programme...Mentor (John Desmond)...This would be suitable for say anyone who has completed the Ballycotton 10 race or similar distance and is now planning to do their first Marathon. The plan is to get you around the 26.2 mile course in one piece, not to set a blistering fast time. The programme can be seen HERE

Marathon...Intermediate Programme...Mentor (Grellan McGrath)...This one is suitable for anyone who has completed at least one Marathon and just wants to improve their time. The programme can be seen HERE

Marathon...Advanced Programme...Mentor (John Quigley)...This is for those at the sharp end of things. If you have completed at least two Marathons and you feel like you are well beyond the 'beginner' stage then this might be the one for you. The programme can be seen HERE

*****
Half-Marathon...

Half-Marathon...Novice Programme...Mentor (Colin O'Herlihy)...This would be suitable for anyone who has only done short races up to now and want's to do their first Half-Marathon. The programme can be seen HERE

Half-Marathon...Intermediate Programme...Mentor (Elaine Guinane)...This is for anyone who has completed at least one Half-Marathon and wants to improve their time. The programme can be seen HERE

Half-Marathon...Advanced Programme...Mentor (Joe Roche)...This advanced progamme is for experienced members who want to try for a personal best time. The programme can be seen HERE

*****
Short Races...

Marathon Relay / Ballycotton Summer Series / 5 mile race...Novice Programme...Mentor (John Dunphy)...This is for those new members where the Half-Marathon or Marathon might seem like a distant dream. This is suitable for anyone who has just started or has completed a recent 'Couch to 5k' programme. The idea is to get you ready for some of the summer events. The programme can be seen HERE

Marathon Relay / Ballycotton Summer Series / 5 mile race...Intermediate Programme...Mentor (Tim McCarthy)...This is anyone who has done a few short races and wants to sharpen up and improve their times. The programme can be seen HERE

Marathon Relay / Ballycotton Summer Series / 5 mile race...Advanced Programme...Mentor (John O'Callaghan)...This is for the seasoned members who think they know it all! Take some advice from a man who finished in the top 100 in the 2013 Ballycotton 10 ;o) . The programme can be seen HERE

*****
All of the training programmes are provisional and are liable to be changed by their respective mentors to suit our training sessions. To take part in any programme, Eagle AC members should contact the relevant mentor.

If you have any questions or are unsure about which programme to join then send John Desmond an e-mail. The e-mail address is shown on the right hand side of this page.

If there is any aspect of running that any member needs advice on then don't be afraid to ask. If there is one thing that we have as a club is a huge amount of experience. Look at the clubs mentor page and see who can help you..........http://eagleactraining.blogspot.ie/p/mentors.html

Gym Basics : The Single-legged squat

Gym Basics: The Single-legged Squat......

Niall O Crualaoich has written a number of articles for the Run Ireland website. They are reproduced here with his kind permission... 
The gym basics series is supposed to acquaint you with some of the basic exercises that a runner will need. Any squat will work your quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. It will also to some degree work your abductors, adductors and erectors. All your major leg muscles in one small exercise.

Why is the single leg squat so important? Well for a start since it is single leg, it will improve your balance and body awareness. Two legged squats allow your body to create muscle imbalances and leads to a dominant leg doing the majority of the work. Single leg squats force both legs to develop and strengthen. And if you have weak knees, the single legged squat also works the knee stabilisers. And for the runner it is a functional exercise as when we run, we generally have one foot off the ground while the other cycles through the weight bearing portion.

I usually recommend that you can do at least 20 bodyweight two legged squats before commencing with the single legged kind. While in this article I will concentrate on the off the bench single legged squat it is worth building up to it by starting with a swissball single legged squat. Start by standing with your back to the wall and the swissball between your lower back and the wall. Then squat down using the correct technique. The swissball acts as a stabiliser for the movement.

The off the bench (or step) squat: If you wish to progress more slowly then start on your stairs at home, this give you the added safety of the handrail for support. Stand on a bench or step that is knee height. Stand with the right leg parallel to the side of the bench and the left leg hovering in the air beside it. Keep the left toes level or higher than the left heel (foot flat). Raise your hands in front of you for balance and bend your right knee and slowly lower yourself. Think of it as trying to sit down while standing on one leg. Keep your back straight and look straight ahead, focus on a point ahead of you. Keep your chest up and ‘open’. Don’t lean your torso forward. Your knee should be over your second toe (the one next to the big toe) and shouldn’t travel further forward than your big toe. Be aware that your knee should be over your foot and not to the left or right of it. Lower yourself till you feel your balance go or your left foot touches the floor. Do not drop your left hip. It is to remain in line with your right hip. The aim is to squat not tilt. Sit back rather than lean forward, as if you are going to sit down.

Now raise yourself back up. Do not lock out the knee when it is straight; keep the knee ‘soft’. That is one repetition. Lower yourself on a count of 2 and hold for 1 and raise yourself for a count of 2. See how many reps you can do. And switch to the other leg. Use that as a basis for your training program. If you can do 6-10 reps per leg and that 3 times (3 sets) then try the pistol squat.

The pistol squat: Is the free standing version of the off the bench squat. It is also hugely more difficult and demands quite a lot of flexibility from your hamstrings. Since you can’t lower your leg into the ground you hold it out in front of yourself. Keeping your right foot flat on the ground and holding your left leg straight out in front of you, squat down. Your torso will have to come forward quite a lot to counterbalance and I find keeping the left quad contracted helps. The best tip I can give is to keep the control tight throughout the whole exercise. If you have muscle imbalances and/ or an unresolved injury you will find the pistol squat extremely difficult. If your having a lot of difficultly with this then stand facing a pole and put your right toes against the pole and hold the pole with your hands and use the pole to assist you doing the pistol squat. Then wean yourself away from the pole.

Gym Basics...The Plank...By Niall O Crualaoich

Eagle AC member Niall O Crualaoich has written a number of articles for the Run Ireland website. They are reproduced here with his kind permission...

Gym Basics: The Plank

So the ‘Plank’? Why should you be interested at all? The plank is not just a core exercise for running but used in almost every sport to build the core. The core being you abdominal muscles back and hips.

This helps with power transference between the upper and lower body. The stronger the core, the less power ‘leakage’ so to speak. While the plank is a static exercise and works predominantly on your muscular endurance it also helps develop your shoulders, arms and gluts. The plank should not replace the more dynamic core exercises like push-ups or sit-ups but augment them.

So how do you do the plank? Getting into position is the easy part; it’s holding it and progressing the basic plank that is the difficulty. Lay down prone (face down) on the mat and get into the full push-up position. And instead your hands being in contact with the ground, put your elbows down. Now you’re in the plank position. Your toes are touching the ground with your feet loosely together. Ankles, knees, hips and shoulders are all in line, hence the ‘plank’ name. Your back is as straight as a plank. A hip sagging down (or to a lesser degree arched up) is usually the most common mistake. If you find yourself sagging, correct this or rest and try again. Your elbows are directly under your shoulders, bent 90 degrees; you should be looking at your thumbs and resting on your forearm. Keep your head in a neutral position so as not to strain your neck. Now that you’re in that position, it is as simple as holding it there.

All your muscles (in your core) are contracting to hold you there and therefore working hard. Concentrate on contracting your gluts (backside) and you abdominals (belly button area). Most people trying this for the first time find that holding it for 20 seconds is more than enough. To progress this hold the Front plank for 30 seconds then try to add more time and more sets (times you hold it). The box below gives a sample progression for the front plank. Start at the level you feel comfortable with and push the comfort zone.

Level 1 20sec One set (once)
Level 2 30sec One set
Level 3 30sec Two sets
Level 4 30sec Three sets
Level 5 45sec Two sets
Level 6 45sec Three sets
Level 7 60sec Three sets

Once you’re holding the plank for 60 seconds, it is time to add some variations. The ‘Side Plank’ is usually the next progression. You lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder. Then raise your hips till your body is once again in a straight line. Ankles to ears all in alignment. Keep your head in neutral position and your hips still shouldn’t be sagging. Also with the side plank, you have to keep your shoulder and hip in alignment (stop the trunk from rotating). As with all exercises that work one side of the body. You are going to have to work the other side of the body too. The strength from the front plank should mean you’re not going to have to start back at level 1 but be sure to hold the correct form while carrying out the plank.

So what now? You have added the plank to your workout. You’re holding the front plank for 2 minutes and after 30 seconds break into your left and right sided plank for 60 seconds each. Where do you go? Well now it is time to challenge the balance. In the front plank straighten one arm out in front of you. Hold for 5-6 seconds and then extend the other arm out in front of you. Relax put both arms back on the ground and raise one leg 4-5cm straight up. Keeping the leg straight and the toes pointing to the floor. Hold for a few seconds and then change leg.

In the side plank start with just raising the arm on top and point your fingers to the ceiling. That is the easy bit. Next raise the top leg as well. Don’t bend the knee. Like a jumping jack that has fallen over on its side.

By lifting the limbs up off the ground, not only do you challenge the balance, you have to prevent the body’s natural desire to rotate as well. People you already do squats and deadlifts find the plank relatively easy. If you’re looking for exercises to help your plank and develop your core then pull ups, push ups and Russian twists should be on your dance card.

Well enough of the plank, I hope that you have gotten some idea of the plank and its variations. If you’re a member of a gym or in a running club I am sure there is someone there who can help you. Well watch your form at least. If you already knew this exercise, I hope the progressions have given you food for thought.