I
just returned from an incredible week of coaching as the head coach of Triathlon Research’s inaugural weeklong triathlon training camp. I had the honor of welcoming other world class coaches such as Jay Johnson, Bobby McGee (saturday special!), Terry Laughlin, Kim Schwabenbauer, Celeste St. Pierre, Shane Eversfield and 6 Time Ironman World Champion, Mark Allen.
In addition we had presentations at two world class training facilities, Retul Headquarters with lead instructor Ivan O’Gorman and Boulder Center for Sports Medicine with Robert Pickels and Adam St. Pierre (no relation to Celeste!)
Needless to say amongst us over the week a lot of information was passed along.
Now that I am at home, I am reviewing new material that I picked up, especially from coach Jay Johnson, who focuses primarily on the running chassis as well as training stress for his runners. I’ve already been incorporating Muscle Activation, Dynamic warmups and Biomechanical Drills that I learned from Bobby McGee.
In fact, during camp Jay and I both presented a 90 minute run session in which neither of us overlapped any information taht I can tell. That adds up to 3 hours of ancillary run training presented at camp, without including running itself!
So I am contemplating now the idea of “Modular Run Training”. it’s a simple way for me to compartmentalize all the knowledge withotu getting a) overwhelmed or b) paralysis by analysis.
It’s easy to just not know what to do when presented with so much information. So here is how I structured my run wen I got back from altitude this past Monday. I chose to do three “modules” prior to the actual run and allotted 5 minutes for each one. This constituted my total warmup of 15 minutes. (the 2nd module expanded to 10 minutes for a 20 minute warmup, but once conditioned, doing it in only 3 minutes is very doable).
This plannign allowed me to fit in the most vital elements to help improve my own running, provided a suitable and ample physical and mental warmup, and covered a few essential biomechanical drills and dynamic movements. The quality of hte following run/walk was outstanding and the total session lasted 1:30 (one hour & thirty minutes) following which I used my TP Massage kit to roll out my calf muscles as well as doing some dynamic post run stretching.
Here was my modular plan:
- 5 minutes “Muscle Activations” ala Bobby McGee
- 5 minutes “Lunge Matrix” ala Jay Johnson
- 5 minutes of 3 key running drills chose by myself (Karaokes/grapevines, hamstring kick-outs & knee to chest)
The 5 minute Lunge Matrix I expanded to 10 minutes by walking briskly between each segment (for example, 5 lunges with each leg, then walk 30-50 yards). I found this kept my mind nicely occupied and got me to the starting point of my run very quickly
The muscle activations are stressed by Bobby as being one of the most important things a triathlete/runner can do on a regular basis and from personal experience, the more I do them, the more they help…so I wanted to retain those. I felt that the muscle activations made the lunge matrix less abrupt of a transition. In addition the lunge matrix resembles some of Bobby’s dynamic warmups as well so it was a good fit.
Finally the 3 Running drills I chose were based on the fact that each of them when done well, requires a connection through the core and incorporates the full body (chest, spine, shoulders, hips & legs).
Following my run/walk into dusk I returned home and stretched out my problem areas, specifically my hip flexors using dynamic stretching techcniques and finally my achilles/soleus complex with my TP Massage Kit that I aquired last week.
Next time you are faced with an overwhelming amount of new information to incorporate into your traithlon training, simple try a “modular” approach. While the material is fresh in your mind, write down 3-5 “modules” of related drills or activations that you think would work, then go ahead and test them out one workout or training activity at a time.
What are some of your favorite things to incorporate into your pre-run rituals?
