<\/div>\n
Here are my bullet points for the week:<\/div>\n
\n
\n
- \n
- Running 3x\/week – Thursday long, weekend 30 min, Tuesday 45 min<\/li>\n
- It is normal to move among pace groups each week or day<\/li>\n
- Bring water for the Thursday runs<\/li>\n
- Eat something before the Thursday runs<\/li>\n
- The Thursday run is SLOW<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\nLooking ahead, after ASL\u2019s February break, we will be increasing your non-Thursday run time to 45 min on the weekend and 60 min on Tuesdays.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nToday\u2019s lecture – why we run slowly. \u00a0This is from Paula Mitchell, our founder.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nWhy do we run the long run slower than race pace?<\/b><\/div>\nThe quick answer is that it has to do with how your body builds fuel, which is something you\u2019ll need for the race! I\u2019ll delve into the basic science of fueling (which I have hugely over-simplified but hopefully it\u2019ll get my point across). To fuel our runs we have 3 options – Creatine Phosphate (CP), glycogen and fat.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nCreatine Phosphate-\u00a0<\/u>You have about 15 seconds worth of CP fuel – that\u2019s it. Think Usain Bolt running the 100m – he fuels with CP and it works because he can run 100m in less than 15 seconds. CP is where your body will go first looking for fuel, particularly if you take off like a rocket from Barclays. Think of CP as kindling on a fire – it catches fire easily but burns out very quickly.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nGlycogen-<\/u>\u00a0Glycogen is the next fuel option. Glycogen is basically stored in your muscles and in your liver and because of that it makes glycogen a bit more difficult to burn as fuel (think of damp firewood – it will eventually burn but it takes quite a bit to get it going).<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFat-<\/u>\u00a0Fat is the 3rd source of fuel and most runners, even the very lean women, have an ample supply of it. Think of fat as a butane tank of gas on the BBQ grill – once it\u2019s lit, you can have countless cook-outs before the fuel is gone.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHere\u2019s the important part-<\/u>\u00a0All of those fuel sources – kindling, damp firewood or butane gas need something to ignite them and keep them burning. Physiologically speaking that ignition or burning \u201ctool\u201d is ATP which is created by mitochondria; so, the more mitochondria you have the more efficient you are as a fuel burning machine.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat is mitochondria and how do we get more of it?<\/u>\u00a0\u00a0Some of us are genetically blessed with higher mitochondria counts. Thank your mother for that – it comes through the maternal side of the genetic equation. If you didn\u2019t win the genetic lottery, then the only way you can increase mitochondria is through LONG, SLOW, ENDURANCE training (LSE). When you go for a long run at a slow pace, you actually produce mitochondria. Kind of cool, huh? Now remember – we need mitochondria to help ignite our fuel sources. So what does that mean for you? It means SLOW DOWN on your long run – give your body a chance to become a mitochondria production factory. If you do your long run at a strong pace, you\u2019re missing out on this benefit.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSo we will be keeping it SLOW on Thursdays, and now you know why.<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOur route this week is going to be to Hyde Park and back. \u00a0Head down Circus Road and t\u00a0turn right on Grove End\/ Lisson Grove.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Cross over Marylebone Rd (now you\u2019re on Seymour Pl) and run until the road ends.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Turn right on Seymour St, cross Edgware Rd, and turn left at the next street (Stanhope Pl).<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Cross into Hyde Park, cross over the Carriage Rd. \u00a0Where we go in the park will depend on how we are doing on time when we get there. \u00a0Coming home, we will\u00a0<\/span>exit at the east side of the park at Upper Brook St.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>You\u2019ll know you\u2019re in the right place if you run past the Animals in War Memorial.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>After you cross Park Ln, make your first left onto Park St and keep going until you get to Park Rd.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Turn left on Park Rd and make your way past Regents Park back to Starbucks.<\/span><\/div>\n