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Training Advice
To help you run more effectively and recover properly after exercising we have put together The 4 Zone Plan. There is no exact point where one zone stops and the next starts and you may find that you experience more than 1 or all of them during training or in a race!
This table will give you an idea of how many times a week you should exercise wither you walk, jog or run as long as your exercising this should help.
Remember the best indicator to your effort is the reaction of your body. If your getting tired slow down, take a break and walk….if its feeling easy then go that little bit quicker…..if your not sure where you should start, then go down to your local athletics club where someone will be able to advise you and where you may find a group or runners that you can run with.
| Per Week |
Chatting |
Puffing |
Panting |
Gasping |
| Never Ran Before |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Beginner |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Novice |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
| Expert |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
The Chat Zone.
As the name suggests this zone enables you to easily run along and have a good chat with your running buddies (if you run alone feel free to chat to yourself, but remember what is said about people who talk to themselves!). You don’t need any scientific measurements or principles to run in the Chat Zone, quite simply if you are able to run comfortably and chat then you are not going into oxygen deficit and your heart rate will be higher than at rest but not nearly as high as when you run faster. As a very rough guide each person has a maximum heart rate (MHR) of around 220 beats per minute minus their age (so a 40 year old would be 220 – 40 = 180). Aerobic running (i.e. running without going into oxygen deficit) is achieved at a level around 60% - 85% of your MHR, Chat Zone would be at the lower end of this range.
This type of running is appropriate for warming up for a harder run or race, or for a recovery run the day after a hard run/race.
To measure your heart rate after exercise it is best to take a pulse measurement from the Carotid artery on your neck, this should be easy to find as it pumps quite hard at higher levels. Measure your pulse for 10 or 15 seconds and multiply by 6 or 4 to get your heart rate per minute. Your pulse rate is the same as your heart rate.
The Puffing Zone.
This is a gradual step up from Chat Zone. You should still be able to chat to your running buddies but it may not be as easy to get your words out. Most of your regular weekly running should be In the Puffing Zone as this will give you the best cardiovascular (heart and lungs) exercise benefit, which is important for maintaining or improving your long term health and also important in building a solid foundation for improving your running times or distances (if that is what your goals are). In Puff Zone you should be aiming for around 70 – 80% of your MHR.
The Panting Zone.
If you start to feel and look like a Husky pulling a sled then you have probably entered The Panting Zone! At this level your heart rate is probably getting up to 80 - 90% of your MHR and you will have started to exercise anaerobically (this means that you have gone into oxygen deficit and are effectively running without oxygen and building up waste products, predominantly lactic acid). Once you have entered this zone it becomes increasingly difficult to sustain your running pace. This zone is usually only entered towards the end of a very hard training run or race, or during specific training sessions where you vary your pace between slow and fast for a period of time or a set distance. For beginners it is not really advisable to do much training in this zone, it is better to build up an endurance/aerobic base from Chatting and Puffing Zone training. This also has the advantage of minimising the risks of injury or illness from overdoing things before your body has become accustomed to increased intensity of exercise. Once you have been running for several months and perhaps taken part in your first organised race you can then think about introducing Panting Zone training to improve your times, you should also feel that you are running easier in the Chatting and Puffing Zones.
The Gasping Zone.
The Gasping Zone is not a place that you want to be in too often! It would really only be entered at the very end of a full out training run or race, even then only over the last few hundred metres as you try to coax a final sprint out of your weary muscles! In Gasp Zone you will probably be exercising at 90 – 100% of Maximum Heart Rate. The other time you would enter Gasp Zone would be during short interval training at high intensity, which is used to develop speed. For most recreational and health runners it is not advisable to do this type of training, unless of course you have secret ambitions of being the next Sonia O’Sullivan or Eamon Coghlan.
Nutrition
Nutrition is an important, but often misunderstood, part of the running equation. Food is fuel, and as athletes, we need more fuel, and better fuel, as we increase distance or intensity. By making small dietary changes, staying away from fad diets, and understanding what our bodies need, we can successfully build our own eating styles that provide each of us personally with what we need to reach our goals.
By first examining the proper eating habits, then examining what we eat (or what we should eat), and finally examining our hydration needs, we can establish a set of guidelines to form the base of our individual sports nutrition plans.
Our eating habits can be broken down into sections of when we eat, how often we eat, how much we eat, and what to eat and what not to eat.
When?
If you think of your energy needs on an hourly basis instead of a daily basis, you may realize that you are eating your biggest meal and then doing nothing, whereas you hardly eat at all before you run.
Nutrition is an important, but often misunderstood, part of the running equation. Food is fuel, and as athletes, we need more fuel, and better fuel, as we increase distance or intensity. By making small dietary changes, staying away from fad diets, and understanding what our bodies need, we can successfully build our own eating styles that provide each of us personally with what we need to reach our goals.
By first examining the proper eating habits, then examining what we eat (or what we should eat), and finally examining our hydration needs, we can establish a set of guidelines to form the base of our individual sports nutrition plans.
Our eating habits can be broken down into sections of when we eat, how often we eat, how much we eat, and what to eat and what not to eat.
This isn’t a practical way to eat. You should eat a bigger breakfast and lunch and a smaller dinner, as well as snacks at the right times. For instance, if you plan to go to work, run, then come home and relax. You would want to eat a nice hardy breakfast to get you started, have a medium sized lunch and then have an energy-packed snack about ½ hour before your run. Then you can have a smaller dinner to help your after-run recovery. So, think about when you need the energy and plan your meals and snacks accordingly.
How Often?
If you run daily, you can expect to need to eat about every 3-5 hours. Even if you don’t run daily, 5 hours is an acceptable amount of time between meals/snacks. It’s important that you avoid long periods without eating to avoid wide swings in your blood sugar levels, which aren’t good for your body or your running. If you commit to eating every 3-4 hours and plan ahead to have healthy foods when you need them, it is much easier to make the commitment to eat healthier and stay away from the vending machine. Remember, skipping meals or skimping on calories does not support the goal of training with adequately fueled muscles.
How Much?
As a runner, our bodies need more fuel, thus more food, than the average sedentary person. It is a good assumption that if you are running 15 or more miles per week, you should not be consuming less than 2000 calories per day, even if you are trying to lose weight. (Remember, when you eat them during the day is important too.) If you running 25 miles per week you should average closer to 2500 calories a day.
What and What Not to Eat?
Now for the meat of the subject, what to eat and what not to eat. Think of what you consume as a list. Fruits and vegetables should be on the top of the list (meaning you eat the most of those per day), then grains and legumes, followed by lean meat or soy products, then low fat milk products (if you choose to consume dairy), and, the very least, sweets and fat. Occasionally, but not always, listen to your cravings. They could be a result of too low a fat intake or low blood sugar, both common problems among runners who don’t eat enough. So, if you have nutritious cravings, give into them. A steak and potatoes or veggie pizza night isn’t going to throw you off your diet. Perhaps add a green salad or have fruit for dessert and you’re set; craving eliminated. But if you are constantly craving candy or donuts, it’s not likely your body needs them. Have a piece or two of candy a day, but try to cut out other sugars. As far as donuts, well, don’t give in often, never if possible.
So when choosing beverages, remember these things:
- Water is almost always your best option.
- Tea (decaffeinated and unsweetened) and juice (100% juice not cocktail drinks) are good alternatives, though, when you just need something else. Sports drinks are also good for your body during and after long runs.
- Coffee and alcohol don’t need to be nixed completely but should be taken in very small amounts. 2 cups of coffee a day isn’t going to help your body at all. Neither will two beers.
- As far as bad options that you really should stay away from, soda is at the top of the list. While you probably aren’t going to drop dead from drinking a Pepsi, it is doing nothing for you and, under normal circumstances, is more harmful for your body than any of the other drinks listed here.
So let’s sum it all up
- 2000 or more calories spread over the day in accordance with when we need energy
- Give in to nutritious cravings, but tough out the need for a donut.
- Try to have a 50 percent carb, 20 protein, 30 fat ratio.
- 10 servings of grains per day
- 7 of fruit
- 4 of vegetables
- 5-6 oz of lean meat or 2-3 servings of soy
- 3 servings of low fat milk products or calcium-rich fruits/veg
- 2-3 servings per week of a fatty fish (or uncooked flaxseed oil) to get your omega-3 fats
- Low fat is just as bad as high fat
- Water, water, water and more water
- No soda.
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