5 % performance improvement

Scientific study

Would you like to cut off 11 minutes of your marathon personal best?

I have finally found time to provide a bit more details on the scientific study I participated in. Basically the study looked at how the use of energy gels during a race would affect your results, to see if a special fuelling strategy would influence your performance.

To measure this they found 100 test subjects, who were divided into two groups of similar composition (gender, fitness level, age, target time for the marathon). One group would then follow their own fuelling strategy (which would be documented and sent to the scientists) while the other group would follow the scientific fuelling strategy.

Now to the big question: Was there a difference in the performance of the two groups? The short answer is a big YES! The longer answer is that on average a performance increase of 11 minutes were seen in the group that followed the scientific fuelling strategy! This is equal to an average improvement of 5 %. Now that is a big difference and definitely worth to reconsider your fuelling strategy. Other than measuring the finish times they also measured the blood sugar level and weight loss during the race, to see if there was a difference in this as well. Also here they found the blood sugar levels to be better in the scientific group.

I was in the scientific fuelling strategy group and it can be laid out as follows:

 

• Pre-race: 20 minutes before start, 2 gels + 200 ml of water
• 40 minutes into the race the fuelling strategy starts with 1 gel + 200 ml water every 20 minutes (to be adjusted for the weather + weight of the runner).

Of course the study is not 100 % conclusive or a final study, however it is the most elaborate study of fuelling strategies during marathons that I have been able to find. If you know of similar studies or better studies please do leave a comment!

Achilles heel issues

Also I think it is time for me to give a small update on my general running form. I am putting in 3-4 runs a week and have been trying to push my week total to ensure I stay on track for Berlin. However I have issues with my Achilles heel which is starting to be of concern. Currently it is only in the morning that my heel is very stiff and sore and within 5-10 minutes it is warmed up and not as stiff. However if I touch it I can feel it is tender and if I go running it will take about 700 meters to warm up completely and stop hurting. After that there is no issue however! Having investigated it a bit though it is clear the warning signs should be taken seriously to avoid a longer rest period – or worst case an operation or rupture of the heel!

I do not know what has caused this issue to surface, but I suspect one (or more) of the following:

• I changed shoes from Nike Pegasus 29 to the Nike Flyknit Lunar 1+;
• I had a running class at “Posemand.dk” to get a bit of pose running blended into my running form;
• I may be overtraining.

So for now, I have tried to eliminate all three options by cutting down mileage, trying to go back to my normal running form and changed back to Pegasus (though edition 30 instead of 29). Hopefully two weeks on this reduced schedule will fix the issue so I can get back on track for Berlin.

As a bright point I did a 5k test run earlier in the week, and that went really well, finishing in 21:36 despite of it being a “GPS run”, meaning no competition or crowd plus it was rather windy which made the first 1 km really tough. I will use the route for measuring future progress as it is a nice route without too many corners and very close to my house.

So for now it is reduced mileage while my eyes remain firmly locked on a new marathon PB by end of September.
PS - I have not forgotten about giving a bit of feedback on the Paleo diet for sportsmen, but due to various reasons I postponed trying this out for a longer period so I will wait with giving my feedback on it.

Continue reading →

New Half Marathon PB

It is finally spring and the snow and ice has left the country!
This means the race season is finally starting again and it is time to capitalize on the hard work put into the training over winter.

Race Report
This Sunday I ran a half marathon (BT Halvmarathon) in perfect weather conditions. It was sunny, around 10 degrees and close to no wind. The purpose of the run was to test my condition, fueling strategy and so forth before the CPH Marathon - and everything just went extremelly smooth.
The first 2k I felt I had been put in the wrong starting group as a few people kept drifting past me (and I hardly overtook anyone!). However after 2k everyone seemed to have found their place and their pace and things got more normal.
At 4k I managed to find a small group of three with a pace that suited me and I followed this group for the next 8k, which was really nice as I did not have to focus on my pace but could simple drift into the rythm. The great thing was the group was led by 2 ladys who were running really effortlessly while chatting with eachother - at 4:55 pace!! My breathing and legs also felt perfect so it gave a really nice morale boost to just drift along in this small group of well trained people while people we passed or who passed us were breathing heavily. Based on the heavy breathing and footsteps I knew I would be overtaking a lot of the people later in the race as they had started out too fast, once again a great morale boost!
At 12k I left the group as they were too slow (in my view) at the fuel depot. Even though I slowed down to a walk while drinking my glass of water I still got too far away from the group so I decided to go on alone. The rest of the race was on more narrow roads and paths so was most likely a good decission.
At 14k I had planned to do a body check and see if I should increase or decrease the pace. Everything felt okay however at 10-12k I had felt a small tension in my right calf so I was not interested in pushing it too much. So I decided to keep my pace steady and instead aim at finishing slightly ahead of my planned time while still having energy left for more.
Between 14-20k I really started overtaking a lot of people and my legs really felt great. I was breathing effortlessly and I kept overtaking people who seemed to be struggeling with keeping their legs moving which just made me feel even better - during these sections is where your training really pays off! Most likely it is equal to the 32-40k section in a marathon.
At 19k there was a small incline and a guy behind me puffed "damn all these hills" and I turned slightly and replied with a smile "yeah - but only 2k to go" in an attempt to cheer him up a bit, he replied with a confirmation and struggled to keep his pace. I decided to use a bit of boost so I upped the pace up the hill which felt great as I was now overtaking the remaining runners on the hill. Racing is cruel but fun.

Photo at 19k

At 20.8k we hit a stadium where the last 300 meters would be run on a track. I decided to finish with a sprint and just blazed past the other runners on the track, except for one who picked up his pace and was sprinting with me. My legs moved back and forth in a blur and it was obvious none of us were interested in giving in to the other so we kept the manic pace and flew past the other runners. I was determined to not let him get away so I made sure to keep the pace high and my shoulder next to his. We crossed the line together and slowly stopped to catch our breath (I have subsequentially checked the race results and we crossed the line in the very same second!). I looked to my competitor and grinned before exchanging a high five and slowly drifting towards the fuel station, still panting for air. I felt dizzy and nauseous from the sprint, however I knew this feeling would pass so I just enjoyed the feeling and the sense of fulfillment.

Photo at final stretch

Fuelling:
I managed to get my fuelling on race day done in an absolutely perfect way! I had my porridge 3 hours before race start, a banana 1 hour before race start and then 2 gels 15 mins before race start. During the race I had 1 gel at 6, 12, 16 and 19 km mark. This was slightly more than I would have done normally, but thought I should better try out the scientific fuelling strategy before the marathon.
Pace:
I finished in 1:42:18 (a new personal best!) with strong legs and a feeling of being able to just keep running. As my pace for the race was 4:50 and my planned marathon pace for CPH marathon is 5:02 I feel very confident and comfortable with the approaching race. The biggest issue is I am inclined to give 4:58-5:00 a go, to try and break the 3:30 barrier already at CPH marathon instead of in Berlin.... have to ponder a bit on that but regardless it is great to finish a race with strong legs and high morale.
Post run:
I quickly switched to compression socks and my legs felt great. In the evening I went for a small 3-4k walk with my dog and though my legs were a bit sore there was no pain or stiffness. I am SO excited and ready for CPH Marathon!

New gear
In the gear section I have received a new pair of Nike Flyknit 1+ which I am looking forward to test on some of my short slow runs coming up. They certainly feel comfortable and as if they are hugging my feet. I will not tempt faith by attempting to run the CPH Marathon in these as I only have around one month to break them in. Continue reading →