Monday, October 25, 2010
Dublin City Marathon 2010- Taming the Beast
Having failed to be part of the elite sub4 brigade in the 2009 edition of the Dublin City Marathon I dedided to give a go once again- with the same goal and maybe different tactics. I am glad that this time around I just about managed to finish just under 4 hours (3hrs: 55 mins).
2009 I was a marathon rockie and this year I though I might use a little bit of experience whic I gained from my marathon debut last year. The first time around I was not familiar with the marathon course and I found out the hard way! The course is relatively flat for the first 27 km. The next 8 or so km consist of a series of steep rises which usually come at a point when most of us are barely hanging in there.
This time around I was familiar with the course and I knew the challenge that lay ahead. I had 2 options.
Option One
One option was to follow the experts advice, which formed one of the 20 tips form the Dublin Marathon 2010 Complimentary race Programme Magazine. The tip form the article entitled '20 Tips For the Road', adviced inexperinced racers to avoid running too hard from the onset bacause 'bad pace judgement in the fisrt half will be paid for in spades later on'.
Option Two
Option 2 was for me to take-off at a relatively fast pace and then hope that by the time I hit 'the wall'Ii would have done enough to ensure that I finish within the set time.
Against expert advice I decided to go for option two. I must say I almost paid the prize for chosing this crazy tactic but at the end it worked. I started off at a relatively fast pace. I started the race behind the 4 hour pace setters and I pushed on until I was neck to neck with the 3:45hrs pace setters from about 5km before the half way mark. I stayed with these guys for the good part of 10km. This was probably my steadiest part of the race and it probably helped me with the ultimate goal. My legs and soul gave in at around 33km predictably so, I must add. The pace setters left me for dead and this was when the real struggle begun. I struggled to complete the last 9km and I was averaging between 7 and 9 minutes per km.
Clearly I was regretting why I did not listen to the experts advice. I just hoped I had done enough in the first 33km to ensure that I finish in less than 4 hours! Luckily I had done enough for me to afford a pace of between 7 and 9 minutes per km for the last 9km.
My reasoning for not choosing option one was based on the fear that if I maintained a slower pace from the onset, one sure thing was that I was still going to hit the wall although this was likely to be at a further distance than in option 2. However my fear was that I would have been left with very little time to spare in relation to the distance left.
The race started off on a chilly October Morning and soon the temperatures picked up to a comfortable 12 degrees.
This year I decided to use the Nike+ application on the Iphone because of its easy to use features. The app worked fine for me. I will review the App in my next post. I also had the irreplaceble Garmin Forerunner 405 with me.
I must say the new powersongs that I added to my playlist helped me at least for the first 2 thirds of the race. The songs were relatively ineffecitive in the last 8 km of the race because I was beyond any form of motivation. I added to my playlist Shakira's Waka Waka (This time for Africa) and the evergreen Tina Turner- Simply the Best.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Getting Better with Age?
 |
| Dublin Half Marathon 2010 |
Today was the day for the last of the Adidas Lifestyle Race Series before the beast itself; The Dublin City marathon. Today I participated in the Dublin Half Marathon and I have to say I am encouraged by outcome.
On yet another record turnout, the Dublin Half Marathon saw a participation of something in the range of 8000 runners. And walkers. There was an occasional shower or 2 throughout the race and the temperatures ranged from 9 degrees to 11 degrees.
I did better than last year's race. I shadded off 7 minutes from my finish time Last year I completed the race in 1 hour 54 minutes and this year I completed in 1 hour 47 minutes.
Before i begin to congratulate myself for a job well done i need to ascertain if there were external slush environmental factors worked to my advantage this year.
Admittedly the weather was good for a race of this type though it was not so friendly to gadgets such as mp3 players, some sportswatches mobile phones and such other gadgets. It meant I could do a faster pace without the negative impact of high temperatures.
Today I decided to join the '2 hour' group instead of going for the 1 hour 50 minutes or better. I realised from previous experience that i get my motivation from running faster among a slower group than running faster with a faster group. It probably defies logic but that's what happens with me and today it seems I was vindicated. The conventional wisdom should be that one needs to be motivated and lifted by running along faster runners. The classroom analogue would be a situation whereby a student is expected to do better if he is educated among brighter students. In my case it seems to be reverse. I preferred to see myself running past people rather than being at par with everybody.
I pulled away from the 2 hour pace setters right from the start and kept on going at a faster pace than majority of the people that I was with in my group. This motivated me and I kept at it right up to the end which resulted in me finishing 7 minutes faster than last year. I remember last year I struggled with the last 5km of the race.
Experience has also played an important part. Last year I was a Half Marathon Race rookey but this year i knew the route well enough and i knew waht to expect at each corner of the race coures.
I was particularly happy with my tackling of the ground elevations. I will not claim total ingenuity on these, and i should also point out that on 3 of the rises there were 3 guys from the Fitwest club or something whom i shadowed. they seemed to accelarate as they went up the slopes and slowed down normal level ground. They seemed to be very much at ease and it was quite clear that they were seasoned runners. I managed to shadow them on 2 occasions but on the last slope they beat me for dust and I never saw them again!
I should also say my selection and timing of music worked well for me. My 'power songs' came at the right moment when I needed them most.
So while it looks like I am getting better with age the jury is still out there on this one.
I collected all the data for the race with Nokia N97 Sports Tracker app, the Garmin Forerunner 405 and the new kid on the block, Iphone app, Nike+
Thursday, September 9, 2010
High Altitude Training, Zimbabwe
High Altitude Training
It's the time of the year when many people from the Northern Hemisphere go on their summer holidays. Especially with the schools closed and some good weather spots around the world.
I planned to go for my summer Holidays to Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is a southern African country which enjoys some good tropical weather. During the month of August the country will be transiting from Winter into Spring. During this time of the year the temperatures range from the mid to the late teens. (degrees Celsius) They begin to climb into the 20s toward the end of August.
Not only are these temperatures ideal for Northern Hemisphere based people for some perfect sun therapy but they are also ideal for marathon conditioning.
Zimbabwe is a country whose geography can be classified as relatively high altitude.
It is blessed with some of the most beautiful mountains especially along the eastern highlands. Vumba and Nyanga are some of the notables with Nyanga taking the coveted owners of featuring the highest mountain in Zimbabwe; mount Inyangani.
I did not get the opportunity to train at these places though I visited the towns. I managed to train in Gutu whose altitude is at least 1000 above what I normally train at in Ireland. In Ireland I train within the altitude range from 0m to 35 metres above sea level.
I do remember from school years back my teacher telling that people who leave and work in High altitude areas have a higher affinity for oxygen. This is because higher altitudes have less oxygen that lower altitudes. As a result of relative lower oxygen levels their bodies compensate by having their haemoglobin develop a higher oxygen affinity.
The assumption is that if a low altitude based athlete trains in the higher altitudes their haemoglobin will adapt and develop a higher oxygen affinity. When they go back to participate in competitions in their low altitude areas they will have metabolism which will utilise loads of oxygen to create energy which is necessary for performance.
Here is a comparison of a 10 km run which I did in Ireland as compared to higher altitude in Zimbabwe.
You can see that the range of elevation for the Zimbabwe Training is 1020m to 1080m above sea level. In contrast the range for Ireland training is between 10m and 60m above sea level. It was definitely tougher training in the high altitude
I must stress that I was only in Zimbabwe for a short period of time. I couldn't have possibly benefited from High altitude training
The thing to note though is the fact that it's harder to complete a 10km run at high altitude than it is at lower altitude due decreased maximal cardiac output.
It's the time of the year when many people from the Northern Hemisphere go on their summer holidays. Especially with the schools closed and some good weather spots around the world.
 |
| Harare, Zimbabwe |
Not only are these temperatures ideal for Northern Hemisphere based people for some perfect sun therapy but they are also ideal for marathon conditioning.
 |
| Mutare view from Christmas Pass, Zimbabwe |
Zimbabwe is a country whose geography can be classified as relatively high altitude.
It is blessed with some of the most beautiful mountains especially along the eastern highlands. Vumba and Nyanga are some of the notables with Nyanga taking the coveted owners of featuring the highest mountain in Zimbabwe; mount Inyangani.
 |
| Vumba Mountains, Zimbabwe |
 |
| Mt Ziro, Gutu Zimbabwe |
I do remember from school years back my teacher telling that people who leave and work in High altitude areas have a higher affinity for oxygen. This is because higher altitudes have less oxygen that lower altitudes. As a result of relative lower oxygen levels their bodies compensate by having their haemoglobin develop a higher oxygen affinity.
The assumption is that if a low altitude based athlete trains in the higher altitudes their haemoglobin will adapt and develop a higher oxygen affinity. When they go back to participate in competitions in their low altitude areas they will have metabolism which will utilise loads of oxygen to create energy which is necessary for performance.
Here is a comparison of a 10 km run which I did in Ireland as compared to higher altitude in Zimbabwe.
You can see that the range of elevation for the Zimbabwe Training is 1020m to 1080m above sea level. In contrast the range for Ireland training is between 10m and 60m above sea level. It was definitely tougher training in the high altitude
I must stress that I was only in Zimbabwe for a short period of time. I couldn't have possibly benefited from High altitude training
The thing to note though is the fact that it's harder to complete a 10km run at high altitude than it is at lower altitude due decreased maximal cardiac output.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Heart Monitor for 35 Nokia Mobile Models Finally Launched!
Finally it appears someone was listening to our pleas for a Heart Rate monitor which is not just compatible with one device (Nokia N79) but with many other smartphones.
Sports Tracker mobile application has been paired with 'new WearLink+ transmitter with Bluetooth heart rate belt from Polar, which brings cutting edge heart rate measurement to all Sports Tracker users, across all the supported 35 device models.'
According to the press release from Helsinki dated 23rd June 2010, the partners behind this launch, said they were
"excited to bring the long-awaited heart rate monitoring capabilities to the hands of Sports Tracker users and compatibility to more than 100 million Nokia phones."
The Polar WearLink(R)+ has been available through their online store, since 1 July 2010.
The Nokia Sports Tracker appears to have been migrated to another service provider and users of the old Nokia Sports Tracker have until August 31 to migrate their data to the new website. the good thing is that the service is free for all users, new and old.
I am yet to get my own Polar WearLink(R)+ and I will review it fully and compare it with other Sports Tracking devices available on the market.
In the meantime why don't you hop onto the Sports Tracker website to see if your Nokia devices is one of the lucky ones!
I bet you we will see Apple following suit when they launch their next Iphone/Ipod device. I however do not think a Heart rate monitor will be coming to your nearest Ipad any time soon!
Sports Tracker mobile application has been paired with 'new WearLink+ transmitter with Bluetooth heart rate belt from Polar, which brings cutting edge heart rate measurement to all Sports Tracker users, across all the supported 35 device models.'
According to the press release from Helsinki dated 23rd June 2010, the partners behind this launch, said they were
"excited to bring the long-awaited heart rate monitoring capabilities to the hands of Sports Tracker users and compatibility to more than 100 million Nokia phones."
The Polar WearLink(R)+ has been available through their online store, since 1 July 2010.
The Nokia Sports Tracker appears to have been migrated to another service provider and users of the old Nokia Sports Tracker have until August 31 to migrate their data to the new website. the good thing is that the service is free for all users, new and old.
I am yet to get my own Polar WearLink(R)+ and I will review it fully and compare it with other Sports Tracking devices available on the market.
In the meantime why don't you hop onto the Sports Tracker website to see if your Nokia devices is one of the lucky ones!
I bet you we will see Apple following suit when they launch their next Iphone/Ipod device. I however do not think a Heart rate monitor will be coming to your nearest Ipad any time soon!
Monday, July 26, 2010
One Year On!
One year has come and gone since I started this blog. As planned I put myself through various tests and experimented with different methods of training for races to see if a running amateur can pull it off without engaging a fitness coach.
What with the recession that gripped the world from last 2 years. Countries are still struggling to pull up their balance sheets. Individuals and families were not spared and such things as health and fitness may have taken a secondary priority on the budget lists.
How many gym, swimming and general fitness expenses were cut as a result? Logic points to the inevitable conclusion that a good amount was not spared the dreaded chop.
So how does DIY (Do It Yourself, to the uninitiated) exercise help in these circumstances? There is a lot of information out there and there is a real danger of a novice getting information overload. Some training information is contradictory and confusing. Some appear reasonable and credible at face value but you will come across some fitness guru somewhere criticizing and rubbishing it.
So I decided to put to taste some of the training concepts and techniques, using myself as the guinea pig.
I participated in 4 races last year and I plan to do the same this year. I will use different approaches to my last years. Today as I write this I completed the 1st of the 4 series race. I completed the Adidas 5 mile race in 37.01mins, 2 minutes faster than the same race last year.
There is no doubt that experience played a major role in helping me run faster. I learned from my last year mistakes, both in terms of training and the actual race. For example last year I kicked off at a lightning pace; only to fizzle out half way into the race. I realised that I needed to maintain a pretty constant and regular pace throughout the race. This means controlling my edge to sprint off from the start.
This year I had few runners overtaking me in the last half of the race unlike last year's race.
I am also more familiar with the track than I was last year. I knew the most challenging parts of the track and I had a plan. The section immediately after the military hill is the most demanding. This is the section after the hill climb. I pushed hard to try and keep a sub 5mins/km pace but that was tough as usual. A 5.05mins/km pace was not that bad
I gradually increased pace all the way to the finish line. My last lap was even the second fasted; which was a great surprise given that I always seem to loose pace with increasing real estate (ground covered).
This year I have been running with the ASICS running shoes. I have to say they seem to be comfortable and I have not had a foot/ ankle or knee injury since. I am not sure if this is down to the ASICS or its down to the fact that my joints are more used and are better prepared for the impact and abuse from running
Despite the improvement I failed to finish below the number 1000 (1135) There was a record increase in participants as compared with last year. More than 6000 people participated in the 5 mile race.
What with the recession that gripped the world from last 2 years. Countries are still struggling to pull up their balance sheets. Individuals and families were not spared and such things as health and fitness may have taken a secondary priority on the budget lists.
How many gym, swimming and general fitness expenses were cut as a result? Logic points to the inevitable conclusion that a good amount was not spared the dreaded chop.
So how does DIY (Do It Yourself, to the uninitiated) exercise help in these circumstances? There is a lot of information out there and there is a real danger of a novice getting information overload. Some training information is contradictory and confusing. Some appear reasonable and credible at face value but you will come across some fitness guru somewhere criticizing and rubbishing it.
So I decided to put to taste some of the training concepts and techniques, using myself as the guinea pig.
I participated in 4 races last year and I plan to do the same this year. I will use different approaches to my last years. Today as I write this I completed the 1st of the 4 series race. I completed the Adidas 5 mile race in 37.01mins, 2 minutes faster than the same race last year.
There is no doubt that experience played a major role in helping me run faster. I learned from my last year mistakes, both in terms of training and the actual race. For example last year I kicked off at a lightning pace; only to fizzle out half way into the race. I realised that I needed to maintain a pretty constant and regular pace throughout the race. This means controlling my edge to sprint off from the start.
This year I had few runners overtaking me in the last half of the race unlike last year's race.
I am also more familiar with the track than I was last year. I knew the most challenging parts of the track and I had a plan. The section immediately after the military hill is the most demanding. This is the section after the hill climb. I pushed hard to try and keep a sub 5mins/km pace but that was tough as usual. A 5.05mins/km pace was not that bad
I gradually increased pace all the way to the finish line. My last lap was even the second fasted; which was a great surprise given that I always seem to loose pace with increasing real estate (ground covered).
This year I have been running with the ASICS running shoes. I have to say they seem to be comfortable and I have not had a foot/ ankle or knee injury since. I am not sure if this is down to the ASICS or its down to the fact that my joints are more used and are better prepared for the impact and abuse from running
Despite the improvement I failed to finish below the number 1000 (1135) There was a record increase in participants as compared with last year. More than 6000 people participated in the 5 mile race.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
What I would like to see in the new Iphone 4
We have now come to expect Apple to announce a new Iphone in June each year. All the last 3 versions of the Iphone where announced in June in each subsequent year.
We have come to expect that each new hardware will carry some new features. The new Iphone 4.0 Operating System has already been released to developers.
The iPhone has thus far been a revolutionary device which brought about a different way of doing the same things. We have seen the maturing of the touch screen with the Iphone; the simplicity of operating a smartphone and the bringing together of hundreds of applications into one device.
There are a number of fitness applications available in the online Itunes Apple store. Most of these applications can do with an extra addition of hardware- heart rate monitor. Heart Rate monitor is a vital tool for both professional and casual sports and fitness enthusiasts. Combined with availability of GPS, vital activity statistics can be collected and put to good use. One can analyse the impact of their training methods, monitor progress and plan future programmes. GPS which stands for Global Positioning System is a widely used system that determines one's exact position on earth at any one point in time.
It would be nice to have an Iphone that would have compatibility with a Bluetooth Heart rate monitor. I can think of more than a dozen fitness applications which can benefit from such a development. Such technology is not without precedence. Nokia N79 is sold as a bundle with a Bluetooth compatible Polar heart rate monitor.
The technology exists. How great it would be to see such functionality on the Iphone.
It's a pity I don't think such technology will be appropriate for the Ipad. Certainly you wouldn't want to run a mile with an Ipad under your arm! Having said that I hasten to say, 'you never know'!
So if Steve Jobs is reading this article there goes my wish. I am sure many other Iphone users who are into sports and fitness will agree.
Staying with health and fitness what other features would you like to see in the new Iphone.
We have come to expect that each new hardware will carry some new features. The new Iphone 4.0 Operating System has already been released to developers.
The iPhone has thus far been a revolutionary device which brought about a different way of doing the same things. We have seen the maturing of the touch screen with the Iphone; the simplicity of operating a smartphone and the bringing together of hundreds of applications into one device.
There are a number of fitness applications available in the online Itunes Apple store. Most of these applications can do with an extra addition of hardware- heart rate monitor. Heart Rate monitor is a vital tool for both professional and casual sports and fitness enthusiasts. Combined with availability of GPS, vital activity statistics can be collected and put to good use. One can analyse the impact of their training methods, monitor progress and plan future programmes. GPS which stands for Global Positioning System is a widely used system that determines one's exact position on earth at any one point in time.
It would be nice to have an Iphone that would have compatibility with a Bluetooth Heart rate monitor. I can think of more than a dozen fitness applications which can benefit from such a development. Such technology is not without precedence. Nokia N79 is sold as a bundle with a Bluetooth compatible Polar heart rate monitor.
The technology exists. How great it would be to see such functionality on the Iphone.
It's a pity I don't think such technology will be appropriate for the Ipad. Certainly you wouldn't want to run a mile with an Ipad under your arm! Having said that I hasten to say, 'you never know'!
So if Steve Jobs is reading this article there goes my wish. I am sure many other Iphone users who are into sports and fitness will agree.
Staying with health and fitness what other features would you like to see in the new Iphone.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Nokia Sports Tracker Graduates With Honours
Nokia's smartphone GPS sports tracker application has graduated from the Beta Labs to a full fledged appliocation and it is now available in the Nokia Ovi Store.
The application is free. First impressions- the application looks great. It seemlessly transfers your old workouts from the Beta labs application to the this new one.
Uploading to the website is not yet possible but Nokia say they are working on it. The Sports Tracker Website still links you to the Beta Labs Sports Tracker Application I have not yet had an opportunity to road test this application but as soon as I do you will be the first to know.
I have loaded the application on the Nokia N97. Nokia Sports Tracker is compatible with a number of high end smartphones that have GPS such as N97, N97mini,Nokia Music Express 5800 and others
The application is free. First impressions- the application looks great. It seemlessly transfers your old workouts from the Beta labs application to the this new one.
Uploading to the website is not yet possible but Nokia say they are working on it. The Sports Tracker Website still links you to the Beta Labs Sports Tracker Application I have not yet had an opportunity to road test this application but as soon as I do you will be the first to know.
I have loaded the application on the Nokia N97. Nokia Sports Tracker is compatible with a number of high end smartphones that have GPS such as N97, N97mini,Nokia Music Express 5800 and others
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Connect Garmin Fitness Application Now Embedding Maps
Its good to see that Garmin have updated their Fitness Application. You can now see all the summary of an activity on one page.
On the left side you will see tabulated data of items like, total time of an activity, Heart Rate statistics, cadence,elevation and summary of laps. On the right side the website now features all the graphs of the tabulated data which appears on the left side. Certainly a great improvement.
The coolest change is the addition of the embedded GPS maps. So now its easier to post a map of one's run on his/her own website as shown below.
This has been one of the lacking features in an otherwise perfect application. Now there is no need for bloggers to redirect you to the Garmin website to view an activity map. If one wants to view the details, they simply click the view details button below the embedded activity map.
The changes on Connect Garmin also apply to previous activity posts. For Instance when I participated in the Dublin Marathon I used the old Connect Garmin web application to collate my run data. I can now go back to that post, copy the embedded map and paste in on my edited publication of Dublin City Marathon post- Taming The Beast.
Well done Garmin
On the left side you will see tabulated data of items like, total time of an activity, Heart Rate statistics, cadence,elevation and summary of laps. On the right side the website now features all the graphs of the tabulated data which appears on the left side. Certainly a great improvement.
The coolest change is the addition of the embedded GPS maps. So now its easier to post a map of one's run on his/her own website as shown below.
This has been one of the lacking features in an otherwise perfect application. Now there is no need for bloggers to redirect you to the Garmin website to view an activity map. If one wants to view the details, they simply click the view details button below the embedded activity map.
The changes on Connect Garmin also apply to previous activity posts. For Instance when I participated in the Dublin Marathon I used the old Connect Garmin web application to collate my run data. I can now go back to that post, copy the embedded map and paste in on my edited publication of Dublin City Marathon post- Taming The Beast.
Well done Garmin
Friday, January 15, 2010
Treadmill Vs Outdoor Running
Treadmill VS Outdoor Running
Winters in the Northern Hemisphere tend to be severe. Blizzards, winds, rain, subzero temperatures, snow, hail, you name them. This makes it impossible to have a consistent and uninterrupted outdoor running program.
If you are lucky and the weather is mild you can wrap up and go out jogging. There are many products out there for winter outdoor jogging that will help you keep warm and cosy during the jog. From warm running socks, shoes, neoprene bottoms and tops, to gloves, winter hats and waterproof jackets; all these are designed to deal with elements of the weather.
Despite all this there is nothing much out there to protect you for severe weather like snow and ice. This is when athletes have to look for alternatives. There is no better alternative out there that gives athletes some cardio exercise than the treadmill. Treadmills come in different sizes and levels of complexities. Some are equipped with sophisticated computer units that collect and compute your vital statistics as you run on it. Some treadmills are designed to imitate the rough and ragged terrain that runners are used to when they jog outside. I haven't yet set my foot in a commercial gym but if what I see on telly, in movies and magazines is anything to go by; treadmills seem to be the most popular gym equipment of choice for cardio workout.
But do treadmills give you the same workout as you would get if you run outdoors when you compare calories burnt during similar lengths of time?
I have used these 2 forms of cardio workout exercises quite extensively in the past 2 years or so. I use a treadmill that is fairly basic. This Rebook Treadmill is capable of imitating a slight terrain incline and is capable of top speed of 8.2 miles per hour (13.6km). It has a basic computer that calculates some basic statistic but for the purpose of this article the important one is calories burnt based, on the speed selected and the pulse rate.
In order to compare like with like I am using the Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch with a foot pod and heart rate monitor to provide the comperative data. Of course because GPS cannot be used indoors I have to rely on the foot-pod to convert my treadmill steps into distance in Kilometers. As a backup; like I mentioned above, the Treadmill computer can also calculate the total distance covered based on the set treadmill speed.
Here is a comparison of a 10km run on the treadmill compared to a somewhat similar distance run outdoors
Treadmill http://connect.garmin.com/splits/20262014
Total distance 10.05km
Total time: 1hour 03mins
Average speed 06:17min/km
Average heart rate 151bits/minute
Maximum heart rate 172 bits per minute.
Total calories burnt 761 kilo calories.
Outdoors. Http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21697128
Total distance 10.65km
Total time 59 minutes and 36 seconds
Average speed 5:3mins/km
Average heart rate 165bits per minute
Maximum heart rate 174 bits per minute
Total calories burnt 801kcal.
All other workouts follow similar patterns. A search of user-name Realbigdhara on either http://connect.garmin.com or runkeeper.com will show this.
It is clear from the comparisons above that a basic treadmill is no match for an actual outdoor run.
You spend less time to run 10km than you do on a treadmill. You also burn more calories outdoors than on a treadmill.
One could argue that the speed on the treadmill is set lower than the average speed outdoors, and that if I set the treadmill to match my average outdoor speed then there won't be any difference. Fair point! But this is where it gets exciting.
If I set the speed higher it means either I have to increase the length of my stride or the speed with which I crisscross my legs. It means I will be running with a wider stride or a faster pace than I do when I am on the road yet I will achieve same results. Running with a wider pace than I am used to; will increase the risk of hamstring injuries. A normal length stride and a faster pace can result in raised heart rate and may lead one to train in the anaerobic zone, something not good for long distance runners. What I simply mean by this is the fact that I could run and complete a marathon at my outdoor pace and complete it but would not be able to do so on a treadmill set at higher speed because I will soon run out of glucose and hit the proverbial runner's wall.
The reason why I would need to make these compensatory changes when I increase the treadmill speed is because the treadmill is an artificial track. It helps to push you off the ground and rolls you 'forward' whereas if you where on the actual ground your muscles need to do this vital action themselves. The movement that thrusts our bodies forward as we run is generated by the entire musculature of the back of the whole leg. That is to say all the muscles stretching from the sole of the foot, up the calves, the back of the thighs and finally the butt, all work as a unit to push our bodies off the ground and forward.
As you can imagine, these are some of the main big muscles of the body. If they are being assisted to do half their job when one runs on the treadmill then it also follows that less calories will be burnt. The only way to match the calorie competition is to increase the speed of treadmill to artificial levels.
One can conclude that treadmills engage less of your back leg muscles than the actual road run. Treadmill are less likely to prepare you for an injury free outdoor run during competitions. I would like to believe that if an athlete has no option but to use a treadmill for training they need to add more exercises for the gluteal muscles, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and the foot muscles otherwise an imbalance of muscle strength will occur between the front of leg muscles and back of leg muscles.
Because of the assisted body thrust that the treadmill gives I would like to logically conclude that these machines are great for such things as hamstring recovery and other back of leg muscle recovery
Did I mention that treadmill workout is extremely boring? Well it is at least for me. You will be running in one place and if you are long distance runner, you may almost fall asleep.
Try running a marathon on a treadmill!
Winters in the Northern Hemisphere tend to be severe. Blizzards, winds, rain, subzero temperatures, snow, hail, you name them. This makes it impossible to have a consistent and uninterrupted outdoor running program.
If you are lucky and the weather is mild you can wrap up and go out jogging. There are many products out there for winter outdoor jogging that will help you keep warm and cosy during the jog. From warm running socks, shoes, neoprene bottoms and tops, to gloves, winter hats and waterproof jackets; all these are designed to deal with elements of the weather.
Despite all this there is nothing much out there to protect you for severe weather like snow and ice. This is when athletes have to look for alternatives. There is no better alternative out there that gives athletes some cardio exercise than the treadmill. Treadmills come in different sizes and levels of complexities. Some are equipped with sophisticated computer units that collect and compute your vital statistics as you run on it. Some treadmills are designed to imitate the rough and ragged terrain that runners are used to when they jog outside. I haven't yet set my foot in a commercial gym but if what I see on telly, in movies and magazines is anything to go by; treadmills seem to be the most popular gym equipment of choice for cardio workout.
But do treadmills give you the same workout as you would get if you run outdoors when you compare calories burnt during similar lengths of time?
I have used these 2 forms of cardio workout exercises quite extensively in the past 2 years or so. I use a treadmill that is fairly basic. This Rebook Treadmill is capable of imitating a slight terrain incline and is capable of top speed of 8.2 miles per hour (13.6km). It has a basic computer that calculates some basic statistic but for the purpose of this article the important one is calories burnt based, on the speed selected and the pulse rate.
In order to compare like with like I am using the Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch with a foot pod and heart rate monitor to provide the comperative data. Of course because GPS cannot be used indoors I have to rely on the foot-pod to convert my treadmill steps into distance in Kilometers. As a backup; like I mentioned above, the Treadmill computer can also calculate the total distance covered based on the set treadmill speed.
Here is a comparison of a 10km run on the treadmill compared to a somewhat similar distance run outdoors
Treadmill http://connect.garmin.com/splits/20262014
Total distance 10.05km
Total time: 1hour 03mins
Average speed 06:17min/km
Average heart rate 151bits/minute
Maximum heart rate 172 bits per minute.
Total calories burnt 761 kilo calories.
Outdoors. Http://connect.garmin.com/activity/21697128
Total distance 10.65km
Total time 59 minutes and 36 seconds
Average speed 5:3mins/km
Average heart rate 165bits per minute
Maximum heart rate 174 bits per minute
Total calories burnt 801kcal.
All other workouts follow similar patterns. A search of user-name Realbigdhara on either http://connect.garmin.com or runkeeper.com will show this.
It is clear from the comparisons above that a basic treadmill is no match for an actual outdoor run.
You spend less time to run 10km than you do on a treadmill. You also burn more calories outdoors than on a treadmill.
One could argue that the speed on the treadmill is set lower than the average speed outdoors, and that if I set the treadmill to match my average outdoor speed then there won't be any difference. Fair point! But this is where it gets exciting.
If I set the speed higher it means either I have to increase the length of my stride or the speed with which I crisscross my legs. It means I will be running with a wider stride or a faster pace than I do when I am on the road yet I will achieve same results. Running with a wider pace than I am used to; will increase the risk of hamstring injuries. A normal length stride and a faster pace can result in raised heart rate and may lead one to train in the anaerobic zone, something not good for long distance runners. What I simply mean by this is the fact that I could run and complete a marathon at my outdoor pace and complete it but would not be able to do so on a treadmill set at higher speed because I will soon run out of glucose and hit the proverbial runner's wall.
The reason why I would need to make these compensatory changes when I increase the treadmill speed is because the treadmill is an artificial track. It helps to push you off the ground and rolls you 'forward' whereas if you where on the actual ground your muscles need to do this vital action themselves. The movement that thrusts our bodies forward as we run is generated by the entire musculature of the back of the whole leg. That is to say all the muscles stretching from the sole of the foot, up the calves, the back of the thighs and finally the butt, all work as a unit to push our bodies off the ground and forward.
As you can imagine, these are some of the main big muscles of the body. If they are being assisted to do half their job when one runs on the treadmill then it also follows that less calories will be burnt. The only way to match the calorie competition is to increase the speed of treadmill to artificial levels.
One can conclude that treadmills engage less of your back leg muscles than the actual road run. Treadmill are less likely to prepare you for an injury free outdoor run during competitions. I would like to believe that if an athlete has no option but to use a treadmill for training they need to add more exercises for the gluteal muscles, hamstrings, gastrocnemius and the foot muscles otherwise an imbalance of muscle strength will occur between the front of leg muscles and back of leg muscles.
Because of the assisted body thrust that the treadmill gives I would like to logically conclude that these machines are great for such things as hamstring recovery and other back of leg muscle recovery
Did I mention that treadmill workout is extremely boring? Well it is at least for me. You will be running in one place and if you are long distance runner, you may almost fall asleep.
Try running a marathon on a treadmill!
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