Pre-Running Nutrition Tips - Speed Fuel

Pre-Run Fuel
So, You have chosen your Running Workout Programme, now you need the fuel to power you through it... Here's are some recommendations.

60 Minutes before you Run Eat...
- Muesli / Granola Bar, Yogurt and a Banana
This mix is rich in fibre, protein and carbs, so you will get slow-release energy for as long as your legs are willing to carry you.
Note: I like Quaker's Cookies and Cream Muesli bar best.


20 Minutes before you Run Eat...
- Oats and Honey
Honey is complex sugar that gives long-lasting energy, while the oats give you slow-release energy for the latter parts of your pavement odyssey.
Note: Sometime I just take the 3 in 1 instant oat cereal with honey



5 Minutes before you Run Eat...
- Handful of Jelly Beans (;
The sugar in these get metabolized almost straight away, so they'll give you an instant energy hit to give you some extra boost.
Note: Too much (excessive) might cause "Sugar Rush"

Good Luck. Cheers (:

References: Men's Health UK Jan/Feb 08 & Books

Recovery Remedy after Running.

Do you know?

Drinking caffeine while consuming carbohydrates helps with muscle recovery.

Consuming caffeine drinks such as coffee along with carbohydrate drinks such as 100plus after a workout or run will help Glycogen levels in your muscles recover 34% faster than just taking carbohydrate drinks only.

Source : Men's Health US March 09

See coffee isn't that bad for you after all.. Hmm.. all of a sudden I have a craving for a cuppa. (:

What's on Your Ipod? Care to share your mix.

What are your "Power" songs?

Hey I bet you already know that I rely heavily on my Ipod for inspiration, motivation and as a de-stress tool. I listen to it when I'm running, training, working, reading, shopping, in the bus/ train etc.

So here's my current playlist. It's mostly upbeat . I like Rock, Hip Hop, Alternative & Indie.I hope you guys will share your favourite tracks with me as well.

Playlist Name: Running Away

Songs - Artist - Album

1. Save Our Soul - Electrico - We Satellite
2. Decode - Paramore - Twilight OST
3. Reconnect - Director - Reconnect (singles)
4. Fighting - Yellowcard - Paperwalls
5. No, It Isn't - +44 - When your heart stop beating
6. Afraid - Yellowcard- Paperwalls
7. Liberation - Electrico - We Satellite
8. Misery Business - Paramore - Riot!
9. Return the Favour - The Hives - Black & White
10. Great Escape - Boys Like Girls - Boys Like Girls
11. Right Side of the Bed - Atreyu
12. Almost Easy - A7x - Avenged Sevenfold
13. The Adventure - Angels & Airwave - We Don't Need to Whisper
14. Diary of Jane - Breaking Benjamin -Phobia
15. Only Where I'm Going - Electrico - Hip City
16. Check Yes Juliet - We Are King - We Are King
17.When Your Heart Stop Beating - +44 - When Your Heart Stop Beating
18. The Rock Show - Blink 182 - Take off your pants...
19. Thnks Fr Th Mmrs - Fall Out Boys - Infinity on High
20.Under The Gun - The Killers - Hot Fuss
21. Hello - Electrico - Hip City
22.Make you Smile - +44 - When Your Heart Stop Beating
23. Little Wonders - Rob Thomas - Meet the Robinson OST
24. Holly Wood Died - Yellowcard - Lights & Sounds

Yeah, this is just one of my running playlist songs. I prefer songs with very heavy drumming that gets the heart pumping faster. +44's When Your Heart Stop Beating is awesome as it does just that.. Travis Barker rocks!

... So what's on your Ipod Playlist?

Anaerobic exercise - Buffet of Pain!

Anaerobic exercise, is exercise intense enough to trigger anaerobic metabolism. It is used by athletes in non-endurance sports to build power, body builders to build muscle mass and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) practitioners to build strength & stamina. Muscles trained under anaerobic conditions develop differently, leading to greater performance in short duration, high intensity activities,


What are the Benefits of Anaerobic Exercise?
Anaerobic exercise uses your muscles at a high intensity for a short period of time. As a result, it can help:

* Develop stronger muscles
* Improve your VO2 max (the highest amount of oxygen one can consume during exercise) and thus improve your cardio-respiratory fitness/ Stamina
* Increase your capacity to withstand the buildup of waste substances (such as lactic acid) and remove them from the body. This means your endurance and ability to fight fatigue will improve.

How to Add Anaerobic Training to Your Program

Anaerobic interval training is primarily reserved for those who are very fit and desire to increase speed, lactate threshold, and overall aerobic power. This training usually results in greater lactic acid concentrations in exercising muscles and will result in greater muscular discomfort. This can be very intense type of training and should not be attempted by a beginner.

Interval training is a great way to incorporate anaerobic exercise. It can be done with many types of exercise (for example, running, biking, or swimming). An interval is done by increasing your pace for a short period of time (for example, between 10 to 60 seconds) then having a slow recovery period that is at least 3 times as long as the interval.

* If you are new to exercise, do not immediately start with high intensity activity like anaerobic exercise. Beginners should start with lower-intensity aerobic exercise for several weeks to build a base level of fitness.
* Always seek advice from doctor before adding anaerobic exercise to your fitness program.
* Anaerobic exercise is not recommended if you are pregnant.
* Always warm up before starting a anaerobic exercise, and cool down for 5-10 minutes after your workout session.


What I do? " Buffet of Pain!!"
Train every part (full body, moving from one body part to another. I start with 10 to 15mins of cycling or running then move to weights. Every set increases the weight used(progressive overload) 4 to 5 set per exercise. 24reps (warm up) - 12 reps - 10reps - 8 reps - 6reps (heaviest load). Taking only a break of 10 seconds per set and taking a break of 30 to 60 seconds before moving to the next body part. Training about 5 out of 6 major body parts a session. - Ask Ash how he feels after the workout!

click here to watch Rich Franklin MMA Workout - this was the video that inspired me.

Good luck!

Training: Fartlek

Fartlek

Fartlek, which means "speed play" in Swedish, is type of conditioning workout that puts stress mainly on the aerobic energy system due to the continuous nature of the exercise. The difference between this type of training and continuous training is that the intensity or speed of the exercise varies, meaning that aerobic and anaerobic systems can be put under stress.

Most fartlek sessions last a minimum of 45 minutes and can vary from aerobic walking to anaerobic sprinting.


Sample Fartlek Routine

Watson Fartlek

This is good training for 10k, 5k, 3k and cross country.

* 10 minutes warm up jog.
* Stride hard for 4 minutes with 1 minute jog recovery - repeat 8 times
* 10 minute cool down jog

Saltin Fartlek

This is good training for 1500m, 5k and 3k.

* 10 minutes warm up jog
* Repeat 6 times - Stride hard for 3 minutes with 1 minute jog run recovery.
* 10 minute cool down jog

Astrand Fartlek

This is good training for 800m.

* 10 minutes warm up jog
* Repeat 3 times - Maximum effort for 75 seconds, 150 seconds jog run, maximum effort for 60 seconds, 120 seconds jog run.
* 10 minute cool down jog

Gerschler Fartlek

This is good training for getting fit quickly when combined with steady running.

* 10 minutes warm up jog
* Repeat 3 times - Stride hard for 30 seconds, jog 90 seconds. Repeat with 15 second decreases in recovery jog e.g. 30-90, 30-75, 30-60, 30-45, 30-30, 30-15 and 30-15-30
* 10 minute cool down jog

Hill Fartlek

* 10 minutes warm up jog
* Select a 2 mile hilly course. Repeat 3 times - Run hard up all hills twice before moving to the next hill, jog run between hills
* 10 minute cool down jog

Whistle Fartlek

The coach, using a whistle, controls the session over a 1200m circumference grass area.

* 10 minutes warm up jog
* When the whistle is blown the athletes run hard until the whistle is blown again. Pyramid session of 4 minutes, 3 minutes, 2 minutes, 1 minutes, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes with a 60 second jog run recovery between each run
* 10 minute cool down jog

Source :http://www.brianmac.co.uk/fartlek.htm

Fitness benefits

One of the main reasons for the success of fartlek training is that it can be adapted to the needs of the individual. It develops aerobic and anaerobic capacities which are both used in running or MMA. To take this a step further, athletes can make the most of the flexibility of fartlek training by mimicking the activities which would take place during their sport.

Tuesday Night Run - Work (UBI) to Safra Tampines

I'm back.I've been running every day for the past 2 weeks. It was Tuesday, so it was time to run back home after work. Today was special as I was joined by my running buddy, who will be one of my team mates in the Sundown marathon this coming May. We started running at about 6:23pm from our workplace and we reached SAFRA Tampines at 6.58pm. 5.52km. Good Job Mr. Bolt! & good luck for the Valentine's day run this coming Sunday.

My Route (10/2/09) : Comfort Driving Centre (UBI) ->Eunos Technolink -> Enterise One Building -> Kaki Bukit industrial -> Kaki Bukit Prison -> Alkaff Mosque Kmpg Melayu -> Bedok Reservoir -> Temasek Polytechnic -> Tampines SAFRA.

Total Distance : 5.52Km

My Time: 33mins
Average Pace: 5.68 min/km
PowerSong: No it Isn't - +44