Runners World has interviewed 15 Olympians to learn what tips and tricks give them the edge over their competitors. While most of us are lucky to receive a medal from a local race, let alone an Olympic medal, it doesn’t hurt to see what works for the pro’s. Because after all, aren’t we all after the same goal: personal achievement?
Here are the highlights, click here for the full article: http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/microsite/article/0,8029,s6-239-473-0-12777-0,00.html
NUTRITION
Eat to Recover
“I focus on hydrating and eating protein immediately after a hard workout or race. I may have some leftover salmon or some cottage cheese. I do this to help repair my damaged muscles and replenish energy. Even if your stomach is feeling upset, you should still force yourself to eat something. If you are rushed to meet friends or go somewhere, then grab a spoonful of peanut butter and eat it in the car on your way. Don’t make excuses on recovery. Your workouts are only beneficial if you are recovering well from them.” –Deena Kastor 35, Mammoth Lakes, California; Marathon, 2004 marathon bronze medalist
TRAINING
Test Yourself
“By keeping track of my five-mile tempo run times, I can tell how I’m progressing. I’ll do those every other week, and it’s always on the same course, so I can really tell where I’m at endurance-wise. Early season, it’s about 26 minutes, later in the season maybe 25:25.”
—Nick Symmonds 24, Eugene, Oregon 800 meters
Take Advantage of the Treadmill
“I do my interval work on an incline on the treadmill. It keeps my body healthy because I’m going uphill, so my turnover isn’t as fast, which decreases my injury risk. But my cardiovascular system is still working very hard. I was susceptible to injuries when I was running a lot of intervals on the track, where I had to run turns.
“My coach, Jack Daniels, has a table in his book [Daniels' Running Formula] that gives combinations of pace and incline for different workouts. Here’s a sample workout that takes about a half hour: 3 x 3 minutes at 8 mph and 8.5 percent incline. Then 3 x 3 minutes at 8.5 mph and 7.5 percent incline, followed by 3 x 3 minutes at 9 mph and 6.5 percent incline. After each three-minute effort, I jog easily at zero incline for two minutes. Those combinations of speed and incline give me the same cardiovascular workout as if I were running five-minute pace on a flat surface.”
—Magdalena Lewy Boulet 35, Oakland, California Marathon
MOTIVATION
Make Each Day Count
“There are days when I definitely don’t want to get out the door. So I’ll have a training partner meet me at the gym or the track to help me get there. On days when it’s difficult for me to run, I remind myself that it feels a lot worse at the end of the day when I skip a workout.”
—Shannon Rowbury
INJURY PREVENTION
Circuit Train
“Being a better all-around athlete makes your body stronger. I had that going for me in high school because I played a lot of sports. Now I’m getting back into it. I do jumps and push-ups and squats, going really hard for two or three minutes at a time. I also do hurdles and medicine-ball work. My coach, John Cook, gives me some drills he used to do as a soccer player. They get your heart rate up without running fast, and I’m a lot stronger for it.”
—Erin Donohue
RACING
Repeat a Mantra
“I have a lot of different words that I say to myself. One is ‘fighter.’ I think that and all of a sudden things come into focus for me. Even if I don’t speed up, in my mind I calm down. I use my workouts to practice responding to these one-word cues.”
—Kara Goucher
Filed under: Olympics, Performance | Tagged: Injury & Prevention, motivation, Nutrition, Olympics, Races, Training
