How to PR by Run Technique: Series III

Last time on How to PR by Run Technique we discussed head position and how to run tall. Today I will discuss your arm position and how to use your core while running.

Arms. You not only use your legs to run, but also your arms.  I don't know how many times I've seen runners not use their arms. You need your arms like you need your legs in swimming, to propel you forward.  Using your arms will significantly improve your running economy by reducing your torso rotation and the amount spent going side to side. When running for the best efficiency, keep your arms close and pump them up to mid-chest and then down so your thumb should graze just past your hip, alternating arms. Your arms should not cross the center of your chest as this will increase torso rotation and your elbows should go straight back not outward.  In doing so, you want to keep your shoulders and hands relaxed. However, your hands should not be so relaxed that they are flopping around - just keep them loosely stable.

Core.  The cool thing these days is core training. Most people think we're just talking about the abdominal muscles, but that is not true. The "core" covers a wide range of anatomy. I'll go on to say we have so many fancy core workouts, but we don't know how to actually apply our strong core to running, specifically. What good is having a strong core if you don't know how to use it?

In the movie "Without Limits",  Coach Bowerman pulls the world famous Steve Prefontaine aside during a track workout. We know that Coach Bowerman was a man of few words, but when had something to say he said it, especially if it involved running. Bowerman said to Pre, "Do you usually run with your butt sticking out like that? Stand up straight. You want a plumb line to run from your ear to your feet. Let your hips relax. That's how you were running.  Lift your knee. Now cock your hips under you". (Pre's confused look here). "Under you. Like in the deepest moment of penetration. Now lift your knee. It's easier when you tuck your pelvis in. Your not fighting your own body's mechanics. Makes you more efficient."

In 2004 Chi-Running became popular. Chi-Running was implemented by Danny Dreyer, a running coach and ultra-runner that placed a heavy emphasis on the core while running. Dreyer was taking Tai-Chi at the time and formed ideas of how to apply it to running. He even wrote several books on Chi-Running. "All of the Tai-Chi comes down to developing a strong core, but relaxing the moving parts. Those are the things that transfer to running. Most use their legs way too much and that's why most runners get injuries from their knees down. You can run more from your core and learn how to relax your legs."

1. Hip and butt out 2. Hip and butt tucked in. 

In these next tips on run form, we will cover the stride which will be broken down into three parts and the controversial footstrike. If you have any questions please email me at williamtritter@yahoo.com.

Thanks,

William 

Tyler Run for Autism

This past weekend with the Tyler Run for Autism half marathon and the IHL Longview triathlon was a plan in my build up for Challenge Knoxville Half Iron and the Legend Tri Kansas Half Iron as a 3 day block with an  almost 2 hour bike on the computrainer with steady intervals at 80-95% off my functional threshold power Friday morning. The ride wasn't that bad, but I felt in my legs not long later. We were simulating racing on some tired legs - that we accomplished 

My long time ETBU college buddy, Jeremy Bosco and I won a facebook contest sponsored by Complete Nutrition, that granted us access to the start line.  Apparently some people took my sarasm seriously when I posted on facebook, "I heard this is mostly flat and downhill, a lot of PR's for everyone." 

It was a chilly 50 degrees race morning, but perfect for racing with the sun out. Jeremy and I were one of the first runners to arrive and spent most of the time before the race hiding out inside the Church trying to stay warm. 

My main competition for the morning would be my fellow Cobb Mobb-er and Cobb Cycling co-worker, Seth Cooke. He's a legend in the multi-sport community and feels no pain. 

At the start I settled ahead of the front pack right from the start. Tyler Bicycle Club's Ryan Moore protected me on the Tyler roads and through the park to make sure I had a clear path and we had two motorcycle cops on Grande, that were rocking out and singing the whole way.  The run crossed Loop 323 and into the Rose Rudman Park. At the end of the park we took a left on  Grande, a 3+ mile stretch all the way to the Hwy. 110 and back. Grande Blvd. is known for it's hills.  This stretch seemed to go on forever. There isn't a flat section on Grande. Once going up hill, I pushed Ryan when he was on his bike. He said, "Am I not going fast enough for ya?" I said, "No you're fine, I'm just messin' with ya." 

I cruised through the first mile in 5:49 and I was talking to comfortably to Ryan. This was the same pace average I ran at the Fresh 15k and this felt way easier.  Knowing I was racing the Longview triathlon the next day, I held back a lot.  The rest of the race I was around a 6:00-6:10 pace, with a couple other miles in the 5:47 range. 

During the race, Ryan would let me know how far back Seth was. Ryan once told me that Seth was gaining on me and I said, "That's ok I got something special for him." At the half way point, Seth was faking his form with his head rolling and body rotating, it appeared to me like he was digging deep and gaining on me rather quickly so I dropped the pace back down to just under 6 minutes for the next mile. We got back into the park and at mile 11 not sure if Seth was making a run for me or not, I dropped it down to a 5:20 pace for a half-mile to add some distance between us. Mile 13 was my slowest mile in 6:19, I was starting to calm down and get some energy ready for the finish, my finishing kick was 5:16 pace at the end with a finishing time of 1:19.06. Nothing super fast, I was running just fast enough to win and hopefully have something something left for the Longview triathlon. I should have went for a PR if I had known how my legs were going to feel anyways. 

Seth is a great competitor and sport. He ramping up for Ironman Texas with plans of qualifying for Kona a second time. He PR'd by 7 seconds on a hard course. 

My parents from Carthage woke up early and made a trip in to see to visit. 

The Cobb Mobb locals swept the men's podium and Rachel won overall female with a PR. 

Glory to God for the a great race and win! Thank you to my family, Cobb Mobb, Extremus, and Coach Jeremy for getting me fast again. Also to Complete Nutrition in Tyler for the entry, all the amazing support and time from the volunteers that made the race extremely successful. 

How to PR by Run Technique: Series II

Today on "How to PR by Run Technique" we will cover head position and how to run tall.  

Head Position is important like in swimming; You want to have a neutral spine. Your head should be neutral as if you were on a stage looking out into the crowd.  Will this make you a faster runner? The short answer is yes! You will be one hecukva rock star runner! By practicing this neutral spine position, it will allow you to relax your upper body more freeing up energy and putting it into your forward propulsion.  You often hear coaches say, "Keep your head up"! Not only is that a positive reinforcement statement but you should keep your eyes on the person in front of you....unless you're out front.  Work on keeping your gaze approximately 10 feet in front of you like in cycling because where your eyes look,  your body follows. If you run with your head sticking out forward, you will lean too far forward bending from the hip.  This will fatigue you, sooner than later. By keeping your head in a that neutral position, you will feel more relaxed, allowing you to maintain a faster pace for longer. 

Take note of Haile Gebreselassie head position, great runner from Ethiopia. 

Running "Tall".  Did you ever hear your coach yell at you to "run tall" and wonder what the heck they were talking about? I did. It's a highly common phrase in high school and college distance running.  Once you figure out how to "run tall", this will clear up most issues in your form.  From early on in school to adulthood, we spent a lot of time hunched over our desks, further emphasizing our bad posture.  In running, your head should be in it's neutral position, your shoulders balanced over the hips, and your hips over the legs. This is considered "running tall".   Even if you do not fully understand just yet, you can start thinking "running tall" and you'll be surprised by how much your form will improve. It will create less stress on your body. When we get tired, our running form starts to slouch, runners start losing the neutral position with their head, rotating in circles or moving it way forward causing neck and shoulder pain. It's important to keep your spine in line with your pelvis.  In short, running tall will once again improve running economy allowing you to run a faster pace for longer.

Next on "How to PR by Run Technique"  we will discuss arm position and how to use your core while runing. If you have any questions please email me at williamtritter@yahoo.com. 

Thank you,

William 

How to PR by Run Technique: Series I

You plod a long on what seems like an empty running trail only to be zipped by one of those elite runners whose feet barely touch the ground.  You wonder, "what gives?" You really want to learn how to run, and run fast!   "How come I can't do that?".  The truth is you can! With some body awareness, strength training, and the appropriate amount of prescribed training, you will gradually learn over time.

Garrett Mayeaux - Texas A&M University Triathlete and Ritter's coached athlete. 800 meter repeats off the bike holding 2:35's. 

Triathletes emphasize their run very little when compared to their swim technique or their bike fitting to find their optimal position.  Not to downplay the importance of these, but run technique is equally important, if you want to finish like a champ. Having fantastic run technique can be beneficial by improving your run efficiency, making it easier to run at a faster pace for longer and reducing your risk of injury.

Over the next several days I will discuss a few key points that will help improve your run technique. Feel free to email me at williamtritter@yahoo.com for any questions

William

PlayTri Kiwanis McKinney Sprint Triathlon

Life has been a bit  hectic here recently with the purchase of a new house and getting ready to move, racing plans were derailed somewhat.  However, not to worry it's really worth it to finally settle down on a house me and my Wife both really liked.

We looked for a race after the move that I could use to knock off the old swim/bike/run rust collectively on tired legs, and Play Tri's McKinney Sprint triathlon was the best option for that. I was able to drive up the morning of the event, by waking up at 3:30am and out the door by 4:00 a.m. and on the road.  I finally made it to McKinney High School and thinking this was a low key race, the parking lot was packed.

The day before training consisted of 2:30 bike with tabata (these suck) and tempo intervals and 30 minute run off the bike which came out to be a 6:45 pace when I focused on easy running with really good technique. Followed that up teaching a small swim clinic and yard work the rest of the day, by the time I laid down for the night I was whooped -- not to mention the strength training and swim set (Fast Friday) on Friday.  

There was a lot up and coming up teenagers at this race with Play Tri's and Tri 4 Him's High Performance  Youth, let's just say there were several fast swimmers here. I also noticed a few guys staring me down, either they knew me or it was the beard throwing them off - not sure which. I proceeded with my slow 10 min/mile warmup, then I headed to the pool for a quick swim warmup, thinking the pool was going to be cold, it was not. The pool was on the side hot tub temperatures, it was smokin' hot. This can't be good, I thought. 

The Swim. We lined up around the pool in our numerical order. I was number 2. I told a teenager behind me, you look fast, why don't you get in front of me because I'm nice like that. There is a technique to jumping in the pool feet first without sinking too much and I nailed it! It's like a cross between jumping in feet first and a belly flop. I had one of my fastest pool swims a 4:22 (includes getting out and nearly running  and nearly slipping across the timing mat), and as hot as the pool was, probably mid 90 degrees, I'll take that.  I ranked 14th out of the swim, and that's mostly from all the fast youth, the rising stars of the near future.  

The Bike.  This course was a fun one, immediately right out I get on the wrong side of the road, instead of turning around I kept riding up and took the next cross over but had to squeeze in the barricades besides that the bike course had a few rollers and curves. One curve  snuck up on me so bad I had to hit my brakes and I skidded off the road into someones driveway, maintaining and upright position, I was stuck in a hard gear and had to get going again uphill I might add. Other than I coud tell the mountain biking over the winter helped my handling and I was able to ride aggressive through most of the turns. I had been out front the whole way following the police officer on his motorcycle and close  to the end of the course  with less than 10 minutes to go I look back and see someone riding up on me, and here I thought I was rock'n and rollin'. He came up and surprised me when I realized it was a small teenager. I stuck behind him - in a legal distance not to lose any more time and kept him close not knowing how he could run. This kid (Jon McAlister) was flying, he averaged 25.5 mph while only pushing 222 watts for his size.  I've been struggling for years to get my bike mojo back, probably since early 2012. I think I finally got it back and was happy with the way I rode with my 24.8 mph split, despite Jon out splitting me by a large margin and just missing the 25 mph split with my those two technical errors.  I felt really strong the whole bike! Jeremy had a me on a huge bike focus the whole month of February and it's paid off as we've transitioned into some higher intensity.  In addition, since I'm on the Cobb Mobb National team and also work Cobb Cycling now as we are one of the industry's leading components in saddles and cranks, with a bike fit with Mr. John Cobb, and using 165 short cranks with a 54T Q-Ring which the shorter cranks can really help you run faster off the bike, the Q-Ring helps with efficiency and my gear ratio, the Plus 2 saddle for comfort,  and a low profile top cap over my headset.

The Run: I've had a sore knee all last year since January 2014, so at the end of the season I took all of November and December off from running to hopefully let it heal. I only ran one day a week in January and just a few easy days in February with low mileage stuff. We are just now really starting to get into running more as we head into the last months of my triathlon season this year. Riding a few meters behind Jon coming into transition, I head out onto the run, not really knowing his running abilities and not really knowing mine either, I was able to find my running legs quicky and put the hammer down and caught him within a half-mile. However, just catching him would still have him in the lead as he started a few spots back I would need to finish 1 min and 22 seconds ahead of him to win - so I continued to press on, I probably looked back more than I should to see where he was as at. I used a few mental run tricks to keep pressing the pace, as many times I wanted to relax but I had to keep telling myself I would cut it too close if I did that. I tried surging on the turns with 20 hard foot strikes with my left foot, but I found it difficult to switch gears as I was already at my top end in speed. This course was awesome, lots of turns and a few steep hills to keep things interesting as it went through a city park and around some residential as I followed this guy on a gator. Surprisingly, I ended up running my fastest pace for a sprint triathlon on not much run training a 5:23 pace/per mile for 17:14, 3.2 miles. That means what we are doing outside and some inside of running is working! Any run PR for me is hard to come by, I guess I'm not passed my prime for speed, I'm aging like a fine bottle of wine. It's got me curious what I could really run in a stand-alone 5k. I finished with a total time of 54:20.

Hanging out with Jon McAlister, the one of Texas' rising stars in triathlon - a super nice guy! 

The lone podium - only 1st overall awards 

Glory to God for the win! A big thank you to my family - My Wife Calley & Rylan, and my parents who believe in me. My Coach Jeremy at Mind Right Multisport for the coaching. My swim partners Seth and Rachel. Team Extremus and Cobb Mobb  , Fresh Racing, East Texas Triathletes,a and Tyler Bicycle Club for all the support.

My favorite part after the race was passing out all the finisher medals for the kids race 15 and under,there were some close finishes and it was really thrilling to see the kids lay it on the line with a sprint finish. I tried to get a photo of this kid that was nearly passed out laying on the ground (resembled me after St. Patrick's Tri 2013 after chasing down Korey Sessions), I laid his medal on his chest.)  This was fun seeing all the kids put their best effort out there.

The best part of the race.  Please ignore the beard, my criminal record is clean.  

Thanks for reading!

William

Fresh15

Now that triathlon season is getting closer, I opened up with a run race at the Fresh15 in Tyler again this year. I haven't been running a whole lot to due to a little knee issue that I let settle down from last year and we have been making progress with that and I've been able to run/bike with no problems. This is one of the premier run races held in East Texas and if the production in 2014 wasn't big enough, 2015 was huge, with a larger prize purse, more Kenyans and elite runners, and added vendors.

We had a great pre-race dinner at KE Bushman's in Bullard with loads of delicious pasta and the guest speaker was world-famous Ultra-runner Scott Jurek to deliver motivational speech. 

I went into this race without any expectations since I haven't been running much, but of course I wanted to do well.  I'm lined up in back of the elite start.  

I went out at a controlled effort, if I started pushing too hard I couldn't defintely feel it. Most of the race I was in "no man's land" meaning I was always by myself.  At the 3 mile mark I started putting in surges around the turns to distance myself to whoever (Seth) might be coming up from behind me and not looking back - to give any hint of being be scare of suffering. I started with 20 second hard right foot turnovers, then around 4 or 5 miles, I increased it to 40 hard right foot turnovers, by mile 6 or 7 I was up to 50 hard turnovers at the turns.  Going up 8 mile hill on Dueling Oaks road I received some motivation from Mike Buenaventura and Dan Willson, I'm not sure how to explain their enthusiasiam, you would have thought they were inebriated with as much as yelling they were doing, but that was just two guys high on life.

My splits were fairly even, considering the hilliness of the course. I felt plenty strong going up and down the hills, I just had no leg speed to back it up and was two minutes slower this year,  which isn't bad since I just started running regularly a couple of weeks ago, spending most of the winter working on my bike strength.  

Fit City of Tyler was nice enough to donate $$$ to the fastest runners in Tyler, turns out Seth and I claimed 2nd and 3rd. Not bad for a couple of triathletes. Not featured is a young gun fresh out of college from UT Tyler, Nick Huff.  

A few of the guys I've been coaching and helping out did well. I've been working with Leslie Stelpflug with her on her swim to transform her into a triple threat triathlete, she was 12th overall Elite in the women's field, Oluwaseun Oshaleke "Emmanuel" was 12th in the 0-19 age group with a time of 25:10, in his first 5K! He's just 14!!! Only been training a couple of weeks. He says he's going to work hard over the summer and get into the money next year. He's an all around athlete, that is in Hubbard track, football, and soccer.  Stephen Dinger, finished the 5k in 27:22 on a hilly course and was 6th place 30-34, in preps for IMTX 70.3. Rylan was 53rd in 0-19 age group in 38:48 and I was very happy with his attitude out there.  

Thank you to Megan Riaz, Trent Brookshire, and all the amazing volunteers who made this possible despite the cold weather we had all week. Thank you to Jesus, my Wife & Rylan, Extremus, Cobb Mobb, Cobb Cycling, and my Coach Jeremy from Mind Right Multisport.  

I'm not exactly sure what is lined up next for me but the key races this year are the Legend Tri Half Ironman in Kansas and Challenge Half Ironman in Knoxville. Thanks for reading.  

It's all about the Bike

Last month in January it was all about the bike, at least from the training perspective.  I've been on my bike six days a week.. In addition to the cycling, I've also been strength training and watching the size of my legs grow. 

Since November, about once each month I've been particpating in the Tyler Bicycle Club 4-Pedals  Enduro Series for mountain biking, currently we have 4 main trails in and around Tyler - this particular photo was captured at Tyler State Park. After each event,  my mountain biking handling has been  better. Now that it's getting closer to triathlon season, it's time to start putting more time on the tri bike.  

Going into this year I took off our standard 53T chain ring on my Cobb 165 cranks and added the 54T Rotor Oval Q-Ring. We are big proponent of the short cranks and Q-Rings, Mr.  John Cobb helped me adjust my front deraileur for the larger ring.  The Cobb cranks currently are all black and much nicer looking now. 

 This has been typical set-up for the past month, due to the cold weather.  I haven't been on the road in over a month, just on the computrainer and Cobb Cycling spin classes. Our spin classes are a great way to get strength/cadence quality in with a large group of people of all different levels of abilities.

 While riding on the trainer six days a week, saddle comfort is a must! I currently have chosen to ride the  Plus 2, which includes the compatibility for the rear hydration system that attaches underneath the saddle.

While January has been about the bike in training, in life there is so much more going on - such as Calley and I are planning to find a house and with our baby due in July! We are both excited about both of these. I've also started coaching a small handful of athletes by request and will be glad to help you as well. I'm excited for what the year 2015 brings!

Back from Holidays

It's back to the grind now and get this holiday weight off now that Thanksgiving and Christmas is over and were flipping pages to another new year. Jeremy,  from Mind Right Multisport, currently has me on a huge bike focus this month.  

This Christmas was a remarkable one! Calley and I slowed down the Christmas rush and spent one weekend at the Claiborne House B&B,  in the antique and historic town of Jefferson, Texas. We had 5 cent coffee that night at the General Store after a piano led dinner at a seafood restaurant. 

Christmas comes faster and faster each year and this was the first time I got to spend with Calley's side of the family on Christmas Eve and we play a game of "Wheel of MisFortune" at her mom's Christmas night and we spent Christmas Day at my Pa's house in Timpson, Texas. This was also our first time to spend Christmas as a married couple.  

 

Carlos and I have been really good friends since 2002, when I first attended East Texas Baptist University. We haven't seen each other in a few years but have always stayed in touch occasionally. He moved to Tyler last year and we were able to hang out for the first time in several years. 

 All these years riding a bike and it didn't harm the boys, at least since I have been riding Cobb saddles! A couple of months ago we found out Calley was pregant and she is now out of her first trimester, we will find out the sex of this baby in just a few weeks! In our first sonogram we found the heartbeat is 160 beats a minute and 1-9/16" long.  We are so excited!

 Here is a to a great 2015! I'm excited about this New Year!

The What Off-Season Blog

                                

Calley and I found out that God is planning to bless us with a new addition to our family next July! She is almost 8 weeks in.  We are super excited and can't wait for this moment as we announced to our family and friends over the Thanksgiving break. Thanks to Brian Phillips, a Fresh team road racer, I have a my cycling stroller lined up ready to carry the little one around.  

Off-Season/Winter time is a good time to do something a little bit different, while still maintaining some fitness as you engage in holiday meals and cheat on your nutrition fueling, most days of the week.  With that, I also worked on a building a budget friendly mountain bike, my buddy and co-worker  at Cobb Cycling, Seth, helped me put the 29er full suspension together. It turns out I can run through trails faster than I can bike right now However, being a little slow from my fellow racers on the mtb doesn't stop me from enjoying my riding.  Check out my little jump on the higher ramp at the UT Tyler Trails.

Thanksgiving was great! I have a lot to be thankful for in my life and it would take another blog or two, to list out everything. God has blessed me with everything in life to beto be thankful for. We celebrated hard with all the traditional fixin's on both my side of the family and Calley's side, which her side included two dinners, one by Dallas and the other at her mom's, you can't beat that. There's not much need to say, like most people,  I carry a few extra pounds around this time of year. 

 My Pa, who is tough as nails in his mid 90's helped me go out and pick pecans after our hearty lunch. . He just recently gotten over a bad fall, where he banged his head on concrete, that required stitching. Pa was real helpful, though, he likes to point out all the pecans I missed right by feet. I actually enjoyed it, it's always great to spend some quality time with Pa.

After Thanksgiving, Rylan and I went to expend our turkey consumption,  we rode bikes around UT Tyler. I did bribe him with Marble Slab ice cream if he went and rode with me. It worked out well, I got a kick out of him ordering his ice cream as he went to town on ordering and eating, also, it was fun crusing around with him.

2014 Season was a bit of a somewhat roller coaster with some ups and a lot of downs, performance wise on race day. It's hard to pinpoint an exact cause of why, though. Instead of worrying about all of that, I've turned over the reigns to Jeremy Brown, from Mind Right Multisport, after watching his coaching from a distance this past year, where all I have to do is execute the training and racing. I've had a knee issue since January, this year, it's been tender and sore, but not really effecting my training/racing, not getting better or worse, however, I would like to get that better soon, so I don't have any running to do until maybe January right now.  I'm planning a short season through the first week of June, next year, and will spend the rest of the year with my new baby and Wife and go from there. I'm going into 2015, looking to bring the fun back into the sport, with high goals and an open mind.