Jeremy Watts, imm—January 18, 2021
FULL TRAINING SEQUENCE:
-Type: Running/Foot movement, Resistance Training
-Distance: Approx. 11 miles
-Jeremy’s energy expenditure: 1,500-2,000 calories
-Exercises: Running (high intensity) METs 10 to 18
-Body Weight Push ups, Pull ups, and Jump Ups (High Intensity)
The IMM idea was born years ago, and around that time I had visited this southwest part of Boston. I found this route to be not only scenic, but its length, change in elevation, and access to recreation along the built path made this an ideal place to explore with Run, Boston. Creating content about this route was a day dream and now here we are, sharing a dream! VFW Parkway extends south of West Roxbury into Dedham which is not conducive to running, so ideally I will begin near the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and run north, where running trails line both sides of the road. The pavement surface is a bit rough in places, and follows the ever-changing elevation. This route takes you through the outskirts of residential areas, while the path is never congested and the built environment allows for other activities like cycling. There are many ways to improve our fitness.
As far as how to regulate and challenge your energy systems while running I prefer having a strategy for certain stretches of path. For example, when the incline increases, I like to increase my stride length while maintaining or increasing frequency. This promotes muscular engagement in a greater range of motion in the hips and knees. We increase velocity, work output, heart rate, and essentially energy expenditure. My technique; leaning slightly forward, keeping my shoulders swinging the arms with my elbows at approximately 90 degrees, and my hip flexors pumping my knees up towards the torso. This is how to attack a hill physically and we have to accept the challenge mentally too!
Breathing is another effective technique for improving my running experience. One technique I’ve used since military service is counting steps per breath to track output and fatigue while finding and keeping a rhythm. I enjoy sprint drills during outdoor resistance and sprint interval exercise (SIE) sessions, so I work on increasing stride length while going downhill. As our speed increases it’s important to be mindful of compressive forces that are amplified with this mode of training. This would especially apply to individuals who are beginning to feel chronic inflammation. Weight loss/management is a good way to regulate this inflammation when running leads to pounding the ground repetitively. If I decide to regiment this technique I have to make sure that I reduce my body weight before starting any long-term running/sprinting program. We breathe as we push and glide along the path!
Of course for every long run, I always seek pull-ups. Remember in a previous article titled “Abs” I presented my belief that physique, in this case our “six-packs”, come at the assistance of high-intensity resistance exercises like the pull-up. Especially when you’ve spent the first 20 minutes burning through blood sugar and glycogen stores and your body has regulated towards beta-oxidation (fat-burning). Your body is forced to produce new energy immediately, leading to more efficient energy production in the for better performance and endurance. In doing so we burn more subcutaneous fat, and vascularize our muscles with more blood: Bigger muscles and thinner fat layer surrounding them equals definition. The number of total pull-ups may suffer if doing them during a run, so if I’m concerned with the number of pull-ups I want to do, then I just do the pull-ups before the run, or during a separate training session.
As with most runs, we must run back. By this time I’ve run for in between 20 and 30 minutes and I’ve spent 10 to 15 minutes doing pull-ups, push-ups, jump-ups, and hanging back rows (we can be creative). I’m now relying heavily on burning fat for energy and my muscles are fatigued. I’ve worked into the lactic threshold and my body must work harder to continue producing energy required to get me back to the finish as fast as I intend. We must use our breathing technique to focus our minds on the task at hand, and not the fatigue that has set in on the quadriceps, hip flexors and extenders, and the thoracic muscles that assist with breathing. The workout typically lasts for 50 to 75 minutes, depending on the conditions, number of resistance sets, and the motivation to push the run pace. We will finish, cool down, hydrate, and eat a meal with variety and high protein content so that we can repair our muscles that were broken down during training!
Sincerely,
-imm