Comments on: Improve your running mile

By: Bodybuilder

Bodybuilder — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:23:31 +0000

Thanks for the well researched info. I\’m book marking this site.

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 17:43:22 +0000

Hi rooroo: sounds like an excellent plan, I have fond memories of sprints on both Primrose Hill and Parliament Hill. Especially on summer evenings when people are relaxing and taking in the view with a bottle of wine, and you come panting over the brow of the hill!

Nice work on the push press too. There’s nothing like overhead pressing for building lifting confidence.

By: Rooroo

Rooroo — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:06:23 +0000

A colleague on my firm does a lot of endurance work and has taken part in the Ironman UK triathlon. We have agreed to do some hill sprinting either on Primrose Hill or Hamstead Heath (damn Euston for being so flat!). I’m keen to try it out, something tells me it’s going to hurt!

Btw, unrelated but I have been working on the push press quite a bit with the bar, I’m much more confident with the move now, especially with putting my head through the ‘window’ so to speak. Can’t wait to start adding weight to it!

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:53:24 +0000

Thank you so much John! Comments like that really spur me on

By: John Bennett

John Bennett — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 02:38:50 +0000

I have to say you have one of the most informative and interesting blogs around. KEEP IT UP!!!!

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:28:25 +0000

Agree! When doing hill sprints, I do prefer someone else motivating/yelling at me though. Having a partner to race against or encourage you up the hill is always a bonus.

By: Lady G

Lady G — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:09:27 +0000

I love hill sprints! Yes they are hard and if you haven’t been doing anything similar you get sore muscles in unexpected places, but they are sooo effective! Running on the flat seems too easy after a few hill sprint sessions.

By: gubernatrix

gubernatrix — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 15:22:39 +0000

I belive you can do it either way, to be honest. I think that the ‘rest is rest’ approach tends to be taken by people who are just runners, whereas those who are interested in overall fitness often incorporate other exercises.

I’ve certainly seen my mile improve with this method. Perhaps it would have improved even more if I had taken the ‘rest is rest’ approach, but I would have lost out with the strength training. We used to do 500m reps and do core work (sit-ups, press-ups etc) in between, which worked pretty well.

Thanks for the good wishes regarding the muscle-up. I’m working on my ring dips and ring pull-ups at the moment.

Very glad you enjoy the blog too! It’s great to have your input and you always make thought-provoking comments

By: Rolfe

Rolfe — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:41:02 +0000

About interval training: I always thought and read that rest periods should be just that, rest. If you begin using other muscle groups and keep the heart rate up in rest periods, you dont get the full benefit of interval training.
I find using a heart rate monitor to be great help when doing any kind of running. This is probably different from person to person, but I tend to push too hard and raise my heart rate above where it should be for e.g. a long distance run.
Another kind of running I like to do is fartlek: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fartlek or going through my own terrain track. I walk at a brisk pace in the steep parts going uphill and jog/run on the flats and downhill, aiming to keep my heartrate between 75-85%Max for 45-60 minutes. One round takes about 20 minutes and it is all along forest tracks with one real climb of about 150 meters and have lots of possible variations. Track is going through an WWII coastal fortification so there are stairs, paths, roads, jumps and everyting. Perfect for me!

You are writing a fantastic blog. I check in here most every day for news and inspiration! Hope you are happy and keep up with it.

PS: How are you doing with the muscle-up? Hope you keep at it!