Pat Carroll

Men’s Fitness article by Pat Carroll

admin — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:32:19 +0000

I was asked by Men’s Fitness to pen a 6 week 10k training program for the Gold Coast Airport Marathon 10k. Here it is.

Class-Action Lawsuit against Vibram/Fivefingers

admin — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:55:47 +0000

Last week, Berman DeValerio, one of the country’s (USA) premier class action law firms focused on business litigation, has filed a class-action lawsuit against Vibram and Vibram FiveFingers in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. The complaint seeks a jury trial on the grounds that Vibram is making “false” health claims about its product. More here.

Altitude training for elite distance runners

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:28:05 +0000

Ever since the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games which was held at an altitude of 2300 m, the use of altitude to improve performance has been widely used by endurance athletes. Since then there has been a wide range of research that has investigated the use of altitude training to improve competition performance in elite athletes. There is a general acceptance in the athletic community that altitude training is beneficial in improving competition performance both at altitude and at sea-level. More from Dr Philo Saunders here.

Kenya’s marathon men

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:13:26 +0000

‘You want to know what the secret is? That there is no secret.” Brother Colm O’Connell, a retired Irish priest and one of Kenya’s top running coaches, is almost spitting with delight as he talks to me. We are standing in the grounds of St Patrick’s school in Iten, Kenya. On the grass in front of us, his athletes are going through their warm-up drills. Among them is the tall figure of David Rudisha, world champion and world record holder for the 800m. More here…

These Kenyan runners, how do they keep on winning?

admin — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 06:01:41 +0000

A Kenyan winning the New York, Boston or London marathon has become such a constant feature of the athletic landscape that we don’t question it anymore — it is one of those things that just come with being a Kenyan. But beyond Kenyan borders, athletes and sports pundits are still baffled at how a tiny corner of the world can come to dominate so completely the world’s most universally accessible sport. More here….

Deadlier than dehydration

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:57:00 +0000

Like many marathon runners, Kate Mori always drank plenty of fluids before, during and after a race, rather than waiting until she got thirsty.

“I’d always been taught you had to ‘stay ahead’ of thirst and that being thirsty was a sign you were already dehydrated,” says the 42-year-old sports scientist.

Even pace running

admin — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 05:13:09 +0000

I’ve been involved in distance running for over twenty years and the methods I try to instill in runners have come about via my successes and failures, and also what I’ve observed in others.

One of the most common questions I’m asked relates to competition and what would be the best way to successfully achieve a goal on race day. What pace should I run? Should I run the first Half of the Marathon 2min faster than the second? Given the fact I’m going to slow in the second Half of my 10k should I run 10sec/km faster than my goal pace for the first 6-7km? These questions are all typical of what I’m asked frequently.

A question from one of my online clients:
”Tell me in regards to this 8km run, if I want to finish it in 40 mins, do you suggest that I just go flat out??!! Because I am thinking it is probably the best way I will get there.”

Julie gave me permission to print her words and they are not being used by me here in any disrespectful way. I’m pleased I had the opportunity to advise Julie how to take a more sensible approach to her race as her original plan of attack was destined to fall apart.

I believe the best way to achieve………

I believe the best way to achieve a challenging, yet realistic, goal is to run at an even pace throughout the entirety of the race. All of my best performances were achieved through even paced running. Not once did I contemplate running quicker in the first half to allow for slowing later.

Take Julies goal for example. Achieving the Sub 40min goal should not be based on the mindset that the closing stages are going to get tough and ”I’ll be slowing down hence the need to have a bit of time up my sleeve around 5km” type attitude.

Indicators

Ideally the situation Julie should be in is one where she is has come off a solid preparation which contained indicators that 4.59/km all the way is going to be tough but the level of fitness gained is going to allow the testing pace to be maintained right to the end.

When all of the World’s top runners set off to run incredibly quick, & even break World records, the plan of attack is not based on allowing for slowing in the closing stages. The plan of attack comes about as a result of how well the preparation has been and how the runner has recently performed over shorter races. The quality of the preparation along with the results from these shorter races are used as indicators to determine if a certain goal time over a longer distance is achievable.

The writing is often on the wall

More often than not the writing is on the wall when it comes to what a runner can achieve on race day. Chance and luck are frequent companions.
There are no short cuts in distance running and you are doing yourself an injustice by having a crammed preparation leading into an event and expecting to slow over the closing stages.
To run a Marathon you need the best part of 20 weeks to prepare and slightly less for a Half Marathon and 10k if you expect a certain result.

What situation do you want to be in?

Do you want to stand on the start line of a race knowing you have had a long healthy preparation or do you want to stand there fearful that you will be carrying a bear on your back in the closing stages?

Your long campaign will not only reward you with a level of fitness you only dreamed about but it will also allow you to achieve your challenging yet realistic goal via a even pace.
NOW!

It’s a great feeling crossing the line knowing it all clicked on the day, so be smart and start sooner rather than later.

Sports Nutrition Training Session

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 05:38:06 +0000

Brisbane / The Ship Inn (South Bank) / Saturday April 28 /7.30 am / $220

The session will be conducted over a 1 hour training session.

More details here

Australia’s Jessica Trengove has run an Olympic qualifier

admin — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 08:39:26 +0000

South Australia’s Jessica Trengove has run an Olympic qualifier in her debut marathon in Nagoya, Japan.A consistent 72 minute half-marathoner over the past few years, 24-year-old Trengove finished 14th to record a time of 2:31:02.

More here

Australians to compete in New York Half Marathon

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:54:46 +0000

Australians Ben St. Lawrence (debut), Collis Birmingham (1:05:46) and Michael Shelley (1:02:10), and Lisa Jane Weightman (1:09:00) will compete in the NYC Half Marathon on March 18. More here.