Paul Piper's Guide to Elevating Your Running Game Part 3

So you're thinking about running but not sure how to take the first step . My name is Brian Patterson and I'm here to help . Welcome to Brian's Rompod . Welcome back to Brian's Rompod , and it's me , brian Patterson .

Actually there is in the coach's minds and variably , there is a target time .

Oh , there is Okay .

I do find that and the sub free often crops up .

Oh right .

So I like to kind of temper that a little bit until I get to know the athlete and the training background and I like to see how that first five , six weeks goes , because as runners we do tend to obsess over arbitrary numbers . So if your actual marathon potential at the end of that block is three hours , four minutes , then that's what it is really .

So majority of the people who come to you are really looking , let's say , either sub three or maybe between three to three thirty .

I've got everyone from sub just under sub four to sub two thirty .

So you've got sub fours and sub two thirty .

So yeah , quite a broad range .

And in terms of the says here so you're recovering from the hard sessions . So it's really important in terms of doing those easy days .

Absolutely yeah , yeah depending on the experience of the runner , there will obviously be complete rest days as well . Some runners might benefit a lot from having two rest days a week , which is quite common really . We can mix in sort of recovery methods of swimming , non impact cardio , like a elliptical machine .

Yes , yeah .

Bike sessions , which will help aerobic capacity , but equally I might have some runners that might have a complete running rest day every three weeks . So , like I said before , it's such a broad range of sort of ability really .

We haven't sort of tapped on to sort of like strength training or weights , any good tips for people you know for on the strength training side .

Yeah , I think the core muscles are essential really for a good running form , and if you've got a good running form and a strong running form , then you're wasting energy less , which is massive , especially in a marathon when you might be on your feet for three to four hours . So if you can save like one percent wasted energy , that's huge .

Okay .

Yeah , so if you look up hip bridges on the internet , you'll see what I mean .

A link A link will be in the show notes .

Yeah , absolutely . So good for engaging the glutes . The glutes are the strongest running muscle and they're probably the most underutilised , hence we rely on our hamstrings too much and the hamstrings seem to get stressed a lot in runners .

Because I sit all day . I have tight hip flexors , like anything .

Yeah , yeah , no , it's very common . I'm at work and I'm lucky enough to have a quick fit . They're quite common now , luckily , in offices , desks that you can raise up and stand up yes .

Yeah , that kind of thing .

When I got my worst injury probably was a piriformis injury , which is a glute muscle which had seized up , and it felt like a stress fracture and essentially it was because I was doing 120 , 130 miles a week . No , yeah . I used to do crazy mileage , but now I'm doing 80 or 90 and running quicker .

So that was a case of too much .

It wasn't beneficial . So my coach actually got me to drop down and then all of a sudden I was getting quick .

So how many times a week do you run now ?

I pretty much run every day . Oh right , yeah , I might have one day off a month maximum . Yeah , so quite a lot . But yeah , my piriformis injury was from doing that sort of mileage and then sitting at a desk , so it just seized up over about six or seven weeks of training and it all came to head .

Yeah .

Yeah , so it's like one extreme to the other and there's no .

So basically just summarise basically good core .

Yeah , side planks are very good .

Yeah , and also engage with the gluteus maximus . Yeah , try to get the hamstrings .

Yeah , I do like a plank every night , Just build it into my routine , everyday routine .

What to do ? The core exercise Core exercise yeah , yeah , yeah , okay , okay .

And it's something you can do at home as well no equipment needed .

Yeah , yeah .

And the dead . There's the dead bug . You know when you lie on your back and your arms .

Oh right .

Legs in the air , and yeah , there's different variations of that . That's another good core exercise . Okay , yeah , all right .

Another one we'll include in the show now . Yeah , yeah , I did . Something did come across my mind , which was I know a lot has recently been talked about as cadence , you know , this kind of magic 180 to 200 rule sort of thing . I mean , what's your views on it ?

Yeah , I must admit I don't . I don't particularly focus on it . Yeah , at all , really , to be honest . Yeah , I know my cadence . It's estimated on my watch so it's actually through movement , so I don't fully know how accurate it is , but last time I checked it was between 180 and 190 .

Yeah .

But I generally think if you're doing proper running drills ie a skips , b skips and you're getting strides into your into a lot of your runs in the week , I just generally think that will fall into place . Really your cadence will improve as you improve as a runner .

So a skips are so that's like a running drill .

It's quite hard to explain , but if you watch athletics like Diamond League , you'll see like the sprinters warm up with a skips .

Oh right , Do you know what I mean ?

It's where the knee comes up higher and they bring the bring the leg down and they land on there like four foot Okay . Okay , it's kind of like a I suppose you could call it like a plyometric type exercise .

Yeah .

That's all about building good sort of like a good routine into your running and a good technique yeah .

Good technique , yeah yeah .

But yeah , I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to overanalyze their cadence to that extent ?

No , because I know it's like you say on . You know whether you're watches or any of the tech that you've got , then you know they use this algorithm to work out your cadence , but it's not .

There's a lot .

I wouldn't get hang up about it .

So yeah , yeah , I wouldn't necessarily . There's so much data on the modern watches now and yeah , vertical isolation is one as well , oh , yes , that's true .

Yeah , it's true . Yeah , Is that one ?

There's three or four others I can think of and initially , when I got my watch , I thought , well , that'd be quite handy . But in reality , heart rate and yeah , the pace functions are the the handiest things ?

Yes , yeah , yeah .

I think it's easy to overcompicate running when it's actually probably the most natural thing that we can do as a sport .

That's true , yeah , that's true , yeah . So I mean I know now you can . I know sometimes , whenever I do the 10 week training plans , they can download it to your watch and then you know it's like having your own coach in your , in your ear or something like that . Yeah , and I've always found that that to be quite helpful sort of thing , yeah .

It's quite easy , especially for new runners . With all the material out there on the internet and stuff , it's quite easy to get bogged down in the minutiae of detail . So you might worry about . I go for a long run but I stop at a traffic light for 10 seconds and you know , does that affect my training ?

I was going to ask you about just something popped into my head about treadmills and then some people kind of have a bit of a love hate relationship with treadmills . What advice or would you give to someone about how they can incorporate the treadmill into their training ?

Yeah , Well , I'm a . I'm a quite a big fan of treadmills , oh great so next time you're in David Lloyd , you'll probably see me knocking out a session

Yeah , run .

Yeah , and the other advantage , or one of the other advantages , is you can have your nutrition there handy right , that's true water and I have done 25 miles on the treadmill .

I know I could do that now , right ?

No but you know , like when it was , I see , and snow and stuff a few years ago . But yeah , having the gels right there beside you and I suppose there's a extra heat element , you're training in generally stuffier environments .

The advantage is with the treadmill , although you're able to gauge a pace . Right , yeah , easily yeah although I know it's kind of , some people would argue it's kind of artificial running to a certain extent . I don't know slightly .

Yeah , I mean the negative side . Maybe it's slightly different biomechanics .

Yes .

Yeah . I know that I think it loads your quads up a little bit more and your hamstrings . Yeah , less . The general rule is , and Obviously there's no air resistance because you're not going anywhere . So , yeah , and that's where the 1% on the treadmill the idea of that is , then it mimics being being outside outside there is it resistance . So okay .

Yeah , I didn't think about that , because I do know 1% , but I don't think about that . It's the air resistance as well .

Which can be quite big . Especially , and obviously the faster you are , the more impact that air resistance is . Yes yeah , for the top elite runners being on a treadmill , you know , you maybe could argue one and a half percent , but yeah , certainly 1% .

But do you think , going outside , you know your , your incline is going to vary , isn't it ? So it's sometimes yeah be 0.5 . Yeah , I mean , I don't know depending on the roads wherever you are . And yeah , yeah .

That's the other , probably slight disadvantage of the treadmill .

I mean , yeah , I think that's you know , if you do have a gym which has a pool , I would have having that Swim , afterwards .

Yeah , really I alternate between the plunge pool and the sauna and just getting that heat and cold , heat and cold and okay , I do think my muscles haven't recovered a little bit better . Yeah even though I'm not getting any younger .

What's the um I've always wanted to ask is what are the benefits of , of , let's say for , let's say for a runner of the plunge pool ? Is that supposed to something to do with the capillaries or something like that ?

I can't remember , not 100% sure . Okay , um , I know I can only manage about a minute time .

Some people are doing like five minutes so yeah , because I know there's a big thing about . Yeah , I had to plunge pools and help .

You know , you see people are buying like ice baths on , that's right , like cold water therapy .

Yeah .

I guess it's the muscle contraction . Yes , and then when you not in there , the muscles contract out again , I suppose . But yeah , I don't have to look at that more closely . But From a personal standpoint .

I can't , because you do see , I remember seeing something using bolt and then you know someone , one of his trainers were putting ice in his in the bath .

So yeah , it's sort of recovery . So yeah , it's been around for a long time so I'd imagine there's definitely some benefits .

Yeah , great my gosh . So last question before we go , and I doubt we may get you back on again .

I'd love to come back , yeah , yeah now you .

I just wanted to ask , and sometimes I do ask as well . I mean , have you met any of your heroes in terms of running heroes ?

Yeah , In the last Great North Run , which was September , I lined up pretty much right next to Mo Farah in his last professional race which was on television .

I doubt that will happen again . I mean , I don't know what was it , it was a super Thursday or I can't remember what it was .

but Super Sunday Sunday . Yeah , that's right . I remember it very clearly , jessica , jessica and his yeah , that's right . So , yeah , that was pretty amazing to be stood next to him pretty much . Yeah , it was on TV and everything . It was , yeah , brilliant .

You've got any coaches that you admire , so anyone particular coaching style that you've admired , or has it because , like you said earlier , the guy who coached you ? Has kind of inspired you and used his principles as a the biggest influence on me has been David , for sure . Yeah .

Yeah , his coaching style , his knowledge , it's sort of like no nonsense coaching . It's like straight to the point , no fluff or anything like that , and if he said anything it was a value yeah .

Right .

So yeah , he's a seemingly good coach . Yeah , and we're still in contact to the day this day . So yeah , after my recent PB , he sent me a nice email , which was nice . Even though he hasn't coached me for a year and a half , he's still taken interest in .

And do you feel that you're sort of ? Not only you're learning as an athlete , but also you're learning in terms of being a coach to other people , and do you feel that's kind of really running has helped you develop ?

that way . So yeah , I think so definitely is . I'm always just before . Well earlier in the day I was listening to other podcasts as a few other yeah . Good running podcasts and , yeah , you can .

No , I haven't tried them , though it's been completely groundbreaking .

So , yeah , the sports evolving all the time and , yeah , you've got really got to keep up with your knowledge , for sure . Yeah , it's about marginal gains and I think the shoes have been easily a three , four per cent , which is huge really .

Yeah , oh , that's fantastic . So but in terms of you know , you communicating with your coaches , do you feel that you're kind of getting better and better in terms of giving them better training plans or giving them better advice ? And it says did you feel that that's kind of improved over the years ? Yeah , I , think so .

As you build up experience , you're bound to pick up new ideas and new ways of approaching topics of runners that might not be popular , so yeah . So yeah , it's A relationship with an athlete is an experiment of one , so you can't translate one approach to another person .

Yes , of course , Of course . Yeah , that's quite a good training method .

Just yeah , just personalities . And some runners might like a lot of impact , a lot of touch points within their training plan , and some coaches probably wouldn't get in contact with you for two or three weeks unless you contact them . And some coaches , like every other day , would like contact , which is fine , yeah , but yeah , so it varies massively .

And that's what makes coaching so unique and you get so much out of it .

Yeah , there's a lot of intuition involved as well , and I think you build that level of intuition when you build your experience as a coach , which , like a standard app , is like a standard sort of like algorithm based towards target times , but when you're actually being coached by someone , it's more personal delving into , like sometimes decades of knowledge and

Right , ok , before we go , I just thought I just want to say thank you very much for coming , paul .

Absolutely being fantastic talking to you my first podcast .

Yeah , and also , where can people reach you ? I know you've got a website .

Yeah , so it's perfectsplitsrunningcom .

Yeah .

I've got the same handle on TikTok and Instagram .

Yeah .

My on my website is my email address and phone number yeah , so yeah , just reach out , email me , phone me . Yeah , look me up on Strava . So yeah yeah , yeah good .

OK , well , thanks very much for coming and everyone , Thank you very much for listening .

Thank you , Brian . Ok , thank you .