Run to Win

• I discussed what to look for in a new watch that you plan on working out with. I’ve bought some worthless watches before, so knowing what features you need can keep you from buying a second watch in short order. I also explained the difference between split times and lap times, which are common ways of breaking down workouts and races.
• Scott began our series on timeless exercises by describing how to do a Zercher squat.
• In running news, the Mystic Places Marathon was discontinued. This still remains one of my favorite races, but I will not be running it again. In other news, Complete Running created a new race calendar application.
• I read an interesting article that explained why man is the best runner in the animal kingdom.
• This week 2 years ago, I continued my animated series with how to do assisted pushups. I also continued sharing my thoughts on the New Rules of Lifting by discussing the eighteenth and nineteenth rules.

A common concept when training in any sort of speed sport is that of lap times, split times, and overall times. These concepts are not relegated only to the realm of running; they are equally important in swimming, bicycling, automobile driving, horse racing and any other sports where the competitor covers a measured distance. It can sometimes be confusing to tell the three apart.

• Overall Time: This one is pretty easy. It simply tells you how long it took to get from point A to point B. In a race, it will be how long it took you to get to the finish line. It can get a little more complicated, though, and can be split into net time and gun time.
  1. Net Time: How long it takes you to run a race from the moment you cross the starting line until the moment you cross the finish line. It is measured by an electronic chip worn on your shoe or your ankle.
  2. Gun Time: How long it takes you to cross the finish line starting at the sound of the gun, no matter where in the field you began your race and no matter how long it takes you to reach the starting line.
• Split Time: This is your overall time at any given point in your run. For example, in a 4 mile race you might have split times of 7:00, 14:00, 21:00 and 28:00 at each mile. Your split time would be your overall time at each specified waypoint if your run ended there.
• Lap Time: This is your time in between splits. In the above example, each of your mile laps would have been 7:00 minutes. The lap time is how long it takes you to get from one split to the next. The clock then starts over on the next lap.

Laps and splits will not always be for the same distance. For example, in a triathlon you would have seperate splits and lap times for your swimming, your biking, and for your running. In general, though, you will most often see mile or kilometer splits unless there is a more easily defined lap. On a track, you might have a 400 meter split, and in a pool you would have a 50 meter split.

Tracking and analyzing your lap and split times can help you improve your training and pace yourself through a race, which is a subject for a later day.

A sports watch is a runner’s second most important tool (after shoes.) Choosing the right one can be a harrowing experience, and it is easy to choose the wrong one. It took me until I was 24 years old to find a sports watch that I really liked, and it has lasted longer than any of my other watches. The next time you are looking for a sports watch, bear these 5 tips in mind.

1. Number Size: The most important thing to me is how large the numbers are. When I am running, I don’t want to have to search for the numbers; I want to be able to glance down at my wrist and read them.
2. Button Size/Position: The size and position of the buttons to access the various features of the watch are the second most important attribute that I look for. Having buttons that are difficult to find or difficult to push makes it harder to track your workouts and splits.
3. Water Resistance: You should never settle for anything less than water resistent to 100 meters.
4. Laps and Splits: Having lap times and split times are important for training and can help you break down your race performances later to see where you need to improve. They also help jog your memory as to the specifics of a workout for when you are recording it in your training log after the fact.
5. Other Features: I put other features together, since I have fairly simple needs and other features are just a bonus. An alarm or two, count down timers, and workout memory are all nice features and ones that I use.

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In a collaborative effort with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we wrote about rest for the month of October. This is the final article in our series. There will be a link to each topic at the bottom of this article.

The easiest way to time your rest is with a sports watch or stop watch. You can state before your workout how much rest that you want to allow yourself before starting your next set or repeat. This will allow you to accomplish various goals during your workout. The manner in which I time my rest depends greatly upon what type of workout that I am doing.
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This week last year I was paying a lot of attention to the World Championships in Helsinki and to the latest preseason NFL news.

• In NFL news last year, Rich Gannon retired, Ty Law signed with the Jets, and Terrell Owens continued his dog and pony show.
• At the world championships in Helsinki, Kenenisa Bekele won the 10,000m, Bershawn Jackson won the 400m hurdles, and the United States took the top 4 in the 200 meters final.
• I reviewed my casio wristwatch and the book, Run Fast: How to beat your best time every time.
• Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo performed in Portland this week last year as well. My girlfriend listened to him play; I went home and played with the cat instead.

I borrowed the book from my girlfriend (who I am going to marry in about 12 hours, by the way), and I have since given her the watch. I really need to get around to reviewing my new watch that I used to replace that watch.

Pay attention to how tight your watch is while you are working out. If it is too loose, it can spin around on your wrist or fall off. Or, it could just be an annoyance. It is fairly easy to tell when you watch is too loose. Something that I have noticed, though, is that often times people will make their watches too tight on their wrists. It is not as easy to tell when your watch is too tight as when it is too loose. A too tight watch means that:
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I bought the Casio Databank watch (Module #2465) a year or two ago from Sports Authority because it had large numbers. When you are moving quickly, a watch with large numbers makes it easier to glance down at the watch. However, there are some features about this watch that I did not overly care for, despite the nice visibility of the watch and large numbers that were on it.
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This tip is for anybody that has trouble timing their rest when they are lifting weights, either due to being distracted or not remembering when they finished their last set or just not being able to keep track of when to start the next set.
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