4 Tips for Running on the Assault Runner
Video by Nuno Costa

Invictus Endurance Coach, Nuno Costa, highlights some key technique points for the Assault Runner, which is very different than running on a regular treadmill that spins itself. With the Assault Runner, you are the one propelling the mill.

The Assault Runner will also punish you for technique mistakes like heel striking and reaching too far out front or behind. It’s a great tool to use not only to diagnose mistakes, but also to help correct them. It will be much easier to run on the Assaut Runner with proper technique so you’ll start to get a feel for both bad and good positioning.

Other than technique, there are a few other things to consider – Coach Nuno covers these, and more, in the video, so make sure to check it out!

4 Tips for Running on the Assault Runner

1. Run in the center of the runner – If you are too far back from the middle and the runner won’t move and if you are too far up front you will go way too fast.

2. Arms go cheek to cheek – What are the arms doing? We want the arms (elbows to be close to 90 degrees) kept close to the body while we run. The arms dictate the rhythm for the legs to move. When the arms move then the legs will follow.

3. Don’t break at the hips – Your body should be in a straight line from your shoulders to your hips to your ankles.

4. Don’t reach! – A quick cadence will keep you from overreaching out in front and over extending out the back.

Looking for more running tips? Coach Nuno is an expert on not only running technique, but nutrition, strength & conditioning, mobility, mindset and strategy for your next race or even if you just like to run for fun! Even if you don’t live in San Diego, you can be coached by Nuno through the Invictus Endurance online program.

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Positive Mantras
Written by Nuno Costa

When the wheels come off – how do you deal with adversity? This is a common challenge for someone participating in an endurance event. You will have the race where everything you can think of goes wrong – then what? How do you handle the unknown? Do you keep fighting till the end, or do you give up?

Endurance events are quite challenging – especially mentally. Events in longer duration can be tougher because we are typically alone with our thoughts for hours at a time. Even a shorter race like a 5k can be a push to stay dialed in for the entire time. At some point or another our thoughts drift. What do you do when that happens? Do you have a way to get dialed back in to your race/pace so that you can achieve your goal?

The longer the race – the tougher the battle between your ears. A great way to overcome the negative thoughts from taking over and potentially ruining your race is to have some positive mantras.

In a previous blog post, I described the importance of having a vision statement that you can help you visualize how you want your race to go. This is to be done prior to the race. Part of that statement should include some positive mantras to help you refocus and keep pushing towards breaking the limits of what you think is possible.

I will share what some of my positive mantras have been when I run longer races. I ran track in college, and in the 400-meter sprint you don’t really have time to think, but as I took on longer events I found it more necessary to get my mental game dialed in for the race.

I usually had 3 positive mantras:

1. I love running.
This is true for me – if this is not true for you, then don’t use it. You want your mantras to be authentic, if they aren’t, you won’t believe them and they won’t serve you.

2. I love my red running shoes.
I really did for a long time, I had a pair of low-profile racing flats that I loved and every time I put them on to race it helped me stay focused. When the race got tough, I tried to remember this so I would forget about the pain.

3. Thankfulness for the volunteers & supporters.
My last positive mantra was more of an action – I always made it a point to thank the volunteers during a race. Events take a lot of work to be pulled of properly. Lots of people giving up their time to come out and support you in some form or another and they don’t even know you. I made it a point at water stations to thank them and give them a big smile. This was really serving me though – as I thanked them, most of the time I forgot about the possible pain I was going through and got to a much better mental state that allowed me to perform at a higher level.

Regardless if you are trying to get on the podium or just finish a race – everyone can benefit from positive mantras. Keep them simple, keep them personable and keep them fun! This way it will be easy for you to remember when the race gets tough. If you don’t think you will be able to remember them you might want to write them with a sharpie on your hands or arms so that you can look at them throughout the race!

The positive mantras don’t have to be limited to your running or endurance events, I have used them in Open workouts before, training sessions, etc…They might vary depending on the task at hand, but I have always found them to be helpful in getting me to be able to accomplish whatever I was setting out to do.

Do you already use mantras – if so, I’d love to hear what they are? If you don’t – then it is my challenge to you, to create 3 positive mantras for your next race/event!

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Is It OK to Run and Workout When You Are Sick?
Written by Nuno Costa

As coaches we get asked this question all the time – is it ok to workout when you are sick? The answer is not that simple…It usually depends on what your symptoms are. Anytime I go into the doctor with some sort of illness, that’s usually my first question – when can I get back to working out?

It’s in Your Head

From what I have read online, and by asking as many experts as possible – the common answer I get is: If your symptoms are above the neck then you are fine to exercise at moderate intensity. This means dialing back the intensity on your run and CrossFit workouts. You will not lose a lot of fitness by doing so and it may help you get better more quickly.

You Got Hit by a Bus

If you have severe flu/cold-like symptoms where you ache everywhere and have a hard time moving or doing anything at all – your best bet is going to be to rest until you feel better. If you’ve got a fever, make sure your body temperature returns to normal before working out again. No need in coming in and raising your body temperature even more.

Running with the Runs

What about stomach issues? I’ve had run workouts that I tried to push through with stomach issues and that was highly unpleasant – let it pass, no need in having an accident in the middle of your run/workout…

Sample Sickness – Sinus Infection

I will give you a couple of examples of recent illnesses – this past week I came down with a sinus infection and it hit me super hard. My head felt like it was going to explode from the inside out. My body felt fine, I didn’t have aches, pains, had a minor cough but the head congestion alone made me feel like I couldn’t do anything. I promptly went to the doctor and started some antibiotics – and of course I asked him when I could get back to training – to which he replied, “If you feel up to it the day after.” I ended up waiting two days, and by the 3rd day, I finally felt like my head had cleared enough to be able to move. As I did so, I made sure to lower my intensity on the workout and not to over do it. My goal is always to be healthy first and I need to make sure my actions are in alignment with my goals.

Sample Sickness – Strep Throat

Another example I can give – I have had strep throat the past couple of years and I managed it better the most recent bout. A couple of years ago, I didn’t quite realize what I had come down with, was coaching a seminar and we did a lunchtime workout that floored me. Needless to say, that was not a smart decision and I paid for it. The most recent case of strep, I caught it early enough and decided to give my body complete rest for a few days – it took me a good 5 days or so before I was able to do anything. My body did not want to move, it ached and I didn’t think working out was going to make it any better, if anything it was going to make it worse.

Mounting Your Comeback

Make sure you aren’t contagious before you go back to the gym. Usually I will wait until I have been on antibiotics for 24-48 hours to make sure I am not going to affect others. Let people know you are under the weather so they don’t hug you or shake your hands – do what you can to prevent it from getting passed on. Make sure you wash your hands as much as possible, use hand sanitizer more than usual if you are a little under the weather and make sure you wipe off all your equipment thoroughly.

Ease back into your training. It could take a few days to even a few weeks before you start feeling 100% again. Adjust not only your intensity during this time, but take into account your depleted energy when attacking strength workouts as well. You probably won’t be able to follow the prescribed percentages right off. And even if you can, you probably shouldn’t.

Make sure to check out our our online Endurance Training Program. In addition, please feel free to contact me directly – nuno@crossfitinvictus.com if you have any questions about this article, your running plan, or life and training in general.

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Are You Running Too Much?
Written by Nuno Costa

If you are training for an endurance event, it’s more than likely you’ve had the thought that you are not doing enough. This is super common in the endurance community and as a matter of fact, I call it the “more is not better trap”. I am a big fan of better is better – emphasizing quality over quantity when it comes to training volume.

As the distances get longer for the event you are training for – there is a higher tendency to want to do more and there’s more often that nagging feeling like you are not doing enough. But no matter how much you do, that never seems to go away. It doesn’t ever seem like endurance athletes go into a race feeling confident their training fully prepared them.

The Writing on the Wall: You’re Doing too Much if…

There are some clear signs that you are doing too much – if your body starts to break down, more than likely you are doing too much. If you start getting slower and it’s taking you longer to recover from your training, you are probably doing too much. If your performance in the gym is not continuing to improve, you are probably doing too much.

Using the CrossFit Methodology for Endurance Training

CrossFit changed the way people trained for health and fitness! No longer were people spending 2-3 hours in a globo gym moving from machine to machine. Doing constantly varied, functional movements at high intensity taking hour long classes gets some great results.

Now let’s take a similar approach to endurance training – instead of putting on a lot of junk miles, let’s train with a purpose. Make every training session mean something – specific targets based on their goal.

Back in the day, CrossFit Endurance proposed a new method of training for endurance events. The baseline being 3-5 CrossFit workouts per week giving you a strong strength and conditioning foundation that would carry over to your sport-specific training and supplementing it with 2-3 sport-specific weekly workouts. This would definitely get a little trickier if you are training for a triathlon where you have to manage three sports on top of doing CrossFit. It can be done, and not only have I done it personally for a variety of events, but I have had the opportunity to coach athletes over the years accordingly.

But let’s get back on track to what we want to discuss here. Your body is the best indicator of how your training is going and whether you are doing too much or not. Most of us though, may not be well in tune with how it’s responding until its too late. Instead of listening to our body, we listen to our mind – and our mind will tell us to do more most of the time.

How to “Do Less” Better

Let’s take a half marathon for example – my suggestion would be to start with CrossFit and let that give you a strong baseline of fitness, see if you can be consistent 3-5 times a week. Then add in your running 2-3 times a week. You should take at least one full day off per week and if you need it more – take more.

Again, listen to the warning signs mentioned above about how you are responding to the training and allow the results to dictate when to do more and when to do less. An endurance event will be more of a mental battle than a physical challenge most of the time – it’s a matter of how you handle what goes on between your ears during the time you are out on the course.

As you train for this half marathon, make sure your sessions are focused on intensity: short or long intervals and tempo/time trial efforts to build your stamina. For more on this, please feel free to contact me directly – and be sure to check out our Invictus Endurance online training program.

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5 Tips to Start Your Running Regimen Off on the Right Foot
Written by Nuno Costa

It’s time to get in shape – it’s been awhile since you’ve been thinking about it, and you just don’t know where to start. What about running? Seems like the easiest form of exercise – the least amount of equipment needed and no need to be paying for a gym membership. What do you really need to start running? A pair of shoes and a will to get out there and do it! Let’s discuss a few things to consider when starting off on your path to running.

1. Find a running group.

This will make it much easier to be consistent. If you can find people to run with on a regular basis, it will make it more likely that you will stick to it. It’s almost like having free accountability partners. You show up, they show up and before you know it you are on your way to doing your first race/event. We are pretty lucky here to have Invictus Endurance established. We meet twice a week for running workouts. If you are ever in San Diego please make sure to come run with us!!!

2. Find a race to train for.

This will give you something to look forward to. If you have a race/event on the calendar, you can start to create goals based on what you are looking to accomplish. This can be as simple as completing your first 5k, which would be a great start if you are new to running. As you get the running bug, you’ll find different races that may appeal to you – like a Ragnar Relay event that you can do with a group of your friends.

3. Get a good pair of shoes.

Make sure you check out the blog post I wrote on this as there are a few things that you ought to keep in mind as you select the best pair of running shoes for yourself like the distance you plan to use them for, how much cushion the sole should have, how to break them in, etc.

4. Start off slowly.

Injuries in running are super common and can be avoided by training smartly. This includes not adding too much volume too quickly. Doing so may set you up for failure. If your body is not used to the impact from running you are smart to add in the running slowly. Start with one or two sessions per week for the first month or so. If you feel like your body adapts well, then add a third session. Most people don’t need to be running more than three days a week if they are just starting off on a running program. If you are looking to compete or have a specific goal/time you are trying to achieve – that’s a different conversation to have altogether.

5. Have fun with it!

Don’t take it too seriously. Your running sessions should be one of the things you look forward to most out of your day. If it begins to feel like work and you don’t enjoy it – don’t do it. If you keep it light and enjoy it – you might even get a runner’s high every once in awhile and that’s a great feeling in itself.

There are many other things we can go into – such as making sure you warm up properly and that you are fueling and hydrating, but focus on these 5 things first. Get these dialed in and then you can start to think about the other such details.

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How Accountability (& the Invictus Spar! Challenge) Helps You Reach Your Goals
Written by Nuno Costa & TJ O’Brien

You’ve made your goal to stay on track during the holidays, set a strategy…but as the days go by…you have yet to implement your plan of action.

The actual work of carrying out your plan from beginning to end alludes you…and you’re quickly starting to see that you’re spinning your wheels and still in the same predicament you were in last year. Sound familiar?

There may be many reasons why you haven’t been able to implement your plan or reach your goals but the main reason is the lack of accountability.

Accountability is what separates the super successful from the mediocre.

I’m sure you can relate to trying to reach the same goal over and over again…by yourself with no help and getting little to no results. Let’s take your health for instance (since staying on track with workouts and nutrition during the holidays is a common goal). Studies show that the person who actually achieves weight loss and transition into a healthier lifestyle is the person who connected into some form of accountability program. It could be hiring a trainer, joining a health club, hiring a nutritionist, or joining the Invictus Spar! Challenge on this cool new app. It’s something about having to answer to another person (or group of fellow Invicti) for your actions that motivates you to stay on track with your goals.

5 Benefits To Having Accountability:

1. Accountability accelerates your performance.

When you connect with a coach or training partner you can work the kinks out of your plan, develop a sure-fire winning strategy and execute with confidence.

2. Accountability helps you measure your success and progress.

A good coach or training partner will help you define what success looks like and set milestones to measure your progress along the way. You can easily track how close you are to reaching your goals.

3. Accountability keeps you engaged.

There are things that will come up that will distract you from your goals and take you off course. Even when you’re bored, distracted or tired, knowing that you have to answer for your progress will keep you going to the finish line.

4. Accountability will keep you responsible.

When you are working with someone who pushes you to make massive changes in a short amount of time and give a report…you finally realize that you are ultimately responsible for how much progress you make every day. Accounting for your actions weekly will cause you to take a good look at yourself, start eliminating the excuses and start making deliberate actions that bring about your intended success.

5. Accountability will validate your thoughts and ideas.

When you have someone to be accountable to you can silence your inner critic and bounce your ideas off someone else who can help you make sound decisions and give you constructive advice.

The Invictus Spar! Challenge

Let’s all be accountable together this holiday season! Invictus is hosting a Spar! Challenge where participants will set the goal of working out 4 times each week for the month of October. What a great way to keep (or get) the ball rolling through the holiday season and possibly win some cash to roll into the next holiday health challenge later this year. Watch the video to learn more about the Invictus Spar! Challenge then sign up here! This challenge is open to both our local members and online community!

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Calculating Pace Zones

As CrossFit continues to evolve as a sport, we are starting to see athletes become better and better in every area they are tested. One thing that’s certain is that we will continue to see running being tested in the sport of fitness. One of the key components to becoming a better runner is pacing.

I used to teach the Endurance seminars for CrossFit and something we always talked about was how CrossFit athletes need to learn how to pace and how endurance athletes need to learn about intensity. Needless to say, both communities can learn from one another. As we’ve seen the sport evolve athletes have become much better at pacing, not just within running but also in workouts.

The skill of pacing does not come overnight. It requires some understanding and practice. Running is one of the best ways to learn how to pace since most running workouts require some knowledge and understanding of the time domain, rest intervals, terrain and distance. All these variables need to be taken into consideration when running or when doing a workout.

The first thing an athlete needs to do is get a benchmark for their running. This could be a 1-mile time trial, a 5k or another distance that was recently tested. Once you have your benchmark, plug it into the McMillan FREE running calculator. There are other pacing calculators out there but this is the one I have used most often with clients successfully. For example, if you ran your recent mile time trial in 6:45 and your goal is to be able to run a 5K in 21 minutes then plug both times into the calculator. Once you do this it will show you what your current times are and what your goal times are. For someone that wants to run a 5k in 21 minutes they need to average 6:46 per mile, which means their mile time trial should be closer to the 6 minute mark.

You can work forward or backwards based on the algorithm calculations the running calculator provides. The things that are most pertinent when using the McMillan Run Calculator is the training paces. I use this when I create workouts for different athletes based on their ability. The training paces we use most often are the speed paces and sprint paces. However even these are going to have some variation based on the workout and how much rest there is between the working intervals.

When doing longer endurance/stamina based workouts that are percentage based then use the formula pulled from Power Speed & Endurance website, the old CrossFit Endurance website. Here is a short how-to on calculating percentages based off time trials:

Formula: P + (P x (1 – E)) = G

P = fastest time for the distance. Convert to seconds.

E = Desired effort level in decimal form (90% = .90)

G = Goal time in seconds

Example: 90% of 10k TT Pace

So, if my fastest 10k is 48 minutes and my desired effort is 90% then my goal time should be:

2,880 + (2,880 x .10) = G

3,168 seconds= 52.8 minute 10K

Hopefully this article gives you a little insight on pacing; where you are at now with your running and where you need to be in accordance to what your goals are. This should help you calculate your pace for interval based running workouts and have an understanding of how to calculate percentages for longer based stamina runs. In an upcoming post we will review what watches are out there that can help you with pacing in real time as well as apps that can also assist with this.

If you haven’t checked out our online endurance program, be sure to do so as soon as possible. Give it a try for a few months and watch your running/aerobic capacity improve! You can register for it here:

https://www.crossfitinvictus.com/competitors/invictus-athletes-programs/

Also Check Out …

Invictus Endurance Program: What to Expect

Essential Concepts of Efficient Running

Common Position Faults in Running

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Attention Runners! Mobilize these 2 Often-Neglected Areas for Better Performance!
Videos by Nuno Costa

If you run a lot, chances are that your adductors are tight. Tight adductors can lead to dysfunctional walking and running gait, pain throughout the hip region and even strain of the groin are. There are a couple ways to roll this area – the inside of the leg between the VMO (above the knee) to the groin. Grab yourself a barbell, a foam roller or a softball and give it a try!

You may not realize it, but shoulder mobility is super important for runners and it’s time you spent some time on yours so that you can relax them into proper form as you run. Many people carry their tension in their shoulders, and specifically the upper traps. These drills (along with some awareness on your part) will help you ensure that you aren’t shrugging with intensity or hunching forward while you run. You can do any of these either before or after your next running session depending on how tight you feel going into the session versus how much tension you picked up during your run.

You don’t want to miss our new ½ Marathon cycle that runs from September 3rd through Thanksgiving! We promise you’ll see improvements in your running AND have fun while doing so!

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Should Runners Mobilize? Yes They Should!
Videos by Nuno Costa

Invictus Endurance Coach, Nuno Costa, shows you how to avoid IT band syndrome, which is common in endurance and CrossFit athletes. This drill can be done before your run, or even better, on your rest day(s) so that you can really put some focus and energy into it. Whether you use a barbell, a foam roller or a ball, use this drill to help break up the tight fascia that is the IT band to eliminate hip and knee pain as well as compensation in your running form which can lead to a plethora of injuries.

No matter your sport or activity, your feet are a very important factor in how you move and perform. Think of it this way, would you rather run on cement blocks or on feet that splay and move with you and the surface you are on? In this next video, Coach Nuno goes through several self myofascial release (SMR) drills to keep your feet healthy – especially if you’re a runner and endurance athlete.

You don’t want to miss our new ½ Marathon cycle that runs from September 3rd through Thanksgiving! We promise you’ll see improvements in your running AND have fun while doing so!

The post Should Runners Mobilize? Yes They Should! appeared first on Invictus Fitness.

Should Runners Mobilize? Yes They Should!
Videos by Nuno Costa

Invictus Endurance Coach, Nuno Costa, shows you how to avoid IT band syndrome, which is common in endurance and CrossFit athletes. This drill can be done before your run, or even better, on your rest day(s) so that you can really put some focus and energy into it. Whether you use a barbell, a foam roller or a ball, use this drill to help break up the tight fascia that is the IT band to eliminate hip and knee pain as well as compensation in your running form which can lead to a plethora of injuries.

No matter your sport or activity, your feet are a very important factor in how you move and perform. Think of it this way, would you rather run on cement blocks or on feet that splay and move with you and the surface you are on? In this next video, Coach Nuno goes through several self myofascial release (SMR) drills to keep your feet healthy – especially if you’re a runner and endurance athlete.

You don’t want to miss our new ½ Marathon cycle that runs from September 3rd through Thanksgiving! We promise you’ll see improvements in your running AND have fun while doing so!

The post Should Runners Mobilize? Yes They Should! appeared first on Invictus Fitness.