Hi everyone! We have several new trainees in the Fitness Protection Program, WELCOME!!!!!! This email is intended to get them up to speed. If you have already done the things below, or have been with me for awhile, disregard the email.
This is the most important rule: DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED. You are not alone or behind. Faster isn't better. Disciplined is better. I can make you faster but I can't make you more disciplined. Disciplined runners become fast runners. Undisciplined runners who happen to be fast become frustrated runners. They get hurt a lot and rarely understand why.
I realize this seems like a lot, but once we get going you'll wonder what you were doing before we met! Please do NOT be overwhelmed. I want you to love running. I want you to love racing. You will not love running for very long if you get hurt a lot, never reach your goals, or don't ever feel stronger or faster. I promise, if you do what I say to do exactly how I say to do it for at least 8 weeks, I will make you stronger and faster than you ever thought possible. I am certain of this, because most clients who gravitate towards me don't allow themselves to think big enough.
Next Steps for ALL New Members
Check your insurance coverage and be sure that Alex Lanton of Atlas Physical Therapy is in your network. If you tell me something hurts, I will tell you to see Alex Lanton. If you see someone else who is NOT Alex Lanton, it will get awkward as I remind you continually that you would feel better already if you had gone to see Alex Lanton in the first place. If you don't live in the Denver Area, look for a PT with the OCS certification who is also able to do DRY NEEDLING and bonus if they can also do MANUAL THERAPY.
Go to the nearest specialty run store, I prefer BRC in Greenwood Village for those near Denver and Jack Rabbit Sports for those of you in NYC. You probably need new running shoes. Get a gait analysis and get the best shoe for YOU TODAY. Also look into a cheap pair of Vibrams, I will only ever ask you to use them in the gym on a Bosu ball or stairmaster. It will do AMAZING things to your butt. This is optional but AMAZING. Vibrams should fit like a foot glove, the one size larger rule does not apply.The new running shoes should be AT LEAST half a size larger than your everyday shoes, and remember that running shoes tend to run small. I am an 8 in my everyday shoes but I run in 9.5s.
You need a heart rate monitor. Unless your name is Dove, or you want to do all of your runs with Dove and do exactly what Dove does, you will have to wear a chest strap. The wrist technology is new and unreliable, just ask Willie Tibbetts. Only one company makes it for now, so in 3 years it will be on par with the chest strap. Until then, GET THE CHEST STRAP. don't go crazy. Simple is best. If you usually wear a Garmin, get a Garmin HR strap. If you use a Nike TomTom, get their strap. If you use an app on your iPhone, get the strap that works with the app. If you have nada, get a cheap Polar. This one will suffice. http://www.polar.com/us-en/products/get_active/fitness_crosstraining/FT7
I am in love with my Polar m400 for numerous reasons, but it is an activity and sleep tracker, a very reliable GPS, and the best heart rate monitor ever all rolled into one. I have waited 7 years for the watch on my wrist and I LOVE IT. I used to have a cheap Polar that I'd use indoors and a Garmin that I'd use outdoors on top of a Fitbit that I'd wear the rest of the time.
Go to Home Depot and get a riser pipe http://www.homedepot.com/p/VPC-6-in-x-2-ft-PVC-SDR-35-Riser-Pipe-6006-2/202564459 Go to Wal-Mart and get 4-5 rolls of the cheapest sports tape they sell. If you spend more than $7 you lose. You're gonna wrap this around your PVC pipe so it doesn't slide away when you sit on it. Because you see, this is your new FOAM ROLLER. Minus the foam.
Please be sure to verify your email for Training Peaks. The email was sent earlier, please check your spam folder and let me know IMMEDIATELY if you can't find the verification email. For 1:1 clients, Training Peaks will be our primary mode of communication in the coming weeks. If you are an iphone user, Training Peaks has an app. I am not an iphone user and do not know how to use the app, but most people who train with me 1:1 love it so ask any of them. I am a blackberry user and work off of email, because Blackberries are not fun things with fun games my kids want to play with.
This is how you use the system: every day TP will send you an email at midnight with details about your run that day. Do the workout, and either sync the details if you use an app (TP syncs with just about everything, including Garmin's app) or manually enter them. I need AT LEAST distance, time or pace, average heart rate and max heart rate. The heart rate is not optional unless your name is Dove or you can actually poop rainbows. I need to see that.
THIS IS CRITICAL: In the "post-activity comments" section, be diligent every day and write a short comment, leading with average heart rate, and let me know how it went.
Here is an example of a very good comment: "138. I hate running this slow but I know it's good for me. Except my back, my lower back twinged a little towards the end. Do you think this could be my form slipping?"
Every single run should start with Silly Toes. It's your best bet against injury and these are NOT corners I recommend cutting. If time is a mitigating factor, cut a mile off of your daily run. A 'locked cage' means draw your shoulderblades together and try to tap the sides of your waist with your elbows. This is the best form cue I've ever received. When you do this, your back will straighten, your shoulders will be drawn over your hips and your lower abdomen will engage. Once this happens, it is nearly impossible to overstride. Every half mile or so, I want you to hear me in the back of your head screaming LOCK YOUR CAGE!!!!!! Take a second to roll your shoulders and re-assess your form. Your form will improve over time with SSCs. Doing more than locking your cage will give you too much to think about and stress you out. THIS IS THE ONLY FORM CUE I WILL EVER GIVE YOU, and no I don't care about cadence.
Google "TVA" or "Transverse Abdominus". it's about to get real. REAL STRONG, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
Look into buying a Bosu Ball, or a set of these loops: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ7U8EM?psc=1 the loops are cheap, there's no reason not to. We can do terrible, wicked things with them!
I AM SO EXCITED TO #COACHANDLOVE you!
Cheers,
MK
PS: In case you doubt or just totally hate the heart rate stuff, this is a great article that might clarify some things. BE PATIENT. It takes at least 6 weeks of consistent running in that low effort zone to see gains, but once they start they come hard and fast.