Instagram – Mike Trees

Instagram

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You need sprint regularly
Even marathon runners need to keep firing their fast twitch muscle fibers.

How much ?
6-10 x 60m- 100m twice a week

When :

On easy runs don’t just jog incorporate 6-10 shorts sprints
into your run with long easy running between

Why ?

Sprinting is important because it help improve your form and efficiency at all paces.
Sprinting helps recruit and develop fast-twitch muscle fiber, build muscle, elevate heart rate, and increase calorie burn.

Warning !

You can get too much of a good thing. Never exceed 5% of your total weekly distance sprinting.
I tied to only give 2-3% to my athletes.

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Eat Whole Foods

This is the season we all often eat too much, but we should still try and eat healthily...... Try to eat whole foods that look as close to how they are grown as possible. Avoid the processed food—foods that dominate most conventional grocery chains.
Processed and pre-packaged convenience food it ok for the odd treat, but it is usually packed with sodium, sugar, and empty calories that is a drain on your digestive system.

Also....
Don’t over do the carbs....
As athletes we tend to over eat carbs and sugars. You can really cut down on the pasta, bread, and cereals and have enough energy to complete many of the easy runs.
Most healthy diets will still provide enough incidental carbs as byproducts of fruit beans and veggies you eat.

Don’t get me wrong, I intend to enjoy myself this season. But I won’t undo all the great training and hard work I have put in, because I know just how hard it is to lose the extra weight come January.

It is a balancing act but hopefully these two tips will help.

#eatright #wholefoods #foodforrunners #noaddedsugar #runningtips #runningcoach #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Quit Trying to Set A PB every race
Enjoy the journey. 😊
Be process oriented, not outcome oriented. Get a little better with each training session; a stronger squat, a harder effort on intervals. Better diet, more flexibility. Don’t obsess about race day.

Life is a journey not a destination. If you obsess too much about the outcome you probably won’t enjoy the journey.

For older runners like me, I know that it is physiologically impossible to set any new PB’s so I look to improve on my weaknesses and set challenging goals aimed at:

1. Having fun and enjoying each day’s training.
2. Staying fit, healthy and eating well.
3. Challenging myself and my athletes to achieve realistic targets
4. Striving to keep learning and self improvement.
5. Passing on what I know and helping others

#runningtips #runningmotivation #runningcoach #olderandwiser #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Tips for runners :
A bit of fun over the festive season. .

I will post a few tips everyday this month.
If you have any good tips and you want me to post them and give you a shout out, please DM me.
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Also. If you already know my tips then, ‘great’ 😊, it never hurts to be reminded of good practice.
If you are new to running, check back in every day this month you may learn a lot of new things 😉

To kick off, here are my first 3 random tips.

1. Do total body work outs !

Don’t just run.... I say this often.
The arms drive the legs. Keep your upper body and core toned with a lot of push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and back raises. Do leg strength work, such as squats, step ups, lunges etc .
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2. Don’t forget the 80/20 rule

80% of your running should be easy aerobic running only 20% should be hard.
I define aerobic running as training at your max HR -40 beats. .

3. Run drills, to improve your form.
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Practice makes permanent,
only good practice will lead to good running form. Butt kicks, high knee drills, bounding, skipping, ankling and hopping will all help.

#festiveseasontips #runningtips #runningcoach #coreworkout #runningdrills #8020rule #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Base training:
December was is the start of my base training phase.
Now it’s time to get the longer slower runs done.
That means lots of training at your IMAT pace ( Max HR -40) to maximize aerobic development.
You should also be running semi-fasted !
For those of you without a HRM.... If you can’t talk you’re running too fast !! .
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Summary:

1. Lots of aerobic running
2. Start at an easy level you can cope with.
3. Add 10% to your volume each week
4. Take every 4th week very easy. This allows you to recover and adapt.

What to include : .

1 long run :
Beginners aim to get over an hour by the end
Experienced runners will be aiming for 90mins to 2hrs . .
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1 steady run
It’s not all out, but it’s not easy, You can talk, but you don’t really want to. Often use the 5km parkrun as the steady run for my athletes. The distance depends on the event you are training for. .
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Any other running
Very easy, recovery runs.
If you start off at 25km a week and add 10% a week with a couple of shorter recovery weeks, you will still be up around 50km a week by the end of this period.
Experienced runners starting at 50km a week will be around 100km by the end.
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After the strength building phase you should enjoy running longer distances easier than before as you will have more power !

#basetraining #easyrun #periodization #runningcoach #planetsportsrun #miketrees #runnersofinstagram #aerobicrunning

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Hill sessions at a glance:
1. Best done in the off season to build up leg strength.
2. Find a hill between 6-10% gradient
3. Don’t include them when you have important races on the horizon. In the long term they will make you stronger and faster, but in the short term you would race poorly due to muscle fatigue.
4. For beginners, do 5-8 x 3 minutes hill reps with an easy jog back, 1 per week, in a 6 week block.
5. For experienced runners, 6 x 5 minutes hill reps with a jog back, for 6-10 weeks
6. HR should be zone three.... 70-80% of Max HR, but you don’t need to worry about a heart rate monitor, the hill will slow you down naturally if you push too hard.🤣🤣🤣
7. Over time try and aim for consistant pacing, so that all the times are similar. This is a very good skill to practice.

Hill reps are one of my favourite sessions, but there are no long hills where I live in Tokyo.......
If you too, have no long hill and are motivated or want this kind of functional strength, your options are:

1. Join a gym and use a treadmill on incline
2. Find small hills and so many reps ( like me 😅)
3. Do stair climbs.
Feel free to share and tag your friends. If you have a question put it in the comments below
Happy training.

#hillrepeats #hillreps #crosscountryrunning #runningmotivation #runningcoach #runnersofinstagram #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Food for thought
How far would you go to help your team ?
This girl broke her ankle, while running in a national level relay race in Japan and could not run. Her pride was so strong that she could not let her team down by failing to complete her leg, and so crawled the last few meters.

Runners are notoriously selfish, running for their own gain, but in Ekiden( relays) races you need your team mates.

What would you have done in this situation ? .

#ekiden #relayrace #teamplayers #running #roadrunning ##roadrunners #runnersofinstagram #runitfast #planetsportsrun #miketrees #runningmotivation #runninggirl

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The Long Run
The run most runners do on the weekend 😁
Have you done yours correctly?
Long run facts:
1/ Long run is often called long slow distance (LSD) run.
2/ It is first and foremost a slow run. Traditionally we always say ‘run at the pace of the slowest runner’.
3/ Your heart rate should be around 65% of your maximum, the same as the easy run.
4/ The big difference is that for the beginner, the long run is usually double the time of the easy run.
5/ While for intermediate and advanced runners, long run is up to 3 times as long as the easy run. But those preparing for marathons will do up to 4 or 5 times their easy run, but this length is not recommended every week
6/ Long run becomes a tough session, not due to the pace but due to the time that you spend running.
7/ Long run develops your aerobic system and teaches you to use fats for fuel.
8/ If possible it is best to do this run first thing in the morning before eating anything.
As a back up on my long run, I often take a couple of gels with me. This in case I feel hungry......, in reality I don’t usually need them..... they are a good safety net though.

Any comments ?
Please feel free to share and tag your friends .

#longrun #longeasyrun #easyrun #running #runnersofinstagram #runitslow #runningmotivation #runningcommunity #runningman

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What you need to know about a tempo run:
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1/ A tempo run is running near your maximum aerobic capacity
2/ Tempo run duration is usually 15-60 minutes, depending on level of experience and the intended race distance.
3/ You can do tempo runs for races from 5K up to FM.
4/ Tempo runs are more recommended for races over 10K (say HM and FM), while intervals are more recommended for races up to about 10K. Please note that it’s not the same to all runners, so better seek for coach advice.
5/ Beginners and experienced runners aiming at 5K would typically do tempo run for 15 minutes.
6/ For 10K races, beginners should start at 15 minutes and could add 5 minutes a week up to 30 minutes if they feel strong. While intermediate runners would look at 45 minutes and experienced runners might run for up to 60 minutes.
I like to get my athletes doing tempo at least every 2 weeks when they are preparing for a race. “I also tend to give tempo run to them during off season just to test their level of fitness.
My personal favourite is a 5km TT and 5km parkruns are ideal to achieve this goal, for marathons longer tempo runs are recommended as well.

#temporun #thresholdrun #parkrun #timetrial #5krun #runningmotivation #runningcoach #runnersofinstagram #runitfast #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Fartlek is a Swedish word for speed play. It is a natural way of varying the speed of your running. It is often difficult for beginners to grasp the concept because there are no rules. Put simply, when you feel fresh you run faster and when you feel tired you slow down.
The theory is that your body will naturally help you decide when to go fast and slow, depending on how tired or fresh you feel.
So the difference between interval and fartlek is; intervals are done over a fixed distance at a fixed pace, while fartlek is not run over a fixed distance and not at a fixed pace.
Beginners usually do fartlek running for around 30 minutes in length.
Advanced runners can do fartlek for up to 60 minutes.

Personally I don’t like to time my fartlek runs, I run without a watch, making a note of the time I start and the rough time when I get back. It’s also best done off road and over hilly terrain. It is a great natural form of speed/endurance training.
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#fartlek #fartlekrunning #intervalrunning #naturalrunning #endurancetraining #trackandfield #runningcoaching #triathloncoaching #planetsportsrun #miketreese

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Type of Run: Intervals.
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Interval training often haunts runners. Why so? Let's find out more about intervals

1/ Pace
With intervals, you run a set distance and a set pace with a fixed rest time. The pace should be your intended race pace. .

2/ Duration
Intervals should only be done for a maximum of 6-10 weeks. After that time their benefit starts to wane.

3/ Best for…
Intervals are more recommended for race up to 10 km.

4/ Training scheme
For beginners, it would be such things as 5 x 1 km at race pace with rest time as long as the running interval time. For intermediate and advanced runners, do such things as 8 x 1 km at race pace. The rest could be half the interval time . If you run 1km in 4mins rest for about 2mins.
However, do note that it’s not the same for all training, so coaches will be be flexible to ensure they meet the specific needs of their athletes.

If you like what I write, please share and tag your friends
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#intervaltraining #intervals #trackandfield #trainingprogram #trainingprograms #runningcoach #polarheartratemonitor #hokaoneone #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Back to basics :
This week I will go through some basic terminology for the benefit of beginners. Describing the different kinds of run we should be doing.
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Today I will start with the easy run....Even if you know this stuff, it never hurts to refresh your memory 😉.
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Easy Run: .

The golden rules about an easy run:

1/ Easy is defined as running at less than 65% of your maximum heart rate.
2/ An easy run should never be longer than 45 minutes.
3/ An easy recovery run should only be about 30 minutes long
4/ At least 80% of your running should be easy !
5/ As a general rule, you can’t do too much easy running, but it’s is easy to to do too much hard running !! .

How to find your maximum heart rate?
The simplest methods is by subtracting your age from 220. Example for a 20 years old runner:
220 – age (20) =200
200x 65% = 130 heart rate.
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Thus a 20 years old runner would run an easy run at about 130 heart rate.
It does not matter if you are a beginner, intermediate, or advanced runner, you should still run at about 65% of your maximum HR for 30-45 mins. .

What if you don’t have a HRM ?
Another simple way to check your pace is correct;
you should be able to talk easily at this pace and breath through your nose if you want to.

#easyrun #easyrunning #running #runningmotivation #runningcoach #runningcoaching #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Hi guys,

It’s my turn to ask for a favor.

If anyone knows of a New Years Day Fun Run, anything from 3- 10km would be awesome, please let me know.
My family and I will be staying in Miami on holiday over the festive season and would all like to run something together.

As we don’t know the area any help would be appreciated. 🤞🤞🤞 .
#funrun #newyearsrun #newyearrun2020 #miamibeach #miami

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Elastic recoil occurs when you convert energy temporarily stored in tendons and fascia into a free push off 👍 .
This potential energy is created after you land, under your center of mass, and then load your lower leg tendons. .

You then lever forwards and this energy is released when you contract your muscles and push off.
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Land......Load......lever.....Lift.
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Note: Research suggested that the elastic recoil ( free energy ) is most effectively harnessed at 180 steps per minute or above.
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WARNING:
If your cadence is lower that 180 strides per minute you are under achieving, by not maximizing use of this transient free energy !
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If you like what I post please share and tag your friends.
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#naturalrunning #runningform #runningstyle #elasticrecoil #triathloncoaching #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Take at least 2 days a week when you rest or do something else !! If you do run everyday, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ you get injured but ‘when’ you will get injured.

I have estimated it takes approximately 36 hours to recover between running sessions, that’s for the muscles to repair and the inflammation to subside. Obviously the longer and harder the run, and the harder the running surface, the more damage you will cause.

Active recovery is the way forward. For me there is nothing better than a sea swim, as I did yesterday. Even though it’s getting cold out there now, the views are spectacular👍

Elite runners I recommend up to 5 runs a week, up to 3 core/ strength sessions, 2 or 3 bike rides and 2 or 3 swims.... .
Yes, I know this looks like a triathlon schedule but through trial and error I have found even for running it produces the best results. Through varied training we can train for months on end building up very strong bodies with huge aerobic engines, due to the virtual lack of over use injuries

For age groupers I recommend up to 4 runs a week, 2 circuit sessions and 1-2 swims and 1-2 bikes.... depending on how much time you have and how motivated you are.

If you have less time available 3-4 runs a week and up to 2 core/ strength sessions... and 2 none running days a week is recommended ! .

If you like what I post please share this, and as always don’t forget to tag your friends 😉

#swimbikerun #swimming #openwaterswim #mtfuji #fujisan #hayamabeach #triathlon #trainsmarter #planetsportsrun #huub #miketrees

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For those that have not seen this. @jpgloria.dpt analyses and presents good form in his posts.
In this classic post, he breaks down the form of kipchoge’s awesome sub 2 marathon run.
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I know we can’t all run like kipchoge, but look and learn because we can all run more efficiently than we are at present. .
#sub2 #marathon #naturalrunning #runningcoach #runningform #trackandfield #roadrunning #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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It’s what you do not where you do it that counts.
Use your imagination to come up with fun and functional training anywhere
Running is still the most accessible sport in the world.

Here is as simple park work out I do twice a week, all year round.
I vary the exercises so that I never get bored.

Park circuit: .
Set 1
Push up 2 sets of 10. ( 20)
Body squat 30
Tricep dips 2 sets of 15 (30)
Step ups 20 (10L, 10R leg lead
Fast feet 20
(L fwd R fwd L back R back ).
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Hill/Run
1.Butt kicks/ high knee / Skips
2. Hops ( 5left 5right)
3 Bounding
4 Ankling
5 Run

Set 2
Lunges 10 each leg
Fwd, L & R leg
Back L&R leg
Fwd&back 6 each leg
Fast feet 20
(L fwd R fwd L back R back ).
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Hill/Run
1.Butt kicks/ high knee / Skips
2. Hops ( 5left 5right)
3 Bounding
4. Ankling
5 . Run

Set 3
Plank variations ( aim 5 mins )
Plank, side plank, plank with leg raiser, side plank with 5 leg lifts, plank 1 arm 1 leg, side plank 5 leg lifts, 10 slow push ups. .
Please tag your friends and feel free to share my posts.
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#runningcoach #naturalrunning #plankchallenge #plank-workout #coreworkout #trackandfield #runningdrills #planetsportsrun

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A strong core helps runners with their stability, balance, posture and overall control. .

Stability:
Having a strong core increases stabilisation in the torso. This means that less energy is wasted through wobbling and rocking side to side. .

Balance:
Core strength also significantly improves balance. It means that you recover quickly from missteps small & large. .

Posture and Coordination:
When you're exhausted at the end of a long race, your coordination and posture tend to suffer and cause you to slow down. But core-strengthening workouts will improve your coordination and posture throughout the race, particularly in the latter part of a race when you will need it most. .

If you like what I write, feel free to share my posts & tag your friends.
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#hokaoneone #hoka #coreworkout #corestability #coretraining #plankworkout #PlanetSportsRun #runningcoaching #MikeTrees #run #running #runnningform #strongcorestrongbody #runnersofinstagram

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That’s all that’s in the tank this year for 5,000m...
I peaked at 16:29 two weeks ago but you can’t put in a triathlon and expect to go faster at 5,000m the next week..... I still enjoyed bashing out a sub 17 5,000m.
If you are interested, below is how I structured my year’s build up to my sub17 5kms and how I will develop it to my marathon training for Barcelona next March.
Overview of annual training plan 2019 Jan-Dec

Strength & conditioning
12 weeks
LSD at IMAT (Max HR -40)
24 weeks
Speed work (zone 3 intervals)
6 weeks
Recovery R&R
1 week
Strength & conditioning
6 weeks
2020 (Jan)
LSD ( marathon build prep )
10 weeks
Note: this is a simplified overview, my athletes all work on similar structures to this, but targeting specific goals
If you like what I write please share it and tag your friends
#runningcoach #runner #speedwork #trackandfield #polarheartratemonitor #5km #5kmrun #trainsmarternotharder #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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TRAIN SMARTER NOT HARDER !

For over 6months I made sure over 90% of my running was kept my IMAT HR
( Max HR -40)
Swipe left to see my training data: .

June 1st
Pace per km : 5:17
Ave HR : 120 bpm
And today:

Nov 16th
Pace per km : 4:28
Ave HR 117 bpm

In less than 5 months I have reduced my pace per km by 50 secs per km and reduced my average HR by a few beats too !! .

HOW ?
Running at no higher than my Max aerobic HR -40( IMAT)
My max HR is 175 -40 = 135 as my max aerobic HR.

Keep over 90 % of your training at your IMAT HR for at least 12 weeks to see dramatic improvements
Today’s run was just 117 HR (66% of Max HR) making this the middle of zone 2, a light /recovery training session.

If you keep swiping you will notice that all this aerobic work has helped me run 16:29 for 5km, (2 weeks ago), which is a 2mins faster over 5km this year.
Train Smarter Not Harder
Don’t let anyone tell you getting older makes you slow 😉
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If you like what I write please share this and tag your friends.
#trainsmarternotharder #trainsmart #maffetonemethod #aerobictraining #easyrunning #easyrun #runningcoach #triathloncoach #polarheartratemonitor #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Hey guys,
At the risk of sounding like an old record player, I just want to stress. I do all the drills, intervals, stretching, strength work and recovery techniques I recommend on here. I have also had a lot of serious injuries along the way, so it’s not all plain sailing.

It’s not rocket science either: just dedication to stick to a scientific and planned program suitable to YOUR level.
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It’s a life long, life style choice.
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I am thinking of bringing back ask the coach, in December. If you have any questions, message me and I will pick the best few.
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If you like what I write share my posts and tag your friends. 👍
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#olderandwiser #olderandstronger #runningcoach #triathloncoach #huub #huubdesign #polarheartratemonitor #planetsportsrun #miketrees

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Is your cadence too low ?
Try this quick feet drill !

Run as fast as you can on the spot, moving your feet forwards and back across a line
I tend to use the edge of concrete blocks as my line.
This drill helps to stimulate muscle activation and proprioception.

Do this drill before your run session, to help re program your internal wiring. I like to do these sets before a speed work session, and find it helps my form by speeding up my cadence.

Do 3 sets of up to 20seconds a time

If you like what I write please share, and don’t forget to tag your friends.
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#runningdrills #runningcoaching #lifecoach #runner #fastfeet #plantsportsrun #miketrees #triathloncoach

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A day at the office !

Here is a sneak peak at a me bullying @petergoldsworthy
Others more polite, may call it coaching 🤣

As a coach, you have to mentor motivate and manage your athletes training. In reality for me it means running, training and chatting with my mates.

The only difference is I don’t listen to athletes when they tell me to shut up, and my none running friends don’t listen to me when I give them advice 😂

A big shout out to @theo_ekandarista for putting tighter such a great video in minutes,
Please feel free to share this and tag your friends
#coaching #runningcoach #triathloncoach #lifecoach #polarindonesia #polarglobal #planetsportsrun #hokaoneone #miketrees