Get in shape for Antalya

Warm up

Arendz says the long warm-up makes it possible to get the maximum benefit from the workout. “You have to prepare the heart and lungs as well as joints, ligaments and muscles before you work intensively on running skills.”

The warm-up is not only physical but mental as well. The muscles and joints are loosened up and the lungs and heart become accustomed to circulating oxygen faster. But it’s also a time to make a mental transition, to forget about the “real world” and focus on the workout. Much of Arendz’s warm-up routine focuses on mind-body coordination, so that the body does what the brain tells it to. The simultaneous movement of arms, waist and legs in different combinations is rather like belly dancing, so runners get to laugh, which in turn helps with breathing and relaxation.

Arendz explains that the warm-up is an important time to test the body, to become aware of how the body feels and gauge the appropriate intensity of the workout. Some days the body may be tired and deserve a less strenuous workout. If energy is high, the body can work harder.

Finally, the activities of the warm-up vary according to the skill to be targeted. If the object is speed, Arendz has his runners jump repeatedly to add spring to their step. If the focus is power, he emphasizes lunges and stretches for the quads.

Make the workout count

Each training session focuses on a specific skill. Last Saturday’s workout with Adım Adım combined speed and power exercises because it was the group’s last training together before Sunday’s Runtalya event (www.runtalya.com.tr). By contrast, the usual format is to focus on a single skill with an extra dimension (e.g., checking the heart rate) in each session.

The previous week’s workout targeted speed. Arendz pitted runners against one another in a relay race comprising 50-meter sprints. “Doing these exercises as a group is fun,” said one runner. Arendz explains that the competitive aspect of the session helps people push beyond their accustomed speed, and runners feel this in their legs the next day. For combined speed training with time management workouts -- which teach runners to set and maintain a consistent tempo without watching the clock -- athletes run at their chosen pace until Arendz blows a whistle (one, one-and-a-half or two minutes) and then must cover the same distance back to the starting point in the same period of time. Those who arrive at the starting point when Arendz blows the second whistle are congratulated. Others are told, “You’re too early” or “You’re late.”

For tempo training, as opposed to speed training, athletes set a distance goal (e.g., five kilometers, 25 kilometers), increasing their tempo for short periods at regular intervals – seven minutes at normal pace and three minutes at 10k race tempo.

Duration training helps runners add distance. The point is simply to complete the distance (whether five kilometers or 35 kilometers), either with or without a specific time goal.

For power training (hill training), runners move at normal pace when the course is flat or downhill and increase the pace when climbing hills. One can strengthen the legs on the climb either by lengthening the stride or lifting the knees high in short, quick steps.

Vary the routine

Arendz notes that many runners typically head out for a run and focus only on running a certain distance within a certain time. “This repetitive workout is low-intensity and hence less beneficial,” says Arendz. “For a high-intensity, strenuous workout, Arendz advises his runners to vary their workouts, adding speed intervals, or hill-training -- charging uphill and slowing down on the descent, preferably in several repetitions. “Don’t limit yourself to running only on flat surfaces,” he says. Also, running in different weather conditions -- warm, cold, dry, rainy, snowy, windy, humid -- is a good way to challenge the body. Vary the running course -- don’t follow the same path on every run. “It’s important to vary your workout because it prevents the body from falling into a familiar routine,” he explains. A familiar course does not challenge the body (and mind) as much as a new course. “Runners have to leave their comfort zone to improve,” added one of Arendz’s students. “But repetition is also important,” he adds, noting that when he was training for a full marathon in Holland, his weekly routine included a 33 kilometer run in the country.

Get rid of the toxins

After the main workout, Arendz insists on 20 minutes to cool down: slower running, followed by walking, then stretching. “Check the heart rate, which after five minutes should be lower than 90,” he adds. Then comes 15 minutes of stretching: arms, waist and legs. “The cool down is important because it helps flush toxins from the muscles,” says Arendz.

Running and giving

Adım Adım’s Saturday morning training sessions are open to the public. Over the past two years, 200 members of Adım Adım (www.adimadim.org) have raised TL 478,000 from nearly 4,000 donors, providing 192 electronic wheelchairs through the Turkish Spinal Cord Injury Paralytics Association (TOFD), educational support for 932 children through the Educational Volunteers of Turkey (TEGV) and eight full-year scholarships for 16 university students through the Community Volunteers (TOG).

*John Crofoot is a runner and freelance writer in İstanbul, jcrofoot@earthlink.net