Are You Out of Service?

Stuck on an Escalator

One of my pet peeves is that most people seem to think that an escalator is some type of carnival ride. They step onto it and immediately stop walking. I want to shout, "It's a staircase that moves to help you, keep walking." It's not just me; years ago the comedians at Saturday Night Live made a skit [1] about people trapped on a stopped escalator. 

When we are used to doing something a certain way, and suddenly we find ourselves temporarily unable to do that thing, it's tempting to just throw up our hands and declare ourselves "broken".

Like the escalator pictured above, you may be temporarily out of service as a runner. But that doesn't always have to mean that you're stuck laying in bed binge-watching Netflix and eating bonbons all day. Take a closer look at that picture. Do you see a broken escalator, or do you see a perfectly good staircase disguised as a broken escalator? That escalator is still usable, it's just not running!

Injuries Happen

Runner or not, injuries happen. People - usually non-runners - like to point out how frequently runners seem to get injured. In fact, if incidence of injury is calculated according to exposure of running time the incidence reported in the literature varies from 2.5 to 12.1 injuries per 1000 hours of running [2]. Funny thing though, a 2015 study showed that for cycling, the overall incidence of injury and illness was 5.83 per 1000 cycling hours[3]. Wow. That 5.83 is pretty close to the middle of the 2.5 to 12.1 range. So, running isn't really more injury prone than cycling, for example. Yet, I personally haven't heard of any cyclist being told by non-cyclists, "You're going to hurt your knees if you keep cycling so much." I think non-runners just like to pick on runners because they're jealous that they are not runners themselves. 

Pain-Free Motion is Good for You

Personally, I feel better when I move. It's sitting still that seems to make me hurt. In a 2017 article for The University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine, one doctor explains [4] why she changed her sports medicine practice to adopt movement as the gold standard for treating physical injury. She cites research that shows movement improves blood flow, which drives oxygen to heal the injured area and removes metabolic waste, while also stimulating the healing of tissues.

RICE is Bad for You

I'm a proud vegan and carb-lover. Lower-case rice is good for you. But it turns out that upper-case RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) might be bad for you. Who would know better than Dr. Gabe Mirkin, the man who coined the RICE term in a sports medicine book he wrote back in 1978. 37 years later, in a 2015 blog post [5], Dr. Mirkin writes, 

Coaches have used my “RICE” guideline for decades, but now it appears that both Ice and complete Rest may delay healing, instead of helping.

However, it is important to note that ice can help reduce the pain of an acute injury right after it happens. That said, there is no reason to continue icing an injury more than six hours after it has occurred.

What's an Injured Runner to Do?

If you hurt yourself, stop running! Evaluate the injury. If it causes you to change your gait, do not continue running. Walk if you must, to get back to transportation. Consider seeing a sports physician or physical therapist. When it's time to start healing look to activity instead of idleness. Keep moving, but if it hurts stop. Remember, pain-free movement promotes healing. Movement that causes pain is likely causing further injury. 

Ending With an Analogy

While you're waiting for your escalator to be repaired, remember that there is an elevator nearby if you need one, and don't forget that a stalled escalator can still be used as a stairway.

References

[1] https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/escalator/n36866

[2] Running injuries. A review of the epidemiological literature

[3] Injury and illness among athletes during a multi-day elite cycling road race

[4] MOVE an injury not RICE

[5] https://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/why-ice-delays-recovery.html

[5b] https://snltranscripts.jt.org/04/04aescalator.phtml

https://facebook.com/groups/RealisticRunning

Realistic Running?

As my first post in a new year, I'd like to once again dive into why I chose the name "Realistic Running."

Pablo Picasso

There's an old story in various forms about someone approaching Pablo Picasso at a cafe and asking him to do a sketch on a napkin. A few minutes later he asked for 10,000 francs. The requestor was shocked, saying, "But it only took you a minute to draw!" "No," Picasso replied, "that took me 40 years."

Of course, what Picasso meant was that it was his entire 40-year journey as an artist that allowed him to draw that sketch in a few seconds. That story has nothing at all to do about running, but it does explain why you should listen to what I have to say about running. I have been running for, let's say, 39 years; I didn't know when I started that I would have to remember the date. I have experienced many, many cycles of ups & downs, what works, what doesn't, and... the injuries. On top of that, I've taken the time to become certified as a both a running coach and an online coach. Aside from being a running coach, I am also a software engineering manager, I've been a Scoutmaster, and at two different times in the past I've been a karate instructor. I am no stranger to coaching & training people of all ages to accomplish difficult things!

The "realistic" part comes into play as a contrast to many opinions that you might find elsewhere on the internet. I belong to too many running & fitness related Facebook groups to count. I see many people who join those groups looking for information. Oh, do they ever get some information! Because runners in general love to talk about running and love to help other people run, the information is free-flowing in Facebook groups. The problem is that much of that information is misguided. There are multiple reasons. It's not intentional. People are trying to help. But it seems that there is an "oral history" for running provided online. What I mean is that training tips are passed on by word of mouth from runner to runner. Some of it is based in research that happened a long time ago without keeping up with new research showing different results. Also, what appears to have worked for Runner A isn't necessarily the best thing for Runner B. And, sadly, sometimes Runner C proudly states "Oh yes, I've had the same injury as you for 5 years, I do this and it works!" Does it, though?

Examples of Running Lore That Aren't Really True

• Your maximum heart rate is 220-(your age)
• Stretching makes you a better runner
• Weightlifting makes you a better runner
• Cycling makes you a better runner
• Heel Striking is bad, Forefoot Striking is good
• 180 steps per minute is the Holy Grail
• "Lactic Acid"
• Shoes can cause or cure injuries
• The average college kid working part time in a running store knows about gait analysis
• Endurance running lowers your immunity
• Exercise-Associated Muscle Cramps (EAMCs) are due to dehydration/electrolytes.
• You can do anything you set your mind to!
• Who needs to pay for a coach when marathon training plans are free?

Why Should You Listen To Me?

Why do I think I know better than years of running lore? There are a few reasons. First of all, like I said above, I've been through a lot myself. I've had asthma, a major broken leg, stress fractures in legs and feet, a sports hernia, a "slipping rib", and sciatica, to name but a few. I've coached others, young and old, who have had similar and different setbacks. On top of that, I have a burning desire to fight the battle against aging and improve my performance. But most of all, as those of you who have watched my FB Live videos know, I call myself "a perpetual student of all things running." I don't just run, I am into running. I read books about running. I look up medical research on running. I experiment by trying new things on myself, so I know first hand whether or not they work. 

The Coming Year

I look forward to expanding on the example topics above in the coming weeks. In every post you will see references to research explaining my point of view. My goal: to get others to join me in practicing Realistic Running!

https://facebook.com/groups/RealisticRunning

New Year, New Statistics

As you can tell from the December 13th edition of this blog, I'm kinda sorta into technology and data. But in order for that data to be useful, I need to correlate that data into statistics. For example, here's a post that members of one of my Facebook running clubs saw from me back in November:

2021 was a good November for me. I blasted through the annual mileage goal (1700 miles) that I failed to achieve last year. New target: 2,021 miles in 2021! The good news: as of the end of November, I am on track to reach my annual goal by 12/29 and to end the year with 2030. With 1 day off each week, the holidays & travel days, I’m guessing I have 22 running days left this year. So, I need 7.4 miles each of those days I run to reach my goal. Here are the November details:

200.01 miles in November, which is 2.5 miles less than last month. I am at 1854 miles for the year so far. I’m on track for 2030 by 12/31/20, currently running about 4 miles ahead of schedule on my annual goal of 2,021. November’s miles are an average of 9.1 miles per day for 22 running days, which was 73% of the month. An average of 6.7 miles per day over all 30 days in November. That is above my 8.3 miles-per-running-day average for the year and also above my YTD average (67%) of days running (223 days out of 334). My November average of 43.1 miles per week was less than October but above my annual average of 38.7 miles per week 2021 YTD. 

As I described in the December 20th edition of this blog, there are many different things out there that can motivate us as runners. Call me a nerd, but setting a goal and tracking the statistics along the way motivates me! If you, like me, are motivated or at least interested in tracking your running statistics, keep reading for more details. On the other hand, if your eyes roll back in your head when you think of such details, or if you have arithmophobia, you may want to stop reading now.

There is Raw Data

Here's a snapshot of a spreadsheet that I've been using and refining for a few years now to generate all 

those statistics:

As I update this sheet during the year, all I have to do is add a new line, enter the distance run that day, and the sheet does the rest. If you're interested in having a spreadsheet like this of your very own, leave me a comment on this blog or in the Facebook group Realistic Running and I'll fix you right up!

There are Daily Statistics

Date

Day of the Year (1-365)

Days Left in the Year

Total Miles in the Last 7 Days

Monthly Miles to Date

Annual Miles to Date

Miles You Should Have Run to Date

Miles Remaining to Reach Your Goal

Miles Per Day Needed to Reach Your Goal

Days Until You Reach Your Goal

Projected Date to Reach Your Goal

Projected mileage at End of the Year

There are Monthly Statistics

Average Miles Per Day This Month

Running Days This Month

Average Miles Per Running Day This Month

Average Miles Per Day This Year

There are Annual Statistics 

Number of Running Days This Year

Average Miles-Per-Running Day This Year

Average Miles Per Week This Year

Maximum Miles Per Week This Year

Average Miles Per Week for Each Month

And Then There are the Graphs!

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here are two pictures! The top graph has the "target" line for Miles Per Year in red, and the actual mileage in blue. The bottom graph has the target 2021 MPY as the horizontal centerline, and my actual mileage in blue, wavering around the centerline.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealisticRunning

A Special Motivation Just for You

With the year coming to a close, it’s a time when many are working hard at finishing up the current year's goals while looking ahead to new goals in the new year. Regardless of the goal, it’s motivation that is responsible for getting it done. There is a wide range in the amount of motivation an individual needs to reach their goals. Some of us are intrinsically motivated, while others require one or more carrots-on-a-stick to get us up and out the door. And that intrinsic motivation can change based on current circumstances. This post looks at a few of the different forms of motivation you can try, whether you just need a kick in the pants to get out the door on a snowy Saturday, or whether you need something extra to get you through those last few runs to meet an annual mileage goal.

Many Options

Dictionary definitions of "motivation" say things like:

• the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way
• the general desire or willingness of someone to do something

Let's face it... the fact that you are reading this blog probably means that you are a Runner. (I'm pretty sure my wife - not a runner - doesn't even read this!) That's a capital-R Runner, meaning you make somewhat of a habit out of this pastime. Just that fact alone means you are already more motivated than 85% of Americans. (About 50 million Americans participate in some form of running or jogging, according to to a 2020 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.[1])

A Matter of Life &Death

For some, it's a simple fact: run or die. Literally. There are a number of chronic conditions that running helps to keep in check. Running has benefits in the prevention of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and hip replacement, benign prostatic hypertrophy, respiratory disease, cancer, and disability. Running, even in quite low doses, is associated with a substantial reduction in cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.[2]. I can relate! With a family history including hypertension & dyslipidemia, and having had asthma since childhood, maintaining and even improving my health is definitely high on my motivation list.

Annual Mileage Goals

Another good source of motivation is to set an annual mileage goal. I've been doing this for a few years now as a background goal in addition to any events I might have on my schedule. It started in 2016 with a magazine-based challenge for 1,000 miles per year. I thought, "That's less than 20 miles a week, I can do that!" So I started tracking, and ended up that year with a bit over 1200 miles. Every year since then I raised my new annual goal by 100 miles over what I achieved the previous year. In 2020 I had my first "failure"; I topped the previous year's 1600 but failed to reach the current year's 1700-mile goal. I more than made up for that in 2021, when I blew past the 1700-mile goal in early November. At that point I did some quick math and set a new goal: 2,021 miles in 2021. As I write this on 12/20/2021, I am only 24 miles away from this lofty goal. "Running The Year" has been a thing for many years. I never thought it was within my realm of possibility. But CONSISTENCY (that's another post [3]) got me close enough to go for it, and achieve it!

Event-Based Goals

Whether it's your first marathon or your fiftieth, a Couch-to-5k or your weekly Parkrun, races and other events on your calendar are a dependable source of motivation. Most recreational runners run "races" without any hope of winning. But realistically, runners of every ability and experience level can use any event as a motivational goal. Signing up for a race of a distance you've never run before means an automatic PR! In other cases, you can run your local annual 5k against "former you". This always gives you a reason to train and try harder. Successively harder goals are to PR, win your age group, and maybe even some day place overall, depending on your ability and how hard you want to try. Finally, there is always the run-for-charity option at larger events. Raising money and running for a worthy cause can help make training for and participating in an event more about the cause than about you. Any running event provides many goals for everyone! 

Running Streak

Again, I've detailed this topic in another post [4]. To summarize here, a Running Streak is a type of personal challenge where the runner vows to run at least one mile every day for so many days. It's fun to start small (for example, New Year's Day to Ground Hog Day. it's only a month!) and then see how long you can keep it going. A Running Streak helps teach you how to run slow and easy, to pace yourself, and to be determined in the face of daily adversities that may arise. By starting with only a month goal for this, you give it time to create a habit but it's not an insurmountable time period... it's only a month!

Friendly Competition

This is the realm of the office Step Challenge or Biggest Loser competition. As long as you can keep it friendly, this is a reliable source of motivation. It's great to be able to pit yourself against each other, driving each other forward to succeed. Even the "loser" is still a winner in this case!  

Running With Friends

Whether it's a neighbor or a local Running Club [5], running with friends can motivate you to get your lazy self out the door. In this case, peer pressure is a good thing. When someone is depending on you to be there, your activity- or lack thereof - is no longer all about you. Now there is someone else relying on you. Also, running with others of different ability can help you to either slow down or speed up, whichever you are having trouble doing. It's amazing how much more quickly the miles go by when you run them while you're having a conversation with one or more friends. It can also be amazing to learn that your "conversational pace" is actually faster than you thought it was. On the flip side, if you need to learn to slow down, running while chatting with others who are naturally a bit slower than you are can help you dial back your speed - while it's helping them to run with someone faster (see above). Need motivation? Try running for someone else for a change instead of just yourself!

Epilogue

Please don't ever forsake your running due to lack of motivation! There are so many different ways to get motivated. Bookmark this post. Share it with a friend. Share it in your running Facebook Group. Get to know what motivates YOU, and get ready to use it. 

References

[1] Running/Jogging Participation Report 2020

[2] Effects of Running on Chronic Diseases

[3] https://plantbasedplodder.blogspot.com/2020/01/consistency-is-key.html

[4] https://plantbasedplodder.blogspot.com/2018/07/streaking.html

[5] Find A Running Club

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealisticRunning

Tech Can Be Your Friend

If you follow any online (or print, that is still a thing) running-oriented sites, you will see quite a few exhortations to “leave the technology at home” for a more relaxing run, and other possible advantages. That’s fine, but I think that as long as you manage the relationship, technology can be your friend and running buddy. 

I don’t want to say here that any brand is better than another, but I’ve been a Garmin user for so many years I can’t remember how long it’s actually been.  It all started maybe 15 years ago with the Forerunner 305, but that is not the story I want to tell here. (Can you believe I actually ran with this huge thing on my wrist?)

A quick Google search of “run without technology” will turn up a number of headlines exhorting us to unplug. Here are but a few:

 No, You Don't Need Any Technology to Have a Good Run

The Benefits of Running Without Technology

Ditch the Technology to Improve Your Running

Yes, you can go running without technology

Minimalist Running: Ditch the Technology and Run Free

But my thinking is that like anything else, as long as you can control yourself, technology can be your friend and faithful running sidekick. Here's a quick overview of some of the great things I think running technology has to offer.

Elapsed Time

This has been available on digital watches pretty much since we first saw digital watches. So I don’t think this one counts as “technology” any more.

Distance

When I started running, I had to get in the car first and go measure the route using my car’s odometer. Luckily I was young and could remember where most of the mile splits were. Having this data on my watch saves me time & gas now! I set my watch to do an automatic lap every half mile by default. But when I’m doing speedwork, I create a workout with the appropriate intervals. This way, I don’t have to go sneak onto a school track after hours to do intervals. Also, the watch tells me when to start and stop each interval, so I don’t even really need to look at it. But it’s there, watching me run. This feature also allows me to run in circles at the end of a run to end up with a total distance that is an even number of miles. Everyone does that, right?

Pace

This can be instantaneous or averaged by the lap, by the mile, by the run. I use this during tempo runs to know that I am staying on the prescribed pace. Instantaneous pace changes way too often to be useful. Conversely, the pace for the entire run is also not useful because it’s too late to do anything about my pace at that point. I have one of the watch’s data screens tell me the Current Lap Pace. With the default auto-lap set at every half-mile, I get a good average of my pace over the last zero to five or so minutes as that half-mile progresses. That gives me a chance to see something meaningful and adjust as needed without trying to figure it out with constantly changing instant data.

Heart Rate

Knowing my heart rate at any given moment is a great tool for keeping my easy runs easy. On Easy Run Days I can use my heart rate data to slow down. Many different things can affect your heart rate during a run: the terrain, the wind, the temperature, the humidity, your hydration, how much sleep you had the night before. Are you overtraining? That can also be reflected in your heart rate. I also like to train myself for good endurance by starting long runs slow – by keeping my heart rate lower, and then speeding up at the halfway point by just enough to end with a negative split – the second half faster than the first half of the run.

Beyond the above four data items, some watches can start getting complicated.

WARNING! Science and Math in Use Ahead!

Power

Do you remember your high school Physics? “Power” is defined as the amount of energy transferred or converted per unit time. What does that mean in English? In other words, “Power” is the rate with respect to time at which “Work” is done. “Work”, involves moving something through a distance. When you consider how long it takes to move that thing, you’re talking about “Power”. So, running is ”Work”; the force is basically the weight of your body and the distance is how far you are running. When you also consider your pace, now you’re talking about “Power.” The thing is, having to move your body during a run changes based on going uphill or downhill, having a headwind or a tailwind, and even how slippery a wet path or sandy trail might be.  I have added an app to my watch that can estimate the Power I’m using. This works because the GPS watch knows how fast I’m moving, whether I’m going uphill or down, and even what the wind is. We all know that running uphill or into a headwind is more difficult. That’s because we have to generate more POWER to move at the same pace uphill than we do on a flat path. While this is more often used by cyclists, some runners train by power output, slowing down when going uphill to keep their power output as close to constant as possible. At the very least, it’s interesting just to see the data showing how much more power it takes to run uphill!

VO₂ & VO₂Max

I have another watch app that uses a tried-and-true 53-year-old method to estimate my body’s maximum use of oxygen and estimate in real time how my current efforts measures up to that. The Cooper Test is a test of physical fitness. It was designed by Kenneth H. Cooper in 1968 for US military use. The point of the test is to run as far as possible within 12 minutes. The outcome is based on the distance the test person ran, their age and their gender. The results of the Cooper Test do a fair job at estimating VO₂Max, which – oversimplified - is how much oxygen your body uses over time. [1] Professional athletes have this measured in a lab running on a treadmill wearing a breathing apparatus. Thank you very much, I’ll settle for the estimate. Some watches have a built-in estimate of VO₂Max. The watch calculates and adjusts this value over time, based on your running pace, distance, and heartrate data. Some research has shown this well-known formula to be up to 90% accurate. My watch tells me that my own VO₂Max “is superior for men in my age range,” that “my fitness age is 20,” and that “that’s the top 5% for your age and gender.” Well, thank you, Watch for making me feel great about myself! But I’ve noticed that my watch can change it’s opinion of me after a few easy runs. But it does track in line with my fitness over time, fluctuating along with the intensity of my training, so I’ll keep watching it. If I start running harder & faster but see my VO₂Max decrease, maybe then I’ll start to be concerned.

The above list of data points only scratched the surface of what's available with modern technology. There are runners who never use anything more than a simple wrist stopwatch. Yes, they exist - I know one of them personally. But I love my advanced-feature watch and will likely always run with one. The type of run I’m doing at any given time will determine how much I look at it while running, but I will look back and evaluate the reams of data after pretty much every run. I still use “old fashioned” technology – an Excel spreadsheet – to log my daily runs. The spreadsheet calculates so many data points: weekly, monthly, annual mileage; daily averages, and the number of miles left in my annual goal are some of the things I track. 

Call me a Nerd, but I enjoy looking back at the data to see how far I’ve come, and to aim for where I’m headed. I think you should, too. Tech can be your friend.

#realisticrunning

https://facebook.com/groups/RealisticRunning

[1] Reference: A comparison of methods of predicting maximum oxygen uptake

Plan Every Run, Run Every Plan

 I’ll take the liberty of stating that even if they don’t follow one, most runners are familiar with the concept of a training plan. Maybe you have never used a training plan. Maybe that’s because you’ve never prepared for a race. Maybe that’s because you “just like to run.” Maybe you use a training plan only when training for an event, but that’s a special time and most of the year you don’t use a training plan. Maybe I’ve used the word “maybe” too many times in this opening paragraph.

Whatever the reason - whether you are new to running, intimidated by training plans, or you just don’t like “structured running” – I’m telling you today that you really should be using a training plan. Especially for races, but also for specific goals (annual mileage), as well as year-round. Every run should be part of a plan. Plan Every Run, Run Every Plan.

To explain a little further, a “training plan” is a written plan for when, how far, and how fast you will run during a given period of time. Why is so much formality necessary? A plan is a secret weapon. A plan will get you moving when there are other obstacles to putting one foot in front of the other: weather, attitude, energy, etc. A plan will hold you back to keep you “safe” when you’re feeling too good for your own good. Plan Every Run, Run Every Plan.

A plan can be weekly, monthly, annual, or event-driven. Many of us are familiar with an event-driven plan (e.g., marathon training), which can guide you to the proper training needed to get to the starting line healthy and ready to achieve your goals for that event. Likewise, an annual, monthly, or weekly plan can guide you to the proper training needed to achieve your goals for that specific time period. A plan is a must to help you rehab from an injury or return to running safely after some time off.

But the secret power of a training plan is to keep you safe from yourself, regardless of whether you need protection from laziness or over-zealousness. The only thing you need to do is plan your runs, and discipline yourself to follow the plan. If you do those things, you have one more reason to get up, go outside and run. Valid though they may seem at the time, we all have an endless supply of excuses to avoid running: I didn’t sleep well; I just sneezed; my foot hurts; it’s too hot; it’s tool cold; it’s raining; it’s snowing; my running buddy just bailed so I’ll bail too (to name just a few.) Similarly, we all give ourselves ample opportunity to hurt ourselves by doing too much too soon: I feel great today; I just got my new shoes; I can catch that person up ahead of me; I can run faster/longer than the person on the next treadmill; I need to lose five pounds; I need to grab the Strava Local Legend. All of these are great motivators, but it’s when we overextend our abilities (especially our ability to recover) that we have the greatest probability of injuring ourselves. No one wants to hear those dreaded words from a doctor, “No running for two weeks.”

Now that I’ve got your attention, I’ll dial back the formality a bit. No, you don’t really have to write every run down before you do it. You should definitely have a plan for your run’s pace & distance in your head before you head out. But if you need an extra kick of motivation to get over a hump or slump, you should go ahead and try writing it down ahead of time. If there’s no event in your future, plan out the next month of running. How many days a week do you want to run? You should be varying the types of runs; which ones are going to be long, short, easy, hard, etc.? How long, exactly? How fast, specifically? How many intervals? Also make sure you don’t do “effort runs” on back-to-back days. Plan Every Run, Run Every Plan.

If you need a reason to get up and run, write it down and then do it because that’s What The Plan Says. Plan it, do it, and be proud of yourself. If you are going through a trying time – recovering from a race, preparing to start race training, feeling sick – write that plan to keep yourself in check. When the plan says “Run short and slow”, do what it says, rejoice in meeting your plan, and call it a day. If the plan says “Recovery Run”, do NOT race the next treadmill or try to catch that runner up ahead. Do NOT add hills on interval day “because you feel good.” Plan Every Run, Run Every Plan.

With the new year almost upon us, now is the time to build the discipline & consistency you need to be a successful, healthy, happy runner in the next year and beyond! Plan Every Run, Run Every Plan!

#realisticrunning

Listen to Your Body

A term that’s used frequently on social media with regard to running is “listen to your body.” This is a catch-all term that appears to mean, “if any body part feels less than perfect, cancel your run.” It's easy to turn this into a "final straw" excuse not to run.

Certainly we are all capable of listening to our body. The thing is, do we understand what our body is saying to us? Sometimes our body does not seem to be speaking the same language. Wait, what was that? Did you say, “No quiero correr hoy,” or “necessito correr hoy?” I understand a few words but what was that first word again? Getting it wrong could mean lack of progress in your running career or extended down -time due to injury. thinking we understand when we really don’t could be the worst situation: a setup for failure, whether that’s minimal gains or debilitating injury.

Here’s an example.

I ran a goal marathon this past May. That went as well as can be expected after it went virtual, but that’s a different story. After 842 training miles over twenty weeks, my body had earned a rest. After returning home, during the next Autumn Arch Run Club weekly run, I learned that the brewery was hosting a 5k in the very near future. After marathon training, “only a 5k” would be a rest day, but I’m a competitive person, so of course if I run a 5k I want to run it “fast.” Don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t going to win, except for maybe my age group. But I’m always looking to Beat Yesterday.

I asked my body if it was up for the challenge, and when I listened to my body, it said it wasn’t sure. I had eleven (11) days to train. I thought, if I run a hard run every other day, I can get four workout runs in before a few easy pre-race days. My plan was to start with some intervals the next day and then repeat every other day with a lower number of longer intervals. I had a lot of easy miles on my legs at that point, so of course I planned to listen to my body along the way.

The first training day was awesome: 4x800m intervals, each one faster than the previous, averaging just above my 5k PR pace. . It felt great to run “fast” again!  I asked my body how it was feeling, and I listened to my body tell me, “All systems go.” After another easy day, it was back to running hard. This was a Saturday – my traditional long run day – but this time I had a new goal in mind: 5x1km intervals, each one faster than the previous, averaging well below my 5k PR pace. This felt even better than the previous effort! This was going to work! “Hey body,” I asked, “Are we going to do this?” I listened to my body. “YES!” was the resounding answer from my body. Another easy day, then another workout. Now it’s Monday, my usual interval day; today was going to be epic! I banged out 4x1.25km intervals, each at a steady 9 sec/mile under my 5k PR. “Hey, body… how are you feeling today?”

That was it. I listened to my body, and I didn’t like what I heard. My body told me it wasn’t happy. I had developed a pain on the side of my right knee. This was going to be a deal-breaker. After only five days in, 5k Training was over. Five days away, the race was off.

So, what’s the moral of this story? You need to listen to your body, but you need to be certain that you understand what your body is saying. Was my body ready to train for a 5k following two days off and two easy runs post-marathon? Yes, my body said it was ready, I believed it then, and I still do. Was my training plan reasonable? Yes; hard/easy/hard/easy/hard for a week is not a crazy plan. Did my body change its mind after five days of hard training? Again, the answer is yes. Two different answers from my body in the span of only five days. Do you understand what you are hearing when you listen to your body?

You need to listen to your body, you need to be certain that you understand what your body is saying, and you need to react the correct way even if your body tells you something you don’t want to hear. You need to be just as ready and willing to pull the plug at the first sign of an injury before it becomes an injury that requires you (gasp!) stop running! And sometimes, getting to that injury point is necessary for you to fully understand what your body was telling you. We don't truly know where our limits are until we exceed them. But NEXT time, you’d better pay attention, remember, and react.

#realisticrunning

Warming Up: It's Not Just for Winter

It's January.

This is the time of year when two things happen:

1. Many people need to learn how to warm up because they are just starting a running program as a New Year’s resolution
2. Nobody really minds warming up, because it’s winter and cold out!

But, of course, warmups are necessary year-round.

The Purpose of a Warmup

A good warmup should consist of moving your body to increase your heart rate and respiratory rate and prepares your body for the upcoming activity. A great warmup would consist of moving the actual parts of your body that you are about to exercise. Read on for an enlightening experience I had that taught me how to warm up.

An Example

During the week I usually run at work, during lunchtime. That time works best for me for multiple reasons, and we are fortunate enough to have showers at work, which makes it acceptable to my co-workers. I am also fortunate enough to have an office that adjoins a county park with a 2.6-mile paved running trail as well as wooded trails. Sometimes on “easy run” days, I’ll take an easy run for about a mile and a half to a pull-up bar in the park. I’ll do a few sets of pull-ups and pushups and then finish my easy run around the park and back to the office. The thing is, I noticed that the “easy run” was more difficult after the calisthenics than before. What’s up with that? I’m not an exercise physiologist, but I am a self-proclaimed “perpetual student of all things running.” Here’s my theory.

What's Up With That?

My experience at the pullup bar demonstrates first-hand how working a muscle sends more blood supply to that muscle. It makes sense – muscle activity requires oxygen, and it’s the blood that brings oxygen. Have you ever worked out any muscle and felt that “pumped” feeling? That pumped feeling is, among other things, the extra blood sent to your working muscles. However, a person has a finite supply of blood in their  body. So, if there’s “extra” blood pumping up your arm and back muscles after some pullups and pushups, there must be less blood somewhere else! Therefore, if working out other body parts makes running harder, working out your “running body parts” should make running easier. Of course, “harder” and easier” are relative terms.

A Warmup Should Be Specific

Back to the warmup itself. You want a light workout of the muscles you use during running in order to get those muscles prepped for the run. What’s the best way to do that? Running! Of course, your running warmup needs to be “easier” running than your running workout is going to be. Based on your pace, maybe that means walking to warm up.  I like to warm up on a continuum, starting really easy and then ramping up to the running workout. And my preferred warmup has changed over time. As I’ve mentioned, I read and study and evaluate new things and if they work, I start using them regularly.

My Warmup 

I start my warmup with the “starting stance” from The Sling Method (feel free to go look it up. Tell Paul I sent you.) Then to add some more activity, I stand on one foot doing an exaggerated “running motion” with the leg that’s off the ground”. That means, knee high up in front, cycles through with the foot rubbing the ground on the way back, full follow-through kick. I repeat 20-30 times and then repeat on the other leg. Then I start off my run with 1 to 1.5 miles of very easy running. For reference, my mindless easy pace is about 9:15/mile, and I start off at about 10:00-10:30 per mile. If I am going to be doing speedwork that day, I will add some 0.05 mile stride intervals during the last mile of warmup: 0.05 mile fast, 0.05 mile easy, repeat.

 Now Go Do It

That’s it. A good warmup doesn’t need to be complicated. But it does need to precede your workout! Every time. Even if the weather is warm.

New Year, New You

It’s the single-digits of January, a time when many people vow to change their lives. For runners, it’s the time to set new annual mileage goals, plan to crush some PRs, or sign up for that first marathon. Whether you’re a brand-new runner or a veteran, there are a few steps you should take to get the most out of your New Year’s Resolution.

First & foremost, stop talking about – or even thinking about – the negatives. You’ll make more progress by turning around those self-deprecating thoughts into self-affirming words. For example, unless you’re a professional or competitive runner, your speed/pace doesn’t matter. No one cares about it except you. Stop telling everyone how slow you are. Everyone is slower than someone, and everyone is faster than someone else. If you’re up and moving, as the cliché goes, “you’re faster than those sitting on the couch.” If that statement itself doesn’t make you proud that you’re moving, and you truly want to be faster, then start working on getting faster!

If you’ve decided that this new year is finally the time you will become a runner, congratulations! Your negative thoughts might be telling you how hard it’s going to be, but I’m here to tell you that it will never be easier. If you’re just getting up off the couch, that’s an accomplishment! You have nowhere to go but up.

If you’ve already been running for a while, maybe this new year is your promise to yourself to improve. Remember that there are many aspects to improvement: farther, faster, longer, stronger, etc. There are also many paths on which to find that improvement: run intervals, run hills, run longer distances. There are also hidden paths that can help you get to your goals. Improve your diet, hydrate better, lose weight, strengthen your body, get more sleep; all of these are indirect ways that you can improve your running.

Regardless of your running experience, there a few things to remember that are critical to your success. Do your research. Take the advice of experts. Test and verify. Be Consistent.

Do Your Research

We are lucky to live in the information age where real scientific data is available at our fingertips. Too many people make the mistake of asking friends (real or virtual) for running advice. That practice is like rolling the dice. Your friends, whether in real life or on Facebook, are not necessarily running experts just because they run. Even if they run a lot. One thing about science is that it is, by nature, always changing. Hypotheses are tested and new discoveries are made. I see a lot of running lore passed on that is not necessarily the latest and best information. Which leads to the next section…

Take the Advice of Experts

Friends will try to help you by telling you what works for them. Sometimes they say it very authoritatively and you believe it. However, what has worked wonders for one person isn’t necessarily the best thing for another. It’s likely to really be a good thing, but even so it might not be the place where you’ll see the most improvement at this time. Talk to a coach. Visit running-science web sites or Facebook groups. These people are experienced with dealing with multiple runners, not just a data set of one. They can help you set realistic goals instead of just telling you what you want to hear. They likely study the latest science and know how to evaluate you to suggest what you should do next. But you should always…

Test and Verify

Pick one thing at a time to change, dedicate yourself to it, give it some time, and don’t give up. If you change more than one thing at a time, you won’t know which one worked and which didn’t. Invest in a running watch that gives you lots of data. Learn how to evaluate that data. Keep good records. Be dedicated for at least six weeks. Compare the new you to the old you. If you’re better now than you were before, keep doing that new thing, and add another new thing. If you’re not improving, drop it and move on to the next new thing.

Be Consistent

Finally, be consistent. Keep doing the things that make you better. Stop doing the things that are holding you back. If something doesn’t give you value, consider dropping it to make time for something that does. Keep learning. Keep verifying. Keep improving.

Happy New Year!

Eat Plant-Based for Your Best Immune System

This blog is called “The Plant-Based Plodder”, but to be honest I have seldom mentioned diet. There were a few times early on when I mentioned it: My First Post; Switching To Vegan; and as a stretch, Running With The Bull.  Well, now seems like a very good time to bring this up again.

Not all vegetarians – not even all vegans - are necessarily following a healthy diet. There is plenty of vegan junk food available; Oreos & potato chips come to mind. For that reason, and because the word “vegan” has political connotations, I like to use the term “Whole -Food Plant-Based” (WFPB) to describe my diet. To me, that means that I rely on plant-based foods with a minimum amount of processing. Think avocados instead of guacamole & olives instead of olive oil.

There is research that shows vegetarianism can have many benefits for health. One we’re learning more about is its potential to strengthen our immune systems¹. According to this year-old Australian article², there is still some mystery whether this is due to avoiding meat or eating more vegetables. But it’s safe to assume that the higher volume of foods including fruits, vegetables, and legumes seen in vegetarian diets is likely to have a lot to do with associated health benefits. And, studies show that balanced vegetarian eating patterns could be good for our immune system and the related response of the body, “The enhanced natural cytotoxicity may be one of the factors contributing to the lower cancer risk shown by vegetarians.”³

In addition to helping the immune system directly, vegetarian diets may also help our body by reducing a related process called inflammation. Vegetarian diets have been shown to prevent inflammation due to the antioxidant components within the foods. Inflammation occurs when the body releases chemicals such as C-reactive Protein (CRP) and fibrinogen to attack unwanted pathogens or respond to injury. Many people take NSAIDs (non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs) such as naproxen and ibuprofen when they are injured or sore after a workout. However, studies⁴ have shown that people who follow plant-based diets have lower levels of some of these chemicals compared to people following a non-vegetarian diet. Inflammation is part of the body’s natural reaction to injury, but sometimes it can get out of control. But, people maintaining a vegetarian diet long-term are at a lower risk of getting Type-II diabetes, heart disease and even some cancers.

Diving a little deeper into diet details: to function at full capacity, cells need the essential micro-nutrients - not just carbs, proteins, and fats, but vitamins A-K, magnesium, potassium, iron, calcium, boron, and more. The Standard American Diet (“SAD”! coincidence? I think not!) - along with popular diet trends such as Keto and Paleo - relies on foods such as meat and dairy that are severely lacking in these micronutrients. Plant-based foods, on the other hand, tend to be extremely high in these essential nutrients that support healthy cell function. Think of it this way: when one consumes a dairy product, such as cows’ milk, they are likely opting out of a more nutrient-dense option, such as pea milk.

While it’s true dairy does contain some nutrients - mainly calcium, protein, potassium, and fortified vitamin D - it also contains harmful⁵ trans and saturated fats, artery-constricting cholesterol, natural bovine hormones that may stimulate unregulated cell growth, and inflammatory properties. When there are ample amounts of foods that offer the same nutrients without the side harmful side effects, there is no reason to consume dairy for the sake of meeting nutrition needs.

I could keep going. But I’ll end with this. In addition to micro-nutrients, antioxidants are key. These compounds are mostly found in plant foods and help fight inflammation—the nexus for disease. In fact, a WFPB diet contains 64-times the amount of immunity-boosting antioxidants compared to a diet that includes meat and dairy.

What have you got to lose? Right here, right now, in April 2020, immunity is key. Cut out the antioxidant-depleted animal foods and incorporate these nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich plant foods into your diet⁶:

·       Berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, etc)

·       Beets

·       Cherries

·       Raw cacao (in powdered form, mixed into oatmeal or smoothies)

·       Leafy greens (kale, collard greens, bok choy, chard, etc)

Even if you are wary to switch “cold-turkey” (pardon the animal reference here), NOW is a good time to just TRY this. For example, why not try “Meatless Mondays”? At the very least, it will give you something to do while you are shuttered up in your home.

References:

1.       Impact of a 3-Months Vegetarian Diet on the Gut Microbiota and Immune Repertoire

2.       Eat your vegetables – studies show plant-based diets are good for immunity

3.       Natural killer cells, vitamins, and other blood components of vegetarian and omnivorous men.

4.       Vegetarian-Based Dietary Patterns and their Relation with Inflammatory and Immune Biomarkers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

5.       Why Ditch Dairy?

6.       Ways To Support Your Immunity On A Plant-Based Diet

Strength Training to be a Better Runner

I was reading a book earlier this week and came across an intriguing analogy explaining the necessity of strength training for runners. It went something like this:

Consider your runner’s body is like a race car. Your heart & lungs are the engine. We can upgrade our “horsepower” by running & cross training. This aerobic exercise help our hearts pump more blood more strongly, develops a better vascular system to deliver that blood, and stronger lungs to move more air.

Sometimes as runners the only training we do is to “upgrade our horsepower.”

Now consider the car. Let’s say it has a powerful engine. Even so, you can “run easy” with that car by taking it slow on the gas pedal and slowing down in turns. The tires, brakes, transmission, and suspension can handle that.

But let’s say you drop a Corvette engine into a Honda Fit. Too much power can overwhelm the system, for example:

·        Go too hard on the gas pedal and you can spin your tires

·        You could go too fast and overwhelm the suspension in a corner

·        Too fast to stop soon enough, overwhelming the brakes

·        Sometimes the car can overheat if you run it too fast for too long

But in the actual Corvette, a high-performance car through ad through, all of the parts of the car have been upgraded for better performance.

Back to the runner’s body:

·        Our feet are like a car’s tires

·        Our legs and hips are like a car’s transmission

·        The tendons and ligaments in our legs are like the car’s suspension

·        And so on

If we make a habit of only training our “engine” then that part gets stronger more quickly than the rest of our “running machine.” When we have a strong engine (heart & lungs) it’s easier to run too hard and overwhelm the other parts of our machine.

We need to train the entire body. Running-oriented strength training allows us to “upgrade” the other parts of our running machine so that our tires, transmission, and suspension all become the high-performance parts we are looking for.

What’s your favorite strength training routine to enhance your running?

Consistency is Key!

Happy Second Week Of January 2020!

Yes, that's right, it's January 8, so that means we have passed the first full week of the new year. We are almost halfway to "Quitting Day"; that is January 17. Yes, "Ditch New year's Resolution Day" is considered to be the day when a large number of people abandon their New Year's resolutions. If you are so inclined, I found a link that lists some ways you can celebrate:  https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/ditch-new-years-resolution-day. So, if you followed that link, just go ahead and quit reading now too. In other words - as Survivor host Jeff Probst says to the loser's at the end of a challenge - "I've got nothing for ya."

If you're still here, let's talk about consistency. Consistency can be loosely described as dependably doing "A thing" at a regular interval. For example, I made a commitment to myself to start my new online coaching group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealisticRunning on January 1. But that's not really a commitment because I only CREATED the group once. The true commitment is that I promised myself to do a Facebook Live (FBL) video every single day for the month of January after creating the group on 1/1. So, day one, create the group; days two through eight, FBL. So far so good.

Some interesting things have happened in only 7 days of FBL-ing:

• I learned how to do Facebook Live! I had never done one before. January 2, 2020 was my very first time. It could have been worse, but it didn't go well.
• Day 2 didn't go much better. By Day 3 I was figuring things out. I've learned to NOT hold my phone in my hand while recording. I've learned that sometiems the celluar data connection is better for uploading videos than my wifi signal. I've learned how to talk to no one in particular for more than eleven minutes in a row (new PR today!)
• I no longer worry about remembering to do a daily FBL; now my concern is when I can fit it in. I started out doing them at the start of my lunchtime runs. Then the weekend came and my schedule changed. Then my day job got in the way and I had to get creative. 
• I've learned that committing to doing something every single day changes your mindset. (Have you noticed that I've actually written two blogs within a week of each other for the first time in a very long time?)

If you want to be consistent, you need to set boundaries. Set a start date and an end date. Then go make it happen. Don't worry about the details, just start. As Yoda says, "Do or do not; there is no 'try'." Take a leap of faith, believe in yourself, and start that new habit. Try it for 30 days. It's only THIRTY DAYS! You can do it. If you can't bear to think about such a "long" time period, start by committing to a week. Set a boundary that seems achievable to you. Then go do it. It doesn't have to be pretty. You don't even have to really know what you're doing. Go do it. 

Do yourself a favor, and commit to something. Do it soon. I'm betting that when you get to the end of your boundary, you'll want to keep going. Good. Set another boundary. If you just did one week, go for two! Hopefully, if your commitment was to something you actually wanted to do, you'll  learn by the end of your commitment how to keep on going, maybe forever!

Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction!

Here's todays FBL from my Online Coaching Page:
Consistency is Key!



If you're a person who listens to podcasts, here's a link to the one that motivated me to do a FB Live every day. The idea is that committing to doing something Every Single Day changes your whole mindset. It completely changes the way you start thinking. (FYI, you have to get to about 33 minutes in before he gets to this specific point. The first 11 or so minutes is traditional random banter he does with his co-host & the rest is build up to this point.
No Meat Athlete Podcast on Consistency

Be Your Own Best Friend

Happy New Year!

In 2020, promise yourself that you’ll be your own best friend.

I see many people posting online or saying in person things about themselves that would be considered rude if another person were saying such things about them. For example: “I’m too fat (or too old or too slow);” “I’m not a real runner because...;” I could never do THAT because;" and the list goes on.

At one time or another, you've probably been guilty of this yourself. I know I have. Stop and reflect for a moment on some of the things you've told yourself that have negatively impacted your running: "Such a long day at work;" "I just can't run in this wind;" "I can't breathe in this cold weather;" "I just wilt in the heat." THIS list is nearly endless. These obstacles are not real, they are in your mind! Plenty of people run after work, run headlong into the wind,  run in the wintertime, run during August afternoons. You can, too!

This year, promise yourself that you’ll be your own best friend. Don't be rude to yourself. Don't tell yourself things that will get in your way, that will bring you down. STOP thinking these dream-taking, hope-crushing, performance-stealing thoughts. Instead, START being your own best friend. Start speaking words of positivity, support, and encouragement to yourself. I mean this literally. Say them out loud! (Go ahead, try it now. You know you want to.)

Negative thoughts can drain your inner strength, but positive words can make you stronger. Do yourself a favor and try this: when you have a negative thought ("Ugh, this hill is so steep"), immediately overcome it by speaking positive words aloud to yourself ("You are going to crush this hill!") It's ok if you only whisper, just make sure your lips are moving and air is crossing your vocal cords.

Studies have shown that a second-person point of view works best. Choose a phrase that starts with "You are" or "You will." Then say it aloud to yourself. Repeat it like a mantra until the negative thought has been purged from your brain. (Studies also show that swearing makes people stronger and increases their pain tolerance so if you're so inclined throw a naughty word into your mantra, but keep your voice down!)


This is real, folks. It's also January 2020, so make this year's resolution one that will improve your running almost immediately! YOU are going to crush this year!

Here are a few links for those of you who enjoy the details:

7 Responses For Common Negative Thoughts

Self-Talk Study

Swearing Really Can Make You Stronger

A Little Bit of Comedy

Here's a little bit of humor that I see when I read posts in Facebook running groups. Is it just me? Share your favorites!

I’m sure that you have noticed that all posts to running Facebook groups can be divided into a few simple categories:

1. Look at me! LOOK at me! Look at ME!
2. My real friends are not runners and are tired of hearing me talk about it. So now I’m going to talk to you.
3. Something doesn’t feel right when I run, and I’d rather ask a bunch of random people on Facebook who have no medical training whatsoever, for FREE, than to take a few hours out of my time and dollars out of my wallet to visit a trained professional for their professional opinion.
4. My doctor told me to do X, but I don’t want to do X, and I’d rather ask a bunch of random people on Facebook who have no medical training whatsoever to commiserate with me and tell me I don’t really have to do X than to heed the professional opinion of a trained professional.
5. I am planning on doing something that I know I shouldn’t do, but I’m doing it anyway and I’m “asking for your advice”, which really means that I am only looking for people who will encourage me to do this and other things I shouldn’t be doing. No discouraging remarks, please.
6. “I have lost my running mojo.” Translation: I lack the ability to motivate myself to do things that I know are good for me just because they are “hard.”
7. I am feeling sorry for myself because I think that I am {old / fat / slow / out-of-shape} but I want your affirmation that I can still call myself a runner.
8. Gaining Weight:
1. I eat bad food – and way too much of it, and I know it, but I want to hear a bunch of unscientific reasons why I am gaining weight.
2. When I started running I started gaining weight because I was converting fat to muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. What? No, I didn’t know that professional bodybuilders exercise a single body part for hours, take great care to eat the right foods at the right time and get the right sleep, and they struggle to gain one single pound of muscle in a week. Cool! I gained six pounds this week just from turning my fat to muscle by running!
3. I don't run anymore because it made me too hungry and I was justifying eating a lot that I was clearly not burning off even on long distance runs, therefore running makes you gain weight.
4. I was gaining weight while running, so I cut out carbs. I have not eaten a single gram of carbohydrates in the past week and I’m too exhausted to stand up. Let me tell you how great “keto” is!
9. I’ve never run before, but my friends dared me to run a marathon with them. It’s in two weeks. What shoes should I buy?
10. There is no point in paying a coach. Just run more! Pardon me, I see you’re a coach. Could you give me some free training advice?

And, finally, just a few "favorite" posts I've seen recently:

1. So now that I did it and I'm officially a marathoner, I want to commemorate this in my way. I need a tattoo but want something unique, can I see y'alls marathon tats for some inspiration?
2. Q: Just curious. Is it rude to play phone music out loud? What about in a race? I would love to like running without it but I’m not there at this point. And I LOVE running with it.
1. WORST ANSWER: Do what is best for you, its everyone's race and we need to respect that that music helps you. Others cheer, some talk and some just focus and at the end of the day we need to support each other and what helps us reach the finish it's called teamwork. Play on.
2. RUNNER UP: People do it in races. You do you! Don’t worry and enjoy! Everyone is doing their own thing anyways
3. BEST ANSWER: Do whatever you want on a solo run but it's 100% rude during a race. Your right to listen to whatever you want stops at my ears. No one gets to dictate what others have to hear.

Runner or not, this book will be helpful!

I have to share this with my loyal readers. Below is a book review I wrote recently for a new book. It's called "Mind Over Marathon: Overcoming Mental Barriers in the Race of Life." And you know what? I think the stuff in this book WORKS! Read on, then read my comments afterward. Then go do something special for yourself and buy the book. You're worth it!

Mind Over Marathon at Amazon

If you are a runner you’ll enjoy this book, because the author uses examples from her own running career to illustrate the points she is trying to make throughout the book.
If you are NOT a runner – as long as you’re not an avowed anti-runner – I think you could still appreciate the running-related goal setting/reaching applications of the author’s techniques. Additionally, the author provides many non-running examples from her own life, writing about herself, her husband, and her children to highlight tidbits of personal success that are sure to resonate with most people. In fact, the goal-oriented tools which the author provides for her readers would be applicable to ANY goal-oriented situation.

The author writes in a familiar tone that makes me think I am having a conversation with a friend that really cares about me. She continuously uses vivid examples to emphasize the points she is trying to make, and those points kept coming through loud and clear, one after the other. As a runner myself, I really connected to the author’s mention of how successful people see their successes everywhere. In a way, this validated my personality. My wife tells me I’m obsessed with running because I talk about it constantly and relate many things in life back to running. After reading this book, I’m thinking that maybe I’m that way because I always have SOME running goal or another in progress at any given moment. If I take this book to heart, I now know that am doing the right thing towards my running goals by always being immersed in them, always thinking about them. I had no idea!

The book charts a spiritual journey also. If you are a spiritual person, you will enjoy that each chapter begins and ends with a bible verse. Chapter 6 opens with Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I have recently rekindled my own close relationship with God, and that quote is so true! If you are close to God you can see His ways becoming visible in everything you do. It’s a great feeling to KNOW that He’s got your back!

There are self-helping reflection questions at the end of each chapter, a “further reading” list of applicable bible quotes, and activities! The “Application” section at the end of each chapter leads the reader into a personal reflection on the topics outlined in that chapter. There are some activities that really bring the author’s ideas to life, making them very tangible and leading us to better habits.

The ideas in this book started changing my life before I was even done reading it! If you’ve ever failed to reach a goal (who hasn’t?), I encourage you to read this book. I think you are sure to find an example that you can relate to, and some new tools to forge a new path forward on the journey to a
better you.

(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Blogger's note:

Today's marathon training workout was 5x1200m intervals. I ran them at my fastest-ever pace for this distance - faster than the 1k intervals I ran last week! This past Saturday I ran my fastest-ever 20-mile training run.  Last week, a new 10k PR during my weekly tempo run. The week before that, a new 5k PR. Training is going swimmingly! And I must give some of the credit to my newfound mental strength and positivity after reading this book!  (Training for NYC. IT's in 33 days. Yikes!)

Mind Over Marathon at Amazon

Interview with the author

Please Help Me Support Team For Kids!

I am asking for your help in supporting a special charity…

This coming November, I will be running the New York City Marathon for a charity called Team For Kids (TFK). This race is important to me for a few reasons. First, because I was born in NYC. Beyond that, I want to honor my family heritage. Both of my parents were born and raised in The Big Apple. This year’s race marks the 30^th anniversary of my dad’s passing, but my mom will be 94 years and one month old on race day. Also, race day will be my daughter’s first wedding anniversary. So this is a Big Deal day for my family in more ways than one!

If you know me, you know that I am not only passionate about my own running, but about sharing it with others, hoping to motivate them. I’ve learned that a great way to do that is to support TFK. Funds raised by TFK support a group called Rising New York Road Runners (RNYRR).

Through school-based programs, youth events, and a collection of digital resources, RNYRR brings free running and fitness programs to students across the country. TFK funds help support programs for nearly 250,000 children nationwide. These programs help to build students’ motivation, confidence, and desire to be physically active for life. Funding helps pay for training for teachers and coaches; program and practice supplies; and student incentives. For most of these kids, running through this program is their only opportunity to get exercise or play sports.

My goal is to raise $100 per mile. That would be a total of $2,620.

https://runwithtfk.org/Profile/PublicPage/75553

Why You Should Be Running Strides

What Strides ARE:

·         “Accelerations”

·         A simple and fun way to add speed

·         Not quite maximum effort (85-95%)

·         Less than a minute long

·         Something you add to an easy run once a week

·         Helpful to get you used to running faster

·         A great introduction to strict speedwork

What Strides ARE NOT:

·         Maximum effort sprints

·         Something you do after every run

How do Strides Work?

Strides help a runner to develop and maintain the mechanics of running faster. How? Think of “learning to run faster” like “learning to ride a bike.”

Most of us can’t remember back that far, but first we learned to crawl, then walk. We eventually became very comfortable with walking. So comfortable, in fact, that we could soon walk without thinking about it. We could even walk while doing other things, like chewing gum for example. Then it was time to learn to ride a bike. Oh my! So much harder than walking! So many things happening at once – left foot, right foot, round & round… lean left, lean right... steer left, steer right… oh no, I’m going too fast – squeeze your hands (both, not just one)… or, pedal backwards! Riding a bike was a new, complicated set of body motions that all had to be in sync, or you would not be successful. But very soon, we (most of us) were able to ride a bike without thinking much about it.

Running fast is similar. Learning to run is a little more complicated than learning to walk. One foot in front of the other… how far out do I stretch my legs? Should I land on my toes or my heel? Swing your arms… downhill… uh-oh, speeding up! Uphill… this is getting harder! Is that dog on a leash, or not? Look out – a car! There’s a lot going on here, and once again most of us can figure it out and do something that looks like running, without thinking too much about it.

Learning to run faster is even more complicated. Consider the level of conscious thought involved. When you learned to walk, you had to think real hard about everything. Until you didn’t. Same with riding a bike. Same with running. What’s going on in our brains and muscles? To over-simplify it, we build neuromuscular pathways. Our brain, nerves, and muscles are learning how to interact. When we first start a new activity, it takes conscious thought. When our bodies get used to that – some call it “muscle memory” – it requires less conscious thought.

Right now, you run at some default speed – your easy, conversational pace. But, if you think about it, you can run a little faster than that for a while. Stop thinking about it, though, and your body reverts to the speed it “remembers”, that it can do without thinking. Also, the longer you “run faster”, the harder it gets, because your cardiovascular system is not accustomed to your muscles’ greater need for oxygen. And that means… in order to maintain that “faster” pace, you have to think about it more & more, until your mind and body are both too tired to continue at that pace.

So, strides help us build the neuromuscular pathways required to run faster. Strides help us practice running faster. Strides help our muscles and heart and lungs practice running faster. Eventually, just like with learning to walk, or ride a bike, or running, you are running faster automatically and not thinking about it!

You know what comes next, right? Run faster than that!

How to run strides:

On an “Easy Run” day (NOT a “Recovery Day”!), start your strides work about a mile before the end of your run.

1.       Start at your normal, easy, conversational pace.

2.       Run “faster” (whatever that means for you) for twenty steps (ten with each foot)

3.       Next, run “even faster” for twenty more steps

4.       Hang on to that same “even faster” speed for another twenty steps

5.       Next, slow back down to only being “faster” than normal/easy pace for twenty more steps

6.       Over the next 20 steps, slow back down to your normal, easy, conversational pace.

You should have traveled about 100 yards (the length of a football field), and it should have taken about 40-50 seconds. That’s it. See, I said it was easy. When you first start doing strides, start with just one. If you didn’t hurt yourself, the following week you can try two strides. After a stride, run a few minutes of your easy pace to let your heart rate come back down before doing the next one. Still liking it? The week after that, try THREE strides! Take it all the way up to five or six, but only add one per week. Make sure you leave enough distance on the end of your easy run to finish with a few minutes of your easy pace.

When you get up to six strides at the end of one run, start adding strides one at a time to the end of another easy run per week.

When you get to two days a week of six strides at the end of an easy run, it’s time to consider trying a Tempo Run. That’s another topic for another day, and another blog post.