Show #030 | Stepping from the half to the full |
Show #029 | Pre-Race Routines |
Show #028 | Is your training in a rut? |
Show #027 | Is it the lure of the finish line, or just the finish? |
Show #026 | What if the race is cancelled? |
Show #025 | Have you ever had a bad run? |
Show #024 | The mind numbing long run! |
Show #023 | Is it OK to leave your running friend behind? |
Show #022 | How can running be fun? |
Show #021 | Disneyand Dumbo Double Dare Recap |
Show #020 | Packing for a Race |
Show #019 | The Terror of the Taper |
Show #018 | Cramming for the course |
Show #016 | Getting your training back on track |
Show #015 | Talking with Laura Mildon from Island Boost about fueling runners |
Show #014 | Finding your place in the corral |
Show #013 | Hydration |
In an exciting collaboration with the Zen Runner, Adam Tinkoff, we are proud to announce our new production – The Social Runner Show! On the show, we explore the crossroads of running and social media, and what the all means to you, the runner.
Join us as we discuss running, technology, and how it all blends together to create a unique social landscape.
Show #012 | Geting Over the Humps
Show #010 | Get some ID
Show #010 | Get some ID
Kevin Gwin, over the The Extra Mile Podcast GALLOWAY EDITION is at it again! He has teamed up with legendary runner and coach – Jeff Galloway, and Jeff’s national program director, Chris Twiggs, to coach 3 lucky runners to the finish line of a fall half marathon. In order to participate, you have to agree to support a fantastic charity – The 26.2 with Donna Foundation, along with competing all of the training that will be custom designed, just for you!
Click here to listen to Kevin and Jeff explain the details. There is 39 seconds of bumper music at the beginning, so keep listening.
Show #008 | Summer heat, Changing up my training, DDD, Who needs minimal?, The Slow Runners Club, The Extra Mile Podcast, Carrying water, iFitness belts, The Running Podcast List
When you are on a cruise, there is no excuse for not continuing your training. Aboard the Disney Wonder, the running track is Deck 4, where you travel .33 miles as you circle the ship. As you travel through the bow, you get a look at the anchor chains and docking lines. When you traverse the stern, stay alert for the wonderful smells that you may encounter there, because the bakery is right below you!
Here’s a time lapse tour of the running track of the Disney Wonder.
It’s getting close to gun time. You’re feeling just a bit nervous. Questions begin to form in your mind. Did you train hard enough? Are you ready to go the entire distance? Doubt gives way to anxiety. What can you do to hedge your bets on this race? You look towards to start and it seems like you are so far back in the pack. How will you ever be able to keep up with everyone when the gun goes off? You start to edge your way towards the front, hoping to get an advantage. STOP!!!! Let’s look at why there are corrals, and corral wave starts.
A wave start is where runners are released from each respective corral at (usually) predetermined intervals. How much time elapses between the start of each corral depends upon the number of runners, the width of the course, the number of course volunteers, and the expected pace. The purpose of the wave start is like a freeway on ramp with a traffic control signal. It allows the course to be loaded with runners at a measured rate, without clogging it up, all at once.
So isn’t a wave start unfair to the runners who are placed towards the rear? Not at all! Unless the race is small, or you are a really fast runner, it doesn’t matter where you are when the gun goes off, because you time isn’t started by the gun. Unlike other types of races, the marathon has two different timing standards. The first is gun time. That’s the clock that starts as soon as the gun goes off. If you are running for prize money, that’s the timing that you need to keep in mind. For the rest of us mere mortals, we go by chip time. Chip time starts the clock when you step over the start line. The reason that it’s called “chip” time, is that it’s controlled by a small computer chip that resides on a tag that you wear on your shoe, ankle, or race bib. The chip is the great equalizer on the marathon start line.
Now that we’ve taken the worry out of getting across the start line as soon as the gun goes off, let’s talk about the corral system and why you were assigned to a particular corral.
The corral system places the fastest runners in the front and the slower runners towards the rear. It allows the cheetahs to run with the cheetahs and the turtles to run with the turtles. I can hear some of you, once again saying, “That’s not fair!”. Remember the timing mat at the start line? It doesn’t care if you are the 1st runner to cross, or the 25,000th. The clock doesn’t start for you until you cross that mat. The only thing that cares is your ego! Now is the time to let your previous finish times dictate where you start, and here’s why. If the fastest runners start in front of you, they will run away from you, leaving you more running room. More running room means that you can run faster. If there were faster runners behind you, they would be passing you, clogging up your running lanes. That would slow you down. So be faster by staying to the rear of your corral. If you try to cheat and get into a corral that is faster than the pace that you will actually run, it will only slow you down. Be fast. Stay back!
Next time: ElliptiWHAT?
The dreaded taper! The period of time in your training that comes between your longest run and the race that you have been preparing so hard to run. It’s a time to relax, cut back, and fuel up for the big day. So what’s not to like?
For many runners, the taper is a time of doubt. It is filled with thoughts that if you had only done a little more, worked a little harder, ran a little longer, you would be more prepared, come race day. When it comes to race day potential, the hay is in the barn, as of your last long run. You can’t build any more endurance than you developed on that last run. You can’t build any more speed than you had on your last speed workout, prior to that long run. It now officially, “is what it is”, as they say.
Taper can also be a time of anxiety for runners who have the urge to always be running. It’s an urge that I never experience, but I am told that many people suffer from this malady. For those people, all I can recommend is to chill out! You may think that you are doing yourself a favor by staying on the move, but in reality, your constant running is keeps draining the tank!
If you look at the taper in the proper light, you can not only appreciate it, but look forward to it. During training runs, we break down muscle and stress tendons and vessels. Even with rest days, we never completely get out of the rebuilding mode. We aren’t getting weaker. On the contrary, we are getting incrementally stronger, but at the cost of a lot of effort on the part of your body. In order to reap the full benefit of that increased strength and endurance, you have to let your body finish rebuilding, so you will have everything that is available, come race day. That means cutting way back on both the distance and the intensity of your training, at least for a couple of weeks, leading up to race day.
So what do you do with all of the extra time that the taper will give to you? How about taking care of all of those little chores that you neglected during your training? All caught up? Try getting ready for the race by sitting quietly and running the race in your mind, using the strategy that you worked on during training. Study the course elevations and look back at your training, to recall those runs when you successfully went through similar sections. Go back and study your long training runs and rehearse the sections that you did well, and learn from the places where things didn’t quite go according to plan. Develop a positive attitude toward the race, knowing that you have trained to complete the distance. If you do that, you will learn to look forward to, and love the taper!
Next time: Hoka One One’s – A review
Who is the masked man on the left? Even though he isn’t wearing a mask in this picture, Tony Nguyen is a real life super hero. When he runs under his given name, he represents what a person can do to improve their health and physical appearance through running. When the runs with a cape as “Endorphin Dude“, he spreads fun, good cheer and encouragement to runners of all ages and abilities with his enthusiasm and his antics.
Tony went from a stressed out, over weight, out of shape person, to a half, full, and ultra marathoner, in a fairly short span of time. When you see him now, it is difficult to imagine a time when he was in such poor shape that he feared an untimely death. Now the only time that seems to be shortened are his finish times.
If you need something to boost your spirits and get you moving, think about Tony. He has come a long way, but he’s a long way from being finished! What’s up next for Endorphin Dude? The sky’s the limit for this super hero!
Any time that humans move through space, they are in danger if injury. Being that we are a somewhat fragile species, injuries of some sort are bound to occur. The trick is dealing with them in the most intelligent manner without doing yourself any further harm. Many people call this common sense, but for the runner, it isn’t that cut and dried.
For the runner, the first sign of pain often brings denial. Maybe it is just a cramp. Maybe it’s just my brain playing tricks on me to get me to slow down. Maybe I can run a little farther and it will go away. Maybe, maybe, maybe… Yes, there are times when that little bit of discomfort is just a “niggle” that means nothing, but what do you do when that niggle becomes a pain?
First off, I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. I haven’t even stayed at a Holiday Inn Express lately, so I am not qualified to give anyone any sort of medical advice. I’m not here to talk about what you need to do FOR an injury, rather I’m interested in what goes on between the ears of a runner, once they realize that something is physically amiss.
For starters, if any body part swells, loses feeling, causes pain, moves in an odd fashion, or fails to move – See a doctor! It’s your body, so you are the one most qualified to know when things aren’t right. So use some smarts and do what you need to do to keep your body in top shape. With a proper diagnosis out of the way, let’s get to the heart of the matter.
Injuries are something the athletes hate! Why? Because an injury does more than just break your anatomy. An injury breaks your routine, your training schedule, and forces you to change a whole bunch of your plans. It will also cause you to re-think your short term goals, and maybe even a few of your long-term ones. And if you don’t make those changes up front, your injury will make the decision for you.
While small annoyances may allow you to keep running, even they will require that you cut back on both the distance and the intensity of your training. A more serious injury will mean that complete rest from running will be needed to at least get the healing process well underway. Either way, there are changes that need to be made, but these changes need not freak you out!
Since most injuries won’t lay you up for months at a time, the training base that you will lose will be slight. The endurance that a marathoner has built up will barely be diminished in four weeks of very easy exercise. It isn’t like missing a few runs will turn you into a couch potato. Quite the opposite is true. The fact that you are an athlete is a big plus in your recovery. Unlike the common person, your body is in better shape and has better blood flow, which helps the healing process.
So in the event of an injury, don’t become too anxious. You will get better, if you take your healing as seriously as your training.
Next time: Learn to Love the Taper!
If you are anything like me, the though of a 27 mile training run doesn’t elicit fanfare and cheers. When that dreaded “27 miler” came up on the schedule, I looked for a different way to get in the miles. What better way is there to train for the marathon distance than to run a marathon? To add some variety, and a bit more challenge, I found a trail marathon that was close to home. Since I had never run at over a mile high, or run a marathon in the dirt, this was going to be an adventure!
Next time: The Anxiety That Comes with Pain
So you have taken your first steps toward becoming a marathoner. One of the first questions that may pop into your mind is, “How long will the process will take to complete?”. The answer to that question is really simple and very complex, all at the same time. You see, the journey to the finish line of a marathon isn’t really a quest to finish. While there are some people who have a marathon on their bucket list, and will run one, and only one marathon in their entire lives, I would submit to you that those people miss the whole concept of the marathon.
The big question
If you run marathons, are training to run a marathon, or are even thinking about starting to train for a marathon, the question that you will hear from almost everyone that you come in contact with will be, “Why?”. It isn’t really a question that they are asking, but rather, it is a statement about your sanity. What they really meant to say, but are far too polite to actually put into words, is that you are completely out of your mind! While your friends aren’t actually expecting an answer that makes any sense, it is a question that you, as a runner, need to ponder. Why are you thinking of taking upon your self the task of running so far? While the answer to this particular question will vary by the individual, if at least a considerable portion of the reason isn’t that you are doing it just for yourself, then I would suggest that you save yourself the frustration and discomfort that will follow by quitting at once! Maybe it’s because you like running, or you need to get into better physical shape, or you want to see how far you can push yourself, or because you want to do something different with your life – no matter the reason, if you don’t do it for YOU, then you won’t be doing it for very long.And don’t think that just because you can answer the question of “why” means that you are through answering that question. It is a question that you will ask yourself, and have to answer, a hundred times. You see, since the answer is within yourself, and you are always changing, the answer will also be ever changing.
No easy answer
So how long will your journey to the marathon take? That all depends upon how you define your own journey. If you think of your journey as ending when you cross the finish line, then your journey will only take as long as your training program. If you are in pretty good physical shape, and have already been running a few miles, it may only take you 32 weeks to get all the way to the finish line. On the other hand, if you haven’t been running, are carrying around some extra pounds, it may take you up to a year to complete the distance comfortably.
Now you may think that this is a long time, but if you think about the journey in different terms, the time frame begins to make sense. If your focus is the finish line, then the marathon becomes nothing more than a check box on a bucket list. But if you look at the finish line of the marathon as the beginning your new life as a runner, then this journey has just begun. Enjoy the journey!
Next time: The Happiest Race on Earth
So you made the decision to get off your rear end and start running. Good for you! You picked a training plan and you are sticking to it. Fantastic! You haven’t your first marathon yet? Say WHAT???
A training plan is great, but there is no greater motivation for sticking to that plan than to plunk down your hard earned money and write a date on your calendar in ink! But how do you decide which marathon to use to celebrate your first official run?
Check the map
How far are you willing to travel? Are you looking for a destination run, or are you content to find a race that is close to home? A distant event carries with it the added expense of hotel rooms, meals, and possibly air transport and rental cars. But along with the added expense comes new adventures in new places that can add to the enjoyment of your run.
Check the chart
An important component of marathon running doesn’t relate to the physical distance of 26.2 miles. Hills, or the lack thereof, make a huge difference in how far that 26.2 miles feels to you body! A flat course can seem fast and easy, while a hilly course can feel like a grind that goes on and on. Make sure that you check the race website for an elevation chart. If the host site doesn’t offer a chart (or they post a teeny tiny one that you can’t actually see, look for GPS sites like connect.garmin.com, which offer tracks that were uploaded by previous runners. If you do decide to enter a race that is loaded with hills, make sure that you included weekly hill routines in your weekly running schedule.
Check the crowds
Do you need a large number of cheering fans to keep you motivated, or do you like to be left alone when you run? Races with small entry number tend to have fewer onlookers, while large races offer the lure of larger, cheering crowds. If you want the “ultimate” in motivational experiences, I would suggest checking out a Walt Disney World event, or the “26.2 with Donna” in Jacksonville. Either one will provide a great deal of on-course stimulation to take your mind off the miles. On the other end of the spectrum would be a race like the Newport Marathon in Newport, Oregon.
Check the clock
Just because you paid your registration fee, it doesn’t mean that they will keep the course open all night, waiting for you to reach the finish line. All races have a hard finish line closing time. After all, everyone has to go home at some point. Make sure that you know how long that finish line is going to be open, and that you will be able to finish by that time. Additionally, many courses have a minimum pace requirement for the course. Simply put, if you can’t keep running at the minimum pace, you are either subject to removal from the course, or you will be required to use sidewalks and be subject to normal pedestrian traffic laws. Make sure that you can run at least a bit faster than the required pace of the race that you want to enter.
Check the reviews
While you have to take runner reviews with a grain of salt, a marathon that has consistently good reviews is probably a pretty good race. If a race hasn’t been reviewed, there’s a good chance that it is a new race. While new races offer a chance to try something different, they are normally a few problems that come up in any new race. If you are prepared to just go with whatever happens, a new race can be an adventure. A tried-and-true race can always be an adventure, if it’s in a place where you have never run before.
Check the bling
Are flashy medals something that gets you excited? If the race website doesn’t show you what the finisher medal looks like, then Google Images is your friend! It is amazing how the reward at the finish can pull you through a race, but don’t let the anticipation of the bling blind you to the beauty of the race. Even if you pick a race just for the medal, never forget to take the time to think about where you are, how you got there, and how lucky you are just to be able to run! If you keep those things in mind, the medal, no matter how big or small, serves to solidify a fantastic memory.
Next time: How long is this journey?
Show of hands – How many of you think that running is boring? OK, OK, put them down! While many runners proclaim that running, in and of itself is bliss, I am not from that camp. To me, running is pretty boring. I know that this is a statement that could put me in danger of being burned at the stake down at the local running store, but it’s true. The act of running, unless you are running after or away from something, is like cruising the strip in your car. Most of the time, it isn’t the act of doing it that is fun. It’s what you see and hear while you are doing it that makes it an interesting experience. So what can you do to make the required miles a bit more interesting?
First, vary your route. If you normally turn left – turn right. It’s amazing how the same route can feel different, just by running in the other direction.
Second, drive to a new spot. I know that it’s convenient to run out your front door, but sometimes you just need to take a little road trip to find new scenery. You don’t have to drive to the next state. Just cruise across town or to the next city. The different view will put a new spark in your step.
Next, slow down and look around. Even on your most traveled route, I’ll bet that there are plenty of things that are there in plain sight that you have never seen. Try counting the number of different types of birds, dogs, or flowers that are along the way. Taking the time to look for things that you wouldn’t normally think about will take your mind off of running, while the act of looking will make you appreciate what is around you.
Finally, for a change of pace, don’t run in circles – run in ovals. From time to time, taking it to the track is good for your legs, and it helps to give you a reality check on your training. Running a Magic Mile every now and then give you a training benchmark, and keeps your long run pace in check. It may not be as scenic as a run in the park, but can be a great change of pace.
Next time: What to look for when picking your first marathon
You can’t get through life without a little pain, and we humans attempt to avoid as much pain as possible. But there is a huge difference between real pain and simple discomfort. In our “advanced” civilization, we have become soft to the point that we often confuse discomfort for pain. Pain is a real sign that something is very wrong. Pain is a bad thing. Pain should be avoided!
Discomfort, on the other hand, normally accompanies any stressful exercise. The trick is learning the difference between the two. There is no doubt that discomfort has both a physical component, as well as a mental one. When you stress your legs with a long run, the muscles get fatigued, and that causes discomfort. But your brain doesn’t like discomfort, so if it senses that you are going to try that long run again, it will make you think that the discomfort is worse than it really is. It isn’t that your brain wants you to be lazy, it’s just trying to reduce your stress level.
Learning when you are really hurt, when you are feeling the normal discomforts of physical exertion, when your mind is playing tricks on you, and when you should be playing tricks on your mind are all a part of the learning process called training. While I can’t promise you that proper training will keep you from all discomfort, I can assure you that proper training will steer you away from injury causing behaviors, and allow you to progress at a rate that will minimize a lot of the discomfort that many runners feel when they begin training.
Yes, there will be some discomfort, but take heart in knowing that having a little ache in your legs from running feels a lot better than legs that are sore from hauling around extra weight caused by being a sedentary creature!
Next time: I feel like I’m running in circles!
While resting between runs may make a lot of sense, it is much more difficult to wrap your head around the concept of resting while you run. When you go out for a run, the concept of rest that comes to mind is shutting down, sitting down, and possibly laying down. But any of those options aren’t productive for finishing an endurance event. You can’t just lay down and take a nap every time you get tired. You would never cross the finish line if you did that. Instead, why not rest on the run.
If you are new to running, you are keenly aware that running causes your leg muscles to get fatigued. The less fit your are, the more aware you are of this fact. Running takes muscle power, and your muscles can’t keep going forever without taking rest. The trick is that you can extend the time that your muscles will keep working by letting other muscles take over for a while, and letting them take a short breather. The secret is simple, and it is called run-walk-run. It’s a system that was championed by the famed runner Jeff Galloway.
Aren’t we supposed to be running the entire time?
My answer to that question is simple. Who says? Is there a running rule book that requires your feet to keep moving at a certain pace? Will the Running Police come and drag you away if you move too slowly? Will you be disqualified from a race because you take a walk break? The answer to all of those questions is a resounding “NO!”. If you can run 26.2 mile without taking a break AND you can do it in less than 2:30:00, than you are a remarkable individual! If you can’t run 26.2 miles without a break OR your current marathon time is slower than 2:30:00, then walking will help you go faster. How will walking make me run faster, you ask?
Constant use will wear anything out
It applies to tires, underwear, hamster wheels, and even your leg muscles. If you use them all the time, they will wear out. The good news about your legs muscles is that, after they are worn out, you don’t have to throw them away! In fact, you don’t even have to wear them out. While there is a limit to how much abuse your legs can take before they completely fail, you can push that limit far into the future if you will give them a rest break. But you can’t wait until you are tired to take a break and expect your tired muscles to recover. Once fatigue has set in, a short rest just isn’t enough. You have to take a rest before you feel tired. Walking uses different muscle groups than running. By walking, you give your running muscles a chance to take a break and recover. But since that walk break is short, at no more than a minute, you can’t let fatigue build up. You need to start resting those muscles from the start of your run.
But I feel great! Why should I walk now?
You can walk now, or you can walk later. If you take scheduled walk breaks from the beginning, you will have amazingly consistent power on tap, all through your run. If you wait until you are tired to start walking, the fatigue will set in and you will have less and less power, as your run progresses. Do you want to start strong, or finish strong? Last time I checked, there are very few individual pictures taken at the start line, but there are a ton of them shot at the finish line!
Next time: I don’t want to hurt!
Now that you are running, and maybe even beginning to learn to like it a little bit, many changes are taking place. You are training your mind to be more determined. You are training your muscles to move in ways, and for periods of time that were unknown to them, just a few days or weeks ago. You are training your friends to accept you as a runner. There are changes taking place that you won’t realize at the moment, but will become evident on down the road. With all of this exciting change happening, wouldn’t it be a great idea to run even more and make those changes come bigger and faster?
The trap that a lot of runners fall into, is that they think that if a little bit is better, then a lot must be great. It is a wonderful thing that you are so energized about running, but running too much can be a very bad thing!
The mechanics of change
Your body is a wonderful machine. Well, it has the potential to be a wonderful machine. Right now, it’s probably not in the best of shape. It is pretty much like an engine in an old car that has been sitting in a dusty old barn somewhere for years without being run. You can get it to turn over, but it won’t run very well. You could try to fill it with gas and just limp along, but what you really need to do is tear down the engine and rebuild it.
Your body adapts to whatever you do to it, over an extended period of time. If you just sit around, it gets better at storing fat, and since you don’t use your muscles as much, it cuts down on their fuel supply and blood flow. You rust. When you start running, your body takes note of the added demand on parts that never needed attention in the past, and begins to target those areas for a rebuild. But that rebuild can’t be done unless you give your body time to do the job properly.
If you pulled your old clunker into your local garage and told the mechanic that you needed to have the engine rebuilt by the end of the day, you would be greeted by laughter, or a question of your sanity. A rebuild takes time, and so it goes with your body. The rest that you take between runs is as important a component of the plan as the runs themselves. When you are out there on the road, your body is making a check list of everything that it needs to fix, just in case its fool owner decides that it might engage in this activity on another day. Your calves are screaming, “Please get me some more blood flow, before this idiot starves my for oxygen!”, and “My glycogen storage tanks are too small to keep up with this goof ball!”.
Time for a rebuild
There is nothing that your body can do for itself while you are running. It is only when you stop that your systems can take inventory and begin the process of improving the machine that is your body. Your mechanic can’t tune up your car while you are driving it, and the same goes for your body. All of those marvelous adaptations that your body needs to make in order for your to run longer and faster come while you are resting.
But isn’t it better to practice more?
In a word – No! Your training plan is geared to give you the perfect balance of running and resting. If you try to speed up your progress, you increase the chances of becoming injured, which will slow down your progress. I know that you are excited that you are running, but resist the urge to do more than your training plan prescribes.
Remember that resting is an important part of your training plan. Rest with as much enthusiasm as you run!
Next time: Resting while you run.
When I used to think of running, I harkened back to the shallow, vacant faces of runners that I saw along the road. They all looked like they had escaped from some lonely concentration camp, starved and malnourished. Their faces spoke of enduring pain and a life devoid of the pleasures of life. Oh, if only someone would stop and give that poor sole a sandwich! I saw nothing of pleasure in their countenance, and it pained me to see these poor, sad people, as the plodded along for no reason. This impression of running, along with my own personal agonies with the sport, colored my perception of running, and led to a complete aversion to ever trying to travel under my own power for a distance longer than needed to get from wherever I was to a waiting car. Why on earth would anyone take up such a life draining pursuit?
Run with a purpose
I think that the majority of those sad people that I observed running the roads lacked something very important. Their runs lacked purpose. While there seems to be a clutch of people who run for no other reason than because they can, that wasn’t a compelling reason for me to run. Until I gained a purpose to get off my rear end, there was no desire to run. But what do you do to gain purpose?
The very best way to gain purpose is to register for a race. Let me take a minute for the laughter to subside… Seriously – a goal will give you a purpose in a hurry, and a goal with a date gives you a deadline. It also helps that some of your hard earned cash is on the line. Once you register for a race, you are committed! Just pick a race that is about 6 months out. That will give you the time to start running, and then to implement your plan to successfully complete that race. Believe me, there is great enjoyment in crossing that finish line!
Run with a plan
Now that you have a race picked out, it’s time to take the training plan that you selected, and plug it into your calendar. Plans all have the goal (either a half or full marathon race) and a set number of weeks to reach that goal. Go to your calendar, find the race date, and start counting backwards, filling in the miles that you need to run as you go. Don’t let those big numbers intimidate you! As you work your way back, the numbers start getting smaller and smaller, until they don’t seem like such a huge deal. Did you run out of plan before you got to today’s date? Excellent! Just pick the runs for the first week of the plan and keep repeating them until you fill it out to where you are right now.
Remember those big numbers that seem impossible to run? They are impossible – right now. It may seem hard to believe, but as you train, those numbers will begin to feel easier and easier. You can feel a great sense of accomplishment and joy as you tick off those runs that you thought were impossible when you first started!
Run with common sense
If you get up off the couch and think that in a few weeks you will be running an Olympic level marathon, then you are completely and utterly insane! You have one goal, and one goal only – to finish! You aren’t going to be fast. People are going to pass you. You aren’t going to set any records. None of that should even cross your mind! If you start thinking about how slow you are, or how many people are ahead of you, you will diminish your accomplishments, and will miss out on the joy of doing something great for yourself. Remember that to finish places you squarely in the hallways of the elite in our society. You will be doing something that over 99% of the population will never do! There is great joy in that fact alone.
Is there joy in running? I look at running as simply the vehicle that transports me to joy, and that takes all the pressure off of trying to make the act of running joyful, in and of itself. But as I related in my Thanksgiving video, over on YouTube, there is great joy and happiness in your heart when you are thankful that you can run. My studio is a couple of doors away from a shop that makes prosthetic limbs. Almost every day, I see people missing one or both legs who have come to be fitted for artificial replacements, and it reminds me to be thankful that I have legs that allow me to run.
Yes, you can really enjoy running!
Next time, we’ll talk about an often misunderstood facet of the training plan – recovery.
With running, as in life, without a plan you have no direction. You set yourself up for failure, and you are at risk of serious bodily injury. All of that can be avoided with a training plan. Not just any training plan will do, either. It has to be a plan that provides the opportunity for you to progress at a rate that will gently push you, but not too hard. Too hard and you’ll be tempted to quit.
So what would I suggest? After looking at, and rejecting every other training plan that I could find, I settled on the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk-Run Training Program. Why? Because it works for everyone from a person who can’t run 100 feet, to a 2:28 marathon runner! Now that’s what I call versatile! The thing that first caught my attention was the word “walk”, something that seems strange for a marathon training program. But there is a method to the madness.
For me, endurance running seemed like an almost impossible task. I can run, and run fast! Back in the day, I could beat just about anyone – but only for 100 meters. Past that, forget about it! I really don’t have a natural abundance of slow twitch muscle fibers that are the hallmark of distance runners. I have tried to run long distances, and hated it. I have been force marched, dragged, and prodded through long distances, and been made sick and miserable in the process. So what makes the Run-Walk-Run program different? It’s the added component of walking. Walking to run? That sounds crazy, but it works!
How far can you run? I’m not talking about how far you dream of running. I mean how far can you run without tiring yourself out to the point that you have to quit? Is it 10 feet? 10 blocks? 10 miles? Everybody has a number. Even the elite Kenyan runners can’t go on forever! At some point, fatigue sets in, your body runs out of gas, and you are just done! But let’s say that you only needed to run a fraction of your maximum distance. Does that sound like a better idea? Stopping before your muscles are fatigued is what the Run-Walk-Run training program is all about.
Let’s say that you take stock of your current physical condition, and you know that you can run at an easy jog for 10 seconds. Does that sound possible? Now let’s quit thinking about miles, and instead, we will focus on a single minute. Just 60 seconds. Take a nice, easy jog for 10 seconds, and for the remainder of that single minute, you walk. Not a fast walk, but a nice stroll to let your muscles relax and recover. Just 10 seconds of slow running and 50 seconds of walking. Does that sound like it is possible? When that minute is over, all you have to do is repeat the process. Guess what? You are running! I told you that you could do it!
This is the basis of Run-Walk-Run. Before your muscles reach the point of fatigue, you take a walk break to allow time for them to recover, and then you start running again. This exchange of stress and recovery has been the hallmark of interval training for many years, but putting it into practice for endurance running is simply brilliant! Staying below the threshold of fatigue allows you to run longer, go farther, and steer clear of over use injuries. But if you walk, then you’re not running, right? Who says? You might hear that comment from some bigoted, know-it-all, crack pot, wannabe Kenyan, but the truth is that there is no rule book for running that says that you can’t walk – even during a race! The “dirty little secret” of endurance running is that, at some point in a race, almost everybody walks! It may be only for a few seconds at a water stop, or it may be late in the race (when it doesn’t help you very much), but walk they most certainly do! The difference is only a matter of degree. Walk a little, or walk a lot. They still walked! Once that inflated ego trip is out of the way, you are free to get off your cookie enriched butt, and get out there and run – and that’s what really matters.
Are you always going to walk more seconds that you actually run? Maybe. Maybe not. According to Jeff Galloway, the fastest recorded runner that used the Run-Walk-Run method, finished the marathon in 2 hours and 28 minutes! Are you ever going to be that fast? Probably not, and it doesn’t matter. You can use the program as a tool to get you to the finish line and enjoy the entire journey, or you can use it as a training tool to become as fast as your body and genetics will allow you to run. The choice is yours. Either way, do it for you. You can find Run-Walk-Run training plans in many of Jeff Galloway’s books, or you can find them for free at his web site – www.jeffgalloway.com.
Next up, we’ll take a look at what you need to put that plan into action and start running.
Once you wrap your head around the need to get off your rear end and actually do some sort of physical exercise, why should you choose to run? After all, isn’t running really bad for you?
I have experienced a few knee and back injuries in my life, and every injury ended with the same suggestion – “Don’t run! It’s bad for you.”. Who would question such advice? After all, it was given by sage scholars of the medical profession, who had nothing but the best intentions for their patient, right? Well, not really… While a doctor is supposed to have their patient’s health always in the forefront of their mind, the advice that they give is often skewed for the quick fix, and is not necessary completely correct.
Patient: “Doc, it hurts when I do this!” Doc: “Then quit doing that!”
It’s an old joke, but it has application to running. It turns out that there is a huge body of medical evidence that clearly states that running is actually a great form of exercise, is good for the joints and heart, and can reverse some of the damage caused by old age. Yet, for all of the evidence to running’s positive attributes, many physicians are either ignorant of the published research, or just take the safe road by telling their patients to “Quit doing that!”. With this in mind, should you stay away from the doctor? Hardly! Instead, seek out a doctor who understands running, or even better, find a doctor who runs! Whatever you do, make sure that you get a medical checkup before you begin any exercise program. There are conditions that can cause you serious problems, or even death, if left undetected. No person illustrates this fact more clearly than Jim Fixx, the man who is credited by many with starting the modern running craze. He wrote the book on running for improved health, yet died of a heart attack on a routine jog. You never know, so it’s best to get the advice of a trained medical professional. You are probably over due for your annual check-up anyway.
Once you are cleared to exercise, you need to find a training plan that fits both your long term goals, and your current level of fitness. Let’s start by talking about goals. Pick a goal that is realistic. It is too easy to shoot for something that you can’t do, and then say, “See, I told you that I couldn’t do it!”, in order to justify your current condition. Set that straw man aside, and let’s look at what you can do. You can run a half marathon. You can run a marathon. To be completely honest, you can’t do either one today, but you have the ability to train for, and successfully finish a race of 13.1 or 26.2 miles. You won’t set any world records, but you can finish, and do so in a condition that leaves you feeling happy about the entire experience. I will even make it easy for you by setting your goal for you. Your goal is to train for, enter, and finish a half marathon. That’s it! Just finish! No pressure to be first. No killer speed work to set a world record. Just finish!
Just finish? Isn’t that a loser’s attitude? Not at all! If you don’t believe me, here’s how you can prove it to yourself. Ask everyone that you know, including friends, co-workers, and family members, if any of them has ever completed a half or full marathon. You probably already know the answer, but go ahead and start asking anyway. The very act of asking the question will begin to cement the possibility of it really happening deep into your mind, and will serve to place your friends on notice that you are actually thinking about running. So, did you find anyone who has ever been a successful marathon finisher? Probably not! You see, only about 1/10 of 1% of the population will actually do what you are fully capable of doing, even though almost all of them, just like you, are able to do it. If you train for, and finish a half or full marathon, you will be an elite athlete! You will be one of the 0.1%, no matter how fast or slowly you run the race. “Just” finishing will separate you from the 99.9% in ways that you can only imagine right now! “Just” finishing will change your life!
Are you ready? Next up, we’ll dive into what to look for in a training plan. One that will work for you, to get you to your goal without pain or injury, and while still maintaining a “real” life, outside of running.
Every run begins with that first step, and this site is just that – a first step. While the concept came easily, the execution is another matter. I have much to say, so please be patient as I find ways to put my experiences into words, and format this all into a page of information that I wish had been available when I began.
Notice that I didn’t say that it all begins with your first step. You have to decide to take that step. Decide to make a change. Decide to do something positive for yourself. Decide that you will commit to a training schedule. Yes, running starts as a mental exercise, but the mental component doesn’t end there. Running a long distance can by done by just about anyone. You just have to want to do it. The only question that remains to be answered is – How bad do you want it?