Posts Tagged by running reflections
This is Your Brain on 20 Miles
| April 8, 2013 | Posted by Lauren under Marathon Training, Running |
Yesterday I ran my first 20-miler of this training cycle. No matter how many times I’ve covered the distance, 20 miles always feels really far. Seriously – what is it about the 20 mile distance that makes it feel so much longer than a run of say, 18 miles? I ran 18 a few weeks ago and felt great. Ran 20 yesterday and was wiped out for the rest of the day. Exhausted, sick (well that may have been more to do with my choice of fuel than anything else…more on that in a minute), and unmotivated to do much else but lie on the couch. Funny how 2 measly little miles can make a world of difference.
Anyway…anyone who has ever run 20 miles knows that you don’t just go out and do it. Well, most of us non-elite recreational runners don’t. There’s the build up, the preparation, and then (typically) the roller coaster of emotions to keep you company for the 3ish hours of running. Running 20 miles is a process, a journey.
So, for your enjoyment here’s a glimpse inside the mind of someone who approaches these super long runs with a bit of trepidation.
Reader Warning: Proceed with caution. The following litany of crazy is real. Yes, all these things were really going through my mind yesterday. And yes, I talk to myself during runs. Doesn’t everyone?
Scene: Sunday morning. 7 am. Up, making coffee and toast, obsessively checking the weather.
Why is it only 26 degrees out there? What happened to the beautiful spring weather we had at the end of the week?
Ugh that wind sounds awful. And it’s raining. I think I have a stomachache. Oh no…I’m feeling sick. How am I going to get through 3 hours of running feeling like this? My legs are too tired. And it’s cold. And windy. Maybe I should wait until Monday…
My slight mental exaggeration of the conditions outside as I procrastinated the start of my 20 mile run
3 hours later… (10:00ish am). FINALLY ready to go. Head out in a direction I rarely run to mix it up a little bit.
Yikes! It’s colder out here than I thought. Cold rain, cold wind…maybe shorts wasn’t the best option?
Okay, calm down and shut up. Just run one mile at a time. You can loop back by the house to change in a few miles if you have to.
Woohooo! Never mind. This whole “start downhill” thing is awesome. I’m flying! I love running! Why don’t I run this way more often??
One minute later, a truck comes careening around the corner forcing me to jump into a ditch. Oh yeah, that’s why….
Mile 1: 7:48
Oops. So much for the whole start slow strategy. But this just feels sooo good!
Miles 2 – 4 all clock in under 8:00/mile.
Oh! I’m already at the bridge (my planned turnaround point)! Those 4 miles flew by! I love running so much! Okay – let’s keep going. Just run to the center of the next town and then you can turn around.
Miles 5 – 7. Still holding a sub-8 pace without much effort.
Yikes that wind is really bad. At least I’ll have a tailwind coming back, right? Maybe all the wind will blow some of these clouds away. It’ll be nice to see the sun…
Oh a hill! Where did that come from? Wow…look at this view. I don’t care about the traffic, this run is amazing! I should’ve just planned to run out this way the whole time. Is it too late to call Evan and ask him to pick me up 20 miles from home? I don’t think I want to turn around.
I’M SO HAPPY!! RUNNING IS MY FAVORITE!
(Source - side note: you should probably click that link. Gold mine of happy cat and dog pictures)
Get to the center of town, resign myself to heading back in the other direction. Pace immediately drops.
Ummm…did I really run down all these hills? No wonder I was feeling so good on the way out. I swear the road was flat just a few minutes ago…
WTH is up with this wind?! Why isn’t it at my back? I guess I should take some sort of fuel, maybe that’ll help me feel better.
Pull out the Margarita flavored Clif Shot Bloks that I stuffed in my pack that morning after a frantic search for Gu came up short (note to self: be better prepared next time!).
Nastiness in chewable form
Ugh. These things are the worst! How do people chew and run at the same time?! My teeth. Everything is stuck together. OMG I might gag. This flavor. Why did I think I’d like the taste of margaritas while running?!?! Oh this is so so gross. Okay, fine, I’ll choke down one more and then these things are going away. (I am clearly not overdramatic or anything…)
Seriously, why do these things exist? They need to invent some sort of fuel that just dissolves on your tongue. Like a breath strip! Oh I’m totally going to invent that! I’m going to be the hero of runners everywhere. And will surely make millions. Enough with this chewing while running crap. It takes too much energy.
Hmmm…I guess that’s sort of why they invented Gatorade. No chewing, gives you calories and electrolytes. But Gatorade is nasty. Who wants to run with that crap? Nope, I’m getting to work on this Fuel Strip idea as soon as I get home!
Oh I love this song! Florida Georgia Line + Nelly should be so wrong, but it’s ohso right.
Finally back at the bridge. 10 miles in 1:18…I’ve slowed down, but still keeping a decent pace, all things considered.
Oh my gosh, the sun! I can’t believe it. Rain jacket off, arm warmers pushed down. This is the best and most wonderful day for running. Look at that river. And those mountains! Oh I just love Vermont.
Not really my view from Saturday. But a perfect representation of why I #lovermont
2 miles later…
I’m hungry. Shouldn’t I be back at the house by now? Maybe I should choke down another one of those awful Shot Bloks. Ugh. Or maybe I should just practice without the extra fuel. You know, to run with depleted glycogen stores or something…
NO. That’s stupid. I’m hungry and I’m tired and this wind is pissing me off. Why hasn’t it been at my back this whole time? Am I going crazy??
It was around this time that I started fantasizing about having lunch at my favorite local cafe
Choke down another Shot Blok.
Ugh. I never want to eat these things again. Barf.
Oh but what should I have for lunch when I get back? Crap, I’m hungry. I guess that’s what I get for starting the run around 10:00. How many miles do I have left to run?? {mild panic attack} Ahhh don’t think about that. Just make it back to the house. Focus on one section of this run at a time.
Finally! Back in town! Why did the way back feel soooo much longer than the way out? Oh but I love this view coming into town. It’s so beautiful here. I’m really going to miss it.
{Cue dramatic, emotional mental montage of all the good times we’ve had in this town. Complete with sappy music, of course.}
Hello house! Why did I think running by home during a 20 mile run was a good idea again?!
Throw windbreaker (should also throw arm warmers that have been pushed down to my wrists but feeling way too lazy to get them off).
Miles 15 – 17. Down a familiar stretch for the final miles.
WTH is up with this wind?! It’s getting worse! How have I only run 14 miles at this point? I feel like I’ve been running forever. All that stupid uphill. Now I remember why I don’t run that way…
Okay – focus. Just 3 miles. Past the farm that you wish you could buy and around the corner. You’ve done this run 1 million times. You can do it again. Don’t think about how far. Just think about getting through this next mile. And then you only have 2 more…until you turn around.
AHSLKDFHDSLKHF this wind! Doesn’t it ever stop gusting?? Why did I decide to run in this direction? Am I even moving forward? I want to cry. Or punch someone. I’m gonna punch Wind in its stupid face. Or maybe I’ll just lie down here on the side of the road. That would be nice… I wonder how long it would take for someone to find me.
I’m still hungry. Those stupid nasty Shot Bloks did nothing. I wonder if Evan is waiting for me to eat lunch. Just a few more miles until I can eat all the food! Gah I can’t wait to eat! And foam roll. My feet sure are hurting. So much pounding.
Finally – the turnaround point!! I see it. Maybe I could just turn around a little early. I mean, does 0.2 miles REALLY make that much of a difference?
I swear if I turn around and don’t feel the wind at my back I’m going to scream. I seriously want to murder somebody right now.
This is basically what I felt like. Obviously not an exaggeration at all.
Miles 18 – 20. Tailwind. FINALLY!
This is amazing!!! Downhill. Wind at my back. Oh! Macklemore. Can’t [nobody] Hold ME! Put this on repeat. It’s bringing me home.
Oh – look at that cyclist heading toward me. He’s clearly struggling against this wind. At least I know it wasn’t all in my head. This wind is no joke! Sucks to be you right now, buddy.
Look at that pace! You’re flying! Oh I love this tailwind. And this sun! And Vermont! Let’s see how fast you can finish this thing.
Okay – push up the final hill. Don’t let the pace drop now. You’re almost there. Just hang on….
7:11 final mile baby!! BOOFREAKINGYA! I love running!
And then I proceeded to sit on the back deck for a very very long time, until my hunger finally motivated me to get up and shower.
Long run conquered.
–
Unfortunately my post-run high was short-lived. I spent the rest of the day battling some major, not blog-worthy digestion issues. I’m blaming the margarita shot blocks (consider yourself warned!!). I’ll stick to Gu from here on out, thanks. Or, you know, the yet-to-be-invented Fuel Strip. It’s the wave of the future, I’m telling you.
Getting My Head Straight
| April 4, 2013 | Posted by Lauren under Marathon Training, Running |
Lately I’ve been doing most of my long runs on the same out and back section of road. Every weekend it’s the same. Head out along the road that I’ve come to know like the back of my hand, get to the turning point, and then head back the way I came.
Not the road…and clearly not a recent photo
I’ll be honest with you – it can get pretty monotonous. I know every stretch, every turn, exactly how far I have to go before I can head back toward home. The scenery is always the same and the hills are never changing. Sometimes the way out seems to drag on forever and I spend the entire run counting down the minutes until I can finally turn around.
I really make it sound so appealing, don’t I? I know what you’re all thinking — if I find it so monotonous, why the heck do I keep submitting myself to this form of torture?
Because the truth is that running along the same road week after week provides consistency. And for most of this training cycle, that consistency has been the only thing that gave me the confidence I needed to make it through long runs.
I don’t really know why, but confidence is something that I have really struggled with this time around. Whereas in the past, I sometimes failed to give certain runs the respect they deserved ["Oh, it's 'only' 15 miles. I don't need to worry about silly things like getting enough sleep, fueling, carrying water, or really think about the fact that I have to run for 2 hours without stopping!"], I now find myself with the complete opposite problem. Every single long run just seems so intimidating. I sit there in the morning stressing about the distance. Psyching myself out before I even take one step.
This all culminated before my recent 18-miler. I was so freaked out about the run that I kept putting it off…and almost backed out of doing it altogether. This was not your typical pre-long run anxiety — you know that mix of excitement and nerves that comes from not quite knowing how your body is going to feel that day. A feeling that boosts your adrenaline and can actually help propel you through the long run, because ultimately you’re just excited about the challenge and can’t wait to see how it’ll go.
I’m embarrassed to admit that this fear was quite literally crippling. That one run seemed like such an insurmountable challenge that I was ready to give up on VCM right then and there. Forget spring marathons…forget marathon training at all. I would focus on shorter races. Or maybe I would just retire from racing. Clearly I’m not cut out for it.
Believe me, I realize how silly and over-dramatic this all sounds. Typing it out now only makes it seem more ridiculous. But in the moment, I just couldn’t get out of my own head. I somehow forgot about one very important detail: this whole running thing is not my career. It’s not even a side job. It’s merely a hobby that I enjoy…and one at which I sometimes pretend to be mildly talented.
So after a few days (no, seriously…days) of freaking out about this run — a run that no one was forcing me to do or even cared if I completed — I finally was able to talk myself down from the ledge. By telling myself of two things:
1.) All you need to do is run ONE MILE at a time. That’s it. Get out the door. Put one foot in front of the other and run. If you only make it 5 or 10 or 15 miles, who cares. Just run one mile. And when you complete that one, run another. You don’t know how you’re going to do until you try.
2.) You finished a run along this same road last week. You did it before and you can do it again. All you have to do is run one more mile out…and then you can turn around. What’s one mile? Nothing.
These two tiny assurances completely turned the run around for me. As I mentioned in my last post, that 18 miles ended up being the best run I’ve had in a long time. And by far the best long run of this current training cycle. It’s amazing what happens when you stop being a crazy mental-case runner and start cutting yourself a little slack. Who would’ve thought…
I can’t say that the self-doubt has completely gone away. It’s still work to get my head straight — to keep my confidence up. But now, when I feel myself getting nervous about a run or a workout, I try to take a step back and remind myself that it’s just running. All I can do is go out and give it my best shot. And instead of focusing on what I can’t do or paces that I’m not hitting, I repeat two simple lines over and over again to get me through a particularly difficult or intimidating stretch.
I AM STRONG.
I AM ABLE.
Six words of reassurance. Six words that silence the doubt. Six words that are helping me keep my head straight…most of the time, anyway.
A Little Love…for Winter Running
| February 14, 2013 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
I feel like the general tone of many of my running posts lately has been rather negative. I’ve been talking about failure, struggling with training, hating on winter, etc etc etc. At this point, you might be starting to wonder where my joy for running has gone…and why I even stick with this crazy sport.
I try to keep this place as real as possible. I never sugarcoat my life or my training, because, well…what’s the point of that? And since I don’t write every day, it’s less interesting for me to put up a post about how I had another great easy run than to actually reflect on things that I’m experiencing or struggling with in terms of training. And the truth is, at the beginning of training there are often more struggles than anything else.
But I also understand that if that’s the only glimpse into my life you have, you may start to wonder where the passion has gone. While I admit that I haven’t yet reached that “turnaround” point where things start to come naturally, I still look forward to lacing up my shoes most of the time. And I honestly can’t even imagine how I’d get through the winter if I didn’t have running to keep me sane.
So with that being said, I figured it was time to show a little love for winter running. Because even though it’s cold and the days are short (but slowly getting longer!) and even though motivation can often be hard to come by, running during the winter isn’t all bad. In fact, if I’m honest with myself, there are actually a lot of advantages to running during this cold season.
Things like…
No pressure to beat the heat. If you don’t want to drown in sweat during a run in the middle of summer, there’s usually a very short window in which you can run. Miss that window and you’re basically resigning yourself to running through hell. Which also means…
No need for early morning wake ups on long run days. Sure, I suppose sometimes this is still necessary if you have a lot going on. But in general I find winter weekend mornings so much more relaxing. I can sleep in and take my time getting out the door. Especially since the procrastination usually works to my advantage — pushing back your run by just a few hours can make all the difference in terms of temperature.
Afternoon runs are the way to go. I’ve made my general dislike for morning runs pretty clear…several times. I run in the morning out of necessity — to avoid the heat, if I can’t run any other time of day, etc. I understand why so many of you love running in the morning and it all makes perfect sense to me…in theory, anyway. But despite my best intentions, I think I’ll always be an afternoon/evening runner at heart. And the winter is one time when running in the afternoon is unequivocally better. Sure, that run may hang over your head all day, but that’s a small price to pay for running in warmer weather, especially now that the sun sets a little later. Case in point: this morning the temperature in my town was 20 degrees. It’s expected to be 40 and sunny later this afternoon. Three guesses as to which conditions I prefer.
Running clothes have more pockets, which means more places to stash stuff. Yes, I prefer running in shorts over tights any day of the week (though when I do resign myself to wearing tights, chances are I’m in these. Most comfortable pair I own, plus I love the zipper at the ankles). And yes, running is the one aspect of my life where I prefer to wear as little clothing as possible. But sometimes that means storage is a bit of an issue. When you’re wearing a sports bra-type top and little bitty shorts, there aren’t many places to stash your gear/gels/etc. Long sleeve running shirts and coats generally have more pockets available, which makes carrying things on the run much easier.
I also appreciate bright colors on dreary days – I wear this jacket on the majority of my runs these days
Less need for hydration. During the heat of the summer, I usually carry water on runs that are an hour or more (there are no public fountains near me). On really hot days, I will take hydration with me on short runs too. But in the winter I can go a lot longer without needing water. Plus, if I get thirsty on a run, I can always reach over and just grab a handful of snow! Okay…kidding on that one. But my point is, I can easily make it into the double digits without hydration, and often go up to 2 hours without it. Obviously this is personal preference and not necessarily something a professional would recommend, but I hate carrying water and appreciate that I can go further without it when the temperatures are lower.
Less sweat. Which means that’s it’s much more acceptable to re-wear running clothes before washing. Or, you know, easier to get away with not showering after a run.
No humidity. Humidity ruins more runs than heat alone. I hate that feeling of swimming through a run, of being weighed down by the heaviness of the air. It slows me down and often makes me question my fitness. All summer long, I yearn for that first crisp fall day when the humidity breaks and I suddenly feel like I have wings on my feet. I love that I never have that problem during the winter. Sure, sometimes my legs go numb in the cold which obviously doesn’t make for a speedy run. But in general, less humidity means faster running. And that’s something I can get on board with!
Post-run showers are the best thing in the world. Especially on long run days. Is there anything better than the heat of a shower after being outside in the cold for over an hour? I admit to often using that as motivation to get myself moving (whatever works, right?). Related: running in the cold also makes my old house feel warmer. We keep our heat fairly low in an (often futile) effort to keep the heating bill from getting out of control. The only time the house feels truly toasty is when I first come in after a run. It’s a luxurious feeling.
So winter – I will accept that you are good for my running. And that sometimes I even enjoy you. Plus, each time that I brave your cold, I am stronger for it. But…that still doesn’t mean I’m not excited for spring.
Mood Enhancers
| February 12, 2013 | Posted by Lauren under Running |
February may be the shortest month on the calendar, but for me it’s always the one that drags on the longest. The holidays are long over, I’ve been cold for as long as I can remember, there’s snow everywhere, and I’m starting to forget what the sun even feels like.
This is the time of year when everything just seems to stand still — every day is as cold as the one before and I start to doubt that the world will ever come alive again. That I will ever feel warm again.
If there were such a thing as the “dog days of winter,” February would be it in my book.
I don’t really know what I was thinking when I told myself I would escape the winter doldrums by moving to Vermont. I hated winter in the city — the slush, the limited places to walk/run, the piles of snow with nowhere to go, the feeling of being trapped. In Vermont, at least, I have the great outdoors to keep me busy during this time. Whether I’m skiing or hiking through knee deep snow, I love being outside in fresh powder.
But that doesn’t change the fact that winter in Vermont is harsher than winter in Rhode Island. I may love every single day that I get out on the slopes, but I can’t exactly ski every day of the week. And as beautiful as the snow can be, I’m starting to long for warmer temperatures. For the growth and renewal that is spring.
Lately I’ve been struggling with a case of the winter blues. Nothing especially serious (I know many individuals struggle with SAD during the winter months), but days when I feel down and completely lacking in energy for seemingly no reason. Days when all I want to do is sit on the couch in my sweats, eat carbs, and wallow. It’s these days when running is the absolute last thing that I feel like doing — and these days when I actually need the run most.
Yesterday was one of those down days. I was so tired that I had convinced myself I needed an extra day of complete and total rest. I figured I was better off wallowing in my own misery and inability to stay motivated than getting out the door and struggling through a slow jog.
You’d think I’d be smart enough by now to realize the stupidity of this logic. I’ve been running for years. I know that the best runs can happen on days when you least expect it. And I know that running can often give you the energy that you’ve been unable to find all day. I don’t really agree with the phrase “You never regret a workout” (because there have been workouts that I have regretted very much…but this is a post for another day…), but I do fully support the notion that running is a mood enhancer. And when it comes to needing a boost, running is my Mood Enhancing Drug of choice.
Fortunately I have a husband who knows this about me, and who has become an expert at giving me the tough love I need, when I need it most. In an act of what I’m sure was self-preservation (grumpy, no-run LB is not the most fun person to be around), he practically shoved me out the door yesterday afternoon, telling me not to return until I had gone for a run.
And what do you know — not only was I able to get in a pretty decent progression run, but I also had a surge of energy that resulted in a really great strength training session afterward. It sounds so cliche, but my mood started improving after just a few minutes on that treadmill. With each step, a little more of the stress of the day melted away. By the time I started lifting, I forgot that I had spent the entire day combating exhaustion.
In a strange way, winter has also led to a greater appreciation for strength training. I don’t particularly enjoy spending time in the weight room. I’m a cardio junkie who would rather spend hours running than just a few minutes with the free weights. I resign myself to strength training only because I know it’s good for me. But in the winter, not only is it easier to motivate myself to lift after runs when I’m already at the gym (vs the summer when I’m running outdoors all the time), I’ve also been surprised by the mood enhancing benefits that lifting can provide.
When I run, my thoughts move faster than my legs. This is usually a good thing. Running gives me time to reflect, process, dream, and plan for the future. But sometimes I just need to get out of my own head. Lifting can do that for me. When I’m lifting, my thoughts don’t wander. My sole focus is on the exercise; my one thought the current number of reps I’ve completed. For someone who is a chronic over-analyzer, having something that completely quiets my racing mind can be sort of heavenly. I’m not really sure why I never appreciated this fact about lifting before.
I returned home after my workout feeling renewed. That extra energy even carried over into this morning, when I woke up after only 6.5 hours of sleep feeling completely refreshed. It sounds so cheesy to say that running is always the mood-booster that I need, but it’s true. I don’t know how something so physically demanding can leave you with extra energy, but I have to say I’m very thankful.
I can’t talk about this without thinking of Elle Woods…
I just need to remind myself of this the next time I’m struggling. There’s a big difference between actually needing extra recovery time and simply feeling too lazy to work out. I’m all about taking time off if I physically need it, as long as I make sure I’m not just letting the winter doldrums drag me down.
In the meantime, I’ll admit that I’ve started a countdown to March 1st. 17 more days. Pretty sure I can make it.
Recap, Run, Read, Repeat
| January 29, 2013 | Posted by Lauren under LifeontheRun |
I made it my big goal for 2013 to improve my blog titles. This current one is a winner for sure…
Anyway, this week has been off to a weird start. We have snow today, rain and 50+ degree temperatures forecasted for tomorrow.
In a two day span I’ve managed to break several pieces of nice glassware, including stuff that actually belongs to my sister (I’m blaming the dog…he’s too cute for her to get angry at. Me? Not so much…).
I think I’m still feeling tired from my super “long” and intense 10 mile run on Saturday.
I’ve been having weird dreams about Cylons (After years of making fun of him for his obsession with Battlestar Galactica, Evan finally convinced me to watch the show. We started buzzing through episodes on Netflix and we’re already into Season 3. Someone please stop me!)
And apparently I missed the memo that we’re all supposed to be excited about vitamins today. I keep seeing mentions about how today is supposedly National Vitamin Day, but according to this website, it’s actually National Cornchips Day. I think I’d rather celebrate that one, thanks. (A quick web search revealed that it may also be National Freethinkers Day, Curmudgeons Day, Puzzle Day, or Seeing Eye Dog Day…I suggest you pick your favorite one and celebrate!)
This pretty much sums up how I’m feeling this morning
So what follows is a semi-random brain dumb…brought to you by the letter R.
Recap:
Thank you for weighing in with your thoughts on the $500 Marathon. I loved reading everyone’s perspectives on the resolution options and running the 2013 New York City Marathon. I knew how I felt about the whole thing, but I was actually somewhat surprised that so many also decided to go for the refund (or said they would if they had been registered).
For those who are interested, I have tabulated the results of my super unscientific blog-comment poll. According to the comments on my last post (and not tweets, emails, etc), the majority of people felt that the refund was the best option. 76.7% of people who commented one way or the other about the issue said they took/would take the refund (vs. 6% who are running the marathon in one of the next few years and 3.3% unsure).
So there you go NYRR. I just did all your analysis for you. You’re welcome.
Okay, so I realize this sample is in no way representative of the population of runners who registered for the 2012 NYCM, but now I’m even more interested to see what happens this year. It would be really cool if NYRR gives us some sort of breakdown on what participants chose to do (too much to ask??). And if most people chose the refund, I wonder how that will impact the organization.
Anyway — for those of you who are running this year…I do hope things have settled down a bit before November and that the race will be a great experience.
Run:
It’s been cold lately. I know this. You know this. No one can stop talking about it. We’re supposed to get some relief over the next few days (which currently means 22 degrees in Vermont), but running last week was a lesson in character-building.
When I woke up on Saturday morning determined to finally get myself back into the double digits, the temperatures hadn’t seemed to get the memo. A double digit run in single digit temps is not exactly my idea of fun.
I procrastinated long enough for the air to hit a balmy 10 degrees and then finally sucked it up and headed out into the frozen tundra. 10 miles in 10 degrees seemed oddly fitting…in a slightly masochistic type of way. My body didn’t really know how to handle it — I was cold, then hot, then cold again. The wind was bitter. I was afraid my face would literally freeze off. But in the end? The run was kind of awesome.
I don’t really love running in such cold temperatures. 25 – 30 degrees I can do. Anything below that becomes a test of fortitude. One that takes a little extra effort in order to get myself psyched up.
But the funny part about Saturday’s run was that despite the frigid air, I started to really and truly enjoy it. Overnight flurries had left a thin fresh layer of snow covering the shoulders of the roads and the branches of the trees. Something about the clean crisp white, the rolling farmland and mountains, and the fact that I didn’t have to battle stoplights, city slush or traffic brought me to the exciting revelation — Vermont winter running is way better than Providence winter running…even with the colder temps and extra snow. I’d so much rather run where the scenery makes the miles fly by than where I’m dodging cars, bikes, other pedestrians and piles of dirty slush. All complaining about winter running stops now (or at least that’s what I told myself on Saturday…we’ll see how long this declaration lasts).
Unfortunately, that run took way more out of me than it probably should have, and I spent all of Sunday trying to recover. Marathon training has officially begun!
Read:
Just a few running related articles I came across this past week that I thought worth sharing.
Is There One Right Way to Run?
Very interesting article that highlights a new study on the way a traditionally barefoot tribe from Northern Kenya runs — and contrasts that with the results of the original Harvard study that helped support the barefoot/anti-heel striking trend in 2010. Scientists in each study analyzed a different tribe of traditionally barefoot runners from different regions of Kenya (the Kalejin Tribe vs the Daasanch) to determine their natural foot strike. I found the article interesting because it’s something that I’ve believed all along — there is no one “right” way to run. I changed my footwear/form because what I was doing stopped working for me. But like I said in my post last week — if your form works for you, don’t let the minimalist running trend pressure you into changing it!
Training for Boston By Starting From Scratch
I loved this piece by Amby Burfoot about getting back in shape because it’s a great reminder that all runners (even the elite) have to start from somewhere. I especially loved this part of the article. Basically sums up my training at this point.
There’s no joy, poetry, or rhythm to those first few weeks. Your body seems to have forgotten that it’s been running since you were three years old. There’s no connection between your shoulders, your arms, your knees, and your feet. They don’t work together like the fluid, well-oiled machine you remember. Instead, they rattle and rumble and lumber along. You don’t run like a Kenyan, you run like a Quasimodo.
So far as I know, there is no way to avoid this process, and there is only one way through it: sheer will. You go out and force yourself to do the ugly thing tomorrow, and then the day after that, and then the day after that. You trust that a better day will come. No matter how slow, awkward, and horrible each run feels, you envision a more-fluid future. You stay optimistic.
The Race Grows Sweeter Near Its Final Lap
A touching story about love and running. Huge thanks to Ali for sharing this one!
{on}Repeat:
And finally — tunes have been a run-essential these days, especially when I find myself on the treadmill with nothing to stare at but my own reflection. The best way to get through a treadmill run is to plug in, blast the music, and just go. Here’s what I have on repeat lately.
Ludacris ft Usher & David Guetta — “Rest of My Life” (My new run jam)
Maroon 5 – “Lucky Strike” (there’s lots of great songs to run to on their new album, but I love the beat of this one)
Mumford & Sons – “I Will Wait” (Really the whole album is amazing…just like the one before that. Mumford & Sons has been the soundtrack to many successful training and tempo runs.)
Swedish House Mafia – “Don’t You Worry Child”
Usher – “Numb”
The Barden Bellas – “Bellas Finals” (What? The song’s got a great crescendo and energy!).
I want to know — what’s your latest run jam? I’m in need of some fresh tunes!
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