Managing Hydration When You Are a Runner
5 years ago
Friday, March 25, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Kermit Alexander's Song
Without a doubt this is the most life inspiring, save the world inspiring, never give up on humanity inspiring story I have ever read. It's about former pro NFL player, Kermit Alexander, and how he lost the family he loved at the hands of the one kid he didn't have time to help, and how he turned the rage inside him into a vow to never turn his back on another troubled child. It's about how he went from telling God to pound sand to letting God back into his heart, and it's about letting go of the hate and moving forward. If this story does not move you, I don't know what will! I hope you find time to read it.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
First 5K in 12 months (and first one of 2010).
In the spirit of short race reports, I ran a 5K for the first time in 12 months. Last year I ran 21:45 which was 1:35 slower than my PR. Today I ran 20:27, so a little bit closer to my PR but still have some work ahead of me. Nevertheless, it feels good to be healthy again. It was a fun race, flat for the most part and a fairly fast course. One of my teammates won the overall 5K title AND the Mens Masters Division in under 16:00. I won the female masters division, and was 4th female overall. There were 1281 runners. The trophies are beautiful (and I won a little cash, too). :)
Splits: 6:24, 6:38, 6:36, & 6:11-pace for that last, torturous .1.
Happy with the race and can't wait for another 5K next Sunday.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Process IS the Goal
So there are some big differences as to how I'm training this year versus the prior years. One difference is I used to race workouts, hammering 10 x 800s, or 10 x 1 mile repeats or 16-20 x 400s, but I'd only be running about 45-50 mpw.
This year I've been running my quality workouts based on the total amount of mileage I run in each week. Currently I run less than 70 mpw (actually right now just 50-55). So as an example, if the workout of the day called for 2 x 800 followed by 3-5 miles tempo followed by another 2 x 800, I would only run 3 miles tempo in between, whereas someone running 70-90 mpw would run 4 and someone running 90+ mpw would run 5.
I've running 50-55 mpw since mid December with the exception of cut back weeks, during which time I cut ALL runs by 15-20%. I've had a few weeks at 60-65, but by accident. My plan is to not jump up to 60-65 mpw consistently until after the Spring road races are over and I have the summer to rededicate to aerobic strengthening before Fall races. But I digress.
Let me get to my last 5 workouts and how they make me feel right now. I'm going to babble about a few things intermittently, so forgive me. :)
Workout 1: 4-6 x 800 at 3K effort w/ 400 jog recovery. So, based on my weekly mileage I ran 4. My 3K effort is somewhere around 6:15-6:20/mile which translated to about a 3:07-ish to 3:10-ish 800m repeat. I nailed the workout and felt like I could have done at least one more (although I certainly was glad I didn't have to).
Now here's where that bolded word "effort" comes into play. It's not so much about the pace because I've never actually raced a 3K; it's all about the EFFORT... in other words during the repeats I asked myself, "Can you really sustain this effort over the distance of 3K?" I knew within seconds of asking what my answer was. "NO." So how did I respond? I SLOWED DOWN, even if just by a few seconds per mile.
This is a huge, huge difference from the way I used to train. Last year I would overreach on almost every workout. I would usually aim to run according to goal pace and not my current fitness. And I know without a doubt that this is why I ran absolutely crappy races last year and why I got injured in late '08.
Workout 2: 2 x 800 @ 3K effort, 3-5 miles tempo effort (based on my mileage I ran 3 miles), 2 x 800 @ 3K effort, all with 400 meters jog recoveries. You know what my current 3K effort hovers around, and currently my tempo effort is about 6:57-7:15/mile. Last year I would aim to run faster than the lowest end of the spectrum. As a result I would finish each workout feeling like I had just raced. Bad, bad, bad. And as a result of that, I wouldn't race well on race day.
Anyway, I stuck with the theme of "can I sustain this effort over that distance in a race," and when I was honest with myself I nailed the workout feeling spent but not like a race hero. Perfect! Why? Because I want to be a hero on the actual race day!
Workout 3: 2 x 6-8 200s w/ 100 meter jog recoveries. (I ran 6). 400 jog between sets. 1st set @ 3K effort (about :45/200) and the 2nd set at 1500 effort (about :40/per 200). Listened to my inner pacer and nailed the workout, again. And 200s are fun, by the way!
Workout 4: 3-4 x 1600 at 5K effort w/ 800 meter jog recoveries (you guessed it, I ran 3 reps) + 4 x 200 @ 1500 w/ 200 meter jog recoveries. This workout was WAY harder than I thought it would be because I had to do it on the treadmill (childcare issues). But as a comparison, the last time I did this workout was also on the treadmill and I overreached so much that I had to cut each repeat short and only ended up doing 3 x .75 miles. I did not make that same mistake, and although I was exhausted because of the heat in my house and the whole dreadmill thing, I had a great workout. It was a real confidence boost for me.
Workout 5: In prep for a 5K this weekend, today's workout was short and sweet. Just 4-8 x in/out 400s (I ran 4 based on my mileage). This workout means run 400 @ 5K effort and 400 @ 20 seconds slower in one continuous run - no breaks. NAILED IT! And it felt like good, solid work, but not a race. I was so excited because about a month ago I did this workout and could not maintain the 20 seconds slower. I was way, way slower on those 'outs' because I ran the 'ins' way, way too fast.
Anyway, the point behind this long winded post is this (as explained by a trusted advisor)...
Running at attainable paces/efforts allow you to walk away feeling like you can do more, which over time results in knowing you can do the workouts, so less stress. Therefore, your focus becomes the races.
Feeling or thinking you're going to miss splits has much to do with overreaching in workouts. This means you are probably trying too hard to hit workouts or splits that are over your head which makes attaining the workout hit and miss, none of which bodes well for your confidence. As a result, you go in to your races full of doubt.
Why, oh why, had I not followed this philosophy years ago when I'd first learned about it? Because I was greedy and I wanted to be fast RIGHT NOW. I didn't want to be patient. Getting injured forced me to be patient and to rethink everything. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me and my running. I still have lots of goals to meet but the big difference now is the most important thing (to me)... the process in working toward those goals is the actual goal. There's no reason I can't work at honing my daily training skills. That means training within my abilities and not overreaching (except maybe on race day). And then... let the chips fall where they may at the races.
This year I've been running my quality workouts based on the total amount of mileage I run in each week. Currently I run less than 70 mpw (actually right now just 50-55). So as an example, if the workout of the day called for 2 x 800 followed by 3-5 miles tempo followed by another 2 x 800, I would only run 3 miles tempo in between, whereas someone running 70-90 mpw would run 4 and someone running 90+ mpw would run 5.
I've running 50-55 mpw since mid December with the exception of cut back weeks, during which time I cut ALL runs by 15-20%. I've had a few weeks at 60-65, but by accident. My plan is to not jump up to 60-65 mpw consistently until after the Spring road races are over and I have the summer to rededicate to aerobic strengthening before Fall races. But I digress.
Let me get to my last 5 workouts and how they make me feel right now. I'm going to babble about a few things intermittently, so forgive me. :)
Workout 1: 4-6 x 800 at 3K effort w/ 400 jog recovery. So, based on my weekly mileage I ran 4. My 3K effort is somewhere around 6:15-6:20/mile which translated to about a 3:07-ish to 3:10-ish 800m repeat. I nailed the workout and felt like I could have done at least one more (although I certainly was glad I didn't have to).
Now here's where that bolded word "effort" comes into play. It's not so much about the pace because I've never actually raced a 3K; it's all about the EFFORT... in other words during the repeats I asked myself, "Can you really sustain this effort over the distance of 3K?" I knew within seconds of asking what my answer was. "NO." So how did I respond? I SLOWED DOWN, even if just by a few seconds per mile.
This is a huge, huge difference from the way I used to train. Last year I would overreach on almost every workout. I would usually aim to run according to goal pace and not my current fitness. And I know without a doubt that this is why I ran absolutely crappy races last year and why I got injured in late '08.
Workout 2: 2 x 800 @ 3K effort, 3-5 miles tempo effort (based on my mileage I ran 3 miles), 2 x 800 @ 3K effort, all with 400 meters jog recoveries. You know what my current 3K effort hovers around, and currently my tempo effort is about 6:57-7:15/mile. Last year I would aim to run faster than the lowest end of the spectrum. As a result I would finish each workout feeling like I had just raced. Bad, bad, bad. And as a result of that, I wouldn't race well on race day.
Anyway, I stuck with the theme of "can I sustain this effort over that distance in a race," and when I was honest with myself I nailed the workout feeling spent but not like a race hero. Perfect! Why? Because I want to be a hero on the actual race day!
Workout 3: 2 x 6-8 200s w/ 100 meter jog recoveries. (I ran 6). 400 jog between sets. 1st set @ 3K effort (about :45/200) and the 2nd set at 1500 effort (about :40/per 200). Listened to my inner pacer and nailed the workout, again. And 200s are fun, by the way!
Workout 4: 3-4 x 1600 at 5K effort w/ 800 meter jog recoveries (you guessed it, I ran 3 reps) + 4 x 200 @ 1500 w/ 200 meter jog recoveries. This workout was WAY harder than I thought it would be because I had to do it on the treadmill (childcare issues). But as a comparison, the last time I did this workout was also on the treadmill and I overreached so much that I had to cut each repeat short and only ended up doing 3 x .75 miles. I did not make that same mistake, and although I was exhausted because of the heat in my house and the whole dreadmill thing, I had a great workout. It was a real confidence boost for me.
Workout 5: In prep for a 5K this weekend, today's workout was short and sweet. Just 4-8 x in/out 400s (I ran 4 based on my mileage). This workout means run 400 @ 5K effort and 400 @ 20 seconds slower in one continuous run - no breaks. NAILED IT! And it felt like good, solid work, but not a race. I was so excited because about a month ago I did this workout and could not maintain the 20 seconds slower. I was way, way slower on those 'outs' because I ran the 'ins' way, way too fast.
Anyway, the point behind this long winded post is this (as explained by a trusted advisor)...
Running at attainable paces/efforts allow you to walk away feeling like you can do more, which over time results in knowing you can do the workouts, so less stress. Therefore, your focus becomes the races.
Feeling or thinking you're going to miss splits has much to do with overreaching in workouts. This means you are probably trying too hard to hit workouts or splits that are over your head which makes attaining the workout hit and miss, none of which bodes well for your confidence. As a result, you go in to your races full of doubt.
Why, oh why, had I not followed this philosophy years ago when I'd first learned about it? Because I was greedy and I wanted to be fast RIGHT NOW. I didn't want to be patient. Getting injured forced me to be patient and to rethink everything. It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me and my running. I still have lots of goals to meet but the big difference now is the most important thing (to me)... the process in working toward those goals is the actual goal. There's no reason I can't work at honing my daily training skills. That means training within my abilities and not overreaching (except maybe on race day). And then... let the chips fall where they may at the races.
Friday, April 02, 2010
A few things I haven't done in a LONG time
It feels like it's taken me forever to feel confident as a runner again. 2009 was just crazy. I never felt confident in my training or racing. It was like I was going through the motions and never showing up at the start line feeling that my work was done and the race was the reward. 2010 is just over three months old and I am feeling so strong and really happy about my running, training and racing.
I spent a lot of the last 12 months incorporating things into my routine to strengthen my feet, ankles, lower legs and hips... all the places where I seem to have 'problems' whenever they crop up. I am an true believer in Magill Drills, the Myrtl Routine, dedicating at least 10-14 weeks to aerobic base building, running on soft surfaces whenever possible, and running hills whenever possible.
Anyway, in the past month I have partaken in a couple of activities I have not done in quite a long time. It has been 7 years since I last did BAREFOOT STRIDES on the grass. It has been about 7 months since I last ran long on hilly trails. My lack of confidence in '09 prevented me from doing these things. I just didn't believe I was strong enough.
On Monday after doing an easy run with Magill Drills, I did just 4 x 100 barefoot strides on the same grassy field where I did the drills. I was a little apprehensive at first, but as soon as I hit my full stride, it was the most freeing, exhilarating feeling I'd had in so many months. I flew. My feet and legs have never felt stronger!
And yesterday I got the privilege of running some hilly, rocky trails in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was such a switch from the flat canals where I run all the time. Talk about exhilaration! It was so fun to run up steep grades, to pay attention to my footing when coming back downhill, to leap over big tree stumps, to run through mud, to run over rocks and have to really watch my foot strike over them. Trail running really makes you stay in the present. What a gift.
God willing, I will continue to get stronger as I run more. I hope you all do, too!
I spent a lot of the last 12 months incorporating things into my routine to strengthen my feet, ankles, lower legs and hips... all the places where I seem to have 'problems' whenever they crop up. I am an true believer in Magill Drills, the Myrtl Routine, dedicating at least 10-14 weeks to aerobic base building, running on soft surfaces whenever possible, and running hills whenever possible.
Anyway, in the past month I have partaken in a couple of activities I have not done in quite a long time. It has been 7 years since I last did BAREFOOT STRIDES on the grass. It has been about 7 months since I last ran long on hilly trails. My lack of confidence in '09 prevented me from doing these things. I just didn't believe I was strong enough.
On Monday after doing an easy run with Magill Drills, I did just 4 x 100 barefoot strides on the same grassy field where I did the drills. I was a little apprehensive at first, but as soon as I hit my full stride, it was the most freeing, exhilarating feeling I'd had in so many months. I flew. My feet and legs have never felt stronger!
And yesterday I got the privilege of running some hilly, rocky trails in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was such a switch from the flat canals where I run all the time. Talk about exhilaration! It was so fun to run up steep grades, to pay attention to my footing when coming back downhill, to leap over big tree stumps, to run through mud, to run over rocks and have to really watch my foot strike over them. Trail running really makes you stay in the present. What a gift.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
A Little Redemption
I ran a 12K in San Francisco today and when I ran it last year, I was in horrendous shape and the course ate me alive. Back then I ran the 7.46 miles in 55-1/2 minutes or so. This year I wanted to run it in the range of 52-53 minutes. Ideally closer to 52 than 53, but I knew I'd be happy with anything in between. I finished officially in 52:51, which is a 7:05 avg. pace. Not bad for me considering the course and my fear of it.
The first 4 miles is hilly with a good, steep uphill climb to the Golden Gate Bridge, and good, steep downhills onto Crissy Field. After that, it's all flat to the end and this is where the race really picks up. Last year it was where I slowed down to a jog! Ha! But I did okay this year.
I wish I could use my Garmin pace as my official "pace" but I didn't run the tangents perfectly so all it tells me is how fast my legs moved. Running outside of the tangents gave me a 7.57 mile race. :( It was too crowded to get into that ideal position every time. Anyway, the Garmin recorded an overall pace of 6:59, based on my ineptness at tangent running. Ho hum, too bad it doesn't count as official but at least I know my legs are moving faster!
My splits were:
6:43 (nice 1/2 mile or so downhill, just wanted to find some kind of groove before I hit the hill)
7:59 (crazy steep and long uphill climb, just told myself to get up the hill one knee lift at a time)
7:03 (recovered on the Golden Gate Bridge, felt pretty good)
6:15 (did I say there was a good steep downhill?) I literally reminded myself not to fly down the hills with each step I took
6:52 (I guess this is where my race began)
6:56 (this is where I was starting to fight the heavy legs and started the self talk w/ "I'm strong," "I love feeling like I'm about to puke," "Don't even think about giving up," "Stick with those two women right in front of you," etc.)
7:01 (oh yes, struggling to get to the finish line; major self talk -- "Relax," "Breathe," "Hang on," "Almost there," "Do not let go of them!")
4:01 for the last .57 (which is about a 7:02 pace). I was breathing out of control in the last 1/2 mile because it's another steep climb (at least it's a short one) followed immediately by a super steep downhill. I think I was actually wheezing!
All in all I'm happy about this race. I felt blessed to be able to push my body to its limits again, and to see the beautiful views that surrounded me. I highly recommend racing in San Francsico... it's really amazing!
I think if the course were nice and flat, or had little rolling hills I would've been able to run 51-52 minutes instead. I hope to run another 12K in April... so maybe I can redeem myself a little more.
Thanks for your time! :)
The first 4 miles is hilly with a good, steep uphill climb to the Golden Gate Bridge, and good, steep downhills onto Crissy Field. After that, it's all flat to the end and this is where the race really picks up. Last year it was where I slowed down to a jog! Ha! But I did okay this year.
I wish I could use my Garmin pace as my official "pace" but I didn't run the tangents perfectly so all it tells me is how fast my legs moved. Running outside of the tangents gave me a 7.57 mile race. :( It was too crowded to get into that ideal position every time. Anyway, the Garmin recorded an overall pace of 6:59, based on my ineptness at tangent running. Ho hum, too bad it doesn't count as official but at least I know my legs are moving faster!
My splits were:
6:43 (nice 1/2 mile or so downhill, just wanted to find some kind of groove before I hit the hill)
7:59 (crazy steep and long uphill climb, just told myself to get up the hill one knee lift at a time)
7:03 (recovered on the Golden Gate Bridge, felt pretty good)
6:15 (did I say there was a good steep downhill?) I literally reminded myself not to fly down the hills with each step I took
6:52 (I guess this is where my race began)
6:56 (this is where I was starting to fight the heavy legs and started the self talk w/ "I'm strong," "I love feeling like I'm about to puke," "Don't even think about giving up," "Stick with those two women right in front of you," etc.)
7:01 (oh yes, struggling to get to the finish line; major self talk -- "Relax," "Breathe," "Hang on," "Almost there," "Do not let go of them!")
4:01 for the last .57 (which is about a 7:02 pace). I was breathing out of control in the last 1/2 mile because it's another steep climb (at least it's a short one) followed immediately by a super steep downhill. I think I was actually wheezing!
All in all I'm happy about this race. I felt blessed to be able to push my body to its limits again, and to see the beautiful views that surrounded me. I highly recommend racing in San Francsico... it's really amazing!
I think if the course were nice and flat, or had little rolling hills I would've been able to run 51-52 minutes instead. I hope to run another 12K in April... so maybe I can redeem myself a little more.
Thanks for your time! :)
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