Running Fast by Running Slow

“Junk miles.” Remember that buzzword from a few years ago? There were lots of books and articles advocating that runners cut out easy miles on the theory that you get more bang for your buck with high intensity running, and it was those extra easy miles that were hurting you and causing injuries. The theory has some intuitive appeal, I suppose. If you cut out easy miles, you reduce your overall mileage and, therefore, take fewer steps, but you still get the benefits of the key workouts.

If you’ve read this blog for very long, you know that Penny and I have personally disproven the anti-junk-mile theory of training. On more than one occasion, we’ve considered changing our blog name to Two Always Injured Runners. But we never get injured when we are in the base-building phases of our training plans, when we are running easy paces and working on increasing our mileage. No, base building always feels great! Our injuries have always occurred when we add speed – too much speed.

A few months ago, I read Matt Fitzgerald’s new book called 80/20 Running. He argues that the most effective training is for runners to spend 80% of their cardio time at easy paces and just 20% at moderate to hard paces.

He supports the 80/20 rule with citation to studies showing that VO₂ max and 10K race times in well-trained runners improved the most when they followed the 80/20 rule compared to control groups spending higher percentages of time at moderate to high intensities (70/30, 60/40). And the runners in 80/20 groups also had fewer incidence of injury and reported higher energy levels for day-to-day tasks (like working and all those other non-running obligations that fill up our lives). Anecdotally, Fitzgerald also examined training plans of the most successful elite runners, and they all basically follow the 80/20 rule. I’ll let you pick up the book to read about the details of the proof.

A few comments about the three bolded terms above for implementing the 80/20 rule:

First, “cardio time.” All cardio training, not just running, counts. So if you are doing intense spinning classes, those hard minutes count toward your 20%.

Second, “easy paces.” Easy pace is slower than you think. Basically, you’re running an easy pace for purposes of the 80/20 rule when you are below the ventilatory threshold – i.e., the pace at which you can still easily talk. The book gives a few different ways to calculate this pace. The easiest way is to find the pace at which you can recite the Pledge of Allegiance without straining (for our Aussie readers, that’s about 7 or 8 seconds…1-one thousand, 2-one thousand, 3-one thousand, 4-one thousand, 5-one thousand, 6-one thousand,7-one thousand). For any cardio cross-training (e.g., elliptical, cycling), you use your heart rate at your ventilatory threshold pace minus 10 beats per minute.

Third, “moderate to hard paces.” Any workout time above the ventilatory threshold counts toward your 20%. Fitzgerald says that the most effective way to spend your 20% (e.g. short intense efforts, longer threshold efforts, or a mix) is still being studied. The training plans in the book use a mix of progressions, fartleks, tempos, and speed intervals – just like most training plans do.

Although I’m not as fit as I’ve been in the past, I think about each of my easy runs (which has been virtually all of my runs in the last 4 months) as rebuilding my fitness and beyond – to better than it has ever been before.

Two Little Runners ~ Kristen

Nutrition for Runners - Approach to Training (and getting more veg!)

I read Matt Fitzgerald’s new book on nutrition for runners. It’s called The New Rules of Marathon and Half-Marathon Nutrition: A Cutting-Edge Plan to Fuel Your Body Beyond “the Wall.” Catchy!

The book summarizes recent literature on how to best eat during your taper and for race day. This is all good stuff – and I've read variations on it before in other books –  but it's mostly irrelevant to me right now because I am only doing half marathons this year. And for those I don't need to do a fat load/carb load during my taper or any thing extraordinary food-wise for race day.

So the most interesting information to me was on how to best eat during those long months of training.You know it’s really important to eat right and to get enough calories during your training cycle. First, it makes those hard workouts easier to complete – and more effective. Ever tried running a long tempo on an empty stomach? It’s enough to make you cry. And if you’re not eating enough, and enough of the right stuff, you are more prone to injury. I've also found that eating lots of good calories during high mileage weeks combats the runner-grumpies that I typically get when running over 50 miles per week.

The book proposes a “Two-Rule Diet” for runners. It's actually pretty good. It's not a gimmick. Do read on...

Rule 1 is getting enough carbs. Your sources of carbs are vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. The more you train, the more carbs your muscles use, and the more carbs you use, the more carbs you need to eat. I’ll let Matt fill you in on why and how much you need. It’s anti-Paleo.

Rule 2 is to maximize the overall quality of your diet in order to get to or maintain your ideal racing weight – let’s just call that your healthy weight. He puts all foods into 10 categories. Basically, the best quality, most nutrient dense foods are the top 6. They also happen to be the least calorically dense foods. The lower quality, less nutritious – but higher calorie – foods are at the bottom of the list, 7-10.

1. Vegetables (including legumes)
2. Fruits
3. Nuts and seeds
4. Fish and lean meats
5. Whole grains
6. Dairy products
7. Refined grains
8. Fatty meats
9. Sweets
10. Fried foods

It’s simple: Eat more 1 than 2, 2 than 3, 3 than 4, 4 than 5, 5 than 6, 6 than 7, 7 than 8, 8 than 9, and 9 than 10. Stick to a week timeframe to measure. It won’t be possible to follow the rule in every meal and snack. Biasing your diet to foods in the top 6 will allow you to attain or maintain your healthy weight. And you should eat as much as your appetite dictates – as long as you are sticking to mostly the top 6.

My takeaways were that I should eat more vegetables, less fruit, and more whole grains. I am a fruit monster and tend to get more 2 than 1. Cutting back on fruit was easy. But upping the vegetables was more of a challenge. (More on whole grains at a later date...still experimenting with them.)

So ideas on how to get more veggies...do tell!

Soup! Even the stuff in the can counts! I usually take a sandwich to work and eat at my desk. Adding a can of soup was a really simple way to get another vegetable serving.

Bonus if you can find all the soup ingredients in your kitchen.

Cut vegetables. Keep cut up vegetables around. Just cut them up right away when you are unloading them.

Pull them out of the fridge for an afternoon snack or when you get home from work. Eat with hummus,Greek yogurt veggie dip, salsa, or guac. It stops me from mowing down a bunch of chips (category 10) before I start making dinner.

Salads. Keeping lettuce on hand to whip up a quick side salad for dinner –  also using your stock of cut vegetables. I dress most of my salads with just a splash of lemon juice or white wine vinegar and some olive oil. Maybe a turn or two of the pepper mill and some sea salt.

These are pretty obvious ideas...Any good veg snacks in your routine?

two little runners
Kristen

The Little Runner Who Almost Could

two little runners ~Kristen 

For the last two weeks, this has been a regular scene in my office. 

Professional, no?

Even though our firm’s San Diego office is very California casual, the foot up on desk with frozen pea ice pack on the ankle was probably taking it a step too far. So I invested in a little Velcro ice pack doohickey. Now I’m icing like the consummate professional that I am.

Why yes, that is a foam roller under my desk. 

After two weeks of NO RUNNING – I was itching to get back on with marathon training. I checked Hanson’s, and after taking two weeks off, one is advised to ease back into training slowly, as a lot of fitness gains and neuromuscular adaptations are lost with this much time off. This advice was especially applicable, as my ankle, while having improved immensely, was not back at 100%.       

Sat. 5/4

Easy run in Balboa – 3 @ 8:30. Ankle felt mangled.

Sun. 5/5

Easy run in Balboa – 4 @ 8:30. Ankle improved from mangled to sore.

From my weekend easy runs, it was apparent that I would not be able to transition back to the Hanson training plan’s tough runs – longs, tempos, intervals – before the marathon. My best chance at running it would be to continue aerobic training primarily with cardio machines, supplementing with running when I felt up to it.

Mon. 5/6

Stair climber 60” (365 floors/7.8 miles)

Easy run on treadmill – 3 @ 8:30. Ankle okay.

Tue. 5/7

Rest

After a rest day, I ventured out for another easy run, and felt surprisingly good, so I upgraded to a tempo run.

Wed. 5/8

Tempo run in Balboa – 7.5 w/ 6 @ 7:15

And there were no consequences! I continued to feel great. Maybe I could pull off this marathon after all . . . So staying conservative, I trained on the stair climber again, followed by a few miles with tired legs on the treadmill.

Thu. 5/9

Stair climber 60” (350 floors/7.5 miles)

Easy on treadmill – 4 w/ last 10” @ 7:30

Fri. 5/10

Rest

Success! Still feeling good. Soooo, time for a real test. An attempted long-ish run. I set out on Sat. morning, tentatively planning 10 miles. I headed for the trails near my house, thinking the ankle would appreciate a soft surface. But the trail, normally smooth, flat, and lovely, had been torn up in places by construction trucks. It looked like it had been plowed, and by mile 5, my ankle was back to feeling mangled. Then it was 3 more miles back to my house.

Sat. 5/11

Easy run in San Dieguito Lagoon (trail) – 8 @ 8:00

Nail in the coffin – no marathon.  In fact, the ankle continues to feel unstable and sore. Sat.’s trail run set me back in my recovery by at least a week. Without a looming marathon, hopefully, I’ll exercise self-restraint and stay off the damn thing until it's all better!

Acceptance? 

two little runners ~Kristen 

Ankle sprain - is there a yoga pose for that?

two little runners ~Kristen 

The anklet of pain I felt after last week’s interval work out turned out to be a sprained ankle. Damn. A very minor sprain in the scheme of sprains. And I would very likely not notice it if I weren’t trying to run. The pain is at 0 when I walk. At 1 when I go up and down stairs. At 2 when I stand on one foot. And at 6 when I try to run. Just enough pain and instability to break my form. 

My marathon is in jeopardy. I don’t know how I can possibly run 26.2 miles, when less than 30 days prior to the race, I can only run 2 minutes consecutively.

So no miles this week. I focused again on rest and recovery. The usual yoga, foam rolling, and stretching. And I tried out some new techniques. If only I could rest and recover my way to the start line! 

I’ve been experimenting with restorative yoga poses, which I’ve been reading about in Sage Roundtree’s book The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery: Rest, Relax & Restore for Peak Performance. The basic premise is to hold very easy poses for a very long time. So far I am really digging two poses: legs up the wall and supported back bend. These poses are so relaxing. When I finish, I am in a haze – and I am not a person who easily relaxes! What’s been so interesting about these poses is the tiny muscle releases that I’ve felt 7 to 10 minutes after I start the pose, even though the pose doesn’t feel like much of a stretch at all.

•  Legs up the wall pose is pretty straight forward. I lay down on my back in front of a wall and put my legs straight up the wall (L shape). I give myself a little bit of distance from the wall so that my hamstrings are not strained at all. Palms face up to open the chest. Sometimes I find a pillow under my head and/or hips comfortable, other times not. Bottom line with these poses is that I make myself comfortable because I stay them for 10 to 20 minutes. I try to relax entirely, using only enough energy to keep my legs upright. On this pose, I’ve gotten some low back releases.

• I’ve been doing supported backbend in bed at night and have been falling asleep in the pose. I start by lying down on my back, and then I elevate my head slightly above the level of my hips. I have pillows supporting me all the way from my head to lower back. Then I put my legs in a very loose bounded ankle pose – soles of feet together but very far out so that I feel just the tiniest stretch in my inner thighs. Palms face up to open the chest. I’ve been feeling some inner thigh releases in this pose.

The other restoration technique I tried is called MELT – which is sort of like foam rolling for your connective tissues. I took a MELT class, and although I think it is partially witchcraft and junk science (either that or there is no effort to explain the science very well), I picked up a few new techniques that I am going to put into my repertoire.

5 weeks out (0 miles)

Sat. 4/20 – Yoga.

Sun. 4/21 – MELT.

Mon. 4/22 – Legs. More of a PT leg session. Just getting a little bit of blood back to the sprained ankle’s ligaments.

Tue. 4/23 – Yoga.

Wed. 4/24 – Yoga.

Thu. 4/25 – Yoga.

Fri. 4/26 – Legs and core. Legs were again more of a PT session. Ankle improved a little bit since Monday.

two little runners ~Kristen 

Ryan Hall's "Running with Joy"

Ryan Hall is an the American Half Marathon record holder, won the 2012 Olympic trials marathon (placed tenth in the Beijing Olympics). He's also run the fastest marathon ever by an American, at 2:04:58. Dude knows a lil bit about running. Despite looking about 18, he is 30 and is married to the hotti-biscotti(also) distance runner, Sarah Hall.

Hall's book, Running with Joy, is a series of diary entries documenting Hall's training, thoughts and feelings in the lead up to the 2010 Boston Marathon.

At this point I have read numerous running memoirs and this has been my favorite by far. I wouldn't say its a "fun" read; it doesn't have some of the crazy stories told by Dean Karnazes, or the epic drama that epitomized Alberto Salazar's life (or - for 14 minutes - lack thereof.... harhar... sorry).

There are two reasons I loved this book and it is staying on my iphone kindle where I have approximately 0.2 kbs of space left due to the ridiculous number of ebooks I have on there.

First, it is clear that Hall is determined - as the book's title would indicate - to run with joy. Not run to win (though winning is nice). He is committed to just LOVE running. He is determined to appreciate and be thankful for every step. He is determined to cease defining his success by race times or victories, and to begin defining success by the utmost joy he can obtain from his running.

Hall's joy in running is deeply rooted in his faith, and his belief that he was created by God to be a runner. That is how he commits to inspiring himself and acting out his faith in service to others (incidentally, he created a not for profit organization with his wife called "Steps" through which he and other athletes contribute their winnings to social justice causes).

As a Christian myself, I was really moved by Hall's commitment to develop his faith in such a way that his relationship with God - and his ability to find joy in his daily life - was the most important thing to him, far greater than his running achievements or worldly success. If you're a non-Christian, be prepared to come across a lot of biblical principals, and faith-based teaching in here. However know that they all revolve around one lesson that is pretty universal, regardless of religious persuasion (or lack thereof): finding joy and satisfaction in what you're doing, is more important than "winning".  I love how Hall grapples with this concept as an Olympic marathoner, whose entire livelihood depends on his winning or losing. He mentions that after giving a talk to some school children, he ran with a small boy who tripped and fell over. He was amazed at the kid's explanation that he "got back up!" The boy had obviously absorbed Hall's lesson to them that success does not mean never failing; success is getting back up when you fall down.

Second, Hall's daily musings are driven by his actual training plan and are interspersed with some great tips on workouts, mileage, gear and fueling. Much like the advice from greats like Lauren Fleshman, I find this information so much more helpful and targeted to serious runners than most of the very elementary advice you obtain from beginners running books, or Runners' World articles.* It is also just fascinating to see what the daily life, mileage and training patterns look like for the elite. Moreover, Hall really undresses himself for the reader; even delving into into the taboo topic of having somewhat disordered eating patterns when trying to get lighter and faster.

Overall, I really recommend reading this book. Do no be put off by the religiosity of it, if you are not a person of faith. The principals - and certainly the training tips and insights - are universal and accessible by all runners.

- Penny

*I don't mean to disparage these publications. However, once you have learned the basic lessons of finding the right footwear, not increasing mileage too soon, running on even-cambered road, taking rest days, stretching etc etc etc, you can find yourself wanting more targeted, specific and in-depth training information.

Dean Karnazes’ Utramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner

Dean doesn’t race to achieve paces or places. He runs to see how far he can go. That figure is precisely 226.2 miles in one run – a solo Ragnar + a marathon.  He’s an ultra marathoner. 

Favorite song? I am guessing A Flock of Seagulls’ I Ran (So Far Away) . . . and I ran. I ran so far away. I just ran. I ran all night and day . . .

It’s obvious from the first pages of Dean’s book that the man loves running. Probably more than any other person on the planet. Or at least out of all of us running-writers, he has best-expressed his love for running in print.

A familiar story . . . until it gets crazy:  Dean ran cross country in high school but didn’t run again for nearly 15 years. That all changed on his 30th birthday. In a boozy haze at a bar in the Marina (San Francisco), the urge to run overcame him.  In the wee hours of the morning, he stripped down to his undershirt and boxers, put on a pair of yard-work shoes, and ran 30 miles from the city to Half Moon Bay.  Then he limped around for a few months.

Once recovered, he became a runner—not just any runner. An ultra runner, eventually finishing many of the world’s most challenging foot races. The Western States 100 (total climb 18,090 feet). The BadwaterUltramarathon (135 miles through Death Valley in July with a climb from below sea level to 8,360 feet). A marathon in Antarctica (the coldest, driest, and highest average elevation of all the continents) finishing at the South Pole (there is really a pole there, and “pole taggers” are tourists who fly there to have their photos taken with the pole).

Meanwhile, Dean is just a regular John Doe. Married, two kids, holding down a job in corporate America.  I can’t believe his wife is cool with this.

More than any other of the endurance athlete autobiographies that I have read, Dean tells you what it’s really like to run these ultra races.  The pain and suffering (e.g., he thought there was a clam shell in his shoe during the Western States 100, but it was his big toenail). The brushes with death (e.g., hypothermia, hyperthermia, exhaustion, dehydration, oncoming traffic). But also the joy and glory (e.g., running to raise money for children who need organ transplants).

. . . and I ran. I ran so far away. I just ran. I ran all night and day . . .

two little runners (Kristen)

By Ed Schipul from Houston, TX, US (running with the seagulls)
via Wikimedia Commons

Chrissie Wellington’s A Life Without Limits

Chrissie Wellington is a British triathlete and four time World Ironman Champion (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011). Her autobiography, A Life Without Limits, tells her story of becoming a world champion triathlete.

Chrissie has two driving forces in her life. One is her passion for development. The other is that she is a complete and total control freak. Interestingly, once she gave these two things up, her life took her to extraordinary places.

Chrissie never had aspirations of being a professional athlete as a child. She was a good swimmer in school but focused her energy into academics. She took up running in graduate school, unfortunately, as part of her struggles with eating disorders, both anorexia and bulimia. She has an honest discussion in the book about what she experienced and how it tore to pieces the people she loves. With supportive friends and family, she was able to overcome it.

Out of university, she worked for the British government in development; specifically, she was on the team that represented Great Britain in the United Nations. After the UN, she considered applying to law school. But she put it off in favor of traveling and seeking other, less bureaucratic development opportunities. During her travels, she serendipitously entered into some races, and ended placing fairly well without training. During this time, she also developed into an endurance cyclist, biking all over Nepal.

Then she did a really brave thing. She gave up a promising between-the-lines sort of career in development or as a lawyer to pursue a career as an athlete. And suddenly, she was on a professional team of triathletes being coached by Brett, a crazy, bipolar, and usually asshole of a guy. And she’s been cleaning up at Ironman triathalons ever since, winning Kona – the world championship – the first time she raced it. An Ironman triathalon covers 140.6 miles – a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run.

She attributes her early success to Coach Brett. Unorthodox in methods, Brett requires total submission from his athletes. The book chronicles Chrissie's struggles with handing training decisions to another person whose methods seemed incomprehensible. After her second win in Kona, she and Brett split.

Chrissie Wellington racing in Kona in 2008
By Dontworry (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Another honest moment in the book is her discussion of shitting and pissing during races. Apparently much shitting happens in the water prior to the swim, the first event in a triathalon. But shitting can happen at any time. On the bike, pissing can be used as a weapon if another athlete tries to draft off of you. And, my favorite, when she took a dump in some bushes on the side of the road, with NBC’s cameras focused on her during her astonishing victory in her first Kona championship.

Shitting and pissing aside, a couple of tips in the book gave me comfort/ideas about my own training.

First, Chrissie does a lot of treadmill sessions. I have been doing a lot of work on the treadmill, usually 2 out of my 4-5 runs per week. I have been worried about how valuable those sessions are compared to if I had done them out on the road or track. Chrissie’s former coach, Brett, has been known to make his athletes run entire marathons on a treadmill positioned in a dank, windowless basement. No music, no TV.

Second, she gives some tips about how she stays tough mentally during grueling races. Chrissie keeps a library of positive images in her mind. The faces of people she loves, funny things, other images and words that give her inspiration. And then she flips through those images when she is in the hurt locker.

I tried this during a recent speed workout, and I didn’t have enough images in my library yet. Also, I couldn’t hold onto an image for more than what seemed like half a second. So I just started flipping through faces of people I knew…which was not very inspiring. I have to work on this one!

Would I be friends with Chrissie? Absolutely, she shines through as a genuinely nice person. She’s honest and thoughtful. Her friends and family are most important in her extraordinary life. Call me Chrissie! :)

LR#2

Kristen

Scott Jurek’s Eat & Run – “Sometimes you just do things” – Like Finish This Book

Scott Jurek is an ultra runner and one of the characters in Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run. McDougall's book made Jurek famous outside ultra-marathon running circles. Jurek is introduced in Born to Run when he accompanies McDougall and some other runners to the Copper Canyons of Mexico to run Caballo Blanco’s ultra-marathon against the Tarahumara.

A self-described poor hick who grew up in rural Minnesota, Jurek’s story is archetypical rags to riches. He overcame a lot of hardship. A mother with MS. An emotionally barren, disciplinarian father. He had to make his own way every step of his journey. And the man got to where he is by sheer force of will. He gives new meaning to the term hard worker.

Each chapter of Jurek’s book tells a different story of his life. Childhood, the high school years, Western States 100 (seven time winner), Caballo Blanco’s race, etc.

And the story telling is decent for a sports autobio. Until he shoves each chapter’s themes and morals down the reader's throat. As a reader, I prefer to be led down a path with the story, and then left free to draw my own conclusions. I want to be shown not told.

For all of our sakes, I will avoid turning this into literary criticism blog. But I have just one more complaint about style to get out. “Sometimes you just do things.” “Sometimes you just do things.” “Sometimes you just do things.” “Sometimes you just do things.” “Sometimes you just do things.” “Sometimes you just do things.” This phrase must appear a hundred times in the book. Really, not exaggerating. (I don't blame Jurek; I blame his editor.) 

“Sometimes you just do things” is apparently Jurek's mantra – the phrase he repeats to himself when it is time to put the hammer down. The phrase originated with Jurek’s dad who made the point when he gave boy Jurek some Sisyphean task that took the entire day to complete – something like forcing Jurek to stack firewood all day instead of skiing with friends. “Sometimes you just do things,” said father Jurek to his son.

When the going gets tough in Jurek’s 100 mile+ races in impossible conditions, he thinks of his dad’s phrase, goes to his dark place, and pushes through. “Sometimes you just do things.”

There was a fair bit of preaching about veganism. But I was prepared for that; afterall, in the title, Eat comes before Run! I completely agree with Jurek that eating better food helps you feel better and therefore run better. However, I found his use of the phrase “animal flesh” as a synonym for meat over the top. As was his declaration that he was so in tune with his body and the food he was putting in it that he could tell when a carrot was picked by how it tasted. I kid you not.

But I like Jurek. A self-made man, an individualist, a hard worker. I think he was a neat kid. He didn’t have any one at home who could teach him things with his mother being sick and his dad working and generally being very unpleasant to interact with. So when he needed to learn about stuff, he went to the library and checked out books. He learned about baseball, skiing, and other sports this way.

I loved Jurek’s stories about his races. Training for ultras, actually running them, and the logistics of it all. The support vehicles. The food, the hydration. The delirium. His pacers, especially Dusty, a major character in the book from the high school years forward. Now Dusty, this is a guy who could write a compelling autobiography.

The coolest thing about Jurek is that after races, he hangs around the finish line to greet and congratulate other runners. How awesome is that?

How do people run 100+ miles in one day? I think Jurek’s answer is that you can train for it if you are dedicated enough. He trained for ultras while working full time as a physical therapist. But training for an ultra is the easy part. The hard part is persevering in the race. I think Jurek would say that you get to the finish line of an ultra-marathon through extreme mental toughness. Untempered stubbornness.  

All-in-all, I think the book tries to do too much. It is his manifesto on veganism. It is a how-to for beginning runners. And it is the story of his life. Who is Scott Jurek? I know what he wants me to think. But I don’t think he showed who he really is in this book.

 LR#2

Kristen

The Journal for Reluctant Journalers

Logging miles and workouts. Examining data, graphs, uncovering trends. Finding out what worked in the past, or developing theories on where things went wrong. Sound familiar? This is the obsession of runners. It's what occupies our minds when we are not out pounding the pavement, trails, treadmill, track.

I am going for a PR half marathon this fall. The goal is a big stretch . . . I believe it will come down to seconds or fractions thereof.  But according to my data, I've never trained this hard or felt this good. (Knock on wood.)

I am tracking every day of this training cycle in a training diary - you know the one if you are a runner-blogger gal! The Believe I Am Training Journal by Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan. 

Journaling runs in my family. My mom and grandma have both kept daily diaries for at least 30 years! I've tried journals many-a January 1st. But it has never stuck. With the endless possibilities that I could write onto the book of blank pages, I never knew where to start.

Now that the stakes are high - with a PR on the line - I've turned into a devoted journaler:  5 weeks and counting! I owe my success in faithfully recording my workouts to the methodology Lauren and Ro present in the Believe journal. A simple how to.

I record summaries of my workouts (or rest days) each day of the month.

But it is not only my workouts I record. If I want to write more about a day's workout, I put an asterisk next to the entry, flip to the back where there are blank pages and write away on my goals, beliefs, theories, worries, ideas about blogging, drawings of new yoga poses, outlines of weight workouts that I found effective, the crazy thing that happened on a run, the crazy things I thought, or whatever pops into my mind.

But certainly not every day warrants an asterisk and separate write up. And that's okay. That's the beauty of the journal. I am never overwhelmed by the task because any extra is completely optional.

Other handy dandy features are a two-year calendar to plan out future races and training cycles.

Goal pages where you identify your reasons for setting a goal, and the key steps to achieving it.

And check-in points to evaluate progression toward the goal. When I am checking in on a goal, I pretend I am looking at Penny's training log and am giving her words of encouragement and advice so that I am not too critical of myself.

The journal is very thoughtfully put together. It's full of inspiring quotes and anecdotes. And it's cute and pretty!! If you've been looking for a way to track your workouts, I highly recommend it!

Have you found an effective way to record your workouts? Please share!!

LR#2
Kristen

Book Review – Galloway’s Book on Running (2d ed.) by Jeff Galloway

As the title implies, this is a reference book that covers all things running. There are chapters on starting out, training, racing, form, strength/cross training, stretching, and the mental side of running. The book also includes information on injuries, food, weight loss, women’s issues (authored by the author's wife), advice for runners 40+, training for kids, and shoes.

Why listen to this guy? He is an Olympian (10K, 1972) and has been a runner for over 40 years. And he’s made a career out of training regular runners – 200,000 of them according to his Amazon.com page.

Galloway doesn’t get wrapped up in summarizing the latest scientific studies on running, although his big picture advice is generally consistent with books that build running philosophies on such studies – e.g. Brain Training For Runners (Matt Fitzerald) and Run Faster (Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzerald). Galloway’s book is very practical. He recommends training that he’s seen work for the majority of regular runners over his coaching career.

And the book cover is one of my favorites:

I previously reviewed Jeff Galloway’s 5K/10K Running and pooh-poohed Galloway's walk/run methodology. The Book on Running expands on the concept, and now I buy into it. Galloway recommends taking a one minute walk break every eight to ten minutes during a long run. Walk breaks will allow you to run longer with better form. And you’ll probably experience less fatigue post-workout, so you can carry on with your day instead of napping the afternoon away. From my perspective, the most important benefit of walk breaks is a quicker recovery time post-long run. When you walk, you use a whole different set of muscles, so taking a one minute walk break gives your primary running muscles a moment to relax. Further, Galloway says one minute walk breaks will not impede the aerobic fitness gains that you are seeking when you do a long run. I’ve tested it out on recent long runs. I am taking walk breaks, but not like clockwork every x number of minutes. But I will walk when I need to take a drink. Or if I have to cross an intersection with a traffic signal, I’ll walk if I see that I am going to have to wait at the light anyway. Lately, I walk when I feel overheated. Does it promote quicker post-long run recovery? I think so. As I am gearing up for a half marathon this fall by lengthening my long runs, I am not feeling as sore after long runs as I remember from prior training cycles.

I recommend the book for both beginning and experienced runners. The advice is basic enough not to overwhelm some one just starting out. And there are enough interesting tidbits to give the experienced runner a reason to keep reading. Some of those tidbits include:

1. After a race, Galloway says you should take one rest/easy day for each mile of the race. For example, after a 10K, no speed workouts for 6 days.

2. Limit racing miles to 13 per month, so that means you can do (i) two 10Ks; (ii) two 5Ks and one 10K; or (iii) one half marathon. (This book only covers training for up to the half marathon distance. Marathon training is covered in Galloway’s Marathon: You Can Do It!)

3. For the recreational runner with limited time to devote to the sport, Galloway says three running days per week is ideal. There is a dramatic increase in fitness if you run three – as opposed to one or two days per week. And there are only small gains to be had by running four, five, six, or seven days per week.

4. You can cut your miles by 50% for ten weeks without losing significant fitness. 

LR#2

Kristen

Book Review: 5K/10K Running by Jeff Galloway

5K/10K Running is the best book I’ve seen for someone just beginning to run. There is an entire chapter and 5K training plan for the runner just taking the first plunge into the sport. Galloway explains the basics of running anatomy, fitness, and nutrition in a straightforward manner, no science/medical jargon. There is no danger of getting overwhelmed. The book provides a clear path to fitness.

On the other hand, for the more experienced runner, the information is a little bit basic, and in my opinion, the merits of walking are overemphasized. The big picture advice is consistent with the research/scientific/medical-based books I’ve read, such as the Lore of Running and The Runner’s Body. But I knew hardcore science of running was not really what this book is all about.

I picked up this book for two reasons. First, I wanted some specific advice about training for a 5K because it feels so different than training for half marathons. Second, I wanted to hear an athlete’s point of view. Some words of wisdom from a seasoned runner.

And Jeff Galloway has some serious running street cred. Who is Jeff Galloway? From his website:

As a member of the 1972 Olympic team, Jeff competed against the world’s best athletes in Europe, Africa, and the former Soviet Union. He broke the U.S. 10-mile record (47:49) in 1973 and has a six-mile best of 27:21. Among his victories are the Peachtree Road Race, Honolulu  Marathon, Atlanta Marathon and top place finisher in many prominent U.S. races such as the Boston Marathon.

The book delivered some gems:

1. Galloway emphasized the potential dangers of speed workouts, the centerpiece of 5K training. Runners beginning speed workouts are likely to suffer injuries if they don’t ease into it. Throughout the training cycle, runners using speed training need to remain conservative on both volume and intensity. Further, Galloway recommends a 48 hour recovery period after speed workouts—no running, but cross training okay as long as you are not engaging legs or doing anything with impact.

2. You can expect a 3-5% improvement in pace over a 3 month training cycle.

3. He has some interesting ideas on training journals. I am going to try the Believe I Am training journal by Lauren Fleshman and Roisin McGettigan. I like his idea of writing down not only how the run went but also the weird and mysterious thoughts that pop into your head along the way. You know what I mean!

4. Good advice on dealing with heat and cold. The ideal temperature to run is about 60F. The book includes charts on what to wear for various temperature ranges below and above 60 and also how much each 5 degrees above 60 will slow down your pace.

5. Hill running form. Both uphill and downhill are briefly discussed. The basic advice for uphill during a training run is to run slow enough up the hill that you are able to maintain the same breathing rate as when you were running on level ground.

6. Morning pulse as an indicator of fatigue. Galloway recommends taking your pulse first thing in the morning before you even roll out of bed. Record it for 2 weeks, and take the average. You’ll have your base pulse. Anytime your morning pulse is 5% higher than the average, take an easy day. If your pulse is higher than 10% above your average, take a full rest day . . . your muscles need it.

7. Heart disease symptoms. We’ve all read anti-distance-running articles about the dangers of endurance training for the heart. Fact or fiction? I don’t know. But now I know the signs of heart disease and have a picture of the signs on my iPhone for quick reference in case of an emergency.

• Intense heat build-up in the head
• General overheating of the body
• Significant headache
• Significant nausea or vomiting
• General confusion and loss of concentration
• Loss of muscle control
• Excessive sweating and then cessation of sweating
• Clammy skin
• Excessively rapid breathing
• Muscle cramps
• Feeling faint
• Diarrhea

The Human Heart
Gray's Anatomy

LR#2
Kristen