Fired up by the thought of following the more aggressive marathon training plan for Chicago + a truckload of pandemic anxiety = I was having all the feels for running this week.
Me eyeing a 3:50 marathon like… image: Kori Barnum models: Margo and our giant backyard squirrel
M – Recharge strength class from the garage! Yay for live streaming!! Double yay for Dan setting up the home gym in the garage and for Renee providing a kick ass online class!!! [http://www.rechargesport.com/weekly-schedule/]
T- 6 mile treadmill SOS workout with 4 miles at lactate threshold. Still trying to figure out what pace this is for our treadmill setting; on the road I can maintain the 8:13-8:18 minute mile pace, but today trying to do that on the treadmill with recommended settings (1% incline, 7.2 pace) just about killed me. Had to take a 15 second break every .5 miles or so. Will try 7.0 pace next week and see if that more closely matches my road pace.
F – 9 mile road SOS workout with 6 miles at marathon pace (8:45): 8:30, 8:31, 8:37, 8:37, 8:35, 8:28 = 8:34 pace. Well, that’s a little too fast, but maybe confirmation that this new cookie fueling plan is working? I think I need more data.
Su – 10 easy road miles at 10:10 minute mile pace. Did a tough rolling hill workout up and down Mt. Washington, up and down Summit, up and down College Way. Didn’t follow my pace, just tried to trot up the hills, bomb the downs, and go easy on the flats.
20 minutes of pilates mat work.
Total Miles: 35
Meditated 7 out of 7 days…that said, my focus has been terrible. I can barely get one breath before my mind wanders. They say the most important moment is the one after you get distracted, that commitment to return to the practice, again and again. I am definitely practicing returning to the practice.
Well hey, the initial pandemic-related panic has dulled slightly, allowing for if not exactly a return to normal training (still no climbing, no skiing), at least some of my typical focus and devotion for movement has come back. It better, because I’m hoovering homemade cookies faster than the newest Dyson vacuum.
Also the devious runner that lurks in my soul realized there is a way to turn this lemon storm into lemonade – maybe this means that 2020 is the year I can become a really, really good runner and run a lot of miles and move up to the more intense marathon training plan I had sort of decided was too ambitious…or IS IT???
image: Kori Barnum [note the airplane tray table…those were the days. Remember?)
M – 4 easy road miles, 10:25 minute mile pace. Out and back along the Deschutes River Path from Westside Pharmacy, where I waited in the drive-thru line for 30 minutes to get my migraine medication because I don’t want to be without that anytime soon.
T – 30 minutes of mobility work using Nike Training Club app (the free version has a lot of workout options of varying length and intensities, and generally well-cued – it also looks like the Premium version is being offered for free at the moment)
W – 7 mile SOS workout, with 6 miles at marathon pace (8:45 minute mile): 8:47, 8:42, 8:45, 8:46, 8:50, 8:42 = 8:46 average pace
Th – 5 easy trail miles, 10:06 minute mile pace
F – 80 minute hike through Shevlin Park with Meagan, which involved a lot of shouting in order to converse while staying far apart from each other. Good thing we both have voices that carry.
Sa – 9 easy trail miles, 11:01 minute mile pace. Through Shevlin again – can’t get enough of the ridge loop and SO GRATEFUL this trail system is basically in my back yard. I am living my dream, and now more than ever I want to kiss the dirt beneath my feet in gratitude.
Glut and core strength work at home.
Su – 5 mile road SOS general aerobic workout; 10 x 100m repeats at 5:30 minute mile pace (THIS IS REALLY FAST FOR ME!!!) + 10 x 10 second hill repeats.
Total mileage: 30
Meditated 7 out of 7 days…Using Corona Virus specific meditations provided by the 10% Happier app.
With many of our events canceled and indoor workout facilities closed, I am finding renewed gratitude for the accessibility and simplicity of running during these turbulent times. Here are my absolute favorite shoes for trail and road running, and also recovery sandals (this is a thing, and once you have a pair, you will never go back).
If you can support your local running shop, particularly now, they are always a great place to buy and to get recommendations. In Bend we have http://www.footzonebend.com/ , where I have consistently found a friendly and knowledgeable staff to assist me. If you’re looking to order online, I have often found deals (particularly on older models) on Backcountry, Zappos, and Amazon.
Note: women’s models are shown here, but all of these come in men’s versions too. “Offset” is the difference in millimeters between the shoe height at the heel area and the height at the toe area; a traditional/common offset is around 12mm. Generally a lower offset is associated with a forefoot or midfoot strike (rather than a heel strike), which is consistent with a minimalist running style.
TRAIL SHOES: I have only one true [shoe] love: Nike’s Air Zoom Terra Kiger. I’ve always run some trail, but I started to really focus on trail mileage around 2006. At that time I just wore my road shoes, but the market and selection for trail shoes really expanded in the 2010s. My first pair of specifically-for-trail shoes were Brooks Pure Grit, and they were a great pair of shoes. And then a clerk at Portland Running and Walking Company on SE Grand Ave had me try on a pair of Terra Kigers in 2016. I was skeptical; I’ve been a runner forever, and although I’ve tried Nikes off and on over the years, they never fit right. But sometimes when you meet the right shoe, you just know. The second they were on my feet, they were perfection. And they felt even better on the trail – natural feel so I could sense the terrain under my feet, but enough cushion that rocks didn’t hurt, and super grippy soles (I don’t even wear climbing approach shoes anymore, because I feel so secure in my Terra Kigers while scrambling on rock). They also sport a comfortable toe box that you really appreciate after a few hours on your feet when all your toes resemble Vienna sausages and need more real estate. And they come in the bold, wild, candy colors I remember from the original years of Nike running shoes from the way back of my youth. I tried recently to count how many pairs I’ve had by trying to remember all the colors, and I had to stop around 8 – which I’m not sure is high enough. I usually buy two colors and rotate those shoes (which I’m doing currently), and I usually also have a backup new pair in the closet. Even before the pandemic. Because you can never have too many backup running shoes.
I must be a serial monogamist, because I’m a one-woman brand for road shoes too – Saucony. I do spice it up a little though, because I prefer one style for “Something of Substance” (SOS) workouts (race pace tempos, speedwork) and a different style for easy runs.
Saucony Kinvara 11: My go-to for SOS workouts. Neutral shoe with the just-the-right-amount of cushion and firmness. I think it speaks a lot to how well designed this shoe is that I, with narrow flat feet and a preference for more minimal shoes, can wear this style happily but so can my wide-footed, high-arched husband. I will say that I don’t love the Model 11 as well as past versions; for some inexplicable reason they made the toe box narrower (and again, I have narrow feet, so that’s saying something) and the cushion isn’t quite as well distributed. That said, it’s like looking at your 98% perfect spouse and complaining. So I’m not complaining, in case that isn’t clear.
offset: 4mm weight: 6.09oz $110 image: marathonsports.com note: this is the Boston 2016 edition (Kinvara 7, which was my preferred model for this shoe)
Saucony Freedom 3: Another gem from Saucony’s neutral line, my go-to for easy road runs and anytime I want to walk around. These are HEAVEN. It’s like having little pillows of joy strapped to each foot. I don’t have great natural running form and I’m stiff, so when I tried these for faster runs they didn’t feel firm enough, but if you have better biomechanics, you may like them for speed workouts too. That said, I can happily run up to 12 miles or so in these without a care in the world as long as I’m at a moderate pace.
I would recommend the Hoka One One Ora Recovery Slide to anyone. The aesthetic is solidly orthopedic, so you’re not going to win any America’s Next Top Model competition in these bad boys, but your feet will be so happy, you won’t even care. When your feet are covered in blisters and hot spots, these are the shoes to wear. When your feet and ankles are tired from tough workouts, these are the shoes to wear. Mine are two years old and have held up well, which made the high ticket price worth it; they are an investment in my foot/leg recovery.
Well, crap on a cracker if this wasn’t a week. By about noon on Tuesday I gave myself permission to be in whatever mood/moment I was in, because although I rationally know we are never really in control, I’m able to get through the day by the illusion that I am. In. Control. Between the nearly crushing anxiety and uncertainty, and the fear that I need to get it together to not be part of the problem, I decided to do what I was capable of each day.
Which meant no strength work. No mobility work. Only 3 runs. A lot of kitty snuggles and meditation and chocolate chip cookies and a couple of IPAs. Whatever I was feeling at any moment was OK, even it was scary.
M, Tu, Th, F – REST – some walks with Dan, but nothing that could be called “training”
W – 5 mile easy trail run. Didn’t track pace.
Oregon Badlands image: Kori Barnum
Sa – 8 mile “easy” trail run in the Oregon Badlands. The sandy terrain makes for a pretty technical/challenging surface on the muscles and connective tissue. Felt good to suck in a lot of dry, sandy air. And because it’s central Oregon, there were approximately a million folks doing the exact same thing. It could be the most populated the Badlands have ever been.
Su – 5 mile road SOS (something of substance) lactate threshold run w/3 miles at ~8:20 mile pace (8:25, 8:20, 8:15). Legs crazy fatigued from the trail run yesterday combined with spreading 56 bags of barkdust + seasonal allergies and breathing in a shit-ton of barkdust = that was a very tough workout. While I wanted to just do another chill trail run, I am clinging to the structure of of the pre-training training for Chicago. I’ve decided that even if Chicago gets canceled/postponed, I will train for a 3:50 marathon and run an unsanctioned 26.2 miles around the pond behind my house if I have to.
M – hike 1.5 hours along the Colorado River with Dad, Mama, & Ren (oh and Bandit!)
Tu – REST. fly through Vegas and Seattle and use copious amounts of disinfecting wipes…blissfully unaware until tomorrow that there are no more disinfecting wipes in all the world…
W – 4 easy road miles (9:46 pace) around the neighborhood with my beloved. Sunny and surprisingly warm – shorts weather.
30 minutes of mobility work.
Th – REST. Debilitating sinus pain and pressure, a sign that spring is on its way. Killed me to not run today, but I just could not do it. Sports massage @ https://www.actiondynamix.org/
F – 5 mile SOS road run – general aerobic/speed workout: 10 x 100m @ 6:15 minute mile pace + 10 x 10 second hill sprints.
Ski (downhill) Mt Bachelor – snow conditions pretty OK. Little did I know that access to the resort would be going the way of disinfecting wipes…mountain closed down effective Sunday.
Sa – 6 easy trail miles @ 10:43 pace – out and back to Shevlin park in somewhat heavy snow in the air but perfect conditions on the trail.
climb @ https://bendrockgym.com/ Can’t help but wonder if the gym climbing days are numbered too…
Su – 5 easy trail miles (didn’t track pace or time) along neighborhood paths in 20 degree temps (feels like 10 degrees according to the weather channel! realized after the run that my Packers beanie + wool hoody = looking like a yard gnome). A beautiful, grateful run with fun snowy terrain and no one around…tried to really focus on gratitude and not whining about not skiing and events getting canceled and anxiety about people suffering)
running the curves in Leonidio, Greece 2020 image: Chris Wright
Why I’m A Runner: I’m a runner mostly because it just feels so good to run. Even when it’s not epic, it still feels good to get outside, to move, to stay fit, to explore new places, to have some time by myself or with friends, to be out in the world, and it’s just so simple. So many of the other sports I do like climbing, skiing or riding bikes all have so much equipment and faffing involved, but running – even if I complicate it with heart rate monitors and watches and backpacks and whatever, is just so simple in the end. You put on shoes, you run around, maybe for a while, then you come home. It’s like the simplest form of playing outside, and it still feels that way to me whenever I’m up high on some ridgeline or exploring some quiet trail or road or checking out some idea on a map where I saw something shiny. Maybe one day when my knees hurt too much or I stop getting the little butterflies when I’m out in some drop-dead gorgeous place wishing someone else was there to see the light hit just right on the hills or the water or whatever I’ll quit, but fingers crossed that’s not coming anytime soon.
I’m Pretty Awesome At: I’m pretty awesome at still finding the simplest, most strangely enduring satisfaction in running, and that makes it feel like a gift. Even after living the internal debate on whether or not to get out the door for over twenty years now, I’m still glad almost every single time to just be out, to be moving and to feel free being a human running around. I’m also okay at staying out for a while and going uphill rather slowly, but as an alpinist/mountain guide that’s pretty much what I do anyway.
Future Goals:To keep at it and to stay away from injuries. I don’t really have any big running goals, but there are a few things here and there that I’ve always wanted to. One day I should run an actual race I guess, but I kinda like just going out and running by myself a lot too. Maybe if it melts out early I’ll finally get around to the thing I’ve wanted to do here in Bend, which is stash a bike at Tumalo Falls, and then run from my house all the way up Mrazek then down North Fork to grab the bike and ride home. I think that’d be about 25 miles and 3,500’ of climbing, which isn’t that serious, but I’ve just never quite gotten around to it. Things like that get me excited.
Random Fun Fact: It’s not that fun really, but I haven’t run in almost a month because I came home from a climbing trip jet lagged and missed a step coming down my stairs in the middle of the night and thought I broke my ankle or something. I didn’t (I had x-rays), but man that felt like it was going to be the dumbest season-ender imaginable until I thought I broke my thumb trying to learn to surf a week or two later. That wasn’t broken either but man was it swollen and bruised up and it still hurts actually. New sports are hard and dangerous, apparently. Even up against walking down the stairs running is doing pretty well I’d say.
This text is an interesting exploration into the foundational theories behind human physical and mental endurance, as well as a detailed discussion of research into key variables in athletic training: pain, muscle, oxygen, heat, thirst, and fuel.
One of the benefits of reviewing the scientific literature on athletic training is that you can learn tips and tricks to benefit your own training (smiling reduces perceived effort, swishing and spitting out sports drinks can have a similar effect to actually consuming the drink, positive self-talk can help you push past the wall, etc). One of the disadvantages to reviewing the scientific literature on athletic training is that you may incorporate information that agrees with your current approach/perspective/biases and disregard anything that doesn’t – if I’m perfectly honest, I think I fall into this category a lot. If I read something that tells me that running for a lot of hours is bad for you or that you must focus on only one sport to truly excel or that sleeping less is ideal for performance…I’m going to move right along and ignore it.
That said, I think there’s value for most of us non-professional but still goal-driven real-life athletes in learning more about performance hacks for strength, technique, endurance, and fuel. If you haven’t done much reading in these areas, this is a great book to start with. I also found it easy to pick up for 10-15 minutes at a time, which makes it highly practical for busy, over-extended athletes with day jobs and families and adulting responsibilities.
A couple of quick info hits for you:
“Starting in the late 1990s, a South African physician and scientist named Tim Noakes began to argue that…it’s actually the brain alone that sets and enforces these seemingly physical limits we encounter during prolonged exercise.” (38)
The results of a pain study by Mauger and Marcora “suggested that the pain you experience in the extremes of sustained exercise is fundamentally different, from your brain’s perspective, from the pain you experience while dunking your hand in ice water. All pleasure is alike, as Leo Tolstoy might have put it, but each pain hurts in its own unique way.” (94-95)
Multiple study findings indicate “that the benefits of sports drinks and other mid-race carbohydrates for short bouts [generally 90 minutes or less] of exercise are irrelevant as long as you don’t start out with an empty stomach and depleted fuel stores.” (191)
In Part One we talked a little about feelings and general getting-started-with-running facts. Today we’re going to review some technical tips that can improve your runs and reduce your risk for injury. Running is what you were literally made to do, with your efficient bipedal locomotion and your copious perspiration and your scant body hair (it may not feel scant, but compared to other primates and most mammals, we are B-A-L-D bald). You may have taken these magnificent adaptations for granted, but once you start running, you won’t. You’ll be sweating your way to glory.
Tip #1: Dynamic stretching/warm-ups
Back when I started running, my mom and I would head right out the door without any warm-up moves or any walking and start running right away. Needless to say, this was not an ideal way to begin a run, but rather a recipe for injury, side stitches, and developing a profound dislike for running. If I wasn’t such a stubborn person, I would have given up. Also my mom made me do it and I was a kid, so there wasn’t much in the way of options. You can avoid this discomfort and potential for family drama by performing some brief dynamic exercises before your run. Anything that warms up your hips, thighs, and calves will work, including lunges, squats, leg swings, and calf raises. Here’s a quick demo of some good exercises from Runner’s World:
Probably the most famous proponent of the run/walk method is
Jeff Galloway (http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/run-walk/).
There are all kinds of ways to do this, but the simplest is to start with more
walking than running and gradually change the ratio until you are always
running or mostly running. Unless you find a ratio that just seems like your
physiological sweet spot, in which case, embrace that jam. If I’m super sore
from other workouts, having seasonal allergy issues, or just feeling worn down,
I’ll usually go with a run 4 minutes/walk 1 minute or run 9 minutes/walk 1
minute ratio. The time goes by faster than you think, you’ll be proud you got
out there at all, and you won’t be as tired.
Tip #3: Alternating step exhale method
Most of us naturally exhale on the same side foot strike every time; without even realizing it, I ran for 25 years always exhaling on the right side. Bramble and Carrier of the University of Utah concluded that the greatest impact stress occurs when the foot strikes at the beginning of an exhalation. Therefore, if you always exhale while striking on the same side, you are consistently stressing that side of the body more. That was definitely my experience, as I had hip flexor, upper gluteal, and some minor knee issues in my 20s and 30s, all on my right (exhaling side). Learning to retrain your breathing pattern is super awkward at first and may cause you to accidently run into things. I’m saying for a friend. It took me about two weeks to get it down, but once I did, it stuck. And it’s really helped my running respiration in general and my ability to do speedwork and hills. What I’ve found works for me is an inhale 3 steps/exhale 2 steps pattern when running easy, and an inhale 2 steps/exhale 1 step when running hard.
Tip #4: Hills count as speedwork! (ok, this is a well-known
fact, but it warrants a mention)
If you’re like me and you have no genetic gifts towards
running quickly, you likely dread running quickly. I’m not going to lie to you,
no matter what your pace is, your running form and speed will improve if you
work hill repeats into regular rotation (even as little as 10 repeats running up
a hill for 10 seconds can have an impact). Run your repeats up the hill at a
pace that is challenging but sustainable for 10 seconds, focusing on running
hard but also relaxed – shoulders down, facial muscles relaxed, torso parallel
to the hill.
Tip #5: Smiling improves your running!
A study by Brick et al. in 2017 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029217303461) found that smiling improves running economy, decreases perceived effort, and may enhance your performance by providing a cue to your body that you are doing just fine. It also helps to relax your facial muscles and just might bring your neck and upper shoulders along on the chill train. I find this technique really works for me on long runs, up hills, down hills, and ski runs. Where I don’t find it works as well is when I’m doing speed work – it feels crazy awkward and I imagine I look a lot like your average primate fear response face:
image: Reddit
Tip #6: The foam roller, although it seems like a mean girl, is actually your best friend
What the foam roller seems like:
image: WordPress
What the foam roller is really like:
image: WordPress
Here’s a great short article with video demonstrations from Runner’s World (https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a20812623/how-to-use-a-foam-roller-0/) that explains the major rolling exercises most helpful to runners. The first time you roll your IT band, you may throw up a little. Use the leverage of your arms to control the intensity until it isn’t as painful. Rolling helps break up scar tissue and increases blood flow. It’s worth the time and initial discomfort, and like running itself, becomes less painful the more you do it.
Tip #7: Most of your runs should be easy
A pretty common ratio is ~80% easy running with 20% effort running (tempos, speedwork, hill repeats, etc.). Easy running is NOT junk miles; the time spent at a pace which is just chill and trucking along will improve your body’s ability to use fat for energy, increase your mitochondrial density and capillary development (both of which improve your body’s efficiency at using oxygen), and strengthen your tendons and joints (Humphrey and Hanson, 2012). It will also allow you to get more miles in with a lower risk of injury, and the best way to become better at running is…to run more. See how it works? Remember, your body knows how to do this. Several million years of evolutionary adaptation have honed you into a bipedal endurance machine. Now go out and claim your ancestral running legacy! Yay you!!
M – 6 mile easy trail run @10:37 pace on upper Deschutes River Trail
Climb @ Bend Rock Gym
Tu – Final Skate Ski Lesson! I think it’s generally a bad sign when your skate ski instructor says gently to you “we’re all on our own journey…”. It’s possible my journey will not involve a lot of skate skiing…one of the gifts of trying something new is how it can show you how much you love something you already know – like running, climbing, and downhill skiing (which until recently was something new for me!).
Some downhill runs on a bluebird day to remind me I am competent at one form of skiing LOL.
W – 4 mile easy trail run with my sort of cop buddies Dev & Hobbes.
Th – 6 mile track Lactate Threshold workout with 3 miles @ 8:09-8:15 pace. Not real happy about wearing a tank top and shorts to run outside in February.
F – REST
Sa – 5 mile speed interval road run w/10x 12 second hill repeats + 10x 100m repeats @6:30 pace
Su – dreamy downhill laps at Mt Bachelor where Dan pulled his trick THAT I ALWAYS FALL FOR where I follow him down multiple black diamond runs. Lucky for him ~90% of that time was fabulous.
