Posts in the Tips Category at , Page 11

Running Better Without Your Head: Without that mind getting in your way you could be running faster

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

“Off with her head!” the Red Queen shouted. Which begged me to question, “Would I actually run better sans my head?”

He's running without a head! 😉

Bear with my train of thought for just a moment, outside of losing those 8 pounds of noggin and getting a lower racing weight, I will go out on a limb and say that there are some athletes who would run better without that pesky mind of theirs. Sometimes if you want to run better or get something done you need to just, well, go ‘off with your head.’

In previous posts I’ve covered how important getting your mind in check is when it comes to running, training and racing. I’ve covered visualization to improve your performance by harnessing some of that mental energy as well as means to quell pre-race nerves. Today’s will be different because it’s actually about disconnecting from your mind. Don’t worry I won’t drag out the guillotine.

“I’m here so that you don’t have to do any of the thinking, just focus on the running,” this is something a coach once said and if you’ve found a trustworthy and reliable coach I tend to agree with the statement. Of course it’s important to pick the right coach, but once you do it’s about trust and putting the reins in their hands. That way you can tune-out your brain.

* Don’t question: Some athletes play the ‘why’ game so much that they never are able to put faith in the training and program they are doing. “Why am I doing this workout?”, “Why is he having me do this, so-and-so does this instead?”, “Why can’t I just do 4 repeats and not 5?”, “Why can’t I do 10 repeats instead of 5?” and so on. Your mind can play the ‘why’ game forever and when you do that you can’t establish trust, then confidence in your training and ultimately YOURSELF. When you don’t have confidence in yourself, come race day you should be nervous.

* Don’t negotiate: When you’re in the middle of a workout, or a run for that matter, it’s going to hit a point where it hurts. Your brain will start to negotiate with you, “Maybe this pace is too fast, let’s slow it down”, “Maybe I can’t really do all the repeats, maybe I’ll stop now.” Let’s be honest, your mind will search for any excuse, but if you go in with the mentality that you TRUST your training program, your coach if you have one, then your approach shouldn’t be one with any room for doubts. It’s not a question of IF you will be able to do the workout, it’s a GIVEN that you’re capable of it. Now, you may not actually physically be able to hit the paces sometimes, that happens, but there needs to be a SHIFT in your thought process at the start. Your brain is taken out of the equation…you are supplied the given workout and your legs get to running.

* Just function: As just explained above, to a degree, some of the best athletes just function as droids. They aren’t the ones coming up with the workouts, they don’t have to obsess and worry about what they should be doing; that frees up a LOT of extra mind energy. That energy then is able to be focused and channelled into actually DOING what they set out to achieve. Not all of us are blessed to be in that position, and I know plenty people don’t have coaches at all. Still though, you can adapt the philosophy to your situation. Plan ahead: as in if you have a race planned to run, work backwards and set up your training weeks in advance. Nothing is set in stone, but limit how much adapting you do. If you have a full season of workouts planned, allow yourself to reassess the upcoming week’s training on Sunday night but from there try not to do much adjusting to the plan. Wake up that day, see the workout, and let your body get to work.

It’s impossible to tune-out your mind completely and you wouldn’t want to do that totally of course. Though over-thinking gets in the way of many a talented runner; because ultimately it never gets them to a point where they can establish TRUST in their training, FAITH that they are capable of achieving their goals, or CONFIDENCE in themselves.

So, what do you think, do you think you’d jump on the Red Queen’s proposition?? 😉

1) How do you approach your own training? Do you create your own training, do you just come up with the day’s run on the spot, are you part of a team?

2) If you have a coach, how did you connect with them? Are you able to put full trust and training duties in their hands or do you tend to play the ‘why’ game a lot?

3) What does the idea of dissociating from your mind translate to you? Do you think there is a way you can incorporate the idea into your own training to improve your running?

4) Do you wonder how I thought up this lopping off your head business?
Well, I was watching on drool-worthy Johnny Depp in the latest Alice in Wonderland during my treadmill run. 😉

Running Through to the End: The Mental Benefits of Getting Through a ‘Bad’ Workout

Posted on May 31, 2012 by Cait — 18 Comments ↓

Run to your happy place. But honestly the route to that happy place may not always exactly FEEL like you’re running on clouds, does it? Pretty sure my answer to that question between intervals 3 and 9.99 would have been a resounding, “Heck no!” Though finish the cool-down, or the run, and I’m a firm believer that I’ve reached a happier place.

Workouts and runs are interesting because to a certain degree there’s always the ‘surprise’ variable; you can plan your hard and easy schedule but sometimes the legs have the final word in what kind of run it is. For hard workouts the goal is to push yourself, get better, see improvement, and you want to have some extra oomph in those legs.

There are times where your legs feel anything but oomphy and during certain training periods that’s just par for the course: you’re running more volume, more weekly miles can suck some of that spring, but sometimes you know the end result will get you where you want to be and you must gut out those workouts regardless and remember that by the time you’re sharper it’ll be worth it.

There are instances where the smart thing is to adjust the workout if it’s going awry BUT there are times where you need to plow forward not just for the physiological benefit of the workout but for the mental aspect. Someone once told me that the workouts they have been most proud of were not the ones that were their fastest but rather the ones that were going anything but stellar time-wise but they finished them anyways.

Today I got my booty worked over by the workout; I expected it and saw it coming, I’ve done a sparse number of actual harder workouts since my foot injury, I’ve been able to run more and I knew today was hardly going to feel like running on clouds. I knew that it was going to be important that I got through it though, and not just because that’s the only way to get over the ‘hump’ so that eventually the workouts will feel easier as one gets in better shape. Just a much of a factor is callousing the mind.

If the splits aren’t insanely off, you’re not in any injury danger, sometimes you just have to gut through it. Sometimes your mind will seek ‘outs’ and excuses to call it quits; there are instances where that is the smart thing to do but there is no avoiding that running hard hurts and if you cut out early too many times when there really isn’t a reason to then your mind starts to get better and better at talking yourself into ‘quitter mode.’ That’s not a habit you want to get into.

Sometimes you just have those workouts that turn into survival mode and the prime objective is to get through them. If you’re not in any danger of an injury and know in your gut the best thing is the plow onward then use all the positive mental thoughts and tricks and remember that come the end you’ll be proud of yourself for getting the work done. Run off of effort and even if the times aren’t exactly what you would have hoped your body will still get the benefits of a hard effort. Your muscles and cardiovascular systems were still stressed and that effort will pay off.

The main thing I can take away from today is that my foot is still feeling better and there is another run in me tomorrow. I finished that cool-down and you know what…was the journey exactly one where I was smiling the whole time? Hardly, BUT it sure got me to a happy place when I was done…I knew that it would and so I just kept running.

1) How do you handle workouts that aren’t going your way but you know you’re not in any danger of an injury and there isn’t a blaring reason you should stop? How do you talk yourself through gutting through the workout?

2) How do you asses times when you should adjust the workout, stop, or keep going?
Having a third party, like a coach, is often one of the best ways to get this answer. But if you don’t have one, do a body check for signs of injury, and then from there see how ‘off’ the splits are. If they aren’t insanely bad I’m usually one to say muddle through.

3) Running to your happy place…do you tend to have mood swings akin to a pregnant woman regarding how ‘happy’ you are with running: at the onset, mid-intervals, and then upon finishing too? 😉 Hehe. But has there ever been a time where upon finishing you were not in a happier place?

Running a Mile a Minute: Multi-tasking and sneaking into your day ‘little’ things to improve your running

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Cait — 6 Comments ↓

We live in some pretty manic times, and for most mortal runners that means fitting in training when it’s possible. Realistically this looks like runs at 5am, parents pushing jogging strollers or doing intervals around the track while their kids use the long jump pit as a sandbox. (I have vivid memories of making sandcastles back when I was a kid!)

Multi-tasking isn’t so much a nice way to stay ahead of the game anymore, it’s evolved into a necessity, a way to survive. The law even has had to step in banning cell phones or eating while driving. For runners we KNOW there are other things we ‘should’ be doing outside of just putting in the miles; the stretching, the core work, the icing, the weights. Though for many, life seems to get in the way of the ‘little’ things.

BUT, I’ve been floored by how much can actually be crammed into those 24 hours by some people; it can be tricky finding the windows of time but for the highly productive individual some of the keys seems to getting creative, organizing a system, and then making a routine. Here’s just a few tips I can share:

* Roll your foot on a tennis ball to keep your plantar fascia happy – do it double time if you’ve got a really long tube and work two feet at once. (I’ve used an old shipping tube that you’d send posters in) Super easy to do as most of us are sitting at some point during the day.
* Sit on a tennis ball or golf ball and similarly work out knots or kinks in your glutes and upper hamstrings.
* Foam roll your IT Band and other areas while watching TV
* Memorize on the run – I passed all of my Spanish classes because during lots of my easy runs I’d get my vocab or conjugations stuck in my head and work on memorizing. The same thing worked for my physiology classes where I’d have to memorize all the muscles, their origins, insertions, and function.
* Plan the day en-route – like above a lot of people use the brain time during a run to figure out what they need to do for the day, work out carpools, mentally ‘write’ emails (I do that!) so that when they get home they can physically write that down and then get to work on the rest of the day.
* Cooking stretch – I can’t cook but I can microwave and use that timer to bust out some stretches. We know that we need to hole a particular stretch for at least 20 seconds for it to count so just follow the clock, do some hamstring, quad, calf, etc. stretches and then get your grub on.
* Planks, core and crunches anywhere – Many watch TV at some point…get sweating during commercial breaks. Also, hear me out, this one may not be so much for the shy runner, but I’ve been able to squeeze in some core work in some random places while I’ve been traveling or I just am stuck waiting somewhere. (Airport terminal, park, etc.) Seek out a more secluded spot if you’re embarrassed, but especially if you’ll never see these people again, who really cares? 😛
* Babysitting duties – Parents are master multi-taskers and summer is out so the kids are home. Michael Wardian does the vast majority of his runs on the treadmill while babysitting; getting up early is an often used run time, doing loops around a track or playground allows you to do your workout while still making sure your kids are okay. This is also a chance to get your family involved in fitness…just say, “Do like Mommy and Daddy are doing.” 🙂
* Get it together – Be efficient by laying out all your running gear, clothes, and shoes the night before so you can literally jump into them and get going. Same works if you pack your gym bag and go run at a work break; set an alarm and jet out, don’t dally.
* The Social Network – I’m a runner and I have lots of friends that are runners, not that you have to follow suit, but if you’re on a team or meet a running group you will find that connecting on a run is actually fun. You don’t have to turn your entire social life into running, but at the same time even if most of your ‘free time’ is spent running or with running people that doesn’t always leave you socially deprived.

Other fun facts that should relieve any guilt you feel about going for a run when there is ‘other things’ you could do. Just because you’re running over something else it doesn’t ALWAYS make you selfish and here’s why:

* More productive: Either starting your day with a run or taking a break during the day to exercise makes you more productive on the whole. Companies have begun hosting workout classes for their employees and encouraging them to go for just this reason. I know I’ve gotten some of my best creative inspiration or solved other problems while running.

* Happier: Runners are happier in general, partly because of endorphins, partly because of seeing their hard work pay off and being motivated. That’s why it’s not selfish if you need that run time because it probably makes you better to the people around you.

* Save on therapy: Tied into the happier thing, there are some therapists now who do their sessions while working out or moving. It’s been said that the brain is able to work through emotional problems on another level, better, while actively DOING something. Hmmm, go for a run and save on paying for a shrink, sounds cool.

Whew, okay I hope some of these have helped debase the idea that you can’t sneak in a few of the ‘little’ things into your day…or if nothing else made you think I’m crazier for doing planks in the airport. Oh well, either way the joke is on you because I already knew I was crazy. 🙂

1) What are some of the tips or tricks you have to make the most of your time or work some of those ‘little’ things into your day?

2) If you’re a parent how do you manage your training with parenting duties?

3) If you run with a team or have a running group, do you feel that the time with them also helps leaving you feeling fulfilled socially?

4) What’s something interesting you’ve recently heard about how running makes the rest of your life either more productive, happier, or just better?

Run Like No One is Watching: Understand your pressure and use those race day nerves to your benefit

Posted on May 29, 2012 by Cait — 18 Comments ↓

I love 80’s music, certain songs come on and instantly I feel compelled to yell horribly off key and bust into what I’d try to call moves. I’m the dork in the car who sings along to the music, jiggling in her seat, and fooling herself into believing the windows are as tinted as a rock-star’s limo. Surely it’s fun and easy to dance like no one is watching, but do you run like no one is watching?

You make running look good, and running makes you look good too! 😉

Running is one of those incredibly unique sports that is for the most part solely up to you. You’re in control, the opportunity to succeed and improve is in your hands, the workouts are yours to do or skip, when you step to the line in the end it’s a race between you and yourself. There can be the team aspect of course, running is also one tight community; your teammates and coaches are there for support and guidance but again it comes down to you and those legs. Are you tough enough to run like no one is watching? Are you brave enough to dream like no one is watching?

Pressure. Stress. Nerves. These are all completely normal for races, hard workouts, stepping into a new training group, and plenty of other situations. You want to do well, you have goals you’d like to achieve…you don’t want to make a fool of yourself. You won’t want to look like you don’t belong. You don’t want to publicly fail. You don’t want to fall short of your goals in front of everyone else. That last one is the blaring reason so many can be afraid of setting, or stating, their goals in the first place.

Pressure, stress, and nerves are a few of the biggest hurdles in life and in running. Taken to the extreme they are what cause athletes to have to down bottles of Pepto at the starting line and they are the things that cause runners to just ‘choke.’ BUT they are also a good thing, they indicate you care enough to want to do well and that NOT accomplishing what you set out to do matters to you. In order to use this pressure, stress, and nerves to your benefit you have to ask yourself: Where are they coming from?

* Internal: These stressors are coming from you; you are the driving source behind these feelings. You are the one who feels compelled to put yourself out there, do the work, hit certain times, places, and goals.

* External: Outside sources of stress fall into this category; these are your coaches, parents, friends, teammates, random people in the stands, anonymous commenters on some message board.

* Both: Here is the tricky part, it’s easy to get these two interconnected and so woven together even you have a hard time differentiating where this stress and pressure is coming from. You could be placing extra pressure on yourself because you want to do well for your coach; even though they haven’t said a thing you’re assuming it’s there and then it manifests itself. Conversely maybe your coach really did point blank say things to you and place that pressure there. It’s up to you to figure that out.

Stop and think of your running, your personal goals; then find out WHERE any expectations of yourself are coming from. In the end the driving force needs to be from YOU. Running is too grueling a sport to last if you’re doing it for anyone other than yourself.

Even if there is stress and pressure coming in externally it is again up to YOU to manage it or block it out. Managing it means that most likely at some point you’ll have team goals or a healthy amount of expectations placed on you from a coach or someone who matters; that can be a good thing and propel you to push yourself so long as you channel it in the right manner.

Having a coach or teammate tell you that you can run faster than you think allows you to dream big enough that you aim higher. Having an anonymous commenter say that you suck and will burn out is something to ignore, don’t allow those words to trickle into your thoughts and add unnecessary stress for your next race.

It’s hard to battle nerves and anxieties…but running should be a passion and opportunity for you to watch your own hard work pay off. Ultimately, who really cares if someone in the stands does watch you crash and burn if you have a bad race? Running like no one is watching means that you had the courage to set a goal for yourself, work for it, and line up with the intention to go for it. In every race, run, or workout there is the possibility that you’ll achieve your goal for the day, but there is the chance you’ll fall short. There is always another race, workout, run…YOU can be upset if you missed that goal and use it for motivation to do better next time (learn from the experience) but YOU would be the one relishing if you achieved it.

Are you tough enough to run like no one is watching? Are you brave enough to dream like no one is watching?

1) How do you manage any pressure, stress or nerves associated with running, hard workouts or races?

2) How do you balance having just enough of these coming internally and channel them to propel you to do better and achieve certain goals?
I’ve always loved running myself and if anything always my own toughest critic; but was able to turn my ‘stress’ into excitement to run well and step it up when I got to the line. Tough to explain, but I guess I remained confident in myself and remembered previous workouts to indicate that I was capable of achieving such-and-such goal.

3) When it comes to external pressures; what are some instances where you’ve used that to improve your running and performance? What are some cases where it stood in your way?
I’ve had a couple awesome coaches who believed in me and when they told me I could do so-and-so I trusted them enough to then force myself into believing. 🙂

One of the Biggest Culprits of Lost Time in a Race or Workout? A wandering mind…here’s how to catch it.

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Cait — 21 Comments ↓

If I weren’t attached to my runner legs I’m pretty sure I’d lose them. I take the saying, “I’m the worst with directions” to an entirely new level…I make blondes look like GPS tracking whizzes I’m sure. Today I passed the right turn I should have taken, the one that is less thank 2 miles away from my home and that I’ve taken dozens of times and wound up a tad lost or turned around.

Step to the line a gamer and STAY that way during the actual race too. 😉

It got me thinking though, do you know what one of the biggest culprits for lost time in races or when running workouts is? The case of the lost mind. It happens to all of us no matter how awesome you are with directions and it happens on the track all the time even though I’ll guarantee all of those runners know to turn left and keep running straight ahead.

What does a case of lost head look and feel like?

* Wandering Mind: You’re in the middle of your workout or race, say miles 2-5 of a 10k…the adrenaline and excitement of the first mile has worn off, you’re not quite close enough to the finish to ‘taste it’ and you’re stuck in the middle. Here is where your mind can JUMP on the opportunity to shut down, meander away from you and get lost. Your thoughts drift to random things, maybe even blank nothingness, but wherever it is it certainly isn’t at the task at hand. If you’re noticing that someone is wearing your favorite shirt on the sidelines and ignoring the fact that your form has turned to the Hunchback of Notre Dame, you’ve lost your mind.

* This hurts, I want an ‘out’: Naturally we all think of this but we have to ‘tame’ our mind to forget this and distract it; usually we focus on what we can control (breathing, form, stride, etc.) or look at the person ahead of us to distract ourselves from the hurt. If you get stuck in the endless loop of: 1) Why am I doing this? 2) I’m not even half-way there yet, how will I ever make it? 3) Today’s just not my day, I’ll just give up, who cares? You’re focusing TOO much on the pain and trying to come up with an ‘out’ for yourself. Be honest here, are you looking for an excuse or do you actually have a legitimate reason to stop?

Catch it! The sooner you catch your brain and wrestle it back from La-la-la Land the less time you’ve lost from your race and your workout. But if you wait to long, by the time you check-back in you could have only 100 meters left in the race, and really who can’t run fast for the last 100 meters? By that point you could have needlessly lost a PR or the place you hoped to run.

What SHOULD you be thinking during a race or workout?

* How is my form? Do a form-check.
* How is my breathing? Breathe from your deep belly, not shallowly from your chests, and keep it controlled and smooth.
* Where am I going? Look straight ahead, if it’s on the roads look for the tangents to run, actively be seeking and looking to the horizon. It may sound ‘dumb’ but never loose sight of where you want to go. This go tri-fold if you’re climbing a hill…look high to the crest and lock your eyes on that point.
* Who is ahead of me? Key in on who is in front of you, work on ‘picking people off’ or not letting a gap open up between you and the competition.

Zoning out and letting your mind wander are two different things. Zoning out is when you’re focused on one of the ‘good distractions’ just mentioned, you’re still present in the moment and ‘working’ the race.

Getting lost in life is annoying and a wast of time…getting lost during a race or workout is also a waste of time but you’re also jyping yourself. You’re there, the course is marked, don’t visit La-la-la Land. 😉

1) A wandering mind on an easy run isn’t necessarily a bad thing, here is where randomness helps break up the repetition and can work as a great way to stay consistent and GET the run in. Does your mind tend to wander a lot on easy runs?

2) How do you keep yourself from checking-out during a race or hard workout? Do you have a trick to catch yourself and pull your mind back to present?
I usually do a form check.

3) To battle the ‘cop-out’ and actively look for an excuse to toss in the towel for the day, how do you handle that?
I assess if I actually have an injury that would warrant a stop; if not then I remind myself how I’d feel in a few hours if I quit…probably not too happy with myself.

4) Anyone racing tomorrow? I know it’s been a big weekend for races, some have happened other are tomorrow! Good luck to those yet to race and if you already have, brag on yourself. 😉

Track Your Rest – What’s the ‘Right’ Way to Recover Between Intervals

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Cait — 9 Comments ↓

In training, when you’re running hard intervals the emphasis is naturally on the hard sessions. You want to hit the splits and push yourself all the way through to the end. True, these hard sessions are what are going to tear down the muscles the most so that they can repair themselves and come back stronger…get you fitter and in the end faster.

How do you 'rest'?

But what does your recovery look like between these intervals? Do you cross the line and immediately come to a stand-still, a statue frozen in place relishing every second before you have to start the next one? Do you pace around a bit to collect yourself? Do you keep running, or jogging?

While the focus should still be heavily placed on the hard parts of your interval sessions taking a look at your recovery time can influence the gains you reap from the workout overall. Furthermore, shifting and adjusting the ‘rest’ phases of your workout can change both the kind of benefits you’ll be able to get and actually to the degree of which you are able to boost your fitness.

Let’s talk rest:

* A general rule of thumb is that the FASTER you’re trying to hit those intervals the MORE rest you should allow yourself. Fast-twitch muscle fibers can only fire for a short period of time, but they fire all-out and thus need more recovery before being fired again than your endurance-based, slow-twitch muscle fibers. If your aim for the day is to improve your base speed, say you’re doing 200 repeats, give yourself enough recovery so that you can really hit those 200’s and make them fast, that was the aim after all, right? Take a really slow 200 jog between each hard 200, don’t rush the recovery here.

* Active rest vs. standing. Here is where people may have slightly different opinions, but mine is that it’s better to keep moving, even if it’s only slow jogging, between each interval. Stopping dead and standing before jumping into another interval of hard running seems akin to pulling the emergency break and then peeling out; that next hard session is a shock to those ‘cold’ muscles. I’m of the school of thought that active rest, actually jogging recovery, is better for you.

I wouldn't suggest you take your rest this way. 😉

* Define your workout. What is your goal for the workout? If it’s speed then refer above for how to attack your recovery. The LESS recovery you give yourself between intervals the MORE heavily your workout is going to stress, and hopefully improve, your cardiovasular system and endurance. Your endurance system actually needs less time to recover, (Trust me, even though you may not want to go into the next hard one, your body may be…hehe.) and the more you whittle your recovery down the closer you’re mimicking an actual race. We don’t get any rest there, do we? An example here would be that for 800 repeats, say 6-10 rep’s, I usually would suggest a 400 jog. A 400 recovery lap would also be suggested if you’re doing 4-6 x 1600 meters.

* Adjust your active recovery. How fast or slow are you taking that recovery? Distance runners can be tempted to actually run our recovery even a hair too fast thinking it makes them tougher. That can be true to a degree, but not so much so that you’re never allowing your body to recover between intervals and sacrificing those hard rep’s. Honestly, in the grand scheme of things ratchet it back and don’t feel ‘guilty’ about truly jogging slow, a red flag to go slower on your recovery is if your hard interval times start to drop and fall off pace.

* Playing around with the recovery time. As explained above, cutting down the time of your rest turns it more into an endurance workout and entering the realm of distance runners. The more experienced runners have been known to take incredibly short rests, even run the rest rather quickly, and still hammer the workout. Remember though, that you should build up to that level and make sure you can handle it. An obvious way to gauge that is if you’re still hitting the splits your want; if you are, then go ahead and test yourself to see if you can handle less rest. As you are able to progress doing that you’ll be making the workout harder and should be seeing the the results with more gains in fitness. There’s actually a really great article on Running Times with more on this topic HERE.

Are you sick of me talking about all this rest? Well good, it’s time for your next interval…GO! 😉

1) What does your rest between hard intervals look like? Active recovery jog, stand-still, pace around, etc.

2) How do you adjust or ‘prescribe’ your recovery for a given workout?

3) If you coach, how do you adjust the rest for your athletes or what do your recommend?

4) Have you even thought that much about your rest between intervals? If not, you should…hehe.

No-Man’s Land – 5 Tips to Surviving the Runner’s Island of Desolation

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

Runners in lane one! I really wish there could just be a little track gnome with a megaphone who could shout this to clear out lane one from walkers and joggers so that any runners attempting to do speed-work wouldn’t have to try to dodge them, weaving in and out looking like some fellows who belong in the drunk tank. 😉

Sharing the pacing duties takes off a big mental burden.

Alas, alas, not everyone is as schooled at track etiquette as us, right? Today I’m riding a nice endorphin high thanks to getting out to the track myself. The track was loaded with people, which is how all tracks should be, running IS the best past-time after all. My friends head a local track group and it looked like there was a soccer camp going on in the middle of the field and the kiddies then bopped on over to the lanes as well.

I was just doing my own thing today and it did make me ache for a workout budding to help share pacing duties, not going to lie. I think that ache turned into more of a burning desire come those last ones! As any runner can attest having someone or a team for hard workouts make them infinitely *easier*. Well, that is unless you happen to be the one doing all the work.

Having the liberty of sitting behind your training partner, letting them worry about the splits and just keying in on their back takes off a big mental burden and for the most part you all end up clicking off times that are faster than if you were going solo but the effort felt the same, if not less. This goes triple time if there is some wind, tuck in and draft, baby, draft! 😉

Same thing applies in races, the best spot to be is right behind someone so you can ‘use’ them, save your mental energy and then when you feel strong enough blow on by them and then ‘use’ someone else. But you know the worst spot to be in a race, or workout for that matter? Trapped in No-Man’s Land, that empty space between groups or people is like the chasm that opens up on the track and swallows runners up whole. If you’re lucky the black hole island spits you back out, but sometimes you’re stuck there until the finish line.

Feeling tired and alone? Don't give up yet! 🙂

Sometimes you can’t avoid falling into No-Man’s Land, sometimes it’s a small field and no one is around your pace. But even so, there are a few ways to improve your chances of surviving No-Man’s Land, even getting out of it, but it takes some work and a portion of that is mental.

* Admit you have a problem. The first step is always being honest with yourself, right? 😉 That said, the moment you realize that you’ve fallen off the group ahead of you, looking back you don’t see anyone approaching, try to catch the No-Man’s Land trap as soon as possible. If you sense this early enough do all you can to cling on to that group ahead of you and hold on for dear life.

* Don’t beat yourself up. It aint gonna happen? So you’ve been dropped by the group despite your best efforts, that’s okay you can still key off of them. Do your best to keep the gap minimized, but DON’T start the negative self-talk or beating yourself up…if you throw the pity party too early chances are you’ll give up, slow down more, and then the race is basically over. Shake out your arms, relax, do a form check and just keep your eyes locked straight ahead, search for a body up ahead and don’t let the body leave your sight.

* Surge. This may sound crazy because chances are you feel tired, but doing a quick surge and gear-shift can work as a little ‘reset’ button. Going into a different speed will tap into your faster twitch muscles, thus using a different muscle group that isn’t as tired; when you settle back into your pace it may feel easier and you’ll feel a bit recharged.

* Use the catching pack. Sometimes the group from behind catches up to you: USE THEM. Stay positive and use their presence as a positive (not a negative by telling yourself how slow you’re going that they caught you) by letting them do the work. Let any ego go, tuck in, and allow them to do the work and pull you along. If you do this you may come to the point where you feel better and are able to blast past this group.

* Mindset. Worst case is you are left along in your No-Man’s Land island for the rest of the race or workout, it happens. Here is where your mindset and outlook is key. Assess the situation; if you know your legs just haven’t shown up for the day then remind yourself that goal times/paces could be out the window and if this is the case stop looking at the splits and times because they will only stress you out more and depress you. Instead, turn the race into a chance to work on other things: stay relaxed, keep your breathing controlled, focus on your form, and try to get the most out of the given day. If it’s not the legs and you physically feel good then again, focus on the tangibles: form, breathing, stride, running smooth. Use mental tactics, like mantras, to keep going and remind yourself that regardless of if you are alone or not, running is usually a race against yourself and the clock. Stay positive.

Hopefully these suggestions can help you slug through a race or workout if you’re solo or stuck in No-Man’s Land…even better I hope that some tips can actually help pry you out of that nasty solo island! 🙂

1) On your last race or workout were you alone for all, most, or some of it? How did you handle that?

2) Have you been stuck in No-Man’s Land recently, if so what did you do to still get the most from the race/workout, and were you able to get out of it?

3) What’s one of your biggest pet-peeves when it comes to people ignoring track etiquette?
Not to sound runner elitist, but I’m sorry, please stay out of lane one and don’t walk in a chain extending to lane three or four if you’re walking or jogging. 😛

“I’m Better Than You” — Being confident in yourself doesn’t mean you have to be an ego-maniac

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

Running takes confidence. Running also builds confidence. Yet at the same time confidence is a tricky thing and something many of us struggle with. Reaching for our goals and accomplishing great things demands that we confident in our abilities yet at the same time society tells us to not be overtly or overly confident. The latter examples are what we then coin ego-maniacs, these are the people we joke about having heads too big for their britches and they take up a whole room between their bodies and their egos.

I will beat you. 😛

So we grow up with mixed signals about what is enough confidence and what is too much; usually it comes down to thinking highly of yourself but never actually voicing that you do. To put it out there means you are bragging and nobody like a bragger. What to do what to do?

Sports and running promote self-esteem because you can quantify the progress you make; hard work and perseverance lead to improvement and reinforces that work ethic. Yet, it’s not uncommon for runners to be afraid that they don’t measure up; doubting themselves as well as wondering what in the world they are doing thinking they can actually DO such-and-such. These are normal feelings and everyone has them to a certain degree at times, but get stuck in that circular, negative thought pattern and you wind up stuck.

To practice and promote a little self-confidence I thought we could play a fun little game. I’m going to call it Find Your Inner Rapper. Generalizing I may be, but I tend to think rappers are often pretty confident in themselves. I’m going to call myself Rev Runna CC…now pick your own name and let’s roll out.

* I want to to beat you. Pick a phrase that would be something you’d say at the staring line of a race, a workout, or even just going out for a run. Examples: I’m going to break 21 minutes in the 5k. I will not give up on this workout. I’m not going to let this dude next to me pass me. I’d like to go at least 30 minutes without walking for this run.

* Ditch the clutter. Check that phrase you came up with and cut out any of the following: like to, give up, I’m not, want to. Basically you want to pare out any unnecessary adjectives or verbs that aren’t calling immediate action…your phrase should be as short and to the point as can be. Why? Here’s a change to some of examples above: I will beat you. I will break 21 minutes. I will crush this workout. I’m better than him. (ie: guy next to you) I won’t walk. See the differences here? They all call action but they ALSO are all positive, reinforcing words. Even saying “I will not give up” includes the option of giving up and has you thinking it…ditch it.

* Crime and punishment. Rappers are not all thugs but for our game the rest of it goes that you mess with some of the ‘rules’ of society. Have fun out there, represent. (How many stereotypes can I cram in here and pretend I’m hard core??)

Remember folks, society may call it a faux pas, but it’s not a crime to see a runner on the street and think to yourself, “I could totally whoop on him.”

It aint a crime to warm-up with a friend, wish them luck on the starting line but when the gun goes off treat them as any other competitor and run your best. Just so long as regardless of outcome you wish them well and then cool-down together.

It’s not a moral offense when asked what time you want to run and not stumble, stutter, pause, or include the words: might, we’ll see if, I doubt I can but, probably won’t but we’ll see if. Let’s be short, to the point, and call on those action phrases.

It’s more than okay to blast your pump-up music and sing horribly off-key; even if there are profanities. I’ve found some explicit lyrics are at times called for to properly get your gamer face on.

Don’t feel bad if you find yourself smirking and filled with pride when you drop the sucker behind your panting like mad. You’re faster than him and you know it.

The bottom line is: THOUGHTS are not a crime. You can’t be penalized for thinking something even if it’s the most egotistical thought in the world. In fact, get a little cozy with some of those phrases and build up your runner self-esteem. You don’t need to say them to be fierce…just act on them.

Word out yo.

1) What’s your runner rapper name?

2) What ego building phrase did you come up with?

3) What crimes did you partake in? Others not listed are begging to be shared!

4) What thoughts do you promise to not feel guilty about all in the sake of boosting your running ego and drive to improve your performances?

5) Am I dork for this game?
A resounding yes from the crowd, please.

Let’s Get Hyped: 5 Strategies to Talk Yourself Up into the Running Zone

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

Handling pre-race (or pre-hard workouts for that matter!) anxiety and nerves is something every runner deals with. There is always a certain level of pressure regardless of the situation; some pressure is a good thing because it allows us to elevate our game to the necessary level.

There is a swell of emotions all warring inside ourselves regardless of outward appearances; the difference between the runners that you can see this tumult in their faces from those you can’t is how well the athlete is able to channel, compartmentalize, and utilize these feelings to their benefit. All of the nerves, the wanting to do your best, the fear of wondering if you’ll be able to handle the pain, wondering if you’ll beat so-and-so, hoping you hit a certain time, questioning whether you need one more bathroom stop…all of that is normal, but depending on how you handle and cope with everything going on inside your brain translates to how well your body is able to perform.

Running is a mental sport. Here are five tips that I feel work to getting a handle on your brain before a race or hard workout so that you can put them to work, to HELP you step up and be the gamer you want to be:

* Visualization: I did an entire post on this but the power of self-visualization is one that I feel is huge. the thing though, is that it works with practice and something you should be doing before the actual event/workout in order to hone your skills. Start in a quite room and imagine going through the race or workout just as you’d like it to play out; from the last stride of your warm-up to battling through that last interval. Anticipate the pain and practice staying relaxed. Do this enough and begin imagining on your warm-up for the race and workout and then remember how that relaxed feeling felt.

I SWEAR it doesn't hurt that much. 🙂 Just keep telling your legs that.

* Mantras: Many runners have a short phrase or saying that means something to them. It can be anything from ‘I am strong’, ‘Smooth, relaxed, fast’, ‘I am going to kick butt,’ to others like ‘Make it one more step then one more mile’ or ‘Chocolate chocolate chocolate’ chanted in time with your footfalls. The thing is to pick something that resonates with YOU so that when you repeat it to yourself when you’re tired, hurting mid-race, or nervous just before the starting gun. It reminds you of the runner you want to be and that your hard work is FOR something.

* Repetition: Constants feel safe, they are orderly when other things may be feeling out of our control. Having something we know we can rely on because it is always the same works to relax us and give us something even, sane, and logical to focus on. It works as a distraction. Have a warm-up routine including easy running, drills, strides and stretches that you do THE SAME way each and every hard workout and race. Get it honed to the point where your body can go through the motions on auto-pilot; though as you go through each step just focus on the moment, the single drill, the process. Then push any anxiety or jitters out of your mind…stay in the present and let the future take care of itself.

* Talk do your body: This one is a tip to do during the actual workout or race at the point where the hurting starts up. Rather than acknowledge that pain is present and only going to get worse (I mean let’s be honest we all know it will…hehe!) check in with the physical. Remind yourself to relax your jaw, your shoulders, check that your arms are swinging front to back and not across your body, do a form check. Count your strides and make sure you are being efficient there, ensure that your breathing is controlled and even. If you have to, shake out your arms for a quick way to relax any tension built up there. Channel your thoughts to physical things you can control and not the pain.

* Confidence: You might think you can’t force confidence in yourself but hear me out…to get to the starting line or point you are already has taken a lot of hard work. Running isn’t for slackers, so take confidence in your abilities and all you’ve done thus far. Think back to the hard workouts where you fought the pain and won out; remember beastly long runs you never thought you could do and you ran; remind yourself that you’ve done such-and-such workout before and that HAD to hurt a heck of a lot more than whatever you’re about to do. Finally, remember that running isn’t a ‘luck sport’ and that you’ve done all within your power to achieve the goals you set…be confident in yourself and your abilities and then be excited to perform at the level you DESERVE to.

The truth is that every single runner thinks the same sorts of things before a race and yes, even hard workouts. Everyone has doubts at times, nerves, and the same hopes that they do excel and perform well in whatever they are getting ready for. But you have to tune out all that white noise and chatter to zone in to the frame of mind necessary to achieve those things.

1) How do you hype yourself up to the gamer level for races or hard workouts?

2) How do you channel the nerves and use them to your advantage?
I would force the race out of my mind two days out from the event and then only begin to think about it again when I started my warm-up. From there I’d stay in the moment and focus on the routine of things.

3) How do you stay confident in yourself and your abilities?
Remembering other workouts where I was really tough and did well helps me a lot.

Why All the Track Hate? Overcoming Track-Phobia

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Cait — 19 Comments ↓

Don’t fear the track, embrace it. I have to admit that after yesterday’s post I was a little surprised that it seemed I was in the far minority when it came to actually liking the track. *Gasp* Now, I know that red carpet can seem a little daunting but really, there is no need to run away. Why all the track hate?

Sure, I can see it, the track doesn’t lie. There are no hills to explain away a slow mile here or there, you can’t exactly hide either. Nope, you’re full frontal on the track…exposed. It’s easy to get too wrapped up in the splits, numbers, and monotonous laps but you can do that anywhere. To be fair, the watch doesn’t lie either.

So all this track hate, or I guess track phobia, seems to be an issue begging to be addressed. There are SO many reasons to hit up the oval regardless of whether you plan on racing on it:

* Speed. I’ll pause for you to get all the shudders and groans out if you must, but I’ll say this: it is INCREDIBLY easy to get stuck in a pace rut. Guilty as charged on that one, I didn’t get the nickname ‘One-Speed Chock’ for nothing, but the only way to get out of a rut is to push and pry yourself out of it. If you don’t ever change anything nothing will ever, well, change. Pick at least one day a week and denote it as speed play day…you don’t have to make it too regimented if that scares you off at first. Start simple: warm-up and then alternate slow/fast 200’s…start with 8 laps total and for those 8×200 meters of pick-ups let your stride open up, relax, and the let speed take over. Finish with a cool-down of course. If it feels foreign at first, that’s okay, after a while it will feel a little better…then a little bit more…etc. (Racers-For those already in love with the track and racing, this 200 meter workout can be an excellent tune-up before race day, think two or three days before…the difference is for you really do hit those 200’s fast!)

Okay, I can see why the track can be intimidating for some...but it hurts in the GOOD way! 😉

* Pace says what? If you live near a track, during one of your regular runs plan your route so you can do one of those middle miles on the track. Check to see what your pace is without looking down at the splits, try and test how well your pace gauge is. This is helpful for a few reasons: 1) if it’s an easy day you can really check yourself and see if you are in fact running the right pace for you to recover 2) you want to be able to become better at ‘sensing’ what a certain pace feels like.

* Fast finish. Doing pick-up runs, or adding in a quick, up-tempo mile at the end of some of your steady runs is an excellent way to ‘sneak’ in some quality running that won’t tax your body so much that you’ll be too tired for your next hard workout. Doing just one fast mile at the end of some of your easy runs isn’t enough ‘hard’ running to really zap your legs, and if you do that enough those ‘extra’ miles of quality will add up. Pick a day, do your steady run and end so that you can finish your last mile on the track and run it close to your 10k or half-marathon race pace.

* Tempo. Yes, do your entire tempo on a track…it can seem monotonous but there are people out there doing upwards of 20 miles on a treadmill, you can’t tell me they can’t handle circles. Not only will you probably surprise yourself with a faster time than you’re doing on the roads, this can do wonders for the ego, but you can also use this time to work on that little pace recognition I was talking about. Fine tuning that inner metronome will work wonders come race day; it can help save your race if you are able to sense if you’re going out too fast, or too slow.

Tips to get you spooning with the track…still not convinced that the track is for you?

Start to love that view!

* The Right-Away: If you do a sizable amount of running on the track, do half of it running the ‘correct’ way, counter-clockwise, and then the other half running in the clockwise direction. Be mindful if others are on the track and maybe run in the outside lanes for this ‘wrong’ way running. The reason for this is that always turning left can lead to some imbalances, and it’s good to keep things even if you can. This also can help break up the run and beat boredom.

* Sans Watch: On the track it’s easy to just run for distance so you can chuck the watch. You can then make sure you’re running true recovery pace and off of feel for your easy days and it relieves the pressure if you get too stressed on hard workouts; just run hard.

* Get company: Getting faster is possible with the track AND with people for those hard days…can’t say it enough: “If you want to get better, train with someone better than you.”

* Baby Steps. Bill Murray had it right, the only way to get over a phobia is to expose yourself to it and baby steps work. Just get your bums out there and I promise once you see the improvements through speed play in your race times you’ll start loving your track time! 🙂

1) Are you at least a wee bit more convinced you could like the track? Is there a way you can go out on a limb and proclaim at least ONE way you will utilize the track more?

2) If you already do use the track, what’s your favorite workout or run on it?
Tempo runs. I’m a dork and actually looked forward to my 10 mile tempo runs on the track…no lie.

3) Are you plumb sick of me shoving track love down your throat? If so, would I make you like it more if I added in there is Track Town Pizza in Eugene, OR you should hit up…it at least has Track and Pizza together, so maybe it will work as a little subliminal message to like both as equals?? 😉

4) What’s going on for you Monday?