‘Running’ Articles at , Page 31

Where Track Reins Supreme: Let’s celebrate because let’s be honest, runners are just better

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Cait — 4 Comments ↓

Americans need to learn how to throw a proper track party. After New Year’s the next big shindig seems to be the Super Bowl…I mean we’re talking weeks and weeks of hype and grocery stores plugging hot deals for the party gluttony. Where is the same kind of love for track and field?

Well it’s there, but us poor States dwellers have to travel over to Europe if we want to take part. Though don’t worry it’s more than worth the travel because it’s not just one party you’ll be privy too but a whole summer. Track season is Europe is something hard to explain unless you’ve been there; did you know there are actually countries where runners are bona-fide celebrities? Not just the kind that can quietly bust out the mile repeats on a track so fast a runner geek’s jaw would drop but that oblivious walker in lane one would fail to even move to the side?

I understand there are other sports, I’ve got friends and family who play in them, I do go to games and cheer and support…of COURSE. But I’ll be honest, track and running has my heart and I can really get my screaming pants on for even more. My screaming pants and my running shoes…bring it.

Call me a running elitist if you must but runners are cut from one heck of a ‘hardy stock.’ We run through kinds of pain like it’s ‘no big thang’…I don’t condone it, sometimes it’s more stupidity or refusal to acknowledge the obvious on our parts. But at the same time in the back of our minds we all can’t help but think, “Da##, that’s sickly awesome” when we know runners who raced on multiple stress fractures. The runners who, when they take off their spikes it’s a bloodified massacre underneath.

Who amongst us hasn’t taken a tad of perverse glee when they’ve gone in to see some kind of sports medicine doctor and they take a look at us and say something akin to, “Sooo, in looking back through such-and-such test I don’t understand how you were able to even walk in here, aren’t you hurting?”

Runners, yes, our stubbornness can translate into stupidity at certain times, nowhere do they give medals who can suffer through the most idiotic pain. BUT they do give medals to who can suffer through as much pain when it comes to the lactic acid burning, the lungs that want to explode, the legs wondering if they will actually be able to lift again and booty-lock so bad you sort of wonder if that javelin were to impale you on the spot if that would hurt less.

Runners are ballers. So Europe recognizes that, what’s wrong with America? I mean, sure we have football players who get their share of brute force injuries, I know those have to hurt, but those things come usually from being smashed by someone else…runners, we’re out there smashing ourselves in a sense.

Track doesn’t take time outs. When you hit lap 10 of a 10k you can’t just pause to collect yourself, come up with a new game plan or even tie your shoe without losing distance…the clock keeps ticking peeps.

Maybe the US doesn’t have the attention span to sit through 25 laps. We do live in an age where most want to get to the point in a Twitter-alloted character numbers or less…but runners who ‘get’ it know there is plenty to sit through each of those laps. The subtle nuances, the elbows, the moves, who covers the moves, who thinks they’re hot enough to surge to the lead and stay there. The right race could have us blasting out multiple Tweets per lap.

Well, at least in Europe they would. 😉

I’m not saying we don’t have our pockets of track mayhem in the States, the Trials gave us a glimmer. But like I said, the majority of grocery stores weren’t pumping their promo’s for weeks on end about their sales on mini-weiners. And the Trials, what, isn’t that once every four years?

Don’t fret my fellow running fans, there are countries who recognize that running reins supreme. And at least we all know that our sport, and we are, the best…not that that makes us running elitists or anything. 😉

1) Do you follow track or running as a sport much? Do you follow any other sports?

2) Tell me something that makes running the best sport…c’mon you know you want to!

3) What’s been a time where you were proud to be a runner? Could be related to an accomplishment that no one else thought you could do, a ‘stupid runner’ injury story that you are sickly proud of, that you know your pain tolerance is higher than most…or that you just look really good in your running shorts. 😛

Endorphins 2.0: The special running high that only awesome workouts, epic races and PR’s can bring

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

Boom. Crackle. Snap. No, for once that’s not the sound of me walking into a room…I do predict I’ll be one of those old people racing around on a Rascal for all other hours of the day I’m NOT running. 😉 Juuuust kidding…Happy Fourth of July to all those who are also residing in the good old USA.

Kicking your own butt can feel oh so good…when you come out the ‘winner.’ 🙂

I’m thankful to be an American and not just because I get a chance to unleash my inner pyro for the day. Rockets are fun, yes, but do you want to know another way to feel like you’re high enough to touch the moon? No, the perfectly legal way but you’re still getting a fix in a way.

Rocking a hard workout, kicking butt in a race or a brand spanking new PR. I’ve long professed my love for endorphins but I SWEAR the ones that come from a particularly hard workout, race or effort are like endorphins 2.0. It’s a super high…and I feel THOSE kinds of pimped-out endorphins are what keep us slogging through the ‘blah’ miles, crappy runs and the workouts that kick our butts in the worse possible way. We’re chasing the right endorphins.

Now I’m not an elitist, trust me, I know for a fact I am no better than others, but can I tell you a little secret? On days when my running goes particularly well, the times I’ve gotten a PR (even a PR in a workout) for the rest of the day I sort of feel like I can walk a little taller. Heck I even feel happier and smile bigger, if that is humanly possible for me. When I’m just out and about in ‘normal people’ world (not around fellow runners) in the back of my mind, when I’m going through the check-out at the grocery store I’m thinking, “My legs feel wobbly and like jelly, I wonder if she’s ever felt that post-workout early-onset soreness that only comes from a tough run?” It’s not that I think I’m any better than anyone else in that line (for all I know there could be a World Record holder behind me!) It’s just that I feel like a ‘specialer’ version of myself that day. Thanks to those pimped-out endorphins 2.0 I suppose.

Don’t worry, my ego quickly gets snapped back, as do the rest of ours if you know what I’m talking about and can relate, the next day when we realize that with running there is always another day that begs to question, “You going running?” Running is an ongoing cycle, the PR you just hit, the workout you just rocked…well guess what, you’re going to be facing the same thing again soon and you’re going to want to one-up the previous. So yes, be proud, feel entitled to walk a bit taller for that day, ALWAYS celebrate your PR’s and awesome efforts because failing to do so will leave you feeling like you jyped yourself later. BUT, remember that there is always another day, another goal to be chased…even if that isn’t another PR, truth be told there will be a day when you inevitably won’t be shooting for your best overall PR and will have to shift perspective.

But you know what never has to end? Those souped up, pimped-out endorphins 2.0 that can leave you feeling like you’re shooting on a rocket for the rest of the day. People sometimes don’t understand why a runner who doesn’t really even race would bother doing a hard workout or test themselves. Yea, those hard workouts are hardly always fun…so the obvious question is, “Why put yourself through that?” To be honest that question is probably something going through that non-racing runner’s mind plenty of times themselves. The answer is…the quest for those endorphins 2.0.

So light those sparklers, runnerchicks and runnerdudes, those racing towards PR’s or even if you’re not. Have fun oohing and aahing over the fireworks but remember that some even better trips to the stars are waiting for you, riding those pimped-out endorphins 2.0…get chasing them.

1) Do you relate to feeling especially enorphinized high after awesome workouts you nailed, races you hit your goals or surpassed them or hard-fought PR’s?

2) Do you also feel like a bit of a shinier version of yourself on those days you have those runs? I swear it’s not egotism running rampant on all us runner feeling like we’re better than anyone else. 😉

3) Where are you with your running, are you currently racing, shooting for a PR, just running for the joy of it, running and maybe not racing but still get that curiosity bug to test yourself with some hard workouts and see what you can do?

Is It Really That Bad? We’re runners but we’re humans too…are some of those ‘human bad habits’ really doing any harm to our running?

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

I’m a runner…not a nutritionist, I’m not a super scientific sports physiologist, I admit that the vast majority of what I know is through experience, what I’ve seen and what I’ve learned from others who are experts. I’m not ashamed to admit that, and I think one of the best ways to learn something is to admit your own brainiac limitations and seek out answers from credit-worthy sources.

Now we are all runners here, but we’re also human; that human thing can offer up some battles of internal wills when it comes to our training. Being human means we have that brain of ours to wage the mental battle when the going gets tough. It also means that we have lives and other things that we do, indulge in, and want outside of miles, core work and sweating.

Balance is awesome and some of the ‘being human’ things actually help our running; focusing too much on a single thing leaves us much too one dimensional and over-thinking your training is another way to send it down the drain. On the other hand the human part of us can sometimes want things that may not exactly be the best for our training…we are human, we have weaknesses, but how bad are some of those ‘weaknesses’ really? Here are my thoughts on a few things…

* Soda. I don’t drink soda, I used to guzzle tons of diet but I had a really bad experience once where I think I must have downed darn near a gallon in a meal and I was gassy and bloated for so long after I kicked it cold turkey. Now there are tons of people saying soda is the devil, others that don’t care, and some that still think it’s totally fine. As for regular soda, I think it’s not doing any favors to the overweight masses, for runners though I still think it’s probably best to avoid because it dehydrates you and you could be drinking something far better for you. Diet, yea, the calories aren’t there but it’s still not an awesome beverage of choice. But I don’t think it’s the devil either.

* Coffee. If you’re totally frapa-macho-machiado’ed to the point where your drink is more like a sundae I think it’s like a dessert. But I’m pro-caffiene if done right, I’ve seen/know too many exceptional runners who swear by coffee not to be. I think that if you want the benefits it comes down to how much and when you drink it; if you build your caffeine tolerance to such a high level that you need an absurd amount to get any ‘perk’ then that’s not so good…caffeine may give you a little extra kick for your workouts but you don’t want to have to guzzle coffee to get in enough caffeine to get your ‘fix.’ So try to keep the intake moderate the rest of the day (if at all) so that when you do have that cup of coffee an hour or so before your workout you get the little boost.

* Junk food. This is opening up a whole can of worms, and I could argue back and forth for ages so I’ll try to keep it short. We’ve all read the Frank Shorter pizza and mayo combo, on the far other end we’ve got the vegans who only eat what they grow in their backyards. We all know cases of runners winning title on either ends of the spectrum, and elites too. The thing with distance running is that it takes up a lot of energy, and that takes calories; if you need some ’empty’ junk calories to keep pace with your energy levels than I don’t see the harm in indulging with whatever. I’ve eaten through boxes of Pop-Tarts and know plenty runners who dig through the ice cream by the pints. The thing though is that for most of them they ALSO take in the good stuff (veggies, protein, etc) too…it’s all a balance kind of thing. Then there is the mental and sanity thing. That said, not every runner ‘can’ eat as many calories as others thanks to that little metabolism thing…it can be an unfair card but it’s the truth too and to not say it would be lying by omission.

* Sloth. I actually love this word and try to use it whenever I get a chance, so I did…hey, it’s my blog. Now you may think, “Me, lazy, never!” 😉 For some that’s true, but there are some lazy runner habits that are running rampant. The warm-up skimper: HORRIBLE for your body and your performance, I’m not going to spend wordage arguing, do a real warm-up people. The cool-down avoider: HORRIBLE again, a bit less only because at least the race/workout isn’t sacrificed on that day but your next runs will be. Letting pools of lactic acid sit in your muscles is only going to make you feel worse and hinder your recovery process…move it no matter how tired you are. Standing during your recovery before the next interval: JOGGING is better in my opinion and I wrote on that HERE. Some may not share my opinion but the majority of top runners I know keep moving during their recovery.

There you have it…just a few things, and again my opinion. I’d like to hear from you guys, do you agree, disagree?

1) What are your thoughts on any of these?

2) What are some of your ‘bad habits’ that make you human; how ‘bad’ do you really think they are for your running?

3) Favorite not-so-‘healthy’ food?

4) Own up, do you ever fall victim to the ‘sloth’ runner temptations?? 😉

When Brevity is in Charge: A Running Spinal Tap, Dessert Intervals, and Picking Your Pockets

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

I’m not one usually short on words; if you think I’m addicted to miles then the rate of which I pound through the English language is probably right on track with what I’ve said of myself many time, “I talk like a chipmunk on crack.” Now, vocal octaves aside brevity is not exactly my strong point.

Okay, not a chipmunk but another furry woodland creature…maybe he ate the chipmunk who wasn’t a runner too??

I trace it back to how my brain operates; way too fast and with a flurry of a billion different things flying around at once. I try to catch them all, and am afraid I usually lose track of most of them. So I feel a bit of pressure to get all these thoughts into words and out of me as fast as possible.

Though, over-explaining things has many a pit falls…mainly you lose your audience. Before I go and prove that point right now, I’m going to say that sometimes all you need is LESS. Being concise can sometimes prove your point the best and actually STICK with you the longest.

“It was kind of like that movie Spinal Tap. I cranked it to 11,” was quoted from Andrew Wheating today in reference to the last 100 meters of his 1500 meter race. He just made his second Olympic Team; and the quote is courtesy of Mario Fraioli, senior producer at Competitor.com and he fired that one out of Twitter on location in Eugene.

I love that quote, hilarity and relatability all rolled into one; Wheating is good with those. While the vast majority of us will never be digging for that extra gear in quest of an Olympic berth, I’m pretty dang sure we all can look fondly of times when the lactic acid, booty-lock onslaught is of epic proportions and we are grappling for one more gear. What is rarer, but the times you will never forget, is when we can surprise ourselves and our bodies seem to offer up that gear…we make it to the line and are still a bit in shock that we did, in fact, pull it off. Makes you sort of in awe of what the body can do when forced; well with proper training and a whole load of working your butt of of course too! You see, all of that, and much more, comes out of me when Mr. Wheating was able to say it all in far fewer words. Brevity.

Hey, pancakes with chocolate chips could totally be dessert!! Or breakfast…or dinner too for that matter. 🙂

“Ahhh, it’s like dessert!” this is something Julius Achon would often say when our coach would have us do ‘surprise intervals.’ You think you’re done with the workout but, no, it’s dessert time and you have one more. I actually love the surprise interval (yea, glutton for punishment maybe) because it tests your mind more than your body. Julius is chock-full of quips, he should write a book in fact, but forever and always anytime an extra interval is offered up I could smile, for a second at least, and think of dessert…then of course it was a grimace of pain. 😉 [I linked Julius to his Love Mercy Foundation, his charity benefitting orphans in Uganda…please check it out!]

“Picture a string attached to your head and it’s pulling you up,” in reference to form from one genius of a coach. I, along with many, suffer from Hunchback syndrome when I get tired in workouts and races. Form can be tricky to work on, but it’s important too…but this string metaphor really did help me. Maybe it was the visual thing, I pictured myself a sort of puppet, “dance, puppet, dance,”…sorry, I’m a dork, bear with me here…strange maybe but it helped me. Try it out.

“Pick your pockets,” again, this is in reference to form. This one aimed at how your arms should be swinging; you want your hands to swing back to about where they’d just be grazing your bum, hence the pocket-picking. Arms swinging way-ward or across your chest is a huge amount of wasted energy; you want them only moving straight forward and back.

Sure, there are times when an onslaught of chipmunk on crack wordage may be needed, though I’ve found when actually running it can be a lot easier to go short and to the point. Easier to remember, and because sometimes it seems that due to all the oxygen being sent to the muscles, the brain gets a bit of the shaft and you can be ditzy due to running. True syndrome…look it up.

1) What’s a short, or to the point, line, mantra, quote or phrase that relates to running that has helped you?

2) Do you use mantras at all, if so which ones work for you?

3) Trials Talk…bring it up people!
I admit, I get myself into trouble because I’m ‘rooting’ for more people than can actually make it into the top three for a race. So it’s like the mixed bag; on one hand your excited for those who made it and feel bad for those who didn’t…but isn’t that always the case with everything?? Have to say though I’m glad there will be a run-off to decide the whole 100 meter tie thing…I mean a coin-toss would have been pretty weak…just my opinion though!

This Running Addiction of Mine: When the term addict is meant to be used as a positive

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

Hi, I’m the Arty Runnerchick and I’m addicted to running.

To be perfectly honest I’ve had plenty of people tell me that this whole running thing is an addiction. I used to try to argue with them, because the word ‘addiction’ seems to have a negative correlation.

People get addicted to drugs. Drugs are bad. People get addicted to gambling. Going bankrupt is bad.

To me running isn’t something bad, so I got offended when the term ‘addiction’ got thrown my way. I saw it as an insult to running and the great amount of joy it gives me. (Or rather the sanity it helps me hold together!)

So at first I rebuffed, but over the years I’ve come to embrace the ‘running addict’ moniker because I’ve given it lots of thought.

I probably am addicted to running. I get insanely grumpy and even depressed when I can’t get my mileage fix. Withdrawals??

When I am able to run I know I’m a far better, more productive, happier person.

Running has helped me build friendships, learn perseverance on a level only other athletes can appreciate, it’s given me confidence, it’s helped me through some of the worst times in my life, it’s helped lead me to some of the best as well.

It’s taught me to keep going ahead, to always run forward and instilled the endurance to get up and face another day regardless.

Track may get me high…the nerves, the adrenaline, the butterflies every time I hear a starter pistol. The phantom lactic acid burning in my legs upon hearing the gun, like an amputee must have phantom limb tinglings.

I’m a running addict, so be it. I’ve had people try to beat into my brain that when they then use the term addict applied to my running it IS meant to be a bad thing, an insult. To them they think I’m running away from something, trying to avoid the ‘real issues’ and obviously I must have a closet full of skeletons that only my running is slick enough to be able to hide.

These people can go all ‘deep’ on this running addict thing but to me if I have to be addicted to something I’ll surely pick running.

Running and endorphins can be my drug of choice. And to be perfectly clear to any and all doubters, running is a GOOD thing. I’m the Arty Runnerchick and I’m proudly a runner addict.

1) How have you addressed the whole ‘running addiction’ term if you’ve had it applied to you?
Actually, a while back another awesome blogger, writer, runner Mark at ‘Writing, Running and the Human Experience’ did a great post about what being addicted to running meant to him and broke it down wonderfully, very thought-provoking indeed! Check this guy out.

2) Do you see ‘addict’ as a bad term with negative connotations? Is there anything else to be ‘addicted to’ that could actually be a good thing?

3) I’m also addicted to track and tomorrow is the LAST day of the Olympic Track Trials in Eugene! The 1500 meter finals are tomorrow, and if you haven’t read the interview I did with Jordan McNamara yet you can do that HERE. He’s in the finals…so cheer for him! Leave a line on anything else Trials related you’d like to say.
SHOUT OUT to Amy Acuff for making her fifth Olympic Team…can you say AM-azing!!

If You Loved Me You’d Make Me Run Faster

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

True love waits…for you to finish your run.

Well, being the forever pathetic runnerchick in the whole love department (can I at least say I try to make up for that last tag-line with doubling up on the running portion?? Hehe.) I can’t exactly off up all too much insight into the topic of whether it’s easier to have both people as runners in a relationship or not. Though I still tend to be able to yammer on about anything regardless, so I’ll offer up some keen words of wisdom.

I’ll say that runners are quirky. In some cases that’s an understatement; now I know everyone, runner and non-runners alike, have their own quirks, but the thing is many runners share the same quirks. If not the exact same quirk, something similar and they can at least see where the other person’s insaneness is stemming from. They may know it’s totally illogical but they can at least SEE the other person’s line of reasoning. (Umm, even the person with the quirk usually knows that just because something isn’t rational doesn’t mean they don’t have to still harbor the desire to do it…mmmmk.)

That said, I’ve heard from couples of the mix-matched running pursution that having a non-runner helps balance out the insanity…so who really knows. I guess in the end “all you need is love, love. Love is all you need.” Before I start tasting that yummy chocolate chip muffin for the second time, I’ll cut to some things that, love aside, I think any kind of partner for a runner ~~addict~~ enthusiast should be able to understand…or at least see the line of reasoning of it.

* I love you but the watch comes first. Now this may sound horrible, but let me explain myself fully before you judge. When you’re on a run, with anyone for that matter, there is an agreement that barring some insane, brutal attack (bear mauling) if one person has to stop or slow down the other person doesn’t necessarily have to do the same. If a person has to make a pit-stop, their running buddy doesn’t need to stop running, they may circle around but it’s not like we are to share a bush! Sometimes on easy days one person’s pace may not be exactly the same as the others and if there comes a point in the run where a person wants to slow down, their partner can of course choose to do so as well, but they can also choose to do their own thing. It’s then understood it’s nothing person.

* You trip the switch I’ll kill you. I harbor this insane amount of fear that for some reason there may be a power surge while I’m in the middle of my run on a treadmill and the machine will stop. I try to zone out if I can and not stare at the screen so I’m afraid that I’ll then not know how far I went and…gasp…will have to guess. I’m also afraid that if anyone is around the area of the cord they will somehow trip on it and it will be unplugged. (This happened once to me, and is my explanation for this ridiculous phobia of mine.) Even worse, if I were in the middle of a hard workout and the cord came unplugged, I’d probably kill the person who did it.

* Understand the fartlek. The whole fast slow thing really gets annoying if you’re on a bike path and there are other people, strangers, around you running at a pace that causes you to keep passing them on your fast part and then having them pass you on the easy part. You of course try to get faster on the fast part, and bump up the recovery pace, but through the course of the workout that gets tougher and sometimes the other person is thinking, “wtf” and tries to amp up their pace. I guess I bring this up because if the ‘stranger’ is the kind of person who would do that and not understand what the fartleking running was doing, then said person is stamped un-date-able (maybe un-friendable…jk.) off the bat.

* What’s said/done mid-hard workout can later be ‘taken back’ without explanation. Sometimes that little inner beast of a person can rise up out of nowhere in the middle of a bad run, a really tough workout, heck, just because. I’ve seen athletes actually flip their coaches the bird and scream upon being told they were running another ‘surprise’ interval…they of course ran the interval and five minutes later chumming it up with dear coachie. The episode never needed to be talked out, it wasn’t anything person just one of those things that you run the risk of encountering when there’s suffering (the good kind) involved. The bottom line is the workout got done; if there had been a refusal that’s a totally different story…complain if you want but you know you’re going to do it.

* No pity clap. The only thing that makes a bad workout or race WORSE is the pity clap or ridiculously over-board encouragements. Such as, I was once running a tempo, it was crash and burn stlye and by the end there, running so far off pace the only reasonable explanation would have been that I was running backwards…sadly I wasn’t. My coach offered up the logical form tips and such but another coach standing track-side started pulling the way, over the top cheerleader, “Looking AWESME!!! Great job!! Keep it up!!” He was actually smiling and clapping like a little kid looking forward to birthday cake. The thing is, we all knew the truth and that wasn’t it. In cases like this, please don’t pretend we don’t all know that what is going on is ugly…doing so only makes the workout/race worse.

* If you love me you’ll kick my @$$. There are many runnerchicks blessed with some faster hubbys and can ~~rope them in~~ enlist them for pacing duties. Here is where you couldn’t ask for a better situation, at least from the girl’s perspective. Or if the runnerchick was able to chick her hubs it would be working to his favor there…rock on. Having a pacer right there would be awesome so long as they understood that when the going gets tough they better keep on pushing…true love knows in the quest for our best we gotta get our @$$’s kicked in the best, most painful way. 🙂
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If you like that first picture up there, I just added it to my Etsy store so you can snag a copy there if you like! Feel free to check out the others up too, and let me know if you have any requests for images not already posted!
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1) Got any insights into the running couples situation…where do you stand, better to be both runners or not?

2) What’s one thing, a quirk or line of reasoning, you’d like to add here to the list?

3) Do you have a story to share about an infuriating fartlek experience?

4) Trials talk…we’re all open for that here too!

Running to Race, Racing to Win: Three Important Things to Keep in Mind

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

Can we just say the Olympic Track Trials action came back with a BANG and it only further backs my theory that the rest days are just as much for the fans who get insanely excited and need a break from the action to rest their adrenal glands and cheering voices.

So much to say, and I think the best thing to do is cut to the chase and throw out a few lessons to be learned from today…

* Never forget the importance of a kick. There are two kinds of runners: the ones passing people at the end of a race and the ones getting passed. Sad but true fact, we can’t all win…and while the tricky thing with a kick, and speed, is that to a degree you are genetically predisposed to be a kicker or not. BUT, it doesn’t mean that even us without all those fast-twitch muscle fibers can’t IMPROVE our kicking abilities. It just means that if you’ve got a weakness you need to work on it rather than avoid it and use the excuse, “Well, I just don’t have a kick, oh well.” Work on your base speed (200’s and 400’s) and also work on it when you’re already with tired legs, simulating how you’ll be feeling after the majority of a race already run. To do that, do a workout that is more endurance based (a tempo run or longer repeats) then double back, finishing with some fast 200’s or 150’s.

* Run through the line. Without even bringing up the whole 100 meter tie-snaffu, if you caught the end of the women’s 5k you’ll see my point. How would you feel getting out-leaned for a shot to London…probably not so hot. The thing is it’s one thing to miss out because you got out-kicked and at least were a few seconds behind…but getting out-leaned stings more. Now I’m sure if you sense a runner coming you’ll be high-tailing it and, yes, tired, but never forget that even if you don’t hear someone coming, better safe than sorry. Pretend your shadow is chasing you if you have to and fire all those pistons until you are ACROSS the line.

* Remember the highs and lows. Running has so many ups and downs, and I’ll venture to guess every single athlete at the Trials has hit a point, probably loads more, of times when people around them were scratching their heads and thinking, “Uhh, so you’re going to give up this running thing now, right?” Be it surgeries, horrible strings of races, entire years of set-backs…if you now gathered up the people GOING to London you’d see they all have those lows. They didn’t quit. Now, I’ll argue on the other side and say that yes, there are plenty of runners NOT going to London with those very same lows (those not even at the Trials)…so you want to argue with me. I’ll tell you what all of the people DO have in common, they run because in the end they love running. Their goals and dreams up the ante, yes, and it’s crushing to fall short. BUT, the reason you try is because YOU want to see if you are capable, and to do that you can only know if you try. And if you run because you love it yourself, even if you fall short of your goals you can still ‘fall back’ on that passion…once the sting wears off you’ll still have running for YOU.

The Olympic Trials are awesome peeps…just be careful you don’t cheer yourself to a coronary. 😉

1) What’s a lesson you can take away from the Trials action so far and apply it to your own running?

2) What has been one of your low points, how did you manage it, and how did you keep moving forward?

3) What’s been a high that makes all those lows worth it?

4) All other Trials related fodder…gimmie it!

The Day of Rest: Runners and their rest days

Posted on June 27, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

I think they must schedule the rest days during the Olympic Track Trials just as much for the fans as the athletes…it keeps all us crazy track fans from going into cardiac arrest due to over-excitment. I kid, sort of, but there has been plenty to get excited about, stir up some controversy, and rise to your feet cheering for thus far and there is still more action to come. A part of that action will be the 1500’s and in case you missed it, here is my interview with Jordan McNamara who will be competing in those rounds.

Though the topic of rest days, I think I’ll tackle those for now. The rest day can be a bit of a touchy subject amongst us runners. It seems really black and white, you either love them or hate them; I’ve also found that the people who fall one way or the other seem to feel insanely STRONG…you want to stir the pot right away, find a runner who believes the day of rest is akin to the second coming and merely state you don’t take days off. Try it, it can be fun. 🙂

That said, and now you probably know how often I take days off, there ARE more than enough, valid reasons to schedule in days off into your workout routine like you would hard workouts.

* Injury prevention: Running is tough on the body, one of the highest impact things you can do, and it’s repetitive. Everyone is different, ever body is different, and the amount of pounding you can take is unique to you. For some that threshold is very low and for others they can safely run 100+ miles a week. You can’t ever achieve your running goals if you’re constantly hurt, so if you know your body can’t handle running every day then, yes, obviously you should take those days off.
* Mental recharge: Running is very repetitive, some of us OCD people don’t find that a negative, but others do and there is something to be said for needing a mental break in the monotony. If you take your running too seriously you can in fact ruin it for yourself, get burned out, and you NEVER want to dread your runs. So if you know that you need a day to go AWOL to stay sane and wanting to run, by all means.
* Refresh those legs: Outside of injuries, some bodies just need a little more TLC or time to recover from workouts; that’s okay, and with running and training it’s about being in tune with yourself, and those legs. If you start to suspect you’re over-training and your workouts are nose-diving without some days off then maybe your legs are screaming for some rest days.
* Younger in years: I bring this up and it is of PARAMOUNT importance…the younger the runner the MORE days off they NEED. Is that clear enough? Running is a sport where patience wins out in the end and there are years of running to be had; outside of physical safety reasons (growing kids need to be careful of how much pounding they are doing) there are the mental ones with young pups. The younger the runner, even those beginning high school years included, the more the focus needs to be on bolstering a genuine passion and love of running…keep it fun. By doing so, you lay the groundwork for when they cross the threshold to being able to up their training volume. Because they have the passion for running coming from within, they will be self-motivated to continue the hard training.

Please, don’t get up in arms over this one either…let’s all remember sarcastic humor is the best humor! 🙂

So yes, I don’t discount the solid reasons that for some, total off days, or rest days, work for them and are needed. But I’ll tell you why I avoid them at all costs, and mainly for my own sanity…

* OCD runner: Admittedly, it’s probably bitten me in the butt a few times, but I feel my skin crawl on days I can’t get my running fix…I’m one of the people who HATES tapering. I’d do it of course for the sake of a race, but I feel my sanity start to slip. 😉 On the other side of that coin you can be darn sure consistency won’t ever been an issue of me. I love running, just doing it, and I just feel better if I get my sweat on. Also, let’s be frank here too, I love eating…and eating a lot…soooo, you do the caloric math there. 😉
* Distance specific mileage: If you’re a 1500 meter runner you don’t need to be logging the same amount of miles as a 10k runner or a marathoner. I like running longer distances and I feel more comfy in a higher weekly mileage zone. At a certain point you can only cram so many miles into 5-6 days a week, so if you’re looking to hit a certain total you may not feasibly be able to have a day off.
* Your ‘norm’: This one is harder to explain but I’ll take a crack at it. Many of my friends are runners and have been for years, and our ‘norm’ or what we consider business as usual is running every day regardless. Though your ‘norm’ could leave you thinking that I am insane or idiotic…that’s fine we all have our own ‘norms’. I guess it can also be explained by your training philosophy, your coaching theory, and group of runners. No one ‘norm’ is better than the other, it just is what it is.

Look there, I’ve offered up a pretty fair argument for both sides, in my humble opinion. There can also be some middle ground too:

* Cross-training days: Maybe your rest day is a rest for running and you still do cross-training for cardio.
* Outside the ‘week’ cycles: Other athletes don’t work off of the 7-day training cycle but maybe 10-day cycles; so instead of a day off every 7 days it’s one every 10.
* Active rest: This one I’m on the fence about including, but what the heck. For some people they make their ‘rest’ day one that they do something that isn’t exactly regimented working out but they still move. I think I’m on the fence about this one because it’s a double edged sword: if you’re reasoning for a rest day is to let your legs fully recover, but you ‘actively’ rest and are walking around or standing in the sun for 8 hours, I sort of think you’ll be zapped but in a different way…and at least if you had run some miles instead of your ‘active’ thing at least you would have had the running training…but just my opinion.

So maybe we can all just agree to disagree…or rather agree that to each their own! Please, all those who worship the rest day don’t come hunt me down, throw rotten tomatoes at me and explain that I’m both wrong and crazy. I mean, I already will agree with you on that second one. 😉

1) Rest days…do you schedule them in, do you embrace them, or do you hate them?

2) Give at least one reason as to why you feel the way you do about rest days.

3) Trials talk…let’s hear it! Some awesome first rounds in both the steeple and the 5k’s yesterday!
I have to say, I like too many people for only the amount of slots that can be filled, just saying…so it’s a bittersweet thing. Isn’t life always like that?

Interview With Jordan McNamara Part I: The Olympic Trials 1500…Man on a Mission

Posted on June 26, 2012 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

The 2012 Olympic Trials are underway at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon; among the outstanding athletes toeing the line will be Jordan McNamara. As a professional runner, member of Nike’s Oregon Track Club Elite, he will be running the 1500 meters. the first qualifying round will be held on Thursday the 28th, and if all goes to plan he’ll then have the semi-finals the 29th and the finals on July 1st.
Image Source

For those who don’t already know, Jordan McNamara has had a meteoric year, PR’s across the distances, and PR’s pretty much every time he stepped to the track. Certainly one couldn’t pick a better year with it being an Olympic year. Though, as is the case with many runners, you don’t just fall into years like that or PR’s for that matter; he’s renowned for his dedication and work-ethic, stayed motivated through the inevitable tests of our sport (having surgery on his foot which meant an entire 6 months of no running at all), and believed in himself and his goals throughout.

I had the great pleasure of stealing some time from Jordan McNamara, for an interview as he prepares for the Olympic Trials and what he hopes to be the berth onto his first Olympic Team. How Jordan differs from some of his competitors is that he is genuinely responsive to his supporters and embraces the role model status thrust upon him. It’s him updating those Twitter and Facebook accounts and managing his own site and blog. (Check it out, he’s a phenomenal writer too!) and in speaking with him, he expressed that taking the time to stop for photos and autographs for his fans is important and worth it to him. He remembers being back in high school and reading interviews from his own running idols, so he hopes that today his own answers are able to help the runners now looking up to him. The fact he was talking to me days before some of the biggest races of his career thus far speaks volumes.

Here is Part I of my interview with Jordan McNamara, come back for Part II and be sure to be cheer for him come the 1500!

1) The Harry Jerome 1500, you had a mad tear down that home stretch, can you take me through that race a little bit? [Editors Note: After Harry Jerome, on the 16^th, he raced another 1500 at Hayward Field winning with a time of 3:35.63, another PR and a mere 0.13 off the Olympic A Standard.]

Harry Jerome was a great confidence booster for me. Coming into the race, I knew I was in shape to compete with every big name on the starting list. I also knew that if the opportunity presented it self, I could get below my PR (3:36.48 at the time). The race itself went smoothly. Through two laps, we were on A standard pace. I asserted myself early and found myself along for the ride in fourth position. As is an all-too-common occurrence, the pace lagged in the third lap as everyone began to gear up for the final lap. I felt confident and relaxed, running slightly wide through the penultimate 200, ready to cover any early bids. With 250 meters to go, I felt Matt Centrowitz come to my right shoulder. I instantly reacted, using that warning as impetus to begin racing in earnest. Passing two people I instantly glued my eyes on the tall figure of Andrew Wheating, who was absolute flying around the curve. I jumped into fourth gear around the straight away, around another competitor, and found myself in third with 100 to go. At that point I made a decision, which in hindsight, likely cost me the race. With Wheating in full flight, I decided to slow and drop from outside lane one to the rail. Doing so allowed me to pass second place, and gave me a clear lane for the final 70m. Finally free, I released my final gear, feeling myself pulling in the leader. Sensing a race, the crowd bellowed and I felt my adrenaline spike as the margin between us lessened… 3 meters, 2 meters, 1 meter. Alas, with 30m remaining, I stalled, spent by the effort. I finished 0.1 off the win, rewarded with a PR of 3:36.03. Though it missed the coveted A mark, it showed me that I have the ability to kick with the very best that this country has to offer.
Photo Credit: Jordan McNamara/Nike Town

2) Obviously there was the Olympic ‘A’ Standard as a time incentive for you; while you narrowly missed it there, Hayward Field offers you the opportunity. How does the confidence from last week’s PR affect your plans going into the Trials?

It’s a great time to be in the best shape of your life. It’s a rare and special thing, to have things align at such a particular moment. Going into the Trials, my confidence is high, and my fitness is unquestionable. That being said, my competition is equally capable, and I will need a bit of luck combined with flawless execution to achieve the results I desire.

3) Backing up just a bit here; in speaking of PR’s you’ve been on a similar tear of those across the board. This season, nearly each time you stepped to the line you set a new one. Can you share a bit of your journey through this season? Is there anything in particular you’ve done differently this year than those previous?

My results this year have been the product of consistently hard, intelligent training, MENTAL preparation, and tactical execution. As a distance runner, it’s very difficult to be consistently good. As runners, so many variables are at play: nutrition, sickness, injury, tactical awareness, race-day psyche- all of these factors contribute to a great performance, or to one less desirable. To PR again and again, I didn’t do anything dramatic training-wise, I simply made smart decisions every single day. If I needed to get in a 17 mile day, I did. If I needed to take a day on the couch, I did. I stayed in tune with my body’s signals, and did my best to heed it’s requests.

I visualize my races at all times, because my races are the only times when I can validate the thousands of miles that it’s taken to get to this level. Ultimately, my desire to do great drives me to perfect my craft, to make each and every race count as something special.

4) Through high school, college and turning Pro you’ve continued to progress; what are some of the key elements you attribute to that and can you share a bit on what motivates you?

As a high-schooler, I fell head-over-heels in love with running. I can distinctly remember running at 5 A.M. before school- long before the sun had risen. My friends would often see me running laps around the school during lunch. After school, I’d often run fifteen miles, all alone- simply for the sheer enjoyment of it. My results were never spectacular, though they certainly weren’t average. My continued improvement through the high school, collegiate, and pro ranks has been attributed to a simple love of running. My motivation is simple: when I’m not running, it’s what I want to be doing. When I am running, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. I crave every aspect of the act of running. I feel truly fortunate to have found such an active, exciting, and rewarding passion to call my own.
Jordan McNamara Image Source

5) How has has the shift to becoming a Professional affected your outlook, if at all, on running?

Compared to collegiate running, pro running is an entirely different ball-game. The fact that this is now your livelihood can be stressful, but I enjoy the challenges. Running has always taught me the [depth] of one’s internal strength. Races will never be won for you. Every competitor has sacrificed and will do everything they can to beat you. As a pro, I enjoy the feeling of excelling in such a circumstance.

6) There is no secret to success, it’s hard work and dedicated training; how do you get yourself out the door on the days when inevitably you’re tired or the motivation may wane for a bit?

There are many days- when I’ve already run 10-12 miles in the morning, and the sky is an ominous shade of gray- days we I feel like my job isn’t so glamorous. During times like that, I control the “controllables”- I lay down for a few minutes, collect myself, caffeinate, hydrate, and get the hell out the door before I can convince myself otherwise. In training, there’s a time to push and a time to pull. Sure I may get run-down from the constant workload, but at the end of the day, I can’t think of a run that I’d finished and thought, “now I wish I hadn’t done that.”

A Man Finds His Home Track

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

A baby sits on the track and watches his mom run in circles. To the infant it’s nothing more than splotches of color, the reds and greens, the lights and darks, the shadows growing longer as the sun sets.

As a three year old, this child now plays in the long jump pit while his mom runs in circles. This time though he is more concentrated on the shovel in hand and the sandcastle he’s building in the ‘sandbox.’

As a nine year old this boy waits eagerly for his mom to finish up running those fast circles, the part she calls her ‘hard running.’ He watches her cross the line of her last interval, her slender form bends forward for just a moment before she again stands upright. He rushes towards her, she looks to him and smiles, “Ready?” He merely nods the approval and then they both take off running a few circles together.

Now a twelve year old, this boy has his first pair of ‘real’ running shoes. He’s even been able to run a whole mile…which seems like an epic distance in his mind. He now looks to the track not just as a blur or reds set to green, but with dreams and goals stamped between those lanes. He likes to look at the big number ONE in lane one; he likes to think that number is meant for him alone.

At fourteen he’s learned that this running in circles is hard business. There is much more to it than merely wanting to win, and to carry out those ‘secret messages’ calling to him from lane one he’s got to be willing to run even when he maybe doesn’t feel like it all the time.

By seventeen he’s had tastes of success, they’ve made him only hungrier for more. The victories are sweet, the PR’s even more-so but his eyes are focused ahead on what lane one has in store for him.

At twenty this man has moved through the usual levels of running; college has treated him well. He’s not the fastest on the team, but he’s not the slowest either. He is unsure of what the future has in store for him, but with running he is sure. The tracks are always the same regardless of where he is, what he is, and whatever ‘life’ has him doing. Track and running are nice constants.

By thirty this man has been world traveled; though he’s always had his running shoes packed as carry-on. Yet his favorite place to run is the very same track he used to sit and watch his mom run circles around; his home track. When he can he goes there and can still watch his mom run circles, though now at a slower pace. He joins her and does his own ‘hard running’ but they always convene for a few circles together at the end.

Now forty-three this man runs circles around a track; there is the beginning of a paunch on his stomach. When that actually appeared is still a bit lost on him, it seemed like it wasn’t there last year; though he knows this is in ‘runner’ comparison and he still gets called string bean by his work friends. He pants his way through the last interval, crosses the line, bends forward slightly for just a moment, rises and casts a glance at his baby girl sitting on the track.

He is now 80. He runs in circles around this home track of his; he doesn’t run with a watch on, he doesn’t care about the time, just the action. He is drifting far into the outer lanes, it seems over the years he’s felt more comfortable in lanes five through eight, he reserves lane one for the faster runners. The young bucks with dreams in their eyes and heck bent fury in their legs; he likes to watch them and remember what it feels like to be chasing. But he’s the only one at the track tonight. He closes his eyes and then he’s not alone; his mom is running circles around the track, his daughter is zealously chasing after him with shovel in hand, and they are all home.

1) Do any of your parents run, or anyone else in your family?

2) How old were you when you were able to run a full mile without stopping, and did you think it was a distance of epic length?
I was probably in Junior High before I could cover a full mile, and I honestly thought that if a person ran a WHOLE mile a few times a week they could win the Olympics. 😛

3) Today’s Olympic Trials related fodder…so it sounds like the tie-breaker for third place in the 100 meters is coming down to a coin toss. What say you, and how would you be feeling if your Olympic Team dreams were dependent on the flip of a coin?
Seriously, a coin toss? In my mind this seems pretty wonky, one of the things I really love about running is that usually you can’t ‘luck’ your way into something like a win, a PR or the Olympics…but dang if you were waiting for a heads or tails in that position you better HOPE you’d have luck!