‘Running’ Articles at , Page 49

Setting a Warm-up Routine – You’ll Run Better and Feel Better Doing it

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

I don’t want to waste energy. I’m really late and the gun is JUST about to go off. I don’t really need to. I’m just plain lazy.

All reasons, ahem excuses, that people give for not wanting to do a warm-up. The energy wasting one is something that I’m sure even the most seasoned vet is guilty of when they first started out, I knew I fell for that one in my first few meets. Or I guess back then I was probably also just lazy too. Though this is one of the biggest fallacies even though common sense might lead you to plead a case for it.

One of these doesn't belong, can you guess which one? 🙂

Physiologically your body CAN’T perform at its best going from 0 to 60 the second the gun goes off. Sadly we are not a high performance sports car that all the macho guys drive, peel out, and feel like ‘the man.’ Rather, our muscles burn glucose (energy) most efficiently if you gradually work into that faster pace. Not only will you be running faster if you’ve warmed up but it will actually feel easier too. [the same rules apply for the actual race, and that’s why it’s smarter to run negative splits; go out at one pace and pick up the pace as the race progresses, make that closing mile/lap your fastest]

What constitutes a good warm-up? Well, that is different for everyone and it’s a matter of finding one that fits with you. Still, there are some general ingredients to add to this recipe; I’ll just put out what worked for me when I was racing. Another couple of things; the other major benefit of having a warm-up routine set out is once you find the perfect recipe for YOU, stick to it. Keeping the same routine helps eliminate variables for the race but it also helps mentally.

Art Credit: Cait Chock Designs

The routine helps keep some of those nerves at bay. For me, the day before and of a race I’d try to limit thinking about the race too much to avoid getting overly nervous. But once I started my warm-up that’s when I started to really focus again. During my warm-up I’d mentally run through my race plan, think about staying relaxed, calm, and remembering what I wanted to accomplish for the race.

The routine, my body knew it and could go through it on auto-pilot, it was known, familiar, and that was reassuring. It also allowed my mind to focus on the race at hand. Another reason why I was able to run through it all on auto-pilot is I did basically the same thing before hard workouts. Just as with other aspects of training, come race day you want to limit any variables. So practice what you’ll be doing come the actual day.

Finally, with timing, I usually liked to start 50-45 minutes before I had to get to the line. I’m also really anal, and would rather err on the side of being early to the line rather than feeling rushed or heaven forbid not make it!

Here is a little sample or rough guideline to get you started:

* 2 miles easy: Keep this easy and you want to actually be overly warm if anything; that’s why even in hot conditions you’ll see people layered up in sweats. You want those muscles as warm as possible before you strip down to that singlet. People vary how long they run, but you want it to be at least 10 minutes.

* Drills and stretching: After the running I’d do some static stretches then move into a set routine of drills (think quick feet, A skips, butt kickers) to get my feet moving fast and work on turnover. I’d then do dynamic stretches, mostly leg swings. Keep the sweat on and I liked to keep moving around.

* Strides: After drills I’d then do 4-6 strides, 60-100 meters long. The last few I’d do faster than race pace, staying controlled and keeping good form.

* Stripping down and spiking up: Time to take off the sweats, I’d usually be so hot by this point I couldn’t wait to get rid of all the sweats. Then change into the shoes I’d be racing in.

* Head to the line and last strides: Then time to get to the line, I’d usually do one or two last short strides and then time to go!

Art credit: Cait Chock Designs - Inspiration: Mamma Nappy's amazing cookies! 🙂

I know that cross country season is well underway, so good luck to all those racing! I also know there are tons of people signing up and training for road races; for some it are their first races and I thought about posting this because I had been hearing from some that they didn’t even know what a warm-up was, so I hope this can help them out and do their best come the big day. 🙂

1) Do you do a warm-up routine before your races or hard workouts? If so, what?

2) Name one reason people may not want to warm-up?
The first time I went to a junior high meet (mind you I didn’t train at all before, that was an ugly 400…haha) my mom suggested it but I thought she was insane. I also didn’t want to look like a weirdo being the only kid running around before the actual race. Gotta love self-consciousness and peer pressure.

3) Happy Wednesday, what was your workout?
11 mile run outside and core, I’m slowly feeling better going sans tready…yay. 🙂

I’m a Runner…Don’t Drop the J-Word

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Cait — 4 Comments ↓

Don’t call me a jogger. You can call me any other kind of name, throw insults at me like rapid fire, but once you bust out the J-word it’s on.

Okay, okay, that may seem a little extreme and I do say it half-jokingly, but as a runner I would be lying if I said the hairs on the back of my neck didn’t prick a bit anytime someone says, “Hey, I saw you out there jogging the other day.” I then feel compelled to kindly, jokingly correct them, “Hey, now, you saw me running…don’t be busting out the J-word.”

Don’t worry, I make sure to laugh, but there is some truth behind it. There is a difference between runners and joggers, but where does that line exist? Yesterday this very thing came up and my friend said to me, “Okay, then what exactly separates running from jogging?”

I’ve had this discussion plenty of times with different folks, of different levels of fitness, backgrounds, and over time I think my definition of running has evolved.

I used to have a little time cut-off, where once you go above a certain pace you are no longer running, but jogging. That got to be pretty black and white, and I thought solved the debate easily, but then I had my injury and when I FINALLY got to the point of testing out the legs I knew for DARN sure that what I was doing fully fell under the jogging (if not walking) category of that definition.

I was embarrassed, a little appalled, and hung my head for a second, thinking, “Well, that’s where it lands, you’re now fated to be a jogger.” But then I thought about it more, and I knew in my bones that I was a runner. I was a runner, regardless of the fact that I was painfully, excruciatingly slow. (I wish I had a video of my first few attempts actually!)

Running is a state of mind. It’s something you build into yourself; I like to think a part of it is always there but it’s in chiseling it out that you uncover the passion. Like finding your niche.

So yesterday my answer to my friend was along these lines: I think it’s all how you think about it. There is a degree of perceived exertion level, so for a 4 minute miler, to them running at a 9 minute/mile pace would certainly feel like jogging. But if your mile best is 9 minutes, to you perhaps it would FEEL like a 14 minute/mile pace was more like jogging. The perceived level of exertion.

But then, let’s add more gray area, say that 4 minute miler was left unable to run for an extended amount of time and when they came back they were busting their bum to run that 9 minute/mile pace. I still would qualify them as a runner…they get a little freebie pass because I’ll bet they know what a fartlek is and it isn’t some grammerschool joke. They know what a tempo is, they know that a 5k is 3.1 miles, they know that it takes four laps around a track to equal a mile. All of that is built in and retained.

They feel at home around runners, they can flash that nod wordlessly to someone they just met but find out is also a runner and they both smile knowingly. ‘Ahhh, a fellow member.’ It’s like a cool cult, where we don’t drink the Kool-aid but we chug from our own waterbottles. We may still wear Nike shoes but it’s only because we train in them. 😉

Eventually I got down to a faster pace that does fall into the old ‘safe time-cut off’ of my antiquated running definition. But now I see that doing that is too black and white and there needs to be a more flexible definition.

What makes a runner is purely mental.

1) What do you think separates a runner from a jogger?

What NOT to do When Running — All or Nothing is Not Smart

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Cait — 2 Comments ↓

At least I didn’t step in it! Yes, this girl with no coordination was at least able to dodge the steamy pile of horse doodoo on the bike trail today. My friend, no so lucky in the poop department and he wound up with a splatter of birdie variety. Heads up.

On that lovely opening, I had a run around the lake today and while it really only has some rolling hills it felt like mountains. I honestly have to do some serious hill work. But for this girl, of the past seven days, six of them were not on the treadmill. (Yesterday I did a little quasi-tempo effort on the treadmill. I call it quasi- because while it felt hard the pace is a nice slap of reality too…lol.) So, total miles outside works out to be: 66.

Would I recommend ANYONE do that? No. Listen to what I say, not what I do. Also, one of the main reasons I had to run outside was that my treadmill was being moved so I couldn’t get on it. Like I said, there are differences between inside vs. outside running and if you are only used to doing one, jumping full bore into the other is just plain not smart. What I would tell people is that you should gradually switch from one or the other; or if you are a science person, titrate the ratio.

If you don’t? A sore tushie, hams, and calf muscles. Actually, now it’s that I’ve got twin psoas tightnesses going on. [These are really deep muscles on either side of your stomach/abs.] The funny thing is I feel them the most going downhill, so just further proof I need hill work. 🙂 Actually, I’m lucky it’s just sorenesses; like I said: DON’T go all or nothing, and that really applies to anything.

For example, if you are just starting to build your mileage, don’t go from 15 miles per week to 30. Stupid move. If you’ve never done a 400 repeat in eons, don’t go to the track and bust out 20 your first time out. Not smart. If you’ve only been running on flats, don’t go to a super hilly trail and only run there until you think you’ve mastered hills. Ouch and not a good idea.

Why? You’ll wind up injured, overly sore and not want to run at all, or mentally set yourself up for failure. Instead: the rule of thumb is to only up your total weekly mileage by 10% each week. If you’re just starting to integrate faster workouts into your routine, start out with doing some faster strides at the end of some of your runs or in the middle as pick ups. From there it might be smart to move to fartleks and tempos before gutting out tough track workouts.

Finally, with hills it’s not just that you’ll be sore if you haven’t done them but your entire body will be a little thrown out of whack; most likely your form will be altered because you aren’t used to doing them and that can lead to pulling or tweaking something. Also, running downhill puts an exponential amount more stress on all your bones/tendons/ligaments/muscles than just regular running and they will make you sore too.

Summing up here? It’s all about easing into new stressors…or, for science folk, titrating. 🙂

1) What did you do today? Did anyone race?
No race, just 11 and change on the trail…sans horse doodoo. Then I had a lot of fun cheering my sister on at her soccer game! It was a tie, but at least they still have their no losing streak alive.

2) Do you find yourself breaking rules, or doing things you would never suggest anyone else do?

3) Anything exciting coming up for you?

Women’s Marathon Records Under Scrutitny and Reverted to Times of Decades Past

Posted on September 22, 2011 by Cait — 7 Comments ↓

Are you joking me, IAAF?! In case you haven’t heard, apparently the new rule is that if a woman runs a world best time in a race that has men in it, the time WON’T count as a legitimate World Record. That’s insane! What does this mean for women’s distance running?

That stellar 2:15:25 Paula Radcliffe ran, void. The new ‘World Record’ (and I’m going to continue to use air quotes going forward) is 2:17:42. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a great time, but it’s only her third fastest time over the distance. I thought we were supposed to be pushing our sport FORWARD, not taking steps back.

Additionally, shouldn’t the IAAF be more concerned about drug cheats and covering matters there, why are they scrutinizing women’s records when there are far more pressing matters to be discussed. I mean, there are quasi-men running in women’s track races, yet they allow those records to stand.

“To have it stripped from you, when no drugs were involved, when no scandal was involved, is just hard to believe,” was Deena Kastor’s reaction upon learning about the ruling. She is having her name taken completely out of the record books, as her 2:19:36 previous American Record was under mixed race conditions. So, the ‘new record’ is reverted back to the 2:24:52 run by Joan Benoit Samuelson back in 1984.

“I wouldn’t mind if someone would have broken that record because it’s gratifying to see the sport move forward,” Kastor continued. “But to have it taken away? That feels like a little bit of a cheap shot.”

Those are my thoughts; if we are going to go that route, should all track records not done on cinder tracks be null and void too? I mean we are living in a world that is constantly propelling forward in everything; new technology, new strategies, new theories, new thoughts and ideas. Along with that, training has advanced, shoes have advanced, spikes are lighter, tracks are better, heck, we have anti-gravity treadmills to run on!

The IAAF’s argument is that having male pacesetters for women is giving them an unfair advantage and leads to faster times. Now, yes, having a pacer is certainly a luxury, but men have pacesetters available to them for races, should all records done with a rabbit now not count?

True, women are ‘lucky’ in that they have another gender that is genetically able to cover distances faster and thus are able to theoretically pace for the entire distance of a race. Men don’t have the luxury of getting horses to pace them through full distances, but they have other men around them that can race them along after a pacer drops out. In the case of Paula’s 2:15, it is so far ahead of what any other woman could run that there is not even a pack she could work off of.

Now, sometimes just because men are in the race that doesn’t necessarily mean they are there to pace the woman. Sometimes the women blow the men out of the water anyways. Still, Paula Radcliffe herself notes that in setting her record time in 2003, “I was actively racing [the male pacers]…I fully believe that I would have run pretty much the same time that day alone.” Touche.

I just think it’s sad that all of these records are being scrutinized in the first place. First there was the whole Boston Debacle, now this. I don’t understand why instead of being excited over an evolving sport, with records done clean, officials insist on wiping away these times. Again, I’m just going to go out and say that there are way too many dirty racers that they need to be working on busting instead of nitpicking these issues? Is it more a matter of that they have just simply given up on tackling that front and then instead are trying to just shift focus and bring up non-issues instead?

Regardless, I’d like to end with what Kara Goucher had to say, because I think she sums it up perfectly and succinctly, “That’s too bad.”

1) What are your thoughts on this whole record debate?

2) Have you run in a mixed race or had men pace you?
I have, and yes, of course having a pacer does help, but it doesn’t make or break a runner’s performance. If you run it on your own two feet and the distance is accurate, count it! I’ve also had women pacers too, so just because it’s a man shouldn’t even be an issue.

I’m De-Awsome Apparently and Carrying Water on Runs

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Cait — 5 Comments ↓

I’ve been informed that as of yesterday I am no longer awesome. This is coming from my friend (and new housemate) in reference to the fact that for the very first time I ran with a Garmin. “Well, that was a long time coming,” you think, “did you also know there is a thing called a cell phone?”

I’ve talked before explaining my old school ways, but let’s face it, I finally cracked. Since I now plan on doing a lot more running outside, I would be lying if I said I’m not OCD about at least knowing how many miles I run total. Before my accident I always just ran for time, I knew my ‘easy pace’ and then estimated the miles. Ya, I knew that most days I was probably running a bit faster than that, but I counted it off of the pace and if it was a bit over I was okay with that. I would rather be a little over than under anyways.

But now I have no clue what pace I am going, or what certain paces feel like, my inner-calibration is wonky. I know I’m way slower than before and trust me, getting into the groove that first mile must just look plain comical. So I borrowed a Garmin and strapped that gargantuan thing on my wrist. Sidenote: they really need to make that thing smaller, I mean sheesh! I’ve seen the older models where the face is smaller so I want to try one of those.

Not going to lie, I like it, but only the really basic features. Tell me my total time, total distance, and I was interested in my overall pace average. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

On another subject, I was asked why I didn’t bring any water, sports foods, gels, etc. with me on my runs. The thing is, I never have, but I think that’s because I’m not training for a marathon or ultra-distance. Now, I want to put the disclaimer front and center: I am NOT an expert here, I’m just saying what I do, what I’ve read, and things I’ve heard/talked about with other people I know. Yes, some of THEM are experts, but I am not.

Just my thoughts on the whole ‘to tote accessories or not to tote,’ I don’t bring anything because 1) I don’t want anything more on said person than must be there, like I said that Garmin was bugging me only because it feels like it will take up my whole forearm 2) my stomach is really sensitive and I don’t think eating/drinking would turn out too great on my run 3) I’m not running far enough.

Now, I know that total distance is all relative, but for me, I don’t think it’s necessary to eat or drink anything in the amount of time I’m gone. Now, if I were to run a marathon I know that I’d have to train myself to eat/drink because you need to do that if you want to do your best. I’ve read before that generally if you’re running an hour or less it isn’t necessary to have anything, but if you go longer you should think about restoring your glycogen stores and rehydrate.

”]Yes, sometimes I run more than an hour, but I still think it’s in the zone of not needing anything because it’s not that much more. Though, I’ve run with plenty of other runners on our long runs sans toting extra gear and then refueled/rehydrated upon our return. That’s just what I’m used to and what works for me.

So, I don’t tote. But if you’re running mega miles and training for a marathon or more you SHOULD be training to eat just like you’d be training to run that day. If I ever decide to try and cross that bridge, then I’ll do just that.

Finally, it’s a totally personal choice. I think newer runners may feel more comfortable bringing some water if it’s hot, and if you get used to packing then perhaps you’ll be more likely to continue doing so. However you wanna roll. 🙂

1) Do you tote on your runs? If so, how far does it have to be for you to tote?

2) What do you think about on your runs? Do you ever get songs stuck in your head that you don’t like and then the rest of the run you keep repeating bad lyrics?

Yes, I do, and today was one of those times.

3) Do you run off of time and then estimate the distance from a certain pace?

4) Not a question, but a kindly request. The rocking Christina needs your help, so if you would, head over to her blog and check out the teeny tiny favor that she’s asking for. Do it, it won’t take but a minute, but you’ll get some good karma vibes! 😉

A Beeping Street With a Kankled Runner on it

Posted on September 20, 2011 by Cait — 9 Comments ↓

Beep. Honk. Squeal. Ya, there was a car that peeled out and the squeal sent me jumping out of my skin (mind you the car was probably about 50 meters away and nowhere coming near me! haha), but I did it. Street traffic…faced the fear for 11.14 miles.

Definitly broke the '20 min. limit' rule 🙂

If you’ve been reading along on this blog you probably realized that I do ~~most~~ all of my running on the treadmill. That was up until the last few days. After I got hit by the car it took me over a year to get over the surgeries and then actually get back to running period, and when I did I really only felt ‘safe’ on a treadmill.

I could have gone to trails I guess, but there weren’t all that many close-by and I had a treadmill in my apartment complex so I just stuck to what was easier. A few times I would ‘man-up’ and run the less than two miles outside to get to a track and finish my run around there, but I think that was about two or three times. The streets scared the bejeezus out of me.

This coming from the girl you used to consider treadmill running ‘weenie running.’ But I moved to a place where there is a great bike trail and I figured I could handle that. Bikes whizzing by me is about the fastest thing around, I can handle that.

Moving to the outdoors was refreshing (far less boring…haha) but it was a SLAP in the face too. That 1.5% treadmill grade is easier than actual outdoor running even though that’s the accepted equivalent. I did a few days of bike trail runs and today, instead, I hit the roads.

I stuck to a short loop around my house, only crossed through some stop signs and decided to just turn right at stop-lights, but I did it. Most of the streets weren’t too busy but for a few of them I passed some shopping centers and there was a good amount of traffic…haha.

It felt good. Sorry, treadmill, I love you, you honestly have been a bestie for so long and I’m sure I will return to you at times, but for the time being I have my sights set on being a ‘real’ runner again. 🙂

1) Last random thing that you saw outside that made you do a double take?

There was a man about 50, reeeeally tan, totally shaved head except for a spiked, blue mohawk that was at least 6 inches high.

2) Do you have any strange fears?

3) How is your Tuesday plugging along?

Two Days in a Row…My Bum is Feeling It

Posted on September 18, 2011 by Cait — 10 Comments ↓

They say that putting the treadmill at 1.5% grade makes it equivalent to running outside. I don’t care who ‘they’ are but I’m telling you that running outside is harder, one and a half, schmone and a half. 😉

Road vs. Tread

Okay, no, I know that there are differences between ‘real’ running outside and running inside. On a treadmill your strike, footfalls, and gait are able to stay exactly the same. Even on a flat road, you will make some turns, there are variances in the road, you move to avoid a branch or rock, slight elevation, slight grade down…normal stuff. All of these things add up.

The other big difference is that on the tready you actually don’t use your hamstrings at all. The way the belt moves, it works only your quads; the movement of the belt actually drags your leg back and thus takes your hammies out of the equation. So going outside it’s a little bit of a shock to the backside of your legs!

So in an effort to return to being a ‘normal runner’ I’ve taken it to the streets. Well, not the real streets, but outside on the bike trail. I feel safer there, still working against a little residual ‘I’m a weenie and cars kinda freak me out’ fears, but a bike trail I can manage. Now that I’m living closer to an awesome bike trail I’ve been going there.

It’s also a slap of reality, I’m also able to go faster on the tready than outside…most of that I think is just ‘me’ though because I’ve never been a real power runner, so the difference in paces I think is more overt just because I have strength that needs to build up.

This guy kicked my tush today. 🙂

Today was a good one, hillier than I’ve been doing…I say this and laugh because I ran with a good friend of mine (actually, it’s so funny because he’s about 7 years younger than me and I remember when he FIRST started running, him going out to his first races and now here I am running with him…PS-he kicked my butt and was way too nice to admit I was definitely the dead weight holding him back…haha!) and when I said, “So now we’re done with the rolling hills, this is flat from here on out, right?” his reply was, “Oh, yea, I forgot about the hills…haha…ya, I guess those were them, I was distracted talking!” I guess the only thing I can feel better about is that at least I was able to hold a conversation the whole way through. 😉

Ahh, but I loved it. The other great thing about the bike trail on the weekends too, you see tons of runners getting their miles on. Oh, and bikes…but runners are better. 😉

So kicked Sunday off to a good start; backtracking a bit, I also had a great Friday when I went out to On the Border with my fam and my little sis’s boyfriend. Mexican food and good conversation always makes for an awesome night. As for the boyfriend, all I have to say is this: this was just a ‘regular’ day, no special occasion and he brought her flowers. Earlier in the week he picked her up from school with a surprise: a limo waiting to drive them to San Francisco. Ummm…where were guys like these when I was in high school?!?!

Sis and the BF at San Fran

So, fun Sunday runs…like the title notes my hammies and bum are feeling it a tad but it’s a GOOD feeling. The feeling like I’m back among the outside runners…and YES, regardless of what David may think, those WERE rolling hills!! 😉

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Update: this runnerchick somehow made a dorkette mistake and a few paragraphs were repeated in my post!! What was I doing?! Anyways, you no longer will see double but that’s only thanks to the amazing Christina for telling me!! Thanks so much and I emplore you all to go and follower her blog because it’s totally stalkworthy! 🙂

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1) What were/are you up to this weekend?

2) If you’ve spent a lot of time doing treadmill vs. outside running, do you find you can go faster on the tread than outside, even if you have it at the 1.5% grade?
This is true for me even when I do hard workouts on the treadmill vs. if I do the same workout on the track. It gets me frustrated when I can go faster on a treadmill tempo and then I take it to the track and I’m slower…what’s the dealio?!

3) Have you ever been surprised with a trip in a limo?
No…but sign me up.

4) On the Border is Mexican…love me my Mexican food…what’s your favorite Mexican dish/food?
Bean burrito, Baby!

Mischief Runner and the Three Running Store Workerbees

Posted on September 11, 2011 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

There once was a little runner out for some mischief one night. She waited in the dark until the last three workerbees at the running store locked up and left before she crept out of the shadows. She tiptoed to the back door of the shop and carefully worked the doorknob.

Success!! “Bwahaha…that little tape on the doorthingy she learned back at running camp years ago still worked! So much for trespassing staying current with the latest decade.”

A runner getting into some mischief!

Inside, there were odd shadows cast on the walls; she could make out the ones that looked like prison bars, but she knew they were just the racks and racks of clothes. All the shadows were gone though when she flipped on the lights and headed over to the shoe racks to get down to business.

“Alright, gotta get a new pair of shoes,” she thought. She picked up the first one, “Whoa, way too heavy for this girl…this shoe is a clunker, I’d sound like a Clydesdale tromping down the street!” She laughed inside and put that Beast back on the wall.

The next one she picked up was much lighter, “I wish I could run in these Pegasus ones but alas I’m too much of a pronater.” With a little sigh of remiss she put the shoe back.

“Aha!” she finally delighted, “these are perfect! I’ve been waiting for them to finally bring back the Structure Triax of many years past, before they did all those wonky changes, and here’s a pair!” She nearly squealed but didn’t want to make too much noise; instead she grinned and slipped on the shoes.

“Watches, watches, watches,” she hummed as she did a few lunge walks over to the watch case. Opening the door she picked up the first one she saw, “My word, this thing would barely fit on my bicep, and look how many thing-a-ma-jiggys there are on here! GPS, current pace, overall pace, projected pace, calories burned, heart rate, target heart rate zone…sheesh, talk about information overload.” She shook her head and put it back in the case.

“This one looks like fun!” the next watch she pulled out was in fact just that, “But, I’d probably get some odd looks wearing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles watch.” She put that one back in the case as well.

“This one should do me just fine,” she picked up the third watch and put it on her wrist. “Not too big, gives me time and distance, that’s all I really need to know, perfect!”

She did a quick dash over to the racks of clothing, “Well, I will treat myself to one new outfit as well, why not?” She picked up a brightly colored article and stuck her tongue out, “I will never be caught dead in one of these running skirts, I don’t care what everyone else thinks about them.” She put the pink, frilly skirt back on the rack; actually she buried it in the back.

“This thing looks like a tent!” she exclaimed in her head at the second piece she picked up. Indeed the shirt was an XXXXL, “Hey, you gotta give the runner donning one of these some credit though, power to you, Sumoman!” Back on the rack the mondo shirt went.

“I love this color!” was the first thought that came to her mind when she picked up the lime green tank. “My size, and oooh, here we have some Tempo shorts to match.” She scooped up the set and had just wriggled into them when a noise made her stop.

“Holy crap!” she looked at the front door and could see that the three workerbees had returned to the store.

Afraid she’d get caught, she flicked off the lights and relied on that one half of a fast twitch muscle fiber she had in her body and high tailed it towards the back door. The last thing she saw as she slipped out the back was one of those fuel belts with eight fuel holsters and four water bottles attached; the sight of this gave her one last grin as she recalled the runner she had seen just the other dear donning just such an accessory. There were so many things on that guy’s belt it was a wonder his shorts didn’t fall down.

Once out the door she tore off running down the street. As she disappeared off in the distance the three workerbees had made it out behind the store in hopes of catching her, but to no avail. All they could make out of her disappearing silhouette was a quick lime green flash as she passed under one of the streetlamps. The lime green flint got smaller and briefer and finally vanished.

***Disclaimer: The Arty Runnerchick does not condone shoplifting; this was a tale purely for childish entertainment.

This Runnerchick Can’t Jump, BUT Plyometrics are Your Friend – Part I Bounds & Skips

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Cait — 11 Comments ↓

I don’t jump. I can’t really, anything that I do would only qualify as a hop at best. In my one-time attempt at the high jump in junior high PE, I made the running start, I tried to clear the bar, failed miserably, and then proceeded to roll off the back end of the mat and onto the concrete. Nice.

Epic fail.

I’m pretty sure, actually I know it to be true, that the correlation between my lack of any speed and jumping ability are interrelated. It’s because I don’t have a single, not one, fast twitch muscle fiber in my body.

I’ve worked on it though in the past, diligently like a good little coachable athlete. That entailed 200’s to boot, hill work, pulling weights while I ran (this was hilarious and I wish I had pictures…anecdote for another day perhaps), weight room, and of course plyo’s.

Plyometrics. Short, all-out bursts of exertion, anaerobic, all fast-twitch baby. Hopping, jumping, bounding, leaping, you get the picture. Typically this is what you’d think of as only ‘sprinter’ or field eventer (is that a word?) work, but if you’re a distance runner and you turn a blind eye to plyo’s you’d be missing out.

[Actually, plyometrics are great for anyone, and I semi-cringe in writing this because in my writing of this I’m not trying to cater to the weight-loss masses or turn into one of ‘those blogs’ where they talk about working out for the sole reason to lose weight, but here is a quick fact: plyometrics are among certain activities that rev up your metabolism more-so than just going out for a steady run. They create something called the ‘afterburn effect’ too which keeps your metabolism elevated for hours after your workout is done as well; this is similar to what happens after you do a hard, interval session. Plyo’s will also give you more definition and improve anyone’s athletic abilities if done right, that’s why so many sports teams incorporate them into their training.]

Other things you need to know about plyo’s,( other than that they hurt…hehe) is that the aim is quality over quantity. Here it’s all about giving it your ALL for the number of rep’s that you do, and when you first start out you only want to begin with one set of each exercise and slowly build up. The thing is, you might not feel like you worked ‘hard’ enough your first few times out, but the next day and those that follow, that is when you’ll feel the soreness.

The reasoning behind why you need to do each one precise and not get sloppy is tri-fold: if you do them with poor form you’ll get into a bad habit and then repeating that is only instilling poor muscle memory, if you aren’t doing them right you’re not reaping the full benefits, and finally, you’ll get hurt. Plyo’s, if you do them right will make you more injury resistant but if you do them wrong you can easily hurt yourself, pull something, tear something, no good. So if you can only do a few correctly, stop there and wait until you’re strong enough to add more; don’t just do five ones perfectly and then ten more junky ones, it’s not worth it. This is why it’s smart to have someone watch you the first few times to make sure you’re doing them right.

Plyometrics take it out of your body too and the best times to do them are early in the season, during the off-season, or during what would be considered a base period. Typically you wouldn’t do them during racing season, by then you’ve pretty much put in all the work anyways. So, early-season timing is a great time to bust them out…and lookie here, that’s where we are. 🙂

There are tons and tons of different plyo’s you can do, so this one will be a series. First on the agenda will be bounding and skipping. Bounding is sort of like exaggerated running, you want to explode off of the ground here. Skipping, don’t be shy boys, it’s not just for girls on the schoolyard. The difference between the two is that for bounds you land on the opposite foot, for skipping you will land on the same foot as you started.

For this series you will aim to make each distance of bounds 30-40 meters in length; not too long because you want to make each bound exact, hard, and you’ll be burning by the end. Start out with one set of each the first week, you can do two the second, and work up to four sets. Plyo’s should be done at most three times a week and on non-sequential days. Don’t do them the day before a hard workout and probably not the day before your long run either; doing them after your hard sessions is one suggestion. That way your easy, recovery days allow you to do just that.

*Bounds for distance: The aim here is to cover as much distance as you can with each bound, think of eating up that ground below you. You want to get as much air between those legs; when you toe off, extend the opposite leg as much as you can before landing.

*Bounds for height: Here you want to get as far off the ground as possible, all about the altitude. Try to get in as many bounds as you can in the distance because each one will be shorter, just make it higher.

* Skipping for distance: Similar to the bounds, but this time with skipping; really push to see how far each skip can get you.

* Skipping for height: Try to see how many skips you can get; and really reach for those clouds, friends. 😉

* A-Skip: This one is about speed and agility rather than trying to go for distance or height. When you skip, you want to be extra mindful of coordinating your opposite arm and leg to go up and down at the same time. Lift your knee up for the skip, get it up and then back down to the ground as fast as you can while still keeping the motion controlled. Again, if you have to slow it down at first to do it RIGHT that’s much better than doing them faster but sloppily.

* B-Skip: This one is different from the A in that you will extend your leg as you skip. When you’ve gotten your leg to the top of your ‘skip’, kick your foot out in front of you, and then pull it back as you cycle back and land. As you get better at these you want to increase the speed in which you do them.

A few last things: As you work up to more sets of these, alternate the foot that you start off with. So if you did your first set of bounds leading with the right leg, do the second set leading with the left.

Finally, give yourself a full recovery between each set. With distance training it’s our tendency to think that shorter rest is better and will get us more fit, but we’re not tapping into our cardio here, it’s all anaerobic and for this you really want to make sure you’re fully rested and recovered before going into the next exercise. That way you can really put your all into each set and make it your best!

Alright folks, I’m out…but for my friends here that aren’t necessarily on a team, plyo’s are for everyone because it will make you stronger, faster, and improve your running. Then, again under my aforementioned disclaimer, it will give you some awesome definition too and that metabolic boost…all the more reason why refueling immediately afterwards is imperative!

1) Jumping, leaping, bounding, plyo’s; love them or hate them? Or have you never tried them?

Not going to lie, I hate them, but it’s usually the things we hate the most that are the best for us, right? 😉

2) Favorite refuel after a hard workout?

Ummmm, favorite choice or the best choice? Hehe.

Coming Back After a Running Hiatus…Aint it a Kick in the Tush!!

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekends if you’re living in the States! It’s that time of the year again, even though World Track Champs is bleeding over into the start of it, for most teams out there it’s cross-country season. Now, cross-country season comes at another funky time if said person is still is in school; it’s right after summer break and classes are also starting up.

Now, for lots of high school kids, and I’m sure yes even some college level athletes, summer vacation may or may not include sticking to that training schedule. Now, I’m anal and was always getting in my runs and whatever I was supposed to do regardless (you’re talking to the girl who got into a fight with her mom because of the timing of that looooong, drawn out high school graduation ceremony conflicting with a track meet…I mean, I knew I graduated, did I need to sit for four plus hours sweating bullets in that robe?!) but others not so much.

Ack..hs senior portraits...Mom wasn't too stoked on obvious watch and running shirt tan lines. 😛

You can tell off the bat who did their summer running and who didn’t. In fact, I think it was Alberto Salazar that was quoted with something along the lines of, “I like to be in the best possible shape at the onset of the season so I can put the people who didn’t train through the worst possible torture that I can.”

Whether it’s due to actual quasi-malicious intent by your teammates or not, I would suspect that slacking in the off-season bring its own swift justice come practice time. I was joking with a high school coach as they were off to their first team practice, and he was mentioning how it should be interesting to see who did what they were supposed to over the summer.

There are those people that do snap into shape relatively fast, and thanks to good old muscle memory if you’ve been at this thing long enough, after a few horrible few weeks it is surprising how fast you’ll improve and be back to your ‘old self.’ Still, it’s never fun, or pretty, coming back to running after a break.

This goes whether it’s just a slacking-induced break or one that is planned (you DO need to take breaks periodically and especially after tough seasons) or even ones that come from an injury. During said injury you can be a master at the cross-training but it’s always a cold slap of reality when you return to actual running no matter what you did.

Those first few runs back...a kick to the face! When a 'short' four miler never felt sooooooo long!

That last one, coming back from an injury and starting to run again, can be rather defeating if you start to compare yourself to the ‘old you’ times and where you are now. Running is so mental that if you slip into that comparison trap too far you can take yourself out of the game, or the season, altogether. Heck, sometimes even the sport. So it’s not pretty…don’t go down that road.

Better to focus on the here and now and the workout set immediately before you. Put in the effort, in fact that’s paramount regardless of times, so many other factors can affect actual paces and times, but even if the pace is ‘off,’ if you are putting in the same amount of effort you are getting a benefit. (Side tangent here- so remember that sometimes when a workout is just going to pieces timewise, sometimes it’s just better to chuck the watch and put in the same amount of effort…your body is still working hard and cardio-wise you’re still reaping those benefits.)

Staying present in the season or where you are fitness-wise is best if you’re coming off a running hiatus. Start with a semi-blank slate and track your progress post-injury when it comes to workouts…then take the improvements you see there are big steps forward. Trust me, it will feel like he** sometimes getting back, but eventually if you keep at it and do everything right you’ll get back to the ‘old you’ and then some.

Racing into shape is never pretty. Don't bother a racer if they dash past the chute and head straight for the bushes!

So to all those starting cross-season, you might have had a race this weekend…where you one of the people inflicting torture on the other people who maybe skipped out on those morning runs, or were you one of the people paying the price?

1) If you competed in sports, did you always put in the work during the off-season?

See, this is one thing where my OCD can work to my favor if kept in check…if a coach tells me to do something you can bet I’ll do it, I get in trouble if I then do too much. Though, I think for ‘normal’ people it’s more of a progression, the more serious you get about a sport the more likely you are to want to train even when you’re not under supervision. You get to the point where you’re self-motivated to achieve certain goals you set for yourself.

2) If it’s an injury that kept you from running, isn’t it a bi*** coming back?! No, but really, I think it’s about a two week period of extra pain until you start to come back. What was the last major injury that kept you out and did you do any cross-training during that time? If so, what did you do?

I’m a big fan of the elliptical!

3) How are you living it up this weekend?

PS-this is another side tangent that NEEDS to be addressed…I have noticed that recently as things have been switching around techie-wise, I’ve gotten a TON of spam comments!! To the actual readers I’m very sorry and does anyone have any tips on how to block this?! I seriously spent over an hour just today deleting this junk…ugh! 🙁