‘Tips’ Articles at , Page 12

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What SHOULD you be thinking during a race or workout?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How do you 'rest'?

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

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

Let’s talk rest:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sharing the pacing duties takes off a big mental burden.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I will beat you. 😛

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Word out yo.

1) What’s your runner rapper name?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why All the Track Hate? Overcoming Track-Phobia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Start to love that view!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4) What’s going on for you Monday?

Test Your Running Knowledge: Important Facts That Make a Big Difference

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Cait — 4 Comments ↓

“Listen up, I’m about to drop some knowledge on you.”I thought it would be fun to issue a little running test…time to school up, strip down to your skimpiest running shorts, and prove to the class just how smart you are true or false style. 🙂

Ace this running test like the champs you are! 🙂

1) Warming up will only zap my energy for the race; better to save every ounce of energy for the race, if I need to I can use the heater in my car to stay warm.
False. This is a big-time false but I always tend to forget that newer runners think that running before the gun goes off is insane…oh, us newbie runners, so cute…hehe. Just like you shouldn’t peel out in your car, your body runs its best gradually working into the faster paces. It’s surprising how much of a difference a warm-up will make on your performance actually; think about it, if you’re racing a 5k and you skip a warm-up, you’ll really only be running a 2.5k race as the first part would be your body basically trying to catch-on to the fact that you’re racing. It’s tough to make up that much ground with only a half-race distance left. You can check out some tips to perfecting your own warm-up routine HERE.

2) Treadmill running is the same as outdoor running, just sometimes it can be more boring.
False. Now, there are definitely ways to adjust those treadmill runs to best simulate conditions outside but there are still some differences between the two. Some of the big ones are: on a treadmill you don’t use your hamstrings like you typically would outside because of the way the belt drags and because the treadmill offers up an even, consistent motion your body doesn’t have to worry about turns, miss-steps and other outside ‘variables.’ The treadmill has its pluses too, it often offers a much more cushioned surface than those outside so it can be the better choice for injury-prone runners or runners coming back from an injury, it’s easier on the old body. You can check out under my Writing Page as I’ve written a few articles about treadmill running, suggestions, and the key differences between outdoor running.

3) All of my friends are in love with the Nike Free commercials but I’m a heavy pronator and don’t think they are the best shoes for me.
True. I bleed Nike and love them, but I admit to being a little torn on the whole minimalist shoe movement and barefoot running. Mostly because runners need to proceed with caution and integrate Free/barefoot running slowly into their workouts, not because I don’t think there are benefits to be gained from the Free shoes. As with many awesome marketing schemes, it’s just being an informed consumer; not every foot and person is designed the same and biomechanics play a HUGE factor with injuries. You need a shoe specific to your foot type: pronator, neutral runner, or supinator. The vast majority fall into the pronator category or supinator; the former need supportive shoes and the latter need extra cushioning, neither of these are offered in a Free/barefoot style shoe. If you’re planning on implementing Free/barefoot running into your routine, which can be beneficial when done correctly, do it slowly and start with just a mile of your cool-downs once or twice a week and then build up.

4) I know I’m not a pretty runner, but that’s just how I run, my form doesn’t really matter anyways, it’s about who makes it to the finish line the fastest that counts.
False. Well, the part about form not mattering that is; form equates to efficiency. Think about it, you want every ounce of your energy spent getting you to that finish line, wasted energy in the form of wild arm swings, clenched teeth, and over-striding is holding you back. Form is tricky and can be tough to change but it IS possible and it is worth working on. I wrote a post on tips for correcting common form mistakes HERE.

Well, she should make sure to at least add some protein to that cotton candy.

5) Eating within 30 minutes after my workout will improve my recovery rate by at least 60%.
True. It’s a short window of opportunity and it is crazy to think that eating just 31 minutes later will bite you in the bum. You work hard doing the running, why not make your food and fuel work for you too? Before you even take a shower, get your grub on, I wrote more on this topic HERE.

6) Running is paramount, it’s the only kind of working out I need to do; I don’t have time for stretching and weights anyways.
False. Okay, I’ll give you a little wiggle-room because yes, in the end, you can’t skip your running but neglecting other things that can enhance your running isn’t wise. We all have cramped schedules, but I think we all can denote 15 minutes a day to working on one area that will drastically improve our fitness and running ability: core work, pilates, stretching, yoga, weight/strength training, plyometrics, etc. Alternate doing one, even for just a quick bit, after your runs and it will be a worthwhile time investment. I’ve got a lot of suggestions on my Workouts/Training page.

How did you guys do? I’m sure all my awesome readers are super-champs and got them all right, but if not that’s okay too…now go out there and get sweaty! 🙂

1) Who got them all right? Which ones did you miss?
2) Any questions you would like to be addressed in future posts?
3) What kind of shoes do you run in and how did you get fit for them?
4) What are your weekend plans, any races scheduled?

The Big Three: Talent vs. Work Ethic vs. Mental Toughness- Which matters the most?

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Cait — 13 Comments ↓

What makes the most successful runners, is the talent, hard work ethic or mental toughness that matters the most? Sure, genetics come into play, one can’t overlook that as a factor, but running isn’t the kind of sport where you can make it to top off of pure talent alone. Eventually even the most talented ‘slackers’ hit their glass ceilings and get outpaced by the runners who refuse to let their genetic short-comings stand in their way and rely on dedication and perseverance.

Then there is grit. There are runners who make running look ugly, each step painful and torturous, mostly because it is, but they battle the pain, embrace it, run towards it even unlike their competitors can. There are also the types of runners who tend to rise to the occasion, when they toe the line they are able to step it up to a new level and perform even better than their workouts may have predicted. I like the term Shalane Flanagan has used, these are the ‘gamers.’

All runners possess each of these but to varying degrees; of course we’d like to be blessed with all of them to the utmost but we can’t, so let’s not get greedy. However, which would you say is the most important, which would you say should be factored in the most, and which is the hardest to make up for?

Talent. You can’t fake that, you can’t really change much of it either…you sort of have it or you don’t. Fast-twitch to slow-twitch muscle fiber ratio tends to predispose you to the event you’re best at; with certain training and exercises you can increase or build up the kind you may be lacking in, but to at a certain point you’ll max out. Your max heart rate and VO2 Max are other things you can only improve on so much before you’re tapped out. Form; some runners take to it naturally and make the act look effortless, even beautiful. Here there is a lot more ‘wiggle room’ and with diligent work and practice even the ugliest runner can improve their form.

Work ethic. Running can’t be faked…you can’t luck your way into the hole in one equivalent of a fast race. A prime example of this is when you see the young age-grouper kids tearing it up and winning off of talent, they get to high school and even there they can excel for awhile. But come senior year and college, if they are used to being able to skate by with skipped runs they get a cold slap of reality when they can’t win so easily any more. Here is where they can either learn and find the motivation to re-dedicate themselves and they gain that self-motivation if they want to continue to thrive; if they don’t then they can settle. The hard workers, these are the cases where ‘unknown’ runners hit their big coming out moment and get thrust into the spotlight. The thing is, they’ve been flying under the radar for a long time, diligently working away, taking the loses or back of pack status in stride and then all of that hard work finally pays off.

Mentality. Grit and mental toughness probably holds the most mystic as it can’t exactly be quantified or tested. There isn’t really a measuring system for it and even the ‘gamers’ can’t fully explain how they are able to step up, hone their focus, and block out the pain so well, they just do. I think that being able to block out the pain is certainly something that can continually be worked on and that our thresholds can always be pushed. I know there are times where I know for a fact I’ve hit a new level of pain. I think that comes from experience, hard workouts, races; these callous the mind. Visualization and other techniques are also at our disposal. Generally, just proving that voice in your mind telling you that you can’t is instrumental; your mind is often the biggest limiting factor but every time you ignore it and hit a new goal you reinstill that when it screams at you to stop and you can’t do something, it is only a farce. “You can’t run 10 miles without stopping,” the voice says…you do it, one point for you, a loss for the mind.

Runners fall across the spectrum on all of these; hard work and mental toughness are perhaps the two ‘easiest’ ones to manipulate and improve upon. There is always room to grow…what it often comes down to is practice, the motivation to get better, and then just getting out there and doing it day in and day out. How much do you want it?

1) Which of these do you feel is your greatest strength? Which do you feel is your weaker point?

2) Which do you think is the greatest factor in determining your running success? Which do you feel maybe matters the least?

3) Who are some runners that you feel are examples of harriers that have a strong ability in one of these traits?
For grit, Paula Radcliffe, Alberto Salazar, and Adam Goucher are just a few that instantly spring to mind.

4) Which do you wish you had the most of, admire in other runners the greatest, and what do you want to do to improve on that trait?

Smoothies Aren’t the ONLY Way to Go: Eating those fruits and veggies rather than sipping

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Cait — 26 Comments ↓

I don’t like smoothies. Now, before all you smoothie loving masses stop reading here and immediately black-ball me, at least let me explain my case. I don’t get a lot of trendy things, I don’t even drink coffee, for shame! But I’m hyper enough as myself, caffeine would probably end up effecting me like cocaine.

I prefer to eat my food fresh, or at least not blended. (Just some design inspiration I tossed to Sprouts, they just opened a store near me.)

The running realm and the healthy living world are interconnected and whenever people find out I’m a runner and the conversation drifts to food and nutrition, the topic of smoothies seems to inevitably come up. They rave about their protein powders, their spinach combos leaving their glass looking like the Swamp Thing, they start spouting off their must-try recipes and I nod and smile. But in the back of my mind I’m thinking, “I still have teeth and I plan on doing as much chewing as I can until I lose them and then I’ll turn to your smoothies along with Jell-O and applesauce.”

Smoothies work great for TONS of folks and power to you, I can see the benefits:
* Quick and easy to make sure you hit the 30 minute recovery window
* Convenient to eat on the go and tote around
* Wonderful for people who don’t like fruits and veggies and thus need to sneak them in
* Adding protein to them is easy and great for people who are lacking in that department

Again, more fun I thought Sprouts may enjoy. 😛

I get it, and keep on blending if that’s what you need and it works for you. But I’m one of those crazies who really do enjoy eating fruits and veggies as they are and don’t have a problem eating the real versions throughout the course of my day. I also love eggs, cottage cheese and shrimp and have no problem getting that protein amount in real food either. The ocean called and they were running out of shrimp because of me, actually. 😉 You know it if you got that last one.

So an ode to fruits and veggies today, they are great in oh so many ways, even if they are blended. With summer coming up plenty folks find them more appealing and could see using their teeth as a more plausible option.
* Water content: A portion of the water you get each day does, in fact, come from a few of the foods you eat, fruits and veggies are some of those. Obviously not enough to slack on the real liquids but watermelons, melons, pineapple, celery, lettuce and ‘juicy’ fruits/veggies supply more of that H2O good stuff.
* Fiber: Yes, running can help keep you regular, but fiber does that too! Fruits and veggies can be a great source of fiber; again celery and lettuce fall into that category, as do broccoli, cauliflower, and apples. But be warned, because of this they may be better eaten AFTER your run, not before, if you are sensitive to GI issues.
* Antioxidants: Berries are our besties for this one, those colorful blueberries and raspberries may stain your fingers but they are rockstars in the nutrient department. Pair these babies with cottage cheese or greek yogurt and you’ve got an award winning protein, carb, and antioxidant combo!
* Iron: Those dark, leafy spinach greens contain iron which is essential for runners…trust me, low iron is NO energy and it’s important to ensure you get enough of this element.
* Potassium: Bananas, because they also have more carbohydrates than many other fruits, are often thought of as the ‘perfect runner food’. The reason that their high potassium count also swings in their favor (like a chimp on a vine…sorry, lame-sauce, I am!) is because this is an important electrolytes; it’s one of the ones, that when their levels are too low in the body (along with sodium), that people have gotten over-hydrated by drinking too much water.

Eating for running fuel and health: We all know fruits and veggies are things our body need to run at its best and if you’re asking your body to run to perform it’s even more important. Sometimes people find it hard to swallow certain things even if they know they ‘should’…I can’t argue cookie dough ice cream may be more appealing than an apple, but sometimes we need to eat to fuel!

The ocean called for me...

Other quick ideas to bulk up your fruits/veggie intake:
* Toss bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. into your omelets. Not only do you get the veggies but the protein in the eggs is even better.
* Stack those sandwiches higher with more veggies; toss in more veggies to your tacos and burritos too.
* Portabella burgers, have you ever tried these, they are in fact awesome.
* Kabob parties! Grill up those pineapple slices along with your skewered shrimp and chicken; also, have you ever skewered mangos and papayas?? Yum! For veggies, squash and zucchini kabobs rock too.

Smoothies aren’t the only way to go and I may be a bit of an anti-smoothie-ite, please at least read my case before hating me. And if smoothies are your slurp of choice, that’s okay too. 🙂

1) Are you a smoothie lover or hater? If so, what’s your favorite kind of smoothie?

2) Are you pretty good about getting your fruits and veggies in? What’s your favorite kinds and how do you eat them?

3) Do you use any kinds of protein powders in your recipes, smoothies included? If not what’s your top protein choices?
I’m not a huge powder person, I eat a ton of protein foods and know I’m covered.

4) Have you run into a person who refuses to acknowledge or accept you’re not a huge smoothie person?
Yes, I swear some people who try to sell Homer on the idea of the liquid donut.

Don’t Try So Hard: Trying to Force Your Running Won’t Work…Relax

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

Don’t force it. This applies not just to running but in other areas of life too. Trying too hard can hold you back, it is the self-imposed weight vest of extra pressure and stress.

Was stuck for a background inspiration for this one...wasn't liking attempt #1

Some pressure is a good thing; Type A neurotic runners tend to excel because they don’t settle and want to push themselves to reach for higher goals. But as with many gifts they can also be your greatest undoing if taken too far. Getting too wrapped up and focusing on what you AREN’T doing or achieving can lead to overlooking the positive gains you may have made.

You’re in the middle of a workout: it’s not going how you wanted, the splits are off from the start, your legs feel like lead, you keep looking down at your watch praying that it will bring you some good news but the times keep getting slower and slower. You tell yourself to push harder, go faster, to man up and hit the splits…why can’t you hit the bloody splits already?!

You tense up, your jaw is locked with clenched teeth, your shoulders are up to your ears…your stride is forced. You’re trying too hard.

Try #2 and still wasn't feeling it...

Take a breath, shake out your arms and relax. Unstrap the burden that is the watch, the weight vest your mind has strapped on your back and STOP obsessing on the flipping splits, what you’re NOT able to achieve, wondering WHY you suck so hard, and HOW you’ll never achieve anything if you can’t get your legs to act up and run the way you want.

In times like these, sometimes it’s best to just not know…as in stop timing your splits, run for effort. Times won’t come sometimes, that’s a reality of running and training, you’ll have off days, off races, off runs, off stretches. What you don’t need to add on top of that is the obsession of WHY you’re sucking so much, getting sucked into the negative spiral, the ruminating thoughts, the negatives circling your brain faster than you are on the track.

Running for effort will in the end give you positive gains in your fitness:even though the times aren’t there for whatever reason, your body is still being pushed, the muscles being stressed, and the effort is there. Make sure to take into account if there are other factors: outside conditions, increase in training volume, your easy days aren’t letting you recover, and if, so be proactive and address those issues. But if not, that’s okay too…one workout does not make the runner.

Try #3, stopped trying to make it over-complicated and stopped trying to force it so much...at least i liked it the best of the bunch.

Running relaxed can surprise you too, sometimes just shifting your mindset can effect the watch and you may end up hitting faster times. Instead of thinking about the negatives, go back to focusing on the basic elements:
* Your breathing
* Your form
* Counting your strides
* Visualize the smooth, relaxed runner you want to be
…the little things, anything but the clock.

Don’t try so hard, don’t force it.
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Tomorrow’s your last chance to enter my ‘The Runner’ water-bottle giveaway.

In case you missed it, you can be one of the first to snag the Arty Runnerchick shirts and join the ‘Get Chicking’ movement! 🙂
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1) Can you recall a time you kept trying harder and harder but were falling further and further behind?

2) How do you catch yourself from trying too hard and pushing it? How do you find the proper balance, and when you are forcing it how do you try and get back in check?

3) What are some positives you try to take away from negative or bad races/workouts/runs?

4) Are there other areas in life where sometimes you just can’t force it?
I get that a lot in art and writing, you can’t always force yourself out of a creative block.