‘Tips’ Articles at , Page 15

Diversify to Improve Your Running – Don’t limit yourself due to type-casting

Posted on February 26, 2012 by Cait — 7 Comments ↓

Have you type cast yourself?Do you think of yourself as ONLY a long distance runner and wouldn’t go near a mile race with a ten foot pole? Do you think you’re only made up of fast twitch muscles and deem anything over a handful of laps around the track bordering on an ultra? Maybe you fall somewhere between the two, but it’s often VERY easy to stick yourself into a niche where you feel comfortable and come up with any excuse to NOT get out of it.

Do you coin yourself 'The Prankster'? 😉

Guilty. I own up to it, I detest anything resembling a sprint. I use the term loosely because I don’t think my 200’s could even accurately be described as such. I’d get more nervous if the next day’s workout was 10×200 versus 10×1000’s. I feel comfortable in the longer distances, like I can settle into a pace, maintain control, and tick off the laps. The slower build of pain versus the BAM in your face lactic acid onslaught from the first step.

Ironically the more you RELAX in the shorter sprints the faster you’ll go; I usually ended up trying too hard, tensing up, and shooting myself in the butt so to speak. If you look at the fastest sprinters their faces are completely relaxed and loose…they are flying and they make it look easy. It’s not, but they are relaxed.

Back to the point: stepping outside of the niche you’ve glued yourself into will help you in so many ways.

* Go short: If you’re a 10k and up runner you might balk at the idea of entering a mile or *gasp* even an 800 race. But, training for these shorter races will immensely help your longer distance, forte events. Think about it, if you can build your base speed, when you go back up to the 10k or marathon, the pace there will feel a lot ‘easier’ than before.

* Go longer: Opposite end of the spectrum; if you’ve never run more than 6 or 8 miles at a time…EVER, then training for a 10k or half-marathon (where your long runs would get into the double digits) will build your strength and endurance a great deal. When you go back down to a mile, or even 5k, you will be able to hold it together much better towards the end of the race because your overall strength (ie: base) is bigger.

* Ultras: Some ultra runners only do miles, miles, miles…at the same pace. That’s changing now as more are learning the benefits of speed play and that the long run is not the epitome workout that all should be focused on. The top dogs still enter races as short as a 10k, some even go to track races and run the mile. It all comes back to getting their turnovers and base speeds faster…it translates up.

Mental games: yes, it can be scary to pry yourself out of that niche and put yourself out there. Most likely you won’t be as dominant in the race as you may used to, that’s okay. It can take some swallowing of the egos but if you keep practicing and IMPROVING on your weaker events you will…well, improve.

It’s easy as heck to hate something that you might stink at, but igniting the competitor in you will work to your advantage. Find some people who may be better in this department as you, relax, let them pull you along and do the pace-setting work…that’s okay. Let’s face it, come race day it’s nice to beat people and you’ll push yourself to get to that line. Even if it’s in a push to not get last…hey, embarrassment is a fine motivator, been there! 🙂

If you need a little case study from the top, look at some of our nation’s best distance runners. We’ll take for example the USA Olympic Marathon Trials…many of the runners there have PR’s in the 5k and 10k that rank amongst the leading National or World times too. Some of them still run the mile and 3k races as well, they don’t only stick to one, long event.

If you continually ignore your weaknesses they will just fester and stay weak. Instead, embrace them, push yourself in a new direction and keep it diversified. It doesn’t mean giving up your already strengths, but quite the opposite because in the end you’ll be making those even stronger too.

1) Do you type cast yourself? What do you see yourself as?
Totally…and I know it’s not good for me. All slow-twitch over here!

2) Do you avoid certain races or workouts? Why?
When I was racing, I would groan and hate whenever my coach would force me into a shorter race. I’d do it because I don’t like to argue, my coach knew best, but I just hate the short races.

3) Can you foresee perhaps challenging yourself to try a new race, workout, or set a goal targeting your weakness?

More Great Core Moves: Why the core is all the rage and worth the face time

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Cait — 7 Comments ↓

The core is all the rage. I know I’m constantly harping on how important core work is for runners…it will help improve your form, efficiency, reduce injury risks, and yea, a stronger middle looks good too. I’m hardly the only one and in the last few years the ‘core’ and core exercises have really taken off, if they were a celebrity they’d be dominating the Star and US Weekly rag tag rounds.

yea, look at me, I'm the Core and I'm just too cool like that.

Another core article caught my eye today over at Competitor.com, ‘Four Key Core Exercises for Runners’. I’m not going to lie, I’m sometimes a little hesitant to read these types of articles (more-so from general fitness magazines) because they tend to rehash the same exercises again and again or some of them are a bit watered down and would be too ‘easy’ for the consistent runner. But I give more weight to the Competitor and Running Times articles than I would say, Runner’s World or InShape for Her.

Yes, the exercises were ones that I’ve done or seen before BUT I actually like them and in fact do the plank on a multi-weekly basis. Again, you can read the article HERE but I’d like to share some tweaks or modifications to the exercises or build on them.

* Plank: okay, for beginners the standard, hold the downward facing plank (balance on forearms and toes) is great; just make sure you’re sucking in your stomach and keeping those muscles tight and engaged.
Make it harder: keep the same position but do leg lifts; start with a set of 10 lifts with each leg and build up to two or three sets.
Back and side planks: planks can be done facing upwards where you’re balancing on your heels and forearms, for this one make sure your butt isn’t sagging to the ground, you still want your body in alignment. For side planks it’s then balancing on your left forearm and outside of your left foot, keeping your body in a line and don’t let your hips sag; repeat with opposite side. I did a full plank workout HERE.

* Russian Twists: I actually really like this one and have recommended it to people before. They have it where you are sitting, balancing on your tail bone and with your feet slighting elevated off the ground. With the weight you then twist left to center to right and back to center.
Make it harder: I like doing the Lunging Russian Twist; standing up and holding a weight (10lbs to start), step out into a lunge with your right foot in front. After you drop into the lunge you’ll hold it there and twist to the right with the weight in your arm. Twist back to center and then step back out of the lunge. Repeat with the left foot in the lunge and then twist to the left. Repeat so you do a total of 20 lunges; start with one set and build up to two or three.

* V-sits: They talk about doing the ‘hollow rock’ in the article but I like this one more. Lie down flat on your back arms straight up behind your head and legs together. Raise both your legs and upper body up until you’re balaning on your tail bone and in a ‘V’ position. You’ll want to make sure your arms stay straight and even with your ears. Lower back down and repeat. This one is tricky and always makes me work because of the whole balance issue; but do the best you can and the learning curve is pretty quick, you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll improve. Start with getting 10 to 15 done and build up to two or three sets. Here the emphasis is quality over quantity…10 (or even 5) perfect ones are better than 15 sloppy ones.

Source
* Pilates 100: This one, again isn’t in the article, but is one of the staples of Pilates; start lying back just as the v-sit but this time your arms will be straight down at your sides. Raise your upper body and arms a few inches off the ground and and lift your legs up about a foot or 18 inches off the ground. Keep your legs together but in order to open up your hips, keep your heels together but roll your feet outward into a little ‘v’ shape. Contract your core and now what you’ll do is take your arms and pump them rapidly up and down at your sides. Raise and lower them only a few inches but really keep your core taught and engaged, keep your feet in the ‘v’ shape. Count out 100 little pumps with your arms and then lower back down to the mat. This looks super easy and you might not ‘feel’ like you’re working all the much during it but this move works the deep core muscles and if you do it right you’ll feel sore later.

Try to do core work two to three times a week; honestly it can be a super quick routine, I mean 10-15 minutes after you run or while you’re watching TV…we’ve all got 10 extra minutes, right?! 🙂

Well, I’ve given more face time to that spotlight hogging core, but it’s one fitness crazed celeb who I think is worth getting press…it’s not just a quickie Kim K hook-up or wedding.

1) What are some of your top core exercises?

2) Do you do core work regularly? If so, what are some of the benefits you’ve seen?

3) There are always fitness fads or particular topics that everyone seems to be talking about a lot; core work is one that I think merits it. What are some other topics or tips that you’ve seen a lot of lately and do you like/do/use/back them?
I’ve seen a lot of people doing these egg puff things, whipping them up like meringue toppings, and seasoning them differently so they are like faux-cookies or sweets. I haven’t tried them though…I think I’d still want a cookie. 🙂

What Kind of Runner Are You? Trails, Tracks, Treadmills and Roads…Oh, My! (Part I)

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

When it comes to your choice of terrain, what kind of runner are you? Do you crave the speed of the track, the solitude of a long trail run, dodging car splash on the roads, or zoing out on the treadmill?

I was ~~sucked in~~ forced to watch one of the episodes of The Bachelor (that Ben guy, am I the only one who finds him a bit of a scruffy version of Dax Shepard?) where they were in Park City, UT and he was saying how he’s an ‘outdoorsy’ guy. He likes to be out in the woods chopping trees, riding horseback, fishing, and such. All I could think was, “Dang, I would be sucking wind out there on any runs.” Then some flashbacks to some particularly gnarly runs in Park City followed that.

Trails can be really beautiful and fun to run on (not at altitude for me, thank you very much, unless you’re acclimated to it and used to living there) and they have a way of making the miles pass faster than you think…until you look down at your watch and realize that thanks to that climb the miles were technically pretty slow! 😛

I’ve never really lived in a place where there were ample trails that were safe to run on year round. The thing with trails is you need to be really careful because if you’re not you’ll wind up hurt…or worse. I loved the quote World Class trail runner, Michael Wardian, gave me awhile back, “I remind myself not to zone out while outside and especially on the trails where a bad footfall can mean stitches and a new tooth.”

When to Dodge the Trails:

* Really rocky.One of the benefits of trail running is that it can be a much more forgiving surface than concrete IF it’s actually soft terrain. I’ve been to some trails where I was basically running on rocks and gravel which is not going to give your legs anything in the way of cushioning. On top of that the loose gravel stuff could set you up for a nasty fall or ankle twist.

* Slip and sliding…slick trails. In Oregon there were some beautiful trails but, hello, it’s Oregon and it rains a ton which means that the trails were really slick and slippery the vast majority of the time. On top of that if there is a lot of foliage…have you tried running on a bunch of wet leaves…it is your own slip and slide.

* Drastic uphill and downhill running. Lots of uphill running will make you sore (which can be a good thing if you’re intending some harder work to build strength) BUT so will tons of downhill running. The additional pounding and force of each footfall thanks to gravity when running downhill is tremendous, it’s really hard on your quads, knees, and joints. So be careful if your route has a lot of downhill.

* Roots, twists, cougars, darkness, and the other stuff.Since we’re discussing safety it’s important to bring up the obvious factors here…you need to practice running safety regardless of where you’re going but if you’re going solo for a trail run be sure to tell people where you’re going and how long you plan to be out. No one wants to go out for a run and end up having a search party bring them home…and that could be the happy ending of that story.

Another benefit of trails is that they usually make for easy insta-pop-and-squat spots! 😉

That said, there are a myriad of benefits to trail running…and if I had more access to some trails I’d get out there more.

* Strength. Like I said, running hills will build your strength tremendously. That extra strength will translate to speed when you then run flats.

* Happier joints and injury prevention. Like I said if you get on a softer surface you can do much in the way of reducing the pounding on your legs. This is one reason lots of elite athletes will go to place where there are miles of soft trails…soft trail miles are ‘easier’ on the body and with the amount they are putting in that adds up to a world of difference.

* More supple joints. Having to navigate twists, turns, and uneven surfaces will strengthen the smaller muscles, tendons, and ligaments around the ankles and feet. This, if done gradually and smartly, (don’t go from no trail running to all trail running all at once or your feet won’t have time to gradually get stronger, they will just get hurt!) will make your ankles and feet stronger and less prone to a sudden pull or sprain down the road if you do step in a pothole.

* The mental factor. A change of scenery is always nice and like I said, if you get going on a good trail that long run can ‘feel’ shorter.

So, what kind of runner are you…if you’re a trail-a-holic now’s your chance to voice why they’ve stolen your heart! 😉 This post got really long so I’m going to break it up into a series and spread the love of the track, roads, and treadmill in the next installments…mmmmk.

1) Do you like running trails, do you get a chance to run on them a lot?

2) If you had more access to trails would you take advantage of them? If not, why?

3) What are some things you need to be careful about when running trails?

4) What are some of the benefits of hitting up the trails?

Performing to Your 100% Potential and Injury Risks

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Cait — 8 Comments ↓

Is pushing yourself harder to get a 100% performance worth the extra risk of injury, or is ‘safer’ to back off in an attempt to lower your injury risk but wind up with a 90% performance?

This is the question that I wrote about in an article at Competitor, ‘Is Squeezing 100% Out of Yourself Worth the Risk?’. I wanted to bring it up here and get some of your thoughts as well as be able to voice a bit of my own opinion.

The question was sparked initially by something Dathan Ritzenhein said when he was discussing his own injury-riddled past year. He was quick to point out that he isn’t necessarily ‘injury prone’ but being that he’s an elite athlete it’s his job to push himself to the limit. To straddle the fine line of just enough versus too much…sometimes you go too far over the line and wind up hurt.

Different people have different reactions to that philosophy; some will always preach that leaving more in the tank or taking the conservative route is the thing to do regardless. Others are totally in line with Dathan Ritzenhein as they are training that way all the time themselves; after all even if they backed off there is no guarantee that they still might end up hurt…valid point. Then there are tons of degrees between to two extremes.

I think what it comes down to is the individual, what they are training for, and how running realistically fits into their life.

Your wall's been tagged by a runner gang! 😉

* Newbies and high school athletes have YEARS ahead of them and here is where I’d say the smarter thing to do is err on the side of ‘less is more’.

* Collegiate athletes too have years ahead of them but are in a different spot because often times there are big stakes on the line or other issues complicating matters. Their team is vying for a Championship title, they are on scholarship, their coach really wants the points…sometimes they have to race through an injury.

* Elite athletes in my opinion will be more in the position than anyone else to take more gambles than others. But their position is starkly different that ‘mortal runners’ because like Ritzenhein stated, it’s their job, it’s their livelihood AND they have a whole team working with them. Taking gambles is a little ‘safer’ being that they are able to tend to other forms of recovery and rehab the rest of the day. (ie: massage, ice baths, naps, etc.) They also have conditioned and calloused their bodies more than most and are in tune with them. Not that they don’t misread signals and make ‘I knew better than that’ mistakes like everyone does, after all they are only human.

* Mortal runners and competing runners. There are far more runners who compete but know they are not Olympics bound…still, a PR is a PR and comes with as much of a sense of reward and runner’s rush for anyone! So how do competing runners in this category play the odds?
1) Get perspective. If you have a coach, training partner, or third party who knows where you are training-wise, take advantage of them. Often times it’s easier to come up with a resolution if you’re not the actual one debating what to do.
2) Think long term. What is your ultimate goal or race? If this IS your big day maybe it’s worth risking it a bit more…but if you’ve got a whole season ahead of you maybe your decision should be different. Ask yourself, “What do I ultimately want to achieve; how will this decision or workout/race effect that?”
3) Gauge the pain. Be honest with yourself…you know ‘that’ kind of injury pain; sometimes the hardest thing to do is back off and not go harder but it’s the right thing to do. But if you’re just mentally in a blah mood because of a bad day, I think it’s at least smart to go out and start the run then take it from there.

I suppose that’s my reasoning behind it all; but I DO think that some athletes are able to handle different workloads than others or are able to handle more pounding without getting hurt than others. I think after a certain number of years all runners know about what mileage they can handle, then know when to push it and when it’s a little smarter to back off or cross-train instead.

1) What are your thoughts on this question?

2) How do you find the right balance or make decisions regarding training when it comes to workouts, backing off, or adjusting your plan?

3) What kind of mileage or workload do you know suits you best or keeps you sharp but now hurt?

4) What is your ultimate goal? It can be for the end of the season or years ahead…don’t be shy. 🙂

Racing Re-Cap: Things We Can All Learn From This Weekend

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

In case you’ve lived in a bit of a running cave, or don’t follow running all that much, there were some pretty big time races going on this weekend. We saw American Records being broken left and right, the family tradition of a running legacy continued, and even some late season cross country races.

Regardless of if you ever plan on chasing a record, have the desire to spike up (or racing flat up) ever again or not…here are some things we can all learn from this weekend in racing.

1) There is always someone better than you and someone working to be better than you. In a nice ironic twist, at the USATF Indoor Classic Galen Rupp broke the American Record for the indoor two mile event with 8:09.72; he took the record from Bernard Legat. The same day at the Millrose Games Bernard Legat reclaimed the indoor 5k record with 13:07.15…he took it back from Galen Rupp. Read more details and see video at Paul Merca’s site.

The lesson here is that no matter how good you are and continue to be, there is always, and will forever be, someone looking to beat you. This goes for anything; it’s a good thing as it inspires you to push harder and never settle. You’ve got to stay on your game and keep working hard if you want to stay in the game.
usatf women finish
Source: Photorun.net/Letsrun
2) ALWAYS run through the line. I think this picture says it all…from the USATF Cross Country Championships Molly Huddle (right) thought she had the win a hair too early. Sara Hall ran THROUGH the line, pushed it to the end, and ended up snagging the win.

Lesson here is the obvious don’t ever ease up or count your victory until you’re past the line; but going deeper, don’t ever assume anything. You know the old saying there…but it’s true. From both perspectives here: 1) There are no sure things in racing…now, obviously if you’re 100 meters ahead and going to the line the odds are highly stacked in your favor and a little celebrating would be a safer bet. But still…even if you’re the World Record holder, when you get to the line there are no guarantees that you will come out the winner. To an extent we’re all equals once the gun is fired. 2) From Sara Hall: Don’t ever give up until it’s over. Racing should spur in you the urge to dig a little deeper and rise to the occasion…when it comes crunch time, search for that other gear, lock on to the competitor ahead of you and work to close the gap. Charge to that line and run all the way through it.

3) Onward and upward…things are always moving forward. In case you’re unaware, in recent years the times of top harriers have dropped remarkably in distance events. For the first time in decades Americans are also a part of the surge and mixing it up with the Africans. This applies from to the pro’s, the collegians, high-schoolers and road runners alike.

In Friday’s Husky Classic, Sally Kipyego won the women’s 5k race in 15:15.41. In doing so she ran the world’s fastest indoor 5k this year but behind her a whopping eight collegiate women ducked under the NCAA automatic qualifying time of 16:04.50…that’s quite a field. Read a much better and inclusive recap of those races at Paul Merca’s blog as he recounts.

Lesson here is that competition and surrounding yourself by people who are BETTER than you or at least on par is not only the best thing for you but the best thing for the sport. (Or whatever it is you are working towards.) If you want to get the best out of yourself, for whatever goal that is, you have to push yourself…push yourself harder and then some more, past what you think you are capable of. To do that, having someone ahead of you and also right on your butt is a sure fire way to make you dig for that extra gear you might not think you have.

That’s it for me, and I hope you’re all having a great weekend!

1) Were you following the big meets this weekend? Do you follow the sport of running; what sports do you follow?

2) Do you agree with or see any other lessons to be pulled from this weekend?

3) What did you do this weekend? Any races yourself?

Adjusting ‘The Plan’: A Training Plan is Etched in Stone, More Like an Outline

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Cait — 12 Comments ↓

When it comes to workouts and training I like plans. I like knowing what I’m going to be doing ahead of time. I feel most productive if I know where I am, know where I want to end up, and have the outline of how I’m going to be getting there.

Training plans aren’t etched in stone, I know that, but I like at least an outline, the gist of what’s in store for me tomorrow. But sometimes you CAN’T know and have to just roll with the punches so to speak.

You can’t foresee how you’re going to be in the future, sports science is the field of learning all we can to best predict performance ahead of time and stack the odds in your favor but there are NO SURE THINGS.

Times you just have to cede to not knowing and come up with things on the spot:

* Injury: We all hate them but they come with the game. An injury forces you to reassess your training program and adapt it.

* Coming back from an injury: This is separate because each injury is different and unique to the individual. The body is amazingly resilient at repairing itself…it can take longer or shorter than expected and here is where you just take it on the day by day approach. It’s amazing what a few weeks or even days can make…which can be both uplifting at times and heartbreaking at others. You can’t rush the recovery process but take it day by day…test it out and if things are improving run with the good news. Just don’t rush it.

* Change in volume:Anyone who’s increased their mileage can attest that the effects of fatigue are cumulative. It’s funny how you can feel stronger in the first few weeks but then get a sucker-punch to the face seemingly out of nowhere, “I’ve been running X amount of miles more than I was used to for a month now, why am I suddenly so tired?” The answer is it’s catching up to you. When you increased the workload you should prepare yourself for the extra fatigue and this may mean adjusting your planned hard workouts…either more recovery days between them or adjusting the goal times.

Didn't see that coming...

* Change in variables: A smart tactic is to only change one thing at a time; for example if you up your mileage don’t also up the intensity of your workouts. There are other variable to remember…namely curve balls life throws your way. Stress isn’t just hype and life stress can effect your running…especially if it comes with less sleep.

* The ‘who’s legs are these’ workout: They happen…your body just comes up flat and ugly. It’s the workout where from the first minute you know things are awry, and you might never really know why. Here is where you have to make some decisions: chuck the watch and go off of effort, adapt the workout so that you gain something from it (ie: if you planned milers but are super slow, switch to 200’s and sometimes the shift in muscle groups will allow you to at least benefit from one type of workout), or take the day as an easy run and attempt the workout tomorrow or later in the week.

In running, and in life, we can’t always have the answers or the absolute plan. I hate it as much as the next OCD runner…but remember that it’s okay to have those small margins of unknown. We still usually have an idea of where we eventually want to end up, an outline, we aren’t completely floating in nothingness.

When we have to adjust, or wait and see what tomorrow holds before we can make a decision, we do our best to let go of the anxiety of ‘not knowing,’ need to loosen up, sleep on it, and go with the flow. 😉

1) Do you like to have a plan with your workouts or at least know what you’re doing the next day?
Yes.

2) How do you ‘stay loose’ and made modifications as needed when things force you to adapt your plan?
Depending on what it is; with an injury it’s easier because mostly it’s staying positive and doing what you CAN to stay on track.

3) What are times you’ve had to make adjustments to your training plan?
Oh so many…and honestly we all should be adjusting them and they are more like outlines. Have an outline that may be months long, but you recalibrate each week as it goes along.

10 Bits of Advice You Won’t Read in Runner’s World…

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Cait — 35 Comments ↓

I’ve debated putting this post up because it may bring up a little unease or irk some people…but here goes. There is something I like to call the Runner’s World vs. Running Times advice. More correctly, you give different advice to different people, right? Well…I think you’ll see what I mean.

Here are 10 Things You Won’t Find in Runner’s World but are just the truth:

1) All the gear in the world won’t make you faster. Yes a tricked out watch can keep you honest with paces but don’t get sucked into believing you need every new piece of gear…I’m pretty sure there were world records set back before Garmins.

2) All the ab specific work in the world won’t give you a six pack. To get abs like Shalane Flanagan you first have to do enough calorie burning cardio to get you lean enough to see the abdominal muscles. The abs are a particularly hard spot to see results because of that blasted adipose tissue over the muscles that you have to get rid of first.

3) All the post run/race recovery tricks won’t prevent you from ever getting sore. Yes there is a HUGE window of recovery to eat within 30 minutes after your workout that you need to take advantage of, but after any really tough effort you’re bound to be sore. Being sore is like the reward for pushing yourself…it means you done good.

4) Runners are achey, sore in spots, hurting somewhere nearly all the time.
Just saying.
5) There are no ‘quick fixes’…anytime you read ’10 Things to Make You Faster WITHOUT Trying’ is misleading. Yes, of course tying your shoes tighter or wearing shorts that don’t chafe will make running more comfortable and you’ll probably end up going faster, but it’s still going to be you working.

6) You CAN get faster it just takes ~~some~~ hurting. Really anyone is capable of improving, you may hit plateaus and get stuck in pace ruts but you can push yourself out of them. It’s just a matter of well, pushing…it’s possible it just takes being uncomfortable to get there.

7) Toting a water bottle, mid-run fuel, and a fanny pack is a necessity for a run regardless of distance. Going for the Western States 100 miler, yes…a four miler around the block, no.

8) Just because it’s new, it’s cool, there’s hype you should try it. I’m sorry, no amount of commercials, movies or books are ever going to get me in a pair of Vibrams.

9) Any single food is a miracle food and sure fire to make your running dreams come true. Yes, berries have loads of antioxidants and I’m certain we can all benefit from eating them. I’m sure they will improve my health and the trickle down effect holds that my fitness could improve too…but there is no magic bullet to PR’s.

10) Rest is always the answer. I could get in a lot of trouble for saying this but here goes. Truth is like number 4 states sorenesses and aches come with the game…it’s just a matter of gauging the degree of hurt. If you didn’t run for each and every time you were uncomfortable you’d never get one in. It’s a matter of learning the difference between injury pain and the pain of just running consistently. That said, even all the rest in the world won’t take care of certain injuries and you have to do other proactive measures: icing, massage, treatments, etc.

I toss it to you guys now, what would you add to this list?

Proper Running Form and the Freakshow Running Circus

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Cait — 22 Comments ↓

Does anyone else stare at runners just a little begrudgingly when they are injured? Sort of like that happy runner out there is just trying to stick it to me…they can do it and I cant! Ahhh, I’ll call it runner envy. So while I may be a little jealous in staring I’ll at least put these observations to good use.

Let’s talk running form. Sure the action of putting one foot in front of the other sounds easy, but have you noticed how some people can really take that ‘simple’ act and make it look crazy? There’s the hunchback, the arm swinger maniac, the shuffler, the head-bobber…get them all together and we could have a real carnival side show going on here.

If you take a look at those elite runners you see on TV or at the Olympics they tend to make running look effortless. Don’t be fooled they are hurting just like the rest of us but they are hurting efficiently. There’s no wasted movement because of arms swinging side to side…they are streamlined and every ounce of energy spent is going forward.

Sure not everyone is going to be able to run as fast or maybe make it look as easily as they do but you can at least improve your form. Better form will improve your running efficiency and that translates into faster times. We all like that, right?

* The hunchback: Getting hunched over can happen to the best of us as we tire towards the end of a race or hard workout. This is usually due to a lack of core or upper body strength, so doing strength and core work can really help with this problem. You want to always stay ‘tall’ when you’re running, think of a string attached to the top of your head and it’s pulling you up. When you catch yourself rolling forward, roll your shoulders back and get your torso up over your legs and not out in front of them.

* The tenser: Another common problem is the tiring runner will tense up; their shoulders will raise up to their ears, their fists are hard little balls, and their jaw gets clenched tight. Not only will this inhibit your range of motion but it’s wasted energy. You don’t want any muscles working harder than they have too…your jaw being forced shut isn’t helping your legs turn over any faster. When you feel yourself getting tense shake out your arms, wiggle your fingers/hands, and let your face relax. This also happens when someone is ‘trying too hard’…as crazy as it sounds trying to will yourself faster can work against you, relax and you’ll be surprised you’ll probably wind up going faster!

* The flightless bird: This is the person with arms akimbo, flapping like made. It comes in many different forms but you want your arms only swinging front to back; not side to side across your torso. You also want your elbows bent at about 90 degrees, not up so high you’re punching yourself in the face or down so low you look like Frankenstein. For each arm swing you want to feel like you’re ‘picking your pocket’ and that means as your arm swings back let it graze just about to where the back of your shorts pocket would be if you had one and in front of you going up to about chin level.

* The suffler and the leaper: Stride length is a tough one to work on and get just right; you don’t want to look like you’re leaping and you don’t want to be barely picking your feet up. Leaping is over-striding and leaves you hanging in the air too long and shuffling is under-striding. The ‘perfect’ stride rate has been figured out to be 180 steps per minute or 90 strides per minute. So a stride is counted when one leg makes a full running cycle. A quick test to help you gauge how your stride is doing is to count your strides as you run for 30 seconds and try to get as close as you can to 45. Check in with yourself throughout your run.

* The head-bobber and the other guys: Really, any wasted movement is extra energy spent and you want to eliminate that. Everyone has their quirks or habits while they run (I knew a guy who grunted about every 5 strides…annoying!) but if you can get as close to ‘perfect’ form as possible you’ll not only feel better but you’ll be running faster.

It’s TOUGH to change your form and you also want to do this GRADUALLY so you don’t wind up getting hurt. You don’t want to pull a muscle that’s weak because you haven’t been using it much before. So if you have things to change in your form pick ONE to focus on at a time. From there make it your priority to really think about fixing that single area at the end of each of your runs. Start with consciously making yourself stand tall for the last half mile of your runs…after awhile make it a thought for the full last mile of your run, etc. When you’ve fixed that one and are used to running all the time like that move to another area.

On that note, you can then chuckle at the rest of the circus carnival runner oddities as you see them on the road. 😉

1) What’s your running form malady?
I used to run with my arms up to my chin and against my chest…I worked on that but if I’m not careful I tend to over-stride.

2) Have you done much form work in the past? Have you tried core or strength work to improve your form?
Yes and yes. Core and strength work really helps people!

3) Your sure-tell sign that you’re tiring at the end of a race or workout.
My shoulders start to tense up and raise to my ears and I get this really wacky facial expression…I’ve been called Popeye before. :/

What I’ve Learned From Working in a Running Shoe Store

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Cait — 20 Comments ↓

My very first job when I was in high school was working for my local Fleet Feet Sports, a running specialty store. Here’s some things I picked up (along with loving the discount!):

* Not all shoes are created equal. People buy into hype; if you’re a 300 pound man looking to get into running, you in a Free shoe has disaster written all over it. So many times I’d have people come in and demand a certain shoe, feel convinced it is what they need because of a craze or commercial. I’d do my best to advise otherwise, sometimes they’d listen but not always and in the end you just have to let them do what they will. I’d be hard-pressed to believe those shoes lasted much longer than a day or two or he didn’t come down with shin splints so painful he was crying like a baby.

* Products are meant to sell but the right ones do so for good reason. Like above, companies pay tons of money to market their goods…advertising is an art and a game. This isn’t always to say that their merchandise doesn’t back up the slick claims and aren’t top quality, just that as a buyer you’ve got to be smart. Do some research, know your stuff, and if you don’t then don’t be afraid to ask. If you go to a running specialty shop, the good ones will have their employees go through training so they will KNOW what things/shoes/accessories/etc. work and which ones are just hype. Just ask it.

* Know your boundaries. When people came in to get fit for a shoe, I’d ask to see the person walk so I could see what kind of foot type they had. From there I’d be able to offer them the best shoes to keep them injury free. I can’t say I love feet, runner feet tend to be gnarly, but with socks on I’ve got no problem. Even sans socks I don’t mind watching people walk. But when a man came in, took a seat, and proceeded to take off his shoes…as he was getting to taking off his socks he asks, “Do you have anything here for really bad foot fungus?” I drew the line. Keep your socks on thank you very much, the anti-fungal treatments are on the shelf over there.

* Loyal customers get the schwag. Local running speciality stores are in competition with the bigger chains that may have cheaper prices on certain things. What you don’t get from Big 5 is the knowledge about running in particular; so if you’re going in regularly and are nice to us employees we remember that. This means if we get some freebies from retailers or know it’s okay to slide a little 10% off discount your way, we’ll keep you in mind. I’ll call it the ‘I like your face’ discount.

* Got injuries…we’ve probably been there to. Runners tend to work in running shoe stores and we are PEOPLE, not just employee droids. If you’ve got a problem, question, or anything else feel free to engage us in a little communiqué. We can offer up some tips, suggestions, advice, or if nothing else commiserate. Especially if you’re knew to the sport, feel free to pick the mind of your shoe fitter.

* Give us feedback.Okay, we don’t necessarily want to know that your last run was wrought with excruciating GI distress…but telling us that you did love the shoes we fit you in really does feel nice…just saying. The same goes if you didn’t think that shoe was too stellar, talk to us and we can work with you to find another one that works. In the place I worked there was a 30 day guarantee, if you really didn’t like a shoe, come back in and we’ll refit you and make a swap. Sometimes picking the perfect shoe takes a little bit of work…trial and error. As for which gels or bars taste good, let us know…a particular piece of apparel chafes really bad…let us know. Then we can order the things that people want.

Fleet the Foot!

I really did have a lot of fun working in the running shoe store…that said I also feel that at some point in their lives EVERYONE should have to work a customer service type job just for the sake of a reality check. Think of it as a reminder that in the end everyone is a person and should be treated as such…at the end of the day we all lace up those trainers and bust a sweat like you.

1) Where do you get your running shoes, clothes, and supplies?

2) Do you have a relationship with a particular store where you get your running goods?

3) Have you ever worked in customer service type jobs and what have you learned?

4) Do you find feet a little bit disgusting?
I have a foot thing…I just don’t like touching them. Don’t worry, I include my own nasty running feet with the judgment. 😉

Defining Your ‘It’: Dreaming, Thinking, Setting Goals

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Cait — 16 Comments ↓

What is ‘IT’ to you?

Do you know what you want? Is there an inkling in there? Are you not totally sure that it’s what will make you happy, but it might? Are you afraid to say it…maybe even think it?

Setting our sights on something can be scary…sometimes speaking goals puts too much weight on them. But it still could be worth putting the weight on the words and striving towards ‘It’…striving towards something.

Having a concrete goal and writing it down has proven to be one of the most effective ways of actually achieving something…funny how the a remarkably ‘simple’ act is instrumental in a potentially insurmountable outcome.

Because even if you don’t exactly get to the ‘it’ you originally thought of…getting there is a journey and if your ‘it’ evolves over the trek that’s okay. Redefine it. But still go after it.

Heck, even if you fail…and you might, there are no promises, it’s a risk…at least you tried, right? At least you won’t have to wrestle with the regret of not knowing.

Goals can be scary to share, but the people who DEFINE their ‘it’ and write it down somewhere, even if in secret, are far more likely to continue on that journey towards it. They have better chances of achieving their ‘it’…but even if they don’t, at least they don’t have the regrets of now knowing what ‘could be’ if they never tried.

Define it…Redefine it if you have to…go after IT.

Or is this more your style?? 😉

(Hey, even if your ‘it’ for the moment is cake…if it gets you through the workout I call it a win! hehe. Not all goals have to be so HUGE or long term…mini-goals can be set and achieved too!)

1) What’s and ‘it’ you have?

2) Do you write your goals down, or have a little to-do kind of list?
I have way too many lists, mostly because I seem to get lots of ideas in strange/random places and I don’t want to forget about them. 😛

3) Do you bait yourself to finish certain tasks/workouts that will get you headed towards where you want to go?
All about the carrot in front of the horse…works surprisingly well too! 🙂