Things I have learned about running

[Double]

This is my 35th year of running.  Some were pretty lean years, but those helped me learn as well.  These are in no particular order.

1. I need 2-3 months of consistent running after a 2 month plus layoff to start coming around.

2. If you have a pain or issue starting up, it is best to take the time (for me usually less than a week) to rest or address the issue.

3. I still believe I need to run 6-9 times a week to be at my best.

4. Rarely is there a time you can't get a run in that day.

5. You can race well on ten miles a day just about over any distance.

6. Outside of building back up, a run of less than 50 minutes hardly seems worth getting out the door.

7. Racing at even splits has yielded the best times.

8. Racing for a top spot can have little to do with split times.

9. I never venture how a run is going to go until I've covered 2-4 miles, sometimes more.

10. It can be hard to do other's workouts.

11. When I feel really good, I usually go with it.

12. It is good to know a year in advance what you want to accomplish.

13. Master the time continuum.  Train yourself to forget about how long you may be out there.

14. Always take toilet paper.

15. Visualize your race and pre-think outcomes.  Know what your best trained to do and use those to your advantage.  Maximize what you can do on race day.

16. Don't worry about bad days or performances.  Your not parachuting into Nam'.

17. Figuring things out for yourself can be the most rewarding.

18. There are hundreds of workouts.  Mix things up once in awhile.

19. It is darn near impossible to keep other people motivated.  Largely it is a waste of good time.  If people can't show up on time consistently, forget about them.

20. Set a couple alarms before a major race or event.

21. For distances of the marathon and up, it may be better to do back to back 2 hour runs as the primary training and leave the longer run to every 3-4 weeks.

22. When training hard, forget about racing well...and try and get away from mini tapers all the time to see where you are at.  The primary event is down the road.

23. Proper peaking and tapering can be hard to do.

24. Having a desire to beat someone is a strong motivator.

25. Weekly miles is more important than the long run.  If I cover 60 -80 miles a week and you do 25 miles on a long run every week, but only 40 -50 miles total,  I'm probably going to beat you in races over the marathon distance.

26. The main reason for training for a marathon is finding out exactly what pace per mile you can hold the whole way.  Guessing rarely works....and no...I don't know what pace you should run.

27. Races of 10K and less hurt an awful lot.

28. Speed development is really cool and essential over any distance.

29. Well developed hill routines seem a thing of the past, but they have a ton of value.  may be the most overlooked thing on my part for some time now.

30. Breakthoughs can happen at anytime.

31. When tired, know the difference of when to push on and when to rest.

32. Have a grass downhill you can cut loose on.  I'm sure there is some value, but mainly it can be a blast.

33. My bread and butter workouts are around 1:10.

34. 99% of the time a dog charges, if I yell Stop, and act like I am picking up a rock, they back-off.

35. Everytime I have been bitten is because the owner said they would not and I let my guard down.

36. Enjoy the other things in life.  Don't let running become all consuming.  

[Ryan]

Great list. Don't be surprised if I e-mail you asking if I can make an article out of this (with credits to you, of course) in the next few days.

A few comments:

6. Outside of building back up, a run of less than 50 minutes hardly seems worth getting out the door.
13. Master the time continuum.  Train yourself to forget about long you may be out there.

Some might see these as contradictory. I think they are complimentary. When you get to the point that less than 50 minutes seems useless, it becomes very easy to head out for a 90 minute run and have it turn into 120 minutes without even realizing it.

18. There are hundreds of workouts.  Mix things up once in awhile.

I love this! I'm becoming a big fan of workout variety. Stimulates both the mind and the body.

19. It is darn near impossible to keep other people motivated.  Largely it is a waste of good time.  If people can't show up on time consistently, forget about them.

Likewise, don't expect others to be your motivation. The only motivation that sticks comes from within.

24. Having a desire to beat someone is a strong motivator.

Maybe it's just my competitive nature but I can't think of a stronger motivator.

34. 99% of the time a dog charges, if I yell Stop, and act like I am picking up a rock, they back-off.

Unfortunately, there's that other 1%. Don't let your guard down and, if there is a rock, don't just act like you're picking it up.

[cesar]

fascinating!!

[ksrunner]

Double,

Thanks for the list. I tend to stick with half-marathon and below -- except for some longer training runs, but there's a lot to think about.

8. Racing for a top spot can have little to do with split times.

I ran a half marathon this weekend. Though I wore a Garmin during the race, I did not look at it until afterward. I think that looking at my splits during the race could only have hurt my preformance. I was focused on other runners. I think that it is possible -- though unlikely since I hadn't visualized the race in terms of the clock -- that I might have slowed down if I had seen my splits. I don't think that I would have seen the time that I ran as very likely before the race.

15. Visualize your race and pre-think outcomes.  Know what your best trained to do and use those to your advantage.  Maximize what you can do on race day.

My race this weekend turned out about like the best-case scenario of what I'd pictured. Races often turn out very much like you imagine them to be. Some of the details were a bit different than I had imagined, but the end result was nearly exactly what I pictured.

16. Don't worry about bad days or performances.  Your not parachuting into Nam'.

That thought really puts things in perspective.

24. Having a desire to beat someone is a strong motivator.

Competition is more or less the only reason that I can see to run races. Which also turns into the greatest motivator to train.

34. 99% of the time a dog charges, if I yell Stop, and act like I am picking up a rock, they back-off.

I meet a lot of unleashed dogs running in the country. The phrase I tend to yell is "Get back!", but I think anything will do. A well-timed "Get back!" shouted just before they reach the road can often keep dogs in their yard. If a dog comes into the road in advance of my approach, I will alter my course to go straight at it. Generally, they move back into the yard. I've also been known to turn around and sprint at a dog that decides to chase me. Though it can be a bit disruptive, it is highly effective. My race on Saturday covered some country roads similar to those by my house. At a couple of places there were dogs in the road. I found it interesting that although I saw the dogs bother the guy ahead of me and heard them mess with someone a bit behind me, they didn't bother me. As I approached, I was thinking about how I would kick the dog's ass. I think that my thoughts got into my body language. I know I glared at them. They stayed out of my way. I find aggressive thoughts when meeting dogs often helps the encounter go better for me. While I am thinking those thoughts, I really mean them. I am prepared to do physical harm to those dogs and they know it. I rarely have to pick up a rock or do much more than yell or veer toward the dogs these days. Often I can deal with dogs without it disrupting my run.

Now, if you were to meet me, you would find me an easy going person and would have a hard time picturing me being angry -- much less mean or violent. I like dogs and I am friendly with dogs that I meet when I am not running. But, I don't have time for dogs when I am running. I do not harbor any ill feelings toward the dogs I meet on my run, but I won't tolerate them in my space. I actually find it harder to deal with over-friendly puppies who don't know enough to be cautious than with mature dogs protecting their territory. I have thrown rocks at said puppies for their own good to keep them from following me. I also pushed one when it jumped up and caused it to fall down. Those puppies look so betrayed when you're mean to them and I do feel bad about that even though I know that it really is better for them and any other runners that they meet. In the long run, I'd prefer that they be hit by my rock than by a car.

One thing that I am more cautious about is dogs in groups of four or more. I often run past houses where three dogs run out without stopping, but I have also seen a couple of cases where dogs start acting like a pack where some move into the road to intercept and others try to circle behind. When that happens, I stop and pick up rocks or a stout stick if I can find one and either walk past or if they're particularly threatening, I back away the way I came. My scariest dog encounter was with a pack of dogs where one of them was extremely aggressive. I held it off with rocks as I backed away. I feel fortunate not to have been bitten or injured by dogs.

By the way, I generally never see the owners of the dogs that I meet. Most owners do not have enough control over their dog to be helpful and there presence usually causes us to tone down how we address the situation with the dog and extends the amount of time that I have to deal with the dog.

[denton]

Doube...that post goes down into the annals.....one to save.....

[Andrew A.]

Good thread topic, not much I could disagree with here.

[sueruns]

interesting, I have a 50 minute rule and don't remember why or where I came up with it ..............although i do alot of 20-30 runs now, so it isn't a rule for me now that I've stopped marathoning

[Andrew A.]

I agree.  I would not say that I have an 'x-minute rule,' per se, though I do have weekly average/total aims in terms of minutes.  It goes to #9 above, if after a few miles the energy and form are simply not coming around then I see nothing wrong with cutting it short.  Also, when doing 2-a-days, one of the two daily runs will be a shake-out run and it seems better to restrict that run to the 20-45 minute range.

[cesar]

steve, out of curiosity, what time did you run in the half marathon?

[ksrunner]

Cesar,

I ran 1:23:38 after 2 to 2 1/2 months of training. I would have skipped this race, but I had a free entry that I didn't want to waste. I've struggled some with injuries for the past few years. I feel like I may have put those behind me for a time, so I am very optimistic about this year.

By the way, I'm still training (and racing a 1/2 marathon) in the XC flats. I have only done two runs over 10 miles in the XC flats, but they have worked well. The recent half marathon was the first run that covered a lot of paved surfaces, but I chose the XC flats over other racing flats because I thought they would give me an advantage over the four-mile stretch of sloppy gravel roads. My training runs over similar roads have been at a slightly faster pace since I started training in them.

I did make one mistake for this race. On the way to the race, I loosened my shoe laces because they were too tight to be comfortable during the car ride. I forgot to tighten the laces before the race. Shortly into the race, I noticed my right foot slipping. I ran through it for about 7 miles (running in 6th place) before I finally stopped and retied the shoe. After I did that, I realized that my other shoe was loose as well and I stopped and tied it after I made up most of the ground I'd lost tying the first shoe. I don't know how much time I lost. I did lose three places. The anxiety over the stops caused me to pick up the pace when I got on the road again. I tied the second shoe about 1/2 mile before starting the gravel section in miles 9-12. I caught everyone who had passed me while I tied my shoes and I passed one guy who had faded out of the top four. Just before the gravel ended, I pulled even with the guy who had been in front of me in fifth when I stopped to tie my shoes. This is the only questionable part of my race execution. I was tied for fourth place with just over a mile to go. Over the last mile, I let him get away. In hindsight, I think that this was an okay decision. We were not competing for the top three (for an overall award) and he was obviously a young guy (not in contention for a masters award). I have a history of injury and I am only starting to get into good shape again. Though I didn't consider the injury angle during the race, the thoughts about him not being in my age group did cross my mind. In hindsight, I think that it was a safe decision not to make a hard push for fourth. At this point in my training, it makes sense to err on the side of caution -- even in a race. Though I would welcome other's thoughts on that topic.

Hmm ... I didn't plan to turn this into a race report.

Steve

[Ryan]

Steve, to add to Double's list, I'd say one thing I've learned in just about 20 years of running is that you sometimes have to sacrifice the short term for the benefit of the long term. In middle of a race, I don't think I would have made the same decision. However, given your history, it probably doesn't hurt to err on the side of caution at this point in time. After all, as you stated, you wouldn't have even run it if not for the free entry. If it's that unimportant to you, why risk the big races for it?

In other words, while I probably wouldn't have made the same decision in the heat of the battle, you probably made a better choice than I would have.

[Mark]

Great post.

[Andrew A.]

For the sake of discussion - though, as stated, basically everything I see is spot-on - there are a few items I would like to investigate a bit further. 

10. It can be hard to do other's workouts.

It can also be counter-productive.  It is good to be pushed beyond one's comfort zone, yet it is bad to race a workout.  I see the latter in group runs I have gone to, guys hammering out to hang onto the guys up front and then needing to turn around early and/or slog a significant portion of the run.  How much benefit is there in that compared with what could have been accomplished if they had stayed more within themselves for the entire run, or at least had run more progressively?

14. Always take toilet paper.

I never have, nor carried tissues.  I figure that I will be showering right after I finish my run, anyway, so might as well just skip the TP and wash off in the shower.  I have yet to have flies follow me as a result.

18. There are hundreds of workouts.  Mix things up once in awhile.

Sure, plus it is important to regularly touch the full range of energy systems.  However, I think mixing things up just for the sake of variety is missing the forest for the trees.  I have seen people construct all manner of complex and wide-ranging ladder workouts and whatnot and when I look at them I am left wondering, "what is the real purpose of this workout, beyond running to get tired?"  There is merit in doing the same basic workout in the lead-up to a race (say, 5x1K for a 5K) and increasing the effort (holding goal pace while progressively reducing interval length, in this case).  I am also reminded of a story I heard from Plaatjes not long ago.  When Alan Culpepper was training for his marathon debut, he queried Plaatjes about the workouts he found to be most effective for the marathon.  Plaatjes responded with: long (3K-5K/9:00-15:00) repeats.  Later in his career, Culpepper went to Plaatjes to find answers to the plateau he had hit in the marathon.  Plaatjes asked him if he was still doing long repeats.  Culpepper responded that he was not as he just did not like them much at all.  Plaatjes told this story to illustrate the idea that you need to embrace the workouts that have the highest efficacy, not merely your favorites that you enjoy.  There should certainly be some level of enjoyment and satisfaction in each run, but if you are having fun with and enjoying the entirety of your training then there may be something you are overlooking.  Or, as Coach Norman Dale put it in Hoosiers, "my practices are not designed for your enjoyment!"

28. Speed development is really cool and essential over any distance.

Definitely, and this is probably one of the more misunderstood and misaddressed facets of training.  The popularization of marathons and making them a focal point for neophyte runners has led to a lot of short-cutting that, typically, results in never properly developing speed.  As the title of the Bill Squires and Bruce Lehane's book states, speed with endurance.  That is likely part of why it has been typical for top distance runners to move to the marathon only late in their careers, they find that they have developed their speed as much as they can and then extend that on out.  Steve Jones says get fast first then go long.

36. Enjoy the other things in life.  Don't let running become all consuming.

Coach Bobby McGee had something to say about this.

[Andrew A.]

Good post, Steve.  It was not a goal race and being able to slip back into the thick of training that much sooner due to not needing more recovery from a harder effort should pay off down the road.  Good fitness test and race conditions practice, now you can cut your odds of error down.

[ksrunner]

Ryan and Andrew, Thanks for the responses.

I am a very competitive runner, but sometimes, I am selectively competitive. If I go into a race with specific goals, I tend to relax when the goal is achieved. That was probably the case in this race. I went into the race focused on two competitors and by that point, I had fairly well established where I would finish in relation to each of them. So, I tested the guy running in fourth and when he proved that he would fight hard to keep fourth, I relented fairly easily because he really wasn't any part of my goals. I believe that if I'd had more training under my belt or if my time or place were meaningful for team scoring, I would have put up more of a fight.