Training

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

This past weekend, someone sent me this article. It’s an important reminder and I’d like to make a few points that I see often referenced but just as often ignored:

– If something doesn’t seem right, something is likely not right. We all have to struggle through fatigue and aches at times but most of us have a sense of what is “normal” and what just doesn’t feel right. Trust your gut. In this individual’s case, he knew something wasn’t right when his paces dropped off rapidly. That’s a telltale sign that something is wrong. At the very least, you’re not going to get more out of your workout when you’re fading like that for no clear reason so don’t push your luck.

– If you feel unexplainable chest, back, or shoulder pain, take it seriously. See a doctor.

– Even more, make sure you are your best advocate. It sounds like this individual had a good medical team looking out for him. Too often, a runner with normally stellar numbers comes in with “normal” numbers and is told you’re fine. If your numbers look out of line to your normal, point this out. Be annoying if you have to. It could save your life.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

This time of the year, we likely have our goal races in sight. We may already even be registered for them. However, do you have some other races on your schedule? This is a good time of the year to pick some secondary races to fill out your schedule and make sure you’re race sharp when your goal races come around.

Many runners seem to not worry about this part of goal race preparation. They figure they will train themselves into the best shape possible and take advantage of that fitness. So why do these other races matter?

Because racing is a skill and, like all skills, you need to practice it in order to be good at it.

Whether you’re running a mile or a marathon, whether you’re going for the win or in the middle of the pack, there are aspects of the race that need to be practiced. Here are a few ways you can benefit from practice races (I like to call them tune up races).

Pre-race routine

How early do you need to get up before a race to be awake and ready to race? How much do you need to eat or drink and how long before the start do you need to eat? Do you need a warmup? If so, what is the routine that works best for you?

These are all questions that we can try to answer in training and I would recommend doing so. However, the best solution can’t be found in any way other than race day practice. Due to nerves, some people have stomachs that are more sensitive on race day. You need to be more awake, alert, and ready to go even for a marathon than you do for a weekly long run or an easy run.

Race strategy

If you’re in the middle of the pack, competitive strategies may not matter to you. If you’re going for a win, top 10 finish, or age group placement, competitive strategies matter much more. However, even if you’re in the middle of the pack and focusing on a time goal, there are race day strategies that matter.

For the competitive runner: You need to have some race day strategies and practice them. What happens if your competition plans to sit and kick on you? Do you grind out a pace you hope will run the kick out of them? Do you surge and try to break them? Do you begin your kick early and try to get the jump on them? If you do some tune up races, you can practice these different strategies and be prepared on the course to decide which gives you the best chance. Then you can be ready to execute with confidence.

Likewise, you can develop, practice, and test your ability with other strategies. Maybe you’re a good kicker and you want to be the person sitting and kicking. You can work on maintaining contact while your competitor tries to grind you out or work on how to cover surges

Just as important, these tune up races give you the opportunity to assess your weaknesses and work on them so they can’t be exploited by your competitors. Do you tend to fade in the second mile of a 5K or third quarter of a mile? Then run some races where your aim is to push hard through those spots. Tell yourself it doesn’t matter how you finish, what matters is that you push through the area where you usually let up.

For the middle of the pack runner: You might think it’s simple. Just lock into a pace and carry it through. However, how do you handle the crowds, especially if you’re doing a big race? If you’re doing a long race, how do you handle fueling? If you’re going to use the aid stations, how are you going to go into them? As with the competitive runners, do you need to practice pushing through a part of the race where you often lose focus and let your pace lag? This could be the key to a PR.

Just as with the competitive runner, you can plan these things but there are logistical issues that you likely won’t anticipate until you’ve encountered them in a race. Even more, some of these issues are skills that need to be practiced. You can practice drinking out of a paper cup while on the run in training but race day is different. You’re not in crowds, you don’t have a complete stranger handing the cup to you, you’re not potentially running across discarded and potentially wet and slippery cups while trying to drink from your own cup.

Pushing yourself

I know others look at races differently but, when I’m racing, I’m looking to test my limits. I want to push myself to the very edge of my ability.

Almost every year, when I run my first race of the year, this just doesn’t happen. I don’t push myself that way in training so I haven’t pushed myself that hard in months. I’m simply rusty. I need to remember what it’s like to take myself to the limit.

If you’re not pushing yourself to the limit in workouts (and I hope you’re not) you’re going to need one or two race efforts to get the feel for doing that. If you don’t, you’re going to be out of practice and not going to be ready to push yourself like that on race day.

It doesn’t matter if you’re going for the win or running in the middle of the pack. It doesn’t matter if you’re racing the competitors around you or shooting for a time. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a large or small race. It doesn’t matter if you’re running a mile or a marathon. It doesn’t even matter if the tune up races are the same distance as your goal race. Getting some tune up races will help you when your goal race comes around. There are simply some skills that can’t be practiced any way other than by running in a race. So, now that you likely have picked out your goal races, go out and find a few tune up races to prepare for them.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot recently. Then I read this post by Seth Godin and I felt I had to discuss it.

I’ll try to learn from Seth and keep this short.

A lot of people think they can only learn from those who are more experienced, have a more comprehensive formal education, or some combination of the two.

For my whole life, I have always wanted to learn from everyone around me. I still take that approach. If you can’t learn something from everyone around you, then you’re not trying hard enough.

Whether it’s a question or a perspective you may not have considered from a novice or sage advice from a veteran, if we’re open to listening, we can learn something from everyone. Regardless of their experience, I’ve learned something from every runner I’ve coached.

I hope you do the same. There’s a lot to learn.

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Last week, I had a workout planned for Tuesday. Then we had an ice storm. Conditions were so slippery I found myself a couple of times thinking I might have been wise to run on a treadmill. Anyone who knows me knows that means they were very bad.

Why does this matter? Because I made a decision I would hope any one of us would have made without hesitation in conditions like I was facing. I chose to skip the workout and just get in an easy run.

As it turns out, the roads were good enough for me to get in a workout on Wednesday but even then I had to adjust slightly from the original plan. I was still able to do the planned tempo run but there were points where I had to back off the pace to navigate icy stretches.

Especially now, with conditions that can be questionable and when you’re probably still months away from your goal race, make sure you’re being flexible when necessary. Is pushing back today’s planned workout a day or two or even skipping it really as bad as going out in bad conditions and risking injury?

Photo credit: Running by Emeli Persson, on Flickr

This article was originally posted by Ryan at the original HillRunner.com Blogs.

Crank it up!

It’s the time of the year when our best intentions to run outside can sometimes be scuttled. Maybe the roads are dangerous due to snow or ice and drivers who aren’t being as careful as they should be. Maybe we just need a break from running in the snow or extreme cold. It’s definitely possible for most runners to run safely through most winter conditions but not all. Regardless, sometimes we just need a break from the grind.

So what do you do when you decide it’s best for your safety or sanity to hit a treadmill? I know I can quickly lose my sanity doing just an easy run on a treadmill. That’s where, if you can fit a moderately hard run in, you can take advantage of the tool with one of my favorite treadmill workouts.

The workout

Treadmill hill progressions are pretty simple conceptually. On a treadmill, occasionally increase the incline in order to increase the intensity of the run. It’s like a traditional progression run but taking advantage of the fact you’re on a treadmill to increase grade instead of speed.

The benefits

“Hills are speedwork in disguise.” – Frank Shorter

When we’re outside of our racing season, we want to do some speed training but we don’t want to go too intense. This is a workout that will build your strength and speed without beating you up too badly, as long as you don’t try to hang on until you’re falling off the back of the treadmill.

As with traditional progression runs, this is a good stamina workout. It’s also the kind of strength workout that those of us who don’t live on the side of a mountain simply can’t do without a treadmill.

How to run it

Start your run at a comfortable warmup pace and at a 0% incline. You’re going to stay at this pace for the duration of the run but don’t worry, things will get much harder so you don’t need to set a fast pace.

Typically, I’m on a treadmill that can increase incline at 0.5% grade intervals. So I’ll increase the grade by 0.5% every 1/2 mile. So, at 1 mile, I’m setting the grade to 1%. At 1.5 miles, I’m setting it to 1.5%.

Obviously, if you’re on a treadmill that only increases grade by whole percentages, you can accomplish essentially the same thing by increasing by 1% every mile. Or you can get creative with how often you increase the grade and by how much. However, make sure you’re not getting too aggressive. This is a progression run, which means you shouldn’t be maxing yourself out 1-2 miles into the workout. It should be a gradual build up.

Increase until the workout is pleasantly hard. Even when I’m looking for a very hard workout, I always try to end when I feel like I could still increase at least one more time and last a half mile. Remember, it’s a workout, not a race.

Finally, make sure you get some cool down time. At least 1/2 to 1 mile at the end of the run, again at the same pace but at a more gentle grade of 0-1%.

Photo credit: Treadmill2 by benignfun, on Flickr