Workout Wednesday: How To Get Faster

It’s the topic that I always love to read about- how do you get faster while running?!? I never imagined that I would be a sub 2 hour marathoner (I was honestly just hoping to get below 2:10 at one point in time), but I’ve somehow managed to get close to breaking that elusive 1:40 mark. It’s taken a lot of work, but I have managed to become consistent over the years and knock over 45 minutes off of my time.

First thing that I did-> Became consistent

I started skipping less runs, running more often, and gradually increasing my weekly mileage. I didn’t start doing anything crazy (like 50+ mile weeks) until after running for 5+ years, but just having the consistent effort and habit of running made a big difference.

Add in -> Speedwork

Speedwork doesn’t need to be anything crazy (you definitely don’t need to start incorporating mile repeats right away or 2 x 3 mile repeats), just even consider doing a few faster strides (think: less than 1/10th of a mile fast run/jog followed by either walking or slower jogging until you catch your breath and then repeat a few more times). This is when I started to notice an immediate difference in my running times come race day.

Don’t forget about -> Strength Training

It’s certainly hard to do now, but strength training is IMPORTANT! I really want to do a blog post coming up about how to do bodyweight strength training from your home because (at least for me) our gyms are closed indefinitely and I cannot find free weights anywhere. Strength training is so important to help you get stronger and also to prevent injuries. Even just two times a week (cut your run shorter and add in a few moves if you’re short on time) will make a difference.

Do not just -> run fast

If you’re only interested in running fast, then I’d suggest doing other cross training on the 2-3 days that you want to incorporate speed work (think: 1 day. week with some sort of faster running repeats, 1 day/week with strides, 1 day/week of longer runs). If you’re running 5-6 days a week, your runs should not be all ‘full out’. You’re asking for an injury (or just to ever improve) if you run like this.

Also don’t-> run the same speed all the time.

Your runs should never all be at the same time (like above) and they should be slower than your race paces (think: 2 + minute slower than marathon pace). Yes, you can run faster, but you’re not giving your body time to adapt and build your oxygen stores/blood volume when you consistently stress your heart to it’s max.

Don’t just -> stretch

Stretching is GREAT and should absolutely be done before and after your runs, however you need to do dynamic warm-ups/ cool downs/ strength training to help your muscles adapt/ get warm/ cool down / get stronger. Stretching does a lot, but think about any aerobics class you’ve gone to -> what do you do before you stretch? You have to warm-up your muscles, get the work done, slow your heart rate down, then you get to stretch and relax.

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• What tips would you add that helped you improve your running times?

• Favorite ways to strength train right now?

• What are you training for?

Training Thursday: Why You Should Vary Your Running Shoes

Happy Training Thursday and Friday-eve! Can you believe that I’m back to blogging at least once a week?!? I know- maybe I shouldn’t gloat too much. You never know what can happen over the next few weeks! This past weekend we had a scare with my Dad, who had a small heart attack. So, I was unable to bring you my weekend recap. He is doing much better now (he also had a stroke less than 3 years ago, so we are very very lucky with him) and hope that varying his medications will decrease his chances of having another one. I’ve heard of being blessed (and also unfortunate) with being in the “know” regarding healthcare when you become a nurse, but I definitely experienced it this past weekend. I knew what his prognosis could be, what they should be doing with his treatment (and maybe, what they didn’t do well-enough) and also hopeful when test results started coming back. Guess this means I’m almost an RN now or something?

Anyways, let’s bring you back into the running world and discuss why you should vary your running shoes! I never wear the same running shoe twice in a row and always switch them up based on the workout I’m doing/ running route I’m going on/ how I’m feeling etc.

They provide your feet with varied pressure points and challenge them.

Your feet are less likely to become relaxed if you’re constantly changing where they have cushion/ where there is less cushion/ where you have more vs. less support. It’s like a small workout for not just your feet, but also your body. You are forced to adjust your form to adapt to the change-of-scenery for your feet. If you’re going out for a run, why not get the most out of it and challenge your feet in a new way (and give them a vacation from the shoes that you wore yesterday)!

Your performance will improve if you have the right type of equipment.

If you have the necessary equipment, then you’re better prepared for the environment (and that includes your running shoes)! If I know that I’m going to be running on the roads, then I grab my shoes that have better grips (like my Brooks Cascadia or Ghosts). If I know that I’m going to be on the track, then I grab for my lightest shoes (Brooks Launch is my favorite). You also should be varying your running routes and terrain to save your joints from the constant wear-and-tear of the same terrain.

You’ll decrease your chance of injuries.

I haven’t (knock-on-wood) dealt with an injury related to running since I began rotating through my running shoes often. Before, I may have grabbed for the same shoe twice in a row or hung onto that beloved pair of sneaks for a bit too long. Now, I know that if I want to prevent injuries -> I never grab for the same thing twice and I retire my shoes earlier rather than later (a new pair of running shoes is a lot less expensive than repeated sessions of physical therapy or surgery)!

What goes with one outfit, certainly doesn’t go with another. (Just Kidding- well, kinda…)

I mean if you don’t look or feel cute in your running outfit, then are you even doing it right? I’m just kidding! But seriously, I save my favorite shoes (currently Brooks Glycerins) for those runs when I need some extra pep in my step. Maybe you’ve got a favorite pair of sneaks or those ‘special sneakers’ or maybe you need a pair! Whatever it is, I think that everyone should get their own pair of ‘ruby red slippers’ like Dorothy has and feel like they’re “home” when they slip into them.

When To Replace Your Shoes?

I’ve had my fair share of running injuries over the years- Achilles Tendonitis, Shin Splints, Plantar Fasciitis, Some weird Inner-Arch-of-My-Foot-Pain. Though all of my running set-backs, I’ve learned how important it is to replace your running shoes! I actually now rotate through my running shoes each week. I went crazy and purchased around 6 different pairs before running the MS Run The US and am still working my way through them. I think that it’s really helped me to not wear the same sneaker two days in a row. I’m distributing the wear & tear on the shoes (so I’m extending their life) and also distributing my foot stride/strike since I’m wearing different shoes on each run! So, how can you tell when it’s time to replace your shoes?

1. Try to keep a log of your shoes.

   This can get kinda challenging when you add in multiple shoes into your rotation, but for a long time I kept a log of each run that I would do and what shoes I was wearing. Although I’ve since stopped the log, I still have a general idea of what shoes have A LOT of miles on them and what shoes might still have a few 100 miles on them. Normally the rule of them is that a new pair of running shoes can take you between 300-500 miles. I actually get MORE out of most of my shoes (I find that speed work shoes, like my beloved Launches, have less support so I don’t get more than ~400 miles out of them) because I swap the soles out for Superfeet when I hit around 300 miles in them.

2. Take note when you feel ‘off’ after your run

Normally if I feel any sort of weird aches or pains after a run, I’ll go straight to what shoes I was wearing. I might feel like my achilles is a bit tighter, my plantar fasciitis could start acting up, or my ankles are just sore. Maybe it was the run or the terrain I was on, but I always like to factor in my shoes. For example, I had a treadmill run a few months ago where I was just doing some easy miles and immediately got a weird pain in my shin -> I was wearing a pretty old pair of shoes and decided that it was time to retire them. I haven’t had any sort of pain like that since then.

3. Look at the bottom of your shoes

Take a look at the tread of your shoes. This can tell you A LOT about where your weight is when you land (is it in the middle? off to one side? do you have multiple wear spots?) and also how does the tread look? If it’s worn down to nothing compared to other parts of your tread, then it might be time to consider investing in a new pair of shoes. There are a few of my shoes that I’ve recently noticed have almost no tread in my forefoot striking area -> I’ve ordered 3 new pairs of shoes!

4. Take a look at your insole.

I pull mine right out of the shoe and look inside to see where there is ‘less life’. Is one part smashed right down or does it look pretty even throughout the entire sole? Mine normally start to squish down near the pad of my foot, which tells me that it’s time to retire them.

5. If your new shoe doesn’t give you anything -> time to retire

So what do I mean by ‘not give you anything’? I mean LOTS OF THINGS! Does it no longer give you excitement when you pop it on? Does it no longer feel like it’s providing you with support/ spring/energy/return when you run in them? Do they feel like you’re weighed down more than you used to feel (new shoes should always feel like you’re on springs, but really worn out shoes -> I feel like I’m ‘stuck in mud’ on my runs)?

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So, when do you replace your shoes?

How many shoes do you currently have in your rotation?

When was the last time you got some new pairs?

I just ordered three new pairs (thank you Birthday gifts ; ) …)- Launches (for speedwork), Caldera (for trails), & Ghosts (for everyday road runs). I’ll donate the oldest pairs of my shoes and will work towards getting another pair of the Ghosts and probably another gore tex trail runners because you never know when it might be snowy/rainy/muddy on race day!

How To Make Those 'Resolutions' Stick

New Years Resolutions. A lot of us make them. A lot of us hate them. Some of us (like me) thrive on not resolutions, but goals/intentions/milemarkers. I want to improve myself and check some things off my bucketlist. I know that I certainly won’t hit all of my goals this year (ha that would be great now wouldn’t it?!?), but I know that I’m dreaming big and at least setting out to get my goals.

One of the biggest things that I’ve found that helps me make (and STICK TO!) my New Year goals is by setting them intentionally.

I think about my goals A LOT. I dream about what I want, I change my mind a million times, and then ultimately when something sounds really good I say ‘yeah! I’m doing IT’. I think by taking the time to really nail down the goals that I want it helps solidify my desire for the goals. Having desirable goals is HUGE. You definitely need to be passionate about what you want before putting in all that hard work. I remember I dreamed of running a marathon for years, trained for one, got injured, took a few years off, then resigned-up with the full desire to actually DO IT before completing my goal! You have to want to do it and really understand what it will take to get you there BEFORE actually doing it or putting in any of the work.

Once I write down my goals someplace where I will see them all the time, I take into account the work that it will take to get me to my goals. For example, when I set out to raise $10,000 for Multiple Sclerosis- I wrote down everything that I could possibly think of that I could do to help me fundraise that amount of money. I wrote down businesses, people that I knew, places where I could fundraise, events that I could hold, etc. That big giant list was my way of knowing what it would take to help get me to my dream!

I was also realistic in my goal-chasing process. Know that you will hit bumps in your road. You will most-likely hit roadblocks. Be kind to yourself during this process.

Envision yourself pushing past those roadblocks and be kind to yourself. Rome wasn’t built in a day and your goal will not be completed without a few setbacks. I think they say that it take three weeks to set a new schedule/routine. So know that you have time to possibly fall down and getting back up and carrying on is what you’ll need to do!

Don’t let the roadblocks and detours deter you from your goal.

I never let injury stand in my way of someday running a marathon (and now I’ve ran 8 of them) and neither should you! Be relentless in your pursuit of your goals. Be flexible, laugh when something silly deters you off course for a bit, and then pick it right back up again.

Knowing from the get-go that it will be challenging will help you conquer your resolutions. If everything you were pursuing was easy, then we would all lead very mundane lives!

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-How do you stick to resolutions or new goals?

-What intentions have you set for yourself lately?

-What roadblocks or detours do you envision yourself hitting?

Lessons Learned: Seventh Marathon

I wish I could say that I’ve got it mastered from my seventh marathon. I know when things will hurt, how to push through them, the secret sauce to power through to that finish line, but I don’t. This marathon was part of my 50 miler training, so my ultimate goal was to still not get injured (among I also thought that getting a sub 3:40 really wasn’t too far off). Oh, how I still have so much to learn!

You can’t train for a bad day. They will happen and it’s just a fact of life.

You also can’t train for stomach issues. You should still try to take gels in (I didn’t until much later in the race, when I should have tried to take another one sooner).

Be proud of your effort through the race and beyond. There will always be things out of your control. Show up to the start line knowing you gave it your best (or being realistic and knowing that you haven’t) and give it your best that day.

Training on hills is necessary.

Don’t slack on marathon paced miles. I slacked on these a bit (they were HARD) and paid for it.

Don’t rely on an awesome half marathon PR to pull you through on the marathon. I got a big half marathon PR 5 weeks out from race day and maybe had too much ego (that I will get my time goals) leading into the full.

Finding out what works well for you (nutrition-wise) the days leading up to the marathon is really important. I’m still working on this one.

We’re all up to date on my marathons! Cheers to 6 more weeks of training before my eighth marathon! Also shocker- I’m not using this as a build-up for anything else! It’s all marathon-focused over here right now.

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What works well for you for fuel before race day?

Anyone else find marathon (or race pace) miles super challenging?

Lessons learned from your past races- tell me what they are!?