“What kind of crazy nut would spend two or three hours a day just running?” -Pre (This is how Steve reacted in Junior High when he saw the High School Cross country team running)
The cool thing about running is that all it takes is a pair of running shoes and a road. It’s not hard to start running, but what do you do when you don’t understand what all the other runners are talking about? What do PR and BQ stand for? And what in the world is a fartlek? That sounds nasty.
Hopefully, this is informative enough to help a beginning running be more confident when talking to other runners about running.
PR – Personal Record
BQ – Boston Qualifying time
WR – World Record
10% rule - Don't increase your daily or weekly mileage by more than 10% of the previous amount
Bandit – A runner who did not register/pay for the race and should not be running the course. Their time and place will not count.
Chip time – As most big races they’ll give you a chip to put on your shoe. This is to start your race time when you cross the finish line, not when the race gun sounds. Sometimes it can take up to 10 min to get to the starting line.
Cotton – Not what you want to wear when on long runs. Wear moisture wicking material
Clock time – Your race time based on when the race gun sounds.
Fartlek – Swedish word for speed play; includes faster running mixed with slower running
Intervals/Repeats – A workout where a set distance is run repeatedly with a recovery jog between; (ex- 6 x 400 m with a 400 m jog between)
LSD – Not lysergic acid diethylamide or Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It’s long, slow distance to improve endurance.
Glucosamine – A supplement to improve joint health.
Master – Runner over 40
Negative Splits – Running the second half of a race faster than the first.
Overpronation – The excessive inward roll of the foot before toe-off.
Pronation – The natural, inward roll of the foot; pronation begins when heel contacts the ground, the foot then rolls inward to absorb shock and transfer weight to the ball of the foot as it prepares to push off.
Supination/Underpronation – The lack of sufficient inward motion of the foot; highly cushioned, flexible shoes are recommended to absorb shock and allow the foot to pronate naturally
R.I.C.E. – Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. This is what you should do to help recover from minor injuries.
General rules to be a courteous runner:
At a road race (Especially at smaller races):
Listen to the announcer. Know the course. Don’t suddenly stop at the water station because another runner could run into you. As you’re coming into the chute, pull the tag off your bib number and hand it to the volunteer (unless your race is employing chip time).
Always remember: HAVE FUN!
Some info in this blog was taken from these sites:
http://www.howtobefit.com/glossary-of-running.htm
http://www.valleyforgestriders.com/training_corner/running_terminology.htm
Training:
M: 3 mi (on the treadmill), 25:10
W: 3 mi (on the dreadmill), 24:58
F: Studying for my test in Saturday morning
S: 5 mi after the test, 40:35
I've also started a new periodized weight program I found online (I'll try to find the website). I've completed the four weeks of core training and am now working on four weeks of total body strength. I'm pretty sore, but I'm looking forward to seeing how this helps with my overall running economy. I'll keep you posted.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Running from dogs
“Cujo knew he was too old to chase rabbits.” – Cujo, by Stephen King
Cynophobia is the fear of dogs. While my fear has greatly subsided since I was a small child, I am still afraid of dogs I don’t know and especially dogs that are bigger than me (I am fairly petite). Just hearing the bark of a dog through a fence is enough to make me run a little faster.
On some of my very long runs, I run by a house that usually has the dogs enclosed in a wire fence. I don’t mind running on the same side of the street as that house as long as I know the dogs can’t get out. On one of my 20 milers, I saw in the distance a silhouette of a dog on the street. I switched sides of the road, but as I got closer and closer to the house, Cujo started trotting my way and barking at me. I got away unscathed, but still scared that I would have to see the dog on my way back.
Around mile 13 on that run, I encountered another early riser walking 7-8 dogs... some unleashed. The unleashed ones just wanted to play, but I didn’t appreciate these unfamiliar dogs yipping at me and jumping on my legs as I tried to maintain my pace. Thankfully, I was got away quickly as the owner was able to somewhat control her dogs.
On my way back home, the traffic was a little heavier, so I was able to avoid any run in with the first dog again because he couldn’t cross the street.
I have many other stories about seeing dogs while I’m on my runs (including seeing dogs on the roof of their owner’s house and changing my route because a pit bull was on the loose), but the point of this is to hopefully help other runners avoid a bad run in with these canines.
As a runner, the dog instantly sees you as prey. In Runner’s World, Karen Peak says if you’re being chased by a dog to slow down, turn around and walk in the opposite direction of the dog, be boring, and definitely report it. If there is a dog loose, the animal control needs to know about it so no one else has to encounter the animal.
If the dog does attack, drop to the ground and get in the fetal position. Make sure to cover your head and neck and yell like crazy. You want someone to hear you so they may be able to ward off the dog.
If possible, I suggest climbing a tree to get away from the beast. While the dog is nipping at your dangling ankles, you can call for help (if you carry your cell with you) or make enough noise for the neighborhood to think there’s a domestic disturbance and then they’ll see it’s just you.
Training:
M: 5 mi, 40:39
Th: 3 mi, 25:25
F: 5 mi, 45:53
S: 35 min on a cardio machine(s); I think I have shin splints. Since I'm still the in recovery phase of my periodization I'm going to be conservative with any injuries that might occur.
Cynophobia is the fear of dogs. While my fear has greatly subsided since I was a small child, I am still afraid of dogs I don’t know and especially dogs that are bigger than me (I am fairly petite). Just hearing the bark of a dog through a fence is enough to make me run a little faster.
On some of my very long runs, I run by a house that usually has the dogs enclosed in a wire fence. I don’t mind running on the same side of the street as that house as long as I know the dogs can’t get out. On one of my 20 milers, I saw in the distance a silhouette of a dog on the street. I switched sides of the road, but as I got closer and closer to the house, Cujo started trotting my way and barking at me. I got away unscathed, but still scared that I would have to see the dog on my way back.
Around mile 13 on that run, I encountered another early riser walking 7-8 dogs... some unleashed. The unleashed ones just wanted to play, but I didn’t appreciate these unfamiliar dogs yipping at me and jumping on my legs as I tried to maintain my pace. Thankfully, I was got away quickly as the owner was able to somewhat control her dogs.
On my way back home, the traffic was a little heavier, so I was able to avoid any run in with the first dog again because he couldn’t cross the street.
I have many other stories about seeing dogs while I’m on my runs (including seeing dogs on the roof of their owner’s house and changing my route because a pit bull was on the loose), but the point of this is to hopefully help other runners avoid a bad run in with these canines.
As a runner, the dog instantly sees you as prey. In Runner’s World, Karen Peak says if you’re being chased by a dog to slow down, turn around and walk in the opposite direction of the dog, be boring, and definitely report it. If there is a dog loose, the animal control needs to know about it so no one else has to encounter the animal.
If the dog does attack, drop to the ground and get in the fetal position. Make sure to cover your head and neck and yell like crazy. You want someone to hear you so they may be able to ward off the dog.
If possible, I suggest climbing a tree to get away from the beast. While the dog is nipping at your dangling ankles, you can call for help (if you carry your cell with you) or make enough noise for the neighborhood to think there’s a domestic disturbance and then they’ll see it’s just you.
Training:
M: 5 mi, 40:39
Th: 3 mi, 25:25
F: 5 mi, 45:53
S: 35 min on a cardio machine(s); I think I have shin splints. Since I'm still the in recovery phase of my periodization I'm going to be conservative with any injuries that might occur.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
My bro’s first 26.2
“Your first marathon teaches you to respect the training” -my husband
This year I was ready! I stuck to my training and even got faster. I suffered through a bout of sesamoiditis (self diagnosed) for about 4 weeks, but I had still gotten in my cardio on different machines at the gym. I was ready this year! But I had a running partner. This was his first marathon. Had he stuck to the runs like I had?
We live in different cities, so we didn’t get to train together. But we did have one good run over Christmas – a 15 miler that we finished in 2:13:09. That’s faster than 9 min/mi pace. And he felt a lot better than I did on that run. I was very excited after that run. We learned that we could run together and push each other. So after Christmas, we went back home to finish the training and meet up in February for the race.
Race day was finally here! I had run my 20 miler in 3:07:03 (with three run-ins with dogs and rolling my ankle around mile 8). I was pretty confident that my brother and I could meet our goal of a sub 4h marathon. We got in the 3:50 pace group early Sunday morning and with the boom of the canon and shots of fireworks, we were off!
Up and down many hills. We didn’t stop for water until around mile 4. At this point we were far ahead of the pace group. We felt awesome. We were joking the whole way. If we got separated I would yell “Marco” and he would respond “Polo” so we could meet back up. We were not finishing this thing separated. We were not running this thing separated. We were a team!
Up and down more hills. Mile 10 (1:25:41), we met several people on our run as we were joking with each other. A man from Vegas listened to us pick on each other for a while. He had run many marathons before this one.
Up and down some more hills. Bro & I bonded as I confessed a little secret to him that will not be mentioned in this blog.
Up and down even more hills. I was surprised at his response when around mile 15 (2:09:32) I asked how he was doing. “Not too good.” I needed to use the port-a-potty, so I ran ahead as he walked to the johns. Déjà vu. Walking doesn’t seem to help. It seems to make all the pain increase to almost unbearable levels. And, in my brother’s case, it made his leg cramps worsen.
We walked/jogged the rest of the race. Our roles seemed reversed this time. Last year he rode his bike and encouraged me to finish, and this time I pushed him to run a little farther. “Let’s get to that stop sign, then we can walk,” I would say. I have to admit, there were times that I hoped he would ask to stop, but I couldn’t let him see that. I needed to be strong for him.
We stopped twice to try to stretch out his hamstrings. It helped a little, but he couldn’t run the rest of the way. If only there was an inhaler for leg cramps! As we turned down the home stretch, we ran to the finish line. My brother held out his hand and we raised our arms to the heavens. The crowd cheered a little louder for us. We did it! We finished together! We hugged after we crossed the finish line & held our own little medal ceremony as I put his around his neck, and he did the same for me. We didn’t finish in under 4 hours; we both did set PR’s though: 4:41:13.
After we were corralled out of the finisher’s area, we hurriedly made our way back to the hotel because it was check-out time.
Training:
M: 4 mi, 33:32
W: 5 mi, 39:34
F: I was a little lazy
S: am (the scheduled run) 5 mi, 42:28; pm (to make up for Fri) 4 mi, 35:54
This year I was ready! I stuck to my training and even got faster. I suffered through a bout of sesamoiditis (self diagnosed) for about 4 weeks, but I had still gotten in my cardio on different machines at the gym. I was ready this year! But I had a running partner. This was his first marathon. Had he stuck to the runs like I had?
We live in different cities, so we didn’t get to train together. But we did have one good run over Christmas – a 15 miler that we finished in 2:13:09. That’s faster than 9 min/mi pace. And he felt a lot better than I did on that run. I was very excited after that run. We learned that we could run together and push each other. So after Christmas, we went back home to finish the training and meet up in February for the race.
Race day was finally here! I had run my 20 miler in 3:07:03 (with three run-ins with dogs and rolling my ankle around mile 8). I was pretty confident that my brother and I could meet our goal of a sub 4h marathon. We got in the 3:50 pace group early Sunday morning and with the boom of the canon and shots of fireworks, we were off!
Up and down many hills. We didn’t stop for water until around mile 4. At this point we were far ahead of the pace group. We felt awesome. We were joking the whole way. If we got separated I would yell “Marco” and he would respond “Polo” so we could meet back up. We were not finishing this thing separated. We were not running this thing separated. We were a team!
Up and down more hills. Mile 10 (1:25:41), we met several people on our run as we were joking with each other. A man from Vegas listened to us pick on each other for a while. He had run many marathons before this one.
Up and down some more hills. Bro & I bonded as I confessed a little secret to him that will not be mentioned in this blog.
Up and down even more hills. I was surprised at his response when around mile 15 (2:09:32) I asked how he was doing. “Not too good.” I needed to use the port-a-potty, so I ran ahead as he walked to the johns. Déjà vu. Walking doesn’t seem to help. It seems to make all the pain increase to almost unbearable levels. And, in my brother’s case, it made his leg cramps worsen.
We walked/jogged the rest of the race. Our roles seemed reversed this time. Last year he rode his bike and encouraged me to finish, and this time I pushed him to run a little farther. “Let’s get to that stop sign, then we can walk,” I would say. I have to admit, there were times that I hoped he would ask to stop, but I couldn’t let him see that. I needed to be strong for him.
We stopped twice to try to stretch out his hamstrings. It helped a little, but he couldn’t run the rest of the way. If only there was an inhaler for leg cramps! As we turned down the home stretch, we ran to the finish line. My brother held out his hand and we raised our arms to the heavens. The crowd cheered a little louder for us. We did it! We finished together! We hugged after we crossed the finish line & held our own little medal ceremony as I put his around his neck, and he did the same for me. We didn’t finish in under 4 hours; we both did set PR’s though: 4:41:13.
After we were corralled out of the finisher’s area, we hurriedly made our way back to the hotel because it was check-out time.
Training:
M: 4 mi, 33:32
W: 5 mi, 39:34
F: I was a little lazy
S: am (the scheduled run) 5 mi, 42:28; pm (to make up for Fri) 4 mi, 35:54
Saturday, March 8, 2008
My first 26.2
“You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming.” -Frank Shorter
I have been a runner since I was twelve years old. That’s almost half my life! I could run this marathon easy! It didn’t matter that I skipped a few days. It didn’t matter that I cut my 20 miler short to just 10 miles. I could run forever. I wouldn’t need any food or energy on the course either. I don’t like eating while I’m running. I could run forever! I definitely didn’t need to take my inhaler. I’m strong. My lungs are strong. What’s a little asthma going to do to me? I could run forever! Or so I thought.
I started the marathon on pace. My goal was to run 10 min miles. That’s so slow! I could do that for a million miles, not just 26.2. I skipped the first water station because everyone was stopping. I didn’t want it to slow me down. I started psyching myself out around mile 6 but I kept going because I knew my family would be there to cheer for me soon.
My family was supposed to meet me at around mile 10, but there were some last minute course changes that put them at mile 11-ish. That was pretty discouraging because I didn’t know where they were, or if I missed them. I was still (somewhat) on pace, but not feeling too hot. I just wanted to at least keep the pace till I saw everyone. Finally I saw my brother and husband. They had walked down the course to meet me before I got to where the rest of the fam was waiting. That was a good boost to my energy and kept me going until mile 13.
Around mile 13, 2:16:37, I saw the leaders leaving the loop I was entering and heading for the finish line. I decided it was time to walk through the next water stop. That was a bad idea. After I stopped to walk it was just that much harder to keep going. Did I mention the winds got up to 60 mph? I’m not sure if I ever actually hit the elusive wall, but I know whatever it was didn’t feel good. I got to the point that my legs weren’t hurting too much, but I couldn’t breathe. I would run for a little bit then have to stop because my lungs weren’t working the way they’re supposed to. If only I had taken my inhaler before the race started. If only I had my inhaler to take right then!
Luckily my brother brought his bike to the race and eventually found me around mile 18 or 19. He road beside me for miles, encouraging me and watching me suffer as I tried to finish the marathon. My walk/jog/walk combination went on for miles until I was about 1.5 miles from the finish where my husband met us. What a savior! He had my inhaler!! I sat down and took a couple of puffs. Waited until I could feel the glorious oxygen flow through my body and got up to run the last part of the race. I didn’t walk again after that and my brother and husband left me to make sure they could see me as I finished. I turned the last corner and sprinted to the finish line. I could run forever! And forever is how long it took: 5:16:56. That’s a far cry from the 4:30 finish I had hoped for. But I finished. I laughed, I cried, I didn’t hurl. I didn’t want to do the race again. I was through with marathons. I was through with running. I was going to take up cycling.
But this is something I have done for almost half my life. Who cares if I have a bum knee? I love to run. What’s that, bro? You’re going to run this next year? Okay, I might run it with you.
This week in my training:
M: 3 mi, 25:19
W: 4 mi, 32:19
F: 3 mi, 27:00
S: Prairie Dog Runs!! 4mi, 30:41 - I got 24th overall, 3rd overall women, and 1st in my age group!
Here's my awesome Prairie Dog medal:
Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
I have been a runner since I was twelve years old. That’s almost half my life! I could run this marathon easy! It didn’t matter that I skipped a few days. It didn’t matter that I cut my 20 miler short to just 10 miles. I could run forever. I wouldn’t need any food or energy on the course either. I don’t like eating while I’m running. I could run forever! I definitely didn’t need to take my inhaler. I’m strong. My lungs are strong. What’s a little asthma going to do to me? I could run forever! Or so I thought.
I started the marathon on pace. My goal was to run 10 min miles. That’s so slow! I could do that for a million miles, not just 26.2. I skipped the first water station because everyone was stopping. I didn’t want it to slow me down. I started psyching myself out around mile 6 but I kept going because I knew my family would be there to cheer for me soon.
My family was supposed to meet me at around mile 10, but there were some last minute course changes that put them at mile 11-ish. That was pretty discouraging because I didn’t know where they were, or if I missed them. I was still (somewhat) on pace, but not feeling too hot. I just wanted to at least keep the pace till I saw everyone. Finally I saw my brother and husband. They had walked down the course to meet me before I got to where the rest of the fam was waiting. That was a good boost to my energy and kept me going until mile 13.
Around mile 13, 2:16:37, I saw the leaders leaving the loop I was entering and heading for the finish line. I decided it was time to walk through the next water stop. That was a bad idea. After I stopped to walk it was just that much harder to keep going. Did I mention the winds got up to 60 mph? I’m not sure if I ever actually hit the elusive wall, but I know whatever it was didn’t feel good. I got to the point that my legs weren’t hurting too much, but I couldn’t breathe. I would run for a little bit then have to stop because my lungs weren’t working the way they’re supposed to. If only I had taken my inhaler before the race started. If only I had my inhaler to take right then!
Luckily my brother brought his bike to the race and eventually found me around mile 18 or 19. He road beside me for miles, encouraging me and watching me suffer as I tried to finish the marathon. My walk/jog/walk combination went on for miles until I was about 1.5 miles from the finish where my husband met us. What a savior! He had my inhaler!! I sat down and took a couple of puffs. Waited until I could feel the glorious oxygen flow through my body and got up to run the last part of the race. I didn’t walk again after that and my brother and husband left me to make sure they could see me as I finished. I turned the last corner and sprinted to the finish line. I could run forever! And forever is how long it took: 5:16:56. That’s a far cry from the 4:30 finish I had hoped for. But I finished. I laughed, I cried, I didn’t hurl. I didn’t want to do the race again. I was through with marathons. I was through with running. I was going to take up cycling.
But this is something I have done for almost half my life. Who cares if I have a bum knee? I love to run. What’s that, bro? You’re going to run this next year? Okay, I might run it with you.
This week in my training:
M: 3 mi, 25:19
W: 4 mi, 32:19
F: 3 mi, 27:00
S: Prairie Dog Runs!! 4mi, 30:41 - I got 24th overall, 3rd overall women, and 1st in my age group!
Here's my awesome Prairie Dog medal:
Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Cool Videos
Here are some running videos that were posted on a Runner's World Blog:
Screamer
http://www.maniacworld.com/most-annoying-runner-ever.html
Best finish ever!? (this made my eyes water, I'm a wuss)
http://www.bigtennetwork.com/videos/outdoortrack.asp?bcpid=1137942423&bclid=1119231645&bctid=1441108989
This video was posted on the Phedippidations Google Group:
Flora London Marathon commercial
www.youtube.com/v/m-hCuYjvw2I
Screamer
http://www.maniacworld.com/most-annoying-runner-ever.html
Best finish ever!? (this made my eyes water, I'm a wuss)
http://www.bigtennetwork.com/videos/outdoortrack.asp?bcpid=1137942423&bclid=1119231645&bctid=1441108989
This video was posted on the Phedippidations Google Group:
Flora London Marathon commercial
www.youtube.com/v/m-hCuYjvw2I
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Blogging for Dummies
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” -Socrates
My first run-in with blogging happened in high school when a rumor was spreading about two of my friends. The whole school was buzzing about how they secretly let their secret out to the whole wide world via the internet.
Since then I have wondered if I should start a blog or not. I want to let my thoughts be seen, and maybe affect other people, but I don’t want to let any of my secrets out. I still like my privacy.
After listening to a running podcast (Phedippidations, Episode 104) titled “Run, Blog, and Share,” I decided I don’t want my life to go unexamined. I do, however, want to stay as anonymous as possible. I will give you my thoughts and opinions that are contrived during my runs. I will try to entertain and inform, but I hope no one will know who I am specifically (except for my close family and friends that read this). Please feel free to comment and leave me your opinions and ideas for future blogs.
Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on running. I’m probably not an expert on anything.
My training:Right now I'm recovering from the marathon I ran two weeks ago. In late April I'll start more intense training for a local 10K race.
Mon: 2 mi, 17:55
Wed: 4 mi, 32:10
Fri: 2.35 mi, 19:21
Sat: 3 mi, 28:35.62
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