The Art of Patience

A friend recently posted an article about what running harder won't help you get faster (Running Harder Won't Help You Get Faster) and it got me thinking.

Having run competitively through high school and college, I was trained hard for 3-4 months to *peak* for the big races at the end of our season (track and/ or cross country).  And most of the time I ended up with some nagging injury that kept me from optimal performance at that race.

Would I have been in better shape at the end of the season if my coaches had taken a more moderate approach?  Or if my coaches had trained me to my ability and not to the ability of the top runner?

An excerpt from the August 2013 issue of Running Times from Ryan Hall

As I've gotten older, I've realized that I cannot train at high intensities anymore.  But that doesn't mean I can't improve my race times.

Please include attribution to RunnersConnect with this graphic.

High intensity workouts usually lead to an injury which then sets back your training.  If the cycle is continually repeated, you'll end up behind the person who trained at a moderate intensity.

What does this mean for you?  It means that by slowing down and taking a more moderate approach to your training (and your weight loss!) you will end up further ahead than if you had gone all out from the start.

As I start the journey to an ultra marathon, I've taken a different approach.  I'm slowing down my runs and I'm adding in more strength training.  I'll still hit some longer runs, but I'll make sure I'm running those on fatigued legs.  I'll be running 3 days in a row with increasing milage each day so that the last run more closely resembles the last miles of the ultra.

My strength training will focus one more functional moves: push- ups, pull- ups, squats, lunges.  I'll mix up my routines so that I'm not following the same weight workout each week.

And I'll make sure that I'm taking my rest days seriously.

I Am A Runner?

I really consider Lynette the runner of Mom 4ce.  I consider myself more of "not the runner". 

In fact I am a chapter leader for Moms Run This Town and I haven't really considered myself a runner.  Yes, I am that weird!

I ran my first 5k over two years ago, I have no idea what my time was.  All I know is that I finished it!

Then, I had a bunch of problems with my Plantar, sprained my ankle, got pregnant, had a baby and totally quit running.  Lynette encouraged me to get back in touch with my fit self and so I started C25K and some exercise dvd's.  From there I signed up for The Color Run because a friend of a friend was setting up a team.  We texted each other every night to check in on our running!  I finished the 5k in 45 minutes and felt like a superstar; however I still didn't consider myself a runner. 

From the Color Run I signed up for The Jigglebutt (yes that really is the name of the race) and ran that with Lynette.  On a side note, this race was on my husband's birthday and he watched all eight kids.  He seriously is a great husband!  Oh and this is also the day that my daughter took her first steps.  This is also the day that I ran a 5k in 37 minutes (my PR)!  I was ecstatic that I had run another 5k but I still did not think I was a runner. 

After the Jigglebutt some girlsI do bootcamp with decided to run the Hot Chocolate 5k and some were doing the Hot Chocolate 15k.  I knew I wasn't ready for the 15k but decided to do the 5k.  Okay, fine I really wanted the sweatshirt!!!  So I signed up and ran.  I finished in 39 minutes felt like I was something amazing and decided that next year I would do the 15k.  I also decided that I would sign up for the Cinco de Miler which is a 5 mile course.  However, I am still not a runner.  

For one of my training runs for the Cinco de Miler I ran 5.5 miles with a friend from bootcamp and we discussed how much we really didn't like running.  Yes, we discussed this while we ran.  The conversation was something about how we like how running relaxes us and makes us stronger but we don't like how boring it is unless you have a friend.  We love the races and the friendships but we wouldn't really call ourselves hardcore runner.  I left that run on a huge high, I had never run 5.5 miles; I knew that I could do the Cinco de Miler without a problem.  I "HAD" this and could quit worrying.  

I ran the Cinco de Miler in 60 minutes, consistent with my 12 mile a minute mile pace.  I crossed that finish line and realized that I could easily do a half if I could run 5 miles!  Then I knew; I am a runner.  

It's an addiction, I can't help but run.

I am not the fastest runner and will probably never be. 

I run because I have to, no I need to.

I go through phases where getting out the door to run doesn't happen as much as I want to but I am still a runner. 

Through all of this I learned something important; you can tear yourself down more than anyone else can.  Don't do that!