Start Running, Week 3

For week 3 we'll continue to step up the workout.   You now have the basics down and are ready to focus on increasing your running endurance and walking less.  Don't run faster than before, just walk less and run longer.  Be sure to keep your pace at a level where your breathing is controlled.  If you are huffing and puffing, then slow down as your aerobic level isn't ready to sustain that level yet.  It takes 6-18 months of training to raise your aerobic level to it's maximum (improving your VO2 max).  You should be breathing at a level where you could carry a conversation or be able to breathe through your nose with your mouth closed.  This is the level of activity that will give you the greatest boost in your aerobic level, running faster and breathing harder will not improve your VO2 max, and it will not burn fat.
Week 3 Plan
Day 1: 1/2 mile walk, 1 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 1 mile run.  2.75 miles total.
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: 1/4 mile walk, 3/4 mile run intervals. Do three.  3 miles total.
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: 1/4 mile walk, 1 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 2 mile easy run/jog.  1/4 mile walk, 1 mile run. 4.75 miles total.
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest -or- Optional 1/4 mile walk, 2 mile easy jog.
Extra Curriculars:

1. Register for a 5K race in your area that is coming up in 8-10 weeks.
2. Find out about local running groups in your area either online or at your local running store.

Bad Days

We all have them - at home, at work - even our hair has them. So why do we expect our running lives to be exempt from bad, horrible, awful days?

I don't know. I do it, too. Yesterday during my 5th of 6 half mile intervals I practically had a breakdown in the middle of a fairly busy park because my scheduled 5K-10K pace was actually turning out to be worse than my half-marathon pace. So naturally I decided that regardless of my efforts, I am in fact getting worse at running, I will never be able to run a fast half marathon again, let alone a decent 5K, and obviously I've hit my prime and everything will only go downhill from here.

I'm usually a very rational person. Seriously. But I'm also very competitive, to a fault. For the most part, this is great for my running. I set very high standards, and then push like crazy to meet or exceed them. And when I do, I feel amazing. But this makes it very tough to accept the days when I just don't have it.

I really wish I could provide some wisdom here. A list of 10 reasons why bad days are actually awesome. I tried, but nothing. So instead, here's a list of the things I tell myself...

1. Training isn't racing and shouldn't be. If you able to run your race pace every training run then you're running your races too slow!

2. There are always compounding factors to a bad run. Call them excuses, but last night's tossing and turning, this morning's horrible meeting, the traffic jam on the way home, that huge handful of jelly beans you ate as you ran out the door, the 50 mph winds that you can't seem to escape no matter what direction you run, some of these are real reasons that you shouldn't expect your body to perform at its highest level.

3. One event does not define a trend - one bad run has little to no reflection on your actual ability as a runner.

4. Tomorrow is a new day so stop mourning the loss of your running career, get out there and get it back!

Making the most of your Rest Day

I woke up this morning, stepped on the scale, and was slightly disgusted. Even with the 16 miles I had run yesterday morning, Easter Sunday, with its delicious brunch, large dinner, and basket full of candy, had taken its toll.

Usually, I love Rest Days. But today, all I wanted to do was get out there and put a few mile dent into the number that I read on the scale. Not allowed. My body needs a day to recover and rehydrate. So instead of running, I turned on my go-to Pilates workout: 10 Minute Solution: Pilates Perfect Body. In total, it's a 50 minute workout, with 10 minute segments for abs, legs, arms, total body, and stretching. The DVD is set up such that you can do the entire 50 minute workout, or pick any one of the individual segments.

For me, this is the perfect Rest Day workout.  It focuses on strengthening your core - your abdominal and lower back muscles - which are so important for runners but sometimes overlooked. Also, timing your breath, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth with each movement helps you effectively use your breathing. The exercises leave you "feeling the burn" but don't raise your heart rate enough that you're tired or sweaty, which would thus defeat the purpose of Rest Day.

Most importantly, this workout concludes with a little more than 10 minutes of comprehensive stretching. If there is one thing that I need to be better at, it's stretching. And the stretches here aren't your typical bend and touch your toes, count to 10. The stretches force you to focus on your movements and concentrate on lengthening your muscles while maintaining your balance.

Finishing this Pilates workout should leave you feeling physically strong, mentally renewed, and a little better about that bag of Whopper Eggs you demolished the day before! You'll definitely be rested and ready to face tomorrow's run!

Start Running, Week 2

It's week two of the Start Running plan. W'll step up the workout slightly, but we'll keep the four days of rest to make sure your body has plenty of time to recover and rebuild muscle between these workouts.  I'm sure your legs, ankles and knees are pretty sore after the first week, but that soreness will fade and you'll soon be able to go run for miles without being sore the next morning.  It's important to know the difference between muscle soreness and pain.  Learning the differences will help you identify if you are doing anything to cause injury versus just getting a good muscle building workout.

A warm up and cool down should begin and end your workout, this is typically just a couple minutes of slow walking and stretching your legs and arms out.  Your run pace should be comfortable, not fast. A pace of 9:30 to 12:00 minutes per mile is normal for a beginner depending on age, fitness level, and gender. 

Week 2 Plan
Day 1: Half mile walk/run intervals.  4 miles total.
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Half mile walk/run intervals.  3 miles total.
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Walk half mile, run half mile, walk half mile, run 1 mile at easy pace, walk half mile, run half mile.
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest-Week 3 will be more running and less walking.

Extra Curriculars:

1. Make an appointment to see your doctor for a physical.  Be sure to tell them you have started to run and ask if you are healthy enough to train for a 10K.
2. Visit a local running store.  Tell them you are new to running and would like their help in selecting a new pair of shoes.  They should take good care of you and help you select a shoe that is right for your foot.  Be sure to get sized, and make sure the shoe has enough room in the toe to and hold your foot snug to prevent blisters.  Don't be afraid to spend a good amount of money here.  A good pair of running shoes will last you 400-500 miles and help prevent injuries.  Consider the purchase your reward for making the commitment to get into better shape through running.
3. Start looking for local 5K races in your area that are coming up in 2-3 months.  Consider signing up to give yourself some additional motivation for training.  Races may seem scary at first, but you'll soon find out that they are extremely fun and exciting activities.

Sugar Fix

You know the feeling when you're pushing really hard, maybe running up a long hill or kicking it in for the last quarter mile of a race? The muscles in your legs slowly turn to stone. It takes several minutes post-hill or post-race for them to feel normal again.

This stone-like sensation is caused by a buildup of lactic acid in your muscles. Lactic acid is a byproduct of the chemical reaction that pulls sugar (glucose = fuel) from your blood and burns it for energy. The amount of lactic acid produced depends on how hard your muscles are working.

There are several "zones" that your body will normally go through during a workout: aerobic and anaerobic. These zones correlate to your heart rate, which increases as your muscles work harder. Each of us have a maximum heart rate, MHR, which is the maximum number of times your heart can beat per minute (generally, this number does not increase or decrease with fitness level, but may change with age). If your heart rate is 70% of your MHR, or less, you are in the aerobic zone.  Conversely, if your heart rate is above 70%, you are in the anaerobic zone.

The aerobic zone is also called the "fat-burning" zone because your body is using oxygen to turn stored fat into energy. There are many positives to training and running in the aerobic zone: energy production does not produce large amounts of lactic acid, so your muscles do not tire as quickly; energy production from fat is very efficient; and the more you train in the aerobic zone, the better your body will become at converting fat to energy!

When you are in the anaerobic zone, your body is demanding energy now! It burns the sugars in your bloodstream in the absence of oxygen, creating lactic acid. If you are in the lower end of the anaerobic zone, the amount of lactic acid produced is small enough that it can be dissipated by your bloodstream.  However, when your legs are pumping, propelling you up that hill, the lactic acid builds up in your muscles quicker than it can be removed, hence the stonelike feeling.  As your body works to dissipate the lactic acid, your legs will feel better, but you'll be left with much less energy for the rest of your run, and for that next hill!

So what can you do? Refuel! Getting that glucose in your blood back up to a reasonable level as quickly as possible is very important, especially if you are part-way through a long race. So eat some sugar!

Of course there are many practical options available, from GU energy gels that contain caffeine for that extra kick to Clif Shot Bloks which taste like delicious fruit chews.  But what about something a little more fun? Maybe a handfull of Starburst(R) Jelly Beans or Candy Corn? After all, what could have more sugar than Candy Corn! If you compare the nutrition facts and look at the top ingredients, candy does provide a large amount of sugars, but specifically formulated energy gels and chews contain slightly more complex carbohydrates which will fuel your body for longer and may actually be easier to digest; they also contain amounts of potassium and sodium - other essentials that your body desperately needs during a tough run. My recommendation? Indulge sweet treats once in a while, but for general training needs, and especially on race day, stick to the products specifically formulated for athletes.

Happy running, and happy refueling!

IT Band Recovery

The key to happy running is healthy running, to stay healthy you need to prevent injuries.  The best prevention is to follow the rule of Gradual Progress be sure to get rest and don't overdo your training.

However, if you are like me and thousands of other runners, you will have the unfortunate experience of an injury sometime during your training. The causes and types of injuries are numerous from bone fractures, to foot injuries, to iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS).  ITBS is one of the more common running injuries that typically appears after a quick increase in the amount of training or miles you put in.

You can minimize the impact of an injury by continuously sensing your body and if something begins to not feel right, you should stop what you are doing immediately before it worsens.  In numerous cases, people with the start of an injury make it much worse by forcing themselves to push through the pain.  That is not the correct thing to do, and you will regret it later during the weeks or months spent recovering.

The iliotibial band is a length of fibrous tissue (not muscle) that runs along the outside of the femur between the hip and knee.  It's purpose is to stabilize your knee and hip.  Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is the name given to the pain resulting from inflammation caused by rubbing of the iliotibial band against the outside of the knee and hip.

My ITBS started as a dull but painful sensation on the outside of my right knee.  I knew it was bad when the pain began to get worse during my run.  Note: If the pain is getting worse, you are making it worse and you need to stop immediately.  After I had stopped, there was a sudden sharp pain.  If you experience any injury, it is best to diagnose it properly by going to your doctor to ensure that you don't think it is something different like runner's knee.  However, runner's knee is typically associated with pain around the cap of the knee, and ITBS is associated with pain on the outside of the knee (right side of right knee, or left side of left knee) and possibly pain or popping on the outside of your hip.

I took a day or two off, and tried to go out and run again.  The pain came right back after a mile or two.  After doing some online reading, I discovered that recovery can take at least a week or longer for the pain to go away.  I also discovered that ITBS can be caused by supination or over-pronation, running on banked roads, running up or down steep hills, or muscle imbalance (hip abductors, gluteus medius).

I took a full week off, no running.  I did a few basic strength training exercises targeted towards my hip abductors and gluteus medius.  A popular exercises is 'clamshells'.  To do a clamshell, lay flat on your side with your knees out in front of you, bent at 90 degrees.  You rotate the top knee up/out, and then back.  Repeat for 10-12 times on each side.  You can increase the resistance of this stretch by using a latex resistance bandtied into a loop wrapped around your thigh near the knees.  I also did some basic lunges, and walking.  A new pair of running shoesto replace the previous pair with 500-600+ miles seemed to also help.  A product that was recommended to me by my local running shop was a simple high-density foam roller (shown below).  The roller is used to apply firm pressure to the IT band to allow it to safely stretch out to remove tightness which causes friction on the outside of the knee and/or hip.  I began to do this daily before each run to reduce tightness.


A foam roller can help safely stretch out a tight IT band before and after a workout.

After a couple of weeks, my running was back to normal and I was happy to have that ITBS problem behind me.





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For the Ladies!

Only 37% of the marathon field at the 2012 Surf City Marathon in Huntington Beach, California, were women. But 61% of the Surf City Half Marathon participants were women, and if you combine both the marathon and half marathon participants, 57% of the 16,581 runners were women!

What does this mean? From local running groups to 5K's to half marathons and beyond, you can be sure that there will be plenty of fellow female support - in short, there is no better time to get out there and start running! To help, below are some tips that I've picked up along my way.

1. Invest in a good pair of shoes. A good friend of mine was working hard to get in shape for her first half marathon, only to have to drop out a month before the race due to plantar fasciitis - an injury that could have been prevented with proper support.  The shoes I'm running in today are the ASICS GEL-Excel33. It's worth the time to visit your local running store and have them fit you with a shoe that will support your foot and personal running style.

2. And, of course, a few good bras! My favorites are the adidas TECHFIT Bra and the Nike Pro Compression Bra. Like regular bras, you may have to try a few brands and styles before you find the perfect fit, but a good bra will make all the difference in comfort while you're running!

3. Headbands are a necessity. I have long hair. And I tend to get grumpy when I cannot keep my hair out of my face while running. Instead of giving in to my urge to cut it all off (an urge I unfortunately succumbed to during a Mexican vacation which left me with a sunburn and very bad hair for longer than I'd like to remember) I braid my hair and use these: Scunci No-slip Grip Headwraps. They might be a bit tight at first, but true to their name, they don't slip and work like a charm!

4. Find a running partner. Running with a friend, significant other, or local running group is a great way to stay motivated! If you find yourself without a partner, grab your iPod shuffle. and hit the road!

5. Find a favorite running trail. You'll find yourself looking forward to your runs so much more if you enjoy the scenery along your route. Don't be discouraged if you find a trail that you love but it's longer than you're capable of today.  Walk part, run part, and look forward to the day you're able to run the whole thing!

6. Get a great bag to tote your gear! If you're headed to the gym on a rainy day, or maybe out to a Saturday morning race, this bag will be perfect for toting shoes, water bottles, a banana, and flip-flops and a dry shirt, post workout or race!

7. Finally, get a racing outfit! Tiger Woods wears red and black every Tournament Sunday, it's just one more way that he knows it's go time. Come up with your own color scheme and race attire, I guarantee it'll help psych you up! And go wild with colors, when I'm not running, my go-to is a grey t-shirt and jeans, but on race day, I love this combo!