Another article relevant to my 50k experience. About the effects positive thoughts have on running efficiency...
http://www.runnersworld.com/sports-psychology/how-your-thoughts-affect-your-running-efficiency?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-RunnersWorld-_-Content-Training-_-PositiveFeedback
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resources. Show all posts
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Milestones and Crazy Ideas
Half way and almost there!...Today I ran my longest training run, 12 miles! I'm happy to report that it went much, much better than last week's 11 mile run. I decided not to push the speed too much, to avoid injury, but the splits are still negative so my last mile was the fastest. Hard to describe running through fatigue pain and saying 'I felt strong' in the end... That was my longest training run and now I taper down and hopefully come back strong for the big day!
It feels strange to say that I now actually believe I can make it through the 13.1 distance of a half marathon. Just a few months ago I never would have said that, or believed it possible. I have already run so much farther that I imagined possible, I have learned so much about running, health and nutrition. Recently I was talking with a friend that is in training for a full marathon and he was very impressed with my progress. When I tried to discount it (especially in comparison to his abilities) he reminded me that I have tripled my mileage in just a few weeks. Hearing it said like that was shocking. It sounds so impressive. It made me step back and realize that what I have already done is actually pretty impressive. I did my research, I made a training program, I was dedicated and have come this far without injury. Pretty cool!
Last week I was looking at the upcoming races on Coastal Trail Runs and ended up looking through one runner's photos of the recent Bizz Johnson Marathon up in Susanville. The photos really spoke to me... I want to be there... I want to run there... then the strangest thought came into my head... could I possibly train for a full marathon? There are a gazillion full marathons out there to choose from, but this race really made me feel that if I was going to attempt that distance it would be this one, ... Who are you and what have you done to my thoughts?!... Was that me pondering this crazy notion?!... sigh... I have decided that I should first see how the half marathon goes... then I have a few months to run some other short distance races (in trails! whoo hoo!)... I have a few months to make an actual decision... and I honestly can NOT believe that this thought has even been entertained ... The Bizz is follows an old rail trail in the mountains in October... Just sayin....
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
I'm not alone...
No... I mean, I'm not the only one hearing the voices... I came upon this article after my last post! Go figure...
Can You Hear Me Now? - Alisha Cooper/Runner's World
and this one!....
.
Can You Hear Me Now? - Alisha Cooper/Runner's World
and this one!....
Racing The Gremlin -
.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Training Programs
When I was first invited by my friend to run a half marathon - 13.1 long miles - I truly did not believe it was possible. Once I accepted that at the very least I could walk the distance I began to do research. What I found surprised me.
Me: "The longest I've ever run is 3.5 miles"
Research: "If you can run 30 minutes without stopping you can train to run a half marathon in 12 weeks"
In fact, they said that even if you can not run 30 minutes without stopping you can still successfully train for a half. It just takes more time. Well, those 3.5 miles took me a good 50 minutes so that must count. There were 13 weeks before the race. Perfect timing.
You know the internet, there are endless possibilities! I spent many obsessive hours looking at various sites with different training programs. There are sites that offer training programs for fees and there are sites that offer their training programs for free. There are hundreds of books on the subjects of not just training for a half marathon, but for 5k's, 10k's, marathon's and just plain ol' running. Endless. A bit overwhelming for a newbie!
I decided to go the free route and make up my own based on what I found. I delved into the quest for the common thread in all these training programs. What I learned is that there is a training program for just about any goal (time goals, weight loss goals, 'just finish' goals, etc). My personal goal has nothing to do with running a certain time or beating my PR (personal record, it took me a bit to figure out this runner's world lingo). No my goal would be simply to cover the entire 13.1 miles in one outing. I stumbled across what seemed to be the perfect site for me; marathonrookie.com - I mean, does the title not say it all?!
I want to emphasize that originally I honestly did not think I would ever actually be able to run 13.1 miles. It was the sensible and pragmatic approach of this training program that allowed me to even accept this challenge. My own naive intuition told me that if I was planning on running 13 miles, 9.5 more than I'd ever covered, then I needed to go out and run more. And more. And more. That felt daunting. In reality my intuition was wrong, it was exactly the opposite of what is true. My eyes were opened through thorough research. Here's some of what I first learned;
Recovery is key. Running (all exercise) breaks down muscle fibers. When the fibers rebuild they are slightly stronger than before. This is why rest days are not just important, but critical to success. In the two months prior to my research I was running 6 days a week and my body was hurting. Especially my knees. I didn't realize it but I was over-training. Since being in training, my knee issues are gone, even though I'm running farther than ever before.
Don't increase weekly mileage by more than 10%. The schedule I follow has one cross training day (I hike in the hills), two short runs and one long run. The short runs stay 3-4 miles during most of the 12 weeks of training. The long run increases by only one mile each week. I used to feel guilty on non-running days, like I was doing nothing. Now I say "I'm rebuilding to be stronger next week". This explains the last mile phenomenon that I talked about in post Number 9. The last mile is always hard, but the difficulty level is not increasing as the mileage increases. Because each week I push myself just a little extra through that last mile, and then I have a rest (rebuilding) day the day after. So when I come back to the next long run I am just a little bit stronger, and ready, for that next 'last mile'. As you get stronger in the training you're going to want to push it and run an extra mile, research says don't do it.
Don't run more than two consecutive days. Give it a rest. Rebuild.
Hydration! I'll address this one more fully in another post.
and finally, Nutrition. This also deserves a post all unto itself. Several posts actually!
The point here is that I am far enough into the training to see that it actually works! In the beginning I felt disbelief. The program said You can do it! I said Really? We'll see. But I put myself in the hands of those who know, and low and behold, I think they might actually be right!
.
Me: "The longest I've ever run is 3.5 miles"
Research: "If you can run 30 minutes without stopping you can train to run a half marathon in 12 weeks"
In fact, they said that even if you can not run 30 minutes without stopping you can still successfully train for a half. It just takes more time. Well, those 3.5 miles took me a good 50 minutes so that must count. There were 13 weeks before the race. Perfect timing.
You know the internet, there are endless possibilities! I spent many obsessive hours looking at various sites with different training programs. There are sites that offer training programs for fees and there are sites that offer their training programs for free. There are hundreds of books on the subjects of not just training for a half marathon, but for 5k's, 10k's, marathon's and just plain ol' running. Endless. A bit overwhelming for a newbie!
I decided to go the free route and make up my own based on what I found. I delved into the quest for the common thread in all these training programs. What I learned is that there is a training program for just about any goal (time goals, weight loss goals, 'just finish' goals, etc). My personal goal has nothing to do with running a certain time or beating my PR (personal record, it took me a bit to figure out this runner's world lingo). No my goal would be simply to cover the entire 13.1 miles in one outing. I stumbled across what seemed to be the perfect site for me; marathonrookie.com - I mean, does the title not say it all?!
I want to emphasize that originally I honestly did not think I would ever actually be able to run 13.1 miles. It was the sensible and pragmatic approach of this training program that allowed me to even accept this challenge. My own naive intuition told me that if I was planning on running 13 miles, 9.5 more than I'd ever covered, then I needed to go out and run more. And more. And more. That felt daunting. In reality my intuition was wrong, it was exactly the opposite of what is true. My eyes were opened through thorough research. Here's some of what I first learned;
Recovery is key. Running (all exercise) breaks down muscle fibers. When the fibers rebuild they are slightly stronger than before. This is why rest days are not just important, but critical to success. In the two months prior to my research I was running 6 days a week and my body was hurting. Especially my knees. I didn't realize it but I was over-training. Since being in training, my knee issues are gone, even though I'm running farther than ever before.
Don't increase weekly mileage by more than 10%. The schedule I follow has one cross training day (I hike in the hills), two short runs and one long run. The short runs stay 3-4 miles during most of the 12 weeks of training. The long run increases by only one mile each week. I used to feel guilty on non-running days, like I was doing nothing. Now I say "I'm rebuilding to be stronger next week". This explains the last mile phenomenon that I talked about in post Number 9. The last mile is always hard, but the difficulty level is not increasing as the mileage increases. Because each week I push myself just a little extra through that last mile, and then I have a rest (rebuilding) day the day after. So when I come back to the next long run I am just a little bit stronger, and ready, for that next 'last mile'. As you get stronger in the training you're going to want to push it and run an extra mile, research says don't do it.
Don't run more than two consecutive days. Give it a rest. Rebuild.
Hydration! I'll address this one more fully in another post.
and finally, Nutrition. This also deserves a post all unto itself. Several posts actually!
The point here is that I am far enough into the training to see that it actually works! In the beginning I felt disbelief. The program said You can do it! I said Really? We'll see. But I put myself in the hands of those who know, and low and behold, I think they might actually be right!
.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
.... and then there are days like this!
Yesterday was supposed to be a short run day but, in unison, like a two year old throwing a tantrum, both my mind and body said "no!". I didn't have the energy to fight them and make it happen. Granted, the day before I had run 6 instead of 3 miles, and then there are the effects of the female "cycle". But none of this made me feel any better about missing the run. Before the negative thoughts took over I decided to work a little 'trade'. Today is supposed to be a rest day (tomorrow is my long run) but instead I did a light 2 miler. Just enough to get me up and out the door early in the morning through Jack London Square and along the Alameda Estuary ... before the sun was even up.
Sometimes things don't go according to the plan. But I suppose the lesson learned here is to just keep looking at the big picture and move ahead....
Keep moving.
Keep moving.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Trail Races
Saying yes to the half marathon inspired a lot of 'research' of course... and in that research I discovered that there are LOTS of races... lots of TRAIL races.. one thing I know for sure is that I love trails!... the thought of running on flat bores me (even though it scares me too!!)... flat flat flat... the idea of trail running gets me excited... so I discovered this site (there are others too) in my Runner's World magazine... there are so many amazing trail runs/races that I had no idea about... partly because the only trails I normally even investigate allow dogs (especially off leash)... but if I'm going for a race, that's different, I'm up for that!... so now... I get this rush thinking that maybe i could keep myself psyched up about running if I enter the short races (3-10miles)... and check out all these great trails!
http://www.coastaltrailruns.com/index.html
I just feel so excited to have discovered the races in the hills/trails... I hear the Big Sur Half Marathon is a beautiful run (even though it's actually in Monterey, NOT Big Sur!). One of my initial concerns was the flatness of the course. Trails make me happy. That's why discovering trail races is so exciting. I mean, I never even thought of doing ANY race but now it's a possibility... They are a way to explore new territories. The trail races feel closer to my 'heart'... that is why I won't give up the redwood loop, even though it's more 'mileage' than I'm supposed to do at this point in my training... it fuels me.. Last Tuesday when I ran it was the first time this whole summer that the sun was out during my morning runs!!... the fog/mist is nice and dramatic but OMG... the way the sun was hitting the trees and views and... ugh... I felt like I was in another world, far far away... in the mountains... I had such a 'high' after that run... I texted M and told him how 'lovely' it was and he wrote back 'you used the word lovely, who are you?!' ... it was funny.... even still just thinking about it makes me happy inside...
http://www.coastaltrailruns.com/index.html
I just feel so excited to have discovered the races in the hills/trails... I hear the Big Sur Half Marathon is a beautiful run (even though it's actually in Monterey, NOT Big Sur!). One of my initial concerns was the flatness of the course. Trails make me happy. That's why discovering trail races is so exciting. I mean, I never even thought of doing ANY race but now it's a possibility... They are a way to explore new territories. The trail races feel closer to my 'heart'... that is why I won't give up the redwood loop, even though it's more 'mileage' than I'm supposed to do at this point in my training... it fuels me.. Last Tuesday when I ran it was the first time this whole summer that the sun was out during my morning runs!!... the fog/mist is nice and dramatic but OMG... the way the sun was hitting the trees and views and... ugh... I felt like I was in another world, far far away... in the mountains... I had such a 'high' after that run... I texted M and told him how 'lovely' it was and he wrote back 'you used the word lovely, who are you?!' ... it was funny.... even still just thinking about it makes me happy inside...
Friday, September 3, 2010
Inspirations - Redwood Park
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