Before you decide not to read this whole thing because you
think it’s going to be about running only, I will tell you that it’s not. But it’s
mostly about running. I also broke it into 5 sections with my thoughts on each. Please go ahead and skip a section if its uninteresting to you. The sections are The Tarahumra, Joe Vigil, Evolution, Running shoes, and My training. This post is kindof long....sorry.
I just recently finished reading Christopher McDougall’s Born to Run. I know I’m a runner and cross country coach
and that this book would probably be up my alley. It’s been out for a while,
but I didn’t want to read it. The barefoot running craze that started after it
came out seemed a little crazy to me. Plus, I’ve never been interested in
running an ultra-marathon or anything like that. My assistant coach and few of
the cross country parents do that stuff, but I always saw myself as a 5K guy. I
want to run as hard as I can for 20 minutes, then go home, have a beer, and
take a nap. My legs would always start really hurting in training around 10
miles or so. Hurting is maybe the wrong word. They would feel weak and flimsy…
like they wouldn’t move right. So, yeah, 50 mile runs seemed silly. Who wants
to run slow for days? Just ran fast for minutes… right? Well, after reading his
book, I see it all very different now.
If you don’t know the book or like running, I think it would
still be a very interesting read. It’s a great story and goes into some very
interesting information about our evolutionary past, the running shoe industry,
diet, etc. The characters are interesting and what makes them great is that
they are real. I’m not going to go into a full explanation of the book. You can
read (obviously). But there are a few things I wanted to point out and get
into.
1. The Tarahumara
First, the Tarahumara Native tribe in the Copper Canyons…
they are fascinating. I have never been to the Copper Canyons, but they sound intense
and awesome in the most brutal way possible… not meant for sightseeing or a
quick hike with your dog. They seem devastating and beautiful at the same time. The
Tarahumara live in these canyons and run them like we walk our dogs around the
block. They are running superpeople. It’s part of their culture. They race and run
the hills and trails and rocks and ravines with mystifying speed and agility.
Not only that, but they enjoy every minute of it. This is really the premise
for the whole book. How do these people do this and enjoy it? What are their secrets?
I've seen in my years coaching and just living out here in Colorado what a culture can do to create and encourage excellent running and fitness. Just take a hike here in Colorado and it will motivate you. If you go to Boulder for a nice 1-2 hour hike, while you are taking a water break to catch your breath, someone will run right by you, making you feel ashamed of your fitness level. When I climbed my first 14'er (14,00 ft. mountain), I felt pretty good about myself... until I saw the really old dude popping his head up from the back side, the steep side, of the mountain without breathing hard at all. The first time I went to Red Rocks on a Saturday morning to check it out, I was amazed at the huge number of people using the steps and stairs to work out...running up them, doing push ups down them, carrying others piggy-back on the way back to the top.... The point is, there is a culture of fitness here in Colorado. In areas like Boulder, where Olympic runners from all over the world come to in order to train, the cross country teams are huge and amazing. There is a culture there built around fitness and running and it breeds incredible results. The area I coach in is a little to the east and where the mountains end and the plains begin. I have spent 8 years trying to build a culture around running and am just starting to see the results. I used to get a lot of push back about an easy 5-6 mile run. Now the kids want to go run 10 or 12. The Tarahumara have spent generations upon generations building up a culture of running. Not running to prove anything, but for the love it it. To compete in friendly competition, be in awe of the environment around them, and enjoy life. This idea makes me appreciate what I've been working towards in coaching, but also makes me incredibly happy to know there are people and places like this out there. That there are still pockets of humanity out there that have not become homogenized and have a different and amazing way of living makes me love the world that much more.
2. Micah True
A large amount of this book is dedicated finding the elusive Caballo Blanco (The White Horse), or Micah True as we discover later. The story of Micah true could be its own fascinating book. I don't want to give up too much, but you can find out a lot of this information online now. Micah was from California and lived in Boulder for quite some time, which is not shocking at all. In the book, you finally get his real story at the end and its worth the wait in my opinion. Micah was a fighter and boxer for a long time, but began running after a breakup and re-evaluation of his life. He began running ultra-marathons. One fateful evening at the Leadville 100 mile race in Colorado, he met one of the Tarahumara (another story altogether also in the book and is great). Not long after this he moved down into the Copper Canyons for large portions of the year to run and for friendships with the Tarahumara.
There's a lot more to his story, but what most people have heard is that he died while out on a trail run. A lot of people heard this and though, "See? That's what all that crazy running got him... dead on a trail somewhere. All that running isn't good for you." I will be honest... I had the same thought. After reading this book, though, I now realize that it wasn't a tragedy, a cautionary tale, or something frivolous. It ended for him exactly as he thought it might. As dictated in the book, he knew the dangers of running out in the wilderness on his own. He knew every run could be his last for one reason or another. He couldn't have guessed he had a heart issue. Maybe all that running gave him one. But so what? So what if all that running lead to a heart attack? He lived! He ran through canyons and wilderness with a secretive native tribe! He left behind all the things that made him unhappy and did the things that made him feel alive! Would we rather have him die of old age in a hospital, unable to move or think clearly?! I don't want to die like that. I hope I can die somehow doing something I love or something bold or something that makes me feel connected to something greater. Micah True may have been a wacky guy and driven by something very few of us can understand, but he lived his life, in the end, free of all the things that tie us down. He saw more and experienced more than most of us ever will, even if his life was cut shorter than most. The way I have been seeing things lately, we could go at any minute. A speeding car could get us, a meteor could hit, we could catch a superbug,... whatever. Nothing is for certain. While we may not always be doing what we love to do all the time, I am starting to think I need to make sure that I have no regrets at the end of the day. Whatever I do, I'm going to put into it what I can and make sure I am alive. Even if it's putting up drywall in my basement, as I have been doing for days. Is that fun? Not really. But I am working hard at it and no one can take that from me. If I die tomorrow, no one can say I died being lazy at dry-walling the basement.
3. Joe Vigil
If you follow running, you have probably at east heard of Joe Vigil before. In the book, he plays a minor roll, seemingly, but plays a major roll in the spiritual and emotional aspects of running. What's even ore interesting is why. He isn't some random guru due that believes in meditation and positive energy. Actually, he like a crazy genius. His technical knowledge of running is completely mind-blowing. He uses this knowledge to build Olympians and a completely dominant college cross country team at Adams State here in Colorado. (He guided Deena Kastor to a 2004 Olympic bronze medal in the Marathon and Adams State has won 18 National Championships, including one year where got a perfect score).I've had the amazing opportunity to listen to him twice in person. Both times were amazing. In the first, he dropped knowledge on everyone. He talked about lactic threshold, VO2 max levels, and even got into how to train and improve your mitochondria's ability. Mitochondria!.....Inside your cells! It was way over my head, but riveting.
The topics in the second talk I heard him give were all about his principles for becoming a better runner. These are the principles discussed Born to Run. These aren't what you might think they are. He is big into philosophy and reads a lot of eastern philosophy. He firmly believes that, in order to be come a worlds class runner, you must become a world class person. I can't find the notes I took while listen to him at that second presentation, so I don't have an exact list of his principles, but they are what you might think. Treat others better, don't get caught up in having stuff, eat like poor person (less food and better nutrition), etc. He believes in building positive role models. When you listen to him talk, he is obviously far more proud of the fact that he has turned these amazing athletes into amazing people and role models than he is of their running accomplishments.
Now, we come back to the Tarahumara... Remember earlier when I mentioned Micah True being in Leadville the night the Tarahumara ran and own the 100 mile race? Guess who else was there that night to see this guys run?
Vigil, being the mad scientist he is, would have loved to get a hold of those Tarahumara and run tests on their VO2 max, VVO2, lactic thresholds, etc. But when they ran by him, he found what he was really looking for in their running.... joy. They ran by him in the cold and dark desolate landscape smiling. Vigil believes by changing from the inside, we can become better athletes. He can help people become better humans. He described the following mental picture at his talk:
Imagine standing at the base of a big long hill you're going to run up. You have everything you might need for this and are ready, but you also have this large rounded bolder you're holding to your torso. Its big and very heavy. This bolder represents all of your stuff, all of your worries and fears, and all of your poor choices. You are constantly carrying it around and have gotten used to running with it. Imagine being able to let that thing go before you go run... That long hill is going to be much easier.
This is Coach Vigil's idea behind becoming a better person to become abetter runner. The longer I coach, the more I realize that my real responsibility is in building these young high school kids into good people. I'm not going to say that I do all sort of stuff that does this or that I give speeches or whatever. I don't. But I do try to keep the culture around my team a positive and inclusive one. I make them work hard but tell them how to get through it. I work with hem on how to set goals and achieve them. I celebrate little things and stay positive about our races. I downplay the negatives and look at how to use them to get better. I am honest with them and don't try to pretend to know everything. I try to take them on hikes and beautiful places in the summer. I make them a big, long PP presentation for our end of year banquet with pictures of everyone. I try not to be too serious all the time. When I cheer them on, they get everything I have. I write letters of recommendation that focuses on them as people. I tell them to call me if they need anything after they graduation. Coaching has turned me into a better person and I am far more proud of all the kids and what they have been able to do after being on the team that what they do while on it. I may not be a coach that can take a team to a state title or turn them into an Olympian, but I also know how my kids feel about being on the team and look back on it with joy. Thats all I really want. If you can't be happy while you run or do any other thing you might choose, why do it? If it doesn't make you happy in the long haul, why do it? Life doesn't seem long enough to live that way. In then end, how will we all ultimately be remembered? How did we impact our world? If I win a bunch state titles with kids, but they hate running afterwards and didn't enjoy themselves, what have I really accomplished? When you look at a lot of the really successful teams in this state for cross country, though, you'll notice many of the same things. Their sense of team and joy is easy to spot. They care about each other and support each other. The successful teams way more often than not are full of good people, positive coaches, and loving families. It seems the secret to success might be easier to explain than we thought, but ultimately, cannot be found in book or a workout or in a quote about hard work. It comes from within and radiates out. If we can be a success in our own approach to life and happiness, perhaps we have a chance of success within the rest of the world. But, maybe its not success in terms of winning a trophy or getting a high paying job, but in how many other people you can help and positively influence.
This is the legacy of Joe Vigil. I highly encourage you to read his books or seek out a chance to listen to him.
3. Evolution
Another major theme in the book is the discussion of human evolution and if we were truly "born to run". This aspect of the book is one of the most fascinating to me. It makes me want to become an evolutionary archaeologist. The hypothesis is that we evolved from our previous, primate selves into a creature that could run to retrieve its food, and, specifically, it protein. I will not get into too many specifics, because you can look this up and the book does a great job (In my opinion) of helping you understand the idea (right or wrong, its an interesting theory). Anyways, the idea is that we, humans, beat out theNeanderthals because we could run. Neanderthals were bigger and stronger with larger brains than us. How could we beat that? The answer put forward, as you may have guessed, is running. We ran down our prey... probably...maybe.
The theory is that we developed Achilles tendons and big ol' booties so we could run. We can't out sprint a deer, but we can keep running at a steady pace, while the deer has to sprint, then rest, then sprint, then rest, etc. If we go on long enough, they will collapse, and we get the meat. The problem is, before this, we didn't need meat. Think of gorillas. They don't eat meat. They could kick our ass any time, but they don't eat meat. Their brains are also smaller than ours. Some people will claim that we had a brain size jump 200,000 years ago and that this new protein source may have been the cause. There are also a ton of scientists that go against this idea.
Either way, the idea that we evolved to run make sense to me. Not that we were born to run neighborhood 5K's or Rock N' Roll Marathons. The idea is that our hardware, our bodies, were born to move in running fashion. We can run for long periods without exhaustion. There are also studies out there, as I learned from book The First 20 Minutes, showing that walking is actually our best ability as far as efficiently goes. That may be true, but it doesn't mean we didn't use runnings' advantage. If we think of it this way... Most animals that run do so in a way that is fast as hell (cheetah), they bound strangely (gazelle), or they can charge your ass if they are pissed but will wear out quickly (rhinos and hippos). We, like birds in flight, can just keep going...if we train.
Whether or not we evolved to run will be up for debate for a long time. The idea, though, I hope, doesn't die. Its fascinating. What if we are able to prove we DID NOT evolve to run? How much more badass would running be?
If you follow running, you have probably at east heard of Joe Vigil before. In the book, he plays a minor roll, seemingly, but plays a major roll in the spiritual and emotional aspects of running. What's even ore interesting is why. He isn't some random guru due that believes in meditation and positive energy. Actually, he like a crazy genius. His technical knowledge of running is completely mind-blowing. He uses this knowledge to build Olympians and a completely dominant college cross country team at Adams State here in Colorado. (He guided Deena Kastor to a 2004 Olympic bronze medal in the Marathon and Adams State has won 18 National Championships, including one year where got a perfect score).I've had the amazing opportunity to listen to him twice in person. Both times were amazing. In the first, he dropped knowledge on everyone. He talked about lactic threshold, VO2 max levels, and even got into how to train and improve your mitochondria's ability. Mitochondria!.....Inside your cells! It was way over my head, but riveting.
The topics in the second talk I heard him give were all about his principles for becoming a better runner. These are the principles discussed Born to Run. These aren't what you might think they are. He is big into philosophy and reads a lot of eastern philosophy. He firmly believes that, in order to be come a worlds class runner, you must become a world class person. I can't find the notes I took while listen to him at that second presentation, so I don't have an exact list of his principles, but they are what you might think. Treat others better, don't get caught up in having stuff, eat like poor person (less food and better nutrition), etc. He believes in building positive role models. When you listen to him talk, he is obviously far more proud of the fact that he has turned these amazing athletes into amazing people and role models than he is of their running accomplishments.
Now, we come back to the Tarahumara... Remember earlier when I mentioned Micah True being in Leadville the night the Tarahumara ran and own the 100 mile race? Guess who else was there that night to see this guys run?
Vigil, being the mad scientist he is, would have loved to get a hold of those Tarahumara and run tests on their VO2 max, VVO2, lactic thresholds, etc. But when they ran by him, he found what he was really looking for in their running.... joy. They ran by him in the cold and dark desolate landscape smiling. Vigil believes by changing from the inside, we can become better athletes. He can help people become better humans. He described the following mental picture at his talk:
Imagine standing at the base of a big long hill you're going to run up. You have everything you might need for this and are ready, but you also have this large rounded bolder you're holding to your torso. Its big and very heavy. This bolder represents all of your stuff, all of your worries and fears, and all of your poor choices. You are constantly carrying it around and have gotten used to running with it. Imagine being able to let that thing go before you go run... That long hill is going to be much easier.
This is Coach Vigil's idea behind becoming a better person to become abetter runner. The longer I coach, the more I realize that my real responsibility is in building these young high school kids into good people. I'm not going to say that I do all sort of stuff that does this or that I give speeches or whatever. I don't. But I do try to keep the culture around my team a positive and inclusive one. I make them work hard but tell them how to get through it. I work with hem on how to set goals and achieve them. I celebrate little things and stay positive about our races. I downplay the negatives and look at how to use them to get better. I am honest with them and don't try to pretend to know everything. I try to take them on hikes and beautiful places in the summer. I make them a big, long PP presentation for our end of year banquet with pictures of everyone. I try not to be too serious all the time. When I cheer them on, they get everything I have. I write letters of recommendation that focuses on them as people. I tell them to call me if they need anything after they graduation. Coaching has turned me into a better person and I am far more proud of all the kids and what they have been able to do after being on the team that what they do while on it. I may not be a coach that can take a team to a state title or turn them into an Olympian, but I also know how my kids feel about being on the team and look back on it with joy. Thats all I really want. If you can't be happy while you run or do any other thing you might choose, why do it? If it doesn't make you happy in the long haul, why do it? Life doesn't seem long enough to live that way. In then end, how will we all ultimately be remembered? How did we impact our world? If I win a bunch state titles with kids, but they hate running afterwards and didn't enjoy themselves, what have I really accomplished? When you look at a lot of the really successful teams in this state for cross country, though, you'll notice many of the same things. Their sense of team and joy is easy to spot. They care about each other and support each other. The successful teams way more often than not are full of good people, positive coaches, and loving families. It seems the secret to success might be easier to explain than we thought, but ultimately, cannot be found in book or a workout or in a quote about hard work. It comes from within and radiates out. If we can be a success in our own approach to life and happiness, perhaps we have a chance of success within the rest of the world. But, maybe its not success in terms of winning a trophy or getting a high paying job, but in how many other people you can help and positively influence.
This is the legacy of Joe Vigil. I highly encourage you to read his books or seek out a chance to listen to him.
3. Evolution
Another major theme in the book is the discussion of human evolution and if we were truly "born to run". This aspect of the book is one of the most fascinating to me. It makes me want to become an evolutionary archaeologist. The hypothesis is that we evolved from our previous, primate selves into a creature that could run to retrieve its food, and, specifically, it protein. I will not get into too many specifics, because you can look this up and the book does a great job (In my opinion) of helping you understand the idea (right or wrong, its an interesting theory). Anyways, the idea is that we, humans, beat out theNeanderthals because we could run. Neanderthals were bigger and stronger with larger brains than us. How could we beat that? The answer put forward, as you may have guessed, is running. We ran down our prey... probably...maybe.
The theory is that we developed Achilles tendons and big ol' booties so we could run. We can't out sprint a deer, but we can keep running at a steady pace, while the deer has to sprint, then rest, then sprint, then rest, etc. If we go on long enough, they will collapse, and we get the meat. The problem is, before this, we didn't need meat. Think of gorillas. They don't eat meat. They could kick our ass any time, but they don't eat meat. Their brains are also smaller than ours. Some people will claim that we had a brain size jump 200,000 years ago and that this new protein source may have been the cause. There are also a ton of scientists that go against this idea.
Either way, the idea that we evolved to run make sense to me. Not that we were born to run neighborhood 5K's or Rock N' Roll Marathons. The idea is that our hardware, our bodies, were born to move in running fashion. We can run for long periods without exhaustion. There are also studies out there, as I learned from book The First 20 Minutes, showing that walking is actually our best ability as far as efficiently goes. That may be true, but it doesn't mean we didn't use runnings' advantage. If we think of it this way... Most animals that run do so in a way that is fast as hell (cheetah), they bound strangely (gazelle), or they can charge your ass if they are pissed but will wear out quickly (rhinos and hippos). We, like birds in flight, can just keep going...if we train.
Whether or not we evolved to run will be up for debate for a long time. The idea, though, I hope, doesn't die. Its fascinating. What if we are able to prove we DID NOT evolve to run? How much more badass would running be?
4. Running shoes
Right after Born to Run came out, the barefoot running craze began. People started buying the skeleton toes shoes and shoes with the Vibram soles, which was a safe way to get close to barefoot running. I actually own a pair of the Merrell Trail Gloves shoes, which are made with his idea in mind, but I don't use them to run. In the book, there is a character named Barefoot Ted. As you may have guessed, he is a big proponent of barefoot running. The Tarahumara barely wear anything on their feet. They usually use sandals fashioned from old tires and leather.
The main idea behind switching to barefoot running actually stems from Bill Bowman and Nike and what they did to move away from that. Creating shoes that were more cushioned seemed like a great idea at the time. But, since then, it has allowed us to over stride, not keeping our weight centered, and heel strike like crazy, adding jarring pressure throughout our bodies with each running step. The modern running shoe is one of the worst things for running... according to the theory in this book. Which I tend to agree with for the most part. I, too, used to wear "control shoes", trying to control my pronation and "fix" my running. I then read some research about how this actually weakens your legs. Pronation is natural and helps absorb impact. After learning this, I switched to "neutral" shoes. My legs hurt bad for 2 weeks. All those balancing muscles I hadn't been using were getting a serious workout. But, I was able to run further and harder than I had in the past. Now, when I am working shifts in shoes at the sporting goods store I am employed at part time, I try to steer people away from control shoes. I also try to steer them away form the most expensive shoes out there. There is a lot of research, some of which is used in the book, showing that people who where more expensive shoes are more likely to get injured. I wear shows that cost about $150. I love them, but this book has me thinking I need to change it up.
Here's where I am at on this whole idea of switching to barefoot running, etc. I think its probably a great idea and allows your body to move the way it is supposed to. i actually have my running warm up on the football field barefoot for 1 mile before practice. I see why many people jumped on board, but we have to remember that we have been wearing shoes that have weakened our muscles and feet. We cant just jump right into it. Our legs and bones cant handle itMy. plan is to continue to wear my expensive shoes for shorter, harder runs, but concentrate on my form and not over stride, etc. For my longer, easier runs, I am going to look for a more minimalist shoe. I will workout this way and see how I do. I am going to see if it benefits me or not. If it does, maybe I'll transition even further. I saw a guy in my neighborhood a few years back who would run in his bare feet all over the place. I saw him do this for a few weeks. Then I never saw him out running again. This could be for other reasons, but I think too much right, right off the bat, could lead to injury.
I believe that there is certainty something to be said for barefoot running and minimalist running. It is probably the best way to go in the long run (pun intended)... but, I also think the transition should be a slow one. Moving slowly towards a minimalist approach is my plan. I will let you know how it goes.
Right after Born to Run came out, the barefoot running craze began. People started buying the skeleton toes shoes and shoes with the Vibram soles, which was a safe way to get close to barefoot running. I actually own a pair of the Merrell Trail Gloves shoes, which are made with his idea in mind, but I don't use them to run. In the book, there is a character named Barefoot Ted. As you may have guessed, he is a big proponent of barefoot running. The Tarahumara barely wear anything on their feet. They usually use sandals fashioned from old tires and leather.
The main idea behind switching to barefoot running actually stems from Bill Bowman and Nike and what they did to move away from that. Creating shoes that were more cushioned seemed like a great idea at the time. But, since then, it has allowed us to over stride, not keeping our weight centered, and heel strike like crazy, adding jarring pressure throughout our bodies with each running step. The modern running shoe is one of the worst things for running... according to the theory in this book. Which I tend to agree with for the most part. I, too, used to wear "control shoes", trying to control my pronation and "fix" my running. I then read some research about how this actually weakens your legs. Pronation is natural and helps absorb impact. After learning this, I switched to "neutral" shoes. My legs hurt bad for 2 weeks. All those balancing muscles I hadn't been using were getting a serious workout. But, I was able to run further and harder than I had in the past. Now, when I am working shifts in shoes at the sporting goods store I am employed at part time, I try to steer people away from control shoes. I also try to steer them away form the most expensive shoes out there. There is a lot of research, some of which is used in the book, showing that people who where more expensive shoes are more likely to get injured. I wear shows that cost about $150. I love them, but this book has me thinking I need to change it up.
Here's where I am at on this whole idea of switching to barefoot running, etc. I think its probably a great idea and allows your body to move the way it is supposed to. i actually have my running warm up on the football field barefoot for 1 mile before practice. I see why many people jumped on board, but we have to remember that we have been wearing shoes that have weakened our muscles and feet. We cant just jump right into it. Our legs and bones cant handle itMy. plan is to continue to wear my expensive shoes for shorter, harder runs, but concentrate on my form and not over stride, etc. For my longer, easier runs, I am going to look for a more minimalist shoe. I will workout this way and see how I do. I am going to see if it benefits me or not. If it does, maybe I'll transition even further. I saw a guy in my neighborhood a few years back who would run in his bare feet all over the place. I saw him do this for a few weeks. Then I never saw him out running again. This could be for other reasons, but I think too much right, right off the bat, could lead to injury.
I believe that there is certainty something to be said for barefoot running and minimalist running. It is probably the best way to go in the long run (pun intended)... but, I also think the transition should be a slow one. Moving slowly towards a minimalist approach is my plan. I will let you know how it goes.
5. The effects on my training
I like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I run. It was fun listening to a book about running while running. There was a little extra motivation. I found myself running a little longer. I also found myself really concentrating on my form. The benefits were immediate and great.
When I started this book I had about a month to go before a 5K I wanted to do well at. I realize many people will think, "Its just a 5K... what's the big deal?" But I wanted to try to break 19 minutes, something I haven't done since my freshman year of college and was still on a team. For me, I was looking at it as a big deal. Also during this month I have been frantically trying to finish my basement and its been difficult to train. I listened to most of this book doing drywall in my basement, which allowed me to really listen to it and concentrate on it. I really took to heart the parts about form and how we should be running... shorter steps, keeping our weight under us, breathing rhythms, etc. the first big run I went on after starting this book was a planned 10 mile run. I had to run and errand over in the city of Arvada, west of Denver and and fairly hilly area. I decided to do my run here and really work on my form and technique according to what I had learned from the book so far. It was one of the best runs I have ever been on. I felt like I could have run for much longer and the hills were not nearly as difficult as usual. I averaged a 7:45 mile. I started out nice and easy but worked my 8th mile into a 7 flat. I felt great. Keeping my stride short and keeping my weight underneath me helped. I kept thinking about not stressing but finding "easy" or zen mode.
Since that run, I tried to apply this new information on form to every run. You'd think a book on Ultra-running would have me out running really long, slow mileage. It didn't have that kind of time, nor was that going to help me run a fast 5k (in my opinion). I applied the techniques to short hard runs. During this past month, in all my training runs, about 80 miles (a little low for me), I averaged a 7:09 mile (really fast for me). I just made the most out of every run I was able to take, most of the time blasting the last mile as hard as I could run it. Using this new stride allowed me for have greater turn over. The greater turn over allowed for more speed. Instead of using this ultra-running technique for distance, I was able to translate it to speed.
In the week leading up to my race I felt really good. I ran 4 x 400 with a 400 jog in between intervals. I ran each one under 1:15. The last hard mile I ran after 3 easy ones was a 5:20. I haven't been that fast since the beginning of college.
The two days before my race, though, it snowed and iced all over the place. Without boring you with the details of the race (I fell down once on a turn due to ice)..... I took 5th overall and won my age group. I was unable to run the time I wanted due to the ice everywhere, but no one did. I was happy with my effort and place.
In the future, I am not sure what I want to train for but it feels like it might be time to tackle something bigger than a 5k. Perhaps I will start with a half marathon. I would like to do something on a trail. I will be incorporating longer, slower runs and then mixing in these new hard fast runs. I also need to find some time for at least minimal strength training.
I realize this post was longer than long. It was a culmination of ideas and training and coaching all wrapped up.
I like to listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I run. It was fun listening to a book about running while running. There was a little extra motivation. I found myself running a little longer. I also found myself really concentrating on my form. The benefits were immediate and great.
When I started this book I had about a month to go before a 5K I wanted to do well at. I realize many people will think, "Its just a 5K... what's the big deal?" But I wanted to try to break 19 minutes, something I haven't done since my freshman year of college and was still on a team. For me, I was looking at it as a big deal. Also during this month I have been frantically trying to finish my basement and its been difficult to train. I listened to most of this book doing drywall in my basement, which allowed me to really listen to it and concentrate on it. I really took to heart the parts about form and how we should be running... shorter steps, keeping our weight under us, breathing rhythms, etc. the first big run I went on after starting this book was a planned 10 mile run. I had to run and errand over in the city of Arvada, west of Denver and and fairly hilly area. I decided to do my run here and really work on my form and technique according to what I had learned from the book so far. It was one of the best runs I have ever been on. I felt like I could have run for much longer and the hills were not nearly as difficult as usual. I averaged a 7:45 mile. I started out nice and easy but worked my 8th mile into a 7 flat. I felt great. Keeping my stride short and keeping my weight underneath me helped. I kept thinking about not stressing but finding "easy" or zen mode.
Since that run, I tried to apply this new information on form to every run. You'd think a book on Ultra-running would have me out running really long, slow mileage. It didn't have that kind of time, nor was that going to help me run a fast 5k (in my opinion). I applied the techniques to short hard runs. During this past month, in all my training runs, about 80 miles (a little low for me), I averaged a 7:09 mile (really fast for me). I just made the most out of every run I was able to take, most of the time blasting the last mile as hard as I could run it. Using this new stride allowed me for have greater turn over. The greater turn over allowed for more speed. Instead of using this ultra-running technique for distance, I was able to translate it to speed.
In the week leading up to my race I felt really good. I ran 4 x 400 with a 400 jog in between intervals. I ran each one under 1:15. The last hard mile I ran after 3 easy ones was a 5:20. I haven't been that fast since the beginning of college.
The two days before my race, though, it snowed and iced all over the place. Without boring you with the details of the race (I fell down once on a turn due to ice)..... I took 5th overall and won my age group. I was unable to run the time I wanted due to the ice everywhere, but no one did. I was happy with my effort and place.
In the future, I am not sure what I want to train for but it feels like it might be time to tackle something bigger than a 5k. Perhaps I will start with a half marathon. I would like to do something on a trail. I will be incorporating longer, slower runs and then mixing in these new hard fast runs. I also need to find some time for at least minimal strength training.
I realize this post was longer than long. It was a culmination of ideas and training and coaching all wrapped up.
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