Running a race 101

I was recently asked to help a friend of mine come up with ideas for a running clinic she wants to put on at the gym she works at. She said she is getting a lot of questions form people getting ready to race. So, I wrote up kindof a Racing 101/race prep bloggy thing. It's got some of the things I think are useful and important. I'm not an expert, but I have been coaching cross country and track for 8 years as well as running for myself. There are so many great articles and experts out there, but I think this is a decent list for starters. It covers preparing for a race, workout ideas, day of race prep, food, warm ups, and some other odds and ends. I hope it helps. 

That guy in the middle... Jesus... he's really fast. Seriously. 

Lets start with training and race prep:

1.      1. Prepare for the distance you are running. If you are running a 5K your training is different than and marathon. If you are doing an obstacle course, you aren’t going to need to run as much as someone trying to run a half marathon. Look at the race ahead, decide on a goal, and work towards that.

2.      2. You also don’t need to over train. When I train for a 5K, I do one long run a week. Usually at an easier pace (1:30 – 2:00 plus mile goal mile pace). So I want to run my 5k miles at 6 – 6:15 a mile, so my 8 mile run is 8-8:15 per mile. I might do 8 – 10 miles on my long run. But I have worked up to that. Someone else’s long run, might be 5. Maybe you are just trying to finish a 5K. I that case or if you need to ease into running, use the run/walk strategy to build up. Jog 2 minutes, walk one. Then build up to 4 and 1 or 5 and 1, you get the picture. It’s a great way to build up without getting hurt or burned out.

3.      3. Do shorter runs with intervals, tempos, or hard last miles. AKA, jog a mile warm up, pick it up for a mile, then blast the last one. 3 miles… that’s it to train for a 5K. But run that last mile close to goal pace. Or, jog a mile warm up, blast the middle, cool down the last mile. Don’t be afraid of running some 400’s or something on the track. Run them at goal pace, then rest for 2X what it took you to run it. Run 4 of them. Jog back home. If you are training for a longer race, adjust the time and distances. You want to work in hard runs to build muscle and lactic thresholds, but also just mental toughness. When I am trying to go fast at the end of a race, I can think back to the 200 repeats I killed myself on or the 400’s I ran at goal pace because they were hard.

4.      4. Prepare for the terrain. If you are running in a hilly place, get in some hilly runs. If it’s a trail run….. you get the picture. Plan ahead.

5.      5. Do some speed work. Run 40m with all out sprint. Rest 3 minutes. Repeat x 4-5. Do these 1-2 times a week before or after a run. It’s proven to increase speed over time. The 3 minutes help your ATP system come back to normal levels. In other words, the rest time is important in speed work.

6.      6. Use an app to track data about runs or even set up a plan for you. I use Nike +. It has training plans and I have it set up to tell me my pace very half mile. I love that feature. I can look at how fast I ran each mile in a run, and it pauses automatically when I stop. I live it, but there are lots of others out there.

No static stretching

Warm ups:

1.   1. If you are still static stretching please stop doing this. (I am assuming you may know this, but I will put it out there anyway). Your muscles are like a rubber band. If you stretch it and hold, the band gets weaker. If you stretch and release repeatedly it will work the job you need it for without becoming weaker or breaking. I do the following to active warm up before a race: (and sometimes before a hard workout):

a.       Jog 10 minutes

b.      Walk on toes with them pointed in for 20 meters.

c.       Walk back on heels pointed out.

d.      Knee hugs (step and hug the your knee, switch, repeat)

e.      Flamingos (step, grab foot behind back to stretch quad, repeat)

f.        Military walk/Frankensteins (step, leg swing straight up and out, switch, repeat)

g.       Balance birds (step, touch toes, switch legs , repeat)

h.      High knees (good form, not too fast or too high)

i.         Butt kicks (heel straight up to butt underneath)

j.        A skips (look it up… too hard to explain, but they are great)

k.       A skip backward

l.         Side shuffles with arms swings down and back

m.    Karaoke (tiny steps) down and back

n.      Backwards running with big steps, down and back

2.       This will take, all together, about 20 minutes. Then I might jog  a little more, take a few strides, and hydrate. Don’t overwork. Take breaks as needed. Sip water, etc. It’s a warm up, not a workout, although the first few times you do it you might think otherwise.

Strategy:

1.   1. Have a race strategy way in advance. Picture the type of race you want to run while training. I like getting in a good, quick 1/3 of the race to start, getting a head of my goal a little, trying to stay strong and even and relaxed the second third of a race, then gradually pick it up as I go the last third. Others, beginners (and often myself), will do better starting of slower than goal pace, then picking it up and you go. Either way, have an idea, stick to it, know your pace. If you blow it out the first mile, the rest of the race will be hell. To figure out goal pace, take your goal time and divide it by miles (I know, you know this…). But you will not run each mile at this pace. It’s an average. Don’t panic if you are too fast or slow by a 10 seconds on any given mile. Panic if you are too fast or slow by a few minutes.

2.   2. Race! Don’t just go for a run. Try to stick to a pack if possible. Avoid no man’s land between packs. It sucks there. Don’t lead a pack, it takes up valuable energy. Instead, ride the shoulder of someone going your pace. Use them. I like to give my athletes challenges also: Count how many people you pass after the first mile. Count how many you pass the third mile and so on.

3.   3. Have a mantra. Have a small phrase that you can repeat to yourself while running when it gets hard. I have 2 things I use. I count my breaths down from 20 when I need to get through a hill or a stretch I am struggling with. I might need to do it more than once in a row, but it takes my mind off whatever it is. The other thing I say in my head, and sometimes out loud, is “Come on coach!” and picture all my athletes yelling at me. I just repeat it over and over near the end of a race. It can really be anything, but it should help.

Form and function:

1.   1. Rhythmic breathing… work on it. Looking it up is an easier way of reading about it, but it’s the idea of balancing out your breathing and muscle use to avoid injury, control your breathing, and use your energy better. When running easy, I breathe in 3 steps and out for 2. This makes sure I breathe out of the opposite foot every time I breathe. If you are always breathing out on your right foot, you are flexing just those muscles involved every single time you breathe. It causes cramps, leg pain, etc. Try to exhale on the opposite foot each time. If going faster, I breathe in 1 step and out 2. Always an odd number. It’s really hard to do at first. Its automatic now but I still catch myself getting off of it and have to work to get back on. It’s so helpful, though. It changed a lot for me. Start out at a slow pace to figure it out, then increase.

2.   

      2. Shorter steps. Stop over striding. That’s now how you run faster. The more your feet touch the ground, the more forward momentum you get. If you over stride, your weight is behind your feet and you have to drag your body forward. Your foot should land just about underneath your shoulders with a slight lean forward of the whole body. To check this position, stand on both feet like normal. Lean forward until you need to put a foot out. See where your foot lands in comparison to your body. That’s ideally where you want it landing all the time. I have recently been working on this myself and have seen vast improvements in my abilities, especially when going uphill. If you can maybe take one big step, do it in 2.

3.   3. You don’t need really expensive corrective shoes. I won’t go into the whole thing here. Not enough time for that. Find shoes that fit your feet and are preferably neutral and comfortable. Work on your body strength and form instead of finding a shoe to fix your aches and pains. Imbalances and body mechanic take time and work to fix. A shoe won’t do it. It may help, but ultimately, it’s a Band-Aid.

4.   4. That brings us to strength training. Very important. There’s a lot of stuff you can do to help, but I like to stick to the basics. I have even stopped using weights for the most part. Squats, push-ups, lunges, planks, etc. Replace old workouts. Do rows instead of bicep curls (speed is generated from the pulling back motion, not driving arms forward). You need to work your glutes, core, and some arm strength. You don’t need to max out on the squat rack, but don’t just do 10 squats. I have upped my game to 300 squats a day. It’s awesome and took time and don’t do them all at once, but I do as many as I can until the burn is too much to do them right. I won’t write up a whole plan here, but 2-3 times a week you need to do some strength work. You will see a huge difference.

Food:

1.       

      1. I am far from the person that needs to lecture anyone about eating and how to do it. Most people know what is good and what’s not. I feel and run better if I try to eat a little cleaner. I try to stick to food I find on the outskirts of the grocery store. I do have a fruit and spinach/kale smoothie almost every day for a snack. I do take a vegan protein powder in the morning when I wake up and after a workout. I take some supplements (fish oil, vitamin d, multi-vitamin, b-vitamin complex with electrolytes, and randomly a few others to try it out). I don’t think they are necessary always, but I feel a difference. It could be a placebo, but it’s just my opinion.

2.   2. Eat like you normally do before a race. If you usually have cereal for breakfast, have cereal. If you don’t use goo and stuff while training, don’t use it in the race. If you have coffee right before you run, have coffee right before your race. Train how you want to race, race like you trained. You can’t eat like crap for weeks while training, then eat a kale salad before a race and expect results. You can’t run at a super slow pace training for months and then expect speed in the race. Not everyone’s eating is perfect. I love donuts. “Free donuts” if my second favorite phrase to “free beer.” We are here to enjoy ourselves. If you hate life while eating healthy and stay alive forever, what’s the point? But if you eat pretty darn healthy and feel good and treat yourself sometimes, I think we’ll be OK.

Day of the race:

1.   1. Plan it out. Get a good night’s sleep. Lay out your clothes and stuff you need ahead of time. Know how to get to the race, where to park, how to check in, and how much time you need to warm up. I like to get to a race an hour before. I usually try to pick up my packets before the day of if possible.

2.   2. Clothing. I try to race in as little as I need to be comfortable. If you don’t train in tiny short shorts and a jersey, don’t race in it. But if you want to race in it, train in it once in a while. I just wear my normal training shoes. If you want to wear racing flats or something, train in them once in a while. I usually have a way to put my warm ups away before a race. I will wear wind pants and a long sleeve shirt or hoodie to warm up in. I just throw them in my car or give them to my wonderful wife before the start of a race. I try to keep them on until right before the start. If you can’t do either of these things, go to a Goodwill and get some very cheap sweatpants and shirt you are willing to lose or throw away before the start of a race. It’s a common strategy. I like wearing a stocking cap if it’s cool out, even if I just go with a t-shirt. Its just my style and comfort. Be comfortable while racing. It’s less distracting.

3.   3. Headphones or not?… I wear them. I have a playlist and everything. I also use my app to help me pace. I train with music and podcasts all the time. I know there are lots of experts that argue against this. That’s fine. It’s how I run, so I don’t change it for race day. I go with what I know. I suggest the same. If you want to run without the headphones, train without them and least once a week. For me, I like my time out alone with my music or audio books.

4.   4. Schedule the day of…. Get up at a normal time, eat at a normal time, etc…. unless you have a ways to travel. I plan backwards. If the race starts at 9, I want to start warming up at 8:20-30. I want to be there by 8 to get my bearings. If I need to drive 30 minutes I leave the house at 7:30, which means I should eat around 7:15 or so. I try to eat about an hour and a half before the race to allow digestion, but might have some b-vitamins or a granola bar closer to the race.  I should get up at 6:15-30 so I have time to wake up, shower, dress, etc. It’s my routine. Know yours and plan backwards.

5.   5. Bag O’ stuff…. I have a bag o’ stuff. In it I have gloves, a hat, chaffing sticks, a muscle stick, extra socks, extra underwear, extra shorts, a water bottle, knee braces, etc. Anything I may or may not need for a race. The day of the race I pack my race bib, shoes, and other crap I need for the day. This way I have a bag full of whatever I might need the day of the race. If you are doing a long race and need to keep an ID or phone on you, you can get cheap pouches to wear around your waist. You can always tie your car key into your shoes, but most running shorts have a tiny pocket for this stuff.

Last pieces of advice:

1.   1. Relax and enjoy the run. It might not go as planned. Make adjustments. I had a race recently in which I had a time goal. I trained really hard for it. They day before and of the race it snowed like crazy. They held the race anyways. I changed my goal from tie to a place. I had to let the time go. It happens. I’ve had races that started great and had a bad cramp and had to adjust. It happens. It’s not the end of the world.

2.   2. Find a reason to run. You know why you are running. There’s a very personal reason somewhere inside you… maybe even one you don’t want to share out loud with anyone. That’s OK. Identify it and use it to your advantage. 

Why I run

I recently was working on an application to be a regional representative for a particular shoe company. Its a huge long shot and I don't expect to get it, but you miss 100% of the shots you don't take, right? One of the questions, though, was what does running mean to you? Huge, loaded question. Below is how I answered that question. I have been wanting to write some but was struggling. This came easy.

I am a teacher

I teach at a middle school and coach at the high school next door… cross country and track. I love talking to the middle school kids about running and joining track or cross country at both levels, but I know that running can be more than just a sport. Last year I had an 8^th grade girl in my class, we’ll call her Morgan. Morgan had serious home issues that lead to serious anger issues. She was in trouble a lot and was having a rough year. I teach art, and tried to help her get our some of her frustrations and anger through art, allowing her to work in my back work area, listen to music, and shut off the distractions for a little bit. I helped some, but the day she came back from the bathroom with bloody knuckles from punching the wall. I sat her down and had a conversation with her. I encouraged her to get into boxing and start running. I let her know I was serious and that I wanted her to come out and run for me at the high school and train with me that summer. I wanted to help her and find a way for her to find some mental peace as well as work off that angry energy. I asked her about it every day in class, telling her how I would train her and get her ready for the season. I wanted to let he know I still wanted to help her. I also called her mom and helped her figure out a place for Morgan to start taking boxing classes.

                I didn’t see Morgan that summer, or at practice, but one day she found me in the parking lot before practice. She told me she was sorry she wasn’t running, but she was too busy with classes and with boxing. She had starting winning bouts and moving up in rankings, but she promised me to come out next season and that she wanted to run for me. I know that running didn’t save her and that there’s a long road ahead, but the idea behind it helped. I think the running gods would smile down at her anyways. I look forward to next season.

I am a new father

My wife and I recently had a little baby boy… one month ago to be exact. He is beautiful and awesome. At my annual cross country annual dessert potluck banquet this past year, before he was born, the parents caught me as I thanked everyone and said goodnight. They had a surprise for me. Usually I get a couple small gift cards to Applebee’s or something. I don’t care. That’s not why I coach. Anything I get is gravy. When I opened the card they gave me, though, I cried. They pooled together enough money to allow me to go buy a jogging stroller so I could run with my son. I never expected anything. I am just thankful they let their kids run and buy them the shoes to do so with what little money they have.

I wanted to buy a jogger and run with my son, but had decided it wasn’t in the budget and I would just keep running on my own. My wife likes her boot camp classes and my poor dog has dysplasia, so I run on my own. But now I can take my son out to see the beautiful world while running. I can share with him my love for running as my dad did with me. I can’t wait to take him on my favorite trails, stopping to explore and play (or catch my breath from pushing him!).  I can’t wait to share this beautiful community of runners that encourage each other, help each other, and take care of each other. My son may not decide to become a runner, and that’s OK. But I want to at least share what I love about it with him as he now shares the same space in my heart.

I am a husband

I am so thankful to have a wife that loves me enough to understand my need to run. She understands why I need an hour or so each day to run let my legs fly. She understands why I use my spending money to sign up for races or buy new running shoes. She understands why I asked for a water bottle belt for Christmas. She understands why I coach, even though it takes up so much time and energy. She was even my assistant one year! She understands why, when on vacation, I can’t wait to go run.

The first time I had to host a cross country meet was for the League Championships. It was only my second year coaching. I had no assistant coach and only had 15 kids on the team with very little parent presence (Now I have over 50 and a whole community!). My wife took the day off work (she also teaches Art).  She and I set up the entire course that day, setting flags, pushing a chalking machine, and sweating profusely in the heat. We got it done and pulled it off and had a story to tell. She was there for me when I needed her and is always there for me when I complain about my hurt knees or a bad run or about a new crazy training idea I have. Heck… she bought me a Joe Vigil book for my birthday! She gets me and allows me to be “one of those crazy people” out running all the time. She, too, had her time in cross country and shows the love and sense of community well. Whether she knows it or not, I often run hard because I want her to be proud of me. It’s silly and I know it… but I do anyways.

I am a son

Both of my parents were or are cross country and track coaches. One of my earliest memories is being on my mom’s back, piggyback style, cheering for her runners at a meet. My mom gave up coaching to help raise my little brother and me, which I now know was a major sacrifice, being a coach myself. My parents never pressured me to run. They never made me run. They never tried to coach me as parents. They invited me to run and train. They encouraged me. They helped me. In high school my dad did my paper route on days I had morning runs after driving me to the high school.  They drove me hundreds of miles to tiny colleges to meet with their coaches when it was time to pick a school. They did the same for my brother.

Now that I am older, I now realize what they did for me. Outside of giving me opportunities and making sure I could run if I wanted, they always showed me the love they had for it, not as a beautiful but brutal sport, but as a frame of mind. They used running to spend time together, to release frustration, to enjoy a beautiful day, to explore on vacations, and to keep healthy and alive. My mom survived cancer and then kept running. My dad coaches year round, giving of himself constantly, and keeps running. (They need to build him a statue when he retires). They ran to prepare to hike the Grand Canyon, and made it down and up in the same day. The best runs I ever had were on family road trips after they would wake me up early to go run to see the sunrise in the mountains or on Lake Michigan.

I am now 32. I still love running. I run to enjoy the day, to let out emotions, and to explore. My brother now coaches with my dad. My mom helps him with his track team, making meals and washing clothes and buying shoes for kids who need help. I coach now and try to follow in my parents’ footsteps, teaching my athletes not only to compete and get better, but to love running and to use it as a lifelong labor of love. I am so excited to share this love and journey with my son, passing on to him the legacy of happiness and joy that can come from running. I truly am my parent’s son in all the best ways… or, at least, that’s what I’m striving for. 

On a run with my dad in Estes Park

I am a coach

Above anything I do or have ever done, which includes my own athletic accomplishments, my artistic accomplishments and joys, and my beautiful and budding family, I feel I have done the most good for the world as a coach. I have been coaching Cross Country and Track now for 8 years… since I started teaching. I could write a book on all the amazing memories and athletes I have had. Chapters upon chapters  could be written about the inspiring individuals I have had the privilege to work with… athletes and kids that have gone on to do amazing and incredible things. I make no claim that it was my influence or coaching that did this. It was them and I feel lucky to have been there to help in any small way I could. I have no major and amazing accomplishments to put on my resume as a coach. I built a team of 10 kids to 50 in 8 years. We went from near last to winning a recent league title. I have taken one kid to the State meet. It’s a small list. What I am most proud of will never been seen on a plaque or banner.

It is my goal, as a coach, to foster an environment of something more than success. I am most proud of my team when I see them together, without me, laughing and playing. I am proud when I see them all gather at the finish, without me, to cheer on our last runner as they strive for a PR. I am proud when I see my team cheering on other individuals from other teams as they gut out they race because they know how hard they are working. I am proud when my team sends me a text message of a picture of them all eating dinner together at Applebee’s for unlimited appetizers. I’ve seen kids come to the team as one person and leave on the other side as the best version of themselves time and time again. I’ve seen running teach kids the meaning of hard work and being humble. I’ve seen it break and rebuild. I’ve seen running change lives, form relationships, and create opportunities. My team has become a family. If they need a job reference, they can always call me. If I need help moving drywall into my basement, I call them. I get Christmas cards with pictures of their new families now, invites to going away parties as they enter the marines and air force, and invites to honorary dinners at their churches. There is something about running with another group of people for a season, going through each long, hot run, each grueling interval session, each giggle/stretching session, and each race in the mud and rain that creates a bond that exists across time and space. You feel you have been through the trenches with these people. You have run for them as well as with them. It’s beautiful. As a coach, I get to step back and see the forest for the trees sometimes, and it’s amazing. 

One of many great pictures of my team

I am a runner

I started running in 6^th grade. I trained a little with my dad after he asked if I wanted to try it. I agreed and ran a couple miles with him, soon going out on my own. I won that first race. I didn’t win many others after that, but I wasn’t bad, either. I was on varsity after my freshman year of high school in cross country. I ran every race as if it were my last, exhausting every muscle I had available to me.

 I ran in college as a walk-on for a bit, but quite because they coach was rotten (a story for another time). I decided to keep running, though. I ran on my own. For the first time, I ran just to run. Before there was always a goal. Now…. I just ran. I ran through rolling hills and stumbled upon herds of deer that took my breath away. I ran in a relay race from the Mississippi to the Ohio. I ran to train for an epic hiking road trip to the Badlands and Yellowstone. I learned to love the run. I ran when happy. I ran when mad. I ran when stressed. I ran when I ate too much pizza and sometimes after too much beer. I ran because I was free do so. I ran without a watch, or headphones, or even a shirt.  I didn’t know how good I had it.

I run now to stay in shape, setting pacing goals, wearing a watch, and using apps to track my performance. I run each day for a specific reason and usually have a goal in mind. I run to stay sane and stay in shape. I run to keep away from bad habits and negative thoughts. I run to avoid cleaning the garage. I run with a certain amount of time available. I run to prepare to be able to keep up with my athletes and try out training ideas. I sign up for races to make sure I have a goal in mind for my runs. I keep up on the latest news in shoes, training, eating, lifting, etc.

But once in a while, there’s a day…. There’s a beautiful day where I have nothing to do. There’s a day where I have time and energy. There’s a day where it’s just me and my running shoes. It’s really those days that I run for. I stay in shape and healthy and fine-tuned so when those days come… I’m gone. I’m off without a goal, without a time constraint, and without a worry. I pick a direction, and I run. I feel the world around me again and rediscover how beautiful it can all be. That’s really what I run for. 

Born to Run

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?

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.

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.