Hill Training

We were on this beautiful evening run when Ben said, "Do you want to do some hill sprints at the end?"

Does anyone really want to sprint hills?

5.5 miles later, we were sprinting up this hill.

I'm used to hills, but sprinting is new to me.  It's intimidating, but I'm so glad that Ben pushed us to do this training.

 

It made sprinting on flat ground seem way easier and also made regular hills seem not as bad.  I guess we all need someone in our life to say, "Hey, let's sprint up some hills!"

A Runner's Perspective

If you're a runner you've probably had someone give you that 'look'. The look that asks, "why are you running now?", or "isn't it too cold/hot to be outside?" The look asks if their long held suspicion about you is true; you are crazy. If someone has accused you of being crazy because you run, it simply means you are doing it right.

I seem to get that look from people quite often. Mostly it's because I run outside all year. There are actually very few weather conditions that I won't run in. If it's raining and under 50 degrees I won't run outside, and I won't be happy about it. Me and the treadmill are not friends. That's not to say I won't shift my running time or shift my long run day to a day with better conditions, but I won't hesitate to lace up even if it's 'crazy'.

Oh what a difference a day makes in the weather. This is Monday.

And this is me on Tuesday.

So many people today live 'indoor' lives. They go from one climate controlled place to another and never venture into the weather. I think these people miss out on an quintessential experience in life. One of the things I enjoy most about running is being outside. I see nature, I experience it. I feel the wind in my face and the sun on my back. Yes, sometimes nature is cold. Sometimes nature burns my skin and makes me feel dizzy with heat, but I get to face that discomfort and it makes me feel alive. When it's cold and I run, I feel the cold. But the simple pleasure of a hot shower becomes so much more real to me. When it's hot, I definitely experience the miserable feeling of being toasted by the sun, but a glass of cold water becomes so much more satisfying. The highs inherently come with the lows. And the lows bring the highs into vivid contrast.

I don't mind if people call me crazy and give me that 'look' and ask if I'm "really going running now?". When they do I'll just smile and say "yeah, I'm going out now and I guess I am a bit crazy". But I'll take being crazy any day because with it comes a cornucopia of experience that makes life so much more interesting.

The debate is open

 Who's workout was harder today?

Ben ran 10 miles in the snow.

Packers come in 9 days and there is no way I am chancing sickness or injury, so I stayed inside.  Plus, I don't have the proper snow running shoes and the roads were a little dicey so I didn't venture out to the Y.  While Ben was on the road and the kids were having "quiet time", I turned on my favorite HIIT workout.  Why is that kids are drawn to you the second you want to be alone?  My workout was quickly surrounded by little boys pretending to play Super Mario and all the couch cushions turned into tunnels and ladders.

Then there was the "Hey Momma!  Look at this very dangerous thing I can do!"

 

And when Mario defeated the castle, Colin decided to join me in exercising.

"What? climbing on your back doesn't help your leg lifts?  That crazy." 

 

I even had to pause my workout to help Eli find a Lego!  Home workouts are usually a fail for me, but it's time to get creative as we enter into "transition period" of our life.

Let's recap.

Ben's workout: quiet and what he planned, but cold

My workout: loud and interrupted, but full of cuteness

Moving, 5k, and Training

Life's been busy for us. We are moving across the country in two weeks and I'm training my replacement at work, working on moving details like setting up utilities, and purging our attic by making runs to the county dump. So how do you workout when moving 2,500 miles with three kids? We don't know! We may not get a chance to do much while on the road. Our tentative plan is to alternate running (one watch the kids while the other goes out) and use the exercise room at our hotels at night. I made sure to book hotels that have an indoor pool so the kids will get to burn some energy each day. We will survive just fine even if I can't run the miles I want or eat as healthy as I'd like. Although it may feel like it, it's not the end of the world if I have to go two weeks without doing much.

To keep things interesting me and Jen signed up for the Shamrock Shuffle, a 5k in Kansas on March 5th! We'll be in Kansas for a few days seeing family and resting up before making the second leg of our cross country move. Are we crazy to run a race midway through a cross country move? Maybe! But it just sounded fun.


The race is a small local race (>500 people) and it's a flat out-and-back. It should make for a good course to set a PR. I'm actually excited to run this race. I feel like my fitness is at a very high level and, Lord willing, I can run my best 5k ever.

For training I've been doing two new things. First, I'm doing one long run a week. This run is at an easy pace and is about 10 miles long. The purpose of this run is to simply build my aerobic capacity. Second, I'm doing speed work. This has taken many forms. Most recently I did a 2 mile warm up, 6 x 400 with a 60 second recovery, and a 2 mile cool down. The purpose of this is to get my body used to a fast pace and to develop my fast-twitch muscle fibers.

Over the past few months I've also increased my weekly base to 37 miles per week. Over the past 8 weeks I've run, 32, 31, 33, 27 (8k race week), 33, 34, 37, and 37 miles per week. I have really noticed a difference in my speed and ability by running more miles per week and doing some speed work. Last Monday I ran 10 miles at 7:29/mile. This was comfortable for me and I felt like I could have kept going for another 3 or even gone much faster if it had been a race. In November this pace would have been my goal HM pace. Now, due to logging more miles, it was just a good ordinary run. It's been encouraging to see the work pay off. I've always read that if you want to run faster just log more miles. I'm here to say, it's true!

Lastly, I bought a pair of racing flats. Apparently, if you're looking to set a PR this is what you want to wear for a short distance race. Racing flats are ultra lightweight shoes designed to make you go fast. They are not meant for your weekly mileage. They don't have the cushion for that. I got the Mizuno Wave Ekiden 9. They were less than $40! The are extremely light. Wearing kind feels like taking a weight vest off my feet.

I did my last speed workout day with these on. I logged a total of 6 miles which was probably 3 too many. My calves were sore for a few days and my arch was a bit tender on my left foot. I'm hoping this soreness goes away soon. I definitely felt faster with them on. I think they will help with a 5k but I won't wear them unless it's a race, not enough support for my size 12 feet. So far, I'd say they are a good investment.

This is my "why did I wear shorts?" face

This week the weather turned cold, like really cold. For some reason I brought shorts to run in this past Wednesday during my lunch break. It was 28 degrees with 15 mph wind. Mistake. Oh well, live and learn. I'm not letting the cold bother me though because in two weeks we will be living in permanent summer in the sunny Arizona desert.

You're Running Too Fast

Yes, I'm talking to you! You are running too fast and you need to slow down! Yesterday I had a great run. I say it was great even though I ran 5 miles at an 8:57/mile pace (my 5 mile PR pace is 6:30/mile). So why would I call that a great run? The answer is because slow, easy running is great for my training and fitness.

Sorry he looks so creepy today.

For a long time I fell into the trap of trying to do every training run as fast as I could. I'd muster up as much speed as I had that day and try and set a new record. Maybe you can relate. You try to run as fast as you can and feel bad if you are slow (whatever slow means to you). After all, you aren't going to get those Strava kudos on a slow run! This approach, fortunately, is a mistake. It is important to have some fast runs. It's a huge part of becoming a faster racer. However, if every time you lace up you go all-out and try to be speedy Gonzales you are actually going to hinder your training and end up injured.

Slow running has many advantages to your training. Even elite Olympic athletes incorporate slow running into their weekly routine. So what exactly do I mean by slow running? There are a couple of ways to define it but the easiest is 1.25-1.5 times slower than your 5k PR pace. If you don't have a 5k PR pace just go a minute or two slower than your race pace for any distance. For me, my 'slow running' pace is anywhere between 7:54-9:27. Realistically I aim for about an 8:15-30 but I'm not afraid to go slower! A slow pace for me is keeping my heart rate at about 130 or lower.

All that being said here are three reasons you need to slow down for some of your runs:

1. You burn the same calories if you go fast or slow.

It's amazing how many people don't realize this simple truth. If you run a mile at a 10:00/min pace or run a mile at an 8:00/min pace the calories you burn are basically equal. There's a lot of debate on this subject but for all practical purposes they are equal. The only advantage to running faster is you can fit more miles in the same amount of time, so you could burn more calories per hour. But 5 miles slow or 5 miles fast will yield the same result. If you are trying to shed some extra pounds or running to maintain weight and health a faster pace won't really help you. (Note: running does, however, burn more calories than walking.)

2. Slow running builds your aerobic capability with less wear and tear on your body.

When you run your body experiences stress. Your legs, joints, lungs, and heart all are stressed. At the end of a tough run, your body sustains micro-tears in muscle fiber, dehydration, glycogen depletion, and more. Your body responds by making adaptations. These adaptations are things like stronger muscles and tendons, and a heart that can pump more blood more efficiently. When you run slower you put less stress on your muscles and joints, but your heart still has to pump blood. Running slow applies "gentle" stress to your cardio-vascular system, which benefits you on a run of any speed.

If you need more convincing here's a great video from Sage Canaday, a 2:16:52 marathoner, about the benefits of slow running:

 

3. You can run more miles with less risk of injury.

The rule of thumb for runners is to only increase one thing at a time; speed or volume. If you try to increase your speed at the same time as the number of miles per week you run (also called your 'base') you will likely get injured. Let's say you are training for a half marathon. You currently run 15 miles per week and you know you need to get more miles in to run a good race. Slow runs will allow you get more miles in with less risk of injury. Making a few of your runs 'easy' runs will help you build your base without causing too much stress on the other parts of your body. If you are prone to injury or have been injured in the past you should really give slow runs a try. Incorporating some slow days into your weekly routine also allows you to really push it on tempo or speed work days.

One last thing about slow running; it is freeing! Knowing that it is OK and actually beneficial to take some runs slow is a great feeling. It will help you enjoy your runs more. It's ok to stop and smell the flowers or enjoy the view. In fact you should really give this a try. Stop during your run and look around, enjoy God's creation and stop worrying about how fast (or slow) you are going. There's a time for everything under the sun, including slow running (Ecclesiastes 3), so get out there and log some slow miles!

Define your fitness

We had a bit of snow and everyone freaked out.

Colin making is first snow angel

I think it was equal freaking between "We might run out of bread and milk!!!" and "I've never driven on a wet road!!" and "NO SCHOOL FOR 2 DAYS?!!".  Needless to say, when I got to the Y for my usual Monday morning run, the place was completely packed.  I had to be sly to get a treadmill and got on the rowing machine next to an older gentleman walking and jumped on his machine when he got off.

While I was running, I saw a commercial for Slim Fast.  I honestly laughed out loud.  First, how is Slim Fast even still around?  I really want to know.

Seriously.  Look at what is in this stuff!

Somehow, someone passed this off as health food!

Later that day, I read this post from Blogilates on Facebook.  I love her workouts and I find her very refreshing (p.s. I'm very picky when it comes to workouts I'll follow).  She opened up about a very real eating struggle she had after competing in a bikini competition.  I've followed several women's accounts of what training takes and I know it's no walk in the park, but not many tell of what it's like afterwards; emotionally and physically.  

If you don't read her article, basically women just eat chicken and broccoli (around 1,000 calories a day) for months and workout for up to 4 hours a day.  The results are astonishing, but they are miserable inside and once they resume eating a more normal healthy diet, they gain the weight back.  I think most competitors go in cycles of training, so once their body has recovered, they go right back into cutting mode.

How are these linked?

It astonishes me how we classify fitness.  It perhaps even more astonishes me how we are swayed by media to define it.  Slim Fast says, "Drink a milkshake and you'll be skinny and skinny is fit" and the bikini competitor says, "Starve yourself and workout for hours and you'll be fit".  How did fitness become milkshakes and starvation?

Honestly though, I can relate to both lies.  After Alison was born, I am ashamed to admit, my refrigerator saw some Slim Fasts.  I was desperate, in complete survival mode and didn't have the knowledge then that I do now.  I can also relate to being tempted to eat a little less and workout a little more to get to "the next level" in fitness.  When you're already eating healthy and working out, it's easy to let yourself believe that bikini lie.

That night I ate a homemade oatmeal cookie, in honor of fitness.  As I ate it, I thought,

"Here's to fitness.  Let it be in moderation.  To not workout too much or too little.  To not eat too much or too little and to enjoy a little real sugar every once in awhile."

Please don't let media define your fitness. 

Pebbles

The day after the Surf N Santa 5 miler I saw I had been bumped from 3rd place in my age group to 4th. The results online all of a sudden showed a new name at the top which bumped me down. My time didn't change but someone else had, apparently, run faster than me and not been included in the original results. I was bummed. I was honestly very sad. I felt like I had accomplished something, even if that something was as inconsequential as placing in my age group, and then felt like it was taken away.

Being bummed about losing my 3rd place age group finish really made me think; why would I care so much? Why be sad? My time didn't change, I still ran the exact same race. I don't think I could have run faster that day. I gave it my all and I should be happy with the result, right?

I don't think it's necessarily wrong to feel disappointed. After all, I put work into running. I want to do well and give my best. I think it would be strange if I didn't want to do well in a race. In fact, giving my best can be a way to honor God.

"Whatever you do work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man." (Colossians 3:23)

Feeling disappointed at not placing in a race is not automatically a sinful feeling. There's complexity here because my heart is a mixed bag. It's a jumbled mess of crossed wires that sometimes sends false signals and sometimes short-circuits. It would be much simpler to say, 'of course you were disappointed, don't worry about it!', or, 'hey, if you felt any sliver of disappointment you've made an idol out of running and are a dirty sinner!'. Both of those are extremes that are not quite right.

Motivations are a tricky thing. Examining them is a lot like trying to look at something with your peripheral vision. You can see it, but you can't really make out the details. Was I disappointed because I had put a lot of work into that race, or was I disappointed because I wanted people to think more highly of me because I placed? Probably both. In fact, I do want to glorify God with my running, to be a good steward of my body. But I also want people to think I'm something special because I can run fast (sometimes). There are no pure motives flowing out of my heart. It's all mixed. If you're honest you can see this is true of you too. The apostle Paul speaks of this when he wrote, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." (Romans 7:18).

If my heart sometimes cares too much about what others think do I stop running? Nope. Running isn't the issue, my heart is the issue. If it's not racing it will be something else. Knowing the motivations of my heart and its tendencies is a good place to start. I can take my weakness, my brokenness, my wrong motivations to God and say "help!". When I am weak, he is strong. I can pray and ask God to help me not value the opinion of man.

One of my favorite prayer books is called "The Valley of Vision". It's a collection of puritan prayers. In one of the prayers titled 'Love-Rest in God' the author writes:

My dear Lord
I depend wholly upon thee,
wean me from all other dependences.
Thou art my all, thou dost overrule all and delight in me.
Thou art the foundation of goodness,
how can I distrust thee?
how be anxious about what happens to me?
In the light of thy preciousness the world and all its enjoyments are infinitely poor:
I value the favour of men no more than pebbles.

I love that last line. While I can't say that I value the opinion of men no more than pebbles, it is what I want.  I pray that the opinions of others would hold no more sway in my life than a pebble does. And, as the end of the prayer says, that God would "grant me grace to distinguish between the genuine and the false, and to rest in thee who art all love."

The truth is, God may not ever grant me complete victory over my misplaced motivations in this life.  While this can be frustrating and discouraging at times it also leaves me no choice but to wholly depend on God, and there are a lot worse places to be.

p.s. Oh yeah, it was a mistake. I actually did get 3rd place. They accidentally added someone to the wrong results page and they fixed it the next day.

My illustrious prize is a wine coaster.