Bits of training

I often wonder whether there is a recipe for getting faster. I think not. I think there are lots.

When I first started running I was a strong believer in quality over quantity. I used the FIRST plan, ran 3X/week, maxed out @ 30 miles and BQed on my first marathon. It worked for me.

In more recent years I started to increase the quantity. I did this over several years such that I maxed out @ 80 miles (for one week) during my last marathon. I also believed that going all out at the end of the run is the way to go. It worked for me.

Now with Tim I am training very differently. For example, this week I ran every day, 73 miles total, only in my aerobic HR zone (aside from a recovery run set to max at the lower end of my aerobic HR). In fact, most of my runs since the beginning of February were like this. No speed (aside from a TT), only few strides. And I got faster. My aerobic pace now, the pace that I seem to be able to hold forever averages at 7:45, consistently over the past few weeks. When I started to increase miles after my injury, at the beginning of February, my aerobic pace was close to 9. Of course, I am not saying that my improvement is due entirely to aerobic running; I am aware that my base has not gone away for the few weeks when I was injured. But, it is amazing to me that simply aerobic running is working so well in not only bringing me back, but also improving my aerobic pace in one month flat. I am really excited to see what I can do once we add speed.

Which brings me back to training methods...I continue to believe that most methods work, high mileage, high speed, HR training. But I am starting to believe that I can train smarter, less "all out", and maybe achieve more than I was before. Time will tell. Racing will tell. For now, I am really having A LOT of fun running and being coached. Best thing ever for me, I think.

Here is what I have been doing for the past few weeks..

On being coached, time trials, and getting fit

It has been 3 great weeks since I returned to running (by which I mean, running not slogging) and I started being coached. I've learned a lot.

Lesson 1: my fitness returned quickly. I can say that even without any speed work (aside from strides) I am back to where I was, if not faster. My MAF pace has dropped by almost 1 min in 3 weeks. Boom!

Lesson 2: It is hard to be coached. OK, maybe for some it is easy, but for me, it is an adjustment. I did not even realize it, until my coach pointed it out, but 2 weeks ago I ran almost all workouts NOT as they were written. Most strides were faster, my long run was faster by close to 1 min/mile in the second half, and most runs were a bit longer... This is what I always do with my training plans, keep the structure and then modify as I please. But, as I am learning, my paces are important as they are written, as they follow my specific times, HR zones, etc. So...I try...I read each detailed workout several times including right before I leave for the run. I am getting better at this.

Lesson 3: I like being coached. I did not know how I would react to being coached and being "told what to do". But this is working out really well. In all aspects of my life I have full control and responsibility. It feels good to just do the running, trust the plan (which I do, 100%) and learn along the way.

****

Last week I ran my first time trial. Five miles when I was allowed (sort off) to run as fast as I could. In fact, I was told to not hold back and run all out the last 3 miles. Hurray! Finally! I really missed going all out, it has been a while... I ran the TT faster than I thought possible and I felt strong in my breathing and my legs. The last 3 miles were way below a sub 20 5K pace. Of course, nausea sucked but this is my weakness when I run hard, and it goes away as I train. I am really excited to start doing some speed work. I love to run hard!

My body is holding up really well. My legs are strong. I have been tapering the strength but still do an average of 20 min of "something" (core, pilates, circuit, plyos, jump rope, weights) every single day.

No races on the horizon for me, but I am gearing up for a couple of 5Ks and a half marathons April/May. So excited to see what I can do. But for now, I am really enjoying training!

Bullet point random thoughts

This is a 5 minute bullet point ramble. It has been a while.

* I am back to running strong and loving it. 85 miles planned for the week, with 74 of road running and 10 miles of elliptical running; 4 doubles. No rest days. Love it!

* Longest run in a while for me tomorrow: 16 miles. Excited!

* I am feeling the effect of the strength I have done for the past 3 months. My legs are powerful.

* I started to jump rope. I used to be very good at this as a kid. Now, not so much!

* My son's kindergarten class has been doing yoga for over a month now. He can now do sun salutations, among other more basic poses, as well as use "flower breaths" when he gets upset. I think this is amazing!

* Why was it so easy for me to do all these flips on the monkey bars or on a pole as a kid, and now doing one regular pull up is so hard?

* Do you ever habituate to your kid's performances/events, such that you are able to attend them without a pit in your stomach?

* Have you tried these shoes? They have been around for a while and I have no idea why I have not tried them until now.

* They are amazing! 6.5 ounces but feel as comfortable as the 7.5 ounces Kinvaras. And so beautiful!

* Hope everyone is having a great weekend! We are off to Portland Maine tomorrow for a little getaway. The weather is absolutely gorgeous right now and spring is in the air! My brain is on a running high!

On strength training

For the past 6-8 weeks I have become one of them...the gym people. Part of me still does not believe that. But it is true. I am looking forward to hitting the gym almost every night to, gasp, strength train. I admit my move toward strength training was rather forced. Back in December I saw a PT due to a stubborn pissy R quad. After the evaluation I was told that I had weak glutes and core. I was a bit surprised about the core issue. I honestly believed I had strong abs since I was actually able to see the muscles on mu stomach. I was however not surprised about the weak glutes issue...my butt was kinda going south. The PT told me that I have very strong hamstrings and quads, and that most likely due to sitting a lot (hm, one can't really do my job standing) and a running style that does not engage the core and the glutes, my hamstrings and quads had to work over time....

It has been 8 weeks since I started PT. Lucky for me I managed to continue running about 60-75 miles/week, but some of them on the Elliptical and all of them easy. I am just now getting back into a bit of speed as my body is 100% and some. I feel so strong. I can do planks, and squats on an upside down bosu holding a medicine ball, and deadlifts, and other exercises that I did not know existed 8 weeks ago. My body has never looked as good (OK, maybe pre Petru, but still!).

My butt is no longer heading south. I ran a few sprints the other day, at a speed that was on par to what I was doing before the injury, and I felt by abs working to lift up my knees, something that has never happened before. This is all really exciting for me, and I can't wait to see how my running will change because of correcting these imbalances. Just last week I started introducing some plyometrics, and have plans to start doing the routine below (starts at 4 min or so):

As far as general running goes, I am slow right now, of course. But, I am going to practice patience as I let someone wise guide me through this season's training. This will be an interesting experience since I am headstrong, very eager to get my speed back, and generally not used to being told what to do. The truth is, I am excited and so ready to go, go, go!

Quick Brooks gear review

Life has been rolling along nicely, but with nothing exciting to report...yet!

In lieu of that, here are some honest, uncensored reviews of my first shipment items from Brooks. By the way, I was NOT asked/required to do any reviews as part of my Brooks sponsorships; probably this is why I am CHOOSING to do reviews here.

1. Brooks Pureflow; 7.5 ounces; $90. First, these shoes are beautiful. The color is amazing. They feel like a sturdier version of the Nike Frees. They have a 4mm heel drop and a really good heel to toe transition for those slower runs when you are not on your toes. I think this is a great shoe for heel strikers who want to transition to forefoot or mid foot running. The shoe does not allow you to land on the heel as they have sightly convex soles (I am not a heel striker, but tried as an experiment to run that way for a bit).

The shoe offers a lot of cushion. Even though the shoe fits in the minimalist category, you do not feel the ground in these shoes like you do in the Kinvaras or Nike Frees (though the shoe weighs as much as the Kinvaras). For me, this is a great thing in a longer race like the marathon as they offer protection against the pounding. The shoes are narrower than the typical Brooks shoe, so you may want to order them half a size bigger. I really like this shoe and it is a good replacement for the Kinvaras, which will most likely last longer.

Epiphany bra; $30

This is a great bra, but there is nothing really special about it. I think generally I am a poor bra reviewer mostly because I can wear any type of bra and will be fine. So the $8-10 TJMax bras work just fine for me. But, if you have issues, you may want to try this bra. It is light weight, not padded (which I prefer although I could certainly use some padding) and comfortable. They have some pretty awesome colors on the site.

Brooks Ravenna 3; $100; 9.2 ounces.

These are shoes for mild pronators to neutral runners. They are heavier than what I typically wear (but much lighter than the shoes I used to wear during my first few years of running), so I was surprised that I did not notice the weight. They have great cushioning, and flexibility. They are also marketed as having more durability than the more minimalist shoes. These will be great shoes for my recovery runs where I want to run slower than usual. These shoes are similar to the Asics GT series and Mizuno Inspire, and are lighter than these other models. They also look pretty good, something that Brooks "got" very well with all of their products.

Top 3 running books of 2011

Nr. 1 Ironwar by Matt Fitzgerald

Yes, I know this is not a running book per se, but I think runners can get a lot out of it. Matt Fitzgerald is an amazing writer. He is able to combine the story of 2 of the greatest ironman triathletes Dave Scott and Mark Allen, with science on running form, running efficiency, mind-body connections as pertaining to running. I absolutely loved the conclusion of his book. Yes, the mind is important, but the ability to push through and suffer is somewhat determined by your genes. This is not to say that life experiences (e.g., childhood struggles) and training experiences (how much you practice suffering) are not important; they are, but not as much as what you are born with. It's a bit like the nature-nurture diathesis - we are born with a range of "suffering ability" and we can get to the top of that range by practicing, but we can't get further than that.

Nr.2 The Runner's Body, How the latest exercise science can help you run stronger, longer, and faster, but Tucker, PhD & Dugas, PhD, with Matt Fitzgerald.

This is a 2009 book, but I reread it during this past year. I love reading and understanding the science behind running. These guys present great info and clarify some of the misconceptions about running (e.g., cramps are caused by dehydration or lack of salt, we need a lot of fluids when running, etc). The book is much more than that, however, and I think it is an important one for all serious runners.

Nr. 3 Tapering and peaking for optimal performance, by Inigo Mujika, PhD

This is a great book about tapering, and provides research on the psychological and physiological effects of tapering.

Short recap and looking ahead at 2012

2011 was a breakthrough year for me. I PRed all but one of my running races, and I raced A LOT. My approach was simple. Run as much as you can, and run hard. I certainly surprised myself at the 5K and HM distances. I fought with the marathon, like I always do (hardest distance for me and one that I run slower than what the calculators say I could do) and won. I was injury free the entire year until my muscles said no more and forced me take it easy for a bit.

Most special races:

5K Ras Nah Hereim March 2011: 19:26

HM Quincy Half 2011: 1:28:46

Baystate Marathon 2011: 3:14:29

*****

Moving into 2012 my goals are a bit up in the air. My muscles are still not @ 100% so I am riding the Boston train(ing) and kinda playing the waiting game. I will take the next couple of weeks to see what happens before making any decisions here.

My main goal for 2012 is to focus on strength, diet and health. As I move closer and closer to the big 40, strength will be of utmost importance if I want to keep running. I eat a very healthy diet already, but I would like to eliminate some of the unnecessary eating that we are doing over here in the evenings. This is a common goal that Chris and I have, so we will close the kitchen doors @ 9pm every night. The "health" goal refers mostly to continuing to keep an eye on my sleep and doctor check-ups (really bad about scheduling those yearly visits).