Setting Up Training

I'm back with another running post. March is when I plan to start training for a 50K in July. In my last post, I wrote about how I've been feeling kind of bummed that most PRs are behind me, but I honestly think, even with logging fewer miles, that I could still set a PR in the 50K.

It’s going to be interesting planning out my training because I’m going to be helping with a high school track team. What this will basically mean is that I’ll be doing workouts with track athletes during the week, and planning my own thing on the weekend.

Really, I think it’ll work out well. I can run the easier runs with the fastest group of runners, then do the workouts with either the fastest group (or at least try) or the middle group depending on how I’m feeling,

So that leaves January and February to train on my own before track season. Here’s what I’m planning before I officially start training:

Keep a reasonable mileage of thirty-five to forty-five miles per week 
Even if I only run four days in a week, I can still get two longish runs in on the weekend, meaning I’ll only need to run five to eight miles on each of my weekday runs.

Alternate tempo-type efforts and interval efforts each week 
One week I’ll do a tempo run or tempo intervals, and the next week I’ll do a faster interval workout. This should keep in shape, but not be so much quality that I’ll peak too early.

After spending some time feeling a little bummed out, I’m feeling more optimistic about this running season. I’m not planning on running real high mileage (for me), but I do plan to stay injury-free, which should help my consistency this year. While I won’t be setting many PRs, I hope to race well and maybe have some good finishes in my age group.

Run well.

Tough Transition

As of late, this blog has had a heavy focus on mental health. While I enjoy writing about mental health and mental health hygiene, I feel I’ve neglected writing about running. Many of my readers started reading this blog for the running content, so I hope I haven’t left too many of them behind.

For years my running was mostly defined by pushing limits--more weekly, monthly, and yearly mileage. Faster times, higher age group finishes. And I must admit: I liked it. I liked setting new personal records. I liked pushing the limit for how many miles I could accumulate. It kept me motivated and always left me wanting to do more.

Pushing the limit left me with a feeling of never being satisfied--in a good way. Ran a new PR? Great. Now run even faster. Finished 12th in my age group? Great. Now finish even higher.

Last year was a tough change for me. I spent a lot of the year--all of the winter and some of the spring--injured, and I raced my slowest marathon ever in May. In the past when I've coached track and cross country, I've always been able to run with most of the faster runners. The past two seasons the only time I could run with them was on easy runs.

It's been hard not to get down on myself. I can't help that age will naturally slow me down, and I can't help that I have less time to train now that we have a kiddo, but it's still hard to know that PRs at most distances and pushing the envelope for how far I run in a given week, month, or year, are behind me.

It's definitely made training harder. Without a possible PR in sight, it's harder to be motivated. Before, I could tell myself: if you don't get out the door for this run, you're jeopardizing your chance at setting a PR. Now, when I'm feeling unmotivated, all I have is telling myself: it's good for you.

I wish I had more motivation to run for health reasons. I know running is good for both my physical and mental health, but those reasons are harder sells for me than getting faster.

What about you? I'd love to hear from people who have had to find new reasons to stay committed to an activity. How was the transition? What got you motivated?

Running for Mental Health

Around a month ago I started feeling mildly manic (hypomanic). Before that, I hadn't had a hypomanic episode since August. That episode was very short and pretty mild, and a medication change knocked it out quickly.

However, the medication change—an increase in a drug for mania—left me exhausted in the mornings and made it hard to get out of bed. Eventually I was able to decrease the medication, and things were going well (though the exhaustion stayed) until I flew out to Washington D.C. for my late uncle's memorial service. It was a late flight and I didn't get great sleep the two nights I was there. After I got back from the trip, I started feeling hypomanic for a couple days.

Then, I moved into a mixed state. A mixed state is where symptoms of both mania and depression are present at the same time or close to each other. For me that meant feelings of extra energy, restlessness, and anxiety on some days or parts of days, and lethargy, sadness, and regretful feelings the rest of the time.

Though the mixed state wasn't unmanageable, it did make things difficult. Everything from chores to going for a run felt like a huge effort when I was depressed, and when I was hypomanic, I could hardly sit still.

I've been feeling much better now besides still being exhausted in the morning, and one big factor has been running. About three days into my mixed state episode, I was sitting in my recliner, trying to decide to go for a run. I was feeling depressed, and the effort of a going for a run seemed insurmountable.

But, I decided to force myself out of my comfy chair and get going. I told myself I'd run thirty minutes—a simple out-and-back. It was shorter than I usually run, but it seemed manageable.

As I approached the fifteen minute mark, I discovered something—I was feeling better. My motivation was higher, I wasn't feeling lethargic, and I was enjoying myself. So, I decided I'd run for forty minutes rather than thirty.

The mood-boosting effect didn't stop after my run. I felt better the rest of the day, and the day after I did a fifteen mile run.

The boost I get from running doesn't happen all the time, and it doesn't always last for an entire day or more, but in this case forcing myself to run was worth it for the mood boost, even though it wasn’t not a permanent solution to a mixed state.

Last December I had a manic cycle that lasted a couple weeks, and this year it was only hypomania followed by a mixed state, and the duration was shorter. Though I'm still experiencing some depression, I'm feeling much better and have been able to decrease a medication after a visit with my nurse practitioner.

On a later post, I'll write about some information about exercise and depression.

Thanks for reading.

2019: It’s Goal Time

This year it was difficult coming up with goals. I’ve had to resign myself to the fact that I’m getting older and have less time to train, which means there aren’t many distances left to set new personal records.

So, this year’s goals will be not as focused on fast times, but there’s still one distance where I think I can manage a new PR. Here we go:

1. Run a PR in the 50K

Though most of my PR days are behind me, this one seems doable. I’ve run two 50K races, and one was on a very difficult course, and the other was coming off an injury with limited training. With some decent training and a good race strategy, I think I can meet this goal.

2. Write 52 blog posts

This one’s all in my control, so there’s no reason I can’t get it done.

3. Submit two stories to Runner’s World

Once again—all in my control.

4. Raise $1310 for Team World Vision

Fifty dollars per mile. I’m counting on the generosity of neighbors, family, and friends to help me raise money to bring clean water to communities in need. I’ll also be contributing some of my own money and offering training plans in exchange for donations of any amount to Team World Vision. You can donate here:

Team World Vsion - Donate - Nate Leckband - Participant Page

5. Break 18 minutes in the 5K

My other time goal. Last year I wanted to break 17 minutes, which turned out to be too ambitious of a goal. I ended up only running 17:46, so this year I at least don’t want to get any slower.

There they are—five goals, and I think they’re all doable. I’m hoping it will be a productive 2019.

Happy New Year!

2018 Goal Results

Once again I’m going to use a percentage basis of rating my goals. The years when I did an all-or-nothing approach just left me depressed and didn’t give me any credit for how close I came to meeting my goals. Here are the goals and results from 2018:

Goal  1:
Average at least one blog post a week. Between the blog I (mostly) retired, tcruncoach.blogspot.com, and this blog, I averaged over 52 blog posts 2010 - 2013, and 2015 - 2016. In 2017 I only got in 40, so I'm hoping at least twelve more this year.

Result: I did it! I had to cram a bit to make it by the end of the year, but it happened. Score: 100%

Goal 2:
Average two days per week doing strength/cross training for my glutes/core/etc. With two lower leg injuries, one that's been hanging around for over nine months now, I'm definitely going to be running fewer days per week and lower mileage, so I want to take to opportunity to do some supplemental exercises. Who knows? I lifted weights a lot in high school and stayed pretty injury-free, so maybe I'll surprise myself and run some faster times on less mileage.

Result: I didn’t track this one closely, but I know I was weight and strength training three or four days a week through March when I had a gym membership, and did glute, hip, and core exercises two or three days a week after that, so I’m going to give myself a score of 100%.

Goal 3:
Submit two stories to Runner's World. I've already got one almost finished, which means I just need an idea for the next one. I'm planning on both being rejected, but also hoping that at least one gets a couple words on why it was rejected (none of the others I've submitted has).

Result: Done. Neither were accepted, but I’m going to keep trying. Score: 100%

Goal 4:
Set a PR in the 50K.

Result: Didn’t run one due to timing of races and injury. Score: 0%

Goal 5:
Complete a 50 mile race. I have some friends doing the Minnesota Voyageur 50 Mile, so I think I'm going to run that one.

Result: Again, injuries and timing of races kept me from running a 50 mile, but I did get in a marathon. Score: 52%

Goal 6:
Break 17 minutes in the 5K. The 50 mile race is July 28, so that means I have a good amount of time to recover and then aim for some fast 5K races during the fall racing season.

Results: Injuries and being older and slower kept me from this one. I only managed a 17:46. Score: 96%

And there it is. By my calculations I met my goals by 75%. Not as good as last year, but not bad for being injured most of the first half of the year and missing out on a couple of races because of scheduling conflicts.

In my next post, I’ll set out goals for next year.

Thanks for reading.