In my post on my 2015 training, I mentioned that I'd mapped out which races I'd be running in 2015. Some of these "races" are events that I'll be pacing, so I won't be doing any actual "racing" at them. I've got one or two races planned I haven't done before, but most of my races are repeats.
Last year I got to race a couple of new races, the Modesto Half Marathon and the Chicago Marathon. Running new races is fun--it's a change of scenery, you get a shirt from an event you haven't done before, and sometimes you get to travel somewhere you haven't been before.
Although running new races can be fun, there are also several advantages to running a race you've already done. First of all, if you're looking for a new personal best, you know how fast a race is going to be. Secondly, if you've run the same race numerous times, you can compare your past performances to your current fitness. Finally, if you've run a race several times, you know the course and can have a better race strategy.
My first official race this year will be the MDRA 7 mile. This will be the third time I've run the race. It's hilly, and the weather can vary quite a bit from year-to-year. Generally the temperatures are pretty cool, which makes for good racing conditions (if it's not too cold).
I'm excited to see how this race goes after my winter of training. If I keep on my current trajectory, this winter will be the most mileage I've run since college. Lately I've been averaging over 50 miles a week, and I've been staying injury-free. We'll see how that training pays off come the end of March.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Winter: We're Not Messing Around
If you've read this blog before, you know I'm all about running in the winter. If you want to run in the Minnesota winter, you can't mess around. It's cold, it's slippery, and it's dark. Although this winter has been comparatively mild, it's still takes some determination to get outside and brave the elements.I've already written several posts on what you can do to have a successful winter running season (read a few of them here, here, and here), but you may be asking yourself, "why don't I just hang up my running shoes for a few months and run again in the spring when I don't look like I've lost my mind?"
I also sometimes wonder if I've lost my mind. The other day I was out running before work around 6 AM. It was dark, the windchill was below zero, and I really needed to pay attention to the twenty feet ahead of me illuminated by my head lamp. Looking for slick spots and lighting the path ahead is important to avoid a winter-style wipe out (they're far more painful, albeit drier, than a surfing wipe out).
As I watched my breath condense in front of me, somewhat obscuring my view as my headlamp cut through its fog, I had to wonder how sane this activity really was. My toes, fingertips, and face were freezing. Most people were still in bed, and even those working out probably had the sense to be in a well-lit gym.
While my less-than-sane feeling persisted, about three miles into my eight mile run I passed another runner braving the cold and darkness. Seeing another brave soul, dressed in bright, reflective clothing, helped me feel a little less insane, though I admit there must be something not quite right about me when I'm up a couple hours before the sun and running outside in a temperature where flesh can freeze in less than an hour.
So is it worth it to brave the sub-zero temperatures, the darkness, and the slippery sidewalks? I think so, but below is a list of pros and cons, so you can decide if running outside in the winter is worth the trouble.
Pros
Sweet icicles, or beardsicles as I like to call them, on my beard
There's rarely a need to carry water, even on long runs
Running when it's cold is generally more comfortable than when it's really hot
More pockets for keys, ID, and snacks in running jackets
Cons
More difficult to run during daylight hours
Often slippery running surfaces
More clothing required, and wrong clothing choices mean being too hot, or freezing
Freezing your nose, fingers, or worse
There it is--run outside in the winter, or don't. Personally, I think it's totally worth it. Running inside on a treadmill or around a track isn't the worse thing in the world, but I'd rather brave the cold and darkness most days than be stuck inside under the oppressive fluorescent lighting of the gym.
Happy Running!
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
2015 Training
If you've followed this blog before, you know I'm a huge nerd, and a couple of things I enjoy doing are reading books about running and writing training plans. After a somewhat disappointing 2014 running season, I've mapped out my 2015 season. I've already set some big goals, and this year I'm going to try hard to make it happen.
It's one thing to set goals, it's another things to be dedicated enough and well-planned enough to make them happen. My mom was fond of saying, "Fail to plan, plan to fail." So, in my mother's spirit, and with all my running nerdiness, I've planned out my training from now until the Whistlestop Marathon in October.
The first race I'm planning on is a 7 mile race at the end of March. My time at that race will let me know how much work I have ahead of me before my next race--probably a 5k in May. In between I'll also be pacing a couple of marathons and a few half marathons.
I used "Run Faster from the 5k to the Marathon" by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald to set up my training plan for the 5k. After spending the past six weeks doing mostly easy runs, this was my first week officially on the training plan. I've had good success using a Hudson plan for two of my marathons, so we'll see how the 5k plan goes.
Following the 5k, I'll take about a week off before jumping into a marathon training plan. This time I'm going to try something different and try out training using "The Hansons Marathon Method" by Luke Humphrey and Keith Hanson. The advanced training plan in the book calls for fewer miles than the training plan from "Run Faster from the 5k to the Marathon" that I used for my PR marathon back in 2012, and the elite plan in the book had a quite a bit more miles than I can handle or have time for.
Fortunately, the book also gave advice on how to add mileage to the advanced program. Using that advice and looking at the author's training log for the 15 weeks before his PR marathon, I put together a training plan for Whistlestop.
So far my training has been going pretty well. In my six weeks leading up to the Hudson training plan, I've averaged over 50 miles a week, and made it 225 miles in January--the most I've ran in a month since October of 2013.
Now I'm just hoping to stay healthy and be able to keep increasing my miles.
Happy Running!
It's one thing to set goals, it's another things to be dedicated enough and well-planned enough to make them happen. My mom was fond of saying, "Fail to plan, plan to fail." So, in my mother's spirit, and with all my running nerdiness, I've planned out my training from now until the Whistlestop Marathon in October.
The first race I'm planning on is a 7 mile race at the end of March. My time at that race will let me know how much work I have ahead of me before my next race--probably a 5k in May. In between I'll also be pacing a couple of marathons and a few half marathons.
I used "Run Faster from the 5k to the Marathon" by Brad Hudson and Matt Fitzgerald to set up my training plan for the 5k. After spending the past six weeks doing mostly easy runs, this was my first week officially on the training plan. I've had good success using a Hudson plan for two of my marathons, so we'll see how the 5k plan goes.
Following the 5k, I'll take about a week off before jumping into a marathon training plan. This time I'm going to try something different and try out training using "The Hansons Marathon Method" by Luke Humphrey and Keith Hanson. The advanced training plan in the book calls for fewer miles than the training plan from "Run Faster from the 5k to the Marathon" that I used for my PR marathon back in 2012, and the elite plan in the book had a quite a bit more miles than I can handle or have time for.
Fortunately, the book also gave advice on how to add mileage to the advanced program. Using that advice and looking at the author's training log for the 15 weeks before his PR marathon, I put together a training plan for Whistlestop.
So far my training has been going pretty well. In my six weeks leading up to the Hudson training plan, I've averaged over 50 miles a week, and made it 225 miles in January--the most I've ran in a month since October of 2013.
Now I'm just hoping to stay healthy and be able to keep increasing my miles.
Happy Running!
Friday, January 30, 2015
Be Careful or Be Roadkill
In one of my favorite "Calvin and Hobbes" comic story lines, Calvin is making a poster about traffic safety and it trying to come up with a contest-winning slogan. When he asks his dad for ideas, he dad tells him, "Cyclists have a right to the road too you polluting maniacs! I hope gas goes up to eight bucks a gallon!"
As someone who does a fair amount of driving, I don't begrudge drivers. Maybe if I lived further south where I could bike to work all year I'd be a little more anti-car. However, with cars generally being the fastest, most convenient way to get places around the twin cities (sorry public transit--it still takes an hour to go 15 miles in many places), I won't stop driving anytime soon.
I do, however, get annoyed at drivers who pay no attention to people on the sidewalks. The biggest transgressors are those who habitually roll through stop signs, fail to check the crosswalk when turning right at a red light, or people who make a left hand turn without checking for pedestrians.
The running gods, however, seem to smile down on runners for the most part. Of all my running friends, I don't know any who have been seriously injured by a car while running (biking, however, is a different story).
You can't count on cars to see you. Running, especially around traffic, means keeping your head up. Don't assume people will stop for you in an intersection. Also, remember that driving puts people in a heightened sense of alert, and some people will act aggressively when they feel wronged. A couple summers ago as I was doing a workout and running at a decent clip, a car rolled through a stop sign right in front of me.
It may not have been the best decision, but I decided to smack the side of the little grey crossover-station wagon thing as I swerved to run behind it. The driver did not take kindly to my action. He slammed on his brakes, backed up so he had a clear view of me (sure, then he was out of the crosswalk), and began to shout colorful things as me such as, "come over here and I'll kick your ass!"
Not knowing how brain damaged he was or if he was packing heat, I decided to continue my run rather than turn around and confront the mouth-breathing poor driver.
Calvin ends up going with his own slogan on his traffic poster of, "Be careful or be roadkill." As much as I wish drivers would be more conscientious, avoiding becoming roadkill is up to runners because in collision between a runner and a car, the car always wins (with perhaps the exception of Smart Cars).
Happy Running!
As someone who does a fair amount of driving, I don't begrudge drivers. Maybe if I lived further south where I could bike to work all year I'd be a little more anti-car. However, with cars generally being the fastest, most convenient way to get places around the twin cities (sorry public transit--it still takes an hour to go 15 miles in many places), I won't stop driving anytime soon.
I do, however, get annoyed at drivers who pay no attention to people on the sidewalks. The biggest transgressors are those who habitually roll through stop signs, fail to check the crosswalk when turning right at a red light, or people who make a left hand turn without checking for pedestrians.
The running gods, however, seem to smile down on runners for the most part. Of all my running friends, I don't know any who have been seriously injured by a car while running (biking, however, is a different story).
You can't count on cars to see you. Running, especially around traffic, means keeping your head up. Don't assume people will stop for you in an intersection. Also, remember that driving puts people in a heightened sense of alert, and some people will act aggressively when they feel wronged. A couple summers ago as I was doing a workout and running at a decent clip, a car rolled through a stop sign right in front of me.
It may not have been the best decision, but I decided to smack the side of the little grey crossover-station wagon thing as I swerved to run behind it. The driver did not take kindly to my action. He slammed on his brakes, backed up so he had a clear view of me (sure, then he was out of the crosswalk), and began to shout colorful things as me such as, "come over here and I'll kick your ass!"
Not knowing how brain damaged he was or if he was packing heat, I decided to continue my run rather than turn around and confront the mouth-breathing poor driver.
Calvin ends up going with his own slogan on his traffic poster of, "Be careful or be roadkill." As much as I wish drivers would be more conscientious, avoiding becoming roadkill is up to runners because in collision between a runner and a car, the car always wins (with perhaps the exception of Smart Cars).
Happy Running!
Friday, January 16, 2015
More Winter Running: Staying Warm
In my last post I talked about dressing for winter weather. The concept is fairly basic and if you follow the advice from the previous post, you'll probably do fine with staying warm. If, however, you are still having some difficulty staying warm, here's some more specific advice for beating the cold.
If your core or legs are not staying warm, the first option is always adding more layers. When it is very cold, having a windbreaker in between two other layers works well. To keep your legs warm, tights, running shorts, and running pants usually do the trick. You can also get some warmer under layers if those three layers aren't enough.
If you're having trouble with keeping your face warm, there are quite a few options out there. Some runners spread a little petroleum jelly on their faces which offers a little more insulation. There are also a variety of face masks out there that do a nice job. Some are entire hoods, and others have Velcro to hold them in place at the back of the head. Just make sure you don't use any cotton, and you should be fine.
I have the most difficult time with my hands. It's tough to figure out how much glove you need, and when it gets really cold I have a tough time keeping my hands warm. This year I may spring for some thicker running mittens. When I ran a race last year in below zero temperatures, one of the guys I was running with had a nice thick pair. I've layered gloved in the past, but for whatever reason it doesn't seem to work as well as layering shirts or pants.
Finally, one of the best ways to be comfortable when running in the cold is to be mindful of the wind. Though it's uncomfortable at first, start out running into the wind on an out-and-back run. You'll definitely appreciate it when you turn around, and if you start out with the wind at your back, you'll get sweaty and end up with a very cold run on your way back.
If you find yourself just not enjoying yourself once it reaches a certain temperature, there's nothing wrong with a little treadmill or indoor track running. Though boring, it can offer a little break from the frigid temperatures and winter darkness--I actually do most of my weekly mileage indoors to avoid running in the dark.
Happy Running!
If your core or legs are not staying warm, the first option is always adding more layers. When it is very cold, having a windbreaker in between two other layers works well. To keep your legs warm, tights, running shorts, and running pants usually do the trick. You can also get some warmer under layers if those three layers aren't enough.
If you're having trouble with keeping your face warm, there are quite a few options out there. Some runners spread a little petroleum jelly on their faces which offers a little more insulation. There are also a variety of face masks out there that do a nice job. Some are entire hoods, and others have Velcro to hold them in place at the back of the head. Just make sure you don't use any cotton, and you should be fine.
I have the most difficult time with my hands. It's tough to figure out how much glove you need, and when it gets really cold I have a tough time keeping my hands warm. This year I may spring for some thicker running mittens. When I ran a race last year in below zero temperatures, one of the guys I was running with had a nice thick pair. I've layered gloved in the past, but for whatever reason it doesn't seem to work as well as layering shirts or pants.
Finally, one of the best ways to be comfortable when running in the cold is to be mindful of the wind. Though it's uncomfortable at first, start out running into the wind on an out-and-back run. You'll definitely appreciate it when you turn around, and if you start out with the wind at your back, you'll get sweaty and end up with a very cold run on your way back.
If you find yourself just not enjoying yourself once it reaches a certain temperature, there's nothing wrong with a little treadmill or indoor track running. Though boring, it can offer a little break from the frigid temperatures and winter darkness--I actually do most of my weekly mileage indoors to avoid running in the dark.
Happy Running!
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Minnesota Winter Running
It seems that over the past few year, my post on winter running has been viewed quite a few times. Starting to run in the winter in Minnesota is no small endeavor. My previous post on winter running can be viewed here, but feel free to read more specific advice below.
Although running is a relatively cheap winter sport compared to, say, skiing, winter running still requires an investment. The essentials for winter running in Minnesota are clothing and proper footwear.
Clothing can be pretty simple. A nice pair of running pants works well for temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees. Down in the single digits and colder, however, adding another layer to running pants will probably be necessary--tights are a good choice, but be sure to steer clear of anything cotton. As soon as cotton gets wet it loses just about all of its insulating ability.
On the top a good long-sleeve tech shirt and a light running jacket work well. The colder it is, the more layers you can put on. When it gets really cold, I recommend the following layers, from inside to out: short sleeve tech shirt, long sleeve tech shirt, windbreaker, medium-heavy fleece. Having the windbreaker on in between layers does a really nice job of keeping the core warm.
A good hat and pair of gloves are also essential. Again, cotton is a poor choice--there are lots of good products out there made of polypropylene or other synthetic materials that wick away moisture and keep your head and hands warm.
Winter footwear is perhaps the trickiest. A pair of insulated trail running shoes can do the trick on some surfaces, but for more snow and ice, you're going to need some sort of traction product. Yaktrax work fairly well, as do these cheaper, do-it-yourself screw shoes. I find screw shoes work a little better on ice and Yaktrax a little better on snow.
The other thing to be aware of in winter running in the northern climes is decreased daylight hours. Running outdoors in the early mornings or in the evening usually means running in the dark. If you live in a well-let area, you may be able to get away with just wearing reflective gear, but I would still recommend some sort of headlamp. I actually have a cheap Eddy Bauer headlamp from Target (though I don't believe they sell it anymore), and it works just fine. There are plenty of options out there, but be sure to go with something lightweight and water resistant.
There you have it--everything you need to know about winter running up north.
Although running is a relatively cheap winter sport compared to, say, skiing, winter running still requires an investment. The essentials for winter running in Minnesota are clothing and proper footwear.
Clothing can be pretty simple. A nice pair of running pants works well for temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees. Down in the single digits and colder, however, adding another layer to running pants will probably be necessary--tights are a good choice, but be sure to steer clear of anything cotton. As soon as cotton gets wet it loses just about all of its insulating ability.
On the top a good long-sleeve tech shirt and a light running jacket work well. The colder it is, the more layers you can put on. When it gets really cold, I recommend the following layers, from inside to out: short sleeve tech shirt, long sleeve tech shirt, windbreaker, medium-heavy fleece. Having the windbreaker on in between layers does a really nice job of keeping the core warm.
A good hat and pair of gloves are also essential. Again, cotton is a poor choice--there are lots of good products out there made of polypropylene or other synthetic materials that wick away moisture and keep your head and hands warm.
Winter footwear is perhaps the trickiest. A pair of insulated trail running shoes can do the trick on some surfaces, but for more snow and ice, you're going to need some sort of traction product. Yaktrax work fairly well, as do these cheaper, do-it-yourself screw shoes. I find screw shoes work a little better on ice and Yaktrax a little better on snow.
The other thing to be aware of in winter running in the northern climes is decreased daylight hours. Running outdoors in the early mornings or in the evening usually means running in the dark. If you live in a well-let area, you may be able to get away with just wearing reflective gear, but I would still recommend some sort of headlamp. I actually have a cheap Eddy Bauer headlamp from Target (though I don't believe they sell it anymore), and it works just fine. There are plenty of options out there, but be sure to go with something lightweight and water resistant.
There you have it--everything you need to know about winter running up north.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
2015: It's Goal Time
Honestly I've been having a hard time coming up with a list of goals for this year. My gut tells me I need to drum up some achievable goals after only making 4.5 out of 14 goals in the past two years. The year before that I set twelve goals and made nine of them, so I'd love to get back to that sort of record.
I decided it would probably be in my best interest to set some goals that were 100% achievable barring a serious running injury. They're entirely dependent on being dedicated to running and fitness, discipline, and sticking to my schedule.
My other set of goals is are time-based, and if I can stick to my training schedules and get closer to my race weight of 2011-2012, I think they're achievable. In my ultimate display of running nerdiness, I mapped out my winter training plan in detail with my sights set on a 5k this spring. I then did a rough outline of my training for a marathon this fall where I hope to set a PR.
So, here is my ambitious, but what I hope to be more achievable, set of goals:
1. Run 2,200 miles. My mileage has gone down every year since 2011, so it's time to change that up and get back closer to my 2011 total of 2,400 miles.
2. Bike to work at least 30 times.
3. Write 40 or more blog posts.
4. Publish at least one article.
5. Break 17 minutes in the 5k--not a PR, but it would still be my second best time in the 5k.
6. Set a 1/2 marathon PR.
7. Set a marathon PR.
I've yet to meet all my goals in any year, but I think I've got a good shot this year.
Happy Running!
I decided it would probably be in my best interest to set some goals that were 100% achievable barring a serious running injury. They're entirely dependent on being dedicated to running and fitness, discipline, and sticking to my schedule.
My other set of goals is are time-based, and if I can stick to my training schedules and get closer to my race weight of 2011-2012, I think they're achievable. In my ultimate display of running nerdiness, I mapped out my winter training plan in detail with my sights set on a 5k this spring. I then did a rough outline of my training for a marathon this fall where I hope to set a PR.
So, here is my ambitious, but what I hope to be more achievable, set of goals:
1. Run 2,200 miles. My mileage has gone down every year since 2011, so it's time to change that up and get back closer to my 2011 total of 2,400 miles.
2. Bike to work at least 30 times.
3. Write 40 or more blog posts.
4. Publish at least one article.
5. Break 17 minutes in the 5k--not a PR, but it would still be my second best time in the 5k.
6. Set a 1/2 marathon PR.
7. Set a marathon PR.
I've yet to meet all my goals in any year, but I think I've got a good shot this year.
Happy Running!
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