Passionate for Helping Other Runners: Carrie Tollefson

One thing I really appreciate about running is how different it is from other sports. Although there's a robust community of professional runners, I've found that many, if not most of these professionals, are very down-to-earth people, open to talking to nonprofessional runners and often just as interested in Average Janes' experiences with running as they are with other professional runners' experiences.

I had the privilege of corresponding with 2004 Olympian Carrie Tollefson, and she was kind enough to answer some of my questions about her running journey. Carrie won the 1997 NCAA Cross Country Championships, and was the 1999 champion in the 3000m Indoor and Outdoor races, and the 5000m outdoor. She also won the 1500m race in the 2004 United States Olympic Trials, and represented the US in the 2004 Olympics.

Carrie with Laura and I at the TC Marathon Expo

Carrie started running in 7th grade when she went out for cross country, following her sister, Kammie, one of the best hurdlers in the state. Her family was a huge influence on her early running career. About her family, she says,

"My two older sisters were such great role models and challenged me everyday! My parents were probably my biggest and best fans and motivators. My mom more so on the mental side just telling me I can do anything I put my mind to and always having something nice to say if the race went well but even more so if it went bad. My dad was very active and loved to run with me and we had the best talks on our weekend runs. He was a college football player so we had a lot of great conversations about training, strategy, mental toughness, etc."

Besides her family, she also credits her coaches and teammates for shaping her into the successful athlete she became. "Any time you surround yourself with like minded people, good things happen and I cherish all of those people," she says.

After having two stress fractures in 2009 and having to drop out of her first race at nationals, Carrie started to think about her life after running. In 2010 she had her first child, her daughter Ruby.

Carrie's passion for helping other runners is clear in the work that she continues to do with the running community. In December of 2010, Carrie started the Web Show, "C Tolle Run," a weekly show with interviews, tips, and race highlights. Carrie also runs a training camp for young athletes in the summers.

What keeps her passionate about helping other runners?

"I think when one is passionate about anything in life it just sort of feels natural to try and share that. I just wanted to give back the same support and excitement that so many people have given me throughout my life and career. It really is amazing to be able to connect with people at a personal and public manner."

Carrie has reached many people, both through her show and through her training camp."I love when I see people post that they are getting after it and reference the show," she says. "I also love when my youth campers from the Carrie Tollefson Training Camp write me and say that they are having a great season or have achieved a new goal."

Carrie welcomes ideas and comments for her show, "C Tolle Run," where she encourages runners to, "get after it!"

Happy Running!

Passionate for Helping Runners: Juli Johnson

There aren't too many runners who are passionate about helping other runners achieve their goals at the expense of their own goals. I like helping other runners--writing some training programs here and there, doing a good amount of pacing--but I spend more time thinking and working towards my own goals than I do helping others. While runners fall in any number of categories, Juli Johnson is one of those rare runners who is passionate about helping other runners.

 When Juli started out running, she said she was "almost embarrassed to start running." She would run on her own, early in the morning, without even telling her husband. After running her first 10k, she found an online forum of runners that connected her to the running community.

Soon after that, her passion and knowledge about running led her to help hundreds of other runners. "My experience starting running alone as an adult in my 30's fuels my desire to help others start running," she said.  "I want others to know how supportive and helpful most runners are no matter how fast or slow they may run according to the clock."

Over the past five years, Juli, the director of the parks and recreation department of Eagan, has coached numerous beginning runners through the city of Eagan's running programs. She's seen them finish races from their first 5ks to their first marathons and ultra marathons  She's also paced numerous races, pacing six this past season.

In fact, during my my wife's first sub-2 hour half marathon, Juli was her pacer. "At the 13.1 Minneapolis Half Marathon," Laura said, "my plan was to push it with two miles left. Juli told me with five miles left that I looked pretty good and should go ahead. I did, and ran, at the time, my best half marathon."

Laura and Juli after the 2011 13.1 Minneapolis 1/2 Marathon.

Juli has also paced runners unofficially. In the ungodly hot Med City Marathon last year, Juli wisely put all time goals aside and went with a run-walk strategy for the last half of the race. When the hot conditions led many runners to start giving up, Juli lent her pacing expertise to help them out.  "I invited them to try joining me as a way to make it to the finish," she said. "By the end I had about ten runners with me. It was fun because we had all given up on time goals due to the heat, but as a group we were able to motivate each other to keep going."

Juli is definitely one of those rare runners who puts others' success ahead of her own. She's climbed that running pyramid, going from a wannabe runner who ran in the dark, to memorizing issues of Runners' World in her quest to improve, to helping hundreds of other runners through advice, running classes, and pacing. Along the way she's raced over 50 marathons of her own. She's also raised two successful young runners--Karina, a high school runner who competed in the 2012 Nike National Cross Country Meet, and Nate, who will become a collegiate runner this coming fall. Juli ran with both her children during their first 5ks, half marathons, and marathons.

Why is she so passionate about helping others? "I love this sport!" she said. "I love to talk about running and I love to run! The more people I have around me when I run, the more fun it is. I also want to help beginners so that they have early successes in running and don't feel like they have to do it on their own."

I'm thankful for runners like Juli. Without runners like her, the running community would be smaller, and definitely less welcoming.

Stay tuned for more runners who are passionate about helping other runners.

Happy Running!

The Running Pyramid: Runners Who are Passionate to Improve

I hope I didn't lose too many readers in the long break between "Runners Who Want to Improve" and "Runners Who are Passionate to Improve." If you've been checking every day to see when this next post would come out, I apologize, but I also think you need some more hobbies.

Runners Who are Passionate to Improve are generally crazy. Have a conversation with these runners at your own risk. It will most likely lead to an intense discussion on the benefits of heart rate training, the glycemic index of their lunch, or how they manage to get a run in before work by "showering" in the bathroom with a package of baby wipes.

Honestly, these people often come across as more than a little strange. When they're not reading about running, talking about running, or running, they're on an internet message board in an intense debate about whether or not the lactate threshold is something to be concerned with or merely superfluous data.

Runners Who are Passionate to Improve are also likely to spend an inordinate amount of money trying to get faster. The newest running watch? Check. Super-lightweight singlet, the latest running shoes, and sweat-wicking, blister-preventing socks?  Check, check, and check. An internet coach who pours over their training plan, gives them feedback on their workouts, and offers dietary advice? Check. If they think it might net them a couple of seconds in a 5k or a couple of minutes in a marathon, they're likely to dip into the wallet at the expense of car maintenance (they'll run to work), vacations (does a destination marathon count?), or paying their water bill (they'll shower at the gym).

Another quirk of these runners is often a wholesale devotion to certain styles of training. If you're wondering what non-periodized multi-paced training is, and you like to listen to someone talk about it, find one of these guys and you'll be sure to hear way more than you ever wanted to about the subject.

OK, maybe these runners aren't quite that bad. In fact, these are people who, if you're interested in running, are pretty fun to talk to. These are people who are often up for a run when you need a training partner, and are great to have on your team if you're running any sort of a relay.

Speaking of improvements, today I'm running the Valentine's Day 5k at Lake Harriet. It'll be my first "race" since the Whistlestop Marathon in October. Honestly, I'm not super excited for it. I've been making very slow progress rehabilitating my broken knee since I started running again about a month-and-a-half ago. I had a good doctor's appointment, but I'm still only running about 15 minutes in a 30 minute run/walk session. My doctor (who's been on one of my favorite web shows) took an x-ray and said everything was healing well.

Though I've been making steady progress, I can't seem to get past the five minute run, five minute walk for 30 minutes. I did a four minute walk, six minute run once, but the next time I tried to do it my knee acted up. So, today I'll be run-walking the 5k that I finished second in last year. Oh well, maybe getting a different view of the race will be fun. Maybe I'll even find a "Runner Who's Passionate to Improve" in the 30 minute range to talk to.

Happy Running!

The Running Pyramid: Runners Who Want to Improve

Crossing the the threshold from a "Wannabe Runner" to a "Runner Who Wants to Improve" is a small, often undetectable shift in one's running. Many people start running for reasons other than becoming a better runner. Often, they simply want to get in better shape, lose weight, or have an excuse to buy skin-tight three-quarter length running tights to show off their legs on a treadmill.

Wannabe Runners will improve unless they do everything in their power to not improve, like running as fast as they can on every run, subsisting on a diet of chocolate milk and protein bars, or running the same distance at the same pace every time they run. While going from running a little bit to running a little bit more will lead to improvement whether they're trying or not, it doesn't make a "Wannabe Runner" a "Runner Who Wants to Improve."

This natural improvement, however, can lead to a "Wannabe Runner" becoming a "Runner Who Wants to Improve." Sometimes it starts on accident. Our hypothetical runner is scrolling mindlessly down Facebook and comes across someone's link to a Runner's World article about how you can "Run Your Fastest 5k on Fewer Miles." She clicks the link and before she realizes what's happened she's got a 13 month subscription to Runner's World with a free running log and a copy of "Run Less, Run Faster."

When her log comes in the mail along with her copy of "Run Less, Run Faster," the madness begins. She starts doing speedwork, tempo runs, long runs, and writing her workouts in her training log. She signs up for a 5k, and after breaking thirty minutes, sets her sights on another 5k to break 25 minutes. She casually mentions to a coworker that she's trying to break 25 minutes in the 5k by running three days a week and doing two cross training sessions.

Her coworker, who runs marathons, tells her that he's tried the "Run Less, Run Faster" program, and that if she really wants to improve, she should try the "Daniels' Running Formula." The next day he brings her his dog-eared copy and when she gets home she throws her "Run Less, Run Faster" copy in the trash (it was free for goodness sake), and starts using the tables to calculate her optimal training paces.

She then realizes that unless she's running on the treadmill, she doesn't know what pace she's running, so she goes out and buys a Garmin 110--the one with the cool pink stripe.

But then tragedy strikes. Her knee starts hurting. After self-diagnosing IT-band syndrome, she buys a foam roller and starts doing core exercises. It's not helping, however, and pretty soon she's thinking that running isn't for her. Her knee hurts too much to run, and she has to eat the cost of her 5k registration.

After a month of trying to rehabilitate her knee, she sees a physical therapist. She does all the exercises, but she can't run without pain, and decides that maybe she's not meant to be a runner.

She piles her running tights, tops, shorts, sweatbands, Garmin, her copies of "Runner's World," and her training log in the backyard. In the heat of her anger, she throws her coworker's copy of "Daniels' Running Formula" on top of the pile, soaks it with gasoline, stands back and tosses a match from what she thinks is a safe distance.

She was too close, however, and loses her eyebrows, arm hair, and singes her bangs. She takes it as further proof that the Running gods are angry with her, and goes from being a "Runner Who Wants to Improve," to not being a runner at all.

So, be careful with your quest to improve as a runner, as it can lead you down the path to injury and lost body hair.

Happy Running!

Running Pyramid: Wannabe Runners

Pyramids are popular. Image Credit.

After spending a solid 14 seconds debating whether or not the title of the bottom tier of the pyramid sounded too negative, I decided to just run with it. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a wannabe runner. I don't think there's anything wrong with being a wannabe anything. I'm a wannabe writer and will probably continue to think of myself as a wannabe writer until I have something significant published. Wannabe runners often consider themselves to be wannabe runners until they, "run a race," or, "run without stopping," or, "take the running shoes they bought out of the box."

My pyramid's much uglier than Stephan Pastis's pyramid.

OK, so if you bought a pair of running shoes on a champagne-hangover-charged New Year's resolution shopping binge, you might be a wannabe runner, but most "wannabe" runners are not actually wannabes. They're usually in the invisible section of the running pyramid between "Wannabe Runners" and "Runners Who Want to Improve."

A lot of people I've met will say something like, "I'm not really a runner--I just run three miles a few times a week."

"Really?" I reply. "I think by definition that would make you a runner. You run, don't you?"

Then I start hearing the yeah buts.

"Yeah but:

"I can't run more than a few minutes before I have to walk."

"I've never run a race before--I just run for fun."

"I only run 5ks, so I'm not really a runner."

I think that if you get out the door a few times a week or climb on a treadmill and run, then you're a runner. Even people who consider themselves "Wannabe Runners," are actually "Runners Who Want to Improve." Although they say things like, "I'm not really a runner," often I find out they're training for their first 5k, or trying to work themselves up to running a mile without stopping.

Unfortunately, as is the human condition, they compare themselves to people who run everyday, or run marathons, or have a full array of cute running attire while they're left with just "running for fun," or, "only running 5ks," or, "having to run in basketball shorts."

I think if you just run for fun, you're most definitely a runner--even if you call your running the awful "j" word. And, if you're satisfied with your running, there's no need to push yourself to the next tier of the pyramid.

"What?" you may ask. "How can you write this blasphemy? Every runner should want to improve." Here's the problem with that attitude: "Runners Who Want to Improve" sometimes fall off the pyramid altogether. But I'll talk about those guys next time.

Happy Running!

Levels of Running

I love meeting passionate people--people who have a purpose, who are driven. Sure, sometimes they can get a little annoying, especially if they're passionate about fruit salad design or the stock market. People who are passionate about helping other people, however, seem more rare and are generally fascinating to listen to.

In a series of blog posts, I'll explore the tiers of the running passion pyramid--don't get too excited, it doesn't end in anything romantic. In this post, I'll briefly describe each tier today. I'm so excited about the running passion pyramid, I spent an inordinate amount of time on Microsoft Word making a graphic.

Next time: pie chart

At the bottom of the pyramid are people who want to be runners, and have taken some steps toward becoming runners. On the next tier are people who want to improve, followed by those who are passionate to improve. Finally, at the top of the pyramid, are people who are passionate to help others improve as runners.

Like any model, there are obviously limitations and imperfections to its descriptive capability. Everyone is different, and not everyone who becomes passionate about helping others to improve as runners climbs the pyramid in this manner. Also, this is not a value chart--the people at the top of the pyramid are not "better" than the people at the bottom. There are, however, a lot fewer of them.

If you can identify with this model, feel free to leave a comment. I've already got some people in mind for some of the tiers and might ask them some questions before writing the post about their tiers.

Coming soon:
People who want to be runners.

Happy Running!

2013: It's Goal Time

I love social media. Reading people's comments about how they hate it that people use January 1 to make resolutions, when they could do it any other day, makes me smile. I got news for the New Year's Resolution Haters: some people like to make resolutions on January 1. There's something nice about a new year. It feels like a fresh start, a do-over, a time to kick bad habits and start good ones.

Does it annoy me that it's harder to find a treadmill at the YMCA this time of year? Sure. Is it unfortunate that many people's resolutions don't last? Of course. Anyone who wants to make some positive changes and finds the replacing of the wall calendar a good time to make changes, great! New Year's Resolutions haters gonna hate, I'm gonna set some goals.

Last year I did 12 goals for 2012, making it much easier to write my year-in-review post. This year I'm just going to go with an arbitrary number. Also, this year I'd like to go out on a limb and ask people to comment with one or more of their goals. I've never asked for comments on this blog before, mainly because I wasn't sure my ego could withstand how few comments there would be. Now, however, I'm OK if only a few people read this blog--I mainly write it to clear things out of my head, and I appreciate anyone who does take the time to read it.

Goal 1:
Rehab the heck out of my left leg. Yesterday I got to run for the first time in two months. I saw the doctor and the physical therapist and they gave me the go ahead, but it's going to be slow. I'm starting with 30 minutes at 9 minutes walk, 1 minute run, three times. I'm also doing lots of glute and core strength, which brings me to:

Goal 2:
Do at least 3 sessions of core and balance work a week until April, then maintain at 2 sessions a week. I'll be doing the laundry on my abs by May.

Goal 3:
PR in the 5k. This one might be tough, depending how the rehab goes, but it should be doable by the fall if I can't get it done in the spring.

Goal 4:
PR in the 10 mile. This one'll be tougher, but why not?

Goal 5:
Break 1 hour in the Rochesterfest Sprint Triathlon. I didn't drown last year, so why not PR by 4+ minutes this year?

Goal 6:
Successfully help several runners meet their goals. I like writing training plans, reading about running, researching, and answering questions, so I hope some of these things can be helpful to others this year.

Goal 7:
Publish at least two more articles, and submit two to a major publication. Hang rejection letters on the wall.  

That should do it for 2013 goals. It's not as many as last year, but it should be enough. If you'd like to leave a comment with one of your goals, I'd appreciate it. It doesn't have to be a running or workout goal. Feel free to put your goal on the Facebook link if you came from there.

Happy Running!