The Everyday Runner

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[theeverydayrunner]

What Is This I Hear About Back To Back Long Runs?

Over the years I have built up my endurance to the point that I can easily run 2+ hours a time over and over and over...no joke.  Its just one of those things that I can pace myself and keep putting one foot in front of the other for hours at a time.  

I bring that up because I have been doing some reading on doing back to back long runs as a way to train for ultra distance races.  

So I thought I might give you a few tips on adding the double long run weekend to your training routine.  

1.  Keep the pace down:  If you are used to one long run and a short run on the weekend.  Or, just one long run a week with some short and intermediate runs during the week, adding the extra miles is a challenge.  One way to combat the extra wear and tear on your body is by slowing down the pace a little bit.  I do this by making my goal the amount of time on my feet and not the distance.  

2.  Trust your body:  The principle behind an extra long run is to train your body to keep going when its tired.  So when you are doing a second long run, you probably just want to focus on listening to your body and letting your body settle into a rhythm that works for it.  The first rule of running should be "Trust Thy Body."  

3.  Hydrate, a lot:  One of the problems you get when you run your long run is that you can become dehydrated because you aren't doing a great job of hydrating during your run.  Happens to all of us.  If you are going to add another long run, you need to be aware that you need to be extra careful about getting enough fluids.  

4.  Add some extra protein:  As I have mentioned before, I am no big fan of pasta and carbs, but even if you eat a lot of carbs before your long runs, its going to be a wise decision to add some extra protein to your diet.  You are going to need the extra protein to aid in the repair of your muscles and since protein takes your body a bit longer to process, this can also help you sustain energy on back to back long runs.  

Those are just a few ways and tips on adding an extra long run on the weekends...what do you think?  Any suggestions?  Tips?  

[theeverydayrunner]

5 Tips For Running During The Summer

I would not be doing my job if I didn't offer you some tips for running in the heat of the summer.  As I sit here preparing to run this afternoon, it is over 90 for the 4th straight day and tomorrow should hit at least 89.  

What I am telling you is that you need to take some steps to stay fit and healthy during the summer.  No matter how much you run.  

1.  Stay hydrated:  Year round this is a big one, but when its hot and humid, this is more important than ever.  I've said it before and I will add some emphasis today, but make sure that you are drinking enough fluids so that your pee pee is clear or slightly tinted.  If its sludgy and yellow, you are dehydrated or close.  

2.  Don't run between 12-3 PM, if you can avoid it:  Like going to the tropics when you have been shut in your apartment all winter long, be careful because your body isn't acclimated to this stuff.  Same thing with running.  You are going to find that in most cases the hours between 12-3 PM are the hottest and if you can avoid exercising outdoors during these times, do it! 

3.  Wear looser clothes:  Here in DC I see girls with their long running tights in 100 degree temperatures and I want to get out and scream, yell, and jump up and down because its stupid.  Your body cools itself in the heat by sweating and having the sweat evaporate.  If you have tight clothes on, your body can't effectively do that.  In the heat, that's bad news.  

4.  Eat lighter foods:  Man, I love some beef stew.  I love all those heavy wintery dishes...you know I do, but during the summer months, I try to switch it up and eat more fruits and vegetables, especially ones that are local and in-season.  First, they are less filling and that helps with just not feeling miserable during the summer.  Second, the water that makes up a lot of the bulk of fibrous fruits and vegetables will help keep you hydrated.  Call it a two-fer.  

5.  Be smart:  Runners have trouble resting or taking it easy.  We all ask ourselves whether or not we are doing the right thing by taking a day off or doing a double.  Let me tell you, its ok to rest.  It is ok to not go as hard as you were planning.  Its ok to use your head to change your training to fit the weather and how your body feels.  This tip is in the summer section, but mark this one down as a year round kind of good idea.  

You guys have any tips you would like to share?

[theeverydayrunner]

How Do Your Goals Look?

We've made it to June...

Wait! What?  

Yes, it is June.  And now is a good time to check in and look at your goals.  

I've set the goal of running 100 miles a month, each month.  I've hit on that 3 of 5 months so far.  January, April, and May.  Not great, but overall I am on pace to hit the 1200 miles I would run if I was only going to run 100 miles a month.  So a partial victory.  

How about you?  How are your goals coming?

[theeverydayrunner]

We Are All Runners Today...

Typically a blog about running means that we are all runners anyway, or interested in running, at the least.  

Yet, since the bombing at the finish line of Monday's Boston Marathon, we have been treated to days to think about a lot of the reasons why something like this would happen and how it will effect us as runners.  

Knowing the runners that I know, it won't slow us down one bit.  We will continue to make our effort to run our races, get our miles in, and make ourselves a little bit better through our running.  

In that way, we are all the same, runners or not.  In the face of a despicable act that killed, maimed, and injured, people still got up to go to work, school, or a ball game.  Just like running, it is these small acts of faith that conquer terror and evil.   

So, with that, I think it is safe to say, we are all runners today.  

[theeverydayrunner]

A Note On Setting Proper Goals

In 2011 I ran 1,000 miles.  I felt pretty good about that.  If you break it down, its about 2.8 miles a day.  Its a big, round number, but not so far out there that it seems impossible.  

In 2012, I set myself a goal of 1,500 miles.  I didn't come close.  Like less than half close.  

Which sucks.  

In setting my sights on a mileage total for this year, I haven't set a big, end of year goal.  Instead, I am setting a smaller, monthly goals of wanting to hit 100 miles a month.  This is a goal that I have hit any number of times in the 7 years I have been running.  

Now the fun thing here is that, if I hit 100 miles each month, I am going to have at least 1,200 miles.  Another nice big number.  And, since I am unlikely to hit 100 right on the nose each month, I will probably go a bit higher.  

The point being that, sometimes you can set short term goals that will move you towards a bigger goal that you might be freaked out about if you just set that big goal.  

As an example:

Instead of saying you want to lose 20 pounds this year, just look at it like I am going to lose 2 pounds in January.  (If you adjust the macronutrient breakdown of your diet, you can lose more than that in a week...but that's another topic.)

Instead of saying you want to run 20 miles a week, break it down into needing to run 5 days a week.  Or, whatever makes it easier to notch wins for yourself in the shorter term.  

I think you can get the point from those two examples.  

What goals are you setting this year?  Short and long term?

[theeverydayrunner]

A New Year, A Chance To Rethink Your Training

I wanted to take a few moments on New Year's Day to talk about a subject that is on a lot of people's minds right now, getting in better shape in the New Year.  

Since I began running in 2006, I have tackled some sort of challenge every year and often reflect on what kind of running goals I want to take on each year.  Most of the people I know are much the same, if only a little different.  

But I won't go too deeply into what I am looking to achieve this year right now.  Instead I am going to talk about the person that stumbles onto this blog that is looking for a new training routine or to start one where they haven't been training before.  

Here are 3 simple things I think anyone can do to begin laying out a training plan for the next 12 months:

1.  Set goals:  We talk too much about resolutions.  Resolutions in my thinking are these esoteric ideals that we hope we can achieve.  Like by some miracle we are going to all of a sudden have another impure thought, never eat another slice of cake, or oversleep just because its a new year and we are going to do things differently.  

So by setting goals I mean to you set something that is measurable and that has a deadline.  

Here's an example:  I want to run 3 days a week every week in 2013.  That's measurable and has a deadline.  You either run 3 days a week every week or you don't.  This isn't the best example but you get the idea.  

2.  Target specific races or events:  This seems simple, but often someone will only think about their goals in terms of how many pounds they lose, how many miles they run, or other such things.  By aiming yourself in the direction of a race, you give yourself the motivation and a point of focus for those other goals.  

To me it is like the race is the goal that forces you to pull through the other goals.  

3.  Experiment:  This is obviously easier for someone that is looking to rethink their training than it is for someone that is looking to begin a training program.  

But I like to experiment. 

How many miles a week is right?  Pace?  Diet?  

You can go through any number of variables before you hit on your best plan.  That's good.  Because if you experiment and document with your training, you are going to make some interesting discoveries.  You will find out what your training volume should be like.  You will find out what foods work for you and what foods don't.  You will find out which kinds of running clothing works best for you.  The list is endless and it can be fun.  

These are only 3 and to me they are very simple.  I'd like to hear what you are doing to rethink your training in the new year.  Or, if you have some ideas or questions, I would like those too.  

Good luck! 

[theeverydayrunner]

Week 1 of 24 For TNF 50 Washington DC

Here is the week one training for my buildup to The North Face Endurance 50.  

Monday:  48 minutes (8K)

Tuesday:  60 minutes (10K)

Wednesday:  60 minutes (10K)

Thursday:  78 minutes (13K)

Friday:  Off

Saturday:  96 minutes (16K)

Sunday:  Off

The number in the bracket is the target distance, but you should run the number of minutes or the mileage, whichever you reach first...this is to help you with overtraining and overdoing it too early on. 

[theeverydayrunner]

24 Weeks To Train For a 50 Mile Trail Race

Over the years I have run 4 marathons on my own and I have guided disabled runners on a few more occasions.  

Over time, I have become fascinated with distances even further than a marathon.  

As I have stated here a few times, if you were to give me a runner's bucket list and ask what would be the top thing I want to do as a runner, it wouldn't be running the Boston Marathon.  No, it would be running the Western States 100 in California.  

If you aren't familiar, you should Google it and check out this thing.  It is truly the holy grail of ultrarunning.  

Anyway, you need to qualify and I am going to do that this year.  

So over the next 24 weeks, I am going to train for The North Face 50 in DC and use that as my qualifier for the WS 100.  

I'm going to post more later, but I wanted to introduce that concept here as a jumping off point.  

[theeverydayrunner]

Marathon Program: Week 16 of 16

Ok.  If you've made it this far, congratulations!  You are about to do one of the truly coolest things you will ever do, run a marathon. 

I'm not a rah rah kind of guy, but running your first marathon is absolutely an amazing feeling.  So enjoy it. 

Monday:  Off

Tuesday:  30 minutes

Wednesday:  Off

Thursday:  30 minutes

Friday:  Off

Saturday:  20 minutes easy

Sunday:  Race

Let me know how your race went, you can either comment or email me. 

Also, share anything you loved or didn't love. 

[theeverydayrunner]

Marathon Program: Week 15 of 16

One more week until marathon week. 

Remember, trust your training. 

Monday:  Off

Tuesday:  45 minutes easy

Wednesday:  45 minutes easy

Thursday:  45 minutes easy

Friday:  Off

Saturday:  30 minutes easy

Sunday:  60 minutes easy

Don't try to add any extra work in this week.  Take the extra time to relax and let your body heal. 

[theeverydayrunner]

Marathon Program: Week 14 of 16

You've made it through your longest long run and now you are into the toughest part of your training:  the taper. 

Why do I say that the taper is the toughest part of training? 

Simply because the training volume cuts back tremendously.  And, your mind will start playing tricks on you.  So here are my words of advice, trust the work you have done so far.  Be patient and if you get to spastic, you can email me. 

Monday:  Off

Tuesday:  60 minutes easy

Wednesday:  45 minutes easy

Thursday:  60 minutes easy

Friday:  Off

Saturday:  2 hour long run

Sunday:  2 miles easy

***As you can see, that is a dramatic cut back in your mileage.  Don't be afraid. 

[theeverydayrunner]

Marathon Program: Week 13 of 16

To keep from being late, here is next week's training on Sunday.  

BTW, this is your final long run before the marathon.  So here are a few tips:

*  Go nice and slow.  You want to feel confident about being able to cover the distance on race day.  

*  Don't worry about time.  You are training.  

Monday:  Off

Tuesday:  60 minutes easy

Wednesday:  45 minutes easy

Thursday:  60 minutes easy

Friday:  20 minutes easy

Saturday:  24 miles.  Nice and easy.  

Sunday:  1-2 miles easy.  

Let me know how the training is going.  

[theeverydayrunner]

Marathon Program: Week 12 of 16

Sorry for the late post:

Monday:  Off

Tuesday:  5 miles at tempo

Wednesday:  60 minutes easy

Thursday:  5 miles at race pace

Friday:  60 minutes easy

Saturday:  20-30 minutes easy

Sunday:  This week we won't to hit 18-19 miles.  Go nice and easy because next week is your final long run before the marathon.  

[theeverydayrunner]

Marathon Program: Week 11 of 16

Week 3 of our speed building portion of the training is upon us.  

Monday:  Off

Tuesday:  10 minute warm up.  3 miles at a pace of 80-85% of your max HR.  10 minute cool down

Wednesday:  45 minutes easy

Thursday:  60 minutes easy with a few hills thrown in for fun.  

Friday:  45 minutes easy

Saturday:  30 minutes easy

Sunday:  Long run day.  Last week we pushed up to about 20 miles and this week I am going to pull you back to about 13-15 miles.  So that will put you in about the 2-2:30 range.  

Have a good week. 

[theeverydayrunner]

Marathon Program: Week 10 of 16

So we are in week 2 of our period of building our speed.  

How did you feel adding some speedwork last week?  

We are going to really bulk up over the next three weeks, so I want you to be prepared.  

These weeks are going to test you mentally and physically, but you will be ready for your marathon.  

Monday:  Off

Tuesday:  10 minutes warm up.  5X2 minutes at 80-85% Max HR.  10 minute cool down. 

Wednesday:  45-60 minutes easy

Thursday:  60-75 minute tempo run with hills.  (This means that I want you to try and run a 60 or so minute run at the tempo you can maintain for the entire marathon.  If you are using your HR monitor, you can shoot for about 75-78% of your max HR.) 

Friday:  30-45 minutes very easy.

Saturday:  30-45 minutes very easy.

Sunday:  Last weekend we went at 16-17 miles.  Which was 3 hours and 15 minutes or so.  I'm going to push you out to 3:30-4:00 or 20 miles.  But don't worry, we will drag you back a little bit before we get you two more long runs.  So have no fear.  

Let me know what you are thinking.  

[theeverydayrunner]

How Do You Create A Positive Health Habit?

We talk a lot about our habits, especially bad ones.  

I am not sure if we ever even stop to think about the process of a habit.  

As we continue to exercise or set ourself health related goals, it is pretty important to take a moment to think about these habits that we aren't happy with and the habits that we are happy with and how we can reinforce the good ones and deemphasize that bad ones.  

Any habit is formed and reinforced by a three step pattern:  Cue-Routine-Reward.  

When trying to break a bad habit, you have to understand your triggers.  These are the things that set your brain off on the habit loop listed above.  

I'll make an easy example out of this to highlight what you can do to break the pattern.  

Let's say everyday you go to lunch with your co-workers and the only thing convenient is fast food.  You have been gaining weight because all of the starches, simple carbs, and sugars is messing up your metabolism.  So you make a conscious decision one night before bed to take your lunch because you hate the mid-afternoon crash that follows your lunch.  

What happens?

At noon, your co-workers ask if you are going to lunch.  (Just like every other day)

You decline, telling them you brought your own lunch.  

You eat your lunch in the break room of your office and you don't have the afternoon crash from eating a meal that is filled with sugars and starches and that causes your blood sugar to go nuts.  

All of a sudden, in a small way, you have changed your habit.  Instead of the negative habit which was:  

Co-workers ask me to lunch (cue).  Eat fast food (routine).  Have blood sugar crash (reward).  

You now have a routine that looks like this:  

Co-workers ask me if I am ready for lunch (cue).  Eat healthy lunch that I made myself (routine).  Have lots of energy through the afternoon (reward).  

In one small move you have changed a bad habit and one that is self defeating into a habit that can help you have a more productive afternoon.  And, one that can have really great benefits for your health.  

Its pretty simple.  

So take a habit that you have been unhappy with and break it down.  Then, you the habit loop to try and break it down into something that is a little more bit better.  

The payoff won't come immediately, but you will see great results if you stay with it.  

[theeverydayrunner]

Carb Loading or Fat Loading?

When I first began running, I didn't know much about endurance sports.  My background was in high intensity weight training and using my diet in ways to maximize my workouts and build muscle. 

In that regard I was very successful, at the height of my competitive power lifting time, I was about 210 and had less than 7% bodyfat. 

I bring that up because I had been led to believe that training for endurance events would mean that I needed to eat in an entirely different way, and I fell for it.  Instead of eating in a way that I had for years, which would have fit more in line with the Paleo diet or Atkins and which allowed me to control my cravings, my endurance, and my weight, I fell into the carb trap. 

I call it the carb trap because for me it was one.  Instead of powering my performance, I found myself succumbing to the ups an downs of blood sugar that would rise and fall in conjunction with the high carb breakfast I'd eat before my long run.  Which would lead me to the need to refuel midrun with some high carb drinks and gels, goos and other stuff. 

Today I am only going to introduce the concept of fat loading as an alternative. 

I'll introduce it by giving you a definition: 

To feed your body with the nutrient most likely to sustain it over the course of a long endurance event with less negative impact on your blood sugar. 

In a future post I will come back and tackle how carb loading works, but for today, I want to introduce fat loading as an idea.