Archive for the ‘training’ Category

Jeff Galloway on Running…a Business (1 of 2)

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

jeff-galloway

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jeff Galloway on building and running a business.  Not only is Jeff a very accomplished athlete, being on the 1972 Olympic team, breaking the U.S. 10-mile record in 1973, and winning such races as the very first Peachtree Road Race, the Honolulu Marathon, and the Atlanta Marathon, but he has also become very successful in the running industry.  Jeff Galloway has become an expert in the sport of running, writing best-selling books such as “Galloway’s Book on Running,” starting Phidipiddes Running specialty store, starting many inaugural races, and training over 250,000 people in Jeff Galloway’s Training Programs.  As a runner and an aspiring entrepreneur, Jeff Galloway inspires me.  That is why I wanted to ask Jeff some questions about his experience in the business of running.

Jeff Galloway’s first entrepreneurial venture was Phidippides running specialty store in 1973.  He started the first one in Tallahassee, Florida with a partner who was one of his professors in graduate school.  While Jeff wanted to keep the sporting goods store running specific, his partner wanted to expand the product line.  In 1975 Jeff and his partner decided to part ways so Jeff could start a running specialty store in Atlanta.  Phidippides was one of the first running specialty stores in North America.  Here Jeff developed their unique running shoe fitting process which enables Phidippides employees to match the right shoe to the person.  Phidippides still uses this superior fit process today without special gadgetry, which has given better results than the fit processes of their competitors.  This superior process, along with being one of the first to the running specialty stores market, made a perfect opportunity to franchise Phidippides.  In the late 1970s and early 1980s Phidippides was franchised for a nominal fee.

From Phidippides, Jeff Galloway’s other entrepreneurial ventures were bred.  Jeff says, “A lot of entrepreneurial things came out of the store, the most important thing is to wait until demand reaches a critical mass, then you react.”  In 1978, at the request of many of his Phidippides customers, Jeff began developing training plans and giving running advice.  He would conduct training sessions in Atlanta and also began to communicate training plans with other runners outside of Atlanta via phone, fax, or even letter.  This lead to his very successful training clinics, events, and retreats that he currently conducts all across the Nation and the World!

Tomorrow I’ll tell you more about how Jeff was able to leverage his running experiences and knowledge to develop some of the most popular training programs in the World and become an expert in the running industry!

Knowing your Running Limits

Friday, August 21st, 2009

First off, Happy National Trail Running Day Eve!  I am so excited that I woke up at 5 this morning just thinking about all the awesome trail running I’m going to do tomorrow.  I gotta do some last minute shopping today…

bridgejumping

I want to talk about running within you capabilities and limitations.  I learned about knowing your limits for the first time when I was 18.  A group of friends and I drove up to Tsali trails in North Carolina to do some mountain biking Senior year of High School.  After our ride we were cruising down Hwy 28 a couple of miles from the trails and drove over a bridge across a lake.  So we decided to jump off it.  This actually started a craze for me and my friends which we called “bridge jumping.”  From then on we never passed over a bridge without someone saying, “You think we could jump this?”  At any rate, after some jumps we wanted something a little more extreme so we went to a second bridge that was probably twice the height of the first one.  We walked down to the water see how deep it was.  There was a fisherman who had a depth finder and told us it was deep enough but someone had died a couple of years back jumping off that bridge.  Of course our 18 year old egos knew that that would not happen to us.  So we went back to the bridge to look down and consider jumping.  I said to my friend who would do anything extreme, “I’ll do it, if you do it first.”  I’m not really into being a guinea pig.  He turned to me and said, “I’m not going to do it.  I know my limits.”  This was the first time I had ever heard any of my friends talk about having limits and especially this friend.  He wasn’t scared of anything!  We didn’t jump the bridge and went to meet my parents for a Southern cooked meal.  The reason I remember this day is because I had always grown up with limitations put on me and I was usually trying to figure out how to push the limits.  Actually limiting yourself?  Yes, you should.

I ran another runner to absolute exhaustion last night at my running club.  I felt bad with a smidgen of pride.  We were doing a 5 mile run and admittedly I started the pace out pretty fast.  We had a larger group running with the “faster” people and I wanted to spread it out a bit.  I knew who our fastest runner was (a female actually), so as long as she kept pace then it was not too fast for a group run.  For the first time, another guy, a 22 year old who runs 5Ks in the 17s, stuck with us.  I had never run with this guy before but a lot of people in the group knew him.  I could tell he was hurting by his breathing during the run but he was keeping up.  With just under a mile left I got stuck behind the two of them on an uphill so I went around them and pushed it up the hill.  I like to push the hills, get them over with as soon as possible.  Well, I think this other runner took this as me racing him.  So he turned on his speed and from there until we got back he pushed his pace to the limit.  I stayed with him, staying a half stride back, running his pace, but I could tell he wanted to kill me in this run.  I won’t get competitive in group runs unless you verbally challenge me.  We finished on a downhill with each other and his legs just plopping on the ground, he wasn’t running, I knew he had nothing left in his legs.

After we were done I went to give him a high five but he was busy walking around, cooling off.  I talked to some other runners and hung out for a bit.  Then I saw him sitting on a bench with people around him.  He was out of it.  In a daze.  Could barely talk and that was only one word answers.  We got him some jelly beans, orange juice, Gatorade, and nuts, but he was too exhausted to even in take any of these nutrients.  He then laid down on the ground because he was too weak to sit on a bench.  We were concerned and luckily had a doctor with us who was monitoring this exhausted runner as well.  After about 45 minutes to an hour he actually started to “come to” and hold a conversation, even smile a bit.  We called his girlfriend to come pick him up to make sure he would be alright the rest of the night.  That’s what you get from trying to push the pace with.  You can’t beat me.  “Don’t touch me, cause I’m electric, and if you touch me, you’ll get shocked!” -Beastie Boys.  Now I know this running club is going to be a race day for me and I’ll have to treat my eating as such.  I’m sure he wants revenge…but he will never taste it.

The point is, you have to know your limits and capabilities.  I have the utmost respect for this other runner.  To leave it all out there on a 5 mile group run.  Not letting anyone pass him.  That’s how serious runners are, always pushing it, not accepting defeat.  But the problem is that he overexerted himself to the point where he actually put himself in danger.  I’m all for taking risks, but calculated risks.  You must know your capabilities and properly set your limits to avoid a catastophie like a serious injury.  If you haven’t been running and are not in shape to run a 17 minute 5K then back it off a bit, there’s nothing wrong with it.

Listen to Ice Cube and, “Check yourself before you wreck yourself fool.”

Kara Goucher’s Running Style

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

kara-goucher-sexy

A friend of mine sent me this article in the Wall Street Journal about Americans losing ground to Kenyan runner’s in the International running scene and how Kara Goucher’s different approach to training is helping her get back into the International competition.  She’s just gripping it and ripping it.  Like Hanzel in Zoolander said, “For me, it’s just the way I live my life.  I grip it and I rip it.”  Very well thought out words Hanzel.  That is essentially what Kara Goucher is doing.  Kara doesn’t run for distance or time when training.  She just goes for a run twice a day and runs as fast and as far as she is feeling that day.  She just grips it and rips it.

I honestly don’t understand all of the heart monitor, pace setting, caloric in-taking regulation people have in their training.  I want to run as fast as I feel I can run, why do I need to have a heart monitor?  I know how my body is feeling.  Likewise, why would I want to shoot for a certain pace in a run?  What if I’m feeling better than usual, do I have to hold back to stay at that pace.  I start all of my races a little faster than I think my overall race pace is going to be just in case I’m able to hold that faster pace.  Maybe I’ll be able to hold it the whole time or maybe I’ll get tired, so I’ll slow down a bit.  And why would I watch all of the calories I intake?  I eat enough to fulfill my hunger.  My hunger is based off of how many calories I have burned in relation to what my body thinks it is going to need to get it to the next time I eat.  I’ve been judging how hungry I am my whole life!  Why would I want to track it now?  However, I do know that I have to eat healthy, but “healthy” is a broad term.  Whatever it is you do to try to “pace” yourself or not “over do it,” try not doing that.  Just grip it and rip it, rock with the feel, and go with your own flow.

When racing you want to race like the Kenyans who “enjoy the battle” or Kara who says, “Sometimes we get obsessed with time.  You can’t win a race like that.”  She’s right, you can’t, because the race is not about time.  It’s about you against the other runners, all you need to do to win is run faster than them, it’s that simple.  As far as your race against the course, you should know the route and know what to expect, but you shouldn’t think about specifics, just what the overall layout is in relation to how you are feeling.  Remember, it’s all about feeling.

So be like Kara Goucher and feel your run.  It feels good don’t it?  Oh yeah.

Running Everyday for a Year: Kristin Bourdon (2 of 2)

Friday, August 14th, 2009

kristin-bourbon

As a mother, do you find it difficult to get in your daily run?

I am very lucky to have a husband who is home most every morning.  He is a FedEx pilot and usually works from 2.p.m. to 2 a.m.  So I can be done running before anyone is even awake – it also helps a lot that my kids sleep until 8 – even on school days.  My oldest son (the only one in school) can do everything for himself in the morning so I walk in from my run and we head out the door for carpool.  If my husband is not available, my mother-in-law is very willing to come over and sit while everyone sleeps.  Before we joined the gym, I took her up on this about once a week.  Now, I can take the kids to the gym on days that I have them all to myself.  My advice to other mothers is – find a way – if it is possible.  Even if you have to be creative.  My running partner and I sometimes trade off our (total of 5) kids so that each of us can run while the other watches the kids.  If it is a priority, you can get it done – as my husband has told me on more than one occasion, “nobody likes a martyr”!

I hate martyrs too.  Do you use a jogging stroller?

Yes, I use a baby jogger- it is 8 years old- we have pushed all of our kids in it at one time or another and they love it!  My advice is to get a good jogging stroller with bicycle wheels – it is worth the investment.  My boys also like to ride their bikes while I run but they aren’t crazy about going for an hour- about 4 miles is their limit.  I take them when my husband is with me and they head home at the halfway point and I continue on.

I usually continue to run when others are done too.  Have you ever had a close call on not keeping your goal?

The biggest challenges to keeping my goal are travel and holidays.  We have taken so many trips since I started – two weeks skiing in Park City (I ran on the treadmill for 60 minutes every day- even on travel days- and skiing didn’t count towards my hour/day), a week at the beach, weekend trips to out lake cabin, etc.  I’ve run in freezing rain, snow, 100 degree heat and torrential downpours.  I ran on Christmas Day and every other holiday. The closest I came to breaking the streak was on the last day of our week-long Disney Cruise. My plan was to run on the treadmill that morning (like I had every other morning during the cruise) before spending the day at Sea World for a few hours and then start the drive home. At about 10:30 p.m. my husband and decided that I needed to “keep the streak alive” (his words) so we use the Garmin to find all the hotels along the way.  I start calling to see if they have a gym. We pull in a few minutes later and I am on the treadmill from 11 p.m. to midnight. I got back on the treadmill the next morning before getting back in the car for the rest of the drive home. I ran 15 miles in the 8 hours we were at that hotel.

At least you got to sleep.  Do you plan any celebration when you finish this goal?

I haven’t planned anything for when I finish. I run with a Garmin so I know my pace pretty well and don’t feel the need to enter any races. I consider this year to be my “marathon.” Today was day 297. Less then 70 to go!

Great job!  Good luck!  Do your think you’ll continue to run at the same consistency when you are done?

I will definitely continue to run and swim when the year is over. I plan to add yoga, weight lifting, and spinning to my routine. If a day goes by when I cannot fit it in, I won’t beat myself up about it but I will probably go longer the next day to make up for it!

The thing that amazes me the most about this experience is that I have not been too sick to run in almost a year. I take a multivitamin, calcium, fish oil, iron, and glucosamine/chondroitin almost every day and I eat a ton of vegetables. I don’t eat fast or fried food and I try to limit my sugar (but that is my weakness). I only had one minor injury – sharp pain just above the back ankle. I swam for three days in a row and it went away. Some days I think there is no way I am going to be able to run up the street, let alone for an hour. But I put one foot in front of the other and before I know it, I am having a great run. I have confidence in my body. I am strong and fit and I love it!

Thanks for sharing Kristin!  Good luck on your goal!

Running Everyday for a Year: Kristin Bourdon (1 of 2)

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Kristin Bourdon is on her way to running everyday for a full year!  A goal like this one takes so much determination and discipline really intrigued me so I asked her a couple of questions about this amazing goal.

kristin-bourdon-running-a-race-with-kids

Why did you decide to start running for a year ever day consecutively?

I have always been very disciplined with my workouts.  Working out consistently is not one of my issues!  A long time ago, I learned a very valuable lesson from my Dad who told me, “You will never look back on your life and wish you spent more time at the office.  Take some time each day for yourself to work out and you will be more productive and happier.”  So, when I was in the Navy, I used to spend my lunch hour every day working out.  Now, as a mother of three young boys, my life is super busy.  It is really easy to blow off a work out to do other stuff because there is always so much to be done.  Before establishing this goal, I would find myself getting wrapped up in the kids and before I knew it, the day was over.  This would stress me out and make me grumpy and irritable!  I realized two things.  First, if I got my workout done first thing in the morning, I was still available to the kids for the rest of the day and second, I needed the run to make me feel more productive and happier throughout the day.  So, last October I made a formal commitment to myself to run everyday for an hour no matter what.  This eased the pressure.  Instead of finding myself at dinner time still needing to squeeze in a workout and upset that it just wasn’t going to happen, I started each day saying “what is the plan and when is the workout going to happen?”

That’s a great way to make sure you get the work out in!  I never work out after dinner, I always make sure I eat too much.  About how many miles do you run a week?

I always run between 6 and 9 miles a day.  Nine is the most I will go – only because I know I have to do it again the next day.  I have a running partner who does not care to run every day nor as far as I like to go.  It works out perfectly.  We meet and run about 4 miles together and then I continue without her to finish up the hour.  We probably run together three times a week on average.  Knowing I have to meet her makes getting out the door so much easier and once I am going, finishing the hour is not a problem.

Do you incorporate or count any other cardiovascular activities like biking or swimming?  Not that either of those are as cool as running and should count.

I swim 3500 yards one day a week – I look forward to swimming when I just feel too worn down to run.  It takes me 70 minutes to do my swim workout – I consider those extra 10 minutes as a buffer for the days that my run ends up being 55 minutes!  We recently joined a gym and I will run on the treadmill – even though I prefer to run outside.  But if I take a yoga class, I do not count that towards my hour – so I don’t take classes very often!  Occasionally on gym days, I will do the ellipitcal machine or the stair climber – but only after running on the treadmill for at least 5 miles – this is strictly because the treadmill is SO BORING!  Nothing else counts towards my goal – not even spending a whole day walking around Sea World!

Stay tuned for the next istallment tomorrow!

Running with Integrity

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009

army-men-partying

That’s me.  The face of Integrity.  Integrity is very important to me and the Army helped solidify that.  The two men in this picture with me also embody Integrity.  A week before we were scheduled to deploy one of the soldiers in the picture got drunk one night and did not make it to the bathroom; instead he used the bathroom on the other soldier in the picture’s body armor.  Knowing that if he admitted to doing this he would not deploy, the soldier that used the improper bathroom told his higher command that he, “wasn’t sure” if he did it or not.  In another situation I would not condone “pleading the 5th” (not a right afforded to military personnel) to higher command, but in this situation I believe it was warranted.  The point is, he probably didn’t “wasn’t sure” because he probably was not coherent when he committed this act.  He never flat out said he didn’t do it; that is lying and inexcusable.  The other soldier saw him commit this act on his body armor, but told higher command that he didn’t want to tell them who did it.  He didn’t lie and say he didn’t know who did it, just the truth, he didn’t want to rat out his buddy and had forgiven him.  Both soldiers served with me in my platoon and were great assets to the unit, protecting my life on more than one occasion.  These are great Americans and I thank them for serving with me.  That’s why I enjoyed a celebratory beer with them when we got home!  Rule of thumb, if you ever see a active duty military person who has deployed out where you are, buy them a beer, or an appetizer at the very least.

But this isn’t about the Army, it’s about running, running with Integrity.  The most important part of Integrity to me is to do what you say you are going to do.  I once gave a friend 100 dollars because I said if he made a shot in “beer pong” (essentially throwing ping-pong balls across the table into the opponents’ cups filled with beer) that I would give him 100 dollars and I was serious.  He miraculously made it, I miraculously had 100 dollars in my pocket (I think someone had paid me back for some tickets or something) so I gave it to him.  In my friends defense he did not want to accept the money and even gave me about 5-10 shots to win it back but at that point my depth perception wasn’t perfect.  Depth perception is so overrated.

At any rate, this isn’t about beer drinking stories or depth perception, it’s about running what you say you are going to run.  Before you set out on your run you should always decide on the route and/or distance you want to achieve.  Once on the run you need to stick with that.  No matter how bad you think you feel.  The only exception is if you suffer a major injury, like being hit by a car, otherwise you need to finish the run.  Some days you will feel worse during the run than you thought you would when you started, but that is not an excuse.  Do what you told yourself you were going to do.  You may need to slow it down a bit, maybe stop for some water, but you must finish.  The first time you let yourself “cheat” you will do it again.  It’s a slippery slope.  Hold yourself to a higher standard.  Don’t put it in the hands of the Running Gods, put it in your hands.  You’re like a bear with these huge claws so use them!  Bears don’t run away from anything and neither should you!

Do whatever you say you are going to do.  You’ll feel better about your runs and your life.  Life feels so good.

Running a 10K for Beginners

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

So I’ve developed some great training plans but someone I recently met, who is a walker but wants to get into running, said starting off with 2.5 miles for a 10K training plan was too much.  I mean, come on, that’s actually the second day of the training, the first day of the training plan is stretching!  After that you should be ready to run 2.5 miles right?!  Well, I have so much “swag” that I can admit when I make a mistake.  You should try it sometime Mr. Kayne “Swag” West.  Here at SeriousRunning.com we are for the people.  In order to make sure I needed to make a change, I got a larger sample size on Twitter to this question, ‘is 2.5 miles too much to start off for a beginning runner?’  All the tweets pretty much agreed it was too much.  Twit Nation has spoken.  I’ve brought down the “Beginner” 10K plan for the masses, so check it out.  However, before you take on the running challenge, listed below are some things you need to do before starting a training plan.  Like an old man, ease yourself into the warm bath of running.

slow-runners

Running Shoes: The right pair of running shoes is imperative for a new runner.  Your body is not used to the impact it gets from running; with the wrong pair of running shoes this impact could lead to an injury.  Go to a specialty running shoe store in your area and get “fitted” for the right pair of running shoes.  Make sure to go to a running shoe store where the employees watch you run in the shoes.  Everybody’s body mechanics are different and you need the perfect running shoes for you.

Walk: You need to walk before you can run, even toddlers know that.  Before starting a running training plan do some walking.  It will improve your cardiovascular system while also shedding excess pounds you have from not being active for so long.  Those excess pounds will make you more likely to get injured because of the extra weight “pounding” on your joints.

First 5 days: When you decide to start running you need to do it consistently in order to maintain the habit.  Make sure you do the first 5 days consecutively, no matter what other life conditions may occur.  Studies have shown that people who first start running and do it for 5 days in a row are much more likely to stick with it.

Eat Right: Beginning runners don’t necessarily need the same foods and nutrients that long distance, competitive runners do, but you do need to make sure you don’t eat junk.  I would consider junk to be anything fried, full of sugar, or fat.  A burger, fries, and a coke for lunch isn’t going to motivate you to go running that evening.  Make sure you eat things that will not stay with you for 24 hours and make you feel “sick” during your next run.

Stretch: Do many different stretches.  Here are some basic stretches to get you started.  Since your body is not used to the strenuous activity of running, it is important that you “wake it up” and get it ready for running.  Stretching directly after the run or anytime of the day will also help keep you loose.

If you do these five things you will like running, stick with it, and become a serious runner in no time.  Isn’t that what everyone wants to achieve anyway?  To be more like me.

Running and Training Tips from a BADD Runner (1 of 2)

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

BADD, as in good.  I know, the kids these days never say what they really mean. This BaddRunner, Bryan Baddorf, is no kid though.  He turned in a 2:39:48 at Boston a couple of weeks ago!  I know, that’s pretty serious.  It’s cool to be a serious runner, that’s why you are here, but have you thought about also being a BaddRunner?  A BaddRunner describes running as not just a hobby, not just a job, but an ethos, lifestyle, and addiction.  And you thought you were the only one with this addiction.  See, I told you, you’re not alone.  I recently caught up with this BaddRunner, Bryan, and here’s what he told me about being Badd (my previous knowledge of being Badd was only from Micheal Jackson):

badd-runners

What are some of your PRs? My fastest marathon was ironically my first one.  My freshman year of college I earned the nickname “The Debut Kid” because I always managed to run a good time at my first try at a certain distance.  My PR for that first marathon was 2 hours 34 minutes and 58 seconds.  I’ve completed 2 more marathons since then at 2 hours 48 minutes and then Boston at 2 hours 39 minutes and 48 seconds.  Other PRs include 5K: 14:44 (College), 15:25 post collegiate. 4 Mile: 19:58, 10K 31:09 (college,) Half Marathon 1 hour 12 minutes.

Whoa, those times are pretty Badd.  So, what does it mean to be a BADD runner?  Any particular reason for the two Ds? The main reason for the 2 Ds is because of our last name being “Baddorf.”  But the idea of being a BaddRunner is more or less someone who really lives the lifestyle of a runner.  Not necessarily a “weekend warrior” but an every day warrior.  Someone that’s willing to sacrifice the extra sleep for the extra mileage on the roads or trails.  Anyone that has to take their running into consideration when making huge life choices is probably a  BaddRunner.

I know what you mean, I almost married a mermaid once but decided that running was too important to me.  I didn’t want to become a swimmer.  So I’ve heard you say, “You have to train mean before you race mean,” what exactly do you mean (pun intended)?

I definitely don’t push every day hard.  Some people claim that they are hardcore when they do that, but really they are is stupid.  I love pushing myself hard and running fast.  It really is fun, but when you reach a certain pace level it can also be dangerous.  Not to toot my own horn, but if I run at a hard tempo pace for 5 miles or so, I can hold about 5:30 pace without dropping off that effort.  This scenario is fine to do once or twice a week but definitely not every session.  That’s how stress fractures and burnout happens.  I have several friends that do that.  But I do love to train mean.  I always feel good after pounding out a hard training run.

My typical marathon training has 3 hard sessions during a week.  Monday is relatively easy, hitting at least 10 miles in the am at about 7 minute pace (most of our runs we try to hold 7 minute pace for “easy” days.)  Tuesday we would do some repeats.  We try to vary the distance to keep it fresh.  Sometimes 8 x 800s, sometimes mile repeats.  But usually our  mileage for the day would be about 10 miles.  Wednesdays we would do an easy hour or so in the morning and lift afterward (when we lift we mostly do upper body with not real heavy weight, but high reps…we are distance guys not body builders…we don’t mind being laughed at for being skinny.)  Thursdays we would do a tempo run of 5-6 miles hard.  After warm up and cool down it would be about 8 miles for that day.  Friday would be another 10 miles easy in the am.  Then Saturday would be considered our 3rd hard day with our distance being most of the hard part.  Our longest run during training for Boston topped out at 23 miles.  Usually at some point we would work down to 6 flat pace for 4-6 miles…usually towards the end of the run.  Our goal pace for the marathon was 6 flat, so we would try to emulate that as much as possible.  Sunday was an optional run.  I had some minor injuries so I usually rested that day.

Good idea.  Even God took Sunday off to rest.  So you said you like to take 4 weeks off of running a year so you don’t burn out, which makes sense, but do you completely stop running or do you fill that void with another physical activity? Do you change your eating habits?

One strategy that I like for off time I heard from Bob Kennedy.  He said his high school coach told him to take time off between seasons.  He said to wait until you felt like running again.  Supposedly that is why Kennedy retired…he had taken a break and didn’t feel like starting back and so thought it was a good indication to stop.  Anyway I try to do about a 2 week break.  Depending on how I feel I might do some light cross training, but it is always fun stuff.  I’ll play a little ultimate frisbee or frisbee golf.  We also play on an ice hochey team in a Men’s League here in Memphis and sometimes that falls in our off time.   I try to really cut loose during my off time and that sometimes includes my eating habits.  Nothing too extreme, but more fast food than usual and that kind of stuff.

Nothing too extreme?!  Frisbee golf is pretty extreme to me man!  You said you do two training cycles a year, does that mean you race/train specifically for two big races a year?  Do you often train for different distances?

It really depends on my mental status.  Normally I will focus one one race or distance and train mostly for that.  I’ll pick a race and work backwards on an outline for a training schedule.  Right now after training for six months for Boston, I’m not setting any goals.  I’ll just train until I feel like I’m in shape and then race.  I’ll probably do 5ks for a while until my leg speed weakens a little, then hop back to the longer stuff.

More to come about competitive running, running shoes, and the running life from Bryan Baddoff.  But if you want to know more about being a BaddRunner then check out the BaddRunner blog.

Why be a Serious Runner?

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

taking-running-seriously-resize

Because you want to look like this guy.  There are many other reasons why people want to take running more seriously.  It may be that you want to lose weight.  Running is a great way to burn calories.  Or possibly you want to live an overall healthier lifestyle.  A friend of mine told me today how he likes running long runs on early Saturday mornings because it gives him more incentive to not partake in unhealthy activities on Friday nights; plus it starts his Saturday off right and gives him the rest of the day to get other things accomplished.  Making running a part of your daily routine gives you time to think about what you still need to accomplish, while also giving you some structure to your day.  Many other people point to an increase in energy as a reason to run.  Whatever your reason is, you are serious about your running.  And that’s what I dig about you the most.

So whether you are a basic, advanced, local champion, or semi-elite runner, we are here to provide the best information for all things running.  No matter where you are in your training, or what goals you have to accomplish, SeriousRunning.com is here to help you become a serious runner.  As for me, Chris Barber, I’m also here to help you become as awesome as you can be.  You’re welcome.  According to the book “The Competitive Runner’s handbook” which was given to me by my sister-in-law, my race times fall into the local champion category.  It makes sense.  I can finish in the top 3 overall in local races and finish in the top 1% of runners in the larger races.  I think being a local champion is pretty cool.  I’ve always wanted to be the Mayor of a small town rather than a State Governor anyways.  Vote Barber (peace signs).

However, I wasn’t always a local champion.  I ran pretty well on my High School cross-country and track teams.  I was good enough to run for a cross-country team at a small college but opted for attending a large University instead.  After college I went in the Army, gained 30 pounds for Ranger School and kept the weight.  I continued to run but also ate whatever I wanted and didn’t focus too much on my running.  It was part of my job, why go to work when you don’t have to?  Now I am running for me and running the best times I ever run in my life.  Running because I love it; because I want to look hot;  because it makes me think clearly;  because it gets me outside for long periods of time; because of the sense of accomplishment I get;  because it allows me to be competitive; because I’m the HeadRunner at SeriousRunning.com.  Wait, running is work again!  That’s right; and I’m working hard.  All-the-time.

My point is, I’m not a serious runner or a local champion because of characteristics that are inherent to me, it’s because I work at it.  I know I’ll never be an semi-elite runner and honestly, you probably won’t either.  Sorry, but I hate break it to you, not every child can grow up to be President.  However, I am the President of the Chris Barber fan club.  Go ahead and become the president of your own fan club by taking running more seriously.  Make becoming a serious runner a goal.  You can attain it and I’m here to help.  But at SeriousRunning.com it’s not just me providing you the help.  There are many other basic, advanced, local champions, and semi-elite competitive runners here who provide feedback as well as reviews and recommendations.  Use our resources like runinng shoe reviews, running questions, training plans and mapping tool to help you along the way.  Find races and cool trails to run to keep you motivated.

We’re here to help you become a serious runner.  Let us know what we can do to help.

People ask me all the time, “Dude, are you serious?!”  And I tell them, “You know it!”

10 Percent Rule for Running Training

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

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I have a friend who has been inspired by this blog and seriousrunning.com to get back into running.  That’s the kind of stuff that makes this all worth while.  He ran for his college cross-country team, but for a small school and has not run in the 5 years since.  He decided he wanted to gradually get running back in his life.  It’s not as easy as he thought it would be because running is a little upset that he left her so abruptly 5 years ago.  In order for them to get back together she is making him follow a new rule:  the 10% rule.  She wants to take things slow before he breaks her heart again.  Running can be so sensitive sometimes.

The rule is that you increase your distance, intensity, or duration of exercise each week by 10%, never exceeding that limit.  For instance, if you run 20 miles this week, then you will increase your mileage by 10% next week and run 22 miles.  Another easy way to figure out your mileage next week is to simply multiply 1.1 times your previous week’s mileage.  Limiting yourself to this gradual increase allows your body to adapt to the stress.  It also forces you to remain consistent, without running too much or too little from week to week.  Plus you get to see the quantifiable changes in your running.  Now you’re on your way to being a Serious Runner…dot com!

There are some things that the 10% rule does not account for.  For instance, if you are starting to run for the first time in a long time and are at zero distance then 10% of zero is well, zero.  That’s not a training plan that is going to help you improve.  Also, distance and duration are easily quantifiable but intensity is not.  The 10% rule does not account for the differences in stress to your body between running 5 miles in 30 minutes versus 5 miles in 40 minutes.  Another issue is that a 10% increase is a round, arbitrary number.  Some runners may do well with an increase of 12% while others would benefit more from a 7% increase.  The “one-size-fits-all” assumption of the 10% rule leaves runners without the best training possible for their bodies.

Dr. Buist from the Netherlands conducted a study in which he took 486 runners, training over 13 weeks, one group of which was on a training plan built around the 10% rule during a 12 week program and another group that did not follow the rule and accomplished the same goal in an 8-week program.  Dr. Buist found that the risk of sustaining injury is the same because 20.8% of the group following the 10% rule got injuries while 20.3% of the group doing the more intense training got injuries.  Dr. Buist stated, “…when preparing for a 4-mile run, it does not matter how you get there (either fast or slow) — the risk of sustaining a running-related injury is the same.”

So what should you do?  Well, first of all, although they have a purpose, stop worrying about the rules.  If you need a rule like the 10% rule to keep your focus and motivation to increase your running, then this is a great rule for you, just know that it is not perfect.  The best way to train is to listen to your body when exercising and running.  Consider a training plan that is more like a road map to your final goal destination with different options of routes to take.  If you run into traffic on the highway consider taking side streets.  If you have less time to get to your destination, speed it up; however, the faster you go, the more attention you need to pay to your “vehicle.”

Overall, no two bodies and running styles are the same.  If you are new to running, try the 10% rule and adjust as needed, closely monitoring how your body feels.  You’re your own running boss, boss.