Runners tend to be creatures of habit, particularly with running shoes. We find a pair and develop a minor (or major) obsession with them. We stockpile them, replace them blindly, and only wear them. However, you do not benefit from lifelong loyalty to a shoe. Instead, you want to find a new model of running shoes whenever your needs change, a shoe evolves beyond your needs, or to simply have another shoe in your rotation. Why Try a New Model of Running Shoes? Over time, your feet ...
Weekly Workouts: Keep Building
Last week's workouts continued to build up fitness. I ran 45 miles and hit my longest run in three years! In exciting news, I have a half marathon on the calendar! Our local race company has been hosting socially-distanced races since May and announced a fall marathon/half marathon in November. The race is open for local runners and features special protocols, including staggered starts, registration limits, no-contact bib pick-up, and other social distance rules. Absolutely no ...
Faster Workouts are Not Better Workouts
A common fallacy in running is that more is always better. Runners tend to think that more miles are better, even when too much mileage can lead to injury. They perceive faster splits as automatically better. However, faster workouts are not better workouts. Running too fast on your quality sessions can lead to injury, stagnation, and mental burn-out. Workouts are not time trials. Yes, it can be a huge confidence boost to see a fast split on the track or in a tempo run. There is an ...
Weekly Workouts: Chasing Strava Crowns
I’m a bit obsessed with Strava. On Strava, runners can virtually compete against each other on segments. The fastest man and woman each can claim a crown. On an unstructured faster run a couple months ago, I nabbed second on local segment that was 0.97 miles in length. The crown time was just fast enough where I might have to work for it. Since this was a cutback week, I decided to chase the crown this week. Monday: 2 mile walk Per our usual Monday summer routine, Ryan, my mom, the ...
How to Feel Good on Your Long Runs
Long runs matter in training. They boost your confidence and benefit your training if you feel good on your long runs - or can lead you questioning your fitness if they do not. (Remember, your fitness is not just one run - it is the summation of many.) Long runs mean any extended time on your feet, for a longer duration than your other runs of the week. They build endurance and increase your resistance to fatigue. Even if you are not training for a long-distance race, a long run is a ...
Weekly Workouts: Happy Running
One of my favorite books about running is the Happy Runner. Megan and David Roche know their sh*t and can talk circles around the average coach when it comes to physiology and history of training theory. However, what really makes their book stand out is the primary thesis they present: your running goals really don’t matter to anyone but you, so you might as well run what makes you happy. The grit and grind of racing makes me happy. Of course I’m bummed that my fall marathon won’t happen ...