Sore Feet, Soul Intact

Here's the general formula: run 32 km. Instantly feel better about yourself and life in general.

Of course, this doesn't happen every time (see Long Distance Do-Over: Update or The Yin and Yang Of Running). And more often than not, it happens when I least expect it. Here's the shakedown on what happened this weekend...

With gal pal The BB Creative in town, who I haven't seen in a very long time, we set out on the town on Friday night ready to par-tay. Which we did. And which I paid for on Saturday, which ended up being a total bust of a day. Clearly, I'm getting too old to keep up with the young'uns.

So, surprise surprise, after I slept in today, after spending all day yesterday in Hangover City trying to rehydrate and basically just keep food down, and after having neither picked a route for my long run, nor organized all my supplies the night before (as is my regular routine), I woke up less than enthused about having to run for many hours. 

© BMO Vancouver Marathon

But perhaps I was destined to have read this great article by Jeff Gaudette yesterday, in which he writes about the importance of learning how to pace properly and running by feel. Because when I set out late in the morning having no mental preparation for today's run, those tips kept going through my mind. So I told myself, "Okay. Just relax. It doesn't matter how long this run takes, so long as you don't kill yourself trying to finish." And then things turned out spectacularly! I love it when a non-plan comes together.

Today's run: 32 km. Weather: cloudy and cool, with some light, and wonderfully refreshing, intermittent showers. Feeling: sore legs and feet, but pretty darn happy.

It Ain't Natural: Tips for Long Distance Running

A typical view of the weather
over the last few weeks.

Today: cloud.
What the...?

Saturday is typically the day before my long run and so I've always felt a little conflicted about what run to do on Saturdays, given this fact. I'm certainly not going to do a speed workout. I also don't want to run anything longer than 10 km, since I'll be out forever the next day anyway.

Today, I decided on an unmonitored 6 km. (My definition of unmonitored: without any form of heart rate, pace, or distance measurement device i.e. sans Garmin and heart rate monitor). So I'm out there today, fully meaning to take it easy, and I realize that I'm running pretty fast - or, at least I think I'm running pretty fast. I mean, there's no way to verify this since I'm unmonitored. But it feels fast, anyway.

This got me thinking about a conversation I had recently with a friend of mine. He's one of those guys who is a natural athlete. Like, he may have never really done a sport before but as soon as he gets into it, he just naturally kicks ass at it right away. Basically, one of those really annoying types. 

... so he's just recently taken up running, and is (of course) excelling at it already. But we get to talking about how he finds it challenging to run any slower - or rather, that it's hard to slow from his natural pace. 

Out there today, unmonitored, I was definitely running my natural pace; this is the pace where my running feels really good. But this pace, for me, is also unsustainable. I discovered this back in 2009 when I was training for my first marathon and, as I mentioned in my interview with Running Toward the Prize: "When ramping up my base mileage, I found I was completely exhausted after running distances that I had never before accomplished in training... I'd be tired for days."

This next statement, perhaps, is more a reminder for me than it is for you guys, particularly as I've been known to harp on about not being a speedy runner: I am definitely not slow. I can run a decent pace, and I think I proved that (mostly to myself) at the BMO Vancouver Half last year. However, by pushing my pace in that race I also ended up hurt and unable to run the full I'd planned on running that fall.

Talking recently about natural pace and then having that epiphany on today's run really made me think about how I needed to alter my running when I started to burn out during training for that first marathon. At the time, one of the Team Diabetes trainers provided some really great advice which was vital in salvaging my training plan; without it, I'm not sure I would have successfully finished that race. I wanted to share some of those tips with you here, in case you find yourself struggling to complete longer distances and you're not sure why. Here is what she told me:

• If you want to do heart-rate training first figure out your maximum heart rate. This is equal to 220 minus your age. During your runs, train within 60-80% of your maximum heart rate; long runs should be in the lower end of that range. As your fitness level increases, it will take more exertion on your part to get your heart rate in the zone. Note: fat is burned as energy after about 30 minutes of running and maximum fat burning happens between 55-60 % of maximum heart rate. Work outs above training heart rates burn more glycogen for energy and cause more lactic acid build up and muscle cramping and result in slower recovery.
• It is always best to focus on completing a distance the first time you attempt it. Work with your current fitness level and build from there. By pushing yourself beyond what your body can recover from week to week, you are setting yourself up for injury and disappointment. It takes many years to build a strong base for long distances and to be the person that will be running marathons in their 80s! You should be able to talk comfortably during your long runs. If you are running alone, try singing occasionally to check in with yourself.
• Specifically regarding marathon training for those new to long distance running: Your long run pace should be between 8:30 to 9:30 minutes per kilometre if you are following the "to complete" program. If you are going faster you are stressing your body to the point that it cannot recover by the next quality workout.   
• Walk breaks work! Remember to take walk breaks from the beginning (she's referring here to John Stanton's walk-run method). Do not wait until you think you need them.  If you get close to the end of your workout and want to skip the last walk break, go ahead, but be sure to take them early, even if you are feeling you don't need them. They are built in as mini recovery periods to speed the overall recovery of the stress that endurance running puts on the body.

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Sidebar: my natural-athlete-newbie-running-friend, after apparently making some snide remark about what a slow runner I am, apologized about it a few days later. I didn't actually notice he'd been a smart ass, but was still grateful that he took the effort to make reparations. Kudos to you for not being a douchebag runner!

Pumped Up

I was e-mailing with a good friend earlier today about being back on the run and back on the blog. She is highly supportive of my endeavour and just had to ask: "Where do you get your energy from?"

Truth is ... I fake it 'til I make it.

That's right. I find running - and working out, in general - to be largely an exercise in tricking myself to actually do it. If I think about it too much, I just won't go. So I get dressed, put the shoes on, find my hat and get outside before I can even start to process what exactly is happening. (Ha ha. Stupid brain!)

The reward? A day like today. 

I was exhausted when I got home from work. Getting back to work after a long break sure is tough! I'm still coping with being back on a schedule and not having the convenience to pull a snack out of my fridge any ol' time I feel like it. But I had some dinner, watched some TV and then worked my way to the gym in our apartment building to run a Zone 3 workout on the treadmill.

After more than 45 minutes and nearly 7 km later, I had plenty of energy left to come back upstairs and dance in my kitchen. With all the windows open and neighbours looking on. And my husband laughing at me as if I were crazy.

Pumped Up Kicks.  Messed up lyrics but fun to dance to.