No Rules, just run!!

If there's a ten commandments of running, I've never seen it and you can bet that Madison Marathon Runner 573 (Michael Johnson) hasn't either. Who says you can't smile and be happy to see your niece (blondish blob on the bottom right corner of the picture) at mile 22? There are no rules to running whether you're just getting off the couch for the first time in a long time or you're at mile 22 of your first ever marathon (or any race over 5 miles in Michael's case).

There are three personalities that make great runners: stupid people because they don't know any better, smart people because they can look at the big picture and learn, and the third are people who don't care, people who don't limit what they can do by putting themselves on a bell shaped curve. Make your own rules, don't allow other people's rules of running slow you down or hold you back. Seek advice and be smart about what you do. If you want proof that rules don't apply, go volunteer a water station at a marathon. I had the pleasure of working the mile 25 water hole at the Madison Marathon yesterday. That's where you see the rule breakers: sure the leaders fly by running their sub three hour pace but then you start to see the running magic. . . women and men, short and fat, tall and skinny, Asics and barefoot, basketball shorts and an Amare Stoudemire jersey, men in all pink top and bottom with the matching compression socks. You try telling one of them some rules of thumb of running at that point and see what happens.

In the last 3 weeks I've found my rule of running, how contradicting is that since I just bashed all rules. Here goes: if you can't smile you're running to fast. If you're not able to smile, you're not enjoying what is truly happening and what you're accomplishing; you're running past the happiness and joy of what you're doing and if you can't smile it becomes work. Running was work for me, training was work for me. It was too much about how fast and how far and at what heart rate did it all happen. I forgot to smile. I've got my running grin back and feel better than ever. I may not PR next Sunday in Minneapolis or in Estes Park the following Sunday, but that doesn't matter, what matters is running.

No pain no gain

If you start to run more frequently or begin training for longer running events you're probably going to have to deal with some pain and discomfort. There's lots of information on injury prevention and how to treat some common running injuries but it pays to apply some common sense when issues arise. Most often a small issue can lead to something worse. Maybe your shoes don't fit properly or are the wrong type of shoe which can cause you to run in an odd manor, which can cause added stress in your ankles or knees which can lead to. . . . if something doesn't feel right there's probably a reason and you should work quickly to find that reason. Usually immediate pain and discomfort comes from the equipment on your feet. If you have some other discomfort like ankle pain, knee pain and hip discomfort right from the get go, it may be old injuries or commonly your body fighting the new activity. Those pains are worth noting and keeping an eye on but are often associated with your body adjusting to the motions of running from not running (when's the last time your ran?). If pain persists or gets worse, don't screw around, go get it checked out.

If you've decided to undertake some longer races and begin running distances you never thought possible, injury becomes more and more likely. There will be times when you have to decide on continuing to crank out miles while hoping an injury goes away or resting properly. I error on the side of rest, but rest doesn't mean not doing anything. I use those times to get on the bike or swim. Most marathon training plans have cross training days built in, if something starts happening with your calf and you need to take it easy for a week, don't be frustrated, try out the bike and see if that doesn't add to the pain. If the bike isn't fine, hit the pool. I find swimming to be some of the hardest exercises and there's virtually no impact. Even if you're nursing a leg injury that hurts if you kick will swimming you can grab a pull buoy and just use your arms.

Here's what I've found as my biggest reasons for getting injured:
1. Too many miles too soon. Don't condense a 12 week half marathon training plan in to 4 if you're not regularly running already.
2. Too many miles on un-even surfaces. It seems minor but the added stress on the side of the body that's created by the lower running surface ends up being major.
3. Running too fast DOWN hills. Hills are great for training but most of the gains are had while going up them. When running down hills all the proper running mechanics you should be incorporating go out the window because of the decline. I'm not referring to minor grades or declines but bigger hills. The added impact from the gravity pulling you down the hill can quickly lead to joint pain up and down your legs.
4. Over-training. A great goal for any race is to finish, but once you've done that it's not hard to start focusing on time and making improvements. I wanted to qualify for Boston at the Minneapolis Marathon. I know I'm not going to do that. It was my plan to run 50 miles consistently. I did it quite a few times but it was difficult in the weeks following those 50 mile weeks to have the energy and strength to continue that amount of miles. Had I done a better job preparing for training in the late fall and early winter it may have been a different story. I also most recently have had some calf strain going on. Training for distance races takes time and because you're out there running a lot, things can happen. Be smart about pains and injuries, use your common sense when evaluating the injury and finding the proper way to treat it. Use the internet to get opinions but don't be afraid to set up an appointment with a sports clinic.

Stay running, stay injury free by not being a dumb-ass.

There's so much more. . .

Finisher medals, technical tee-shirts, water bottles, other running schwag. Those are the physical objects you get to take home after a race. If that's why you race, stop now and save yourself the money. Think of the hardest physical activity you've ever done. . . then compare it to this: Badwater. This is the baddest ultra-marathon on the planet. If we don't consider the time training here is a little bit of what it takes: A crew of atleast 4 people, their transportation to Death Valley, their hotel stays, minimum of two vehicles (one van of sorts to carry everything to support the runner), all supplies that will be needed throughout a 135 miles race for the runner and team. This is the tip of the iceberg. For a more official breakdown click here. What do you think is waiting at the finish line? Answer: your crew, the race coordinator and a few local inhabitants. What do you think you get for finishing such a grueling race? A hand shake, a finisher medal and a belt buckle.

I got the pleasure of hearing Darren Fortney talk about his "Zero to 135 in 5 years". Darren finished Badwater in 2009 and is doing it again this July. He is raising money for Gilda's Club because of their impact on his life while battling cancer. Darren touched on his training, what got him in to ultra-marathoning and his opinion on cancer - "When people ask me what kind of cancer I had, I say, the bad kind. There is no good or bad cancer, it doesn't matter what color bracelet (referring to his yellow Livestrong) you wear." He had great insight and inspiration for anyone looking to accomplish anything. Here were some of my favorite take-aways:

-There is no rule for choosing what distance races you do when. You don't have to start with a 5k the move to a 10k and then a half marathon. Do what you want.

-Use 'and' instead of 'or'; don't decide 'well should I do the Madison half marathon OR the Milwaukee Lake Front?' No rules apply.

-Learn to use the word 'Yes'. Yes you can do it, yes you can accomplish it.

-Be accountable and honest with yourself (there is nobody else watching you!)

It was a great little event and I thank Fleet Feet and Darren for the chance to hear him speak.

There was also a guest in the audience who will be defending his title at McNaughton in Vermont. Ryan Dexter aka the Punisher, will be putting his 200 mile title on the line in a few days. And yes that's a 200 mile.

It's not about medals and shirts. It's about the personal accomplishment.

Cast Away moments

Most of my running routes are the same routes I drive on a daily basis. Often times when I'm driving I can't help but think about Tom Hanks character in Cast Away in the above scene. In the scene he's in his hotel awaiting Fed Ex's big press conference welcoming him back. He's holding a lighter and clicks it on and off and on and off as he thinks about the amount of work it took him to accomplish the same result on the island as his simple click in the hotel.

It's a great feeling of accomplishment driving here to there knowing that I've run that same route. It makes me wish that I didn't need a car and could simply run wherever I needed to go, but kids and life don't make that quite possible, but I'd like to start incorporating less car and more running in to my daily routines that aren't a part of my normal training. Coming soon is take your bike to work week and I encourage all of you that are able to participate. I'm thinking about knocking the dust off the kids trailer and pulling them to daycare before heading on to work. Yes there's extra time that needs to be built in, but it's good for me, a good example for the kids and it beats $4 a gallon gas.

As race season is pretty much here and people are coming in to their final weeks of training, I want to point out a great source of inspiration; for those of you on Facebook join the group 'Couch to 5k'. It's a free running program that sets a schedule to get people off the couch and running a 5k race. The Facebook group is a sounding board for those in the program who are seeking and giving encouragement to each other. I find myself spending more and more time in that group reading about people's personal achievements and growth as they become more and more active. I am also providing as many tips and tricks to people who are seeking some simple guidance. I challenge those of you that are experienced runners to join the group, and find some people that you can help, whether it's simple encouragement or some insightful advice about anything running. The people I've responded to have been very happy for the tips I've passed along. I'm not identifying myself as a marathon runner or triathlete or anything like that, just trying to be a voice of help and reason to help them along. Check it out it's great.

Run-enomics

Government spending, deficit, home values, jobs; what do they all have in common? Besides the fact they suck right now and impact all of us one way or another; I believe they have all helped lead the way to a running society.

If money's tight, gym memberships at $35 a month are less affordable. Yoga and zumba classes at $100 become too much on the budget. People have had to reduce or eliminate discretionary spending due to lost or frozen wages or to supplement a $55 full tank of gas, but still there is a need and want to stay fit. Running has a low cost of entry. Most people have a pair of shoes laying around that they either used to wear to the gym or have run in before. I know when I started running I grabbed some shoes out of my closet that resembled running shoes and off I went. I ran for months that way. I got hooked running that way.

This correlation between crap economy and people running is supported here . The link is to Running USA's 2010 Marathon and Half-Marathon statistics. Since 2007 an additional 50,000 people have completed marathons. 2009 had the biggest jump in marathon completion increase at almost 10% from 2008. The only thing that's better is the increase in half-marathon finishers: in 2007 just under 800,000 people crossed the finish line of a half-marathon, 2009 - 1.1 million. Each year since 2002 there have been an additional 20 inaugural half-marathons. The participation in half-marathons has outpaced the growth of 5k races. That's great news. Of course races have a cost of entry, but if money's tight and we make the commitment to spend $50 on a race entry fee, it makes the training and running of the race that much more important.

With economics there's ebs, flows, and bubbles. Running may be reaching bubble status, but if you talk to runners and are a runner, the economy doesn't matter; running matters. The economy may have indirectly got you in to running but as we run more and more we find more and more reasons to keep running, usually to keep our mind off the crap news that surrounds us.

Daddy Hugs Hustle

A few weeks ago we took the kids to the book store to pick out a couple new books. I helped Emmie find her's and the first one she picked. . . Daddy Hugs. It's become her favorite night time story which she will ask for by name and I can't really say I'm upset by that. Today we were blessed with warm weather and I had the opportunity to knock the dust off the running stroller. I figured Emmie would enjoy the time outside and maybe even take a nap. I was right on both accounts and Emmie and I were able to do our Daddy Hugs Hustle. It ended up being a longer run than I had planned on, so I wasn't really prepared from a fluid standpoint with the hot weather, but I didn't care.

Training plans are organized and scientific to maximize your body's potential in a given time frame for a specific goal. It's easy to get locked in and too focused on what the goal really is. . . to run and finish. We're talking about running a race not rocket surgery. Sometimes it's good to just run and not worry about heart rate, pace, distance, calorie intake, fluids, salt pills and the other things you can start relying on when training longer distances. Don't forget to run just to run. Grab a kid, grab a friend or family member and just get out and run because you want to not because your training plan says it.

Humble pie

The coach of one of the most successful NFL teams in the last decade, Bill Belichick is known for dealing 'humble pie' after every game. Even during New England's undefeated season all his players would note how there was always room for improvement.

Running's version of humble pie is a race. If you want to know where you stand in your training, sign up and give it what you have. I'm over simplifying but shorter races are great measuring sticks for your progress. If your a male and your goal is to qualify for Boston, you have to run a 3:10 marathon. If you sign up for a 10 miler during your training and you struggle to finish at 8 minute miles, there's some work that needs to be done between now and the race. Racing is like all natural butter; there is no substitute for the real thing. Most training plans/schedules include and show when build up races should be run; these are important to include in the training. I would encourage to try and have these be real races, and not just you running that distance as if it were a race. Obviously timing plays a role in that, there may not be a race of the specific distance you need when you need it, but don't be afraid to vary the weekend training schedule to squeeze the real race setting in.

I haven't been taking my training serious enough and it wasn't until yesterday I realized how far behind I am. I set aggressive goals for myself and I think my first goal needs to be adjusted because I didn't put the work in up front. Now I'm left with 8 weeks and couldn't feel farther from a 3:10 marathon. I knew up front that it was a big under taking, but currently I'm not on pace because of lack of effort and lots of excuses. Last year while training for my first marathon I didn't care; I didn't know what I didn't know so there was nothing to slow me down. Now that I've gone the distance and been there and am confident I can do it again I've been less motivated to go out and reach new highs in miles run. I'm adjusting my goal not to accommodate a lazy schedule, but to remain realistic. Here's a strategy for building a training schedule and race plan:

1. Pick your race and distance
2. Set your goal finish time (if this is your first race at that distance, finishing is the goal)
3. Find a training schedule that you feel will help you achieve your goal finish time at the race
4. Take the shorter races that fall in the schedule seriously and learn from them
5. Adjust 1. or 2. based on what you learn from 4.
6. Always be realistic, finishing distance races is a huge accomplishment in and of itself, having an unattainable goal will only take away from the success of finishing.
7. Find a way to make it fun. Training isn't fun, running long distances is not fun; the fun and reward is finishing, it's making it farther than you thought you could go, so you have to find a way to make that hard work fun. I blog, what do you do?