Run to Win

Well, I am almost halfway through the 1 More Mile for Sunshine challenge in terms of the number of days I’ll be running (13½ out of 31 days), but I am only about 20% of the way through the total number of miles that I’ll be running (107 out of 500+ miles).

For the first few days of the challenge, it was snowing constantly, so I’ve done almost all of my running in relatively slick conditions.

Being prepared for Winter running isn’t just what you are wearing, it’s also how you are running. I’ve broken through the ice a few times, which caused me to fall once so far, but otherwise I’ve kept my feet and have so far been injury free. I put some tips together about staying upright in snow or on ice while running over at the Challenge website if you want to take a look.

One of the suggestions that I have is to improve the traction on your shoes, either by buying something to strap around your feet or by just drilling some screws straight into the soles of them.

One thing that I’ve noticed is that with all of the extra trail running I’ve already done this year is that my screws are basically toast and already need to be replaced. I ran about 70 miles each in December and so far in January using one of my pairs of screw shoes (about 137 miles total) and so far I’ve lost 3 screws in one shoe, 2 screws in the other shoe, and have at least a few screws in each shoe that I’m not sure I’ll be able to get off they are so worn down.

And that leads into this week’s contest over at the challenge website…

IceSpike has been generous enough to sponsor the contest with two packages of their IceSpikes, which are like sheet metal screws on steroids. They have a self cleaning design and are supposed to last longer than your shoes (minimum 500 miles.) I’m looking forward to giving a set of them a try.

Until I get the chance, though, I’ll just settle for finding the time to replace the screws in my trail shoes…

If you want to give them a shot, then just click here to leave a comment on the contest page.

Just saw this video by fellow Dirigo runner Scott Douglas over at Running Times, where he details how and why to do a Diagonals Workout at least a few times per week:

Diagonals are a relatively low key type of exercise that are focused on leg turnover.

You just need to find a field, kick off your shoes, and do a combination of running and jogging for a set duration of time. Generally speaking, you will jog along one edge of the field, run diagonally across to the opposite corner, jog along another edge of the field, and then make another dash to the opposite corner once you’ve reached the end of that edge, as shown here:

Try working them into your regular routine and then come back and comment on your results!

(Video Source: Running Times)

When you are running at the edge of a road (or along a grassy hill or on a beach, for that matter) you may sometimes notice that the road isn’t exactly flat. The reason for that is because most roads have a camber to them that helps water drain off of them rather than pooling up in the center of the road.

The camber is any curve on a surface, and in this case refers to upward curve from the edge of a road towards the center.

The more severe the camber to the road, the easier it is to roll an ankle or to develop a muscle imbalance.

When a road is steeply cambered, you may find that one leg is at a slightly lower elevation than your other leg, which can throw your stride off.

The leg that is closer to the center of the road will feel like it is a “longer” leg than the other to your body, so your body will compensate through the way that it bends at the knee, how much your foot flattens on impact, and how much your leg rotates inward as you are running. This can lead to knee or hip soreness.

If you do find yourself running on steeply cambered terrain, try running on different terrain or different routes if you can. If you have to run on the same streets, try running them in the other direction (if local laws allow) or by running at the edge of the road on the shoulder rather than on the road itself. Icing and self massage will also help the soreness go away.

(Photo Source: Alistair Croll)

Most Saturday mornings, I am awake and ready to run the trails nice and early. This weekend, I was a bit tired but got up anyway so that I could hang out with a friend that was staying with us for a few nights.

By the time he left for a class he was taking, I felt wide awake and decided to ignore my desire to go back to bed and instead left the house to meet up with the Trail Monsters at Pineland Farms.

Unfortunately, about a mile and a half later, I’d discovered just what an engineering marvel modern cars are.

10 years ago, I’d have had an engine in my lap. Instead, my 17 month old car just dropped half the front end on the street and the rest of it crumpled up in front of the car. The windshield, tires and cab weren’t damaged at all, so I was able to steer the car off the road after the impact.

I did need the emergency brake to stop the car since the brake lines were gone, but I got out of the car without having been hurt. The airbag felt like a good punch in the face and is certainly something I hope to never have to repeat, though.

This just needs to be a reminder, if you are running or driving, to be sure that you pay attention to your surroundings. The intersection where the accident happened is a pretty common place for cars to hit one another according the officer and the guys from the fire department that responded to the accident.

In fact, damage to a nearby telephone pole was originally called in as part of my accident until the officer realized that there was no way that either car could have hit it.

This is just one more reminder about why it is important to be mindful of your surroundings when you are out running. Thankfully, there were no pedestrians near that intersection during the accident, but there easily could have been. I’ve run through there dozens of times over the past few years.

I’ve been hit by a car while running before, and it only takes a moment of distraction on either the runner or the driver’s part for their to be a problem.

As for this past weekend, nobody got hurt. Despite all the damage to the front end of the vehicle, I walked away uninjured. I am so impressed by the car that I am probably going to replace it with a newer model of the same car.

(More Photos: Flickr)

Last night I sat down and recorded a video explaining all of the questions you need to ask yourself before choosing your next (or first!) marathon. It wound up being a bit too long, though, so I’m going to separate it out into multiple videos that I’ll release throughout the week.

The first video in a series is now available, and here’s the link:
http://www.runtowin.com/coaching/choosing-a-marathon-1.html

The video details the first few questions you need to ask yourself before choosing a marathon.

Let me know what you think, and I’ll explain the other questions you need to ask yourself and discuss more details about the coaching program as I put each video out this week. Be sure to sign up for the early bird notification list if you want to know as soon as each video is available.

Here’s that link again:
http://www.runtowin.com/coaching/choosing-a-marathon-1.html

The following article was written by Mary Gorski to the UltraList. Somebody was asking what gains can be made from barefooting on the treadmill, and how this can be translated into better performance on the roads or trails. Here is Mary’s response (reprinted with permission):

I’m just commenting from personal experience — I have no expertise in physiology. I started shoeless (I keep my socks on) running on the treadmill two years ago. For years I have had off and on frustrations with my lower left leg — a snowball of issues related to repeated ankle sprains.

Two years ago on a snowy winter day I was doing a run on the treadmill at the Y. About a mile into it my achilles started to act up. I got irritated since I had been doing all the things that I thought that I was supposed to do keep that cranky lower leg happy, including the use of expensive prescription orthotics and proprioceptive exercises. I thought that I was prudent in my mileage.

When the achilles whined I thought of either moving to the eliptical or the bike. But then I remembered some casual discussions about barefoot running.

Advocates promoted it as a way to strengthen your lower legs and feet. Thinking I had nothing to lose and knowing that I could stop at any moment while on the treadmill, I took off my shoes and tentatively gave it a try. It seemed so counter-intuitive but surprisingly, my feet felt great. Everything felt fine. My achilles was fine.

That first day I only did a very slow mile. I then put my shoes back on and ran again. After a mile barefoot, the shoes felt like little stiff tanks on my feet.

I added a shoeless running session one to two days a week, doing it on the treadmill because it was cold outside. I built up my shoeless mileage very slowly.

I have no empirical evidence, but my feet and lower legs felt stronger after a few weeks. Wear patterns on my shoes now indicate that I have more of a forefoot touch than a total heel smash as I did before. I slowly stopped using my prescription orthotics and have not touched them in probably a year. I moved to less structured over the counter orthotics but now rarely use those.

My taste in shoes has changed. I used to look for a lot of structure and control, thinking it best for my pancake flat feet, and now I am most comfortable in lightweight, less structured shoes.

My ankle is still as loose as a wet noodle (after months of accident-free running I tripped on an easy ski trail last week and did a minor sprain) but I seem to twist it less often than before. I feel more confident in my foot plant with the less structured shoes and without orthotics. I generally don’t have the shin, calf and achilles hassles that I used to.

Coincidence? Perhaps. My lower leg concerns may have finally begun to heal on their own. But I attribute much of my success to the shoeless running. I think of it as a strength workout. I don’t do much shoeless running, but do it frequently enough to maintain the lower leg strength that I believe it developed.

So, that’s why I run shoeless on a treadmill.

– Mary Gorski

Have any barefoot treadmill running experiences of your own? Did you get the same results as Mary? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Runners are presented with a unique challenge during hunting season that they rarely have to worry about for the rest of the year. Usually, we do not really have to worry about getting shot while we are out getting our run in, but in many areas of the country that could be a real possibility right now or in the near future.

Here in Maine, Youth Deer Day is this Saturday, with the normal hunting season beginning on Halloween. For most of the month of November, running on the trails isn’t quite as safe as it normally is.

Here are a few things to bear in mind when you are hitting the roads or the trails that will help to keep you safe: (Click here to continue reading…)

I sometimes confuse people when they ask me how many times I run per week and I tell them that it’s usually somewhere between 8 and 10 times.

It’s hard to grasp for some folks that there are occasions when you might want to run 2 or even 3 times in the same day (not that I do that very often.)

Two weeks ago I answered Tom’s question about whether it is better to take an easy day or a rest day for improved recovery.

His original email actually included 2 questions, however, so here is the other half:

I do have one question regarding a marathon training plan. I’m targeting the Chicago Marathon this October with a goal to break 3:00. In looking at the various sources of training plans, I see quite a bit of variety in terms of the amount of speed work.

When building up mileage, is there as much benefit in two 4 miles runs (one in the AM and one in the PM) compared to one 8 mile run?

(Click here to continue reading…)