Running, Blood, & Chipotle

Let’s talk about… Running!!!

A momentary spike in outdoor temperature was exactly what I needed to add a little umph to my winter running. Here’s how the week has been lookin’:

Sunday 1/29: Treadmill, 3-mi run + 2-mi include walk with weights (Easy)

Monday 1/30: REST

Tuesday 1/31: 5-mi, Easy Treadmill (while listening to my Rosetta Stone Greek audio companion, haha)

Wednesday 2/1: 7-mi, @ 7:30’s – Felt amazing (60 degrees, baby) & lifting

Thursday 2/2: BIKRAM – love.

Friday 2/3: 5-mi, Treadmill Hill + Speed Interval workout (felt great)

Saturday 2/4 (Planned): 8-mi, Schuylkill River Trail & lifting

Total = 30 miles + Bikram

I’ve been getting some good sleep this week, so when my alarm went off at 5 AM on Wednesday morning, I was actually in the mood for a long run. (It happens, apparently)  It was still only in the low 50’s that early, but the fact I didn’t require, like, 4 layers of clothing was extra motivation. For even more motivation, I synced my shuffle to only play the following artists: Madonna, Britney, Katy Perry, Lady G, and Bruno Mars. I am not ashamed people, because playlists such as these often produce better than anticipated results, including 7-miles at 7:30-pace for the first time in months. So I don’t care what you say.

What else happened this week.

OH! I started running in my Altra Intuitions as my recovery shoe (to alternate with my Altra Eve’s) that I got from Natural Running Store.

So I know it’s only been a week, and I typically like to wait a few weeks before writing a shoe review, but these babies rock. They are zero drop, super lightweight, and feel like little clouds of happiness.

One feature I especially like is the wide (natural!) toe box. The way a shoe should be shaped. More to come on these later.

In other randomness, I also gave blood this week. Do you ever give blood? I like to go every few months. Did you know that 4.5 million Americans will a need blood transfusion each year? Also, they say one pint of blood (what you typically donate) can save up to 3 lives.

Some bonus benefits of giving blood is you get a mini-physical when they do the screening; they’ll check your pulse, blood pressure, body temp, and hemoglobin levels (iron deficiency). For more info on donating, click here. 

Plus it’s just good karma.

And now that my karma is so good – guess what is opening soon a few blocks from my office…

!!!

In conclusion, if you donate blood, a Chipotle will open down the street.

Q: Ever donate? And what are your Superbowl plans?

Is It Rocket Science?

"Running isn't rocket science - you're wasting your energy if you devote too much thought to it." - Lauren Fleshman”

Have you guys checked out this month’s edition of Runner’s World yet? There’s an excellent article/interview with Lauren Fleshman that you should check out. Lauren is one of the co-founders of Picky Bars, so I’m obviously a huge fan.

Plus she’s also a kick-ass runner. I didn’t know this before I read the article, but she also has a Q&A Blog and online journal – you can check it out here!

(Enjoying a Picky Bar before the King of Prussia 10-Miler)

Anyways, I loved this quote in particular because ever since the Philly RNR Half, I have been thinking a lot about how I can get smarter about training. Should I be more “technical” and put more thought into my speed and distance workouts? I started researching some books regarding methods of increasing speed, and even researched potential coaching options or running clubs for the sole purpose of getting training advice from someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to training. My MO is basically as follows: “Run a lot, but not too much. Do a couple weekly speed workouts around race pace. Do one long run a week but never more than race distance. And try to stretch and eat protein.” HA. So I definitely think there’s room for technical improvement. However, I do not want running to ever become a chore or annoyance. So I’d like to find a good balance between getting smarter with training so I can improve and actually set challenging goals (rather than always surprising myself), but avoid creating a strict training plan that will inevitably lead to burnout. Ya know?

So, here’s the general plan for the Philadelphia Half Marathon on November 20.  I feel like I have the distance component down, but could definitely improve when it comes to speedwork.

Speedwork: Need to get smarter with my interval runs. Although I’m sure the ones I did while training for the Philly RNR Half helped, I’ve definitely been doing them wrong - or, could do them better. Before, my typical interval run would include a warm up and cool down, and in the middle would be 2 minutes on and 1 minute off. The “on’s” would be about 6:45’s.  The “off’s” would be about 8:15’s. When I reviewed the splits from the Philly RNR, my average pace was about 6:42’s. So I raced 13 miles faster than I did my intervals. Doh. Like I said, I’m not the smartest when it comes to speed workouts. I found this article which explains that the speed intervals should be done at 1500-pace. Since I haven’t run a (single) 1500 since high school, I really have no idea what mine is (gomer). But I’m pretty sure it should be faster than my half marathon pace. This article confirmed that. So, I’m thinking low 6’s? Conversely, the article mentions that I should be able to completely recover during the off-intervals – which definitely wasn’t the case before, so I’m going to slow down the off-pace to around 9-min miles and increase the recovery time a bit. Here’s another great article: Interval Training 101. BOTH articles mentioned “VO2 Max Training” (Velocity at Maximal Oxygen Intake) workouts. Uh, have you guys ever heard of this? Found this Active.com article, which breaks it down into layman’s terms:

“The faster you run, the harder you breathe. Also, the longer you run, the harder you breathe. And if you sustain a fast running speed long enough, you will eventually find yourself breathing as hard as you can. Exercise scientists have a special term for breathing as hard as you can: VO2max. Whatever you choose to call it, running at this intensity level is rather painful. If you do it right, though, it is extremely beneficial. In fact, minute for minute, VO2max training boosts running fitness more than any other type of run training.”

Okay, if anyone has insight on VO2 workouts, let me know – definitely planning on researching more.

So, in summary, my plan while training this time around is to become smarter with my speed workouts, while keeping Lauren’s quote in the back of my mind. Balance. We’ll see.  

One other thing that is still in the forefront of my mind is the ol’ body fat percentage issue (cringe). Still focusing on the healthy fats, protein, and carbs. Planning on getting another BodPod test sometime this fall. 

(Just made some more coconut and carob cookies – yum.  Healthy protein & fat heaven.) 

Alright guys! I would love some feedback here on speedwork! Suggestions?

Are you very “technical” when it comes to running? Or do you just get up and go?

Also, any good books, articles, blogs, etc. that I could get my hands on to shed some light on the topic?