Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Longer The Distance = Faster The Pace = Stronger The Runner.

So far for the year of 2012 I  have accumulated 175 miles ( As of Feb.15). I have successfully logged all of my miles by using Adidas Mi Coach and Daily Mile. I was looking back today at my workouts and I noticed that each week I was going 1-3 miles longer. I've also noticed that my pace has slowly increased and is as of this month, (February) I have sustained most of my runs between 7:30pace to 8:30 pace. I am also noticing that I'm able to maintain under 8 minute miles very comfortably, mainly on my 7 mile runs and under that is. That is a huge gain from just 3 months ago when I was struggling to maintain 8:45 for a 10K or a 7:45 for a 5K. My times are getting faster, my runs are getting stronger and I'm increasing the distance of my runs slowly. I feel that running longer distances (6 miles or more) twice a week other than on your long run day will help make a faster runner and by running longer, faster, that makes you stronger (physically). I did a 4 mile run this afternoon around the YMCA 1 mile track and split each mile. my 1st mile was 7:46, followed by a 7:37, 7:04, finally a 7:02. I was tired after the run for maybe 5 minutes, Drank some Accelerade and was ready for more, But I had previously ran 17 miles within the past 2 days so I knew I needed the rest. Still with those times shown today after a 5.2 mile run on Tuesday, A 3 mile tempo run at 7:45pace followed by a 9 mile trail run I am Extremely pleased with these results. I guess what point I'm trying to make here is like the Title of the post says Longer the Distance, The longer you run you will build  more endurance and get your body used to taking a beating for longer. Faster the Pace,  By running longer you are getting used to the beating and slowly being able to manage it at a faster pace. Stronger the Runner, By increasing your distance and picking up your pace you are now able to go take more of a beating on your body which in turn is making your legs, core, back and arms stronger. So with these 3 things I feel like it will help take you to the next level. It has worked for me and I will continue to do this and hopefully learn more and more and continue to keep sharing with all my readers.
  
 Throughout this training I have managed to stay injury free as well, I would not suggest to start out at running 6 miles twice a week, and 10 miles for your long run until you have reached this in your training. Remember to increase slowly 10-15% each week to avoid overuse injuries and EAT! Fuel yourself right so that you can stay strong and continue on your journey to whatever you're trying to achieve. Best of luck!

Here is a brief look at a week of training running 5x a week that I did in Feb to get an idea:
 Sun & Thurs Off.. Cross-Train or Rest. Your Choice
Day1-5miles    Day2-4miles   Day3-6miles    Day4- 3miles    Day5- 9miles






Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Sometimes You Must Fail to Succeed!

This past weekend I made some new PRs(Personal Records) at the Critz Tybee Run Fest. I finished the 5K in 21:36 Friday night and completed the half marathon in 2:04:54. I was 4 minutes and 54 seconds slower on the half than I wanted to be. I still PR'd, but I still gave myself hell over it. I was really disappointed in my performance because I had done better on my training runs. I know I started out to fast and got burned out by mile 8. I stayed at the home the rest of the day after the run moping around and just laying in bed beating myself up mentally over my performance. As I was laying around I decided to read some articles on RunnersWorld and some other running sites to try and boost my moral. I stumbled upon an article that read "Fail, and Fail again" Dean Karnazes was in this article and some other Ultra Runners as well. It was basically saying that you must fail sometimes to succeed and when you think you're going to succeed you fail again. Only from our failures can we learn and build a stronger foundation. I strongly believe this and it shows if you have ever repeatedly failed at getting that new personal record or going after a certain distance and just can never get it and feel good about it. I learned that not getting that perfect time every time can actually be a good thing, crazy as it sounds it honestly makes you push harder, train harder and be mentally aware of the game. Since this past weekend I have trained my butt off and continued with my training like I regularly would. I am triumphant in my runs and that's a mind set you must have. For the beginner runner this is what makes you, YOU. From the failures to triumphs you will get stronger, faster, smarter and leaner, But when you think you're on top, watch out, This is when failure hits. Be ready for it and welcome the defeats and failures you will get along the way and on your own personal journey to becoming a runner or whatever you are trying to do. Don't let it bring you down and if it does, Get back up and make that your reason to go harder next time.

Some quotes from the article by Dean Karnazes:
 “Most people never get there. They're afraid or unwilling to demand enough of themselves and take the easy road, the path of least resistance. But struggling and suffering, as I now saw it, were the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not constantly demanding more from yourself--expanding and learning as you go--your choosing a numb existence. Your denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”

“I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run…to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.”