Summertime Blues?

Aug 3, 2011 by Greg Fowler

Is there a cure?

I don’t think I have the blues, but I am certainly tired of the the South Carolina heat and humidity. Seems like we don’t even get afternoon thunderstorms any more to give us a short break.

The other night, as I was running the trails in 95 degree heat,  the conversation with myself went something like this:

Why are you out here in this heat?

Because this is fun!

You’re a moron.  Shouldn’t you hit the exercise bike inside?

Nah, that’s boring.  And besides, the cross country team is practicing right now, too.

Yea, but they are 25 years younger.

Right.  Oh well, I’m slower, so I’ll be OK. This will pay off in the fall.

If that’s what you believe, OK.  Now, take another sip of Gatorade.

Oh yea, thanks.  Needed that.  4 miles are enough.  Let’s go in.

If you find yourself having such conversations with yourself, maybe it is too hot to run.  Laps in the pool might be wiser.

Does the heat of August zap your energy and motivation?  You are probably not alone. Here’s my plan for motivation this August:

1. Plan out a few fall races.  I already have the Governor’s Cup Half Marathon penciled in for early November, but I need a couple of others in there for September or October. If I have races scheduled, the temptation to slack up tends to go away.

2. Purchase new shoes.  I plan to purchase some Newton Distance Racers this weekend.  Even though I am working on barefoot running, I still need some new long distance shoes. Having new treads underneath always motivates.

3. Run with family members. My son is now in his second season of cross country.  We’ll do weekend runs together, and I’ll try to keep up.  Last year we had a lot of good runs training together for a half marathon.  I also plan to do a 1 mile fun run with my 7 year-old daughter later in the fall.  So, it is time to get her back in training! Finally, there is one other household member that may get back into running soon.  I’ll keep encouraging/pestering her until she get back out there with me.

Good luck with your August running.  The South Carolina humidity should break in a few weeks!

POFIFOTO!

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Who Knew?

Jul 17, 2011 by Greg Fowler

When I first started running, I knew virtually nothing about the running world.  As time passed and I read blogs, books and magazines, my eyes were opened to a whole new vocabulary and culture.  Here is a list of things I didn’t know early on.  Maybe these are new to you, too.

1. PR. This stands for personal record. It means your best time at a certain distance race. You may enter a race and hear others talking about going for a PR, waiting for the race the start.  The beauty of beginning running is that every race you run at a new distance is a PR!

2. High-tech fabric. I think this was once called polyester. Cotton is a no-no in the running world now. Now, clothing manufacturers are mixing polyester with other materials to make fabrics that wick away moisture quickly.  Seems to work.

3. Bodyglide. You know those nooks/crannies and spots that can become really uncomfortable at the wrong time? Like in the middle of a long run?  Bodyglide is anti-chafe lubricant for those spots. It comes in a container like a deodorant stick and you apply to chafe-prone areas.  Definitely works.

4.People run barefoot on purpose. Apparently elite runners have know for years that running barefoot for a short distances improved form and helped to strengthen feet.  A couple of years ago, a book came out called Born to Run   Christopher McDougall that has launched a new interest in barefoot running and “barefoot shoes” (also called minimalist shoes).

5. There is a huge variety of running shoes. I thought shoes were just different just because they were made different companies or had different colors. Turns out people have high arches, medium arches, no arches and their feet react to the ground differently on impact, so companies try to design shoes to accommodate these factors.  Do they do a good job?  The people and book mentioned in #4 above would say no.

6. Plantar Fasciitis. This is one I wish I had never learned.  The Plantar Fascia is the soft connecting tissue on the bottom of your foot.  It can become inflamed, causing a great deal of pain, usually in the heel.  It can sideline you for weeks.  I experienced this in the fall of 2010.

7. Socks could cost so much. Cotton socks are a no-no as well for most people.  They tend to cause blisters.  The moisture wicking socks can cost $8-$15 a pair!  They are worth it, too.  I actually had some blistering issues with high tech socks as well, once I started running distances of 10+ miles.  I finally solved that with a thinner sock and a different method of tying my laces.  My favorite socks right now are Injinis.

8. It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. One hard lesson I learned in races is that if you go too fast early on, the last part of a race is not too fun.  One of the keys to racing well is to stick with the pace you’ve trained for, especially early.  Try not to get sucked into the race start surge.

9. Running is fun. OK, maybe not 100% of the time.  But if you stick with it, I think you’ll find this to be the case.  I never imagined I would enjoy running so much.  I hope you will, too.

POFIFOTO!

 

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POFIFOTO!

Jul 2, 2011 by Greg Fowler

In my favorite part of the Rankin-Bass Christmas classic Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Kris Kringle gives  Winter Warlock a gift, melting his icy persona and eliminating Winter’s magic powers.  Now faced with having to walk, Winter doesn’t know what to do.  Kris gives this simple instruction, “Put one foot in front of the other” – or POFIFOTO for short.

So it is with running. Just start. Put on some shoes (or not) and hit the sidewalk, road,  trail beach or treadmill.  Wherever.  It doesn’t matter. Don’t make excuses.

Now, more than likely, if you have never been a runner or if it has been a long time since you ran, you are not going to be able to run very long.  That is OK.  Your running muscles need time to build up.

So, start small.  To borrow from baseball lingo, just start hitting singles.  Don’t worry about a home run yet. Try something like this: for the next 5 days walk for 5 minutes to warm up, then run for 10 minutes.  Finish with 5 minute walk cool down.  Even if you were able to run the entire 10 minutes (unlikely), stop at 10, and finish up with the 5 minute walk. If you are not sore the next day, go for 12-15 minutes of running.  It is highly like your feet and calves will be talking to you, though.  If it is too painful, skip the run for the day and go for a bike ride. Then, try again the next day.  At the end of the five days, take a day or two rest.  Now commit to another 5 days, and increase the running to 15 minutes, still walking to warm up and cool down.

If you cannot run 10 minutes (I couldn’t at first!), then try something like this. Walk for 5 minutes, run 1 minute.  Repeat this for 20-30 minutes.  The next time out, increase the run time and decrease the the walk time.  Follow this for a few weeks. It won’t be long before you’ll be running 20-30 minutes non stop.

Here are 3 keys to successful running start

1. Start slowly. Give your out of shape feet and legs time to build strength.

2. Consistency. Commit to 3 – 4 runs a week or try every other day.  You be surprised how much you’ll progress in a month.

3. Variety.  Sure, running can be boring, but it doesn’t have to be.  Change your surrounding.  If you run on a treadmill, get outside.  If you run on the street, try a trail run.  Invite a friend or your kids to go with you.  Just mix it up!

Get started today!

POFIFOTO!

 

 

 

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