Bill Menees's Blog

I wrote the following article for the Nashville Striders's February 2008 Funrunner magazine. I'm posting it here for non-local runners and for those few local runners that haven't joined the Striders for some reason.

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For almost 25 years, I equated running with punishment. I developed that attitude in junior high and high school when having to run meant that I’d made the coach or P.E. teacher mad. It ended up a deeply-rooted belief that made me avoid running for most of my life.

That finally changed in February 2007 when a friend gave me a free entry into the Predators Fangtastic 5K. I had several runner friends, and they seemed to enjoy it, so I thought I’d give this free race a shot. When I crossed the finish line exhausted and close to puking I told my friends that it was the only race I would ever run, but 10 minutes later I was already talking about doing another one.

I started training to run my next 5K (Goodpasture Cougar Crawl), and my interest quickly turned into passion (or my wife might say obsession). Since then I’ve read a lot, trained a lot, raced a lot, and met tons of very helpful runners. I’ve had ups and downs, including unexpected PRs and unfortunate DNFs and injuries. But I’ve gotten a lot better, and I know I can keep getting better.

As I look back over my first year of running I realize that there’s nothing unique about the lessons I’ve learned. I’ve seen other runners learn the same lessons, but many of the lessons are worth documenting because it might help others learn them easier. What follows are my most important "rookie year" insights into running. These are all lessons I wish I’d known at the beginning of my running life. Given my relative inexperience, these insights may be overshadowed by others next year, but for now these seem important enough to pass along.

Equipment

• Good running shoes are a must. Because of various pressures on the feet while running, your running shoes may need to be a different size or width than your everyday shoes. You may also benefit from additional support or cushioning depending upon your running form. For best results, get professionally fitted at one of the local running stores. It’s fast, free, and well worth it. Periodic refits can also be helpful since your feet can change shape as you run more.
• You don’t need to buy trail shoes to go trail running. You can run the trails in the local parks (e.g., Warner parks, Shelby Bottoms) using any normal running shoes. Many trail runners just wear their old road shoes.
• You can safely wash most running shoes in a washing machine. Wash them in cold water with a load of towels, and let them air dry sitting on a window sill.
• Other than shoes, specialized running clothes and gear are nice but not mandatory. Wicking fabrics are beneficial, but you don’t have to buy a complete wardrobe of the stuff to get started.
• Running "watches" like Garmins and Polars that track speed and distance are really nice. They allow you to take off running anywhere and have a pretty good idea about how far you’ve run.
• Don’t assume that your running watch will measure things exactly. USATF certification measurements are much more accurate than any current GPS or stride sensor measurements. In particular, Garmin Forerunners are only accurate to +/- 35 feet per GPS reading, so they can be significantly off from certified measurements, especially on compact, curvy courses. Don’t be surprised if one Garmin measures 3.05 miles while another measures 3.15 miles on a USATF-certified 5K course.

Training

• Variety is necessary for improvement. If you always do the same things you won’t improve. Doing nothing but "long slow distance" will make you a slow runner. Vary your workouts to include speedwork, trails, hills, group runs, parks, roads, tracks, etc.
• To run better, run with better runners. Or at least hang out with them when you can.
• You’ll often get conflicting advice from runners. Try things out and see what works best for you. No one person, book, or web site contains "the best way" or "the truth" for everyone.
• Don’t increase your weekly mileage or long run mileage too fast. A 10% increase per week is a good limit to minimize the risk of injury. Adding another running session may also be an option.
• You’ll be good at what you train for. The distance and pace you run most often will be the distance and pace you’ll run best.
• Find the distance that’s best for you. It may be 5K or 26.2 miles or something else. Not every runner is the same. Some people will excel at shorter, quicker distances, whereas others can outlast most people and excel at endurance races.
• High temperatures and humidity can really affect your performance. Hydrate often, and don’t try to predict your mid-November pace based on mid-August training times.
• Cold weather running isn’t that bad. You should dress so that you’re cool the first 10 minutes or so. After that you should be comfortable. Cover the body parts that get the least circulation (e.g., hands, ears) if they bother you.
• You don’t have to apologize if you’re running your best but you’re still the slowest member of a group. The faster runners have been where you are, and they understand that in a group they’ll need to make concessions (e.g., slower pace or walk breaks) for the slower runners.
• Keep a log of all your runs. This allows you to track your weekly mileage, shoe lifetimes, PRs, and other stats. There are many free and easy-to-use online running logs. RunningAhead.com is used by a lot of local runners. Online logs have the benefit of being accessible from anywhere, so you can easily view or update them while at work, on vacation, etc.
• To prevent your shoes from coming untied while running, tie a regular bow and tuck the loops and lace ends under one of the laces farther down. This prevents the knot from loosening and the loops from catching on anything, and you can still easily untie your shoes after a run.

Speed

• You should learn to move at a pace where you feel like you’re running – not jogging and not sprinting.
• Running efficiently is paramount to getting faster. Your upper body and lower body must move in sync.
• Speed doesn’t come from lengthening your stride in front of you. That actually slows you down. Speed comes from your feet hitting the ground quickly with an efficient form and rear stride. When running fast, you should spring forward, not up, and you should land on your forefoot to midfoot with a flexed knee and your foot directly underneath you. As you run faster, your stride will lengthen behind you, and your heel will pull in closer to your hamstrings before your foot returns to the ground.

Races

• Always thank the volunteers! There would be very few races without them.
• Race day magic exists. Expect to run better, longer in a race than you can in training runs.
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket by focusing everything toward one race. Plans may have to change due to injury, family, work, etc.
• Find an energy product you can ingest before a race that sits well on your stomach. For some people this is food; for others it’s gel or a sports drink. You may have to train yourself to get used to racing with something in your system.
• Never experiment with new products (e.g., gels, shoes, tights) during a race. Try them out on several training runs first.
• The night before a race, lay out everything you’ll need on race day. Get up early before the race. Arrive at the race early. Do some short warm up runs.
• Senior citizens and people pushing strollers may pass you. This shouldn’t hurt your pride. If it does, you need to learn to run faster like they did.
• If you don’t have a secure key pocket on your racing gear, you can use a couple of timing chip straps to fasten your key to your shoe laces. I usually strap my timing chip to one shoe, and my key to the other.

Marathons

• Heed the old advice of "respect the distance". 26.2 is more than twice as hard as 13.1. It’s harder to train for, and it’s harder to race. Some say the first 20 miles is half the race, and the last 6.2 miles is the other two-thirds of the race.
• If you’re training for a marathon, don’t skimp on your mid-week runs. Doing nothing but short runs during the week followed by increasing long runs on the weekend is a recipe for injuries. If your weekend long run is more than half your total weekly mileage, you’re probably headed for trouble.
• Marathons get all the press, but they’re not the only race worth running. They’re a big event to organize, so there are very few local ones. Most marathoners expect to travel to races. If you’re happy running in the plentiful local 5K, 10K, and halfs, then you shouldn’t feel compelled to become a marathoner. Conversely, marathons aren’t the pinnacle of racing. There are always more challenges if you want them (e.g., ultras, Ironman®, adventure racing).

Injuries

• Injuries can happen, but with patience and smart work, you can get over them.
• You appreciate an injury-free body more when it’s gone.
• Listen to your body at the first sign of an injury. Don’t try to run through it. There’s a difference between discomfort and "you better stop now" pain.
• Having to DNF ("did not finish") a race or training run is much better than continuing on and injuring yourself further. The difference can mean being out of running for a few days versus being out for several weeks. Severe injuries can also mean more medical bills.
• Running a race when you’re already injured is stupid. That’s a guaranteed way to cost yourself a lot more time off from running.
• If your Achilles tendons are always sore, try cutting the so-called "Achilles protector" off the top heel of each shoe. It doesn’t contribute to heel stability in a properly fit shoe, which should fit snugly to the bony part of your heel. The "protector" material can jam into the Achilles tendon each time you plantar-flex your foot (i.e., point your toes down) and cause constant irritation. The top of the shoe heel should be about the same height as the bony heel of your foot.

Miscellaneous

• Non-runners don’t want to hear you talk about running all the time. This was a shock to me, but several non-runners pointed this out.
• You don’t have to be crazy to run, but it helps. It’s tough to push yourself to ever increasing limits and to do it regardless of the weather, distractions, etc. Runners demonstrate the spirit from the old saying, "Do not pray for an easy life. Pray to be a stronger person."
• All the runners I’ve met are really nice and helpful. The same qualities that make runners strive to improve themselves physically seem to make runners nice people to be around.
• There will never be consensus on a message board, and people don’t always behave the same on a message board as they do in person. This is not running-specific, but it’s worth mentioning given the constant activity on the Striders message board.
• Nashville is a runner’s Mecca. It has so many awesome places to run. Enjoy the greenways and parks! It also has the Nashville Striders, which provide great races, great volunteers, and great community support. Even the weather is nice here. I doubt there’s a better city in the world for the average runner.

Labels: Running