It seems that I'm in a unique position. Hopefully I'm about to start my running completely over from scratch. That's got me thinking about what I've done before and what I might do differently this time around. I'm not looking for suggestions for me, but I am curious. Knowing what you know now, is there something about your running/training you would do differently if you were completely starting over? Suck less/run faster doesn't count.
A list of my PRs in a misguided attempt to impress people that do not care.
I could write a very long book on this topic.
I'm the newbie here and would love to hear what both of u have to say and everyone else as well.... For my meager 1.5 years of marathon training, I would NEVER take any run or race for granted and enjoy every effort. Would never do 3 marathons in one training year. Spend more time cross-training to maximize each cycle.... Looking forward to comments from those who have a clue instead of my dribble...
Of course the flip side of this question is "what wouldn't you change", which is equally interesting to me.
I'll throw mine in, too. I'm still pondering the question(s).
I will not train for a specific outcome...fuck the outcome. Instead be in love with every workout. Be in love with the breath I am taking.
I will see the impermanence of everything...therefore attach to nothing...especially what is not... what could be...or what should be.
I will not be the bigger better now...instead just be where I am...love where I am. If that happens to be sitting on my stoop...I will be grateful that I saw a bird fly across the sky because I needed a rest day.
In order to see the truth, sometimes you have to loose an eye.
http://www.runningahead.com/groups/Utri/
-Watch what Lance does, and dont do that.
-Always run upwind of Doug.
-Always run behind Egad.
-When running with Fro, listen to death metal or grunge to offset the positivism.
-Only run without a shirt when you look better than the guy next to you.
Other than that, run slower more frequently.
What was I chasing again?
Someone in this damn group has to say it - I wouldn't change a damn thing when it comes to running with you bunch of dumbasses - not only would I not be the runner I am, I wouldn't have a bunch of knucleheads to banter about the whole thing....
How you see the hobby now greatly reflects how you see it 5-10 years down the road...whether you align with it and grow or whether you just stay in the grip of what was... and suffer what is.
Perhaps you will fully comprehend in 2022 what I write here...
At any rate... On with the fro show. And all others I know. 🐖
Still pondering this, and still hoping for more responses.
Maybe more than anything the one thing I keep mentally circling back to is consistency. Just getting out there and doing it day after day. Getting to that place where more than one off day a week feels weird. A lot of the other stuff is just details until that happens. For me it falls into both categories really. I've managed at times to be extremely consistent, and the results have shown it. Other times not so much and surprise, the results have shown it. When I say results I don't just necessarily mean race times and PRs and that stuff. I also mean running fitness in general. How it feels. To go forward, to get better, it all starts there. Consistency. Staying healthy obviously has a lot to do with it. Without that it doesn't matter what training plan I might follow, or what shoes I wear, or how often I do or don't eat a GU. None of it matters even a little without doing the basic, everyday ho-hum work. The easy hour when you really don't feel like it. The long run that maybe you'd cut short on your own but you stick it out because you're doing it with friends. The recovery run that feels like absolute crap, the kind where you can't imagine possibly running fast in any way, or how you ever could. The midweek 10 miler that you expect to suck because you're beat, but then it feels surprisingly awesome out of nowhere. All of it all rolled together into a body of work. I've often thought of it in terms of the metaphor of building a house. Consistency is the foundation that all the other stuff is built on.
As I said, still thinking on this, but more and more I'm coming back around to the truth of that basic idea. When I first started running I always felt like there was no need for me to over-complicate it. There was so much ground to gain just by getting out there and doing the work. Of course as time went on I did over-complicate it in a million different ways. The time will eventually come when I'll have to do more than just get out there. I'll have to start fine-tuning, doing "workouts", etc. To some extent it's unavoidable. It's gonna be a while before I have to worry about it, though. For now and the foreseeable future it's all about rebuilding the house from the bottom up.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot and how it will apply to me in the future. As of this am, my PT released me into the wild and my plan is to use the rest of the year to get healthy, continue to build a stronger chassy, and then maybe.....I will consider training at the beginning of 2017.
If I look at the last time I was really healthy it was the cycles that led to Bay State in 2014. After having surgery to remove the cyst on my foot I slowly ramped up my training, had my current 5k PR, ran Around the Lake, etc. The weeks before Bay state were 40, 50, 4x60, 50, 40, 30, and then race. I noticed how consistent my core and bike work was at that time and my general health was really good. If I could take a similar approach with a good base I think I could run a marathon PR.
More importantly, I learned even more in 2015 about what works for me and what breaks me down. The doubles got me into shape quickly but the pace of many workouts is what made me into the broken mess I am currently recovering from. I would say that the 2 most important workouts I did for my HM training were 12x.25 on the TM, and my HM tempo pace work on the TM with some pushes at the end. The intervals were great because it forced me to hold the pace which was @ 6mm. It helped me learn to deal with discomfort, and I believe it was one of the reasons why my last 3 miles during Run for the Border were my fastest 3 miles of the day. Something I had never done before or since. What I wouldn’t do is all of the faster pace stuff on “easy days” especially on the double days. My runs across the board were too fast and that is ultimately what broke me down. I also did almost no core and bike work during this time and that was stupid. When I look at what Eric, Fro, and Alycia have done, I can’t help but think about the fact that they have all been focused on core and other parts of the body. I know this group consists of gifted runners but there is an undeniable correlation between their results and their chassy work. I can already feel a difference in my own stabilization strength, and even if this only gets me healthy again with no new shiny PRs…that is good enough for me.
I would have to agree with much of what Curcio said regarding the core and other “non-running” muscles, such as the type you get from biking being the difference-maker. My most successful marathon training cycle, and ultimately the marathon itself, consisted of just that. Several months out, I put a lot of the focus on core building and bike work, which was primarily in spin class. Let’s face it, doing crunches and planks is boring shit. And to be truthful, I don’t get all that excited about a bike ride. But what makes this doable is the group atmosphere. You find yourself playing off the efforts and competitiveness of others, which leads to gains and stick-to-itiveness that you wouldn’t otherwise get. You can run all you want but when your body breaks down in the late miles, it’s the supporting abdominal and back muscles that keep you upright.
I am also convinced that building up the marathon pace miles throughout the cycle so that you are running 15 or more miles within your long is the single best preparation you can get for the 26 miler. It’s important to begin with only a few miles at MP, then alternate with EASY long one week and a higher percentage of MP miles the following week until you are doing 15-17 miles out of 20 at the pace you expect to run the marathon in. I know that this is a delicate balance and I must do the easy stuff that surrounds the workouts, well, easy.
I’ve learned that it’s not Ok to move up the tough workouts, even by a day, particularly if you are following a hard workout. I recall this past training cycle running a 20 miler, with 15 at pace, just six days after a HM PR at Hampton. What a big mistake, as it put me on the shelf for a few days. I got lucky that time but this is how many of us have gotten hurt for much longer periods.
I discovered that being your leanest isn’t always the best recipe for success. I entered Maine Coast at my lightest weight ever in adulthood (170) and ended up running a couple of shitty marathons within a few weeks. Fast forward to 2016 and I ran the BQ with at least 186 lbs. to pull around. The difference was the strength training in my opinion.
The final thing I’m learning is that I need to discover a different reason for running other than chasing the PR...Or the BQ. The PRs will dry up and I’m going to need to be OK with running for fun, or fitness. This is a challenge for me, as I thrive on competition, it’s really what motivates me to try harder and do better. This could probably be its own thread.
Egad I agree with you
I made up my own person evolution of running as it played out for me months ago before I was given my physical issues...egad just reminded me of it when he stated the prs will dry up. Where the hell did I put that? Not that it will be followed by others but it was my own solution to achieving bigger better now to it's finality. And it makes sense that a person of addictive personally would go through all these stages when it's current stage dried up.
I guess it doesn't matter too much...anyway, there is plenty of bigger better now to be chased if you so desire it. And really...by the time your goals run out...your ready to be ok with it.
Because the.world is a big place you know.
Ha, it's funny Dick, that I was thinking of you specifically when considering running for fitness and fun. You told me 4 1/2 years ago, "Eric, I just love to run". I guess that's why you are still dong it all these years later.
The last few days I've started my tiny little "rehab" runs. Just barely anything. So far, so good. One thing that's jumped out at me is just how much I'm enjoying the simple act of running. The actual physical sensation of it, the freedom of movement. The part that's like what little kids do. I hope I can keep that in mind more this time around.