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A Progressive Running Program

Adjusting your training where you are

I coached high school cross-country for years and have been an avid runner since my twenties. A good running program depends on where you are as a runner because in spite of the belief that running is just putting one foot in front of the other, much more is required to do well at a sport that is vital to so many. I would love to guide you through a few ideas that might help you depending on where you are on your running journey.

The first thing you should do is identify why you want to run. On rainy, cold mornings when you don’t want to leave your warm cocoon of blankets, or you are struggling with motivation, it helps to hold your why close, and your why does not have to be similar to anyone else’s reason. You can use running to eliminate stress, lose weight, prove how strong you are, work on mental and physical health, or do anything else that works for you.

If you are new to running, here are a few suggestions.

  • Start slowly. Don’t expect to get in shape in a day. You will end up sore and discouraged if you do too much too soon. During the first week, run a minute, walk a minute and keep doing that for 15 minutes. Increase it each day by 5 minutes. During the second week, run for two minutes, walk for one. A good rule is to not increase your weekly mileage any more than 10%.
  • When you start to run, focus on relaxing and dropping your shoulders. Many new runners scrunch their shoulders resulting in shoulder cramps.
  • Practice breathing in and out. New runners tend to hold their breath, so focus on your breathing.
  • Hold your hands as if you are carrying an egg. Don’t tighten your fist.
  • Keep your head up looking 10 feet ahead.
  • Keep your knees slightly bent and relaxed.

If you are struggling with motivation, tell yourself you will start and workout for ten minutes and if you still don’t want to do it you can stop, but I have a feeling you will keep going.

Use a few tricks to help yourself become stronger. Instead of thinking you have to run for a mile, run to a certain spot without stopping and keep increasing the distance.

Keep a growth mentality and know that you will see progress if you keep working on becoming stronger. Be consistent with your workouts but also take at least one rest day to recover. Make some goals like doing a 5k race in two months.

As you become a stronger runner find some new ways to challenge yourself. Run some hills, do some sprints, join a running club so that you also have a new community to support your goals.

Learn how to protect your body with strength training and cross training. Doing a variety of different exercises will strengthen your body and help prevent injury.

Understand the power that your mind plays in your performance. Practice positive self-talk when your run feels hard.

There is basic equipment that will support your running adventure. Find a foam roller to roll out sore muscles. A good pair of shoes is helpful. A gentil massager is also good for your muscles.

If you start to race there are a few tricks you can use.

  • When the course turns, cut the corner tight to shave seconds off your time.
  • Don’t start off too fast. Work on a comfortable pace.
  • Find someone to be your rabbit. Don’t let that person out of your sight and do your best to pass that person. Keep picking new people.

When you are injured, don’t keep going. Have the attitude that you need to run another day, so rest and recover. It’s a great time to cross train.

There will be times on your journey when you think you have to hang up your sneakers, but instead of quitting, adjust. Find a different way to train.

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Making Movement Fun

Movement is medicine. We were not meant to sit on a couch staring at a screen for hours. Think about how you feel after you have been doing that for awhile. You stand up and you feel creaky because you haven’t moved. Movement is one of the keys to being healthy, and it can be fun. The first thing you have to do though is stop finding excuses, and see the benefits instead. Here are a few ways to sneak movement into your daily life without having to dread it.

Dance. I know if you are like me you are thinking this isn’t possible because you have no rhythm and you also have no desire to look foolish, but you can dance in your own kitchen where no one will judge your dance moves. Get your friends and family involved and watch everyone’s moods improve as the room fills with laughter. 

Before my grandson could walk I would turn on Rick Astley and Never Gonna Give You Up and swirl him around the kitchen in my arms. I loved hearing him laugh as we zigzagged through the house.

If you do have some dance skills, why not sign up for a dance class, or try a Zumba class at the gym?

Go for a walk. You don’t have to keep up a blistering pace to reap the benefits of a walk. Ask some friends or neighbors to join you since the time goes by faster when you are talking.

Garden. I was surprised when two neighbors told me they wished they had a garden. One said she was afraid nothing would grow. I told her if I could grow a garden, so could she. I plant a seed and if it doesn’t grow, I plant some more. Eventually, it works out. Why does fear of failure hold us back from beautiful things so often? The other neighbor said she did not have room. I introduced her to container gardening which is just planting in pots. As long as you have soil, seeds, and water, you can grow things.

Gardening is more strenuous than you would think. you have to tend to it by pulling weeds, eliminating certain bugs, and trimming here and there. It is also a great stress reliever. 

Play like a child. What did you like to do when you were a child? I loved to swim and ride my bike. I don’t do either competitively, I splash around in the pool and cruise around the neighborhood on my bike. Did you enjoy baseball? Invite some people over to play catch.

Catch lightening bugs with the neighborhood kids. This is one of my memories from childhood. We would run after the bugs and put them in mason jars, and watch them light up. we let them go and chased after another set.

Play with your dog. If you have a Border Collie like I do, this isn’t a choice, It is a given, but throwing a ball or frisbie and just playing is still movement.

I hope these ideas start you on your way to being more active. Have fun!

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Are You Ready?

I was running a race in a state park when I passed two girls coming towards me. They must have seen my race bib because one of them said to her friend, “We should sign up for a race.” The friend replied in a panicked voice, “I’m not ready!”

I hear “I’m not ready.” In other forms too. Friends will tell me, “I want to run a 5k with you, but then when I suggest a date that friend is always busy. Another form of “I’m not ready.” comes in excuses. I hear things like, “I don’t exercise because my joints hurt, or I’m too busy.”

All of the forms of “I’m not ready.” Makes me sad because I know what a difference any form of movement can make in your life. Although running is the exercise that has been healing to me, you can choose any form of movement you want to reap the benefits. “I’m not ready.” translates to “I’m scared, or “I don’t want to step out of my comfort zone.” However, moving consistently instead of being sedentary can change your life. Here are a few things an exercise program can do for you.

Improve your physical health

When you move more you will notice your joints don’t ache as much as they did when you sat a lot, you may lose weight because you are burning more calories, and your body will be more toned. You can improve your immune system with better health, and exercise will help you to alleviate stress which will also help you sleep better.

Improve your mental health

I know when I run my mood is better. I can find some peace from problems. When you are doing something good for yourself it makes you feel better about yourself. When you work out you gain more confidence.

Boost your social life

If you start signing up for fitness events like races, or you go to the gym you will begin to meet more people. Your circle of friends will continue to grow, and hopefully, those friends will help to keep you active.

I know many people might not be completely ready to do something new, but it only takes doing it once for it not to be new anymore. The first time I went to an ultra-marathon, (Anything over 26.2 miles) I didn’t know anyone, and I was pretty sure that I had no business being there. The people at the race all looked like seasoned runners who probably ran 100 miles on an off week. They were talking about races they had done that all had scary names like Blood Rock, Snakebite Canyon, and Death Toll Run. I was sure any minute they would discover there was an imposter among them.

As the day wore on, I felt completely welcomed by some very nice people who were at very different fitness levels, and there was no judgment about that. I met one man whose name was Cornbread, so I told my husband I needed an ultra-running name. (I’m still working on that.) The ultra distance is now my favorite distance, but if I had not stepped out of my comfort zone I would never have experienced them. Sometimes you have to just leap.

So, what if you are ready? What do you do? First, find out what form of exercise would you enjoy, and what would you do consistently. Start slowly with whatever you want to do, and checking with your doctor is always a good idea. Find a recreational center or a gym and see what are your options. If you want to walk or run a race you can go to www.runusa.com or www.active.com, or if you want to join me, go to www.ultrasignup.com. You can walk an entire ultra if you want.

Are you ready? I hope so because it could be life-changing.

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Boosting Your Mental Health

We all have days when we are stuck in a funk. There might not be any reason for it, or we might be dealing with some heavy things, but either way, there are some positive, healthy ways to soothe our mental state. Here are a few.

Acknowledge your feelings.

I have had several moments in my life when emotions overwhelmed me and I felt as if it would be too hard to feel everything at once, so I pushed the emotions back. It would have been healthier to release the emotions and deal with them because denying them only caused stress and anxiety.

Seek out support

Don’t be ashamed when you are struggling. Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. Feeling supported by friends and family or your community can make a huge difference. If you need outside help many organizations can offer support. You are not alone.

Laugh

You cannot stay sad for long when you are laughing. Do something fun with friends, or go online and watch funny videos. Laughter can lift your mood in no time.

Move

Movement is a great way to clear your mind and relieve stress. I do my best problem-solving when I’m running.

Sleep

When I was a teacher I saw how powerful adequate sleep was as well as how harmful sleep deprivation could be. Sometimes the best remedy for feeling down is resting.

Food

Food is love and fuel. A good meal can lift your mood. Cooking is soothing, and all those great smells will bring your family into the kitchen with you.

Self-care

Doing small things to improve yourself will make you feel better about yourself. When you feel good you will be more motivated and productive.

Music

Music has healing powers. You can find the right song if you need to unwind and chill or shake your booty.

Go outside

Nature is restorative. Walking around and soaking up what is around you can calm your mood.

Find what works for you, but be intentional about keeping your mental health strong.

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Mental Health and Running

No one would argue that running is a great sport to help us get fit and healthy. Physical benefits range from heart health, strengthening and toning the body, and weight loss. The physical benefits are so obvious that we might forget that the mental health effects are just as evident.

In the article, Whole Brain Health, Amrita Sharma PhD says, “When we do high-intensity exercise our heart rate increases, supplying more blood flow to the brain. The increased heart rate also increases our breathing, making us breathe harder and faster. As a result, more oxygen is supplied in our bloodstream, and more oxygen reaches our brains. This leads to neurogenesis, which is the production of neurons. Research has indicated that physical Exercise increases neurogenesis in the hippocampus, a brain area important for learning and memory. Additionally, Exercise also influences the neurotrophins, it’s the family of proteins that aids in neuron survival, development, and function. This leads to greater brain plasticity and as a result better memory and learning. Regular physical activity lowers the risk of developing cognitive impairment, such as dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. This improvement from the exercise is for people with normal and also impaired cognitive health, including people with ADHD, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke.”

Matt Vilardo tells how his running journey started when his dad asked him to come for a run. He thought this was odd because his dad was not a runner, but he went and enjoyed that time with his dad. The next day, Matt’s dad died in the attack on the Trade Center. He has used running to deal with depression and anxiety ever since. He says that running helps him to be a better husband and dad. Here is what he says about running. “According to the National Institute of Mental Health, nearly one in five Americans will suffer from a mental illness during their lifetime. I view running as a strong, first-line treatment for many problems that we face today. In fact, in other countries, exercise is used as a first-line medical treatment as opposed to just prescribing a pill. And that’s not to say that there aren’t many, many circumstances that require more than just physical exercise, but if you can combine running into your treatment, the benefits will be amplified.” You can read Matt’s story here. https://www.stillirun.org/post/how-running-for-mental-health-helped-me-through-grief-and-depression?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4MjgprbEgwMVpJ9aBR1VkwOPEAAYAiAAEgII_vD_BwE

Can exercise be medicine? The answer for myself would be yes. Running has always been what I turned to when life became overwhelming. It has been a healthy escape and a way to calm my stress. Sometimes I just need to get away from everything and recharge.

Running is restorative. There is something spiritual about being out in nature. I can work out problems, or I can think about nothing. I have had friends comment that I smile when I run, and that is proof to me that running makes me happy.

Running is a mood booster because you can see a transformation in your body if you are consistent, and the physical improvements will improve your mental health.

I am the most creative when I am out running, which isn’t always convenient. Something about running opens my mind, and I come up with tons of ideas for writing.

Running can also provide an individual with community. We can feel more connected and supported when we have friends.

I am so thankful for running because it has kept me sane in the tougher times. I hope more people will give it a try.

References

Whole Brain Health by Amrita Sharma PhD, July 2020 https://wholebrainhealth.org/exercise-and-brain-health/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4MjgprbEgwMVpJ9aBR1VkwOPEAAYASAAEgJ45fD_BwE

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Ten Things a Runner Should Not Do

Runners are rebels and rule breakers, and what works for one person might not work for someone else, so I offer this list knowing that some runners will agree with some and not others. I would love to hear what you would add to the list of what not to do as a runner.

Don’t scrimp on shoes.

I have seen runners running in all kinds of footwear, and I know everyone has different preferences, but a good pair of shoes can make a difference in keeping your feet safe. Shoes that are too small can cause black toe. Shoes that are too big can produce blisters, and shoes that don’t provide enough cushioning or support can lead to other injuries. There is usually someone knowledgeable at a local sports store who can help find the shoe that is good for you.

Don’t increase mileage too fast.

Trying to do too much too soon can cause an injury from overuse, and too much stress on the body can lower the immune system and make a runner more susceptible to illness. Runners should increase their mileage gradually and allow the body to adapt.

Don’t run in the dark without reflective clothing.

Drivers are distracted enough by everything around them and in the car. Don’t expect them to see a dark figure running on the side of the road. Runners shouldn’t let themselves be distracted either. Running at night might be a good time to run without music.

Don’t run alone at night.

There is always safety in numbers and running with friends will cut down on the risk of crime. It also ensures if you are injured someone will be there to help you.

Don’t think of a day off as a bad thing.

Everyone needs rest; a rest day can be vital to any training program. A day off from running is an opportunity to cross-train, but you also need a true rest day sometimes.

Don’t eat unusual or hard-to-digest food before a race.

Everyone’s system is different. I cannot eat chili the night before unless I want to be miserable during the entire race. It’s a better idea to stick to food that the stomach will manage easily.

Don’t run the same distance and the same route every day.

You can train your body to do almost anything, but if you do the same routine every day you might not see the same results that you will see if you do a combination of speed, strength, distance, and easy runs. It also makes your training more interesting.

Don’t skip the warm-up.

The warm-up can consist of what works for you. I do a nice easy slow run when I first start out to warm up all my muscles and work out the kinks. Adopt a routine that works; but, in any case, do not start running hard without warming up the muscles.

Don’t ignore an injury.

It is very hard for a passionate runner not to run, and often runners will try to ignore a small injury. The problem is that a small injury can become a serious injury-one that will take a person away from running much longer than if the small injury had been taken care of in the first place.

Don’t just run.

I remember when the soccer coach walked over to me before cross-country practice and said, “You have such an easy job. All you have to do is tell them to run.” I smiled and said, “Well, it’s a little more complicated than that.” The truth is if I thought I could get away with it I would choose only to run, but I know I will be a better runner if I strength train and cross-train.