A Bit on Running

Running. What can I say... A LOT, actually. I haven't written about running yet because I haven't had a good focused idea for a post. Honestly I could talk about it for several posts, and if I had just sat down to type a post about running, it'd be a LONG post. And no one would read it because it would ramble, and probably run on (get it? run on? anyone?). But now I have a focus! Today's post will share an inspiration of mine and then I'll follow that with a small example of a training schedule to get your pace down. This is by no means a plan for those extreme runners who want to BQ (Boston Marathon Qualify) or any other major running feats. This is more for those people who are runners but are perhaps more leisurely, who run on their own, and are maybe looking for a way to challenge themselves in a new way while running.

This sticker adorns my laptop; so much inspiration! And cheesiness.

A little background: I ran track and cross country in high school, and then just kept running. "Back in the day" I was a sprinter more than anything, and even today running more than a 5k (3.1 miles), unless I'm training for something longer, takes something special. I enjoy running because it's an easy way to burn off some steam, take some time for myself, and achieve goals. Even the smallest accomplishments feel like major feats when you're running. As a sprinter, knocking off half a second from your race pace was like being on top of the world! It was all so exciting- was I going to PR (personal record) that day? Had I trained well enough? What could I do to continue to improve? Running is a sport that is always looking forward- literally, because, DUH you look ahead while you're running, and figuratively because running allows you to continually strive to meet that next goal. Maybe it's increasing your distance, decreasing your time, feeling good while you run (not fatigued), losing weight, improving your mood, or just getting a good sweat in before dinnertime. Whatever the goal, because there are myriad goals you could set for yourself, no matter how small, you can always feel accomplished while running. I think that's part of the reason that races have become so popular recently. Anyone can feel accomplished running, and it takes minimum equipment to get yourself to your goal. It does, however, take maximum effort.

Action shot from "back in the day" when my
hair was long and I recovered from injuries
so much quicker than I do now. Sigh. 

So, my inspiration today is my mom! She is a wonderful person with more energy than I think I've ever had in my life. We started running a Warrior Dash 5k for Mother's Day 6 years ago, and we haven't missed one yet! The Warrior Dash is a fun obstacle course and mud run over 3.1 miles, and my mom always kicks my butt. Whether I'm just more out of shape than her, or just keep wiping out in the creeks because I try to hurdle a log (my track coaches in high school forbade me to go anywhere near the hurdles because they were smart coaches), she is always ahead of me in these races. After a couple of these, she started doing miniature triathlons on her own (run 3.1 miles, bike 12.4 miles, swim half a mile), which then became doing 5ks for beating her times, and then she started running 10ks, and she recently completed running a half marathon (she got the same time I did when I ran a 10 miler. Ooof.).  Her adorable dog, Jackson, is her  "trainer" and, again is very adorable. That link will take you to his website (he is a therapy dog). 

For the "training schedule," this is something I use to help me start when I have to "get back to running," typically because I've been sick, injured (have I mentioned I'm clumsy?), or wanted to get myself out of my comfortable pace zone.
********Before I start this schedule, I have typically been running 1-2 days per week and keeping a comfortable pace, to get myself back to a place where I'm ready to train. ********
Starting off with this schedule, from nothing, is NOT a good idea. You will get injured (I've done that too) or worse- you'll think it's too hard from the start and then give up. When you are in a place where you can run 2-3 miles, without stopping, at the same pace each time, and feel comfortable at that pace, THEN it is a good idea to start something like this.

Before you begin you need to decide the following. Then you can fill in the schedule with the times you're aiming for:
Starting pace: ____ (Ex: 10:30 min/mile pace)       Goal pace: _____ (Ex: 9:00 min/mile pace)
Starting distance: ____ (Ex: 3 miles)                         Goal distance: _____ (Ex: 5k at goal pace)

I'm working on formatting a table and/or being able to link the pdf in to this page directly, (#computerskillsproblems) but here is a link to the training schedule via a shared Google Doc pdf. Enjoy!