Swimming PR and New Training Schedule

I set a PR for longest distance swimming at the pool this morning. I swam 1,800 yards which is 72 lengths of the pool, in 48 minutes. That beats my previous long swim of 1,700 yards last summer. I am feeling much more comfortable in the pool these days and am gradually getting faster and more consistent.

With storms rolling in this afternoon and evening, I decided to switch my brick workout to tomorrow and complete my interval run tonight instead. With the extra time I sat down and planned out my training schedule through my race on September 10. As you can imagine, with a family, full time job and other commitments, it can be challenging to fit in all of the training that I would like. That being said, I do whatever I can to fit in my training outside of family time. That means a lot of early mornings and late nights, but it is worth it. I have included a snapshot of my training schedule for the month of July. Enjoy!

Patrick's Guide To Running - Intermediate Edition

So if you are reading this post, I'm guessing that you are at the point where just going out and running has become too easy for you. Just kidding! (See my "Beginners Edition" post if this joke confused you)

So maybe you have been running for a few months (or longer), you have completed a couple of 5k or 10k races and you are ready for a new challenge. At this point, you really have 2 different options if you want to step up your game. How you train will depend on which option you choose. The first option is to work on increasing the distance that you can run and the second option is to work to increase your speed.

The option that I chose after my first couple of races was to focus on increasing my distance. If the longest race that you have run is a 5k, a good race to target next is a 10k. It is a little harder to find a 10k to register for, but there are good options out there if you look. If you have already run a 10k, then taking on a half marathon (13.1 miles) is another great challenge. The first step you should take, however, is learning how to convert between miles and kilometers. For some reason the people who decided to set the "standard" race distances decided to pick the most random distances to run. Keep in mind that racing a longer distance will require training at longer distances which means more time spent training.

If you search around on the Internet, you can find a lot of free training programs for races of different distances. When I was starting out, I relied on Hal Higdon's free training programs. You can find beginner, intermediate, and advanced training programs for nearly any distance. Most programs that you find will be fairly similar in that they have a regular pattern that they follow each week and will have you gradually increasing your distance up until your race. After you have identified a training program, you need to find a race that works for your schedule and then count backwards to identify when your training needs to begin. I think the single most important piece of advice that I can give when you are working on increasing distance is to avoid skipping days of training. Our bodies are very good at adapting, but adapting takes time and a lot of repetition.

It should be fairly obvious that running farther will take more time then running slower. Even if you don't run very fast (like me) it probably only takes 25 - 40 minutes to run a 5k race or 50 - 80 minutes for a 10k. Most runners can complete those distances without having to worry about fueling during the race or even drinking during the race. However, once you begin running races that take longer than an hour, you will have to start thinking about in race nutrition and hydration. I will go into more specifics on nutrition and hydration options and strategies in my next post. For now, I will state that anything you plan on doing during the race, you need to practice during training. If you never drink during training runs, you might be surprised at the reaction your body gives when you gulp down some water that is handed out during the race.

The second option, as mentioned above, is to focus on mastering a distance that you have already conquered while improving your time and pace. Similar to the first option, you will need to find a program and pick a race so that you can lay out your training schedule. The biggest difference that you will find in training for speed is that you will run a lot fewer miles but will have a lot more speed workouts at a higher intensity. To get faster, you have to practice running faster. I will save descriptions for the different types of speed workouts for my "Advanced Edition" post.

No matter which option you choose, there are a few additional training tips mentioned below that will help you to have a successful race.

• Not every training run should be run at the same pace or effort. Most good programs vary the distance and effort that you should exert in each run. Long runs and recovery runs should be run at a pace that would allow you to carry on a simple conversation. Pace runs or speed work should be run at a pace that allows you to say one or two words at a time (although this varies depending on the workout). The takeaway, don't head out for every training run intent on running as fast as you can
• Train for the race you are running. If the course has a lot of hills, make sure that you include a lot of training on hills. If the race is a point to point or an out and back, make sure you include some training routes that mimic this. If the race starts at 6:00 am, make sure you wake up early for some of your long runs. If there is potential for wind or heat, make sure you do some training outside in those conditions (when possible) and not always hit the treadmill to avoid being uncomfortable. 
• As mentioned above, make sure to practice taking in nutrition or hydration if you plan to during the race.
• Don't wear any new clothes, especially shoes, on race day. Make sure you have practiced many times in the gear you plan to wear for the race. 
• Rehearse your race morning. Know how early you need to get up and how much time it takes you to wake up and get ready. Figure out your bathroom needs and pre-race meal. 
• Review the race route and read all race day instructions ahead of time. If you have family or friends coming to cheer you on, plan out where they should go ahead of time and how you will find each other after the race. These are the last things you need to be worrying about right before the race starts.
• Experiment with running at different times of the day or in different locations. Maybe even try finding someone to run with you on occasion. 

In my next post, I will go into more details on types of training runs, nutrition and hydration, handling burnout, and more. 

First Brick Workout Of The Year

The brick workout is the hardest workout on my schedule each week. The workout is very simple in that it starts with a bicycle ride and transitions directly into a run. In my opinion, that transition is the most physically difficult portion of a triathlon thus I find it important to practice. Tonight I completed my first brick workout of the year. It was a short one with 10 miles on the bike followed by 3 miles running.

I was extremely happy with the run, especially considering the temperature and humidity, but I was a little disappointed in the pace of my bike split. It feels great to shift my focus to triathlon training and I look forward to improving all summer leading up to my big race in the fall. 

Marathon to Marathon - Half

I took off early from work on Friday to make my way up to Storm Lake for check in. I didn't feel mentally prepared for the race as I was still bummed about having to switch from the full to half marathon. In addition, the forecast was calling for temperatures already in the 70's at the start of the race. and climbing into the mid 80's by mid-morning. With a route running through the countryside of NW Iowa, I also knew there would be not much for shade along the way. 

After packet pickup, I enjoyed a spaghetti supper at Storm Lake high school before heading back to my hotel in Cherokee for the night. I woke up at quarter to 5 to pack up and dive the 30 minutes back to Storm Lake. After the marathon started at 6:00 am, all half marathoners boarded school buses and rode to the half way point to await the start of the half marathon at 7:00. It was a strange feeling to watch the bus drive away after dropping us in the middle of the countryside.

Waiting at the half marathon starting line

My plan was to keep an easy pace throughout the race with a goal to finish in under 2 1/2 hours. My foot held up pretty well and the heat didn't bother me at all until the last mile. The most challenging part of the course for me was entirely mental. The route was extremely flat and over 9 of the 13.1 miles were straight down a single highway. I was very happy as I approached the last mile and a half and got to actually turn onto another road. 

I finished the race feeling very good and my time was right where I expected it to be. 

Officially breaking my streak of 5 half marathon
PRs in a row but very happy with my time

Finding some shade after crossing the finish line

There were a lot of things that I liked about this race. It was extremely well organized and all of the volunteers and staff were very nice. I also enjoyed running in a race where the number of total runners was measured in the hundreds. We were provided a meal ticket to use after the race so I took the opportunity to eat a well earned and delicious breakfast. 

Waiting in line for omlets at the Marathon community center

Post race breakfast

After breakfast I hopped onto a bus to make the return trip to Storm Lake. This is the first time that I have done a destination race (if 2 1/2 hours from home is considered a destination race) where I had no one with me. It gave me the opportunity to interact with other runners as well as race staff. I got to meet someone from Alaska that came to Storm Lake, IA just to run this race. I got to hear stories of weight loss success as well as one woman who had set some pretty lofty goals after beating cancer. These conversations and interactions really inspired me.

Now that my 6th half marathon is in the books, I'm looking forward to switching my focus full time to triathlon training. My first triathlon of the year is 4 weeks from today at the Accel Triathlon in Waterloo, IA. 

Patrick's Guide To Running - Beginners Edition

If you are allergic to hard work or sweat and have never even pondered becoming a runner, then this blog post is not for you. On the other hand, if running has always been something that you wanted to do or the thought of crossing a finish line gets you excited, then read on.

For starters. let me lay out my credentials...
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Ok, so I have no credentials. Everything that I know about running I have learned from my own experience, learned from someone I know, or read about in a book or magazine. My purpose for writing this post is purely to reach out to anyone who is out there thinking about becoming a runner but doesn't know how to get started.

Before lacing up and heading outside to run, there is something that you need to know. Running is hard. No matter how long you run or how good you get at running, it is still hard. I used to look at people that made running look so easy and think, "That's what I want, I want to get so good at running that it is easy for me too." Even though I have since learned that it is not possible for running to be easy, I have discovered that running can be extremely rewarding because of how hard it is.

The best thing about running is that it is a sport for everyone no matter your ability. The sport is less about trying to beat everyone else and more about challenging yourself to improve and get better. I'm fairly certain that there is no greater way to improve yourself and build self confidence then training for and running in a race.

So now that you know my thoughts on running and why you should go for a run, how should you get started? Although there are all kinds of products on the market for runners, all you really need to get started is a good pair of shoes. Running shoes come in all shapes, sizes, and colors but not every shoes is made for every runner. I would suggest taking the time to visit a store that specializes in selling running shoes and get fitted properly.

Now that you have a good pair of shoes, the next thing you need is a plan. If you are completely new to running, I would suggest starting with a walk-run program. If you do a Google search for couch-to-5k you should be able to find plenty of good programs to follow. From a high level I would suggest running no more than 3 - 4 days per week and to build mileage very slowly. Mileage should increase no more than about 10% from one week to the next (this would mean that if you run 10 miles in a week, the following week should be no more than 11 miles). Having a structured plan to follow will help to keep you on track. Without a plan, it becomes very easy to talk yourself out of running each day.

Now that you have a plan, you should find a target race. Depending on your previous experience and current fitness level, I would highly suggest starting out with a 5k road race. In most major cities, you can find a 5k run nearly every weekend. Universities, festivals, fundraisers, and several other organizations offer 5k runs. It is the perfect distance for someone starting out as it is long enough to be a challenge yet short enough to not require too much distance or time to train and no need to worry about in race nutrition.

Experiment with which days you run each week as well as the time of day that you run. Find what works for you and fits best in your schedule. I would suggest, however, that you do at least a few training runs at the time of day that your race will be. After your training runs, be sure to have a light snack that includes carbs and protein as well as some water or even sports drink. A couple of my favorites are half a bagel with a smear of peanut butter or low fat yogurt.

A few other things to consider. Not every run is going to go great, sometimes you might have to walk more than normal or even cut your run short, everyone has bad training runs. So many factors go into being able to run well that something that holds you back one day may not have an impact the next. Maybe you got to bed late, skipped breakfast, or didn't get enough recovery time after your last run. No matter what it was, put the bad run in the past and move forward. On the flip side, sometimes you will be feeling amazing and may want to push yourself harder than normal. This is something that I would advise against for a beginner. Eventually you will get to know yourself and your body really well, but for now, just try to stick to the script.

Lastly, I want you to listen to your body. As I started off saying, running is hard. You will be tired and sore all the time at first. This will improve but won't entirely go away. Work hard to learn the difference between expected soreness and consistent pain that may be a sign of injury. If you are experiencing pain, back off of your training for a few days and if the pain continues, be sure to see your doctor.

So if you have been thinking about starting to run, stop thinking and get out there and start running. Check back soon for the next edition of my guide to running.

Running Milestone

We have made it through 5 months of the year and I have officially pounded out over 500 miles on the pavement. That is more miles than I ran total in 2015 and I still have 7 months to go!