Soreness vs. Pain

Runners have to be acutely aware of the difference between soreness, which is a direct result of hard training, and pain, which is a result of injury. Any runner who has been running for some time is quite accomplished at blocking out pain, we do it all the time to get through tough workouts. So it should come as no surprise that we are quite good at blocking out pain from an injury as well. We can delude ourselves through all sorts of arguments, and if we are not careful, ignored pain can turn into a major injury.

I spent the better part of last week sore from my workouts. Coming off a two week hiatus I was eager to get back to full time training and I pushed a little too hard on Monday. Each subsequent hard workout for the week pushed me further into muscle debt and by Friday it was almost a full 5 miles before I felt "normal" on my run. Despite this, I pushed through the week as I knew that the soreness was a direct result of the ramp up in mileage, and that with my mileage base I would be back to normal after a good rest day. This week has been much better as my body reluctantly adapts to the renewed intensity of training.

That being said, if I experience pain that I feel is due to a potential injury I usually will return to rest almost immediately. For me there are several markers that I look for to differentiate pain from muscle soreness. First, is the pain acute or spread over a large region? Acute pain is never a good sign as it is usually due to a localized effect (either muscle or bone), while soreness is spread out due to muscle damage from training. Acute pain almost always sends me to the freezer for an ice pack and a prescription for a few days off. Second, is the pain aggravated by running? Soreness and tight muscles may feel pretty bad when you first start a run, but symptoms will often improve as you get warmed up. An injury, on the other hand, is usually made worse by running, so if the pain is nagging throughout the run or if it alters your gait in any way, pack it in early. The third marker is persistence. Living with soreness is a fact of life, but usually we know intuitively when pain does not fit that mould. Does the pain persist through the day after the workout is over? Is standing or sitting in a usually comfortable position now uncomfortable? Worst of all is dull throbbing pain that exists without any movement at all, a clear warning sign.

Making the decision to take a few rest days or even rest weeks during a training schedule is never easy, but it is essential that you listen to the signals your body is sending you. A little time off now can save you from a major recovery period down the road. Above all it will keep you running for years to come, and racing another day!

Hard Work, Perseverance, and Hard Work

I did not come to be competitive in running through a high school or college pedigree. In fact, I did not start doing anything remotely physical until I was 25. So how did I get to where I'm at now? A lot of hard work and one seemingly insignificant conversation.

2 years ago I started running with a friend from work. He is much faster than I am and is more into the ultra-scene than I am. One day we were having a discussion as he was putting the screws to me during one of his easy workouts (I was out for a tempo). I remarked to him that I could never be as fast as him as I was not gifted with the runner's physique like he was. Being the good running partner that he is, he called me out on it. He said that he works his ass off to be fitter and faster, and that nature had nothing to do with it. Those words sank in somewhere deep in to my soul and I still carry them with me.

From that point I became much more dedicated to running. I am more serious about my training and racing and the hard work is paying off. Each year I am improving, getting stronger and faster, and I am achieving the goals that my running buddy inspired me to achieve with that one conversation. There is no secret to success in any endeavor, no predisposition to greatness, there is only hard work. I hope these words will inspire another beginning runner to set lofty goals and pursue them, just as it did me! Train smart, take advice from other runners, listen to your body, but above all work hard and you will achieve them!

The Runner's Wish List

With Halloween gone, there is no denying the holiday season is approaching. In that light I thought it would be worthwhile to put together a list of runner essential items. As all the other lists out there seem to be way over the top (including pricy items like GPS watches, etc) I also wanted to keep everything under $100 and most items much less than that. So here it is: The Runner's Holiday Wish List for the Budget Minded Shopper!

• Socks

  It sounds cheesy, but at close to $10 a pair, running socks are one of my most appreciated gift item. Sizing is forgiving, just make sure you get socks that are made of synthetic material (i.e. no cotton!)



• Energy Gels/Chews

  There are tons of these on the market and most runners like to have the opportunity to try new fueling options during training. For just a few bucks you can stuff a stocking to the brim with these!



• Hydration Mixes

  In the same vein as the energy gels, hydration mixes can be bought in powder form, ready to be mixed by your runner recipient. These come in packages, tubes, and tubs, and in tons of flavors other than lemon-lime.



• Gloves/Arm Sleeves

  Even midsummer races start at the crack of dawn and most runners like to have a little something to fend off the cold while waiting for the gun to go off. Even cheap "painters gloves" which can be discarded when the race starts are great!



• Race Entry

  What runner would not want a free race to train for? Especially one in the off-season to work off some of those holiday calories! 5k is probably a good distance, signing your runner up for a marathon may not be appreciated as much as you might think.



• MP3 player

  This is a bit of a hotly debated topic in the running community, but even runners who are dead-set against music while running will reach for one for treadmill workouts. This is the most expensive item on the list, but the small ones can be purchased for under $100.



• Magazine Subscription

  What do runners like doing nearly as much as running? Reading about running! Plus it's the gift that keeps giving for a whole year!



• Granola Bars/Snacks

  Apart from running and reading about running, eating is the next most popular activity. Energy bars, granola, pretzels, trail mix, it's all good and it's all cheap!



• Massage Gift Certificate

  Most runners need massage as a recovery tool, but most can't justify the cost.



• Foam Roller

  This is just what it sounds like, a foam cylinder that can be rolled over sore muscles as an at home massage tool. At around $15 this is probably the best value for the money on the list. If your runner does not have one already, rest assured, they want one!

I hope this list helps some shoppers out there. Behind every great athlete is a great athletic supporter! (Sorry I couldn't resist)

Tuesday Tempo!

All I can say is: "Ouch!" Today marked the first tempo run in two weeks and boy I am feeling it tonight. Let me just say first of all that I hate tempo runs. Long runs I am okay with, I enjoy the challenge and reward of running for a long time, provided it's at a nice laid back pace. I also enjoy intervals, the speed I can handle knowing that rest is just around the corner. But the tempo occupies some space that my mind is not equipped to handle.

Mind: "Okay, so we're going to run fast. That's okay it will be over quickly."

Me: "Well not really, it's going to be like 7 miles before we can stop."

Mind: "Forget it, I'm outta here! Zone out on your own."

Me: "No way man, I can't run that fast without thinking about it, you need to be here!"

Mind: "You want to run fast for 7 miles AND think about it at the same time!?!"

While I won the battle today it was not without casualties, which my tired and sore legs are reminding me of tonight. They are also telling me I just went from 0 to 17 miles in two days and to go easy on them tomorrow. I am fine with easy days, just as long as they are well deserved.

2010 Approaches!

Now that I am finished with my two week recovery, today begins the beginning of training for my 2010 racing season! It was great to get outside again and feel strong for a nice easy run, but tomorrow I will have to suck it up for a tempo run that will more than likely leave me lying in a fetal position muttering to myself about "fartleks."

Speaking of speedplay, I have a rough outline of my racing schedule in mind. I plan to hit a couple of 5k races this holiday season to keep things snappy, a turkey trot and the Colder Bolder. Then I'm thinking about one of the Colorado Running winter distance series races as a tune up for the Platte River Half in April. Then I will culminate the spring training with the Bolder Boulder and a 50k (my first "ultra"). I hope to spend the summer working on speed, building up to the Denver Marathon in the fall. My plan is to shoot for 3:00 in Denver! Yes, you read that right, I hope to take a full 16 minutes off my marathon PR! None of this messing around with Boston qualifying times, it's time to shoot for the stars.

Will all these goals come to pass? I'll never know unless I set them and go for it!

Quality Speedwork, In About an Hour

Finding time to run is a challenge with hectic schedules, so I usually find the best time to run is during lunch. This can somewhat limit workout choices if I am limited to just an hour. Today I ran a hard workout that was taxing enough to be quality training, but was finished in about 50 minutes including warm-up and cool-down. As the workout was based on time intervals rather than distance anyone can complete this workout in the same time regardless of pace or course profile. I thought I would share in case there are any similarly time constrained runners out there looking for a good workout.

1. Warm-up: 8 minutes easy jog


2. Interval: 3 minutes (should be fairly hard effort, 5k race pace)


3. Recovery: 1:30 easy jog


4. Interval: 3 minutes (5k race pace)


5. Recovery: 1:30 easy jog


6. Interval: 3 minutes (5k race pace)


7. Recovery: 1:30 easy jog


8. Interval: 3 minutes (5k race pace)


9. Recovery: 1:30 easy jog (If you are running an out-and-back route this is where you turn around)


10. Interval: 3 minutes (5k race pace)


11. Recovery: 1:30 easy jog


12. Interval: 3 minutes (5k race pace)


13. Recovery: 1:30 easy jog


14. Interval: 3 minutes (5k race pace)


15. Recovery: 1:30 easy jog


16. Interval: 3 minutes (5k race pace)


17. Cool Down: 8 minutes easy

As long as you don't go too hard at the beginning of this workout you should be near where you started if you turned around at halfway. This accomplishes both the speedwork goal (hard intervals with short recovery) and even split.

I consider this workout a "short" run, so if you are not used to running 1 hour+ then scale back the intervals accordingly. You should be able to find a good balance of effort/time. Your lunch hour will never be the same!

Timex Ironman Review

Feels a little weird to be reviewing a watch, but honestly there are a lot of features that go into a decent training watch and I think this one hits pretty close to the mark. The watch is the Timex Ironman 50-Lap Sleek and it has a lot of features that cater to training.

First off comfort. The term "sleek" is maybe marketing a little bit, but it certainly has a low profile and it does not look too big. The band is also an appropriate size for my "runner's wrist" and includes a little catch on the band restraint to keep it at the end of the band. This means that it does not move as I run which has been an annoyance with other watches I have worn. As for timekeeping, I do not really wear a watch outside of running, but the display is easy to read and it displays the date along with the time. There are also options for two time-zones and three alarms. The watch features "Indiglo" as well for all of the functions, which is useful if you like to run your track workouts at 4am when it is pitch black. The light is no substitute for a headlamp though and it will not help you if someone happens to leave a hurdle on the track the night before (I'm not saying that I know this from experience).

From a training perspective is where this watch really gets going. The chronograph is easy to read and will continue running even as you access the watch's other features. The start/split button is located on the watch face, which is essential in making it easy to push and find when you are timing splits in a race. When you hit the split button during a workout it displays the split and the lap time for a few seconds before changing the display to show the split and the next lap time. Having the current lap time displayed is great as I can check on my pace before the interval is finished (i.e. I can check the 400 split on an 800 repeat without having to push the split button). After you are done running your session you can store the time and splits, for up to 50 lap times. The watch will record the time and date for the workout as well for you to log later, which is probably the most useful feature given that I often do not get a chance to log runs for a couple of days.

Another feature that I anticipate making more use of in the next few months is a dual interval timer. You can set two interval times (i.e. an interval time and a recovery time) to repeat indefinitely during a workout. So you can start the chronograph, warm up and then start the interval timer. It will then beep when you need to either start or end an interval, recording the number of repetitions as it goes. Once you are done with intervals, you can stop the timer, and cool down with your total workout time still recorded by the chronograph. This will help with my speedwork this winter as I find it tough to get to the track, so I can run timed intervals on whatever route I choose. This feature can be set in seconds, minutes or hours so it can also be used to remind you when to take gels or electrolytes on longer runs.

These features easily make this the best training watch I have owned, the only feature lacking in this model is heart-rate sensing, but I believe there is a higher-end model that includes this feature. In my case the lack of heart-rate monitor is actually a plus as I find this interferes with the treadmill sensor. I can now wear my HR strap on the treadmill and monitor my HR there while timing the workout with the watch.

A well balanced review always includes some cons, so here are the minor annoyances I can think of. As I mentioned above the watch has no GPS/foot pod/HR capabilities, but I think these features are unnecessary anyway. Another minor inconvenience is the fact that the watch band is stuck in a "round" position and is quite rigid. This makes it easy to put on, but it will not fold flat for easy storage in a gym bag pocket.