The Secret to Running Faster!

This is a top secret blog post. Really. You probably shouldn't be reading it right now, it's that secret. Are you still with me? Make sure you look over your shoulder and the coast is clear.

And, shhh! Don't tell anyone I wrote this, OK? I'm about to reveal... (drum roll please).... (are you ready for this?)... "The Secret to Running Faster!"

You probably already know, my current goal is to run a 22 minute 5K. My PR being 23:38, it sounds appreciably hard, but not utterly impossible. On paper anyway. Until I started running again, and realized how uncomfortable 8 minute miles can be. And I need to run a full minute per mile faster. Three times in a row. Yikes! This doesn't seem possible at all. Even with some brutally hard work.

So, as I began daydreaming of my perfect 22 minute 5K (insert harp music here), I began wondering, Is there a secret to running faster? I mean, a whole LOT faster than you've ever run before? One really BIG secret that will get me to my goal?

I Googled "secret to running faster" and received 594,000 hits. And probably 594,000 different answers to that question. Mind boggling.

My running buddy, Rick, who is by far stronger and faster than I am, could run a 22 minute 5K on a moments notice, and could kick my derriere at any time likes hills. Hills, hills and more hills. "Speedwork without the impact!" And he can't be wrong on that, just try to run uphill against him.

What could be easier than a magical pill? What about legal ergogenic aids? If you want to make your head dizzy, go read some of that and try to figure out what you should take. I gave up, and I was still in the "A's." And we're not talking milliseconds or elite speeds I'm seeking either. A 22 minute 5K is rather ordinary. As long as my diet is healthy, and contains what my body needs, there's no supplement that's going to make a huge difference. This was no help.

Plyometrics is awesome. Talk about some great cardio cross training and strength building. Can it make you faster? Absolutely.

Interval training is definitely effective.

And don't forget strength training! Without a doubt, essential to help you avoid injury and get faster.

But really, is there a single secret? I think this blogger might be onto something! Well, I had fun giggling through that. But not without a tad of seriousness here. Think about it, there's some truth to be found.

This past weekend I watched Kung Fu Panda [warning! movie spoiler to follow], a very entertaining animated flick about Po, a hapless, overweight panda who was more likely to trip over a rock than fend off the enemy dragon warrior.

In the final scene Po is fighting the arch enemy dragon warrior Tai Lung over possession of the secret dragon warrior scroll. The scroll is supposed to contain the secret to limitless power. The scroll is seized by Tai Lung, who finds it blank. Po laughs: "There IS no secret ingredient," (recalling his father's recent revelation about the "secret ingredient" in the family's noodle soup) and soundly defeats the evil Tai Lung.

From an article about running faster I found this: "(Psst. I’ll have to keep my voice down so no one can hear this secret except you: muscles don’t care about what they are being used for! They don’t ask if they’re lifting a weight or walking up stairs, or moving down a track. They only want to know about the load placed on them so they can gauge how to respond.)"

And that about sums it up!

It's all too confusing to me, and I can't wade through it. This actually confirmed a decision I made nearly 18 months ago. I hand those decisions over to a trusted expert. I may know a lot about running, but to always be improving my game, I need help. Nothing can replace a good coach who can adapt your program to your specific needs--and figure out what intervals, hills, strength training your body needs for your goals. Because there really IS no single secret to running faster. It's just plain, old-fashioned, sweaty, gut-busting hard work.

And if I want that 22 minute 5K badly enough, I'm going to have to do it the old-fashioned way; I'm going to have to EARN IT.

If It Weren't So Windy, It'd Be OK

"If it weren't so windy, it'd be ok," I heard a woman mutter as I entered the grocery store post-run. That was an understatement. The first two-and-a-half miles out in a stiff headwind could be the windiest and one of the toughest runs I've ever done. It felt like running in a wind tunnel. Rick looked like the Easter Bunny, fresh and teasing us by running backwards. He really is too strong. Then Travis left us in the dust for the last mile. Must have been sub-7 and that was mile 17. This was my first 5 miles since Chicago. Suffered enough to feel nauseated at the end. Good feeling! :-) Thanks, Rick and Travis for putting up with me! Activity Route: -- Elev. Avg: 742 ft Location: Blue Springs, MO Elev. Gain: +26 ft Date: 12/13/08 Up/Downhill: [+265/-239] Time: 10:45 AM Difficulty: 2.7 / 5.0 Weather: Fair and Breezy 50 F temp; 47% humidity 50 F heat index; winds S 23 G 37 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:42:04 Speed: 7.1 mph Pace: 8' 25 /mi Calories: 435 Map Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Elevation Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 8' 32 +0' 07 7.0 -0.1 +19 ft 2 8' 43 +0' 18 6.9 -0.2 +3 ft 3 8' 37 +0' 12 7.0 -0.2 0 ft 4 8' 11 -0' 14 7.3 +0.2 -4 ft end 8' 01 -0' 24 7.5 +0.3 +7 ft Versus average of 8' 25 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

True Confessions of a Long Recovery

I climbed on the recumbent bike for a nice 45 minute workout today. In my gym, the bikes are seated behind the treadmills, and mine was in dead center of about 15 treadmills of different sorts, almost all of which were being used.

To my far left, I watched a girl (ok, young woman) in a pair of Nike shorts just like the ones I run in. I watched her long, smooth stride, and estimated her pace somewhere in the low 8's. She couldn't have looked more relaxed and at ease. She ran the entire time I was on the bike. I was jealous; envious; my eyes developed a distinct patina of green.... because I wanted to be running like that. I wondered if I could take her in a race of any distance. I knew I couldn't now... and as she ran, she was getting stronger by the minute. And I was merely pedaling away...

Almost in front of me was another girl (ok, another young woman--see I think of myself as a "girl," it isn't a derogatory term to me) doing a nice workout at a steep incline. She wasn't going very fast, but she had that hill incline cranked up. I watched her shins, wondered how much pressure was on her tibias. When could I do a workout like that? I was sad. I know I can't now.

To my immediate left was another girl (ok, I give up) on an Elliptical. Definitely hate the Elliptical, but I remember how the upstroke, while looking so smooth and easy, was slamming into my tibia in a most unfortunate way. And while I held no jealousy against her for being on the machine (blech!), I was incredibly jealous of her apparently strong, solid tibias. What I would be doing with those! Certainly not spending any time on an Elliptical!

I plopped back into my chair in my office some 40 minutes later, and began to type a request to Vince to reorganize my running this weekend. I wanted my 4-miler on Saturday instead of Sunday. Not something I would normally get excited about. But, it's my first 4-miler in more than 8 weeks. Suffice it to say, it's the highlight of my week. Four. Whole. Miles. Running. I wanted to celebrate!

My plan was to get a sitter, and try to get my training partner, Rick, to run part of his long run with me. But he's already leaps ahead of me now, running his mile repeats deep in the 6s. When I contacted him, he already had plans for an 18-miler with another group on Saturday. I blinked. Would I ever be able to even keep up with him again? It's been over two months since we've run together. He's the fittest he's ever been. I've done nothing but lose fitness for two months.

I nearly laid my head down on my desk and cried. I'm just being honest here. It's so hard to watch everyone pass me by. I'm filled with so much drive and determination, and I can't do anything with it. I want to be working out; I want to be doing 200m repeats; 400m repeats; redefining my fastest mile; running till I puke. I want to explore what it's like to train for my fastest 5K ever. But, I can't. And I know that's weeks and weeks away. I worry that my Spring and even Fall plans are at risk.

So, I'd like to institute a new "week." It's "Be Kind to Your Favorite Injured Runner Week." We're all suffering out here. And we can't WAIT to get back to training hard with you again!

An Ode To My Toe

You brought me great pride; you were part of a set
You were primped, preened, cared for undeniably, yet...

On that day in Chicago, in the sweltering heat
I crossed that finish line, oh, was I beat!

It took a few miles, but I hobbled to the tent
You'd been hollering for some time now, with many a vent

I sat down and untied my trusty old shoe
To see my sock discolored, and that definitely wasn't blue

I pulled off the sock, a fellow runner leaned in
"Oh my, that's impressive," he said with a grin

For out of my sock came not a toe, but a plum
Deep purple and red; I grasped what the pain was all from

Weeks went by and I managed to keep you, in fact
Your whole body went black; but the toe stayed intact

I went to the spa once; and then of course again
Massaged you, scrubbed you and painted your tip with a grin

But even as the weeks passed by and by
You continued to complain and I wasn't sure why

But last night it became clear what the problem really was
You did the thing that a runner's toe often does

And my perfect red toenails dropped from ten to nine
As you shed that red shell with a tiny little whine

More On Stress Fracture Recovery

Thanks, Runcolo, your comment is perhaps the most helpful yet. I skipped replying to your comment, and figured I'd just write my next entry around it here. I appreciate the fact that you've been through this exact injury, and that really speaks volumes to me.

The link you sent about recovering from the stress fracture had some really important points, for example, that "On average, it takes 90 days for a stress fracture to heal completely." I've also read that the tibia, being one of the largest bones in your body, can actually take a little longer.

This in particular gave me hope: "You may be able to resume running 6 to 8 weeks after the initial diagnosis," if you take it cautiously. I thought this test was particularly good: "When you can walk briskly for an hour without pain, you should be able to try a small dose of running." I haven't even tried the hour walk test.

We certainly figured out this weekend I wasn't quite ready to run short distances every day. So, we're trying out an every-other-day approach, whereby I'm either aqua jogging or something else less impactful on alternate days. While waiting for my aqua jogger belt to arrive, I hopped on the elliptical machine yesterday and hated every unnatural second.

The article sanctions at least some running during recovery (which does keep my spirits up): "Initially, you should run every 3rd day or every other day." I'm scheduled for an easy 2-mile run today (and a non-impact workout tomorrow). Depending on how I feel for the next few hours, I'll either do the run or skip it and catch a spin class at 5:15 tonight. I think I may give the hour-walk test a try this week.

Tibial Stress Fracture Update

So, today marks the end of week one of my attempted return to running after being out for a month with a confirmed tibial stress fracture. I had 15 total miles, split between 2 and 3 mile runs. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them.

Generally, I've been pain free. But, I've also been very cautious and nervous about anything that even hints toward tibial pain.

Today I felt a small flash of pain in my tibia as I first bore weight from getting out of bed. I walked around a bit, took the stairs, deciding if the pain was still there; real or not. I didn't notice it again. So, I proceeded with the 3-mile run, finishing easily on the treadmill with a 1% incline in 25:50. But, I did notice, towards the end of the run, a certain tightness building behind the tibia as well as a few flashes of pain in the tibia itself. Not a good sign.

I think that means I'm probably done running for at least a few days; maybe longer. This is my one opportunity to completely heal, and I don't want to screw it up.

A Decision Has Been Made

In my posting the other day, I pondered whether my next running goal should be a sub-22 minute 5K or a BQ for the Spring. I did hear from many of you, and received much food for thought. I've considered all of it carefully.

Several of you suggested to go for the Spring BQ, because you never know what's going to happen and then you have Fall to fall back on (pun intended). One good consideration was to go for the Fall BQ as a goal, as the Spring marathons have more unpredictable weather and can be windy. You're body is simply better prepared to run in potential heat of Fall, with no wind, after a summer of training. (I'd happily take a repeat of '08 Chi again as opposed to many other possible conditions.)

In any event, I'm grateful for everyone helping me think through this. But, I've made up my mind. I'm going for the sub 22 minute 5K this Spring. There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. It's something new. I've been training for the marathon distance for years now. And although I'll give Vince credit for never giving me the same workout twice, it's kind of exciting to think I'll be training my hardest.. but differently.
2. It'll make me a stronger runner. This goal to me actually sounds way harder than a 3:50 marathon. I think it's going to take more work than I've ever done. And that makes my heart beat faster just thinking about it.
   
3. It'll lower my threshold. I can't really comprehend running the 22 minute 5K. That's over three 7 minute miles. My threshold pace is somewhere in the 7:30s. This will naturally lower my threshold.
4. My BQ is there to be had. I only missed it by a little over 3 minutes in the extreme heat. By Fall, I may actually be looking to run a 3:45 or even a 3:40. Although I have to "get back up there," I don't think I need to worry about multiple BQ attempts for 2010.
5. I want ripped arms. Ok, silly, I know. (Just wait until you read tomorrow's post.) But, I never wanted to add any bulk for marathon training. Nor did I really care that my arms are absolute sticks at the time. But, frankly, I'll need the muscle mass to help with the lactic acid processing. I'm going to continue the arms and shoulders workouts I've been doing these past two weeks through this training, and bump it up a level. While I'm thrilled with how I look from the core down, now I can work on the rest.
   

There are other reasons as well, but these are a few key ones. I know it's probably also going to take more than a few attempts to pull it off. I'm not going out there in 8 weeks and knocking 98 seconds off my 5K PR--even in my dreams. But, I like to dream big. And, I'm confident I'll get there!