Take It and Run Thursday: Slaying the Long Run Dragon

It has been a while since I have participated in the Runner's Lounge TIART. This week's topic is Slaying the Long Run Dragon.

I don't think I have slayed all my running dragons, but the thought of a long run no longer brings me dread. In my book, that is a success. In fact, I have progressed to a point where I often look forward to my long runs. Even when I am not training for anything in particular, I try to run at least eight miles on the weekend. It is amazing, actually. Just two years ago, I was completing my first 10K. Now, that is an easy run for me. There are a few things that make my long runs pleasant.

My iPod is a key component to my transition to a lover of long runs. I know that there are plenty of running purists out there who eschew music while running. They state that you can't focus on your breathing, can't hear traffic, don't get in touch with your inner Chi... yada, yada, yada. I rarely want to hear my breathing and when I do, I pull my earphones off or turn it down or just pay attention. I never have it loud enough not to hear the environment around me. And sometimes, I like to just escape and not think about anything... especially my Chi or lack thereof.

I have recently been just hitting shuffle on my iPod and getting surprised at the songs that come on. I save my playlists for races or specific workouts. The only problem with the shuffle method is that I often have to fast forward through a kids' song (there is nothing very motivating about "Zippedy Do Dah" during a long run) or a chapter of a book on tape that I have from the library.* For the most part, however, I enjoy hearing a song I haven't heard in a while.

I also use my iPod to listen to books on tape. I only listen to these during long slow runs or recovery runs, for the most part. I don't listen to books often, but they are nice for a day when I really want to take it easy. I find it very difficult to pick up the pace or focus on laps if I am listening to a book. I listened to Confessions of a Shopaholic and was very annoyed by the end of it. I think if I were reading it, I could have skimmed through the annoying parts and enjoyed the book more. Stephanie Meyer's The Host, on the other hand, was an incredibly enjoyable read. It is hit and miss, but I do like having choices to keep me company on those long runs.

Speaking of company, the best long runs are with other people. I ran several of my marathon long runs with my friend Laura. It is nice to chat with someone and it keeps us going at a nice easy pace. Even when we are wanting to run at different paces, it is nice to know that there is someone waiting for you around the next bend or at the car. Recently, I have put together some group runs. I never knew how much fun these runs could be. My friends call me a little rabbit, bouncing from one mini-group to the next, touching base with everyone. I think these group runs are fun for them, as well. We have had two and it seems like everyone has fallen into an easy pace group with one or more people. Running in a group like this not only makes it fun, but it keeps you going when it gets tough. I think you are more likely to quit or take the shortcut back to the car if you are by yourself without anyone (but yourself) to hold you accountable.

Finally, what has really helped me slay my long run dragon is my sanity. If someone is looking for motivation to go out on a two-hour run, he/she should go out and get a couple of small children, unemployment, and a shrinking bank account. Sometimes my long runs are my only time to myself and the time when I forget about my stress and just run. I often feel guilty taking time to myself. Most things that I would want to do (a massage, a pedicure, shopping) take money we don't have right now, but even taking a bath or watching a movie makes me feel guilty. But I never feel guilty going for my run. The longer the better sometimes, so I can clear my head and be a better mother, wife etc. My husband and kids encourage me to go out on my runs.

Nothing I do to slay that dragon is new. It works for me. What works for you?


*Books on tape that come on CD and are not in MP3 format don't go into the Audiobook portion of my iPod (at least I haven't figured out how to do it). I have to put them into their own "playlist."

The fun little 5K

Today's Take It and Run topic on Runners' Lounge is 5K/10K races. My first race ever was a 10K. It made realize that I could run further, even though it was pretty tough. My second 10K was shortly after the marathon. It was hot and harder than I had planned (after all, I had just run a marathon....sheesh!), so I haven't fallen in love with this distance yet. For some reason, I don't have a lot of desire to do a lot of 10K races.

The 5K, however, is easy to love. It works well with one of my biggest shortfalls- going out too fast. In a 5K, I can practically sprint the entire thing. I can go out with the crowd and succumb to the added adrenaline and have a fast first mile. I can settle into a nice pace for the second mile and then give it everything I have for the last one. No matter how bad I feel, I know I only have a relatively short time left. I can do anything for twenty-five minutes, right?

I never thought that I would enjoy 5K's. I always thought that distance was better for fast runners. Doing my first after running every other distance gave me a very pleasant surprise. Three miles was always my "recovery" run or my "easy" run. To push myself to run harder and faster for that short distance felt great.

One of the other things I love about 5Ks is that I'll be able to talk my friends into running them. Just about all my friends can run three miles. When I try to talk them into signing up for a 10K or half marathon, I get a lot less enthusiasm-- if not full-fledged fear. With a 5K we can all meet up at the beginning, run our own race and meet up again at the end.

A 5K is a wonderful way to support local charities. From Race for the Cure to the Race for Literacy, there seems to be a 5K run for every cause. I think I want to run a 5K race every Thanksgiving from now on. It was not only a good cause (helping the homeless), but a fantastic way to start the day. I felt great all day on Thanksgiving this year. I was energized and felt pretty proud of myself for getting up at o'dark-thirty to run in the rain while the rest of my family slept in.

I think the sweet little 5K might be seeing more of me this year. It is usually budget-friendly, schedule-friendly and a lot of fun.

Training plans

Today's Runner's Lounge Take It and Run Thursday topic is "Training Plans Do's and Don'ts." While I am still technically a newbie to all of this, I do have an opinion on it (as I do everything else). First, I need a training plan. Without one, I feel like I am clueless, without any direction. When I am not working toward a race with a specific plan at my desk or on my fridge, I don't know how far I should run (or when or even if I should run). Left to my own devices, I would probably run three miles every time during the week and eight on Sunday. I definitely wouldn't have woken up at 5:15 a.m. yesterday morning to do a five mile tempo run. I wouldn't even know where to start with speed work.

Right now I am mostly using the Runner's World Smart Coach half marathon plan using my 5K time to give me pace goals. I also printed up Hal Higdon's Intermediate Half Marathon Training Plan as an additional resource. I figure between the two of them, I'll find what works for me. Plans are a guide for me, not the law. I know that other people do better when following the plans exactly. When we were training for the marathon, it was really important to Laura to get in all the mileage our plan called for in a given week. She would make special efforts to run that extra mile or two so that our totals were correct each week. Me, I sometimes cut out a mile or two and figured I would make it up with a good Stroller Strides workout. Toward the end of the marathon training, a couple of us cut out a short Friday run to avoid burnout and injury.

I plan on training smarter this next marathon. Last year, it was all about building endurance and having the confidence to get to the starting line. This time, we will build skill and strength as well as endurance. I am a few weeks from starting. I'll use a combination of Higdon, Runner's World and some workouts from Brain Training for Runners develop our plan. Even after we develop our training plan, we'll change it as needed as we go along.