My Rookie Mistakes

I have been having some trouble lately coming up with topics to write about here on my blog. I think it is just that my brain is overtaxed at the present time. I am in the middle of rehearsals for “The Importance of Being Earnest” with the River’s Edge Players in Hudson, MA. I have the privilege of playing John ("Jack") Worthing in the production. It is taking a lot of brainpower to memorize the lines and perfect my British accent. So, forgive me for not posting as often as I have in the past.

While driving home the other night after a long rehearsal, I was racking my brain trying to think of interesting topics related to running. I wondered whether or not I had ever blogged about common mistakes that runners should avoid. I know that as I look back at my running logs, I have made many mistakes during my training and racing over the years. Fortunately for me none of these mistakes have resulted in injuries. But, they certainly affected the outcomes of my training runs and in some cases my performance in the race. I thought I would share some of the common mistakes I made in hopes that you can avoid them in your training and racing.

Running in Old Shoes

When I first started out, I assumed that you ran in your shoes until they were completely worn out. I would buy my shoes at the local sporting goods store and run in them until they had no heel and the uppers were threadbare. No one ever told me that there was a life cycle to the shoes I was running in and I certainly never bought my shoes from a running store. But, I did notice that when I would get a new pair of shoes my minor aches and pains seemed to go away immediately. For some reason, I never connected the fact that the pains would go away every time I put on a new pair of running shoes.

Finally, as I became a more knowledgeable runner, I found learned that a good rule of thumb is to change out your shoes about every 300-350 miles. Some shoes can go a little longer depending on the brand. Your running store will always have a knowledgeable salesperson that can help you not only with the fit but also let you know how long your shoes should last based on your training schedule. Remember that as you run in your shoes the cushioning becomes more and more compressed. It is this loss of cushioning that lead to most injuries.

I usually buy two pair of the same shoe and rotate them each day. This allows them to decompress and dry out between workouts. It also reduces the number of visits I have to make to my local running store. Plus, I always have a dry pair of shoes to run in which can be important in the wet winter weather here in New England. So, don’t chintz on your shoes. It is really the only piece of equipment you have to buy and one of the key items that can help reduce the possibility of injury.

Upper Body Form

Until I started reading Runner’s World magazine, I didn’t think too much about my running form at all. I just ran and my arms would flail as I ran. After reading one of the many articles on running form, I did notice that my side to side swing would actually cause me to slouch a little too much which the article said inhibits your breathing. I decided to try and correct my form which is not an easy task. It took several months before I was able to run more upright and to drop my hands to waist level without thinking about it.

Today, I run with very little upper body movement at all. My arms are at a 90 degree angle with my elbows at my sides. I try to keep my arms loose and I do not clench my fists. I try to always keep my hands open and loose. They are at waist level and typically brush across my hip only slightly. I try not to swing my arms at all during my run. I try to imagine that there is a vertical line splitting my body in half and don’t let my hands cross that line. This keeps me compact and with very little upper body movement. Once this form became natural, I noticed that as I tire near the end of a run that I would start to slouch again. So in order to avoid any to neck, shoulder, and lower-back pain from slouching, I just pushing my chest out and it gets me back to form.

Hydration

When I first started running in the Texas and then Florida heat, I never took any water with me and never would drink before a run as I did not like the liquid sloshing around in my belly. But, I soon learned that I lost a lot of fluid during my runs. As a result, I would suffer from dehydration which is not a good thing. With some help from fellow runners who told me about weighing yourself before and after a run to judge how much fluid you are sweating out, I started to pay attention to what and how much I would drink before, during and after my runs.

To know how much fluid you need to consume, you need to learn your sweat rate.

“To determine how much liquid to take during a run or race, you need to know your sweat rate, and that can vary between 1 to 4 quarts per hour. Weigh yourself nude before a timed training run, and then again after. One pound of weight loss equals 1 pint of water loss. Calculate your sweat rate and use this to determine your fluid needs during a run or race. For example, if you lose 2 pounds during an hour run, that's 2 pints or 32 ounces. Thus, you need 8 ounces of water or sports beverage every 15 minutes.”

(Hydration 101: How to Stay Hydrated Before, During, and After Your Runs
By Christine Luff, About.com)

Since I know my sweat rate, I typically will drink about 16 ounces of water before heading out for my run. Then I sip 6 to 8 ounces of fluid every 30 minutes during my medium long runs (no more than 6 miles). During my long runs (7 miles up to 20 miles), I typically bring some Gatorade which allows me to replace my electrolytes. When I return from my runs, I always drink a 50/50 mix of Gatorade and water. I know I am rehydrated when I am peeing clearly and copiously.

Clothing

I have written extensively about what type of clothing I wear in the winter. But, I still see runners out on the road in who are simply wearing the wrong type or too much or too little clothing for the weather conditions. I know that they are uncomfortable and as I discussed in another post could be setting themselves up for either hypothermia or heat stroke.

Regardless of the season, I always stick to technical fabrics such as DryFit, Thinsulate, Thermax, CoolMax, polypropylene, or silk. I watch for sales at my local sporting good store as these types of clothing can be expensive. But, it is well worth the expense. Technical fabrics wick the sweat away from your body which keeps you dry and comfortable. I can’t stress this enough. Wet clothes are dangerous in winter conditions and downright heavy in the summer both of which make for a very uncomfortable run.

Starting Too Fast

Like most runners, when it comes to race day, I am so amped up that I forget my plan to start slow and gradually increase my speed until I am running at pace. But, you can also go out too fast on your training runs. The problem is that you always feel great during the first few miles only to find yourself bonking and struggling during the last few miles. I found this to be the case even on my training runs. I have to admit that I still do this on occasion but a lot less frequently.

What I try to do at a race or during a long training run is to really focus on running my first mile at 1 to 1.5 minutes slower than I my goal pace for the entire run. It is really hard to run that slow because I am always feeling so strong when I head out. But, what I have found since sticking to this plan is that I almost always run a slightly negative split during my training runs. Since then, I have also noticed I can run more consistently in races. I have read that for every second you go out too fast in the first half of your race, you'll lose double that amount of time in the second half of your race.

Overtraining

I can attest to the fact that you can overtrain for specific races or set certain goals that force you to run too hard or too many miles, and don't allow you the proper recovery time. I am sure that this is the reason that I was not able to reach my goal of running a 4 hour marathon until I learned to train and recover properly. Luckily, I never sustained an injury. As most runners know, it is a fact that overtraining is the leading cause of injury and burnout.

I learned through trial and error several things that have helped me avoid overtraining. First, I stick to the 10% rule. I never increase my weekly mileage increase by more than 10%. Second, when I am feeling particularly sluggish and unmotivated, I throw in a rest week where I drop my mileage back slightly and don’t do any speed work. Finally, I always schedule rest days and never miss them. I typically schedule my rest day for the day after a speed session or long tempo run. This allows me the important recovery time before getting back on the road.

Not Fueling Enough

As many of you know, I went on Weight Watchers to lose weight prior to heading out for a 14 day backpacking trip at Philmont Scout Ranch. The Weight Watchers program taught me many things. But, most importantly, I taught me the importance of nutrition, for both my health and ultimately my running performance. During my weight loss phase, I learned how hard it is to keep up a running regimen if you are not taking in enough of the right calories. I learned that what and when I ate had a huge effect on my running performance and ultimately my recovery after particularly hard efforts.

Now prior to runs of over 6 miles, I eat a light snack (usually a granola bar or banana) about 1 hour before I run. I have tried to eat during my really long training runs but have found that I can’t really handle it. So, instead I replace some of the calories I am losing through Gatorade or PowerAde. The rule of thumb I use is to take in about 100 calories after about an hour of running and then another 100 calories every 40-45 minutes after that. If your stomach can handle solid food while running, by all means, bring along GU, Cliff shots, Sports Beans or other items you can pick up at your local running store.

The other thing that I do religiously is replenish my energy as quickly as possible after my runs. I have read that muscles are most receptive to rebuilding glycogen within the first 30 minutes after exercise. Therefore, I try to eat as soon as I can after my workout. I typically eat carbs. But, my favorite post long run meal is a toasted bagel with an Egg Beater and slice of non-fat cheddar cheese with a glass of Pineapple/Orange juice. Most runners say that you should eat at least 1 gram of protein for every 3 grams of carbs you consume after your work out. Please never follow any type of low-carb diet when training for a half or full marathon. Runners need carbohydrates in their diet as they are a runner’s most important source of fuel.

I hope that my experiences will help you in your training and ensure that you avoid many of the rookie mistakes I made when I started my running life. If you have any mistakes that you have learned from that you would like to share, please feel free to post a comment here on my blog. I am sure that the 3 or 4 runners who follow this blog could benefit from your expertise.

Here are my training totals:
Feb. 14 – 10.20 miles (1:32:03, 9:01 pace)
Feb. 16 – 5.00 miles (49:48, 9:58 pace) – Orlando, FL
Feb. 18 – 4.20 miles (40:28, 10:27 pace) – Orlando, FL
Feb. 21 – 7.00 miles (1:00:20, 8:37 pace)
Feb. 22 – 6.20 miles (54:08, 8:43 pace)
Feb. 23 – 5.00 miles (40:36, 8:07 pace) – Mile Repeats @ 7:13 pace
Feb. 25 – 6.20 miles (51:56, 8:23 pace) – Tempo Run
Feb. 26 – 6.20 miles (53:54, 8:41 pace)
Feb. 27 – 10.20 miles (1:30:22, 8:51 pace)
Feb. 28 – 11.00 miles (1:39:25, 9:02 pace)
Mar. 1 – 6.20 miles (59:00, 9:31 pace) – Sick w/cold
Mar. 4 – 5.10 miles (45:19, 8:53 pace) – Sick w/cold
Mar. 5 – 6.20 miles (55:30, 8:57 pace) – Better
Mar. 6 – 10.40 miles (1:33:253, 8:59 pace)

Total Miles: 99.10 miles
2010 YTD Miles: 276.80 miles