It’s Wednesday and I’m joining in on the Wednesday Word link up, hosted by Debbie. Each week Deb provides a word prompt for us to write about. This week’s word is quality. Click on the button below to see who else is linking up today and to join in!

I hate the term ‘junk miles’ and the notion that the only type of beneficial run is one with a purpose. As a matter of fact, I do not believe in junk miles. Easy runs are just as important as those quality runs (i.e. speed work, hill repeats, long runs, etc.). They have their own purpose, by giving you the chance to actively recover. Not to mention, if you make every single run some type of workout, you may see improvement initially but it will almost always lead to injury. Sometimes I think that cutting out all easy runs, because they’re “junk miles,” is really just another way of people trying to do the least to gain the most.

I have always been a critic of the thought that every run has to have some purpose. My opinion on easy runs being an important part of training was definitely solidified when I read the Hansons Marathon Method book and followed their training plan for the Marine Corps Marathon in 2014. You could say I drank the Kool Aid. Their theory is that easy running provides its own set of physiological benefits. Bear in mind easy running doesn’t necessarily mean slow. It means an easier pace than your other workouts. Those easy runs also help build your mileage volume slowly, allowing you to reach new mileage highs, as I experienced through my training.

 

When it comes to quality versus quantity while training for a long distance event, I think they are mutually inclusive concepts . You need those quality workouts to help build speed and strength. They make up the top of the training pyramid. But the base of that pyramid is made up of easy runs, and it’s where the quantity part comes in. The bottom line is that each run should have a purpose in relation to your training. When you look at easy runs by themselves, they may not seem to have a purpose. But when you think in terms of the big picture and your training as a whole, those runs allow you to improve your aerobic abilities, recover from other workouts, and build your endurance.

What are your thoughts on the term “junk miles?”
What do you think on quality versus quantity in relation to training?

I’m linking up today with HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin’ (whom I failed to mention last week both finished their first full marathons at the Disney World Marathon!!) for their Weekly Wrap link up. This is a recap of week number 3 of 15 for The North Face Endurance Challenge Series 50K.

I switched my schedule around a lot this week to accommodate traveling for work. I moved my hill run to Monday, made Tuesday a rest day, switched an easy run (and skipped strength training!) to Wednesday, rest Thursday, did a little strength training Friday, and then swapped my two long runs on Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t actually do any of my workouts on the planned day. But I wrote the plan so I’m entitled to mix it up (so millennial, so entitled 😉 ).

Monday – 5 mile hill workout with Sven in the morning before driving up to Richmond for work. I covered 350 feet in elevation gain over 4 hill repeats. I normally do more hill repeats, but this was my third day in a row running (with the first of the three days being my 15 miler) and my legs were tired.

Tuesday – Rest. I had considered doing some strength training in my hotel room… and then chose to hang out with coworkers instead.

Wednesday – 3 mile easy run in the evening with Sven the treadmill after driving home from Richmond. I was supposed to do strength training, too, but I was tired and I skipped it.

Thursday – Rest.

Friday – Strength training. 10 minutes of abs and my usual squat/lunge/push up circuit. I was also supposed to run 3 easy miles buuuut I skipped that. Are you seeing a theme??

Saturday – 6 mile run in the morning with Kim at our usual spot. For some reason my ankles and Achilles randomly felt very tight and sore.

Sunday – 10 mile long run in the afternoon at the nearby state park. Barry came too, but ran separate from me. We had snow flurries in the morning and parts of the trail were covered in snow, but for the most part I was running on soft and/or frozen mud.

This run was a tough one for me. Mentally, I just did not feel like being out there at all. I had no desire to be running. But that’s no reason not to get the run done. I was very tempted to cut the run short, but I had already skipped one run this week so I wasn’t going to do that. But boy was it tough to make myself keep going.

I got it done, though. And it really was a pretty day to be out in the woods.

Total Miles: 24 miles

This week was my first weekend with the back to back long runs. It’s not a new concept for me, having followed the Hansons Marathon Method training for Marine Corps in 2014. However, it’s been awhile since I did one of these. My legs felt alright, but it’s going to take me some time to mentally adjust. Unlike Hansons, I had planned to do my longer run on Saturday and my shorter run Sunday, but I swapped them to run with Kim (I had also considered getting my 10 miler done Friday before Saturday’s 6 miler, but that didn’t happen!). The main point of back to backs is to teach yourself how to run on legs that are already tired. I think I’m still accomplishing that no matter which order they’re in. Although, once they get longer I think I’ll aim to do the longer one on Saturday and the shorter one on Sunday.

How do you motivate yourself when mentally you’re just not feeling your workout?
Who else saw some (or a lot of) snow flurries this week?

P.S. I recently did a bunch of updates on my blog (always scary!). I think everything is fine, but please let me know if you run into any issues.

With the start of the new year, many are probably beginning training plans for spring races. I’ve always chosen fall races in the past, to avoid having to follow a training plan during the cold and snowy months. But this year, I’ve got things to train for this spring and plenty of long runs ahead of me through this winter. Here are my tips for a successful long run:

1. Break it up into manageable chunks. A 20 mile run doesn’t seem so daunting when it’s 7 miles, 7 miles, then 5 miles. Just focus on the segment you’re in and don’t worry about the run as a whole. I originally picked this tip up from Coach Holly. You can also break up a run by running different loops within a trail system.

2. Focus on time. If you don’t have to go a specific distance, I find it helps to head out for a run based on time. Or if you are running a specific distance, focus on the amount of time you’ve been running, instead of how many miles you have left.

For me, the amount of time I’ve been out there is a motivating thing. Knowing I’ve been running for two hours gives me a boost to keep going.

3. Pay attention to your hydration and nutrition. Make sure you drink and eat as needed. This is the time to keep yourself going and figure out what works for you come race day. You can also play little games, like taking a sip of water every half mile, to help you keep going when a run gets tough.

4. Bring a buddy. They help the time pass and they can help keep you going. Or, if all else fails just remember that misery loves company.

5. Know what works for you and play to your strengths. When it comes to a long run you need to do what works for you. If you love exploring new places, a long run is a great time to do that. If exploring new places is out of your comfort zone, save that for shorter runs and go somewhere familiar. I like doing my long runs at familiar trails because I know where the rough spots will be, have familiar land marks, etc.

What are your tips for a long run/workout?

Happy Wednesday! Many of us are headed towards a long weekend, the first break since the beginning of 2016. Here in Virginia, we get an extra long weekend because we celebrate Lee-Jackson Day on Friday and then Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday. If you have a long weekend coming up, I hope it’s a good one! In the meantime, I’m linking up with Debbie for her Wednesday Word link up.

This week’s word is accountable.

What keeps me accountable? Having a race on the schedule, a plan to follow (even if it’s not a formal training plan), a log to write down my workouts, and a running buddy to meet up with. All of these things combine to get me out the door, even on the days when I don’t want to.

Having a race (or several races) on the calendar is definitely a great motivator. Although many of us have put 2015 in the rearview mirror, I wanted to take a minute to review my 2015 racing. I made this little pictogram in 2014 and decided to do it again to review my racing this past year.

I had a hard time choosing my favorites, so I had to combine my favorites with the accomplishments I was most proud of. Hence the RNUTS trail series and the Ragnar trail (both new experiences this year). Honorable mention went to Blue Ridge (a road race that is really more like a trail race, because of its elevation), but I also really had a blast running the Hokie Half with my little sister and loved this year’s shirt.

As you can see, I put a lot of focus on trails this past year, and that definitely leads into goals I have for this year!

How do you stay accountable?
How was your 2015 year in racing?

Wow? Only week two of training… it feels like much longer for some reason. Probably because of all of the base training, I guess. This past week was much better than week one. I’m linking up today with MissSippiPiddlin’ and HoHo Runs for their Weekly Wrap link up to recap week #2 of 50K training.

Monday – Rest.

Tuesday – 2 mile run with Sven (the treadmill), followed by a strength training session. My strength training included 10 minutes of abs, and a circuit of lunges, squats, and push ups.

Wednesday – 4 mile hill workout with Sven. I had 503 vertical feet in elevation gain during the run. I wasn’t sure if I was doing a good job simulating these hill workouts on Sven, so I looked up my Garmin data for the last hill workout I did outside (on Dec. 30). That run was 5 miles and I covered 518 feet in elevation. So that makes me feel like I’m coming relatively close on the treadmill, at least. 🙂

Thursday – Strength training: 10 minutes of abs and the same lunge/squat/push up circuit as Tuesday.

Friday – Rest.

Saturday – 15 mile long run on trails at Pandapas pond. This run went pretty well. Don’t get me wrong, it was a tough run, but it felt great to cover the distance after missing my long run last weekend.

This was a solo run and I’m still dealing with the whole dog issue a bit. However, I’ve now watched two great videos on how to protect yourself when you encounter a dog (this one and this one) that made me feel better. I guess I needed to get to a point where I accepted that yes, this could happen but here’s what I’ll do if it does, instead of simply being afraid. I also reached out to Logan, who runs a lot of trails for advice and who has been bitten by a dog while running before. Her advice was similar to what I had done – to acknowledge the fear and have a plan in place if something does happen. It helped to have her qualify that, though. Sometimes you just need to hear things from other people.

I never needed to use my pepper spray on this run, and I had numerous encounters with loose dogs. I just remembered my plan and paid close attention to the body language of the dogs. The only time I started to get freaked out was the 4 miles I spent running around the higher elevations on the mountain where it was so foggy there was basically zero visibility. That meant I had less time to react. But I just kept reviewing my plan in my head and nothing ever happened while I was in the fog anyway.

I had a pretty tough 2 mile climb up the mountain from mile 3.5 to about 5.5, where I alternated running and hiking. I felt like it went well, though, and I need to work on improving my hiking speed anyway. Overall, I covered 1770 feet in elevation gain, according to my Garmin. The 50K looks to have about 1300 feet, so hopefully I’m doing enough to prepare for that.

I felt pretty strong on this run up until mile 9 or 10 (even after the climb). That’s when the fatigue really set in and I had to really focus to keep running. I considered calling it at mile 13 and mile 14 (after missing last week’s long run), but decided I wanted to do the full 15 miles. Good thing, too, or I would have missed this Charlie Brown tree hiding just off of the trail!

My final two miles went back through the parking lot (and past my car, ugh!) and around the pond. It’s basically flat, except it is uphill back to the parking lot. It’s not a big hill, but it feels like it after 3 hours of running. By the way, Tailwind is magic and I’m really starting to like that stuff and use it more!

Sunday – 3 mile run with Kim at a nearby park. Surprisingly I didn’t feel all that tired or sore after Saturday’s run. I think it helped that a. it wasn’t on pavement and b. the elevation varied a lot which meant I was using lots of different muscle groups. I definitely felt more sore after our run, though! 🙂 It was also in the upper 30’s, super windy, and flurrying a bit at the end, which made for a pretty cold run.

I had an easy hike on the schedule, but I did plenty of hiking the day before. Plus I wanted to run with Kim 🙂

Total Miles: 24

If you run on the treadmill, how do you stay entertained? I usually watch TV or a movie. Lately, I’ve been working my way through Hunger Games.
What is your least favorite type of weather to run/workout in?