8/24-8/30 Consistency

 8/24 rest

8/25 11 around Gaston MS

8/26 11 around Gaston MS

8/27 11 around Gaston MS

8/28 11 around Gaston MS

8/29 20 miles around WRL to Baylor

8/30 20 miles around WRL to Baylor

Total 85 miles

Overall the week was good.  Felt good on the weekday runs and Saturday had a big heat wave.  The 20 miler yesterday was tough, ended up with a headache due to the heat.  But today it was completely different, rained for most of the run and it was nice and cool, even had a jacket on the whole time!  The miles seemed good and I was able to continue with getting the mileage I want.  The 85 was a good number for me as I did 90 the previous week.  In two weeks will do the virtual Boston Marathon, so with the mileage I'm feeling assured.

Consistency

One of the things I'm learning especially with the pandemic is the importance of routine.  I reflect back in the past and see that many times I would try and find certain workouts or certain things to implement in order to experiment with.  As I get older and gain more experience, I'm starting to see the importance of Occam's Razor, in my case keeping it simple works.  As you have probably notices if you have read some of the past weeks, all the mileage looks very similar with little modification.  I got asked this morning when I was doing tempo workouts and my answer was I wasn't.  My goal right not is to keep it simple and focus on the mileage.  Once I get closure to some of the races and it starts to get cooler I will likely start to add some of faster paces depending on the racing schedule I start to develop.  But as of right now I just want to keep a consistency.

I'm learning that regularity trumps any workout that I can implement, and the simpler I make it the more likely I am to get it done.  I'm looking at 2-3 year long term plan so some of the work that I'm doing now is for that longer vision plan.  This is turn has helped me not let down, due to factors that I cannot control.  For example, I cannot control which races get canceled or which races will be held; but one thing I can control is my training and my mileage and as long as I control that then when the races do start to be held in person I know I will be ready.

Looking Ahead

I'm excited as the cooler weather approaches and I go out to low 70s F.  Even if I do not race in the fall, I certainly plan to enjoy the fall and winter and hope to be ready for races when they return to in person.  My confidence is gaining as I continue to be consistence and I think psychologically this is helpful as it give me momentum to stay with the mileage.  Confidence and consistency go together and I'm starting to see the relationship.  Also I cannot thank my training partner enough for the back to back 20 miles on the weekend.  Knowing that I have someone that is as motivated as I am to get 40 miles on the weekend definitely helps with my motivation. We all have challenges and set backs, little injuries or challenges that we face, but keeping each other accountable has helped. I certainly miss the races such as the DRC club races, but realize that those are things that are not in my control.

Final Thoughts

I'm learning that consistency is important and the best training plans are those that get done.  I'm looking forward to cooler weather and feel confident as I continue to get the mileage.  I'm starting to look at potential races for the fall/winter, and I'm excited to see that there will be several options available at least for now.  In a normal year summer racing wasn't as common for me due to the weather so I think this has been a good time to train.

Don't remember the year of this picture put it was one of the DRC club races.

August 17-23 Flow

  Runs

August 17 Rest 

August 18 13 miles around Gaston MS

August 19 13 miles around Gaston MS

August 20 13 miles around Gaston MS

August 21 11.4 miles around Gaston MS

August 22 20.2 WRL to Baylor Hospital

August 23 20.2 WRL to Baylor Hospital

Total 90.9 miles

What a difference as week makes!  This week felt much better in general.  Early morning miles were in cool 70 degree weather which was much different than last week.  The miles felt smoother and as you can see I was able to bump up the mileage almost 11 more than the usual.  I haven't written about it before, but I'm 4 weeks out from the Boston Marathon virtual run. Not really sure how to run it at this point, but I think a lot of it will be dependent on factors such as weather.  It will be my first virtual run, so I hope it will turn to a good experience.  Luckily several clubs around Dallas, have volunteered to assist with hydration centers which is very much appreciate it.

The mental game

So as most of you know my profession is as a mental health professional, and I try and apply many of the mental health concepts into the world of running.  One thing that particularly stood out this week was the concept of 'Flow.'  Which can be defined as a state of pure enjoyment in which one has mastered a task and has reached a level in which something difficult has become significantly easier.  In other words flow is a state of concentration when one masters a task.  The concept was made famous by the Russian Psychologist Dr. Csikzentmihalyi's.  If you haven't read the best seller it is definitely worth a read.

As the weather cooled this week, I was reminded of the concept in several ways.  First, the runs this week just felt easier, especially when I look back two weeks ago.  Second, many of the runs I was just lost in time.  During the week, I would stop counting laps and it just felt like my legs were moving effortlessly.  Finally, the mental state I though in general was much better and I was able to think clearer and asses different things have been going on in my head.  For example some of the anxiety I've been having due to the pandemic I was able to process during that time and I think it certainly helped.

The Flow Chart

This week was a good reminder of the different emotions one can experience when running and how these emotions affect the perception of a run.  When one reaches a high level of control and relaxation one is able to process things in a more congruent manner in which they can problem solve and are more aware of situations that they can control.  The chart was a great reminder of my goals and the reason for why I continue to work towards them.

Thinking Clearly

One thing that has really helps me more than any physical benefit I think when running is the notion of thinking clearly.  Sometimes when I get so caught up in a problem it can be very easy to deviate from the reality and to take a path that hinders the problem solving process.  It has been through engaging in exercise that I have had my best ideas, and some of the issues I have faced I have been able to gain a greater perspective just by running.  The thoughts become more manageable and the locus of control begins to take shape.  If I were to pin point one of the main benefits of running, I think this notion of reaching flow and being able to process situations better would probably be on the top of my list.

Not Linear

As this chart illustrates this process is not linear.  Much like running and being able to achieve peak performance most of the time it is not a linear process.  As I ran the Houston Marathon in January of this year I was on pace to attempt to break my Personal Record, until I hit miles 20+, I was certain I was in peak shape and even though I wasn't able to break my all time PR I did run my second best marathon ever. Looking back I don't regret a thing and I was glad I was able to challenge the time to my limit.  So keeping things in perspective is important, and I certainly think that as I continue to put in the mileage and the work, a PR in the near future is certainly realistic even if that PR is from 2012.

Final Thoughts

The week has reminded me of many things.  One of those is the one of the main influences for my why?  Overall the weather assisted and the added mileage has given me confidence that I am able to continue go get the mileage and the runs in. Thank you for reading my thoughts and all the best!

Houston Marathon 2020

August 10-16 Question & Honesty

 August 10 rest

August 11 11 miles Around Gaston MS

August 12 11 miles Around Gaston MS

August 1312.5 miles Around Gaston MS

August 14 13 miles Around Gaston MS

August 15 16 miles Around Gaston MS & Forest Hills

August 16 16 miles Around Gaston MS & Forest Hills

80 miles total

So this week was HOT! All of the six runs this week I ended up completely drenched with sweat.  Some of the runs I had to leave the school early to either head home or run the extra miles in more shaded areas.  I know long term these runs will help, but in the moment the heat is definitely tough. In order to cope with the triple digits, I have started taking my water bottle one every run.  Before that I would only carry the water bottle on longer runs.  I'm also taking salt pills every day, and adding gu's as needed.  I bough some boxes of cliff GU's and they certainly help especially for the longer runs to give me a bit of a boost. I also tend to sweat a great deal so certainly trying to take precautions with the heat.  The good news is that next week seems to be cooler with a low of 74 instead of the 82's this week, so certainly looking forward to the cooler weather.

Curious why no concern about pace and also why no recovery run, tempo run etc. is this simply a different method? As I want to improve should I simply just add more slow mileage or do you think different types of runs are better?

So last week I received a multipart question and I decided to try and answer it as best as I could on this week entry.  The first part of the questions deals with differentiation of runs.  So in many training plans you have intervals, hill, tempo, fartlek workouts which are considered in one form or another speed development training.  The question asked why I wasn't running any of those types of workout.  The answer is simple that I'm working on my base phase per Lydiard's training and my main concern is to get the mileage and time on my feet.  Also because of the summer heat in Dallas, it's just tough to do any speed workout so I have to choose what to focus on.  Arthur Lydiard mentions how miles and getting a foundation is the crucial part to any training program.  Once the weather cools naturally my training runs become faster and I start to pick up the pace.  

Also related to this I'm not concerned about pace, because as mentioned previously the weather is a factor and I'm just wanting time on my feet.  For myself I'm not looking at changing paces in a race, for the races I have done I have a set heart rate and I attempt to stay within a range.  For a competitive athlete who is looking at winning a marathon for example this would certainly be different.

The next part is more difficult to answer.  I cannot say what others should or shouldn't do since what may work for me won't necessarily work for others.  I would just encourage others to look are your running history and see what has worked and hasn't worked in the past.  Also I like to look at thing in the long term since I have been running for 20+ years now.  Most of what I do is looking at the long term and trying to see how I am able to improve/sustain performance throughout the years. I have seen many local runners with great talent come and go, and I certainly would rather have a long term approach to running, since it has certainly benefited me in many aspects of my life. Thanks for the question.

Being Honest with Yourself

So this week I have been contemplating the idea of being honest.  Honesty is difficult and many people don't want to hear or face the truth.  I'll admit that many times I have not been honest with myself and have been in a state of lying for several reasons.  For example, not accepting your level of fitness, or not acknowledging what your body is feeling.  By not being honest with yourself you put yourself in a position of increasing things like injury, burn out, or simply not enjoying running.

When I was a younger runner I now look back and see how not being honest with myself affected my training.  Many times I was not honest with my own training and pretended that I was in a certain shape when I wasn't.  In a race I only ended up disappointed as ultimately the truth prevailed.  Running is a neat sport because it forces you to be honest with yourself and eventually the truth comes out.

As I reflect on this week I'm  realizing to be congruent with myself and being okay with certain things.  Even if it's not the way I want it or would like to see it, I'm learning just to accept it and work towards something better if it is not satisfactory for certain reasons. As mentioned above it's not that I don't care about my pace, at a certain level I do care since I would like to continue to challenge my PR; but I acknowledge that factors that I cannot control such as the weather are hindering the pace and how my body reacts to how fast the body moves.

When one is posing or not being honest with oneself in order to put a front, it will only lead to disappointment in the long term.  This is something difficult since it's easier to pretend than to be honest with yourself.  Many time if you lie to yourself enough times you will start to believe them and take them a real thing.  But being okay with yourself and then working towards things you would like to improve I believe is a lot more healthy and productive to actual level 2 change.

Final Thoughts

Thank you for the question last week, don't claim to be a coach, nor am I interested as in running you have to focus on yourself.  Just want to share my ideas and have a reflective journal especially in these changing times.  Isn't that what being honest is all about?  As always thank you for reading and all the best!

Maraton Tangamanga 2019

August 3-9 Efficiency

 August 3 Rest

August 4 13 miles

August 5 Rest

August 6 13 miles Around Gaston MS

August 7 14 miles Around Gaston MS

August 8 21 miles Around white rock to Baylor loop

August 9 20 miles Around white rock to Baylor loop

Total 81 miles

Overall the week was good.  Allergies and heat are still a issue but like with any challenge I'm learning to adapt.  Fatigue was an issue, but I'm learning to slow my pace and focus on how my body is feeling.  Calf was sore this week but after massaging and stretching it seemed to get better.

Repetitive Motion

Like any sport with repetitive motion technique is important.  For example in the game of tennis if one is to overuse the wrist in the hitting motion which is common you will likely get tennis elbow.  Same goes for running and unbeknownst to most it starts at the top.  So for most adults the head weights about 5 kg or 11 lbs. It is common to see things like head bobble, head tilting, jaw clinched, or head to the side.  When your head is at the different angle it takes your body with you.  If you just go and observe runners you will see how the head influences the whole form.  One thing that I've learning is  that it starts at the top and relaxing especially when going at a high speed is crucial.  Many runners falsely believe that by moving head, clenching jaw, and so forth will increase the forward movement, but the opposite is true.  One of my favorite runners that I look for almost perfect form is Bernard Lagat the ageless wonder, even as a masters runner he is still running competitive times.  From the metric mile where he has is one of the best time of all time ; to the marathon which he has run well.  Since I was a kid I saw Bernard compete and his form is very efficient.  Head forward and relaxed looking 10 meters ahead, jaw opened and relaxed which helps with breathing and airflow.  Then the rest of his body is just emulated in his form.

Running Efficiency

This brings me to write about running efficiency.  This can be described in many ways and has been talked about by others in many different dimensions.  In laymen's term running efficiency refers to the energy used while you run.  The less energy you move per stride the higher your running efficiency. The more energy you use in things other than moving forward is your running inefficiency.  Things like moving your arms sideways instead of forward, the back and forth head motion as previously, hunching your back are just some examples of energy used that will not help you move forward in your running.

Other people have talked about strides per minute and have advocated for a certain stride frequency such as 180 steps per minute.  In my opinion stride frequency isn't as crucial as your head posture.  But other people really focus on the stride frequency so certainly not a golden rule to it.

Over the years I learned that the most important thing to running efficiency is looking effortless much like Bernard Lagat.  Obviously it's easier said than done as fatigue tends to decrease your running efficiency.

Practicing Running Efficiency

So then the million dollar question becomes what comes first the chicken or the egg?  In my experience putting in the miles and being consistent go hand in hand with running efficiency.  The mileage and consistency forces your body to adapt to fatigue and in turn helps you to better adapt to the mileage.  This is especially true in longer distance events such as the marathon.  In short if you want to be more efficient focus on your consistency and time on your feet or mileage.  This will force your body to adapt and in turn be more efficient over time.  

Overall the week went well. August is the hottest month of the year and the heat is definitely not easy but consistency is key as with many other things.  For most of the year now I have stayed around the same mileage and I'm trying my best to stay consistent in probably the toughest month for training of the year. Thank you for reading and all the best!

7/27-8/2 Background and Genetics

7/27 Rest
7/28 13 miles around Gaston MS
7/29  Rest
7/30 13 miles around Gaston MS
7/31 14 miles around Gaston MS
8/1 20 miles around the lake to Baylor
8/2 20 miles around the lake to Baylor
80 mpw
This week overall didn't start so well, but finished strong.  Ended up having some stomach issues during the week, and took an extra day off because of it.  Then was able recover and do the extra miles on the weekend.  Thanks to the cooler relative weather on the weekend a cool 73 F degrees this morning certainly helped on the run.  The miles seem to go overall smoother and in general I think my running efficiency is good.
The Culture of Pride
So I've been reading about how genetics  and ancestry affects one's daily life and I came upon something psychologist have designated 'the culture of pride.' In layman's term the culture of pride refers to generations of people who herded animals in mountainous regions where agricultural wasn't as feasible due to the geographic terrain.  The herders had to develop survival skills in which they had to be taken seriously as it was a real threat for them since they had to protect there cattle in order to survive.  Individualism and family protection were critical for survival.
In contrast the culture of agricultural promoted teamwork and bonding.  A agricultural society didn't worry about someone coming for there crop as it would be pretty difficulty to harvest a crop without being noticed.  These groups of people learned teamwork and the importance of collectivist thinking.
The culture of pride could be seen in the Appalachian mountains since many immigrants from English, Irish, and Scottish backgrounds settled there, and came from herding lineage.  The famous Hatfield & McCoy conflict between two families lasted generations and many were killed.  But they weren't the only one's Hamilton & Burr, Early & Hasley, Lee & Peacock, Sutton & Taylor, Horrell & Higgins among others.  These conflicts were not as common in other geographic regions of the time. Genetics and ancestry had a lot to do with it weather these families realized it.
The "closed door" culture can be seen in the Appalachian region today, as much of the technological advances as well as economic growth were slow to make it into the regions.  Things like poverty, low education achievement, and chronic illnesses are visible today, and have historical ties that go back hundreds if not thousands of years.
Closed Door
Even though I haven't thought about it much in the past, I'm realized how much similarities my background relates to the people of the Appalachian region.  For one my fathers family until one generation ago were animal herders living in a mountainous region very similar to the Appalachian. Individuality was valued over collectivism, and people in that region are highly prideful. Until a generation ago education was of little value and children would make it to 6th grade before being expected to work full time.  One uncle was shot dead in a family feud. The 'closed door' mentality I have seen within my relatives and more importantly within myself.  Weather I acknowledge it or not it has affected my thinking as well as my choices. For many years I had a great difficulty making sense of this and as I start to reflect on some of these patterns I'm starting to put the pieces together even if it's bit by bit.
Genetics & Running
I see that genetics is one of the things that is not mentioned frequently when it comes to running.  Much like the culture of pride and how it has affected my thinking, in running the same principle applies.  I remember that this pride especially when I was younger it impacted my running.  In college I admit now I wasn't very coach able and let my pride got in the way of my potential.  I clashed head with a coach who was a 6 time Olympian and has a much better resume in running than I will ever have.  This not only hurt me as a runner and student, but also the dynamics of the team.  Even though I can learn from this experience now, at the moment I certainly wasn't aware of how the thinking and prideful background affected my behavior. Now I can only apologize for not being coach able and being open to growth.
Being Teachable
I'm seeing now how much I can learn from others.  I've talked about the importance of your 5 people that you hang out with.  What I want to express through this writing is how important it is to being open and not let a closed mentality to prevail.  In numerous occasions I have let my pride get in the way of growth and I'm now realizing the impact it has had.  I know that  I cannot go back in time, but what I can do is learn from it and with this new information do better. It's easier to make an assumption than to understand not only personal background, but genetic past of a person which can often times be complex.
Final thoughts
Overall the week was good and felt like I was able to get the miles even with some stomach problems.  I'm still learning and am now understanding how genetics has played into by thoughts which have then affected my behavior.  Thanks for reading!