What's next?

This is it -our final class post of the session and our final group run this week and we head into fall race season. This class is always a huge treat for me as I watch and learn, and am continually inspired by student s and their progress as athletes. It is a rare privilege to facilitate this group and I thank you for the opportunity. You also helped (via your tuition) to raise a lot of great support for Girls On the Run and I hope you'll consider running one of their great 5K races in the future and/or the new upcoming Elkins half Marathon details TBD - but it is in the works.

I'll leave this site up for your reference and who knows - I may have time to contribute to it between now and our next class... sometime in the summer of 2011. Meanwhile feel free to share and post on the FB site to keep in touch and keep up on other's discoveries in the running world - we want to keep you on the road ad this is one more tool to do just that.

What’s next?
“What we call results are beginnings-” Ralph Waldo Emerson
The bad news is that this training program is nearing its end but the good news is that you all are real runners now – so what do you do with that?

Stanford and Tufts Universities have each studied the long term effects of running on physiology and have found that vigorous exercise is associated with living longer and in better health – irregardless of the age at which participants began their exercise program. Stanford’s 21 year study showed that runners age 50-72 experienced 40% reduced risk of disability, cancer, Alzheimer’s and just plain lived longer. In the same study, runners had fewer injuries of all kinds, including joint injury.
Use it or loose it, you are a runner now and you can enjoy these benefits too if you keep with a program that works for you.

Re-establish a routine: While we have a good routine already you’ll need a few more calendar pages or a training log to keep planning your progress (www.personallogs.com) and you’ll want to modify and repeat your current plan or build a new one based upon your goals. A free online training log is at www.buckeyeoutdoors.com and they have some training plans you can overlay onto your race targets too.

The Elkins Road Runners group and the West Virginia Mountain Trail Runners (www.wvmtr.org) are always taking new members and are nearly free to join. They have group runs regularly and race events as well as social gatherings. Runners are a tribe; while they may not run at your pace or the same events – they will always encourage you to run and will welcome you. Some are too busy to wave and do not take it personally – real runners are folks who get out there, stay out there, share the knowledge and encourage other runners. There are many real runners in Elkins and the bigger your community the greater chance you’ll keep running – so find these folks in your tribe. Several of these folks you have already met at seminar and there are many more out there that will happily run with you or answer questions.

Keep building: Goals for a new runner usually revolve around faster or further. Training for further distance may hinge upon the amount of free time that you can devote to training. Remember in all training; for distance or training volume - to start slowly and use the “no greater than 10% increase (per week) rule”. Faster training techniques can be incorporated after 3-4 months of base mileage for the runner. So soon after your race, you can ease back into our training plan and start thinking about techniques for increasing your pace if you wish or begin adding a long run - not to exceed 10% further than your last long run.
If you are interested in building different types of runs and calculating what would be the correct pace for each type of run – you can use the McMillian Running calculator. He also offers online coaching.


Mix it up: Running events in your calendar allow you some mid-term training goals and are a fun way to get a t-shirt. Events are a great place to meet new runners too. Remember that folks who are running pretty hard 3-5 days a week should still seek to only race 13 or fewer miles per month. So if you want to support the local event & you are over quota then just run slow – like, long run slow.

Using techniques like track and speed workouts, hill work, long runs, foot strengthening drills, trail running, balance and flexibility drills and cross training are all ways to keep your running interesting and build your skill sets as a runner. New things in running involve greater strength training, balance drills, Pilates for core strength, yoga for flexibility and focus, and barefoot running. Runners use a lot of specificity training for moving in one plane – so taking up an activity that strengthens other areas of the body is very helpful for balance, the kind that keep you upright and balance; the kind that keeps versatile and well rounded.
A good yoga site with slideshows and podcasts

She also has a new book out called The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga. Working with the FIRST program recommendations, I like cycling, rowing and swimming (or aqua-jogging) for cross training as they do not incur load bearing stress to running muscles. Visit here for their program. The text I like and use in class is called Run Less, Run Faster and details the entire FIRST Program, including drills and training progressions – this program is grueling but it’ll get you to Boston if you so desire and will improve your running significantly.

Look down the road: Long runs allow you to think about the human potential and what you might want to do next. Bart Yasso is famous for saying “Never limit where your running can take you.”
Consider that Jeff Galloway offers a run-walk method that is proven for longer distances, making any length of event achievable if you desire.
20K (12.4 miles) this is a little used but fun distance
13.1 Half Marathon There are many great local and regional half marathons and this is a very attainable distance for runners to work towards. All of the challenge with less intense training cycles than a marathon. Sounds like a fit for nearly everybody in some ways.
Marathon (26.2) Very fun and attainable with one years running experience plus 16 weeks of marathon specific training. Tom Holland’s book got me through my first one in 2008 and I had a great day using his methods, so do not give that book away just yet!
Ultra-Marathon any distance beyond 26.2 includes 50K, 40 mile, 50 mile, 70 mile and 100+ mile events. While events are getting longer and more races are being created - attendance in these events is also growing quickly and allows runners to see some of the most fantastic locales on earth. You will want to have completed several 26.2 events before moving up to this distance.
Relay events: think about the Ultra style distances but sharing the load with 6-20 of your friends in an event that is road trip meets relay race. These are becoming very popular and combine a charity fundraising element with zany fun. The Hood-to-Coast relay in Oregon, Reach the Beach in New Hampshire, THE RELAY in Northern California, and the Ragnar Relay series of events all give you the chance run short legs of the total route and trade running stretches with team mates to complete the entire event.

Travel running: You can use a travel specialist and tour companies to book running excursions nearly anywhere on earth. Some folks try to get a run or race in all 50 states, other want a marathon on each continent (yes, they run one in Antarctica just for these people). Regardless of your goals, never take a trip without your running shoes, because while you need the exercise you will also find that a run is a great way to see a new town or even meet other runners.
There are running clubs online, online coaching and contacts for a running club where ever you may visit so that you can connect, stay motivated, and learn from what others are doing.

Find new events to run
A quick tour of iplayoutside.com will allow you to find nearly all road running events within the mid-Atlantic region. You can search by distance, type of race or proximity to you. A great tool - Runners World has a good race finder as well and remember that many times a marathon race will also have several shorter distance events planned around it (half marathon and 5K or 10k)
www.Coolrunning.com has a race finder
www.marathonguide.com has a great race finder
www.race360.com is also a race/event finder
Again, a great local resource is www.iplayoutside.com and most are there