Posts
“If you
think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t you
are simply ducking your responsibilities.” Ann Richards
So you know it is important – and yet it becomes a lower
priority to the urgent tasks. As Coach Shaw said, this is the hard part – not
designing a program but staying on one. To succeed at this you need a few
tricks, some mental focus and a review of time management.
Start with the truth - 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 – regardless of the age at
which participants began their exercise program. Stanford’s 21 year study
showed that runner’s age 50-72 experienced 40% reduced risk of disability,
cancer, or Alzheimer’s and just plain
lived longer. In the same study, runners had fewer injuries of all kinds,
including joint injury. So remind yourself that this really is use it or lose
it, you are a runner now and you can enjoy these benefits too if you keep with
a program that works for you. I like the funny adage that we spend our youth
chasing money and our money chasing youth. Well you do not have to chase it,
you just have to jog along and eventually you will run it down or come pretty
close to it – while I am not any richer I sure do feel better.
Remember that you are
role model. While soccer players are only see by their fans, you see
everybody as you run down the road and they see you. I bring this up because I
have heard (and I have felt this myself at times) that when I am running I am
taking time away from my family, my kids, my job or whatever else you can feel
guilty about getting “you time” away from, and I have said to these people
“look at how strong you are, and look at what your kids see. They do not see an
uneven ledger – but someone who cares enough to exercise, get a bit of time to their
selves, and take care of the only body they may ever get. Your kids need that
good advice and you are modeling it” In an age where kids are inside, many
obese, and more at risk of disease (including adult onset Diabetes) there is no
better time for you to be a good example. While I’ll never urge my kid to join
me on the road – at least when I tell him to go play and get some exercise he
knows that I am serious because I do as I
say. Of course I’d love to have him join me for a run but he’ll never do it
unless he sees me enjoy it. If that does not motivate me to run and be an
athlete – I cannot think of what will.
So let’s revisit that old
Steven Covey analogy about time management. He would pour sand into the jar as a
representation of what is urgent in
our lives - all the stuff we feel like
we need to do, and then he would try to get the big stones, the important stuff to fit in that jar. We
all know what happened, those stones did not fit. Not until he placed the
stones in the jar first, did the sand all fit around the stones, and
everything did get into his jar. He was showing us how to manage our time with
what was important vs. what was urgent. He made a lot of money showing
folks that jar, when we all know how it works already. Robert Fulgum has
written “all lessons are repeated until learned”.
You have to keep a
record of what you are, and are not, getting done. When you seek to re-establish
a routine you probably already know what works for you. For me it is that open
calendar square that is unfinished or the task item unchecked – I can’t stand
it. Your Learn to Run program fits nicely on a calendar and you’ll just 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.
Some of these plans will even email you your daily/weekly assignments if that
motivates you. Others will send them to your phone if you use your inbox as a
do list. So map it out to see where it fits and then you can strategize.
The more I have to think about something – sometimes that
daily minutia can serve as a barrier to completion. Where am I running, how
far, what to wear, have I eaten, what time - Ahhh! Stress! Your schedule and some planning
can ease this in just a single Saturday afternoon and I sleep better that night
too, knowing I now have a plan of action. If this running thing is one of your
“big rocks” of time management then you just have a puzzle on your hands to
solve.
There
is no perfect training schedule for everyone – you are “an experiment of one”
and you need to listen to your body, ask for help and adjust the sails
sometimes. It is not about the number of days you get out – but being ready,
rested and in the mindset to make the days you do get – count as a quality
effort.
How many days a week?
Studies show that 95% of the cardiovascular benefits can be had with 5 days a
week of running, with that said you can get nearly 80% on just 4 days a week.
So can you make it work on three day a week? The Furman FIRST program is based
on this very principle and they cross train and do floor exercises for strength
on the off days. Strength training stimulates the production of red blood cells
and stimulates muscles differently so that you are more ready to run with less
actual running. If you got out less than that is it a bad thing? No – you have
to make it fit your life and you should always feel good about getting some
exercise. Do not let people tell you otherwise or “dumb down” the benefits of
getting out and moving because everything helps. You ideally want a habit of
some sort no matter how many days because A) you’ll find it gets easier B)
you’ll see greater benefit and this means you’ll stay for life. It is your life,
and that’s what we are building this program more - to enhance it.
In the past year there have been many weeks where I can only pull off
three runs a week due to a grueling school schedule but here is the deal. In my
twenties and thirties I ran backpacking and river trips that were anywhere from
three to thirty days long and I always said that a three day trip and a two
week trip each take the same amount of time to prepare – aside from a little
more food; I take the same tent, flashlight, stove, etc, etc. and yet on the
three day trip I only get three days. I would always rather go for a week
because the effort is the same but the payoff is greater.
I specialize in the long run, because I am never going to be a sprinter again and I like being out there and going places – it is transformative for me. So I am running farther/longer when I am out running but by going out three times a week I am getting a full week’s worth of workouts done. I think it is efficient and it works for me because I have already worked up to that kind of mileage and sometimes inertia is the enemy. Getting out the door takes the same amount of time every day and the hardest part is getting free for a couple hours to go – not the actual running. When Dan Lehmann spoke to us he told a story of a guy who did not run all week but did run a slow and steady Ultra every weekend for his mileage. That may be taking it a bit far but it is the same basic idea that he is getting his time in when and how he is able while allowing the body some rest in between. Think outside the box to achieve your goals.
When do I do it?
Think about how you can squeeze more out of your day. If you are a night owl
already you can likely run in the dark and not disrupt your sleep pattern. Dean
Karnazes of Ultra Marathon Man fame is famous for running hours at night when
he had a day job – to make it all fit. If you are an early riser now – then
perhaps 40 minutes earlier will get you a run. One high school principal found
running saved his life (he dropped 150 lbs and went off his Lipitor) and he did
not want to give it up. But a principal already starts the day pretty early, so
he found a new pair of pajamas, in that he sleeps in his running duds, and just
rolls out of bed and into his shoes to go run for 45 minutes. When he gets home
he drinks the smoothie, which was pre-frozen on Sunday afternoon and is thawing
in the fridge now while the shower warms up. It sounds a bit like George
Jetson’s morning routine (I think a robot made his coffee and brushed his teeth
for him) but it got the guy the time he needed in his schedule for the big
rocks to fit. One secret that works for me is that I have is to get the run
done early in the day, that way I cannot couch it as a crisis comes up later in
the day. Just as long as you have the time blocked out - you are most likely to
complete.
Planning is
everything. So ideally I try to eat one or two hours before a run or make your fuel
intake light and digestible (300-500Kal + 10oz H2O) and as I said before familiar
foods are best. Remember when I asked you to test those pre-race
breakfasts and mid run snacks that will sit well while you run? Those same
micro meals will allow you to dash out the door when you find that you have an
hour that you did not realize you had. The other day I found that my afternoon
appointment was canceled and lunch was hours ago. By having something handy to
fuel with (I even split the food for some before, and some after the run) I was
able to get a run when it was nice and I could serendipitously grab it. Don’t
think that I do not have shoes and some shorts in my locker and my car either. Plan
ahead and you can get it to fit – I know some folks who run at lunch but do not
have a shower on site. They use the baby wipes, some deodorant and a change of
clothes to still get the workout done.
Many people say to me that the run consumes the time that
they might normally have to cook a decent dinner that they need to eat that
evening and so they feel like they are robbing Peter to pay Paul by getting in
a run. Many large families and families who are tightening their belts in this
economy have taken to a set menu. If you have two weeks of meal ideas (just
like your school cafeteria – but tastes better) you can plan and budget for how
you will work them into your day. You can also fine tune them to your intake
needs for running so that you are not haphazardly fueled. We use Excel at home
and generate lists for the grocery, as well as add and subtract favorite meals
easily. The other thing this allows us to do is make a Sunday into food prep
time where we store away a few good meals in the freezer for the most chaotic
nights of the week.
Planning and Tupperware is how the high school principal got his morning power
smoothie post run too. I have even used ice cube trays to measure out the
frozen portions to thaw or puree at will and this planning will carve out a bit
more time in your schedule and not leave you hypoglycemic at the end of a
workout. Nobody cares if you eat breakfast in the car on the way to work if you
feel good and energized when you get to your destination. Do what it takes and
you’ll feel better next New Year’s when this resolution was realized.
I’ll say one more thing about food and don’t think I am on a soapbox here but
great Americana style food that I was brought up on (YUM) takes time to
prepare. Meat may be the most intensive as well in terms of prep, cleanup etc.
and this is where again, planning come in handy. Marc Bittman and other use a
lot of grains, precut veggies, and less intensive ingredients as well a bit of
pre trimmed meat you froze when you got home from the store to design great
meals and it has taken a while for us to find all of our favorites but I have
storehouse of them now. I even like Rachel Ray because her books divide dishes
but how intensive they are to make – I resort the best of those by nutrient
quality and go from there. (There are some good links on the blog site and you
no longer need a cookbook to cook at our house if the computer is on…)
Equipment. Some
people have bad names for treadmills but the fact is that they are open to run
on when the weather is too hot, too cold, and too rainy or you have to make
other use of the time that day. I know I told you there is no bad weather and I
believe this, but sometime you need to multitask or you are not prepared to go
out – and neither is a great excuse to miss what is important. My mom watches
her shows during workout time and I listen to lecture when I am safe on the
treadmill and can focus. They are great for the quick fix and you should use
them as a time management tool. While a good treadmill is not cheap, there are
a number of great ones in town that are easy to get to and have long hours.
Remember that in March or April – after New Year’s resolution time is long gone
and the weather is getting nice again, you might buy some poor guy’s $2,000
treadmill on Craig’s List for half price or better. This investment will last
you over two decades with some light maintenance.
Another item equipment discussion includes is anything that you need to
safeguard the time that you have so carefully set aside. So you carved out the
time but it is snowing or whatever the weather does to keep you away from the
run – recall that there is no bad weather, only inadequate clothing choices! I
wear a rain hat, or great gloves, or put in my contacts for the pouring rain
but I do not let something simple derail the workout. I have a great flashlight
and a reflector for night runs and my neighbor use a vest like the road workers
wear when he runs at night. Maybe you need a stun gun for that bad neighborhood
right out your door - but a gym membership might be cheaper and not get you
arrested for assault. I have come to find that there is no weather that I
dislike running in and I feel all the more accomplished and infatigable for
having made the effort. We even made ice cleats last winter just by putting
little sheet metal screws into our old running shoes and I save them for icy
days. Yes I feel silly running in them - but I kinda feel like McGyver running
in them too (and I still think he was
cool). So find out what is holding you back – then work around it because you
made the time, and you deserve the run.
Shuffle the big
stones. There is an increase in folks who run to work or run home after
work and anyone who has an HR department at their workplace should ask about
any incentive that is offered for employee wellness or carbon savings. You are
saving on gas or parking fees, gym membership and keeping your workplace
insurance bills low, so anything you can gain in reimbursement would be gravy
and could be put into a new pair of shorts. If they put in a shower – all the
better, but there are ways around that too, have someone drop you at work and
run home that evening.
Several folks have gotten a spouse, relative or buddy to run
and this replaces their time at the bar or coffee stop with a cheap and healthy
habit they do together. Jog strollers are another great investment and Craig’s
List often has good ones so Junior can come along for family time. Two of my
students got super fast by taking turns pushing their offspring down the bike
trails in their jog stroller. I doubt it hurt their marriage either, as they
ran along and shared their day. Check carefully, regarding how old your child
needs to be before they can ride in one of these strollers.
There are a lot of multi-tasking things that you can get done during a run.
Like I said earlier my mom gets her TV time when she runs on the treadmill. I
study many days and Audible.com has thousands of unabridged books for download
so you could listen to the news, read a bestseller you have been meaning to get
to or even call your Ma like you should – because we run slowly enough to talk.
Your phone has a voice recorder if you learn to use it and so you could easily
complete you grocery list or anything else you wanted to while you’re out
there. If you need to multitask then it clears some space to exercise when
maybe you do not have time for both activities. If multitasking is more fun,
then maybe you are motivated to get out the door more often and you reap the
benefits – either way would be good, right? The way the story goes Dean
Karnazes actually wrote his first book by dictation into a voice recorder on
those long night runs of his and then retyped it later for his publisher. I
know personally, that I do get a lot of good thinking done “on the road”.
Run by time
not distance. You want to fit it all in and you need to know how long this will
actually take. Run, snack, stretch, shower, all take time and there is pressure
to get back to whatever the urgent thing is that is calling you. So make it
easy and run by time rather than distance - seeking to keep your run a steady
effort throughout and at PE 4. The distance thing is arbitrary if all you are
looking for is fitness and wellness, and what is more important is to take some
pressure off you. The funny thing is that this may actually improve your
performance in the ensuing months.
Now any route works, because you just split the time in half and double back on
your route. You will know exactly when you’re home that evening and planning
may be less complicated. Adding ten minutes a week to your long run is not a
difficult computation, requires no new route research and if you are not
watching the pace you can relax and just focus on a steady effort. (Recall, in order
to learn the most about your “experiment of one” you must be consistent. Consistency
also allows you to reap the subtle benefits that come from gradual training
load increases. We shoot for 10% increases or less and the 10 minute technique
works great and need not go to infinity to work – but one long run weekly makes
all of your runs easier – trust me.)
Dr. Philip Maffetone discusses the idea that I posted a while back of
being able to run the same distance, over each successive month, at a slightly
faster or more efficient pace as your cardiac capacity improves. Even if your
speed never significantly increases – your ease in performing this effort will
improve and this, as well as how fast you return to your baseline heart rate –
are good indicators of adaptation. Running by time is a great way to do this
and is very low key. If you still worry about how many miles you run or what to
tell someone – just don’t tell them. Keep it a secret and they’ll just think
you are training for London in 2012.
How will I
find time to race, because I want a few big goals? Folks that
have a regular mileage program find that they can sharpen their speed and
endurance for a particular race in just 5-8 weeks depending on their physical
state. Most runners plan to take a break from running one or two times a year
to stay fresh and let the body rest & see no adverse affects from doing so.
Build that into your schedule too so you can gear up for the events you’d like
to run and can clear that time to maybe add a day to training for the big event.
When you see that race you have always wanted to try – and I want to
break my record! I simply work backwards from that race day. So I want to run
on April 1st and I know that I have been really steady on my program
this year. So I need 8 weeks where I can run 4 days a week instead of three.
Cool, so I’ll count backwards eight weeks from April 1st to Feb 1st
or so, and then see how can I shuffle my schedule for that one extra day of
running and I’ll call Carl for a few new stretches and a route that resembles
my race course. All set - and you should do that once in a while to mix it up
and because it is fun.
Likewise enjoy a week (or two) of no
running. Laying around or not having that extra schedule item is great because
it frees you for something else, and you need not feel guilty or despondent
because you know when you are coming back. Each time you do this you’ll come
back to running renewed and ready to run. I hope that is what happens for any
reader is that they build a habit, that they then find enriches them so much
that they wish to do it every week, forever. To do that you really have to
build it in and use the tricks you have to make that work. I used to work in an
ivory tower – a university recreation facility so amazing it was like Las Vegas
and it was all free to student use. Yet there were times that we joked that we
needed to actually pay the students to exercise and recreate and enjoy
themselves physically. Professionally the “tipping point” that we always spoke of
was six months. If you can retain a person for six months in some fitness or
wellness activity they’ll stick with it. After that amount of personal
investment you have them in a habit, they have carved out a space for this in
their lives and they are really seeing the benefits that we all know exist. The
kicker is that many reading this have just finished a 5 month program that
began in May - so you just have to stick
with it a few more weeks and then as the days get darker – you’ll be
successfully inoculated for your fitness habit and cookie season will not
infect you! Neither will a host of other possible ailments and while we always
have dark days sometimes the running will be there for you. It is one of the
things that we were designed to do.
If
you have not read enough on sacrificing something urgent, in order to dream and
aspire to something important, then I have a good interview for you.
The female winner of this year’s Western States 100 miler is a full time Mom of
four kids and works full time as a teacher at 45 years old and NOT slowing
down. I wanted to see if she had any new tricks that I did not mention above
and she did mention a few - some extreme – as you might imagine. But she said
that she seldom cleans house and her kids have learned to do a lot of their own
chores, and yet they still sit down to a family meal every night (runners are
all about a square meal, right). Read her story here (http://www.runnersworld.com/article/1,7124,s6-238-511-0-13249-0,00.html) at Runner
World. Then get away from the computer and lace up your shoes…
“Good habits are worth being fanatical about.”
John Irving
