Technology has improved our lives in myriad ways. GPS devices have allowed us to track our endurance efforts, recording our pace, distance, heart rate, and many more metrics besides. While providing a wealth of information, our relationship with the technology can become complicated and far more entangled than we could have possibly imagined. These devices are best as a tool to help us train effectively and analyze where we have gone. While possible that your GPS device can provide some accountability, take this quiz and see where you are on the spectrum of maintaining a healthy balance and perspective with your wrist-born tech.
Do you always round off your runs or walks to an exactly even number (5.00 miles, 3.50 miles exactly, 40 miles precisely for the week, etc), even if you are doing a lap around the parking lot or go up and down your driveway three times?
If your answer is yes, you probably enjoy order over chaos, and completion of your goals. You might also like to look at tidy numbers on the screen. None of that is bad in and of itself, but it is always good to remember that training has a purpose and shuffling in circles for 27 meters to make a full mile doesn’t really make you any more prepared for the race. Consider spending a week where you purposely don’t end on an even number in any run. Encourage yourself that your achievement of the total includes the experience of the effort along the way and that your training need not be 100% perfect 100% of the time to be in a position to achieve your goals on race day!
Do you have a floor or ceiling pace under or over which you never go on training run / walk days?
If your answer is yes, you probably are trying to faithfully complete your training efforts at the paces prescribed by your runcoach pace chart. However, always make sure that you listen to your body. If you have a sore / tight muscle, feel tired from the prior day’s workout, are sick, or have another legitimate reason to be in true recovery mode, it is fine to slow dow. Occasionally what felt like your easy pace turns out to be 30 seconds per mile or more. Recovery is key to being prepared for the next hard day. Sometimes, that requires doing a little less and easing off a bit (and being ok with that when you look at your watch).
Now that you have a GPS device on your wrist or in the palm of your hand, do you find yourself checking your pace almost reflexively every 50 meters along your route?
If this sounds like you, you might be just excited to have a cool toy to consult. But, with constant reliance on the watch or app (which is not always 100% accurate due to trees, weather, and other factors), you might also be at risk for missing a chance to understand and gain a feel for what your race pace or other paces might be. While you might want to keep careful track of your mileage, occasionally pick a route you of which you already know the distance, and run it without your watch, gauging your effort based on what you perceive to be the pace. You can log the miles accurately as you have measured it previously and using your total time, can figure the pace. However, you have taken an opportunity during the run to stay in touch with your instincts and listen to your body.
Do you avoid certain routes because of spotty satellite reception (and the shorter distances/ slower paces you might be given credit for on your device as a result)?
If your answer is yes to this one, you are human! We all like to see our best selves recorded and the greatest return on our efforts. However, if the preoccupation with the numbers is causing you to miss out on tree covered paths, excellent trail running, and safe routes on bike paths that travel through tunnels, consider mapping these on the computer and manually entering in the distances, or just noting your estimated differences when uploading your info.
Data is helpful, but we should not become overly reliant on it. As humans, we can use machines and technology to help us to our goals, but nothing replaces the individual effort and commitment we all need to achieve our goals on the day. Continue to trust in your ability and instincts. Let your GPS devices and apps be tools, but only one of many, in your arsenal.
Six years ago, my husband and I went to Cabo for our Honeymoon. 
I was in full force training with the USA Championships which were only one month away. It was stressful finding the balance of running, rest, and relaxation. Each vacation since, I have tried new tactics to be able to enjoy running while on the road. Here are some of the things I've learned that may help you:
1-Do Your Research
Contact local running stores or clubs in the area you will visit. Inquire about the best running locations and open group runs. There is simply no better way to experience the best local running routes than from the experts themselves.
2-Plan Ahead
Rearrange your training schedule for a lighter week. If more convenient, replace your easy runs with cross training activities. If you get aerobic stimulus with other activities for a week, and still prioritize your workouts and long run, you won’t lose fitness.
3-Run Early
Don't wait until the end of the day to run, especially while on vacation. Get up early and make that run happen so you can move on and enjoy the day without the weight of a run assignment on your shoulders.
4-Sitesee As Part of Your Run
Decide on the places you want to explore, check them out on foot, and then return the next morning to enjoy them if certain spots peak your interest. The Google Maps earth view is also an excellent way to identify fun routes and you can cover so much more ground running than walking!
5-Plan Vacation Around Training
Choose to plan a vacation the week after your goal race. Then there is no running necessary (unless you want to of course), and you can relax and enjoy the trip fully without the stress of a schedule.
Happy travels, and happy training!
For some of us, inside running is a regular strategy. Work routine, location, time crunch, tough weather, safety precautions, rehabbing an injury, are all reasons to choose to the "Mill". Wheter you are a regular or a newbie, here are a few thoughts on how to make the most of your time on a treadmill.
Treadmill Tips
Any first timer on a treadmill can attest that the ride is slightly different than the ground in a variety of ways. To account for these variances, we generally recommend some slight adjustments. Without the wind resistance encountered when moving forward outside, the pace might feel a bit easier on a treadmill than on your normal run. To approximate an equivalent demand, adjust the incline of the treadmill 1%-2%.
The second important consideration when running on a treadmill is attentiveness to your form. With the ground traveling underneath and often a softer landing than most outdoor running surfaces, the body can easily tilt into various, slightly unfamiliar positions. If possible, run on a machine where you can gauge your posture in a mirror or reflecting window. Try to keep yourself tall, with your weight over your feet. The only thing worse than grumbling about running on a treadmill is grumbling about being injured because you were running strangely on a treadmill. Attention to your form might even help you when you go outside again and have a clear, fresh picture of what your good form looks and feels like.
Because of the weather and the limitations of running indoors, you may have to adjust your workout a bit.
> Increase the incline between 4 to 8%. The tougher grade can yield the raised heart rate you were looking for with your speed workout.
> Adjust your pace based on machine. If you are on an older treadmill don't try to run full speed. Instead make your interval longer by 1:00.
> If you are doing a tempo on the treadmill, start off 5-7 seconds slower. The belt can make you feel like you're moving your legs faster than normal. This will prevent you from pulling a hammy!
Runcoach Coach and Elite Marathoner, Coach Hiruni reports that treadmill workouts have definitely made an impact for her in the past years. “One of the reasons I love the treadmill is that it is the best pacer in the industry. I live at altitude in a very hilly area. I can pace myself and stay on the target best when I use a treadmill. It keeps me honest and focued".
To adjust your prescribed runcoach workout to a treadmill setting by manipulating the grade and pace, try using a treadmill pace conversion chart such as this one from HillRunner.com. No two treadmills are exactly alike, so keep in mind you may have to make some slight adjustments with your machine.
Bad Weather and No Treadmill?
Occasionally, drastic situations may call for creative solutions. If you are unable to run outside due to conditions and a treadmill isn’t available, all may not be lost. If you are in an urban setting with a series of connected indoor walkways between office buildings, or within a long shopping mall, you may be able to just duck your head at curious onlookers and get at least a few easy miles in indoors. Convention centers and long hotel hallways can even provide a last ditch opportunity on occasion. Nike headquarters actually has a hallway where their athletes can run long strides and do so on a regular basis. Tell that to anyone who questions you!
The key is your safety above all. Make sure to be aware of variables like traffic, light, bacl ice, etc.. None of these options are ideal, but typically conditions which prevent the completion of a workout are temporary and a bridging solution might end up being better than nothing.
Updated by Cally on July 15, 2023
You just ran a huge personal best in the marathon and spent the past week enjoying some well-deserved down time. You decide it’s time to start up again, but realize that post-race excitement is starting to dwindle and it’s much harder to get out the door than you anticipated. “How can this be!?” You ask yourself. “I just had a fantastic race and should be beyond excited to start again, right?” If you find yourself to be in this situation, fear not, you have a case of the easily curable post-marathon blues.
After fully investing in your training program for the past 3 months and being laser focused, it makes sense that it might be tough to get started again. I, personally, have always struggled jumping right back into full training after a marathon because I just spent the last 4 months completely focused on my goal. Oftentimes, we forget that running can be just as mentally taxing as it is physically taxing and we need to be sure to give ourselves time to recover in both ways after a marathon.
Here are a few tips to shake those post marathon blues and get that pep back in your step.
1. Throw pace and distance out the window and enjoy some unstructured training. It is mentally quite freeing to run on your own terms for a few weeks without a care in the world about pace. You will be spending quite a bit of time in the coming months focused on hitting splits, so enjoy some relaxed, care free runs and soak in the nice spring weather. Simply getting outside for a few leisurely miles can do wonders for both the mind and body.
2. Meet up with friends to keep things light and fun. Running with friends is a great way to unwind and relax. When you are chatting away, you start to focus less on how heavy/tired your legs may feel, and more on the conversations you are having. Before you know it, the run is done and you are feeling much lighter and happier than before you started. Never underestimate the power of running with friends.
3. After a few weeks, start to look at future races. I like to switch things up after a marathon and run some shorter races, like 5&10ks. It’s fun to set my sights on a new challenge and mentally change gears. Getting a race on the calendar will give you something to look forward to and help that motivation and excitement return.
So lace up your shoes, enjoy the warm weather, and shake those post marathon blues. Set your sights on a new challenge and enjoy the journey one step at a time. Happy Running!
Like the recipe of your favorite dish, your runcoach training plan combines many difference types of ingredients. Each of these ingredients are important, even as some of them come in large quantities and some are just a pinch of salt on top of a mound of flour in the bowl.
Your runcoach pace chart provides a wide array of paces for various types of workouts prescribed on your individualized schedule,. Your marathon, maintenance, 80% and half marathon paces are paces your body should be able to handle for long durations – paces at which your cardiovascular system can keep up with the oxygen demand of your muscles for extended periods of time. Even though you may not be out of breath during this type of running, your muscles are building more extensive and efficient pathways for oxygen and energy delivery. In addition, your mind is preparing for the lengthy race task ahead. If you are using a heart rate monitor, this running is done somewhere in the range of 65-85% of your maximum.
While some “Pace Runs” on your schedule might be prescribed at slower paces, “threshold” running is designed to challenge you at a comfortably hard level. This pace should be sustainable for a shorter period of time, say 20-25 minutes, but should not feel easy to continue much beyond that duration. It should also not feel hard after just a few minutes of running. This area of pacing helps to challenge your body to become more efficient with handling a steadily accumulating blood lactate level (something you will have to do in races shorter than a half marathon). Threshold workouts are ideally executed at about 88-92% of your maximum heart rate.
Crossing the “threshold” literally and figuratively, leads us to paces that can only be performed for shorter, more challenging periods of time. Balancing intervals or repetitions with just enough rest or active recovery allows an athletes to spend a significant cumulative period of time at a quick pace and high heart rate, conditioning the body and mind to operate effectively and efficiently at that level of demand, which is ideally in the mid to high 90s of maximum heart rate percentage. If one ran a series of 800m intervals at 4:00 with 90 seconds recovery, each successive interval would see the athlete’s heart rate shoot up more and more quickly within the 4:00, but ideally not so quickly that the athlete could not complete the interval at the prescribed pace. This effect may result in the first couple intervals of a workout feeling slightly easier than anticipated, tempting the athlete to run faster than the prescribed paces. While this may seem logical – to run harder initially and shoot the heart rate to the moon on the first interval – the workout is designed to create its effect by the end of the session. What may seem like a comfortable pace on the first interval turns out to be a misguided assessment as the athlete slows down precipitously at the end or requires way more rest than assigned.
Some athletes may wonder why an 800m or 1500m pace might even be assigned to them as they train for a half or full marathon. Although the bulk of an endurance race training schedule includes work preparing for the paces, energy efficiency, heart rate demand, and mental effort of the longer races, workouts prescribed with some quicker paces allow an athlete to work on running economy. Workouts or even strides on your schedule at 800m or 1500m pace provide a valuable opportunity for athletes to challenge the fundamentals of their running stride, to teach their legs to have a bit more range of motion in the stride, to strengthen their feet to push off the ground more effectively, quickly, and with strength. Although they may seem inconsequential in the larger picture, even small improvements in this area can result in large gains considering how many thousands of strides we take during the course of our general training.
While it is normal and natural to feel more at home with one type of workout over another, avoid the inclination to slough off the types of workouts that seem unfamiliar or not in your wheelhouse. Each of the paces prescribed in your schedule has a purpose. Commit to executing each workout with mindfulness and a sense of purpose. This is your best chance of turning out a race day “dish” you’ll remember for years.
As the old saying goes, it’s not how you start, but how you finish!
Over the past 3 years, many of you have received recommendations from me about progressive runs. Put simply, this is when you start slower and finish faster.
Ok so why does it work?
Personally, I’ve run many of my best races with easier opening miles. We know for certain that fat stores can be utilized at lower intensity efforts. The average person stores between 130,000-150,000 kcals of fat which is enough energy for 1,300 miles of easy walking. Alternatively, we store about 600g of glycogen or ~ 2,400 kcals of energy. Even though we need ~ 100 kcals to walk or run a mile, the energy sources differ drastically. 
So let’s consider 2,400 kcals of available glycogen stores and the Marathon distance = 26.2 Mi. Obviously we need some of those fat stores to power us all the way through the race. We also know that the faster you run, the more glycogen you burn. In fact, I believe the proverbial Marathon Wall is actually less mental and more physical as many marathoners simply run out of glycogen stores and must slow down to use fat.
This is not just an approach for casual Marathoners or Boston Qualifier types, but also a strategy at the World Class Level. Matt Richtman recently validated his standing at this elite level and positioned himself firmly in the 2028 Olympic Marathon hopeful conversation. He broke through and ran a 2:07 Marathon to become the first U.S. male to win the Los Angeles Marathon in 31 years. His first half split = 1:04:18 and his second half = 1:03:38. How's that for a progression?
There is also a mental aspect of progressive running. If you consistently run your long runs with progressions, you train your mind to expect a faster finish. With a gradual pace inflection over time, the exertion can feel less pronounced and the body can adapt accordingly.
Lastly, with a slower start we should be able to avoid that massive heart rate spike. This allows the cardiopulmonary system to adapt to the strain of running without over due stress of a fast opening mile. In many ways, the opening mile of the Marathon can serve well both physically and mentally as the only warmup needed.
In summary, progression runs provided the benefit of better fat utilization, more gradual introduction of stress to the body and a sharpened psyche focused on the end and not the start. As you pass runners at the end of an event who are low on glycogen stores with elevated heart rates, the benefits of progressive running come to fruition.
So start off slow to finish fast!
Visualization is a powerful tool that can help runners improve focus, confidence, and performance. This simple, step-by-step guide shows you how to use visualization to improve training and tackle races with a stronger mindset.
Step 1: Find a Quiet Space
Pick a quiet place where you can relax and focus. This could be a room at home or a peaceful spot outdoors. The goal is to avoid distractions and make sure you can concentrate. Put your cell phone aside and set to Do Not Disturb.
Step 2: Close Your Eyes and Breathe
Sit or lie down comfortably and close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths - breathe in through your nose, hold for a second, then slowly breathe out through your mouth.
Step 3: Relax and Clear Your Mind
Let go of any stress or distracting thoughts and relax your body. Release tension in your shoulders, face, and hands. Focus only on your visualization.
Step 4: Set Your Intention
Think about what you want to visualize. Are you imagining your next training run or a race? Focus on a specific goal, like your pace, overcoming fatigue, or crossing the finish line strong.
Step 5: Picture the Details
Visualize the course you’ll run, the weather, and the surroundings. Imagine the sound of your steps, breathing, and any noises around you - the crowd cheering your name! Picture how your body feels – how your feet move, how your muscles work in unison with steady breath.
Step 6: Focus on Key Moments
See yourself standing ready, confident, and excited. Imagine yourself running smoothly at the right pace. Visualize overcoming tough spots, like hills or tiredness. See yourself handling them calmly. Picture yourself reaching the finish line strong.
Step 7: Imagine Positive Emotions
Feel the positive emotions that come with running - pride, and satisfaction. These emotions help strengthen the connection between your mind and body.
Step 8: Plan for Challenges
Think about potential struggles, like tiredness or weather. Visualize yourself staying calm and adjusting your pace to handle them.
Step 9: Repeat Your Visualization
Practice visualization regularly, even on non-running days. The more you do it, the more natural it will feel during actual runs or races.
Step 10: End with a Positive Affirmation
Finish by saying something positive to yourself, like “I am strong” or “I am ready" or "I can, I will." This helps reinforce confidence and strengthens your mental focus.
1-Wash your hands! It’s simple, takes one minute, and can protect you from germs that hand sanitizer can’t kill.
2-Get a minimum of 30 minutes of exercise 4 times per week. Getting the blood flowing re-oxygenates your body and helps boost your immune system.
3-Stay well hydrated. In the cooler weather, we forget that hydration is still important!
4-When you travel, change your clothes and take a shower after every flight to get rid of the germs you encountered en route.
5-Don’t skimp on sleep! Rest is essential for your health.
6-Mediatation, yoga, or a short walk to start your day and put your mind in the right place can significantly improve your day.
7-Cut back on sugary foods and increase your vegetable and protein intake to boost your energy and your immune system.
8-Spend time outside getting fresh air on a daily basis.
9-Avoid sitting down for long periods of time. If you get up every hour to get a drink, walk around, or stretch, your body will thank you.
10-Smile, laugh, and be happy. One of the most important, but easily forgotten, components of health is happiness!
Originally Written by; Neely Gracey 2020
