Running Q+A

I thought I’d take a post to answer a few questions I’d received & hopefully encourage others to give running a try!

Looking for my races & times?  Check out the Marathons page.

Why do you run?
That’s a fabulous question!   I don’t actually enjoy running itself, but I must find enough joy & satisfaction in exercise, visiting with friends & family, the accomplishments of finishing a marathon, the solitude of a cool morning under the moon & stars, and the happiness of seeing my dogs running along side me and staying fit.  I don’t have any really good explanation for what compels a person to pound out 26.2 miles other than sheer insanity.

What do you eat & drink?
Like lots of people, I started out with Gu & other running things (bars, beans, etc).  I had one bad episode with it (Austin marathon) and was never really able to successfully eat those types of things again.  It took me a while to find the right formula, and I dropped out of the 2005 Houston marathon since I started puking at mile 12.  For most runs over about 12 miles, I am snacking on peanut butter crackers & glucose tablets.  Glucose tablets are a products for diabetes that are like a giant sweet tart- easy to eat/suck/swallow & a quick shot of pure sugar.  If I start to get up into the 16+ mile range, I try to take a variety of snacks to keep munching on- peanut butter M&M’s, Gardetto’s melba bread chips, peanut butter filled pretzels and PB&J sandwiches.  I typically always run with my Fuel Belt on runs over 10 miles to hydrate & carry my food.  Finding out what your stomach can tolerate during a run takes lots of experimentation & trail/error.  I just recommend finding something, anything, that sounds appealing & that you can keep down to get calories in during long runs.  It will take an whole ‘nother post to tell you about what I eat after the marathon!

Do you run the whole time?

Yes on shorter runs less than 6 miles.  On longer training runs, we typically will do a program where we run for about 2 miles & then walk for a minute.  It’s just a nice break for the muscles to do a slightly different motion, to stretch the arms & legs, to grab a bit to eat or drink.  This 10(or 15 minute) run with a 1 minute walk break is the format that most USA Fit programs train with & one that I found really works well for most people.  During an actual marathon, we typically take our break & walk through the water stations since it’s a serious hazard to run though them avoiding walkers, volunteers & flying cups.

Do you go the bathroom?
Sometimes!  We do a lap around the neighborhood on the running trails before heading out & sometimes we stop by the clubhouse to use the facilities or when I drop the dogs back by the house.  A few of my friends use the great outdoors, but I haven’t quite mastered that yet.  During a marathon, I will generally stop once (on a good year!) to use the bathroom.  My best advice is to plan your training routes around construction sites & gas stations for port-a-potties and quick access to a restroom.

How much do you run every week?

My regular run schedule is at 4:30AM on Monday & Wednesday when we knock out about 3.5 miles.  We typically do our long runs on Friday, but sometimes Saturday.  It depends on where we are in our training schedule, but “out of season” I like to do 10-14 miles for our long runs just to keep up my endurance & make sure I can have that dessert and glass (bottle??) of wine on Friday night.  I ran about 778 miles in 2009, which averages out to ~15 miles per week.

When do you start training?
I follow a schedule from USAFit for training, which is about 6 months.  For the mid-January Houston marathon, we typically start in August.  If I can keep my longer mileage up year round, then I only need to take a few longer runs 15, 18 & 21  miles to prepare for a marathon.

How can I get started running?
I highly recommend the Couch to 5K training program for beginners.  I didn’t do it myself, but have heard so many great things & success stories from it.  These days, you can download all the programs (run intervals overlaid with music) to an MP3 player which makes life super easy.
If you are interested in running a marathon, I suggest finding a local USA Fit club. I trained for my first marathon with Austin Fit, my second marathon with Houston Fit & my third marathon with Cypress Fit.  It’s great to have a training group, somebody to lay out a weekly plan, a course planned out for you each week with food/water support & tons of experts willing to share advice & information when preparing for your first marathon.

Where do you train?
I’m super lucky to have a 3.5 mile paved trail around our neighborhood that includes a park with a large lake and a giant retention pond where to do our regular weekday runs & always start off our long runs there.  For more mileage, we head out of the neighborhood to some adjoining neighborhoods that have quieter streets, some trees for shade & a more friendly asphalt roadway.  After 8 years of running, I decided to really commit to this running thing & bought a treadmill in the summer of 2010 to supplement my training for hills in the Philly Marathon.  I can only manage 2-3 miles a time on the treadmill- usually if I don’t get my AM run in or wanted to do some extra hill miles on Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday.  I throw my laptop on & stream videos for entertainment.

What about the dogs?
Pat of the reason I run!  The great thing about going so early most mornings is that I can let them off-leash once we get to the trail/park.  There’s hardly any automotive traffic & rarely any other runners out that early.  They do good for the most part sticking with me, but can get distracted by the garbage on Mondays & rabbits any day of the week.   They love getting out, know when the running clothes go on & wear their Amiglo colors so I can find them in the dark.  Zoe has run up to 8 miles with me before in the cool weather, but the heat can take a toll on both of them.  I give them both doggie glucosamine for their joints & it really seems to help.

Do you listen to music?
I’m always visiting with my step-mom on most mornings, but I do take out my iPod when I’m running by myself or on a business trip out of town.  Sometime for the really long runs, we eventually run out of stuff to talk about & I have to fire up the upbeat playlist to keep the legs going.

Do you use a GPS?
Yes!! I’ve been running with my Garmin Forerunner 301 for years & feel naked running without it.  I mostly use it for a total distance run, but I like being able to look down & see my instantaneous pace, average total pace, etc.  I need to know when our next walk break is & how many calories I’ve burned at the end of the day.   Being able to upload all the data & track my mileage by year is also another fun thing.  There are many other devices- such as ipods & iPhones that can be used for tracking while running.

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way, shape or form a medical doctor & this is not medical advice.  I am in no way, shape or form a professional runner who knows everything & this is just how I happen to do things, but I fully recognize there are many ways to run and be successful.  Any other questions I can answer?