Defining Your Goal

[Source: East Coast Cycos, in Tri-Rudy newsletter, March 31/09]

By Jeff Galloway
For Active.com

Most of the runners that I work with don't have specific time goals. This is fine. Running is a free-form activity that empowers you to choose from a variety of training programs, races, and enriching running experiences. There are, however, some aspects of running that are more rewarding than others, and time improvement can be frustrating. So if you want to train for a time goal this year, at least look at the following background experiences which can keep you motivated when the watch doesn't say what you want it to.

Your Tools: A Journal and a Good Training Guidebook

A journal will help you learn from mistakes and remind you of the good experiences. I interviewed runners before putting together my Jeff Galloway's Training Journal and discovered that most want to have the information listed so that they can quickly fill it in after a run. There are many training book choices out there. My two books that have become most popular have been A Year Round Plan and Galloway Training Programs. Both have the training elements listed for various events each day during the schedule. The former has workouts scheduled for a full year—for 5K, 10K, Half and Full Marathon—so that you have it all laid out each day.

Running Enjoyment

Find a way to enjoy parts of every run—even the harder runs. Most of your runs should be….mostly enjoyable. Schedule a social or a scenic run every week. There are certain trail areas, for example, that I enjoy every time. When runners burn out, they usually have been eliminating pleasurable runs. Take control of your running enjoyment to make sure you're having some fun.

Stay Injury-free

When I review the journals of injured runners I often find the causes of aches and pains. Make a list of past problems, and the workouts, lack of rest, etc. that brought them on. You can then make adjustments to prevent injuries. Above all, at the first sign of a possible injury, take more days off and treat it.

Avoiding Overuse or Burnout

All of us receive warning signs that signal over-training. Unfortunately, we often ignore these or don’t know what they are. Your training journal is a wonderful tool for noting any possible ache, pain, loss of desire, unusual fatigue that lingers, etc. If you develop an injury, you can review your journal and often find the reasons. This helps you to become more sensitive to possible problems and make conservative adjustments in the plan to reduce future injury risk.

Time Goals

Those who have not finished a race of any distance, would be best advised to not try for a time goal during the first edition: Just run “to finish”. Even in the race itself, it is best to run the first 70 percent at a comfortable training pace. This almost always allows you to finish strong, wanting to do it again.

What is a realistic goal for you?

I've discovered that a one mile time trial (the “magic mile”) can very accurately predict what you're capable of running at most distances. For example, if you run a fast mile in 10 minutes, a very hard pace in the half marathon would be 12 min/mi and 13 min/mi in a very hard marathon. You can read about this in Galloway Training Programs. There are other tables and formulas which also tell you what a very hard race pace would be, based upon equivalent level of fitness. It's best to run the first race at least 2 min/mi slower than the pace predicted by the table or formula.

Don't let goal obsession run you into the ground!

You are the captain of your ship. Adjust your goals and races to increase running enjoyment. There will always be another race to run.

Train your brain

[Source: East Coast Cycos newsletter, in Tri-Rudy newsletter, March 26/09]

Knowing how you think on the run can improve your workouts—and your mood.

By Gigi Douban

Running is the ultimate power vacation—no BlackBerrys, no kids, no bosses. But all's not quiet in the brain while you're pounding the pavement. In fact, you're performing mind acrobatics: problem-solving, making your to-do list, even drifting to a calm state. "Running gives you the freedom to access those inner processes that the busy outer world often robs you of," says James P. Brennan, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of human behavior at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Studies show that elite runners tend to stay focused on the run—on things like form, pace, and the way their bodies feel. The rest of us flit around four major thought bubbles: organizing, problem-solving, wandering, and pondering. "A lot of people will shift back and forth during a run, or depending on the day," says Michael Sachs, Ph.D., professor of kinesiology at Temple University in Philadelphia. Each thought pattern has its pros and cons. Recognizing them will help you get the most out of your workouts.


Think About It: Organizing

Most days, Lindsay Decken, 24, a buyer for an engineering firm in Greenville, South Carolina, wakes up at 5 a.m. to run five to eight miles. By the time she's through, she has a pretty clear idea what she'll be doing the rest of the day. Between 10-hour days at work and evenings and weekends packed with volunteering gigs and a home remodeling project, her runs provide a much-needed chance to see the big picture. "It's just a time to get away from everything," she says. "I have complete solitude."

It's great when the organizing leaves you with a sense of accomplishment. But experts say that if taking inventory starts to be a source of tension, then you've taken it too far. Set a time limit, maybe 15 minutes, to think about all the tasks that are piling up. "You don't want to shackle yourself when one of the things that you get out of running is a great release," Brennan says.


Think About It: Problem-Solving

Jim Mallory, a 42-year-old network technician in Denver, often spends several frustrated hours at his desk trying to figure out what's tripping up a customer's data network. Then he'll put in a 10-miler at lunch. "While running, or shortly afterward, I'll think of some new angle and end up fixing it right away," he says.

Running has a way of untying some huge brain knots. Because we're stepping out of our task-oriented days during a run, we're subconsciously turning off creativity-killers like distractions, rationalization, and blame. Add in feel-good brain chemicals triggered by running, and your brain is at its best.

What's more, experts say, running is a right-brain activity. Most of the day, whether we're poring over documents at work or shopping lists at home, we're in left-brain territory. "If you're working your left side really hard, you might not give the right side a chance to come up with something," Sachs says.

Think About It: Wandering

If you were to listen in on Aaron Cunningham's thoughts during his five-mile loops through Seattle, you might hear this: Oh, there's the China Harbor Restaurant. I wonder if it's good. That runner looks fast. There's the Northwest Outdoor Center. I haven't been kayaking in a long time.

Cunningham, a 36-year-old software engineer, says letting his mind roam keeps him relaxed when he wants to maintain a moderate pace. "If I start thinking fast thoughts, I'll run too fast and start pushing harder than I should," he says. Plus, a wandering mind helps him pass the time. "Part of it is just being in the moment," Cunningham says.

Sachs says that letting your mind go loosey-goosey offers a tremendous release—part of the reason many of us run. Rather than taxing your brain by focusing on work stress or the kids' busy schedule, "you're giving it a chance to meditate or float," Sachs says. "It's rejuvenating."

That's not a pass to stay in la-la land for the duration of your run. Doing so can detract from your performance, Sachs says, so check in with your body every few minutes. Otherwise, you risk blowing your workout—failing to maintain a certain pace for tempo runs, for example, or not feeling pain from an injury.


Think About It: Pondering

When she's facing a packed day at work, Lindsay Decken postpones her morning run until afternoon. By then, the day, with all its stresses, is well under way. And rather than building a to-do list, she spends a lot of her quiet time with raging thoughts about work pressures. "I'll get frustrated, go for a run, and talk myself down," she says. "You don't necessarily solve anything, but everything that bothered me at work is erased from my memory, at least until the next day."

Experts say it's okay to feel anxious or angry during a run, but if it consumes you, set it aside. "Put your life in compartments," Sachs suggests. "Say to yourself, 'I'm going to take this stuff that happened at work, put it in a drawer, and I'm not going to think about it.'" After all, ruminating endlessly won't just suck the fun out of your run. Those negative vibes can also compromise your performance.



Wrong Headed

How to figure out—and avoid—mind problems

Letting your thoughts turn a stellar run into a drag? Human performance consultant James Brennan gives three signs it's time to switch head gears.

You're Not Happy: We run to feel good. So if you notice your thoughts bringing you down, give yourself permission to leave your woes behind until after your run. "If our thoughts are negative, we're going to be in a poorer physiological state," Brennan says. That means you're more likely to huff up that hill or putter out early on a long run.

You're Tense: Running provides a release, but over-thinking a problem can start to show in your form—shoulders up to your ears or shallow breathing, for example. Brennan recommends taking a mental inventory of your body, starting at your head and working down.

You're Slower: Who doesn't love a little daydream on a run? That's fine, but if you have goals, don't stay on autopilot the entire time. Check in every few minutes, or tell yourself you'll let your mind go after this split. Until then, stay focused on your pace, Brennan says.

Stay healthy with these top immune-boosting foods

[Source: East Coast Cycos newsletter, in Tri-Rudy newsletter, March 19, 2009]

By Liz Applegate Ph.D.


Eat: Onion

What For: This versatile veggie is high in quercetin, a powerful antioxidant known for its antiviral properties. In studies with runners and other athletes, scientists from Appalachian State in North Carolina have shown that daily doses of quercetin can reduce viral infections as well as inflammatory response to heavy exercise.


Drink: Green Tea

What For: EGCG, abundant in green tea, is one of the most powerful antioxidants found in plants. This compound protects a variety of cells from being weakened and shields them from potential harm caused by not–so–nice invaders.


Eat: Turmeric

What For: Often used in Indian cuisine, this spice gives curries and other dishes a golden color. It's also commonly used in Chinese medicine. Curcumin, the antioxidant in turmeric that gives it its rich hue, can help your immune cells bounce back faster after you get sick.


Eat: Oysters

What For: Oysters are packed with zinc, providing 700 percent of your Daily Value in just three ounces. This mineral is vital for T cells, white blood cells that help tailor the body's response to specific pathogens. Some studies show that poor zinc intake suppresses your immune–fighting response to cold and flu viruses.


Eat: Butternut Squash

What For: Brightly colored butternut squash is packed with beta–carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. This vitamin maintains the body's protective layers, including skin and sinus passages. Without ample A, skin develops cracks and sinuses dry, allowing viruses and bacteria direct entry into your body.


Drink: Kefir

What For: Kefir is teeming with up to five times the probiotics (healthy, live bacteria) of yogurt, and can defend your intestinal tract against pathogens. In a recent study, runners who consumed a daily probiotic such as kefir had fewer GI ailments during three months of marathon training than those who took a placebo.