The Wrinkled Runner

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Speaker 1: 0:23

Today I'm going to dive into a topic that every runner, no matter their experience level, can relate to, and that is what we wish we knew when we first started running. If you've been running for a while, you've probably had a few moments where you thought, ah, I wish I had known that earlier, or, you know, years ago or months ago. And if you're just starting, this episode might save you from making some of the same mistakes that we all do. So, looking back, for myself, there are so many things that I would have done differently. When I first started running, I used to think that running hard all the time meant that I was training well, and it was like a decade that I thought this. Like so many beginners, I ignored recovery and strength work and varying the workouts that I was doing.

Speaker 1: 1:10

I remember when I first started my blog to document training for my first marathon, which was, like I said, over a decade after I first started running, and at the time I only did it for myself, not realizing that other people would actually find it and read it and start to ask questions. The blog world was something that I never like. I didn't follow blogs. I actually thought I was going to be very unique in having a blog, not realizing that there are thousands of them. I didn't follow people like recipe people or whatever. So the blog world really to me was just like an online diary and so I started doing that and all. But then people found me and then I started getting emails and people were asking me questions about running, and those questions were very helpful to me as a runner because they made me dig deeper and research the answers and find out that a lot of what I was doing with my running just wasn't actually productive. So I was getting my like training online and it would basically be a sheet of paper that I could print and just tell me run this miles, run these miles, run these miles. There were no workouts or anything like that with it and it didn't talk about you know, running your long run super easy.

Speaker 1: 2:33

I was trying to do it because I had a sort of goal in mind and figured out how, what my pace per mile was supposed to be and would really beat myself up if I was running 18 miles and wasn't running that in the beginning of my training. So I really did not know a lot about running, but then I was running 18 miles and wasn't running that in the beginning of my training. So I really did not know a lot about running. But then I was kind of forced to because people were asking me questions and I'm like, oh, I guess I better know the answer to this. Also, because people were reading my blog and reading what I was doing, I didn't want to put something out there that was actually counterproductive to running. So when I finally started learning about this stuff is when I started to see real improvement in my running and that led me to get my running coaching certification, because enough people were reading the blog that I really wanted to feel like the answers that I was giving had credibility behind them. So now I have two running certifications a personal training certification and I'm like continually gathering more and more knowledge through different classes and certifications, which I apply to my own running and to, now, my business my clients. So my point is even if you've been running a long time, you don't know what you don't know. So I'm going to talk about some of the things that I took a long time to learn and that hopefully you can apply now in your own running.

Speaker 1: 4:01

So one of the biggest things I've learned over the years is that consistency is more important than intensity. When we first start running, we often feel like we have to push ourselves every time we lace up. But running isn't about crushing every workout. It's about showing up regularly, building a strong aerobic base and allowing progress to happen over time. A few easy runs each week will do more for your long-term improvement than occasionally getting out there for, like you know, really really running as fast as you can. Which leads to another lesson which easy runs should actually be easy? So many runners especially newer runs, but even older, even ones who have been running for a long time as well they push too hard on what should be a relaxed easy run day. They don't feel like they're training unless they're gasping for breath or seeing fast splits. But the truth is most of your miles should be at a comfortable pace. If you can't hold a conversation, you're probably going out too fast. Keeping those easy days truly easy allows your body to recover and build up endurance without unnecessary fatigue. Now fatiguing your legs like I'm in marathon training right now and fatiguing your legs is important. That's part of the training. But you don't want to get them so tired that you can't move off the couch later in the day that tomorrow's run just can't happen because you're too sore, those kinds of things. So if it's supposed to be an easy run and you're gasping for breath and you can't talk, you can't speak a sentence, you are going out too fast.

Speaker 1: 5:40

Rest is another thing that I completely overlooked when I started. I thought that the more days I ran, it always meant more progress, but that only led to burnout for myself. It can lead to injury in a lot of other people. I've been kind of blessed in that, and up until this past year I really haven't felt any injury stuff going on. I had one stress fracture in 2012. But other than that, I've not really ever had any sidelining injuries. But I have had sidelining burnout before, and so I had to learn that rest days, recovery weeks those are adding to your training, not taking away from it. It's not a sign of weakness, it's not a sign that you're not doing your running properly. It is a sign that you're actually putting in the training.

Speaker 1: 6:34

You need to give your body time to absorb the work that you've put in, and that is when you actually improve. And I've said over and over again that bodybuilders have this down pat. They understand that if they want to have really big arms, they can't work those arms every day. They need to give those muscles time to rebuild and build up on that muscle, and in running it's the same thing. We need that recovery time to get those adaptations that we want in our bodies, which happens during our rest and recovery days. So if you're running your easy days easy though, another lesson learned is make sure you're running your hard days hard. That's the time to feel out of breath and that you gave the workout what it asked of you. This balance is oftentimes where a running coach can be such an asset, because they can tell you which days to go out for easy runs. They can tell you the paces you should be doing that at, or giving you an RPE, which is a rate of perceived effort, so on a scale of one to 10, usually how you're feeling, and an easy run should be two, three, maybe a four, depending on different interpretations of what that is. But your coach can tell you what those are and how you should be feeling, or, like I said, the paces, so that when you go out for that hard workout that they give you whether it's intervals or hill sprints or whatever a tempo run. They can also give you the RPEs and or the paces that you should be feeling as you're going hard for those runs.

Speaker 1: 8:11

Now, every runner is going to experience aches and pains, but there's a difference between normal soreness and the kind of pain that signals an injury. If something doesn't feel right, don't ignore it. Small issues can turn into big problems when we try to push through the discomfort. So taking a few days off is much, much better than being sidelined for weeks or, in some cases, months. As an older runner, I am definitely starting to feel things that I have never felt before in my running. Some of that is happening due to being hit by a car, and I'm going to talk about that in a few weeks my being hit by a car, but things that have never bothered me before, I'm starting to be aware of. Definitely, from the waist down, the impact from the car hitting me is something I have to be aware of and something that I may need a day or two more of rest than I used to have to take.

Speaker 1: 9:14

Another thing that I've learned over, you know, many years 20 years of running is that shoes are very important, obviously, but sometimes we don't pay attention to that and we're just looking for what's cute or what everybody else is doing, or we get caught up with the ads and that kind of thing, and so it is really important that you find a shoe that is good for you, no matter what it looks like for you. No matter what it looks like, I always call it my, that I'm in security guard mode because I have wider feet. I carried five children, and so I think part of that is why my feet might be wider, even though I'm only five foot one and so in wide. A lot of times, shoes only come in black or like a dark gray, and so I always joke that with my the black track pants that I use, that I just look like I'm be a security guard somewhere. I've actually found I the shoes I'm in now actually does have a color to them, and I was very excited for that.

Speaker 1: 10:21

But wearing shoes that are comfortable for you is what is most important. It can affect your form and it can also lead to injuries. Now I was trying to get into some less cushioning. I don't know why I just decided I was going to try that and I had to go back to a more cushioned shoe because I was suffering greatly, especially in the piriformis area, because my shoes were not what was right for my body. So if you go to a running store, you're going to find that you'll be able to get properly fitted. For myself, that means being in one size larger than what I normally wear and having people that hopefully know about running fit you and I also have a podcast episode and several resources for what to look for in a running shoe and how to navigate going to a dedicated running store for the first time, in case that's intimidating to you.

Speaker 1: 11:19

Now, if I could go back to the beginning, I would start strength training much earlier. Strength work, especially for the core, the glutes and the legs, helps prevent injuries and it just makes you a more efficient runner. And you don't have to spend hours in the gym. But even a couple of short sessions a week can make a huge difference. Runners have a tendency to really hate strength work for some reason, probably because we see bodybuilders or gym bros and think we have to do the same. But really, a couple of 20 minute sessions a week can do wonders, and I will link you to some resources below about strength training as well.

Speaker 1: 11:56

Something else I wish that I knew is that not every run is going to feel great, and that's okay and that is normal. Some days you're just going to feel slow and sluggish or just like off. The key there is to just keep showing up. Progress is not linear when it comes to running, so you have to learn to just shake it off when you have a bad run. Another thing that new runners or even runners for a long time can get caught up with is comparing yourself to other runners. I do not do Strava. Social media is damaging enough in my eyes that to then be putting all my running out there for everybody to comment on or look at or whatever Strava does, is just not healthy for me, probably not healthy for a lot of people. I have heard elite runners say that they have gotten off Strava because people who don't understand running some of whom have been running for a long, long time would comment on well, that wasn't very fast. Well, that run, you know what is something wrong with you Not understanding that it was supposed to be an easy run or an easy long run or whatever, and so they've actually pulled back from that because it was, even though they knew they were doing what they were supposed to be doing, it was still psychologically damaging to them. The only person you need to compare yourself with and compete with is yourself. Some runners are going to improve quickly. Others are going to take longer. It doesn't matter, it's okay, no matter where you are on that line.

Speaker 1: 13:33

Progress isn't about how you stack up against others. It's about becoming a better version of yourself and, honestly, there are a lot of influencers on social media that have no idea what they are talking about. When it comes to nutrition or fitness or running anything that's out there, anything that there's influencers about A lot of them have no idea what they're talking about. I am so glad that when I was a young mom, I did not have social media. That wasn't a thing. Facebook didn't come out until my daughter was in college, and I did not certainly need anybody else telling me how to raise my kids besides myself. The pressure that I feel like moms feel is unbelievable because of social media, so don't let that pressure dictate your running, in addition to everything else that maybe it's dictating. So again, I'm going to insert a plug for a running coach, somebody who knows what they're talking about, somebody who is certified. They're the ones who are going to be able to tell you how to make yourself a better runner, more competitive, a better version.

Speaker 1: 14:44

Whatever the goals that, whatever you're thinking of doing, just don't be comparing yourself to just randos on the internet that you don't even know. So that leads me to running should be fun. When we start, we're often so focused on getting faster or stronger or running longer and for a lot of us, especially women, getting into running, the reason we did it was for losing weight. So all that can come to a head and running can start to feel like a chore. Change things up, I'm telling you, or you're going to quit. Try a new route. Run with friends, sign up for a fun race. Even take a short break and in the middle of your run and look at something closer that you run.

Speaker 1: 15:26

By all the time I have learned that running in place at stoplights, never stopping for anything, ignoring something beautiful so I can keep on running, is not worth it. I'm not being paid to run. I have no delusions that anyone who does is listening to my podcast anyway. So stop and smell the roses. Listen to music if that is what you want to do. Whatever makes your run fun Carry your is what you want to do. Whatever makes your run fun. Carry your phone if you want to.

Speaker 1: 15:54

I was listening to a podcast the other day that I've listened to for years and it was two guys talking and the one guy was talking about, I think, listening to music and that was in his phone and carrying his phone. And the podcast person who was the interviewer was like you, take your phone, because apparently that's a big thing that you're not a real runner or some ridiculousness if you carry your phone with you and again, as someone who has been hit by a car, I will not ever be on a run without my phone and without a means for people to see my emergency information, for a means to contact my husband immediately if something happens. Whatever, if you want to carry your phone, carry your phone and don't let anybody tell you that you can't carry your phone or you can't listen to music or you can't stop at a stop sign or you're not a real runner. It is ridiculous. I'm ranting a little bit and I'm getting mad, but it is ridiculous.

Speaker 1: 16:56

You run how you want to run.

Speaker 1: 16:57

You run how it is fun for you. There is a place for hard training, so don't get me wrong. You know I definitely will be hard training because of marathon. But if there aren't at least some days that that sun is shining and you can't wait to get out there, change something up. One thing that I recommend for runners to do, if getting out there is always a chore, is to take a week or two off, which I know sounds like sacrilege, but it really can help to create a sense of urgency to get back to it.

Speaker 1: 17:33

You get excited again to get back out there for a run, and especially in this change of seasons. Finally, in Buffalo I'm gonna be going out for a run in a couple of minutes and it's gonna be like 50 degrees, and this winter has been horrific. So I am so excited the sun is shining to get out there for a run, and sometimes, during this transition period, that's also a great signal for your brain to get excited about it again. So a reset is sometimes all it takes to be able to get out there and have fun with your run. So I would love to hear from you about one thing that you wish you knew when you first started running, because for everybody it might be a different thing. So send me a message because, like I said at the beginning of the episode, the stories and questions from others helped me so much. I will also be doing a video on this topic for my YouTube channel and I'd love to include some of your responses in that.