Running Shorts

What is the workout? This workout is super simple yet super effective: after a 10-15 minute warmup (starting real easy and gradually increasing the effort) you run for an hour at aerobic threshold effort. When possible, do it on a course with rolling hills. Finish it off with an easy cooldown of 5 minutes to a mile. So what's aerobic threshold? In my running lexicon, it's a moderate-intensity, high-end aerobic effort; in terms of pace, it ends up being slightly slower than marathon pace but slightly faster than normal run pace. For me, depending on the day, my pace will average somewhere between 5:30 and 5:50 per mile. That said, notice that I described the workout as "an hour at aerobic threshold effort ." Like with other WOTW installments, I feel that effort is way more important than pace. Some days you'll feel good and naturally go faster, some days you'll feel rough and have to grind it out a little more. Some courses will be a little flatter and faster...

Ok, so this post also applies to everybody, but it's especially relevant for high school -- and, on occasion collegiate -- runners. Ready? Here it is: Stop thinking you need to run harder to get faster. That's it. Simple. Unfortunately, too many runners at too many levels don't get it. I didn't get it until after I had already graduated from college. Here's the problem: the 'no pain, no gain' attitude permeates every aspect of sports culture in America. You see it all the time on high school XC team T-shirts. You know, the ones with the slogans on the back that say "Pain is weakness leaving the body," or "Pain is temporary, pride is forever," or "Our sport is your sport's punishment," or...well, you get the idea. It's all couched in the glorification of pain and suffering -- the idea that if you're not working hard, then you might as well not be working at all. However, by and large that does not apply to end...

Stepping Down in Distance This evening is the Little Kings Mile here in Cincinnati. It's the second leg of the beer series (a series of three races all sponsored by Christian Moerlein brewing) and the first event of Flying Pig weekend . It's also sweet because it's one of the few races in town with an elite element and prize money to boot. I haven't raced a mile in two years, when I competed in the inaugural Little Kings Mile. That, though, was three weeks after my Boston Marathon...so I followed up the longest road race with the shortest. Not an ideal situation, but considering that I still ran decent (4:31 for 4th place). This year I'm not in peak mile shape, but I am in much better than post-marathon shape. I've been getting in some real good base training, with lots of hills and threshold running. While the mile will be a bit of a shock to the system, it'll still be fun to see what I can do. But, if I'm ultimately training for half and full...