Run4PRs

We have almost all been asked the question when someone finds out you are a runner, the next thing they typically ask is if you have done a marathon. Everyone knows that marathons are hard work. They know this is the very long race that seems to be viewed as the pinnacle of running success, but is it? Why have the 100 or 50 miler ultra marathons not taken on the same allure in the running community? We are going to do a deep dive in this episode about marathons and some of our theories around why we think the marathon is so popular! We are also going to give some advice to those who really want to run to their potential in the marathon. The answers may surprise you because we actually recommend some athletes take time off of the marathon to get faster at the marathon How long people run before doing a full marathon Why is an elite training going to look different from a beginner in terms of workouts/long runs Why it becomes important to work with a coach who really understands your background and the distance What is the advantages to working on speed before going to the marathon Why does running a fast 5k not translate directly to the marathon distance

What is the best type of music to listen to while running? Depends on the purpose of the run Workouts: hard music Easy runs- slow music How do you fuel when you are not hungry but must eat High caloric foods that taste good When during hill repeats or speed work is it okay to walk? The goal of the recovery between for shorter intervals is to get breath back under control so that you can push hard on the next set. Most shorter intervals are anaerobic so it might take a more reduced pace like walking to recover. Check HR. A really slow jog is already hard for people because they slow down on easy days. Sometimes walking is wiser. 20x400 could actually be a threshold workout. How to get back to running after pregnancy Usually you will get cleared to run at 6 weeks by your OB. Many people need longer and recommend getting seen by a pelvic floor physical therapist. It depends on the person but most people start back with walk/runs even if they ran throughout pregnancy. Your core is very week and went through trauma. Allow yourself grace and time when coming back into things You may also be nursing which can be a new factor Is body weight strength training as effective as using weights Body weigh training can be highly effective. It depends on your starting point, how you are lifting, and your goals. Many body weight plyometrics can be challenging even for the strongest athletes. We always want to strength train with a purpose. Plyos work on speed and power. Everyone says running is bad for knees.. How do I prove them wrong? Pull up research studies of the benefits of weight barring exercises. There are myths like this about running but I think it is important to address that many people have injured their knees from running. Even elite runners sometimes need to have knee replacement type surgery. Let’s talk about WHY. Overtraining can lead to overuse. When you are pushing your body to the limits like an elite/professional runner where your job is to literally do everything you can to get faster sometimes you toe the line and things happen. Overuse injuries are common because many people unintentionally overtrain. Let’s say your grandma knows someone who ‘blew their knees out from running’. Perhaps they did because they went from 0 to 50 miles in 2 months and ran a marathon then could never run again. This is why the progressive overload and offseason are key. Weight bearing exercise actually makes your body and knees stronger BUT if you overdo it, you do put yourself at risk. www.run4prs.com

As coaches we work with a lot of athletes who have young kids and other life responsibilities like busy careers. A question that often comes up with athletes who begin to ramp up their training is when do you have time to train? How can you put in 7+ hours of training per week? We don’t have a one answer solution for you because everyone’s life looks different. We do however have a few ideas for when/how you might be able to utilize different resources to get your training in even with small kids and/or a busy career. Time of day: Working out while kids are sleeping Pros: easier Cons: lose out on sleep Working out while kids are awake and at home: Pros: you get to sleep Cons: you miss out on family time, logistically harder Working out while kids are at school/daycare Pros: you get to sleep Cons: logistically easier, guilt `1. Treadmill at home Investment: $2000+ dollars 2. Treadmill at gym with daycare Investment: $150/month 3. Stroller outside Investment: $500 Babysitter Investment: $20/hr Is it worth it to invest in yourself and your hobby? How do you deal with guilt associated with going on a run or running a race? Waking the kids up at 5:30am to go to a race? My kids like to go to races and run races themselves now. What they see as normal they will take mental notes. It’s one thing to say something is a value, but when you live it, kids witness it. It becomes a part of their identity. I don’t have the answers, but I can share my experiences and sometimes that can help. Is it worth it to train for big races? How does the competitiveness/running change after having kids?

Coach Breanna shares all about her journey from small town farming to becoming a professional runner. We took a deep dive into her recent marathon debut of 2:42 at CIM. Not only was this her first ever full marathon, but she also tackled it at 9 months postpartum with her first child. We talked about her journey running throughout pregnancy & postpartum and her plans for future racing. Coach Breanna has been coaching at Run4prs for 2.5 years and is currently taking on new athletes. If you are interested in working with her fill out the form at www.run4prs.com or reach out to us via email info@run4prs.co

Injuries are tough and a taboo subject. We don’t like to go through these times of setbacks because the uncertainty starts to creep in. How long until I can run again? How much fitness will I lose? Will I ever be as fast/fit again? These fears can often cause runners to comeback into running too quickly after being injured OR to avoid taking time off when they first feel an injury come on. Before we dive into things: What to do if you are injured! Why do some injuries happen Overuse They don’t always happen right away! Stress= body can only handle so much Underlying issue Running on sand Rolling an ankle Strength Training What is the injury ‘cycle’ Are comeback runners more likely to get injured Coming back too quickly Ego is high Run/walks Getting to the root cause instead of hoping rest will help Helps to avoid future injurywww.run4prs.com

How do I increase my calories in a healthy manner Calorie dense foods PB, nuts flax seed More carbs: fruit juices, maple syrup, honey Favorite season to train in & race in Depends on where I live Fall is ideal because summer training is ideal with temps never hitting more than 75-80 degrees in the early morning Humidity is poor man's altitude How to do you pick a run coach? Personality fit Open responsiveness : some people don’t care but take it as a red flag if someone doesn’t understand Philosophy fit Opennesses Understands your goals Has a clear plan for how to get you to your goals Communicates the plan to you Can help you learn and grow from experiences Not all races will go well We learn from each race 3:38 PR long term goal to BQ but wants to get pregnant 1st Have something to train for when TTC that you have a lower investment in like 5ks Postpartum comeback slowly and give yourself grace Lots of unknowns but consistency is helpful What to do when life happens and you miss a workout Depends on what happens Illness- going to take time off and not try to make anything up Other situation- might have you make up the workout Either way these both require you to probably re-work the entire plan because you are going to have less time in between workout days, etc. Depends on what you missed for a run 20 mile long run vs 5 mile easy run totally different How long until i expect to see muscle gains with the strength program How are you measuring progress Progress pictures Weight gain Measurements Gaining muscle is hard to do if you are in a catabolic state (undereating, over exercising with cardio) What are your goals with lifting?

How many races is too many? A lot of people are thinking about their goal race schedule for next year. It is good to look ahead and plan out your races so that you don’t over commit yourself. There are so many options and it can be tempting to sign up for all of the races, but what if we focused on building the year around your goals and then schedule races to accommodate those goals? Deciding on your goals for the year How to find races that will be in alignment with your goals How frequently should you race? How realistic is it to PR at every race? Half marathon PR in the build of for a full marathon? Should you wait to register for some races? Benefits of keeping ‘options open’

WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK? . As we approach the end of the year, many people begin to think about 2023 racing plans. Before we dive into signing up for all the races, we believe it is important to assess your 2022 progress and set yourself up for success in 2023 by setting goals. If we don’t assess the past mistakes we can be doomed to repeat them again! No one had a perfect running year in 2022 even if you PRed in every single race distance, there is STILL something you can learn from this year and bring into 2023 to become a better runner. Weekly mileage: was it too much? Too little? Workouts: did you do them? Were they too hard? Is that they you skipped them? Were expectations too high? Did you run easy enough on easy days Did you get injured? Seasons of life & routine What season of life are you in? Will it change in 2023? Is it realistic to train more or less next year? What did your routine look like in 2022, will you be able to keep it or will changes need to be made? Are you getting enough support? Races How did your races in 2022 go? How can you improve mentally? How could you improve physically What is your long term goal Define a goal 5-10 years out and then narrow down on a benchmark to get there My long term goal is to run a 100 miler some day Bite sized goals in 2023 that are challenging enough to motivate you to train but not so ridiculously that it throws you off Set a goal 2-3 years into the future Set a goal for next year Break 2023 into 2 parts Part 1: first half of the year Part 2: second half of the year

It’s not just the Newton Hills, the whole course has rolling hills! Try not to obsess over pacing too much and focusing more on effort. It is a crowded race so make sure you plan accordingly. We want to make sure to stay properly hydrated and fueling during the race. It can be shoulder to shoulder runners for several miles but don’t let that be an excuse to miss those first few aid stations. The Newton hills are about as hard as people make them out to be. However, there is also a lot of downhill and recovery in Newton between hills. Play to your strengths on the hills. You want to save something for those final 4 miles. The crowds will carry you home to the finish line regardless of how your day is going. Www.Run4prs.com

For a free 7 day trial you can fill out the form at www.run4prs.com  Assessing your strengths and weaknesses is key for building self awareness and also knowing what you should work on! When we know where we could use a little work, we can channel our energy to that area of life. This is important for your personal life as well as for your running. You will be able to better reach your potential when you know what direction to go. We have 3 areas of runner traits we are going to address in this episode as well as ways to turn your weaknesses into your strengths. For more information on this we have a commit60 mental training toolkit on our website that goes into this in depth. Weaknesses 1- impatient- you want results right away, you speed up at the end of runs Make yourself wait Meditation/mindfulness Deep breathing Yoga Read Do a puzzle Accept what you cannot change & practice empathy 2- Too negatives/self critical- you beat yourself up, perfectionist tendencies, unable to see positives, can lead to black or white thinking Mindfulness Recognize your triggers Come up with neutral statements instead Try a gratitude journal 3- inconsistent- lacking organization or discipline Routine Run streak Accountability buddy Building a habit/habit stacking 4-insecure- doesn’t believe in themselves, races workouts, pushing it on easy days Practice self care: nutrition, sleep, boundaries Maybe you always wanted a coach or to buy a certain pair of shoes: do it! Step away from toxic people, spend time with people who make you feel good Write down a list of things you are good at 5- Lack of experience- pacing, grows with time, technical Get experience Sign up for races Hire a coach Try new workouts 6-over analyzing- focusing too much on the details What do you over analyze? Weekly mileage (run 49.5 miles one week) Paces (don’t hit your paces) Run streaks (break it) Certain workouts (eliminate something you think is super important- IE yassos 800) How many 20 milers (run 18-19 milers) Focus on trusting the big picture

We are doing a little different format today interviewing a Run4prs coach! Many of our coaches were interviewed back in the beginning episodes of this podcast and we wanted to bring it back! Kat talks about her journey into running from 10+ min pace half marathon to 3:16 debut marathon. We also chatted about navigating a major life change in careers while continuing to train at a high level. Www.Run4prs.com for a free 7 day trial

We are doing a different format of podcast today. You may be used to the standard 1 topic podcast where Jason and I chat in depth about 1 topic but today we are asking YOU to bring your questions & we answer them. We talk about a variety of topics. We ask the audience on IG what questions they have and we answer in a podcast forum allowing for a greater discussion of the question than on an IG story. We love to help runners achieve their goals and grow a better understanding of the sport. 1- HOW DO YOU GET MOTIVATION BACK AFTER YOUR GOAL RACE WITH NO OTHER RACE IN MIND? Post racing blues are real! It can be hard to find motivation to workout when you don’t have a goal! 1- find a goal 2- search about what it is that gets you excited about running 3- set weekly process goals 2-DIET TO ELIMINATE BATHROOM ISSUES ON LONG RUNS AVOID FIBER SIMPLE CARBS TRY TO TRAIN THE BODY TO GO BEFORE 3- DOES A HEALTHY BMI IMPACT PERFORMANCE FUELING YOUR BODY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF RUNNING. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO NOT DEPRIVE THE BODY OF FOOD. IF YOU ARE IN A CALORIC DEFICIT, IT CAN BE REALLY HARD TO ACTUALLY HIT PRS. MANY PEOPLE START RUNNING AS A MEANS TO LOSE WEIGHT. THEY MAY FIND THAT AS THEY LOSE WEIGHT, THEY BECOME FASTER, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY VARIABLES AT PLAY IT IS HARD TO KNOW WHICH CAUSES THE SPEED INCREASE. THERE ARE CERTAINLY CAUSES OF PEOPLE WHO LOSE WEIGHT AND GOT SLOWER OR INJURED. 4- What is your least favorite thing about coaching? Coaching is generally a good time! I don’t have a lot of complaints about coaching. It can be hard in the rare occasion that someone has a hard race and they lose confidence. It’s just one race! 5- i just took 2 months off- do i have to start back at ground zero? Not necessarily at ground zero. It really depends on how you are feeling and why you took the time off. With a medical issue, it might make sense to treat yourself like you are starting from actual ground zero. 6- what should I do about knee pain? Getting hurt is a really hard part of being a runner. Injuries can be common because it’s a high contact sport (with the ground). I recommend seeing a physical therapist and consider active release therapy

www.run4prs.com for a free 7 day trial. We are doing a different format of podcast today. You may be used to the standard 1 topic podcast where Jason and I chat in depth about 1 topic but today we are asking YOU to bring your questions & we answer them. We talk about a variety of topics. We ask the audience on IG what questions they have and we answer in a podcast forum allowing for a greater discussion of the question than on an IG story. We love to help runners achieve their goals and grow a better understanding of the sport. 1- WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT BEFORE A RUN? Eating before a run is key but it can take time to build up to tolerate that if you aren’t used to eating much. Think of the BRAT diet that you would eat after the flu. Things that sit well with your stomach! Things like toast, oatmeal, banana, apple sauce are all good starting points to build from. Avoid anything too crazy 2-MY GOAL IS SUB 5 MARATHON- WILL A 3 HOUR MAX LONG RUN BE ENOUGH? The 3 hour rule will be perfect and we recommend that you do some back to back long runs to build the endurance and simulation of running long on fatigued legs. If you did 90 min run the night before your 3 hour run, this reduced chance of injury and also helps simulate the fatigue of the marathon. A lot of people run better when capping long run at 16. Look up the Hanson’s method! You’d be amazed 3- TOP 3 WORKOUTS FOR THE MARATHON The long run with or without marathon work, a medium long run with some threshold/steady state work, and then more tempo work! 4- HOW TO GET MOTIVATED AGAIN AFTER TIME OFF? The key is to start small and realize that it may take awhile to get back into the groove. Goal setting each week and each day can go a long way. Say you set a goal this week to run 3x. Then on each day you run set a goal like “run at least 2 miles”. Then you can set another goal the next week and keep building the momentum. It can be addictive over time! Having a long term goal like a race also helps 5- HOW CAN I AVOID CHAFFING? Unfortunately some areas and some people are just more prone to chaffing. There can be many reasons for this, but bottom line is skin rubbing over and over can HURT! Where do you find you chaff the worst? It may be finding better clothing options! When I am pregnant I experience a lot more chaffing (under bra, under arms & between legs) I find that wearing longer shorts is a game changer for helping between the legs. Wearing a shirt that covers the under arm area tightly can help with under arms. I have yet to find a solution for under the bra. I would experiment with clothing!

FREE 7 DAY COACHING TRIAL: www.run4prs.com We are doing a different format of podcast today. You may be used to the standard 1 topic podcast where Jason and I chat in depth about 1 topic but today we are asking YOU to bring your questions & we answer them. We talk about a variety of topics. We ask the audience on IG what questions they have and we answer in a podcast forum allowing for a greater discussion of the question than on an IG story. We love to help runners achieve their goals and grow a better understanding of the sport. 1- HOW WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO RUN MY HM PACE ON RACE DAY? She is running her first half marathon & worried that she will not be able to hold the pace. Doing a race in training to see where you are at Learning experience Setting a speed limit Remembering that it will feel easier on race day 2-AFTER 2 YEARS OF DOING ALL MY LONG RUNS EVERY WEEKEND, I HAVE GOTTEN SLOWER. TIPS FOR IMPROVING SPEED ON LONG RUNS Do not judge your fitness based on your long run pace Doing a VDOT time trial to get an accurate read on your fitness Allow time for training between fitness tests 80% easy running + 20% workouts In a 40 mile week this is 10 miles of workout pace work Retest in 6-12 weeks and set goals 3- DO YOU THINK ATTEMPTING A BQ AT FIRST MARATHON IS UNREALISTIC? It may be a really realistic goal for someone who has been running for years and has a VDOT time equivalent of running a BQ time or faster. Coach Ben ran 2:40 in his first marathon which was a 25+ min BQ. However, this was done after 10+ years of competitive running. 4- CAPPED LONG RUN AT 3 HOURS.. RAN 5.5 HOUR TIME.. STOMACH WENT HAYWIRE. We recommend capping the long run at 3 hours to allow for a reduction of injury. When we run over 3 hours the risk for injury increases. However, as the races get longer, there can be issues that creep up such as fueling! The longer the race, the more room for things to go wrong.

Looks like it will be warmer than anticipated for some fall marathons coming up. We trained in the heat. We are ready for it. This podcast goes over: 1. Recognizing we are in control & there are alternative races we can do 2. Assessing how the heat impacts us 3. Adjusting pacing plans 4. Hydration, staying cool, & positive thinking