Monthly training report and why you should have one, too

I know I previously introduced the "Monday Miles" theme several posts back about a weekly training report. Perhaps, some of you are wondering why (or relieved) that I haven't posted one since early May. After much thought, as I care about this blog incredibly so, I've decided that weekly training reports are a little overbearing.  To be blunt, they're unnecessary.  What I think is actually more useful and indicative of the fitness you're in is actually a monthly training report.  A monthly training report allows for reflection of what you have accomplished (or failed to complete) in the last thirty days. 

If your miles were lagging, you can bump it up in the next month. If, per chance, you see too many off days that you didn't know you had you can adjust accordingly in the next month.  If you didn't race at all in the previous month, you may want to try and get a quick 5-K or 10-K in there just to stay sharp.  The monthly training report is even vital to marathon training; the marathon, more than any other race, is so dependent on organized and dedicated training that the littlest things can affect it. A monthly training report will smooth out the edges and keep you focused on your goal, whatever that may be.

Even if you're just trying to maintain fitness, you can adjust your schedule to work, family and other mitigating factors after only a 10-20 minute perusal.  After that, you should be well on your way to another successful month of training. Here's my training log for the month of June:

I'll add it up for you: 239.7 miles. That's just about 8 miles a day. I'll even provide what I learned from my monthly training report; in June.

I only had two off days, which is the status quo for a training month for me, except one problem: they were within three days of each other. I had to make up for it the rest of the month by training harder, taking zero off days and fewer easier days just because of a few days of laziness at the beginning. I know now to refrain from doing that, unless I'm injured or sick. There was even a race in there, my first since the Boston Marathon, which I was happy about. Not only did I get some more racing experience, but the overall time was better than I expected with a top-15 finish to boot. Seeing the paces of all my runs, I'd like some of my easy days to be at a slower pace and will continue to work on that in July as well as more speed workouts, strides and longer long runs.


Does anybody else do monthly training reports? Will you now? Do you see any (or more) benefits in them? What do YOU think? 





 

Non-runners: The REAL crazy ones

Note: Seeing those in #runchat and #fitblog, and all over, really, find the time to blog during their busy schedules has inspired me to keep chugging along with mine.  In the last month and a half in between posts, I have endured a hellish finals week, taken a 2-week trip out west,  have begun a new job (interning at @PortfolioPR and adjusting to the “real-world” 40-hour work week), as well as bumping my mileage up to 60 miles a week.  Soon, that number will climb to 70, then 80.  I’ll be doing the best I can to continue posting without a major hiatus.

However, what motivated me so into writing a post today is an idiom I have heard ad-nauseam from my co-workers, friends, family members and even girlfriend (yes, even her!).   Acquaintances will ask me how long I’m running on a particular, or how many miles I hit this week.   The (almost) immediate response usually is, “Wow! You’re crazy!”  I cannot iterate how many times I’ve been called insane for the amount that I run.  I must admit that it has led me to pensively think about it and if I indeed need to check into rehab or even Runners Anonymous.  It’s a thought that typically passes my mind.  Yet, what crossed my mind today was the perfect retort and answer to this common proclamation that, I believe, is the truth.

I’m not crazy! You non-runners are the crazy ones.

That’s right.

I just don’t understand why running is considered such an outcast type of hobby.  Running, no matter your skill level, pace or past experience, makes you feel good.  What other natural actions are there that emit as much tranquility as a 12-mile run in the rain?  Strength, peace, happiness, confidence, enlightenment.   All have said to have been found on the run.  If anything, it’s a mystery to me as to why more people don’t run to feel such bliss.   Maybe they turn to drugs. I don’t know.  All I do know that anytime I run, regardless of the pace, I always feel better afterwards. 

Instead, a heavy majority of people (pun intended) prefer to be on the computer all day, playing video games, not being active and becoming wildly unhealthy.  Eventually, as we have seen so many times, these people have health issues as a result of their poor choices.  As the couch potatoes become lazier and lazier, runners become healthier and healthier over time, continuing to feel powerful and more energetic.  What’s so crazy about wanting to feel healthy, about having more energy? I cannot find a single thing wrong with either. 

It’s a natural movement for human beings to search for empowerment, be it through knowledge, job title, annual salary, physical dominance, what have you.  Running is the most natural, easiest way to be empowered.  It’s the one superpower humans possess, yet seldom use.  As explained in Chris McDougall’s Born to Run, the human body is designed to run long distances, and has been designed to do so for thousands of years.  Yes, even today. Instead, it is society that has engrained into our heads the running long distances is asinine, extreme and even foolish.

Even at weak points, we runners can take solace in the fact that every once in a while, we deserve that third (or in my case, sixth) slice of pizza, extra scoop of ice cream or that extra beer.  Even last night, I had four scoops of ice cream after dinner.   Then I realized I better do some abs, pushups and pull-ups to make up for it.  Maybe I am a little bit out there?

Any runners agree with me? Any non-runners have a rebuttal to me calling you out?  Would LOVE to get a discussion here of the two sides battling it out, defending themselves.

Rushmore of Inspiration

Now, I could be wrong, but I think we are all led to our professions and hobbies by someone else. A role model, a venerable figure, an inspiration of sorts. I chose my major by my closest friend, father figure and mentor Tim Massie (with his own exceptional blog at http://timmassie.blogspot.com/). Seeing my teammates succeed in their running inspires me every day. It's impossible not to be more motivated when people around you are being named top social media strategists in the country, or running 29:45 10Ks.  I am so privileged to be around people who are doing just that.

There are four people, or groups, in particular (hence the Rushmore allusion) that inspire me the most to be better, to work harder, to be more than I am today. I look to these people daily for not only guidance, but for a Mount Saint Helens'-type eruption of ambition that cannot be understated in significance to me. Without further ado, these are mine, and why.

One: Steve and Nancy Shane Yes, these are my parents. Saying parents are your role models and motivators has become cliche and lost its meaning. It's said too often without the necessary fervor it deserves.

This is not one of those times.

My mother is the survivor of cancer times three. First breast cancer in the 1970's that she beat, then she overcame skin cancer in the 1990's, and thwarted off bladder cancer just several years ago. Mom never let her ailments get in the way of successful careers as school teacher, real estate agent, broker on Wall St. and nursing supervisor, or wondrous parenting. The intestinal fortitude she possessed at all these times is most laudable. If three bouts of cancer isn't going to kill you, nothing will.

My father was an avid runner until about three-and-a-half years ago, when he suffered a heart attack while running. Dad stopped running for several years, saw my transformation into a runner and yearned to get back into it. He not only got back into shape, he ran the 2010 Lake Placid Half-Marathon just three years after a heart attack, finishing in 2:53 as a 56-year-old. Before that day, Dad hadn't run more than 10 miles; he never raced a half-marathon or any significance distance, and did it on one of the more challenging courses on the East Coast. He could have just eschewed the thought of no longer being in shape and never gone out the door and tried, especially at his age, but that was not an option; few people displayed as much effort and gall in their lifetimes than my father did on that single day and it was a moment that will forever move me.

Two: Tim Massie As aforementioned, Tim is the reason I chose the path my academic career has followed. Ever since I met him through a family friend of mine three years ago, I have been utterly amazed at Tim's humility, wholesomeness and unshakable dedication as Chief Public Affairs Officer of Marist College. Tim commonly refers to me as his "adopted son" with pride, and I return that pride by calling him my "adopted father." After knowing him for 1/7th of my life, I've come to know that Tim's life has not been easy either, but his commitment to staying true to himself, his sheer altruism in always helping those around him and devotion to his line of work to be the best he can be is rarely attained by mortals. Tim is that man who makes you want to be a better person just because he is that good.

Three: Teammates The men with whom I have the sheer privilege of sharing the starting line every cross country race motivate me in ways I cannot explain. Their accomplishments are so unfathomable that, to me, it is surreal that I am even spoken of in the same regard. Among them are a high school national champion, Adam Vess, whose abundance of running talent could be considered alien. There is Will Griffin, who just ran the first sub-30-minute 10K in school history doing most of his workouts in the pool. And, there's close friend Brian Townsend, who lost his entire sophomore year due to numerous stress fractures. Months went by in between runs for Brian, who's as competitive and driven as they get. His mental toughness to get back, fight through those injuries, and come back his Junior year running a 15:24 5K indoors and an even further impressive 26:59 8K in cross country this year. The strides he made (running pun intended) after almost a full year off from running is just unheard of and gives me internal strength to want to be a better runner myself. He'll be back and even better next year.

Four: Every single serious runner there is The toughest thing to do if you're a runner is that first step out the door. As the Chinese philosopher Lao-tsu so eloquently put it, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." All of us runners are on that journey to our goals. What the goals are, how fast you are, what race you run, are all meaningless in the big picture. What's most important is that you all go out there every day, balancing work, family, maybe work again and a social life, and still go out there and dedicate yourself to running. That's no easy feat. There's a reason why only 1 in 300 Americans run a marathon; it takes a special breed of a human being to possess the work ethic runners have. And for me, that's the deciding factor. It isn't easy for any of us, and that is why I am overwhelmingly inspired, motivated and moved by every single runner around. We all have our triumphs and our failures and it doesn't stop us. And that I find to be a phenomenal accomplishment time and time again.

Who is in your Rushmore of Inspiration? Why are they there? What have they done to get there for you? Let me know and we'll discuss.

Monday Miles, Part 1!

I know, I know, it's Tuesday. But Monday was a busy day for me. Considering I had two classes, practice, a second workout, three meetings, and a presentation due the next day, I acquiesce that I could not get to blogging, sadly. Today is different. Today a trend is going to be developed.

Inspired by the hashtag "#MondayMiles" that Runner's World Magazine, the world's most venerable print running voice, created on Twitter, I have decided to begin a weekly "Monday Miles" report of my own where everyone can share their workouts from the previous week. I'm hoping that, eventually, all of us runners can share workouts and stories to collectively benefit all those who are reading. For me, though, a pretty short week, as it was my first full week back since Boston.

Monday: an easy 6 miles in 41 minutes

Tuesday: an easy 6 miles in 43 minutes
The year's first 80-degree day is one I always welcome with a cold shoulder. Pun INtended.

Wednesday: off.
This was a day where I was hoping to run more, but I was actually sore after two days of running. Wasn't a good sign. This partially inspired the previous "Big Sponge Theory" detailed in my previous post.

Thursday: 8 miles in 52 minutes
A major relief, considering I thought I was in rough shape and didn't recover as much. This run showed that I was going to be okay.

Friday: 7 miles in 45 minutes
Took a stroll on my favorite route that led me to go a little faster than I wanted. Even introduced some strides for the first time that went well.

Saturday: 8 miles, 54 minutes

Sunday: 5 miles, 34 minutes

TOTAL: 40 miles

I was hitting double this weekly mileage routinely during the apex of my training for Boston in the winter. And I don't know which one was tougher; even with stretching three times a day, shorter runs and an overall break, I am still sore after this week. I know my sponge is almost entirely full still. That means no workouts for at least another two weeks. As long as I take it easy for another two weeks, though, I am sure that I'll be ready to start bumping mileage at that time. Then, I'll be needing some motivation, which is the subject of my next post: those that inspire me (and a major thank you to all them).

So what were your Monday miles this week? Any interesting workouts? Put them down and we can hopefully get a good discussion going.

The Big Sponge Theory

Look, it's a sponge!

Yes, I know. Exhilarating, right? Before you stop reading, I promise that if you're a runner, you want and need to know about this sponge, as it is a major theory of running that has been preached to me for over a year and not ascertained until just this week.

But first, I will admit that this theory is not my own and is not from my own intrinsic thought. I must credit my coach, director of Marist College Cross Country and Track and Field Pete Colaizzo, who has been coaching at Marist for over 20 years. He is venerable in his own right and has brought this former awful runner who used to get winded from running warm-up laps for soccer games to become a 2:42 marathoner and decent overall running competitor. The dude knows his stuff. To read more about Marist Running, read his blog at http://runredfox.blogspot.com/

Now, for his theory of the Big Sponge. Pete likes to equate the human body, especially the legs, to a sponge. When a sponge takes in too much water, the sponge then becomes useless and lets out the water it cannot hold. When that sponge becomes fully saturated, it is entirely obsolete, really.

The same is for the body.

We runners train so hard to achieve our goals, to attain our own versions of perfection, to do so much. We do these long runs and heinous workouts that burn our lungs and quads alive to get there. We'll do whatever is necessary to get to that level because it means success or failure for us. Well, the workouts are like water; you can keep training as hard as you can, without resting properly, and your body will reap some benefits. Yet, without proper recovery and rest, our bodies cannot handle the workouts (the water, and the benefits from the speed) and we'll therefore break down. Maybe it's a stress fracture, or just burning out, but once we reach that limit of constant workouts and hard days without the proper amount of easy days to counterbalance it, our bodies will suffer.

Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way.

Yesterday was my first day back from running after my venture in the Boston Marathon last week. I took a full week off because I felt that after taking only three days off in my previous marathon that it would behoove me to take some more time to give the old legs a rest. When I went out for an easy six miles yesterday, I went out much harder than I should. How hard? Well, the first three minutes were about 6-minute pace. The last three? A pedestrian 7:30 pace. I didn't know it was possible to hit a wall after three miles. After the six miles, my legs were dead, my lungs scorched, my pride burned.

Now, I know I can't pick up right where I left off. I just ran 26.2 miles a week ago. The human body needs healing time. Time off is necessary, vital to my summer training so I don't get hurt for cross country season and can build back a solid base uninterrupted, so I don't burn out in late September. Workouts? Forget about it...at least until late May.

This may be the most difficult thing for any runner to learn, especially a hammering 21-year-old like myself. Every day (and my teammates will vouch for me on this) I'm one of the few who always push the pace. I'm annoying, and I'm sorry, but it's just me and how I run. Yet, after the disastrous run yesterday and how my legs still feel today after another 6 measly miles, I know to take it easy. My sponge is just about fully saturated at this point. It's time to ring it out.