"I Only Run in Purple." - Anisum's Road PRs in 2018

Love the purple!

Running slow enough for Easy was definitely a learned skill that took practice for me. And it is still a WIP honestly. But I think it gets easier the further into your training plan you go because the cumulative fatigue of all that training makes your legs and body say "hey...isn't this EA pace just the loveliest thing that has ever happened today." The biggest thing I had to learn was to not do weirdo things to my form to slow me down (like leaning back or galloping or not picking up my feet enough)...just same small strides, same nice posture, waaaaaaay less power.
But when the right upbeat songs comes on, then my pace goes fast without me realizing... so I would suggest some zen music or podcasts to help (if music effects you like it does to me.)
 
I primarily schedule continuous running paces (that's what @Anisum is attempting to do). There are two possible options for slowing down:

1) Just put less effort into the run. Keep the stride short with foot placement underneath you. Don't put much power into each step. Try not to bounce too much and keep the steps overall as light as possible.

2) If you try and go as slow as I schedule and find that it is just impossible to do it comfortably. I'd switch to something I call "as slow as you can run" pace. Now how we treat your ASAYCR pace is completely dependent on where it falls within the scheduled pace spectrum. If you tell me that EA (the slowest easy) is too slow, but ASAYCR = EB (which is the faster easy), then I'm likely to tell you to just run EB every time. If you tell me ASAYCR = 5k scheduled pace, then we're going to need to incorporate walking breaks to keep the desired effect of the training. But how I do the walking breaks will again be completely dependent on what the purpose of each individual workout is. Here's an example I gave in the running thread. It's long so behind a spoiler.

First, my golden #1 most important rule of training: You have to enjoy the training because it can be as much as 99% of all of the running you do in preparation for a race. So whenever, I have to make a final decision on training, I will always think about that statement at the forefront. Because if you don't enjoy the training, then you won't stick with it.

The first thing I'd look at are my running shoes. Everyone is different when it comes to shoes. But I know when I first started on the slow run mindset, I had similar aches and pains trying to go slower. It didn't feel natural, and sometimes it felt like it hurt worse than just going a little faster. I ended up switching up my shoes to a more cushioned version (went from Saucony Ride to Saucony Triumph) and found a noticeable difference immediately. I've also tried to run fast in my Triumphs and I can't do it because it doesn't feel right. Every time I go out for a fast interval run, I do a warm-up and cool-down. For the fast runs, I use my Saucony Kinvara's which are my least cushioned shoe I use. Those warm-ups and cool-downs eat my legs up because of the Kinvaras. I do those same paces in Triumphs and no problem, but man is it hard to do them in the Kinvaras. So that's the first place I'd look when little aches and pains crop up from slow running.

Now for the sake of the thought process, let's say that changing the shoes doesn't help. The next question becomes -

19) If I told you to run as slow as you can, how fast would you be running? This would be at a pace where you're barely breathing differently than normal walking. It feels like you're barely trying.

You might recognize this question as one that I ask in my standard training plan list. The reason I ask this is because I want to get your unbiased opinion on how slow you think you can go. For 80-90% of the people I've worked with, the pace they tell me is the pace I schedule as the easy runs. Not because I altered the pace calculations, but because they usually fall in line together naturally. However, on occasion there are people whose answer is faster than the easy pace. For these people, I schedule the easy pace per the calculation and then wait and see. Some people adapt to the slower training pace in 2-3 weeks and others it might take as long as a year. But if things aren't working out with the slower pacing, and things don't feel right or it becomes not enjoyable then it's time to make a change.

So, we go back to question 19. How does that pace that you feel is the slowest you can run compare to the pace calculations given? For example,

screen-shot-2017-03-21-at-8-03-37-am-png.226700


This is a pace calculation. If the person came to me and said a 14:00 min/mile is too slow. The slowest I can comfortably run biomechanically is an 11:52 min/mile (HM Tempo). As a relative pace to their racing profile a HM Tempo run is 88-90% HR max or 84-90% VO2max. This is roughly an 84% effort. The goal for an easy run is about 65-78% HRmax or 59-74% VO2max which means if we did a sustained run at HM Tempo we wouldn't elicit the benefits of easy running. So to overcome this, I would say run the 11:52 min/mile which is the slowest pace you biomechanically feel comfortable at and add in walking breaks to ensure that the physiological stress you're putting on the body stays low. Running a HM Tempo is kept to about 30-60 minutes of continuous running, so an easy run at that pace has to be considerably broken up to maintain the "easy" designation. I am not well versed in run/walk, but this is how I would approach it.

The next question would be how fast do you walk? For the sake of this example, let's say this person walks a 17:00 min/mile (average human walk is about a 19 min/mile). The goal would be to find a run/walk ratio that keeps the run easy. Let's run through some different run/walk intervals and run the calculation -

screen-shot-2017-03-21-at-8-22-25-am-png.226701


A 4 min run and 30 sec walk (or 8:1 ratio) would be an average pace of 12:17 min/mile (there will be variability on a mile by mile basis purely from the standpoint of the intervals not ending at each mile marker). A 12:17 min/mile average pace is still too quick and more like a M Tempo run.

screen-shot-2017-03-21-at-8-24-56-am-png.226702


A 2 min run and 1 min walk (or 2:1 ratio) would be an average pace of 13:12 min/mile. A 13:12 min/mile average pace is still too quick and more like a long run

screen-shot-2017-03-21-at-8-30-30-am-png.226703


Although Galloway's recommendation I believe is even slower for a long run at 90-120 seconds slower than M Tempo, looks like his Magic Mile calculator says a 14:47 min/mile for someone with this race profile using a 15/30 run/walk ratio (or 1:2 ratio).

screen-shot-2017-03-21-at-8-31-20-am-png.226704


I'd probably settle on the 1:1 ratio like this one. It's 1 min run and 1 min walk, which comes out to an average pace of a 13:59 min/mile which is nicely in the easy category. Since this running pace is around this person's HM Tempo pace I'd venture to guess from a physiological standpoint this person could do 2 min run and 2 min walk or 4 min run and 4 min walk and still reap the benefits of the easy run.

At the end of the day, the true goal of the easy run is to increase the training load, induce active recovery, maintain a low to medium level of cumulative fatigue throughout the training cycle, and to induce the body into adapting and creating a better muscle structure (more and larger mitochondria and increased blood flow). So if we can hit this feeling of ending a run and it feeling super easy, then we're likely on track in gaining these benefits. With this coming the added benefit of always feeling comfortable biomechanically during the run without the feeling of causing new problems by going too slow.

Hope this helps!

Thanks!! I, like so many, have a hard time with the "running slow" concept. I need to work on this!
 
Thanks!! I, like so many, have a hard time with the "running slow" concept. I need to work on this!

Don't worry! Like you said most people struggle with it. It takes about 2-3 weeks of slow running for it to start to feel somewhat normal. If the pace is scheduled appropriately than your super easy should feel the same as my super easy. Just two different actual paces based on our relative fitness level. And like @roxymama said, once the training starts to pickup then you relish the easy days and it doesn't feel nearly as "hard" to go easy.
 
Love the purple!
The biggest thing I had to learn was to not do weirdo things to my form to slow me down (like leaning back or galloping or not picking up my feet enough)...just same small strides, same nice posture, waaaaaaay less power.
But when the right upbeat songs comes on, then my pace goes fast without me realizing... so I would suggest some zen music or podcasts to help (if music effects you like it does to me.)
That was me trying to figure out how to do the WU/CD pace. It took a few tries to pick up my feet enough. I'll have to try music. I don't usually train with music except for long runs because I don't want to be dependent on it but podcasts or something may be nice.
 


So I'm glad everyone liked shoes because I have some exciting shoe news!

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Yesterday I was at a group run and while I didn't reach EA I did get a pair of mystery Mizunos! Our running store had a Mizuno rep at the run and in return for trying out the Wave Rider 20 and giving them feedback they gave us a raffle ticket for a free pair of shoes.

I was one of the people who volunteered mostly because when I put them on and walked in them I didn't have much trouble. The Wave Rider is apparently closest to the Ghost in Brooks (my usual brand). I hate the Ghost because something about the fit pushes my foot up into the front of the shoe when I walk or run which of course means a risk of black toenails. These didn't have that effect. My main complaints were the lower heel which stretch my Achilles tendon more than my Glycerins and that the shoes didn't seem to have anything between the seams of the shoe and my socks which causes the rough seams to rub at my foot.

When I got back the representative had me try on a different pair that comes out on May 6 that he had with him which was supposed to be closer to my Glycerins. I don't remember the model name but I liked those better. When I won the raffle he said he'd mail me a pair once they were released as my free shoes for winning the raffle. So not I just have to wait until the mystery Mizunos arrive.
 


I didn't sleep well Tuesday night so by the time I got to the afternoon run it seemed I didn't have much left in me. It's the first time in over six months I cut a training run short but I just couldn't convince my body running was a good idea. I only got 3 of the planned 5 miles in. So @DopeyBadger now that I have a good night's sleep in me should I try and do the remaining two today? Add them to Friday? or just skip them?
 
Week 2 (4/24 - 4/30):
Mon: 3 mi @ EA (15:36)
Tue: OFF
Wed: 5 mi @ EB (14:37)
Thu: OFF
Fri: 3 mi @ EB (14:37)
Sun: 5 mi RACE!!!

Monday Run: I went too fast BUT I got some new shoes in a raffle so while for the plan it wasn't so good it was a great run in other days. The mystery Mizunos come out tomorrow so I'm not sure if they will arrive tomorrow as well or if I'll have to wait a bit longer.

Wednesday Run: I missed weekly yoga because I was busy at work which was probably okay since I hadn't slept much on Tuesday. I got 3 of my 5 miles in but I did so at a 14:47 pace which I wish I could say was because I was in the zone and ran EB but it felt like more effort than normal to stay at the 14:37 pace so I dropped down a bit.

Friday Run: This run was in 14:46. This felt closer to my normal amount of effort for that pace but I didn't want to push too much because it was 85F and sunny. That's unseasonably warm (most runs are in the 55-70 range right now) and so while I felt good I thought I shouldn't push given I wasn't acclimated.

Sunday Run: This race was GREAT! My goal had been sub 1 hour and my chip time ended up being 57:55. My watch said 57:42 but I stopped it when I had to tie my shoe just before mile 2 because I wanted to have data on how much time it took away from my race. I had a 78ft elevation gain with a 85ft loss which may not sound like much but it destroyed a lot of people. There were about seven uphill sections that varied from long stretches with small inclines to sharp inclines for short stretches. Since I run hills it's something I'm fairly comfortable with and by the fifth hill I was passing a number of people on the uphill and downhill sections. At mile 4.2 my other shoe came untied but I decided to risk it since I really wanted that PR. Of course in trying to avoid the shoelace, my other shoe also came untied at mile 4.5. So I finished with both shoelaces untied. Totally worth it. I felt great afterwards but I'm not sure how much longer I could go at that pace before hitting my lactate threshold. There were times when I felt wonderful even though I was at an 11min/mi pace and I had to pull back but there were also portions when I didn't want to push past a 12:20-12:30.

Weather wise it was a good run as well. 65F with some breeze on most of the course. It was humid though so when the breeze stopped it felt hot! After the race I got my glass of wine, it was an Oaked Chardonnay that was great and we stuck around. Since we did this race last year my group knew we needed some cheese, crackers, and prosciutto with us so we could hang out and enjoy the breeze. It was supposed to be cloudy but the sun came out and now I'm a bit burned. Oh well.

Did I wear purple?: Yes. I wore most of the purple accessories I wore last week plus my purple MP3 player I bring to races in case I need it. I had originally planned on wearing a purple top and capris to run in but since my local running club was there I decided to represent in their gear instead.
 
so while I felt good I thought I shouldn't push given I wasn't acclimated.

Good choice. For reference, I use this chart on helping making decisions on slowing down in the heat/humidity.

http://maximumperformancerunning.blogspot.com/2013/07/temperature-dew-point.html

This race was GREAT! My goal had been sub 1 hour and my chip time ended up being 57:55.

Congrats! Way to go on crushing those hills and successfully not tripping on the untied shoes!
 
Congrats on the PR! Sounds like you had a great race! :D
Thank you it was a lot of fun!
Solid training week and great job on your race!
Thanks! I was very excited about the PR... And the wine and the rare post-race carbs I got to eat in those crackers.

Good choice. For reference, I use this chart on helping making decisions on slowing down in the heat/humidity.

http://maximumperformancerunning.blogspot.com/2013/07/temperature-dew-point.html
Thanks! That chart will definitely be helpful. I'll have to put it in a spreadsheet.
Congrats! Way to go on crushing those hills and successfully not tripping on the untied shoes!
That was my biggest fear. I kept thinking I was being too cocky by not tying my shoes so I could PR and I would trip over myself right at the finish. Luckily I was incorrect in that assessment.
 
Mid week update. Running is going well but my yoga instructor was sick yesterday. :( That did give me time at lunch to go shopping. I got this really cute wristlet that apparently was made for storing wet bathing suits? Not sure I believe that but it's very summery and the picture do it justice. It's way more vibrant in person.

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I'm also very jealous of those of you gearing up to run Tink! That race is probably my favorite of the (admittedly few) runDisney races I've done. I can't wait to read everyone's trip reports.
 
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Week 3 (5/1 - 5/7):
Mon: 3 mi @ EA (15:36)
Tue: OFF
Wed: 5 mi @ EB (14:37)
Thu: OFF
Fri: 3 mi @ EB (14:37)
Sun: 10 mi Race @ LR (14:08)

Monday Run: I got closer to the EA. I ran it at 15:23 min/mi. I really love the EA after all the effort I put in on Sunday because I was definitely feeling the way I had pushed myself the next day.

Wednesday Run: Yoga was cancelled this week which meant I did some yoga stretches on the floor after my run. I was still feeling a bit tired from the race but aiming for EB went well. I actually got above EB at one point but I finished at 14:27 overall so not as ideal as I wanted.

Friday Run: This run was in 14:33. My biggest issue was I felt really good and my body wanted to go faster.

Sunday Run: So I had planned on running this 10 miler at long run pace since I was supposed to be assisting L in getting a PoT for Dopey. L had something to do last minute so I was going to be on my own for it. My initial thought was to stick to the plan since @DopeyBadger factored recovery time into my training plan for those paces but the other part of me said this would probably be my only chance to improve my Dopey corral placement this year as I have one more 10 miler coming up that I'll run with L before the PoT deadline in October. To be honest, I probably don't need better corral placement since I'll move back to L's corral for most of the races but if for some reason L can't run or gets injured I still want the best corral possible.


The weather was nice but a bit chilly when standing around. It was far better than last year when this race was held in the pouring rain. It's a small race of about 100 (though I think less than that always seem to show) people on back country roads that aren't closed for the race. This means that after the first mile you may see someone ahead of you in the distance but you might not run next to or pass anyone for the entire race. It's the complete opposite of Broad St (held the same day) but it makes it a bit easier to get a good time since you don't spend the first mile dodging and weaving. At the same time it means the race is far more mental because outside of water stops manned by a single person you are on your own.

I remembered the course as being relatively flat with small hills every now and then plus one big one. There were two big hills actually and they were killer. My goal is always to not walk unless absolutely necessary but the incline on the one hill was so steep I didn't really have a choice. Before the race my mom who was spectating asked what I thought my time would be and I said I'd be happy with a PR but because I had a stomach ache the day before and didn't eat my normal pre-long race meal I was concerned I wouldn't have enough energy. She said she thought I could get close or probably go sub 2 hours (just like the Nike attempt minus 16.2 miles) and I told her I would do my best. So I figured I would run by feel and try to stay around a 12 minute mile. I did well for the first 5 miles but the hills on mile 6 and mile 8 killed my pace since I had to walk a bit. I had a burst of energy when I passed some people on mile 9 though and was able to make up a few seconds. I'm not sure of my time because it was clock timed and not chipped and my watch seemed to fall short at one point. I think I crossed at about 2:00:55 or so but I won't know for sure until they post the results today.

Overall, it was a difficult race but one I felt went well. While based on this year's corrals it probably wouldn't move me up it did shave about 7 minutes off of what McMillan estimates my marathon time will be so that has to count for something.

Now for the most important question!


Did I wear purple?: Yes. I wore so much purple, especially for the race on Sunday. I forgot to take a picture of flat me but I had a dark plum racer back that's like a soft material with holes all over it that make it look like mess or like a sports jersey. I really can't accurately describe it and the internet doesn't have any pictures. Suffice to say though it's my favorite race top because I don't have to poke holes in it for my bib. The holes are already provided. I wore pants that had some purple in them. They're in this pattern though I sadly don't have that matching jacket. I also had purple KT tape on my arches since they tend to hurt after about 8 or 9 miles. My headband was also purple, it was this pattern though the image doesn't show how purple it actually is. I'm pretty sure the only thing that wasn't purple were my race shoes. Seen below.

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