Untamed Runner

Last Saturday, feeling frustrated at not running well on the treadmill, I decided to put mind over matter and turn in an excellent time on a six-mile run on it. Matter won. In the immediate post-run reflection, I came to a very simple conclusion: I just don’t run as well indoors, and this has always been true. I have many memories of indoor track. Most of them are that I didn’t enjoy it as much as running outdoors.

Many athletes struggle in venues for various reasons. The following two have more accolades and championships to their credit than me, but I use them because they should be familiar to even the most casual sports fan and it illustrates that sometimes, things just don’t work the way you want in athletics.

For all of Roger Federer’s dominance on the tennis court, including twenty grand slam titles, he has repeatedly struggled at the French Open. He does have a championship there, but given his higher rate of success in all other tournaments, that one has proved more elusive.

In the early 2000s, USC football steamrolled past almost all of their opponents, including the best teams they faced. And yet, they lost twice in a row to Oregon State when they played them in Corvallis. This was a team that had no business hanging with the Trojans, yet they ran right past them. Something in the Corvallis water or atmosphere did not mesh well with USC.

There are running examples of this phenomenon, not necessarily with location but with types of events. Kipchoge has dominated the marathon in various locations in an unprecedented way. His track record is not shabby by any means, but if you look at it next to his marathon record, it’s not even close. Bekele dominated the 5000M and 10000M for years. While he has had some top-notch performances in the marathon, he has also been inconsistent and will not be considered a titan of that distance.

I’ve stated that I’m happy with a pair of running shoes on my feet and solid ground underneath them. Yet, I don’t run as well indoors. It’s strange. It’s the same motion, I have the same capability in my legs, but something just doesn’t work the same way.

No competitive person wants to admit that they just don’t do as well in certain conditions or at certain venues. And, there is value in continuing to chip away at a challenge to make ourselves better. Yet, it appears that even for the best athletes or programs, there are times when it may be valuable to evaluate whether they should continue to go after something they’re not meant to do, or try something different. Roger Federer and USC don’t have much choice over their schedules so their adaptive technique needs to be different.

As runners, we have the luxury of pivoting to new things. What if Kipchoge had continued to try and find more success at the 5000M and 10000M? He might very well be another good track runner with a couple of Olympic medals and respectable times, hardly known by anyone outside of the die-hard running community. What about Bekele? His progression was different, but had he continued to push at the 5000M and 10000M distance, would he have had a couple of more titles and medals to his name? Possibly. I’m sure there are plenty of lesser-known runners who wanted to run lights out on the track but eventually realized that they probably were destined to be a marathoner, or ultrarunner. Did they shrink away from a challenge, or did they become more aware of their strength and weaknesses and react accordingly? Thank goodness for the ability to pivot.

There are many things that I love about the treadmill, both from a practical and a training standpoint, and I’ll still be on it quite a bit. But as far as running inside, I won’t be seeking out any all-comers indoor track meets any time soon. I’m running with the idea (pun intended) that I have a better understanding of my strengths, and that turning in top-notch times indoors is not something that needs to be reconciled.

Last fall, I wrote that one goal for the 2020 running year was to train for the mile to see what kind of time I could still post. There are three reasons. While many runners go for longer distances as they get older, I thought it would be interesting to engage in a mental game of accepting that I might not post my fastest mile ever but seeing how fast can I run 5,280 feet right now. Also, it’s a different form of training in terms of speed and mileage and I felt that could be beneficial, mentally and physically. And, I’m an untamed runner. Bucking convention is something I enjoy.

Since that time, I’ve mentioned a few updates on how I’m progressing with the training. The odds of competing in an open mile in the next several months are slim but I still have the possibility in mind. This past Saturday, I did an all-out mile on our treadmill and discovered the following.

Running a time trial on a treadmill is difficult. In fact, I believe I run much faster outside. Recent examples reinforce this. A couple of weeks ago, I barely kept my per-mile pace at under 7:00 on a six-mile run on the treadmill while fully caffeinated and fueled. The next week I ran sub-7:00 miles on a six-mile run having just rolled out of bed and into my running shoes. No coffee, no fuel. Given that I’ve also posted well under 7:00 miles on six-mile runs outside recently while fully caffeinated and fully fueled, the evidence for being faster outside is pretty conclusive.

On March 31, I did an all-out mile in my neighborhood doing two laps on our half-mile circle. My time was 5:10. While I had a hard time believing that was accurate, given how my 5K pace should translate, I measured the course again and got 1 mile for two loops. But, let’s say that because of how I ran the tangents, my distance was off by .05 miles. This would put me closer to 5:25 to 5:30 and that is a time that, while still on the faster end of my expectations, was one I could buy.

This past Saturday, while I have less speedwork on my feet, I still only posted 5:51 on the treadmill. It’s not uncommon for me to open a 5K at a sub-6:00 pace and though it’s reckless and probably means I wasn’t focusing, I also will still finish the 5K in an average pace of 6:00-6:25 per mile. The point is that I may pay later for a sub-6:00 opening mile but I also don’t completely fall apart so I should be able to go faster than 5:51 when doing an all-out mile.
So what does this mean for my attempts at the mile? The next time I do a time trial, I will do so outside and make sure the measurement is spot-on. I’ve been doing more push-ups to get better upper-body strength and I can start the speedwork again. 5:51 was a little disappointing but given that it was on the treadmill, it’s acceptable, it at least was comfortably under 6:00, and if I’m routinely faster outside, I can expect better results there. When I first conceived of doing all-out mile training, hitting a 4:59 was a “stretch” goal. If the 5:10 was accurate, or even 5:25, while dropping that much time in a mile is a lot, given that I hadn’t really gotten into heavy speed training, maybe the 4:59 is possible. That being said, I also would have been pleased with something in the 5:20s and given that there are still unknowns, I’d be okay with that.

Happy birthday to the Untamed Runner! I launched this blog in late May of 2018 and I celebrated the first anniversary by going for a long run while using birthday cake-flavored Gu. Unfortunately, I used my last birthday cake Gu a couple of weeks ago so while I’ll still go for a long run to celebrate the second anniversary, I’ll have to use something different for fuel.

When I launched, I didn’t imagine the number of consequential things that would occur in the running world. A very few highlights are the smashing of the men’s and women’s marathon world records, the further development of and controversy over new shoe technology, and road 10K times that are approaching the track world record.

I’ve been able to accomplish a fair amount, including winning a 5K in Laramie that did not go according to plan, being accepted to the Runners Roost Race Team #roosraceteam, and running several times in the desert in conditions that ranged from cold and snowy to 105 degrees under harsh sunlight. And for good fun, at least from a writing standpoint, the greatest sprint race ever.

I’m not sure why the past two years have had more momentous running moments than in others, either for me or for others, but there it is and here we are. As I rounded the curve from year one to year two for the blog, events and plans as they related to running seemed somewhat settled. Now, it’s hard to know what to expect. I had a loose race calendar for the year, including a couple of 5Ks and 10Ks later this month and mile races this summer, but everything is either out the door or on hold as we wait to see how this pandemic affects us. Yet we can still run, either outside or on home treadmills.

Maybe being untamed will be good preparation for uncertainty. I’ve always possessed stubbornness towards running in that I’ve always insisted on it. But, my focus has shifted among distances, styles of training, and clusters of racing versus not racing. Often there would be an unexpected reason for a shift, though usually it was one that was pleasant and welcome, not a pandemic.

I have to carry a face covering when I’m out there. With no travel in the near future, new running destinations are unlikely to be added to me resume. I may not be able to go on the exact routes I would prefer, so my current paths will likely become more and more familiar as I use the same residential streets again and again. Yet, what I love about running is the run itself. On my About page, I cite the joy I feel when lacing up my shoes and that is still there, in spite of changes, and untamed is an experience and a mindset.

Because it relates to running, year three of the blog is an unknown, much like everything else around us. The goal of my blog is to convey information that may be useful as you continue with your running and training (or for entertaining reading if you’re not a runner) and this is primarily done through evaluation of major running events and anecdotes around my own experiences, past and present. I’m still running, and the blog will still have new anecdotes and information. Stay tuned…

There’s a point in some races where, especially if you’re on the edge of a goal time or you’re in a barn-burner for the podium, the world disappears into a fog. You lose track of everything except the finish line. You’re aware of the pain that you’re putting your body through and the fact that you can’t run any faster, and yet the push for the line partly transcends that. When you cross the line, it can take a few moments for everything to return to normal, regardless of the outcome. You’ve put your mind and body through a small ordeal and they can be flooded with adrenaline and endorphins, and a snap-switch back to clarity and perspective isn’t in the cards.

When you’re training, there’s another kind of trance. If you’re on a distance run and you’re close to a goal time, the last couple of miles can turn into a mind-numbing push. Besides the strain of the run, all I can feel is this strange time-delayed slap of my hair against my scalp and I can almost see the beads of sweat flying off from it and colliding and evaporating in a suspended-in-time mist, despite the fact it’s occurring well outside of my peripheral vision. It’s an ugly feeling, one where I’m not sure whether I’ll hit my time, but wanting to keep pushing. Similar to an end-of-race trance, once I’m done it can take a little bit of time to revert to normal.

I’ve found that running in our current social distancing brings on a different kind of trance. Normally when I’m rolling off the miles I’m focused on running the tangents, keeping track of my time, both total and splits. I’m doing the math on all of this and breaking it into various segments to project my time. Is the rest of the course flat or hilly? Am I feeling strong and thus able to reasonably repeat these splits? What is my stretch goal? What will I likely get time-wise?

These days, I find that my focus is entirely on what’s going on around me. I’m vaguely aware of my watch and the total distance but I’m also scanning ahead of and around me. Instead of hugging curves or switching sides of the road in a line-of-sight to run the fastest course possible, everything is about enjoying the freedom of being outside while also being aware of people around me and keeping proper distances. In a way, I’m really not focused on the distance or my time. I’m aware of when I need to make turns so that I stay on my planned course but keeping track of it in terms of speed is outside of my main considerations. I’m in a zone.

A running friend of mine has been exclusively on the treadmill since mid-March and we’ve talked about running outside. His primary question isn’t whether to run outside, but how much practicing social distancing affects the enjoyment of the run. It does, to an extent. And yet, in spite of being in a trance that doesn’t allow for the parts of training that I enthusiastically embrace, it works in its own strange way. It’s not a trance I had expected, and definitely not one that I was able to compare to other runners’ mindsets in similar situations since this is a new one for us. But, it’s definitely a running trance, and unique among my experiences. Unlike the first two I mentioned above, it’s not hard to make the switch when I’m done. Clarity and perspective are back quickly.

In early March, I wrote a post pointing out the freedom that running allows us, even within social distancing guidelines. Much has changed since then, even for running, and yet we can still run free.

All of the social distancing guidelines allow for exercise, including going for a run. Where we live, the trails remain heavily used and we’ve been encouraged to seek out less crowded areas. The second time I ran on the trail, because of the amount of time I spent focusing on maintaining social distance, I did an all-out half-mile around our block, going down the middle of the street, well away from pedestrians. It felt wonderful to just run. As I walked back inside, I considered ways to keep up with a run-focused run and went to plan B: treadmill.

Our treadmill has provided many benefits, such as a dry surface to run on and 65 degree temperature when it’s frigid, dark, and icy outside. It’s also a way to run a very measured pace in specific increments. I’ve noticed more precision in my turnover when I run outside after doing several treadmill workouts. In our current times, it’s a way to run while social distancing. All I have to think about is the run.

And yet, while I’m generally happy with a pair of running shoes on my feet and a firm surface underneath, running inside all the time is not what I would normally choose so I went to a plan C. I’m still on the treadmill some of the time but it seemed reasonable that nearby residential streets and sidewalks might have fewer people and so far, they have. With the new face-covering requirements, it’s not quite the same as an unhindered run in fresh air, yet it still is a taste of freedom. Wearing a face covering does allow less air flow. This is not fun, but I figure there’s some training benefit that is similar to running at a higher elevation. I’m not sure whether that’s an additional 500 feet or 5000 feet, but it’s something.

It’s a way to observe first-hand our community around us. Though there is less traffic than on a standard weekday morning, there are still a decent number of cars. Most people observe social distancing in a responsible way. When I passed a house where someone I had never seen before was putting out their garbage, I was probably fifty feet away yet they called out with a hearty hello. Five weeks ago, they may not have even glanced up and I suspect our inability to socialize in person compels us to more friendly gestures when we do see another human.

I look forward to the day when I can run outside again without social distancing, to actually enjoy the freedom of a run. In the meantime it remains a bit of freedom I can still embrace, even with a few minor adjustments.

When global change occurs, one way to consider it is its impact going forward on specific activities or areas. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic is a fluid situation, any attempts to measure future impact could change but we can go with the information we have. The Boston and London Marathons are now scheduled to take place in the fall. This means there could be five major marathons between September and November, and most elite athletes will likely only choose one of those. The probable change here isn’t so much on the overall winners (there were five unique major marathon winners in 2019, there could be six in 2020 as the elite Tokyo race was held on 1 March) but on the number of unique competitors in each field. Since most elite athletes will only run one fall marathon, there will probably be more different faces in each one and thus a greater variety of names among the top finishers. Because running success is based primarily on speed, even if the second through tenth place finishers in the majors feature many new faces, that doesn’t guarantee a nice vault into sustained success for them. On the other hand, nabbing an unexpected podium finish may very well be the boost that an up-and-coming elite marathoner uses to unlock even more ability. With a new potential GOAT contender emerging and two others running at their peak, the distance running world already seemed poised for change. A pandemic-influenced schedule change is not what any athlete wants to see shifting the balance, but it may be an unavoidable result.

The change in the Olympic schedule is disappointing, yet it also yielded some positive responses. The shoe technology war has dominated headlines for months now, and there is the thought that with the Olympics being sixteen months away as opposed to four, the other shoe companies not named Nike have time to develop technology that could put their sponsored athletes on a more level playing field. Once elite distance racing resumes, we’ll see whether that’s the case.

No one would wish the current situation to have evolved as it has and there is a lot of disappointment. But, there may be some changes that come out of it that are beneficial to us going forward.

On a lighter note related to race schedule adjustments, I have not signed up for any races and probably will not until it’s reasonably certain they’ll be held. However, I bought a pair of racing flats, the Brooks Hyperion, back in February and I also received my new Runners Roost Race Team singlet. It was a shame to not be using them for official races so the other morning, I did a one-mile time trial on our neighborhood loop decked out in the singlet and the flats. I’m sure it looked bizarre but it felt good, and it was a fun way to keep up the race mentality and use the new gear.

Running gear does not come at bargain prices. The upside is that if you take care of the gear, it can last a long time. However, sometimes it doesn’t work. What to do? (Different gear works for different body types so I’m not naming company names as the same piece may be someone else’s favorite piece of running clothing.)

Two years ago, I needed a new pair of running tights and I bought a solidly built pair for $85. When I tried them on and moved around a little, they seemed fine. Then I went running in them and it all went downhill. I think the company must have made them for a slightly different body type because they don’t stay up particularly well. At $85, I can’t just toss them. And, I just don’t think it’s fair to a potential user to donate them to a thrift store. So, I use them for short easy runs when I’m not with people, or on the treadmill. It saves wear and tear on my other tights and pants and means I can use them.

Several years ago, I bought a running beanie for about $25. It was lightweight and seemed like it would be perfect for running when the temperature was in the high thirties or low forties. However, it’s far too warm for that and yet it’s also not warm enough to wear for substantially cooler temperatures. When running with people, none of us are exuding perfume scents yet some clothes mask sweat better than others. This one amplifies the sweat stench. It’s a perplexing piece of fabric. Similar to the tights, I’ll use it on shorter easy runs, and, because it’s bright neon yellow, if I’m running on my own in the dark.

Socks are one of the easier items to re-purpose. My biggest complaint with most pairs has been that the material is a little too slippery and lets your feet slide around. No fun. If they don’t work for your running, you can use them for around the house socks, or really anything.

For running shirts, I can tell off the rack whether they’ll fit and whether the material will work. It’s a little different with race shirts as I don’t have control over what they’re handing out. Yet, I don’t have a lot of race shirts that I won’t find some use for. If the t-shirt design is not to my liking, I’ll use it as a base layer for winter running. I can also use not-so-stylish shirts for running on our treadmill because the only thing looking at me is a basement wall. But, if I get a race shirt and I don’t feel like it’s going to work in terms of fit or material, I will take these to a thrift store. A twice or thrice-used shirt is much easier to feel okay about donating than running tights.

If you find yourself with gear that doesn’t work, it’s disappointing because you’ve probably dropped a disproportionate amount of cash on it related to other clothing. Yet, there may be ways to use it. You won’t get the full use you’d hoped for, but it’s at least better than trashing it.

Ever since the rise of Amazon, online vending, and communication technology improvements, brick and mortar retail has suffered, the shipping industry is booming, and people can do more from the convenience of their homes and on their own schedule than ever before. Don’t feel like grocery shopping? Plenty of chains offer delivery. Don’t want to go out to your favorite local restaurant? I bet they have GrubHub or their own delivery. There was a rumor at one point of major movie studios grudgingly offering the chance to stream new releases into your home (for a significant price) to allow people to watch current films without having to go to the theater. Don’t feel like going outside for a run? If you have a newer-model treadmill, you may be able to use built-in scenic runs on your screen. In fact, some have the wireless technology to show other people running the same program at the same time so you can “compete” against them if you so choose.

As someone who doesn’t like dealing with crowds and bad traffic (I do some grocery shopping late on weeknights to avoid the Saturday rush), it’s ironic that I also express concern about how walling ourselves off in our homes and comfort zones may have an unfortunate effect. For example, in Colorado we have mail-in ballots for our elections. This is convenient on a number of levels yet I wonder about the unintended effects of not seeing your fellow voters at the polls. By waiting with strangers from your locality to cast your vote, you get a healthy reminder that they’re not mysterious beings conspiring to get “the other person” to win, they’re people from your community who see through a different lens than you.

No one likes crowded supermarkets, or sitting in a long line of traffic after a sporting event, or waiting forty minutes for the “next available table.” And yet, it exposes us to a variety of people and is a healthy reminder of who we are as a community.

As we work to combat Coronavirus, some regions and cities that have been affected are shutting down mass gatherings and that is an important step to help ensure we remain healthy. Yet, while the worst impact of Coronavirus is on people’s health and our day-to-day operating, an additional consequence, even if it’s necessary to protect ourselves, may be that we are further shut off from each other. We all hope that this virus will be contained and eradicated as soon as possible so that we can continue to go on with our lives as we did, or close to it. But, assuming there may be future global health concerns, I wonder how some industries will adapt and if this need/desire to quarantine ourselves will create an atmosphere where more in-home technology for work, shopping, and entertainment will blossom. We may have to go out even less than we do now.

For the 2019 version of the New York Marathon, the organizers offered a “virtual” qualifying process where you could pay them and a different marathon to run the latter’s race while gaining entry into New York. That’s not too far removed from having people virtually run a race on a treadmill. They probably wouldn’t be allowed to qualify for winning awards but it’s an option many people might be interested in pursuing.

Unlike many social activities, running can be done in the open air and either by yourself or with one or more other people. But, as you’re not in a closed environment and you’re generally not handling the same equipment, it may be one activity that can persist while the rest of our lives get bubbled in. And, when you run outside, you get a good, sometimes long, view of your community and what’s going on around you. If you’re running with people, you’re getting solid interaction and less risk of a superficial glance.

As we move through this current health concern, our precautions may mean less meaningful human interaction and we may have to continue to operate this way going forward. Given the importance of staying healthy, it’s a necessary step though we will want to find ways to continue to recognize humanity around us. For now running remains free, and also allows us to see the community around us.

Two of my posts have focused on the distance running GOAT. These are difficult arguments as they’re based on multiple factors including performance consistency, transcendent races, times, etc. Thus far, the debate has remained among Kenenisa Bekele, Haile Gebrselassie, and Eliud Kipchoge. I’ve alluded to the fact that someone else will eventually be in the discussion and it’s possible that person is waiting in the wings.

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda has not come close to putting himself in the GOAT conversation but he has had a couple of remarkable races recently that suggest he could challenge the current three. This past December, he broke the former 10K world record by six seconds in a time of 26:38 (it has been broken again). As a point of reference, no one has run under 26:40 on the track since 2008. Last summer, he won the World Championships at 10000M and is the most likely to win gold at that distance in Tokyo. Most recently, he obliterated the 5K world record in a time of 12:51. This was 31 seconds faster than the previous one, nine seconds better than the fastest time recorded on the road, and, if you’re following the math, the first time a road 5K was run in under 13:00.

GOAT status partly depends on official world records, times on the track, and marathon accomplishments. He has not yet made the top 25 all-time list for 5000M on the track but he is on it for 10000M. And, he has not run the marathon but most distance runners won’t attempt that distance until later in their career.

Track plays a large role in the distance running world but many of the big events (Olympics, World Championships) will see more focus on tactical pacing and maneuvering for the win as opposed to going for new records. To put it another way, it’s hard to say how much ideal opportunity there will be for Cheptegei to go for world records, especially since there can be more money in road racing. (It may be that we’ll eventually need to simply adjust our parameters for how we’re evaluating the GOAT. Maybe other distances will become a factor in the argument, such as the half-marathon, or 12K, or cross-country.)

With Cheptegei’s 10K road record already being broken (and by a wide margin) he has not set a new standard there. The 5K road world record had been set just over a year before he broke it. With the margin of time, he has set a new standard though it will be some time before we see whether it’s one that other runners will reach and surpass as well, or whether his record remains untouched for the forseeable future.

A lot needs to happen to push Cheptegei into contention but I won’t be surprised if he’s there in the next several years. In the meantime, I mentioned in an earlier post that Mo Farah, winner of 5000M and 10000M gold at the last two Olympics, announced his return to the 10000M for the Tokyo games. If Cheptegei triumphs over him and the rest of the field in Tokyo, it may not just be a torch being passed to a 10000 great, it could be someone building credentials towards GOAT status.

Sources used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Cheptegei
https://www.worldathletics.org/news/report/joshua-cheptegei-5km-world-record-monaco

I still have my sights set on shorter races, including the mile, in the upcoming year. As of late November, I was feeling good about this. I had just posted an 18:42 5K and I was ready for some speedwork. Then, there was an upper quad tweak. Following that, I had two nasty cold bugs in the span of a month. My knee was off this past weekend when I’d hoped to finally start some speed work. While I have been logging maintenance miles, that’s about all I’ve been doing. It’s better than nothing, but I’m also not quite where I was in November.

On Tuesday, since my knee was feeling better and I had been feeling solid (meaning cold-free) for several days, I decided to do another all-out mile on the treadmill to get a sense of my current speed. It was disappointing to set my goal time at just under 6:00 but I knew it was prudent, given my lack of speed training and overall mileage.

Ideally in a race such as the mile, you want to run at an even pace, with the possibility of the final quarter being the fastest. I decided to set the treadmill at 10.0 mph at the beginning, moving it to 10.1 at 150 meters and 10.2 at 300 meters. On a treadmill, it takes it a few moments to get up to the speed you want. While I went right into the mile from a 7.5 mph warm-up pace and my time from the start line to full 10.0 was shorter than if I had started from the stop position, it is a factor. By quickly moving to 10.1 and then 10.2, I hoped to keep the first lap to 90 seconds or even 89. The second quarter being the one where PRs are not set and races are not won, I would back it down to 10.1. I would then push it back up to 10.2 for the final two quarters. This meant covering each quarter in roughly 88-89 seconds. Finally, I set the treadmill at 1.0 incline to offset the fact that the belt is driving the speed.

Though part of my goal was to run evenly paced laps, I also was open to cranking up the speed at the end if I felt I could hold it, even more than you would do on a final kick. While not ideal in terms of pace training, without knowing my current speed ability, it seemed more important to get to a faster time. Pacing and patience always requires work, but this one time would be okay to have a disproportionate quarter, if I was feeling it.

Though parts of the run hurt more than I would like to admit, given the various factors of the prior six weeks, including lack of speedwork (and I had been eating Super Bowl party food for two days straight), I was okay with the result. I crossed the “line” at either a 5:55 or 5:56 but in the interest of keeping my balance, I’m not sure that I hit the button right when I completed the mile.

I would have been tempted to really go all-out on the final 200 meters, such as 11 mph or 82/quarter pace except that if you lose control on a treadmill, it’s bad. I had done an 82 quarter on it the prior week and I actually was going faster than the belt. This was great until I stepped on the plastic casing at the front. I didn’t fall but I was thrown off balance and it is some doing to reset your stride on a belt moving at that speed. I probably could have run the last 200 meters at that pace and thus knocked a couple more seconds off, but the price wasn’t worth it.

This coming week, I’ll throw in a few speed surges during my workouts to start getting my body acclimated to it. Hopefully within the next week or two, I’ll be able to start doing more dedicated speed workouts. I doubt my first all-out competitive mile will be until the early summer so there is still time.

Last but not least, I will be shifting to an every-other-week publication schedule for the Untamed Runner. You may have noticed a few missed weeks over the past several months and even during my first year, there were a few times when I did dedicated food review posts instead of a training or race feature. I’m never at a shortage of conversation or information about running, yet my goal is to publish helpful and engaging posts and not to publish for the sake of publishing. Moving to an every other week schedule will help ensure that remains the case.