Untamed Runner

Wind is one of the toughest opponents that a runner (or any athlete) can face. It’s unpredictable in its speed and ferocity, it sometimes seems to change direction at random, and unlike putting on layers for cold, it’s difficult to minimize its impact.

This past Friday, the wind was howling out of the mountains, often in nasty gusts. I did a nine-mile run, some of which included running up to the top of a mesa and back down. Getting to the top is about three miles total, the last mile-plus of which is all up. I never thought it would be the easier segment. When I turned around at the top, the wind hit me so hard I was knocked slightly off balance and the way down was much more difficult as I fought with the gusts. It was an odd sensation to be struggling to get downhill on a smooth concrete path. There are a few things that you can do to help get you through the run.

I could feel the wind at my back on the way up and though it was chilly, I took off my warm beanie hat and carried it. My thought was that I didn’t want to get it soaked with sweat on the climb up, then have the wind going through a wet hat on the way down. This turned out to be a good move. My head was a little chilly by the time I got to the top, but my hat was nice and dry on the way back when I needed it more and my head stayed warm.

I had also put a light headwrap around my neck because of what I knew would be at least breezy weather. Luckily, this turned into a face-wrap when I was dealing with gusts and not breeze. When it was on, it helped keep my mouth and face from getting pounded with the grit being stirred up by the wind.

I also had sunglasses on and though this is a standard for windy runs with me, normally, it’s difficult to wear a face wrap and sunglasses as they get fogged. However, the wind was so fierce that it was like having a nature-provided defogger and my glasses stayed clear. Instead of getting junk in my eyes and having to squint or run sideways, I could forge on while staring directly ahead.

The one item I didn’t have was long tights or pants. Instead, I was in shorts and low-cut socks, meaning that every time I got hit with grit, my bare legs were getting pelted. In terms of body impact, my legs can take it the most. It was more of a comfort issue, though it would have been more pleasant to not worry about it.

For all runs with gusty winds, even in the summer I’ve put on compression sleeves or worn a light long-sleeved shirt. It’s a little warm, but it’s better than getting pounded by dust and grit.

One reason I advocate training in all conditions (unless it’s an icy and dark winter morning and you’ve got a new treadmill in your basement!) is to be prepared on race day. Even if the conditions are not personal-best friendly, you at least are familiar with them and you know how to move through them. I’m not sure that counts with wind. Even if you’re used to it, it still is obnoxious to get through. The main takeaway from a windy training run is that you’ve toughened up as a runner. That’s actually intended as a positive statement in that if you never feel like you’ve adapted to windy running, I’m not really sure you can.

When I got back to my car, because I sometimes had my face-wrap down, my mouth had a decent amount of grit in it. I swished some Gatorade and got it out, but a toothbrush would have been much more helpful.

LetsRun.com hosted a fun poll during December asking their readers to determine the best race of the past decade. It was set up in an NCAA tournament bracket style, with 64 races listed at the beginning and they gradually worked down to two. Your running knowledge would have to be deep to have significant knowledge of even half of the races, but like the NCAA tournament, only a handful of the races listed had a reasonable shot at winning. (One gripe—it was only men’s races that they featured which was a shame considering there were women’s races like Flanagan’s New York Marathon win, Kosgei’s world record, or Shaunae Miller’s fall across the finish line that inadvertently got her a gold medal in Rio.)

David Rudisha’s 800M world record of 1:40.91 at the 2012 Olympics prevailed in the final over Kipchopge’s 2018 world marathon record. Two factors were that Rudisha had no rabbits or pacers and several people behind him also set personal bests. Both races are remarkable accomplishments by the best runners at their respective distances but I was glad to see Rudisha’s win and it had nothing to do with whether it was a better race.

Shorter races, especially among people who are post-college, tend to get overlooked. It’s not that there isn’t appreciation for a blazing fast track or road race or that there aren’t people in those age brackets who savor the chance to run them. But, there is a heavy focus on the half-marathon and up.

I mentioned in a prior post that I would argue the 800M is the toughest traditional distance to race. It’s far too long to qualify as a sprint but it’s far too short to be a distance run. It’s appropriately qualified as middle distance, but there is nothing middle about the effort to run it well.

It speaks volumes that elite 400M runners have attempted the 800 and fallen short; their times might be better than most but relative to their 400 times, they’re way off. On the flip side, you might think someone who runs a lot at the mile to 5K distance would be able to rip off a quality 800M but I still recall the agony of the 800 and can tell you it’s not the case. It takes unique skill to run the 800M as it does any distance.

Runners who push themselves will hurt after every race, regardless of distance. The main difference is in how long it hurts. Elite sprinters can do two 100M in a day. 5K runners need roughly three days for their bodies to fully recover. Marathon runners need twenty-six. People who race shorter distances can do so more frequently and therefore they have more opportunities to get their goals. On the other hand, the shorter the race, the less room there is for error. Because your pace is more intense as the distance gets shorter, there is great satisfaction in finishing a race where you’ve paced yourself well when you’re near or at red-lining the whole way.

While it’s mostly running enthusiasts like me who read LetsRun.com and we already have an appreciation for all distances, I would hope that an 800M world record race topping a world record at a more popular distance would give us all reason to consider the challenge, skill, and reward in pushing ourselves at shorter distances. Some races may not carry the same glamour in their names, and it’s frustrating to come off of a mediocre or bad 5K or 10K without a more prestigious distance to use as proof of our training and accomplishment. But, training and planning for any race, at least if you’re doing it properly, requires much time and effort and when you meet a difficult goal at a shorter distance, it can be equally as thrilling as longer distances.

When we decided to travel to Moab for a few days at the end of the year, it was likely that it would be chilly but dry. Until right after we left our house and started west, the forecast promised high 30s for the temperature and little to no chance of precipitation.

I love getting into the desert and Moab was my third desert trip of the year. I won’t repeat my running experiences from the first two (I posted about the Death Valley Junction and Lone Pine runs last winter and Joshua Tree this past summer) but in a nutshell, I had one cold morning, one cold morning with high winds, one pleasant summer morning, and a baking 105.8 degree summer afternoon. My assumption ahead of time for this trip was that I would add three more cool-to-cold winter runs.

It was quite a shock when there were two inches of snow on the ground the morning after we arrived with continued snow forecast through the following night. My running was way outside of my expectation zone. Both mornings featured plenty of snow on the ground with more flakes coming down. It’s not uncommon for Moab to get snow but to have a thick layer of it on the ground was unusual. While I had wanted to enjoy running in dry conditions while surrounded by red rock, that was impossible.

It was quiet (not nearly as many people are there that time of year) and easy to enjoy. There are paved paths that spread in multiple directions from the junction of Highways 128 and 191 on the north end of town. One leads along 191 two miles into Moab, one goes north along 191 past the Arches National Park entrance and then about ten miles from town, and one goes up the 128 “River Road.” I opted for the latter two directions while there. While it can be rewarding to find more rural paths, there’s something to be said for using a trail that’s right outside your hotel and still provides spectacular views, even if there are clouds and snow.

Due to footing and that I was coming off of a nasty bug, my runs were short and not very speedy. But, I was out there and realized during the first run that I had experienced, even if in a limited way, the very wide range of temperatures and conditions that occur with desert running.

Was it not quite as ideal to not have the running conditions I expected and wanted? Sort of. But, since I don’t live in a desert, I don’t have the daily experience of people who do and running in this wide variety of conditions, including snow, gave me a window into seeing the various scenarios people there handle. I still don’t have hundreds of desert running days, but I do have a thorough range of weather experiences there.

Update on training for shorter distances. Well, due to a minor upper quad tweak that came up in late November followed by being under the weather for the past ten days or so, my mileage has all been in the “maintenance” category and speed work and longer runs have been put on hold. However, I have started studying up on the world of racing flats in preparation for when I am ready for longer speed sessions and shorter races.

The latter part of 2019 saw several big changes in the distance running world that signal a new era approaching.

For US distance running, Shalane Flanagan’s retirement leaves a void on the women’s side that will be difficult to fill. Though, as mentioned in a prior post, the U.S. women are in a current surge, she won the New York Marathon in 2017 against arguably the greatest marathoner at that time and has been a stalwart on the distance scene for years. With the talent that remains, the US women are well-positioned but she was a standard-bearer.

Alberto Salazar’s suspension left two of the United States’ biggest stars, Galen Rupp and Jordan Hasay, looking for new coaches this fall. Since the 2012 Olympics, for US men’s running it has been Rupp and then everyone else, at least as it related to elite international podium finishes. Hasay has always held much promise and delivered at times, but how both respond, especially after having dealt with recent injuries, will shape the US running scene dramatically.

Mo Farah hoped to transition to dominance on the marathon stage but has announced he will focus on the 10000M at the Tokyo games. He is one of the greatest tactical distance runners of all time, but his success on the track combined with not posting times that will contend for London or Berlin wins may have pushed him back to the oval. Will his experience and tactical ability lead to a third gold at age 37, or will Joshua Cheptegei or someone else be at the top of the podium?

Though Kenenisa Bekele nearly broke the world marathon record after largely being written off, he has been performing at a high level for many years and even if he has a couple of big performances left in him, he is close to retirement. As seen in prior posts, his list of accomplishments is voluminous and whether a new runner will rise in his place remains to be seen.

On the elite marathon stage, Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei took our time expectations for the 26.2 distance to new levels previously thought to be on the border of impossible. For Kipchoge, it was breaking the two-hour marathon barrier. For Kosgei, it was shattering Paula Radcliffe’s world record that stood at ninety seconds faster than any other woman. Now we see what the human body is capable of and the racing world will react.

Kosgei is young at 25, and who knows what her career will bring or how far down she can take her record-breaking run. Others will strive to keep up and continue to drive down this time. Kipchoge is 35 and thus closer to retirement but it’s not inconceivable he has several good races left. It’s exciting for both the men and women. Kosgei has inherited the mantle of ushering in the next era of elite marathon women. Kipchoge still sits firmly on top of the men’s marathon world, yet the fact the one other runner came within two seconds of his ratified world record and the second-place finisher at London this past spring hung tough with him suggests the the new wave of elite marathon men is coming. It will likely be a long time before we see someone singularly as dominant as him, but it may not be long before we see a ratified sub-two hour record.

Sometimes great feats or changes arrive in clusters and the later summer and early fall of 2019 contained both. 2020 being an Olympic year allows the possibility of the new generation of distance stars starting to shine on one of the world’s biggest running stages.

You can find just about any piece of gear you would want for running either at your local store or online. Much of it is very useful and worth the investment. I mentioned in a past post that you may also be able to use items from your home in place of buying a piece of gear. For example, right before I tossed our digital camera case into a donation box, I realized that its size and shape was perfect to use a running wallet.

I tend to run very warm. This can make winter running tricky, as I want to be layered enough to get and stay warm, but not so layered that I’m soaked like I’m running on a Florida beach at midday in July. There are ways to handle this, including carrying multiple Buffs or similar headwraps so I can switch them out, or using my zippered jacket so I can adjust the zipper height during the run to allow more or less air in.

One of the trickier areas to manage is my hands. It’s not a big deal if they get overly hot and sweaty, but they are one part of my body that tend to be either very warm, or uncomfortably cold. At a recent race, I was given a couple of pairs of cheap cotton running gloves and in the interest of keeping my hands more comfortable for winter running, I decided to experiment with them.

Fingerless gloves are well-known and popular but using these wouldn’t help with keeping my hands at a moderate temperature during a run, as it’s my fingers and backs of my hands that get cold. So how about palmless gloves? I took the gloves and a pair of scissors, cut out the palms, and tried them out.

Getting them on took an extra moments as you need to put each finger in individually since they’re not being forced into a confined space. Not a deal-breaker and once they were on, this solution worked beautifully.

The temperature when I tried this method was around 25 F. During the first mile or so, I could tell that more cool air was getting onto my hands, even though they were in a ball. Further into the run, my hands were warm but definitely not hot and sweaty so the overall feeling was more pleasant. While I don’t think we lose substantial amounts of water by sweating through our hands like we do through our head or other areas, we do lose some and thus a positive side benefit of the palmless gloves is less sweat.

Some running gloves are quite expensive ($20 or more) and I would be reluctant to cut out the palms on those. But, for cheap gloves that I would use for everyday running, having the palms out is an excellent option.

There may be other ways to experiment with gear and short of destroying an expensive piece of it, it’s fun to tinker with what you have to make it work better for you.

This past spring, we bought a treadmill. I was skeptical, knowing that I prefer to run outside and that generally, our weather allows for that most of the year. However, I wasn’t planning on being the primary user and the pros of getting one outweighed the cons. Several months later, I’m glad it’s in our basement.

There are obvious times it’s helpful, such as I’m on my own with the kids and want to run. They can play in the basement while I churn out a few miles. Following a massive snowstorm which coincided with a busy week at work where I needed to run in the pre-dawn hours, it was useful. In the past I would have strapped on YakTrax and hit the road but this was safer and more time-efficient.

From a training perspective, it’s been interesting. Without outside wind resistance and because you’re keeping up with the belt as opposed to generating your own speed, the times on the treadmill can be misleading. One way to adjust for that is to set the treadmill at a slight incline. By running “uphill” you’re countering the lack of wind resistance and you’re forcing your legs to move faster. It still may not be 100% accurate, but it’s better.

Some treadmills come with video which feature runs in different parts of the world so you can enjoy “scenery” while you’re running. Even if you have this, running on a treadmill can bring some monotony. I’ve actually plugged into music the past two times I’ve been on it and that has helped tremendously. Because I don’t race with music, it’s not something I want to get used to. However, most of my treadmill workouts are short so there’s no immediate risk of my becoming accustomed to entertainment on long runs. And, it’s a fun way to mix up what I’m taking in while training.

The biggest training advantage so far is rhythm. Because the belt is moving at a fixed speed unless you change it, your legs are moving at a set pace. I’ve noticed that after a week where I’ve had one or two treadmill workouts, my leg turnover is steadier than otherwise. At certain speeds you almost can’t help but have the same speed but at slower ones, it can be easy to adjust slightly over the course of a run. I believe it’s beneficial to maintain steady turnover and the treadmill helps get you there.

There’s also the benefit of seeing exactly how far you’ve gone and how far you have to go. From a race preparation standpoint, this is helpful. While many courses may only have mile markers and nothing in smaller increments, when you’re on the treadmill and are maintaining set goal paces on it, you know how it feels at exact points. In a race, you can draw on this, knowing that in a recent workout, you kept up a certain pace over the final stretch and that’s possible here, too.

I had wondered whether I would use the treadmill more than four or five times per year when we got it. I probably use it at least that many times per month. Though my preference is still to run outside, it’s been a helpful tool.

I haven’t posted a weekly food review recently. Simple reason: I ate everything.

I’m joking, of course. Unfortunately, I just haven’t tried anything new in the past several weeks. I hope to add more to the Running Pantry shortly.

I look for races in cities where I’m travelling in the hope that there may be an event that I can run while on the road. Often my time in an area doesn’t intersect with a running event, but twice this fall I’ve raced out-of-state and both times, it offered a small glimpse into the community where it was being hosted.Most races are similar in their set-up. A start/finish line, the registration tent, port-a-johns, loud music from speakers, large numbers of nervous runners warming up and milling around, etc. When I raced this fall, it was oddly comfortable to be at events where much of what made them up felt familiar. In spite of both areas being very different than where I live, the little bubble of space created by the race was very pleasant within the new surroundings. And, there are small differences.

At the “Run Your Race” 5K in Phoenix, once the race was completed there was a large raffle drawing. Ten or so prizes sat on a table and the race director drew numbers and handed out prizes accordingly. Most of these prizes were very familiar: a water bottle, a bag of Clif Shots, etc. This race was one of twelve hosted by this company and they all started and finished at the same location. As the raffle went on, it became apparent that many of the people at the race knew the director and each other from having participated in past ones. Towards the end of the raffle, the race director picked up one large paper bag and said excitedly into the microphone, “Folks, folks. The Cracker Lady left us a prize. The Cracker Lady came.” The bag had various cracker products in it and from the murmurs rippling through the crowd, it was clear that this was a desirable prize. While it was not symbolic of the area in terms of being a cactus or something else you would expect from the desert, it was a unique prize in the sense that it represented someone from the community who was clearly well-regarded, and it was an interesting tidbit of an insight into their area. (I did not win the Cracker Lady prize.)

The Sunday before Thanksgiving, I did the “Run Santa Run” 5K in Medina, Ohio. Like other races, it featured everything you would expect but in this case, some of the volunteers were high school football players decked out in their letterman jackets. All football in Ohio is a big deal and while I don’t know that the race necessarily used football players to make that point, I do suspect that the importance of football there means they’re involved in community activities, and it showed. It was also clear how much the community supported the race in general. There were only a few spectators along the course but the number of police cruisers they dedicated to the race to sit at intersections was notable, not to mention that they had a lead police vehicle for the race and a race truck. The race was a chance for them to show off their town a little, and they took full advantage of it.

In past posts, I’ve mentioned running while travelling as good way to see an area. Especially if you’re running outside of the main tourist sections of a town or city, you get to see both the similarities and small differences that make each town and community unique. The races are another way of enjoying that. We all have local legend spots that make the best burgers, or brew the best cup of coffee, or maybe have the best crackers. We also have local activities and events that are a significant part of our cultural fabric, be it sports or otherwise. These are things that we can enjoy about our own communities and by showing up at races in new areas, we can see these unique tidbits in other areas  and learn just a little bit more about them.

As mentioned in an earlier post, after being shelved in terms of expectations, Kenenisa Bekele won the 2019 Berlin Marathon in 2:01:41, just two seconds shy of tying the world record and three shy of breaking it. In a post last year, I said that if he were to break the world record at that distance, he would be the GOAT.

Some make the case that his time at Berlin cements his status as the GOAT and I would argue the opposite. Without a doubt, it’s a phenomenal time but there are two problems. His best time prior to this was 2:03:03 and at that time, it was six seconds off the world record. Three years later (he is three years older) he knocked nearly ninety seconds off of his personal best, yet fell short of the world record. Typically we don’t get faster as we get older and it seems logical that this 2:01:41 may have been within him, but he never ran it. In other words, it’s possible that he didn’t maximize his potential over the past few years.

Between the other contenders for GOAT status, they did set new records and transcended the existing patterns and perceived limits of their time. Haile Gebrselassie crushed the existing 5000M and 10000M world records. Eliud Kipchoge obliterated the marathon world record and then shattered the two-hour marathon barrier when the eyes of the world were on him. To say that Bekele ranks third on my GOAT list is not a knock on him, but praise for two runners who elevated their performances when it mattered most.

In my post, I also said that if Kipchoge were to break the two-hour marathon barrier, he would rank as the GOAT in my book. At the time, I was unaware of the upcoming 1:59 challenge and was considering sub-two in the context of him winning a major in 1:59:59 or faster. I’ve also been wary of including someone in the GOAT argument who did not dominate, as Gebrselassie and Bekele have, at the 5000M and 10000M distances in addition to the marathon.

While we need some structure and rules so that our society doesn’t spin off into anarchy, there are times when we need to consider whether we’re being held back by rules and assumptions that don’t make sense. Kipchoge’s time at the 1:59 challenge doesn’t count as an official record. Two of the rules (fueling and pacing regulations) make no sense for the professional runners out there. The third one, that records need to be set with an event that includes more than one person, broadly makes sense though in the Ineos1:59 case, there’s no doubt that the event was measured properly and wasn’t a dubious effort that is difficult to ratify. In my mind, he should have the official time of 1:59:40. Also, maybe we can consider someone for the GOAT status even if they didn’t dominate at either the marathon or the track events.

Kipchoge is the greatest marathoner of all time based on a number of factors: he holds the ratified world record, he holds the two fastest non-ratified times of all time, he has only lost one marathon that he’s ever entered (and with the exception of the sub-two attempts, he has participated almost exclusively in majors and Olympics), and on the most recent sub-two attempt, he said we would go under that time and did. This was not brash or cocky, it was the quiet confidence that he carries. Even though he is not as decorated at the shorter distances, the level of dominance he has maintained for the last five years at the marathon, and his willingness to embrace two sub-two attempts that are controversial and find success at both, is mind-boggling. There is a consistency there which not even Usain Bolt maintained at the sprints despite his dominance. On top of this, Kipchoge only races twice per year. Training is essential race preparation but most runners would agree that racing is one of the best mental preparations for racing. To only enter two events per year and consistently win without tune-up or preparation races is very impressive.

I still would call Bekele the GOAT if he were to break the marathon world record. Gebrselassie was at his prime during my formative running years and that may be part of the reason it’s hard to let his GOAT status go. But, when you look at the consistency Kipchoge has demonstrated (and his achievements at the 5000M and 10000M are not shabby by any standard) then it seems acceptable to break with tradition just a little bit and move the laurel to his head for now.

Sources used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10,000_metres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenenisa_Bekele
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Gebrselassie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliud_Kipchoge

Now that we’re coming up on the holiday season, I’m pasting four links below to past posts which cover holiday running, training in all conditions, and winter running gear. Hope you find them helpful, even if it’s a refresh.

In more recent news, I did my baseline mile attempt recently to see where I am at that distance. It was on a treadmill set at a .5 incline, which in theory mitigates any advantage you have by having to keep up with the belt as opposed to driving the energy. Also, as I have zero interest in flying off the treadmill, there were a couple of points on the third quarter where I might have pushed harder if I was on a track or the road, but I was risking losing control on the treadmill so I backed off. 5:50 was my time. I thought I would have been at 5:38 to 5:45 but given that it was a random Friday night with no speed training, it’s an okay start.

On to helpful tips:

Running during the holidays:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/11/15/holiday-running/

Running in different conditions:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/03/26/hello-world/

Winter gear part 1:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/10/25/apples-to-apples-or-mocha-to-mocha/

Winter gear part 2:
https://untamedrunner.com/index.php/2018/11/01/winter-running-gear-part-two/

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Skratch Energy Bar Miso & Crushed Red Pepper. The taste on this is excellent and it’s very different from the sweet flavors that normally dominate energy foods and bars. The red pepper is not a token presence either; this bar has some kick. I liked it overall and I liked the energy.

A few weeks ago, I received my official “commiserations” letter from the London Marathon announcing I had not won a place in the 2020 race via their lottery. By my math, I had a 7.4% chance of getting in (it’s all random chance) so I had not been banking on it. I also had been thinking about what to do with my running if I received commiserations.

The conventional approach for many runners as they get older is to also move up in distance. This makes sense. Most people don’t get faster as they go up in years and it may not be exciting to run slower than your personal bests, even if you adjust your time expectations to new realities. Also, especially for experienced runners, you’ve developed a maturity and mileage base that suits longer training runs and longer racing distances. Because of this, I had considered a local marathon next spring, at roughly the same time as London.

It therefore makes very little sense on the surface that my approach is to focus more on the mile in the next several months. Why would I do this? Several reasons.

It’s a little shift in training and focus. While I don’t have any trouble loving running, mixing up training plans and racing distances helps ensure that the love for it doesn’t fade. From a fitness standpoint, doing different types of activity can be beneficial for your body and the mile is a distance that requires more speed work than my current training plan. It’s also appealing to think of race strategy in a more detailed way, breaking down 1,609 meters into 200 to 400 meter segments. And, I’d like to see what happens with this kind of approach, especially since I haven’t done a pure speed race in over twenty years. I’ll still be able to do 5Ks and 10Ks, which will be helpful for race preparation, I’ll just be going in with more speed work.

I probably won’t get faster than my personal best (4:49). Right now, though it means I’ve gone out too fast, I can open a 5K in the 5:50s. My guess is that I could currently go in the low 5:40s in an all-out mile and with training, move down. Though I’m unlikely to get a personal best, there is appeal in seeing where I am (going to a track and doing an all-out mile soon) and working from there. At the very least I’ve given something highly unusual a shot, and there is value in learning from that. For now, it’s time to be untamed and see what happens.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Gu (Roctane Line) Cold Brew Coffee. I first had cold brew coffee by being impatient. While staying at a hotel, I wanted coffee about an hour or so before running but didn’t want to go 15 floors downstairs to a carafe that was often empty. To solve this, one night I bought a bottle of cold brew coffee to keep in my room refrigerator for the next morning. This Gu tastes just like it and it works well.