Subtitle: The Middle of the Pack
Introduction
Posted on March 21,
2023
By Olivia Baker
Are you a
middle-of-the-pack runner? Statistically speaking, that's the 95% who fall
within two standard deviations of the mean finishing time in the race results.
More colloquially, these are the runners who give the best they can be while
juggling work, family and social life. They may not be in it for a podium
finish, but they love the feeling of some miles well run. These are not the
co-workers who humble-brag about doing an easy 20 miles over their lunch break
or run in the elite field of their local 5K, but that's not to say they
don't have big goals or aren't just as committed. Rather, the middle-of-the-pack
runner wants to get strong and stay fit while also prioritizing their love and
enjoyment of the sport regardless of what the stopwatch says. Quite frankly,
though most fall into this category, we do not talk about this group enough!
This is precisely why I
chose Run to the Finish by Amanda Brooks for the 22nd installment of Runners
Who Read! So many of the top running books are written by or about elite
athletes. While they have much in common with mid-packers, and many of their
experiences in running are relatable, few of their books specifically focus on
the running experience of the vast majority of people. Through Brooks'
insightful guidebook, readers have the opportunity to gain a newfound
appreciation for the middle of the pack experience − a place where friendships
are forged on the trails and where personal growth flourishes amid the sweat
and the struggle. Although filled with useful training advice and funny,
relatable tidbits, at its core this book is about learning to love the run you've
got without comparing yourself to others.
Discussion Questions:
1. Do you identify as a
middle-of-the-pack runner? Why or why not?
2. What are you
most looking forward to learning from this book?
Subtitle: Real
Runner Syndrome
Chapters 1-3
Posted on April 2, 2024
By Olivia Baker
Does anyone else ever feel that if you don't put "enough"
focus on something, you aren't allowed to identify with it at all? I know that
I feel this way sometimes. Just the other day, I had to catch myself. "Oh I'm
not a real writer, I just write a fun little blog for this book club I'm a part
of," I told someone.
I may not be a bestselling author or even write professionally,
but that doesn't mean I'm not a writer. In running terms, this may look like "Oh
I just jog sometimes" or "I'm not really a runner, I just occasionally run with
friends, but I don't actually enter races." It's not racing
professionally or even choosing to compete that makes you a runner. By
definition, you are a real runner the moment you choose to start running.
However, many runners suffer from "real runner syndrome" (as
Amanda Brooks calls it) − a belief that you are not a real runner despite
the physical reality that you run. In the first section of Run to the Finish
by Amanda Brooks, she offers several ways to cure "real runner syndrome."
First of all, what does a real runner even look like? One
of the great things about the running community is the variety of shapes,
sizes, genders, ethnicities, etc. that participate. Look at the start line of
any mass participation race and you'd be hard-pressed to narrow down a
particular look that defines "runner." A real runner looks just like you.
What if I need to take a walk break? Even elite runners take walk breaks sometimes.
Trail runners and ultra-marathoners use walking to navigate particularly
technical parts of the trail and steep uphill segments to help them finish
faster and avoid injury. Many runners use walking to recover between intervals
during training. Jeff Galloway, winner of the first AJC Peachtree Road Race,
even wrote a book called "The Run-Walk-Run Method." Also, sometimes you just
plainly misjudge your pace and need to walk to make sure you can complete the
distance. Walk breaks do not disqualify you from being a real runner.
Do I need to reach a certain pace or distance to be considered a
real runner? In short, no! The
person who qualifies for Boston is no more a real runner than the person
who has never run more than a couple of miles. Someone who can run under 10 seconds
for 100 meters is no more a real runner than another who puts in 10 miles a
week. Speaking from experience, Brooks says: "What I want you to know is that
feeling like a real runner won't happen the day you hit a certain pace or
complete a specific distance. Those are goals to get you started and that might
motivate you to show up on days when you'd rather sleep in." (pg#17).
Ironically, it's the very process of pursuing such goals that has already
made you a real runner, not achieving the goal itself.
Seeing yourself as a real runner is an important step because it
can lead to impactful behavioral change. In other words, if you begin to see
yourself as a real runner, you may begin to do what you deem are "real runner
things." Maybe you'd be more likely to warm up before a run, take post-run
nutrition more seriously, spend a little time stretching before bed in the
evening, and start to connect with other runners in this vast community. All of
those things can help us stay healthy, achieve our goals, and enjoy the run,
but they start with seeing ourselves as real runners.
Discussion Questions:
1. In chapter 1, Brooks
encourages us to view ourselves as real runners by identifying with our "real
runner names" made up of our last name plus the last animal we saw on a run
(pg# 18). What is your runner name?
2. Referring to the word "jog",
Brooks writes this on page 23: "What I'm trying to say is that sometimes labels
matter. Most often I hear it from fellow runners to denigrate what they do: 'No, no, I just jog sometimes.' It's the
easiest way to say you aren't a real runner. If that takes some pressure off
your runs, allowing you to head out and enjoy it more freely, then I'll give
you a pass. But if you're doing it to diminish yourself because of the clock,
then it's gotta stop." Do you agree with Brooks that runners, for the most
part, shouldn't refer to themselves as joggers because of the reason she stated
above? Why or why not?
Subtitle:
Pre-hab, Cross Training, and Other Injury Prevention Techniques
Chapters 4-6
Posted on April 11, 2024
By Olivia Baker
"A mile a day keeps the doctor away" (or so they say). This phrase
comes from a daily mile run first instituted by Elaine Wyllie, the headteacher
at St. Ninians Primary School in Stirling, Scotland, for her students.
Concerned by the lack of fitness displayed by children in the school, in 2012
she began encouraging her primary school students to run a lap around the field
at the school (approx. one mile) every day. Not only did they show great
improvements in fitness − by the end of the year, not one of Wyllie's 57
students was deemed "overweight" by the school nurse − they also exhibited
better concentration in class and general well-being (Elaine's Story | The Daily Mile Foundation).
As with a good cup of coffee, many of us who are runners can
identify with the improved well-being and greater focus we have after our
morning runs, but that doesn't mean our work is done. While we may not end up
in the cardiologist's office, we may find ourselves in the physical therapist's
office if we don't take steps to prepare our body for regular running. In the
middle chapters of Run to the Finish by Amanda Brooks, we find some
great practical tips for keeping ourselves out of PT's office and consistently
enjoying the roads, track, and trails.
First, we should all be engaging in pre-hab: exercises
designed to prevent injury. "Instead of waiting for an injury to occur, then
spending months of time on rehab while quietly sobbing into our green
smoothies, we can do a few things each day, right now, to prevent most
injuries." (pg# 75). Identify your potential problem areas and dedicate a few
minutes before each run to work on them. Do you have flat feet? Spend some time
strengthening your arches. Tight IT bands? Stretch those hips before each run.
Weak hamstrings? Spend a couple of minutes activating your glutes before a run
to help take the pressure off of them. Those few minutes on the front end can
save lots of time and money down the road.
Second, consider strength training. Many running injuries
come from muscular weakness which, when exposed to repetitive activities such
as running, can lead to injury. Pre-run exercises are only a short-term
solution when the problem stems from weakness. Those issues need to be
addressed through active strengthening, but contrary to what may come to mind
it doesn't take an hour-long session in the gym, either. Again, the key is just
a few minutes consistently attacking the areas of weakness through targeted
exercise.
Last, in the event that something feels off it is always better to
take a day of cross training than to risk injury by running. Swimming
often gives the aerobic benefits of running without the pounding of hitting the
ground with every step. Felt a tweak in your hamstring? Choose a more
quad-dominant activity like biking to reap the fitness benefits without putting
pressure on it. The elliptical may be the activity most similar to running
without actually running and is a good low-impact option.
"The sole focus among runners I knew was mileage; everything else
was 'nice to do' but who had the time for all that stuff? What's important to
know is that once I figured out this piece, I spent 10 years running an average
of 1,600 miles a year without more than a little twinge here and there…" Brooks
writes (pg# 73). Setting aside a little bit of time each week for pre-hab, strength
training, and cross training saved Brooks a lot of time in the PT's office, and
it can allow us to do the same. So, maybe the quote should be slightly amended
to: a mile almost every day, with a little bit of pre-hab before and
some strength training worked into the week, and maybe some cross training when
we need it, keeps all of the doctors away and allows us to run
consistently for years to come.
Discussion Questions:
- Where
have you identified weaknesses or imbalances in your running? What are a
couple of things that you are doing or could do to work on them?
- Chapter 6 of Run to the Finish by Amanda Brooks discusses various marathon training philosophies. Between the Higdon (6 days/week running, limited cross training), Galloway (Run/walk method), Hanson (High Mileage w/3 workouts per week), Maffetone (emphasis on becoming more efficient at a low heart rate), and FIRST (high intensity but only running 3x per week) methods, which one resonated with you the most?
Subtitle: Creating Space for Joy
Chapters 7-9
Posted on April 18, 2024
By Olivia Baker
As a member of Atlanta Track Club's Elite Team, one of the things I love doing most during the fall and spring seasons is visiting some of our over-60 Kilometer Kids sites. In addition to playing more games of freeze tag and sharks and minnows in a given week than I have since I was in fifth grade, I enjoy talking to the kids about what it means to be a professional runner. Among the first of many questions I get from them, with delight from some and disgust from others, is: "So you really run every day? How?" Technically speaking, I run six days a week and cross train on the seventh, but for all intents and purposes I am able to train every day because I prioritize finding enjoyment in all of my practices. Just as the promise of a game at the end of every workout encourages the kids to come back next time, we as adults can foster consistency in our training habits by finding ways to have fun with it, many of which are not too different from what these kids are doing. In the penultimate section of Run to the Finish, Amanda Brooks highlights some of the ways that we as adults can make sure that we are.
Fun cross training. Growing up, kids are often encouraged to do multiple sports rather than specialize in one so that they don't burn out at a young age. Somehow when we become adults, cross training in another sport goes from fun to a necessary evil of remaining healthy, but it certainly doesn't have to be. As Brooks mentions in chapter 7, there are many options outside of the typical swimming and biking. If those bore you, consider picking up rowing or going in a different direction altogether and signing up for that yoga or Pilates class. What was once dreaded could become something you look forward to every week.
Refuel right after a run. "Runger," or running-induced hunger (pg#29), is a made-up word but a real phenomenon and it can creep up on you if you are not careful. There's a reason that several of the Kilometer Kids sites I've visited provide the kids with snacks and freeze pops after practice. All of that expended energy results in depleted fuel stores in our body, more specifically depleted levels of carbohydrates and glucose that can lead to the unpleasant feeling of bonking after a run. Having a snack that will restore electrolytes and carbs right after a run is essential to avoiding the dreaded bonk.
Sleep. Children often do this well, albeit not of their own accord. They may go kicking and screaming to their 8 p.m. bedtimes enforced by their parents, but they're all the more energetic throughout the day because of it. Similarly, showing up to 6 a.m. run group in the morning is much more enjoyable when we get enough sleep. A good rule of thumb that Brooks shares in chapter 8 is to add 1 minute of sleep each night per mile you're planning to run that week (pg# 171).
Gratitude miles. One of my tricks for helping the Kilometer Kids complete their runs at practice is to jog alongside them and get them to talk to me about something they're passionate about rather than their immediate desire to stop and walk. In the same way, taking a gratitude mile − a time to pause the music and spend the mile focusing first on the parts of our body that are feeling good in that moment and then to anything for which we are grateful − allows us to reframe our efforts and get through a tough run.
Enjoyment is the key to consistency and consistency is ultimately what keeps us healthy in pursuit of our goals. At the end of each of my Kilometer Kids site visits, I hope to have left the kids with the message that if they want to be in this sport for a long time, then I hope they never stop enjoying it as much as many of them do now − and I hope that for you, too.
Discussion Questions:
What things do you do before and during a run to set yourself up to enjoy it more?
What are your go-to snacks for managing "runger" during and after a run?
Subtitle: Ignoring the Clock
Chapters 10, 11 & Bonus
By Olivia Baker
Posted on April 25, 2024
As with many things in life, chasing PRs is a pursuit subject to the law of diminishing returns. The faster we run, the harder it is to run faster the next time. Being singularly focused on improving our time every race might be motivating when we first start running, but it is unlikely to create lasting enjoyment. From the easy runs to race day, keeping our eyes set on the perfect splits can cause us to miss out on so many of the other things about running that bring joy and ultimately lead to the risk of creating burnout. In the closing chapters of Run to the Finish, Amanda Brooks gives us some other things to which we can direct our focus while running to help us make the most of every effort.
Focus on Feel. A slow run is not necessarily a sign of losing fitness or going backwards in training (pg# 250). There are many reasons that a pace that was once easy is now harder. It could be the accumulated fatigue of the training block, softer or muddier terrain on a trail after rain, or maybe it just started getting hotter and more humid, with pollen increasing due to the coming of spring in Atlanta. Rather than stressing about slower mile splits, go the pace your body allows to be easy on that day and take advantage of the opportunity to learn how to pace by feel rather than by clock. This is a skill that can come in handy on race day when the conditions are less than ideal, as well.
Remember the Adventure. Running is always an adventure! Whether it's discovering a new place, rediscovering a neighborhood loop, or journeying deeper into oneself, each run comes with the opportunity to explore. Even for those of us who run the same loop every time, there are chances to see it in a new light by running the route backwards or at a different time of day (pg#252). Committing to stop and take a picture of something beautiful on the run encourages us to keep an eye out for adventure rather than just running through the monotony of the routine route (pg#254). Furthermore, reflecting on each run as a part of the bigger picture of our journeys to that point brings purpose to the run and reminds us just how far we've come.
Be In Control. One famous lesson from those under heavy pressure (think surgeons, Navy SEALS, rocket scientists, etc.) is to control what you can in a stressful situation and forget the rest (pg#231). Time will continue to move and there's nothing we can do to stop it on race day, but we can control our breathing, fueling, hydration, and (on a much lighter note) running through the finish line with good form so that we can get a great finishing photo. When we consistently do a good job managing the things we can control, we set ourselves up to be the best that we can be on race day.
This is not to suggest that time isn't important. It's OK to care about time, but when we make it our be-all and end-all for every race, run, and workout, it runs the risk of sucking away our joy. When we loosen our grip on the stopwatch and decide to focus on feel, remember the adventure, and be in control, we create space to regularly cultivate our love of running for the long haul − and maybe (just maybe) we'll PR, too, when we least expect it.
Discussion Questions:
What things other than the clock do you enjoy focusing on while running?
What parts of your pre-race routine are constant no matter where you race?