Obsessed Runner Blog
Running Adventure!
Last winter in the Dominican Republic I had an Indiana Jones type run. We woke on departure day to a tropical rain storm. It had been raining hard all night in fact. The group was supposed to meet at 7:00 for a last run then hit the airport. Earlier in the week we ran a very hilly donkey track of a road up into the foothills of the mountains. The track took us through 3 or so villages, people living on a thread of existence. No power, open sewers, no schools or much of anything. A few goats and scrawny chickens, lots of crying babies and impassable rutted roads. A 10 mile loop course with no turning back. Did I say HILLY?
Well, the group that planned to run with me on the loop decided to sleep in ... or were wimps about a bit of mud. My Chinese buddy Youngmen did finally show up and we decided to go ahead without the safety of a larger group, my usual insurance on such a run.
Burned out? No way!
Burned Out? NO WAY! How can anyone burn out on running? Time to shake things up!
- Plan tomorrow's run for 10 PM ... if you normally run in the morning.
- Run in the woods, if you normally run on the road. How about Maybury State Park at 8 Mile and Beck? The trail is awesome! Especially in the dark with a headlamp!
- Start and finish your run at a lake and dive in ... preferably naked! Yikes!
- Try some GU, new shoes, new route, new run partner or run with a group. Click here for group runs at Running Fit stores.
- Go to a high school track at night and put some beer along the track. Do a few easy, or hard, miles. Finish with a cool down walk with beer in hand. Seeing the beer on each lap is may inspire you.
- Run a race. Don't even make plans; just find one on line (runmichigan.com) and go!
- Get someone to drop you off a long way from home with no way to get back but to run!
- Drive to a spot some evening then run home. In the morning, run back and get your car!
Run Wild,
Randy Step
Developing a Marathon Strategy.
Before the fall marathon season starts its time to develop your marathon strategy.
It doesnt matter if its your first or 50th marathon; a well thought out race strategy will set you up for success. By strategy I mean an hour by hour, mile by mile plan to follow on marathon day. The strategy should include pace, fluid - food intake, footwear and apparel. A well-planed strategy will take away some race day stress and will stack the deck in your favor. Transportation to and from the race and a race weekend schedule will also help.
Pace:
Gaining a sense of pace will help you from making the all too common mistake of going out too fast in the beginning of the marathon. Remember that most world records set at the marathon distance were set with "negative splits", that is, with a faster second half.