It seems like running is all the rage right now! And nothing makes me happier than to see Sisters (and Brothers) out there lacing up their running shoes and hitting the pavement. Running is good for you, it’s fun (once you get past those first seemingly impossible weeks of C25K), and can lead you down the exciting path of races, and finish lines, and medals!
Looking back at my experiences training for the San Diego Rock ‘N Roll 1/2 marathon, there are so many important lessons I learned, and for this edition of Thursday Three, I’m going to share these with you:
- Get the right shoes. Do this before you even start training, because it will set you on the right foot (or left!) to train successfully and hopefully without injury. There are so many things I learned about shoes while I trained. Every one’s foot hits the ground differently, and because of that, there is no one size fits all in shoes. I learned this the hard way because I had the wrong shoes, but I only figured it out after suffering from tendinitis in my right foot. The pain was so horrible, and rest along with ice and elevation was the only solution. Thankfully this injury happened early in my training, so I didn’t fall too far behind. You’d think I would have learned, but I didn’t. I ended up in another pair of shoes that didn’t work for me, and I believe those shoes caused me to suffer from IT band syndrome for most of the rest of my training. Finally I got the right pair of shoes, and my issues cleared up, and I was able to successfully run and finish my race. I truly believe all of this could have been avoided if I’d only gotten the right pair of shoes to begin with.
To read more about how to chose the right pair of shoes, click here.
- Find a good training plan. Don’t try to make it up as you go along, and whatever you do, take it slow. Trying to increase your speed and distance too soon, is a sure fire way to end up on the DL (disable list). Nothing is harder than trying to work through an injury with your race date looming in the not so distant future.
Whether you’re a brand new runner or a seasoned runner makes no difference. Training for a race takes a plan, and there are plenty of plans out there. If you’re just getting started, you can check out this post for more tips and beginning programs. If you’ve been running for awhile with no real training plan, you might want to consider employing a running coach to draw up a plan for you. The benefits of a coach are immeasurable. Having worked with a coach through Team in Training, I cannot imagine doing my first race any other way. Hiring a coach might not be an option, so I also recommend looking Jeff Galloway’s books, or checking out Hal Higdon’s site. Hal has training plans for all race distances, and while I haven’t used them personally, I know of people who have successfully completed marathons using his training plan. - Strength and cross-training are key elements to a good training plan. Running alone isn’t going to get you to race day in your best form. Sure, running is what you’re training for, but if your body is weak, you’re going to run the risk of getting injured. When muscles lack strength, you tend to overcompensate, and overcompensation equals injury. A good training plan will mix running with cross-training (swimming, elliptical, walking, biking) with strength training.
One final note, even though this is the Thursday Three…….
If you are hurting – if something doesn’t feel quite right – listen to your body. Do not push through pain. Pain isn’t the same as sore, tired muscles. Pain is bad, and it will only get worse and possibly sideline your running efforts if it’s not addressed. If you have pain, seek medical attention and get it figured out before you continue with any training plan. M’kay? We certainly don’t want to have any broken Sisters (or Brothers) out there.
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Thirty-nine year-old wife and mom to BJ (11) and Mia (7). I’m the editor at the Sisterhood, and I really love to run (really), read, cook amazing things, and photography is my fledging passion. My motivation is motivating other people to realize they can do this whole weight-loss and exercise thing. I’m living proof!