If you’re anything like me, you hate getting sunscreen in your eyes!
I’m here to help you put the fun in your run and learn all the things that’ll help make running so much funner instead of hating it. So today I want to talk about a very specific product that I love. It took me a while to find this, but I finally found it and ironically today, as I’m shooting the video for this blog, I’m in beautiful sunny Tempe, Arizona. This is where I live and usually, it’s very sunny. Of course, the day I’m talking about sunscreens, it’s NOT! 🤣 But you know that it’s very important to use sunscreen on your runs, even when there’s cloud coverage, right? So today I’m going to share with you my favorite sunscreen.
You can probably already tell by how much I love this, because I have the biggest size bottle possible! The brand is Zelios and I absolutely love this product.
If you go to their website, you can see all the science behind why it’s a great product. I don’t like to get all sciency on stuff, but I do like to have products that are as good and as natural as possible, so I always look for that in a product. But the thing I love most about this brand is the way they’ve created this sunscreen so that it doesn’t drip down into your eyes.
Since I live in Tempe (a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona) and it’s (USUALLY! lol) always sunny here, I have to apply sunscreen pretty much daily. So, once I found Zelios, this is now absolutely my favorite sunscreen. They have it in a couple of different sizes. I just showed you the biggest size (32 oz), because that is my absolute favorite (the one I buy and the best value). They also have these little trial sizes. I usually order these because I like to give them away here locally to my people and as samples at different events.
Chapstick / Lip Balm
Finally, they also have my absolute favorite chapstick. Again, I’ve gone through I don’t know how many different brands of chapsticks in my life, and I have finally found this one. The reason I love this one so much is that I just love how soft it is on my lips. There’s also no flavor (I’m not really big on flavor with these things.), so I just love it. I even put it on before I go to bed at night. It’s just my favorite chapstick and, of course, here in Arizona. It’s very important that we take care of our lips as well, being out in the desert and sun.
Other Team Zelios Products
Zelios also has other products, by the way, but I’ve never used those so I can’t honestly say whether I like them or not. What I can say is that a number of my TRU Tribe ladies have used some of their other products and have told me that they absolutely love them, too.
Here’s an affiliate discount link, if you’d like to try out any of Zelios’ products and get 15% OFF. Regardless of where you live, putting sunscreen on is really important, especially if you’re a walker or runner spending lots of time out in the heat and sun.
Where else can you find me on social media?
Hey, out of curiosity, did you know that you also can find me on Instagram?? I’m at @TRUCoachLisa. I do post there daily, so hopefully, I can inspire you over there, too. If you go check out Zelios, I’d be interested to hear what you think about their products, too.
I Was Dead Effin’ Last & Here Is What I Did About!
First, the Acronyms…
I just got back from a race weekend in Colorado with my true tribe team – literally, I just came back – and I trained them for this event, but somehow I came in DFL! If you don’t what DFL means that means ‘Dead F__ing Last’!! That’s right! The coach was Dead F__ing Last@ Do I look worried about it at all?? Of course I’m not! Well, outside of the fact that my ultra sign up score is going to get affected by it. lol But really… who cares?
First, let’s talk about a couple of these acronyms that you may have (or may not have) heard, depending on you where you are in your running journey. Right now there are three acronyms:
DNS which means Did Not Start, then there’s
DFL which is Dead F__ing Last, and then there’s
DNF which is Did Not Finish.
There’s a common running community saying that says, “It’s better to be Dead F__ing Last than not finishing than not starting.” And, honestly, I used to subscribe to this idea, but not so much anymore. Why? I’ll tell you a little bit about that in a bit, but let me get back to my story.
My Race Goals…
So, on Sunday morning we were getting ready to do the race. We were doing an 11K and this is a really hard race. It starts at 9200 feet of elevation. You climb 1700 feet in three and a half miles. Then you turn around and come back down the same route. So, it’s a lot of elevation very quickly. It’s a very steep race.
So, as I prepared for this race myself, I really only had a couple of goals. The first goal was that I really wanted to keep working on my pole technique because at this point, I knew that I would be helping out at the TransRockies race – I volunteered to lead the back of the pack group and we use poles a lot. With this in mind, I just wanted to keep honing in on my poles technique and this race was perfect for that.
My second goal was that I just wanted to get more experience at altitude, because, again, I’m going to be back in Colorado at altitude for the TransRockies race. So, my two goals for this race really were not to ‘race’. My goals were really more to focus on those skills and experience. I wasn’t really focused on ‘racing’ that day.
DFL
As I started, with a couple of the ladies in my tribe, we kind of just really noticed that we were at the back of the pack. We were ‘leap frogging’ with some other people for a while, but then, as we got farther and farther into the race, I kind of felt like we were going to be last. And, as a matter of fact, if you go look at the race stats right now for that race.. I ended up being Dead F__ing Last!
When we came in more-or-less together, they were a little bit ahead of me, but really, much of that was intentional on my part. I may have started the race thinking I didn’t care when I was going to finish. I was there to have fun with my tribe. Also, I had already decided that I was there to work on other things – elevation, poles, and altitude. I was not there for speed at all, so that was that. So, basically, even though I was DFL, I really don’t care, since the purpose I had chosen for my race that day was about the elevation, poles, and the altitude. So, I reached my goals for that race! That’s awesome!
How I Measure My ‘Running Success’
Generally speaking, I’m not the type of person who who measures my running success based on speed. If you go to this video, you’ll hear a little bit more about what I do, as far as what my success is and how I measure my success in a race.
So, let’s go back to that idea where we say a DFL is better than a DNF, which is better than a DNS, and break this down. Basically, this says that coming in last is better than not finishing is better than not even starting. Now here is why I don’t believe that anymore…
I used to believe this, but because I’ve grown in my running journey and I’ve coached more people along the way, really all of those just really depend on what’s happening on that day. Once you start your race, pretty much anything could happen to anybody.
DNS
A DNS is a Did Not Start. I also had one of those once. You know I very rarely get injuries, since I use body-sensing and ChiRunning, but making a call that morning of deciding not to start was very important for my growth as a runner. I had a little bit of an injury – I had ignored some signs recently and had overextended my running, so I was starting to get some plantar fasciitis. I had made some changes in my shoes, so I could have started the race that day. I had already spent the money on the race and I started thinking about all the training I’d already done to get to this start line. But, at the end of the day, I decided NOT to start. So, yes, I have a DNS on my record, but it was a really good call, because I could have made that injury so much worse if I had decided to push through and run.
So, I just decided not to start, and guess what? I volunteered instead and still had a fabulous time! I got to help out the other runners. So, if you decide not to start a race, maybe because you’re feeling a little injury or for some other reason, and you’re making the call not to start, that’s a great idea! That’s a much better and smarter plan versus starting it with an injury, then possibly injuring yourself Then maybe you won’t be able to run for the next six months. So really, at the end of the day, it boils down to what are your goals and how will this decision affect them?
DNF
If you think about a DNF (Did Not Finish), another great example that I have for a Did Not Finish was the same exact race last year. I did the 12 miler I was training for to get more mileage and I know that, at the top of the race, there’s a pretty steep short scramble up some rocks and loose gravel to get to the turn-around point… and I happen to be afraid of heights! lol So, when I got to that point in the race, I kind of looked at it, wondered if I should give it a good college try, and then I was like, “Nope! I’m out!” And that was my very first DNF. Of course, again, it goes on my ‘permanent record, on UltraSignup that I didn’t finish, but who cares? Right? My goal for that race was to get the elevation and the altitude and it was training I had done a for marathon the day before, so for me, the question was, ‘What is my goal for this race?’
‘Racing’ A Race
I’m rarely ever really ‘racing’ in a race. For me, they’re ‘events’, not ‘races’. Most of my races are training runs for another race and when I DO ‘race,’ I’m usually not racing others, but trying to beat one of my previous times or distances, instead. I know I’m not a fast runner. I’m not going to win the race, so, for me, it just depends on what goals I set for myself for that event.
Writing Your Own Running Story
One of my number one mantras that I’ve learned to use (and I really encourage all my runners to use) is to think about the fact that I am ‘writing my own running story’ and that everybody else also is writing their own running story. You just don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives and, you know what? Who cares if you’re there to do your own thing? Just keep focusing on yourself, regardless of whether it might be a DNS or it might be a DNF or it might even be a DFL. YOU have to make that call for yourself and for that one race.
Develop Your Own Personal Running Mindset
I believe this really speaks to the whole mindset part of running. It’s very easy to be disappointed in yourself if you’ve made a decision not to start or to DNF a race because you might hurt yourself. Or even just being Dead F__ing Last. Who cares, right? But these could be things that could affect you mentally, so these are exactly the type of things that we go over in my Tribe community. Who is the TRU Tribe, you ask? The TRU Tribe is my group of ladies. We train together. We learn together. And we grow together. These are the types of things that I teach in the TRU Tribe, so, if you’re interested in checking us out, send me an email at Lisa@TheRunningUniversity.com and let me know you are interested in a 30 day free trial. 😊
Can You Still Call Yourself a Runner, If You Walk During Your Runs??
By the end of this video, you’ll be totally fine walking during your runs AND still fine calling yourself a runner!
Walking Has a Bad Reputation… and I’m Here to Change That!
Are you considered ‘a real runner’ if you walk during your runs? For some reason, walking has a bad reputation for those who want to be ‘runners’. I’ve known people who actually stop their Garmin watches when they take walk breaks. I’ve also known people who say they label people who walk, ‘not real runners.’ But, you know what??? Excuse my french, but that’s bull%&*!!
First of all, I’m not going to win the race, okay? So, for me, personally, it really doesn’t matter when I get to the finish line, if I have no goals to have a personal record at a race. I’m not going to win the race or get a special medal for not walking, so honestly it’s just an easy decision for me. Now, unless I’m trying to have a personal record at an event, or I am running a race for speed, which is a whole different situation.
But honestly, who cares if I walk or if I’m running? It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter, so just get that out of your head right now and know that it’s totally okay to walk sometimes. Sure, I might get there a little faster if I run (lol or maybe not!), but it really doesn’t matter in the long run. Actually, there’s a method called ‘The Galloway Method’ that is called ‘a run/walk system’ and I absolutely love that system! I do things a little bit differently, but they’re actually planned interval walks in the middle of your run, and you’ll see different types of times that you would do this. So maybe you run for 30 seconds and then you walk for 30 seconds, but they’re basically timed intervals and it’s actually a great way to do a run. I don’t personally use The Galloway Method, because I’m a Chi Runner and a Chi Walker. The way that I go about doing it is I do it strictly by body-sensing. For example, I’ll be in the middle of my run and, if I start thinking that I might want to walk, then what I might do is to go through a couple of form focuses to see if I really need to walk. Maybe I’ll slow my run down just a little bit more, but IF I decide I need to take a walk, then I’ll take a little walk break. I always say you know I stop running when I’m tired or whenever I feel like I need to stop. And then when I feel guilty from walking too long or too far, then I just start running again. In this way, I try to keep those walk breaks short, for sure, but basically, that’s how I do it. As soon as my heart rate comes back to normal, or as soon as I maybe see the pole that I said I was going to start running again – I’ll do that sometimes… I’ll look ahead and I’ll say, “Okay. I’m going to start running again at that pole,” and so I gave myself a quick break between here and there.
Another reason why I love putting walk breaks in the middle of my run is just because it feels good! It just feels easier on my body. Running does have a high injury rate (of course, if you’re a Chi Runner or a Chi Walker, your chances of getting injured are going to be way less 😉😁 ), so I just like to include the walking in there.
I love walking! It feels good to walk, so why would I NOT just choose to walk a little bit in the middle of my runs??
Another reason why you might decide to walk (and maybe even walk MORE than running in your runs) is maybe you’re coming back from an injury. Maybe you’re starting back running again. Maybe you’re a beginner runner and it takes a while to get used to that aerobic capacity? So just go ahead and just say that you’re going to walk during your runs. It’s OK! It really is, I swear! Sometimes, planning ahead to walk for a bit really helps me look forward to that little walk that I’m gonna take, so it’s just something that’s gonna make me feel good. I might be in the middle of my run doing intervals or whatever, and I decide to take little walk breaks. I really just gives me something to look forward to.
Walking also changes things up a little bit, right? I’m an ultra runner, so honestly, there’s no way that I would run an entire ultra WITHOUT walking part of it! I very rarely even run 5Ks without some walking. It just depends on what works for you, but, for me, taking quick walking breaks breaks up the monotony a bit for me.
I’m on the trail a lot, so there are definitely times during during my run where, maybe I’m going up a hill, so if I decide that it’s easier for me to Chi Hike really fast up the hill (which might even be literally faster than me running up the hill! lol), I’ll choose to do that instead. It’s definitely necessary to add walk breaks the longer you go! I find that it’s a great way for me to better manage my energy. I don’t want to get to the finish line puking and uncomfortable. I want to get to the finish line feeling super good and still having some energy left, so maybe now I can have that beer at the beer garden. 🍻🍺🍻
Another great reason is because, when you’re walking, you’re actually building your aerobic capacity! There’s a lot of evidence that shows when you’re in that Zone 2 or Zone 1 in your aerobic capacity, you’ll actually lose more weight, since you burn more body fat that way. Now there are a lot of other things that play into that, so I’m just listing that as one potential reason. Another thing for me is that I do also just like to bring my heart rate down once in a while and walking during a run is a great way for me to do that.
Honestly, walking just makes you a better runner. It really does! I don’t know why it has such a bad reputation and common misconception that walking is not for runners, but, hey, take it from me……
I’m an ultra runner… I’m a coach… Walking… is totally… OK.
Even though I’ve been teaching ChiRunning/ChiWalking since 2010, reviewing my technique regularly helps me get better. This is my 1st Q 2022 review.
Walking is a great way to get your fitness on. I walk as cross-training and also walk quite a bit during my runs. ChiWalking was a gamechanger for me! Since there is still impact on your joints, walkers are also susceptible to common injuries like plantar fasciitis, knee problems, back pain, etc. In this video, I share a video analysis of me walking “normally” and ChiWalking.
Whether you are a fitness walker already, want to manage or release weight, are rehabilitating after illness or injury, or have signed up for a walking event and want support, Chi Walking will help you reach your personal goals, including looking and feeling better than ever.
The Chi Walking technique emphasizes the proper biomechanics of walking including: good posture, loose joints, engaging one’s core muscles, and relaxing the peripheral muscles of the arms and legs. This approach makes walking easier on the body and helps improve and eliminate the aches, pains and discomfort of walking incorrectly.
The Five Mindful Steps are used throughout the book and program to reinforce the body-mind component inherent in each step.
The Chi Walking program offers 12 different types of walks to create a balanced and exciting health program. The “menu” of walks includes: a Cardio Walk, an Aerobic Walk, a Flexibility Walk, a Loosening Walk, a Focusing Walk, an Energizing Walk, a Walking Meditation and more. The walks are presented in the Chi Walking book in a detailed and understandable way, then summarized in an easy to read matrix which shows the key benefits of each walk.
Since walking is such a basic, every day movement, when your walking form is improved, the benefits are far reaching.
Another distance checked off my bucket list!
Warning: this is a bit long so grab a coffee or beer and get comfy! It took me longer to write this blog than to do the race!
Seriously, WHO AM I? If you would’ve told me 10 years ago that I would be doing 100 miles, I would say you’re crazy! One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from running is “Never Say Never”
But why 100 miles?! 🙄🤣
Let’s tackle this question first. I have two major Why’s:
The longest distance I’ve done so far is a 100K (62 miles) at one time and 120 miles in 6 days at the TransRockies stage race. Every time I go up a distance, and feel good after finishing it, I wonder….can I do the next one? In most trail races, distances jump from 100K to 100 miles…..which is about 38 miles. That’s a lot more miles! But I got it in my head that I wanted to try it. My original goal was to do this race in 2020 going into 2021 as I entered my 50th birthday year. But this race was canceled last year due to COVID so I changed it to this New Year. I purchased the 48 hour option (more on this below). I decided I would do my longest distance on the first day, go take a shower and sleep a bit (Greg’s Mom lives 10 minutes away from the race venue!) and then come back and finish the rest on 12/31 so I could ring in the New Year doing something epic!
This might be the first time I put this in writing. I’ve started saying it out loud because this 100 miler was the first test for me. In 2020, Aravaipa announced a new race: Cocodona 250. That’s right…250 mile race! I remember reading all about it and watching the video….thinking what an amazing event to do in 2021 (the inaugural year) when I turn 50. Then, reality set in. I just became one of the new owners of the ChiRunning company and let’s face it, I was definitely not prepared to tackle this distance yet. I loved the idea of running through most of the state of Arizona.! I was lucky enough to get to volunteer and pace my friend Andre in May this year. The seed was planted but they have a requirement that you have at least one 100 mile race under your belt and their cutoffs were definitely out of my league. So, I figured, getting this 100 miler done would be the first step to deciding whether doing a longer distance was even something that I wanted to do. I’ll admit it, I think I’m addicted to longer distances! My next step will be to do another 100 miler or two but not until 2023. While I am excited at the possibility of Cocodona, I need to be realistic about my work load as well as my training and experience. I don’t want to rush into anything so right now it’s on the 2-4 year plan.
I remember when I first heard of it from one of my ChiRunners. Sounded ridiculous to me! It’s a 1.05 mile loop and you basically go around in circles for hours…or days! Wait…what?! You read that right!
I’ll admit it, it’s definitely not my favorite type of race. I’m a trail girl at heart. However, there is something about this race that is truly special.
I remember the first time I went to just check it out. It was years ago. Some of my ChiRunners from Prescott were doing it and they invited me to come and visit and do some laps with them. Again, not my cup of tea but I totally could see how this type of race would work for a lot of people and a lot of reasons. After this experience, I decided to start volunteering. The Running University now fills the entire volunteer shift from 9am on New Year’s Eve to 9am on New Year’s Day. It’s my favorite way to spend this holiday!. Of course, every time I volunteered, I got more and more intrigued. I had the chance to run the race several times due to my volunteering but I never choose to do the full 24 hours. I would only do what my training plan called for. (One of the dangers about these types of events is that you get caught up in adding the mileage and it’s easy to get injured when you haven’t trained for the distance).
Some crazy distances are covered by athletes of all ages at this race! If you want to check out some of the results, click here. For example, the winner of the 10 day race, did 690.471 miles!
When I decided I was doing my first 100 miler, I had to pick which race. I knew it had to be an Aravaipa race. I did my first 50K and 100K with Aravaipa Running. They are one of our local trail racing companies and they put on amazing races. I basically “grew up” and became a trail runner and ultra runner through their races. I also considered the difficulty of a trail 100 miler and after lots of thought, I decided Across The Years would allow me to ease into it, do it over 48 hours, it would be a great social race as I always know a lot of people who are either running or volunteering, and my team would be there on my last day volunteering.
Training for races is important to me. LOL that’s one of the reasons I’m a running coach. Not conditioning yourself for a race, especially a long one, is an injury waiting to happen. Unfortunately I knew I wouldn’t be able to train the way I would’ve normally done for this type of race. At one point in early November, I almost considered canceling it. I circled back to my why and it was really important for me to reach this milestone during my 50th birthday year. At that point I decided to buckle down and I was able to increase my training mileage and get a few long runs in. One day I even did a 50K in loops around the Kiwanis park lake. I did that several times for some 10 and 20 milers. Although I still wasn’t sufficiently trained, I felt better about it. Of course, knowing ChiRunning/ChiWalking technique is a huge asset!
My plan was to take it easy. I had a few calculations in my head as far as my pace but I knew I would be doing lots of walk/run intervals and I wanted to be realistic. My goal was to do my longest mileage on Day 1 so I could get that PR under my belt and then finish up later on 12/31 when all my peeps were volunteering.
It’s weird to me that I wasn’t really nervous before the start. It wasn’t a trail race, there was an aid station on the 1 mile course and there was no risk of getting lost in the middle of nowhere (this is usually my biggest stressor on a trail race). The mileage was intimidating but I also knew I was in a very safe space. As usual, the weather was my biggest concern…I was refreshing my Weather app on my phone constantly the whole week leading up to it. It was supposed to rain on both days…and in typical fashion, it kept changing. It looked like Thursday was going to be the better day which was good since I decided I was going to do the most mileage this day.
I found Lori’s tent (one of my trail wives and BFFs). She was also doing 100 miles but as a different race. She had the AZ flag on her tent like we do for our TransRockies camping. Although I had my car as home base, Lori’s tent was right off the track so would take less time to get things when I needed them. She let me keep my stuff there. I headed to the start line…..race start was 9am on 12/30. The 1st 24 hours was 9am-9am.
There were several reasons for that. When I’m planning a big mileage event, especially out of my comfort zone, I always like to raise money. I used to be a Board Member for our local chapter. I love this charity because I wish I had this when I was growing up. I started running late in my life so I love to see how GOTR makes such a big impact on these girls. As a matter of fact, as a running coach, I do the same thing for women only at a later stage in their lives. Running is such a great sport and we can learn so much from it. I love helping transform peoples lives with running and walking. I wish I had it as a kid! I also decided I wanted to walk in memory of Ila Brandli and Bob Hanson.
From my fundraising page! https://www.gotrmc.org/fundraiser/Coach-Lisa-The-Running-University
They were both big Girls On The Run supporters and passed away in the last few years. I would see Bob and his wife Cindy volunteering at aid stations during XTerra trail races (they support GOTR!). He had one of the best smiles and was always so positive.
Miles and smiles for Bob ❤ I wore this for both days
Ila used to raise money for GOTR too and used to do Across The years as well. As a matter of fact, she was one of the record breakers there! I wrote a blog about her in 2016 because she was such an amazing lady! I kept the cape on most of the first day. It ended up serving as a great conversation piece too! One girl ran by me and said she used to be a participant of the GOTR program and that’s how she became a runner! This made my day! Several people commented saying their daughter was in the program. Then, I made a new friend from Germany, Simi. I am bummed that we didn’t get a picture together because we had some great conversations! She’s doing some great things with women runners where she lives and it was fun to swap stories about how we motivate our athletes.
My goal for the first day was to do the highest distance I’d ever done. This happens to be the Black Canyon 100K (62 miles) but according to my Garmin, it was actually 63.06 so I had to get at least 63.5 done before going to shower and rest. I didn’t really have a strategy other than trying to keep between a 12-18 minute mile between running and walking intervals. They weren’t set intervals and I just body sensed when I felt like walking or running. I tried to run a bit more up front knowing that I would get more tired later. I knew quite a bit of people that were either participating or volunteering so it was a fun way to catch up with friends. (2 min Instagram Live at my start)
At one point, my friend Joshua handed me Ila’s In Memoriam race bib which I wore this for several miles. If you ever do this race, once you get a bib number, it’s yours for life! Many people come back year after year and you get swag for hitting milestones too. If you pass away, an In Memoriam bib is made and participants are able to wear them during the race. (3:46 min Instagram Live at mile 25)
Ila’s bib ❤
I got a visit from Melissa and Miggie and they even came back with a Cafe Americano for me because I knew it was going to be a long night!
Melissa did a lap with me!
Outside of the weather, the other mindfuck was the actual distance covered on each lap. While I had my Garmin on, the official race lap count did not match it. This is because the course is 1.05 miles and of course I wasn’t on the exact trajectory of when the course was measured. The path was pretty wide in some parts and there were bathroom breaks slightly off course, etc. I tried not to look at it but as I was getting closer to my daily goal, I was off by 2-3 miles. The hardest part of the entire race for me was the night of Day 1. I wanted to be done but was too tired to run so it was taking longer to do laps. I never ever thought of quitting but there was a lot of self talk and pumping sunshine 🤪there were fewer people on the course as people going for days would take longer breaks at night in their tents or RVs.
Gritting it out at night with Lisa Lee!
It all became a blur. The highlight of that early morning, was some food at the aid station. You pass it on every lap and you definitely don’t need to stop at every mile. At that point I was getting hungry and was about to grab a bag of potato chips, when Jon, the aid station captain, said, “we have tater tots!” Wait, what?! Keep in mind they make some great meals for us like hamburgers, pancakes, etc. I wasn’t expecting tater tots but they were the best thing EVER at 3am!
Finally I was getting closer….at first I wanted to reach the 64 miles on the race lap count…but when I was at mile 63 on my Garmin and still at 61 on the race count, I was over it! I did my last lap and hit the 64 miles on my Garmin and called it a night. I knew I had to get the official time for the total 100 miles but I would deal with that the next day. I think I left the race about 330ish. I went to my boyfriends’ Mom’s house which is about 6 minutes away, took a hot shower and went to sleep.
Ringing the PR Bell and feeling bad because it was 3am and people were sleeping in tents nearby.
I slept for about 4.5 hours and then starting getting ready for Day 2, New Year’s Eve. I was jazzed up because I “only” had 37 more miles to go. My plan was to end within an hour of midnight and 1am on New Year’s Day. Many of my TRU TRIBE members were volunteering on this day, including Greg, my boyfriend. I knew this was going to be an easier day.
Started Day 2 with Kisha!
TRU TRIBE after their volunteer shift doing a lap with me!
AND I had a few ChiRunning Instructors joining me on this day! Master Instructor Vince Vaccaro, one of the four co-owners of ChiRunning with me and Laurel Flax, a Certified Instructor in NH. These timed events are right up her ally and this was going to be her longest. Vince was going 24 hours and she was doing 72 hours. I didn’t get there until 12:30ish and I tried to find them first right away. I tried keeping up with Vince for a bit but he was fresh (well jet lagged from the late flight the night before) but fresher than me!
Some of my ChiRunning family! Vince and Laurel 😁
Long story short, this day started out better than I expected physically and mentally. I had to stay focused though because I’d get caught up at the aid station talking to friends. I had plenty of time as far as the cutoff of 9am the next day but I really wanted to finish right after midnight. I had more company this time around but I was also mostly walking at this point. I am pretty sure that I walked most of the 2nd day. My sister and my friend RJ came out to do a few laps with me. Alina, one of my TRU TRIBE members from Tucson, drove in a crazy storm to come out and walk with me too.
At one point, I started having lower shin pain. I knew there would be a possibility that something like this could happen because I didn’t really train as much as I wanted to. I told myself that I would stop if it was bad enough that it may take me out of commission for awhile but it never got that bad (so I thought). Of course I was even more hyper-focused on my technique but the overuse injury was starting to set in. I never take ibuprofen but did this time. I would normally drink alcohol but believe it or not, I drank none at all while I was on the course! First of all it was too cold! Second of all, I didn’t want to mess with how good I was feeling. Outside of the shin pain, I was in great spirits and people commented on that quite often.
This is actually a huge part of my mental strategy. I say this over and over again but due to my daily meditation practice, I am able to be self aware and mindful of attitudes and emotions as they are happening to me. I purposely pump myself up mentally before any big race with as many positive things that I can. I got myself so excited to finally get started on this bucket list race! I knew it would “only” be 2 tough days and I can do hard things! I can also tell when my mind wants to take me down the rabbit hole in a bad place. I usually catch this early enough so I can change it. The first thing that I do to get out of my head is a Technique Body Scan (start at the bottom with my foot placement and then go through each area to see if I’m in good form). I can’t be in my head judging myself if I’m doing this! I usually follow that with a 5 Senses Meditation (learned from Danny and you can find it here!). Same concept though…if I’m focusing on my senses, I’m not in my head going down the rabbit hole.
The thing bumming me out the most was that I was slowing down and had to take more breaks than I expected. This meant that I wouldn’t be finishing close to midnight anymore (which is when the volunteer shift ends and several of my friends (and boyfriend) would be done volunteering. I had to get over this and not let it bother me. My other ways to get distracted were to listen to music or podcasts. Between that and the company, it went better than I expected.
It was finally midnight and we got to ring in the New Year together! The whole race stops, everyone gets together at the start line, we have a champagne toast and everyone does a loop together. Most of the people I knew left after the celebration. I can’t remember how many miles I had to go at this point but I think it was a few more hours. (2:47 Instagram Live at mile 91)
I got to spend several more miles with Simi. Vince decided to stay with me and keep me company. The weather had held out most of the day and go figure, at 1am, it started down pouring. I was pissed! So freaking close to being finished…and my Garmin was 3 miles ahead of the official timer….but I kept pushing through with Vince. Then all of the sudden, I saw Elaine coming towards us! I can’t remember if it was my last lap or 2nd to last lap but it was so good to see her face! Elaine was one of the first people to get me into trail running, helped me train for my first night race and ultra, is one of my trusted pacers, and one of my besties!
With Elaine! Photo taken after the finish. Alina brought me those balloons. She risked her life coming up from Tucson in a crazy storm with these balloons in the back of her car! All I could think about after my race is “don’t let me forget my balloons”. Elaine made sure I didn’t. (as of 1/25/22 they are still floating around in my living room!)
It was finally over! I turned right for the final stretch, I started running because you just have to cross a finish line running! I went through the aid station, rang the PR bell (and didn’t care about waking people up this time!), crossed that finish line and got my buckle! Thanks to Jan for getting this video of me!
As of today 1/28/22, I am taking a little break from running as I heal. I am going to see Jody from Longevity Wellness Clinic of AZ for my 3rd acupuncture appointment in 2 weeks.
As of today 1/28/22, I still can’t believe I did it! If you made it this far, thank you so much! It seriously took me longer to put this together than it did to run it!
The final numbers!!
Race Director Julie 😊
Race Director Jubilee 💜
OF course I wore my buckle the first chance I had at the Aravaipa Group Trail Run the following Wednesday!
PINCH ME!
It’s been a week since I crossed the Stage 6 finish line and I still can’t believe I finally did it!
Finish line Stage 6!
What is the TransRockies run?
120 miles in 6 days, in over 8K+ feet of elevation with 20K+ feet of elevation gain!
“The route of the Run will take place at elevations between 7,400 and 12,600 feet above sea level. Based on the preliminary route proposal (subject to change and approval by the U.S. Forest Service), the percent of distance at various elevations is as follows:
7,000′ to 8,000′ – 3%
8,000′ to 9,000′ – 31%
9,000′ to 10,000′ – 28%
10,000′ to 11,000′ – 27%
11,000′ to 12,000′ – 10%
12,000′ to 13,000′ – 1%”
Here is the 6 day course!
This was one of the most epic and memorable experiences of my life!
Although I had it on my bucket list for years, it wasn’t until February of 2019 when it started becoming a reality. It was definitely out of my budget (totally worth every single penny!). My friend Joan sent me an email asking if I knew anything about this race. They needed volunteers for 6 days. I was beside myself as I would be able to get race credits for volunteering and finally do the race! I wrote about my volunteer experience here. We were supposed to do the race in 2020 but….
COVID. 🙄
2020 came and went and it finally got approved for 2021! It was finally happening! 😊
The AZ Girls (as Houda, the race director, nicknamed us while volunteering), started training in early April. We followed a plan that was recommended in the TransRockies Facebook Group. As you might imagine, the training was not easy. It was a decent amount of mileage but we also had to do it in the heat. Not only because we didn’t have a choice with our AZ summer but also because they recommend heat training to replace elevation if you don’t have it available.
Because this was a 6 day stage race, there are too many things to share and I don’t want this blog to be a bazillion words. I am recapping here. I plan on writing a blog series which will include a recap of each stage of the race over the next 6 weeks (hopefully! 🤞).
What went well….
I can’t believe how great I felt overall over the 6 days. We averaged 20 miles a day with some days being harder than other depending on the elevation gain and elevation we were in. I attribute feeling great to:
ChiRunning/ChiWalking: Technique is always one of the biggest factors that contribute to MY running success. I am pretty sure I power hiked over 50% of the race due to the elevation gain but technique was always at my forefront. Not only does it make it easier to move when you are in proper form but your recovery time is less because you are moving more efficiently. I only took 4 Advil during the entire week. One of them was for a headache and 2 of them were on the last day when I could feel a twinge in my left knee (more on that below)
Training: This is not a race you can get by without training. We found a training plan and I was able to complete 86% of the mileage in the plan. Ideally this would be higher but happy that I was able to get this in considering my crazy schedule lately.
Poles: I’ve always thought of getting running poles but never did. They were recommended for this race so I finally got some and trained with them. These were a game changer. Poles definitely helped with efficiency. I also had some great technique aha moments with them. I can’t help it, I geek out on technique. 🤣 I didn’t have a great way to store them when I didn’t need them. I held them horizontally (still full length) and kept my arms at a 90 degree angle as I swung my elbows back. I couldn’t rotate my upper body (waste of energy and a lot of people do this) so my arms actually swung freely from my shoulders while staying stable. The length of the poles must’ve assisted in balancing my movement because I could really feel my pelvic rotation happening. This was fantastic for some fast ChiWalking but even more effective when running down hills. I was flying! I used the Black Diamond DISTANCE FLZ TREKKING POLES – WOMEN’S.
Elevated Legs: They were one of the race sponsors. I did some stretching in the evening but on I decided to use these on Day 3-5. I did 10 min on Day 3, 20 min on Day 4 and 30 min on Day 5. The idea is that the compression increases blood flow and helps to clear fatigue causing metabolites and reduce inflammation.
My Why?: I always have my athletes write down their Why? when they start training for an event. It’s important to know why you want to do something. It must be a strong Why too…..one that will help you get motivated when the going gets tough. I had 2 major Whys. Both of these motivated me to complete that 86% of my training plan (I am sure it would’ve been a lower percentage) and also helped me through some rough spots while on the course:
I wanted to see 120 miles of trails I’ve never been on before!
I wanted to push outside my comfort zone. The longest I’ve ever done is 100K in one day but I’ve never done this much mileage at this high of elevation in this amount of time.
Altra Running Shoes: I am an ambassador and these are the only shoes I wear for all my running. I brought the Timps 3 (first time using this model and loved them!) and the Lone Peaks 5 (a regular shoe for trails). I love everything about my Altra shoes.
Daily strategy: I was not in a hurry to get through the day! I had no to do list other than get the mileage done every day! It took me 46 hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds. I came in 9th to last....and I don’t care! My plan was to enjoy all those miles of trails that I’ve never been on. I probably ChiWalked/Hiked 50% of the run (note it’s called the TransRockies Run and not Race. Although it is a race, they are strategic with that title). I have no interest in racing. As a matter of fact, 4 of the 6 days, I did Dawn Patrol. This was created for people (thank to Mirna the Mirnavator) who wanted some extra time. I was able to start earlier and not worry about the daily cutoff. I ran on flats and the downhills and ChiWalked the hills. I just wanted to enjoy this different nature landscape and I wasn’t in a hurry to get through it.
What I could’ve done better…
While I am very happy with how the week went because I felt so good, there is always room for improvement:
Specific Training: While I followed the mileage on the plan, and did a decent amount of hill training, I could’ve done a better job doing steeper hills (up and down). On Day 5 I felt a slight twinge in my left knee. I am great at body sensing (we teach this in ChiRunning) and I knew exactly what it was. It was overuse of the steep downhill technique. Even though I had my poles and ChiRunning to help me, I didn’t do enough of this movement in my training so I wasn’t used to all of it. While I wasn’t able to get it to go away, I was able to alleviate it by focusing on my alignment, increasing my cadence and focusing on pelvic rotation. The training also called for Stairs. I did the elliptical a handful of times but could’ve used more hill work and stairs.
Strength Training: This is one of my weaknesses even though I am a personal trainer. I did more than usual but more wouldn’t hurt.
Camping Prep/Weather: Part of the race is camping out for all 5 nights (there is a hotel package option as well). While I enjoy camping, this added a level of difficulty. It really wasn’t necessarily the camping but the weather during the 1st few days. I managed to keep my stuff mostly dry but the grass was wet and cold. I didn’t sleep as well as I would’ve liked and waking up in the middle of the night to use the porta potties when the ground is wet and cold is no fun. But I sucked it all up because I was living my dash!
Be more social? One of the things I love most in life (and about TransRockies) is community. I am an extrovert in general and I LOVE people. I got to see a lot of people I met in 2019 as well as meet some new friends. I used a question mark because this was fairly strategic for me too. I love running but it’s also what I do a for a living. I love cheering on my athletes and helping them celebrate finish lines they never thought possible. I issue a lot of energy with my job and this was my time to renew before my Fall programs started. This race was all about me and for me. I was in a much more self reflective mode during this week…I couldn’t believe it was finally happening. While I spent several miles with friends, I spent many miles alone. I didn’t listen to any music and tried to be “in the moment” as much possible. These were some of my most enjoyable moments during the race.
Bottom line
This event helped me realize that I can do anything I put my mind to. I can’t even explain how driven I was every day to get out there and enjoy 7ish hours of new trails, even with bad weather! It was almost like I was in a weird trance.
This race strengthened my love for trails and endurance running. It’s one of the best well run events that I’ve been part of (as a volunteer and runner). Huge props and thanks to the TransRockies team! Kevin “Houda”, the Race Director, is one of the best leaders and coolest humans I know! Also a HUGE thanks to all the volunteers!
So the big question is…….. Will I do it again? 🤔
It’s honestly too early for me to say. 2022 is the 15th Anniversary and it’s already sold out! I could still volunteer? I can’t really make any commitments right now but I am pretty sure that this year was not the last time I’ll be there…whether it’s as a volunteer or a runner, who knows but I am sure I’ll be back!
In this day and age where we spend so much time insidoors and on our technology, it’s great to have a specific day to encourage us to get outside and play. Trail running or hiking is a great way to go do that! There are many benefits to spending time outside in nature. Here are just a few:
Mental Health and Increased Happiness. Spending time in nature and the natural light can improve your mood and reduce stress and depression. Anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues can be eased by spending time outside. Increased Self-Esteem. Outdoor exercise stimulates all five senses in a way that indoor activities cannot. Additionally, being out in nature impacts the brain in a positive way, making you feel better about yourself. Getting a boost of vitamin D You can improve your health just by soaking up the sun. Vitamin D is essential for bone growth and regulates your immune system Better brain function. Spending more time outdoors is also linked to higher levels of concentration, creativity, and improved mental clarity.
No surprise here! Has to be thePrescott Circle Trail.
Why I love it? The views of Watson lake can’t be beaten. The variety of terrain makes for a super fun interesting day. And following the white dots feels like a treasure trail. Just epic trail fun. Check out this trail on AllTrails.
While I love our low desert trails in AZ, I found theRainbow Rim Trail at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon spectacular! It’s 38.5 runnable miles alternating between views of the canyon, pine forest, lush green ferns and wildflowers (in summer). There is dispersed camping along the route. It’s popular with bikers but I didn’t see many. Check out this trail on AllTrails.
My favorite place to hike is Spur Cross Ranch. There are sooooo many trails out there, you can go forever in various directions. The Maricopa Trail connects to portions of trails out there as well. The desert is more lush the higher you go, and parts of the year you will get to experience multiple creek crossings! Also, not too crowded! Here is one of my go-to hikes there: Check out this trail on AllTrails.
Also highly recommend Elephant Mountain at Spur Cross as well: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/elephant-mountain?p=31301417
Love this question. I love all the above although haven’t been to the north rim but that sounds perfect! My favorite is Soldier’s Trail in Flagstaff. I love the smell of pine trees. I love the rolling hills and I love that it isn’t crowded(early in the morning) so I can enjoy it with the dog on a long lead. It is also rejuvenating to get out of the hot desert and run in the cool temps. Check out this trail on AllTrails.
Brown’s Ranch Perimeter Loop is my favorite trail because not only is it GORGEOUS it is easily accessible. The trial takes you about 15 miles around McDowell through various terrain. You can visit the amphitheater and balanced rock while on your journey. It’s very runnable, and has spectacular views!! Can’t wait to run it again!! Check out this trail on AllTrails
This Hieroglyphic Trail is the one I take people to when they visit me here in AZ as it is so spectacular with the views of the Superstition Mountains, lots of cactus, and it is breathtaking to see the creek when it has water. The trail is 2.8 miles and is a good one to run or hike with only 567 feet of elevation. There is a large parking lot so you can easily find a space as long as you go early in the morning before the crowds arrive. Check out this trail on AllTrails
P.S. I always make it a point to promote TRU TRIBE women owned businesses. You can find Barbie at www.respectrealty.com and on Instagram.
Here is mine:
We have so many beautiful trails all over Arizona so it’s hard to pick! I love McDowell Mountain Regional Park and one of my favorite trails to run there is the Escondido Trail. This trail has fun switchbacks and what I call “roly-poly” hills. It’s fun to go up and down them like a roller coaster. It’s mainly single-track and the views are spectacular. It’s in the Arizona desert, so plenty of saguaros and cacti. Flowers will also appear in the spring. I’ve done this trail during a night race and it’s just as fun at night! Although it’s showing as an out and back trail, towards the end of the trail you can link up with others in the park.
It is closer to a road than I would normally like, but it’s never bothered me since that road is not heavily trafficked (at least not the early mornings or nights). There is no shade so be prepared to be in the sun as well. Check out this trail on AllTrails
Whether you get out on National Play Outside Day or not, we recommend getting outside as often as you can, weather permitting. There is nothing like some spending some time outdoors with family and friends…or even alone (just be safe)!
This race is no joke from an elevation profile. Their website describes it as:
“For those who prefer a course with pain and punishment, the long course is 20k of grueling single track with over 1500 feet of climbing. Starting from the group campground, runners wind their way up Ironwood to the Waddell trail. Once you reach the first aid station be prepared to go up, the next three miles are all climbing….” You can see my Tom Tom results here.
Cheryl Miller from Miller Endurance Coaching is one of their sponsors and she hosted a preview run a few weeks ago that I was able to attend. I actually did this race back in 2012 when I was training for my first marathon but I can’t find my results anywhere. At any rate, I knew what I was getting myself into…
Which is why I wanted to do it! Hills are part of most trail races and I love to train on them to keep improving my ChiRunning technique. White Tanks are also a great change of scenery for me so I was excited to do this one.
First I want to thank XTERRA because a portion of their race proceeds go to my favorite local charity Girls On The Run Maricopa County (GOTR-I’m currently on their board of directors serving as Secretary). If I’m not racing their events, I’m volunteering because I really appreciate their support!
Now on to my learning lessons from this race!
The more running story develops year after year, I have found that I prefer to preview runs if I have a chance. This gives me a chance to get familiar with the course and know what to expect vs the element of surprise that I used to like more before. Even though I did part of the course backwards on the preview run, I knew what I was getting into!
Even though this was a “training” run, I wanted to race it…my version of racing it 😉 My race strategy was:
Bring my hydration pack so I wouldn’t need to stop at any of the aid stations.
Power hike the uphills and run as much of the runnable part as possible
Focus/improve upon on my ChiRunning hill technique (runnable/non runnable hills, uphill and downhill. I just taught a ChiHills class yesterday so it was all fresh)
Continue to get more out of my comfort zone on rockier trails and improve my technique there
Get myself mentally psyched up and excited for this race no matter what (this has become a regular strategy for me. Why got all worked up and nervous? I start thinking about the friends I will see, that I’m getting to spend a “few” hours in nature, getting some ME time, burning some calories, etc. Literally think of as many positive things as I can to get pumped up for the race to get positive energy flowing)
Last but not least, as much as I don’t like always setting time goals for races, since I did the preview run in 3:17 and I wasn’t as racing, I was shooting for a 3 hour finish.
It was a beautiful day! I got there in plenty of time to pick up my packet and run into many friends including GOTR volunteers/board members.
Holly is our Vice President and was racing as well!
I started running right away knowing that the grueling part would be around Mile 2. I had to stop momentarily at the first aid station to get this selfie with Bob and Cindy Hansen who are huge supporters of GOTR and I love seeing their smiling faces!
Bob & Cindy Hansen, GOTR volunteer superstars! Love the rays of sun shining on us!
Then it was all uphill so I started power hiking and using my arms, core and obliques more (which are all sorer than my legs are today!) I knew I was at the back of the pack already but OK with that. Every time there was a wee bit of level terrain or not too many rocks, I ran a bit…however if I know I can power hike it faster and use less energy, that is my strategy. (one of the many things I love about trail running as it’s more “acceptable” to walk due to the hills.) I had several more friends at aid stations that called my name out as I ran by which is always motivating!
We are pretty high up there! Pictures don’t do it justice for sure!
If you look closely, you can see the trail on the other mountain going down hill…
It was finally time to come downhill! Was cruising in several locations but the trail was rocky so this slowed me down more than I wanted. I was really trying to focus on relaxing as much as possible as I know any tension mentally or physically slows me down (which is why I get pumped up before a race too…to keep from having mental stress!). I almost tripped a few times but never fell.
I hate looking at my watch to reach a time goal (again more mental tension) but at this point I could tell that I was close to my time goal. I had conserved my energy so I knew the last 2 miles should be pretty easy. I didn’t realize mile 11 was a wee bit of an uphill and I started walking a bit. I knew I was cutting it close on the time goal so I decided to put my playlist on speaker just to change up my energy and get some motivation. Funniest thing was that I turned it off in less than 2 minutes! The music was too distracting. I was in a really good zone (had been for the entire race between my ChiRunning/ChiWalking form focusing, being present and truly enjoying the beauty of the trail.) On a side note, I find it interesting that as my running story continues to develop, I used to only be a social runner. I couldn’t run unless I had company and someone to talk to. Now, my solo runs hold a special place. I can’t describe it but there is something to be said about being alone with yourself for hours in nature, running on a trail. Time flies by somehow…Mile 11 was my hardest mile of the entire race and I started thinking I wanted it to be over with. With 1.5 miles to go, I got it together and started really focusing more on my form and breathing. Before I knew it, I could see the finish line and was getting excited. I was at 2:52 and knew I would make it on time if I kept my pace…..and I did! My official time was a 2:57:37! (and my fastest mile was my last one!)
I felt amazing and was so dang proud of myself when I finished!….
Thanks to my friend Diane for taking this awesome photo of me finishing! It truly describes how I felt!
The GOTR Executive Team..2 of us running and 2 volunteering!
Another reason for my success was sticking to my training plan. There were a few times that I was not able to stick to the plan but they were few and far between. This was by far, the hardest part of the entire process.
It was not the training that was hard but the amount of time it took. I knew it was going to be a big commitment but when you add the mileage, and add driving back and forth to trail heads, it was a part time job. In addition to the time, it was hard to focus on anything mentally after a few long days of running. My business suffered a bit from it and I spent less time with my boyfriend as well. Thankfully he is very supportive and that will be another blog post 😉 You have no idea how tempted I am right now to sign up for another 50 miler this year while my body/mind are trained! But I know I need to get refocused on my business and I truly need to be patient with the process. I see too many people get too excited and then things start falling apart. I want to keep running for the rest of my life and don’t want to burn my body or mind out!
I followed a training plan from Ultraladies. It’s a cool schedule generator so you plug in the date of your event and it spits out a training plan. I started training for my 2nd 50K and then switched over to the 50 Mile training. Here is my spreadsheet (50K on one sheet and 50 miles on another). My goal was to follow the plan as closely as I could but life gets in the way sometimes. If I couldn’t follow on the specific days, my goal was to try and meet the weekly miles and make sure that I was able to get my back to back long runs in. If you talk to any ultra runner, most of them will tell you that back to back long runs are crucial as it’s the way that you train to run on tired legs.
The other thing to do is make sure to find out the elevation profile of your run and what conditions you will be running in. Everything I read about Antelope Canyon was that it was 40 miles of sand. So I did quite a bit of training in the sand although the sand was coarser in our park washes than the fine sand in Page. I also made it a point to focus on ChiWalking and hiking. The idea was to get as much time on my feet so these helped quite a bit as well.
I was worried that 31 miles was my longest run and I didn’t know what it would feel like to run 20 more on the same day….but it really did come together on race day. My legs were tired but no where near as bad as I thought it would be.
I always tell my runners, you can go out and complete a race with little training, but how do you want to feel during and after? Training is an important part of any race, both mentally and physically.
I found this awhile ago and it cracked me up…if you are an ultra runner, you know you can relate 😉
I’m so behind on blogging about my 50 Mile Training journey but will get back to that very soon. I couldn’t pass up posting about the dreaded treadmill as I’ve wanted to post about this before and it hasn’t happened it.
I’m an AZ girl and even in the summer when it’s 120 degrees, I run early in the morning or at night. I’ve always hated the dreadmill! One of the reasons I love trail running is because I’m out in nature enjoying the great outdoors. I seriously don’t know how people run on the treadmill all the time! But remember, my message to everyone when it comes to running is that we each have our own running story so I respect that someone’s running story might just be about the treadmill! This morning it was pouring so I didn’t have a choice…
If you refer to the treadmill as the “dreadmill” or “Satan’s sidewalk”, you probably use it because you have to due of weather or maybe you are out of town on business and don’t know any safe locations to run. This morning, I didn’t want to run in the rain and realized it is possible to take the dread out of the dreadmill…here are my suggestions:
Change your attitude: This was a huge epiphany for me. I realized just calling it the dreadmill was not positive. I am making a choice to run and what it the other option? Not run at all? Well, of course I want to run! So embrace the treadmill as your option for this particular run and enjoy it! Just this change in attitude made me feel better about it. Maybe you can get really good with your attitude and be like this guy!
Mix it up: This is a great time to try some intervals. Instead of thinking about being on the treadmill for 30 minutes, think about it as six 5 minute intervals! In each 5 minute interval, switch it up every minute: you can go faster by increasing speed by .5 every minute OR you can add a bit of incline every minute, you can add walk breaks OR go faster than you normally do…which brings me to…
How fast can you go? : The treadmill is a controlled environment. You can see and adjust your speed immediately. I had a lot of fun working on speed intervals. Even when I’m doing a track workout, I have to keep looking at my watch to see my pace. On a treadmill, you can see it right there and so long as you are careful, you can manipulate your pace immediately. I had some fun with my intervals and seeing how fast I could go. I was playing around so I didn’t do this for long but it was funner than I thought it would be.
Focus on your running form: As a ChiRunning Instructor, this is something that I do often anyways. However I realize that are some specific form focuses that I can feel better on the treadmill. We always say in ChiRunning to make pretend you are running on the treadmill when you are on the road because the treadmill helps by bringing your legs behind you. I love focusing on pelvic rotation when on the treadmill as I can really feel the treadmill bring my leg back and then my hip follows it. This morning I was working on really relaxing my lower legs and letting my knees bend and letting my pelvis rotate. One of my other favorite focuses on the treadmill are combining breathing with cadence. I can get into a great rhythm! By the way, if you are a ChiRunner, click here for some great tips from Danny Dreyer about treadmill running.
Get distracted: As much as working on form is a priority for me, sometimes it’s nice to get distracted too. I rarely listen to music on the road or trails but on the treadmill, I enjoy it because I hardly ever do it. This morning I listened to a podcast for a while and then switched to some music. I’ve had friends tell me that they’ve watched entire movies or Netflix while on the treadmill too.
So next time you have no choice (or do you?), try these tips and see how they work out for you. Heck, I might even just add a treadmill workout to my weekly routine after my 50 miler!
Anyone else have any other tips to share? 😉
From My Running Story to Yours…. (if you feel inspired to share your comments, do so below…I want to hear your story too!)
