Running Watch: How to Become a Better Runner in 30 Days

#6 Running Watch

SNAPSHOT

How do you like your running watch?

DIGGING DEEPER

I have been very surprised by how often I have been asked or received positive comments about my running watch, the Garmin Forerunner 235. Since I put it on my wrist on January 17, 2016 (3 year anniversary yesterday), it has garnered attention. My previous watch, the Garmin Forerunner 405, was so bulking and really only useful when running that it was strapped on just for logging miles. However, my 235 has rarely gone 12 hours without taking my pulse, counting my steps and miles, and notifying me of text messages.

Was so excited that I actually texted a picture to my husband of my new watch while in my car after exiting the Fleet Feet store in Colonie, NY!

So here is my REVIEW on the Garmin Forerunner 235 after THREE years of real-life testing.

Pros

• Fits well on my medium sized woman’s arm and I wear it all the time, day and night (except in water, waterproof to 50 feet deep though).

• Love the aqua blue watch band! And easy, low cost to switch out to another color.

• Resting Heart Rate Data is so interesting to me that I will get out of a warm bed to walk across a cold room to retrieve my charging watch, in order to gain the data from the early morning before I am awake.

• Easy to read the time when running and not running

• Texts appear through Bluetooth from my phone, bonus when cooking and I can just glance on my wrist to see if my son is texting me to pick him up from practice. Or when I am running with my phone in my SPIbelt or in my jacket pocket. The vibration signal is a bit Pavlov but it is also very handy.

• Highly customizable for screen data fields while running, several data screens available to click through during runs.

• Average Heart Rate Data for the entire workout/run is a gauge for my overall fitness, health, and effort.

• Lap button recording is so helpful for when I am analyzing data about my own run or my runner’s data.

• Data automatically syncs with Garmin Connect App and then onto my Final Surge Training Platform! My runners love this feature!

• GPS is fairly accurate on race courses with the exception of trail races.

• Garmin Connect App is awesome!!! Free

• Good battery life. I plug it in for a couple hours about once a week. If you are a trail runner or ultra runner than you will end up plugging it in a lot more often.

• Price has gone way down. Currently $250

Cons

• Not as easy to record my nordic skiing as I wish. Have to use the Other activity option and then make edits in Garmin Connect

• Auto Pause feature, I didn’t like it at first but I need to try it again. It would be helpful for fixing my problem of forgetting to restart my watch after pausing the timer while I am at a stop light. 235 2.0 could have it run a second tread of data in case I forgot to turn the timer back on so that I could still have the info when I make a mistake.

• Can’t read the time of time when I have paused the time during a run. Garmin could make it so that at least one data field could be accessed while still paused.

• Garmin Connect Website is average but free to use as a training log and creates reports (favorites = resting heart rate, year to date mileage)

Extras that I don’t personally use but I can see that others would really like

• Upload workouts and the watch signals you through the workout.

• Tailer the heart rate workout zones

• GPS yourself home! The watch actually tells you how to return to where you started for those that get lost! Although when I get lost I get really long runs in, which is totally worth getting lost!

• Yep, it can show you the weather!
  
  

So how much do I like the Garmin brand?

Well, I gave my 14-year-old runner son a Forerunner 35 for Christmas. I choose the 35 instead of the 235 because of the size and shape of the watch on his arm. The 35 seems a bit smaller. He is very happy and clocking all types of activities! It is such a fantastic way for him to learn more about biology and the body. He often checks his data and better understands his body’s activities and measurements. The Garmin Forerunner 35 is only about $170.

Popular with Runners

Texted photo to my training partner when excited about our average pace together!

Several of the runners I coach have Garmin watches and I can easily follow their training. I look for their average heart rate, pacing per mile or interval, cadence and elevation. It is like I was with them on the run.

SOLUTION

Totally worth the price! Currently my watch cost has averaged out to be 32 cents per day and lowering every day!

This 30-day series is a quest for me as a writer, coach, and runner. I promise to write about running for 30 days in a row. In doing so I intend to gain in knowledge and expression of running and daily life. My hope is that we all grow together.

Treadmill Workouts: How to be a Better Runner in 30 Days Series

#5 Treadmill Workouts

SNAPSHOT

The ease and predictability of the treadmill bring runners to log their miles on a black moving belt.

DIGGING DEEPER

For me the north winter months, thundering lightning storms, a home of sick kids, and dark sunless roads have brought me to hit start on the treadmill. Whatever are your reasons, I have some favorite treadmill workouts for you to attack!

Each of these workouts should begin with a sufficient warm up of about 1-2 miles of running on the treadmill. Following the workout with a 1 mile cool down run and stretching. These workouts are geared more toward the intermediate runner but can be scaled to your current level. Please be cautious and listen to your body, stopping or slowing down as needed.

A Negative Split that

turns you POSITIVE

Start at your warm up pace and increase your speed by 30 seconds per mile every 1/2 mile until you reach 5K or 1 mile race pace.

Example:

1/2 mile at 12 min/mile pace

1/2 mile at 11:30 min/mile pace

1/2 mile at 11 min/mile pace

1/2 mile at 10:30 min/mile pace

1/2 mile at 10 min/mile pace

Best Mile Plus

You most likely have raced yourself on the treadmill wanting to see your best mile time. However this workout takes it another step and asks for you to not only give your best mile time but dig even deeper by returning back to race pace for another lap or quarter mile.

Race one mile on the treadmill at the most even and yet fastest pace that your body can go on the day and hour.

After a 4 minute walk, pump up the speed to your new found best mile race pace and run another quarter mile (.25). Don’t stop there by repeating the quarter mile challenge one more time after a short recovery. Congrats now you have dig deep and repeated your win!

Example:

1 mile as FAST as you can

4 minute walk recovery

1/4 mile at Same Mile Race Pace

2 minute walk/jog recovery

1/4 mile at Same Mile Race Pace

Ladder

Perhaps a full long workout seems daunting and you need to start with just getting your feet moving. Well, try this one next time you are timid on the treadmill.

1 minute at 5K race pace

1 minute at 10K or slower pace

2 minutes at 5K race pace

2 minutes at 10K or slower pace

3 minutes at 5K race pace

2 minutes at 10K or slower pace

2 minute at 5K race pace

1 minute at 10K or slower pace

1 minute at 5K race pace

Know Yourself Test

Alrighty, this workout is for you veteran treadmill runners who are sure they know their different running paces. The must have item for this test is something to cover the part of the screen that shows your pace or speed. I have used clothing items, a thick stack of post it notes, or tape and dark paper.

Either use your usual paces or use a Jack Daniel’s Running Formula chart to figure out your suggested pace for marathon, tempo/threshold, and interval pacing. (When using Daniel’s chart, input your a current race performance not what you want to race in the future. Click Calculate and then the tab Training.) Write those paces down. We will call these your suggested paces.

Without being able to view your pace on the treadmill screen run this workout. In the last 10 seconds of the each pace take the item off the screen and check what pace you were running and record your actual pace found on your treadmill screen.

Your goal is while running to feel the suggested pace without the feedback of the actual pace displayed on the screen. You can change around the speed during the workout to finish each section at what you think is the suggested pace.

Can you match the suggested pace and actual pace?

10 minutes at Feels Like Half-Marathon or Marathon Suggested Pace

1 minute recovery jog

5 minutes at Feels Like Tempo Suggested Pace

1 minute recovery jog

3 minutes at Feels Like Interval Suggested Pace

SOLUTION

Change up your treadmill routine and have a blast running!

This 30 day series is a quest for me as a writer, coach, and runner. I promise to write about running for 30 days in a row. In doing so I intend to gain in knowledge and expression of running and daily life. My hope is that we all grow together.

JUST RIGHT Training Plans: How to Become a Better Runner in 30 Days Series

#4 JUST RIGHT Training Plans

SNAPSHOT

How to find the Just Right Training Plan for you

DIGGING DEEPER

Beginning

The first 2 weeks of the training plan need to be at your actual current level of fitness. By starting where you are at now, you can reduce injury and up enjoyment.

Middle

The guts of the training plan should include speed, distance, strengthening, and easy or rest days. Look for a variety of speed workouts so that you are giving yourself new challenges each week. The long run of the week should make up about 25% of your total weekly volume (exception: those with high training ages can run long runs up to 30-40% off their weekly mileage). Moderate strengthening training, within the training plan or on your own, will really boost your race performance. If the plan has you running every day of the week, it may not have been written by a runner. Understanding fatigue and recovery, therefore allowing the body to have easy days of running and rest days from running, will keep you on the trails and roads for many years to come.

End

Watch for a plan that includes a tapering of training as it gets closer to your main race day. For example, when training for a half marathon your last long run should be 2-3 weeks before race day. And it may seem odd to be reducing your weekly mileage so low right before the longest or fastest race than you have ever run but it is true, our bodies need to start the race rested and ready.

SNAPSHOT

Select a JUST RIGHT TRAINING PLAN and hopefully an online COACH that fits you as a runner.

This 30 day series is a quest for me as a writer, coach, and runner. I promise to write about running for 30 days in a row. In doing so I intend to gain in knowledge and expression of running and daily life. My hope is that we all grow together.

Women Runners: How to Become a Better Runner in 30 Days Series

#3 Women Runners

SNAPSHOT

I am ABSOLUTELY convinced that Women’s Training should be different than Men’s Training.

DIGGING DEEPER

In my close observations of the coaches of with both the Shenendehowa Girls High School Team (Nike National Cross Country Qualifiers) coached by Rob Cloutier and College of St. Benedict Women’s Cross Country Team (Two National Cross Country Division 3 Qualifiers) coached by Robin Balder-Lanoue, I witnessed the unique differences in training a female versus male body. Not only were these successful coaches training their female athletes’ bodies differently but also their minds.

I took my observations and compared them to the coaching training I have received over the years through the governing body of the running sport in America, USA Track and Field, in their coaching certification classes, Level One and Two, and the countless coaching, running, and training books, articles and seminars. Perhaps 95 % of training literature is based off of training the male body, leaving female training unknown or forgotten within literature. When observing coaches of female teams, a stark contrast appeared between the approach of training the general athlete and female athlete. Both of the coaches that I listed above developed successful methods of training females, less from the available training literature and more through their experiences as coaches. There are nuances to training the female body that once known can unlock success.

I do agree that there are the basic similarities in energy systems and adaptations between the male and female body. However, the difference in hormone level changes and body composition of a female make training different than a male’s training.

In my research I have found one book in which these differences are extensively discussed. Roar by Stacy T. Sims, PhD presents research on the different aspects of a women’s body and her training. “The menstrual cycle not only has a profound effect on your fertility and moods (and chocolate cravings), it also can significantly affect your training and performance. Yet, very few coaches and trainers take it into consideration with their athletes - even those in the most elite competitive spheres.” Obviously there are hormonal level differences in females versus males. Estrogen and testosterone levels impact the bones, muscles, blood cells, body size and amount of fat tissue. Sims continues on throughout her book to outline the effects of female’s different levels of progesterone and estrogen within strength and recovery. She discusses the differences of fat and carbohydrates as a fuel sources for female versus male athletes. Included on her list of differences between the different body types is the origination of strength. “As a woman, you generate the lion’s share of your strength and stability from your hips. And though women do have powerful legs, we tend to have relatively poor core strength by comparison.”

My LIST on HOW to Train

Female Athletes

• Use cross-training. Women are prone to overtraining and creating a balance of training and recovery can lead to consistent improvement. This is especially useful for young females or those within their first five years of running.

• EAT- Don’t use running as a weight loss tool. Consume the same amount of energy you use.

• Aim for a toned body not a lower number on the weight scale.

• Females can be very competitive. Don’t underestimate a female on a mission.

• Get your long runs in, as females have a greater proportion of type I (slow twitch) endurance muscle fibers and development of those fibers can increase your fitness.

• Drop the fasting protocol, it can make you fatter by elevating your cortisol levels and promoting fat storage.

• Plan your strength training challenges during the first two weeks of your cycle (cycle starts the first day of bleeding) when your hormones levels are lower. You can get more bang for your buck when performing strengthening exercises during this time of your cycle.

• Strength train your glutes and core for better stability and balance. (core = everything but your limbs) Think about the exact muscle you are using while you are performing the strengthening exercise.

• Stress Fractures can be linked to low calorie intake and indicate an imbalance in the hormone levels.

• During the PMS part of the cycle it can be harder to perform high intensities and recover from hard workouts. Plan accordingly.

• Menopause age and beyond training should include high-intensity power training, helping to prevent muscle loss and weakness.

• Muscle loss is more of a concern than muscle bulk. Use high weights with low numbers of repetitions after knowledgable instructions on correct movements.

• See Sims’s book for how to use protein intake to get more out of your training.

• 30 minute rule: Eat 25-30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of finishing your run for increased muscle adaptation and repair.

• Reduce GI stress by avoiding maltodextrin and fructose during exercise. Drop the coffee habit before exercise.

• Be serious about your cooling strategies while training and racing, since you start sweating later and less than men.

• Prepare to hydrate more when flying during the latter part of your cycle.

• Cool-downs are more important for women. Compression socks and arm sleeves can help to encourage blood flow and muscle repair.

• Be relational. It will improve your training and racing. Make connections with your family and friends. Listen and share your thoughts with others.

I recommend women and coaches of female athletes read Sims book, Roar, and expand their knowledge of the female body and mind. Another helpful article from the USA Track and Field coach’s newsletter details training with female hormone levels in mind.

If you are worried about race day remember:

The great news for females is that “You can stop worrying about having your period on race day. Everyone worries about having their period for a big event, but in reality, your hormones are favorable for performance once your period starts.” (Sims, p 19)

SOLUTION

Embrace the greatness of a female body. Women are STRONG.

This 30 day series is a quest for me as a writer, coach, and runner. I promise to write about running for 30 days in a row. In doing so I intend to gain in knowledge and expression of running and daily life. My hope is that we all grow together.

Sit Less and Less: How to Become a Better Runner in 30 Days Series

#2 SIT LESS AND LESS

SNAPSHOT

If a large percentage of your day consists of sitting in a chair, you may find yourself battling pain. Not just running injuries but back, leg, shoulder, and hip pain.

DIGGING DEEPER

So I often end up late to meetings and I have my excuses, many of which I am thankful for. For instance my child’s hair grooming independence may all of a sudden require a detangling adventure. Or my complicated schedule consisting of 6 active family members’ activities may mean I am planning and packing for church, soccer, skiing, robotics, and lunch somehow in between.

Well recently these excuses landed me about 8 minutes late for a meeting and in turn put me on the floor without a chair. Sitting on the floor for an hour may ruin your day but for me it is a luxury. On the floor I can stretch my legs, switch my body positioning, and lean up against a straight wall. If I could have taken turns standing and sitting on the floor throughout the meeting that would have been heavenly.

Confined to a chair for an hour is just plan difficult for a body. Sure it is restful at first. However when you elongate and squish your hamstring for an hour and then repeat it hour after hour, you will end up pulling on the glute muscles, causing tightening, and next comes the leg pain, hip pain, back pain, neck pain, and so on.

Dr. Kelly Starrett in his book DESKBOUND; Standing Up in a Sitting World wrote, “When we sit for long periods, the muscles in our lower bodies literally turn-off and become inactive. Simultaneously, we automatically adopt positions that don’t utilize the critical muscles and connective tissues that stabilize and support our truck and spine. The result is compromised body function and it causes a multitude of common and pernicious orthopedic problems like back and neck dysfunction, carpal tunnel syndrome, and pelvic floor dysfunction.”

All too often I see runners who have tight hamstrings, glutes, and lower backs. I suggest sitting less with a mix of stretching throughout the day and finishing the day with a series of massage and stretching exercises that help the body loosen up and achieve.

How to Sit Less

Stand

Squat

Walk

Hinge

Play

Lay

My Real Life Examples

Gymnastics Waiting Room - Stand in the back of the room and listen to a podcast

30 Minute Soccer Practice Drive - When you get there walk and stand throughout the practice, reducing the amount of sitting you must do.

Board Meeting - Take a break every 30 minutes by standing up and walking to the other side of the room to get something. Sneak in small stretches.

Basketball Practice - Most schools now have tall tables in their lounge areas. Set up your computer or stand as you read a book.

Watching TV - Try rolling on your foam roller, laying down, sitting in the lotus position, or relaxing yoga poses.

To ease your body into the quick movement of running, begin with dynamic stretching, a moving stretch. Preform leg swings, trunk rotations, and lunges to increase your joint and muscle mobility. In addition, take short breaks to stretch throughout the day. Even one minute stretches often will make a huge difference. Improve your mobility with a massage and stretching protocol for 5-15 minutes each day. See Dr. Strarrett’s book Deskbound for mobility prescriptions.

SOLUTION

The decision to sit or not to sit adds up. Attempt to tip the balance towards less sitting and more moving.

For more about sitting less, read my 2016 blog post on the book Deskbound and sitting.

This 30 day series is a quest for me as a writer, coach, and runner. I promise to write about running for 30 days in a row. In doing so I intend to gain in knowledge and expression of running and daily life. My hope is that we all grow together.