Running for Effect

Stick with what works, but shake it up on occasion



Last month was a great month for running. March saw 168 miles, that's pretty hard core and I'm thinking April may be a bit less intense. I do have a race coming up next week though, it's a 12K on Sunday the 11th. I should be good to go, I'm going to MAF it this week with a gradual taper heading to a 2-3 mile run on Saturday. I did my best 10K last week hitting 1:01:01 - or 9:45 per mile. That's my first time breaking through the 10:00/mile barrier for a run of that length. With that milestone behind me I can focus on more aerobic base building.

I was helping the folks at the balanced athlete move and was talking to Tammy Bridges She's is an ultra runner, and is very experienced in technique and theory. We talked about aerobic base and how she runs - even with a back injury she's doing ultras and has many marathons under her belt. Tammy told me of her husbands disciplined approach to aerobic base and the the outcomes he has seen by just working MAF - he has a hard time getting his heart up, his pulse just stays low he can run forever and is quite quick - He took a disciplined MAF routine and stuck with it for over a year. I do not think I will be able to be quite so disciplined - I need to blow the carbon out from time to time and I do want to continue racing - so I will look for the slow improvements and be happy with the ability to run.

Running now has become a blessing - it's a part of my day that I can just "be" In a busy world that is a priceless ability. Stress, worries, emotion all seem to fade as the meditative mindset sets in.