Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Embracing the Easy Run

Training for a marathon is bound to change your perspective on running in one way or another. What I didn't realize was that it would actually make me love running more because it forced me to start running easy.

When I first started training for a half marathon, a whole year ago now (eep!), I concentrated on distance. I didn't have a Garmin, just a Nike Plus chip for my shoes and a sensor that plugged into my iPod shuffle. I'd go out running and it would tell me my mileage (turns out it was about .1 off per mile, but that's another story).

I'd relish each new distance, reveling in my ability to run a few miles without a walk break. The first time I ran 10 miles, I felt on top of the world.

Finishing my first half marathon, feeling like a (sweaty) beast.
Once I got my Garmin Forerunner 410 as an early Christmas present, courtesy of a 50% off deal on Amazon, I started paying a lot more attention to my pace. How fast was that mile? Was it over 9:30? Shoot, this is a terrible run, I'm struggling to keep my pace low. That run felt like crap but I kept my pace at 9:10, so I guess it was a good run!

How I viewed running turned into a performance test. Runs were classified not on how they felt but on the average pace. The lower the average pace, the better the run.

I became obsessed with being a faster runner, and as I trained for the NYC Half, I tried to hit race pace for every run. Tempos I'd try to run faster than race pace. Because I mistakenly thought that the faster I ran, the faster I'd run the race.

In retrospect, it's no wonder I kept hurting myself -- never seriously, thankfully -- and ended up sick and exhausted come race day. I hit 2:00:00 at the NYC Half, but I felt miserable.


The race felt like a terrible ordeal; my legs were shot from mile 7 and I felt like I was running through mud. I think the entire race is best characterized by my expression in the above finish line photo. Ouch.

Of course, I should have learned from that, but since I had pink eye and had been sick in the week leading up to the race, I figured my training had been fine and rather, it was the illness that led to the race feeling so incredibly hard.

So in the two weeks before I ran the Nike Women's DC Half, here were the long runs I did: an 8 mile tempo run with an average pace roughly 20 seconds below my goal race pace of 9:09, and a 12 mile long run at a pace of roughly 9:15 per mile exactly a week before the race.

Is it any wonder that from mile 3 my legs felt shot at the Nike Women's Half?

I completely reassessed running after that race. I decided my mind and body were exhausted from race training (they were) and that I needed a month-long break from running in preparation for marathon training. While I ran a bit in May, most of it was Garmin-free, and I think I logged a grand total of 12 miles for all of May.

I logged more than double that last week. And it felt awesome. So what has changed for me and running?

Thanks to the amazing Coach Jess (perhaps better known to running blog fans as Fit Chick in the City), I have learned to embrace the "easy run."

See? I'm easy running and having so much fun!

The easy run is all about feeling. I'm supposed to run the assigned mileage or time based purely on what feels "easy" that day. Sometimes that's 9:30 miles. A lot more often it's 10:00 miles or higher.

Running isn't hard now. Sure, the last few miles of a long run might feel like a slog, but the average run -- even in high temperatures -- still feels pretty good because I'm keeping my pace easy for myself. I make run dates and chat with friends while logging miles. I concentrate on my surroundings rather than the watch on my wrist.

Surroundings that look like this ... mountains + moon = happy Jen

So, easy running is all rainbows and sunshine! Um, no. It's not. Honestly, there have been times when I am embarrassed at my splits. I post the times of each run because I always have, but occasionally I wonder, "what do people think of me? Do they look down on me because I'm not running fast?"

But here's the thing. I've never looked down on anyone because of the pace of their mile. Every time a friend PR's, I don't ask, "what was your time?" I just congratulate them for the fact that they worked hard and set a personal record for themselves. I smile at everyone I see running, regardless of if I'm passing them or they're passing me, because I love that they've discovered what I have -- running is awesome. So why would I judge myself?

When I first started running outside, it wasn't so that I could hit a certain time goal. It was because running outside was amazing. It made me feel strong, I loved how much more I appreciated my surroundings when I ran, and the mental clarity it gave me was incredible. I had no idea how fast I was running and I didn't care. Running itself was the goal.

By telling me to embrace the easy run, Jess has allowed me to break free of the numbers ticking away on my watch and concentrate on the important part -- how running feels. I am so grateful for getting that push from her!

And by the way, I PR'd in my last race (the local 5K in WA), so clearly easy running is not hurting my race paces!


Do you run easy? Do you find yourself attached to the data of your Garmin?

17 comments:

  1. Right now, I'm definitely attached to my Garmin data. In my defense, I'm at a point in my training cycling where there are specific paces/pace ranges I should be hitting and holding without a problem. And most of the time, when my easier runs are hard, it's usually because the first repeat/lap was too fast; fortunately or unfortunately, I usually try to keep up with faster teammates during these workouts. I'll become better at running my own workouts (and not getting sucked into being competitive!) with more time and experience.

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    1. I think the Garmin is an incredible tool and definitely necessary for the kind of training you're doing! I think the main thing I'm happy about is that I've stopped judging my performance purely on the data it gives me.

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  2. I LOVE this post and I need to take your advice. There's no sense of getting down on myself for running a bit slower. Who cares? I'm out there running! Training for a marathon is no joke and I need to learn that a 3 mile run doesn't mean I need to "race" it. Especially when we get to the longer days, it's important to take it easy!

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    1. Exactly! And besides, in summer your pace naturally slows down because of the heat :)

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  3. This is a great commentary on running/racing. I know I have fallen victim to wanting to run faster and faster and ...you know faster. Getting out and feeling good while you run (and staying free of injury) is an important goal. Good for you for saying it. Thanks

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    1. Thanks, Tom! Staying healthy and happy should always be the number one goal, right?

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  4. My biggest problem with easy is that easy pace often feels hard! I wound up running my 15 this past weekend avg 9:44 pace which if goal is to sub 4 marathon - is hypothetically "too fast" Most of my workouts are dictated by pace at this point so me and my Garmin are bff's. But I have also learned that some days are off and what can feel easy one day is hard the next.
    Running is never black and white and I think it is important to be flexible in your training and listen to your bodies cues.

    Umm and PS - you are TOTALLY rocking your training - that 5K PR is just FABULOUS! :)

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    1. Isn't it crazy how easy pace one day is totally different the next? What the heck, body!?

      And thank you!!! I am still happy about that 5K PR :)

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  5. Wow. This is a really great post! I have struggled with the same thing regarding not trusting myself when it comes to evaluating the quality of a run but instead trusting the numbers. I've recently started rebelling against the pace-obsessed runner's mentality. I make myself slow down even when a faster pace seems to feel okay. When my running buddy's start talking about their paces, I tell them to try to enjoy running instead of whatever it is that they are doing. I just don't want to hear about all that anymore. I've mostly stopped posting times for runs on DailyMile and my blog too. Running is any activity, it's not a time window!

    I'm so glad you've rediscovered your love of running. And you should never ever ever be embarrassed. You are an inspiration!

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    1. Thanks so much! That is so sweet. I think that it's really easy to get caught up in paces and speeds, and forget about why we started running in the first place. I'm glad you've also been able to embrace easy running and step back from the number obsession!

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  6. You hit on a topic close to my heart as a dietitian and a runner - it's amazing how a number on a machine can tell us how to feel about ourselves whether it be a scale or a Garmin (or any other tracking device).

    It's great to get feedback but when it starts to gain power over our own accomplishments (healthy eating or consistent excessive), it's scary.

    I'm glad that you are learning to love running from the inside out and not the outside in.

    New reader here.

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    1. I didn't even think about the connection between pace numbers and weight numbers, but you're so right -- it's all the same principle. I think especially for those of us who are type A, we want to be doing everything at our best, and forget that "best" doesn't have to be fastest or skinniest.

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  7. Great post! I love the easy run. I sometimes get caught up in not training for something (after a pace heavily focused half training) in the midst of easy runs. I have tried not looking at my watch and focus on "time on my feet".

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    1. Thanks, Kristin! I'm also repeating to myself "it's all about getting the miles on my legs" to remind myself not to worry about pace.

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  8. I use my GPS watch more for distance than pace. I will glance at it, but I really only focus on it during a run involving speed work.

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    1. Yep, that's exactly what I've been doing lately. It's kind of a relief to remove the emotions from the pace numbers. I'll check it out if I'm curious, but I don't feel sad if it isn't sub-10:00 or happy if it is. It's just a number!

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  9. I love my Garmin when I'm training, but since I haven't really been training for anything this summer, I've run without it and it's been a nice break!

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