Tuesday, June 29, 2010

When A Run Was Just A Run???


This is a post I wrote last year before Daily Trainings was ever read by anyone but me and my bride, so I thought I would re post it, with a few subtle updates.


I remember when going out for a run was as simple as saying, “Honey, I am going jogging, be back in a little while.” I'd tie my shoes (when was last time we tied a shoe thanks to speedlaces?) and be off for a jog. Well, since I started my triathlon training, it is so not that easy. Just look at all the stuff that goes with me and you would understand what I mean. So I am going to chronicle everything that gets taken into account on my running days.



  • Weather: Usually when it is warm, I go with shirt and shorts. If it is in the upper 80’s then shirt is optional. Anything lower then 60 but above 50, then I wear my long tights and t-shirt. Below 50, then it is tights, shirt and long sleeve shirt. Below 40 and it is gloves, hat, tights, t-shirt and long sleeve shirt and a skull cap. Anything below 15, then I stay inside or hit the “dreadmill”! Since I do live in Memphis, we deal with the heat more than anything else, so it is usually shirtless, sockless running. I love running in a summer rain and in weather that keeps most people inside.

  • iPod: Usually on longer runs, I will take my iPod. USAT races will not allow you to use an iPod, so I am now doing more runs without it. It is interesting that after all the years of running with music, I can still enjoy running without it. I can listen to my breathing and my footsteps and just get into a zone easier.

  • Sunglasses: Simple, if it is sunny or windy, I wear sunglasses. If my run has to happen late and it is getting dark, then I have clear lenses I wear. Nothing worse than a twig to the eye you did not see or a bug flying in your eye!

  • RoadID: Always try to remember to wear my Road ID anklet. It is an ankle strap that contains the information on it to determine who I am and who to contact in case I get ran over by a car. I believe everyone should look into this.

  • GPS: Instead of a watch, I used wear a Garmin GPS on my wrist. The doohickey will time my run, tell me my pace (mile per minute) and let me know how far I have run. No more days of running, and then jumping in the car or on my bike and redoing the course to get a distance. I love this device, almost to much. I do try and do runs without it if I know the route distance. Sometimes it is freeing (word?) to just run without checking pace and distance all the time.

  • Nutrition: I classify my runs into two parts, short runs and long runs. My short runs are anywhere from 4-7 miles and long runs are between 6-15 miles. I never carry anything on the short runs because we are only talking about 40 minutes running. Long runs I take a fuel belt, which is a belt that has something that looks like 2 flasks connected to it. In the summertime, it is extremely important to take fluids while running. I have since moved to early morning runs because the temperatures get way to hot, so I do not always take my fuel belt, but I probably should.

  • Other Items

  • Hat/Visor: This could go into clothing section in weather, but it has a specific reason to be worn. I normally wear my hat/visor when I do not want to wave at the neighbors or give any indication that I want you to acknowledge me in any way. I am there to run, not chit chat. In the summer, it is more to keep the sweat from running down into my eyes.

  • Headlight: Yes, if I run at night I wear a headlight like a miner. Two reasons for this: 1. I want people (cars) to see me coming and 2. I do not want to trip and break my face. It does look corny but it makes me feel safer.

  • On long runs, I have carried TP. Nothing worse than getting stuck and needing a bathroom. Lately I have been much better about what I eat the night before that this has not been a huge issue for me (knock on wood), but yes, it has been needed before. I normally do not use sunscreen because I am lucky enough to tan more than I burn!

This is just for going on a run, you should see my biking list or my swimming list! Crazy huh? It is, but we all do it for one reason or another. I am sure I left off some things, and maybe you have some things I did not list, but when you are training for something, just going for a run is not as easy as it used to be, shoot, I did not even get into the family aspect of it. For me and my family, we have found that my training works best for all of us if I get up early while everyone is still sleeping, this way I do not come home from work and then disappear for another 2 hours!

Go check out Big Daddy Diesel's post about race shirt etiquette!

5 comments:

  1. nice list!

    Re: training time, my coworker put it perfectly: Train on "your" time.

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  2. Ahh yes. I think just about everyone has the "Before I trained, but still enjoyed running" phase to reminisce over.

    Honestly, it's exciting to have pace goals, and runs long enough to need all this extra stuff MOST of the time. Sometimes in the midst of training I'll notice myself getting burnt out and I'll set out for a run, outside, no watch, and usually about 2 miles. The only purpose is to enjoy myself. This seems to help me recharge tremendously :)

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  3. I like this list, thanks for sharing

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  4. I just saw your comment to Jeff-Dangle the Carrot. Ha! i was thinking the same thing! Too funny!

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  5. And we weigh all of that up and make those million and one decisions without even thinking about it :)
    Funny but true.

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