Running Shoes Part Two: How to Become a Better Runner in 30 Days

#12 Running Shoes Part Two

SNAPSHOT

Running shoes questions for kids, injuries, outside of running, and for the serious runners.

DIGGING DEEPER

KIDS RUNNING

What if my kids like to run in Crocs?

Yes, my ten-year-old headed to track practice in Crocs one day.  I didn’t mind too much, as I want her to grow strong foot and ankle muscles.  However, once she moves to running on the roads and for more than a mile, I want her in a more traditional running shoe, for safety and to reduce the shock of a high number of foot strikes on hard ground.

When should I buy running shoes for my child?

I remember my first pair of "real" running shoes boughten at the Fort Collins running shoe store for my 9th grade cross country team season. They were so white and cushiony.  My dad actually expected those shoes to last me for a few years, not the 3-6 months life span that happened. I knew the $60 (in 1994) was not in his tight budget but he was so kind to splurge for me. I can remember everything about that visit to the store. 

When your child is running consistently, either daily or on a running team, they need shoes dedicated to running only.  Be sensitive to comfort and not so much to cost, within reason, when selecting shoes. Help the runner to understand that the look of the shoes will not matter, leave the trendy styles and colors for regular shoes. Running shoes should look like running shoes.  Replace them every 6 months and check often to see if they are too small.  

When the runner is standing, there should be half a thumbnail space in front between foot and tip of the shoe.  Watch our for growth spurts and get right to the store.  However, don't buy shoes that are two sizes too big, trying to save money.  Falling and being injured from running in misfitted shoes will not be worth the money you were hoping to save.

Why should I NOT give my kids spikes at a young age?

Spikes allow the body to grip the ground and increase the force from of your foot and calf.  Children's muscles may not be ready to have the force that spikes create on the calves.  Let them get the benefit of spikes once they are over 12 years of age.  When you do introduce spikes into training and racing, do it gradually and with caution. 

FOOT INJURY

What if you battle with Plantar Fasciitis?

I feel your pain and sorrow.  After two long bouts of PF, I have found the keys to keeping me on my feet and adding up the miles.  Each of us is unique and will benefit from different solutions.  The best way to get back to running and stay running when battling PF is to try all the tricks and see which ones your body responds well with.  

It seems there are 100 ways to prevent or heal PF. After going through them all, these are my personal solutions: "foam" roll the bottom of my feet, foam roll and stretch calves, deep tissue massage calves, Fit Flop shoes and sandals (90% of my shoe wearing), custom orthotics during every run and race, being aware that I am susceptible to PF. These are my keys to happy feet.  You will have your own set of solutions. 

OUTSIDE OF RUNNING

Why should I ONLY use my running shoes for running and NOT my strength class at the Y?

Your feet make a pattern in the shoes.  Each activity that you do with your shoes on makes different patterns. Your running shoes need to keep your running pattern in them so that you have optimal support while running.  Let your used running shoes be your go to for your favorite Y strength class. Wearing your running shoes for other activities can lead to injury.

What type of shoes to wear when not running?

NOT flat unsupportive FLIP FLOPS!  Please select your regular shoes carefully.  Your choices will impact your training and injuries, your feet and calves could suffer. Invest in high quality supportive shoes that will last many years.  

I personally like the brands Born and Fit Flops.  Each season I buy one pair that is more trendy and wear them a majority of the time.  This winter I loved my black Mary Janes.  Last summer by black glitter sandals were perfect for the pool or an evening out.  Or my brown leather heels, low and high black boots, and brown clogs fill in all my other ensembles. If you love wearing flip flops in the summer, check out the Fit-flop flip flops that are so pretty and supportive you could wear them on your flight across the country.

FOR THE SERIOUS RUNNERS

What are spikes or flats?

In high school, I raced in spikes when on the mud filled cross-country courses.  More often now I race in flats since I am on roads.  Flats are lightweight shoes that can really impact your 5K finish time.  Since they are lighter weight than your regular training shoes it takes less energy to move the leg forward resulting in a greater race speed. Spikes are light weight shoes with metal spikes that protrude out of the sole, creating more grip.

I suggest flats for runners that are trying to break the 21-minute or faster 5K mark.  For runners finishing after the 21-minute mark, focus on other more important elements that can affect your finish time.

Flats and spikes should be replaced after about 1 year or about 75 racing miles.  

I also use flats when doing speed work on the track. They allow me to flex my foot more and get a better push off before my foot leaves the ground. In addition, my flats get me psychologically ready to race.

After my race warm-up, I slip on my flats on and am ready to race.

I caution runners when using them for 1/2 marathon and above distance races. Unless your body is accustomed to the lower amount of support and lower heel drop, the shoes could cause added stress while racing the long distances.

What running socks to wear?

May I introduce you to the socks that I want to wear even when not running.  I love them!! My favorite are Feetures Ultra-thin running socks.  I have many and have given many to others.  They come in a pair that has one sock shaped for your left foot and other another sock for your right foot.  They make my feet happy!  

Also some runners like a warmer wool sock in the winter and a thinner sock in the summer to reduce blisters.

What should I do with wet running shoes?

Newspaper!  Stuff the inside of your wet shoes with newspaper.  Twenty-four hours later pull out the wet newspaper and your shoes will be dry!

SOLUTION

Happy Feet, Fast Feet!

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.

Runners Need Sleep: How to Become a Better Runner in 30 Days

#10 Runners Need Sleep

SNAPSHOT

I need SLEEP. You NEED sleep. Runners need sleep.

DIGGING DEEPER

The more miles, the more sleep I need. The more intensity while covering the miles, the more I need sleep.

I sleep at minimum 8 hours a night, if not running. If regularly training at 30-40 miles a week, I require 9 hours. When I am running over 50 miles a week, 10 hours is a must.

At bedtime, my completely dark bedroom is 55-60 degrees, with a white noise machine drowning out any extra night time noises. I wear a heavy duty eye mask and use lots of pillows. An alarm is set on my phone about once a week, to reduce the risk of arriving late for a training run. My phone’s notifications are set on Do Not Disturb until 8 am. And my family knows to not wake me.

I am the odd one. I know. I learned young that the amount and quality of sleep I acquire is unusual.

In high school, I didn’t wake a minute too early. No time for beauty prepping, I was a natural girl with my attention focused on being a healthy, faster runner.

In college, I would close the textbooks in time for 8-9 hours of sleep.

While raising babies, I suffered. And suffered. Four times over. I rank sleepless nights up there with toilet training and parking lots as my top three reasons I am not doing that again.

Overtraining was not the reason for a deep slump in race performance in my 30’s, it was the late nights up trying to complete my long list of tasks before the next day piled on more. Who was I kidding, I couldn’t do everything and be there for everyone. My low hours of sleep resulted in under-recovery, setting me up for failure.

Unlike what seems to be the norm of 6 hours of sleep a night, I CAN NOT OPERATE on only 6 hours. I will be a mess. I get sick within 1 or 2 nights. I get angry and frustrated. It is not pretty.

Waking up before 6am is reserved for only absolutely necessary situations. I mean really necessary.

I once attempted to become a coffee drinker, it was to reduce my chocolate intake (I know, funny haha). I failed within a week. Turns out a cup of coffee in the early morning keeps my eyelids wide open at midnight.

So this full night of sleep thing is a must. NO chance to escape the wrath of less sleep. I HAVE TO SLEEP.

I used to hide my need for sleep, thinking that it made me look lazy. If I remarked about only getting 8 hours of sleep and not my last needed 9th hour, the princess and pea tale echoed through heads. Ashamed, I would worry that I was not strong enough to conquer tiredness. What kind of supermom, superwoman am I that I need so much more sleep than others?

Many lessons later and a book filled with research, I see I am not so odd. I am actually healthy because of my dedication to sleep. Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, PhD, Director of UC Berkeley’s Center for Human Sleep Science, lays out the science behind sleep and the body. This is must read for everyone. I will say it again. Please read this book! In fact, it is so important to me that it is apart of my son’s biology curriculum. You spend a quarter to a third of your life sleeping, know why your body demands it.

Here are a few of my takeaways from this book. Please don’t stop learning about sleep after reading the following quotes and my list for you. The book explains the research so well and it can change your life and your running. Become an expert sleeper!

Quotes from Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker PhD:

“Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer.”

“Too little sleep swells concentration of a hormone that makes you feel hungry while suppressing a companion hormone that otherwise signals food satisfaction.”

“Tragically, one person dies in a traffic accident every hour in the United States due to a fatigue-related error. It is disquieting to learn that vehicular accidents caused by drowsy driving exceed those caused by alcohol and drugs combined.”

“There does not seem to be one major organ within the body, or process within the brain, that isn’t optimally enhanced by sleep (and DETRIMENTALLY impaired when we don’t get enough).”

From a study in Edina, Minnesota in which the school’s start time was changed to about one hour later in the morning, the high school students yielded a higher SAT score, “investing in delaying school start times-allowing students more sleep and better alignment with their unchangeable biological rhythms- returned a net SAT profit of 212 points.” Sleep equals better brain function and memory. Not just for teens but for ALL AGES.

“When your children finally reach their mid-twenties and your car insurance premium drops, you can thank sleep for the savings.”

My list for you:

• SAY NO to Caffeine. If you can’t, then realize you have an addiction to take care of.

• SERIOUSLY stop using your computer and phone after 7 pm. Change your routines in order to accomplish this.

• Wake up without an alarm clock, if you can’t do that on most mornings, you are NOT getting enough sleep.

• Stop using the MAKEUP SLEEP method. It doesn’t work. You can’t makeup sleep!

• Driving while not getting enough routine night sleep hours is VERY DANGEROUS.

• The first hour and last hour of your sleep are very important. Cutting one hour off is so much worse than you realize. Each hour of your sleep has a purpose. Your brain completes certain tasks each hour, each one vital.

• Californians in the Western Time Zone have it much easier when it comes to tempting TV shows (like football games) that are broadcasted earlier in their day versus the Easter Time Zone that requires you to stay up way past your bedtime in order to see the final play or scene.

• Let your children and teens sleep.

• Sleep is not just for the growing years, it is vital for your health also.

• Know the basics of sleep, NREM, REM, circadian rhythm, melatonin, sleep pressure (one of my new favorite terms to express my feeling of tiredness)

• If you take a sleep aid or melatonin to fall asleep, you need to read this book to understand the choice you are making.

• All these choices affect you as a runner and person. Choose to train as a well-rested runner.

• FYI - This book is available in audio format also!

  
  This list is long and can feel overwhelming, however, the first step in change is knowledge. Request the book from your local library or download an audio version (the author actually prefers for you to listen to it while falling asleep) and understand more about your brain and sleep.

Take one step at a time progressing towards being a healthy, knowledgeable sleeper. Prioritize sleep and turn in early (for you) tonight, it just might change your life tomorrow.

SOLUTION

If you think that you can sleep only 6 hours and that be enough, think again…..

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.

Additional Link to Teens and Sleep Article

Winter Running: How to Become a Better Running in 30 Days

#9 Winter Running

SNAPSHOT

Brrr….

DIGGING DEEPER

In joy for my New York friends (who just got buried in snow) and sorrow for my Minnesota friends (who only have ice), I have brought back from the archives my winter running video from December 2016 in Clifton Park, NY.

The first step to getting out and running in the northern states during the winter is wearing the right clothes and believing that you won’t freeze. Let this video be an encouragement.

SOLUTION

Enjoy the winter wonderland.

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.

Training Partners: How to Become a Better Runner in 30 Days

#7 Training Partners

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7 am at the front door

DIGGING DEEPER

A magnificent opportunity awaits to share, grow, and learn when running forward together, stride for stride. My training partners have altered my life with their sound advice, encouragement, and care.

Even though I moved to Minnesota, my training partners in New York still have a special place in my heart. Oh, how I yearn for a run together. My friend, Anne, and I have contemplated using the speaker on our phones in order to experience running together while in two different states. (If you have any solutions, please comment, need help!)

Anne looks way too good for how hard I am working! Hangover Half 2011

When embarking on your hour run together whether it is just the two of you or a crowd of 10, sharing the trail, view, memories, and friendships call you back day after day.

Training Partner Tips:

• Find training partners at group runs. Running shoe stores often host guided group runs. Your local gym may have a scheduled group runs. Use the Meet Up website to find a running group gathering near you. Specific race training groups help to not only gather runners but give them the training support needed. #freihoferstrainingchallenge

• Safety in numbers!

• 100% easier to start a run when someone else is starting their watch alongside you

• Make next morning plans before 10 pm, early bedtime runners may need all plans set up by 9 pm

• Be on time. Sometimes I am set on getting a certain number of miles done within my available time to run, so please make it a priority to show up ready to run at the planned start time. Otherwise, let your partner know so they can start the run and circle back around when you can arrive.

• Run in rain, snow, wind, and cold but cancel if it is greater than 80 degrees, icy, or lightning.

• Try really hard not to cancel your run together. You matter, your company on the run matters, unless you are sick or injured try hard to keep your plans.

Willow Street Athletic Club

• Different speed partners are GREAT. If one friend runs slower than your normal pace, plan those runs together on your recovery day. If another friend is slightly faster than you, plan a run with them when you can challenge yourself. A mix of abilities within your roster of training partners is so beneficial for all.

• Do workouts together. Whether you are the same pace or not, you can still start together and circle back to check on each other, offering encouragement. Together we get further!

• You need a long run, but your training partner wants less miles. Simple solution! You add on a few miles before or after the run, but still do the main portion together.

• Use the CONTROL-ALT-DELETE option if you are struggling when on a run with a training partner. I coined this term one day when running at a tempo pace with my friend, Mary. I just couldn’t get relaxed enough at our current pace, so I asked her for just a 10-second walk break. She very much obliged and that was all I needed in order to relax my muscles, catch my breath, and finish out the run strong.

• Bike alongside your training partner, if you are injured. You both enjoy the friendship, keeping up the routine of meeting.

• Walk alongside your injured training partner. Again your friendship is valuable. They need you and you can almost always add some extra steps to your day.

• Plan races together. Even if you each run your own race, driving to, meeting after, and driving home makes many memories and shares in the fun of accomplishments.

• Join a racing team. Winning Together!

• Keep the discussions far away from politics, FAR FAR AWAY!

SOLUTION

Text a friend and plan a run. They are waiting for the invitation!

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.

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.