Marathon Training: Week Five

Training is getting better. My sprained ankles are almost back to normal. Now I'll just have a few weeks of correcting imbalances that have cropped up from favoring my injuries. I'm excited to start running for real again on the earthen ground and in the outdoors.

Mon 2.5mi run + 20min cross- 20min bike and then 25min elliptical plus, I did a few back and leg extensions too.

Tue 30min bike+ strength- Wayne and I spent our day off together walking through IKEA and other furniture stores dreaming about decorating this home we're about to purchase. We got caught up and I got to the gym too late to bike for a full 30min but, they where nice enough to allow me to stay for an extra 5min and do 25min total. I pushed the pace a bit in hope of  making up for some of the lost time.

Wed 2mi tempo + 10min cross- I got called off work today and was allowed a second day in a row off from work with Wayne. I did a 10min bike and then 20min elliptical in the gym. I tried not to take a break in between exercises in order to increase the duration of cardiovascular exercise.

Fri 50min run + 20min cross- Today I went to the gym before work to do my "long run" on the elliptical. I'm feeling guilty that Wayne had to clean the house and pick out anniversary desserts for my parents while I was at work and the gym. I did a 20min easy bike than did lunges, and stretched before hopping on the elliptical for the rest of the time. I managed to get off work a little early and had time to run home and shower before my parents came to visit and we went out to dinner at a small family Italian place with awesome pizza in Belmont called Simonettie's.

Sat 2.5mi run + 35min cross- Happy 17th Anniversary to my parents and Happy 57th Birthday to Dave! My achillies complained and popped a bit throughout the run. Even though I'm gradually increasing the running impact my legs are no longer happy with my running once a week. The tendons aren't keeping up with the difference in strain between real running and cross training. Starting next week I will increase my number of running days per week by one so that in 5 weeks I will be running a bit on all 5 of my weekly training days.

Sun Roll and Ice- Again I didn't get to an ice bath today but I did a few session of rolling and local icing throughout the week.

10K: Week One

This first week will be a little experimental trying to figure out how to best tailor the training plan to fit my week. This is what I've come up with so far. I may make a few tweaks like possibly switching my fri and sat runs so I'm still doing my long run on sat as the last run of the week.

Mon 2.5mi+core- Just did an easy 2.5mi around the whitewater channel loop and hawfield road. I'd never measured the Hawfield road bit before. It's nice to know it's longer than I thought. I may use it more.

Tue 30min split+strength- Happy St Patrick's Day! Ran for 15min around the park and then stationary biked in the gym for 15min also. Since I didn't do core yesterday I'm gunna ease myself into doing more weights and core with this 10k schedule by doing the RW hip and core workouts.
This wast the first day of the year I've run at the peak of 80 degree sunny weather- I need to hydrate more. After the run the bike resistance I've been using felt a little easy so I bumped it up and down a few times while still concentrating on using the right muscles. I noticed that wearing different shoes affect height of seat because they have different stack heights or sole thicknesses.

Wed 2mi- A fast two miles around Mt Holly. I pushed the pace in hopes of holding better form. I could feel my quads and especially gluts working more during this run. I do have a small amount of achillies pain after the run today that I'll need to keep tabs on. I had the same at the beginning of the 5k plan but it seems strange to occur now with less running mileage and more cross training.

Fri 40min split+core- Happy First Day of Spring! YAY! ran around the park for 20min Then used the stationary bike in the gym for 20min. I bumped up the resistance again at the beginning but then kept it at a more standard pace for the rest.

Sat 3mi- Oops. I got a week ahead of myself in the plan again and did 3.5mi. My right ankle and left knee are quite sore after. Perhaps it's because by body isn't used to running the day sfter my long run? I'll try to do core tomorrow.

I'm not quite pleased  with my asics running shoes. I feel like the thick heel is causing a little runners knee. My feet are wanting to contact the ground under and slightly behind my body. Hopefully doing more weights and core will help strengthen weak muscles and improve this. They'll probuby be good for long runs but not so much shorter training runs. If this struggle continues I may try to go ahead and acquire my next pair of running shoes that will satisfy more of the requirements that I was trying to work toward with my current running shoes. I hope a lower heel drop and more flexible shoe may help when mixed into my running routine.

Not quite sure how I feel with just a lower mileage taper week between these two training plans. I guess that will be part of this experiment too. I will likely add at least 3 days if not a full rest weekbefore starting the half marathon plan.

What is underpronation?

I grew up with a mother who worked on her feet a lot. And as many of us who work on our feet know, it can make them complain. Over her career my mother tried to keep her feet happy and went the rout of arch supports, insoles, etc. Growing up I thought of my mom as all knowing- kind of like this song from Disney's Tangled: Mother Knows Best. I love you Mom, you did teach me what you knew and thought was right.

But, because she believed arch supports and insoles where so important so did I. And because having good shoes is one of the key parts of running, I took arch supporting to the extreme with stabilizing pronation control shoes with added stiff cork high arch supports inside. This is what I ran on for years- from my freshman year track season in high school to my sophomore year of college at least. I'm discovering now that in my attempt to preemptively prevent injuries I may have caused some- possibly some of my achillies tendinopathy, and certainly my sprained ankles, because I land so far on the outside of my foot. I have forced my feet to change from neutral or possibly very slight over pronation (which probably would have improved on its own as I got stronger in running) to, at times, extreme supination or under pronation.


So, is there a right amount of pronation? There certainly is something to strive for. Your feet affect the use of joints and muscles as well as the impact on the rest of your body. Therefore normal pronation, which perhaps should be called ideal pronation, is an important part of an efficient runner's form.

Pronation is the inward rolling movement of the foot as it supports your body weight and absorbs shock. Ideally for normal pronation the arch should only roll, or compress, about fifteen percent in order to help you push off evenly from the front of the foot. The size of a runner's arch can affect its ability to roll. If you have a "normal arch" (indicated in the picture above), you're likely a normal pronator.

I definitely do believe that arch supports have a valuable place in low activity footwear for walking. And I wont deny that my feet feel so much happier when I put on my high arch supporting Birkenstocks. But, I think for now I'm gunna let my feet do what they want to while running, without the extra support. There's got to be a way to work with your feet instead of against them. Our body and feet have evolved over thousands of years, and humans where running long before high-tech shoes where invented. I'm not completely a minimal forefoot running convert. I don't know if my lower legs could handle it after all I have forced them to do over the course of approximately six years. But the research I've done on this topic suggests that as long as I make some transitions slowly I can become a healthier, less ridged and more efficient runner.

For an awesome article on foot mechanics, see this article by the British Journal of Sports Medicine brought to my attention by a Facebook post from my mother today. Thanks Ma! It uses a lot of scientific jargon but it's an informative read about the differences between running and walking and the roll the arch of our foot plays in our evolution. The article suggests foot exercises and addresses the barefoot minimalist shoes idea.

So, what is under pronation?

I found this really awesome RW video HERE.  It seems kind of crazy to me, to watch this video and notice that the runners muscle development is shaped so much like mine. Imagine that, foot strike shapes muscle formation! Click the link to read the full length article. It describes all styles of pronation and, by reading you can determine your own pronation type too!


I bought my last pair of shoes right after moving to Charlotte. That was a year an a half ago! While I haven't done any long term training plan in them, I have been a recreational runner averaging probably 1-2 runs a week over that time in them. Getting new shoes was long overdue. I've heard shoes should last up to 6 months or 500 miles. I'm certain I've exceeded both of those marks.

Inside of the fore foot doesn't touch the ground anymore

Wear is more noticeable along the outside edges

Each foot/shoe supinates differently

Choosing a pair of new shoes recently was very stressful for me. I discovered there are actually shoes made for people who supinate. Duh, there's a product for everything. But I had to decide how to choose shoes to aid in my transition to a more natural running gait.

Attributes of stability control shoes I'm trying to steer away from:

• Stability shoes have a thick ridged foam or plastic piece as part of the shoes sole under the arch of your foot. It prevents the inside part of the shoe from compressing over the use of the shoe and it holds up the arch to prevent over pronation. 
• Varying degrees of stability shoes are meant to have the runner heel strike. They have an angle cut into the outside edge of the heel intended to help your foot track through each foot strike, from the outside of your heel through to the middle toe at push off.
• Due to stability and motion control properties of these shoes your foot may not be able to bend and flex as it naturally should because the shoe is inflexible.
• Because stability shoes are intended for the runners wearing them to be heel strikers there is often a LOT of padding under the heel which causes the shoes to almost be like high heels. The idea is that having a higher heel will take strain off the achillies and calves. But this is not the natural evolutionary intent for our running form.

How do I transition slowly enough to prevent fatigue or injury from my body getting used to less structure in my shoes? How do I choose a shoe that will hold up to the mileage I plan to put in them between now and September when I run the half marathon? When buying my newest pair of running shoes last week, I struggled with deciding how light and flexible, how soft and squishy, how low the heel drop (diff in height between ball of foot and heel in sole thickness), and how neutral to go.

I ended up choosing an Asics gell-evate 2. The brand Asics is now slightly scary to me because that's what I have been wearing for most of my running career. I have a negative association with the brand and the over compensating I've been doing. But these shoes are neutral, even slightly supination minded shoes. I will not put my stiff cork insoles in them and we'll see what my foot does naturally. These Asics shoes are not as flexible or squishy as I'd hoped, nor do they have a lower heel drop but, I felt that they would be more durable than some of the other soft foam easy flexing shoes that I tried on. These shoes are a small step in the right direction and I'll meet more of the natural foot movement enabling criteria with my next pair. Hopefully a fresh start will reduce imbalances.

5k: Week Six

Trying to manage the length of my runs in quarter mile increments is not easy. If I where running whole miles I wouldn't feel bad about doing an extra half mile. But, for now, in order to stick to increasing my weakly mileage by no more than 10% so I can stay healthy for the duration of my training  I have to remind my self to be careful and as close to precise distance as possible.

Mon 2.75mi- A fun run in the freezing rain/sleet/tiny hail- whatever you call it. My hamstrings are still tight. Need to keep working on that hip workout and improving my back, core, and quad strength. Running downhill on the sidewalk was interesting with a layer of slick little ice balls under foot.

Tue 22min cross+strength- I kept a slower pedaling speed but higher resistance for the whole bike ride. It was a nice change enabling my quads did most of the work. Again, I did two sets with higher reps of the small weight circuit. I need to jump on doing more core conditioning.

Wed 2mi- Passed a guy wearing galaxy pants (like these) on the run today! I am a big fan of bright pants. I did have to push the pace a little bit to hold good form but it is improving and the miles felt easy. Did a small amount of core conditioning. Maybe I should do a small amount each day just to ease into eventually having a specific core conditioning day as part of my weekly routine.

Fri 2.75mi- We drove up to Virginia for Oma's funeral/memorial service where there were several inches of beautiful ice and snow. Having grown up in Florida and then spending most of my life on the coast of North Carolina where you don't see much wintery precipitation makes snow and Ice of any amount rather magical in my mind. I am having to learn how to dress for the cold but having a daily outdoor job allows for plenty of trial and error. We got to go sledding in a relative's neighborhood and I ran on my first hilly slushy salty and icey roads. It is funny to get strange looks from people when running in "miserable" weather. Ran for 22min because I couldn't map out a running distance.

Sat 55min- Got a little ahead of myself and ran for 60min but I felt really good. My form is pulling together. I could feel my gluts and quads engaging. Imbalances between my left and right legs seemed to be working themselves out too. Ran the USNWC parkway and some gravel back roads. Again it's nice to see things that are different from usual.

Need new shoes!

5K: Week Five

Mon 2.5mi run- A warm and rainy winter day. I ran a slightly larger loop than I usually do. it was
nice to get away from the flat downtown area of Mount Holly and do a few more hills and have some varied scenery. I also enjoy putting my weekly research to the test and seeing how I can improve my running. I did a fair amount of research on proper running form and was able to feel a difference in
my muscles and joints while on this run when I implemented a few changes.

Tue 20min bike+strength- Gradually going a little harder each week on the stationary bike. I also amped up the weight and reps a little on the small weight circuit I've been doing.  Nice to leave the gym with my muscles shaking just a little so I know I pushed myself a bit.  We went climbing with friends last night and my arms and back are a little sore before weight training today but my lovely Husband gave me a nice back massage that helped. Didn't get to the hip workout today. I'd planned on doing it with Wayne when he got home but we conked out really early at 6pm.

Wed 2mi run-Not sure it was an easy recovery pace like I'd planed. After doing research and posting the Running Form blog post today I felt I should examine my form during the run. My stride is fairly good and, my arms don't cross my centerline but they may swing in a little more than I'd like. Running up and downhill felt easier now that I am thinking about how I'm doing it. The path I took today in my mind seemed short but my body and exertion told me it was right. I did some foam rolling and the hip workout today before the run. I may address the cadence part of form later but I haven't delved into it very far. My cadence good and steady at the beginning but slowed toward the middle and end. I do feel the other basics of form are more important to master before thinking about the rapidity of my foot steps.

Fri 2.5mi run- I forgot to take the arch supports out of my shoes today before my run. Keeping good form felt fairly easy. I can see how my body has gotten used to doing less work with the arch supports in. I have deffinatly grown to like the more sensory input I get from having less structure to my shoes. It will just take more time for my body to get used to controlling more stabilizer muscles by building up more strength so they don't have to work as hard. Beautiful day but cold- just under 40 degrees. Need new shoes, the cushioning is gone from the forefoot of mine. Did an easy set of the hip workout today. I thinki it may have helped on my run my hips and gluts felt more engaged.

Sat 50 min run- Happy Valentines Day! A hearty day of work from 8:30am to 9:00pm plus my long run. It helped that Wayne had made commitments to be at work at 6am to help set up for the USNWC's Frigid 5k before he ran in the race at 8am. My crazy wonderful husband later told me he reached the first stage of hypothermia (apparently uncontrollable shaking and muscle stiffness/tension) after the polar plunge because he jumped in a second time after he'd cooled down from the run to help encourage another jumper partake in the plunge. He just can't resist encouraging others and trying to pump up the crowd. His gregariousness is something I certainly lack and maybe envy. But he more than makes up for my ineptitude and it's one of the reasons I love him so much. So, anyway, I had an excuse to get up and go to work early to run on the beautiful trails. It was another slow and steady run in below freezing temperatures. It was a good thing I did go early because, I later realized that with the race being run on the USNWC parkway (the only road into work) and the road being closed during the race. There is no way I would have made it into work on time if I had tried to arrive and park just the usual five minutes early before my shift.  All day my mood was happier than usual because I felt like I'd accomplished so much by noon. I'm afraid after dinner wasn't as romantic as my husband had hoped because we conked out early on the couch again after a delicious home made candle lit dinner of asparagus rice pilaf and portabella alfredo chicken, a movie "Romancing The Stone", and a glass of wine.

What is Running Form?

I talk about 'Form' in a lot of my training logs as kind of a nebulous thing that seems to always need to be improved but, what does this crazy runner jargon mean?



Click to view larger

The term 'Running Form' refers to your body's motion while running. Having 'Good Running Form' means that you are running in the most efficient manner you can so that you're not wasting or using unnecessary amounts of energy and, you're also not exerting unnecessary forces to your legs and body that could cause injury over time.

I found this video over on HowCast.com that explains good form pretty well.


There is a debate in the running community on whether it is worth it to try altering your running form. I found a nice article on RunnersWorld.com that describes this debate in pretty good depth, from medical professional and elite coach and athlete perspectives and experiences. It is a little long though, so I'll try to summarize the topic. There seem to be two sides to the discussion. Proponents of running the way your own body mechanics feel right with traditional running shoes vs. mid to forefoot running in more minimal shoes with a more controlled forward momentum.

I seem to fall somewhere in the middle of these extremes. I believe, doing what you can to strengthen your body (core, hips, legs, and even arms) is valuable and is the main factor to achieving good form for your body.
Stride: Strengthening your core, hips, and other stabilizer muscles should allow you to achieve a stride that is close to the body and that lands on the mid foot reducing harsh forces in your legs and joints.
Posture: Keeping a strong back and core should allow you to have a tall and straight torso while running. This will in turn allow you to breath well and take in as much air as possible.
Arm swing: Strengthening your core and arms will prevent your arms from swinging across your body causing unnecessary twisting and wasted energy. Relaxed arms swinging at the top of your hip bones will also allow you to breath easier with an open and forward chest.

Being conscious of how you feel is valuable. I struggle with figuring out the right balance in my own runs. You don't want to try to alter your running form too fast because this can backfire and cause injury instead of prevent it. But be conscious of any extra muscle tension you have in your body while running. Altering your form is going to take effort and feel slightly strange but you don't want to over do it. For a short and sweet article summary check out this article that I also thought was valuable description of what Good Running Form is.

Some thing else that has been added to my training now that I've moved to Charlotte from the flat lands of the coast is hills. I love the beautiful varied terrain but I have noticed soreness and worry about some muscle imbalances when going up and down hill. These hills are what initiated my recent research on form. RunnersWorld.com has a pretty basic but helpful video that describes what changes you should make when running up or down hill.

5k: Week Four

This week was a lot less physically stressful than last week but it felt almost twice as long.

Mon 2.25mi run- Wayne's Oma passed away Sunday night so we drove up to Virginia to say our goodbyes
and give support to Opa and the rest of the family. There was no wireless internet to figure out where exactly I should run so I just ran out and back for 20 min. Again my hamstrings feel pretty tight but I found myself wondering if the higher elevation may have contributed to my perceiving the effort as more difficult.

Tue 20min cross train+strength- I used the stationary bike in the gym again. I like that it gives me steady resistance for the full duration of exercise. When I ride my bicycle outside I feel like I cheat because I can coast and the resistance decreases when going downhill even when I change gears. I did the same general weights I've been doing but started adding in some of the squats and lunges from the Iron Strength workout I'd like to transition to.

Wed 1.5mi run- A mile and a half seems like an effortless little recovery run now. I'm still focusing on form and can't quite figure out how to get my quads to engage like I feel they should. My gluts are nice and sore from yesterday but I find myself getting concerned and frustrated because my running form isn't what I feel it should be. I'm worried i'll get injured because of muscular imbalances.

Fri 2.25mi run-an easy run around the Whitewater Center channel. Hamstrings where tight, gluts and especially quads not engaging. I did have rather bad nutrition today. Chocolate chip cookies for breakfast and a rather sweet carb loaded trail mix for lunch- more than likely a blood sugar crash causing weak muscles and lazy emotions. I did start to realize that my weak core and hips are likely the cause of my leg muscle imbalance.

Sat 45min run- A nice run all in the woods at the USNWC. We started the run around 5:30pm so it was quite dark and hard to see by the time we finished. I pushed the pace a little in hope of engaging the right muscles in my legs. It partly worked but I see now that I definitely need to jump on doing more glut, hip, and core exercises on Tuesdays and long run day. I also did 15(set of 5x3) heel dips as a preventative maintenance for my achilles tendons- a remedy I found in the "Tendons" section of this Running Times article.

I was watching the way my shadow moved while running one day this week, and was struck with a memory of Michelle Jenneke getting a lot of press during the Olympics for her warm up dance and realized weak hips may be a weakness factor I should start working on first. So...I found a simple transitional workout!

Hopefully this will get me closer to being comfortable with doing the more dynamic Iron Strength workout I'm striving for.

Strive For A Strong Core

Having proper running form (meaning having efficient body motion and mechanics while running) is one of the most important parts of improving and staying injury free as a runner. I did start this marathon journey around the same time last year but I quickly got off track a few weeks after training for the first 5k in my plan because I was not doing any strength training, and my inefficient form caused over use injuries to halt my progress.

So, in hope of staving off the same injury and frustration this year I have found a strength routine that I will be slowly working into my weekly (maybe eventually bi-weekly) training.

I love the opening line to this video! "The key to a happy running life is a strong butt...There is nothing worse than a weak butted runner, cause they get hurt all the time." - Dr. Metzl


If the video doesn't play, here's a link to the video series on the Runner's World website.