The Emotional Side of Running

No one who has set out for a run can deny that they have felt a range of emotions about their running. From frustration on a bad run, anger over an injury, optimism about an upcoming race, and pride in a new PR, runners experience and draw upon all the basic emotions. Take this list of emotions and ask yourself if you have NEVER felt at least one before, during, or after a run: fear, joy, trust, sadness, anger, anticipation, optimism, submission, awe, remorse, aggressiveness, even love. Hard to find one that we haven’t experienced.

Consider the role of music in running. How many of has NOT used some playlist on our mp3 players to get through some tough miles, to find some emotional inspiration in lyrics or a special musical rhythm? In fact, there are people who specialize in supplying running music for runners, whether to match a specific cadence/pace requirement or to help runners lose themselves in their running. When I need that special oomph in a run, I turn to a couple of special songs that have struck an emotional chord in me. Who hasn’t done so?

So why is it then, that we are often taught to ignore or suppress the emotional side of our running; to treat our running like a clinical exercise? There are those who would prescribe forgetting a bad run (or even a good run for that matter, to prevent overconfidence or complacency) as a means of moving forward, of getting past the past. What good does it do us to suppress the emotional, spiritual side of running in order to perform better? And is that even possible if our genetic makeup requires addressing that emotional, mental side of running?

I’m here to submit to you that running is not a clinical, soulless exercise. That it is okay to experience and express emotions before, during, and after running. In fact, we can become better runners if we learn to understand what out emotional side requires from us and from our supporters. If we do not learn to understand what our emotions tell us, then we cannot grow as individuals, as runners. But the issue is a little deeper than learning to express emotion in a healthy way. The issue gets to the very nature of humanity itself.

We now know, thanks to the Human Genome project that no two humans are alike (well, we knew it for a long time, but some geeks in lab coats confirmed it for us). If this is true (and why wouldn’t it be, anyone found their exact twin recently?), then we must grant that runners as individuals are different. I’m not talking about paces, stride length, foot strike, or speed. What I’m writing about is runner temperament, runner emotions, and runner psyche. We are distinct, each of us possessing a set of ideals and beliefs and attitudes that derive from nature or have been nurtured in our environment. And as runners, we are no different. Each runner has a different temperament, attitude, outlook; a set of world views as they relate to the sport we all so dearly love (and sometimes hate—see, emotion!).

So what’s my point? My point is that the secret to runner success can be found not only in the training, the miles, the hill work, the speed work, the gear, or the race-day conditions, but also, and perhaps most important, in the runner’s mind! There has been a lot of recent literature and focus recently on the mind of the runner, but most of it (at least that which I have read) focuses on the necessity of understanding that the mind controls the body, that the body can do more than the mind “thinks” it can, and that once one understands that, then running progress can occur quicker. In short, this literature has focused on the mind/body relationship. But what about the need to understand a runner’s emotional needs? If we are not all alike, then we must realize that each runner has certain emotional needs. Some runners need positive reinforcement in their training and races. Others need “tough love” as a motivator to improve. There are those runners who exhibit a dispassion for their running, a sort of mechanical nature to their emotional side, but they too have an emotional side that they are suppressing.

We do a disservice to ourselves and those we support, then, when we appreciate that strides and gaits are distinct, yet ignore the variety of runners’ emotional needs. Imagine trying to fit all runners into the same model and style of running shoe. Chances are that someone will become injured by this “one size fits all” mentality. Yet, we do this when we neglect the emotional differences in runners. And worse yet, when we dispense running advice to one another we should fully appreciate those physical and emotional differences. Just because one runner may be able to take a bad run or a lousy race and forget it, to clear it out of the mind immediately, doesn’t mean that the next runner will be able to do the same. If the former can forget the bad, the latter might require a purging of the bad memories of a race or negative running result. And without that purging the runner may fail to move on with a clear and focused mind for fear of reliving a unique event. Without a discussion of what happened, why it happened, and what can be done to prevent or overcome a negative event, some runners are unable to move on. And yet this is not rocket science. Often the answer is a simple: not your fault. Other times the answer can contain specific actions a runner did or did not take. Regardless of WHAT the answer is, the runner who requires this closure MUST get this closure. Some runners need a beer after the race in order to move on. Others need more elaborate measures, from deep-thinking conversation, to a boat load of tears. The sooner that we realize what kind of runner we are emotionally, then the quicker we can adapt to those needs and grow. Just because you are able to quickly come to terms with a bad result doesn’t mean that the person you are advising or training can. The essence of a good running friendship or training relationship is the mutual awareness of these differences and needs that each person has. One size most definitely does not fit all.

So why am I writing this? Well, for one, I’m on vacation and my mind is not occupied with work matters. Second, I’ve thought about this issue for some time now. When you cry after your first marathon and get mocked for it ever since, you find yourself thinking about why some people express emotions and others don’t. And third, being able to observe the training programs of several friends and their various successes and failures has given me an opportunity for observation and analysis. Running is like that. It is one of the few sports where we’ve all been through what every other runner has been through (except maybe BQing or winning a marathon, but you get my drift). So running lends itself to be, at once, objectively and subjectively analyzed. It offers a level of experiential analysis that few other sports can claim. I mean, really, how many of us could identify fully with Derek Jeter winning the World Series as part of the Yankees Baseball Club?

So just as we need to be aware of our physical needs and limitations, we should also be aware of our emotional needs. And more important we need to let fellow runners know what they are and how best they can support us in our running.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Ep. 41: Tips for Disney's Marathon Weekend (pt 1)

Gordon chats with his friend Dominic about things you should know about running at Disney during Marathon Weekend. Part 1 of 2

Dominic's Blogs:

The Mouse and More

Fumbling Through My Forties

Disney Marathon Weekend Links:

Marathon Weekend Main Page

Runner Tracking

Marathon Course Map

Half Marathon Course Map

Up and Away Family 5K Course Map

Marathon weekend Program

I filmed this before the 2009 marathon. I took all I had for any event, any weather, any issue. Better to be prepared than to be caught without a necessary piece of gear

Find more videos like this on RuncastTV

Busy year

This has been a busy year for my running life. In fact, this has been my most productive running year since I started this crazy passion back in the winter of 2007. I am stronger, thinner, more fulfilled, happier, and more driven because of my training and having some goals to pursue and a specific training plan to reach them.

Although I still have a few more miles to run before the year is up (I'll start back running after this marathon recovery sometime around the 26th) my yearly totals are:

2009: 1007 miles

since April 2007: 2010 miles

Obviously, more than half my running mileage has come in this year. I've had a productive race schedule this year as well:

Jan.: WDW Marathon

Feb.: St. Andrews Mardi Gras 5k

April: Country Music Half Marathon

June: Rockin' on the River 10K

Clanton Peach Run 10K

Oct.: Disney's Race for the Taste 10K

Dec.: Rocket City Marathon

Not a bad year. Ran 2 marathons, my first three 10Ks ever, and a 5k. Not bad.

So for next year? How about another marathon, a half marathon or two, some 10ks and 5ks?

Rocket City Marathon Report

megan, bart yasso, and me

As you know from the last post, I went into the race fairly confident in my training, but a little nervous as to the outcome. To spare you of the suspense, I had a great race where everything went according to plan. I ran 5:33:00 for my second marathon and shaved 37 minutes off my WDW Marathon time from January (which was 6:10). The Rocket City Marathon was a blast.

Megan (AKA @Veganrunningmom on Twitter, and host of the Run Vegan Run podcast--listen, you'll enjoy, even if you aren't vegan) flew down to support me for the race. She had injured herself in her own marathon a week earlier and was unable to pace me for the last few miles, as had been our original plan. But she came to support me in other ways. I picked her up from the Birmingham airport on Thursday. The next morning we dropped my sons at the grandma's house in Birmingham, then the three of us, Marie, Megan, and nervous I set out for Huntsville.

We went straight to the race hotel HQ and the expo for packet pickup. Rocket City is a smallish race, with some 1,600 registrants, so there wasn't a great crush for packets or race merchandise. Fleet Feet sports in Huntsville was a major sponsor and I believe that the race director owned the store as well. They had great deals on last year's running clothes and shoes (I paid 9 bucks each for shorts and two running tops for cooler weather).

I picked up my packet and as I turned around saw Bart Yasso hawking his book. He was also the keynote speaker for the banquet that night. It was a pretty cool thing to get a picture snapped along side him.

We didn't stay for the banquet, instead choosing to go to a local mall and get some Italian food so we could enjoy conversation. As we were leaving the mall we ran into Byron (@phatdisneygeek on twitter and the author of the Phat Disney Geek blog). Byron and I had exchanged Facebook emails and kept missing each other at the expo, and the hotel. He lives in Huntsville and is not only a running Disney fan, but an Auburn alum as well. So he MUST be a good guy, right? We chatted with Byron for a few minutes and then we went to the hotel for the night.

One of the big question marks for the race had been the weather. All week, I saw conflicting predictions for race day, from a low of 37 and a hi of 48 to a low of 25 and a hi of 36. There were forecasts of early morning light rain, mid-morning heavy rain, and afternoon showers. So, to be safe, I packed several pieces of clothing for the race. Even the night before the race, two different TV stations and two different iPhone Apps gave 4 different forecasts. I was flummoxed.

I concluded that I would surely get some rain at some point during the race, so I wore a water resistant jacket over a short sleeve running shirt, arm sleeves, and tights. So I was not surprised when the starting official announced that the NWS had promised him that rain would stay away until after the race.

Megan had given me a plan for the race designed to achieve a 5:30 finish, but allowing me to start slowly, as we had found worked best for me in my long training runs.

Here was the plan: Miles 1-5 no faster than 13:30; Miles 6-10 no faster than 13 (12:45 if I felt good); miles 10-20 @ 12:30; and the final 6 would be below 12, hopefully under 11. The last .2 was to be an all out sprint.

The course is a relatively flat one with some rolling hills and takes you through some really nice and scenic areas of Huntsville. There were a lot of "real authentic looking" runners there, many of whom had Boston Marathon t-shirts, and whom I surmised were looking for a BQ time. I took my natural place near the back. At the gun, I held back and kept my prescribed pace. In the past I would have found myself swept up in the emotion and adrenaline of the day and start off too fast, which was my fatal flaw at Disney. The trouble is, when you start slow, you get real lonely real fast. I was trudging along when I heard someone calling my name. It was Susan of I Run For My Life! We had finally met the previous night at the expo, where she had her lovely young son, the handsome Isaac! Susan and I had similar pace plans and we ran together for the first 4 miles. It was a blast to finally run with her, since she was one of the earliest readers of this blog. I consider her an old friend whom I've never met, until last week!

We stayed together until Susan made a break for the port-a-potties and then we lost each other. We each had a race to run and the understanding was that we would do what was best for us individually.

I found the early slow miles hard to maintain. My body wanted to go faster and I had to keep telling myself that steady and slow now meant fast and crazy later. Once I got to mile 10 I settled into a comfort zone in the 12:30 range and held it for some time.

As I got into the middle portion of this race, miles 13-18, I could tell that my training was paying off, and so was my weight loss. I was tired, but not spent; I was in a little discomfort from the miles and pounding, but no pain. I also made sure to take fluids and food BEFORE I felt like I needed it. The plan seemed to be working.

What is cool about Rocket City is that the course design and the modest number of racers makes it easy for loved ones to see runners at multiple locations. Marie and Megan had planned to meet me at 2 locations, but they ran into Byron (who I originally thought was a race photog, since he had a cap on and a HUGE camera). It took me a moment to recognize him, and as I ran on, Byron linked up with Marie and Megan and showed them various good spots to see me run by. So thanks to him, they were able to see me on at least 5 different locations, which is rare for marathons.

As the miles progressed, I felt strong. But I didn't want to speed up too fast and then falter at the end, so I stuck with the plan and decided to run as hard as I could after I reached mile 21. As hard and as well as we train for marathons, the last few miles are mental. Our bodies CAN do the miles, but we must learn, I must learn, to overcome what the body THINKS it can do with what the mind KNOWS it can do. Of course that all sounds so nice and easy NOW, but in the middle of some of the hardest miles of my life, with my mind about to call it a day, and my body hurting all over, I was able to push through, with the help of those who care for me and support me. It helped to think of things that friends had advised me. Mike (Dirtdawg's Rambling Diatribe Podcast and @dirtdawg50k on twitter) told me to "define myself" with this race. Chris Russell (Run Run Live podcast, @cyktrussell) had stated once that the goal of a racer should be to visit the med tent after the race. What I took from that is that we shouldn't have anything left in the tank at the end of a race. We should leave all we have on the course. I thought about that and recalled high school when a football coach whom I was fond of remarked that he did not want us to come back to him years after graduating to express regrets that we didn't play hard enough, that we should choose to play our hardest when we had the chance, to never regret. I also didn't want to disappoint Marie or Megan. We had all invested time, energy, and tears into this process and the last thing I wanted was to finish this race with regrets.

I'm not kidding, the last 5 miles were the hardest of my running life. But they meant something. They symbolized not just my fighting through "the wall," but my emergence as a new and confident runner who had a successful training cycle and an awesome race.

I crossed the finish line at 5:33:00, somewhat out of it, slightly dehydrated, and blissfully happy.

I could not have done any of this without the love and support of my wife, Marie, and our boys. Or without the training from my coach, Megan. Or without my friend Byron following me around the course taking pictures and more important, showing Megan and Marie where to see me along the course. I am overwhelmed by support from folks who read this blog, you, and folks on twitter or listen to the show. The tears I experienced after the race while driving home were because of this incredible support and not from anything I had done. It was because of your interest and encouragement. I am eternally grateful to you for that.

Lumbering to the finish!

proud coach Megan and her exhausted pupil

The medal

Time to run: Rocket City Marathon

Two days from now, I'll be running my second marathon, the Rocket City Marathon, in Huntsville, AL. As you know, I ran my first at Disney just this past January. A life changing experience, the WDW marathon has given me a lifetime of memories and knowledge about what I can do if I assert myself.

So here I am, less than 48 hours until my second marathon. I've undergone a sea change in diet, nutrition, attitude, and training. I've had a major perspective shift. I've learned so much about my mind, my body, and my spirit. Not all of it has been pretty, but nothing ever is, most certainly not life itself. Life is filled with the same ups and downs as running, and perhaps that's why I love it so.

I feel good going into this race. And I have a few things going for me that I did not have going into the WDW marathon in January:

• Weight. I've lost 27.5 pounds (from 231.5 to 204) and feel incredible. My running has improved and I KNOW this will assist my racing and recovery. Eating a healthier diet has been paramount to this growth and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Megan (the Vegan Running Mom) for helping me wean myself from dairy and meat (I'm not totally off them yet, but my consumption of those two items has decreased exponentially, and my weight has come off because of it)
• Rest. Before the WDW race, I had toured the parks for a full 2.5 days before trying to rest the night before the marathon. My endurance suffered from walking miles a day and standing in lines for hours. This time, I've had plenty of rest and recovery during my taper.
• Training. My training for WDW was "just finish." The training for this race has been specific for a time goal and for growth and improvement as a runner. This has made a world of difference in my attitude and conditioning. Again, thanks to Megan for being my coach.
• Experience. Another year of running, with its successes and failures has taught me great lessons about myself and about running. I still consider myself a newbie, but feel so much more knowledgeable about this sport.
• Friends. You, the people who read this blog, or listen to the podcast, or tweet with me on twitter. You mean a lot to me. All of you have inspired me in one way or another and I can only say thanks, and hope to give you something to be proud of when I run.

Rocket City Goal: 5:30 or better

(Disney time was 6:10)

By the way, my goal was to weigh 205 by this race. Today I weighed 204. Still lots to go before I celebrate, but it feels nice reaching a weight goal. I so badly want to hit 199. I haven't been below 200 since college, more than 20 years ago.

Chat with Disney's Endurance Team: 12-10-09 1 PM EST

The next chat with the Disney Endurance Team about all things running at Disney will be at 1 PM EST on 12-10-09. The chat will last 60 minutes.

Here's the link:

Chat Page

Product Review: Moeben Arm Sleeves

As a running nut, I am fascinated with running gear. Running sleeves, at least in my mind, are a recent arrival on the non-elite running scene. I mean, most of us have seen world class marathoners wearing them at cold weather races. My first recollection is seeing Ryan Hall wear them at the NY marathon a couple of years ago. He wore them again at Boston last year. I had never considered myself a worthy enough runner for arm sleeves. I always thought you had to be a kind of elite runner to look right wearing them. But I was curious nonetheless.

So, having seen a Moeben ad in a running mag, and on the recommendation of some twitter tweeps (who recommended them highly), I contacted Moeben and requested a couple of pair of arm sleeves for a product review. None other than the CEO herself, Shannon Farar-Griefer, responded and sent me a few pair for evaluation.

Moeben is a company run by Shannon Farar-Griefer and is named after her two sons, Moe and Ben. She is an ultra runner who developed her product after noticing a skin lesion during an ultra race. The sleeves come in a variety of fabric types (eco friendly bamboo and hemp, or poly/lycra UV protection) and a wide range of prints, from subued black, white or blue to camo, tie-dyed, and even leopard print.

I had to wait a few weeks for the weather to cool in order to see how they assisted cool-to-warm weather runs. See, since I am not a speedy runner, my long runs typically start in the cool of the pre-dawn morning and end well after the sun has come up and has heated the place up. I have always had an issue with either over- or under-dressing. So I was excited to try the sleeves on several occasions when I knew the temps would undergo some fluctuation.

Before I get to the rest of the evaluation, let me tell you the coolest thing about these sleeves: the pockets. Each sleeve has a small pocket on the portion of the sleeve that would rest near your bicep/tricep area. The sleeve is just big enough for an iPod Nano or small cell phone. The iPhone is too big for this pocket, to give you an idea. My Nano fit perfectly in the pocket. And since the sleeves fit nice and snug, there was no danger of their falling down with the Nano inside. For track or tempo workouts I even placed sheets of paper with my paces in the pockets.

I am in love with these sleeves. The ability to pull them down or up as my body heats up or as the temps climb or fall is liberating. I can wear a short sleeve shirt, and wear the sleeves, and not fear overheating during the run. In fact, on an 11 miler in Franklin, Tennessee over the Thanksgiving weekend, they came in real handy. I wore the Bamboo tie-dyed sleeves. The day started out sort of cool but not windy, so I had the sleeves on. As the run progressed, the sun rose and the temps grew milder—I pulled the sleeves down to my wrists and wore them loose around the wrists near the hands in order to cool off a bit. But as I approached the Battle of Franklin Civil War site, which is more open field, the wind picked up and cooled off again, so I pulled them back up and kept my arms warm. Nice and versatile.

If you are considering buying some, you will need to decide whether you want the bamboo or hemp (which feel softer against the skin) or the traditional poly/lycra models. The hardest thing is choosing the print that you want on the sleeves. Believe me, some of the prints get pretty wild.

Visit the Moeben site

http://www.moeben.com/

Product Review: Sugoi Compression Socks

A couple of months ago, I contacted several companies that dealt in compression socks for a product review. I had been curious about compression after reading tweets from fellow runners and hearing race reports on podcasts from folks who had either run in compression socks or used them for post-run recovery. I wanted to try them for myself. I contacted several companies and Sugoi was the only one that responded at all. I write a modest blog and publish a podcast with not a lot of listeners, but enough to keep me going, so I deeply appreciated Sugoi sending me a couple of pair to evaluate and review.

As you know, since August, I have been training for the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. So after every long run in this training cycle, I wore the Sugoi socks for most of the day after the run.

The Sugoi product page describes these socks thusly:

"Compression is a medically proven and tested technology for athletes. No ordinary sock, the R+R Knee High Compression Sock has performance and health benefits that promote efficiency of movement, improved muscle stability, circulation and recovery. With features like progressive support, structured cushioning at the footbed and dense cushioning at heel and toe where maximum impact occurs, the compression benefits of the R+R Knee High Compression socks can be felt in training, during a race, and in recovery. "

Sugoi Compression Socks Link

There was a discernible difference in how my legs felt in the post-long run period when I had the socks on versus no compression at all. The socks are snug--hence compression--and seemed to stimulate circulation. They just plain felt good to have on after a long run (10 miles or more). In my last long run for this cycle, 21 miles, I felt the difference immediately after putting them on. I mean they really felt nice. And I noticed that my calves and feet were not as sore in the 1-2 day post-run period.

How do they feel? Ever had stress in your shoulders and someone gently squeeze the shoulders, just enough to stimulate the blood in those tight muscles? Not a full-blown massage, mind you, but a gentle squeeze on a stressed and tight muscle? That's what these socks felt like after 21 miles! I'm not sure if there is research data on the benefits of compression clothing on the body during or after runs, but at the very least, they feel good on my tired legs after a long run.

Running to Disney- Ep. 38: 21 miles, hummus, and losing confidence

Gordon makes his last long run before the marathon, 21 miles, finds that he lacks any confidence whatsoever. He records all of this episode in his car. He makes hummus–successfully.

Blogs of the week: Things Ed Likes and The DVC Life

Weight Check

Weigh in today. I fully expected to remain at stable weight after the Thanksgiving holidays. We traveled the whole time and I was out of my eating element for the entire trip. While I ate as healthy as I could, I was placed in situations where the food choices were quite limited. I did run three times, and that burned a few extra calories, but I was not hopeful.

BUT, I have learned that when I expect to be heavier, I usually end up lighter.

Today's weight: 206.5

Last week: 207.5

July 20 (when this all began): 231.5

Total loss thus far: 25!