In case you're too macho to admit it, I'll ease your pride by sharing how ABSOLUTELY NERVOUS I AM for this triathlon to happen. The anxiety has materialized itself into belching at random and often (it's called "eructation," or swallowing air. Happens for a variety of reasons, but in my case, it's my body's signal informing me that mentally, I need to work out some things. It's kind of neat in that regard.), feeling defeated in the middle of workouts if I start feeling too tired to give it my all, and thinking I will be the last person to cross the finish line. I could either let these thoughts cripple my drive to push forward, or acknowledge them as mental workouts, just as necessary to my training as hill intervals are.
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| Don't freak out!! |
Imagine on race day, you're 300 meters into the swim and you inhale a mouthful of water instead of oxygen - the easiest thing to do in that moment would be to accept defeat and succumb to the demon's voice in your head nagging you, You have to stop to catch your breath. You lost momentum. You still have an entire race to complete and you're already feeling weak. The pack is rushing past you. You might as well quit now because your form will be compromised from hereon in.
These thoughts are debilitating. And what's more, even if you do see the pack moving ahead of you as you stop to catch your breath or regain composure, that moment of pause holds no meaning whatsoever in the grand scheme of the race. As long as you come back into the present and remember the extraordinary power your training has given you to progress to where you are now, you will go on.
Alright, that completes my pep talk for the week. On to business.
So, running. Seems pretty straight forward, doesn't it? Wear some comfortable shoes, move a foot in front of the other really, really fast, over and over again, remember to breathe, etc. It occurred to me that I was subconsciously putting this entry off because I didn't know how to write about something that seems so intrinsic to the Homo sapien. What could I possibly share that you all didn't know already? But considering different lengths of a race, different experience levels, different body structures, and the likes, there is much to understand when optimizing your efficiency while running any distance.
You're looking at either a 10K run or a 5K run, depending on which triathlon you registered for. Both are quite substantial distances, especially if this is your first triathlon, or first race for that matter. No matter which distance you will be doing, it is important to maintain integrity of your form (remember rule two?) to prevent needless injury. These tips offered below will hopefully help keep you mindful about what your body's inclination is to do and what you should be directing your body to do to achieve maximum efficiency during the race. Remember, the running portion is last - you gotta have enough energy to finish with a bang!
RUNNING BASICS
The most important component to understand when optimizing your running practice is the foot. It is the only part of your body that has direct contact with ground, so subsequently it is the cause of almost all the problems that can occur in the rest of your body when running. Depending on your foot type (normal, flat, or high arches), the way your foot hits the ground can be the direct cause of injury or discomfort in joints or leg muscles. This is called "pronation," or "foot strike": indicates the part of the foot that will receive the most impact of your stride, be it on the heel or the ball of your foot. Runner's World shows an easy way of finding out your arch size, and then lists the outcomes of what could happen to each type if not compensated for appropriately.
*Helpful hint: It is crucial to understand the structure of your foot before you buy a new pair of running shoes; this way you can know what types of shoe to look for that will help offset any potential problems that might occur with your type of foot.
GEAR
I'm not suggesting you throw out your current running shoes with tomorrow's garbage, but in case you are looking to buy a new pair of running shoes, keep the following suggestions in mind as they are recommended to cater to each respective foot type.
For the underpronated foot, or for those with high arches, you want a shoe that provides cushioning to counteract your body's natural inclination to absorb shock. Asics Gel-Nimbus Gel 14 has a silicone-gel in the forefront of the shoe to soften blows (11 oz, retail $140). A cheaper option is the Mizuno Wave Rider 13, recommended for its ability to disperse impact like a "wave" between the midsole units to allow the foot to glide through to the next stride (8.5-10 oz, retail $114). You can find more suggestions here
For the overpronated foot, or those who have relatively flat feet, you want a shoe that will stop your ankle from rolling too far inward when it hits the ground. Saucony is recommended as a manufacturer that offers motion-control shoes with its "grid" technology, like the Grid Stabil (11 oz, retail $120). For beginner runners or those who aren't looking to throw loose change at a brand new pair of shoes, New Balance is known for their economical shoe and their motion- and stability-control technology found in almost all their models. The suggested model is either the MR 1011 for men (retail, $120) or the WR992 for women (amazon, $120) More suggestions found here.
For the average foot, my recommendation would be the lighter the better. I run in Brooks' PureConnect Road Running shoes (13 oz, retail $90) because of its mesh-upper's breathability and because of how lightweight it is. When in doubt, go to RW's shoefinder, log in your specs, and see what they recommend. (Really, when in doubt of anything, go to Runner'sWorld.com. They're they masters at everything.)
TRAINING TIPS
Hopefully as you're reading this you can recall what your running practices have been like thus far. If you have no running training thus far to recollect, then we have more problems than not knowing how your arch lays. Or maybe you're a super pliable, super scientific person who's doing an experiment to see how you'd fare without training before a race. Let me know how that goes.
For everyone else, by now you may have noticed what your average pace is on medium-long distance runs. Knowing where your body settles into a comfortable run will help on race day when you need to slow down or amp up your pace. It is suggested that you should start off your race pace a little slower than you are normally used to, so that you have an ample supply of energy at the end to finish strong. It's called a "negative split." But it can't hurt to work on bringing that average pace up in the meantime.
Since we have just over two weeks to go, training yourself to increase your speed with short bursts of 1-2 minute sprints thrown into your weekly runs. Or dedicate one day each week to solely working on enduring faster speeds at longer times. When you level out in the middle of your run (as you inevitably and definitely should), you'll feel stronger and able to go longer at your average pace. Also interchange maximum effort practices with moderate, easier-going practices. Use the "talk" test to monitor your efforts: if you can manage to talk during your run, then you're going at a moderate pace. And always try to go longer than your previous week's total distance. The longer your body is used to running, the easier the race will feel. (And the quicker it will be over!)
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| Hey, keep your chin up. |
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| Steven Prefontaine |
Like I've said before a million, trillion times: Don't beat yourself up. Everyone is going to have some ugly days, where it feels as though you're a second closer to crying with each step you make. Those are normal, though. A successful end to a race is the sum of all the good, bad, and ugly practice days you had proceeding. So keep your chin up, your body loose, and your feet cushioned, and you'll be fiiiine.
The best tip I can leave you with are the words of the famous American middle-distance runner, Steve Prefontaine: "Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started." Just gotta make sure you get there in one piece.
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