Making my Garmin work for me, not against me

• 0 • Running

I love my Garmin.  Greg got it for me for my birthday last September and it was the perfect gift.  I had run with his a few times when he wasn’t using it and loved it.  It was so fun to run a fast interval and get feedback on how I’d done without having to use the track and a stopwatch.  It was great to head out for a run and know exactly how much mileage I’d covered.

It was the perfect birthday gift because I would never have spent that much money on running gear for myself after having only just completed my first 5k a few weeks before.  I was ecstatic when I opened it.  I felt like it was too much, but I knew I would enjoy running with it, and possibly run more because of it.  I also loved that this gift showed his faith in me as a new runner, that he believed I wouldn’t just stop running after completing Couch to 5K.  He knew I’d invested the time and hard work into getting to the point where I could run three miles without stopping, and he believed in me that I would keep going.  His parents also got me running gear for my birthday, and I was really touched in their confidence that I would stick with it also.

If you’ve never heard of a Garmin, it’s basically an incredibly cool GPS watch that tracks how far you’re going and how fast you’re going, and probably a whole bunch of other things depending on the model, but those are the ones I actually use.

Recently I found myself looking at my Garmin to see how fast (slow) I was running far too often, especially on my long runs.  I was so worried that I wouldn’t be able to do the last mile if I ran the first ones too fast that I would actually slow down sometimes even when I felt fine.

This led me to start thinking about how I should use the Garmin to work for me, not against me.  Here are some thoughts I had.

Good Garmin Uses:

  • Knowing how many miles you’ve run without having to map your course in advance
  • Pacing yourself during a race, especially that first mile when the excitement can have you running way too fast without realizing it and result in a painful next few miles
  • Tracking your progress towards a goal
  • Running a target pace for a selected amount of time as part of a training program
  • Staying motivated during a run because you want to go home and see the awesome times on Garmin connect when you’re done
  • Boosting your confidence and helping you pick up the pace on a run when you’ve slowed down because you know you’re capable of running faster than you are
  • Helping you find your target race pace
Not So Good Garmin Uses:
  • Checking every two seconds during a race instead of listening to how your body feels
  • Giving up halfway through a race because your Garmin doesn’t think it’ll be a PR, so you might as well take a break and walk rather than shooting for the best race time you can
  • Holding back TOO much during a run because you’ve never run that fast historically, even though you’re feeling great that day (If you never run faster than you’ve run before, you’re never going to get faster… you have to push sometimes!)
  • Losing your enjoyment during a run because you look down and you’re running really slow to appreciate the scenery… if you’re having a great run, let it be a great run, don’t make it about the time on the watch
In general, I think the Garmin is an amazing tool for new and experienced runners alike, as long as you use it the right way.  It takes some discipline sometimes to turn it on, then not pay attention to it until I get home, but those can be the best runs… enjoyment and speed wise.
The best way to decide if you’d enjoy running with one is to borrow your husband’s over and over, particularly by stealing it out of his running bag when he isn’t looking, until he gives up and buys you your own for your birthday 😉  
Thanks for the Garmin, Greg 🙂
My most recent run splits from the garmin, uploaded to connect.garmin.com for me to analyze
I took lots of breaks on this run, because I had both kids with me in the double stroller so I stopped at each crosswalk and waited for the walk light, and had to rescue a tossed lovey, pause to give them drinks, etc.  See my elapsed time vs. moving time!  This information is great because I can see how resting so often on the run helped me run a great pace despite pushing two kids in the stroller the whole way.

The activities I’ve run with my Garmin since I got it in September.  There’s even a place to upload treadmill miles so you can analyze all your running together, but I’m too lazy to do that.  These are just my outdoor runs with my watch.  Still, how cool is it to see that I’ve run 146 miles outside since September?

Interview With a Runner: Jessica Johnson Sherwood

• 1 • Thoughts

Jessica Johnson Sherwood 

How long have you been running?

I went for my first run about nine months ago, in the beginning of October 2012. I ran/walked a ½ mile down the street – came home and collapsed on the kitchen floor!

How often do you typically run?
For the first few months, I ran 3.1 miles a day, 5 days a week, skipping weekends. As a full time working mom to a 3 year old – the incentive for going to the gym during my lunch hour was that I got to take an uninterrupted shower and fully dry my hair every day! I didn’t even have to play peek-a-boo from behind the shower curtain, yelling out every few minutes, “are you okaaay?” I currently try to run 3 miles at least every other day.

What do you listen to when you run? Is there a favorite song on your playlist?
Music is huge for me. If I forget my headphones, forget it. I’m definitely not the type that can run in silence, alone with my thoughts. It’s like trying to get a massage when I’m super stressed – I just lie there thinking of all of the things I should be doing. I have a ton of songs on my running playlist – it’s quite the variety. Until I can record a drill sergeant yelling at me to KEEP MOVING, DON’T YOU DARE START WALKING! – I like fast paced songs. Current favorite is probably My Songs Know What you Did in the Dark by Fall Out Boy. My favorite song to anchor a run is definitely Warrior’s Call by Volbeat or Diamond Eyes by Shinedown. The most embarrassing song on my playlist is probably Jai Ho from the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack, closely followed by Spice up your Life by the Spice Girls and The Final Countdown by Europe. I’ve learned through trial and error that if I’m playing the air drums or busting out in dance moves during my run – I need to slow my pace because I’m going to burn out.

Do you have a favorite running or race-day memory?
I was probably the most excited and felt the greatest about myself when I first ran 3.1 miles. I took a picture of the treadmill! The first time you run a distance that qualifies as an actual race? Psshht. I might as well have just won a marathon. Same goes for when I first ran 6.2 miles. I posted it on my Facebook I was so proud!

Proudest running accomplishment?
The week before my first 5k was a super stressful time in my life. The night before, I got about 3 hours of broken sleep.  My husband was out of town and just trying to get me and my little guy and all of his paraphernalia out of the house in time to drive 45 minutes to the race and then find my bib and pin my number on (no Sammy, you can’t play with the pins buddy, they’re sharp) and find the starting line and stretch and wait in line to pee and then wait in line to pee again because the first one was just nerves and hand my son off to my mom who was going to watch him while I ran (Yes I drank a lot of water mom. No I don’t need your gardening gloves, I’m not going to be cold) all while trying to explain to my son that mommy is going to run a race in a few minutes (Aww, sorry bud, you can’t come with me, this race is only for mommy’s and daddy’s … oh, and that kid right there in the running stroller. Damn it! ) If any parent wants some great motivation to run a fast race – have your child peeled out of your arms and then hear him cry for you as the gun fires and you start to run. That’s pretty solid motivation right there.) So my proudest running accomplishment was finishing my first 5k with a great time, under less than ideal life circumstances and being met at the finish line by a hug from my biggest fan (see picture)

Jessica and her son Sammy after her first 5k

Any advice for new runners?
Uhm, probably that your first few runs aren’t going to be enjoyable, but to stick with it. I always hated the thought of running and after my first several runs, I still hated the thought of running. Keep trying new ways to run until you find something you actually enjoy –the treadmill in an air-conditioned gym, a path in the woods, down a busy street. Set a goal yourself – tell yourself to run to that telephone poll. Run to that telephone poll and then run right by it. Or tell yourself to run for 5 minutes straight, and then run for 6. See how that makes ya feel! It was worth it, right?

Thanks to Jess for being my first interview with a runner and sharing her running stories and advice for new runners!  She keeps me laughing and keeps me motivated all at the same time 🙂  Go Jess!!!! you are SO running this 🙂

Beginner Intervals

• 0 • Running

One of the best ways to start running faster is to do one intervals workout a week, where you run at a faster pace than you’re comfortable at, for a short amount of time, and then have a recovery period of slower running or walking in between.

There are lots of really specific charts out there for determining what speed interval you should run, for how long, based on your last 5k race pace, and they’re great for anyone with a serious goal or race they’re training for.

But sometimes I just want to get out there, not worry too much about pacing, and timing, and just enjoy myself and have fun running while maybe pushing a little and working towards getting faster, too.

That’s why my recent interval strategy is to place several “fast” songs spread evenly throughout my running playlist, and when those songs comes on I run harder for the length of that song.

Bonus?  I can then put more of those songs on my playlist when I’m running a race, and I already associate them with speedy running.

It’s beautiful out there, wouldn’t you like to go for a run?

Will Says: Remember to Stretch

• 0 • Uncategorized

Another mom I know who runs says that one of the things she loves best about running is setting a good example for her kids.  It really is great when your children see you going out for a run regularly.  Children are always watching everything you do, especially at a young age, and they’re learning how act from watching you.

Our toddler, Will, pretends to run races in our kitchen and family room and shouts for us to clap because “I’M RUNNING A RACE!!!”  He asks us how our run was when one of us comes back in our running gear.  He pretends to run on the treadmill by holding the handles of Andrew’s push-toy walker and running in place. (It’s hysterical.)  
He’s even started to imitate my stretching after I run.  It’s kind of fun to have a stretching buddy, and I think it actually made me stretch longer the day I took these pictures!
My kids might not get into running, and that’d be fine.  My hope is that our example will make them more likely to get out there and find something active that they love.
Will does his runner’s lunge
This is Will’s calf stretch (we may have to work on technique a little)
I’m not sure what this is… kind of looks like downward dog?  I’m sure it stretches something!

The Real Reason I’m Training For a Half Marathon

• 4 • 13.1 Training, My Running

Yes, that’s a t-shirt.  I am training for a half marathon because I wanted to buy a t-shirt.  More than that, I wanted to earn the right to wear it.

Now, this might sound crazy to you.  That would probably be because it’s crazy.  And lest you decide to stop shopping for any active-wear in fear that this will happen to you, my guess is that this t-shirt would have held no power for me if the seed of desire to run a half marathon weren’t already somewhere inside me.

The t-shirt began things.  I saw it in a little shop downtown that specializes in fashionable workout gear for women, and I thought about it for weeks afterwards.  It’s funny.  It’s a little cheeky.  I’m married to someone who runs marathons, and when he’s done, it doesn’t always look like it was a whole lot of fun.  This shirt kind of makes fun of that… and since there’s usually nothing funny about Greg’s running, it just made me want it even more.  This shirt epitomizes what I love about running – a true challenge, but not so much of one that you’re not having fun.  I liked this shirt.  I had to have this shirt.

I went back and bought the shirt, and put it in my closet with tags on it.

Not too long after that, I found a half marathon in DC’s wine country on the day before my 30th birthday in September.  At the time, it was four and a half months away.  I’d been running consistently ten miles a week, so I was already active.  A quick look at websites confirmed that training for a half marathon in four months was reasonable.

So I talked to Greg, I went upstairs and looked at that t-shirt again, and we booked ourselves plane tickets and signed me up for the Diva’s Half Marathon in Virginia on September 14th, 2013.  (Marathon runners are not the people to talk to if you’re looking for a voice of reason, by the way.)  It’s an all women event.  You get champagne from a shirtless guy at the end.  There are tiara and water stations on the course.  It’s so perfect for a milestone birthday weekend destination race it’s not even funny.  We can even go out for a nice meal in wine country that night and talk about how awesome I am, instead of about how freaked out I am that I’m turning 30 the next day.

It’s perfect.

So… here I go.  Wish me luck and watch out for those t-shirts.