Category: Running

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The Four Inputs of Recovery

Recovery

I get a lot of questions around recovery. How long should I recover after a marathon? Is it ok to run two days later? Three days later? Should I take a week off? What should I eat? Etc. This is another one of those “It depends.” Kind of answers. I’ll break this topic up in to several posts, and I’d like to start with what I’ll call the “inputs” of recovery. What are the things that cause us to need to recover in the first place and determine the length of that recovery?

Base Fitness

This is the foundation for everything. If you are a beginner and have maybe only run 10 miles a week for a short period of time, then racing a 5k or 10k may leave you very sore and require a significant recovery period. On the other hand, if you are someone who is training for an ultra-marathon and have years of experience and average weekly mileage of 50 or 60 plus, you are probably doing back to back runs of 20 miles or more every weekend and require little if any recovery for that distance. Basically, the better your fitness level and the more miles that you have run, usually equates to quicker/better recovery periods for various distances. Better Base Fitness = Faster Recovery

Intensity

The second input is the intensity of the activity that you are recovering from. If you jog 10k as an EASY workout, it takes a very different toll on your body than if you raced a 10k as hard as you could, trying to achieve a PB. If you do a 25-mile long run, it has a very different impact on the body than a 10k training run. Runs with elevation are harder than runs that are flat. The list can go on and on, but the point is that the more intense the activity, the more recovery you may need. And I would be remiss to not once again highlight the link between base fitness and intensity. If your fitness level is high, you can push your intensity level up and still recover fairly quick and the opposite is true. If your fitness level is low you either need to lower your intensity level or you will need to recover longer after an intense effort.

Nutrition/Hydration

The third input is nutrition and hydration. If you are in a training cycle and have been eating clean, ensuring that you have sufficient complex carbs, and maintaining good levels of hydration, this will all help with a quicker and better recovery. Your body will have all of the calories and nutrients it needs to repair the damage from your effort. If your nutrition and hydration is less than optimal, it will not only have an impact on your performance, but on your recovery as well. I documented this in the post on “fitness interrupters” using myself as the guinea pig. I was amazed at how quickly my body responded to poor nutrition and lack of sleep while I was on vacation. Which brings us to my last input…

Rest

Getting sufficient rest before and after a run will facilitate a better and quicker recovery. To this day, this is still what I personally struggle with the most. Being a husband, father, runner, blogger, etc. means that I have to be disciplined to achieve this goal, and quite frankly, I am not always as disciplined here as I need to be. However, I speak from experience, and can assure you that when I sleep seven plus hours on average, I feel better during my runs as well as after them.

So, there you have it. These are the “inputs” in to your recovery needs. In some follow up posts I’ll speak to details around what I do to try and facilitate recovery specifically, but knowing these inputs is a great first step in to creating effective recovery plans. As for me, I plan on getting to bed early tonight so I can hit my goal of seven hours of sleep. Wait, it’s Monday night and Monday Night Football is on, hmmmm…

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene  YouTube: Joe Runner

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!

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Be a Running Monk

Running Monk

While I was perusing Instagram the other day, I came across a funny video that Elisa Kurylowicz (@elisakurylowicz) posted, of two running monks that she came across on one of her runs. These were two monks that were in their robes and sandals running and smiling. In fact, one of them had his hands in the air and was waving them like he just didn’t care, while he was running! Probably because he didn’t. My initial reaction was; FUNNY!

However, while I was running, I started to think about this some more and it hit me like a brick; this is badassery at its highest level! I mean, these guys are monks, and you would think that they would be off doing monk stuff somewhere, but they want to run. They didn’t have running shoes and moisture wicking clothing, they had robes and sandals! But they wanted to run, so they ran.

They didn’t paint themselves in to a box and say, “Well, we are monks, so that means we cannot do anything else.” No, they became running-monks! How frickin awesome is that? So, that got me thinking about how so many people limit themselves and create their own boxes. “I’m a (parent, full time worker, full time student, etc.), so I cannot be a (runner, painter, blogger, badass, etc.) BS! Every day I hear people say “I wish I could run 10 miles. I wish I had more money.” When I hear this, what I really hear is “I am not willing to do what it takes to run 10 miles. I am not willing to do what it takes to make more money.”

You can do anything that you want to do if you really want to do it! You want to open up a bakery, but you are a busy parent, sit down and figure it out. Become the best damn parent-bakery owner in the world. Don’t make excuses, make plans. One of your lifetime goals is to run a marathon, but you work 50 to 60 hours a week. Guess what? At every single marathon, there are finishers who have full time jobs and are parents, just like you. Don’t paint yourself in to that box! Go be a running-monk.

I understand that this is an oversimplified explanation, BUT, it is what many people, including myself really do. My life is just as hectic as the next guys. I am married, I work full-time, I have a family, AND I run 50 to 70 miles every week to prepare for my races. Not to mention working on this blog! I realized that I am a running-monk. And you know what? That’s just frickin awesome!

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene  YouTube: Joe Runner

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!

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Randene Rant! Stop Harassing Women Runners!

Honestly, I cannot believe that I even need to write about this, but the evidence that this happens is all over the place, even my daughter’s face. And it is truly disappointing. However, this is the platform that I have and I feel that I need to use it and speak up. The harassment of women runners MUST stop. Unfortunately, I will address the obvious, men harassing women, AND the not so obvious, women harassing women.

Doing what I do, I am all over social media, I get e-mails from followers, and I see comments on my blog and other blogs all of the time. Recently I have noticed a disturbing trend, and that is women commenting on being cat called, stared at, and even confronted or assaulted by men, while they are out on their runs. This MUST stop. As a man, I am imploring other men to just keep their mouths shut when they see a women runner. These women are out there trying to get their workout in and the last thing they want or need is a stranger distracting them. At best, you are just being a nuisance, and at worst you are making the runner feel intimidated and scared.

Obviously, if you are disturbed enough to assault a woman, this message won’t matter, but if you are a guy who thinks he is being funny by whistling or shouting, just don’t! These women runners are dressed the same way as their male counterparts, and they are dressed so that they can run without chaffing, feeling constricted, or overheating. They are not dressed this way because they want your attention. Leave them alone. If you want to impress and meet women runners, go vegan, buy a pair of running shoes, and go run a couple of miles. Not only will you improve your chances of meeting some of these wonderful people in a constructive way, you’ll gain a hell of a lot of respect for them and what they do. Because running is no joke and it is certainly not easy.

Now, women harassing women. Really? Based on what I just wrote above, isn’t it obvious that women runners need all the support they can get and that other women should be their biggest supporters? This was a comment that was on Fitbit, “While I was out for my run today, a woman yelled out of a moving car at me to put some clothes on.” There was more to it, but that is how it started. It blew me away. A woman harassing a woman runner! I wonder if that lady ever tried running 5 miles in 90-degree heat and 80% humidity? I wonder if she had seen a shirtless male runner if she would have yelled the same thing? Here’s an idea, shut up and keep your opinion to yourself.

I hope that I didn’t offend any women by writing this, because obviously, I am not a woman and cannot put myself truly in their shoes. Being a man however, I can say that I am embarrassed that there are still men out there that are treating women this way. And as a father of four women, I realize that this is a serious issue. Things like this do not get better unless people are willing to talk about them, so I joined in the conversation. For what it’s worth…

One last thing, if I am ever witness to this type of behavior, I will confront it, and I am encouraging everyone else to do the same. Things don’t change unless you’re willing to change them.

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene    YouTube Channel

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!

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Randene Rant! Junk Miles? That’s Just Junk!

Mileage

Normally I use Randene Rants to get out of the running and fitness box, it’s a space where I can explore other things, but, this rant IS about running. Someone asked me my thoughts on “junk” miles. Did I think it was a thing? Could you in fact run “junk” miles. My simple answer to this is “No. Not if you have any semblance of a plan.” Let me explain.

First, we need to come up with some sort of definition for what “junk” miles are. Let’s assume that a “junk” mile would be any mile or miles ran that are completely useless. I almost feel like I can end the post right there, because I have never run a mile that I deemed to be completely useless. Worst case scenario, I maintained my fitness level and cleared my head. Best case scenario, the mile was part of a plan that was driving me towards a goal, but let’s dig a little bit deeper.

My opinion is that every runner should have a plan. Some may be very simple, such as, I just want to keep my metabolism elevated and stay fit, so I’ll run three times per week for 30 minutes. Others can be as complicated as preparing to run a 100-mile ultra-marathon, requiring back to back long runs in excess of 20 miles on the weekends. The point is that there is a clear goal and a plan in place.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that someone is preparing for a marathon and is willing to run five times a week. Depending on their goal for the race, they want to go sub 3:30 or simply just want to finish, as an example, they should create a detailed plan around it. That plan might focus on building a cardio base and time on feet, or it may include speed work, or a combination of all of these things. Every single run should have a clear goal and rest days should be scheduled. Are there any “junk” miles here? I don’t think so.

Now if they decide to veer from the plan and skip rest days, or add mileage too quickly, are those “junk” miles? It’s hard to say. If they avoided injury, the added work may very well get them closer to their goals, but there is a risk/reward balance that needs to be assessed before making any decisions. I’d still be hard pressed to call them “junk” miles though. A better phrasing might be “risky” miles, because if they are healthy, they will most likely benefit the runner, but if the runner gets injured, they rolled the dice and lost.

The same thing goes with a taper. Runners, me included, often get restless during their taper period before a race, and they want to run more miles than their plan calls for. This is all risk/reward. You have to evaluate whether or not the extra miles will benefit your fitness and speed more than the rest and recovery will benefit your level of health. This is a very personal question and the only real way to find out what works for you is to experiment. My experience had been if I had good training blocks leading up to a race, I benefit more from the rest and recovery than I do from squeezing in the extra miles. However, if I did run the extra miles, they certainly wouldn’t be “junk”. As I stated above, at the very least I’d be happy doing what I love and would clear my head.

While, in my opinion, there is no such thing as junk miles, there are several things that I do to make sure that I maximize my risk/reward ratio. Here they are:

  • I have clear goals for what I am trying to accomplish with my running.
  • I create weekly plans based on my goals.
  • Every run has a clear objective.
  • I schedule my rest days and taper.
  • I stick to my plan as much as possible.

If you do all of these things, I highly doubt that you will run one “junk” mile… if they even exist.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other. PEACE! Joe the Runner

I hope that this post and this blog helps you achieve your dreams! To receive new post notifications, newsletters, and post previews, please SUBSCRIBE!

For behind the scenes photos and comments on my training and personal life, follow me on Instagram: joe_the_runner  Strava: Joe Randene

Questions, comments, feedback? Please leave them in the comments section BELOW and we can have a discussion!