How Much To Run, Streaking & No Not Naked!

   This whole blogging thing for me started when I decided to do one of either the coolest or dumbest things in my running career, depending how you look at it, I became a streaker. When most people think of "streaking" they have visions of a crazed soccer fan running around a field completely naked being madly chased by the police. But in the running world it means something entirely different. According to the USRSA (United States Running Streak Association) a "running streak" is defined as:

 "running at least one mile (1.61 kilometers) within each calendar day. Running may occur on either the roads, a track, over hill and dale, or on a treadmill." 

    Originally I just planned on keeping the streak alive for a year and a day, 366 days total. As the sun rose on the 367th day I found myself hooked and I continued on for another 243 days until sidelined by an injury. I can honestly tell you that I would've kept on going if I never became injured. The streak took on a life of it's own and by the end I felt like a horse jockey just trying to hang on. I wasn't steering, but I was definitely enjoying the ride.  I met some truly amazing people, found out how incredibly patient my family could be and learned so much about myself. And to answer your question, no, the injury had nothing to do with the streak.

   This post isn't about me announcing a return to streaking. Although don't count me out just yet! The itch is still there. Putting aside the crazy ones who decide to run everyday, today I want to discuss a often talked about topic of how much a runner should run. 

   There's solid medical evidence that in order to reap benefits from a running program a person needs to do it at least twice a week. Unless you're a sponsored athlete who has the luxury of being paid for scheduled exercise periods, most of us have to figure out how running's going to fit into our daily life. There's many things to consider here. What's your ultimate goal? Do you want to run a 5K or just shed some extra pounds? What's you current health like? Running is as simple as putting one foot in front of the other, but what about existing health risks or conditions? What's your prior experience running? Did you run track in high school or cross-country? What's your current lifestyle like? No matter how fast you can clock a mile, it still takes time to run a 20 mile training run. Do you have enough daily time for training? What's your family situation like? Your spouse and kids may not be running out there with you, but how much you run will affect them. Can you spare a little time away from your other responsibilities? When I first started running I worked a normal 40 hour a week, M-F job and didn't have a family of my own yet. Lots of free time to play with. I had a goal to run my first 5K road race, but other than in high school gym class, didn't have any formal running training. It was the perfect time for me to begin this journey and I consumed everything related to running. There's probably so many more things to consider that I haven't mentioned. And you thought running was a solo sport?

   Once you get all of the initial details sorted out you can figure out a training frequency that works for you. Most amateur runners train six to seven days a week. Just like there's good evidence that running twice a week is good for you, there's also medical evidence that shows that as your running volume increases (your miles) so will your opportunity to get injured. So when I say most runners train all week, it's not all straight running days. The days that aren't running days are days where cross-training doing an activity other than running happens. Some weight train, swim or cycle. Cross-training will make you a stronger runner who most likely will spend less time at the doctor's office. When I first started running it was a part of my weightlifting program and I only ran three times a week. As I fell in love with running the frequency increased to five time a week and stayed there for many years. I remember trying to throw in a sixth day and how hard that was. It took me a very long time to get used to a training schedule with just one day off.

   After deciding on how much time you have and how often you're going to train the next thing to figure out is a training plan. There's training plans out there for every distance you could think think of with maybe the exception of the ultra distances. That being said, I think it's important to to keep in mind two philosophies: you either read and become educated on everything running or you hire a coach. Like I said earlier, I became a self-educated runner. It was an amazing experience doing it that way, but also a painful one. I made mistakes, got injuries and learned from them. After this recent injury I decided to put my fate in someone who actually knows what the hell they're doing and got my first running coach. When getting a coach make sure you check out their credentials and that you're both on the same page. It can be a rewarding experience for both of you when done right. It's been a wonderful experience for me so far. My coach has been super encouraging during what's been my longest time off my feet from an injury keeping me positive. She's been a sounding board when I complain or want to talk running "shop". I must admit that it's been nice not having to figure out my recovery plan by myself and to trust where she's taking me. 


   Other than what I've said the best advice to all of you who want to start running is to get out there, have fun, enjoy your first races because you'll never run your first 5K ever again and talk to more experienced runners. Most of us who've been around a block or two enjoy talking about running and would love to help someone just starting out.


   Things have been busy as 2015 gets up and running. My coach is running me through my paces and I've got my sights set on the Rochester Marathon this year. I'm slowly building my speed and back up to where I was, but taking more of a cautious approach than I would if I was doing it on my own. It's a painstakingly slow process. My rear right hip continues to ache and cause me to slightly lean to the left. The hip muscles CONFOUND me! But my speed is increasing nonetheless. I've also switched to trying to get more of my runs outside on the roads when the winter weather cooperates. I'll be leading a new academy class through their PT program and we don't run on treadmills. Gotta at least look like I know what I'm doing! I've taken the dog out a couple of times on the trails. He thinks he's a husky, but it's nice to see him smile as we navigate the frozen twists and turns. Even the screwed GTX shoes can't seem to cope with the icy footing. I've received my first Stridebox and so far I'm impressed. I'm going to hold my review until I've gotten a few more to compare. I hope all of you are doing well, running strong and have something you've set your own sights on. Have a great day and let me know if I can help!

PS: Ok, ok. I lied. Today I decided that there's just no waiting until the right moment to do some things. That moment won't ever come. There'll always be aches, pains, fatigue, time-crunches, places to be and a million other reasons not to. Good lord help me and those blinded enough to call me a husband, father, son and friend, the streak has begun again...