My name is Mable, and I’m going to be writing for Run Moore as I work on training for my first marathon. I joined McDaniel’s cross-country team after absolutely no athletic experience, and I learned a lot. Many things I learned I had to find out the hard way, but while my limited experience means you can take anything I say with a grain of salt, maybe what I write can help someone else learn those lessons the easy way.
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It’s supposed to be hard, but higher mileage isn’t always better.
If it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be worth it, but even though making progress involves building up speed and endurance in order to set personal records, at the same time it’s important to “train smart,” have a plan, and set reasonable goals.
I did not learn this gracefully. At transitions—when I started running, and then when I began to try track and half-marathon training—I developed the bad habits of building mileage too fast, running distance every day, and running only on hard surfaces, and dealt with the resulting shin splints, IT band issues, and calf soreness that a wiser runner could have seen coming.
For anyone else with more willpower than legpower who also struggles with this, one helpful guideline is the “10% Rule,” which states that increasing total weekly mileage by no more than 10% is a healthy way to prevent overuse injuries. Switching up surfaces, for example doing hill workouts on grass or incorporating more trail running, also helps with shin issues, and cross-training can be a valuable way to build endurance without going crazy on the miles.
Some of my favorite ways to cross-train have been swimming, spinning, martial arts, and lifting. I appreciate lifting especially because it makes me feel stronger, which gives me confidence. (And there are ways to lift that are particularly helpful for endurance athletes—Runner’s World especially has some really good articles online about how to lift mindfully when training for a race.)
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Technology can be helpful, but our misuse of it can be hurtful.
I have a little Garmin Forerunner watch, which I’ve found to be really helpful for measuring runs and determining pace. Before that, I had a regular watch, and even without the GPS data it was incredibly useful to be able to judge how long I had been running, when to turn around, or how I performed running short track repeats.
On a more social level, the TFRRS database (“Teefers”) is a valuable tool to analyze race data from collegiate meets, and apps like Strava (which I’m still new to) can help you keep track of your goals while staying connected with friends and training partners.
However, I’ve also realized that it’s surprisingly easy to become obsessed with the data—to spend the whole run staring at the watch tracking pace, to fixate on one 200m, or even 6K, PR, and then never surpass it, or to set unreasonable expectations from trying to emulate fitness role models on social media platforms like Instagram.
Some runners don’t experience this problem, but I did have to become conscious of how I responded to technology. During a meet, I learned to focus more on rhythm and stride than on what the watch said. I ran my best PRs when I had no idea how far in the race I was or what pace I was going. That might be a function of how little time I’ve spent running, but I think there’s something in placing more focus on qualitative rather than quantitative running thoughts.
I will never even approach Brenda Martinez’s 800 PR or Jessie Graff’s pullup prowess—but I recommend following them on Instagram anyway, because I can learn from their training, and what I can emulate from them are determination, resilience, and a positive attitude. I can’t run as fast as Mo, but I can smile just as much.
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You can be a machine! But even machines need maintenance.
Listening to your body and taking care of yourself can be surprisingly difficult things to work up the self-discipline to do. But they’re so important.
Cross-Country did teach me dietary “hacks”—that waiting after a meal to run is wise, that pasta is a great night-before meal, that hydration is necessary, that bananas and dates prevent leg cramps, and that runners’ levels of nutrients like protein and iron might need extra help (though it’s shockingly easy to take too much iron.)
However, things like remembering sunscreen, choosing the right shoes (and replacing them), stretching, not heading out in the middle of the day during temperature peaks, and getting enough sleep are all lessons that I had to learn from experience. Recovery can feel like a difficult vitamin to swallow—and can be especially hard when taken in large doses.
To me, one of the hardest parts of “learning to run” was learning to distinguish between soreness and pain—between the satisfying ache of hard work and strain that precedes a stress fracture. Assuming that I would err on the side of not pushing myself hard enough, sometimes I ran straight into (and through) injuries. What I learned, in the words of my coach, is that a rest day here and there is better than a month off down the road. (But if that does happen, do not be discouraged, because that month will eventually end, and by that time you will be a very good swimmer, which is surely good for something.)
It’s not the most glamorous part of running, but maintaining good nutrition, helping muscles recover, being careful with the weather (and cars), and listening to what our bodies need, might be the most important thing we can do. To run like a well-oiled machine, we need to be well-oiled.
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Sometimes your head does most of the running – but a team can support and encourage you to get past it.
There were times, especially in the beginning, when I was my own biggest hurdle. It’s easy to fall for some of the running-related neuroses out there, (and sometimes as a team we unwittingly contribute to each other’s stress) but fixes like deep breathing, focus, and visualization can make a big difference in how we perform and react to our performance.
And whether your “team” is the cross-country team, your office friends who went in on a relay with you, or you and your running buddy, connecting with a running community can be incredibly valuable. Friends can help you stay accountable, keep a positive attitude, or make a distance run less lonely. Joining a team with runners who were all more experienced, I also had the opportunity to learn a lot from them. Some were serious role models for me, and I was lucky that some became my really good friends.
One lesson I learned as a female runner who doesn’t consider myself particularly speedy was to not be afraid to run with my guy friends. At first, I was intimidated, and felt guilty for “slowing them down”—but then I realized that not only did they offer, but also everyone wants a slower run sometimes, and it can really help you maintain faster speeds to have someone to run with who can push you just enough.
If you’re looking for ways to build your running community, events like Run Moore’s monthly pub runs and races like the Summer Twilight Series or Bachman Valley Half could be great ways to meet other people who are interested in running. Also, groups like the Road Runners Club are full of really friendly people, and if you’re prepared for a longer run you might discover new routes you haven’t seen before!
