There Is a Method To His Madness: Creating a RunTheBoro Route

If you've been participating in the recent RunTheBoro Saturday runs, you may have wondered (and some of you have even asked me) why are there so many turns in the runs? Why so many hills? Why did we go in this neighborhood or that neighborhood. How do he make the routes?

These are all excellent questions. Along with lots of coffee and lots of time, I do have some guiding principles when I create the RunTheBoro routes.

• Sharing History
• Exploring Neighborhoods
• Sharing Art and Culture
• Fellowship

Hills and turns may definitely be in the run, but they are not top of mind when creating the routes. My main goal is for participants to come away from a run learning something new about their city. We are so busy with our lives that we often don't venture out of our little bubble. I want to get RunTheBoro participants out of their bubbles, explore neighborhoods they've never been to, and learn about Greensboro's rich history.

One of the coolest and most rewarding parts of RunTheBoro is hearing longtime residents, say to me, "I never knew that about Greensboro." "I didn't know that existed." "I didn't know that road went there." "So that's where that's at." "I've lived here all my life and never knew some of this stuff."

Some runs are more aesthetically pleasing than others, but if there is one thing I've learned, beauty takes many different shapes and forms. There is shiny new beauty, there is gently worn beauty, there is thread-bare beauty, there is historical beauty, and there is artistic beauty. You'll find all of the above in the RunTheBoro runs. I want runners to explore neighborhoods they might otherwise never have a reason to visit. One hidden treasure that I shared about in a recent run is the Grove Street People's Market that is open 6-8pm on Thursday evenings in the spring and summer. After mentioning it in one of the RunTheBoro Newsletters, several of the RunTheBoro runners went and checked it out. That's what RunTheBoro is all about...connecting with runners and runners connecting with the community. 

Some routes do have a lot of twists and turns and in a normal run, that might not be ideal, but in a RunTheBoro run it's a necessity. History may seem like a straight line, but in reality, there are interwoven twists and turns that make up our rich past. Our Saturday runs reflect that richness.

History isn't flat either.  We've all experienced rough climbs, much-needed plateaus, and swift descents in our lives. Those ups and downs make up our complex past which is also reflected in many of our runs.

RunTheBoro runs are not about pace. Far from it. They are about discovery.

Why Only 20?

One of the most frequently asked questions by my marathon trainers is, "Why is our longest run only
20 miles?" It's a valid question. When they trained for their half marathon, their longest run was 13 or 14 miles so most would assume they'd run 25, 26, or 27 in their marathon training. Like in many cases with non-running circumstances, the obvious, may not be the best scenario.

The Internet is a culprit in making most novice marathoners think they should run the full marathon distance prior to race day. You can find all kinds of plans online that may or may not go past 20 miles during training. Then, you'll also have runners read about how the Olympians train and they'll see their 26-mile long runs and think, well, "They do it, why shouldn't I?"

So let's back up a bit and think about the structure of a typical marathon training plan. Online, most full-marathon training plans are 16 weeks. I create 18-week plans for my runners. But given a typical 16-week plan, the typical novice marathoner comes into training with a long run of 8-10 miles. If you start week one of training at 9 miles and each week progress by one mile you'll be at 23 miles the weekend prior to race day. That's not providing any taper (which is typically the last three weeks of training). So, you'll still not get to your full marathon distance and you'll not provide any taper in which the body has time to rebuild and repair prior to race day.

Also, as a coach, I like to get the full picture of a runner before I start training with them. Ideally it's best if a runner come into training with a strong base of at least a total weekly mileage of 20-25 miles the 4 weeks before their training officially starts. Most don't have this. So, I need to make sure that when they start the ease into their training and don't do too much too soon.

The other factor is pace. Remember those Olympians doing their 26-mile long training runs? Yep, they do such runs, but those Olympians are only out there on those long runs for a faction of the time that a novice runner will be. While they may be out there 2.5 hours, a mere mortal runner may be out on their feet for 4-5 hours. Lets assume that the Olympian and novice runner have an equal stride count (yes that is possible). In a 2 hour run, the Olympian may have his/her feet hitting the ground around  21,600 times while the novice could be making as many as 43,200 foot landings covering the same distance. Doing that week after week can really take a toll on the body drastically increasing the chance of injury.

I know you're thinking, but Ultra runners run much longer. Yep, they do. However, their training is entirely different from that of a road marathoner. Ultra running often takes place on trails providing a much more forgiving running surface. Also, ultra running's focus is usually geared more around completion rather than time. Ultra running also involves typically some walking. Fueling, hydrating, pacing, it's all a different animal with an ultra runner. Ultra runners also rarely run the full distance prior to race day. Kind of hard to get in a 100-miler prior to race day. Usually ultra runners will run back-to-back long runs on two or more consecutive days. It's more about time on their feet.

With some of my more experienced runners, I've used back-to-back long runs. Usually the first "long run" will be a more moderate distance maybe up to 10 miles, and then the following day will be a more traditional marathon long run distance eventually going up to 20 miles.

It's not that I won't or haven't ever taken a runner past the 20-miler, it's just not my typical plan of action. With a more seasoned runner who is willing to dedicate themselves to a longer plan (about 25 weeks) I can take them safely closer to the marathon distance in training and still have time to incorporate dropback weeks for recovery and the taper weeks at the end of the plan.

Properly training marathon runners is all about taking them where they are currently at fitness-wise and running experience-wise and gradually building upon that to reach race day. Another question I'm often asked, especially by running buddies after they've compared training plans, is "Why does he have this distance, and I have that distance?" Or "Why do I have this workout and my buddy doesn't? A coach writes his plans based on the individual. Sometimes that creates a variance in plans. That's a good thing. Doesn't mean one is weaker or stronger, It means you're at different places or have different goals.

Research, as well as my on experience with training marathon runners, has shown me that runners entering training with a really strong base prior to training, having a starting long run around 10 miles (for which they are already acclimated to), then strategically building their long runs with the goal of getting them really acclimated to the 18-20 mile distance by taper time will lead them into race day solid and strong. That extra 6.2 miles will not be a problem. They may feel those extra miles depending on how hard they're pushing it in the first 3/4 of the race, but they'll definitely be able to handle it. Bonking or hitting the wall, usually isn't related to not having trained those extra miles. Hitting the wall is usually a result of improper hydration and fueling during the race.

First Run The Boro Run

As a way to get to better know all the awesome routes our wonderful city, Greensboro, has to offer runners, RunnerDude's Fitness will be hosting a series of 8 groups runs during the months of May and June. The first run will take place on Saturday, May 7th at 7:30am leaving from RunnerDude's Fitness (2309 W. Cone Blvd., Greensboro, NC). Arrive by 7:15am so you can get your cue sheet and meet the pacing guides. The starting point for each run will vary depending on the location of the run. Starting locations will be posted in advance here on the blog, at www.runnerdudesfitness.com, and on the RunTheBoro Facebook group page.

The routes will vary in length from 6 to 10 miles. There will be pace group leaders to help guide runners through the course. Their job isn't to keep runners at pace like in a race, rather they're there to guide runners a given pace range through the course. We encourage runners of all paces to come out.

These runs aren't designed to be speed runs. On the contrary, they are designed for the runners to get to know their city and take in visually all it has to offer while exploring running routes they may otherwise have never experienced.

Runners will need to bring handheld water bottles or wear a hydration belt as water will not be provided on the run. There will be water and Gatorade for runners after the run.

The first run will be just a tad over 7 miles and will take in the southern tip of the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway, parts of the Kirkwood and Old Irving Park neighborhoods as well as the Latham Park Greenway

Cue sheets will be provided for runners each Saturday in addition to the pace group leaders. After each run the routes will also be posted, so if you'd like to run a route again, you'll be able to access it.

Discover a new running route. Make new running friends. Learn more about our city. Have some fun. RunTheBoro!!

Group Runs...It's Good for Ya!

Do you struggle to maintain a regular exercise schedule? I sure do. I’ve discovered that I do much better when I run and/or exercise with friends. Isn’t it amazing how a long run (or any run for that matter) with a group seems to go by faster and is much more enjoyable than going it alone? Whether you’re starved for attention, need that extra diversion to help get you through those last few miles of a long run, or you enjoy the camaraderie or competition of running with others, it does seem to help. Actually it may even be good for your brain to run with others. Recently scientists found that the generation of new neurons (neurogenesis) is increased in the brains of rats when they were exercised in groups. Rats exercised in isolation showed no new growth. Whether this is true in humans or not, I don’t know, but I guess it's another good reason for planning some runs with friends. If you’re in Greensboro, NC come run with us, The Blueliners. (See the info in the right sidebar). If you’re in another town and looking for a group to run with, check out Running.MeetUp.com.