Listener Q&A: June 2018

Don’t look now, but we are almost to the halfway point of 2018.

How has the first half of the year gone for you?

Honestly, I can’t complain. Hopefully, you can’t either.

Before we crest the hill of 2018 and start moving towards the new year, it’s time for us to do that thing that we do every month around these parts: answer some questions!

Bring on the Questions!

The process is simple: you ask and I answer.

Every month I put a post up in the FB group asking for some Qs. Then, I A them.

Pretty simple, eh?

What was up with the #norunstreak?

After feeling a bit burned out for a few weeks, I had a couple of runs where I just didn’t want to do anything and realized it was time for me to take a little break.

So I did.

I did a little extra yoga. Got some strength training in. Rode the bike a few times. And just didn’t worry about logging any miles.

After a week, I was ready to get back at it, so I’m back on track with my training this week and feeling pretty good!

Any advice for trying to find routes to run when out of town for work/vacation?

Yes! Check out the FastZach app, which is designed to do exactly that!

(Find out more about Fast Zach in my chat with founder Amanda Brooks.)

Otherwise, if you can connect with anyone in a local running club in the area you’re visiting that may work too.

When moving from the flatland to an area with actual changes in elevation, how long do you think it will take me to adjust to all the hills?

Not as long as you think.

Yes, it is more difficult physically to run the hills.

But I’d say it’s much more difficult mentally.

If you can stop worrying about the hills and just go out there and run, I think you’d find that it’s not as difficult as it appears.

When is it better to skip a run instead of power through?

There’s no black and white way to determine one way or the other.

That said, if you really don’t want to run there’s not much reason to force yourself to do it.

That is a big part of the reason why I took last week off: I didn’t want to run.

So I stepped away, refreshed a bit, and came back when I was excited to grab a few miles again.

But if you’re in pain, excessively tired/fatigued, or your body is just not wanting to cooperate then what are you really going to gain by grinding out a few miles?

Shortest Q&A List Ever?

Kind of was looking that way!

Got any races on the calendar this fall?

As of today, I’ll be at the 7 Bridges Marathon in Chattanooga in October. (Use code dizruns to save 10%!)

There are a couple of other sticks in the fire, so if something happens I’ll be sure to let you know!

Is there a point when you can run too many races?

Yes-ish?

In most cases, running the races isn’t the problem. It’s racing too many races.

If you know yourself and you know you can sign up for a race and run it without pushing your limits, then you can probably run just about all of the races.

If you know that you’re going to push yourself as hard as possible every time you enter a race, then it would be a good thing to only sign up for a few races.

And as a coach, I pride myself in knowing my athletes and knowing if they are capable of restraint or not. If they aren’t, I’ll help keep them in check and try to protect them from themselves.

Do you think some people just aren’t cut out for running long distances?

Yeah, most likely.

Some bodies just struggle with the pounding of distance running, so if running long is literally breaking you down it’s probably something that should be avoided.

That said, I think a lot of those physical issues are self-inflicted. So if the runner can address the weak link, the body will likely be able to adapt to the demands of our sport.

Have you ever had to tell someone they shouldn’t run?

Ever again? No.

I’ve had to have the “talk” about a specific race though, and that is tough enough!

What is the best way to breathe when running?

I’m a fan of the breath cycles that are either 3 or 5 beats.

Meaning, breath in for 2 beats and out for 1. Or in for 3 and out for 2.

There was an article in Runner’s World a while back that talked about how cyclical breathing, ie in for 2 and out for 2, actually puts more stress on one leg than the other and may lead to an increased risk of injury.

But having an odd breathing pattern, it balances the stress (due the core instability at the start of the inhale) and hopefully reduces the risk of injury.

Does it work?

I don’t know. But it makes physiological sense, so I go with it.

Are you and Rebekah competitive?

In some areas, I guess.

I think we are both pragmatic enough to know that in some areas I can’t compete with her and in other’s she no match for me.

So in those areas, we support each other and don’t worry about competing with each other.

But if we are playing a game or doing something that we are pretty evenly matched, yeah it gets pretty heated!

There we have it, folks.

Another month, another Q&A episode of the show.

As always, the answers in this post are the abridged versions. For a bit more, make sure you press play at the top of this post.

Or better yet, open up your podcast app of choice, subscribe to Diz Runs Radio, and listen to this episode (and all future episodes) on the go/at your convenience.

What Was Your Favorite Question and/or Answer this Month? Let Me Know in the Comments Below!

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Listener Q&A: June 2018