Listener Q&A November 2016

It’s that time again y’all!

I don’t know about you, but I definitely enjoy answering your questions every month.

If you’re new around here, it’s really simple.

Each month I put out the call for whatever “running, life, and everything in between” questions the listeners have at the moment, they ask them, and then I answer them.

Doesn’t get much easier than that, eh?

The call for questions happens in our Facebook group, so if you haven’t joined the Tribe yet, what are you waiting for?

Click here to join our rag tag bunch, and be on the lookout for next month’s question request.

And now, without any further ado…

The Questions

What do you do for “easy days” when you have nothing but hills to deal with?

Simple, just slow it on down. Even if that means walking when you don’t “have to”.

I know that may not be the answer you want, but it’s the same thing we have to do down here in the heat/humidity of the summer.

If you need to walk to keep your easy runs in the easy zone, do it.

If you can do the slow shuffle run, that’s fine too.

How gradually should you return to running if you haven’t run in a month or more?

Very.

If you haven’t been running in a month or more, you need to ease back into the water to allow your body to readapt to the demands of running.

That means your bones. That means your joints. That means your muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

You also need to accept that your fitness will have taken a step or two backwards.

Run almost exclusively easy for the first several weeks (month?) after you get back, and then gradually start adding some higher intensity workouts to the mix.

Biggest key is to just listen to your body. If it’s telling you to take an extra day off here and there, listen.

How can I “give back” to the running community?

Volunteering at a race is probably the single biggest thing runners can do to give back.

Point blank, without volunteers there is not a race.

And I don’t care if you’re talking about the NYC marathon or the local 5k. There is no official race on the planet that could operate without volunteers.

Unless you’re down with paying a couple of grand for a race fee…

Anyway, other ideas are to volunteer as a coach/mentor for different community organizations that promote running. Girls on the run is a national organization focused on encouraging girls to run. You could also check with a local boys and girls club or YMCA for similar programs.

And you can always just a vocal and supportive member of the online running community as well. How many times have I talked with different guests of the show about the awesomeness that is the running community?

It may not feel like “volunteer work”, but that makes a difference and certainly qualifies as giving back. At least in my book.

Today’s Episode is Sponsored by Health IQ

Any ideas for quality rain gear for runners?

Ummm, not really.

How do I decide if I should stop chasing PRs?

That decision is 100% on you.

If you don’t want to push yourself to run faster, don’t.

If you love the rush of adrenaline (and the screaming lungs/legs) that are synonymous with a PR attempt, then keep gunning for them.

At some point, age plays a factor and may prevent a PR. But that doesn’t mean you can’t chase a Master’s PR. Or a “PR since I turned 50” or anything like that.

Ultimately, do what makes you happy. As long as you’re having fun while you’re running, that’s all that matters.

Running shirt etiquette: Is it ever ok to wear a running shirt for a race I didn’t run? Any extenuating circumstances clauses?

Hehehe. I have a race shirt that I do wear on occasion for a race that I didn’t run.

So I guess it would be a tad hypocritical for me to say you should never wear one for a race you didn’t run, eh?

I think it’s ok, but if you’re not comfortable with it that’s your call.

Any instances of training runs going from short to long?

Nothing comes to mind.

It’s rare that I have a chance to just keep running, honestly. Most of the time I’m squeezing a run in here or there, so no matter how great things feel I have to be finished by a certain time.

I may be able to add an extra mile or two on occasion, but nothing dramatic.

I have a 2018 BQ, but barely. Can I afford to rest easy, or should I try to better my time?

This might be the most difficult question I’ve ever had on a Q&A!

You have a 1:42 cushion, which is probably (barely!) enough to get you in.

That said, if it was me, I would absolutely run another race in the spring and see if I could shave another minute or two off of my time.

With a 2 min cushion, there is still a chance that wouldn’t me enough but not a great one. If you can bump that to a 3 minute cushion, you’ll have nothing to worry about.

But 1:42? That would be too close for my comfort.

Foot cramps were cramping my style at the end of a marathon. Any way to prevent those jokers in the future?

Strengthening the small muscles in your feed may help, but as long as it’s not happening regularly it’s probably not much more than a fluke.

Strengthening your foot musculature is a good thing for runners though, so if you’re not doing a few little things on a regular basis already, you should.

Listener questions on chasing PRs, #running shirts, hill training, and more! #runchat Click To Tweet

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