Pacing with P

Pacing with P Pacing with P, a monthly newsletter, all about running.

10/12/2020

“It’s A Stretch”: SKIPS.

A key element of a good warmup routine that helps promote an efficient running form.

You can start with a limited range and only lift your knee above your hips. Once you’ve done about twenty, you can increase the intensity and lift your knee higher while adding more bounce to each jump. Another twenty of those and you’ll be closer to making your run even more enjoyable that it would otherwise have been.
Remember to swing the opposite arm on each jump, right knee, left arm, left arm right knee. Rinse and repeat.

First “race” since March, aka one loop around Prospect Park, on my own, for the Prospect Park Loop Cup!And holy s**t, ...
10/11/2020

First “race” since March, aka one loop around Prospect Park, on my own, for the Prospect Park Loop Cup!

And holy s**t, racing by yourself is so damn hard, like once you’re two ish miles in, you seriously ask yourself “why am I doing this? I could just stop right now”. Well, I didn’t, so that’s that.

Didn’t get to run with the rest of the team on Thursday but I did find time to squeeze an attempt a few hours before it was too late!

Morning session at the track, a few 800s to kick off the third phase of the training plan, so far so good.I had the real...
10/06/2020

Morning session at the track, a few 800s to kick off the third phase of the training plan, so far so good.

I had the realization the other day that to run a sub 5 mile, I’d have to run a 1:15 400m, and then 3 others, and that even then, that still would not be enough, since you still have 9 ish meters to go.

Yeah, I can’t help but complain about the metric and imperial systems, but anyway, that’s fast!

No injuries so far, let’s keep it like that and break 5 in a few weeks 🤞

And thanks to everyone else, for pacing and the motivation, for the pics and for getting all of us out of bed before 6 when it’s dark and cold outside!

10/01/2020

Looking at this makes me feel like I had no idea what proper running form looks like, but hey, now I know what to work on, so that’s a great thing!

And I have a new 200 PR now, 31ish, damn proud of this.

So f**k that negativity, that was great!

And thank you to the coach/cameraman/hype man/super dad (you don’t see that many dads running at the track with a stroller!) 🙏

09/27/2020

“It’s A Stretch”: GLUTE BRIDGE (aka BUTT BRIDGE) ☺️

Runners need strong & healthy glutes. Here’s one way to take good care of them. It also works a bit on your abs & hamstrings, too. Glute bridges can help you stay strong & injury free!

Lie down, bend your knees & keep your feet on the ground, about arm length away, you should be able to touch your heels. Lift your hips and try to hold the position for about twenty seconds. Don’t try to go too high, imagine a straight line running from your shoulders all the way through the knees.
If it feels a bit hard, you can try to use your hands for support. You really can’t do too much of this one so try before a run, after, or anytime during the day when you have a few minutes of down time!

I always love to visit new cities by going for one (or more!) runs, fun way to see different neighborhoods. I can now re...
09/23/2020

I always love to visit new cities by going for one (or more!) runs, fun way to see different neighborhoods. I can now remove Chicago from the list.

I also want to start a bingo for “run in all the states”. I’m at ~12 now, California, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Florida, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Maryland, DC (yes I’m counting it as a state) and now Illinois!

09/15/2020

Jump rope is not just for boxers and cross fitters (is that how you say it?)!

I have no scientific data beside the fact that it works for me and that I like it but it seems like it really works for injury prevention.

And there are a ton of ways to make it “fun”, once you’re good with jumping on both feet, you can try a lot of variants. Jump on one feet, alternating feet, as if you were running, high knees, crossovers, double unders, you get it, it doesn’t have to be boring!

And jump ropes are cheap!

09/13/2020

“It’s A Stretch“: HURDLE STEPS

You’ll know when you need this one; your hips will tell you! Doing thirty to forty seconds of these before a run will help loosen them up. It will hopefully make you feel more like a well-oiled machine rather than an old rusty engine.⚡️

Start by lifting your knee a little over hip height, and while trying to keep your chest square, rotate your knee, as far back as you can, don’t push any further, it’s not supposed to hurt! Once there, touch the floor with your toes and bring everything back. Repeat the same thing alternating legs.

And if your hips feel extra tight, this is something you can also do after run, or whenever you feel like it!

Finished in a little bit over 5 minutes at the 5th Avenue mile last year and training hard right now for a sub 5 attempt...
09/12/2020

Finished in a little bit over 5 minutes at the 5th Avenue mile last year and training hard right now for a sub 5 attempt later this year.

About 8 weeks in, still motivated!

It can get a bit boring to run in circles around an oval track but at least your brain can’t really think beyond “when are we stopping this, it’s actually really not comfortable, like not at all”, so that’s that!

The MAF test!Once again, if you want more info check the link in bio, here’s how to do it:Start with your number from th...
08/25/2020

The MAF test!

Once again, if you want more info check the link in bio, here’s how to do it:

Start with your number from the MAF formula, mine is 155. Head to a route that is as flat as possible, the goal is to limit the factors that could impact your run, if you have access to a track, perfect.

First step, and maybe the most important one. Warmup! At least 10 minutes, 15 is good, 20 might be perfect, you don’t need to go past that. In terms of pace/heart rate, take it easy, like a jog, maybe a fast jog, a slow run, don’t try to get too close to your number, maybe like 10 to 15 beats below? It’s really something you need to do by feel. The point is, it should feel really easy, like you could have a conversation about why everyone got so excited about Tiger King and seemingly forgot about it the following week, and how many brands tried to capitalize on it later on and tried to be “cool” and it made them look like Steve Buscemi going: “How do you do fellow kids”

One you’re warmed up, this is when the test begins. Go for at least three miles, I have done it with 5-ish. It doesn’t need to be a long run, three is a good minimum.

Try to stay as close as possible to your number, and don’t go past it! Your pace should slowly decrease as you go. Once you’re done with your three miles, stop your watch. You’re done!

The idea is that now you have a baseline, say you ran 9:45, 9:49 & 9:50. You can compare that the next time you do the test.

If your pace doesn’t decrease through the test, it likely means you didn’t warmup correctly, or that you started too easy. A good way to know that your warmup was good is that it shouldn’t take long for your heart rate to reach the limit as your start the test.

Don’t do this test too often, once a month is the most frequently you should aim for. You don’t see improvements week over week, so it’s not worth it. I think that once a quarter is a good goal.

Most people see huge improvements over the first few tests, which is really motivating!

I felt good after my test, so I ran a few fast laps, that’s why my heart rate goes all the way up at the end

So, you read the previous post and you’re like, cool, I’d like to give this a shot, but I don’t have a heart rate monito...
08/25/2020

So, you read the previous post and you’re like, cool, I’d like to give this a shot, but I don’t have a heart rate monitor!

There are a lot of options at very different price points, and if you want, I can help!

I’ve tried a bunch over the past few years.

tl;dr; the wrist ones are not really accurate, but cheap(-er). Chest straps are usually more accurate, but not really comfortable, and more expensive. There are others too, like arm bands. And, the Apple Watch is … very meh! Just ask if you want more info.

I didn’t setup my watch to have the zones lined up with this, because I wanted let Garmin do its thing, but I usually just keep an eye on it, and after a while, you get used to it, you can feel when your heart starts beating too fast.

Now you know about the MAF formula, you have a heart rate monitor, next (and final) step, the MAF test!

See you in the next post.

Address

Bedford-Stuyvesant, NY
11205, 11206, 11216, 11221, 11233, 11238

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Pacing with P posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category