Progressive runs win, how to lace your running shoes and pasta.

Yes, I might have put on a matching shirt when I saw what Andrew was wearing.  It’s normal.

At least Brooke was amused by the situation.

I took my route to a new area… one of the best things to do when you are in a rut with running.  Run somewhere different.  My different route included a lot of corn.  It was everywhere.

It was slightly raining during the entire run which is my favorite running weather.  It was cool, refreshing and a little rain keeps it all interesting.

I set out for about an hour of running and when I got to mile 4 I realized that each mile was getting faster and faster so I decided to keep up with that theme and turn the run into a progressive run.   8:14, 8:11, 8:05, 7:52, 7:50, 7:42, 7:23, 6:49.   That last mile was tough for me because it has been a long time since I have gotten my legs to move that fast but I loved the tough feeling.

After a few weeks of taking everything easy that feeling of my heart pumping hard and my muscles yelling at me to slow down because they were tired was refreshing.

Progressive runs are probably my favorite type of runs.  I love them because they help to train myself to hold back in the beginning and finish fast.  They teach my legs to run fast on tired legs (because the last part of the run is the fastest) and I love the steady build that occurs on the run.  They add some variety into your runs with some added fitness benefits without having to take a lot of time after for recovery.

You can get faster with each mile during a progressive run or you can chop the run into thirds and do each portion faster than the previous portion.  You can get faster with every 2 miles or you could run a steady state for part or the majority of a run and just finish the last part of it fast.  When I was working with a coach he often had me do fast finishes on my long runs which usually meant I held a steady/comfortable pace for the first 10-12 miles and then for the last 6-10 miles it was fast (controlled but about 10 seconds faster than marathon goal pace).

Plan a playlist according to your next progressive run… slower songs in the beginning and fast ones for the last few miles!

PS on Sunday night I noticed that we both had our running clothes piles out and ready for the next morning.

Brooke had a card made for me when I walked in the door from my run.  I could get used to this:

Brooke and I went to an indoor play place for a little while so that she could get in her run too.

And then we came back for lunch together.  I think we need to make this weekly so we can grab it for an easy lunch.

Biggest highlight of the afternoon included giving Brooke a haircut… I somehow did a pretty good job on it too;)

Fast forward many hours and Andrew and I had a half date:)  We had a meeting to go to and met over dinner at the Macaroni Grill.  I feel like I haven’t been to that restaurant since high school.   It was just as good as I remembered it to be.

Spaghetti.  Always a favorite over here.

And then just the two of us grabbed a slice of cake to share afterwords.

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And lastly for today, my brother texted me about how to tie his shoelaces while running.  When I first got into marathoning the running store I went to (to ask them a million questions.. they are actually the people that created Altra running shoes) had me tie my shoes like how my brother does in the picture below!  He tried it out and loved it.

I currently lace my shoes normally and I think the most important part of this equation is making sure we are wearing the best running shoes for us (go in to a running store and ask them to analyze the way you run/your feet or use the Shoe Finder) BUT tying your shoes differently could help with any feet problems too:

(SOURCE FOR IMAGE BELOW):

Speaking of running shoes, the NYCM shoes from Brooks are sure pretty:

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How do you tie your running shoes?  Ever have any feet problems because of running?

What is your favorite type of run?  Any other progressive run fans?

Run in the rain—>  Yay or nay?  What type of weather/temps forces you to do an indoor workout instead?