Running | Applied Agnieszkology

6 years of running – what I learned

6. March 20196. March 2019
by Agnieszka

Exactly 6 years ago I went for a run for the first time in my grownup life. I probably don’t need to tell you – but it was a terrible, excruciating experience. I managed to do one round in the nearest park, all together 4,42 km. My average pace was 07:29 min/km. I didn’t wear a heart rate monitor, but I’m pretty sure my heart rate was at about 170 bmp or something like this.

After this run I was exhausted and frustrated. But it didn’t make me quit. Just the opposite was true. I didn’t have any marathons or triathlons in mind (I thought people doing it were crazy) – I just wanted to be able to run for an hour and not be miserable 😉

I didn’t really have a plan. I had no idea why I should use a heart rate monitor – so I didn’t, never heard of heart rate zones, had old worn-up shoes (I’m not sure if they were even proper running shoes) and obviously I didn’t have any coach or not even a training plan. Long story short – that’s definitely not the optimal way to start running, if you don’t want to quit right away 😉 But I didn’t quit. My strategy was to run a little longer every time. 2,5 months later I ran 10 kilometers for the first time in my life and 4 months after that, the first 10 kilometers within an hour

The biggest challenge for me came in April, just about a month after I did my first run. I had to go to Brussels for a consulting project – which meant 3-4 nights a week in a hotel, for several months. Goodbye healthy routines, goodbye good habits.

Wait, but why actually? Does Brussels not have streets and parks? Are there no hotels with a gym? Does running gear really takes so much space in the suitcase, that I really cannot take it with me? Of course it’s more difficult to keep the training routine, when you’re not in your regular environment – but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible (check out my post “Triathlete on business trip”.

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Running in Brussels

Ein Beitrag geteilt von Agnieszka Walorska (@agamw) am Sep 16, 2013 um 10:46 PDT

I kept my running routine and at some point I really started enjoying it so much, that I decided to sign up for my first olympic distance triathlon in 2014 and shortly after for the first middle distance. But it wasn’t until I hired a coach to help me with preparation for my first IronMan distance, that I actually started training properly.

But what does it actually mean to train properly?

Many beginners guides recommend to pick a race date or to even sign up for a race. I personally don’t think it’s necessary. My goal was to be able to run for an hour without dying ;). Racing is not everyones “thing”. The important thing is to set realistic goals. If you never ran, signing up for a marathon that takes place in 3 months is a bad idea 😉
Get yourself a HR monitor and proper shoes. I didn’t have either and I consider it a mistake. I ran all my runs to the point of total exhaustion and it resulted in pain and frustration. It’s better and more sustainable to get used to it slowly. When it comes to shoes – it doesn’t mean that you need to spend a fortune. But it’s important that they give you the support you need and that you actually enjoy wearing them 🙂 My first proper shoes were the ASICS Gel Noosa Tri, but they are discontinued now. Currently I run ASICS DynaFlyte, Saucony Ride 10 and Brooks Adrenaline GTS 19

ASICS DynaFlyte
Saucony Ride 10
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 19

Ladies only, especially these with large bust. You will need a proper sports bra, otherwise it can get pretty uncomfortable (so I heard).
Get a training plan. It doesn’t mean that you need a personal trainer. Meanwhile there are so many apps that will give you a beginners training plan. Runtastic has nice, easy to follow training plans from beginners to marathon (and you can perfectly combine them with Runtastic Results for some bodyweight training). There are also a couple “Coach to 5K” apps, and you can find tons of training plans online. It’s important to have one for many reasons: it helps you with the discipline but also makes the training more variable. Running all out all the time is just not the good strategy. Most of the beginners need to start with alternating walking and running. That seams boring and unproductive at the beginning but it makes perfect sense.
About boring – the first thing my coach did was to lower the intensity of my training. Doing runs in zone 2 (check out what training zones mean), that are the basis for endurance training is necessary but it is not very exciting, especially if you repeatedly run on the same route. Some people enjoy them, focusing on themselves, some listen to music. I use the time to listen to podcasts and audiobooks. My favorite podcasts: NPR Hidden Brain ,TED Radio Hour, HBR IdeaCast, More or Less: Behind The Stats, WSJ’s The Future of Everything.
Find a training partner who is about as fast as you are, so you can motivate each other. I don’t enjoy running with other people 😉 but somehow most of us do. Do whatever you need to enjoy the experience as much you can.
Hydrate – I always have something to drink when I run for an hour or longer
Be disciplined, but don’t set yourself under too much of pressure. Don’t forget that you’re doing it to feel better, not to impress anyone. If you are slower today then you were yesterday – don’t worry, maybe you’re tired, maybe you didn’t sleep well, didn’t eat enough or ate too much, the weather is shitty. But don’t stop just because you think you’re not progressing fast enough.
Smile – if you’re having fun, it’s easy. But try to smile even if the fun factor is not at it’s highest – you’ll see that it will help you to feel better!

Is this the future of running shoes?

19. January 201919. January 2019
by Agnieszka

For someone who loves both sports and technology – this was the new of the week. Nike announced Adapt BB – a connected, self-lacing shoe. Kind of like in Back To The Future 2 😉

Using a lacing technology called FitAdapt, you can adjust to find the perfect fit using the mobile app or buttons on the shoe. You can also program preferred settings in advance. The first Adapt shoe is made for basketball – in this case the player can input different settings depending on different moments of a game. According to Jayson Tatum, one of the first players to test Adapt BB “it fits l like a glove. It’s better than laces. There’s no movement in there and it’s very secure”.

For now, the biggest issue with these shoes is that you still need to program a preset or press the button do tighten or loosen the shoes, but the ultimate goal of Nike is to create shoes that will adjust to the athletes needs automatically, in real time.

That’s when it becomes interesting for runners and triathletes (especially these with very narrow feet, like myself, who have troubles finding shoes that fit really well…). Our feet change during a marathon, they often swell and the shoes become too tight, but lacing them looser means, obviously, loosing time. Even if most triathletes are doing quite well with elastic laces, the tightness doesn’t alway feel optimal.

Also I imagine, that Nike will not end with just automatically adjusting the fit of the shoes. With the data they collect, they could also identify your running style, speed, surface, temperature and adjust to it, following the dream of Nike’s VP Design John Hoke, who hopes “your shoes will become symbiotic to your own body, always reacting to your state, and making sure you take every stride with strength”.

The power of habit – how it all began

27. December 201827. December 2018
by Agnieszka

Recently more and more people were asking me how I got into triathlon. That’s why I decided to write a few words about it. I was quite sporty as a kid and a teenager. Volleyball, table tennis, track and field – I did basically every sport I had access to. Then, in October 2012 I broke my ankle and tore my ligament. That meant – no sports for many weeks. And when I was fit again – there were just so many other things to do: high school graduation, the beginning of my studies, move to Brussels and then to Berlin, job and so on, and so on… It took me more than 10 years to get back to a regular training routine.

The power of habit

There are no spectacular before and after pictures of me. I’m one of the lucky ones in the genetic lottery, so even with no sports and not always healthy eating habits, I have never been overweight. But it doesn’t mean, that I was feeling well in my body. But somehow I was never able to bring up enough motivation to work out regularly. But then I read this book. And it was not a book about sports. Six years ago, around Christmas I read “The Power of Habit. Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg. This book explains the role habits play in our lives, why they exist and how they can be changed.

Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.

Baby steps

I didn’t have big plans when it comes to sport back then. I didn’t dream of an IronMan or even a marathon or half-marathon. I decided to create an easy to follow workout routine. I signed up for an EMS-Studio. There were a few reasons for choosing this activity

It was directly on the way from home to the office. I would see it twice a day on my way and would have immediately felt bad if I missed the training. It also minimized the spectrum of excuses 😉
The training takes only 20 minutes and my package allowed me to do it up to 3 times a week. It was a manageable effort for the start: 3 times a week 20 minutes. Everyone can fit this into the schedule, no matter how busy. Also no excuses here
As the workout was always with a personal trainer, you had to make an appointment, and they would call you if you missed it. So the idea here was to externalize the discipline and have someone to kick my ass 😉
It was relatively pricey in comparison to the regular fitness studio, so I’d really feel bad if I didn’t go there…

The key to building a habit is to minimise the amount of thinking you need to excercise. That’s why I decided to have my training every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:00 am. It didn’t take long until it became a routine.

Good habits follow good habits

I saw the results of my small workout routine quite quickly and this motivated me not to stop there. As a next step I decided to stop eating simple carbs (wheat, rice, sweets – I still ate fruits and veggies) Monday till Friday. I decided to make Saturday and Sunday my cheat-days. I kept this routine (more or less rigid) since then, with the exception of intense training periods, when I need a higher carbs intake. As a next step I ordered a Fitbit to measure my daily activity and decided to make at least 10000 steps every day. Within three months I have lost 7 kilograms and two clothing sizes. And, which is way more important, I felt fit and motivated to do the next step. I downloaded the Runtastic app and started the 10k running program. But that’s a topic for a whole new blog post

Ideas for easy workout habits

Right now I’m doing 3×30 kettlebell swings every day, to strengthen my core and get stronger in general. But this excercise can as well be done by a total beginner. The good thing about it – it takes a total of 5 minutes (including breaks) – barely longer then brushing your teeth. I also have a backup routine for traveling when a kettlebell is not available: 3×40 sit-ups

Kettlebell workout
Kettlebell workout

An easy habit to implement is to walk or cycle to work. If it’s too far you can also decide to walk or cycle only part of the way, for example not taking the bus at the nearest bus stop but at one that’s a little farther away
Runtastic offers training plans for beginners (for example: running effortlessly for 30 minutes after 6 training weeks) that require just 20-30 minutes of workout 3 times a week.
If you’re someone that prefers working out with other people, make a regular gym, run, swimming appointment with someone who is maybe a little more disciplined than you, someone you don’t want to disappoint by cancelling your appointment. With apps like RunLive you can even do it remotely if your friend is out of town (although it only works for running)
If running is not your thing you could also sign up for an asana rebel account and decide to do the 5 minutes fat burn workout everyday

These are just a few examples of easy to start working routines – but there are many more! The most important thing is to start with something small and manageable. While the first steps might be difficult, every next step is much easier, and getting from couch potato to ironman is really much easier than it sounds 😉