Injury free training (knock on wood)

I got the inspiration for this unorthodox post on this morning's 5-mile threshold run through the neighborhood. As I was running, I thought how truly amazing it is that I have gotten as far as I have without hurting myself. This would be surprising enough given only my track record. Add to that the fact that I condensed a 16 week plan to nine weeks (thus adding more mileage each week than is usually recommended) and the fact that I have been running exclusively on concrete (the most unforgiving of surfaces for runners) and you will arrive at: amazing.

I can't pinpoint exactly what has made the difference here; I haven't done any of the "strengthening" exercises that the first PT recommended last winter, nor have I altered my stride, which is what the second PT recommended last winter. I didn't buy different kind of shoes and I didn't start following a strict diet. So I'm just going to cover the changes that I did make, and let you decide from there.

1. Mental change(s)
1. I stopped letting myself worry about how slow I was. In the past, my mind was so consumed with not wanting to be a slow runner that I didn't focus on other (more important) things like breathing, cadence, posture, et cetera. I also didn't get to enjoy my runs as much because I was constantly disappointed with my time. Running is every bit as mental as it is physical. Some might even say it's more mental. My fixation with speed took the joy out of running, and made it easy for me to get down on myself. This time around, when I started to feel that way I just reminded myself that my goal is distance, not speed. I want this now even more than I did when I signed up for the Birmingham marathon. I failed before,  and now I have to succeed. Mental attitude has also helped me to stop thinking that every little niggle is the makings of a debilitating injury. I just keep telling myself that I simply can't be injured. I don't know how much this has actually affected my well-being, but I think too many people underestimate the power of the brain. Not that I'm into that "Power of Positive Thinking, the-world-is-yours-to-command" nonsense, but I do think attitude plays a role. 
2. Breathing
1. I read an article in Runner's World several months ago called "Running On Air." You can read the whole article here if you are so inclined, but the Sparknotes version is this: the stress from the impact of a runner's foot hitting the ground is greatest at the first step of an exhale, because that is when the diaphragm loosens up and makes your core the least stable. The author suggests that runners at least even out these extra-awful impact forces by making their inhale to exhale ratio uneven. So, breathe in for three foot strikes and out for two, or 4:3 or 2:1 or whatever works best for each individual. That way, the hardest blow will be divided evenly between both sides of the body. Implementing this breathing technique forced me to focus on both my breath and my cadence, which let to two other results that I might not have anticipated: First, my footfalls became softer because I was paying attention to when--and consequently how--my feet were landing. Second, I started breathing in more deeply ("belly breathing") which increased core stability while inhaling.
3. Stretching and Foam Rolling
1. Like many runners, I was a bit stingy with the stretching in the past. I hate stretching (who doesn't??) and I wouldn't suffer through it for more than 10 seconds per muscle. This time around I have forced myself to do at least 40 seconds per muscle, with a full minute on the IT band. This is particularly difficult after a long run, when my whole body wants nothing more than to lie down and never ever move again. Ever. Those are the hardest moments that require the most will power, second only to the finishing the last two miles of a long run. I have also foam rolled every evening after a morning run. And I'm not talking the quick back and forth that I did before. I have been rolling painfully slowly up and down the muscles, and when I find a particularly painful spot I stay on it for 20-30 excruciating seconds. Choice words leave my mouth during those 20-30 seconds that I have never uttered in any other circumstance.
4. Last, but not least: Small Dietary Changes
1. I haven't been dieting, as I said before, but I have been sure to eat lots of carbs the day before a long run, and lots of protein the day following a long run. I was always pretty good about the carbs (there's basically nothing in the world I enjoy on my palette more than good bread and/or pasta), but I wasn't very good about protein, which is pretty important for muscle recovery, in case you weren't aware. Those of you who know me at all know that I don't particularly enjoy meat... it kind of grosses me out. I usually only have some form of it at dinner and I only do that because I don't want to make my poor husband become a vegetarian too. But as any vegetarian (or ex-vegetarian, in my case) can tell you, protein is easy to come by if you want it. So I have been making many protein shakes and eating a lot of greek yogurt after my hardest runs. And of course, lots and lots and lots of water. All the time. 

I think that about covers the positive changes I have made this time around. I hope someone, somewhere might find this helpful. And of course, the superstitious part of me needs to proclaim that I haven't actually completed the Holy Grail of running yet, so I might be eating all of these words in a couple of weeks. But there's that negative thinking again, so I shall now bid it adieu.