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Diary of a Former Naked Runner

by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 17, 2023 | Article, Guest Perspective, Opinion, Reflection

By Ruben Urieta*

As a “naked runner” (1), for many years I enjoyed the freedom of not being attached to tech gadgets. Gadgets that most runners use to measure mileage, pace, heart rate and what not. They come in different forms of watches, headphones or wearables. These days most smart phones can track you, just as your significant other does (just joking).

What is it that a naked runner enjoys? This is a good question for a podcast, as it may need a long answer. I can only tell you about my experience. I enjoy the conversational running, the sound of the waves by the beach, the flapping of bird wings and even the occasional “get out of the f*$%ng bike lane!” reminder. With this mindset I’ve ran 5K, 10K, plenty of half marathons and even one marathon without proper training, where my buttocks hit the ground (literally). In some smaller races I even placed in my age group, including a 2nd place in the birthplace of Ricky Martin (San Juan, PR).

However, events involving my close family happened this year and made me reconsider my comfort zone. What I mean by that is that I felt like I got into a comfortable running routine that my body just got used to. It took a doctor’s advice to snap me out of it. He said: “sometimes you have to endure physical pain to obtain unique benefits”.

So, I registered for a half marathon in Panama, where the humidity would likely be 100% and my goal was to smash my PR on the distance by almost 10 minutes. To accomplish this, I decided to get a coach with enough experience to turn a “naked runner” into a “dressed runner”.

I needed guidance, arduous work and some luck to transition into this new chapter of my running life.

Fast forwarding to race day, luck ran out. I started to cramp up at mile 7. But suddenly, I recalled on the sacrifices I’ve made to get here. Waking up early, watching and timing my food, pushing my body to a certain pace, trying new goals, sometimes with uncomfortable results. And then, the lessons learned as a “dressed runner” started to pay off.

I looked at my Garmin and I adjusted my pace. I also timed my intake of salt and fluids the way I trained for. At the end, I was able to shave off six minutes from the same race back in 2019. Not what I wanted but I was satisfied with the result.

Was I disappointed at missing my PR? Of course! God willing, I still have 2023 to accomplish it. Now as a “dressed runner”.

I want to thank Coach Adolfo, my running partners Dmitriy, Wayne, Luis and Luis “Chamo”, as well as the rest of my running group for their support during my quest.

*Ruben Urieta is an experienced runner based in Pembroke Pines, Florida. He has completed multiple half marathons and one marathon. He runs with No-Club Runners on Saturday mornings, and he is also a good friend.

(1) – A naked runner is one who runs exclusively by feel, with no assistance from any type of tech gadget or wearable gear. It has nothing to do with running in the nude.

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Running Resolutions for 2023

by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Jan 3, 2023 | Article, List, Reflection

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

Happy New Year!!! May 2023 bring you countless, injury-free miles and PRs in all your distances.

As we turn the page onto a brand-new notebook, one where all the pages are still to be written, we set up our running hopes and goals for this new trip around de sun and we must start dialing in and focusing on what we want to accomplish when it comes to our physical activity. This way we can have a roadmap and not improvise along the way. So, come December, we are not regretting a lost opportunity to accomplish something big.

A brand new year to fill in with hopes and goals so, come December, we don’t realize we have wasted 12 good months (Photo: Bich Tran, Pexels)

As we analyze our goals for 2023 and we ponder our fears about coming short, we start by making sure we are well prepared and focused by setting goals that require effort and challenge you to be active for 12 months. Below find six guidelines to set up realistic running goals.

1 – Set up a bold yet attainable goal: Easy goals that can be achieved with little effort don’t mean much. Unfeasible goals that will not be realized, will leave you in frustration. So, be reasonable. Goals can be accumulative, like running 1000 miles in the year, or 200 kilometers per month, or five times a week. You can also strive towards running a particular distance or have a goal time for a distance. The key is to make it a real challenge, one that will leave you elated when you achieve it.

2 – Choose your goal race or races for the year, now: Set up a road map so you know how to get from where you are to where you want to go. Select the races where you want to excel and/or set up your PRs and then work toward is with plenty of time. If you want to set up a marathon PR, you must set up enough time aside so to include all the elements of a training plan. If your goal is a 5K or 10K PR, then you need to plan enough speed work, which also requires time. Make sure you are not surprised when your goal race is 4 weeks away and you are not ready.

3 – Set up a reasonable training schedule that will fit your life: Once you have figured out what you want to accomplish for the year, it is time to get it all into your schedule. Don’t wait until you have time to fit in your training. If you do, you will never train. Write in your running and your cross-training activities into your schedule (actually, write it in, yes!) so, when something comes up, you’ll know you are not available, since there’s a previous appointment in your agenda. This simple technique has worked very well for me, so I highly recommend it.

Block off your exercise time in your daily planner, so you won’t double book it (Photo: Bich Tran, Pexels)

4 – Don’t just run: Sure, running is what we want to do. Yet, the constant percussion this sport places on our bodies requires us scheduling time for repair and restoration. Incorporating one or two days a week of yoga, swimming, Pilates, elliptical or any other non-impact exercise will go a long way to make you a more resilient runner. And if you don’t have time to ad that to your schedule, then trade in a run for one of them. In the long run, your body will thank you and your racing times will reflect the benefits.

5 – Include strength training: I procrastinated about this one the entire 2022. Weight work specifically designed for runners and core exercises to help your body withstand the pounding of the long miles are no longer optional. If we don’t prepare our bodies and make them stronger, it is a matter of time before we will have to stop and recover from an injury. My #1 goal for this year is to restart my strength training.

6 – Upgrade your sleeping habits: If you put all the recovery tools together; the massage guns, the protein shakes, the compression gear, the amino acids and the write-in-your-favorite-here, the sum of them won’t be as restorative to your body as a good, full night of sleep. Skipping sleep is not a badge of honor, it is a mistake that will not allow your body to recover and with luck, you will end up underperforming. Without luck, you will end up injured.

If you liked this blog post, please give it a like, below; or leave a comment if you want to contribute to the discussion.

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A Big Fish in a Small Sea

by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Dec 27, 2022 | Article, Guest Perspective, Opinion, Reflection

By John Mounteer *

We all run for different reasons, including losing weight, improving our health, making new friends, or competition. I run for all these reasons. As a senior runner (68 years old), one of my motivators is a hope to delay the onset of dementia which is common in my father’s side of my family. I also enjoy the excitement and competition of races.

As we get older, we inevitably slow down. When I do training runs with my old high school buddies up north, we mostly jog. They’ve had more health issues than I have, and although they are still mobile, they don’t have much speed left. For most “serious runners”, getting faster means running and competing with faster people. One of the reasons I enjoy running with younger people when I’m in Florida is that they motivate me to run faster.

John in one of his 27 podium finishes (Photo courtesy of John Mounteer)

Winter in South Florida is a runner paradise, especially compared to the cold, snow and ice in upstate NY where we live in the summers. The humidity is a factor to deal with, but it beats frostbite. The number of fall and winter races here, is extraordinary. Every weekend we have a choice of multiple races at all distances within an hour’s drive. We can choose from very competitive, fast, large races with thousands of participants and thousands of dollars in prize money for the top finishers, to a local Fun Run and Walk. There are benefits to both types of events.

Large competitive races have the benefit of letting you know how you measure up against other serious runners your age. This can have two effects: motivation to train harder or despair that you’ll never get a spot on the podium. You may have to face the fact that you are a small fish in a big sea. I am a small fish. I was never fast. Even in my high school. cross country team, where the first 5 runners count, I was lucky to place 4th or 5th, way behind the fast guys. My “age percentage” (my finish time compared to other runners of my age and sex) is around 60-66%. That means that at least a third of runners my age, are faster than me, and some are much faster.

In comparison, smaller races allow you to be a big fish in a small sea. Some small races still give medals in each five-year age group, although ten-year groups have become more common. The competition does thin out as you move up the age groups. I’ve run in races where almost everyone who showed up and ran was a winner! It feels good to get a place medal even knowing that you’re not the fastest runner in the area, but you were the fastest in that race that day.

You must do some searching to find the local, smaller races. Since we moved to Florida, I’ve run in dozens of small races, so I’m a lot of email lists and get notices for many of them. So can you by searching your local listings online.

John and Coach Adolfo after the 2022 Tamarac Turkey Trot, in Tamarac, Florida

I’ve been running mostly 5k and some 10k races in Florida for about 10 years, and in that time, by cherry picking small races I’ve gotten 27 age group awards – ten 1st place, nine 2nd place, and eight 3rd places. And, in really small races I have a 2nd and a 3rd overall. That’s crazy fun!

I’ve had great luck by searching for a couple of key phrases, “1st Annual” and “fun run”. Another thing to consider is what other competitive races are occurring on the same weekend. It’s likely that the fast runners will be there and won’t rain on your parade.

Some might think that “cherry picking” races is a form of cheating, and maybe it is, but winning medals helps motivate me to keep training. My method also works better in the younger and older age groups where there is less competition to begin with. I don’t recommend that anyone does just easy races. I find that it still important to do the competitive races so that I don’t become complacent, but the feeling of standing on the podium is addicting.

Final words: Pay attention to your body and don’t overdo it while you’re young. I’ve had some injuries, but not as many or as bad as some of my contemporaries who ignored pain and did permanent damage. The secret to being competitive in older age group running is just to make it to next age group. Thanks to all my South Florida running family for keeping me going!

*John Mounteer is a runner who splits time between Upper State New York and Broward County, South Florida. While in Florida, he runs with Hollywood Run Club, Runner’s Depot Run Club and No-Club Runners. He is also a good friend.

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Running With a Pacer

by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Dec 13, 2022 | Article, List, Personal, Reflection

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

A few weeks ago, I participated in a local half marathon. I didn’t feel in the shape I would have wanted, so I decided to join one of the pacers. I found the sign with my desired time (2:15) and introduced myself to a lovely lady named Veronica. And off we went running.

Around mile 5 or so, one of the runners in the group asked something that blew my mind: “When are you taking the walk breaks? Or are you running straight?” I couldn’t believe it! The time to figure that out is not on mile 5 of a race. And thus, this blogpost was born.

Most halves and marathons have pacing teams. Take advantage of their presence and let them help you achieve your goal.

Pacers have become a ubiquitous part of races. Eliud Kipchoge and his fellow elites use them to set them up for world record pushes. Elite women pushing their limits use male pacers that lead them while doing part of the groundwork. Even Roger Bannister used pacers in 1954 when he became the first human to go sub-4 in the mile.

Regardless of your point of view on pacers, they are here to stay. So, take advantage of them if you can. But running with a pacer requires certain understanding and ground rules. Here are some that I’ve come with:

1 – Let the pacer do the work for you: The pacer is there to set the pace, hence the name. If you are planning to run a sub-2 half, don’t run ahead and spend energy worrying if the pacer is catching up to you. It takes more energy to lead than to follow, so take advantage of the pacer and follow. Run with the pacing group and when you are ready, leave them behind and accomplish and your goal

2 – Know your pacer’s plan, ahead of time: Pacers are easy to spot with their signs and/or balloons. In major city races they usually have a booth at the expo so you can meet them and discuss if their strategy suits yours. Some marathons have multiple pacers with different strategies for the same time. At smaller races, they can easily be identified by their signs. Don’t wait until the National Anthem or the starting gun to figure out if the plan fits yours or not. Or mile 5.

3 – Pacers are humans: If you join a pacer, you must understand that regardless of their qualifications to be there, they are human beings. If you join in the 3:30 pacer in a marathon, you can’t expect to be his/her sole responsibility to get you to 3:30 on the dot. They may get dehydrated, need to go to the bathroom, had a bad night or whatever issues that may affect them just as it could happen to you. So, understand they are an aid, not a guarantee.

4 – Be prepared to drop your pacer if needed: Pacers are runners that compete way faster than what they are pacing. This ensures that in normal circumstances they won’t burn out. If you are running with a 4:30 pacer on a marathon, that runner should easily go sub-4. Therefore, it is your responsibility to make sure you are on your pace and be ready to drop the pacer off if they are going too fast or too slow. Do not let them burn you out, and I learned that one the hard way.

Find the sign that works for you and let its carrier do work for you.

5 – Don’t tell the pacer what to do: Pacers have a race plan that you should have discussed before you joined the group. If you feel they are going too fast, bring it up. If you feel they are going too slow, ask why, so you can decide what to do. This is different from demanding they pick up their pace or telling them how to perform their duty. They are there providing a frees service, which you are free not to use.

6 – Make new running friends: There’s usually a nice crowd around the pacers. Runners from all over the place that have similar goals as you. Take the opportunity to meet new friends and make the run more pleasant. If you prefer to keep to yourself, it is your prerogative, just know what to expect and accept you will be part of a social group during the race. It may be the price to pay for being paced.

7 – Thank your pacer: Even if you finish ahead or behind the pacer, if he/she provided a service, you benefited from it and it was free, a thank you is always the right thing to do. You can do so once you decide to go ahead of them or if you see them after the race.

Any other tips on racing with a pacer? Let me know in the comment box, below.

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9 Tips to Run Safely in the Dark (Repost)

by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Nov 29, 2022 | Article, List, Opinion

As daylight gets shorter and the further north you go the less opportunity there is to run under natural illumination, and the more we need to adjust if we want to keep active in our favorite sport. I wrote this post two years ago, but I find it important to revisit as we adjust to our new running reality.

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

If you can’t run without headphones, do not get into this setting. Jump on the treadmill, instead.

With the autumn months in full swing and the winter ones in the on-deck circle, there are longer nights which present a slew of challenges for runners.

It is paramount to understand that our safety is our individual responsibility. In this litigious world where nobody takes responsibility because they think they can sue whoever hurts them, you must be aware that as a runner, it doesn’t matter who had the right of way, who had the obligation to see you, or who will win the argument in court. If you get hit by a vehicle, you are the one getting hurt. Is up to you to make sure you are seen by those who could harm you.

The following are nine recommendations to keep you safe while enjoying your runs in less than ideal lighting conditions:

1. Do not improvise your routes: When you are running in the dark is not the appropriate time to be adventurous. Select routes you know are safe, well-lit and familiar to you. This is not the time to cross a street and find out there is no sidewalk, or that you are lost.

2. Wear at least one light/reflecting device: You must prepare to be visible at the time you end your run, not just at the start. You can run lit like a Christmas tree, or you can use a reflecting vest, or you can wear blinking lights on your shoes, shorts, or hats. The options are plenty and they fit every budget.

3. Run against traffic: It can’t be easier than this. By running against traffic you can be alert to any danger ahead of you. Drivers maybe playing with their phones and heading towards you. You won’t see these idiots unless you are facing them. This doesn’t mean to run in the middle of the road, make sure you obey all traffic guidelines.

4. Rethink your usage of headphones: Running in the dark has its own challenges. Don’t handicap yourself by not having your auditive sense available and/or half of your brain distracted with music or a podcast. If you can’t run without your headphones, jump on the treadmill or choose a well-lit, familiar route where you don’t have to cross any streets.

5. Run with your phone: Well into the XXI Century, phones are ubiquitous. Not even sure why we still call them telephones. Make sure you run with yours when you are in the dark. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Sharing your location on WhatsApp or any other app is a good practice. There are so many options to carry a phone these days, that there are no excuses to leave it at home if you are running into the dark.

6. Always tell someone where you are going and how long you plan to run: Even if you are taking your phone, but especially if you are not, make sure someone knows what your route is and how long do you expect to be gone. If you are going for 5K around the block and it has been two hours, someone should be checking on you.

Reflecting vests are good and affordable options. They also made you seen from both sides.

7. Run in groups whenever possible: There is always additional safety in numbers. It is easier for a driver to see a group of runners than to see just one. Plus, more eyeballs, more brains and more safety devices together can only increase the safety of your run in the dark.

8. Carry ID: I am not paid by them, but I do believe RoadID is the best alternative for carrying identification with you. I have been using it for years and they have plenty of unobstructive, affordable options so someone can take care of you if you are ever found in a ditch. Worse comes to worse, carry your driver’s license in a pocket.

9. Carry pepper spray: Having it is not enough. It must always be accessible. The moment you need it is not the time to figure out where it is or how it works. Mind the wind, or you will pepper spray yourself.

These are by no means all the safety precautions you must take to run safely in the dark. For one, make sure you trust your instincts always, so you don’t have to second-guess yourself when it is already too late. If something doesn’t feel right, get out of there immediately.

Anything else I forgot, or you would like to recommend to your fellow readers?

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Rebounding From a Bad Race

by Coach Adolfo Salgueiro | Nov 1, 2022 | Article, Reflection

By Coach Adolfo Salgueiro

Wouldn’t be impressive if we could PR in every race, of every distance, in every season? Sure, it would be remarkable. But it is not possible, so let’s accept it cannot be done and move on, focus on what we can actually achieve and go for it next time, hopefully when conditions are optimal.

A bad race is part of our running life. An inferior performance is inevitable even if in the best of circumstances. There will always be parameters we can’t control, such as weather, wardrobe malfunctions or health setbacks, among many others. So, what to do when we don’t have an ideal performance despite the arduous work, effort, sweat, money and emotion we have invested into a race? We evaluate and we move on.

Frustration after a bad race is normal and healthy (Photo Gideon Tanki, Pexels)

Imagine if Eliud Kipchoge had given up after finishing 26 seconds late on the Breaking2 Project back in May 2017? After all the hoopla and the money invested by Nike, he failed in completing the task. He would have missed out on the success of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, where he ran 1:59:40 in Vienna in October 2019. Had he not moved on, he wouldn’t have set up marathon world records in Berlin in 2018 and 2022, cementing his position as the greatest marathon runner of all time.

As the fall racing season gets into gear, be prepared. So, when it is our turn to fail, either miserably or just by running short of our time goal, you’ll know what to do. Invest in finding the courage, the drive and the motivation to continue pursuing your physical limits. You do so by:

Accepting it is normal to be frustrated: You worked hard for a goal, and you did not get it. That is infuriating. So, be frustrated, sure, but don’t bottle up your emotions. Not setting up a PR, having to walk part of the course or not getting onto the podium are all valid reasons to be upset, but not to feel like a miserable loser. Most likely this race was not the payday you needed to keep your family afloat. So, keep the perspective. Let the misery through your system and move on.

Debrief the race: Just after finishing a bad race, when you are hanging out with your friends at the finish line, may not be the best time to recreate the race and figure out what went wrong. Give it some time for all the memories to settle in and your body to recover. Then, do some introspection, talking it over with you coach or running buddies to see if you can pinpoint the issues that lead to the failure.

This is not your last race: There are 5K races every weekend, half marathons throughout the year and there are not many towns and cities these days that don’t have a marathon. So, fortified with what you learned in your debacle, set your sight on a race to redeem yourself, train hard and apply the lessons learned. Sounds promising already.

No need to think this is the end of your running career. You can redeem yourself on the next race (Photo: Cottonbro, Pexels)

Ask yourself the tough questions: Figure out what the main reason why you did not perform as expected. Asking the right questions should lead you to the answer you need. Did you bonk because you did not consume enough calories? Did you get dehydrated? Did you start too fast? Did you start too slow? Did you start too far back and had to weave around slower runners? Were you overdressed or underdressed for the weather? Did your experience stomach issues? Did you party last night? Did you eat and/or sleep properly the night before?

Learn a lesson: What you get when you did not obtain what you were looking for originally, is experience. Success doesn’t come just from achieving your goal every single time. It come from showing up, working hard, doing your best and failing. Sometimes, learning from a failure may be more beneficial to your future running self than completing one goal, one race.

Register for your redemption race, ASAP: Identify the race where you are planning to redeem yourself. Register for it and start working on it right away. The sooner you register, the faster you’ll apply everything you just learned.

Bad races are inevitable. Rebounding from them is mandatory.

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