. I've been running since I was 4 1/2, so I've experienced a lot of running over the years. By the age of 10 I was competing in everything from the 100M to 5K and a few field events. I did very well in the longer stuff and showed a lot of potential. I dreamed of competing in the Olympics. I had a 16:50 5K at the age of 11, so things looked good. I took a year off and got injured in the 7th grade. I had trouble with my knees for four years and took the easy road back. The speed that I am getting known for was what I fell back on in High School for the 100M, 200M, 400M and relays. In college I continued on with much of the same. At the end of my Freshman year at EWU I was introduced to triathlon. I started doing more distance training along with swimming and biking. I rediscovered what I loved about running.
For a few years I worked my way up the ranks, but never got serious. My goal was just to win the Iron Eagle triathlon at Eastern. I was capable of winning, but had a sequence of problems on race days. One year I had a great race and broke the record but came in second. I've always been known for giving it my all and being about the most competitive person on the planet. Trouble is that I never trained like I really wanted to compete and win on a larger stage. I wasn't committed enough and didn't shoot for the stars. One of the most important lessons I've learned in life is that facing the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again can change the very way you live.
One morning in '97 I woke up and I could barely walk. The doctors told me that I most likely had early degenerative disc disease and that I would never run again. Well, that wasn't acceptable to me. I laid in bed every day, stewing with regret and hating myself for wasting away my talent. I went to physical therapy and did my best every day to learn to walk well. Soon I was jogging and then running slowly again, but I gave it my all. I swam and biked all the time and set huge PRs in the swim and bike in the triathlon, leading the race until the run. From there I faded to third. The next year I was in the best shape of my life and won in course record! The year after that I tackled the Ironman in a race that was ruled by Murphy's Law. I finished about as slow as possible but was pleased having conquered the course when even the toughest athletes would have dropped out. That brings me to my running.
With no major triathlon to do after the Ironman, I decided to work on my running. I researched a lot of things and came up with a few things that seem totally obvious, but often not taken seriously or is overlooked. These things are: training, cross-training, nutrition, rest, attitude, commitment and no-compromising. I can expand on these thing I type below, but will be concise for now and explain more if you have questions.
Attitude: I am determined to find my potential. Given that it's something I don't know, I tell myself that I could be the best runner in the world. I have no limits and want to beat every runner in the world.
Commitment: I have a very detailed plan and can account for just about everything. I don't care if it rains, snows, hails, freezes, blows, etc. My goal is to do what I determine I should do and do it every day. No one ever became much of a champion being a fair weather runner. I've done an 18.3 mile training run in 40 degree temperature in a wind storm of 60 mph with gusts up to 90 mph!
No-compromise: There are days when I feel like doing something else or something lesser. Cutting short for any reason other than long-term wellness isn't acceptable to me. If I have an injury or illness I alter my workouts, not eliminate them. If I can't run, which I hope doesn't happen, I will do aqua jogging, biking, swimming or other training. If I sleep in and don't have time to run the distance I had planned because I have work or other engagements, then I call in and tell them I will be late (that hasn't happened yet, but it will if necessary). Cross-training: What does a triathlete do to cross-train? Good question. There are quite a few things and combinations. Yet unlike other years, I consider myself a runner and use triathlon training for cross-training. Running has become my priority sport.
Training: This can be pretty tricky because you have to know yourself pretty well. I've kept journals over the years, which helps, but isn't necessary. I've tapped all the resources: top athletes, friends, books, Internet, coaches, etc. What I came up with is that if you train smarter, not harder, you can train every day and improve more than someone who tries to tackle the toughest training runs or set a PR every time he/she runs. The optimum amount of improvement is both the third and fourth days of training each week. The improvement after that is less each day, but there is still improvement. Being serious about wanting to be better means that I have to do whatever I can to improve, regardless of how small the improvement. All the little things come together as I have noticed lately. Another gold mine I have discovered is a book called "Daniel's Running Formula" by Dr. Jack Daniels. I use a watch and recommend a heart rate monitor if you have the option.
I tried it all late last year for 50 consecutive days. The improvement was amazing. For some complicated reasons I stopped running in early November. I got it all taken care of and started training again on March 16th of this year. My first race was the rapid rabbit on March 18th. I ran 6:07.3 per mile. It was a good bench mark. My training runs were short and very easy in the beginning. It seems that most people run too hard. There are four types of training runs: easy (long, steady, easy, recovery), threshold (tempo, cruise), Interval (VO2 max intervals), and Race paced runs (reps, economy).
Between these types of training runs is gray area that most people end up running in. They don't stress the right systems and therefore don't achieve the desired results of the run. For example, an interval workout shouldn't exceed five minutes. I have friends who do mile repeats at interval pace which is around 5:25. That's too long for an interval workout, too slow and too far for a race paced run and too fast for a threshold run. It would be better to run 1200M intervals instead.
You need to have a specific goal for your workouts. If you don't, then you won't be stressing the system you want to improve. Having the right guide to your workouts can help you pick the right pace. In "Daniel's Running Formula" it's easy to find the right pace for any of the training runs. It also has a workout plans for everything from the mile to a marathon if you choose to follow it. I've been modifying the training program for the 5K to 15K in the book.
Training and nutrition go hand in hand, so if you aren't serious then eat what you want. Who cares what kind of condition you are in if you don't get the right fuels. I don't have it all figured out yet, but I know what I have been doing is working. I've been eating right and training smart. I have successfully run 95 days in a row now and feel better at the end of each week than I did when I ran 5 days a week in previous years. I started 95 days ago and ran at 100% effort in a 5 miler at 6:07.3 per mile. Now I can run a marathon at a faster pace. Running comfortably, I've crossed the 5 mile mark in a 12K, 10K and a half marathon all around 30 seconds a mile faster than I did early this year. Who knows what I could run a 5 miler in going all out. One thing I know is whatever it is would be slower than it would be next week, which is slower than it would be the week after that.
So now you know what I am doing... training seriously in every way that could benefit my performance. There are still some things that I need to do to improve, especially sleeping. My goal is to be a money winner next year in Bloomsday! There, I said it and can't back down now. It may sound ridiculous, but it's my goal. I need to drop 32 seconds a mile over my pace from this Bloomsday. I'm already down about 12 seconds and I still have 10.5 months. I'm grateful for what God has blessed me with and the simple fact that I am able to run. I will be a good witness and find the potential that God has locked inside me. There was a time years ago when I was a really good runner and I wasted it and almost lost it forever. If ever I have to lay in bed thinking I'll never be able to walk again, I won't regret what I didn't do because I'm a runner and I know that every day.
Michael "Afterburner" Bergquist
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