How to balance your training. From finding time as a parent to progressing to minimalist shoes, running expert Amanda Loudin shares her expertise.

Jeff Gaudette:                         Hi Amanda. Welcome to the show. I appreciate taking your time on your day to let us interview you and get to learn from you.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Thanks for inviting me. I’m excited to be here also.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Great!. To get started, I want to give our audience a brief introduction into who you are, some of your running history, what your goals are now. What motivates you, those types of things. So, let’s talk a little bit about some of your goals now, what you’re working towards and what you are doing as a runner now.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Sure. Well, this has kind of been a – I don’t know if I want to call it a transition year for me. But I’ve been running for about 15 years now. And I actually started in triathlon. And through triathlon, after several years, I discovered that running was more my passion…

 

Amanda Loudin:                    …and I started focusing on that. The issue, for the past year or so, I came up with some injuries and  started reading about minimalism, buying into it. So, I’ve worked really hard over the past year to completely change my form, change my shoes, the whole pack.
Amanda Loudin:                    So, that’s been my big focus more than anything. And I’m hoping to pass off the year with Capri International Marathon in December. And, hopefully PR there. Hopefully, it’s all going to come together for me by then.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Yeah. So, when did you start that transition into the minimalist movement?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    It’s been about a year and a half, two years now.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         O.K. So it’s been a pretty long process?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    It’s been a long process. And I think it has to be. I started out a little bit too much, too soon. I got injured, like many people do. I had to kind of back up and start over again. Definitely, it takes patience and it’s taken a lot of time. But I’m really thrilled with where I am now with it.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep going into that a little bit.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Sure.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, what sparked you to first try the minimalist movement? Did you have an injury that you couldn’t shake or is it something you wanted to try? Or –

 

Amanda Loudin:                    No. It was definitely the injury that I could not shake. I had an ITB injury that was just getting progressively worse, even after I stopped running. It was just a horrible injury. So, I actually went down to Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to Marco Godello’s store. He was having a big panel on minimalism and I sat in on it. And it was one of those ‘ah ha’ moments where I just said, ‘You know, this is the way I got to go and try.’ So, I started talking with him throughout orthotics that I’d been wearing throughout the stability shoes, and started incorporating some barefoot training into my regimen.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, now did you start with some strides and slow running and still doing some other running in regular shoes or, because of your injury, did you just pretty much have to do all barefoot running or  minimalist running?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    No. I started with just a little bit of barefoot at the front end of my runs. And, again, I did too much of that. You know, there’s a reason for doing it first, the bare foot before you put your shoes back on. And that is, you’re not going to be ill striking in your bare feet. You’re going to learn how to do it properly and then, the thinking is then, you put your shoes back on and hopefully that form is going to carry over when you’re back in your shoes.

Amanda Loudin:                    So, that was my path to get in there. And I still believe to this day that my form changed from the pure barefoot running. 

Jeff Gaudette:                         O.K. So, you’ve been doing that for a few years now. How much of your current training do you do in minimalist-type shoes or bare foot?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    100% of my training now is in a minimal shoe. And I do still throw in some barefoot miles here and there at the beginning of some runs.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Awesome. Then you’re pretty much healthy for the most part?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Absolutely. I’m going to sound like a zealot but it’s worked really well for me and I’ve never been more ache and pain free. I used to have the tight hamstrings perpetually, you know, tight, sore muscles. That kind of stuff. It’s gone. I think it was worthwhile.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Definitely. Obviously, it probably takes a lot of work and it’s probably a frustrating process. But, obviously, it’s paid off. Because, being able to run injury free, it’s a huge thing not only long term but just for you mental health. You’re like, ‘Yes! I can do it.’

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Absolutely. My whole family is out here

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Awesome. So, continuing with what you’re working towards. What actually motivates you these days in terms of – you said you’d been a runner for a long time and accomplished a lot. What motivates you to get out the door early to slob up those miles when it’s 100 degrees? What’s that internal motivation for you?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    You know, there’s no big secret other than the fact that I honestly just love it. And, there are very few runs that I dread, honestly. And even when one – if there’s a day when I just don’t feel like it, I know that, once I’m out the door, I’m going to be happier than I got out the door. And now that I have a goal that I want to achieve and I’m not going to get there if I’m not going to be dedicated to the cause. So, I guess that’s what does it for me.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Here’s the big question if you don’t mind answering. What is your goal for CIM?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I’m 46 now and I’m running out of time to PR. So, anyhow, I just want to go and settle at 330. I’m sitting at 332 right now. I think that’s pretty reasonable. We’ll see. We’ll see what happens.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         There’s some runners that are kind of scared to put their goal out there, especially in such a public forum but it’s good that you are. Moving forward, one  the big reasons that we wanted to have you on the show today is you’re fairly famous for your blog. Can you say the address so that the transcribers can get it right?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Sure, I’d be happy to. It’s misszippy1.com

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         M.I.S.S.Z.I.P.P.Y., the number1.com. We’ll throw up a link at the bottom so people can check it out. It’s a great blog if anybody hasn’t seen it yet. It’s a good blend of what you’re going through personally in your training along with some of your thoughts on training in general. I enjoyed reading because it’s a good read, just seeing what someone else is doing, and also learning bits and pieces here and there.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Right. Thank you. I appreciate that coming from you.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Anyway, one of the reasons we wanted to have you here is, so far we’ve had a lot of elite runners, people that are training professionally, who do this full time which is a fantastic thing. When most of your day is surrounded by ‘When am I going to get my two runs in for the day,’  and ‘How am I going to sleep and nap and do all the massages. You’re somebody that running isn’t the only thing that they do in their life. So, I wanted to get an idea of how you bounce things with the family and everything else that you have going on. So, I guess, my next question may be a little vague but, “How do you balance getting everything in training wise? Is it that you have a very strict schedule? You’re pretty flexible? What works for you?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    You know, it’s kind of a little bit of both. I am fairly loose in terms of my training.  I got to lay out   a four-month marathon training plan for myself. And I’ll sit down with a calendar and mark out my long runs going backwards so I make sure that I’m where I need to be. On a week-to-week basis, I know what my kids’ schedule is going to be. I know what kind of workouts I want to get in.  And I guess I start mentally preparing for the week and say, ‘O.K. This is what I’m going to do here and there’. And then it can happen. That might involve getting up very early in the morning Sometimes, if I’m car pooling and driving the kids somewhere in the evening, drop them off at their – my son swims for instance, drop him off at his pool and jump in the pool myself get in and swim or run or whatever it might be. I do think scheduling is key. I do. But, at the same time, you can’t be a slave to your schedule. You have to be a little bit flexible.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, how do things like that work when you have a run schedule, like maybe an important work out  you really wanted to hit and then something unexpected comes up. How do you deal with that? Obviously, from an actual schedule perspective but more mentally. How do gear yourself down for that? Because, obviously, it’s disappointing when you miss a work out than you can’t have? How do you gear yourself back up and not get so frustrated that you lose momentum?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Right. First off, I think if you don’t get it done first thing in the morning, that’s much less likely to happen, that scenario. But, when it does happen, say my husband he has to go travel and we weren’t planning on that. You just have to be able to shuffle things around, figure out where else you can fit something else in. And not beat yourself up. You know, if you’re consistent 90-95 percent of the time, you’re going to be O.K. So, missing one here or there isn’t the end of the world. But, again, a little bit of creative planning and creative reshuffling. And figure out where you can, if for instance you were going to do a track  workout and now you can’t, find another day in the week where you might be able to sneak it in. Or find a way to incorporate some speed work in. Having a treadmill at home helps. I hate the treadmill. But, on a rare occasion, it’s what has to be done to get it in.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Sometimes you just have to do the dreaded hamster wheel.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Exactly.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, you do most of your bigger workouts and more important work outs in the morning. That’s how you keep a tight schedule?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Absolutely. And I have a great group of running partners and we meet regularly, three times a week. Our longs runs are speed work and then one another run, in between, that we all do together. And we meet anywhere from 5.15 to 5.45 am. for those workouts.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         It’s probably nice to have that accountability to get you out the door sometimes on those closer winter mornings or really swampy summer days

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Definitely. Definitely.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I think you brought up a good point there when you talked about that you don’t have to get in 100% of the workouts. So, if you’re looking at, for example, a form of marathon training block, if you miss one or two work outs here and there, it’s not the end of the world. In your experience, that’s been O.K. for you in terms of having to shuffle things around and still having success on race day in terms of missing one or two of those days?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Absolutely. I definitely think that’s very true. Maybe sometimes it ends up benefiting us. More often than not, you’re going to in over trained versus under trained. And I think being slightly under trained is maybe going to deliver you to the finish line healthier, happier. I think it’s O.K. I think it’s O.K.  Again, it comes back to consistency. If you’re consistent month after month, you’re going to be O.K.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Now, it’s a great point. We actually had a previous guest on who had a good quote and I think you’ll appreciate it. It was, ‘It’s better to go into a race 100% healthy and 90 percent fit than it is to go in 100% fit and 80 percent healthy. And I think that’s a great point in terms of – you know, sometimes missing one or two work outs, it really gets you more rested and ready to go for the next time.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Absolutely. I think that’s very true. I like that.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Here’s a question that I have for you that stems from – you know, I work with lot of runners who are parents and mothers and really trying to balance that, wanting to be good parents but also really wanting to achieve their goals.  Do you ever find that there’s a stress for you to find that balance where, I’m not sure if this is the best way to say it, but you may be neglecting the parental side to get in your mileage or training and that kind of stuff. And if so, how do you deal with that?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    You know, the only time that I would say that I feel a little bit of that guilt is, sometimes on a Saturday morning, for instance, if I’m not getting in a very long run. One of my kids maybe has a game that is going to conflict with that time. Honestly, I’m going to go with the long run still. My husband’s there, I’m still there with them the majority of the time. And I work from home so I’m here with them the majority of the time. I miss a game here or there. It’s O.K. And I’ve never had a complaint from my kids. So, you have a little bit of that guilt. But I think, in the end, I’m giving them a good example of being dedicated to something, and showing them how to work hard for something, and showing them a healthy lifestyle. I think those things are all important as well. So, I guess that’s my take on it.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I think that’s a god point. I think the best thing too that I think you brought up was showing them a healthy example of what it’s like to be dedicated towards a goal. And I’ve seen most of your family. It’s pretty healthy and supports you in your endeavors in terms of trying to accomplish your goals running wise, trap-run wise, that kind of stuff.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Absolutely, absolutely. My husband is fit and active and our kids are both involved in all kinds of things. My daughter, she’s only seven, but this year she’s gotten into the junior running club, a portion of my running club. So, yes it’s a very active family. Even when we go on vacations, we’re always doing something active. Hiking, whatever it might be, together as a family. So, I like that. It’s pretty cool.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Now, you said your daughter is getting into running. Is your son older?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    He’s older. He’s 11. And he’s done several 5Ks and triathlons and other things over the years. But his love is probably more lacrosse and swimming. And I’m never going to push it. I want them to love running. And if they want to develop other things, that’s great. As long as they’re healthy, that’s all that matters.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Yeah. I remember reading a post on your blog about you and your daughter doing a cross-country race together. It seemed like it was a pretty funny story. So, if you don’t mind, could you retell it or –

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah. That one was not such a fine event. She had done three 5Ks prior to that in spring. And just done a fabulous job. She ran the whole time, we had a good time together. This particular 5K, it was a  Friday night. It was one of the first hot night we had. We just had dinner. We got there. We started out. Within a couple of minutes, it was very clear that this was not going to be her night. We had cramps and we were very quickly in last place and she hated that. And she started walking. At one point she threw herself down on the ground in the middle of the field. And then, to top it all off, we got lost on the course. So, we’re out there in the middle of nowhere and we finally came in close to the chute and we were coming in backwards. We knew we were coming in from the wrong end. And the race steward looked at us and said, ‘Why, you’ve got another lap to do.’ She did not have another lap to do. So, he let us coming in behind the last person, and that was the end of that. So, that was not our best race experience together. I’m happy to say she’s gone out and done a couple of others since then and things have gone O.K. You know, with kids you don’t know what you’re going to get. And all you can do is encourage and walk them through it.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I thought that was a great story when I read it. I thought people that watch the show and the readers of our blog would really appreciate that. Because I’m sure they’ve had similar experiences. Along those lines, actually, a question that I get a lot and that I see a lot is: ‘How do I introduce my kids into running? Especially, I guess a lot of the questions are ‘How do I introduce them? What do you judge appropriate. What’s you thought on that in terms of what age kids should start running? How should you introduce them into the sport?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Right. First of all, I think probably every kid is going to be a little bit different in terms of what they can and can’t do, what they want to do. But we started – we are very fortunate, we’ve got a neighborhood nearby where in the Summer they do a family fun run every Tuesday night. And it’s a one-mile course. And that’s how we started to get our kids into, just taking them out there. My daughter was probably three when she was first doing it. But not necessarily running the whole thing. Walking whatever. We would just encourage them along. And whenever we’d see a 5K when they started getting around – my son probably did his first 5K [inaudible 16:37] with my daughter. Talk to the about it. Keep them interested and do a little bit of training when they can. So, if you can get there and do it comfortably and enjoy it. But a cross country coach they know here in town who has been coaching forever, his philosophy with kids is that you want to have them doing no more mileage than the grade they’re in. So, for instance, if they’re in fifth grade, no more than fives miles.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         That’s per day or per week?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Well, in a race.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         O.K. In a race, O.K.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    So, I’m sticking to that. Again, both my kids are doing 5Ks in first grade and I think those kids can handle a 5K around that age. Like everything you just have to be careful, you don’t want to push. And make it fun. If you can design a one-mile loop in your neighborhood and get them to try it. Sometimes, what I’ll do is I’ll, on a Sunday if I’m going out for an easier run, take my daughter along for the first mile or so. And I drop her off and go off and finish my run.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I’m sure that helps and especially – I don’t have kids myself but I can imagine that when you have young kids, they’re always wanting to do what you do. So, I can imagine that they were pretty interested in running. If not for the physical aspect of it right away, because not all kids like to run, at least from the idea of ‘What’s Mummy doing every day?’

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I want to try that.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Oh. Thanks for sharing that thought. I think the rule with the no further than their grade. I think it’s a great rule of thumb just to initially get your kids going and seeing how they adapt to that kind of stuff.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah, definitely. I agree.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, kind of moving forward into more training aspect of things, How do you approach your training and map up your work out cycle. You said that you start working backwards from your long runs. For you it seems to be the more important aspect of things. And then, are there any specific workouts other than the long runs that you love to plan, whether they be a certain amount of time out, or that you want to get a certain number of runs in, distance long run wise or some type of work outs?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Sure, I would say just on a year-round basis. I never go below about 40 miles a week. That’s kind of my base mileage I would say. And a long run around 14 miles each week. From there, I like to make sure I’m getting at least one good speed session a week. And I usually do it on a Tuesday with my long run on a Saturday. And, with the nature of the speed sessions, it’s going to change from week to week and, depending where I am in the year. Right now in the summer, I’m doing some shorter races and the triathlon and things like that. So, I’m focusing a little bit more on the shorter intervals and things like that. Throwing in a little bit of tempo work here or there, not doing more than three miles worth on the track. And then, as I shift into fall and work out for some marathon training, I’ll probably be doing more tempo runs or more longer intervals on the track, more things like mile repeat and more focus on marathon pace. Getting in some progressive runs, some marathon-paced run, things like that. And I like to have one mid-week run that’s a little bit longer too. So, if my long run on the weekend is 16 miles, I want to make sure that I’m getting a mid-week run of 8 to 10 miles. Something like that. So that my long run is going to be too big a chunk of your overall mileage in one week.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         How has your speed work changed as you’ve gotten older? Obviously, you had to slow down a little bit, but have there been any changes that you’ve made in terms of your mental approach? It sounds like you’ve been training healthy for a while. But has there been anything that’s cropped up because of the speed work, things like that?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    You know, I would say one definite thing that I used to do was – I used to get and race on the weekend and by Tuesday I’d be back doing a speed session. I don’t do that any more. I’m racing the Saturday and Tuesday I’m not doing speed work. I’m just going to run easy on. It just takes my body longer to recover. And so, that’s definitely changed. Definitely, I think I’m slower the shorter intervals these days. I think a little bit of that fast turnover-type thing. It’s a little bit – it’s not there as much as it used to be. It’s maybe something I need to work on more. It is more of a weakness these days.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         That’s interesting to hear. I think that old runners have that natural slow down and some of them don’t want to either admit it or think they may be the only ones that it’s happening to. Sometimes it’s just good to confirm that they’re not the only ones and it’s something you’re going to have to work through.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    You do. You do. And you have to adjust for it and the old adage of listening to your body. But pay attention to it [inaudible 21:40]. Two days a week on speed, drop back to one. And I don’t think you’re going to lose all that much. Whatever it takes, just stay healthy and stay out there. [inaudible 21:53].

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, another question. If I remember reading from your blog, you were always a runner, or I should say, an automatic kind of person. What led you becoming, transitioning into somebody who is so dedicated about running and fitness and has this reserve. A turning point, was it a gradual shift or -?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    No, I think that actually it was always there and I didn’t know it. I grew up in rural Ohio at a time when girls really didn’t do much. You could be a cheerleader and not much else. So, I think I missed out on that. I wasn’t exposed to it. After college, I became a gym rat and then I got into inline speeding and discovered there was actually some light state races at the time. Doing that and that led to the fight and that led to the triathlon. So, it’s just like this gradual discovery process I guess. And, as far as being dedicated to it, I think that’s just my personality whatever I’m going to do I’m going to do right. I don’t like to do something half way.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         That’s a good attitude. One of the things that I always enjoy about reading your blog is that you’re very motivational in terms of posing questions about – I don’t know how to best phrase it – but in terms of staying motivated, what keeps you motivated. So, along those lines, what kind of advice do you have for runners that are just starting out themselves? Maybe either really just deciding to take that next step or become a runner or maybe sign up for the first race? Although they’ve already kind of made that step and are trying to get to that next level.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I guess my advice would be take it slow, learn to like running. A lot of people these days that I see, and I don’t know if it’s people with mid-life crises, if it’s the new way to do it or what,but a lot of people just go out and say ‘I’m going to run a marathon.’ They go out and go gangbusters or they might get hurt or they might get burnt out very quickly or whatever else. I think take your time with it, gradually build up, learn to like running for running not for crossing that finish line. I understand why a race has got to be motivational. That’s all great. Work towards that. But take your time, stick with it and don’t push yourself. When you’re starting up, just worry about becoming a runner and getting the miles in, not so much about your pace. Let your pace go right now. The first six months to a year just focus on the morning to do it and enjoy it and take it all in without any kind of a stress.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I think this is a great point in relation to pace and also the race. But one of the things that I find most often when I work with beginner runners is they just assume that everybody runs so much faster than they do. I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed that as well? And I always tell people ‘You know, based on this and this, you’re probably running about at 10, 11 minute mile an hour, somewhere around that range. And they say ‘Oh my God, that’s so slow!’. And I think, not really. If you look at the average finishing time of every major marathon, it’s usually in that 10-, 11-, 12-minute range. So, you’re pretty much running average. I think once they understand that, they don’t have to run as hard as they can every day. You’re right, they start to fall in love with running. And it becomes less of a ‘This really sucks’ to a ‘This is actually quite enjoyable.’

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I find actually that – I worked with [inaudible] who she tried running many times in the past. It just never worked out for her. So, I went out with her on her very first run to make sure she was fine. And, again, she’s got her to relax, take it nice and easy. And show her that it’s fine and O.K. to be going at a comfortable pace. She now and she loves it and she’s just had her first marathon. It’s been great to watch her develop.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Yeah, that’s fun. And, I guess along the same lines, I think you had a recent post – I think it was something along the lines of ditching your garmin. Something along those lines. And I liked that one a lot because it’s something that – I grew up without that technology running and it wasn’t even until I was out of college that that stuff came around and I still don’t use it today. I wonder how I trained and did all that kind of stuff without a garmin watch. And when I tell people these days that, sometimes, they can become a weakness and a crutch. Have you found – how do you work with athletes who feel like they’re so dependent on their garmin. How do you convince them that they need to throw it away once in a while?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I definitely have some people who are just so – they cannot make a move without their garmin. My first effort is to take a shorter, easy recovery run where they might have in their schedule and say ‘All right, why don’t you go without your garmin on this one?’ Just stop. There’s no point in keeping track of your pace on this one. The point is to recover and not worry about your pace. That’s how I ease them into it.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I figure they fight you.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    And I often hear back words ‘That was pretty cool. I enjoyed that run.’ Because they’re not looking at their watch every five seconds to see where they are.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         That’s good. I like that idea. I think it’s something I may steal from you. It’s a great way to get people introduced to the fact that they just need to let it go every once in a while.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    They can survive.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Yeah, exactly. I guess along the same lines, if you were to look back, what might be the biggest mistake that you feel you made in either your training or you approach to running? If you could go back and change or tell yourself 10, 15 years ago, what would that be?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I think it’s going to go back to something I just said, being in a big rush to have the accomplishment, to kind of develop first. I did run my first marathon not that long after getting into running and you know what? It was a great experience. I had a very good first marathon. But then I came off a marathon, got back into training, got injured. I was overzealous. And, I think, looking back, I wish I would have known then that there’s plenty of time out there. You can take your time. You can develop as a runner. There’s no need to rush things.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I think that’s a great point and it’s something that I see a lot. I guess, as a follow up, did you have the trouble of where you’ve hit the first marathon you wanted to make too big of a jump and struggled in the training? I know that happens to a lot of runners where they run 3.45-4.00 hours for the first marathon and then they say ‘I want to qualify for Boston’. And they have to run 2:15 and they want to do it on their next one. Has it ever happened to you, maybe not to that extent, but to that point where you were trying to reach for too much too soon?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I was lucky in that I did qualify for Boston my first time out. But then, immediately, that’s what you get. I was on fire. I didn’t do this on my first run, I can take 20 minutes off of the next one. And I do think it was that over-anxious get right back at it, train even harder. And I do think that’s how I got injured. Typical working mistake.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Yes, that was. And it’s hard not to because you get excited. You rarely come down from that marathon high. You get excited and then, next thing you know, you’re injured and banged up. Did you also go through what I call the ‘injury cycle’, where you get hurt, then you’re rushing back from trying to get hurt so quickly that you end up just getting hurt again or palpitating and then something else gets in the way?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah. I would say that’s definitely what I went through when I went through that ITB injury. I had a succession of things. Yeah, I think that’s very typical. One injury can lead to the next. And you have to be so, so careful when you come back from injury. I think the biggest thing I learned is if you turn out from injury, do not have a full race out there a couple of months down the road. Give yourself time. Just come back and ease into it, build that pace up again. And then, start working on your speed and work towards the goal again.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         That’s a fantastic point. It’s so hard to do nowadays because races tail off so quickly. You need to sign up 2 years, 3 years in advance. It’s like, ‘Sign up for the Chicago Marathon 2016’ today. It closes. But you’re right. It’s very important because then, as I tell people, you end up training for that race instead of training by what your body’s telling you.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Absolutely.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         And then you’re right that gets a lot of athletes in trouble. It’s tough to do when you’re signed up a year in advance and something comes up

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah, yeah. It’s hard to let it go.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         It is. But in the long term, it always makes more sense because you end up – yeah, you missed that one race but at least you get to race some time down the line as opposed to continuing to be hurt.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Exactly, yeah.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, going back into the minimalist-type, I guess, transition, how do you advise runners to transition if there’s a – I know every runner if going to be different, but do you have a basic outline you generalize to people in terms of the transition?

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah. I would say the shoe, you want to go for something that’s not super radical. Don’t immediately go down like a zero drop shoe. That’s just going to be too much. But – not to promote one particular brand – but Brooks Pure line. They’ve got a nice line going out there.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Yeah, they do.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    And they’ve also got some cushion there, so you get that kind of mixture of traditional feel but less shoe. So, I think that’s a good shoe to work with. And I think it’s important to do some plain walking around in your bare feet as much as you can. I live with my bare feet and the shoes that I do put on my feet, other than running shoes at the beginning when I [inaudible 31:11] the Brooks shoes. But they are going to be a minimal shoe. I’m fortunate that I’ve got the right sole that allows me that. But push hard as you can on your bare feet walking around as much as you can. You’ve got to strengthen up those muscles that have been dormant for a long time. And try to do some things like barefoot jumping, I mean moving down the street in your bare feet. That’s going to really teach you to land nice and soft on your mid-foot. So, things like that that can strengthen your body, get your body more ready for it. Then throw on the minimal shoes and go out and run. But even when you’re transitioning into something like a four-millimeter drop, you need to mix it up with your traditional shoes at first. Do a couple of miles first in your minimalist shoe then put your traditional shoe back on. And just patience, patience, patience. It’s not an overnight transition. I do the majority of my runs in a zero drop now. But, once in a while, my feet will tell me they’re a little bit tender after a run. Then I throw back on an ordinary shoe, just to make up for that for a run.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         So, even now, you still have to go back just a little bit to – especially when you’re running so many miles, I imagine.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah, yeah. Definitely. It’s not for the impatient.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Runners are so used to being impatient. And in terms of the mileage that you recommend, is there any general advice in terms of how many – it’s a question that I get a lot. How many meters should they be running each week or each successive month?

 

With the barefoot?

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Yes, when they’re transitioning.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I don’t have a real raw hard and cut rule on that. Again, it’s going to be about listening to your body and see how you’re adjusting to begin with. I would say no more than five minutes at a time in your minimal shoes for the first couple of weeks. An then, try to a bit more. Maybe another – get up to 10, 15 minutes. You don’t want to be a month into it and out there running 3,4, 5 miles in your minimal shoes. Not even that, it’s much too soon for both most people. Unless you are someone who can – if you’re grown up bare foot and you’re used to get in your bare feet and you’ve got a strong pair of legs and feet. Otherwise, for most of us who have been in our shoes for a lifetime, we’re pretty weak down there and you need to get strong first.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         I think that’s a great number you threw out here because I think a lot of people think that, within three or four months, they should be able to run 4-5 miles barefoot, at least in a minimal shoe. And I agree, I think that’s probably a little too quick. It doesn’t sound quick but it’s good of you to confirm.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah, definitely.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         And one last question on that – this is a question I get asked. What’s your take on doing transitioning using either soft surfaces, like grass field, or running on harder surfaces? I’ve seen both arguments in terms of what’s the best way to make the transition.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    I’m all about the hard surfaces. One good reason is because in the grass you’re not going to see what you’re stepping on if you’re bare foot. But the hard surfaces, it allows you to feel that you’re lending lightly, better. It’s going to be a better teacher for you. A soft surface, it’s easier to get sloppy. It’s easier to land on your heel. Whereas if you’re on a hard surface, your body is going to tell you ‘Ouch’, that hurts. You need to lighten up a little bit.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         It’s a fair point. And I think that you’re right. Teaching your body that steal is very important.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because in the end, what you’re really after – everyone gets focused on the heel strike. Yeah, you’re probably looking at the heel strike, but more likely you’re looking to get your centre of gravity underneath you. Your legs are only for your centre of gravity and to land softly and not over-stride. You need that feedback.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         Great. That’s actually all the questions that we had today. I really want to thank you for coming on the show. I think what you shared with us was fantastic. Everything from how to adapt to training and newer stuff. It’s been fantastic. I really think everybody is going to enjoy it. And, again, everybody if you haven’t had the time to check out Amanda’s blog, it’s really fantastic. And, again, thank you for coming on the show.

 

Amanda Loudin:                    Thank you so much. I’ve really enjoyed it. And I’m quite flattered to be on here. I know the kind of people you have on here. So, thank you for including me.

 

Jeff Gaudette:                         You’re welcome. Thanks, Amanda.