Juliana Moves

Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a relaxing day with glorious fall weather. I sure am. We slept in a bit, and then headed to our local park to get some trail miles in. I was a bit fatigued from my tempo run yesterday so I took it easy, enjoyed the changing leaves, and listened to one of my favorite podcasts.

Afterwards, I was unpacking my big bag of running gear and couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer amount of stuff and processes I have in place for a successful trail run. Look, I am no pro, I am solidly back to middle of the pack at best, BUT I have been consistently running for 12+ years now and ultrarunning for the last 5+ so I think I’ve learned a thing or two.

Here are my five tips for success… with varying levels of seriousness 😉 

Recover, recover, recover. 

Before, during, and after every run, I make sure to eat and drink enough to support my recovery and my next run. This took me a while to figure out because I assumed the most important part of training was the run itself. Yes, but also no! You’re going to struggle to adapt to your training if you’re not taking good care of yourself. I learned about the concept of a Shower Shake from Featherstone Nutrition, and now I have one prepped in my gear bag for nearly every longish run. Mine is a slight variation of her recipe, but it works for me!

I like to do one scoop of the Skratch Recovery Mix, one scoop of protein powder, one scoop of collagen, and a scoop of creatine.

Keep your running gear organized.

For the most part, I’ve got this nailed. I have my gear bag that I haul around any time I am not starting a run from the house. I keep lots of important stuff in it that I use for just about every run! Squirrel’s Nut Butter, sunglasses, and extra nutrition. In the house, I usually know where my headlamp, headphones, and necessary chargers are. Every once in a while Patrick gets the urge to organize and then I am at a loss, but everything turns up!

All my running clothes are kept in a different section of my dresser and closet so that they are easily found, and the stink is kept separate.

My running shoes? Well, that could use some work. Hey, at least I have them roughly piled up in the same place!

Clean your gear ASAP.

Let me say right off the bat that I only wash my vest once every few months. Yes, that’s gross. And, yes, it smells, but I wear it 4-5 times a week so I never have time to let it dry! I did get an Osprey speed vest, which is lightweight and carries smaller bottles, so I wear that during the week on shorter runs. I washed my vest recently, though, and soaked it for a long time. It was… not cute.

Okay, of all of the tips I am giving you, this one is by far the most pro and I think I learned it from the badass that is Callie Vinson. If you carry flasks when you run, you need to be washing them after every single use and you need to wash them pretty much ASAP. 

If you’re thinking, all I have in them is water, this doesn’t apply to me, then I am here to tell you you are WRONG! Before I started using drink mix, I assumed my bottles were clean. But, you’re also eating sugary things as you run and then touching your mouth to the bottles, and you will get nasty, moldy mouthpieces! Patrick and Erica used to call me ‘mold mouth’ because this happened to me a lot 😦 and nothing is worse than being about to start your run and suddenly realizing how nasty your bottles are. 

Callie, or whoever I learned this from, posted about using denture cleaner to clean the mouthpieces for your bottles and it was a game changer. First, a box of 100 tablets costs like $3. Second, it takes the annoying work of cleaning these slippery jerks out of your hands! We keep a cup by the sink and put the rinsed (so that they don’t get gross in the interim) nozzles in there. Once there’s a critical mass, we fill the cup with water, add the denture cleaner, and let it sit. Then, just rinse them all off and let them dry completely Voila!

Plan ahead.

It’s always important to know where you are running before you head out, especially on trail. Make a route, maybe share your plan with a friend or family member, consider potential water options (if it’s summer or you’re going really long), pack enough food, and get out there!

I love making routes. I love that I know my exact(ish) distance, what type of elevation change to expect, and bailout options if I need them. Getting comfortable using a routing software, whether its Garmin or Strava, may also allow you to explore more!

My personal favorite part of making routes? Giving them unhinged names. See below.

And lastly, have fun!

What is the point of anything if you’re not enjoying yourself? Yes, there is time for hard work and brick stacking and just getting it done. Trust me, I know that! But if you’re constantly comparing yourself to others, or worried about how you look, or wondering if you’re experienced enough to be out there? Then you’re missing the point. 

To me, running is about celebrating life and enjoying nature. It’s a form of play. Let it be that! You can be serious at work. Or you can read a newspaper or something. But let your run be a frolic. It’ll change your life.

Love,

JN