In this monthly article series, ultrarunner, race director, and coach Gabe Joyes answers reader questions about anything and everything running. Learn more about this ask-the-athlete column, and be sure to fill out the form below to submit your questions for a future article!
In this article, Gabe answers questions about the difference between fitter and faster, what injuries to take seriously, how to get your kids to love running, and more.
Gabe’s Tip of the Month
If your world looks anything like mine in January, running is remarkably different now than it is in July. Now is a great time to mix it up with speedy intervals on terrain with good footing (yes, even on a road — GASP!), lift something heavy in the gym, or perhaps best of all get on some skis. I know ski mountaineering is all the rage these days, but Nordic skiing is a time-tested and more approachable way to slide around on snow, plus it is mega fun. Winter running can be fun if you have the mojo for it, but there is no better time of year to mix things up than right now.
Better skiing conditions than running conditions. All photos courtesy of Gabe Joyes.
Fitter Not Faster
I know I’m fitter, but I don’t always feel faster. Why?! — Peter
“Fitter” is an elusive term that can mean different things to different people. Particularly for runners that have a speedy cross country, track, or marathon background, comparing your ultra speed to your peak speeds of yesteryear is a fool’s errand — of course, you are not in the top form you used to be! But that flat and fast runner (or other previous) version of you probably could not have wrapped their brain around the wild distances and terrain that the current version of you runs either.
When I was a freshman in college, I ran the fastest 40-meter dash of anyone on my college soccer team, and could squat some horrific number of plates in the gym. My hamstrings would likely explode if I did that now. Does that mean I am less fit? Of course not, I’ve just evolved into a different athlete, and I’m guessing that you have too!
Exhibit A: Jenny Joyes in her 400-meter prime on the track.
Exhibit B: Jenny Joyes in her 100-mile prime at the Cascade Crest 100 Mile.
When to Rest
How do you differentiate between niggles that are ok to push through from ones that need rest? -Alyssa
“Know thyself,” says Socrates, because we all do have different training histories and unique bodies. But, I definitely do not recommend tolerating pain in any major tendons like the Achilles, iliotibial band, or other critical connective tissue. When those hurt or feel hot and inflamed, they typically only get worse. If we know the cause of an acute injury, like you felt yourself “pull” a hamstring, that would also be a time to respect your body and cross-train instead of running.
Some niggles seem to come out of nowhere, like when a tight abductor muscle is tugging on your knee and causing a dull ache kind of thing, and those can be the type of pains that do go away as things loosen up. The trick here is being honest with yourself and avoiding delusion. Don’t kid yourself with thoughts like, That 20 miler didn’t quite loosen things up so I’d better run 30 miles tomorrow and see if that helps.
Sometimes it is worth pushing through the pain to accomplish a big goal though, particularly toward the end of a season. In autumn o2022, I still needed to get in a Hardrock 100 qualifier, but was struggling with months of managing plantar fasciitis. In the end, I went for it anyway at the IMTUF 100 Mile, ran the race at less than 100%, still had a great time, got my qualifier, and became very close with my physical therapist for the next couple of months. Worth it.
Being on the treatment table is not as fun as it looks.
Raising Active Kids
How did you teach your daughters to love running? — Mara
For context here, my daughters are in elementary and middle school, have grown up hiking and running in the mountains, and really don’t know life any other way. But, that doesn’t mean it all came completely natural to them either. When running with my kiddos, the top priority is to keep it fun, and what fun looks and feels like is an ever-moving target. Sometimes that means playing “hop rock” on every single rock on the trail, sometimes that means stopping to literally smell the flowers, and sometimes that means “high-fiving” baby trees when you zoom past. Snacks do make everything more fun, so a bag full of Peanut M&Ms in everyone’s pocket is good practice too.
The trick here is to constantly pay attention to what they need to have fun and thrive. The careful and calculated decision to gently push them out of their comfort zone is never based on your own goals or agenda, but only on helping them be their best or learn something new about themselves — and that push can never last very long.
Another tip is to have your kids help plan the adventure. Sometimes if we go on a run or a hike that is to just wander or has some element of uncertainty, that can be stressful for kids, because they don’t have the emotional resources to embrace the unknown in the same way that you or I might. Jennifer Pharr Davis brilliantly says, “Endurance isn’t the ability to overcome pain; it is the ability to embrace it with no end in sight.” When kids have no end in sight, that can be hard. But, when they know the waterfall is our turnaround point and we are going to eat Doritos before we head back, they can wrap their brains around that.
An essential snack break during a run on Togwotee Pass.
Cross Training
Anything new on cross-training? — Ben
Whether you are cross-training on skis, a bike, or anything else that is aerobic, the key here is to get the intensity balance right. I use Nordic skiing in the winter to substitute much of my low- to moderate-intensity running. I’m certainly not as graceful as a Norwegian on skis either, so sticking to recovery effort is good for the ego too: I would be skiing faster but I’m only on a recovery ski.
Pairing this low to moderate-intensity cross-training with higher-intensity running works out to be a sizzling hot combo for the winter. The fast and high-intensity running keeps your muscles and soft tissue primed and ready to go for bigger running days ahead, while also raising the roof on your high-end fitness. You will reap rewards in spring and summer races. Filling in the lower intensity volume in between with aerobic cross-training helps you further develop the engine without beating your body up. Win-win!
Kelly Halpin sliding uphill for some winter vert.
What Inspired You?
What inspired you to get into the wonderful sport of trail running and ultrarunning? — Tally
Before I ever thought of myself as a trail runner, I would have identified as a backpacker. Originally, I felt backpacking was the best way to get deep into wild and remote wilderness areas, which are the places that capture my imagination and are the most important places in the world to me. Even though backpacking is amazingly fun and something I still enjoy, in comparison to trail running it is remarkably slower, and the loads are heavy.
As my life began to have more obligations and less time, getting to these special places became more difficult, and the way to make these adventures happen was to move faster and more efficiently. Enter: trail running. Long runs on mountain trails allowed me to visit precious places while still being home for dinner, plus the snacks along the way are fantastic.
Still made it home for dinner.
Submit Your Questions
Send us your questions! Use the form below, or send us a message on Instagram, and we’ll consider your questions for future articles.
Call for Comments
- How did you like Gabe’s answers to this month’s questions?
- What else would you like to see covered in this column?
