Talking Training With Another Aerys Sports Half Marathoner

By: Sarah Tyson
September 4, 2011, 2:46 pm

As you may know by now, I’m training for a half marathon. I have eight weeks to go as of today. Ann Warner, the lead reporter for the St. Louis Blues and a contributor and editor for The Kitchen Sink and The Pulse, is also in training for a half marathon. She’ll be running 13.1 miles just a week before I do, so we thought it would be good to talk about our training.

Since you get to hear about my workouts and whatnot every week, this Sunday we’re all about Ann!

ST: Why did you decide to run a half marathon this fall?

AW: It all started with conversations on Twitter with a few friends of mine. Two of us decided we wanted to run a half together, and learned that the STL half marathon next April is about a week after her birthday. Two others jumped in, and since only one out of four of us had ever run a marathon, we all decided that we would run a half marathon this fall in our respective cities to essentially figure out if we could actually finish the race. In April, the two out-of-towners will fly into St Louis for that half marathon, where we’ll be training for time.

ST: Have you been a runner for a while? If so, how did you start?

AW: I started running mid-distances in middle school (400m/800m races) since I had to do some sort of sprints while focusing on hurdles. Since then, running and I have had an off and on relationship. I’ll go through phases where I run all the time, and other phases where I decide to not run at all. Right now I’m in a run all the time phase. I trained for a marathon in 2005 and ended up hurting my knee pretty badly (which kept me from actually running the race), but have finally gotten to a point where it’s healthy enough that it hasn’t kept me from any of my running.

ST: How far in advance did you start training? What does a typical training week look like?

AW: I started the running part of my training about 4 weeks ago, about 11 weeks before my race. I have been working out on a regular basis, so just added running to my schedule. Mondays and Fridays are off days. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I lift for an hour and run for 30-40 minutes, depending on the mileage recommended by this schedule. Wednesdays I do an hour of Turbokick plus 40-60 minutes of running. Sundays are long runs that increase by a mile every week up to race day. I’m at my seven mile run this week.

ST: Which half marathon are you running?

I’m running the Rock’n'Roll Half Marathon in St Louis on October 23.

Any particular reason that you chose that race?

It was close to home, right around the time I wanted to run a half marathon. And by that point, St Louis won’t be as stupidly muggy, so that’s good.

ST: Are you running with friends or going it alone?

I’ll be running with one other person, but am training with three.

Ann's best friends

ST: What shoes are you wearing for training? Have you always been loyal to that brand?

AW: I’m wearing Asics. I’ve gone through years and years, shoe brand after different shoe brand (Nike, New Balance, Saucony, Brooks), and once I put on my first pair of Asics, I knew they’d be my running shoe forever and ever. I love them.

ST: Have you noticed any “perks” from your training (like losing weight, toning up, more energy)?

AW: I have absolutely toned up. In one month of training, I lost an inch and a half off my waist, so I’d say that’s a pretty nice perk. Not to mention that I just all-around FEEL better.

ST: What’s your favorite thing about running?

AW: THAT feeling. The rush that comes to you after (or even during) a long run, where you feel like you could run forever, that nothing could ever stop you from reaching your goals.

ST: What’s your least favorite thing?

AW: Being hungry ALL. THE. DAMN. TIME. I mean, yay for higher metabolism, but sheesh, I could eat all day, every day and still be hungry it feels like.

ST: What ticks you off while you’re running?

AW: Having to stop at stop lights when I’m on a roll.

ST: Have you tried out any of the Gu’s or other energy supplements mid-run? Do you carry water with you when you run?

AW: No Gu’s. They gross me out. Granted, we’ll see if I can overcome that with the longer distance runs in my future. At this point, I don’t carry water because I haven’t needed it. Judging by my six mile run, this will have to change very soon.

ST: Lost any toenails yet? Experienced anything else that’s awful or sorta gross because of running long distance?

AW: No lost toenails, but the sweat-induced breakouts under where my sports bra lies is really annoying.

ST: What is your pre-run routine? What do you bring with you on a run?

AW: I bring an iPod shuffle and my watch. Pre-run routine involves making sure my shoes are laced JUST RIGHT, making sure the wires from my ear buds are held down so they’re not hitting me in the face. Sometimes that means wrapping the chord around my tank top, sticking the extra slack into my shirt, etc. I stretch my calves, quads, and hamstrings, take a few deep breaths, and I’m off.

ST: Do you have any quirks when it comes to running? I like to have minty breath before I run and hate it when I forget to put on chapstick!

AW: I have to put my left shoe on first. I know that sounds crazy, but I feel all off otherwise. And I’m another chapstick enthusiast.

ST: Name a few of your favorite songs from a workout playlist.

AW: Nelly – Never Let Em C U Sweat, Incubus – Anna Molly, Nelly Furtado – Maneater, Disturbed – Stupefy, Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco – Touch The Sky

ST: What part of your body hurts the most during or after a run? What do you do to combat the pain?

AW: Depends on the run, but usually my quads. I tend to stretch a lot that night and the next day, just working out whatever kinks I can, and then keep moving if I need to.

ST: Have you learned anything about yourself over the past few weeks since you’ve been training?

AW: I’ve learned that my mood is inextricably linked to how well my workout has gone. If I have a bad workout, it tends to put a damper on my mood. Conversely, if I’ve had a really bad day, there is absolutely nothing in the world that makes me happier than to just crush every muscle I have, work as hard as I can, and release all that frustration through my sweat.

ST: Will running be a lifelong habit for you or do you just want to get this race done and over with?

AW: As long as my knee holds out, I will run for as long as I possibly can. This will not be my last marathon.

ST: Do you run mostly outside or on a treadmill? If/when you use a treadmill, how to you keep from getting bored out of your mind?

AW: A combination of the two. I make sure that all of my long runs at least are outside so that I can make sure to not be completely unprepared on race day. My shorter runs I do on a treadmill since I’m at the gym those days anyway. I keep from getting bored by counting songs. If I can just space out and not really look at anything, I can focus on the songs, how my legs move compared to the beat of the music, and count my way down to the end of the run, counting how long it SHOULD take me to finish. I also absolutely refuse to look at the distance I’ve already run until I’m at least 3 miles in.