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Ken: Hello everybody, we’ve got Brad Anderson on the line and we’re really excited to interview him. He’s one of our first interviews for this year and we were trying to look for a story about a runner in Utah that would inspire you and motivate you as you look forward to 2012 and setting your goals and working toward those goals in 2012. We feel that Brad is a great story and it’s inspiring to us. We hope that you will be inspired as well. Brad, thanks for doing the interview with us.

Brad: Good to be here.

Ken: Maybe to start out, could you give the utahrunning.com community a bit of background about how you started with running, and maybe some of the highlights from your high school career?

Brad: My dad was a runner and really as long as I can remember I wanted to be a runner. I thought it was cool. We’d go to some of his races and I was just kind of faster than a lot of kids my age. I’m drawn to it.

My first race was either a quarter-mile or half-mile road race in Liberty, Utah. I won it and I was hooked from then on. Growing up, I was never pushed to train. I’d do some 5Ks here and there and kind of kept winning my age group. I thought that was cool.

Then when I got into high school a funny thing happened. All the other kids catch up to you but I was regional champ my freshman year and placed in state. I was a 2A runner. Working through that I won some more regional titles. Kind of a highlight for me was my first state title my junior year. It had been a goal for such a long time so I actually won my first state title. That was probably one of my biggest highlight because of the hard work and all my goals had paid off. That’s a brief rundown of my running career when I was younger.

Ken: Which event did you win the state title?

Brad: I won the half mile and the mile. My first was the mile. My second was two miles. I should have won that one too but you know how it goes.

Ken: You started out having some great experiences with running, some fun experiences in high school and won a couple of state titles it sounds like, mile and you were in an accident. Would you mind sharing about that experience with us?

Brad: I was coming into my senior year. Over the summer I’d gotten faster than I’d ever been. One of my main goals was to take state in cross country. My two previous seasons I was sick at state and didn’t finish very well. My goal was to take state. I was faster than ever and really excited.

About a week into school my senior year there was a football game. After it they had movies at the seminary building so I was hanging out there. Some people hit me up about going down to Ogden to a Taco Maker. I wasn’t going to go but a girl — girls in general had a hold on me, if you will. I go down and get me a taco, so I said sure. I went to get in one car but there wasn’t enough room to buckle so I got into a different car.

Next thing I remember I woke up in the hospital but essentially going down Weaver Canyon we overcorrected right by the power station. The car rolled and kind of rolled down the driveway there at the power station. They said my head hit the road at 75 miles an hour and also hit a pole.

Things weren’t that great. They didn’t think I would be alive for my parents to make it to the hospital. That first night I wasn’t supposed to live through the night. The next few days they didn’t think I was going to live after that. Who knows maybe a coma.

All the news my parents got was not good. I’d never be able to live on my own again, things like that. Then after a week or so in there things kind of turned around for me. Instead of nothing happening, things started to go in the right direction.

My injuries were traumatic brain injury, which there is no cure for a brain injury. You just deal with it and your brain will learn how to do things again. After a few weeks I woke up from the coma. All the muscle in my left side had lost its memory so I couldn’t talk, couldn’t eat, couldn’t walk, and couldn’t move my left arm at all.

At that time I was moved to the University of Utah where I had to learn to walk again. My biggest question every day to therapist was will I run again. They’d say we don’t know. At the time I didn’t realize how serious my injuries were. I remember first thinking I’ll be out in time for state cross country, I’ll take state. I was like I’ll take state and set state records in track.

As time went on I sort of learned that maybe I wasn’t going to be out in time because it was more serious. But my goal was to run again. The longer things went on the more I realized I might not run again. I was optimistic but I made up my mind that if I wasn’t going to run again it was not because of anything I did, like I didn’t work hard enough in physical therapy or didn’t try again. I was realistic about it. I knew the injuries I had but I decided I wanted to run again and was going to do anything I could to do it.

Ken: You were pretty determined. At what point did the doctors start to give you a bit of hope that the road back to running again was a possibility?

Brad: It was always we don’t know. Every day I’d ask my therapist and one day she said probably not. That was when it kind of sunk in to me that this is pretty bad. Other than the optimistic hope of you do what you can, but I never from my recollection never had “you know, you may run again.” In my medical records too, it was talking to the family that I needed to kind of understand that I may not run again.

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When changing to winter running there are a few changes that will allow you to continue training through the winter. Clothing makes a big difference. There are fabrics that will wick away moisture as you sweat and still retain your body heat. Cotton should be avoided in the winter. Once you start sweating with cotton as the sweat cools it will freeze and make you even colder. The new fabrics will retain the body heat even while wet.

Layering of clothing is important. You want to be able to take clothing off if necessary. Don’t over dress. For winter running you should be uncomfortable in the cold while standing. If you are not you are over dressed.

The head and hands, wrist area, are areas where body heat can be controlled. Having a stocking hat or ear band and gloves that you can take on and off to allow you to regulate your body temperature as you run is helpful. In very cold weather mittens work best for keeping your fingers warm.

Tights and full, three quarter, or half tights work best for allowing you to have normal leg movement and keeping the legs warm. I will have my athletes warm up in full tights and then remove layers to three quarter or half tights to run a hard workout or to race.

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The wonderful Utah spring thaw seems to have taken hold. With the mercury rising and your log boasting more miles, it is important to consider how you are fueling those miles. I am often asked how much a training athlete needs to eat in order to maintain health and boost performance. The answer, of course, depends on various factors including age, height, weight, gender, medical concerns, and training regimen; however, there are some key pointers for all training athletes to consider.

• Eat breakfast – whether you choose to eat before or after a run should depend on what you want to get out of that particular training session and what your body is telling you. If you head out the door first thing in the morning for an easy distance run (under an hour), you are safe to have some water and head out the door with breakfast planned upon your return. Should you have a more intense session planned for the morning (tempo run, long run, or interval training), your performance and energy level will benefit from a light breakfast prior to the workout. Experiment with various carbohydrate rich foods to find what works best for you. Choices may include sport drinks, toast, cereal with milk, yogurt, sport bars etc… Since this pre-run breakfast is likely a smaller meal, a recovery snack (or breakfast part II) is a post-workout MUST.
  • EXAMPLES:
    • Breakfast After light morning run: 1 ¼  c cooked oatmeal topped with almonds, banana, and blueberries. Enjoy with a cup of milk
    • Breakfast split around workout:
      • Before workout – 8oz Gatorade; slice of toast with peanut butter, banana & honey
      • Post workout – 1 ½ cups cereal with 1 cup milk, & fruit
      • Stay Hydrated – keeping yourself hydrated during the day will help you stay in better touch with your body’s signals (i.e., hunger, fatigue, thirst). Remember that your hydration status is not dependent only on water consumption. Milk, sport drinks, fruits, veggies, soups, coffee, tea, juice – all of these foods and beverages contribute to your hydration status. If your urine is light yellow and you are going several times per day, you are on the right track. Keep a water bottle with you and get into the habit of drinking with meals.
      • Hungry? Pay attention to what your body is telling you. It is easy to get busy and forget that your body actually sends messages to your brain about when to eat and when to stop eating. Snacks during the day can help curb hunger and the potential to overeat if you do get too hungry. Plan snacks to support workouts. If you workout in the afternoon, consider having a light lunch and a recovery snack after the workout. Then have dinner. If you eat before your run in the morning, maybe a light mid morning snack before lunch will help keep your hunger at bay.  No matter when you incorporate your snacks, be sure to include both carbohydrate and protein for maximum performance benefit AND better staying power (adding protein helps keep you full a bit longer, and carbohydrate will replenish the “tank” after a workout or provide fuel for an upcoming workout.)
        • SNCAK EXAMPLES:
          • Whole grain crackers or pretzels & string cheese
          • Apple or banana with peanut butter
          • Veggies with hummus
          • Sport bar
          • Yogurt with or without  1/4c granola
          • 1/3 c Nuts & dried fruit
          • toast with peanut butter/almond butter & honey
          • glass of chocolate milk (great post workout snack)
          • Packet of instant oatmeal
          • Granola
          • Fruit with string cheese
          • Recover! Remember to recover with a carbohydrate & protein rich snack within an hour (preferably within 30 minutes) after long runs and interval sessions. You will recover faster, experience less muscle soreness, and be ready to go sooner than if you wait. Check out the specific recovery article on UtahRunning.com.

So what does a typical runner’s eating plan look like? Keeping in mind that portion sizes will vary based on the considerations listed above, runners should eat breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon or post workout snack, dinner, and then possibly an evening snack based on hunger level, training volume, and goals. Here is an example of a 2600-calorie eating plan.

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It has been six weeks since I delivered our 2nd baby and with the okay from my doctor it is now time to start exercising again. But where to start? With the birth of our first baby I jumped right back into running as soon as possible. I was able to get back into shape fairly fast, but a couple months later I ended up with some lower back problems that put me out for months. My conclusion is that I came back too fast. While my cardiovascular system may have been ready to handle the pounding and the mileage, my core was not. I had not sufficiently strengthened my abs, hips, and back after giving birth. I am determined to do it right this time and although I’m not 100% sure I’ve got it all figured out I think I’ve got some good ideas to start from. Anywho, I thought I would share my “comeback” experience in hopes that it will benefit other mothers out there trying to find their legs again.

Checklist to get started:

1. Single/Double Jogger…check!
2. New Workout Shoes (not mandatory, but I want to know that I’ve eliminated shoes as the source of the problem if injuries pop up)…check!
4. Yoga DVD’s (I would recommend the Baron Baptiste Power Vinyasa Yoga)…check!
3. Training Plan…check!
4. Communication with husband on when workout time will take place :-) …check!

by Janae Richardson – Runner | Coach

“As a runner how do I deal with injury and the frustration of not being able to participate in the sport that is so much a part of my everyday life?”

Most likely at some point in our running careers each of us will be faced with a running injury and possibly be asking ourselves the same question. Whether it be a major or minor injury, if it affects our running routine it can be frustrating. Why is this when most of the world would be delighted to have an excuse not to run? Runners are a different breed.

Over time, running becomes not only what we do, but it is how we identify ourselves. Running can become so much a part of who we are that when this aspect of our lives is taken away from us we are left feeling lost (I know, I know—pathetic, but true). Our focus, our drive, and our motivation become fuzzy. Now we all know it is not the end of the world to take a break from running (we do have lives outside of running…don’t we?), but when we are the one on the “injured list” life can seem kind of bleak.

I started running in junior high and I continued to run all through high school. After high school I competed for four years on the track and cross country team at Weber State University. Interestingly enough, throughout my junior high, high school, and college career I can’t remember having an injury that ever took me out for more than a week or two. It wasn’t until after giving birth to our first child in 2009 that I dealt with my first major injury. I had started running again, but I soon developed some lower back problems that halted my running pursuits for several months.

It wasn’t until the beginning of 2010 that I was feeling pain free and at a point where I could start building up my mileage again. After only a couple of months of training, I was encouraged by how good I was feeling.

So, in April 2010 I decided to run the Salt Lake Half Marathon just to see where I was at. I hadn’t raced in a long time and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I surprised myself when I finished in third place (out of the women) and ran my best half marathon time of 1:21:50. I was still a long way off from where I wanted to be, but it gave me confidence and I began considering pursuing one of my “big” running goals again—qualifying for the Olympic Marathon Trials. My plan was to continue training hard through the summer of 2010 and then look to run a fast marathon in the fall.

Things seemed to be falling into place when I found out the Salt Lake Half Marathon time qualified me to participate in the Chicago Marathon (a great fall marathon to run a fast time) under the elite development program. I set out training with my new goal in mind, but about a month after the Salt Lake Half, I started having problems with my right foot. At first I tried to run through it, but eventually I realized I needed to take time off or it was never going to heal. Any training at this point was just counterproductive. Well, days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and I ended up taking 5 months off from running. It was a very frustrating time in my running career, but I did learn a lot from the experience.

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UtahRunning.com:       Hello everyone this is UtahRunning.com Richardson with utahrunning.com.  And thanks for listening in.  We think you’ll enjoy today’s interview and we’re looking forward to helping you get to know Paul Peterson a little bit better.  Over the past few years, Paul has consistently been one of the most successful marathoners in Utah.  He lives and trains near Logan but he recently traveled to Boston where he was the third fastest American and ran a great time of 2:17.  Paul, thanks for joining us today.

Paul:                My pleasure, thank you.

UtahRunning.com:       We really appreciate you sharing with us some of your thoughts.  I’d like to maybe just start with your background.  Could you just tell me a bit about your background, and some of your experiences with running?

Paul:                Yeah, I think I started competing in sixth grade.  I took up track for something to go along with soccer, like many of us did.  And I got into middle distance, then distance since I seemed a little bit better at that. And I did it all through junior high and on into high school. Then I started running cross country as well in junior and high school.  This was back in Indiana where I grew up.

At the high school level I was a good runner, but not spectacular.  I ran 2:06 for 800, about 4:40, 4:41 for the 1600, about 10:15 for the two mile and  around 16:20 for the 5K, solid times, but my claim to fame is I’ve never qualified for a high school state meet.

I did go on to run in college at a Division III school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, called Calvin College.  I walked onto that team and was able to keep developing there.  I had really good coaching there, was coached by Ryan Beemer a three-time Olympian, and Olympic bronze medalist in the steeplechase in 1984.  The coaches there were really quite excellent and I had really good teammates.

I ran the fourth or fifth guy there for most of my time.  I developed into a sub-four minute 1500 meter runner, and went under 15 minutes and under 31 minutes for the 10K by a little bit.  I had a decent college career, was All-American once in cross country.  And probably my highlight in college was actually experiencing a national championship, team championship.  My senior year in cross country our team took the national meet, so that was probably the favorite part of my college running.

UtahRunning.com:       I’m sure that would be a highlight of the college career.

Paul:                Yeah, that’s probably what I miss most about college is the whole team aspect.  You get out of college and you compete running as an individual of course, with all these great races.  There’s a wonderful variety of different types of races; adventure races, relays, marathons, 5Ks.  If you can think of it, it’s probably a race.  But that team aspect is so fun and brings out the best in people  I think, which is probably why relay races are very popular.

UtahRunning.com:       You mentioned your development through high school and college.  I think for me, that team aspect is definitely part of the development.  I’m sure it’s probably been a little harder since you’ve graduated.  I’d like to hear more about your experience leading up to Boston and preparing for Boston, obviously doing a lot of training by yourself.  Tell me about your training in preparation for Boston and some of the types of workouts you would do.

Paul:                I think that will tie into this continuing the story of post-collegiately I got out and decided to take to marathoning because it seemed the thing to do.  I did better in the longer distances. except I trained for the marathon, I trained mostly by myself.  I trained mostly like a 10K runner would train except with a long run thrown in there.  I think many of us have been in the same boat, where we get out of school and we’re kind of lost.  There’s no coaching and there may not be a good runner group to run with.  Even the motivation can wane without having those teammates there.

I spun my wheels for literally a few years, and ran good times in the marathon but I thought I was kind of underperforming for what my previous times were.  So I started out running in the 2:40s.  My first couple of marathons were in the 2:40 and a couple here and there in the 2:30s.  It wasn’t until the ninth marathon where I finally nailed one down and got under 2:30.

The training I picked up around 2005 and then picked up some more techniques in ’07, leading up to the trials, and then I kept manipulating those training methods and evolving them for my own use as I learned what works and what doesn’t.

Boston, you talk about a training cycle; when we think of a training cycle we think of the six months leading up to a marathon, or four months leading up to a marathon.  Really, this was eight or nine years leading up to Boston, learning how to run a marathon and learning how to train for a marathon.

What I did before Boston I’ve been doing quite a bit of for the last two and a half years or three years.  A lot of it is simply getting the consistency, making sure I get in a solid six days a week.  I usually do a six-day cycle, and multiple runs a day.  I double pretty much all my easy days when I’m doing heavy training anyway.  I’m hitting top mileage in upper 90s, low 100s.  I peaked at 98 before Boston but before the Indianapolis race I did last year, I hit 107 for my high.  I’ll get into upper 90s, low 100s for a lot of these races.

It’s consistency, volumes, getting those doubles in, and then it’s hitting the workouts.  The key to marathon racing, and what I was doing before Boston was marathon-specific training.  Again, I’m not training like a 10K runner, I’m not training like a cross country runner.  I’m not even training like a half marathon runner.  I’m doing things specific for the marathon.

Beyond just the mileage, the things basically entail doing big workouts and by big workouts I mean a session of speed work.  The whole workout lasts between 90 and 120 minutes.  Big workouts alternated with very easy days and then a weeUtahRunning.comd long run.  For me I incorporated a workout within the long run as well.

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