"Never stop running during a workout..."

Thursday, July 15, 2010

“It’s simple. You train your bowels and your bladder…the same way you train your cardiovascular system…and you’ll never stop on a run to empty either,” Don said, with intensity.

We were at a gathering of some of the best distance runners in history of Ohio High School athletics. The people in the room represented over 20 state championships in cross country and track, and included an Olympic trials qualifier. Everyone knows Don and some of his quirky training beliefs, but I was making him verbalize a couple of the ones that entertained me the most.

“We’ve been over this. You told me that years ago…that I should never stop to take a dump…discipline, you said and I listened…until that run when I soiled myself,” I said.

“Yeah? Well…did you do mental imagery? Did you do intervals practicing holding it? Any tempo runs when you really had to go? I don’t think so…and if you didn’t…well…it’s your own fault,” he said.

Don believes that you NEVER stop running during a workout. On the streets and you come to a red light? Simple. Turn around and jog back, looking over your shoulder to see when the light is going to change, then turn around and run across. I ran into a telephone pole following this advice. How about just jogging in place waiting for the light to turn?

“Jogging in place is for wimps,” he said.

Tying your shoe? “Double knot them before you start.”

And if you’re leading a run on trails with high school kids who are struggling to stay with you because you’re one of the best distance runners in the state and they ask you to slow down a little, what do you say?

“Yeah…that happened. I asked them if they knew the way back and when they said ‘no’ I said ‘then you better keep up’,” he said.

Rae, Don’s wife, and long-time distance coach for Olmsted Falls and Strongsville commented on how his credibility took a hit with the kids when he went on this tangent. I asked her and his daughter Aubrey if they knew about his strangest pr of all and forced him to clarify.

”If you hold it all day long to strengthen the bladder, you’ll never have to go on a run. Never…NEVER…NEVER!!”

“And tell them about your pr after one of those all day holds, Don,” I prodded.

“Yeah…well…okay…it’s one minute and 28 seconds with anything over one minute considered ‘pro’ level,” he said.

Try doing that while starting and stopping a stop watch. That’s right, Rae, it ain’t the kids peeing all over your bathroom walls.

Run duration: 46 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140.
Calories burned during workout: 875.