Coach Charlene Heydorn

Someone started an exciting new gig today ! 🙌🏻💪🏻 Very excited about this next chapter of my professional life! Welcome swag is always the best. 😍

RUN SLOWER TO GET FASTER…have you heard this before but you’re still afraid to SLOW 👏🏻IT 👏🏻DOWN👏🏻?

It seems counterintuitive to run slower paces in training in order to hit faster race times. But, it is one of the most important skills we need to learn as runners. Yes, it is a SKILL to run slower!! That’s why so many of us find it to be difficult. And it’s an indication of maturity as a runner. When we tie so much of our success or “progress” to trying to achieve faster paces with every single run then we are not looking at the big picture and we’re only hurting our growth and risking injury.

In my time spent as a less experienced runner, I used to chase a faster pace with EVERY. SINGLE. RUN. And I’d feel so bummed when my times would be slower. I couldn’t figure out how to get faster and spent many years just kind of stuck at the same paces and feeling frustrated while also dealing with some injuries.

In time, I learned the tremendous value of easy, slow running for 80% of my miles and only using the other 20% for strategic effort workouts like speed intervals, stamina and tempo runs, goal pace runs, etc. This is the yin to the yang of the basic running formula.

Now at 47 and being diligent to truly stay in my EASY conversation pace for most of my miles, I’m actually more fit and hitting goals that I was never able to surpass before.

Simply put, if your easy training runs aren’t 2-3 minutes slower than your race pace then you’re doing it wrong. Swipe to see some samples of my easy run paces during my latest half marathon build up along with the race pace I was able to sustain and still finish with a giant smile on my face. 😃

Slow it down, friends! Let your ego go and practice building this skill of easy running and you won’t regret it. ☺️

What goes into months of race training?

Watch this reel by coachcharleneheydorn on Instagram 6 Likes, 0 Comments - Charlene Heydorn•Run Coach () on Instagram: “Here’s a small peak at what goes into months of race training… …”

STILL FEELING THAT POST RACE HIGH! My finisher pics came in and these two say it all about how much fun I had and my sheer joy at the finish. I’ll remember this one forever. 😍🥰

What’s the last race that gave you this feeling??

RACE DAY ANXIETY!…you know you’re getting close to race day when you start to have nightmares about something going wrong with your race! 😆

Anyone else in this camp?? The last two nights I’ve had running dreams. In one of them, I misjudged how much time I needed to get to the start line and before I knew it I only had 5 minutes left to do my warm up and catch the shuttle to the start area and then ended up missing it! 😅 (I think it’s funny that I was stressed about missing my warm up. Ha!)

It’s totally normal to feel all kinds of various anxieties about race day. You’ve spent months diligently training, preparing and working hard for this goal so it’s only natural that your subconscious and conscious thoughts might want to go off the rails. If you’ve got a race coming up and this is you, then fear not. One of my favorite mantras for myself right now is “you have what it takes” and it’s true. I have endured things in life and in this training cycle that have prepared me for this and so have you.

You have what it takes!

Also, finally decided on my Endorphin Speed for San Diego half marathon this Sunday. Almost ready to rock n’ roll!

7 DAY COUNTDOWN…one week to race day and it’s all about the taper this week. 2.5 slow easy miles this morning thinking about all the things and now ready to spend the day with my grand-bae. 🥰

Well, that was an interesting long run. 🤔

Today’s workout was purely aerobic endurance building. 15 easy miles. No goal pace intervals, no fast finish. It turned out to also be mindset building more than anything else.

I ran my first 6 miles and then had to pause and return home to see my daughter, granddaughter, and SIL off. They are headed to Denver today for the next 3 months while he trains for his new job with United.

It was a solid 45 min break in my run before they got on the road. My legs were cold by then, my motivation needing to be recharged, it was so much hotter and it took some convincing to get myself moving again to run those last 9 miles.

At mile 14, I felt something scratching and poking my inner arm near my armpit and discovered an earring had somehow gotten trapped in the lining of my sports bra and poked its way out! 😆 Thank God I was on my last mile at that point as I couldn’t fish it out until I got home.

From my filthy legs, you’d think I ran on a trail somewhere.

Felt really good otherwise but kind of glad that one’s behind me.

Time for eggs and potatoes now! 🍳🥚🍠

Running 26.2 miles is TOUGH. Running that distance for the first time ever in a solo virtual marathon is even tougher. I’ve done a solo virtual 26.2 before and can attest to the extra mental effort it takes to run the distance without the energy or competition of a live race when all you have is your internal grit and the drive to carry you through.

It was an absolute honor to see my friend do this today to celebrate his 48th birthday. AND SO fun to see him reach his finish line by running the last 7+ miles with him and a few other .

What a great way to start my day today…a run with friends and a finish line at the !

One fun fact I didn’t share about myself yesterday is that I inherited the gift of premature graying and discovered my first white hair when I was 19. I spent my entire adult life feeling insecure about it and spent hundreds and hundreds of $$ to cover it up. (Any other ladies relate??)

I was convinced that I wouldn’t grow it out until I was “the right age” (60’s or 70’s) but in 2018 I flipped a switch. Along with several other parts of myself and my life that I was letting go of, I decided it was time to see who I really was underneath it all both literally and figuratively speaking. It was the right time for me.

I did an initial chop and lighter color but from then on I went cold turkey through the grow out process. I’m not gonna lie, that first 12-18 months really sucked 😂 but although, I didn’t love my hair in those months, I loved who I was becoming both inside and out.

It took 3 solid years to grow out fully. I have never regretted it and never been tempted to go back! I love my hair! I don’t really care how old people think I am anymore. I only care about how old I feel and at 47 I can say I’m feeling pretty great. 😊

Swipe right to see some of my progress pics along the way. ➡️

HELLO!…looks like I have some new friends around here so I’ll share a little about myself. 😊

If you haven’t guessed already, I love running! I’m passionate about injury prevention and all the pieces which build stronger, longer lasting runners such as strength training, warm ups, mobility work and all the other recovery tools that runners should utilize but rarely do.

My personal long term goal is to be able to run, be active, and maintain functional movement in order to support all my adventures well into my later years of life. I still have lots of bucket list dreams I want to achieve such as thru-hiking the PCT, running an ultra or two, running a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon, and running the World Marathon Majors. Maybe I’ll be able to check those off my list one day. Maybe I won’t. But, I’m a firm believer that our aging bodies should never be a barrier to continuing in our sport. achieving our goals, and living full lives.

I’ve been a lifelong runner for the most part since high school but didn’t get into much racing as an adult until the past 5 years so I don’t have tons of medals hanging on a rack somewhere.

I am certified as a run coach and a personal trainer. I currently coach high school cross country athletes as well as privately coach masters age female runners as part of team . Working with both age groups gives me such joy and fulfillment!

A few other fun facts about me:

I’m a proud Gen-Xer and child of the 80’s.

I’ve lived my entire life in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California except for the two years I lived overseas in Central Asia.

I love food. All of it and from every culture. There is literally nothing I won’t eat or at least try.

I’m a new grandmother and it’s the greatest gift and joy of my life.

Thanks for joining me in this space! I hope you find something valuable here on your journey as a runner and the athlete that you are!