Running Buds Vol. 8: Kristy Campbell, Run the Long Road Coaching
The Pearl Jam-loving running coach chats with me about running and getting back out on the road post-COVID.
One of the things they don’t tell you about getting COVID is the strange sense of guilt that comes with it.
I had always done as much as I reasonably could to avoid catching it for two years, but in April, it finally found me. When it happened, I felt like I had done something wrong, like I was being punished for letting my guard down. I took my eyes off the road for one second and COVID got me. Could I have done anything differently? (Maybe.) Did I already have it by the time I got to Indianapolis? (I think?) Who else did I infect? (Oh God!) How long did I have to isolate myself from the world? (Ughhh.)
I knew I had to rest. That’s just what you do when you get sick, right? If there’s one thing you should know about runners, it’s that we don’t take sitting still very easily. Whether you’ve been a runner for two weeks or two decades, it doesn’t matter. Resting sucks. The FOMO creeps in, and you feel like you’re going to lose everything you’ve worked so hard for. The idea that you’ll have to start over again is both infuriating and frightening.
Part of the reason it was easy for me to feel antsy was because my particular strain of COVID wasn’t terrible. I had a nagging cough, some congestion, a bit of fatigue, and a thunderous sneeze that could be heard for miles, but otherwise, I could function. I’m not THAT sick, I thought. I honestly thought it was allergies at first, and I could run through allergies. Of course, looking back, I realize now that I’m one of the lucky ones - lucky to even feel like I could get back out there at any given moment. Not everybody with COVID has had that kind of luxury.
After nearly a week, I tested negative and the first thing I did was go for a walk. I figured if I could walk outside for 20 minutes, I could manage a run later. The walk felt good, if only because it felt nice to be out of the house and among society again. I probably could’ve ran that day, but I didn’t want to come back too early. In a way, I had to start from scratch. I suppose a part of me was also afraid of what COVID had done to my lungs. Maybe it was still lingering there, undetected by a home test. Sure, I could walk, but so can faulty washing machines. I was worried I lost my ability to run a 9 minute mile, but I had to ignore those thoughts for now. I needed to get back on the horse.
When the day came for my first post-COVID run, my goal was to run at a timid pace for about 2 miles. I tried to run based on feel, but my pace was way faster than it should’ve been. I ran an average pace of 9:08/mi, with my 2nd mile being sub 9 minutes. I knew that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do after not having run in over a week. Still, I felt pretty good all things considered. Sure, my legs felt like day-old Jell-O and my lungs were a bit rusty, but it wasn’t anything to panic about. I was just happy to be able to run again. COVID wasn’t going to bring this running schlub down! Before I knew it, I was back in my pre-COVID running shape.
Still, I realize I am one of the lucky ones. Not all runners are able to recover so quickly. COVID seemingly affects every individual differently. I’ve heard horror stories about runners way stronger and more advanced than me struggling with long-COVID. Even the best of athletes have to take the slow road back. But because no two cases are the same, how do we know what the best course to recovery is? How and why does COVID affect runners and athletes the way it does? I needed to know more.
So, I reached out to Kristy Campbell - marathoner/ultramarathoner and founder/owner of Run the Long Road Coaching - to pick her brain about running and COVID. She’s been running and coaching athletes for decades, so rest assured she’s seen a thing or two when it comes to recovering from an illness or injury. Kristy also happens to be a self-proclaimed science geek, which makes sense given all the physiology and chemistry involved in running. She was nice enough to hop on Zoom with me to talk about her running career, her experience coaching athletes post-COVID, and her advice for runners recovering from COVID.
[Note: interview edited for length and clarity.]
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Talk a little bit about your background as a runner and as a coach.
I’ve been running for over 20 years now. And I’m a science geek by nature so once I started running, I started researching on how to get better. I would geek out on all the physiology and all that related to it. So, I was working in the pharmaceutical industry. It was just a job for me, it was never really a career. Looking back now that I’m enjoying what I’m doing, I was always involved in high school and college in some sort of coaching or mentoring aspect. I’ve always been drawn to doing stuff like that. So, I went to a coaching certification course, because I was always helping out a lot of friends train, and I was like “wait a minute, I like to coach, I love science, and I like to run, so let me try this.” So, I started Run the Long Road Coaching at the very end of 2010, and I kinda just did it as a side hustle. Now it’s my full-time job and my career and I couldn’t be happier.
What’s been your proudest running accomplishment in your career?
Well, probably qualifying for the Boston Marathon and also running my 12 hour Ultra. They’re kinda the same for me. I don’t know. Qualifying for Boston took me a while, and when the day of the marathon came it was like 95 degrees that day so it was a tough race. Then I ran an Ultra in 2016 and I had to run for 12 hours and I wasn’t sure how that was going to go. When you think about 12 hours, I was like I don’t even want to stand on my feet for 12 hours let alone run. But I did it though, and it was fun! It was a really good race.
Man, I’m not sure I would describe running for 12 hours straight as “fun” [laughs]. Can I ask a stupid question: do you run for 12 hours straight? Do you stop to eat and go to the bathroom?
I probably went once [laughs]. Now – and people always look at me like I’m crazy when I say this – it was a one-mile loop that I ran for 12 hours.
Oh my God.
[laughs] But hear me out! Logistics-wise it was amazing, because my husband was able to set up an aid station right on the course, so I didn’t carry anything with me, which is good because if you have to carry hydration vests and all that stuff, it adds weight. So, every 5th lap or every 5 miles, I would stop and walk for 2 minutes and eat whatever nutrition he gave me, and then I would run another 5 miles. So, I would take a 2 minute walk break every 5 miles. You have to keep in mind, in order to run for 12 hours, you run so painfully slow. I’m not “racing,” I’m jogging for 12 hours. It’s a very low intensity. You just do it for a really long time. And then I had my music. I think I waited until like 5pm and put that on as a treat. My iPod wasn’t going to last the whole time, so I just used it from 5pm to 9pm. It was a treat, and then I ate Oreos and looked forward to them. It’s the little things.
Do you normally listen to music when you run?
Yeah, oh, people now are really going to think I’m weird. I usually don’t, I’m more of an audiobook/podcast person. So, I do listen to music on a race and I am really into 90s alternative. I am a huge huge Pearl Jam fan. That has been my band since high school. I’ve seen them like 25 times. Big big fan. So, there’s a little Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, and stuff like that. I’m really showing my age but I really feel like it’s the best music ever.
I listen to that stuff on my runs sometimes too. Pearl Jam rules.
Yeah!
So, I wanted to talk to you about running post-COVID, I’m sure you’ve dealt with runners who’ve had it and I guess my first question here is why do you think runners struggle to return from this illness?
I think primarily because it does attack the lungs. First of all, you get COVID, you’re forced to rest, which runners hate. Then they test negative, which really just detects antibody levels, and it doesn’t mean COVID has left the building. You might still have it. They see that negative test and are just like ‘I’m going to resume training’ and they go out and they are winded. It’s a huge blow to an ego, like ‘what happened to my fitness?’ and they get really discouraged. Because it’s a lung illness, it can be discouraging. I’ve seen people bounce back quickly and I’ve seen people really struggle where we have to go back to run/walk when that was something they never did prior to COVID.
Yeah, I feel that. I was lucky to only have minor symptoms (congestion, cough) but I still found that I needed to start back slow. I almost needed to relearn how to breathe while running, in a way.
I always tell people that this is a great time to ditch the watch and not [worry about pace]. Because we are very pace driven, you know? Which I think is a problem, outside of COVID. I’ll have runners like ‘I was running my easy runs at 9:00/mi pre-COVID so I should be able to do it post-COVID.’ Well no, maybe you will down the line after COVID is completely out of your system but you HAVE to listen to your body, you have to slow down and you have to walk when you need to and just get out there. You can’t go out and do a long run.
I should’ve done that. It does get discouraging and the you worry about long COVID and mentally I’m like “oh shit, I’ll never be able to run again!”
So yeah, long COVID. I feel like they’re learning stuff every week about long COVID. Inflammation of your heart has been coming up with long COVID so you know, there is that aspect which every time I have a runner who tests positive, even if they are asymptomatic, they rest. It annoys the asymptomatic ones, because they feel fine but I’m like well, you still have COVID. It’s not worth messing with. It’s such a weird illness with these weird long-term effects with some people. It’s just worth taking a week off. I’ve found that if we’re very conservative from the get-go when they test positive, usually the return to running isn’t so bad. Pushing through and forcing yourself to run and train with it is going to backfire, just like it would with any illness. You just prolong your recovery because you’re not resting and taking time for your body.
I guess you sort of answered this next question but what advice do you have for runners who are getting back into shape post-COVID? How should runners handle that first run back?
So first, you have to rest. How much rest depends on how you feel. You’ll see in like Runners World “is your illness below the neck or above the neck?” So sometimes when you have a common cold, and it’s above the neck, sometimes it feels good to run and get it all out. But usually, like with COVID, if it settles in your chest you can’t run. So I would say, flat-out rest, and then definitely temper your expectations when you come back. When my runners go for their first run, I always ask how do you feel doing daily activities? Like when you go up the steps or do things around the house, are you out of breath? If they feel pretty good and they’re not out of breath, I think they are ready for a run. If they’re still getting winded, running is not going to be good. Same goes with an injury. Can you walk around and not feel it? If you feel it when you’re walking, you’re going to feel it when you’re running. If you feel okay, let’s try a run. Walk/run, etc. Everyone’s different, but maybe the first week, do 50% your normal mileage. So, if you run 30 miles per week, maybe do 15. Then week two is 30%, week three is 20%, week four is 10%, and then by week five go back to your normal routine. Just some sort of guidelines to ease yourself back in. For what it’s worth, I think it depends how gradual. If someone was really sick, that’s probably going to work. If someone wasn’t so sick, it’s probably a little bit conservative. But again, it just depends on how you feel. I think runners are super in tune with their bodies. So, if it doesn’t feel right and it feels like your gut is saying you’re pushing it, just stop, you know? Just listen to your body.
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