This Week’s Question: What Are Your Running Goals for 2009?

February 16, 2009 By 2 Comments

This Week’s Question:

What’s your running goal (or a few of them) for this coming year?

Answer for Me:
Run two marathons and, the big one:

Work on speed!

This was me before:

Notice the arched back, the slow pace, and the dazed look in my eyes? Like, “Where in the hell is that finish line?!”

This is what I want to be:

See his dedication? His head is forward-he wants to get there! Look at the dust behind his little old feet-he can barely contain his excitement!

My training has been working. Yesterday I ran 5 miles in 8:51. Now, for me that is good. Really good.

I want to get down to about 8:30 consistently. I’d be happy with that time. I find I can do about 9:15 for 5 miles or so *until yesterday!* but anything over 5 miles and my times slow to about 9:30.

Still, 9:15 is good for me. You have to understand, after birthing two babies I was running 10 minute miles! Something about carrying those children in my gut slowed me down. Or maybe it was the fact that once I popped them out I never slept again!

When I first picked up running after my second daughter I was at 10:30. So all said and done this is shaving at least a minute, if not a minute and a half, from my time.

Why Does Running Fast Make Me Want to Retch?!

The biggest issue? When I try to run fast, or when I do run fast as I did yesterday (again, fast is relative!), I always feel like I might want to stop on the side of the road and heave out a few bites of my lunch. I don’t know why. It happens in the beginning of the run, I guess as my body gets adjusted. I start full out – I don’t linger, no way! If I’m going to run fast I want to run fast right away.

Then I notice once I start slowing down I really can tell that I’m slower and I get mad so I run fast some more.

That’s how I ended up under 9 minute miles yesterday-the knowledge that I was slowing down and the accompanying frustration at that!

Getting Faster:

If you want to get faster you have to practice. Just like if you want to run longer you have to go further, if you want to get faster you have to run quicker. Your body has to adjust to the pace. There are a few ways to do this. I’ll talk about my two favorites.

Fart Lick. Fartleks. (Okay I had to make that juvenile joke because every time I hear this work I think Fart Lick, which just makes me LAUGH! I know, I’m 12 in a 39 25 year old body.)

You can run your normal distance, say 4 miles, and do intervals during that run. This is known as a fartlek, and no it is not so named that after the numerous noises a runner may emit during a certain run.

Fartlek means speed play! As in, go out and have fun and run fast! You run a bit faster for a period of time and then resume normal running for a period of time before doing another fartlek. No set distances for speed training, no set time.

This is the method of speed training I prefer. Since my time is limited I want to work on training for speed during my normal runs.I may go out for 5 miles and work on speed during that five mile period. I pick points of interest in the distance, run fast for a while, then slow down. Yesterday I did this to my music. When the Proclaimers sang about walking 500 miles I ran like the wind!

Sprinting/Intervals. I like to sprint as long as I don’t have to do it for long (hm, maybe this is why I don’t get much faster!) In sprinting you don’t want to go all out for a long time because you open yourself up for injury. Instead, work on sprinting for a minute or two, but only do sprinting if you have built up a fairly good base of running. Again, it is tough on the body, and if that body isn’t used to all out running it could lead to injury fairly quickly.

So when you sprint, sprint for a set amount of time (or around a certain part of the track) and then follow it up by running at a slower pace.

When I sprint, I tend to do so at the end of a run. Then I work only on sprinting. I stop and rest for a half minute or so, and then I sprint a bit longer. I may do ten minutes of sprint drills at the end of my lower end run for the week.

Mix It Up
You don’t have to do only intervals or only fartleks-mix it up! Your body needs to get used to the way that it feels to work harder at a faster speed. Also, if you are attempting to lose weight through a running program and find that weight loss has stalled, it may be due to a stagnant running period, where you are always going at the same pace for the same distance. Your body has adjusted and you need to kick start your metabolism again.

So what are your running goals for this year? If you post them, perhaps we can talk about them, and you may learn some new techniques for meeting them!

Do you want to go further? Increase weekly mileage? Run a 5K, half or full marathon? Do you want to go faster, like me? Let’ s hear!

Now, off to work on the tax class I am writing. I finished an E book for a media company in New York last night; now it is up to final edits. It was fun to write about -event planning. Who knew how much fun a career in planning events could be?!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Happy Valentine’s Day, Beat the Stress and the Tax Man!

February 14, 2009 By 4 Comments

How does this picture make you feel?

If the answer is calm, good job!

If. however, the answer is anxious because you 1) know you need to destress but 2) just can’t seem to do it, then this post is for you!

Whether you are a mom who runs marathons, a dad who runs 5Ks, or a single gal trying to lose a few pounds or simply lead a healthier life, chances are at some point or the other (like right now!) you are under some stress.

Hey, it’s a fact of life, one that we will never entirely defeat.

We can, however, learn to understand that we are under stress by recognizing the signs and then work on a way to at least eliminate some of the tension in our lives.

Are YOU stressed out?

If you look like this each morning, I would have to say yes!

Not sure? Take this fun little quiz to find out!

What are some classic signs of stress?

Screaming at the spouse because he’s left his clothes in the middle of the floor yet again is not a sign of stress, but locking him out of the house because he had to work late again and dinner is cold could be.

Playing princesses with the girls-not a sign. Dressing up like a princess and screaming at the Starbucks clerk, “I said call me Princess Kathy and give me another shot of espresso!” could be.

Other signs?

Headaches, tension in our shoulders and backs, injuries, depression, a sense of never getting anything done while running at 100 miles per hour every single day – all of these and of course more.

I get the twitchy eye when I’m tired or stressed, and I’m also prone to those nasty little mouth ulcers. I can always tell when I’m run down, which is good because it is as they say a sign.

The bad thing? I don’t always listen.

I was reading my Yoga Journal the other day and the editor’s letter struck a chord with me. She was talking about moving, and how it was one of the most stressful events that one could tackle. Though I didn’t feel stressed out during our cross country move, I can look back now and see I was. My eye was twitching so badly I had to wear sunglasses so I wouldn’t be accused of winking at everyone I met, and I could barely sleep at night, even though I was exhausted.

If you find yourself under a lot of stress, these tips may help:

  • Slow down. If your body is telling you that it is tired and needs a break, give it a break (I posted about this earlier as well). This doesn’t mean eliminate working out from your loaded schedule, or sleeping for three days in a row (though hey, if you can get that many winks do it!), but it does mean taking some time to just recharge.
  • Cut out the caffeine. I think we (meaning java lovers) have a tendency to rely more and more on coffee the more stressed we get. Of course, this makes it harder for us to get rest when we need rest, and a lot of caffeine will also stimulate our bodies, which can cause even more stress. Try to at least cut back on the coffee intake until you are feeling better, or at least until you stop looking like this:

  • Get more sleep. Seriously. Skip a workout if you need to, go to bed at 8 PM, don’t take work home, and tell your family that you are beat. You need to get rest in order for your body to recharge. If you keep running yourself on empty for too long you’ll crash, and that’s not good for anyone-y0u or the people that you love.
  • Try to keep exercising. Numerous studies have shown that exercise makes us feel better – so don’t give up your daily runs unless you are so beat you can’t get out the door. If that is the case, try cutting out a few sessions each week, but do try to keep up with some. It may be that once you are out the door you feel great upon getting the heart pumping.

Saturday’s run:

I did 8.5 miles today – I think.

Pace? Unsure.

Why? Garmin, my love, which I thought was charged, was not! I got about .84 miles in and it said batteries low and I heard that awful galoop noise and the watch was black. Ah well. Sometimes it is nice to run without  a watch. My knee felt strong, and it felt great to get closer to double digits, FINALLY! I’m dying to go 10, which is funny since 10 seemed so short a while ago.

Anyone know of any good races in June, July, August? I’d like to do one marathon in the summer months and then either Palm Beach in December (probably, so mom can go) and something again in the latter part of winter, maybe LA or, even better, San Diego’s rock and roll marathon. I wanted to do this last year and couldn’t recover in time from Surf City (which, by the way, I heard was a gorgeous run this year-after last year’s rain!)

My Romantic Valentine’s Day Plans

Now, off to the tax guy to figure out the best way to do taxes for my businesses. I’ve had two issues: my marketing company and the new personal training business.

I have not been as organized as I’ve needed to be with keeping track of expenses, which means i can never really claim anything because i don’t have receipts to back what I am saying. So, I am hoping for some good tips on this as well as some information regarding estimated taxes so I don’t get hit with a whopping bill at the end of each year.

Happy Valentine’s Day, running moms, dads and single people! Hoping that you get lotsa love today from your spouses or your children or your pets or yourself on this (ridiculously over advertised) day. I’m sure hubby and i will crack open a bottle of Cab while we watch our home improvement shows tonight. Woo hoo! Romance is NOT dead when you turn 39 25~

Take care of yourself, and sleep if you need it!

Filed Under: February 2009, Health and Running, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,

Friday’s Fun Fitness Idea and Taking Some Time Off!

February 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Welcome toFriday’s Fun Fitness Idea!

Today I’m taking the girls to the beach for a few hours. It’s my day off-I always take Friday off, minus some soft yoga and pilates moves to loosen my body, and of course a few turns on the foam roller-but I thought I’d toss this out to you. If you are BORED with your routine, GET OUTSIDE! I say this most weeks because it is so true!

Head to the park or the beach with the kids or solo.

Use the equipment available to do something physical. For instance:

  1. Do some tricep dips on a nearby bench or bleacher
  2. Sprint in the sand on the beach or around a track at a park
  3. Do pull ups on the monkey bars (who cares what the other mothers think?!)
  4. Use the stairs at the park to step up and back while working on lunges
  5. Take your yoga mat and weights to the park and do your workout outside! Once you get over feeling foolish, trust me, you will feel GREAT!

Take Time Off

Think you don’t need a break from the daily workout grind? Think again! Even Paula Radcliffe admits that she takes time off of running after a marathon.

In fact, she takes off two weeks! That is more than I took off , and she is way faster and stronger than I will ever be. So take advice from her and the other pros-if you are feeling sluggish or tired or if you need a break, take it. (Check out more of her tips here!)

How can you tell if you are working out too much?

  1. You are overtired. This can be due to a number of factors-working too much, taking care of the kids, not getting enough shut eye-but you do need to take some time off from working out if you are too tired; otherwise you are setting yourself up for injury
  2. Your periods are changing. This can be a clue that you are over-exercising, though it can also happen if you are doing distances. If you are losing your period and you are sluggish and drawn out, you may need a break.
  3. You dread your workout. Ever have those days when you just HATE the run, the lifting of weights, the core work? Maybe you are doing too much! Switch it up a bit if you can – head outside instead of to the gym or vice versa, do some swimming instead of the standard running, take your bike to the beach or mountains instead of around the block. Sometimes a change of scenery is required; othertimes a complete day or two off is what is needed.
  4. You are losing too much weight. Some people don’t think this is a problem but it certainly is for some. Losing too much weight, to the point of looking more gaunt than a runway fashion model on crack, is not good! You need to have some meat on those bones, girl, so if you are losing too much weight, if people are commenting on how thin you are, if you know you are too thin but you are addicted to working out-take a break (or eat more calories!)

I’m off to the beach now with the girls, to splash in the waves and chase the birds.

Next week I’m doing a 10K on Saint Simon’s Island. It’s called Dolphin Day Race and should be a lot of fun. I’m hoping to run it at a 8:30 pace, but am pretty sure it will be more like a 9 minute mile. I’m ok with that too. As long as the knee holds up, I’ll be fine!

Filed Under: February 2009, Friday's Fun Post

Eating to Lose Weight, Increasing Mileage, and Ice Cream

February 12, 2009 By 10 Comments

Ice cream is good.

Yummy!

Yummy!

Yep, I said it. I don’t care if it has 1,000 grams of sugar and a million calories, ice cream is good stuff.

I like it ice cold with syrup on top. Hot fudge, in particular, smothered over a brownie . . . . a sundae of sorts.

Yeah, I said it! Just like my granddad, I LOVE ICE CREAM!

And yes, you are right: I didn’t eat breakfast before my 5 miler this morning! Nope, and now i want a hot fudge sundae. For breakfast. Go figure!

Eating to Lose Weight

Guess what, mommas? You gotta eat to lose weight!

Now, I’m not saying go out and throw down eighteen hot fudge sundaes, but I am saying don’t go running around on an empty belly (as I am doing this morning!).

One of the biggest misconceptions of losing weight is that you have to starve yourself and cut back to 1000 calories per day while working out for three hours straight. Not only will you fry – run out of energy because you do not have the fuel needed to keep up this routine – but your body will say, “Holy Shit! You’re not giving me enough to run on, so now I’m going into conservation mode!”

In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine says that women shouldn’t go below 1,200 calories per day. So, if you find you are eating too little, you are doing the body no good!

Even one of the contestants on the Biggest Loser this week said he felt he had to avoid carbs and calories in order to continue losing. Guess what, he’s sabotaging his diet by doing just the opposite.

So what do you need to remember?

True if you want to lose weight you’ll need to expend more energy (ie: exercising) than you take in (ie: eating). So, burn more calories than you ingest. If you want to lose one pound per week you need to have a 3,500 caloric deficit each week. So this means through exercising (expending some calories) and cutting back on calories you can reach this deficit and lose a pound.

But you don’t want to starve your body, so you have to find the point where you are feeding your body for the exercise you are doing but you are not tricking it into thinking you are starving so it goes into save mode.

And remember, without food you will have no energy! Simple as that! If you want to run a marathon and you stop eating, you’re going to crash. Your body needs food as fuel, just like a car needs gas. Sometimes it helps to think of it in this way: I need to fuel my body. That way you’ll know you need to eat in order to go but you won’t overeat.

So what should you remember?

  1. Eating is meant to fuel your body – not stuff it, not starve it. You need to eat the right types of foods and enough calories each day to sufficiently fuel the energy you are expending while not overeating.
  2. To fuel your body you should be looking at eating a diet that includes complex carbs (brown rice, pasta), protein (eggs, nuts, chicken, meat) and lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
  3. Balance the carbs and proteins. Don’t just eat a plate of pasta; put some chicke on top to keep your body full longer.
  4. Don’t skip the carbs! So many times I have heard people say they don’t eat carbs. my best friend did away with carbs, is a runner, and stopped losing weight. When she picked up some complex carbs she started losing again. Carbs are easier to burn than proteins and fat-don’t be afraid of them if you are running! Just don’t down a tub of sugar each day and you should be okay!
  5. Don’t skip breakfast! Your body needs this to wake up and get going. Remember, you have gone all night long without eating-it is running on empty when you wake.
  6. In addition, it is thirsty! Get up and drink a glass of water no matter what you are going to do next.
  7. Eat several small meals per day instead of two large ones. Your body needs continuous fuel so it doesn’t crash. Supply it with smaller but more frequent meals to sustain your body.

A variety of forumlas exist for figuring out your total caloric needs. These vary from person to person since we all burn differently. Someone who runs three miles might burn 300 calories while someone else might burn 350. I’ll send you over here to look through some information about caloric intake.

Increasing Mileage

I have been increasing my running mileage this week. Knee seems to be doing well with the adjustment. I added on a day of running, and I plan to go eight this Saturday, which will be my longest run since Disney. I’m hoping the knee is okay, and I hope to get back into double digits next Saturday.

Don’t forget that you should not go over 10% increase each week in order to prevent injuries.

Listen to your body! Someone who is running higher mileage may have no problem with a larger increase while someone starting off might need to increase in mileage even less than this.

Now, the kids are up and all over me, so off I go! Don’t forget to eat healthfully today to fuel your body!

Filed Under: February 2009, losing weight Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Don’t Forget Those Sexy Arms!

February 10, 2009 By 10 Comments

I think as runners we are so focused on our legs that we sometimes forget that we can have those sexy sculpted arms, too! I spend at least two days a week post-run working my arms by doing tricep dips, kick backs, bicep curls and push ups. I also do the plan pose which I think is great for not only the arms but the entire body. I wanted to remind you today to WORK THOSE ARMS! Have you seen Kelly Ripa’s sculpted ‘ceps? Dang!

kripa1

You don’t have to get buff to have sculpted arms. By controlling the amount of weight you use you can keep them looking nice and rounded without looking like a weight lifter. I use 15 pounds when I work with weights, and i do about 8-10 reps of each exercise.

Here’s a video of the bicep curl using two weights:

I also use the isolated curl. Sit down on a chair. Put the weight in one hand, resting elbow on knee. Rest your other hand against your knee. Lift the weight slowly, doing 8-10 reps. This isolates the muscle, rather than using a variety of muscles as you are doing when you use the exercise in the video above. Both are good for the bicep.

The tricep dip is as follows:

She shows a few varieties. You can do these on a bench, bleachers, chair, etc . . .

You Go Girls!
So on Saturday Shalane Flanagan smashed the indoor 5,000 meter at 14:47.62 while Kara Goucher, who I posted earlier about wanting to have kids soon, won the 3,000 meter in Boston. You go girls!

In other news . . .

Today I ran 4.5 – not breaking any records but for me running a good pace averaging around 9:15 – and then came home and worked on some core exercises. I also did a few lunges and squats, but I’m trying to be easy with these and they do have a tendency to strain my knees and since I have that ITBS issue I’m still clearing up I don’t want to put too much stress on the knee.

Now, off to finish watching the Bachelor, which I taped last night since I fell asleep at 8:30! That four day trip with the two girls wore me out!

Happy Workouts!

Filed Under: Reflections on Running, Uncategorized

What Are You, a Masochist?!

February 9, 2009 By

So I visited my mom this weekend. We had a great time. She really cracks me up. I can make her laugh easily by just being silly, so that’s how I spent the four days-in a perpetual state of silliness. Not  bad, right?

On my last evening we ate at a Peruvian restaurant. I ordered hot sauce and dumped a lot of it on the food. Then mom watched in horror as I ate a bite, pounded my hand on the table, and said, “Oh my gosh! I’m burning my face off!” over and over again. The girls laughed, too, as they are used to this behavior. I have this love for anything spicy and I try to see how spicy I can get. My the end of dinner I was sweating-oh joy! It was bliss!

After dinner I rolled out my sore knee. I spent the time on the floor saying, “Oh my gosh this hurts!” and then continuing to roll, roll, roll! I then massaged the points of pain in my leg while mom watched and shook her head with each, “Oooh! That one hurt!” I exclaimed.

Finally I told her about long distance running, and about how you sometimes have to defecate a lot- some people doing so on the side of the road – and how your toenails might turn black and how some people actually lose their nail.

As I shared these stories with mom she watched and listened and nodded and shook her head. I realized how some of the stories must sound to a non runner. Defecate on the side of the road? What?! Lose toenails-on purpose? Could it be?! Toes going numb mid-run? For fun?! And you pay to do this?

Then she said to me quite calmly, “What, did I raise a masochist?” and we both burst out laughing.

So what do you think, distance runners? All runners? Are we masochists to put up with the pain and then go back out there and pound the pavement again? Is there something in us that enjoys this, which is sometimes torture?!

I’ve written this before and I will write it again: I think that it is not that we enjoy pain but that we want to feel life fully. Experience it to the max. How else can you do that than when you stand at the starting line of a 26.2 mile race, not knowing how it will go, how it will be, and how you will feel (other than elated) when you get done?

Runners live their lives. No, we aren’t masochists. We just want to feel it all, the good and the bad, knowing that oftentimes the two go hand in hand – and that this balance makes it even more beautiful!

My birthday:
Thought I would share a funny picture of my bday. As you know I turned 25 again for the 14th year in a row. I don’t know how I got stuck on that number, 25, but it has stuck: See the candles that mom put on the cake? Then she put them back in the drawer for next year, when I will turn 25 for the 15th year in a row!

See? I am 25!

See? I am 25!

And then one of mom and me:

My mom and me

My mom and me

And then one for a laugh. She lives in a retirement community in Florida where the people have to be a certain age. As you know you shrink some when you age – or so it seems! – and so check out the  placement of this stop sign on the pole. Mom says it is so those who can barely see over the steering wheels will be able to see the sign without having to crane their necks and look up. I almost peed my pants when she told me this!:

stopsighn

Today’s Run:
Today is my day off. I moved my schedule as planned and ran back to back on the weekend. Yesterday’s run was a good and strong 4.5 with no knee pain even after running 6 the day before. Did some core and arm work this morning, and will do a 5-6 miler tomorrow. Am hoping body can cope with a nice 9 or so on Saturday. It has been a while since I have been over 7 and I really want to get back to double digits again.

Hope all of your Monday runs are good ones!

Filed Under: February 2009, Long Distance Running Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Mindfully Conscious Exercising, and a New Pair of Shoes!

February 7, 2009 By 4 Comments

Hmmm . . . you say when you read the title of today’s post. What kind of new age thing is THIS?!

Don’t worry! I’m going to give you a great tip today for remaining injury free, and it is something you can do all of the time! It is the idea that drives my training, my physical fitness routine, and my personal training philosophy.

In order to remain healthy and injury free, you have to learn to exercise while being mindfully conscious.

So, what does this mean?

Think of your last run (or last workout, last strength training, last cycling event). As you worked out, were you mindfully conscious of the way your body felt? Did you listen to how your shoulders, your neck, and your back felt? Did you pay attention to your knees and your calves and your arms?

If not, you were setting yourself up for injury.

Being mindfully conscious simply means taking some time to listen to your body AND to then react to what it is telling you.

If you aren’t listening, you are setting yourself up for injury.

Running

Let’s talk about running for a minute, shall we?! Have you ever overdone it? Gone too far, gone too fast, and ended up with shin splints or ITBS or some other ailment? If so, you weren’t listening to your body when you ran. Perhaps you were too busy jamming out to Metallica or  considering the day’s schedule and before you knew it your knee was  locking in protest.

Had you taken some time during the workout to become mindfully conscious of what your body was doing this would not have happened.

Same goes with strength training. If you are not paying attention to the proper form or if you are pushing too hard, you are going to end up injured. Once injured you can’t work out-so it is important that you do things correctly, that you remain aware, to keep your body healthy and injury free.

I’m going to be posting on this topic a lot because as I said it is what drives my fitness routine.  What can you do to be more conscious?

  1. Stop and take note. If you are pushing yourself in a run, take a minute out of the music or the thoughts and listen to your body. Go head to toe. Shoulders can hurt when you run the same form for a long time. How are your knees feeling? Your hips? Your feet? Do you need to slow down, or speed up? How is your breathing?
  2. Pay attention to form. During this time pay attention to your form. If you are running, understand how you are holding your body. If it hurts or doesn’t feel right, change the position. If you are doing strength with weights, pay attention to how you are doing the exercise. Is the form correct? If not you are setting yourself up for injury.
  3. How are you feeling overall? Are you tired, happy, sad, energized, depleted? Take these cues into your routine. If you are too tired to go the mileage you wanted to go, listen to that! We often push ourselves (Have to get ten in today, no matter what, even though I don’t feel so well!) and then we end up depleted. If we listen to what our body is saying we’ll learn when to push and when to pull back, and our workouts and our results will be better!

I did 5.7 miles today. Was going to do 7 miles but the knee started to ping! I listened, came home, used the foam roller and stretched.

I bought Brooks shoes yesterday> I’ll post a picture when I get back home. They are nice stability shoes, but I have never run in Brooks. I miss my Saucony’s but the store didn’t have them, and I spent a lot of time looking over my old running shoes with the guy. He showed me how to tell how badly I overpronate, which is pretty badly! He recommended these shoes and I have to say they feel great!

Today we are heading to a few festivals, and the park, and a restaurant. Then we are doing movie night with grandma and ice cream!

Happy weekend runs, runners! Stay injury free and mindfully conscious while you are hitting the pavement!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Hitting Plateaus, and Traveling with Toddlers!

February 6, 2009 By Leave a Comment

I’m typing this post from my mom’s back bedroom, sucking down a cup of coffee, hoping to clear the cobwebs from my head that accumulated from the couple of bday glasses of vino last night.

Ouch. Glad today is my off day for running!

I brought the girls down to visit grandma – five hours in the car heading south, with some, “Stop it!” and “She took my crayons!” The trip was really a good one though, and i realized that in life we have two possibilities:

  1. Don’t do stuff because we are scared of how it will turn out
  2. Do stuff and just go with it

I’ve chosen to live my life by #2, and i think that most runners would agree this is how they live. You can’t face a marathon and not think like #2. If you are stuck in #1, not doing something because you are scared, then 26.2 is going to be terrifying!

This is why I feel a connection with runners. We live life. We get out there and we do it, and we don’t complain (much!) We understand the pain that is involved in living, but that the pain means simply this:

We are alive!

So, good morning kindred spirit runners!

Yesterday’s Run: Cold! Before we left I ran 7, all bundled up because it was in the teens! I had wanted to push the run a little faster but with the ski cap, ski gloves and several layers I couldn’t go much faster. When I got home, ready for a cup of hot coffee, the electricity was out! I feel for our northern neighbors who were without electricity for a week or so-like my cousin. I’m not sure I could handle that! One of the benefits of living in California for six years – mild weather year around.

Anyway, today’s post is about hitting a plateau. In my experience we do so for a few reasons. We either:

  1. Grow bored with our routine, or become worn out
  2. Don’t know what to do to change things up

I hit a plateau while training for the last marathon. I was running a set number of miles by the end and it was all about getting them in. Not making them effective, or taking time off when needed and pushing the envelope at other times. It was about, “Today is Monday. Today I do 8 miles. Tomorrow is Tuesday. Tomorrow I take a day off. The next day is Wednesday and I will do five miles, no more, no less.”

Does this sound like you?

If so, it’s time to make a change.

If you have hit a stagnant point in losing weight, or your body has remained the same for a while despite working out each day and you want to make a change, you need to switch things up.

So how do we do this?

  1. Increase mileage. In running, you may need to go a little further to see the effects because your body becomes used to what you are doing. If you are trying to lose weight and you’ve hit a plateau you may need to bump up your mileage. Do so slowly – no more than ten percent each time unless you are running high miles, and then you may be able to do a little more.
  2. Go faster. We don’t get faster unless we work on it! Our bodies have to adjust to these changes. We have to make our body go faster if we want to improve our speed. Work on interval training. Do speed days. Change it up: Run fast on a short day, then run the last few miles fast on a long run. Mix it up in the middle of runs, pushing yourself as much as you can for certain intervals and then holding back for a bit.
  3. Change it up. You need to change up your routine if you aren’t seeing differences in your body. You may need to lift heavier weights if your muscles have been doing bicep curls with ten pounds for eight months. You need to use different exercises while working on the same muscle group. If your body becomes used to exercise number one and you do that every single time you work on that body part, you will stop seeing results.

If you have hit a plateau, it’s time to make some changes!

I’m off now to shop with grandma. I’m going to get some new running shoes today. I’m excited! I didn’t like the last ones I got, and feel that was part of my injury during disney. Will post pics of the new shoes soon!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Birthday Reflections from a Runner

February 4, 2009 By 2 Comments

Good morning all!
Happy 39th to me. My oldest daughter has been sick so we slept together in the spare room last night. She woke at 4:30 and asked for water, and when I returned from the kitchen she said excitedly, “Happy Birthday, mommy!” Then she had a hard time going back to sleep!

I can’t believe I’m 25 30 , well, okay, 39! I’m always amazed each year about how quickly the time goes by in life. About how one day we are thinking we want children and the next we have two.  About how one day we are considering career options and the next day we are celebrating our tenth year anniversary at the same company.

It all happens so quickly! Today I was considering how much running is like life. How the same things that apply to running can apply to life, and vice versa, so today, on my off day of running (I worked on abs and arms instead), I will write about the similarities between running and life.

Hoping you enjoy your day as much as I will. Today is:  Penneys to spend that gift card I got for christmas; grocery store; and then hanging with the family. Tonight: Enjoying some Cab (my round of antibiotics for the bronchitis are over, yay, I can partake in a few glasses of red!) and catching up on the shows that I always tape but never get to watch. Tomorrow we leave for my mom’s house for the weekend. Will post pictures!

How Life and Running are Alike:

  1. To live a good life you have to overcome the obstacles that you come to as you travel, and get back out and do it again even if it takes you down once in a while. Same with running. To have a good run you have to tackle the obstacles and get back out there the next day if the run is a bad one.
  2. In life you have to think positively in order to live the happiest of lives. Same with running-if you want to have a good run, you have to keep positive thoughts on your mind. The minute you begin to think negatively is the minute the run turns sour.
  3. Good friends are important in life, as they are in good runs. They don’t even have to run with you-or run at all! How many times have you spent a good run considering your friends: their generosities, their quirks, their caring.
  4. In life, when something goes bad you have to consider why it went bad and then make changes so this doesn’t happen again. Same with running. If you have a bad run, why was it bad? What can make it better? What should you do the same and what should you change?
  5. Life;s challenges make us stronger. Same with running. You may think you can’t run 26.2. You can. You just have to grow stronger in your conviction that you can.

Hoping all of your runs on my birthday are great ones!

Other News:
We are finishing up the first issue of Active Women’s Network. This is an exciting endeavour and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts. This month we are focusing on the core. I interviewed a great lady today who offered wonderful informatoin about pilates, the core, and why it should be strengthened (and not just because you want to look good in a bikini, though that certainly doesn’t hurt!)

Happy Running!

Filed Under: Ab Exercises, February 2009, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

4 Miles, a Hair Cut, a Birthday, and an Interview- Oh My!

February 3, 2009 By 2 Comments

Recovery Runs:

If you have been sick, take it easy breaking back into the game. I took four days off for bronchitis. I got back out yesterday, pushing the baby stroller at an easy pace for three miles, a few minutes of which I walked.  Felt good enough to actually get back out today. I did four miles, another easy pace, listening to my body to make sure it was okay.  I felt like I had my breath back-big relief! I was pretty scared with this last cold, or whatever it was. For some reason my body, which usually holds up under everything, caved , and I spent the entire day Saturday in bed.

Have you noticed your immune system when running? It seems to be great when you are doing a lot of shorter distances but when I push myself really hard it caves. Ouch! It is good to be back.

Birthday:

screamer

Holy crap batman, I’m going to be 39 freaking years old tomorrow! 39! This means:

  • I was born a long, long time ago!
  • I graduated high school more than half of my life ago!
  • I’ve been able to buy beer for 18 years!
  • I’ve been living on my own for longer than I lived with my folks!
  • I’m one year away from 40! ONE YEAR!
  • Chances could be that i’m half of my life over already-no, no, slow down life!
  • I’m competing against the fastest women in races!

Where did the time go? I reflect this question each year because it just seems it goes so fast.

My mom sent this beautiful card to me. It told me how much she appreciates my sense of adventure and how much I live life. It made me cry. She sees that in me, and appreciates it, and it is truly my favorite quality that I see in myself.  That she sees it and loves it is so incredible.

39. Getting older, but getting faster! I run a minute and a half per mile faster than I did when I started running 12 years ago!

39. Not so bad. Yea, I’ll take it!

Excitement:

So I got an exciting email yesterday! I wrote something about frugality and exercise and First magazine is calling today for an interview! I’ll let you know details about publication when I hear something. Now, if I could get a job writing for them that would be great!

Hair Cut:

kc1

I’m getting my haircut today. I want a shorter bob. I’m nervous but excited! I hope it turns out the way I envision it. Oh well, if it doesnt at least it will be different :0) I’ll post pictures when I can.  This is what I like.

Of course this girl is gorgeous (who is she anyway, Kristin Cavalleri, have not heard of her?) So I’m hoping that the haircut will look great on me despite the fact that I’m not young, blond and a knockout lol!

Gotta run, not literally-kids up soon and it is a busy day. Hope to post some new haircut photos tomorrow!

Filed Under: February 2009 Tagged With: , , , ,
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