running

You are currently browsing articles tagged running.

Are you flexible?

December 8, 2009 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 8 comments

I don’t mean physically, though flexibility is an important part of overall fitness and feeling good. I find that I am constantly having to be flexible with things in life, especially with workouts, and especially in winter. This is the time of year where the forecast becomes important in my week’s plan. Will my run to the gym (with my bag filled with dry work clothes) be ruined by freezing rain? Will I end up working an hour late, making me far too hungry for a post-work trip to the gym?

This week, like all others has required  some flexibility on my part. First off, I did not sleep Sunday night which meant that the extra hour to sleep and putter around the house, rather than go to the gym on Monday, made a world of difference in how my day went. But I knew that I could not do the workout I planned for Monday on Tuesday because I need to vote in the Massachusetts primary to choose a new Senator to replace Senator Kennedy. 🙁

My workouts for the week are below. There is no doubt in my mind that there will be changes in the plan, but I thought I would share my progress with you. I promise to let you know when things get mixed up a little!

Saturday- 6 mile run with my new bloggy friends

Sunday- 1.5 hours of dog walking, very easy yoga stretching while listening to a variety of Silent Night renditions, very peaceful.

Monday- 5 miles on the elliptical at 7:20/mile(!!) plus .5 of a mile at a level 11 incline, 30 second plank pose, 3 times

Tuesday- Rest and VOTE!

Wednesday- 30 minute hill workout, elliptical or outside depending on weather, 25 minutes of power yoga for Project Strength

Thursday- 75 minutes power yoga

Friday- Off

Saturday- 7 mile run

Last week I wrote about the importance of rest days, and I find flexibility is just as important in staying healthy, maintaining your life while training for a distance event, and feeling good about the training you are doing.

Hopefully my workout tips help! Have you had to be flexible with your workouts? What are the biggest reasons, and how do you handle it?

Tags: running, training, workout

Beyond Running

November 30, 2009 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | No comments

Happy Monday! Over the past few months, I have done a lot of thinking about blogging and realized that, while I consider myself a food and wine blogger much more than a healthy living blogger, there is still plenty of room for health and fitness in my blog. As you probably know, I am running the 2010 Boston Marathon for The ALLY Foundation. I haven’t written about running much at all lately, and that is because I am barely running! After a hip injury this fall, I am staying completely committed to a more holistic training approach than I have used in the past. It is my hope that this way of training will help me to avoid injury and mental/emotional burnout that comes with marathon training. The plan I am using is 100% my own, so I really won’t know how effective it is until I am doing my longer runs in February and March. I will report that I am feeling great right now and in surprisingly good shape at the moment! In case you are interested in my plan, I have included a full week’s workout plan below:

Sunday- 1.5 hours of dog walking, a mix of sprinting and standing around throwing a ball,  2.5 mile speed walk (11 minute miles), 20 minutes of Dave Farmar power yoga

 Monday- 2.5 mile walk to gym, 35 minute bike ride with low level hills   

Tuesday- 45 minutes on the elliptical at 8:30/ mile pace

Wednesday- 60 minute massage! (just this week, not every week)

Thursday- 2.5 mile walk  to work 40 minutes of power yoga

Friday- Rest

Saturday- 6 mile run,  20 minutes power yoga

 

For the next couple of weeks, I am only running one or two times a week! Hopefully this type of training will make my entire body strong and will give me endurance without overuse on any one muscle or muscle group.

How do you train for big runs/hikes/bikes/swims? Do you follow a recommended training plan, make your own, or a mix of both?

Tags: fitness, marathon, running

Starting from scratch

October 6, 2009 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 11 comments

As many of you know, over the summer I registered for the Newport Half Marathon which will take place on October 18. Earlier this week, I decided that I am not going to run it. There are a few reasons, including the hip pain that has been keeping me from training properly over the past 6 weeks or so, the cough that I have had in the last week that has made me winded walking up the stairs, and a work schedule over the next two weeks that is my busiest for the entire year. Instead of heading to Newport for the race, we are going to plan a fun weekend somewhere else, doing active things like hiking and jogging, and giving myself time to rest, get over my illness, injury, and exhaustion, and to get ready for the next adventure.

Over the course of the past week when I started thinking about this decision, I definitely was able to see the lessons learned.

1) I started training way too early for an October 1/2 marathon. I got very caught up in fitness blogland running where many people want/need to train hard for long periods of time and run almost every day. Realistically, I should have started my training on August 18. Starting too early makes me burn out, get injured, and lose sight of the race I am training for. To avoid this problem, I am not going to start an official marathon training plan for the Boston Marathon until January 2. I will of course be running, spinning, weight training, doing yoga, walking, and training on the elliptical in the meantime, building up a strong base of fitness to start from but avoiding the overuse that comes with just running for too long.

2) At my current job, I can not train hard in the summer. Early May until the end of October is my absolute busiest time, and I am lucky many days if I can do more than walk home, make something healthy to eat, and get myself ready to sit back down at the computer. Its not a time where I have energy to spare, and when I train during these times, I just end up hating it.

3) I’m just not ready mentally, and mental readiness and confidence are the most important things for long distance races. Starting from scratch to train for the Boston Marathon will give me the opportunity to regroup, find running partners who will help me to have a better sense of where I am with my training, and will overall provide a sold sense of knowing that I am ready, not constantly questioning and dreading the race. I can not train for distances longer than 10 miles by myself. End of story.

4) I don’t need to waste a second being nauseous and anxious about a race that I chose to sign up for. Running is supposed to be fun and healthful. I am not going to make a living off of prize money or represent the US in the next Olympic marathon. Its for me, so when I decide that I don’t want to do it, that’s it. So, I am starting from scratch, like someone who has never run before. I am more excited than ever for the journey to the finish line on April 20 with Team ALLY, and I am grateful to have all of you along the way!

PA041346

Random photo of autumn’s arrival in Boston 🙂

Tags: running

« Older entries § Newer entries »

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera