Awesome article! Eeeek! So scared yet exhilarated for this coming season. I’m going to be attempting my first full marathon in 5 years. I’ve almost completely forgotten the painful aftermath… almost… lol
I can proudly boast that I have been able to consistently PR (beat my personal record) at every race I’ve participated in for an entire year! Well, the only exception to this was the Miami Marathon… but I blame the fact I was in coral “J” and had to run sideways around people more frequently than I ran forward towards the finish, lol (I believe there were 28K participants!)
Here’s what I feel has helped me achieve my goals little by little:
1. Train hard during your off season: Florida’s off season is the summer. Scorching heat and oppressive humidity make smarter people stay indoors or run on treadmills. Us crazy people, however, just wake up earlier and run outside anyway. And you know what? I think it gives us crazies an edge. If you can run 9 miles in 85 degree heat, then doing 13.1 in 50 degrees and a cool breeze will feel like a vacation, not a half marathon. Trust me. That’s exactly what was going through my head a few weeks ago.
2. Rest: So, you think that the more mileage you get in during the week, the better off you’ll be? WRONG. Give your body the chance to rest between runs. Running is harsh on your joints and can become a chore really quickly if you don’t start allowing yourself to “forget” how much it kinda sucks sometimes by giving yourself a day’s break in between.
3. Cross Train: Now, just ’cause you’re “resting” from running, doesn’t mean you are resting from cardio completely. Take up another sport like cycling or swimming to keep you busy in between runs. Weight training and fun classes at the gym also count!
4. Injury Prevention: My greatest fear is not being able to run. But even I skip these and later really REALLY regret it. Injury prevention/ strengthening exercises are imperative if you want to keep running long-term. There are some common ones you can find on the web but, honestly, each person’s injury prevention routine should be tailored to his or her frequent aches and pains. I usually have pulling in my piriformis and inner knees so I’ve learned to do things to strengthen the surrounding areas to prevent things from getting worse. DO THEM!!!
5. Eat Well: Believing that eating lots of carbs will give you more energy or that eating a very low-fat diet will make you a leaner, better runner is just a naive and misinformed way to go about feeding yourself. I’ve found that I need to be very attentive to my protein, carb and fiber balance for a good two weeks before a race… and good fats are your friend not your foe. You DO NOT want to have a “fiber attack” while running and you DEFINITELY do not want to suffer a day’s worth of serious G.I. issues after your race because your body has basically consumed itself due to being poorly nourished. Balance is key. Eat what you like, eat what you NEED and eat CLEAN and BALANCED.
Saturday I did my very first long ride on my bike! The furthest I had ever gone up until this point was the leisurely (but very scenic) 13 mile course we did in the Everglades a few weeks ago. I don’t really consider that a true 13 miles because it was very stop and go and not at all a straight shot like this Saturday’s 22 miles were.
Since my epic race-season finale, I have no other scheduled half marathons in the near future. And, to be honest, there aren’t many (if any at all) to register for in my neck of the woods anyway. They probably won’t start up again until September or October.
Although its been cool and overcast lately, in about a month or so, Florida’s summer weather will kick in and it’ll be unbearably hot and humid by 8am every morning. Rather than start running indoors on a treadmill (the equivalent of Chinese water torture for me) I keep doing my thing outdoors but adjust times to avoid the dangerous conditions.
Here are 5 of my humble off-season tips to help you hit the ground running (pun is completely intended, of course) when you’re able to race again:
I’m doing 7 or 8 tomorrow… 🙂
Most women, like myself, have issues with their butt and upper thighs…. Especially us pear-shaped (or Spanish-guitar-shaped, as I prefer to be called) girls.
Here are some exercises that I’ve been doing listed order of most to least favorite. They are fun, fast and easy to do right after a run or as a quick go-to workout when you have no time for anything else. The bonus is that they strengthen muscles necessary when running which takes the pressure off joints and ligaments… less knee and hip pain AND a better looking tush?… yes, please 🙂
5 Moves for Your Butt: I like the video and how it gives you time to press pause between exercises
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/butt/exercises/butt-shaping-exercises/?page=2#page=1
3 Moves for Your Thighs: It gives Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced versions of each exercise
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/thighs/exercises/sleeker-thighs-in-3-moves/#page=1
More for your Thighs
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/thighs/exercises/top-thigh-exercises/#page=1
Silly Dr Oz video but good info
OK, so every time I go into the health food store to re-stock my kitchen cabinet for my admittedly ridiculous and extensive morning vitamin regimen, I feel compelled to roll my eyes at the other people shopping there. Now before you decide that I have no insight into my own behavior and that I am too critical of others, I am slowly embracing the fact that I might also be morphing into a granola-eating, patchouli-stinking, yoga lover like my health food shopping counter-parts… and I LIKE IT.
This summer I registered myself for 6 months of unlimited classes at a local yoga studio. My knees and hips take a serious beating every running season and I thought that this would be a great way to strengthen my muscles. This will hopefully keep my joints and ligaments happily cushioned from the repetitive pounding of my feet hitting the pavement. I also have the tendency to become a neurotic mess when triggered by stressors and internalize a lot of my anxiety (resulting in my blood pressure rising up to 170/ 102 in 2009!) I need to work on my mental well being as well and yoga is the perfect way to do both.
Today was a bit brutal… I was sweating up a storm and was not channelling very positive energy towards my instructor during a few poses, but I got through it and I feel amazing now. The instructor was new to me and I wasn’t used to her pose sequence. I came back home from class a little confused and asked my boyfriend, to clarify what I had been doing wrong.
He insisted that what I hadn’t been able to do was a one legged downward dog pose but it didn’t look exactly like what had stumped me during class. His 7 year old daughter strolled in to investigate what we were talking about and decided that what I was having difficulty with was, in fact, one of the stages of sun salutations. She then demonstrated how its done, along with some other complicated crazy poses, and then walked away after getting distracted by Max our yorkie-poo… this kid is just too hilarious, I love her.
Now, I realize that gyms and yoga studios cost A LOT of money and not all of us have access to them. Before I caved in this summer and signed up at the studio, I was doing some exercises at home to strengthen my calves, quads and hips and they were pretty effective. All you need is a pilates band, yoga mat and some free weights and you’ve got all you need!
My at-home gym
I anchor my pilates band with my coffee table to do some resistance exercises
Here are some awesome articles/videos that have helped me a great deal.
Hips:
http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-treatment/all-hips
Glutes and Quads:
http://www.runnersworld.com/workouts/body-shop-know-squat
http://www.runnersworld.com/injury-prevention-recovery/safe-keepers-half-squats
Abs:
http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/abs/exercises/top-10-abs-exercises/
As always, consult a doctor before beginning any exercise routine. These are just some ideas for you to think about.
Little Miss Sunshine State 