Dashing through the snow

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! I hope you all had a wonderful time w/family & friends over the holidays and also managed to keep active.

I did a few 5K's, NTC workouts and worked on my yoga.  I found this really helpful site Yoga Journal  that has videos from beginner to advanced to help me master some moves.

Here are some pics of workouts I got in over the holidays:

My first day off I enjoyed a 5K run w/my little sister.

Christmas Eve another 5K, with some upper body workout  & ended w/some much needed yoga.
hehe like my harem pants?

Dec 29 - 5K in 8cm of snow WHAT!

Yup I ran in the snow and it was exhilarating!  There is no better feeling than hearing the ice and snow crack beneath your feet as you motor along.  So I thought I'd share some tips on running in the snow.

• Running during snow season is very different from other times of the year. Your body will become exhausted far more quickly and will use up its energy reserves very quickly. Drink a lot of water to keep hydrated and carry some snack bars or nuts to keep you sustained

• Let people know where you're going, and how long you're going for. If you get stuck somewhere or fall, it will be nice to know that people will be looking for you or simply run with your phone.

• Snow is great for resistance training, try finding some deep snow on a level surface and sprinting through it.

•  Ensure that you wear appropriate shoes, try a good pair of trail shoes with added traction. I used my Nike ACG's

• Dress in layers, start with a sweat wicking base layer, DO NOT wear Cotton as this will soak up moisture and keep you wet=cold! Then on top of the base layer go for a Gore-Tex material jacket or windbreaker. If really cold get a fleece type middle layer on.

• Get some lip balm on!

• Finally, you cant beat that feeling of being out there when everyone else is curled up in front of the TV, that’s one of the best things about running through winter, the feeling that your doing something not many people would like to. 

• Oh and don't forget to make sure you've got some nice hot soup or hot chocolate to come home to for a quick recovery/warm up.

Run safe.

This morning while checking the news, I read about a female jogger who was sexually assaulted in the very same park I run during the week. Article HERE:  This makes me furious.  I’m not going to stop running alone, but I do take every precaution that I can. I run defensively with my pocket knife and alert.  

Here are some safety running tips to consider.

1.    Be alert when running alone. Many runners are verbally assaulted or physically harassed by motorists and cyclists.  It’s equally important to pay attention to your surroundings for you to have a quicker time to react.

2.    Take your runs in well-lit, well-traveled areas during night time. For night jogging, have someone accompany you or run with a group. You can bring along your dog because dogs bark and make noise. More so, consider carrying a whistle or pepper spray, especially for women.

3.   Avoid playing loud music using your headphones. Especially in isolated areas and while running alone, you will not be able to hear somebody approaching you.

4.    Avoid isolated paths that have lots of trees or unpopulated areas like parks, bike trails, non-residential streets or deserted tracks especially at nights. It’s easy for someone to hide around corners, in the trees or bushes and parked cars.

5.    Check out for loose clothing like jacket or sweatshirt hood. Attackers will look for something to grab on their victim. Also, it’s easier to attack victims who have ponytails, this is an easy thing to grab and pull.

6.    Let somebody know where you will be running. Inform them the route you will take and how long it will take you.

7.    Vary your routes. Don’t be predictable. Switch Things Up. Don’t use just one area;  switch up your running routes. In addition to varying the places you run, also change up your schedule. For example, a person should never know where you are going to run on a Thursday night. Vary your running times by at least an hour, and don’t go to the same location on the same day 

8.    Follow your intuition; if an area feels suspicious, turn back.

Run safe everyone.

Lunges, you know you love 'em!

"It burns so good!" I keep telling myself as I do these on my cross training days with the NTC APP. I used to dread doing them, but incorporating them w/my marathon training as helped a lot.  Lunges are a great way to boost your muscle and your speed.  The faster you run, the greater the range of motion in your stride, and the more you’ll rely on your glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors.

Lunges are also practical because you can do them just about anywhere, and you can easily modify the lunge to suit your needs. You can add weights, perform more reps, increase the width of the lunge, or use a bench or declined surface to add variability to your practice.

Here are some lunge workouts that I do during my training.

Around The World Lunges

(love that it targets all key areas)

Alternating Forward Lunge to Shoulder Press

(def feel this one the next day ;) Gets quads toned and sculpts shoulders)

If you run, I highly encourage you to add lunges to your fitness routine. I would start with two sets of 10 lunges per leg. They are also a great conditioning exercise for downhill skiing, (ice/roller) skating and cross country. Yep, I think the everyone in the world could benefit from lunges!

First things first! It is always important to consult your physician before starting an exercise program. This is particularly true if any of the following apply to your current medical condition:

• chest pain or pain in the neck and/or arm
• shortness of breath
• a diagnosed heart condition
• joint and/or bone problems
• currently taking cardiac and/or blood pressure medications
• have not previously been physically active
• dizziness

If none of these apply to you, start gradually and sensibly. However, if you feel any of the physical symptoms listed above when you start your exercise program, contact your physician right away.

Tempo Run

Yesterday as part of my training schedule I saw I had a 3mi tempo run to do today.  A tempo run you say??...hmm should I be trying to run at a similar tempo to the tunes blasting out from my playlist?
Again I'm still a bit of newbie to all these running terms.

Thank goodness for Google and twitter for saving me from the embarrassment of attempting a running dance along the boardwalk. :P

Tempo runs are similar to high-intensity intervals, but with this strategy you don't sprint as fast as you can. Instead, you hold at a fast (but not too fast) pace for a longer time period, like 10 minutes, before slowing down. This helps you get past your running threshold. I've been running several times a week, and noticed I've been slowing down and my endurance waning, esp on my long runs Saturdays. Why is this happening?

Your body eventually acclimates to a particular pace and/or distance. So overtime, you won’t get what you used to out of that regular 5-miler every other day. Stagnation sets in. Active.com

Tempo runs help push out your lactate threshold (that burn you feel in your legs when you run fast). Tempo workouts teach your body to more quickly clear out the lactate buildup delaying or preventing that fatigue-causing burn. The goal of this type of practice run is to improve your race pace and help improve your overall efficiency.


So how did I do?

MILE	TIME	CHANGE	AVG PACE
1	11:06	--	11'06"/mi warm-up
2 *Fastest	20:08	- 2:04 (18%)	9'02"/mi tempo run
3	30:53	+ 1:42 (-19%)	10'45"/mi cool down

13 weeks to 13.1mi - 13 tips I've learned along the way

There are 13 weeks left until the NWM2012 - time is flying by so fast o_O


I've picked up a lot of tips/advice and learned from my own mistakes during my training, so I thought I'd share 13.1 of my favs.  These are can also be applied to other forms of sport/workouts.


BEAT THE HEAT

• hydrate! hydrate! hydrate!
On training days, make sure you’re taking in extra fluids before, during and after to keep from getting thirsty and dehydrated
• listen to your body
  When training/running gets sweaty and tough, take a walk break (try some run/walk intervals) or hit a Savasana. Know when to push through a mentally tough part of your run and know when to pack it in.
• sunscreen!!!Wear sunscreen – ‘nuff said

SMOOTHIES FOR 13 MILES

• Crunchy Coffee Fix - soooo yummy

• Mango-Coconut Water Smoothie  

  2 cups ripe mango chunks (from 1 to 2 mangoes) 

  2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 

  2 cups unsweetened coconut water 
  Pinch of cayenne powder (key) ;)
  
  Combine all ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. 

RUN MANTRAS

• run with your heart not with your legs 
• you’ve done harder things than this before…
• You’ve made it this far, only (insert distance left) left!
• Dig for that extra inch. Take the best you can do, and do better.

GEAR & GADGETS

• Nike Cheyenne Vapor Backpack
  This is a great bag, just what I need for my long runs, hiking and navigating the city. Big enough bag to carry all your necesities.

• Nike LunarFly+ 3  comfortable and nice fit 

• Nike+GPS app Nike has put together a very polished app that allows you to get accurate readouts for speed, distance, GPS mapping and listen to music. Voice alerts during your run give you the vital stats such as time, distance and pace, and post-run entreaties for you to go faster, longer, and further really do work. There's also a social aspect, where you and your friends can have friendly competitions, trash-talk each other into a fitter,and better lifestyle.  Post run you can sync you run onto Nike+ and see beautiful graphs of your run splits and see how you compare with fellow runners in the NIke community.  

• Nike Filament Capris  stays in place, does not bunch, and are very breathable. Back pocket is perfect for a house key!

Lastly, JUST DO IT! as Nike encourages us to do...get up and get moving!  Whether it's for a charitable cause, competition or just for yourself, your body will thank you.  You will reap the rewards by becoming healthier, stronger and confident because you achieved a goal.  

The Ultimate Runner’s Guide (Infographic)

More Health and Fitness News & Tips at Greatist.

Show Your Running Feet Some Love = Happy Feet

Since increasing the amount time I run a few months ago, my feet have taken quite the beating with all the repetitive pounding, sweating, and muscle exertion.  Desperate for relief I did some research online and also seeked long time runners advice what they do.

   

• Grab a tennis ball: Sit or stand and place the ball under the arch of your foot, roll it along your arch, and shift to whatever part of your foot needs attention. I was surprised at how sore my feet really were. 
• Trim your toenails: Long toenails can rub against the inside of your shoe making it painful to run. When giving yourself a pedicure, cut or file nails straight (rounded nails can cause ingrown nails)
  
•  Exfoliate dry skin: Prevent heel fissures by exfoliating your feet using bath gloves or a pumice stone. Moisturize often to keep the skin moist.
• Stretch: To prevent injury and ease soreness, stretching after a run is essential.  
• Ease inflammation: If feet are swollen after a run, here's a trick I recently learned. Fill a water bottle halfway with ice cubes and fill the rest with cold water. Place the bottle on a towel to collect condensation and rest the arch of your bare foot on the middle of the bottle. Rock your foot forward and back, rolling the bottle underneath. Apply as much pressure as you want, continuing for a few minutes.  Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Happy feet will give back and make your runs more comfortable :)

SIGNS YOU'RE SLEEP DEPRIVED

1. You need an alarm to wake up. 
2. You use the snooze button on your alarm more than twice.
3. You fall asleep in fewer than 10 minutes.
4. Simple decisions stump you.
5. You're still hungry after eating all day.
6. You keep coming down with colds.
7. Weird things make you cry.
8. You've become a klutz.

wow - 6/8 for me o_O especially during the workweek lol, even as I typed this I'm zoning in and out Zzzzzz

So today I scoured the web for tips and here is what I found: 

• Make Sleep a Priority - turn off that iPhone, comp or tv asap when you feel drowsy 
• Have a sleep-inducing snack - Certain foods can help induce sleepiness: 

1. HONEY- Add a drizzle of honey to warm milk or herbal tea
2. DAIRY - It's true, that warm glass of milk your mom gave you when you were a kid does help you sleep better. 
3. POULTRY -  It's not just turkey that contains sleep-inducing tryptophan; all poultry does.
4. TEA -  mug of chamomile tea before you go to bed is effective

• Relax with yoga &  clear your mind
• Consistency is key: Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule each day of the week, even on weekends. Getting up and going to bed at the same time everyday will help your body fall into a natural rhythm, so it knows when to sleep, and when to be awake.

I'll def. be trying these tips as of tonight & hope Mr. Sandman visits for a restful sleep.  See you in dream land...