BIGGEST training mistakes

There are a few pretty big mistakes people make while training.  I find the following to be one of the worst ;

Going out too fast in the beginning of the run. The thought process ( If I run faster in the beginning, I'll go further, and that will compensate for when I get slower the second half. I'll run further/faster than the people who go slower and steadier or run/walk.)

WRONG!!!!!! WRONG!!!!! WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you go too fast in the beginning you will deplete yourself and thus your second half will be WAY slower than your first. Those people pacing themselves will PASS you as you chug a lug. Also the people who went a tiny bit slower than you in the beginning will have way MORE energy for the second half and be FASTER than their first half.

Think of the Tortoise and the Hare story.  Only in this scenario the hare has nothing left in the gas tank.

So how do you know how fast to go??????

When you train, do at least one run a week where you go out for a distance and turn around and come back.  At the turn around, check your watch.  Your second half should be faster than your first.  Simple.

There is nothing worse than DYING at the end of a run and having everyone pass you, and no better feeling than WHIZZING past everyone at the end. Especially the ones that past you in the beginning and thought they were all that ;)  In a short 5km, the people who went out too fast for their bodies, will get passed at about the 1.5km mark.  Not fun.

Yes you can go TOO slow in the beginning, experience will help you with that.  I use the breathing test.  The first half of my run my breathing is up but I can talk to you. For my long slow runs I can talk to you the entire time, but the last few kms I stop.  On a short run, I don't want to mutter a word the second half because my lungs are busy.

GO test yourself. With a little training you will know how fast you can start off, and the more races you do, the more you will know just how fast you can push yourself.

Morning Runs

I have never liked morning running. It takes me a while to wake up, and I would much rather run with full sun on my face.
With the 4 kids, and farm chores (chickens for me, cattle for Adam), making it into town for 8am is not going to be easy.   Especially since this morning I booked a riding lesson for Lara at 9:30. My husband will need to readjust his schedule to accommodate me, get all the kids ready in the morning, and interrupt his farming chores.

In fact, training for the marathon, like the Half will require A LOT of time and sacrifice from my family.

The kids being in school this year will free up SOME time for me, but with the 4 kids, the farm, my husbands other 40-80 hr/week job, and my own household duties, fitting in the time for running is not easy.

Like I've always said before, there is always time to be found. It just means that some days I will be watching the sun come up.  Today I am up before dawn to get my morning coffee in and chores before the run.

Like all things in life you need to weigh the pros and cons and either choose to make it a priority or not.  My health is a priority and on this early snowy December morning I am glad to have made that choice.

Fitness is not easy. Choosing a healthy lifestyle is not easy all the time, but anything easy is not worth doing. The results are a happier Alyson, a calmer mother, and an enthusiastic and supportive wife.  I think for those reasons my family is also on board ;)

Happy Running,
Alyson

The No Excuse Run

I had an MRI for my knee today this afternoon and wanted/needed to head out for a run to irritate whatever it is that is being irritated when I run.
Unfortunately I just could not get away as I needed to be with all 4 babies. My 9 year old is pretty smart and trustworthy but I have a feeling Children's Aid would not be too happy with me.  Well o.k and I would not really trust Lara for more than 5 minutes either.

My point is that I was home with my 4 children and no I don't own a treadmill.

I strapped on my running shoes and decided to run up and down my driveway. I DID run around the property but the grass was too cushiony. Also, the 80F heat and humidity was UNBELIEVABLE!! Bad...not good.
So up and down I ran on my hard  and shaded driveway. 

For 30 minutes, half of which I pushed Audrey in the stroller. The other Half I did sprints while she played in the sandbox.

So there you have it.
Where there is a will there is a way....So no more excuses. Yes I a busy mom. And yes my little one tried  to run with me on the lawn. And yes the neighbors think I'm crazy. I don't care. I'm proud to be a fit mom ;)

Never Ever Give Up

It's not over till it's over.
Amen.

20 minute CARBON run

The temperature soared today melting the snow on the sidewalks and the sun came out. A PERFECT combination for a great run. I felt like a butterfly emerging from her winter cocoon.

I ran....HARD....for 20 minutes in the downtown air. It felt like I was flying and it felt oh so good. I then ran back to the YMCA where I did my ball workout and hit the bike for 10minutes.

My knee tends to hate me when I run hard and biking seems to help strengthen the muscles that support it. I think I will make this the 'norm' for my Friday runs. Later when it is light out past 730pm I'll go for evening bike rides but for now this will do.

Going slow and steady and increasing my mileage is very important for this Half Marathon, but doing a workout like this will help me with my endurance as well. I won't go into the boring details of why so just trust me that getting the 'carbon' out as I like to call it is both practical for body AND mind ;)

Me and God

When I run it is just me. Me and God. It is a time to reflect and to ponder, to question and to listen. I think I do my best worshiping when I run. I do my best listening. Sometimes It is just the sound of my breath and my footsteps. Other times it is the music playing in my ear that motivates me.

I thought I would share the song that kept me going tonight. It is just a fun and happy Gospel song. Every run there is usually one song I can play over and over again. Tonight it was this one....Because tonight it was just between Me and God ;)
Happy Running
Alyson

Yoga and Tempo Runs

I did my first Yoga session the other day. It was so nice to stretch for nearly an hour. My body thanks me.

If there is any area in the fitness department I am failing on is definitely in the flexibility department.

I am going for a second session today, then out for a TEMPO RUN.

A TEMPO run is running at the Pace I plan on Running ON SATURDAY ( at my first 5km race). I will warm up for 5mins, then hit a good hard pace to about 3kms....then slow it down for 5 mins.

Mix up long and hard runs

I wanted to get out for a run like I wanted a hole in the head...o.k it was not quite THAT bad but you get the idea.

But...I made the commitment to get out 3 days a week and I knew that this was my only shot to make the goal this week. I also knew I would have three days off as it would be impossible to make it out till Monday.

So...out the door I went. I just went 10 minutes out, and 10 back. After 3 minutes I decided to turn the run into what I call a CARBON run. That is where I run hard for the 10 minutes to exercise my lungs and push myself.

It worked and I felt great.

Adding shorter, harder runs between your long runs helps to increase your stamina for those longer runs. You can't exercise your lungs and make them more efficient if you can't talk the entire time.

So mix it up.

Great run tonight

Went for a 43 minute run tonight. It was my longest yet since starting to run 2 months ago. I feel great. My legs need a really good stretch but I feel just fine. It helped to have my fabulous running partner Cheryl again. It made the run go by so much faster.

What has helped us get this far is starting slow. We started off run/walking, added biking to strengthen our knees and now we are pushing the distance.

The only problem we are facing is time. We are both moms of three kids and need to fit the runs into our schedule. We are both blessed to have mothers and mother in laws to come over and hold the kids but don't want to manipulate their time.

Our goal is to run the 10km Terry Fox Run Sept 16th so we will continue to try long runs untill then. After that we will cut it down to one long run on Sunday mornings and short interval training during the week.

Ready for the Next Phase

I've been exercising for 8 weeks now. I started six weeks after the birth of our third child May 13th. Although I am an avid runner I started with a Beginner's program. Click Here to view.

The Program worked well. I started developing knee problems so I added biking on the days I was not running. This helped develop my leg muscles and strengthen my knee and now I don't have any problems. I also slowed myself right down on my runs so I did not push myself too hard.

I can now run for 25-30 minutes without stopping. My body is ready to begin the next phase of training.

The Intermediate Running Program will include biking and some very necessary yoga stretching for my really....really tight hamstrings. Flexibility is an important part to fitness. This is an area I am quite weak.

I've lost most of my weight. ( I have 5 pounds to go). My goal is not really weight loss because I know the weight will simply come off when I increase my exercise. I am also still breast feeding so I need to be consuming enough calories. I will just keep trying to eat well. The focus will be having enough protein in my diet to keep up my energy levels.

REMEMBER TO GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. Sometimes taking time off will actually help you lose more weight. You can't keep increasing and increasing....you will plateau and get frustrated. I took two weeks off (I was sick), and I feel just fine. My body is rested and recovered.

Also....at this point, re-establish goals. Short term and long term. Look at your schedule. School is coming...does that change things?? For me, my husband is going away for three months of training which means I will need to actually schedule my workouts.

I have a goal of 10km Terry Fox run in mid september. My goal is to just get through it. In the spring I will try a 10km to race it....or maybe a 23km. I'm not sure yet.

So here we go....my next entry will be my Program.

Goals for Motivation

Went for my first run yesterday since becoming so ill. It felt great!!
My fabulous running partner came with me. We ran 12 minutes and walked 2 minutes, then ran another 12 minutes home.
My lungs felt great and I could have kept going.

It is important for me to start slow again. This way I end the run with a positive feeling. This will increase my chances of wanting to go again :)

Cheryl and I have also set a goal. We are going to do a 5km local run in September. We know we can do that and it will be a great motivator to keep going.

We are also going to try for a 10km run in the spring. This will help keep us motivated over the winter. Once that is accomplished it will be half/full marathon training time.

So set goals for yourself to stay motivated!!
These are mine...

1)Imediate goals.... A goal of getting out the door twice a week
2)Short Term Goals....a local run/walk in a few months
3)Long Term Goals....a goal of a marathon or something in a year or two.

Newton's law

Bodies at Rest like to stay at rest. Bodies in motion like to stay in motion

Ah Newton's law. Especially true when you are trying to pry your butt off the couch to go for that run. Some days it is really hard to get motivated to go. Even the first 10 minutes of a run sometimes feel like I weigh a ton. However, as soon as my blood starts pumping and my legs are in motion all systems kick in and I feel terrific at the end of that run.

This law holds true in life as well....once you start moving you will never want to be sedentary again. I can promise you that. Even Newton would agree with me.

The importance of rest

My running partner and I feel great after completing our first week of 7(2:1) !! yay for us! I just love the fact that she lives across the street and so there is no driving involved. Alot easier to coordinate someone to come over for 21 minutes while we head out the door. That is certainly another benefit of being surrounded by in-laws :)

We both want to go for a run today but know that we should wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow we start 4(4:1). Running four minutes straight vs. two will make a big difference so it is important to allow our bodies to recover today. We are concentrating on our technique. We are doing well with the quick cadence (40ish left foot strikes in 30secs).

Rest is so important, even at this easier level. Enough sleep at night, and allowing your muscles to repair themselves is vital. Since we are going from zero to something we are kind of 'shocking' our systems so slowly but surely is the better approach. Besides...when a day later you are looking forward to another run that is a good sign that you are doing things right. What is not good is when you push yourself too hard and getting out the door (knowing it will hurt) is difficult.

So....Good running partner + Rest = Motivation!!!!

Running partner = Accountability

Today Cheryl and I are going for our second run. At least we are supposed to. I just woke up from a long long loooooonnnnngg night with the baby and to be honest I feel like a truck hit me. And it is HOT. When I say hot I mean sticky and the air feels like we will need to swim through it. It is 8:30am and Adam has just taken off on a bike ride with the girls in tow, I just finished my tea and Peyton is still asleep. Now since I can't go anywhere until I feed the little man and my husband returns I must look out the window knowing I've got to get out there. Can we go later today you say? No for several reasons. I need to run on an empty stomach, the kids have softball in the afternoon and it will just get HOTTER!

This is where having a running partner comes in handy. You see iftwould be so easy for Cheryl and I to whine and complain and say that we don't wanna get out the door and sweat. Don't get me wrong, I am doing plenty of that right now......but.....
When you have six kids and a life between the two of you and it takes a little bit to coordinate a good time to get out together alone without babies......not going would be a shame. So we are going and not giving each other a choice. If we cave now we will cave later.

I've got another 14 minutes before Adam returns from his bike ride.
Thank God for running partners and accountability.