Fitness Friday (a couple days late)

This week consisted of a lot of work, a temple trip, and dinner at On The Border with friends. The preceding is why I have been MIA and also why I missed my fitness post on Friday... but to every one's delight( or despair) I am back.

This week I want to focus on the latest fitness craze- running! Have you noticed that everyone and their best friends' wife's uncles grandma, once removed, WANTS to run a 5K, 10K, half or full marathon? Talking to the majority of peeps in my club, almost everyone is training for something. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge advocate of training for an event, but how many people actually follow through with their training and actually participate/compete in the event? My guess is a mere 15%. Why so low you ask?

People fall off bandwagons because they don't know HOW to train, they don't know HOW to pace themselves( they try running 2 miles their first run and come home feeling defeated, wanting to quit before they even started), and they don't know HOW to schedule their training in their daily lives. They don't quit because they didn't want to put forth the effort, they just needed a little more guidance.

My clients that see the most results are the clients that follow my weekly plan, specifically detailing what I want them to do for exercise on a daily basis. So, for all of you who want to train for a 5K, 10k, half marathon, or marathon here's a great place to start. If you have not even considered running, consider it now and start small! With Spring here and Summer just around the corner, there are plenty of opportunities to try your first race. I would love to hear your success stories along the way!

These plans are for 5k and 8K's , courtesy of Runners World. If you have already trained for a 5k or 8k and want to do a half marathon or marathon, let me know and I can send you some info.

Beginner Plan: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381--11942-0,00.html

Intermediate Plan:

Many beginners strive to run three days a week and log around 15 miles. To get as fit as possible with those miles, here's what your training week should look like:

Tuesday- Strength day (3 to 4 miles)

Pick a hilly course. After a half-mile warm up, increase the pace a bit as you run up each incline. As you crest each hill, run strong but not all out, which means you should be huffing and puffing a bit. Jog slowly or walk down the other side. Try to include at least three hills to start, adding extra inclines each week until you're covering five to nine hills.

Thursday-Speed day (3 to 4 miles)

To help you run faster and more efficiently, focus on increasing your turnover and shortening the amount of time your feet stay on the ground while running. In between a 10-minute warm up and 10-minute cooldown, run for one set of 10 steps, concentrating on picking up your feet as soon as they hit the ground. Jog for a minute, then try a set of 20 light steps, then 25, and finally 30, jogging a minute between each set. Repeat the whole series.

Saturday- Endurance day (7 to 9 miles)

This day is all about covering the distance, so rein in the pace (running up to three minutes per mile slower than your 5-K race pace) and take walk breaks starting at the beginning of the run. If you run a few miles before taking your first walk break, your muscles will have started to fatigue already and won't fully recover during the breaks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Back to me~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For best results, on the other days (M,W,F) , cross train with 45 minutes of cardio (swimming, bicycling, taking a group fitness class, or the doing the elliptical) and 15-20 minutes of strength training. If your schedule doesn't permit daily exercise, ITS OKAY! Do not beat yourself up! You should aim for 4-5 days/week of training. Your body needs rest in order to rebuild and strengthen itself, so enjoy your recovery days!
Happy Running! :)