Week Sixteen: You CAN run!

Since I started training for the Seattle Marathon, people have been constantly telling me, "I wish that I could run like you, but I can't run." I'm thinking, well why can't you?? Unless you have some kind of medical condition that will not allow you to run, you CAN run. The key is to start slow, I can't stress that enough, you have to start slow. Before I started the slow progression of training for the marathon, I honestly couldn't slowly jog more than two miles at a time. Now I plan to run 16 miles on Sunday and I am confident that I can comfortably make it through the entire run. However, it took me 16 weeks to get to this point; I didn't build this high level of endurance overnight. So you have to be patient, your body will appreciate it.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when deciding to go from couch potato to road running is trying to take on too much too fast. If you've never seriously ran before, it's not a good idea to go out and run six miles on a whim, even if you feel like you can. Your muscles, joints, and body in general are not going to be ready for it; therefore you will probably experience an uncomfortable amount of fatigue, soreness, and you may never feel like running again. Plus, you'll be back to couch potato because you won't be able to move the next day! You are also putting yourself at risk for injury because, like I said, your body simply isn't in condition to just start pounding the pavement. Running is hard on your body, so you have to adapt slowly and progressively.

Below is a 12-week plan for a beginning runner. This plan was created by Matt Fitzgerald (an elite runner) and is featured in his book, "Performance Nutrition For Runners." I am not, be any means, taking credit for developing this plan. This plan will help you build endurance, strength, and was designed to aid in weight loss. To maximize this plan, I would also recommend reading the book, which gives extremely beneficial nutritional advice to runners at all levels. You absolutely have to maintain a healthy diet to reap the benefits of running.

Week One
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs, Wed: Strength train 20 min., Thur: Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 10 x 1-min. jogs

Week Two
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 35 min. w/ 12 x 1-min. jogs, Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Walk 35 min. w/ 12 x 1-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 8 x 2-min. jogs

Week Three
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 40 mins. w/ 8 x 2 1/2-min. jogs, Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Walk 40 min. w/ 8 x 3-min. jogs, Fri: Cross-train 35 min, Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Walk 40 min. w/ 4 x 5-min. jogs

Week Four
Mon: Off, Tues: Walk 40 min. w/ 10-min. jog, Wed: Strength 20 min. Thur: Walk 40 min. w/ 12-min. jog, Fri: Cross-train 30 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 20 minutes

Week Five
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 20 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 20 min., Fri: Cross-train 40 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 24 min.

Week Six
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 24 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 24 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 28 min.

Week Seven
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 26 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 26 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 32 min.

Week Eight
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 24 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 24 min., Fri: Cross-train 40 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 24 min.

Week Nine
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 30 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 30 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 36 min.

Week Ten
Mon: Off, Tues: Run 32 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 32 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 40 min.

Week Eleven
Mon: Off, Tue: Run 35 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 35 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 45 min.

Week Twelve
Mon: Off, Tue: Run 30 min., Wed: Strength 20 min., Thur: Run 30 min., Fri: Cross-train 45 min., Sat: Strength 20 min., Sun: Run 40 min.

*It's extremely important to take Mondays off. Your body needs an adequate time to recover. Not allowing yourself to properly recover can cause fatigue and injury.

*Walk 30 min. w/ 8 x 1-min. jogs means that you incorporate 1-minute long jogs 8 times during the 30 minutes.

*Cross-training is non-impact exercises such as cycling, elliptical, swimming, etc.

*When you strength train, you should focus on working your core, thighs, hips, glutes, calfs, and lower & upper back. These are the main muscle groups that you work when you run and building these muscles will help prevent injury.

*Again, I highly recommend buying the book if you are going to try this plan. It is extremely important to practice good nutrition while training. Proper nutrition is key!

Only 9 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Sixteen (not to be confused with part of the beginners plan)
9/21 - Rest day
9/22 - Run 4 miles
9/23 - Run 7 miles on a hilly course
9/24 - Rest day
9/25- Run 5 miles
9/26 - Run 5 miles
9/27 - Long run - 16 miles

Total miles for the week: 37

Week Fifteen: Happy movin' feet!

What a crazy/busy week!! I went from having only a few things to do, to having a million things to do all at once. Work has really started to pick up as we're working on building a new website. Unfortunately, I don't have the smarts to do the "cool" stuff when it comes to building the site, so basically, I've been copying and pasting content for three days straight. I think I'm actually starting to feel ill from staring at the monitor for hours on end. However, I'm the type of person where, if I start a project, I like to keep going until it's finished. If I stop, I lose motivation. I have the same mindset when I run. Most runners, when doing long runs, take periodic walk/water/snack breaks. I think it's actually recommended by elite runners to do so. BUT, I'm stubborn and like to do things my own way. When I do for my long runs (13 miles has been the longest so far), I do not stop. Stopping is failure to me; I will push myself to the limit. If I am not blacking out, bleeding or need serious medical attention (none of which have ever happen, ::knock on wood::), I see no reason to stop. However, I do take water and gels with me so that I stay fueled. (I'm not totally insane!) I just drink/eat them while I'm still running. I'm that person who you see running in place at red lights looking totally ridiculous. I feel silly doing it sometimes, I know that people are staring, but I got to keep those feets a-movin'!
So far, this non-stop technique is working for me. I don't feel burned out at all. Every week, I'm adding miles and my runs are starting to feel more natural, especially my hill runs, which I used to dread. I'm still having trouble running in warmer weather and, of course, this is the one year that Seattle's hot weather is never-ending. This is first time I've ever truly wished for summer to hurry up and be over. But please, no rain, just cooler days.
My next race is the Leavenworth Oktoberfest Half-Marathon in the first week of October. In lieu of the Oktoberfest festivities, they hand you a pint of beer at the finish line. Gotta replenish your carbs after a run, right?

Only 10 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Fifteen
9/14 - Rest day
9/15 - Run 7 miles
9/16 - Run 8 miles on a hilly course
9/17 - Rest day
9/18 - Run 6 miles
9/19 - Run 6 miles
9/20 - Tempo Run
-2 warmup miles
-3 miles at 5k pace
-1 cooldown mile

Total miles of the week: 33 miles

Week Fourteen: Reaping the benefits

As I'm making my way through this massive running journey, I've learned some incredible facts about how running can benefit your health. There really are more benefits to running than just improving the shape of butt and thighs! So, I thought I'd share.

Here are a list of things that running can do to improve your health and overall wellness:

-Improve cardiovascular health: lowers blood pressure and helps your arteries maintain elasticity. This means that running will significantly lower your chance of ever having a heart attack or stroke.

-Slows down the aging process: runners are less likely to experience bone and muscle degeneration as they age than people who are more sedentary. When we run, our bones and muscles become stronger in response to the physical demand; therefore consistent running means that you will maintain bone and muscle strength even as you age.

-Psychological benefits: believe it or not, running makes you happy. It does this by releasing endorphins, which are hormones that give your body a sense of euphoria (i.e. "runners high"). Running has also been proven help alleviate stress.

(Have I convinced you to start running yet? No?? Keep reading.)

-Helps fight disease: running has been proven to reduce the risk of some types of cancer, most notably, breast cancer. Running has even become a treatment option recommended by doctors for people at risk for developing osteoporosis, diabetes, and hypertension. Running also raises "good" cholesterol levels (HDL), can reduce blood clots, and boost your immune system.

-Improved coordination: running may seem like it would involve much less coordination than other sports, however, there is most definitely coordination involved in running. This is mostly true for road runners and trail runners who are often running on uneven terrain (among other obstacles, i.e. rocks, pot holes, tree roots, people who don't care if they drive on the curb as you're running by...). Runners who are consistently training on these types of surfaces will learn to control their body to avoid tripping, stumbling, and, of course, swiftly jumping out of the way when that crazy driver jumps the curb that you're about to run by on. (I've learned from experience that during rush-hour, people don't care what they run over. I've had some close calls. The mentality: "Felony? Whateva! I gotta get home NOW!" I might-as-well consider myself a possum during these hours.)

-Weight loss: running is one of the top physical activities you can perform to lose body fat. 60% of runners begin running to lose weight and, let me tell ya, it works! It works because running burns more calories per minute than any other cardio exercise with the exception of cross-country skiing. It's simple to understand: the more calories out, the easier it is to lose weight.

Now, to reap the benefits of running, I'm not suggesting that everyone should get off their couches and start training for a marathon tomorrow. Rather, adding just 1 - 3 miles to your daily routine will help improve your overall health and wellness. If you are a beginning runner, it's best to start slow in order to prevent injury. Try doing intervals of 10 minutes of slow jogging followed by 10 minutes of walking for 30 - 40 minutes. By consistently doing this, you will slowly begin to build your strength, stamina, and endurance. Once you feel comfortable with this routine, begin adding more minutes, less walking, or more distance to your routine.

And in case you were wondering, I got the facts above from creditable running websites and the book "The Runner's Body." I'm not just making this up as I go along.

Only 11 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Fourteen
9/7 - Rest day
9/8 - Run 4 miles
9/9 - Run 7 miles on a hilly course
9/10 - Rest day
9/11 - Run 4 miles
9/12 - Run 4 miles
9/13 - Long run - 13 miles (halfway to marathon distance!)

Total miles for the week: 32

Week Thirteen: Melissa - The event planner

I am the leader of the Health/Wellness Team at my work and on Wednesday, we held a company-wide health fair featuring information on ergonomics, fitness, dental care, nutrition, and even hypnotherapy. I was the main organizer of this event, so this week has been a bit stressful for me. This was the first event that I've ever organized, so I was extremely nervous about how it was going to go. The typical fears were running through my head non-stop, such as the vendors canceling, going over-budget, not getting set-up on time, etc. Then, of course, the biggest fear of all- nobody showing up! So I just kept telling myself, "we're providing free food, everybody loves free food, people will come for the food..." (think Costco on free sample day). BUT, much to my relief, the event turned out to be an outstanding success (and not just because of the free food). What a relief! I've been getting constant positive feedback from people that I don't even know. It's such a great feeling to know that I am capable of successfully putting on such a large (large by my standards) event.
On top of organizing the health fair, I've also been been busy doing my normal job (don't exactly know how I'm managing to maintain composure), so I haven't gotten a chance to put to much time into blogging this week. My brain is full to the max! I am so looking forward to this three-day weekend.

Peppercorn's first race time: Paws In The Park 5k: 42 mins (pretty good for a pup only 5 1/2 months old, she had a great time!).
She will also be doing the PAWSwalk on 9/12/09 with Team Terriers. If you want to walk with me and my team, just let me know and I'll give you all of the info. It's free to join.

Only 12 more weeks until the marathon!

Week Thirteen
8/31 - Rest day
9/1 - Run 4 miles
9/2 - Run 6 miles on a hilly course
9/3 - Rest day
9/4 - Run 4 miles
9/5 - Run 4 miles
9/6 - Long run - 10 miles

Total miles for the week: 28