Fun Summer Running Gear

I participate in various forms of movement and physical activity but I think I would have to say that running is definitely my physical activity of choice, or at least I am most stubborn about it.  There is something about just being outside with your thoughts, listening to your breathing or boom of super loud music in your ears, that just makes me so happy.

I have mentioned before that when I am not feeling super motivated I will purchase a new pair of running socks to get me excited about running.  Socks are my go to because out of all the running gear I could be buying to motivate myself socks are the cheapest.  But this got me thinking what are my favourite running things?  This is when I realized there are very few things besides my running watch (which I honestly feel could be any brand), orthotics and sun block there are only a handful of things I feel I couldn’t live without.

So here they are the items I feel like without them running would be that much more difficult.

1. Lululemon Stuff Your Bra: This bra is nothing short of incredible! Not only does it offer amazing support, the bra itself has tiny little pockets for your keys, cell phone, tissue, lip gloss, tiny little sunblocks.  Sure it is a bra so you don’t want to be stuffing a water bottle in there, but for a house key or your iPod or cell phone this bra is perfect.  The addition of items to the bra’s pockets doesn’t compromise the support it offers, this bra is also awesome in the gym to carry around your music so you don’t have ear phone cables all over the place.

2. Lululemon Run Inspire Crop: another lulu gem.  I love these pants because the mesh on the back of the leg.  I am not much for running in shorts on longer runs however that can become challenging on hot days.  The mesh helps to cool down your leg while still giving you some good coverage.  Also as #1 didn’t give you enough options for storing things, these guys have a nice little pocket on your backside for keys, cards or whatever you would like to put in there.

3. Fuel Belt: The fuel belt above is from the Running Room, it isn’t necessarily my very favourite ever but it is one that has lasted me over 5 years and came in at under $25 so I really have no complaints. Regardless of the brand you choose if you are running more than 5k and it is warm out you should be bringing some water with you and for body balance reasons I find hands free is the best way to go.

4. WATER BOTTLES: as mentioned above water and hydrating is an absolute must during your day, and more importantly when you are outside in the sun being active.  Personally I have two of these little guys threaded onto my fuel belt, one is filled with straight up water and the second normally has some type of electrolyte concoction in it. I like these little bottles because they aren’t overly heavy, and to be honest running with water can be annoying but I am always thankful for it after a long run.

5. Running Hats: I am sure I have mentioned this in the past. I don’t do well with sunglasses, I get too sweaty behind them and become uncomfortable pretty quickly.  I prefer a hat, not only for the reduced sweatiness but also for the protection from the sun.  I am a ginger and therefore burn pretty easily, plus who doesn’t want to protect their face from the harmful rays of the sun?  Now there is a difference between a regular old baseball hat and a running hat.  Running hats are so much lighter and breathable than other hats out there.  To be honest I have no idea what brand my hat is, I went to a Sport Check and bought a hat for $20, the back is mesh and the rest of the hat is made of light weight material.

There you have it. These are my tired and true items, if you didn’t notice I am not much for spending huge amounts of cash on my running gear (I guess besides my slight Lululemon obsession). I find the key to good summer running gear is to make sure the materials used are light weight, breathable and whenever possible moisture wicking!   I understand that I didn’t list my running shoes here which are arguably a must have when running, however when it comes to shoes we all have very different needs and feet.  Personally I tend to buy the same brand year after year, but always try on various brands when purchasing a new pair because designs change, shoes fit differently from year to year and you never know when you might find something that is better suited to your needs.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Let me know what your favourite running gear is in the comments below, I am always on the look out for fun new running stuff.

 

It’s Running Season – Tips for Injury Prevention

Spring has official sprung and the residents of Ottawa have definitely emerged from their homes, packed up their winter clothing and are sporting flip flops and shorts. It is that time of the year where all of the extreme runners, fair weather runners, first timers and weekend warriors start heading outside in their brightly coloured tank tops, running shorts and their newest pair of light weight running shoes.   As running season approaches and people get excited about moving, being outside and shedding the “winter weight” it is good to take a second just to go over a couple reminders to keep us all healthy, happy and injury free as we start to increase our kilometers, speed and endurance.

Keeping your Body Happy during Running Seasons:

1. STRETCH! I lead a run club for women in the summer months and this is probably one of my top struggles as a run coach. I can tell you to stretch and I can be there to make sure you you have a quick post run stretch, but once you get home I can’t make sure my runners are grabbing their foam rollers and going to town as suggested. So I beg of you please for the love of your joints, muscles, range of motion and injury prevention stretch! Get on your foam roller, find some yoga tune up balls, or follow a running magazine stretching sequence, no matter what JUST STRETCH! Our joints and muscles take a serious beating when we run so it is important to show them some love.
2. Drink more than you think you need. This might sound like a real silly reminder but we don’t always feel thirsty. Maybe it was cool out or maybe it was raining, sometimes the weather surrounding our runs makes us feel more hydrated and in less need of water than we really are. It is important to consume water before and after your runs and to bring some along when running anything over 5km, ESPECIALLY when it is super warm out.
3. Running gear can be cool, but it is also useful. I said it, running gear is cool, it is fun and gets me motivated to lace-up my shoes and hit the pavement. You don’t need fancy running gear to get out there, but things like a good pair of light weight socks, a running hat, a fuel belt for your water (see #2), a supportive/comfortable pair of runners and some light weight clothing will go a long way when running outside in the summer.
4. Strength training. Chances are you may have picked up running because you are more of the endurance type, than the “let’s pick up heavy things and move them” type. However life is about balance and so is running. Similar to stretching you are much less likely to suffer an injury if you strength train regularly. I am not suggesting you go out and buy yourself a fancy pants expensive gym membership, however I am recommending committing to at least 2 strength training (with weights or body weight) workouts a week in addition to your runs, heck they can be after your run, right there outside in the sun. Focusing on building and supporting the muscles (think glutes, hamstrings, quads, shins, calves and core) involved in supporting your body during your running sessions.
5. Turn your runs into learning opportunities.  As runners (new or veteran) there is a tendency to push through, because let’s be honest if we didn’t “push through” on a regular bases we probably wouldn’t last longer than 10 minutes. It is in our nature to ignore pinches, pains, and aches and instead wear them like badges. Feel free to continue to be proud of those sore quads after a good run or those tight calves as you roll them out on your foam roller (see #1), but be sure to take a step back and listen. Our society has gotten away from listening to the tips and clues our body gives us, we numb the pain with Advil/ Tylenol, we rub on joint relief creams and slap a brace on it, but don’t take the time to understand what our bodies are telling us. So if that heel, hip, knee or whatever hurts after your runs take stock, take a step back and figure out what your body is telling you.  Maybe you need to get checked out by a sports doctor, perhaps more stretching or more strength training is in order.  Regardless of what the “fix” is support your body instead of telling it what to do.

Now that you are geared up, stretched out, strengthened and hydrated lace up those shoes and get a nice run in.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Weekend Round Up – Learning!

This past weekend was a busy one and it was super fun. My weekend started off Friday evening with the first installment of my Personal Training Specialist certification and it definitely wasn’t 100% what I expected (in a pleasant way)

I had expected for the course to be hands on and give us some practical experience when it comes actually training someone, but I was not prepared for the actual intense physical aspect of the course.   After doing some practice runs at training another classmate we had about an hour and a half of plyometrics Saturday afternoon. By the end of the day I was zonked from all the class learning and physical activity.

I was zonked and went straight to bed at 8:30pm, something about feeling like you have been working out for the past 5 hours will really take it out of a person.

Seeing how the half marathon Susan and I sighed up for is in under a month we wanted to get in one last super long run before we started to tapper down to prepare for the race. So Sunday morning the two of us were up bright and early for a nice 17k run.

While running we saw volunteers setting up for Ottawa’s Army Run and we had the opportunity to watch the runners starting to head into their corals getting ready to start their race. Seeing everything being set up and the look of excitement on the faces of the runners, just revved Susan and I up for our half in October.

After our run we headed on over to the farmer’s market for some weekly groceries, then I quickly headed off for day three of my certification class and hoped there wouldn’t be any intense working out during the day. When I found out the focus would be on program design and stretching you better believe I was excited. After 17km my legs were loving any stretch they could get.

After three days of intense learning, exercising and stretching I was definitely ready to flop myself on my couch and just watch some movies with my husband and kittens. Although it wasa fast weekend it was still pretty great.

Now back to Monday and back to work. Happy Monday everyone.

Weekend Round Up – Hello Monday

Hello Monday! Although I would much rather be lazy snuggled up in my ridiculously comfortable bed I did have to get up and head on down to work. It seems that the longer the summer goes on the more challenging my 5 A.M. wake up call becomes.

This weekend started for me last Friday, I work a compressed schedule and I get every second Friday off, which normally ends up being reserved for running errands and getting things done around the house, but this Friday I decided to relax a bit. So after heading over to the gym for an early workout i started preparing lunch.

Last week it was a dear friend’s birthday and we hadn’t been able to celebrate so we schedule a lunch date and I went to visit her at her office with a little picnic.

I made us some salad with the organic baby kale I finally managed to find in the store and we sat outside and chatted for a bit.

After lunch I headed home and opened up some course books that arrived, my course (more on the course later) doesn’t start until the end of September but I am a nerd like that and like to get started early. Then I finished my afternoon off with a long chat with one of my sisters. It felt like a great Friday and I felt so rested by the end of it.

Saturday morning started pretty early for our house as we were having an old unsafe chimney removed. To get out the house and move around for a bit I went on a short bike ride and ran some errands. Once I got home I parked myself on the deck and was back in my books.

Sunday I woke up bright and early and got myself ready for the farmers market and a nice little 7k tempo run. This weekend had been so perfect temperature wise and I had the chance to run my favorite path on the south side of town.

After my run and grocery shopping my husband and I did a little quick gardening and running of errands before deciding that it was time to relax and enjoy the rest of our weekend. We decided to watch some classics like “the man in the iron mask” and “not without my daughter” before sitting down to a delicious meal of BBQ chicken and zuchinni with roasted potatoes. All in all a pretty great weekend and the best part is now it is less than a week before my sister comes to visit and before gingersneezes run club’s first 10k race!!!

Happy Monday!

Another Glorious Weekend and another Recap

This weekend was pretty great. Now with summer definitely being here I have a feeling most weekend are going to be pretty glorious which is going to make Monday mornings all the more difficult.

I started off my weekend with a Friday evening workout. It was leg day and it owned me. After having a rough week the week before (I didn’t make it through my whole leg day) I was excited to get a full workout under my belt. I know I sound crazy when I say this but I absolutely love leg day. I know most people like push and pull type days (generally speaking back, arms and core) but there is something about leg day that just makes me feel like a powerhouse, so I am always stoked to do some squats and deadlifts.

After the gym I came home to a wonderful meal of grilled tuna steaks with asparagus and mushrooms cooked by my wonderful husband. Just a side note the tuna steaks were so huge they provided both of us with a second meals.  It is also getting nice enough out that we are able to eat out on our deck, which is always so nice and relaxing. After supper we tidied up and then just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Saturday started off early with a glorious run with Susan.  We have started a new training program to start lengthening our distances and it has, so far, been pretty easy to stick to, we will see what my tune is once the distances start to exceed 10k.  After our early morning run we both decided that it was a great day to pamper ourselves, so we stopped by Starbucks for some shaken iced teas and headed off to get our nails did. Once I got back home I was definitely ready to dig into some lunch, so I whipped up a quick salad with the leftover tuna steak and it was fantastic!

After lunch it was time to run some quick errands and stop off at Art in the Park. The art was awesome and it was so fun to look at everything.  Also check out the house that looks like a castle, how awesome would it be to live there?

Following Art in the Park, we headed over to a BBQ for a friend’s birthday and what a perfect day for some outdoor activities and mingling with friends. I also had the chance to see one of my favorite little ladies, and boy is she getting big! She is such a little ham.

Following the BBQ it was a quick stop at home to change for an engagement dinner, and then off we went to a lovely supper at one of my favourite restaurants in the city, Fresco’s. They are always super tasty! I probably should have taken pictures of my Arctic Char but I am always way too excited to eat my food to remember to snap a photo of it. I used my last “cheat” that evening so I could have some wine and indulge in the nut free dessert, it was tiramisu, I had never had it before and I am definitely a fan now! After supper everyone else continued the festivities but having started my day pretty early I was tuckered and ready to just unwind.

Sunday started off same as most Sundays with a visit to the Farmer’s market to stock up on my weekly groceries.  June is my favourite for the market because the amount of fruit and veggies really starts picking up, and  as delicious as asparagus is it is always fun to have some variety in what’s available.  I also finally purchased some plants to start a mini backyard garden.  I picked up some tomato and kale plants and I can’t wait for them to get bigger and start producing.

After finishing off at the market and getting the rest of our groceries for the week it was time to fully engage in some lazy sit on my butt time, so my husband and I loaded up Pirates of the Caribbean and got ready to enjoy a marathon movie watching day, while it rained outside. Basically a pretty fantastic ending to a weekend.

Now it is Monday and there are 3 days left of the Gingersneezes Eats Clean challenge so a huge congrats to everyone who is sticking with it!

Happy Monday everyone! 

Weekend Round Up

This weekend started off a bit rough with some work frustrations at the end of the week, but it really turned around. I had Friday off so I took that opportunity to lay low a little bit until my husband was done work (the lucky guy gets summer hours). Once he got home we decided to run some errands, like getting me some new (much needed running shoes) and buying some groceries so we could eat that day.

But back to my running shoes! They are completely amazing. I run in a supportive shoe for my pronation and because of this I normally get jammed with some pretty heinous looking shoes. But not this time. This time they are beautiful and bright pink! Thank you shoe industry for finally a supportive shoe with a bit more kick. Not only are they pretty but they also feel like running on clouds, what can I say I am in love.

Saturday started off early with 8am gym session with my trainer to go over my new program for the month. I am starting build this month and couldn’t be more excited for it. The beginning of a phase is always so fun because that is when you can feel your body responding the most to the new exercises and it is this “burn” that gets me so excited to give it my all and dive in.

After my gym session I made my way over to finally test out the monkey bars. It was wet out which really challenged my grip, and I totally failed at getting a picture of it. So I will go and try it out again when it is dryer outside and get someone to snap a picture of me as proof. But besides it being slippery my arms didn’t feel like they were getting pulled out of their sockets as much as I had assumed they would so a bit win!

Later on Saturday evening I got to thinking about how much my body has changed since I became serious about strength training and having been introduced to functional training and then I thought “I wonder if I have back muscles?” Excited to find out I got my husband to take a picture of me “flexing” and to my surprise I am definitely developing some back muscles. After taking the picture I really wished I had taken a before so that I could have compared the difference. Now if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you will have already seen this picture but I figured I am pretty proud of it so I would share it here as well.

I guess this just goes to show you that hard work really does pay off, so if you are starting, in the middle of or struggling in your health and fitness routine, just remember that it will all pay off in the end so keep up your forward momentum. This picture has definitely motivated me to keep going and to continue to make new goals for myself.

Sunday was an awesome day. It started off early because I find it impossible to sleep in, and my cats generally help to keep it that way. But I was up and getting my meal prep for the weeks started by cooking up some turkey and sweet potatoes for my lunches. Then I met up with my running buddy for a nice 8km run under the, finally, blue sky and before we headed on over to the farmer’s market for some groceries. Sunday was a pretty perfect day, that I rounded off with some gardening and bonding with my neighbours while setting up an agreement for a plant exchange.

All in all the weekend was pretty incredible which makes it a bit easier knowing that the majority of my week will be spent sitting in a cubical.

I hope you all had amazing weekends! Happy Monday!

Jello Legs – Running Hills

Lately my posts have been focused on the Gingersneezes Eats Clean challenge seeing how it is the big thing I have going on right now, but I don’t want to forget about our Run Club. The Gingersneezes Run Club has been going great, and remember it is never too late to join in! The club started as a learn to run and 10k training clinic and the women who joined are quickly becoming great strong runners, it is so exciting to see each and everyone of them excel week after week.

Now that I have gotten my gushing out of the way I figured I would do a bit of an informative post on hill training and why it is important to a balanced running program. There are other forms of training (tempo and interval) that are important too, but today I want to focus on hills because I personally think they are so very important to good form, strong legs, glutes and abs and good performance as a runner.

Yesterday because of my bum ankle instead of going on a 60 minute run of 5:1 intervals we (running partner and I) decided to take the group over to a magnificent hill. We figured at least everyone would still be getting in a good workout, and they wouldn’t be penalized by my bum ankle. It also gave me the chance to see everyone’s form and encourage the group from the bottom of the hill while Susan (my running buddy and co-leader of the group) ran the hills with the group to keep them moving.

The hills maybe weren’t loved by everyone but it was a nice way to shake things up and a way to give the group a little taste of things to come as training progresses.

Why are hills so great for you as a runner? Besides me loving hills just because I personally find them challenging, they do a whole load of great things for you. One of the main things is that hills (either hilly runs or hill repeats) help remind you of your form. As runners we sometimes take our form for granted or we get a little stuck on what “perfect form” looks like. With hills you have no choice but to straighten up a bit and remind yourself of your abdominal and glute muscles so that you can power through each hill.

If you exercise poor form while running hills your body will let you know almost immediately, everything will feel much more challenging, and you are likely to become winded much more rapidly. But a quick reminder to engage your core and glutes will have you up right and taking on those hills in no time.

Hills are great for your form, but are they great for anything else? The short answer is YES! The longer answer is that by doing hills and being mindful of engaging the appropriate muscles you are actually working those muscles out much more than you would be had you done the same run on a flat surface. Hill running allows you to build your running muscles (quads, calves and glutes primarily). Building these muscles helps you to avoid injury and to make you a faster stronger runner.

The run is shorter am I still burning enough calories? Hill running is awesome for torching calories. The high intensity of the hills challenges your body to rev it up, more than it would if you were just running on a flat surface. The quick bursts of energy are completely exhausting for a reason, you are burning up your fuel source like no one’s business and the steeper the hill the harder the workout.

Now that you are all super excited about running hills and are all itching to lace up and test it out yourself. I have a wonderful beginner’s exercise to share with you.

Test it out and let me know what you thought.

Happy Tuesday! The sun is peeking out. I am hopeful that it is warming up!

P.S. remember to be careful when running hills. It is important to watch your footing and to stay alert, you don’t want to slip and then stall your progress from an injury that could have been avoided.

Accepting and Respecting Injuries

It feels like for the past couple weeks I have been a walking target for illness and injury, and well that frustrates me to no end. I guess you could categorize me as “type A”. I like to plan for a scenario and then ramp-up until that scenario has come to fruition and I get kind of annoyed and frustrated when there are unexpected obstacles and challenges that I have no real control over. ( I think most people can sympathize with this feeling).

First it was my heel (plantars fasciitis), then it was a stomach thing, which left me unable to eat properly or exercise and this week I was lucky enough to roll my ankle. The ankle is healing up fine, and this tapping job actually helped considerably, but it is still slowing me down.

Now I understand that life comes with obstacles and I am always game for a good challenge, heck eating can be a challenge with my allergies. I have no issue with obstacles such as it being too hot or raining out because these obstacles, along with my allergies, have tangible work-it-out solutions. It is often as simple as modifying my training schedule, putting on a rain jacket, wearing a hat and a tank top, bringing extra water, and reading the ingredient list for food or just making it myself. Each of these solutions helps to fix a problem/challenge. But when the fix is rest, it seems that my brain has a bit of a struggle with figuring that one out and accepting it as a solution instead of a white flag.

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So what do I do? What a great question. I am learning to start listening to my body and respecting it when I am injured, sick or fatigued. Instead of constantly pushing my body to perform at its maximum I am starting to learn that it too may at times require a bit of a break in order to continue to perform at its full potential.

I am starting to wrap my head around the fact that rest is infact a solution to an obstacle and not throwing in the towel, however much I may not like the solution. Currently it is a pretty large struggle because I will be participating in the Ottawa Race weekend at the end of this month, so I feel the need to train and to avoid resting too much. But I also need my ankles, stomach, knees and feet to start cooperating with my brain and that means listening to what my body is telling me instead of powering through at all times.

So you might now be thinking “how is she listening to her body if she is still training for a race?” and what an excellent question that is indeed. At this point I am kind of just making deals with my body, sort of bribing it to let it know that after it does an awesome job in the Ottawa Race Weekend, I will give it a solid 1-2 weeks off with nothing but foam rolling and yoga. So yes, I am still training but I have drastically cut back on the amounts of and distance of my runs in order to be a bit more gentle with my body. I am also trying to go to gentle and yin style yoga classes so they are more about stretching than they are about strength and power. So although I am still training I am being much easier on myself than I would normally be, so that’s how I am compromising with my body at the moment.

I am still struggling with listening and respecting my body and its injuries on a regular basis I am getting much better at it, and much more accepting of the need to rest and do nothing sometimes. I hope that over time I will get better at this and it will just become second nature to me instead of something I have to force myself to remember.

How do you know if your body needs a break? Do you tend to listen to it or do you push the thought out of your mind and lace up anyways?

*just a little side note. I am writing my intention to “rest” and “relax” after the race here to make sure that I follow through. Sometimes you need an extra push to make sure you slow down.

I hope everyone has a great Thursday and I hope no one has forgotten that it is Mother’s day this weekend!

Weekend Round Up – So Sunny

This weekend was glorious, not only did it mark the end to my week without being allowed to exercise (doctor’s orders), it was also my hand balancing class and the beginning of the farmer’s market and it was the first weekend during the Gingersneezes Clean Eating Challenge! With so much going on I wasn’t quite sure where to start, so I figured the beginning would probably be best.

Friday night started off with me heading on over to the gym to solidify some training plans. After 6 months of regular personal training I am really enjoying continuing my workouts solo, and having a lot of fun pushing myself. However after getting really hooked on strength training/ functional training I decided to keep my progress moving in a forward motion and to get some personal training session to keep me motivated and progressing. I won’t be doing personally training three times a week like I was but instead I will just have a couple of sessions at the beginning of each phase to set me up and keep me on track.

When Saturday rolled around I was up and out of bed before 8am (I suck at sleeping in) and I started my morning off with a spinach and plumb smoothie, followed by renting a cargo van for two purposes:

1. to get a new futon
2. to clean out the over cluttered garage (totally blanked on taking pictures of this, we were way too in the groove to stop and snap shots).

After braving Ikea on a Saturday we successfully escaped after selecting a new futon for our smaller spare room. Then it was time to get rid of some trash, which included the old run down futon, and about 5 years of clutter that we had collected in our garage. Now you can actually see the floor! It is pretty fabulous. While my husband headed over to the dump with our van full of trash, I decided to see how difficult building the Ikea futon was going to be, turns out not hard at all. Took me just about an hour to put the whole thing together on my own, and it was quickly approved by Lola.

I finished building the futon just in time to pack up for the yoga workshop on hand balancing. The workshop was really interesting, not what I was expecting but completely awesome anyways. I am someone that has yet to learn how to feel comfortable upside down, so it was a really interesting course. It was great because the yoga teacher came at it from a bit of a different angle which was refreshing. She spoke of functional training exercises and the need to find a balance between yoga flexibility and muscular strength in order to find a healthy balance in a handstand. There were a lot of exercises that I was totally not expecting, but all in all a great way to spend 2 hours on a Saturday.

Once I finished up my workshop I went home to get ready for a nice date night with my husband. We had some delicious brown rice sushi for supper, followed by some fun movie watching. It was a perfect ending to a bit of a busy (but fun) day.
And then SUNDAY!!! Normally I am not a huge fan of Sundays because well that means the work week is about to start and that is never a fun thing, but this Sunday was the first Farmer’s Market of the season! I was so excited to get out there, buy some locally raised, hormone free meat, and whatever produce were available, luckily we found some AMAZING looking asparagus, I can’t wait to eat it. Before heading over to the farmer’s market, my running buddy Susan and I decided to lace up our shoes and go for a nice long run. This is something we started doing in the fall last year, and it is a welcome addition to my weekend routine that is for sure.

So Susan and laced up and headed out for a 10.75km run, it was our longest of the season so far and it felt amazing. It was one of those runs where at the end I felt like I could just keep going and going, although I am sure my legs are super happy today that I did stop when I did.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing some food prep (clean eating BBQ sauce! so tasty), stretching, some more stretching and then just some hanging out on the patio taking in the sun and the warmth. The weather is starting to get me excited for the summer! I hope the beautiful weather keeps coming!

Last little thing before I end this novel of a post. Congrats to everyone who made it through their first weekend of clean eating! It might have hurt to not have a beer and sit on a sunny patio but I am sure you body is happier for it. I for one am bursting with energy today! After some yoga and running and fueling up with delicious fresh and healthy foods my body and soul couldn’t be happier and hopefully you are starting to feel some really positive benefits from this challenge (less bloated, skin clearing up, more energy, etc.) also.

I hope you all had some wonderful weekends, and those of us going back to work today, I hope it isn’t too rough. Happy Monday!

So You’ve Started To Run

With the Gingersneezes Running Group in full swing I am finding out there are so many things that I need to work on personally to help make it a great running experience for everyone. My main thing is that I have to work on properly relaying information, I find that I often get into this mode where I just want to run (which isn’t bad) but in a beginners running groups it is also a good idea to make sure to explain why we are doing what we are doing, and what some best practices are. With that in mind I have been reading a lot, doing a lot of googling and chatting with other physical fitness and running experts/enthusiasts.

Through some of my research it became obvious that I have done an alright job at explaining how to fuel after a run (I will post on this a little later), but it might also be helpful, maybe even more helpful, to know what to eat before you hit the pavement.

We all have different ways of fueling which work for us and once you start running more and testing things out you will find something that works for you. It personally took me a long time, to figure out what was good for my temperamental stomach. Because my stomach is so finicky I didn’t think I was able to eat anything less than 2-3 hours before any form of exercise, once I started running longer distances and I increased my weight training I found it next to impossible not to eat something sooner to when I was working out. If I didn’t eat a small something before a workout I would become exhausted half-way through and the workout would feel next to impossible. I started off small trying a handful of baby carrots, different sugary veggies, a tsp of peanut butter (PB didn’t pan out for me unfortunately) and eventually over time I found something that worked for me. Every once in awhile I will toss something new in the mix to see how my stomach holds up, but I save my testing for gym days instead of long runs, for obvious reasons.

So it is all fine and dandy that I have found something that works for me but what about you? Well I have attempted to put together some guidelines that might help you in your own experimentation and hopefully help to keep you energized and cramp free throughout your workouts.

1. It is good to be satisfied but not stuffed. You don’t want to start your run feeling stuffed to the gills. Everyone has done it, gone a little crazy on the pasta or the cheese and crackers before a run, and the inevitable always happens cramps and indigestion, so do your best to nourish your body without over doing it, your body will thank you for it, and you will have a more pleasant workout.

2. Timing is everything. It is important to find out what times work for you, can your stomach handle food 30 minutes before a run or is it safer to stick to the one or two hour marker. Here are some handy guidelines for testing it out:

• 30 minutes before: try something small and easy to digest like a banana or half an apple. They are high in carbs and sugar, but your body has an easy time processing them so you will be able to get the best out of your workout.
• 1 hour before: try to keep your snack at around 150 calories, because your body has a bit more time try and make your snack a combo of carbs and a little bit of protein. Something like half a whole wheat bagel with some peanut butter, or crackers and cheese are great snacks and will help fuel you for a longer run.
• 2 or more hours before: Have a small meal, be cautious of putting in too many fibrous fruits or veggies and stay away from high fat foods because they can definitely cause some difficulties later on in your run. But having a meal with carbs, protein and healthy fats is totally fine at this point, but remember guideline #1.

3. Hydrate. Yes, I know it isn’t food but water is essential in any workout routine, heck it is essential to life! It is important to make sure that you keep yourself well hydrated throughout your day if you are running in the evening. If you are running in the morning it is important to have some water before your run, and to bring some with you if you are going on a longer run or it is super hot out. Then of course it is very important to drink some more water after your run or workout.

When it all gets broken down feuling for successful workouts and runs isn’t all that complicated, unless you are an athlete I assume there is a lot more intensity involved in that planning. I hope these tips help you to find something that works for you so you can have the most productive and beneficial workouts possible.

Happy Tuesday Everyone.

What type of fuel do you normally use to make sure you get an optimal workout?