I got caught up in the excitement of Boston Marathon last week and I signed up for a marathon. Grandma's Marathon on June 18, 2011 in Duluth, MN. I am super excited to run a marathon and kind of nervous. I tend to get injured quite easily so jumping up to the marathon distance might cause problems but I hope not. I am going to train smart for this race.
My plan for the rest of this year:
Monster Dash 1/2 marathon - this Saturday
Drumstick Dash 10k - Thanksgiving morning
Following the Drumstick Dash, I am going to cross train, start and stick with a weight training program and do some easy running until January when I start my 6 month training plan.
Weight training is something that I know is important for a runner but it is something that I just don't enjoy so I don't do it. Well, that is going to change. I found a weight training program that I am willing to complete and I actually enjoy. I bought a TRX and the equipment necessary to attach it to my basement ceiling. No more excuses. I don't like the gym. Now, I don't have to go to the gym. I just have to go to the basement. I think/hope a strength training program will really help my running.
Happy Running!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Runnin' with the Law 5k race report
Activ8 was helping to run a race this weekend. I got to the race at 7:30 to help out with the packet pick-up and to help with anything else that they needed. Well, it turns out they had enough help so I didn't do very much. I handed out a few t-shirts and registered myself for the race.
I did about a mile warm-up. I would have done more but the kids race was starting and I wanted to watch it. I got to hand out prizes at the end of the race! It was so cute to watch them racing across the finish line and then keep running because they didn't know where to stop.
I was told not to place in the top 3 because there was prize money and they didn't think I should get it. Okay, I haven't been training so that won't be a problem. I will be lucky if I can race anywhere close to a 20 min 5k. Side note, my hip is feeling better so I am going to start training! I have a half marathon in 2 weeks.
I started the race and tried to hold back. The first half mile always feels so easy. I ran it in 3:07. That is faster than I am going to be able to hold for the next 2.5 miles so I slow down. The next half mile was 3:17. Okay, that is hard but I think I can maintain it. I got passed by a woman about 3/4 of a mile into the race and I thought, oh well, just let her go. She didn't seem to be going to much faster than me so I kind of hung out at the back of the back of 5 runners. A few times I would fall off the back and think I should just let them go but I didn't and would catch back up. Then I decided that I was going to go the front of the pack where the other girl was and run with her. I got behind her and followed her for a quarter mile then I moved up beside her. I said, let's catch the girl in front of us. She looked over surprised that I was talking to her and nodded. So we ran together until about 3/4 of a mile to go when I pulled away from her. With a half mile to go my legs were burning and I just wanted to be done. I hear someone coming up behind me and they are moving fast. Bummer, I am going to get passed and I can't do anything about it. Good thing it was a 15 year old boy and not a female.
Final time: 20:09 - Where did that come from?
Overall place 11/272
Gender 3rd/? - Oops, I figured there had to be more women in front of me. So I won $50.
At the start of the race, I like to pick out who I think is going to win. I was right. She killed the field and ran a 17:44. Now that's fast. Second place was over a minute and half behind her.
I had planned on doing something really stupid this Saturday. I hadn't told anyone about it yet so no one could talk me out of it but I won't be doing it so I can tell. I really wanted to run a marathon after watching the Twin Cities marathon a couple weeks ago. I found a marathon in Mankato, Minnesota on Oct. 23. I was going to run it and just see what I could do without training, which is probably a really stupid idea since I have been injured for the last 3 months. Well, the marathon filled up before I could sign-up for it. Too bad I won't be running a marathon this fall.
I did about a mile warm-up. I would have done more but the kids race was starting and I wanted to watch it. I got to hand out prizes at the end of the race! It was so cute to watch them racing across the finish line and then keep running because they didn't know where to stop.
I was told not to place in the top 3 because there was prize money and they didn't think I should get it. Okay, I haven't been training so that won't be a problem. I will be lucky if I can race anywhere close to a 20 min 5k. Side note, my hip is feeling better so I am going to start training! I have a half marathon in 2 weeks.
I started the race and tried to hold back. The first half mile always feels so easy. I ran it in 3:07. That is faster than I am going to be able to hold for the next 2.5 miles so I slow down. The next half mile was 3:17. Okay, that is hard but I think I can maintain it. I got passed by a woman about 3/4 of a mile into the race and I thought, oh well, just let her go. She didn't seem to be going to much faster than me so I kind of hung out at the back of the back of 5 runners. A few times I would fall off the back and think I should just let them go but I didn't and would catch back up. Then I decided that I was going to go the front of the pack where the other girl was and run with her. I got behind her and followed her for a quarter mile then I moved up beside her. I said, let's catch the girl in front of us. She looked over surprised that I was talking to her and nodded. So we ran together until about 3/4 of a mile to go when I pulled away from her. With a half mile to go my legs were burning and I just wanted to be done. I hear someone coming up behind me and they are moving fast. Bummer, I am going to get passed and I can't do anything about it. Good thing it was a 15 year old boy and not a female.
Final time: 20:09 - Where did that come from?
Overall place 11/272
Gender 3rd/? - Oops, I figured there had to be more women in front of me. So I won $50.
At the start of the race, I like to pick out who I think is going to win. I was right. She killed the field and ran a 17:44. Now that's fast. Second place was over a minute and half behind her.
I had planned on doing something really stupid this Saturday. I hadn't told anyone about it yet so no one could talk me out of it but I won't be doing it so I can tell. I really wanted to run a marathon after watching the Twin Cities marathon a couple weeks ago. I found a marathon in Mankato, Minnesota on Oct. 23. I was going to run it and just see what I could do without training, which is probably a really stupid idea since I have been injured for the last 3 months. Well, the marathon filled up before I could sign-up for it. Too bad I won't be running a marathon this fall.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Twin Cities Marathon Expo
I am working the Activ8 Mobile booth at the Twin Cities Marathon expo. What is Activ8 Mobile? Activ8 Mobile is a new company that focuses on improving the health and quality of life of individuals through the creation of active and healthy organizations.
Check out the website for more information: www.activ8mobile.com
Or stop by the Activ8 mobile both at the Expo and find out more. We will have the Bod Pod there. What is the Bod Pod? It determines an individuals body composition (fat and fat-free mass).
What is body composition?
Body composition refers to the relative amount of certain tissues in the body including fat, muscle and bone. Information regarding the amount of fat compared to the amount of other body tissues has implications for athletic competition as well as risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes
Why is body composition important to measure?
Body composition is determined by calculating the density of one’s body. Finding out the density of one’s body provides more important information than does weight from a scale. For example, two people could be of the same weight and height, but one person may have much more muscle than the other. Since 1 lb of muscle takes up much less volume than does 1 lb of fat, and density = mass/volume, then someone with a higher percentage of muscle for a given body mass (weight) will have a higher body density. A higher body density reflects the individual’s lower body fat percentage.
How can one improve her/his body composition?
To lower one’s body fat percent, one must not focus solely on losing body weight. Rather, body fat percentage is improved through both loss of fat weight and gain of muscle mass. Therefore, healthy practices such as partaking in cardiorespiratory exercise and resistance training as well as choosing a balanced and healthy diet will all help one to reduce his/her body fat percentage.
What does the Body Composition BOD POD test involve?
* The test takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
* All tests will be administered and interpreted by Activ8 exercise physiologists.
* Participants will be asked to refrain from eating or drinking for 2 hours prior to the test for accurate and consistent results.
* Participants will be asked to change into spandex shorts (men) and shorts and jog bra or swimsuit (women).
* Participants will be weighed on a scale and then asked to sit in the BOD POD for about 5 minutes.
* Results will then be printed, and an exercise physiologist will interpret and discuss the results with the participant.
* A video of the BOD POD procedure can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwGAdNXwZWg
If you can't make it to the TC Marathon Expo but you want to do the Bod Pod, let me know and I will tell you where you can find us.
Information coming soon about an awesome new race in Minneapolis on October 17th.
Runnin' with the Law 5k
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)