Get Fit Quick Tip:

Walk/Run Intervals!

Want to start running, but don’t know where or how to begin? Walk/run intervals make the transition manageable. A common mistake is doing too much too soon. Here’s how to progress gradually reducing risk of injury and burnout:

Once you have a regular walking program 3 days a week, begin with 10 second intervals in the middle of your workout. Warm up for 8-10 minutes, perform a series of 10 second jogging or running intervals followed by 30 second or more walking intervals. Conclude your workout with a 5-10 minute cool down. Gradually, add seconds and then minutes to your jogging/running intervals and decrease your walking intervals.

*Consult your physician before performing exercise.

Want to start running?

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Start a Running Program!

So you’re interested in running to help your fitness? A common mistake of many beginning runners is doing too much too soon. Here’s how to get started effectively and safely:

Start with walk/jog intervals. Perform a walking warm up for 10 minutes, then start with 3-5, 10-30 second jogging intervals followed by 1-2 minute walking recovery intervals, complete your workout with a 10 minute walking cool down.

Wear running shoes. Go to your local sporting goods store and ask about running-specific shoes. Proper footwear is essential with high-impact fitness.

Listen to your body. When beginning a running program, listen to your body and level of soreness. Muscle aches are okay when starting new exercise, consistent pain is not.

*Consult your physician before beginning exercise.

Interested in Running?

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Hill Repeats!

Hill workouts via repeats are great for cardio! Walk, run, power hike or even sprint up the hill, and you’ll burn mega calories and strengthen your legs. Choosing a hill of moderate incline, and about a quarter mile long is a great starting point. Begin with a warm up of walking on a flat surface for at least 10 minutes. Then do your hill repeat up, followed by a gentle jog or walk down. Turn around and head up again. Repeat 2-4 times. Perform your cool down for at least 10 minutes on a flat surface.

*Always consult your physician before beginning exercise. Hill repeats are for intermediate or advanced exercisers without injury or illness concerns.

Should you add a hill workout to your fitness routine?

Get Fit Quick Tip:

Try Running!

Running is an effective total body workout. With one exercise you’ll strengthen your cardiovascular system, as well as your muscle endurance.

Here’s how to start:

Incorporate running or jogging into your day. If you’re out taking the dog for a walk, add in a few 10-30 second jogging intervals. Watching your child’s sports baseball? Do running intervals around a neighboring field.

Hit the trails. Running on dirt provides a unique experience. If you appreciate the quiet and prefer to not navigate around cars, take your jogging or running workout off the road. Start with running intervals according to terrain.

Head to the hills. Neighborhood hills with little traffic work well for a focused jogging or running workout. Begin by performing running intervals uphill and then walk down the hill.

Treadmills work. Love them or hate them, treadmills provide a workout opportunity regardless of weather, time of day or ability. Choose your speed, choose your duration and go.

Try Running!

Running; Not Always a Serious Matter
An Athlete’s Inspiring 160 Mile Week
 
Running is personal. Our bodies speak to us, we adjust and program ourselves to push harder. Mostly we run because that’s what we do. We love to run. We enjoy running. We have a sense of humor about running and our running experiences! It’s that pursuit and in this case one blogger’s passion to share her experiences with millions of followers at www.skinnyrunner.com. 

Sarah Moore is her real name and on April 14, 2012 she set out to break a personal endurance record by running in two back-to-back marathons, a 200 mile relay race and another marathon all within eight days.
 

So why do we do we push for personal records you may ask? Because life is about having fun and enjoying ourselves! Setting goals that are outside of our comfort zone is about personal growth, as well as building confidence and self-esteem. Setting goals that are out of the box also teach important life lessons, for example not to take ourselves too seriously and that trying and do-ing is just as important as completing. These traits are wonderful benefits that carry over to all other aspects of life. Let Sarah’s energy inspire and empower you to set a goal that is so far out of your comfort zone, it provokes others to say “What are you thinking?!” Your answer to their question is simple, “Life is about enjoying it, embracing all healthy living has to offer- the good, the fun, the laughter, the challenging, the setbacks and everything in between.”
 

Sarah started off her challenge by running the Gansett Marathon in Rhode Island. It’s the only qualification-only marathon in the world. Two days later she ran the Boston Marathon in a heat wave – it was 90 degrees by the finish. On April 20th she ran on a Ragnar Relay Ultra team where over the course of 200 miles, she ran 41 miles and contributed to the first women’s ultra team to run it with a time of 29 hours. The following morning she ran the San Luis Obispo Marathon.
 

Far from being a pro runner she says, when it comes to endurance running Sarah leaves her followers in awe of her stamina and go-lucky nature to running. “I’m relaxed about my running,” says Sarah. “I have a couple running/blogging friends whose lives revolve around chasing their personal record, laboring over their 3 month training cycle, eating the exact number of carbs. No, thanks.” Sarah adds “my philosophy is that there’s always another race and running is just a part of my life, not life itself.”
 

Sarah was born and raised on Kodiak Island, Alaska and lived there until she was 14. She was brought up in a fishing family: her great-grandfather, grandfather, father and two brothers were all commercial fisherman. Once in high school she and her two brothers fished in the summers to save up money for college. Having her fill of halibut and salmon, she eventually moved to California to attend school. She now lives with her husband in Orange County, CA where the weather permits her to run nearly every day of the year. 
 

She inspires thousands in her running-focused blog. “I’m honest and open with a lot of taboo topics that other bloggers won’t touch,” she says.  “For example, I have no problem talking about my weight, weight loss/gain and body image because I’m really comfortable with myself.  Every woman wants to read about those things, how to lose weight, etc, but no one will admit to it because everyone’s quick to criticize emotionally-charged subjects.”
 

So, what’s next for Sarah? She is looking forward to running marathons in Chicago and New York. She is also considering running in two more ultra relays, possibly with a five man team instead of six, making it, of course, tougher and longer. For more information on Sarah Moore, and to read her blog go to www.skinnyrunner.com

Running; Not Always a Serious Matter

To encourage kids to run, activities must be fun and also safe. Here are
seven tips to help get your child into a pair of running shoes and loving
running for life.

Warm up, before you lace up. Start your child with a few warm up and
dynamic stretches (moving stretches, not static or stationary stretches).
As a parent, your goal is to ensure that your child avoids any injury while
running. Moving stretches gets the blood flowing, the heart pumping, the muscles
warmed up and allows for less potential injuries. To warm up, try jumping
jacks or jogging in place with high knees. To make it fun, turn it into a
contest to see how many the kids can do in one minute.

Keep pace in mind. Kids will run as fast as they can and have a
lengthy endurance. For kids, the motto is: “full speed ahead!” A great way
to teach your children that they need to have control when running is to
have them run at their fastest pace (laps, time or distance) for as long as
they are able. Have your child repeat this step, completing the same amount of
laps, time or distance at a moderate consistent pace, this allows your child
to hold a conversation as they run. Once this pace is determined, keep
practicing at that pace.

Technique is important. Teach your child the proper form first:

Stand up straight and shoulders back.

Your child should be able to fully fill their lungs, slouching
will hurt their back and not allow them to breathe properly.

Arms should swing forward to back, not side to side.

Thumbs should lightly graze the hip bone.

Head up and looking forward.

Most importantly kids need to know how to breathe. Slow deep
breaths at first in the nose out the mouth. Eventually they will be
breathing in and out through their mouth only as they continue.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Kids may be able to run for great lengths
of time, but they need to hydrate just like an adult. Water is needed for
any run under an hour. If your child can keep going after that, you have a
super star! One thing to note, make sure they drink an electrolyte
replacement or sports drink!

Proper Running Shoes. For safety purposes, make sure your
child has the proper running shoes. Children (and adults) cannot run in
their skate shoes, dress shoes or everyday tennis shoes as much as they’d
like to or tell you they can. Lace up!

Make it fun. Give your child a challenge. Have them set a goal for
themselves. Reward them for their efforts.

Cool down, before you sit down. It’s important for your child to
cool down and stretch after every single run. This is the time to sit and
do static stretching. Proper stretching after a run will ensure their next
run is enjoyable and injury free.

By Laura Ouimet, Dana Point Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, and a
marathon/ triathlon coach and trainer. To learn more about the Dana Point
Turkey Trot and to sign up, visit <http://www.turkeytrot.com>
www.turkeytrot.com.

How to Get Your Kids to Hit the Pavement: Running for Fun