30 Day Shred – Day 5

Aманда and I are doing the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Micheal’s. She wrote about starting it and a recent update. I just wanted to share it here and add a little about my experience with it.

Here’s what she wrote:

I’m now on day 5 and going strong.  After the positive response on my original post on the 30 Day Shred, I thought it might be worth my time to post again and let everyone know how I’m doing.  After this, I’ll post about my progress on day 10, day 20 and 30; in effect, after I complete each level.  While I know that many people do the 30 Day Shred to lose weight, I am not.  For toning muscles, however, this rocks.  Only a few days into the Shred, and I am already noticing greater muscle definition through my legs, arms and core.

If you are considering starting the 30 Day Shred, here are my observations/suggestions:

• Watch the level before you start it.  This will help you a) know what is coming and b) be able to focus on form before you begin
• Once you know what you’re supposed to do and how you’re supposed to do it, focus on doing it right (correct form) rather than doing as many reps as they do.  I do this by not watching what they’re doing, and instead listen for cues to stop/do something else.
• If you are not that active, stretch!  Jillian says you shouldn’t do static stretching to begin with, but if you are not active, you will start off tight all over.  I don’t think the “dynamic” stretch in her warm-up does enough to warm up my legs, so I stretch before I begin.
• Wear shoes if you are exercising on hard floors.
• If you have weak arms like I do, start with lifting books instead of weights.  This also works well if you do not have hand weights.
• Stay hydrated.
• You will get sore.  Push through it.  It DOES get easier.

Here’s the little I have to add:

I am sticking to my running routine while doing this and I can’t say it was easy at first. My thighs KILLED me after the first few days, but, I’m only on day 6 and I’m going deeper into the lunges and not feeling as bad afterwards. I never thought I would be building endurance this quickly. Amanda did such a great job with tips that I don’t have much to add, I will however try to update on here each time we change a level and when we finish.

• She has wear shoes when on hard floors, but I’d say wear them even if on carpet. My ankles really hurt the one time I did it without them.
• I’d recommend taking your measurements pre and post the program. You will put on muscle and you might not see a drop on the scale.
  
• Get a workout buddy. This is tough to do EVERY day if you don’t have someone holding you accountable.
  
• I have adjustable hand weights (like this but mine only go up to 8lbs) and I think they will really come in handy when moving up in levels.

If you want to start a level behind us (but be on the same timeline)

we’ll be moving on to level 2 on Feb 12.

Rush to Brush 5K

My first 5k race is just a week away! I am signed up for the Rush to Brush 5K in Jackson, MS on the 13th. I can’t believe that I am finally going to do this! I’ve never run a race before though, so I am looking for tips and ideas! Several questions for those who have run one or more 5K races…

What was your training like in the week before your race?
What type of “diet” do you recommend for the night before? Morning of?
Any tips you wish you had known about before your first race?

Strength Training & Running

I never considered myself a “real” runner. Mostly because, most of the people I have come across who identify themselves as runners just run. And that’s great. It’s just not for me. The cold and rainy weather in MS lately, though, has brought a lot of runners indoors to the gym, so I’ve had a chance to try and observe their strength training routines. Most of them, though, tend to stick to the treadmill if the weather is too nasty to run outside.

I’ve been looking to make some changes to my own routine to improve my running, and found this article online. There’s a lot of great information- and some ideas I’ve decided to incorporate more into my own strength training are:

• Adding in single leg training (one leg squats, etc..)
• Training predominately in the standing position
• Adding in more balance and stability moves

Do you strength train to improve your running? If so, what moves do you like? If not, why not?

Getting My Groove Back

I’ve been running 3-4 times a week for the past 3 weeks!! This is the longest I’ve kept up with running in over a year. It still isn’t coming easily for me. I think part of the problem is that I’ve been on the treadmill for every run. It’s just too cold and slick outside. I’m hoping to get outside in the next couple weeks.

I’m also getting some shin splints. I’ve always had problems with the front of my lower legs while running. I have extremely weak ankles and it greatly affects how I run. I think I need to start drinking more and stretching more pre-running as well as post-running.

I’m keeping the miles down. I want to take this slow. No injuries to set me back. Not this time!!

Do you notice a difference in how your legs feel when you run on a treadmill vs outside?

Motivational Quotes

“Every day is a good day when you run” – Kevin Nelson

“I loved the feeling of freedom in running, the fresh air, the feeling that the only person I’m competing with is me.” – Wilma Rudolph

“In the 30 years I’ve been a runner I’ve run more than 150,000 miles. Still, some of the hardest steps I take are those first few getting out the door for daily runs.” – Bill Rodgers

The 2010 Blog Improvement Project – Sign-Up & Week 1

Week 1 : To-Do List

I’ve already signed up my book blog for BIP and after reading Stacey’s sweet post featuring Run with Us, I decided to sign this blog up as well and FINALLY get it back on track!! Week One’s task is to create a to-do list for making your blog better. So I’m going to post some ideas (with the help of Aманда) and I’m asking that you leave comments with suggestions on what you would like to see changed/improved!

• Update pages!!
  • About Page
  • Contest Page
  • Playlist Page
  • Members
  • Goals / Races
  • Links
• Set up a posting schedule
  • perhaps we could create a calendar and people could sign up for different topics each month and you can post whenever you find time that month
• Revive contests!!
  • this may mean either members helping out with prizes or working harder for sponsers
• Perhaps we could do a “virtual” race together every once in a while like the Nike Human Race?
  • we would all run the same “race” on the same day and then post our times online

Alright that is all I can think of for now. What do you want to see improved?

EDIT:

I’ve created a Google Calendar for Run with Us (find it here). I’ve shared the calendar with all the emails that are used for author sign-in. If you want it changed to something else just let me know!

Sign-Up For Posts Here!

See Who Has Signed-Up Here!

View Posting Calendar Here!

Running While Sick

I haven’t been posting here. I have been running, though. At least, I was running- until Tuesday. Monday night I came down with a nasty cold. I have a personal goal to get to 50 miles before the end of this month, so I woke up Tuesday morning and hit the treadmill anyway. Nothing should stand in the way of goals, right?

Wrong! In my personal experience- attempting to run when it is difficult to even breath is not the best idea. I know other runners who swear that the best was to feel better is to lace up their shoes though. I did some internet browsing and found this article on Wellsphere.com

The name of the site itself was enough to get me to take a few days off and rest. Afterall, my overall goal is wellness. 50 miles would be awesome- and I might still get there (7.4 to go!) But what’s the point of reaching my goals if I sacrifice my own health and well-being in the process?

What about you? Do you run when you are sick? Does it help you feel better or, like me, do you just feel worse?

Treadmill Mistakes

I have been considering a treadmill for this upcoming summer since it’s about 100 degrees by 9am in the summer here in Arizona, and I found this article at Active.com about mistakes runners make on treadmills.  I thought it was really interesting and I saw myself making each one of these mistakes when I’ve run on a treadmill in the past.  It’s making me wonder if that’s part of why I prefer to run outside, so keep these in mind next time you’re on the treadmill.

Getting Ready for Your First Race

So I’ve super duper excited for my first 5K in February.  And I’m also really nervous, so I was checking out Runners World and found this great article. It’s got some great rules of the road and good preparation information.

Are there any things those of you who have run a race would add?

Treadmill Vs. The Outdoors

I know Amanda brought this up a few days ago so I thought it was funny to see this discussion at Active.com today.  Go check it out there are some great points.  It’s always fun to see different perspectives.  Also check out the forums for other great discussions.