Running Outside: Final Countdown to the Turkey Trot

I have to admit I have become quite accustomed to my treadmill workouts for my 5k training. I love the control. I love the ease of use and the ability to calculate exactly what I have accomplished. And I love watching TV as I run. But in an effort to prepare for the outdoor run I will complete this Thursday, I’ve decided that I have to take my workouts outside.

Hold on, I have another confession. Since I live and work (out) in Boston, I don’t have access to a treadmill while I’m home at my parents’ house in Ohio, so in so many words, I MUST go outside to get in a decent run. Just so we are clear.

With less than a week to go until my race, I decided to go to the neighborhood park this weekend and test myself out in the damp and cold, late fall weather. I had anxiety about this. I knew it would be much different from running inside with the comforts of the dry and warm gym surrounding me.

As I headed out down Pickle Road (it’s real people!) I was weary about my situation. I’ve run this route before back in high school and knowing the exact route should give me confidence in my ability but for some reason it doesn’t. I sometimes let the length of the run get to me and I start to doubt my ability to finish. In any case, I started out with the goal to run 4 miles, which is one of the last workouts I am going to complete pre-race day.

During the run, I tried to think less about the route I was running and more about the things I had learned in the past couple of weeks about becoming a better runner. I concentrated on my breathing and activating my core and my glutes. To my relief, these things actually helped me finish the run and accomplish my goal for the workout. In fact, concentrating on activating these “secret weapons” made the workout feel easier. It also helped that I had my watch on while I was running as it kept me on pace. Tracking my progress and remembering my runner’s tools, built up my confidence in my ability and really made me proud about how I had trained. After this run I’m excited for this race and I look forward to seeing how I finish.

I’ll report back after Turkey Day to let you know how this gobbler finishes. : )

-Kate

 

How do you prepare for a big race? What tools do you use to stay focused and engaged during a workout?

A Happy and Healthy November Birthday

So my birthday happens to be in November and I recently received a lovely surprise from Healthworks in my inbox. For all those members who have a birthday in the current month aka ME, Healthworks provides a coupon for a free water bottle, free beverage OR 15% off personal training, spa treatments or café services.

Because I will have ran my 5k Turkey Trot race and because I am the birthday girl this month, I’ve decided to splurge and use my coupon for 15% off a 50-minute massage.

Though I am the type of woman who can count on one hand (ahem, two fingers?) the number of times I’ve had a massage, I think this is the perfect time to get one. I’ll be traveling back from Thanksgiving festivities (family, friends, Turkey Trot) and heading into a stressful holiday season (late nights at work, holiday parties, last-minute shopping), so I think I need/deserve to prepare myself with a little relaxation and I’m excited to share with you my relaxing experience.

-Kate

Do you have a favorite mode of pampering? How are you getting yourself mentally and physically prepared for the holiday season?

 

Fast Abs for Runners: Complimentary Workshop

With less than a week away from the Turkey Trot, I’ve been hard at work training to make the 30 minute goal set for me by my friends from home. Running on its own has been great. I feel better about myself and I also feel like I can go longer without getting tired which will help me out during the race. As a complement to my running, I’ve been working on some strength training as well, working on my lower body.

This past week, I took a workshop, Fast Abs for Runners, to work on another important area for runners and cyclers: the core. In every Healthworks class I have taken, each instructor has constantly reminded members of how important it is to build a strong core. In Natalie D.’s workshop, this was no different. She explained that for runners, it is extra important to work on your core. It’s where you get help building speed at the end of a long race, and it helps stabilize you as you turn corners and run up and down hills.

All body sizes have body image concerns

Earlier this week, I was on the phone with a friend of mine who has the opposite problem as me – he is underweight and has a difficult time getting an appetite, even though he knows for his own health that he should eat. He is very aware of his thin body, and has a hard time find clothes that hang correctly, especially with wide shoulders but a very thin torso. What is interesting to me is how we may have an opposite relationship to food and still feel equally awkward with our bodies for opposite reasons.

I think our society is so obsessed with thin that it is easy to forget that very thin people may have a hard time finding clothes or even have others assume that either they are (a) lucky to be so thin or (b) have eating disorders like anorexia. When in fact, people of all sizes struggle to accept their bodies as they are, whether under or overweight according to current medical standards.

Next time you see someone and think that they must love their body exactly as it is, consider that perhaps they have their own concerns about themselves.

-Kelli

What can you do to help yourself and others feel better about our bodies?

sick. . . .

I am still sick. And it sucks.

Today I had to race around from work to class to meetings. I was all over the place, trying to fit everything into my schedule. I walked into my class really late, after having huffed it across campus, and I had the hardest time trying to breath. I couldn’t stop coughing for a good ten minutes, and then only after I drank a bottle of water and popped a few cough drops. I also feel so lethargic; some of that feeling is from being sick, and some of it just has to do with the fact that I haven’t been able to work out in a while, and my body misses it.

I would like to be working out more, but I’m a little afraid of trying to push my body when it clearly doesn’t feel well. In the past, I’ve tried to work through feeling sick, and usually my body ends up working out all that phlegm in the process. I think that this weekend I’ll head over to Healthworks and give it a shot. If I can’t breathe and start coughing uncontrollably, then I’ll know I’m not quite ready.

-Hannah

Do you work out when you’re sick?

Getting the most out of my gym time

Last week I took advantage of my introductory personal training sessions, and met with Jakki L, who was amazing. I hadn’t been interested in personal training before, but she helped point out that my normal fitness routine was lacking in strength training, and walked me through a great routine. Free weights, push ups, bosu exercises…I’m totally sore and also in love with the workout that she gave me – it makes me feel like I’m really utilizing all of the equipment Healthworks offers, and getting the most out of the time that I spend there. Whereas before I would hop on the treadmill for a half hour, do some stretching, and a few abs exercises, and then get out – now I’m spending two days a week running on the treadmill for 20 minutes, and following it up with a full body workout. I feel like I’m emphasizing quality over quantity of time that I spend at the gym, and I think it’s starting to show. On top of this, I have a renewed appreciation for the fact that this is a women’s only gym. I feel like I would be way too intimidated to “pump iron” in the presence of dudes, who typically tend to rule the weights area at other gyms. I was excited to find out that there are half-hour personal training sessions available, which I will be signing up for…these sessions are within my price range, and perfect for fitting a maximized workout into a maximized schedule.

-Jean

Do you use a trainer?

Announcement!

It has taken me a long while to reach this point, but I’m finally here – and I have an announcement to make.

I have decided to train for another race.

After September’s half marathon, I felt pretty terrible for a few days. I was sore beyond belief, and even walking hurt. The race itself was harder than I had anticipated, probably because it was so hot, and the last few miles seemed like they would never end. Right after the race, my teammate S. asked, “what next?” I really thought she was crazy, and at that moment absolutely nothing would have convinced me to sign up for another race. Even a few weeks ago, I hesitated when a friend asked me if I would ever run another half marathon. The whole thing seemed so painfully difficult; it was something to be proud of (and believe me, I am proud), but I felt that it would probably just be one of those things that I did once and could say I did it.

I’ve been realizing lately, especially as I’ve been struggling with my goals and feeling sick, that I loved the process of training. I really loved having long Sunday runs, and the anticipation was so exciting. I was really scared at first, as my coach would probably tell anybody (and I had a lot of freak outs). As the summer wore on, though, and I hit the 2 hour mark, my fear turned into a sense of mission, and I knew that I would cross the finish line. I had no doubts that I would do it. The process of training was a big push; I ran regularly, and kept up a lot of cross training because I knew I had to; if I didn’t complete the training goals, I would have had a harder time getting across the finish line. I loved the feeling of being really committed, and to thinking almost single-mindedly about my goal for weeks on end. I loved the intensity of it.

I really miss it.

At the end of S.’s wedding reception on Sunday evening, I went to say goodbye. She said that she would have more time to hang out now that all the wedding planning was finally over – and I told her that I wanted to train for another race. I could tell from her high-five that she was really excited. I bet Coach J. would be in, too (she’s a running addict, she can’t help it). Now we just have to decide what race to run…

-Hannah

Should I run another half? Or maybe look for a 20k? Or a series of smaller races?

 

Numbers Don’t Lie

Working out and eating right has its advantages.  You lose weight, look and feel better, and have increased health benefits.  However, sometimes the scale just doesn’t match all of your best efforts.  Sometimes you plateau.  Sometimes it just happens depending on what is going on inside your body, your stress level or fluid intake.  If you are also tracking your measurements, the numbers do not lie.

The number on the scale for me hasn’t really budged in a couple of weeks.  I haven’t been working out as much since I started my new job and I’ve also been dealing with some chronic pain issues which totally wipe me out.  So today I decided to check my measurements and compare them to the numbers when I started working out at Healthworks in August.  I was pleased with the results, having lost about 15 inches overall.

I still have a long way to go, but I suggest doing measurements and tracking them once a month if you are feeling frustrated with your results.  The number on the scale isn’t always the number that can show progress and improvement.

-Cindy

Weight Loss Success

This week, I spent a lot of time trying to recover. I watched hours and hours (and hours) of Big Love on TV, ate many popsicles, and pretty much drank an entire bottle of NyQuil. I felt so much better! And then I had a crazy whirlwind day of travel and excitement, as I attended my dear friend S.’s wedding. And now I don’t feel so great again.

S. is a friend from graduate school, and she was one of my running teammates this summer. We trained for many long and hard hours together. At the half-marathon in September, we held hands as we crossed the starting line. I was so happy to be able to go to her wedding in Baltimore yesterday – she looked like she walked right out of a bridal magazine!

I had a really fun moment getting ready for the wedding; I tried on all the dresses in my closet – including my high school prom dress – and nothing fit me! I didn’t think far enough ahead to have anything tailored, so I had to go shopping for a new dress; literally, everything I owned was falling off my body, and would have needed to be taken in by a few inches. I went shopping with my friend, and former coach J., and had quite a thrill. I bought a dress – size 14! This is a big moment for me, dear readers. Not too long ago, and I will admit this in a public forum, I was a size 22. I’m not at my goal weight yet, but I can’t even begin to describe what a different experience shopping is now. I used to only be able to buy clothes at certain stores that catered to plus sized shoppers. And now I find myself being able to shop in more and more stores for more and more kinds of clothes. A whole new world of fashion is opening up for me, and I love the way I look!

It’s an amazing thing to feel healthier, to love my body, and to be able to see and notice real differences as I work so hard to achieve goals. I’ve tried to do this for many years, and I’m finally following through and making real commitments. I’m really doing this!

-Hannah

Fight Dry Winter Skin with Homemade Body Scrubs

One thing I absolutely swear by during the cold winter months to fight dry skin is body scrubs. For some reason, I always spent an arm and a leg on expensive scrubs that did the job really well, but once they were gone I’d always wonder “Was it really worth that much money?” This summer I read an article about making your own scrubs. I started experimenting and came up with a couple of really great options that I’ve stuck with.

They’re both very basic, but do a wonderful job and after I’m all showered, my skin feels just as good as it did with the expensive scrubs.