Sunday morning I did some strength training and lunges. I woke up Monday and today SORE! This tells me 2 things:
1. It is working
2. I need to do these moves more often
Training for a race of anything length is taxing on your body, especially those big leg muscles you are using over and over in a repetitive motion. This can be a good thing in making them strong 🙂 And a bad thing resulting in over use fatigue and injuries 🙁
In order to become a more well rounded athlete I am going to do a few simple strength moves everyday before I run (except my long run days since that is more than enough!). I’m thinking the basics…sit-ups, push-ups (girl style), lunges. I came up with this plan on my run today. So, I cut my run early to come back and do these moves, but I was too late and Ben was rushing me into the shower. I’ll do them after work!
Breakfast – I really wanted my favorite TJ’s organic “Raisin Bran Crunch” cereal. So, I made a big bowl with banana, soy milk and a little Flax Plus on the bottom.
I put PB on half the banana for staying power!
Question: Do you do strength moves? I’m taking it pretty easy so I can incorporate it into my schedule realistically 🙂
That’s what I am really bad at – changing things up. Before I got hurt – every single work out was EXACTLY THE SAME – run run run run run. Glad to see you switched it up and could feel it! 🙂
i prefer weight training over cardio. i loathe cardio! but i love lifting.
Pam – yoga totally counts 🙂 There are a lot of blog girls that swear by it and have even stopped running for yoga!
I try to keep up with strength moves but sometimes I slack. I’ve been doing yoga lately, does that count?
i try to do lifting / circuiting at least twice a week. i fit it in on an easy short run day so that i’m not spending a billion hours doing it. you should check out the hundred pushup, two hundred squat and two hundred sit up challenges!
I have a tendency to run too much. It’s hard to work it all in! So I joined our local athletic club and I’m taking group fitness classes at least twice a week and yoga twice a week. It’s been a great addition to my training. I’m doing a half marathon in September, so I’m running four days a week and strength training two. It’s working out good so far!
I’m in the same boat as you. It is hard for me to incorporate strength training. I just finished training for the SF Marathon and now I am starting to train for New York. It is not that I don’t like strength training. It is just hard for me to incorporate with running because I don’t want to be too sore for my run! I never know if I should do strength moves after a hard run or before.
I incorporate strength training into my workout every week. Lately, I’ve been in love with the Jillian Michaels workouts on OnDemand (she has the dvd’s too). The “30 Day Shred” and “No More Trouble Zones” are mostly strength exercises. They’re tough, but I highly suggest them!!
Michelle – Yeah, I am all about yoga, I need to start it up again!
Core work is key for runners- that being said, I don’t do nearly enough… 🙁 It’s hard for me to get motivated with that. I have started yoga which helps tremendously!
I do strength training to help keep me from having more back surgery. I do most of my strength training at the gym but I do have a few good DVD’s like the Biggest loser one and a few more when I can’t get there. It is so key because I run faster now that I did before I started strength training.
Strength training is my go-to for working out. I try and incorporate my cardio into my strength moves by completing fast reps and not stopping. I am not a runner, but I also do the elliptical. As a matter of fact I’m about to bust through a 7-min strength session right now since I’m not going to the gym today and I need some form of exercise. Great looking cereal. Raisin bran types are my fav!