Newbie Running Questions

Happy Monday! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Fall greeted us in New York City this weekend resulting in cool, crisp weather and sunny skies! I enjoyed a Chai Tea each day, my favorite Fall drink!

In case you’re catching up from the weekend, it was a stress free weekend due to my last minute decision to forego the RNR Philadelphia Half Marathon.

This morning, I have a special post thanks to a weekend email. As a blogger who does my best to write daily, sometimes it’s a blessing to have topics requested! Luckily, this weekend, Kristine emailed me with a list of running questions. She just conquered her first 10k this weekend and is excited about her new sport but in need of guidance. I am still guilty of not considering myself a runner, so the fact that she emailed me was an honor in itself! You can read more about my journey to becoming a runner here.

I’m going to answer her questions over the next few days since there were quite a few. Keep in mind that I’m not an expert; these answers are merely my opinion.

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Part 1:

Do you have any tips for someone running their first half marathon in January?

Congratulations on signing up for your first half marathon! It will be an awesome and incredible feeling of accomplishment when you cross that finish line smiling ear to ear! I truly believe in the saying, “proper planning prevents poor performance.” You are at least ten weeks out from your big day which is plenty of time! I suggest finding a plan and sticking to it as closely as possible, especially since this is your first half. There are plenty of great places to find plans including Runner’s World Smart Coach and Hal Higdon’s website. I used his novice half marathon plan for my first half and loved it!

How many days a week should you run?

This is a very personal question, but based on my own experience I recommend 3-4 days maximum. There are clear benefits to cross training activities such as yoga, swimming, spinning, or strength training. If you are pushing your body each day through running you won’t have the opportunity to cross train and your muscles will get accustomed to the exercises. Last year, I trained for the marathon injury free even though I ran 6 days a week. But, I also gained 9 pounds in the process and lost a lot of upper body and abdominal strength. This time around, I’m only running 3-4 days per week and cross training the other days. So far, I’ve lost 8 inches and reduced my BMI 3% during marathon training!

How do you make running on a "dreadmill" more fun?

Over the past few months, I’ve actually done my best to breakup with the treadmill. I now prefer pounding the pavement, even with the crazy New York City streets, over running on the treadmill. But, if you’re stuck on the treadmill due to weather, travel, or other circumstances I have learned a few tricks over the years!

  1. Create a great playlist that will keep you excited each mile. I often put my iPod on random so I don’t know what to expect next.
  2. Break the run up into parts. During half marathon training last year, I had to do a 10 miler on the treadmill and broke it up into 2 5ks and then one 4 mile run. I even changed treadmills during each section!
  3. When all else fails, find a treadmill near either a high traffic area or a television. This way you can take your mind off the run and focus on the people watching or the news. I actually love watching the news while I’m doing a morning treadmill run as it’s a nice change of pace.

What are your top 5-10 essential running clothing items?

Over the past few years, I’ve rotated my running wardrobe almost seasonally. I used to try a new item every time I bought new shoes. Last year however, during marathon training, I finally found a few key pieces that I fell in love with after just a few runs. Since then, these have been my go to running items.

Question: What is your favorite item for working out during the winter months?

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Long Run Play Mix

 

Last week I talked about how influential my new run mix was in powering me through the solo miles. A few people have emailed me requesting that I share the songs. I’m putting my pride aside and sharing the mix of songs that I loved listening to even though they are a very random mix!

image image These songs take me back through the years. Back in sixth grade I knew every word to Always be My Baby, Blink-182 is fresh out of my high school years, and OAR and John Mayer were the theme song to my freshman year at University of Georgia.

I hope you enjoy one or two of these for your playlist this week. I’m currently debating whether I should still go down to Philadelphia for this weekend’s half marathon and rocking out to Jay-Z.It’s been a really long week and it turn’s out that Leslie’s IT band is giving her big issues and may keep her from running it too. I could stay in New York City, run the Fitness 4 miler AND finish my 20 miler, all while still being able to catch up with Bo before I leave for Los Angeles. Believe it or not, due to our schedule this week we literally have not seen each other AWAKE since Monday. 🙁 That’s a sad story.

In fact, typing this, I think I’ve made my decision.

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New York City Marathon Training: Week 9

I just enjoyed the best training week in quite a while! I was able to successfully complete every planned workout, I enjoyed my long run, and I feel like I’m getting into the groove of this year’s marathon training.  The changes that I put in place worked wonderfully and I even added a few others:

  • Switch up my music each run. Today I listened to my country mix while running which was a fresh change from my normal pop and rap mixes. I also created a whole new playlist for Friday’s long run which helped power me through the 12 miles when I was running solo.
  • Get outside! I’ve learned to love running outside which in turn means that I can’t stand the treadmill these days. I realize that it is a great running tool and serves it’s purpose every now and then but I don’t enjoy using it daily anymore. Last week I enjoyed 3 of my 4 runs outside which was a refreshing change. This week’s goal is repeat the same, only doing my speed workout inside.
  • Fuel more! During this week’s long run I brought both Clif Shot blocks and a GU pack on the run. I split the shot blocks out early, having 1/2 at mile 4 and 1/2 at mile 8. Then, at mile 11.5 I enjoyed the vanilla Gu. I felt more energized during this run than I have any of my other long runs and I really believe the fuel played a large role. I’m going to repeat this method again this week. (Question for NYC runners, it seems like the entire city is sold out of vanilla Gu! Where can I find some?)

IMG_4375 THUMBS UP FOR A GREAT WEEK!!

Week 9 Plan: September 5th-September 11th

Monday: 3/4 mile swim + 3 mile basic run

Tuesday: 45 minute spin workout+ 10 minutes foam rolling

Wednesday: 6 mile speed workout including 6 sets of pickups+ personal training session

Thursday: Rest Day

Friday: 16 mile long run

Saturday: Personal Training appointment+Vitality Class (Holy back and shoulder muscles!)

Sunday: 3 mile recovery run+yoga

Total mileage: 28 miles! SUCCESS!

This week’s plan is much like last week’s except for my half marathon which has me scared shitless. I signed up for this race on a whim one night after more than one glass of wine. While I’m looking forward to seeing Leslie and possibly Sabrina, I’m not looking forward to the race itself. I can’t decide whether I want to try and PR or just treat it like a long run. We’ll see how I feel one mile in and go from there. 🙂

Week 10 Plan: September 12th-September 18th

Monday: 4 mile basic run including striders

Tuesday: personal training session+ 10 minutes foam rolling

Wednesday: 6 mile speed workout including 6 sets of pickups+ personal training session

Thursday: personal training session+ possible yoga

Friday: rest day+ possible yoga

Saturday: NYRR Fitness 4 miler at an easy pace

Sunday: 2 mile warm up+ Philadelphia RocknRoll Half Marathon+ 2 mile cool down

Total mileage: 31 miles

Finally, on a random note, since people have been asking for more “What I Wore” photos, here’s a snapshot of today’s outfit. It was simple but comfortable! I have to get the skirt altered as it’s way too big now but otherwise this is one of my go to favorites for rushed mornings.

IMG_4419 Watch: Michael Korrs

Earrings: KEP Designs

Everything else: JCrew

Have a great week!

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