Monday, October 25, 2010

OMG it's finally over!

Well, I did it! Grad school is finally over, and aside from work and family I have no other obligations going on in my life (for now). Now that my free time has suddenly become available to me, it's time to start piecing together my running schedule. I think I'll stick with my T,T,S,S schedule for two reasons. 1. I like it. 2. It conforms to most training programs and allows me to fit those recommendations in easily as I train.

Today though? I rest. The last two weeks have been so nutty that I wasn't getting a lot of sleep, I ate a lot of junk food, consumed way too much caffeine, and overall just neglected everything except my project.

I'll start with slowly getting back into just being able to run about 4 miles. I've been getting my half marathon training schedule from about.com, so I'm saving those until it's time to start training for that.

Now watch me get stir crazy because I'm not used to having evenings and weekends free LOL!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Be careful with those pain meds....

I remember reading this in Runner's World some time ago, and I guess the people at msnbc felt it was important enough to revisit so I'm going to pass it on. I had heard a long time ago that taking pain relievers prior to a work out can be disastrous, so I made sure to try and avoid it. Usually I have to take pain meds for headaches, which are made worse by running so if I am dealing with that kind of pain I skip the run/workout anyway. Make sure you're evaluating yourself and what you ingest (food-wise and medicinally) so that you don't accidentally hurt yourself - or worse kill yourself.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Do you struggle to work out consistently?

If you've read this blog for a while, you know I do. Most of it revolves around finding time and having enough energy after a long day and letting other priorities take over. In fact, the reason I started this blog was to try and make myself accountable to other people so I would run more. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't. What I've been doing lately is walking when I don't feel like running, so at least I'm getting out there.

Check out this article and see if it helps you find more motivation to work out. Sometimes just knowing that you're having the same problem as other people is enough to make you feel better. You're not alone :)

Friday, October 8, 2010

Yet another reason to quit diet pills...

Surprise surprise! Diet pills can kill you! Think I'm being sensationalist? Try this article from msnbc that describes why the FDA has asked Abbott Laboratories to pull the drug from the market here in the US and Canada.

As much as I would love a quick fix, this is a serious problem and diet pills are no good for anyone.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Looking for a personal trainer?

Let's face it. Sometimes we all need a good kick in the butt when it comes to fitness. Someone who holds us accountable for missing workouts, eating that extra piece of cake (and pie, and donuts, and candy) over the weekend, and anything else we do to ourselves that could be considered self-sabotaging.

This is a great article about the 10 things a good personal trainer will do for you. There are a lot of folks out there claiming to be fitness and diet experts when they're no more knowledgeable than we are. Those are the people that get you killed. If you have the stomach for it, Google personal trainer horror stories. If not, just take my word for it.

If you can't afford a personal trainer, surely you have a friend who will work out with you. Having a running buddy has helped me so much in the past (thanks Red!!!). We pushed each other when the other didn't want to run, we made time for running when we'd rather be watching tv or shopping, and we encouraged each other to sign up for races. If you don't have someone who will run or workout with you, try finding someone online. Meetup.com is a great resource for meeting people in general, and local running clubs are always looking for more members.