Halfway to the Hapalua Half Marathon

By admin, on February 6th, 2013%


I’m halfway through my training program for the Hapalua Half Marathon on March 10. So far everything is going well, if not exactly according to the schedule. Before I started this structured plan, I hadn’t been running regularly for quite some time. I find that training for an event helps keep me more consistent when it comes to cardio; otherwise I just don’t put in the time. Now I’m back to the point where running a few miles feels great instead of excruciating.

The three day a week running schedule has been enough to get my mileage in and up, but not so much that I don’t have time to focus on strength training and other fun stuff like hiking. It’s important to me that I incorporate lots of cross training so that I don’t get bored or suffer an overuse injury. I’ve also loved and hated incorporating more hill training into my runs. Those days are very challenging, but make me much stronger for the flatter terrain days.

I had a minor setback the first weeks of training. The back of my knee was getting inflamed after my runs. I have great shoes that fit properly and are still in good condition, so I knew that wasn’t the cause. After a bit of research and experimentation, I figured out my poor hamstring was so tight it was tugging at the insertion point behind my knee. A bit of daily and post run stretching solved that problem. I must confess: I am HORRIBLE about stretching. This was a great reminder of how endurance, strength, and flexibility all have to work together for maximum results. My advice to you: don’t neglect the STRETCH!

Are you currently prepping for a race? How’s your training going?

 

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Is your warmup negatively affecting your workout?

By admin, on March 5th, 2010%

If you were to go to any kids’ soccer game before kickoff, you would see the players dutifully touching their toes and stretching their hamstrings. In all of the races I’ve done, there are always groups of runners leaning against trees, flexing their calves, making sure they are nice and limber for the start. What these athletes, and perhaps even you, don’t realize is that static stretching, holding a position for 20 seconds or more to increase the flexibility of the muscle, is the last thing you want to do before you exert yourself.

When you hold a static stretch, your muscle lengthens and relaxes, which is counterproductive to then immediately contracting the muscle when lifting a weight or propelling your body forward. Static stretching is best saved for after your workout, because it will help your muscles get rid of the metabolic waste your exercise just created. And it will help stave off muscle soreness and tightness in the days that follow.

So then, what, exactly, are you supposed to be doing before you dive into physical activity? Continue reading Is your warmup negatively affecting your workout?

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