May 13, 2014

Getting Back into Running + The Philly 10k

 

philly10kUp until the past two weeks, HQ and I haven’t been doing much running, even before the hot chocolate 5K. Now that it’s finally starting to warm up, we’ve started to run a bit more. Although I’ve already dealt with some issues like tight calves (and running in the wrong shoes), running seems to be going relatively well for us only being two weeks back into it.

It’s felt like I’ve been running really slow lately–I keep forgetting that I haven’t been running that long and it’s going to take a while to get back to where I was before I stopped last September. It’s been something that’s been really tough to do, and I usually end up pushing myself too hard. I’m debating doing couch to 5k again (or some other sort of interval series) so that I can do a better job of making sure I don’t push myself too hard, even though I’ve yet to stick to the program for more then a few weeks. Any suggestions for doing so would be greatly appreciated!

The reason we returned to running so late was partially due to me trying to take it easy post-stress fracture as well as lack of motivation. I think to solve this motivation issue, I’m going to try and find a 5K for mid-summer (around the time I’d be finishing C25K) and then start 10K training for the Philly 10K.

I’m excited for the Philly 10K for a few reasons:

  • motivation for HQ and I to finally get past the 5K distance and actually train
  • running through the city vs the river trail
  • supporting Philadelphia Runner (one of my favorite stores)
  • awesome shake shack with cannolis and free beer

Now I just need to find a 5K for the summer. If you’ve got any suggestions for 5Ks in the area–let me know!

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May 6, 2014

Avoiding the After-Work Workout Slump #teamX2

I’ve never dealt well with late afternoon or evening workouts. When I was a kid—my body never seemed to take after school or night swim practices very well—I was always more sluggish and slow whenever I exercised later in the day.

I’ve adjusted to night ballet classes somewhat and usually can handle them somewhat decently. However, I always feel slightly more sluggish during a night class (especially a late night class) versus a morning class. My nighttime runs nowadays always seem more sluggish then my morning ones do. Unfortunately, HQ and my schedules don’t always align super well and that usually means we’re running later in the day(someone please give me tips on how we can become better early risers and wake up and run).

Disclaimer: I’m a #TeamX2 blogger and excited to work with X2 Performance in a paid campaign to help me achieve my fitness goals.All opinions are my own.. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

I mentioned in my introductory post about X2 Performance that I’m not a huge supplement person. Sure, I take a few vitamins (a multi-vitamin and calcium and vitamin D supplement)—but that’s about it. I’ve taken shot bloks with caffeine and salt before to help pre-post ballet class or run, as well.

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April 24, 2014

Why I love Compression Gear: Zensah Socks and Sleeves

I love my compression socks, sleeves (and leggings too!). I have about six different pairs of compression socks and three different pairs of compression sleeves.  By far, the best pair of socks I have are the Zensah compression socks that I won in a #runchat tweet chat a few months ago. I recently bought a pair of Zensah sleeves that I love, too.

Why does compression gear work? Zensah’s got a great blog post on it, but here are some main points:

  •  Compression improves circulation and oxygenated blood flow to improve performance and enhance recovery.
  • Improved circulation reduces the buildup of lactic acid
  • Enhance athlete’s warm-up by increasing the temperature of the skin and the muscle
  • Provide an extra support to stabilize the muscle tissue, reducing inflammation and micro trauma

I mostly wear socks for recovery, but I’ll use my Zensah sleeves during ballet and sometimes while running.

zensah_socks

Chilling in my Zensah socks in my messy room

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April 15, 2014

Re-vamping My At Home Workout List + Shin Splint Rehab

I’ve decided to come up with a new at-home workout list, aka my at-home “physical therapy list.”

I’ve mentioned me attempting to do this before (about a month ago), and it pretty much was a failure. I know, I know, I should remember to do these exercises. My my leg was feeling great and I was doing really well, and then after ramping up how many ballet classes I’m doing and my running  workouts–it started to ache a lot again. I had also started to slack a little bit with icing my leg, which I imagine wasn’t helping matters. Fortunately, I’ve done a pretty good job at remembering to drink enough water with a few exceptions.

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April 14, 2014

Refueling Before, During and After Workout Tips!

My local dance studio recently ran an article about how to fuel, before, during and after dance workouts, Eat While You Workout?

The article has great tips such as making sure you aren’t running on empty when you show up to class–I’ll admit, I’m  guilty of this a lot of time. To prevent this,   munch on some fruit, an apple, a granola bar, or even some gels or gummies like many of us use for running (I love Clif Shot Bloks)!  You should also consider eating during (again, the gels or shot bloks are great for this) if you’re taking classes back to back. As always, make sure you refuel afterwards, too. And don’t forget to hydrate!

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