I love to Run!

Fun! Fun! Fun! I love to Run!
This last month or so has been awesome with the treadmill. I have used it almost every day and have improved in my stamina and speed. I am able to run further and faster and it feels so good! I have had no knee problems and am loving it. I do trade running shoes every day so I always have a fresh 'rested' pair. I do have to say that though I am running daily, I am not running far. My purpose is not to be a distance runner but to just have fun running and staying fit. Right now I am only going around 2.5 miles including the walking.

I have been supplementing my cardio with the Daily 16 exercises from the Military. Today I found the new and improved site for the Military and began doing those exercises.
http://www.mccsokinawa.com/functionalfitness/

I am also going to do my running a little bit different. Instead of warming up with a walk for 15 minutes and then getting my running in, I am going to do it circuit training style. I will warm up for 5 minutes then alternate between sprinting and walking. I am not sure about the duration yet, and I still need to figure out how long the sprinting and walking sections will be. I think I will just try it out tomorrow and see what happens. I am hoping for increased fitness in less time with this approach.

The thing I like about the Military's functional fitness is that it prepares the body for whatever situation it will be in. It is not necessary to be a marathon runner but to be able to perform well in the daily tasks that we ask of our bodies. I want to be able to hike all over the mountains this summer, swim with my boys in the lakes, garden with out aches and pains, revamp my yard, and all kinds of things that I am going to need physical strength for and I think that the programs I have myself on will prepare me for that.

It feels so good to be proactive about my health, and to have an idea of what will benefit me and my family the most and go for it!

Treadmill

My sister in law gave me her treadmill. My mileage had taken a fall with the ultra cold weather but I am back on track now with 45 minutes of walking and jogging every day. It seems that each day I am able to walk a bit faster and farther. I love seeing the progress and I haven't had any pain in my legs anywhere!

I had wanted to stay in shape this winter with shoveling snow every day or so but there has been no snow to speak of so my plans didn't work out. I then thought I could walk around our mile block a few times but it is cold enough that I don't want my 3 year old to be out for very long, especially if he was just sitting in the cart the whole time. The treadmill answered all of that for me. Walking and jogging are my favorite ways to stay fit and now I can walk in my room while my 3 year old takes a long bath in the garden tub! Fun for everyone.

not so much running

I have finished two - hundred mile goals since my last post. I am not doing much running because I can't get past my knee problem but I have not been deterred. I do as much running as I am comfortable with plus I walk fast, ride my bike, and swim plus some weight training. Today I did 30 minutes on the eliptical machine at the gym, and 15 minutes of walking.

First run in new shoes

This mornings run was like floating on air. My legs felt so pampered in these new shoes. I am happy to be making headway on my goal.

I have been doing the Daily 16 for my strength exercises and like them but I need to find a way to ramp it up. They are too easy. I guess I could just do more of them. Tomorrow I will do more and see if that does it. I am interested in the Body For Life way of doing weights but I remember it taking a long time and needing lots of equipment, neither of which I have very much of. I need to go to the library and check out the book again. I used to own it but loaned it out and have not seen it again.

New Shoes!!!!

New Shoes!!! New Shoes!!!

I am so excited to go on a run!!!
Now I have shoes that should address some of the problems I have been having so hopefully my mileage can get better and better.

I am at mile 31 on my goal and am getting more confident with each mile. When I have been able to wear 'rested' shoes, my knees have not had problems. These new shoes will be reserved just for running so they will always be fresh. Yes!

My vision is to be able to 'run and not be weary' for miles and miles. I don't care how fast I go. For some reason I just feel good when I run.

Happy me will write in again after a test run in the new shoes.

Interval Training

I have been interested in doing interval training like in the book Body For Life. I do not lead a life that has hours of time built in for exercise. The reason I exercise is for the health benefits, to push myself, and because I just plain like to see what I am capable of.

Today I only went a mile but I pushed myself in that mile. (I am at 10 miles on my 100 mile goal). I warmed up for 5 minutes and then jogged to the count of 60 and then walked to the count of 60, repeating until the mile was done. It was not hard to do this and my knees feel great.

I can't find my Body For Life book and I can't remember if I am supposed to do cardio every day or not. I will do some research. I like the interval training because you push yourself for the 20 minutes that you exercise. You don't have to keep adding miles or time when you plateau. You are constantly doing better within the 20 minutes that you have.

I am going to get my extra miles for my goal by taking walks with the kids and doing the Daily 16.

7-04-09

Today I am at 7 miles on my goal to 100. I tried jogging today but my knees were painful. I have been wearing my shoes all day every day so I wonder if that is part of the problem. I need an extra pair of shoes so I can trade them off from day to day. I have read that shoes need a 'day of rest' to come back to their full spring. My heels were uncomfortable today too so the unspringiness of my shoes may be the culprit. I did fine jogging yesterday though.

I am still doing the Daily 16 and feel myself growing stronger. I can do more of the exercises now that when I started.