Technorati Tags: average time, Personal records

Whenever we start a new activity, there is a series of stimulating elements that come with it, like the enthusiasm of doing something new, the sense of commitment to our new activity, the new friends we make by practicing it, and last but not least, the new gear we purchase to feel more comfortable or perform better.  We all know how great it feels to get a fresh and smelly new pair of running shoes, sweat-proof sports headsets, and a nice GPS built-in running watch. But exactly how much money should we spend on our new activity ?

In the case of running, before deciding on a budget we should decide first if it is something we want to do for fun with friends, as an escape from routine, or if we seriously want to commit to it and engage at a competitive level. It all comes down to our objectives and to the level of experience we have. Many people who approach running for the first time make the mistake of going out and buying everything they need at once (and a couple of extra items they do not really need), usually at a high price, falling under the carefully designed trap of sport brands marketers, who pass on a motivation-success-you-can-do-it-go-for-it message in the packages of their sport goods.  As a result, many enthusiastic runners find themselves spending a lot of money for a good deal of equipment they do not really need (or at least yet), which end up bulking inside their brand new sports bag.

To avoid spending extra money, keep it simple. Let the need for new equipment develop itself, through time. Your own experience will tell you what you need to buy and what you do not.  Remember that in the very beginning, all you need is a decent pair of shoes and your own motivation to start running. If you are feeling you cannot go on after a 5K run, then maybe it is not time to buy that GPS watch just yet.  However, if you do feel the need to buy an expensive piece of equipment that will help you perform better, then go for it!  Make it a well-deserved reward for breaking that 10K PR!  But remember to have a good look at product reviews on websites, blogs, or social networks, fellow runners usually leave very objective reviews of gear they buy.  Keep in mind that expensive it not always effective.

Cheers and keep running!

When preparing for a marathon, many first-timers disregard the value of having a regular training program, and the importance of adding distance to their weekly runs in a slow, planned and gradual way. Training for a race requires a lot of time and effort, but also a lot of discipline and motivation. Once we engage with a training program, it is very important to follow through every step of the way, if we really want to be prepared for race day and, most important of all, if we want to avoid injuries. Keep in mind that a regular training program should have a light run early in the week, a moderate run in the middle of the week, and a long run at the end of the week, where we add distance gradually as weeks go by.

Not having a proper training program, or lacking the time to follow one, can result in serious injuries or even leaving us outside of the race. I recently read about a marathon first-timer who followed up on a training program, did well for the first two months, but then found himself missing a couple of weekly long runs.  In order to catch up and to be “prepared” for race day, he found himself adding 2,5 to 3 kilometers every week to his weekly long runs. One month before race day, the unavoidable thing happened, an injury left him out of the competition.

It is very easy to be injured if our body is not used to long runs, that is why we should start with a training program early enough, leaving some room for a couple of unforeseen events that may cancel our park or treadmill appointment. Keep in mind that, just like in Murphy’s law, from weather to work to social events, there are many unforeseen events waiting to ruin our training routine. Be preventive, have different choices available. Being able to rain outdoors is a great thing, but don’t undervalue the benefits of a good spinning class or treadmill session to make up for that teacher-parents night.  Keep in mind that it is not only about building up distance: an effective training program should also include cross-training as part of our routine to help building up upper and lower body strength.

Cheers and keep running!

Marathon running tips

Technorati Tags: Training schedule

In this article I would like to talk about one of the things that motivates me to go running, and if you need some motivation yourself, you may find it by reading the below lines. Sure, we all know the benefits of running, and how good it is for your health, but perhaps there is another element you have not considered yet.

We all live very busy days, and deal with the stress of modern life: work, responsibilities, traffic, studies and so on. Sometimes people are so busy with their daily chores that they forget to take some time for themselves. Running can help you fight back the stress while getting you some spare time. Not only do you relax and listen to music or interesting podcasts, you also contribute to your personal health and well being.  

No matter how tired I am at the end of the day, the feeling of well-being that I get after finishing my running session feels great!  When I get home, I just channel that energy and motivation into finishing my working chores, be it house or work related. With time I have found that no matter how great a TV show can be, nothing beats the feeling of jogging in the park with a friend, or by myself with my iPod.  It has become a great habit! Some days ago I spoke with a friend who complained about the loads of work he has at the office, and that he did not have the time to take care of his things. ” I haven’t been able to have some time for myself… after work, I just have time to drive back home, finish some work-related stuff, get some dinner and only then I have some free time for myself”. What I suggested next came to him as kind of an eye opener, I told him that maybe the answer was in running.

Think about it: you want to focus on your work or your studies, right? You come home from a busy day, you turn on your laptop and off you go to work after being stuck for one hour in the traffic, with no motivation, let alone any creativity, left. What about your own free time? Do you realize that you have been sitting all day long at your desk, working for somebody else, only to get home and keep doing exactly the same thing, while being saturated with a heavy working day, traffic, stress on your shoulders? I do understand the need to finish that weekly report, or the urgent team presentation, but believe me you will work a hundred times better once you have taken some time for yourself. My personal experience has shown me that by running half an hour in the park after a busy day, my mind relaxes and I become much more creative when I get home. By the time you turn on your laptop back on, you will be able to see things from a different perspective, with more creativity, and with better will to finish your work. 

If you feel the need to get some quality, relaxing time after work, consider a 30 minutes jogging in your neighborhood, or if you have to commute and want to avoid traffic, hit a park or a gym close to your office area during rush hour, that way you will avoid heavy traffic, relax and exercise all at the same time.

Till next time!

Technorati Tags: motivation, work

Hello and welcome to Marathon Running Tips.  Today I would like to talk about a very important topic: How you can combine the gym training sessions with the actual running sessions.

Some people have asked me how you can actually combine the two types of exercises, how often, and where should focus be.  Training for a race can be a difficult challenge, especially if you do not know where to start.  I have met many people who spend hours at the gym several times a week, and others who go out running outdoors almost every day.  While both exercising indoors and outdoors have their benefits and limitations, I would say that the key is how you combine both of them, and this is what we will discuss in today’s article.Let me begin by saying that when it comes to exercising, it is not only important to combine both indoors and outdoors, it also encouraged to do so. There are some elements that you need to consider, like what you enjoy the most, and what you feel more comfortable with.  As I mentioned earlier, some people find it more comfortable to go to the gym, while others may prefer to run in the local park, the number of reasons varying from weather, to lack of time, to convenience and even to budget.  If you are one of those lucky runners to have an affordable local gym in your neighborhood, in college or close to your office, you simply must find the right balance between your indoors and outdoors training sessions.

The next question is: how do you combine both?  Well it is quite simple. Imagine you have a big test coming up. Think about the gym as studying hours to help you improve your weaknesses, and the outdoors sessions as a test simulation.  When you take a simulation and then look at the results, you can see the areas where you feel comfortable, while getting to know the areas where you need to improve.  The same thing happens with running.  Running outdoors can give you a very good idea on the areas that you need to develop, that you can later focus on by going to the gym.  Be it endurance, muscle building, stamina, you name it! In order to to illustrate my point, I would like to bring a short example: Last year I used to be a gym addict.  By completely neglecting running in the park, I was not aware of the areas that I really needed to develop, which in my case was my calves. Had I not started combining both types of training sessions, I would have been in serious trouble on race day.

 Depending on your level and your objective, the best thing to do is to test yourself in the local park, pushing the distance a bit (5K or 10K, depending on whether you are at a beginner, intermediate or advanced level), always keeping your own pace. During the run and after you finish, try to evaluate your overall condition, e.g. think about the way you feel in general, look for any sore muscles, check your breathing, if your knees or feet hurt, etc.  This will give you a good idea of what you need to work on during the next couple of weeks at the gym.So there you have it, no matter if you are a gym addict or a street enthusiast, don’t forget to combine both for optimal results. 

See you next time and keep running! 

Technorati Tags: Indoors outdoors, training

Hello! Today I would like to discuss a very important issue, pronation, and why it is important when buying new running shoes.

Previously, due to lack of information about running shoes, I only considered elements such as the style, brand and price, without considering others of equal or greater importance, such as pronation. We call pronation the rotation or tilting of the foot towards the inside, which helps to soften the impact when walking or running.

Although it is perfectly normal, some people tend to pronate in a more pronounced (overpronation) way and other less pronounced way (supination). Whatever kind of footprint we have, it is important to consider this element when choosing our shoes.

To see if we suffer from some type of accentuated pronation, we just need to examine our old shoes and see where they are worn. If our running shoes are more worn on one side than the other, it probably means we need a special shoe model to help us balance the tread.  There are specialized shops that offer the possibility of assessing our footprint, using a treadmill and a camera in which a podiatrist (or a person familiar with the matter) can advise us regarding our type of tread, and recommend a type of shoe to reduce the risk of injury during the race. I personally did the test, and my level of pronation was not very high, so I chose a pair of shoes that focused more on supporting the foot as a whole, rather than a model that mitigates a specific area.

Another important aspect to consider is that during the race, the foot tends to swell and needs more space inside the shoe. To be comfortable during the race, it is important to buy shoes one size larger. In my case my usual number is 41, so I would be more comfortable wearing a number 42.

In summary, when looking for running shoes, we must consider two things:

1 – We should know our type of tread, whether we suffer any kind of marked pronation, and if so, choose a pair of shoes to mitigate the impact.

2 – Choosing a larger number than usual will give our feet more space and comfort during the race.

Well, that’s all for now. See you soon!

Technorati Tags: buying shoes, Marathon Running Tips, pronation, Shoes for running

Hello everyone and welcome to Marathon Running Tips. 

I thought as a first entry of this site to talk about what motivates us to go running. On my side, I see running in the streets as my way to (fasten your seatbelts!) contribute to society! That’s right! Even if I am not saving the planet, I strongly believe that by running around your neighborhood you pass on a very important message, which I will try to explain in the following lines. 

Before I go running there are a number of things I like to do: I drink two glasses of water, select the clothes I’m going to wear, I tie my shoe laces, get my ipod, stretch a bit and hit the streets. It’s a ritual I particularly enjoy, since I leave behind obligations, tasks, worries, and take some time for myself. Once I start my ‘personal race’ with a slow paced jogging, a lot of wonderful things start happening… My body becomes warmer, my breathing gets heavier, some small pains here and there remind me I have spent too much time sitting, but they soon disappear to let me enjoy my race. 

But before I know it, another wonderful thing happens: people look at me and… smile! That’s right, they smile at me with approval! That old lady coming from the supermarket who sees me and thinks “how nice it is to see young motivated people”, or the people inside their cars who see me and think “I should find more time for myself”, or the men at the local pub who look at me with a beer in their hand and a “I should exercise a bit more” look on their faces. I’m particularly keen on the approving nod you get from the other runners in the street, a nod that says “well done, keep going, see you at the race”. 

By running in the streets of your neighborhood, believe it or not, you are delivering a message of encouragement to a lot of people. Think that in our daily lives we constantly deal with advertisement, traffic, polution, expenses, chores, responsibilities, work… Some people find the modern life stress to be too overwhelming!  By running around your neighborhood, you leave behind that daily stress and take some time for yourself, while encouraging other people to do the same thing.

Till next time!

Technorati Tags: motivation, running tips