Week 4 Marathon Training

Yesterday marked 1-month in my marathon training. So far I'm doing pretty good and have only missed one day of running. It was Sunday's active recovery day of 3 miles and I preferred to rest.

I have, however, incorporated 2 more days of weight training into my program since my body responds well to strength training. If you see my original marathon training schedule there is only one weight day on a Wednesday.

It works out perfectly because I now do weights on Monday (normally a cross-training day) and Friday (normally a rest day). So I don't do weights on days that I run.

To check out my current weight routines look at:

- the New Weights Routine post

- the Metabolism-Boosting workout at Fitness Magazine

- the Firm and Burn workout also at Fitness Magazine

These workouts are great because they help me switch it up a bit so that I don't get bored. It also helps to make sure that I'm working all my muscle groups. Each group of exercises works each muscle group in a different way. I'm loving these workouts so far. 

In about a month or so I will probably revamp the workouts to avoid the plateau.

When technology strikes back!

This post is not running related, training related, vegan recipe related (I need to post more recipes!) or anything to do with hair, but I had to share.

For Christmas 2011 I was gifted with a Kindle Fire.

GoogleImages

It was such an odd gift because I am really not into technology. Or, more accurately, ever since my Macbook Pro broke on me after only 3 years of use. 

(i.e. "planned obsolescence" Click here or here for more info on that. Definitely check out youtube as well!) 

My attitude towards technology became cynical.

I refused to purchase another Mac product and the iPod nano I have was another gift. The computer I'm currently using to type this post was a gift as well. 

I sold my TV last year and my cellphone is basic. It does have a camera, which tempted me to throw it away, but I guess I need one in this day and age.

So when I got the Kindle Fire I was thankful (it's the thought that counts) but had no idea what I was going to do with it. 

With the purchase came a 1-month free trial of Amazon Prime. It allows you to watch all the free movies and TV shows you want. I'm no dummy. I took advantage of it.

After that month was over my Kindle Fire pretty much just collected dust. I'd use it when the hubby was on the computer doing some work and I wanted to check my email or watch some youtube hair videos. But that was it.

Since I've been on vacation I've noticed that I have a lot of free time that I need to use up. There's only so many videos on youtube to watch in day, only so much running I can do, and, finally, only so many movies I can watch.

With all this free time I rediscovered the novelty of my Kindle Fire. I started downloading tons of free books. These were books that I would never buy in "real" life like: 

• romantic novels
• thrillers and even
•  fantasy 

I would read on that device for hours. I was having a good time.

Up until I started having this localized pain on the left-side of my upper back, right between the shoulder blades. Not only did I have that pain but I also had a painful burning sensation in my chest, above my left breast, whenever I would move. 

That pain progressed into:

• shoulder pain
• neck pain
• pain at the base of my neck 
• even pain behind my ear

My first thought was to google my symptoms and, of course, the first thing I thought was that I was having a heart attack! 

Now, it seemed pretty unlikely because of my age and my lifestyle but that's what google told me! Suffice to say I was freaking out until I really started thinking about the type of pain. 

When I would stretch it seemed to give me some type of relief and I didn't have shortness of breath, dizziness or nausea. All symptoms that are related to heart attacks. So I did some more digging.

Apparently, having your arms extended for long periods of time, or in my case, having your shoulders rolled forward or pulled up, can cause pain in the trapezius muscle. These same activities can cause your chest muscles (pectoralis) to shorten and thus cause upper back pain.

This is the trapezius muscle.

As you can see, these are the parts of the body that are affected by the trapezius muscle.

Now, I'm no doctor, but basically the chest and back muscles are connected. Who would have known? Not me!

Long story short: my extended time on the Kindle Fire was proving disastrous to my muscle health. 

Once I found out the root of the problem I stopped using the Kindle Fire immediately. Right now I'm thinking of limiting the time I use it to 30 minutes a day. 

When I do use it, I will make sure not to round my shoulders or have my head down for the entire time. 

I will practice proper posture (as much as I can anyway)!

To help loosen up my muscles I perform stretches everyday that help to lengthen the chest muscles. As well as stretches for the trapezius muscle.

The moral of the story: 

• Be careful when using technology, specifically computers and tablets!

•  Don't use them for extended periods of time

• Make sure you have proper posture 

• Stretch when you are done. 

• If you feel any pain definitely stop and stretch

While I'm still suffering from pain in those areas I know I won't make the same mistake again. It will take some time to fully alleviate the pain. But at least I'm not exacerbating the situation because I now know what caused it.

Listen to your body!

October 2012 Marathon: XVII Castilla-La Mancha

This was from last year's race.

Yes, I did it again! I signed up for my 2nd marathon that will take place on October 28th in Ciudad Real, a province of Castilla-La Mancha.

I AM SO EXCITED!

Oh, and yes, I do have a more ambitious goal this time: 

to finish in 3 hours and 30 minutes.

 After running the Seville marathon, my plan was to take a break from training to recover and then set my sights on another marathon in the fall. I didn't want to rush back into training too quickly because I do not want to get injured again.

So I've been on my conditioning program for almost 3 months now. Then I start training July 1st. The conditioning program was a way for me to keep running without the pressure and strain of training. 

I did, however, want something a bit more structured than just running when I feel like it. Especially since I don't want these 3 months to be lost time.

I fully expect to be ready for training in July. Actually, I know I'm still in shape. Plus, my joints and muscles have had ample resting time.

This marathon only cost me 25€ (or $31), which is a ridiculous bargain! The route consists of two laps and that's probably the only thing I'm not that thrilled about. 

Laps tend to get boring because you have to look at the same scenery etc. Although I pretty much do laps in training so maybe it won't be so bad. Either way I'm ready for another race and can't wait to get started!

More updates to come such as my new training schedule and some tips and tricks I've learned about training through the brutal summer months.

Dynamic Stretching

This was me today. Except I was in running gear and a hot pink running jacket! (Googleimages)

The weather here in Córdoba has been frustrating me recently! For the past two weeks I've had to modify my longs runs, and/or reshuffle runs, for the week due to rain. (Which is highly uncharacteristic for this area, in general, and especially for this time of year.) 

Córdoba does need rain so I'm glad for that. I'm also glad that I haven't had to deal with unbearable hot temperatures, which are typical to this area this time of year. However, tomorrow the rain stops and next week the heat begins. So running will get back to normal...although I'll also have to wake up super early to run before the heat gets too intense.

Today I attempted to run in the rain. It was a semi-fail but at least I went. I have a water repellent (I think) jacket but it's definitely not water proof. So I was soaked through within 45 minutes. I had to take the hair dryer to my running shoes so they'll be dry for tomorrow! I have two hours to do. I should've done two hours today and then 1 hour 57 minutes tomorrow. But one can't control the weather!

I plan to discuss my conditioning program in a later post because I want to take this time to share an interesting video I found on Runner's World the other day. It's about dynamic stretching.

While haven't done "extensive" research on it, I know enough about it to want to incorporate it into my workout routine. It's supposed to be more productive (and safer) than static stretching before a workout. Typically, you should warm up before stretching since not doing so can lead to pulled muscles and other injuries. You should never stretch on "cold" muscles.

Dynamic stretching gets the muscles fired up in a way that is more useful. Of course everyone should do their own research before trying anything, but this works perfectly for me and my body. I actually don't stretch before I run even if I do warm up before. I find that my muscles are too tight and it feels like they are pulling when I do stretch before. In fact, my muscles ache a lot less since I stopped static stretching before my running workouts.

My body would benefit from some type of pre-run preparation and that's why I've decided to try these moves. They are all fairly easy and I plan to do them before my long run on Sunday. Of course I always thoroughly stretch after every workout.

How to Stick to a Workout Program

The main ingredient in sticking with any workout program is:

Taken from googleimages

How does one get this? Well, for me...

Changing things up 

• I always change my workout program every 3 months anyway to prevent plateauing. But when I do I don't only increase the weight or the repetitions. I look for something completely different. I like exercises that hit various muscle groups at once, so I go through them in a circuit and then repeat as necessary. 

• I hate to spend a lot of time exercising. For me, quality is more important than quantity. I will always choose short, intense, workouts over workouts where you are in the gym for hours. 

• I've also added new tools to my routine such as: fitness balls, fitness bands and steps. I'd also like to get a medicine ball and a jump rope at some point. Check out Fitness Tip: Trying something new for other tools I plan to add to my routine. 

• I'm even thinking about joining a running club! (More on that later)

Set goals 

• This was one of the most important things I did for myself. I've always been into exercise and healthy living. However, I did gain weight when I left college (2006). Not a ridiculous amount, but it was 10 pounds too much! 

• So in 2009 I gave myself a challenge: by the same time next year (2010) I wanted to be back in shape. I organized a routine by setting smaller goals for myself. That's when I started running. From there I wanted to run longer and faster, and so set my sights on races. 

• It's good to have an overall goal to get in shape, lose weight or get a toned body. But you have to set smaller, mini, goals throughout your process to stay with it.

 Try new things

Reward yourself 

• For me this was going on vacation last year. I went to a few differerent cities in Portugual and then travelled to the north of Spain. After all that hard work I needed to give myself a pat on the back, as they say. Even though I still exercised during the trip in hotel rooms, it helped to reinforce why I was doing what I was doing.

• Maybe your reward can be buying new clothes once you lose that weight or treating yourself to an ice cream once you've run that race you've always wanted.

Taken from googleimages

Don't give up 

• There have been TONS of times throughout my process where I've wanted to quit, didn't feel like exercising, and just wanted to gorge on a whole box of cookies and say to heck with it! But I didn't. Maybe on a truly lazy day I would grab my husband and tell him to come with me on his bike to motivate me to run.

• Even though he wasn't running with me I felt like I had that support to get off my butt and hit the pavement. He helps me by keeping my pace, with his encouraging words, and also carries water so I don't have to!

Reach out to others 

• It is so rewarding for me to be able to help family and friends by sharing my knowledge with them. They saw how dedicated I was and how I had reached and surpassed many of my own personal goals for my health. So they wanted help in their own lives as well.

• I love going to the gym with friends and showing them how to use the machines. Or maybe giving them an exercise program full of ideas on how to get in shape. Many people come to me saying they want toned arms or to lose weight or to get healthier. So I just give them advice, things that have helped me. I always recommend that people do their own research.

• This blog, for example, is not only for me to document my journey, but to also help anyone who needs it. Why hoard information when you can share it?

While motivation comes from within, external sources (friends, family, aquaintances, even strangers!) can help you out. Do whatever you can to stay positive and you will succeed!

What are some things you do to stay motivated?

Daily Fitness Tip: Stretching

Mechanics

 Before beginnning any type of exercise you should:

• Warm up for at least 5 minutes
• Stretch hitting all muscle groups
• Cool down for at least 5 minutes
• Stretch again 

Remember safety is the first priority. 

Dos and Don'ts:

DO hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds and release

DON'T force muscles, but DO stretch until you "feel" the stretch

DON'T bounce

DO use chairs or a wall for balance. If you feel unsteady on your feet, regain your balance before continuing the stretch.

When exercising, if you feel tight muscles, pause, stretch it out, and continue at a lower intensity until the stiffness subsides. Above all, listen to your body.

If you are interested in finding stretches for all muscle groups look here. Also check out the video below for some of my favorite stretches. 

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the second part of stretching! (Music in video: Corinne Bailey Rae "Put Your Records On")

If this helped you leave a comment and let me know how it goes.

I hope you enjoyed your Daily Fitness Tip and will add it to your Recipe for Health