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Youth Running Plan Guidelines

Youth Running Plan Guidelines

Published by on February 23, 2016 | Leave a response

Road racing used to be something just for the adult runner. Now we are starting to see a great number of road races including events for kids such as the last mile of the marathon, “Kid K’s”, and the Mile Fun Runs. The timing could not be better with childhood obesity at epidemic proportions in our country. Adults need to be careful however in making sure their children are prepared for the event and participating in an event that is appropriate for their age and fitness level. Injuries and life threatening illness (heat stroke) can occur if proper care is not taken. I have provided some safe and effective guidelines for getting your child ready to participate in the program below.

 

Training Plans to complete up to 1.5 Miles:

PLAN 1

Day 1, 2, & 3 Get out your watch and start out as easy as can be. Run for a minute, walk for a minute, run for a minute, walk for a minute, until you have run a mile. Don’t worry about how long it takes you but maybe on the 3rd day, just make a note.

Next week Day 4, 5 &6 Run 2 minutes, walk 1, run 2, walk 1 etc.

Next week Day 7, 8, & 9 Run 3 minutes, walk 1, run 3, walk 1

Next week Day 10, 11, 12 Run 5 min., walk 1 min. run 5 min. walk 1 min. and so on

Next week Day 13 Run 7 and see if you can run more, walk if need be for a minute, then finish the mile.

PLAN 2 (All running)

Each day run only a 200m lap (half of track) When this becomes easy double your distance. When 400m is easy double again and so on.

**Use a Daily Running Journal to keep track of your progress! Free downloads are available along with other great kid running tips at www.kidsrunning.com.

 

Stretching Guidelines:

Stretching…It’s just something you’ve got to do if you are a runner. Some people like it, some hate it, but it’s the rules! It keeps you relaxed, flexible, increases your range of motion, and keeps you injury free. Stretch all of the major muscle groups in your body, but pay close attention to your legs. www.Kidsrunning.com has great pictures and descriptions of these important stretches you can view online or download and save in your journal.

 

Things to Remember:

  1. Don’t bounce
  2. Keep it comfortable. Never stretch until you have pain.
  3. Count to at least 10…slowly. Better yet, count to 20.
  4. If you need to practice your math skills, count down from 20 to 0.
  5. Don’t stretch a cold muscle. Make sure you’ve jogged around a little before you stretch.
  6. Stretch a bit before you run. Stretch a lot after.

 

Advice on Shoes & Apparel:

Shoes: How to get a good fit:
*Shop for shoes at the end of the day when feet have expanded.
*Measure both feet and allow for a half-inch (thumb-width) between the end of the foot. Then fit the shoes to the larger foot.
*Try on the shoes with the socks that will be worn most often with the shoes.
*Make sure the heels don’t slip.
*Go for a short test run/walk to make sure the new shoes are comfortable.
*Don’t be tempted to buy fad-shoes with an elevated heel/sole. These are dangerous for sports activities.
*Break the shoes in gradually. Don’t wear brand new shoes for a race.

Check for the development of blisters (prevent with wicking socks and band-aid-type blister prevention aids).

*After the age of ten, the American Podiatric Medical Association recommends a good sturdy running shoe. So right about now would probably be the time to get to the running store to have your child’s specific biomechanics evaluated. Buy a good fitting shoe that meets his/her structural needs. There are many types: cushioned, stability, motion control, to name a few. Later, you can buy from a catalog such as Road Runner. Sports, which also can help with fit/needs and has a good return policy if the shoes don’t work for you. For children under 10 years old a general, sturdy fitness shoe is fine.
*Be sure to keep an extra supply of laces around, both the right length and in good condition so that your children can always keep their shoes tied properly. If your child can’t tie, try the elastic curly laces. They turn the shoes into slip-ons and result in a snug fit. Then spend some time, teaching them how to tie. If you follow the suggestions above, you will be meeting the most basic need for running gear – a good running shoe.

 

Apparel:

Lightweight, light-colored clothing is best. Ventilated shorts and t-shirts let heat dissipate.. DO NOT wear long sleeves or long pants or sweat suits. Purposefully running in sweat suits on hot days to lose water weight is dangerous!

 

Proper Hydration & Heat/Humidity Precautions:

Parents should know that active children do not adjust to hot temperatures (greater than 95F) as well as adults. Their body surface, as a proportion of their overall weight, is much greater than an adult’s. So they produce more heat during physical activity and they sweat less than adults. This reduces their ability to get rid of body heat.

In addition, kids often don’t drink enough to replenish the fluids they lose during prolonged activity. This can lead to severe dehydration and potentially life-threatening heat illnesses. Here are some simple tips to help your child stay safely hydrated while exercising or playing outdoors in the heat:

  • Know the physical condition of the child. Lack of physical fitness can impair the performance of any child who is active in the heat. Dehydration of more than 3% of body weight increases a child’s risk of a heat-related illness. For kids participating in organized sports, set practice schedules during cooler hours, especially if the child isn’t in great shape.
  • Acclimatize them to the heat. Gradually introduce young athletes to the heat. Slowly increase the intensity and length of workouts over 10 to 14 days. This helps train their bodies to drink more, increase blood volume, and sweat more. Sweating helps release heat from the body.
  • Give them water or sports drinks. “The key is water and electrolytes,” says Albert C. Hergenroeder, professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of the sports medicine clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital. Children and teens who exercise hard or play sports on hot days (with temperatures between 79 and 84 F) should cut back their time on the playing field by taking more frequent breaks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Young athletes should be well hydrated before they begin to play. Then, during play, coaches or parents should make sure children drink often, even if the children aren’t thirsty. The AAP recommends five ounces of cold tap water or sports drink for a child weighing 88 pounds, and nine ounces for a teen weighing 132 pounds. One ounce is about two kid-size gulps.
  • Know the weather conditions, and plan accordingly. Know the heat index: It’s the combination of high air temperatures and humidity that’s most dangerous. Exercising in a relative humidity of 35% and an air temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit may cause heat illness. Even dry climates can have high humidity if the sprinkler systems run before early morning practices. Avoid practice sessions during the hottest time of the day. Schedule the hardest workouts for early morning or late afternoon/evening.
  • Use Sunscreen! When a child is going to be exposed to the intense summer rays of the sun, apply at least SPF 15 sunscreen and have them wear protective eyewear that filters out UVA and UVB rays. Consider having the child wear a visor that will shade their eyes and skin but will allow heat to be transferred off the top of their head.
  • Watch them closely. Watch your athletes before, during, and after practice for any signs of trouble. Pay special attention to athletes who eagerly compete at or above their capabilities. If a child looks sick, take him or her off of the track or course. Monitor the child closely while the child rests and drinks fluid. “Kids with moderate heat injuries — not heat stroke, but heat exhaustion — may look fine 15 minutes later if you give them something to drink and allow them to cool down,” says Hergenroeder. “But they’re still dehydrated. They should take the day off, and you should keep an eye on them when they come back to practice tomorrow.”
  • Have an emergency plan.Parents and/or staff should all be trained in first aid. Make sure everyone involved knows what to do during an emergency.

Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson-Mathis, MD.

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Pool Running: An Excellent Cross-Training Choice!

Published by on February 8, 2016 | Leave a response

The ABC’s of Pool Running Form

If you’re hurt, you can immediately transition all of your training into the pool. In fact, you can actually
spend more time pool running because you virtually can’t get hurt. Once you’re in the pool, the most important part of your workout is maintaining proper form. Just like running on land, you need to keep your back straight (no slouching!) and maintain a quick turnover of at least 180 strides per minute. Pump your arms the same way as well, maintaining about a 90 degree angle at your elbow.

Where most people fail at pool running is with a low cadence. Trying to take slower strides is a mistake and will make your legs overextend in the water. The biggest risk for injury lies in overextending your legs and risking a slight hamstring strain.

Instead, drive your knee up and then drive your foot down. Your stride will slightly mimic that of a cyclist and may be more up and down than usual. That’s fine and completely normal.

Some over-enthusiastic runners think that by not using a water belt (or Aquajogger) that they’re getting a better workout. While it’s true that you’ll have to work harder, it’s almost certain that your form is going to suffer. Instead, get a pool running belt and use it to maintain your form. Because of the buoyancy of the water and the Aquajogger, you’ll need to be extra diligent in maintaining a quick turnover. One of the best ways to do this is to run workouts in the pool.

Pool Running Workouts

Being in the pool fools you into thinking you’re working hard when in reality you’re probably not. With no wind resistance or impact, plus the natural effect of the water on your body, your heart rate is going to be artificially lower than usual.

It’s important to keep your heart rate up or else you’re not maintaining much fitness. To do this, you implement a fartlek style workout to almost all of your pool running sessions.

These workouts are all based on effort. When I was in the pool, I used three effort levels when designing my workouts: sprint (100% effort), hard (90% effort) and tempo (80%). Sprint efforts lasted 15 – 30 seconds while hard efforts lasted 2 – 5 minutes. Tempo efforts could last 5 – 10 minutes.

Like I mentioned before, pool running workouts have to be hard. If your form is correct, you virtually
can’t get hurt. With that in mind, your workouts may seem intimidating. They’ll likely be longer with more fast running than the workouts you’ve done on land!

Below are three examples of pool running workouts that are of varying intensities. As you’ll see, the shorter session is focused on speed development, while the longer workout is focused on developing your aerobic capacity.

Reminder: a dynamic warm-up is still recommended before these workouts.
Workout 1: 45 minutes
10 minutes easy pool running. 10×1’ at hard effort with 1’ active recovery. 10×30” at sprint effort with 30” active recovery. 10 minutes easy warm-down.

Workout 2: 60 minutes
15 minutes easy pool running. Pyramid workout: 1’, 2’, 3’, 4’, 5’, 4’ 3’, 2’, 1’ at hard effort except the 5’ session which is at tempo effort. Each interval has 1’ of active recovery. 12’ easy warm-down.

Workout 3: 90 minutes
15 minutes easy pool running. 5×5’ at tempo effort with 1’ active recovery. 4×3’ at hard effort with 1’ active recovery. 6×30” at sprint effort with 1’ active recovery. 21’ easy warm-down.

These three workouts are just examples of what you can do in the pool to maintain your fitness while injured (or give it a boost if you’re healthy). Your options are only limited by your imagination.

I have sprinted every other side of the pool while jogging the other sides. I’ve done diagonals across
the pool at sprint effort while doing easy running on the straight sides. My point is that you can be creative – as long as you are mixing hard running into your pool workouts, you can be confident that your heart rate is high enough to mimic land running.

Your cheat sheet to successful pool running:

1. Form comes first: back tall, fast cadence of 175+, and don’t overextend your legs.
2. Use an Aquajogger.
3. Implement fast running in almost all of your workouts to ensure your heart rate is high. If you start pool running for several days doing high-intensity workouts, you’ll notice something odd: you will be able to eat much more than usual! Even though your workouts are of a similar length to before you were in the pool, the thermal load of the water will spike your metabolism.

Since water is a much better heat conductor, it will force your body to generate more heat to stay warm (and therefore burn more calories). As detailed in Tim Ferriss’ book The Four Hour Body, this is how Michael Phelps is able to eat over 7,000 calories per day. It’s a combination of the time spent in the pool and the effect of the water. My last recommendation for making pool running a part of your training is to get a friend to go with you. Unlike running outside or c slowly. It can be mind-numbing so enlist the help of another runner to join you

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Visualizing Your Personal Best

Published by on February 8, 2016 | Leave a response

A Guide to Creating Positive Running & Racing Affirmations

Preparation: Quiet your mind and your body. Sit in a relaxed, meditative state and take in at least 10 slow, deep breaths…breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. If distracting thoughts keep entering your mind create an image to replace them. (Envision you are writing the worry or distraction down on a piece of paper and then see yourself light a match and burn the paper.)
*There is a great App available you could use for the preparation phase called: CALM.(www.calm.com)

Step I. Create your race or workout “plan”
>> Write down your plan in detail much like you would write a story. Essentially, you are writing your ideal “story” of your race or workout. Another very effective technique is to make a tape recording of your plan and include all of the details you see, hear, or feel.
>>In writing or on your recording, describe with as much detail as possible your newly achieved fitness level and how it makes you feel. Be sure to include any comments you may receive from family and friends, how it makes you feel to achieve a faster race time,
run a mile farther than ever before, etc.

Step II. See, hear, and feel yourself while running this plan in concise detail.
>>Along with the details you have described, picture yourself being completely in relaxed, confident and in complete control of both your body and state of mind. Recall specific “trigger” words – those words that help you feel confident and in control of your life.
>>Put all of the above information into a script and after editing it, slowly read it into a tape recorder, or if there is someone who particularly motivates you have them read it and record it so it is their voice you hear.
>> Listen to your tape (or read your outline/story) several times and change your script or
tape until satisfied.
>> Listen to your finished tape or read your final script as much as possible. Practice this daily for 3-4 days prior to your race or an important workout and then several times each week for general affirmations. As you read or listen make sure you are also recalling the visual images that reflect your goals. Do this in a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.

Important Points To Remember & Incorporate:

  • Always keep the images and your self-talk positive…create a strategy for dispelling negative self-talk and/or images.
  • The self-talk and your mental images should always be in the present, infinitive tense. (This is easier for your subconscious mind to accept…as if it is really happening). “I feel so strong today during my interval session.” When you visualize your race or workout do so as if you are watching yourself in a movie but the focus is on you!
  • Affirmations are more effective when designed to be spoken rhythmically. (“I train to succeed to run as I need.”) In the midst of a hard run or race these mantras will keep you in the zone.
  • You cannot erase…so you must replace!! Because of the way your mind works, the only way to rid yourself of a thought is to replace it. The more you think about not thinking about something (i.e.: having a bad race, falling, etc.) the more you think about what you don’t want!
  • Update your affirmations and your Imagery regularly. Move on from those you have mastered and constantly create new ones in writing. Put them in places you are likely to see them most often in various colors, shapes and sizes. Move them around frequently so you always notice them and they do not become “invisible”.
  • Share your affirmations with loved ones, friends, and all who support you and your running. Affirmations assist you in staying responsible to the commitments you have made to others (your team, your coaches, family, etc.). Example: “I always give my best and enter each workout and race with a positive outlook.” Psychologically it is proven to
    be easier to honor promises made to others more than those you have made to yourself…you feel accountable.
  • Say your affirmations out loud. Although this may be awkward at first know that you literally alter the programming of your mind by doing this!
  • Repetition and frequency of affirmations is the key! Your sub-conscious mind will accept as fact, what is repeatedly affirmed via self-talk and images. Bottom Line: Your rational mind does not have to accept the “image” for your sub-conscious mind to record the image or affirmation as reality. (You don’t have to believe your affirmations for them to be powerful!). The sub-conscious mind controls much of our action…giving back exactly what has been “reported” to it.

Some examples to get you thinking! Practice, Practice, Practice!!!
“I draw strength from the other talented runners and energy around me.”
“I apply my fitness evenly over the course of the run.”
“I have power and strength beyond my conscious understanding.”
“I draw on unseen powers” OR “I draw on my higher power.”
“I am constantly improving!”
“I am a great runner.”
“I am healthy.”
“I am deserving.”
“I give myself permission to develop to my full potential.”
“I am powerful!”
“I am brave.”
“I am loved and respected on this team.”
“I am balanced and calm under pressure.”
“Running serves me.”

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Protein to Power Your PR

Protein to Power Your PR

Published by on February 8, 2016 | Leave a response

This is the sixth and final article in the Running Warrior Performance Nutrition Series

(parts of this were excerpted from ‘Fast Track’ by Suzy Favor-Hamilton and Jose Antonio, Ph.D.)

If you’re like most runners, you’ve probably been taught the importance of eating carbohydrates.  You need it for energy.  On the other hand, protein has sort of taken a back seat to carbohydrate.  In fact, it’s our experience that many runners subscribe to the many myths surrounding protein intake.  Protein is bad for your kidneys. Not true.  Too much protein is bad for your bones.  Not true.  I might get too big, like a bodybuilder, if I eat a lot of protein.  Not true.  And so on.  

Rule #1 – Never ever ever ever skimp on protein…NEVER!

Rule #2 – Always obey rule #1.

 

Here’s why dietary protein is so important.  Your body is made up mainly of two things: protein and water.  Proteins are part of your muscles, bones, cells, enzymes, antibodies, blood, organs, etc.  Even though the primary function of protein is to provide the needed amino acids for maintaining the health of our organs and tissues, the need for this macronutrient is elevated if you’re an avid exerciser.  

 

Why should runners eat more protein?

One reason:  Recovery!  We know some of you might think that you’ll get big muscles that’ll slow you down.  Now if you quit running and started bodybuilding, then yes, you would get bigger.  But running is a catabolic activity.  Meaning, your body’s adaptive response to distance running it is to get smaller.  Smaller and lighter runners tend to be the fastest as well.  You need to have healthy muscles to perform at your best.  Each time you run, you cause tremendous muscle protein breakdown.  

For instance, when was the last time you did repeat strides or speedwork on a downhill incline?  You probably got very sore 1 or 2 days afterward.  Right?  Well, that delayed-onset muscle soreness (also known as DOMS) is due to microtears in your muscles.  You’ve literally torn some of your muscle fibers into little bits and pieces.  In order to fix your muscle fibers, you need to give them the building blocks to do that.  That’s where amino acids or protein comes in.  Without the protein, you’ll have difficulty recovering.  Keep in mind that eating carbohydrates facilitates recovery as well; albeit in a different manner (see Ch 9 on Carbohydrates for more details).  

 

How much protein should runners eat?

Put it this way, mixing rice and beans isn’t going to do it!  And that ½ glass of skim milk in the morning isn’t enough.  A cup of skim milk has roughly 8 grams of protein.  If you’re a 120 lb runner, that means you should be drinking 15 cups of skim milk to meet your daily protein needs!  Now mind you, that’s if your only protein source is skim milk.  Of course, you’ll be eating other foods.  But this gives you an idea of how much you need to consume to meet your daily requirements.  

As a runner, you need approximately 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein daily per kilogram of body weight.  But since most of us don’t like working in kilograms, we generally recommend you eat 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight daily.  That’s slightly higher than the 2.0 g/kg/day recommendation.  But it’s easier to remember.  And don’t believe the naysayers who claim that all that protein is harmful to you.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  

 

Is ‘too much’ protein harmful?

Protein intakes as high as 1.3 grams of protein per pound of body weight have been shown to have no effect on kidney function.(15, 16)  In fact, Darryn Willoughby, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology states that “there’s absolutely no evidence that consuming protein at levels greater than the RDA has any harmful effects in normal healthy adults.”  Another concern is bone health.  Does eating a lot of protein compromise your bone mineral content?  Yes, it is possible that too little protein causes long-term harm to your bones!(17)

 

Which protein sources are best?

 

Milk

There’s more to milk than just using it to dip Oreo cookies!  Milk is a complete protein and therefore contains all of the essential amino acids.  Generally we’d recommend you consume whole milk if you’re the kind of person who skips meals or eats little fat.  However, if you eat clean (and follow our advice), than skim milk should suffice.  

 

Beef

Don’t let the fat in beef scare you.  In fact, there’s a huge difference in fat content between different cuts of beef (see table below).

 

Fat Content in Beef

70% lean, 30% fat (ground beef)

80% lean, 20% fat (ground chuck)

85% lean, 15% fat (ground round)

90% lean, 10% fat (ground sirloin)

 

A simple method for remembering which beef source has the least fat content is to remember that those at the beginning of the alphabet (ground Beef) have the most fat and those at the end of the alphabet (ground Sirloin) have the least.  

 

If you remember one thing about beef, it’s ZIP.  ZIP stands for zinc, iron, and protein.  Beef has lots of all three.

 

Nutrients in Top Sirloin Beef

6 oz. Serving – trimmed of fat and broiled

326 calories

51.6 grams of protein

11 mg zinc

5.7 mg iron

 

Also, lean beef is a healthy protein choice.  For example, one study published in Nutrition looked at overweight women who exercised and consumed a restricted calorie diet with lean beef or chicken as the main protein source.  Both groups lost similar amounts of weight, body fat, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol).(18)  

 

Chicken

Chicken is a great protein; similar to beef, the fat content of chicken can vary dramatically especially if you eat the skin.  For instance, a 100g serving of light meat chicken with skin contains 222 calories and 10.85 grams of fat compared to 173 calories and 4.51 grams of fat if you remove the skin.  That’s more than double the fat if you eat the skin.  Eating chicken as part of a well-rounded diet can help decrease total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.(19)  We’d recommend you remove the skin.  Also, white meat has less fat than dark meat.  However, if you eat little fat, try to eat the dark meat chicken.  

 

Nutrients in Light and Dark Meat Chicken

Dark meat – 1 cup (chopped up), cooked, roasted, meat only (no skin).

287 calories

38 g protein

14 g fat

 

White meat – 1 cup (chopped up), cooked, roasted, meat only (no skin).

242 calories

43 g protein

6 g fat

 

Eggs

Some experts consider the amino acid profile of eggs to be the best of all food sources.  Eggs are a rich source of thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folic acids, vitamin B12, biotin, vitamin D, vitamin E, and phosphorus.  Despite the fact that egg yolks have a bad reputation, it’s not entirely deserved.  In a study from the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, they examined 27,000 individuals(20) and found “the daily nutrient intake of egg consumers was significantly greater than that of non-consumers.”  That is, the egg consumers had a greater daily intake of vitamins B12, C, E, and A.  Interestingly, individuals who ate four or more eggs daily had lower blood cholesterol levels than those who ate one egg or less daily. Not only is egg protein great but it’s very affordable.  In a dozen eggs, you get 80+ grams of protein for less than a dollar!  

 

Macronutrients in an omelet (3 large egg whites, 1 large whole egg)

Calories – 206

Protein – 23 grams

Carbohydrate – 2 grams

Fat – 11 grams

 

Fish

Fish is a complete protein that many would rate as the single best protein food source.  Why? Eating fish has some amazing benefits.  Particularly, the healthy fat in fish (eicosapentanoic acid and docosahexanoic acid) is something that you won’t find in our other proteins.  Fish improves your mood, is great for your heart and is an effective anti-inflammatory nutrient.  Just one serving per week will confer these benefits; however, more frequent consumption is even better.

 

Meal Replacement Powders

Sometimes you don’t have time to fix a ‘real’ meal. So the best alternative is to drink a protein powder or meal-replacement powder.  Most of these mixes are high in protein, have moderate to no carbohydrate, and have very little to no fat.  They use three main protein sources: whey, casein, and soy.  

 

Whey

Whey is a complete protein and is particularly high in the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) and glutamine (an immune-boosting amino acid).  Whey is considered a ‘fast’ protein.(21)  If you eat a serving of whey on an empty stomach, levels of blood amino acids peak about 1 hour afterwards and return to baseline by 3-4 hours.  Thus, whey is a very anabolic protein (i.e., great for muscle building or recovery).  In fact, combining whey protein with a high-glycemic carbohydrate (e.g., maltodextrin, glucose, and sucrose) may be the ideal post-exercise meal.

 

Casein

Casein is the “opposite” of whey. Casein, a ‘slow’ protein, has a lower anabolic effect (31% versus 68%) when compared to whey.  However, casein has a very profound anti-catabolic effect; meaning that casein inhibits protein breakdown.(22)  Because casein is digested slowly, it produces a slow but steady rise in amino acids.  Blood levels of amino acids peak 1 to 2 hours after eating casein (but they don’t get as high as when you eat whey).  But, blood amino acid levels stay elevated for up to 7 hours.  Casein is a great protein to take before going to bed.  Because it’s absorbed slowly, you’ll get a steady flow of amino acids into your body.  That’s good for recovery.

 

Soy

Soy Isolate is the best non-animal source of protein. Though soy is not commonly consumed by Americans, there are various soy products (e.g., soy milk, soy-based protein powders) at your local health food store.  Soy protein contains potent anti-oxidants that provide significant health and anti-cancer benefits.  This may be due to the presence of isoflavones, saponins, phytic acid, and other phytochemicals.  One recent study found that a soy-based meal replacement formula lowered body weight, fat mass, and LDL cholesterol.”

 

Comparison of Some Popular Meal-Replacement Powders

 

Brand/Product Calories Protein Carbohydrate Fat
EAS Myoplex Powder (1 packet) 270 42 g 23 g 3.0 g
GNC Meg-MRP (1 packet) 280 40 g 22 g 3.5 g
Garden of Life (Vegan) (2 Scoops) 280 34 g 30 g 4.0 g
Max Muscle A.R.M. (Recovery) (2 scoops) 250 28 g 32 g 0.5 g

 

How many protein-containing meals should I eat?

As a general rule, try to consume a lean protein source 4-6 times daily (or every 3 hours).  If you don’t have time for a ‘real’ meal, try a protein bar or a meal-replacement shake.  It’s especially important you get protein (and carbohydrates) immediately after you run.

 

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A Guide to Creating Successful Goals & Targets

A Guide to Creating Successful Goals & Targets

Published by on February 8, 2016 | Leave a response

  • Understand the difference between Goals and “Targets”
    *Targets are measurable (race times, finishing place, etc.) *Goals are who we are or want to be and how we get there,(choosing to have a positive
    outlook before every race, or to be patient in the early miles)
  • Write down up to 6 targets and 6 related goals in regards to running/racing. For larger targets or goals include a list of steps needed to achieve it.
  • Give yourself a specific amount of time to reach those goals…organize them according to short term (within 4 weeks) and long term (4 weeks to a year).
  • Use the First Person
  • Use an Action Verb directly after “I” (For example: “I WILL _____.”)
  • Use the Present Tense
  • Make the goal a positive statement (no negative language whatsoever).
  • Set a firm deadline to accomplish the entire list of goals.
  • Post your goals where you can see them and review them daily.
  • Visualize yourself accomplishing each goal at least once per week. Helpful Tips:
  • Once you have set your Targets it is crucial that you detach yourself from them! Their true value lies in the process they draw you through.
  • Be passionate about your Targets but base them in reality not fantasy.
  • Make sure they are YOUR Targets and not what someone else wants for you.
  • Arrange your Targets hierarchically, from the highest importance (long term and most difficult to achieve) to those soonest to be realized and easier to achieve (short term).

Remember that GOALS are your means to the end (the Target):

“Goals are NOT the ultimate purpose of your life. They are a tool to concentrate your focus and move
you in a certain direction. The goal itself will not make you happy or fulfill you in the long term…it’s
who you become by overcoming the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals that will give you the
deepest sense and long lasting sense of fulfillment.” -Anthony Robbins

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Running Warrior Drills & FIT Circuit

Running Warrior Drills & FIT Circuit

Published by on February 8, 2016 | Leave a response

PLYOMETRIC DRILLS

A Skip, B Skip, C Skip High March Fast Shuffles Bounding Butt Kicks High Knees Carioca Backwards Running Squat Jumps with a High Reach
*Jog a warm up first. Each drill should last about 30 meters or 15 seconds and be followed by a fast stride of the same distance and then a walk recovery. Do them each 2 times twice per week in the pre- season, 1 x week during the general season.

General Strength & Core Circuit (15 of each)

Pushups Pullups Walking Lunges Dips Squat Thrusts (to and from standing position) Leg Curl with Stability Ball (progress to single leg curls)Plank (60 seconds standard; 30 seconds each side) Single Leg Squats (15 each leg)Eccentric Toe (Calf) Raises (Rise with both feet and lower one; alternate) V-Ups Straight Leg Kicks (15 each leg…bottom leg stays straight and just off of ground)
*Repeat circuit 2 – 3 times per session. Add Dumbbells, or Medicine Balls to increase intensity. Do this 3 times each week in the pre-season.

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10 Dynamic Warmup Exercises for Runners

Published by on January 18, 2016 | Leave a response

*To review proper form of any of these exercises and foam rolling please visit this link:
https://www.acefitness.org/acefit/healthy-living-article/60/3422/5-foam-rolling-moves-for-the-lower-body/

1. Foam Roller
2. Hip swings x 10 each leg (side to side)
3. Leg Swings x 10 each leg (front to back)
4. Heel walk x 10 each leg (lean back & keep a straight knee)
5. Knee Hugs (alternate) x 10 each leg
6. Around the World (Hip Circles ) x 5 each direction
7. Individual Heel Drops & Toe Raises (off step or platform) x 10 each
8. Arm Reaches (swing and reach HIGH) (x 10)
9. Scorpion x 5 each side
10. Bird Dog x 10 each side

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