Day 5: Guilty of Hip Drop?

Screen Shot 2017-09-04 at 5.57.57 PM.png

Such an important day. Hip & Glute strength!

Our hips and glutes are so much more important than we give them credit for. They connect and support everything from our upper torso to the bottom half and are more often than not, overlooked and under utilized.

Without strong, stable hips and glutes our legs will not function properly. If we ignore, they will let us down; plaguing us with knee pain, hamstring soreness, IT Band tightness, and calf issues. Strong and hips & glutes keep our pelvis stable, which keeps our legs in line without putting undue weight and pressure on our lower half.

Over the past 6 years, I have dealt with lots of knee pain. I saw numerous Drs., had many MRIs and x-rays, and was always told there was nothing wrong. At least nothing visible. I took IB Proferin , got cortisone shots, iced them religiously, took time off when necessary…and still had pain. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2016 with terrible knee pain after mile 18. I trained really hard that summer and was devastated that I couldn’t overcome this issue.

Right after Chicago, I saw an orthopedic who said, “It’s not your knees, it’s your hips. Your hips and glutes are weak and you have a hip drop when you’re running which causes everything below to be out of alignment and hurt.” WOW news to me! Dr. Heekin gave me hip strengthening exercises and told me to keep running!

Within 6 weeks of consistent hip and glute exercises, I was pain-free in 6 weeks. That was last October, and I have not dealt with knee pain since then. Seriously y’all…pain free!

Below are two pics of me at Rock n Roll Savannah in November 2016, only a few weeks after Chicago, wearing my knee brace, and very guilty of this “hip drop”.

I wasn’t standing tall and strong. I was letting my hips drop when I got tired, sending extra pressure and unneccessary weight into my legs which traveled all the way down to my feet. The result? Knee pain.

Fast forward about 10 months, with lots of stregnth work in my hips and glutes and I am running tall, strong and proud! I know y’all saw this picture yesterday, and I am not trying to boast (even though I am super stoked about my PR 🙂 ),  just want you to see the difference in my posture and stance after paying attention to those poor, ignored pelvic muscles.

Screen Shot 2017-09-04 at 6.28.51 PM.png

If you have access to past race pictures, look throug them and see if you are guilty of hip drop. It’s a subtle thing that we probably won’t notice if we don’t look for it. But when you do…you’ll see it. If you’re not sure, send me your race photo and I’ll tell you what I see looking at your posture and stance.

Even if you’re not guilty of hip drop, all our hips and glutes deserve love and attention. Ready to give those pelvic musles some love? Let’s do this!

Day 5 Plan:

  • Quick Morning Workout and Quick Before Bed Workout 
  • Day 5 exercises
  • Bonus – Lying on Back Clamshells
  • Speed work – If your speed work happens on Tuesday
  • Hips stretches – Pigeon pose and Glute – see below

Quick Workouts:

Day 5 exercises: 2-3 x 10 (see “how to” videos below)

  • Donkey Kicks
  • Fire Hydrants
  • Side Lying Leg Raises
  • Single Leg Bridge
  • Wall Sit – :60 or more!

Bonus: Lying on Back Clamshells – This is an exercise Annette shared with our group the other day and it’s a good switch up for regular clams. Step by step directions are below and you can find a “how to” video in our Facebook group at this link.

  1. Lie on your back with a resistence band around your knees at the top of your thighs.
  2. Hold your hips strong and steady as you move one knee out to the side at a time. Move with slow precision and really feel the pull in your hips and glutes.
  3. Repeat movement 10 per side.

Speed Work: Introduce, Improve & Perfect – Click here and scroll down for the workout and the “why” and “how” we do it.

Hip and Glute stretches:

Day 5 “how to” videos:

Donkey Kicks: Targeting your Hips, Glutes and Lower Back, this movement also helps strengthen your core!

Fire Hydrants: The Fire Hydrant is a great complex hip stregnthening exercise that works our glute medius, hip complex and pelvic muscles.

Side Lying Leg Raises: This exercises is designed to strengthen your glutes and shape your derriere, giving you that coveted “runner’s butt”.

Single Leg Bridge: Simple leg bridges are a great way to build hip and glute stregnth.

Wall Sit: Lots of you are getting into the habit of throwing in a wall sit after every run. That is awesome….keep it up! Wall sits on tired legs are great ways to build stregnth in our quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves!

Day 4: All About Arms!

#CoreCrew Family Weekend Miles – What an amazing weekend!!! So many miles logged by our little family! I’m only counting the miles added to our activity chain and I have a feeling not all the miles got logged there, but that’s ok. The miles added up quickly!

Total #CoreCrew miles Friday 9/1 – Sunday 9/3 = 341.72!

Pretty amazing Crew! If y’all liked this activity chain, I would love to keep it up every weekend. Let me know if you like this idea. 🙂


Monday Day 4: All About Arms!

Distance running is mentally and physically costly. It requires large outlays of energy. Almost every aspect of the activity adds to that energy expenditure, like holding your body upright and metronomically swinging first one leg and then the other forward and toward the ground. But scientists and coaches know that pumping your arms, although requiring energy, reduces the overall metabolic cost of running by helping to balance the moving body, increase forward propulsion or, perhaps, provide a bit of bounce, helping to lift us off the ground with each stride. In this theory, swinging the arms makes it easier to run.

Since our arms are part of the package and make it easier to run, building their strength is another important part of our training. We don’t need huge guns, but we don’t want weak noodle arms that flail around or fail to support us during tough runs.

Today’s workout targets key areas for our arms and will help us build the strength we need to use them to our advantage. Strong arms can make all the difference between a new PR or a disappointing finish.

While running work on keeping your arms by your side, swinging back and forth but without crossing in front of your body. Push backwards with your elbows to propel you forward. Keep you shoulder, hands and wrists loose to avoid cramping or tenseness in your upper body. Building strength in our shoulders, biceps, triceps and back will make the proper upright & stable posture more comfortable to hold for long periods of time during exercise. While you’re doing today’s exercises, make sure to hold your core tight! No swinging from the waist or rocking back and forth.

Day 4 Plan:

  • Quick Morning Workout
  • Day 4 exercises
  • Bonus Push Ups
  • Quick Before Bed Workout
  • Plan your weekly speed work

Quick Workout Routines:


Day 4 exercises: 2-3 sets of 10

  • Bicep Curls
  • Hammer Curls
  • Tricep Overhead Extensions
  • Chest Presses
  • Plank – :60 or more!

Bonus: Push Ups – 2-3 sets of 10 – There are numerous ways to modify push ups to your fitness level. Start from a higher plane like a bench or wall, do knee push ups or go for it and do full body push ups!


Speed Work: Speed work makes us faster. If you want to improve your times, feel better during long runs, and increase your ability to breathe comfortably while running, you need to add speed work to your weekly routine.

If you normally do speed work once a week and you are racing today (really racing not just running a holiday race for fun) this is your weekly speed work. The rest of your workouts this week should be at your easy pace.

If you are training for a half or full marathon, and usually put in more than one day of speed work or add a tempo run, you can still do another speed workout this week. Just make sure you are putting a rest day or two in between.

Why 800m again?: IIP – Introduce, Improve, Perfect 

This will be the 3rd week doing the 1/2 mile repeats workout. the RRCA (Road Runners Club of America) promote the concept of introducing a workout, improving upon the first session, then perfecting the workout. So we are doing the same workout again this week. If you have done this a couple times already, you should be feeling more comfortable with it and can use this week to push harder and see how far you’ve come!

Why are 800m (1/2 mile) repeats so effective? In the last 800M (1/2 mile) of a 5K, the last mile of a 10K, the last 5K of a half marathon, and the 10k of the marathon, YOU have to show up.

This workout is all about chasing that 800m repeat effect: It’s learning how to fight fatigue and battle the breakdown that will come when you’re pushing yourself hard. When you come around the last curve of your final 800M repeat, knowing you finished what you started, you will understand the reason behind speed work. When you finish that goal race and the jet-power showed up, it will be because YOU called for it.

Workout: 800 meter repeats (1/2 mile repeats) – The # of repeats you do will depend on the race distance you are training for.

  • 5K – 800M x 4
  • 10K – 800M x 5
  • Half Marathon – 800M x 6
  • Marathon 800M x 8
  1. Start with your warm up of 1-2 miles. This also depends on you. I prefer a nice long easy warm up and always shoot for 2 miles. In reality, I would love a 3-4 mile warm up because that’s when I really start to feel good!
  2. Take a few minutes to stretch and do some warm up drills like hip hurdles, butt kicks, lunges, slow skips, side skips, bounding, etc…
  3. Go into your workout – take a 2 minute rest in between each 800 meters (1/2 mile). Do NOT take longer than 2 minutes. Force yourself to keep going without letting your heart rate come all the way back to resting.
  4. Finish your full workout.
  5. End with a nice easy 1-2 mile cool down.

Day 4 “how to” videos:

Bicep Curls: Use a barbel or dumbbells, keep your back straight and strong and use your arms without swinging or rocking.

Hammer Curls: Next in our series is our hammer curl, called that because it looks kind of like a hammer. So instead of having your palms facing up, like you do with most bicep exercises, you’re going to have the weight perpendicular to the floor. Just like you’re holding a hammer.

Tricep Overhead Extensions: When we’re running and need to push our elbows backwards to propel us forward our triceps are doing the work. Strengthen them with this tricep Overhead extension.

Chest Presses: You can do this exercise using your stability ball, a bench if you have one, or lying on the floor. Our video shows how to do them from the stability ball. The same form technique applies to all positions.

Forearm Plank: The basic plank doesn’t involve moving at all. This is referred to as an isometric exercise. The key with the plank is to engage you core muscles in the right way so that through the effort of balancing and stabilizing your body, you are giving your core muscles a fantastic workout. And if you don’t think you can get a good workout by holding still, just wait until you try to hold a plank for 30-60 seconds…you’re going to feel it!

That’s all for now Crew. Once again…it’s time to DOMINATE MONDAY!!!

Screen Shot 2017-08-27 at 8.37.21 PM

Days 2 & 3: Ummmm IDK…Run?

Screen Shot 2017-09-01 at 8.10.21 PM.png

We all have important things to do on the weekend, but first we go long! The we make time for recover i.e. legs up the wall, rolling, stretching, rehydrating, refueling. I know it’s easy to finish our long run just go straight into other things, but when we skip the steps after our long run, our body suffers.

When we recover properly, with all of the above plus active recovery (staying active and moving instead of laying around ideal), we go into the next week feeling good and ready to continue our training. We we keep our training in mind as we continue our weekend we eat better, sleep better, feel better….and Monday is that much brighter!

If you have to rush on to the next thing (it happens we’re all busy) MAKE time to baby your muscles later in the day. Get out your roller before bed, then stretch out those legs, hips and glutes after you’ve worked the knots out. Make healthy eating choices and don’t spoil all the work you just put in.

If you go long on Saturday, wake up on Sunday with a plan to get moving. Go for a short easy run (yes running the day after a long day is a good thing!) Keep it short and easy though, this is just a recovery not a push for time or distance. Go for a swim, a bike ride, a walk with your hubby or kids. Make a few minutes for some yoga (Yoga for runners options below). Drinks lots of water to replenish what you sweated out!

If you go long on Sunday, take the time to get in a good stretch on Saturday. Start hydrating now and stay active to keep your legs fresh and ready for that Sunday long run!

All of these things will help you feel better going into the next week. You’ll be stronger and ready to tackle not only your upcoming workouts….but also everything else that is thrown at you. Limit your weekday stress by planning ahead for your week so you take some of the pressure off. Being prepared can make all the difference between getting it done…and realizing that “it didn’t happen” at the end of a long day.

Sounds like a lot, but it’s really about thinking ahead and making time for you. You can do it…you deserve it. 🙂

Remember to make it work for you and switch it up if you need to. It all depends on you and your family’s schedule and needs.

Day 2 exercises:

  • Quick Morning Workout (#QMW)
  • Hip Hurdles & Leg Swings
  • Long run
  • Legs up the Wall
  • Roll & 7 Key Stretches for Runners
  • Quick Before Bed Workout (#QBBW)

Day 3 exercises:

  • Quick Morning Workout (#QMW)
  • Active Recovery – Short easy run, bike ride, swim, brisk walk
  • Yoga for Runners – Link to options below
  • Quick Before Bed Workout (#QBBW)

Yoga Options:

  1. Yoga for Runners – Unknot Yourself
  2. Yoga for Runners – Tight Hips & Legs
  3. Yoga Poses for Runners

Quick Workouts:

So….what are you doing this weekend? Let’s start an activity chain on our pinned daily post. Post your miles and I will add it up on Sunday night to see how many #CoreCrew miles we logged! You can still post separately but I would love to see how many cumulative miles we log as a family. 🙂

Have a great weekend! Screen Shot 2017-06-30 at 6.54.00 PM

Day 1: Find Your Calm

Screen Shot 2017-08-31 at 5.02.23 PMWhen life gets hectic and time is short, that’s when it’s even more important the time find the calm in our chaos.

Exercising to relax sounds weird but the truth is that exercise is a form of physical stress that can help relieve your mental stress. Alexander Pope thought so: “Strength of mind is exercise, not rest.” Plato agreed: “Exercise would cure a guilty conscience.”

Exercise is key for your head, just as it is for your heart. You may not always want to, but as we get used to regular exercise we begin to enjoy it…even crave it.

Regular aerobic exercise brings remarkable changes to our body, our metabolism, our heart, and our spirits. It has a unique ability to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress. It’s a common experience among athletes and is verified to have successfully treated anxiety disorders and clinical depression. If others can derive psychological benefits from exercise, so can you!

This month we are finding the calm in our chaos. We are making the time to exercise our body to find the calm in every day situations that bring up unwanted anxiety and stress. We are going to meet our stress head on with sweat and movement, bringing the calm into our lives with when everything else is going crazy around us.

Ready to find your calm? Let’s do this!

Day 1 Plan:

  • Quick Morning Workout
  • Day 1 exercises
  • Bonus exercises
  • Quick Before Bed Routine
  • Post with September Goals
  • Roll and Stretch to get ready for long runs!

Quick Workout Routines:


Day 1 exercises: Arms! 2-3 sets of 10

  • Front & Side Arm Raises
  • Upright Rows
  • Shoulder Press
  • Renegade Row
  • Plank – :60 or more!

Bonus: BURPEES! 2-3 sets of 10! – Burpees are tough but even beginners can do them with modifications! Check out this video to see how you can modify this move to make it work for you!


Day 1 “how to videos & images: Most of these exercises should be familiar, but since we have some new Crew members and we haven’t done some of these in a while, check out the “how to” videos or images below as reminders of how to do them correctly.

Front & Side Arm Raises: Simple yet effective. Grab some dumbbells and use your shoulders ad arms to raise them to the front then the side. Repeat 10x each set.

Screen Shot 2017-08-31 at 7.48.35 PM

Upright Row: The upright row is a weight training exercise performed by holding a grips with the overhand grip and lifting it straight up to the collarbone. This is a compound exercise that involves the trapezius, the deltoids and the biceps.

Screen Shot 2017-08-31 at 7.49.49 PM

Shoulder Press: The shoulder press is a compound weight training exercise, meaning it requires movement around more than one joint. In this specific exercise, it is your shoulder and elbow joints that must move to complete the exercise.

Renegade Row: The renegade row is a compound, high performance exercise that attacks a weak core, improves performance, and stimulates muscle growth. It also helps you prevent injury and build a rock-solid physique from head to toe.

  1. Place two dumbbells on the floor about shoulder-width apart. Start in the top position of pushup position with your hands on the weights.
  2. Row one weight up towards the side of your body while balancing on your other hand and feet. Hold for one second at the top and return the weight slowly to the start position to repeat on the other side.

Plank: The plank is a basic bodyweight exercise that strengthens the core as well as the upper and lower body muscle groups. This isometric training exercise builds a full-body foundation while also improving joint stability.

Screen Shot 2017-08-31 at 8.16.22 PM.png

Day 30: Victory!

victoryWe did it y’all! 30 Days of an awesome strength challenge is in the books!

Well, after today of course… Close out the month strong with a killer ab day then grab this photo and shout it out to everyone…VICTORY IS MINE!!!

What an amazing month! So many strong, committed, hard working Crew members this month. I think this is one of the hardest working months we’ve had so far. I couldn’t be more proud!

Finish strong Crew! Victory is knowing you gave it your all…even when you didn’t want too. Victory doesn’t mean you didn’t miss a day…. It means you pushed through, stayed the course and are stronger, more confident and ready to conquer the world!

Day 30 exercises: Abs – 4 sets of 15 

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Crunches
  • Dumbbell Side Bends
  • Russian Twists
  • Plank – Your Choice (:90 2X)

Bonus: Daily Abs – 3 rounds! Daily Abs

GETTTT ITTTT!!!

That’s it for September Crew! The month has flown by yet again and it’s been fabulous. Take time to stretch it out today and get ready for those long runs this weekend.

Brand new month starts tomorrow…who’s ready???

 

Day 29: Don’t Stop Now!

dont-stop-now

Day 29 y’all…don’t stop now, we’re almost there!!

2 more days and this month is complete! Legs today, abs tomorrow, then a brand new month starts with our long run on Saturday. Keep pushing…keep getting it done, and let’s bask in the glory of knowing we finished strong!

Day 29 exercises: Legs / Stability – 4 sets of 15

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Donkey Kick + Fire Hydrant
  • Weighted Squats
  • Deadlifts
  • Plank – Your choice (:90 2X)

Bonus: 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Pigeon Pose – Everyone has been putting some serious miles in this month, but have you been stretching lately? Are you feeling sore or tight anywhere? Today’s bonus is to take a little extra time to stretch your calves, quads, hamstrings, and back. Of our 7 Key Stretches for Runners + the pigeon pose, what is your stretching position? Which one can you feel helping you the most?

So excited to see some of you trying the Ladder speed work this week. I know it’s a little confusing…and it’s a tough workout…but doesn’t it feel amazing once it’s done and you see how awesome you are? The times I’m seeing show just how bad add this Crew is!

Keep pushing yourself! It’s worth it! 🙂

screen-shot-2016-09-29-at-5-22-11-am

Day 28: Hump Day Pump Day!

pump-day

My Crew LOVES arm day RIGHT?!?! 🙂

Let’s take this hump day to another level…it’s hump day PUMP DAY!

Day 28 exercises: 4 sets of 15

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Push Ups
  • Hammer Curls (or Hammer Curl Swings)
  • Monkey Arms
  • Plank – Your Choice (:90 2x)

Bonus: #TankTopArms – Bringing back an old workout that’s perfect for pump day. Run through it one time for a killer hump day workout!

tank-top-arms


Speed Work: Quick shout out to Sharon Bolton for an awesome Ladder workout yesterday! Way to go Sharon!! Super speedy and you didn’t die! 😉

Who else is giving it a try this week? Click here to see how it’s done!

Get sweaty, finish off your day with our 7 Key Stretches for Runners, then give yourself a big squeeze and a pat on the back for an awesome Hump Day Pump Day! 🙂

sweat-comes-from-the-inside

 

Day 27: Focus on Today

screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-8-54-43-pm

We can’t control what will happen next year, next week…or even tomorrow. But we can focus on what we can do today.

What will you do in the next 24 hours to get closer to where you want to be?

How hard will you work today?

Day 27 exercises: Legs & Stability – 4 sets of 15

****Click here for how to videos****

  • One Legged Bridge
  • Side Lunges
  • Side Lying Leg Raises
  • Plank – Your Choice (:90 2X)

Bonus: 5 Minute Plank – Don’t get nervous…this is a moving plank so you’re not holding one position for the whole 5 minutes. Give it a shot. You’re stronger than you think and I bet you’ll surprise yourself!

5-min-plank


screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-9-12-47-pmSpeed Work: Have a plan to get your speed work in this week? Here’s the workout.

I know speed work seems scary…but once you try it, finish it, succeed, and see results…you will LOVE IT!

That’s all for now Crew….push hard today! 🙂

Day 26: Rise Up & Attack

rise-up-and-attackLast week of the month…last Monday of the month…rise up and attack the week with enthusiasm!

Shoulder and Abs…sound like a strange combination?

Not really. Shoulders and abs are great complimentary bodyparts to work on in the same day. Since they are completely separate body parts, you don’t need to worry about support muscles of either muscle group tiring out.

With 4 sets of 15 coming at us today…we need enthusiasm, a little determination, and a lot of commitment to finish strong! Do you have it in you?

Day 26 exercises: Shoulders and Abs – 4 sets of 15

****Click here for how to videos****

  • Mountain Climbers
  • Kettle Ball / Dumbbell Swings
  • Shoulder Presses
  • Plank – Your Choice (:90 2X)

Bonus: #BeastModeMonday

With our regular 4 sets of 15…this bonus is not for the faint of heart…or for those with little time on a Monday. But hey…if you like to go beast mode on Mondays, this one is for you! 3 sets…because who doesn’t want to do 5 planks today?!? 😉

abs-shoulders-knees-toes

Military Press – Very similar to shoulder presses but at the top you’re going to extend your shoulders all the way up. You can do these with dumbbells so don’t skip them if you don’t have a bar. Watch Scott Herman show us how it’s done.


Speed Work: This week’s speed work is a tough ladder workout. Since the intervals are longer, you want to start out a little slower and work your way faster towards the end. The last 2 sets of 400 meters…go all out!

How fast should you do running? This workout should be done at your 10K speed, which is slower than last weeks 5K speed but faster than you would run a half marathon. How does that translate into actual time spent running? Take your 400m from last week and add :10 – :15 then multiply by 4 for the mile, by 3 for the 1200 meters (.75 mile), and by 2 for 800 meters (1/2 mile). For your last two 400 meters (.25 mile) crank up the speed and finish strong at your 5K pace. Check out the pace chart below…

Ladder Workout:

  • Warm up – slow mile
  • Faster mile – 10K speed
  • 1200M (.75 mile)
  • 2x 800M (.5 mile 2X)
  • 2X 400M
  • Cool down – slow mile
  • Total of 5.25 miles

Tough workout…who will put on their big girl panties and give it a shot? If you raced this weekend, you get a speed work pass…don’t try this workout on tired legs. Rest up this week and just bust out some short, slow recovery runs. Don’t worry, we’ll have speed work next week. 😉

Pace Chart: Example for 30 minute 5K

  1. 2:10 – add :10 so that makes = 2:20
  2. multiply by 4 for your mile = 9:20
  3. multiply by 3 for .75 = 8 minutes
  4. multiply by 2 for 800M = 4:40
  5. 400M – Speed back up and try to hit those 400M times so go all out and run 2 400 meters in 2:10

screen-shot-2016-09-11-at-8-32-54-pm

Seems a little complicated but it’s fun and you when you’re done you will feel amazing!

Not feeling ready for the ladder yet? That’s ok! Throw in some fartleks (speed bursts) during one of your mid week runs. Choose an object in the distance and pick up the pace till you get there…see that light pole? How about that stop sign? Do 8-10 speed bursts in your run session. Remember to BREATHE deep. Belly breathing during speed work is essential to building your VO2 max and getting the most out of this workout!


After a HUGE racing weekend and lots of long runs, please take the time to stretch!

Last week of the month Crew! Let’s go hard and finish strong cause good things come to those who sweat! 🙂

screen-shot-2016-09-26-at-4-38-34-am

Days 24 & 25: Relax…You Got This!

relax-you-got-this

Oh, the long run. It’s both the bane and the bliss of every runner’s existence.

Regardless of what your “long” run distance may consist of, we all go through the same range of emotions leading up to this oh-so-important run.

  • Usually the anxiety starts midday Friday. We start thinking that there is no way we can actually run whatever distance we’re scheduled the next day. We get this feeling in our stomach that is half nerves and half a bad reaction to our lunch. This normally subsides about the time we go to bed—you know, 9pm because we’re really fun on Fridays…
  • We start out our long run feeling happy to be running with a group, or loving the time get get to oursleves. The moon is high, the air is cool (only because it’s still early and the sun isn’t up yet), and we are moving! It feels great.
  • Soon we’re overestimating how far we’ve gone. We’ll think we’ve run seven miles when it’s only been three. Right about then we just want to end it.
  • We have to have small goals to check off while running long. Usually it goes like this: only 3 miles to the turnaround and then we’re halfway done! Only 2 miles until the water stop and pretzels! Less than a 5k until we are DONE!
  • We made it. Now it’s time to eat, stretch, and nap!

When it’s all said and done, we wonder why we had so much anxiety in the first place. We know we are strong. We know we can handle it. We know once we’re out there we’ll be burning calories, sweating buckets, making progress, and loving it!

So the questions is…are you having fun when you’re out there? That’s the most important thing right? This is supposed to be fun! Over thinking the run beforehand will drain your motivation. Try not to stress about it. You have it planned, you know you can do it…so trust your training and relax…you got this!

Whether you’re going long on Saturday or Sunday…make sure your having fun, and don’t forget…we still have work to do on the day we’re not running.

Here’s the weekend skinny… Leave it as is, or switch it up…but plan it out and get it done.

Day 24: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Plank – Your Choice (:90 2X)

Day 25: Arms / Back – 4 sets of 15

  • Burpees
  • Bicep Curls 21s (4 sets of 21)
  • Wide Rows
  • Plank – Your Choice (:90 2X)

Bonus: Active Recovery – Short run (30 min or less at conversation pace), walk, swim, bike, play outside with the kids, yoga. Choose something that will get your muscles loose and that will promote healthy, active recovery after your long run. Being sedentary after a hard work out will only make you more stiff and sore…get moving!

Remember…our long distance runs make our hearts stronger…and our legs and lungs too…

Eat good, hydrate, get your outfit and gear ready, then relax…you got this!

screen-shot-2016-09-23-at-4-54-08-pm