If you planned on cutting it short, remember that distance makes the heart grow stronger!
Go a little farther than you planned and get that runners high! 🙂
Then take a day off…but don’t be lazy. Active recovery, yoga, stretching…whatever makes you fell good. And don’t forget our challenge exercises (if you’re into that kind of thing. 😉 )
Day 25 exercises: One :60 Plank of your choice + Rest
I wanted to thank Gwen and Jennifer again for my sweet Christmas cards and presents. You ladies made my day! And a big thank you to my whole Crew for making this year so awesome!
What are you waiting for? Go run! May your Christmas miles be merry! XOXOXO
There’s so many reasons to be excited for the weekend…but of course for us runners…it’s all about that long run! 😉
What’s your long run plan this weekend? Racing? Long training run? Just feel like getting your runner’s high?
Whatever your plan is…let us know so we can support you and cheer you on!
But wait…before we get to the weekend we have one more day of hip work! You know the drill…Modern Mom’s Hip Workout is one of everyone’s favorites. No bonus today…just hips, Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas and STRETCHING!!
Oh wait…no bonus but there is some extra credit…take a picture of your favorite stretch. It can be one of our 7 Key Stretches for Runners or one of your favorites. Show us how you get limber before your long run!
Day 16 exercises:
Modern Mom Hip Workout for strong trim hips
Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas – Days 1-5
Extra Credit – Show us how you get limber!
Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas – Days 1-5
1 minute skaters
20 Squats
15 Push ups
10 Superman
1 minute jumping jacks
Extra Credit: Show us your favorite stretch. Choose one from our 7 Key Stretches for Runners or show us your favorite!
I’ve forgotten all about our daily one minute plank this month…OOPS! We’re already doing some good core work this month but before you clean up and go on with the rest of your day, knock out one :60 plank of your choice and let us know which one gets your core working the most!
Remember to let us know what’s on your schedule this weekend and SMILE cause…
As much as I hate to leave you for 4 days…I am so excited for Ragnar Trail Alafia Springs! I might check in here and there but for the most part, you’ll be on your own through Saturday so please BE STRONG and push through this weekend.
Make us Ragnarians proud! 🙂 We’ll take TONS of photos for you…but I want to see TONS of action while we’re out on the trails!
Since I won’t have much internet access, I’m putting Days 8-11 in this post so you can refer back to it through Sunday. Here’s the lowdown…
Thursday: 10 Minutes Abs + :60 Plank of your choice
Friday: Modern Moms Hips and Butt + :60 Plank of your choice
Sunday: Plank (Your Choice – :60) + Rest OR 10 Minute Active Stretching
Remember that these days can switch up so if you need to go long on Friday or Sunday, move things around to make it work for you and your schedule.
Thursday: 10 Minutes Abs + :60 Plank of your choice
Our core is what holds up together when we’re running and a strong core will keep you upright and moving forward during long training runs and races. We are the #CoreCrew and talk a lot about core work…so it should be no surprise that Thursday is a great 10 minute ab workout!
If you’re feeling really good…double it up and make it a 20 minute workout! 🙂
Friday: Modern Mom Hips and Butt!
This was such a great workout last month that I couldn’t let it go. So we’re doing it agin in December! Different moves from our Monday/Wednesday workout so even if you’re still feeling sore….you can still do this and it might even help stretch out those sore muscles a bit.
5 minutes per leg + one :60 Plank of your choice!
Saturday: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + one :60 Plank
How long are you going this weekend? Any races planned? Let us know so we can cheer you on! Don’t forget to take 10 minutes after your run to knock out one :60 plank and STRETCH!
Most runners don’t stretch until after they are injured….taking a few minutes to do it now can ease aches and pains, help you feel less tight AND keep you from being sidelined and off the road.
Sunday: One :60 Plank + Rest OR 10 Minutes Active Stretching
If you decide to do the :60 plank then take the day off…that’s totally fine. We all need rest days and in December when our lives are extra hectic there’s no shame in needing a day with no extra work. But if you have some time and love to feel limber, refreshed, and ready to go on Monday, check out this 10 minutes active stretching routine. I can’t wait to try it when I’m home from Ragnar on Sunday!
Another great activity for Sunday? Active Recovery! Notice a Sunday trend here? 😉
Active Recovery is a great way to shake out those legs after our long runs. Keep it short and slow. 30 minutes…at your easy “long run” pace. Your legs will thank you!
I won’t be chiming in as much this weekend but that doesn’t matter because I know you want to inspire each other. If you feel like skipping days this weekend…think about the rest of your Crew…maybe they’ll see you getting it done and decide not to give up!
As runners, we always have to “work around” getting our long runs in. Well…maybe it’s really that we work the rest of our weekend around our long run. 😉
In order to get it done, feel good, and make sure our family and friends aren’t mad at us, we have to PLAN! What’s your plan? Plan ahead to be successful!
Bonus: PUSH UPS!! – Sunday’s bonus arm work – 3 sets of 15 push ups
Take time to stretch Crew. It’s important for recovery!
If you’re going long on Saturday, try to get out on Sunday for a few SLOW miles. Keep it short and easy (30 minutes or less). We call this “active recovery” and it will help your body recover better than laying around and stiffening up.
If you can’t get out for a run both days, find other ways to be active. Play outside with your kids, go for a walk with your spouse, go for a bike ride. Just don’t sit around idle…I promise you will feel better on Monday if you are active the day after your long run.
This is a 30 day challenge…and here we are again at the end of the 30 days. But in truth, there’s another starting line right around the corner.
Like a race, as soon as it’s over we’re starting the next training schedule…planning our next race.
Every day is another step in our journey to a healthy, active life. Something we do to live a long time…and to feel good while we’re we’re at it!
It’s the end of the month, but it’s not the end of the road. We continue to get up everyday with a plan to make TODAY a positive part of the rest of our life.
It’s a lifestyle and we train every day…just like there is no finish line!
Day 29 exercises: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches + Bedtime Plank
Bonus: Relax! Take the rest of the day to unwind and get ready for your next run or just hang out with your family. Remember…this is a lifestyle, the finish line is just the beginning of a whole new race…and there’s always tomorrow. 🙂
As runners, our weekends are usually full of long runs, races, early bedtimes, rolling, stretching…and lots of other fun running related stuff.
No matter what your plan is…a long run or a race…run with purpose, not to win but to test your own limits and to give it all you’ve got!
Run with purpose. Run with heart!
I’m racing on Sunday so I’ll be switching it up and doing arms on Saturday and running long on Sunday. What’s your weekend plan? You must have a plan to get it done or life will get in the way! Make a plan and get it done!
Saturday & Sunday Bonus: #DailyAbs – Yes it’s arm day…but after setting those abs on fire yesterday, let’s kick it up a notch and get those abs burning again! 3 rounds of Daily Abs! 3-4 rounds Saturday AND 3-4 rounds Sunday. Who’s up for this extra challenge this weekend??
Sore abs? Good…it’s working! 🙂
So what are we doing this weekend? Ummmm running of course!
Kill it this weekend Crew!
Run with purpose, run with heart! Give it your everything you’ve got!! 🙂
Who’s your favorite Super Hero? Who can you connect with this month and channel their super human strength to push through each day?
We’re going to need that inner strength to get us through lots of long races, fall races, and a killer strength workout!
Long run & stretches today then arms on Sunday, or switch it up and knock out arms today and go long tomorrow.
Either way…time to break out that superhuman strength and BRING IT Crew!
If you haven’t had a chance to look over the October Calendar here is a link to our monthly challenge main page. I’m dropping a copy of our calendar in our Strong to the Core files. Let me know if you have any questions. Lots of new exercises this month so please take time to watch the how to videos!
Day 1: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Bedtime Plank (1 :60 Plank before bed)
No Bonuses this weekend. Just get familiar with everything for the month and let’s get ready to rock out October!
Another big THANK YOU to Jan and Sharon for their help coming up with the exercises this month, for sharing their videos with me, and allowing me to share them with you!
Find your inner super hero…let’s get to work and make it a fantastic weekend Crew! 🙂
Might just be an ordinary training day…but every run is another step towards that extraordinary moment when you reach your goals.
We’re all in different places in our training….so whether you’ve got 3 miles or 20 miles…it’s your long run. Own it. Give it all you’ve got. Remember that your choice to keep going in that moment when you want to quit may be the difference between reaching those goals…or falling short.
You just completed more miles than you’ve run the rest of the week combined. You’re tired. You just want to go home, take a hot shower, and sit down. Of course, we all want that after our long run. Some of us do exactly that.
Others, the ones more likely to actually make it uninjured to the race they’re training for, take the extra ten minutes and stretch before sitting down. Stretching probably sounds as appealing as applying hydrogen peroxide to your burst blister, but it’s just as helpful for a clean outcome. If you’ve already dedicated hours to your run, what’s ten more minutes that will help work some lactic acid out of your poor tired muscles and reduce soreness later? Plus…it will feel good, I promise. Click here for 7 stretches that will have you feeling pretty close to normal tomorrow.
A healthy back is as important to your running as fit legs. According to Runner’s World, “If your back muscles aren’t strong, they’ll tend to fatigue faster, taking energy away from other muscles, and changing your stride, which can lead to injury.”
This lower back workout helps to reduce pain, tension, stiffness, and soreness….all of which will feel very good after our long runs this weekend.
Wonderful, fulfilling exhaustion… Want that amazing feeling?
When I’m training for a big race, I tend to put a lot of other important things on the back burner because running is my passion and I need my me time!
Do you feel bad for being a Runhole? You shouldn’t… sometimes we just have to do what’s right for us…and I know you all give so much to your friends and family so don’t stress over the time you take for your long runs. You deserve it!
Who passed up some non-running fun plans this weekend saying, “Sorry I can’t. I have a long run in the morning.”? I know I did! 🙂
Day 20 exercises: Long Run + 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Side Plank + Hip Dip + Leg Lift (:45 3X each side) + Ab and Squat Challenge
Ab & Squat Challenge Day 20:
10 Sit Ups
10 Crunches
25 Squats
Plank Challenge: Side Plank + Hip Dip + Leg lift – Another tough plank coming at us today! The calendar calls for this to be a high plank…but I will do it from a low plank position and it’s fine if you do it this way as well. You will still get a great workout and will be able to balance yourself easier from the low plank position. The following video shows how to do it from the high plank position but don’t copy him completely. He doesn’t drop dow low enough with the hip dip. I think you can do better! 🙂
Day 21 exercises: 7 Key Stretches for Runners + Moving Lateral Panther Plank (:45 3X) + Ab & Squat Challenge + Rest
I know it seems like a lot for “rest day” but staying active is what we do and a short recovery run is always a good idea too! 🙂
Ab & Squat Challenge Day 21:
20 Sit Ups
15 Crunches
35 Squats
Plank Challenge: Moving Lateral Panther Plank – I couldn’t find a video for this one but the steps are below. If you’re iffy about the movement, just hold the panther plank for 3 sets of :45.
Assume panther plank position.
Maintaining a flat back and keeping your knees two inches off the ground, move your body to the right by simultaneously moving your right hand and right foot to the right a few inches, then your left hand and your left foot to the right.
Move right for 15 seconds, then move left the same way for 15 seconds. Continue for 45 seconds; do three sets.
Ready to see some fantastic long runs this weekend Crew! Anyone who calls running “not a sport” clearly doesn’t go long on the weekend! 🙂
Who doesn’t love Fridays?!?!?
This is a 30 day challenge…and here we are again at the end of the 30 days. But in truth, there’s another starting line right around the corner.
As runners, our weekends are usually full of long runs, races, early bedtimes, rolling, stretching…and lots of other fun running related stuff.
No time to rest cause IT IS ON AGAIN!
One of my favorites…because YES, I am a Runhole!
Strong to the Core 