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
2 more days till Christmas and for lots of us…only 1 more day till tons of yummy food comes our way on Christmas Eve! Ready to Earn Your Cookies?
Put in the work today and burn some serious calories at your long run tomorrow, then you can enjoy your feast and the time with your family without guilt!
Great workout coming today Crew, let’s get to it!
Day 23 exercises:
Modern Moms Hip Strength
Bonus: Snowman Workout – 10 Rounds
Extra Credit: Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas – Days 1-12 (Last Day!!)
One :60 Plank of your choice
Modern Moms Hip Strength: By now this should be burned into your brain…almost so you can do it without following along with the video. But for our newbies…and for those who’ve skipped it a few times, here’s our Friday hip strength workout.
Bonus: Snowman Workout – 10 Rounds
Push ups, Sit ups and Squats…great calorie burn/strength workout…and 10 rounds might seem like a lot but this should be quick…if not painless. Rock it out!
Extra Credit: Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas – Days 1-12
Last day for our 12 Days of Christmas. Who will be glad this is over?
1 minute skaters
20 Squats
15 Push Ups
10 Superman
1 minute Jumping Jacks
20 Lunges
15 Tricep Dips
10 Mountain Climbers
10 Burpees
20 Side Lunges
15 Pike Push Ups
10 Plank Shoulder Taps
Finish off your day with one :60 plank of your choice then take 10 minutes
to stretch before our long runs tomorrow. The benefits of our 7 Key stretches for Runners are improved performance, better range of motion, joint stabilization and injuries avoidance. I know you’re busy doing all those last minute things to get ready for the holidays but your body is craving these stretches so make the time to do them!
Want to work extra hard on Monday to erase the holiday gluttony and guilt? I don’t! Think before you eat and make good choices this weekend starting now! This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself, just think MODERATION and be AWARE of what is going in your belly!
Eat slowly, take small portions, and drinks lots of water to go with your wine!
No excuses Crew…let’s get to work and EARN YOUR COOKIES!
If you want to be successful, you have to put in the work…every single day. You don’t have to kill it…small efforts repeated day in and day out make all the difference!
I saw that Alison took it back to Day 1 over in New Zealand, so I figured we’d follow her lead. Day 1 was a full body compound movement video that everyone loved so let’s do it again.
Also on Day 1 we did the No Junk Food Challenge….with Christmas in just a few days, let’s get ready for all the yuminess coming our way and take a day to detox first! No Junk Food today y’all! Can you do it? Put down the junk…just for 1 day!
Day 20 exercises:
Full Body Compound Workout Video
Bonus: Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas – Days 1-9
Finish with one :60 plank
Follow video below (3 times) and finish it off with a :60 plank
What you will need: If you don’t have this equipment substitute and make it work! Your dumbbells will work just fine in place of the medicine ball and kettle bells.
Kettle bell or dumbbell
Jump rope (or just pretend you’re using a jump rope and simulate the exercise
Medicine Ball – Or you can use your dumbbell for this too
Bonus: Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas – Days 1-9
1 minute skaters
20 Squats
15 Push Ups
10 Superman
1 minute Jumping Jacks
20 Lunges
15 Tricep Dips
10 Mountain Climbers
10 Burpees
Last thing…bust out one :60 plank to round off your day then stretch it out and hit the shower!
Warm-Up –5:00 jog followed by your choice of Dynamic Movements (high knees, butt kicks, leg swings, sideways shuffles, skipping, etc)
Work-Out – 6-8 x 1/4 Mile Repeats at a pace that is :30 faster than your race pace.
*2:00 standing or walking rest in between each one.
1/4 Mile is equivalent to 400 meters or one lap of a standard-sized track. Here’s a few examples of where your interval times would range, depending on your mile time.
If you run a 13:00/mile, you should run the quarter-mile repeats in 2:45
If you run a 12:00/mile, you should run the quarter-mile repeats in 2:30.
If you run a 11:00/mile, you should run the quarter-mile repeats in 2:15.
If you run a 10:00/mile, you should run the quarter-mile repeats in 2:00.
If you run a 9:00/mile, you should run the quarter-mile repeats in 1:45.
If you run a 8:00/mile, you should run the quarter-mile repeats in 1:30.
If you run a 7:00/mile, you should run the quarter-mile repeats in 1:15.
Cool-Down –5:00-10:00 easy jog (you’ve earned it!)
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!
Whether you’re training for a 5K or 10K…or have an upcoming Half or Full Marathon, you should have a long run in your weekly plan. Long might mean something a little different to each of us…but a long run is an important part of every runners training program.
While the Runner’s World story “Why Non-Marathoners Still Need Long Runs: Long runs help you race better at any distance” might be referring to elite runners, we can all apply it to our own training in smaller ways.
In November of 1961, legendary coach Arthur Lydiard told the 1960 800m gold medalist, Peter Snell, to go run a marathon. Before that, Lydiard had Snell incorporating the Waiatarua circuit, a grueling, 22-mile long run up and down the Waitakere Ranges in New Zealand, as part of his 100-mile training week. What was a man who would race for less than 2 minutes doing running for 2 hours? This type of training was completely unheard of for middle-distance runners back in those days.
But it paid off.
Only two months after his Lydiard-mandated marathon, Snell ran a world-record mile (3:54). And in the 1964 Olympics, he won gold in the 800 and 1500m events.
The long run has been popular ever since.
Why is this? What are the physiological changes long runs produce that are beneficial to someone who is racing for a short period of time? According to Running Times columnist and coach, Greg McMillan, there are three key physiological adaptations that occur in the body during a long run: enzymatic, capillary and musculoskeletal.
When you run long, you increase enzymes in your muscle cells and grow capillaries, which are the small vessels that surround the cells. These important changes allow more oxygen to be delivered to working muscles.
You also strengthen your muscles, tendons and ligaments. “These adaptations help you in shorter races like the 5K because it’s still primarily an aerobic activity,” McMillan says. “The more oxygen that you can deliver to the working muscles, the better your performance will be. And the stronger your muscles, tendons, bones and ligaments become, the more you are capable to conduct better race-specific training like intervals.”
So how far is far enough? According to Arthur McMillan, for non-marathoners, the right long-run length “depends where you are in your running career.” For someone not accustomed to running long, he advises working up to 90 minutes to properly stimulate the body’s adaptations. McMillan then suggests that athletes increase the duration of their long runs up to 2-3 hours.
Rubio has an alternative approach. Instead of prescribing a minimum time limit, he breaks out the long run using percentages of weekly mileage. At first he has runners run long using 20 to 25 percent of weekly mileage at an easy pace. He has them alternate other long runs using approximately 15 percent of weekly mileage preferably on a hilly course. Progression is key.
The take away…both Rubio and McMillan agree that runners training for shorter distance events still need long runs.
Beginning runners should follow these guidelines, even if they are working towards a 5K or 10K race and not a half or full marathon.
15 miles/week = 3.75 mile long run
20 miles/week = 5 mile long run
25 miles/week = 6.25 mile long run
30 miles/week = 7.5 mile long run
If you’re comfortable with a half marathon distance (13.1 miles) and just want to maintain your fitness and be ready to run a half marathon on short notice (maybe not run your best time but be able to finish without too much discomfort) your long run should be 8-12 miles. Besides maintaining your fitness, these long runs will give you all the benefits: increase muscle and capillary growth, allow more oxygen to your working muscles (allowing shorter runs to become easier), and to strengthen your muscles, tendons and ligaments.
5K specialist Chris Solinsky goes as long as 2 hours for his long runs. You might think this sounds crazy or counter productive…but Solinsky says, “[The long run] teaches your body to be efficient. Before I did long runs, when I was in high school, I was a lot less efficient than I am now. The long runs groom your body into running as effortlessly as possible.”
So what is your long run plan? Going out Saturday or Sunday?
Whatever day we don’t go long is a planned rest day but it’s still important to stretch! Oh…and don’t forget that one :60 plank on our long run and rest day!
Even if you have no races in the works…the long run is addicting. The feelings after finishing your long run…empty, clean, worn out, sweat purged…the good ache of muscles that have done you proud…that feeling is worth every early weekend morning.
Eat a good dinner, hydrate, go to bed early…then get up and purge yourself of all the stress built up during the week. Go long Crew! 🙂
We can wish all day but if we don’t put in the work we will never get the results!
A lot of our workouts this month will include compound exercises. This will allow us to work more areas in a shorter amount of time. There’s tons of info out there about whether we should do isolated or compound exercises. Each has it’s positive effects. So we will be doing both!
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be hip and butt focused. Tuesdays and Thursdays will be dedicated to compound moves that will focus on different areas of the body, give us a well rounded strength routine, and help us reach our fitness goals.
So what is a compound movement?
Today’s workout is a video consisting of full body compound movement exercises from Ms. Jackie Fitness. The video is 5 minutes long and we will do it 3 times. Total of 15 minutes plus a :60 plank to finish it off.
As we go throughout the month, please let me know what videos you like, and ones that you don’t care for. I may repeat some that are good! Remember…this is YOUR group and the more feedback I get from you the better it will be!
Food Challenge: Kicking off Day 1 with a “No Junk Food” Challenge. We have lots of yummy, fattening foods coming our way so let’s take the time now to get ready for it!
We aren’t going overboard here….this challenge usually calls for 21 days, but we are taking it one day at a time. Can you commit to no junk food today? That means no candy, no sweets, no fast food, no white bread, no cookies, no pastries, NO SODA! No soda will be the hardest part for me since I don’t drink coffee and my morning diet soda is the only caffeine I get…but I am committing to one day of no soda. What is the hardest part for you?
Speed Work: If you haven’t done your speed work, what are you waiting for? This week’s workout is a structured Fartlek run. Check it out and get it done!
Workout: Gear Shifter
How to Do It: In this workout, alternate between your easy, medium, and fast paces. Warm up with three to five minutes of walking. Then ramp up to your easy pace (see below) and hold it for two to three minutes. Then shift into your medium pace and sustain it for one minute. Then shift into the fast pace for 30 seconds. Repeat the cycle two or three times. Walk for five minutes to cool down.
Use this guide to find each gear:
Easy: Conversational pace; a pace where you could chat with a friend running alongside you. This is a rhythm that feels like you could maintain it all day long if you had to.
Medium: This should be faster than your easy pace, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re speeding. You would prefer not to hold a full conversation, but if someone asked you a question, you could answer in two- or three-word sentences.
Fast: Quicker than your medium pace. In this gear you should be able to say one or two words but, if someone asked you a question, it would make you mad because you wouldn’t want to expend the energy to answer them. Don’t sprint all-out or push to the point of pain, or where you feel you’re going to pull something. You should feel like “I’m okay, I just don’t want to do this for very long.”
Virtual Race: Want to sign up for the January She Power Virtual race? Here’s the link! Once you sign up please join our virtual race event page so we can try and plan a day when we can all run together in spirit!
If you can’t do this one or just don’t want to spend the money that is OK! This is just a fun way for us to run together and another way to motivate us to run a little more. 🙂
Day 1 exercises: Follow video below (3 times) and finish it off with a :60 plank
What you will need: If you don’t have this equipment substitute and make it work! Your dumbbells should work just fine in place of the medicine ball and kettle bells.
Kettle bell or dumbbell
Jump rope (or just pretend you’re using a jump rope and simulate the exercise
Medicine Ball – Or you can use your dumbbell for this too
Hope you love it but if you don’t…speak up! But don’t just skip it. Go through the video three times, get that heart rate up, feel the full body burn!
It’s Day 1 Crew! Our workouts don’t take long but each small effort gets you closer to your goals and sets you up for a successful month. 15 minutes is all it takes.
You have to work for what you want so get moving and let’s start the month strong!
We 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!
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.
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!
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!
Bonus: #TankTopArms – Bringing back an old workout that’s perfect for pump day. Run through it one time for a killer hump day workout!
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! 🙂
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!
Speed 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!
Extra Credit: Sarah’s 12 Days of Christmas – Days 1-12
We did it y’all! 30 Days of an awesome strength challenge is in the books!
Speed Work: Have a plan to get your speed work in this week? 
Strong to the Core 