A week in the training life...

I love talking to people about running, training, and working out in general. Some of those conversations over the past few weeks have prompted me to write about what I do when I train.  This plan isn't going to work for everyone, but since people have asked what I do, here goes!  I settled on this plan with a little bit of advice from a lot of places, personal preferences, and prior experience. It must be working as my pace has improved weekly for all types of runs I do.

Weight Training

Weight training is an extremely important part of any fitness program including when training for races or other athletic events.  No matter what kind of cardio activity you do, it creates some type of muscle imbalance that strength training can improve.  I prefer to split a weight training workout into 2 days working different muscle groups each day (back/ biceps/lower body & chest/shoulders/triceps) while doing abs every day.  I alternate this program daily and switch it entirely after 6-8 weeks.  Doing the same thing over and over will only work for so long - keep your muscles guessing by changing your routine or increasing intensity. 

Contrary to what people think, even when training for a race, you should still do leg exercises. Even though running is a full-body exercise, your leg muscles still become imbalanced depending on the surfaces you run on and the way your feet strike the ground.  Doing single leg exercises is best to help combat this problem (i.e. lunges, single leg squats, step-ups, etc.). 

Cross Training
Though running makes up the bulk of my cardio, it's important to give my muscles a break from that repetitive motion and challenge them in different ways. Cross training for me consists of stair climbing, elliptical, stationary bike, and the occasional aerobics class. 

Running

Since I'm not new to running, I typically run 5 days per week.  This might be too much for a new runner; it also might not be possible during extreme weather.  Fall seems to be a good time for lots of outdoor runs - the treadmill can't even compare.  If you have to run on a treadmill (only do it as a last resort!), set the incline to at least 1% to simulate running outside.  Remember that when you run on a treadmill, you don't move anywhere - the belt does the moving for you.  It's much easier (and a lot more boring) to run on a treadmill.

A week in my training life...

Sunday: 5 mile hill run, weight training

Monday: 7-8 mile hill run, 20-30 min cross training, weights

Tuesday: 5-6 mile flat run, 30-35 min cross, weights

Wednesday: 9 x 400 sprint intervals, 45 min cross, weights   

Thursday: 75 min cross, weights

Friday: 10-14 mile run, sometimes weights

Saturday: REST

No matter how much time you have, any type of physical activity is going to benefit you in the long run.  If you don't have time to run for 45 minutes, run for 25 and run hard!

Stay fit and healthy!

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups (Vegan)

Here's a pretty simple, low calorie recipe to satisfy your sweet tooth! You can use plain old chocolate chips if you don't have carob (also eliminate coconut oil if you use chocolate) and 2 T of peanut butter if you don't have/like pb2.  Why use carob? Compared to chocolate, carob has more calcium, less calories, and much less fat.

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients

1 T natural peanut butter

1 T pb2  (+ 1/2 T water)

2 T pumpkin

1/4 c carob chips

1 t coconut oil

splash of vanilla 

carob paste

Directions

Place carob chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat for about 40 seconds; stir and heat for 40 more seconds. Crush the warmed carob into a powder.  Melt 1 t of coconut oil and add to carob; add a splash of vanilla and stir to form a paste. (The carob may be warm enough that simply putting the coconut oil on it will melt it.)  Place about 1/2 tsp of carob mixture into the bottoms of 9-11 candy wrappers and place in freezer to set (you should have about half remaining).

Meanwhile, mix together the peanut butter, pb2, water, and pumpkin.  Once the carob has set, press about 1/2 tsp of peanut butter mixture on top. Add another 1/2 tsp of carob mixture to cover the filling and return to freezer to set. (If you use coconut oil, these are best kept in the fridge.)

Nutrition (per 1 candy, based on a yield of 11):

Calories: 30

Total fat: 1.9 g

Total carbs: 2.8g

Fiber: 0.4g

Protein: 0.8g 

Stay healthy!