Making the Effort to train, and prepare to prevent injury!

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Hi All! Hope you had a beautiful week!

Training this week included Vert, Speedwork and some Strength. I again had to adjust the “Plan” due to work schedules and heat. I was able to get in all I wanted to do, expect maybe another easy long run day, but still happy with the results. In my years of running, I haven’t felt comfortable adopting the run every day method of training. I ran every other day giving my body a day to heal and try to continue that now. I started running at 25 yrs old and I was working as a full-time hairdresser. That means I was standing at least 10 hours a day at work and just noticed swelling if I had too many running days in a row. I was also very careful to ice my knees after a tough run and I can say I have had minimal injuries during my 27 yrs of running, which makes me super lucky and happy:)

Mileage is all relative and a very personal subject with runners. I have not been able to build up too high, but concentrating more on a strong base. I have been focusing on leg strength, lunges, squats and weights for over a year and I have noticed positive results. Running on the trails demands strong muscles, sturdy ankles and balance, so I need to prepare. I feel good about continuing with what is working but I will be adding 2 miles to my long run day every 3 to 4 weeks because my goal is the Ultra!! Let’s not forget about speedwork and hills, which was also added in this crazy mix.

Stretching… yuk! I will admit it, I do not like stretching but I know how important it is so I have tried to do more. I want to include some yoga back into my routine if I can get just one more day in the week …LOL! And I would like to introduce you to my new friend…

Muscle Rollers, I will say this…IT HURTS BUT IT WORKS! I think I contemplated throwing the roller out the window after I used it the first time but it helps if you cannot afford a massage daily, which I cannot.

Another important piece to prevent injury I believe is what you eat. I have not always ate healthy. In my early 20’s I knew very little about cooking and definitely visited the fast food spots too frequently but facing up to feeling like crap half the time I realized it had to be my health so I quit smoking, drinking, started eating better (no red meat) and running, haven’t looked back since. This is why Making the Effort is so very important to me. Making the Effort is just that, putting forth the energy to change. Success or perfection isn’t guaranteed but taking responsibility for your health will produce improvements.

Taking time to eat as healthy as I can is a priority to me. Food is fuel, and the building blocks for the body. After a run those micro tears in the quadriceps need fuel and nutrients to repair. The bodies many systems need to be functionally properly for those muscles and you to be ready for the next run. Visit a Farmer’s Market and you will not only pick up some gorgeous produce, but most have branched out to sell eggs and meat, so for us it is one stop shopping. The quality cannot be denied, but especially with organic produce the need to wash your produce is a must.

I try eat clean and limit my processed foods intake. I have taken the time to educate myself on basic cooking methods and found that I really enjoy it. I even started baking bread. I recommend to anyone that is interested in making changes to your diet that you start by not looking at what you have to give up but first start adding the high quality foods in. So look at your meals and try to get them more nutritionally dense, add spinach, kale or other veggies in where you can. For Example, if you have scrambled eggs in the morning don’t go cold turkey with egg whites only but to your usual scrambled eggs add spinach, and tomatoes. If you restrict your self too much you are just setting yourself up for failure. Once you start feeling better you will want to make those additional changes. Of Course , get educated by reading the latest info out there. I recommend medical sites such as EatRight.Org (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) , Health.Gov (Dietary Guidelines for Americans), and most of the respected teaching hospitals such as MayoClinic.org will have an informative website. I do take supplements .. but that is a conversation for another day.

Have a Healthy, and Happy Week!

This Weeks Meal Prep- Cashew Butter, Grilled Asparagus and Tomatoes, Grilled Salmon, Tuna Salad, Baked Yams and Chia Pudding w/ Blueberries.

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