I’d like to say that I’ve now changed but really have I ? I’m not going to commit to writing every day or even every other day, but I’m going to be more frequent. I have goals and this is where I should be expressing them.

So, for the past two months I’ve been in a very beginner phase. What ? Well, I’ve been running since I was 8 years old and it’s been an up and down battle with running. This past year I became a Triathlete. What that means is that I now train for swim, bike and run. More time to train but also less chance of injury. In theory.

I’ve slowly started to increase my mileage. I’m now running between 15-20 miles a week and this month I’ll start to introduce some biking and possibly some swimming.

I am still trying to finalize my races but right now I’m looking at this as my schedule :

• April (possible duathlon r-b-r)
• May (Nothing yet, but a 5k would be nice)
• June (Half Marathon in my own city & Webster Sprint Triathlon)
• July (Appleman Sprint Triathlon)
• August (Some Olympic Triathlon)
• September (5 miler & 5k)
• October (10 miler, Bay State Marathon & maybe the season ending Duathlon in Lowel)

These are my initial goal races, but things could change. I actually almost decided to do Timberman again, but my heart told me that my main goal is to try and qualify for Boston and to get faster before I do a longer triathlon again.

Next year I’m definitely doing Timberman and hopefully I will be faster and slimmer.

More to come in the near future.

The start is always the hardest.

So a step back into my and my family’s year of fitness (2008).

Running a marathon is hard work so these are some times that will help you achieve your goal. In the upcoming months I will expand these tips with more articles but for now as part of my daily motivational/thoughts series we are just going to list them out.

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• Taper – Weeks before you need to slow down. I’ve come to love tapering and it is an important part of your race.
• Eat Before Your Race – I never seem to do this well, but you need to eat a good breakfast.
• Start Your Race Slowly ! – Too many people go out way too fast in the marathon. Start slower and increase your pace as you go.
• Alternate Water/Gatorade - Pick odds and evens and alternate between water and Gatorade (or whatever they are serving). Trust me this is a good tip.
• Don’t Worry You Can Walk – Try and not walk but if you have too then walk fast through your water stops.
• Replenish Your Nutrients – You have to make sure you take in fluids but also you need to eat. Gels, blocks, or beans just make sure you eat something.
• Acknowledge The Crowd – Great way to pump yourself up and also the fans is to high five the folks yelling at you. The kids love this when you do it. It will make them and you feel good.
• Layers – You never know what the weather is going to be so make sure you bring clothes to accommodate.  If it is going to get warmer then layer up and you can throw your memorabilia out to the crowd.
• Write Your Name On Your Shirt – I have never done this, but everyone I know who has loves it. This can bring some good extra motivation to you as they are all yelling at you. In Boston, this is extremely powerful.
• Keep Positive – Don’t forget this is your day to shine. You will do it so keep thinking positive. Kick that inside voice out of your head.
• Have Fun – Seriously, just try and enjoy your day. I know it is hard but you are doing something huge and you deserve to enjoy it.
• Stretch And Walk – after the race this is important.
• Arrange A Meeting Place – On a big race make sure you plan with your family and friends a place to meet. You would hate to be wondering around for hours after you ran a marathon.

Good Luck.

What are shin splints ?

[from wikipedia]
Shin splints is a general term used to refer to a painful condition in the shins. It is often caused by running or jumping or sprinting, and may be very slow to heal. A formal medical term for the condition is medial tibial stress syndrome.

Running and other strenuous lower limb activities, like basketball and other sports which include flexing the muscle, should be avoided until the pain subsides and is no longer elicited by activity. In conjunction with rest, anti-inflammatory treatments such as cold-packs and drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (in particular, NSAID gel) may be suggested by a doctor or athletic trainer. Over-the-counter pain relievers can also be taken, though there is some controversy over their effectiveness.

I’ve found that ice and an ace bandage wrapped tightly around the shin tends to help.

Unfortunately, you need to be really careful and probably need to stop running until the pain goes away.

Don’t worry though. You can do some cross-training. Bicycle, swim or something that doesn’t stress your legs.

Don’t give up. If you continue to run, you might get something more serious like stress fractures so take it easy. I’ve run through shin splints before but I never run hard when I get them (at the beginning of a long rest period). I also have been running for 30 years and pretty much know the limits of my body.

Be careful.

More articles :

• It Can Be More Then Just Shin Splints
• Shin splints – Wikipedia
• What are shin splints ?
• Shin Splints: A Simplified Clinical Classification
• Treating and Preventing Shin Splints
• Shin Splints and
  Shin Splints Treatment

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There are times where you need to mix it up a little. One thing people love about triathlon is that it is more difficult to get an overuse injury because generally you are training in three disciplines (not to say you can’t get injured). I love the break up and use of different muscles.

I have always loved biking (both road and mountain) and just last year I began to really enjoy tough long swim workouts.

Even if you don’t have any desire to be a triathlete, which is ok, you might want to look at swimming and biking as a rest from running now and then. Swimming really works your upper body and you do tend to learn how to breathe better (out of necessity) and biking really works those quads and hamstrings.

Swimming is probably the more difficult to pick up as not everyone has easy access to a pool and well, it is challenging.

When learning how to swim properly, it’s important to develop proper breathing rhythms that involve blowing bubbles when the face is down. Learn about the importance of balance and proper stroke mechanics in swimming with help from a professional endurance coach in this free video on swimming techniques.

Check out this video as it does a great job of introducing you to proper swimming techniques.

So this is a good time to start your new exercise regime, right ? It’s the first of the year and you are ready to take on the challenge. You want to be a runner or if you are a runner you want to get that elusive PR.

Let’s issue a challenge. Make running a habit.  It will only take 30 days and we’ll over motivation, inspiration and thoughts over that same time frame.

Here are some steps to get you there.

1. Teach your body that it is time to exercise. Pick a time that you feel you can exercise at every day and stick with that time. Your body will learn and there will be no excuses. When you don’t have a scheduled time then it is too easy to get up and say “I’ll run after work” and after a bad day you just can’t do it. If you schedule your time like a meeting you force yourself to be accountable.
2. Start small and don’t overdue it. If you have never run before don’t go running 6 miles on your first day. No need for over-training. The goal is to make running a habit so start small and incremental improvements.
3. See progress and improve. Once you feel your body easily adapting to your running, then look at improving your times or increasing your distance.
4. Have fun. You body will never adapt if you don’t find the running pleasurable. We know it isn’t going to be fun the first week or so, but if you are taking it easy and doing it all correctly then try and enjoy your new habit. Believe me, you do get to a point where it is not only fun but it is addicting.
5. Mix up your routes and how you run. Don’t do the same route every day because you WILL get bored. Pick different routes to mix it up. Try and not run at the same pace (once you get comfortable). Experiment with running intervals, or trying to use fartleks. Basically, vary your pace and don’t run the same pace all the time. If you are out on the road, pick a light pole and pick up the pace until you reach that pole, then run slower and do it again with a few light poles down the road. Vary your pace will make it fun, different and in the long run really help you.
6. Get your gear out the day before. When you see it before you workout it will be hard to ignore.
7. Vary your workouts. Running puts a lot of pressure on your legs. Cross-Train. On your easy days try swimming, biking, aerobics class or something different than running that use different muscles. You will not only rest your running legs, but maintain your fitness.
8. Commit yourself by sharing your new found love of running to the world. Ok, you might not want to share with the world, but tell a friend or family member. If you are on facebook, myspace or twitter share with your friends.
9. Think of running as a priority not an after thought.
10. Log your activity as this will show you how you are doing. This will vilify your achievements and motivate you to continue going.
11. Don’t let that little voice in your head convince you to sit on the couch instead of run. Run when you think you are too tired. You will feel better. Of course if you really are physically too tired then take that as a sign, but don’t let the mental voice take over.
12. If your legs are sore or you just can’t seem to run, then walk. No problem with walking.
13. Rest. Resting will help you improve your strength and endurance. Trust me. Take 1 day off or if you want do something like strength training.

Happy Running !

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So you are now starting out a new running program and you think to yourself that in order to be a runner you need to run and run a lot. Now, one misconception about running is that running every day is going to make you a better runner. You might think that will if I continue to run then I can only improve, build up your strength and speed, but really you are only hurting yourself.

The most important day in any running progam is rest. Rest days are as important as training days. Why ? They give your legs and muscles time to recover so you can run again. Your muscles will actually build in strength as your rest.

When you pick up a running book you may read something about over-training. Rest days are necessary because without them you are at risk of over-training injuries. You may develop shin splints or stress fractures which are common overuse injuries because you are putting too much stress on your body. You body has no time to recover. Once you start to show symptoms of these over-training injuries you then risk more time off until you are fully healed.

So, how many rest days do you need ? That can all depend, but normally at least one full rest day off and maybe an easy day. If you run a long run on Sunday then maybe you run easy on Monday and then take Friday off as your rest day, but really it is all up to you.

Remember, rest days are just as important as your other days of running.

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Once you learn you can do it then you need to establish a routine. A routine that you can do consistently. That little subconscious voice may be encouraging you with bad habits. So you need to fight that voice to eliminate those times where you want to pig out or just lie on the couch and be a couch potato.

The easiest way to stay motivated is look for support and encouragement from others. Hang out with people who share your fondness for running, triathlon, or fitness. A great way to do this if you don’t know people around you is to join a social community like twitter where you can find tons of people who are willing to share their experiences and knowledge with you.

Once you teach your body your new routine it becomes easier every day.

After three weeks you body will expect to continue the routine.

What kind of exercise did you do today ?

You can achieve anything you want. There are days when you think you are running slow, but really you are running so that just doesn’t count. I am in belief that anyone can go faster and farther if you just train and have the desire to do so.

If you want to run under 4 hours in a marathon or under 30 minutes for a 5k, then just say you will do it and make it your ultimate goal to do. You can do anything you set your mind to doing.

There are days you will have to fight that inside voice but when you complete your exercise you will be better for it. That inner voice is there to try and kick your butt. Turn it around and kick that voice out of your head.

Need some motivational video’s ? Check this out.

Your second day of the new year is a great time to reflect on what you are trying to achieve. If you are a beginning runner then maybe you want to run your first race (a 5k is a great option) or if you are an intermediate runner a different race distance and if you are experienced then maybe it is to achieve that ultimate PR in your chosen A race.

Remember that running is fun. If you are not having fun then you won’t want to run. Always take the time to enjoy what you are doing. If you are running outside then enjoy what you can of the scenes you are passing by. If you are on a treadmill then imagine running outside and think of the places you want to run.

Maybe take the time to create a virtual race in your head.

We know that there are days where running is not fun or pleasurable but it is those days that you have the most fun that can pull you through those tough days.

If you are starting up for the first time or getting back into it, remember that it does take time to get back into it and the first few days or weeks will be less than pleasurable, but keep up with it and you will soon be running like the wind.