TrainingTruths: Intervals + Hills

From my PT, Trainer Brian, to blog reading and then my own running, the recurring theme for last week's workouts was definitely intervals and hills. 

#TrainingTruth: Planks are more effective when done in short bursts.

On Monday my PT prescribed planks to strengthen my core muscles, but insisted that I do 10 seconds on, 5 second off to maintain proper form and get the true benefit of the workout. Coincidentally, later that night, I read about activating abs with interval planks on Fun and Fit reinforcing the message I received from Trainer Brian.

#TrainingTruth: An interval workout beats the treadmill boredom.

A few months ago I printed out a 30 minute treadmill workout for my step-son and on Tuesday I found myself using it. Treadmill runs are a last resort for me, and Tuesday, with the freezing temps, gray skies, and no running partner, was one of those days. Using the interval workout on incline 2 kept me challenged and left me feeling like I had a good run.

#TrainingTruth: To run hills better, you must attack on the way up.

I wish I could say that I attack all hills at race pace, but the truth is I slow my pace to make it to the top. Even then, there are times that I have to take a walking rest before I can continue. 

#TrainingTruth: Rolling hill routes are really interval workouts in disguise.

Gary's Fun Run route on Sunday included no less than four good hills over the span of 7.5 miles. Whether I like it or not, my speed decreases on the way up and increases on the way down. 

#TrainingTruth: There's not much better than a nice walk after a short break on a beautiful day.

Even though I might just want to sit around and do nothing after a long challenging hill run, getting outside and taking a relaxing walk is much better for my muscles. So, Sunday after my run, I let my husband take me and the dog on a short walk on our local trail.

#TrainingTruths is not just about me. We all like to see what everyone else is doing and use that information to assess ourselves. It's not judgement. It's a way to share and learn and make changes when necessary.

To participate all you have to do is share your #TrainingTruths:

1. Tag a Twitter post with the hashtag #TrainingTruths
2. Comment on the Running Escapades Facebook page 
3. Leave a link to your own blog post in the comments

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Have you joined the Chilly Challenge yet? Check out all the details here or skip right to the sign-up part and be sure to choose #TeamEscapades! Then be sure to invite all your friends: more people = more miles!

Santa Claus Shuffle

The Santa Claus Shuffle is a 3 mile fun run in Manchester that debuted last year with thousands of people coming downtown to run Elm Street wearing a Santa suit. This year was no different. Participants received a free suit with their registration. Those who opted not to wear the suits were encouraged to dress in a holiday costume or wear red. 

I was looking forward to running this event again because the girls were planning a meet up. It got even better when we started coordinating our outfits. Katherine ordered Peppermint Swirl Sweaty Bands and I picked up some matching holiday socks to go with our red shirts and black pants. 

As with most of the downtown weekend events, we parked in the comfortable garage right near Stanton Plaza and then made our way to bib pick up by cutting through the Radisson Hotel lobby. Thanks to modern technology, I easily found all of the girls before the start of the race. After watching the kids run their 50 yard dashes, we made our way into the start corrals. There were so many people lining up for this event that we completely ignored the designated pace signs and just found an open spot and tried to keep warm.

Once we were actually moving, my body temperature stayed comfortable in my new Nike Pro Thermal Training Shirt and I think I made the right call by wearing my Aspaeris compression shorts under my Nike capris. My toes, even with my Zensah compression socks under my cute holiday knee highs from Target, were painfully cold in my Mizuno Wave Rider 15s, but warmed up before the halfway point. On the other hand, my ears stayed nice and toasty the whole time since I was wearing my Sprigs Earbags. It didn't hurt to be surrounded by thousands of runners in Santa suits either!

Saturday's weather was perfectly suited for the Queen City event with temperatures in the low 30s and light snow covering the streets. A winter weather advisory did not interfere with the line up of events: Kid's Elf Runs, the Shuffle, post-race pizza and beer, and the Manchester Holiday Parade. The cold weather also didn't keep the spectators from lining the streets again this year with their cheers and bells.

The Millennium Running Company produced another fun event that certainly captured the spirit of the holidays and had me humming Here Comes Santa Claus on the way home. 

How do you combine exercise with your holiday?

Combine exercise with the NEW YEAR by joining the first ever Chilly Challenge and logging as many miles as you can for a chance to win some fabulous prizes. Check out all the details here or skip right to the sign-up part and be sure to choose #TeamEscapades! Then be sure to invite all your friends - more people = more miles!

Chilly Challenge 2013

Are you already struggling to keep up with your exercise routine due to the cold weather? Would you like a fun way to stay motivated through the cold month of January? Whether you run, walk, or elliptical, Janine at The Purple Giraffe and I have the answer to keep you moving through your winter blues.

What is it? The Chilly Challenge is a friendly team competition to see how many miles you can log in a month. The team that completes the most miles during the month of January wins the competition. All members of the winning team will be automatically entered to win prizes from some of our favorite companies!

So, what do you do?

1. Pick a Team: It’s a competition. Are you Team Running Escapades or Team Purple Giraffe? (You can read our bios at the end of this post) To pick your team, visit the Chilly Challenge spreadsheet and sign up. Then get ready to log as many miles as you can! 
2. Run: On January 1, start logging those miles: run, walk, or elliptical. 
3. Report: After you get nice and sweaty, log your miles on the Chilly Challenge spreadsheet. If you are on Facebook, join the Chilly Challenge 2013 group to find motivation. If you use Twitter, encourage your teammates by using hashtag #ChillyChallenge #TeamEscapades or #TeamGiraffe 
4. Tell Your Friends: The more peeps you get to join your team, the better chance you have of winning! Recruit, recruit, recruit! Tweet it, Facebook it, blog it, stand on the corner holding a sign! Be sure to tell your friends which team to join, ehem ;)

What do you get for all this hard work?

1. Moving: What can be better than that? Oh, maybe the waves of happy endorphins cruising through your body.
2. Motivation: When it's cold and dark, it's hard to stay on track. That's where we come in. Your team will help keep you going because they really, really want to win!
3. Your Best Happy Self: At then end of the competition, you will be fitter, stronger, and healthier. How can that not make you happy? And you might score a shiny new PR too!
4. SWAG: Everyone loves prizes and the team with the most miles is eligible to win. We are lucky enough to be sponsored by some of our favorite companies, which means you have the chance to win some great gear just for doing what you always do! Winners will be chosen randomly from the winning team.

Prizes: Here is a list of what our fabulous sponsors have donated to help motivate you through the month of January. BIG thank yous to our awesome sponsors:

(3) Pairs of ProCompression Socks

(5) BIC Bands of varying colors/styles

(3) BIA Technical Shirts

(2) Custom MyRaceRagz Technical Shirts
(1) Aspaeris Pivot Shorts

(4) packs of (2) Sweaty Bands

(5) pair Mizuno Breath Thermo gloves

(3) ShowerPill Athletic Wipes packs

(1) Whole Foods $25 gift card

(5) Gold Bond Friction Defense & socks

(1) Simple Hydration Water Bottle

(1) RockMyRun Three month gold subscription

(3) Sprigs assorted prize packs
(3) hats from Sauce Headwear

So, are you wondering which team you should join?

Meet the Captains:

Team Running Escapades - (aka Amy)

Favorite distance: half marathon

Favorite pre-race meal: pepperoni calzone

Favorite running shoe: Mizunos

Mantra: Keep running! 

What I do when I'm not running: High school teacher

Why you should be on my team: I might not be the fastest or the youngest captain ;) but I have lots of enthusiasm and passion. I promise to keep you motivated and entertained!

Team Purple Giraffe - (aka Janine)

Favorite distance: 5 miler at the moment - training for my first half marathon!

Favorite pre-race meal: bacon pizza

Favorite running shoe: Saucony for the win!

Mantra: Workin' off my ass & toppin' off my glass - everything in moderation...including moderation! 

What I do when I'm not running: For my day job, I'm a Process Expert at a health care company...and I blog at TPG, of course!

Why you should be on my team: I may never win any land speed records while running, but I sure do have fun - running in costumes, running for beer, being a complete goofball- why WOULDN'T you want to be on my team?!

Will you be joining us for #ChillyChallenge 2013?

TrainingTruths: Spontaneous Running

I'm waiting to find out when my next big race will be. If I don't get into the NYC Half Marathon in March, then I will probably run the Half at the Hamptons at the end of February. In the mean time, my weekly runs have been unplanned and spontaneous. We run whatever sounds good. 

#TrainingTruth: "Running made me feel like a bird let out of a cage, I loved it that much" - Priscilla Welch

Monday runs have never been a favorite of mine. Maybe it was coming back to work after a weekend that made my runs feel crappy. This was my first Monday run in a loonnngg time and it was MARVELOUS! I really felt like I could fly.

#TrainingTruth: Hamstrings can be a real pain in the rear.

I took Anatomy in high school (like a billion years ago), but I had no idea that the knot in my a$$ was actually inflammation of my hamstring muscles, commonly known as high hamstring tendinitis. Luckily Trainer Brian thinks Active Release Therapy combined with daily foam rolling and stretching after runs will put me on the mend.

#TrainingTruth: A short hill run is just as good as a long hill run.

Unexpected kid duty changed this run from a long run on a hilly course to a long hill on a short course. I'm not a fan of any kind of hill work, but it does feel good when you get to the top. 

#TrainingTruth: Maintenance running should include something fun.

Instead of meeting up for a long run on Saturday, the girls and our families got together for the local Santa Shuffle downtown. This 3 mile run amongst thousands of Santas in the frigid temperatures and snow flurries was a perfect way to kick off the holiday season and have fun with running friends.

Guess what wasn't cold during that fun run? You got it, my ears! And thanks to Sprigs, Tracey, Jill, and Nancy will also have warm ears this winter! Ladies, I've already sent you an email. Congratulations!

What does your training look like right now?

Scheduled or impromptu?

#TrainingTruths is not just about me. We all like to see what everyone else is doing and use that information to assess ourselves. It's not judgement. It's a way to share and learn and make changes when necessary.

To participate all you have to do is share your #TrainingTruths:

1. Tag a Twitter post with the hashtag #TrainingTruths
2. Comment on the Running Escapades Facebook page 
3. Leave a link to your own blog post in the comments

I look forward to reading your #TrainingTruths!

Fitness Friday: Holiday Gifts for Runners

Looking for holiday gift ideas for the runner in your life? I thought I'd put together a simple list of runner items that won't require you to know a lot of details (brand, size, color) and that won't cause you to worry about whether your runner already has one.

Gift Cards - Runners love to shop for new gear. A gift card to the local running store or sporting goods store is great, but there are also awesome online stores for runners, such as Road Runner Sports, and Running Warehouse. There are also specialty stores that runners generally like to shop online such as Lululemon, Oiselle, and Athleta.  

Massage and Spa Visits - Reward your runner for all their training efforts with an hour long massage at her/his favorite masseuse, or treat your runner to a manicure/pedicure at the local spa.

Bling - Bling isn't just about the big medals at the end of the race anymore. Surprise your runner with a pretty necklace or bracelet. You can find some nice selections at Erica Sara Designs, Sporty Girl Jewelry, and some non-traditional safety bling at Road ID. 

Books - If your runner is also a reader, think about running books. There are books on running, runners, runner's diets, runner's form, running history, and more. Some popular titles include Born to Run, Mile Markers, Going Long, Sole Sisters, The Runner's Guide to the Meaning of Life, and Train Like a Mother. You pretty much can't go wrong here.

Magazines - Buy a subscription to one (or more) of the popular running magazines so your runner can stay up to date with current trends in gear, get training tips, and read advice from experts. Consider Runner's World and Women's Running. 

Race Registration - If you know your runner is planning to sign up for a race, gift her/him the registration. Better yet, sign yourself up too and join the fun. You might also consider planning a destination race. I pinned some great ideas here. Just be sure that you are both ready to take on the distance. You can search for races on Active and Cool Running.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas - Some smaller items that would make great gifts or fit in a stocking include running fuel, like GU, Sport Beans, or small bottles of Gatorade, all of which you can easily get at your local running/sporting goods store. All runners need a good water bottle and Simple Hydration is awesome. There are also cute car magnets for runners and you can never have too many socks. And for your female runner, you can't go wrong with a wrist wallet or some Sweaty Bands. 

Running Shoes - Unless you know exactly what pair, color, and size because your favorite runner has been dropping hints left and right, I would avoid picking out a pair of running shoes. Runners are very picky and want to know what's in this kind of box.

So there you go. A simple runner-friendly gift guide to get you through the holiday season. And remember, it's ok to ask your runner if there is anything she/he is hoping to find gift wrapped this year! 

What's on your holiday wish list?

Don't want to wait for the perfect gift that will keep your ears warm? Enter my Sprigs Earbags Giveaway before it's too late! And don't forget, if you place an order, you can use my coupon code Escapades20 for 10% off of orders up to $29.99 or 20% off orders over $30. It expires 12/12/12 at 11:59 PM EST.