Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Final session tomorrow (6/25)

If you didn't read the post from 6/18, please do.

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last training of session 1.  Please meet at the white bridge parking lot at 5:30 p.m.  Following the "talk & walk" stroll to the state park, all who want to celebrate their strider success are invited to go to Mariachi loco following the walk. 


Please don't forget about session 2 of Striders which begins on Wednesday July 9 at 5:30 p.m. on the 2nd floor of City Hall.  You and your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and anyone else you can think of are welcome.  The more the merrier!!!

Have a great last session!!!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Missed you all tonight!

By 5:40, the 4 of us had a perfect evening for training!  We missed you, but understand that the weather was indeed precarious so I understand :)
 
Let's talk about next week . . .
You will meet at the white bridge parking lot (all the way at the end of River Rd).  This will be a group talk & walk - just a social end of session to celebrate our successes. 

After the group walk, you're invited to join your fellow striders at Mariachi Loco (Mexican restaurant by Kroger at the south end of town).  Here, you can dine and laugh and have a non-sweaty time together. 




In the event of bad weather (storms, lightening/thunder, heavy rain) next week, please meet at Mariachi Loco at 5:30 pm. instead of the white bridge  

Due to business travel, I will not be at next week's session so I want to make sure to tell you how proud I am of you and how great it has been to work with you on your journey.  We've had all kinds of weather and you've all stepped up and endured each week like champs.  I'm unbelievably proud of the accomplishments you have made and am privileged you allowed me on the journey with you. 

Just a reminder that next week is the last week of Strider session 1.  I hope you will consider joining us for Strider session 2 so that you can keep making progress toward your goals.  Striders 2 starts on Wednesday, July 9th and will run 8 Wednesdays at 5:30 (schedule is available in the "schedule" tab above).  The first session will meet at on the 2nd floor of City Hall again followed by a group "get to know you" walk.  The cost is $10/person (family max $20).  If you know anyone who can join us - please bring them to the first session.  If you did session 1, there is no need to register with the parks department for session 2 - just show up the first night (7/9 @ 5:30 p.m. City Hall).  Hope to see you there.

Enjoy the rest of the month - see you in July!!!!

Friday, June 13, 2014

Only 2 weeks left!


Some of you have forgotten to come to our weekly training sessions and we miss you!  Please join us on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Hardees. 

We only have 2 more trainings left in this first session:
6/18 at Hardees
6/25 at the White bridge for my absolute favorite "talk and walk" session - a beautiful stroll from the white bridge to the state park followed by a celebration at Mariachi Loco for all who want to celebrate the accomplishments of session 1

The second session of Striders starts on July 9.  I hope you'll join us!!!  No need to pre-register - just show up the first night.  It's $10 and we will meet at City Hall.  You can access the schedule by clicking on the "Schedule" Tab at the top of the blog.  It's a great way to stay accountable, continue on the progress you've made thus far, and meet new people.  I look forward to a full summer of striding fun with you!  Bring a friend, a water bottle, and enjoy getting healthier one stride at a time!

Training plan tab

As promised, there is now a training plan tab located at the top of the blog - next to "events" - check it out!

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Training needs a plan?

Training plans are all the rage . . . or at least an essential tool for anyone preparing for a race, wanting to increase their distance safely, or seeking some structure to their workouts. 

What's a training plan?
Great question!  A training plan is a structured schedule that identifies daily distances to walk or run in a progressive nature over a specified amount of time.  Training plans can be simple or complex.  They are available for beginners who can't walk or run a mile as well as the most advanced runners who are training for marathons.  Because training plans are laid out in such a way that they slowly increase your distance each week, they are ideal for walkers/runners who are looking to increase the distance they can go.  It should be said that not all training plans are the same - some are designed specifically for beginners, some are designed for intermediate or advanced runners, some are designed to prepare you to go a specific distance (i.e. preparing to walk/run a 5K or half marathon).  It's important to pick the training plan that works for you.  Here's an example - when I was a newbie runner and decided to prepare for my first half marathon - I looked at schedules that one week said to run a 5 mile run and then next week said to run an 8 mile run.  It was called a beginner training schedule, but I knew that I would never be able to make a 3 mile jump in run distance in just a week's time.  I kept my abilities and fitness level in mind and chose another plan. 

Why are training plans important?
 Our bodies are excellent at getting used to what we ask of it; therefore, it is important that we challenge it in different ways at least every couple of weeks.  Let me share 2 examples with you that might make this concept more real to you.  Have you ever done a Zumba class or other aerobic class and thought you would not make it to the end, but you kept going and after a couple of weeks you were doing all the moves and bumping up the intensity and having a good time.  That's the principle of adaptation -  your body adapting to what you were asking of it and it became easy.   Another example would be if you ever lifted weights.  Initially you may have started with 5 pounds, but after a few sessions of 5 pounds you found it to be easy so you bumped up the weight to 10 pounds and eventually that also became easy.   When things become easy - that's when you have to change it up.  No matter what your goal for walking running (i.e. just get healthier, have fun, participate in a 5K, run a marathon), a training plan is a great idea to prevent adaptation, to keep thing fun and interesting, and to safely and slowly increase your distance over time. 


I want to start to run and hope to do a 5K - a training plan isn't for me is it?
YES!  New to doing a 5K walkers/runners just may be the MOST important group of people to use a 5K.  A training plan is like a coach - it tells you how to get from where you are to where you want to go.  With the right training plan, you can prevent some injuries by trying to do too much too soon, prevent burn out because the training plan gives you a new challenge each day, and helps you feel success because you have accomplished the goals for the day, week, and eventually the whole plan.  


Why should I care - I only walk for recreation?
As I mentioned above, adaptation is one of the biggest reasons.  You lose some of the benefit of the workout if it's too easy for you:  you burn less calories (a big issue for people trying to lose weight), and you don't challenge your muscles, bones, or cardiovascular system.  Essentially you are still putting in the time but getting less benefits than you used to when you first started.  Training plans keep things fresh - each day you may have a new distance to go and in the case of some training plans, you may even have a different type of walk or run to do (i.e. you may walk a shorter distance but go a little faster, or you may run a little slower but go a litter further, or in the case of advanced plans a plan may say to walk/run on hills or on a trail).  All of these daily changes will challenge your body and keep things fresh and fun. 

Where can I find a training plan and how do I know which one is right for me?
Next week I will post different examples of training plans on this blog to help you; however, in the meantime, you can Google "5K training plan" or "training plan for beginners" or other searches of similar search terms.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Chicks Run (or walk) THIS Thursday!

One of the area's BEST all women's events . .  .The 2nd Annual Chicks' Run (or Walk) presented by the Bluffton Parks Department.  Grab your mom, your sister, your female co-workers, your friends and join in the fun.  This $5 race (without a shirt or $15 with a shirt) starts at 7:00 p.m. THIS Thursday (6/5).  Come around 6:15 to join in the pre-race activities.  About a month ago, I was told there were more than 200 women already registered.  This is not a timed race - it's all about FUN - so lace up your sneakers and join in the fun.  I'll  be helping at the race so I look forward to seeing you there!!!

p.s. Don't know how to register -you can go to the "Races" tab above and click on "Chick's Run" which will open the registration form - print it - complete it and either bring it on Thursday or turn it in to the Parks Department ahead of time!

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Want to walk or run faster?

Sometimes people in the Summer Striders program want to go further - we accomplish this by slowly adding time/distance every two weeks and often referring to an official training schedule which strategically builds mileage over a specified amount of time.  If this is your goal - no worries, I will be posting more information on this in a future blog. 

Sometimes people in Summer Striders want to go faster.  If this is you - you are in luck.  This week's post is aimed at helping you.  Click on the "Gadgets & Stuff" tab at the top to find the newly posted information about Timing Devices including interval timers and metronomes. 

Keep striding to better health-