Stefanie's Shoes

I wasn't sure if anyone was still reading my blog entries. Thanks for the comments! I appreciate them. Today I would like to continue writing about my running tips. Before delving into this, I hope everyone had a relaxing 4th of July. Ok, now back to blogging.

I have already discussed stretching, so today I am going to continue down my list (below) and discuss what I mean by listening to your body. Personally, I believe this is one of the most important aspects to running or any exercise regime, for that matter.

1. Stretching


2. Listening to your body


3. Breathing


4. Running form


5. Eating right


6. Hydration


7. Running shoes & clothing

Listening to your body:

First of all it is very important to schedule days of rest into your exercise routine. Your body needs time off, just as your mind does with work & school. If you don't take this time off, you will wind up taking steps backwards instead of forwards into your exercise routine. Important: do not run three or more days consecutively. This means you need to schedule something like two days of rest every week. Sometimes it is easy to train your body into a routine like every Tuesday & Friday are my days of rest. This may give you some motivation to get your runs in even when you are busy and just really don't want to run. If you know you will get a break tomorrow, then it's a little extra incentive to get in a good run today. The website that I used for marathon training (HalHigdon.com) recommends a similar type schedule.

Some reasons for not exercising three or more days consecutively is to (1) rest your muscles and (2) not to overuse your mucles. Essentially, if you overuse your muscles (even with proper nutrition and stretching) you could be causing them harm. Think about it as if you are breaking down your muscles day by day and a day of rest restores all (or most) of the stress you put on them. So if you don't take these breaks then your muscles don't take the time to restore themselves fully and eventually your muscles will become extremely fatigued, which could lead to pulling or tearing of your muscle tissues.

I will save a big chunk of this next piece for a later date, but I would like to mention it today...nutrition & hydration. If you are running and start to get a side ache, chances are that you are not properly hydrated. I drink two 8 ounce glasses of water before I begin my run. Everyone needs varying amounts of water to stay hydrated and it really all depends on your body and the weather you are running in. If it is hot or humid then you may need extra water, or maybe want to carry some water with you when you go running. If it is cool out, then you may not need extra water. Bringing water with you on a jog is a good idea. It allows you to listen to your body. If you are thirsty then drink some water or better yet, an energy drink. However, make sure not to overhydrate your body. Extreme overhydration can cause your organs to shut down. So it is key to drink as much water as your body needs but not any more water than that.

Nutrition is important, but I will cover most of this on another date. Today I just want to mention that it is NOT a good idea to diet and run. Reducing your caloric intake slightly and switching your diet to a higher protein diet may be okay, but beyond that you could really be hurting your muscles. I ran into this last year. NOT GOOD! So, if you are dieting make sure you are eating properly - protein, protein, protein. Carbohydrates are also an important to intake when running regularly. They make inexpensive carbohydrate shots for those of your who are running more than 60 minutes at a time. There are many different brands and for the most part, they are all good. Take one carb-shot for every 60 minutes of running. There is much more I have to say on this, but if you are dieting and running, be forewarned that it could be causing more harm then good.

Moving on, I want to discuss how important it is to stick to your running routine, even on those days that you just don't want to do it. As I previously recommended, determine a running schedule that works for you - HalHigdon.com can help if you are training for any races (at any skill level). Next, stick to this schedule. There are so many days that I have had the worst time motivating myself to get out there and run. It is hard, especially on those days when you are tired or have been on your feet all day. Listen to your body on these days, but still get out there. If you need to walk what you had planned, or walk-run, that is perfectly fine. It is just so important to get out there. Bring your dog, listen to your headphones, bring a friend - just get out there. Know that you are not the only one that feels that way. You will really appreciate that you made the effort later. You are trooper and can do it!

Best of luck! Email me with any questions: stefanis@biostat.umn.edu, but put something about running or blog or something into the subject line or I may think it's junk mail and delete it.