Shape Up With Sherri
Weight loss, nutrition, exercise, fitness, health by Sherri Mcmillan

It’s Race Day – Steps Leading Up to Your Race

If you’ve followed along with this running program series, you’ve learned about proper running progression, correct running technique, important strengthening exercises for your core, hips, and feet as a runner, key stretches and muscle release techniques and more.

Today, I wanted to review important steps as race day approaches:

Nutrition:

Proper nutrition is critical throughout your entire training program, but even more important to pay very close attention to your nutrition as you approach race day.  Read the rest of Running Program Week 11

During the last 7 columns we’ve discussed general running guidelines to help you design a program to prepare you for the local, popular runs, the Portland Marathon and the Girlfriends Run for a Cure that will have thousands of runners and walkers participating from around the Northwest in the next few weeks.

For today’s portion of running program, I wanted to focus on running technique. It seems easy enough, doesn’t it?  Right leg, left leg, right leg….I remember asking a Canadian National Running Coach about the best way to improve my client’s running technique and his response was “the best way to improve someone’s running technique is to run!”  And there is some truth to this for sure. The more you run, the fitter you become and the easier it is for your body to find the most efficient running forms. 

With that said, there actually is a science to running correctly to minimize injuries and maximize performance.

Here are some tips to help you fine-tune your running technique.

Keep in mind, don’t make any dramatic changes to your running stride too quickly which can lead to injury.  Gradually adjust one thing at a time.

Leg Turnover:

Most people run with too low of a cadence which puts extra strain on your body and the longer your foot stays in contact with the ground, the greater the energy required to propel it forward.  Do not focus on lengthening your stride but rather go for shorter, quicker strides. Focus on achieving a cadence of 90 strides per leg per minute (180 foot strikes per minute). The easiest way to measure this is to count how many times your feet strike in 15 seconds and then multiply by 4. You can also use a metronome or fast paced music to help you get comfortable with how fast your leg speed should be. Read the rest of Running Program Week 8

During the last 4 columns we’ve discussed general running guidelines to help you design a running program to prepare you for the local, popular runs, the Portland Marathon and the Girlfriends Run for a Cure that will have thousands of runners and walkers participating from around the Northwest this fall.

Today (week 5), I wanted to talk about your feet and how important they are to running.  As you run, the muscles of your feet and lower limb absorb the forces of up to three times your body weight.  So let’s say you weigh 150 pounds, that’s 450 pounds of force with each stride!  So it’s clear that the foot is important but very few people actually work on strengthening their feet and even though it’s one of the most important areas for runners, it’s the most neglected!

Here’s some tips to strengthening your feet and many you can do anywhere so shouldn’t take extra time:

Towel Crunches:

Lay a towel flat on the floor in front of you.  Place your bare feet on the towel edge closest to you and then curl your toes pulling the towel closer and closer to you.  Continue this exercise for a couple minutes. It’s an easy one to do while you’re watching TV or reading.  Some runners will do this in the shower with a wet towel making it heavier and more challenging.

Ball Curls:

Take a small soft ball like a Hacky Sac and squeeze your toes around the ball.  Continue for 1-2 minutes.

Toe Taps: Read the rest of Running Program – Week 5

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

During the last 3 columns we’ve discussed general running guidelines to help you design a running program to prepare you for the local, popular runs, the Portland Marathon and the Girlfriends Run for a Cure that will have thousands of runners and walkers participating from around the Northwest this fall. Last week, we reviewed an action plan in the event you are experiencing nagging aches and pains associated with running.

Today, I wanted to talk about a running program that will help improve your performance as a runner.  Although most participants are just happy to get to the finish line of these events, there is a number of people that really want to work on their speed.

If you want to get fast, you have to train fast. Read the rest of Running Program Week 4

During the last 2 columns we’ve discussed general running guidelines to help you design a running program to prepare you for the local, popular runs, the Portland Marathon and the Girlfriends Run for a Cure that will have thousands of runners and walkers participating from around the Northwest this fall.

But even if you do everything right, sometimes you still experience nagging aches and pains during your training program.  So what should you do if you find yourself in pain?

As we mentioned earlier, running is a high-impact sport and unfortunately, you may be forced to deal with the symptoms of an injury or an injury-just-waiting to happen.  In the event that this happens, you need to know exactly what to do to hopefully “nip it in the bud”.  If you find yourself experiencing any form of pain around the hip, knee, shins or feet, treat it immediately.  Injuries left untreated, can become chronic and seriously affect your ability to continue with your training program.

As a general guideline, the acronym “RICE” should serve as the basis of treatment for most minor, acute strains and injuries during your running program:

• R stands for rest – that is either take a few days off or reduce your training intensity and volume.  Walking, hiking and/or water running are good backups when you need a break from running.  And as a general rule of thumb, some activity is better than no activity to keep circulation strong and to support the healing process so do whatever you can to keep moving without causing pain to the affected area.
• I stands for ice – ice the affected area Read the rest of Running Program Week 3

Last week, we reviewed a progressive Learn to Run program to help get you ready for the local, popular runs, the Portland Marathon and the Girlfriends Run for a Cure – Quarter & Half Marathon that will have thousands of runners and walkers participating from around the Northwest.

Today, I will discuss a few general guidelines for designing your running program:

• Try not to run 2 days in a row if possible.  Running exposes your body to a lot of impact and it is helpful to allow your body time to recover in between running workouts, especially if you are prone to injury.
• Allow for one full recovery day per week. It doesn’t mean you have to lay around watching TV and eating bon bons all day but it’s a good idea to have one day a week when you aren’t concerned about getting into your training zone and instead, allow your body a day’s rest from impact and intensity.
• Invest in a good pair of running shoes and consult with an expert to help determine the right shoe for your body.  Check out the previous blog post where I discuss the key pointers on getting the right running shoe for you. Read the rest of Running Program Week 2