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Monday, December 6, 2010

It Is Officially Cold....I Succumbed To The Treadmill...

I am running swiftly past mile 2 and my legs are feeling warmed up...I wait to feel the fresh air push against my skin and instead I see...a sweater, some old hangers, and too many cans of tuna and old soup.  Where am I you ask?  My basement of course!  And it is unfortunate because I am now succumbing to treadmill running.  Its a depressing reality every winter, for every runner that experiences a real winter,  you keep pushing your limits of what you consider *cold* until its finally too much.  This happened to me this past Sunday, I finally had to call it quits on outdoor running!  I laced up my Nike's, and convinced myself that it was just a slight breeze, that after I ran a mile it would feel more like 37 instead of 17 degrees out.  Oh how wrong I was when I barely made it 1 mile!  My Cold-Gear was no match for 17 degrees with a strong wind on Sunday morning!  So I sadly trotted back to my house, into my basement, and ran 3.5 miles staring at my mom's sweater, cans of tuna and soup, and our brand new washer and dryer.  Woo hoo!

But there is a plus side to this treadmill running, I can run in shorts and a T shirt in December and not freeze my butt off!!  I can see my exact pace, my exact distance, an approximation of how many calories I have burned, and even my heart rate.  But who doesn't love fresh air and changing scenery?  I know I do...

So how can you spice up the treadmill?  Make it more interesting?  Make it less dull and boring!  Well first of all if you have a TV or something infront of your treadmill that may help some, but it still may make treadmill running dull!  Lets learn some spicy treadmill tips!

1.  Try A Program!  Even my plain-jane treadmill has some programs set up in it.  Pick a program whether its a 5K race program, interval training, hills, fat burning, anything!  Pre set programs usually go for 30 to 40 minutes so you will get a good amount of running in!

2.  Make up your own program!  Although I have preset programs on my treadmill, I rarely use them.  Instead, I just create my own!
      Example: I will decide to run for 30-35 minutes and instead of tracking my distance, I will focus on training in intervals.  I do this by alternating between 2 different speeds : A slower speed, maybe just 10-15 seconds below your normal mile time, and a quicker speed, not quite a sprint, but definitely faster than your normal pace.  These paces should be spread out with the slower speed from 3-4 (but I would say no more than 4) minutes and the quicker speed 1.5-2 minutes.  For me, I start my first 3-4 minutes with a 6.3-6.4 setting or around 9:40/mile pace.  After those first 3-4 minutes, I will then do my fast pace, around 6.9-7.0 or about 8:30/mile pace, for the next 2 minutes.  I alternate between these two paces for the first 15 minutes.  If I am feeling good and not tired around 15 minutes (give or take) I will adjust my *slower speed* to about 6.5 and my *quicker pace* to 7.4 or 7.5 for the last 15 minutes!  If you don't feel up to adjusting your paces up, just stay with the 2 paces you started at.  This might seem like a lot, but it is really simple!  Not only will this keep your mind occupied by constantly watching the time, waiting for when you can *speed up* or *slow down*, but it is EXCELLENT for building up endurance!  Do this exercise (or something similar to it) for as little as a week and I bet you will notice a difference.  You eventually will be able to run longer and farther with exercises like this spread out amongst your usual running routine.

3.  If you aren't feeling the intervals, just pick a number to hit.  Whether you want to run straight without breaks or anything for 40 minutes, or you want to run 3 miles, push for that number and focus on it.  While you're running, think about your day, think about things that are stressing you out, maybe a to do list for later that day or the next day, what you want to cook for dinner, or for this time of year who you still need to buy presents for!  And what to get them!  Before you know it, your goal will be right infront of you!

I personally prefer the *create your own interval training* or #2, but that is just my opinion.  It honestly works for me every time I am bored on a treadmill.  I am not sure why it works, besides distracting your mind to pay attention to time, but it really does!  Try it!

And now, back by popular (hehe) demand, Food of the Day!  Foods that I think all runners and well just active people in general should give a try!  Today, I will be discussing...Greek Yogurt!!!!  Specifically, Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt (my personal favorite :D)

What is there to say about Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt...first of all, I honestly have no idea why anyone would buy the greek yogurt with fat in it.  I mean, it honestly does not taste different.  Usually, as many of us know, anything *nonfat* especially when talking dairy, means loss of creaminess in taste, flavor and especially texture...but wait, this is totally not the case with Nonfat Greek Yogurt!!!  Greek yogurt is always delicious thick and creamy (with our without the fat!) because this special type of yogurt is super strained!  Well, thats not what they say, but it is excessively strained...in a good way...in a way that removes a lot of water and whey, with means less moisture, which means thick creamy goodness!  Did I mention the health benefits?  No?  Oh let me!

On average, Greek Yogurt has at least double the protein of regular yogurt, more probiotics, and (in my opinion) better taste!  As a runner, and as an active individual in general, protein is one of our bestest friends.  Without protein, we can't build stronger muscles for those long and intense runs.  And trust me, we want those stronger muscles, oh man do we want them.  Greek yogurt can help us get there!  Lately, I have been eating PNGY (Plain Nonfat Greek Yogurt...too much Rachel Ray?  I'll stop...) probably at least 4 or 5 times a week.  Not only is it loaded with protein, but 1 cup has just around 110-125 calories, and because of its large quantities of protein, it will fill you up!  And if it fills me up, it will fill anyone up.

So how to eat and prepare and enjoy Greek Yogurt....the better question is how couldn't you enjoy it?  Use it as a substitute for making dressings, mix it up with some yummy flavors to use as a spread instead of Mayo, use to to make dips for chips and veggies alike instead of Mayo, or just do what I do, mix it with some fruit, jam, or honey and granola.  Yummmm!

I usually have a cup of PNGY, a table spoon or 2 of a low sugar jam, or fruit, or less than a table spoon of honey and a 1/3 of a cup of granola or cereal!  Trust me, this will fill ya up for awhile!  And it is ohhh so delicious.  Brands that I like are Fage and Chobani.  Greek Gods brands (to me) don't seem to strain the yogurt very well and they contain a lot less protein!  If you can, try to buy the PNGY in a large tub with about 4 to 6 servings in it, its definitely a lot more economical then you can take as much as you want!  This is a great food to eat after a race, a long run, or any run or workout.  I would not suggest eating it before as heavy loads of protein can slow down a runner pre-run.  But post-run?  Rock out with the PNGY!  Oh yeah!  Totally a great recovery food!

This is a rather lengthy post, but I hope it is enjoyable!  Happy Running!  I know it is sad to say goodbye to outdoor running, but try some of my tips, and just stay focused!  Burn off those Christmas Cookies!

Peace out fellow runners and athletes!

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