"I took my local coach, Susan (also wife of 45 years!) to the local high school track. As we squeezed through the locked gate, I said "Welcome to my world!"
Summer is the time for colorful, fresh, and fruity.
Fruits are in abundance this time of the year. You should be able to find all ingredients at any local grocery store. The prep for each drink is under 5 minutes!
1) Watermelon Juice - High in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. It’s about 92% water.
Ingredients
Directions
2) Lemonade - Great source of vitamin C. Also helps to improve your skin and digestion.
Ingredients
Directions
3)Tart Cherry Smoothie - Beneficial for post run/ workout recovery. Tart cherries battle inflammation, while the protein from the Greek yogurt rebuilds muscle.
Ingredients
¾ cup tart cherry juice
1 cup frozen pineapple
½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
Directions
1. Place tart cherry juice in blender. Add frozen pineapple and yogurt.
2. Blend ingredients until smooth.
3. Serve chilled.
Summer is one of the best seasons to be a runner. Enjoy it to the fullest by taking care of these basics and set yourself up for a great fall or winter goal race.
Winter weather often requires the use of treadmills and other indoor facilities, but summer’s heat or thunderstorms may also force you to the air-conditioned sanctuary of the gym. Here are a few helpful things to remember about how to adjust when running indoors.
Highlights:
- Treadmills are not the enemy
- Bring entertainment (music, movie, book, podcast)
- Treadmill belt if softer and less impact that running outside
- Set the incline to 1-2% on the machine
- Ease into the run. Start nice and slow.
- Hydrate well and often. Aim to take 3-4 ounces of water every 25-30 minutes.
If running indoors may not be an option, but running outdoors is not either, you may be in a spot where cross training is in order to maintain fitness. What cross training activity makes the most sense? Compare and contrast the vast array of currently available options available in gyms today.
Heading out on some adventurous runs or driving trips that might include a bunch of miles? Consider this list of things you might not consider, but can be VERY helpful for runners who are spending a lot of time in the car.
All that humidity might leave you a bit sweaty. Before you deal with the after effects of some serious chafing, read our quick Q&A with a dermatologist about chafing and how to avoid it.
While one of the most obvious topics for summer running, hydration is always worth keeping in mind, particularly if your average fluid consumption consists primarily of coffee or diet coke! Use the summer to build some good habits and read about the “art of hydration” here.
Did you know that water does more than just keep you hydrated? Obviously, that is an important role, but water is essential in your body for three other important tasks.
1-Water helps transport nutrients to the working muscles during training
2-Water eliminates waste products (like lactic acid) during high intensity training
3-Water works to keep your core temperature cooler by dissipating heat through sweating
Hydration does not have to be from water alone. Here are some other ideas of delicious, refreshing, and hydrating summer drinks.
The ramifications of not having enough fluid in your system can start with just 2% fluid loss. Headache, lack of concentration, dizziness, fatigue, inability to recover, and overall decreased ability to perform. Nothing that helps your training or allows you to work hard towards your goals. To avoid any of these happening to you this summer, here are a few things to include in your daily routine.
1-Drink 8-12 ounces of water when you first wake up to kick start hydration
2-Drink more than just water. Adding in electrolyte beverages will help your cells saturate with fluid and not dilute your body’s natural salt chemistry
3-Drink consistently throughout the day. Keep a water bottle with you at all times
Hold up your water bottle in a toast to quality summer training and good hydration!
For some of us, inside running is a regular strategy. Work routine, location, time crunch, tough weather, safety precautions, rehabbing an injury, are all reasons to choose to the "Mill". Wheter you are a regular or a newbie, here are a few thoughts on how to make the most of your time on a treadmill.
Treadmill Tips
Any first timer on a treadmill can attest that the ride is slightly different than the ground in a variety of ways. To account for these variances, we generally recommend some slight adjustments. Without the wind resistance encountered when moving forward outside, the pace might feel a bit easier on a treadmill than on your normal run. To approximate an equivalent demand, adjust the incline of the treadmill 1%-2%.
The second important consideration when running on a treadmill is attentiveness to your form. With the ground traveling underneath and often a softer landing than most outdoor running surfaces, the body can easily tilt into various, slightly unfamiliar positions. If possible, run on a machine where you can gauge your posture in a mirror or reflecting window. Try to keep yourself tall, with your weight over your feet. The only thing worse than grumbling about running on a treadmill is grumbling about being injured because you were running strangely on a treadmill. Attention to your form might even help you when you go outside again and have a clear, fresh picture of what your good form looks and feels like.
Because of the weather and the limitations of running indoors, you may have to adjust your workout a bit.
> Increase the incline between 4 to 8%. The tougher grade can yield the raised heart rate you were looking for with your speed workout.
> Adjust your pace based on machine. If you are on an older treadmill don't try to run full speed. Instead make your interval longer by 1:00.
> If you are doing a tempo on the treadmill, start off 5-7 seconds slower. The belt can make you feel like you're moving your legs faster than normal. This will prevent you from pulling a hammy!
Runcoach Coach and Elite Marathoner, Coach Hiruni reports that treadmill workouts have definitely made an impact for her in the past years. “One of the reasons I love the treadmill is that it is the best pacer in the industry. I live at altitude in a very hilly area. I can pace myself and stay on the target best when I use a treadmill. It keeps me honest and focued".
To adjust your prescribed runcoach workout to a treadmill setting by manipulating the grade and pace, try using a treadmill pace conversion chart such as this one from HillRunner.com. No two treadmills are exactly alike, so keep in mind you may have to make some slight adjustments with your machine.
Bad Weather and No Treadmill?
Occasionally, drastic situations may call for creative solutions. If you are unable to run outside due to conditions and a treadmill isn’t available, all may not be lost. If you are in an urban setting with a series of connected indoor walkways between office buildings, or within a long shopping mall, you may be able to just duck your head at curious onlookers and get at least a few easy miles in indoors. Convention centers and long hotel hallways can even provide a last ditch opportunity on occasion. Nike headquarters actually has a hallway where their athletes can run long strides and do so on a regular basis. Tell that to anyone who questions you!
The key is your safety above all. Make sure to be aware of variables like traffic, light, bacl ice, etc.. None of these options are ideal, but typically conditions which prevent the completion of a workout are temporary and a bridging solution might end up being better than nothing.
Distance runners need strong core muscles.
A strong core helps runners and walkers improve stability, balance, and posture. A strong core prevents waster lateral movement while running, which means more energy is directed to move forward, faster!
Join Coach Tom for a full body workout.
There are various benefits of deep breathing exercises. These range from reduce stress to improved digestion and a natural pan reliver.
When done correctly, deeo breathes release toxins, promote blood flow and foster healthy body functions and sound sleep.
INHALE: Take in air through your nose. Notice the belly filling up and expanging. 
EXHALE: Release the air through your mouth. Notice the belly falling.Must Have's in the Car
Even if your runs primarily depart from home or office, running or racing will likely take you to points best accessed by car at some point or another. Sure, you may not want to have everything in the car at all times, but a few key items left in the car (rather than trying to remember them each time out) can make a runner’s life a bit easier.
Blanket / towel (or more than one)
One of these items can provide protection and warmth after a surprise cold rainstorm on a November morning, or a layer between you and the driver’s seat when the air is thick with humidity. Having a towel or blanket can also make it more likely you will take a moment to stretch or roll, or spend 5-10 minutes adding some core work to the end of your run when you have a spare few moments. A saved space blanket from the end of a long race can also be an easy to store, useful item as a layer between a gross, sweaty, or wet you and your car.
Fuel
Fueling directly after a hard workout or long run is key to regulating your blood sugar and quickening recovery. Take a moment to stack a few of your favorite bars and some gels for mid run replenishment in the glove box or in a Ziploc in the trunk. This will ensure you can top off the tank at the end of your run and avoid a midday bonk or rash meal decision due to the sharp pang of hunger + fatigue. Sometimes, you are coming from a location where you can’t select or prepare a snack to bring with you for before, during, or after. If you have a snack readily accessible, your chances of success in that workout or run will increase.
Water
Even one spare 16 ounce bottle can be of great help if you exhaust your fluids on the run and arrive back at a trailhead with no facilities and a lengthy drive to the nearest gas station or store. Water can also wash dirt or blood away as needed due to mid-run mishaps. Pack a dissolveable tablet or two of your favorite electrolyte replacement fluid with your fuel stash, and you will be in even better shape.
First Aid Kit
A must. Even if it includes only some bandaids, Neosporin, and some basic gauze, tape, and perhaps an anti inflammatory, the chance to tend to a mishap directly after it occurs makes a huge difference compared to how that same injury might react hours later.
A charger or an adapter
When in remote areas, having a phone charger that works with the car can be of significant help in a tough spot, and with the proliferation of chargers with USB ports, charging a GPS device with the car’s power is now easily possible as well.
Hat with a bill, gloves
A running hat with a bill is compact and crushable, but can help keep water from the eyes in a rainstorm and sun from the face when no clouds are in the sky. Gloves (the cheap throw away kind), can feel like the most precious piece of clothing when they are really needed. Neither takes up very much space.
A Foam Roller or a Massage Stick
Again, if your run is squeezed between other appointments or engagements, or involves a decent length drive to and from, consider keeping a stick in the car. It takes up very little space, and can be used both to loosen up before the run as well as to start the recovery process without some of the stiffness inevitable on the drive back.
Wet Wipes
No longer just for the backsides of babies, these come in handy packets and can save the day in an unlimited array of hygiene and cleaning scenarios.
Every runner has their particular comfort items, their specific variations of this list that provide peace of mind and care when things haven’t gone well, or even if they have. A bit of forethought to keep some of these items on hand when driving to runs can clutter the trunk, but can also help our bodies handle the rigors of training well, even while in the midst of our complicated lives.
#1-Elliptical
#2-Get in the Pool
