Spring Running: Allergies, The 3 Essentials

It's Spring, and you know what that means: fun running in mild temperature. Not too cold. Not too hot. But there is one major downside to running in the spring: allergies. 

Having allergies while you run is awful. Runny noses make it hard to breathe properly and backed up sinuses make for excruciating headaches that make it terrible to try to run. Luckily there are a couple things you can do to make it a little easier for your sinuses and yourself.

1) Get Yourself Some Allergy Medication

Allergy medicine is very personal. Some work very well for some people, and the same medicine can have no effect on others. Your best bet is to buy a couple different over the counter allergy medicines in small doses, and see what works for you. When you find the right one it will make a huge impact on your allergy symptoms. My personal favorite is Zyrtec-D.

2) Get Yourself a Neti Pot or Other Nasal Rinse

I can not stress how important this is. I believe this is the best non-medicine allergy relief solution out there. There is one major downside: to operate one of these products, you are essentially clearing mucus out of your sinuses by squirting hot salty water through one nostril and then blowing it out of the other nostril. This is exactly as disgusting as it sounds, and as you would imagine, this is incredibly horrible to carry out. But, this is the best thing you can do (besides medication) to clear your pipes out and get rid of those pesky spring allergies fast. After completing these rinses you will feel undeniably great.

3) Tea

This is the most classic remedy, but it is a timeless one. Get your favorite tea out and add local honey and some lemon. this soothes your throat and clears your sinuses, Drink it as hot as you can muster the courage too. My personal favorite is chai tea, but I like to add 1 or 2 shots of expresso instead of adding lemon. This is an easy and effective remedy.

I hope these tips help you with the awful spring time allergies.

2 Week, 5 Day a Week Training Plan for Casual and Track Runners

Here is are two training plans to get your weekly miles in. There are 5 workouts listed for each week, and they should be completed in the order presented. It does not matter what day you start the first speed workouts on, but you should always leave a 2-day gap between subsequent speed runs. The first 10 workouts are optimized for people training for a long-distance track event (3200,1600,800,400, 4 by 4) while the bottom 10 are for a casual runner looking to improve his/her running.

Refer back to the last post to understand what speed, recovery, and distance mean. Track runners should always begin and end speed workouts with a mile to a mile and a half warm up and warm down, while casual runners should do the same but with a half a mile distance.
Happy running!

The 4 main Types of Running Workouts for Track Season

Track season is here whether you like it or not, and it's here to stay. This means that you should start training if you are a track runner, cross country runner, or a casual runner. Track runners need to start training for meets, which means high-intensity speed workouts followed by rest days. Cross country runners simply need to start to raise their mileage per week to get ready for next fall. A casual runner needs to up their miles to 5-10 miles a week to start getting in the good habit of excercise. As you can see the training plans that need to be followed vary extremely by what kind of runner you are and what you trying are tring to accomplish, but most runs can fall into 4 categories.

1) Speed

These workouts are short fast and high intensity. The goal of these workouts are to increase the maximum speed that you can run and how long you can sustain it. A good example of a speed run would be 3 400 yard sprints.

2) Distance

These workouts are long and slow and low intensity. The goal of these workouts are to increase the maximum distance you could jog. An example of a distance run would be a 4-mile jog through your neighborhood.

3) Recovery

These workouts are both slow and short and have one purpose: to rest after a hard workout the day before while still getting running in. These workouts should be so easy that you don't even feel like you are working out. An example of this would be a 1.5 mile run on grass slowly.

4) Conditioning 

This workout is not technically running but is vital to getting in shape. The goal of this workout is to condition the rest of your body to run without running. These workouts are for all levels and can be any intensity you want. Some good examples of conditioning include squats, weights,  pushups, lunges, yoga, and stretching. 

I will be adding training plans every week on Mondays that incorporate these types of running workouts and are organized by the type of training you are looking for.

New Years, New Shoe: How to Pick a New Pair of Shoes for your Running resolution

It's the NEW year and that means lots of running resolutions. Whether the resolution is running a mile, running a race, sticking to a running plan, or just going for a run every once and a while, shoes are the most important aspect of your resolution. Here are several things to consider when you are choosing the best shoes for YOU

1) Shoes are Personal

Shoes are extremely personal things. Style may be way more important to some runners than others, and you should also always choose the shoe that you like, not the one that is seen on billboards or has a huge meaningless price tag.

I like my running shoes ugly and functional

2) Type of Running

Before you go out and buy your shoes, make sure and assess the type of running you are going to be doing. You do not want to get a pair of racing flats if you are just running in the city. Think about how far you are going to run, what you are going to run on, and miles per week. The more you plan on running the more sturdy shoe you are going to want to buy.

3) Go to your local running store

Your local running store is your best resource for information and fitting. Most running stores are very friendly places and are welcome to help newbies out, and some will even do feet and gait analysis to help pick the perfect shoe for YOU. If you don't want to buy them there, at least get a feel for what works for you and then go shopping online because shoes can be A LOT  cheaper online.

Good luck in all your running in the new year!

_ Ways to Actually Your New Years resolution.

The 4 Essential Parts of Choosing the Perfect Running Route

Running is arguably one of the best ways to exercise and stay in shape, but It can be hard to find a good running route. This can discourage some potential runners from getting out there and running. If you want to come up with a new route or have no idea where to start, use these four tips to help you choose your next favorite running trail.

Map My Run Route Summary

Length:
It is beneficial to have a couple routes that have a variety of lengths. That way you can choose a route based on how much time you can spend to go on a run. Apps and websites like Map My Run are a good way to figure out how long your run actually is. this way you can make sure the length is appropriate to the type or exercise you want to get from the run. 

Terrain: 
Choosing the right terrain for your run is very important. For someone with a minor injury dirt vs road may very well be the difference between a serious injury and a nice recovery run. Choose your terrain wisely: if you are going on a long run- avoid large hills. Use common sense while planning the route, and most of all choose a route that you will enjoy running. Find a route that is pretty, scenic, and fun to run.

Safety:
The safety of your route is of the utmost importance. Before you choose a route think of what time you want to run that course, and if it is at night safety is even more of a concern. A good rule of thumb is: If you would not like to walk the course alone at the time of day you are planning to run, then the course is not suitable for running. Alway try to run with a buddy, especially at night. Make sure that you are not so isolated that you would not be able to receive medical attention if you got injured. Finally, trust your instincts  to determine the safety of a course.

How to Keep In Shape With an Injury

"Half of the running population gets injured in some way every year, and this estimate may very well be on the low side" (Condensed Science).

It is never fun to be injured and it is even less fun if you are a runner. A runner not only feels the pain of the injury. A runner feels the pain of not being able to run. The best way to avoid this is to talk with your healthcare provider and discuss your recovery and what exercises you can do. The key is to walk as often and as frequently as you can. Pay attention to your body and any pain during an injury. Your next step up from walking should be short periods of stationary biking. Try to keep on working on increasing workout length, distance, type, and frequency depending on your healthcare provider's instructions. For most injuries workouts progress as such:
rest---walking around your house---walking outside--- stationary bike---speedwalking---swimming---rowing machine--- jogging/walking---jogging---running
I have had many injuries, some worse than others, and have followed these basic guidelines to recover quickly and properly, and if you follow these general guidelines, make sure to start out slow, listen to your body and your doctor, and realize that the best exercise is rest  you will be right back out there running in no time.

Works Cited

"The Analysis of Injury Rates in Running." Condensed Science. Condensed Science, 16 Aug. 2011.
       Web. 02 Dec. 2016.