More Health and Fitness News & Tips at Greatist.
Great infographic to explain interval training. Love it or hate it, interval training works. It's a great way to keep on top of your fitness when you are short of time and to improve performance and support other sports. It also helps to burn fat more effectively...
0 Comments
Come and join our yoga for runners workshop on Saturday 25th January. This is an informal session, suitable for beginners or experienced yogis. Yoga can really support your running and fitness goals. Not only can you build strength, stamina and flexibility, it allows you to totally relax, which further aids recovery from your training or competition schedule. £15 for bookings in advance, £20 on the day. Another interesting article, this time 10 Simple Things You Can Do Today That Will Make You Happier, Backed By Science. I've noticed the difference in myself and others when practising point 9 regularly, even if for just 5 - 10 minutes a few times a week (I'm offering yoga nidra and guided meditation now, ping me if you are interested). Point number 10 is also very relevant, writing a gratitude list, I do this if things go wrong, it helps keep some perspective and really does work when you are feeling a little under par. In fact, looking through the list, number 8 is the only one I haven't tried, although I was thinking about a holiday, maybe I should try it now and report back... With a last minute entry, no time to train and totally forgetting to fundraise beforehand, we set off for Windsor race course where we did Cancer Research's Twilight Race For Life. What a brilliant event this is! Such a wonderful atmosphere, sadness and joy all rolled into one, with a common aim: have fun and raise some funds for a very worthy cause. I was really touched to be able to put a glow stick in my decorated sandbag (instead of lighting lanterns), it made me feel quite emotional and when we ran through the gate onto the racecourse proper I had tears in my eyes as I saw that someone had placed many of these bags on the bank to spell out HOPE. As a relatively fast jogger (as you ask, yes, I did it sub 30 minutes, ok by a few seconds, I admit) I cheered on every other lady on the course. There until the bitter end, shouting and cheering the last of the walkers over the finish line. While I was there I met a lovely chap whose wife and 2 best friends were running for their friend who had been battling cancer and who had passed away only that morning. Gosh, it brings your life into perspective when you talk to people. So much to be grateful for. p.s. we did retrospectively fundraise and hit our modest target within 48 hours! Image courtesy of Cancer Research website One quick test run the week before, which exceeded my "15 minutes minimum running" goal by 15 minutes made me realise I would be able to do the yoga run on 14th September after all. It felt really weird, taking part in a event without the support of my family, but still, off I trotted. I arrived nice and early, spent some time finding my way around, and then set about the warm up. Hoola hoops. For some reason, I cannot do this anymore. As a kid, I could do it for hours, but as an adult, well, let's just say "epic fail". However, I can hoola hoop on both arms (at the same time, no less). I managed to meet my friend from yoga training, although we lost each other at the start. A quick shot of Prosecco and we were off, two trips around Battersea Park. We're very lucky in London, we have some amazing spaces in amongst all the buildings and humdrum. It was great to see plenty of marshalls, mostly with giant hands for silly high fives. There were a few serious runners there, but most of the people seemed to be yoga enthusiasts who also run. Having a glass of Prosecco between the run and the yoga probably wasn't the best idea, but it was fun. The yoga was pretty tough, I'm not used to Ashtanga and I had signed up for the intermediate/advanced class, forgetting that knowing the asanas and being able to do them at speed are two entirely different concepts! Despite this oversight, I had a great time, the yoga felt great after the run and then we were able to slosh back a couple more glasses of Prosecco, along with a beautiful sushi lunch and a natter. I really enjoyed the event, I met some lovely people, had a chance to catch up with my friend and just generally had a great time, I can recommend it for next year. So, I just went for my first run in ages, just a 15 minute shakedown (after a jolly good warm up, of course). This year was planned to be a really good running year for me, but one thing and another (mostly whiplash) has stopped me in my tracks. The really encouraging thing this morning is that my heart rate was not that of a really unfit person, the new work I started in London early in July has obviously helped me, as I am now twice daily taking a brisk 25 minute walk from Waterloo to the office (and back), not to mention walking to and from the car to the station at this end. Although it was tiring, a 15 minute run was totally doable and I probably could have continued for twice that if I'd been in the mind to. I don't want to injure myself again, so patience will be key With the new commute and some intense pc time, as part of the work, I’ve not been keeping up with my fellow Couch to 5Kers and all their blogs – it was lovely to dip in after the run to give an update and to see how some of the people who encouraged me last year are now doing. Plus I got to encourage a few new people, whose running journey is just beginning. I'm still recommending the NHS C25K programme to all and sundry and was delighted recently to hear that a girl at my hairdressing salon and her bestie are now well on their way to 5K - she's really happy with the pounds she's shedding and how she's feeling. I can't believe it is a whole year since I started the programme. I can still clearly remember thinking that it would be gruelling and near impossible. I can't really remember the tough bits so well now, it's a bit like childbirth, once it's done, you just remember the good bits and see the benefit of what you have now! So, run 1 week 1 of recovery done. A few more 'shake-down' runs and then I'll start gently adding 5 minutes here and there. I've set myself some new goals: · run minimum 3 x weekly from NOW · 5K in less than 30 minutes by October (I did this once before, but no way could I do it now) · 10K in less than 1 hour by end November · Twilight 5K run (I think in Sept or October) for cancer research · Gloanna yoga run (5k plus 45 minutes flow yoga in Battersea park, do join!) September 14 That lot should keep me busy (on top of the 45 mile cycle ride I do in Sept each year and possibly doing the Great River Race again this year, although no training for that one as I will be a passenger only). I'll start doing the park runs too, when I'm back up to nearer 30 minutes. Can't wait for the next run, wooohoooooo! Photo copyright Kanua CLM I thought I'd share this article I just read, which I found interesting as I've been doing the same, or similar, for ages now, particularly the breathwork. I decided to stop chasing the distances and times 'at all costs' some time back and just enjoy my runs, be in the moment. I do still listen to music sometimes though. I think the bodyscanning is a really important element, and I'm sure this approach (plus the restorative yin yoga I practise) has helped me to stay running injury free. Check it out (it's a great site for interesting articles) bit.ly/15EAa6A How amazing is this? The world's oldest marathon runner retires, aged 101, but that's not the most amazing thing for me about this story. What I think is truly inspirational is that this man, having suffered a double bereavement within a short time, decided to CHANGE HIS LIFE aged.........wait for it.............89! "Singh took up running at the age of 89 as a way to get over depression after his wife and son died in quick succession in India." Read all about it..... http://bit.ly/X6GzUy |
Author
I’m a life coach, yoga teacher, communications professional and fitness enthusiast. I’m a closet techie and science boff in my spare time. I’m also part-time slave and taxi driver to a 14 year old.
Archives
August 2014
Categories
All
|