I was talking the other day to a friend who told me that although she was training for a half-marathon and running long distances (over eight miles) a lot, she wasn’t losing any weight. I don’t think this is an uncommon thing to hear, and there are probably a few reasons it could be true for her. One…she might be eating more to compensate for her higher energy demands. Two…she may be gaining in muscle weight and the scale is just showing weight overall (in this case, I say who cares what the scale says). Three….her body may have adapted somewhat to her cardiovascular training by becoming more energy-efficient. This is good if you’re an athlete, but bad if you’re trying to lose weight.
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Vary Workout Routines to Reach Your Goals
November 9, 2011 by Leave a Comment
“The Once and Future Way to Run”
November 4, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Could it really be this simple? In a New York Times Magazine article from a few days ago entitled, “The once and future way to run”, Christopher McDougall explains how to do an exercise from the 1800’s, called the “100-Up”, that he promises will improve your running form and make you less prone to injury. A video also shows McDougall demonstrating the exercise himself and talking about the proper form. Watch it (The Lost Secret of Running) but beware…what seems like a fairly easy exercise, is not easy at all after repeating it about 40 times! Although I could only do it (before losing my form) about 55 times, I will keep trying to do a few more each time! Try it, and let me know what you think.
Go Ahead…Eat that Snickers Bar!
November 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
What is one of the best things about running a marathon on October 30? It’s followed up by October 31st …Halloween …the very next day! It’s Wednesday and I am still reveling in my no running, lounge-happy, soreness-fading, post-marathon “days off”. And it couldn’t be better timed with all the Halloween chocolate hanging around. I am a self-admitted sugar-head who finds my kids’ Halloween candy no matter how hard they try to hide it from me. Right now I am enjoying my new favorite, the Almond Snickers…so good. I am not concerning myself with the calories or sugar at the moment, but I do have to wonder…how much of a workout should someone do to recover from eating three- four (okay..five to six..but that’s the small size) Snickers bars?
I would guess about 30 minutes of high intensity exercise should do the trick. And if you are going to raid your kids candy stash…I do recommend the Snickers bar for its protein content. Searching to find out whether the Snickers is actually as healthy as I hope it may be, I found the following excerpt from Men’s Health magazine. So I’m taking their word for it, and indulging. How about you? What’s your favorite Halloween candy? [Read more…]
The Marine Corps Marathon
October 31, 2011 by 7 Comments
Whitney with son Charlie and daughter Annie after MCM marathon
The marathon demands respect and every time I run one, I respect it more. Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC gave me a new respect, not only for the 26.2 miles of running, but also for the elements like weather which are totally out of our control. Waking up Saturday to 32 degrees and rain (which would turn to sleet and then a little snow by the end of the day) was a real psychological test for me and probably most of the runners, who lined up with umbrellas outside of the National Guard Armory to pick up race numbers and packets. I could see it on the faces of other runners and could hear it in the conversations around me. “If this keeps up till tomorrow morning…you can count me out of the race”. I heard these rumblings all around me. Most of us were just glad it wasn’t Sunday, but we all knew it wasn’t going to warm up much in 24 hours. [Read more…]
Dedication Miles, Running with a Purpose, and Throwing Caution to the Wind
October 27, 2011 by 8 Comments
I’m leaving for Washington, DC tomorrow and will run the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday. Trying to dismiss the hamstring pain that seems to now be creeping around my hip, I thought I would re-read a favorite book, “Born to Run”, to get psyched up and forget my soreness for a while. I should have remembered the kind of emotion the book evoked from me the last time I read it, but just like that time, I got sucked into the way Christopher McDougall tells a story. If you haven’t read his book , I highly recommend it, whether you consider yourself a runner or not.
This time, though, I realized that one of the reasons I enjoyed reading his book so much was the intriguing people he wrote about. They are not like most of us, who, while we all may be a little nuts, are definitely more sane than crazy. The characters (real in every way) in McDougalls’s book are definitely not afraid of pushing themselves and living on the edge…the closer to it the better. These are people who run for long distances (way longer than 26.2 miles) for the fun of it…literally. FOR THE FUN OF IT! I guess we can all live a little vicariously through these wild runners who seem to throw caution to the wind.
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Why Fall is the Best Time to Restart a Fitness Plan
October 21, 2011 by 3 Comments
It takes about 30 days for your body to adapt to a new lifestyle change. In other words, after working out consistently for about a month, your body really starts to feel it as something habitual. It just so happens, I believe, that one month is about the time it takes for us to see real change in our bodies from working out (either from starting up from nothing, or changing up the routine.) Why is that important to know? Because this is the best time of year to make a change and stick with it.
So many of us think of January 1st. as the start of new resolutions, however, the following are six reasons I think the fall is the best time to begin fitness resolutions.
1. The Weather It is cooler and less humid in late October, and therefore perfect conditions for running and exercising outdoors. We sweat less and typically also fatigue slower, due to these changes in the weather. This makes it an ideal time to push ourselves a little harder and not worry so much about the heat index or dehydration, etc. [Read more…]
To Plug-in or Not to Plug-in…That is the Question
October 14, 2011 by 4 Comments
I ran a ten miler hard this morning with my iPod “plugged-in”. This is the first time since starting my marathon training that I have used the iPod. I actually don’t even own one; I used my husband’s and my kids created my playlist. It wasn’t a great run; but that’s for another post, actually it was the iPod that saved me. When I felt like I was dying and wanted to stop, the music motivated me and the words kept me moving. I ran the trail near my house which is about 5.8 miles out to the turn around. I was cruising at about 7:20 pace until I reached the turnaround…then my legs decided they had really had enough of my silliness and they were done. [Read more…]
Why the 5K is a Family Affair
October 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment
My husband, James and I took some of our kids (#5, #6, and #7) and ran a 5K on Saturday. I think what I like the most about 5K’s are what I also don’t like about them…they’re short! I like a short race because it doesn’t take up a huge chunk of the day, and even younger kids (I would say 7 and up) can run 3 miles. On the other hand, if you race that distance, there is no easy way to run it except fast…and that hurts.
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9 Kid Fridays
October 7, 2011 by 1 Comment
Jen’s Runnings and Ramblings…life of an inconsistent runner….
These are some blogs/websites I follow on twitter and that I think are interesting and fun to read! I had to include the Marine Corps Marathon site since I visit almost everyday for info on hotel, parking, etc. They have some inspirational stories of marines, soldiers, and sailors and their families who are involved with the marathon in some way. My family is running in a 5K race in Charlotte tomorrow…the Big South 5K! What are you doing? Have a great Friday and a super kid-fit weekend!
A Few Thoughts About Conference Realignment and Amateur Sports
September 26, 2011 by 1 Comment
It may appear that I am drifting a little off topic today, but I actually think it has a lot to do with what 9 Kid Fitness is all about. Those of us who are my age were some of the first females to really benefit from the opportunities that sports opened up to women in college and beyond. Although I did not (nor do most) go on to play college athletics, organized sports continue to have an impact on our lives in a positive way. And many of us now have kids playing high school and college sports. I am worried that the athletic pursuit for young women (and men) might be squeezed out or at least impacted by what is happening with college football.
We have been hearing a lot lately about the possible realignment of many of the bigger college sports conferences. Although I am fairly (if not totally) ignorant about all that’s going on, I do understand that what is driving a lot of it is the popularity of football in terms of fan support and TV revenue. Just like most Americans, I like football, but as a cross country coach and as a parent of “non-football sport” athletes, I also have to wonder how it will ultimately affect the other sports, and frankly amateur athletics in general. At a recent cross country meet I started to wonder about all of this when I saw a young man run like the wind. [Read more…]
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