Monday, August 25, 2008

1 Week from Today = 10K!

Okay, one week from today we do our 10K. For those in boot camp, even though we have camp on Labor Day, I recommend that you take that morning off.

This week’s training is going to be normal, except for the weekend long run will be tapered to down to 2-3 miles to allow you to be at full energy for Monday’s event. I also recommend that for this week you do your final run on Saturday to give you a full day of rest on Sunday.

Next week our training will be back up to full speed, complete with some intervals and an 8 mile long run on the weekend. We're also actively looking for a running track for some interval work, as well as new locations to keep the scenery fresh. Upcoming long weekend runs will be held downtown, crossing over bridges between Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, as well as the White Water park course. If you have a recommendation for a track or location, please reply to this email.

For those wanting to run together on Saturday, we'll be meeting at 7am at the HealthStyle Fitness Studio.

Here's this week's Schedule:

Monday – Boot Camp or XT
Tuesday - Run 45 min
Wednesday - Boot Camp or XT
Thursday - Run 45 min
Friday - Boot Camp or XT
Saturday - 2 Miles
Sunday – Rest up for the 10 K on Labor Day!!

See you tomorrow, bright and early!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins
NSCA-CPT, ACE

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com

Monday, August 11, 2008

Reminders - 3 Weeks from 10K!

Just a couple of important reminders as we’re now 3 weeks from our 10K.

How are your shoes? Get fitted for very good running shoes is critical for running efficiency and injury prevention. Leigh and I just got fitted last week with a fresh pair at Bob Roncker’s. If you need new shoes, get them now so you can break them in before the 10K.

How’s your body feeling? If your body needs a break from “pounding on the pavement” you can substitute non-impact cardio exercise, like an elliptical machine or biking, as needed.

How’s your hydration? Hydrations levels are critical as the temperatures increase in August and early September and as we increase our mileage. The combination of long running and the heat index (heat + humidity) can lead to fast depletion of water. Remember, water plays a very important role in muscular contractions and running efficiency. Without the right water balance, your muscles simply cannot contract at normal intensity levels, leading to poor performance and a decrease in the effectiveness of your run.

For example, a drop in body water volume of a mere 1% can cause a reduction in performance of over 10%. That means you’ll have to exert yourself much harder during a run to achieve the same distance had you been sufficiently hydrated. Click here for how much water…

How’s Your Strength Training? Maintaining your strength training is vital as we increase our running volume and distance. Your lower body needs muscle tissue to absorb the pounding from running (lunges, squats, dead-lifts). The core of the body is “command central” during all human movement, especially running. The CORE controls the rotational mechanics between the upper and lower extremities (running efficiency and stride frequency) and the force production of the lower body (stride length). Keep up with your rotational strength training (diagonal chops with core balls or dumbbells, bicycle crunches, Russian twists, supine reach arounds with legs elevated). More information on strength training for runners is here: http://cincinnatifitnessrunning.blogspot.com/2008/06/week-3-routine.html

Okay, we have the same schedule as last week. Next week we’ll add another mile to our weekend long run. Then we’ll taper back just a bit in the week leading up to the 10K.

Monday – Boot Camp or XT
Tuesday - Run 30 - 45 min
Wednesday - Boot Camp or XT
Thursday - Run 30 - 45 min
Friday - Boot Camp or XT
Saturday - 6 Miles
Sunday – Rest

I look forward to going for my first run post-rehab with the Oakley group in the morning!

Your friend in fitness,
Brian Calkins , Cincinnati Personal Trainer

Monday, August 4, 2008

Four Week's To Go...

I’m just getting in from a weekend away with my wife and daughter and wanted to send a quick check-in with the running schedule for the week. But also, I have included a link to a cool article from Runner’s World that should offer some inspiration for those of us training for the half marathon 11 weeks. Runner’s World tracked 3 runners’ stories, (one of which was a first time runner), as they prepared for the half marathon in 10 weeks!!

And finally, for those running in Oakley, although we’ll be meeting tomorrow at Crossroads @ 6:30am, feel free to come up with an alternate meeting time and location for Thursday. If you’ll let me know after your run tomorrow, I’ll send an update to the other Oakley runners.

Here’s the schedule (notice there is an option for some light cross-training on Wednesday and Friday, along with optional additional minutes on Tuesday and Thursday's run):

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Run 30 - 45 min
Wednesday - XT or 20 min light cardio
Thursday - Run 30 - 45 min
Friday - XT or 20 min light cardio
Saturday - 6 Miles
Sunday - Rest

Click here for the Runner’s World article tracking the experience of the 3 half marathoners…

Have a great run in the morning...

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins , Cincinnati Personal Trainer