One Tough Mother Runner

Catch the Spirit of the Marathon

May 22, 2013 By admin 2 Comments

Ah, the Spirit of the Marathon! Every time I think of this movie, I smile.

I was fortunate to watch this movie in the middle of my training for my half-marathon. This independent film follows the path of five runners (three amateur, two elite) as they train and prepare for the Chicago Marathon. This film, beyond any others, really captures the emotion of the marathon – both for the runners, and for the spectators.

One of the things that makes this film so wonderful is that the film makers understand marathons. And they use that knowledge to convey the ups and downs of the training process, and how it feels to overcome the obstacles to complete the marathon.

Here’s a clip from the 2007 Spirit of the Marathon (It’s 6 minutes long, but definitely worth it. You’ll want to lace up and go out for a run after you watch even the preview!):

I think the quote from Katherine Switzer really sums it up.

“You triumph over adversity. And then, there’s nothing in life that you can’t triumph over after that.”

You can view Spirit of the Marathon on Netflix, or you can watch it on YouTube.com for $1.99. Money well spent, in my opinion!

And, Mark Your Calendars For June 12!

That’s the night that Spirit of the Marathon 2 (Rome Marathon) will be in theaters. I, for one, cannot wait to see it. I’m going to start getting a group of my running buddies together right now!

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Filed Under: Inspiration, Training, Uncategorized Tagged With: chicago, marathon, mother, of, race, runner, spirit, the

Running Is My Favorite Teacher

May 20, 2013 By admin 1 Comment

Lessons Learned From Running

I’m in a reflective mood today as I prepare for coaching my Runaway Moms (Plus 1 Dad) tonight. I’m feeling so grateful for the things I’ve learned from running, and from being a part of the running community.

I’ve learned that I can do things I’ve never thought I could do before.

I’ve learned that I’m tougher than I thought I was.

I’ve learned that runners – as a whole – are a very inspirational group!

I’ve met wonderful new friends through running. I can’t imagine how I would have met them otherwise.

I’ve learned about the importance of a solid plan and a consistent effort.

I’ve learned that my kids are watching me very closely – and that they are becoming runners, too.

I’ve learned how to manage the mechanics of my body. This is so empowering.

I’ve been surprised to learn that friends notice that I’m a runner now, and they seek me out for advice. I love to help them!

Through becoming a running coach, I’ve learned that there is great joy in helping others become runners.

I continue to learn. Every day. Running is a great teacher. I hope to never graduate!

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If You’re Looking For A Sign …

May 17, 2013 By admin 2 Comments

If You’re Looking For A Funny Race Sign, Keep Reading!

A little Friday humor for us to close out a busy week for the One Tough Mother Runner. I love race signs. The humor, the enthusiasm, the motivation – everything about a race sign is awesome.

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Filed Under: Fun Friday, OTMR Shorts, Running Related Tagged With: collection, encouragement, fun, funny, hangover, humor, later, Motivation, now, quietly, run, running, signs, wine

Infographic: 12 Mental Benefits of Exercise

May 15, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

Mental Emotional Health Benefits of Exercise Running Runner Run Mother

http://www.treadmillreviews.com/blog/mental-benefits-exercise/

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Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: benefits, emotional, exercise, health, info, infographic, mother, one, runner, tough

With Love, From One Tough Mother Runner

May 12, 2013 By admin 4 Comments

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today’s version of Sunday Shorts is mother-themed for your amusement! Let’s begin!

Funny, …. but true.

I’d have to agree. What is it they say, “I lost my mind – I think my kids took it.”

Crappy Pictures tells it like it is – never fails to make me laugh!

I’m buying these for all my children.

I’ll take two, please!

File under “What Not To Buy Your Mother For Mother’s Day!”

Yes, my number one gift request for Mother’s Day is a nap. I wish you all a wonderful day!

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The Road Runners Inspire Me

May 8, 2013 By admin 3 Comments

We’re very fortunate to have our children attend an excellent elementary school that is less than 1/2 a mile from our home. We can often walk to school, with or without our dog Jimbo. When we drive to school, Jimbo prefers to sit in the front seat and sniff out the window.

In addition to the caring teachers at this school, we have a wonderful PE teacher who has been teaching PE since 1964. Her name is Carole Weldon. She’s an incredible woman who has phenomenal stories to share.

Road Runners

In 1994, Coach Weldon started a running program at our elementary school. She named it Road Runners. The kids run at school for 30 days out of the academic year. The program is such an institution at our school that the playground track is named after Coach Weldon.

At the end of the year, Coach Weldon holds an awards ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of her students. Coach Weldon tells us, “This program is not about physical fitness – it’s about setting goals and working hard to achieve your goals.” So, through running, Coach Weldon is imparting valuable life lessons to our kids.

At this year’s awards ceremony, she shared the following poem with the parents and the kids. It’s great stuff – and worthy of motivating any runner.

Today we celebrate 30 long weeks of learning about “setting goals.”
It is hard work. Sometimes it hurts.
Sometimes I want to give up.
Sometimes I am way too hot.
And other times, I am way too cold.
Sometimes the wind blows me forward, but mostly backwards.
Sometimes it rains. Sometimes I fall and scrape my knees.
But, soon I learn to “stay focused.”
I remember the goal I have set.
I endure the pain. I finish strong.
I learn to do my best each running day.
I know I will be stronger in character because I never gave up.
I am learning to be true to myself.
I am learning to forgive myself when I “blow it,” and forgive others when they offend me.
I am learning to be HONEST on the inside.
I am building Character that will last my entire lifetime.
I am proud of my accomplishments.
I am going to be SOMEBODY SPECIAL when I grow up. Just wait and see!
Today, I am a Road Runner. Tomorrow, I’ll be a successful leader.
Thank you for never giving up on me!

by Coach Carole Weldon

More on Coach Weldon and the Road Runners on Friday!

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Saturday Shorts: Treadmill Treats

May 4, 2013 By admin Leave a Comment

I wonder what he does for carb loading?

Was the workout part where she lifted the thing up on top of the treadmill?

I have a bad feeling about this.

This just makes me smile.

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Want to run longer and faster? Just breathe ….

May 3, 2013 By admin 2 Comments

Today’s post is a continuation of Wednesday’s blog post about breathing while running.

Step 1: Practice belly breathing

In the last post, we discussed that runners rarely think about training their lungs to increase capacity. By increasing your breathing to more fully use your lungs, and thus deliver more oxygen to your body, you’ll find that you can run longer distances because you are more efficiently delivering oxygen to your muscles. So, the first step is to practice belly breathing.

In addition to belly breathing at night before bed, here’s a way to practice that you can include in your pre-running warm-ups. Stand with your arms at your sides. As you inhale, slowly raise your arms up and out until they are at shoulder height. This helps your rib cage move out and up, making space for the lungs to expand. As you exhale, slowly lower your arms back down.

Step 2: Incorporate Belly Breathing Into Walking

Shallow breathing is a habit. It will take time and conscious effort to change this habit. Start by incorporating belly breathing into a walk. Walk at a pace where you can concentrate on your breathing. Put your hand on your stomach so you can monitor yourself. Breathe in for 2 strides and breathe out for 3 strides. At first, this will feel like an exaggerated exercise, but stay with it until it feels normal. The main objective is to fill up your lungs when you breathe in, and to push all of the air out of your lungs when you exhale.

Step 3: Increase Your Speed

Once you’ve got the hang of the walking with belly breathing, then simply increase your speed – still being mindful of your breathing. While running, use a mantra to help you stay focused on this: “Breath in, breathe out.” You may need to adjust your ratio of strides to breaths as you run and vary your speed. It just takes practice. Now, get out there and go for a run!

Tomorrow: Be On the Lookout For “Saturday Shorts!”

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Top Secret Formula To Improve Your Running

May 1, 2013 By admin 8 Comments

What would you say if I told you that I have discovered a secret formula that will

Increase fat burning …

Prevent dizziness during physical activity …

Give you greater endurance … ?

The secret my friends is … breathing!

Recently, two people have asked me about breathing while running. This, of course, sent me to research the recommendations and consider how to advise my friends.

Train More Than Your Legs

As runners, we tend to think about training our legs for better running, or tightening our core for strength. However, we seldom think about training ourselves for breathing while running.

If you improve your breathing while running, your body will deliver more oxygen to your muscles, and in turn, this will give you better athletic performance and increased endurance. I know runners – and I know runners want all of these things!

Why Is Breathing So Problematic?

In order to gain the maximum amount of oxygen while breathing, you need to breath with your belly, not your chest.

However, most runners are chest breathers who use only about 30% of their lung capacity. Really? Only 30%? That’s a lot of unused capacity! Furthermore, when you breathe through your chest, your shoulders tense up and use energy that should otherwise be used for running.

How to Become A Belly Breather

Become a belly breather. Easier said than done, I know. Here’s a suggestion you can do while laying in bed. Just before you go to sleep, lay in bed and practice deep belly breathing. Many progressive relaxation sessions train you in this type of breathing. (A bonus, becoming a belly breather will help you reduce your stress level, too!)

Stay Tuned For More Breathing Tips and How To Breathe When Running

On Friday, I’ll share tips for how to transition to being a belly breather while running (this is where the real power is!)

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Training For Your Rocky Mountain High

April 29, 2013 By admin 2 Comments

Training for a High Altitude Race When You Live In Low Altitude

I’m currently working with two clients who are training for the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon. It promises to be a half-marathon through breath-taking scenery. This race is part of the National Park Half Marathon Series. The full course has not yet been released, so we can’t yet train for the specifics of the race. However, we only have about 14 weeks to go before the race – so, it’s time to start training in earnest.

I’m developing a training plan for them right now, but I’ve been giving some thoughts to the things I need to keep in mind while coaching them for this race.

Speaking of “Breath-Taking”

A particular challenge in the training is the difference in altitude between central Texas (elevation: 338 feet) and Estes Park, Colorado (elevation above 7,000 feet)). That’s a considerable difference. So how do I, as a coach, prepare them for this change in altitude?

At higher altitudes, the air is thinner. This means you’ll get less oxygen per breath. As a result, athletes have to work a lot harder to compete at the same pace they run at lower altitudes.

Similarly, at higher altitudes, the air is much drier. In order to stay hydrated, athletes will need to consume more water – up to twice as much as you would need at sea level. Staying hydrated is an important part of helping your body adjust to a higher altitude.

Adjust Your Expectations

Even with training and preparation, athletes performing at higher altitudes should expect to run at a slower pace. The time limit for this race is 3.5 hours. That gives my clients 16.03 per mile, at max at what will be a slower “altitude pace” for them. So, I’ll want be certain that they are well under this pace requirement when they are training.

I’ll be training my clients to focus on their exertion effort as opposed to their actual pace at high altitude. I want to prepare them to expect that their pace will be slower due to the altitude. If they get too focused on the pace per mile, this may undermine their efforts and their confidence.

Hills, hills and more hills

It’s clear that the Rocky Mountain Half will have a lot of hills to run. So, my clients will be doing traditional hill training as well as long runs that have hills built into them. Options for cross-training to support this will include the stair-mill and elliptical training with a high incline.

Arrive Early

My nephew is a competitive mountain-bike rider. He’s attending a college in Colorado that has a competitive mountain biking team. So, after he graduates from high school, he plans to relocate to Colorado as soon as possible. This will give him time before school starts in the fall to acclimate to the altitude and to train in this new altitude. Generally, at least two weeks is recommended to sufficiently adjust to the higher altitude.

This is great, but my clients are working professionals. They can’t take 2+ weeks off to run a half-marathon.

Be A Last Minute Lucy

The alternate plan, then, is to arrive the afternoon before the race. As an athlete, you’ll feel good during your first day or two at the higher altitude. It’s when you get past those two days when your body starts to feel the effects of the stress of being at a higher altitude.

Fueling Prior To The Race
In addition to increasing the amount of hydration they take in, my clients will also need to continue to eat a clean, healthy diet. Once they arrive in Colorado, they’ll need to increase their carbohydrate intake. Their bodies will be working harder at altitude, and it will require more fuel for the effort. Also, no alcohol or caffeine, as those can contribute negatively to the stress on a body that is already working hard to adjust.

Time For Training To Begin!

Honestly, I can’t wait to get started training with these two ladies! I’m so excited for the challenge of coaching something that is outside of my personal knowledge zone. And, I’m excited for these two great women who will have this opportunity to run this amazing race! I definitely plan to live vicariously through them!