Since the New Year I have been trying to share more running updates on my Instagram stories. I set a goal to work out at least three days every week, and so far so good! I find that mixing up my workouts is the best way to keep myself from getting burnt out and losing motivation. Usually my workouts consist of a run and then 10-20 minutes of strength exercises like planks, squats, ab exercises, etc. I should probably start bumping up the time (and effort...) I spend on that aspect of my workouts, but for now I'm enjoying playing around with running when it comes to pace, duration, and type of run that I do.
I got a lot of DM's on Instagram asking me to do a full blog post on running and give you all a peak into what a typical week looks like for me when it comes to working out. I shared a fitness update in November that you can find here, but I have been posting more specifically about running on Instagram and wanted to answer a few of your questions about that here.
Q: How do you run for a long period of time? I either get tired or bored and have to stop after a short distance.
A: There are days when my body doesn't feel right (heavy, tired, drained, sore, etc.) and those days I can barely make it to a mile! I hate this feeling, but lately I have learned to combat it by mixing up my runs. Endurance builds up over time, but I know that on days when I am not feeling my best, I can go longer if I just go very slow. To combat boredom, when I run for an hour or so I usually tell myself something like, "okay, that was 15 minutes! That was easy! I can do that only three more times and I'm done." I am kind of weird and math-y, so in my head I usually see how many minutes I have and I'll literally be doing mental long division to figure out what percent of my run I'm done with... I am so weird but it's honestly a good distraction!!!
Q: Are you training for any races? Like a 10k or a half marathon?
A: Right now, no, but I hope to! Right now I am focusing on getting into a routine and running consistently for a few months before committing to a training plan. When/if I do commit to one then I plan to train for a half marathon. A 10k is about 6 miles which I already run almost weekly (or at least biweekly I think). I did run a half marathon, 13.1 miles, two summers ago one morning but it was just for a regular personal run and not as a part of a race. This summer I really want to do a half marathon race!
Q: I hate running and can't seem to enjoy it... how do you manage to run multiple times a week?
A: I think the biggest thing for me is the music I listen to and the feeling afterward (I get such satisfaction when I finish a run!). If I'm really not in the mood and don't feel like it, I tell myself I'll just do some walking because I know as soon as I walk for a little bit I'll get bored and feel motivated to go fast and run. Sometimes when I'm in the car or if I hear a good song I'll add it to my running playlist and then I'll look forward to getting to run to it!
Following that, Q: What do you listen to when you run?
A: I used to listen to one or two songs on repeat for an entire run. I stopped doing that a few years ago but I still listen to a small selection of songs and then switch them out when I get sick of them. I know a lot of people probably like to listen to pump up music, but for me I usually just choose anything that motivates me, which means sometimes slower or sadder songs because they're more "intense" if that makes sense!
Here is my current running playlist. This is a curated selection of 20 songs I have been loving lately while I run. A lot of them are really fun and upbeat, so you will have to let me know if you listen to this playlist and what you think!
So... what does a typical week look like for me in terms of exercise? I like to work out in the mornings, but that was much easier during winter break than it is at school because I have very early classes this semester. At school I sometimes make it to the gym in the afternoon after classes, or I won't go until the evening before or after dinner, or even before bed. It just depends on what my days turn out to be and when I can get myself to go!
I like to do a mix of running long distance for time, short distance for speed, and running intervals. For me, a short distance is under 3 miles, an average distance is 3-5 miles, and a long distance is anything over 5 miles, but what's normal in terms of distance is different for everyone. I usually try to do a one hour run once a week (would love to work to doing this more often!), which works out to be between 6-6.5 miles for me. The next time I run after a long run is usually an interval run so I can go another good distance without feeling dead or getting that tired, heavy feeling I mentioned above. When I say interval run, for me that usually looks like a 5 minute walk followed by a 5-6 minute run at a pace a little faster than my usual. I usually repeat this four times so it takes 40-45 minutes.
On the treadmill I run anywhere from 6.0-7.0 mph (so I average like a 9 minute mile typically) and anything above 7 is usually when I'm trying to go fast. I run outdoors when it's warmer, but when I do I can usually go longer while going slower. I never really realize how slow I am going when I run outside until my app tells me that I've completed a mile and it's already been 10 minutes or something!
Side note: I track all of my runs on Under Armour's Map My Run app. I track the good ones, the intervals, and the really bad, super slow, horrible runs. I also use the GPS feature when I run outdoors so I can keep track of those runs too. It tells me which workouts are my best, and I can easily track my progress. It's fun too to look back on a month or a year and see how you were doing and where you are now. I have been using the app since 2014 and I have logged over 1,100 miles! So far this month I have logged 80 miles! My goal for the year is to log at least 50 a month.
***
I think that's all for now, but I really enjoyed answering these questions and would definitely do another post like this if you're interested! If you are a runner too I would love to know what your favorite song is to run to, and how you stay motivated.
xoxo
Here is my current running playlist. This is a curated selection of 20 songs I have been loving lately while I run. A lot of them are really fun and upbeat, so you will have to let me know if you listen to this playlist and what you think!
So... what does a typical week look like for me in terms of exercise? I like to work out in the mornings, but that was much easier during winter break than it is at school because I have very early classes this semester. At school I sometimes make it to the gym in the afternoon after classes, or I won't go until the evening before or after dinner, or even before bed. It just depends on what my days turn out to be and when I can get myself to go!
I like to do a mix of running long distance for time, short distance for speed, and running intervals. For me, a short distance is under 3 miles, an average distance is 3-5 miles, and a long distance is anything over 5 miles, but what's normal in terms of distance is different for everyone. I usually try to do a one hour run once a week (would love to work to doing this more often!), which works out to be between 6-6.5 miles for me. The next time I run after a long run is usually an interval run so I can go another good distance without feeling dead or getting that tired, heavy feeling I mentioned above. When I say interval run, for me that usually looks like a 5 minute walk followed by a 5-6 minute run at a pace a little faster than my usual. I usually repeat this four times so it takes 40-45 minutes.
On the treadmill I run anywhere from 6.0-7.0 mph (so I average like a 9 minute mile typically) and anything above 7 is usually when I'm trying to go fast. I run outdoors when it's warmer, but when I do I can usually go longer while going slower. I never really realize how slow I am going when I run outside until my app tells me that I've completed a mile and it's already been 10 minutes or something!
Side note: I track all of my runs on Under Armour's Map My Run app. I track the good ones, the intervals, and the really bad, super slow, horrible runs. I also use the GPS feature when I run outdoors so I can keep track of those runs too. It tells me which workouts are my best, and I can easily track my progress. It's fun too to look back on a month or a year and see how you were doing and where you are now. I have been using the app since 2014 and I have logged over 1,100 miles! So far this month I have logged 80 miles! My goal for the year is to log at least 50 a month.
***
I think that's all for now, but I really enjoyed answering these questions and would definitely do another post like this if you're interested! If you are a runner too I would love to know what your favorite song is to run to, and how you stay motivated.
xoxo
I do the same thing with math and percentages, haha! It helps the time go by faster.
ReplyDeletexo, brooke
www.livethepreplife.com
I break down all the time and math in my head too! When I ran track in high school people would always ask me what I thought about on my long races and I would always say math. Hahah
ReplyDelete