Workout Stolen from Runners World.

Forgive me for putting this on my blog (err.... maybe you may find it useful), but I am in the middle of purging my apartment of all the clutter since Kyle and I are moving into a house next month and let me tell you ... I am a pack rat.  The things I am stumbling across make you cock your head to the side and ask "why do i have this?!" YIKES. 

I want this for (I don't really know why) and I am sure Kyle does not want to pack pulled out magazines pages so I am typing up key points of treadmill running workout tips from Runners World.  Granted - I have not done any of these yet ... but I do plan on it since they're made for beginners and my lazy butt is a beginner again!  AND I want a point of reference.

Pace Boosting
warm up for 6 minutes by alternating 30 seconds jogging & walking.  Increase speed - walk 30 seconds run 30 seconds. Continue the 30/30 ratio. Increase speed with each run segment

Fast workouts
Jog 3 minutes. Increase speed, run for 2 minutes. Walk 30 seconds. Repeat, increase run part to 3 minutes. Walk 30 seconds. Repeat....

Distance Run
increase speed till running comfortably. run 2 minutes, walk 1. Repeat 2:1 ratio 3 times. then bump up the ratio to 3:1 repeat 3 times. end run with 2 more 2:1 segments and then 1:1

Hills
gradually increase speed until you're at an easy run pace. run for 3 minutes. raise incline to 2% for 1 minute then to 4% for 1 minute. Lower incline and rest for 1 minute then raise to 4% and run for 2 minutes. alternate running 2 minutes at an incline with 1 minute on the flat for as long as you can.


....and as i typed these up i think i should totally incorporate them into my workouts once the snow goes away and i get out of the apartment to run on the treadmill .... maybe tomorrow

four awesome training tips.

So. I "know" this runner chick, Tammy, and I put it in quotes because I have never met her - but her and I chit chat back and forth via twitter (follow her on twitter @tammymullins), dailymile, and on our blogs. She is probably one of the most disciplined and dedicated people I have ever run across and she is a kick butt runner. She emailed me 4 training tips that I had (a) thought of but not implemented (b) never thought of or (c) had heard of but left it as in one ear out the other. I thought they were worth sharing and I will probably look back on them in the future.

::as an edit... I did shorten some of the tips...but I left in the 'meat' of the tips::

1. You have to schedule your runs in your calendar! Schedule it like you would an appointment.
2. You have to run 3-4 days per week (and I would err on the side of 4 days per week). Your longest run before your half marathon should be 11-12 miles. As a rule of thumb, your long run shouldn't be more than half of your total weekly mileage. So, if you're running an 11 mile run on your long run day, you should be logging more than 22 miles that week.
3. Your runs have to have a purpose. Generally, you can't just walk out the door with no plan on how fast or how long you're going to run. I know that Sunday is my long run day and I'm running x amount of miles at a specific pace. The long slow runs help you build endurance. I know on Tuesdays I'm going to either run hills or do a track workout (speedwork), and I know how many miles and at what pace I'm going to do. Hill and speed workouts help you get faster, and if you're going to run a hilly race course you HAVE to train on hills. I have read that hill workouts provide just as much benefit as speed workouts, so you can do one or the other. That's 3 days of running that have a specific purpose, the other two days I just run short easy paced runs to get my mileage in. If your course is hilly, I would run hills on the days it says speedwork instead of going to the track. Or, if you’re feeling frisky, add another day of running and do 2-3 miles of hills that day.
4. Your weekly mileage is what counts! You're never going to reach your goal running 10 miles per week. You have to gradually increase your weekly mileage, though, or you can injure yourself. The more running you do, especially at different paces, the faster and easier it's going to get. Log more miles, and I guarantee you will get faster.

Some definitions that I have always been wondering about:
Tempo run: A tempo run is run at a pace that is faster than your long run, but slower than the pace you would run during speedwork. It's kind of in the middle, maybe even close to your race pace.