Don’t be a dumbbell: Learn the importance of strength training

Ignoring strength training puts you at risk for injury and limits your progress. Strengthening your legs and core are key ways to ensure that your muscles are capable of performing longer and at greater speeds. (It also helps tighten things up and what girl doesn’t want that?) Often times runners ignore strengthening their hamstrings and … Continue reading »

Maximizing your treadmill workouts

There are some days — be it too rainy or hot — when running outside sounds about as appealing as swimming in the Bay. On those days, I head to the gym, drop Adeline off at the gym daycare and hit the treadmill. I used to think of the treadmill as an awfully boring and … Continue reading »

Run the distance

Okay, so the word I’m about to use is really funny — one of those that makes you giggle like a school girl. It’s Fartlek, Swedish for speed play. It’s the best principle I’ve found for not only increasing speed but distance. It goes something like this: Every time you run, increase your speed for set periods, then revert to your normal jog, then increase it again. Do this for a set period of time during your run and you’ll begin to notice a huge difference in your performance. For instance, a three mile run might look like this: Continue reading »

Run better by running less

It seems counterintuitive that to be a better runner you would run less, but it’s true. The muscles you use running need some time to rest and recuperate and your running form and strength can benefit from doing other activities. My running improved several years ago when I swapped a day for swimming. I learned … Continue reading »