Tag: #runcoach

Running When You Are Tired

by Elevate Running, posted in coaching, fitness, half marathon, marathon, mental training, running, training, Uncategorized

After finishing my run this afternoon, I felt inspired to share a couple of the tricks that I have used when I feel challenged running because I’m tired. I have a 10 1/2 month old and I do not remember what it feels like to be rested so I’ve had a lot of experience with this kind of running recently 🤣

Sleep aids in recovery and can help us feel balanced, happy, and relaxed…. so when we don’t get enough of it, it can really take a toll mentally and physically.

As a running coach, I enjoy when I can share tips from my personal running with my athletes and with fellow runners. I’ll keep it short and sweet. Thanks for reading!

Be gentle with yourself: Lower your expectations (reduce mileage, speed expectations, or expectations pertaining to how you “should” feel during this run) and spend more time easing into your run by doing more warm up. I find that when I am tired, my body also needs a bit more stretching to feel “normal.”

Play with speed: try picking up the pace during your run. While this might seem contradictory, sometimes picking up the pace can help you feel more energy. I really enjoy doing Fartlek runs in these moments because I find that it helps me to break up the run and feel energized.

Change your focus: rather than allowing yourself to focus on feeling tired, focus your mind on something inspiring… if you are on the treadmill, maybe this means opening Netflix or YouTube and if you are running outside, maybe this means listening to a podcast or music.

Remember that tired running is good training: In every race there is a moment or several moments when you feel tired and need to run through this feeling. Practicing this during your training runs can make all the difference on race day.

Happy Baby Pose

by Elevate Running, posted in coaching, fitness, running, training, yoga, yoga for runners

Benefits:

  • brings awareness to the hip joints
  • stretches the groin and spine
  • promotes relaxation and happiness

Practicing Happy Baby Pose:

Do not include this pose in your practice if you have a neck or knee injury or if you are pregnant. Warm up for this pose by enjoying child’s pose and hero pose. After relaxing into happy baby pose, follow up with downward dog pose.

  1. Begin by laying on your yoga mat with your back supported by the ground
  2. Exhale your knees to your belly
  3. Inhaling, place your hands on the outsides of your feet and widen your knees before raising them up to your armpits
  4. Place both of your ankles above your knees so that your shins become perpendicular to the ground
  5. Flexing through yours heels, push your feet into your hands while you pull your hands toward the ground
  6. Smile!

This pose is beneficial for runners and non-runners alike.

I haven’t been posting as much recently because I have been focused on spending time with my HAPPY BABY (she is 8 weeks old today)

Thanks for reading & have a great day!

Bound Angle Pose

by Elevate Running, posted in fitness, mental training, training, Uncategorized, yoga, yoga for runners

Benefits:

  • Improves circulation and increases energy
  • Stretches the groins, knees, and thighs
  • Reduces pain from sciatica and menstruation
  • Helps to alleviate mild depression and anxiety
  • Aids in the reduction of menopause symptoms
  • May ease childbirth when practiced throughout pregnancy
  • Provides therapeutic benefits for high blood pressure, flat feet, asthma, and infertility

Practicing Bound Angle Pose:

  • To prepare for this pose, practice hero pose, tree pose, and reclining hand-to-big-toe pose
  • If you have a knee or groin injury, practice this pose with blankets folded under the outer thighs
  • Begin in a seated position with your legs extending straight in front of you
  • Exhaling, bend your knees and bring your heels towards your pelvis before relaxing your knees to your sides towards the ground
  • Press your soles towards one another to create resistance
  • Keeping your outer feet on the ground, bring your feet towards your pelvis
  • Grasp your feet, ankles, or shins based on your level of comfort
  • Lengthen your torso extending the top of your head towards the sky
  • Optional: On your exhale, bending from the hip joints, bring your torso forward towards your feet
  • Remain in this pose for up to 5 minutes
  • To move out of this pose, inhale as you lift your knees towards the sky and extend the legs out in front of you
  • Follow up with forward bends, seated twists, and/or standing poses

Running with Gratitude

by Elevate Running, posted in coaching, fitness, gratitude, mental training, mindfulness, running, sport psychology, training

I just finished reading Deena Kastor’s book, Let Your Mind Run (which I highly recommend… it’s a great book). In her book, Deena spoke about how gratitude transformed her mind and running. Inspired by this reading, I wanted to share a simple gratitude practice to help you improve your mental and physical training this week. This is an excellent practice for runners but, more importantly, it is an excellent practice for people. Focusing on gratitude can improve mood, focus, and energy.

This practice is simple which is partly what makes it so beautiful. Using the list below for each day this week, identify five things that you are grateful for each day. You can form this list throughout your day or solely focus on it at the end of your day. Challenge yourself to identify things that are different from what you noted on your gratitude list the day before. Utilize the follow-up questions to record other important observations about yourself and this activity.

Gratitude List

I am grateful for:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Follow-up questions:

  • Was this activity challenging or easy today?
  • What did I notice about my thinking today?
  • Did this activity affect my thinking?
  • Did this activity affect my behaviors/ performance?
  • Are there any other observations that I want to note pertaining to my thinking, behaviors, or this activity today?

Developing a Running Habit

by Elevate Running, posted in coaching, fitness, mental training, running, sport psychology, training

It seems like the hardest part of starting or restarting running is developing consistency. Once we have, the runs flow much easier but the initial steps of forming the habit can be so tough! Here are some tips to help you successfully develop running consistency.

  • Choose your when. Commit to a time to run each day. Most people choose to run first thing in the morning or in the evening after work.
  • Don’t let tiredness be an excuse. Choose to face your run even when you feel tired. Running when you are tired can have both physical and mental training benefits.
  • Write down your completed runs. Take the time to log your miles. Reflecting on the work you put in and the progress you have made can help you get back out there tomorrow.
  • Focus on your effort rather than your results. Rather than focusing on your speed and comparing your times to others or to your previous bests, focus on the effort you put into each run.
  • Reward yourself. Take time to reward yourself for your hard work.
  • Share your goals and successes. Boost accountability by sharing your goals and successes with others.
  • Push yourself appropriately. It can be easy to push too hard too fast which can lead to injury or burnout. Examine where you are starting from and understand how much is enough. Don’t be afraid to walk. Taking it slow has great training benefits for runners of all levels.

For running coaching that addresses both mental & physical training, please visit: https://elevaterunning.org