Exhausted... but not burnt out yet!

My training is picking up seriously now and to be quite honest… I AM EXHAUSTED! I am hoping that this exhaustion has a lot to do with walking around and touring San Fran with my sister and not with my running. We’ve been walking for miles each day seeing the sites, in addition to the miles I’m racking up training… even on my rest days. Now that Emily’s gone, it’s back to life as usual in Berkeley (booo).

This post is inspired by my sister and by the fact that my training is picking up. I am going to talk a little about getting into running and how to begin training without burning out. I was home for a few days and had my sister here in Berkeley with me for a week. I totally pushed her past her comfort zone when running (although she was willing =-)), but I want to get her started the right way. A lot of beginning runners just go out and run full steam ahead, instead of easing into it. This causes many people to just give up running after only a few weeks or months. My sister and I are at completely different points in running, but the same strategy is going to work for both of us and that is running INTERVALS.

TIP OF THE DAY: Run intervals in order to build up speed and endurance. Intervals can be described as a “burst of activity followed by a period of rest”. Of course, this looks different, depending on your experience.

I am running intervals to increase my speed to meet my time goal for my ½ marathon (under 2 hours). Emily (a beginner… sorry) runs intervals because she is building up endurance to simply be able to run longer and exercise. Sure, there are some folks who can just go out and run forever (and quickly), but you are bound to burn out and leave the sport eventually. Plus, many sources will claim that running intervals can burn up to three times as much fat as running twice as long at a moderately hard, steady pace. (Please don’t go out and try this if it is out of your league, I’m not trying to kill anybody here).

Beginner: Start by running what you can with periods of walking in between. For example, if your goal is to run for 30 minutes, you might start by running 5 minutes, then walking 5 minutes for a total of a half hour. As you notice this getting easier, make the

walking periods shorter (run 7 minutes, walk 3 minutes). Eventually, you’ll be able to take out the rest period altogether. These are just suggestions and can work in any way that you need. Of course, don’t forget to warm up before and cool down after with a jog or walk. Here’s a great smartphone app that’s great for beginning runners who are looking for a more guided interval workout:

http://splendid-things.co.uk/getrunning/ß AND IT TALKS TO YOU!! haha

Intermediate: This is where I see myself. Now that I can run for an hour or two, I want to be faster. Instead of walking during my rest period, I use a jog between periods of sprinting. Here’s what my interval workout looks like right now:

Mile 1 (10 min. mile, warm up)

Miles 2-4 (8:00-8:40 min. mile, followed by a ¼ mile slow jog, repeat)

Mile 5 (10ish minute mile, cool down)

Running intervals like this is a great way to see yourself progressing as a runner and to work towards goals without burning out. Interval workouts are a good way to push yourself when you’re ready to pick up the pace or raise the bar. Try it… it feels good, and who doesn’t like to feel successful? Oh... and speaking of goals...I have raised $780 so far (which is about half of my personal goal of $1500). Let's keep it going folks and thanks to everyone who has donated so far!