How to Run Faster

One of my goals is to be able to run faster.   Growing up I played a lot of soccer and football.  These sports had a lot of sprinting involved in them.  I was quite fast and often would beat the person defending me and make a nice play.  I also played baseball but was bad at hitting.  I compromised this by getting proficient at bunting down the third base line and sprinting to first base, beating the throw to first base.  Then I would steal second base and somehow get to home.  All of this was done primarily by sprinting and being fast.

In order to get faster there are a few things that you can do in the gym to help.  The main thing studies have shown include that when doing leg workouts the focus should be on doing less repetitions and heavier weight.  The workouts should include squats and leg presses.  These exercise are ones that focus on exploding upward in order to complete the repetition.  I also like doing leg extensions and leg curls.

When you run for speed you also should try running outside and do interval training by starting of at a nice jogging pace.  Then sprint for 15-20 seconds and then go back to jogging pace. Try sprinting to two or three lamp posts or other objects along your running route and then recover for two or three lamp posts.  This type of running is known as fartlek running.

If you are trying to get faster as a runner you should do leg workouts such as squats, leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls.  When running you should do interval training and practice running fartleks.
Within a few weeks you should notice that you can run faster.

My Gym

I went to the gym yesterday for the first time in a while. I did a weigh-in to see where my starting point is in my goal of getting down to about 180lbs with less body fat and  more lean muscle mass. I weighed in at 208 which was less than I thought I was but still has me losing 20-25 lbs.  I brought my daughter with me because the gym offers free baby sitting so you can bring your kid and go work out and the kid can play in a supervised environment. That is a big selling point to the gym along with other things like the pool, group exercise classes, the basketball court, they offer personal training and they have many machines so if it gets busy the odds are that there will always be an available machine.

My gym has lots of treadmills on both the first and second floors. I've found that the treadmills get very busy on Sunday evening and Monday evenings. That is because people start thinking about how much they ate over the weekend or the planned exercise time that was missed for one reason or the other. People are creatures of habit and it consistently happens that on Sunday and Monday evenings it may be difficult finding a treadmill that's open.

What do you look for in a gym?  Do you prefer joining a gym or staying in shape other ways?

Starting over again

Well it's been a while sinse I last updated this web page.  I'm back now though and am back working out.  The hard part of getting back into shape is that you have to find the time to actually go workout and keep up with it. Here's a video from a guy I subscribe to on YouTube that explains what is needed to get back on track.

It takes consistancy for things to become a habit.  Usually about 2 weeks worth of doing things consistantly will make it a habit.  When applying this to working out it means consistantly making time for working out, eating right so you have the energy to go work out and not letting other reasons get in the way of your goal of making exercise.

I will post more updates on how my exercise goals are coming along on a consistent basis and will keep giving more information on articles and videos that I find related to exercise and health.  Till next time.....

Thanksgiving tips

Well tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I decided to put together a holiday primer for everyone for the long weekend.

Tomorrow morning in some places there will be running events in honor of Thanksgiving. In Clearwater, Florida there is the St. Pete Times Turkey Trot. A good web site to check out for any type of upcoming road race is The Schedule. All around the country there are events to go to or to participate in.

After you are done running or watching parades on TV the main event is Thanksgiving dinner. Here is a pretty good list of eating tips when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. It's important to watch out for portion size due to most dinners will be having multiple side dishes and desserts.

As for football for tomorrow on TV: Green Bay@Detroit on Fox Sports at 12:30 EST, Oakland@Dallas on CBS at 4:15 EST, and NY Giants@Denver on NFL Network at 8:20E EST.

Looks like a full day of fun and excitement, good times and cheer for you and your family. Enjoy the holiday and get ready for shopping on Black Friday!

Did Some Trail Running Today

Well today I decided to get away from the treadmill and run outside. I find that when you normally run on the treadmill and then one day you run outside the treadmill will actually make you run faster. The workout is slightly more difficult but overall you will run faster.

I ended up running about 2 miles and then went for a bike ride. The run took me to a sports park in town that has multiple football and baseball fields. It is bordered by a wooded area and there are some trails on the perimeter of the park that I run occasionally. I got a good sweat going and worked on some sprinting too.
Here is a link to the sports park that I was running at.

Trail running is great because you not only see how in shape you are due to not being on a treadmill conveyor belt, but you also have the hills and unsteady ground to deal with. Practice makes perfect and doing trail running will help you out with any type of outdoor team sport (football, soccer, baseball, etc). Definately add it to your training regimine as it does help with getting in shape.

Effects of Exercise on Your Mental State

Today I'd like to talk about the positive effects that exercise has on our brain and mental health. For years I've noticed that if I'm stress out or upset about something it helps when I work out. Afterward, I do feel better and seem to think a bit more clearly about what is bothering me or causing me stress.

I found an article on WebMD that taled about how regular exercise can increase the amount of endorphins in your brain (they make you feel good) and decrease feelings of depression and sadness.
"Regular exercise has been proven to help:
-Reduce stress
-Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
-Boost self-esteem
-Improve sleep "

If you want to feel better mentally, if you've been stressed out about work, school or perhaps something in your personal life a bit of exercise will help put you in a better mood and assist you in thinking clearer. I notice that a lot of people in business field unrelated to exercise work out on a regular basis and this could be due to what the article talks about.

Go for a run or play a sport or lift weights. Do something because exercise will make you feel better.

Good Exercise Links I View

Some exercise links of note
Since I've been working out I developed an Excel Spreadsheet to track my progress while working out. I also like to go to a few websites and check out the latest information on exercising and working out. Below are some of those websites that I find useful.

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Here's a good place to look for running highlights.This site has a lot of good information concerning running and training for competitive runs.

Here's a good personal web site with a man that has had success in losing weight.

This is a website I visit for a lot of good articles on working out and tracking progress.

RUNNING IN THE RAIN

Today I went running after doing some yard work and it started raining. Although it cooled me off I was wet all over and my shoes got wet and the wetness got to my socks. I hate that feeling.

It just goes to show you that you have to plan for anything. Just because it rains doesn't mean you need to stop running. If it were lightning then that would be a different story because it would be a safety issue. Lightning is very dangerous and nobody needs to run that bad that they risk getting struck by lightning.

When running in the rain you just need to be a little more cautious about footing and you will probably get your clothes dirty as it's wet and you'll probably get grass or some sort of debris on your legs or clothes. Either way it's ok to run in the rain.

Running Again

Well it's a great day to start running again. I went to the gym and focused my attention on cardio. When a person starts working out for the first time in a while he or she needs to start slow. My goal today was to be able to do 1 mile. I accomplished that plus I did some biking too.

What's the best way to get back to the fitness level I was at before I stopped working out? My plan of action is to try to run at least a little bit every day or so. I know I will be sore if I run every day and in the long run it is not healthy or smart to run every day as the legs can't take running every day. I'll also watch what I eat more closely. How many people out there have stopped working out for one reason or another and decided to start again? What makes people get back to working out? Let's hope things continue in the right direction and I can make it a habit again!