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June 24, 2006

Setting Goals

Goals are an important part of any runner's itinerary. Goals can be quite simple. For example, when I'm feeling worn out while running I make a quick goal in my head. "Make it to the next mile marker and I can take a break." I follow that by positive encouragement. After all, if you're running alone, you are the only one who can encourage you!

How do you make a goal? Here are a few suggestions on how to create a goal.

• What do you want to accomplish? Is it making to the next mile marker or finishing a marathon? Goals come in all shapes and sizes. Goals can also be completed in one day, a week, or even a year. Look at what you want to achieve. This will be a great start in creating your goal.
• How many goals do you want to accomplish? Create multiple goals. Maybe you could have a daily running goal: run at least 3 miles during each run. If you only have one goal for a month, you will not feel as accomplished when working towards that goal. Goals that you can achieve over a period of a few days will make you feel more successful. (Note: you are not creating goals that you know you can accomplish within five minutes. The following section explains how to make sure your goals are actually pushing you to reach them.)
• How long will it take you to accomplish a goal? Giving yourself enough time to reach your goals is important. If you give yourself a week to run a marathon, you are not likely to succeed. Give yourself plenty of time. If you need to revise your goal, it is easy to do and not looked down upon.

Once you have created your goal, you can use the SMARTER goal writing system to help you fine tune your goal.

• S - Is it specific? Is your goal really general: I want to run everyday, or is it specific: I want to run at least 2 miles 5 days a week? The more specific your goals are the more you will focus on achieving them. You can easily incorporate your goals into your training schedule! If your schedule says that you need to cross train twice a week, make a goal on that.
• M - Measurable? If you can measure how well you are progressing toward your goal, it is another step to creating a great goal. It is hard to measure how well you are doing if your goal is "to feel better about running." It is easy to measure a goal that has numerical values or values that can be physically measured or recorded in some way.
• A - Attainable? Your goals need to be attainable. For example, you cannot expect to run 5 miles without stopping the first day you start running. Your goals should be something that you can accomplish and then some. If you know you can run one mile non-stop, make your goal running one and one tenth miles non-stop.
• R - Realistic? Just like attainable, your goals need to be realistic. Expect certain results from yourself, not from this years Boston Marathon winner. In other words, if you know you will not be able to run 7 days a week, do not make that part of your goal. Be real!
• T - Time Specific? Put a deadline or time requirement on your goal. If your goal is to run 2 miles, what time period must you accomplish it in? One run? One day? One week? Put a time limit on it and your goal will be more challenging to you.
• E - Evaluate. Evaluate your goals. If your goals are too easy, make them harder. If your goals are too hard, make them easier. Things change in our lives and we are not able to make running our lives. Maybe you missed a day of running because you had to stay in late for work. You can evaluate your goals to see how you are doing. If you need to revise them, then do it.
• R - Revise. After evaluating your goals and you find you need a change, you can revise the goal. Say that you did miss a run because of a work deadline. Because of this missed run, you will not meet your 10 mile goal for the week. Modify it. Change your goal so that you expect to run 9 miles this week. Goals are never set in stone.

SMARTER is just one way to write goals. However, I find it to be helpful in creating goals that are well written and easy to work with. Other individuals have different definitions for SMARTER. They may say that the A is for accomplishment or that T is for Tangible. You can use this method or you find another method to use.

The bottom line: Writing goals will help you stay on top of your running. Goals are not set in stone, they can be modified based on the events in our lives. To make a goal find something that you want to accomplish, write it up, and go for it!

What goals have you made for yourself? Did you accomplish it? Did you have to change it? Post them in the comments below!

RP

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June 10, 2006

I have made some site structure and navigation changes. If you find a 404 error, please let me know. Here is what I did.

• New Blog Index. Now when you visit RunPete.com you will immediately see the blogs instead of seeing the homepage. I realized that there was not too much point to the homepage. However, this connects to the next change.
• Welcome Message. There is now a welcome message. If you visit the site for the first time you will see a box that directs you to the welcome message (the old homepage). After your first visit you will not see the box again (unless you fail to visit the site again within 30 days). I am still using the cookie to help me with this. Again, it stores no personal information about you!
• FAQ Updated. The green box no longer asks you if you want to see the box again, go to the blogs, etc. Therefore, questions relating to that have been removed. Also, I have added a question and answer about the tags that are listed in each post.
• Site Pages (non blogs). These pages can mostly be found under the site root (/) or in the content directory (/ct). This separates them from the blog pages (which should be found in the archive directory /yyyy/mm/file_name).

Those are all the updates I did with the site. Again, send me a message if something doesn't work!

RP

P.S.: For those of you who have posted comments on Running Tip #3, worry not, I will get to them soon!

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Cross Training

It is a commonly held belief that all runners do is run. There are a variety of reasons why this is true. First, running is an easy sport to pick up. You only need shoes, an area to run, and motivation to do so. Second, many people who run simply do it because it is available and non-expensive. While it is great that individuals run, it is important to cross train.

Cross training is involving a variety of activities into your fitness plan. Why should you cross train with your running?

• Lose More Calories. The more activities you include in your cross training, the more calories you are going to burn!
• Greater Strength. Yes, you will get stronger depending on which cross training activities you include. Running alone is a great way to stay in shape. But consider how much better your shape will be if you jump in the pool three times a week.
• Reduced Injuries. If you have sore leg muscles and the pain does not go away after a few days, do you want to keep running? Going to the gym and working on your upper body will give your legs a rest for a day. At the same time you are still putting your body through physical activity.

There are three great reasons why you should cross train. Now, how should you incorporate cross training into your schedule?

• Start Easy. There is no point adding an additional hour in the gym everyday for your cross training. Start easy by just adding a few minutes of lifting weights or swimming a few laps.
• Build Gradually. Think back to when you first started running. It may have been hard so you took it easy. As you ran more and more it became easier and easier to go farther and farther. Do the same with cross training. If you feel ready to extend the amount of time (and effort) you cross train, do not be afraid to. Just be sure to do it gradually. If what you add still feels easy, begin adding more to your schedule. Try not to overexert yourself.
• Take Time Off. Just like running, do not be afraid to take a day off. Most people who cross train are probably doing it to get a better shape or to improve their running. It will not kill you to take a day off. Remember, you can always make up that time lost in other ways!
• Get Help. If it is your first time in the gym, ask for help! Other "gym-goers" will not care if you are asking for help on how to use a machine. It is better to ask for help than risking an injury or breaking equipment. Also, do not be afraid to ask for help on your cross training plan. Check out running sites and see what people are doing. They can provide a wealth of advice for any new or veteran cross trainer.
• Use the Proper Equipment. Plain and simple: do not swim in your running shorts. Buy a swimsuit. Likewise, do not wear your spikes into the gym. Make sure you are dressed appropriately for whatever activity you are doing.

Now you have a better idea of how to incorporate cross training into your schedule. It really follows the same advice given to new runners! Finally, what activities can you do to cross train?

• Biking. Yes, good old biking is perfect for the runner. It keeps you moving fast, you cover a large distance, and you really get a good breeze going. Plus, if you have always had that desire to wear biker shorts, this provides you with a perfect opportunity to do so!
• Swimming. It is relaxing, clears out the lungs, and gives you a work out that almost all parts of your body will appreciate. Swimming is also a great activity to do when it is 120 degrees outside.
• Lifting Weights. No just upper body, you can work your legs, too! This is where you will most likely need assistance. Remember: do not be afraid to ask for help! Start off easy. You may have been able to bench 300 pounds in high school, but if you have not done it since then, try to start of with something lighter: like a feather.
• Pool Activities. Non-traditional swimming activities are great for your body. Join a water aerobics class or even pick up a water polo class. They are fun activities and it keeps you moving in more than one direction.

There you have it. Four activities you can do to begin cross training. Obviously, the list could go on for pages. These are just four broad categories that thousands of other activities could fall under. What cross training activities do you do? Post them in the comments!

RP

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June 5, 2006

It won't cost you any money to subscribe to RunPete.com. I have placed two feeds on the left hand side of the page. You can subscribe to this page via RSS XML or Atom XML. If you use Firefox, look in the address bar for a small broadcasting logo. Click on it and it will ask you if you want to subscribe to my site. I will add more subscription types as the requests come for them. Enjoy!

RP

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Humidity and Running

Runners have many obstacles to overcome on their daily workouts. One of these obstacles is humidity. How much humidity can a runner stand before it is too taxing on their body?

Dealing with humidity is a challenge to most runners. If you are not used to 90 degree days with 75 percent humidity, chances are you will struggle and not finish your workout. What can you do to make it through a high humidity day?

• Stay hydrated. Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. Ironic, then, that you need to stay hydrated. You should do your best to drink water 30 to 45 minutes before you start your run. During your run, you should drink at least 1 cup of water (or Gatorade, etc.) every 10 to 15 minutes. If you are drinking a sports drink such as Gatorade, it will only be helpful if you are running long distances or for extended periods of times (at least an hour or more).
• Use the shade. If you can run through a forest preserve it will liken your chances of being able to run where it is cooler. Using shade to your advantage will at least lower the temperature you are running in.
• Dress for the weather. If it is 20 degrees outside you are going to dress warmly. Likewise, if it is 100 degrees outside then you are going to dress lightly. Wear light shirts and shorts. These should be made of breathable materials. Avoid wearing t-shirts if you can. If you have an old mesh shirt, wear it!
• Train for warm weather. If you do not usually run in warm weather, prepare your body for it. Do not go out and run 10 miles on a 90 degree day if you have never done it before. Slowly build up your body for it. Take it easy. Your body will adjust. The adjustment period varies but around 1-2 weeks does the job!
• Take a break. There are runners, like me, who feel too high and mighty to stop running in front of other people. But if you are on the brink of passing out, stop running. The last thing you want is to be 3 miles from your car in the middle of a field and passed out.
• If all else, stay inside or swim. Running is not the only way runners stay in shape. If it is too dangerous to go running, stay inside where it is cool and count it as a rest day. If you need get your legs moving, see if you can go to the beach or pool and swim for a while. Just remember to stay hydrated!

Most of this advice is probably what you all already know. However, you will want to use that extra bit of caution on high heat and humidity days. Take it easy and you'll still be able to enjoy your running.

RP

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June 4, 2006

Miles Tracking

Day	Miles Run	Miles Walked	Time
Monday	1.5	0	21 min
Tuesday	1.2	0	19 min
Wednesday	0	0	0 min
Thursday	0.9	0.2	20 min
Friday	0	0	0 min
Saturday	1.0	1.0	33 min
Sunday	0	0	0 min
Totals	3.7	1.2	93 min

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In my running tip #1 post I mentioned that if you miss a run it is not the end of the world. You can always make it up by just finding 20 minutes later in your day to go out and run, walk, or somehow be active. Here is just another piece of advice on how to make up a missed run.

On June 3rd I went to a flea market with my mom. For about four hours we were outside walking to every vendor we could find. While we did make a lot of fun purchases, we probable lost more than we gained. Now, I am not talking about our purchases and our money. Instead, take a moment to think about what we were doing for those four hours. We were on our feet, outside in 90 degree weather, walking for almost five miles. We covered a lot of turf. I did not run that day but as I look at it, I still accomplished something.

I walked several miles. I generally run 2 miles and walk about 1 in my work outs. Now, I walked 5 miles at the flea market. That is still a major benefit to my body. I was active, moving, and having a good time.

All in all, the message here is that you can find health in many activities that you do every day! Just think about our elderly citizens who wake up at the brink of dawn to walk around the mall a few times. I've seen them and they speed walk!

So, do not be afraid to miss a running day to go out and walk for a half hour or an hour. It will make you feel good and you will avoid that "I didn't go running" depression that we runners seem to get.

RP

Tags [?]: Running Tips, Running, Walking, Speed Walking, Exercise, Fitness, Health

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Weight Tracker

Starting Weight	230 lbs
Current Weight	198 lbs
Total Lost	32 lbs

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