Ramblings of a Running-Obsessed Undergrad
Archive for January, 2010
Strong like Bull!
Jan 22nd
Leg’s still bugging me, but I’ve been keeping up with my 2010 Resolution to do strength training 3x a week for 20 minutes a day – and let me tell ya, it’s been working! I definitely feel stronger than I did in 2009, and I am starting to see the difference as well. T-Rex runner arms be-gone!
A big part of my strength program is the OneHundredPushups program, founded by my fellow Daily Miler Steve Speirs. Check it out at http://hundredpushups.com/ ! I’m on Week 4 of the program. I can’t believe I did 78 pushups the other day! Thanks Steve!
If you’re interested in the rest of my strength program, here it is:
Arms
100pushups
Abs
Plank
Forearms to Plank
Boat Pose
Pelvic Tilt (lie on your back, lifting your feet off the ground with bent knees. Use your abs to straighten your lower back so that it lies flush with the floor. Maintain this position as you lift one leg, then the other, tapping the floor with your feet as you lower them. Continue this for as long as you can, making sure to keep your lower back flush against the floor (abs engaged).
Glutes
Single-leg bridging
Stability Ball Bridging
Wall Sits – I usually do 4 or 5 minutes total, split into 1 minute sections. Sometimes I do my bicep curls at the same time. Multitasking!
Crunches
Medicine Ball (MB) toe-touches
MB Stability Ball Crunches
Bicycle Crunches
Bicep Curls – I use an 8lb weight because I’m a wimp. Also it’s the biggest weight I have.
Injured Groin Rehab
Hip Adductors
Stability Ball Squeezes
Clamshell
That’s it!
All right, I’m off to bed. I’ll need my rest for my swimming in the morning!
Comments4Cans – Thanks everyone!
Jan 19th
Hi everyone!
A while back I started a Comments4Cans drive, where for every 5 comments on my site I would donate a can to the Charlottesville Emergency Food Bank. And you guys came through and posted 34 comments! That’s 7 cans of food to feed the hungry in Albemarle County.
(Excuse my toes there at the bottom.)
I chose black beans because they’re full of protein and are easy to prepare. Also they are delicious.
Again, thanks everybody for your help!
New Year’s Resolution
Jan 4th
I know I already have a bunch of 2010 goals, but to me a resolution is different – unlike a goal(ie PRing in the 10k), a resolution is something constant that you have to work at each and every day, consistently, throughout the year. This year, my resolution will be to consistently strength train – at least 3 days a week for 20 minutes a day.
The 100 pushups program is going to be a part of my strength training for sure. 100 pushups, here I come!
Injury Update
Jan 4th
My injury is doing better! The past few weeks I’ve been going to Physical Therapy, doing strengthening and stretching exercises, and… well… not running. :\ But the past few days things have been looking up, and I did 2 miles on the treadmill on Saturday and today I’ll head back to the gym to try to do more. I’m hoping that 2010 can start off right with a good recovery from my injury.
Due to the unexpected setback, I’ll have to revise my 2010 goals. After 3 weeks of no running, I’m in no shape to jump back into marathon training, especially since I’m not fully healed. It’s going to take a few weeks to build back up the mileage I was doing, and the last thing I want to do is re-injure myself. And so I’ve decided to not run the National Marathon in March – it kills me to have to postpone that dream, but I know its the right thing to do. I’m young and there will be plenty of other marathons to run.
Although I won’t be running the full marathon, I will run the half. With a little over 3 months to get back into the swing of things, I know I can do it.
I hope everyone had a great holiday!
