Running Clubs...Yea or Nay?

Anyone out there in a running club? I have always had to run alone, or have always been too lazy to seek out other crazy like minded individuals to run with, so I guess you could say it has been my stupid ingenious plan all along.  

Seriously though, I ran with my new running club the other day and enjoyed every heavy breathing sweat dropping delicious second of it.  The girls I am running with are training for a 5k in April and even though I've been there done that, it's just fun and a great way to meet new people as well as get back into the habit of running at least 3x a week.  They are up to 90 seconds running 2 minutes walking and have also invited me to join them at the before mentioned 5k and to use them as an excuse to not beating my previous time.  Awwww, how sweet.

You see, I was not planning on running it because last year I ran it 4 plus minutes faster than my previous 5k.  I was thinking of not running it at all this year because of my horrible, irritating, summer stealing injury from last May and I know that I won't make or beat my time...boohoo! So, the girls said "Hey, just use us newbies as an excuse and then you won't feel bad at all, you can just say you couldn't leave us behind."  Hmmm, do you think I can really do that and not allow that inner whinny nasal like voice to drive me batty as a baboon crazy? It could work...right! How many of you are in a running club?

In other news, I am going out of town with the hubby in April (back the day before the race) to a trade show for our store...it is being held at Seven Feathers Casino and Resort I don't normally go but decided it would be a nice getaway for the two of us, we don't get out much.

I don't know who that lady is but this is the casino

My son who broke his collar bone will NOT have to go through surgery, it should heal on it's own with only a small bump, so we are happy about that.  He is doing well, is back to riding the bus and doing his chores...lol, he didn't get much time off, but he is pretty strong, in fact we call him the beast, so it's all good. 

I have started to do tae-bo again and I love it.  It was something I use to do back when the kids were all little so it was easy to pick up again, it's amazing how fast things like that come back to you.  I am only doing it at home, so it's not like I'm in a class but there are some great videos out there on kickboxing/tae-bo, who needs a class, not me!  I currently use Billy Blanks tapes.

Blessings and hugs, hope y'all have a fantastic week and weekend. Oh and I even managed to run a couple of negative split runs this week...woot!
   
Godspeed...this comes from the Middle English expression "God spede (you)", a wish for success and fortune for one setting out on an enterprise, voyage, adventure, or travels. It may also mean good luck. 

 "Limitations only exist if you let them" 

© 2013 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.

Negative Splits

Negative splitting is where you run the first half of a race/run slower than the last half of a race/run.

When I ran my 5k this last Saturday, I ran negative splits.  My first mile and a half was slower than my last mile and a half, and I beat my previous PR by 4 minutes and 23 seconds.  

*When you run at slower than race pace in the first part of your race, you allow your muscles to warm up thoroughly, which helps to prevent injuries, as you all know.

*It also gradually increases how hard your heart and lungs have to work, so it's less of a shock to your system.

*Endorphins will naturally be boosted in the second half, and you'll have increased energy that will allow you to run faster without feeling so much effort.

*Negative splits offer quicker post-run recoveries.

*When you consistently run negative splits you'll inevitably become a faster runner.

For example...When you run your next out and back try this, run to your destination at a slower pace than normal and on your way back speed it up to a faster than normal pace;  this will naturally inspire a negative run. 

You can do this on a track and just use your stopwatch to time each lap, or you can choose to do multiple interval runs of a mile at a time etc, whatever you do just run the first part slower than normal and the second half faster than normal.

So make a plan and go out and run some negative splits during your next few runs and see if it works like it's supposed to.  Then send me a line or comment and let me know how it's working for you personally. Good luck and God bless.

"Limitations only exist if you let them"

 © 2012 Shannon M. King. This publication is the exclusive property of Shannon M. King and is protected under the US Copyright Act of 1976 and all other applicable international, federal, state and local laws. The contents of this post/story may not be reproduced as a whole or in part, by any means whatsoever, without consent of the author, Shannon M. King. All rights reserved.