WEEK 2: TURKEY TROT 2017

WEEK 2 TURKEY TROT 2017 WITH TRACK DAY 5K TRAINING PLAN FOR BEGINNERS starts Monday.  It's only the second week, but you should be feeling good about starting! Think back to all the previous times you intended to make this commitment but backed down.

By the 3rd week you might start to look forward to the long run:walk session on Saturdays.  Especially if you get out early and plan ahead to finish with a stop at a special coffee shop, or to come home to perform post-run stretches with a favorite hot or cold beverage waiting.  

This week the strength session targets the upper body.  Are you looking at the schedule and wondering if the upper body strength  (UBS) exercises might be skipped? One of the best ways to insure you will incorporate them into your routine is to determine in advance the specific moves you will be using to work out. (Check out the link to learn 3 reasons UBS and core exercises benefit running).

If this part of the plan is a MENTAL CHALLENGE (you dread working out with your arms, the moves seem too complicated; no runners you know do them, etc.) why not start with just 2 bodyweight exercises.  They do not require extra equipment and thus can be done in a variety of places other than a gym.

Another option is to save this work for another time in the week. My favorite method for NOT skipping UBS exercises is to perform several after a run, before I allow myself to go home.  I do 3 total sets of dips on outdoor park benches or walls, alternating each set immediately with a set of push-ups, on the ground next to the bench or wall.  If there are 3 different benches along the path it's a great break to walk briskly between them. If not, I walk a short loop and circle back to the same bench

I begin with the greatest number of repetitions that I can perform with good form, and decrease the number on the next set, and then decrease more on the final set (30, 25, 20 for example; or 20, 15, 10; or 10, 7, 5). The beauty of this tactic, borrowed from others, is that the very 'worst' is over first! 

If possible, add planks to the mix and you'll be working on your core as well. The RESOURCES page has links to help you find UBS, core, and LBS exercises some with video demonstrations.

Good luck. Remain firm in your commitment.  Think of the tradition you are preparing to enjoy on Thanksgiving, with thousands of other runners.  

​RUN HAPPY!

http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2016/09/fat-girl-running/3-reasons-build-upper-body-strength_65464#GfyrFwa8DTMFGsQJ.97
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