Tips for New Runners

It seems like I always think about food when I run.

Sure I think about other things, like my to-do list or upcoming events, but inevitably toward the end of a run, my mind wanders toward my next meal.

Sadie and I covered just more than five miles on our run this morning and during the last mile, my thoughts were dedicated to breakfast.

A strawberry banana smoothie sounded perfect.

Frozen Strawberries

After a quick shower, I got to work in the kitchen creating a thick, cool and creamy breakfast smoothie.

Into the blender went:

• 1 scoop All the Whey strawberry protein powder
• 2/3 c. frozen strawberries
• 1 frozen banana
• Almond Breeze almond milk
• 1 ice cube
• 1.5 tsp. Bob’s Red Mill xanthan gum

Strawberry Banana Goodness

Blended Up

I poured my smoothie in a large coffee tumbler to enjoy.

Smoothie Time!

I like my smoothies really thick and ate the majority of the smoothie with a spoon.

Yum

Me + Smoothie + Spoon

Though I do love Green Monsters, my heart really lies with a good old fashioned strawberry banana smoothie. I mean c’mon, it’s pink!

My Tips for New Runners

When I first received a reader request to compile a list of my tips for new runners, I initially thought I’m not qualified to do that!

As I’ve said before (and as you can see from my running story) I am by no means a gifted runner, but I had the desire to run.

Then, when I thought about it, I figured this probably describes a lot of new runners out there: People who want to run but feel a little overwhelmed or intimidated by running or assume they just don’t have the “running gene.”

I am simply a girl who wanted to run and eased my way into running by starting slow and keeping at it.

That being said, here are my tips for new runners:

• Invest in a good pair of running shoes. I run in Mizuno Wave Riders (which I do not think are cute, but offer the comfort and support I need). I used to run in Nike Shox which were super cute, but gave me blisters. Not a good idea. Save the Shox for strength training!

My First Pair of Real Running Shoes

• Start slow. Don’t overwhelm yourself by setting out to run five miles right off the bat. Start with a mile, then add a little more, and a little more until you reach the distance you’ve set out to accomplish.

• Don’t worry about your time. If you’re truly a new runner, don’t worry about how fast you’re running. Just get out there and run! Whether you run a mile at a 7-minute pace or a 12-minute pace, run at the pace that feels right for you.

• Set a goal. Whether your goal is to simply run three miles without stopping or compete in a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon, having something to work toward may help keep you motivated.

Running in a 10k

• Research the training plan that is right for you. If you desire a little direction when it comes to training to reach your goal, search for a training plan to follow. There are lots of plans out there, from the popular Couch to 5k plan to marathon training. Some plans incorporate speed drills and hill running, while others stick to simple, long runs. Choose the one that’s right for you, your running abilities and your goals.

Running Race Recaps:

Here are a few links to races I’ve run within the past couple months:

• 5k Doggie Run with Sadie (My 5k PR!)
• 5k Fun Run with Friends
• Kappa Delta Shamrock 5k
• Winter Park 10k
• UCF 5 Miler

Your Tips for New Runners

Here are tips for new runners straight from YOU:

• From Elizabeth: Go to a running specialty store and have them fit you for YOUR perfect shoes.  Have them look at your feet and how you run so they can put you in the right shoe for you.  This will make running more comfortable and help keep you injury free! Set a goal.  Look online sign-up for a local 5k or 10k to work towards.  You can always walk the race! HAVE FUN! Don’t stress over pace and distance.  Start out going for time.  Walk/run if you need to.
• From Vee: Start slow, mix it up with walking, then walk less, run more. And once you can run your distance, start working on other things – speed, longer distance etc.
• From Ange: Invest in a Nike plus running system or the more expensive Garmin to track your progress & inspire! Treat yourself to a new running outfit at the end of every month. Make up fun playlists every week and run at a faster pace during fast songs. Eat complex carbs about at least 2 hrs before your run.
• From Kait: I started by walking, then mixing walking with running, and then finally setting out on running adventures slowly upping my distance. I guess my best advice is don’t try too much all at once and stick with it, you’ll build the endurance over time.
• From Katie: For brand-y new runners, definitely don’t go out there with some time or speed goals! Just get out there and run and have fun.  Take walking breaks, and slowly increase distance so you don’t hurt yourself (stress fractures love overtrainers!).  Don’t try to run every single day or again, overuse or just plain boredom set in.   Signing up for a 5k after your comfortable running 2-3 miles would be a fun goal!
• From Angela: Start with the ‘jog for 2 minutes, walk for 1’ method, then work up from there. And don’t forget to stretch after, especially if your body isn’t used to working out on a regular basis (we don’t like injuries!!).
• From Anna: I would definitely say to start slow and not get frustrated. Adding a little distance or time each week can seem really slow, but it adds up fast!
• From Kelly: My tips for new runners would be to listen to your body and start slowly. Never increase your mileage each week by more than 10% to avoid injury!
• From Holly: I think a good tip when starting is to just run light post to light post & then walk to the next one & do it all over! Or pick a particular thing & say ‘I’m just going to run to that stop sign’…and typically once you get to the stop sign (for example) you want to keep going.
  Also picking out good fast beat songs to listen to is another one. I love anything that pumps me up (usually rap- haha!).
• From Kelly and Lindsey: I think one of the best tips is to get fitted for running shoes at a specialty running store…and not just buy any old shoes.

Real Man Shake

Breakfast this morning was served in one of Ryan’s massive protein shake cups. 

I felt like I was drinking a real man shake. 😉 

Green Monster Man Shake

Ryan drinks several protein shakes a day out of these cups. He gets them for free when he buys exorbitant amounts of protein online, so we have about a billion of them. 

Apparently I added an entire bush-worth of spinach to my green monster smoothie today because it was ginormous, as Buddy the Elf would say. 

"Have you seen Julie's green monster? It's ginormous!"

Into the mix went:

• Tons o’ spinach
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 scoop All the Whey chocolate peanut butter cup protein powder
• Almond Breeze almond milk
• 1 tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. Bob’s Red Mill xanthan gum
• 1 tbsp. cocoa powder

Green Goodness

It was thick, filling and, of course, terribly unattractive and green. 

I know I’ve said it before, but I love the way I feel after downing one of these bad boys. Cheesy as it sounds, they make me feel alive! It’s probably all in my head, but I’ll take it! 😀 

I'm Alive!

Workout

Today’s BodyPump class was emptyyy. Apparently no one was feelin’ the gym today, because there were less than half the amount of people who are normally there in class this morning. 

I actually missed the energy of a packed class! I like the “we’re all in this together” feeling I usually get during such an early morning group exercise class and I missed it a bit today. Still, the instructor did a great job, as always, and I got a good workout. Success! 

After Pumpin’ it up, I did 25 minutes of light cardio on the elliptical while reading about the latest celebrity trash. I think those celebrity gossip magazines are great gym reading material because they’re basically like picture books! Since it can be hard to read while working out, they’re a perfect fit. 

Do you like celebrity gossip magazines? 

I used to try and hide it, but who am I kidding? I love that stuff. Do I care that Carrie Underwood is engaged. Yes, I do. 🙂

Shake That Laffy Taffy

Office Shenanigans

After my boss’ daughter handed out lots of Halloween goodies, everyone around the office enjoyed swapping corny jokes, courtesy of the Laffy Taffy wrappers.

(Picture from SweetFactory.com)

Here are a few I remember:

Why did the tomato blush? Because he saw the salad dressing!

What do you call a lazy baby kangaroo? A pouch potato!

Why did the stadium get hot after the football game? Because all the fans left!

The tomato one was definitely my favorite. 🙂

Feel free to share your favorite corny joke!

Are You My Mother?

I’m so happy to have Ryan back! As happy as I am, I think Sadie may show her happiness with a little more crazy and obsessive behavior enthusiasm than I can muster up, considering I wouldn’t want to body slam Ryan every five minutes to show my love.

I know she missed her doggie dad because on our walks throughout the week, whenever we’d pass a guy about Ryan’s height (6’2”), Sadie would pause and her tail would start wagging uncontrollably. From a distance she was clearly thinking “Are you my daddy?”

She reminded me of the little bird in the children’s book “Are You My Mother?”

(Picture from kidscorner.org)

 

Our lil’ pup is clearly happy to have her family back together again.

Just wait until she gets to see Grandmama and Mister Bob tomorrow! (Grandmama is my mom and Uncle Bob is my dad… he refuses to be a grandpa. I wonder if my future children will also have to refer to him as Mister Bob?)

Dinner

After enjoying chocolate candy at work today, my craving for anything chocolate was in full swing. I decided not to ignore my desires and fixed myself a chocolate cheesecake bowl for dinn-ah!

I blended 1 cup of cottage cheese with a splash of Almond Breeze almond milk and a serving of Jello chocolate fudge sugar-free pudding powder.

Pre-blended

 

Sugar-Free Jello Pudding Mix

I used an imersion blender to make the mixture nice and smooth (and thick!) before topping it with Quaker chocolate granola bites.

Quaker Granola Bites

Chocolate Delight

Sometimes you just gotta listen to your body. Tonight my body was saying “Veggies, no! Chocolate, yes!“