I have recently been able to increase my training for competitive running since the beginning of the year. This has been a wonderful thing since it took quite a long time to recover from a foot injury and some other health issues that plagued me for a couple of years. Now that I have finally gotten myself in a good position for running, I have had to modify my daily fitness routine in order to accommodate training to once again compete in local running races.
One of the major changes I have made to my daily fitness routine in recent months is the amount of miles I run per week from about seven miles to more than twenty. I also have changed the running workouts I have been doing. I now use a running plan through an app on my iPhone from Runner’s World called Smart Coach. With this app I can get a personalized plan by entering my most recent race distance, race time, next race distance, weekly distance I wish to run, and how intense I want to train. It has me running various running workouts from three to five days a week including easy runs, tempo runs, and speedwork. By following this plan I recently came in on a half-marathon with my personal record of 2:03:48.My previous two half-marathons were around 2:36:00.
If I have a shorter run less than five miles or if I am not scheduled to run on a particular day, I cross train on an elliptical. My daily fitness routine takes just under an hour except for my long runs days, which can last up to two hours. My goal each day is to burn no less than 450 calories per workout and a minimum of 2,500 calories per week. Lately I have been reaching 3,000-4,000 calories weekly depending on how many miles I manage to put in. A typical week would be run/ elliptical on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday is a long run day of anywhere between 6-8 miles. Thursday is another run/elliptical workout. Friday is elliptical only. Saturday is a long run day of anywhere between 8-11 miles. My goal is to continue increasing my long runs in the anticipation of training for a marathon that will take place later this year.
I have also come to understand that a balanced diet needs to be part of my daily fitness routine. To maintain a balanced diet, I use another app called My Fitness Pal. I always have my phone on me so it has been very easy to monitor my food intake by logging what I am eating. You can even scan in the bar codes from food packages so you don’t have to spend a ton of time looking things up. By keeping track of food intake, I can tell what part of my diet I might be lacking in such as protein, fiber, and vitamins. This is helpful in making choices and assists in keeping a balanced diet.
By following a running plan and having clear goals I have managed to take control of my health. In addition to having more energy, I have lost weight and my overall health has improved. The key has been finding the right combination for my fitness routine that includes more than one activity with things I enjoy. This has helped in keeping me motivated and on track. Now when I am taking a rest day on Sunday I have to resist from putting on my running clothes and heading out the door.
I have no expectations from myself other than to cross that finish line when I participate in the marathon later this year. I still want to be careful about injuries and I don’t want to pressure myself on my first marathon. Whether or not I finish is still undetermined. What I do know is that a year ago I could not even think about contemplating a marathon. I am in a good place finally after being injured and dealing with other health issues. It has allowed me to modify the intensity of my daily exercise routine and has put me on a path that allows me to accomplish more than I thought I could.
