Sunday, August 3rd was my first meeting with Coach Tim Kelly. We started off talking about my history as well as any concerns I had. I mentioned that I was a new runner, but not new to the gym and strength training (not to toot my own horn, but over the last year I've lost nearly 40# with a combination of counting calories, cycling and lifting weights! **toot toot**). I also mentioned that ever since I started running a few months ago I was having some nagging pain in the tendons around my ankles. He assured me that all would be OK and we got to work!
We started with some foam rolling. For those of you who don't know, a foam roller is a large foam tube that you can use to massage practically every muscle in your body by gently rolling back and forth on top of it. My husband has suggested foam rolling to me many times over the last few years, but I never thought it was going to be useful for me. Sorry honey, I should have listened long ago!
Some gentile rolling of the ankles, calfs, hamstrings and back were all I needed to get loosened up for our warm-up run. 5 minutes on the treadmill. Coach Tim encouraged me to always run with at least a 1% incline on the treadmill - something I'd never done before. He says that even an incline that small can help with hills and trails. Great tip!
Next up was a little strength training. Coach Tim says that "Strength is the foundation for becoming a better runner." I've done strength training before, but have backed off a little since I started running. Knowing now how much it will help me, I'm definitely going to go back to doing it more often!
We started with walking lunges, which are considered one of the best lower body exercises for runners. They really target the glutes, which will give you more power when you need it on long runs. You can add weight to the lunges by holding a bar or exercise ball over your head and can make them more complex with presses and calf raises in between.
Next up were lateral step-ups. With one foot on a stair or platform, you use your other foot to step slightly out and to the back to touch the floor, making sure to not let your bending knee go over your toes. This helps strengthen your abductor muscle group. I could really tell during this exercise that one side was weaker than the other. Going to have to work on that!
Romanian dead lifts were next. These work to strengthen your hamstrings. Trying to describe this in words alone might be a little difficult, so I will direct your attention to this YouTube video that gives a good demonstration of Romanian dead lifts. Give them a try! You will definitely feel this one the next day - I'm speaking from experience right now!!
Last up were reverse fly and row exercises. These will work to strengthen my rear shoulder, upper back, lat and core muscles, which will all help in becoming a stronger runner.
Lastly, we finished the session with a quick 1-mile run, but outside this time. I did end up having to walk twice because my ankle was hurting, but we had one awesome push up a hill in the center of town that was a lot of fun! There is a weird sense of pride that comes with running on a street full of restaurants with huge windows and everyone watching you burn calories as they're chowing down on pancakes.
One thing I noticed during our last run was how mine and Coach Tim's breathing differed. Mine was more ... how you say ... frantic. Haha! This is one thing I'm really going to be working on over the next few weeks.
**In through the nose, out through the mouth**
Last but not least, here's my very first 'post-Tim selfie'. I'm not a big fan of selfies, in general, but think this would be a great way to let you know how I'm feeling at the end of my workouts with Coach Tim. This one was taken in my car after we finished our run. I was glistening with sweat and totally flushed (I promise I'm ok - I always get really red during a workout - and people at my gym always ask if I'm OK), but am still smiling and am optomistic that I can do this trail run next month!!
We started with some foam rolling. For those of you who don't know, a foam roller is a large foam tube that you can use to massage practically every muscle in your body by gently rolling back and forth on top of it. My husband has suggested foam rolling to me many times over the last few years, but I never thought it was going to be useful for me. Sorry honey, I should have listened long ago!
Some gentile rolling of the ankles, calfs, hamstrings and back were all I needed to get loosened up for our warm-up run. 5 minutes on the treadmill. Coach Tim encouraged me to always run with at least a 1% incline on the treadmill - something I'd never done before. He says that even an incline that small can help with hills and trails. Great tip!
Next up was a little strength training. Coach Tim says that "Strength is the foundation for becoming a better runner." I've done strength training before, but have backed off a little since I started running. Knowing now how much it will help me, I'm definitely going to go back to doing it more often!
We started with walking lunges, which are considered one of the best lower body exercises for runners. They really target the glutes, which will give you more power when you need it on long runs. You can add weight to the lunges by holding a bar or exercise ball over your head and can make them more complex with presses and calf raises in between.
Next up were lateral step-ups. With one foot on a stair or platform, you use your other foot to step slightly out and to the back to touch the floor, making sure to not let your bending knee go over your toes. This helps strengthen your abductor muscle group. I could really tell during this exercise that one side was weaker than the other. Going to have to work on that!
Romanian dead lifts were next. These work to strengthen your hamstrings. Trying to describe this in words alone might be a little difficult, so I will direct your attention to this YouTube video that gives a good demonstration of Romanian dead lifts. Give them a try! You will definitely feel this one the next day - I'm speaking from experience right now!!
Last up were reverse fly and row exercises. These will work to strengthen my rear shoulder, upper back, lat and core muscles, which will all help in becoming a stronger runner.
Lastly, we finished the session with a quick 1-mile run, but outside this time. I did end up having to walk twice because my ankle was hurting, but we had one awesome push up a hill in the center of town that was a lot of fun! There is a weird sense of pride that comes with running on a street full of restaurants with huge windows and everyone watching you burn calories as they're chowing down on pancakes.
One thing I noticed during our last run was how mine and Coach Tim's breathing differed. Mine was more ... how you say ... frantic. Haha! This is one thing I'm really going to be working on over the next few weeks.
**In through the nose, out through the mouth**
Last but not least, here's my very first 'post-Tim selfie'. I'm not a big fan of selfies, in general, but think this would be a great way to let you know how I'm feeling at the end of my workouts with Coach Tim. This one was taken in my car after we finished our run. I was glistening with sweat and totally flushed (I promise I'm ok - I always get really red during a workout - and people at my gym always ask if I'm OK), but am still smiling and am optomistic that I can do this trail run next month!!