Run for the Woods is officially LESS than one month away! WOW! Where did the time go?
OK, so after my encounter with Captain Stinky last week I decided to switch up my routine a little and get outdoors. On Friday my company had their yearly Summer outing at Wickham Park in Manchester. It was great day full of food, games, fun and some relaxing time with my awesome co-workers. They even hired a caricature artist to come in and sketch everyone - maybe I'll share mine on here this week. I definitely had my upcoming trail run on my mind when he asked what activity I'd like to be doing in my picture!
After the Summer outing was done and everyone was heading home, I decided to put on my running gear and explore some of the trails at the Park. Their fitness trail is really cool, but the path to the aviary isn't very well marked or blazed, so I opted to stick to the well-maintained trails since I was all alone and without my cell phone at the time. If anyone can get lost in such a small patch of woods, it would be me. Haha! I really liked being able to look around a little and enjoy my surroundings while running. WAY better than next to Sir Stinks-A-Lot!
Then, on Saturday morning my husband and I went to Sessions Woods in Burlington - where Run for the Woods will be taking place. We walked the 3-mile loop, stopping along the way to see the birds and two incredibly cute beavers in the pond! I know some runners prefer to be surprised with race routes, but I'm definitely not one of them. I like knowing what I'm in for and where things are along the route. I think, as long as the weather cooperates, I'll take one of my runs out here this week to see what it's like running on their rocky paths.
On Sunday Coach Tim and I met up at Camp Sloper in Southington. We started with some dynamic stretching.
Now, a quick note on dynamic vs. static stretching. Dynamic stretches are designed to take a joint or a muscle through a challenging and repetitive motion, moving a body part further with each repetition. Dynamic stretching will help reduce stiffness prior to starting a run and ideal prior to exercise to prepare the joints for movement and muscles for optimal activation. Static stretches are sustained stretches where you hold a position for a period of 30-60 seconds. The focus is on relaxing the body part being stretched and letting it go further on its own. Static stretches are said to increase flexibility in the tissue. It is said that if static stretches are done prior to activity, it may actually inhibit the muscle’s ability to fire. [Info from New Runner.]
With that in mind, Coach Tim showed me some dynanic stretches. We did walking lunges with upper body twists, big over-exagerrated skips, grapevines as well as a few others. I'll definitely be incorporating these into my pre-workout routine from here on out.
After the dynamic stretching we set out to do two loops of the pond at Camp Sloper - approx 2mi. I'd say we did pretty well, considering I was on a very strict schedule on Saturday due to a bridal shower I was attending that afternoon and we only had about :30 to get everything in.
Coach Tim reminded me throughout our run that with trail running you always have to be thinking two steps ahead. You can't zone out like you might do on a treadmill because there are always rocks, hills and roots coming up ahead that you need to avoid. Great tip!!
About halfway through the second loop I experienced a wicked-bad side stitch. Coach Tim said that was due to my shallow breathing and encouraged me to breathe deeply, while walking with my hands raised above my head. This helped stretch out the diaphram and [eventually] the stitch went away enough that we could keep going - but it was still bugging me for a while after. We finished with some static stretching and even had 3 minutes to spare (which, of course, I used to take a selfie)!
So, all in all, I consider this week a success. I'm not certain I'll be able to run the full 3-miles next month, but I'll most definitely finish, and that's what's most important!
And now, this week's Post-Tim Selfie! Once again, I was hot and sweaty, but am somehow still smiling! Let's see how long that lasts!
OK, so after my encounter with Captain Stinky last week I decided to switch up my routine a little and get outdoors. On Friday my company had their yearly Summer outing at Wickham Park in Manchester. It was great day full of food, games, fun and some relaxing time with my awesome co-workers. They even hired a caricature artist to come in and sketch everyone - maybe I'll share mine on here this week. I definitely had my upcoming trail run on my mind when he asked what activity I'd like to be doing in my picture!
After the Summer outing was done and everyone was heading home, I decided to put on my running gear and explore some of the trails at the Park. Their fitness trail is really cool, but the path to the aviary isn't very well marked or blazed, so I opted to stick to the well-maintained trails since I was all alone and without my cell phone at the time. If anyone can get lost in such a small patch of woods, it would be me. Haha! I really liked being able to look around a little and enjoy my surroundings while running. WAY better than next to Sir Stinks-A-Lot!
Then, on Saturday morning my husband and I went to Sessions Woods in Burlington - where Run for the Woods will be taking place. We walked the 3-mile loop, stopping along the way to see the birds and two incredibly cute beavers in the pond! I know some runners prefer to be surprised with race routes, but I'm definitely not one of them. I like knowing what I'm in for and where things are along the route. I think, as long as the weather cooperates, I'll take one of my runs out here this week to see what it's like running on their rocky paths.
On Sunday Coach Tim and I met up at Camp Sloper in Southington. We started with some dynamic stretching.
Now, a quick note on dynamic vs. static stretching. Dynamic stretches are designed to take a joint or a muscle through a challenging and repetitive motion, moving a body part further with each repetition. Dynamic stretching will help reduce stiffness prior to starting a run and ideal prior to exercise to prepare the joints for movement and muscles for optimal activation. Static stretches are sustained stretches where you hold a position for a period of 30-60 seconds. The focus is on relaxing the body part being stretched and letting it go further on its own. Static stretches are said to increase flexibility in the tissue. It is said that if static stretches are done prior to activity, it may actually inhibit the muscle’s ability to fire. [Info from New Runner.]
With that in mind, Coach Tim showed me some dynanic stretches. We did walking lunges with upper body twists, big over-exagerrated skips, grapevines as well as a few others. I'll definitely be incorporating these into my pre-workout routine from here on out.
After the dynamic stretching we set out to do two loops of the pond at Camp Sloper - approx 2mi. I'd say we did pretty well, considering I was on a very strict schedule on Saturday due to a bridal shower I was attending that afternoon and we only had about :30 to get everything in.
Coach Tim reminded me throughout our run that with trail running you always have to be thinking two steps ahead. You can't zone out like you might do on a treadmill because there are always rocks, hills and roots coming up ahead that you need to avoid. Great tip!!
About halfway through the second loop I experienced a wicked-bad side stitch. Coach Tim said that was due to my shallow breathing and encouraged me to breathe deeply, while walking with my hands raised above my head. This helped stretch out the diaphram and [eventually] the stitch went away enough that we could keep going - but it was still bugging me for a while after. We finished with some static stretching and even had 3 minutes to spare (which, of course, I used to take a selfie)!
So, all in all, I consider this week a success. I'm not certain I'll be able to run the full 3-miles next month, but I'll most definitely finish, and that's what's most important!
And now, this week's Post-Tim Selfie! Once again, I was hot and sweaty, but am somehow still smiling! Let's see how long that lasts!