This post contains Affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. It’s Important For Runners To Strength Train So to be honest, I ran for a long time before I added strength training to my fitness routine. And if I had known how important it was to strength train, I would have started much earlier. Especially when I was training for big races like my half-marathon. But I didn’t and lesson learned! Strength training is not just for people who are looking to tone muscles or bulk-up. It can play a big role in your running and your run performance. And if you truly want to be athletic, you need to do more than just run. Strength training has me focusing on other areas such as balance, flexibility, and strength. All of which makes me a much better runner. So, do you find yourself getting the same running injuries over and over? Or have you been running for a while but not getting any faster? It’s time to start strength training. Help Tight Muscles Due to the nature of running, it is really easy to overuse very specific muscles. This overuse is what leads to cramping, often in […]
Running a half marathon is my greatest physical accomplishment to date. Honestly, just thinking about all the training and effort that went into preparing for that run can still make me feel a little emotional. I went from being a non-runner to running a 10 km race and a half marathon in the same year. And doing that took a lot of work! Before I started running I had already had a weight loss of about 60 lb. I had done that weight loss mostly through nutrition and some exercise here and there. I talk more about my weight loss in this post if you’re curious. But I knew that if I wanted to take my health and weight loss even further that I needed to add consistent exercise. So to make sure I didn’t quit exercising, I signed up for a 10 km and a half marathon. I know, I’m crazy. This post contains affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. For a full year, I made running my obsession. Everything I did was because of running. I focused in on my nutrition for the first time in my life because eating crap made my runs […]
This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. Unfortunately, being a woman, I can’t just go for a run outdoors. Or I could but it wouldn’t be very wise. It’s important for women to know how to keep themselves safe when running outside. Because in my opinion, there are 3 common factors to being assaulted while running: running alone, being in a low traffic area, and being female. I run alone fairly often. And when I was training for my half-marathon I ran alone a lot. But for the most part, I did what I was supposed too to keep myself protected. I say “for the most part” because I did have one run last year where I made an error in safety and was lucky I didn’t pay for it. Basically, I found myself isolated in the middle of nowhere and far away from my car. And this had happened because I was distracted by music and wasn’t paying a lot of attention to my surroundings. Once I realized how far away I had gotten, I quickly turned around and made my way back to where there were more people. But I would […]
Over the course of a year, I started running (again after an eight-year break), ran a 10km race and a half-marathon! Which in hindsight is crazy goals for a new runner and I wouldn’t really recommend it. Firstly, because of how hard the training was on my body. And secondly, I should have given myself more time to train for my half-marathon. When you cram too much into a short time period, you tend to make errors. But at the same time, I learned a lot and that is how I created this list of awesome hacks for beginner runners. Oddly or not, I still consider myself to be a new runner. Because I’ve only been running for a year and a half I still feel like there is so much to learn about running. Who would have ever thought there would be so much to know about something so seemingly simple? When I first started running, I thought I would just slap on some shoes and I would be off! But it turns out a little bit more goes into having a successful run. This post contains affiliate links #ads. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. Why […]
In October 2018, I crossed the finish line of my very first half-marathon! Setting this as my goal for the year, I dedicated all my free time to training, and transformed myself from a complete non-runner in the fall of 2017 into someone who could conquer a major race just one year later. It is easily my proudest fitness achievement to date. Transitioning from a non-runner to a half-marathon finisher meant that I was constantly stepping into the unknown. Every run longer than 3km was a step into uncharted territory—which was a bit intimidating. Along my training journey, I learned countless invaluable lessons, with each run teaching me something new about running, resilience, and myself. Here are my top 10 tips: 1. Picking Your First Half-marathon The first lesson that I learned was that a surprising amount goes into choosing which race will be your first half-marathon. I thought I did a lot of research before I chose my race but turns out I did the wrong research. I focused mostly on how hilly the race route was and where the race was held. What I should have focused on was: 2. Weather Firstly, pay attention to tip 1 and […]
Water is my jam. But believe it or not, I used to have a really hard time drinking water. I couldn’t drink a straight glass of clear water, I always felt the need to add water flavouring. Which isn’t healthy at all, let’s be honest. And I’m almost embarrassed to say how long that lasted. Let’s put it this way, I was a parent before my H2O habits changed. But when I finally decided to get serious about my health, I knew I needed to be drinking more water. And not just more H2O, but more clear and plain H2O. Now, weaning myself off of the sugary water “enhancers” was a separate (and difficult) task. And if you struggle with drinking enough water and think that adding water enhancers with help, I urge caution. Firstly, once you start using them, its a hard habit to break. Secondly, is drinking flavoured water better than soda or juice? Just barely. The truth is that these water flavours contain artificial sweeteners, colours and more, and there is not nearly enough research done to say whether they help or hinder weight-loss. There are other ways to add flavour to your water (if you feel […]
I love winter running. When I first started running in the summer of 2017, I was unsure about how running in the winter was going to go. While I happily live in Canada, I am not a fan of the cold and snow. Which is kind of too bad considering it is winter half of the time here. But after 2 months of running indoors on a treadmill, the pure boredom forced me to give winter running a real shot. And kind of surprisingly, I fell in love! I’ll be honest, my first winter run was pretty hairy but that’s because I wasn’t prepared properly. But since then, whenever the sun is shining and the roads are relatively dry, I head out on the road. You’re only cold if you’re standing still! Cold weather doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying winter running! In fact, I would argue that running outside in the winter has a lot to offer. Here are my top 5 reasons why I love winter running: Burn more calories! Running burns lots of calories in the first place, but running in the cold burns extra calories as your body works to maintain its core temperature. So basically, […]
Fitness motivation is easy to find…at first. When you’re first starting your health journey finding fitness motivation is easy. You’re eager to go to the gym, you’re purchasing cute gear, and you’re feeling pumped! But, flash forward a couple of months down the road and those feelings aren’t nearly as strong. And that’s normal! But to be successful on your journey you need to be able to dig deep on those hard days. One of the easiest ways to maintain fitness motivation is to be prepared for the hard days ahead of time. First, you have to acknowledge that there will be hard times. Shake off the idea that you’re not allowed to struggle in your journey. Acknowledge that you will doubt and question yourself. But those hard times are not a reflection of your commitment to your health journey. They just are what they are, tough days. Post contains Affiliate links. See Disclosure for details. Opinions are my own. Don’t mistake hard times for failure. When times get tough, a lot of people tend to give up. They ‘try their best’ but then call it quits. I can understand that line of thinking, I’ve done it myself many times […]
This post contains Affiliate Links. For more information please see Disclosures. Opinions are my own. Preparing for your first run can be daunting. Chances are, even if you’re excited to get running, you’re a little nervous about that very first run. I speak from lots of experience! I have had three first runs! The first was back in 2012 when I was training for my very first 5km race. At that time, I was close to my heaviest weight and was wanting to try for a baby. So, I tried running for a few months in an effort to get in better shape for a healthier pregnancy. I did it. Sort of. Running at that weight was really hard, physically and mentally. But I am so glad I did it and I would do it again! Even though I ran a miserable 5km race and didn’t put my running shoes back on until January of 2014, I had proved to myself that I could do hard things and accomplish goals at any weight. My second “first run”. My second “first run” was in January 2014. I was at my heaviest weight, having recently given birth to twins, and well in […]