Instead of highlighting some more of my favorite races, today’s “Fabulous February” tip is to volunteer at a race. Below are some of my favorite races at which to volunteer. These picks are based on various things: the perks you get, the atmosphere, and the cause for which the race is raising money. Whether you pick one of these races or find another one, you’ll hopefully find that volunteering is a lot of fun, rewarding, and…
Yesterday’s tip was to run with someone faster than you; today’s is to run with someone slower than you. Here are a few reasons: Focus on your form. Do your shoulders hunch? Are you nursing an injury? Are you lifting your leg with each step and pushing off, or just shuffling? Slowing down can make it easier to pay attention to your run, according to ChiRunning pioneer Danny Dreyer.. A little LSD (long, slow distance)…
Today’s Tip may seem intimidating, but it’s actually pretty cool. I was going to call it “Speed Dating” … as in, you’re dating the faster speed (and not the person) … but I thought that might be a little creepy. So here’s how it goes. Find someone that runs faster than you, but that runs at the same time as you. Plan a route that has some overlap with their route. To avoid being creepy about this,…
Today’s tip: Run a small race. One of the main reasons I started Run Oregon in February 2007 was because I wanted more people to know about more races. Some races get a lot of coverage – the Shamrock Run and the Portland Marathon, but for runners who are new to the sport, don’t go to group runs, belong to a club, or have a network of running friends didn’t really have a good place to…
With today’s Fabulous February tip, I’m sneakily advocating speedwork, but just hear me out. If you run the same route day in and day out – or maybe just a few times a week – it can become a mindless run where you zone out and just log miles without paying attention to your body. Usually this is a route from your home or work; one you could do in your sleep. But if you…
One healthy habit you could adopt is to simply make time to do something for you every day. Maybe that something is reclaiming a little more “you time” for a short run – maybe two miles of fartleks or a mile walk with your own thoughts. Inviting friends along can also count as “you time” if that’s something that energizes you. Getting outside for a run with friends is perfection to me, especially if I…
Today’s tip: Try Barre3. You’ve seen the same tips over and over: Mix it up and cross-train! Set realistic goals! Find workout buddies! Barre3 is one way to accomplish all of those. Barre3 is a 60-minute total body workout that incorporates yoga, pilates, and ballet barre. It incorporates both small, one-inch movements, large, functional movements, and stretching. I think Barre3 is especially beneficial for runners. We as runners sometimes become hyper-focused on the numbers–miles and pace–instead of how our body…
The grey days of winter often start dragging many of us down. One way my husband and I have found to brighten the dark winter days is to start planning a vacation. It doesn’t have to be a big extravagant trip, but just something out there to look forward to. This year during the cold, snowy, icy spell – we started planning. It was amazing how much that lifted our spirits. And the day I…
As surprisingly as it is for me to say this, it’s not all about running. I love running, but I rarely run more than three days in a row. In fact, I keep track of a whole bunch of my training and racing stats, but I have no idea what my longest consecutive day running streak is. In looking at my data on Smashrun (which I started using early last year and which makes it…
This week’s tip: Organize one thing a week. My husband and I clean our house once a week and do a “maintenance clean” mid-week. While I wish we would give in and hire someone to clean our abode once a month, it’s just not feasible (not to mention that handing someone else cash to clean my mess when it’s just us two and our two dogs seems lazy). However, we have some major organizational projects that need…
