Cross training

As the weather gets colder and daylight hours get shorter, I find myself needing to find other ways to work on my physical fitness besides running. I do have a treadmill, which is great, but it gets rather tedious 3 times a week too. I also am finding that I have plenty of strength and stamina for running, but not for hauling laundry up and down the stairs or carrying my 4 year old on occasion. I have also been trying to work on my form, especially strengthening my core and retraining my shoulders that want to tighten at the end of every run. All this has brought me to the world of cross training.

A simple Google search for "cross training for runners" tells me that cross training will help balance my muscles, help maintain my cardiovascular fitness, especially if I can't run for some reason, and helps to reduce my chances of being injured by running. There are many different activities to choose from as well, from walking, cycling, swimming, to strength training, yoga, and cross-country skiing.

But what will work for me? During the warmer seasons, I walk with my kids in the stroller a couple times a week, but that's out during the winter too. I could join a gym, but with preschool tuition new this year, I just can't justify the expense. I used to do Jazzercise before becoming pregnant with my youngest, but the expense holds me back on this one too. I do a mommy-child swimming lesson with my daughter once a week, but that's not really a workout (great soak for my sore muscles though!). Of course, I do have those old workout tapes from college...

OK, I have more than just those old VHS tapes from college! Don't worry, my Tae Bo days are past me! I do have more recently produced exercise DVD's, several aerobic workouts, a couple that focus on strengthening the core and more strength training, as well as a yoga workout. So I'm trying to get outside for a long run on the weekends so my hubby is home with the kids, but it's actually light outside, a short run or two on the treadmill during the week, and an exercise DVD a couple times a week. It's still early in the winter, but I have high hopes for keeping up on my fitness. I want to do a 10k next spring or summer, I'm going to have to stay in shape to reach that goal!

What do you do to cross train? Do you cross train regularly, or are you more of a seasonal cross trainer like me?

A Review: Simple Trends Headbands

Three Sole Sisters give their bangs and flyaways the ole Heave Ho!


Meghan:
I decided to put my Simple trends headband to the ultimate test.  One week before my big run I cut my hair in a cute little short style with many different layers.  Soon after looking at myself in the mirror I thought "how am I going to put my hair back to run?"  Well, I found my answer.  A simple trends headband.  I LOVE IT!  The first time I wore it was for a half marathon and it stayed put all 13.1 miles.  The second time I wore it was for another half marathon the next day ( yes I am a little crazy!). It stayed put all 13.1 miles the second day, too!  It helped keep the sweat out of my eyes and, best of all, everyone could pick me out while running with my green and blue leopard print headband.  I think it will now be my signature look, thanks Simple Trends!

 Joyce:

I have mommy hair.

Any woman who has had children knows what I'm talking about. It is a full year after my postpartum hair loss and new hair growth started when my youngest was about 4 months old, and I am rocking the "mommy halo," lots of short strands of hair right around my hairline that don't lay properly and are too short to be pulled back in a ponytail. It's not usually something that bothers me about my body post-children, but right now, these short hairs are at a perfect length to tickle my nose and get in my eyes anytime there is a slight breeze. Not fun while trying to run.

So when I got the opportunity to try out a Simple-Trends headband, I was excited! I've tried running wearing those thin elastic headbands you can find at every drugstore, and they just would slip off of my head and distract me from the workout instead of keep my hair out of my face like I wanted. The Simple-Trends headband, on the other hand, actually stayed put! I wore it for the first time for a run in a 5k race, and after making sure it was spread out over my forehead and the top of my hair, it didn't move at all! This picture is me after the race, and I promise, I didn't touch it or readjust it at all! I found the headband comfortable, not too tight, but not so loose it doesn't stay on, and don't I look cute? ;-)

Diane:

Simple Trends sent us several headbands to try. As I reached into the bag to select one, I was impressed by the silky feel and the vibrant colors. I chose a tie-dye rainbow one. (Megan - did they say which patterns they sent? I didn't see a pic of mine on the website but many are sold out.) First I tried it out during my treadmill run at the gym. My kids immediately noticed it when they got in the car: "Cool headband, Mom! I like the colors!" I felt more presentable at the gym and was glad I had a headband to disguise my sweaty and unwashed hair when I stopped by a friend's house post-workout. The next test was my long run of the week, which I usually do outdoors. The headband stayed in place and I was thankful for the extra fabric to pull over my ears as I ran along the highway in a stiff breeze. It kept my bangs from blowing all over, a big pet peeve of mine on windy runs. The headband can be rolled up to be thinner or pulled down to be wider, and it is definitely versatile and fashion-forward enough to be worn anywhere.

These are super soft, super comfy and made by a MOM and a RUNNER! Her customer service is superp and her fabric choices are so cute!

Visit the website here!

Want to win your own headband? There is a hot pink with black scull headband up for grabs- it is HARDCORE just like you are! Contest will end Friday at 9pm and the winner will be chosen by Random.org.

To enter simply leave a separate comment for the following:

1. Visit Simple Trends and tell us your favorite fabric

2. Share this blog post (and please give us the link in your comment!)

3. Follow Sole Sisters on Facebook

4. Follow the Sole Sisters Blog 

Best of luck!!

Past the slump

It had been quite a while since I ran more than 2 miles. 2.4 last month, and I walked a third of that too. 2.2 was the last distance I ran without any stopping, and that was 3 weeks ago. Yep. I was in a slump. An I-can't-go-any-farther-2-mile-slump. My goal since April has been to work my way to running 3 miles about 3 times a week. So why couldn't I get myself to go any farther? I needed help. So I turned to, you guessed it, my fellow Sole Sisters!

They had all sorts of great suggestions! More cross-training. Changing my route so I don't mentally quit when I hit familiar landmarks. Run with friends. Cheer myself on. Throw in some sprints for fun. Plus lots of encouragement that it's not just me, it's just hard to increase your mileage!

So tonight, I mapped a new 2.5 mile route (using mapmyrun.com!), met up with 2 Sole Sisters, and ran more than 2 miles! Grand total? 2.61 miles, at a slow but satisfying 12:47 minute/mile pace! We stopped briefly at the water fountain at our turn-around point, and the ladies helped me through my usual my-shoes-are-filled-with-concrete moment from about mile 1.5-1.8, and we did it! So much fun to run with good friends and smash through imagined barriers!

Here we are after our run! What a great night!

Another Fuel Up With Color Story

This past Saturday, I also participated in the Fuel Up With Color kids 1 mile fun run with my little boy. Ever since I started this journey back into running in April 2012, and especially since my first race in June, he has wanted to "race with mommy." So on September 8th, he finally got his chance! I didn't know what to expect from him, but I was determined not to carry him at all. We walk around the neighborhood quite a bit, so I knew he could handle that much at least. Well, he surprised me! We ran the whole first quarter mile up to the first physical challenge station (weaving through cones)! After that, we walked and ran the next half mile and decided that we would run the whole way left when he could see the finish line. He saw it before I did, and he took off! We ran through the final station (sprayed with water guns!), past Grandma R, Grandpa A, and Daddy, and zoomed past the finish line to hug Grandma D and little sister! He loved it!

After the race, we asked him what his favorite parts were, and he said the water guns and beating me! We finished with a 15:30 pace and enjoyed our post-race snacks. It was a perfect first race for my son's foray into, I hope, a lifetime of physical fitness.

Persistence and motivation

I have started running many times in my life. By that, I mean I have started a running program or routine more than once. More than twice. Probably more than 8 times in my short 30 years. I have quit for so many reasons, some silly excuses (too cold, too hot, I just want to watch that show tonight,...), and some perfectly understandable reasons (pregnancy #1, pregnancy #2, injuries,...).

But I have started again each time, even though it may be years later. To feel healthier. To reach a healthier weight. To lower my cholesterol. To have more energy. To keep up with my children's activity levels. To have time to myself. To think. To pray. To set a goal and achieve it. To have fun. To prove to myself that I can do "impossible" things. To increase my endurance.

As I have learned more about running and my body in particular over the years, I have had an easier and smoother journey starting back up each time. I know how to breathe so my side stitch doesn't make me give up. How to stretch and work on my stride to ease my illiotibial band knee pain. How to start out slowly so I don't burn out and hurt myself too soon. How it feels at the end of a great run. Where to find the best shoes for my feet. Where to find help when I'm hurting. And how to keep myself motivated to continue when the couch keeps calling my name.

As of today, I have not run in 5 days. In that time, I was up most of the night for two nights helping two mothers bring two beautiful new babies into the world. As I doula'd my dear clients this week, I was so thankful that I run. I helped a laboring mother walk up two steps at a time for 6 floors, twice, and wasn't huffing and puffing like I would have 5 months ago. I helped a laboring mother walk briskly around the hospital floor, and didn't have to think about whether I could handle another circuit. I had the endurance to rub a laboring mother's lower back for almost 5 hours continuously. And then I had the strength and energy left to come home to my family, just in time for dinner and bedtime.

I am a runner because it makes me a better wife, a better mother, a better birth doula. Running gives me the energy to live my life well.