Today is our Holiday Edition of Tunes Tuesday. We recommend ditching the watch and cruising around your neighborhood with some holiday music! What are your favorite holiday songs?
"All I Want for Christmas" - Mariah Carey
"Last Christmas" - Wham (the video is pretty amazing too!)
We've compiled a list of our favorite running items as a little gift to all of you this holiday season. These are the items we consistenly reach for when heading out for a run and/or workout or what we use to stay injury free throughout training. No matter what the runner in your life is training for - from a 5k to a marathon - we think they will love the items on this list. Use it as a shopping guide for that special runner in your life, or even better, use it for yourself!
1. Trigger Point Tools -We can't say enough about the tools this company creates. We love their foam roller, called The Grid, and are newly in love with their Ultimate 6 Kit.
2. The No Show Ultimate Sock - Great stocking item. We love them because they stay put, out of sight and wick away the sweat.
3. Gym Boss - Perfect stocking stuffer for the newbie runner and the workout fanatic. You can set walk/run intervals which is great for the person just starting to run. Easy to use and clips onto your clothes.
4. lululemon Cool Racer Tank - We wear this year round and it's great for all types of working out. Layer it in the winter or use it as a cute running top in the summer. Loads of colors - we recommend anything bright!
5. The Stick - This is every runner's best friend. We love running relays (Ragnar Relay and Hood to Coast) and this little guy is a must have item because it's easy to pack and is the best self massage tool available. We recommend the Marathon Stick.
6. Melt Balls - Another awesome recovery tool for runners. It's like giving your feet a massage. Use it pre and post run to keep feet healthy and happy! Your feet will thank you.
7. Make a Break Jacket - Besides being extremely cute, it's water repellent, light (perfect for layering), has a hood, reflective detail for low light visibility and did we mention it's cute and flattering? Buy it in red, 'tis the season!
8. Garmin - We recommend the 610 for the serious runner who loves to track everything. The Forerunner 10, 210 and 410 have less features but do what all runners need - pace and distance. Garmin uses satellites to track your distance and pace. Your runner will no longer be beholden to the exact route they pre-planned. (whichever one - good for what)
9. Yoga classes - Most runners don't stretch enough. Yoga is a perfect excuse to stretch and allow your achey runner muscles to elongate, relax and recovery. If you are in New York City or Brooklyn area, we recommend sending your runner to Mala. Find a studio that offers basic and/or classes geared specifically for runners.
10. The gift of running - Give yourself or your runner one of our training programs or personal sessions. We offer gift certificates! Contact us to purchase your loved one the gift of running.
I usually run with a hat because I haven't found a headband that actually stays on my head. I've tried lululemon, Nike and Columbia headbands and inevitably, they all slip off my head or I'm constantly adjusting them. Granted, I have a very steep occiput which causes headbands to slip off my head easily. I, therefore, just default to a hat. However, I received the opportunity to review a MaxFlow Sports headband and I decided to try it because I still hold out the hope I will find a non-slip headband for running. I used the black and white Cross-Grip Hairband for a few runs and found it to work the best...although not perfectly (but does that even exist??)
I put it on about 15 minutes before my 6 mile run and found it too tight to just wear - it's definitely too tight to just wear around. I left the house and within about 3/4ths of a mile, it slipped off my head (so that's after wearing it for about 20 mins). I readjusted and it stayed on for the next 5ish miles. I took it out for a 3 mile run this past weekend and found it to work really well. I put it on right as I was leaving and it stayed put for the next 23 minutes.
Overall, I would recommend the Cross-Grip Hairband to anyone who wants/needs to wear a headband and doesn't mind a tight fit. They are $9.99 and would make a fun stocking stuff for your runner!
To buy the headband, go to MaxFlow Sports.
Happy running!
Starts November 5, 2012. Deadline to Register is November 2nd.
Take your training to the next level with Hot Bird Running’s Winter Half Marathon Group Program. In this program, you receive a 12-week personalized training program, coached Saturday sessions in Brooklyn Bridge Park and real-time coaching instruction PLUS a team of other runners training alongside you. This plan will get you to your goals and keep you feeling fit, healthy and motivated all winter long. Training can be designed for the NYRR Manhattan Half Marathon (exact date TBD) or a different half this winter.
What You Get:Program Details:
Register/Pay Online: Pay online using the payment button below (then fill out our New Client Registration Form) or contact us via our Contact page, phone number: 646.535.0307 or email: info@hotbirdrunning.com to get started or for additional information.
We will email you within 24 hours if you purchase online, or contact us either through our contact form on our website or our contact information. Register no later than October 25th.
We encourage our clients to incorporate speed training into their training. This usually takes the form of intervals or repeats on a track. If you don't have a track near you, a fartlek workout is a great way to incorporate speed into your weekly training because they are flexible. The other added benefit of a fartlek workout is that it prepares your for the uneven paces of a race. Think about it - you run fast to pass people, you slow down if you are behind a pack of runners, you might have to speed up to get over to the water, you slow down on a hill or around a corner. A runner who is able to adjust their pace and respond to mid-race surges will run faster and hit their goals.
What is a Fartlek?
A Fartlek (swedish for “speed play”) is speeding up and slowing down multiple times during a run. Run for about 40 minutes with 20 dedicated to speeding up and slowing down. Pick objects head of you - the next lamp post or building. Be sure to warm up for about 1 mile or 10 minutes and cool down for about the same after your fartlek workout. You can customize fartleks to how you feel. If you feel tired, reduce the number of fast repeats you run and take more time to recover. If you feel great, run the sprints hard and reduce the recovery (jogging) time.
Structured Fartlek
While the fartlek’s popularity is due to its flexibility, many coaches and clients like a more structured approach - this mimics more of a track workout. For example, a structured fartlek might be a pyramid workout (2, 3, 4, 4, 3, 2 with 2:30 recovery between each): 10 minute warm up, 2 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 3 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 4 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 4 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 3 minutes hard, 2:30 easy, 2 minutes hard and a 10 minute cool down. This is a great workout to do if you don't have access to a track.
Incorporate fartleks into your weekly training as your interval or speed day. Perform this once a week or more if your coach prescribes it. Be careful not to add in too much speed all at once. These workouts are designed to tax your muscles and your nervous system so be sure to recover with an off day or an easy day immediately after a fartlek workout.
Meghan is sharing her ups and downs after running a race and how to break out of the slump.
I ran two races back to back this September: Ragnar Colorado and the Great Cow Harbor 10k. Both races were fun, beautiful, with great friends and I felt awesome after each race. Ragnar Colorado was a 200 mile relay from Breckenridge to Snowmass. I ran 33 of the 200 miles and loved every minute of it - especially the scenery. I got back to NYC and Jessica and I ran the Great Cow Harbor together. We had fun this race and didn't stress too much about our time.
Since then, I've had a very rough time getting my mojo back since the races. I haven't felt like running and I'm tired, like all the time tired! Here's what I discovered in dealing with my post race slump.
1) Give yourself a break! You just ran a race, reward yourself with a few days off.
2) Gush about your race. Meet a runner friend for coffee and tell them all about your race. You trained, you sweated, you rocked it. Brag a bit.
3) Plan your recovery. I love active recovery plans that are full of yoga, spin classes and fun classes like kickboxing. Lay off the running for a few days (or a week or two) and work your muscles in a different way.
4) Pick your next goal. Find that next race that you want to run or your next vacation. Give yourself something to look forward to!
Beat those post race slumps by having a plan and giving yourself the time and space to recover, sleep and find your mojo!
A trip to NYC, a shopping spree and getting to do it with tennis player, Vika Azarenka? Keep reading to find out how....
Six Star Pro Nutrition® wants to send you and a guest to New York City for a $2,500USD shopping spree with the world's top-ranked female tennis player (and fashionista extraordinaire) Victoria (Vika) Azarenka! This amazing grand prize includes accommodations and round-trip air fare for two, an additional $500.00USD in spending money and a Six Star supplements package valued at approximately $250.00USD!
For your chance to win visit the Six Star Pro Nutrition™ Facebook fan page, click the like button, then follow the instructions under the Sweepstakes tap. You have until October 1st, 2012 to be eligible. Click the following link and get your entry in today! goo.gl/xmHwS
The Grand Prize draw will take place on or around October 2, 2012.
Official rules can be found here: http://www.sixstarpronutrition.com/sportylikeme/official_rules.shtml
Neon pinks, yellows, greens and oranges of the 80's are popping up everywhere in the running world from neon clothing to neon running shoes. Polish off your brights with our totally 80's playlist guaranteed to get your neon moving!
ENJOY while running or whenever! The 80s will never let you down!
Our clients always ask us about shoes and which ones are the best. We tell them the same thing, it depends on you, your running style, your feet and your body. We go to our local shoe experts in NYC to help us our with fits and our changing needs as runners.
Meghan has long been a fan of Mizuno's running shoes. She's on her third pair and refers to them as her babies. When asked to describe why she likes them, she simple says "because I feel like I'm running on clouds". With that, and with a little push from Mizuno's Mezamashii project, Jessica jumped onboard and got the Wave Elixirs as well. We are now twins in clothing and sneakers with blue and orange Wave Elixirs.
What we like about the shoes:
1) They are extremely light
2) Breathable
3) Cushiony yet light
4) Wide front foot - we have wide feet!
What we'd change
1) The color options
and that's it!
If you are embarking on a fitness and diet routine to tone up and look good on your big day, add running into your plan. Running burns the most calories AND it's a great way to releive stress (we know there's a bit of that leading up to a wedding!)
If you want an easy and effective way to tone up and slim down, run with us. Our private training sessions pack in both cardio and strength training. All of our sessions are catered to your goals - think skinny, toned arms, stamina for the dance floor and awesome looking legs! Think of our sessions as a wedding bootcamp.
New York Magazine named us one of the best workouts for brides. Check us out!
Training for a fall half-marathon or marathon? You'll have some long runs ahead of you and we want you to look forward to them (instead of dreading them!) Here are our top tips for getting through it with a smile and injury free.
1. Get up early and run. It's hot out and heat will affect your run and how you feel. Take advantage of empty streets (in NYC) and enjoy a long run. To know how heat affects your pace, see this nifty calculator from Runners Connect.
2. Water. Drink lots of it throughout your day. Bring water with you on your runs over 1 hour or know where water fountains are along your route.
3. Find a buddy. Run with a friend or meet up with a group. Those long runs are well, long and having someone to talk to or to help push you through to the end is awesome. Jessica and I became such good friends because of running!
4. Bring Money. Just in case! You might need extra water, a coconut water, food or a subway ride home.
5. New Routes. Pick new routes and/or place to run. A change of scenery might be just what you need to put some pep back into your runs. Need some help with routes? Check out MapMyFitness for routes.
6. Ice. Buy ice packs (bags of frozen peas work great)! They will become your best friend during training. Your muscles swell and might be inflammed after long or strenous workouts. Ice helps reduce the swelling by constricting the blood vessels and the cold from an ice pack provides pain relief. For those who want the real deal, we love our Nortech Labs Reusable Hot/Cold Pack (size 8'x10')
7. Train Smart. Marathon training is a challenging, long term, phsyically demanding commitment. Enter into it wisely and listen to what your body tells you throughout your training. Remember, you are training not just for the finish line, but also to arrive at the start injury free on race day. Treat your body to an extra rest day or a sports massage every once and a while. If you are in NYC, schedule a massage with the best massage therapist in town, Jennifer Mayer.
8. All runners are not created equal. Follow your own training plan adjusted to your phsyical needs, abilities and schedule. Just because the other people you in marathon training are running 40 miles a week or not doing any speedwork, doesn't mean that's right for you. Personalize your training and understand what workouts YOU should do and how much is appropriate for YOUR body. If you would like to learn how to implement tempo runs, interval workouts, hill training properly contact us to schedule a private coaching session. We are offering a Fall Marathon program. Start anytime. Click here to read more about the program.
There are so many great races this fall: NYC Marathon, Chicago Marathon, the Marine Corp Marathon, and the Portland Marathon to name a few. Comment below and tell us which race you are running.
We love running and we want everyone else to love running as well! However, not all runs are created equal and a lot of that has to do with the location or setting of the run.
Jessica loves her Oregon trail runs. Meghan loves her runs along the beach. Comment below and tell us your favorite place(s) to run.
The picture is of a trail run in Park City that Meghan fell in love with. Enjoy!
