Good Deal: Nutrisystem - Two Weeks Free Food

Here is a deal I just had to pass on.  From Nutrisystem, two weeks of free food.  Enjoy.

Sharon Woods Metro Park Profile: Westerville, Ohio

Sharon Woods Metro Park will be the new home of the Westerville Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women.

Located off Cleveland Ave, it's situated on 762 acres which includes a lake (Schrock Lake).  The park has a fabulous mix of paved and nature trails so that all types of runners and walkers can enjoy running and walking in a variety of beautiful settings.

In a few weeks, on Saturday March 20th, 2010, Westerville Speedy Sneakers will begin a new era.  Join us as we startup this new club.  We hope that we'll have the same success in the new club as we have with our first club location in Dublin.

If you are interested in joining, visit our club page Speedy Sneakers.

Strength Training for a Better Runner

When I was 14 years old I had an injury where I could not run so one of my friends who ran the sprints at school asked me whether I wanted to go to the gym with him to lift weights. I thought he was crazy, I am a middle distance runner why would I want to bulk up by lifting weights. He then explained to me that I would not bulk up since we would not be lifting heavy and that if I incorporated a program of weight lifting into my training regimen I probably would not get injured as often and would likely run faster due to the increased strength I would have gained. This was all music to my ears, especially the run faster part. I cautiously went with him to the gym and from then onwards was never afraid to lift a weight. In fact, afterwards found out that all runners of every distance lift weights for primarily two reasons, to avoid injury and to run faster by being stronger.


Every runner of every distance persuasion can benefit from a strength training program which uses weights, or other mechanisms to increase overall strength. From the weekend 5k to the end of season marathon runner, all will be better runners by being stronger.

Let us dispel some myths before moving on.

Myth - Lifting weights will bulk me up.

Lifting light weights with more repetitions will increase your endurance. If you not eating a diet rich in protein then the chances of gaining weight through more muscles is very minimal.

Myth – Lifting weights will decrease my flexibility.

Running long distances will decrease your flexibility if you do not incorporate stretching into your fitness program. All runners need to stretch to maintain their flexibility, especially as they age. So lifting weights will not decrease your flexibility, not stretching will decrease your flexibility.

Lifting weights can also be described as resistance training. In this training method you are attempting to condition your muscles to bear an increased amount of resistance against it. Over time the increased muscle strength gained will allow the runner to better handle the weakening muscles caused by fatigue during a race.

Lifting weights will also allow a runner to work muscles that are routinely not fully exercised during the running motion. In many instances these muscles can become imbalanced from the other opposing muscles. In a racing situation the opposing strong muscles will have to work harder than the weaker muscle. By increasing the strength of all the muscles the resistance placed on them will be more evenly distributed and will allow the runner to effectively run stronger for longer.

If you have any concerns about starting in a weight lifting program, start light. Lift light weights and gradually over time increase the amount of weight and gauge how you look and feel. If it works for you, continue and if it does not, then stop. However, give it a try and I expect you will see the same benefits I saw many years ago.

Written by Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women.  With club locations in Dublin and Westerville Ohio, Speedy Sneakers offer a non-competitive training environment for runners and walkers of all abilities and fitness levels.

Speedy Sneakers Racing and Facebook

Speedy Sneakers now has a fan page on Facebook.  Join us on Facebook by going to our website at www.speedysneakers.com/racing and keep up to date on all that is happening with Speedy Sneakers.

Speedy Sneakers Racing is affiliated with Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women with locations in Dublin and Westerville Ohio.

Start Training Now

If you are looking for a successful spring this year perhaps even running a personal best time then nothing will be more important than to start training now. You still have time to begin building up your training to avoid getting injured and to actually become fit for the onslaught of 5k that will predominate this spring time.


So what do you do? Start slowly; run for 10 minutes if that is all you can do. Run every other day, add a day each week, and add more 2 minutes to your running time. Whatever you do, do it slowly and methodically and you will find success.

I know that many times the urge to run hard, run far and run fast lingers in our mind as we feel that this is what we should be doing. Maybe it is, but not right now. Right now is all about building up your mileage and the time you spend running. Even the most elite of runners follow this method to ensure their success.

To help you along the way, here is a great tip. Write down on a piece of paper your spring time goal, find a race that you want to run and write down the date, place and time. Put the piece of paper in a place so that you can see it every day. I think two places work best, the bathroom mirror and the refrigerator. Every time you see your goal you will think about it and hopefully if you are motivated enough you will do something about it, like go for a run.

So what are you waiting for? Now is the time to start running.

By: Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women. With location in Dublin and Westerville, Ohio we are dedicated to promoting women’s health and fitness through running and walking programs. Visit us at www.speedysneakers.com

Start your own club

Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running clubs for women started on March 22 2008. Since that time, Speedy Sneakers has helped over 50 women in just one location meet many of their personal fitness goals.

Some of our members had goals to simply just get back to some general fitness while others wanted to run a 5k. By being a member of Speedy Sneakers, members were able to meet regularly and together they trained to meet their goals.

This coming year, Speedy Sneakers will be embarking on a new adventure - helping others start their own club. If you are interested in starting a club of your own in your neighborhood, the take a look at our website www.speedysneakers.com and give us a shout if you have any interest, we'd love to let you know how you too can start your own club.

Take care and happy running and walking

Congratulations Speedy Sneakers

Congratulations to all members of Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women who participated in the Columbus Marathon on Sunday. You guys did awesome and we are proud of you.

To view the results of all the races, follow this link. http://www.onlineraceresults.com/event/view_event.php?event_id=2918

Core Training For Walkers and Runners

You always hear that training your core is essential to running and walking faster and stronger. So which muscles do you have to work on and what are a few simple exercises to get you started?

Though core training can never be considered easy or simple, getting started is half the battle. In this short video you will see that core training does not have to be as strenuous as some think they should be.

Working Out - Use Common Sense

Have you ever thought about how confusing magazines make working out. For ever magazine you see on the sales rack, there must be ten to twenty different pieces of advice and that's only for this month alone. Next month they end up having another ten.

Well how about some common sense. Read the latest article post on www.SpeedySneakers.com, "Working Out Requires Common Sense."

After you have read the article, why not snub the magazines and enjoy a treat then go out and walk or run 3 miles.

The Guilt of Rest

Walkers and runners who are committed to an organized and consistent exercise routine seldom like to take rest or recovery days. We feel that rest will inhibit our training, making us unfit almost immediately. We feel guilty if we take two days off to rest. I like to call this the "the guilt of rest."

We feel guilty as if we have cheated our bodies of something essential. This is so untrue and we should not think or feel this way. In fact, we really need to think about taking rest every week. Perhaps up to 2-3 days off per week wouldn't do us any harm at all.

If you are one of those who prefers not to take a lot of rest days during the week and you feel that taking time off will hurt you physically, then mentally you need to play a game of rest. This is how the rest game goes.

Day 1
You will exercise in the morning on the day 1, then do nothing in the evening.

Day 2
On day 2 you will do nothing in the morning, but will workout in the evening.

So now you have trained on day 1 and day 2. By playing this game, mentally you feel like you took no rest days as you worked out on both days, but physically your body has rested for up to 36 hours which included one nights sleep which is essential for recovery.

Try this game and let us know what you think.

By Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women

Glory Days

A friend of mine shared this link to another blog, which I thought was a great little article. Here is an excerpt of the blog, called Glory Days, read and enjoy.

I was never an athlete. Not in elementary school. Not in middle school, and certainly not in high school where I actually earned my only “D”—in gym class. And when I say “earned,” I mean earned. I mean, you really have to work hard to get a “D” in gym. It’s not like any idiot can do it. I fondly recall skipping out on gym to do fun stuff like drive with my other hip friends to McDonald’s in my little fluorescent orange austin america to flip french fries on the hood and watch the birds gobble them up.
Does it get any better than that?

Guest Speaker - Dr. Patricia Stafford

Our Guest speaker this week was Dr. Patricia Stafford founder of Womens Imaging and Wellness.

Dr. Stafford gave a great presentation on Women's Bone Health. Please look for presentation materials to be posted on the club website http://www.speedysneakers.com/

I think what I took away from the presentation is that we should all be thinking about our bone health especially women who could face osteporosis in the future. Some remedial actions, include taking supplements and excercising. It really also wouldn't hurt to get a bone density scan.

Another little tidbit about Dr. Stafford is that not only does she practice good halth in her profession but she also practices it in her own life. Dr. Stafford is an avid runner and just this year ran in the Boston Marathon - way to go.

Thanks Dr. Stafford and good luck for Boston in 2009.

Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women

Speedy Sneakers Welcomes a New Partnership with atalanta athletic Wear

Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women is pleased to announce a new partnership with atalanta athletic wear.

The goddess of travel and adventure, Atalanta was a legend for her athletic prowess, as well as her courage and willingness to stand up for her personal values. Sought after by many, she preferred first to see the world and ran like the wind in an effort to earn this right. By offering top quality workout apparel that is both fashionable and functional, we hope women of the 21st century can find inspiration in her grace and courage.

http://www.skirtgoddess.com/
girl tested. runner approved.