Announcement: Speedy Sneakers Racing

Speedy Sneakers Racing a division of Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women announces the luanch of it's new website at www.SpeedySneakers.com/Racing

Speedy Sneakers Racing offers race timing for running and walking events in Central Ohio.

Please visit the website for more information.

Commit Now for Success in the Spring

In the northern parts of the United States, the leaves have now fallen off the trees and the snow is about to come down. Winter is around the corner. As winter comes in the difficulty of training outdoors becomes apparent causing many runners and walkers to miss vital winter training.

Here are some tips to help you stay in shape, or at a minimum keep up some fitness activity through the winter:

Work on your core strength by doing back and abdominal exercises.

Though stretching may not increase your strength to run a 5k, it will increase your flexibility which will help you stave off injuries as you increase your mileage in the spring and summer.

Find sunny days through the winter when the snow is packed on the ground and you can get outside for a quick 20 minute run.

Try some rope skipping, you will be amazed at how tired you will become doing this workout.

These are some simple workouts and routines that will help you stay in shape through the winter. I would be interested to know what others have done. Please let us know.

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

Speedy Sneakers January 2009 Newsletter

Just published: Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Club for Women, January 2009 club newsletter

Winter Schedule

Just because its fall going into winter, it does not mean we stop training. Speedy Sneakers will still be meeting at Glacier Ridge Metro Park each Saturday at 8:30 a.m.

We meet at the shelter house when you enter in from the north entrance of the park across from Glacier Ridge Elementary.

If you are interested in joining our club, stop by and check us out.

Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for Women

RRCA 10km Trial Championship

The Ohio Valley Walkers and Runners Club has been awarded the RRCA Ohio 10k trial championship.

For more details visit their race website

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?

Run 4 Kids 5k Marysville Ohio

Speedy Sneakers members ran in the Run-4-Kids 5k in Marysville, Ohio. What a beautiful day it was to run as you can see from some of the pictures.

I think everyone had a great time and we some good running. This was the first race we have been to as a group since the Komen Race for a Cure 5k in Columbus and so it was fun to get the ladies back together to run in a fast 5k race.

This was also a good time for everyone to support some of our Marysville members who are always coming down to Columbus to run races.

Thanks to everyone who showed up.

Speedy Sneakers Womens Walking and Running Club

www.SpeedySneakers.com

Keeping Perspective of Your Goals and family

Regardless of whether you are an elite athlete or a recreational walker or runner, keeping perspective about your personal health and fitness goals is essential.

How many athletes have you known, or heard about in the media who have sold the farm to achieve their goals? Many athletes have put off their careers, family, and life in general all to “make it.” The problem is that these moments of glory and fame, if they come, are fleeting. In the years to come, as the talent, motivation and opportunity are gone; nobody will remember what you did. Perhaps having had some perspective would have been better. Work on the career, have a family and then try to “make it.”

So for the recreational athlete, be careful about lofty goals, keep perspective on what makes you happy at home. Your family, friends, children, the dog. Have goals, but keep them attainable. Keep them within reason and have a ton of fun along the way.

Happy walking and running

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.

Run or Walk Safely

Whether walking or running, consideration should be given to the aspect of safety. A recent trend we see on the roads today is the use of Mp3 players or iPods as they are commonly known. These devices have pre-recorded songs that have been loaded on by their owners. I think these devices are absolutely awesome; however I also consider them to be extremely dangerous to every walker or runner who uses them during training and racing.

All of the major organizations of running and triathlon have banned the use of these devices at their races, simply because they are a danger to the athlete.

How are these devices dangerous? Simple, you have to hear to be alert. If you walking or running and cannot hear you put yourself in a lot of danger. Think about it, when you are training you are sharing the road with cars, motorbikes and trucks which are going very fast. If you are not able to hear or are not paying attention you could be hit.

Even if you are running on bike paths, you have to be cautious. Cyclists of all ages are using the paths and a simple mistake can result in injury.

If you are a person who uses an iPod then I ask you to begin practicing to not use this device. I know it’ll be hard, but try and keep it home so that you can be sure to be safe.

Commitment - Setting Your Goals

Whenever you start on an exercise program, the key aspect is to remain committed. Lack of commitment spells failure; there is no way to achieve personal fitness goals without being committed to them in the first place.

So what does commitment mean to you?

Firstly, commitment should be a goal. As you have probably read in other postings on this blog I firmly believe that you should write down all your goals, and the commitment is one of them.

Here is how you write down your goal. “I will remain committed to the goal of walking or running a 5km race on November 1, 2008 by walking or running four times each week for 20 to 30 minutes over the course of the next 5 months”

Your goal is very clear and specific. You know what the goal is, how much you need to workout and what the deadline will be, the race.

So, as you place your race schedule or workout schedule for 2008, try writing down your goals and especially focus on the goal of being committed.

Increase your Speed

If you have ever trained for awhile and found yourself in a rut, where no matter how hard you train it just seemed that you could not go any faster. What is the problem?

The problem may be you are training like a tortoise and wanting to run like the hare. Here are some tips for increasing your speed.

Run Intervals
Warm-up by jogging for 5 minutes slowly, then sprint for 30 seconds, jog 1 minute, sprint for 30 seconds, and jog another minute. The intensity and length of the intervals will depend on how fit you are. For starters try just a few repetitions, increasing them as you get fitter and stronger.

Run Hills
Warm-up for 5 minutes, find a small hill, run hard up the hill, and jog down. Repeat this until your heart rate is above 120 beats per minute, then jog back home slowly.

Run Strides
Warm-up for 5 minutes, find a smooth and flat piece of road, bike path, country road or grass field that is approximately 100 meters in length. Run the 100 meters fast, but in control. Think of yourself as an Olympic sprinter, smooth, strong and powerful.

Make sure that you are well rested to perform these “sprint” drills, incorporate some slow, long distance running, walking or jogging between these workouts to ensure adequate recovery.

by SpeedySneakers.com a Walking and Running Club for women.
Dedicated to promoting health and fitness through walking and running programs.

The Most Important Season

The most important time of the year to train and get ready for summer is in the winter months. This is the time to build your base from where you will springboard your summer workouts and racing season.

The base is that block of time, which can be as long as 12-weeks, where you will slowly and methodically build your strength through some long slow distance walks or runs. It is also the time to get into the weight room for anywhere between 2-3 times each week.

Missing or not taking advantage of the winter months will definitely cause you to start way behind any of your friends that committed themselves to a winter training program. I realize that when it is cold, it can be difficult to become motivated to get out there, or even run on a treadmill, but it has to be done in order to achieve your goals.

If you cannot be self-motivated, set small goals for yourself to get through the 12-weeks that you should commit to a winter program. Divide the 12 weeks into four quarters of three weeks each. After each three weeks, give yourself a reward such as a day off, or a longer sleep in on a regular workout day. At the end of the 12 weeks, treat yourself to a great tasting meal; forget the fat and carbs just do it. You will not loose anything by indulging after working out for so long.

It is now January if you have not started on your program; you are now looking at completing your winter program around April. The window is still open to get committed, so get out there today and make it happen.

Three Times for 20-Minutes

If you are trying to get started in a fitness routine a good starting point may be to start out by walking, jogging or running for 20-minutes three times a week. If you are like me, I have often sat around and watched as 20-minutes just flew by and thought to myself, wow, I could have finished a quick workout. It is absolutely amazing how fast 20-minutes can just melt away when you are doing nothing. Not to mention if it is 5:30 a.m. and you are trying to squeeze every last minute out of your sleep.

So what to do to get those 20-minutes out of the day. First, make a contract with yourself. Write it down if need be. Get a friend to workout with you. If you have kids that are old enough to exercise, get them to go with you. If you have a husband who does not want to exercise, but will ride his bike alongside, get him to do it.

Decide whether you are a morning or an evening person. If you prefer getting up early, then get started on your workout. If you an evening person, delay that workout until the evening. Make it easier on yourself. Workout when your body and mind are ready.

Lastly, keep a dairy or a logbook of your workouts. This will help keep you motivated and on track.

Cold Weather Workout Tips

Just because it is cold outside does not mean we have to stop working out. In the colder states we need to be a little more creative to get through the dark cold months.

Here are five workout tips you can try this winter.

1. Mall Walking. Early morning, or later in the evening on weekdays are great for getting a warm walk in. If you are not running around at 4:00 minutes/mile pace, mall security will not mind you walking.

2. Cross Train. Winter provides the perfect opportunity to do some additional cross training at your local gym, such as lifting weights and swimming. Both provide the opportunity to workout different muscles groups that you may not have done while walking or running in the summer.

3. Jump Rope. Get a jump rope from your local fitness store, they are inexpensive and provide a solid workout. Jump rope for 5 minutes to start and you will feel like you had just run 5 miles!

4. Indoor Cycling. If you have an indoor bike, use it. So many people have indoor equipment do not use it. This is a waste, as time passes the machine will breakdown and ultimately become useless. Try cycling for 30-minutes.

5. Core Conditioning. Wake up each morning and workout your various abdominal muscles. Core conditioning is essential for maintaining torso strength for walking and running.

As always in cold weather, maintain adequate hydration, dress in layers.