Happy Monday!  This week I am in taper mode for my second half marathon on Sunday.  Since I’m in a running mode right now, I thought I would share some things that have helped me out recently.

I would not consider myself an experienced or a very serious runner, because I’ve never been very fast, and my interest has varied over the past few years.  Sometimes I will run multiple times a week for a few months and sign up for charity races, and then other times I will only run when I’m out of other workout options.  I don’t think that my body was particularly made for running, I’m definitely working against the laws of physics.  But I keep trying to bend those laws and convince my body to run and run faster.

In the past few months there have been a few blog posts/articles that I have come across that have given me some great insight and tips into the running world.

1. Teri over at A Foodie Stays Fit, posted about her methods for increasing her running speed. I found this post very helpful, and while I’ve dabbled with running intervals in the past, it has inspired me to do it more regularly, and I have been seeing results on my longer steady state runs.
2. I saw a link for this article about the golden rules for runners. It has a lot of great guidelines and suggestions that are so helpful for less experienced runners. It definitely helped me cut some corners rather than learning some lessons the hard way.  Things like how to dress for the weather, or how long to use your shoes, and many more.
3. And even though I hate the treadmill, I do spend some time on it during the week because it’s a great training tool, especially to build speed.  The Skinny Runner, who I find hilarious, posted a link to this chart that does a little conversion for the incline on the treadmill.  When you run on an incline it obviously adds intensity so this chart shows you how the incline and pace you choose translates to a faster past without an incline. It’s hard to explain, just look at the chart.
4. And lastly, if you’re in the Williamsburg area and you like running, you should sign up for the Yorktown Victory Run. It’s an 8 mile run from Newport News Park to the Yorktown Victory Monument and I’m the race director!  It’s a race that my business school organizes every year, and all of the proceeds go to Kidz’NGrief, a local charity that specializes in counseling children whole have lost a loved one.

The groundhog said Spring is coming so lace up those sneakers and get outside! And when you get back from your run, you should probably make yourself one of these…