You love running. Your friends praise your efforts on social media. You are the pinnacle of health. You’ve never felt better. So you keep on running. Faster. Longer distances. Until one day… you completely fall to pieces. Sad but true: there is such a thing as running too much, and this type of overtraining can unravel all of your hard work and stop you immediately in your tracks. Rather take a break before you break yourself, by maintaining a careful watch on the following warning signs. Continue Reading →
Archive | Guest Perspective
Meniscus Injury in Runners
As a runner, a physically fit and healthy body is the best investment for your career. However, as the popularity of this sport increases, the number of injury cases also increases. Continue Reading →
Ways to Stay Fit with Injured Knees
A knee injury may dramatically hinder your running schedule, but this is not an excuse to lie down and give up. In fact, now more than ever you need to stay fit in order to help your body heal properly, by maintaining flexible joints while avoiding any high impact movements. To do this, look at your dilemma as a blessing in disguise, perhaps an opportunity to embark on something brand new, and try this list of suggestions to begin this fresh journey. Continue Reading →
Health 101 for Runners
The good news is it does not require a lot for a person to become a recreational runner since all you need is a good pair of running shoes and a strong desire to reach the finish line. Running is a great form of aerobic exercise. It triggers runner’s high (a general sense of well-being and fitness because of regular physical activity). Continue Reading →
Putting the bottle down, lifting her running spirits up
By Henry Howard
When Judith Dahl first sipped alcohol she knew it would be a problem.
For many years, she was able to contain her drinking to weekends.
“But eventually, it got to be a daily thing,” says Dahl, of Norway. “The last two years it really escalated, I did not manage to hide it from my kids and my extended family any longer. I have always worked, but it was getting hard to keep up. I began to have trouble attending and when I did, I was sick big parts of the day.”
She hit rock bottom, separating from her husband and feeling depressed. But fortunately she reached out to get help through her doctor, who connected Dahl with someone who could help.
“He signed me up with a counselor, who I went to for almost two years,” Dahl recalls. “But the job was mine to do, I had an amazing family who wanted me back. That was my motivation.”
As drinking moved out of the picture, running moved in. Continue Reading →
Four Strength Exercises Every Runner Should be Doing
Many runners don’t realize that their workouts need to consist of more than just running. While running is a great cardiovascular exercise, pure cardio without strength training can increase your risk of injury. Research shows that runners who include strength workouts in their routine also outperform those who purely focus on cardio and endurance training.
If you’re not sure how to incorporate strength training into your workout regimen, keep reading. Listed below are four great exercises that every runner (and everybody in general) should be doing regularly. Continue Reading →
Muscle Fatigue in Marathon Training: Prevention and Recovery Tips
The sheer endurance required in marathon running is astounding. Runners who suffer from muscle fatigue, however, may experience impaired concentration that inhibits performance during a marathon.
Contrary to common believe, muscle fatigue isn’t always inevitable though it can occur even with trained athletes. Research also indicates that novice runners have higher a risk for injuries and fatigue for every 1000 hours spent running. Lack of energy and soreness can get in the way of finishing training much less a marathon itself. Don’t miss this quick guide to muscle fatigue prevention and recovery: Continue Reading →
A Dopey Idea: The 2018 Dopey Challenge [Part 4]
Post Four: Marathon Day
The last morning that alarm went off, I could not have been more relieved. It was the last ridiculous wakeup, the last ridiculous race, and the last ridiculous bedtime. When I went to sleep that night, I could count myself done with seeing the front end of 3:30 AM (at least until I forgot the pain of staring her right in the eyes multiple mornings in a row).
For the Walt Disney World Marathon, we dressed as Captain America and Ironman. I had another backpack, a well-made version of Cap’s shield with thick wide straps, so we left extra time again for bag check. Continue Reading →
A Dopey Idea: The 2018 Dopey Challenge [Part 3]
Post Three: Only Half Dopey
I’ve run many half marathons in my life, but never under the conditions of the Walt Disney World Half Marathon en route to completing my Dopey Challenge. I had already run the 5K and 10K, “all” that was left were the Half and Full.
After feeling so under-prepared the morning of the 10K, you can bet I made extra sure to be ready for the half marathon. We went to bed nice and early and were extra responsible about hydrating the day before (though our plans went slightly awry when housekeeping woke us up at an hour which, for us, was the middle of the night despite it being an entirely “normal” 8:00 PM). Continue Reading →
A Dopey Idea: The 2018 Dopey Challenge [Part 2]
Post 2: The “Shorts”
When we last left our heroes, we were paused on the brink of greatness; ready to begin Disney’s Dopey Challenge at the 25th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend. The first race in the series was the 5K, a distance that I can basically run in my sleep… which is good because the race started at 5:30 AM.
I have to be completely honest: I was not worried about the 5K. When our alarm went off that first morning, despite the fact that we hadn’t gotten to bed on time (for which I completely blame the fact that we were busy infiltrating the First Republic at THEVOID the night before), I was pumped and ready to go! Continue Reading →
A Dopey Idea: The 2018 Dopey Challenge [part 1]
Post One: Challenge Preparation
I can’t honestly tell you what made me think that running the Dopey Challenge was a good idea. The only way I can summarize the logic behind this decision is as such: I have run several marathons. What’s harder than a marathon? Clearly I should push myself and do something EVEN BIGGER with my next goal.
Disney’s Dopey Challenge is an incredible race series that consists of four events: a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and Full Marathon on four consecutive mornings in early January. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Disney Marathon Weekend, and the 5th anniversary of the Dopey Challenge, so it was with gusto that I signed myself and my husband up for the challenge. Continue Reading →
Protect Your Knees While Running
While running is one of the best ways you can gradually train your body and potentially get into the best shape of your life, it comes with some caveats that you must keep in mind. One of the most common injuries that occur amongst runners is some type of knee injury, i.e. “runner’s knee,” and even the most benign twinges in the knees can be a sign of painful things to come. Fortunately, there are simple tactics you can take to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place. Continue Reading →
