Tag Archives: runner

Running Tips

Posted in Lifestyle Lessons by

Autumn is officially upon us, which means that, although different than previous years, that usually means optimal running season. Although the days are shorter, the weather is usually just right for getting those miles in.

As a seasoned runner now, I wanted to take a few minutes to give a couple of running tips for running outside and for running form so that way you can enjoy those miles.

Run the Left side of the road

If you are going to go out running on open roads the biggest tip I can give you is to make sure you are on the correct side of the road. You have no idea how many times a day I see people running on the incorrect side of the road, which actually puts them in more danger.

You want to be able to see oncoming traffic, so you should always run against traffic (bike with traffic). This is going to maximize your safety and let you know what traffic is around you! You really don’t want a car coming up from behind you and hitting you or nearly hitting you!

Call out your location

If you run somewhere like a bike trail or a hiking trail where people are doing physical activities like walking, hiking, biking, or even running slower than you, you’re going to end up passing them up. In my book one of the most polite things you can do for them is to call out your location to them so they know you are coming up behind them. A simple “On your left” or “On your right” should be enough to let them know you’re coming. It’s not just polite, but it also helps you keep your cadence and stride without having to slow down to get around them.

Layer Up

As you are running in colder temperatures, it is important to keep your temperature under control. You want to start your run cold but not be freezing. The mid temperatures make it difficult to determine what to wear. I always opt for layers that are easy to shed when I get hot and can be easy to store.

Want something else to reference? Runner’s world has a great tool to help you decide what to wear and what layers you need. I use this tool all the time.

Watch your foot strikes

Having proper form is an important aspect to your run. Watching where your foot strikes can really help you to avoid injury and shin splints.

On short, quick runs, you should be making sure to strike on the ball of your foot, maintaining contact with the ground for a relatively short period of time. On longer runs you will find that it is more natural to land on mid foot (or even in some cases heel to toe is the natural form we end up taking on these runs).

Next time you are out watching people run, take a look at how they are striking on their feet. You might notice that many people are not striking on their feet correctly. At least for me, this gives me motivation to fix my form and do it right!

Watch the rest of your form

Again, the overall form you run with will determine how your run goes. Poor form can lead to quicker exhaustion and injury. While arm swinging can keep you propelling forward and is a popular form for runners, your arms should swing parallel back and forth but not cross your body! This will help to minimize torso and shoulder excursion while still pushing you forward.

You should also lean slightly forward, forward from the hip, while you run, making sure your foot strikes correctly. The forward lean will help to keep you off your heels and avoid shin splints.

Do you have any running tips you want to share? Let me know in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time,

Kat

I ran a half marathon and this is what I learned

Posted in Random Rambles by

You guys, I did it. I successfully ran 13.1 miles nonstop (well…consecutively, there might have been a tad bit of walking involved, but really the amount was maybe 0.1 miles in reality)! It was intense and exciting and honestly a little easier than I expected it to be. Yes, the course was super easy. Yes, the weather was great. Yes, it was mostly downhill. But guess what? I DID IT!

And I wanted to take the time today to share with you guys what the experience was like for me and what I learned from it. So I figured I would break it down. How I prepped the night before and the day of and what the experience was like.

The night before we had to drive out of town for the race so we left and drove the two-hour drive to our destination. Along the way, we stopped at an Italian restaurant and I had fettuccini with vegetables and a wine-oil sauce and A LOT of bread.

Tip #1: Carb up the night before (if not starting the day before) get your glycogen stores because you will burn through them within the first hour or so of running. I even had a high carb lunch that day as well.

We stayed in a hotel that night and got up bright and early to check-in for the race. The last thing I wanted was to get there late and feel rushed. This gave me plenty of time to wait in the really long bathroom line and get myself stretched out and ready to go.

Tip #2: Get to packet pick up early so you can get parked, use the bathroom, and get stretched and warmed up

The day of: It was a semi-cold October day. It started out at around 40 degrees when we started but was in the mid-50s when we finished. This made getting ready very difficult for the race. I ended up wearing Capri leggings with my thigh compression sleeves (so essentially pants) and a technical t-shirt along with a light jacket that I could easily shed and tie around my waist when I got warm. I also had a waistband where I kept my gels so I had my own ready at my disposal.

Tip #3: Dress in layers if it is going to be cold and be prepared to shed layers as you run or ditch them right before the start.

Some people even decide the buy cheap clothing they don’t mind losing if they have to ditch it on the trail. Honestly, they had a good idea. In fact, my fingers were so numb by the first few miles that I was having trouble feeling anything when I went to reach for it: water, Gatorade, my gels. It was rough. At the first water station, there were just as many gloves tossed to the side as there were water cups.

Tip #4: Pack a cheap pair of gloves you’re ready to part with early in the race. Your fingers will thank you.

Now, for the race itself.

The first mile I got a little too excited and ran with the crowd. And oh boy, was that a mistake. Within the first two miles, I hit a pain wall in my abdomen (usually my sign that I went too fast too soon) and I had to slow down massively from there. (Although to be honest a massive slow down from that point was just a normal pace for me.

Tip #5: Don’t run the speed of the initial crowd. Pace yourself.

From there, I actually started to pace myself a lot better. Around mile 3 I was still in a bit of pain and actually debated if I should stop and try to use the bathroom, but after seeing that there was already a couple of people waiting, decided that it probably wasn’t worth the time I would lose and that I probably didn’t even need to use it. I could just run through the pain. And I was right. The next four miles were a breeze.

At mile 5 I slowed down and along with a gulp of water, I took half of a gel pack (I use Carb Boom if you were curious). This was the point that they were also handing out GU, but as we previously talked about, I think it’s always better to use something you are used to. The only downfall I had here was that my fingers were so numb I struggled with the gel pack a bit. After this, I took off running again.

I actually hit a 10k PR while running this race by several minutes, so that was really exciting. Again, the course was mostly downhill so I have that to thank, but I’ll still take it!

At mile 7 they were handing out Gatoraid which I was more than happy to take. It helped to fuel me while also giving my mouth a burst of flavor.

Tip #6: If you have to choose between the Gatorade or water, choose the Gatorade, your mouth and body will thank you

Leading into mile 8 was relatively uneventful. I kept a standard pace, never straying for than a minute off my pace and I felt pretty good along the way. Right before mile 9 where I planned to gel again, I felt myself getting tired out, which made sense, and I was really looking forward to the walk break I was going to get while I gelled again.

From there, things went a little downhill, but not too badly. I was definitely getting tired and I started to utilize a walk-run method more often. They were usually very short walk breaks every mile or so just to stretch out my hips in a different way, but it definitely helped and I noticed that overall, it didn’t slow me down much.

I thought there was another water stop at mile 11 but I was wrong, it was a mile after that, so I was getting a little discouraged that the two-mile stretch between 9 and 11 seemed to be lasting forever (I don’t track on a watch and there weren’t mile markers out). In hindsight, it was kind of nice that I was a mile shorter than I expected when I did get to that water stop, but it did make the end of the race seem like a marathon in of itself.

Tip #7: Know what mile markers your water stops actually are

Mile 12 is a blur. It went by relatively fast and we were off the trail in no time. Mile 13 had us facing a huge hill that was maybe 0.2 miles long and I was looking forward to a slow walk up that hill to rest before finishing off the last 0.1 or so miles towards the finish line. Boy was I wrong. I was lucky enough to have a friend on the hill waiting for me to not only cheer me on but push me up the hill. And I ran the hill, passed a few other people, and right to the top. My legs were killing me by the top and I walked for about 30 seconds after, before turning the corner, the end game in sight and finishing the race off strong.

I had a strong team of people cheering me on at the end. Two of my friends surprised me by coming down to support me, and my family was right before the finishing telling me to “Go. Go. Go.” And that was enough to make me run that slightest bit faster, passed a couple of people, and right over that finish line.

Tip #8: Have a good support team there to cheer you on

I ended the race at 2 hours and 19 minutes (and about 30 seconds). A solid 11 minutes faster than any of my practice runs had been. I couldn’t be more proud.

Running this half marathon was so fun. Honestly, it wasn’t even as mentally draining as I expected it to be, and if anything, it reminded me that I run because I love to run, not because of anything else. The scenery was beautiful. The people I met while running were wonderful, though I barely stopped to talk. The experience is something I will never forget, and you bet I am going to be doing this again. 13.1 miles isn’t too bad of a number. It’s not that hard to reach it. And I will reach it again. After some time off long runs.

For now, in the days following, I have been keeping my runs to slow, low mileage runs. Tuesday I did 2 miles, Wednesday 2.5 miles all at jog pace. I’m going to give my body some time to rest and relax before hitting up any crazy training. And if you run a distance run like that, I suggest you do that same.

That’s my half marathon experience. I hope you guys enjoyed hearing about it. Let me know in the comments below if you find any of these tips helpful!

Until next time,

Kat

How many Calories do I burn While Running?

Posted in Healthy Habits by

We talked recently about what calories are and how many calories we need a day to sustain life.  But how about the number of calories a day we burn when we work out?

In theory, smart watches and calorie trackers such as My Fitness Pal (I’m not sponsored by them, but if underarmor wanted to sponsor me, I’ll take that deal!!!) can make it easy to keep track of calorie burn, but do they take into account all factors such as age, weight, and intensity of the activity? Maybe not so much.  Research from Stanford University and the Swedish School of Sport and Health Science found that the calorie feedback from fitness trackers are usually off by about 27%, which is actually a huge amount if you really stop to think about it.

So what’s the best way to calculate calorie burn when running?  Today, let’s look into some options for tracking the calories you burn running.

How many calories does running burn?

treadThe generalized rule of thumb for calories burned running is that the average person burns 100 calories per mile of running.  However, it’s easy to spot how this can be inaccurate.  This doesn’t take into consideration weight, speed, or how seasoned of a runner you are.  After all, let’s be fair, no 2 runners are created equal.  If that was true, I’d always be able to keep pace with my friend who usually is at least 2 minutes ahead of me!

According to livestrong, a more accurate way to calculate your run is to multiply your weight in pounds by 0.75.  therefore, a 200 pound person will burn 150 calories per mile. By that average, I’ll burn around 93 calories per mile.

Again, this doesn’t take into account the speed you run and the intensity of your work out.

Online calculators will ask you your weight, the length of you workout, how far you went, and sometimes how fast you went.  These calculators will give you more accurate feedback on how many calories your run burned off.

To put the numbers into perspective, I’ll use me as an example.  This is what each option says I burn off doing a 10 minute mile.

General rule: 100 Calories

My Fitness Pal:  90 calories

Livestrong: 93 calories

An Online calculator:  96 calories

Other things to Consider

These calculators don’t take into consideration your basil metabolic rate, the calories you burn while at rest.  Of course, if you are closely monitoring your caloric intake and burn, you should be considering your BMR when considering your daily calorie needs.

You should also keep in mind that no 2 athletes are equal, and everyone is different.  This means that energy expenditure is different for everyone.  In fact, according to the journal of athletic training, different body masses, respiratory quotients, and fast twitch muscle fibers all play a role in energy expenditure.  So although these things aren’t calorie focused, they do play a part in how our bodies us up our energy storages. 

What’s the take away?

calorieThere’s no 100% perfect method to calculate how many calories a person burns when running.  A lot of things go into the calculations.  Running watches and apps can give you generalized ideas of your calorie burn, as can online calculators, but those can also have a level of error.

Basically, take it all with a grain of salt.  Calories are important for giving us energy for day to day functions, but they shouldn’t be our sole focus in life.  The way our bodies and minds feel after a workout is the most important aspect to focus on.  Numbers are just numbers.

How do you calculate and track your runs?  Let me know what methods you use in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

What to consider when buying running shoes

Posted in Lifestyle Lessons by

Having good, supportive running shoes makes the difference between a good workout and one that leaves you injured and in pain. But what if you’re new to this buying running shoes thing? If this is your first time the options might seem overwhelming. There’s a lot to consider: size, fit, comfort, brand. Where do you start?

Have no fear, I’m here to give you some tips on how to get the best shoe for you!

Do some initial research

There are dozens of articles online to help you learn how a running shoe should fit! They’ll tell you how to size up for swelling, how the shoe should slip on and off when tied and untied, and how your fingers should fit in the sides. Read up on those articles so you know what to feel for when you step into the shop!

Also do a little research on what shoes are best for what you do. Street running and trail running are very different and there are different shoes built for each. Also consider if you want shoes that are lightweight and are like running on air or if you want something that will leave you a little more grounded.

Everyone has a different preference, so doing some research on what’s best for you is always a good first step in buying!

Seek Help with finding what you want

Now that you have a little bit of an idea of what you’re looking at, it’s time to go to a local running store to get some professional help buying the right shoe for you! Be ready to unload everything on them. Tell them what kind of running you do, where you run, how long and how often you run . Also make sure to tell them about any trouble areas you have. Do you have painful knees? Do your hips hurt when you run? Tell them everything. They’ll take everything into consideration.

Let them know what type of shoe you’re looking for, but you don’t need to know an exact brand or style. Try on everything they bring you, take a little sprint in them and let them know your opinion of the shoe. Try each shoe on more than once. Be honest and open with them and together you’ll be able to find a shoe you really like.

Read online about the shoe before you buy

You don’t have to walk out of the store that day with a pair of shoes, and honestly I suggest you don’t . If you have it narrowed down to a shoe you like, go home and do some more research in the shoe. Read some reviews. What did other runners think of the shoe? Did it hold up? Did they like something more? How was the fit for them? There’s nothing wrong with learning about other people’s experiences to help you with yours.

See what return policy the store has vs. the manufacturer’s website

Another thing to look into before you go back to the shop and return the shoe is the return policy . A lot of stores order a 2 week or 1 month return on worn running shoes (and depending on the store they might not even have a good return policy).

I suggest checking the brand’s website before making a purchase. Not only might they have decent prices (usually the same as the store without potential sales) but they often have very good return policies. For example, Brooks has a 90 day return policy on all their worn running shoes . That’s three months you can try the shoes out and return if you don’t like them!

Don’t be afraid of returning a shoe you don’t like

I know a lot of people who don’t like going back to the store and returning shoes they’ve bought because they feel bad about it. Don’t do that for running shoes . The wrong pair of shoes will leave you uncomfortable, in pain, and potentially injured. Not to mention it will make you not want to run. You want a pair of running shoes you want to put on. So don’t be afraid to return them as many times as you need to in order to find the right shoe . Try on as many as you need! The employees of the shop and the company want you to have a pair of shoes you like! That’s the goal! There’s nothing to be embarrassed or to feel bad about! Your feet are important.

Do you have any tips for buying running shoes? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,

Kat

My Running Story

Posted in Kat Chats by
I don’t usually like to make this blog about my personal life, although I will occasionally talk about beauty products I am using and routines I like to do, I have never really talked about my own moves and my own personal journey through weight lose and becoming healthy.
However, with Kat Classics’s 5th year here, that’s something I want to change a little.  You guys don’t know this but since I started this blog when I graduated university I have lost around 65 pounds and am the “healthiest” me I have ever been.  I put healthiest in parenthesis because there is a lot that goes into health and that’s something I really want to talk about in the upcoming  year.  But to do that I need to get a little more personal with you guys.
I figured I would start with something light and tell you guys about how I became a runner, because it was never anything I expected to happen!
For long time readers of Kat Classics you’ll remember when I moved to California in 2015,  I kept why I was moving under wraps and I still don’t want to talk about too much of the move and what I was doing, but that move is what changed everything for me.
in 2015, I was interning for a company that the U.S. Navy had contracted to do some biological restoration work on one of their bases.  I wasn’t part of the navy, but I did live with the navy and other biologists on a somewhat remote island navel base in California.
Now don’t get me wrong, I actually loved the navy base.  I made a lot of friends and for those 8 months it really became my home, but to be honest it could be boring at times.  After work all we had to occupy our time was our dorms, the gym, or the bar.  Even outdoor hiking areas were restricted because of where we were.  It definitely pushed us to spend a lot of our time hanging out at the bar listening to music and shooting pool.  (I’m still not good at pool, but shuffleboard, I could give you a run for your money).
Anyway, because there was so little to do, I would spend almost every day after work at the gym while I waited for my other friends to get finished with their daily duties so I could meet them for whatever we had planned for that night.  As you can imagine, walking on the treadmill got boring fast.  So, I ended up downloading one of those free “couch to 5k” apps on my phone and figured that I really had nothing to lose adding in a few sprints at a time while I was walking.
I took it at half time, so when I doubled up on each work out on the app to give myself extra time to get used to running.  (Previous to this I had never been able to sprint more than just a couple of seconds without getting tired). I at no point tried to take getting up to running 30 minutes straight fast.  In fact, I was never even aiming to be able to run for 30 minutes straight, I was just trying to occupy my time!
But before you knew it, I was looking forward to my running days (usually I ran every other day and just inclined walked on my off days) and by around 3 or 4 months after I started, I was doing regular 30 minute runs straight (at a slow pace still) every time I had a running day at the gym!  Even the navy guys who worked out at the same time as I did started commenting on my increase in stamina.  I even was able to take it outside sometimes and run long distances outside!  I was fully impressed with my ability and I never even intended for it to happen!
Eventually the running just became part of my every day routine.  Even if I couldn’t get a full three mile run in before we had dinner plans, I would at least try to run a mile and a half or so because something was always better than nothing.  This allowed me to indulge a little more at the bar or at our dinner parties all at the same time as allowing me to feel really good about myself and my health.
When I moved back to Pennsylvania after my time at the base, my frequency of running slowed down as my schedule didn’t always allow me to go to the gym daily.  However, the quality of my work outs still remained the same.  I worked hard and slowly began to increase my speeds.
Last summer I signed up for my first ever 5k and as the summer progressed and I signed up for more and more races I saw my time go from 38 minutes to complete to 31 minutes to complete, all in one season!  It’s only progressed from there this summer as I have competed in around 8 races and down well in all of them!

When I began running, I was around 140 pounds.  At the time, I was never able to hurdle over that 140 and assumed that that was where my body was going to stay.  After all, we all hit a plateau at some point.  However, a few years later as an avid runner, I sit at around 125 pounds on my heavy days.

I do want to stress though that I never started running with the intention to lose weight.  Every time I had ever started exercising in an attempt to lose weight it never happened because it felt like such a chore to work out and it was never actually fun.  When it came to running, I started purely because it was an activity I wanted to do.  I never intended to lose weight, I never intended for it to be something I continued if I hated it, and it never at any point seemed like a chore for me.
That’s what I want the take away message to be from this story  Yes, I lost weight running and yes it has helped me become an even healthier person.  But the most important thing that came from me becoming a runner was that I found something to occupy my time that was active and that I absolutely loved.
Someone one told me “you don’t race because of scores and times.  You race because if someone told you you couldn’t do it anymore, you’d be upset.”  And it’s completely true.  If I was told I could never run again, I would be devastated.
So I encourage you to find a sport or activity that you love and own it.  Make it your own and do because you want to, not because you have to.  Exercise should be your happy place– your zen– not something you feel forced to do.

What sport do you love more than anything? Let me know in the comments below.

Also let me know if you like these more personal type of blogs.  Should I do them more often?
Until next time,
Kat