Tips for Cross-Country running/races

In ancient greece, there were only 5 original Olympic events; the foot race was one of them. I was so infuriated with the useless running advice videos on this site that were often unhelpful, vague, and brief, that I decided to make my own. I filmed it in one take, but it was 14 min long, so I had to trim it to 10 min (reason for having so many cuts) *The person I refer to in this video is channel “Expertvillage.” I make a few comments about the quality of their running tip video.

Triathlon for Beginners – The Events….Continued

Triathlon for Beginners – The Events….Continued

After my last article, which brought to you some background on the Super-Sprint and Sprint events, I'm back to continue where we left off. We'll be taking a look at the Olympic event, and then, in future articles the Half-Iron and then the ultimate triathlon challenge, the Iron-Man event.

Olympic

This is, as the name suggests, the event that is agreed upon and sanctioned by the Olympic Committee, to be an event in the Olympic Games. Often referred to as the 'Standard distance, it's still not as popular as the Sprint events.

With Triathlon being a relatively new sport, the first Olympic triathlon didn't take place until the 2000 Olympics. If you want to compete in the Olympic distance, you will need to swim 0.9 miles (1500m), ride 24.9 miles(40km) and finish it all off with a 6.2 mile (10km) run. It's going to take some time to get ready for such an event, 20 weeks or so should be enough with consistent training. If you're out of shape, at least 6 months is probably the way to proceed.

An elite triathlete will be completing this event in well under 90 minutes. If you're pretty fit and well trained, between 2 and 3 hours is the right sort of ballpark figure, many take 4 hours to finish.

This event does call for some pacing, you can't just go out there 'hell for leather' as you 'may be able to do in the short events. You've got to bear in mind that there is no 'sprint distance' in this event, sprint too soon and you'll be hitting the wall pretty damn quickly. You need to particularly make sure that you have energy left for the run, so pace yourself on the swim and bike sections. You are definitely going to need to hydrate throughout the event and to refuel with some sports gels or similar .

If you have a fair bit of experience in endurance events, you've ridden long distances or been a good swimmer or runner, then it's acceptable to make the Olympic Triathlon Event your first triathlon. You need to d o some serious inward analysis, don't try to kid yourself that you' re up to it if you aren't.

In later articles I'll be going through training schedules for each of the events so hang on in there.

Next article takes a brief look at the Half-Iron event. We're heading into the serious endurance events now and culminating in a look at the Iron-Man, the pinnacle of sporting accomplishment for many triathletes. See you next time.

 

Going the Extra Mile: Long Distance Running Tips for Beginners

Long distance running is a thing of beauty: The graceful stride, the sheer power in motion – not to mention the lean and muscular pistons that are a long distance runner's legs.

Many of us would love to be long distance runners, but the reality is, it takes time to work ourselves up to this level of fitness. And if we push too hard, we may experience an injury (or mental burnout) that turns us away from the sport in the future

If you are a beginning runner and would like to ramp up your running routine (whether it's for your physical or emotional well being or to train for a marathon or a charity running event), here are some tips to keep your body running smoothly and to create an enjoyable exercise experience.

Get Ready

Talk to your doctor. You want to make sure that a long distance running routine is right for you, and your doctor may have suggestions, tailored to you, about what kind of running routine will be best for your body type, age, and fitness level.

Invest in a good pair of running shoes. Take the time to go to a local store where they specialize in athletic shoes and make sure you find the proper fit for your foot, your preferred running surface, and your level of ability. While you're there, ask around for good running routes in your town or city. You're looking for a route that is safe and that provides the proper mix of hills that will keep you challenged and motivated, but not exhausted.

You'll also want to make sure you stay hydrated while you run. You'll have more energy throughout your run, and you'll keep your body safe, too.

Keep a journal. Keep track of your running times and distance in a journal or online running log. You may want to make some notes, too. How did you feel starting out the run? How energized did you feel afterwards? What parts of the run did you find easy and which parts were more challenging? In what way does your running routine change the rest of your day?

Choose Your Ideal Path

The best place to run is a smooth dirt path. Concrete sidewalks can jar your joints as you run. Indoor and outdoor tracks offer a great surface but can get pretty boring pretty fast.

If you choose to run on grass, make sure you stay aware throughout your run for obstacles or uneven patches.

Start Running

You can choose from a variety of training methods when you run, and you can mix it up from day to day. One day, for example, you may run for speed. The next day, you may choose hilly terrain to get in a good interval workout.

You will want to start each training session by warming up. Stretch your muscles and walk briskly for five minutes or so to get your blood pumping, before you break into a run.

Make sure you are using proper technique. You want to avoid injury, above all, so check with a doctor or exercise trainer if you experience any pain, or if you are not sure whether you are running with optimum form.

Watch your exertion level, too. Ideally, you will be able to talk while you are running, particularly at the beginner level. Make sure you aren't overdoing it at this stage. Your endurance will build in no time. And if you train too hard in the beginning, you run the risk of personal injury (or burning yourself out on the idea of running in the first place.) If you become overly winded, slow down (even to a walk) until you can catch your breath. Then start running again, slowly.

After the Finish Line

Following your run, walk for at least a few minutes. Then do another stretching routine. And make sure to record your run in your log. Write down how great you feel immediately following a run. These words can be tremendously motivating the next time you need to lace up those running shoes.

Beginners Triathlons

Beginners Triathlons

Triathlons are all the rage. They're the coolest sport around at the moment and everyone wants to get on board.

The 5km event used to be one of the most popular sporting events, with 5km runs held in many towns and cities. Many weekends I would see the orange cones and tape, closing off a loop in my town. Now the cones and barricades and bike racks are appearing throughout cities worldwide. These multi-discipline events range from a few 3 to 4 miles total distance covered, up to 140 mile plus, quite a staggering feat of endurance for the athletes concerned.

If you complete a triathlon of any length, people consider you an exceptional athlete. If you haven't started training for one, perhaps you should consider it.

I'm going to be writing a number of articles covering various stages of triathlon training, from the first baby steps, up to race tactics for your event.

Firstly, I'd like to say that anyone can compete in a triathlon. If you're concerned about the competitive nature of sporting events, you'll be pleased to know that the triathlon community is literally that, a community. People help each other out and have mutual respect for each others endeavor, regardless of your level.

Triathlons are a multi discipline sport that combines the events of running, swimming and cycling into one event. Although triathlons appear to be big business at the moment, you will actually be part of quite a small minority group within the realms of sporting events. When you start training for triathlons, you are going to be heading towards exceptional fitness. Your aerobic endurance is going to skyrocket, improving your cardiovascular health, your muscles will become strong and toned. You'll also benefit form the social side of becoming part of the triathlon community, there are plenty of clubs around, for newbies as well as seasoned competitors.

Now you've decided to get involved, it's worth considering what distance you are going to start with. It's good to have long term goals, but taking a step at a time will ensure you gain motivation from setting achievable short term goals, and that you are successful. Training to failure means that you will get a failure mentality which is no good for your future aspirations. Train to succeed at all times.

In my next article I will be looking at the event distances and will start considering a training program for the shortest one, just to get you started.

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Ways To Avoid Injuries For Triathlon Beginners

Beginning to train for a triathlon can be as hard as it sounds. Well, it means changing your usual everyday routine and adding some time on the track, on your bike, at the gym, and in the water. But those are not the only things you must consider. You should also think of the possible risks that might happen before during and after your training.

You must remember this: injuries do exist but can be prevented. And the most common are caused by over-training, wrong set of gears, and improper practices. Here are 5 ways to prevent injuries from taking away your triathlon dream:

Stretching – Before you begin your training, you must do some stretching. This would release the tension of your tightened tendon and muscles. There are some studies conducted that people who do not stretch before and after stretching are more prone to injuries. Some also argue about the necessity of stretching but taking outmost precaution would certainly lead you from disregarding this argument.

Training duration – You simply cannot go from 0 to 5k in an instant. You must take it gradually. Over-training often causes injuries. Make sure you take one step at a take and not take on giant leap towards your goal. Keep your training plan realistic. In this way, give your body the time to adapt to the training.

Rest – After training for several hours on one day, your body needs to rest. Again, a good rest would give your body the time to adapt to the training. This would prevent from over stressing your muscles and tendons that can result to injuries.

Footwear – There is a particular shoe for running and cycling. And this should be taken seriously. The most punished part of your body during training and the actual triathlon itself are your feet so make sure that you have the proper footwear for your run and for your bike. Also remember that friction blister is common to those who wear old shoes, shoes with inadequate soles, and improper shoe fitting.

Gears – If you have the history of ankle injury, keeping your ankle protected with braces would be a good idea. Tendonitis, a common effect of over training could be avoided if you wear proper ankle braces. A nice swimwear would give you better movement on water. And since you also have your swimwear on during the entire race, a good and well-fitted one is a must have.

Gehirn Jogging – Yoga fürs Gesicht

Wunderbare Übung, zur Faltenvorbeugung, zur Entspannung des Gesichts und zur Stimulierung des Gehirns. Du kannst sie direkt mitüben und 20 Jahre jünger wirken. Weitere Infos zu Yoga unter www.yoga-vidya.de

Yoga for Beginners: The First Step of Yoga Practice

Maybe your doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, or best friend told you Yoga would be good for you. You have heard so much about Yoga; it seems that Yoga is a "cure" for almost anything. The more you hear, the more confusing it is to understand what Yoga is all about.

Should you go out and buy a Yoga book? What would be the best Yoga book to buy? If you visit the local book store, you see hundreds of Yoga books, CD's, DVD's, card decks, and kits. Should you buy a copy of the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali or buy one of the "for dummies" Yoga books?

Below is an overview of Yoga, which may help you decide your path of Yogic study. There is no right or wrong path of Yoga study, but be selective when you choose a Yoga teacher, Yoga book, or Yoga class.

You should first realize that there are many styles of Yoga. There are nine major styles of Yoga; many more styles exist, as well as many sub-styles. The nine major styles of Yoga are Bhakti, Hatha, Jnana, Karma, Kundalini, Mantra, Raja, Tantra, and Yantra Yoga. Each style emphasizes unity of body, mind, and spirit.

The literal meaning of Yoga is "union" or "unity." If we can unify the body, mind, and spirit in harmony, we can achieve tranquility. One of the main purposes of Yoga is tranquility through improved health due to a holistic approach to life.

India is the birth place of Yoga. There are many written works about Yoga, but the origin of Yoga dates back thousands of years. Yoga is the "mother" of most of the world's health maintenance systems. Asian martial arts, with an origin from the Shaolin temple, and Pilates, can trace their ancestry back to Yoga.

The "higher forms of Yoga" are said to be Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, and Raja Yoga. Each of these four styles is a complex subject, within themselves, and I cannot do them justice by a summarization.

Hatha Yoga sub-styles are the most prolific outside of India. Most new Yoga practitioners will learn a Hatha Yoga sub-style first. Hatha Yoga, and its many sub-styles, primarily emphasize physical health, which will likely result in improved mental health. Most Hatha Yoga classes, outside of India, do not approach spiritual health.

Nevertheless, Hatha Yoga is seen by fundamentalists as an "export of Hinduism." In some rare instances, this may be true, but most Hatha Yoga teachers are content to teach improved health for body and mind.

Therefore, when you choose a book, or local Yoga teacher, be aware that the Yoga teacher or Guru is a guide – but you have a right to know which direction you are being guided to. The Yoga practitioner learns to expand his or her mind and make independent decisions "along the way."

Yoga is non-threatening to religion. If a Yoga instructor teaches intolerance, of any kind, that is not Yoga. Unity is not sectarianism. We have to learn to appreciate diversity, and we should never tolerate prejudice. Prejudice and intolerance are often the cause of crime and wars.

On the "Grand Scale," the goals of Yoga are the end of suffering, tranquility, and world peace through unity.
 

 

The Benefits of Marathon Training for Beginners

Many people decide they want to run a marathon. It is a type of achievement that people look back on fondly. Running a marathon is often a new year’s resolution for many people or when they sit down and write out what they want to achieve in their life often running a marathon is on their list. So these people need to know how to run a marathon even when they have no idea about what is involved. Marathon training for beginners is just like any other type of training, except it is specifically for people who want to complete their first marathon.

If you are one of those people who have just made the decision out of the blue to run a marathon but have no idea how to go about it then you need to find out everything you can about marathon training for beginners. It is relatively simple, what you need to do is find a marathon training plan that when followed correctly will have you completing your first marathon even if you have never put a pair of running shoes on in your life. That’s the beauty of marathon training for beginners because you don’t need to be a pro to complete a marathon. You need to be a pro is you want to break the marathon world record but if you only want to complete your first marathon then marathon training for beginners is all you need to concern yourself with.

It’s just the basic principles that separate marathon training for beginners and marathon training for advanced runners. When you are a beginner you don’t know what is required to run the full 26.2 miles. You are not aware of how long you should be training for and how often. When you are just starting out you are not familiar with any of the terminology used by marathon runners so it is all brand new to you. That’s why marathon training for beginners is something you need to look at when you first start out. Once you learn all the basic terminology and what is actually required to run a full marathon then all you need to do is go out there and do it. It is just the initial learning curve that separates marathon training for beginners and marathon training for advances runners.

When you just start out your training will teach you the basic principles you need to learn. For starters most marathon training programs will last for at least 3 months and it is recommend that you do some type of running before you even start your marathon training. Marathon training for beginners and advanced runners still follow the same basic training principles of training 5 days a week and having two rest days. Marathon training for beginners will also have you cross training once a week. If you are a total beginner you will not know what cross training is. Cross training is an alternative to the type of training you have been doing. For example walking, bike riding or swimming.

So if you have decided to complete your first marathon then you should be completing marathon training for beginners so that you will be totally prepared for your first marathon and complete it successfully. Knowing the right ways to train and the correct principles that a beginner needs to know before they start training will ensure that when the day of the marathon comes you will be fully prepared and have an enjoyable and successful experience.
 

 

The Complete Half Marathon Training Guide for Beginners

Ok so lets start from the top. Why do you need a half marathon training guide in the first place? Obviously you have decided to run a half marathon but is that all you are going to do? Is that your biggest goal or just a smaller goal leading up to a bigger goal? Either way you still need to be in the right shape physically to complete the 13.1 miles that a half marathon contains. So you need to have a correct half marathon training guide in place if you are going to succeed.

You need to have a half marathon training guide to follow when you are training for a half marathon because you need to train your body to be able to perform under the types conditions it will face when running a half marathon.

A half marathon is a nice distance because it allows everyone the opportunity to gain some running experience. If you are a beginner you can look to the half marathon as your next step forward in your running career or if you are an experienced runner you can use the half marathon as a part of your overall marathon training. The half marathon training guide is not as extensive as a full marathon and many people enjoy it because it is less time consuming and doesn’t take as long to recover from.

Having a half marathon training guide is very important if you want to run a half marathon because a half marathon carries the same excitement and atmosphere as a full marathon does, the only difference is that the day doesn’t go for as long. But you still need to have a proper half marathon training guide in place so that you don’t fall short of the mark. A half marathon is a great way to predict your full marathon pace. A general rule of thumb is to double your half marathon time and add 10 minutes to it to predict your full marathon time. Having the right half marathon training program can help you develop a strong marathon training program down the track if that is something you would want to do.

Your half marathon training guide will make sure you are correctly prepared for your half marathon. But you should consider getting yourself in good shape for your training. You are going to be doing a lot of running according to your half marathon training guide so it is a good idea to fit yourself with a good pair of running shoes. Running shoes are the single most important piece of equipment you are going to need when running so having a quality pair is essential to you sticking to your half marathon training guide and completing your first half marathon.

Another important factor in a half marathon training guide is the amount of recovery between each session. You will want your half marathon training guide to include 3 rest days a week where you can fully recover and refresh your body so that you are in good condition for your next training session. Recovery is important, if you don’t allow enough time for your body to recover you can burn yourself out and can even cause injuries. Recovering properly will allow you to successfully complete your half marathon without any problems.

A good half marathon training guide will cover the amount of mileage, the recovery, the nutrition and hydration as well as what to do on the day of your half marathon. Most half marathon training guides will have you training for 12 weeks before you complete your first half marathon. This is a good schedule to stick to as you can build up your mileage and be in the right shape to cross the finishing line with ease.
 

Marathons for Beginners

Running Marathons for Beginners

There is more to Marathon training than you might think.  It is not just a case of going out every day and doing a run around the block and perhaps doubling up and going twice round the block at weekends. This will start to build up your STAMINA , but what you need for a Marathon is stamina and ENDURANCE.

If you hope to not only finish the run, but to do so in a reasonable time, then you will need to embark on a training schedule that includes Stamina, Speed and Endurance techniques. Training for Running Marathons does not necessarily mean that you have to run miles and miles. There are many reported instances of damage that can be sustained, especially to shins, as running is a high impact sport. You could just as easily build up your stamina through other sports activities such as rowing, cycling or swimming. Participating in these sports will increase your heart rate and help to keep you fit.

It is also beneficial to look at weight training as part of your overall Marathon training plan. Using light weights with high reps will build your muscular endurance, and this will help for any uphill sections of the run. You will also need this endurance for the latter part of the run. Your local gym should be able to assist you with this type of circuit training to increase your anaerobic fitness. One last thing to remember is that running a marathon is just as much a mental as a physical thing. You need to have the right mental attitude and this is something that you can improve on with no physical effort at all.

Providing that you have an average to good level of fitness, and the right mind set, then there is no reason that you cannot complete a marathon. The key is in the preparation of both your body and your mind. I would suggest that you check out your local sports centre and see if they have any dedicated marathon runners in their numbers. I am sure that you will find that they would be only too pleased to advise and help you in any way that they can, in setting up a suitable training schedule for you.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/track-and-field-articles/marathons-for-beginners-1456028.html

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