Running continues to become more popular each year and the number of marathon and half marathon runners continues to increase! I have a lot of friends and clients who have set a goal to run a half marathon in 2012 and have asked for my help. So, I thought I would put together a simple training plan like I did for “How to Train for a 10k in 6 Weeks”, which is my post popular blog post. I’ve run 4 marathons, many half marathons and will be running my first Ultra marathon in February – so this plan is based on my own experiences and what I feel works the best! I welcome feedback!

First things, first…if you are going to set a goal to run a half marathon then you need to make it PRIORITY. This means making it priority over other workouts (you can still cross-train), getting up early a lot, adjusting your diet and spending some money. But, it’s totally worth it.

What you Need:

1) Gear. Get the right shoes for your FEET (not best color, style, etc) and the right clothes. Go to a specialty store like Luke’s Locker and have them take a look at your arch, pronation and gate. My favorite shoe brand is Asics and for clothes I like Nike, Lululemon and Lucy – all of which make great sweat proof and dry-fit clothes. For a less expensive option, check Target and Walmart because they products that mimic Under Armour, which is also a good brand. Also, you may want to invest in a Garmin or use mapmyrun.com, Nike+ or other GPS tracking system. They are pretty accurate and can help you keep track of your progress (and it’s fun!).

2) A good schedule like below. Stick to it as much as you can. You may have an off week, have to go out of town, etc. so you can adjust it. Just make sure you get in your long run that week because that’s the most important!

3) Follow the 10 percent rule. Don’t increase your speed or distance more than 10 percent each week or you may get injured. For instance, if one week you run 10 miles total – don’t go more than 11 the next week.

4) Sign up for a race now so that you know when to start training. Ideally you will need 2-3 months for a half and double that for a full marathon.

5) Safe, planned training routes. I would recommend that you join a running club because they plan everything and will often put fluids out for you so you don’t have to wear a fluid belt. I do Kenyan Way in Houston but one of the largest national organizations is USA Fit. You could also check with your local Road Runners Association. If you don’t want to join a group or club, find some sample routes online or ask friends at your gym. If you are unsure – make sure you test the route out when it’s light outside and be aware of your surroundings (people, cars, bikers, etc).

6) Proper nutrition. You can’t put a bunch of junk in your body and expect to do well. Sure, you could probably finish a half marathon with a normal crappy American diet – but if you want to get a decent time you need to put away the processed food and sweets and stick to a “Clean” diet. But – as a runner you will need your carbs, so please don’t try a low-carb diet or you will not have energy for training or the race. Just know WHAT carbs are good (ie whole wheat vs. white bread). Do your research.

7) Runners World subscription! It does help.

8) Familiarize yourself with GU and other gels. You won’t need them until you are running at least about an hour or so – but don’t wait until race day to try it out.

9) Plan for possible setbacks. You may get runner’s knee, IT band tightness, plantar faciitis or one of the other fun runner injuries! Read up on them, so if you get one you know what to do. Most can be prevented with strength training, the right shoes and avoiding over training.

10) Most importantly – have fun! There are always more races and times to train – so don’t take it too seriously!

The Plan (For Beginners)

You will need to commit to about 3 days of running (if you can do 4 or 5 that’s better). But, even if you can do it every day – you don’t want to increase your total weekly mileage by too much or you will get injured (see 10% rule above). You need to pick one day to do your “long run”, preferably a Saturday or Sunday. The long run is how you build your endurance and is the most important run and it should be run at a CONVERSATIONAL pace (60-120 seconds slower than goal race pace). If you are brand new to running, you can mix in some walking and gradually decrease time spent walking. If you can comfortably run 3-4 miles without resting then do the higher end of the ranges below.

Sample Long Run Schedule:

The Plan (For Intermediate Runners) Read the rest of this entry »

Obviously you are using your leg muscles when you run – but which ones are really doing the work? Well, it depends on what type of run you are doing. Each type of run (see below) works your muscles differently and and may target one group more than the other. Also, the type of muscles you have can make a big difference in which distance you excel at. Typically, people with a higher percentage of fast twitch muscle fibers do better at sprints and other things (weight training, etc) that require short bursts of energy. Long distance runners and people with more stamina typically have more slow twitch muscle fibers. What’s the difference? Well, mainly how the muscles use oxygen for fuel. Your fast twitch muscles barely use oxygen at all and can even perform without you taking a breath (like during a very short sprint).

Can  you increase the percent of short twitch or fast twitch muscles? Not really. You are born with a certain amount of both and for most people, it’s about 50/50. For certain athletes, they may have a higher percentage of one or the other, so that makes them excel at their particular sport. So, what if you really want to be a sprinter but think you don’t have the right muscle fibers? Well, you have to work at it! You can’t really change the type of fibers you have, but you can make the muscles that you do have stronger. So, if you are wanting to do more fast twitch activities like sprinting or weight training, then focus on those muscles and improving your speed and strength with those activities. If you want to run a marathon or work on your endurance, then practice adding endurance and distance into your routine each week so that your slow twitch fibers get stronger. Read the rest of this entry »

If you live in Houston – join me tomorrow night for a marathon training event at Whole Foods! However, you DO NOT have to be a runner or training for a marathon.

Jumpstart your Fall running season – whether you are doing the Houston Marathon, 1/2 Marathon or even a 5k! Join Buffalo Bayou Partnership and ExerciseTV Trainer (& marathoner) Cari Shoemate for a workout along Buffalo Bayou followed by a happy hour at Whole Foods Montrose! *Non-runners are welcome*

Details:
6:00-6:30pm – Informal Q&A Session and Training Tips
Meet out in front of Whole Foods under the big fans.
6:30pm-7:15pm – Workout Along the Bayou
We will depart from Whole Foods at 6:30pm sharp and head over to the Bayou along Waugh for a workout! This workout will be for ALL-LEVELS and will include a mix of cardio and strength training and will be perfect for runners! No equipment required, but you may want to bring a towel for abs.
7:15-8:00pm – Happy Hour on the Patio
Enjoy complimentary coconut water and sample some fitness goodies from Luke’s Locker. Beer and wine will be available for purchase at the Bayou Bar.

Free for Bayou Buddies and Team BBP Runners. Suggested donation of $10 for all others. Donations will go to benefit Buffalo Bayou Partnership and their Run for a Reason campaign (Cari and others are running the Houston Marathon on their behalf).

rsvp:  jgaines@buffalobayou.org

Special Thanks To:
Whole Foods www.wholefoods.com
Luke’s Locker www.lukeslocker.com
Dish Houston www.dish-houston.com
Houston Marathon Run For a Reason: http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/RunForAReason/

Hi guys! Last week’s challenge for the ExerciseTV Breakfast Club was to run 60 minutes during the week. You can still do this challenge on your own this week or do it in addition to this week’s challenge :Work Your Sides!

At the end of the video I show 5 of my favorite warmup drills to do that I do before a race, long run or any time I want to loosen up before I run. These drills include:

-Dynamic Hamstring Stretch
-Butt Kicks
-Toe Walk
-Heel Walk
-High Skip

Hi guys! I started back up with Marathon training 3 weeks ago and thought I’d try to post my weekly training schedules on here so that you could follow along if you want. If you aren’t currently running 6 miles, just scale back this plan to adjust. I basically increase my long run by 1 mile per week for 3 consecutive weeks and then drop it back by about 40% to recover for 1 week. I’m planning to run the Houston Marathon Jan. 15th and possibly the Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in Las Vegas on Dec 4th and then maybe one after Houston (possibly an “ultra”).

When I started back 3 weeks ago, I was already running about 2-3 days a week and could easily run 6 miles, so that’s the milege I started my long run with. If you aren’t at 6 miles yet, you can start out doing your long run at 3 miles – or wherever you are comfortable. Here is what my training looked like along with this week’s plan:

8/13: 6 mile long run
8/20: 9 miles (I normally don’t jump up by 3 miles and wouldn’t recommend – stick to the 10% rule)
8/27: 10 miles

*Remember your long runs should be about 30-90 seconds slower than your goal marathon pace or even slower because of the heat! You should be running at a “conversational” pace for your easy runs and long runs. If you are breathing heavy – you are going too fast.

Training Plan for This Week

(most weeks will be similar, but the mileage will increase)

Monday: 2 miles easy + abs
Tuesday: 3 miles with the last 2 being sprints (short sprints this week with 1 block sprint 1 block walk or slow jog); Hamstrings, Glutes, Quads, Shoulders and Abs
Wednesday: 3 Miles easy + Total Body Workout
Thursday: 2 miles of hills (warmup for 0.5mile flat first then do 10 long hills fast and 10 short hill sprints and recover between hills); Chest, Back, Biceps, Triceps and Abs
Friday: Nike Training Club workout (get the APP Here or on your iPhone). This is one of my new favorite ways to cross train. *Check back for exciting news on that soon!
Saturday: Long Run – Recovery week: 6 miles
Sunday: Yoga (60min)

Here is my latest article on Culturemap!

Sample Travel Workout For Runners

Below is a sample intermediate/advanced workout for those that like to run. You can swap out the running for any other form of cardio. If you are doing high intensity cardio (stairs, jumprope, etc) do the workout in an interval format (2-5 minutes of cardio then mix in some weight training). If you don’t have weights – use a resistance band and make sure it’s hard enough so that when you get to around 15 reps it burns. Always choose a lighter band, because you can make it harder by pulling out the slack between your feet or just gripping the band farther down from the handles.

MONDAY:
4 miles easy. Warmup 5min at 5-6mph then do steady run around 5.5-6.2mph the whole way. Finish with 3min walk.<
Abs: Do 20 leg raises, 20 v-ups, 20 toe touches. Repeat all 3x.

TUESDAY:
3 miles with Hills. Warmup for 5 minutes. For first set of hills: put TM on 10% incline. Alternate 1 minute run (5.0-6.0 mph but increase speed as you go) with 1 minute walk. Do this for 10 minutes. Then, second set of hills: keep speed at 5.0 mph and alternate 1 minute flat with 30 seconds of 12%. Do this for about 10 minutes or until you are close to 3 miles total. Finish with walk/cooldown.
Weight Training
Chest: 3 sets 20-25 pushups
Back: Bent over rows with 15-20lbs in each hand (keep back flat and knees bent). Do 3 sets 10-15 reps.
Bicep: Bicep curls with 15-25lb weights. Do 3 sets 10-15reps.
Tricep: Overhead tricep dips with 1 20-25lb weight. Do 3 sets 10-15reps.
Abs: 25 crunches to the center + 25 crunches to left (oblique twist) + 25 crunches to right + 1 60 sec. plank. Repeat 3x. Read the rest of this entry »

How you breathe during your workouts can really effect your energy, form and the results you get. Breathing normally isn’t something we think about too much and it should be effortless. But, if you put a little thought and mindfulness into your breaths during your workout, you will get better results all the way around.

I started focusing more on my breathing a few years ago when I started doing more yoga. In yoga (especially hatha,ashtanga and vinyasa classes) each pose is done with a breath (either inhale or exhale or both). I started to realize why it was important to inhale and exhale during certain moves and began to see the benefits of each breath. Above all, just the fact that I was focusing more on my breath and less on the difficulty and uncomfortableness of each pose helped me push through the workout and get more out of it. So, I translated this focus onto my running workouts and also weight training. Below is my cheat sheet for when to inhale/exhale during certain workouts…

Yoga

A good rule to follow in yoga is you inhale whenever your body or eyes are going up (ie upward dog, or coming into Warrior I) and exhale whenever you are going down (ie down dog, forward bend,etc). Also, in yoga we do ”nostril breathing” - breathing just through the nose and this takes some practice. Just be very “mindful” of each breath you take because it will help your body relax (especially the exhales) and clear your mind.

Running

When you run, your breath should be pretty effortless and relaxed. However, when you start to pickup the speed or feel yourself getting tired, shift your focus on to your breathing. When your heart rate starts to elevate, your natural reaction is to probably take a bunch of short breaths. Try not to do that and instead, deepen your breathing. Take a long inhale through your nose and long exhale through your mouth. The bigger the breaths you can take – the faster your heart rate will drop and your muscles will relax. When you are sprinting or going super fast, it may help you to take in one deep inhale and then 3-5 mini exhales. Each little exhale will help you relax more. These tips can also be applied towards other cardio.

Weight Training

In weight training you want to exhale on the concentric (when the muscle shortens) part of the movement. This is usually the “hard” part of the exercise, like when you are lifting the weights up when you do bicep curl or when you push your heels in the ground to stand up from a squat. By exhaling, you give your core more stabilization and you give your body more power and focus to lift/push/pull a heavy weight (or your bodyweight).

*You can also ready this post and view comments/ questions on my “Ask The Expert” blog on ExerciseTV’s blog HERE.

I did a challenge last week for ExerciseTV called “Make Every Day Hump Day!” and challenged everyone to incorporate hills into their workouts. Running hills is one of my favorite forms of cardio, but it’s also like strength training because it really tones the backs of my legs. Give this challenge a try and then also don’t forget to join me on for my other weekly challenges on SocialWorkout.com or you can join us on ExerciseTV’s Facebook page under the Social Workout tab! It’s free, fun and you can win PRIZES!

The summer running season is here are there are a lot of great races in May, June and July! The 10k race is the perfect distance if you’re looking to challenge yourself a little more but don’t have the time to commit to a 1/2 marathon. But, if you live in Texas (or other hot state) like me, the heat can be a challenge…so keep that in mind. You might need to adjust your training intensity a little because your body will have to work much harder in the heat. You will also need to either workout earlier or later in the day to avoid the high temps and maybe do some of your runs inside on the treadmill. Just be sure to stay hydrated and don’t overdo it. For more tips, read this Post.

Don’t have the speed of Kara Goucher or Ryan Hall? No problem! Follow my plan below to get you in top shape in 6 weeks!

For Beginners:

If you’re a beginner and have never run a 10k (6.2 miles), you should start by increasing the time you run during each workout until you are running for at least 30 minutes three to five times per week. I would recommend that your first race be a 5k (3.1 miles), and that you work your way up to the 10k. But if you’re already running for 30 minutes at a time and are able to do a 5k now, training for a 10k will be a piece of cake! Read the rest of this entry »

On this week’s “Ask The Expert” Blog, I address some of the common problems/issues people face with running.

I’m gearing up to teach my second round of Race Fit this week at Fit Athletic Club and my goal is to help the group become better runners in 6 weeks! I’m going to push them harder than they would on their own (that’s the benefit of a trainer!) and take them through workouts to get them faster and stronger. This month I read a good article in Runner’s World about mental breakdowns. I have to remind myself of these things too, because so often we can let our minds get in the way of our body’s performance. I hope that you will keep these in mind during your workouts, so that when it’s time for your next race you will be calm, have less anxiety and will do your best. After-all, races should be fun!

Brain Drain – The big 5 mental breakdowns

(from Runner’s World, March 2011)

MENTAL BREAKDOWN #1: Seeking perfection
If you aim to make every workout perfect, you end up spending valuable time and energy recovering from the inevitable disappointment. Learn to view a few off days as part of the training process, or a lousy run or race as a learning experience, says Stan Beecham, Psy.D., a sports psychologist in Roswell, Georgia.

MENTAL BREAKDOWN #2: Caring too much
Some runners never feel good about themselves, no matter how well they run. “I remind athletes that running is something they do, not who they are,” he says. Once you untie yourself from your performance, you release mental energy that can be directed to running.

MENTAL BREAKDOWN #3: Stressing out
Is the weather too cold? Too hot? Are the lines at the porta-potties too long? Don’t stress over things you can’t control. “Your performance is based on your training, not on external items,” he says.

MENTAL BREAKDOWN #4: Poor goal setting
Performing at your highest level requires risk-taking and pushing yourself outside your comfort level. “A lot of runners underestimate themselves,” Beecham says. “They say: ‘I can cut five minutes from my time.’ I say: ‘How about 10 minutes?’” Don’t go crazy, but push yourself.

MENTAL BREAKDOWN #5: Not focusing
If you approach a race as a run or with a let’s-see-what-happens attitude, you risk not meeting your goal. “You have to engage mentally,” Beecham says. Set small goals, such as staying with the runner in front of you. Try it, he says, and you’ll likely find the race goes by faster than expected. Your time just might be faster, too.

Well, I survived my second Houston Marathon on Sunday! Surprisingly, my injured knee held up. I was orignially shooting for around 3:40 so I could qualify for Boston, but since I had to basically take a whole month off of training in December, I had to re-evaluate. So, I went slower overall than I had planned and then even slower the last 6 miles because my knee started to tighten up.  I finished with a time of 4:02 which isn’t too bad.

Here is the article I wrote the day after about my experience:

*Coming Soon…my video about the Houston Marathon and Marathon Expo!

My article about prepping for this weekend’s Houston Marathon was featured on Culturemap.com! But, you can use these tips for just about any race or city…

If you are one of the 22,000 runners preparing to run this weekend’s Houston Marathon or Half Marathon, you might be wondering how you should spend the final hours leading up to the big day. Odds are you will make at least one bad decision, especially if this is your first big race.

But don’t worry; to save you some agony, I’ve put together a list of the top 10 things you should NOT do between now and the Sunday morning start. Read the rest of this entry »

I decided to really try to strengthen my quads and other leg muscles the last 3-4 weeks before my marathon since I realized I have the dreaded “runners knee”.  As a trainer, I know there isn’t much you can do the last 2 weeks to really build strength, but…you never know and everyone responds differently. I figured it can’t hurt to try and it will at least get me on track for some spring races.

This plan isn’t for everyone and there are different forms of runner’s knee, so yours might not be the same as mine. *Also, I would NOT recommend starting a  plan like this at the onset of your injury. I started this plan after I decreased my runs over the last month and also took some time off. Leading up to this plan, my Saturday long runs looked like this: 16 miles (when it started hurting), 6 miles, 0 miles, 0 miles, 11 miles, 14 miles, 18 miles, 10 miles (today). I’ve also been doing pretty low weekly mileage the last 6-8 weeks because of my knee.

Here is my workout plan that I’ve been following the 3 weeks leading up to the marathon. I found that spinning and the elliptical still hurt my knee, but jumprope didn’t. Everyone is different, so you can swap out jumprope for another form of cardio. Hills didn’t seem to bother my knee, but if they do for you…just run your intervals flat or Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve got 10 days until the Houston Marathon and I’m still dealing with an injury. Any injury is frustrating, but especially so when it happens so close to a race, whether a 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon or marathon. I’ve been searching online the last months for tips and freaking out about how to deal with this because this is my first injury.  About 4 weeks ago I decided that instead of stressing, I was going to put together a plan of action so that I could run my best (or at least my knee’s best) on January 30th!

I injured my knee about 6-8 weeks ago, right after I placed 3rd in the 5k Turkey Trot. I was fine after the race, but my quads were a little sore, which made me realize they were weak. Then, during my 16mile long run a week later, I landed on my leg a little weird and felt a pain in the outside part of my right knee. That was at about mile 12, so I decided it wasn’t bad enough to stop and I finished at 16.  The next few days were excruciatingly painful, especially going down stairs and after periods of sitting. So, although it was killing me to rest..I took off one week and then tried to ease back with a 6 mile “long run”. I could barely make it. After that weekend, only ran a 1-2 miles during the week and basically missed my long run for 3 weeks, which is really not good when your marathon is less than 2 months away.

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve designed a new program at Fit Athletic Club guaranteed to get you faster in time for your next 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon or even marathon! I designed a 6-week plan of intense treadmill workouts that will help you improve your pace! My indoor treadmill workouts are perfect to fit-in on your lunch break (no freezing early morning runs!) and also include an optional 15 minutes of core work.  The program is for all-levels, even beginners, and everyone will be pushed to succeed! I’m also including a personalized plan for the days when you do not meet with me that will include other runs, weight training workouts and more. As a marathoner, I will give you my best race tips, how to fuel before/during/after a race and more! There will be 2 Saturday sessions of “Weight Training For Runners” and special Luke’s Locker tour where I will show you my favorite gear and you’ll get a big discount!

*Space is limited…so email me ASAP to signup: Cari@Cari-Fit.com

I ran the 2010 NYC Marathon last month and put together a short video of my experience of the few days leading up to the race and race day. Overall, it was a fun race and a great experience! But, it’s actually pretty hard. The course isn’t super hard, but the 5 bridges we crossed were tough. What’s hard is that when you get to NYC the day(s) before, you spend almost all of your time walking around! You can’t get around in NYC without walking…even if you take taxis or the subway. So, by Marathon day your feet are tired!

The day of the race is super long and starts out with a journey to the very south tip of Manhattan to get to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. Then, you have to wait with all of the other runners to catch the ferry. Once you make it across to the island, you have to take a 10min bus ride to the runners “village” where you do more walking to get to your assigned village and corral. Then, after a long morning you finally start around 10am depending on your wave. The course was awesome and great crowds, but the last 6 miles going through Central Park are hell. You keep thinking you are almost done and then the course winds around and you have 2 more miles!

Once you finally cross the finish, you have a slow 30min walk with the other 45,000 runners to get out of central park. During that time you are freezing (it was in the 40′s) and wet. When I broke away from the park, all I wanted to do was get in a cab and go back to the hotel where I could enjoy my champagne (thanks Mom and Dad). BUT…all the cabs were taken! So, I had to take the bus, which ended up being pretty easy. An amazing thing happened to me when I was walking around looking for a cab/bus. I was so cold that I was shaking really bad and this nice woman actually offered me her coat! I turned it down, but just couldn’t believe that she was willing to give a stranger the coat off her back. New Yorkers are the best!!

For the recipe in the video click HERE.