Marathon Blog #3: We will get you off the couch and to the finish line!

Our program will be focusing on the basics. We
will build programs that are slow because slow and steady wins
every time. Our program increases your endurance and develops your
mental and physical strength. This is a process of stressing and
resting the body. You will need time to allow yourself to recover
from stress through active rest weeks. By giving this to your body,
you decrease your chances of injury and overtraining. The average
person needs a gradual training program that will incorporate:

flexibility, strength, cardio,
nutrition, active rest, cross training

All of
which you can get at Mind / Body: Balance. Mind Body Balance does
not in any way support the mindset of
“no pain, no gain.” With that said, there will be some level
of soreness, fatigue and stiffness as the body is challenged. Mind
Body Balance has a program that is flexible and adaptable to each
individual. We strongly suggest that
you do NOT take short cuts, jump
ahead, or fall behind. You will be setting yourself up for failure,
increased risk of injury, increasing the chance of not reaching
your goal. We want you to be successful. We will have cross
training suggestions. For example, always running on a hard surface
will lead to sore legs… running downhill all the time is also
jarring to the legs. We will vary our group runs so that sometimes
we are running on dirt, softer or flat terrain and when we do
incorporate some hills we will be slow down the hill, we may
suggest rollerblading or water-running too. Accountability is huge
in preparing for this event. For those of you that use my Fitness
Coaching services, use your diaries to keep track of your progress
in your comment section. Start to keep track of aches/ pains,
distance, moods, stress levels, etc. If you don’t do Fitness
Coaching with me then get a journal and start writing down the
date, route, rate of perceived exertion, type of exercise, energy
level, injury, total distance, moods, stress levels and heart rate
information. Keeping track of this information will help you see
patterns, celebrate success, monitor progress, keep us honest and
motivate you. Let’s face it, there will be days you don’t want to
move. Looking through your journal and seeing your
accomplishments… how far you’ve come… will inspire you to get off
the couch when you arrive at the present and see a blank page.
Remember, our training schedule is flexible; you decide which days
you do what. Also remember it makes sense to space out
modalities throughout the week. I’m putting my training schedule
down and you can move the modalities around to the days that work
best for you. Try to get two short walk/jog/runs during the week
and the long run done on a half-day off or weekend. This will allow
you to gradually adapt to the physical and mental demands of the
sport. Make various running routes using your car’s odometer so you
aren’t over training. A gps foot pod hooked to your heart
rate monitor also works. I hear the grumbles pertaining to the long
run. This is why we are offering a Thank u so much for the extravagant gift unexpected & appreciated :)group run on Saturdays at
3p.m. If you are like me, you are going to need the group
support to make it happen. These long runs will help you have the
knowledge, confidence, peace of mind that you can accomplish your
event come race day. Warm ups and cool downs are
important. I will be posting something separate for
this. I will tell you, I’m not an advocate of
stretching first; a lot of injury happens here. I
like the warm up of doing the 100 (gets your breath and body
moving and brings awareness to your powerhouse)and walking until
your heart rate gets to a certain beat that is right for you (I
will go over this with each one of you). For the cool down, I’ll be
asking you to lower your heart rate to a certain beat and then I
have a stretching routine for you to follow after your run. You’d
be annoyed if you got an injury (and doubly annoyed if the injury
resulted from doing something you thought would prevent injury) so
let’s be mindful about our warm ups and cool downs. Please read
chapters 1-3 in your chi running or walking book by months end.
Your next marathon blog will cover topics about nutrition. You are
burning a lot of fuel so let’s talk about what type of fuel you
need to refuel your body with. For our long runs we will be meeting
at the studio unless otherwise stated. Please remember that I won’t
personally be at all of them, so at times the group will need to
organize itself. You will learn the ropes from me on what to do for
the long runs and I’m sure there is more than one leader in our
group that can layout the day’s run. Also, Monique, Jenny or I
should be at just about every run but as you know, we do have to
attend trainings throughout the year so that we can keep you at the
top of your game. In order to respect everyone’s time we will
always leave our running start point at 10 minutes after. At our
first run we will go over some group running etiquette. As we get
going and you are sharing your successes with family and friends
they will want to join us. We can take new members up till May
15^th or so. Any time after this point
they would need to train for a smaller event on the same day but
all are welcome. Depending on when
they join we will help them train safely and explain how their
training program may be slightly different than ours.

Our
first Field Trip: I will be going shoe
shopping at Running Fit on Liberty St. in Ann Arbor on a Sunday in
January (22^nd ). I like this business
because they are a Michigan based company, they have several
quality brands to pick from, they will fit you properly and they
sponsor many runs within our communities. If more than ten of us
get together to shop on the same day, I may be able to negotiate a
studio discount for us. Please let me know your interest level. A
good pair of running shoes is an investment and worth
it.
Our first event is March 13,
2011. We will either run or walk a 5k depending on
what you pick. This event sells out quickly so you will want to get
your registration form in a.s.a.p. http://www.runshamrocks.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
Follow this link for the Shamrocks &
Shenanigans web page. Online
registration starts January 2011 and this event does sell out so
don’t procrastinate! This event is “Save a
Heart” (organization that raises funds
to benefit patients and their families who come to the Michigan
Congenital Heart Center at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Highly
experienced cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, intensive care
specialists, nurses, social workers, anesthesiologists and
radiologists provide comprehensive care for infants, children and
young adults with congenital heart disease.) and starts by Conor
O’Neils. To enter the race is $25 5k run/walk, $12 kid’s Kilometer,
$7 Kid’s Dash. The start times on race day are 10:45 a.m. for the
kid’s dash, 11 a.m. for the kid’s kilometer, 11:30 a.m. for the 5k.
Packet pickups will be Saturday 3/12 from 2-5p at: Running Fit at
5700 Jackson Rd in Ann Arbor. Get your green race attire 🙂

Week #	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
1	Short run	Yoga	Yoga/Short run	Pilates	Pilates	Breathing Class/Long Run with group	Active Rest
2	Short run	Yoga	Yoga/Short run	Pilates	Pilates	Breathing Class, Sherri’s Health Class Long Run with group	Active Rest
3	Short run	Yoga	Yoga/Short run	Pilates	Pilates	Breathing Class, long run with group	Active Rest
4	Short run	yoga	Short Run/Holistic Healing Workshop	Pilates	Pilates	Breathing ClassLong run with group	Active Rest

For week one, the
short runs are 30 minutes long: 5 minute warm up /20 minutes of 1
minute shuffle-jog and 4 minutes walking /5 minute cool down. The
Long run is a distance of 3 miles. You have a 5 minute warm
up and 5 minute cool down. Repeat 1 minute shuffle-jog
and 4 minutes walking as many times as you need to complete the 3
mile distance. For week two short
runs are 35 minutes long 5 minute warm up /25 minutes of 2 minute
shuffle-jog and 3 minutes walking /5 minute cool down. The long run
is a distance of 4 miles. You have a 5 minute warm up and 5
minute cool down. Repeat 2 minute shuffle-jog and 3 minutes
walking as many times as you need to complete the 4 mile distance.
For week
three short runs are 40 minutes long 5 minute warm up
/30 minutes of 3 minute shuffle-jog and 2 minutes walking /5 minute
cool down. The long run is a distance of 5 miles. You have a
5 minute warm up and a 5 minute cool down. Repeat 3 minute
shuffle-jog and 3 minutes walking as many times as you need to
complete the 5 mile distance. For week four short
runs are 35 minutes long 5 minute warm up /25 minutes of 3 minutes
shuffle-jog and 2 minutes walking /5 minute cool down. The long run
is a distance of 3 miles. You have a 5 minute warm up and a 5
minute cool down. Repeat 3 minute shuffle-jog and 3 minute
walk as many times as you need to complete the 3 mile distance.
This month’s workouts are interval workouts so if you can’t shuffle
or jog then just walk faster during that time slot until you build
endurance enough to shuffle or jog. If you aren’t sure what a
shuffle is, then re-read the previous 2 blogs to find out. Active
Rest for this month means just go out for a nice walk for 20
minutes or so and consider building in a mid-day nap.

Marathon Blog #2

 What is a marathon? How do I choose my event? How do I decide to participate?

Commitment, Patience, Good Training Program, Will/ Desire to go the distance, Willingness to take advice/ tips, Consistency, Love, Perseverance, Determination and Hard Work are some characteristics that you will have to own in order to accomplish the goal of completing your first Marathon in the fall of 2011.

A qualifying run for a marathon is 3.30 hours and under. Our first goal is to finish and then to finish in about 5-6 hours for a full marathon. A full marathon is 26.2 miles and half marathon is 13.1 miles.

If we walk a full marathon, it will take about 7 hours.  We need to finish in about 6 hours so we will need to do some shuffling in there. If you walk a half marathon, it will be about 4 hours.

Why are we doing this as a studio and why are you even considering participating in this event?
Once you accomplished this experience you won’t regret it.  It is a simplistic, inexpensive event.  Training for the event and the event itself will teach you a lot about yourself.  You’ll learn your limitations and at the same time be given opportunities to conquer them.  You’ll improve your self-worth.

Are you up for it mentally and physically? I know I’m up for a new mental task and physically… well, it’s time I get back into my cardio routine.  There is nothing like an event to make that happen.

Can you make the commitment? I know that I’m worried about this one myself.  Being a small business owner, working 100 hours a week plus having a marriage and a personal life is going to be tough. For example, you are going to have about 38-41 weeks of training you will have 3 cardio sessions on top of your Pilates and yoga to add to your schedule.  One of these cardio sessions (as the training schedule progresses) will take several hours to complete.

Will you have Support? You will have support from me and our Mind Body Balance Community but this is another step in making a lifestyle change.  As you know I always ask you, “How will this help you and hurt you?” Your loved ones will be affected by part of the process whether they are participating in the event or not.

Do I have limiting health Concerns?  Well, as you all know I have injury in my spine in the cervical and thoracic vertebra.  I believe that Pilates and Yoga has made me strong enough to endure this event but until I put it to the test… we will see.  Be honest.  Don’t set yourself up for failure.  Maybe you need to pick the half marathon or train longer than 26 weeks. We are taking a slow, gradual training approach and there will be flexibility in the schedule for you to decide as you progress whether to complete a half or a full.

Are you prepared to take care of yourself? You are going to have to pay particular attention to your nutrition (using your online nutrition program), hydration, and sleep.  All of these are parts of a good training program. Are you willing to be mindful in these areas? We’ve given you the tools to make you successful.  Will you use them to help yourself?

Am I mentally strong enough to physically make this happen? We are often our own worst enemy. Our psychological barriers are often our biggest obstacle to overcome. We are about to embark on a 30+ cardio week of walking/ shuffling/ jogging training program.

Yes, you can go from a coach potato to a full marathon. But we are training a little longer and a little bit different than some programs are written. We need to allow our body (muscles, bones, ligaments) time to adapt to the stress of 26.2 miles that will be put on the body. Yes, some people get injured while preparing for these events. These injuries come from under-training, because they didn’t allow enough time or they were inconsistent in following their program. Some injuries come from over-training; they trained too hard and too frequently. Success for this event will not come easily. This schedule is slow so you can build strength, stamina and confidence. Our ultimate goal is to improve your overall health/ fitness level and to remain injury free. Our secondary goal is to cross that finish line with grace that allowed you to honor your body. The journal I asked you to get will allow you to monitor your aches and pains, seek expert advice and then listen and follow the recommendations.

Preparing for this event is the cheapest prescription available.  The benefits are: 

 

improved heart rate;
cardiovascular system;
muscle tone;
weight control,
circulation,
sleep patterns,
improved health,
increased energy,
improved self-esteem,
time with friends,
quality time outdoors,
stress relief,
weight control,
character building,
strength,
wisdom,
know yourself a little bit better,
bragging rights at the water cooler,
decreased risk of stroke,
decreased risk of hypertension,
decreased risk of diabetes,
decreased risk of cancer (breast and colon),
decreased risk of mental illness,
improves respiratory function,
improves bone strength,
improves muscle balance,
psychological well-being,
improves overall quality of life,
confidence building,
overall attitude boost,
improve focus,
determination,
euphoria
and the list goes on.

 

Some cons for preparing for this event are:

 

a great deal of patience, discipline and willpower
blisters,
chafing,
fatigue after event,
time involved,
experience highs/lows,
cold weather,
injury,

 

Should you participate in a half or a full marathon? Well, how much time do you have to commit to your exercise program? Does the time you have available for your next exercise endeavor match the demands that characterize a full or a half? Have you been injury free the past few months? Are you mentally and physical prepared to train for significantly longer periods of time? Do you have the commitment of family support? Do you realize there will be a “tired” factor and you may need to turn in early for the night? Are you board and want to try another activity?

You all filled out a Par-Q before exercising at the studio. If you marked yes to any of the seven questions then ask your doctor to do an exam before beginning. If you didn’t have any “yeses” than you are probably fine to start training. When you talk to your doctor make sure that they understand what a marathon is and aren’t just against events because they wouldn’t do one. Sorry doc’s, I love ya but maybe you should join us J

Your teen may decide that while you are training they’d like to participate.  This would be a wonderful parent child activity.  Please check first with their doctor to make sure you understand their skeletal maturity. Don’t force your teen to choose your goals.  Let them set their own goals to reach for. You focus on safety and being a good role model.

Our next blog will talk about what is involved with participating in a marathon?

Marathon Blog #1:

This is an overview on:

• How we will help support you
• Dates to clear
• Products to put into your toolbox

I had the pleasure of meeting Anne Zorran when she walked into my studio to become a Pilates client. Anne was a pleasant surprise to me. You see, every client at Mind Body Balance is a gift. We believe those that are ready for a life change will find us. We know that while each client is a new challenge, they will touch our lives in an unsuspected way and we will learn as much as they did. Anne shared her story with me and inspired me to take it to the next level.

We have helped several athletes over the past year accomplish their dreams of participating in Triathlons.  Nick and I (and then some of our clients joined us) volunteered at some local Triathlons and supported our clients who participated. The energy at these events is amazing and this has to be one of the best volunteer experiences we’ve ever helped with. We will continue to volunteer at these again this year and I hope that more of you will join me.

Now we, as a studio, will compete in our first Marathon. Together as a studio we are going to complete The Detroit Free Press Marathon on October 16, 2011.

We have chosen four races in total and the whole family could get involved with all but one of them. Now, I know participating in a Marathon seems overwhelming! Your eyes glaze over, your heart skips a beat, you immediately get tired and feelings of self-doubt come up.  However, somewhere in there a smile occurs.  The mind starts to think “What if…. you know… I’ve secretly wanted to say that I have completed one.” Well, you can participate in one. You will learn a lot about yourself as you prepare for this event. Usually a training schedule for a Marathon is 20 weeks.  Our training schedule will be about 38 weeks. Each training schedule will come out in 4 weeks blocks so that you can plan that month’s training.

• Your Pilates schedule to help you with alignment, strength and flexibility.
• Your yoga will add flexibility and to help you reduce your stress levels.
• Your on-line nutrition program will help you keep your body fueled properly.

 

A quick overview of the program: 

• We will support you and your training schedule through our various services and partners in the community.
• Your monthly training schedule will appear on Mind Body Balance’s blog along with other support materials.
  • We encourage you to be interactive on this blog. Ask questions, share your self-doubt and share your celebrations so that together as part of the Mind Body Balance community we can offer words of encouragement. Trust me.  If you have a question, others have the same question. 
  • We will also be posting some daily thoughts on Mind Body Balance’s Fan Page on Facebook.
    • There will be days that you don’t want to go out and do your training.  Post this on our Facebook page and maybe you’ll get some inspiration from your other Mind Body Balance community members and/ or find someone who is feeling the same way.  You can meet up to train together that day.
    • Feel free to say, “I train on ‘blank’ days in the ‘blank’ time of day.  Does this work for anyone else?  I’d love to have a partner.”  I’ll be posting mine.
    • The program is being set up so that during the week you can do your training schedule however it works best for you.  The longer training sessions will occur on Saturdays.
      • We will always have a “meet” at the studio (or a location that has been announced) for our group training.  You can choose to come if it works for you, but you are not required to come. As our training times get longer… as we increase our endurance… it is nice to have a group support.  Trust me, not all of us will hit walls at the same time and so someone in the group will be able to take the lead and push us through the hump.
        • Read Gung Ho! By Ken Blanchard and pay particular attention to the “goose” story.
        • We will also have various field trips, running shoes, clothing, and speaking seminars from people who have completed marathons on regular bases.  These field trips have been planned to correspond with our training schedule and to appear when we most need them.

 

I’m asking you to purchase some support materials.

• Chi Running or Chi Walking by Danny Dreyer (about $11 on Amazon or order locally from the Book Nook)
• Your Body Speaks Your Mind by Deb Shapiro (about $13 on Amazon or order locally from the Book Nook)
• A journal that will record your training notes (about $10) and anything that comes up that you’d like to work on in Jane’s workshops,
• A Polar RS300 heart rate monitor ($112 to $200)
• We will have some clothing picked out for us to wear on race day.  You will be asked to cover the cost of this clothing.
• All marathon training from me (and during our Saturday meet-ups) will be free of charge to all clients. 
  •  I think it is important for us to spend this year learning about ourselves and growing our bond as a community at Mind Body Balance (we have amazing individuals to meet),
  • We can set a good role model for our town.
  • It is time to take our training to the next level in a safe way. We are strong.  Let’s not cheat our body! Trust me, while I may be ahead of you in Yoga and Pilates, because of my hamstring injury (that I’ve now procrastinated with) I’ll be starting my cardio over (just as some of you are starting it for the first time).
  • Our overall goal is just to FINISH the race.
    • Our goal is to be done with the race in at least 6 hours.
      • Why?  After this length of time they start opening the streets.
      • This means that we are walking, shuffling, and/or jogging a 13: 45 minute mile or about 4.5 miles in an hour.
      • Please don’t think that we are asking you to flat out run 26.2 miles because we are not.
      • A shuffle is a cross between a fast walk and a slow jog. I think that each of you can participate in some way on this day. If you have concerns please speak to me on an individual bases and I will be candid with you on how I think you should approach this. I will give you a “play it safe” goal and a “stretch for the top” goal. I hope that each of you will pick a “stretch for the top” goal but the choice (as always) will be yours to make and we will respect that choice.

 

Here are some dates to clear on your calendar:

• Saturdays at 3p.m. (unless you are going it alone for the long training days),
• March1 3, 2011 –Shamrocks and Shenanigans 5K run and walk in Ann Arbor (5K run, 5K walk, kids run)
• April 2, 2011 –Martian Invasion of Races Dearborn (5K Run, 10K Run, Kids Run, Half, Relay and Full)
• June 5, 2011 –Dexter Ann Arbor (5K Run, 5K Walk, 10 K Run, 10K Walk, Kids Run, Half)

Then our main event!

• The Detroit Free Press Marathon, October 16, 2011
  • Everyone can participate, including your friends and family if you wish. (5K walk, 5K run, 10K run, Half, Full, Kids Run). Don’t panic this sounds like a lot but I paired up these smaller events with our long training schedules to prepare us for what race day would feel like. We aren’t over training, we are just doing some of our longer sessions in an actual event form.

I will be printing out applications and rules for these events and have them at the studio for you.

Our next blog will cover topics like, What is a marathon? How do I choose my event? How do I decide to participate?

We are also adding more helpful components to our list this year to help you further your training experience.

• Jane V. Lutz, MSN, RN will be here to guide us through some self-growth and interpersonal development. She has been involved in holistic study and healing since 1985. She has taught psychiatric nursing, a variety of holistic classes and meditation. She offers individual and group education sessions and her writings about spirituality have been published. She has been a Mind/Body: Balance client for over a year now.  As we go through this journey you will learn a lot about yourself physically and emotionally.
  • These classes will be held on the 4^th Wednesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. for 90 minutes for $25 at Mind Body Balance.
  • Holly Cramner is a registered craniosacral therapist and creates a warm and open atmosphere in her office where you can really change your health and your life.  Holly is also a client of Mind Body Balance and is participating in the event with us.  Using a holistic healthcare approach, breathing/ visualization classes and homeopathic remedies along with craniosacral therapies, Holly has helped many people cure their ailments, relieve their pain and increase their emotional well-being. She will be holding some breathing classes. As you know, with any movement, breathing is paramount and we need to strengthen this area of our body in order to make it through our events with ease.
    • These classes will be held on Saturdays at noon at Mind Body Balance for $70 for a seven week series or a $12 drop in.
  • Sherri Eby is our Naturopath;  so if you start feeling run down or a little funky, Ask Sherri Eby for natural health information.  She is a Natural Health Educator and body worker, currently training as a Naturopath.  You can get insight on several natural health topics and understand how to apply them per your needs.  Information that she can help you with includes nutrition, herbal supplements, essential oils, body work and homeopathies.  Remember, Sherri is participating in the marathon training and will be encountering some of the same issues that you might be faced with. You can call her for a consultation and she will also be writing an article that you will see in our monthly newsletter “Balancing Act” to give us food for thought. Sherri is also a client and participating in our event with us.
    • Sherri is having natural health education sessions on the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. and the 3rd Saturday of each month at 1:00 p.m.  Please check the Mind/Body: Balance web site for specific dates and topics.  Each session is an hour long for $10 drop in or $35 dollars for a four session series. 
  • We have a list of five massage therapists each specializing in a different area so when you need body work (please be proactive with this) we have you covered Sherri Eby (Mindful Massage on Monroe St), Holly Cramner (The Resolution Center on Monroe Street) , Dawn Bellino (Divine Balance Therapeutic Massage on Telegraph Rd), Lisa Mannosco (located in Zinnen on Telegraph Rd), Rachael Gardner (Mindful Massage on Monroe St).

 

Our local Healthy Food Store “Health Matters,” is owned and operated by Maurine Sharp R.N. ~ Natural Nurse.  In 2004 Maurine’s vision of educating and helping people with health issues became a reality with the opening or her store:

Health Matters Herbs & More
17 E. Second St.

Located in the downtown district of Monroe, MI .

Maurine is a registered nurse, graduating in 1970 from Henry Ford Community College. She has worked in many facets of the nursing field including, hospitals, nursing homes, a doctor’s office and 14 years in mental health working with the developmentally disabled and those with mental illnesses.  Her passion for growing and using herbs began her journey into the field of natural health. Her accreditations include medicinal herbal education with Clayton College Of Natural Health, hands on herbal training with Linda Diane Feldt, a practicing herbalist in Ann Arbor, MI. and continued training.   

  Maurine’s services include personal health consultations, classes on vitamins and herbs, muscle testing, field trips and also a lending library that features a vast array of books on health issues including nutrition and disease.  She is also a great resource for us to pick up quality food for us to fuel our bodies.