RUNNING Indoors has its advantages

Treadmill - Photo: Pixabay

Treadmills have many advantages over real running and walking. Sure, you don’t get to go outdoors in nature, but you can also avoid bad weather and all the other hazards that come with going out of your houses, such as cars and passers-by. It’s much more relaxing to not have to keep your mind and one eye on the potential problems, and just concentrate on your running.

Apart from that, though, there are many more serious benefits. The ground remains at the same level for the whole run, which avoids you having to constantly adjust the way you’re running – you can build up a pace and then keep going. Also, the run is always at the speed you’re most comfortable with, and you can change it whenever you like. If you do want to run uphill, though, you can simulate that too, by adjusting the gradient of the machine.

Another advantage is in all the statistics you can collect about your running: because the machine is setting the pace of the run, it can calculate all sorts of things automatically, such as the amount of energy (calories) you have burned. You can also hook yourself to various monitors – heart rate monitors, breathing monitors, and so on – to check all the different aspects of your health when you run.

One of the best things about running indoors is that you don’t have to be bored while you’re doing it – you can watch TV or read a book while you’re using it. Even though it can be quite relaxing, though, treadmills are still a more effective form of exercise than some complex cardiovascular exercises. Faced with a choice between getting into all sorts of strange positions and contorting my body into odd shapes or just running on a treadmill, I know which one I’d choose.

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Benefits of a good training journal

Photo: PXHERE

Most of us have trained at one part of our lives. Chances are if you’ve ever taken your training seriously you’ve used a training journal or a training log.

    

The main difference between training journals and training logs is what you document in them after each workout or day, etc. Training journals are just that. They are more of a journal rather than a log. They will normally include things like mental health and how you felt during the day or your workout.

Most of us have trained at one part of our lives. Chances are if you’ve ever taken your training seriously you’ve used a training journal or a training log.

The main difference between training journals and training logs is what you document in them after each workout or day, etc. Training journals are just that. They are more of a journal rather than a log. They will normally include things like mental health and how you felt during the day or your workout. They can reach a bit into some statistical information but this is normally saved in a training log.

Training logs are generally created of off some kind of a template. For example. Every day you fill out a form that has the same fields. Things like current weight, daily workout, diet information, are all things that can be put in a training Log on a day to day basis.

I wouldn’t recommend going all one route or all the other, both journaling and logging are important to keep an effective history of your past. I’ve found out through experience and that for convenience sake it’s nice to have two combined together in some way. This way it’s always easy to remember to do both.

Benefits of recording your training
The number one benefit of recording your training is to have a detailed history to look back on. This can be very useful in times of planning. For example to figure out what has worked for you and what hasn’t. It’s very useful for figuring out reasons for injuries or for times of burnout. 

Have you ever sat down and tried to plan out training with nothing to work with? If you have something to look back upon a detailed account of what you’ve done over the past few weeks it’s easy to plan ahead, and to effectively increase your workout intensity, etc to improve for the future.

A detailed journal is also really nice to have just for personal use and to be able to look back on past months and years, to remember different accounts.

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Dream About A Marathon

Marathon - Photo: Pixabay

A marathon is an ultimate dream for many runners. People who have been running for years and some that have never run a day in their life love the idea of finishing a marathon. There seems to be something magical about the concept of a marathon, almost as if it seems super-human to compete in one or even to complete one.

Have you been pondering the idea of running a marathon for fun or for competition? If so, you must know that it takes months of hard and consistent preparation before the dream can become a reality because a marathon is no walk in the park.

One of the best strategies for making the dream of a marathon possible for you is to find a partner. Talk to your friends and find someone who is willing to begin the journey of marathon training with you. Figure out a way to mesh your schedules so that you can train together, at least on your long runs. You've heard it said that 'no man is an island,' and that concept is certainly true when it comes to preparing for your first marathon. Most people last a few weeks at best when they have no one to train with and no one to hold them accountable as the training schedule becomes more intense.

Once you've found the perfect marathon partner you should also take time to research the best training schedule for your time, needs and running goals. Getting on a specific schedule for marathon training will prevent you from overworking yourself or underworking yourself. It is no easy thing to get your body in shape for a twenty-six-mile run, so make it a priority to find a schedule and then stick to it.

Talk to your physician about your dream of running a marathon. It is never a bad idea to check with a healthcare professional for any warnings or advice. See if your physician has any suggestions for ways to supplement your training with adjustments to your eating or sleeping habits. Proper eating and sleeping will only benefit the physical training you do to prepare for the marathon.

Running a marathon is something that many people dream about but far fewer people actually accomplish it. With some careful planning and a lot of dedication, you can be one of the few that makes the dream of running a marathon a reality.

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