Today’s Workout: Rest Day
ZYM Flavor of the Day: Lemon-lime. This flavor was much sweeter than the Berry flavor I had tried yesterday, and there was no hint of the bitter taste that I detected in the Berry ZYM. Like it’s predecessor, the lemon-like flavor contains caffeine, and is sure to give early morning runners the wake-up call that they need. Which is why I found myself choosing a ZYM tablet instead of coffee again this morning. Once again, it did the trick. And as an added bonus, it kept me hydrated – something coffee (which is a diuretic) – doesn’t do.
Speaking of early morning runners…up until now, I haven’t talked too much about my running schedule, other than the fact that I typically am NOT an early morning runner. A few things about my running schedule:
• I usually run in the evening (except on the weekends, when I sometimes run in the morning, but more often than not, run in the afternoon)
• I run 4x a week, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sundays are always my long run days.
• For the most part, I don’t mind changing running days, but I NEVER change my long run days.
• If I think I need to scale back on my running one day, because I could potentially get injured, I do.
• However, if I don’t feel like running, feel too tired or lazy to run, etc., I still do.
Here are a few tips that I have for beginners to make running a part of your everyday schedule:
• Decide on a time of day that you plan on running, and stick with it. If you know the only time of day you’ll have to run is in the morning before work, then make it a priority to get up and go running beforehand. If you’re the type of person who hits snooze a dozen times before you haul your butt out of bed, then make it a priority to go running after work.
• If it’s too cold outside to go running, don’t let that be an excuse. Buy a treadmill, or if you can’t afford one, join a gym. If that still isn’t an option, there are some other creative ways you can get some treadmill time in: try joining a YMCA, which is more affordable than some gym memberships, or even some local community centers have workout equipment. There’s even a local hotel near me that allows you to pay a gym membership, or allows people to pay $5 to use their equipment room on days when it’s too cold for running. With some careful research, you’re sure to find some creative options to help you get in some treadmill time.
• Be realistic. If you know you’re not going to be able to run 7x a week (and that’s never a good idea anyways, it usually only ends in injury), then DON’T. I run 4x a week because that’s what works best for me. There was a time when I ran six to seven days a week, and my muscles were always sore and tired. That’s when I started to become more susceptible to injuries. For me 4x a week is what works best for me to avoid injury.
• It’s OK to switch your running days, but don’t push yourself in a corner. If you plan on running 4x or 5x a week, don’t say you’ll run Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, or I guarantee you won’t be able to get all your scheduled runs in. I usually space my runs out over the course of the week, so I have room to change them around if I get too busy.
• If you plan on training for a marathon or a half, schedule your long run days for a day you know you’ll have plenty of time to complete them, like on the weekend.
• And if you do start to feel fatigued or the early onset of an injury, listen to your body and REST. It’s great to have a set running schedule, but if you don’t listen to your body, you can end up laid up for even longer than you expected. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can use every little twinge that you feel as an excuse not to run.
And as Forrest Gump says, “that’s all I have to say about that.”
How have you made running part of your schedule?
Non-beginners: Any more advice that I missed? What are some of your suggestions?
26.2 x 2 
I run similar days to you. Tues, Thurs, Fri and long run on Sunday. It helps me to keep a running journal. Especially if I end up missing a run I can see clearly I only ran three days and I need to be more committed next week.
These are good tips! I never knew hotels would let you use their gym. That is cool! I don’t have a treadmill but Planet Fitness is a really cheap gym so I’ve had my membership there for years.
You are so cute and I love that you do these advice columns, I think I forget that not all our readers are veteran runners because most of the bloggers have been running for a decade or more. The easiest way I made it a habit was to say I was going to go out 6 days a week, but only for 2 miles. 3-4 days a week I felt great and would extend it to 5-6 miles but the other days I was grateful that I only “had” to run 2 slow easy ones. It helped me make it a daily thing without feeling pressure to be this hardcore runner and the transition just happened naturally when I began to crave more miles and really love being out there all the time.
Haha, thanks. I have noticed that I do have a good amount of readers that are getting started with running, but they don’t always comment as much as the veteran runners who are bloggers. But they are out there! 🙂
I used to run after work which was hard to keep up, especially when the days started getting shorter. So I decided to start running in the morning, and it was a tough transition, but I found that if I dedicated a couple weeks to it, just setting my alarm (luckily I’ve always been an early riser and wake up at 6am naturally and rarely need an alarm clock), and drinking a warm glass of lemon water immediately, I would be wide awake and ready to run. After doing it consistently a couple weeks, I wouldn’t even think twice about it when I’d wake up. I found that in the beginning, the more I thought about going on a run, the more chance I’d have to talk myself out of it. Don’t think, just run!
Great advice! One thing that I did was track my progress via a running journal. I enjoyed putting in my mileage so much it became addicting! I do my runs in the evening as well, except for weekends. 🙂
I think you gave some great advice! I make running a part of my schedule by usually running in the morning. I think another great tip for people who want to begin running is to go ahead and sign up for a race. This gives them some motivation to go out there and run since they have something to train for!
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