We decided to run from campus (Loyola University Chicago) to downtown (John Hancock Building) this weekend. This was supposed to be a solid 8 mile run but we took an accidental detour and ended up going a whole 9 miles.
We have been doing a lot of strength training this month, with little emphasis on cardio. This made our journey much harder especially since our farthest run in a while has been just under 4 miles. But, WE MADE IT!
Running with a partner makes a world of difference. We were at a solid pace for the first 3-4 miles, but started struggling a bit after that. When one of us started to get a blister, the other was there to encourage pushing through the pain. When the other started cramping, they had someone to say just breathe through it. And when we both wanted to stop, we had each other to yell, "Don't stop!"
A huge help in a run like this is to take things one step at a time. If you feel the need to stop, just tell yourself to make it to the next landmark (whether that be a rock, a curve in the road, or in our case a drinking fountain). Once you make it there, look at your distance and just try to make it to the next mile. going through this cycle and pushing yourself little by little can really help in reaching your goal. This technique was one of the only reasons we were able to make through the last 2 miles of our run.
IN RETROSPECT...
Stay hydrated!
Kelly puked when we made it back home because we did not prep in terms of hydration. Make sure to flush yourself with water and electrolytes before and after you run to avoid this.
Eating is also EXTREMELY important.
You burn a ton of energy on a run like this and need to have that energy in your body to burn. Foods like oatmeal, bananas, and whole grain toast are great ways to fuel your run.
Fashion is not always first.
Yeah the Nikes are obviously the best looking shoes, but not the best feeling. Kelly's shoes are destroyed and she is covered in blisters. If you are going to go for a fashion forward look, make sure that you have good and reliable insoles because running in bad shoes is the worst thing you can do. It not only hurts your feet, but can affect your ankles, shins, hips, and back.
Lastly, running apps.
Kelly used the Nike app, while I used RunKeeper. Nike gives you a fun little picture with your distance and map on an image of your choice. Although RunKeeper doesn't have this option, it allows you to add an image to your little page for the run as well as a map showing where you went and each mile you hit. Both apps ended up at 9 miles, although sometimes mine was ahead while at other times Kelly's was. In the end, they both evened out and both work great!
We have been doing a lot of strength training this month, with little emphasis on cardio. This made our journey much harder especially since our farthest run in a while has been just under 4 miles. But, WE MADE IT!
Running with a partner makes a world of difference. We were at a solid pace for the first 3-4 miles, but started struggling a bit after that. When one of us started to get a blister, the other was there to encourage pushing through the pain. When the other started cramping, they had someone to say just breathe through it. And when we both wanted to stop, we had each other to yell, "Don't stop!"
A huge help in a run like this is to take things one step at a time. If you feel the need to stop, just tell yourself to make it to the next landmark (whether that be a rock, a curve in the road, or in our case a drinking fountain). Once you make it there, look at your distance and just try to make it to the next mile. going through this cycle and pushing yourself little by little can really help in reaching your goal. This technique was one of the only reasons we were able to make through the last 2 miles of our run.
IN RETROSPECT...
Stay hydrated!
Kelly puked when we made it back home because we did not prep in terms of hydration. Make sure to flush yourself with water and electrolytes before and after you run to avoid this.
Eating is also EXTREMELY important.
You burn a ton of energy on a run like this and need to have that energy in your body to burn. Foods like oatmeal, bananas, and whole grain toast are great ways to fuel your run.
Fashion is not always first.
Yeah the Nikes are obviously the best looking shoes, but not the best feeling. Kelly's shoes are destroyed and she is covered in blisters. If you are going to go for a fashion forward look, make sure that you have good and reliable insoles because running in bad shoes is the worst thing you can do. It not only hurts your feet, but can affect your ankles, shins, hips, and back.
Lastly, running apps.
Kelly used the Nike app, while I used RunKeeper. Nike gives you a fun little picture with your distance and map on an image of your choice. Although RunKeeper doesn't have this option, it allows you to add an image to your little page for the run as well as a map showing where you went and each mile you hit. Both apps ended up at 9 miles, although sometimes mine was ahead while at other times Kelly's was. In the end, they both evened out and both work great!