Protien drink tip

I'm a coffee junkie! Every morning I brew up that black drink of the Gods. Most of the time I can't drink the whole pot and i end up wasting a third of it or more. I also drink alot of protien shakes. I need a minimum of 90 grams of protien a day because of my medical issues, but as an athlete I need more. I intake through diet and supplaments about 170-190 grams per day. You might be asking what does coffee have to do with protien, bare with me I'm getting there. A huge bag of protien powder can be expensive, but makes hundreds of servings. You can buy pre-made in a juice box style protien drinks, but they are even more expensive and just about always come in chocolate or vanilla. I needed variety the other day so i had an idea. My morning coffee was done i had drank my fill and as usual I had left over. I placed the left over coffee in a jug and put it in the fridge. Today i tried this: two scoops of vanilla protien powder, 8 ounces of cold coffee and half cup of ice. All this was placed in my ancient blender and mixed. The result was an iced vanilla protien latte! It was awesome. I can't wait to try it as a recovery shake after a long slow run day or one of my speed work days. Give it a try and mix up some goodness! As usual post your comments and if you try this recipe let me know how you liked it. RAMBLE ON MY FRIENDS!! The Running Geek.

Wind and Regret

I woke up early today, 12:30pm, yes thats early when you work nights. I had great intentions of my weekly long slow distance run getting done. I heard the wind before i even rolled out of bed. I prayed i was hearing things. I wondered out to my living room and to my horror found it was a real blower out there. Awh i said it will be fine. On went the shorts and shoes and out the door i went. My little house sits back from a main road, according to my GPS and truck i'm 1.5 miles from my favored running trail. To me its a nice warm up to ramble on to the main trail from home, the plus is i don't waste fuel driving there. I got to the end of my driveway and felt the first sprinkle of rain and the gust of wind that hit me felt like a ice cold truck! My resolve was being tested today. Now for those of you that know me you'll know that i was blessed with unusually large ears, yes Dumbo may have been related! Now i'm about 3/4 a mile into what was supposed to be a 15 mile workout and i'm feeling the wind pull me up into the air! My wings were providing lift! A mile in i was already cold to the bone and exhausted from fighting hurricane winds. I gave up, turned around and started for home. The wind was in my face on the way out so i'm thinking a tail wind will make it better on the way home. NNNOOOOO, no my luck! The damn wind shifted like a bad joke and seemed to increase in intensity 110 fold! Again the giant air brakes on the side of my head were causing lift and drag at the same time! The last 100 yards down my driveway were cold, and grumpy trudging. As i stepped onto my porch i realized the wind had stopped and the sun was peeking out! Damn you mother nature! I know i'm not the only person that has had their run disrupted by nature in one form or another. I know because i just stopped laughing from reading my friend Rachel's blog post about Honey Buckets, public restrooms and strangers bathrooms. I wont spoil it for you, read it and you'll be crying from laughing so hard! My point is even though both Rachel and i were hit in the side of the head by 'ol Ma' nature we were moving and loving it. Wind yes, regrets?? no not a one. Enjoy your runs and Ramble On my friends! The Running Geek

8 Week Beginners Workout

     Alright I had a big article written for "Training Tuesdays" and I have lost the rough draft. While searching the world for the dang thing I have been bombarded with questions from friends across the country. The biggest one is how to get started. I have hundreds of training schedules that include all sorts of technical terms and are of a more competitive nature. I'm starting to see that more and more of you just want to get a little more active and in a little better shape. I'm also seeing that many of the people who are asking the questions are first timers or beginners. So here's what I've come up with to help you out. In searching my old logs and notes I've found the very first training schedule I worked on to help out a few people that asked the very question most of you are asking of me now. This schedule is an 8 week schedule that allows you to walk/jog four days a week with a two day 30 minute walk recovery in between and a one day rest. I will post this as a Monday start day and a Saturday end date thus putting Sunday as your rest day so everyone can see how it works. This is meant to be a guide line to start and can be modified. Please make sure you are physically OK to start any program and get cleared by your doctor.
     The very first thing I will say is go get new shoes! There are lots of different options out there, but your best bet to avoid injury and discomfort is to go to a reputable running store and have the professionals fit you with shoes that will work for your running gait. Second is start SLOW! We often think we need to "push" ourselves to achieve the results we want, this is simply not true. Do not push it to the no pain no gain idea of thinking and if it hurts stop. You will know the difference between injury and simple soreness that comes from starting a new exercise program. One of the most important pieces of advice i can give is to just go out and try your best. You should not care what others are doing, wearing, or thinking. Care instead that you've made the decision to change how you feel how you live and how fit you are. I will stress do not worry about how many mile you are running/walking. At this point miles are not your friend, time is. Focus on getting a quality 30 minute workout in, the miles will come after. You may find look at this workout and think that running for a minute is easy, it might be for some of you, but for others it might be quite tough. I don't care if you can only run for 30 seconds as long as you try. If you find that you are unable to do the whole minute of running, don't worry about it! Just keep moving and give it your best try. Remember in running there is no one to disappoint but yourself.
     I'm sure you will have questions about the workout and one of the most common ones I have been asked when people start is how fast should I be running. Let me tell you everyone is different, but the most widely accepted answer is you should set your pace so you can carry on a conversation without gasping for breath. If you are running alone then a great way to judge is if you can sing your favorite song without gasping.
     Stretching is always a question that comes up. Here's what I've found in my research and have applied to my own daily runs and workouts. Save it for after the run. Whoa did he just say don't stretch before i run? Yep I sure did. Stretching cold muscles is a very bad idea. I stretch after my workouts to "wring" the lactic acid out of my muscles. Cold stretching increases the possibility of tears to tendons, ligaments and muscles. Stretching warm muscles helps lengthen the muscle which in turn makes it a more efficient muscle, plus it feels great after a workout. If you must stretch please do so after your warm up and before your run, but do it again after you've finished your run, trust me you'll see the benefits later.
     The following schedule will help guide you though the first 8 weeks of your training. This workout is designed to get you to run non-stop for 30 minutes by the end of the 8 weeks.

 Remember friends enjoy your runs and have fun!
Ramble On, The Running Geek.

8 WEEK BEGINERS RUNNING WORKOUT PROGRAM (Mild to Moderatly in Shape)

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY  WEEK 1

COMMENTS LOG

#1

Warm up = 2-5 min walk Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10 times

#2

Walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes, NO RUNNING!

#3

Warm up = 2-5 min walk Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10 times

#4

Walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes, NO RUNNING!

#5

Warm up = 2-5 min walk Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10 times

#6

Warm up = 2-5 min walk Run 1 min; Walk 2 min; Repeat 10 times

#7

REST

TIP= Always walk 2-5 minutes after your workout to cool down

TIP= Do not stretch before your workout, do it after when your muscles are warm this will help

much more with your flexability and lowers your risk of injury to muscles, tendons and ligaments.

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY Week 2

COMMENTS LOG

#1

Warm up with 2-5 minute walk. Run 2 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 10 times

#2

Walk at brisk pace for 30 minutes, relax and enjoy the day.

#3

Warm up with 2-5 minute walk. Run 3 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 7 times, then Run 2 min.

#4

Walk at brisk pace for 30 minutes, relax and enjoy the day.

#5

Warm up with 2-5 minute walk. Run 4 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 6 times

#6

Warm up with 2-5 minute walk. Run 4 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 6 times

#7

REST

TIP = Eat an energy bar or piece of fruit 2 hours before your run, an hour

prior drink 8-10 oz of a sports drink or water to ensure you are properly

hydrated through your run. After the run I always drink a 8-10 oz of a protien

shake to help fuel your lean muscle growth.

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY Week 3

COMMENTS LOG

#1

2-5 minute warm up. Run 5 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 5 times.

#2

Walk at easy pace 30 minutes

#3

2-5 minute warm up. Run 5 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 5 times.

#4

Walk at easy pace 30 minutes

#5

2-5 minute warm up. Run 6 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 4 times, then run 2 minutes.

#6

2-5 minute warm up. Run 6 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 4 times, then run 2 minutes.

#7

REST

If you are having trouble meeting the times of the run, don't get discouraged

keep going as long as you can and keep track of the actual run times. You

are not expected to keep up, but you will eventualy.

"Obstacles are thosefrightening things that become visible when we

take our eyes off our goals." --Henry Ford Keep your eye on the goal

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY Week 4

COMMENTS LOG

#1

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 8 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 3 times; then run 3 minutes.

#2

Walk at brisk pace 30 minutes.

#3

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 9 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 3 times.

#4

Walk at brisk pace 30 minutes.

#5

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 10 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2 times; then run 8 minutes.

#6

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 11 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2 times; then run 6 minutes.

#7

REST

You're half way there, lets start changing up your off days shall we!!

Check the fit of your shoes, take care of your feet and they will take care of

you. If you run with an ipod, get a tracking app. I recommend Nike+GPS but

there are many good apps out there.

Stay hydrated and keep good nutrition, it will help you in the long run.

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY Week 5

COMMENTS LOG

#1

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 12 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2 times; then run 4 minutes.

#2

Try a bike ride for 40-60 minutes or work out at the gym with a friend, change things up but keep moving

#3

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 13 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2 times; then run 2 minutes.

#4

Try a bike ride for 40-60 minutes or work out at the gym with a friend, change things up but keep moving

#5

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 14 min; Walk 1 min; Repeat 2 times.

#6

Warm up 2-5 minutes. Run 15 min; Walk 1 min; Run 14 min.

#7

REST

Next weeks off days will be MUCH DIFFERENT!!! Keep up the hard work!

Reward yourself with a dinner out (NO FAST FOOD!!) with friends.

You deserve it.

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY Week 6

COMMENTS LOG

#1

Run 16 min; Walk 1 min; Run 13 min

#2

Circuit training at the gym, try High Intensity Interval Training such as running sprints or P90X

#3

Run 17 min; Walk 1 min; Run 12 min.

#4

Again, High Intensity Interval Training!!! Hit it hard!! Only 2.5 weeks left of the program.

#5

Run 18 min; Walk 1 min; Run 11 min

#6

Run 19 min; Walk 1 min; Run 10 min.

#7

REST!!!!! And well deserved after that killer week.

High Intensity Interval Training is a great way to break up the week, switch

things up this will keep you on track with your runs. Don't be afraid to take a

break from running. Lifting wieghts, play basket ball, ride your bike, or doing

HIIT will break up the manotony and refresh you and get you back on track.

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY Week 7

COMMENTS LOG

#1

Run 20 min; Walk 1 min; Run 9 min.

#2

Ride a bike or hit the weights for a change of pace

#3

Run 22 min; Walk 1 min;  Run 7 min.

#4

Ok, Ok, take it easy and walk for 30 minutes and enjoy the day.

#5

Run 24 min; Walk 1 min; Run 5 min.

#6

Run 26 min; Walk 1 min; Run 3 min.

#7

REST, DON'T EVEN THINK OF RUNNING OR WORKING OUT!

Beginners often develop shin splints and/or sore knees. The pains should

pass quickly if treated immediately with ice packs after your workouts. Ice for

20 minutes and off for 30 minutes. Repeat several times for best results. If the

pains persist take several days off before beginning again. Persistant and

constant pains should be evaluated by your doctor, don't wait just go.

DAY

WORKOUT OF THE DAY Week 8

COMMENTS LOG

#1

Run 27 min; Walk 1 min; Run 2 min.

#2

HIIT (high intensity interval training) YES ITS BACK TO KICK YOUR BUTT!!!

#3

Run 28 minutes; Walk 1 min; Run 1 min

#4

Killer week, walk 30 minutes at a easy pace, consider how far you've come and be proud.

#5

Run 29 min; walk 1 min

#6

RUN 30 MINUTES!!!! CONGRADULATIONS YOU DID IT!

#7

REST AND REWARD!

Congradulations, you've made it! You are now ready to run a 5K. Enjoy a

relaxing night at home, have a dinner date with friends and celebrate your

accomplishment! Rememeber…..If it were easy, everyone would do it!

now try to make it to an hour of running, just add a few minutes in intervals

just as this workout did and you'll have a new goal!