Have you always wanted to learn the pose method of running? Perhaps you’ve tried to teach yourself?

If you have absolutely no idea what I’m taking about, read this. If you don’t have time for that, watch this:

OK…..now that were all up to speed, the good news…..drumroll, please…..

You can learn it right here in Erie. Erie runners and trainers Julie Robinson and Sean Donachy have formed a business called RunErie to teach local runners how to improve their form, which will result in better race times and — most importantly — fewer injuries! Yay!

They’ve already taught two classes and they are offering another on Saturday, May 25 at 8 a.m.  CrossFit FBO at 1311 Chestnut Street. Cost is $10 and space is limited.  Details here. Contact them on Facebook or call 450-7786 for more info or to RSVP.

Chi vs. Pose Method

You may have heard of Chi running before, too. It similar, but there are some differences as well. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about Chi running versus Pose method, but, if you don’t have time for that, here’s the short version:

“Pose running puts more demand on the legs, using muscle control to maintain proper positioning. ChiRunning teaches that the leg below the knee should be relaxed, taxing the muscle very little. The primary focus of ChiRunners is core strength and the belief that energy can be redirected from the trunk to the extremities. Another key difference is that pose running uses a short stride while ChiRunning extends the stride, again to alleviate the effort on leg muscles.

Probably the most distinguishing characteristic between these two approaches is that pose running is primarily focused on the physiological elements of running. ChiRunning on the other hand, is steeped in Eastern philosophies that, while may be perfectly valid, Western runners may have trouble applying.”

 Worth Reading

*Big Brother Fitbit Flex is watching tracking you. If you’re looking to get a handle on exactly how much exercise you’re getting every day and are considering strapping on a fitness tracker (think those armband things you wear that meausure your activities, calorie burn, sleep, etc.), word has it the new Fitbit Flex is the cream of the current crop.

* Should you eat before a morning workout? Probably.

* Too busy to train for a marathon? Here’s one that anyone…and I do mean anyone…can finish.

* The real cause of muscle cramps (it’s not what you might think) and how to avoid them. (I can vouch for this…learned it the hard way)

Video of the Week

Leave it to SNL to do the best parody commercials ever. This New Balance commercial is hysterical:

T-shirt of the Week

In honor of tonight’s final episode of The Office, the classic Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For the Cure race T-shirt:

Available here for $16.95.

OK, I don’t know what is cooler (coolest? most cool?) about this — that a local gym cares enough to want to make difference, that this class is on the beach, or that it will totally help you train for the Beast on the Bay.

Here’s the deal: Eric Taylor from Best Fitness in Erie said the gym wants to help Erie get healthier and, they are putting their money and muscle where their mouth is.

You may remember that last year Best Fitness offered a free one-month membership to everyone and anyone. FREE. To, hopefully, encourage people to develop the exercise habit.

They also sponsored  Weigh-In Erie, the weight-loss challenge that finished up last month. Read an inspirational story about the contest winner here.

NOW….they are offering a free P90X class on Monday nights at Beach No. 1. It’s a HITT class — high intensity interval training — that includes things like jumping, push ups, squats, running on the sand.

But, don’t be intimidated by the name or the exercises, Eric is quick to point out that the nice thing is that these workouts are adaptable to ANY fitness level. This class is designed for anyone from uber-fit to just getting off the couch.  Note, however,that you must be at least 16 to participate in the class.

Class starts at 5:30 p.m. at Beach No. 1 (meet on the sand) and lasts about an hour. Workouts take place on the sand and using whatever else is around (perhaps jumping over driftwood, etc.).

The class started last week, so it’s going on right now through the end of the summer.  This is a “drop in” thing, you don’t have to commit to be there every week or anything (you do have to get there a bit early to sign a waiver though).

By the way — this would be PERFECT training for those who are doing the Beast on the Bay run…or any “adventure run” and…HIT workouts are GREAT cross-training for runners, in general.

How awesome is that?

Couch to 5K program coming!

WAIT….LADIES…it get better! Eric and Best Fitness are planning to offer a free (free, free, free) Couch to 5K program for the community and they’ll train women to run the Her Times 5K!  Eric is still working on the details, but they expect to kick the program off in July and will likely be meeting on Saturdays at the peninsula. He’s hiring a trainer to teach this course, so he’s actually paying for it (you’re not) and it’s just because he (and Best Fitness) want Erie to get healthier!

Eric & Best Fitness have a few other things in the works, too, including a Community Health Fair with the River of Life team and a Zumbathon at the Bayfront Convention Center on August 8.

Speaking of 5K training….

Harborcreek Township is offering their free learn-to-run program with Sandie Sweet again this summer, too. It starts in a couple weeks. Details to come soon!

Worth Reading

 * Ready for a new challenge? Try reverse running.

* Outside magazine puts Tough Mudder’s First Death Into Context.

* Beautiful with brains: Why the whole concept of a bikini body is bunk.

* The running racket: How big business wrecked the marathon. “The average entry fee for the top 25 U.S. marathons has gone up 35 percent since 2007, to $112—three and a half times faster than inflation—according to the industry association RunningUSA.”

Video of the Week

Friend and fellow runner, Rob Frank, and his crew — including runner Matt Kleck, filmed this awesome Beast on the Bay promo video during the 3-mile trial run:

HOWEVER…..there’s an even BETTER one of Matt Kleck doing a total face-plant in the lake. His “friend” Robb slowed down the video and added sound…it’s hilarious.  If you know Matt or Rob or work out with Steve Krauza and his Team Adrenaline gang, ask them about it, and I’m sure they’ll share it with you.

Here’s a screen grab:

Poster of the week

FACT:

T-Shirt of the Week

Available here in various styles starting at $14.99

Q. Now that I’ve run a half, and covered that distance in training runs with other people, or just when the mood strikes me, I know I can do it, which puts me into some sort of lazy disadvantage. I have no “training plan” printed. I keep thinking I’m good because I consistently run because it is part of my life now.

Could I plan on running 3 days (either solo or with a group)–one 3-4 miler, one 5-6 miler, and one 7-9 miler? As the race gets closer I will add in the 10-12 distances more regularly on that long day. I will still have those, plus three group workouts a week where we do strength and intervals. Sometimes I stack a run and an interval workout together so I can have an extra day off. I always take Sundays off, and have found I needed another rest day mid week. My legs and feet get tired and I am tired of running through soreness.

I could care less about time or pace. I just want the t-shirt. Finishing is my prize.

A. Yep, I think you can easily do that if you’re chasing a lofty P.R.  Your plan is about what I do year-round.  I run three to four days a week — a 3-4-mile on Mondays, a 5 to 6-miler on Wedneday nights with a group and a group long run on Saturdays (8 to 12). Sometimes I throw in another 3-miler on Fridays, if I feel like it. Plus, I weight train three days a week. Training this way means I’m ready to do a 1/2 marathon on any given weekend. All you really need (if your goal is simply to finish) is a long run at least twice a month.

Now I am following the 3-run-a-week marathon plan, but I’m not going to be strict about because I have a lot of other things (bay swim, quad events, etc.) and races I want to do. I don’t care if I miss a long run or a speed workout or two. I realize now that it just doesn’t matter all that much.

There’s being committed and there’s being obsessive. It’s a fine line and few runners know it when they’ve crossed it. It usually take a chronic, recurring injury to help them see the light.

I need at least two days off a week — sometimes 3. I don’t feel bad about that. I lead a generally active life. Even my “rest days” would be exhausting for some people and I know you’re the same (with a house and bunch of kiddos to take care of).

Forget those who insist piling on mileage is the “best” way to train. You know what’s best for you and your mind & body.

Worth Reading

* Who in your life has an eating disorder and what can you do about it? It’s more common than you think, especially among runners and, it’s not just women.

* Eggs got a bad wrap years ago, but they are seriously one of the best things you can eat (yep…eat the WHOLE thing, even the yolk, that’s where all the nutrients are!). Shape magazine gives you 20 quick & easy ways to cook them.

* 6 tips for running with your dog (I just bought a gentle lead to try with Sam. I will report back!)

* 5 things to do on a treadmill, besides run on it.

* What’s the optimal running cadence? Find out here.

Video of the Week

T-shirt of the Week

What every woman wants to wear to the weight room:

Available here for $26.96

I’m shivering at the start line of the Highmark Quad ski race and wondering how I’m going to get up the steep hill in front of me.

It’s my first ski race and the first time I’ve ever skied more than a couple miles. I’ve done the quad many times, but the ski event has always been canceled, or I blew it off.

Last winter, I invested in some traditional cross-country skis and took a lesson at the lodge where the girls ski every Saturday afternoon.

One lesson and a couple weeks of kick-gliding through the trails at the lodge did not prepare me to get up that hill.

“Be careful when you cross the road,” Julie told me when she found out it was my first time. She didn’t tell me what to be careful of, and I was too afraid to ask.

“Watch out for that last hill with the bridge; it’s steep and it’s on a curve,” Suzy warned.

Shit.

How did I not know there were hills — big hills — on this course?

OK…well, whatever. Just finish it. Correction: Just finish it without breaking any bones.

The horn blows and the skate skiers take off. They’re up and over the mountain before us newbies even get to the bottom of it. They left us a gift though — chopped up snow, perfect traction for cautious v-stepping skiers.

I strong-arm my way up, digging in hard with my poles and pushing up off them.

At the top, we meander along a winding path.

This isn’t so bad. It might even be fun.

Then I see a ski patrol guy guarding a hill.

I try to slow down by snowplowing and it occurs to me that the snowplow doesn’t work for shit when there’s no snow to plow. I get low, bend my knees and pray to God the old guy in front of me doesn’t fall down because I have no clue how to turn or stop.

About 2 miles in, I hear them announcing the first finishers.

How depressing.

I ski on. Up and down. Around and Around. I gut it out at the hills and manage to make it down most of them without falling.

The course is not for beginners. It’s exhausting, and I just want it to be over. But it goes on and on for five long miles.

As I come up to the finish line, I see the girls standing on the porch of the golf clubhouse, waving and smiling.

“Go, Mom!” Kelly yells.

I give her a big smile and cross the finish line just shy of an hour. Not bad for my first time on a difficult course, but more than twice the time the good skiers turned in.

I’m in last place in my age group for the ski event. And I’m in last place in my age group for the overall quad (those that finished all four events) — 7 out of 7.

I hate that I’m last, and I wonder why I keep doing the quad when I’m so bad at three out of the four events. Part of me wants to fight — to get better at those events, to buy a new bike, to take swim lessons, to try harder, to train like a quad champ, to invest in skate skis — and the other part of me wants to bow out and just quit doing the stupid quad.

I’m embarrassed by my last place finish, but I make it a point to tell the girls where I placed because I want them to know that I’m not good at everything I do, that it’s OK to finish last, and that it’s not always about winning or placing.

I had the courage to start, the strength to get through it, and the determination to finish, which is all that really matters.

____________________________
About Just Write
“What ends up revealing itself when free writing is that everything has meaning. That is a magnificent gift of writing. If we write from a free heart-gut place, our souls start speaking.”

What is your “go to” indoor workout when the weather outside is too frightful to run outside safely?

Turbo Fire! — Tracy Jenks

Treadmill or a bike trainer. — Amy Cronk

I run intervals on the treadmill. — Tom Toale

I almost always run outside. Only once the last three years did I run on the dreadmill. Probably 10 times in 37 years. Sometimes the treadmill might be a smart option though! :0  — Rick Armstrong

Hot yoga. — Jennifer Bach

It has to be pretty extreme conditions outside to force me inside to run on the dreadmill.   I ran in a blizzard a couple weeks ago with a face mask and goggles.  I actually crossed path with a guy cross-country skiing on a main road.  Both of us looked at each other with an expression that said, “you must be crazy.” I’ll do just about anything else to avoid the treadmill; cross training, lifting or swimming.  But since I’m training for a spring marathon I have to bite the bullet.   — Mike Lawrence

I am on the same page as Mike and Rick, always outside.  As a matter of fact, I read Heather’s email on my phone as I was headed out for a run last night in that snow storm.  My eyelashes started to freeze together at mile 7 and it made me smile as I thought about how I would respond to this post.   The earth is too beautiful to duck from adverse weather.  I feel I have to get out and breath in the fresh air in order to really feel alive.  That is what keeps me going.  — Patrick Dwyer

When the weather is frightful I hit the treadmill or jump in the pool at the gym.  I also have quite a few exercise DVDs that I enjoy. — Rhonda Berlin

Insanity! — Jessie Zahner

Spin class. — John Guerriero

As for me, it has to be really bad (cold & rain or bitter cold wind) to not run outside because I cannot bring myself to run on the treadmill anymore. Over the years, I’ve burned up a couple treadmills and probably put thousands of miles on those belts, but now….meh…if I can’t run outside, I’ll wait till the next day or I’ll do something else, like…

* Weight training — I’m loving this Cathe Slow & Heavy DVD right now. I’m also a fan of Chalean Extreme and even this 30-minute one if I’m short on time.

* Walking on the treadmill. I like the chance to catch up on reading — magazine or I turn the font up on my Kindle and read that.

* Yoga. This is more of a workout than you think…and…truth: there isn’t a runner out there who couldn’t use more stretching.

* Cross country skiing. I can do this in my backyard and usually right on the roads around my house. I don’t like doing it in the dark, though, so…this is not usually a morning option for me.

* Sleep in. Folks…it’s winter…if ever there’s a time to rest, relax and recover, it’s now. Take this opportunity (and Mother Nature’s cue) to let your body grow stronger. If you’re constantly beating it up and pushing it, pushing it, pushing it…you will end up injured. Muscles get stronger not when you are pushing them, but when you stop and they have the chance to repair themselves and grow stronger.

Worth Reading

* One Tough Mother shares running wisdom from Bart Yasso’s recent Twitter chat (Don’t ask me…I don’t know what a Twitter chat is either).

* There is such a thing as waterproof winter running shoes. Who knew? Oh, right, this blogger who reviewed them. (Why don’t I get  cool stuff to review?)

* 8 Cardio Myths that are making you fat (If I had a dollar for every person who thinks marathon training will help them lose that last five pounds….)

* Slow cook some Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps

* Get off the scale!

Video of the Week

T-shirt of the Week

This is the only way I’ll ever have six-pack abs:

Get it here, but I have no idea how much it costs because it’s all Russian. I wouldn’t buy it.

Saturday’s Yoga For Runners workshop at Yoga, Pilates & More was well attended, very warm, and quite informative.

Yoga, Pilates & More owner Elyssa Lindenberger taught the class full of runners how yoga poses and help relieve (and prevent) some of the most common running injuries.  She led us through a 1-hour practice, then we went over four “power poses” that runners can use to stretch and strengthen their legs and core, which will help stabilize the body.

I found the 2-hour workshop to be really informative because Elyssa didn’t just teach yoga poses, she taught us WHY they were important for runners, in particular (the muscles and tendons we frequently strain, etc.).  That knowledge really helps you understand how and why yoga can help you.

A body in balance means better race times and fewer injuries. What runner doesn’t want that?

If you missed Saturday’s workshop, you have another chance, several actually, as Elyssa is offering a Yoga for Runners Series:

* March 2: Lower Limb

* April 6: Core Strength

* May 4: Upper Body

* June 1: Nutritional support (team taught with Dr. Dan Young)

* July 13: Focus on Common Injuries

* August 3: Putting it All Together

Each workshop is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Visit Elyssa’s website for more info or call 636-0198.  Yoga, Pilates & More is located in Plaza 79, across from Champion Ford at 2415 W. 26th Street (at the I-79 interchange).

P.S. Word to the wise: If you go to a workshop, wear shorts and a tank top — it’s toasty in the yoga room (that’s deliberate to warm up the muscles).