Predict your marathon time by using this workout
FIT NOT FAT
Losing weight is not that difficult as many think. I lost 51 kg (112 lbs) and feel better than ever. You can do it by changing your habits: nutrition and exercise are the key. Remember: you don't need to suffer to be fit. I encourage you to start eating healthy and exercise. Don't wait - do it for yourself! You can be either fit or fat. Which one do you prefer?
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
My first half-marathon
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Test– 100% success!
For the first time, I ran this afternoon 21.1 km (according to my GPS). Actually, I did 22.1 km, with the first kilometer as a warm up, then I stopped my watch at 22.1 and continued into my cool-down. |
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Not bad…at all
Let me say a few words about my long run on Sunday.
As the name indicates - it was a long run. Nineteen kilometers. It was a great mix – light jog, running near the anaerobic threshold, a small break between two accelerations ... for a total of 1:58, which is not so bad.
Today I made a somewhat similar combination, but much shorter. "Only"12 km. But every day I feel more confident to face the distance of 21.1 km. With the good weather that arrives, my workouts will become more and more interesting. I already planned several races. Aside from my half-marathon in April, I would run 5 or 10 km of Spring Challenge (on May 7) and certainly 5km at Reha-Thon in Laval, on May 15.
I still did not decide how far I'll run at the Montreal Marathon. I hesitate between half and 10 km. A “tiny ten” is my favorite distance, but I'll see whether I’ll love the half.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Finally – the interval training
For the first time in almost a year, I did an interval training. Or almost. Let me explain. When I was in top shape before the hernia in April 2010, I was running my intervals between 4:18 and 4:20 min / km and my anaerobic threshold was around 5:00. Last night I was pretty far from one and another, but I managed to run about 85% (160 bpm) of my max HR, what I have not done for 11 months. At a pace of around 5:08 (with a maximum of 4:34), my training was by far the toughest and fastest since April 29, 2010. I'm still not in good shape (just acceptable), but I'm ready for my first half on April 19. And then, I have several months to prepare myself for my second half - in September. In any case, no one runs a half-marathon at the intervals speed! But I like them, anyway. |
Saturday, February 12, 2011
In forced rest
This does not happen often, but this time, I caught a flu that forced me not to train since Sunday. A week without racing - it's a week too much. |
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Winter Storm – a little bit late
Monday, January 24, 2011
Run at -20°C
After 15 km Saturday (yes, a little less cold than today, but ...) and a mere 5 km yesterday, today I decided to brave the freezing cold (-21 ° C and the light wind removed a couple of Celsius). |
Friday, January 21, 2011
This is serious :)
Yesterday evening, I officially registered for my first half marathon (Scotia Bank, April 17, 2011). It's a respectable distance - between a real marathon and shorter races, 5 and 10 km. |
Monday, January 10, 2011
The importance of shopping your running shoes
So I decided to buy new shoes. New Balance, of course, because my feet have trouble with "standard" shoes .
So I turned to Amazon.com. And, miracle, I found NB 859 at a ridiculous price of $ 47 U.S. + shipping. I ordered a pair for a total price of CAD $ 70 directly to my door. I received my new shoes in less than two weeks. When I bought them two years ago in Montreal, they costed 149 + taxes, more than $ 167.
Then I wanted to add another pair. Unfortunately, they were out of stock. So I ordered two pairs of NB 1224 at a cost of U.S. $ 85 + shipping or $ 114 CAD at my door and I received them less than a week later.
Finally, I bought two pairs of Adidas Salvation on sale on the site of Running Room, for $ 19.99 + tax, no shipping costs for delivery in the Running Room store in Montreal. I use them only for short training sessions and the lack of support does not bother me.
The next time you decide to buy running shoes, look first in the US because, despite the parity of our currencies, the shoes are much more expensive in Canada and you can not find last year models as in the U.S. Sometimes, on Amazon.com you can find the real gems almost for nothing. By the way, the NB 1224 two years ago were costing $ 189 + tx in all stores here. I have got two pairs for the price of one!
And with all those beautiful shoes, I have a different pair for each workout.
It was worth looking on the internet, isn't it?
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Happy New Year!
Two weeks ago, my dad's friend ran the Antarctic Marathon. He arrived at about 5:45, in rather difficult conditions (14th place among thirty runners who finished the race). One minute before him, the race has finished a marathon runner who made a "normal" Marathon in 2:25. Quite obvious that Marathon not far from the South Pole is not easy. Especially at age 62. It is a true hero!
New year, for some means to lose weight gained during the holidays, start training after several days without activity, resolutions, etc.. Forget resolutions. They are good only for the computer screens :)
If you want to improve your quality of life, you must start now, when the thought crosses your brain. Never "on January 1", "next Monday", "tomorrow" ... That means now, and if not, never. And you can, my dear readers and friends do so. So ... GO! (Starting gun!!!!)
Monday, August 9, 2010
A bit of history (without going to the Roman times)
I have the genes of an athlete, but I did not know long. I have the genes of a geek - that I could not ignore. Son of a professor and teacher, grand-son of teachers, great-grand-son of teachers - pretty obvious I was born for the book rather than for sneakers. |
Sunday, April 18, 2010
My first podium (if I can say so)
Yes, that's it. I knew- I'm in shape! Today at Scotiabank 5 km, I have proved. It was chilly, the wind was quite unpleasant, but I was ready. At 23: 19.9, I improved my personal best by 30 seconds (less than 1 / 10 sec, to be precise). Beyond that, I reached a 48th place amongst 768 participants and, even better, the 2nd place in my age group. No medal around the neck, but a second place is honest! |
Saturday, April 10, 2010
VO2 Max Test (2) - results
Saturday, April 3, 2010
VO2Max Test
Since last Thursday, I feel like a real athlete. A true one. Because that day, I passed my VO2Max test. I did what the serious athletes do. It’s further evidence that I consider the race very seriously. Already I have a nice library of books of running, I read the serious sites, I use the technology for my workouts ... I was missing only the VO2Max test. |
The test looks like this (see image above) |
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Cotton T-Shirts
So, spring is back, nice weather seems to be here for some time and we run more often, isn’t it? Recently, I was with my friend on Mount Royal. We ran under the warm sun when a girl just passed as by. Provocation! No, it wasn’t her, nor the fact that she passed us by, but the fact that she wore a cotton t-shirt. No, no! Just the fact that a runner wears cotton apparel makes me feeling bad. So, what is that bad with cotton? Everything. It is the worst material in the world to put on when exercising (no matter the sport). It doesn’t wick the humidity (sweat), even on the contrary, it will absorb it, your tee will become heavy and uncomfortable and if there is a wind, you have all the chances to become sick. Actually, polyester is much better and became the obvious choice for tees and shorts, and even the socks are made in materials that wicks humidity and allow to your feet to stay fresh and without blisters (great, it doesn’t stink and moreover it is comfortable). Unfortunately, during our workout we saw several runners in cotton t-shirts. Maybe they just don’t know that polyester exists (I frankly doubt, but…) or think it is too expensive. No, polyester tees are really not expensive and you can wear them for years. They dry quickly so can be reused after several hours. The top models offer even the UV and antibacterial protection (no smell!). So, what are you waiting? If you already don’t have one, go to your running store and buy a polyester T-Shirt. You’ll feel much better under the sun. |
Friday, March 21, 2008
Fit, in spite of the age
Another day, I read about Buster Martin, a 101 years old Brit who recently finished a half-marathon (the time is really not important) and is preparing for his first full marathon - London Marathon, in few weeks. Almost every day I see in a gym men in their 70s, doing their workouts on a treadmill or with weights (not too big, to be honest, but anyway). And finally - my source of inspiration since I started running - a phenomenon called Ed Whitlock. This Milton (Ontario) resident, born in 1931, is a real running machine and an exceptional motivator. Can you imagine - this man, record holder of 13 world records in different age categories, ran a full marathon (42,195 km, 26 miles 385 yards, use any unit of measure you like - it's veeery far)in less than three hours. At the age of 75! He runs between 2 and 3 hours every single day. What his heart looks like? I can imagine it as a well oiled (not because of the fat) and maintained pump that will function for many years to come. The idea is to do the workouts, stay fit and help out body to continue doing well even at the advanced age and preserving our physical and mental health - without using the drugs. We really don't need to stimulate the pharmaceutical industry. They are already too rich. Let's rather help ourselves to stay healthy at the age of 70,80, 90... years. I can't imagine myself running a full marathon in less than 3 hours at the age of 75 (like Ed Whitlock did), but running 5 or 10 K at the ago of 65 - why not? And after that, we'll see. It's already much better than most of the people around us do. Ed Whitlock |
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Add some jogging?
I hope that some of you started fitness more than six months ago. If so, you might be interested to introduce some jogging into your daily activity. About a year after I started my weight lose program, I started to jog occasionally. Then, I felt that I needed some more speed. If you are like that, the following program is for you. If not, continue with you current program until you achieve your goals. WARNING:If you have heart related problems or you just think you might have them, consult a qualified physician before you change a program. |
Program for advanced walkers/joggers
Day | Intensity |
Monday | (day off) |
Tuesday (short day) | Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 30min @ 50-70% MaxHR (alternate 5 min walk/ 1 min light jog)* ; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching. |
Wednesday (short day) | (same as Tuesday) |
Thursday (long day) | Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 60 min @ 50-70% MaxHR; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching. |
Friday (short day) | (same as Tuesday) |
Saturday (long easy day) | Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 30 min @ 50-70% MaxHR; 30-60 additional minutes @ 50-60% MaxHR; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching. |
Sunday (long day) | (same as Thursday) |
*Every four weeks, you can increase light jog by 1 min until you walk for 5 minutes and jog for the same amount of time. Your total workout time shouldn't change (max 30 min). Only the number of intervals will change. BTW, this will increase the amount of calories burned, and if your goal is a weight loss, this will help you to get rid off the pounds a little bit faster. |
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Program for advanced walkers
Program 1 (5 months of training and more)
Day | Intensity |
Monday | (day off) |
Tuesday | 30 min;Alternate 5 min at 50-60% HRM with 2 min at 60-70%. Finish with 2 min at 50-60%. |
Wednesday | 30 min @ 50-60% HRM |
Thursday | 15 min @ 50-60% HRM |
Friday | 30 min @ 50-60% HRM |
Saturday | 15 min @ 50-60% HRM |
Sunday | (same as Tuesday) |
Program 2
Day | Intensity |
Monday | (day off) |
Tuesday (short day) | Warm up for 5 to 10 min; 30 min at 50-70% MaxHR; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching. |
Wednesday (short day) | (same as Tuesday) |
Thursday (long day) | Warm up for 5 to 10 min; 60 min at 50-70% HRM; slow down for 5 min. Light stretching. |
Friday (short day) | (same as Tuesday) |
Saturday (long easy day) | Warm up for 5 to 10 minutes; 30 min at 50-70% HRM; 30-60 additional minutes at 50-60%; slow down for 5 minutes. Light stretching. |
Sunday (long day) | (same as Thursday) |
Friday, November 9, 2007
Interesting question
I continued running, but few minutes later, probably not convinced that somebody could run for pleasure, the lady asked me the same question. I stopped and explained her how I lost weight, started walking and running, etc. I finished with the same sentence as few minutes ago: "And now, I run because I like it."
This is true. I am not obliged to run but I like it so much that I cannot stop doing it. I hope you'll like walking and, eventually, running, too.
This is no more a matter of fitness or health. This is a Passion!