Exercising with "Elsa"

Spring is coming soon in its legitimate sense. But, winter is remind us about its fury. 110+ inches have fallen so far in Boston, MA. The winter also brought late snow to the DC, Philly, and Southern states areas. If anyone had a wish to begin exercising this winter or if anyone con tuned to fulfill their exercise goals this winter, then this person picked one powerful winter!

Besides the essentials when exercising in the winter or cold and cooler weather such as, covered extremities, adequate hydration, and breathable winter clothing, there are other winter exercise [essentials]:

You know what. If you're reading this post, then the fact that you survived a harsh winter deserves applause.

That's it.

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS        www.teempt.com        TEEM Performance Training

The (Exercise) Loop

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Today, April 1, 2015 is National Walking Day. So, why not celebrate it with some loops around your neighborhood. If your neighborhood i snot featured, then you can map one out. One reason that people may not get out and do adequate walking or running lies in the fact that they do not good routes. Of course, there are numerous routes around numerous neighborhoods. Below are only a few. Are there ways to train for walking and running around the vicinity? Sure! It depends on the terrain and slopes. Your neighborhood is a great walking and running haven:

The Neighborhoods

• One Mile - East Cambridge (MA)
• One Mile - Woodridge Neighborhood, Washington, DC
• One Mile - Beacon Hill Neighborhood, Boston
• One Mile - Arlington, Virginia
• One Mile - Bethesda, Maryland

Scenery

• Three Mile - DC Scenic (So, it's 3.7 miles. At least, you get to see the Capitol, Monument, WWII Memorial, and the Lincoln Mem. You can even decide to go around the Lincoln Mem or up its stairs.)
• Three Mile - Boston Scenic (Without getting too marathony or too duckboat parade route-ish, you will see plenty of old and historical figures, including the Boston Common, The Old Courthouse, The State House, The 54th Massachusetts mural, and more.)

I Need A Long Run for My Marathon

• Ten Mile - Boston Area: The Minuteman Trail (one way is 10 miles. Meet the family or your ride in Cambridge or in Bedford)
• Ten Mile - DC: Rock Creek Park Trail (It looks convoluted. The path is measured at 8.3 miles, but doing an extra lap around the first loop should seal the 10-mile deal.)
• Ten Mile - Maryland: Sligo Creek Parkway (OK, it's 9.5 miles. But, to say "I ran Sligo Creek Parkway"...)
• Ten Mile - Virginia: Cross County Trail (Stay on the trail and not the road. it's just a tad over 10 miles from the entrance to Occoquan Regional Park to Henderson Road and back. Avoid the intersection stopping by U-intersection-running around stopped cars.)

Do you need encouragement on neighborhood walking or running?

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS       www.teempt.com       TEEM Performance Training

Race Diary - Part 5 - Almost There!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Found some time to run a good 1.5 miles followed by a very short treadmill sprint workout. Time is quick. Time is short.

Thursday, March 26, 2015
Some strength training was performed indoors. Just getting the legs pumped up.

Friday, March 27, 2015
Really, this day was more of a low key day. Besides the typical walk to work (the bike has been out of commission since the first snow storm - rare occurrence), some running was accomplished to pick up my son. If this were a Twitter account, then #MoveYourLegs #BreatheYourHeart

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Had a chance to run 3 miles (two sets of 1.5 miles) in a wet and snowy morning. The rest of the day was filled with errands. This race on Sunday will be achieved without running more than 2.5 miles at one time and without running more than 6 miles in one day.

Have fun!

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS          www.teempt.com         TEEM Performance Training

Race Diary - Part 6 - The 5-Miler

Sunday, March 29, 2015
Race day!

The competition juices are flowing. I love mental imagery. So, I have been visualizing myself running the course for the past few days. I have only ridden my bike around part of the course, which is located in North Cambridge. The ambient temperature when waking up: 26 degrees!

I plan to wear shorts.

I'll report back here with the results...after church.

Well, the race is over. It felt good to run in another road race even if the temperature was around freezing. Still ran in shorts and short sleeves too. The 5-mile route around Fresh Pond is a good one. Upon my arrival, I had some time to warm up. Almost right after I finished, the horn for the race start blew just as I was approaching the pack  to try to start close to the front. Needless to say, I spent the first mile of the race weaving in and out of the crowd of at least 825 runners...all due to the delayed start.

The first mile time was 8 minutes flat, which is well off my fastest mile time. The second mile made up a little time with a 6-minute + time. Part of my strategy was to get an idea of where the 2.5 mile mark would be (I guess I could have Googled it, may be). But, having all the mile markers on course would help. No so fast! There was not a timer at the 3-mile mark. In fact, when I thought 3-miles had past, it was actually close to four miles.

Get this...the last mile includes a nice little hill. Reminds me a little bit of the Capitol Hill Classic in that design. I did learn a few things:

• I did not achieve my goal time. According to the clock, I finished in just over 37 minutes. If I subtract the time it took to get to the start line (no chip timing today), then my official time would probably be 36 minutes +.
• Start at the front to decrease weaving time. I still think 34 to 35 minutes is very do-able.
• I am more confident that I can destroy my best 10k (6.2 mile) time now. I have never run faster than 52 minutes. Let's put that 10k goal time at 42 minutes for right now.
• I can finish a 5-miler strong with a good kick. What does that mean for training? My anaerobic training is good (I'll attribute that to ice hockey!)
• I could improve my interval running.
• You have to run distance aggressively and get past the mental roadblocks. They creep up no matter what.
• I am thirsty for more races.

All in all, this entire short race diary was not about my training experiences and result. How does it affect you and your health and fitness endeavors? How will you push forward?

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS        www.teempt.com        TEEM Performance Training

Race Diary - Part 4 - Home Stretch Training

Start and end of the 0.5 and 1.0 mile loops.
East Street, Cambridge, MA

Friday, March 20, 2015

• 2 mile run on the 0.5 mile loop
• Man, it's cold and very windy! I really hope race day does not feel this way. But, if it does, I can say that I trained in the weather. And...well...refer to the first diary entry here. I hate excuses, especially when it comes to exercise.

Saturday, March 21, 2015

• Earlier morning 8 minute interval run
• 2 mile run on the 0.5 mile loop

Sunday, March 22, 2015

• 2.5 mile run on the 0.5 mile loop

Monday, March 23, 2015

• 2 miles plus an extra....on the mile loop

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

• Dumbbell (DB) Deadlifts - 2 sets of 15 and 20
• Supine Straight Leg Scissors - 3 sets of 60
• Staggered Push-ups - 3 sets of 8 each side. Another set of 4 each side with 4-second holds...making it a strength training day. It's late, and an early morning run would be great.
• And a lot of stretching and hydrating - did I mention that I'm feeling stuffy? Not the right time. But, the run on Monday night felt great. No short of breath hang-ups.

With heart,

Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS         www.teempt.com       TEEM Performance Training

Best In-Home Exercise Equipment

If you had to use equipment for each exercise category, then you can choose from the list below. What are the caveats? The equipment must be easy to carry, easy to store, and does not take up a lot of space when in use:

Tubing -
This piece of equipment is even a huge staple in any gym. It quells the anxiety of a novice exerciser and makes them feel, well, at home.

TRX -

TRX - yellow and black strap

It may be perhaps the best workout in a bag that you can buy. Its extreme versatility allows for great indoor and outdoor usage, two of TEEM's primary exercise venues.











Mini-band -

Durable, short, light, and smart. Smart...because it works one of your biggest and strongest muscles without touching the area and can fit in the size of your palm.









Stability Ball -

Use it at home for exercise or sitting and give your core a workout. This versatile piece of equipment hints at balance, flexibility, strength









Core Ball -

You're thinking medicine ball, but you do not have to throw the core ball. If you have very sturdy walls (i.e., brick or concrete) or yard space, then a medicine ball works very well. But, you can get similar effects with a core ball minus the interior design or extra lot size.








Sandbag -

It's a good secret that adds a challenge to the low impact exercises as well as to the high impact exercises.






Stairs -

Well, you do not have to carry stairs because they should already be readily accessible. Stairs are a number one piece of equipment for cardiovascular activities, beating out any other cardio machine.









Stretch Strap -

You can just use yourself and/or a partner to help stretch you out. But, if you must get stretching assistance, then the strap is best for flexibility.

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS        www.teempt.com           TEEM Performance Training

Contagious Winter People

#Inspiration #Motivation #Spring

Honestly, this message is meant to be really short. A lot of people have been affected by the winter season. It dumped record snow on the Boston and Eastern Massachusetts area for that matter (Worcester, MA and Lowell, MA actually had a little more snow). But, a harsh winter cannot keep an inspired and motivated person down right?

Are you a C.W.P. by any means? As an exerciser, as an eater, and as an athlete, are you contagious this time of year. It's a busy time of year - it's always busy, right? - as everyone adjusts to a new year (and even new weather patterns). It's also easy to become dehydrated because of all the salts, sugars, and fats consumed coupled with the decrease in exercise, water, and sometimes rest.

Now, that winter is finally over (but, it did do its job), hopefully good habits can flourish this spring. How do you feel inspired entering this new season?

With heart,
Derek

Derek Arledge, MS, CSCS       www.teempt.com      TEEM Performance Training