Half Marathon Training Tips

I had a reader ask me for some tips on preparing for a half marathon.  These are my favorite blog posts to write because I know that at least one person really wants to read it :-D  So for those of you who have a question about health or fitness, please feel free to email me and I would be happy to answer it!

To start, for those of you who are interested in training for a half marathon (or any race for that matter), I promise you will be extremely happy if you go for it.  YES, their will be training days where you say to yourself, "Why the hell am I doing this," but I guarantee that the feeling of accomplishment will be worth it!

Here are 5 quick tips to help you in your half marathon training:

My Hero! And the 1st Principle of Strength Training

My hero:

• Has saved a life
• Led fellow citizens to military triumph
• Was a six time Olympic Victor
• Carried his own bronze statue to its place
• Had a daily diet that consisted of 20 lb of meat, 20 lb of bread, and 18 pints of wine
• Carried a 4-year old bull on his shoulders before slaughtering, roasting, and devouring it in one day.
• Died while attempting to rend a tree asunder when his hands became trapped in the cleft of its trunk, and a pack of wolves surprised and devoured him...

I know what your thinking. Charlie Sheen obviously...  Although Charlie has several "winning" accomplishments himself, I am actually thinking of someone else.  Who could it be? Read on!

Why Lifting Weights Doesn't Mean you will get "BULKY"

Strength.  It's never a bad thing!  Who wouldn't want it?...
Muscular strength, simply put, is a measure of how much force you can produce.  Your level of muscular strength allows or prevents you from being able to perform many of your actions of daily living.

However, a common misconception of strength training is that in gaining muscular strength you WILL get "bulky."  I regularly hear this from female clients and anyone who just wants to "get toned."  I believe that this misconception is a large part of why so many individuals will spend all their time on the treadmill rather than including resistance training (i.e., lift weights) into their workout.