Just J.Faye

Hiking & Other Adventures

30-Minute Elliptical Workout

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Let’s play a little game of Would You Rather?

Would you rather… run 7 miles outside or do the elliptical for 20 minutes?

For me, 7 miles. Hands down. Every Day. No more questions. What would you choose?

I know, a short-lived game. It was fun though, right?!

My point here is that strongly dislike the elliptical. The treadmill too. Oh, and the stationary bike. Basically, any form of cardio that is done indoors on a machine for longer than 8 minutes.

8 minutes on one of these things = eternity. I don’t have the mental strength for eternal workouts.

But you know, sometimes you just do whatcha gotta do. Maybe it’s -20 degrees outside (Please, God. Not again.). Maybe there is a lightning storm. Maybe you have a bum hip/knee and need to take a break from running (like me right now. Sad face). Whatever the reason, sometimes you just need to roll with the punches and jump on a machine.

I have found that doing interval workouts on the elliptical/treadmill/bike fly by much quicker than doing a steady pace the entire time. Plus higher intensity = shorter workouts. Shorter workouts = happy Jenna.

So when life hands you lemons… go work on your speed. Here’s what we’ll do:

30 Min Elliptical Workout

Start off with a nice 5-minute warm up. Get your blood pumping and try to get a little bit faster every minute. Minutes 5-10 will alternate between 30 seconds of sprinting at a high resistance level and 30 second of jogging at lower resistance. Then jump off gently step down, because Minute 10 will be a plyometric exercise and Minute 11 will be a strength exercise. The pattern in Minutes 5-12 will repeat two more times with varying resistances, plyometrics, and strength exercises. Afterwards treat yourself to a full 4-minute cool down while thinking about how surprisingly enjoyable the workout was.

When you get off of the elliptical to do the jumps and push ups use a clock or watch to time the minute. If you don’t have easy access to a time keeping device you can do the quantities listed below instead.

30 Min Elliptical Workout

Chances are that the machine will have reset due to inactivity. This is ok. Get the machine going and proceed with the 5 minutes of intervals.

I did this workout on Friday and burned just over 300 calories according to my heart rate monitor. Not bad for a 30 minute workout! Make sure to do some stretching afterwards.

And hey, maybe in this little game of Would You Rather you chose the elliptical over running. If that’s the case then you are awesome and I hope you enjoy this workout.

It’s Sunday. Get on it and go burn off all that Halloween candy!

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5-4-3-2-1 Variety Speed Run

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I love a nice and easy five-mile run; however, every once in a while it’s good to switch things up and add in some variety speed.

You know, break up the monotony of routine. Spice up coffee with some cinnamon. Listen to country instead of pop. Wear lipstick. Do some speed work in the middle of a run.

We’re not doing anything crazy here. But still, let’s try out something different. Bust through plateaus. Be re-energized. Become better. And when it comes to running, get faster.

Adding in intervals and speed work into a regular run can do just that.

Running at your “easy run” pace is great, but eventually your body will get too used to it. You won’t be improving, because you won’t be adding new stresses (good stress in this case) for it to adapt too. Incorporating speed work into your runs can help break up the muscle memory of your usual pace, helping you to become faster with the same amount of effort. Speed work can also lead to a VO2 Max improvement, allowing you to be able to work harder for a longer period of time.

These are all good things, so this is what we need to do: 5-4-3-2-1.

Variety Speed Workout

This workout is definitely a workout. It’s not easy, but it goes surprisingly fast.

Once the second speed interval is completed you’re basically almost done! This is also about the time I need to start my mantras: “Three minutes! You can push it for three minutes!”, “Two minutes. Two minutes. Two minutes. That’s it. Just two short minutes”, “I just need to pick it up for one more minute – that’s basically nothing!” Some days it’s easier to convince myself of these things than others.

The key is to make the last one-minute interval of speed work as fast as (if not faster than) the first five-minute interval. This will help you train your body/legs/mind how to kick it into gear and push through the fatigue, which will come in handy during the last few moments/miles of your next race.

You can check out some other speed workouts here and here. Maybe add in some burpees just for fun?

Kidding.

(I’m not kidding)

This workout is perfect for a 6-7 mile run with a full two-mile warm up and cool down (depending on your pace). If you want something shorter you can decrease the warm up and cool down, just be sure to get at least eight minutes in for each. You can also start the speed intervals at four minutes rather than five.

If you are a go-getter or are further along in marathon training, feel free to add on a six-minute speed interval with a three-minute recovery at the beginning. This would probably get you closer to 7-9 miles.  I will be doing tomorrow this after work. Cannot wait.

Speaking of marathon training and marathons… the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon was yesterday!

This marathon. It’s amazing. I love it. The runners. The spectators. The course. All wonderful.

I am on the Marketing Committee for Twin Cities in Motion and organized the cheer zone contest. Part of my duties for this was to bike along the course and judge the cheer zones to determine the winners. My friend Katie and I biked, stopped at the cheer zones, chatted with people, ate, drank, cheered on runners… it was rough, but we got the job done. It was my second year working on the cheer zones and being on the association – I loved every minute of it!

Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon 2014 Now that I have run a couple of marathons I understand the blood, sweat, and tears (literally) that go into training for and running one. The 26.2 mile journey begins long before the start line. It’s a true feat of endurance and is (in my opinion) just as much of a physical challenge as it is a mental one.

8,848 people crossed the finish line yesterday. All at different times for different reasons with a different story. I hope they are all celebrating right now. And foam rolling.

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The Magic Of Foam Rolling

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Foam rolling. It’s a magical, magical thing.

foam rolling Are you familiar with the magic of foam rolling? If not, let me tell you about it. If so, let me remind you.

Foam rolling is a form of self-myofascial release. I know, “self-myo-whaaaa?” Fascia. It’s the connective tissue that surrounds all of your muscles and nerves, kind of like tendons or ligaments.

Self-myofascial release (SMR) is a stretching technique just like static stretching and dynamic stretching. I can get really sciency here and talk all about Golgi tendon organs (GTO), muscle spindles, and autogenic inhibition, but I won’t. Basically SMR helps muscles and tissues to relax. Due to things like overuse, repetitive movements, and poor posture, muscles can become tight and develop adhesions. Over time this can lead to muscle inflammation, spasms, impaired movements, and muscle imbalances.

Who wants that? No one. That’s where the foam roller magic comes in.

The purpose of a foam roller is to put pressure on these sore spots or “trigger points” in order to release the knots. It’s like giving yourself a deep tissue massage.

The act of foam rolling is really quite simple. Roll the foam roller along the targeted area (calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, upper back, etc.) until you feel a tender spot. Hold the roller on this spot for 30-90 seconds. This is the hard part. It is painful with a capital p (AKA: Painful). Hold it, try to relax your muscles, and breathe through it. You’ll feel better later, I promise. After the hold continue to roll along the targeted area looking for more of these trigger points to release.

The SMR technique can be done as part of your warm-up routine or as a post-workout cool down or just do it everyday while you’re catching up on The Mindy Project. It also pairs well with static stretching.

The magic of foam rolling is that it helps improve range of motion, muscle alignment, flexibility, and neuromuscular efficiency. It is also way more cost-effective than getting regular $70 massages. It is only about $20 for a foam roller than you can use over and over and over and over again. Not a bad deal, huh? I have this one.

For more information and some pictorial instructions, go here.

I can’t begin to express how important foam rolling is. After you add it into your routine on a regular basis you’ll begin to notice and feel all of the benefits. I really hope you try it out.

I’m sitting here typing this after a week of running 42 miles, including a hill workout, a variety speed workout, and a 17-mile long run. Yikes. Let me tell you, I did not do a good job at foam rolling this week. My legs are tight and I could definitely feel my left hip flexor and knee during the last 14 miles of my 17-mile run. That’s not ok.

Lesson learned: foam roll, errday.

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Pre-Race Strides

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On Saturday morning I kicked off my Philadelphia Marathon training by running a half marathon. Pretty exciting.

Signing up probably wasn’t the best decision I have ever made, since I am a little untrained and haven’t run over 10 miles since Grandma’s Marathon last June. But it’s ok. I survived (clearly otherwise I wouldn’t be typing this).

This was my 4th half marathon and unfortunately I didn’t set a new PR (Personal Record). At mile 10 there was a chance that if I just pushed it those last 3.1 miles I could have done it, but I didn’t. My racing mentality just wasn’t there that morning. Oh well. #betterlucknexttime

Overall though, I’m still happy that I did it. It was a nice long run and a good course. It will be a great baseline to see how I improve over the next few weeks with some actual training.

Now that I am officially in marathon training, it’s time for me to really get down to business. The next 16 weeks will be work, but fun work and exciting work. My goal for this marathon is to finish below 3:45, which would be a 4 minute improvement over my last time. I can do it! I hope.

Are any of you signed up for a race? 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon??

If so, it’ll be good to add some strides into your training and pre-race routine.

pre-race strides

The thing that I love about doing strides is that they make me feel so good! First of all, they only last 30 seconds. Second, they really do help loosen up my legs. The goal is to stay relaxed during these bursts and just let your legs go. It almost feels like you’re flying and it’s pretty cool. When I do these I try to imagine myself in a race and it’s the last 30 seconds before crossing the finish line.

Try them out a day or two before your next race!

What? You aren’t signed up for a race? That’s ok! You can still incorporate these to the end of a normal easy run. It’s a good introduction to speed work. And then go sign up for a race.

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No Equipment Strength + Cardio Circuit Workout

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It is always great to be able to sneak away from Minneapolis and go on little weekend getaways. This is especially true when it’s spent up north with lots of family, good food, relaxation, and sunshine, which is precisely how I spent my time this weekend.

The downside (probably the only downside) to weekend travel is figuring out how/where I can squeeze in a workout or two. You know, in between sleeping in, brunch, beers, and relaxing. It truly is a rough life.

But really, it does give me some anxiety.

This weekend I was in northern Minnesota at a family reunion (it was so fun, but more about that later, I’ll discuss the workout first) and fortunately my mind was at ease because I fit in my 10-miler on Thursday morning annndddd because I was scheduled (per my Mother’s reunion agenda) to lead a Saturday morning bootcamp with the family.

I was a bit nervous (so I guess my mind wasn’t totally at ease) that A) people wouldn’t show up for the bootcamp and B) whoever did show up would think it was dumb, too hard, or not challenging enough. I even had a dream Friday night that my sister and cousin were the only ones that came and they ended up quitting mid-way through. Sad.

Luckily, none of that happened. People came! We met out by the lake at 9:00am and had a great workout together outside.

no equipment strength & cardio workout

To sum it up, this workout is composed of four rounds and three sets of each round. 30 seconds of a resistance training exercise is followed by 30 seconds of a cardio/plyo exercise. This workout keeps your heart rate elevated and helps you hit the major muscle groups.

The great thing about this workout is that absolutely no equipment is necessary. We did this out by the lake and the only thing I needed was the stopwatch on my phone to time the 30-second intervals.

Meaning, no more fretting about weekend travel workouts! You can do this workout anytime, anywhere. Do it on your next vacay. Or today at home!

Another great thing about this workout is that anyone can do it! Progress or regress the exercises as needed (feel free to put a question in the comments if you need help with this) for whatever works best for YOU. Push yourself during those 30-second increments and make the work count. You will (as I did and some of my family members too) feel it the next morning.

The workout above is a little bit modified from what I went through on Saturday. We did some more ab work and added on some hills at the end. Yes, hills! We were not messing around. You are welcome to tack on some hill training on the end of this too if the mood strikes you, but the outline above is a great workout as is.

Everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves – you know, after it was all over – which was a huge relief for me.

Dummers can party hard and work hard. Look at this: strong, sweaty, and smiling.

dummer family reunion The rest of the weekend was an absolute blast. I was even able to fit in two 5-mile runs on top of Saturday’s morning bootcamp (bonus!). We went out on the lake, ate too much good food, had a bean bag tournament, golfed, drank beer and margaritas, made s’mores by the campfire, celebrated a 40th birthday, played volleyball, and enjoyed time together as a family. Some of these people I hadn’t seen since our last reunion three years ago!

We are planning to have the next one in two years, potentially in Laramie, WY. But no matter where it is, it will be amazing. I’m already excited.

Here are some fun pictures from the weekend.

dummer family reunion My favorite is the top one of the three brothers. They are three handsome and amazing men, who met beautiful women and raised wonderful families. I love them all so much. The bottom picture is just the Ed (my grandpa’s) branch of the Dummer tree.

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Fartlek Training Run

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I have another fun running workout for you: Fartlek training!

Yes, I said it: Fartlek. Did the 3rd grader in you just giggle? Mine did. I mean, how can you not?!

Ok. I am terrible. Moving on…

So, Fartlek: what the heck is it?

It’s a Swedish term meaning “Speed Play”. It is very similar to interval and tempo training, but is unstructured. The key is to play with different speeds throughout your run. The random sprints and middle distance running keeps your body guessing and works both your aerobic and anaerobic systems. Instead of set intervals (example: 1-minute at “5K pace” + 1-minute recovery) the speeds and distances vary (example: “run hard to that tree” + “walk to the next sign”).

Sounds kind of fun, right? It is.

Fartlek training was developed by Gösta Holmér, the Swedish cross-country coach, in the late 1930s. The Swedes were continually dominated by the Finns through the 1920s and didn’t have fancy training equipment or facilities at the time. With Holmér’s new Fartlek method the Swedish runners could do their training basically anywhere, like through some intense Swedish trails, while working to increase their speed and build their stamina.

Fartlek training really paid off for Gunder Hägg, a Swedish runner, who set 10 world records in 3 months in 1942 and broke 5 more world records after that. #success

So let’s be like Gunder and Gösta and Fartlek! fartlek training run

You can also do this workout on your own and/or inside. I do strongly recommend doing it in a group and running outside, because it will be more fun. Group running builds camaraderie. Plus, you’ll then have other people to compete with a little bit, motivating and pushing you more than you maybe would have if you were by yourself. Most of my fellow running friends are faster than me, which forces me to become a better, faster runner – I still have a lot of opportunity to improve, so I better keep on keepin’ on.

All in all, Fartlek training is a great way to add in some spontaneous speed work during a normal run, building speed and endurance. Lace up your running shoes, grab a friend, and go Fartlek it up!

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