running

Triathlon Training: Part I

So earlier this year I signed up to do a small triathlon (swim a half mile, bike about 12 miles, run a 5k). A triathlon isn’t exactly on my bucket list. I more just want to be able to say I’ve done one. And I thought it would keep me honest. Having something to train for would force me to train after a reasonably lazy winter.

Except it didn’t work out that way. The triathlon is Aug 4^th and around July 4^th I realized that I probably needed to start training. I’d been running because I run anyway. But I hadn’t gone biking once. And while I try to get in the pool each week, I didn’t even know how far a half a mile was.

So I got on the horn. I called the gym and I asked them how many laps equals a half a mile. Twenty-two laps (there and back) is the answer. I […]

Triathlon Training: Part IMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:34:24-04:00

Do You Need A Coma To Inspire You?

When I ran the Surftown Half Marathon in September I ran about a mile with a guy I’d never met. We struck up a conversation because he was thinking of doing a RagnarRelay and I was wearing a Ragnar Relay t-shirt. I’ve decided an amusing shirt is a good tool on a long run. It becomes a conversation piece. Next time I’m going to try to come up with something even better than an old Ragnar shirt.

As we chatted he told me that he had a snowboarding injury that left him in a coma. The doctors gave him a list of activities he’d never be able to do again. So he decided to prove them wrong. This year he was running a half marathon and training for a triathlon to prove he could run, swim and bike. He’d never done any of these activities prior.

After a mile, I slowed down and we parted ways, but in a brief time a man I didn’t […]

Do You Need A Coma To Inspire You?Maggie Downie2014-08-04T18:02:20-04:00

True-Explosive Plyometrics

Nowadays we’ll call anything that involves jumping plyometrics. It’s become the term for jumping exercises, but simply jumping isn’t exactly what plyometrics were meant to be. Plyometrics were specific types of exercises that involved a fall, which created a shock, which lead to a quick recoil (eccentric contraction of the muscles), and an almost immediate rebound (concentric contraction of the muscles) or jump. The quicker the jump the better. It is the quick turn around from eccentric contraction to concentric contraction that makes something a True or Explosive Plyometric.

Your average jumping drills everyone is doing now can provide a good workout. Most people don’t really need to practice True Plyometrics, but if you are an athlete or are working with an athlete, an avid runner, hiker or basketball player or someone who is very fit and looking to improve their speed and strength it is important to know the difference. True Plyometric drills is what will achieve enhanced speed and strength for an individual more than just jumping exercises.

Plyometrics can be […]

True-Explosive PlyometricsMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:28-04:00

The Body Surprise: The Ragnar Relay

I’m still amazed at the many ways my body can surprise me. I think I know my body pretty well and then it does something it’s never done before. Over the weekend I ran the Ragnar Relay for the second time. This year we ran from Plymouth, MA to P-Town. The runs were easy and mostly flat. None of the legs were very long. I ran 6.5 miles, 6.1 miles and 3.9 for a grand total of 16.5 miles.

I didn’t prepare that well. I ran leading up to the race, but not intensely. And normally if I know I have a long run, I hydrate and eat really well the day before. I didn’t do that this time. I think I kept telling myself this was going to be a breeze—I only have to run 6.5 miles at any one stretch and I can get through that. I didn’t tell myself that over the course of a 24-hour period I’d […]

The Body Surprise: The Ragnar RelayMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:32-04:00

Cold Shower in Review

Okay—so maybe I’m not so good at sticking to my own challenges. There were a few days where I just totally skipped on the cold shower.

That being said, there is something I like about the frigid water after I’ve gone for a run. I think it helps cool me off. If you’ve ever seen me after running, my face is bright red and hot. It will stay that way and you can even sometimes see the red drain from my face over the next hour. The cold shower helps speed that process up.

Every day that I took a cold shower I liked the way it felt on my face. I recommend hitting your face with cold water near the end of your shower. I still don’t like the way it feels on the front of my body. It makes me think of everything I’ve learned about the body—how the front line is the protector—we […]

Cold Shower in ReviewMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:32-04:00