Maximum speed

Yuhuu,

my friend asked if I would like to join to run in Helsinki City Run in May! :D Maybe, I could do a half marathon... ?  My longest run ever was 14 km, so it would be interesting to test. The idea of having a clear goal for running would really motivate, so next week, I will start to run in an organized way (I will post the program here).

Today, we made a little test runing fast speed 3,5km (19 min) with Robert. So very short, but intensive :D
I was little afraid of running fasr, since I was not sure, how far I could keep the pace, or if I would be lagging far behind Robert. Awful thought! :D

On the other hand, if you learn to push yourself sometimes over your normal limits, it will get easier in the real life too, developing also the mind. It also increases the metabolism and increases your speed even when you run longer distances. So you could also try, what is your fastest 3km or 5km, just to know your level and to better find out how you should define your goals. Next week, we will test the 10km time.

So, starting small, but powerful! I guess this Spring could bring some nice new challenges!

Best,
Sara

Helsinki City Run

Let's do it!                 

Decrease stress, run faster

Hi,

I was (once again) busy and stressed. It was also raining and icy outside, so the weather was not the motivation for my jogging. My motivation was to be a faster runner.  Robert is faster than me, with his long legs, so I have to little practice, if I want to keep up with my boyfriend's speed :D  Secondly, I read that the sprints not only make you faster and increase your metabolism, it is also good for the stress hormone cortisol levels (National Institute of Health) When compared to my normal 5km jogging route with a steady speed, sprinting does not raise the cortisol levels, whereas steady speed does according to the studies. (Long, 1-2 hour running does not increase cortisol levels)
(KuntoPlus)

Stress fools your brain to think that you need to save all the energy that you can get and store it to your stomach area "just in case". So... Not so good, when thinking about the goal to be healthy and fit! Haha, and already having enough stress :D Just leaving to Germany and packing my stuff.



So therefore I did today a simple running workout consisting of:

Warm up 5-10 jogging

10 times 
1 minute sprint + 1 minute slow jogging
(=16 minutes)

5 minute cool down

and strecthing afterwards.


Huh! Sometimes one minute can feel extremely long! :D This is also funny exercise, because you can again test your limits and then there is the slow minute to recover. 

For the people who are interested in calories:

Burnt about 375 calories during this time :) Should have measured also the after burn, because it is supposed to also contribute quite a lot! ( I did 12 minute HIIT training and burned 125 calories and then afterwards another 200kcal in 30 minutes just by chilling!)

HOw did you feel like after your run?


Best,
Sara