Let's Get Moving!! 

It's fall, the weather is perfect and it's time to get busy!  We are starting our training today!  So, grab your family and friends, throw on your shoes, and let's get started today.  No more procrastinating!  This will be fun!  

Each week on Sunday you will find a posting here with training details and information that is useful or needed for the race.  Remember, even if you aren't actually a runner in the race, we want you to get out and enjoy getting into shape with your family.  Here are a few ideas for you as we get started:

1.  Take your picture (not required but good to do)  You should wear something that best reveals what you look like now.  Some take the photo in their swimsuits or shorts, you decide.  Even if you don't want to lose weight, take your photo.  Take a photo of your children too.

2.  Weigh yourself.  Always use the same scale.  Most weigh in the exact same clothes and same time every time they weigh.  We will not obsess at all with weighing.  Some of you might want to gain weight, some will want to maybe lose weight and some will not care either way.  We will only weigh every four weeks.  You may want to weigh everyone in their swimsuits in the early morning on a Sunday before you eat.  Each weigh in is private and we will not be using that information.  It is only a means for measuring your progress.

2.  Take some measurements.  Some measure their waist, hips, shoulders, you name it.  It is a way for you to measure your progress.   You could possibly measure your child's height to see how well they "grow", or measure their muscles.  You may also want to put down your pant, shirt, or dress size.

3.  At some point you may want to get a physical from your doctor.  This applies to all members of the family.  Ask them to take your heart rate and blood pressure.  They could also test your lipids and glucose if you want.  These too, will likely improve with exercise.

4.  Locate a good pair of shoes.  Don't postpone exercising for the perfect shoes but get some well fit, newer rather than older, running shoes.  If possible, go to a running center and have them look at your shoes, check your gait and make recommendations for a good shoe for your foot (feet).  Good shoes really help to prevent injuries like shin splints and knee or back aches and pains.  

5.  Whenever possible try to set aside a specific time for exercising everyday.  In time, (shorter than you think), it will be a habit and one that you look forward to rather than dread.

6.  Get an inexpensive notebook and keep track of what you and your family do everyday.  It can be as easy as indicating:  date, activity, length or time,  weather, how you felt (was it easy or difficult), time you did the activity.  This is another way of measuring your progress.  A fun idea is to get a map of your city or state and after exercising, add up the total distance of all members of the family and mark that distance on your community map.  You will be surprised at how quickly the miles add up and it will be fun to see where you can go!  You can also add up minutes or hours if that is easier.  If you want to do miles but you are training according to minutes, use a pedometer or your car to measure the distance you are walking or running twice a month and you will have an idea of the miles you are traveling.  Even if you don't exercise, indicate why you didn't and make a plan for getting out again the next day. 

Each week we will post the suggested Ragnar training schedules for beginners and one for intermediate runners.  According to Ragnar officials, start out slow and easy.  Walk if you need but make sure you try to exercise the suggested time or distance.  If you can't exercise one day, don't worry, resume the next day and pick up on the schedule where you left off.  Sunday is always a rest day.  Some days will indicate that you rest or cross train.  Cross training is doing another exercise other that running or walking, like swimming, biking, yoga, aerobics, lifting weights, playing a sport like basketball, football or anything you can think of that increases your heart rate.  Cross training is fun and exercises other muscles while giving your main running muscles a rest.  On those days, you decide.  Maybe at first you will need to rest but try to push yourself and get into the habit of playing a game of soccer, basketball, four square, tennins, you name it, together.  

One more thing:  don't forget to become a member of this site.  It is an easy way to communicate!

Week 1 Training

Beginners:

Monday (today):  15 minutes of running/walking

Tuesday:  Rest or cross train

Wednesday:  15 minutes of running/walking

Thursday:  Rest or cross train

Friday:  15 minutes of running/walking

Saturday:  rest or cross train

Sunday:  we will always rest on Sunday

Intermediate:

Monday:  run/walk 3 miles

Tuesday:  run/walk 4 miles

Wednesday:  run/walk 3 miles

Thursday:  run/walk 4 miles

Friday:  3 miles

Saturday:  run/walk 5 miles

Sunday:  we always rest on Sunday

Good Luck!!