Posted by
Brianna Traxinger on
I’m a runner who currently cannot run. I’m on a rehabilitation journey to correct the hip impingement and subsequent sciatic nerve pain that has kept me from the activities that I love, and I want to share what I’m learning along the way.
Posted by
Chicory on
Yoga can be great for your mind and your body but it can be hard to carve out time to get to a studio to practice. But Jasyoga was designed by athletes, for athletes, and creator Erin Taylor knows what runners need. The videos range from 5 to 45 minutes and Erin uses straightforward language to make the routines easy to follow. I’ve been an avid user for a few years because I love being able to find routines that address what I need in that moment. Here’s my five favorite videos from the current collection — a great way for new users to get started, but also maybe a chance to try a new one for current users. Log on to the website or download the app, and use code EXTRASALT for a free month membership — and, if you’re a regular user already, post your favorites in the comments!
Posted by
Brianna Traxinger on
Hello runners,
I’m Brianna, known around here as Spruce. I was introduced to Salty Running when I serendipitously met Laura Parson on an outdoor conservation trip in Utah this spring. The alluring combination of running and writing immediately drew me to the community, and I wanted in. Read more >>
Posted by
Lavender on
Injury got you down? Maybe it’s tendonitis, a sprain, a stress fracture or one of the Million Different Ways Your Knee Can Turn Into a Knob of Hot Fire-y Pain … whatever is ailing you, every injury sucks. The PT has prescribed time off. You’re completely justified in using that time to just not run, if you’re into that, but, like … who’s into that?
A serious study of anecdotal evidence (sponsored by the SaltyValu corp) shows that almost no runner wants to take time off, which we have unscientifically extrapolated to mean that you’ll probably be cross training if you’re injured, and that you might be cross training even if you’re not injured. Believe it or not there are many ways to exercise without running and some of them are actually fun!
Exhibit A:
Okay but really, I don’t mean it’s fun to cross train in that stock photo, depressingly persistent and overwhelmingly male-driven ideas about women and athleticism kind of way, I mean it can actually be fun.
Please note that depending on your specific injury you may or may not be able to safely do all of these activities, so I recommend checking with your doctor or physical therapist and paying attention to how your body feels!
Posted by
Chicory on
Want to skip to the video? Click right here, baby.
I first took Pilates in college—for credit, because I was at a bougie Northeastern school—and I loved it. It spoke to my dancer spirit, and I loved the specificity of the practice, connecting breath with movement and being precise and intentional about every action.
I came back to practicing about the same time that I started running, when I joined a gym that offered mat classes. But after some life upheaval I stopped going and just ran more. Ultimately this resulted in stress fractures in both shins and a strained hamstring. Lesson learned! Once my injuries healed I joined a new gym, in part, because it also offered Pilates mat classes. I loved the classes and the gym so much that I decided to get certified to teach about three years ago.
Pilates can do wonders for runners. Its focus is on the entire powerhouse, not just your abdominals, but all the supporting core musculature including your hips and lower back. It can shore up your body to ward off a ton of common running injuries.
I recognize Pilates can be cost-prohibitive and intimidating, but I promise it’s not all graceful women hanging upside-down on what looks like a torture apparatus, and a lot of the exercises are simple things you can do at home. Starting right now!
Here are five of my favorite Pilates exercises for runners.
Posted by
Chili on
I recently listened to a podcast that discussed statistics of people who have violent fantasies. According to several studies, a whopping number of women and men interviewed admit to having at least one violent fantasy in their lives, if not many more.
But not to worry, we aren’t all a bunch of psychopaths. There is often a “well-intended” catalyst for such fantasies; for example, self-preservation, a reaction to injustice or protection of others. The podcast went on to explain how one can “direct” these impulses into more acceptable forms of behavior, a defense mechanism that Freud labeled sublimation.
In layperson speak, sublimation is the transformation of an unwelcome impulse into an unharmful or even a beneficial outcome. Freud called it “a mature type of defense mechanism”—he actually believed that sublimation was a sign of maturity!
And now for my point: competition is a marvelous means of sublimating for a runner with lots of explosive energy and a drive for crushing her opposition. In fact, competitive sports are a prime example of healthy sublimation. But when a runner is on a forced break from running, the competitive outlet, is eliminated.
So, then, what is one to do? Read more >>
Posted by
Olive on
In January, I stumbled across the finish line of the Houston half marathon exhausted, disappointed, and completely burned out on running. After I caught my breath and realized I wasn’t going to puke on the volunteers, my first thought was “now I never have to train for anything again!”
It’s been over 2 months since the race ended, and although I’ve run a little, I’m not ready to train again. Taking a break like this was scary for me — I’ve been training pretty much non-stop for some type of race for almost 9 years — but it’s been eye-opening too.
First, let me share all the things that did NOT happen when I took a break. Read more >>
Posted by
Laura Parson on
Women runners are a fantastically motivated bunch. We run in addition to working, mothering, wife-ing, styling, schooling, and more. Our lives outside of running are more than a full-time job, and yet we keep lacing up and putting in the miles day after day. Week after week. Year after year. And, for most of us (or most of what we read about), that daily running and #extrasalt routine is dedicated towards a specific race or a specific race goal. Our training plans are geared towards a specific goal, which is the way they should be, according to motivation research.
But what if training for a race or a running goal isn’t what you want to be doing right now (or what you can’t be doing right now)? How do you create a running training plan to train for life and maintain your fitness so that when and if you do decide it’s time to race again, you are ready to start?
Posted by
Maple on
As runners, we spend most of our spare time running, so fitting in strength training, yoga, and general recovery can be a challenge. In an effort to make strength training more convenient, I decided to get a kettlebell. Little did I know I was purchasing my own piece of history!
Did you know that iron kettlebells were first introduced in the 1700s? Initially, the kettlebell was used to weigh crops, but eventually turned into a prop used by strongmen to demonstrate their extraordinary strength. Since then, the kettlebell has established itself as one of the foundational pieces of equipment in gyms across the world. From strength, balance, flexibility and endurance, the kettlebell is one of my favourite pieces of training equipment.
As I was learning about my new piece of equipment, I came across a 2013 study by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse that showed that two one-hour kettlebell workouts a week lead to notable strength gains, an increase in aerobic capacity, improved dynamic balance and a dramatic increase in core strength. What runner doesn’t want more of that stuff? Read more >>
Posted by
Fennel on
If we free associated and I said “rowing machines,” you might say “dated!” “boring!” or “old-fashioned!” but since we’ve been talking #extrasalt challenge, I thought I’d take this opportunity to suggest some #extrasalt you probably haven’t considered.
I’ve been rowing since a pelvic stress fracture three and a half years ago. I tried it on a whim, having no idea this torture-device-looking contraption would rocket my running to a whole new level. So put on your crew socks and strap in, runners. I’m going to show you why rowing is the best #extrasalt you can put on your training.
Posted by
Olive on
So you’re at the gym and heading for your favorite treadmill for the 8397th time this winter, but you can’t stomach the thought of another run while watching Fox News or the Hallmark Channel (seriously, who picks these stations?). You could cross-train, but getting to the pool is a huge pain, all the ellipticals are taken, and it seems to take three times as long to get a good workout on a bike. Here’s an idea: strength train on the mill!
Yes, you will look dumb and your fellow gym-goers may laugh and, hey, you might even laugh at yourself. But changing up your routine is good for you. Strength training will challenge muscles that don’t regularly get used, helping you avoid injury. There’s a litany of other benefits of adding or swapping a run for some strength work even once a week.
Read on for ideas for using your treadmill as a strength-training tool! Read more >>
Posted by
Olive on
Runners notoriously like to run and only run. We have a limited amount of time to work out, after all, and why not spend it doing our favorite form of exercise? A few years ago, I started taking a few group fitness classes a week and fell in love. In fact, I loved them so much that I became an instructor 18 months ago.
Group fitness classes are a great way to learn new exercises, cross-train, meet new people, and challenge yourself in a group setting. Because an instructor has already designed the workout for you, all you have to do is show up and follow along. They’re usually set to great music and you just might push yourself more than you would alone because there’s a room full of people encouraging you to work hard.
Ready to get started? Here are some classes that are great for runners.
Posted by
Cayenne on
Storied coach Jack Daniels once said, “The best way to become a better runner is through running.” This concept, that the best training to improve yourself in something is to do that thing in training, is called “training specificity” and is supported by science.
So why practice the trombone if you’re a tuba player (I’m a musician, remember)? Maybe your tuba is in the shop getting fixed so the only instrument around is the trombone. Maybe you’re so sick of the tuba, but you don’t mind the trombone and know some training, albeit not ideal for tuba-playing, is better than nothing. Maybe every time you play the tuba more than four days a week your arm gets sore, but by switching between the tuba and the trombone you can play every day. The trombone and the tuba both require lung capacity and air speed control, so while training on a trombone for tuba excellence isn’t ideal in theory, it may be ideal for you.
Similarly, what might be the ideal running training plan on paper, might not be what is ideal for you. Should you work aerobic cross-training into your training even when you’re not injured?
Read more >>
Posted by
Pesto on
One week out from the beginning of my taper, while cruising through a ten-mile tempo run, I felt a terrible pain in my right shin at mile seven. I’m tough, I thought, and pushed through. After I completed the prescribed workout at 6:25 pace the pain got worse and I hobbled home. Subsequent days of frantic icing, stretching, icing, stretching, and PT sessions ensued. After numerous PT sessions, including (terribly painful) Graston and dry needling, I was still confident this was a bad case of shin splints and the taper would take care of it.
If you’ve ever felt a pain like that after training too aggressively or if you have weak bone density, you already know I was wrong. After hobbling around for a couple more weeks, I abandoned my hopes of running the Vermont City Marathon. A visit to the orthopedist confirmed my suspicions; my right tibia was showing a sizable fracture, visible to the naked and untrained eye. I was told to wear a walking boot until I could walk without pain. No running for six weeks minimum.
NOOOOOOOOOO!
I worked so freaking hard to get my fitness to sub-3:00 marathon level! Could I even hope to maintain that fitness over that much time off?
Well, I decided to dive in and find out. Before my stress fracture, pool running was not a workout I’d ever considered, but when it becomes the only way to meet your goals, it is suddenly very attractive. Read more >>
Posted by
Dill on
I’m a runner. I’ve run many, many marathons. I run a lot. I’m an athlete (shut up, New Balance ad). However, exercising in ways that don’t involve running aren’t really my thing. Sure everyone says we should strength train, do yoga, or whatever, but I was always too busy just trying to get my miles in. I never bothered to heed that advice … until now, that is. Maybe it was the excitement of the New Year, but something called me like a siren to the gym and made me sign up for a circuit training class.
My thinking went something like this: it will be good for me and surely, being the badass marathon running athlete I am, it will be easy and fun!
Picture me standing in the middle of a large exercise studio surrounded by a group of extremely coordinated women in capris and tank tops. The music is thumping and suddenly the instructor orders us to warm up. We start by jogging in place and doing jumping jacks.
Jumping jacks?!
I’m over 35 and I have had two children, and as a general rule I don’t jump up and down anymore. My running muscles don’t like it and it carries a high risk of peeing myself. Not wanting to be that girl who’s not participating, and because I’m an athlete, dammit! I jump along with everyone else. Just as I’m thinking maybe I should leave, we stop jumping and move on to something called grape vines that require me to move my marathoning feet in ways that should be illegal. Naturally, I trip a few times and wonder why am I here? I think I should sneak out and go throw some weights around, or better yet, find the treadmills. For some reason, I stay. Read more >>
