Live.Run.Turkey... I mean PIE.

Live: It's the holiday season which means it's marathon mania, lots of food is to be consumed, and surroundings consist of family and friends. Being surrounded by family and friends brings a sense of comfort to people. Enjoy your time with your loved ones, all the great food, and go for a run.

Run: The Atlanta Half Marathon, which was on Thanksgiving, was a great start to a wonderful day! Ross and I not only accomplished a personal best of 1:49, but also made plenty of room for all the scrumptious food! I'm so proud to say we had such an awesome race. He's got the speed, and I got the distance. We make a great team. If you love to run, I recommend finding a race for next year's Thanksgiving. The atmosphere is different than any other half, and it beats watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on TV. Just remember to keep running and exercise during the holiday season to help keep off those unwanted pounds. Below is a picture of Ross and I after the half.

Turkey PIE: Forget the turkey, pass the pie! After running 13.1 miles on Thanksgiving the pie and dessert eating was on! I've stated in previous blogs that motivation is key to being successful during training for a race. My motivation consisted of eating guilt free after completing the half, and I did just that! I made oatmeal raisin cookies, pumpkin cheesecake, and a pumpkin cake roll for the festivities. That's where we will leave my list of sweets that were consumed.

Thanksgiving is over and now it's time to start training for Atlanta ING Full Marathon. Only 112 days to go till our first marathon! It's important to let your legs rest after completing a half or full. The rule of thumb for rest depends on the runner. I recommend if you are new to running to rest for a couple of days after the race. Then gradually build back up your mileage. However, if you are an experienced runner, or been running longer distance than the training guide for a half then rest will be less. You know your body best so pay attention to any signs of fatigue or weakness.

Training Exercise of the Week: Stretch. Remember to stretch your legs more than normal for a few days after a race. Your legs are more likely to feel sore or tight.

• Stretch your legs in 2-3 different positions. I recommend standing, sitting, and lying down.
• Stretch your quadriceps, hamstrings, and calf muscles.
• Hold your stretch for 30-60 seconds.
• Repeat each stretch 2-3 times per muscle group.

Training Tip of the Week: Don't take too much time off for rest. It's important to take time off to let your muscles heal and rest. However, I don't recommended more than a week off of running. If you take too much time off your body will start to lose the adaptation you had built during all your hard months of training. If you still feel sore after a week slowly build your mileage back up. Remember the more time you take off the longer it will take to build your endurance back to baseline.

Training Songs of the Week: Two songs that will help add a bounce in your step. Enjoy!

1. Slumdog Millionaire- Wyclef Jean ft. Cyndi Lauper

2. Super Duper Love- Joss Stone

Happy Running,

Jayme