Begin a Fitness Program on National Running Day

Despite the fact that fitness incentives and promotions crop up from time to time, we're still a country of chubbies. Sad but true. This week there's another drive to raise awareness. June 3rd, 2009 is National Running Day.

Find a Local Running Event

There are locally organized events all over the nation. Find a running event that you can participate in. Sad to say, the dialog box where you enter a state, zip code, etc. didn't work too well for me. Just scroll through the list and see if you can find one.

Can't find one? Doesn't matter a whit. You don't need something organized to begin a running routine. Running is a minimalist sport, yet it's one of the best ones for your heart, lungs, immune system, attitude and more.

Get Your Fitness Gear

At a minimum, you'll need a properly-fitted pair of running shoes and a pair of shorts. Cheap, eh? No greens fees, no gym membership, no gasoline and boat trailer tax. Once you really get into it, there are some really cool toys, er, ah, I mean accessories! Check upon it out:

• Hydration. No doubt you've already got a basic plastic water bottle even if it's just the one from the grocery store, or a used Gatorade bottle. But there are handy water bottle belts. Check out Fuel Belt for one.
• Identification and emergency medical information. This is one that a lot of runners forget. Anytime you wander from home, you risk a medical problem. It's easy to have that info on hand without getting it tattooed on! For an affordable wrist ID, ankle ID, shoe ID, or shoe pouch ID, check out www.RoadID.com.
• Heart rate monitor. These come in handy for training in specific zones based on your maximum heart rate.
• Performance-enhancing MP3 recordings. I recently found this one and it's awesome. It uses gamma and beta waves to get you "in the zone" and boost endorphins, better known as the "runner's high".
  

So there you go. Motivated yet? Lace up those shoes!

Training for Speed

Springtime is the time for jumping back into speedwork training. For most of us, the marathon season is behind us and shorter distances like 5K and 10K races are looming on our collective horizon.

This is best done with a group. That's the key to motivation and inspiration. Plus, the local high school track can get pretty boring all by yourself. A side benefit of shocking the system with high intensity training is boosting the immune system. Who wants a case of that stinkin' swine flu anyway?

The only thing I need pork for is breakfast and dinner.

Ease into speedwork with moderate effort tempo runs or shorter distance intervals. Here's what's on my plate next:
3 sets of
2 X 100m
2 X 200m
1 X 400m
All this preceeded and followed by stretching exercises.

Judging from experience garnered over the past 10 years, this is the time to get to it; before the real summer heat sets in. Acclimatization rules.