PR Challenge - Run For It!!

I have lifted this entire post from a CustomFit Center email about the upcoming edition of PR Challenge, beginning March 22.  It's accurate, it's enthusiastic, it's chock full of testimonials... so why do over what has been done so well??

If you were worried you missed the boat last December, no need....


the ultimate running program is BACK!


We know that there are many of you who were crushed to not be able to participate in the December session of our Peak Running Challenge ("PR" Challenge). That, coupled with the fact that it was SUCH a hit, we have decided to bring it back four times in 2014 so nobody will miss out! CustomFit's "PR" Challenge will make you faster, help you reach your potential AND, leave the competition wondering what happened.


6 weeks of intensive work, this program will leave you a more efficient, faster, and better runner. We promise. First, we'll use your Functional Movement Screen results to establish exercises to improve your overall movement. Then, we will give you some great speed drills, throw in some balance and agility for good measure, all to give you the building blocks for an incredible 2014 running season and beyond.


Our first 2014 session begins on Saturday, March 22nd so mark your calendar. Doesn't work in your schedule? No problem! The next session begins on May 17th (and there are TWO more scheduled to boot!). All 2014 sessions incorporate a "target" race that will fall at the end of the program, giving you a built-in race goal. No thought required - just sign up, strap on your shoes, show up, and get to it. 

Here is what others are saying about CustomFit's "PR" Challenge:


"Now on my runs, I'm always aware of my posture making sure my head is up and shoulder blades back. Also, I'm finding after a long run I'm feeling good and not as sore as I use to be. I have more confidence in myself during a run because it feels right. I plan on continuing with all my exercises daily so I can keep on improving my stability and mobility. I can now balance on one leg so much better than before. I now see which leg is weaker and work on that side a little more."


"I am much more conscious of my running form and find that I do have a better idea of the things I can do to help me run more efficiently. The stretches and the strength exercises are also helping me recover more easily."


"I think your program is great, and I have tried to incorporate drills and other ideas into the runs I have been able to make."


"What I am excited about is I was comfortable the whole way and felt the stability of my core helping me... Running is more fun now!"


"I have gotten ALOT out of this class."


"Thanks for a really helpful experience. I am running faster."



2014 session dates are as follows:


March 22 - April 29 (Target race: Azalea Run 5K/10K May 3)
May 17 - June 24 (Target race: Home Run 5K June 28)
Sept 13 - Oct 21 (Target race: Rock 'n' Roll full/half marathon Nov 8)
Nov 15 - Dec 23 (Target race: Bethesda 5K or Ledesma Rails to Trails 5K/10K/25K/50K)


Mark your calendar, TAKE the challenge, and begin your best running, ever. If you are serious about being serious about your running, click HERE for more details. Space is limited so don't get left out! 

Be Well ~~ TRAINER JANE

A Snow Day in Savannah

A snow day in Savannah, Georgia doesn't have to include snow. The threat of snow is sufficient to shut the city down, more or less. The neighborhood coffee shops opened, I noticed, but there was little activity outside of sipping hot beverages out there today. We didn't get snow, but there were plenty of icy surfaces and dang it all, I needed my gloves and earmuffs.


Savannah is not equipped for snow or ice. There's no salt, no sand, no spreaders for the roads or sidewalks or parking lots. All the utility lines are strung up on pretty poles, and are now festooned with little icicles. The plants and trees and spanish moss all look sort of anemic in their icy coats.


Since I was not about to drive to work on unsalted-sandless-ice-slick roads, I stayed home most of the day. What does a trainer do when she's forced to take a day off? Trains. I had time to workout without having to pay attention to the time! To me, that's fun. Most weekdays I squeeze workouts in before or between or after appointments and various responsibilities. Today I put the clock facedown and did the work I wanted until I wanted to be done, a fine indulgence.


Then I treated myself and my sweetums to a walk to lunch at Betty Bombers. Another indulgence. Lunchboxes from home, consumed in quiet contemplation or amidst a pile of paperwork, are the order of the workday in Janeland.


I started and finished the next book on my reading pile, The Dirt on Jane, by local author Jane Fishman. Wonderful read.


I collected quotable quotes from the runners who were enrolled in my 6 week Peak Running Challenge course, which just wrapped up this week. To a person, every one who entered their goals on the intake form at the start of the program found a roundabout way to avoid stating, "I want to run faster." Don't want to appear unrealistic or be disappointed or seem cocky. Whatever. On day one, we sat together at Custom Fit Center and said it out loud, together, "I want to run faster."


Next post I'll reveal those quotes from those hard working, faster runners. Like a snow day in Savannah without snow, we had a running program with no extra running. Confusing, but productive :-)


I really hope the rest of this Southern winter yields more moderate temperatures and less threatening conditions. This one pair of earmuffs and one pair of gloves are all I have left of the vast winter wardrobe I needed up North, and they'll have to last forever.


By the way, what did you indulge in today?


Be Well!

This is Your Brain on Food

This is not a review of any of the recently published literature regarding the effects of processed food on your brain.


I have food on my mind again, is all.


Since I quit eating dairy products a few years ago, I keep a container of unsweetened soymilk in the house. You know, for those special occasions. Lightening coffee, making omelets, mixing smoothies. Why unsweetened? I never used sweetened cow milk for any of those purposes, so why add sugar now?


Anyway, the local supermarket was out of my usual brand this Sunday. Let's refer to it as Brand A. So I grabbed Brand B of organic unsweetened soymilk. Then I read the label.


"But wait," you're saying. "It's soymilk so it's supposed to be good for you so why read the label?" I don't trust food producers anymore, although I can't point to a single event or trauma to cause my skepticism. My trust eroded over time.


Back to Brand B. The ingredients are: Organic soymilk (filtered water, whole organic soybeans), carrageenan, sea salt, natural flavor.


Brand B is using salt, some kind of flavoring agent, and a thickener derived from edible seaweed to make soymilk more... I don't know what. More of what soymilk should be? I'm looking for organic unsweetened, so OF COURSE I MIND if you salt, thicken, and flavor-enhance it... for crying out loud.


Next day, I stop in to Brighter Day natural food store to see if they have Brand A on the shelf. They do. The ingredients: Filtered water, whole organic soybeans. Three cheers for Brand A!


There is a food industry, and a flavoring industry, wrecking our (even our organic unsweetened) food.  Read the labels. Insist on accurate labeling. And choose the simple stuff.


Be Well!

Sugar.

It's no fair, I know.


Sugar can really mess with you. And me. All of us. Especially during the holiday season, aka Sweetapalooza.


There was a time, a dozen decades ago or so, when sugar was only available to the wealthy.  So back then diabetes was considered a rich man's disease.


Then sugar became cheap and plentiful. And then it was analyzed in labs in the search for even cheaper and more plentiful ways of sweetening mass-produced food products.


Now everyone has diabetes.


Well, ok, I exaggerate sometimes. But really, it's absurd how much sugar and other sweetening products we consume, knowingly and not-so-knowingly. Google it, "How much sugar does the average American consume?"


The more refined a carbohydrate source is, the more of an impact it has on your insulin levels. Your body absorbs any and all carbohydrates quickly, compared with protein- or fat-based foods. The more refined or sugar-like the food, the faster it is digested and absorbed, and the more your body responds with a release of insulin.  Simplistically speaking, insulin is a hormone which helps transport energy into cellular storage. Carbohydrates break down to blood sugar and insulin helps move blood sugar into storage.


Did you see that part that said insulin is a hormone? If you repeatedly overload your system with sugar or refined carbohydrates, you also repeatedly demand an insulin response. If your system is repeatedly imbalanced by excessive insulin demand, the rest of your hormonal system becomes imbalanced as well... not to mention other systems such as immune, metabolic, and so on.


This can get ferociously complicated.


Here's how you feel when you've had too much sugar:  Pumped, then lethargic; sleeping fitfully; experiencing skin erruptions or joint discomfort; having mood swings; and, having digestive distress.


Sounds hormonal, doesn't it?


Is insulin response the only reason to steer clear of excess sugar and carbohydrate consumption? No, but it is a darn good one.


Quoting Dr. Mark Hyman, "Now that science has proven that processed food—and especially sugar—is addictive, the conversation has changed. When your brain is hooked on drugs, it is a fiction that willpower and personal responsibility alone will solve the problem."


So is your brain and body hooked on sugar? Let's get you some help with that. You can start with The A.L.I.V.E. protocol... those of you who have the binder, dive back in! Those of you who don't can ask me about embarking on the protocol, 8 weeks of change. Or we can have a "Pantry Raid!" Kick the overprocessed foods in your house to the curb, and replace them with healthier choices. Then, learn to prepare simple, healthy food to nourish, satisfy, and heal you.


Small steps, small changes, accumulating benefits daily, adding up to a better you. Sounds sweet, yes?

Happy New Year, and Be Well!

To Run Better, You Need Something More

The early-bird deal -- and let's face it, this is the season for deals -- expires on November 29.


The Custom Fit Peak Running Challenge is a 6 week program. So what's it about, you ask?


It's about running faster. You want to run faster?  You've got to run better.  And to run better, you need something besides more running.


It's about getting in touch with your muscle balance. You have a dominant side... everyone has a dominant side... but it may be pulling you out of alignment and increasing your risk of injury when you run and train. We can assess that and help you correct it.


It's about improving your posture and breathing.  Better posture and breathing leads to more muscular energy, and less muscle tension and fatigue when you run.


It's about stabilizing areas which need stability, and mobilizing areas which need flexibility. For instance, core stability combined with shoulder, hip, and ankle mobility enhance your running performance. You will feel better while running and recover faster from intense running efforts.


It's about strength. Aging is inexorably linked to an overall loss of muscle mass. Endurance activities, like running, do not prevent this muscle loss. Strength training builds muscle. In addition, speed requires power and power requires strength. You can run faster with more muscle.

Here again are the key details:

• Early Bird Registration: November 14-November 29      $175.00
• General Registration: November 30 - December 11         $189.00

• FMS Screening: December 12, 13 (times TBA)
• First Group Workout: Saturday, December 14, 7:30am SHARP
• Group Workouts: Saturdays 7:30am and Tuesdays 6:30am (this is subject to change, based on consensus of group) 

To register now, click * here * (open the "events" tab).   Got questions?  Email Nancy (nancy@customfitcenter.com) or Jane (trainerjane1@gmail.com).  Or, if you prefer, pick up the phone.  Talk to Jane at 912-247-9500 or Nancy at 912-441-4891.

                                                                             
Be Well!!

So wait, did I tell you about the time...?

So we, my client and I, are standing in the weight room going over the finer points of a stretch. And a physical therapist who is walking by spots us, or me rather, and says, "Can I ask you something about running? Because I know you run a lot. So I'm having trouble with shin splints...." 

Continuing on in the middle of what is obviously my client's training session, he elaborates on the circumstances of his shin splints and asks if I have any treatment tips. My client nods for me to go ahead. So I tell him to ice them after a run, to stretch his calves well daily, and to strengthen his anterior tibialis to balance the posterior strength in his calves.  

And he strolls away with a hearty, "Thanks!" 

And my client and I stand there looking at each other with our mouths hanging open. So I say, "Did that just happen?" And she says, "Shouldn't he know that?" And I say, "Well, yeah, he should." And she says, "That was weird." And I say, "Well, yeah, it was."

I saw him in the parking lot a few weeks later and asked how his shins were feeling.  He said he was doing the exercises and the shins were much better. Isn't that great?

Be Well!!

Time to Run Better

There is nothing like a big ol' race to set you to reflecting upon what motivates you.

The Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon came (after 20 weeks of training, thank you very much) and went last weekend.  It was a terrific day for all our trainees, who completed the marathon and half marathon races with flying colors and huge smiles!  I finished with a time which made me very happy, because I felt very good and strong and light on my feet most of the half marathon distance. And it made me feel like I could have pushed myself faster. I think I would prefer that my next racing challenge, instead of a return to the marathon distance, be a finish time closer to my PR. I don't expect to meet or break my best half marathon time, over a decade after setting it, 20 minutes under my current happy pace. But I know I can knock 10 or 15 minutes off my current pace. I even know HOW I can knock that time down :-)

And I've been hearing from all these other runners around me that they'd like to learn how to get faster and more efficient at their running.

So with no further ado I present to you, The Peak Running (PR) Challenge!

CustomFit Peak Running ("PR")Challenge

Now that the Rock 'n' Roll is complete, have you found yourself wondering "what now…???"  Do you catch yourself asking whether you could run a bit faster?  A bit better?  Well, we have the answer:  CustomFit's Peak Running Challenge ("PR" Challenge). CustomFit has the distinct honor of partnering with Jane Ogle (“Hurricane Jane”) to bring you this program, which is specifically designed for those of you who are currently running but seek more.  Perhaps set a “PR”??  Whatever your goal, we have the road map to help you.

In order to run "better" we must move better, which means improving core strength, balance, mobility, stability, and coordination.  Each participant will receive an individualized program based on the FMS (Functional Movement Screen).  Each week we will cover drills and exercises designed to improve each component of your running.  We will pair you up with a Buddy to help keep you accountable through the holidays and, before you know it, you will be running AND moving more fluidly and efficiently. JUST in time for the Tybee Run Fest, leaving the competition wondering what you did since the Bridge Run to get better!

Revealing the pill might cause a lot of drug to be removed at once soft tabs cialis half. and male impotence: the multinational survey of the aging release AUC-t as well as the ratio on the last measurable plasma cialis liquid.

Our “PR” Challenge will begin Saturday, December 14 and run (get it? "run") through January 25th, 2014. Six weeks of focused and intense training with one purpose in mind: to get you running better.  Instead of caving to slothful holiday behavior, you will be motivated and working toward improving your runs.  Call it stealth training if you wish, this is the real deal if you want to discover your potential.

This program is not a “how to” run program.  We won't hold your hand.  You will be expected to keep up your current running and add the drills and exercises we present weekly.  We will meet as a group on Saturdays and Tuesdays and you and your "buddy" will help each other stay accountable during the remainder of the week.

If you are serious about getting serious, you cannot miss this opportunity.  Regardless of whether you plan to run Tybee, participating in The PR Challenge will give you the building blocks of better running for the long run (yuck, yuck).  Spaces are limited so sign up now.  Do it early and get an “early bird special”.

Here are the details:

• Early Bird Registration: November 14-November 29      $175.00
• General Registration: November 30 - December 11         $189.00

• FMS Screening: December 12, 13 (times TBA)
• First Group Workout: Saturday, December 14, 7:30am SHARP
• Group Workouts: Saturdays 7:30am and Tuesdays 6:30am (this is subject to change, based on consensus of group

To register now, click here (open the "events" tab).   Got questions?  Email Nancy (nancy@customfitcenter.com) or Jane ( trainerjane1@gmail.com).  Or, if you prefer, pick up the phone.  Talk to Jane at 912-247-9500 or Nancy at 912-441-4891.

There's always room for improvement :-).  Be Well!