Pre-Fall Check Ups
Fall is around the corner; tidy up so your goals are within reach
It’s clear that summer is almost up and it’s time that some of us are heading back to the classroom.
And if you’re not one of the lucky ones, then there is no better time to reset your fall goals than the start of the school year.
So in this post, I’m going to talk about the things we should all be doing, whether you’re a teacher or not, to get back to doing what’s necessary for you to have a solid Fall training and racing season.
One of the hardest thing for me to master during the school year is getting enough sleep. I’ve written so much about how valuable sleep is and for me it is a real game changer/breaker depending on whether I’m getting sleep or not.
For me, if I want any kind of quality running done, I have to do it before I leave for work. That means getting up early, which means going to bed early. Some “tricks” I use to help move that along include my phone going into Do Not Disturb around 8:30 pm and my house lights turn off automatically around 9:45 pm. To get up early, I force myself to sit up in bed as once my head is off the pillow I’m usually good. The hard part is getting my head off the pillow.
Most of the time at night, I’m pretty darn tired anyway, so goign to bed is not a chore for me. I try and get more than 7 hours of sleep as if I get any less, I tend to be less than ideal to be around.
Next, I make sure I’m hydrated. It’ll still be hot out for at least another 6 weeks, so staying on top of hydration is key. So for everyone who's running a half marathon like Philly, you still need to keep up on your hydration even though it's technically about to turn over into fall. One trick I use is filling my Yeti with water and I can’t have my morning tea until my Yeti is empty. This forces me to kick start my day with a decent amount of water.
Another thing that I'm really focusing on is switching up my shoes more often. Haddonfield Running Co recently had a sidewalk sale and I bought two new pairs of my shoes so that I can keep switching them in and out. This keeps my shoes from getting too deflated and because they aren’t being used as often, they will last a bit longer. I can get a little bit more mileage out of them before they break down.
I also know that since they also coach after school, that time really isn't mine. So that's more of a time where I can get some really nice easy running in to supplement the running that I do in the morning. So on two or three days a week, I'll be doing what's called a double - where I run twice in one day. Now, doubling is not for everyone, but if you're going to double make sure you have enough time in between your morning run and your evening run. A school day is typically about a good enough time break between those two runs.
And the last thing I'm going to be doing is incorporating more strength training into my routine again. I'm starting a one month challenge of push ups. So the first week we're going do 20 push ups a day. And I know that's not a lot, but it's a good starting point. And then every week we'll add probably 20 more push ups per day so by the end we'll be doing roughly 80 pushups a day.
Whether you're a teacher or you're just resetting your goals and setting your kids off to school, some things that you can really focus on include hydration, getting good sleep, getting some doubles in and upping your strength training routine.
Have questions about my routines? Leave a comment or hit reply!
Friday’s Action Plan
Get ahead of your Fall training by taking care of things within your control: how much you sleep, how much you hydrate, and how you take care of yourself.
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