Food revolution

Jamie Oliver is doing some great things. Even though we run, many of us are eating and drinking things with quite a lot of sugar, without knowing it. You will be surprised by how much sugar is in orange juice, Vitamin Water and Gatorade! You are working hard so don't waste your calories on empty calories and fuel your body with quality foods.

Happy Running!

www.heidijcox.com

Patience Pays Off

It takes patience to become the best runner you can be. Top athletes realize that running is a long-term sport. It is set up for people who value delayed gratification and who like hard-earned success.

Anthony Famiglietti, two-time Olympian and six-time national champion


Patience is definitely the key. If you have a big picture goal for the reason that you run, you will be happier. Not every run will be fantastic but in the big picture, many runs will be and you'll see your positive growth and strength accumulate over time.

Be patient with yourself and happy running!

wwww.heidijcox.com

Sweat and More!

No one ever drowned in sweat.

Author Unknown

Well this is SO true. I've been focusing on increased numbers. We run 4 days a week and now Monday and Wednesday are up to 7 miles. Thursday will be 4 miles and Saturday will be 14 again! The Marine Corps Marathon is Halloween Day so we need to stay on task.

Sweat has been the key. For the last few weeks it has been over 100 degrees with unbelievable humitity. I've been waking up and running with my crazy runner friends at 5:30 or 6:00 am. What's crazier is the humidity is high even at that hour. So, lots of sweat!

Side benefit: I don't worry about what I eat that day!

Happy Running!

www.heidijcox.com

East coast grocery store provides value and much more for families

East coast grocery store provides value and much more for families

Check out my latest article on Women's Health on the Examiner.com

Heidi

Please Yourself with your Sport

The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.

Peggy Fleming, American figure skater
from Runner's World.com

This is so true. It will be easy to compare yourself to others, analyze, think you aren't doing enough and doubt yourself. If you remember your core foundation, and that is that you love what you do and/or you have your own internal motivation and goals for what you want to accomplish, you will never have to worry about pleasing anyone else but yourself.

www.heidijcox.com

Daily Habits for Your Running

Darren Hardy's new book, The Compound Effect, is very applicable to the daily habits that make a great runner, whether you are training for a race or simply want to stay healthy.

The compound effect is the simple daily habits, done consistently, that will duplicate tremendously over time. You just need to begin them and be consistent. They will later be part of your life and will multiply.

For example, if you look at my earlier posts, it was a stretch for me (no pun intended!) to get out and run consistently. Today, it is a given and I am looking more at my times and my strength. That is all due to habit duplicated over time. It all started with a small step repeated. Sound simple? It is, you just have to make the commitment to start and stick with it!

Happy Running!

www.heidijcox.com

For articles on Women's Health, check out my posts on examiner.com

http://www.examiner.com/x-58061-DC-Womens-Health-Examiner~y2010m7d16-Organize-your-clutter-to-destress-and-avoid-multiple-health-problems?cid=email-this-article

Massage, Running and Women's Health

Here's an article that I wrote on women's health and massage. Massage is a great option for sore muscles before and after running. Massage helps to relax the muscles and improve circulation. This is important due to the acid that is built up from running, lactic acid.

http://www.examiner.com/x-58061-DC-Womens-Health-Examiner~y2010m7d13-Massage-Matters-Therapy-and-Wellness-Center-helps-women-with-health-issues?cid=email-this-article

www.heidijcox.com

Happy Running!

Running with a Group

It has been over a week since I've been running with a group. It hasn't been every day but it has been consistently. After having run by myself for the last year, I have found it to be a welcome addition to my training for the MCM.

Running with others gives you some comradery in the sport that is enjoyable and self esteem boosting. You have people to talk to and connect with for support. In my case, it has also helped my training. I am running with knowledgable runners who have run marathons before (helpful since I have not) and the training plan that I am following was put together by them so lucky me! I am also running with some people who are faster than me and that has helped me to push and challenge myself in ways I would not be doing by myself.

Look online for local running groups or ask around. You may find running with others at least once a week to be motivating, helpful and fun as I have.

Happy Running!

www.heidijcox.com

The Top Ten Reasons Why We Run

Check out this article on my Squidoo lens:

http://www.squidoo.com/run-and-stay-young


Happy Running!

www.heidijcox.com

My First Squidoo Lens Page

I found a great site today for quality content on various topics. I'll be writing a page on running soon. For my first page today, I combined a few of my earlier posts on sugar. Check it out and let me know how you like it. You can also make money from this platform. Here's the link to my sugar article:


http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-keep-your-family-healthy-and-happy-

Happy Running!

www.heidijcox.com

Don't Let Fear Hold You Back

"Do the things that you used to do without fear. Take the risk. It's all right to fall down and scab your knees. "

Pat Tyson, Head coach of the Gonzaga University track and cross country programs -taken from runnersworld.com

If you have fears, it is ok. We all do. Even Taylor Swift does but she pushes through the fears, makes a song and an album and then, wow, she's the top country money maker this year.

So, is it worth pushing through your fears? I think so?

(PS. To inspire me before I run, I love to listen to Taylor's song Fearless.)

Have a fearless run and go for it!

www.heidijcox.com

Rest Days Are Important Too!

While training, we often get hyper focused on our goal. Setting goals and staying consistent is very important, absolutely. Rest is important as well, mentally and physically. I find that when I rest, I feel excited when it is time to get back to my running.

Here's a link to some relaxation I had this weekend. I hope everyone had a great 4th celebration!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=447891&id=657465098&l=3e91feb967

www.heidijcox.com

Your Mental Focus

"Mentally, I think the biggest thing I've gotten out of this 10K is that I've learned to kind of just shut my mind off during the race and not think about laps or pace."

Chris Solinsky, 10,000m American record holder

This quote reminded me of my 8 mile run today. I was a bit anxious since I was running with some friends who have a faster pace than I do and it was longer than I have run with them so far. My friend started talking and told a story. Just as I thought I might let her run ahead of me, I decided to listen and focus on her story. Before I knew it, our run was completed and I had stepped up my pace and stayed with the group. So, it is very true that our mental focus in running is as important as our physical training.

Happy July 4th!

www.heidijcox.com

A Word About Winning

"Winning is not about headlines and hardware [medals]. It's only about attitude. A winner is a person who goes out today and every day and attempts to be the best runner and best person they can be? Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up."

Amby Burfoot, Runner's World Editor At Large -taken from Running World's
Daily Kick in the Butt

Today's my running day off but I know this kick in the butt will be helpful for me as I get up at 5:15am to run tomorrow! Even if you are not a runner, I hope this helps you to be inspired as well!

Have a great day and happy running!

www.heidijcox.com