Week 4 Fall 2023 RunWalk Newsletter
Enhancing Fitness
By now, we hope that you are feeling like you’re getting into the swing of things and started to wrap your head around the training plan. Usually, the hardest part for many is figuring out how and when to fit your homework runs in to your schedule and create a weekly routine. If not, and there are certain aspects that you find challenging and would like help with, please feel free to reach out.
This week we are in recovery mode. There are three important rules to every new training plan, Moderation, Consistency & Rest. You may feel strong, have your eyes on that 10K distance and eager to keep going, but remember to trust in the program to get you there. Recovery weeks are so very important to allow for your body to adapt to the training load you’ve put it under for the last few weeks, and to come back stronger and ready for more! Read more below on this below.
This week we’re going to discuss enhancing fitness, so really going through warmups and cooldowns, static stretches and more. I challenge you to NOT skimp on your warmups and cool downs this week!!
Happy Running!
Janette Shearer
Online Communications Manager
UPCOMING SPORTS FIRST AID & CONCUSSION MANAGEMENT COURSE:
2023 Fall RunWalk Sports First Aid Course
This eight-hour course serves as a combination of Sports First Aid course and Concussion Management workshop together in one day.
Sports First Aid course content:
The first component serves as an introduction to injury prevention and on-site management of sports related injuries. topics covered include recognition and control of potentially hazardous situations, injury assessment and the handling of life-threatening situations, management of common injuries, referral patterns and development of a sports first-aid kit.
Concussion Management workshop:
The second component of the focusses on sharing the latest medical and scientific information about brain injury, sport risk factors, prevention techniques, and concussion management guidelines.
Participants will review the latest assessment tools, protocols and techniques including: the Concussion Assessment Tool, and Return To-Learn and Return to-Sport protocols.
DATE: November 12
TIME: 9AM-5PM
LOCATION: Hyde Creek Community Center/Community Room 3 – 1379 Laurier Ave, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 2B9
Regular Price: $160per person. Current Price: FREE
* A certificate of completion will be issued for both Sports First Aid and Concussion Management courses.
* Concussion Management completion is approved for BCRPA, CMTBC and NCCP Continuing Education credits.
SPACE IS LIMITED- Deadline to Register: OCTOBER 12. 2023
Did you miss Michaela Khan’s webinar this past Tuesday? Check it out here!
Static Stretching/Dynamic Stretching
Stretching has been hotly debated in recent years. When it comes to staying injury-free, functional range of motion may be more important than flexibility.
Before your workout, your time is better spent warming up with dynamic stretching.
Dynamic stretches can also be a series of movements to get the body moving before any type of exercise. Some examples include trunk twists, walking lunges, or leg swings against a wall.
These moves, which include butt kicks and walking with high knees, improve range of motion and loosen up muscles that you’re going to use on the road. They also increase heart rate, body temperature, and blood flow so you feel warmed up sooner and run more efficiently.
After a run, if you have an area that still feels tight—the calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, IT bands, and quads tend to be tight after running—a little Static stretching may be in order.
Static stretching means a stretch is held in a challenging but comfortable position for a period of time, usually somewhere between 10 to 30 seconds. Static stretching is the most common form of stretching found in general fitness and is considered safe and effective for improving overall flexibility.
Click here for examples of static stretches you can print and save for future!
STATIC STRETCHES FOR AFTER YOUR WORKOUTS
QUICK REMINDER: Please take a moment to fill out and complete your required waivers in your SportMedBC profile.
Enhancing your fitness: Warmups and Cooldowns
Perhaps considered the most important part of your workout, you will see that each InTraining session includes time for both a warm-up & cool-down. You should dedicate at least 5-10 minutes at the beginning and end of each workout to warm-up and cool-down your muscles and joints.
Warming up and cooling down are key to avoiding injury, helping to minimize muscle soreness, and give your body time to gradually adapt to starting or finishing your workout (i.e. slowly raising/decreasing your heart rate, etc…).This part of your program also provides you with the time to mentally prepare & visualize your workout, and then reflect on how your training session went while enjoying those post- exercise endorphins!
It is important for you to develop your own routines based on the general principles presented in this section. We have included some general suggestions for warming-up and cooling-down, but don’t hesitate to reach out to your InTraining Leaders for more tips & ideas.
BEFORE ACTIVITY
• Walking for 5-10 min. is an ideal warm-up for any fitness enthusiast regardless of ability. Slow easy jogging works for an avid runner. After your warm-up walk, think head-to-toe for a general dynamic body warm-up to get blood flowing faster. Include neck, shoulder, arm, trunk and ankle circles with knee to chest leg lifts. Include skipping if you are a runner. Calf-raises, lunges, body squats, toe-walking, and heel-walking are other effective warm-up exercises.
• If inside, walk on the spot, swinging your arms at your side. Start out with a slow pace, and gradually increase the intensity by lifting your knees and pumping your arms briskly.
• If outdoors, walk, skip or run at an easy pace to get your heart rate up and your body feeling warm.
AFTER ACTIVITY
• Post exercise, cool down with a slower easy walk for at least 5min. and then finish with a series of controlled static stretches. See the following pages for examples of proper static stretching.
• Stretch using a similar sequence of exercises you used in your warmup. However, post-activity stretches need to be held statically for 10 – 30 seconds for each stretch. This is an excellent time to work on your flexibility. Remember, increased flexibility equals decreased chances of injury.
Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs are often the parts of our workouts we skip when we are pressed for time…. Try to ensure that when you schedule your training sessions, that you don’t skip your warm-up & cool-down portions.
Don’t forget to join team SPORTMEDBC and sign up for the Big Elf Run on December 9th at 1pm in Stanley Park while you’re at it. Use the 15% discount LEARNTORUN15 when you register! (Code not valid on 1km) Join Team SportMedBC RunWalk below.
https://raceroster.com/events/2023/64733/the-big-elf-run/register?team=564433
2023 Fall RunWalk – RSVP: 5K FUN RUN
Please fill it out the RunWalk 5KM Fun Run Event form to participate on SUNDAY, OCT 22ND, 5km run or walk.
The Half-Way Fun Run Event is a great opportunity for runners and walkers to use all the skills they have learned thus far and of course have an in-person get together. This 5Km event is unlike other skill sessions and we look forward to seeing you there.
Date: SUNDAY, OCT 22ND
Start Time: 8:30AM-10:30AM
Place: PENTICTION Marine Way Beach: Parking lot
267 Marina Way, Penticton, BC V2A 1H5
This event will not be officially timed, so be prepared to track your own time. This event is more about having fun and getting together to celebrate half way!
Download your weekly training program below.