It’s My “Runner’s-Versary”

A year ago this month I prepared to run my first ever endurance race, which was a half marathon! The Publix Georgia Half Marathon in Atlanta, GA! I guess I felt lucky that I would make it through it, as the race was conveniently held on March, 17, 2013, St. Patty’s Day!

Tomorrow morning I will be running in my 3rd half marathon and 5th endurance running event, as over the course of this past year, I have successfully finished 2 Marathons as well as 2 Half Marathons, including the one mentioned above! I am excited to celebrate this milestone in my master’s level running and athletic journey in my very own hometown of Tuscaloosa, AL as I was honestly never a college or high school athlete, only a Jr. athlete briefly in my middle school years, and my sport was basketball. 😉

Three keys I have found to conditioning my body for running a successful endurance race along with all of the other athletic activities, such as figure and fitness competing,that I have so boldly decided to engage in in my early 30’s: 1) smart training 2) an even smarter nutritional lifestyle, and 3) a routine yoga practice.

Smart training, get grounded and  learn how to land on your feet, they keep you moving forward as well as in an instant can be the very thing that holds you back! Take care of them well! I am a minimalist/barefoot runner. I train my entire body from the ground up, especially my feet. I attribute my knowledge of this type of training to a phenomenal program called   SoleTraining by the willPower Method and my weekly yoga practice. Also, just for the record for the umpteen million times I get asked when out and about, “are my shoes comfortable?” YES!  I honestly love my Vibram FiveFingers and couldn’t imagine my runs or my workouts  or my active lifestyle without them.

Nutritionally, I strive to eat a clean, alkaline diet over 90% of the time. I am very careful not to let processed foods, or foods high in salt, or full of saturated fats and refined sugars enter my body. It’s my temple and I love it dearly, it’s the only one I got! Fruits & veggies are our friends! Start juicing! It makes daily consumption easier and tastes great! Plus adequate hydration is also key to optimum performance. Nourish your body, fuel your day as well as your workouts!

Lastly, yoga. Self-explanatory! If you constantly contract muscles with routine weight training (which I do on a regular as well) and running, you have to relax and decompress them in order to ensure recovery, repair, and prevent injury to both the muscles and the joints, plus the intricate ligaments and tendons that help them out everyday. I practice yoga often. I am not a super yogi or master, I am however a teacher in training and a believer in the awesome benefits of a regular yoga practice! Sometimes my practice doesn’t take place everyday, but it does happen weekly and it helps tremendously in my longevity and vitality in my sports and my adult athletic career!

So, with all that said, I will keep this entry as brief as possible as I have a race to prepare to run in the morning and  it’s yoga time, plus I have some juicing to do before it’s time to say good night!  So……

Until Next Time!

~ I AM Candice Maria~