|
Your activity contributions go a long way! Movecoach understands employees move in all different ways. Below we've worked with your employer and the NHS to even the playing field, and give cyclists, yogis and walkers the same chance to earn wellness points for your movement. *All points are rewarded on a monthly basis, based on the criteria below. How to earn points by logging activity: Per week = 20 points
LinkedIn Movecoach Milestones = 100 - 500 points 
Log a result from an organized RACE = 150 - 1000 points
FAQ: 1) Can I earn more than 20 points per week and/or more than 125 points per week? For example, if you workout more than 3x, cycle more than 75 miles, and meditate 3x all within a week, you've earned a total of 40 points per week. 20 points for logging 3 workouts and 20 points for meditating 3 times per week. 2) Can I earn 100 points for hitting the first running milestone and an additional 100 for hitting the first workouts milestone? No, you can only earn points for one physical activity milestone at a time. For example, if you step 100 miles you will receive 100 points and you will no longer be able to receive 100 points for any other activities such as running/swimming/etc.
Published in
How it Works
Exercise & Your Cycle: Optimize Your TrainingApril 04, 2022If you’re a woman, chances are you’ve likely had days when your cycle has impacted your runs or workouts. Some of those interruptions may have felt so severe, you've wondered how and when you should exercise during your cycle. We chatted with Dr. Sahana Gopal, Head of Product at Wild AI (Wild AI is - an app that helps you train, fuel and recover with your female physiology) about the top five most common questions, related to your hormonal changes and how to be prepared tobe in "flo" with your cycle.
Estrogen and progesterone are the two main hormones to consider across the menstrual cycle when it comes to nutrition. Because the levels of these two hormones are lowest during the period, they have minimal impact on metabolism and you can stick to your normal intake of protein and carbohydrates based on your workout intensity. It’s also a good idea to focus on having carbohydrates after training as more carbs may be utilized by your muscles at this time of your cycle. Because the period is an inflammatory process, eating foods rich in iron such as fortified cereals, dark green leafy veg and/or beans is a good way to keep levels in check due to blood loss.
Firstly, having a painful period is not normal and there is a lot you can do to change this. Because of the inflammatory process that leads to your period, it’s important to make changes (5-7 days) before its onset so that your body can cope with the increase in inflammation and pain symptoms.
Always have any supplements approved by your physician. If you still suffer from cramps, research shows that light-moderate exercise can help reduce pain levels. Try moving your body in any way that feels good to you at this time. Importantly, this doesn't have to be your hardest workout of the month, if you don't feel up to it. Consider focusing on stretching, yoga and flexibility work at this time instead.
Heart rate, particularly at rest, is usually at its lowest during your period, leading up to ovulation, which is the midpoint of the cycle. Once ovulation (release of the egg into the fallopian tube) has occurred, resting heart rate increases along with core body temperature as a result of the increase in female hormones, particularly progesterone.
Published in
Training
 Aaron recently ran a blazing half marathon, in under 1 hour and 15 minutes. Looking at his performances from the past year, it's hard to imagine all the obstacles he's overcome in his past, including brain cancer. We asked Aaron to share his secrect to success and how he overcame his biggest obstacle (keep reading to find out what this is).RC: What is your biggest milestone? AR: I categorize my milestones into two categories: health-related and performance-related. My most significant health-related milestone is re-building my fitness, post-brain cancer, then getting to the start of Philadelphia's Broad Street Run a year after treatment. The top performance-related milestone is going back to Broad Street Run in 2021 and finishing in under 60 minutes. Then my sub-75-minute performance at this year's Lake Sammamish Half Marathon is also a proud moment on the arc of my running journey. RC: What is the secret to your success? AR: Okay, there are five secret ingredients to my success. Are you ready for these? (1) tsp of consistency, (2) morsels of not sweating the small stuff. (3) tons of patience. *ALL THE VEGETABLES!* And also, paprika. The secret ingredient is always paprika, isn’t it? RC: What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it? AR: My biggest obstacle to achieving any of my goals is me! When I get in my way, I turn to the experience I have in overcoming various challenges. The tools in my toolbox include naps, breathing exercises, fartlek workouts, and myriad other methods to cope with goal/soul-crushing obstacles. RC: What is the most rewarding part of training? AR: The process or the journey, and the results, also known as the destination, are both rewarding parts of my training. Dialing in on feelings and emotions, mid-session is a rewarding aspect. Sharing the journey with my run buds is a very healthy social reward. And on the subject of health, we all understand how running can provide many health rewards. I tell my friends and family who ask about my running that it is the best part of my day. So when I look down at my watch mid-run and calculate how much time I have left to run, it's a reminder that when the run is over, the best part of my day ends. I am incredibly grateful for the time I get to spend out on my runs. And that I have a safe and reliable place to run. These privileges are not taken for granted. RC: What advice would you give to other members of the Runcoach community? AR: Take your running as seriously as you'd like. Ask questions about your training. Information is power and knowing why you are doing a specific workout is valuable in the process of achieving your running goals. As for competition, don't be afraid to put yourself out there before or during a race. Communicating your goals can often lead to "speaking" them into existence. And most importantly, remember to have fun. RC: Anything else you would like to share? AR: Love yourself. Love each other. Run happy. EAT YOUR VEGGIES!! ❤
Published in
Runcoach Success Stories
Bundle Up And Beat The ChillDecember 11, 2022
Protect The Head Wrap The Core Perfect The Pants
Depending on the temperature you might find that your core and legs are warm, but hands are cold. This is because our extremities are the first to feel cold and lose circulation when the body tries to warm up.
Published in
Training
Your activity contributions go a long way! *All points are rewarded on a monthly basis, based on the criteria below. You must use your Okta email to be eligible to earn rewards in our Oktappreciate platform. Our points system cannot identify personal emails.
How to earn points by logging activity: Per week = 20 points
Per month = 120 points
In order to earn points for the race, the race must be logged within the same month the race was completed. Log a result from an organized RACE = 100 - 800points
FAQ (for Okta employes only): 1) Can I earn more than 20 points per week and/or more than 120 points per week? For example, if you log more than 3 workouts per week, the most you can earn is 20 points But, if you workout more than 3x, cycle more than 75 miles, and meditate 3x all within a week, you've earned a total of 60 points per week!
Published in
How it Works
Plans change, but the goal remains the same.
Recently, the US Air Force Marathon announced the shift of the 25th annual event from in-person event to a virtual event. You can read more about this decision here. This sparked many of our trainees to evaluate all available options. Yes this was supposed to be the Fall of live races, personal bests, and golden memories. Instead, we are back to evaluating "options". As the road race industry and participants continue to navigate through uncertainity, let's remember why we commit out selves to train. For Runcoach trainee, Christi the decision was to charge ahead. The training was almost complete, and she is within striking distance of a new personal best half marathon result.
Published in
Runcoach Success Stories
French is coming off a sensational month of racing. However, it took him months of hard work, trust, and patience to reap the fruits of his labor. Read about his journey and top tips for all runners to reach a new personal record in this month's Runcoach Success Story below.
Running Major milestone: I ran a PR in 10K and 5K within same month!  What is the secret to your success? Realizing that my job is to follow the training plan Runcoach provides, not to exceed it. Be consistent with the training and getting enough rest. What is the biggest obstacle to reaching your goals and how do you get over it? The biggest obstacle was my misconception that if the training plan called for a certain distance at a certain pace, running faster would, of course, be better. This led to a couple of injury filled years because my body was always working hard, never having time to recover and build strength. What is the most rewarding part of training? The most rewarding part of training is feeling good. For me, I run because I enjoy it, I like being fit, I like knowing I am doing what I can to be healthy. About a year ago, after I messaged Coach Hiruni about a particularly tough speed workout she prescribed, her response stuck with me. The heart of the response was “Remember, tough workouts don’t last, but, tough people do.” What advice would you give to other members of the Runcoach community? Follow the plan. Learn from my mistakes of believing, no matter what I read on Runcoach’s website, that I always needed to work hard to get faster. Easy days should be easy, hard days hard. Your body needs time to recover from the hard efforts. This is especially true as your body ages. Anything else you would like to share? Again, listen to your body. I give Runcoach a huge amount of credit for my two fastest races taking place after I turned 50. However, I can not minimize the importance of having in person guidance in selecting shoes that match your running type. I was stubborn in thinking that the 0 drop shoes that worked well for a 42 year old me would still be good for 49 year old me. My local running store finally told me, after years of self denial, just try these 6mm drop shoes. That was the start of injury free training and racing. What feedback would you offer on the Runcoach experience? It might sound simple, because it it. Follow the plan. This should be easy, the coaches tell you what to do, just do what they say. For people who are using the free service, I started there. It works very well. For those using the paid service, talk with your coaches, they all want you to succeed.
Published in
Runcoach Success Stories
The Importance of Rest & RecoveryFebruary 21, 2024Written by Rosie Edwards. But have you ever stopped to think about how our bodies absorb all of the hard work that we put in?
- Recovery: Training is a stimulus or stress which elicits a response. We stress our bodies through physical activity. It is within recovery that we see super compensation of fitness development through cellular adaptation, further capillarization in the leg muscles, and improved blood chemistry to move oxygen to our working muscles. - Replenishing glycogen stores: When training we use the glycogen in our muscles for energy and it can be a training regimen in itself to keep these stores topped off through adequate nutrition. A rest day provides you with a day to top off precious glycogen stores in preparation for your next big run. So next time that you put your feet up, feel good about it. Rest is an invaluable part of your training too, after all.
Published in
Training
You wouldn’t know it by the strength of her British accent, but Rosie has been in the US for over 10 years. She arrived in Indianapolis to run track and cross country at Butler University. Since then she has progressed through the distances, from 1500 meters to the marathon. Rosie is fresh of the plane from her most recent race at the British Olympic Marathon Trials, where she placed third with a time of 2:31. Wowza! She loves all things science-based and enjoys putting her Sports Science Degree and running experience into practice. In addition to her coaching on Runcoach, she is a strength and mobility coach and today we asked her to share a few little tips, which may help in your next race build-up: Hips don’t lie~ Hip mobility is a huge focus area for runners, whether you are in a car, seated at a desk or watching TV at night, sitting with your knees and hips at 90 degrees can be a little tough on the body. As runners, hip extension is paramount when opening the stride. However, the everyday seated position can lead to tight and shortened hip flexors which can decrease the length of our stride, costing us precious seconds over each mile and even leading to injuries. If you have the ability to sit on an exercise ball rather than a chair it will help to keep your hips mobile throughout the day, while activating and recruiting stabilizing core muscles. Here are some of her favorite hip-opening stretches. Another key area that we often neglect are the adductors. If we asked you to log how many steps we take in the forward motion compared to the lateral motion each day we'd wager that the majority of us only build in lateral movement when turning very tight corners. This is why our adductors can become weak and as a result, tight. By adding a little focused work to strengthen these stabilizing muscles we can once again work towards decreasing injury risk. Strength exercises for this exercise include clamshells, monster walks, and lateral steps with resistance bands. One of her favorite stretches can be viewed below. The mountain backdrop certainly makes the stretch more enjoyable. Hold each stretch for 1-2 minutes or move gently in and out of the stretch for mobility, avoid aggressively bouncing.
Published in
Thoughts on Running
Laura and Colfax have a special relationship. If you are on Instagram @runswithcolfax is sure to brighten your day, especially if you’re lucky enough to catch a photo with Colfax staring at the camera! Laura is a Mom, Veteran, Dietitian, Triathlete, Runner and many more. So you might wonder how she gets it all done in a mere 24-hours? We asked, she replied “It’s habit, beginning with planning and prep the night before”.
How or why did you start running? How did you find Runcoach? - I originally started running in high school, 24 years ago (eek!). I didn’t make the cut for my school’s soccer and softball teams, so I thought I’d give cross country a try, and then also ran track and field. I took a break from running competitively during college, and then decided to see if I could still run a 5K when my now-husband (fiancé then) was deployed to Iraq in 2004-2005. It turned out I could, and I’ve basically been running regularly ever since. - I honestly don’t remember how I first stumbled across Runcoach! I think I saw it mentioned on someone’s blog or Instagram feed a couple years ago and checked it out. After years of using free training plans I found online or wrote up myself, I knew I needed something a little more individualized to not only push myself a little harder but also be appropriate for my personal fitness level and goals.
What motivates you to get out the door each morning? - These days, it’s habit more than motivation. It’s just what I do, and I know the rest of the day I’ll feel a lot more relaxed and productive if I run (or work out) first thing. Also, Colfax pops up ready to go as soon as my feet hit the floor, and his excitement certainly helps.
- It was initially my husband’s plan for us to get a dog that could run with me, since I run early in the morning by myself. We have another dog but she’s never been interested in long slow distance! Sprinting is more her style. He did a lot of research into the breed that would be the best fit for our family, lifestyle, and ability to run long distances, and decided on a Brittany. We got Colfax when he was 4 months old and started him out with walks. After he turned one, I started adding short running intervals – a quarter mile at a time to start, and then gradually built it up from there. At the time, I didn’t think he’d run EVERY run with me, but when I saw how much he enjoyed it, it soon became a regular thing. **Important note: Colfax is a champion racer. Check out his first-place medal from Palmetto Running Company. Congratulations to Laura on placing first in her age group as well. A truly DYNAMIC DUO!
What do you enjoy most about your wellness routine currently? - It’s MY time. The rest of my day is often dependent on the priorities of others – at work and at home as a wife and mother of 2 young boys – so the time I spend running and working out is often the only time that’s completely within my control. I have always loved to be active (I’ve been an athlete since age 5), so spending my free time moving in ways that make me feel good physically and mentally is a high priority.
What are some of your personal wins? - I’m most proud of the times I tried something I’d previously never thought possible, like triathlons, marathons, reaching new training mileage/intensity milestones, remaining active through two pregnancies, and clawing my way back to even higher levels of fitness postpartum and now as I get older. I’ve never ceased to be amazed at what my body can do when my mind gets out of the way.
What are your future goals? - The half marathon has broken my heart the last 4 times I’ve run it, all due to situations out of my control. But I’m not giving up! Someday I hope to break my PR of 1:51 (set 8 years ago). I’m also looking forward to eventually running another marathon and breaking 4 hours, but in the meantime, I’m having fun focusing on what I’ve recently decided are my stronger distances – 5K and 10K – and hoping to continue setting PRs in those distances.
Laura and Colfax, we are rooting for you both to reach new levels of fitness, personal bests, and enjoy every second of your journey!
Published in
Runcoach Success Stories
|
Blog Categories
|
You can definitely run while on your cycle, provided you aren’t suffering from period-related symptoms. 
It's dark. It's icy. Let's admit: It's just hard to get out the door when you instantly turn into a crystal the first few steps outside.
Movecoach understands employees move in all different ways. Below we've worked with your employer and the NHS to even the playing field, and give cyclists, yogis and walkers the same chance to earn Oktappreciate points for your movement.
From Christi, "I decided to commit to using the Runcoach app when I signed up for the USAF ½ marathon. I was looking for a straightforward program that would be user friendly and generate speed and threshold workouts specifically geared towards my fitness level and race time goal. Completing the training workouts has improved my running form, VO2 max, and confidence. It has been enjoyable to run such a variety of paces. This has kept me mentally fresh and stimulated throughout the training weeks". 
How did runs with Colfax become a regular thing?
movecoach is a brand owned by Focus-N-Fly, Inc Copyright 2024