Your First 5k... Where to begin

So you decided to run your first 5k, awesome! We, the running community welcome you with open arms!

1. Sign up for a 5k Race- it will hold you accountable and they fill up fast
2. You now have a goal, so get organized: find a solid training plan that works. There are sites like mapmyrun.com that others have already ran and scouted out for you, check it out. Look for high traffic areas to stay away from
3. Buy the right shoes, go to a specialty store not the large giant. The specialty stores and the running companies have a personal relationship. They invite and the running stores set up for their employees to have tours and training at their location. Personally, I would love to tour Brooks or Asics.. So leave it to the experts to steer you in the right direction. Take you old shoes, and make sure you have an hour to spare.
4. 10% rule: Too Much Too Soon is a rule of thumb runners have lived by and sworn upon for decades. Listen to the veterans, they know when enough is enough. They been through the injuries for you, don't try to reinvent a wheel that has been operating since the dawn of time
5. Reward yourself and don't get bored with your training regime. Learn the training regime, research it then ask a running coach or a friend you trust that has proven results what they do to cross-train.Reward yourself with a massage, never reward yourself with food!
6. Find a friend with the same training pace. You will find wonderful people at running groups, check your local specialty running shop and see what's around
7. Always enjoy yourself with running. Running is an addiction, healthy addictions are the place the to be. Get your family involved, friends and co-workers.

If we want to change our environment, it starts with us.
Happy Running!

Day 1 of the 12 week journey - Getting Started with Nutrition. Simple is Good

Marathon training is a journey. Creating better Nutrition for your lifestyle is a journey as well. There are foods to eat and not to eat ... in a box. There are foods that have been tampered with man and others created by man. Which and what and when to eat is important on this marathon journey.
I live by a philosophy, if it came from a box with more than what the box is suppose to have ie: peanut butter. Relook at the nutritional label for peanut butter, look close-
What does the label really say?
It says to me on the major labels, I will leave the names alone, but on there the ingredients. It should only say: PEANUTS and not oils, sugars, salt and more!

As Americans we love our food. We love watching people make food, heck there are 12 networks dedicated to food and hundreds of shows! Not to mention magazines, blogs, social internet sites!! We are consumed by our foods, we are also consumed by obesity and I don't mean overweight- I mean unhealthy. You can be thin and not healthy. I am talking foods consumed from the Earth, god-given foods. I live by the philosophy, if it didn't come from the Earth, why in the world am I putting it in my Earthly-made body? We are 66% made from the Earth's minerals and the rest water; so, why would be put chemicals in the body?

These are questions you need to ask yourself on this first day of your nutritional journey

Today's homework: Buy a spiral notebook and put Sept 14, 2011 at the top
1. Make a chart
2. Write in the times that you eat the follow
3. don't forget to tally mark your water, I have one container that holds 1/2 gal and I write how many of those I drink.
4. Exercise: what kind and what time
5. Hold yourself accountable by actually seeing what you are putting in your body.
6. Tally at the bottom the amount of Carbs, Protein and Fat you take in.

Time	Breakfast	Snack	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	Water	Exercise

Protein
Fat
Carbs