Category Archives: Bridge to 10K

Keeping with the spirit of the back-to-school season, we’re blogging about student fitness this week, beginning with Monday’s post about running on campus.

Why the focus?  Because it really, really matters.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data points out that in about one generation, the percentage of overweight kids (ages 6 to 19) in the U.S. just about tripled.  That’s a scary thought.

Think of it this way.

From time to time, we get e-mails of thanks from once unhealthy folks now happily back on the right track after working through the 5K program.  These wonderful, impressive people are typically middle-aged, and generally have been in poor health — overweight and out of shape — for quite a while.  Starting, quite literally, on the couch and building up to a full 5K is nothing short of heroic for them and can be the start of a life-changing (and even life-saving) shift in their lifestyle.

Reading those e-mails are the absolute high point of what we do.  But you know what?  As much as we love a good comeback story, we’d much rather see people avoid falling off the wagon in the first place.

School is a time when good habits are cultivated and bad ones begin to dig in their heels.  Staying active and healthy throughout grade school, high school, and college is the best way to set up for success and good health for the years and decades that follow.

Only about a quarter of high-school-aged kids are currently getting their recommended daily dose of physical activity.  So I guess the point is that if you’re young, do everything you can to keep feeling young.  If you’re not so young, but know someone who is, remember that anything you can do to encourage healthy lifestyle choices now is going to pay dividends down the road.

If Ease into 5K or another Bluefin program helps make that happen, we couldn’t be happier.  But even if you’re just out there setting a good example or maybe extending the offer of a friendly jog around that new campus, your attention might make all the difference in the long-term health of someone you care about.

Okay, okay.  You will have to think about it.  And work your tail off. But that’s not the point.

The point is that no matter what your fitness level or running experience is right now, inside you is a marathoner waiting to be set free. You might think that sounds crazy, but one of these days you’ll know what I mean.

Maybe it’ll be during the cool-down of the final workout of Ease into 5K or in the afterglow of a big race.

One day it’ll just hit you. You want to run further. That’s how it starts.

Ease into 5K is a great program for getting off the couch and into regimented training.  Completing it will leave you feeling stronger, faster, and more confident…exactly the qualities necessary to become an utterly addicted distance runner.

We have a whole suite of Bluefin apps that  make it easy to keep upping your game as you aspire to longer distances and bigger challenges.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each of them.  For details on each, click here.

• Ease into 5K will prepare even a non-runner for a full 5k in just nine weeks.
• Bridge to 10K is a six-week program designed for Ease into 5K graduates who want to double their distance.
• Ease into 10K is a ten-week 10k program intended more for moderate to advanced runners.
• Hal Higdon’s Novice Half-Marathon is a 12-week program that will get you running 13.1 miles.
• Hal Higdon’s Marathon is an advanced program designed to ready you for a full-length marathon.
• Bootcamp a circuit training app that will help strengthen your core muscle groups and help make you a better runner

While a marathon might seem far off from where you stand right now, there’s definitely a path from here to there when you look at the various regimens listed above.  Tackling these programs one at a time will have you gunning for a full 26.2 before you know it.

Even if you haven’t completed your first 5k just yet, taking a look at the other programs available can help keep you excited about the possibilities ahead when it comes to running and fitness.

Have you had success with the support of multiple Bluefin apps?  Please tell just about it in the comments.  We might feature you in an upcoming blog post.

For a lot of us, sticking to a training program is all about routine.  You make your workouts a part of day-to-day life and the next thing you know, they’re second nature.

But what happens when life throws you a curveball?  Weddings, birthdays, family vacations…these things happen.

Here are a few thoughts on keeping your fitness program on track even when life takes you on the road.

Bring your gear.  You know what stinks?  When you’re motivated to work out, have some time to spare, and don’t have what you need to get out there and run.  Bring your sneakers, some clothes, and an extra bag to protect the rest of your stuff from your smelly gear.

Embrace the facilities.  Lots of hotels have gyms and hitting one when you’re on the road can be a great change of pace.  They’re typically well-maintained and often full of motivated folks giving off good, positive energy.  The hotel pool can also be a great fitness tool, especially if you don’t have access to one at home.

Head out and back.  It’s easy to be intimidated by the idea of going for a run when you’re away from your usual route.  Put your mind at ease by planning a simple “out and back” run.  Simply head out in one direction and turn back once you reach the halfway point.  With a little help from your audio alerts you can focus on your run and let your headphones tell you when it’s time to turn back.  Just make sure to do a little homework and make sure the route will be generally safe and secure.

Consider alternative workouts.  Sometimes, despite the best intentions, doing workouts as planned just isn’t in the cards.  If time or logistics are becoming a problem, be willing to do something else for the sake of staying active.  You might not have half an hour available for a good run, but you can probably squeeze in a few minutes to do some simple stretching or circuit exercices instead.  Staying active, even if it isn’t your ideal workout, will help keep you on track and make it a little easier to get back in the swing of things once you’re home.

Relax.  It’s easy to adopt a mindset that missing a workout (Or two. Or ten.) means you’ve failed your training program.  That simply isn’t true and can turn a small setback into throwing in the towel for good.  Don’t let a break in your routine be the end of you.  Even if you do miss a few workouts, don’t let it be a big deal.  Take a deep breath, move on, and pick up where you left off once you get back home.

Hopefully some of these tips will help keep you on track during your travels.  Has anybody out there been having success getting workouts done despite travel or other breaks to your routine?  Tell us about it in the comments!