A Training Day gone NEGATIVE…. :)

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

3 March 2013 / 1 comments

So I decided in January to sign up to do a back to back marathon (6 weeks in between – PF Chang Rock n Roll to Phoenix Marathon). I decided that if I got my PR of sub 4 at PF Changs then the Phoenix Marathon would be my “happy training day”, pick something to work on and commit to it while having nothing but fun for the whole 26.2 miles.

Well let me first say, there is NO SUCH THING as running 26.2 miles for “fun”. My friends kept telling me that, but I thought I really could do since I wasn’t going for any “time” or “goal”. My main goal was to not get angry but rather stay happy, no matter my time. I was not to go to the HURT BOX at all. Well, after my first marathon, I decided I would change things up and go for a different method on this “training day”. I would aim to do a negative split. The theory behind a negative split…

Running at a slower pace in the beginning of your workout or race allows your muscles and joints to warm up thoroughly, which can help prevent injuries such as pulled muscles.
It gradually increases how hard your heart and lungs need to work, so it’s less of a shock to your system.
Mood-boosting endorphins will naturally be flowing in the second half, so you’ll have increased energy that allows you to run faster without feeling much effort.
Running faster in the end of a race puts you at an advantage psychologically. You’ll feel more confident and have a sense of strength as you pass other runners by.
They offer quicker postrun recovery.
When consistently doing negative splits in training runs, you’ll inevitably become a faster runner.

So…there you have it, a ‘basic’ definition of a negative split. And of course the one that appealed to me the most in that list was the one where it said you would run the second half with increased energy without feeling much effort.

Well guess what?? LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES!!! Mile 22 sucked just as much as it would have if I didn’t do a negative split AND psychologically it HURT EVEN MORE because I knew I had “no time in the bank” to make up for the fact that I was dying (and once again, this race I wasn’t going for the time but if I were, I would have been devestated on how much I held back on the first 13 miles). Once I realized that my “training day” was a bust, I do have to admit, with the pain I was in, it was very hard for me to continue, I was no longer “mentally IN IT” because my lesson was learned. I had a great support team running with me on my training day, Melissa and Cindy, and they were too cute. They kept trying to use all of my “inspirational coaching speeches” to keep me going (“come on, now you work through the pain”, “you can do it JA”, haha and even cuter when Melissa finally says “I’m trying to use all your inspirations but it just doesn’t work for me” so then she started to “bust a move” and dance for me (I would post the video but I’m sure she would kill me 🙂 but by this time, my mind and body was no longer in it. I learned what I needed to know and that is…on paper, you can say NEGATIVE SPLIT is the way to go…but in reality, those last 6 miles still SUCK and there is no such thing as “running without feeling much effort” haha.

Now realize this, I’m smart enough to know that trying it only ONE TIME and not really ever having “trained” that way had alot to do with it. But as a coach, I could never just spew out to my clients and say how much easier it would be for someone to run a “negative split” because they would feel so much better if they did, because “it ain’t true”. Mission accomplished.

I thank all those who came out to cheer me on and support me, Amberly, Suzie, Michelle, Elizabeth, Becca, Melissa, Cindy, Kelli and Jarrett (your great finish line cheers and smiles). And to those who I knew were there on my journey, just not physically 🙂 Lindy, Karen, Leigh 🙂 Melissa and Cindy, I thank you for putting up with my “ugly Julie-Anne” and my meltdowns, and all of my walking. I promised this run was to be happy, and even though I realized that just wasn’t going to happen and can’t exist, I still had to hold onto my goal going in which was to not allow myself to get angry (I save that for real RACE DAYS, and it ain’t pretty which is why I don’t like it to surface very often, haha). So even though, I was disappointed to discover what I did about the NEGATIVE SPLIT theory, I am very happy that I committed to my “training day” and didn’t allow my ego to get involved. I only hope this will make me an even better and knowledgeable COACH 🙂 Quitting was NEVER AN OPTION, but walking definitely was, hee hee 🙂 no matter how Melissa and Cindy tried to “coach me” to the finish 🙂 Love you girlies. Thanks again.

NOW WHO’S READY TO COMMIT TO THE 8 WEEK RUN COACH CHALLENGE?? Official start date is Monday, March 11th, 2013, but you have the week of Monday, March 4th to do your RACE DAY TEST RUN. Remember, you will only be committing to 2 runs per week, at your own level. Join in on the fun. Hold yourself accountable. Get committed. Have fun. Train SMART.

Go to SHOP and purchase the 8 Week Run Coach Challenge for $39 ($5 a week basically)

You do have to own all of the treadmill run podcasts. Any questions, just ask, I’m here for you…..every step of the way!

8 WEEK portaPT RUN COACH CHALLENGE – On your mark, get set, GO!

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

24 February 2013 / 4 comments

Hey everyone,

I’m excited to announce PortaPT’s 2019 SPRING 8 WEEK portaPT Fitness & Health Challenge. The details are listed below.

The COST of this PROGRAM/CHALLENGE will be set at $49.99.

You will be able to purchase and “sign up” for this Challenge by going to the SHOP page at www.portaPT.com and paying through PayPal. If for some reason, the challenge does not go through, you will be reimbursed 100%.

You will also need to make sure you download and OWN all of the weekly assigned PortaPT TREADMILL workouts ($14.99 Regular Price but for Challengers $9.99 – you will be given a COUPON CODE to use for the Downloads – this COUPON CODE WILL APPLY TO ANY NEW RELEASES THAT MAY BE RELEASED DURING THE CHALLENGE). Once committed and signed up for this challenge, there are NO REFUNDS! You must commit to the end. 🙂

For every person you recommend to join the challenge, you will get a $10 CREDIT towards your ENTRY FEE. Please be sure to tell me the names of the people you recommended. If I don’t know who referred who, I won’t hunt you down, so please make sure to email me that you referred someone that signed up – MUST BE A FIRST TIMER TO THE 8 WEEK CHALLENGE). Tell all of your friends! The more people, the more FUN, even if you are only really competing with YOURSELF 🙂

8 Week PortaPT Fitness Challenge Guidelines and Rules

S.M.A.R.T Training Program

SPECIFIC: Each participant will be emailed WEEKLY, a program of 2 specific PortaPT workouts to be completed that week. The workouts given each week have a purpose and a reason as to why they are being chosen, so please adhere to the program and don’t just decide that you want to do a different one :). You will also be given STRENGTH TRAINING exercises to do each week with your RUNS.

MEASURABLE: An 8 Week Health & Fitness Challenge that puts all the pieces of the puzzle together, working aerobic endurance, high interval training, muscular endurance and strength, core, stability, ETC. Building a stronger and healthier body from the inside out!

Start date: Official 8 Week Fitness Challenge will start Monday, May 13th, 2019. This is considered WEEK 1 and you will do your TEST WEEK during Week 1.

Finish date: Official 8 Week Fitness Challenge will END on Sunday, July 7th, 2019 and considered end of WEEK 8. You will have the week of Monday, July 1st to do your 2nd TEST WEEK.

TEST WEEK will be a 30 minute walk/jog/run on 1% incline OR a 1 MILE RUN – the fastest you can finish 1 MILE – not a RUNNER? Can’t RUN? No worries, whatever you have to do, you do to finish 1 Mile and mark the time it took you. You will also TEST YOUR MUSCULAR ENDURANCE by doing a set of exercises. Whatever you do at beginning of challenge, you must also do at the end of challenge.

This challenge will be communicated through EMAIL.

ATTAINABLE: You will have to purchase or already OWN all of the PortaPT workouts that are assigned each week in order to participate in this Challenge. Your goal is to do “quality” runs and not just “quantity” (which can sometimes lead us to only junk miles). The PortaPT workouts can be done by all levels because you are always in control of your SPEED and your WORK LEVEL. If I say JOG and you can only WALK, then just WALK…nothing wrong with that 🙂 you are in CONTROL of how and when you PUSH.

These workouts MUST be done on the treadmill, UNLESS the workout is defined as being able to do OUTDOORS (right now Feel the Need for Speed, Crazy Sprints, Back to Basics 1 and 2 and Pushing Your Limits could be done OUTDOORS, all others are on the treadmill 🙂

REALISTIC: The PortaPT workouts are around 35 to 50 minute workouts. With the Strength Training Run Exercises provided, you should be done your workouts in 45 to 60 minutes total.

TIMED: You have 8 Weeks to commit to this challenge. Points will be rewarded and accumulated each week to see how you are doing at this commitment. The POINTS are just for me to stay in touch with you and your progress of Challenge. If you decide not to send them to me, that’s on YOU, not me :).

Please NOTE a new change as stated above already, but repeating for emphasis as sometime people don’t do this challenge because they HATE THE 30 MINUTE RACE DAY haha – You now have the option to either TEST out on a 1 MILE RUN, or your 30 Minute/5km RUN, it will be up to you to decide how you TEST your WEEK 1 to WEEK 8, they just have to be the same. We will also be doing a STRENGTH TEST on WEEK 1 and WEEK 8! Please also note that sometimes we change things up for new challenges to keep things exciting, so always be ready for change but the majority of what I say you should expect in each Challenge is pretty much the same concept as past challenges!

POINTS SYSTEM

You will be awarded the following points each WEEK:

1 Point for every completed PortaPT workout that you do (must be the ones that are set for that WEEK)

1 Point for every completed Strength Training Exercises (CORE, STABILITY, SINGLE LEG, etc).

1 Point for everyday you complete 10 FULL minutes of Foam Rolling (set your timer if need be – so important and if I need to reward you for taking the time to do it, so be it..tennis ball, soft ball etc can be used if you don’t own a foam roller, but honestly, anyone taking up running should own one 🙂

3 Points for doing a Food Journal – You do not have to show me this Food Journal and I will not be addressing your OWN PERSONAL specific nutrition guidelines but we all know that if you would like the added bonus of weight loss during this challenge, a Food Journal will help you. You have 7 days in a week to complete your Food Journal, for every day you miss or you DO NOT COMPLETE the Food Journal you will LOSE 1 point, so you don’t complete 3 days, you get 0 points for your Food Journal. You miss 1 day of doing your Food Journal, you only get 2 Points. Nutrition for runners is very important so really consider taking this challenge. Remember it is only for 8 weeks and even though you may hate doing a food journal, you may learn a thing or two about how you eat and what helps your workouts and what hinders them 🙂

There may be OTHER CHALLENGES that you can partake in each WEEK and if there are, you will be notified as to what the challenge is and how many points you will be awarded for completing it. This is NOT FOR SURE and NOT MANDATORY but leaving it open just in case I feel like challenging you to anything 🙂

NUMBERS GAME

RACE DAY: Race Day will be a 30 minute treadmill run at a 1% incline OR 5 km (3.1 miles) on 1% incline OR an ALL OUT 1 MILE RACE RUN – the fastest time you can complete 1 Mile (you will base the speed on your own fitness level, if you can’t run or don’t run, then you will walk it the fastest you can. The GOAL is to go all out and run ALL 30 minutes as fast as you can, or 1 MILE (once again, this is totally based on your LEVEL, if you are a WALK/JOGGER, then your ALL OUT will still be in that zone) or if you do the 5km (3.1 miles) you will run that distance and record your TIME for me. I just want you to finish the 30 minutes/5 km/1 MILE saying “That is all I could give. Nothing more, nothing less. I ran for the whole thing as fast as I could”. PLEASE NOTE: JUMPING OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE TREADMILL IS NOT PERMITTED, not even for a few seconds, unless it is a Safety Issue. You are to be on the treadmill the whole 30 minutes, if you need to take some water and can’t do it at the pace you are running, then you need to slow the treadmill down, if you have to take a “breather”, then you need to slow the treadmill down. NO STOPPING ON SIDE OF TREADMILL TRACKS. 2 RACE DAY portaPt download will be provided and part of your $49.99 – 8 Week Challenge. If you have already done this Challenge, you already own the 2 RACE DAY downloads but I’m sure you haven’t listened to them in a while so they will seem new, haha. When you sign up for Challenge, you will receive the PortaPT download, up to you if you use on RACE DAY or not (sometimes people want their own playlist and I can appreciate that, so up to you if you use or not). You will provide me with your DISTANCE or TIME on this Race Day Run. Obviously if you decide to do the 1 MILE RACE DAY, you will have plenty of playlist in the 30 minute RACE DAY download playlist 🙂

DATA COLLECTION: I will be asking you each week (and this is on the complete HONOR SYSTEM) to provide me with your “numbers”. I will ask that you email me your “data” by Monday midnight of each following WEEK or you risk the chance of losing POINTS. By having your numbers at a set time and day, it keeps you committed and focused knowing you have to report to your COACH on your week’s workouts that you did or didn’t do!

MINIMUM PARTICIPANTS: I have received really good feedback and already a good amount has said that they are ON BOARD for this Challenge. But sometimes saying and committing are 2 different things, so I am thinking I am going to set a 15 person MINIMUM on this Challenge in order to make it worthy enough. If there are less then 15 people (which honestly I think I already have 15 people who showed interest) the Challenge will not go through and be postponed. If you already signed up and paid and the Challenge does not go through, then you will be reimbursed 100% of your money. (I am a very honest person, I promise 🙂 THIS IS THE ONLY REASON YOU WILL BE REIMBURSED. You cannot later down the road, decide you are perhaps “not a runner”, or not listen to the importance of foam rolling and stretching and have “knee problems” and no longer wish to participate and get your money back.

NEW ROUTINES: Most likely I will be releasing New Routines from now to the finish of the 8 Week Challenge BUT you will NOT be required to purchase them unless you WANT to. In other words, the only routines you HAVE to have in your library, are the ones that are released now. This way there is no surprise extra fee being imposed on you without you knowing it. Now if I release, for example, Back to Basics #3 and you have a Back to Basics Run to do on your weekly schedule and you decide YOU personally would like to do the new one, then that is up to you and you are free to purchase the new one and do that one. BUT once again, I will not make you have to purchase any that you didn’t already know about before starting this challenge. But remember, any new releases during this 8 Week Challenge, you will be able to get the discount price of $9.99 with the Coupon Code you are provided in the email you will be sent with your receipt of the 8 Week Challenge.

SECRET FACEBOOK PAGE: I will set up an 8 Week Challenger MEMBERS ONLY Facebook page where we will be able to share success stories, information, motivate and inspire. Facebook is not a requirement but definitely helps you feel a part of an amazing group getting stronger and faster in 8 Weeks. It is also a good place to reach out to your fellow Challengers if you want to meet them at the gym to run and train along side of you!

PRIZES: This is still TO BE DETERMINED. But PRIZES are NOT GUARANTEED or a PART of this Challenge. If I decide to award Prizes, it will be at my discretion and not necessarily a FOR SURE THING 🙂 If the Challenge proves to be a big success, then I hope to take some of the earnings and have prizes but I don’t know any of that YET 🙂 so NO COMMITMENT on PRIZES 🙂

Please be advised that this is a GROUP CHALLENGE. I will NOT BE setting specific training guidelines or rules on an Individual basis, all LEVELS are able to participate because the whole concept of PortaPT workouts are about you being in control of speed and how you feel. I am NOT a Doctor or Physical Therapist so will not be able to diagnose any ailments you may have. I will not be giving you individual Nutrition Dietary Plans. I will not be giving you PERSONAL exercises for you and you alone to do because you don’t like the ones I give the Group or can’t do the ones I give the group. I will not be responsible for setting up your weekly calendar so that you can get the set PortaPT runs in your schedule. I think you get the POINT right?? This is a Group Challenge, not me becoming your 1 on 1 Personal Running Coach (no offense 🙂 I cost way more then $6 a week haha. I will however do my best to give you tidbits and any good running advice along the way. Deal??

Be sure to go to SHOP page at www.portaPT.com and SIGN UP. Remember to tell all of your friends, not only will you get a BONUS ($10.00 value – BUT BE SURE TO TELL ME WHO YOU GOT TO SIGN UP, must be a new participant) but what better way to inspire others and stay committed when you can encourage each other and dare I say, “egg” each other on. This Challenge is your OWN personal goal of becoming a FASTER, STRONGER, SMARTER Runner, but when you have friends on board it just makes it even BETTER!

How About A Little Challenge??

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

12 February 2013 / 10 comments

Soooo…I’ve been thinking of putting an 8 Week Run Coach Challenge together through www.portaPT.com🙂 What would it entail? Well here is my think-box so far and I would love to hear any suggestions or constructive comments if you have them 🙂 Would it be something you would be interested in? Need motivation to get on track? Need a personal trainer but can’t afford the BIG BUCKS? Wish you had structure and had someone to “answer” to?

Preliminary Thoughts and Structure of 8 Week Program

Start Date: March (TBD)
Length: 8 Weeks Total
Cost: $39 (so basically $5 a week for your own PT/Coach)

Each week I will provide a SET RUN profile that you should do. There will be 2 portaPT profiles to do and a bonus run that is up to you to do. For each RUN, I will provide 3 basic STRENGTH exercises you should do to stay safe and strong for your runs. (you won’t need countless hours at gym or on your treadmill, anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes tops)

Week 1 we will test you out. How far can you run in 30 minutes on a 1% incline. Then we will test you out again in Week 8 (a 30 minute RACE DAY portaPT profile will be included in your fee and you have the choice to use if you want on RACE DAY 🙂

You will be awarded points for doing the PortaPT runs. You will also be awarded points for doing the STRENGTH exercises. Points will be awarded for other things but I don’t want to get into too much detail….just trying to give you the basics to see if there would even be any interest.

The 8 Week program would be a logical, SMART program that would promote you to hopefully better your 30 min TEST RUN in Week 8. You would have to have the portaPT profile runs to do in order to make sure you are doing “quality” runs and the 3rd run as I said could be your long run or your OWN, if you decide to add it (yes you will get BONUS POINTS 🙂

I will ask you to give me your stats after each run, which I will keep and give you a REPORT CARD on your progress.

Foam Rolling, Hydration, Proper Nutrition, etc will be discussed and rewarded. If enough interest, I may even be able to come up with some prizes to be won, free PortaPT Downloads, Nike gift card, etc. – still TBD.

Soooo, what do you think?? An idea worth pursuing? Or no real interest in it? Just trying to get everyone to stay on track and motivated in 2013 and what better way then having a trainer, a bunch of friends and challenges along the way? 🙂 🙂 Makes that DREADMILL turn back into a TREADMILL in these winter months. Anyone would be welcome to join, whether I know you or not. Any levels can join in! May even have a REFER A FRIEND discount 🙂

Soooo, YES or NO?? (I know I’m totally setting myself up for “rejection” here but that is now the new ME…go big or go home…BELIEVE IN YOURSELF and what you have to offer!!! 🙂 (and only took me about an hour of “hymming and hawing” of whether I should post this, haha, so work in progress. 🙂

Funny what we justify our hard earned money on!

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

7 February 2013 / 0 comments

Okay, so all of you are probably well aware of how I have found this new amazing live nutrient, the Moringa Plant, so much so that I am now putting my name on it and screaming it from the rooftops. (For some of you, I’m sure you are UBER annoyed at how much I love this product and keep giving it praises, but I can’t help it. I’ve never found such a good product in all of my Personal Training/Group Fitness years and this company has created a product so CLEAN that I don’t question at all if I’m just peeing it out or its synthetic or overheated taking the nutrients away, etc.) For those of you who know me, I SHARE exciting things that I find no matter what, i.e. Motoactv, a sale on clothes at Walmart or Dicks, a BPA Water Jug Challenge, our local running/bike stores etc. Its just in me to share when I become passionate about something…so I thank you for putting up with me 🙂

Now here comes my SOAPBOX so be prepared: Funny thing though….how many hours we will dedicate at the gym or to our workouts ($50-$80 a month), how we may go to Starbucks everyday for our favorite coffee ($3-$5), willing to spend $5-$10 on our favorite alcohol specialty beverage at our local restaurant (and sometimes multiple), willing to go out and eat on the weekends ($20-$100), pay a Personal Trainer ($40-$89 a session), pay $50-$70 for a massage, $25 for bi-weekly manicures or pedicures, spend countless $ on countless pills (Vitamins, Omega Fish Oils, Glutamine, Protein powder, homeopathy), spend $1-$4 on an Energy Drink (Monster, Rockstar, NOS, Amped, 5 Hr Energy), spend $5-$8 at your Gym Cafe….I think you get the point…..but then you discover an amazing 90+ Nutrient cell-ready, 100% bioavailable, 18 amino acids (9 your body can’t even produce so you have to get from your nutrition), all your vitamins, A to B to C to D to K, your minerals such as Calcium, Zinc, Potassium, etc., 36 Anti-Inflammatories, 46 Antioxidants FOR JUST $3.00 per day and all of a sudden you’ve gone for broke and no way can you or would you spend that kinda money on a WHOLE LIVE FOOD NUTRIENT??? Just doesn’t make sense to me. Well that’s a lie 🙂 because I’ve been there and done that. I would go to Costco and spend $6.00 on a JUMBO bag of Chips and then balk at the price of apples in the veggie section at $8.00. So I DO GET IT!!

But, what I guess I’m trying to promote here is…build your body from the inside OUT. Make those gym hours count. Get your results by putting all the pieces of the puzzle together. You did your research on Zija and its just not the one for you, you don’t believe in its quality and it being effacacious, then find something else that you believe does your body good and you feel the results on (and your pee isn’t bright flourescent yellow or dark golden after taking it). Lets not cheapen our health is all I’m saying. You invest your money in so many other things, be willing to invest it in YOU and your BODY from within, not only the outside.

I realize that I may offend some of you with this blog, and that is not my intent. And I know it sounds like a push for me to make a sale with “Zija” but I also promise that is not my intent (and if you know anything about me, you know I am not about the SELL, my personal training clients actually call me the “worst sales person ever” and I won’t even put the link to the amazing product I’m talking about). My soapbox here is just to make sure we respect our bodies from within. Heal it from within. Strengthen it from within. Build it up from within. Love it from within. YOU ARE WORTH IT!! Do your research on what you take in and put in your body.

(And this is all coming from a girl under 2 years ago who didn’t think twice about eating McDonald’s or Wendy’s multiple times a week), so I promise you I GET IT!! Just educate yourself now before it’s too late.

Stay strong, stay positive and forgive me for my soapbox 🙂 I only say it because I truly LOVE people and their health.

All About Mindset :0)

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

4 February 2013 / 2 comments

This past Saturday, I did my very first 27km (16.78 Miles) Trail Run in San Tan Mountains in Arizona. It was a last minute decision to do as I do have the Phoenix Full Marathon in 4 weeks to run. But I figured I had to do a 12 mile training run, so why not run with a bunch of people and with Aid Stations and get a Technical T-Shirt and free glass mug (which by the way, Aravaipa Running, holds THE BEST trail race, I know I don’t have much to compare it to but WOW, it was good).

Amazing how when you go into a race with the mind of “just another training day”, how much fun you can actually have. I had the best time EVER! I decided to start at the very back of the starting pack because as I said, I’ve never done this before AND I DID NOT specifically train for this and I didn’t want to get in anyone’s way. As we started out, I realized that I was passing all of these people and started to panic thinking I was doing the all-too-popular going out way too fast but then said ‘well you have 12 miles to run as a training run and after those 12 miles you can back off anyway’. So I kept on trekking. I felt so good. I was sooo happy! Julie-Anne was BACK. At PF Chang’s Marathon, I got angry (had to in order not to quit :)) and had to finish that race with that attitude and didn’t want to talk to anyone, didn’t smile for my favorite photographer, AM and had nothing left when I crossed the finish line and was upset a little with my behavior with my girl KM, who ran the last 12 miles with me. So to BE ME AGAIN on this day, felt great. I was cheering everyone on, I was smiling, I was dancing and playing with the people at the AID STATIONS (which by the way, they gave me “best dressed on trail award”) haha. I told them I wore bright colors so the coyotes wouldn’t want to eat me. And it worked!!

Anyway, when you race just FOR FUN its amazing how good you can really do. Takes all the stress out of it and you actually benefit more. I am happy to say not only did I finish with a big grin ear to ear, but I placed 1st in my age group out of 12, and I was the 7th girl across the finish line out of 37. And even if I came in DEAD LAST, I still would have had that goofy grin…because I WAS ME that day. I’ve been looking for ME for awhile now and staying true to my promise to myself for 2013 Race Season is proving to be amazing. No one can take away my joy and by NO ONE, I mean ME…so I will continue to work on it and make it a reality.

Also, you just know that I have to give credit to my “putting all the pieces of the puzzle” together in my training. I make sure I look after myself Nutrition wise (Can’t live without my Zija, Supermix and XM+ and now I’ve added Prime 90 Protein to my routine. www.drinklifein.com and www.julieannecox.myzija.com), my foam rolling and stretching, my portaPT “quality” training runs. Promise me to continue to train SMART and I guarantee you the same results.

4 more weeks and my BACK TO BACK Marathons becomes a reality. I’m just so excited, I can’t wait….and yes I really said that and mean that…I can’t wait to run another 26.2 miles, but March 2nd, I run for ME and I have FUN the whole way across the Finish Line. I promise me, I promise you!

Don’t Be Afraid to Run Downhill

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

29 January 2013 / 0 comments

I am happy to release a NEW portaPT workout: Rolling Hill Trail Run – What Goes Up Must Come Down. Be sure to check it out and add to your running routine. Stay safe and train SMART!

So in a few weeks, Arizona will be holding their 2nd Phoenix Marathon. The full marathon course is a Boston Qualifier while the half marathon course is an Olympic Qualifier. The Phoenix Full Marathon, if you look at the course, is considered a downhill course. Now let me say this…those of you who live in this area and know the Las Sendas subdivision, know that this section is anything but downhill, yes there are parts but what goes down, also goes up. So its NOT ALL DOWNHILL and flat 🙂 Just want to clarify that, haha, (some feel that doing a “downhill” described marathon to qualify for Boston is a bit like cheating, but I say “Whatever!! PF Chang Rock n Roll Full Marathon is considered to be a flat course and let me tell you, when you are running it, it sure “don’t feel flat” 🙂 AND the Boston Marathon is considered a FAST DOWNHILL marathon :)”

Anyway, when I would ask others if they were doing the Phoenix Marathon, I would get alot of people saying “Oh no, I can’t do that one, its all downhill and downhill hurts my knees (another one you hear people say that about is the St. George Marathon held in Utah). But here’s the thing, just like you train for uphill runs, you NEED to train for downhill runs in order to keep safe and injury free. It doesn’t mean you don’t do it or shouldn’t do it or can’t do it. You prepare the body for the type of course you are running and you come out injury free (of course that means putting ALL of the PIECES OF THE PUZZLE together, recovery, nutrition, stretching, foam rolling, etc.)

The following insert is from Competitor Online Magazine

Improve Strength And Speed With Downhill Training

By Mario Fraioli
Published Jun. 11, 2012

“The main benefit from downhill running is the strength gains you can get from it,” says Steve Magness, exercise scientist and a coach with the Nike Oregon Project. “This is extremely helpful for training for races where you’ll spend a lot of time running downhills because now you won’t have this weak link in your chain that hasn’t been accustomed to the pounding that it has to withstand. Additionally, even if you aren’t training for a race with downhill in it, some of this training can serve as an injury prevention method to strengthen that area.”

Proceed with caution when barreling down a decline, however. Running downhill may require less effort than going in the opposite direction, but it’s much harder on the body. One of the main things to be wary of when running downhill is overstriding, which causes a braking effect, forcing you to land harder on your heels and sending greater impact forces through your body that make you more susceptible to injury.

“Downhill running puts an enormous eccentric load on both your quads and hamstrings, which is the reason people tend to get sore when doing much downhill running,” says Magness. “What happens though is your body adapts to this stress load by repairing the microtears in the muscle fiber and strengthening the tendons so that they can withstand that eccentric strain in the future.”

So how do you become better at running away from the top of a hill? Gary Brimmer, the 1996 U.S. 50K trail running champion and a running coach in San Antonio, Texas, suggests carefully and gradually sprinkling some downhill running workouts into your weekly routine, and even incorporating tempo runs on a net downhill course into training.

“We mix in downhill tempo efforts either on portions of the same course or on a treadmill,” says Brimmer, whose athletes do specific downhill training only when preparing for either the 3M Austin Half Marathon or the Boston Marathon. “This helps the runners get used to running race pace while going downhill and helps condition the quads for the pounding.”

Next time you’re preparing to tackle a tough set of hill repeats, remember: what goes up is also worth going down.

I DID IT!! New PR Baby!

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

23 January 2013 / 5 comments

So many of you may know that for my new racing year of 2013, I had a goal and one goal only going into January and that was to reach my goal of going Sub 4 (under 4 hours) at the PF Chang Rock n Roll Arizona Marathon. Last year I went into this race with the same goal but was not able to meet it. I ended up with 4:07 and had to be okay with that because to be honest, I went into the race not really trained or focused on quality run training but because I had just finished training with all of my Ironman trainees, I thought I could pull it off. Lesson learned, oh yeah, you better believe it, lesson learned…Mile 1 to Mile 26.2 was very, very painful. I promised myself I would never do that again.

So I went on a journey and promised to get all of the long runs in but also I would dedicate my “quality runs” to my own PortaPT workouts. I did ‘So Inclined Hills, Feel the Need for Speed, Heart Rate Games’…ok….you know them all, I did them all. Each week I would have a set workout to do along with my outdoor long runs and I even added some trail runs.

Wanna Know Why
My Butt
Looks So Fast?
www.portaPT.com
Train SMART

Well, I’m happy to say…all of my hard work and quality training paid off. I’m not gonna lie and say it came easy because it didn’t. That Mile 18 is always a killer to the home stretch. Its where my mind starts going to a dark place because my body starts rebelling on the push. The first 15 miles or so are easy and I feel great. Mile 16 starts coming around and I start chanting to myself “come on this is supposed to be hard, if it was easy everyone would be doing it, deep breaths, core upright, wiggle your toes, deep breaths, elbows back and drink your water, do not go to the pain box”. Well of course that can only last so long, about Mile 18, you know the finish is only about an hour and 15 minutes away, but it ends up being the LONGEST STRETCH you go through. My toes start cramping under which then shoots cramps up my calves so bad that you can’t even feel your foot striking the ground anymore. The pain is so unbearable that I have to keep stopping and even take my shoes off to try and straighten my toes out. Fortunately I have the best girl in town supporting me, KM, on my last 12 miles so she is there at my beck and call. I could never have done it, I swear, without her pushing me (literally sometimes) and encouraging me and carrying all of my stuff and letting me drink her water and XM+. She is a Rockstar.

Anyway, all said and done and with anger in me, I pushed to the finish with my new PR of 3:57:00 (it originally said I was 3:56:59 but somehow they took the second from me haha). I will take it and wear it proud. That is 10 minutes off my last PR (personal record…haha you see Cal, I listened…I’m making sure people understand the “lingo”).

I honestly believe that without my PortaPT “quality training runs”, Sunday’s run would have hurt EVEN MORE and may not have had the same outcome. Please be sure to incorporate all of the different profiles into your training. Train SMART, foam roll and drink your water. Thanks for all of your support out there. AM and JC it was great seeing you out there on the course providing me with all of my great photos and bananas. DC thanks for all the “text coaching” 🙂

Never without my Zija XM+.
It gives me wings!

On a side note, I can’t stress enough also how happy I was to run and train with my new found “all natural energy drink”. Not only does it provide me with “clean and naturally based energy”, it also provides me with 18 amino acids, all my vitamins and antioxidants. Love it. Check it out, I promise you, everyone who has tried it LOVES IT. For all over “plant based live nutrition” look at SuperMix, and for the energy, check out XM+ and/or XM3. There is also a great weight management program if you are looking for that. 100% bioavailability, at the cellular level. For just $3.00+ a day you can have the best 90+ nutrient 100% natural vitamin. Click here www.julieannecox.myxmstory.com to hear some more testimonials. Be sure to JOIN ZIJA so you get the Preferred Customer price (15% discount, no obligations, no joining fees, no minimum order…just better because 15% discount)

Okay, well off I go, Marathon #2 for 2013 is just around the corner….literally, in 6 weeks I do this all over again! 🙂 Bring on my Zija!! 🙂

Take That First Step…to a NEW YOU!

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

20 December 2012 / 0 comments

“Excellence is not achieved in the first step. Yet that first step must be taken if excellence is to be created. Greatness is not attained in the initial effort. Yet greatness comes only through making that first effort and then many more. Go ahead and begin. Get started. Take the first step toward your dreams. Make the first effort to work toward greatness. You will learn a lot as you go, perfecting your approach. The important thing now is to get started and keep going. You will make many mistakes. Correct them and learn from them. You will have disappointments but keep on going, and those disappointments will serve to further motivate you. You’ll come up against difficult obstacles…find a way through them. You’ll have triumphant moments, celebrate them but don’t allow the celebration prevent you from moving forward. Go ahead. Get started accomplishing those things you’ve decided to do. Now is a great time. One step at a time, you can do it. You know you can, those who love you know you can so go ahead and make it happen.” – Writer Unknown

I am happy to announce a new PortaPT release. “Back to Basics” – This workout is for all levels. It can be for the beginner who is just starting their journey on the running path. It can be used as an Aerobic Base Building/Recovery Day. It can be used to focus on FORM. It can be used as a 30 minute warmup before your strength training. This profile is a WALK/JOG profile. It can be done INDOORS on treadmill or OUTDOORS!! 🙂 🙂

What are you waiting for? Time to take that “first step” into 2013.

Also if you are looking for a NEW YOU in the year 2013 and would like to start the year with an amazing cleanse, which will not only build your body up to an optimum level of health but will also have you LOSING WEIGHT, please check out my website at www.julieannecox.myzija.com. This product is phenomenal. It is the best “vitamin” I have ever taken and no lie, I’ve tried them all…JuicePlus, Noni Juice, Monavie, Advocare, Isagenix, etc. This is plant based and comes from the Moringa Tree/Plant. Don’t take my word for it….Google it and see how beneficial this “live nutrition” can be for you! If you have any questions on this product, be sure to email me at www.julieanne.cox@cdnkidz.com.

Don’t have hours to spend at gym?

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

25 October 2012 / 1 comments

Guess what? You don’t need countless hours at the gym, nor do you need alot of expensive equipment at home. I challenge you to do this 5 minute workout (and if you happen to have 10 minutes, go ahead and do it 2 times) and let me know if you got a good workout or not?

This 5 minute workout incorporates upper and lower body at the same time, while keeping that heart pumping. And you don’t need a lot of equipment. If you happen to have 5 or 8lb weights, good, you can use them. But in case you don’t, you can make your own handweights by getting yourself 2 water bottles and filling them up with stones and gravel 🙂 And now you have at least a couple of weights to work with (of course the 5 to 8lb weights will challenge your upper body a bit more but you will still be getting the benefits with the combined movements).

So who’s ready to take the challenge? Let me know how y’all feel after only 5 minutes. You can either watch the video and do it with Jill (each segment is 30 seconds long but you will have to be ready to go right into the next exercise, no delay…so you may want to watch it a couple of times to understand and know the movements) or you can watch the video and write down the moves and the next time you are at the gym, and you just finished one of your PortaPT Audio Coached Cardio Workouts, you can get in the 5 minute strength workout (try to do each 30 seconds back to back, no recovery, chitchatting in between :)).

Let’s just say, Jill did this workout 2 times in a row and didn’t walk without screaming my name for a few days, so be forewarned 🙂 If you think that 5 minutes can’t do anything for you, think again.

Okay looking forward to hearing from those of you who are ready and willing to take on this challenge. Please feel free to come back and post your comments, of course, keep them PG, haha 🙂 And ladies, don’t be afraid to challenge YOUR MEN!! 🙂

Stay safe, stay fit, stay healthy,

JA 🙂

5 Minute Workout (each exercise is 30 seconds long, move right into the next exercise)

1. Right Leg ONLY Step Out Lunge with Bicep Curls

2. Left Leg ONLY Step Out Lunge with Overhead Shoulder Press

3. Right Leg ONLY Stationary Lunge with Overhead Tricep Extension

4. Left Leg ONLY Stationary Lunge with Mid-Delt Raise

5. Alternating Split Jump Lunge (Right/Left) with Row

6. Right Leg ONLY Pulsing Lunge with Pulsing Hammer Curl

7. Alternating Split Jump Lunge (Right/Left) with Row

8. Left Leg ONLY Pulsing Lunge with Pulsing Rear Delt Fly

9. Alternating Runners Lunge with 2 Jumping Jacks (1 minute, NOT 30 seconds on this one)

Train SMART for that PR, don’t just “wish it”.

posted by Julie-Anne Cox

17 October 2012 / 0 comments

As a personal trainer and a guilty one myself, you will not believe how many times I have heard people tell me emphatically how “this year I want to run my half marathon in “such and such a time” which is about 10 to 15 minutes faster then my PR now”. But when I ask them what they are doing to train for that time or what they are going to change this time in their training routine, most look at me like I’m off my rocker and have no clue as to what I am asking them.

PEOPLE, (and once again, this lesson was learned by myself also, which is probably why I am so very passionate about this now)…if you TRAIN THE SAME WAY DAY IN AND DAY OUT…..EXPECT THE SAME RESULTS.

When preparing for a running race, jumping on the treadmill and running the same pace day in and day out…will NOT get you the results you are wanting. You need to run those hills, do the speedwork, get the tempo runs in, and of course run those longer runs at a slower pace then you are used to which is “hard training” in itself.

I’m sure this will fall on some deaf ears and that is totally fine. We all run and race for our own reasons. Some run for fun, relaxation and fitness and introducing pain and a hard push into their run is not part of their mindset AND this is totally fine, but then don’t be that person who goes into a race expecting to take 10-30 minutes off your PR with ease, it won’t happen.

If you continue to run the same pace every time you run with no change, your body will adapt to that and hang there. The body has an uncanny ability to adapt to physiological demands. Train at the same pace day after day, week after week, year after year, and that is the kind of running your body will adapt to. BUT if you break out of that comfort zone and add a little speedwork now and then, the body will learn to deal with the new demands, and instead of jumping on that treadmill and going to your “ol’ faithful 6.0 mph/10 minute mile speed”, you start saying “hmmm, I feel better now running at 6.2 mph speed”. Your heart got stronger, the cardiovascular system more efficient, the muscles better able to function at full force. That will translate to greater strength, faster times, easier daily runs and you will just feel better. And who doesn’t want all that?

I am happy to now launch a new PortaPT workout, Feel The Need For Some Speed. You are gonna love this workout because it can be done either INSIDE on the TREADMILL or outside on the road. You will be jogging/running the whole workout except for one full recovery in the middle of the workout which believe me, the second half of the workout gets harder so enjoy that full recovery and get your mind ready to push the limits. You will start off at your comfortable jogging pace, with oxygen, feeling good, holding back a bit. Then you go into your comfortable running pace, this pace is a pace that you could hold for 3 miles and feel like you are running and working but not sucking wind and not dying. You are able to hold this comfortable pace but you know you are running your pace that you like and are still working for. Then you go into your speedwork. You will push your pace harder, faster and stronger. So for example, if you consider your run pace to be a 6.0 mph/10 min. mile…if on the treadmill you will be pushing your speed to 7.5 mph/8 min. mile. If you are running outside and you have a GPS monitor to help you, you would pick up the same and see your pace on your tool. If no watch for outside, you will have to push yourself to run faster then that comfortable, working run. IT IS NOT A SPRINT. You will need to maintain this push for awhile, so know that it isn’t an all-out sprint, just picking up your natural running pace to out of your comfort zone. You will be working 1:1 Work:Recovery Ratio but your Recovery isn’t a full recovery. You will be just going down to your running pace and not your jogging pace.

Okay guys, race season is upon some of us and if you aren’t into racing, no worries, this workout is still for you, just remember all the benefits you are doing your body by getting it to be stronger and not just plateau. And on that note, please promise to always leave a minimum of 5 minutes to foam roll those legs out.

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