Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
The south side of Great Falls Park is chock full of great hills to power through. This route was particularly tough on my buns and scenic to boot. Follow me for a sweaty and empowering 4.3 mile adventure
- Start at the VC and make your way up Old Carriage Road all the way to Ridge Trail (1.2 mi)
- Turn left onto Ridge Trail until you reach the end. Head back to complete the 1.8 mi loop
- Proceed right down to Matildaville Trail. At this point, I would recommend taking it easy as this is a pretty steep decline. Enjoy the scenery for once instead of blazing right by it you crazy speed demon! Once the trail levels out, bring it back up to a jog until you reach the VC (1.3 mi)
I really enjoyed this route. Hiking it took about an hour and a half. Running it was about 50 minutes. Really make sure you're hydrated because this is a tough one. Enjoy!
In health,
Lauren
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Another Stair Workout
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
My friends and I went to Kiptopeke State Park last weekend and decided to go on a little trail adventure. We found a nice shaded trail and my favorite feature of the built environment: a staircase! Stairs are such a great way to kick up the intensity of your workout. You might want to consider planning an encounter with stairs during your next run/walk in your neighborhood for a cardio bonus.
Here's a pyramid workout we did:
Round 1:
- Take the stairs up two steps at a time (up and down once)
- 10 push ups of your choice
Round 2:
- Side step up the stairs facing the left
- Walk back down
- Side step up the stairs facing the right
- Walk back down
- 10 squatting rows
Round 3:
- Sprint up the steps (up and down three times)
- 10 lunges on each side
Round 4:
Repeat Round 2
Round 5:
Repeat Round 1
In health,
Lauren
My friends and I went to Kiptopeke State Park last weekend and decided to go on a little trail adventure. We found a nice shaded trail and my favorite feature of the built environment: a staircase! Stairs are such a great way to kick up the intensity of your workout. You might want to consider planning an encounter with stairs during your next run/walk in your neighborhood for a cardio bonus.
Here's a pyramid workout we did:
Round 1:
- Take the stairs up two steps at a time (up and down once)
- 10 push ups of your choice
Round 2:
- Side step up the stairs facing the left
- Walk back down
- Side step up the stairs facing the right
- Walk back down
- 10 squatting rows
Round 3:
- Sprint up the steps (up and down three times)
- 10 lunges on each side
Round 4:
Repeat Round 2
Round 5:
Repeat Round 1
In health,
Lauren
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Trail Nutrition
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
As much as I'm a promoter of physical activity, diet is equally if not more important for a healthy lifestyle. No one really teaches us how to eat, we usually go with what tastes good, what magazines say, and what mom fed us when we were young. Though I could very easily jump into a whole blog about diet for life, I'm going to focus on pre- and post-workout nutrition.
Pre-Workout
As far as I know, there isn't an absolute position on what one is supposed to eat before a workout just that you should. This is because your body likes to use the most easily accessible energy source: glucose floating around in your blood. When you eat food, it doesn't get stored right away. Instead it floats around ready to be used by your cells. However, not every person is the same. I know some people who can eat a full meal before working out without a problem. I know others who can workout on an empty stomach and still perform well. There are two factors that seem to come into play: your tolerance and when you last ate.
I'm the kind of person who can eat breakfast as soon as she wakes up; my intolerance for food so early is practically zero. I also usually workout in the morning. Put those two together and you can deduce that I do eat a little something before I start my morning workout. I also try to make sure I eat a complete meal for dinner and hydrate well the night before. If I workout in the middle of the day, I try to make sure it's about three or four hours after my last meal. I have however ran on the trails after eating a burger and half a milkshake...just saying.
Here are my suggestions for a pre-workout snack (all less than 200 calories):
- an apple, banana, or other small fruit
- a bar with fruits and nuts
- a few Sport Beans
- a little shot of Gu or other energy gel, or
- any other foods that are easy to digest and are mostly carbohydrates
Post-Workout
After your fantastic workout, you should reward your body with food preferably within the next 40 minutes. Though you don't feel hungry, your cells are starving, damaged, and need some loving. The best way to love your cells is with protein and carbohydrates. This can come in the form of a protein drink, nuts, deli meat, etc. You don't have to eat a whole meal, just something to feed your cells. I guarantee you'll feel hungry in the next hour.
As always, stay hydrated!! Drink water before, during, and after your workout. If you are in a particularly strenuous environment (high heat or humidity), you should consider drinking something with electrolytes like Vitamin Water, Gatorade, Mio, etc.
If you have any questions or comments, send them my way!
In health,
Lauren
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Great Falls 5K Anyone?
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
I decided to go on a crazy loop around the south western half of the park for a tough run. It ended up being a challenging 5K (a little bit more than that actually) that took me about 50 minutes to complete. Follow my route and beat my time, have fun!
- Start at the Visitor Center
- Head down Old Carriage Road (0.2 mi) to Matildaville
- Stay on Matildaville past the junction (0.6 mi) then up the crazy hill all the way to the top (0.5 mi)
- Cut across Old Carriage Road and run up and down the rolling Ridge Trail to your right until you get to Old Dominion Drive (0.6 mi)
- Trace your steps back to the Swamp-Ridge Connector Trail on your left (0.4 mi) and carefully make your way down the slope to Swamp Trail (0.4 mi)
- Get on Swamp Trail for 0.1 mi then turn left onto Old Carriage Road
- Follow the road 0.6 mi back to the Visitor Center
Boom 3.4 miles done. I hope you're happy and sweaty like I was.
In health,
Lauren
I decided to go on a crazy loop around the south western half of the park for a tough run. It ended up being a challenging 5K (a little bit more than that actually) that took me about 50 minutes to complete. Follow my route and beat my time, have fun!
- Start at the Visitor Center
- Head down Old Carriage Road (0.2 mi) to Matildaville
- Stay on Matildaville past the junction (0.6 mi) then up the crazy hill all the way to the top (0.5 mi)
- Cut across Old Carriage Road and run up and down the rolling Ridge Trail to your right until you get to Old Dominion Drive (0.6 mi)
- Trace your steps back to the Swamp-Ridge Connector Trail on your left (0.4 mi) and carefully make your way down the slope to Swamp Trail (0.4 mi)
- Get on Swamp Trail for 0.1 mi then turn left onto Old Carriage Road
- Follow the road 0.6 mi back to the Visitor Center
Boom 3.4 miles done. I hope you're happy and sweaty like I was.
In health,
Lauren
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Venturing North of the Visitor's Center
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
I must admit, I have not spent nearly enough time in the northern region of Great Falls. There's no good reason for it as it offers more of the same scenic views of untouched forestry.
For a nice, secluded 4.5mi moderately challenging run/hike, begin at the VC. As you go up the main road, you'll pass an overflow parking lot to your right and Clay Pond on your left (0.3mi). Hang to the left and go up the gravel road. This is a serious hill, folks. It's long and it's pretty steep; nice to get it out of the way first because the rest is pretty flat. Once that plateaus, head on down until you get to Riverbend Park's Visitor Center (1.5mi). Once you hit it, come on back and turn right down Mine Run Trail. This is reminiscent of Swamp Trail because it's a more heavily wooded area with a sometimes narrow path (0.4mi). Mine Run will lead you back where you started near Clay Pond while skipping that crazy hill.
If you want to take the scenic road back to the VC, cut across the parking lot to Patowmack Canal Road. Check out the canal ruins and listen for the river babbling along. You'll probably see lots of baby frogs too so watch your step!
In health,
Lauren
I must admit, I have not spent nearly enough time in the northern region of Great Falls. There's no good reason for it as it offers more of the same scenic views of untouched forestry.
For a nice, secluded 4.5mi moderately challenging run/hike, begin at the VC. As you go up the main road, you'll pass an overflow parking lot to your right and Clay Pond on your left (0.3mi). Hang to the left and go up the gravel road. This is a serious hill, folks. It's long and it's pretty steep; nice to get it out of the way first because the rest is pretty flat. Once that plateaus, head on down until you get to Riverbend Park's Visitor Center (1.5mi). Once you hit it, come on back and turn right down Mine Run Trail. This is reminiscent of Swamp Trail because it's a more heavily wooded area with a sometimes narrow path (0.4mi). Mine Run will lead you back where you started near Clay Pond while skipping that crazy hill.
If you want to take the scenic road back to the VC, cut across the parking lot to Patowmack Canal Road. Check out the canal ruins and listen for the river babbling along. You'll probably see lots of baby frogs too so watch your step!
In health,
Lauren
Into the Woods: Matildaville and Swamp Trails
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
If you haven't noticed, Matildaville Trail is my favorite in Great Falls. It has interesting scenery and varying terrain to keep you chugging along on your hike or run. This morning, we started at the VC and headed down Patowmack Canal Road to Matildaville Trail and turned left deeper into the park. We continued along until we got to Sandy Landing. We walked down the steep paved road to admire the stillness of the Potomac. The hike back up that grade gets every time. We then backtracked down Matildaville until we got to the junction and proceeded along Old Carriage Road.
Once there, you can head back to the VC or go down my second favorite trail: Swamp Trail. This beautiful 0.4mi trail is luscious with its vivid greens. It's mostly dirt with rocks and roots to scale. You'll also see lovely ferns all around you and a fawn if you're lucky.
The whole loop ends up being 2.4 miles. Happy trails!
In health,
Lauren
If you haven't noticed, Matildaville Trail is my favorite in Great Falls. It has interesting scenery and varying terrain to keep you chugging along on your hike or run. This morning, we started at the VC and headed down Patowmack Canal Road to Matildaville Trail and turned left deeper into the park. We continued along until we got to Sandy Landing. We walked down the steep paved road to admire the stillness of the Potomac. The hike back up that grade gets every time. We then backtracked down Matildaville until we got to the junction and proceeded along Old Carriage Road.
Once there, you can head back to the VC or go down my second favorite trail: Swamp Trail. This beautiful 0.4mi trail is luscious with its vivid greens. It's mostly dirt with rocks and roots to scale. You'll also see lovely ferns all around you and a fawn if you're lucky.
The whole loop ends up being 2.4 miles. Happy trails!
In health,
Lauren
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Patowmack Canal Trail: A Great Trail for All
Friends and Fitness Enthusiasts,
Good morning! Forty minutes later and I'm still feeling the euophoric effects from our workout this morning. Today, I took our group down the Patowmack Canal Trail for some calisthenics and jogging. This trail is great because it's relatively flat with several features built in to use for exercises. We started out at the Visitor Center and made our way through the park on this lovely morning. Here's what we did:
On the way to Observation #2
- Alternating Lunges x10 each side
- High knees until the stairs
Observations #2
- Pyramid Push Ups: 1 push up, 1 shoulder press, 2 push ups, 2 shoulder presses, ... 5 push ups, 5 shoulder presses, 4 push ups, 4 shoulder presses, ...
- Spinal Balance with leg curl x10 each side
- Spinal Balance with crunch, opp elbow to opp knee x10 each side
- Step Ups (right leg up, left leg up, right leg down, left leg down) x30 each side
On the Bench
- 2x10 Tricep dips
- 2x10 Boat on bench: start in boat, crunch legs in and extend out
- 2x10 Jump squats
Continue your jog down Patowmack Canal Trail (0.6mi) then stop on the bridge
- x10 Partner rows
- x10 Leg throw downs
- x10 Rockys: grab a partner, have them put up "targets" for you to hit with your hands. If they put a target on your right side, tap them with your left hand
Continue your jog to River Trail going down the stairs to the trail. Stay on River Trail until it connects back to Patowmack Canal Trail then head on home (0.9mi).
Somewhere along the way we added some plyometric exercises. If you have a nice strtch of trail that's unoccupied you could do the following things:
- Broad jumps
- Skips for height
- Skips for distance
The weather is beautiful today. Enjoy!
In health,
Lauren
Good morning! Forty minutes later and I'm still feeling the euophoric effects from our workout this morning. Today, I took our group down the Patowmack Canal Trail for some calisthenics and jogging. This trail is great because it's relatively flat with several features built in to use for exercises. We started out at the Visitor Center and made our way through the park on this lovely morning. Here's what we did:
On the way to Observation #2
- Alternating Lunges x10 each side
- High knees until the stairs
Observations #2
- Pyramid Push Ups: 1 push up, 1 shoulder press, 2 push ups, 2 shoulder presses, ... 5 push ups, 5 shoulder presses, 4 push ups, 4 shoulder presses, ...
- Spinal Balance with leg curl x10 each side
- Spinal Balance with crunch, opp elbow to opp knee x10 each side
- Step Ups (right leg up, left leg up, right leg down, left leg down) x30 each side
On the Bench
- 2x10 Tricep dips
- 2x10 Boat on bench: start in boat, crunch legs in and extend out
- 2x10 Jump squats
Continue your jog down Patowmack Canal Trail (0.6mi) then stop on the bridge
- x10 Partner rows
- x10 Leg throw downs
- x10 Rockys: grab a partner, have them put up "targets" for you to hit with your hands. If they put a target on your right side, tap them with your left hand
Continue your jog to River Trail going down the stairs to the trail. Stay on River Trail until it connects back to Patowmack Canal Trail then head on home (0.9mi).
Somewhere along the way we added some plyometric exercises. If you have a nice strtch of trail that's unoccupied you could do the following things:
- Broad jumps
- Skips for height
- Skips for distance
The weather is beautiful today. Enjoy!
In health,
Lauren
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