Running on a Treadmill

It's inevitable, if you're a runner (especially a Pittsburgh Runner) at some point you're going to be on the treadmill. While its not always the most exciting way to get your training miles in, it can be a good way to build your aerobic base and focus on form. Here are a few pointers that you can use to get the most out of your next "dreadmill" workout.

• Focus on Form -I get asked all the time, "Can I work on my ChiRunning while on the treadmill?" As a matter of fact, you can! The treadmill is a great place to work on keeping your posture aligned (Shoulders stay aligned over the hips and ankles). Try and feel a "hinge" at the ankle, allowing for a forward lean (use a slight incline to increase this sensation), and keeping your stride short. 
• Work on Cadence -The best runners in the world keep a consistent cadence between 85 and 90 RPM... so, if you want to run great, do what great runners do and count your cadence. Find your natural rhythm. Do this by counting the number of times your left (or right) foot strikes the ground/treadmill over the course of 30 seconds. Multiply that number by 2 and you have your RPMs. If they fall below 85, slowly try to increase them by 1 or 2 RMP each week until your in the 85-90 range. 
• Stay in the Middle -Try to keep your body positioned in the middle of the treadmill. If you're up too close to the bar, you'll have a hard time engaging your "lean." If you're too far back, you might fall off!  

On top of these three tips, here are a few other things you might want to consider to make the most of your treadmill run.

• Use the Incline -When you're running outside, the wind & ground add more resistance to your run. You don't have this added resistance on the treadmill, so to simulate the outdoor intensity add a 1 or 2 percent grade to the incline. 
• Trust in Your Body NOT the Display -The numbers on the treadmill lie! If you feel like you're going faster or farther than you normally do, the machine's calibration might be off. A treadmill is not the place to stress about running an exact distance or speed. Instead, set a goal for the number of minutes you'll run and the Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) you'll want to keep during the run. This is a much better strategy than stressing about a distance or speed goal. 
• Don't Worry How Fast the Guy Next to You Runs -We've all had someone jump onto the machine next to us and crank it up to 10mph, or bust out an Uptown Funk dance. Don't worry about him! You're on the treadmill to run your workout. Keep it at your goal PRE for the length of your run. This is the best way to be ready on race day. 

Do you have any other treadmill training tips? We'd love to hear them!

Finding the Right Multi-Vitamin

Swing by the vitamin section of your local pharmacy and you’ll literally feel like you’ve walked into a wall. From vitamin A to 12 forms of B, C, D2, D3, multivitamin packs, herbal supplements, oils and more, it's easy to get intimidated. How can you blast through all the fancy labels and find exactly what you’re looking for?

Well, I'm not a nutritional, but here are the three biggest things I was looking for in a vitamin. These three are what lead me to finally select "Pure Vitamin Club" (disclaimer, I am in NO WAY affiliated with this product...I won't get a single penny if you decide to try it yourself!).

First, I want a capsule, not a tablet. Here's why.

• Tablets are packed togeather pretty hard. It wakes your body extra time to break them down and the amount of "fillers/additives" required to keep them togeather make this even tougher
• Because tablets don't break down quick, many of the nutrients in them pass right thorough the body and make your pee look radioactive
• Capsules digest quickly and easily
• The machines used to produce tabs need to add different types of lube so the tabs can easily move through the production line, like Magnesium stearate (problem is this can interfere with the absorption rate of some nutrients)

Second, as mentioned above, I don't want any fillers or additives! This means wheat, corn, dairy, artificial colors (why do I need titanium dioxide in my vitamin...keep it in my sunscreen please), or other additives.

Third, it has to be affordable. I don't want to spend 3 billion dollars on supplements every year. There are a lot of really great products out there. Thorne, Klean Athlete, Dr. Mercola, and many more make some great products, but their pricey! Pure Vitamin club is about $10 per month. This is also one of the lowest price vitamins I've found that are NSF certified!

Finally, I can say from experience that I feel better when I'm taking this vitamin. Unlike several others I've had in the past, I can take these on a completely empty stomach without issue. I don't look like I'm peeing orange after taking them and their auto ship program makes it easy to always have them on hand.

Check out www.PureVitaminClub.com for more info!