therunnerwithin

I am honored to have been asked to be apart of a linkup titled “Let’s Talk Training Thursdays,” with co-hosts Pretty Lil Mudder, Powered By Bling, Half Marathon Mama, and Girl on the Move! A new topic will be posted every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month.

The topic of discussion this week is all about our favorite workouts, whether it’s running, strength training, cross training, etc. For me as a runner, running obviously has to be a favorite workout of mine. I love the challenge running offers me to build strength and endurance to gain mileage by mileage and allow me to compete in long distance races. Running is also a great stress reliever! The days when I am just so excited to get out an run, are usually on the weekend. There’s something so serene about waking up early, yes on the weekends, and heading down to my favorite running spot where I can enjoy a scenic view of the sunrise over the water while everyone else is still asleep.

I think I also tend to enjoy those runs the most because they are a longer distance run. I used to think my sister was crazy when she would say that she would much rather run 6-8 miles than a short 2-3 but now that I have completed a half and have grown accustom to longer distances I’d much rather go out and just run forever that put a time or mile constraint on my runs.

Another workout I enjoy is offered at a local trampoline arena, Airheads. They offer a variety of classes for all fitness levels including Zumba, AIRobics, Boot Camp Style and Endure It. My favorite so far has been the AIRobics, this class combines all elements of a HIIT workout including jumping jacks, burpees, squats, sit ups and running relays. I love that the trampoline class offers an alternative to my running workouts in that it takes the stress off my joints with a low impact workout and it keeps my cardio up with all the jumping. Other benefits include strength training on muscles such as the calves all the way up to the stomach as well as improvements to balance and posture.

Do you prefer cardio workouts, strength training or both? Why?

Next week’s theme (9/11): Training Essentials.

Link up with Powered By BLING, Pretty Lil Mudder, Half Marathon Mama, Girl on the Move and The Runner Within for Let’s Talk Training Thursday! on the 2^nd & 4^th Thursdays of each month.  Link up your post about the week’s training theme so your post will be found in the linkup archives.  Then, link back to our blogs to share the linkup with your readers.