marathon – Analise Douglas

Remember when I told you guys that I am a runner? Yeah… about that.

People who know what 4th year of medical school is like are laughing right now. It’s notorious for being the year where the world opens up to you and you think you have ample time to do everything you’ve ever dreamed of- brunching, traveling, marathoning, acting, spelunking, etc. Then, RIGHT AFTER 4th year, you are thrown into internship, where you are working ALL THE TIME and you marvel at people who have time to eat.

Lise, the intern, found it difficult to find time to exercise in these circumstances, in fact it fell to the bottom of my list when it came to thinking about my busy schedule.

I had to do something, though, because I could tell that my mental health was suffering and I was becoming tired just walking up stairs with my attendings.

These are some of the things that have been working for me.

Continue reading “Exercising Regularly When You’re Busy” →

I first started running when my mother and I were training for a marathon together. Oh yeah, that happened.

I was new to running in general (I only ran when bears chased me) and we both decided that interval running would be the best option for us. We did the entire 26.2 miles in intervals!

This method has shown to help you continue to burn calories for the rest of the day. It also can help you increase your stamina and keep you from falling asleep from sheer boredom. Maybe it’s just me, but when I am bored on the treadmill, I feel like I am dying much faster than usual. I suddenly feel like running wasn’t such a good idea, that my legs are falling off, and that I can’t possibly breathe while I am dying a slow painful death.

Why I love it:

Running in intervals keeps me excited on the treadmill and keeps my energy up while I am doing a set of 30- 60 mins on the treadmill. I need music and something vapid on the television (or I can watch the news, both programs are equally effective). If I’m feeling really motivated to achieve greatness that day, I’ll even have something to read during my walk intervals. Essentially, the idea is that the more distracted Lise is, the better.

How Interval Running Works:

Treadmills usually have interval options that will allow you to set a jog speed and a run speed. I set my jog to a comfortable run or walk speed – depending on how I’m feeling that day. This is probably 3.5 – 4 mph for a brisk walking speed and 5.5 mph if I am feeling like I am going to jog. For my run speed, I usually do 6.5 mph regardless if I am walking or jogging for my jog speed.

Then I switch intervals every 2 minutes. This gives me enough time to catch my breath if I need to and it gives me enough time as I am running to get into my stride.

As I run more and my stamina increases, I will increase both my jog speed and my interval time so that I will be running both faster and for a longer time (that’s the goal anyway!)

If you are running outdoors, you can set an interval timer on your phone. There are several apps that fulfill this purpose for HIIT. An alternative to bringing your phone on your run is using a gymboss, which is a clever, pager-like gadget that will time your intervals for you.

For those of you who are new to running or just want to try something new to spice up your workout, try this out! Let me know what you think!

Happy Running, friends.

P.S. The incline on the treadmill can also be used for intervals, for you adventurous people. 😉

Love you guys!

Lise