Get up and running with Up & Running (guest post and giveaway)

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Today’s guest post is from renowned running coach Julia Jones.  A woman with whom those of you who can’t live without our Two Fit Chicks podcast are already familiar.  After training thousands of women in Italy in her running clinics, she’s taking her message to the streets internet. Julia has teamed up with my podcast partner Shauna Reid of Dietgirl fame to create Up & Running a kickass online running clinic for women.

Their first course, the eight-week 5K Beginners Course – starts on Monday 21 March (woo hoo! The first day of spring!) & if you want to shake up your fitness routine this spring I urge you to check the course details /Julia’s amazing coaching expertise at upandrunningonline.org.

Shauna & Julia have saved a place on the 5K course for one MizFit reader. You can be from anywhere in the world, but you need to be female (there are plans for male-courses in the works).

Comment below for your chance to win and please to answer this question: If you could run for miles and miles and miles without ever getting tired, where would you run to today?

I’ve been offering women’s running clinics in Italy for over twelve years.

When I first started I used to give the ladies a questionnaire to fill out at the end of the eight weeks.

I wanted to know what prompted them to sign up for group running lessons. Most of all I wanted to know what, in the end, they felt they had gotten out of the two months together.

I tabulated all the answers and comments for a few years and then stopped.

Why? Because the answers, year after year, were always the same.

It was clear this was how it would always be. What I found most interesting is that they signed up for one thing, but came away with so much more.

The number ONE reason women come to a running clinic was to lose weight.

It could be 5 pounds or 50 pounds, but somewhere out there they’d heard that running burns more calories than any other activity and they wanted this weight off NOW.

Some of them went so far as trying calculate how many calories they’d burned and matched that to how much they ate – a dangerous and futile practice. Of course there were other answers like wanting to try running or run a marathon some day, but weight loss was always at the top of the list.

The funny thing is that after eight weeks they weren’t thinking about the scale anymore.

What’s kept me holding running clinics year after year was the Number One answer they gave me about what they got from the running clinic: They felt “happier”.

Sometimes it was a generic answer, other times  they would write me long poetic prose about their experience.

They had set a goal for themselves and had obtained it. Happy.

They felt proud for having finally stuck with something for more than a week. Happy.

They were running and they never ever dreamed that they could actually run. Triple happy!

The only regret any of them ever had was that they had wasted so many months or years wanting to start a running program to only talk themselves out of it for whatever reason. And you know what? In the end, some of them did end up losing a few pounds, but it was no longer the main reason they continued with their running.

It had become so much more.

(winner announced 3.7.11)

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Comments

  1. If I could run anywhere it would be in the mountains around Lake Tahoe. They are in my backyard but so high in elevation with the trails’ peaks and valleys it would seem almost impossible for me to fathom being about to run them. But the beauty would be amazing

  2. If I could run anywhere it would be to Starbucks. And I’m only partially kidding.

    I envy those that have found the joy of running. I have found the joy of lifting and biking but I have yet to fall in love with the run.

    YET!

  3. I would run to my brother’s house (so I didn’t have to pay for a flight which breaks the bank)

  4. I WANNA BE A RUNNER! Seriously, I do. I try and try, yet something always gets in the way. But each time, I get back on that horse.

  5. Oh I NEED this! I HAVE TO HAVE this. My ambitious little heart skipped a beat when I read this!

    If I could run anywhere in the world without ever getting tired, it would be to the southeast (from Iowa), where my whole family is. I miss them so badly it hurts.

  6. I would run without the worry of injury or old age pain. I would run along the beach and watch the beautiful waves and blue sky and smell the ocean air.
    My knees and back would be happy and my big ass smile would be glowing.

  7. What a good question… If I could run like that I don’t think it would matter where I was running to as in my head I could be anywhere I wanted anyway. That is one of the reasons that I would love this prize so much. The freedom that being able to run must afford people is amazing to me. The feeling of escapism, strength and peace of mind to me is the ultimate achievement and prize.

  8. I’d run to my SO’s job. It’s about 6 miles away (which is unthinkable to me right now)… but he had a really bad morning and could use a hug

  9. I love to run and hope to someday run a half marathon. I’ve had some medical issues that kept me from running for the past few months, but the doctor should release me to run this coming Monday. So starting this program on the 21st would be awesome. If I could run any where today it would be to the beach and then just run along the ocean for hours and hours. There is nothing better than running on the beach and watching dolphins play in the ocean.

  10. I love that! Yes, when we do something that challenges us we end up feeling happier… I can’t wait for the day that I can start running.

  11. I started running a few months ago and am now totally hooked. I was overweight for the majority of my life and was never able to run before, so this is a really big accomplishment for me. The end of the month I am running my very first 5K!!

  12. If I could run anywhere without getting tired, it would be to Belfast to see my lovely husband who’s working there today. I might even sneak in a little look around the shops, too!

  13. Sigh…I was a runner, once. Then there was injury and a child and the mean, mean, nasty winters of Northwestern Pennsylvania. Now, I consider myself to be a wanna-be runner. That is going to change this year.

    If I could run anywhere, it would be through the mountains of Tennessee. It is absolutely beautiful there. So peaceful. Now, if I could just get these legs a-movin…

  14. I just started running.. well jogging, very slow. lol.
    I would love to run to new york (I live in Ut) to visit my sister. I would love to experience the amszing country. Everything inbetween. To enjoy the moment and be happy.
    Or if possible,, I’d run to Ireland. if there were a bridge across the ocean. I daydream about visiting all the time. (my g-grampa came from there) and would love to see where he lived and came from.

  16. A hilly route, maybe up to Whistler or through the Rockies, with a smile on my face. Runners smiling on hills facinate me.

  17. I can’t believe I’m even typing this, but if I could run pain free (my substitute for not getting tired) I’d run the Appalachian Trail. All of it. One summer. One day it will happen.

  20. If I could run anywhere in the world, I think I’d run to wyoming to see some family I left on not so good terms.

  21. I would love to run the local college cross country trail instead of walking it. Start small. I never pictured me as a runner.

  22. If I could run anywhere, it would be in the Cedar Hill State Park. I could run around the lake, up the hills and through the trails. A great place for all terrain and training needs.

  23. GREAT contest! Shauna and Julia are great! and, of course, SO ARE YOU, Miz…..where would I be w/o you gals?
    i don’t wanna know.
    be well,
    gene

  24. I would love to be back in New Zealand, running around Lake Wanaka in the South Island. It’s a deep blue lake, overlooked by the Southern Alps mountains. This would be happening on a crisp autumn day when all the leaves were turning golden, and the sky was turquoise blue with puffy clouds – cool enough so I could just keep going for miles and miles.

  25. Charleston SC!! I am a transplanted Southerner now living in Denver, where winter lasts MONTHS longer than I’m used to and I would so love to get myself to a sunny beach and some decent barbecue. 🙂

  26. I wish I could enter but right now having some bod issues that have made me scale back my running. So, a question for the expert:

    I have lost the padding in the front forefoot of my right foot. Left seems to be fine for now. I am 53 so this is 25+ years of working out. Do you know anyone that got that fat injection procedure into the forefoot of their feet to help with the declining fat pads as we age? I am curious of it is worth looking into & the money it will cost.

    THX!

  27. If I could run anywhere in the world I would run along a glacier filled lake in Parque Torres del Paine in the South of Chile…

  28. If I could have one of those ‘run Forrest, run’ moments, I would run all the way to Spain (I guess I’d have to swim a bit too as I’m in the UK!) to give my niece a big cuddle!

  29. I haven’t run since college – more than a dozen years ago. Eek. And I do miss that feeling of freedom. If I could run and run and run, I’d run to a beach somewhere and soak up the sun while running with my toes in the sand! I’m in landlocked Kansas. Thank you for the the giveaway – I’ll be checking out their site. It sounds great!

  31. Will run to NC from St Louis to see my mom who we just put in the nursing home :(.

  33. Thanks a bunch for sharing this with all of us you really know what you are talking about! Bookmarked. Please also visit my site =). We could have a link exchange agreement between us!

  34. I LOVE this post. I agree regular exercise in general makes people happier but running has a special magic to it. If I could run forever without tiring I would make like Forrest Gump and run across the United States but in a more zig-zaggy fashion so I could see everything. I’d love to see the whole world but figure I’d like to see my own country first.

  35. I would run all over the country to see all that is left to see of gods wonders- then keep running all over the world to see all the natural beauty.

  36. I would run to Zürich, Switzerland and visit my stepmother. I haven´t seen her in a while and think that would be great!

  37. I would run to the first place I could get to where the temperatures are 50 degrees or above… Cannot wait for Spring to come to Massachusetts! 😉

  38. I would run in every city that I visit – early in the morning. With the street sweepers out, I would get to see to see each city waking up and get a feel for the soul (and layout) of each city. What cities? I can’t think of one I would not want to run in: Paris, Chicago, Geneva, Amsterdam, Boston, San Francisco….

  39. I would love to run round with the kids I teach on Friday’s PE lessons without feeling totally jiggered after 2 minutes! I need a belly bra and have a life long phobia of exercise partly due to enduring compulsory cross country running at high school in Scottish winters. Memories of stinging lungs and ‘corned beef’ legs means I am mentally scarred!

  40. I love the end result of this program “happy” – what a great outcome!! If I could run anywhere it would be to Martha’s Vineyard – the most beautiful island in the United States!

  41. I would run to Montreal to see my boyfriend. After 4 years of doing this awesome long-distance relationship, I’m tired of paying for gas for my car! 🙂

  42. If I could run for miles, I’d run the width of Canada. I really should see more of my own country 😉

  43. If I could run for miles without tiring I would run from my house in the Eastern Sierras, through Yosemite and to my parents’ house in the Bay Area. Not only would it be a lovely trip, I’d get to see my wonderful family.

  44. If i could run for miles and miles without getting tired, I’d run straight to my favourite beach – it’s a 30 minute drive from here, through windy hills and bush, but the view coming over the hill would be a breathtaking moment & experience. Maybe I’ll make that a goal! It would be magical.

  45. I would runto the place where I was born (180 kilometers ;-). Its’ beatutiful country and I miss it.

  46. I would run away from this job and keep on running until my head was clear and my body strong – and if I ran so far that I happened to end up running around the deck of a cruise ship touring the Mediteranean, that would be great! 😀

  47. Thanks pertaining to taking turns the following excellent subject matter on your website. I came across it on the internet. I will check to come back when you publish much more articles.

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