Howard Ballard
Assistant Supervisor
Favorite fitness activity: taking long walks
What’s the secret to your success? After starting movecoach I found that if I don't get at least 5 miles in a day I feel like I missed my own personal goal I set for myself.
What is the biggest obstacle to moving more, and how do you get over it? Where I live, the weather is a big factor in getting out to walk. So when the weather is nice I get out there and go. Also watching other people move helps me keep going.
What is the most rewarding part of the Shea Moves 750,000-Mile Challenge? When there was a company-wide challenge to move 50 miles in 13 days, I pushed myself to see how fast I could do just that. I walked 15 miles in one day. We have a lot of fun at work see how many steps we all get each day, we push each other to get more steps. I even walk back and forth at the light-rail station while I’m waiting for the train. I get about 1.5 miles that way!
Share your movecoach success story here!
Click here to join the Shea Moves 750,000-Mile Challenge
Download movecoach moves Shea app for iPhone or Android.
In the Spotlight: Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Monica Martines
R&D Operations Excellence Manager
Favorite fitness activity: spin class
Incredible comeback: In 2011, I was 10 days out from the Seattle Marathon, my 10th, where I was hoping to shave 2 minutes off my PR to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I had just completed my last 10- mile run. I was on the phone, distracted for a split second and fell down a flight of stairs. I broke my fibula in the places and my foot was dislocated from my ankle. It was one of the worst breaks the ER doctor ever saw. Once released from the hospital I started physical therapy. I had a wonderful physical therapist and a trainer who helped me to use crutches, learn how to walk, and slowly get back to my regular self. Although they told me running career was over and I was devastated about that, I knew my body was taking a beating from the 160 and more miles I logged every month. My orthopedist kept telling me that I MUST stop running and heal my body.
The accident was the end of a great running career. But then I rediscovered cycling, which I had given up decades ago when I became addicted to long-distance running. Cycling made me feel whole again. Swimming helps too but the permanent titanium plate and 10 screws in my ankle cramps up quite a bit when I’m in the water.
What’s the secret to your success? Being VERY disciplined by planning my day to include working out, eating well, and getting rest. I prep my nutrition needs the day before for my next day's activities.
What’s the biggest obstacle to moving more and how do you get over it? My work schedule can be very hectic and sometimes I have to rearrange my daily morning workout to later in the day or defer it to another day. Even a quick 15-minute walk or climbing stairs at my office is better than nothing.
What’s the most rewarding part of the Challenge? Getting high fives from my colleagues from all over the world is a lot of fun. I really enjoy updating my training on a daily basis and seeing my and my colleague's achievements. I love getting the kudos and the recognition.
What advice would you give to your fellow challengers? Plan to succeed and you will. Don't sweat the small stuff and get right back into the program if every goal is not attained. Get a routine so that good habits are formed. Don't harp on getting sidelined. Be patient, add variety to your daily routine, and try joining a group. Having a great social bond with others is so much fun.
Join the Challenge, and help Jazz Pharmaceuticals Move 100,000 Miles!
In the Spotlight: LinkedIn
Sam Parker
Partner Account Director
Favorite fitness activity: Sailing
What’s the secret to your success? You have to be passionate about what you do in sport, work, life, love - everything! Work is a big time commitment. Luckily where I work is brilliant at encouraging exercise and movement. From a state-of-the-art wellness programme to motorised desks so you can stand up and work.
What’s the biggest reward of participating in the Challenge? Feeling more energetic during the working day whilst feeling better prepared for a weekend of sport on the water.
(Parker above, with his wife, racing their RS400 in Lake Garda, Italy. Photo Credit: Paul Wyeth)
What’s the biggest obstacle to moving more and how do you get over it? Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Get into a routine as quickly as possible and no matter how short the duration of each commitment. What matters is that you're building up a base of regular exercise - which is key.
What advice would you give to your fellow challengers? It MUST be fun. If you don't like doing it then you will not keep going. I have just started doing a circuit with a colleague so now the responsibility is on the both of us which means we are much less likely to drop out.
Share your movecoach success story here!
Click here to join the Challenge, and help LinkedIn move 1 Million Miles!
Julia Neilson
Favorite Sport: Running
Major milestone: After 4 years of running, I have a half-marathon PR of 1:36:10, and a 10-K PR of 42:25. But I'm not done here!
What's the secret to your success? Consistency! And big dreams :-)
What is the biggest obstacle and how do you get over it? When an injury hits, patience proves to be a virtue. Rest, sleep, good food, water, cross training, strength and core work and deep tissue massages help as well.
What is the most rewarding part of your training? The joy of racing well.
What advice would you give to other members of the runcoach community? Stick to your plan! Trust your plan but also listen to your body whilst keeping your long term goals in mind. It's better to go easy and rest than pushing those shin splints through a hard workout. Keep your easy days easy so you can run your hard days hard.
Follow Julia's running adventures on her blog, karmly.com. On Twitter and Instagram: @GetKarmly.
Have a running story to share? Click here for details.
In the Spotlight: Visa
Celia Tang
Finance
Favorite Fitness Activity: Running
What is the secret to your success? Signing up for races and telling key people about them keeps me motivated to train regularly.
What is the biggest obstacle to moving more and how do you get over it? Having a desk job. I set a regular reminder on my calendar to stand up and take quick walks down the hallway.
What's the biggest reward of the Visa Moves 300,000 Miles Challenge? Your body feels younger and stronger!
What advice would you have for your fellow challengers? Get coaching if you need extra help to meet a stretch goal. Sign up for some fun races for motivation, find someone to walk or run with for accountability, and put it on your calendar so that it’s a priority! Use the app daily to track your progress and get daily coaching!
Share your movecoach success story here!
Click here to join the Visa Moves 300,000 Miles Challenge
Download movecoach moves Visa for iPhone or Android.
In the spotlight: Shea Companies
Luis Fernandez
Facility Manager
Favorite Fitness Activity: Hiking and walking with my kids. (This photo was taken on a hike with my 10-year-old son, Louie.)
What is the secret to your success? I have three kids ranging from the ages of 17 through 8. I want to make sure I'm healthy enough when the youngest wants to play catch or any other activity. I can't stop age. But I can at least better my health!
What is the biggest obstacle to moving more? Tiredness. There are days I think I just can't. But then I open my movecoach app and look at the standings! Health and family are my motivation...and trying keep my top 5 position [on the leaderboard].
What is the most rewarding part of the Shea Moves 750,000-Mile Challenge? Feeling good about yourself, and seeing what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it. I love this app and this challenge! I've lost 10 pounds since I started it.
What advice would you give to your fellow challengers? Keep moving! I know there are days you think you can't. But anything is possible! Before you know it, walking 6, 7 or 8 miles are just part of the day.
Share your movecoach success story here!
Click here to join the Shea Moves 750,000-Mile Challenge
Download movecoach moves Shea app for iPhone or Android.
In the Spotlight: Genentech
May Wittke
Genentech
Biomarker Operations Project Manager
PD Clinical Operations
Favorite fitness activity: Running with friends
Recent Milestone: I have lost 65 lbs since I had joined Weight Watchers in Feb 2016.
What is the secret to your success? I am a bit of a competitive person, so I get motivated by seeing others and having my own competition with them. I also started Weight Watchers when I signed up for movecoach, and running became a big part of my weight- loss journey. I had started a Couch to 5K app in January 2016, then two months later, once we had the movecoach app available to us, I started using movecoach for tracking my steps, running, strength training, circuit training, and other workouts.
What is the biggest challenge to moving more? After awhile, exercise becomes boring. I try to find new ways of doing exercises besides running. I started taking a circuit training class at our gym and doing HIIT videos.
What is the most rewarding part of participating in a movecoach Challenge? I get motivated by seeing all the new people signing on. I like that we are very much supported by our company to have a healthy lifestyle.
Best advice: Don't give up! When you're not feeling up to working out, just don't think about it, and go for the run, walk, class...whatever it is to get you up and moving. You never regret working out...but you do regret it when you don't.
Next goal: I’m training for the Mermaid Half Marathon in May, the 5K Bubble Run in July, then the Rock n’Roll Las Vegas 10K in November to celebrate my 40th birthday.
Share your movecoach success story here!
Click here to join the Genentech 500,000-Mile Challenge
Download movecoach moves Genentech for iPhone or Android.
At runcoach, we strive to provide you the personalization of a world-class coach. Our patented algorithm enables us to deliver a customized roadmap for you. With this in mind, we are excited to announce significant upgrades to the mobile and web platforms. This includes a fresh new interface along with support for additional features such as monthly mileage analysis, logging multiple workouts, milestone rewards, profile view with activity summary and more device tracking options.
Mobile App
One of the most exciting new features is the expandable Add/Edit workout screen. From this screen you have the ability to view map and splits for GPS tracked workouts, add a photo, rate the workout, and share with friends.
The new Today page reflects your assigned workout and workout summary along with your milestone achievement status. The workout summary screen is viewable for historical workouts from both the Training screen and Me screen.
The upgraded mobile experience allows you to sync devices from the mobile app via the settings page. We’ve added support for Strava, HealthKit (Apple Watch), and Garmin Wellness in addition to Fitbit, Jawbone, RunKeeper and Nike+.
Race day is almost here! Remember to lay low and stay off your feet the days before the race. Your reward is race day itself and the challenge of running. . . .
Arrival
Make sure you get outside and feel the air. Go for at least a 20 minute walk or jog on either the day before, or two days before (or whatever is on your schedule).
Think about what you did, not what you didn’t do in your training. When you go to pick up your race number and run into old friends, family etc. everyone will want to ask about your training so they can tell you about theirs. Forget about theirs and don’t compare yourself to anyone. You followed a terrific training schedule and are well prepared.
Night Before, Morning Of
Have a full meal the night before. Try and consume some complex carbohydrates (pasta). Do not over eat, but make sure you fill up.
On race day eat a light breakfast of 200-300 Kcal of carbohydrates including the sports fluid you drink. If you have a normal pre-race breakfast then stick with it. Don't try any new foods before the race. Drink gatorade (or any sports drink that doesn’t include protein) and/or water frequently to assure you are hydrated (clear urine is a good sign). You should stay well-hydrated throughout the morning before the race. At some point prior to the race stop drinking so you can empty your bladder before the start. It is important to refrain from over-consumption of water alone, as that will drain your body of needed electrolytes.
I suggest you take some throw away warmups to the start especially if it rains or will be cold. This could be an old t-shirt or old sweat pants. Also old socks will keep your hands warm. Some runners will even wear a t-shirt for the first couple miles of the race until they warm up and then pull it off and throw it away. This is a good strategy to prepare for all temperatures.
Take a bottle with gatorade/sports drink to the start with you and right before (less than 5 mins) the gun goes off drink 4-8 ounces. This is your first water stop. If you drink close enough to the start you shouldn’t have to pee – the fluid should only drip through your kidneys because most of your resources (blood) will be in your legs and out of your gut as soon as the gun goes off.
Early Miles
I suggest that you start 5-10 seconds per mile slower than your goal pace. By the 2nd mile you should be running at around goal pace while listening to your body. I recommend this approach as it may activate (and utilize) a higher percentage of fat fuel over the first couple miles. Remember we are trying to conserve glycogen and muscle for as long as possible.
Stay on top of hydration. Fluid stations will be located at 4 stations throughout the course. Take note of these opportunities to rehydrate and plan to drink 4-8 ounces every 20 minutes. It is better to consume enough fluid early and sacrifice the later stops if necessary.
Remember the 3 ‘C’s’
Confidence: Have confidence in your ability and your training. Remember all those hard workouts you did. Remember those early mornings, late nights, sore calves, tight hamstrings etc. - they weren’t in jest.
Control: You must relax yourself early in the race. You absolutely must go out under control for the first half of the race. We want to save a little bit for the final miles.
Collection: Keep your thoughts collected and on your objective. There will always be lots of distractions on race day. The further you get in this race the more you need to focus on yourself, goals and race strategy. Don’t let the fans and competitors into your zone.
The Ebb and Flow
I said before that I can’t guarantee anything about the training or the race itself. Well, I can guarantee this: you will feel good at some point and you will feel bad at some point within the race.
Races usually ebb and flow, runners rarely feel terrific the entire way. We always hit little walls. If you hit one just focus on the next mile, don’t think about the end of the race. If you take each difficult moment one mile at a time you will usually feel better at some point. It always comes back because. . .
You Always Have One Cup Left
That’s right – you always have one cup of energy left. The difference is that some people find it and some don’t. Remember what normal, untrained people do when they feel discomfort – they slow down and feel better. You are not a normal un-trained person.
You are a runnining machine!
You are programmed to give your personal best so. . .
Go get that last cup!
