I am not a natural athlete, but I find as I age that fitness has become one of my favorite activities.  And running has always fit in there somewhere.  I must confess that I don’t so much run as jog…  slow and steady was my hallmark pace.  I was a rock star if I hit a 9 minute mile.

As my years went on and time availability and my body changed, so did my relationship with running.  I am fortunate to have a trainer, and he told me early on during our first sessions that especially “for women over 40, intensity is the best way to go.”  He advised that I go out and run hard or do sprints or run hills for 30 to 40 minutes and then go home.  Intensity will yield the best results with the least possibility for injuring.

And he was right.

So, that’s what I’ve been doing for the past seven years or so! Intensity with intervals.

Here’s how I do intervals: I run the straights and trot the bends on the school track.  I run the up the neighborhood hills and jog or walk down — in sets of three or five.  I work out in an empty parking lot and do sprints – long and short — using the parking lines as my guides – run fast, bend down, touch the line, turn around and go a bit longer the next round. Repeat.

The first year I did this kind of running workout, combined with weights in the gym, I lost 20 pounds.  Better yet, I have kept it off.

So, no matter where you are or what you are doing, you can find a road or a track or a hill or a parking lot and spend 30 minutes.

What are your fitness favorites?  Where and how do you get your best results?  Share Please!

-Rose