Wanna really fatigue those legs—> Post-Run POWER Workout (w/video) and our night!

We spend a lot of our life here on this couch.

Last night Brooke and I took our dear friend Lindsey out to celebrate her birthday!  We adore her.

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She requested these beautiful salads (chicken, rice and tortilla under there).  She wanted to show off her weird eye trick.

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And who knows what Brooke was doing in the car selfie!

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My dessert last night… the simplest things are the most delicious.

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Oh and Brooke made me this necklace and she was pretty proud about it!

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There are a whole lot of things that we can do after a run to help us to take things to the next level!  Stretching, eating a killer carb/protein snack/meal within 30-60 minutes of finishing, core exercises, yoga, strides on the grass barefoot (to finish off your workout with a quick leg turnover), strength training and now to add to the list—>  you can try out some POST-RUN POWER EXERCISES (aka plyometrics) to really fatigue those legs out and help add some power to your stride!

I first learned the idea of doing these from when I was working with LAUREN (she rocks).  I would do them after my hard runs to really kill the legs off and then I would have a day or two after that to recover with easy runs.  They teach your legs to end on a powerful note even after they are really tired from your run which translates over nicely on race day when you want to have a great final few miles and max out your legs.  You can also do these after an easy run too if you are wanting to fatigue them a little bit without the added stress from running hard every day.  Play around with them and either way, you will get those legs stronger.  I’m shooting for 1-3 times a week with these!  Try out explosive moves outside of your running to help you get more power out on your runs!

I’m going to list 10 different moves that you can try!  Choose 4-5 of them to do each time—> 8-12 reps with 3 sets!  My legs always feel nice and jelloish after these!

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Box Jumps—>  Jump onto the box/step/bench while landing softly and then stepping back down.

Jump squats—>  Land softly with these too!  Go down to a squat (feet shoulder width apart) and jump explosively as high as you can.  As soon as you land, squat down and jump up again!

Jumping lunges—> Start in a lunge and jump up (as high as you can go:) and reverse your feet in mid air (so your back foot in a lunge then becomes the front foot in a lunge)

Long jumps (frog jumps)—> Start down in a squat with your hands back behind your body and then jump forward while moving hands forward and up.  Land softly in a squat and jump forward again:)

Mountain Climbers—> In plank position (on your hands) bring one knee towards your elbows, alternate knees quickly! Keep that core tight!

Skips for height—> Exaggerates your normal running motion  Use hands and legs to explosively move you forward.  Drive up through the toe and jump up into the air.  Add in some sweet arms swings to help you really explode up!

Lateral skips—>  Push explosively off of one leg and land on the other leg… continue back and forth.

Single-Leg Push Off—>  With one foot on the ground and one foot on the bench, explode up (the foot on the bench will come off of the bench about an inch).

Tuck Jumps—>  Similar to the squat jump!  When you jump up bring your knees up while keeping your upper body upright!

180 Bounds—>  Start in a slight squat and jump up (and forward a bit) while turning your body 180 degrees and land softly in a slight squat.  Explode up again and turn 180 degrees and land in the slight squat again!

Finish off with a nice hip flexor stretch—> this one is my favorite!

And some clips of what these different moves look like!  Warning, jumping isn’t my specialty but that’s why I’m doing these ha… I need some power!

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Who has a birthday coming up?  WHEN?  How old?

Favorite easy dessert/treat at home?

Does anyone reading NOT like bananas?  I have a few friends that don’t like them and I don’t get it because I love bananas.

What are you looking forward to today?

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55 comments

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I have a birthday coming uppppp!! 10 May – three days after Mother’s Day – and I’ll be turning 39… I’m already sending out subtle hints to the hubster about treats I really, really need… ;)

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Thanks for the power workout ideas–I’m definitely going to have to try some of those!

I LOVE bananas. I have one with breakfast every morning. I’m not a huge fan of banana-flavored things, but the actual fruit itself is wonderful. And a banana with peanut butter and Wheat Thins is simply delicious. :)

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We usually have stuff for s’mores at home so when we want a quick dessert, that’s what we go for. If you put them in the broiler (if you don’t have a gas stove or fire handy), it does a good job giving the marshmallow some burned bits and it actually toasts the graham cracker a bit, which I love.

I do really like bananas, but they only have about a 12-24 hour window when they are ripe enough and not over ripe for me, which makes them hard to keep on hand.

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I’ll be 26 in June! Not really excited to be 26. But I’ve already asked Matt for a new foam roller for my birthday and I’m pretty excited about that!

I don’t understand people who don’t like bananas….they’re delicious and I eat at least one every day. Banana ice cream (aka blended frozen bananas) is a yummy simple dessert to make at home!

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I’ve been looking for new ideas for workouts. Thanks for sharing Janae.

Believe or not, I’m actually not a big banana fan. I will eat them when I absolutely have too or there is nothing left but they aren’t my favorite.

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Me too. Bananas are my last resort.

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I love bananas. They are the perfect pre-run fuel. I read a horrible article about them this morning. I’m very sorry to share this with you:

http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/bananas-we-know-them-could-disappear-forever

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No birthday for me but my son’s is Saturday and he’s turning 5. Can’t believe my youngest will be 5 – makes me feel old! I do like bananas but after a marathon like to take a break from them.

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My birthday is in exactly two months from today :) I’ll be 26!

I have a love/hate relationship with bananas. I love how quick and easy they are to eat and I usually like the taste, but I hate it when there’s a mushy brown spot. That ruins the entire thing for me and I have to get rid of it! I also HATE banana peels and the smell of bananas!

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My sister cannot tolerate bananas, which baffles me. I eat at least one per day! My favorite easy dessert is dark chocolate, although I’m excited for berry season to start.

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plyometrics and running go hand in hand. I actually talked about this on my own blog awhile ago haha. running is technically a series of small little jumps if you think about it, so working those jumping muscles in other ways only helps. I love it.

go to dessert: enlightened ice cream right now. omg. it’s 100 cal for 1/2 cup and 7g of protein and it’s delicious and comes in amazing flavors (oatmeal caramel crunch, I’m looking at you). or vanilla greek yogurt with powdered pb mixed in. tastes like heaven.

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Bananas are one of the “phase” foods for me. I go through phases where I eat one daily or I can’t even stomach one bite.

I always eat chocolate chips straight up or with peanut butter as a little treat after a meal.

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Banana is my go-to snack before my 5h30 am run and I never get tired of it. Quick treat for me is usually home made popcorn but I like greek yogurt with cottage cheese and fruits also for a quick sugar fix!

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Bananas were the select snack in preschool yesterday….one of the little girls told me she did NOT like bananas…I asked her to try it and she said , NO! I then told her she could recycle her banana and drink her water. She did and asked for a new snack. I told her “Sorry, the banana was our snack for the day”.

She seemed to get a little upset but sat quietly.

I had an extra banana so I peeled it, cut it into slices, and then asked if any one would like one extra slice because we had an extra. This little girl immediately raised her hand….I reminded her that THIS was a banana and she had just threw her whole banana in the recycling can because she said she didn’t like bananas….she replied, “I might like YOUR banana”…..I gave her a slice and she ate it.

Then, she replied….”I guess I like bananas now!”

LOVELY. ;-)

(Also, it looks like Brooke is wiping her nose on your arm in the selfie….ha!)

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Big 4-0 (Masters?!) birthday coming up for me on Sunday!
Bananas… meh. I eat them out of necessity sometimes. I love banana bread but just a banana is not my favorite!

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Happy early Birthday, Donna. Welcome to the fab (and fast) forties!

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Just turned 27 this past Saturday! Spent the weekend in Breckenridge and tried snowshoeing for my first time. I’ve run 7 marathons and this was by far the HARDEST thing I’ve ever done.

Favorite/easy to dessert to make at home are cookies! I love making cookie dough and keeping it in the freezer for whenever I want to bake off one or two … or four cookies to enjoy :)

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I love bananas so much. Those and apples are 2 fruits we always have on hand.

Nothing too exciting going on today but I am excited to catch up on a new show me and my boyfriend really like on Hulu. It’s called The Path and it’s so good!

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I hat e bananas. Fake banana flavor is nasty and for some reason the texture of bananas make me gag. I don’t mind banana cream pie or banana bread, smoothies with banana in them, things like that. But eating a plain banana is gross to me.

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that’s exactly how I feel!

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I’m a big fan of bananas. Bananas and peanut butter have been a huge staple for me lately. I’ve been eating two a day, expect I haven’t made it to the store in a couple days and I’m out. :(

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Whoa! That workout is intense…but I’ll totally try it out after my short run this weekend. Bananas are great – I don’t crave them as much since I’m not running as intensely but man, so cheap and delicious! Looking forward to tomorrow being Friday :P

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Bananas with pb are daily thing for me! I can only eat them in the morning (they seem like “breakfast food” to me!) but I don’t get people who don’t like them!

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LOL, I have the same eye trick. It really seems to freak some people out!

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Love bananas, but when they’re still a little green, so they’re more firm & less sweet. I have texture issues. I know. But it means that I get first dibs at all the bananas that waltz through my doorway before they turn yellow // speckled brown. So, they’re pretty much always gone before anyone else gets a chance. Oops.

And while I know it’s not today, I’m running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon on Sunday & I’m looking forward to it!

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Got my birthday on May 6 :) but also a poster presentation for my PhD project is on the same day so not much of a celebration …. I ll turn 27 :) WOW i can believe that I left home 10 years ago… as for home dessert my new obsession is soya yogurt with blueberries and half teaspoon of choco power -yup the one you put in milk!

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My 27th birthday is coming up on Sunday! I love to eat cereal for dessert if I’m craving something sweet and crunchy. That brings me back to my college days of late night cereal binges :)

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Happy Birthday to your friend!
Ugh, I despise tuck jumps… they make my legs burn so good though.
Bananas are alright. I like to put them in my smoothies :)
Tonight is my last coordinator meeting before the wedding!!

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Bananas used to make me gag, but then my brother told me to try organic ones and now I can eat them! I don’t know why it’s different. Also they have to be almost still green and not even thinking about getting brown. But I try to eat them often despite all the issues because they make me feel good!

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I’m looking forward to free donuts! I’m buying a dozen for my mom and Krispy Kreme gives me a dozen more free today, yum!

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what? is this for anyone or is it just a certain location? I want free donuts :)

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It’s for anyone who goes to Krispy Kreme today. They’re calling it super hero day, totally made up not a real holiday, but free donuts so worth it. You buy a dozen and get a dozen free. They tweeted about it yesterday. Already got mine and may have eaten 3 ;)

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I love oven s’mores for quick desserts. Or ice cream sundaes. Not nearly as healthy as your dessert, though. I can’t handle eating bananas. My stomach is crazy painful after eating bananas and I have no idea why. I can do bananas in smoothies or banana bread though and I love them that way!

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One last quick dessert…my kids adore chocolate filled raspberries. Just melt chocolate chips and squirt it in the raspberries.

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This morning I was really looking forward to getting back into my reformer pilates class!! I had to take a week off due to stomach issues (I know you can relate), so it made this mornings work out that much greater! The class wasn’t until 7am but I was wide awake at 5am because I was so ready to go haha!! Now I just have to get back into running…

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I don’t like bananas. It isn’t so much the flavor as the consistency I find disturbing. I’ll eat them if I have to, but they are not my first fruit choice. They are just so chewy and weird. Another thing I am not fond of it watermelon which I see you eating all the time. I love the other melons. Honeydew, Cantaloup, etc, I just can’t do the watermelon. When my husband and I were dating and figured out neither of us like marshmallows or watermelon… we were sold!

Today I am looking forward to post pre school pic up runs to Costco and settling down with a great book tonight! I love reading in this stormy weather!

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I have a birthday coming up in the Summer months (August- haha so still far away but I’m still pumped) and I’m turning 21!! I love these leg exercises, will definitely integrate after my hard workouts to really get that extra leg strength, which will hopefully help me at the end of my harder workouts and races!
Also- I LOVE bananas, my roommate has an irrational fear of them… I will never understand.

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i love bananas but I do have a cut off period for when i will eat them. once those brown spots start cropping up Im done. my sister flat out refuses to eat bananas in any form because when she was a kid they made her sick. whatever more bananas for me!!!!

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I love bananas and totally don’t understand how some people hate them!!!
I love anything with dark chocolate for a sweet treat! Looking forward to a long walk with my pups today!

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What brand of shoes are those in the first picture? They’re so cute! I’ve been looking for ones just like them

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I can do the eye trick too!! I call it the “broken baby doll”. ha!

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No birthday for me until November, but I will gladly celebrate it if asked!

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I turned 52 yesterday!

I can usually only eat half a banana then my gag reflex kicks in. I love them frozen in smoothies, though!

Today I am meeting my travel agent to pick up our travel documents – we are going to Europe in 3 weeks to celebrate our 25th anniversary!! One of our excursions is mountain biking up Mt. Etna (with canoli at the end!)

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Plyometrics are an awesome way to build quick speed and power! I do them at the end of hill repeats…when’s he legs are fatigues.
Thanks for the video…I was tired just watching it!!!

Bananas are a definite no! Ick ick ick. Something about the texture makes me gag. Weird, because they are the PERFECT food for runners…and so portable!
I used to absolutely love them! With yogurt, in cereal and oatmeal. With peanut butter on toast!!! With strawberries in a bowl of milk. In pancakes (when they get all caramelized!!!)…I’d even freeze them and then eat them like a Popsicle!!!!
Now I can’t even tolerate them in smoothies or baked goods. Funniest thing is that one of my ‘specialties’ that everyone raves about is my banana bread and I almost despise baking it!!! But I don’t want to deprive anyone else. Haha

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My birthday is in June! I still get excited for it lol. I don’t love bananas but I think I eat them everyday anyway because they work well as a runner. My favorite easy snack dessert is an apple with some pb and chocolate chips

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Thanks for the power workout. These are great ideas!
I HAVE to eat a banana everyday…and I hate it when mine get too ripe! Seriously, who doesn’t love bananas? Your dessert reminds me of how I like to eat them. You’ll have to try this. I slice the banana horizontally like you and spread creamy peanut butter on each one and then sprinkle it with toasted coconut. HEAVEN!
This morning for breakfast I had the yummiest breakfast. Coconut greek yogurt with banana slices, strawberry slices, granola, toasted coconut (can you tell I love coconut too…ha ha) and chia seeds. It was so good!

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I don’t mind bananas but I rarely have them in my kitchen. I love that Brooke made you a necklace, what a sweetheart! After I run I always stretch, strength train, and foam roll. I used to deal with a lot of injury but once I incorporated strength training into my life, I have stayed healthy. I do lots of hips, glutes, and lateral stuff to keep those supporting muscles strong. I do this on my living room floor and we have downstairs neighbors so I try not to do anything that requires jumping :)

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My 20th birthday is June 6th!!!! No long a teen :O
I don’t care for bananas…whole bananas. But I love banana flavor and banana bread and what not, just not eating a whole banana :P

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Great video, thank you!

Favorite dessert – blueberries (frozen/thawed in micro), berries are slightly warm, add some mini chocolate chips which will start to melt slightly, top with unsweetened coconut milk yogurt (sweetness from choc chips and berries).

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Well there is one person older than me. I’ll be 46 in 11 days. Not paying it any mind whatsoever.

I love bananas. Eat one a day, most often with peanut butter.

For favorite desserts. Love me some B&J Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream or a Meyer Lemon Bar. Both deadly to diets.

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These would kill me in the best way after a run! Thank you for making a video to go along with explaining them. :) I like bananas sometimes but my stomach just has a really really hard time with all fruits unfortunately. :( And it is even worse now that I am pregnant.

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My birthday is today! I’m 36 – yikes!!

I’m with you on the banana, pb and chocolate chips but I like to microwave mine for a little bit so everything is warm and melty – it’s good with strawberries too.

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Bananas are the worst… I wish I liked them because they’re in almost every smoothie recipe.

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Each one of those moves looks TOUGH! I am impressed, especially that you would already do them after the workout. Question: How cool did you feel doing the skipping one? I’d seriously biff it on that one, alone!

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Turned 53 two weeks ago.

I hated bananas from around 4 to age 18—a consistency issue after a stomach bug/banana event. I got to liking them again and now use them frozen instead of ice cream.

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