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WEEK 1 TURKEY TROT WITH TRACK DAYS 5K Beginner Training Plan STARTS
Tomorrow September 11 is the first day of the 10+week plan. If you haven’t yet done so, and hope to follow it, spend some time today locating a track to use for the Monday TRACK DAYS. DOWNLOAD the plan calendar, track day schedule, and minutes to miles calculations sheet as needed. Explore the Resources website page to find MYRTL hip-girdle mobility routine demonstrations, dynamic stretching, and strength training exercises. GOOD LUCK everyone; can’t wait until Thanksgiving. RUN HAPPY! 2017_turkey_trot_with_track_days_track_day_schedule_sept_1.pdf 2017_turkey_trot_with_track_days_training_plan_calendar_schedule_sept_1.pdf 201_turkey_trot_chart_calculation_min_to_miles_14-10_min_per_mile_corrected_aug_31.pdf
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TURKEY TROT 5K TRAINING ABC’S: WARMING UP BASICS
September 11 is the first official day of the 2017 Turkey Trot with Track Days 5K Beginner Training Plan, (WEEK 1 will post tomorrow) unless you are shifting the week earlier or later to start Sunday or Tuesday respectively. You can MAKE THIS ADJUSTMENT to insure longer runs and rest days are scheduled when most convenient for YOU. Every day that a run/walk session is planned “dynamic stretches” are on the calendar, plus there are 5 minutes of pre-run, moderate-intensity walking. Together, the dynamic stretches and the 5-minute pre-run walk constitute a full ‘warm-up’. Those new to running may question the purpose of a warm-up. Rather than just doing it, there’s good reason for runners and walkers to know why, as chances may increase it will be performed properly and consistently. Jake Bernards presents a simple explanation and concise description in a piece for ACTIVE.com, “Why You Need to Warm-Up Before Exercising.” We don’t want to steal his thunder, so click on the link to his article and read about the 3 physiological goals you should aim to accomplish with this session. In the article, there is a link to a sample dynamic warm-up. Many of the prescribed 10 moves are hip girdle mobility exercises (or “MYRTLs” as some physical therapists and trainers/coaches call them). If you perform MYRTLs before a run/walk they qualify as a part of a warm-up. You can add a few more dynamic stretches like walking lunges, side lunges, toy soldier walking, skips, high-knee or knee-hug walking, and butt kicks. Earned Runs RESOURCES page has a link to a demonstration of a MYRTL routine as well as some other DYNAMIC stretches. Don’t let the names confuse you. Exercises can function as dynamic stretches and at the same time help keep the joints mobile, so either name might apply. What these exercises, dynamic stretches, mobility routines etc. have in common is MOVEMENT that mimics or exaggerates the same movements performed while running. STATIC stretches are what the name implies; body poses held while the limbs are not in motion. Don’t be fooled into thinking these stretches are not valuable or not necessary. After a run, they help ease soft tissue (i.e. muscle, tendon, connective tissue) tightness. If there’s no time immediately afterward, a static stretch session can be a wonderful, relaxing, in-bed pre-sleep or a wake-up routine. Especially with aging, static stretches can assist with maintaining a good (and youthful) running form. BUT these stretches are NOT thought to be beneficial when performed immediately BEFORE a run or walk as a warm-up. DON’T OMIT THE WARM-UP WALK OF 5-10 MINUTES AT MODERATE INTENSITY. It will serve to elevate your heart rate and increase the circulation of blood to your muscles. What’s an easy test to determine if these two objectives have been accomplished? If you feel a bit warmer after a few minutes and take off a layer, zip down a jacket or shirt front, or loosen a neck scarf! Warm-ups are essential to avoiding discomfort and injury as workouts increase in distance and difficulty. If a beginning runner feels good taking on and finishing a longer run, there’s less chance of becoming discouraged and quitting. That’s basic. RUN HAPPY! http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/why-you-need-to-warm-up-before-exercising Earned Runs website RESOURCES page THE GREAT 13.1 RECORD
STRAVA & SIMPLY HEALTH ADOPT EARNED RUNS APPROACH; promote the ‘digital’ Great North Run this Sunday, September 10 to break a running record. A TriathlonBusiness.com article by Gary Roethenbaugh, “Strava Targets World Record for Most Half Marathons Runs in a Day” caught Earned Runs attention this week. “Strava, the social network for athletes, is encouraging runners from around the globe to help set the world record for the most half marathons run in a single day, this Sunday 10 September 2017.” The UK running and cycling app company joined with another UK giant, Simply Health, in promoting a half marathon competition, the Great North Run. It was identified in Roethenbaugh’s article as “the world’s largest half marathon.” Hoping to capitalize on an event that is already huge, the partners are “encouraging runners to put on their running shoes and take on 13.1 miles digitally”. Earlier this week, more than 59,000 runners were identified on the registration site as having agreed to participate in the challenge. The sign-up page explains, “It doesn’t matter where in the world you run, just put on your favourite running shoes and join us to make history”. The FULL GREAT RUN DAY CHALLENGE issued by Simply Health is downplayed by Strava and the Roethenbaugh story. The large United Kingdom health insurer is inviting people to be generally physically active on either September 9 or 10 and to report it to gain entry into a prize drawing. It’s about being active to be healthy. The Simply Health website indicates that on the day of last year’s Great North Run, Strava’s research showed its app tracked “more miles of movement” by users than on any other day, “This year” it encourages, “you don’t need to run, you can make it your own and join the weekend’s celebration of movement. Help us make it a record breaker”. In effect both companies are asking runners to design their own events, with a requirement of completing the effort on a specific day. It’s a virtual competition. Earned Runs does much more; it enables you to run ‘in spirit’ the same day as any big exciting race, and cover any distance. Including the Boston Marathon and any of the other Abbott World Marathon Majors (London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, and Tokyo), the Olympics, and far away races run by friends or family. Earned Runs will send you 4 free bibs to make your race MORE THAN VIRTUAL. Sometimes special stickers can be requested for motivation, also free, without mailing expenses. Earned Runs provides free motivation on the BLOG and safe training support online, mostly through links on the RESOURCES page. If you are attracted to the Great North Run, the Great 13.1 Record, or the Great Run Day, check out EARNED RUNS. We are 24/7, 365 days of the year! RUN HAPPY! http://www.triathlonbusiness.com/2017/industry-news/strava-targets-world-record-for-most-half-marathons-run-in-a-single-day/ www.strava.com/challenges/the-great-13-1-Record https://www.millionsmoving.co.uk/great-run-day https://www.strava.com http://healthquotesonline.uk.com/about-simplyhealth/ FALL STRENGTH WORK: FINISH A RUN WITH STEP-UPS
RUNNINGCOMPETITOR.COM OFFERS encouragement to perform, and a quick video to demonstrate, an exercise that can work to strengthening running muscles in "Activate Running Muscles with Side Step-ups". Don’t be fooled into thinking that because this move is so simple it’s not effective. At the end of 2-4 repetitions on each side your legs will scream the truth! As the description indicates, it works quads, hips, core, and back. Step-ups are perfect for end-of-run strength work on a low park bench, a high curb, or low wall (about 12”). I turn around and do the same thing facing forward, working one leg then the other. Actually, this set is so tiring for me that my routine is to alternate 10 step-ups forward on each leg, then 10 side step-ups on each leg, repeating this cycle 2-4 times. Advice: be aware your balance will be challenged. Choose a firm, fixed, stable structure next to something that will catch a fall if you should happen to teeter a bit. Not a chair or stool which might shift underneath you. Especially when you first start to strengthen with this exercise. With improvement, you can progress to using a free-standing structure in a location that, in case of a fall, won’t result in serious injury. I do it on cement benches bordering a boat channel used by fishermen, and am careful to use one farther away from the water’s edge! For runners wishing for simple, easy to remember strength exercises, this one is perfect! RUN HAPPY! http://running.competitor.com/2015/01/video/activate-running-muscles-side-step-ups_120686 YOU MIGHT RECONSIDER EXCUSES MADE FOR NOT TRAINING Are you looking for inspiration to train for a 5K Turkey Trot this fall? The story of a mother who turned to running for the benefits it brought to herself and her physically challenged son might jumpstart that effort.
An article by Kevin Gemmell with photos by Oliver Baker for RunningCompetitor.com highlights the path that Cindy Spiva followed to begin running a year earlier, involve son Cormac, and then to win a Competitor Running contest presented by Brooks Running. It’s “Meet the Mother-Son Duo that Won Our Cover Athlete Contest.” “Kids like Cormac are very rarely able to Immerse themselves and fully participate in life around them” Kemmell quotes Spiva in the article as saying. “But when we run, in that experience he’s a 100 percent participant.” It’s very clear when reading the piece how important helping her son was to this mom, and how it fueled her motivation. But Spiva not only faced the usual difficulties a 49-year old encounters in taking on the goal of starting to run and finishing a half marathon (by her next BIG BIRTHDAY) she also struggled with health issues. According to the article she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis about 4 years earlier. Wow, and I consider having a mere bout of tendinitis a setback! Whatever your age, if you only have yourself to worry about, and your health issues do not include having “ a brain full of lesions” this story might help you to mentally eliminate perceived obstacles to training for a 5k this Thanksgiving. “We’re everyman,” she says in the article. “We’re the 99.9 percent who go out and do our thing each day while watching the elites from afar”. Thanks, Kevin Gemmell and Running Competitor for giving us Cindy Stiva’s exact words, because so many of us will be able to identify with that sentiment. It can hopefully serve as a catalyst to set our own goals and move forward. RUN HAPPY! http://running.competitor.com/2017/08/news/mother-son-duo-won-cover-athlete-contest_167577 EARNED RUNS “TURKEY TROT WITH TRACK DAYS’ 5K Beginner Training Plan starts Monday September 11, 2017. You can find the plan on the RESOURCES page now, under the list of TRAINING PLANS.
The plan says it includes “track days”, in which you perform your running and walking on a standard track oval. This is actually an option. The track day schedule indicates the distance for each track day, and you can choose to run/walk that distance however you like. Why train with track days? In 2016 a BLOG item discussed that topic. Below is an updated version “WHY TRACK DAYS?” The finalized 2017 TURKEY TROT WITH TRACK DAYS 5K Beginner Training Plan will be posted this Sunday September 10. It is adapted from one developed by Mario Fraioli for Competitor.com. Why was the fact it had a track day on each week’s schedule one of the reasons it was selected by Earned Runs for beginners? Many beginning would-be racers will not have run, trained, or walked on a standard track. They may not know where the nearest or most accessible high school, college, or community facility is located. It may seem to be a training site that is off-bounds to them, more appropriately used by ‘serious’ athletes, who are faster runners and in great shape. In my experience as a non-professional recreational runner, there are three characteristics that make a standard track a piece of EQUIPMENT and a place all runners should learn to consider a training ‘home’. A track is MEASURED, SAFE, and ATHLETIC. MEASURED:Distance assignments in a plan can be difficult to mentally measure for those accustomed to ‘just running’ rather than training, especially shorter rather than longer stretches. You can get in a car and map out miles on a road, but it’s not always easy to be precise with lesser distances or trails. Use of a phone app generally requires covering the route to be measured on foot or on a bicycle before it can be used to train. Marking precise distances by these methods is problematic too, as rarely are there memorable physical features at exact points to help runners visually recall the start and end of a set distance. If a training plan calls for varying distances, like this one, the measurement difficulties are compounded. A standard track lap or fraction of a lap is obviously a limited distance that stays the same every time you run or walk it. The straight lengths are easily distinguished form the curved ends. The time it takes to cover specific distances is relatively easy to measure with a clock function on a watch or app. Using a track regularly for training helps your body to develop a ‘memory’ for different distances. SAFE: Safety is a quality that has several dimensions. A running SURFACE can be safe to run on from an injury prevention perspective, especially at higher speeds or in adverse weather conditions. It is even, consistent, textured, slightly cushioned, and appropriately drained. A standard track designed specifically for competition is more likely than other surfaces to be safe for running faster-paced, precise intervals. A running course can be more or less safe to run when weather conditions will vary over the duration of the workout or the runner is uncertain about his or her abilities to perform a given workout in it’s entirety. Fluids, food, dry or warm clothes, and shelter from the elements is more readily available at a track when there is a nearby parked car or open facility in which to seek such support items. There is less likelihood of incurring bodily harm from accidents due to running in high traffic or lowlight conditions on a track than on a city street. However, any running area should be considered questionably SAFE from criminal incidents if it’s an isolated or unattended location at the time of the workout. ATHLETIC: Performing a workout on a track is one way for beginners to feel and act like the athletes they aspire to become. Acquiring this mental attitude will help a runner persevere in the tougher training regimens and possibly to adopt healthier eating and sleeping habits. The track is a great place to perform pre- or post- running dynamic stretching and mobility routines and to get in some location-friendly, body-weight strength exercises (step-ups and step-downs, dips and push-ups, etc.) on benches and stairs. Holding oneself to the rule that you cannot start the running portion of the workout or depart from the premises before completing them increases the chances that at least a portion of the recommended routines will be done that week. In some races, the finish line is located on a track and the very last portion of the race includes a partial lap. Performing some workouts on a track can help beginners to visualize a successful goal race finish. IF TRACK WORK IS NOT WHAT YOU WANT IN A PLAN, the Track Day Schedule identifies the approximate distances that will be run in that session. You can tinker with the plan that day and find a way to accomplish those runs without utilizing a track. GOOD LUCK and ... RUN HAPPY! The long days of mid-summer that begin so early, like in the picture, are behind us. The glorious days of fall, becoming more precious as they shorten, are ahead. There's much to enjoy today if we have the luxury of a holiday from regular work. And much to be thankful for if we are employed. Thanks to everyone laboring today and every day for our benefit.
RUN HAPPY! WEEK 15: RUN WALK ACROSS AMERICA, THE FINISH! Segment 39 North Conway NH to Portland MAINE The LAST segment of travel on the entire route from (Astoria then) Portland OR to Portland ME will be completed this week possibly on the first day, Labor Day in the USA, by some of you!!! The route courses southeast from New Hampshire toward the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the state of Maine. Maine has nearly 230 miles of coastline; the easternmost point of land in the 48 contiguous states is near Lubec, Maine. President Franklin Roosevelt’s summer vacation home on Campobello Island, where he contracted the poliovirus infection that left his legs paralyzed, is east of Lubec off the state’s coast, in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, but it’s only highway access is a road bridge from Lubec. Famous for its rocky coast, the Maine scenes familiar to most Americans feature coastal lighthouses, jagged cliffs, bays and inlets, beaches, offshore islands, and fishing villages. Farther inland are lakes, rivers, and mountains with “forested slopes sweeping down to the sea”. Blueberries and lobstering are traditionally listed as mainstays of the state's economy but tourism, shipbuilding, and other industries are also strong. Maine is home to Acadia, near Bar Harbor, the only National Park in New England, which is about halfway up the coast from Portland, north and eastward. The city of Portland lies on a peninsula in Casco Bay on the Gulf of Maine. As a tourist, you’ll likely wish to visit the charming and historic Old Port District, along the Portland Harbor, with its views of the Atlantic Ocean. A relaxing dinner may be the perfect way to celebrate reaching the end of the ACROSS AMERICA route. If this endeavor wasn’t virtual, a real trip to one or several the many restaurants and drinking establishments in the area that make Portland a foodie attraction would be next on the list of scheduled stops. YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION! CONGRATULATIONS to all who completed this cross-country running and walking “trip” of 3630 miles over the summer. There’s still a lot to learn about the geography, history, and ways of the people in the lands through which we 'traveled'. However, portions of the spaces in America previously unknown to me have become more familiar as a result of researching and writing about the route. Often times the revelations have been AWE INSPIRING! What about you? Were you sometimes surprised at what was learned? Take some time to bask in the glow of accomplishment that comes with attaining a far-reaching goal. You would have covered anywhere from 7-360 total miles in 14+ weeks IN MEETING THIS EARNED RUNS SUMMER CHALLENGE. RUN HAPPY! You can link to the Segment Map here; it's also posted on the RESOURCES page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Maine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campobello_Island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine SATURDAY SHOPPING: CHECK OUT POP TARTS
THE EDITORS OF RUNNER’S WORLD provide a slideshow article, “25 Healthy Snacks for Runners”, published by ACTIVE.com that might save you some time constructing a grocery list. Included is a brief description of each recommendation and calorie information. Yes, it is likely you’ve seen other lists that promote eating the ‘usual suspects’ like fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat and high-protein dairy foods, and omega-3 fatty acid rich canned fish. But this one includes a few convenience items, like pop tarts, fig cookies, and granola and energy bars. Are pop tarts healthy? Not really. Kellogg is possibly the most familiar of all brands of this food item. They contain high-fructose corn syrup and additives that have raised alarms. They seem to be comparable to some lower calorie granola bars that are not identified as high in protein. The 50- to 52-gram fruit-filled tarts contain 200-210 calories, 2gm protein, and roughly 36-37 grams total carbohydrate (13-17 grams sugar) and 2.5 -6 grams total fat. I checked unfrosted blueberry, frosted blue raspberry, unfrosted strawberry and frosted strawberry flavors. There might be slightly different figures for other non-fruit flavors, but it seemed reasonable to examine those which had a non-sugar filling. Clearly the yummy toast-able commercial treats are not high in protein or fiber. The fruit filling is not equal to a serving of the fresh version. However, if you enjoy them it’s worth comparing their ingredients, nutrient by nutrient and additive by additive, with those of the snack foods you don’t like as much but think are healthier choices. If you rely on granola or protein bars for on–the–go breakfast, snacks and lunch, you might find that pop tarts occasionally can provide a convenient, relatively lower calorie alternative. Paired with milk almost any vitamin-enriched, grain-flour based starch is improved. The carbohydrate content can serve to replace muscle glycogen after an intense morning workout. This post is NOT promoting store-bought pop tarts as a health food for runners. Just saying, that if you read the nutrition labels on some health bars they can be higher in calories, provide similar nutrient content, and not be as satisfying as this mid-century creation, eaten as a rare splurge. The BEST healthy alternative if calorie and fat content is not an issue? Try a home-made pop-tart. Most recipes don’t post nutritional information. Those that do seem to contain calories well north of the 210 mark of the Kellogg brand, and are more akin to breakfast pastries made with pie crust and jam fillings. They can be frozen for long periods. For athletic nutrition purists, it might be heresy to recommend Pop Tarts. For others, it’s just something to think about while grocery shopping on Saturday. RUN HAPPY! http://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/25-healthy-snacks-for-runners http://smartlabel.kelloggs.com/Product/Index/00038000551321#ingredients http://thepioneerwoman.com/food-and-friends/homemade-pop-tarts/ https://www.davidwolfe.com/cancer-causing-childrens-snacks/ http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/strawberry-pop-tarts-358235 https://www.chowhound.com/recipes/frosted-strawberry-pop-tarts-29470 THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING GOALS TO PHYSICAL FUNCTION; LIFE PURPOSE AND WALKING SPEED IN ADULTS OVER 50. Scientists studying the association between having a sense of purpose in life and certain measures of physical function have shown that this “modifiable factor” can help decrease the chances of developing a slowed walking speed and to a lesser extent, weaker grip strength, in older adults.
The research team, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, wanted to use objective measures to test previous work that linked having a life purpose “with a range of positive health behaviors and biological processes that are potentially protective against declining physical function”. Data was collected from research participants at two time points, 2006 and 2010, in a national study “representative of US adults older than 50 years” and analyzed in late 2016 to mid 2017. In 2006 subjects were interviewed face-to-face, given physical function assessment tests, and then asked to fill out and mail a self-report psychological questionnaire. In 2010 subjects had physical function measured again. The FIRST baseline measurement, that determined physical function was ADEQUATE, included 4486 subjects (2665 women and 1821 men, mean age ~64 years) whose grip strength was tested, 2 times in each hand, using a hand-held dynamometer. As part of the same study effort walking pace over a distance of 2.5 miles was assessed twice in 1461 persons (801 women and 660 men, mean age ~71 years). Results indicated that for each step upward in persons who expressed a higher life purpose (1 standard deviation greater) in 2006, there was less risk of developing slowed walking (14%) and a weaker grip (13%) from the first baseline physical function assessment to the second in 2010, about 4 years later. These findings took into account differences in sociodemographic factors between subjects like age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education level, and total wealth. As with all research, the study has limitations. There may be unrecognized factors related to a having a higher sense of purpose in life that are what’s actually helping to prevent decreases in grip strength and walking speed. There’s a possibility that better physical function leads to having a higher sense of life purpose, although the scientific team tried to detect but did not identify this situation. The follow-up period was only a short 4 years. The great news coming from this work seems to be that a ‘therapy’, which may prevent disheartening age-related decreases in physical function, is without obvious side effects and is a behavior that can be developed! Setting reasonable goals and committing to achieving them is what Earned Runs is all about! Take advantage of the excitement of the new FALL SEASON and start planning now. Free professional Tyvek bibs are given on request to use for identifying challenges, charting progress, and recording accomplishments. You don’t need to wait for an organized event to be created to pursue a goal; you can custom design a personal effort. Each season there are numerous possibilities, not necessarily confined to racing competitions. Fitness goals can be scaled down into manageable components and sequentially tackled such that progress will be recognized in relatively short time periods. These can be ‘streaks’ in which certain workouts are performed, sessions at a fitness center/gym are completed, or walking/running/cycling distances are covered. Following a race training plan can incorporate several types of fitness work that incrementally increases the effort required. To realize major life aspirations, many years of steadfast work may be needed with scarce evidence of progress. Fitness goals can be reached more quickly and easily! Contact Earned Runs to receive help determining a reachable goal that will surely involve perseverance and effort (“always earned, never given”) but that will lead to a sense of accomplishment when achieved. Post a comment on the BLOG or on the Facebook page and ask others for assistance. You are not alone in wanting to improve your physical self in ways that need not involve a quest for the public’s definition of ‘beauty’. Balance is beautiful. Strength is powerful. Mobility is youthful. Walking ability is wonderful. Consider practicing now to find purpose in life by regularly and continuously setting small personal fitness goals. Scientific evidence suggests doing so can help maintain some physical functions that in turn may maintain or improve other functions. Surely there are greater goals that serve mankind than trying to be fit; perhaps you’ll gain confidence to take on these other bigger tasks! RUN HAPPY! “Association Between Purpose in Life and Objective Measures of Physical Function in Older Adults”. ES Kim PhD, I Kawachi MD, PhD; Y Chen ScD; LD Kubzansky PhD. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2648692http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2648692
AUTUMN BRINGS WITH IT COOLER TEMPERATURES, WETTER WEATHER, LESS DAYLIGHT. There might be more reason to carry gear and protect it than in the summer. 10 ITEMS, featured in a Competitor.com slideshow article, are designed to help you carry ‘stuff’. Included are: a performance t-shirt with several zippered pockets, waist-pack that comes with a soft flask, running shorts with multiple pockets, packable jacket with pockets, ‘strappy’ bra with a front pocket, short running skort with side and back pockets.
Clothes with sufficient stowing capacity are much-prized apparel. Sometimes additional carry space is needed. The slideshow includes gear that offers more ingenious ways to address this issue. I would like to try each: -Ultimate Direction Fastdraw 600 hand-carry water bottle with a small ’backpack’ on it to carry a good-sized phone and a few other small items. -Oiselle Roga Hat with a small, head-hugging zippered compartment -UnderFuse Plus iron-on small pocket, recommended for the front of tights or compression shorts or tights. -Armband by Sprigs that stretches to accommodate a phone of any size! The item I am most interested in trying (it is ordered) is the Amphipod Xinglet Pocket Plus that helps runners position a phone in front, mid-chest, to use the flashlight or video function via a clear window in a protective pocket. This also seems like an ideal place to simply carry a phone for easy access. The image shown in the article pictures the gray/silver version. There is also a neon green “hi-viz” color. BOTH color models have a good amount of brilliant, highly reflective material on the adjustable straps, a BONUS SAFETY feature. If this product performs as advertised, it seems like a real winner for fall running/walking in low light conditions! See it BELOW, and on the GEAR LOVE page, as well as the Sprigs armband. RUN HAPPY! http://running.competitor.com/2017/08/shoes-and-gear/pieces-gear-stash-stuff-run_167164 http://www.amphipod.com/products/visibility/xingletsbelts/xinglet-pocket-plus
GALVESTON ISLAND IN COASTAL SOUTHEAST TEXAS has been threatened all week by Harvey in it's forms as a tropical storm and hurricane, This is one of my training sites. Hot and very humid in the summer, it is nonetheless a lovely island beach on which to run and walk all year round, on the Gulf of Mexico.. Not being in the area when weather trouble started, I'll need to wait to return. My heart and prayers are with friends and family who remained for the duration. And with everyone else affected. May returning clear bright skies jumpstart recovery. Hang tough, Galveston!
RUN HAPPY! http://www.galveston.com/tropical/harvey/ 2017 FALL RUNNING/WALKING SEASON PREVIEW PLANNING
THANKSGIVING DAY IS THE NUMBER ONE most popular race day in the country according to RunningUSA.com post in 2016. Do you want to be prepared to join the fun and run a 5K race? If you’ve not participated before, the Earned Runs Turkey Trot with (optional) Track Day Training Plan for beginners will start Monday September 11 this year. It’s based on a plan developed by Mario Fraioli for Competitor.com. In 10 weeks, with a few travel days to spare, you will be ready. Look for it to be posted shortly before or after Labor Day, September 4 Halloween and Day of the Dead: Turkey Trot Previews? Halloween is the second most popular day to run a road race! Some beginners training with the Earned Runs Turkey Trot plan would be able to perform the long workout scheduled for October 28, as a practice event (not raced), on a 5K course that allowed at least 60 minutes to finish. More details would be provided closer to race day. Thus, a Halloween 5k scheduled October 28 or 29 might be a chance to experience a preview of an upcoming Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving. That day (October 28) the workout session includes a 5-minute warm-up walk, then 27-minute run/walk (3 rounds of 8 minutes running followed by 1 minute walking), then 5 minutes cool-down walk for a total of 37 minutes. Trainees with previous experience walking at least 3 miles a session could make up the remaining distance by walking. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, will be celebrated in the USA from October 31-November 2 in 2017. Festivals are held in some locations in the US and may include 5K races. The weekends of October 27-29 and November 3-5 flank the official midweek ‘Dead’ holiday that festivals might be scheduled then. As in the case of Halloween, some Turkey Trot trainees may be able to participate with their scheduled workout. On November 4, the workout session includes a 5-minute warm-up walk, then 33-minute run/walk (3 rounds of 10 minutes running followed by 1 minute walking), then 5 minutes cool-down walk for a total of 43 minutes. Best to think ahead if you need a bit of extra time to train for a 5k on Thanksgiving. RUN HAPPY! http://www.runningusa.org/thanksgiving http://www.runningusa.org/halloween http://www.active.com/chicago-il/running/distance-running-races/uno-carrera-de-los-muertos-race-of-the-dead-5k-2017 http://losmuertos5k.com INVESTIGATE BEFORE YOU GIVE UP ON RUNNING A GREAT FALL RACE
If you decided on a whim to run a fall race and fear that registration has closed, an article by Kristan Dietz for Competitor.com might be encouraging, “10 Fall Races That You Can Still Register For.” Surely there are other races that will accommodate late registration as well, so don’t give up without trying. Investigate all possibilities. If race LOCATION means more to you than race distance, remember to check out the entire list of weekend events offered by the hosting organization. Especially if the feature race is sold out. A marathon may hold an additional 10-mile race that will satisfy a distance junkie who is too late to gain a spot on the longer course. A half marathon may schedule an additional 5k. DOUBLE-UP. Run both a 5k plus 10K if race scheduling allows such a CHALLENGE. Running festivals are capitalizing on participants’ eagerness to enter more than one race by holding races on separate days, rather than blasting the start horn to send off successive event waves. FUN RUNS, that can range from 1 or more miles, could supply a reason to attend a weekend festival if a you or a running partner haven’t sufficiently trained to race the same long distance. BUDDY-UP for huge races. It might be a way to ease logistics-anxiety, if each person on the ‘team’ runs an event on a different day. The non-racing buddy can perform support duties to lessen concerns that arise at the bigger venue/high attendance races. You can alternate who runs the BIG race at each event. RACE EARNED RUNS EVENTS of any distance anytime and anywhere. Use bibs if you have them or REQUEST them now! Custom design your own race. The 10 races identified in the article are provided below; Earned Runs has added the additional races held in that venue. Other helpful places to get information on local races include specialty running stores, which will often host an online page for organizations to post links to event information. Try the USATF website too. The opportunities to enjoy fall weather races are still numerous, and UNLIMITED if you use Earned Runs bibs. RUN HAPPY! Medtronic Twin Cities Half Marathon, Minneapolis MN tcmevents.org October 1 (Also a 5k, 10k, 10-mile, marathon) Rock ’N Roll Half Marathon Series, Various dates, cities, (some sites have other distances) runrockandroll.com Brooklyn NY October 14 (Also a 5-miler) Mount Desert Island Marathon Bar Harbor ME runmdi.org October 15 (Also a Marathon and a Relay, which is at capacity/closed) Halloween Half Marathon, Morristown NJ superheroracing.com October 21 (Also a 1 Mile Fun Run) Jazz Half Marathon New Orleans LA jazzhalf.com October 28 (Also a 5K) Indianapolis Monumental Marathon Indianapolis IN monumentalmarathon.com November 4 (Also a Half Marathon and 5K) RunDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon Weekend Orlando FL rundisney.com November 5 (Also a 10K- it’s already sold out- and a 1 Mile Run) Rocky Run 5K then optional 10-Mile to equal 13.1mile Half Marathon Philadelphia PA http://www.rockybalboarun.com November 11 THIS EXPERIENCE WOULD BE SO FUN! California International Marathon Sacramento CA runsra.org December 3 (Also a 5K and a Relay Challenge) BMW Dallas Marathon Dallas TX bmwdallasmarathon.com December 10 (Also a Half Marathon, a 5K and 10K, and several ‘social’ 5K’s) http://running.competitor.com/2017/08/races/fall-races-register-marathons_167012 http://www.usatf.org/calendars/index.asp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Steps RUN-WALK ACROSS AMERICA WEEK 14 Segment 36 Speculator NY to Ticonderoga NY Segment 37 Ticonderoga NY to Fairlee VT Segment 38 Fairlee VT to North Conway NH Traveling onward through the eastern Adirondack Mountains, the first day of this week takes runners and walkers through NY State from Speculator to the town of Ticonderoga. It’s near the site of the famous fort involved in both the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolutionary War. Before researching this route, I had no idea that Lake George and Lake Champlain were in some way connected. A map and a Wikipedia entry reveal that these two lakes are longitudinally-oriented along a waterway that partially forms the borderline of New York State and Vermont, and that courses north into Canada. Lake George is southern-most and Lake Champlain lies north of it. The town of Ticonderoga and the two-mile long La Chute River represented a historically natural portage crossing between the large lakes, which combined with rivers, allowed a direct travel route between NYC and Montreal in Quebec, Canada. Ticonderoga is located on the route segment that extends from Lake George’s north shore to lower Lake Champlain. Like the Trek Travel bicycle tour on which this virtual route was based, the Ticonderoga Ferry will transport us across Lake Champlain to Shoreham, Vermont. The route then makes its way into the Green Mountains through the Brandon Gap (elevation 2170 feet). This time of year, the autumn colors of the forested hillsides should be just starting to make an appearance. A check of a website that follows and attempts to forecast the New England Fall Foliage Season shows a few early signs of the color to come (in Maine) in late August. The small town of Fairlee VT is near New York’s border with New Hampshire and is Lake Morey. It claims to have the longest groomed ice skating trail (4.3 mile network) in the US, when winter conditions permit its full operation. Next the route courses through the White Mountains to the village of North Conway, NH, which is about 60 miles from the last destination of the trip, Portland Maine! You won’t be climbing it, but not too far north of the route is Mt. Washington, at 6288 ft. the highest peak in the NH and most the prominent east of the Mississippi River. The mountain summit is famous for its erratic and sometimes treacherous weather (highest wind speed recorded was 231 mph in 1934); a non-profit observatory there researches Earth’s weather and climate. North Conway is in a year-round, outdoor recreational resort area, well known to climbers and hikers. Only one more day left of moving your legs!!! RUN HAPPY! Segment maps for week 14 are on the RESOURCES page http://trektravel.com/trip/cross-country-usa-bike-tour/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticonderoga,_New_York http://www.jeff-foliage.com/2016/08/state-fall-foliage-new-england/ https://www.trailfinder.info/trails/trail/lake-morey-ice-skating-trail https://www.mountwashington.org/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Conway,_New_Hampshire |
BRIDGE TO PHYSICAL SELF
Running, walking, and fitness activities enable us to experience our physical selves in a world mostly accessed through use of fingers on a mobile device. AuthorEARNED RUNS is edited and authored by me, runner and founder. In 1978 I began participating in 10K road races before 5Ks were common. I've been a dietitian, practiced and taught clinical pathology, and been involved with research that utilized pathology. I am fascinated with understanding the origins of disease as well as health and longevity. Archives
November 2023
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