Email from Coach Don

Before the message, it was good to come down and get to know some of you this weekend. It looks like you have a good group and you training is going well. Just need to get Michael out of those Hokie running clothes....As always, just let me know if you ever have questions...

OK, most of you are doing one of the half marathons this weekend. Here is a excerpt from one of my handouts about the concept of racing....

Why Race? Your ultimate goal is to finish the marathon. That is your goal race. Much as you practice doing increasingly long runs, you should practice preparing for and actually running a race.

Benefits of Racing

• Experience. If you have not done many races, you may not know the subtleties that are involved in running a race. How do I sign up? How early do I get to the race? How do I get my number and chip? How do I put on my number and chip? Where in the line up of runners should I start? How fast should I start? (one of the biggest pitfalls of new runners is to start out way too fast with the surge at the start of a race). And many other similar, basic questions. By doing races, you can get used to racing.
• Training Benefit. When you race you will generally get a better workout that you will with your weekend group run. With mile markers and time splits, you will push yourself to run harder. This will improve your running ability quicker than any other training method.
• Interim Report Card. By racing, you can get feedback on how your training is going. You can see how you improve from race to race. Or you can use the information to help you judge the correct pace you should use in a longer race.

Racing vs. Running. There are two ways to approach a race. I call them Racing and Running. If you are really trying to Race a race for you best possible time, you will need to taper (rest) in the days leading up to the race and will probably need recovery time after the race. You are going much more for the Training Benefit and the Report Card. If you are just Running a race, you are out there for the Experience. You are doing the race to enjoy the running and the atmosphere. There are times to do Racing and there are times to do Running.

For those of you who are racing, that is great. Just remember the first paragraph. Your goal is the marathon. So don't put so much into the half marathon that you lose mental focus and training focus on the marathon.

Should you race or run. This is, as always, a personal decision. My suggestions...if you are on the novice team or have only been racing for six months or so, you should definitely look at this as a run. If you are an intermediate that has done lots of half marathons, you will probably be racing no matter what I say. For the rest of you, I would offer the advice I offer on most longer races. Always make the decision on race day. If you wake up and it is 80 and humid, treat it as a run because no matter what you want to do, the weather is not going to allow you to run a fast race. If it is 55 and clear, you may want to go for it.

For the newer runner. We try to take care of you on our training runs. But races are different animals. There are no SAG wagons. There are water stops. With water. No PowerAde. No gummy bears. No Cliff shots. And there is food, etc at the end of the race. Just be prepared for the differences.

Team Spirit. Let's all try to wear our new T shirts to the races. (Not to run in but for before/ after. After all, they are cotton) This will help you know who is on the team but not on your smaller team.

For those of you doing Rock N Roll, check the message board as those going down usually select a place to meet before the race. I'll see those of you doing Procrastinator's and Battlefield. Good luck to those of you going to Virginia Beach.

Pictures from 08/28

Here are some photos from last weekend. Special thanks to Ursula for taking some great pictures during the run. You can really tell from these pictures what a beautiful area we get to run through. Some of these are a little blurry, but that is just because you were all moving so fast. This is more then I normally upload, but there were so many great options I could not narrow them down. I even added a few captions below.








Pic1 - Team Photo (including new members David and Nancy)
Pic2 - John and Joe setting the pace
Pic3 - Russ, Larry, and Don running down a "hill"
Pic4 - Jeff and his "Angels"
Pic5 - Look out Frank, Carol is on your tail
Pic6 - Climbing another big "hill"
Pic7 - Andy, Larry, and Don still looking strong
Pic8 - Authur holding the directions that got him lost
Pic9 - Get a room you two!
Pic10 - I thought this was supposed to be hard
Pic11 - Joe clowning around with Tracy
Pic12 - These three look like they have not even started
Pic13 - Elaine. . . that's cheating if you use a car
Pic14 - Speed deamon John
Pic15 - I am not a crook
Pic16 - That took no time at all
Pic17 - David makes his first day look easy
Pic18 - "Fashion Andy" makes green and yellow work
Pic19 - Don and Tracy finishing the big 16 miler
Pic20 - A team that starts together, finishes together
Pic21 - Happy feet

YMCA Bricks

If you have not seen it yet, we now have two bricks at the Rocky Mount YMCA. There is one on either side of the main entrance. Each brick is on the side closest to the road. Be sure to check them out. Thank you to everyone who contributed. This is a great way to thank the YMCA for allowing us to use their rooms for meetings, and helping us promote the team.

Some Updates

Good afternoon all. Hope your day is going well. A few updates.

Thursday Night Hills: I am not able to run tonight because of 2nd grade Open House. Tracy P. had asked me if anyone was running hills. I expect that she is offering to run hills are her house again (correct me if I am wrong Tracy). If you did not join us before, this worked out very well and we all had a good workout. If you are interested email Tracy.

Speed workouts: Some of you have asked about speed workouts. The "calendar" version of your training schedule shows this starting today, but this actually does not begin until after Labor Day. Once it begins, this will replace Hill workouts. Don will be sharing more information with us shortly. If anyone has access to a track, please let me know.

Friday Night: Don Garber and Joe Zielinski will be here Friday night. We are going out for dinner (maybe Mama's or Mario's). Would anyone like to join us? I need an answer to this ASAP so I will know if I need to reserve a big table. (I already know that Dave, Frank, and Kinnie are out)

Also, I have two pull-outs for Don and Joe, but if anyone has a more comfortable sleeping option they could offer that would be helpful.

Saturday Run: We will run at 6:30 a.m. from the Harris Teeter. It is too dark at 6:00 now to take a chance with 21 runners on the road. Don and Joe will both join us. Don will be bringing our team t-shirts (the technical race shirts come later). If you have any questions about your running, this will be a good time to ask.

Many of you are running a half marathon next weekend. Use this weekend as a "dress rehearsal". Think about what you will wear, what you eat, when you go to bed, how much your drink (water, not beer). Don't try to "race" our weekend run, but this is a good weekend to see what works as far as preparations.

I will email out the routes no later then tomorrow morning. See you all on Saturday!

Her Sports Running Club

I thought the women on our team might be interested in learning about the Her Sports Running Club. Her Sports is a great magazine designed for women athletes. Some of you may not think of yourself as an athlete, but I can assure you that everyone on our training team is.

Her Sports is not just about running. It is about Cycling, Triathlons, Health, Fitness, Climbing, Hiking, etc. You name it, and the magazine covers it. You can read about elite athletes, and grandmother marathoners all in one issue.

For $49.95, you get six issues of the magazine, a Her Sports running singlet, a running hat, and a pair of socks. You would spend $50 bucks just for the clothing alone. I thought this was a good deal, and wanted to pass it along. If you want to see an old issue, ask Ursula, she has several.

World's Strongest Dad

I think many of you have heard about "Team Hoyt." If not, it is a father son duo that is truley amazing. Below is a story by Rick Reilly (Sports Illustrated) about the two. There is also a link to a video of the two competing in an Iron Man. If you do not at least get a lump in your throat, you are not human. Enjoy!

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay for their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots. But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs. "He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. "Put him in an institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. "No way,'' Dick says he was told. "There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? "Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, "Dad, I want to do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described "porker'' who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. "Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. "I was sore for two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. "Dad,'' he typed, "when we were running, it felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

"No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, "Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon? ''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii. It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? "No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for "the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time'? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

"No question about it,'' Rick types. "My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. "If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' one doctor told him, "you probably would've died 15 years ago."

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. "The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, "is that my dad would sit in the chair and I would push him once.''

Video Link

Congrats Jeff and Patti!

Jeff and Patti both had a great race in Chicago. I expect this is old news by now, but they finished 2:00:16 and 2:00:24 respectively. I managed to dig up a few photos from their race that I thought I would share. Do you see that look on Patti's face at the finish line? You can all expect to have the same look two weeks from now! (Sorry Patti, I could not resist. . . you know I love ya!)

Email #12 from Coach Don

Rest and Recovery: One thing that people don't always think about in marathon training is the need for rest and recovery. Training is a series of stresses and the associated recovery from the stresses. The human body is an amazing thing in that it can make magnificent adaptations. As you place stresses on the body, it reacts. Initially there is a little break down from the stresses. But, if given a chance to recover, it will bounce back stronger that before.

But you must remember that recovery part. Without recovery, the stresses can become too much and inevitability the body will start to break down (injury).

So the training program is designed to stress you, to stretch you. Like the last two week of progressively longer runs that involve some mildly hilly terrain. Then we have a week where you mileage is down. And the course is flatter. It is a week for you to recover. A week for your body to bounce back. Enjoy these weeks. And make sure you do let your body recover.

Sponsors: As you may or may not know there are a lot of sponsor of the marathon that are also helping us out.

• HCA Healthcare / CJW Medical Center has been wonderful in helping us out with a facility (and snacks!!!) for our clinics, Dr. Cutter to speak at our clinic on injury prevention and for the wonderful trainers that have been visiting us. We are truly fortunate to have a great sponsor like this.
• Ellwood Thompson Natural Market will be doing a SAG stop for us in a few weeks and that usually means they have some real treats for us.
• The Bull & Bear Club will have some free passes for us this week and in October they will be hosting a full team social for the group..

There are others that I am sure I have forgotten also. So thank our sponsors if you have the chance.

Upcoming Events

• This weekend....Dress up in you team color. Again prizes for the best themed attire. But you must run in the attire. I can wait to see the Pink team.
• August 23...Our Core Strength for Running clinic will be held at Acceleration Richmond, 1501 Maple Ave, Suite 100. This is at the Corner of Monument and Maple. In the Northwest Medical Office Building. We will be in the first floor lobby. Start time is 6:00. We will also have some discussion and demonstration of running form.

See you this weekend

GoodLuck Jeff and Patti

For thos who do not know, Jeff and Patti are running a half marathon in Chicago tomorrow. Be sure to check in next week to see how things went.

GREAT RUN!

GREAT run today everybody. It was nice to get a break in the weather, but it was even better to see everyone finish strong, and finish with a smile. Several people had the longest run of their life. Several of you ran faster then you expected, and some of us took on a big challenge without their running partner. You should all be very proud of what you accomplished.

Remember, I will not be here next week, but Frank will still organize a run. I have mapped out a few routes.

• 7 mile route
• 10-mile route
  

Someone will need to put a cooler by the tracks, and someone else will need to create the written directions.
If I can get online I may have a post to the blog while we are vacation. Good luck next weekend. Enjoy the shorter routes.

Weekend Routes 08/12

Below are links to this weekends routes. There is a 10 mile route, and a 14 mile route. If you ran last weekend, the roads are largely the same. There are a few extra blocks thrown in here or there, but 90% is the same as last week.

• 10 - mile route

Email #11 from Coach Don

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. . . T.S. Eliot

As if you haven't noticed, the training has picked up a little bit. Longer miles (9 last week/10 this week for Novices, 13/14 for Intermediates). As we do longer miles we will invariable start doing courses that will involve a few more hills. Although you may mutter unfavorable things about the guy who designed the course while running it, remember this is about Training. What you are doing now is building strength in your legs. Strength that will carry you through the rest of your training and through the marathon. So carry that thought with you this weekend.

No man is ever whipped until he quits in his own mind... Napoleon Hill

The body cannot achieve what the mind cannot conceive....

Remember these to as you run. Running distance is not about speed, it is about endurance. You are building on your ability to run longer and longer distances. And being able to maintain you running speed for that distance. And as we get into these longer miles, not only do your legs need to get stronger but your mind does too. So much about distance running is putting into a corner of your mind the thoughts that you have when struggling on a run and putting strong mental images of you succeeding to the front. Think that you can do this run. You will do this run. The mind is a wonderful thing and it can help the body wonderfully if you just let it.

It is not about the destination, it is about the journey...

We have all in our lives become goal oriented. This training is about achieving a goal. But while we all have that goal in mind and we cannot, should not forget that goal, we do need to remember the journey. You will remember a lot about the actual race on marathon day. You will remember more about the training. Your new friends. Certain routes that came on good days or bad days. So make sure you are take time to enjoy the journey.

Administrative: On August 19 & 20, we are going to have another fun day. It is team dress up day. So start thinking of a running outfit that prominently features your team colors in you running togs. Same rules as 4th of July...Prizes will be awards.

Note: Because we are the "Rocky Mount Team", we do not have a color. Don had recommended that we all dress in our favorite school's colors instead. Sounds like fun if you are interest.

Pictures from 08/05

Here are pictures from last weekend. Thanks Jeff and Patti for the great water stop. It was a welcome site on a hot day. Hopefully everyone enjoyed seeing a few new roads on this run.

HANDOUT: Nutrition

Nutrition: Think of yourself as an automobile. If you don’t put gas in the car, it will not run. If you put too low of an octane in a high performance car, it will run but it will not perform at it optimum. The same is true of you body. As you become a regular runner, you are moving your body to a high performing, efficient machine. You need to put in the proper fuel to run at that level.

Food Consumption: As a runner, your diet should be in the following ratio’s:

• Carbohydrates 60 to 70%
• Fats (good fats) 25 to 20%
• Protein 15 to 10%

Attached (see links below) are several articles showing the best sources in each of these categories.

Why carbohydrates? The fuel for powering your muscles while running is glycogen. Glycogen is created when the body breaks down carbohydrates into simple sugars to be stored in the body. (About 78% of the glycogen is stored in your muscles, 18% stored in the liver and the rest in your bloodstream.)

When at rest with plenty of oxygen, the body will burn fat in cooperation with the glycogen. But as you exercise, you will have a less ready supply of oxygen. In these situations, when you need fast fuel, the body looks for a better source of fuel. That is where the glycogen is needed.

The more carbohydrates you consume as you train, the more you can store. An untrained muscle can store 13 grams of glycogen for each kilogram of muscle. With proper training, this rises to 32. Thus more fuel for you as you run.

Pre exercise eating: Part of your training will be training the way your eating interfaces with your running. Use the long Saturday runs as a way of testing how you eat before running. Some people can eat a full meal and then go out and run. Some people get stomach issues if they try to run shortly after eating. Experiment to see what works best for you.

When you eat before exercising, it should be high is carbohydrates, low in fat with moderate protein content. Portions should be moderate and you should take extra fluids. To avoid sugar highs (and crashes), it is best to avoid sugars in the 45 minutes before running.

In regards to when to eat, the following chart may be helpful:

• If you are running 4-6 hours Eat a Large Meal
• If you are running 2-3 hours Eat a Light Meal
• If you are running ½ to 1 hour Eat a Snack

Eating while running: The body stores enough glycogen to allow you to run without issue for 90 minutes to two hours. Therefore as you increase the time of your training run (and run the race) you will need to resupply the body with fuel. This fuel can come from three sources. Solid food, sports drinks and energy gels.

Solid fuels least often used by runners. Two reasons. One, it takes a lot longer to digest solid food. Two, solid food has a higher likelihood of upsetting the stomach.

Sports drinks (Gatorade, Ultima and many others) are a mixture of sugars and water (many are now also including vitamins and important minerals). They range between 6 and 12 % carbohydrates. They are a quickly digested solution which supplies some carbohydrates. (See the later section on sports drinks)

Energy gels are a relatively new addition to the marathoning scene. They are concentrated mixtures of carbohydrates. They are more easily digested that solid food and easier to carry than sports drinks.

Several words of caution on the use of energy gels. By training, you can allow you body to adapt to store more glycogen. If, during your training, you start to use energy gels too early in your runs, you will fool your body into thinking it does not need to make the physiological changes that are required to store more fuel. Then when you do need the extra glycogen, it will not be there. The second caution. Gels are pure carbohydrates. Or put another way, pure sugar. Once you start using gels on a run, you will need to use them every 45 minutes or so to avoid a sugar crash.

When do you start using gels on a run? First, as said above, never use them on a run of less than 90 minutes. There are two trains of though on when to take your first gel. Some people take them after 45 minutes of running and then every 45 minutes thereafter. Others like to wait until 90 minutes or so into the run to start. See what works best for you.

Post run refueling: By running you use up your stored glycogen. In the first hour after you finish running, the body is best conditioned to reconvert ingested carbohydrates into stored glycogen. Therefore, you should try to eat/drink plentiful carbohydrates in that first hour, preferably the first half hour. Some suggested recovery foods are Apple Juice, Bagels, Yogurt, Bananas and sports drinks.

Sports Drinks: Sports Drinks come in many shapes and forms. Gatorade was the first, is the easiest to find and is generally the cheapest. Each type of drink has its own formulation and it own ad campaign. The bottom line is that you will need to drink sports drinks during your race. Each race picks its own drink and it is generally readily available at the water stops on the course. Get in the habit of drinking it as a part of your training as described above. One area that is getting greater attention in recent years is the use of recovery drinks. Endurox is the most widely known. These drinks help with the post run refueling.

Nutrition Handouts (links coming soon)

• Other info
• Post run recovery
• Nutritional Training tips

There is no such thing as a bad carbohydrate - Don Kardong

Richmond Marathon Merchandise

It looks like the Richmond Marathon updated their merchandise online. They have technical shirts for $15.00 like the one to the right. They also have long sleeve shirts, hats, running jackets, fleece, socks, gym bags and more. The shipping is about seven bucks, however I added 10 shirts to the cart and the shipping only went up to around eight. I wanted to put this information online just in case anyone was interested in ordering. This way we could do a group order and save on shipping.

Weekend Routes for 08/05

Maps: Here are the weekend routes. There is a 9 mile route and a 13 mile route. For those running 11, there is an easy adjustment to the longer route that will give you the distance you need.

• 9 mile route
• 13 mile route (and 11 mile)

Written Directions: This week we will still meet at the Harris Teeter at 6:00 a.m. The majority of the run will be on familiar roads, but I have added in some new roads that will take us back into Ketch Point too. So please take time to review the directions and map prior to the run. I believe the directions are correct, but having an extra set of eyes review them is always good. (See Routes in far right column)

Fluids & Bathroom:
I will have fluids at the Start, 4.5 miles, 6 miles, 9 miles, and finish (miles based on the long route). If you are doing the long route, plan for no fluids for your first four and last four miles. I strongly encourage you to take a bottle with you at the nine mile point to finish your run. Also, I checked with Harris Teeter this week and was told at no time should both sets of doors be locked. So hopefully we will not have any issues this week if we go to the doors to the left.

Hill workout Tonight:
Tracy Proctor and I are meeting at the Harris Teeter at 7:00 p.m. tonight if anyone is interested.

Coach Don Visit:
Don is planning on joining us in Rocky Mount for our run on 08/26. Some of you have met Don, but others have not. Please make every effort to be at the run this weekend.

Email #10 from Coach Don

Routes: Be sure you are going to the website and checking out your weekly routes before showing up for the weekend runs for several reasons. As the runs get longer they will by nature get more complicated, with more turns and they will be taking you to new places. If you are a visual person, there is a link each week on the message board to a map of the route.

But more importantly, with the size of the group, we are taking people on similar routes but each group has a slightly different route. So if you are just following the person in front of you, they may be on another team and take a slight variation in the route. So know where you re going.

Clinics: Nutrition is this Wednesday at 6:00 at CJW Medical Center (Chippenham). A good clinic to help you understand the impact of food on your training (Note: this is for the Richmond group. We are still working on a Nutritionist)

On August 23 (This date is different (Same week, different day) than shown in the training book) we will have our next clinic. This clinic will be about core strength training for running. It does not sound exciting but this is one of the best things you can do to improve your running. We will also have a short clinic on running form as part of this clinic for those of you who missed the running form clinic. I may even bee the guinea pig.....

T shirts: And now the most important thing in many weeks. The T shirts that are part of the program should be printed by Thursday of this week. So this weekend you will be able to pick up your Official SportsBacker's Marathon Training Team T Shirt for 2006. I am sure this will be a hot item (as the would not let me in on style design this year!!!!)

Visit From Richmond: I will be coming down to run with the Rocky Mount team some time in the month of August. We are working on a date which we have tentatively said to be August 26. I hope you can make the run that date. I will be bringing your t shirts that weekend.

Heat: No lectures this week. I have added another Sag stop this weekend. So make sure you stay hydrated. Start the night before your run. I'll sweat with you this weekend

Hill Workout Update

I had emailed Don today about hill workouts to make sure we are following the general guidelines. I had asked how many and how long should we be running now. He recommends starting with three hill repeats for those on the Novice Plan, and four repeats for those on the intermediate plan to start. Each week after that, try to add one more repeat to your workout (never to exceed eight).

The length of the hill work out should be between 1:00 and 1:30. Again, Intermediates may be uper end , and Novices on the lower end.

If you have not been adding an extra hill repeat, don't try to catch up all in one week. Just add one more to what you did last week. Remember, your last hill repeat should be just as fast as your first. If you are too tired, you ran to fast. Likewise, if you can sprint your last hill, you did not run hard enough.