Monday, December 29, 2008

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a great holiday I know I did. I found out on Tuesday 23rd that my wife is expecting. I guess in a few short months I will know what it is like to have to sneak out of the house for those early sunday runs. I will be be back out with you guys this Sunday!

On another note Maurice Davis collapsed in Hampton Park on a run and had to go to the hospital. I haven't heard any other news but just thought it would be a good idea to keep him in your prayers for his safety and also for his future in running.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Sunday Run

Who's going to be up for tomorrow's long one? Sadly, I am in N.C. But I'll be on a long run here in the mountains at the same time as you guys. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Happy Holidays

Just wanted to wish everybody a wonderful holiday season, many races and PRs ahead!
See you next Sunday!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Sunday 21st

What's on the holiday sampler for this Sunday morning? Starting to get my wheels back a little.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

A little chilly

We had a good crowd this morning. The weather was chilly and a little windy. The group did a variety of distances: we had 6, 8, and 12 mile runs. As they say, variety is the spice of running.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Sunday Morning

Since the Kiawah crowd is basking in their collective glory (and recovering, to be sure), I'm not sure if they'll be up for a long one, but I'll be there. I've got a 12-miler on my schedule. Hope to see some folks then.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Boston Bound!

Congratulations to Camelia and Blair for qualifying for Boston! Camelia picked up 3rd place female master as well! Gordon although unhappy with his time had a much better race than his marathon debut! The passion is back! All in all a good day for the West Ashley group!

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Marathon Countdown

We had five folks for our last run before Kiawah. Three of us went 12, two went 10. The weather was warm but windy. We beat the rain, though. Let's hope conditions at the starting line are calmer. Good luck to our folks racing on Saturday.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

An amazing Turkey Trot

Congratulations to John on a superior finish at the Midlands BGCM Turkey Trot 8K - finishing 12th overall with a time of 30:52 at a rapid avg 6:13 pace (which meant he was flying even FASTER before the hill at 4 miles!!)! The Man just keeps getting faster! Congrats, John. See you Sunday.

Flying feathers at Turkey Day


Rusty flew through the turkey shoot in a smashing 19:55! Congrats!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Sunday 30th

Is anyone planning to run on Sunday or will we all still be too stuffed with Turkey? I need to get back on things after my break from vacation if I plan to make it to the MB marathon. I will be in Georgetown on Thanksgiving but may come back to town on Saturday and wanted to see is anyone was meeting up?

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Happy Turkey Day

Okay, it seems like everyone is doing either the Turkey Day here in Charleston (5K), or the Turkey Day in Columbia (8K). I'll be doing the latter.

Is it me, or are you guys also looking forward to the races more than the meals?

And for you disciplined marathon crowd, now is the time to carbo load (oh, what the hell, protein load too). Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving everyone.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Marathon Race Week Proper Nutrition and Hydration

Marathon Race Week: What to Do and When to Do Itby Jonas HoldemanMcMillanRunning.com Coach
Confused as to just how to get fully prepared for a peak marathon performance? You’re not alone. In this article, coach Jonas Holdeman, himself a former marathon champion, tells you what he tells his athletes prior to their marathon.
(1) RACE WEEK
Sleep
Do your best to get to bed early the two to three nights before your target event. If you get adequate sleep these two nights, you won’t have to worry about losing sleep the night before the marathon (and you will because you’ll likely be restless the night before the race). I typically climb into bed at 9:00 PM and read until I doze off. I never worry about whether or not I get good sleep the night before a race: chances are I
won't, due to nerves. And, from a physiological standpoint, if you’re used to seven hours of sleep and you get ten, you’ll probably feel more sluggish on race morning. So, don’t worry about the night before the race. Focus on the night before the night before.
By the way, if you find it hard to sleep, just do the following. Lie on your back and focus on taking long, deep nasal breaths. Try to make the inhale and the exhale match in terms of length. (I usually count the inhale and the exhale – in two, three, four: out two, three, four). This will do two things: 1) free your mind from the anxiety of thinking “Oh my! I can’t sleep! I have a race in the morning! I’ll be too tired to run!” etc., etc. and 2) relax your body so that you actually fall asleep.
Hydration
In the three days prior to your race, you'll need to consume 0.5-0.7 ounces of fluid per day per pound of body weight. Shoot for 75-100 ounces daily, consuming an 8 ounce glass at regular intervals. The way I do it is to set the timer function on my sports watch for 1:00:00; and, every time the alarm sounds, I drink 8 ounces.
This strategy: 1) ensures that you drink enough without having to really think about it and 2) provides constant intake instead of realizing you are behind and chugging to catch up. What the latter means is that you will not have to jump up and take a leak every 20 minutes. If you drink more water less frequently (i.e., chug a 16 ounce glass every two hours), you'll be forcing the body to "pass" on the available fluid because it cannot absorb it. If you need an analogy, it's like what a farmer wants when his crops are dry: six hours of light, steady rain that provides a gallon per square meter rather than a 15 minute downpour of the same volume that ends up washing into the lake. Stop drinking water about two (2) hours before you hit the sack to reduce the need to whiz during the night.
Carbohydrate Intake
In the two days prior to your race, you'll want to focus on carbohydrate consumption: it will be 70% of your diet. Even 5K racers need to focus on this, as training can leave the body in a carbohydrate-depleted state that may take a few days to fully re-stock. Research shows that the optimal intake is four to five grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight per day. For me, at 150 pounds, that’s 600 or so grams of carbohydrates.
NOTICE: That’s almost 2500 calories in carbohydrates alone! So, you have to be careful to not just eat more. You are changing the composition of your diet, not the quantity. You’ll need to pay attention to keeping your “bad” fat intake moderate to prevent unwanted weight gain. I recommend you keep a food diary of some sort to make sure you a) eat enough carbohydrates and b) don't over-eat. I typically eat at 7:00 AM, (9:30 AM snack), NOON, (2:30PM snack), 5:00PM, and (7:30PM snack) the days preceding a marathon. That way, I can evenly distribute the intake over the course of the day. If you try to consume the volume of carbohydrates you need at only three meals, you'll barf (or at least feel like it). Your in-between meal snacks (times in parentheses) are a good time for a shake, smoothie or some other liquid carbohydrate source. Also, stock up on healthy nutrition bars and fruits that you know will not cause you gastrointestinal problems. Bananas are usually a safe bet; plus, they have lots of good potassium.
Our rule is that in the last three days prior to a marathon, you should never get hungry. This would indicate low blood sugar and your carbohydrate stores would be used to replace this blood sugar. This is not what we want when we’re trying to store--not immediately use--carbohydrates. In the last three days, keep food with you at all times. You may get stuck in traffic or have delays in your travel to the race. This will make sure that you don’t get stuck without food. And, the same goes for fluids!
Stretching
All week prior to the marathon, focus on two areas: your hamstrings and your calves. Secondary focus should be on hip flexors and IT bands. Conduct 3 x 20-second stretches per muscle group per leg twice daily from Tuesday until the race. When fatigued and under-hydrated, muscles tend to shorten as elasticity is lost. For a visual, think of how elastic a dry rubber band tends to be (that is, not very elastic).
(2) THE NIGHT BEFORE
Eat well at least 12 hours before race time, consuming 1.5 to 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound (3 to 4 grams per kilogram) of body weight. Eat foods you are very familiar with, consisting of mainly complex carbohydrates like pastas, breads, rice, potatoes, cooked vegetables, etc. Go easy on the dessert. Add lean meats (preferably poultry or fish). Keep rich sauces to a minimum. Don’t try Thai food for the first time tonight (unless you want to risk having stomach upset or flames shooting out of your fanny as you warm-up!). If you are Thai or eat Thai food daily, have at it! You’ll need to make sure you consume plenty of water with this meal, as this high-carbohydrate meal will require plenty of fluid to digest properly.
After dinner, go for a short walk to help with digestion and walk off some of the butterflies. Think happy thoughts and celebrate all the hard work you’ve done and the support group that helped you get to this point.
(3) RACE MORNING
What follows is the optimal schedule for pre-race eating to ensure you are absolutely loaded before the race. As with any race-day routine, you’ll want to “practice” this beforehand: I suggest that before your last 3-4 long runs (especially prior to a fast-finish long run), you follow the guidelines below. At first blush, this will seem like a lot of food; however, there is a lot of research to back up this methodology. So, you're going to have to trust me on this.
3 to 4-Hours Prior to the StartIngest 1.5 to 2 grams of carbohydrate per pound of your body weight. This is your real pre-race meal. I suggest taking in half of it via a liquid carbohydrate drink (shake, smoothie, etc.) and the rest in bagels or bread, cereal, raisins, or whatever works for you. Make certain nothing you eat is new to you: now is not the time to find out that dried apricots turn your bowels to liquid. Drink AT LEAST 32 ounces of plain old water with this meal. Otherwise, the carbohydrate-laden foods will simply sit in your gut until they have enough fluid to begin the digestion process. Now, since this will be 4:00 AM (assuming an 8:00 AM start), if you can get back to sleep, go for it; but, if not, don't fret. Just read or stretch until your next feeding.
Two Hours Prior to the StartIngest 0.5 up to 1 gram of carbohydrate and AT LEAST 24 oz. of water. In our sample scenario, it's 6:00 AM; so, better get up and start preparing yourself to get going. Make sure you've got your race number on your outfit, the timing chip on your shoe, all your clothes are laid out and you're ready to get to the race staging area.
Note: If you are doing a race where you will have to be on a bus to the start or in a staging area at this time, then plan ahead to take your food and fluid along with you. There is nothing wrong with eating on the bus or in the staging area. In fact, others around you will be looking with envy as they begin to get hungry and you are properly fueling yourself for the start!
One Hour Prior to the StartIngest a small carbohydrate snack and at least 16 ounces of water. A sports bar, well-tolerated fruit, and carbohydrate-rich beverages or supplements are a good choice. You should be at the race site by now and getting into the spirit of the event. If you have been carbohydrate-loading for the past few days, you'll also be feeling a bit bloated right now; but, don't worry: it's normal.
Just Prior (10 minutes) To the StartDrink 10 ounces of sports drink. You should have completed your running warm-up and most of your dynamic warm-up by now; so, just stay warm and loose as you wait in the starting area.
(4) DURING THE RACEBeginning at the three mile mark, drink three to four good swallows of sports drink every 15 to 20 minutes (or every two to three miles). This will keep you well-hydrated and delay the onset of glycogen depletion that will occur toward the end of the race. By following this strategy, you will be amazed at how many people you will pass in the last 6 miles of the race--people who look very fit and well-trained. Why? A Buick will beat a Porsche every time if the Porsche has no gas in the tank (not that you are a Buick . . .).
(5) AFTER THE RACEWithin 30 minutes of finishing, consume about 100 grams of carbohydrates and 25 grams of protein. Two cans of Slim-Fast are an ideal way to accomplish this but any food/fluid will work as long as it matches the nutritional requirements. You won’t feel much like eating; but, you’ll need the immediate consumption of carbohydrate and protein to feed your starving muscles. Then, eat a well-balanced meal two to three hours after finishing. Obviously, you'll need to drink PLENTY of water. This will help you recover faster and minimize the post-race muscular distress common after a marathon. And, of course, don’t forget to celebrate your success with a tasty treat or frosty beverage!
Jonas Holdeman is an accomplished runner and coach. He was the winner of the inaugural Memphis Marathon and is a USA Track & Field certified coach and instructor. He coaches runners at www.mcmillanrunning.com.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Cold, but not too cold

The weather was nicer than expected for our Sunday run. We went an easy 10. The Kiawah crowd is winding down.

Folks are planning to be at the track on Tuesday evening, but the workouts are bound to be light. The marathon crowd will keep it light with race day only two weeks away. Plus the folks who are racing on Turkey Day won't want to tear it up. We'll do some easy pre-turkey strides.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

7:00 - same as always

Okay, so it appears that there are neither strong feelings nor compelling reasons for moving the time.

In fact, to avoid confusion for new comers, it appears we should best leave things alone.

So we'll see everyone bundled up and ready to go at 7:00, I repeat, 7:00 a.m.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Sunday Run

Let's get ready to test that cold weather gear. The lows are projected to be in the 20's. I will be there, rested and ready. I'm only planning to do 10 or so. What about the Kiawah Marathon crowd? What's the taper mileage?

Also, I should ask: Considering the temperatures, does the group wish to consider starting at a later time? Please offer your comments.

Unless we decide otherwise, see everyone at 7:00.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Congrats to Rusty

Congrats to Rusty for his age group result in the Folly 10 miler last Saturday. Way to go Rusty!!!- especially after completion of recent tough marathon.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Last long run

Looks like this Sunday is the Kiawah last long run - 22miles! Bridge or no bridge?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Next Up

Okay, I've just signed up for Myrtle Beach Marathon. Who's next?

Also, who's going to the track tonight?

Friday, November 7, 2008

Sunday November 9th

See everyone at 7am South Windermere...long slow distance.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Beach 2 Battleship

Thanks for the compliments it means a ton! I really had no clue that I would finish as strong as I did considering the week I had leading up to the race. I left for Phoenix on Tuesday morning and flew back into charleston at 8 am on Friday. I didn't really get any sleep on the plane ride back over and I lost three hours in different time zones. I quickly packed my car and hit the road toward willmington.

Race check in was uneventful outside of the temperature. I had left lovely 93 and sunny to mid 50 the thought now of taking a 2.4 mile swim was seeming like a very stupid idea! I made the best I could of Friday night trying to get some rest waiting for my 4:30 wake up call.

Swim start: The air temp. was in the 40s water temp in the 60s and a very peaceful morning. It was looking like ideal conditions once the sun came up to have a great race. Leading up to the race there was a huge debate on how much the incoming tide would help the swim. I really had no clue I was thinking a 5 min help at max. So I took off all the warm clothes and put on my wetsuit and went to jump in the water for a quick warm up 5 minutes before the start. I rinsed my goggles and was talking to a guy beside me when I looked down, keep in mind it is still dark, and I saw a ring that looked like a smaller jellyfish right at my foot. I moved back and went about 5 feet away and was going to try and swim a few strokes. I put my goggles on my face and realized I was missing the rubber ring around one of the eyes! The jellyfish was in fact a piece of my goggle! I searched for the ring but no luck. I made a quick dash to the start line and asked the officials if they happened to have another pair. They made a quick announcement on the PA and in like 10 seconds I had about 7 people handing me goggles! I was floored! I knew all along that most endurance athletes are a special group of people but this really was special to me. I will make it a point now whenever I do a race to carry extra goggles to return the favor for someone some day. So now it was time to go swim. I jumped in and head for a marina that was a long long way away!

I got to the landing at a hair under 1 hour and a 300 yard run to tranisition. This was 20 minutes faster than last years swim. I believe I trained better but the current did have a lot to do with my result. Just an interesting fact the person who was 1st out of the water if you convert his pace per 100m and change it to 1500m he would have taken gold at the olympics!

Bike: The start was a little cool but warmed up rather nicely. The bike was uneventful and mostly flat except for a small roll and 3 bridges. I caught Stephen that used to work at Tri sports in mt. p around mile 40 and he said he was having some stomach problems. I didn't see him again until running in for my last two miles he was heading back out for his second loop.
Bike Ride was slightly less than 6 hours about 1:30 faster than last year! So far so good.

Run: Awesome Awesome course! I really believe if they made this a marathon only they would have a huge turnout. It was a double loop 13.1 course that went from the battleship down to the convention center and then around greenfield lake. I had gotten a garmin for an early christmas present so I was really able to pace myself very easily. I believe this helped so much because by this point you can get mentally exhausted. I started out wantin g to have a 9 min/ mile pace. I was clicking 7:30 fairly easy and bumping it back some on the bridges. I was waiting for the blow out but it really never came. I ran into John Glover from the Charleston Bike Shop at around mile 7. He was saying he was suffering and I looked at the results and it says he DNF. I hope all is well with him. I carried on and had a suprisingly easy run with some walking through and aid station here or there. On the way in on my final lap I also saw Jana Glover heading out for her second loop and she did finish the race.

Final time on the marathon was awesome. I had only managed a 4:30 last year so a big improvement for me in all areas! I was only 9 minutes slower on this marathon than my myrtle beach marathon in 2006!

All in all a great day. I think that willmington has a lot to offer for endurance sports and great views. I hope to get to race there again some time in the future. See you guys soon.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Congrats to Trevor

A big congratulations to Trevor, who finished 35th overall at the B2B Triathlon (10:49:30). And what was his most impressive leg? The run, of course. He had the 20th fastest marathon time (3:46:25). That's big dog crazy!! Hats off to a monster performance.

Oh yeah, and what is this thing you call daylight savings time?

Thursday, October 30, 2008

November 2nd

Just over a month away from Kiawah. Looks like anywhere from 18-22 is the distance this Sunday @ 7am. Good luck to Trevor on Saturday in the B2B!

Watch the clock!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Nice Day

Rusty and I were blessed with great conditions. Saturday was rainy and blustery. But Sunday morning had perfect conditions. Clear, 50 degrees, no wind. There was fog on the Potomac. At about mile 5, as you crossed the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Georgetown slowly emerged through the mist. Beautiful. Crowds were great too. A fun time (well, not "fun" in the sort of way that most people define it) was had by all. I plan to put this one on my calendar for next year.

For an added humiliation you can view the Finish Line Video by clicking here.

The video's clock time runs about a minute ahead of the official race clock (so it looks like we finish a minute faster than we did). You can also skip and scroll to the time you want to see.

Sunday 26th

Thanks to Swazi for showing up! Together we knocked out 19.5 with the bridge in the first half...perfect conditions. Knowing the guys in DC were running the big 26.2 helped! Next Sunday may cut back a little and try to pick up the pace.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Sunday October 26th

Looks like I may be in town this weekend. I think I need to do about 18 miles. Anyone else planning to be there Sunday morning bright and early?

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Good Luck

Just wanted to say good luck to our Marine Corps team this weekend. Have a good run!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Sunday Long Run

What is the consensus for the distance this Sunday? I'm only going a slow 8 miles (one week to race time). But we have a few folks ramping it up for Kiawah. What do other folks want to do?

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Long Runs

The weather decided to cooperate on Sunday. The drizzle ended as our run began. The runs were long, 16 to 18 miles. The wind was bad going out, good coming back. The Marine Corps/Bridge to Battleship fellas are now in taper mode. But the Kiawah crowd is beginning to ramp up their long runs. Perhaps as the winter marathons near, we'll see a few fresh faces.

See everyone at the track tonight.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Track Night

It was busy at the track last night. We had a full crowd of runners. We also had youth football games in full swing. Everyone had to play a bit of dodge-the-kids (or adults). But for the most part, the two contingencies have come to tolerate each other. The last of these regular season Tuesday night football games should be 10/28.

As the weather cools, the workouts are starting to mix it up. I heard some people doing ladders, some 800's, and a few of us did mile repeats. More people appear to be arriving at the track with their set schedules, and are therefore less likely to decide on their workout on the spot. Fortunately, there are enough of us that you can find at least one or two people who are doing what you're doing.

I've got a slow 18 scheduled for my long run on Sunday. How about other folks?

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Thursday Fartlek anybody ?

I still felt Saturday's 10km in my legs this morning, so I missed the long run. I am planning a long (ish) run Thursday evening with a variety of "fartlek" style efforts / repeats thrown in en route.

If you want to come to I'll be leaving West Ashley around 5 to 5:30 pm - or whenever it suits a critical mass ?

IOP Connector 10k

It's amazing how much slower you go when the course is actually 10kms.... In conditions that seemed to be ideal for PRs, I managed a not so exciting 41:53 to bag 6th place in the 40-44 div. Blair (if her last name is Turnage ?) did significantly better taking 2nd in her division with 46:58.

I think I saw Rusty there - but don't know if he ran 5 or 10. I also couldn't find his name, but I'm guessing he isn't "Rusty" in the results either !!

I went out hard and tried to keep it there, looking for a sub 40 time on a real course. I was doing alright until the 3 mile marker, which was completely out of position. My psyche never really recovered from the disappointment at recording an 8:05 mile after 2 consecutive 6:25 miles and I think my brain let me down more than anything else...

The best bit was jumping in the sea with my running gear on afterwards....

Saturday, October 4, 2008

For Tomorrow

Rusty and I are planning to meet at 6:30 for a quick three miles before the group meets at 7:00. So as we've done in the past, we'll have a 6:30 departure for a three mile loop. We'll meet back with the 7:00 departure for the long run. See you tomorrow morning.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Peaking instead of tapering in marathon training may improve performance

I recently read 2 interesting articles in Running Times magazine (Nov issue).
One is written by Greg McMillan (USATF certified coach and exercise physiologist) and addresses an important issue: should we taper or peak during the last phase in the marathon training program?. The article gives you useful tips about the prerace and race day strategy before your marathon.
The second article talks about combining carbs in various ratios (example glucose-fructose 2:1) and their arguably superior efficacy as compared to just having a simple carb such as glucose.
Several examples are given (Roctane endurance gel for example or Power bar). This article talks about the pros and cons of these combinations and the mechanisms by which these combined carbs may lead to an increased transport from the gut to the muscle, and therefore, improving your performance.

Citius

According to my watch, we definitely picked it up this week. I had us cruising an 8:10 pace. Is that right? If so, the cooler weather agrees with us.

The good doctor in Nebraska put a whuppin' on that course. The day after running a sub six mile, he flew through the Omaha Half in 1:46:45. This on a course where only 4 runners broke 80:00. (Official Results-Click Here)

Also, top ten in his age group.

But of course, age is just a number...

...unless you run faster than lots of people who are younger than you. In which case you wear it like a billboard and remind the young slowpokes in the same way that Alex Rodriguez reminds a baseball where the outfield fence is located.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Sunday Morning - 7:00 a.m.

Everyone appears to be in agreement to move our start time on Sunday morning to 7:00 a.m. So we'll see everyone then.

Any suggestions on a route?

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Isle of Palms Connector - Sat Oct 4th 8:00am

Anybody up for this 10k ? I'm thinking it really is 10kms, Trevor, for real !!

www.IOPConnectorRun.com

Gordon gave me some good advice about the wind - any other pearls from previous vets ?

Monday, September 22, 2008

Time Change

Temperatures are getting cooler. Early hours are darker. The group discussed moving our official Sunday Morning start time back up to 7:00 a.m. (as it was over last winter). Even if you don't plan to be there this Sunday, please weigh in. But unless the group feels strongly otherwise, I say let's plan to start this Sunday's run at 7:00 a.m.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Kiawah Triathlon

Well another tri in the bag, but the first to a 3 race 3 weekend binge! I had a decent race altogether and ended up finishing in 2nd for the 25-29 age group. Last year I was out of the hardware for Kiawah so it felt nice to get back in with an award. I had a super slow swim coming into transition at right at 30 minutes. I lost anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes on most folks that I should have been racing with. I felt like I had a great bike and run. No official splits yet but what I added up on my watch gives me a 39:28 10k fastest I have ever done but I do suspect the run was short. Swaz and I were battling it out on each turn around but I never could real him in. It will be nice to see what the difference in our times. Overall a good day and I will be back at it next week for the half ironman in Greenwood, SC. Take care guys!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Sunday 14th - Another scorcher!

Camelia and I had a good 13 mile run through downtown but the heat made the last two miles quite tough. We were lucky enough to find sprinklers going off at the baseball field downtown. Despite the heat it was a beautiful morning.

Hope to see a crowd for next Sunday! Distance?

Monday, September 8, 2008

Sunday 7th - Hot!

We tried to stay out of the sun for most of the run but found ourselves overheating towards the end. Tough 16 miles but Trevor and Camelia pulled me in. Nice to see Swasi (sp?) join the group. Rusty ran the bridge while on his way to a 17 miler - wow. Hope next week will be cooler!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Sept.7th - After the Rain

6:30am South Windermere - looks like it will be a nice day. Hope to see everyone.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Dogmatic

The weather was slightly cooler and we had a fast crowd at the track last night. Some folks did 4,8,4's. My group did 800's. We saw some old faces out there. Hopefully some cooler weather might bring out a few more.

The football parents were in full bloom last night. Lots of parents and athletes were wondering on and off the track. There were no collisions, but things were getting tight. Again, the non runners didn't seem to understand why runners are so dogmatic about wanting to run on lane #1 (heck, there are five other lanes).

I sent a note the the Mt. Pleasant Rec Department to give them a heads-up, and got an immediate return note. They're going to increase their visibility and send a note to coaches and parents reminding them to leave the track to the runners and walkers.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Some Running Basics

Here are the vids I was talking about Sunday morning. Some good basics but also some helpful tips - the treadmill one is good.

http://www.active.com/video/new-balance-training

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Track Night

Not a bad crowd at the track. Most folks opted for slow 800's, with some doing slower mile repeats. Folks are chomping at the bit to lengthen these things out a bit, once the cooler weather arrives. A number of people mentioned putting Kiawah Marathon on their calendars.

Any more thoughts for Sunday?

Monday, August 25, 2008

Longer than we thought

Mapmyrun.com has our Sunday run at 16.7 miles. The weather fooled us. It started out seeming pleasant. Then we got mosquitoes. Then we passed the slower runners who had collected an even larger flock of mosquitoes. (To ease our suffering, one of the women in that group entertained us with periodic fits of screaming, while doing the mosquito swat dance.) Then things got warmer, hence slower. We were all shuffling it back to Holy Cow. Let's hope we get some fall weather soon.

See everyone on Tuesday evening.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Sunday 24th

I'm thinking 15 for this Sunday? Same start time. Any thoughts?

Monday, August 18, 2008

Last Sunday

Thanks to Camelia we have the following information from Sunday:
16 miler with an average pace of 8:58/mile.
We started out at around 9:30-9:15 pace, and we picked up the pace around mile 8-10. From mile 10-13 the average pace was around 8:10/mile, the we went back to around 9/mile.

Good but tough!

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Sunday Run

Just a quick post to see what is on tap for Sunday? I am riding 100 miles on Saturday so my legs may be a little tired, but lets hope not! I could go for anything from 12 up depending on what others want to do. So what will it be?

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Welcome Relief

The weather at the track last night wasn't ideal if you were planning a picnic or parade:overcast, drizzling, about 80 degrees. But it was a welcome change from the sweltering Tuesday nights we've been enduring over the summer.

The group did 800's. Our pace was slightly quicker than what we've seen over the last several weeks. We'll see how things are next week.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Sunday Run

Things were a little bit cooler (all things being relative) on Sunday. After getting slightly turned around on our 3 mile warm up, we did a 12 miler downtown. BTW Jenny, the half way point is Marion Square.

We were trying to remember the race Gordon had been in the day before. A quick search of the internet (yes, big brother is watching you) revealed that he had run in the Beamsville Bench 5K at the East Dell Estates Winery. Both the race's title and location raise immediate questions. Also, the website's handy elevation map makes it clear that Gordon's parting suspicion was confirmed. He had, in fact, been consigned to hilly race. The sites goes so far as to describe it as a "Beautiful scenic, challenging 2 loop course". Translation: Your legs will be crying.

The weather report indicates that things might not be too sweltering tomorrow night. See everyone at the track.

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Two options for tomorrow

For Sunday, we have two items on the menu: a 12 miler, and a 15 miler.

We're planning on having a 3 mile warm up departing at 6:00 a.m. and doing a loop around the local neighborhood.

We will return to Holy Cow by 6:30 a.m. to rendezvous with the group that will depart for the 12 miler.

Hope to see you at 6:00 or 6:30.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

weekend run

what is on tap for this weekend run?

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Track Night

It was hot, hot, hot. Most everyone elected to do 400's.

We had a marathon celebrity among us:
Sopagna Eap (click to see her Bio)
She finished 22nd (2:40:19) at the Olympic Trials. She is here for a while to complete an internship at MUSC. Needless to say the warmup run around the neighborhood was a bit more brisk than usual.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Final Sprint Feed

One the sidebar, you'll notice that I've added a news feed from Thefinalsprint.com. This is a great website that Gordon recommended a while ago. Check it out.

Sunday Distance

I can't make it this weekend but I thought we might want to start bumping up the miles the following weekend (17th). I'm thinking 15 miles to start? Late October is fast approaching. Comments, suggestions?

BTW it's almost 100 outside - anyone still going to track tonight?

Monday, August 4, 2008

Where in the world has Aaron been?

What's up guys and gals. It has been quite a while since I have seen anyone, and probably longer since I have been running healthy. I have not been the same since the Marathon in February. My right hip/leg/groin has continued to bother me after every run even little dinky 2 milers. Due to crappy insurance and trying to get a new job, I have not gotten a formal evaluation. There have been many potential diagnoses flying around, none of which are good, so I am trying not to push it until I am fully covered. Walking and being on my feet for an extended period of time even bothers it so I am not sure what to do.

Also the increase in gas prices, termination of my grad school stipend, and lack of sleep has put a damper on waking up a 5:15 in the morning for a run with friends.

Run strong and long friends and I hope to see you all soon.

Aaron

Sunday run

We had a good run on Sunday with a few new faces. From the two "techies" on the run we had between 12.3-12.5 miles at around 1:46. I actually went home after the run and looked up Garmin forerunner to see what it was all about. Maybe I can get one for a gift sometime. It looks like everyone in the group right now it training for a big race in the fall so hopefully we can continue to have good turnout. I just can't wait to get to a little cooler temps and less humidity. See you guys on Tuesday but I may not get there until right at 6:00.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Sunday August 3rd - long run

Just trying to get an idea on the turn out for this sunday? Lots of people out of town.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Track night

We had a good crowd in spite of the threatening weather. Conditions improved slightly as things went along. We had a light drizzle most of the time. Nice temperature, but still muggy.

800's were on the menu, with everyone completing 6 sets. I dragged along a workmate. We'll see if we can get him to become a regular.

Sellersmj, sorry we didn't see you out there. But the weather conditions were less than optimal. Don't forget that the group will be there for the Sunday morning long run.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Long Run

I have our course yesterday at 12.4 miles. We also appeared to have picked up the pace a bit. I had us at about an 8:30 pace.

Anyone have any preference for our track workout on Tuesday?

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Tomorrow

So, just to recap. For tomorrow, we'll have a group meet at 6:00 a.m. to do a quick 3 mile loop. We'll return to Holy Cow by 6:30 a.m. for the folks who wish to depart then for a 12 mile run.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Sunday run

Hey anyone want to meet 30 minutes earlier on sunday to get a few extra miles in before the 6:30 run?

Monday, July 21, 2008

Mosquito Coast

Okay, in recapping our long run on Sunday, I admit to struggling with the title of this post. "Cemetery Run", "Graveyard Shift", " The Quick and the...", you get the picture. We ran up through Hampton Park, up through Wagner Terrace, and into Magnolia Cemetery, where the confederate soldiers and mosquitoes were waiting for us. Scenic, yes. But also a little creepy and buggy. We made a hasty turn back down the peninsula. I've got our run at 12.5 miles, putting us at about a 8:45 pace.

Gordon sent out an interesting article on how caffeine affects recovery:

Click here for the media's summary for this article.

Click here if you want the research article itself (for the medical folks).

What I did notice was the amount of caffeine for the subjects: 5 to 8 mg/kg of body weight. For me that would be 375 to 600 mg of caffeine. It would make me juuuuuusssst a bit jittery.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Sunday

Okay, I've mapped a new route downtown to break up the monotony (it involves taking a left at the bottom of the Ashley River Bridge and heading into Hampton Park). I've got a 12 mile option, or (if we're feeling frisky) a 13 mile option.

See everyone at 6:30 a.m.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Battleship North Carolina

http://www.battleshiphalfmarathon.active.com/site3.aspx

Anybody know anything about this race?

Shoe Dryer

I have one of these Boot Dryers. I recommend one for every runner (especially in the South).

My running shoes tend to be completely saturated by the end of a summer run. This sucker gets them dry by the next morning. Keeps the stink down too.

Just a suggestion.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Cloudy

In spite of threatening clouds, we had a pretty full house last night. It rained briefly at the beginning of our warm-up. Otherwise the weather was agreeble.

The workout varied. Again, the crowd could not reach a consensus. A rogue crew, including myself, elected to take advantage of slightly cooler conditions and do something longer (1600, 1200, 1200, 800). Most everyone did 4oo's. At least we have variety.

I went running early this morning on the West Ashley greenway. Toward the end of my run I caught a crowd of high schoolers out for a pre-season conditioning run. They were big boys, moving none too fast. I believe they may have been the West Ashley football team. At one intersection, I saw a big burly coach. He had a "this is going to be a long season" scowl on his face. I told him he might motivate his players if he let them know they were getting passed by a 44 year old man. He laughed and nodded. One of the high schoolers, upon hearing me, responded "Wouldn't be the first time. Won't be the last."

No, it won't.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Track Night

Track tonight. What shall we put on the menu? For most of these hot, humid work outs we've been opting for shorter intervals with more reps (except last week when we went for 1,200's).

I'll have to admit that the benefit of the shorter intervals (400's for example) is that people can shorten the workout without feeling too guilty. You can do eight reps instead of ten and you're only down 800 meters. Also, people can get off the merry-go-round for one lap, then jump back on without much down time.

Please note on the right hand side of the screen that I've put links for the new CRC website, as well as the old. Please compare and contrast.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Sunday Run

Full crowd on Sunday, a group of five. I had the distance at about 12.3 miles. At 1:49:00, we did about an 8:50 pace. I'll see if we can create some more exact routes to round off these runs.

See everyone on Tuesday.

Commuting to work

Today was the first day for me riding to work on a bike. I was actually surprised that it wasn't any more difficultto ride the bike with the bag on the back as it normally is with no bag. All in all I rode 16 miles one way and it took me right at 55 minutes with all the red lights. Looks like I am about 20 minutes slower on the bike vs. a car.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Saturday 7/12 Workout

Ride this morning 60 miles in the fog felt pretty good actually somewhat cooler than the last few weeks. Follow the ride up with a 50 minute run around 165 BPM. See you guys in the morning.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Today's workout

I thought it might be neat to post a daily workout thread for us to post our workouts for the day so we can keep each other honest or should I consistent.

20 min warm up for me.
3 sets of 1200 meter, 400 meter, 800 M, 800 M.
Cool Down.

Super tough the 400 and the last 800 were kind of a recovery jog.
See you guys sunday.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Plyometrics

The track was a combo platter of workouts. Some people opted for shorter reps (400's). Our sub-group opted for 1,200's, 3 or 4 sets. Nice change. Hot as usual.

Here's an article about Plyometrics. I've started doing these after my short (3-4 mile) Friday runs. I do the skipping (10 reps) followed by standing broad jumps (5 reps), 8 to 10 sets of these. It doesn't take long, but is much harder than you think. It is important to find a relatively soft surface. Also look for a reasonably secluded location if you are self conscience about how people tend to react to a grown person skipping and jumping.

See everyone Sunday morning, 6:30 a.m.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Track Night

Track tonight. We've been running 400's the last few weeks. Do we want to lobby for something longer and slower? 800's? How about a ladder (4, 6, 8, 12, 8, 6, 4)?

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Sunday -07.06.08

07.06.08
Trevor pulled me along for just under 10 miles as I wimped out and shortened our regular route. Missed John, Rusty, and Arron but we kept a good pace and conversation. Just a reminder that the Daniel Island Twilight Series starts this Thursday. Not a bad deal if you register for all 4 races without a T-shirt - only $35.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Wilmington Crash and Burn

Just ran the Tri Span 10K in Wilmington in 40:26. 14th overall, 2nd in age group (for which I count myself very lucky). Great course, but hilly. It was hot (80 degrees by 8:00). Against all logic and my better instincts, I went out and blazed the first two in 12:12. Foolish with capital "F". By the half way point, I was dead meat on a stick (6:30, 7:00...you get the picture). I managed to put my s*** together for the last mile. Evidently, the heat put the whoppin' on everyone else too. Only about a half dozen others passed me by the end.

Will be thinking about you guys tomorrow morning. Will try to get a run in myself. See you Tuesday afternoon.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Post July 4th Sunday

6:30am at South Windermere - no doubt go downtown again. Bring water! Hope to see a crowd out to work off all that holiday food.

gN

At the Track - 7/1

We had a full crowd last night. We did 400 meter repeats. Most folks did eight to ten reps. Official high yesterday was 87 degrees. We saw a few prodigal faces, folks who were frequent a few months ago (no doubt now motivated by the U.S. Trials).

Monday, June 30, 2008

Sunday Run


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Our group is currently meeting in front of Holy Cow at South Windermere Shopping Plaza. We are currently meeting on Sundays at 6:30 a.m. We run 12-13 miles at about a 8:30-8:45 pace. Sometimes downtown, sometimes on the greenway. Anyone is welcome to join us.