Weekend Outlook

Here's this weekend's lineup:

• Run at the Rock (Sat @ 9AM, Burlington)
• Get Fit NC 10k/5k (Sat @ 9AM, Wake Forest)
• Jingle Bell Run/Walk (Sat @ 10:30AM, Raleigh)
• Reindeer Dash for Cash (Sun @ 1PM, Greenville)
• Triangle Expressway Trot (Sun @ 2PM, Apex)

And, if you didn't think that Hostess going out of business would affect runners, you're wrong. There is/was apparently a KrispyKreme-esque style run in Ann Arbor, known as the April Fool's Day Twinkie Run, that raises money for ALS. Guess they'll have to switch to Cloud Cakes this year.

Water Stops

I joked during my last marathon that we should have "water stop practice". Actually, I was only half-joking. I don't think this is necessarily a bad idea, especially if it's someone's first race. Maybe incorporated into a longer pace run... that also features consuming an energy product of choice to get used to that...

Anyways, I can really only manage to drink water effectively at marathon pace (until I get too tired and end up dumping the water on myself in a half-hearted attempt to get the cup all the way to my mouth), and I can throw it somewhere near my mouth and choke some down at half marathon pace. So, the people at Running Times suggested carrying your own water. In fact, they say that this is a good way to PR. To me, this seems weird. I mean, you don't see any of the elite athletes carrying water bottles, people hand them theirs just like everyone else. I have to think that there is a reason for this. They address some of my "concerns" at the bottom of the article (for example that 21oz of water is only 1.3lbs, which is nothing). And, I do see their point about drinking when you want to, as well being able to drink what you want (especially if you have a sensitive stomach).

Having said that, I'm still not sold... I think I'll stick to drinking the water on the course!  

Embrace the winter

 Training in "adverse" conditions actually makes you a stronger runner. I mean, we all knew this after the 100 degree, 100% humidity summer we all suffered through. But the same also holds true for the winter. Running on icy roads in the wind and cold builds running and core strength, flexibility, total body awareness, and mental toughness. While this is good for base training, and even maybe a little bit of tempo work, it's hard to keep any sort of pace on a dark, slippery road. So, although many of us hate it, running on a treadmill for hard workouts every once and a while isn't the worst idea in the world. Other cross-training options such as spinning, swimming, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing are also good for mixing it up.  

How to race a race

Different race distances require different strategies. However, as the article points out, there is a fine line between too fast and too slow (aka stick to whatever plan you come up with and don't try and "bank" time).

• 5k-10k: run the first mile 3-6% faster than your goal pace (I'm guessing closer to 3% for a 10k and 6% for a 5k), settle in during the middle miles, and kick the last 800m
• 10M-13.1M: hold back a little at the start (5-15sec slower for your first mile or two) and try and stay below your lactate threshold as long as possible to have the "energy" to finish strong
• 26.2M: DON'T BANK TIME!!! There are two acceptable strategies- (1) run the first half a little bit faster than goal pace (2-3%) or (2) run the first 3-5miles a little bit slower than goal pace, maintain goal pace through 20-22miles, and then pick it up for the rest.

The end of the article has some example workouts for how to develop your sense of pace (some of those sound a little too familiar!)

Race Reports

Team RRO/FASTcoaching had a busy Thanksgiving! At the Ridgewood Turkey Trot, Elaine L. was 3rd female, and Rita B., Chris G., and Roger W. were 1st in their age groups, Keith F. and Mike C. were 2nd in theirs, and Jonathan W. was 3rd in his (results). Dan H. (3rd Master's + sub-19), Jacci P., and Colby M. (1st 5k) represented the team well, battling the hills of Wake Forest (results) and Dave M. is officially back to his old self, placing 1st in his age group in The Streets at Southpoint Turkey Trot (results). 

Five days earlier, Team RRO/FASTcoaching scored big at the Goose Creek Trail Races (results). Rita B. and Jennifer C. went 1-2 in the 10-miler (and beat a former Olympian), and Marissa B. was 1st in the 7k and Sarah C. was 1st in her age group. Brian F. was 2nd overall, Sean K. was 1st masters, Gavin C. was 1st in his age group, and Mike C. was 4th in his. Win B. and David O. went 2-3 in the Raven Rock 5-miler (results) and Chris G. was 1st in his age group at the Apex Turkey Trot (results). I know Andrew W. and Rusty and the runner he was guiding did well in the Raising Cane 5k, but I can't find results for that race.

And, in the final major November marathon, Jim M., Cody C. (sub-3), Robb H., Jason P. (PR'd), Greg J., and our friend Brad B. (PR'd) ran great (results)!

CONGRATS EVERYONE!

I got nothing...

The Fitbit One

aka the most expensive pedometer ever...

The FitBit One has bluetooth, syncs to the iPhone, and has a "silent" vibrating alarm to wake you up in the morning.  So what data does this $100 device give you?

"it counts steps, flights climbed, calories burned and tracks your total mileage. And, of course, the device syncs with a personalized website, where you can log your meals and view all your stats in easy-to-read graphs."

Oh and it is also splash-resistant, not water-proof, so you can't take it swimming (why you would want to, I'm not quite sure, maybe water running?).  I really think anyone considering getting this should look into a standard $7 pedometer, or if you really want to track it with your iPhone you could try this free app.  So get to walking.

Happy Thanksgiving Running Friends!

Turkey Trot Outlook

Wahooo... Thursday races this week!

• Ridgewood Turkey Trot (8AM, Raleigh)
• Gobbler's Run (8AM, Wake Forest)
• Gallop and Gorge 8k (8AM, Carrboro)
• Inside-Out Turkey Trot (9AM, Cary) 
• Skinny Turkey Half Marathon & Just Think First 5k (7:30AM, Raleigh)

Tyson the Turkey was the heaviest turkey ever... weighing in at 86lbs!

Eat this now: Fall Foods

Thanksgiving is this week, which is awesome because it means that I get to eat "real" food that has marshmallows on it! I came across this article from Runners World that talks about the best fall foods for runners. Surprisingly, I actually eat some of the foods on their list, and that apple thingie looks delicious!

NIght

Oh how I miss it being light out when we run at 6PM... and warm... not shoe-sloshing warm, but short-sleeve weather would be nice again.

Fluorescent yellow, green, and yellow are the most visible colors. Yellow is best for daytime, orange stands out the most in fog, and green is best overall. Why? Well, our cones are most sensitive to yellow, but our rods (which we rely on more as it gets darker) are more sensitive to green. BUT, what we are really sensitive to is luminescence, which is where those retro-reflective strips come into play... or that crazy Nike jacket!

Weekend Outlook

The 26.2 / 13.1 races of choice this weekend are Thunder Road and Philadelphia. If you don't feel like running quite this long, there are still a bunch of races to choose from:

• Goose Creek Trail Run (Sat. @ 8:30, Washington)
• Raven Rock Rumble (Sat. @ 9AM, Lillington) 
• Raising Cane 5k Race (Sat. @ 9AM, Raleigh)
• SPCA Santa Paws 5k (Sat. @ 9AM, Raleigh)
• Turkey Trot 5k (Sat. @ 10AM, Apex)

Q: What is the function of K-tape?

Km: K-tape, short for kinesio tape, was first dreamed up by a Japanese chiropractor over 25 years ago. Its main function is as a second layer of fascia, which anatomically serves to support muscles and allow tendons and ligaments to glide over each other. So, K-tape basically supports your muscles and keeps stuff tracking correctly. As for the whole increased blood flow thing, anything that pulls your skin is going to increase blood flow as a result of contact.

We carry Rock Tape at Raleigh Running Outfitters

Murata Walking Measurement System

Instead of just allowing you to post to facebook how your couch-to-5k training is going, Murata is hoping to help you in more measurable ways (pun intended).

The new Murata Walking Measurement System consists of a piezoelectric sensor that sits in the sole of your shoe and measures pressure at different points. Then this data is transmitted over Bluetooth to a computer.  Some of the applications they mention include "precise shoe fitting for runners, posture detection for dancers and even golf swing analysis for duffers".  It also seems that it could be put into any shoe, they used a pink Asics for their display at CEATEC 2012.  For now it is only a prototype, but it would be cool is one day you could put this in your shoe, analyze your stride, upload the data to Raleigh Running Outfitters, and they could have the perfect shoe ready for your when you stopped by.

Cadence

Just out of curiosity, has anyone found a good way to count strides? I lose track somewhere around 75, or sooner if I'm not running on a perfectly flat surface by myself. And, that's progress... I never got past 5 when I triple jumped. I don't know what it is, but I cannot count footsteps and not run into things. And, of the two, I'd rather not run into things.

Anyhoo, I know 180 is the ideal number, and I know that I don't get close to that for any significant amount of time. When I do though, I feel better for the minute or so that I approach what I imagine is 180. However, maintaining that rate is hard, and I usually get distracted by something else (like not falling), and I revert back to my slower cadence. I'm guessing I'm not the only one with this problem (the increased cadence I mean, not having to concentrate on not falling or running into things). Anyways, here are some things you can try:

• Downhill accelerations (150-200m) down a gentle grade hill
• Take as many steps as you can in 10m while minimizing ground contact 
• Fartlek 0.5-1-2-1 (2 sets with counting strides on second rep)

11/10-11 Race Reports

Team RRO/FASTcoaching was well-represented at "the big marathons of the weekend". Nick M. ran just over 2:50 for his first 26.2, placing in the top 50 at the Richmond Marathon. Jonathan W. finished up in just over 3hrs, Jason B. clocked in at 3:13, and Roger W. crossed the line in 3:21 (Richmond Results). At the OBX Marathon, our friend Michelle H. was the 1st female, running a 2:55 (OBX Results). CONGRATS everyone!!!

Bolt vs. Keflezighi

Yup... it might actually happen... and that would be AWESOME! The debate is the distance. Bolt definitely has 400m on down, and Meb definitely has the 1500m on up. I think the break even point would be somewhere between 800-1000m, although the folks at Runners World say 600-800m. Any thoughts?

Weekend Outlook

The two big 13.1/26.2 local(ish) marathons of this weekend are the Richmond Marathon (Saturday) and the OBX Marathon (Sunday). And, in case you can still walk and didn't get your fair share of racing last weekend, here are some to choose from:

• Run for History (Sat. @ 9AM, Hillsborough)
• 2012 KWayne 5k (Sat. @ 9AM, American Tobacco Trail)
• The Race Home 5k (Sat. @ 8:30AM, Durham)
• Urban Dare Raleigh (Sat. @ 12PM, Tir na nOg)
• Raleigh Fall Festival 5k/10k (Sun. @ 1:30PM, Raleigh)

So, as you've all probably heard by now, the New York City Marathon was canceled last weekend because of SuperStorm Sandy. And, even though many runners were quite disappointed, they decided not to waste the trip and helped in the relief effort.

Yeah I really do think!

Nike drops Meb.

Just a little too ironic

Nike Removes Joe Paterno's Name from Child Care Center.

Don't ya think...

Race Reports

Sorry I didn't get to this last week, but Team RRO/FASTcoaching ended October on a high note. Rita B. was 4th woman (1st age group) at the ATT 10-miler, and our friend Michelle was 3rd (female results). Brian F. was 2nd on the men's side (male results). Matt C. was 3rd male at the Day of the Dead 5k, and our friends David M. and Kimberlie F. were 1st male and female (results). NICE WORK EVERYONE!

And now on to this weekend and the City of Oaks races. Bri G. was 1st female in the 10k (female results; male results). The half marathon saw a bunch of new PR's, with Keith finishing in just over 1:20, Matt broke 1:28, and Rita broke 1:30 (and placed 2nd in her age group; 7th female). Dan H., David O., Robb H., Jason P., Greg J., Chris G., and who knows how many more of our teammates also ran great races. On the women's side, Jennifer C. was 1st masters, Jennifer H. finished in the top 10 females, and Paige W. and Kari M. finished in the top 20. There were more orange and green singlets out there I know (female results; male results). In the full marathon, Tim S. was 1st overall, Keith B. broke 3:10 (with a new PR), Mike C., also ran a PR, and teammates Sam B., Tom K., and Charlie D. ran great. On the women's side, Kimberlie F. (1st age group) was 6th, Laura B. was 10th (2nd age group), Kelcey C. (3rd age group), Meghan H. (3rd age group), Barbie D. (3rd masters), and Kristen F. rounded out the top 20 for our team/friends (female results; male results). As for the relays, RRO went 2, 3, and 7 (relay results). 1 word...

WAHOOO!

Isn't it ironic...

Nike knows Lance Armstrong did it.

Weekend Outlook

City of Oaks is this weekend.

If you're not running it, you should.

Seriously, there are bunch of options.

And, it's the biggest half/full marathon in Raleigh.

And, it's sponsored by the best running store ever.

The expo is from 4-7 on Friday and 10-6 on Saturday at the McKimmon Center. The races start at 7AM on Sunday (remember, daylight savings time is this weekend).

26.2 Ponderings