Greetings Winter/Spring Runners; Week #20
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Ar3vGCePQHkadE9IM1dLWXFPVzBja093SFZRSGx1U3c&hl=en
The relay was a great experience and a lot of fun without the running being overly intensive. We were the only local team of about 150 so it would be great to get more interest. The Team is planning a Post Relay Get Together to extol the virtues of each Van’s accomplishments J
Richard Snyder – 3:39
Carol Drum – 3:43
Philippa Shiels – 3:45
Claudia Ducker – 3:50
Sarah Judd – 3:51
Eileen Martini – 4:22
Bill Rogers – 5:00:00 (at 70 years young!)
Here is Michele Whitten’s Race Report for her NASHVILLE HALF MARATHON, which had an intercept with nasty storms.
It was a little nerve racking....we got to Nashville early Thursday morning and the talk of the town was the approaching severe storms and tornados set to hit Saturday (Race day) morning. By Friday morning race officials sent out an email changing the time allowance for the marathoners from 7 hours to 4 hours 30 minutes. (the storms were set to hit at approx 11am). On Saturday morning they moved the start up from 7am to 6:45am. Luckily the half marathoners were not really affected by the changes.
We started the race and it was sunny, 65 degrees and fairly windy. The weather at mile 10 was still sunny, the storm blew up so fast that within minutes of me crossing the finish line it was heavy wind, drizzle, thunder and lightning in the distance. Shannon was still on the course. Luckily they let her finish. She finished soaking wet from rain. She is lucky because we spoke with some marathoners that were pulled off the course at mile 20 and 22 due to lightning and the severity of the approaching storm. They still got their medal though :D We made our way to a tent and took shelter.
I finished the race in 2:25:10 which is 16 minutes faster than I finished the Virginia Beach half marathon in September. So thanks to all of your help I am definitely getting faster!!! YEAH!!! This was Shannon's first half marathon and she finished in 3:15 (not sure of the seconds).
Nashville was hillier than I thought it would be and at first I was nervous but I guess I was more prepared for them than I thought and they ended up not being so bad.
All in all it was a great experience and I am ready for my next challenge!!
Thank you again for all of the help!!!
Michelle
Ted Morgan reports from Charlottesville:
Kim and I ran Charlottesville last Saturday. Saw Jim Leclare (3:30) looking strong. Dan Faulk (3:40) was also there. Despite claims by the RD that the course was faster ... there were still TONS of hills. I strolled in at 4:41 for my 5th complete marathon in 18 months. Not my fastest, but a great time. I think I may be addicted. Thanks for everything! Ted
If you are in a post race week, you want to let your body rest and repair itself – but that does not mean parking in a chair all week. This is when “active rest” is most valuable – walking (up to an hour), easy bike, easy swim (no intervals). You will feel ready to start running by about Wednesday but be careful. If you start back too soon, it will take longer (2-3 weeks) to be ready to start building on your fitness in preparation for the NEXT challenge. Do not change your diet but try to take in more protein early in the week. Keep the quantity down but eat more often.
Wednesday Track Session - START 6:00pm .Most everyone is ready to resume Build or Maintenance runs. Except those heading to NASHVILLE; do 8 x 100, 90% with 10sec Rest. Short but TOUGH J. Do one mile Warm Up and one mile Cool Down. During the Warm up do some Knee lifts on one curve and Butt-kicks on the other curve, and jog the straight-aways.
Saturday Run – ***START AT 7:00am. **** 14 Miles steady state (70%) – just do not overdo it. 8 miles for Half marathoners, at your 70% pace. Let me know if you are ready to move to 6:30am start.
After a long, harsh winter, it’s easy to become overly optimistic with the first thaw. Although you long to get out of the comfy gym and hit the open road, Alicia Filley explains why spring training might actually be the time you are more vulnerable to injury as a result of cold.
There are three types of cold injuries: hypothermia, freezing injuries, and non-freezing injuries. Full-blown hypothermia occurs when the body can’t produce as much heat as it’s losing and its core temperature drops below 95°F. However, mild hypothermia (a body core temperature of 98.6°F to 95°F) still feels extremely cold and can easily sneak up on you – for example when you’re exposed to a combination of wet and windy conditions that you weren’t expecting.
For instance, supposing you’re out for a long training ride on the bike, which starts off sunny but ends in April showers. By the end of the ride, you may well be shivering like mad, and feeling sluggish with hands and feet that are so cold it’s almost impossible to turn the key in the front door! The best cure for this is to get into dry clothes and under some blankets as soon as possible and drink a cup or two of your favorite non-alcoholic hot beverage.
If you puncture your last inner tube and have to walk back in the wet and cold, hypothermia can quickly progress to the moderate stage. Your body temperature can fall below 95°F and you may stop shivering. Your speech is slurred; fingers, lips, and toes are blue; you feel very foggy; and you are having difficulty with movement. At this stage, you won’t be making rational choices and you’ll probably need to rely on someone else to get you warm and dry.
As the sun goes down and temperatures begin to drop, you could well find yourself in an emergency situation. If someone finds you in severe hypothermia with a core temperature below 89.6°F, they should not attempt to move you since you are now at risk for fatal cardiac arrhythmias (disruption to heart rhythm). Emergency personnel should be called immediately. Hopefully your rescuer will have brought along some blankets to cover you until medical attention arrives. At this point, resuscitation should be left to the professionals.
Non-freezing injuries
The average athlete out for spring training is more vulnerable to non-freezing injuries such as trench foot and chilblains. Both are inflammatory processes that result from exposure to cold, wet conditions. Trench foot occurs when the feet are exposed to temperatures between 32°F and 59°F over a long period of time, either submerged in water for more than 12 hours or in a sweaty or wet shoe worn for several days. The foot initially appears swollen, red and numb, and as the condition progresses, may appear pale or blue and feel quite painful.
Since spring training often means running or biking in the rain or through puddles, you should change socks frequently if you are out for more than a few hours. If you have excessively sweaty feet, try treating them with antiperspirants before training. Above all, have an extra pair of shoes or if you only have one pair, make sure they’re dry before putting them on for your next training session.
Chilblain is a more superficial injury and takes less time to develop than trench foot. After just one hour of exposure to wet, cold conditions at temperatures below 60.8°F, small red bumps can occur on the surface of exposed skin. The lesions are tender and itchy, and as the skin warms, become inflamed, red, and painful. Treatment is to re-warm the area with dry loose clothing or blankets. Do not apply any topical creams or lotions, simply cover and avoiding friction or popping of any blisters. Chilblain usually resolves without consequence, but you should seek medical attention if circulation and sensation do not resolve in 12-24 hours.
Cold air
Up to 50% of elite athletes experience some degree of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). This narrowing of the lung’s airways can be triggered by exercise in people with asthma, and also by cold exposure, producing asthma-like symptoms in people not diagnosed with asthma. Researchers believe that the resulting airway inflammation is due to either breathing in dry air at a faster rate during exercise, cooling of the exposed skin on the face and neck, or pollutants in the air. Regardless of the cause, any time your breathing is affected, your performance can suffer as a result. The best way to prevent cold-induced EIB is to cover exposed skin on your head and neck and wrap a handkerchief over your mouth.
Anyone living in a valley area may experience cold weather inversion patterns during the winter and early spring. When the warm air traps cold air below it, the pollution also becomes trapped and concentrated. Training in conditions of cold and poor air quality can trigger EIB, so if you find yourself plagued by it, think about the air quality where you’re training and consider heading for the hills.
It’s easy to get cocky when the weather starts to warm up. Having survived the winter just fine, it’s easy to be lulled into thinking that it’s no big deal to get caught out without a jacket for a few hours. And to a degree, you are right because humans can acclimatize to cold. However, to do so requires more than eight hours of exposure to cold temperatures every day, for more than two weeks. And even after intense habituation, the gains made toward tolerating lower body temperatures are small.
After acclimatization, some people develop an exaggerated shivering response, which produces more metabolic heat when the body is cold. Others find that their bodies react to acclimatization by enhancing the body heat preservation mechanism, which decreases the blood flow to the extremities and keeps the core warm. No matter how your body reacts, it takes repeated, supervised exposure to make small gains in tolerance. Unless you have undergone such a program, pack a jacket and an extra pair of socks.
Summary
The best way to survive during spring training is to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Be prepared by understanding the typical weather patterns in your area and dress accordingly. Always train in familiar areas where you can easily locate a place to duck in out of the rain or warm up for a while. Alert someone to where you will be and when you are expected home, and if you can, train with a friend. For northern hemisphere readers, summer will shortly be in full swing so in the next issue, we’ll be looking at how to keep cool!
http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1853054
You all will continue to get these Weekly Updates and be eligible for the guaranteed entries and the Destination Trip. However, it would be very much appreciated if you would ‘join’ the program to help offset the support for the Mile Support Stations and the Port A Pot maintenance. Your entry fee will cover about two months of Port A Pot usage.
We will be re-marking the Mile Marks on Rt 450 and Bell Branch after the re-surfacing of the roads. If you want to help with this, let me know.
We get a discounted rate of $46 per month for the unit. Contributions can be made directly to me or via PayPal – or – Steve has set up a PayPal “Buy Now” option from the www.bluepointtiming.com site.
Marine Corps Marathon Guaranteed Entry for Moore’s Marines Registration information.
Hyperlink: http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1831100
Group name: MOOR’S MARINES
Password: BOWMAN
Form Open Date: June 4th 2010
Form Close Date: August 25th 2010
Cost Per Registration $90.00 + processing fee
May 22 – One Mile Run to Benefit Special Olympics, downtown Annapolis sponsored by Annapolis Police Department. www.annapolis1milerun.com
Tom Nelson has constructed a site to show our routes and water stop locations for the long run coming up each week. You can indicate your intention to run and see who else is planning on showing up – one more incentive for getting there. Check back to the following website later in the week for the latest info on water support: http://www.runningahead.com/groups/truman/Forum
NOTE: Steve has added a rotating photo feature to the web page. I have sent him some photos but if you have any you like, send them to Steve at: steve.carton@retrievalsystems.com Take a look.