Another outstanding Track Session on Wednesday. The dozen who made it experienced “the 4 minutes of hell” very well.  Even the most skeptical that they could get a quality workout in four minutes, were believers after the session J

For those doing the A-10, it will be as much a test of your mental discipline as it will be of your hard-earned fitness.  CAUTION!  The conditions are expected to be in the upper 70’s at the Start and go to upper 80’s with 60%-ish humidity.  Your tendency will be to go out how you feel, which will be elevated because of the high energy level of those around you, and the excitement of testing yourself, which translates to TOO FAST.  The A-10 is (in)famous for lulling runners with the flat early miles and bringing them crashing back to earth over the last half of the race.  Run conservative and save some energy for the Naval Academy bridge and you will have a good race.  Use the race to practice getting through Water Stops efficiently by thinking about what you want and where you will get it (at the early tables or end).  Keep moving and get to the side as you drink so you don’t get ran into by those behind you.  Practice creasing the water cup so you can get more of it down your throat as you start running again.

Above all, REMEMBER you goal is the MARATHON – not the A-10.  It IS POSSIBLE to blow your marathon in October by doing something dumb now.

Our Moore’s Marines Training Program shirts are in!!  I will be in Louisville for the IRONMAN and will miss the Wednesday Track Session and the Saturday run so I am having the shirts sent directly to those of you who made your order.   Another order date will be mid-September so we can have them to train in before the fall marathons.  You will also be able to order shirts from past years.

Go to this link to orde (no UID or Password required):

 http://screendesigns.com/login.php?storeid=1756&path=ea83f623fd3a5b76cd44b4be819789d1&userid=8736

 (hold control and click or copy and paste into your browser)

 Wednesday AHS Track Session -   START 6:00pm The schedule calls for 600’s and 400’s but I think now is a good time to get back to our Yasso’s – 8 x.  I will not be there to ‘remind’ you to stay CONSISTENT but I will be doing a mind-meld from Louisville J

 Follow up with a 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. THIS is IMPORTANT.

Saturday Run –  ***START AT 6:00am.  Those targeting MCM and later marathons AND doing the A-10 should do the 12 miles scheduled this weekend.

IF you are planning on running the A-10 hard – looking for a PR, do 30 minutes at 10 mile race pace the day before.

MY personal preference and IF you are looking at the A-10 as B race or mid-training progress test – go for 20 steady pace (70%) (18 miles will also work) miles on Saturday before the A-10 very, very easy; and do the A-10 as a ‘depletion run’ (easy run when the legs are fatigued) also very, very easy (marathon pace or slower).  It will be an excellent test for your mental preparation, hydration and nutrition marathon plan.

The Annapolis Ten-Mile Run Green Initiative

The Annapolis Ten-Mile Run principals, backed by the Annapolis Striders (ASI), are committed to taking all possible measures to reduce the race’s carbon footprint on the planet while promoting, educating and encouraging club members, race participants, volunteers and spectators to do the same.  The Annapolis Striders’ long-term goal is to make the Annapolis Ten-Mile Run — and all its events throughout the year —the greenest races in the country. We will achieve this goal incrementally through proactive planning, education, shared knowledge and experience as we take a year-by-year, race-by-race approach to greening the runs.

Over time, the Striders intend to:

1.       Reduce overall waste generated by 20% each year until we become net zero.

2.       Minimize the carbon footprint of all event-related transportation.

3.       Become an even stronger community leader and advocate for environmental responsibility.

4.       Build awareness and support among Striders, race participants, sponsors, vendors, spectators and the City of Annapolis for the steps ASI is taking to become environmentally and socially responsible.

Plans for the 2010 Annapolis Ten-Mile Race include:

1.       100% electronic application to reduce paper and ink consumption;

2.       Recycling stations at the expo and race;

3.       Composting stations for collection of watermelon, bananas and other biodegradable items;

4.       Shoe drop-off stations for gently used sneakers (which will be donated to those in need) and for old sneakers (which will be sent to Nike for repurposing as tracks, playgrounds and other uses;

5.       Alternative transportation information and rideshare websites to promote carpooling;

6.       Safety pin stations for drop-off (pre-race), use (race) and return (post-race);

7.       Vendor support to increase the inventory of green products displayed at the expo;

8.       Awareness campaign to equip runners with easy and effective ways to run greener; and

9.       Educational and assessment efforts to learn what works, what doesn’t and what is possible for the future.

Future plans:

1.       Seek ReSport Certification. (most stringent green certification for athletic events)

2.       Join Runners’ World Green Team.

3.       Participate in Active Network’s Go Green Program.

4.       Offer Green Awards for age group winners

5.       Offer Green Premiums for race finishers

6.       Set up a farmers’ market at the finish.

7.       Increase use of biodegradable products.

8.       Use greener Port-o-Potties.

9.       Refine 2010 goals.

Wednesday is the last day to sign up:

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 4^th 2010

Form Close Date: August 25^th 2010

Cost Per Registration $90.00 + processing fee

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.

 " It is the constant and determined effort that breaks down resistance, and sweeps away all obstacles”

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Posted by Steve Carton on August 23, 2010 at 1:48:00 PM EDT #

Saturday morning run at 6:00am

I have heard from some of you targeting the Baltimore Marathon wondering about your long runs for the next 9 weeks before the marathon on 16 September; especially for this weekend and the A-10.

-If you are doing Baltimore, you CAN do your second 18 mile run this coming Saturday. 

If you are doing the A-10, I would recommend doing the 12 miles next Saturday (before the A-10 IF you are looking at the A-10 as a B Race, ie not running it all out.

If you want to run A-10 hard only do 30 minutes at your 10 mile race pace next Saturday.

I will go over A-10 Race Strategy in detail next week.

Those targeting MCM and later marathons AND doing the A-10 should do the 12 miles scheduled this weekend.

IF you are planning on running the A-10 hard – looking for a PR, do 30 minutes at 10 mile race pace the day before.

MY personal preference and IF you are looking at the A-10 as B race or mid-training progress test – go for 20 (18 miles will also work) miles on Saturday before the A-10 very, very easy; and do the A-10 as a ‘depletion run’ (easy run when the legs are fatigued) also very, very easy (marathon pace or slower).  It will be an excellent test for your mental preparation, hydration and nutrition marathon plan.

The Saturday AFTER the A-10 will be a 20 mile run for everyone.

Basically what is going to happen is that those doing Baltimore will get to the 22 mile run sooner than the rest of the group and closer to their marathon; but not TOO close.

Those doing later marathons will have more longer runs but will have a longer Taper period.

Note: the schedule is written for the Baltimore marathon up to September then shifts to targeting MCM.  I have (and will) make some adjustments as we progress, based on that progress.  This will be the same for the Track Sessions.  For example, we are behind the written schedule one week for Yasso’s but there is time to do the full ten.

Hope that helps.  If anyone still has questions – or if this creates more questions J;  let me know.  This schedule may be different for those of you with individual schedules, and we will work one-on-one.

Saturday Run –  ***START AT 6:00am.  12 Miles steady pace (70%).10 miles for Half marathoners, at your 70% pace. Don’t forget your post run Dynamic Cooldown!!  The route this week will be the Chesterfield Loop (right on St Stephens, right on Chesterfield, right on Crownsville

 "A ny runner can look good when things are going well; it’s those who hang in there when things are going bad that show the real heart of a long distance runner. “

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Posted by Steve Carton on August 19, 2010 at 1:35:00 PM EDT #

I got a nice call from the Governor's office yesterday - appointing me to the Maryland Advisory Council on Physical Fitness. The purpose of the council is something I am passionate about and I look forward to working with the other members of the Council, and you, to make a difference.

Saturday morning run at 6:00am

Our Moore’s Marines Training Program shirts are ready!!  The first order date is closed.  Another order date will be mid-September so we can have them to train in before the fall marathons.  You will also be able to order shirts from past years.

Go to this link to orde (no UID or Password required):

 http://screendesigns.com/login.php?storeid=1756&path=ea83f623fd3a5b76cd44b4be819789d1&userid=8736

 (hold control and click or copy and paste into your browser)

 Wednesday AHS Track Session -   START 6:00pm The schedule calls for 400’s and 100’s but I think now is a good time to ‘mix it up a little’.  We will do a training workout first introduced by the Japanese and has proven to be very successful.  I call it the “4 minutes of Hell”.  Do one mile Warm Up then All Out (sprint) for 20 seconds (a little over 100 yds for most of us) then a 10 second Recovery and another 20 second sprint and repeat for 4 minutes – or 8 reps of 20 second bursts.  That’s it J  It is intense enough to give you just enough anaerobic (which means “without oxygen” – which will have a whole new meaning) but short enough not to over-stress the muscles.  Follow up with aone 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. THIS is IMPORTANT. J..

Saturday Run –  ***START AT 6:00am.  12 Miles steady pace (70%).10 miles for Half marathoners, at your 70% pace. Don’t forget your post run Dynamic Cooldown!!  The route this week will be the Chesterfield Loop (right on St Stephens, right on Chesterfield, right on Crownsville

. Sunday Trail Run – The trails are perfect.. 8:00am or  9:00am  

Some of you have mentioned experiencing stomach “distress” during your runs.  Little is more frustrating to a runner than to be well trained for an event and then get sidelined with a side stitch or diarrhea. Yes, the sports diet that's intended to enhance your performance can also bring you to a screeching halt! Sound familiar?

Transit troubles and gastrointestinal (GI) concerns are common among athletes, particularly those who run and jostle their intestines. An estimated 30 to 50 percent of distance runners experience exercise-related intestinal problems, with women experiencing more problems than do men.

If you are among the many active people who fear side stitches, loose stools, and GI distress, keep reading. The goal of this article by Nancy Clark, Sports Nutritionists, is to offer some information and advice that can help you manage, if not reduce, your “transit” troubles.

Side Stitches

A side stitch--that stabbing pain in your gut that can bring you to a stand-still--is familiar to about 60 percent of athletes. Because getting attacked by a side stitch is unpredictable (that is, one day you might get one but the next day you don't), they are hard to research. The available data suggests they commonly occur in the same spot: on the upper right side of the abdomen where the liver is attached to the diaphragm by two ligaments.

While we aren't 100 percent certain what causes a side stitch, the prevailing theory is exercise creates stress on the ligaments that connect the liver to the diaphragm. Stitches can be provoked by a heavy dose of pre-exercise food/fluids, minimal training and inadequate pre-exercise warm-up.

Wearing a tight belt can help reduce organ jostling and reduce the symptoms. You could also record your food and fluid intake to try to detect triggers (too much pre-exercise water? too large a meal?). With repeated dietary tweaks, you can hopefully discover a tolerable portion of pre-exercise fuel.

To treat a side stitch, many athletes bend forward, stretch the affected side, breathe deeply from the belly, push up on the affected area, tighten the abdominal muscles, and/or change from "shallow" to "deep" breathing. (Pretend you are blowing out candles while exhaling with pursed lips.) This always works for me.

Dreaded Diarrhea

Marathoner Bill Rodgers may have been right when he commented more marathons are won or lost at the porta-toilets than they are at the dinner table. Diarrhea is a major concern for many athletes, particularly those who run--and understandably so. Running jostles the intestines, reduces blood flow to the intestines as the body sends more blood to the exercising muscles, stimulates changes in intestinal hormones that hasten transit time, alters absorption rate, and contributes to dehydration-based diarrhea.

Add some stress, pre-event jitters, high intensity effort--and it's no wonder athletes (particularly novices whose bodies are yet unaccustomed to the stress of hard exercise) fret about "runners' trots."

Exercise--specifically more exercise than your body is accustomed to doing--speeds up GI transit time. (Strength- training also accelerated transit time from an average of 44 hours to 20 hours in healthy, untrained 60-year old men.)

As your body adjusts to the exercise, your intestines may resume standard bowel patterns. But not always, as witnessed by the number of experienced runners who carry toilet paper with them while running. (They also know the whereabouts of every public toilet on the route.) Athletes with pre-existing GI conditions, such as irritable bowel or lactose intolerance, commonly deal with runners' trots.

Solutions for Intestinal Rebellion

To help alleviate undesired pit stops, try exercising lightly before a harder workout to help empty your bowels. Also experiment with training at different times of the day. If you are a morning runner, drink a warm beverage (tea, coffee, water) to stimulate a bowel movement; then allow time to sit on the toilet to do your business prior to exercising. When exercising, visualize yourself having no intestinal problems. A positive mindset (as opposed to useless fretting) may control the problem.

The following nutrition tips might help you fuel wisely and reduce the symptoms:

1) Eat less high fiber cereal. Fiber increases fecal bulk and movement, thereby reducing transit time. High fiber = High risk of distress. Athlete’s with a high fiber intake reported more GI complaints than those with a lower fiber intake.

2) Limit "sugar-free" gum, candies and foods that contain sorbitol, a type of sugar that can cause diarrhea.

3) Keep a food & diarrhea chart to pinpoint food triggers. For a week, eliminate any suspicious foods--excessive intakes of juice, coffee, fresh or dried fruits, beans, lentils, milk, high fiber breads and cereals, gels, commercial sports foods. Next, eat a big dose of the suspected food and observe changes in bowel movements. If you stop having diarrhea when you cut out bran cereal, but have a worrisome situation when you eat an extra-large portion, the answer becomes obvious: eat less bran cereal.

4) Learn your personal transit time by eating sesame seeds, corn or beets--foods that can be seen in feces. Because food moves through most people's intestines in 1 to 3 days, the trigger may be a food you ate a few days ago.

5) Stay well-hydrated. GI complaints are common in runners who have lost more than 4 percent of their body weight in sweat. (That's 6 lb. for a 150 lb. athlete.) Runners may think they got diarrhea because of the sports drink they consumed, but the diarrhea might have been related to dehydration.

6) When all else fails, you might want to consult with your doctor about timely use of anti-diarrhea medicine, such as Immodium. Perhaps that will be your saving grace.

The Bottom Line

You are not alone with your concerns. Yet, your body is unique and you need to experiment with different food and exercise patterns to find a solution that brings peacefulness to your exercise program.

Let me know when you sign up for this:

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 4^th 2010

Form Close Date: August 25^th 2010

Cost Per Registration $90.00 + processing fee

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.

 "A ny runner can look good when things are going well; it’s those who hang in there when things are going bad that show the real heart of a long distance runner. “

Stay Healthy

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Posted by Steve Carton on August 17, 2010 at 8:10:00 AM EDT #

Our Moore’s Marines Training Program shirts are ready!!  This year, instead of me being the middle man, you can get your shirt directly online from our “store”.   They are a high quality tech sleeveless bright green shirt – easy to find in a crowd.  The I will be covering part of the cost so the price to you is $15.   Select the size you want according to the size chart.  You will be asked for your address so the shirt can be mailed directly to you if necessary.  The first order date will be 11 August.  Another order date will be mid-September so we can have them to train in before the fall marathons.

You will also be able to order shirts from past years.

Go to this link to orde (no UID or Password required):

 http://screendesigns.com/login.php?storeid=1756&path=ea83f623fd3a5b76cd44b4be819789d1&userid=8736

 (hold control and click or copy and paste into your browser)

 " Mental toughness is not defined as the toughest, meanest, loudest person in the arena of sport. Mental toughness is being able to summon your emotional strength at the right time and using it with grace and dignity - win or lose. Knowing that we will be defined not by the fight by how we fought. What we overcame to get to the starting line and cross the finish line.  

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Posted by Steve Carton on August 13, 2010 at 8:21:00 AM EDT #

In honor of Jessica Meredith Jacobsen’s memory, the Knights Of Columbus Council # 4011 (Father O’Neil Council) has organized the third annual Jessica Meredith Jacobsen 5K Memorial Run on September 25, 2010. In addition to memorializing Jessica, an avid runner whose spirit and charitable works inspire us, the 5K Run will support the House of Ruth, Fr. O’Neil Charities and the ICS Tuition Assistance Fund. The race will start and end at Immaculate Conception Church in Towson, MD.

Location: Immaculate Conception Church is located at 200 Ware Avenue in Towson, Maryland, and is near the intersection of York Rd. & Washington Ave. Parking: Park at Immaculate Conception Church or School, or at the adjacent parking garage.

The Course: The race will start and end near the Immaculate Conception Church in Towson, MD. After departing Immaculate Conception Church, runners will make a right on Allegheny Ave., continuing on Eaton Rd., left on Piccadilly Rd., left on Chestnut Ave., continuing on Range Rd., left on Boyce Ave., continuing on Dixie Dr., right on Cheasapeake Ave., left on Central Ave., and ending near the Bykota Center. Click here for the ROUTE

Race Packet Pickup: Pickup your race packet on September 23rd or 24th at the Fr. O’Neill Knights of Columbus Hall at 616 W. Seminary Ave., Lutherville, MD 21094.

Awards: Cash awards of $100, $50 and $25 (and medals) will be given to the top three male and female finishers, and medals will be given to the male and female of each age group, as well as, the best overall Knight and Lady Knight. The age groups are  < 18, 18 – 29, 30 – 39, 40 – 49, 50 – 59, 60 – 69,  and 70+. Runners must be present at award ceremony at conclusion of race.

CORPORATE TEAM CHALLENGE: The Fr. O’Neill Cup will be awarded to the organizational team that racks up the most points. Participation and time count, so get as many members as you can to participate and get them to run fast. To accumulate team scores, we will add the reciprocal of each qualifying team member’s final time. To qualify, a team member must finish within 35 minutes. The Fr. O’Neill Cup will be awarded to the winning team at JMJ 5K banquet. Teams must be composed of employees or members of a recognizable company or organization (profit and non-profit companies are eligible, as well as, fraternal organizations and clubs).

Walkers: Walkers are welcome to participate. However, no bikes, rollerblades, etc. will be permitted on the course. Walkers should please line up in the back. 

T-Shirt & Amenities: A tee shirt that has been designed by local artist, Andrew Snair, will be provided to all runners. Other complimentary gifts will also be provided with post race food and beverages.

Register HERE

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Posted by Steve Carton on August 12, 2010 at 1:56:00 PM EDT #

It looked like all of you who did the race had a good run.  I have not heard of any PR’s but that was not the purpose.  The idea was to have a good, hard, mid-program effort; as a benchmark.  If you wore a heart monitor, be sure to record your Max HR, Avg HR, and Pace.  When combined with your Resting HR (remember; first thing in the morning) you can get an up to date measure of what your training paces (Zones) should be.  I am certain that those paces will be quicker (with the same or less effort) than when you started training.  If you send me that data, I will calculate your Zones  for you. The Long Slow Distance (LSD) runs and Speed/Pacing Sessions WORK!

You may recall what I told you about remembering where your priorities were - the marathon, NOT the upcoming A-10.  Your effort this past week also means YOUR TRAINING IS WORKING!   You should all feel very pleased with yourselves.   You are getting stronger and faster; and, not unlike Superman, you want to test your new ‘powers’.  You will add in an extra race, or you will push too hard in a race, or do a training run too soon after a long run.   Some of you are looking for races in the next few weeks to "test yourselves".   MARK MY WORDS; young ‘whippersnappers’  (and old whippersnappers, too; veterans can be as susceptible as newbies); if you don’t keep reminding yourself what your goal is, you WILL lose it.

Our Moore’s Marines Training Program shirts are ready!!  This year, instead of me being the middle man, you can get your shirt directly online from our “store”.   They are a high quality tech sleeveless bright green shirt – easy to find in a crowd.  The I will be covering part of the cost so the price to you is $15.   Select the size you want according to the size chart.  You will be asked for your address so the shirt can be mailed directly to you if necessary.  The first order date will be 11 August.  Another order date will be mid-September so we can have them to train in before the fall marathons.

You will also be able to order shirts from past years.

Go to this link to orde (no UID or Password required):

 http://screendesigns.com/login.php?storeid=1756&path=ea83f623fd3a5b76cd44b4be819789d1&userid=8736

 (hold control and click or copy and paste into your browser)

-Wednesday Track Session will be at AHS Track at 6 pm.

The shoulder is healing well, but there might be a complication with the lower back; a possible hairline fracture of a lumbar vertebrae.  We will know more tomorrow. I will be there to work you through the Yasso’s.

-Saturday will be 18 miles starting at 5:30am – Still expected to be HOT.

 Wednesday Track Session -   START 6:00pm .The AHS track resurface has been completed. This week we do   7 x 800 , (2 laps) 400m cool down between each; no 100 sprints 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. THIS is IMPORTANT. J..

Saturday Run –  ***START AT 5:30am.  18 Miles steady pace (70%).14 miles for Half marathoners, at your 70% pace. Don’t forget your post run Dynamic Cooldown!!  The route this week will be from Truman to 2 Mile Stop, up Rt 450, left onto Rt 424, down Bell Branch, left onto Rutland Rd, CROSS Rt 450 and up St Stephen’s Rd, right onto Chesterfield, at Camp Barret Water Stop go left on Hawkins Rd 1 ½ miles and go right on Crownsville Rd.  Then back to 2 Mile Stop and ‘back to the barn’.  Here is a link:  Link: http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/md/annapolis/701706392

. Sunday Trail Run – The trails are perfect.. 8:00am or  9:00am  

One of our group, Mark Stith, is helping raise funds or TNT (Team In Training). There are three fundraisers scheduled for the third Tuesday in Aug, Sept and Oct (8/17, 9/21, and 10/19) at Cantina Mamma Lucia in Hanover. It is an all day event and a sign will be posted in the restaurant. Just need to alert the cashier that you are here for the fundraiser. The food is outstanding, both for lunch and dinner. In addition to discounts on meals, the restaurant has a point system where free food, discounts and Orioles and Ravens tickets can be had. Sign up and earn your rewards.... 

Cantina Mamma Lucia • 1350 Dorsey Road (Rt. 176) • Hanover, MD 21076 • 410-684-2900  http://www.mammalucia.com/
 

HILL TRAINING -Now is the time to mix up your weekly runs a little.  Take one of your tempo runs, Tue or Thur, and substitute some HILL Work.  Start with a hill that is about 40 to 50 steps in length. As you approach the incline, slow your pace and shorten your stride. Maintain your leg cadence, high knees with foot strike, directly below the hip, focus about 10 feet ahead, and you'll find yourself going up with confidence. Walk or jog back down for recovery. Do five hills on the first session, adding one every workout until you're up to ten. Once a week. The Truman (Papa Bear and Momma Bear) are great for hill workouts.  Start at the top of Papa, jog down, then run up Momma; turn around, jog down and run up Papa.  Continue this cycle for five climbs.

DOWNHILL  RUNNING is a love/hate relationship.  We love it because it takes away some of the affect of gravity, but it can be devastating on the quads.  Why is that? Running downhill requires the muscles to lengthen, or make eccentric muscle contractions, which can cause microscopic tears in the muscle fibers and generate more force than when you're running uphill or on flat ground. To make matters worse: It's easy to hit top speed on a steep descent—and the faster you move, the harder each foot strikes the ground, and the more pounding the muscles endure.

That doesn't mean you should avoid all downward slopes. In fact, research has shown that running downhills can give your pace a lift. A 2006 study  showed that when sprinters trained on uphills and downhills, they improved speed and foot turnover more than running uphills or flat surfaces alone. By incorporating downhills into your training, you can weather them better and bounce back from them sooner.

An approach I often take is to do one of my weekly tempo sessions as an UPHILL workout and the other a DOWNHILL workout  -or- do one week UPHILL and the next week DOWNHILL sessions.

Let me know when you sign up for this:

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 4^th 2010

Form Close Date: August 25^th 2010

Cost Per Registration $90.00 + processing fee

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.

 " Mental toughness is not defined as the toughest, meanest, loudest person in the arena of sport. Mental toughness is being able to summon your emotional strength at the right time and using it with grace and dignity - win or lose. Knowing that we will be defined not by the fight by how we fought. What we overcame to get to the starting line and cross the finish line.  

Add a comment

Posted by Steve Carton on August 10, 2010 at 1:19:00 PM EDT #

On August 10, 2010 Coach Ron was notified that he had been appointed by the Governor of Maryland to be a member of the MARYLAND STATE ADVISORY COUNCIL ON PHYSICAL FITNESS.

‘The mission of the Maryland State Advisory Council on Physical Fitness is to educate, advise, and encourage the citizens of Maryland to gain health benefits and enhance the quality of their lives through regular physical activity.’

"I am honored and humbled at this appointment and will strive to make my tenure as productive as possible.  The mission of the Council is my passion and I look to your help in making Marylanders more fit."

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Posted by Steve Carton on August 10, 2010 at 10:03:00 AM EDT #

Thank you

As a runner who obsesses about the statz, this e-mail was a most welcome surprise.  Yet another nice touch from folks who put on an absolutely superb race.  Circumstances willing, I will definitely be back next year for another go at those “gentle rolling hills”.

Thanx, Rod

Read more...

Responses[5]

Posted by Steve Carton on August 7, 2010 at 8:57:00 PM EDT #

Our Moore’s Marines Training Program shirts are ready!!  This year, instead of me being the middle man, you can get your shirt directly online from our “store”.   They are a high quality tech sleeveless bright green shirt – easy to find in a crowd.  The I will be covering part of the cost so the price to you is $15.   Select the size you want according to the size chart.  You will be asked for your address so the shirt can be mailed directly to you if necessary.  The first order date will be 11 August.  Another order date will be mid-September so we can have them to train in before the fall marathons.

Bluepoint Race Management - Moore's Marines Shop (hold control and click)

The Ben Moore Memorial Half Marathon and 10k will be on Saturday 7 August.  I intentionally scheduled it during this time to give those, like you, training for a marathon an opportunity to test the progress of their training – on a supported and familiar route - and get a cool medal also.  We need Volunteers, so if you are not running, please come out and help.

-Wednesday Track Session will be at AHS Track at 6 pm.

I will not be running for a while.  I was 40 miles into a long ride Sunday and took a nasty spill; trip to the  Emergency Room, no breaks or surgery required but torn AC joint ligaments will take a while to heal.

Wednesday Track Session -   START 6:00pm .The AHS track resurface has been completed. This week we do   3 x 1200 , (3 laps) 400m cool down between each;.then 4 x 100 sprints.. 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. THIS is IMPORTANT. J..

Saturday Run –  ***START AT 5:30am.  13 Miles up tempo (80%).13 miles for Half marathoners, at your 70% pace. Don’t forget your post run Dynamic Cooldown!!  The route this week will be the Ben Moore Memorial Half Marathon.

 Route:  http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/md/annapolis/50852573

. Sunday Trail Run – The trails are perfect.. 8:00am or  9:00am  Start time, but let everyone  if you want to set something up

HEADS UP - Quana Frost is putting together a team for the Ragnar Relay and is looking for a two more runners to join their team "the Dirty Dozen". 

http://www.ragnarrelay.com/dc/index.php
 
If you are interested please contact Roy Smith at rmsmith@cwtsatotravel.com.  See details below from Roy.

I did some research on the Ragnar relay Washington, DC.  I want everyone to understand the requirements and see if you are still interested.  The relay starts in Cumberland, Maryland and end at the National Harbor near FT Washington, MD.  The relay team will consist of 12 members. During the relay, each team member runs three legs, each leg ranging between 3 - 8 miles and varying in difficulty. This means a lot of hills.  That means that all runners should be able to run at least 10 miles to about 20 miles.  I will recommend the Marathon Training folks to run the longer more difficult legs of the race. 

We will need two vehicles that can carry at least 6 runners.  The first vehicle will drop off the first runner, drive ahead a few miles, cheer the runner on, and provide them with water, snacks, and plenty of love. That vehicle will then drive ahead to the first exchange point to drop off the second runner, and pick up the first runner when that leg is complete. They will repeat this pattern for six legs until they hand off to their second vehicle. This leapfrogging pattern will continue all the way to the finish line.
I estimate our run will last for 32 straight hours.  That means run, drive, sleep, repeatJ  That means some major funk…
Below is a sample running chart. 

Below is the fee for this event: 
Team Fee: $1,260.00
Breakdown: $105/person
The price above will not include race fuel (i.e. Food, water, Gatorade, gas etc) we will have to purchase. 

Most of you have heard me talk about or seen Training Zone for workouts.  Here is more of what is behind the terms.  Lactic Acid and Lactate Threshold.  A by-product of the anaerobic energy production system is lactic acid. Lactic acid is often viewed as an evil demon, but in fact it is an energy source for the body. When given enough time, the body can process and use lactic acid to produce ATP (the ‘fuel’ for muscle fibers). Lactate (a salt of lactic acid) is present in the blood at rest. Even while you are sitting there are low levels of lactate circulating in your blood stream.

At low levels, lactic acid is not a problem. As you continue to increase your workout intensity, your body increases energy production, relying more heavily on anaerobic metabolism. More reliance on anaerobic metabolism means the lactate level in your blood begins to increase. When your body can no longer process lactic acid fast enough, lactate begins to accumulate at an increasing rate in the blood, the condition is called "onset of blood lactate accumulation" (OBLA) or "lactate threshold." This accumulation is closely correlated with heart rate and ventilatory rate. You can tell when you have reached lactate threshold because your breathing becomes labored and shortly after that you begin to feel "burning" in your muscles.

If athletes exceed lactate threshold pace by a large margin, they can only sustain the increased pace for a few minutes before the discomfort forces them to slow down. The margin by which lactate threshold is exceeded is inversely proportional to the time the athlete is able to sustain that pace. In other words, if an athlete's lactate threshold heart rate is 162 and heart rate is pushed to 172, he or she will be able to hold that pace for a shorter period of time than if working at a heart rate of 164.

Lactate threshold can be understood as the pace, and correlating average heart rate, that an athlete can sustain for approximately one hour while participating in a single sport. For example, the lactate threshold for a highly fit cyclist is approximately the pace and average heart rate that the athlete can hold for a 40km-time trial on the bicycle. Research has found that lactate threshold heart rate varies depending on the particular sport and the athlete's sport history.

Lactate threshold typically occurs at 55 to 65 percent of VO2 max (a quantitative measure of an individual's ability to transfer energy aerobically) in healthy, untrained people. In highly trained endurance athletes, lactate threshold is often greater than 80 percent of VO2 max. For most of you, the level is at about the 70% level.  Lactate threshold is trainable, and that's good news. In other words, you can train your body to process lactate at higher percentages of VO2 max, which means increased levels of speed before the onset of discomfort forces an end to the effort.

Studies have shown lactate threshold to be a reliable predictor for endurance race performance. VO2 max is not nearly as reliable. So, if you have been tested for VO2 max and your numbers weren't stellar, do not panic.

It is important to note that the training zones are approximations. If you were to test blood lactate levels daily for a period of time, you would find that a heart rate of 162 would produce some variation in the levels of lacate. The more experience you gain as an athlete, the more tuned in you will become to your personal exercise intensity levels.

With your training zones in hand, ideally based on laboratory or field tests to estimate lactate threshold but also determined by a measured Time Trial, you can then use a training plan based on YOUR Training Zones to improve your performance.   That is why you see a “Time Trial” workout placed about every four to six weeks in the training schedule.  If you do that workout, I can give you YOUR training Zones and your workouts can be more individualized.

Let me know when you sign up for this:

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 4^th 2010

Form Close Date: August 25^th 2010

Cost Per Registration $90.00 + processing fee

Mark the Date: 

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

Aug 7 – Ben Moore Memorial Half Marathon and 10k.  From our own Truman Park N Ride and a great mid-program Time Trial.  Register at:

http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1868506

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.

 "Pain and effort are just two different perspectives on the same sensation" -Matt Fitzgerald

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Posted by Steve Carton on August 3, 2010 at 10:50:00 AM EDT #