Susan's MarathonFest Weekly Mail March 29 to April 4th

MARCH 29 to APRIL 4TH-
Congratulations to all who ran long last weekend. This puts our Boston runners in taper mode. This coming weekend will be our last long run for our runners doing other Spring Marathons and Half-Marathons and therefore it's the last long run of the session.

FALL MARATHONS- Get ready! NYC announces April 7th and Chicago is closed already! Marine Corps expects to fill quickly too.

NIKE MARATHON and HALF-MARATHON- NIKE is a lottery entry, individual or Group. Here is our program Group ID # 2PGV8T for those interested. Group members must enter the group ID correctly to be considered part of the group. All group members must register for the random drawing during the random drawing registration period between Monday, April 5th and Friday, April 16th, on SignMeUp.com. You will be notified of your status as a participant in late April. See NIKE website for more registration information.

THIS WEEK'S TRAINING---------------------------------------------------------

QUOTE FOR THE WEEK: "The marathon can exhilarate too. Isn't that the lure? Isn't that what beings us back when we've managed to forget the last one?" ~ Frank Shorter, Olympian

TUESDAY TRACK- Warm up with 1/2 mile to 3 miles EASY before the workout begins. The Workout is 800's for our Boston runners and those that went long this past weekend. It's "only" 6-8 x 800 @ 10k pace because it's the beginning of Taper Mode. Jog a 200 after each 800 for recovery. For runners that did not go long, the workout is 2 or 3 sets of 800,800,400. The 800's are at 10k pace and the 400 is at 5k pace. Jog a 200 after each interval and then immediately begin the next interval. When you have completed one set of 800,800,400 take 4 minutes to fully recover and begin the next set. Do 2 sets and some runners may opt to do 3 sets. Jog or walk a cool-down when you have completed the workout and STRETCH.

THURSDAY RUN- Warm up with 1/2 mile to 3 miles EASY before the workout begins. The workout is 3-6 miles at Tempo Pace. Tempo Pace should be about 30 seconds per mile faster than your goal marathon or half-marathon race pace. Be sure and include a cool-down after your run by jogging or walking around the track and then stretch.

WEEKEND DETAILS- LAST LONG RUN/EARLY START of the Spring Session!
Saturday- Cady Way, 4:45am and 5:45am starts. Check your Pace Group Emails.
Sunday- No official training run offered

WEEKEND MILEAGE-
BOSTON................ 14-16 miles
Spring Marathon...... 20-22 miles
Spring Half-Marathon....16 miles

WEEKEND SUPPORT- 4:30am to 9:30am
Saturday- Cady Way, Brandywine's Deli, Phelps Park, Golf Course, Sinkhole, Balmoral, Via Tuscany and Geronimo Trail for the Dommerich Loop
Sunday- no support planned

TRAINING TIP- Pacing appropriately on the long run is important and many times hard to figure out. Too slow, too fast? Too slow and you miss out on some of the training benefits and going too fast may result in leaving your race on the training run. Neither option is acceptable. Try starting slow, meaning from 30-60 seconds per mile slower than your goal race pace. The newer you are to marathoning, the slower you can start. Use the first few miles to get thoroughly warmed up, then begin dropping the pace by a few seconds each mile until you get down to 15-20 seconds above your goal race pace. Hold it here for the middle miles and then, if you still feeling good, as you get down to last 4 miles or so, drop to your goal race pace. It's a wonderful confidence booster to finish a long run feeling strong and AT your goal race pace. But remember, your overall average pace per mile for the entire run will still be slower than your goal race pace because your early miles were slower.

SUMMER/FALL SESSION- Yes, it's already time to register for the Summer/Fall Session. Online registration is OPEN! Alumni and New Members can now register ONLINE! Register online early because this option will only be available until May 13th. After that date you will have to register by paper. Click here to register now! The Summer/Fall Session begins Tuesday, June 8th.
https://www.signmeup.com/69285

Remember: "Unless you practice the distance the race will not begin. Without you the race will not come alive!" Jim 'miJ' Kirwin

See you on the road,
Susan Paul, MS
TSF Training Program Director
susiwellness@aol.com

Sat March 20 Pace Group Mail

Field Trip to Apopka

Apopka - Meet at Victoria Plaza- 989 West Orange Blossom Trail, Apopka 32717
Start 6:00am Meet at 5:45
The Apopka route is on the running routes section of our web site
Our group will not have a group leader in WP this weekend…
**If you are planning to run in Winter Park there will be limited support. If you need help finding a pace group for Saturday email Susan (early in the week, not Friday night please!) and she will try find you a group of similar pace.
susiwellness@aol.com

Congrats to those that ran races last weekend!
And of course good luck to those running this weekend!

Check us out! Information about running and our group’s accomplishments
http://mymarathonpacegroup.blogspot.com/

Don’t forget to email Terry your pictures so they can be added to the slideshow!

Speaking of which here is Lea Anne and Phillip and Lea Anne and Wayne at the Gate River Run!!!

Group leaders and how they can be reached:
Ray Madden rmadden1@cfl.rr.com or flmaddog@gmail.com
Terry Smith Bockway@aol.com
Jeri Weigandt jeriwe@gmail.com or jeri_weigandt@scps.k12.fl.us

Enjoy your run this weekend,
Jeri

Below is Susan’s email

Interesting Articles

New Eat Smart Run Hard
Weird Science
More Good News About Chocolate Milk
SURFACE TENSION
(How to prevent blisters, chafing, black toenails, and other war wounds of running.)
New Dynamic Stretching Better
New Got Cramps?
How to Offset Muscle Fatigue
The 10 Laws of Injury Prevention
The Science of Aging and Running
How Common Prescription Medications Affect Your Running
How to Prevent Stress Fractures
Hit the Hills
Your Perfect Weight?
How Exercising Keeps Your Cells Young
Now that the marathon is over
Collison Course
Hitting "The Wall"
Running and Your Knee's
The Pill Problem

Turning up the Heat (cool article)
How a Foam Roller Works
Fast times for Jobless runners
5 Benefits of a Good Buzz
Eating to Fuel Exercise
Listen to Your Body?...Ha
Natural Thirst Quenchers
How to Beat Boston
Bill Rodgers How to Run Boston
Explosive- Training
Sports Nutrition 2010

Interval Training Paces for Track Workouts

5K Pace Chart

For 400, 600 and 1000 Meter Interval Training

Marathon Time      400@5KPace     600@5K Pace    1000@5KPace

3:40                                      1:47                      2:41                      4:27

3:50                                      1:52                      2:48                      4:40
4:00                                      1:56                      2:55                      4:52
4:15                                      2:04                      3:06                      5:10
4:30                                      2:11                      3:17                      5:28
4:45                                      2:18                      3:28                      5:46
5:00                                      2:20                      3:31                      5:52

10K Pace Chart

For 800, 1200 and 1600 Meter Interval Training

Marathon Time
                           800@10kPace  1200@10kPace  1600@10kPace

3:40                         3:40                        5:35                    7:30
3:50                         3:50                        5:50                    7:50
4:00                         4:00                        6:05                    8:10
4:15                         4:15                        6:30                    8:40
4:30                         4:30                        6:50                    9:10
4:45                         4:45                        7:15                    9:40

Got Cramps

Got Cramps?

By

Susan S. Paul, MS

TSF Training Program Director

Muscle cramps, and specifically leg cramps, are a runner’s nightmare. They wake you up in the middle of the night and stop you cold in the middle of a training run. While most runners have experienced muscle cramping of some sort, their etiology remains a mystery.

The original theory on muscle cramping developed in the 1930’s, and cited dehydration as the primary cause. Dehydration remains number one on the list of probable causes by most athletes even today, but recent research questions this assumption. Rule out dehydration as the cause of your cramping simply by increasing your fluid intake and see if your muscle cramps resolve.

Possible Suspects-

Electrolyte imbalance is next on the list of probable causes for muscle cramping. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalance go hand in hand and together they rule as the top two suspects traditionally associated with muscle cramping. Muscle contraction is dependent upon the proper balance of several minerals known as the electrolytes: sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. A deficiency in any one of them creates an imbalance that results in the excitability or irritation of nerve endings. Excited nerve endings fire randomly, thereby increasing muscle stimulation (also known as contraction) that most likely results in cramping. If you suspect an electrolyte imbalance may be the cause of your cramping, increase your intake of electrolytes through nutrition or take an electrolyte supplement. Low-fat yogurt, spinach, beans, and lentils contain an abundance of potassium. Bananas, bran cereal, brown rice, and almonds contain magnesium and low fat or non-fat dairy foods contain calcium.

Glycogen depletion is known to cause muscle cramping. Glycogen is the stored carbohydrate found in the muscles and is the fuel for muscle cells. Most runners have enough stored carbohydrate to last for about 2 – 2.5 hours of exercise. Runners know they must eat during long runs and the marathon itself or “bonk”, but many do not know that eating for recovery is equally important. Eating within 30 minutes to 1 hour after completing a training run helps replace depleted glycogen stores. After a run, muscles act like sponges and readily absorb nutrients so do not miss this prime opportunity to fuel up. When glycogen stores are not adequately replaced, runners face bonking even on shorter runs. Eating a total of about 300 calories and a blend of protein, complex carbohydrate, and fat is the recommended recovery recipe for success. Sip a cup of low-fat chocolate milk, have a turkey or tuna sandwich on whole wheat bread, or drink a recovery shake. Try Instant Breakfast mixed with skim or low-fat milk for an inexpensive recovery drink. An added bonus to adopting this nutritional recovery plan is that it may very well resolve your cramping as well as prevent injuries. Researchers suspect that inadequate post-run replenishment is a factor in many running injuries.

New Theories-

Results of recent studies call into question the role dehydration and electrolyte imbalance play in muscle cramping. These studies find no evidence that dehydration or electrolyte imbalance play a role in muscle cramping. Instead, these studies found that older age, longer history of running, a high body mass index, lack of stretching, and a family history of cramping were the primary culprits. Runners themselves reported a lack of training for the conditions of their race as the primary reason for their cramping.

Age, length of time running, and a family history of cramping are risk factors we cannot control, but we can adapt our training to minimize the increased risk. Body mass index and stretching habits are risk factors we can control. We can lose the extra pounds, stretch daily, and add strength training into our training routine. By being aware of the risk factors that may contribute to muscle cramping, we can take informed steps towards prevention.

“What We Have Here Is a Failure to Communicate”-

There is a very intricate communication system between our Central Nervous System (CNS) and our muscular system. This system allows for very specific motor control. Muscles receive signals to contract or relax from the CNS while specific receptors within the muscle fibers inhibit muscle contraction or relaxation for exact movement and injury prevention. The newest theory on muscle cramping, proposes that abnormal spinal reflex activity occurs when muscles fatigue and that is the culprit for muscle cramps. Simply stated, muscle fatigue causes a breakdown in communication between the CNS and the muscular system to occur. Miscommunication between these two systems results in cramping.

Double Duty-

Studies have also shown that muscles that cross two joints are more prone to cramping. A muscle that crosses two joints has a greater workload than a muscle that crosses one joint. Muscles that cross two joints do “double duty”. For example, the biceps femoris, one of the hamstring muscles, is responsible for hip extension and knee flexion. The gastrocnemius, one of the calf muscles, assists both knee flexion and ankle extension. These two muscles are also the most commonly reported muscles that cramp during activity. Incorporating stretching and strength training into your workout routine will help prepare muscles for the workload of training and racing.

Other Culprits-

Less common suspects associated with muscle cramping are thyroid disease and some medications for asthma, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Always consult your doctor regarding any health condition and to find the cause of your muscle cramps.


Prevention-

*Train properly- Stay within a comfortable intensity level on long runs. Allow adequate time to build mileage slowly. Include speed and hill workouts. Consider running just 3 days a week and cross-training 2 days a week. Take at least one day a week off to rest and recover from training.

*Specificity of training- Train specifically for the distance and the conditions of your race. Research the course; know the road surfaces, elevation and altitude changes, weather, start time, etc. Estimate your finish time and race pace. Simulate these conditions as best you can during training.

*Stretch daily- Incorporate stretching into your daily routine! Stretch, stretch, and stretch again. Stretching improves circulation thereby allowing muscles to receive adequate oxygen and nutrients needed for recovery.

*Strength train- Muscle weaknesses lead to muscle imbalances and inefficient movement patterns. Inefficient movement patterns mean that some muscles are working harder than other muscles and are therefore more likely to fatigue and cramp. Strengthen weak areas, stretch tight areas to improve your running form. Include speed work and hills in your running routine to help improve your running form.

*Orthotics- Orthotics can correct improper biomechanics and improve running efficiency; thereby reducing or even eliminating muscle cramps.

*Nutrition- Make a nutritional plan incorporating protein, complex carbohydrates, and some fats into your daily regimen. Eat small meals throughout the day rather than 2 or 3 larger meals. Remember to eat before, during, and after your runs. Plan recovery meals to make sure you have adequate glycogen replacement. If your Body Mass Index is too high, consider losing weight.

*Hydrate. Make sure you are drinking enough water daily and during your runs.

*Electrolytes. Add electrolytes to your supplements, especially when you are training in hot and humid weather. You can find them in sports drinks or in easy to take capsules.


What To Do When You Cramp-

*Stop running and apply direct pressure to the affected muscle with your hand, finger, or thumb. Hold for about 10 seconds, then release. Repeat as needed.

*Gently stretch the affected area, if possible. Be careful, move slowly because sometimes this will cause the opposing muscle to cramp.

*Once the cramp subsides, begin moving with a slow walk and then gradually pick up the pace.

*Ice the affected area when you complete your run.

*Take an Ice Bath after your runs.

*Regular massage treatments may help prevent cramping.

MarathonFest Race Predictor

Predicted Marathon Times
5KTime              Half-MarathonTime      MarathonTime

17:10                          1:21                                 2:49

17:50                          1:24                                 2:56

18:40                          1:28                               3:04

19:20                          1:31                               3:10

20:20                          1:36                               3:20

21:20                          1:41                               3:30

22:20                          1:45                               3:40

23:20                          1:50                               3:50

24:20                          1:55                               4:00

25:50                          2:02                               4:15

27:20                          2:09                               4:30

28:50                          2:16                               4:45

29:18                          2:22                               5:00

30:49                          2:26                               5:15

32:05                          2:33                               5:30

33:28                          2:41                               5:45

34:48                          2:48                               6:00

35:55                          2:53                               6:15