A Local 5K Opportunity This Weekend.

If you are in the Middletown area and are interested in running a 5K race, there is one coming up next weekend, the Olde Tyme Peach Festival 5K Run on Saturday, August 16th.

You can pre-register by searching for the Middletown Peach Festival on active.com, or you can register the day of the race.  The race starts at 8:00 AM.  Registration opens at 7:00 AM at Everett Meredith Middle School, 504 Broad St., Middletown.

www.active.com/register/index.cfm?CHECKSSO=1&EVENT_ID=1605436.

SAS Running Pic Project

Do you have a picture of yourself from this summer where you are running, preparing to run or just having finished a run.  Send it to me and I'll post it.  Best of all would be pictures that include SAS somewhere.  Here's one from a recent run to Devil's Thumb Pass in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado.  (Note the t-shirt I'm wearing is an SAS 18-Minute Club shirt).  We didn't make it to the pass, which is in the background directly over my head in the picture at left, due to too much snow on steep slopes.

He's more machine now than man; twisted and evil.

Here are some photos showing Tyler's arm.  In order to repair the break, a metal plate was inserted in his arm.  It is only a matter of time before he turns to the dark side.

The Sun Never Sets on SAS Cross Country!

Although our team is currently scattered across the planet ( I know of three continents where your teammates have been running) we remain connected.  From Chris in Korea to Giancarlo in Peru, to Will P. in Delaware, to Crenshaw and Tyler in Virginia and Maryland I have been hearing great news from SAS runners around the world!

Will Plautz wrote to say that he is seeing great improvement in his running and is looking forward to preseason camp.

Giancarlo, who supplied the great photo above, writes of running on a golf course and along the Peruvian coast.  He plans to attempt a run to the highest cliff on the coast near Lima, where he has been spending the summer.

Tyler Gehrs has been in touch a good deal with mixed news.  He suffered a broken arm at the end of June when he was in a bike accident.  However, the rate at which his arm is healing has me wondering whether he also posssess retractible steel claws and the heightened senses of a wolverine.    Tyler reports really enjoying running in Lexington, Virginia and is looking forward to time along the Delaware shore.

Crenshaw too has been in the Lexington area, where, it seems, he has started a stampede.  I will allow Crenshaw to tell the tale:

Well I was on the edge of the blue ridge mountain near Lexington, Virginia . . . I recently went on a run where there were quite a few cows in my way on this path in the middle of a hilly valley.  Most of them moved out of my way towards the right so enough down the hill that I couldn't see them any more.  A few seconds later, I look over to the right and to my surprise I see this huge horizontal line of about 30-40 cows running straight towards me.  After standing there and pondering what to do while the cows are sprinting towards, for a few moments, I decided it would be best to get the hell out of the way.  And, by the way, these cows looked like demons because they always stare at you whenever you walk by them, so I was already very afraid of them.  So I sprinted for a while and looked back to see I was safely away from the demons/cows that had stampeeded me.

Although Crenshaw escaped injury from the stampeding cows, he did get an undisclosed injury while attempting to pick wild raspberries.

Keep sending your stories from the summer. (So far we are lacking reports from Europe, Antarctica, Australia and Africa.)  It is great to hear from everyone and I really look forward to seeing you in about a month.  Amazing, just one more month.

Boulder Skyline Traverse

Starting at 5:45 this morning, two friends and I ran the Boulder Skyline Traverse.  This run is also called the "Five Peaks Run" because it takes you to the top of five of the mountains just to the west of Boulder (South Boulder Peak, 8,456 ft elev., Bear Peak, ft 8,543 elev., Green Mtn., 8,149 ft. elev., Flagstaff Mtn., 7,030 ft. elev. and Mt. Sanitas 6,035 ft. elev.)  Two of these peaks, are shown in the photo attached.  The map below shows four of the five peaks.  Although the total distance is probably only between 16 and 17 miles, the vertical gain of 6,300 feet is the real source of challenge. Indeed, by the fifth, and steepest climb, to the top of Mount Sanitas, I was only "running" for a tiny fraction of the the climb. Just getting to the top was my only goal and I was working hard to keep up with hikers on the trail.  By 11:00 AM we were finished with the run and soaked our legs in ice-cold Boulder creek.  What a great way to spend the morning!  This is my longest run of the summer, so far, so it was really satisfying to finish. When I got home I ate six eggs, four pieces of toast and a tomato and fell asleep reading a fascinating book.  Is there anything better than napping with a great book on your chest after a morning of exercize?

Dealing With The Heat

I recommend the following article for understanding and dealing with the challenges of running in hot and humid weather.    

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/health/nutrition/03Best.html?ex=1372737600&en=5de20a5d2fcc2cb1&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

It is July. Are You Meeting Your Summer Training Goals?

Now that July is here, it is a good time to take stock of the running you have been doing this summer.  I hope you all have been having a great summer, filled with relaxation and rewarding work.  Ideally, you will have kept a running log (I simply annotate a calendar with the number of minutes I've run each day), and so, will have a very clear picture of how close you are to your summer training goals.  

Photo courtesy of Schafer N.

The recommended SAS summer training programs were deliberately written with ranges for performance.  For example, for some of you,  a good goal might be to perform at the minimum recommended level on the standard schedule.  For others, consistently meeting the top-end of the 18-Minute Club training program might be the most appropriate training goal.  The range of workouts scheduled for early-July ranges from three  25 minute runs per week (75 minutes), to four 35 minute runs per week (140 minutes).  Where are you in this range?  Are you performing at the level that matches your goal?  You will see that, by the end of July, the recommended workout on the standard schedule is equivalent to the current workouts on the 18-Minute Club schedule. 

Remember, any changes you make to the amount of running you do, need to be made gradually.  The whole purpose of summer training is to establish a stable foundation of running fitness in order to enable yourself to safely complete the training and racing scheduled for the fall.  If you are behind on your goals, get started today, but add miles gradually.  If you are ahead of the high-end of the training schedule, contact me and we can tailor something to your needs.

Gehrs Takes Ninth Overall, First in Age Group in Triathalon

Last weekend, at St. Andrews Tyler Gehrs competed in the 21st Marathon Sports Sprint Triathalon. The event consists of a quarter-mile swim in Noxontown Pond, followed by a 16 mile bike ride (two laps of the Johova's Fitness Loop), then a run of the cross country course. Tyler completed all of this in 1 hour, eight minutes, 28 seconds. His time this year is five minutes faster than last year. Out of 294 racers, Tyler finished in 9th place overall and won his age group by two minutes.

Tyler found himself in first place by a comfortable margin as he finished the swim leg in under 6 minutes. He improved dramatically over last year in the biking leg and even after having worked so hard on the bike and in the water, his run time was 18:28.

You can find some more pictures of the race at http://picasaweb.google.com/yophotoguy/21stSprintTriAtStAndrews. At this site you can find a picture of the Caldwell family cheering on the triathletes, a pic of Tyler accepting his plaque for winning his age group, and lots and lots of lycra-spandex.

Congratulations to Tyler for a great day of competition.

News from current and former teammates!

I have been in touch with several current and former members of SAS XC. Here's the latest:

Tyler Gehrs recently wrote to share his terrific success at the Marathon Sports Sprint Triathalon at St. Andrew's over the weekend. I'll be posting more about this shortly.

Schafer Newman has just returned to Miami from the Bonnaroo Music Festival (in Tennessee) and, I predict, will soon be reprimanded at the US Naval Academy for complaining about the absence of giant psychedelic, mushroom-shaped fountains.




Doug Stuart reports some difficulty running due to foot trouble, but is "relearning" to run so as to avoid aggravating his injury.

Life continues to go swimmingly here in Colorado. I went for a great 11 mile run outside Lyons, Colorado with a friend from Boulder, making my total for the week 365 minutes of running.

Race Report: 10th Annual Titus Van Rijn One Hour Invitational

Today,I competed in the 10th Annual Titus Van Rijn One Hour Run. It is a strange race in more than just name. For one, most of the competitors do not meet face-to-face. Instead, you are to run on your local track, wherever you happen to be. For me the location was Potts Field, (an Olympic-style 400 meter track oval with state of the art Mondo surface) at the University of Colorado in Boulder, elevation 5320 ft. For another, the race is defined by time, not distance. All competitors must run for 60 minutes on a track, the winner is the one who does the most laps. Finally, the run is traditionally followed by the drinking of black cherry soda, in honor of the race directors, Andy Roth and Mike Persike, former Haverford College runners with a love of black cherry soda.

My mark was 32.7 laps or 13,080 meters (8.13 miles). There were several problems with my run. Most importantly, a lack of black cherry soda. Also, I went out too fast, coming through 4 miles in 28:05. I slowed down considerably for the second half of the run and, because of some tightness in my right leg, switched from counter-clockwise to clockwise running at the 4 mile point. This helped. Nevertheless, due to a combination of an unrealistic goal (34 laps), and monotony, I found it difficult to settle into the right pace. I expected to be able to hold close to 7 min/mi for the whole hour, but instead, during the second half of the run, my pace fluctuated between 7:39 and 8:26 min/mi . I deliberately varied the pace, resting during the 5th mile, then tryed to catch up. I was alone on the track for the entire run. Indeed, the track was locked and I had to slip through a gate to gain unauthorized access.

It was a fun challenge, making an otherwise ordinary day of running special because it was my first attempt at something.


I wouldn't recommend any of you participate in the TVR (it would be too long for this point in the summer) but if you want to read more about this unusual race checkout
http://runjunkie.blogspot.com/2008/05/how-far-can-you-go-10th-annual-titus.html
or
http://www.backcountryrunners.com/2008/06/race-report-2008-tvr-one-hour-distance.html
or
http://seeerikrun.blogspot.com/2007/05/titus-van-rijn-invitational-one-hour.html

A great spot for a running break.

A friend snapped this shot during a break on a run in the mountains. It is so much easier to run when the conditions are demanding. The strain of working through a tough climb or a nasty rain storm can be a great distraction during a run. By the time you have overcome the obstacle for the day, it is often a downhill journey home.

Wherever you are, varying your running route, even just a little bit, can add enough interest to make an ordinary run, something special. I often keep a pair of shorts and shoes in the car and have Ms. Kerrane drop me off wherever she might be going. If she needs to return a blouse at the mall, I get a ride with her and run home from the mall. Variety is essential in a sport that pretty much consists of left-right, left-right.

Tomorrow try running somewhere you have never run before. And, if you find yourself in a beautiful spot, there is no rule against taking a break, enjoying the view, and sniffing the flowers before continuing on.

We run it.

Here is a video of a run from last year's cross country camp. (The Manahan Road Run.)

It reminds me of how much more fun it is to run when you have some friends to run with.

If you haven't found a summer running buddy, get on it, you will have a much easier time motivating to run and a much easier time passing the miles enjoyably. By the way, the video's music (Eminem?) is from the car stereo where Mr. Scoville and his messed-up ankle are following along with the camera.

One of America's Biggest Track Meets to Air Today (Sunday)

http://www.usatf.org/events/2008/VisaChampionshipSeries/meets/outdoor/PreClassic/


On TV:
June 8, 4:00-6:00 p.m. ET, NBC


http://preclassic.com/2008meet.html



INDIANAPOLIS - Allyson Felix, Alan Webb, Sanya Richards, Wallace Spearmon, LaShawn Merritt, Lauryn Williams, Torri Edwards, Brad Walker, Reese Hoffa and Suzy Powell are just a few of the big names slated to compete Sunday at the 2008 Prefontaine Classic at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene.

The fourth event of USA Track & Field's 2008 Outdoor Visa Championship Series, the 34th Prefontaine Classic will be televised on Sunday, June 8, on NBC from 4-6 p.m. Eastern Time. The Pre Classic will serve as a preview of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials - Track & Field, June 27 to July 6, also at Hayward Field.

Sprinters look to scorch Hayward track

The women's 100 meters will take center stage featuring a talented cast that includes 2005 World champion and 2007 World silver medalist Lauryn Williams, 2007 World Outdoor bronze medalist Carmelita Jeter and 2003 World champion and fourth-place finisher in 2007 Torri Edwards. Also watch for two-time World Outdoor 200m champion Allyson Felix, who posted the second-fastest time in the world this year with her 10.93 clocking in Doha on May 9. Keep an eye on the resurgent Muna Lee, whose career best time of 10.97 last week at the Reebok Classic in New York is sixth best in the world this season.

The men's 100 meters is a wide open affair featuring the reigning Olympic 200m gold medalist Shawn Crawford. 2007 World Outdoor Championships team member Mark Jelks will be in the field along with 2004 World Junior champion Ivory Williams. Michael Frater (Jamaica), Darrel Brown (Trinidad) and 2004 Olympic silver medalist Francis Obikwelu (Portugal) will add an international flavor to the event.

An outstanding field will enter the blocks for the men's 200 meters headlined by two-time World Outdoor Championships medalist and 2006 World Cup champion Wallace Spearmon, who posted the second-fastest time in the world this season with his win last weekend in New York in 20.07 seconds. Spearmon will face 2006 NCAA quadruple champion Xavier Carter, who owns the third-fastest time in history (19.63 in 2006). Also entered are 2007 World Outdoor Championships fourth-place finisher Rodney Martin and reigning Olympic champ Shawn Crawford.

Great fields featured in 400 meter races

2008 men's world leader and Osaka World Championships silver medalist LaShawn Merritt heads the men's field and three-time #1 world-ranked Sanya Richards leads the women in the 400m fields slated for Sunday.

Merritt, who posted the fastest time in the world this outdoor season of 44.03 seconds with his win June 1 over World and Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner in Berlin, will face a tough challenge in the men's race going up against reigning national outdoor champion and Osaka bronze medalist Angelo Taylor. Also in the field is 2007 World 400m hurdles champion Kerron Clement, World Championships and Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist Darold Williamson and Gary Kikaya (Congo), who ended the 2007 campaign ranked #7 in the world.

Richards, who posted the five-fastest women's 400m times in the world last year and enters as the defending Pre Classic champion, will face reigning U.S. Outdoor champ Dee Dee Troter and 2007 World Championships finalist Mary Wineberg. 2007 NCAA Outdoor champion Natasha Hastings also is in the field, along with world ranked #4 Novlene Williams of Jamaica

Hayward Field favorites to compete in 800 meters

Oregon Track Club Elite member and Springfield, Ore., resident Nick Symmonds will look to defend his Prefontaine title in the men's race, and all-time two-lap great Maria Mutola will headline a strong women's field in 800m competition on Sunday.

Symmonds delighted the Hayward Field crowd at last year's sold-out Pre Classic when he stormed from behind in the final strides to upset Olympic gold medalist and 2007 World Outdoor Championships bronze medalist Yuriy Borzakovskiy of Russia.

Symmonds will have his hands full on Sunday dealing with his U.S. compatriot and constant nemesis Khadevis Robinson, who has been ranked #1 in the U.S. by Track & Field News the last three years. World ranked international competitors include Bahrain's Youssef Kamel (#5), Canadian record-holder Gary Reed (#9) and Kenya's Alfred Kirwa Yego (#7).

Five-time Olympian Maria Mutola, 35, of Mozambique is slated to compete in her final Pre Classic, bringing with her a remarkable streak of 15 consecutive victories dating back to when she was a student at Springfield (Ore.) High School. In honor of Mutola's accomplishments at the Prefontaine Classic, the meet will retire the No. 1 bib she has worn for the past 10 years. Instead of being issued to future athletes, the "1" bib will be the centerpiece of the Maria Mutola Outstanding Athlete Award, which will be presented for the first time immediately upon conclusion of the 2008 meet.

Mutola will face 2008 USA Indoor champion and Eugene resident Nicole Teter and three-time U.S. Outdoor champ and two-time Olympian Hazel Clark. Also in the field is two-time NCAA Outdoor champion Alice Schmidt, who ended the 2007 campaign ranked #3 in the U.S.

Stars aplenty in middle/long distance races

2007 Jesse Owens Award winner Bernard Lagat will compete in the 2-Mile race at Pre after becoming the first man in history to win the 1,500m and 5,000m at a single World Outdoor Championships last year in Osaka, Japan. Top Americans in the field include 2008 U.S. Olympic Team member in the marathon Dathan Ritzenhein, 2007 World Outdoor Championships 5,000m finalist Adam Goucher, two-time NCAA 5,000m champion Chris Solinsky and Jonathan Riley, who finished fourth in the 5,000m at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships in Indianapolis. Top international stars include Australia's Craig Mottram and Shadrack Kosgei of Kenya.

A tremendous field will toe the line for the women's 1,500 meters, led by reigning World Outdoor champion Maryam Jamal of Bahrain, who enters the event ranked #1 in the world. She'll do battle with defending Pre champion Gelete Burka of Ethiopia, along with U.S. Outdoor champion Treniere Clement and Christin Wurth-Thomas, who posted the third-fastest time in the world this outdoor season with her runner-up finish in 4 minutes 4.94 seconds at the adidas Track Classic in Carson, Calif., on May 18.

The men's Bowerman mile will feature four of the top six ranked milers in the world led by Kenya's Daniel Komen, who is ranked #1 globally and is the defending Prefontaine champion. He'll face a strong challenge from U.S. mile record holder and reigning national outdoor 1,500m champion Alan Webb. Others to keep an eye on include world ranked international stars Tarek Boukensa of Algeria (#3) and Baharain standout Rashid Ramzi (#5). Also keep an eye on American Matt Tegenkamp, who placed fourth in the 5,000 meters at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships in Osaka.

The women's 5,000m story begins with the incomparable Mesaret Defar of Ethiopia, who is a world and Olympic champion, in addition to being the world record holder at this event. She'll be challenged by Kenya's Vivian Cheruiyot, who won the 5,000m silver medal at Osaka.

The men's 10,000m is a planned world-record attempt, headlined by reigning World and Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, who ended the 2007 season ranked #1 in the world at both 3,000m and 10,000 meters. The top American in the race is Abdi Abdirahman, who placed seventh at the 2007 World Outdoor Championships after winning the U.S. title in that event for the third time in his career last June.
http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_news_frameset.html?http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2008/rw_news_20080605_USATF_Pre.html

You run like a girl (if you're lucky!)

Dibaba Breaks 5,000m World Record In Oslo!





Ethiopia's Tirunesh Dibaba broke the World record in the women's 5,000 meters Friday night in Oslo, Norway. A two-time World 10,000m champion, Dibaba demolished the World record by over five seconds, winning the women's 5,000m in 14:11.15. The previous World record of 14:16.63 was set by compatriot Meserat Defar at this meeting in 2007. 2004 Olympian Jen Rhines finished the race in fifth in a personal best 14:54.29. It is the sixth fastest performance of all time by an American.


http://www.runningnetwork.com/read_new/dibaba-breaks-5000m-world-record-oslo

Real Thought for Food for Long Workouts

Some runners had asked me earlier this year about the right foods to eat, particularly, right after a workout. I liked the analysis of this question presented today in a New York Times article. See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/health/nutrition/05Best.html?em&ex=1212984000&en=2e6ea712ef9a8433&ei=5087%0A

The jist of the article is that, for all but the most hardcore athletes (such as those doing multiple workouts in the same day with rest in between the workouts), there is no clear evidence of performance-enhancement from specialized (4:1, protein:carb) diets, or from eating "recovery" foods or beverages right after a workout. Instead, the advice is to simply eat a balanced diet of "real foods at regular meals." I would add, that you will be better prepared, mentally, if you place your faith in training techniques have been proven effective. So, if you are training to improve as a 5K runner, keep your attention on factors that you know matter, namely, not getting injured and doing the right amount of different forms of running.

Welcome to the 2008 SAS XC Summer Blog

Hi,
I hope everyone is enjoying the summer break.

The summer time can be a hard time for staying connected to the rest of the team. So, last summer I started a blog (runningcardinals.blogspot.com) to keep in touch with the cross country team. Rather than take last summer's blog down, I am just starting this new one for this summer (runningcardinals08.blogspot.com). I hope you find it helps to remind you of the team.

From time to time I will be posting tips on summer running. For example, I noticed that Delaware and much of the Middle Atlantic is currently experiencing its first spell of challenging summer weather this week.

(See http://www.accuweather.com/forecast.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&zipChg=1&zipcode=19709&metric=0). The way I have tried to deal with this challenge is by planning ahead. For example this coming week, the weather forecast shows that Monday will have not only high temperatures but also, high humidity and hazy sunny. This would be a particularly good to not run. So, if you are trying to get in several runs this coming week you will want to make sure make the most of the more favorable conditions. Wednesday morning, for example, is forecasted to be the ideal time for your longest run of the week. More generally, the single most important technique for avoiding summer heat is to run early in the morning. In the Middle Atlantic region in the summer, the morning is typically much cooler than the late afternoon or evening. The hottest time is typically in the mid-afternoon, between 1:00 and 4:00 PM.


Also, I like using the RealFeel feature on acuweather, or some other weather report that measure not just the temperature, but instead, the totality of conditions that make it hard to keep your body cool.

It is always easy to find an excuse for not running,but if you are really motivated, and plan ahead you can almost always find a way to safely and enjoyably go running.

I hope to hear how your summer has been going. Send me an email, or post a comment on the blog.