The Runner's Sole

SPECIAL EVENTS

runnerssole — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 21:54:01 +0000

Sunday, Dec. 18th at 1pm, Newton Natural Running Form Clinic to be held at The Runner’s Sole. Store will not be open for business, nor will there be a concentration on any products. This is a clinic that is focused on natural form for longevity of injury free running. This clinic is free of charge for attendees. Come prepared to do some light indoor running. Newton running tech rep. Mark Roschon will be the presenter of the clinic with Rick Meyers being an assistant presenter. RSVP no later than Dec. 15th. Room is limited. Clinic will end by 4:30pm.

THE RUNNER’S SOLE IS PROUD TO PRESENT:

UNBREAKABLE: THE WESTERN STATES 100 MOVIE SCREENING

Unbreakable: The WS 100, is based on the 2010 WS 100 mile race between 4 of the top ultra-runners in the US; Geoff Rowes, Anton Krupicka, Hal Koerner, & Kilian Jornet as they make their way through the prestigious and one of the toughest 100 mile races, Western States. The screening will begin at 5pm on Dec. 18th (Sunday) at The Runner’s Sole. Cost pp is $10, pre-paid ticket for guaranteed seats. Pre-paid tickets are highly suggested. Tickets will go on sale Monday Dec. 5th at noon and will be available during regular store business hours. Any remaining seats will be made available on a first come-first admitted basis on the screening night beginning at 4:30pm. The movie will be projected onto a large screen. Bring your own light refreshments as there will not be any refreshments available for purchase. The store will not be open for business during the movie. If any questions, call 717 262-2109 during regular business hours.

COACHING SERVICES…

runnerssole — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 19:53:17 +0000

Coaching services are now offered by Rick Meyers, owner of The Runner’s Sole. Rick is a certified RRCA running coach, certified Newton form coach, and ultra-endurance athlete. Rick is an accomplished runner of races ranging from 1 mile sprints to multi-day events (Tom’s Run relay, 204 miles as a solo-runner) winning many and going the distance in many more. To his credit, he’s completed over 20 marathons, 13-50 mile events, 3-100 mile events, 4-24hr events, 1 full IronMan, and 204 mile run in 49 hours. Rick offers individualized and comprehensive training plans for any distances. Goals are discussed through an interview process for realistic and achievable outcomes. Injury prevention is of the utmost importance. No cookie cutter training plans are offered as most online coaching services offer. Weekly contact is encouraged to monitor progression of the athlete’s training and assess for potential problematic areas. Athletes are very involved in the development of the training plan with sensitivity to work, family, and other time constraint commitments. Fees are based on event distance and how many months are needed to prepare the athlete for their key event. For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Rick via email, therunnerssole@embarqmail.com, or store phone 717-262-2109 during business hours, or cell phone 717-372-9853, or facebook the runners sole.

Promotions & Offers

runnerssole — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:35:21 +0000

SHOW ME THE MEDALS!!

BRING IN YOUR MEDAL, TROPHY, RIBBONS, PLAQUES, OR VERIFIED FINISHING TIME WITHIN ONE (1) WEEK OF COMPLETING YOUR EVENT FOR A SPECIAL DISCOUNT.

DISCOUNT WILL CORRESPOND IN % ACCORDING TO YOUR EVENT DISTANCE.

3.1 MILE (5K) = 3% 6.2 MILE (10K) = 6% 9.3 MILE (15K) = 9% 13.1 MILE (21K) = 13% 18.6 MILE (30K) = 18% 26.2 MILE (42.2K) = 26% 31.1 MILE (50K) = 31% 50 MILE (81K) = 35% 62.2 MILE (100K) = 40% 100 MILE (161K) = 50% Now time for the offer garble…Offer only good for in store sales only and not valid with other offers, sales, or coupons. Race verification at time of purchase is required to receive offer. Offer may only be used once per race and only one race per week ( each purchase must be greater than $25 to receive discount). In stock items or normally stocked items only. Not applicable for special orders.

If you’re not a racer that’s cool, don’t sweat it, just join THE RUNNER’S SOLE SHOE CLUB. The Runner’s Sole shoe club is a retail club for non-competitive runners who may enjoy a 10% discount on shoes, apparel, and accessories. After 10 purchases of 10% discounts (1 purchase/week greater than $25), take advantage of a one time 25% discount on shoes, apparel, and accessories. Offer only for in-store purchases upon completion of a small application. A membership card will be issued that will need to be presented at the time of purchase to receive the discounts. Offer not applicable with other offers, sales, or coupons. In stock products only or if temporarily out of stock, the discount will be applied when the item is available. Not applicable for special orders.

Police, Fire, EMS, HealthCare, and Military, don’t feel left out. A new offer for these individuals is now available. Receive a 15% discount on your purchases of shoes, apparel, and accessories. Just present your ID at each purchase (one purchase/day for purchases greater than $25) and receive the 15% discount for your public service position. And accept a heart felt “Thank You” for your services. Offer not applicable with other offers. In-stock items only, unless shoes are temporarily out of stock, then discount will be applied when item arrives in store. Not applicable for special order items.

Running Team Page/Team Selections Have Been Made!!!

runnerssole — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:21 +0000

The Runner’s Sole will be accepting individual applications for consideration for the running team from November 1st 2011 until December 1st 2011. Those who have been selected will find their names on this page at the bottom on January 1st. If you will be running for another team, pay for coaching services through another service, NCAA, or PIAA, during the calendar year of 2012, you may not apply for The Runner’s Sole running team. Those individuals who have been selected to represent The Runner’s Sole Racing Team are:

Dirk Helfrick
Bill Dann
John Weaver, jr.
Dan Mowers
Mike Bercaw
Rick Meyers
Angie Fuss
Misty Lowman
Laurie Dymond
Jill Hazelton

Thanks to all who applied. These individals will be the 2012 racing team. Beginning Nov. 1st 2012 applications will be available for the 2013 team. These members have been selected due to their commitment to running, ambassadorship to the sport of running, years of experience, helpfulness to others in the sport of running, future racing goals, etc. They will bear The Runner’s Sole racing singlet to represent the store as well as the sport of running. I think this is going to be a great first year of team racing! The benefits of being selected to The Runner’s Sole running team includes: unique uniforms, special pricing on gear, race registration fee reimbursement, advocacy toward the sport of running, attending seminars on running, team training, injury rehab/treatment, etc. Team participation will last for one calendar year. For those interested, obtain an application November 1st through December 1st only at The Runner’s Sole.

SPONSORSHIPS & DONATIONS

runnerssole — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 23:41:29 +0000

Beginning September 1st 2011, sponsorships and donations for area races, teams, individuals, etc. will not be accepted unless the following steps have taken place: 1. No individuals will be sponsored or donations of gear given for running endeavors. 2. Teams will not be sponsored or donations of gear will be given for running endeavors. The Runner’s Sole sponsors two teams (male & female) that are selected through a application process. If you would like to apply for The Runner’s Sole running team, please see the Team Page. 3. Race Directors and race solicitors: The Runner’s Sole is a small business that specializes in a very niche market. Many of the community members aren’t aware that this store exists, despite an amazing attempt of advertising and developing programs to help people to become healthy and learn proper running form. Therefore, we cannot support every race that pops up within the local area…unfortunately. If you are seeking sponsorship for your race, the following steps must be taken in order for consideration: A. Please send your race information to the store via USPS, e-mail, or personally hand deliver the information. Telephone solicitation will no longer be considered…too many “phony” race solicitation calls. B. All potential race sponsorship requests will need to be submitted at the very least two (2) months prior to the race date. Any closer to the race date, the sponsorship will not be considered. C. All contact information must be included in the race sponsorship requests. Such as RD name, phone #’s, email, the race website address, location of race, date, time, and as much information as possible. D. Due to the current economy, The Runner’s Sole owners use a table for sponsorship dollars which is dependent upon the benefit of The Runner’s Sole donation dollars. Such as; location of the race; the benefit (cause) of the race; the length of the race; the # of consecutive years for the race; the previous year’s attendance both in numbers and elite runners; prizes for winners; if the race is out of the local area how many local runners attend such race; the draw for the race ie amenities, uniqueness, difficulty, etc. E. Within the race sponsorship requests, clearly state the benefit and exposure that The Runner’s Sole will receive for sponsorship dollars. The Runner’s Sole owners and staff members will be firm that all steps are followed prior to sponsorship requests consideration. This allows for funding to be budgeted and that we are able to utilize our dollars in the races that will overall benefit The Runner’s Sole financial security and survival.

ALTERG Anti-Gravity Treadmill

runnerssole — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:33:57 +0000

For a video of the Alter-G treadmill, visit http://abcnews.go.com/Health/video/revolutionizing-treadmill-14676462 The Runner’s Sole is proud to offer the area’s first, within a 200+ mile radius, the Alter-G anti-gravity treadmill. This treadmill uses an airtight seal to lift the user’s body weight off of their legs in order to ambulate without pain. The maximum weight reduction is 80% and is controlled by the user in 1% increments. The treadmill has a forward maximum speed of 12mph, reverse speed of 3mph, and an incline max of 15%. Total weight capacity of 450lbs. Many professional sports teams train and/or rehab on the AlterG treadmill. As well as many Division 1 Colleges and Universities train on the AlterG. Elite athletes train on the AlterG for muscle memory and cardiovascular benefits with reduced damaging effects from ground impact forces on the lower extremities. Military hospitals are using the AlterG treadmill for wounded soldier rehab. The uses of this machine has not yet been fully realized by the manufactuers nor the owners and users. However, known uses are: ambulatory dysfunction rehab; cardiac rehab; pulmonary rehab, obesity limitations, diabetic foot/leg ulcers, visually impaired (upon being secured into the cockpit, the user is fully supported and will not fall off as traditional treadmills do not provide such support), running injury rehab, sports injuries from any discipline rehab, eldery functional walking, running biomechanic abnormalities, speed training, distance training, distance running recovery, speed walker training, orthopaedic injury rehab, surgical rehab, and the list goes on. Here at The Runner’s Sole, the user is given a full treadmill orientation and upon feeling comfortable with the controls, the staff provides privacy from other customer onlookers, if so desired. The user has full control of a DirecTV supported television for your viewing pleasure, or bring along your own music device, to fulfill your time. Large display windows provide sunlight to give you the outdoor feeling, but, at the same time with the protection from motorists, animals, and the elements. Bathroom facility access is granted, however, no showers are provided. Recommended to bring your own towel, but one will be provided if you forget yours. Specially designed neoprene zipper shorts are worn to form an air-tight seal. Traditional shorts must be worn under the neoprene shorts if you desire to borrow ours…don’t worry, they are cleaned after each useage with scuba gear cleaning solutions. However, if you wish to purchase your own neoprene shorts, they can be through The Runner’s Sole or http://www.alter-g.com/ for $85.00. A 10 minute treadmill demonstration is free of charge. Appointments for the demo is appreciated but not ncessary. Appointments are needed for useage time on the treadmill. Fees for useage are available in individual sessions or in hour package deals. Call or come in for more information.

Rick’s Race Reports

runnerssole — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:54:11 +0000

Peanut Island 24 hour race. Last race of the year, because it’s the last day of the year! Dec. 31st to Jan. 1st 2012. Report to come soon.

JFK 50 mile Nov. 19th 2011. Third 50 miler in 4 weeks.

What the ^%$# is wrong with me?!? Why am I lining up for another 50 mile race? especially in 4 weeks. Didn’t I have enough from Masochist? Well, yes I have. But, this is JFK! My first ultra race and one of my favs. Fav for reasons that I can sleep in my own bed, for once, the night before a race. I know the course, I know the RD, I know many of the volleys, and I know where it’s gonna hurt, and where I’m going to see that cute little…. . This would be my 9th JFK, of course if I finished. I had 7 terrible races at JFK and one outstanding run in 2010. I ran a 7:11:51, my 50 mile PR. I hoped today that I would at least match it, but of course I wanted to go under 7 hours. I know that I have at least one sub-7 hour in me and I was hopeful that it would be today. Next year will be my 10th year and I think that I would like to stop running the JFK for a few years. There are other races this time of the year, such as HG, and others. Also, as rumor has it, 2012 may be the last year on the Appalachian trail due to some politician type tree huggers that feel that the runners of JFK are causing trail erosion. Well, if I may, if we were to take geological measurements of the trail the day before the JFK, then again the day after the JFK and compare the two measurements, I seriously doubt that any erosion would’ve been caused by the thick rubber cushioned shoes that most runners are wearing on the rocks and boulders that make up that section of JFK. It’s a freaking mountain people! Rubber shoes are not causing trail erosion! Anyway, the race was packed and Mike Wardian was favorite to win. He was so bold as to say that he was setting a new course record. It started out as a pretty chilly day but promise to warm up nicely. Sunshine was predicted and no precipitation. The trail was dry and the river was low. No expected problems setting up a high chance of going under 7 hours. Nut shoots the gun and the race is on!!! I trot along with a certain pace that is gonna allow me to conserve energy til late in the race. My two crew members, Dan Mowers, and Chris Pereschuk had their instructions and were more than ready to do whatever I needed to get across that line in short order. However, my body had a different idea. By the time we ascended the cell tower, I was beginning to feel bilateral hamstring cramping. Strange, I thought. But was it really? Afterall, my quads have been overworked the past year and the hamstrings have been ignored. Many people experience hamstring cramps late in races and most times its an electrolyte imbalance. However, this early in a race and after making a moderate ascent, this is more indicative of weak hammies. These continued to flare up when I would attempt to push the centric/eccentric movements of my legs. So, I got to a pace that I was comfy with and would allow for that evasive sub-7 to be within reach. I made it to the notoriously bad, boring, single muscle group destroying C & O canal. I was within reach but I would have to maintain a set pace for the last 35 miles. Mile after mile was ticking by and I was feeling pretty good. But all good things must eventually come to an end. I began to feel some G.I. problems, maybe as a result of trying to force too many calories in. There were about 6 miles of suffering and struggling, which caused me to slow and utltimately lose my goal time. In fact, I was losing more time as each mile became a bit longer and harder. I completed my 9th JFK in my 2nd best time of 8:09. Six or so years ago, I would’ve been elated with such a time. But after one hits such a high PR, anything slower is only an insult. Many factors could’ve played into this result: the fact that this was my 3rd 50 in 4 weeks, attempting to eat my way to the finish, just a bad stomach, the sudden death of a friend the day before, the eve of the race not as I had planned due to the unexpected death of a friend, only one person knows, and I don’t think he’ll tell me. I still view the finish as success and overall pleased with my performance. As many of us know in order for a race to come together there are many outside factors that must come together to have an ideal performance. Things could’ve gone worse, much worse, so I am very pleased.

Mountain Masochist 50++ miler, Nov. 5th 2011. Second 50 in two weeks

David Horton is a very nice man, outstanding runner, in fact, legendary and respected professor at Libery & Lynchburg Univerites under the exercise physiology science department. Students flock to his classes because of his incredible knowledge of exercise physiology and runners flock to him because of his incredible running achievements. Not only is he a great prof. and runner, he has a side job of race director. He is the race director for a series of trail races in the southern Va. area and co-director for two more in the same area. Four of his own races are: Holiday Lake 50k+ held in Feb., Promise Land 50k+ held in Apr., Grindstone 100 mile held in Oct., and Hellgate 100k+ held in Dec., which begins at 12:01am on the second Sat. of Dec. He is the co-director of Terrapin Mtn. 50k+ held in March, and Mountain Masochist 50++ miler held in Nov. If you’re wondering why I keep putting + signs after the distance, it’s because there is another measure of distance that many people are not familiar with. There is the standard measure of a mile which all have become familiar with at an early age. Then there is the Horton mile which is not universally known. In distance there isn’t any normalcy in a set distance because one Horton mile may be longer or shorter than the next Horton mile however, in pain we all know that it’s just over a standard mile. Mountains to most of us are rolling hills to Horton. River crossings to us are rain run off crossings to Horton. A hard run to many of us is a training run to Horton. Am I painting a good picture for you yet? Personally, I have run Holiday Lake 50k+ twice 2010, 2011. Hellgate 100k+ in 2009, and Masochist in 2011. Dr. David Horton is also a very devout Christian, except when it comes to his races. I think that he is actually the devil when it comes to designing race courses. He was the original director of Masochist and Terrapin Mtn. too, but relinquished the head responsibilities to his little devil helper and also runner extraordinaire, Clark Zealand. Clark has won many of these arduous races, owns a very high finishing time in the top American 50 mile finishing times, under 6 hours if memory serves, and many other incredible running accomplishments. He is also a professor at the U’s. The two little devils created two series with the 6 races; the Lynchburg Ultra Series include the Horton 4, but if you decide to run the Beast Series, it entails finishing all 6 races. Many guys have tried to finish all 6 but many more have failed. The 3 races in the Spring are relatively easy. Tough races when comparing to other 50k’s, but when one compares the spring 3 to the fall 3, they are considered warm-up races. My first contact with Horton was after I was accepted to the 2009 HG race. I received race updates via e-mail from this guy but I thought he was nuts. When I met him, it only made my thoughts come more true. During the email updates, he talked about reading a book written about HG, called Hellgate! Then he talked a lot about retinal freezing while on course, death from falling, freezing, loss of limb, wild animal attacks, and total humiliation. I thought to myself, who the hell is this nut? Why is he writing about this stuff? So, I got the book, Hellgate, and I read it from cover to cover and thought, oh dear lord, what am I getting myself into. Up to this point my running career has only included a few marathons, one Ironman finish, and my ultra resume consisted of JFK 7 times. All of which were very poor performances for one reason or another. I had done Boston earlier that year and a few other marathons earlier in 2009, but these races were no match for the toughest 100k in the country. The race begins at Natural Bridge Station trail head, in Dec. at 12:01am while standing in a very large puddle of water, albeit nonintentional. There are strict cutoffs. The first check in point by 6am around mile 25, and a second at noon around mile 42, with a finishing time of 18 hours. When I started this race on that fidgid freaking night, I had two stress fractures in my left foot that I suffered 4 weeks prior. I ran JFK one week after breaking the foot, and didn’t run again til the night of HG. I did all of my training on an ARC trainer and lifted weights. I knew that this was not going to be pretty, but I didn’t want to drop out of a Horton race unless I was going to my funeral. He said his prayer, sang the National Anthem, then yelled “GO!” and off we went. By the second step, I knew my foot was going to be very painful for the next….hours. I don’t want to turn this race report into a complete HG report, but I finished the race in 17:53 with 8 minutes to spare (the race really ended at 6:01pm). If you’ve ever been in my store, you’ll see the finisher’s shirt hanging on the wall with my other medals. This race was one of the toughest races that I have ever been apart of. I want to go back and try it again without the broken foot, but until I quit doing the 24 hour the end of Dec. I don’t want to attempt HG yet. But, I will someday. Back to Masochist. As promised, this is another Horton race that is harder than hard. The race is advertised as a 50 but turned out to be just under 55 miles, no biggie, just more time to enjoy the pain. The race began at the James River visitor center which requires a bus ride to the start from the race host hotel, the Kirkley. The bus ride takes over an hour which puts you at the start with over an hour of standing around. Doesn’t sound bad but it’s early Nov. and pretty chilly. I stayed on the bus for as long as possible to stay warm and off my feet. My thoughts were that I would try and be finished by 8.5-9 hours and that I would only eat Gu packs with Hammer Perpetuem and water. The first six miles were on the hard road leading to the trail head. Once hitting the trail, it became a total blur of pain, pain, and more pain. There were sections of the trail that seemed endless in an upward fashion. I could see other runners ahead of me and even tho they were only 100-200 yards in front of me, I was envious that they have already finished a few hundred yards than I have. Just when I got to parts that were runnable, I was shut down by another incline, tech trail or both. I worked my butt off going up, only to destroy my quads coming back down. At one section was the “Loop” that broke many a man and made some runners wish that a bullet would come out of nowhere and end the misery. I, at one point, thought that I was the only one with internal crying and screaming “uncle” but as I passed, or was passed, by other runners, I overheard their same cries of mercy. After a very long day on the trails, I finally came out of the woods to finish the race on the hard road leading to the finishing line. I crossed the line in 10:52!! A buddy, Dan Mowers, travelled with me and ran the race too. He completed his first 50+ mile race in about 10:20. Great performance and very proud of him. Unfortunately for next year’s race, the starting line may be different so this means that, shucks, I won’t return to see if I can do a bit better. What I wore: The Runner’s Sole racing singlet, Swiftwick arm warmers, CW-X compression shorts, Swiftwick Compression socks, Brooks Launch shoes. Gloves & hat. Garmin 310 XT GPS that showed 54.6 miles. What I ate: not enough for the amount of calorie burn. Gu gels changed after 10 gels to solid food such as boiled potatoes, cookies, PB&J, Hammer Perpetuem, H2O, endurolytes. What I’ll do next time: Run a bit more, and cry a bit less…ha!

Tussey Mountain 50 miler, 1st of 3-50′s in 4 weeks. Oct. 23rd 2011. I lined up on the starting line of this year’s Tussey Mountain 50 mile National Championship race very excited. I was excited because this is going to be the shortes race that I’ve ran since Boston in April. I’ve done 3 100′s and a 12 hour and a 24 hour since April. I kept thinking to myself that this is only going to be about an 8 hour day. This would be my first Tussey Mountainback race, but I really liked it so I’ll be back again. I was planning on a 50 mile trilogy over the next 4 weeks so I needed to be cautious but strong enough to get off the course as soon as possible. The race course was in the mountains (hence the name) in State College, PA. The race also served as a team relay for those, umm let’s just say, not-so-endurance guys, ha. I had some company because of a team made up with friends from Chambersburg and Hagerstown (CVAC) were running. The relay teams started one hour after the solo guys and my goal was to run as fast as possible for as long as possible to avoid CVAC passing me. Finally, they passed me about 4 hours of solo running. I held them off for a while. The course undulated on fire roads throughout the mountains and I really enjoyed the course. Mile 36 sorta slapped me around; I found myself in a carbohydrate slump. After a modest ass kicking of Gu’s and perpetuem, I got myself re-loaded and began to run strong again, until mile 40. I always find it amazing that race directors can make the last few miles of a race more difficult than the first 2/3′s of a race. Mile 40 was at the bottom of the mountain, and guess where mile 41 was? Yup, at the top. I thought hell, if I would’ve known that this was coming up, I coulda held on at mile 36 and waited til I got here to re-load my carbs; kill two birds at once. Well anyway, the next few miles to mile 46 were pretty tuff. I hit mile 46 aid station and was told that there aren’t anymore A.S.’s and that the next stop is home! So, I felt confident that I was going under 8 hours. The last 4 miles were a steady descent and by two miles into it, my quads said WTF are you doing to us?! I finished in 7:47 and was overall happy with my time. Maybe a few minutes faster would’ve been better for my psyche, but then again anything over Mike Wardian’s blistering time of 5:33 would’ve been too slow. I was pleased with the overall time. What I wore: The Runner’s Sole racing singlet, CW-X compression shorts, Swiftwick arm warmers and full compressions socks, Brooks Launch neutral shoes, Garmin 310XT GPS. What I ate/drank: Hammer perpetuem total of two 22 oz bottles, H2O about 4 bottles, 6 Gu gels, two boiled potato slices, and 1 cookie. I made a good time of the race because the night before, my wife, kids, and in-laws went to the PSU women’s volleyball game. I’ve never been to a Div. 1 v-ball game. They played and kicked Michigan’s butt all over the court. These girls were taller than I and put together very well!

Northcoast 24 hour run. Saturday Sept. 17th to Sunday Sept. 18th, 2011. Have you ever ran in a circle for any period of time and either found yourself bored, dizzy, or both? Well, try running on a .92 mile, 3 foot wide asphalt path around a city park in Cleveland, Oh. for 24 hours. The race was the National 24 hour Championship. It would be my second year in a row of running this race. Last year, 2010 was my first ever 24 hour race. Needless to say I went into it physically prepared to run at a respectable pace, for a respectable distance, but no way prepared for a 24 hour race. I tore up the first three hours, then sort of slowed down a bit the next 6 hours, then wondered what the heck am I doing to myself for the next 15 hours. I managed to squeeze out 105 miles but it wasn’t fun, it wasn’t enjoyable, it wasn’t anything that I ever wanted to go through again. In fact, I remember at one point while laying in the cargo area of my wife’s Dodge Durango after about 12 hours of running thinking to myself that I’m calling it quits. I run because I enjoy running, I’m not enjoying this anymore. All of my close friends and family will understand if I just say the heck with it and call it quits. Noone will fault me for attempting a 24 hour race. As I laid on the floor of the car making pre-excuses for my quitting, I had one last flicker of pride that questioned why on one hand am I telling myself that it’s ok to quit, but on the other hand I am already listing out the excuses with follow up excuses. Hmm, I thought. Something isn’t sitting right about this. Then I jumped up and kept on running. I swore that I wouldn’t think such thoughts ever again because I have never quit a race nor will I begin to now. So, I didn’t quit, nor did I make the 24 hour national team which entails running a minimum of 135 miles in a 24 hour period, but so what. I didn’t quit and there will always be another chance. I think many times the experience of a race or training run teaches us much more than the physical advances that we make with our running. I have to admit, tho, that after the gun sounded indicating the end of the race, I immediately promised myself that I would NEVER do such a stupid and painful thing to myself ever again. Fast forward to Sept. 17th 2011. Here I am again, lining up on yet another 24 hour starting line. But, this time, there were some differences; like this wouldn’t be my second 24 hour race, oh no, remember that promise I made to myself? well that was forgotten almost the same minute that I made it to myself a year ago. Since the 2010 Northcoast 24 hour race, I had run another 24 hour race in Palm Beach, Fl. on Dec. 31st 2010 ending on Jan. 1st 2011. Yes, I ran throughout the entire New Year’s eve festivities. While most people were drinking, eating, being merry and fun, I’m running in circles…again. But this time it was on a 1.25 mile circular cement paver course in Palm Beach. I am an educated individual, in fact, I graduated magna cum laude from Mountain State University with a BSN. I have two other Associate degrees in Pre-hosptial Medicine (Paramedic) and allied health. So, I’m not a dumb guy, right? Well, if you were to look at my running resume, one may begin to wonder. Palm Beach, acutally Peanut Island 24 hour race was the Inagural year, and my second 24 hour race in three months. This time I went into this one with some experience with the 24 hour racing. After setting a PR at the 2010 JFK 50 mile race (7:11:51), I set up a course around my neighborhood which turned out to be exactly 1.25 miles so that I can train under specificity (see, I told you I’m not dumb, that’s a big word!). I recovered from JFK and set out to train on my new course. Physically I was prepared for Peanut Island (PI) but mentally I was a long ways off. So, I ran my course for hours as many times per week that I could find the time. I topped out at 55 miles for a training run in mid-Dec. and felt that I am mentally prepared for this long arduous race. Did I mention that this race was in Florida? The temps are a bit different in PA in Dec. than they are in Fl. in Dec. I was used to running in 10 deg weather in PA, but in the sunshine state, it was 80 on race day. The race started out pretty well but ended in the hospital. No, not from running, as one may expect (I finished the race with 114 miles and 2nd overall place, yay! A Canadian guy beat me by 1.5 miles, what do they know about running, eh?) but I cut my hand on a piece of coral while I got into the Atlantic Ocean at the sound of the race end bell. I wanted to sit in the cold ocean water to chill my legs; what’s a better ice bath than the Atlantic Ocean on Jan 1st? I sliced my hand like a soft pad of butter. It bled and bled and bled, then I realized that I’m into the water up to my chest, I’m bleeding like a stuffed pig, and there are a crap loud of sharks in these waters! I think that was my fastest running for the entire 24 hours! I got back to the start/finish line, which happened to be at the same spot, and showed my wife my hand. Well, needless to say that after we got back to the marina from the island, we drove around until we found a hospital. 5 hours and a whole bunch of antibiotics, x-rays, and laughs later, we finally left and headed to the hotel for some much needed showers, food, and rest. By the day’s end, I was running fevers and a nice red line making its way up my arm. The laceration was at the meaty part of my thumb and since it couldn’t have been stitched up, it continued to bleed. Finally, the antibiotics began to work by the time I got home and after 4 days of continuous bleeding, the lac was closed with stitches and all is healed. I have the scar to remind me but what’s worse is my still very p’ed off wife who reminds me that I better not do anything so stupid again. Well, PI is in 3 weeks, again, so we’ll see. Getting back to NC 24 for 2011, I re-connected with some runners that I met last year and haven’t seen since the same time. The race started off at 9am and I had a strategic plan of running my way onto the 24 hour national team. This year, my wife (Kim, everyone say hi) and my kids (Rachael, 8, and Brodie, 6) were there. I thought this would be a good introduction for the kids to hang around a race course for 24 hours since I planned on taking them to PI this year. If they can keep themselves entertained and out of trouble in Cleveland, then they’ll be happier than a pig in the mud in Fl. They were great and played on the beach of Lake Erie, rode their bikes and scooters in the parking lot, watched movies, socialized with the other kids and families of the other runners, and just had a great time. They interacted with me on occasion, but of course, Dad is the least on their minds. That was ok because I just wanted to concentrate on running as well as I could. My plan was to not stop for any length of time and to keep moving as much as possible. 24 hours later, I managed to run 116+ miles, finish 8th overall, and 3rd in my age group. I didn’t have any of the G.I. problems from the previous year and kept up a good attitude throughout the entire race. I still haven’t made that qualifying distance of 135+ miles yet, but I’m optimistic that someday, when all of the running stars align, I’ll blow it out of the water. One thing that will always stay in my mind is the previous 3-100′s that I’ve done this year. How did they impact my physical and mental approach to this 24 hour? Who knows, it’s all a guessing game. Peeps always ask me what did I eat, drink, wear, etc. so for the remaining of my race reports, I will include this info. What I wore: The Runner’s Sole racing singlet, later a Mizuno jacket, CW-X compression shorts, Swiftwick full length compression socks, Newton MV2 shoes for the first 6 hours then changed into Newtons Distance shoes. What I ate: Hammer Perpetuem, about 6 bottles over the 24 hours, H2O, endurolytes, cookies, PB&J, boiled potatoes, pierogies, pizza, coke, ginger ale at times for an upset stomach.

Burning River 100 mile race report. Saturday, July 30th, 2011 Often times I think that I would’ve like to have studied Sociology and specialize in human behaviour. There’s nothing I like more than observing people and the behaviours that are displayed. I like sitting on benches at the mall and watch the dynamics of family shopping; I like watching people at airports scurrying about attempting to locate their departure gates; I like watching people in social settings such as company parties, meetings, and such; I just like watching people in many arenas. One in particular that has caught my eye the last few years is pre-race enviornments. Anywhere from the 1 mile road race to 24 hour races, the habits, the rituals, the nervous energy is extrmely entertaining. I’ve been caught up watching people doing their pre-race…whatevers…and have been thoroughly entertained right up to gun crack and nearly missed the start. Well, Burning River 100 mile race wasn’t any different. Most runners collected at the bus pick-up at 0300 on Saturday, July 30th to await the bus ride to Cleveland, Oh and the 100 mile journey that will take us right back here where we sit waiting on the bus. There are so many personalities and so many stories regarding the “why” of running a 100 mile race and many of these stories are very interesing. But nothing is more interesting, to me, than to watch the pre-race jitters. There are the warm-up guys, the yoga guys, the stretch out guys, the fumbling with their gear guys, the family guys, the “love ya see ya later” guys, the meditation guys, the spread out on the lawn and make everyone step over ya guys, the nervous nelly pee 5 times guys,the cool sit down by yourself and wait on the gun guys, and the list goes on. But, very entertaining. A lot of thought, practice, training, sacrifice, patience, planning, money, travelling, compromising, beggining, etc. goes into running a 100 mile race. And if you miss one key element your race can turn disastrous. I’m assuming most of the pre-race jitters that are exhibited are from either the fear of the unknown, or memories of other races going awry, or the confidence one gains from previous races going exactly as planned. Well, I’ve had all of thoses experiences in just three recent races. So, my next race what type of pre-race jitter behaviour is someone going to observe me for. I don’t know. I’m too busy watching everyone else to get caught up in my own jitters. This race was my 3rd 100 miler in 4 months

Running Articles

runnerssole — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:50:29 +0000

Gear Buzz around The Runner’s Sole Lately, we all have been reading it, hearing it, seeing it, or doing it on our own. What is the “it” that I’m referring to? Barefoot or minimalist running. Before we go any further, let’s define what barefoot running, minimalist running, and shod running really is: Barefoot is just that, barefoot. The runner is receiving full direct feedback by the plantar mechanoreceptors. The runner is running as natural as he can mainly landing fifth metatarsal and pronating toward the first metatarsal. Minimalist has varying definitions and none fully accepted. For now, the best definition is a shoe that protects the skin from injury, cold, and heat, does not change the runner’s gait, receives nearly all plantar mechanoreceptor feedback, has less than 3mm of coverage and zero heel rise. Running in any shoe with more than 3mm thickness, has a positive heel to forefoot differential (no agreed differential), alters the gait (any change from landing fifth metatarsal and pronating toward the first metatarsal to another area of impact of the foot) and a significant reduction to the plantar mechanoreceptor feedback, is a form of shod running. Some experts are defining thin sole shoes such as the typical racing flat: a cross country spike (less the metal spike), New Balance Minimalist, Saucony Type A4, Brooks Racers and Green Silence, etc. Other types are thin sole such as Saucony Kinvara, Brooks Launch and Asics DS trainer. Both of these definitions give change to the gait as well as the plantar mechanoreceptor feedback. Barefoot running is not a new phenomenon. It has been occurring for millions of years. Think it through: we weren’t born with Asics Kayanos on our feet! Furthermore, in many non-industrialized countries barefoot running is the only thing they know. Many of these civilizations run high weekly mileage over hard surfaces without injury. Just to note that high weekly mileage is not for marathon training, it is their only method of travel. However, what is new is shod running. Shoes with a thick padded heel has only been produced since the early 1970′s. Prior to that, shoes that fit into today’s minimalist definitions were produced. Today they are considered “trendy” back then they were functional, fast, and flimsy. Every year shoe manufacturers have been making the heels with thicker padding and include materials such as: gels, shocks, air pockets, foams, dual density, eva, adiprene, speva, etc. and making larger heel to toe differentials for better shock absorption. Unfortunately, annual injury report continues to rise and American distance running keeps failing at producing quality elite runners. Since the release of Chris McDougall’s “Born to Run” in 2009, barefoot running has become the trendy thing to do. Vibram Fivefinger shoes have exploded and gone from a gorilla looking water shoe to the next best thing to hard training. In fact, some of the traditional shoe manufacturers have begun to jump on the bandwagon and are now making minimalist shoes. New shoe companies such as Terra Plano, Kigo, and Altra, have accepted the minimalist movement and are producing their versions of minimalist shoes. So, should you abandon your current form of running and begin to run barefoot, minimalist, full shod, or wait for research to either prove or dispel whether or not barefoot is healthy? I recommend for you to read my full report on www.therunnerssole.com and I will provide much more information with cited references both anecdotal and evidence based research. Attend my new running biomechanics classes, read and research as much information regarding all forms of running, and do your own trial on forms of running that you currently aren’t following. Either way you choose, keep running!

RUNNING INJURY SEMINAR

Most common types of injuries and their causes:

A. Plantar Fasciitis-in the sole of the foot. Small microtears of the facia band that develops into either full tear of the facia band, or inflammation of the fascia band. Very painful and takes a long time to heal. Treatments of this is usually conservative and involves ice, rest, stretching, inserts/orthotics to provide compression and support of fascia band, barefoot striding, walking aids in faster recovery. B. Shin Splints-inside or outside of lower leg. Outside of leg can be from heel striking, worn out shoes on later heel therefore causing the gait to roll later, ankles held very stiff while going through gait cycle, running on same side of road causing outward rotation of leg. Inside lower leg shin splints may be caused by too much pronation, wrong or weakly supportive shoes, flat arches, heel landing, ankles held very tight during gait cycle. Most common treatments are to correct shoe issues, arch supports/orthotics, changing gait to mid/forefoot landing zone, relax ankles, ice, massage, rest. C. Achilles tendon problems-overuse is most common cause. Running uphills too much, heel landing, increase distance/speed too fast. Treatment is usually conservative with ice, rest, stretching, avoid hills, heel lift in affected side shoe for short time, compression wrap. Run backward down hill and/or steps. D. Patellar tendonitis-pain under kneecap. Usually from weakened quad muscles. Increased running distance and/or speed too fast. Treatments are usually heat and stretching before activity, ice immediately thereafter. Rest and compression wraps. Avoid hills, and go up/down steps backward. Leg dips with affected leg to increase quad muscle strength is important. E. Iliotibial Band Syndrome-Pain on the lateral side of the leg. Extending from the hip down to the insertion point of the knee. There are two insertions points and either one or both can be irritated. Most causes are heel landing, running on same side of road, worn out shoes, increasing distance and/or speed too quickly. Treatments are heat and stretching before activity, ice immediately thereafter, replace shoes, change side of road, massage, myofascial release with The Stick and/or foam roller. Change to mid/forefoot landing zone.

RACE DAY NUTRITION Race day nutrition is key for survival from point A to point B. For distances from half-marathon and up, calorie intake must be equal to calorie expenditure. For each flat mile ran at a rate of 8 minute/miles, approximately 100 calories are burned. Therefore, approximately 7.5 miles per hour are ran or 750 calories are burned. If a person is only expecting to run 14-18 miles, most of us can get through this prior to our glycogen stores becoming depleted. If, and only if, our stores are fully stocked prior to that 14-18 mile run. If our event is longer than that, we must consider taking in calories, but when and how much? During our LSD training, all of the aforementioned is important but so is dietary training We must experiment with many types of endurance foods, fluids, and electrolyte caps during LSD. Taking in cals during a run can be difficult. Taking in fluids during a run can be even more difficult. Knowing when depends upon so many factors such as heat, cold, how much remaining not only in time/distance, but in quantity of food/fluid of what’s available. Believe it or not, the body can learn to process anything. From high quality nutritious foods, to fatty and salty foods. The body can take anything that its given and make good use out of it. How these foods affect supporting organs such as the gallbladder, may prove not worthy, however. Also, the foods may have a direct impact on performance. If you just want to survive, or if you want to win can dictate some of your intake. Some races have foods and fluids available, but it may not be what you are use to taking in. Or some ultra distances you are responsible for your own fare. Carrying all that is needed can become a hinderance to performance. LSD can even generate more problems since we have to go long and we’re not able to carry enough items with us. Thus leading to either cutting training runs short, bonking, hiding items, asking friends/family to crew for us, carrying so much that we can’t run anyway, etc. For LSD a good suggestion is to circle back to your home, car, store, restaurant, etc to reload so carrying a large amount is not needed. This helps in two ways: of course calories, and mental strength to get going again especially if the weather or terrain is bad. One easy suggestion is to take in this hour what your burned in the previous hour. But that can’t always happen. Depending upon what the next hour’s terrain may bring, that may be impossible. Calculating the total amount of burned calories can be confusing especially in long runs where the hours can run together. But this may be the best way to refuel yourself unless you have a crew there to aid you. I suggest to mix the calories into three different types:quick supply foods, fluids, and sustainable foods.

Quick supply foods-these are the foods that are easily digestable and are going to supply calories quickly to the working muscles. Such as gels, chomps, clif-shots, etc. These items are easily managed and can be carried easily in a fanny pack. Most races have some of these items available. They supply glycogen and electrolytes to the person.
Fluids-most sports drinks have a decent amount of calories in them that can be used either in conjunction with, or instead of the quick supply foods. The downfall is more may have to be taken in to supply the same amount of cals as the quick supply foods. This higher amount may cause G.I. Distress. Most races offer various sports drinks but maybe not a type that you are use to, so be prepared to supply your own or risk the unknown. Water doesn’t supply calories or electrolytes but it is a much needed component of race day nutrition. Water is needed to keep us hydrated and performance at its highest. A 1% drop in body water level in a warm environment can drop our performance by over 20%. Water also aids in digestion of foods. Water keeps our core body temp. down and helps in keeping muscles and joints freely moving. BUT, water has also a huge downfall. Too much water can lead to hyponatremia, cerebral edema, weight gain, etc. Hyponatremia is the most important and serious risk of too much water. This is where the body’s salt levels are diluted to a level that is too low to sustain life. Sodium levels are normal in the range of 135-145. When these levels go under 135 as a result of too much water, muscle cramps, dizziness, passing out, seizures, unconsciouness, death may be the result. Water is good, but must be taken in with respect.
Sustainable foods-these are the foods that most people in the marathon distance will never experience. These are the ultra distance foods. These foods are taken in every 2-4 hrs depending upon the event itself. These foods can range from easy such as pretzels & chips, to pizza and sandwiches, to actually eating a full meal. These foods generally are used to resupply the liver glycogen stores and soak up some of the free flowing fluids and quick foods left over in the belly. They can have a profound affect on the person if too much is taken in. With a full belly, this can push up on the diaphragm and affect breathing. This type of intake can also cause bowels to move, stomach aches, belly cramps etc. This is a portion of endurance race day nutrition that must be trained with as much as possible.
Electrolyte capsules aren’t part of race day nutrition to most, but it does have importance. Electrolyte caps are used to resupply the body levels of sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Some of these are found in the other foods and sports drinks, but not in this concentration. The appropriate body levels of these electrolytes aid in the pyloric sphinter to open and close thus allowing partially digested foods to leave the stomach organ into the small intestine for proper absorption. With low levels, the partially digested foods can stay in the stomach organ and not be moved to the small intestine and never absorbed. Thus bonking, stomach and breathing issues are assured.

Body temp and food absorption has been shown to have a direct correllation. If the core temp rises blood is shunted from the G.I system to dissapate the body heat. Therefore ceasing or slowing food absorption. So, message is to keep body core temp as low as possible. Always prepare for the inevitables such as a race running out of foods/fluids is a must. Keeping a few small packages with you will prove to bail you out of some precarious situations and save your race. In conclusion, at this time the best foods and race day nutrtion must be tested and decided upon during training. Experiementation of many of the three types of foods are important and knowing what will be available to you at your event is equally important. Taking in next hour calories for the amount burned in the previous hour is a good systematic approach for race day nutrition. Start your day with a full liver glycogen store and keep the levels as high as you can. Train smart, Train hard, make racing fun and fast.

ENDURANCE TRAINING Endurance training is subjective to each person. Each runner has his/her own “endurance” events or interests. For a beginner runner, reaching a full mile without stopping is endurace training for that person. For some a 5k, half-marathon, marathon, ultra, etc. The most important part of endurance training is developing the endurance over a reasonable amount of time, again subjective. Too often we push too hard or attempt to “hurry” the endurance training. Thus injury is assurred. We experience injury and set back when the training is too rapid, fast, hard, long, etc than what we are truly capable of achieving. For some, running a full mile at a comfortable pace may take as long as a month to achieve. Most marathon training plans generally last for 16-20 weeks. Those who attempt these plans generally have some base mileage built up and experienced races at other distances. But, a person who is attempting a marathon plan may also fall into that too quick scenario. Inconsistent training is also another way of causing injury and not reaching our true level of endurance training for our desired distance. Cross training is a nice SUPPLEMENT to running, but shouldn’t take up more time than the actual running does. The components of endurance training include: Long slow distance running. This isn’t new, and I didn’t discover it. This has been the staple run of all those who have ran any event from 800meters in H.S. Track, to multi-day runs. This run is where many things are developed.

Mental strength-this is probably the most important part of endurance training. Some may think its the running and muscle memory, but I beg to differ. The body is capable of doing so much more than one thinks. But the brain has limitations. All of us have our own mental limitations. Each one of us have what we like, and what we don’t like. I like heat, I hate cold. I like sun, I hate rain. I like running without music, I hate the bother of wires and such. Some can push themselves into the beyond and others can’t push themselves off the couch. As we run our LSD runs, we are learning more about ourselves and what we can/can’t do. This is an important aspect of endurance training. Our brains will stop us way before our body’s limitations have been exhausted. There are two types of runners from the mental aspect, those who are associators and those who are dissassociators. Associators are finely tuned into their bodies and can listen to any feedback from their body to make adjustments. They are entertained by their body, movement, progression of the run, etc. They generally run by themselves and join in group runs just to compare their fitness to those similar. They are looking for each run’s progression and the benefits from each run. The dissassociators are those who just lose their minds as they run and listen to music or just pray to get this misery over asap. These types of runners can’t run without a partner on a regular basis. These runners are more concerned about their environment than they are with themselves. They generally don’t push themselves to full capacity. But, all in all, that may be just fine. All aren’t trying to kill themselves but just to manage weight, tone up, etc. But, this person must be honest to themselves before embarking upon a full training plan.
General cardiac efficiency-is where blood capillaries are developing throughout the working muscles used in running. The heart is getting bigger, stronger, and can pump more blood with each stroke than it can with multiple smaller strokes. This takes time to develop. For some the mental strength has developed through some other parts of their lives, but the GCE hasn’t and this is the hardest part. The muscles in the legs are developing more vessels and capillaries to bring more blood/nutrients into those muscles and to clear away the biggest enemy of endurance athletes-Lactic Acid. Lactic acid is the build up of metabolic waste in those muscles and can/will develop pain, soreness, decrease range of motion, edema, etc. and will stop the person in their tracks. Or will create all of those aforementioned at a later date, such as 24-48 hours after a LSD. The respiratory system falls into this category and is developing deeper alveoli (air sacks) deep within our lungs to take in more oxygen to be delivered to the working muscles. This also aids in clearing out the metabolic waste.
Endocrine system-is stressed during a LSD. This is the system that is responsible for all communication within the body between glands are regulated. Hormones such as insulin is released to balance glycogen levels of the body during long events. Other life sustaining chemicals such as adrenaline, corticosteroids, alpha and beta agents, dopamine, etc are released to regulate blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, etc. Chemicals of well-being (runner’s high) endorphins, which can be a very positive and uplifting part of the endocrine system, are released. The endocrine system has many functions and too technical for this small seminar, but play into endurance training very importantly. This system can take a lot of insult and will continue to develop as insult is applied, but it also has its limitations and needs to be trained progressively.
Muscular development-this is the part that we all can see and judge our fitness levels. When we look at a person and they appear fit, we think they are highly trained. But this is not always the case. It is an important part of training and carrying as little extra body fat is important and having finely tuned muscle will aid us in getting from point A to point B. But if we have a weak mind, weak GCE and endocrine systems, our strong chiseled bodies will be stopped in their tracks.
Injury-as the case of Americans, we want everything yesterday. We have become so addicted to quick and fast. But there isn’t anything that will cause endurance to build other than putting in the time. More than 85% of injury is directly related to-too quick, too much, too fast, too long! Progression is key and self evaluation is the lock. If the two fit well, injury can and will be reduced if all other parts of potential injury causing mechanisms have been addressed, ie shoes, cadence, form.

Speed training-is where the body is stressed beyond normal limits and allowed to rebuild.

Mental strength-this is where we put a little swagger in our gait. Chasing the clock on a track makes us feel strong and invincible. Good mental training and strengthing. But can be over confidence and bite us later.
General cardiac efficiency-the heart rate is raised and sustained for long periods of time usually 90% or more of our max heart rate. The heart is developing more blood vessels, becoming stronger, faster, and develops more stroke volume per beat. The respiratory system is delivering more oxygen to the working muscles and clearing the metabolic wastes at a higher rate of speed.
Endocrine system-maintaining good communication within all glands and releasing hormones and chemicals as needed. The blood pH levels are reduced as a result of speed training which allows the kidneys and endocrine system to become more and more stressed and therefore causes the blood pH to be reduced slower as the person continues to perform speed training over time. The kidneys bring back homeostasis (normal levels) of the blood pH over a period of 12-36 hours after speed training has ceased.
Muscular training-this speed training makes us fast and strong. The musculoskeletal system has such demand on it that every part of this system responds to that stress making soft tissue, ligaments, tendons, muscle, and bone strong and rebuilds over and over. This also causes a slight weight gain bc as the body fat doesn’t weigh as much as muscle. This is needed to support our bodies over the endurance event.
Injury-injury for doing speed training is a huge risk. Many times speed training isn’t prescribed for someone who doesn’t have many base miles built up. This must be coordinated and carefully monitored by the person and their coach if they have one. Again, progression is key.

Tempo Runs-sort of brings LSD and Speed training together. Shows where one is with the two other components. Many times the tempo is about half of the distance of the LSD and at a pace of 80-85% of their max heart rate.

Mental strength-for a short tempo run at a higher speed/pace, the person can usually bring the LSD mental training into play to assist them in getting through a longer, tougher workout. Or a race. Many times this is where the dissassociator becomes more of an associator. They begin to listen to themselves and adjust to body feedback.
General cardiac efficiency-has been developed and can handle the stress of the two other runs. Many times this is an indicator or how true the person has been about their LSD and Speed training. Tempo runs are like the body weight scale, they don’t lie.
Endocrine system-all communications are ready and hormones are restocked and ready. The kidneys have been stressed and ready to release the adrenaline and buffer the blood pH at a higher rate to do its part in clearing lactic acid. It’s go time!!
Injury-injury is high here as well, but not as high as in the LSD run and half that of the speed training. Due to usually the person is running in lighter weight shoes therefore creating a better landing zone on the foot, cadence is high and stride length is short, the person is in more control of their body movements and training has made them stronger. The time and distance of a tempo run is much shorter than LSD, and not as hard on the body as speed training. Progression is still key.

THE RUNNER’S SOLE NEWSLETTERS

runnerssole — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:43:54 +0000

The Runner’s Sole

2^nd Newsletter

By:Rick Meyers

Greeting All! The 2^nd edition of The Runner’s Sole newsletter has been long time coming. Many things have happened both locally and nationally in the sport of running. Not to mention the ever changing running products, the science behind running, and research of running. The first newsletter was accepted by many readers therefore, I’m assuming there was something for everyone in the newsletter, my exact intention. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, however. TRAINING TIPS: The Heat is upon us!!! Cold, blustery to windy and raining, to high heat and humidity, no transition from season to season. Heat kills people in more ways than one and will definitely kill your running. There aren’t many races longer than the half-marathon distance offered in the summer months. This is by design; for one many people who race up to the marathon distance aren’t experienced and summertime means vacationing. By inexperienced I mean that statistically speaking, a high percentage of all marathons in the U.S. are participated by first timers. In contrast, ultra-distance races are abundant during the summer months because the participants of these races are very experienced runners. The ultra-distance races are in extreme conditions due to this is part of the masochist of ultra running. Heat running is another part of training that must be approached in a structured way. Most people without breathing issues, such as asthma or environmental allergens, can run just as well in high heat and humidity as they can in cool weather. The majority of recreational runners wait until the coolest parts of the day to run. This is more than acceptable if one is not running a summer marathon or have no intentions of running in the heat of the day. However, if you have the possibility of running in the heat on an occasion, plan accordingly. Moreover, if a race is going to start in the cooler part of the morning but you expect to finish in the heat of the day, begin heat training a few weeks prior to your race. Most runners who are looking to run summer races longer than the half-marathon distance begin heat training in late April. So, how does one become more acclimated to the heat? Easy! Run in the heat, or in a sauna, or create your own heated situation. One of the easiest things to do is to begin running in temps over 50 deg. F with extra clothing on. Typically, most runners begin to shed the extra winter layers when the temps begin to climb over 50F. But, if you want to begin heat training, keep those extra layers on when the temps are climbing. Or, if you’d rather not look like an idiot running with a hat and gloves on in warm temps, run at the hottest part of the day. As the person becomes more acclimated to the heat they begin to run the longer runs in the heat. Another way, but more difficult, is to use a sauna. While in a sauna, light exercise such as running in place, squats, pushups, jumping jacks, etc. are performed as the temps are set at 90F initially then increased over time. Over a few weeks of sauna heat training, the temps are increased and/or the time spent exercising in the sauna is lengthened. After approximately 4 weeks a person can stay inside the sauna for up to an hour with temps up to 180 degrees F!! Unless you are planning on running a race in the Sahara, this is not necessary for any races in the States. The basic idea for heat training is to train the body to handle high amounts of fluids and electrolytes without ill effects. In normal circumstances, a runner can process about 500cc’s of fluid per hour without much adverse affects on salt levels. But during the higher temperatures of the summer, a person running for a few hours may need to process a few liters of fluids per hour. That’s the overall benefits of heat training; keeping fluids coming in at regular intervals without altering salt levels and keeping the core cool through hydration. During many ultra races such as 100 milers, there are a number of medical check points that the participants must pass prior to moving on. Each participant is weighed. Weight loss is to be expected and usually not too much of a problem, unless of course, the loss is more than determined safe by the medical staff. If there is a weight reduction exceeding the pre-set % of starting weight, the participant is held for a period of time to eat and drink enough to regain enough weight to rejoin the race. Weight gain, on the other hand, may be more serious. In some cases G.I. issues arise where the foods/fluids aren’t processed through the stomach and accumulates. As a result the person feels hungry/thirsty and continues to ingest. This becomes cyclical and may end with vomiting, diarrhea, and/or bonking out of the race. Another case of weight gain may be that the participant has consumed too much fluid and the kidneys aren’t processing the fluids. Over consumption of water may lead to hyponatremia (low salt levels).Over-hydration is the easiest condition to reverse. This may not be the only case, however. During extreme conditions (heat, distances, exertion, insufficient training) muscle break down may begin causing a condition known as Rhabdomylosis. During rhabdomylosis muscle waste products, myoglobin, is released into the bloodstream. Myoglobin clogs the filtration system of the kidneys leading to kidney failure. Many times this condition is transient if the participant or medical staff recognizes the condition and pulls the runner from the event. However if the continues to go on the condition may lead to acute renal failure needing temporary kidney dialysis. Prior to the extremes of rhabdo and kidney failure weight gain dilutes the salt levels and fall to unsafe levels. Many times the runner is stopped due to muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness, inappropriate speech, uncoordinated movements, nausea, vomiting, or the old fashioned “bonk.” Most of the medical check points hold runners with a weight loss or weight gain until the weight stabilizes. Below is a table of possible conditions: Hydration: Low. Electrolytes: High. Diagnosis-hypernatremia-with dehydration. Likelihood: Moderate Weight is down a few pounds, thirst is high, and salty foods taste bad. Mouth and skin is dry and warm. No or very little/concentrated urination. Causes: No access to or voluntary restriction of water, electrolytes are concentrated. Corrective action: Drink plenty of water, restrict electrolytes until weight is near normal. Hydration:Low. Electrolytes:Ok. Diagnosis-dehydration. Likelihood: Common Weight is down, thirst is high, salty foods tastes normal. Mouth and skin are dry and skin may “tent” when pinched. Dizziness and cramping are common and may demonstrate confusion. Causes: Insufficient fluid intake. Corrective action: Drink plenty of water and take electrolytes, or sports drink until weight is normal. Hydration:Low. Electrolytes:Low. Diagnosis-hyponatremia-with dehydration. Likelihood:Very rare. Weight is down, thirst is high, salty foods tastes good. Mouth is dry, not able to produce saliva. Cramping, dizziness, and confusion will occur. Skin is also dry, warm and will tent when pinched. Causes: Insufficient fluid intake, no electrolyte intake. Corrective action: Take electrolytes and drink water and/or sports drink until weight normalizes. Hydration:OK. Electrolytes:High Diagnosis-hypernatremia. Likelihood:rare, transitory if water available. Weight is normal, thirst is high, salty foods taste bad. Mouth is very dry. Causes: No access to water or voluntary restriction. Electrolytes are concentrated by loss of water. Corrective action: Drink plenty of fluids to satisfy thirst, until urination becomes clear, and sweating has returned. Restrict salt intake. Hydration:Ok. Electrolytes:Low. Diagnosis-hyponatremia. Likelihood:mild form is common. Weight is normal, stomach feels queasy or nauseous, no desire to eat. Wrists and hands are puffy, salty foods taste good, thirst is normal, mouth is moist, slight muscle cramping. Causes: Insufficient electrolyte intake. Corrective action: Increase electrolyte intake until stomach feels better. Hydration:high. Electrolytes:high. Diagnosis-hypernatremia with over-hydration. Likelihood:very rare. Weight is up, thirst is high, salty foods taste bad, mental confusion, hands are puffy, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, food tolerance/acceptance is poor. Causes: Over-consumption of salt, more than likely from various sources. Corrective action: Cease electrolyte intake, drink only to moisten mouth until weight returns to normal. Hydration:high. Electrolytes:ok. Diagnosis-over-hydration. Likelihood:moderate. Weight is up, wrists and hands are puffy, stomach is queasy and nauseous, thirst is low, salty foods taste normal, mouth is moist. Causes: Excessive fluid intake. Corrective action: Drink only to we mouth until weight normalizes. Hydration:high. Electrolytes:low. Diagnosis-hyponatremia. Likelihood:moderate. Weight is up, wrists and hands are puffy, nausea, stomach sloshing, possible vomiting, thirst is low, salty foods taste very good. Mental confusion and/or odd behavior, mouth is moist, urination is voluminous and clear. Causes: Over-hydration, insufficient electrolyte intake. Corrective action: Drink to keep mouth moist and until weight is normal then correct and sodium deficits. Hydration:ok. Electrolytes:ok Diagnosis-proper hydration and electrolyte balance. Likelihood:common. Weight is stable or slightly down, stomach is fine, food tolerance/acceptance is normal, mouth is moist, urination is normal, no muscle cramping. Causes: Proper fluid and electrolyte intake. Corrective action: Continue on with hydration and electrolyte practice unless conditions change. EDUCATION/COACHING: Today, many athletes are seeking out coaching advice, whether it’s from friends, online, professional coaching services, etc. A few words of caution: coaching is not something that should be taken lightly. Inexperienced coaching services are going by what they’ve tried in their own running/activity. Many “coaches” aren’t educated in the many disciplines that it takes to coach another person. Simply giving a training plan may help for some aspects of training, but many other disciplines that need addressed are; nutrition, psychological, sex/age considerations, injury prevention/recovery, supplements, apparel, shoes, etc. Even the professional online services don’t address these disciplines and can lead the athlete down the wrong path. Moreover, professional training services use professional or public identifiable names of athletes and/or coaches to bring attention to their services. Prior to hiring a coach, take time to research the potential coaching service. Many online coaching services aren’t registered with Better Business Bureau but that’s a good place to start looking. Checking their coaching credentials through the agency that they say they have their education through is also a good idea. Getting the names of previous or current athletes and checking their performances is another way to investigate the coaching service, and don’t just rely on print or online testimonials. Checking the amount of athletes the coaching service is currently coaching may help you to decide. If the coaching service is extremely busy, this could be both a good and bad thing. Good because that means that they are providing service to many athletes, bad because they may not be able to give you the personal attention that you’re going to need throughout the plan. Reasonable availability of the coach is important to an athlete at any level. Make sure that they will give you the personal attention that you’ll need throughout your training time. If they are so busy that they can’t give you the time that you’ll need, then look at another service. If the coach or coaching service suggests that they are current or previous athletes, research them on athlinks.com and marathonguide.com (under results tab) for their achievements. Of course make sure your potential coach doesn’t have a physical ailment that prevented him/her to be a runner/athlete throughout their lives but have gone through coaching education classes. Request information from the potential coach in order to perform a detailed search on them such as: full name, age, address or town, state, running history in terms of years & races; other names of athletes trained, etc. If, however, the coach refuses to provide such information, run away from them and don’t look back. When you receive your training plan, make sure it’s tailored to your specific goals, capability level, and interests. Make sure it’s a legitimate plan and not a formed plan. Runner’s World magazine offers free plans that anyone can access. Unless you know the coach personally, Do your own research regarding the plan but most importantly, be careful that the plan doesn’t create injury or is so far out of your ability reach that you become frustrated and not reach your goals. GEAR REVIEW: As always, the manufacturers are up to confusing the customer. New Balance has produced two high quality shoe models; MT/WT10 (trail version) and the MR/WR10 (road versions). The MT/WT10 models are minimus shoes that keep the runner in a natural gait. The soles are grippy and low profile. The soles are built by Vibrams and only has a 4mm heel lift. The MR/WR10 model also has a 4mm lift but is overall just a bit more cushioned for the road warrior. However, on July 1^st, NB is launching the MT/WT20 that is a trail “inspired” shoe for the big box stores. The shoe is made of lesser quality and much cheaper for the box stores. Many of the big manufacturers do this; produce running shoes and running inspired shoes. This is the difference between a box store (Dick’s, Dunham’s, The Foot Locker, Finish Line, etc) and running specialty stores. Many of the shoes that are produced for box stores aren’t available for the specialty store and visa-versa. Apparel lines are just as confusing. Currently, Target department store owns Champion sporting line. This line is available in box stores from discount stores to high level sporting goods stores. Champion is worn and advertised by many athletes on various levels. Nike owns the Starter line and is available mainly in lower quality stores such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart. Addidas owns Reebok and is available in many box stores as well as discount stores. Many brands have two or more levels of quality. Low quality apparel feels like its technical material but it really is cotton with a coating that gives it the tech feel. After a few trips through the washes and dryer, the coating has melted off leaving a cotton piece of apparel which isn’t good for a runner. Middle quality may be a blend of naturals and unnatural materials and usually performs rather well. High quality materials have research based evidence supporting their claims of performance; ranging from moisture management, thermal regulation, compression, anti-microbial, improved performance, improved recovery, etc. The prices come high but the durability lasts a life time. After a few seasons of apparel collection, many runners have a nice supply for all seasons. Bottom line, approach the running gear with a watchful eye just as you would with your coaching services. Buy quality products for your running and don’t short yourself. Research the gear and talk to those who know what they’re talking about and just not regurgitating memorized babble. I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Runner’s Sole newsletter. Run safe, run hard, run strong. Rick

THE RUNNER’S SOLE

NEWSLETTER

By:Rick Meyers

I’m so excited to be able to put this out to all of you! This is the First Official News Letter from The Runner’s Sole. The content is about the industry and sport of running; shoes, running in general; weight management, fun, health, training and racing. It’s also about The Runner’s Sole and what we are attempting to do. It’s about me, but more to come about that. It’s about a whole bunch of running, running, and more running. This is strictly an informal newsletter. No solicitation to anyone on the mailing list is intended. But I will tell you what types of products are available at the shop. If you wish to be removed from my email list, drop me a line and you’ll vanish from the list. The email list will not be given to third party companies for solicitation. I would love to hear from the readers contributing to anything regarding running, training, racing, group runs, etc. But, please forward your messages, comments, & thoughts, directly to me and not the entire list of readers. This is to keep the information in one blast email and not a whole bunch of emails running through our list of readers. Don’t get concerned if it takes one or two newsletters to get your message out there, I may have other messages to forward first. But, I’ll get it out there, don’t worry. TRAINING TIPS: As we approach warmer weather and the cabin fever is getting the best of us, I caution most readers entering into their running season. Many times early season injury is as a result of too much, too quick, too fast, too soon. Don’t fall victim to injury and throw off the whole season. Begin a structured training plan that allows your training to progress slowly. Give yourself plenty of base mileage building time. Typically 4-6 weeks of base mileage building time is recommended. Speed work, hill repeats, tempo runs, long slow distance runs, etc. will come later. Use caution and progress slowly enough to allow muscles, bones, and soft tissues to be stressed and full recovery before the next phase of training. I offer individual training plans for any distance from the beginner to the avid runner. Rates vary for the plans selected. Most plans are 12 weeks long and are specific to a particular event. However, any length of training time and distance can be tailored for your needs. Call for details. EDUCATION/COACHING: I have also started teaching form running classes every Sunday at 5pm at The Runner’s Sole, 1228 Lincoln Way E. Chambersburg, PA for anyone who hasn’t been here yet. The form classes last about 1-1.5 hours (depending upon attendee #’s) and if there is time remaining, a special topic is discussed. All of these classes are informal. $10/person/class. I have started a Biggest Loser challenge back in January. We are coming to the end of 12 weeks of weight loss. The participants will culminate their efforts by walking/running a half-marathon on April 23^rd. Wish them well! A Run for Health program is now being offered as a replacement of The Biggest Loser Challenge. All participants will follow a structured run training format and will use it to lose weight, manage weight, begin a running career, or improve their running. Run for health begins May 14 at 8:00am and will meet at Memorial Park in Chambersburg. See www.therunnerssole.com for more information. GEAR REVIEW: Minimalist running has become very popular. Many of the big name shoe manufacturers have heard the demands of the running community and are beginning to produce thin soled and minimal heel lift shoes. In addition, new shoe companies are popping up and are challenging the big name shoe companies in this market. Currently, New Balance has upped the anti with their new shoe, the MT/WT10. They are a minimalist trail running shoe with a Vibrams sole featuring a 5mm forefoot and 9mm heel. The nearly full ground contact is a great transition for anyone looking to go barefoot. With this minimalist shoe, the wearer runs naturally efficient without over-striding therefore absorbing the ground contact shock. The road shoe model MR/WR10 features a 7mm forefoot and an 11mm heel. Slightly thicker sole but the wearer resists over-striding to naturally absorb the shock. Brooks has also jumped on the minimalist shoe with the Green Silence shoe. This is a unique shoe as it is built from 100% recycled materials. It offers a sweet ride and very comfortable for any distance. Saucony has produced the Kinvara that is a very light weight shoe with minimal heel lift. It offers more cushioning but is a great transition shoe for those wanting to go minimalist. Mizuno manufactures the Rider as their neutral shoe that offers a low heel rise. But as their minimalist line goes, the Ronin is a racing flat that is similar to Brooks T5 racer. Asics is still building big bulky heeled shoes for now and sort of in the “just watch for now” mode. Asics has the DS trainer that is a light weight posted shoe that has a minimal heel lift, and of course some very lightweight racing flats. Newton running is holding strong with the forefoot shoe line and no other company can match their technology. A wearer receives a physical cue (lugs of the forefoot) where to land to resist over-striding. This is very important to reduce late race/training over-striding. Typically as a runner becomes tired the body resorts back to poor form. As a Newton wearer myself, I can attest to the lug pattern in the forefoot to be a constant reminder of my foot to ground contact landing. Just recently, I wore Newton racers for a 100 mile trail race which the cue was important for my success and ultimately fast overall recovery. Kigo is a new company from the south who is offering a shoe that is 1.5mm forefoot and 3mm heel. This is a great shoe to wear on a daily basis to begin the transition into a minimalist shoe for running. Altra is also a new company from the west coast offering trail running shoes that are minimalist sporting a zero heel lift. Both Kigo and Altra are available at The Runner’s Sole. Great caution must be taken by anyone looking to go from a traditional to minimalist shoe. Minimalist and barefoot running has been documented by health care professionals, researchers, shoe designers, etc. to lessen chronic running injuries, such as: runner’s knee, plantar fasciitis, shin splints, patellar tendon syndrome, and a few others, however, new injuries such as metatarsal head stress fractures, lower leg stress fractures, calcaneous stress fractures have been on the rise. Many healthcare professionals, researchers, and shoe designers are contributing these new injuries on going to minimalist too quick, too fast, too soon, too long. As the makers of Vibrams Fivefingers (VFF) have indicated, for a person to run their longest run, at the same pace, on the same terrain may take two full years for an injury free transition. But since we are a country of instant gratification, progressiveness is a foreign word to most Americans. For more information and to check out some of the new shoes, drop by The Runner’s Sole. For more research information on minimalist running check out www.therunningclinic.ca or for shoe reviews www.runblogger.com. RACING: The Chambersburg half-marathon had some stellar performances. Check out the overall results at www.chambersburgrrc.org. The Boston marathon is looming for many local runners; some veterans, some first time qualifiers. Still fun for all and every trip up north feels like the first time. A team of elite master men from Hagerstown’s CVAC will be racing for a top team spot. Team members include Rob Hovermill, Tim Fisler, Tim Schuler, and myself. Top three overall times will be used to calculate the team standings. This should be a fun and challenging team event. Laurie Dymond will also be running for CVAC as a master female. A PR for Laurie is within her grasps as she has been running and training very hard. Hagerstown’s Andy Mason will be the open male contender for a great fininshing time. All runners coached by the legendary Mike “Pink” Spinnler. Thanks Pink for all you do!! Local races are popping up all over the place. Check out www.therunnerssole.com or www.charmbersburgrrc.org for upcoming races. To any Race Directors out there, if you want your race listed on either web site send your information to me and I’ll post it on my site and forward the info to CRRC for posting on their site. The Runner’s Sole Ladies racing team is gearing up for the American Odyssey Relay. This is an ultra team of 9 ladies who is looking at being tough competitors in the open female category. The relay begins in Gettysburg and ends 200 miles later in Washington, DC. Each lady will run 4 legs of varying distances over various terrains. They begin at noon Friday April 29^th. The Runner’s Sole ultra team from last year consisted of 7 men and 2 women and finished 2^nd overall. Hopefully, a top 5 finish this year for the lady’s. Good luck to the ladies!! Good luck to all who are racing somewhere over the next few weeks. I hope you’ve enjoyed the first The Runner’s Sole newsletter. Any comments, good or bad, are encouraged for improvement of the newsletter. Until next time, run strong, run often, and run healthy! The Runner’s Sole

Biomechanics Seminars are Sundays at 5pm at The Runner’s Sole. $10/person. Upon conclusion of the seminar, each participant should be able to: 1. Demonstrate functional running form. 2. Define rear, mid, and forefoot landing zones. 3. Differentiate between barefoot and minimalist running shoes. 4. Differentiate between running cadence and pace. 5. Plan and execute an endurance training program for their goal distance. 6. Plan and execute race day nutrition. Each week will begin with form drills followed by a new additional topic. This week will be Endurance Training with special emphasis on race day nutrition.

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lots4rentingilbert — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:22:46 +0000