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TURKEY TROT PLANS Tomorrow Monday, September 10 is the first day of both the running and walking 10+week training plans. Runners, if you decide to use the optional TRACK DAY and haven’t yet done so, spend some time today locating a track to use for the Monday workout.
This year is the first time a WALKING 5K & 10K Training Plan is being offered. It’s for runner’s who wish to take a break from their usual training and for walkers who would like to formally prepare for run/walk events. DOWNLOAD the plan calendars, track day schedule, and minutes to miles calculations sheet as needed. Explore the RESOURCES website page to find MYRTL hip-girdle mobility routine demonstrations, dynamic stretching, and strength training exercises. GOOD LUCK everyone; can’t wait until Thanksgiving. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! 2018_turkey_trot_optional_track_day_schedule_august_17.pdf walking_plan__2018_turkey_trot_5k_-10k_draft_august17.pdf 2018_turkey_trot_5k_training_plan_draft_august17.pdf 201_turkey_trot_chart_calculation_min_to_miles_14-10_min_per_mile_.pdf
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UPDATED from November 23, 2016 and again March 1, 2017.
BEFORE RACE TRAINING BEGINS give a glance to an article that may change the way you think about preparing to compete and arrange workout sessions. It's the “The 25 Golden Rules of Running: Time Tested, Universally Accepted Axioms of the Sport” by Bob Cooper. The article from runnersworld.com provides the veteran advice that is otherwise hard to come by in concise form. This one item packs nearly everything runners must consider to be successful in their sport. Success, for me, has meant making it to personal milestone events without injury, performing as expected based on training, taking pride in goal accomplishments, and enjoying myself. I’ve learned them one at a time by reading, through advice handed down from trainers or other runners, or with tough personal experience. I've also learned that all rules may not apply to my situation, and not to worry if they don't. Here they are, all together. Possibly the wisdom of each rule (and the exceptions) won’t be fully recognized by those of you who are new to the sport until the issues present themselves later in your running careers. So print and keep this gem of an article in your “files”; (gym bag, refrigerator, locker, etc.). The very first one, the Specificity Rule, is one that could easily be ignored; I have been guilty: to train effectively some of your workouts must ‘mimic’ the specific event for which you are preparing and the specific finish time to hope to achieve. This means running at goal pace for a portion of your training. The conditions expected at the goal competition should also be taken into account. The rule’s explanation does not provide an exact meaning, but it seems reasonable that if you anticipate racing in extreme heat or cold, over hills, or on a slippery surface, you should be training at least some of the time in the same environment. This can be difficult if it’s a long distance race that is months away, and is scheduled in a season, climate, or geographically dissimilar location from your training program. You must manage expectations accordingly. A typical half marathon training plan extends over 12-16 or more weeks. Starting to train immediately for a race 4-5 months away may not allow you to train with "specificity". It’s possible that scheduling a long distance goal event much later in the year (or even the next year) would better fit the circumstances under which you expect to train. Before training for the goal race is due to begin, scheduling and training for shorter distance events in the interim may help fill the time gap and keep interest and motivation at high levels. Thus, it’s helpful to plan a running YEAR such that all competitions help to prepare you for the big race in which it’s most important for you to shine. Your RACE YEAR needn’t start January 1; it could start this September 2018 if you are aiming to run a first TURKEY TROT on Thanksgiving day or participate in a half marathon event race in January 2019. This kind of long range planning will seem seem crazy if you haven't identified a specific goal race; hence the name, “Specificity Rule”. However, a year-long plan can help those with a busy family and/or work life coordinate training plans and competitions with children’s sport seasons, weddings, conferences, vacations, reunions, and business trips. You don't need to have a specific goal race date to benefit from developing a year-long program. Sure, there will be some unexpected occurrences that threaten to wreck a program calendar, but with long range planning you will be able to put things in proper perspective and find a way to enjoy all of life, not just a sport. The addition of a few days, or even weeks, of wiggle room to training schedules can be a stress-busting move. Here are the 25 rules in the list; obviously you must read the article to reap the benefit of each golden nugget of wisdom. Keep in mind that individual situations and new information may require that rules be challenged.*
RUN & MOVE HAPPY! *Just recently the wisdom of the "10% rule" (#2) was questioned by Jeff Gaudette. http://www.runnersworld.com/running-tips/the-25-golden-rules-of-running http://running.competitor.com/2018/08/training/the-10-percent-rule-fact-or-fiction_42570 EARNED RUNS “HOUSE CUP CHALLENGE” EXPLAINED; BACK TO SCHOOL! Now that, according to traditional academic year calendars, SUMMER is over and days in the classroom have begun for many, you might think Earned Runs Challenges will end. Not exactly. There will be 3 Earned Runs supported opportunities to improve fitness now that September has begun. Officially, Turkey Trot race training has been labeled FALL CHALLENGE I, for those who like to get back into a formal program in preparation for an event. However, not everyone will be excited about working toward participating in a goal race in late autumn. An alternative was recently introduced, the Earned Runs FALL CHALLENGE II: SEASON LIST. Rather than checking off a “bucket list” of experiences that may require a lifetime to accomplish, a season’s worth of fitness goals might be identified, listed, and completed over the next several months. Before the excitement of the holidays kicks begins, from mid- September to the end of November, for example. A previous blog post explained this challenge more fully. For those who think back fondly, remembering the fun of SCHOOL DAYS, another alternative to race training is a personal, customizable, health/fitness improvement competition, FALL CHALLENGE III: THE HOUSE CUP. It was introduced in Fall 2017, and is being offered again in 2018. The idea comes from the fictional Harry Potter book series. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry found friends and joined the magical community, the HOUSE CUP was an award presented to one of the four student houses at the finish of the academic year. Members of Gryffindore, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin all competed for this trophy. It was won by earning the most total points, which were added and subtracted over the months that school was in session, in reward or punishment for the good performances or misdeeds, respectively, of its members. “While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honour.” Professor Minerva McGonagall thus explained the point system. Earned Runs will help you create a custom HOUSE CUP competition, to provide an incentive to adopt some needed health and fitness habits. Each day of the challenge you will win or lose points, according to predetermined rules, set with the purpose of improving health and fitness habits. HOUSE CUP MATERIALS, one set for each participant or team: 1) Point tokens or coins (Hogwart's used precious gems; Earned Runs uses dimes) 2) Two containers; one or both should be clear to make changes in levels easily visible 3) Set of House Rules, including days the competition will run, when rules are in effect. 4) Point Tally Chart, assigning number to be awarded or subtracted each day 5) Honesty & Commitment Instructions: Containers: decorate the clear container, make it look appealing. Points Tokens: Place all the tokens in the starter container. Add tokens to the HOUSE CUP container as you complete tasks to which points were assigned. To start the competition each participant/team must accrue sufficient tokens to have enough to subtract as the days go by. Move tokens back FROM the HOUSE CUP container to the starter container if you need to SUBTRACT points. Participants/teams entering into ‘negative’ token territory will be forced to drop out of the competition. House Rules: Identify a time period over which you will be holding the competition. You might wish to add a few extra days or so to allow for unexpected issues that may temporarily prevent participation, especially if there is a specific goal to be reached (see the Earned Runs example). Calculate approximately how many total tokens and tokens per day or week you will need to add to the Cup to achieve your goal. Check that the number of daily/weekly points to be won is reasonable, even if there are occasional subtractions. With a team event the groups merely need to win points; the one with the most tokens on the last day of the Challenge can be designated the winner. An individual may strive to accumulate a specific number of tokens by the end date to identify themselves as winning. Points list: Assign positive (+) points to habits or activities to be encouraged; negative for those to be avoided. Greater value should be assigned according to the importance of adopting (+) or eliminating (-) the activity. Check out the Earned Runs system and make changes if you decide to borrow the basic rules. With a team event the groups merely need to win points; the one with the most tokens on the last day of the Challenge can be designated the winner. An individual may strive to accumulate a specific number of tokens by the end date to identify themselves as winning. The points list can be longer, including enough activities that every single one doesn’t need to be performed each day to earn all the required points. Or it can be shorter, listing only the essential good health and fitness habits hoped to be established during the challenge period, such that your daily task is to complete all items. The HOUSE CUP CHALLENGE was an experiment for me last year. I was a bit nervous about starting something so different and the possibility of failing. Being able to VISUALIZE my progress, or lack of it, was a daunting prospect. I didn’t do as well as anticipated by the end date. The method required some adjustment. However, I DID establish some of the hoped-for good habits in 2017! The challenge worked for me, at least in part, and I‘ll try to add to that success in 2018. If this type of competition appeals to you attempt to customize a personal, “back-to-school” HOUSE CUP CHALLENGE for yourself, or for family or a group (work, friends). It might be much more fun competing against others, like the student houses at Hogwart’s. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Benjamin Franklin is attributed with saying. Let’s venture! RUN & MOVE HAPPY! Earned Runs example: 2018house_cup_challenge_points_and_rules_my_personal_challenge_with_tally_chart.pdf Weekly tally sheet- one page 2018_house_cup_daily_tally_one_week.pdf COMMENT'S ARE WELCOME! http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/House_Cup
EARNED RUNS WILL NOT REFER TO THIS AS A BUCKET LIST, BUT RATHER A ‘SEASON’ LIST, CHALLENGE, because the traditional ‘bucket’ name has implications that can be disheartening for some.
Lori Nelson Spielman, the talented wife of Bill, Chairman of the Department of Physiology at Michigan State University when I was hired into that unit, titled her first novel, “The Life List”. Since reading Spielman’s book, it’s been my preference to use this term for the method some use to prioritize “experiences or achievements that a person hopes to have or accomplish during their lifetime” (Oxford Dictionaries definition of a bucket list). However, the long-term nature of a “life” list can allow a good amount of procrastination, for good reason. Some big-dream goals require considerable planning, saving, and personal investment over time, encompassing an entire life. Thus, the Earned Runs Fall Challenge II: SEASON LIST will shorten the time-frame to a more manageable and finite period from Labor Day to New Year’s Eve 2018. And it will place emphasis on achievements and experiences that will enable winter season training. Each person’s SEASON LIST must be based on individual choices; Earned Runs cannot choose for you. Below is a list of items a beginner runner/walker might find appealing to accomplish, which may inspire creation of one customized to your own fall season, taking into account personal health and physical activity goals. Each is relatively affordable and easily achieved within several months. EARNED RUNS’ FALL CHALLENGE II: ‘SEASON’ LIST example:
The Earned Runs FALL CHALLENGE II: ‘SEASON’ LIST is designed to assist with setting up the next season of training such that on New Year’s Day 2019 there won’t be only one, join-a-gym, option to address resolutions aimed at improving health. Maybe you’ll look at this and write it off as merely a fitness “to-do” list. Yes, it is. But it is a focused list that with completion of each item provides a small experience that might be enjoyed, and thus build confidence, and provide motivation to persevere in fitness efforts. The FALL CHALLENGE II: SEASON LIST example will be posted on the RESOURCES page. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! Check out "The Life List" to learn how the main character handled her challenge. WHETHER YOU WORK OR PLAY TODAY, it's an honor. Pay tribute this day to those who labor so that the fruits of their effort can be enjoyed. This holiday is for us all.
RUN & MOVE HAPPY! RUN WALK-BIKE ACROSS AMERICA: WEEK 15, THE FINISH LINE
Segment 39 North Conway NH to Portland MAINE The LAST segment of travel on the entire route from Astoria OR, then Portland OR, to Portland ME will be completed this week, possibly on Monday by some of you, which is Labor Day in the USA. The route courses southeast from New Hampshire toward the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the state of Maine. Maine has nearly 230 miles of coastline; the easternmost point of land in the 48 contiguous states is near Lubec, Maine. President Franklin Roosevelt’s summer vacation home on Campobello Island, where he contracted the poliovirus infection that left his legs paralyzed, is east of Lubec off the state’s coast, in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, but it’s only highway access is a road bridge from Lubec, in the United States. Famous for its rocky coast, the Maine scenes familiar to most Americans feature coastal lighthouses, jagged cliffs, bays and inlets, beaches, offshore islands, and fishing villages. Farther inland are lakes, rivers, and mountains with “forested slopes sweeping down to the sea”. Blueberries and lobstering are traditionally listed as mainstays of the state's economy but tourism, shipbuilding, and other industries are also strong. Maine is home to Acadia, near Bar Harbor, the only National Park in New England, which is about halfway up the coast from Portland, north and eastward. The city of Portland lies on a peninsula in Casco Bay on the Gulf of Maine. As a tourist, you’ll likely wish to visit the charming and historic Old Port District, along the Portland Harbor, with its views of the Atlantic Ocean. A relaxing dinner may be the perfect way to celebrate reaching the end of the ACROSS AMERICA route. If this endeavor wasn’t virtual, a real trip to one or several the many restaurants and drinking establishments in the area that make Portland a foodie attraction would be next on the list of scheduled stops. YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION! CONGRATULATIONS to all who completed this cross-country running, walking, and biking “trip” of 3730 miles over the summer. There’s still a lot to learn about the geography, history, and ways of the people in the lands through which we 'traveled'. However, portions of the spaces in America previously unknown to me have become more familiar as a result of researching and writing about the route. Often times the revelations have been AWE INSPIRING! What about you? Were you sometimes surprised at what was learned? Take some time to bask in the glow of accomplishment that comes with attaining a far-reaching goal. You would have covered anywhere from 37-3730 total miles in 14+ weeks IN THE COURSE OF ATTEMPTING THIS EARNED RUNS SUMMER CHALLENGE. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! You can link to the Segment Map here; it's also posted on the RESOURCES page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Maine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campobello_Island https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine
FALL IS RACING SEASON. MANY RUNNER AND SOME WALKERS WILL PICK A GOAL RACE, possibly a marathon or half marathon, and begin training. The best ending for this scenario is that all goes as planned and everyone arrives at their event healthy and ready to achieve a personal best. Unfortunately, some will be sidelined by an injury before making it to the start line, and some may encounter a problem during or after the competition.
The time to worry about injury prevention is before training, before racing. MATT FITZGERALD’S ARTICLE “Are Shoes Really to Blame for Running Injuries” for running.competitor.com draws attention to the fact that the sport is associated with a greater risk of injury than sports like swimming and cycling. He refers to a 1998 scientific study that investigated the occurrence of injuries among elite triathletes and found that “62.1percent of injuries suffered during a five year period were caused by running, 34.5 percent by cycling and only 3.4 percent by swimming.” Fitzgerald goes on to discuss evidence that “overbuilt” shoes contribute to the problem by relating the experience of the meagerly shod Tarahurmara tribe of Mexico, made famous in the book Born to Run by author Christopher McDougall. And then the other factors that may play a role in injury: excess body weight, “sedentariness”, and running on hard surfaces. It’s worth thinking about which of the factors is likely to influence our individual risk for injury. I know, because I’ve had some soft tissue injuries over the years, which tended to occur when I was training particularly hard. My finish times were decreasing and I was thrilled to be in the hunt for a decent place in my age group for each upcoming race. What I did not realize at the time is that, because of the high impact nature of running, it would have been better to limit running time to high-yield workouts (speed, hills, intervals) rather than to ‘just run’ for the sake of running each and every day of the week. If you read Fitzgerald, pay attention to the part about sedentariness: “Being active in diverse ways outside of running actually encourages healthier running. An active lifestyle outside of running helps prevent most of the muscular and postural imbalances that are so common in our society and that contribute to injuries because e of reduced joint stability.” In this regard Fitzgerald again points to the Tarahumara as examples of a high-mileage running people for whom physical activity is not confined to 45 minutes of scheduled high-impact exercise. With his advice in mind, consider confining training runs to 3-4 days a week and using 1-3 days to enjoy another sport or to significantly increase the amount of time spent at non-exercise physical activity. These are the activities of daily living that we try to avoid at our homes and work; chores that we gladly give up or pay a premium to others to perform for us in the name of convenience. Maybe it best to take-back the chores! Overbuilt shoes may play a role in causing running injuries, but Fitzgerald indicates It is too easy to blame equipment and ignore how we use it. If you want to enjoy making it to a Fall race day event without being sidelined by injury, think about taking steps to remain healthy before training begins. Plan to run/walk some sessions on softer surfaces, and to stay physically active for a greater percent of each day in ways that don't involve just running/walking. A Runnersworld.com piece also discusses ways in which joint damage may be avoided. In addition to managing bodyweight issues, it recommends stretching more and in a gentle manner. Re-think your shoe strategy too. Instead of purchasing the 'go-to' shoe brand and model you've been wearing for years, put extra time into researching what's new. Perhaps a 'less-is-more' approach to footwear may work for you. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! http://running.competitor.com/2018/08/injury-prevention/are-shoes-really-to-blame-for-running-injuries_12779 https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/g20829249/4-ways-you-may-be-ruining-your-joints/ |
BRIDGE TO PHYSICAL SELF
Running, walking, and fitness activities enable us to experience our physical selves in a world mostly accessed through use of fingers on a mobile device. AuthorEARNED RUNS is edited and authored by me, runner and founder. In 1978 I began participating in 10K road races before 5Ks were common. I've been a dietitian, practiced and taught clinical pathology, and been involved with research that utilized pathology. I am fascinated with understanding the origins of disease as well as health and longevity. Archives
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