WEEK 1: TURKEY TROT 2019 RUN AND WALK TRAINING PLANS START! Tomorrow Monday, September 16 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 is the second year 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 (see below) the plan calendars, track day schedule, and minutes to miles calculations sheet as needed.
 
Explore the RESOURCES website page to find hip-girdle mobility (myrtl’s) routine demonstrations, dynamic stretching suggestions, and strength training exercises.

Thanksgiving Day is late in November this year, and I can’t wait!
Good Luck to all.  
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

Run Training Plan PDF

Walk Training Plan PDF

 Optional Track Day Schedule

Minutes to Miles calculations sheet

ANDREW MERLE SUGGESTS, IN AN ARTICLE FOR MEDIUM.COM, THAT WAITING FOR LARGE BLOCKS OF OPEN TIME TO INITIATE AND COMPLETE TASKS likely leads to decreased productivity, or worse. He feels that many of us tend to squander seconds and minutes, adding up to potentially hours of missed opportunity.
 
To make the most of these spare moments of 5 m, he says in “How to Maximize Small Pockets of Time”, we must first recognize signposts that mark the beginning of these valuable but often wasted time-pockets.  Merle calls them “triggers”. The second key step in utilizing these times he indicates, is to “determine what can be done in these little chunks of time”. 
 
Merle provided several examples of how he has managed to reclaim some minutes in his own life. Rather than patiently wait 2 minutes for the shower water to warm each morning, he decided to drop and perform pushups just after turning on the water (his trigger). And instead of letting time pass by while the coffee brews he suggests calling a loved one to make personal contact as soon as the coffeemaker is switched on (the trigger). A third example involves meditation. Time pockets of five or less minutes can be maximized in this fashion, he says.
 
The trick, as Merle says, is to identify specific triggers that will remind us to initiate and complete the desired action.
 
Earned Runs loves this concept.  We all might be attempting to do this intuitively, but only on some days, and in a hit-or-miss manner.   However, if we commit to finding pockets of times that are currently squandered each day and determine which ones we can regularly use in a productive way, might we also reclaim that time to use for other purposes? Maybe for relaxation or recreation!
 
Let’s say we squeeze 5-minute time pockets of upper body strength work into each of 5 days, totaling 25 minutes per week.  That effort normally would consume traveling to and from a fitness facility plus 15-30 minutes of a larger workout, at least 2 or 3 days a week.  By getting it done in time pockets, a chunk of at least 30-60 minutes each week could be saved and enjoyed in some other way. [Travel time isn’t counted because we may plan to go to the gym regularly anyway.]
 
Below are athletic and health-related activities that might be performed in 5-minutes or less that borrow from Merle’s inspiration:

• BALANCE EXERCISES: while scrolling through TV program guides looking for potential shows to watch/stream, or a movie to download, balance on one leg, 2 minutes each.
• STRETCHING: when checking the local weather and traffic updates first thing in the morning, perform hip girdle mobility moves (myrtl’s), dynamic or static stretches.
• FOAM ROLL: During the last 15 minutes of a TV show before turning in at bedtime, get down on the floor and foam roll your back to relax.
• ANKLE MOBILITY: while lying supine in bed before sleep or prior to rising, ‘write’ the alphabet with each foot.
• CALF RAISES: after rising from sitting at a computer for a break, steady yourself on a desk edge or chair and perform 10 single leg calf raises on each leg, for 3 sets.

 
Andrew Merle provides motivation to make the most out of small spare moments each day. What he encourages lines up with practices advocated by the current lifestyle organization trend. The foundations of the various organizing systems seem to center on the identification of clothing or household items which are necessary to daily living, then maximizing small storage spaces such that each can be folded or arranged in its own special place. The secret sauce of life organizing starts with uncluttering.  Rarely used items are packed up and donated or discarded.
 
In our fitness lives it’s possible that one or two goals that we feel are important to meet for health can be identified, and activities designed to help achieve them fit into small time slots. In this way each will have a place secured in a routine such that repeated performance is possible and progress can be realized. Like Merles pre-shower daily push-ups.  He started with the ability to consecutively perform a maximum of 20, and ultimately mastered a whopping 75!
 
These brief activities can involve fitness, meditation, and personal relationship building as described in the article.  It’s up to the individual to choose what’s vital. Some might choose sleep, nutrition, or cognitive training.
 
However, it also may be vital to leave some ‘un-maximized’ minutes open, aware of when they occur, and fully savor each unfettered hour fraction. Back in the day, I remember that kindergarten ‘free time’ was the best! Life might be good when it’s organized, but it’s wonderful when enjoyed.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://medium.com/@andrewmerle/how-to-maximize-small-pockets-of-time-991cabbc2d3a

IT'S TIME TO REPLACE MY SHOES, IT SEEMS, BASED ON THE APPEARANCE OF THE SOLES OF MY HOKA ONE ONE CLIFTON 5 PAIR AND UPDATE THE RESOURCES page information on athletic shoe selection.  Those who currently are wearing running or walking shoes during fitness workouts may wish to check the soles of your current shoes. The pattern of wear can provide information about running and walking form.  Online shoe guides may help with future shoe purchases, but bringing the old pair with you to a specialty running store for advice can guide your shopping, save time, and be less confusing. 
 
Shoe reviews tend to focus on the latest models and improvements made by manufacturers.  Shoe stores tend to have these models on display.  It is perfectly fine to ask the store expert if last season's shoe will work as well for you and to inquire about sales.

The latest technological advances in shoe design and production will nearly always be more expensive, but not always.  The new Rincon by Hoka OneOne™ as reviewed by Runnersworld.com is less expensive than other models.
 
Enjoy shopping.
 
 RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/blog/what-are-the-bottom-of-your-shoes-telling-you
 
https://www.innovateistore.com/store/blog/2-Innovate-Blogs/Wear-Tear-How-to-Read-the-Soles-of-Your-Shoes
 
https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a19663621/best-running-shoes/

https://www.hokaoneone.com/womens-road/rincon/1102875.html

CHECK OUT THE DRAFTS of the beginner running and walking plans for this year, designed to help first-time runners and walkers prepare to participate in one of the many Thanksgiving Day events to be held across the USA. Not much has changed from 2018.  As before, runners have the option of training on a track one day a week.

Earned Runs TURKEY TROT 2019 RUN PLAN
Earned Runs TURKEY TROT 2019 WALK PLAN
 
The first day of training is Sunday September 16, 2019, one week from today.  A preview of the daily workouts may help some make the decision to start training early with either of these 10+week programs. The running plan was adapted from one developed by Mario Fraioli for Competitor.com.  The walker plan was adapted from those offered free online by Hal Higdon.
 
The fact that Fraioli ‘s 5K running plan had a track day scheduled each week was one of the reasons it was selected by Earned Runs for beginners.  The TRACK DAY option provides motivation to investigate where to find a regulation track and take advantage of the potential benefits to be gained from feeling comfortable using one to train. The following is an updated explanation for this choice that was initially posted in 2017.
 
“Why TRACK DAYS?”
 
A TRACK IS A TYPE OF FITNESS EQUIPMENT
It's more than a facility. Many beginner or would-be runners may not have ever run, trained, or walked on a standard track. They may not know where the nearest or most accessible high school, college, or community facility is located. It may seem to be a training facility that is off bounds to them, and more appropriately used by younger or more ‘serious’ athletes, who are fast, highly competitive, and in top physical shape. I believed this until 2014.
 
The TRACK DAY option provides motivation to investigate where to find a regulation track and take advantage of the potential benefits to be gained from feeling comfortable using one to train. 
 
In my experience as a recreational walker and runner, there are three characteristics that make a track a standard piece of equipment that all runners and walkers should learn to use, and consider a training ‘home’.
 
A track is MEASURED, SAFE, and ATHLETIC.
 
MEASURED:
Specific distance assignments in a plan can be difficult to mentally assess for those accustomed to ‘just running’ rather than training, especially shorter rather than longer stretches. A car can be used to chart a road course in miles, and a mobile device app to determine shorter distances, but it’s not always easy to be precise with these lesser distances on paths or trails. Marking precise distances by these methods is problematic too, as rarely are there memorable physical features at exact points to help runners visually recall the start and end of a set distance. (“Which tree marks 400 meters?”). If a training plan calls for varying distances the measurement difficulties are compounded.
 
A standard track lap or fraction of a lap is a limited distance that looks the same every time you cover it. Memorizing a series of landmarks isn’t required to determine the exact distance run or walked. Mentally it’s  nearly effortless to use.
 
The track’s straight lengths are easily distinguished from the curved ends. The time it takes to cover specific distances is relatively easy to measure with a clock function on a watch or a phone app.  Using a track regularly for training may help your body to develop ‘memory’ for different distances too.
 
SAFE:
Safety is a life quality that has several dimensions. A running SURFACE can be more or less safe from an injury prevention perspective, especially when workouts will be performed at higher speeds or in adverse weather conditions. A standard running track tends to be even, consistent, textured, slightly cushioned, and appropriately drained. A surface designed specifically for competition is more likely than others to be safe for running faster-paced, precise intervals.
 
A running course can be more or less safe to run or walk from a weather perspective, especially when conditions are extreme or are expected to change over the duration of a single workout. Running or walking multiple loops of a street course has been my preferred approach on such days. Support items can be made available, in a nearby parked car.
 
On extreme weather days in which the air might be hotter, colder, windier, or wetter than is desirable for performance or health, a track may beat a street loop-course because hydrating fluids, nutrition, and dry, cooling, or warming clothes can be stowed in a bag and left in full view at the edge of the track or on bleacher seats, only a single lap away.
 
When a runner/walker is uncertain about being able to complete a given workout in its entirety, especially if  longer or more difficult than previously experienced, the track can be a great place to safely test limits of endurance.
 
Personal safety is another concern of outdoor runners and walkers. On a track there is less likelihood of incurring bodily harm from traffic accidents caused by faster moving vehicles on busy city streets or related to low-light conditions.  Isolated paths or suburban and country roads are places where expectations of receiving timely assistance from passers-by should be low in cases of emergency.  A track can be a top safety choice. However, tracks with poor lighting or in locations out of sight of others, or in high crime areas would not.  Check-out the active.com article by Lauren Hargrave, which provides personal safety tips for runners.
 
ATHLETIC:
Performing a workout on a track is one way for beginners to feel and act like the athletes they aspire to become. Acquiring this mental attitude will help a runner persevere in the tougher training regimens and possibly adopt healthier eating and sleeping habits.
 
The track is also a user-friendly place to perform pre-run dynamic stretching and mobility routines and to get in post-run static stretches as well as recommended body-weight strength exercises (step-ups and step-downs, dips and push-ups, etc) on benches and stairs. Holding oneself to the rule that you cannot start the running portion of the workout or depart from the premises before completing necessary routines increases the chances that they won't be skipped.
 
In some races the finish line is located on a track and the very last portion of the race includes a partial lap. Performing some workouts on a track can help beginners to visualize a successful goal race finish.  
 
Despite the encouragement of Earned Runs, the track may not be a desirable place to train for some. The Track Day Schedule identifies the approximate distances that should be run that day to help you accomplish the session goals without utilizing a track. The minutes-to-miles calculation sheet may be helpful in translating a timed-measured  into a distance-measured session.
 
GOOD LUCK!
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/15k-10-mile-training/intermediate-15k-10-mile/

https://www.active.com/running/articles/6-running-safety-tips

 
 
 

MOBILE "GYM" ALLOWS STRENGTH AND HIGHER INTENSITY CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS TRAINING. WHEN I SWITCHED FROM MOSTLY RUNNING FOR EXERCISE to fitness walking, I was recovering from a knee injury.  The revelation that osteoarthritis was the underlying reason for the problem caused me to reconsider my fitness routine. It no longer seemed wise to pound the pavement daily and neglect other forms of exercise.
 
Strength training officially became more important, once it was prescribed by my orthopedic surgeon to help limit further knee damage. I knew it would extend the natural life of all joints and work to build bone.  But it would not serve as a fun form of aerobic fitness training.
 
At that time I started investigating alternate forms of cardio-respiratory exercise like cycling, swimming, rowing, and elliptical work.  If I could no longer rely on putting in hours of running each week to benefit cardiovascular health, other endurance training would be needed to fill the gap. However, most of these other exercise modes were low impact and not the best for maintaining bone health as measured by bone mineral density (BMD).
 
Walking would function temporarily as a placeholder activity for running, I thought, as it felt slow and not like real exercise.  I wasn't planning on sticking with 'just ' walking permanently. Lifelong walker and hiker friends offered encouragement with personal testimonials, but I was not to be easily consoled in this first, cold weather season without running. Walking wasn’t the same as running.
 
With the first winter thaw I discovered that fat tire biking would help break my total-walking funk. It proved to be an exhilarating way to cover more miles in less time and experience a tougher workout.  That riding allowed enjoyment of more varied scenery almost made up for the fact that it provided only low impact physical activity.
 
I took up snowshoeing too and loved it; still it was no substitute for running.
 
With the advent of spring I played more golf with my husband, using a pushcart to transport my clubs over the course, as was his preference too. We both wanted to get more exercise from the activity than would come from riding in a cart. My arms fatigued more easily though, with the added effort of cart pushing. I wondered how, other than golfing more,  I might train to finish 18 holes without tiring by hole number 8.
 
Because our first, and at that time only, grandchild wasn’t yet old enough to upgrade her ride in a jogging stroller that spring and summer, ours was rarely used and sat gathering dust in the garage. One day, as I maneuvered it out of my way during cleaning, I noticed the position and feel of the stroller’s push bar was remarkably similar to that on the golf pushcart. After that, I had another reason to eagerly await our darling granddaughter's visit - to train for golf with her in the stroller.
 
The brilliant idea of pushing the stroller without a child in it for a harder aerobic workout than plain walking came to me much later that fall.  With  heart-healthy endurance exercise as a goal I took it out for a spin once the number of visitors to the area dwindled to the point that very few would share the bike path on my early morning walks. 

Before long I decided to load a few weights in it to increase the intensity of these aerobic sessions. The initial 22-pound load increased to 35 pounds, then by small increments to 71 pounds.  During that time, I began swapping out the added items (ankle weights and weighted vest) that was just, well, “weight” with functional workout equipment: dumbbells, a kettle bell, and sand balls.  Winter set in, though and my routine switched again to mostly walking, lap swimming, and indoor gym strength training.

The stroller waited in the garage.
 
When the snowy bike paths cleared enough to resume stroller pushing, I tested walking/jogging with it to create a HIIT (high intensity interval training) session.  The very short intervals at higher jogging rather than walking speed did not bother my knees and seemed to provide just the right amount of  higher-impact exercise to help with bone strength.
 
With the arrival of lovely warm weather in late spring, I began experimenting with walking/jogging to pre-determined walk stops (‘stations’) to perform strength exercises using the equipment loaded in the stroller. Soon pushups and triceps dip sets were added to the weight work. It was a summer win-win. With a stroller I was able to embrace walking as my go-to aerobic exercise and I could carry equipment for strength sets and spend more time out doors in the nice weather.  Once weekly hill repeat sessions behind the buggy added yet another type of workout to my fitness regimen.
 
My child-less stroller pushing on the nearby bike path was initially embarrassing. Neighbors and friends knew I had a grandchild and expected to see one riding in it. Eventually the mobile gym stopped eliciting comments and surprised looks.  After the birth of a second granddaughter this spring the routine also became a way for me to connect with the new mommy-daughter.  It was easy for us to converse on the phone as we both pushed strollers simultaneously on daily walks, she being hundreds of miles away with a real baby on board!
 
Now that autumn is on the horizon, I hope to create a one or two-month challenge for myself utilizing the stroller gym.  An Earned Runs challenge will be introduced in the next week or so, designed for those who may also wish to strength train and at the same time increase the intensity of a walk or run, by pushing a weighted stroller. 
 
I think the physical work of weighted stroller pushing is like fitness-sled pushing.* Unfortunately, a search of the scientific literature did not generate articles that might support or refute this opinion. 
 
An earlier investigation of the fitness and scientific literature, reported upon in a previous Earned Runs blog post, found that running behind a stroller with a child-size weight (about 16 kg/35 pounds), while maintaining normal non-stroller running pace, would increase calorie expenditure by about 5-8%.  The 2-handed technique was most energy efficient (easiest for maintaining performance and reducing the physiological burden) and the “push/chase” technique burned the most calories per minute (a bit more difficult and better for cardiovascular health or physical fitness purposes). 
 
The scientists involved in the research concluded that “implementing different pushing methods may allow individuals to adjust their running routine to meet specific fitness objectives.”
 
Those who don’t have children to push may find, like I did, that walking or intermittently jogging while pushing a weighted stroller can boost energy expenditure and cardiovascular effort, plus permit incorporation of strength and HIIT training into a single exercise session.  I was also able to easily transport water, rain gear, and an extra phone battery.

I discovered a way to replace running with walking, and love it.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
Excerpt from “PUSHING SLED EXERCISES” BY KIM NUNLEY for Chron.com:
 
“Pushing a weighted sled requires the contribution from an array of muscles in your lower body, core and arms. Driving the sled forward are your hip extensors, which include your gluteus maximus and hamstrings, your quadriceps, which extend your knees, and your calves, which handle movement at the ankles as you push off the ground. Your abdominals and obliques isometrically contract to keep your torso in a static position. Your shoulders and triceps help out by keeping your arms in a locked out position.”
https://livehealthy.chron.com/pushing-sled-exercises-8717.html
 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26497800
 
https://alcantarar.github.io/projects/p99_stroller/

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0180575

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE COMMITTED TO INTRODUCING STRENGTH TRAINING INTO A FITNESS regimen there’s a simple but challenging exercise that could jump start that resolution.  It could potentially be performed at work or school for a quick session during a break in the day’s action. A resistance band or tube is required, that can easily be stowed in a backpack or large purse.
 
Mary Anderson presents this exercise in a very brief shape.com article.  It combines a static lower body exercise- a backward lunge - with two upper body moves – an overhead press with one arm and a bicep curl with the other- using a resistance band. The coordinated body action naturally tests balance.
 
The exercise, called a Static Lunge Shoulder Combo, is demonstrated by its creator, fitness professional Alexander Charles at the New York City Equinox gym. Charles shows how to make the move a bit easier to perform (regression) and how to step it up (progression) too.
 
Mastery of just this one exercise might motivate additional attempts to take on strength training later in the month.  Resistance band/tube manufacturers generally include an exercise guide with their products when purchased as a set (different colors denote different strength levels). Exercises are can be found online as well.  The Anderson article provides some explanation and links to more information about this equipment.
 
Now is a great time to experiment with new forms of exercise, fitness equipment, and routines that will fit busy fall schedules and increase the likelihood of following though on self-improvement promises.

RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://www.shape.com/fitness/videos/one-perfect-move-resistance-band-static-lunge-shoulder-combo
 
https://www.power-systems.com/shop/category/resistance-bands
 
https://greatist.com/fitness/resistance-band-exercises

SAY GOOD-BYE TO SUMMER AND GET READY TO WELCOME FALL.  In advance of the astrological change of seasons later in September, today the USA begins to look forward to leaf color changes, crisper and cooler air in some locations, a sun that sits a bit lower in the sky, and other subtle  indications of the coming autumn.
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

RUN WALK-BIKE ACROSS AMERICA: WEEK 15,  THE END OF OUR VIRTUAL ROAD TRIP
Segment 39 North Conway NH to Portland MAINE

(Updated from 2018)
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 in a southeastern direction from New Hampshire toward the coast of the Atlantic Ocean to the state of Maine.

The easternmost point of land in the contiguous 48 states is near Lubec, Maine. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s summer vacation home on Campobello Island, where it is thought he contracted the poliovirus infection that left his legs paralyzed, is not in the US but in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, east of Lubec off the state’s Atlantic coast.  The only highway access to Campobello is a United States road bridge from Lubec.

Maine has nearly 230 miles of famously rocky coastline! Scenes of Maine that are most familiar to Americans are likely to feature lighthouses, jagged cliffs, bays and inlets, beaches, offshore islands, and fishing villages. However, farther inland there are lakes, rivers, and mountains with “forested slopes sweeping down to the sea”.  Blueberry farming and lobster fishing 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 real tourist, you would probably wish to visit it's charming and historic Old Port District, with its views of the Atlantic Ocean along Portland Harbor.  If this endeavor wasn’t virtual, the next scheduled stop on your itinerary might be at one or several of the many restaurants and drinking establishments in the area that make Portland a foodie attraction. A relaxing dinner may be the perfect way to celebrate reaching the end of the ACROSS AMERICA route.  Regardless of actual location, perhaps a Maine-inspired dinner that included lobster in the main course and a blueberry dessert would be a fitting way to finish to this challenge.

YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION!
CONGRATULATIONS to all who completed this cross-country running, walking, or biking “trip” of 3730 virtual miles over the summer. My personal journey was accomplished while pushing a jogging stroller around my neighborhood course, which allowed stowing keys and an ID, water, an extra battery backup for my phone, and rain gear for unexpected showers. I pinned by Earned Runs bib to the sun visor.

Each year of this challenge I have discovered something new about the geography, history, and ways of the people in the lands traveled. There’s still a lot to learn, however, portions of the spaces in America previously unknown to me have become more familiar as a result of repeatedly researching and writing about the route. Often times the revelations have been AWE INSPIRING!  What about you? Were you sometimes surprised at what you read in the weekly blog postings?

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 ASSUMING THIS EARNED RUNS SUMMER CHALLENGE. 
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland,_Maine
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campobello_Island
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maine

THE IMPORTANCE OF ADEQUATE SLEEP TO HEALTH IS RECEIVING MORE AND MORE ATTENTION these days. Insufficient sleep duration has been tied to the development of several common chronic diseases, indicates the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the same conditions that many have turned to exercise to help prevent.
 
The CDC says, “sleeping less than seven hours per day is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and frequent mental distress.”
 
This last summer version of the Earned Runs’ Science Friday post might be just the thing to jump start a back-to-school and -work effort to improve sleep this weekend. An Elemental+ article from Robert Roy Britt for Medium.com discusses that researchers think taking a hot bath 1-2 hours before getting into bed has the effect of lowering body temperature to the point that time to falling asleep is shortened by 10 minutes, and that sleep quality is improved.
 
Bath temperature must be 104-109 degrees Fahrenheit and the activity should extend to at least 10 minutes, Britt reports. Hot showers might offer the same benefits but, according to the cited expert in the article, more scientific study is needed.  There’s no mention whether sitting in a sauna will have a positive effect on sleep.
 
The article is a quick read, especially for those with bathtubs who would like to give it a try and who don’t have medical conditions that discourage spa sessions (by law spa temperatures can only reach 104 degrees).
 
BUT...
 
However appealing it is to believe that science has proven this tactic works as a “sleep hack”, the research study referenced by Britt tells a slightly less exciting, headline-grabbing story.
 
The scientists did not conduct original research but reviewed the results of pre-existing research in a meta-analysis. Of the 17 reviewed research articles, 10 had studied only footbaths, not whole-body baths, and one only studied warm showers. Participant numbers in each were mostly small, and age was quite variable; many subjects were greater that 40 and even 60 years old.
 
The finding that time to falling asleep was lessened by a hot bath was “based upon data from only two investigations that entailed a total of 36 subjects- elderly insomniac subjects with moderate vascular dementia whose average age was 77 y in one study, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients who average age was 36 y in the other study.” This last study involved footbaths.
 
The research paper’s conclusion cautions that more work is needed because the findings “are limited by the scarcity of reported research, especially its optimal timing and duration plus exact mechanisms of effects.”
 
So, the evidence suggests that taking a hot bath can help with sleep if it allows enough time for body cooling to occur before bedtime.  That it definitely must be at the whole body bath at the temperature (104-109 degrees) discussed in Britt’s article seems uncertain, considering footbaths are among the studied body-warming methods.
 
Testing whether the enjoyment of a 10-minute, warm-to-hot temperature soak roughly 90 minutes before sleeping, by those in whom it is not a health risk, is an easy personal research project to undertake.  Perhaps individually we can determine which conditions are optimal for our own body temp cool-down before sleep, until further scientific direction is provided.
 
Seems like a wonderful but luxurious, science project to start over the Labor Day weekend.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://elemental.medium.com/the-ultimate-sleep-hack-a-hot-bath-ccb737f7b090
 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1087079218301552
 
http://rhtubs.com/resources/why-hot-tub-temperatures-max-out-at-104-degrees/
 
https://psychcentral.com/news/2019/07/22/hot-bath-90-minutes-before-bed-may-help-improve-sleep/148852.html
 
https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/

https://www.verywellfamily.com/when-can-grandchildren-hot-tub-spa-1696192

https://www.thermospas.com/blog/hot-tub-temperature-guide-how-hot-should-your-spa-water-be/

THE WEDNESDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING DAY  IN THE USA* IS 13 WEEKS from today. If you hope to run or walk your very first 5K or other distance race on this holiday weekend, it’s time to start planning. Or, if traveling home, you’d like to beat your cousin who perennially has bragging rights to the best finish time at the family’s annual event. Possibly there’s a certain someone who might be at the race and you would like to show good running form and possibly improved body composition.
 
There’s enough time to begin a 12- week training plan, but not everyone needs or wants  to spend this much time in  training. Jeff Galloway wrote an article that promises to get those who are already running as little as 1-2 times per week in shape in 5-6 weeks. However, if you wish to incorporate some wiggle room into a training schedule to accommodate travel, vacation time, crunch time at work, or an illness, it might be wise to add an extra week or two to an 8 or  10-week program.
 
Need a bit of inspiration to commit? In the autumn of 2016 Lydia Estes, a student at Wofford College, wrote a charming article, for Oddysseyonline.com, “10 Reasons Why You Should Run In Your Town’s Turkey Trot.”  You don’t need to be a college freshman to relate to the experience she described as a participant in the local community Turkey Trot.  It was so refreshing to see that the expected reason at the top of most such lists, being able to eat an extra serving of pumpkin pie or other favorite food at Thanksgiving dinner, was last. 
 
What if there is no local race that you and your loved or liked ones can join as walkers or runners? Create your own. This is one reason why Earned Runs provides free bibs and resources for training. Request bibs now; they’ll help motivate you to take action. 
 
I am considering running-walking a 2019 Turkey Trot; my go-to local race is the Zeeland MI 8K. Last year I placed third in my age group after speed walking the entire race. However, plans may change and it may be our turn to travel for Thanksgiving celebration.  I will start training early to accommodate a 5k, 8k or 10k distance anywhere in the United States.
 
My motivation to start penciling workouts into my calendar the next month and begin training early is to be ready for whatever my family's traditions demand.
 
Earned Runs will post a 11- to 12-week plan preview in early September that beginners or those just getting back into running can follow.  A walker plan will also be offered.
 
Will 2019 be the year your Turkey Trot tradition starts or continues?

RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/reasons-to-run-in-the-turkey-trot

https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a20846738/how-to-run-a-turkey-trot-race/

https://www.calendar-canada.ca/holiday/thanksgiving2/10-14-2019/

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1047687/thanksgiving-2018-does-uk-celebrate-thanksgiving-usa-where-to-celebrate

https://www.countryfile.com/how-to/food-recipes/british-harvest-how-long-does-the-season-last-when-is-harvest-day-plus-history-and-traditions/

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/thanksgiving-around-the-world/

* Thanksgiving Day in Canada falls on October 14, 2019.  That's a bit over 6 weeks from today. The United Kingdom celebrates an autumn holiday, Harvest Festival, near the time of the autumnal equinox, about September 21-23 each year. 

Other countries around the world have similar themed holidays, which may not be on the calendar in November each year. The date of the US event can be an excuse for a race regardless of country of residence, and thus provide a reason to train over the preceding weeks. Check out the plans even if , where you live, November 28 is not a special day this year.

 

WEEK 14  RUN-WALK-BIKE ACROSS AMERICA STARTS
Segment 36 Speculator NY to Ticonderoga NY
Segment 37 Ticonderoga NY to Fairlee VT
Segment 38 Fairlee VT to North Conway NH
 
Traveling onward through the eastern Adirondack Mountains, the first day of this week takes runners, walkers , and cyclists through New York State from Speculator to the town of Ticonderoga.  The town is near the site of the famous fort (of the same name) involved in both the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolutionary War.

Before researching this route, I had heard of Lake George and Lake Champlain but had no idea that were near each other or in some way connected to Ticonderoga. A map and a Wikipedia entry reveal that these two lakes are longitudinally-oriented along a waterway that partially forms the borderlinebetween New York State and Vermont, and that courses north into Canada. Lake George is southern-most and Lake Champlain lies north of it.

The town of Ticonderoga, and the two-mile long La Chute River, represented a historically natural portage crossing between the two large lakes, which when combined with rivers, allowed a direct travel route between NYC and Montreal, in Quebec, Canada.  Ticonderoga is located on the route segment that extends from Lake George’s north shore to Lake Champlain’s south shore. According to Wikipedia, the city’s name is derived from a Mohawk word, “tekontaró:ken”, which means "it is at the junction of two waterways".

As detailed in the itinerary of the Trek Travel bicycle tour on which this virtual route was based, a ferry will transport us from Ticonderoga, across Lake Champlain to Shoreham, VT. The route then makes its way into Vermont’s Green Mountains through the Brandon Gap (elevation 2170 feet). This time of year, the autumn colors of the forested hillsides might not yet be developing. A check of a website that follows and attempts to forecast the New England Fall Foliage Season predicts that early signs of the color to come will not be seen until late in September  2019.
 
The small town of Fairlee VT is near New York’s border with New Hampshire and Lake Morey.  It claims to have the longest groomed ice skating trail (4.3 mile network) in the US, when winter conditions permit its full operation. Next the route courses through the White Mountains to the village of North Conway, NH, which is about 60 miles from the last destination of the trip, Portland Maine!
 
You won’t be climbing it, but not too far north of the route is Mt. Washington, at 6288 ft. the highest peak in the NH and most the prominent east of the Mississippi River. The mountain summit is famous for its erratic and sometimes treacherous weather (highest wind speed recorded was 231 mph in 1934); a non-profit observatory there researches Earth’s weather and climate. North Conway is in a year-round, outdoor recreational resort area, well known to climbers and hikers.
 
Only one more day left of moving your legs!!!
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!

http://trektravel.com/trip/cross-country-usa-bike-tour/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticonderoga,_New_York
 
https://www.jeff-foliage.com/2019/01/fall-foliage-forecast-for-2019/

https://www.trailfinder.info/trails/trail/lake-morey-ice-skating-trail

https://www.mountwashington.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_(New_Hampshire)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Conway,_New_Hampshire

IN AN ARTICLE FOR SHAPE.COM Mary Anderson discusses research findings that confirm what many women suspect or know because of personal experience in, “How Your Breast Size Can Affect Your Fitness Routine”.
 
Anderson indicated that study results from research conducted by Dr. Celeste E. Coltman and colleagues from the University of Wollongong in Australia showed that “breast size has affected the amount and level of activity” performed by women with larger breasts compared to those with smaller sized breasts.
 
The research publication’s abstract explained that not only did large breasted women tend to perform “less total physical activity per week”, they were also apt to lower the intensity level of that activity “compared to their counterparts with smaller breasts.” The scientists studied the issue because they suspected some Australian women were avoiding healthy doses of physical activity because of exercise-induced breast discomfort or embarrassment.
 
An expert Anderson consulted for her article agreed that in addition to the physical pain of excessive breast motion, psychology may also determine the circumstances of exercise performance in women with larger breasts. Feeling uncomfortable around others who would be observing their moving breasts can lead some to avoid exercising in public, it seems.
 
That same expert, from the Champion Bra Lab, encourages such women to find the “right sports bra”, because doing so can “reduce movement by up to 74 percent”.  She recommends wearing more than one bra, if necessary.
 
Although I don’t currently have much of an issue in the size category, I did in my younger child-bearing years. Now my concerns are due to age-related motion and appearance changes because of loss of natural support.  It can still discourage my participation and enjoyment of sport.
 
Lap swimming presented such a situation for me until a couple years ago; it kept me out of the gym pool.  Modern tank suits seemed to be designed for young competitors who cut through the water like dolphins, without need for much support or coverage. However bathing apparel for non-competitors appeared to be made for fashion and camouflage than for vigorous aerobic exercise.
 
Then I accidentally discovered a fix.  I must have left my swimsuit behind on an earlier vacation but needed one for stand-up paddle-boarding at home. I retrieved an old, ugly dark green, chlorine-damaged suit from a forgotten gym bag that was a good fit everywhere but through the shoulders; the straps were stretched and couldn’t reliably stay put.  There was a neon green Nike sports bra in the same bag.  I decided to try wearing them both; the bra’s presence under the suit kept the top in place so it wouldn’t fall off. Anyway, if it did I was covered.
 
This ‘fix’ also addressed the breast support issue that was keeping me from swimming laps; it worked perfectly! After that I separately purchased 2 new items to wear together as a tank-sports bra combination.  The next combo was blue/black.  I shopped to find a few more brightly colored sports bras under different tank suits to flaunt my unique style, which included wearing a bubble-gum pink cap with gray goggles.
 
I should have tumbled to the swim support solution much earlier because in my 20’s- 40’s I had worn 2 sports bras for running. It was easier and less expensive to use two different types of bras to limit excess motion than one perfect bra. Back then I figured that is was better to place fashion-appearance lower on my list of priorities than running performance.  
 
Is body part movement holding you back when it comes to participation in athletic activities?
Mentally, Anderson’s bra expert suggests women embrace the fact of movement as natural in addition to finding the right motion-control sports apparel.
 
Earned Runs agrees.  After all, there are other “wobbly bits” of the body that can show some jiggle and bounce during physical activity.  The backs of arms, soft bellies, ample thighs, and even neck tissues. We should utilize appropriate support gear but try not to let mental pictures of imagined unattractive body parts keep us from striving to achieve healthy levels of athletic participation.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/how-breast-size-affects-your-fitness
 
https://www.jsams.org/article/S1440-2440(18)30875-2/abstract
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-7i7-KjkiE Bridget Jones in movie Edge of Reason
 

JOHN F. CARTER TELLS A LONG TALE OF HIS JOURNEY FROM UNBEARABLE SCIATICA PAIN TO PAIN FREE HEALTH.  Much of the telling of his ordeal is spent relating the series of mental and attitudinal changes that occurred when relief did not appear to be in sight. How he adjusted his approach to work, life in general, and most frightening, a future enduring near-constant pain.
 
“It was that futile search for answers that led me to write this article and share my experience with others” he explains in the Medium.com article.
 
It’s a lengthy story, and it’s not about the specific exercises that ended his ordeal; he recommends the books he read but spends very little time describing the physical therapy that helped him.
 
This brief Science Friday blog provides a link to the exercises he may have been performing.  The reason for this supposition is that I had a much milder form of sciatic nerve compression about a decade ago.  I had endured progressively worsening right lower leg and foot pain, especially when driving long distances for a couple years. My remedy was to stop every 20 minutes, get out of the car (or desk) and walk around for 5 minutes. Finally, after also suffering left knee bursitis that prevented walking and having been prescribed physical therapy for that problem, I mentioned the issue to a therapist.
 
She insisted on obtaining permission to safely treat this additional problem from the orthopedic surgeon who diagnosed the knee. I got it, and she provided me with some exercises, the same moves demonstrated in a PDF from the Orthopaedic Specialists of North Carolina.

Incredibly, the pain subsided with a week or so! I felt I had been handed a  life-saving device.  The effect on the quality of my daily activities had been incredible.  
 
She explained that likely multiple hours of sitting hunched over a computer preparing lectures as an associate professor in a medical school and looking through a microscope  as a research pathologist,  and then leaning forward in the driver’s seat with the back set straight up during my 2 hour commute each way  each weekday was compressing the anterior portion of my lumbar spine; and it required stretching exercises to extend it and lessen nerve compression.
 
Her intervention worked. I’ve not seen much written about this issue since that year. John F. Carter’s article hinted that he had a similar problem, but much more severe and debilitating symptoms, and was helped by at least one of the moves I was prescribed and performed.
 
Clearly, any type of significant leg pain should be investigated by a medical doctor to determine it’s cause and treatment.  The purpose of this blog post is to share lumbar spine extension exercises that might prevent this problem from occurring in those who may be prone to developing it.  Frequent, prolonged upright or hunched-over sitting for hours at a time was key to my foot/lower leg pain.
 
Check them out. The prone extension on pillows was my go-to exercise. I still perform it every night before sleep!
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://medium.com/@johnfrederickcarter/the-5-things-that-fixed-my-soul-crushing-sciatic-nerve-pain-a1a1a61ea30f
 
https://orthonc.com/uploads/pdf/Lumbar_Extension_Exercises.pdf

GUIDELINES FOR EXERCISE  Meghan Rabbitt has advice for fitness enthusiasts who wish to adopt the latest trend in dieting in a short article the for MyFitnessPal.com blog, “The Do’s (and Don’ts) of Intermittent Fasting and Fitness”.
 
Rabbitt, with the help of experts, first defines the practice and then alternates describing best practices with those to avoid with regard to working out.  She explains how to ease into and then extend the part of the day when food is not eaten, ranging from 12 to 16 hours in duration for most plans.  Rabbitt also offers recommendations on how best to introduce fasted workouts and “break” a fast.  She differentiates this type of “intermittent” plan (a daily reduced window of time in which eating is permitted) from that which requires abstaining from food for more than 16 hours, sometimes as long as 48 hours (2 full days).
 
Her do’s and don’ts represent sensible guidelines for safe exercising while dieting; recreational athletes interested in coordinating workouts with IF would  likely find this short article a quick, first-step read.
 
RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/the-dos-and-donts-of-intermittent-fasting-and-workouts/
 
NOTE:  If fasting to achieve weight loss is not of interest to you, but dieting as a strategy to increase longevity is intriguing, check out the science-heavy article by Dr. Jason Fung posted on Medium.com, “Longevity and Diet”
 
https://medium.com/personal-growth/longevity-and-diet-9b5011afc22

WEEK 13: RUN-WALK-BIKE ACROSS AMERICA STARTS TOMORROW
Segment 33 Bradford PA to Corning NY
Segment 34 Corning NY to Cazenovia NY
Segment 35 Cazenovia NY to Speculator NY

This week we will make our way from the Keystone State of Pennsylvania into the Empire State of New York, first to a city known for its manufacture of glass and ceramic products, Corning NY. The city is south of the Finger Lakes (FL) region, which is skirted on this trip.

The region is famous for beautiful woodland scenery, vineyards, and wine making. Officially there are 11 long, narrow, sometimes very deep lakes in this central part of the state.  The Finger Lakes were carved by glacial action, as are many of the geographic features of the Great Lakes states. This area of New York is also a main part of the homeland of the Iroquois, a Native American nation that was one of the most powerful in colonial times.

The village of Watkins Glen NY, north of the route at the south end of Seneca Lake, is well-known by nature enthusiasts for the nearby State Park, with its beautiful rushing streams, waterfalls, and gorges. Race fans know it for the Watkins Glen International racetrack, which is on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule (in 2019 the race will be contested on August 11.)

The route passes from Corning through Ithaca, which lies at the southern end of Cayuga Lake, then east of the city of Syracuse to the historic village of Cazenovia in the town of the same name.  Ithaca is the home of Cornell University, which is both a private Ivy League and a public land-grant educational institution.  Syracuse is home to its namesake University. Cazenovia Lake lies at the northeast edge of the town, and although it is situated at the far eastern end of the FL region and not officially included with the eleven Finger Lakes, sometimes is called the 12th Lake because it seems to have similar glacial origins.

The last stop this week is Speculator NY, deep within the Adirondack Mountains.  The route runs eastward from Cazenovia and enters Adirondack Park, the boundaries of which correspond to the dome-shaped area comprising the Mountains, about 160 miles wide and a mile high. If you stayed at an inn you might enjoy relaxing in wooden Adirondack reclining chairs that derive their name from the area. You will have earned it! Only a relatively few more days of effort remain, about 300 miles of road.


RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_Lakes
 
http://www.fingerlakes.com/about/historywww.fingerlakes.com/about/history

https://parks.ny.gov/parks/142/
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watkins_Glen_State_Park
 
https://www.cbssports.com/nascar/news/2019-nascar-at-watkins-glen-picks-predictions-fade-chase-elliott-back-clint-bowyer-at-go-bowling-at-the-glen/