LESS THAN 2 WEEKS UNTIL GLORY DAYS

First off, I know I havent been keeping up with the blog and I am sorry. But I figured I would make a post before the big race.

Everyone thats coming to the learn to run club is doing awesome!!! I know most of you also did the 8km at the PR Half marathon and did a fantastic job in, for most of you, your first races ever. It was great to see everyone so happy after finishing the race. However our goal is the Glory Days!!!! And it is a great race with lots of people all starting at once. So I will try and give some tips to help you run a good/smart race.

Running is more of a mental sport than a physical sport. So when the race begins everyone will take off super fast......but not us. You should take it slow at first, dont be tempted to sprint off the start or your race will not go very well as your legs will be trashed. Try and set a pace for yourself and stick to it. It is extremely hard not to get caught up in the begining but if you can stick to your pace from the start you will run a much better race.

Also, hit up the water stations and stay hydrated. The Glory Days tends to have very good weather so you may sweat more than usual. And when you are done make sure to drink some fluids and eat some of the food supplied whether its a bagel or cold cuts or a granola bar.

There are a couple of big hills on the course so make sure you dont try and sprint up them and take it easy going up and coming down them or your legs will really feel it.

but the number one piece of advice I have is.......ENJOY YOURSELF. Have fun, we are not olympians or trying to set any records. Running is an individual sport so do what makes you feel good. It is nice to set a goal for the race but dont set an unattainable goal and then be upset afterwards. Your first goal is to finish and have fun. If you run a personal best or beat your goal that is just icing on the cake!!!!

ITS BEEN A LONG TIME

It has been around a month since my last post and now that we have hit the streets I would like to share some advice and tips that I have received and figured out since I began running.



Since we are now off the track sometimes we will be going up and down hills. The biggest thing with hills whether going up or down them is to keep your chin up and shoulders back. This will allow you to intake oxygen/breath easier. A major flaw in alot of new runners is to lean forward up hills which effectively can minimize oxygen intake. Usually keeping your upper body quiet is recommended whiel running, however when runnning uphill it can sometimes help to pump your arms a bit more to help bring you up that hill.



When running downhill the biggest mistake is to let your momentum take you down the hill. This can work on very grdual downhills but not when the grade in the road is steep. You want to keep in control by shortening your strides and having your foot strike the ground right underneath your body and not in front of you. If you lengthen your stride and have your foot hitting the ground in front of you it can cause alot of stress on your legs as your actually stopping your momentum. And just like on the uphills keep your chin up and shoulders back.

Lastly you have probably been noticing lots of gravel on the sides of the road right now. I dont recommend running on the loose gravel but if you cannot have both feet away from the loose gravel male sure while your running on it to shorten your stride to increase your stability on it. It doesnt take much to slip on the gravel and if one foot is on bare pavement and the other in the gravel an injury could happen. And while running on certain streets you may notice the sidewalks are banked which can be difficult to run on. In this case run on the road facing traffic and as close to the sidewalk as possible. Running on banked and uneven sidewalks can possibly lead to knee pain and other injuries if done on a constant basis. A great place to run is the waterfron from Kwinitsa all the way to Bobs on the Rocks. Its flat well lit and there are always other people around.

Thanks everyone who is coming out and if you have stopped please come back....we miss you and you can still make the 5km at glory days or even the 10km!!!!!

I am not sure if everyone got this email but I feel its definetly worth posting for all to read. I will do another one about myself inthe next week or so. Thanks for this Bob!

Back a couple years after joining the Rupert Runners, Rob Eby posted a story on December 13, 2008 at 6:50pm to be exact, that I had written on the Rupert Runners’ Facebook site under “Discussions”. I thought that I would use that same story as a way to introduce myself to all of you.

My Story:
I got the “running bug” after watching my two girls compete in high school cross country running coached by Ray Leonard. They also competed in a few fun runs and the Skeena Relay so I thought I would give it a try. The first run I did was the Glory Days 5K fun run in 2004 with all 3 of my kids, I was surprised when I beat the oldest 2 (Andrew and Caitlin) and only just got beat by my youngest, Meghan. My kids say they don’t like running with me because I can be a little on the competitive side. Anyway, I never really trained seriously, just ran the odd 5 K in the Glory Days or Cannery Runs and was always in awe of the runners who ran the longer distances. It was during the winter of 2007 when I decided to start running seriously. I was about 30 pounds overweight and wanted to hike the West Coast Trail with my 3 kids but knew I needed to get in shape. I also had the big Five O birthday coming up in September 2008 and wanted to do something different. I began a run/walk 10 week program in April 2007. I ran the Glory Day’s 5K that year and finished last in my age group, my time was over 30 minutes and I was dead tired and sore after the race. I kept running all summer in 2007 and by November 2007 decided I would train for the Half Marathon in Rupert that would be held in April 2008. My training followed a typical schedule I got off the internet (Runner’s World) and on April 13, 2008 I ran my first Half and finished 3rd in my age group with a modest time of 1:50:48. I had thought before I ran the half, that if I did ok I would consider training for a Marathon in the fall. After the April Half, I was hooked. With a few weeks off, I started to prepare for my training for a full Marathon . I started my Marathon training on April 26; it was a 23 week program that ended on October 12, 2008. There are two Marathons in BC on October 12, the Royal Victoria Marathon and the Okanagan Marathon in Kelowna . I decided to go with the RVM as all 3 of my kids live there and the weather would be similar to Rupert (Sort of). I also had heard great things about the course and the event itself. I went in every race in Prince Rupert to help prepare for the marathon; Resolution Run, Half, Glory Days 5 K, Skeena Relay, Mt Hays Hill Climb, and the Cannery Run 10K. I also joined the Rupert Runners Club! On October 12, 2008, 18 months after I started running (and 35 pounds lighter), I ran the RVM in a time of 4:16:12. My goal was for a sub 4 hour run but all the books I read said that one should just pace themselves to finish. I was very happy with my time and it was a great experience to have my 3 kids there to cheer me on. For those of you who like stats, my pace was 6:04 (I only walked through the water stations but had 3 pits stops-have a weak bladder, I know…. too much info!), I placed 100/156 in Men’s 50-54 age class, placed 1,306 overall out of 2,042 finishers. I am already looking forward to my next marathon and recommend to everyone that if you have lots of will power, try a marathon, there is no feeling like it. Now, anyone want to go on a long run to Port Ed and back? And yes, I did fit the West Coast hike this past summer, 75 km hike with a 50 pound pack is good marathon training! Bob Cuthbert

Now fast forward just 14 months and a few half and full marathons later, here I am helping Steve, Suzette, Mike and Scott with the “Learn to Run Program” and learning lots more.

What is my running goal? To get a Boston Qualifying time (3:35:00) at Kelowna so I can run the Boston Marathon.

Cheers

Bob

Taking it EASY

Again, way to go on your run on tuesday night. The weather held off and we seemed to increase the pace of our run. According to Steve's GPS we ran around 5km's.

Something we started talking about was rest and feeling sore the day after a tough run. Your body/muscles/joints need time to heal between workouts. A popular belief for runnners is that to get stronger and faster you need to run everyday.................this is NOT the case. Your body needs the rest to repair muscles and recover and get stronger. Your joints also need this time to recover from this pounding. By taking days off you reduce the chances of getting over use injuries such as shin splints and stress fractures. Even elite marathoners take days off....these days usually have low impact cross training such as swimming.

If you find your knees or joints are getting sore or even swollen try icing them down to reduce the swelling. If they remain swollen and painul when you run definetly see a doctor. Running with pain is not a good idea for anyone know matter what kind of runner you are from elite to beginner. Almost all running injuries have the same cure ........REST!!

Also by taking days off you keep your motivation to run. You may actually look forward to going running(I know it sounds crazy). Staying motivated is a major key for me. Having a group like this to run with benefits us all as its a chance to talk and get fit at the same time no matter what your fitness level. And with our random weather its nice to know you wont be the only one out at the track. I am very impressed still by the commitment you are all showing. If we all keep this up I am sure we will all do great at the glory days and accomplish our personal goals, whether its walking 5km or running a 10km without walking.

Again if you have any questions or a topic suggestion email me or write a comment. Im always looking for ideas.

See Y'all thursday!

Pre and Post run snacks....whats best???

First things first, Great run last night all!! It was sure nice to get out there in some nice weather. Lets hope it sticks around for a while.

Nutrition is a major part of running. From carbs to protein to electrolytes there is alot to take into consideration. One major thing to remember about nutrition is that not everything works for everyone. Things that I recommend or websites recommend are not necessarily going to work for you. Most runners are very picky about what they eat before a run because the last thing you need is an upset stomach or nature to call when you are 20mins from the nearest bathroom. Myself I dont like to eat anything too substantial more then and hour or hour and a half before a run. I usually eat a whole grain bagel with hummus or peanut butter 90mins before a long run. The one exception I have is a banana and some gatorade or water right up to when I run. Bananas are great because they dont tend to irritate your stomach and are a good source of vitamin B6 and carbs. As for after a run or any exercise I like a glass of Chocolate milk because its a great source of protein. And its very important to rehydrate within 30mins of finishing your training.

A few runners were asking me about people eating lots of pasta before runs. This is what runners call carbo loading and we in the learn to run program do not need to worry about doing this. Carbo-loading is done by people running distances usually over a half marathon a couple days before a race or long training run as your body will need all the carbs it can get during a very long run. So you dont need to go out and eat an entire bag of pasta before our weekly runs. However like I entioned earlier foods rich in carbs are great for runners.

Another tip I have learned is to make sure there is some salt in your diet(as opposed to none at all). Although salt isnt the exact same thing as electrolytes they are something the body needs when doing exercise. One thing you may notice if you are not intaking any salts or electrolytes is cramping. If you plan on drinking a sports drink be sure to water it down unless you are used to drinking it. If your body is not used to certain sports drinks and you start drinking them during exercise it can really irritate your stomach and even make your mouth quite pastey from the high amount of sugars that some have.

I have added a couple links about pre and post run foods and snacks that have some great information as well.

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/nutrition/amazing-graze/248.html

http://walkingrunning.suite101.com/article.cfm/recovery_foods_for_runners

Some Shin Splint and Hip Flexor exercises

A couple of runners have asked about execises they can do to help with hip flexor and shin splint discomfort. These are a couple of links I found with pictures and or videos of stretches for these particular areas.

HIP FLEXOR EXCERCISES http://www.abc-of-fitness.com/leg-stretch/hip-flexor-stretch.asp

http://www.ehow.com/video_2357826_seated-hip-flexor-stretch.html

http://running.about.com/od/stretchesforrunners/a/hipflexorstretch.htm


Shin Stretches http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Most-Important-Stretches-for-Runners&id=196246

http://www.pccoach.com/newsletters/May05/stretching.htm

There are plenty more exercises for these areas and lots of information available online. Hope these help!!!!

One Week Down

Congrats Everyone on the completion of our first week. Its not too late to get more people to join. If you know of anyone whom is interested in joining bring them this week and we can sign them up . We will continue meeting at the Charles Hays track at 5:30pm Tuesday and Thursday and on Sunday at 11:00am at the track as well. Unfortunately Sundays are dificult for me to make but we have lots of trainers that are more than willing to take my place. I have been extremely impressed by the turnouts and the effort everyone has put forth so far as the weather hasnt exactly been great. If you can run in this just think how nice it will be when the weather starts getting better. Hopefully the weather is better for us this week and we continue progressing to the Glory Days in May!!!!

I will see you all at the Track. Also, if you have any questions you can ask me at the track, post a comment on this page or email me at scott_foulser@hotmail.com and I will post answers right here on this blog as soon as I can. Any other suggestions are welcome as well