Wednesday, June 17, 2009

ITRC Newsletter: Santa Barbara Marathon, Pace Leaders, Traffic Codes


THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: please refer to Training Corner below
Volunteers:Bananas - Angela Kirwin
Bagels - Tom McKiernan
Set-up - Erin Howard
Breakdown - HELP NEEDED
Water station - Tom Monahan


TRAINING CORNER
By George Arita, Adviser of Training
Georgerunvta@aol.com

LSD

If you ran your “Maintenance Mileage” of 15 miles last Saturday, this Saturday your mileage should be 8 miles. Next Saturday’s (June 27) distance will be 12 miles.

NOTE: the ITRC Committee has decided that our Saturday distances will be set according to our training schedule as stated in these Newsletters. If anyone plans to run for longer distances, please start your runs earlier than our usual 7:30 – 7:45 AM starting time so you can be back before the table-breakdown. Otherwise, you might return to an empty hall with no bagels, bananas, water or Gatorade. We must allow the breakdown and water station volunteers to pack-up and head for home after a reasonable time.

OUR NEXT TARGET MARATHON - Santa Barbara International Marathon

The Santa Barbara International Marathon on December 6, 2009 is our next target marathon. We have two training schedules for this race. If you are new to long distance running or are currently running 3 – 5 miles as your long runs, you should follow the 26-Week Training Schedule starting this Saturday and slowly build up your running endurance to safely and successfully participate in SBIM. Your distance this Saturday will be a conservative 3 miles.

However, for those who are currently on “Maintenance Mileage,” you can continue on maintenance until August 22, 2009 and then follow the 16-Week Training Schedule for SBIM. Let me know which schedule you’ll be following so we can adjust our Saturday LSD miles accordingly.

Entry to SBIM is limited, so be sure to register early (www.sbimarathon.com) and cite “SBIMINSIDETRACK2009” for a $10 discount off your entry fee.

CALL FOR SBIM PACE LEADERS

Step up to be a Pace Leader or Assistant PL for our SBIM training runs. We plan to have the following Pace Groups (with approximate finishing times): 8:00 (3:30), 9:00 (3:56), 10:00 (4:22), 11:00 (4:48), 12:00 (5:14), and 13:00 (5:40). The Saturday LSD miles are run at a conservative pace, but by combining the effects of the mid-week Hill and Speed workouts with your LSD runs, your actual marathon day pace would be 10 – 20 seconds per mile faster. We advocate running slower than the actual marathon pace on Saturdays to avoid or minimize injuries and burnouts; that is, we save our racing for race day.

If you would like to lead or assist the leader in any of these Pace Groups, let me know soon, or sign-up on our soon-to-be-erected bulletin board. I will post an essay on the duties and expectations of a Pace Leader in a future Newsletter.

ESSAY - TRAFFIC CODE FOR RUNNERS

Back in 2003, a couple of my friends (Dennis and Albert) from LARR had communicated to me sections of the California Vehicle Code and the California Driver Handbook as they applied to runners (technically pedestrians, which we are). I share this information with you. My comments are in brackets.

California Vehicle Code.
Pedestrian on Roadway
21956. (a) No pedestrian may walk upon any roadway outside of a business or residence district otherwise than close to his or her left-hand edge of the roadway.

(b) A pedestrian may walk close to his or her right-hand edge of the roadway if a crosswalk or other means of safely crossing the roadway is not available or if existing traffic or other conditions would compromise the safety of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road.

21966. No pedestrian shall proceed along a bicycle path or lane where there is an adjacent adequate pedestrian facility.
Amended Sec. 10, Ch. 833, Stats. 2000. Effective January 1, 2001.
[21956(a) basically means that we should run facing traffic. We always advocate this practice and almost always practice what we preach. For example, when we run north on PCH, we always run facing traffic. But, on our return leg on PCH, we run with the traffic; however, this is permitted according to 21956(b), since it is dangerous to cross PCH, not to mention the absence of a shoulder along the northbound traffic lane.]

[21966 means that we should not run in the bike lane on PCH unless the shoulder is not wide enough for an adjacent running path. Use common sense and courtesy when running along a section where you must run in the bike lane – when you see cyclists approaching, move aside and give them room to pass.]


DMV's California Driver Handbook - Miscellaneous:
PEDESTRIAN RESPONSIBILITIES*

Yield the right-of-way to vehicles when you:

* Cross or walk where intersections or crosswalks are not marked.

* “Jaywalk” across a street between intersections, where no pedestrian crosswalks are provided.
Remember: Making eye contact with the driver does not mean that the driver will see you or yield the right of way.

Do not suddenly leave a curb or other safe place and walk or run into the path of a vehicle close enough to be a danger to you. This is true even though you are in a crosswalk. The law states that drivers must take care for the safety of any pedestrian— but if the driver can’t stop in time to avoid hitting you, the law won’t help you.

Always obey traffic signals. Whether the intersection has pedestrian signals (More information) or the usual traffic lights, you must obey the pedestrian rules. At an intersection where traffic is not controlled by signals, drivers are required to yield the right of way to you within any crosswalk, marked or unmarked.

When a signal first changes to green or “WALK” for you, look left, right, and then left again, and yield the right of way to any vehicle in the intersection before the signal changed.If the signal begins blinking or changes to “DON’T WALK,” or to an upraised hand after you have gone part way across a divided street, you may continue across the street.

Do not stop or delay traffic unnecessarily while crossing a street.

Pedestrians are not permitted on any toll bridge or highway crossing unless there is a sidewalk and signs stating pedestrian traffic is permitted.

If there is no sidewalk, walk facing the oncoming traffic (see the picture below). Don’t walk or jog on any freeway where signs tell you that pedestrians are not allowed.

At night, make yourself more visible by wearing white clothing and retroreflective materials, or carrying a flashlight.

*Joggers must obey pedestrian rules.

Remember and follow these laws and suggestions not only on Saturdays but whenever you run on the roads. Always be alert and aware – the bikes are harder and the cars are bigger and harder than you are.


Weekly work-outs

Tuesdays- 6:00pm@ Ventura High School Track (Workout)

Thursdays - 5:30pm@ Inside Track (Regular Run)

Saturdays - 7:30am@ Inside Track (Long Run)

Sundays - 8:00am June 14 - La Jolla Canyon, June 21 - Sulphur Mountain, June 28 - Sycamore Canyon


Upcoming races
July 2nd - August 6th

July 4th

July 11th

August 8th

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