April 4, 2009 Newsletter

THIS-SATURDAY-AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 12
Volunteers:
Bagels - Robin Solis
Supplies, Set-up and Break down - various

GREAT VOLUNTEERS AT THE GREAT RACE!

Thank you to all our wonderful Inside Trackers who stepped up to the task, woke up at the crack of dawn and volunteered at our Great Race booth! June Muller, Naomi Kress, Craig Lippert, Carole Coffman, Rafael Gonzalez, Mike Casanova, Robin Solis, George Arita, Mike Miskel, Veronica Santangelo, Brad Guevara, Sylvia Gonzales, Rick Kanatzar and Yinyin Goh --- the club appreciates you all!

Kudos also to Topher Means for putting together the new Inside Track brochure. If you were not able to get hold of a copy at our booth, take a few home this Saturday and give them away to potential recruits.

Congratulations to all the Great Race participants!

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

LSD

For members who did not run the Chesebro or Pacific Half Marathon last Saturday and did the scheduled 20-miler instead, the scheduled run this Saturday is 12 miles. Those who ran in either half marathon, if you are completely recovered (no aches in quads or ankles), you should also be able to run 12 miles. However, if you are still hurting, give yourself a break and limit your distance to 10 miles, easy.

Those who are in training for Big Sur (April 26), Saturday should be your final long run (18 – 20 miles), assuming you are fully recovered from last Saturday’s half marathon race, if you ran it. Then you taper the final two Saturdays with 12 and 8 miles, respectively.

RELAY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

A number of our members have formed relay teams to participate in the upcoming Ragnar Relay (177 miles from Santa Barbara to Dana Point, April 24 – 25, 2009). Several more volunteers are needed to provide assistance when the teams come to Ventura (San Buenaventura State Beach Park). Please call Mike Miskel at (805) 407-4816 to volunteer your services. Thank you, and the team members thank you.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
By George Arita (a.k.a. first-time trail runner & Chesebro Half-Marathon finisher)
Georgerunvta@aol.com

CHESEBRO HALF-MARATHON – PERSPECTIVES OF A NEWBIE

"Virgin trail runner" no more

I am no longer a virgin, cherry or whatever you want to call. I ran and completed my first trail run, the Chesebro Half-Marathon at the Great Race of Agoura Hills.

My first and lasting impressions of my first trail run: TOUGH! TOUGH! TOUGH! It was a novel experience and certainly the most brutal of my 51 half-marathons. But it was a very interesting race, and I am happy to have been able to participate in it.

The first three miles or so were on roads. “Hey! This is a piece of cake,” I thought. Then we headed onto the Cheseboro Trail of the Santa Monica Recreational Park with eight miles of trails ahead of us and no more pieces of cake for me. The course elevation went from 848 ft. to 1728 ft. and back down again. On the trail, we ran and walked over hard packed ground, sand, rocks, roots, mud, a small puddle at one spot, shallow to deep ruts, gradual to steep uphills and gradual to steep downhills. I was told that the scenery was fantastic on the course. I saw some of that, but most of the time my eyes were glued to the surface in front of me. I saw two people fall. The first, a female about three places in front of me, slipped and rolled over. She wasn’t hurt. The second was a male directly behind me. I didn’t see him fall but his hand clipped my right heel. He was also not hurt. One of our members, who shall be unnamed, finished with large band-aids on the left elbow and right knee. The danger of tripping, slipping and falling was ever present on the trail.

At around mile 10, the course exited the park and the final miles were on roads and mostly downhill (Oh, what a relief!). The finish was at Chumash Park where we gathered refreshments and enjoyed the friendly company of ITRC/RV members at our booth.

I can see why a number of our members regularly run and race trails. With proper training (as with any running and racing) to condition the quads and ankles, trail running would be an enjoyable accompaniment to road running. It’s time for me to get proper trail-running shoes and start training.

By the way, Josh Spiker finished first overall in 1:11:53, almost nine minutes ahead of the second finisher. Way to go, Josh! Among our “normal” members, Eduardo Arce was our first male at 1:34:14, and Mimi Champion came in as our first female at 2:10:38. Congratulations, Mimi and Eduardo! (Author’s note: these names, places and times were the best I could glean from the posted website results. Forgive me if I erred on any of them.)

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

April 25 - Mike Miskel
April 28 - Richard Hernandez

March 28, 2009 Newsletter

GREAT RACE NEWS

We are still looking for volunteers for the 7:30 - 10:00 am shift and the 10:00 am to 12 noon shift. If you are not racing or will be done early, please consider stopping by the Inside Track booth at the Great Race expo on Saturday, March 28th and help out if you can.

If you are racing, look for the Inside Track banner in the team gathering area. The gathering area is close to the registration table and the main entrance. This is a good place to meet up with your fellow Inside Trackers before racing!

Remember that there is no organized run at the beach this Saturday. We'll see you all in Ventura next Saturday, April 4th.

Good luck to everyone! Happy running!

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

LSD

The calendar-stated LSD for Saturday is 20 miles. However, because of the Great Race of Agoura on the same day, to which many club members will be attending either as race-participants or ITRC booth attendants, we called off the official club training run. So if you intend to run our course, there will be no refreshment or other friendly support. Also because of the Great Race, the 20-mile LSD was run last Saturday instead. Therefore, those who ran 20 miles last Saturday and intend to run LSD on your own this Saturday, the recommended distance is 12 miles, slow and easy. Next Saturday (April 4, 2009), be prepared for our second 20-miler (Note: since I’m running Big Sur on April 26, my LSD next Saturday will be 18 miles instead. Others running Big Sur might consider limiting yourselves to that distance also).

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Seriously consider our needs for volunteers to help out on Saturdays (hear and see Naomi’s spoken and written messages). Volunteers are also needed to man our booth for this Saturday’s Great Race event (see Mira’s message).

ESSAY: HELP FOR THE LAST FEW MILES

In previous essays, I wrote about “Mental Toughness,” “Keep Your Form,” “Breathing Rhythm,” and “Final Kick,” with each essay providing training strategies to help you finish your LSD run and marathon race. To these, I add other techniques that I often use to help me finish the last few miles when I am not feeling especially great. I use various techniques to help keep my tired legs moving toward the finish line, but basically each technique is to focus my mind away from the total distance remaining by breaking the miles into shorter segments. However, no matter which technique I use, I always concentrate on keeping my form and breathing rhythm at all times.

If the feeling of tiredness is not too severe but bad enough to make me aware of it, I break the remaining distance into individual miles (or half-miles if these are marked), and I remind myself that I am that much closer to the finish as I run by each marker.

On the other hand, when I’m feeling really spent and my legs are super-heavy, I break the distances into even shorter segments. While always trying to maintain my form, I concentrate on my breathing and use every exhalation to count from one to twenty. Since I inhale and exhale on every other left foot plant, by the time I reach “twenty” in my count, I had taken at least forty left-foot plants without really noticing the number of foot plants and the pain as much as I would have, had I not concentrated on counting. I tried counting to fifty or one hundred but I found those counts are too long. You can try other numbers but twenty works good for me. Also I found reciting these higher numbers (i.e. “twenty-one,” “twenty-two,” etc) requires too many syllables.

I also tried reciting the alphabets with each left-foot plant, and that works too.

Another recitation I perform is my reminder to keep my form as I tire. I say the words, “Keep – Your – Form” with each three successive exhalations (three alternating left-foot plants). This technique helps me concentrate on keeping my form while taking my mind off my tiredness.

Try some of these techniques to help you get to the finish line the next time you feel spent before getting there. Or think of others that might be helpful to keep you moving.

HAVE A GOOD WEEK EVERYONE.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
By Rafael Gonzalez (a.k.a. first-time marathoner & Napa Valley Marathon finisher)
rafaelrgonzalez@gmail.com

AHHH NAPA!

Napa Valley...The very name brings up images of magnificent meals, magical Merlots, and a memorable Marathon. Marathon?!

That's right, on Sunday March 1st, 2009, the 31st annual running of the Napa Valley Marathon took place. Over 1,700 brave women and men ignored the cold, scoffed at the rain and started on a 26.2 mile journey that started in Calistoga at 7:00 am and ended at a high school in Napa several hours later.

For me, the journey actually started six months earlier when, for reasons that I still can't figure out, I joined a running club (Editor's note: You mean Inside Track, right?). The original goal was to train for the 2009 L.A. Marathon, which would be my first. But when the date for the marathon kept getting re-scheduled, my friends (who have already ran numerous marathons) mentioned that Napa would be a fun alternative. Having been to Napa once before, I was all for it.

On Saturday morning the day before the race, I joined up with another couple to start the six-hour drive from Ventura County to Napa. The drive went off without a hitch. However, later on that evening an improbable series of events were to transpire that caused much grief and aggravation to the aforementioned couple. In what is now officially known in our running club as "The Incident", it involves a rental car, a toilet, inexperienced tow truck drivers and a misplaced cell phone. But more on that later on.

Saturday afternoon at the pre-race expo we got our "goody bags", bibs, and this being Napa, some complimentary wine tasting. Race day started out at 4:30 am to get ready to catch one of the buses provided by the sponsoring hotel. For some strange reason the ride out to Calistoga seemed very long. Once we got there, most of us stayed on the bus for a while to stay warm and dry. Once we left the bus we got to the starting line with just a few minutes to spare because of the long lines at the port-a-pottys.

A few minutes after 7:00 am, the race finally started and we were off! A sea of humanity going in the same direction, with the same goal in mind..to make it to the finish line. Although there was a light rain during most of the race, the spectacular scenery, dozens of volunteers and enthusiastic crowds at almost every mile marker more than made up for it.

After the race, hot soup and a massage awaited shivering, wet, road-weary runners. The only major issue that I encountered was in trying to get back to the hotel. There were only two big vans taking people back. We had to wait in line --- cold and wet-for about 20 minutes before the vans made it back and it was finally our turn to board.

All in all, it was an awesome experience! Definitely a race I will do again. How did I end up doing? Not bad for a guy that just started running 6 months ago. Although the last five miles were pure torture, I still managed to finish in 3:48. (Editor's note: "Managed???" If only the rest of us could "manage" our finish times as well.)

Oh, getting back to "The Incident". To get all of the juicy details..you'll just have to join our running club to find out!

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

March 8 - Josh Spiker, Lisa Anderson
March 14 - Christopher Means
March 15 - Tom McKiernan
March 17 - Erin Keesch
March 20 - Marianne Owczarski
March 21 - Yinyin Goh
March 29 - Laura Diamond

March 21, 2009 Newsletter

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 20

March volunteers:
Set-up – Sherry and Clark Osborne
Breakdown: Rick Kanatzar
Food:

Bananas: Mike Schrader

Bagels: Mira Reverente, Robin Solis
Water and aid station/s: Various

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

LSD

Because of the Ventura Half Marathon last Sunday and the Agoura Half Marathon next Saturday, we had to modify (again?!) our training mileage. Two Saturdays ago we ran our first 20 miler and then rested last Saturday in preparation for the Ventura Half. This Saturday (March 21, 2009), we have our second 20-miler on tap. Be sure you train lightly the rest of this week and come rested for the long Saturday run. Don’t forget your GU or other calorie booster for the long run – you’ll need it.

As with the previous 20-miler, we will again go south toward the state park for 2 miles, turn around and head back to the Main St bridge. From there, we’ll head north to our 8-mile mark, turn around and head back for home. Our water stop should be situated at the usual 4.75 mile mark.

Remember, this is an LSD (Long, Slow, Distance) run. We are not racing. Take is slow and comfortably.

VENTURA HALF-MARATHON REPORT

The Ventura Half-Marathon/5K was hosted by Inside Track to benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (Team In Training). The race, with a new venue at the VUSD office on Stanley Avenue, went off without any apparent glitches according to my eyes. There was ample parking and space for everyone to roam. Bathroom facilities (flush toilets and potta potties) were adequate with no long lines that I could see. The half marathon started only a couple of minutes after the 8 AM posted time.

The course was an exact out-and-back ― you could follow your own “out” footprints on your way back and not get lost. The first approximately four-tenths of a mile (and the same final distance) were on the dirt track along the perimeter of the baseball field. There were some soft spots, loose dirt and small rocks that you had to watch for, but once on the Ventura/Ojai bike trail, the going was nice and smooth. The bike trail had no potholes or cracks that I noticed and rather peaceful. CHP patrolmen provide protection at the two public streets that we had to cross (thank you, CHP). Two water stations provided ample supplies of water, twice going out and twice coming back.

We had quite a few members representing our club. I visited the website looking for results several times (the last time was a few minutes ago) but couldn’t find any posted as yet. Therefore I have no results of club members to report. I had to leave soon after my finish (went to visit my grandkids down south) so I didn’t get to see everyone after the race.

I highly recommend everyone running this race next year. I certainly will.

ESSAY

There is no essay this week. Instead, only this:

“At RunVentura, during our training runs on the bike trail, when we approach other trail users, we always greet, wave and smile at them. However, on our way back, especially during the final 2-4 miles of our long runs, often the best we can do is greet, wave and “smace” (combination of smile and grimace) at them.”

George says (March 18, 2009)

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

by Betty Crowell (a.k.a. Way Too Cool 50K finisher)
bmcrowell@verizon.net

This week is the debut of a new column, "Been There, Done That", a light-hearted attempt at chronicling the travails and triumphs of a recent race. If you just finished a race, would like to share your experience/s and be our guest columnist for the week, please send your contribution to mirarev@hotmail.com. Photos may also be included. Please limit your contribution to 350 words.

Way Too Cool 50K


What do you call a trail race that's 31 miles long with over 13, 00 feet of elevation gain? Cool !!! “Way Too Cool”, to be exact. That's how four Inside Track runners spent last Saturday, March 14th, running up and down and all around the trails in Cool, CA, near Auburn.

Under perfect weather, Mimi Champion, June Muller, Mira Reverente, and Betty Crowell spent eight grueling hours completing their first ultra-marathon, the “Way Too Cool” 50k. The race included five aid stations, filled with high carb goodies (pretzels, boiled potatoes, M & M's, salty broth, Pepsi, etc., (Editor's note: Some people who were rushed through the aid stations don't remember the food at all.), acting as a re-grouping stage for the foursome. The two time cut-offs were at mile 21 and 27, each coming right after a major climb (Ball Bearing and Goat Hill . . . Mimi has other names for them!)

Whadjaget? Two colored tech shirts (one short and one long-sleeved); arm-warmers with “Cool” logo; coffee mug with “Cool” logo

How much did it cost? Entry through Active.com totaled $88.

Wherejastay? Best Western, Auburn (800.201.0121) @ $100/night for 3 people, good (cold) freebie breakfast included, with an espresso/cappuccino machine at your disposal, available starting at 5:30 AM

Howjagithere? We carpooled. Count on a seven-hour drive time plus stops. June and hubby-John went on to Lake Tahoe and hit the ski slopes the following day, an excellent idea since you're only 1.5 hours away.

Worse thing about the race: For a short distance (1 mile? 2 miles? Editor's note: It seemed "way longer" than that.) you have to share a single track trail with the lead runners who are coming at you FAST! This means that you must stop, step to the side (cliff on the left and slope on the right), and allow others to pass by before you resume running . . . very disruptive!

Worse thing after the race: The food was GONE! We were hungry, tired, and quickly getting cold, and sure enough, the fast runners had eaten all our food! GRRRR!!

Best bruises: June, on her right hip beats out Mimi's hands (from climbing UP the dried-up waterfall)

Best thing about the race: Completing our first ultra-marathon with our friends! PRICELESS!!

What do I need to know that I haven't asked about? The race sells out in less than 10 minutes! So if you're interested, be at your computer this December 13 at 8:00 AM to sign up.

Would you do it again? In a heartbeat!

CLUB NEWS

*The Great Race of Agoura - Saturday, March 28th

We need your help! Inside Track will be an expo participant on the day of the race. Come, mingle, help and choose a shift:

Friday, March 27

4:00 - 7:00 pm - pre-set-up; hauling stuff from Inside Track to Agoura Hills
*Needs: 4-6 people; two to three cars/vans

Saturday, March 28

5:00 - 7:30 am - booth set-up; unloading stuff from cars
7:30 - 10:00 am - mostly manning the booth; talking to potential members (do not sign up for this shift if you are doing the half-marathon)
10:00 am - 12 noon - more booth manning; start of booth break down; loading stuff into cars (great shift to volunteer for if you are racing)
*Needs: 6-8 people per shift; two to three cars/vans

Please e-mail Mira at mirarev@hotmail.com if you are able to help. Thanks in advance!

*Birthday greetings

March 8 - Josh Spiker, Lisa Anderson
March 14 - Christopher Means
March 15 - Tom McKiernan
March 17 - Erin Keesch
March 20 - Marianne Owczarski
March 21 - Yinyin Goh
March 29 - Laura Diamond

March 14, 2009 Newsletter

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: no organized training run

March volunteers:
Set-up – Sherry and Clark Osborne
Breakdown: Rick Kanatzar
Food:

Bananas: Mike Schrader

Bagels: Mira Reverente, Robin Solis
Water and aid station/s: Various

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

LSD

Due to the running of the inaugural Ventura Half Marathon on Sunday, March 15, 2009, to which many of our members will be running or volunteering to provide support, it was decided to cancel the official training run on Saturday, March 14, 2009. The scheduled 12 mile LSD run will have to be performed “unofficially” and “on your own” (without water, Gatorade, bagels and bananas and peer support) by anyone who has no plans on attending Sunday’s race. Look forward to a similar situation on March 28, 2009 (Great Race of Agoura, same day) and April 18, 2009 (Camarillo Half Marathon the next day). You are “fore-informed.”

Also, if you run on Saturday, be forewarned that the annual St Patrick’s Day Parade will be held in downtown Ventura starting at 10 AM from upper Main St to the mission area. If you plan to run long, your mobility (vehicular and on foot) may be impacted by crowds of green people.

RACE REPORTS

Anyone running in any race, any distance, anywhere, you are welcome to write a report about the race for inclusion in the newsletter. Include information such as, but not limited to, where, when, distance(s), fellow members participated, finishing times, race highlights, anecdotes, positive and negative features, etc. Send your masterpieces to Mira at mirarev@hotmail.com (or me, and I will forward to Mira). Please send photos too, if available.

ESSAY: AFTER WORKOUT MUSCLE SORENESS

Oh, how those muscles hurt one or two days following the first extra hard or long workout, such as your first speed or hill workout or your first 10-miler. The hurt lasts for a day or two, then it’s gone, only to return following your next extra hard (or harder) or long (or longer) workout. But you find the second or third and all subsequent muscle aches to not be as intense as that painful first.

Why do muscles hurt following intense workouts? Why is the pain not as severe following subsequent workouts? How can I avoid the day-after hurt?

Muscle soreness is not limited to running activities. And not only muscles that are used in running are affected by post-activity soreness. Any activity that involves the use of muscles, be it cutting out paper dolls or a thousand food coupons, can bring on post-activity soreness and any muscle that is used can become sore.

The painful condition is technically referred to as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS. DOMS can occur in any muscle or muscle group that is exercised to a level greater than it had been previously exercised. For example, in running, if you had not run in months, and on a whim, you decide to go out for a mile run, you will experience DOMS in a day or two. Similarly, if the longest you’ve run in the past several months is 5 miles, and now you run a 10-miler to impress your friend, you will experience DOMS in a day or two. Or, if you normally run your weekly 10-miler at a 10 minute per mile pace and now decide to run it at a 9 minute per mile pace, you will suffer from DOMS in the next day or two. Generally, any increase in the duration or intensity of muscle use will result in DOMS.

What is the cause of DOMS? Previously and even still today, it was thought by many people, including “coaches,” that DOMS is caused by lactic acid that builds up when muscles are worked. But in reality, lactic acid is produced primarily when muscles are worked anaerobically (without oxygen) such as during a sprint. And indeed, during a sprint, lactic acid will accumulate and will affect the mitochondria’s ability to produce energy for the muscle to continue functioning. This is the reason why one cannot sprint for long periods or long distances. On the other hand, most long distance running is performed at lower intensities where muscles can work aerobically (with oxygen) and where CO2 and water are the end-products. Whatever lactic acid produced can be easily neutralized or removed from the muscles by the blood stream.

Recent studies show that DOMS is actually caused by microscopic injury to muscle fibers (cells). Whenever muscles are worked at higher intensities, microscopic tears occur within muscle fibers, resulting in aches and pains developing in the muscles. But upon repair, the muscles become stronger and more capable of performing at that higher intensity, hence the higher intensity workouts become easier and less painful afterwards. DOMS may be experienced again following subsequent increases in workout intensities, but the pain will not be as severe and as long lasting. And you gain because the muscles become still stronger and better adapted to performing at the next higher level of intensity.

How to avoid DOMS? Short of taking analgesics, the best way to prevent DOMS is to increase your mileage and intensity very slowly. The 10% rule is usually recommended – increase mileage by only 10% per week. But even then, you might experience some DOMS. You could increase mileage by less than 10% per week, but that practice will take you much longer than you might want to reach your desired mileage level.

You can lessen the pains of DOMS by icing and massaging your legs following a higher intensity run. A short, easy run the next day also helps. Or you can accept reasonable levels of DOMS as a normal part of training. Just visualize your muscles getting stronger to carry you through your next hard workout.

CLUB NEWS

*The Great Race of Agoura - Saturday, March 28th

Help our club have a strong presence at this race by signing up or volunteering!

There's still time to sign up for one of Ventura County's most popular races! The Chesebro Half-marathon is 97% full while the new Pacific Half-Marathon is about 40% full.

If you are not keen on racing that weekend but are planning to come out and watch, please consider volunteering at the Inside Track booth. More details in the next newsletter/s or e-mail Mira Reverente at mirarev@hotmail.com to signify your interest in helping out.

*Inside Track on Ventura County Star

This article came out in the online edition of the Ventura County Star. Read on.

NEWLY-MERGED RUNNING CLUB RIGHT ON TRACK

Mira Reverente
Tuesday, March 3, 2009

The club is an eclectic mix of runners, walkers, newcomers, veterans, sprinters, long-distance runners, social runners, fitness enthusiasts and aspiring athletes. Students, retirees, stay-at-home moms, full-time employees and entrepreneurs, are also part of the current mix. Welcome to Inside Track Running Club (ITRC)!

Home base is Inside Track, the specialty running and triathlon store on Main Street, in Ventura. Back in August 2008, Inside Track had two distinct running clubs. There was ITRC, the shorter distance training club and RunVentura, the marathon-training club. The two clubs recently merged and will now be known simply as ITRC.

Members of the two merged clubs have a lot to look forward to. "There will definitely be more members to run, walk and socialize with. All members will now have access to group runs/walks Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays," said George Arita, ITRC training adviser.

ITRC has also lowered its annual registration fee. Members will still get a shirt, 10% off store purchases, discounts on race entries, among others. "We will also have a non-racing training calendar that emphasizes fitness and well-being, rather than marathon racing. With the merger, I hope we can expand or maintain the fitness, recreational and social aspects of our training program," said Arita.

Both the store and the club are owned by 2009 Carlsbad Marathon champion Josh Spiker. The Ventura native hopes that the merger and the accessibility of more resources will bring the running community together. "I hope people will take advantage of the club's various running opportunities, have fun and also meet their personal goals at the same time," said Spiker.

So what are you waiting for? Lace up those running shoes and join the fun!

*For more information, visit:

INSIDE TRACK, 38. W Main St. Ventura, CA 93001, tel no. (805) 643-1104, www.runventura.com

*Birthday greetings

March 8 - Josh Spiker, Lisa Anderson
March 15 - Tom McKiernan
March 17 - Erin Keesch
March 20 - Marianne Owczarski
March 21 - Yinyin Goh
March 29 - Laura Diamond

Good luck to our members who are doing the Bandit Trail Runs, the Ventura Half-Marathon, the Catalina Marathon and Way Too Cool 50K this weekend!

March 7, 2009 Newsletter

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 20

March volunteers:
Set-up – Sherry and Clark Osborne
Breakdown: Rick Kanatzar
Food:

Bananas: Mike Schrader

Bagels: Mira Reverente, Robin Solis
Water and aid station/s: Various

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

SATURDAY’S RUN

This Saturday, instead of the previously scheduled 12-mile LSD run, we will do our first 20 miler. The change was made (see last week’s Newsletter) to accommodate the inaugural Ventura Half Marathon that is being held on March 15 and that many of our members will be participating in. So be prepared for the longest run of our training schedule.

We will start at the Main Street bridge as usual, but instead of running north, we will run south (towards the Ventura Pier) for two miles, turn around at the 2-mile mark and run back to the bridge. From there, we will travel along the usual northbound route to Mile 8, turn around and head for home. The southern leg will be 4 miles while the northern leg will be 16 miles, giving us a total of 20 miles. Don’t forget a supply of GU or other gel to energize your long run. I will consume one at the start and three or four more along the course. Naomi will be woman-ing the water station along the way. I suggest we all give her a sweaty hug on our way out and on our way back. That way, she’ll need a shower afterwards just as much as we will (perhaps more so).

Next Saturday (March 14), the day before the Ventura Half, for those running the Half, I recommend either a rest day or a short 2-3 mile run (at 10K pace). For those not running the Half, you can do the LSD 12 miles.

Congratulations to the RV finishers of the Napa Valley Marathon held last Sunday. They all did good and made us proud.

ESSAY

For the past week and a half, my time has been largely occupied evaluating scholarship applications for the Ventura College Foundation. As a result, I have not been able to write a training essay. Sorry. Hopefully, I will have one ready for next week.

CLUB NEWS

*The Great Race of Agoura - Saturday, March 28th

Help our club have a strong presence at this race by signing up or volunteering!

There's still time to sign up for one of Ventura County's most popular races! The Chesebro Half-marathon is 97% full while the new Pacific Half-Marathon is about 40% full.

If you are not keen on racing that weekend but are planning to come out and watch, please consider volunteering at the Inside Track booth. More details in the next newsletter/s or e-mail Mira Reverente at mirarev@hotmail.com to signify your interest in helping out.

*Inside Track on Ventura County Star

This article came out in the online edition of the Ventura County Star. Read on.

NEWLY-MERGED RUNNING CLUB RIGHT ON TRACK

Mira Reverente
Tuesday, March 3, 2009

The club is an eclectic mix of runners, walkers, newcomers, veterans, sprinters, long-distance runners, social runners, fitness enthusiasts and aspiring athletes. Students, retirees, stay-at-home moms, full-time employees and entrepreneurs, are also part of the current mix. Welcome to Inside Track Running Club (ITRC)!

Home base is Inside Track, the specialty running and triathlon store on Main Street, in Ventura. Back in August 2008, Inside Track had two distinct running clubs. There was ITRC, the shorter distance training club and RunVentura, the marathon-training club. The two clubs recently merged and will now be known simply as ITRC.

Members of the two merged clubs have a lot to look forward to. "There will definitely be more members to run, walk and socialize with. All members will now have access to group runs/walks Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays," said George Arita, ITRC training adviser.

ITRC has also lowered its annual registration fee. Members will still get a shirt, 10% off store purchases, discounts on race entries, among others. "We will also have a non-racing training calendar that emphasizes fitness and well-being, rather than marathon racing. With the merger, I hope we can expand or maintain the fitness, recreational and social aspects of our training program," said Arita.

Both the store and the club are owned by 2009 Carlsbad Marathon champion Josh Spiker. The Ventura native hopes that the merger and the accessibility of more resources will bring the running community together. "I hope people will take advantage of the club's various running opportunities, have fun and also meet their personal goals at the same time," said Spiker.

So what are you waiting for? Lace up those running shoes and join the fun!

*For more information, visit:

INSIDE TRACK, 38. W Main St. Ventura, CA 93001, tel no. (805) 643-1104, www.runventura.com

*Birthday greetings

March 8 - Josh Spiker, Lisa Anderson
March 15 - Tom McKiernan
March 20 - Marianne Owczarski
March 21 - Yinyin Goh