May 2, 2009 Newsletter

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 14
Volunteers:
Bananas - Denise Ellison (May 2, 9, 16 and 30)
Bagels - Mira Reverente (May 16 and 23)
Set-up and Breakdown - Naomi Kress

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

LSD

For members targeting LAM on May 25, the recommended mileage for Saturday is 14 miles. You can do a tempo run: four miles easy, six miles faster (about half marathon pace), and four miles easy. Don’t forget your gels every four to five miles.

For members running the SB Wine Country Half in Santa Ynez next Saturday (May 9), you can do an easy 14 miles, or throw in a shorter (four-miler) tempo. A half marathon is not as “killing” as a full, as you all know. Also do your speed workout on Tuesday at 10K pace. See you at Santa Ynez.

CALENDARS FOR FUTURE MARATHONS

The club will target the inaugural Santa Barbara International Marathon coming up on December 6, 2009. The course starts in Goleta and ends at the beach in SB. Some members have already entered. Plan to join them.

I have prepared five “generic” calendars (no dates) for club members with different goals. These calendars are: YEAR-ROUND FITNESS CALENDAR, 26 WEEK NEWBIE MARATHON CALENDAR, 16 WEEK VETERAN MARATHON CALENDAR, 16 WEEK BACK-TO-BACK MARATHON CALENDAR, and 8 WEEK BACK-TO-BACK MARATHON CALENDAR.

These calendars will be soon posted on our website for you to download and print for your own use. You can enter any marathon on the target date and work backwards to prepare yourself for a successful race.

No essay this week and probably next week too. Other contributors will report on the races they participated in. Read and enjoy.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
By Mike Miskel, recent Boston Marathon finisher
1mmiskel@gmail.com

MY 2009 BOSTON MARATHON EXPERIENCE

Wow! The Boston Marathon. This is a dream come true for me. The big race and I'm in it! It's especially great to share the experience with friends like Rick, Carole, Scott, Gretchen and Steve. My very ambitious goal is to re-qualify for Boston in Boston. I've been in better shape before but felt I had a shot at it.

For a mere mortal like me it took 11 marathons and over 5 years of blood (blisters) sweat and tears (from sweat dripping in my eyes). Equally important - a whole lot of will and determination too. I feel very blessed and happy to be here representing my running friends who are wishing me well from back home.

In Hopkinton, as I run up and over the first of many hills at the starting line, I am overwhelmed with happiness. This is the most joyous start to a marathon imaginable. The colorful runners fill the narrow, winding country road ahead, framed by the New England countryside. It was a truly amazing site. The most amazing thing was the enthusiasm of the people cheering us on. Unbelievable. I was so thrilled, I was laughing out loud. This was my favorite part of the race.

On my way, I "high-fived" more kids than all my previous marathons combined. I just couldn't help myself. The crowd was so great. They just pulled me along, mile after mile, hill after hill. I was doing pretty well for the first half but I knew it was going to take everything I had to get to my goal. My quads were getting tired earlier than any marathon I've done before. I kept reminding myself through out the race that there will be lots of time to rest at the finish line.

My biggest concern was the dreaded Newton Hills. Heartbreak being the final one of the four hills. I was pushing hard to keep my pace and I just trusted my training. Finally, over Heartbreak I had about six miles to go. All I could think about was my mantra: "relax-power-glide". Over and over "relax-power-glide.

Before I knew it I was on Beacon Street with less than two miles to go. My legs were tired but I still had a little something in them. A left turn then a right onto Boylston and there it is up ahead The Finish Line! I can see it! "relax-power-glide". I must have passed a dozen people in that last 800 meters.

Finished! I did it. The Boston Marathon. Yah Hoo!! I hit my goal with 39 seconds to spare. 3:35:21. That was close. Where's my beer and chowder ?

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

May 12- Jeff Lowell
May 14 - Ed Burnett
May 27 - Erin Howard

Congratulations to our Boston Marathon finishers (Mike M., Rick and Carole), Big Sur Marathon finishers (Tom McK, George and Gonzy) and our four Ragnar Relay team finishers!

April 25, 2009 Newsletter

NEWS FLASH: NO TRAINING RUN THIS SATURDAY

See you all at the beach on May 2nd!

Good luck to our Ragnar Relay teams: the SKIRTs (June Muller, et al), the Channel Island Runners (Lisa Anderson, et al), Runner X (Josh Spiker, et al) and Peer Pressure Works (James Wu, et al).

And to George, Tom McK and Gonzy, enjoy the scenic course and hills of Big Sur. May the hills be with you!

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

LSD

Unfortunately, for the second consecutive Saturday we will have an unofficial (or “on-your-own”) LSD training run. However, for participants of the Lost Angeles Marathon XXIV and Shadow of the Giants Marathon coming up in five weeks, this Saturday’s LSD of 20 miles, your final 20-miler and the last of your long distance runs, is essential. Henceforth, you will shorten your Saturday runs (taper) and toe the starting line with fresh legs, bodies and minds.

For those running Big Sur (Sunday, April 26), I hope to see you at the expo and pasta dinner on Saturday and at the starting line on Sunday.

MEMBERS AT BOSTON

I have not gone online to see how our members did at Boston on Monday, but I hope they did well and finished with times they had planned for. We will have a “Been There, Done That” report from one of the participants in a few weeks. It is an honor just to qualify, and even more memorable to participate in it and to finish it. If you haven’t heard (I got it from the news), our American runners, Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall both finished third, the best US finish since 1985.

ESSAY

No essay this week, but please see appeal below from Sylvia Gonzales, who will be running the LA Marathon XXIV. Please help as best as you can.

RUN FOR ROMAN



As many of you know, over the past several weeks I have been training for the L.A. Marathon which is currently scheduled on May 25, 2009. What many of you may not know is that I've been training to run the race in honor of Roman Vega.

Roman is six years old and was born in Ventura, California. At four months of age, his family was given the devastating news that he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a neurological disorder that affects the motor skills and the muscular system, the same muscles that we use to stand, walk, sit up, and feed ourselves; none of which Roman can do on his own.

In September 2006, Roman’s parents were referred to the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, in Philadelphia, PA. There they were educated on every aspect of a brain injured child. Roman was assessed and admitted into the program. After much work with Roman, his family has seen vast improvements in his learning and development. In November 2008, Roman visited the Institute for more learning and had outstanding achievements in three out of seven categories. He was able to crawl, read and communicate like never before. His family is planning another trip in April and again in November 2009.

Meeting Roman and seeing his progress before my own eyes has inspired me to help him and his family. My running and completing the marathon is a small feat in comparison to the challenges Roman has and will face in his lifetime. Please help me in honoring all of Roman's achievements by supporting me this May 25th.

Many heartfelt thanks - oh, and wish me luck!!

- SYLVIA GONZALES

*100% of all donations will be given to the Roman Vega Scholarship at Institute for the Achievement of Human Potential – a non-profit organization (501)(c)(3) Tax ID 231465452.

If you need more information, please contact: Sylvia Gonzales at sylvia.gonzales2@gmail.com

Thank you for your generous support!

Donations can be mailed to:
P.O. Box 5122
Ventura, CA 93005

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

April 25 - Mike Miskel
April 28 - Richard Hernandez

April 18, 2009 Newsletter

NEWS FLASH: TWO SATURDAY TRAINING RUNS CANCELED

There will be no organized training runs this Saturday, April 18th and next Saturday, April 25th. You can come out and run but there will be no course support. Read on for more details.

The Camarillo Half-Marathon is this Sunday, April 19th. Some of are members will be racing. If you have a few hours to spare, please consider volunteering at the Inside Track booth. We are still looking for volunteers for the 6 am to 9 am shift and the 9 am to 12 noon shift. Come out, race/volunteer or cheer for your fellow Inside Trackers!

Two big races are coming up next weekend --- the inaugural Ragnar Relay in Los Angeles and the Big Sur Marathon. A huge number of Inside Trackers will be participating in those two races.

See you at the beach on May 2nd!

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

LSD

Due to the Camarillo Half-Marathon on Sunday, in which many members will be participating either as race entrants and/or booth volunteers, there will no official LSD run on Saturday. You may come to our regular meeting site at Inside Track at 7:30 AM to do you own LSD run but there will be no water, Gatorade, bananas, bagels and no or not many friendly faces to provide encouragement. If you run on Saturday on your own, the calendar calls for a 12 mile LAM preparation run. Those running Big Sur next Sunday (April 26) should run eight miles, or better still, run the 10K at the Camarillo race on Sunday (I don’t recommend running the half).

UPCOMING RACES

In addition to The Camarillo Half on Sunday (April 19), other events, in which several of our members will be participating, include the Boston Marathon on Monday (April 20), the Ragnar Relay (April 24-25), Big Sur International Marathon (April 26), Orange County Marathon and Half Marathon (May3), and LA Marathon (May 25).

Regarding the Ragnar Relay, Lisa Anderson’s team needed two replacement runners (I don’t know if the replacements were found). If you are interested, send me an email to that effect and I will forward it to Lisa.

Regarding LAM, I read in The Times that the LA City Council is considering urging the race organizers to return the race to the original first of March race date. Hope they are successful with the fallback.

To everyone participating in these upcoming events, I wish you all the most pleasant and successful day or days of running.

ESSAY

No essay this week.

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

April 25 - Mike Miskel
April 28 - Richard Hernandez

Good luck to our Boston Marathon-bound members --- Mike Miskel, Rick Kanatzar and Carole Coffman! Hats off to you folks!

April 11, 2009 Newsletter

THIS-SATURDAY-AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 22
Volunteers:
Bananas: Mimi Champion
Bagels - Robin Solis
Set-up - Luz Lyon and Richard Buerli
Breakdown - none

NEWS FLASH: NEXT TWO TRAINING RUNS CANCELED!

There will be NO ORGANIZED TRAINING RUNS on the following Saturdays:

April 18 - in support of the Camarillo Half-Marathon on April 19
April 25 - Ragnar Relay and Big Sur Marathon weekend

See you all on May 2nd!

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

LSD

For members planning to run the targeted Los Angeles Marathon on May 25, 2009, this Saturday will be your longest training run: 22 miles! From the start at the foot of the Main Street Bridge, we run south for two miles (just past the lifeguard station), turn around and return to the bridge. Then we head north to our Mile 9 “happy face” (before the end of PCH), turn around and head for home. Twenty-two miles! Wow! After this Saturday, just one more 20 miler (in two weeks), then we start our taper. Whew!

Members (including yours truly) who are running the Big Sur International Marathon on April 26, 2009 will be running 12 miles (tempo) on Saturday and 8 miles at marathon pace next week (April 18). Your last hill runs should be this week but continue you speed workouts into the final week with reduced mileage.

CAMARILLO HALF-MARATHON

The club-supported Camarillo Half Marathon runs on April 19, 2009. We welcome and need club volunteers to help set-up, man and take down our booth. See Naomi if you are willing to help your club.

Because most of our members will be participating in this race or volunteering with our booth, our Saturday (April 18, 2009) run will be canceled. You may run on your own, but there will be no water, Gatorade, bagels or bananas.

If you plan to run this half marathon, take the April 18, 2009 Saturday off and use the 13.1 mile distance in place of your scheduled 12 mile LSD run. Those running Big Sur should not run the half marathon but you could do the accompanying 5K or 10K as part of your speed work.

ESSAY: PREPARE FOR WHAT’S AHEAD OF YOU

Whether you run on roads or on trails and whether you are racing or in training, aside from a track or the treadmill, the courses that you run are never uniform. There may be menacing or gradual hills, sharp or wide turns, and congested or open areas. Even your pacing may change; you may want to run easily at this point and surge at that point; or you may be approaching the point where you start your final kick to the finish. You must be aware of what lies on the course ahead of you. And you should know when and where you plan to make any strategic moves. It pays to prepare for the course conditions and for your moves that are ahead of you. Here are some pointers on how to prepare for your immediate running future.

First of all, you should always make a point to familiarize yourself with the course, either by studying a map (preferably including an elevation profile) of the course or by running it beforehand. Be aware of the approximate locations of the tough and “easy” spots so you can plan your possible moves. For example, if you know that the first mile or two involves a rapid descent followed by many rolling hills for the remainder of the course, you should control your urge to run a PR two miles to save your quads for the rest of the course. Or if you know that a “killer” hill starts at Mile 5, you might plan to run a bit easily about 200 meters before reaching that point of the course. Certainly you wouldn’t want to surge just to be the first at the foot of the hill (and die half-way up).

Whether you carry your own water or you take water at an aid station, I recommend you not drink at the foot of a hill or on the way up a hill. And also, do not drink just a few strides before your planned surge. The reason: when drinking, you will have to give up taking one or more breaths, so this could leave your working muscles little short of oxygen. I find it helpful to take four or five deep (abdominal) breaths before drinking and continue taking several additional deep breaths after swallowing.

Before starting a surge and before starting an uphill climb, again I recommend taking four or five deep (abdominal) breaths to get as much oxygen as possible into your blood stream immediately before taking on the task. And during the surge or uphill climb, continue taking deep breaths to keep your O2 levels up.

As you approach the end of the course, your last intake of water or other fluids should be at least a quarter of a mile before the planned start of your “final kick.” Take several deeps breaths before and continue breathing deeply all the way to the finish.

Perform these planning, breathing and drinking strategies during training so they become “natural” during your races.

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

April 25 - Mike Miskel
April 28 - Richard Hernandez