If you want to know anything about the local running scene, ask Heather Cass. A member of the Erie Runners Club for 10-plus years, she is immersed in the local fitness culture, and she's taking your questions. Read more about this blog.
* Irunfar.com: Peak Performance and the Selfish Brain. This is fascinating insight into what’s going on with your brain and body in an endurance event. Your brain will have the last word as its job is to regulate everything to keep itself..and your body alive, but there are a few ways you can trick it to avoid having it pull the plug on your efforts at the 20th mile (or 40th mile or 60th mile).
Funny stuff
* Runner’s World’s Mark Remy has revealed the scientific reason that some runners are total jackwads don’t wave. Read all about it.
Group runs — for safety
In America, we gather in large running groups for fun, but in Venezuala, they run in large groups for safety.
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We are about 7 miles into a planned 15-miler early Saturday morning when Heather D. says, “What time do you need to be at that color run?”
“9 a.m.” I say, running along. “In Fairview.”
Heather looks at her watch and says, “Uh…I don’t think you’re going to be able to make it.” (We were in Waterford at this point).
“What? Really? How did I figure that wrong?” I say as I try to calculate the math in my head. Distance+speed+shower & drive time. “Crap!”
We end up deciding to cut the run slightly short, shaving off less than 2 miles. I’ll make it up at the color run. I apologize profusely to Heather D. for at least three miles.
We get home at 8:20 a.m. Dan helps get the girls ready while I shower. surprisingly, we’re in the car by 8:45 a.m. It takes a good 30 minutes to get to Fairview. I tell the girls to watch for cops (Mother of the Year, I know) as we speed over I-90. (Safely, I swear…we weren’t going that fast).
We pull into Camp Notre Dame at 9:10 a.m. and the race director — the Erie Day School’s Julie Kresge — sees us coming and has our packets out and ready to hand to us. We run into the bathroom to change into our white shirts, which, thankfully, fit us all well. I grab my camera and we set off on the 3/4 mile loop course through the camp trails, in search of our first color station — yellow.
The trails are a wee bit muddy, but that just makes it more fun. We have every intention of getting dirty and stained anyway.
At the cabin area we find a volunteer with a spray bottle in each hand. One by one, we spread our arms out, present our chests, and she uses both bottles to spray us with ink. We turn and she sprays our backs, too.
We giggle and admire each others’ shirts as we run off to Fort Silver. This is going to be cool.
We find a volunteer at the fort with orange and hot pink ink bottles. He sprays us before we run to find red at the Ranger Post, then blue at the pool (of course), purple at the Nature Lodge and green back at the registration table.
We are a rainbow of colors after just one run through the course, but the girls want to do the loop again and get even more colorful. We take it slower this time and enjoy the scenery. We stop at the pond and take pictures, we walk a little more than we run. We laugh and talk. Kelly grows impatient with our pace and runs out ahead.
When we’re done with our three loops, we lounge around outside in the grass, drinking water while we wait for the hot dogs Julie’s husband is cooking over a charcoal fire.
I look at my GPS history and realize our long run that morning was one of the fastest we’ve done so far. Who’d have ever thought my lousy math skills would actually benefit my pace?
BTW — the Erie Day School’s Fun Color Run was not a race. It wasn’t timed, but it was an awesome family-friendly event. The girls loved it and ran most the way on each of the 3/4 mile loops. You were supposed to run it three times, but it didn’t really matter if you walked and did just one loop or ran and did all three. Even the youngest of kids could (and did) do the race. And they offered a family-friendly price of $25 (total) for a group of three or more, so it didn’t cost us a fortune and we didn’t have to drive to Pittsburgh or Cleveland or Buffalo. We loved it! Put this one on your must-do-for-fun list for next year!
____________________________ About Just Write
“What ends up revealing itself when free writing is that everything has meaning. That is a magnificent gift of writing. If we write from a free heart-gut place, our souls start speaking.”
This week’s question addresses something EVERY runner has dealt with — sore muscles!
I asked runners: What’s your favorite/go-to remedy for sore muscles?
* Epson salts/ foam roller and a beer. — Amy Cronk
* Between golf balls and “the stick,” I rely on massaging to rub out and keep circulation moving. — Christine Vassen
* I like arnica gel for treating inflammation and comfrey ointment for muscle knots and pain. — Debbie DeAngelo
* Ice bath, it’s cold, but it works! After about 7 minutes you really can’t feel anything (but, yes, that first 7 minutes isn’t much fun) — Greg Cooper
* Tonic water (applied internally, not externally!). — Bill Cox
* Rest, massage, wine. — Pat Krott
* Dr. Teals Epsom salts–lavender—not the plain kind in the Pharmacy section of Wal-Mart—the lavender scented are by the nicer bath soaps down a few aisles. Foolproof (for the fools who overuse their muscles…LOL). — Eloise Hawking
* Foam roller, stretching. Advil if necessary. — Ginny Sackett
What’s your “bucket list” race…the one you want to do before you die?
1. Boston, 2. New York City, 3. Disney marathon/ half for the goofy combo — Amy Cronk
Boston Marathon! No contest there. — Mary Connerty
Boston. — Paul Bressen
Rock ‘n Roll 1/2 marathon in Las Vegas. — Jameel Gavin
1. Boston 2. New York 3 . Disney. 4 . Runner’s World Half in Bethlehem, Pa. — Ramon Patron Jr.
Goofy Challenge at Disney World! — Tracy Jenks
Hatfield & McCoy Marathon on June 14, 2014. State number 50 for me. — Dale Werner
I really would like to run the Disney World Marathon and someday I will but it probably won’t be for another 8 or 9 years (after my kids graduate). — Sandie Sweet
Marine Corps Marathon. And the Leadman Ironman n Bend Oregon…starts with a 5k mountain lake swim…..eek! — Mary Kay Snyder-Migdal
Any race that pushes my limits to the point of breaking. — Eric Ellis
The 100K at Oil Creek 100. I will never be fast enough to consider the full 100 miler but the 100K is possible. — Christine Vassen
I HAVE to run the next Nike Women’s Half whether in DC or San Fran because they give away a Tiffany’s necklace at the end of the race instead of metals! I have to have one! Also, the Moab Half Marathon in Utah looks amazing because of the awesome scenery! — Jessie Zahner
Western States 100, Hardrock 100, Marathon des Sables. — Patrick Krott
Great Wall of China marathon. — Doug Oathout
I’ve been lucky enough to run most of my bucket list marathons. In October I’ll be knocking the Marine Corps marathon off my list. The remaining race(s) is the new Disney World Dopey – consisting of a 5k, a 10k, a half marathon, and the full marathon. Looking to run that in January 2015. — Karen Manganaro
I’ve completed my “bucket list”. All that is left is my “F_ _ _ it” list. Marathon #11 is on that list. That’s what happens when you get old. — Cyndie Zahner
The original marathon course in Greece. — Michael Morris
Your new cross-training routine? (I thought this was a joke, but…um….no, this is for real. And, if I see you doing it, I will absolutely laugh at you) “We’re going to really cut the noose, and let it loose with the Prancercise Gallop!”
* And….once you work on your core, you can maximize your mobility with these 6 exercises. (Um..seriously, don’t discount mobility, the lack of it causes many injuries because we compensate with crappy form).
* Long run on a hot day? Suck down a slushie first. “A new study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that runners who drank a ten-ounce slushie (made of blended ice and sugar water) were able to run 19 percent longer before exhaustion in 93-degree heat than a control group drinking the same ice-cold beverage in liquid form.”
P.S. I’ll have More hot weather running tips posted tomorrow!
When you feel like stopping, how do you keep pushing yourself beyond that point?
I just apply the guilt that feel from missing a scheduled run to an incomplete workout . If I quit during an especially hard workout, that guilt eats at me until my next training day ; and I don’t like to feel that way , so that becomes a good motivator. I also have a specific mantra that I use , “finish strong ” which usually helps. — Ramon Patrone Jr.
I walk for a minute or less, to catch my breath and refocus. I used to hate doing that, but it seems to really minimize injuries. Giving myself permission to slow down for a minute has really helped me finish out a run when I’m tiring, too. — Mary Ann Daniels
If I am alone I chide myself for thinking like a quitter. If negative thoughts overtake my focus in a race, I look around and tell myself everybody here is in the same boat. And we are all nuts )) — Barb Armour
I give myself “permission” to slow down or stop once I reach the next chosen mark, i.e. the next tree, the next tenth, etc. Ironically what happens is that when I get to that next mark I’m still feeling OK and go for the next mark. Rarely ever do I end up slowing or stopping. Just giving myself permission to stop seems to have the opposite effect…like the pressure is off somehow. — Kim
I thank God for giving me the legs that keep me moving, the lungs that keep me breathing and the will to keep pushing on. —Sunupmiles (via email)
Picture the finish line!! And remind yourself that race day will suck if you don’t train right!! — Mary Kay Snider-Migdal
I tend to resort to mantras or “100 Bottles of Beer On the Wall” — anything to drown out the negative voice in my head. My mantras: “Settle…settle,” “Harder, faster, stronger…harder, faster, stronger,” and “I can stand this.” Need a mantra? Some good ones here
* Does it seem like it takes longer to recover the older you get? Um, it does. Here’s why.
* For the ladies: Jezebel: If You Must Think About your Weight, Here Are 10 Things to Think About Warning: there are plenty of f-bombs in this article, but this is probably the greatest thing I’ve read in…well, ever. I’m at that stage where I’m pissed off about this situation we’ve all bought into. I’m sick of women’s magazines and fitness magazines and women’s expos that are full of ways for us to fix ourselves — lose weight, fix your hair, get the whitest teeth, cook better….f@#$ you, I’m fine the way I am. READ THIS. PRINT IT OUT. GET MAD.
Video of the Week
Hmmm….now this treadmill workout could possibly hold my interest:
Ultra funny
For all my ultra-running friends. (This is a JOKE…though, you have to admit….it’s funny because most of it is true, right?). LOL.
As seen along the streets of Cleveland on Sunday morning:
Funny T-shirt:
Happy calves:
(Yes, most of these are blurry….I was RUNNING!)
Simple works, too:
These people love the Indians:
Two oldies, but goodies:
Truth:
Cute parent signs:
This woman was getting a LOT of laughs and high-fives from the women in the race:
Maybe not the most inspiring sign, but….damn was I glad to see this cardboard “GU” sign:
Beer stop (no, I didn’t stop):
This photo just about says it all. Note the “Runners rock” sign on the sign post near the mailbox:
For me…..one of the greatest signs in Cleveland are those lights from Jacob’s Field (or whatever the proper name is now) up ahead. Once I see that stadium, I know it’s almost over (the half is anyway):
I wonder if I could talk this girl into coming to the PA Grand Canyon Marathon for me:
Another classic…only his mileage was OFF:
And, the best signs on the course (in my biased opinion, of course):
I love his expression….that’s pretty much what it feels like after you run 26.2 miles in 80-degree weather.
6: 25 a.m. Sunday morning Dan and I are walking toward the marathon start line in front of the Cleveland Browns stadium, though it reads “Cleveland Browns Sta” because the “dium” metal letters are missing. No matter, this isn’t our first rodeo. We’ve run this race for years now. We know where were going.
The runners and spectators become a streaming mass, clogging the sidewalks and stretching onto the now-closed road. There are something like 20,000 runners, I think.
We pass a group of law enforcement officers dressed in Army green pants and shirts, standing around dark van. They’re wearing combat boots, baseball hats, black sunglasses and bullet proof vests. They have automatic weapons slung over their shoulder and bullets wrapped around their waist.
“Great, we’ve become Mexico with machine-gun wielding Federales everywhere,” I mutter to Dan as we walk by.
There are dozens of law enforcement officers inside and outside the stadium — bomb squad, Sheriff’s office, stadium security, Cleveland police officers, K-9. Some are gathered together, others are standing and watching the crowd from above, K-9 officers are weaving dogs through the crowd and the bushes around the stadium.
I know they are all there for us. To protect us. To reassure us. To watch over us. They are a very visible sign that the race directors are taking Boston seriously, but it’s frightening and it kinda depresses me.
Sons of a bitches ruined our marathons. Bastards.
I don’t know their names, and I don’t care. I’m not going to look it them up either because they are not worth it. To me, they’re nameless cowards.
Spectators, three and four deep, line the road filled with runners. Hundreds more ring the outside platform of the stadium, looking down, pointing cameras, video cameras, and cell phones in our direction.
When we finally start, I look up at them as we jog toward the start mat. I get a little choked up because I start thinking about the Jezebel post “The People Who Watch Marathons“.
I don’t know one of those people up there and they are absolutely not there to cheer me on, but…oh, my God do I appreciate their presence — this year, more than any other previous.
I appreciate their mass. Their cheers. Their pom-poms and home made signs. Their cowbells and thunder sticks. Their DIY beer stops. Their garden hoses set to mist. Their willingness to drag their butt out of bed at 5:30 a.m. and fight traffic and pay $10 to park…just to watch us run by.
For 13 miles, every time I see a group of spectators ahead, I rally. I run stronger and straighter, and I forget how crappy I feel. I turn my camera on and scan the sidewalk for funny signs. I look for kids offering high-fives with outstretched hands and move over so I can gently slap every one of those little hands.
I’m eternally grateful for every person standing along that route who distracts me from the task at hand.
The miles fly by because of them. These strangers. These noisy, boisterous, excited, awesome strangers who meant everything to me on Sunday morning.
Thank you. You make it all worth it:
(See :16 and 1:03).
____________________________ About Just Write
“What ends up revealing itself when free writing is that everything has meaning. That is a magnificent gift of writing. If we write from a free heart-gut place, our souls start speaking.”
)) — Barb Armour
