Have you always wanted to learn the pose method of running? Perhaps you’ve tried to teach yourself?

If you have absolutely no idea what I’m taking about, read this. If you don’t have time for that, watch this:

OK…..now that were all up to speed, the good news…..drumroll, please…..

You can learn it right here in Erie. Erie runners and trainers Julie Robinson and Sean Donachy have formed a business called RunErie to teach local runners how to improve their form, which will result in better race times and — most importantly — fewer injuries! Yay!

They’ve already taught two classes and they are offering another on Saturday, May 25 at 8 a.m.  CrossFit FBO at 1311 Chestnut Street. Cost is $10 and space is limited.  Details here. Contact them on Facebook or call 450-7786 for more info or to RSVP.

Chi vs. Pose Method

You may have heard of Chi running before, too. It similar, but there are some differences as well. Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about Chi running versus Pose method, but, if you don’t have time for that, here’s the short version:

“Pose running puts more demand on the legs, using muscle control to maintain proper positioning. ChiRunning teaches that the leg below the knee should be relaxed, taxing the muscle very little. The primary focus of ChiRunners is core strength and the belief that energy can be redirected from the trunk to the extremities. Another key difference is that pose running uses a short stride while ChiRunning extends the stride, again to alleviate the effort on leg muscles.

Probably the most distinguishing characteristic between these two approaches is that pose running is primarily focused on the physiological elements of running. ChiRunning on the other hand, is steeped in Eastern philosophies that, while may be perfectly valid, Western runners may have trouble applying.”

 Worth Reading

*Big Brother Fitbit Flex is watching tracking you. If you’re looking to get a handle on exactly how much exercise you’re getting every day and are considering strapping on a fitness tracker (think those armband things you wear that meausure your activities, calorie burn, sleep, etc.), word has it the new Fitbit Flex is the cream of the current crop.

* Should you eat before a morning workout? Probably.

* Too busy to train for a marathon? Here’s one that anyone…and I do mean anyone…can finish.

* The real cause of muscle cramps (it’s not what you might think) and how to avoid them. (I can vouch for this…learned it the hard way)

Video of the Week

Leave it to SNL to do the best parody commercials ever. This New Balance commercial is hysterical:

T-shirt of the Week

In honor of tonight’s final episode of The Office, the classic Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For the Cure race T-shirt:

Available here for $16.95.

Harborcreek Township is offering a free runners clinic again this year and it starts next Thursday, May 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Harborcreek Community Park. It runs for 6 consecutive weeks. The goal is to train runners to run the Harborcreek Youth Services Fahey/Ferko Run on June 29th.

“Not only will Sandie offer weekly running tips, but will also pass on information including stretching, nutrition, setting goals, choosing correct equipment, and additional training options for the more advanced runner. In addition to all the knowledge you will gain from Sandie, the location of the clinic offers you many routes and surfaces to run on — from the 7/10 mile paved trail around Community Park to wooded trails that connect into the park. Participants should plan to gather near the Firman Road concession stand and picnic pavilion, using the Firman Road parking lot.

It’s free to participate and you can sign up the first night (or any night). Here’s a Q&A I did with Sandie about the clinic last year.

Need some inspiration? This Harborcreek blogger attended Sandie’s clinic last summer and started running (she had not run prior to attending the clinic) and she just completed her first half marathon!  Read all about it here.

You can do it. You are so much stronger than you can possible imagine.

Go!  DO IT. Try it. It can will change your life.

Jim Lang, owner of Big White Trailer timing, posted the following note regarding a couple of off-Presque Isle racing opportunities available on Memorial Day weekend:

You all asked for races that aren’t at Presque Isle, and you’re getting them on Memorial Day weekend.

Saturday brings you a REALLY different race: A Race to Remember.  This is a dirt road in Albion. Might even get a Dirt Road Anthem going. It’s a senior project to benefit Alzheimer’s, which affects all too many in our community. Those of you who have participated in the Tuesday Night Racing League events over the past few years will remember this as the Albion 5k/5M course that brought a smile to our faces.

Monday brings you a variety. The Human Race — a 5K in Meadville, followed by the Tom McNally Memorial Kids Run. I ran the Human Race years ago and loved it. I’d be torn between it and the other race on the calendar. The Miracle Mountain Stampede in Spring Creek, PA is a hilly, road & trail, challenging course nearly guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. The setting is absolutely wonderful. Bring the kids and look at all they have to offer. They offer an Open House so you’re free to look around.

Please, if you plan to run any of these events, register early so the directors can plan for you.  (And if you wake up on race day and decide to go anyway, please do register on race day.

— Jim

OK, I don’t know what is cooler (coolest? most cool?) about this — that a local gym cares enough to want to make difference, that this class is on the beach, or that it will totally help you train for the Beast on the Bay.

Here’s the deal: Eric Taylor from Best Fitness in Erie said the gym wants to help Erie get healthier and, they are putting their money and muscle where their mouth is.

You may remember that last year Best Fitness offered a free one-month membership to everyone and anyone. FREE. To, hopefully, encourage people to develop the exercise habit.

They also sponsored  Weigh-In Erie, the weight-loss challenge that finished up last month. Read an inspirational story about the contest winner here.

NOW….they are offering a free P90X class on Monday nights at Beach No. 1. It’s a HITT class — high intensity interval training — that includes things like jumping, push ups, squats, running on the sand.

But, don’t be intimidated by the name or the exercises, Eric is quick to point out that the nice thing is that these workouts are adaptable to ANY fitness level. This class is designed for anyone from uber-fit to just getting off the couch.  Note, however,that you must be at least 16 to participate in the class.

Class starts at 5:30 p.m. at Beach No. 1 (meet on the sand) and lasts about an hour. Workouts take place on the sand and using whatever else is around (perhaps jumping over driftwood, etc.).

The class started last week, so it’s going on right now through the end of the summer.  This is a “drop in” thing, you don’t have to commit to be there every week or anything (you do have to get there a bit early to sign a waiver though).

By the way — this would be PERFECT training for those who are doing the Beast on the Bay run…or any “adventure run” and…HIT workouts are GREAT cross-training for runners, in general.

How awesome is that?

Couch to 5K program coming!

WAIT….LADIES…it get better! Eric and Best Fitness are planning to offer a free (free, free, free) Couch to 5K program for the community and they’ll train women to run the Her Times 5K!  Eric is still working on the details, but they expect to kick the program off in July and will likely be meeting on Saturdays at the peninsula. He’s hiring a trainer to teach this course, so he’s actually paying for it (you’re not) and it’s just because he (and Best Fitness) want Erie to get healthier!

Eric & Best Fitness have a few other things in the works, too, including a Community Health Fair with the River of Life team and a Zumbathon at the Bayfront Convention Center on August 8.

Speaking of 5K training….

Harborcreek Township is offering their free learn-to-run program with Sandie Sweet again this summer, too. It starts in a couple weeks. Details to come soon!

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Here, according to Outside Magazine, are the best cities for runners.

I can vouch for Minneapolis. One glaring omission, in my opinion, is Chicago, which is an awesome city for a runner to visit — you can run the Magnificent Mile …and then head toward the lake where you’ll find a paved jogging trail that runs along the lake for 18 miles or something.

I also really enjoyed running in New Orleans, particularly down Bourbon Street and through the French Quarter early in the morning (but.. this is one city you want a running partner to go with because parts of New Orleans are not safe and you can run into one of those areas very, very quickly).

I asked other area runners to tell me the best city they’ve ever run in and, um…well…y’all were uncharacteristically quiet on this one. If you want to add on to this little list, feel free to post a comment or send me an email and I’ll add your favorites, too.

“With out a doubt Maui, running along the ocean with the breeze from the ocean, there is no comparison." — Amy Cronk

"San Francisco! They have a place called Lands End you can run there on the trails and you have great views of the Golden Gate Bridge! — Jessie Zahner

“Austin and Houston, Texas,” — Tom Toale

Worth Reading

 * Ready for a new challenge? Try reverse running.

* Outside magazine puts Tough Mudder’s First Death Into Context.

* Beautiful with brains: Why the whole concept of a bikini body is bunk.

* The running racket: How big business wrecked the marathon. “The average entry fee for the top 25 U.S. marathons has gone up 35 percent since 2007, to $112—three and a half times faster than inflation—according to the industry association RunningUSA.”

Video of the Week

Friend and fellow runner, Rob Frank, and his crew — including runner Matt Kleck, filmed this awesome Beast on the Bay promo video during the 3-mile trial run:

HOWEVER…..there’s an even BETTER one of Matt Kleck doing a total face-plant in the lake. His “friend” Robb slowed down the video and added sound…it’s hilarious.  If you know Matt or Rob or work out with Steve Krauza and his Team Adrenaline gang, ask them about it, and I’m sure they’ll share it with you.

Here’s a screen grab:

Poster of the week

FACT:

T-Shirt of the Week

Available here in various styles starting at $14.99

So….a reader requested a list of area adventure & fun runs within a 2-hour driving distance and, I was like…sure, no problem. Then I spent like four hours compiling this list because there are so many! Who knew? Now we all do.

Whatever trips your trigger (mud, color, girls-only, seriously tough, etc.), there’s a race for you nearby. Heck, there are 5 cool ones right here in Erie!

BTW — there are many more races in PA, Ohio & NY…I just stuck to the ones that I felt were within an easy driving distance. If I’ve left any off the list, comment below or email me at zipdang22 at aol.

Erie

* Jog ‘n Hog — Presque Isle State Park – June 15  (Run 2 miles, eat pepperoni balls, run back 2 miles)

* Erie Day School Fun Color Run & Walk — Camp Notre Dame in Fairview — June 15 (color run/walk, not timed, very family friendly)

* 3 Mile Isle – Presque Isle State Park – July 27 (Three-mile obstacle/adventure run)

* Beast on the Bay - Presque Isle State Park – September 7 (Erie’s biggest obstacle course — 4, 6, 8 and 12-mile options)

— Join the ERC Beast Team

* Zombie Run (this is LAST YEAR’s info) — Frontier Park – Date TBA (I think it’s 10/12) — 5K Zombie Run put on by the Erie Playhouse

Pennsylvania

* Mud on the Mountain — Seven Springs, PA — May 11 (7.7 mile/26-obstacle mud/adventure run)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Pittsburgh, PA — June 8 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Project Mud — Wampump, PA — July 13 (5K mud run)

* Run for Your Lives —  Wampum, PA — August 3 (5K obstacle/zombie course)

* Muddy & Messy 5K — Conneaut Lake, PA — July 27 (5K mud/adventure run)

* Warrior Dash — Long Pond, PA — Aug. 24 (3.32-mile mud run)

* Gladiator Rock ‘n Run — Export, PA — Sept. 7 (5K mud run)

* Savage Race — Albrightsville, PA — Sept. 14 (4-6-mile mud run)

* Hardcore Mud Run — Phillipsburg, PA — Sept. 28-29 (6.5-mile obstacle course with 18 to 20 obstacles -hardcore)

Ohio

* Warrior Dash — Butler, OH — June 1-2— (3.2 mile mud run)

* Cleveland Challenge Urban Adventure Race — Cleveland, OH — June 8 (5K “Amazing Race” style scavenger hunt race)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Cleveland, OH — July 20 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Color Run — Cleveland, OH — Sept. 21 (5K “color run”)

New York

* Kiss me Dirty 5K — Kissing Bridge Ski Resort — June 1 & 2 (5K mud run  for women — men can race in drag!)

* Holiday Valley Mudslide — Ellicottville, N.Y. — June 15 (3.5 or 5.4- mile mud run — no shocks, no fire, no barbed wire)

* Color Me Rad — Darian Lake, NY — June 22 (5K color run)

* Tough Mudder — Andover, NY — July 27 & 28 (10 to 12-mile obstacle course – hard core)

* Color Run — Buffalo, NY — Aug. 17 (5K “color run”)

* Hardcore Mud Run — Swain, NY — Aug. 17 (6.5-mile obstacle course with 18 to 20 obstacles, hardcore)

* Run For Your Lives — Batavia, NY — Aug. 17 (5K obstacle/zombie course)

* Tough Mudder — St. Clairsville, OH — Aug. 24 & 25 (10 to 12-mile obstacle course – hard core)

* Dirty Girl 5K — Buffalo, NY — Sept. 7 & 8 (5K mud run that caters to women)

* Muddy Viking — Bemus Point, NY — Oct. 5 (Four-mile mud run)

Check it out: The Erie Runner’s Club’s 2013 Turkey Trot shirt made it onto Shape.com’s list of 10 Hilarious Running Shirts:

By the way… the author, Charlotte Andersen, is hilarious, too. She blogs at The Great Fitness Experiment.

Worth Reading

* Genetically Modified Foods: 7 Things Every Shopper Needs to Know

* If you haven’t had a tick on you yet….it’s a matter of time, especially for those of you who run trail…(If this doesn’t make you itch, I don’t know what will): The Rise of the Tick & 9 tips for Avoiding & Treating Tick Bites

* Former Pittsburgh Steeler, Hines Ward, is not done being a bad#@$. He’s training for an October Ironman triathlon! Find out how his training is going.

* Runner’s World: Do Ice Baths Reduce Muscle Soreness?

Video of the week

T-shirt of the Week

This has absolutely nothing to do with running, but…man, don’t you miss Hills?

Available here for $20 (but it would totally be like $6 if you could still buy it at Hills…and you could spend $1 on an Icee and popcorn on the way out).