Laps In A Park

From 680news.com…

Ford wants marathons taken off streets and moved to parks

John Stall & Shauna Hunt

Sep 27, 2010 14:06:40 PM

TORONTO, Ont. - Leading mayoral candidate Rob Ford reportedly says if he is elected he will move marathons from the streets to a park next year.

Proponents of big city marathons say they showcase their cities.

The events are also big fund raisers for charity and inject millions of tourism dollars into local economies.

Rocco Rossi told 680News that he supports the city marathons but thinks that instead of having multiple events they could be consolidated into one.

Read on here.

After-Run Cool Down

I thought it was just a lot of panting and getting a drink of water but I guess there is more.  From Running Times online…

Cool Down Correctly

There's more to a proper cool-down than a token jog

By Julia Lucas

As featured in the October 2010 issue of Running Times Magazine

Searing lungs and burning legs, hands on your knees, head full of fog. You've earned this sweat. Allow yourself this moment to revel in the completion of a long hard day, but remember your workout isn't over. Though a trackside nap may seem inviting, you take a swig of your drink, put on your sweats and trot off on a 20-minute cool-down.

My hat's off to you. You're doing a heck of a job. And yet, if that jog is all you do after a race or hard workout, you're not cooling down sufficiently.

"A jog certainly satisfies the general flushing of the body," says Justin Whittaker, D.C., therapist of choice to Shalane Flanagan, Paula Radcliffe, Kara Goucher and others. "But after certain workouts you'll end up with residuals that a jog can't necessarily clear out. And they will spill into the next day and the next day, until you have layers and layers of adhesions and muscles that can't recover, and that's when you get an injury cycle."

Your old routine isn't a bad one. It just needs tweaking.

Read on here.

Races This Weekend

Some local races this weekend, nothing super close to Decatur but the big one is the 13.1 on Sunday morning.

Saturday, October 2

XTERRA Georgia Fall Fitness 5K Trail Run, Buford

Techie 10K Run/Walk, Norcross

ATC Cartersville 10K, Cartersville, www.atlantatrackclub.org

Habitat for Humanity Framing the Future 5K/Mile/Tot Trot, Marietta

Georgia Race for Autism and Family Fun Day 5K & 10K & Tot Trot, Lawrenceville

2nd Annual 5Kell and 1-mile Fun Run, Marietta

5th Annual Ginny Jog 5K, Roswell

Sunday, October 3

13.1 Marathon, Atlanta, www.131atlanta.com.

7th Annual Race Against Domestic Violence 5K/Mile, Georgia Tech

Interlopers Run Amok: Guys Crash Road Races for Women

From the Wall Street Journal online…

Interlopers Run Amok: Guys Crash Road Races for Women

They Come in First, Are Dissed at Finish; For Meeting Fit Females, 'It's Hard to Beat'

By KEVIN HELLIKER

Jonathan Mederos set a personal record in Disney's Princess Half Marathon last year, winning first place with a time of 1:16:17.

The reception he got was far from his personal best, though. "When I crossed the finish line, the announcers were silent, and I got downcast looks from the crowd," says Mr. Mederos, a 25-year-old high-school philosophy teacher in Miami.

That's what a guy gets for winning a women's race. As Rick Cordes took last year's Nike Women's Half Marathon, he slunk across the finish line, with a finger pressed to his lips, beseeching silence after having been heckled throughout the race.

"Maybe I shouldn't have been so competitive in a race that I would have been slaughtered in if it were an all-men's field," says Mr. Cordes, a 48-year-old California real-estate broker, in an email. He was one of nearly 700 men among more than 12,700 women in the Nike Half Marathon.

Read on here.

Old 4th Ward Art Walk

STUDIOPLEX HOSTS FOURTH FRIDAYS ART WALK IN THE OLD FOURTH WARD

THE FOURTH FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH    6:00-9:00 PM

Studioplex, the live/work community in Atlanta's historic Old Fourth Ward, will host Art Walks monthly every fourth friday of the month. These monthly Art Walks at Studioplex are free and open to the public.

Tapering The Science

From Running Times online…

The Peaking Problem

Tapering shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all conclusion to training

By Steve Magness

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

After six months of incredibly hard work, one would think the last week or so leading up to that big race you’ve been aiming for would be relatively straightforward. The go-to quote for coaches in this situation, “The hay is in the barn,” implies that it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what to do. However, nothing gives coaches or runners more fright than planning the last bit of training affectionately known as the taper. The stories of sub-par races with the body being completely out of whack on race day, despite great training for several months, are endless. So why does this small segment of training matter so much and cause all this trouble?

The answer to our peaking troubles should be fairly straightforward if we look at what the best coaches and the relevant scientific research recommend. As you may already know, it turns out that the recommendations by so-called experts only serve to muddle the picture even more.

Read on here.

The Slow Run

From the NY Times online….

Happy to Be the Tortoise in the Race to Fitness

Brookside Drive, which begins in Millburn, N.J., is a favorite route for Sunday runners because it is free of car traffic.

By JOHN SCHWARTZ

Published: September 16, 2010

I RUN. Sort of.

By that I mean that although I run almost every day, calling what I do running is a bit of a stretch. Maybe it’s a plod or an exer-slog. Whatever it is, it’s anything but fleet.

I’ve gotten used to the fact that when I’m huffing and puffing my way along the road, anybody else who is running the same path is probably going to pass me. Graybeards pass me. Teenagers pass me. A pregnant runner has passed me. Once, on a blazing afternoon in Austin as I ran along Lady Bird Lake, I noticed that the two women who had just passed me were walking.

My son, who is a splendid athlete, went running with me precisely once. After less than a mile, he said, “Dad, I’m going to peel off now, because I want to, you know, run.”

Read on here.

Go Strutting In EAV

Info from the EAV Strut site...

0% chance of rain on September 18th so Strut on down to East Atlanta!

Festival hours: 10AM - 10PM

Artists Market hours: 10AM - 7PM

Kids area hours: 11AM - 6PM

Music: 50 bands playing on 5 stages from 10 am to 10 pm!

Mechanical Bull: 3pm to 8pm!

Imperial Opa Circus: 10am to 10pm!

Used Book Sale: 10am to 6pm!

This year the strut is better than ever! You may have heard that everybody is coming this year, so parking will be scarce. We encourage you to ride your bike, take public transportation, Nimbus 2000, pet dragon, double rainbow, or pretty much anything that doesn't need to be parked. For those who MUST drive (hey, it's Atlanta after all) you can find street parking throughout the village, as long as it's outside of the festival footprint and not on private property and please be aware of parking rules. Our friends at PARKAtlanta are out cruising for violators.

Tortilla's Is Back

Well sort of, read on with the Omnivore Cliff Bostock of Creative Loafing...

Great news for those who miss Tortillas!

Posted by Cliff Bostock on Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 11:35 AM

UPDATE: I just learned Bell Street Burritos is already open to the public. Present hours are "about 11 a.m.-4 p.m."
Woohoo! Bell Street Burritos, heir to the much-missed Tortillas on Ponce de Leon, has announced its grand opening at the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. It's 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23.
Bell Street Burritos is being opened by Matt Hinton, who says this on the Facebook announcement:

For those of you who don't know, I've been making burritos and delivering them for the past year and a half to supplement my meager income as an adjunct professor of Religion. The schtick of West End Burritos (as it was formerly known) was that these are burritos "for those who miss Tortillas" ("Tortillas" being the legendary burrito shop that was on Ponce from the early '80s till the early '00s). Somewhere along the way, I was convinced to open a brick and mortar burrito shop in the Sweet Auburn Curb Market— one of the really great places in Atlanta to go for a variety of food and people. So, after a few months of effort, cleaning, construction, painting and setting tile, we're finally opening. And yes, the burritos are still in the manner of Tortillas, though we've added our own elements as well (or anyway, we stole ideas from other people too).

I've not had one of Hinton's delivered burritos, but I've heard plenty about them from friends. Among those is Christiane Lauterbach, who actually introduced me to Tortillas years ago. She positively reviewed Hinton's burritos in a recent issue of Knife & Fork.

21st Annual Decatur Garden Tour

21st Annual Decatur Garden Tour 

Saturday, September 25: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Sunday, September 26: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m. 

Explore 16 extraordinary private and community gardens featuring fall color, native specimens, serene water features, edible gardens and charming outdoor 
living areas. Don't miss the stunning "garden rooms" of renowned designer/author Ryan Gainey. The tour is a fund-raiser for the non-profit Decatur Preservation 
Alliance and Oakhurst Community Garden Project. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the township of Oakhurst, now one of 
Decatur’s most popular neighborhoods, many of the gardens are located in that area. Includes Saturday evening tour featuring wine and music and a 
garden-themed marketplace on Sunday. Special thanks to presenting sponsor Leslie Erickson of Prudential Georgia Realty.

Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Sunday: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.

$20 in advance online (www.decaturgardentour.com) 
or at Decatur retailers Smith ACE Hardware, Intown ACE Hardware and The Seventeen Steps. $25 day of tour at the Oakhurst Community Garden Project, 435 Oakview Road.

http://www.decaturgardentour.com
http://www.facebook.com/DecaturGardenTour
http://www.twitter.com/decaturgardentr

Car Free Day, Wednesday, Sept 22nd

Good thing the group runs on Wednesday nights, so run to your run…

or this flyer…

Octoberfest @ The Marlay

Here are the details from The Marlay House website…

Octoberfest @ The Marlay

Fri, Sep 17, 2010 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Munich Germany will be kicking Octoberfest 2010 and the Marlay will get in the mood with loads of Märzen / Oktoberfest Style beers, Pretzels, Colin in Lederhosen and some of the ladies in Dirndl's!

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, September 18

·       FirED Up 5K, Virginia Highlands

·       Big Peach Sizzler 10K, Chamblee

·       The Dream Mile 5K, Georgia Tech

·       East Atlanta Village STRUT 5K Run/Walk, Atlanta, Brownwood Park

·       HDSA Team Hope 5K Walk, Chastain Park

·       MFBC First Connection 5K Run/Walk, Marietta

Sunday, September 19

·       Locomotive Half Marathon & Rosebud 5K, Kennesaw

·       Fall Five 5K, Decatur

Build Your Base

From Running Times online…

Prepare for Success with Early Season Workouts

Building base strength isn't just about logging easy miles

By Jon Clemens

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

There is no doubt that the early stages of your season are crucial with respect to building strength and setting yourself up for success. By selecting your goal race (date and distance), you are defining your season, which can be between 10–14 weeks long, with your goal race occurring at the end. The first six weeks should be focused on building your base fitness to the lower levels of peak performance — I’m talking about working on your lactate threshold, or LT, a perplexing scientific word for the point just before your body goes “anaerobic” (when you start producing more CO2 and consuming less O2).  When you’re beginning your season, it behooves you to know and plan workouts around your LT. If you’re like most and don’t have access to a lab, there are simple methods that should get you close enough to your LT so that you’re doing work at appropriate levels.

Read on here.

Other Local Races on Sept. 11

ATC Singleton Races 5M & 10M, Stone Mountain, 8:00 a.m.

Vinings Downhill 5K Run for the Kids, Atlanta, Vinings, 8:00 a.m.

Running for Our Marriages 5K, Atlanta, Piedmont Park, 8:00 a.m.

GAHBA and GTBCP 5K Run

Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Georgia Tech Building Construction Program 5K Run/Walk

 

8 a.m.;  September 11, 2010; Georgia Tech

The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and the Georgia Tech College of Architecture Building Construction Program have teamed up for a Green Awareness 5K Run/Walk to benefit HomeAid Atlanta, a nonprofit organization that builds and renovates transitional housing facilities that serve homeless families and individuals in the metro Atlanta area.

Walk of HEROes 5K

Walk of HEROes 5K & Tot Trot

Helping to Enable Recovery & Opportunity

Saturday, September 11, 2010; Decatur, Ga.; Richardson Health Center; 9:00 a.m.

4th Annual Walk of HEROes! Event includes a 5K Run/Walk, Tot Trot, and Community Hero Fun Day. Your participation helps those with developmental disabilities, substance addictions, and mental illnesses.

On The Run With Caffeine

How much, when, what kind, and so on; an article from Running Times online…

How to Boost Long-distance Performance with Caffeine

Advice for using caffeine to enhance race results

By Jackie Dikos, R.D.

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

Powering through the final miles of a long-distance race can be a monumental task—although you’ve likely trained well to race hard to the line, it’s arduous for your brain to command your legs to maintain that speed and postpone reaction to exhaustion. Luckily, runners most everywhere have easy access to caffeine, a legal (World Anti-Doping Agency-approved since January 2004) stimulant that can increase performance in endurance athletes with proper implementation.

The benefit of caffeine in shorter distances is less significant than endurance events, but it does seem to have even mild ergogenic potential for events lasting more than one minute. Because caffeine can enhance alertness, runners who participate in shorter events may find the improved concentration useful in responding to the gun or getting out of start blocks. On the contrary, a fidgety response could contribute to a false start.  

Caffeine is absorbed quickly and reaches its highest blood concentration in about an hour, and this high concentration can be maintained for several hours. When taken an hour before a race, the ergogenic effect can last the duration of a 5K, 10K and even a marathon. To date, though, evidence supports that caffeine proves most useful for endurance events.

Reaction to caffeine differs according to the user—some feel they don’t respond to caffeine at all, while others suffer nausea, anxiety, tremors, headaches and even impaired performance after ingestion. Still, others find they’re more alert, energized, focused and experience a sense of ease in running effort. If you experience a negative reaction to caffeine during training, it’s obviously not a good choice for you during racing; however, if you’re able to tolerate caffeine, here are some tips on how to use it to your advantage.

Read on here.

Trail Races

Not everything has to be ultra distances or in mountainous terrain, from Running Times online…

Short, Fast Trail Races

From 10K to Marathon, we highlight great trail races that aren't ultra distance

As featured in the September 2010 issue of Running Times Magazine

Say "trail racing" and many conjure an image of Scott Jurek-like ultramarathoners running over extreme Western terrains. Trail running is something done "out there" in the big national parks. But trails are as close as your neighborhood woods, and trail races come in all distances and technical levels -- races you can do in a morning but that are a world apart from a tame, paved 5K road race.

To be a good short-distance trail racer, you have to think of yourself as a dune buggy or Jeep. You can cruise at top speed in the rare situations where the ground is flat and firm, but in an instant you might need to gear down and slowly maneuver up steep climbs or over treacherous terrain. On downhills, you can let gravity be your guide and bomb downward as fast as the footing will allow, knowing another steep climb might be right around the next tight corner.

It's about constantly adapting to the unique demands of the trail and not revving your engine too high. And to elite American mountain runner Rickey Gates, that's the Zen of running trails.

"With road running, you can get away with having one or two gears. In trail running, you have to be able to have five gears and be able to shift from first to fifth and fifth to first immediately," Gates says. "You go from redline in the first mile to resting a bit on downhills to redlining again to resting again. It makes the sport much more complicated and very unpredictable, but that's exactly what makes the sport so much fun."

Whether you've stuck to roads, thinking that trails were either too far "out there" or only about fun, not utilizing your running prowess, or if you're a long-distance trail racer who hasn't sampled the shorter, high-energy trails, here are a sampling of race experiences to entice you.

Read on here.

Lake Claire Land Trust Fall Fest 2010

How to prevent Achilles injuries

From Running Times online…

A Runner’s Achilles Heel

How to prevent Achilles injuries

By Mackenzie Lobby

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

A common and sometimes chronic grievance, Achilles tendinopathies can be, both literally and figuratively, a runner’s Achilles heel. The media’s constant chatter about Achilles injuries only serves to highlight their prevalence. Reporters recently speculated that Usain Bolt’s loss to Tyson Gay at the Diamond League Meet in Stockholm was the result of a slow recovery from an Achilles injury. David Beckham’s highly publicized Achilles rupture prevented him from playing in this summer’s World Cup. Even Alex Wong, a contestant on this season’s So You Think You Can Dance, had his rug-cutting dreams dashed by an Achilles laceration.

While these types of injuries occur among soccer players, dancers and everyone in between, runners are perhaps the likeliest candidates. Handling up to 12 times your body weight, that tendon has a big job. Achilles tendinopathies, which include acute tendinitis and the more chronic tendinosis, account for nearly 11 percent of running injuries. As many of these injuries result from training errors, experts agree that education about proper training and rehabilitation is the key to combating them.

Read on here.

World Domination Improv Festival at Dad's Garage

At Dad's Garage this week and weekend.  Info below from the Dad's Garage site, check them out for more info, teams, schedule, tickets, and more funny stuff.

The Lowdown:

The week of September 8-11th, teams from all over the world will descend upon Dad’s Garage Theatre for the 2010 World Domination Improv Festival! We’ll be joined by some old favorites (Rapid Fire Theatre) and some new friends (Crumbs) for a knock-down drag out improv battle of global magnitude! Teams will compete throughout the weekend in TheatreSports style competition in an attempt to conquer comedy…and ultimately the Earth! Only one group will emerge from the wreckage as world champion, while the others slink away into a cold, lonely state of exile.

Group gets homeless on feet and running

From the USA Today online and coming into Atlanta hopefully by 2012…

Group gets homeless on feet and running

By Marisol Bello, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Torrey Brockman is glad to be running for himself instead of running from the police.

An alcoholic and drug addict, Brockman, 35, checked into a drug rehabilitation center and found Back on My Feet, a running group for the homeless.

For four months, he has been up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:45 a.m. to run with 15 other men on the streets of downtown D.C., past the Washington Monument, the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court.

"It's different being on this side because running from police, that first mile wasn't anything," he says, laughing. "It's after you do that first mile, that's the hard part, trying to get your wind back. But now that I'm doing 2, 3 miles, it's getting better."

Back on My Feet is a support group for the homeless, many of them on drugs and alcohol, that is meant to help them get their lives in order by instilling discipline and improving their health and self-esteem.

The program, which began in Philadelphia, is going national. It started groups in shelters and transitional housing in Baltimore last year and Washington and Boston this year. It plans to be in Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta and Minneapolis before 2012.

The program began three years ago when marathoner Anne Mahlum regularly ran past a homeless shelter in Philadelphia and began talking to the guys hanging out in the front.

"I enjoyed talking to them," Mahlum says. Their sarcasm and wit reminded her of her father, who struggled with alcohol, drug and gambling addictions.

She decided to invite the guys to run with her and called the shelter about starting a group. It started with nine runners. Today, Back on My Feet has about 600 participants.

Mahlum says that as members complete a run, they feel a sense of accomplishment. Success is rewarded. Members run with volunteers and a coach, who charts their increasing mileage and awards prizes such as running clothes, medals and watches. That boosts their self-esteem even more, Mahlum says.

"The organization uses running to help people to succeed," she says.

Read on here.

How Running Affects Your Body

From runner’s world online…

How Running Affects Your Body

Weird Science

Running makes you lean and strong. It also gives you twitchy legs, black toenails, and an urgent need to find a bathroom now. Why? Here, doctors, therapists, and physiologists offer explanations and practical solutions for our most perplexing body issues.

By Dimity McDowell

From the September 2010 issue of Runner's World

Runners know bodies. We understand what training does for our legs, lungs, and heart. We're also intimately familiar with the other, less attractive ways running impacts our bodies. But we don't necessarily know why we have to pee even though the shrubs got watered just two miles ago. Or why our knees crackle and pop as we go down stairs. Or why someone way heavier can kick our skinny butts in a half-marathon. So Runner's World consulted doctors, physiologists, nutritionists, and other experts, and frankly asked them the most quirky and perplexing questions about the bodies we know and love. We also asked for practical advice about how to deal with our issues. Here's what the experts said.

Read on here.

Stretching Before Running

From the NY Times…

September 1, 2010, 12:01 am

Phys Ed: Does Stretching Before Running Prevent Injuries?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

Angela Jimenez/Getty Images

Should you stretch before a run? That question, which has prompted countless academic studies, debates and inter-running-partner squabbles, is now at the heart of a notable new study published in August on the Web site of USA Track and Field, the sport’s national governing body. The study, one of the largest of its kind, involved almost 1,400 runners, from age 13 to past 60, who were assigned randomly to two groups. The first group did not stretch before their runs, while otherwise maintaining their normal workout routine: the same mileage, warm-up (minus any stretching) and so on. The second group stretched, having received photographs and specific instructions for a series of simple, traditional poses, like leaning over and touching toes, that focused on the calf, hamstring and quadriceps muscles. The volunteers were told to hold each stretch for 20 seconds, a technique known as static stretching. The entire routine required three to five minutes and was to be completed immediately before a run.

The volunteers followed their assigned regimens for three months. Predictably, since running, as a sport, has a high injury rate, quite a few became injured during the three months. About 16 percent of the group that didn’t stretch were hobbled badly enough to miss training for at least three days (the researchers’ definition of a running injury), while about 16 percent of the group that did stretch were laid up for the same amount of time. The percentages, in other words, were virtually identical. Static stretching had proved to be a wash in terms of protecting against injury. It “neither prevented nor induced injury when compared with not stretching before running,” the study’s authors concluded, raising the obvious corollary, so why in the world do so many of us still stretch?

Read on here.

Avondale Estates Labor Day Race 5K

From the Avondale Estates site…

32nd Annual Labor Day Race

Monday, September 6th
On-Site Registration:  7:30 a.m.
1 Mile Race: 8:30 a.m.
5K Main Race:  9:00 a.m.

Strap up those sneakers and join the walkers and runners in Avondale Estates for the Labor Day 5K Race and 1 Mile Race. Walkers and runners of all ages and athletic levels are invited to participate in this annual event. CLICK HERE for Entry Form.  CLICK HERE to view 5 Mile Race Course Map.  CLICK HERE to view 1 Mile Race Course Map.

And One Step at a Time is sponsoring the race.  Click here for more info.

Pic from Avondale Estates site

12th Annual Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival

12th Annual Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival

Up, up and away. If you’ve always wanted to sail away on a hot air balloon, here’s your chance. Launch your inhibitions during the 12th annual Sky High Hot Air Balloon Festival at Callaway Gardens. Activities include a balloon glow and tethered flights each day. When you’re not lifting off into the sky, enjoy the entertainment, exhibits, music and water activities.

9 a.m. Friday through 4 p.m. Monday (balloon tethering times vary); $10 adults, $5 children; Callaway Gardens, U.S. Highway 27, Pine Mountain; 800.225-5292; callawaygardens.com

There’s even more info here.

Dragon Con

Dragon*Con

Horror, sci-fi, comic book and fantasy characters will invade five Atlanta hotels as Dragon*Con returns for another weekend of nonstop entertainment. Billed as the largest multimedia, popular culture convention of science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music and film, Dragon*Con attracts geeks, gamers, goths and nostalgia buffs from across the region. This year’s guests include Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four and dozens of other Marvel Comics characters.

10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3 through 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 6, $25 -- $100, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, 265 Peachtree St. N.E.; Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave.; Hilton Atlanta, 255 Courtland St.; Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, 165 Courtland St., and The Westin Peachtree Plaza, 210 Peachtree St., N.W., 770-909-0115; www.dragoncon.org

Beer & Whiskey Fest

Beer & Whiskey Fest

It’s part beer, part whiskey and part musical tribute. This sixth year annual charity event features five tribute rock bands performing the hits of GN'R, Def Leppard, U2, Van Halen, The Police and Green Day. DJ Suspense will spin records between the live shows under the huge air-conditioned party tent, and proceeds benefit the Nature Conservancy Gulf Coast Relief Fund. A silent auction also will be held.

2 -11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, $10 advance; $15 at the gate (proceeds benefit PAWS Atlanta); Park Tavern@ Piedmont Park, 500 10th St. N.E.; additional charge for food and beverages. 404-249-0001; www.beerandwhiskeyfest.com

Pride At Six Flags Over Georgia

Pride At Six Flags Over Georgia

In what is expected to become an annual event, members of Atlanta’s gay community will convene for a day of fun at Six Flags over Georgia and White Water. Touted as one of the biggest Pride events of the year, activities include rides, music, food and karaoke contests.

10 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 4, Six Flags over Georgia, 7561 Six Flags Pkwy., Austell; 10 a.m.-6p.m. Saturday, White Water, 250 Cobb Parkway Northeast, Marietta; $30 admission to either park, $55 park admission including buffet lunch; 404-518-6023, www.prideatsixflags.com

Atlanta Kickoff Street Fest

Atlanta Kickoff Street Fest

A big block party before a big football game is sure to please fans and non-sports fans alike. Listen to the sounds of live music with Yacht Rock Schooner, Hot Sauce & Justin plus great food and cold drinks. Your ticket to the Atlanta Kickoff Street Fest also gives you access to Front Page News, Vickery’s Bar & Grill and Sutra Lounge Nightclub. $1 of each ticket helps Gulf Coast relief.

5 p.m-3 a.m. Friday, Sept. 3, $10 advance, $15 at gate; Midtown Atlanta on Crescent Avenue, 1104 Crescent Avenue, Atlanta (between 12th and 13th Streets); www.atlantakickoffstreetfest.com

Atlanta Caribbean Jerk Festival

Atlanta Caribbean Jerk Festival

Whet your taste buds with Caribbean cuisine while listening to live reggae and calypso performances during the 5th Annual Atlanta Caribbean Jerk Festival. The celebration of Caribbean food and music also features a cooking competition, jerk preparation demonstrations, domino and ludo tournaments and crafts. A portion of proceeds benefit the Atlanta Montego Bay Sister Cities Foundation.

Noon -11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, $10 adults, children under 12 free; parking is free; Panthersville Stadium, 2817 Clifton Springs Road, Decatur; 678-760-8543, www.atlantajerkfestival.com

U.S. 10K Classic

From the ajc.com…

On your mark. Get set. Go. Whether you walk, run or roll, you can join about 12,000 competitors for the U.S. 10K Classic, a fun-filled race for runners, walkers, wheelchair athletes and inline skaters. Professional cyclists and corporate teams can also join the fundraising event benefiting children’s charities in Georgia. Additional events include a 10K professional women's cycling race and a 100K professional men's cycling race. Children’s (11 and under) races will be held 11 a.m. Saturday. All races kick off in front of Cumberland Mall and conclude at Six Flags White Water Park.

Registration is available at the Family Festival, a showcase of vendor booths, art exhibits and children’s activities held 10 a.m. – 6 pm. Saturday, Sept. 4 and Noon-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5 at the Galleria Gardens, 2450 Galleria Pkwy., Atlanta, 30339. Registration is available online and by mail until August 31.

7 a.m. Monday, Sept. 6, Registration ranges from $15 for children to $38 for adults; Cumberland Mall, Marietta; 770-432-0100 ext. 645; http://www.us10k.org/

Here’s the events schedule

Saturday, September 4, 2010

11:00 a.m. Kid’s Classic Races at Galleria Gardens

Monday, September 6, 2010

7:15 a.m. Men’s 100K Pro Cycling

7:20 a.m. Women’s 10K Cycling Sprint

7:25 a.m. Inline Skate

7:30 a.m. Wheelchair

7:45 a.m. 10K Run/Walk

Art in the Park, Sept 4-6

Art in the Park, September 4-6, 2010

The Historic Marietta Square and Glover Park is the site of the Art in the Park Festival held each Labor Day weekend, Saturday-Monday. This fine art extravaganza features an artist market, children’s art alley and an artist demonstration area and the famous Painted Pots. Art displayed will include paintings, photography, pottery, graphic arts, sculptures, jewelry, woodworking from 150 of the countries finest artists. Festival guests will also have the opportunity to visit the unique shops and boutiques, restaurants, museums and galleries, take in a historic walking tour plus much more, all within walking distance to the festival. The festival is free with plenty of free parking on the street and in the Cobb County Park Deck. The festival proceeds provide support to the Marietta Business Association who promote local businesses and keep local commerce active.

Bare Foot Training

Article from Runners World online…

The Body Shop: Bare Feet

Strength train shoeless to prevent injuries

By Adam Bean

From the September 2010 issue of Runner's World

 

Image by Mitch Mandel

Barefoot running is a hot topic in running circles these days. Even if you have no intention of ever parting with your cushy soles, you'll still benefit from shoeless strength training. Barefoot training develops the muscles of the toes, midfoot, heel, and ankle—26 muscles in all—that get a free ride in kicks. "Foot muscles can atrophy if you're in shoes all day long," says Stephen Pribut, a podiatrist in Washington, D.C. Strengthening your feet and ankles enables the rest of your running parts—knees, hips, and back—to function their best and reduce injury risk. So after you run, slip off your shoes and socks and do a few simple exercises—calf raises, jumping jacks, balance on one foot—to warm up. Then try this barefoot training routine recommended by Pribut.

Read on here.