Wednesday Night Run 3-2-2011

Hello ORC,

What a weekend and no rains till today, Monday.  When I check out what’s going on this week, the theme of food keeps coming up.  The Eurasia space is being renovated.  Tickle My Tummy is coming into a space by Agnes Scott.  A MW sandwich place is opening up.  The space on Church and Trinity is supposedly the best space for a restaurant.  Bhojanic has a Beat The Drum Interactive Show.  ChantLanta is going on at Druid Hills Baptist (not food related but interesting anyway).

The Relay For Life at Emory is on April 1^st, just 32 days away.  Relay For Life is a 12-hour team relay which lasts from 7pm to 7am.  The idea is to get sponsored to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  The race is simply run around Emory's track, so no headlamps needed!  Lisa is looking to put together a team.  If you are interested, contact her at ldillma@learnlink.emory.edu.  She has officially signed up a team as "Dillman ATL Runners" (simple and easy to find). If you are interested, go ahead and join the team!  Go to this page, http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11SA?team_id=896940&pg=team&fr_id=32719 and click on "Join The Team" and follow instructions.

Here are some words from Lisa: Since this is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, the idea is to raise as much money as you can.  However, if you are really not into that, I will try to raise as much as I can so just set your "goal" as low as you like.  I don't want people to feel like fund-raising pressure makes you not join the team (though clearly if you can and will raise money, even better). J

The City of Decatur is looking for volunteers for the GA Marathon.  The Marathon passes through Decatur and they need help.

What else is going on this weekend?  Anyone want to share?

There are a bunch of local races this weekend.  I posted them here, http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/2011/02/local-races-this-weekend_28.html.  The closest race is the Red Devil Dash at Druid Hills HS.  Get your speed work in by running a quick 5K.

This Wednesday you will be running route 6.  It’s the elephant run as named by Gail.  There are the challenging hills of Delano, the grind up Rogers, and of course climbing up McClendon.  The link to the route is at the bottom of this e- mail. After the run it's off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks and trivia.

It's still dark out there but the time change is coming and then we’ll break out other routes to run.  Run safe.

Enjoy your run Wednesday night.  Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

http://oakhurst-running-club.googlegroups.com/web/Route+6.pdf?gda=lxAuAUAAAABqzyFQS_VQE_gNE3GeP4nxdYK6TIBpL4Ve0y_fdVqna3PNLSJDWxDtttThEJZz0tZtxVPdW1gYotyj7-X7wDON

Side Stitches

I guess the other parts of my body are in so much pain that I don’t realize I have side stitches.  From the NY Times…

February 28, 2011, 12:45 pm

Preventing Side Stitches

By TARA PARKER-POPE

As every runner knows, a painful side stitch can quickly ruin a workout. In today’s Really? column, Anahad O’Connor explores recent research that suggests side stitches are related to poor running posture.

One explanation is that poor running form may affect nerves that run from the upper back to the abdomen. Another is that hunching increases friction on the peritoneum, a membrane that surrounds the abdominal cavity. This could also explain why controlled breathing seems to help relieve stitches: drawing deep breaths fills the lungs and improves posture.

Read on here.

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, March 5

Half Marathon & 10K & 5K, Rome

Your Pace or Mine 5K, Lawrenceville

Wiphan Warthog Waddle for Orphans 5K & 1K, Roswell

Red Devil Dash 5K, Druid Hills High School

GRR 100 Mile, Dawsonville

Vision Trek - 10K Trail Run, Cartersville

3rd Annual Social Circle Redskin 6K Run/Walk & Mile Fun Run, Social Circle

5th Annual Newnan Jr. Service League ShamRock Run 5K/10K and Mile Fun Run, Newnan

Scot Trot 5K & 1K, Atlanta

Sunday, March 6

Run for Hope 5K Run/Walk & Mile Fun Run, Covington

19th Annual Challenged Child and Friends 5K Run & Mile Fun Run, Gainesville

Why Runners Can Eat So Much

From Running Times online…

Why Runners Can Eat So Much

Eight reasons we can consume a lot of calories

By Jackie Dikos, R.D.

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

“You can eat anything you want because you run.” If I only had a nickel for every time I heard those words. Some runners go so far as to claim they run simply so they have the freedom to eat. Sure, there are set factors that influence the number of calories we burn that can’t be changed like genetics, age, sex and height. So what is it about running that allows us a little more flexibility in eating the extra calories non-runners dream of indulging on?

Read on here.

Balance Board

I read this article on balance board training in the newest issue of Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine.  It says that balance training can improve your running because running involves being balanced on 1 foot as you go through your stride.  Pretty interesting to think of it that way, here’s a video…

Balance Board from Graham Averill on Vimeo.

Race To Nowhere

It's not a racing movie/documentary, regardless its still an interesting and important topic...

Arbor Montessori School will be hosting a screening of Race to Nowhere at Emory University.  This film is a great and powerful resource for all parents, educators and students to understand the stress and pressure to perform children feel these days. Take a look at the trailer: http://www.racetonowhere.com/trailers-clips

Seating is limited, so please order now!!
Tickets will be sold online at http://rtnarbormontessoriatemory.eventbrite.com/ for $10 and at the door for $15.

And here's more info...

10th Annual Oakhurst Wine Crawl

The 10th Annual Oakhurst Wine Crawl is this Saturday, Feb. 26th from 4-7pm with over 20 businesses participating and wine from all around the world. The Furbus will be back in service

again for the exciting trip to our businesses on College Ave. Tickets are available at the Universal Joint, Karvarna, and Steinbeck’s. Tickets in advance will be $25 and day of sales will be $30. A limited number of tickets available. Remember all proceeds go to the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association and our community!

Motivation Tips

From Running Times online…

Tips to Harness Motivation

What top sports psychologists teach the pros

By Amy Reinink

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

It’s a phenomenon every runner has experienced: Some training sessions, you feel motivated, energetic and capable of pushing your body to its limits. Other days, you barely feel inspired enough to plod through a recovery run.

Sports psychologists say low-motivation days are no accident, and say negative thoughts can stymie motivation and jeopardize performance, for pros and weekend warriors alike.

“I think every athlete has those moments of doubt,” says 10,000m American record-holder Shalane Flanagan, who worked with sports psychologist Greg Dale while running cross country and track at University of North Carolina. “My doubts are usually along the lines of, ‘Maybe I’m not fit enough or strong enough to do this.’”

Flanagan combats those motivation-zappers with visualization exercises, including one she calls upon often frequently during tough workouts.

“I’ll pretend I’m grinding out the last 600 against the top Ethiopian runners,” Flanagan says. “I just visualize running against them, and getting that fast time, or winning the race, during a workout, and it gives me that little boost of motivation.”

Read on here.

Mini Tips

From Running Times online…

Many Mini Tips to Keep You Running (and wanting to run) Strong

A compendium of collected wisdom, served up in bite-sized form

By Scott Douglas

As featured in the March 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine

EVERY RUN COUNTS

There are no junk miles. If you're not injured so badly that you're altering your form, or so sick that you feel much worse after running, then it's all good. Even if you think a run doesn't advance your fitness, it has other benefits -- promoting blood flow, clearing your mind, getting you away from the computer, burning calories, getting you out in nature, helping you spend time with friends, maintaining the rhythm of good training, and infinitely so on.

REGRETS

It's not uncommon to go to bed thinking, "Darn, I should have run today." It's not common to go to bed thinking, "I shouldn't have run today."

Read on here for more.

Relay for Life on April 1

The Relay For Life at Emory is just 37 days away.  Relay For Life is a 12-hour team relay which lasts from 7pm to 7am.  The idea is to get sponsored to raise money for the American Cancer Society.  The race is simply run around Emory's track, so no headlamps needed!

Lisa is looking to put together a team.  If you are interested, contact her at ldillma@learnlink.emory.edu.  And more info about Relay For Life can be found here.

Wednesday Night Run 2-23-2011

Hello ORC,

The great weather this weekend brought out a lot of runners.  I couldn’t get through Decatur without seeing groups of runners running by.  This weekend is The Silver Scream Spook Show at the Plaza Theatre.  Show times are at 1 and 10.  The Oakhurst Wine Crawl is this weekend.  I find it amusing that one site advertises this as the Oakhurst Wine tasting and another as the Oakhurst Wine Crawl.  Being that it is wine, ‘Tasting’ fits in better; ‘Crawl’ reminds me of beer crawls.  If you want a tree planted this weekend, the DHS Close Up Club is offering free tree planting.  Donations are gladly accepted and go towards funding their trip to Washington, D.C. in April.

There are a couple of races this weekend with the big one being the Charles Harris 10K in Tucker.  It is your Peachtree Race qualifier and supposed to be a fast downhill (for the most part) run.  In Buckhead is the LaAmistad 5K.  For trail runners is the XTERRA Georgia Thrill In The Hills in Winder.  Marietta is hosting the Cobb Symphony Orchestra Noteworthy 5K and Kennesaw is hosting the Owls Making Strides 5K.

There is a lot going on this weekend, what else do you know of?

I can’t wait for daylight savings time to change.  The weather is getting nicer and more light would be great.  Please run safely.  This Wednesday you will be running route 13.  The route goes up the hard flat of Oakview and hits the hills of Spence/McDonough.  The link to the route is at the bottom of this e- mail.  After the run it's off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks and trivia.

Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Enjoy your run!

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

http://oakhurst-running-club.googlegroups.com/web/Route+13.pdf?gda=rTsVY0EAAABqzyFQS_VQE_gNE3GeP4nxBx6m4uHqGYUajmHdMYvc_dMauZfeP2VUhote_RWBRRRTCT_pCLcFTwcI3Sro5jAzlXFeCn-cdYleF-vtiGpWAA

Charles Harris 10K

Going on this weekend, Saturday February 26^th in Tucker, more info here…

LaAmistad Buckhead 5K, February 26th

Check out the info here from Run Georgia…

About the Run

Name: LaAmistad Buckhead 5K

Distance: 5K / 1K Fun Run / Tot Trot

Date: Saturday, February 26, 2011

Location: Atlanta, GA

Start and finish at The Gym at Peachtree (Peachtree Presbyterian Church)

3434 Roswell Road, Atlanta, GA 30305

www.thegymatpeachtree.org

Proceeds to benefit LaAmistad Child, Youth and Family Programs.

Make additional donations online, by mail or in person.

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, February 26

LaAmistad Buckhead 5K / 1K Fun Run / Tot Trot, Atlanta

XTERRA Georgia Thrill In The Hills 13.1 Mi / 26.2 Mi Trail Running Race, Winder

Cobb Symphony Orchestra 2nd Annual Noteworthy 5K, Marietta

Charles Harris Run for Leukemia 10K & Mile, Tucker

3rd Annual Owls Making Strides 5K, Kennesaw

To Stretch Or Not To Stretch

From Reuters online…

Stretches before running have no impact on injury: study

NEW YORK | Thu Feb 17, 2011 8:15pm EST

(Reuters Life!) - It makes no difference if you stretch or not before a run, because stretching won't affect your risk of injury, according to a study.

"There is a lot of controversy about this," Daniel Pereles, from George Washington University, told Reuters Health.

"Some insist you need to stretch, others say you don't, and every time I tried to assess a study on this I found that the authors were extrapolating the results from gymnasts or wrestlers or soccer players or other sprinting or short distance athletes, and nothing was related to running.

"I just wanted to know whether stretching before going for a run would be beneficial for recreational runners like myself."

Read on here.

Boston Announces New Qualifying Times, Registration Process

The BAA site is getting flooded since the announcement.  The following is from Runner’s World online…

Boston Announces New Qualifying Times, Registration Process

02/16/2011 11:30 AM

By Peter Vigneron

Boston Marathon organizers have announced adjustments to qualifying times and registration policies for the 2012 and 2013 Boston Marathons. The marathon will institute a two-week, rolling registration process beginning for 2012, and will lower standards by five minutes across all age and gender categories beginning in 2013. BAA executive director Tom Grilk said that he expects race entry fees to rise by between $5 and $20, up from the current price of $130 for U.S. residents.

Read the RW article here and the BAA announcement here.  And below are the age group qualifying times.

Age Group       Men     Women  
18-34   3:05:00 3:35:00
35-39   3:10:00 3:40:00
40-44   3:15:00 3:45:00
45-49   3:25:00 3:55:00
50-54   3:30:00 4:00:00
55-59   3:40:00 4:10:00
60-64   3:55:00 4:25:00
65-69   4:10:00 4:40:00
70-74   4:25:00 4:55:00
75-79   4:40:00 5:10:00
80+     4:55:00 5:25:00

The Runner's High

From the NY Times…

February 16, 2011, 12:01 am

Phys Ed: What Really Causes Runner’s High?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

For decades, endorphins have hogged the credit for producing “runner’s high,” that fleeting sense of euphoria and calm that many people report experiencing after prolonged exercise. Who among us, after an especially satisfying workout, hasn’t thought, “ah, my endorphins are kicking in.” Endorphins are the world’s sole celebrity peptide.

Endorphins first gained notoriety in exercise back in the 1980s when researchers discovered increased blood levels of the substance after prolonged workouts. (Endorphins, for those who know the word but not the molecules’ actual function, are the body’s home-brewed opiates, with receptors and actions much like those of pain-relieving morphine.) Endorphins, however, are composed of relatively large molecules, “which are unable to pass the blood-brain barrier,” said Matthew Hill, a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University in New York. Finding endorphins in the bloodstream after exercise could not, in other words, constitute proof that the substance was having an effect on the mind. So researchers started to look for other candidates to help explain runner’s high. Now an emerging field of neuroscience indicates that an altogether-different neurochemical system within the body and brain, the endocannabinoid system, may be more responsible for that feeling.

Read on here.

IT Band Pain

From Competitor online…

Wednesday Night Run 2-16-2011

Hello ORC,

Announcing a new running club, well really they have been running for a little while.  Zachary Ross sent me an email to let runners know of the Grant Park Running Club.  They run on Monday mornings and here is Zachary’s email…

Hey Neighbors,

I just wanted to let area runners know about a new running club that has recently formed in the Grant Park area.  We call ourselves the Grant Park Running Club.  We're an informal group of neighbors who decided that our area needed a running club that was local, convenient, and most importantly, fun.  We meet every Monday morning at 6am at the south end of the Grant Park parking lot along Boulevard.  Most running clubs in Atlanta meet on the weekends, but we thought there was a need for group runs during the week, so we put one together!

We have runners who are just starting all the way to runners who have run multiple marathons.  The Monday morning runs are 4-5 miles at a 10-11 minute/mile pace.  We will form more running groups for different speeds and different days as we progress.  But most importantly this group is committed to having fun while doing something healthy.  For more information, check out our website here:

http://grantparkrunning.blogspot.com/

Please come out and join us next Monday at 6am.  Just look for the sign (Grant Park Running Club).  We'll see you then!

Zachary Ross

zacharyross@gmail.com

I’m a fan of neighborhood running groups.  I am going to start posting the ones that I know of onto the ORC site.  So far I have Cabbagetown, Grant Park, and Candler Park.  Anyone know of others?

On Saturday, there is the Winter Beer Carnival happening at Spring Street.  And not to be outdone on Sunday is the 2^nd Annual Atlanta Winter Wine and Jazz Festival at the Georgia Freight Depot.

This Saturday is the Run The Reagan race(s).  There are actually a couple of races being ran from a Half to a Mile.  It’s all along the Ronald Reagan Parkway in Snellville.  Depending on where you turn around, that’s how far the race is.  And also, that’s how many hills you have to take on.  On Sunday is the Locomotive Thunder in Kennesaw.

This Wednesday you will be running route 8, the East Lake Golf Course run.  The link to the route is at the bottom of this e- mail.  It's one of the oldest as in longest running routes I know of for the group. It's dark out there so wear something reflective and/or something flashing.  After the run, it's off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks and trivia.

Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

http://oakhurst-running-club.googlegroups.com/web/Route+8.pdf?gda=aCpt9D4AAABqzyFQS_VQE_gNE3GeP4nx7tTQHWNnAIFJbou9z9xN7Z5L3yA5sO3zNeMrAYMuvQrjsKXVs-X7bdXZc5buSfmx

Managing Muscle Tension

From Running Times online…

Managing Muscle Tension

Maintaining the right muscle tension can help you run (and race) faster

By Steve Magness

As featured in the March 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine

Mention the word "tension" to any regular runner and negative thoughts are sure to ensue. Whether it's associated with tightness in a muscle or stress in life, tension doesn't bring happy thoughts. Yet having enough muscle tension might be the difference between running a PR and feeling flat on race day.

We've all shown up to a race having tapered our training, thinking we'll have lots of stored energy and be raring to go, only to find we're sluggish once it's time to run fast. It's as if our legs have become nonresponsive, like our muscles aren't firing as fast as usual and we lack that extra oomph of power.

What went wrong? The common explanation is that we didn't taper enough or we needed more recovery. The more likely answer is that our resting muscle tension was too low.

Read on here.

2011 Run The Reagan

Check out the site here for more information

Races This Weekend

Saturday, February 19

Run the Reagan Half Marathon/10K/5K/Mile, Snellville

5th Annual Habitat Hustle 5K, Watkinsville

Sunday, February 20

Locomotive Thunder 5K, Kennesaw

Grant Park Running Club

Announcing the Grant Park Running Club; they have been running for a while now.  If you are looking to start your week off right, they run early Monday mornings.  Here is Zachary’s email he sent me…

Hey Neighbors,

I just wanted to let area runners know about a new running club that has recently formed in the Grant Park area.  We call ourselves the Grant Park Running Club.  We're an informal group of neighbors who decided that our area needed a running club that was local, convenient, and most importantly, fun.  We meet every Monday morning at 6am at the south end of the Grant Park parking lot along Boulevard.  Most running clubs in Atlanta meet on the weekends, but we thought there was a need for group runs during the week, so we put one together!

We have runners who are just starting all the way to runners who have run multiple marathons.  The Monday morning runs are 4-5 miles at a 10-11 minute/mile pace.  We will form more running groups for different speeds and different days as we progress.  But most importantly this group is committed to having fun while doing something healthy.  For more information, check out our website here:

http://grantparkrunning.blogspot.com/

Please come out and join us next Monday at 6am.  Just look for the sign (Grant Park Running Club).  We'll see you then!

Zachary Ross

zacharyross@gmail.com

2011 RAD Studio Cruise

This weekend is the RAD Studio Cruise.  Here’s some info from their site…

RAD Studio Cruise

An intown neighborhood overflowing with artists opens their doors for a spectacular night of open houses, arts exhibits, live demonstrations, art sales, refreshments, performances, and all the makings of an unforgettable night.

RAD Studio Cruise takes place in February of each year, drawing crowds of several thousand people.  Visitors enjoy paintings, sculpture, theater, jewelry, pottery, blown glass, furniture, live music, photography, magicians and more. Area boutiques will open their doors hosting additional artists.

In 2011 RAD Studio Cruise will take place Saturday, February 12, all day and into the evening. Hours will vary by venue. Just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Read on here.

Mural photo from the RAD site here.

Wednesday Night Run 2-9-2011

Hello ORC,

Valentine’s Day is less than a week away, so Happy Valentine’s Day to all.  What are you doing this weekend?  I passed by the Park Tavern this afternoon and saw that OysterFest is going on this weekend.  The Marlay has a Valentines show with Jim Seem and The Christy-Lee Band.  There is also the 1st Annual Nalley Tree Festival in Decatur Square.

And this weekend we will be at the Rail Arts District for their RAD Studio Cruise.  Here’s the link, http://www.railartsdistrict.com/rad-studio-cruise.  Never been before but anything around Pine Street Market is a good thing.

On the local race scene there is the Atlanta Track Club’s Heart & Soles 5K at GA Perimeter College.  Seeing that it’s always held around Valentine’s Day, I never realized that it is also a couples run/race.  The couple is the team.  There are a couple of 10K’s this weekend for those looking for a Peachtree Road race time.  In Morrow is the Freedom run and in Roswell is the Chattahoochee Challenge.

This Wednesday you will be running route 10.  The run hits Rockyford, Hosea, Tupelo, and the rolling hills of Spence/McDonough.  Watch out for traffic at intersections and wear something reflective or lighted.  You can see the map through the link below.  After this 5 miler it is off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks, and trivia.

Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

http://oakhurst-running-club.googlegroups.com/web/Route+10.pdf?gda=ToZz-D8AAABqzyFQS_VQE_gNE3GeP4nxRT6u5-jCbT1SuL17z_OG_tlz5RyMqIylGlbgp9wVj2SccyFKn-rNKC-d1pM_IdV0

1st Annual Nalley Tree Festival

1st Annual Nalley Tree Festival

Sat., Feb. 12, 12 p.m. in Decatur Square

Decatur families and residents are invited to attend the 1st Annual Nalley Tree Festival, a celebratory kick-off for the Nalley Tree Campaign. The Nalley Tree Campaign is an initiative to plant 10,000 trees in city of Decatur and DeKalb County. The festival – being hosted by the Nalley BMW, Nalley Infiniti and Nalley Nissan dealerships in Decatur – will be held on Saturday, Feb. 12, from 12 – 3 p.m. at Decatur Square. For more information about the event, please visit www.NalleyDecatur.com.

Free Home Energy Efficiency Workshop Tonight

Seen from The Decatur Minute blog…

Free Home Energy Efficiency Workshop Tomorrow

February 7, 2011 by Lena

Date: February 8th, 2011

Time: 6pm – 7pm (presentation), 7pm – 8pm (drop in at Planning, Zoning, and Inspections Office)

Location: Decatur City Hall, City Commission Meeting Room

Homeowner’s Night is a great opportunity for homeowners in Decatur to meet with Planning, Zoning, and Inspections staff to discuss projects you may be considering for your house.  You can find out what your zoning allows, what construction is required, what inspections will need to occur, and how the heck you pull a permit!

As a part of the February Homeowner’s Night, the Planning Department is proud to present a special workshop on home energy efficiency from 6pm-7pm.   Guest presenters Mike Barcik and Frank Burdette of Southface will be providing homeowner’s with advice on how they can save money by reducing their utility bills.  As experts in the field, Mike and Frank will help attendees understand how most homes leak energy, and explain what projects can make your home more comfortable and easier to heat and cool—while saving you money.  Call it weatherization, energy efficiency, or greening your home… we’ll call it just plain smart.

After the presentation, homeowners are invited to drop into the office until 8pm with questions.  We look forward to seeing you at City Hall tomorrow night.

Contact Nathan Soldat for additional details at nathan.soldat@decaturga.com.

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, February 12

Marietta Mardi Gras 5K, 1K, Tot Trot, Marietta

9th Annual Freedom Run 5K & 10K, Morrow

Chattahoochee Challenge 10K & Mile, Roswell

ATC Heart & Soles 5K, Decatur

Where there's a Will, there's a Way 5K, Johns Creek

Posture

Wellness Tip    

Your posture is critical for quality movement, and good posture leads to optimal function and less wear and tear on your joints.  So if you know that improving your posture will decrease your pain down the line, why do we continue to slouch?    Take a few moments to concentrate on your posture, lifting your ribcage up off of your pelvis, relaxing your shoulders down and back, and lifting your head, so that your neck is extended and eyes are gazing straight ahead.  Take a few moments every day to focus on your posture and feel the difference in your body and joints!  (from Jess Parsons of Good Measure Meals)

Go Chocolate

Nutrition Tip  

Many runners who want to lose weight restrict chocolate, thinking it's fattening. In a weight reduction study, overweight women enjoyed a daily dark chocolate snack as a part of their "discretionary calories" in a reduced-calorie diet. They lost the same amount of weight as the comparison group who ate no chocolate. The researchers concluded a daily dose of dark chocolate does not interfere with weight reduction and may reduce cravings for sweets.  (from the American Dietetic Association meeting in Boston, November, 2010 - notes of Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D.)

Winter Training Tips

A couple of winter training tips that was sent to me…

* Dress in layers - A base layer will wick moisture away from your body and can be worn alone on cool/moderate days or as the underlayer on colder days.  A second layer would be a vest or jacket that adds a wind/light rain protective layer. Remember:  Cotton is rotten!  It holds moisture and can make you colder after you get going.

* A hat and gloves can make a big difference too, and they are easy to take off and carry if you start heating up.

* Take along lip balm, tissues (cold weather makes most noses run) and water. (You may not feel thirsty but your body will lose about as much water as during warm months.

* Wear reflective gear/lights - You want to make sure cars can see you.  Reflective items reflect headlights but flashlights, blinking arm/leg bands, head lamps, etc. allow cars to see you before they are close enough for headlights to be reflected and can also avoid tripping hazards along the way.  

* Meet a friend, and let someone else know what route you will be taking.

The Racer's Wish List

From Running Times online…

The Racer's Wish List

What do runners really want from races and race directors?

By Julie Threlkeld

As featured in the JanFeb 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine

How did you feel about your last race? Was it what you expected? Did you get what you wanted? In early fall, I conducted an admittedly unscientific yet exhaustive online survey, asking dedicated road racers what's most important to them when they pony up an entry fee. About 400 of your fellow runners took the opportunity to set the record straight on what they primarily want, and how that sometimes differs from what races seem to focus on. Then I discussed the results with some race directors. What follows are the eight essentials that no race director can afford to ignore.

Read on here.

Krispy Kreme Challenge

From Runner’s World online…

The Krispy Kreme Challenge

Sugar Rush

Run two miles. Eat 12 doughnuts. Run two miles. Sounds simple enough.

By Charles Bethea

From the February 2011 issue of Runner's World

Image by Jeff Zimmerman

I could ball up the last three doughnuts and toss them under a car. Or into the bushes. One was already mashed up in my sweaty fist. I was ready to hurl it from that crowded, sugar-stinking, trash-heaped parking lot when I noticed a young spectator standing beside his mother. He frowned at me. I ate the doughnut. Then another. Bile began to rise. I stuffed the 12th into my mouth, dropped the doughnut box onto the giant pile of empties, and ran off with my doughy tumor.

The eating portion of the four-mile Krispy Kreme Challenge had taken me just over 13 stomach-stretching minutes.

Proving that yes, in fact, you can have too much of a good thing.

Read on here.

Oakhurst 10th Annual Wine Crawl

Read on here.

Cross Country Venues

From Running Times online…

Visionary Venues

Cross country venues that leave a legacy of the sport

By Roger Robinson

As featured in the JanFeb 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine

Near the top of the hill, after driving for an hour around rural Kansas, we still didn't know if we had found the right place. As the dirt road leveled off and the trees gave way on the right to a high grass bank, there, suddenly, towering above the bank, I saw him.

"Jim Ryun!" I cried.

It was Ryun in full stride, unmistakable, 10 feet tall, a long-limbed black metal silhouette frozen in motion on the very crest of the hill. We had arrived at Rim Rock Farm.

Leaving the car, we waded through long grass, and in the green bowl below us, where the races finish, there was Billy Mills, hands flung up as he broke the Tokyo Olympic finish tape. Walking down to him, now we saw Ryun in full, striding forever along the skyline. And dominating the whole valley from a mid-hillside vantage, one hand held high with his stopwatch, perhaps forever shouting "Go!" stood the 10-foot high black steel silhouette statue of Coach Bob Timmons himself, the man who created all this for his runners -- this green idyll of pastoral landscape, this wicked nightmare of a cross country gut-buster.

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Snowshoe Racing

From Running Times online…

Snowshoe Racing in Full Swing

Weekly trail racing recap for February 1, 2011

By Adam Casseday

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

We’re in the dead of winter and in many parts of the U.S. that means cold weather and snow-covered trails. There weren’t any high-profile trail races this past weekend, but the snowshoe racing season is picking up speed.

If you’ve never done a snowshoe race, it’s a great cross-seasonal way to keep your racing instincts honed, not to mention a great way to train if you live in a snowy region. For more about snowshoe racing, check out this story from the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Running Times, as well as training and racing insights from four-time U.S. snowshoe champion Josiah Middaugh.

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More Bone (and Less Fat) Through Exercise

From the NY Times…

February 2, 2011, 12:01 am

Phys Ed: More Bone (and Less Fat) Through Exercise

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

For those requiring additional reasons to show up at the running path or at the gym in the dreary heart of winter, science has come up with a compelling new motivation. Exercise can, it appears, keep your bone marrow from becoming too flabby.

This idea is the focus of a series of intriguing recent experiments by Janet Rubin, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina and other researchers. For the work, scientists removed bone-marrow cells from mice and cultured them. The cells in question, mesenchymal stem cells, are found in bone marrow in both animals and people, waiting for certain molecular signals to tell them to transform into either bone cells, fat cells or, less commonly, something else.

Read on here.