Track Night and Two Upcoming Races

This otter disaproves of any and all excuses for missing track night. 

Tonight we expect to see our C25K graduates out at the track, gearing up for another 5k or maybe setting their sights on something longer.

Or perhaps they'll give the interval workout a try. As always, our more advanced runners will be doing 2-3 miles of quality running. While this might seem intimidating to a new runner, Team EARC firmly believes that EVERYONE can benefit from track workouts. In addition to improving your times, track workouts give variation to your running routine, and they help to develop a more efficient stride.

Find out more at the "Beginner's Guide" for track workouts at Runners World.

And if you're looking for your next race, here are two more to consider.

• Second Annual Forest Hills Alumni Association 5K Walk/Run, Saturday, August 31, 2013

• Rock’n The Knob Trail Challenge, 5 mile and 30k. September 14, 2013. Registration is online at Active.com.

A description from the website reads...

The race will offer two challenging courses: a 5 mile for the beginner trail runner and a 30K for the more experienced. This diversity will draw racers from many surrounding areas. Last years race, runners from 6 states and every section of PA signed up for this event! 

Runners will start from the Clubhouse at the Blue Knob All Seasons Resort. Racers will then conquer the ski slopes, enjoying beautiful vistas along the route. The 30K racers will then split from the 5 mile route, linking with the Lost Turkey Trail to begin their assault on the State Park side of the mountain. The 30K runners zigzag up and down the mountain accumulating over 9,700 ft. of elevation change! This race will be the most challenging in the area, putting even the most hardened trail runner to the test.

30k Racers will start at 8:30am and the 5-mile race will start at 9:30am.

One tip if you're planning to run this one... put away your watches. This isn't the sort of race where you worry about time or mile splits. Just go out and have fun instead!

Thank You, New Runners! And Where Do We Go From Here?

Team Remillard, getting shirts and certificates ready for our "graduating" new runners.

Thirty minutes. The workout for our new runners tonight couldn't be much more simple. But if we think back, we'll remember the program beginning with 60 seconds of jogging, inter-spliced with 90 second walk breaks.

So you've come a long way, new runners. Congratulations!

Over the weekend, Kate and Abe spent a few hours getting packages together for all of the nearly-graduated runners. With a shiny new EARC shirt to wear and a finishers certificate to display, they can now show off their accomplishment.

Over the past few weeks, Kate and I have repeated that our new runners are an inspiration. They inspire themselves, each other, and their friends and family through their positive new habits. And they inspire us. Kate and I have both been running for the majority of our lives. We met through running, and continue to organize our life around the sport. Our mornings are divided in to "her time" and "his time" on the road. We mark time with terms like "intervals," "long run," "recovery phase," and "taper." And we quite often vacation to marathons, since I have the loopy goal of running one in every state.

But of all of the running memories that we have, the new runners group ranks near the top. To have the opportunity to share this gift with other people; to see folks progress from barely being able to finish a lap on the track, to crossing the finish line of a 5k; to see new friendships form on the track. It is all quite...well...inspiring.

My only disappointment is that I will not be able to attend the Homecoming 5k this Saturday. I will be in Denver at a conference. But I look forward to seeing you the following Wednesday, and for the many Wednesdays to come. Now that you're part of "the club," it is our hope that you continue making the habit of running, your habit of running.

Along these lines, once you finish on Saturday, take time to celebrate your accomplishment.  Then--after about 5 minutes--set new goals. As I see it, you have three viable options.

1. Maintain. Keep doing approximately 30-minutes of jogging at least 3 times per week.  And keep running 5ks. This second step is important. Races help keep you motivated. They give you something to train for.  Each winter, I hit a point where I DO NOT want to step outside for a run. It's usually around this point when I sign up for a spring marathon. If I don't have something forcing me out the door or on to the treadmill (or as I call it, the "dreadmill"), then I'll pack it in. So keep an eye on this blog for upcoming 5ks, or bookmark sites like Miles of Smiles, the Runner's High, the Indiana Road Runners, the Nittany Valley Running Club, and the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA.
2. Improve your 5k. The 5k is a great distance. It's long enough for the challenge of a distance run, but short enough that you don't wreck your body. If you're at a point where you'd like to improve your 5k time, then start exploring training programs like Hal Higdon's "Intermediate" 5k program. If you scan the schedule, you'll notice that he has Wednesdays reserved for interval training. I know of a certain club that does intervals every Wednesday...
3. Go longer. How about a 10k? Or a half-marathon? Yes, if you've done the C2K5 program, you can do either of these distances. And the Hollidaysburg YMCA hosts a 10k and half on October 5th. Or maybe you'd like to travel to a race. The website Marathon Guide is the most comprehensive source that I know of for races of all distances (despite the site's name) across the nation. Again, for training programs, I point you to Hal Higdon's website.

So the message here is quite simple: Keep on running! As the weather turns colder this year, we are hoping to maintain our Wednesday runs in some form. One idea is to meet each week at the gazebo in the middle of Ebensburg for "Winter Wednesdays." We could run the Turkey Trot course, do hill repeats, or something along these lines.  

For all of this to be successful, we will need some help from our new EARCites. If you're interested in training for a 10k or half-marathon, organize a training group. Find times to meet as a group for runs. We'll get the word out on this blog and on our social media sites. If you're hoping to maintain your current fitness, take over the leadership of Wednesday workouts. And become our "new runner liaison" for anyone who comes to the track for the first time.

What ever your ideas are for helping EARC grow and include more people, share them with us. We welcome innovation and new ideas.

Happy trails, friends!

A Chat with Coach Greg McMillan Podcast

Coach Greg McMillan, is a runner, exercise scientist, and coach who created the famous online calculator to help runners determine training and race paces. In this podcast he talks with Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea, authors of Run Like a Mother and Train Like a Mother. He gives injury prevention advice, offers help to accept your pace slowing as you age, and explains race pace versus tempo pace. The podcast is geared toward women runners, but the advice is good for all runners: female, male, newbie, and veteran alike.

The podcast can be found at the iTunes store or online at anothermotherrunner.com.

What to do about Deer Flies?

Here's a timely question that came to us via Facebook:

"Any recommendations for deer fly repellents that actually work?"

I wish I had a good answer here. Now is the time of year when I find myself swatting the deer flies on runs through the woods. Even the Ghost Town Trail isn't safe. A friend of mine in Florida theorized that he could outrun the biting buggers at 6-minute-per-mile pace. I've tried that. Didn't work. I just got tired AND bit.

So I tend to either flail away whilst running through the woods, or avoid the woods outright. But upon seeing this question, I wondered if the internet had any wisdom to offer... because the internet is always right.

I discovered that there are no shortage of products that claim to repel deer flies. Some runners testify that spraying these products on hats and clothes can limit the deer fly bites. But I found no ringing endorsements of this approach.

The "Deer Fly Patch," though, did generate some positive buzz. Looks kinda gross, but runners specialize in all things gross (See: "The Farmer's Blow").

Here's a handy video:

  

I'm thinking that double-sided tape would work just as well. Or if you're really interested in drawing some strange looks, how about this: 

  Runblogger.com explains...

my friend Jim just posted a picture on Facebook showing a little contraption that he made to deal with the flies so that he could continue to get in his runs on his favorite trails. He coated a plastic cup with some sticky stuff called Tanglefoot, pinned it to his running hat, and took off through the woods. Here's what he had to say: "One 'trolling deer fly trap' + one slow jog on the local trails = 50+ deer flies, DEAD!!! Silly, fun, and effective. I shall reclaim my beloved trails now, thankyouverymuch." 

American ingenuity at its best.

So good luck with the deer flies, Ebensburg runners. And if you have any insights on keeping these winged assassins at bay, please share your wisdom with us.  

Upcoming Races from the Indiana Road Runners Club

Our friends at the Indiana Road Runners Club sure do keep busy. Here are three upcoming races that all look fantastic.

• Citizens Helping Citizens' 5k. Saturday, July 20, 9:00 AM. Conducted by Citizens' Ambulance Service, and times by the Gingerbread Man Running Company. The course is described as follows, "The race course is fast and flat with only gradual hills.  From the start, runners and walkers will go south on 8th Street through Indiana University of Pennsylvania and then onto borough streets, eventually arriving at Mack Park for a lap around the track and a turnaround near the Mack Park swimming pool.  The course then takes runners and walkers back to IUP and then onto 8th Street for the finish near the S &T Bank parking lot."

• Run With The Deer Flies 15K & 25K. Sunday, July 28, 8:00 AM. This is one of those "put away your watch and just finish" events. The course takes runners along the trails of Yellow Creek State Park, which includes "plenty of hills, single track trails, rocks, pipeline roads, swamps, and even a few wild boar sightings."  Good times!

•  Run for the Trail 7k. Saturday, August 10, at 6:00 PM. The uniqueness of this race starts with the distance itself. While it might be a challenge to gauge your effort for the 7 kilometer distance, you're certain to get a personal record--unless you've run it before. Also, there's something inherently festive about evening races. People tend to hang around the finish longer, giving the post-race ceremonies a certain spark of life. Finally, age group winners receive plated railroad spikes, and the top 3 men and women will get wood train engines. Put all of this together, and add that proceeds go toward maintaining our Ghost Town Trail, and you have plenty of good reasons to travel down to Dilltown!     

Track Night! Wednesday, July 17

We've got heat, humidity, and a chance of thunder storms.  Yep, it must be track night!  This evening at 6:15, the C25K group will be running for 28-minutes. Make sure to hydrate all day, and bring a water bottle with you. Advanced runners will decide on a workout at the track, which will probably be between 2-3 miles of quality.

And remember, it could always be worse. You could be running in Death Valley. Indeed, on Monday, 96 intrepid souls lined up for the 2013 Badwater Ultramarathon. Portuguese runner Carlos Alberto Gomes de Sa won the 135-mile race with a time of 24 hours, 38 minutes and 16 seconds.  And no, he wasn't wearing a Darth Vader suit.

Here's a video from the Weather Chanel on Badwater.

"This is a Ludicrously Dangerous Endeavor"

It takes all kinds to make the world go around. Case in point: Jonathan Rice. The headline says it all,  "Darth Vader Runs Across Death Valley in 129-Degree Heat So You Don't Have To." The article begins...

Throwing caution and good sense to the wind, Darth Vader decided to run a mile in conditions not unlike that of Tatooine.  

Really, it would have been far easier to just take a landspeeder.  

Amanda Kooser of CNET  reports Jonathan Rice decided to run across a blazing-hot Death Valley June 30, when temperatures reportedly reached a whopping 129 degrees.  

If jogging in those conditions weren't enough, Rice donned the head-to-toe black garb worn by Darth Vader. . . .  Don't think for a second that the lunacy behind the run is lost on Rice: "This is a ludicrously dangerous endeavor. I don't support you doing it. I don't even really support me doing it."