Alameda Runners – Get After It!

The ability to connect with professional athletes to learn about their training methods and habits can be extremely beneficial.  Ultrarunner Josh Cox is well known on Twitter and Facebook, as he maintains a very strong Web 2.0 following that includes thousands of endurance athletes.

For all triathletes out there, I’d recommend stopping by the official Team Timex Blog, which can be found here.  The company invites readers to briefly enter the lives of professional triathletes who blog about race preparation, workouts, post-race reports, and other interesting reading material.  (Recent race reports include Tim Hola’s Wildflower Double and Bruce Gennari’s St. Anthony’s Tri report.)

I think it’s great to see pro athletes share their experiences, as very few people know what it’s like to compete at their level.  It’s also neat to see what kind of training they do before events, so we can borrow certain workout ideas and techniques.

Enjoy!

As you regulars know, I am well into my base training routine right now doing multiple workouts each day, 2-3 days a week and one long day per week.  These double workout days build strength that help prepare my body for the hard workouts expected this summer.  The long day builds endurance to prepare my body for a long exerted effort of a triathlon.

I ease into these hard base training weeks as they can be very painful.  I don’t have enough ice packs to cover all of my sore muscles.  When you get to be as old as me, a lot of pain means the edge of injury.  I don’t want to get injured so I go into things slowly.

One of the ways I ease into strength training is by using P90X.  The P90X routines generally run 60 minutes with 15 minutes of warmup and cool down.  That leaves you with a 45 minute workout in addition to your 30-60 minute daily run.  If you want to lose weight, try my schedule using P90X for core and plyometrics.  It is not likely that you will make it through a whole routine the first few times you try.  That is fine, you just need to do your best every time you do it.  You will get better with time.

The routines that I do in the order of quantity:
Core – synergestics, My favorite workout of them all.  A real calorie burner.
Plyometrics – Plyometrics is a new word for pain.  It builds leg strength and makes you sweat!
Cardio X – A great low impact workout when you want to take it easy.
Kempo X – The most fun workout that I do.  You get to kick and punch like a nut.
Yoga X – We all need yoga.  Don’t be shy, just do it.
Ab Ripper X – 16 minutes of pure hell.  They make it look easy, but it is not.
X stretch – I never stretch enough.  I know I should but I don’t.

I schedule core and plyometrics one day a week.  The other workouts, I slip in when I can.  I also go to the weight room one day a week.  You can use P90X to your benefit but you have to do it.  You don’t have to do all of the workouts.  They have a 90 day plan to get you ripped.  I am not on a 90-day plan but I am a firm believer of variety.  These workouts work.  I am sure there are other videos that work well.  This is just the best one that I have tried.

The website sells the DVD set (13 DVD’s) for $139 plus $20 for shipping and handling.  They break the payments up into “3 easy payments” of $39.95 (Typical infomercial).  I did not want to pay 3 easy payments so I went to one of those “As seen on TV” stores and picked it up for $100.  I also saw it on eBay for around $100.  I chatted with one of the reps on Twitter but I lost his account information.  Maybe he will see this and send a link.  He was very nice and said I could order without sending “3 easy payments”.

I am a fan of building strength through cross training.  If you pay attention, you can find all sorts of tips on the local news or on YouTube and build your own routines.  If you want to lose weight, add 2 or 3 of these routines into your week and you will losing pounds in no time.  If you keep up the routine of 10-15 hours of exercise per week, you will be drinking weight gainer protein shakes.

GU recently guest posted a blog entry on the official San Francisco Marathon Blog… and I think it’s worth a read.  The company explains the importance of properly re-fueling during a race, along with what our bodies need when running distance events.

Here is the opening paragraph of the blog:

As you ramp up your training volume here are a few things to keep in mind that the scientific community has learned about endurance nutrition. The team at GU Energy is proud to be the official on-course energy product of the San Francisco Marathon and we have spent nearly 20 years working with professional athletes and leading scientists to formulate and optimize performance energy products for endurance athletes.

The actual blog entry explains calories, carbs, fluids, electrolytess, and the importance of the “Glycogen window.”

I discovered this blog entry after the SF Marathon folks tweeted the link.

I know this isn’t a cycling news site, but I know many of you follow the Tour de France and other major races.

Swiss BMC cyclist Thomas Frei was caught doping and has been suspended by Team BMC. The rider admitted he took micro-dose EPO treatments since 2008, though was only caught because he got sloppy.

“It is correct, that I have taken EPO. Therefore there is no sense in opening the B sample. There is no point in hoping for the off-chance that it will be negative,” a Swiss newspaper published, according to the Cyclingnews.

I do not condone doping – and still believe most people in the pro peloton are dirty – but appreciate that Frei stepped up and admitted he did it. His disclosure also shows that that the battle against doping continues to be difficult, with most cheaters likely slipping through the cracks.

At just 25 years of age, Frei should be able to serve his two-year suspension, keep training, and race in Europe again a couple of seasons from now.

FYI for all Alameda and East Bay residents. Bike Alameda has two free bike safety classes scheduled for adults and teenagers next month.

The classes will take place on Saturday, May 1 (2:30 – 5:30) and Saturday, May 29 (2:30 – 5:30).  Both classes will be at the First Congregational  Church of Alameda Social Hall (1912 Central Ave).

The classes are designed to give riders more information regarding riding in traffic, how to avoid crashes and on-road incidents, and basic safety rules of the road.

It’s a three-hour class, and everyone who finishes the class receives a free helmet.  Visit the Bike Alameda Web site to learn more about the classes.

Today’s short blog entry has a simple message:  Thank the volunteers!

It’s a simple enough request that truly goes a long way with the people organizing and helping support the events we sign up for.  The volunteers are unpaid, usually get a T-shirt and the simple satisfaction that they were able to help out at an event.  It’s not a glamorous job – and sometimes is very demanding – but it’s an effort that very few are willing to make.

As someone who has volunteered and participated in organized events, a simple “thank you” really makes a difference.  Remember that volunteers have a vital role in the way an event shapes up — and can impact how much fun some athletes have before completing an event.

(If you’re an athlete who has never volunteered, I’d strongly recommend finding a local race and signing up to volunteer.  It’s a great experience, and it’s neat to see a race from a different perspective.)

Athletes HoneyMilk, a company we recently interviewed, has released its latest online newsletter (which you can view by clicking here).

Specifically, the newsletter discusses how company CEO Tim Doelman recently had a podium finish at the Sea Otter Classic, while Web 2.0 super geek, Michael Don won the Run for the Roses 10K.  The newsletter also has a few recent blogs posted on the Athletes Milk Web site regarding stretching, working vs. working out, and an inspirational story about a runner many people doubted. (Link originally found courtesy of Athletes HoneyMilk Facebook page.)

I am all for sharing similar newsletters, pages, etc., so if you have something news worthy, feel free to get in touch! 🙂

Alamedarunners went to a town hall meeting with our local councilman who is running for mayor on the Frankformayor.org platform.  Alameda is a small city of about 70,000 people located between Oakland and San Francisco.

I don’t know how it is with all politicians but Frank is doing it a little at a time.  His meeting had about 18 people in attendance including one guy who seemed to have a bit too much to drink before he arrived.  He was deftly handled by Frank on most occasions.  Here is a quick outline of what we covered.  Please forgive any inaccuracies as I am doing the best I can here.

As you may know, we at alamedarunners.com are getting involved in local politics in an attempt to make some improvements in our running options.  We already have a great area for running but we are trying to make it better.

First order:  “Support Alameda business”.
Next:  Today is Earth day, keep Alameda green:
Discussed various options regarding cycling and bike riding in the city.
Legislation passed – No Styrofoam takeout containers, working on limiting plastic grocery bags.
City policy for clean vehicles – Frank has an electric car for use in and around the city.  The city issues translink passes to city employees.  Para transit buses loop Alameda for free use by people over 62 or handicapped.  Alameda has a contract with ACI for waste removal.  ACI has replaced 3 trucks with  natural gas trucks and is moving to convert the whole fleet that is used on Alameda Island.

Alameda power is generated with an 85% carbon free foot print.  Approximately 50% of the power generated is from renewable resources.  $300-$350 million has been spent to date on hazardous waste cleanup at the old Alameda Point Naval station.

Alameda Point is planting trees with formerly homeless people as workers.  Alameda has community gardens that we are encouraged to take advantage of.  Everyone is responsible to look at what we are doing to the environment.  Tune in to what we are doing and do what we can to make things better.  We need to change our behavior and encourage environment awareness in others.

As runners or people who enjoy the great outdoors, it is our responsibility to help form the policies to keep our trails open and keep them sustainable for the future generations.  This is not just an Alameda issue, it is an issue for everyone in the world.  We are learning how to treat the environment responsibly.  We need to do the best we can to protect the environment.

It is a bonus if we can protect the environment while we get to live the good life.  We are doing our part by getting out and working with the politicians who are willing to help.  I encourage you all to do the same.

I’m running the Wildcat Half Marathon trail race this Saturday, so my mind continues to wander towards the topic of trail running quite a bit throughout the day.  What’s going to happen on Saturday?  Have I prepared properly? Am I going to suffer more than I expect?

The training is done, so I’ll find out how well prepared I am when it comes down to race time on Saturday.  I’ve learned some tricky little lessons while running in the Coyote Hills and Marin Headlands during training runs leading up to the Oakland Half Marathon — and can’t wait to see how badly my legs explode on Saturday morning.

This recent blog posted on iRun.ca lists the basics of trail racing, why usual pacing speeds can be forgotten about, and how to properly refuel and hydrate during the event.

Certain races are completely unsupported; participants are expected to carry all of their own calories and water or at least arrange their own support crew. At the other end are the bigger ultras, where aid stations look like the Saturday night buffet at a Las Vegas casino… everything from soup to baked potatoes to lasagne.  Most races fall somewhere in between these two extremes, but racers need to be mindful that locating an aid station in a place without access roads or running water can be challenging and amenities may not be available at conventional intervals. Check your race’s website or email the race director for information on the locations of aid on the course.

I plan on carrying my Fuel Belt Sahara (22 oz.) Palm Holder during the race, so I have some water between aid stations.  This is my first trail race, but I’ve learned what it’s like to be thirsty and hungry on long runs — and I’ve also listened to race experiences from Ted and other trail runners.

Regardless of the pain I’ll be in on Saturday, I can’t wait for the experience.

Thanks to @iRunNation for originally posting the link on Twitter.  I highly recommend following @iRunNation and occasionally visiting the iRun.ca Web site, as it has a good amount of useful information.

This post is not just for the Alameda runners.  It is for everyone who gets out to do things.  If you enjoy using parks, trails and running areas, you should make your voice heard.  We are going to visit Frank Matarrese (who hopes to become mayor of Alameda) to ask for  his assistance in getting us access to our local community college track.  We understand that using this track is a privilege and not a right.  It would be a right if we paid for it but we did not.  If you want something that you think may be a privilege for the public, you will have to work for it.  Realize the political world moves very slowly and you have to be patient.

I am not asking anyone to vote for Frank.  I am asking everyone to get involved in the process.  So far, Frank has done his part and we are doing ours.  It may or may not end up with us being allowed to use the track but we are trying.

We are going to visit Frankformayor at one of his campaign events on Thursday, April 22, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.   It will be located at the High Street Station Cafe 1303 High Street at Encinal Ave., in Alameda.  Come join us in our quest to open the track.  It will also give you a great insight into your election process by actually working with one of the candidates in a cause.