Last week!

This is the last week of TRY for the year.  This run is really to enjoy the lights and spend one last night as a group!  We will run at a comfortable pace for everyone...no speed at this one!  We will meet at 5pm.  I hope to see everyone one last time for the year.

Now we are moving into the winter months, and do your best to keep up your running through the winter.  The one thing we have found that improves running is consistency.  If you can keep your mileage up through the winter, you will have a much better fitness base for the spring and summer races.  Aaron and I spent last winter running during lunch at work.  We both had a great season, and I believe our winter base really put us in an excellent position for the year.

There are plenty of motivating opportunities in Syracuse to run through the winter.  There are races in the area (Turkey Trot, Jingle Bell Run, Reindeer Run, etc).  Fleet feet has the Dusk Runs now (http://www.fleetfeetsyracuse.com/training/dusk-runs) and Cold Feet Training Runs (http://www.fleetfeetsyracuse.com/training/cold-feet-training-runs) later in the year.  There are also plenty of running or triathlon clubs in the area to join if that is your thing (CNY Tri, Lake Effect Running Club, Syracuse Chargers, Syracuse Track Club).

Keep an eye open for Terry to organize a cross country skiing event when we get enough snow!

Here is where Terry adds to my post...I'm not sure why he isn't just writing these things ;-)

2 Weeks Left and Fast Women Have the Best Times

We are nearing the end of the TRY year. We only have 2 weeks left. Wow, this year has gone by fast! We hope to see everyone for the last couple of times for the year :)

This week I recommend doing a 4 mile tempo. That would be a 1 mile warmup, 2 mile at a faster pace, and a 1 mile cool down.

Next week is Lights on the Lake for the final TRY run. Check back next week for details!

[Terry felt like spicing this one up a little...read on]

Next weeks detailed plans:

MONDAY night - a walk under Lights on the Lake. Meeting at the normal Wegman's playground end of the park at 6. Walking from 6 - 7:30ish. Then going to Bankgkok Thai Restaurant for dinner starting at 8. Since I'm hoping for a decent turn out for dinner (It'll be Ivy's first time!) please let me know if you plan to join in as I may warn them and make a pseudo reservation. The point is to walk under the lights but if you can only join in for dinner - or can't make it at 6 and want to run us down under the lights, I'm flexible.

TUESDAY night - a group five mile jog under the lights on the lake. Meeting at normal TRY time at 5 next to the bike rental building and then jogging til 6:15ish? (Lots of people to dodge along the way.)

Note that it is free but they do recommend a $2 donation. If you are like me and haven't donated to the park in a while, this is a great time to give extra money to the park that gives so much back with all the exercising it allows us to do!

I was rather shocked this weekend to stumble across and interesting and insightful article on female marathon running on Grantland.com (which is an offshoot of ESPN.com). Here is the grand finale:

"...women running fair and square in a race from which their own mothers were expressly banned. Less than half a century ago, coverage of the sport in major magazines included descriptions of "fragrant hair" — imagine how they'd react to this new kickass generation of fast and feisty ladies."

It goes into some of the history of women's distance running, Syracuse University gets mentioned, there is a fun sidebar on why the former world record has been disallowed and also on the side there is a link to an article from Running Times that goes into the difference in gender based time standards.

Since we've had a glut of marathon finishers in TRY this fall (and all but one have been women), I thought it was a very timely analysis of the Boston Marathon qualifying time schemes. The articles are probably more interesting to women then men, but we all can get something out of them.

Happy Halloween! / NOT a Shocker

Kelly is an overachiever and posted while on vacation...so her post is now at the end of this one. Let me add some fluff to the top - since some of you like it fluffy.

Halloween weekend contained some shockers, but I would rather focus on the parts of it that were not shocking:

1) Tim and Lindsay throwing a great Halloween party. Thanks you two! For the generous sharing of your house with TRY and friends and the obvious huge amount of your time that you put into the decorations and the theme. I've been missing the heavenly harp music ever since. It was so tranquil!

2) Catherine (that crazy dare-devil) continuing her assault on every Syracuse area weekend race. This time she checked out the new location for the "AAA Halloween Run" at Jamesville Beach (which used to be the Brueggers Bagel Run at Beaver Lake Nature Center). They moved it to support the growing number of entrants but while Jamesville was more wide open, they definitely lost something in the switch. It wasn't as quaint. And was very muddy. So, it was a slow track that wasn't quite the same course as the Celiac 5k from two springs ago, although it used a lot of the same portions of the fields and trails. There were plenty of costumes, including a man in full pig attire (who did get a bit muddy just like everyone else) and some other fully committed costumes. So, it was still a fun event, just not as cute as it was at the cuter park that gets done up for Halloween.

3) Allyson continuing to be an expert, online fundraiser. In a time when it seems that requests on facebook don't get a lot of support, she threw out a quid pro quo offer that enticed the crowd. (Although one could argue that she would have gotten even better results if she offered more than baked goods?) Rumors from the walking event were that Allyson couldn't contain herself and broke into a run partway through. And the famously nutty Dunn sisters were the fourth largest team fundraiser for the entire event! Impressive.

4) Aaron and Kelly lighting it up in a frigid Marine Corp Marathon. Despite being harbingers of frost, they were primed for great performances at the marathon distance and they delivered. Aaron shaved close to an hour of his former PR and Kelly held off a late charge from him to beat him by a few minutes. (Her little running red woman was a bit too strong for his little running blue guy.) I'm not sure what Kelly's PR had been - so I'll await her comment - but I'm guessing it may have been a shared one with Aaron - in which case she took an hour off from that!

The point of #4 is that - if you put in the time that A & K have in your training and do as much speed work as they've done - good results and getting new PRs are not a shocker - they are expected. And while in a marathon anything can happen - it is great that ordinary happened - and that they both got what they deserved. Great job you two!

Final thought from Terry - I keep hearing more and more about lights on the lake running night. It's now just 2 more weeks away - and we'll be meeting at our normal time and place - 5 near the rental building. And then doing a relaxing jog at group pace (may need to split into two groups if we're too cumbersome) and attempt to do all 5 miles of a down and back. It's free! (But they do accept donations.)

Kelly's remote post (thanks Kelly for being a long distance overachiever!):

Happy halloween! I hope everyone had a fun and festive weekend. What costume did you wear this year?

Aaron and I both had good races at the Marine Corps marathon yesterday. Did anyone else race this weekend?

Aaron and I probably won't make it back in time to join you, but I recommend quarters as a goup to prep for those end of year 5ks. That would be a one mile warmup, 4 x quarter mile intervals with quarter rest in between (regroup after each quarter), and 1 mile cool down.

See you next week!

Getting cooler!

I read this on a blog this week, and I thought it was a great quote.

"...you don't have to run a marathon to be a runner. There is too much hype and too much pressure on the marathon. Running should be about enjoying it."
--Joan Benoit Samuelson

We are all runners whether we are doing a marathon, 5k, or just out there for a 1 mile jaunt. Make sure to enjoy your time out there!

This past weekend we had Terry and Catherine completed the Eastwood Park to Park 5 mile race. I think Catherine (and maybe Terry?) did every run in the Syrathon (http://www.syracuse.ny.us/parks/SpecialEventsSyrathon.html). Great job Catherine! [Editor: Catherine did indeed complete the 2011 Syrathon. Terry did not. He is a loser. Don't ever forget that. Going into the last race, only 67 people had completed the first 5 races of the 6 race series. So, Catherine is in select company. Please use peer pressure to get her to post a picture of her medal and to show off her shirt. She is too noble of a person to update her facebook profile picture, but maybe you can guilt her into a picture somewhere else? Shirts were available for runners who completed 4 to 6 of the races, so you'll see more of them then the 60 something who did the full 'thon.]

We are getting to chillier temperatures this week, so make sure to bring the right clothing. I know I didn't pack well last week :) We will be out there running at 5pm again. We had a great turnout last week and hope to see everyone this week, too.

I recommend 4 miles with a 2 mile tempo (1 mile warm up, 2 mile at an increased pace, 1 mile cool down).

See you tomorrow!

Give Me a Break

Kelly needed a much deserved break, so you are stuck with Terry this week. See the entry below for the latest meaty subject - foam rolling.

For this week - a reminder that the TRY meet-up time has been moved up to 5:00. For those of you who can no longer make it: Sorry. But mother nature is a fickle mistress and we are running out of daylight.

The group work-out will either be 1/4 mile intervals or hill repeats at the 3/4 mile mark in the park. It can be decided during the pre-game chat as we meet up.

A special commendation to Lindsay who completed her first marathon on Sunday at the Empire State Marathon! Congratulations on the completion of months of dedicated training. An alley-cat told me that Albany-area-TRYer (and one of the Four Asian Tigers) Kerri completed a marathon this weekend as well. Congratulations to her on once again posting a Boston qualifying time.

Completing the Empire state half marathon were Centipediatrician Bob (Dr. Findacache) and the newest TRYer Steve. Congrats to you both for being half the men of Lindsay and Kerri! (While still being about four times the men that I am!)

Seriously though - congratulations to all of you who have completed your first, your longest or your fastest long races this fall. I hope you take some well deserved moments to revel in your accomplishments! :-) And if you need a break from all those long runs, think about doing some faster, shorter runs (and races). You'll barely notice them compared to your long runs and your marathons and half-marathons and you'll be bringing all that fitness with you...and may be in for a PR without much more than some quick speedwork touch ups.

And a last thought - the former Beaver Lake Bruegger's Bagel Halloween Run, now seems to be the AAA Halloween Run at Jamesville Beach? I assume it got moved for size reasons? It's on Sunday morning October 30th. Anyone want to run that in a group uniform of some sort? Could be fun? Comment or get a hold of me somehow if you are interested...we can figure something out. (Or can do individual costumes...or none at all...just a thought on making a race more fun.) Warning - it's a cross country course - not a road race.

More Meat volume 4 - On a Roll

Tiffany has been without "the meat" for too long, so here we go with the fourth installment. This time we serve up the meat on a roll - a foam roll. The following is healthy serving of Foam Rolling 101:

We should start where all good stories start - with "myofascial release". Fascia is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue that provides support and protection for most structures within the body, including muscle. Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat pain and restriction of motion. The goal is to relax the contracted muscles, increasing circulation and stimulating the stretch reflex of muscles and overlying fascia.

Too scientific for you? I agree, just know that foam rolling is self-myofascial release technique. (Which could be a fun new euphemism for "slapping the dolphin".) Here are some informative articles:

This Running Times article calls it The (almost) Magical Foam Roller. It has some handy diagrams showing the key rolling areas for runners - IT band, Hamstrings/Quads, and a very painful looking middle back roll. Some fun quotes -

"But in the case of muscle knots, stretching alone is not enough. When stretching a muscle with knots, you are only stretching the healthy muscle tissue. The knot remains a knot, laughing in the face of the stretch."

"The best way to attack a troublesome muscle knot is direct pressure. A well-trained massage therapist can effectively apply pressure to break up and relieve muscle knots. These knots are pesky. It typically takes several treatment sessions to fix a well-placed knot."

Runner's World provides a similar article. (No good photos here though.) Quotes -

"Using a foam roller can provide similar benefits as deep-tissue massage. By increasing flexibility and decreasing muscle tension, it can help prevent injury and improve performance."

About.com provides a more spread out article that goes into a little more detail and shows all the stretches in pictures. Intro - "Foam rollers offer many of the same benefits as a sports massage, without the big price tag. The foam roller not only stretches muscles and tendons but it also breaks down soft tissue adhesions and scar tissue. By using your own body weight and a cylindrical foam roller you can perform a self-massage or myofascial release, break up trigger points, and soothe tight fascia while increasing blood flow and circulation to the soft tissues."

This is written from a health providers perspective and includes some handy diagrams. It gets a bit more technical on how the how myofascial release things works. Some of it's non-technical quotes - "on a simple piece of foam, [you] can improve flexibility, function, performance, and reduce injuries. In a nutshell, [you use your] own body weight to roll on the round foam roll, massaging away restrictions to normal soft-tissue extensibility."

That's probably enough references. For a more personal take there are some TRY members that use foam rolling (or "the stick") and can give your their opinion. Mine is that foam rolling hurts like a sonofabitch! Which probably means that it works. I used foam rolling a lot this summer to get my newly injured leg back to usable. I have fallen out of the habit but intend to get back into. Even more so now that I've finally read the fine print and how and why it works.

Conclusions:

Foam rolls are cheap - and are a great way to perform some self maintenance for runners. (The old style ones can be less than $20 and the fancy new-fangled ones are $40-$50.)

Last Week at 5:30!

Terry will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this will be the last Tuesday of TRY at 5:30. Next week we will start at 5:00. The last TRY run of the year will be the Lights on the Lake Stroll on November 15 (http://www.lightsonthelake.com/). [Terry's comments - Kelly is exactly right...as always. Due to lack of daylight we have to move the start time for TRY earlier. I know this 5 o'clock start time means some of you aren't able to make it...but unfortunately, there is nothing else to be done. So, starting next week - we will start at 5 PM. Also of note is that there is only 6 weeks left of TRY. Lights on the Lake is starting a week early this year, so the final TRY outing will be on Nov 15th as Kelly pointed out...doing a "fun" group paced run under the lights.]

Today was the Chicago Marathon! We had two TRY members, Ally and Sue, complete the race today. It was a warm day, and I am looking forward to hearing about their races. Make sure to congratulate them both :) [Terry again - I would also like to note that "new girl Jen" ran her first half marathon two Sundays ago as part of the Wineglass Marathon race. Congratulations Jen on achieving a new goal!]

Tuesday will be a 5 mile tempo run. We will do a 1 mile warm up, 3 miles at a faster pace (15-30 seconds slower than 10k pace), and 1 mile cool down. If you want more information on tempo runs, you can start with this article from Runner's World.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267--11909-F,00.html

For everyone skipping the tempo, I recommend trying to either increase your speed or distance from the previous weeks. You will see the improvements if you continue to work at it!

Special Oktoberfest Workout

Guten Tag Runners!

Since Terry appears to be too busy to post a workout, here is a special Oktoberfest work out for this Tuesday.  We've done quarter miles and half miles so it is time for miles.  Let's do three of them (wish we could be there guys...hahaha).  The first should be around a 15k pace, the second should be around 10k pace and the last at 5k pace; half mile warm up, half mile cool down and quarter mile recovery.

Some special advice for the workout...

Escalade - If the mileage is a bit high, just hop on Terry's back for the recovery.  He needs the extra work.

Duerr - No talking during recovery, only during the intervals.

Diego - Try to keep your heart rate under 220 this week.

ET - Don't bother with the sneakers.  We are working on a Tanqueray sponsorship for you for next year's stiletto dash.

Catherine - Slow down, Wegmans is not allowed to have any more fast runners.

Roger - Keep up with Malinda.

Malinda - Wear a 40 pound backpack so that Roger has a chance.

Sue - In the second half of your marathon, focus on how the Bills blew a 17-3 third quarter lead.  Embrace the speed of the darkside.

Ivy - If you decide to come, bring the game!

and finally....

Terry - define Tuesday's real workout already!

(c) Aaron's Drunken Publications

Busy weekend!

I have picked up a cold and am not feeling well!  It is a bummer to be sick during marathon training.  I had a crummy run yesterday and am wondering how much longer this thing will hang on.  I probably should have taken a day off yesterday, but I really wanted to get out there.  Do you take days off when you are sick? Maybe Terry could do a "more meat" post on the theories of running while sick (that's a not so subtle hint).

Back to the title of this post...it was a busy weekend!  Thanks to Erin/ET for hosting a fun TRY shindig on Saturday.  There were lots of laughs, and I enjoyed the company of running mates.  I hope everyone else did, too.  Thanks to Ivy for bringing the fun game :)

Sunday was a busy race day!  Sunday morning was the Teal Ribbon 5k in the Inner Harbor.  It was a beautiful morning for a race!  Erin/Escalade, Terry, Ally, Catherine, Jake, Katie, and Erin's parents participated in the event.  It was Erin's first 5k, and Jake gave a great 5th place showing.  Make sure to congratulate Erin, Jake, and all the participants.

Terry and Catherine also participated in the Strathmore Run 4 miler Sunday afternoon.  That is a double race for them!  I can't wait to hear how it went.  I can imagine it was a tough course with the hills in that area!

Did I miss anyone in the races this weekend?

This week I am doing half mile intervals.  I plan to do a 1 mile warm up and cool down with 0.5 mile intervals as follows:

• 0.5 mile at speed
• 0.25 mile recovery
• 0.5 mile at speed
• 0.25 mile recovery
• 0.5 mile at speed
• 0.5 mile recovery
• 0.5 mile at speed

That will be a total of 5 miles.  I would recommend anyone that raced this weekend to do a 2-4 mile recovery run based on how you feel.  For people who are newer to running, I would recommend cutting the half mile repeats down to 2 or 3 for a total of 4 miles.  Let me know if you have any questions!

Erin/ET's birthday is tomorrow so try to show up and wish her a happy birthday!  I would imagine there will be a group outing after running to celebrate :)

Out of Topics

I can't think of anything to write about today...surprised?  Not really for me!  Terry wrote another post (includes meat sweats).  Make sure to check it out.

This week we have Erin/Escalade and Terry doing the Teal Ribbon Run on Sunday.  Is there anyone else with races coming up?

This week Aaron and I will be doing a 5 tempo run since we have a 20 miler coming up this weekend.  That will be 1 mile easy, 3 miles at a faster pace, and 1 mile cool down.  I would guess Erin T., Adam, and others will be up for 0.25 mile repeats.  I would recommend 6 of those bad boys :)

See you out there at 5:30 as usual!

More Meat Volume 3 - Smorgasbord

Meaty morsel 1 - pace calculators:

Ally, Kelly and myself have been having some fun recently with race pace calculators to determine what pace they can realistically expect to run their fall marathons in. (I tend to be more aggressive with their goals - and I must say it's a lot easier to be aggressive when you are not the person running that has to deal with the repercussions of flaming out at mile 22. :-)

I realized that some of you (especially newer runners) may not know about the concept of pace calculators - they use formulas based on empirical evidence to allow runners to plug in one race distance and time and estimate what an equivalent pace would be for a different distance. They also have built in pace recommendations for shorter speed work and for your long distance runs. So, every one of us could get some good information by using them. For those of you running race distances you have never done before - this is a great way to plan for what you can expect.

There are two I've been using this week. This first one is from "McMillan Running" and has a very nice summary page. I liked this one! Page is here.

The only drawback I could see is that it did not have a way to do a random distance, so I had to use the Runner's World calculator to enter my Corporate Challenge time since it has a unique race distance. This one needs some extra clicking to see all the output. Page is here.

Another fun use for these is to compare your times in different races you've ALREADY run, just to see what the calculator considers your best race. It was easy for me to see what the fastest of my few 5k's as this year, but how do I know how to compare ALL of my finishes? So, I plugged in my fastest 5k (ironically, when I was leashed to 4 other people at Paige's), my corporate challenge, my Boilermaker, and my Mountain Goat times to find out that my best performance of the year was actually at the Corporate Challenge. Some time I'm going to go back through my PRs at different distances over the years and figure out my best ever performance! (I know, I don't have a life. But you are reading this, so what does that say about you? ;-)

Meaty morsel 2 - The mythical "meat sweats":

This came up at my families Memorial Day party as some non-family members had never heard of the "meat sweats". This surprised me, because it is a term that we've used often. People confused at the term led me to look up the definition online...and I was shocked to find out, that the "meat sweats" don't exist scientifically!

Then, Duerr started throwing the term around at the TRY mid-summer play night picnic and I promised him to put some information in writing at some point, just to share the shocking truth:

There appears to be no proof that the meat sweats are a real phenomenon. :-(

And for this reason, Wikipedia will not allow a page on the meat sweats to exist! Wikipedia is too good for the meat sweats! Details:

Urban dictionaries best definition has it as:

To consume an obsene amount of meat resulting in perfuse sweating.

"I went to the brazilian bar-b-que restaurant, w/ 30 different types of meat, and got the meat sweats!!!."

And it was even "The Urban Word of the Day" on August 27th of this year! That's pretty funny. But searching for a definition on Wikipedia only leads to a deleted page. And in order to get details on why it was deleted you can go to this explanation page. To save a click, it says "cannot be sourced by a credible source." and " it appears to be a newly coined neologism which might merit a mention in competetive eating but not its own article" . Doing a general search does show that the term shows up exactly once in a Wikipedia article when talking about man versus food. And since I wasn't sure of the meaning of "neologism" I had to look that up - "is a newly coined term, word or phrase, that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language."

Interestingly, the generic google search that I did, turned up a blog entry that had occurred while the old Wikipedia entry was still up. Here is the blog entry, but the best part it here - "Ali mentioned that he was having an onset of "meat sweats". I'd heard the term before, but didn't use it myself. I went on Wikipedia to learn about them, and learned a couple of interesting points. First off, veggie burgers can also give you meat sweats, which is lame. Vegetarians ruin everything - now they are ruining cool terms like "meat sweats". I hope no one changes the term because of that. ".

(I may or may not have used that just for the vegetarian hatred.)

Conclusion - the meat sweats, as real as they may seem on backyard picnic on a hot summer night, are not scientifically proven. To the point that the definition of the term is scrubbed from having a Wikipedia entry (which I did not even realize was possible until originally looking this up back in May). For those of you who want to still use the term - know that you are on the cutting edge of the English language, (and perhaps human evolution?) and through your diligent eating of meats and sweating large amounts of sweat afterwards, can someday make this world make a little more sense.

Why do you run?

I was reading a running blog, and the author asked a question.  Why do you run?  When I thought about it, I came up with a lot of answers.  I run to stay in shape, to prepare for a race, to get outside and see the sun during the winter, stress relief, to sweat out all my winnings (hahaha), to improve myself, or to get to buy lots of shoes.  There are a lot of reasons.  But the best reason?  Because running makes me feel great, and I love it.  Plain and simple!  I might not always want to get out there and do a long run or a hard workout, but at the end of the day, it feels awesome to get out there and get it done.  I hope I am always able to run…I want to be one of those 80 year olds finishing a race.  Fast or slow…it doesn’t matter to me.  As long as I can get out there and do it!

Why do you run?

Congratulations to all the racers on a great weekend!  Ally is the proud owner of a new PR (1:45:26) at the ARC half marathon.  Awesome time!  Terry ran the 5k and didn't PR, but it looks like he had a good race.  Aaron and I also did the Finger Lakes Triathlon (Olympic distance).  We both had great races and were very happy with our run times.  Did I miss anyone who raced this weekend?

All right…this is supposed to be about this week’s run.  We’ll make it a little different this week at Aaron’s request.

• 1 mile warm-up 
• 2 x 1/2 mile repeats with 1/4 mile rest between each, total 1.5 miles 
• 1 mile Indian relays – Run in a line at a pace that is easy for everyone.  The person at the back of the line sprints at full speed to the front of the line and then slows to the pace of the group.  It is a fun way to get in some sprints. 
• 1 mile cool down 

Let's hope for a good turnout.  Indian relays are a lot more fun with a large group :)

Rainy day

I hope everyone had a nice weekend!  Did everyone get their runs in?  Saturday and Sunday were tough days.  We definitely suffered during our runs!  Today is a rainy day, but I am enjoying it.  It is a nice day to relax and finally get some stuff done around the house.

This week I'm planning on running a 1 mile warmup, 2 mile tempo at 10k race pace, and 1 mile cool down.  Ron will be leading a shorter run.  I'm sure Adam will be up for 4-6 x 1/4 mile workout if anyone is interested.  I hope we have a nice turnout for a little cooler day.  I know I'm looking forward to the cooler weather!

This weekend Aaron and I are doing the Finger Lakes Triathlon.  The ARC 5k and Half Marathon on are Saturday.  Is anyone doing that race?

Don't forget to check out the next post.  Terry made another informational post :)

More Meat Volume 2 - Getting Off on a Tangent

The second meaty entry is all about racing smarter and not harder.

Certified race courses are measured on the tangents (the straightest line between the corners -- while still being on the pavement or trail). To not add anything extra to the race distance, you want to take the inside of every corner and a straight line between alternating corners. Crowded races make it hard to do so, but even in the Boilermaker, I have plenty of places on the course where I shake my head wondering why the racers are such sheep? Why do they make such baaaaad in race decisions?

Well, it is sheepish, but it is human nature as well. We tend to follow the group in front of us. Plus we are so used to driving on the roads, that we take a similar path that we would in a car - and pull into that right hand lane and run in that lane as soon as we turn a corner, instead of looking up at the next turn in front of us and running directly towards it (and staying in the left lane for a while in the process.)

To demonstrate just how much difference this can make, I did a test at Onondaga Lake Park. I did multiple loops of "Angela's Try-angle" with two different mindsets. The first was to run it as if it was closed off to traffic and I was running it attempting to do the shortest path possible. The second was to run it as if it was a training run and I was being polite and staying to the extreme right at all points. I did just over 3 loops each - just enough to get to 1.25 miles for the optimum path case. The results are very telling.

First check out the optimum (tangential) case:

And then the right hand side case:


Click around on those pages to see the details. I attempted to have them as close as possible but went a few steps further in the right hand side case. It worked out that if I had stopped at the same point I think I would have nailed the exact time for both, but this was close enough.
The summary -
Optimum path: 1.26 miles in 10:15 or 8:10 per mile.
Right hand path: 1.32 miles in 10:17 or 7:49 per mile.

If this was a race course I would have gotten credit for crossing the same finish line in both cases. But just on the choices I made - I added .06 miles to my race distance. That may not seem like that much, but it is a huge difference - I'll round down to a 4% increase. In a 5k that would be an extra 1/8th of a mile. In a half marathon that would be over an extra half a mile. Then obviously for a full marathon that would be over a mile extra that you would be adding.

The other way to think about it this is even easier to visualize the difference. I finished the same exact race in the same exact time but due to the path I ran, the dumber me had to run almost 20 seconds faster per mile faster than the smarter me just to keep up. If I had thought ahead I would have wore my heart rate monitor to show exactly how much harder my body was working, but I didn't, so I'll just say that there was a major difference. Sadly, I was basically dieing in the dumber case and couldn't wait to stop. (Even Escalade could have seen how much I was huffing and puffing.)

The test I did was extreme and I wouldn't expect anyone to actually make that bad of decisions in a race, but from what I see people doing, I have no doubt that people add 2+% to some race courses. (Depends on the number of turns taken and the width of roads, etc.) For those of you with GPS watches, you quickly learn that you need to run further than the race distance to finish the race. The goal is to keep that extra to a minimum.

Since you are an enlightened TRYer if you are reading this, please do yourselves a favor for me. When race day comes, don't run the roads like you drive them, or even how you train on them. When the roads are closed off, they belong to you. So, do what you can to run the optimum path through the course. It can easily make the difference between finishing a long race strong or fading at the finish. And it can even more easily make the difference between a PR or not. The best part, is that the gains are for free. You don't need to do anything extra to save 2-4% other than to use your head. Your legs take enough abuse on race day, lighten their load by abusing your brain a little too. :-)

(Unrelated comments - for those of you who don't have a GPS watch, definitely click around on the page that "View Details" takes you to. The map and the splits and the details available can be really helpful to keep track of your training and your racing -- and as I said above I forgot to wear my heart rate which would have been a graph as well. So, think about what you are missing out on and realize that the price of the GPS watches like mine - are dropping by the day.)

[Editors note, as I proofread the entry above, I decided that it wasn't quite meaty enough, so here is an addition to bulk it up.]

For a more real world example, I grabbed a portion of the Boilermaker course where its cleared out enough to maneuver and where I always see a herd of sheep as I round the corner. The lesson, once again, is don't curve into the right hand lane just because the person in front of you is. Or because that is what you would do in a car. (Don't be yellow!) Turn the corner, look up, and pick as straight of a line as you can for that upcoming right hand turn. (Be red!)



As for the blue line on the map? All I can say is, "It's electric! Booogie-woogie-wooogie-wooooh!" (But unless you are dressed up as a cow, you don't want to be that guy either. Line dancers make for some of the least efficient course runners you'll ever encounter.)

Fair

If you wanted to know the plan, you should have come to the fair :)

See you at the usual time and place!

[Editors note: And Kelly used to criticize me for mailing in posts? *sigh* "You write it on the run, baby. And if that's the way you write it baby, then I don't want you around." -Just kidding. But needed to throw in a "Speedwagon" reference.]

More Meat Introduction and Volume 1

More Meat Introduction:

When TRY started up and a majority of it's members were new to running or distance running, I actually used to put useful information about running topics pertinent to the group in the emails (first year) and eventually the blog. But as time went on, I ran out of helpful topics to put in (and the now experienced group had less need of that information), so the blog entries became fluffier and fluffier, to the point that they are are so fluffy that I'm gonna die:



With Kelly doing a great job with the weekly TRY blog entries and nailing down the week-to-week details, it has freed me up to be more creative in what I have time to post. And I believe it has been long enough that some new topics are out there that are worth exploring. So, over the next couple months I plan to do a few updates that I think will be informative and useful to at least some of us each week. By the end, I hope to have hit on something that everyone has thought "that's good to know" at least once.

Since the topics are meant to be helpful (and not entertaining) and in honor of our very special member Adam Duerr (who thinks the solution to EVERY problem is "more meat") I came up with the meaty name. (For any Mary Moe's out there reading this, please note that there is no actual meat in this entry...it's a metaphor. So you can keep reading.) Enjoy: (Well, that's what I would normally say, but this isn't meant like that....hmmmm. I guess I should say...) Enlighten yourself:

More Meat Volume 1. Topic - Knee pain, osteoarthritis and glucosamine

It's actually taken me a couple weeks to put this together, because, well, the results are very mixed. Some articles rave about the positive results from taking glucosamine and chondroitin. Others point to studies that showed no improvement from taking the supplements. So, this will be an even-handed description of what I've found, but an overall thumbs-up from me. I've heard from running friends who swear it has helped them with their knee pain -- to the point of allowing them to run pain free for the first time in months/years, so I do believe it's worth trying if you are in that position. (I'm looking at you, Malinda.)

The first link is to a Runner's World article from 7 years ago. Seems very positive on the benefits. The highlights:
The medical literature in support of glucosamine/chondroitin is cautiously positive, though some observers are concerned that many of the studies have been funded by supplement manufacturers. This is particularly true in Europe, where the supplements are big-business prescription medications.

If you have temporary joint pain, by all means try glucosamine or glucosamine and chondroitin. The products are little regulated in the United States, so go with a respected, big-brand company that produces quality products. This way, you're unlikely to have a bad reaction. Be sure to stick with the program for two to three months, as these are slow-acting supplements.

Don't use glucosamine/chondroitin to push through the pain barrier, however. That could lead you down the road to permanent damage. Run sane, not sorry. It's more important to preserve your knees than your running.

The second link is from a supplement manufacturer (I picked one - Wellesse - that is available at BJ's for those shopping for it)- so of course they are going to recommend it. Note that they don't claim that it works, only that it "may provide..." Their big finish:

Something that many runners find can help them combat knee problems, especially those leading to osteoarthritis, is glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. These two substances, which can be found naturally occurring in human cartilage to help cushion the joints may help to prevent further knee problems and bring relief. Glucosamine and chondroitin may provide better mobility, flexibility and lubrication for all joints but especially knees.

If you are an avid runner, try taking a liquid glucosamine and chondroitin supplement with MSM for at least 30 days while continuing your normal exercise routine. It may make a huge difference and allow you to keep on going! Isn't it worth a try to keep doing something you love?

At this point, I switch over to wikipedia where some of the more neutral results show up. I am linking to the three components that are almost always sold together (and other articles I'm not linking to, recommended to look for a package that contained all three.)

Glucosamine:
Plenty of details and goes into multiple studies with mixed results.
A 2009 scientific review of available studies concluded that glucosamine sulfate, "glucosamine hydrochloride, and chondroitin sulfate have individually shown inconsistent efficacy in decreasing arthritis pain", though "many studies confirmed pain relief with glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate in combined use".

... recent European League Against Rheumatism practice guidelines for knee osteoarthritis grants to glucosamine sulfate the highest level of evidence, 1A, and strength of the recommendation, A.

In the United States, glucosamine is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use in humans. Since glucosamine is classified as a dietary supplement in the US, safety and formulation are solely the responsibility of the manufacturer; evidence of safety and efficacy is not required as long as it is not advertised as a treatment for a medical condition.

In most of Europe, glucosamine is approved as a medical drug and is sold in the form of glucosamine sulphate.^[58] In this case, evidence of safety and efficacy is required for the medical use of glucosamine and several guidelines have recommended its use as an effective and safe therapy for osteoarthritis. The Task Force of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) committee has granted glucosamine sulfate a level of toxicity of 5 in a 0-100 scale,^[58] and recent OARSI (OsteoArthritis Research Society International) guidelines for hip and knee osteoarthritis also confirm its excellent safety profile.

Chondroitin sulfate:
...The study also found chondroitin sulfate to have a significant effect in reducing joint swelling, effusion, or both. ^[31] These results indicate that glucosamine and chondroitin do not effectively relieve osteoarthiritic pain in the overall group of osteoarthritis patients, though it may be an effective treatment for those suffering from moderate-to-severe pain.[2] Some of the researcher's ties to Pfizer (who makes celecoxib), have brought into question the validity of the study.

In 2007, a review by Bruyere et al. about glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for the treatment of knee and hip osteoarthritis concludes that both products act as valuable symptomatic therapies for osteoarthritis disease with some potential structure-modifying effects.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM):
"No definitive conclusion can currently be drawn" and there is no "definitive evidence that MSM is superior to placebo in the treatment of mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee."

Patients who took MSM reported reduced pain and improved physical function, but no evidence was found of a more general anti-inflammatory effect;

Overall conclusions:
Mixed scientific results. Very good anecdotal results (including from people I know). Take a version of the supplement with all three components in it. Give it several weeks to feel (or not) the results. Liquid forms are available if the pill form has caused problems in the past. Use a trusted brand since it is unregulated by the FDA in the US.

Final thought: If you are suffering from moderate knee pain: It's no guarantee but it's worth a try.

(Let me know if you found this interesting or helpful? And please post a quick comment if you've used glucosamine in the past and what your experience was with it?)

Try a Tri next year?

Since our current blog writer won't toot her own horn or incriminate herself with photos, I felt this had to be done behind her back:

Most of you have heard about this, at various levels, but I want to draw more attention to it -- we have three current TRY members who have done their first triathlons in the last 14 months. (And a 4th that has been doing them for a few years). So, for those of you who have done a lot of running and perhaps are burning out from running the same ol' 5k, or the amount of time it takes to train for a half marathon and beyond -- maybe next year is the year to consider breaking out of your rut and doing a triathlon? Since you are training for three sports, it still will take a lot of your time -- but there is less repetition, less wear and tear on the same muscle groups, and likely better overall body fitness for time you are putting in. I'll leave details to the experts - but know that just as in running, there are a few choices for distances and many growing training groups to help get your biking and swimming training in. I encourage people how are feeling to urge, to hit up one of the TRY tri-ers and pick their brains on how to attempt you first triathlon next year. We are lucky to have multiple recent experts among us -- should give a great and varied perspective on what it takes and tips that helped them turn the 'y' into an 'i'.

Need inspiration? Look at how much fun tri-ers have -

Kelly going GW on us:


Aaron taking it up a notch with some sort of crazy fingers salute (the GHLH?):



ITWAN smiling her constant mid-race smile thinking "I saw him standing there":


And perhaps the best two reasons I can think of to start doing tri's:


(Can you say that this doesn't raise your ....ummm, how shall I put it... "interest level"? It can't be that hard to learn how to swim can it? Can I do a doggie paddle? And supposedly you never forget how to bike, right? I think I'm all set.)

Who's in?

Who's in for TRY this week?  I'm planning 6 x 0.25 miles.  Others will be doing various distances...feel free to join in with someone.  I hope to see everyone out there.

Congratulations to Sue for completing the Turning Stone half marathon and Adam for completing the Tromptown half marathon!

This is a short and sweet entry this week because I'm tired :)

Another TRY Week!

Check out the post below for something new :)

Congratulations to Terry on his Mad Cow 5k finish last weekend.  I missed his finish last week, but better late than never!

Also congratulations to Aaron and Erin T. for having a great TRY showing at the Cazenovia Triathlon today (and yes, I survived).  We all had our challenges but all finished with age group awards.  Thanks to Terry and Catherine for being excellent supporters.  It was great to see the cow hats/bells out there in full force.  Even the gorilla got a cowbell!

Terry and the gorilla!  Funny that we swim with her at the Y.

Good luck to Sue next week in the Turning Stone Half Marathon!

Tuesday will be by Adam's lead.  I would suggest 3-4 x half miles to change it up, but I don't know if he will go for that.  I will be doing an easy run since I'm guessing I will still be recovering.

And about the race today?  I found out that even on a bad day full of struggles, I am lucky to be out there.  There are people who have a lot bigger issues in their lives than just a bad race. I fought through the day, and I am glad I finished :)

New - Featured Race

I'm going to test out a new thing on the blog. Aaron is the first victim, but I'll be contacting others who told me about their races. Comment on this post if you think this is something that you would like me to continue. If not, I won't continue it :)

This is Aaron's most memorable race. He responded to my questions. I added only a few notes, and they are designated with the italics.

Featured race and distance:
Woolsports Musselman 2011 - 70.3 Triathlon
Half ironman distance -1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run

Date:
17 July 2011

Location:
Geneva, NY

Best part:
Toss up between the residents hosing us down, the well stocked aid stations on the run course, and the ice bath at the finish line.

Worst part:
The heat and passing wineries without stopping in for a tasting.
It was a 95 degree and humid day!

Recap of your race:
Swam fast but between trying out my calf guards for the first time and not eating enough, the bike was a little slower than anticipated.  The run started off well but the heat caught up with me in the second half and my time goals were replaced with survival goals.  Nowhere near a PR but just finishing was a victory.

Everybody loves the Gerega Wave :)

Race tips:
- Swim fast, get out front and then cruise.  Drafters are posers and deserve to be kicked in the head :) Note - everyone drafts in the swim. Only silly people don't take advantage of it.
- Always have a backup goal in case the race doesn't go your way. Finishing vertical and healthy is always a good option.
- Carry a small flask or bottle of water on the run. You don't want to get thirsty in between aid stations.
- Practice running hills and running in the heat before attempting the Musselman.
- Eat something other than Jelly Belly energy beans.
- Sign up for the DoubleMussel so that you have an excuse if you don't PR at the Musselman.

Why should someone sign up for this race?
For a 70.3, the price is quite good and the event is very well run. I was faster at the Syracuse 70.3 and liked the bike a little better, but overall, the Musselman was a better total package.

The Five W's - WWWWWHooooooooosh...

The story of TRY, from an investigative journalists perspective -- we're ripping the lid off of it!

WHO:
Anyone who is looking for jogging camaraderie, looking to improve their running, and is willing to do so without offending other members who may not be as comfortable or as fast at running as you. (Kelly picking on people's weight is the ONLY exception. Cause that is funny!)

There is a lot of experience in the group with marathons, selling drugs, half-marathons, being a woman, triathlons, being a hottie, injury recovery, being a douche-bag, 5 ks, milking a cow, 15 ks, serving steaks, being blind, running a news station, etc... So, if you have questions about running (or life), this is a great place to get some useful answers from people who have been there, done that.


WHAT:
TRY - Tuesday Recreational Yogging. As explained by the two greatest minds of modern cinema. Ron Burgandy explains the exercise trend:



And master of the force, Yoda, explains the name:



Well, except that he got it wrong. Because there is a try, now. [Yoda voice] Wrong I was, hmmmmm?! Slipping, I must be? [end Yoda voice]


WHERE:
Physically, we meet at the Wegman's Playground end of Onondaga Lake Park. Or, if you prefer a visual aid, look at this map:



Electronically, the members are coordinated and meet at the website: http://www.thereisatry.com/ ("there is a try" is the smooshed together word in the middle). Yes, there is some internet magic at work and the "old" site is still where the content is hosted, so you can still go there. But please tell new people and please remember the simple name, so that you can always find the web site, even if you lose your bookmarks and your browsing history. No excuses! Even if you are blonde.


WHEN:
With very few exceptions, we meet every Tuesday night from March through November, at 5:30. (With a courtesy 5 minutes provided, so we actually hit the pavement at 5:35.)

Come a few minutes early for socialization. Stay a few minutes afterwards for more socialization and for the occasional food or ice-cream outing.

Exceptions to the norm are late in the season (think November-ish) when we run out of daylight and have to meet earlier. Or the two times a summer when the Corporate Challenge or our play date get in the way.

A calendar is provided at the top of the website to help figure out the exceptions.


WHY:
There are a lot of reasons "why", but the final impetus has become known as "my marathon marathon story".


HOW:
We meet up at the park. We quickly triage what people are looking to run that night and sort of split up into groups that are doing like-minded runs. The group run has become an interval workout, because it is the most effective training run that keeps the group together (somewhat), while still allowing each individual to optimize their workout.

Here is a recent article from active.com about intervals-101. But I'll clip the highlights:
"The goal of interval training is to slowly "build up" time spent running at a very high levels, which increase our body's ability to run at a sustained anaerobic pace for longer periods of time."

"The physiological change resulting from pushing the body past its normal comfortable speed of running is increasing aerobic and anaerobic capacity and recruiting the use of fast twitch muscles. This enables us to operate at a higher and faster level and increasing tolerance to lactic acid build up. The actual translation of interval training is to steadily increase your comfortable running pace."
"By effectively mixing intervals into your routine, you will find that you'll get much more out of your distance or timed runs. Interval training is a fantastic way to improve your stamina for those tough parts of the run when you would normally hit the brakes and slow down."

"By properly including intervals into your running routine, you'll find yourself not only pushing through the tough times in your training, but you'll also be astounded by that extra speed you have at the end of a race. Your mile pace will improve dramatically and you will be setting a new personal best in no time!"
Any level of runner, can gain from doing intervals - so I do encourage everyone to do them on Tuesday nights with us. If you haven't done them before - let a leader of TRY know - and we'll help ease you into them.

Triathlon Time

It seems that is a busy time for triathlons!  Today was the Iron Girl sprint triathlon at Oneida Shores.  Aaron, Erin T., and I spectated and saw a lot of great performances.  Congratulations to former TRY-er Maria on a great finish!

It was fun to watch all the women race, but it reminded me how much energy it takes to cheer.  It was a good reminder to thank all the people who have taken the time out of their lives to support me in my races.  Make sure you do the same!

Upcoming races:
The following people are doing the Cazenovia Triathlon this week:  Aaron, Erin T., and Kelly (me).  If you are interested in doing a triathlon in the future, feel free to ask any of us about our experiences.  We are having a great time doing them!

The plan:
This week the plan is 1 mile repeats.  You knew it was coming.  We will be doing a 1 mile warm up, 1 mile at 5k race pace or faster, half mile recovery, 1 mile a little faster than the first, and a 1 mile cool down.  That is 4.5 miles total.  I hope to see everyone there!

--Kelly :)

P.S.  I posted pictures from the TRY outing in Cicero in the next post.

Pictures from TRY Cicero Outing

This is a slide show of the pictures I took at the lake night in Cicero. If you don't want your photos on here, let me know, and I might remove them :)
--Kelly

Big Shock - Repeats Tomorrow :)

Hey all,

Tomorrow night is TRY night again.  Where the heck did another week go?  I'm in denial that today is the first of August already, but I look forward to seeing everyone out there again tomorrow night! 

The plan is 3-4 x half mile intervals with quarter rest in between.  For those not doing repeats, there are some newer runners doing 2-3 miles and maybe some others doing distance runs.

If you are have a distance/plan in mind, feel free to comment on this post.  Maybe someone else will want to join you on your run.  Remember, Tuesday nights are about meeting up to have a fun night running with others and finding new running partners.  It is a chance to work towards your goals and help others get there, too.

I also intend to update the calendar with upcoming races, so add a comment to this post if you have any upcoming races.

--Kelly :)

BM BR 11

This is your regular host, Tbone: For a week or two (and what an ugly couple weeks it was!) I had lost my way. And for those who thought I was "crabby" keep in mind that my sign is Cancer, so it would make perfect sense for me to be crabby. Thanks to those of you who remembered me during my cancerous time. But a bigger thank you to Kelly for offering to take over the blog for a while. The current plan is for Kelly to shepherd the group and for me to add some spice alongside. So think of her as the good cop. And me as the bad cop. Thanks Kelly! :-) (Read the next blog entry for her entry this week.)

Here is my promised, traditional, post Boilermaker photo-fest.

For anyone who ran the Boilermaker and didn't know about the "fun" finish line camera view, go to this page and find yourself. It can be a bit like "Where's Waldo", but it's worth the time to watch yourself limp, float, stumble, list, etc, across the finish line. It is listed by "gun time" which starts exactly at 8:00 AM, so it's easy to use your gun time to narrow down your 3 minute window. And the "right" versus "left" is from the runners perspective. So, to see my salute to the camera, I know I was on the left, so I pick the "LEFT CAMERA" and my gun time was 1:21:20ish, so I pick 09:21 AM, and voila, I'm there giving my special salute at 1:21:21. Which just so happened to be the exact same moment, the automated still camera got this shot.

That's right. I'm pointing at you, Mr. Camera-man. (You can do stuff like this and the ol' GW when you haven't ran your hardest and have the energy to play around.)

For another fun one, pick the right camera at 09:06, skip ahead to almost the end and watch what Kelly does at the 1:08:44ish mark -- after crossing the second timing pad, she does some sort of long-floppy-armed-I-want-to-be-in-the-thriller-video-remake maneuver. Nice work Kelly! (This is probably what you do when you actually run your hardest...things happen. And they aren't always pretty. She had composed herself just a couple seconds later. Which is a shame, because a picture mid-flappy arms would have been a classic.)


I'm not going to go through the other TRYers just yet, but you should. It's actually much easier this year, with brightroom providing all those finish shots, so you know when and where each person finished.

And now, the bulk of this weeks entry: A tradition unlike any other! The embarrassing mid-race photos brought to us by Brightroom.com and my online stalking.


Kelly and her booties of levitation +2. (She has been a turd to me lately -- and obviously she's "a floater.)


Kerri - leading up "TRY: East" every week. Right Kerri?


Aaron - missing the patented GW here. Sneak up on you Aaron?


Terry - there were slightly better shots available, but check out the stud to his left. He needs to spend less time in the gym and spend some time taming down his "o-face". Seriously, Terry is perfectly calm, why is Mr. Stud making a scene like that?


Erin - first time BMer. Not quite a first time TRYer yet. Tonight?


Adam - as a first timer, he wisely chose to pace behind a nice old lady with a visor and a fanny pack. (Good lesson here -- when in doubt, pace off of retired librarians. They know the Dewey Decimal System and how to get to the finish.)

(Just kidding Adam -- I know you crushed her net time.)

John. What can I saw about this? Other than to make it stop! There weren't any other solo shots available so I had to put us all through it. Let this be a lesson to everyone. If you are going to take your shirt off, at least make an "o-face"!

Ivy. She has an amazing ability to find me in a crowd even though we barely know each other. I've never felt like I was being stalked before. It's kind of refreshing, actually! First time BMer. Maybe a first time TRYer tonight?

Maria. I thought she was drunk after the race. But she looked so happy throughout that I now have to conclude that she was just high on life that day. Must be the confidence that comes along with a strong core from doing stand up paddle boarding.
The start (along with JJ before he was blinding us with his white chest of disorientation+1)

The finish.

The glamour shot. She's everywhere!


And if you aren't Maria and still want to finish the race with a smile, then do the 5k like this guy.


Seriously, you then have extra time on your hands to ham it up for the camera.


But I kid...he has the fastest PR of any of us, so if he wants to "only" do the 5k...then he's more than earned the right to.

That's it. I think I got at least one representative shot of all the TRYers. Just a reminder that a lot of TRYers weren't there...I hope to see more of you there next year!

A parting shot: This year, was the first time in a few times that I didn't have something more recognisable on for a hat or clothing. And directly following last year where I was very easy to pick out in a crowd. (With the cow hat and the cowbell.) And I must say, it wasn't as fun. So, if you truly want to experience the crowd at the Boilermaker, I recommend hamming it up a little. It's a great rush when you feel that large of a crowd reaching out to you specifically. I missed it this year. And made a mental note to pass along that "winning the crowd" does help you