"ReRun" Mile at Monmouth Park

My son, Max, and I participated in an unusual, but fun and rewarding, race on June 27th. Called the "ReRun Mile" at Monmouth Park in West Long Branch, it was a one-mile race along the outside perimeter of the track at the "Shore's Greatest Stretch."

I placed third in a small field in the pedestrian time of 6:47, while Max took an age-group award in the 13-19 division with 8:24. The surface was interesting: not quite sand, but much looser and softer than the dirt on a baseball infield. Easy on your legs, but nearly imposssible to get much spring!

The race benefits charities for thoroughbred adoption, a very worthy cause, in my book. The hosptitality and amenities were first class, and runners and their families can spend the rest of the day at the track, which we did. In its second year, I would expect the race to pick up greater numbers every year. It's one I would look forward to doing again!

President's Cup 5-K

On the the third Monday of every June, the Sneaker Factory store in Millburn hosts the President's Cup 5-K. It's held at 8 p.m., through the downtown, and attracts some of the best runners in the state. Maybe the free Sam Adams drafts have something to do with that!

I traditionally have run it with my son, Max. He's 13 and has run occasional 5-k's with me since age seven. I planned to accompany him again this year, but he decided to run with his good friend, Kyle, instead. Max would be running his first race on his own, and I would be "free" to do my own pace.

It's been a long time since I had been less confident for a race. My last two competitive outings had been somewaht disappointing, time-wise, and I was beginning to accept that, nearing 52, I was just slowing down. My left leg was also feeling very heavy, probably from favoring it over the past two months after tweaking my right hamstring in the Rutgers Unity Half-Marathon. Planning to run this race "easy," I ran a hilly eight-miles the day before, at a pace (again) slower than I would have liked. I also jumped in our community pool for a mile swim (felt good), and did a 10-mile bike ride with Max later that afternoon. My own Father's Day Triathlon! Basically, I felt an injury coming on, and the resulting self-flagellation for doing something I wouldn't recommend to others.

As these scenarios always go, I ended up running one of my better races in a while; a crisp 19:30 at an even 6:18 pace. Why? I think, because my expectations were low, I was more mentally relaxed than in races where I put too much pressure on myself. I also focused on just running a respectable first mile, and then took it from there, breaking the race down to small increments (traffic light to traffic light, even!). Once I got past two miles in 12:39, I knew just one more decent mile (holding it together for six-plus minutes), would bring me back to where I wanted to be in these mysterious tests against oneself.

At the finish, I met up with my wife, and waited, somewhat anxiously, for a few minutes, to see Max and Kyle finishing up under 27 minutes. We skipped the Sam Adams, but celebrated with

some pizza at La Strada's, and headed home full and content.

Creatine - Pros and Cons

I've always loved weightlifting and long-distance running, two seemingly contradictory activities. Done properly, and with the right goals in mind, they actually can supplement each other.

In my early 40's, I went through a stretch where I really concentrated on building up my absolute ( one-rep) strength, and hit a personal best of 240 lbs on the bench press, at 148 lbs.

bodyweight.

I also was taking creatine at the time, and feel (perhaps psychologically) that it helped my strength gains. I've since turned my focus back more to running and endurance-type strength training (like pull-ups and push-ups) and have taken creatine periodically during this period. It hasn't resulted in better absolute (one-rep) gains.

My conclusion: the strength trains I made were much more I byproduct of the way I was training, rather than the creatine.

Creatine is an amino acid compound that is produced in our bodies. In fact, our body produces the overwhelming majority of creatine stores one would have. It also can be obtained through diet, mostly red meats and fish. Creatine supplements are completely legal, and available at health food stores and elsewhere.

Creatine functions as an energy source, and is thought to improve short bursts of high-intensity exercise, like sprinting or heavy weight-lifting. It is not considered beneficial for long-distance or endurance events.

Since creatine supplementation only became popular about a dozen years ago, not much is known on it's long-term effects. Adverse reactions among users include muscle cramping, muscle strains, dehydration, and diarrhea, according to a recent article by Dr. Dennis Cardone of Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick.

It is recommended not to exceed the manufacturer's recommendation as far as dosages of creatine. It will not have any greater benefits, and can increase some of the negative effects mentioned above.

Dr. Cardone's article in The Star-Ledger (May 25, 2010) only recommends creatine be taken under supervision of a physician. He advises adolescents and children to stay away from it.

I would agree there, and as far as my own experience: it didn't hurt, but I'm not sure how much it helped.

Exercise and Arthritis

I'm 51, and I've noticed that my knees creak every time I get up off the floor. Do I have arthritis? Possibly! What am I doing about it? Exercising!

Arthritis (translation: joint inflammation). Almost everyone will get at least a touch of it, if they live long enough.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form. Basically, our joints (where bones meet) are covered with a spongy, cushioning cartilage. Over time, the cartilage can wear thin and tear. That creates the bone on bone senstion of osteoarthritis, which leads to stiffness and mild to severe pain.

When people have osteoarthritis, the inclination is to stay away from exercsiing the affected area. That's a mistake: rest will weaken the muscles surrounding the joints, and make the arthritis worse.

The American Council on Exercise recommends low-impact activities like swimming, cycling, or rowing. Don't go crazy, intensity wise, but exercise often, and make sure you warm-up and cool-down with each session. Judge how your body feels afterward: if you have musculoskeletal pain more than two hours after a workout, reduce your intensity even more the next time.

Always try to maintain proper body alignment when exercising, poor posture can exasperate

arthritis!

Rheumatoid arthritis also affects the joints, as well as other body organs and tissues. Joint inflammation, stiffness, swelling, and deformity can all be sympotoms of this disease. Exercise can still help, but medical care is a must.

Stretching Benefits

Stretching is one of the most enjoyable, yet controversial, aspects of fitness. I personally love to stretch after a hard run or strength training session, and that innate urge is reecognized by most fitness experts as correct: strech when the muscles are warm and the body is heated.

There are runners and lifters who never stretch and consider it a waste of time. I always feel that stretching shouldn't cut into your workout session, but is a great enhancement at the end.

A study just published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research reported that stretching can greatly enhance your strength as well! Using groups of volunteers who followed an eight-week strength training program (three days per week), half of the group also added two 10-minute stretching routines at the end of their sessions. After eight weeks, the flexible group nearly tripled their muscle strength, considerably more than the non-stretchers.

The rationale: Stretching, like weight-lifting, creates tiny tears in your muscles; as your body recovers and rebuilds, the tissue becomes stronger!

Try to incorporate full body stretches after every workout, with extra emphasis on the body parts most affected by that day's run or lifting session. It feels good, and you'll get stronger, too!

Bob Beckert Run 2010

The seventh Bob Beckert Memorial Scholarship 5-K Run, previewed in an earlier post, was held under hot, muggy conditions on June 6, 2010. I've run every one of the Beckert runs, which benefits a Scholarship in his name at Watchung Hills High School.
On a rolling course, with a steep, 300-yard climb to the finish in the high school parking lot, the race has a lot of small-town charm. Many of the participants were friends of Bob Beckert or know his children, and most of the runners know each other, as well.
I use it as one of the tests of my fitness level as I (like everyone else) age year-to-year. Now that I'm 51, I've been in a new age-group category the past two years, and am usually able to garner an age-group medal in most races I run. I'm happy to say I won my age-group here as well, but my time (20:12) was the slowest I've recorded at the Beckert Run.
After any race, good or bad, the analysis begins. Here, the conditions were actually excellent for me: Unlike most other runners, I thrive in the heat. Although I had a restless night of sleep before the race, I was in a positive mental state and not overly stressed about the event. My race strategy went the way I like it as well -- start off steady, no hyperventilating, and no one passed me after the first half-mile.
Yet, my time was 20 seconds slower than last year. Possible factors: three weeks of lost training after the Rutgers Half-Marathon on April 18, when I tweaked my right hamstring in the fourth mile; a smaller field in the race, with no one directly ahead or behind me over the second half of the race; no splits, which means I could have slowed down without realizing it; and finally, my advancing age.
I've never believed in aging. A part of me feels as if I'm 51, and have been running anywhere between 20 and 100 miles a week for the past 35 years (as well as weightlifting, rowing and cycling). I should be faster than a 18- or 25-year-old. However, I realize 99% of professional or Olympic athletes are 35 or under, and there has to be a legitimate reason (or many) for that.
All in all, I'm thankful for how well I am still doing (placing sixth overall in a field of 200), and grateful every day that I still have the ability to do one of the things I most enjoy.
Every race is the end result of an experiment of training, rest, diet and motivation. I'll let you know how the next one goes!

Beginning Swimming

Once Memorial Day hits, the backyard and community pools open up, and this creates many opportunities for fitness. Swimming is non-impact and a great way to get fit without too much stress on the joints. The water is a natural coolant for the body, so you can work hard in the heat. Mix in a couple of different strokes, and you'll work just about every muscle in the body!
Many moons ago, I was a lifeguard at Monmouth College. In the lifeguard training, we finished each session with 20 laps, mixing in in freestyle, breaststroke, sidekicks, and elementary backstroke. Good workout! I also would do quite a bit of training in the ocean to prepare myself for some triathlons.
Believe it or not, once you get past the waves, the ocean water had better buoyancy than the pool, and I would do laps between the lifeguard lines for a prescribed time period. In ocean swimming, the hardest part is fighting against the current on your way back to shore, especially when your fatigued from your workout. I always gave a "heads up" to the lifeguards on what I was doing before I went out, which is a good idea for many reasons.
Swimming burns a ton of calories (500 to 700 an hour). Water is also 800 times denser than air, so each stroke is a little resistance workout for your body. While all the muscles are recruited, key elements are the shoulders, glutes, hamstrings, arms, and the entire core. It was a long winter! Take advantage of the of the warmth and jump in!