Thursday, October 7, 2010

New York City Marathon

My brother-in-law, Andy, will be making his initial marathon effort at the November 7th ING New York City Marathon. Andy is in his early 40's, ani is a former college swimmer and rower. He's been putting in his obligatory 20-mile runs on the weekends, has set a very realistic goal, and I think he's going to do fine.

I've run New York twice in 1979 and 1991. I alawys tell people, if you run one marathon in your life, make it New York. The sights and sounds are awe-inspiring: the massive start on the Verrazanno, the "rush" you feel off the bridge; various ethnic neightborhoods of Brooklyn; the massive crowds along First Ave. in Manhattan; and the rolling, long-awaited finish in Central park. There are thousands of Europeans and people from all over the U.S. in the race, and there's a great sense of comraderie at the pre-race expo, and the entire weekend.

I was in college and ran a 2:52.11 in my first effort, a time I was somewhat disappointed with at the time, but increasingly proud of as the years past. The qualifying for Boston was a stringent

2:50 at that time, and it was agonizing to run that hard, for that long, and just miss. Thankfully, I attined my goal of qualifying the next year at Jersey Shore with my personal-best of 2:43.06.

During this era, I was running anywhere between 70-100 miles a week, of mostly distance.

Twelve years later, I was running much faster at every distance leading up to the marathon,

with a bersonal-best 1:18 half-marathon at Jersey Shore in October. However, i wasn't runnning nearly the mileage, with just one long run of 15 miles preceding the marathon.

My first-half was great that day, clocking a 1:22 as I approached the Queensborough Bridge.

On the incline up the bridge, my quads tightened up as never before, or since. Simply, it felt like I had a knife sticking out of each thigh. I jogged, walked, and shuffled through the final 13, with a finishing time of 3:06.

For a variety of reasons (kids and family, mostly), I haven't run one since. The 15-20 mile weekends runs don't take that long, in and of themselves. But I found myself not wanting to do anything else afterward, which interferes with training clients, kid's soccer games, family visits, and the other things that encompass my weekends at this stage in my life.

One half-marathon a year is is good for me right now, and I'll be happy rooting for Andy in his journey!






Concussions and Sports

A few years back, the New York Mets found themselves in some controversy. Ryan Church, an outfielder, had suffered a concussion during a game in San Francisco. They had Church fly back with the team (a dehydrating six-hour cross-country flight) and were generally thought to have rushed, and ultimately impeded, his recovery. Learning from their mistakes, they were much more careful when high-priced outfielder Jason Bay suffered a similar injury this year, shutting him down in July for the rest of the season.

Concussions (an injury to the brain that leads to headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of memory and balance, and hearing impairments) are the most common head injury in sports. Obviously, contact sports like football, hockey, soccer, and wrestling are the most likely playing fields where concussions occur, but they can be from a bike or skiing accident just as easily.

Recovery from concussions is tricky. The symptoms can last for days or weeks, and can go away and come back. While recovery times greatly vary, the majority of people have no permanent damage from a single concussion.

Besides physical rest, it is important not engage in too many brain-taxing activities while recovering from a concussion. I have a relative who (with the cooperation of school officials) had to limit his high school workload and postpone his SAT's due to a concussion suffered in a basketball game.

A blow to the head during recovery from a concussion can cause "second impact syndrome"

with more serious consequences than the original injury. Professional athletes (hockey player Eric Lindros comes to mind) who have suffered multiple concussions often have to cut their careers short.

In conclusion, don't rush back into activities until cleared by your Physician!

"Hands-On"CPR

Most Americans have learned CPR at some point in thier life: high school health class, lifeguard or counselor training, etc. For many people, it was many years ago. They remember a confusing process of head tilts, nose squeezes, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and chest compressions. I take it every two years now, and despite doing the class at least 20 times in my life, still need the refresher every time I take it.

Good news - The Arizona Dept. of Health Services just published a new, large study that more adults survived cardiac arrest when a bystander gave them continuous chest presses to simulate heartbeat, compared with traditional CPR with mouth-to-mouth breathing.

Lead author Ben Bobrow said "Anyone who can put one hand on top of the other, lock their elbows and push hard and fast can do this. No risk, no fear of causing harm. We want to take away all the reasons bystanders do nothing when they witness another person collapse."

Experts feel tat many people shied away from doing CPR because of the risk of germs with mouth-to-mouth, as well as the general "yuck factor."

Of course, having an AED on premesis is even more effective, but short of that, compressions are simple and more effective than the old method. With all that being said, the more training you have, the more confident you will feel, and you are likely to be more competent when an emergency arrives. It's worth the three hours and $40 or $50 to get certified in CPR/AED rescue. Call your local American Red Cross or American Heart Association for more information.



Monday, October 4, 2010

Running Tips from Erin Donohue

The June issue of Runner's World's "Follow The Leader" column featured former New Jersey high school standout Erin Donohue of Haddonfield.
Erin dominated the girl's track scene in New Jersey in the late 1990's, and is now one of the top runners on the national road-racing circuit. One of the interesting things I remember about her in high school is, that besides dominating the middle and long-distance events on the track, she was one of the best in the state in the javelin, as well as a standout basketball player!
Her training tips were all things I subscribe to as well. The first was to prepare for hard workouts the same way you do for a race. "Getting comfortable with the routine reduces the nervousness you feel on race day," she observed.
I tell beginning runners this all the time. Experiment with what you eat before a hard workout, so you won't haave any stomach issues in a race. Also, try to make your warm-ups the same, so you can judge how loose, tight, fresh or fatigued you are at the start of a hard effort.
Regarding core work, Erin often times her sets of pushups and crunches and does multiple sets, rather than going one set to total failure. This adds an aerobic element to her strength work, and, I mght add, insures better form.
Finally, she often over-dresses for her workouts (as do I), explaining that "warm muscles perform better than cold muscles do." People at my club often laugh at how much clothing I wear when I go for a run, but I've found that my times are faster when I'm sweating more, and my body is looser.
Everyone has to experiment to find out what works best for them as far as race prep, and
body temperature when training. Some like it hot, and some do not. I found myself in agreement with Erin Donohue's tips, and that's why I pass them along!