MS "Coast To Coast" Bike Tour

Last Saturday was one of my favorite days of the year: the 25-mile "Coast To Coast" Bike Tour for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Through family, friends, corporate sponsors, and a couple of fund-raising events, "Team Mountain Fitness" raised over $1600 in contributions for the fight against MS. The day came up perfectly, sunny, in the high 60's, and not too much wind, considering we were riding along the Jersey Shore, from West Long Branch to Belmar, and back. Our team had 10 riders, and we rode pretty much as a group through the first half, before picking it up on the way home, and finishing in small tandems. I was personally proud as my sister and brother-in-law joined in on the ride this year, and my parents met us at the finish at the Monmouth University gymnasium. On the way home, me and another rider from the team averaged between 17 and 20-miles an hour, and I considered it a good "B-plus" workout. I was pleasantly surprised that my quads were tight on my seven-mile run the next day! After the long winter of training for the Long Branch Half-Marathon, the last few weeks have been a mix of running and cross-training, with the MS Ride certainly filling in the latter category. This time of year, there are many bike tours for a variety of charities. Think of doing one - for fitness, fun, and as a great way to help others!

Increasing Bone Density

The more you jump, hop, skip, or lunge, the better your bone density will be, according to several studies, as compiled in a recent "Ask Well" New York Times article. Bone loss is a concern in middle-aged and elderly people, particularly women, and those with a small frame to begin with. Running and jumping were looked as the most effective ways to improve bone health, according to Dr. John Tobias, a professor of rheumatology at the University of Bristol. Fast walking was also effective. A Nurses health Study of 60,000 post-menopausal women cited in the article said those who walked briskly at least four days a week were at much lower risk of hip fractures than the women who walked less often, more slowly, or not at all. All asymmetrical movements were particularly important. Shuffling sideways, 45 degree lunges, or doing side steps off a box can be particularly helpful in maintaining hip strength. Weight-training on its own was judged as only a moderately effective way to improve bone density, not nearly as effective as impact sports like volleyball or soccer. Weight-lifters did have stronger bones than swimmers or bicyclists, however. The issue is tricky as you age, because higher-impact activities like box jumps, for example, are definitely riskier (and in many cases, impossible!) than traditional weight-training. However, modifications, like standing on one leg while doing bicep curls, or combining bicep curls with a lunge, can increase bone density while keeping in a safe parameter. As you age, keep moving. If you can jump, do so! If you can't jump, but can run, do that. If walking is the only viable option for you, so be it. Keep those bones strong, and that heart pumping!

Long Branch Half-Marathon 2014

Beginning mid-December, my 55-year old body starts focusing on its annual test - the Long Branch Half-Marathon. How much harder is it to run 13 miles each year? How much slower am I than last year? And each day, the question is: when are you going to run? How are you going to run? Where are you going to run? This winter, the answer was on the treadmill, quite often. The day of a 14-inch storm in February, I got down to the club and did 10-miles on the treadmill- feeling good that I got it in on a day it would have been impossible to run outside. Mile intervals, three mile repeats, "commercial workouts," - I mixed it up as much as I could within the narrow parameters of that machine. I got outside when I could, too - six mile tempo runs, or slower eight-milers over the hills of Somerset County. Some chronic problems (achilles and groin, to name two) eased off, and a hip injury came and went in a two-week span. I remembered to do my stretching, and the half-marathon build-up was less painful than in the past couple of years. Luckily, the weekend weather for the race was good, too - sunny and in the high 40's at the 6:45 race-time. Last year, I couldn't find anyone to pace with, ran erratically, and finished in just over 1:34. Giving a nod to my increasing age, I decided to run with 1:35 pace-group this year. Our first mile, I believe, was 7:45, followed by a 7:25 on mile two. Mile three increased to the goal 7:15 pace, and mile four was around the same. The four-mile split was well over 29 minutes, slower than I would have liked, knowing I don't have the speed to "make-up" mile splits later on down the line. Physically, I also felt very good. I edged away from the pace group, and got a few miles of sub 7:15's in. The wind was west-to-east (rather than north-south), and wasn't directly in your face too often in the middle miles. I consistently passed individual runners, and only had one or two people edge past me during this time. I hit the crucial 10-mile point in just about 1:22. Like last year, the wind really kicks up on the last mile-and-a-half along the ocean. Also, maybe it's my age, or the fact I never had much speed, but I couldn't seem to get it out of "third gear," while others were in fourth or fifth along this finishing stretch. Here, more people picked me off than vice-versa, but I hung with another guy who seemed to be huffing and puffing as badly as I was. It helped stabilize my pace. You keep expecting to see the finish line as you crawl north past Pier Village in Long Branch, but it never seems to come! Finally, the large clock and banner appear, I pull my form together for the photographers, and I cross the line in a chip time of 1:34.30. I know from pictures of myself that I look worse than I feel at the end of races. EMS personnel seemed to hover over me during my post-race ritual of staggering and spitting. I recovered within a few minutes, and felt good that, beside from the last mile-and-a-half, I ran in control and stayed right around my goal pace. In fact, afterward I found out that I had run the second half at two seconds per mile faster than the first! I actually won the 55-59 age-group, and more remarkably to me, finished 118th nd out of over 3100 runners. I felt content on the two mile walk to the start, and wondered - "can I match this time next year?"