Avalon Run From the Sun 5-K

   Yes, running is part of my vacation. I love to do it. It gets my day started out right, approximately eight miles along the shoreline between Stone Harbor and North Wildwood, observing the herons and orioles congregating in the marshes, and sharing the road with other early-morning exercisers.
    The course is long, sun-baked, and a bit monotonous. You feel like you're in the middle of a marathon at times, which is good, mentally. Coming back onto Seven Mile Island on my way back, I pick up the last two miles as I'm back in civilization, southern Jersey Shore-style.
   I also usually do a race that week, the Run From the Sun 5-K in Avalon. It's sponsored by the Avalon Yacht Club and benefits charities focusing on Skin Cancer - certainly a relevant cause in those surroundings.
   The race, no surprise, is flat and breezy, with the Atlantic Ocean just yards way. Although there's a low-key family vibe, good runners representing most of the Mid-Atlantic states show up. It's on the third Sunday in July, which means it's also hot.
   Last year, I had my worst race of the year here, something in the low 22-minute range. I can't remember exactly why, I think it was just "dead legs" and low inspiration that day.
   I set my goal modestly this time, just beating last year's sub par effort. I arrived early and did a thorough warm-up of about two miles and then a series of high kicks, high knees, side kicks and walking lunges to get all the aging muscles loosened.
   My last race, at Lake Takanassee in Long Branch on June 27th, was my best time of the year, so far, 21:37 for the 5-K. I had a couple of friends to pace off of, ran fairly evenly, and concentrated on my form. Usually, especially in a short race, I am a jumble of flailing arms and legs, and you can hear my labored breaths from any close proximity. I tried to keep that in check at Takanassee, because I realize it's all wasted energy. While my time was not great that night, the clock was moving in the right direction.
   That was my mantra at Run From the Sun. "Head straight, arms low, breathing in control."
    I paced next to another middle-aged guy who seemed pretty fit in the first mile, which runs straight from 28th Street to the north end of the island. My split was 6:53 - not great, but sustainable.
    The second mile was into the wind, a bit. I edged past my middle-aged pacer, but was then passed by another runner, in his 40's probably, but built a bit more like a weight-lifter than a distance runner. I resolved to stay on his shoulder to at least the two mile mark, which we both passed in 14:03.
     I was still feeling within myself at this point, and knew an eight-minute 1.1 would put me right at the 22 minute-mark. I edged past the weight-lifter, and settled in right behind a pack of two fleet women and another middle-aged guy.
     As I sped up, they seemed to as well, and I never quite got on their shoulder. I knew where the turn for home was (about 600 yards from the finish), and picked it up further, but still couldn't catch them. There's a three-mile split (I like that bit of information!), and I reached that in 21:20. "Okay, 39 seconds for .1 to break 22!"
    I picked it up even a little more, I thought, but crossed the finish line just above the 22-minute mark, at 22:02. With the chip timing, it was an even 22:00. "Dang, if I just turned a corner a split second faster!"
    Still, my time was better than last year's by about 15 seconds, and I ended up second in the 55-59 age-group, just behind a gentleman who was in that pack of three ahead of me. I felt I keep my breathing under control, and my heart rate was a high, but not outrageous, 154 just after finishing.
    The age-group awards were a personalized race pint glass, perfect for the first day of a week-long vacation at the Shore!  There was also plenty of pizza from Tonio's Restaurant in Avalon, which they graciously gave a box "to go" for any requesting runner.
    The sponsors from the Avalon Yacht Club gave short, yet poignant comments on the dangers of skin cancer, and it was interesting to hear all the places the age-group winners came from: New Hampshire, Ohio, North Carolina.
     All-in-all, a good start to a week's vacation on the Jersey Shore!      

The endless debate: weights vs. cardio?

  Strength training vs. cardio? This issue has been talked about here before, and in countless scientific studies and fitness. Both are great for you, and are not mutually exclusive
   Think of professional or Olympic athletes. Most require a great degree of strength and cardiovascular conditioning (as well as balance, coordination, and flexibility).
    For pure weight loss, I have found cardio works the best. It's rare to see an overweight person in a marathon, and I've found that the more miles I run, the skinnier I get. Plus, for heart and lung health, cardio is unsurpassed. And really, the heart is the most important muscle!
   However, to build up muscle strength; to preserve your bones; to keep your ligaments and tendons supple; and to boost your metabolism, strength training is key.
    It's ironic: after a hard cardio workout, I'm drenched with sweat. After a similarly intense strength training session, not as much. Yet, the after-burn (when your burning additional calories at rest) is approximately six hours after a good weight workout, and only about three after cardio.
    Strength training does stimulate your metabolism. The more muscle you have (and that's lean muscle mass, not bulk), the more calories you burn at rest. You can eat more and retain your weight; or by reducing calories intake, see the scale move in the right direction.
   In the 18 years I've owned Mountain Fitness, my weight has fluctuated about 10-12 lbs., depending how much cardio or strength training I have been doing at that time. But my body fat  percentage has always stayed within  two percentage points. That's because when I was a bit heavier on the scale, it was times I was concentrating more on lifting, and my body fat did not increase because I was more muscular!
   I feel an approximate 50/50 mix of strength and cardio is the best to reach my fitness needs. If it's winter, and I'm preparing for a Spring half-marathon, I'm doing more cardio. After about five months of focusing most of my attention on running, I'm a little burnt out and bored with it, and make strength training more of a priority.When other races come around, I'm back to hitting the roads a
little more regularly.
   The point is, go by feel and what you like to do. Any form of fitness is great for you, and you will get benefits. Mixing it up, exercise-wise, is just a "balanced diet." Find the right formula for you!