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?"

Can You Run Too Much?

I've been running since I was 15 years old, exactly 40 years ago. It started out as prepararatory for boxing, which I loved (but did not love me) in high school. Five miles in work-boots, through the heavily traffic on the roads of Union County. In college, I began to run for running's sake. I competed on the cross-country and track teams at Monmouth College in West Long Branch, and ran a number of marathons, with a best of 2:43 at the Jersey Shore Marathon in 1980. I did Boston as well, completing it it in 2:44 in 1981. At that time, there were many weeks I accumulated over 100 miles, and I pretty much averaged 70 miles per week through my college and immediate post-college years. Out of boredom and the sense of new challenges to conquer, I turned to triathlons and heavy weight-training in my late 20's, and cut my mileage back to around 25 per week. I've evolved back into running, which is what I think I do best. I run the Long Branch Half-Marathon each year, as well as numerous 5-K's and the occasional multi-event. My high-school aged son has taken to it as well, and I think that has helped keep my own spark going. Simply put, running has been an integral part of my life for a long time. I know the health benefits, and see it every time I receive my "report card" from my Physician every year. Low cholesterol and blood pressure, and sodium and glucose levels well within check. My weight (approximately 140) has not changed in 20 years. However, a recent article syndicated in the Star-Ledger newspaper has caused me to take pause. A study, conducted by cardiologist James O'Keefe at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, found that men who were marathon runners for 25 years had 62% more plaque buildup in their coronary arteries than sedentary men of the same age, with similar charecteristics. Unbelievably, that even included the soft, fatty plaque more likely to cause a heart attack! The conclusion was that running in moderation is, undoubtedly, beneficial to heart health. However, years of the high-mileage that marathoning requires can create wear and tear on the heart which may be, ultimately,counter-productive to longevity. In other words, 60 miles of running may not be three times healthier than 20 miles of running. One question I would ask: Is the intensity of the miles the main factor, or the sheer number of them? Also, if you do competitive biking, swimming, or rowing through your adult life, would that be equally as stressful on the heart, or is there something to the pounding the body takes in the act of running? I think the study, available in Missouri Medicine, the Journal of the the Missouri State Medical Association, certainly deserves a longer look. Okay, time for my run. I have a half-marathon this weekend!

Skip the Gadgetry!

When it comes to running, I am a minimalist. Just a MIO Pulse watch; no phone, musical device, water bottle, or pedometer. On some regular routes, I have driven it by car to get an estimate of the distance. Others, including some that go off-road, I "guess-timate" by how long the run takes me. I judge my intensity and effort by how long that particular day's runs took, versus all the the other times I had traversed the same route. I also check my watch at various points during the run, to make sure I am keeping pace. Even though at home I constantly have the radio on, I enjoy the quiet of an early-morning run, or the typical sounds of a suburban afternoon (school buses squeaking to a halt, dogs barking in the distance) as I travel my regular routes. I do a lot of my best thinking on a run, and always end up in a better frame of mind than when I started. In the couple times I tried, I failed with a music player - either I couldn't keep the bud in my ear, or the receiver kept loosening up and falling of my arm. As far as a chest strap, I find them uncomfortable, plus, I guess there's a part of me that doesn't want to know how close to a heart attack I may be! A recent article by Ben Opipari, syndicated by the Washington Post, verified my thoughts on running accessories. First, carrying something in your hand changes your biomechanics, slows you down, and can even lead to injury! The article points out how important the upper body is in the running process, using the example of how the handcuffed criminals never get far from the police when they try to run away! If you hold onto something, even if it's light, it creates tension and imbalance in the upper body, alters your form, and causes you to exert more energy and tire more quickly. I know this myself from the annual PBA "Torch Run." During my leg of this benefit for the N.J. Special Olympics, I carry an unlit torch that probably weighs about six or seven pounds. Despite the adrenaline of the event (traffic is blocked on busy Route 202 in Somerset County as we go through), the run is considerably more draining because I'm holding the torch! The article explains that when you're holding something ("iPod arms") one arm has less motion that the other, so one stride is than shorter than the other as well. Quoting Jonathan Cane, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weight training,"What happens above the waist impacts hat happens below." Holding something in your hand creates form imbalance, which ends up putting more stress than usual on a muscle group, which multiplied by thousands of strides over the course of a run, can lead to injury. Listen to the birds chirp, hear the car horns honk, stay safe and injury-free. Leave the gadgetry at home and enjoy your run!

Surviving the Winter of 2014

"The Worst Winter Ever?," CNN asked in a piece the other day. For fitness-minded people in New Jersey (and throughout most of America), it seems like it. Deep, early snows and freezing temperatures in December. The Polar Vortex took over in January, with temperatures straining to get above 10 degrees for one week, and then after a short break, another hit from Artic Circle, accompanied also by heavy snow. February, besides a beautiful, spring-like Super Bowl Sunday, has been more snow, with today a "Lake Effect" like-mix of freezing rain, sleet, and snow. How do you survive it? First, shoveling is a great workout, particularly when the snow is of the wet, slushy variety that this morning brought. Oh, and you burn up a ton of calories keeping your body warm during this, as my wet, shivering bones could attest after my early-morning "driveway workout." But, as mentioned before, I'm training for the Long Branch Half-Marathon on April 27th, and shoveling alone won't do it. That's where the indoor cardio equipment really helps. This morning, I did a 10-k on the treadmill, starting at 8.1 (a 7:24 pace) for a mile, and raising it up .1 each mile, until a finishing sprint above 9.0 (6:40 mile) in the final half. In respect to a sore right hip that is especially troublesome on hills, I kept everything at grade 0. Also, because of the tender hip, I have been doing a lot of cross-training on the Concept 2 rower, probably the perfect workout machine. As hard as I pull on that, it's no impact, so the hip is fine, and I've gotten some phenomenal workouts. Like with running, I try to alternate between a distance day (usually 10-k on the rower), a tempo workout (1000 or 1600-meter workouts, with a 2:1 work/rest ratio), and short sprints (500-meter workouts, "two minutes of hell," with a one-minute gasp in-between. If I've laid off the rower awhile, my abs kill me the next day, probably from the impact of hitting my stomach with the handle repeatedly. After a couple of workouts, that goes away, but I do develop callouses or blood blisters on my hands. But other than that, I'm no worse for wear, and it combines a great upper and lower body workout, with tremendous cardio. The best thing is, my rower sprint times are almost a direct correlation to my running splits. A 6:20 1600-meters on the rower feels just about the same as a 6:20 mile on the track, with more overall benefits and less wear-and-tear on my body. However, it's nowhere near as fun, in an aesthetic sense, as getting out in the fresh air on a beautiful day. Sooner or later, we're going to get one of those in New Jersey!

New Year - New Goals

The New Year tends to bring a sense of purpose to exercise, after the excesses of the Holidays. It could be a couple of extra pounds around the middle, it could be a warning from a Doctor, or it could be a specific goal that you have in mind. In my case, the Long Branch Half-Marathon, held this year on April 27th, is the carrot I need to stay focused with my running. Summer and Fall, I love my six-mile runs outdoors, and I feel I push myself at about an 80% capacity. In December, I send in my annual entry to the Long Branch Half, and I begin my cherished and dreaded interval workouts on the treadmill. Today I just completed one of my favorites: 5 x 1 mi. on the "mill." The first I do at a relatively pedestrian 8.0 mph, but start at level three. Every quarter, I bring up the grade 1%, so I finish that mile at a challenging grade six. The next I start at 8.5, grade two, and, again, bring it up every quarter. Each interval starts .5 faster, but at one grade lower. The final one, I keep at grade zero, begin at 9.5, and increase the speed .1 each half-lap. When finished my heart rate is near its capacity of 165, or so. Yesterday, it was 11 degrees with blizzard-like conditions here in New Jersey. So I put on News 12 for the local weather remotes, and did another of my favorite workouts: a 10-K "commercial run." Here, you run at tempo pace during the programming, but at grade 2. In my case, I start off at 8.0 on the treadmill, about a 7:34 mile. When a commercial comes on, I drop down to zero grade, but pump up the speed to 9.0 (about 6:40 miles). Each commerical, I bring it up another .1, until the break mercifully ends. During the programming, to add a challenge, I raise the speed up .1 each mile, so between miles five and six, I'm at 8.5 (7:03 mile pace), during programming. When I hit the six-mile mark, I sprint in at 10.0 for the final .2, hopefully replicating a race. One more challenging workout is the race-pace 5-k. In my case, I try to break 20 minutes, which right now is a realistic test for me. So, after a mile warm-up, I start the first quarter at 9.0, grade 2. Each quarter, I raise the speed up .1, and try to maintain level 2 as long as I can. Eventually, I need to drop it down to grade one (or sometimes, zero), but still bring the speed up .1 every quarter. In this case, you finish up at 10.1 for the final lap. As I mentioned, be nice and warmed-up for that one, but you can get an intense workout in, with a warm-down in about 35 minutes. My goal is to try to maintain the same finishing times (between 1:30-1:35 for the half) I've had for the past five years. Hopefully, a little closer to that faster number. Set your own goals this year, and try to make them happen, "one step at a time."