Millburn Presidents Cup Run - 2014

One of the traditions of summer is the Millburn Presidents Cup 5-K, held annually on the third Monday of June. An 8 p.m. start, with a featured Sam Adams truck afterward, it draws a crowd of well over 1,000, including many of the best runners from all over New Jersey. In it's 35th edition, I've probably run it a dozen times, and I usually have a pretty good effort. It's easy to run hard with the evening start, great competition, and energy from the spectators along Millburn Avenue and Main St., in the leafy Essex County suburb. This was my first race since the Long Branch Half in late April. My Runbayou.com V-Dot calculation predicted a 20:36 for me, and that was my goal. I crowded near the front, but the start was it's usual tangle of arms and feet. I almost tripped once, and accidently elbowed one other person. It took about 400 meters to clear up, but the whole race you are around someone, which does more good than bad. I try to go out pretty hard in the first mile of a 5-K, figuring to save some seconds while I'm fresh, have that "money in the bank," and also improve my position in the race, which helps keep you motivated. As I'm getting older, though, I am missing a fith gear, and my all-out first miles are slower than I'd like. This was no exception, as I was disappointed to crest the incline near the end of mile one and see "6:35" on the clock, when I was expecting to see "6:20." The good thing is, I felt strong at that point, and the second mile is mostly flat to downhill. I put the "no one passes you" sign in my brain, and started picking off people. I didn't know what to expect at mile two, but was pleased to see a 13:05. One more hill up Millburn Ave. on the third mile. I stayed mentally into it, and took advantage of a late water stop to dump some ice-water over my head with about a half-mile to go. I continued to pass people until the crest of the hill, but I started really running out of gas by that point. I almost stumbled over a couple of potholes, which made my form (which was falling apart, anyway!) even worse. I also (in my slightly delusional state) misjudged the finish line, and started sprinting all-out about 200-yards earlier than I should. After my second near-fall, I had images of Joe Frazier wilting in the 14th round in Manila! When the finish line clock appeared, finally, by the MIllburn Fire Dept. headquarters, I kept my form together for the last few yards and finished in a clock time of 20:30, and chip time of 20:25, slightly faster than my V-Dot prediction. I relaxed with my parents, brother and niece afterward, and downed a few slices of whole-whaet pizza and beet salad. A grueling abut satisfying night, and a good start to summer!

Teen Stress

As a father of two, I can attest that a typical teenager leads a busy life these days. A full day of classes, a good three hours of homework, after-school sports or other extra-curricular activity, SAT prep, driver's license practice, etc., etc., etc. A recent study by the American Psychological Association on stress in America found that teens recorded higher stress levels (5.8 on a scale of 1-10) than adults (5.1, on that same scale). About a third of teen respondents felt overhwhelmed, sad, or depressed because of stress, and only 16% felt that their stress level was on the decline as opposed to the last year. Children, of course, learn how to handle stress by watching their parents, so the more volatile, angry, disorganized, or withdrawn you are under tension, they will tend to follow suit. If you need alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to get you through tough times, so will they! Unrealistic expectations by parents is a big cause of stress, the study surmised. Everyone is proud of their kids (and like to tell others about it, too!), but we all have to realize that our children have their own DNA, genetic capabilities and psychological make-up. We can't expect them to act as we do as adults (with 55 years of ups and downs to drawn on!), or be an idealized version of what we wished we were as adolescents. Everyone needs to make their own mistakes, and forge their own path path through the dense forest of life. Things have changed, too. While middle-school gossips would always spread bad news around to your immediate universe, now they can literally do the same thing to the entire world, via any outlet on social media. Plus, the pressures of dating, finding a social group in which you feel comfortable, and figuring out your own self are as bad as we remember from our "Wonder Years!" Throw in hormonal imbalances, family financial pressures, and sleep deprivation that most teens suffer from, and it's surprising the number of stress-out teens isn't even higher! How to combat it? I feel exercise is the greatest stress reliever of all, but it doesn't have to be the competitive, "you gotta make the team!," type. A leisurely bike ride, hike through the woods, or walk with the dog are great to release some endorphins, in teens or adults. Meditation is also recommended in the study, as well as healthy eating (a tough task for teens!), and some downtime. I also feel it is good for teens to have one outside group or activity they belong to that involves kids from another town. That could be a dance school, religous group, scout pack, or anything else. Sometimes kids feel their world may be closing in at their school, and having an outside group gives a sense of perspective and another outlet to interact! No, it's not easy being a teen. As adults and parents, we have to do our best to help them paddle the boat forward, without actually doing the paddling ourselves. Easier said then done!

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!