It's Official - Runners Live Longer!

Innately, I've always felt my moderate "sort the problems of the day out" runs were doing something to increase my longevity, but not, necesssarily, my performance. And those repeat quarter-miles on the track at mile race pace were increasing my Vo2 max, lactate threshold, and my body's ability to handle pain - but not lengthening my lifespan. In fact, many times, they felt like they were shortening it, considerably! Those feelings were backed up by a recent study by the Iowa State University's Kiniesiology Departemnt, which studied the exercise routines of over 55,000 people, ages 18-100, for 15 years. It found that runners had a 30% lower death rate from all causes, and a 45% lower rate of death from cardiovascular issues. You didn't have to run too far, very fast, or extremely frequently, either. The longevity boost helped everyone who ran even a couple of days a week, at paces slower than 10-minute miles (6.0 on a treadmill), and with less than six miles recorded though a seven-day period. There were no differences by age, sex, Body Mass Index, health conditions, or cigarette or alcohol use. Also, the joggers and recreational runners (say, 2 miles every other day at just above conversational pace) got as much longevity benefits as the serious runners who ran much harder, or longer. It's unknown why the more hard-core runners don't get additional benefits, but the researchers theorize that more intense running may somehow damage the heart, over the long-term. I've also read, separately, that very intense exercise can release free radicals in your body that may increase risk for cancer. The key to longevity was consistency, in the long-term. The runners who saw the most benefit had been at it at least six years, and those individuals had a 50% less chance of death from stroke or heart disease. I don't feel those "problem solving" runs I mentioned above will do much to improve my 5-K time, but it's good to know they could be extending my life. Get out and enjoy running, at any speed!

Lake Takanassee 5-K Races 2014-

The Lake Takanassee Races were a summer-time Monday night tradition when I lived in Long Branch, and since moving away 25-plus years ago, I still try to make it down at least once a summer. I couldn't attend the opener this season, but made it down the second week, on July 7th. Driving down the Parkway, my temperature gauge hit the mid 90's, but it's always way cooler with the ocean breeze, and it actually was somewhat windy on the south side of the .8-mile Lake. Old comrades like Gary Pierce, Hoyle Mozee, and Phil Hinck were amongst the volunteers/spectators, but I didn't recognize any of the runners in the field of maybe 100. With the small field, I was out in third place for a good part of the first of four laps. I settled in with a group of high school runners, and let the taller ones block the wind for me and set the pace: 6:25 for the first mile. I figured hanging with this group of four was the best for my pacing, and I was buoyed by my friends encouragement - do it for "old guys!" Unfortunately, my spirit was a bit more willing than my flesh, and I was a few paces back of the high schoolers at the two-mile mark - 12:57. I still felt good and knew I had a decent finishing time in me, but I was slowly falling out of contact with the younger runners and had no one else around me. I trucked through the last lap as hard as I could - but still slowed a bit for a finishing time of 20:30 -exactly what I had done at Millburn a month a go in my last 5-K. My heart rate was 172 at the finish - a good effort for me, and I felt less exhausted than the Millburn Race. I placed sixth overall - no complaints there - and, yes, I guess I was the first "old guy." Legendary Shore A.C.er Elliot Denman rewarded me with a new club T-shirt, and I promised I would do a few races for the club in the Fall. It's nice to be part of something!

Cranford Firecracker 4-Miler - 2014

The Fourth of July may be my favorite Holiday - and one of my traditions on that day is the Cranford Firecracker 4-Miler. It attracts a field of about 1000, with a lot of excellent runners, primarily from the Union County area. I've probably run it close to a dozen times, and I'm accepting that it's at a slower pace as I creep through my 50's. Four-miles is an unusual race distance, and I couldn't find a goal pace on my RunBayou "V-Dot" chart. But since I ran a 26:30 three years ago, I figured anything between that mark and 27:00 would be okay. As a gym owner and Fitness Trainer, I'm exercising several hours every day. However, the day before this race was exceptional: ten training sessions, including severl with high school and college athletes that involved numerous step-ups, jumps, and medicine ball throws - for client and trainer! In other words, I had my excuse in place! Sure enough, warming up, my quads felt tight and heavy, but I got there early enough to get in a solid 30-minutes of stretching before the 9 a.m. start, and I felt fine by the start. Like many big races, the first half-mile is a bit of a mess, with lots of young kids crowded up front. I weaved through the morass of arms and legs as best I could, and settled into a comfortably hard pace. Actually, it must have been more "comfortable" than "hard," as I reached the mile mark in a disppointing 6:55. At this rate, I thought, sub-28 is more realistic than sub-27! I put the "no one passes you" rule into my head, and slowly tried to pick-off runners one-by-one to keep engaged and get my time somewhere closer to what I expected. Good news: mile two on the flat course down Springfield Ave registered at 13:25; a 6:30 second-mile pace. I kept my focus through the third mile as well, and was pleased to see "20:03" as I passed that clock. One mile left - over footpaths through Nomaheagan Park. I was back-and-forth with a few other runners at this point, but the interplay kept me mentally involved and (probably due to the slow start, more than anything else), I held pace in the final mile. As usual, the finish line banner seemed a little further away than I imagined, but I crossed in 26:37, not disappointing at all, especilly considering that first mile. I waited around for the award ceremony, and got third in the 55-59 age group, about 30 seconds behind the second-place finisher. No complaints, and a good start to my favorite Holiday!

The Heart - Yes, It's a Muscle!

Finishing a good weight workout - you are "pumped!" Blood has rushed to your chest, biceps, triceps, or shoulders, and you can see and feel a difference in your body. It's a good feeling! Following a hard cardio workout, you're usually more drained, and the muscle that's "pumped" is inside of you - your heart. A recent article syndicated by the Washington Post (authored by Gabriella Boston) highlighted the benefits of cardiovascular exercise to your heart. There were four more major attributes noted: the strengthening of the heart itself; the increased ability for the heart to pump more blood; the lowering of inflammation in the arteries; and reduced body weight and blood pressure. Exercise keeps arteries clear, which increases blood flow to outlying areas. That's why someone who is well-conditioned will generally have a lower resting heart rate and blood pressure than someone who rarely exercises. Jeff Haggquist, a sports medicine doctor in Washington, is quoted: "If the the heart has to push blood through a stiffened and clogged system, it has to work harder." All very logical! When I was beginning my running career in the late 1970's, we'd relax after a Saturday college cross-country race with a take-out dinner of fried chicken, gravy, and french fries. We knew it wasn't good for us, but it was a "reward" for our sacrifices of 70-plus mile weeks at sub 7-minute pace. I don't run as long or as hard now (I wish I could!), and I'm more mindful of my diet. I'll still have some celebratory burgers, pizza or beer; but it's tempered by a lot of meals with ingredients like yogurt, peanut butter, wheat bread, bananas, and peaches (and I actually like those healthy foods better!). Bottom-line, exercise can do wonders for your heart - but it's much more beneficial combined with a healthy diet. I also find, and tell my clients, that when you exercise, you tend to crave healthy food more, to replace lost nutrients. Plus, you don't want to ruin the hard work you just put in with "bad fuel" in your personal "gas tank"! You probably workout already if you're reading this article, but if not, get a stress-test before beginning. The American Heart Association recommends 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five days a week. Get the heart rate up to at least 60% of your max - you should be able to talk, but not easily chat! If you physically can't do 30 minutes straight, or don't have the time, break it into three ten-minute sessions. Exercise in small doses is better than none at all! Build up incrementally - most running experts recommend increasing total mileage about 10% a week to prevent injury and burn-out. Finally, that weight workout I mentioned at the start? It won't as do much for your heart as sustained cardio, but combined with some jump rope, rower, or other anerobic-type activity in-between, is great, too! Find your passion, and get to it!

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!