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| Great day in the neighborhood |
This weekend we had a great run to start the New Year, and we definitely got back on track. We had 24 runners join us and we completed the tough 16.3 miles, kept a solid pace, 15:18 avg., and finished in about 4:10. The weather was near perfect, a cool overcast stayed with us most of the way, and it never got too warm. As expected we had a few folks join us for a partial run, which was great just to have them come out, and we even had a surprise visit from our illustrious former pace leader Colleen. Colleen and Olga will both be doing the Napa Marathon in Feb. and they joined us to liven things up. Colleen joined us for a partial, and Olga stayed on for the distance....sharing some great recipes along the way.
Once you run with RW5, you're always welcome back....no matter how far or fast you travel.
Now I didn't say it was an easy run, because for sure we worked hard on this one. I was still a bit sore all day yesterday, especially walking down stairs, and thank goodness for football playoff games to fall asleep to on the couch. The good news is that I felt everyone stayed strong all the way up San Vicente to 26th. The fact that we have done that hill so many times now, it's become part of our regular routine, and this is very important to have that down. Now as we continued up all the way to Bundy, which thankfully is essentially a downhill grade, we all stayed pretty tight, it's the return on the golf course loop where it gets tough. We alternated on dropping back to 1/1 intervals on some of those long uphill grades and mixing back 2/1s on the flatter sections. I wanted to keep as much of the group together during these sections and I believed it worked. I didn't mind if we had a few folks drop back in the last two miles or so, but I wanted to see if we could keep as much of the group together during those tough hill sections, and that's exactly what happened.
So I really want folks to know they all did great on this long run, and I believe within about 5-8 min. after we got to the flagpoles, the rest of the group pulled in. and this was mainly due to bathroom delays more than anything else.
On the subject of bathroom breaks, we've been actually stopping at the bathroom near the totem pole to allow folks to use it since there are essentially no bathrooms after we head up the hill, and I don't have too much problem with that. Now just so you know, there are two gas stations up on San Vicente if there ever was a problem. But during the actual marathon, we would never stop the entire group for a bathroom break, and even though there are portapotties throughout the course, the lines are very long. So now is the time to start training yourself to have a good poop every morning. This is just a matter of being regular and getting your body to develop a normal cycle which you can repeat every morning. I'm sure those with dogs expect this from their pet when you take them for a walk every morning, so do the same for yourself. During the marathon, the portapotty lines remain long till somewhere around 15-18 miles, so try to train yourself on our runs to see how long you can control yourself. I am not suggesting you run with discomfort, since that probably isn't healthy, but with a bit of training in this regard, it's amazing what you can accomplish.
The other problem which many of us experienced is the swelling of our fingers and hands. This is nothing too serious, but again can be uncomfortable. I did a bit of research and check this link: http://running.about.com/od/illnessesandrunning/f/Why-Are-My-Fingers-And-Toes-Swollen-After-Running.htm
It pretty much summarizes that it could be a lack of sodium, bad circulation, and possibly low electrolytes. We sweat a lot of sodium when we run, and that's why on hot days, you can end up with this white crusty stuff on your clothes and body, so hydrating with just water and leach out even more sodium. This is why we take GU breaks, and they offered us pretzels during our long run. So if you personally do not like the gel supplement, try other products which you can find at the running stores, and as long as sodium is part of the ingredient, it will be helpful. I always carry gatorade for the electrolyte replacement, and there are many other such drinks available, so as we get into these long runs, please bring something....4-5 hours is a long time to not take some kind of nutrient.
Now as a special request here are the words to the little chant we do, Erika requested it, and just in case anyone else asks here it is.
There are different ways to introduce this little ditty, but the basic run is this:
We are Roadrunners....marathon Roadrunners.....
Mile 1 - Just for fun
Mile 2 - good for you
Mile 3 - good for me
Mile 4 - give me some more
Mile 5 - feel alive
Mile 6 - make it quick
Mile 7 - like running in heaven
Mile 8 - feeling great
Mile 9 - looking fine
Mile 10 - do it again....
Keep up the great work....and see you next week,
Walt
Once you run with RW5, you're always welcome back....no matter how far or fast you travel.
Now I didn't say it was an easy run, because for sure we worked hard on this one. I was still a bit sore all day yesterday, especially walking down stairs, and thank goodness for football playoff games to fall asleep to on the couch. The good news is that I felt everyone stayed strong all the way up San Vicente to 26th. The fact that we have done that hill so many times now, it's become part of our regular routine, and this is very important to have that down. Now as we continued up all the way to Bundy, which thankfully is essentially a downhill grade, we all stayed pretty tight, it's the return on the golf course loop where it gets tough. We alternated on dropping back to 1/1 intervals on some of those long uphill grades and mixing back 2/1s on the flatter sections. I wanted to keep as much of the group together during these sections and I believed it worked. I didn't mind if we had a few folks drop back in the last two miles or so, but I wanted to see if we could keep as much of the group together during those tough hill sections, and that's exactly what happened.
So I really want folks to know they all did great on this long run, and I believe within about 5-8 min. after we got to the flagpoles, the rest of the group pulled in. and this was mainly due to bathroom delays more than anything else.
On the subject of bathroom breaks, we've been actually stopping at the bathroom near the totem pole to allow folks to use it since there are essentially no bathrooms after we head up the hill, and I don't have too much problem with that. Now just so you know, there are two gas stations up on San Vicente if there ever was a problem. But during the actual marathon, we would never stop the entire group for a bathroom break, and even though there are portapotties throughout the course, the lines are very long. So now is the time to start training yourself to have a good poop every morning. This is just a matter of being regular and getting your body to develop a normal cycle which you can repeat every morning. I'm sure those with dogs expect this from their pet when you take them for a walk every morning, so do the same for yourself. During the marathon, the portapotty lines remain long till somewhere around 15-18 miles, so try to train yourself on our runs to see how long you can control yourself. I am not suggesting you run with discomfort, since that probably isn't healthy, but with a bit of training in this regard, it's amazing what you can accomplish.
The other problem which many of us experienced is the swelling of our fingers and hands. This is nothing too serious, but again can be uncomfortable. I did a bit of research and check this link: http://running.about.com/od/illnessesandrunning/f/Why-Are-My-Fingers-And-Toes-Swollen-After-Running.htm
It pretty much summarizes that it could be a lack of sodium, bad circulation, and possibly low electrolytes. We sweat a lot of sodium when we run, and that's why on hot days, you can end up with this white crusty stuff on your clothes and body, so hydrating with just water and leach out even more sodium. This is why we take GU breaks, and they offered us pretzels during our long run. So if you personally do not like the gel supplement, try other products which you can find at the running stores, and as long as sodium is part of the ingredient, it will be helpful. I always carry gatorade for the electrolyte replacement, and there are many other such drinks available, so as we get into these long runs, please bring something....4-5 hours is a long time to not take some kind of nutrient.
Now as a special request here are the words to the little chant we do, Erika requested it, and just in case anyone else asks here it is.
There are different ways to introduce this little ditty, but the basic run is this:
We are Roadrunners....marathon Roadrunners.....
Mile 1 - Just for fun
Mile 2 - good for you
Mile 3 - good for me
Mile 4 - give me some more
Mile 5 - feel alive
Mile 6 - make it quick
Mile 7 - like running in heaven
Mile 8 - feeling great
Mile 9 - looking fine
Mile 10 - do it again....
Keep up the great work....and see you next week,
Walt
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