RUNNING IN THE MORNING

Hey does anyone who looks at this blog run in the morning around Adams Morgan, Mt. Pleasant or Columbia Heights? I am looking for someone or several people who want to run around 630am in Rock Creek. Sometimes I run with Owen Washburn and used to run with Pat Murphy.

Anyhow, I promise to be polite and nice and simply need people to bring the energy and good vibes. the collective energy provides the power and impetus to get up early and slug it out with the roads.

If there is nobody here I will revert to GraigsList as this seems to be the place where people find such things.

MaxWell

PS.......

Mighty Matias....Go West

HAPPY 4TH--CELEBRATE YOUR INDEPENDENCE BY BEING BOLD

That was a great run today. The humidity is a bit much but its good to get back to running after flirting with Ping Pong. I will figure out a way to share the two.

Matias, go West and become one with the wind. Your job and life will always be safe and sound in the Beltway for when you return. You can become world Champion and we can say we knew you.

The West represents, in a way, the true meaning and actualization of Independence as is coined in Americana----The open space, the endless trails for running, the great mountains for biking, the streams and rivers for fishing, the freewheeling nature of the people, the entrepreneurial spirit and more.

anyhow, if I was 25 or 30 I would do it.

Hope everyone enjoys cookouts, laughter and so on.

MaxWell

WARDIAN CONTINUES HIS QUEST

MIKE wardian is a throwback to the old days when regular guys just ran and ran and ran and just kept running. Mike makes Forest Gump look pedestrian as he seemingly knows no bounds.

Mike ran 2:17 and some change yesterday, making the trials and shutting the door on the those who said he could not break the 220 barrier. I assume he is running to the race this evening and then will run home.

there is no end in sight for this running machine who, seemingly, just loves to run and have fun.

Happy Father's Day and keep running.

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT...A RUNNER AND NUTRITION

A RUNNER likes to think of themselves as superhuman. Indeed, as runners we assume that our grace-like movements that propel us forward with speed and integrity, are a given. Sometimes we simply take for granted the wonderful engines that fuel us and give us the energy to go faster and farther.

This post is done to remind us that our legs and running are in fact dependent on our internal organs, muscles, joints and bones and that these areas must be working harmoniously in order to the runner to function to his or her potential.

Below is a list of nutrients needed for a runner to perform and recover properly. Please read and digest....

Carbohydrate

Provides the superior fuel source for muscles during physical exercise. Carbohydrate is stored in limited amounts only and needs to be continually replenished. Carbohydrates should comprise about 55-65 percent of a runner's diet. For the most part they should be eaten before exercise so that their maximum benefit is derived. As with many nutrients, there are healthier sources for them. For example, whole grain breads and bagels, pastas, non-sweetened cookies, cereals and fruits and veggies such as cabbage, bananas and grapes. For a list of more healthy foods rich in carbohydrates simply google "healthy source of carbohydrates for runners"

Protein

If carbohydrates fuel and foster the runner to greater heights, then protein helps rebuild and repair the damaged muscles post run. In other words, if a runner does not replenish his or her body within a half hr after the run with a solid dose of protein, then their muscles will suffer making their next effort more difficult. Now, its easy to provide one with an amount of protein one should consume post run but this requires that one make the effort to understand and monitor the amount. This effort is tedious and not likely for many folks with busy lives. For post run I suggest a few tablespoons of peanut butter spread over some saltines or even a banana. If one wishes to go the shake route, they can try a sports drink such as Endurox or Recoverite, respectively. Sports drinks are becoming more popular for their convenience and effectiveness. Other great sources of protein are all forms of poultry, lean meat, fish, nuts and beans.

Fibre
Helps keep bowels regular and can help reduce blood cholesterol. Some great sources of fiber are beans. Garbanzo(chick peas), Black, Lentil and Kidney beans are just a few simple sources that are rich in fiber. These are inexpensive and go well as a side dish with any meat or poultry dish.

Fat
Fats often get a bad name simply because of their name and the fact that our society is dealing with obesity issues which tie directly into the major health care problems in our society. However, for the runner or any endurance athlete for that matter, fats are an essential peice of the performance puzzle. Fats provide the most concentrated and largest source of energy. 20-30 percent of an runner's diet should be comprised of fats. As with protein and carbohydrates there are certainly some fats that are better than others. Some examples of bad fat are saturated fats found in meat, dairy products, packaged foods such as potato chips, cakes and pastries and fried foods such as french fries and fried chicken, etc. Some sources of good fats for runners include cold water fatty fish, tofu, soybean and olive oils, walnuts. All of these are rich in Omega 3 fats which have been proven to help prevent heart and cardiovascular disease.

Vitamins:

Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays an essential role in the body’s development of bones, which is important in preventing stress fractures. It also helps maintain good eyesight by providing needed nutrients to the retina, contributes to the function of the immune system.

Runners can find Vitamin A in dark green leafy vegetables, yellow-orange vegetables and fruits such as carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, and peaches. Liver, milk, and butter all contain good quantities of Vitamin A.

Vitamin B-Complex

Vitamin B-Complex has a number of very important benefits for runners. Broken down in eight different types of vitamins (B₁ B₆, B₁₂, etc), It assists the body with the conversion of carbohydrates into glucose, which is the main energy source for the human body. Vitamin B-Complex also helps metabolize fats and protein and assists in helping the body grow. Perhaps most important, it promotes the growth of red blood cells, which prevents anemia.

Runners can get their supply of Vitamin B by eating whole grain cereals, green vegetables, poultry and fish.

Vitamin C

What does Vitamin C do for the body? It is one of the best immune system enhancers in the world. Vitamin C helps the body to prevent the common cold, and, as an antioxidant, it assists in cancer prevention and warding off heart disease. Vitamin C also helps the body in the formation of scar tissue.

Vitamin C is plentiful in oranges, tomatoes, broccoli, grapefruit, and cantaloupe.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is critical vitamin for the body’s bone development and strength. This is so important in preventing stress fractures and other bone issues in runners. Vitamin D enables the skeletal system to withstand the huge impact pressures of running. It also helps to maintain a normal and strong heartbeat, strengthens the immune system, and assists in blood clotting.

The best source of Vitamin D for the body is sunshine. Therefore, it might be a good to idea to consider taking a supplement in the winter. It can also be found in fortified milk, egg yolks, and tuna fish.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E lessens oxidative damage to the muscle tissues in the body after hard training. It also helps the immune system and prevents lung damage from many different kinds of pollutants. Vitamin E can be found in vegetable oils, rice, and leafy vegetables.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K plays a key role in the body’s bone metabolism and blood clotting. Of all of the vitamins in this list, Vitamin K is probably the least important for runners, but it’s assistance with bone strengthening is important for preventing stress fractures. The best source for Vitamin K for the body can be found in green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils, and fish.

Minerals:

Iron
Required for the formation of haemoglobin and myoglobin, the oxygen-carrying components of red blood cells and muscle cells respectively. Required for energy reactions to take place. To learn more about iron

Calcium
Required to build and maintain strong bones and teeth, essential for muscle function, blood clotting and nerve transmission. To learn more about calcium click here

Zinc
Essential for normal growth, reproduction, immune system function and energy production in muscle cells

ISOLATE-ACTIVATE AND MAKE THE MUSCLES HAPPY

As runners we enjoy running. We love the singular/linear movement that propels us forward and makes us see the world in a different light. However, this singular rather repetitious movement of the limbs/joints and muscles tends to lend itself to tightening and shortening and overall weakening of the muscles.

With this said, there is an arsenal of items or tactics we can take up in order to keep our running up and do it without risk of injury.

For this particular post I will focus my attention on Active Isolated Stretching(AIS). AIS was developed by Aaron Mattes as an alternative to the more traditional passive stretching techniques which promote holding a stretch between 15-30 seconds.

Below are the three key components of AIS.

Active: You actively contract the muscles that perform the opposite movement to the muscle(s) you want to stretch. This creates a neurological response called reciprocal inhibition where the nervous system will inhibit contraction of the target muscle. The result of this will be further relaxation of the target muscle and improved response to stretching.

Isolated: You position your body in a very specific way to isolate a single muscle or even part of a muscle to make the stretch most effective. Stretching: You provide a 2 second stretch to the muscle and repeat this stretch 10-12 times.

Rather than go through each and every stretch via this Blog post I will refer you to a helpful link which outlines the key stretches for runners, provides an explanation of their benefit and has nice photos demonstrating the stretch.

http://www.arborwellness.com/Stretching_for_Runners.pdf

So please go and pick out some AIS techniques to help activate and bring to life important running muscles such as the Glutes, the Hamstrings, Soleus, Quads, Hips and more.

Run well but run smart

ROW FOR RUN

Rowing on the Concept 2 rowing machine is an excellent way to cross train as a means to achieve greater all around muscle and cardiovascular development for a runner. A runner is by nature a stubborn creature who desires only to run and be free of all stress and other worldly issues. Unfortunately, if a runner only runs, they will slowly if not surely, break down so that they become injured.

With the aforementioned stated, its imperative that a runner work to develop the abdomen, the shoulder and arm muscles and of utmost importance is the lower back and lumbar area. The core muscles provide important stability and strength to allow the runner more strength and greater abilities to run longer with more zest and pop in the step.

In order to fully grasp this concept/idea, I recommend going to a gym or visiting someone who owns a rowing machine and trying it out. Now, please do not just jump on it and start pulling with reckless abandon. If you do this you will injure your back or pull something out of whack. The right thing to do is to GOOGLE indoor rowing technique and read about how to use the machine without injuring yourself. Its not hard and simply requires a more concerned effort in terms of focusing on pushing off with the legs and using the powerful quad muscles to their ability rather than pulling with the arms. Though it might seem odd at first, the arms actually do very little. The ratio of power output should be something like 75-25 percent in favor of the legs.

So, before you run too much or find your leg muscles asking for mercy, try out rowing as a means of creating greater overall body strength and staying injury free.