Here are a few tips to get you going:

1. Train your guts as you train your body. The morning of the race is not the time to try something new with food.  You should try different types of foods and combinations of foods prior to training runs to see what is going to agree with your gastrointestinal system, then you will know what will also work on race day. It may take some trial and error, but the gut can be trained, just as your lungs and muscles!

2. Allow 3-4 hours for digestion. Yes, that may mean you will have to get up very early, if you have a morning race, but besides having time to adequately fuel for the race, it will give you time to check your supplies, get to the race on time, warm up, get prepared mentally, etc!  The pre-race meal should contain lots of carbohydrate, a little protein, and very little fat (examples to follow).  Skip the very high fiber (unless you're used to them) and high fat foods (sausage, bacon, cheese, gravy, etc) as they take longer to move through your gastrointestinal tract and could cause problems during the race.

3. Stick to tried and true favorites. Stick to foods and fluids that you have trained with and know work well for you.  If you are traveling to a race, it is wise to pack some of your tried and true favorites for peace of mind (oatmeal packs, protein shake mixes, trail mix, bagels, etc).  If you drink coffee and tea every morning, continue this as well.  Again, don't try new foods the day of (or even the day before) a race.

4. Top off your fuel.  About 1/2 to 1 hour before race start time, and then again about 15 minutes before, top off our fuel stores with more carbohydrate.  Most athletes stick with liquids at this point (sports drink, for example) since they clear quickly from the stomach, are absorbed for quick use, and help meet hydration goals.  See the table that follows.

5. If you like math... calculate the amount of carbohydrate you need the morning of the race.  Then, use food labels to determine the servings of carb you need. 

Calculations:

• Breakfast (3-4 hours before): 2 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight 
• Top off (1 hour before): 0.5 gram of carbohydrate per pound of body weight.

The hip flexors are a group of muscles that move the hip forward when running and walking.  A great deal of stress is applied to this muscle group when sprinting and kicking.  A strain can vary anywhere from stretching to a complete tear of the muscle tissue.  This injury occurs in runners, bicyclists, athletes who jump or run with high knee kicks, athletes like soccer players who do forceful kicking activities, and people who practice the martial arts.

The most common cause of hip flexor injury is acute trauma. You may experience one specific instance when you felt your help flexor pull.  This may have been when you broke into a sprint, made a cut, or kicked a ball.  Tight muscles and poor flexibility will contribute to a hip flexor injury. When muscles are tight, there is an increase amount of tension on the tissues.  When this increased tension is added to by an explosive movement, injury can occur.  This is very common when doing speed drills or hill work outs.

Preventing hip flexor injury focuses on good flexibility, as well as making sure you warm up before you go full speed.  Warm muscles are much less likely to be injured, so take time to warm up, and start slowly before you go all-out.  A good flexibility program will also help to reduce the tension on the muscles and your likelihood for injury.

Other ways you can reduce your likelihood for injury:

1. Deep tissue procedures (Active Release Technique) to free up soft tissue motion of the hamstrings and surrounding musculature
2. Gentle manipulation to free up joint motion of the lumbar spine and hips
3. Ultrasound and electric muscle stimulation combo-therapy applied to the proximal hamstring tendons to break up scar tissue, restore normal muscle tone, and decrease pain
4. Implementation of a proper strength program
5. Advice on how to progress training runs more appropriately

Prevention is always the best cure. Come see Advanced Rehabilitation, and we will help keep you in motion.

Like California International Marathoner, Tim Bayliss, before him, David Yin represented Rogue with the fastest racer from Austin.  He ran a 3:01, a six-minute personal record and a Boston qualifying time.  Every member of the P3 team hit a personal record, the second time this team has had a 100% success rate this season.  They also represented at the IBM 10K with 11 out of 11 personal records.  This time, coach Phil “Panther” Carmical took four athletes: Gareth Martin who improved by six minutes and, for the first time in his ten years of running, qualified for Boston; Rawhide Callais who improved by nine minutes; Shorey Russell who completed her first marathon in Dallas; and David Yin, Austin’s super star. 

Congratulations Team Riff Raff on your accomplishments! 

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Half a continent and two time zones away, California International Marathoners hit the ground running on Sunday, December 8th.  A 38-degree start and a 41-degree high made for a cool, beautiful day on the west coast.  After seven months of intense mental and physical training, this race was a well-deserved reward for members of Rogue Training System’s elite training group, Team Rogue.

read more  ....

A Rogue brought these successes to our attention for the Decker Half Marathon and the Brown Santa 5K. Congratulations, Rogues, for your accomplishments!

Brown Santa 5K:

Coach Amy Anderson, 1st Master woman

Coach Mark Enstone, 1st 45-49 male

Decker Half:

Kirsten Lotter, 2nd overall Master female

Coach Cynthia Henges, 3rd 30-34 female

Glenda Adams, 1st 40-44 female

Reenie Smith, 3rd 55-59 female

Coach Josh Hare, 2nd 25-29 male

Tyler Jones, 4th 35-39 male

Chris Gardner, 4th 40-44

He  finished in 3:15:00.  He is 34 at the moment, so not a BQ time, but he wasn't expecting to qualify on that course from hell.  Then he got to looking.  BQ times are based on your age on the day of the Boston Marathon.  I'll be 35.  And the Double Decker is on the USA Track & Field list of certified race courses.

So he just qualified for Boston without planning on it or meaning to in any way.  That is an amazing, amazing thing to happen.  Congratulations Chris!

The workout starts at the baseball fields across from Gullet Elementary where the Little League plays on Great Northern Blvd.  We will start running at 6:45 AM. Be RTG: Ready To Go! If you have bathroom needs or want to find friends, have that already done.  There are 1-2 port-a-potties at the fields.  There's a driveway into the ball field parking lot where we will stage the pace groups.

The course consists of a 3.5 mile loop that runs south on Great Northern Blvd, left on White Rock, left on Shoal Creek Blvd, left on Foster Ln, and left on Great Northern Blvd.  Each half mile of the course will be marked with a cone. This is to allow you to try to be as accurate as possible for the run. It's important not to go out too fast.  Be sure to keep it easy for the warm up portion of the run.

This is intended to be a race-simulation workout.  There are 2 aid stations, one at the start/3.5 mile point and one approximately 1.5 miles in.

Shoal Creek is heavily cambered (or crowned) to allow water to run off easily, and this can really bother some folks, especially those with IT band problems.  Given the size of our group and the traffic on these roads, we cannot run in the middle of the street.  Everyone should stay on the left hand side, facing traffic along Shoal Creek, and then on the right hand side, facing traffic along Great Northern.  It is not safe running against traffic on Great Northern, so run in the bike lane provided, and run with traffic.

Our aid station at the start/finish will be small and lightly manned.  You need to plan for this in your HMGP, just like you would in a race environment.  Either pick up the pace or slow down, but do NOT skip this aid station.  You need the practice and you need the water/PowerAde.  unless you carry your own water or drink, you'll want to stop here. There will also be one unmanned stop on Shoal Creek.

To keep water/PowerAde off of your shirt and face, squeeze the mouth of the cup and get the two sides to touch.  Then, slurp the water out of the cup.  Take your time and as many drinks as necessary.  Don't throw the cups away until you know you're done or the cup is empty.

This is a good time to try out gels and electrolyte replacement methods. Many people have stomach troubles with different brands and each individual is different.  See how your body reacts to different brands and flavors before race day! If you have problems during or after the run, talk to your coach about other options, what went wrong, and what to fix. 

Remember: we don't own the road. Given the size of our group, we cannot take up the entire road.  With an earlier start time, we can minimize the impact on traffic.  Do not make the situation worse by running in the middle of the street.  This is totally unacceptable and, in order to continue to use the roads, we must abide by the rules. 

One of the most important fueling techniques that runners often overlook is the importance of adequate hydration.  The body loses fluids during exercise, which has its effect on performance.  Consider this: a weight loss of just 1% of body weight (1.5 pounds for a 150 pound runner) can negatively affect the body’s ability to cope with the stress of exercise.  This puts the runner at greater risk for injury.  In addition, a weight loss of 2% or more of body weight (3 pounds in someone weighing 150 pounds, 4 pounds in someone weighing 200 pounds) can increase fatigue and decrease mental focus. 

Some conditions increase a runner’s need for fluids, including a hot, humid environment (like during most of the year for us in Austin!).

Preventing Heat Injury

To prevent risk of heat injury (such as heat cramps), increased sodium is recommended for runners who exercise in hot, humid conditions.  Heat injury results after a significant sodium loss through sweating.  Those most susceptible include runners who sweat profusely, are “salty” sweaters (skin and clothing caked with a white salt residue after exercise), and those who eat little salt in their diets.  These athletes should increase their salt intake by adding salt to their sports drink (1/2 teaspoon salt to 32 ounces sports drink), or choose an “endurance” formula sports drink with 200 mg sodium per 8 ounces.  They should also include high-sodium foods in their daily diets, such as salted pretzels, tomato juice, soup, and cheddar cheese.

In addition to consuming adequate sodium to prevent heat injury, runners also need to consume adequate fluids before, during, and after performance.  This is discussed later.

Hyponatremia

Sometimes, too much hydration can be unsafe.  Hyponatremia (low blood sodium) can result from drinking more fluids than you lose in urine and sweat during exercise.  Those at highest risk for this life-threatening condition are endurance athletes who are small, female, slower, lose a lot of sweat, and “salty” sweaters, and those with high fluid intake.  Extremely hot environmental conditions also increase the risk of hyponatremia.  Symptoms of hyponatremia include:

• Bloating, swollen hands and feet

• Headache/dizziness

• Nausea & vomiting

• Confusion, disorientation

• Unresponsiveness

• Seizures, coma, death

To prevent hyponatremia, endurance athletes (those of you who enjoy training for more than an hour at a time) need to be careful not to drink too much water before or during a distance event, and consume sport drinks instead of water during and after events.  Several days prior to an endurance event, athletes should consume sport drinks or salty foods and water.  Better yet, personalize your hydration.

Personalizing Your Hydration: Sweat Rate

The experts at the American College of Sports Medicine have concluded that since fluid and electrolyte needs are widely variable based on genetics and environmental conditions (hot vs. cold, humid vs. dry, etc.), runners (and all athletes) should know their sweat rate and aim to replace the total amount lost during the exercise bout.  Once your sweat rate is determined, it can be used in planning regular drinking intervals during the workout.  Remember that the perception of thirst is not a good indicator of how much fluid you need to drink. 

How to Determine Sweat Rate

(Pre-Exercise Weight – Post-Exercise Weight) + Fluid Intake During Activity = Sweat Rate 

Example:

During 1 hour workout:

Pre-Weight = 165

Post-Weight = 164

Fluid Intake During Workout = 16 ounces 

(165-164) = 1 pound or 16 ounces lost

+ 16 ounces of fluid consumed during workout

= 32 ounces (2 pounds) of sweat lost per hour

This runner should drink 8 ounces of fluid every 15 minutes to closely match sweat rate.

Basic Fluid Requirements

Here are some tips to help you stay hydrated on a daily basis, and provides general guidelines if you do not know your sweat rate.

© 2006 by the American Dietetic Association.  Adapted with permission.

Sports Drinks

With all the choices in sports drinks these days, it can often be confusing on where to begin.  Here are some tips to get you started:

• Choose water when engaging in light activity in moderate conditions, for example: less than one hour of exercise in a cool environment. 

• Choose a sports drink for moderate to heavy activity, endurance sports (long run), and stop-and-go sports (interval workouts), especially in warm, humid weather because they help to replace carbohydrate used during activity and electrolytes lost in sweat. 

• Some sports drinks contain added protein (amino acids).  Research is showing some benefit for consuming protein during long (> 90 minutes) exercise sessions.  However, this research is not conclusive. Research has also shown that relatively small doses of protein, along with carbohydrate, can enhance muscle recovery and growth after endurance and resistance training.  Therefore, you may consider experimenting with these sports drinks after training.  However, it is possible to consume enough protein to achieve this benefit through food.  Some athletes tolerate fluid better than solid food after intense exercise. 

• Sports drinks with 14-19 grams of carbohydrate per 8 ounces provide adequate carbohydrate without stomach discomfort.  Higher levels of carbohydrate slow absorption in the stomach and can cause pain.

• Refrain from diluting sports drinks.  They are made to deliver a balanced mix of carbohydrates and electrolytes. This helps with absorption and recovery.

• Choose a sports drink with a mixture of different sources of carbohydrate, such as a blend of sucrose, glucose, and fructose.  Drinks that contain mostly fructose and/or high-fructose corn syrup can cause gastrointestinal upset.

• Do not drink carbonated sports drinks. Carbonated drinks tend to make you feel full faster, therefore you drink less.  Also, carbonated sodas do not contain sufficient electrolytes to fully replace those lost from sweat.

• Experiment with different flavors and brands during practice, never during competition.

Tips for Staying Hydrated

• Practice drinking during training so you know which brands and flavors of fluids you can tolerate during competition.

• Waiting until you are thirsty to drink is too late!  Prevent dehydration by knowing the warning signs: unusual fatigue, lightheadedness, headache, dark urine (similar to the color of apple juice), dry mouth. 

• Monitor urine color to determine hydration level.  A small volume of urine that has a strong odor and is dark in color indicates dehydration.  Keep your urine the color of lemonade or straw to assure adequate hydration.  You may be drinking too much water if your urine is clear.

• Start activity with a belly full of liquid and keep your stomach comfortably full while you exercise.

• Keep in mind your fluid needs before, during, and after exercise. 

• Take gulps instead of sips.

• Freeze water or sports bottles overnight.  They will thaw as the day progresses.  You can also use them to keep food cool that you bring for lunch or snacks.

Remember that just a small amount of weight lost during exercise can negatively affect the body’s ability to cope with the stress of exercise.  No one wants their workout to feel harder than it should! 

Amy Culp is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian specializing in sports nutrition, weight management, and eating disorders. 

She can be reached at amyculprd@sCULPturetexas.com.  

Most stress fractures occur in the weight-bearing bones of the foot and lower leg. The most common sites are the second and third metatarsals of the foot. Stress fractures are also common in the heel (calcaneus), the outer bone of the lower leg (fibula), and the navicular, a bone on the top of the midfoot. The following are the most common causes of stress fractures:

Mistakes In Technique

Poor Conditioning

Doing too much too soon is a common cause of stress fractures. For example, runners who are confined indoors for the winter may want to pick up where they left off at the end of the previous season. Instead of starting slowly, they try to match their previous mileage. Because of the lower level of conditioning, muscles become fatigued faster. The result could be a stress fracture in the foot or ankle.

Who Is At Risk?

Athletes who participate in high-impact sports, such as running, basketball, or tennis Dancers (ballet and other) are susceptible to stress fractures because of the repetitive impact of dancing Women, particularly female athletes, with abnormal or absent menstrual cycles (This can result in decreasing bone mass.) Exercisers who have made a sudden change in their weight-bearing training. This can include runners who are increasing their mileage faster than their bodies can handle.

The following advice may protect you from developing stress fractures in the first place:

-Progress slowly in any sport. Gradually increase time, and intensity, running mileage or effort and follow the ten percent rule.

-Use the proper foot wear and replace shoes when needed.

-Train your body. Stretching and regular physical therapy help to eliminate the leading causes of common injuries.

If you feel like you may be developing a stress fracture, please contact us or your healthcare professional to avoid further injury.

Marathon training and pain killers

...not a combo that makes your coach happy.

If you need to take (or even tempted to take) ibuprofen or tylenol or any other painkiller because of running, then we need to discuss it. Running should not hurt. Sure, you're going to have some aches, some soreness, some issues while training for a marathon, but it should not be painful! And if it is, then you need to address the problem, not hush up the symptoms with drugs so that you can continue running. That's only going to make the problem worse, not better.

Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil, etc) is an anti-inflammatory. Its use by marathoners and other endurance athletes has been linked to hyponatremia, a potentially fatal condition.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc) is not an anti-inflammatory and therefore is unlikely to make your running aches & pains feel any better. Worse, acetaminophen can cause liver damage even when used in normal dosages, and there is added risk if you take it before or after drinking alcohol.

Do your own research on these subjects, but my recommendation is that you stick to ice baths, soaking in Barton Springs, and/or lukewarm/tepid soaks in epsom salts. Talk to your coach about your aches and pains so that we can modify your schedule and keep you on the path to your goal! Remember: if you listen to your body when it whispers, it will not yell and scream at you!

I constantly remind athletes to have a specific intent or goal for each and every workout – and strength training is no different. In my eyes, strength training serves two purposes. It is both a means of facilitating recovery and building “capacity” - and it is not “just another workout”! The primary goal is to simply load the muscles and tissues – to give them a stimulus unto which they will adapt. Tissues will remodel dependent upon the demands imposed upon them. Just like remodeling your living room, the final result does take some time but is fantastic when you're finished! There are a number of questions that I get regularly when it comes to strength training:

Do I need to do a lot of sets and repetitions because I am working on my endurance?

The answer is a resounding “no”. You build your endurance with your run training. The intent of the strength training is muscle recruitment (to build power) and tissue remodeling (to enhance the integrity of the tissues so that they can withstand increased training demands). The only way this is accomplished is via resistance.

How many sets and repetitions DO I need?

If the intent is to alter the structure of the tissues, then they need resistance – enough such that you're only doing one set of 8 to 10 repetitions, but feel like you could do 1 or 2 more repetitions. Research indicates that strength gains are similar between one and multiple sets – but more sets require a greater recovery (which is not the goal of the workout).

If I lift heavy weights, am I at risk of injury?

As long as you have a proper warm-up, maybe 5 to 10 minutes on a bike, you will raise your core temperature sufficiently to be able to lift safely. The resistance is based on what YOU feel like you can do – there is no hard and fast rule for how many pounds any given person should lift. If you're 80 or 20, the body still responds to loading.

Won't I get bigger? I don't want more bulk.

As long as you maintain one set, you may note some mild changes in muscular definition, but you certainly won't build mass. You'd need to do multiple sets to accomplish this, along with consuming a specific diet over time.

I've tried strength training before, but it always leaves me sore the next day and unable to run. What do I do?

This is typically a result of doing many sets or many repetitions (or both). If you're doing one set of 8 to 10 repetitions, you are providing the body with the intended stimulus, yet not creating a situation in which you body has to recover from a full “workout”. You may even find that your runs after a strength training session are better simply because you have given your central nervous system a stimulus that gets it “fired up” to work effectively.

What exercises do I need to do?

There is a value to upper body and lower body strengthening for runners. The primary lower body muscles that you want to strengthen are the gluteals, quadriceps, hamstrings, calf musculature, and the hip stabilizers. Your program doesn't have to be developed by a rocket scientist – some good, basic exercises work very well. In some light-hearted discussions with some strength-training-averse runners, I have said that if you only had time for one exercise, the best option would be quarter squats/leg presses as they utilize a number of these muscles simultaneously. Photos and brief descriptions of more specific exercise options are shown in “RunSmart: A Comprehensive Approach To Injury-Free

Running”.

A strength training program should be performed twice a week as part of your weekly training program. By doing so, the tissues will have a consistent stimulus to remodel and improve their architecture and integrity. Strength training will not only help to provide a solid foundation for your run training, but it will also improve your performance, help to keep you injury-free, and will foster an environment for injury recovery should the need arise.

For further information on RunSmart, training-related articles and discussion forums, please refer to the author's website: http://www.smartsport.info

New York Times

In a year fraught with injuries, the Longhorn produced perhaps the largest upset of the day. From 2005-2007, the Lady Longhorns had never placed better than 9th place at this meet. Though the team was making huge gains behind the consistent improvement of Betzy Jimenez, Larkin Geyer and Lauren "Steak" Salisbury. A solid recruiting class in 2008, allowed two new freshman to make a big impact at the Big 12 meet. Laleh Mojtabaeezamani was the highest placing freshman in the entire meet, while her roommate, Mia Behm was a solid 37th place in the team score. 

This year the team set the goal of being in the Top 5 at Big 12.  The Lady Horns placed 1st  two meets but they have also had some injuries that shook their confidence. Going into the Big 12 Conference meet they had a rough race at Arkansas' Chile Pepper Festival. Their team goal remained a top 5 placing. In the end, on an extremely challenging course, they were 15 places from 3rd place.

The Longhorn's travel on Saurday, November 15th to Waco for the Regional meet. I encourage all runners, Rogue & others drive up and check out the regional meet. Help Coach Sisson and the Longhorn's make it to NCAA's. The women's 6K race starts at 10 a.m. Central on the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course.

More meet details:
Texas Tech won its first team Championship with 44 points, snapping Colorado's nine-year winning streak. Baylor placed second with 71 points followed by Nebraska with 102 points. Tech's Sally Kipyego took individualist honors by finishing in 19:45.00 and became the first harrier in Big 12 history to win three consecutive titles.

Junior Betzy Jimenez led the Horns, clocking in at 21:27.10, for 10th place and a spot on the All-Big 12 Team. Jimenez took nine seconds off her time from the 2007 Championship to become the first Longhorn to garner All-Big 12 honors since 2003 and the sixth overall to place in the top 10.

Senior Larkin Geyer completed the 6K course in a career-best time of 21:48.55 for 17th place. Geyer shaved 21 seconds off her time from a year ago to collect her fourth top-20 effort of the year.

Freshman Laleh Mojtabaeezamani was the highest finishing freshman of the meet coming in 25th with her time of 21:59.45. Junior Lauren Salisbury crossed the finish line just three seconds after Mojtabaeezamani in 22:03.65 for 28th place.

Freshman Mia Behm rounded out UT's scoring with a 37th-place showing (22:16.35).

The Longhorns earned their fourth lowest point total in Big 12 history, and collected under 120 points for the first time since a 109-point effort in 2002.

We've created a video, and you might be in it! If you have photos of Rogues hanging out or running, please send them to laura@roguerunning.com for use in future videos.

At the Lake Bryan trail race, Kurt clocked in at 44:10, and the race director measured the total distance at 6.37 miles. The hardest thing about the course, he says, was that it “had many twists and turns, so it required some concentration and balance at all times. It also went on and off of a levee many times, which was mentally and physically tiring”. Still, despite being only his second 10K trail race, Kurt chased down his competition and settled into a rhythm that took him straight to first place at the finish line.

His advice to new runners is to “start conservatively. In training for a 10K, it’s a long enough race to tire you out. If you’re looking to run it well, the key is being able to hold a pretty fast pace once you feel tired.” Right now, Kurt wants to achieve his high school times again for a 5K and 10K, break 1:19 in a half marathon, and maybe try for a sub-3-hour marathon, “if I decide it’s worth the punishment,” and have fun running trails in the midst of all of that road training.

From the beginning of the fall marathon training program, Amy Anderson and Mark Enstone have awed participants with their stellar teamwork. Amy began coaching with Rogue when it was a mere embryo of business, and Mark joined this year, first as Amy’s assistant, before leading his own group for the Austin Marathon. Close friends, both triathletes, IronMan finishers, and runners, the two had much in common even before they stepped up to the start line. Their command performance at the St. George marathon would soon become another addition to the list.

Pre-race preparation, in addition to the training Amy did on the road, included naming and writing ten affirmations on a note card. She finds that referring to these simple positive statements about her preparation and ability maintains her focus and self-assuredness on race day. Amy’s coach, Rogue owner Ruth England, added the last two to the list to make ten. In the race plan meeting, “we worked on changing Amy’s pacing to 5K or 5 mile chunks, rather than mile-to-mile bits. We also talked about how she might possibly feel and what she was going to do to make the best of the situation, if it got tough,” says Ruth.

As race day neared, Mark gave Amy an ultimatum: “you are not checking essential running gear” onto the plane. She resisted at first, having traveled much herself and not having any anxiety about it, but when he offered to stuff her “little baby shoes” into his carry-on, she conceded. The essential running gear he referred to included shoes, shorts, a shirt and socks, because “nothing new on race day,” and these items were long run road tested for months already.

The day before the race, Amy and Mark drove the entire 26.2 mile course, walked around on some of it, and even memorized special landmarks in what they thought might be the tough areas. They decided that, at the wildlife crossing road sign near a vista point they encountered, they would “be golden” for the finish of the race. From there, they could recall the prior day and their resolution to finish strong. Also the day before, they planned meals carefully. Amy relies on a well-balanced lunch, while Mark counts on a rounded dinner as a pre-race meal. Funnily, they found themselves in a Chinese food restaurant for dinner, hoping to get in “plain fish, green veggies, and rice”; who would have thought?

The morning of the race was cold, rainy, windy and dark – miserable by most post-race accounts, but Amy and Mark positively reframed the conditions as a solution to their concerns that their time at the race venue had been too hot and humid, rather than dell on it as miserable and negative. Mark and Amy “dressed in race gear with an extra shirt over that, a dry-clothes bag in hand” and headed towards the bus stop. Because the St. George Marathon is a point-to-point race, all participants ride from the finish in St. George to the start in Central, Utah, where they start and run back the way they came. After two encounters with the bushes for bathroom breaks, some huddling under a towel to avoid getting soaked, dropping their dry-clothes bags in the U-Haul van, and each ingesting half of an Imodium tablet, they were ready.

Although Amy and Mark wanted to run a 3:40, they decided not to run with the pace group. With balloons just flush with the bobbing of running heads, they had a hard time spotting the group, but kept it in sight for perspective, occasionally measuring themselves against the pacers. Mark observes how he doesn’t mind running with pace groups if: “their spitting, snorting or snotting doesn’t land on your leg, arm or face, if their banter doesn’t wear on you, if their elbow doesn’t bang your bicep like an SOB”, and Amy’s belief in effort-based racing doesn’t align well with the concept. Instead, they decided to start easy and finish strong, with an eye casually on time.

Amy describes effort-based racing as “running how you feel” without giving in too soon. This type of racing acknowledges the possibility of off days, which she says can occur for any reason, including: the route, the weather, your nutrition and hydration, and your health. She articulates the cardiac drift phenomenon, which means “effort has to increase just to maintain the pace, not even to speed up, just to maintain.” Starting too fast leaves very little room to go up, while starting too easy causes a time-loss you probably can’t regain in the end.

Mark and Amy relied upon four time checkpoints, captured on his and hers cheat sheets, at miles 5, 10, 15 and 20, just as Amy and Ruth discussed. Amy never read hers, but Mark referred to his for both of them, and she verbally checked in to inquire about whether they had met their marks. After successfully executing their nutrition and hydration plans, they took gel for the last time at Mile 21. For Amy, a traditional Apple Cinnamon Carb-Boom did the trick; she takes the same gel at every marathon in honor of Claire, one of her Boston Qualifier athletes from another year. Mark had the same, and they moved in to close the race, pouring on the work and effort for those final miles.

Their final times were 3:35:26&27, five minutes faster than their projected goal time! It was a command performance, one that far exceeded expectation when consistent training and healthy choices culminated in the race of a lifetime. ]]> http://www.roguerunning.com/resources_articles_details.php?aid=222 http://www.roguerunning.com You have a plethora of opportunities to volunteer with Rogue, and now it's easier than ever to sign up! Go to http://theracetime.com/rogue, log in and click on the + sign to add yourself as a volunteer. It's easy, and you'll receive prizes for racking up hours:

1.5 hours: Rogue water bottle

4.5 hours: Limited edition Rogue Volunteer t-shirt. It's not for sale, so you have to volunteer to get it!

9 hours: $15 off of a Rogue program in addition to the returning Rogue discount

Plus, you'll have our gratitude!

Sign up now. Rogue up! ]]> http://www.roguerunning.com/resources_articles_details.php?aid=219 http://www.roguerunning.com http://www.roguerunning.com/resources_articles_details.php?aid=220 http://www.roguerunning.com by Allan Besselink

Is It Really An Injury?
When training for any event, be it your first 5K or your 10th marathon, there are always going to be some nagging aches and pains. As you place demands on your body, it has to then recover from the training sessions and adapt to the imposed demands. During this process of training-recovery, your muscles, bones, and tissues undergo transformation. At some times, when the ability to recover is less than the training demand, an injury may occur.

But how do I know that it’s an injury? I have little aches and pains all the time. How do I know that this is something that I need to have assessed?
The first asks some basic questions – where are you feeling the discomfort, for how long has it been bothering you?

The second set of question that need to be ask will help determine the status of your injury status – or, better yet, the need to have the current condition (whatever it is) assessed by a medical practitioner. There are three primary questions:

• Does the problem limit your training how much you can train?
• Does the problem cause you to alter your running mechanics?
• Does the problem affect any of your normal activities of daily living?

If you answered yes to any of these it is time to see a “medical professional”.
If you answered no to ALL of these but there is still something bothering you we need to follow some there advice.

Difference between “hurt & harm”:
Now, I am sure you’re saying, “well, it doesn’t really cause me to limp TOO much” or something like that! This is where self-responsibility (and good self-care) come into play. Listening to your body is critical to effective training. Pain is one of your body’s primary feedback mechanisms. There is a difference between “hurt” and “harm” – and knowing how to differentiate between these two is key to understanding the injury process.

“Hurt” would be an awareness of symptoms that don’t increase during the training activity – and, 20 to 30 minutes after activity, have fully subsided. “Hurt” is generally an indicator that you are stressing the tissues but not producing any damage to the tissues. This indicates would that you should monitor the status of the issue, to adjust training loads, or to emphasize other recovery-based aspects of the program (such as strength training, massage, nutritional adjustments, etc).

“Harm”, on the other hand, would be an awareness of symptoms that increase during the training activity and persist for greater than 20 to 30 minutes after you’ve stopped. This suggests that it’s time to have the problem assessed by a professional.  There are different levels depending on what you would like to do.

Is It An Injury or Under-Recovery?
So … you’ve answered a hearty “no” to the first three questions. “Yippeee” you proclaim … maybe I don’t have an injury! Perhaps the awareness you have is related to a decreased ability of your body to adapt to the current training demands – either too much, or too soon. This is where we go into the next section that deals with the primary elements that prevent injury and foster good recovery from your training. Have you been integrating strength training, use of the Trigger point products, nutrition and recovery information, etc. into your training plan? These components are built in to the program to assist you – to help you stay injury-free. For many athletes that are having “hurt” (as opposed to “harm”), these elements are enough to resolve any minor issues that are being experienced. You may also decide to meet with one a doctor or massage theraphyist – all providing any of a number of adjunct training or recovery-focused services. This could include instruction in running mechanics (supplemental to the Rogue programs), nutritional guidance, massage therapy, and others. Again, “knowledge” is key in making good decisions about your self-care. Being responsible and listening to the feedback your body provides are the most important factors in maintaining a healthy and safe training environment.

The Injury Recovery Process

Most running injuries are related to the body being unable to adapt readily to the imposed training demands. Although “complete rest may at times be a part of the short-term solution, it is generally not a complete solution. Tissues respond and adapt to movement and become stronger when they are challenged in an appropriate fashion. With this in mind, an active approach to injury recovery is accepted in the literature to be the most effective in the greatest number of cases. So let’s say that you’ve made that first appointment to see your provider. There can be a great deal of apprehension prior to this initial meeting, so I would suggest creating a list of questions regarding your problem in advance. What is the cause? Will I be able to return to training? What is the prognosis? What steps do I need to take to resolve this issue? Are other adjunctive therapies such as physical therapy or massage therapy indicated for this problem? Though oftentimes the providers are faced with challenging schedules, it is fair to request their answer to your questions! As they say – “Knowledge is power” – and having an understanding of your problem with help assist in finding solutions. I would always be aware of any provider that is not prepared to discuss your concerns with you, or someone that seems uninterested in your eventual return to running. In the same vein, and given that most running injuries will be responsive to an active approach, if you’re not seeing a perceptible change in the status of your problem over 3 to 4 visits, then it is strongly suggested that you discuss this with your provider(s). Perhaps other adjunctive therapies are indicated – or that the current approach isn’t working for your problem. The goal at Rogue is to guide your return to running – and we have many providers that can assist this process. Along the way, there is an Injury Forum on the Rogue website. Though this will never be a substitute for active interaction with your provider, it would be a place to ask questions and share information.

Acupuncture Go With The Flo, 294-6925 Karen Smith

Chiropractic Advanced Rehabilitation, 467-1100 Dr. AJ Zielinski

Running Mechanics Go With The Flo, 294-6925 Karen Smith

Rogue Training Systems  280-5722 Carmen Troncoso

 Smart Sport International 914-0871 Allan Besselink, PT

RMT Kneadz 443-6400 Carmen Garza, RMT

Nutrition Sports Nutrition, Amy Culp 512.517.7624, amyculprd@sculpturetexas.com

Performance Therapy Tools Trigger Point Technologies 524-2804 Cassidy Phillips

Family practice – sports medicine fellowship Texas Sports and Family Medicine, 473-0201 Dr. Robin McCarty,  Dr. Mark Chassay,  Dr. Mark Hutchens

Orthopedics Sports Performance International708-8834Dr. Ted Spears Orthotics

Elite Feet Orthotics ,626-2323 Tammy Harbison

Forward Motion Pedorthics ,914-8338Bill Stone

Physical Therapy, Smart Sport International ,914-0871 Allan Besselink, PT

Scott Welsh, M.D. Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, 301-9922

See the write up at the Chronicle website: Best of Austin 2008

Though it may seem relatively simple to pin a number on your chest, step up to a start line, & race your guts out over 10,000 meters, things always tend to be a little more complicated. For the uninitiated amongst us, the whole process can be intimidating.

Recognize that this is the first in a series of races designed to help you begin getting a handle on pre-race logistics, pacing, race tactics, & other sundry essential preparations necessary for running your best at the Austin Marathon on February 15, 2009. You aren't expected to bust forth fully formed and prepared to run the fastest race you've ever run-- or even to know what the hell you are doing. I always like to say, "You gotta start somewhere," & here is your start to this season. You should expect to have a race in which you do some things right & some things impossibly wrong. Right or wrong, it is all a part of the process. I've outlined a basic race plan for all based upon date paces & what the course provides (elevation, turns, possible weather conditions, etc).

The Course:

The IBM course has returned back to their campus, which is sandwiched between Mopac, and Braker Lane off of Burnet Road. It loops around the IBM Campus. Starting on the eastside of the campus parking lot, the course puts most of its mileage by looping around and around their property. With less than 80 ft of elevation change over the entire 6.2 miles course, it looks to be fast. The first 2 miles, heading southwest to the Westside of Burnett with some slight ups in downs in the first mile but flatting out by mile 2 for some smooth running. Mile 3 has a short up hill as you pass through the Domain shopping center. This mile is followed by 2 relatively easy, down hill miles. You might not even notice this as you are racing. Mile 5 to mile 6 is probably the hardest part of the course, because of the hills, the repeat of the same concrete and where it is in the 10k race. Be prepared to suffer a little as you run through this section, but concentrate on holding pace. The course drops back down the final mile into the finish line, which is the same place as you began the journey. With its gradual declines & inclines, this course should prove to be honest & fast.

The Pre-Race Plan:

Packet Pick-up:

Amplify Federal Credit Union: 2608 Brockton Drive (Brockton @ Burnet) •

Friday, October 17th, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. •

Saturday, October 18th, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. •

Sunday, October 19th, 6:30 a.m. - 7:55 a.m.

Saturday: All groups have an easy 3-4 mile run followed by relaxed strides for Saturday morning. We will not meet as a group (only those not doing the race will meet on Saturday). Friday night is the most important night for sleep, so try to get into bed at a reasonable hour--or sleep in if you are forced to be up late. Be sure to hydrate throughout the day so you are not trying to force water down right before you go to sleep (you don't want to spend the whole night before the race getting up to go to the restroom). For dinner, avoid anything extremely spicy or greasy as this can cause intestinal distress (again requiring you to spend time in the bathroom better spent in bed). As you become more experienced with running races, you can begin to determine your best pre-race meals. For now, just try to keep it simple.

Set out you race clothes & anything else you think you'll need before you go to bed. This way, you won't be scrambling around searching on race morning for your favorite socks, for example, only to find them dirty. A little preparation goes a long way towards avoiding jangled nerves on race morning.

Sunday morning: Try to get up about 45 minutes to an hour before you need to leave to make it to the race site by 6:45AM. After waking, eat something light, like toast and/or a banana. If you are a coffee or tea drinker, drink up as soon as you wake up so that you can spend some quality time in your own comfortable & clean restroom. You should save the port-o-lets at the race start for quick trips, not the real business.

We are meeting at 6:45AM at the Rogue tent which will be announced as we get closer to the event. The coaches will give some basic pre-race instructions & begin a 2 mile warm-up between 7:15-7:30AM. We will not wait for you! Be ready. After our warm-up we'll disperse to allow everyone to get all their final details sorted out, hit the port-o-let one final time, and then reconnect at the start line at 7:50AM. For those who stick around between the warm-up and the start, we'll do some light stretches & drills. It is, however, more important that you handle all the details necessary to be ready to race before 7:50 as you don't want to be running around like a chicken with your head cut off; you need to be calm & collected prior to the race start. As you wait for the announcements & other pre-race details to occur, run through the race plan (given below) in your mind, review you reasons for running this race, & generally get your mind right as the race start approaches.

The Race Plan:

For all groups, the primary focus is running the fastest 10K possible on that day. To really be ready to take advantage of the course & your current fitness, you need a plan. What follows is a basic mile-by-mile guide to tackling the challenge ahead of you.

Start: Position yourself conservatively. If you plan on running under 40 minutes for the 10K, then you should be in the front quarter of the pack. If you are running slower than 40 minutes, position yourself anywhere but the front quarter of the lineup. More races are ruined in the first mile of a race than anywhere else, & this is usually due to poor positioning at the start and going out too fast. Know where you belong & start there. If you don't have any idea where you should start, then position yourself in the middle of the pack. All Rogues should try to get on the right-ha