Next Workout: Saturday, Jan. 30, meet at 8:45 AM, workout at 9:00 AM Parking lot for Columbia Island Marina
Walk-to-Run Trainees:
Welcome to the fourth week of our program.
1) Inclement Weather Policy
As of this writing, the weather for Saturday includes bitterly cold temperatures and up to 2" of snow.
Under those conditions, we will still have the workout on Saturday morning - just be prepared to walk in cold weather, and perhaps with a light coating on snow on the trails (I have run in worse).
My truck as 4WD, and I don't think there will be serious travel troubles inside the Beltway on Saturday AM, if the snow has even started by then.
But if the weather is worse where you are, please do not risk life and limb trying to get to the Marina. Just do the 4 mile walk on your own, which, for most of you, should last anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5 hours in duration.
If the weather does turn much worse Saturday AM, I will implement the weather contingency plan, where we would postpone the workout to the following day, or cancel it altogether. This entails sending an email to the entire group late Friday evening or very early Saturday morning, and also, calling every trainee who has formally signed up, using the phone number he or she provided on the registration form. When at all possible, I will try to make the call Friday evening, as early Saturday AM telephone can be disruptive.
Were travel merely risky on Saturday morning, I might postpone the workout to a sunny Sunday morning. I realize than many of you have other obligations on a Sunday morning, and I would not expect you to be able to make a postponed workout. In that case, please try to do the prescribed workout on your own.
Or if a storm were to leave snowdrifts on the trails on which we walk or run, we wouldn't be able to use the trails at any point that weekend. In that situation, you might also have difficulty even doing the workout on your own in your neighborhood. You might have more success at a local high school outdoor track, or at an indoor track or treadmill, or even in a shopping mall. [Many shopping malls offer early access to their facilities for corps of "mallwalkers" every morning.]
But if you can't do any walking or running altogether due to snow/ice on trails or sidewalks, your assignment is to research any flexibility and strengthening exercises for runners you can find [cf section 5 of this newsletter, infra], and after a brief in-place warmup (try jumping jacks), do the exercises indoors. Or in the alternative, you can work out at the gym, or work on your core muscles.
2) Assuming little adverse weather, we meet again on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 9AM, in the parking lot for Columbia Island Marina, in LBJ Park.
Again, the easiest way to get to the Marina there, is to get yourself onto the GW Parkway, heading South, between Memorial Bridge and the 14th Street Bridge. [Until further notice, there is no access from the Northbound lanes into the Marina, due to the construction.]
There is only one sign for "Columbia Island Marina" and the entrance is right at the start of the construction on the "humpback bridge." If your lane goes up sharply, crosses the Humpback Bridge, and you see signs for I-395 North and South, you've just missed it, and you will need to go around for another pass.
If you are still having difficulty finding our meeting location, please call me at 703-371-5171 before Saturday.
Our four-mile walking route up to around the Iwo Jima Memorial may be found at:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2731864
We will proceed across the footbridge, along the North end of Pentagon North Parking, and along the VA-27 trail toward Memorial Bridge, just as we did last week.
Almost at the bridge, we will take a left turn, cross VA-27 at the pedestrian crosswalk, and follow this new trail westward along Memorial Drive (the road that runs to and from the bridge) about 1/4 Mile. At some point after Memorial Circle, we will cross Memorial Drive to get to the other side.
The reason we need to cross, is that our remaining route up to Iwo Jima is the one and only trail diverging from the right-hand (North) sidewalk of Memorial Drive. Cross over the curving 270 degree highway off-ramp, and you will see the trail, almost as a sidewalk to that off-ramp. We will follow that trail up to the base of the Iwo Jima hill. We will then follow the road up and around the Iwo Jima War Memorial, before retracing our steps back to the Marina Parking lot.
On the way back, please make sure to cross back to the South side of Memorial Drive, so you can make your way back to the Marina parking lot.
I will lead the group out all the way for these 4 miles, and probably will again for the next few weeks, until everyone is familiar with the two routes (Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Iwo Jima War Memorial). By the time you are doing any serious running, you will (hopefully) know by routes by heart.
3) Peak Workout Distance
This workout on Saturday will also take the longest time of any of our workouts this entire training season - between one hour and 1.5 hours, depending on your walking pace. In future weeks, we will cover the same distance - 4 miles - but with the introduction of running intervals beginning next Saturday, the time each one of you takes to complete the same distanced will decrease.
So as we go along, the Saturday workouts may not be getting much warmer right away, but they will be done sooner!
4) Running Clothing.
Back at the orientation, I reviewed running clothing, and showed some examples from my own running wardrobe. But some of you might have forgotten, or not then appreciated the advice, and others joined the program after the orientation.
And it's going to be cold on Saturday, perhaps with some snowflakes flying.
So let me review running clothing, briefly.
Whatever the weather, the layer of clothing next to your skin (including socks) should be of a wicking material, so called "performance fabric," "technical fabric" or "sport fabric." These are artificial fibers designed to wick moisture away from your skin, which cools you in warm weather, but which can also prevent chills in cold weather. Cotton is NOT a wicking fabric.
The only thing worse than cold is cold and WET[!] Even if you manage to stay warm while running in cold weather, fluid next to your skin can cause rashes, blisters and chafing. Not fun.
Wicking fabrics are usually labeled so, and can be found at running stores, some sporting goods stores, some bike stores, and especially at race expos. [The race expo for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler and 5K on Saturday, April 10, is open to the public, and you may be able to find some good deals on wicking fabric tops, shorts, socks and undies. cf: http://www.cherryblossom.org/expo/expo.htm ]
Invest in a good layer of wicking fabric now, and it will serve you in all four seasons as your base layer.
Your OUTERMOST layer in cold or damp weather should block rain and wind - usually a windbreaker-type of pullover or jacket. Outerwear specifically designed for running is usually much lighter weight than civilian garb, but for our purposes, don't go running out to get a "running jacket." If you have a good windbreaker or running shell, that is perfectly fine for the upcoming warmer, but still cool, weather.
In all your clothing choices, bear in mind that you will feel 15 to 20 degrees warmer while running than you do while standing still. This means that you may need that outer jacket before the workout, and afterward, when you cool down, but you'll want to take it off once you've started running and have warmed up.
So LAYERING is key for running clothing in colder weather. Take off, or add layers, as you warm up or cool down.
Your have wide latitude for clothing in the layers between the base layer (wicking) and the outer layer (water and wind repelling). Any comfortable clothing which permits free movement is fair game. Old college sweatshirts often re-appear on runners in winter, in the absence of rain. Long-sleeve, thicker wicking fabrics work fine as mid-layers, but save your scheckels on these until your second winter of running, when you know what feels comfortable in varying seasons.
cf (for later): http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-320--6187-0,00.html
Right now, invest in a base wicking layer (especially wicking socks!) and your running over the next few months will be much more comfortable.
5) Stretching.
A lot has been written about stretching for runners over the years, because benefits and risks of stretching are so dependent on:
a) when you stretch, and
b) how you stretch.
Unlike sports with frequent changes in direction (e.g. soccer, basketball) runners use the same muscles and ligaments over and over and over again, many of them the same ones you use to walk out of the bedroom every morning and start your day. There is little scientific data that stretching before a particular run will improve your performance during that run.
Where stretching *will* help is in the long term, in maintaining flexibility and form while running, and during all your other daily activities, and in preventing injury. Stretching *after* exercise helps just as much in this regard as stretching before, and poses less risk of injury. For this reason, many coaches advocate stretching after workouts, when your muscles are already warmed up and the automatic stretch reflex is minimized.
You should never stretch a cold muscle. If you want to stretch leg muscles before exercise, make sure you warm up first by running in place, easy calisthenics (like jumping jacks), or a brisk walk for 10- 15 minutes. Jumping jacks have the advantage of warming up your core and arms as well, if you want to stretch more than just your legs.
There are several different types of stretches, and we will review them in coming weeks. Simplest of all is the so-called static-stretch, several of which I will demonstrate on Saturday after the workout. When doing a static stretch, watch your form. Make sure your non-stretched limbs and core are in the correct position. Ease into the stretch, and stop the stretch short of the point of pain. Keep a fluid motion, but don't bounce, or repeat a stretch quickly. Ease into the stretch, hold it for 10 to 30 seconds, and then back out of it.
As you walk and run more, and learn more, you will discover which stretches work particular muscles, tendons and ligaments. In your post-run stretching, make sure you stretch a variety of different muscles in succession. If you stretch only one muscle, it's neighbors may become tight or sore, and your running may favor that muscle to the detriment of others.
If you want a more detailed plan of stretching for flexibility and strength, I recommend Coach Janet Hamilton's Book, "Running Strong and Injury Free" (2001, ISBN 0-9709611-0-3), available at many area running stores and, of course, online.
6) Target Race
A requirement to complete the Walk to Run Training Program is to finish a 5K (3.1 Mile) race, either running, or walk/running, between the end of March and the beginning of May.
Training for an upcoming race is the best way to stay on course and keep up your training. And completing a race (whether one finishes first, last, or somewhere in the middle), is such a confidence-building activity, that I won't recommend someone go on to further MCC training unless they complete the 5K.
For our purposes, any 5K race, anywhere, will suffice. There are three 5Ks listed already on our training program's web site:
http://www.marathoncharitypartners.org/walktorun/
and I will be sending out a list of races in a future newsletter.
In the meantime, please reference the running websites I sent out in the last newsletter, research various online and in-print race calendars, and start thinking of which one you'll do. By the end of February, I'll ask every trainee to list his or her 5K target race.
[Past newsletters of the 2010 Walk to Run Training Program may be found on the program's web site, above.]
7) Housekeeping
'tis late, and folks are still joining our training program. So I will wait until next week to publish the "complete" list of trainees.
In the meantime, if you still need to sign up, formally, for our program, please cf:
http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=1810501
And if you still need to fill in the questionnaire, a blank is attached to this newsletter.
I hope your midweek workouts are going well, and I will see you Saturday at the Marina!
Coach John
John H. Steitz
RRCA Certified Running Coach
USATF Level 1 Certified Track and Field Coach
Marathon Charity Cooperation
703-371-5171
www.mc-coop.org/walktorun