You Light Up My Life

Okay, that was a cheesy post title and now I'll be humming that stupid tune the rest of the evening. Anyway, with the time change a few weeks ago and shorter days now, it's getting darker earlier. Which means if you run in the late afternoon, you're probably finishing your runs in the dark. That means you need to make yourself visible to all those cars driving home from work. Fortunately, the running gear companies are making more and more gear to make you shine like the running star you are.

The easiest way to increase your visibility is to wear reflective bands and clothing. The most exciting new gear out now (okay, it's exciting to me) is from illumiNITE. They put thin, reflective squiggly lines all over their garment, making an entire arm or leg reflect light. You can order it online at Road Runner Sports, although at the brick and mortar store in Torrance, they didn't know what I was talking about.

Also, you can now buy LED lights on head bands and vests, among a variety of other types of wearable lights. It's amazing when I go out running at night or early morning and pass runners who are wearing all dark clothes. Seems like a stupid and unnecessary risk to me.

So visit your local running or sporting goods store and pick up some reflective gear. And run safely.

Hello from Colorado

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted. I've been in Colorado for almost a month now. I have been running though. When I first got here, I felt like I was so out of shape. The altitude just kills you! But I was able to do 18 miles the first weekend and 20 miles the next. Unfortunately, when I went running two days later, my foot started hurting halfway through my run, so I had to walk about 3 miles back to my hotel. I haven't run since (about a week now). Just a little setback in my training for the O.C. Marathon in January, but I should be able to get going again very soon.

Wimping Out

Okay, I will admit it: I wimped out last weekend. Friday evening, we had the first rain in what seemed like years in the South Bay. So I'm sitting in our house, enjoying being dry and warm and thought, "Man, it would be nice to be able to sleep in a little." So I wimped out and cancelled the fun-run on Saturday morning.

That is the last time that I will cancel the run due to weather, unless there's a hurricane coming or thunderstorms or something life-threatening. So there's my commitment--come rain or shine, we're running. No wimps in Elijah's Running Club.

That's one of the toughest things to master when you're first getting into the whole running thing. The mental part. It's getting over the "Oh, I really don't feel like getting up and going out there to run for miles and miles." I've gotten to the point where I set the alarm and when it goes off, I just get up and don't think about the possibility of lying back down. Because I know that I'll feel good once I get out there. Because I know that I'll feel even better once I'm done.

So bottom line: we're running tomorrow.

Results

Well, I finished the Disneyland Half-Marathon. Considering that it was about 80 degrees at the start (at 6 am!), I'm happy with how I finished. My time was 1:41:34. That was my chip time. It took 26 seconds to get to the starting line after the start.

The route was nice, mostly flat. It was interesting running through the two Disney parks, having various characters cheering you on. I gave high-fives to a couple monsters from Monsters, Inc. And running through Angels Stadium was pretty cool. They had the Angels' announcer calling out names as we rounded home plate with our image being put up on the huge jumbotron screen in left field.

I was very impressed with the organization of the race. Very well-organized for only their 2nd annual race. I'll be running it again next year, but we might make a weekend of it and stay in a hotel close by or maybe at the Disneyland Hotel itself.

Running with Goofy

Wow, I just realized how long it's been since I last posted. A week ago, I ran almost 4 miles in Phoenix at 3:30 pm. It was about 108 degrees and sunny. That was the toughest 4 miles I've run in a long time. Felt good to get back in the cool hotel room. I don't know how they do it down there.

This weekend is the Disneyland Half-Marathon. I'll be running in that and one other person from Elijah's Running Club will be running in the 5k race on Sunday. I'm beginning to think that the 6 am start time for the half is not all that bad, since we've been having a mini-heat wave here lately. I'll post on our results next week.

Surfing with no waves

Okay, so we didn't surf on Saturday. We just ran. Perfect running weather again--marine layer, cool. They were having the International Surf Festival at the pier this past weekend. When we showed up, they were starting the 2-mile beach run. There were probably 100 people running.

Not sure how much surfing they did on Saturday, because it was pretty calm before our run. And a friend from Hope Chapel told me he ended up doing a paddleboard workout Saturday afternoon before church because it was so calm.

Running on the beach

Since everyone else was either out of town or sick, I decided to run on the beach down by the water. The sand was nice and firm, but still a softer surface than the concrete of the strand. It was nice hearing the waves crash as I did the pier to pier run. Curiously, I didn't really feel a breeze off the ocean. It felt good to take my shoes and socks off at the end of my run and wade into the water to cool my feet off.

Still looking for anyone wanting to train for a half or full marathon. As I said in my last post, I'll stay around after our normal Fun Run (3.3 miles or so) and do a longer run.

Long Distance Runners Wanted

Sorry about slacking off the last couple weeks and not posting. We cancelled last weekend's run since a few folks were going to be out of town. I drove down to Aliso Viejo to pick up my free Avia running shoes after being one of the first 1000 to register for the OC Marathon, which will be on 6 January. I didn't make it for the entire morning's festivities, but they had a trail run, some motivational speakers and coaching clinics, free running and T-shirts, a delicious pasta lunch, and free massages. It appeared well organized and was in a beautiful location (for an office complex).

As the title of this post suggests, I'm looking for some folks who are interested in running some longer distances with me on Saturdays. I am still going to run the "Fun Run" from Hermosa Pier to Manhattan Pier and back, but I'd also like to do some longer runs after using the Fun Run as a warmup run. I'm just over a month from running the Disneyland Half-Marathon, so I'm starting to ramp up the mileage on the weekends. And I'll keep it up as I start my OC Marathon training. So anyone who wants to go a little longer can show up at 8:00 am at the Surfer statue at Hermosa Pier to warm up with the Fun Run and then stick around for a longer run. Or you can just show up around 8:30 if you want to sleep in a bit later.

Happy Running!

New Attendance Record!

First of all, congratulations to Nancy for running in the Redondo Beach 4th of July 5K race! It's great for motivation to enter a few races a year.

We had our largest turnout so far at ten!!! The morning marine layer was back again this morning. Nice and cool, but a little humid. Today there were a couple events going on. The U.S. Paddleboard Championship was being held right by the Hermosa Beach Pier. There was also a rowing competition being held, but I'm not sure what that was all about.

I've heard through the Hope Chapel grapevine that at least one person has not shown up for Elijah's Running Club because we don't run far enough for them (this person is a marathoner). My response to that would be that I will run as far as you guys want, since I'm getting started in training for the Disneyland Half-Marathon. We can do the Pier to Pier and back as a warmup and then do a good 6-8 mile run or longer if you'd like. My goal is to get as many folks out as possible with a wide variety of running levels.

Well, have a great week and happy running!

Beat the Heat

This weekend's run was the warmest yet, I believe. There was no June gloom this Saturday as we had blue skies and plenty of sun already at 8:00. But there were plenty of people out for their Saturday morning walks and runs. And plenty of dogs. I'll have to bring my camera and take some photos of the variety of dogs that people walk on Saturday mornings.

For this week's running tips, I'll pass along some advice from this month's issue of Runner's World. With the weather getting warmer, overheating while doing your running can become a concern. Here are a few tips to deal with the heat.

1) Go running early. Running before the sun is up is cooler and helps start your day off with a jump-start for your metabolism.

2) Cross-train indoors. Instead of riding your bike outside, try riding a stationary bike indoors with the A/C or a fan on.

3) Ease into the heat. If you can't entirely eliminate running during the hotter parts of the day, slowly build up your mileage during that time. Let your body get used to running in the heat instead of starting out with a long run.

4) Have a hydration plan. For longer runs, have a plan for drinking plenty of sports drink on the route. Either do loops on a shorter route and place water bottles at the starting point or place a water bottle at various distances on a longer route.

5) Run, Swim, Run. After running for a while, try going for a swim in some cool water. This would be easy if you're running along the Strand. Run a few miles and then jump into the ocean to cool off.

6) Sign up for cool races. There are plenty of races in Southern California throughout the year. There's nothing that says you have to register for a race in San Diego in August. Sign up for one in the fall or even in the winter. I've registered for the Orange County Marathon, which is on January 6th next year.

Happy Running!

Running With Mickey

I've registered for the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon, which is on Labor Day Weekend. Looking at the map for the race, it appears that we run through both Disneyland and California Adventure, then run out under I-5, run down to the Anaheim Angels' stadium, run around the field, then return to Disneyland. Should be a fun race. My goal will be to beat 1:40, but really all I care about is beating Goofy.

I just got an email telling me that there is still time for more folks to sign up. They're 85% full on the half, which is on 3 September. They're also having a family fun run 5K and various kids races on the 2nd of September. Click here for more information.

Elijah's Running Tips, 10-16 June

This will be a weekly feature of the Elijah's Running Club blog. I'll try to find some of the best advice on the web regarding training tips, injury prevention and treatment, and diet advice. If a person wants to get back in shape, they are going to have to make some changes to their lifestyle, since it was something about their lifestyle that allowed them to get out of shape. And the most effective way to get back into shape is to change exercise habits (actually do exercise), change eating habits, and then ensure you can continue to exercise by avoiding injuries.

Training Tips
Jeff Galloway, former Olympic marathoner, has some great advice for those who are just starting to run. You don't have to run every day.

Those who run three days a week have the lowest rate of injury. Each additional running day increases the chance of injury--particularly for those over the age of 50. Research on runners has also shown that when you run every 48 hours, the damage from running is repaired and the muscle cells and tendons tend to rebuild stronger than before.

If you're not experiencing extra fatigue, aches, pains or injuries from running more often, it's OK to run more days per week at any age. There are so many reasons to run that I had to severely edit the "Why Run" chapter in my GETTING STARTED book more than any other. Most runners run because it makes them feel better about themselves, about life in general--and want to get out there every day they can. Unfortunately, too many running days per week is one of the key reasons for injury. Even when runners maintain the same weekly mileage, but add more rest days, they experience fewer tired and injury days.

His article on Runnersworld.com has a great table for how many miles you should run for whatever age you are.

Injury Prevention & Treatment
Runnersworld.com has a great article on using a foam roller to give yourself a kind of deep tissue massage.

Using a foam roller can provide similar benefits as deep-tissue massage. By increasing flexibility and decreasing muscle tension, it can help prevent injury and improve performance. Make the following foam-roller exercises part of your regular running routine--run, roll, then stretch. Place your body on the roller and slowly roll up and down (for about 10-15 seconds) along the muscle group you are targeting. If you find a particularly tight area, pause on that spot. Putting pressure on a tight area can help release the tissue.

Click here to read how to use the foam roller on the various body parts. Amazon has foam rollers here.

Nutrition
For those who think of chocolate as one of the main food groups, here's something that will help you justify your guilty pleasure.

In January, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the most convincing study yet linking flavanol-rich cocoa to improved blood-vessel health. A month later, the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that Dutch men who ate the most chocolate had a 47 percent lower mortality rate over 15 years than a similar group that consumed little chocolate.

Read the rest of the article for all the good news.

Have a great week! See you Saturday.

Growing

Today we had our biggest turnout yet. It was, again, a perfect running day, cloudy and cool. And while there was nothing big going on, there were still activities happening. There was a lifeguard academy class training by the pier. And the LA Air Force Base Marathon Club met for a run, same time, same place as us. And a beach boot camp training in the sand. And of course, Mr. Falun Gong doing his impression of a store mannequin.

An Ordinary Day?

Unbelievably, there was nothing going on at the Pier this past weekend. It was perfect weather--cloudy, cool, with just enough breeze to blow a guys' comb-over straight up. Not that I have hair long enough for a comb-over, but if I did.... Wait a minute--there was a class from a grade school that showed up to pick up trash on the beach. And Mr. Falun Gong meditator guy had a partner this time. Sitting on the bench, backs straight, eyes closed. Someday I'm going to sit right next to him and see what he does. Maybe give him a million-dollar bill. Anyway, looking forward to running with everyone this weekend.

Bump and Run

This past weekend was eventful, as usual. After going for a good run from pier to pier and back, we grabbed a bite of breakfast at Hennesy's Tavern (a bit expensive) and then watched a match of pro beach volleyball at the Hermosa Beach Open. For free, we were able to watch Karch Kiraly, the winningest beach volleyball player ever (147 titles), and his partner, Kevin Wong, win easily over Scott Davenport and Mike DiPierro. I was surprised to learn later that day that Kiraly will turn 47 this year. Amazing.

On a different note, I'm looking for a good race in the fall to start working towards. I think if I can find one that has a marathon, half-marathon, 10K, and 5K, I might be able to get more folks to come out for the Running Club. I'd advertise it at church as a goal to work towards. We could also use it to raise funds for one of the Hope Chapel ministries. Happy running!

More car pics

Here are a few more photos of the cars that were there...

The Classics

It was a beautiful day for a run. Sunny, blue skies, a nice cool breeze. And the waves were big, so there were plenty of surfers out there. We actually made it all the way to Manhattan Pier without running into any large herds of people running toward us. But it wasn't as if there was nothing going on. It seems that there's something different every weekend. Today, it was the Great Autos of Yesteryear car club's Endless Summer classic car show. I won't be joining their club anytime soon, since 1) I don't have a classic car, and 2) I'm not gay (take the first letter of each word). But hey, they had some nice cars.

A Mass of Humanity

Well, it was a perfect day for running yesterday. Cloudy, cool, and not too many people on the Strand. Okay, not too many people for a few minutes. Then the Richstone Pier-to-Pier Walkathon began. As I was getting close to the Manhattan Beach Pier, I encountered hundreds of people wearing bib numbers coming at me. Some running, some walking. They pretty much filled up the path, so it made the run a bit more interesting. But it was a fun atmosphere with all the families and schools running/walking to raise money to prevent child abuse. On the way back to Hermosa Pier, we ended up getting off the Strand and going down the back streets so we could move at a decent pace. Oh, I forgot to mention the music. There were a couple of houses on the Strand where musicians were playing to serenade the runners, including a dixieland band. Very cool.

The Hermosa Beach Centennial 5000

Well, it was a beautiful morning for a run. Unfortunately, a thousand other people thought the same thing. Today was the first annual Hermosa Beach Centennial 5000, a series of 5K races which started at the Hermosa Pier. Actually, it was a fun atmosphere as I showed up to meet the other runners, wondering how in the world I'd find them. I did eventually find one of the families and we went for a nice run south on the Strand, turning around at Redondo Beach pier. I'll have to keep this race in mind for next year.

One other thing. The family I ran with had a younger daughter who rode her bike, so that is an option for families whose kids might not want to run with us at Elijah's Running Club.

We're Off and Running!

We had a good turnout for our first run on 24 March. It was a beautiful morning as we ran on The Strand. Of course, having a Starbucks right around the corner for an after-run mocha doesn't hurt, either.

We'll be meeting this Saturday at 8, although I'll be out of town.