Barista for a Day at the ATC Resolution Run

I started off the New Year volunteering my time with the Atlanta Track Club.

Once upon a time I was an avid runner: 5Ks for fun, 10Ks, Half Marathons, and a Marathon. When I trained for my first 1/2 I trained with the Track Club. So now that I have more free time I want to give back to my fitness community. That's why I decided to volunteer for ATC's first race of the year "The Resolution Run".

About a month ago I got the idea to volunteer with ATC so I hopped on their website and chose a race to work. I contacted their volunteer coordinator Caryn and she got me registered for a volunteer shift New Years Day. It was that simple.

7AM arrived and I made my way down to the race site. 

8:30AM feels bright and early on New Years Day. I signed in, awaited my assignment, and was excited to learn that volunteers got a free race day shirt too!

I was assigned pre/post race fluids. This wound up being an awesome assignment. The Velvet Cup was onsite with pre/post race coffee and hot chocolate. Kim, the owner, was really nice. We talked for a bit and she and her partner have been serving up mobile coffee for about 3 years. They are based in North Carolina and The majority of their business is outdoor music festivals. She decided to branch out and serve up hot beverages for runners and volunteers at the race.

Her truck was a hit! Free hot beverages on a cold day, just what a runner needs while they are waiting for awards. Pre-race a few people grabbed a sip, but post-race we were slammed! Even Caryn jumped in to help the line move a lil faster. According to the MC there were over 100 volunteers and 1700 registered runners; I think we we got to meet and serve up coffee or cocoa to nearly all of them.

Everyone was very appreciative, and the coffe was really good. I take my coffee straight and this was smooth and tummy friendly; A definite plus for runners.

I had a great time and definitely plan to volunteer again. I signed up for the volunteer newsletter so I can get reminders about upcoming opportunities. So if you are running any Atlanta Track Club races, look for me I might be in the background volunteering my time.

How did you kick off the New Year? Comment below.

Health and Happiness,

Larissa

1/2 Marathon Training: Week 8

This week was a cold one. The temperature was a chilly 43 degrees to start our run. Our running coach, Tina, has a great blog entry about choosing clothing for different temperatures, Whatever Shall I Wear. Our long run took us from Dick's Sporting Goods to Oglethorpe University and back. I was very glad I opted to sport the running gloves, cold hands are completely distracting. Within the 1st 2 miles a silver fire hydrant tried to jump up and trip me, but I won that battle. I felt I had a good solid tempo and I was even able to chat up some fellow runners and several of the running coaches. At the end of the run my legs were sore but overall I felt really good.

This weeks speaker was Dr. Perry H. Julien, a sport podiatrist's in Atlanta that has been working with the Atlanta Track Club for several years. Dr. Julien was great, he had lots of really graphic pictures and great practical advice. He talked about all the different sports injuries runner's can suffer and how about 90% of those injuries are preventable. He gave us all a copy of his book Sure Footing: A Sports Podiatrist's Perspective on Running-and Exercise-Related Injuries, it is filled with pictures and is a fairly easy read. One of the coaches said it is a great reference/diagnostic guide for any injury below the waist. This will be a great help to me as I continue my runner's journey as well as guide me in assisting a client who suffers an injury.

Runner's Log Week 8

Pre Run Rest: 6 hours

Temperature: 43'
Distance: 9 miles
Time: 1:37:08
Pace: ~5.6 MPH
Calories Used: 1162
Average HR: 168 BPM
Max HR: 191 BPM

Post Run Stretch: 10 Leg Swings, 10s alt unilateral quad stretch, 10s unilateral hamstring stretch, 10s unilateral calf stretch - Repeat 2x, bilateral hamstring stretch, unilateral hipflexor stretch, abductor hip push - Repeat 2x

Post Run Rest: Midnight to 9am, 9 hours, yaaay sleep

Health and Happiness

L

1/2 Marathon Runner's Log: Week 7

As part of the training program we attend seminars.
This weekend's seminar was on injury prevention.
Dr. Josh H. Glass from Georgia Sports Chiropractic suggested we keep a runner's log of distance, stretch routine, and recovery so that we can diagnose overtraining or any cause of injury.

So I'll be posting at least 3 times a week with training updates.

Date: 10/12/2010

Distance: 5.26 miles
Speed: Varied 4.0, 6.0, 6.3, 6.5, 7.0
Time: 55:08, 3 minute warmup, 3 minute cool down
Calories Burned: 618 kcal (P FT7)

Stretch: Leg Swings (5x), Unilateral(one sided) Standing Hamstring Stretch (10s), Unilat Stand Quad Stretch (10 s), Unilat Stand Calf Stretch Gastrocnemius (10 s) Soleus (10s) - Alternate right and left 2x at 10 seconds each, Alternating Unilateral Leg Swings (5x), Alt Unilat Stand Quad Stretch (15s), Bilateral (2 sided) hamstring stretch, Downward facing dog /Bilat calf stretch (15s), Cross over hamstring Stretch (15s ea side)

Post Shower Stretch Routine: Foam Roller(FR) Abductors R/L, Standing Hip Push R/L (15 s), FR Hamstring, Seated Hamstring Reach (15 s), FR Quads, Standing Quad Stretch (15 s) R/L, FR Calf Stetch, and Downward Dog/Bilateral Calf Stretch (15 s)

Sleep/Recovery: 5:45 AM, 5 hours and 45 minutes

So overall a pretty good training night I really need to do better on the sleep/recovery and get at least 7 hours. Sleep is the time that our body can fully recover from all the wear and tear on our bodies. Recently a study was published in the IDEA Fitness journal about rest and it's connection to obesity.

So look forward to a post reviewing that article and discussing the importance of recovery time!

Health and Happiness

L