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December 2008
Run with the Mayor on Friday
You’re invited to run with Mayor Will Wynn.
Wynn and members of the Mayor’s Fitness Council want you to join them for the 2009 Resolution Run at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 2.
Meet at 10 a.m. Friday at Austin City Hall Plaza, 301 W. Second St.
It’s a no-pressure, run-your-own-pace and your-own-distance excursion.
“2009 is going to be a breakthrough year as we continue to raise awareness about preventable healthcare expenses - and a better quality of life,” Wynn says.
The mayor has also vowed to “run his age” in the Capitol 10,000 this year — that means he’ll break 47 minutes.
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Holiday weight gain
Have you gained weight over the holidays?
You may have a few more parties on your schedule, so here are some tips from Austin fitness guru Nina Rowan of Rowan Health Concepts, on how to avoid putting on extra pounds:
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Stay focused and present in your body. Many people gain the “seasonal seven” during the holidays, but the truth is most of us could stand to lose at least that much going into the holidays. Keep that in mind and you’re less likely to overindulge.
- Tune into your body. Our bodies continually give us cues as to what we need, but few of us really listen to them. Staying present lets you acknowledge the fact that you are at capacity — in terms of how much you need to accomplish in a day. Nina’s advice is to listen to your body, don’t check out and over eat out of habit, anxiety or skipping meals that should be healthy and stabilizing. Most people don’t recognize true hunger in their bodies but are actually responding to various emotions when they chose to eat.
- Stay focused on your personal goals. If you’re going to a holiday party, ask why you’re actually going. Are you there to reconnect with people, meet with new people or network? If you keep the focus on why you’re going, you can avoid overindulging and concentrate on what you’re doing.
- Having a strategy ensures success. If over eating is your struggle, eating a healthy meal before you go out will keep you from making bad choices when you’re presented with an array of holiday treats. Ordering a Perrier for your second and third drink might not be your usual style, but once you’ve tested the waters and realize how many calories you’ve avoided, it’s easier to do it again and again.
- Change “I can’t” into “I did.” Times when you don’t feel like doing what is best for your body provide an opportunity to break through old patterns. You have to go against your natural tendency to resist change. Once you realize how often you’ve avoided change by telling yourself why you can’t do something, you can harness the same mental power to tell yourself why you can and will do something.
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Working out during holiday travels
It’s hard to keep up with a training program when you’re traveling during the holidays. This is my first year to attempt a marathon, though, so I’m doing my best to follow the prescribed schedule.
That’s why I went to great lengths (well, distances, actually) to meet up with my running buddy Tony Plohetski while I was in Baton Rouge visiting in-laws for Christmas. We’re both in the same marathon training program, and we were supposed to do a 10-miler last weekend. I knew I couldn’t (wouldn’t) do it on my own, so Tony, who was in Mississippi for the holidays, and I agreed to meet up in the small Louisiana town of Amite to do our run.
Neither of us had ever stopped in Amite before, but we figured we’d be able to find some rural roads to run on without much difficulty. We were right.
I drove an hour from Baton Rouge, Tony drove an hour from Tylertown, and we converged on the street in front of a place called Isabel’s Fashions at 7:30 a.m. last Friday. We grabbed some water and headed out, making a figure eight so we could come back and get more water.
The roads were practically deserted, and the humidity was Louisiana high. So while the scenery was just lovely, the weather made the run a tough one. I was sweating like a stuck pig when someone wheeled up next to us, grinned broadly and asked us how far we were going.
I don’t think they get many runners in Amite.
(That’s a picture of us after our run posted above.)
I’m heading to Big Bend National Park and will miss another long run in the near future. I think I’ll have to get my husband to drop me off somewhere so I can squeeze it in even while I’m vacationing. But Tony won’t be there, so it’ll be hard.
What do you do to keep up your training when you’re out of town? How’d you make it through your holiday workouts?
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Free fitness books
I’ve got more free stuff to give away. But pay close attention! Last time I did this, some readers didn’t get their prizes because they forgot to email me at pleblanc@statesman.com with their street address. Impossible to send you your stuff without a mailing address. (And if you entered that last contest but didn’t win anything, shoot me an email. I’ve still got that copy of “Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete.”)
This time I’ve got a copy of “Triathlon Revolution: Training, Technique and Inspiration.” I’ve also got a book titled “15 Minute Dance Workout” that comes with a DVD. Want them? First one to sign in and get me their contact information gets them. I’ve also got another Denise Austin workout DVD.
Good luck!
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“Stoked”: Screening of documentary about deaf surfers
When Kimery Duda, founder of the Expedition School, came back from a weekend surf camp with students at the Texas School for the Deaf in October, she couldn’t stop talking about the experience.
Duda’s a surfer, no doubt. And she likes to spread the word about her favorite sport. As head of the Expedition School, she’s always trekking off to some far-flung place, either surfing, climbing, hiking or doing something else adventurous.
I didn’t get to go along on the October surf camp, but I caught a taste of what it was like by watching this video:
Soon you’ll be able to watch an entire documnetary about the trip.
A private screening of “Stoked” is planned for the Texas School for the Deaf in January. A public screening should happen in March, Duda says.
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3M Half Marathon has the best schwag
Who’s got the best race schwag? The 3M Half Marathon & Relay, hands down.
I spent 10 minutes gleefully sorting through the mountain of post-it notes, glue sticks, bandages, tape and notepads in my race packet before the half marathon last year. Seriously, it’s like making a trip to the office supply store — yet another reason to register for the super fun, super fast 15th Annual 3M Half Marathon & Relay.
This year’s race is set for 7 a.m. Jan. 25, 2009.
Registration for the mostly downhill, 13.1-mile race is $60 for individuals and $100 for relay teams until Dec. 31. To register, go here: .
Packet pickup is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24, at the 3M Austin Innovation Center, 6801 River Place Blvd. (A new location this year.) Packet pickup is also available from 5:30 to 6:30 a.m. race day, at the starting line in the 9500 block of Stonelake Boulevard.
A portion of proceeds from the race benefit Any Baby Can, a non-profit organization ensures all children reach their potential through educationâ therapy and family support services.
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The Unfit Athlete: I’m a cyclist!
Another update from our favorite unfit athlete, who, it seems, is turning into a bicycling junkie. We’re proud of her:
When I started cycling about three months ago, I wasn’t sure I’d keep it up.
The first time I climbed on my bike, I crashed. My legs hurt. I couldn’t breathe.
Not just the first time, but the second time. And the third and the fourth.
Ordinarily, this is where I quit. Pain is not my friend, so why hang around? Not my thing. And, heck, it’s not like one bike ride/jog/swim burns that many calories anyway, right?
And that mindset is exactly why I’ve never been great at exercise.
Every time I’ve tried to get fit, it was to try and look good. Oh, I could spew all the “I just want to be healthy” junk I wanted, but it wasn’t true. I just wanted to fit into smaller jeans.
It wasn’t fun. Cycling is fun.
I like riding around my neighborhood and noticing things I’ve never seen.
There’s the house on Laird with the spider plants draping from a wheelbarrow planter and parakeets chirping through the windows. And the guy renovating a house down the street with just a few friends and an obviously limited budget. And the cute little house with bizarre gargoyle statues in front of it.
Every ride is a small adventure. I’m married with two little boys and three dogs. Adventures are few and far between, you know?
I also like the way I feel when I’m finished riding. I feel healthy and proud of myself.
And then, there’s the unexpected godsend: sleep.
For almost two years, sleep was my enemy. I stayed up all hours, trying to avoid the inevitable tossing and turning I knew my racing thoughts would cause. Sleep was my nemesis, alright, but Lunesta was my best friend. I took it constantly.
Once, my worried husband tried to throw them in the garbage. I lunged after them like a mother bear protecting her cubs. I kept extras in my work bag, just in case he tossed them while I was at work.
Very sad.
Then one night after taking a ride, I thought I’d skip my Lunesta. I fell asleep within minutes. I haven’t taken a pill since.
So you see, this time, I’m not exercising to be skinny. I’m exercising to change my life. I feel better — and I’m getting better. The first time I rode, I barely went a mile. Now I regularly go five miles.
Bottom line: I’m now part of Fit City. I’m a cyclist! I’m an athlete, sort of!
It’s a very odd feeling. I like it.
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Running with headphones no longer banned
It’s OK to run with headphones again — at least at some races.
USA Track & Field has amended a rule that previously had banned the use of headphones by runners in all its competitions. Now it’s up to race directors to decide whether or not they will allow headphones by runners in non-championship races. (Headphones are still banned in a USATF championships.)
More from a USATF press release: “Enforcement of the previous ban was in the hands of race directors, with some enforcing the ban, some simply urging runners not to use headphones and others not enforcing it. Rooted in a concern for athlete and volunteer safety, the rule had drawn passionate feedback from all sides, including from runners who hated the rule and runners who loved it; from volunteers who had seen the logistical difficulties of having participants wearing headphones; and from race directors who supported it and others who had encountered logistical difficulties enforcing it.”
The no-headphone rule was not enforced at the AT&T Austin Marathon and many other foot races around the country.
“The difficulty in enforcement was part of the reasoning,” USATF Rules Committee chair John Blackburn said. “However, several good-sized races have demonstrated that they were able to enforce the rule. There were strong opinions on all sides of this discussion, both understanding the issues related to athlete safety, race organization, difficulty of enforcement. This resolution appeared to be the best position for USATF overall.”
Even with the rule change, not everyone thinks it’s a wise idea to run wearing headphones, especially if the volume is turned up.
“I ran up behind two women on headphones during the San Diego Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in 2007, and tapped them to move over since they were blocking an ambulance trying to pass on the left,” says Paul Carmona, founder and coach of the Twenty-Six Two training program. “I listen to headphones too, but I leave the volume low enough to hear conversations around me. These two runners had the volume on so high that they couldn’t hear me yelling at them to move over.”
David Mitchell says he drove for a solid minute behind a runner who was running on the left side of the road away from the main pack at the Decker Half Marathon. “She had headphones and couldn’t hear my truck, including three brief taps on the horn. I had flashers on, and was heading to the relay stop. Other runners finally tapped her on the shoulder and she moved over.”
And this, from John Conley, director of the Austin Marathon and Half Marathon, who doesn’t think it’s safe to run with headphones and discourages people from running, walking or driving with them:
“I never really understood why people would insulate themselves from the full experience of the marathon (the cheering crowds, the music, the camaraderie with other runners…) by tuning everything out with headphones. There is so much inspiration already out there on marathon day. No iPod music selection can beat the actual sounds of motivation you can get from the event itself.”
But there’s something worse than headphones, he says — cell phones, used for calling or text messaging on the course. “I actually saw someone running and talking during last year’s marathon as they crossed the finish line and they were completely absorbed in their call and bumped into runners in front of them who had just finished the race.”
What do you think?
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Pulling the marathon trigger
I pulled the trigger. I signed up for my very first marathon.
I forked over the money and put my name on the registration form. I’m mentally committed, too.
This surprises even me, in a way.
I ran 16 miles on Saturday. The last few miles, my legs were so heavy I was pretty sure someone had tied cinder blocks to my feet. Afterward, I felt like I’d been beaten with a baseball bat. In a good way, of course.
I like feeling physically spent. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to spend every Saturday for the rest of my life plopped on a couch recovering from a long run. But it makes me feel good! Healthy! Alive! Elated! Hungry!
If you’d told me a year ago that I’d run 16 miles on Dec. 20, I’d have taken your temperature, checked your pulse, asked if you’d forgotten your meds. But I did it.
For those who don’t know me, this is an about face. My first Fit City column four and a half years ago was all about why I hate to run. Which I did. I’ve always been a swimmer, but running came hard. It bored me, it hurt, it seemed monotonous.
Love is too strong a word here, but I’ve definitely changed my attitude about lacing up the old sneaks and going for a jaunt.
What made the difference? Running buddies. (Thank you Marcy, Tony, Camille, Claudia and Amanda!) Ever since I found folks of roughly the same pace to run with, my running life changed. I love the companionship. I love the feeling of cruising all the way across town powered only by my heart, lungs and feet.
I’ve gotten to know stretches of pavement in this city in a way I never knew them before. We ran all the way from RunTex in the Gateway Shopping Center to Rogue in East Austin the other day — and that seems like a long distance in a car, for Pete’s sake.
As for that calf injury? I’ve practically forgotten it.
The Austin Marathon, on Feb. 15, won’t be the hardest part in this process. It’ll be the celebration. The work will be over. I’ll be reaping the reward.
I can’t wait.
How about you?
If you’re still thinking about running the marathon, it’s time to register. The full marathon is already about half-way full. It costs $110 to sign up. Registration fees go up after Dec. 31. To register, go to www.austinmarathon.com.
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Swimming when it’s freezing outside
The thermostat at my house read 28 degrees when I woke up this morning. A perfect day for a swim!
Ack … did I just say that? Evidently the brain washing is working…
I’ve developed some techniques for days like today, when you might think you’d rather be snuggled underneath the covers with a warm spouse and a fuzzy kitty than churning through the water as the sun comes up.
Step one: Make your mind a blank slate. Get out of bed when the alarm goes off. Don’t lie there one extra moment; it only gets harder. Get up, get out, eat breakfast and put on your swimsuit before your brain is fully functional. By that time you may as well go to the pool because the hardest part is over.
Oddly, this part is getting easier and easier. No comment please.
Two, put sweat pants and a sweat shirt on over your swim suit. And socks. Add slide-type sandals and you’ll be at the top of the pre-dawn, winter swimmer fashion polls.
Three, get in the car before you look at yourself in the mirror. Drive to the pool. Shed all that garb except for the sandals, wrap a towel around your body, and walk rapidly out the door to the pool. Plop towel, etc., on pool chair and dash directly to the water. Ignore Old Man Winter’s tickling fingers.
Jump in the water! Swim! Cheer yourself up by reminding yourself that this pool is heated, unlike Barton Springs, where you’ll be swimming later in the week.
This water feels like a warm, snuggly blanket. Sort of. Just like the one you left at home. Only wetter. And not as snuggly because your husband and kitty aren’t here.
OK, who are we kidding. It’s not at all warm and furry. It’s a swimming pool!
Today, I had to brush ice off my kickboard when I grabbed it off the side of the pool for a quick set. Can you believe that? Later, I had to flick ice off my pull buoy. Crazy! There is something just plain wrong about chipping away frozen stuff while swimming. I don’t care if someone did swim across Antarctica. I am not that person. I live in Texas.
Soon, though, the best will come. The worst, too. Actually, the worst part and best part of one of these workouts is wrapped up in one moment — the end of practice.
Happy to have an hour-long swim under your belt, you now have to heave yourself out of the water and walk (no running at the pool, kids!) back to the bathhouse. Have you ever been stripped naked, sprayed with a garden hose and forced to stand in the backyard when it’s 30 degrees outside and the wind is blowing?
That’s what it feels like.
Do it fast and remember there’s a hot shower at the other end of the walk.
Ahhhhhh. I love to swim!
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Bike giveaway for military kids
Since we got such a good response from readers about that last holiday bike giveaway, here’s some info on another one. (Wow. What’s wrong with some of you people? Did someone forget to put the rum in your eggnog?)
Bikes for Goodness Sake is raising money to buy 533 bikes for children of deploying, deployed, or killed in action troops. The group is teaming up with the Texas Military Forces State Family Program and bike shops in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Temple, San Antonio, Houston, Lubbock, El Paso, Laredo, Weslaco and Corpus Christi. Each child, who ranges in age from 3 to 13, gets a brand new bike, a custom-fitted helmet by a bike shop pro, and a bike safety lesson.
“We believe that a bike is a small but powerful symbol for freedom,” says Mark Smith, executive director of the program. “A bike gives the opportunity for a child to experience the freedom that their parents’ are fighting for. We aim to honor and bring awareness of the sacrifice that these children make in support of their loved ones serving our country.”
It costs $142 for each bike and helmet. So far, about half the bikes have been paid for, Smith said Friday.
In Austin, Buck’s Bikes, 12530 Research Blvd., is participating in the campaign.
The organization gave away 52 bikes to children of Camp Mabry workers this July. “We got such great results that we expanded it to 12 cities and 10 other bike shops,” Smith said.
About 90 of the bikes being given away through the current program will go to kids in the Austin, Temple and Waco area.
To make a donation, go to www.bikesfgs.org. For more information, call 512-468-1953.
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Mix 94.7’s Bikes for Kids
Remember your very first real bike?
Mine had a fat purple banana seat (remember those?) and big monkey bar handles. I cruised the neighborhood on it, giddy not to have Mom or Dad on my tail, even if it was just for an hour or so at a time.
I stopped by the Bikes for Kids giveaway at Mellow Johnny’s this morning, where radio station Mix 94.7 was handing out hundreds of Trek bicycles to needy families. I wish I could see the faces of the kids who’ll be getting them…
Lance Armstrong made an appearance, riding an itty-bitty bike out of the parking lot where all the shiny new Treks were parked. With fake snow floating from the top of the bike shop and happy people loading bikes into their cars, it just put me in a festive mood.
Mix 94.7 has given away 11,000 bikes since they started the program 12 years ago, according to disc jockey Sandy Rivers of the “JB and Sandy Morning Show.” This year alone, they handed out nearly 1,000 of them to families who couldn’t otherwise afford to give their kids much of a Christmas. Listeners have raised $1.1 million for the program since it began.
“That’s a lot of bikes,” Rivers said. “The community really comes out … especially this year, especially with the economy like it is.”
As of Tuesday, the radio station was $10,000 short of the money it needed to get the bikes. But they reached their goal.
Rivers and J.B. Hager started the program because they felt they had a responsibility to the city to give back. They found a perfect way.
“What was the most important thing when you were a kid? A bike. Our goal the first year was 94 bikes. We did that, and it’s just grown and grown and grown,” Rivers said.
I walked around back, where Kocoa Higgins, 36, was picking up bikes for her three boys, ages 13, 10 and 7. (That’s Kocoa in the photo with her nephew, picking up the bikes.)
“It’s awesome, excellent,” she said. “I had my car repossessed one day and lost my job the next. I was down and out. Thank gosh, they saved me.”
She can’t wait to hand over the bikes to her boys, who weren’t expecting much this year. No doubt they’ll tear down the driveway and revel in that freedom that a new bike brings.
“It’s an excellent program,” Higgins said. “I hope they continue to do it — and one day I’ll give back.”
Thanks, JB and Sandy, for making the holidays special for a whole bunch of Austin kids.
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Mayor throws down Cap 10K challenge
While talking with Mayor Will Wynn the other day, he mentioned that he’s already training for the 2009 Statesman Capitol 10,000.
The race isn’t until March 29, 2009, but Wynn has a serious goal: He’s going to run it faster than he ever has while serving as mayor, and set the bar for future mayors.
Wynn actually ran the race in under 45 minutes a couple of times before his election. But that was long ago.
“So far as mayor, my fastest was two years ago, when I ran a 49 and change,” he says.
His goal? “I want to run my age.” Wynn is 47 years old, so he plans to run the race in under 47 minutes.
He wants you to do the same, suggesting that it’s the equivalent of a golfer shooting his or her age.
And he challenges any future mayor to best him on that. (Brewster, Lee, Carole and Mike, take note!)
Sports were a tradition in Wynn’s family. “I grew up in athletics,” he says. “Every season we were playing a different sport — baseball in summer, football in fall, basketball in winter … It’s what we all did as kids. My parents didn’t push that, but enabled it.”
Wynn ran track at Texas A&M University and has kept up the running ever since. I see him frequently tearing around the hike-and-bike trail around Lady Bird Lake. He typically runs five days a week, before he heads to City Hall.
He ran the marathon two years ago, but suffered a ligament injury that kept him sidelined for months afterward. He’s happy to be running again. (The photo above shows him at the Thundercloud Subs Turkey Trot in 2006.)
He wishes he could run after work, but his schedule won’t allow it. So he sets his alarm for 5:30 a.m. and runs before or after taking his kids to school.
“I live downtown, so it’s a short four or five blocks to the trail and then I run a figure 8 of what otherwise is the MoPac-to-South First Street loop.”
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ZOOMA training kick-off
Quick, get this on your calendar — a training kick-off for the inaugural ZOOMA Austin half marathon and 5K is set for 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8 at Rogue Equipment, 500 San Marcos St.
The ZOOMA, in case you haven’t heard, is a new event, scheduled for April 4 at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa outside of Bastrop. The race is open to men and women, but the target audience is pretty clear: A post-race party with mini spa treatments, a catered brunch, live music and shopping is planned. All half marathon race finishers receive a silver necklace at the finish line.
At the Jan. 8 event, you can learn more about the race’s official charity, LifeWorks. At least $3 of every entry fee will go directly to LifeWorks single mothers’ shelter. Also on tap? Wine, bra fittings, product demos and free giveaways.
Brae Blackley, the founder and executive director of ZOOMA, will talk briefly about the vision behind the national women’s half marathon series, and Kristin Armstrong, a Runners’ World contributor and local runner, will share training tips. Then everyone will go for an easy 3-mile run.
If you want to attend, go here. It’s free, but participants need to RSVP.
Registration for the half-marathon is $75 ($85 after Jan. 4) or $35 for the 5K ($45 after Jan. 4). To register, go to the same website.
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Survey: People think biking is dangerous
Almost 70 percent of people think bicycling is “very dangerous” or “somewhat dangerous,” according to a new study by the University of Texas.
No wonder I see so few people commuting when I ride my bike to work once a week.
Here in Austin, we’re slightly more open to biking that other parts of the state. Cyclists in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio are more worried about vehicle crashes than cyclists in other Texas cities, according to the study, by the Center for Transportation Research and spearheaded by Chandra Bhat, a professor in UT’s Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering. The sample included 1,605 bicyclists, age 18 or older, living in more than 100 Texas cities. About half use their bikes for commuting. The others bicycle only for non-commuting purposes.
Transportation accounts for about one-third of all human-generated greenhouse gas emissions, Bhat says. Within that sector, travel by personal vehicles accounts for nearly two-thirds of those emissions.
Yet only 0.9 percent of all trips in the United States are made by bicycle, and only 0.4 percent are commute trips.
That’s pretty pathetic, considering that many trips taken by car are easily bikeable. According to a 2001 National Household Travel Survey, 41 percent of all trips in 2001 were shorter than two miles and 28 percent were shorter than one mile.
Bhat wants to know why so few trips are taken by bike, and he wants to help develop appropriate and effective strategies to increase bicycling. Through his survey, he found that people who have a more positive perception of the quality of bicycle facilities are more likely to bike to work.
Only about 14 percent of commuter bicyclists say they have bicycle lockers or safe storage rooms at their work place, and 72 percent of commuter bicyclists say they travel on unsigned roadways during their commute.
“The frequency and use of bicycling to work can potentially be increased by having bicycle lockers, bicycle racks and showers at work,” Bhat said.
Two other viable ways to increase bicycling, according to Bhat? Land-use strategies to encourage compact developments to reduce commute distances and education/information campaigns to highlight the benefits of bicycling.
Other survey findings:
- Individuals living in Austin, Bryan and Fort Worth are more satisfied with the quality of bicycle facilities than bicyclists living in the rest of the state.
- Bicyclists prefer no parking on their route, which is logical because parking reduces sight distance. If parking is necessary, they prefer angled parking over parallel parking.
- Men and young bicyclists perceive the bicycle facilities in their community to be better than do women and older bicyclists.
- The commute distance of those who bicycle to work ranges from one-fourth of a mile to 35 miles. The average is about 6.5 miles.
- Bicycling is more common for non-commute reasons than for commuting. Those who bicycle to work tend to be young and environmentally conscious. Also, men are more likely to bike than women, regardless of the purpose of the bicycle trip.
- Fitness and health concerns, followed by leisure, are the most compelling reasons for bicycling.
The Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration sponsored the study. Results may be used to establish planning guidelines for the design of safe and efficient bicycle facilities and environments in Texas and around the country, according to a press release sent by the university.
Bhat and his graduate students, Ipek Sener and Naveen Eluru, will present the research at the National Transportation Research Board Meeting on Jan. 12 in Washington, D.C.
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Austin runner dies during marathon
Sad news in the Austin running family — we lost one of our own at the Dallas White Rock Marathon on Sunday.
Erin Lahr was just three miles from the finish line when she collapsed. She was pronounced dead about 20 minutes later at a nearby hospital. To read more, go here.
Erin, 29, was a newlywed, an experienced runner and, by all accounts, passionate about her sport. She was one of more than 16,000 runners who participated in Sunday’s marathon, where temperatures hovered in the mid-60s.
I am so sad for her family and friends.
Witnesses said she showed no sign of distress until she approached the intersection of Washington and Swiss streets. Then she began to stumble, and someone caught her, according to the Dallas Morning News. She was carried to the curb, answered a few questions, then lost consciousness.
An autopsy is pending.
Erin grew up in Layafette and graduated from Louisiana State University in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering. She later received a master’s degree there.
It’s shocking to hear about a runner dying this way. A lot of us run because it strengthens our cardiovascular systems, keeps us slim, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure and relieves stress. We do it to stay healthy. Besides all that, it’s fun.
But it happens.
According to the American College of Cardiology, the chances of an endurance athlete suffering an acute heart attack or sudden cardiac death during or shortly after an event are about one in 50,000.
The USA Track and Field Road Running Information Center estimates four to six people will die running a marathon each year. (And with the number of people running marathons increasing, that number could increase.) Among the biggest causes? Heart disease, genetic heart defects, hyponatremia or low blood sodium levels, and heat stroke.
For more about the risk, go here.
Erin’s death isn’t the first at the White Rock Marathon. In 1986, a 47-year-old man died after suffering a heart attack.
Anyone who would like to remember Erin is invited to comment here.
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Mountain biking in Waco
Ever eager to have my butt kicked, I drove up to Cameron Park in Waco this week to check out the mountain biking trails I’ve heard so much about.
It’s part of the legwork for a story I’m writing on things to do in Waco (now that we can’t afford to travel to far-flung places.)
I was pleasantly surprised.
Cameron Park has more than 20 miles of mountain biking trails spread across 416 acres of heavily wooded, hilly terrain along the Bosque and Brazos rivers.
I dragged along pal Marcy Stellfox to share in the adventure. We’re not hard-core cyclists. I do ride my bike to work once a week, but the Shoal Creek hike-and-bike trail doesn’t exactly qualify as technical terrain. (Unless you count that patch just up from Lady Bird Lake, where you have to wobble across a streambed and a bunch of gravel.)
We met Park Ranger Kim Jennings, who was decked out in what looked like professional mountain racing garb with a nice Cannondale bike underfoot. Then two of her fellow rangers showed up, ready to tear through the thickets on two knobby wheels.
The trails are mostly single-track. They cut up and down a 100-foot bluff and wind their way through clumps of bamboo (where’s the panda bear?), groves of oaks and cedar, and across hand-made wooden bridges. Gorgeous!
Temperatures were in the 30s, but we were bundled up. As Kim and the other rangers charged ahead, Marcy and I paused (rather frequently) to dismount and walk our bikes up and down some of the sketchy stretches.
A nice thing about Cameron Park is that the trails are all color-coded, just like a ski resort. The easiest trails are marked in green, the intermediate ones are blue, and the expert ones are black.
We stuck mostly to green trails on the way out, cruising through drifting leaves and autumn colors. Then we jumped on a trail called California 65 — a black trail. I got a good workout pumping up inclines, hopping off my bike and walking down the steep and windy parts.
Yahoo! It reminded me a little bit of Walnut Creek Park in Austin, another great place to ride.
The photo above is the aftermath — me wearing red, Marcy in gray.
I’m bringing my husband to Waco to check this place out. He’ll love it, and I want to try a trail called Root Canal.
When you’re done riding, you can stop by the Dr Pepper Museum for a float from the soda fountain. Just rewards!
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Trail of Lights 5K
What other 5K run takes you through a holiday lights display?
For the 15th year, the Trail of Lights 5K will wind through Zilker Park, giving athletes an up-close look at the city’s most excellent explosion of twinkling, multi-colored bulbs, which drip from trees and adorn holiday cut-outs. In all, 180,000 lights make up the display.
The race begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13.
Entry fee, which includes a long-sleeve T-shirt, is $25 for adults and $20 for children 11 and under. Register online at http://www.myraceregistration.com/.
The event is co-sponsored by RunTex and the Austin Parks and Recreation Department.
The 3.2 mile course starts near the Zilker Tree, continues through the south side of Zilker Park, enters the Trail of Lights and finishes back near the Zilker Tree. It’s a fun run — timing chips will not be available. Only registered participants will be allowed access to the trail for the event.
Parking for the race is available in Zilker Park by entering the park from MoPac. The parking lot will close at 5:30 p.m.
Packet pick-up and late registration are from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. today at 1107 Interstate 35, between 11th and 12th Streets on the east side of IH-35. On site packet pick-up and late registration will only be available at the Zilker Park Moonlight Tower from noon to 5:30 p.m. the day of the race.
Awards will be given to the top 50 overall male and female participants.
For more information, contact PARD Athletics Office at 512-445-6003.
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Austin hiking and biking website
Looking for a great resource for all things hiking and biking in Austin? Check out http://www.austinhikeandbike.com, a website developed by local web developer Jonathan Butterworth.
I talked with Butterworth this week. He’s really into biking, whether it’s on trails or roads. He also loves to hike. He created the website as a resource for like-minded people.
“I try to ride my bike more than I drive my car,” he says. All that biking has improved his leg strength and made him a better runner, he says.
The website is packed with trail maps (including the Austin Bicycle Map, City of Austin park trail maps, and maps of greenbelts like Shoal Creek, Barton Creek and Lady Bird Lake), links to local hiking clubs and information about types of bikes and what kind is best for you. There’s even a section on geocaching.
Butterworth wants your input, too. If you’ve got tips or resources to add, email him at austinhikeandbike@gmail.com or click on the contribute link on the website.
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Back on track for the Austin Marathon!
I’m six weeks out from my calf tear, and seriously, I feel good as new!
I ran 9 miles on Saturday, no pain, and 7 more on Monday, with out any after-effects besides tired quads. And that’s just because I haven’t been doing any real running. I’m doing this all under the careful supervision of my physical therapist, Ryan Stukel at Sports Performance International.
(See how happy I look in the picture above, taken during the March Capitol 10,000? I look like that again. That’s running buddy Tony Plohetski with me.)
We’ve built back into it slowly. I’ve done all kinds of calf-strengthening exercises, gotten a new pair of running shoes with serious arch support, dangled over a treadmill in a harness that partially supported me, and done lots and lots of aqua jogging.
Stukel has pressed, prodded and pummeled my muscles with happy abandon.
I’ve stood on one leg and tossed a ball at a mini-trampoline, dragged a towel weighted with canned vegetables across the floor by scrunching my foot, done a kind of hop-scotch that strengthened my leg, and “jumped” on one leg while reclined on a leg press machine. This morning, I pretended I was speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno, slipping cloth bags over my shoes and gliding side-by-side across a slick plastic board.
Last week, I returned to my Rogue Running marathon training group, coached by Cindy Henges. I had to do an adapted workout, on flat ground instead of the hill repeats everyone else was doing, but I was thrilled to be back on the streets.
This week, I get to do the same track workout as the everyone else. In two or three more weeks, I should be back to the group’s regular long-run schedule.
That means I’m still on track to run the Austin Marathon on Feb. 15.
Yay!
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Watch Ironman on TV
NBC will air a 90-minute special this weekend about this year’s Ford Ironman World Championship, which celebrated its 30th anniversary on Oct. 11 in Kona, Hawaii.
We had a good showing of Austin area athletes at the race, a 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run. This year saw one of the highest temperatures ever on the course. Competitors ages 18 to 79 took part in what is considered the world’s greatest endurance event.
Al Trautwig will narrate the program, which will air from 1:30 — 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13 on KXAN.
The show features intense back-and-forth competition among the top professionals, including winners Craig Alexander of Australia and Chrissie Wellington of Great Britain. Also highlighted are a paraplegic who was injured in a motocross accident, a Navy SEAL who has raised more than $300,000 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which pays the college tuition for children of personnel killed in the line of duty, a major league baseball player, and a two-time terminal cancer survivor.
For more information, go to http://ironman.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/30th-anniversary-ford-ironman-world-championship-airs-on-nbc
The following Austin athletes competed in this year’s race:
- Noel Adorno, 44
- Julianne Fiocca, 38
- Lisa Preeg, 43
- Brad Floyd, 37
- Chris Toriggino, 41
- James Bonney, 36
- Patrick Evoe, 31
- Grant Glauser, 23
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World’s fastest half marathon
Imagine running a half marathon in 1 hour, 5 minutes and 28 seconds.
You’d be right up at the front of the pack, right?
In the Ageo City Half Marathon in Japan on Nov. 16, the runner who clocked a 1:05:28 only came in 100th place.
And no, I didn’t toss an extra zero in there.
John Conley, race director of the Austin Marathon, forwarded me an article about the Ageo, the world’s most competitive half marathon. In all, 412 runners ran under 1:10.
Think about that!
“A 1:06:43 was only good enough for 200th place. Running that pace means you can run a 29:59 10K and a 2:20 marathon, according to the McMillan Pace Calculator,” Conley said.
To read the entire article, go here:
http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/deeper-and-deeper-goes-greatest-half.html
By comparison, the 400th finisher at the AT&T Austin Half Marathon on Feb. 17, 2008 ran a 1:41:09.
Why is the Japanese race so fast?
It falls six weeks before the Hakone Ekiden, the country’s most prestigious race. College students are battling for a position on their schools’ teams to compete.
Yuichi Tokuchi won this year’s Ageo, finishing with a personal best time of 1:02:50.
Super fast, yes. But the stats that will really make you feel like a slug are these:
10th place: 1:03:53 25th place: 1:04:20 50th place: 1:04:45 100th place: 1:05:28 200th place: 1:06:43 300th place: 1:08:09 400th place: 1:09:48 500th place: 1:12:59
What do you think?
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Meet Austin triathlete Kelly Handel
I met triathlete and training consultant Kelly Handel at Austin Java last Friday, on her 31st birthday. (Happy birthday Kelly!)
Kelly’s cool. And amazing.
A collegiate swimmer turned triathlete, she spent two years at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs (where she met another running phenom, Derick Williamson, whom she just married in September).
Kelly pecked at a muffin while she explained to me her passion for triathlon.
“One thing I really like about triathlon is that with three different disciplines, everyone has their own strength and weakness, something to improve,” she says. Handel is strongest in the swim and run, and is always working to get better on the bike. She likes the unpredictably of triathlon, where varying courses and outdoor conditions are the name of the game.
“A lot is about perseverance. Many times I’ve gotten off the bike near the back and can run people down,” she says.
She also pointed out an impressive scar on her left forearm. That’s from a cycling accident in Denver in 2005. She went down in a pack of riders, and when she managed to untangle herself, she saw that her arm bones were poking through the skin in two places. Ack!
Three surgeries and a lot of healing later, she got back into racing.
Now she works as a training consultant at Source Endurance, helping athletes reach their potential. She also continues to race. (She snagged eighth place this year in the Austin Marathon, her first marathon.)
Her typical training regimen during triathlon season? Bike four times a week (including long one on Saturday), run three times a week and swim three times a week.
At Source Endurance, she helps test athletes in the company’s lab. Baseline data on an athlete’s lactate threshold (the moment when the body is producing more lactic acid than it can effectively clear) and VO2 max lets her write individualized training programs for the clients she coaches.
“I enjoy working with everyday people, not just elite athletes,” she says. “People over 35, with family and jobs, who have maybe one hour a day. Our job is to help them get the most out of the time they have to train. They have busy lives and we know that.”
“You invest a lot of time, energy and emotion into it,” she says. “ You want to get the most out of it.”
She’s not all about working out, either. Kelly and Derick live in a 100-year-old home in South Austin. She likes to cook, and won’t turn down a good beer or a good margarita, either.
She also writes a blog, which you can see here: http://kellyhandel.blogspot.com/
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Free stuff to give away
I’ve got some brand-new, free books and exercise DVDs to give away — but you have to work to get them. (Don’t worry, not very much.)
The first book is “Shape Up with the Slow Fat Triathlete,” by Jayne Williams. It’s billed as “a fitness guide for the rest of us.” I’ll mail it to the whoever has the best reason for needing the book. Post it here on the blog and keep it short.
The second book is “The New Rules of Lifting for Women,” by Lou Schuler. Whoever posts the funniest (true) gym story here gets it. Again, short and sweet.
Finally, I’ve got a pair of Denise Austin exercise DVDs. Tell me why you need one and the best answer wins a DVD.
Ready, set, go!
Be sure and include which item you want. I’ll post the winners later this week.
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Lance surfing
An Italian newspaper published photos this week of Lance Armstrong surfing.
The seven-time Tour de France champion doesn’t look quite as comfortable on a surf board as he does on a bike.
Check them out here. Surf shots start at number 2:
http://www.gazzetta.it/gallery/Ciclismo/vuoto.shtml?2008/12_Dicembre/armstrong/1&1
Everyone seems to freak out whenever I post about Armstrong, so have at it …
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Don’t wear your bike helmet backward
A few weeks ago, while riding my bike to work, I passed a cyclist going the other direction along Lamar Boulevard. Something looked weird.
As she rolled by, it clicked — she was wearing her bike helmet backward.
Egad!
Just because you’ve got a helmet on your head doesn’t mean it’s doing its job. (I am a proponent of wearing a helmet, by the way. It just makes good sense.)
If the helmet is riding too high, the chin strap is too loose or it’s on backward, forget it. It’ll come off in a crash.
The Bike Helmet Safety Institute has lots of tips on proper helmet fit. For detailed information, go to http://www.bhsi.org/fit.htm.
Here’s a quick check list from the institute to make sure your helmet fits correctly:
- The helmet should be level on the rider’s head.
- The front rim should be barely visible to the rider’s eye
- The Y of the side straps should meet just below the ear
- The chin strap should be snug against the chin so that when the rider opens their mouth very wide the helmet pulls down a little bit.
- Move the helmet side to side and front to back, watching the skin around the rider’s eyebrows. It should move slightly with the helmet. If it does not, the fit pads are probably too thin in front or back, or the helmet may even be too large.
- If there is a rear stabilizer, adjust it until it is snug under the bulge on the rear of the head.
- Have the rider put their palm on the front of the helmet and push up and back. If it moves more than an inch, more fitting is required.
- Have the rider shake their head around. (This can be fun!) If the helmet dislodges, work on the strap adjustments.
- Make sure there are no comfort issues that still need to be addressed.
- Not all helmets fit all heads. Use a different helmet if the one you are trying just will not work.
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I’m off injured reserved
After five weeks on the injured reserve list, I returned to my marathon training group this week.
Yahoo!
Granted, I got to do what I call “the sad sack” version of the group practice. While everyone else ran repeats of a 1-mile hilly loop around the Northwest Hills neighborhood, Rogue Running coach Cindy Henges sent me out on a flat, .75-mile out-and-back course.
With the warm up and cool down, I ran about 4 miles at a leisurely pace.
No pain!
About five weeks ago, I slightly tore a muscle in my calf. I’ve been under the care of an orthopedic surgeon, and reporting for physical therapy about once a week. My physical therapist has ordered me to do a battery of exercises designed to strengthen my feet, legs and calf.
To keep me on track for the Feb. 15 Austin marathon, I’ve been aqua jogging instead of running. (Swimming four times a week also keeps my heart in shape.) A few weeks ago, I graduated to doing “unloaded runs.” That means I dangled over a treadmill in a harness that partially supported me.
Over the holiday weekend, I got to do some short workouts of alternating walking and running. That was a step in the right direction.
But today finally felt real. I’m going to be able to do the marathon after all.
I was on the road, in the early morning darkness, a red blinking light attached to the back of my baseball cap. I glided through the chilly air, reveling in the crunch of asphalt beneath my feet and the sweat building up between my shoulders.
Finally!
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Lunch with swimmer Aaron Peirsol
I had lunch with Olympic swimmer Aaron Peirsol on Monday (at Foodheads on 34th Street, his favorite Austin sandwich shop).
Technically, we were there to talk about his tips for staying fit and motivated in the new year. But we covered lots of ground, from his post-Beijing facial hair to his current break from the swimming pool, to his recent Race for the Oceans fund-raiser and the house he is building in Costa Rica.
Peirsol, who snagged a gold medal in the 100 backstroke and a silver in the 200 backstroke, munched a chicken sandwich while I fired away with questions.
First, that beard. Yes, it’s big. And hairy. And definitely creates drag in the pool. But that doesn’t matter, since Peirsol hasn’t done any serious swimming since Beijing, other than play water polo once a week. Besides, it fits with his laid-back California persona. And it’s kinda cute.
Peirsol expects to start training again in February, but hasn’t thought as far down the road as the 2012 Olympics.
Instead, he’s just enjoying the break, doing a little fly fishing in Montana, playing some tennis (no, he’s not any good, he says), running short distances a few times a week, lifting weights on his back deck and cooking in his remodeled kitchen.
“After the Olympics, we all realized how tired we were,” says Peirsol, 25. “I’m just letting my body recuperate.”
He’s not worried about getting back up to speed after the rest. After the 2004 Olympics he took a similar break. Three months later, he set a world record. Of course, he’s getting older. And while 25 might sound young, Peirsol says he feels different now than he did at his first Olympic games. (Beijing was his third.) “I definitely feel like I’m not 17 anymore,” the 6-foot, 2-inch 200-pound swimmer says.
He did hop back in the ocean on Nov. 8 for his Race for the Oceans open-water swim in Fort Myers, Fla. That event raised about $30,000 for Oceana, a non-profit dedicated to ocean health and preservation. He hopes to make the swim an annual event.
And he’s heading to Costa Rica, where he is building a home, for the holidays.
What’s it like to be Aaron Peirsol?
“I wake up early, go to bed early and live life during the day,” he says. He likes to listen to live music and drink the occasional beer. “And I cook as much as I can. As an athlete, I realize how bad eating out is. By no means am I a health nut, but I am healthy.”
He even debated going vegetarian — but decided he can’t give up meat as long as he’s living in Austin.
It’s the barbecue.
Photos: Aaron Peirsol at work and at play
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Lance Armstrong will race in 2009 Tour de France
It’s official: Lance Armstrong will go for his eighth Tour de France title this summer.
It doesn’t matter what you think of Armstrong, or why you think he decided to enter the Tour again. The Tour de France suddenly got a lot more interesting.
Here in Austin, we can look forward to another July packed with yellow ribbons, Tour de France watching parties and a mini-boom in cycling madness.
Bike stores will cheer the surge in sales Armstrong will no doubt bring. We’ll see more Lycra on our roadways. Those who can afford it will head to Paris in hopes of watching Armstrong cruise home on the Champs-Elysees with a glass of champagne in hand.
Some people love to hate on Armstrong. They love to second guess his every motive. No matter what they think of the man, they’re drawn to the sport’s most incredible success story.
At the moment, Armstrong is in the Canary Islands, training with Team Astana. He told the Associated Press today that he will ride in the 2009 Tour de France. Go here to read the article: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cycling/news/story?id=3737287
I spent the day with Armstrong about five weeks ago, when he went for an 80-mile cruise through the Hill Country surrounding Wimberley. He looked fit and sounded focused. (The photo above was taken that day.)
Clearly, he loves the race. And this time, he’s got more motivation — spreading awareness of his global fight against cancer.
But he’s 37 now. He’s spent the last three years in retirement, although “retirement” for Armstrong included running three marathons and, more recently, racing mountain bikes.
Can his body still take the punishment that the world’s most grueling three-week race will bring? And this year’s route is interesting — the next-to-last day’s stage is a charge up the notorious Mont Ventoux, which Armstrong has called “the hardest climb on the Tour, bar none.”
There’s no guarantee that Armstrong will even be the leader of the Astana team, which also includes 2007 Tour winner Alberto Contador.
We’ll know more on Jan. 20, when Armstrong rolls off in his first elite bike race since he retired — the Tour Down Under in Australia.
I, for one, can’t wait to see how he does.
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I’m in love (with my heart rate monitor)
I think I’m in love with my new heart rate monitor.
It swims with me. It aqua jogs with me. It cycles with me. Soon, when my injured calf muscle is healed, it will run with me.
It’s called the Polar FT60, and it’s sparked a whole new facet of my obsessive/compulsive personality.
At first, I resisted its lure. It was just one more gizmo I’d have to figure out how to use. And all my techno-savvy brain cells were being fried learning how to use my new iPhone (which, by the way, I also love dearly.) Did I really need to know how fast my heart was beating and how many calories I was burning every moment I was exercising?
In a word: Yes!
My Polar FT60 has many parts. First, there’s the watch, a big, kind of ugly pink monstrosity with silver trim and five silver buttons. There’s a stretchy black band that fits snugly around my chest, and a little black computer pod called a WearLink that snaps securely onto it. I’ve also got a GPS unit that attaches to my upper arm, and a separate little tray called the Polar FlowLink that lets me download all the information gathered by my heart rate monitor to my computer.
Polar introduced the FT 60 in September, targeting it to what they call “fitness and cross-training enthusiasts.” That’s me! I especially like it because I can take the heart rate monitor (not the GPS) into the pool with me. I just have to be sure to snap the little computer pod off the chest band when I’m done, so it dries off completely.
It took a while to get over the intimidation of setting it up. Polar should re-edit the user manuals — I cursed more than once trying to figure out the basics. That done, I set up the watch and WearLink to test my current fitness level. (It’s easy; you just lay there quietly and it predicts your VO2max.) My fitness level is already good, so I told the device my goal was to maintain that level. You can also put it in weight loss or improve fitness mode.
It takes a bit of practice to get used to how it works, but now it’s a snap. Before swim practice, I put the chest band and WearLink on under my swimsuit, strap on the watch and press the start button when I hop in the pool. It gives me a constant readout of my heart rate. At the end of the session, it tells me my maximum heart rate and average heart rate. It also breaks down my workout into how much time I spent in each of three intensity levels — light, moderate or hard. You can read more about what each of those levels does at the Polar website.
The GPS unit is handy when I ride my bike. It tells me how far and how fast I’ve gone. And when I start running again, that info will be really useful in my marathon training program.
The whole system takes all the guess work out of my training. I don’t have to estimate how hard I’m working — I can look at the monitor and see.
When each session is done, I press the stop button and the watch stores up all kinds of interesting info, including calories burned. During one particularly tough swim practice last week, for example, I burned 666 calories during a 63-minute practice. My average heart rate was 147; my maximum was 170.
I can set weekly targets, and get guidance on how to improve my fitness, too.
When I get back home, I head straight to the computer to download all the data. That’s easy, too. I just lay the watch on a little tray. A light flickers to let me know it’s working, and just like that, the info is transferred to my computer. I can call it all up by going to a special website at www.PolarPersonalTrainer.com. Besides logging all my exercise sessions, I can look at my long-term progress and chat with other Polar users.
It’s OK if I don’t download each workout right away, too. The watch holds 100 workout files and 16 weekly training summaries that I can scroll through.
My only complaints? Polar should update its graphics. There’s a lot of info there, but it’s not so easy to grasp looking at the webpage. Definitely not very pretty to look at. The GPS sensor is a bit bulky on the arm, too.
Oh, and there’s the cost. The Polar FT60 sells for $239.95. If you buy it with the GPS sensor, it costs a whopping $349.95. The PowerFlow data transfer thing tacks on $54.95.
Not cheap. But for the exercise obsessed, it might be worth it.
I, for one, am hooked.
Anyone else use one?
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