I know you’re out there. I’ve seen you. You’ve been walking and running around Lake Lanier…A LOT! You’ve been with a group of friends or just maybe one buddy or in your own zone with your music pumping in your ear. You’ve been hoofing it around Lakeshore Drive w/ your kids or dogs in tow.

You’ve been sweaty and determined.

And you’ve obviously been training for the big day.

While I’m out there myself, trying to reconquer this terrain after taking 3 months off, you’ve reinspired me and made me smile. Thanks for that. We could all use a little inspiration to get us through these grueling sticky months of summer.

See you at the finish….

Scarlette

Grunt Hill

You now have 15 weeks of training left before the “Ache” in September. On average you are going to be running or run/walking 3-4 times a week so this leaves you with somewhere between 45-60 training sessions - just think of all those miles you will be able to log in. YES, you are going to log them in your training journal. That can be something as simple as a piece of paper you keep near the door or as complex as an online journal that keeps track of all your miles, heart rate zones and times. Write it down and make yourself accountable!

Now I can already hear you thinking…”oh no, I have to run 45 times on my same 4 mile route. I am going to go insane!” Here is the beauty of training for a race - variety.

Here is the way week 1 should look:

Day 1 - Easy 30 min jog. If 30 min is way too much then 20 min. If you need to jog 30 seconds and then walk 30 seconds for the entire thing that is ok. If you are planning on only walking then alternate 30 seconds of hard walking with 30 seconds of easy walking. You are going to need a watch for this - actually you are always going to need a watch so invest!

Day 2 - It is best if you can take a day of rest inbetween. Today you are going to find a good long hill. Walk/jog 5-10 min to get your muscles warm and then walk/jog up-hill for at least 30-45 seconds. Use your arms and lean forward and get up on your toes. Now, you did it! You should walk back down to the bottom and do it again. These are called hill repeats, they will make you strong. Do be careful running down the hill if you have problems with your knees. Also note that the hill does not have to be very steep for you to get the benefit.

Day 3 - Long Slow Distance (LSD)- Today is the day that you go further and easier than you have on the otehr days. Depending on your fitness level this should be anywhere from 45-60 min. For the first few weeks those of you planning on running might end up walking more of this than running. That is ok, you have to start somewhere.

Questions or comments are welcome.

 Katie

If you’ve stepped outside your door in recent days here in the Southeast, you’ve quickly left spring and jumped straight into the sweltering dog days of summer. You can barely amble to your hot car, so forget about walking or running outside the confines of a treadmill and an amped up AC unit.

But the hilly five miles of Ache Around the Lake are awaiting you in September. And to get to race day, you MUST conquer the heat and humidity.

I know how tough it can be to tackle a brand new training program, make some headway, and then boom - the heat blasts in and you feel like you’re back to square one in terms of endurance. But don’t get discouraged - there is a secret weapon:  acclimatization! 

Acclimatization to heat takes about 10 days to 2 weeks of gradual and moderate training in hot weather. It makes sense that you can’t do your comfy workouts at the gym at 68 degrees and then try to hoof it around the lake at a temp of 82 degrees w/ 90% humidity. It ain’t gonna happen. In fact, you could set yourself up for some serious risks of heat stroke.

Start this weekend and just take your normal mileage and pacing down a few notches and be sure you are HYDRATED BEFORE you hit the road.  Even take a sports drink w/ you if you will do more than 4 or 5 miles.  Try to get in 3 workouts/week…outside either early morning or late evening…and just let your system get used to functioning more efficiently in the heat and humidity.

I remember a couple of years ago when Katie was training me for my first race, which happened to be the Ache. I had been running since February and doing okay in terms of making it around the lake, running the whole way. But I’d been sneaking away to the treadmill at the gym as the thermometer started going up in late spring. Katie and I met at the Tea House about 10 am on a June morning. It was probably already about 78 degrees and the humidity was full-on!  I thought I was going to die!!! Here I was trying to show off my beginner running chops to an accomplished athlete and I was about to pass out every mile or so. By the end of the run (which technically mutated to a sluggish walk), Katie figured out I wasn’t acclimatized. Ah, I had no idea! New to this whole new world of endurance sports, this was a real revelation.

So don’t let this heat wave–and the ones sure to come all summer long–get you down. Slowly build up and in a couple of weeks you’ll be back on track and then some.

Stay Cool…

Scarlette

Now is the time. If you’ve toyed with the idea of morphing from a leisure walker to power walker or even a runner, do it now. Spring is a terrific time to get you on the asphalt, especially around gorgeous little Lake Lanier.

I’ve been absent from this blog because I’ve been absent from running. I hurt my hip flexor (or psoas to be technical about which muscle) at the GYM (vs. running) a few weeks ago and have been doing a little PT in the last few weeks. However, last Thursday morning, I was driving around the lake on my way home around 9:30 am. I saw 2 butterflies flittering past my windshield. The lavender wisteria nestled in with budding azaleas and wild dogwoods everywhere sent me into a tizzy! I couldn’t it take it anymore. Injury, schminjury - I was going for a run even if it was just a hobble.

So I went three miles slowly and inhaled as much pollen as I could! It was great.

My point to you is that NOW is the time to get out wherever you are. If you are in the Southeast, you are experiencing what we are up here. If you are a committed walker, get out there and walk. If you are wanting to take a dip on the wild side and run a little, get a good 15 minute warm-up w/ a good power walk, then run for 5 minutes if you can. Then walk 5-10, run 5 again. And so on. It really is that simple. That’s how I started.

After my first c-section, I had to get out and do something — for my physical health, but also for the mental! I started out walking just like that, and added a little jog, then kept doing that as much as I could. Before long, the running portion of the workout got longer and longer. I was running a whole MILE and not keeling over with side stitches (those sharp pains in your side). It really does start like that.

So use the excuse of the beauty of spring to get out and start your training for this year’s Ache in September. You’ll be glad you enjoyed these few weeks of milder weather and lots of color before the heat and humidity hit!

Happy Trails—

Scarlette

People ask me all the time how they can start a running or a walking program. How much will it cost, what clothing will they need, where can they go, where are the flat roads? There is so much to think about. Is it safe to walk alone? My answers to all of these questions are to keep it simple and realistic. If you want to get in shape. Get up RIGHT NOW and leave your computer, TV and sofa behind. Walk out your door - yes, get OUTSIDE, and walk down your street for 5 min and then turn around and walk home. It really is that simple to start a training program. The catch is you have to do it often, maybe 3 times a week to start and then work up to 5x a week. Once you can walk 10-15 min 5 days a week it is time to increase the distance. No one will do it for you, nothing will make it easier and no place is more beautiful and accommodating for this adventure than this area where we live. Try it…right now! Take a friend or your dog but get out there and start today!

If you have questions I will answer them here on this blog so that we can all learn, walk, run and grow together.

doesn’t always win the race, but that mantra has helped me finish the race.  I’m a pretty slow runner in runner terms. But I rarely walk and I keep my heart rate in its zone. Depending on the mileage and the terrain, on a good race day I can  run a 9:15 to 9:30 minute mile. That is huge for me.  Let me explain.

I was the quintessential non-athlete as a child. Ducking from wiffle balls. Getting picked last for kickball. You get the picture. So, now, after having two boys (and c-sections!) and being 37, I’ve discovered that I had in me something I never knew:  athletic confidence.  Now I’m not talking about Marion Jones (with or without the ‘roids) confidence, I’m talking about basic mind-over-body. Telling myself that I CAN do it. ANYbody can do anything.  The running world is full of amazing stories of perserverance and the human spirit.

But something I did learn from childhood endeavors (aside from being a kickball outcast) was that practice can make perfect (or what I call personal perfect). Practice and knowledge are key in taking on something like your first ever road race.  While running may seem simple at first — you put one foot in front of the other — there’s a lot more to it as I learned from coach Katie Malone.  She and I will share these basics on our dual blog and hope that you get The Ache on your race calendar for September 2008. 

Please check back soon for a more meaty entry to get you on a training regimen for Spring.

–The Tortoise

 PS - to learn more about the race or register, please visit www.achearoundthelake.org.