FM Training - 7 Miles - 7AM @ La Avenida St (Shoreline)

Trail info

Date : 6th March 2010, Saturday

Meet at: 7:00AM SHARP

Time and Distance : 7:15 AM to 8:45 AM - 7 miles

Place : La Avenida St @ 37.413060, -122.069220 - Search in google maps.

Running Route : http://www.favoriterun.com/277314

Its a 10 Mile Route but we will do ONLY 7 Miles.

The trail has lot of twist and turns. But ultimately we need to run until the Shoreline Lake and then return back. All runner please zoom the trail map in satellite view and take a close look so you will not get lost.

Start run by: 7:15AM

FM Training - Week 5 (6 Miles) - 7AM @ Gold St, Alviso

Trail info

Date : 27th Feb 2010, Saturday

Time and Distance : 7:15 AM to 8:30 AM - 6 miles

Place : 1922, Gold St, Alviso, CA - Search in google maps.

Running Route : http://www.favoriterun.com/211411

The location where we meet is the parking lot at the intersection of Gold St and Sun Rise Dr when you come from 101-GreatAmerica Parkway. You can click on Street View in google maps to see the actual parking lot.

Meet at: 7:00AM SHARP

Start run by: 7:15AM.

Running Nutrition

People start running for various reasons. For instance, for some people (Raja!), seeing my mail in the inbox could be one :-)

Well.. jokes aside, most of us run to lose weight and/or to keep ourselves in good shape & stamina. In order to keep the body healthy & strong to run, we need to look at its nutritional needs.

Runners need to eat a diet high in carbohydrates, medium in protein and low in fat.

• Carbs are our essential fuel to keep us running. Around 65% of a runner's calorie intake should be carbohydrates.

• Proteins help in muscle repair & growth. 14% of your calories should come from proteins.
• Avoiding high fat foods like fried food, cookies, hot dogs will help you towards your goal. You can notice that you feel fatigued faster if you eat a high fat diet before your run.

So, right before the run, avoid caffeine, fatty foods and high-fiber foods that are hard for digesting. If you'd like instant energy before a run, have a granola bar or a banana. These are excellent pre-run energizers.

The following are the examples of food groups that help runners:

Reduce exercise induced muscle damage: Almonds, Broccoli, Spinach

Anti-inflammatory: Ginger

Protein: Lentils, Beans, Chicken, Tofu

Muscle Fuel: Bagel, Pasta, Banana, Brown rice, Pretzel, Yogurt, Oatmeal

Healthy heart: Dark Chocolate, Flax, Peanut butter, Raisins, Salmon, Sweet Red Pepper, Whole grain bread/Cereal,

Others: Kiwi, Milk, Orange, Berries, Sweet potato

The following link gives some insight into runner's nutrition.
http://www.marathonguide.com/training/articles/Nutrition.cfm

Last but the most important thing is : WATER
Drink lots of water to keep yourself well hydrated before, during & after your runs.

FM Training - Week 4 - 20 Feb, 2010

Trail info

We have to temporarily say bye to our favorite ranch trail because it has only 4 miles. Starting this week, we are changing our location to 1922, Gold St, Alviso, CA.

Date: 20th Feb 2010, Saturday

Time and Distance : 7:15 AM to 8:30 AM - 5 miles

Place: 1922, Gold St, Alviso, CA - Search in google maps.

Running route: http://www.favoriterun.com/211411

The location where we meet is the parking lot at the intersection of Gold St and Sun Rise Dr when you come from 101-GreatAmerica Parkway. You can click on Street View in google maps to see the actual parking lot.

Meet at: 7:00AM SHARP

Start run by: 7:15AM.

Enjoy the pictures here. Thanks Ashok.

FM Training - Week 1 to 3

Trail Info

Date: 30th Jan'10, Saturday, 06 Feb'10, Saturday and 13 Feb'10, Saturday
Time and Distance : 7:15 AM to 7:45 AM - 2 miles, 3 miles and 4 miles
Place: "Ranch Dr @37.426002, -121.924690" - Search in google maps. This is where we will start and finish.
Running route: http://www.favoriterun.com/264378
Parking: There are about 10 parking spots near the trail. More parking available on the other side of Ranch Drive.

Let us all be there at 7:00AM SHARP and start the run by 7:15AM. Warming up before the run is very important to avoid running related injuries. So, please be there on time.

Do remember to bring your bottle of water to keep yourself hydrated.

Click the photos to see the photos from 1, 2 and 3.

Week1 - Photos

Week2 - Photos

Week3 - Photos

Have Fun

Blast from the past !

TEAM Run started the first HM training in April, 2008. Here are the first seven runners who started the first training at Ranch Dr @ McCarthy. This is the same place where we started 2009 HM training and 2010 FM training.

Jana proposed the weekly run at that time. Otherwise we would not have had weekly run. Although we are missing him for the moment, I hope he will join the run sometime soon.

Photo taken during 1st HM training - April, 2008
(from left) Jana, Sudhakar, Karthi, Karthik S, Uma, Subha and Pandi

You can see all the pictures from the past two years here or click the above photo.

Enjoy the moments from the Past.

FM Schedule

X Train - Cross Training:

Cross training is needed in many ways like strengthening your muscles, to give a break from continuous run, avoid any over use injury, improve your cardio etc and help yourself keep in shape. Below are some recommended cross training exercises.

- Cycling

- Elliptical Machine

- Swimming

- Run in the Water

- Rollerblading

Note: Any sport involving sideway movement like Tennis or Basketball is not recommended during the marathon training because the risk of ijury is greater in these sports.

For more information please click here

Farltek:

This is an unstructured running program where you introduce different speeds during your run.

Caution: This is to improve your speed and endurance during the marathon run. Please don't over do (run really faster than you can) and get injured. Do with caution and within your limits.

For more information please click here

Strengthening Exercises for Runners - by Sudhakar

I know most of us goto gym, just run for 30 minutes, burn some calories and come back. Though this is not 100% recommended it may be ok and might not give any adverse effect or issues with your knee, ankle etc, if you are running for 30 or 45 minutes. But being a Marathon runner is totally different.

You just cannot follow the same style. You can, but you might end up with a knee, ankle, hip etc pain/injury. Like how the warmup/cool down, proper shoes etc critical, it is VERY VERY critical that you do strengthening exercises along with your runs atleast 2 or 3 times a week. To run longer distance obviously you need stamina and also strong legs, core etc.

Just came across this video for strengthening the core which helps improve the posture, efficiency and overall performance. Also note that they recommend doing this after the run or on non-workout days.

Please note that to do most of these exercises you DO NOT need to goto gym. You can just do it in your cube or at home watching TV :)

Please find below few strengthening videos. If you find even better strengthening exercises please share in this group so everyone can get benefited.

Leg Strengthening Exercises:
youtube video leg workout link1
youtube video leg workout link2

Core strengthening Exercises:
youtube video core workout link1
youtube video core workout link2

A short write from web:
As a marathon runner your running workouts have to be well structured, but so do your strength training workouts. As an athlete you must always strive to enhance your body's performance in every way possible irregardless of the type of sport you are preparing for. In other words, even though you are a distance runner this doesn't mean that you shouldn't work on building your strength as much as possible. Strength, speed, and power are all still important traits to have even for marathon runners.

As a strength and conditioning professional I can tell you that if you are looking to be a dominant force within your sport you must advance your level of fitness. You see the key to fitness goes beyond just being able to perform a single task well, but rather being able to perform that physical task well over and over again. This is the key to being truly fit. Your marathon running training program should be no different. As you organize your strength training workouts for your running program you need to make sure to include lifts and exercises that incorporate whole body movements.

When you engage in whole body movements or multi-joint lifts such as Olympic cleans, kettlebell swings, and plyometrics you inject your body's bloodstream with a ton of growth hormone causing you to rapidly build a high level of fitness and strength. By doing this you prepare your body better for the physical run that lies ahead. This is why the strength program is such a vital element within the scope of your running training program. By strengthening your body for both muscular power and muscular endurance you are less likely to cramp, sustain muscle fatigue, or most importantly an injury. By incorporating a well structured strength and conditioning program you enhance your marathon running performance in every way. You will be able to run faster, longer, and with a better recovery time. Strength training equals distance my friend!

If you haven't taken the time to incorporate more of the strength element into your current marathon running program then you are only hurting yourself. Take the time to learn more about the secrets to strength by accessing my articles on kettlebell and other means of training for free. Remember that most anyone can train hard, but only champions train smart my friend!

Warm Up and Cool down - Write up by Sudhakar

I know many of us (even me initially) don't like doing warm up before starting our run and cool down at the end. May be we think its not needed, waste of time or even boring. But it is very essential to do both to avoid any injuries like muscle spasm, ligament tear, or fainting or dizziness etc because of the run. Unless we understand the importance of both we don't do it. So this email is aimed at creating the awareness and making you understand the importance of both so you will continue doing it at each and every run.

Why Warm Up?
Basically our body will not be prepared for the a vigorous run. Warm up helps the body and mind get prepared for the strenuous run.

* Warm Up relieves the muscle stiffness and avoids any muscle injury that can happen because of sudden run. (Dynamic Stretches)
* Increases the body temperature and prepare the body for longer run
* Increased blood flow
* Allows heart rate to a workable rate
* Mentally focussed on the run

Simple Warmup Video

Why Cool Down?
DONOT come to a sudden stop after a long run.
DONOT sit with your knees bent immediately after the run.
DONOT sit down, collapse or lay down immediately after a long run.
DONOT make sudden jump or anything that gives pressure on your knee or ankle after a long run.
ALWAYS slow down gradually from the running speed to jogging, then walk and then slowly come to stop when heart rate becomes normal. After stop do some mild relaxing stretches. DO NOT over stretch yourself during cool down. After the run all your muscles will be sour so you have to treat me easy even during the stretches.

* Reduces dizziness or fainting caused because of exhaustive run
* Reduces body temperature and prepares for rest
* Reduces the heart rate to return to resting rate
* Removes waste products from the working muscles
* Helps muscle to relax
* Realign muscle fibres for normal range of movement

Simple Cool Down Video

What can happen without warm up or cool down?

* Ligament tear
* Muscle spasm
* Knee/Ankle Injury/Pain/Sprain
* Dizziness/Faint/Vomiting

So I strongly encourage everyone to do warm-up and cool down stretches, always. This is as important as running. Our runners in the past experienced discomfort due to lack of stretches after the long run. We do not want to repeat those incidents. Irrespective of the number of miles you plan to run (either 2 or 20 miles) please, please do some stretches and then start. Like wise please do some cool down stretches at the end.

Happy Warm Up and Cool Down Dear Runners!!

And some fun as well: fun video from youtube

Buy running clothes and socks

Most of you might know this already, but I would like to re-iterate this: "Prevention is better".

Let me start by saying "cotton" is bad for running. When there is more "sweat", cotton makes it worse. This is true for "socks" as well.
In order to avoid chaffing, blisters, etc, I strongly urge everyone to go "synthetic", running t-shirts and shorts/pants for running. Running t-shirts, socks doesn't mean you are protected from blisters, chaffing, etc, but it definitely helps. We will discuss more about the discomforts and solutions in the coming weeks.

For the socks, I personally prefer "smartwool". You should be able to find the running t-shirts/shorts, socks, etc in any sports store.

Reading the following note will give you more insights about why Synthetic is better.

Cotton vs Synthetic
Have you ever tried to buy a cotton running shirt from your local running store? Have you ever seen the people in the Olympics, or the winner of the Boston Marathon running in a cotton T. Guess what? You won't. Ever! It's all about performance.

Here are the simple rules about synthetics and cottons. A fabric's breathability is measured by how much cubic feet of air flows through that fabric in one minute. It is measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm). A garbage bag has a breathability rating of 0 cfm. A cotton T-shirt has a breathability rating of 30 cfm. A synthetic T-shirt has a breathability rating of 150 cfm. The end result is that your body is allowed to breath, which means it can sweat efficiently which allows your body's core temperature to stay down.

Synthetic materials are designed to move moisture away from your skin, channeling the moisture to a greater area of surface, so that evaporation can occur more rapidly. Believe it or not, wearing a synthetic shirt will actually keep you cooler than wearing no shirt at all.

Ref: rockcreek link