The Run Portland Run 5k, 10k & 1/2 Marathon is this weekend. Below is the race preview written by Kelly Johnson on here running blog wwww.oregonlive.com/running

The BAC Elite men will be bring a 5 man team to compete in the 1/2 Marathon, it would be great to see a lot of BAC jerseys on the road this Sunday morning in downtown Portland!

See you there!

 -- Jonathan Marcus

Preview: 2009 Run Portland Run Half Marathon, 10k and 5k

Posted by Kelly Johnson

This Sunday is the Run Portland Run Half Marathon, 10k and 5k. This is the event's first year, so it is still a growing event (there are currently about 400 participants registered), but they've lined up something unique for the winners: prize money.

When: Sunday, September 6th
Where: Downtown Portland, at SW Stark and Naito
What time: Races start at 7a

Register: Online here for the Half Marathon ($60), the 10k ($35) and the 5k ($30). DOR the price goes up $5 for each race.

Run Portland Run is part of a national race series, Run America Run. They have selected the Oregon Food Bank as their local beneficiary, so a portion of your entry fee will go to support the organization that provides food to a growing number of families in our community. In choosing the cities for their Run America Run series, organizers looked at which cities were the healthiest, the most "green," and the fastest growing. Along with Austin, Tex., Portland was right up there in terms of percentage of the population that runs. So it was a natural fit!

The course is an out-and-back, which wasn't the organizers' first choice ... but they really wanted to host a Run America Run event in Portland this year. Next year the route will be a loop and include more Portland landmarks.

The route starts on Naito between SW Oak and SW Stark. Runners will run over a flat, fast half marathon course before heading up and over the Willamette via the Broadway Bridge. Mile two will put the runners going north on Interstate. The 3 mile mark is on Greeley (near adidas), and yes, it's going up hill. Two miles later, at Mile 5, the course flattens out and stays that way until the turnaround at Portsmouth Ave.

Then it's back to Greeley and Interstate, over the Broadway Bridge, and all the while downhill. The last four to five miles are all a descent, so you'll be able to make up some time from your conservative start.

All participants will get a tech shirt from New Balance, post-race food and beer for those of legal age (with valid ID!), and for the half-marathoners, a finishers medal. Age group prizes will be awarded for each race, as well as certificates of accomplishment.

So if you are looking for a local race for Sunday ... this is the one for you!

The race also needs more volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering, email race organizers. Note: volunteering means you'll also get to watch a great race!

It's gonna be dashing and daring and all-around spectacular. Critics
have gone as far as to call this event the best thing since bread torn
into small edible pieces... so basically, its gonna be fresh.

The grill will be flaming with tasty steaks, chicken, ribs, countless
amounts of food, beer, etc.) and taking great advantage of the
basketball court, hot tub, bags, and incredible awesomeness that is
called the McNeill Estate... Deliciously fantastic.

Generally speaking, Scapoozapalooza will begin Saturday afternoon (August 29th), hammer on until Sunday morning, and finalize with 18 to 20 glorious miles.  For members taking part in the Hood To Coast Relay, you are more than encouraged to join after the relay finishes.  For directions, follow this link:

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If you have any questions, contact Dave at David.Lyons@kone.com.

The drive just isn’t there, the motivation to train. That’s the weird thing, I love running, I love racing, I want to keep doing it, I just don’t want to train. They are two totally different things altogether, running and training (yeah, got that from “Once a Runner”). Different mental states, different sacrifices, different sensation of fulfillment… different sensation of pain, training hurts. Right now everything hurts. I just want to stop and rest… but I don’t.

I went through a similar transition right after college. That time I was actually so jaded by running it took a whole year to start running again and two years until I missed it enough to start racing again. That’s a whole other story for a whole other blog. The moral of the story is that I’ve been here before, I did what I needed to do or what my body told me I had to do, and I came through on the other end at another level of running than what I went in at.

Training for the trials last year was hell on my body, as it is for anyone. But I had such a great summer planned that I neglected taking that much needed rest. I ran a ton but it was fun, it wasn’t training. Three and four hour runs in the mountains, running camps, stage races, mountain races, and ultras, oh my! It was one of those rare amazing summers that make much of what comes after a disappointment. It was awesome. Anyway, lately I’ve started to pay for it. October was pretty rough, my feet have PF and some other tendonitis, I was getting dull nerve pain in my glute and hip area pretty bad, and mentally I was pretty worn down.  A great ART (Active Release Techniques) specialist salvaged that part of the year by healing me with miraculous hands (actually I think he has tendonitis in his arm now from working on me, but hey, I’m feeling better). But now that feeling of fatigue is creeping back in, my body is calling for a reprieve. With my site set on XC this year and making the world team I put my head down and dug in to get through the winter. Almost like an experiment, I’ve been training pretty hard but doing the minimum amount I felt like I could get away with but still enough to make the Team. Come to find out I was pretty close, a little too close since I was the last one selected and needed someone else to opt out of the trip to Jordan. By the way, thanks Tim.  The fine line I was sitting on didn’t have a lot to do with my fitness though either, as I do believe I’m in better shape than my races have shown, but mostly my state of mind toward training and racing. It just isn’t there. That fire. The will to hang on to someone during a race way past your comfort zone. Not there at all. If a runner relies on their fitness their whole career they’ll never have a name worth remembering. Anyone reading this knows, running’s a mental game.

It’s been four years since I’ve taken more than five consecutive days off from training. So now I’ve got 6 weeks and a couple races to go, then I’m taking a break. Worlds, American River 50 miler, and my hometown favorite the Pear Blossom 10 miler.  In the meantime, I’m looking forward to the break and the races, hoping to regain some of that youthful exuberance toward racing these last few competitions by approaching them as what they should be and will be…fun.

This is the time of year that endurance athletes must make some changes in their routines to adapt to the rising mercury. Whether planned races or recreational runs have you set to put in your miles under the sun, keep a few concepts in mind to ensure a safe and successful experience.

Keep it covered - wearing highly breathable light colored clothing, including hats will keep direct sunlight off you while enhancing the conductive cooling effects of your sweat by transporting that perspiration out to the atmosphere where it can cool you.

Nutrition and Hydration – It’s assumed that you enter each training session and race in excellent nutritional standing. This means being fully hydrated with proper electrolyte balance. For further reading on this topic consult ‘Endurance Sports Nutrition’ from Human Kinetics.

Enhancing atmospheric cooling – One of the main methods of cooling the body is through the evaporation of moisture from the skin. To get a head start on this process begin by wetting your head and neck before a hot run and ‘refreshing’ yourself at each aid station to keep the cooling process going.

Practice Makes Perfect- After proper nutrition there is nothing as important as practicing for the conditions you will be encountering on race day. This can be done simply by selecting the part of the day that will have similar temperature and humidity to your event. For those traveling for races in climates significantly more warm and particularly humid you may have to get creative. Adding layers during runs is one way to challenge the body to accelerate it’s internal cooling mechanisms. For those who expect exceptionally humid conditions on race day and live in arid climates, visiting a sauna for some riding on an exercise bike has been done by elite athletes in preparation for goal races in hot humid climates with success.

Remember to use common sense when training and racing in the heat. If you ever experience the sensation of becoming chilled and covered with goose flesh while in summer conditions stop and seek medical attention. With respect for the heat and humidity and some specific training you can have success even in the warmest of conditions.

How to take resting heart rate: To take a resting heart rate count your pulse on your wrist or neck for 15 seconds and multiple by 4. Do this before rising at the same time each morning. If unfeasible to do before rising in the morning lie down at the same time each day and relax for 20 minutes. At the end of this rest period take the pulse rate on a 15 second count. Document this value in your training log each day.

Why is this useful: In addition to enjoying the reinforcement that your fitness is improving by observing a lower resting heart rate from your regular running the consistent record keeping of your resting heart rate is important for your training and your coach in 2 ways.

1. A resting heart rate 5 or more beats above normal is an early indication of overtraining, stress or impending illness. By catching the symptoms early you or your coach can modify training as needed to alleviate larger problems resulting in more time away from running.

    

2. Along with an accurate maximum heart rate, resting heart rate can be utilized to develop heart rate training zones specific for your current level of fitness. To use your resting heart rate to accurately hit a goal heart rate zone follow these steps

    

   1. Maximum heart rate – Resting heart rate = Heart rate reserve

       

   2. Heart rate reserve x Goal exercise intensity (%) =% of heart rate reserve

       

   3. % of heart rate reserve + resting heart rate= Goal heart rate for workout

      Employing heart rate training zones that utilize a known resting heart rate along with an accurate maximum heart rate will ensure you are training at the proper intensities for your current level of fitness. Training intensities that do not take into account your resting heart rate will be significantly less accurate.

If you do not know your maximum heart rate I recommend the following equation. HR max = 205.8 - (0.685 * age).

Although no equation will accurately predict your maximum heart rate, this equation was shown to have the lowest range of error (+/- 6.4 beats per minute) when evaluated against 43 other calculations for maximum heart rate. [i]

Using heart rate to monitor exercise intensity is most useful at the lower running intensities and should be used in conjunction with your corresponding training paces. My future articles will address ways to calculate maximum heart rate and use heart rate training zones most effectively.

Regularly monitoring resting heart rate is a simple and effective way to prevent overtraining. By ensuring enough recovery between workouts you will be less likely to become injured or chronically fatigued because of your training load and life stresses.

[i] Robergs and Landwehr. The Surprising History of the “HRmax=220-age” Equation. Journal of Exercise Physiology online . 2002; 5:1-10

Since breathing is the means we use to transfer oxygen to all of our body's systems, saying it's "important" is quite an understatement. Improving your breathing mechanics while running is a skill that should be valued by beginners and experienced runners alike. The concept of proper breathing while running is straightforward, but requires practice on a daily basis to become second nature. The best breathing technique during running is to breath from the diaphragm. Some call this yoga breathing or belly breathing . By breathing from the diaphragm, a runner will take deeper breaths, preventing the shallow breathing in the chest that can lead to side stitches.

In addition to preventing side stitches, breathing from the diaphragm is likely to improve performance through a variety of factors. The most obvious advantage to this breathing strategy is the greater volume of oxygen taken in with each respiration, in comparison to shallow chest breathing. Other benefits may include the postural advantages gained by breathing from the belly that will likely improve the stabilization of the spine by engaging its support muscles. To practice the proper breathing technique in running, begin with an exercise at home. Lie on your back and place a large book on your stomach, centered over your belly button. Attempt to raise and lower the book in a consistently gradual manner through fluid breathing. Try to push the book up with each inhale and gradually lower it on the exhale. During training runs, work on spending a portion of the run using this technique in the most natural manner possible. Tim Noakes, in his book “Lore of Running,” explains that this may take up to two months to perfect. Breathing is seldom considered a trainable factor in your running, but I challenge you to work on developing breathing from the diaphragm. In future articles, we will discuss other forms of respiratory training.

Contrast bathing is one such therapy that can be added to your training regimen. The concept of contrast bathing is straightforward; by submerging your legs in a bath of warm water followed by a bath of cold water, blood flow is improved in the legs. The increased circulation will speed up the rate at which metabolites produced during runs are removed from the muscles. Research has found subjects who have engaged in contrast bathing therapies after intense bouts of sub-maximal running have reduced lactate concentrations in the blood and an increased perception of recovery [1]

To make contrast bathing part of your post run ritual follow the guidelines set forth in the research study:

- Prepare 2 baths; one should consist of warm water (105-110 ° ) and the other of cold water (50 ° ). Make the baths large enough to submerge your legs up to your waist.

- Spend 2 minutes in your warm bath, followed immediately by 60 seconds in your cold bath. Repeat this for 10-15 minutes.

If you don’t have the facilities to prepare two baths that can accommodate your entire lower body, then use your shower instead. Begin with 2 minutes of warm shower focusing the head on your legs, followed by a chilling 60 seconds of cold water on the leg. Continue this for 10-15 minutes.

Have your contrast bathing routine follow your foam roller stretching routine for maximum benefit. If time and facilities permit contrast bathing may be done on a daily basis.

The day after your contrast bath routine should leave you feeling with a bit more bounce to your stride. You will also gain pleasure in knowing you have added another element of ‘threshold’ training with your repeated exposure to icy cold water, perhaps just the thing to get a leg up on your competition. 

[1] Effect of recovery modality on 4-hour repeated treadmill running performance and changes in physiological variables.

V Coffey ¹ , et al. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport McArdle,W.A., et al(1991): Exercise Physiology-energy, nutrition and human performance. Lea & Febiger.