August 2 Newsletter

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK—Hey runner-hit a plateau?  Try the bike-speed work and hills seriously help your running.  Swimming is great relief on the joints and is a great upper body and cardio workout.  SO MIX IT UP!!

TEAM RECOGNITION—Ok racers I know you are out there-send me some results!!  Coach Mike PR’d this weekend with a 5K finish time of 18m:23s.  That is FAST Mike!! Coach Sandy placed 2^nd in age group in Plattsmouth Tri.  Coaches in training!!!  Keep it up!! J

 TIP OF THE WEEK –Sore No More

First, let’s take a look at why soreness occurs following exercise. When muscles face resistance—such as during weightlifting, running or any other activity in which your body works against some type of force—they develop microscopic tears that can cause pain. The good news is that once your body is used to a specific activity, doing it shouldn’t cause soreness unless you increase your intensity. 

One way to avoid muscle pain and tenderness is to decrease how much your muscles tear during exercise. You can do that by stretching before and after your activity to lengthen the muscles so that they are less likely to tear. Or, you can loosen up your muscles and relax at the same time, with regular massage.

  Massage therapy increases blood circulation, allowing for longer periods of endurance, an increased amount of oxygen to be delivered to the muscles and more toxins to be carried away from them. Massage also helps increase flexibility and range of motion, and helps improve muscle and joint strength, making you less likely to injure yourself during exercise.

After the Fact

If you forgot to stretch or skipped your massage last time you worked out and now you’re sore, don’t worry. Try these three tips from the American College of Sports Medicine to ease the pain:

Get heated—or cooled. Apply a heating pad or submerge the area in warm water to help ease the pain as can applying ice or a cold compress. Creams and balms designed for sore muscles may also provide temporary relief.

Try medication. Nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs and ibuprofen can be effective in relieving pain.

Take it easy. Rest is often all your muscles need to heal themselves. Avoid strenuous activities for a few days. But don’t take it too easy. Avoiding all activity can have the opposite effect. Light exercise is best while your muscles recover to avoid stiffness.

RUNNING TRIVIA OR HISTORY— Want to mix it up?  Try running on a beach.  But wait, there’s more.  Take off your running shoes to do it.  Running on the beach sans shoes is an excellent workout and will be a great asset to your training regimen.  Bear in mind your pace/heartrate will be challenged so this is advised only if you’ve been running awhile.  Keep an eye out for broken shells, glass, fishing tackle- they can do a number on your feet.  Nike does sell a footglove if you so desire more gear.  This will simulate shoeless running without the risk of injury by sharp.  One of the amazing things you will find about this is the discovery of the amount of work our running shoes do for us.  They do the lionshare!!  That explains why they cost so much eh?  You will immediately notice in the toe muscles, Achilles and calves.  Of course if you have knee issues this is not advisable.  Running on the waters edge is hard on the knees (due to the slope) so make sure you do an out and back to balance both knees.  Oh and don’t forget to dive in the water for your cooldown!! J

 WEEKLY RUNS/LEADERS-

*******NEW*******Monday 6pm meet at LF lobby—any volunteers to lead this as a captain?

Wednesday: 6pm with Coach Will

Saturday: LSD Coach Liz

 Coaches Corner: More Cross Training–Rock Wall Style this time!! 6pm Tuesday, August 12.  Please come– they have staffed up for us!!  It will be great teambuilding.  Roja after!!