This Week's Running + 10K INFO...

Okay, a couple of quick reminders/announcements, then this week’s running schedule!

First, if you are running in Monday’s (Labor Day) 10K, now is the time to register – click here for online…or here for the print mail in option.

Second, we’ll be meeting by 8:10am on Monday near the registration tables (last year this was in the covered picnic area) to get your bibs and warm up. Those who want/need to jog as a warm up can come a bit earlier.

Third, we’ll be meeting as a group after the 10K to celebrate your success with brunch at the National Exemplar! We have a reserved table for 10:15am.

I’ll be out of town starting on Wednesday, but will be back just in time for the 10K. If you have any questions or need to talk, etc, please email Leah at leah@healthstylefitness.com or call her at 513-407-4665, ext 114.

Okay, here’s this week’s running schedule:

Monday – Boot Camp or XT

Tuesday - Run 4 miles easy

Wednesday - Boot Camp or XT

Thursday - Run 4 miles easy

Friday - Boot Camp or XT

Saturday - Run 4 miles easy

Sunday – Rest for Monday’s 10K

I’m looking forward to seeing you on Monday morning for our next milestone!!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com

Change in Tomorrow's Running Time...

Change of Running Time: Tomorrow we’ll be meeting here at the HealthStyle Fitness Studio at 6:30am instead of our normal 7am time, in order to accommodate the 10am showing of Food, Inc. at the Esquire in Clifton. We’re running 8 miles, slow!

And speaking of Food, Inc., we’d love to have you join us tomorrow, if you haven’t already reserved a seat. It’s a private showing, we’ve reserved the theater for all clients (no cost) to see this very important movie.

Check out the trailer here: http://www.foodincmovie.com/ …. And if you’re planning on joining us for the showing, please confirm by emailing FoodInc@healthstylefitness.com.

Also, a couple of additional announcements:

1. We’re planning on having breakfast as a group after the 10K on September 7th. Please plan on joining us as we share in each other’s running success!
2. If you’re looking to do another 5K event, on September 27th I’ll be doing the warm up for the Partners for a Cure Foundation 5K, and then running the event. Details are here http://www.swiftpage1.com/SpeClicks.aspx?X=2T0JJPDXHQXMYFK801YLWW! Would love the company for this important cause!
3. And finally, a couple of us training for the Columbus Half have a conflict on October 18th. So, we’re opening up a second half marathon – the Indianapolis Monumental Half on November 7th. Details: http://www.swiftpage1.com/SpeClicks.aspx?X=2T0JJPDXHQXMYFK802YLWW.

Although I’ll be in California for the Columbus Half, I’ll definitely be doing the Indy Monumental Half on November 7th.

Okay, here’s next week’s schedule:

Monday – Boot Camp or XT
Tuesday - Run 4 miles easy
Wednesday - Boot Camp or XT
Thursday - 6 mile pace run
Friday - Boot Camp or XT
Saturday - 9 miles slow
Sunday – Rest

See you tomorrow at 6:30am here at the studio for 8 miles...and then off to the movies!!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com

5 Miles Tomorrow + Next Week's Schedule...

Just a couple of important reminders as we’re now almost 3 weeks away from our 10K.

How are your shoes? Getting properly fitted for very good running shoes is critical for running efficiency and injury prevention. I just a pair of the Asics Gel Nimbus 11’s and they feel great! If you need new shoes, get them now so you can break them in before the 10K…and ask for the $10 off coupon to Ronckers.

How’s your body feeling? If your body needs a break from “pounding on the pavement” you can substitute non-impact cardio exercise, like an elliptical machine or biking, as needed.

How's your hydration? Hydrations levels are critical as the temperatures increase in August and early September, and as we increase our mileage. The combination of long running and the heat index (heat + humidity) can lead to fast depletion of water. Remember, water plays a very important role in muscular contractions and running efficiency. Without the right water balance, your muscles simply cannot contract at normal intensity levels, leading to poor performance and a decrease in the effectiveness & enjoyment of your run.

For example, a drop in body water volume of a mere 1% can cause a reduction in performance of over 10%. That means you’ll have to exert yourself that much harder during a run to achieve the same distance had you been sufficiently hydrated. Click here for how much water…

How’s Your Strength Training? Maintaining your strength training is vital as we increase our running volume and distance. Your lower body needs muscle tissue to absorb the pounding from running (lunges, squats, split-squats, dead-lifts). The core of the body is “command central” during all human movement, especially running. The CORE controls the rotational mechanics between the upper and lower extremities (running efficiency and stride frequency) and the force production of the lower body (stride length). Keep up with your rotational strength training (diagonal chops with core balls or dumbbells, bicycle crunches, Russian twists, supine reach arounds with legs elevated). More information on strength training for runners is here: http://cincinnatifitnessrunning.blogspot.com/2008/06/week-3-routine.html

Okay, here’s next week’s schedule:

Monday – Boot Camp or XT
Tuesday - Run 4 miles easy
Wednesday - Boot Camp or XT
Thursday - 5 mile pace run
Friday - Boot Camp or XT
Saturday - 8 miles slow
Sunday – Rest

(XT = Cross Training or Strength Training)

I look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the studio (7am) for our 5 mile run!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com

Important Change for Tomorrow's Run!

Quick Reminder! Tomorrow we’re meeting and running 7 miles at Lunken Airport so that everyone is familiar with the route for the Mercy 10K on Labor Day. Click here for directions to Lunken Airport! We’ll meet in the parking lot near the baseball fields at 7am. You can call my cell if you have any problems finding the group - 513-325-0886.

Then next week we’ll taper back a bit by doing 5 miles on Saturday (before going back up in two weeks from tomorrow).

I’ve had a couple of questions on what I mean by Pace Run or running at "Race Pace?" Race Pace essentially is the pace you plan to run in the race you're training for – our upcoming 10K or Half Marathon. So, if you’re training to finish the 10K in 1-hour, you’re striving to complete each mile at or around 9:37 per mile.

So ideally you would run that same pace when we do our Pace Runs on Thursdays. A great calculator to help you figure out your ideal pace is here. Just plug in your 5K time and that’s a GREAT starting place.

Here’s Next Week’s Schedule:

Monday - Adventure Boot Camp

Tuesday – 4 miles – easy pace

Wednesday - Adventure Boot Camp

Thursday – 5 mile pace run

Friday - Adventure Boot Camp

Saturday - 5 Miles

Sunday - Rest

See you tomorrow at Lunken Airport!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com

Next Week's Running Schedule...

Okay, tomorrow we have a 6 mile run!

Remember, pace can make or break a long run.

If you’ve never run 6 miles before, DO NOT let that intimidate you. If you maintain a moderate pace, walking when you need, or just slow jogging, you’ll do GREAT!

Then a week from tomorrow we’ll go to 7 miles, then have a week where we take a little break from the increased mileage (before going up to 8 the week of August 17th).

So here’s next week’s training schedule (August 3rd):

Monday – Your choice – Light Strength Training or Rest

Tuesday – 4 miles – easy pace

Wednesday - Light Strength Training

Thursday – 4 miles pace run

Friday - Your choice – Light Strength Training or Rest

Saturday - 7 Miles

Sunday - Rest

See most of you tomorrow at the studio at 7am!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com

Next Week's Running Schedule...

Okay, we have our 5 mile long run coming up this morning, leaving from the studio.

Since many of you likely will not get this email until after the run is complete, how was the run on Saturday? How did you feel when you finished? If you didn’t attack the run too aggressively, you should have felt awesome at the finish…and your body should feel great on Sunday.

Remember, long runs should ALWAYS go about 90 seconds per mile slower than a what you can typically run. Going slower DOES NOT adversely impact cardiovascular endurance, but it DOES keep the body from becoming beat up. Until we taper down our long runs (just before a 10K or Half, for example), just plan on running slowly and taking lots of walking/water breaks on Saturdays.

Signs You’re Running Too Fast on the Long Run:

• Needing more than an hour afternoon nap the day of your long run (assuming you weren’t already sleep deprived)
• muscle soreness in your legs that lasts more than two days
• difficulty breathing during any part of your run – inability to hold a conversation during the run
• a feeling of “hitting the wall” in the last mile or two of the run
• a general feeling of agitation at the end of the run
• nausea or lightheaded

Next week’s schedule is below; we’ll go up to 6 miles on Saturday (August 1) for those training for the 10K AND Half Marathon. If your training ONLY for the 10K, the next Saturday’s run will only be 5 miles.

Here’s the schedule:

Monday - Adventure Boot Camp
Tuesday – 4 miles – easy pace
Wednesday - Adventure Boot Camp
Thursday – 4 miles pace run
Friday - Adventure Boot Camp
Saturday - 5 Miles
Sunday - Rest

So, what is a pace run, you ask?

Race Pace is the pace you plan to run in the 10K or 1/2 marathon. If you're training for a 2:00 1/2 marathon, your average pace per mile is 9:09. So you would run that same pace during our Pace runs on Thursday’s.

How do you figure that out? Use the following calculator here – just plug in your 5K time to get started.

Here’s to a great week of training!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com

Next Week's Running Schedule...

Okay, I’m excited. We are now really embarking upon preparation for long distance running. We have our 10K coming up in 7 weeks, but that’s really a stepping stone for the half marathon for many in the running group. So now, we’ll be increasing our distance (long runs) over the next few Saturdays, then tapering back a bit before the Labor Day 10K.

The long run:
Although sometimes perceived to be “scary”, long runs actually feel easier than shorter distance, faster pace runs. It very important to pace all of the long runs approximately 60 - 90 seconds per mile slower than you could actually run that distance. Walking breaks become critically important during long runs and will help you to slow the pace of the overall run, but you must run slower as well. It’s important to note that you get the same endurance benefit from the long run, if you run slowly, as you would if you run fast. However, you'll recover much faster from a slow long run.

The benefits of a long run
Clearly there are significant physical benefits from running long distance. But there is an even greater mental and emotional benefit in completing the longest run to date. Strong feelings of positive momentum, enhanced self-confidence, and a positive attitude result from completing long runs. And by keeping the pace slow during a long run you will experience a tremendous expansion in cardiovascular conditioning, reduced fatigue, while remaining injury free.

Remember, keep the long runs slow. Walk when you need to walk. We’ll also need to begin “planting” bottles of water along our routes as we go longer so we stay well hydrated. The Tuesday/Thursday runs can go at a normal pace. Slow on Saturdays. Did I say that enough??

Here’s our schedule for next week:

Monday - Adventure Boot Camp
Tuesday - Run 4 miles
Wednesday - Adventure Boot Camp
Thursday - Run 4 miles
Friday - Adventure Boot Camp
Saturday - 5 Miles slow
Sunday - Rest

And for those training for the 1/2 Marathon in Columbus, here's our 13 week schedule: http://www.cincinnatifitness.com/Columbus-Training-Program.html

(We're actually completing week one of this schedule tomorrow morning!)

And, by the way, early bird registration for the Columbus 1/2 marathon ends on July 31st - after that the price goes up. ($50 for the 1/2 marathon) Nationwide Better Health Columbus Marathon or 1/2 Marathon

Next Up:

Mercy Metric 10K Run on Monday, September 7, 2008 at Lunken Airport - 7 weeks away.

See many of you here a the studio tomorrow morning at 7am for 4 miles!

Your friend in fitness,

Brian Calkins

HealthStyle Fitness, Inc. 4325 Red Bank Rd Cincinnati, OH 45227 513-407-4665, x-105 www.CincinnatiFitness.com