Jeff Galloway's Blog

Fit Kids, Race Closings, Motivation In Helping Others Run

Fit Kids
Having been a fat, sedentary kid, I empathize with those who learned to dislike exercise, early in life, and avoid it.  When out-of-shape people begin an exercise program, they must overcome years of negative psychological programming, and most don't make it.  Everything turns around when exercise is gentle enough.  The daily workout becomes joyful and energy-giving. 

The research I discovered in writing FIT KIDS--SMARTER KIDS showed that each individual can turn their life around.  The process is accelerated when there is a leader who brings the group together, pacing conservatively so that each exerciser experiences a feeling of self worth and personal empowerment. Just this year I've met parents of GIRLS ON THE RUN participants in California, Charlotte, Atlanta and Jacksonville who were impressed with the physical improvements their girls received from joining the program.  More amazing, however were the changes in attitude, motivation, mental awareness and vitality from even modest gains in fitness.

Susan Kolbinsky, who administrates my Tahoe Retreat in July, decided to offer a running program to the kids in her son's school.  Over the last few years there has been so much interest that she's had to set a cap on registration to ensure that the kids get proper leadership.  As she recruited more and more parents to help her, and saw the positive changes in kids, she received an unexpected reward of internal satisfaction from helping others change their lives for the better.  Susan is one of hundreds of adults who are doing something about the problem, and making a difference.

Race Closings
The popularity of marathons has overwhelmed all of us who've been running for decades.  Many of the popular races are filling up quicker.  Before the start of one of my recent running schools each person told how he or she had waited a bit too long to enroll in a favorite race, and could not get in.   The Marine Corps Marathon (Washington DC) opened for registration this week, and is expected to close out sooner than last year (about two weeks as I remember).   Galloway Training has become a sponsor of the MCM and will have some entries available to members if they don't get in through the normal registration process.

I suggest that you look ahead 12 months and keep a "wish list" on your refrigerator, etc.  As you get within 8 months of a race, make a decision to enter or not, and fill out the forms if you wish.  Many of those who've already signed up for the BREAST CANCER MARATHON have told me that this registration process has already motivated them to be more regular with their running or walking.  Since 100% of the entry fee goes to breast cancer research/care you get an extra dose of motivation--you're helping to rid the world of this disease.

Motivation In Helping Others
I continue to ask the former sedentary members of our Galloway Training programs how they came to join up. Most were referred by others.  People like to be asked to join a group.  Most who try out a running group at the right fitness level, experience a series of positive experiences from the first day.  There's a primitive trust that bonds people together when they run or walk together.  Forward movement almost always instills a positive attitude.  When you share this with others, you receive internal rewards that keep on giving. 

More than anything I love the time spent at our beach retreats and at Lake Tahoe.  The woods and the beach provide an extra boost and bonding for everyone.  We still have space in our upcoming retreats at the beach, and at Tahoe.  I hope you can join us for some good fellowship, invigorating runs/walks, and the information you need to run injury free.

My Favorite Marathon, Inspiration, Long Run Pace?

Hi!

This week I'll be talking about aging gracefully through running, running through cancer, Big Sur CA, a marathon movie, running away from drug addiction, how to set your long run pace, and the popularity of half marathons.

"Older runners reported pain and disability 25% as often as those who didn't run"  From a study noted in RUNNING UNTIL 100 page 27.

"If I had to choose between my old pre-cancer life as a somewhat depressed, overweight, unmotivated and unfilled couch potato and my current life with cancer, it's easy.  I'm energetic, happy, motivated and love life each day."  Lee Kilpack started running after diagnosis, and is feeling more vibrant than ever.  WOMAN'S GUIDE TO RUNNING p. 44.

How to tell what your long run pace should be.  Running too fast on long runs is the most common reason I've found for injury during a marathon training program.  Here's a simple test to tell how fast this should be: the magic mile (MM).  Starting from the beginning, schedule a series of one mile time trials throughout the training.  The first one should be run only slightly faster than current easy running pace.  On each successive one, your mission is to beat that time.  Long run pace can be computed by using the Performance Predictor function on (www.JeffGalloway.com).  Adjust for heat by running 30 seconds a mile slower for every 5 degree increase in temperature.  To predict times in other events and to learn more about the MM, go to pp 24-28 YEAR ROUND PLAN.

Half marathons are more popular than full marathons.  Marathon participation continues to rise each year, but Half Marathon participation is increasing more rapidly.  In the past 18 months, half enrollment has surpassed that of the classic event.  "The half marathon delivers almost all of the satisfaction and achievement of the marathon with far less than half of the aches, pains and injuries".  Now there's a book devoted to training for this event: HALF MARATHON.

Running away from drug addiction. Nick Sterner turned his life around through running and is now helping his son and others by leading a landmark running program at the Denver Rescue Mission.  People who didn't have much hope now have a goal, along with a team and a series of positive experiences that connect them with the inner strength they didn't know was there.  Our Galloway Training group in Denver is proud to provide support.  Congratulations to Nick and his team they get ready for the Colfax Marathon this week.  Nick is looking to expand to other cities.

My favorite Marathon?  Marathons are not created equal, but I still love many of them in different ways...like children.  In the "beautiful scenery" and "almost flawless" category, it doesn't get any better than the Big Sur International Marathon.  This point-to-point course, along US 1 (Pacific coast),  offers some of the most dramatic vistas available, and is the only time each year that this route is cleared for pedestrians.  The experienced production team, led by my friends Hugo and Wally,  make the experience very special.  This should be on everyone's "marathon to do list".

Marathon Movie.  Jon Denham is putting together a documentary on the history of the marathon which promises to be a hit.  I'm impressed with his work and am looking forward to the completion of the project this fall.  The power of the story starts with the ancient messenger Phidippides in 490 BC, and Jon documents the way it changes people's lives.  For those who are interested in such projects, visit www.marathonmovie.com.  It's still possible to invest in this project.

A group to train with: 

Running Schools: in a few hours, your questions will be answered

Running retreat at Tahoe...and the beach
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next Week:Where to stay, eat, and run in beautiful Carmel by the Sea, CA

A new training program in Los Angeles

Fit kids are smarter kids--the significant benefits when kids exercise--even those who are fat

Running around Raleigh, NYC, Cincinnati, Mahwah.

How to adjust your pace when the temperature rises

More!

Lance, Summer Running, Inspiration

Being on the road about 70% of the time, I get to sample running venues and share running stories with a wonderful variety of people.  During the last 7 days I've been to Charlotte, Baltimore, Washington DC, Milwaukee and San Francisco, as well as in my home town of Atlanta.  I had a wonderful conversation with Lance Armstrong and have communicated with a former drug addict that is helping others climb out--and a terminally ill woman who wants to qualify for Boston.  This week and next, I will tell you about it.

Charlotte is a beautiful city--even in the rain.  The downtown district is going through a wonderful renaissance and our Galloway group is finding a steady increase in interest.  John Lineberger has led this year-round program and made it the largest of it's kind, for a year round total.  He has a variety of offerings from beginning programs to potential Boston Marathon qualifiers.

My Baltimore clinic was sponsored by the Fleet Feet owned by Karen and Bobby Lewin.  They have created a community of runners through the training program, fun runs, special events and the care for the individual runner.  For those who came out early, before my clinic, I showed how to glide downhill, do the acceleration-gliders and cadence drills, and how to minimize effort when running uphill.  I was asked which book describes these in the best detail and it is YEAR ROUND PLAN.

I haven't found any large urban area that has more running trails than the Washington DC area.  Our new Galloway program leader, Bob, has done a great job in getting the word out, for we had the best turnout for my clinic ever.  This will be a major year for our group in DC.  Many of our Galloway members and ecoach clients when visiting DC run with this group.  They run on the Mt Vernon trail along the river, starting just south of National airport.

Our new program in Milwaukee is led by Cristin, who used to be the director in Phoenix.  The turnout for my running school was the largest first year attendance ever.  We also had great interest and initial signup for the training program in that area.  We drove their local marathon course and it is very scenic and as flat as I've seen.  If you're looking for a flat fall marathon, look into this.

Free Runs:  If you have friends who live in any of our Galloway program cities, and you'd like for them to have a fun group for motivation, tell them to sample our group.  Contact the local program director from www.jeffgalloway.com (training programs) and find out where the run will be for that week.  There is no obligation to try it out for a couple of times.  Because of regular walk breaks, each group can talk, share stories, and bond together. 

Lance Armstrong
I've been a fan of Dr. Sanjay Gupta's for some time.  He is one of the few medical experts on television who is making a serious effort to help viewers understand the joy of exercise, and the continuing stream of benefits from even gentle participation.  He is energetic, quick with ideas, and motivating.  I was flattered to be invited on his show.  When Lance Armstrong was also booked on the show I was excited.

I arrived early hoping to have a few moments to talk to Lance and was rewarded.  As we waited to go on, we shared stories and philosophy.  As he disclosed the details of his NYC Marathon effort I generated a new respect for his talent and his ability to handle pain.  His longest run had been about 13 miles.  He came into the race with an undiagnosed stress fracture which got worse.  I can't imagine the pain during the last 6 miles.  The aggravation of the marathon forced him to stop running for 4 months.  He is so happy to be back on the roads now.  Running, he said, is his primary form of fitness.

Summer Camp
In 1975 I was training for the '76 Olympic Trials and wanted to get out of the steamy conditions of my Florida home.  Having visited the Lake Tahoe area several times, I asked friends and various running club organizers if this would be of interest to them.  Most said that they would love to look at something like this.  One of the first ones to say he was coming was Steve Prefontaine.  I arrived in May and stayed until late August.  I vowed to hold a running retreat there every summer.  Except for the summer of '76, I've made good on this promise.

After training on the mountain for a few weeks, I ran into Pre at a meet in Berkeley and he gave me his brand new business card.  He had just been appointed to his first corporate position and was so excited.  He had several ideas that he wanted to talk about when he was scheduled to come up to my Tahoe training camp in about 2 weeks.  He never made it, as he died in a traffic accident just before the trip was planned.

Hundreds have joined the extended Galloway family, at Squaw Valley.  This is far from a group of intense competitors, but a growing group of warm friends who catch up, invite new folks into the "family" and laugh a lot.  Even those who haven't been running much, get in a lot of miles that week because of walk breaks and the beauty of the trails, the inspiration from the speakers, and the great weather.  Practically every day it's sunny, dry and relaxing.  I hope you can join us.

You don't have to actually enter a race. I hear from a growing number of people who get a copy of my HALF MARATHON or MARATHON books just to build endurance.  They use the schedules to build endurance, feel "on a mission", eat better, and just feel better.  If you don't want to commit to a date for a race, just get a plan and stick with it.

Next week:

How to tell what your long run pace should be

Half marathons are more popular than full marathons

Big Sur Marathon,

A new LA training program

Running away from drug addiction

Stay posted!

Motivation, Breast Cancer & CNN

Purpose: to help you enjoy running/walking/exercise more, with access to resources.  Welcome back to the wonderful world of endorphins!

PODFITNESS--DAILY COACHING THROUGH IPOD
This new company is using media and technology to deliver individualized coaching and motivation on demand.  Subscribers pay a monthly fee and can download workouts that have been recorded by the coaches themselves.  Galloway marathon and half marathon training will be ready in a few weeks and I believe it will be well received--especially by the ipod generation.  To see more on this service, visit www.podfitness.com 

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MARATHON COURSE?
I had planned to run a few miles of the Ogden half marathon, and then hitch a ride with a race official to the finish.  But the bus ride to the start was so beautiful that I had to run the whole thing.  What a treat!  The first few miles roll downhill out of a narrow ravine, along the side of a beautiful mountain stream with interesting hillside formations.  Coming out of the final curve you're rewarded with a beautiful vista of beautiful Ogden Valley, ringed on all sides by mountains.  The course rolls very gently past a lake to the finish.  The Ogden Marathon uses this first half and continues through more beautiful scenery and a significant downhill push.  I recommend putting both of these Ogden races on your "to run" list.  Ogden has hundreds of miles of trails in the hills above town and I really enjoyed running on some of them.

WHAT IS THE MOST POWERFUL MOTIVATION EXPERIENCE
I was a fat, sedentary kid when I started running.  As fate would have it, I fell in with a group of runners in the 8th grade, and wanted to keep up with them to hear the jokes, and the gossip about other students and teachers.  Running groups offer a unique sense of bonding that makes running fun.  Every week, dozens of runners tell me that they wouldn't get up early enough to avoid the heat, or get in the full distance of their scheduled run, or get out there as many times per year--if they didn't have a group to run with.  But you don't want to run along with a fast crowd.  The most common cause of injury among the group runners I've worked with is being pulled along by the others in the group who are too fast for you, currently.  The ideal group would have a way of determining how fast each person should be running, and have a group leader than ensures that pace is maintained.  Scheduled walk breaks, based upon pace per mile, have been the best way I've found to keep groups together, and avoid injury.  For more on training groups, in your area, click www.jeffgalloway.com/training_groups/index.html

WHAT ONE BOOK CAN TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR?
Running can be very confusing.  What are the most important elements?  How should they be arranged?  How do you blend form drills, hills, rest, and cross training?  The Year Round Plan book integrates the many components of running into a plan: to finish, to improve a little, or to improve to your current potential.  It tells you how to coordinate the many components of running into a plan, a strategy.  The benefit: you don't have to think about what to do each day--it's scheduled.  You'll learn how to predict performance, troubleshoot injuries, solve problems, and much more: www.jeffgalloway.com/merchandise/index.html

I ENDORSE THE BREAST CANCER MARATHON & HALF MARATHON
This is the first large race I've heard of that gives 100% of the entry fee to non profit charities.  Every penny goes to Mayo Clinic research, and to a foundation that helps breast cancer survivors get back on their feet.  I drove the beautiful course recently along Jacksonville Beach (FL).  A portion of the course is run on the hard packed sand of this Atlantic beach.  The average high temperature in February is @ 67F.  There will be a fun weekend of activities including a free concert for those who enter the races.  Come on, register--it's for a great cause: www.breastcancermarathon.com

CNN HAS ASKED ME TO APPEAR, SUNDAY APR 22, 8:30-9:00AM WITH SANJAY GUPTA
Lance Armstrong has been scheduled also--I'm looking forward to this and will give you a full report next week.

Next week:

What I've learned from Lance

Running excitement in Milwaukee, Washington DC, Baltimore, Charlotte

Choosing a great Summer running vacation

Inspirational story--running out of the debths

Stay Tuned.......................................Jeff