Now that the 2011 Honolulu Marathon is done, the Honolulu Marathon Clinic will not meet until March of 2012.  Why do we take the next few months off?  In fact, the Marathon Clinic used to continue meeting after the Marathon, but the runners incurred the worst injuries ever.  It was decided, therefore, that the Honolulu Marathon Clinic would no longer provide a training environment where runners can hurt themselves.  That said, taking time off from running after a marathon is as important as the time you spent running.

The Marathon is always injurious, but the training is not.  In the first year of training, assume any run over 20 miles is automatically an injury, and, consider yourself injured for 6 weeks.

So, what do you do after a marathon?  Rest for a week or two.  Enjoy watching football games on television, go to a swap meet, do anything that is definitely “not running”.  Bear in mind that once you stop running you lose “training effect”. If you lay off running altogether you can lose everything you’ve gained.  So after a week or two of rest, go out for a slow 1-hour run.  See how you feel.  If it isn’t too bad, try to work back up to running slowly for 1 hour, 3 times per week for a month or so.

It’s ok to start with slow runs that are just 20 to 30 minutes.  Your body will tell you when you are recovered.

After a few weeks you’ll notice that your speed picks up automatically.  This means you have fully recovered and are ready to start training again.

At that point you can begin training for The Great Aloha Run (Monday, February 20, 2012), but it is important that you remember the10% Rule:  All racing, intervals, or sprints cannot exceed 10% of total mileage.  Ever!  So, for example, if you are going to do another marathon, the 10% Rule dictates that you now need to do 260 training miles of recreational, slow, long-distance running before you do any interval work or enter even a 1-mile race.

The 10% Rule prevents you from running too much, which tends to lead to injuries.  This rule applies not only to the marathon but also to racing and training in general, and is for world-class runners as well as novices.  While not written in stone, the recommendations of the 10% Rule are based on the observations of, literally, tens of thousands of beginning and experienced runners.

Interesting Facts

• If you maintain your conditioning by running 30 miles per week as a base, on any given day you will finish the marathon in the same time as the one you just completed.  You are already in shape; you just have to maintain your base.
• It takes 13 years to reach your peak as a marathon runner.  The people winning marathons are not in their 20s (as you find in many other sports), most winning marathoners are in their late 20s or mid-30s.  If you are 45 and maintain your training at 30 miles per week for several years, when you are 60 you will run the course faster than when you are 45.  This is why in marathoning we say, “Once you’re over the hill, you go faster.”
• Twenty percent of the people who broke the 3-hour mark in the 2011 Honolulu Marathon were from Honolulu!

Peter Garcia added that this year several people did the marathon in less than 4 hours, and a number of people came back from great adversity and finished the marathon this year.

The purpose of having you train is to make you healthy citizens now and in the years to come!

Nutrition
For some good reading on nutrition, Dr. Scaff recommends everyone check out the daily postings on Dr. Alan Titchenal’s “Got Nutrients?” web site: http://gotnutrients.net/tips.cfm

Here are a few recent postings from the “Got Nutrients?” web site:

http://gotnutrients.net/tips.cfm

December 19, 2011
While consuming a low calorie diet for weight loss, those who consumed most of the day’s carbohydrate calories in their evening meal lost more weight and experienced less hunger than those who spread out carbohydrate intake evenly across the day.

Consumer Link
Save Your Carbs For Dinner?

Research Link
Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Oct;19(10):2006-14

December 18, 2011
A small study with eight type 2 diabetic participants found that daily brief, high intensity exercise (ten 1-minute bouts of exercise with one minute of rest between each bout) greatly improved blood glucose control within two weeks.

Consumer Link
J Appl Physiol. 2011 Dec;111(6):1554-60.

Research Link
Brief, Intense Exercise Lowers Blood Sugar, Small Study Finds

Marathon fee of $26.20 for limited time

Early entrants for the 40th Honolulu Marathon will pay only $1 per mile, race president Dr. Jim Barahal announced yesterday.

The special online fee of $26.20 will begin December 26, 2011 and continue through January 3, 2012. The race will be held December 9, 2012.

From January 4 to 15, 2012, the early fee will increase to $40.

To register, go to www.honolulumarathon.org.

Thanks Ro Annette and Jeff for the notice.

A Quick Note:

P. F. Chang’s at Ward:

I would be remiss in not mentioning Ron Vesquez, an Operating Partner in the P.F. Chang’s restaurant at Ward for opening up his establishment at 3:00 a.m. personally to accomodate members of the clinic as a meeting place before the marathon.  We “luxuriated” in cushioned chairs, utilized their clean and modern bathrooms and water was available at anytime.  Their location was perfect – it shielded us from the wind and rain and was in very close proximity to the start line.  Our members enjoyed a “first class” experience awaiting the start of the marathon.  There must have been over 200+ runners there (some Team Jet members were also invited).  Thank you Ron!!!  

A Side Note – They have the best “Happy Hour” in town -great pupus and drinks and very resonably priced!  Highly recommended!!!

Under almost perfect race conditions, our members joined the 20,000+ runners in the 2011 Marathon. Cool breezes and cloudy skies with some precipitation helped make our run very “runner friendly”.

While most saw the “elite” runners returning on the opposite side of the road and set records, many forged their own “elite or personal bests” as they crossed the finish line. As an example, White group member Berrie finished his first ever marathon in six hours even though he was going through kidney dialysis three times a week. And, never mind that he is in his seventh decade of life!! Grey group leader Ivie, while leading her group on a weekday run seriously bruised her leg and bumped her head in a collision a week before the marathon – yet, she finished in less than five hours. I am sure that there are many more inspiring stories which will amaze at the picnic on Sunday (be there). To everyone who completed the marathon, great job!! UDABEST!!

The “Monday-After” Dinner

Over 140 runners and friends gathered at Dave and Buster’s to celebrate the completion of their marathon. Spirits were high and the room was abuzz with lots of chatter and warm, positive emotions. The venue was perfect-we had a private theatre-like room with great food and service. As usual, Peter was a great emcee who acknowledged the various contributors to the clinic and welcomed our annual guests, the Tokushima Running Club from Japan. We had guests from Japan, Guam, the neighbor islands and of course the mainland! Gerald and his wife, who (dat) made a special trip from the New Orleans area to participate in the marathon, are weekly readers of our updates. They pay special attention to Grey group leader Ivie’s comments. Ivie, a big fan of Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints often mentions “Saint-isms” much to Gerald’s approval.

Dr. Scaff extended his regrets as a personal matter popped up and he and Donna could not attend.

Special thanks go to Board Member and Beginner’s Group Leader Norm Uyeda for organizing the great evening! (Just my humble opinion – in my 10 years of attending this event, the dinner was one of the best if not the best! Thanks to all of the attendees for making it such a fun event!)

Da Comment Corner

Da Stairs

Climbing up no problem; coming down, big problem! As we face going down the stairwell, one’s aching thighs scream out, “eh, take it easy; hold the railing, step sideways and one leg at a time!” Can we relate?

After the Fact-License to Eat

I eagerly await “carbo loading time” (approximately one week before the marathon). I can order and eat all the noodles in the Zipmin at Zippy’s without guilt. Or, order extra mac salad with my BBQ Steak Plate at Rainbow Drive Inn. And, forget the half order of grilled browned potatoes as my starch; give me the full order of pasta along with my Veal Masala, please (at Verbano)!

Post marathon comments– the Salad Bar at Whole Foods; the “Healthy Omelette” at Big City Diner (egg whites, tofu, mushrooms, spinach, and cheese).

Clinic’s “After the Marathon” Picnic December 18th

It is a great time to compare notes about one’s marathon and bid farewell to your fellow group members till next year. Also, good time to thank your staff leaders for their help throughout the year.

Chili and rice and drinks served but welcome other potluck items. Desserts,
salads, and main dishes would be very much be appreciated. Clinic starts at 7:30 a.m. as usual. Doc has a short talk then most members go for a short ‘recovery run or walk” while the staff gets ready for the picnic. Picnic starts when everyone gets back – around 9:00 a.m.

Cost $1.

Hiatus

The updates will be on “leave” until the clinic starts up in March next year! Thanks for your very nice comments and see you next year!

Happy Holidays!

Blair

Today, Dr. Scaff gave a longer talk covering everything you need to do for The Week Before the Marathon, with specific information on tapering, diet, clothing, your marathon plan, and what to do following the Honolulu Marathon.  This is a very informative talk with information that can make the difference between a problem run and a successful marathon.

To read the full summary, click here: The Week Before the Marathon (everything you need to do before, during, and after the Honolulu Marathon)!

 Table Duty:

Thanks to Advance leader Les Young for taking care of the table today!  The food and drinks were great!!

 Group Reports:

Advanced Group by Les Young

(Pace <9:00 min. per mile)

The AG continued their taper runs today covering anywhere from 8-14 miles.  They are all ready for a Sub-4 marathon.  Run a smart race and remember to PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE,PACE. Prepare the night before by pinning your number to your shirt and attaching the chip to your shoe.  Layout all the items you will carry with you for the marathon so you don’t forget anything.  Don’t forget the petroleum jelly ritual.  Have a dry cleaning laundry bag (taller than a trash bag) with cutouts ready for rain/warmth.  Carry several sheets of paper hand towels to wipe sweat or more importantly to replace the toilet tissue that won’t be there.  Wake up early enough to do all your #1 & #2 in the comfort of your home.  If you are driving and parking in the Kapahulu neighborhood area, give yourself enough time to walk 1/2 mile plus.  The walk will do you good.  Have a good run and see you at the FINISH!!  P.S. Pray for Rain!!

Grey Group by Ivie Kumura:

(Pace 10:30- 11:30 min. per mile)

20 GREYS on our last Sunday taper run of  Downtown Marathon start.  Staffers, Andy, Byron and myself. along with Christine, Bill, Samantha, Keysa, Korwin, Dr. Rob, Donna, Robert (with an ingenious helmet camera), Nobu, Satomi, Jamie, Malia, Gayan, Shyam, Shauna, and visiting from Vancouver, Canada Barry and Tomo; welcome!  We are looking forward to seeing Aki from Japan and Gerald from New Orleans this week.
Each of the GREY staffers had a duty:  Andy (pacer, spokesperson), Byron (spirit lead, keeps us laughing), Horatio (our rock, who always keeps us safe), and myself (always an example, of what not to do, like injury, or illness).  We have been so honored to be running with each of you GREYs. Thank you for making this so much fun for us. Jeff said we are 0.1% of the population; thus we are all athletes and you will all do well!  First time marathoners – there is nothing like the first; savor the experiences; it is awesome!

Wasn’t it fun as we ran through downtown and Waikiki with people smiling and encouraging us?  Well, some might have been fearful of our running pack of 20 wild and enthusiastic runners. Imagine on December 11th, that number will be multiplied by 1000!  Pre-race anxiety is expected, but try to keep it in control; minimal; just relax, remain calm, and prepared. Carbo loading- 65 to 70% of your intake should be carbohydrates; but too much could lead to too much “unloading”.   Don’t overeat. Hydrate. Relax- be rested. Keep positive thoughts. Avoid negative influences at this time. Good time to avoid those negative influences. The first part of the marathon is running with your head. Remember, Dr. Scaff says the mistakes you make in the first 10 miles, you’ll feel in the last 6 miles. Run smart at the start. The mid-part of the marathon, you are running with your personality, so this is where we say everyone is running the marathon for their own goals. This is where you are running for you, talk to yourself, be attuned to yourself. At the marathon end, you are running by your heart. Anything is possible, you are all heroes. Rest well; eat and hydrate well; keep well and finish strong.   As far as I know, there are no fire hydrants at the marathon finish line.

DECEMBER schedule:
December 4th – Downtown – down Ala Wai, and checked out the Hawaii Convention Center – no pacing kept track, it was to acquaint with all of marathon day details. Lots of stoplights and crosswalks. Good company, good talking.
December 11th – MARATHON DAY!

Silver Group by Lynnae Lee:

(Pace 11:00 – 12:00 min. per mile)

On this, our final training run for the 2011 season, we had a total of 10 Silverados:  Alberto, our indomitable pace-setter, Lynnae, anxious for race day, Paris, our pace manager, James, a self-assured runner, Albert, a strong novice, Sandy, a joyful newbie, Steve, powered by all-natural honey, Tiantian, the group’s contact with the Heavens, Lisa, a positive spirit, and Paul, our running expert.  Alberto made up his own route today.  Instead of heading up Diamond Head Road and turning right by the dog park, we took an early right turn @ 22^nd Ave, a left @ Kilauea, then turned left @ Kaimuki Intermediate (just before the steep hill on Kilauea) and left @ the dog park before returning to Triangle Park and back to Paki.  In the end, we completed 6.2 miles in 89 minutes (uh, Paris your Garmin’s broken), but we were probably at a 10-10:30 running pace, and expended 732 calories (for Paris types).  But honestly, who’s counting calories at this point???  Weather conditions were slightly overcast and cool/breezy – Lisa mentioned that race day forecast may be similar to today (we hope so!).

Weekday Runs:  For the experienced marathoners – whatever you want (per staff member Jeff).  Or twice a week for no more than 4 miles in a run – last run on Friday.  Doc recommends Tue=4, Wed=2, Thur=1, for a total of 13 miles this week (including today’s 6 miles).  Respect the tapering period.  Runs at this point are just for maintenance.  Do not risk injury at this point.

Schedule (The Final Push to Victory):

12/9 – HMC Carbo load party @ Dr. Scaff’s home [Then sleep early, very important.]

12/10 – Silvers carbo load lunch.  12:30 pm @ Spaghetti Factory, Ward Warehouse.  Open to anyone who has run with the Silvers this season, or anyone who just wishes to be called a Silverado.  Please email Lynnae (moc.oohaynull@eeleannyl) or call Alberto (781-9221) if you plan to join us.

12/11 – RACE DAY!  4 am meet @ Lynnae’s office.  4:30 am head to starting area.  Email if you need directions.

12/12 – HMC Celebration dinner @ Dave & Buster’s.  [$30 and sign-up required]

12/18 – HMC recovery run + potluck + $1 per person

Preparations:  Doc gave an excellent and comprehensive talk today.  If you missed it, please be sure to see Andrew’s notes from the website (unabridged version).  Get your race day gear ready; go with all your favorites.  Rule è Nothing new on race day (seriously)!  Confirm your transportation plans.  Stay healthy and injury free!  Diet: deplete carbs (aka protein load) from Mon-Wed, then carbo load from Thur-Sat.  Friday: start hydrating and stay away from alcohol (and some teas) that can dehydrate you.  Sleep early on Friday!  Saturday: stay off your feet and pick up your number no later than 5 pm.  Visualize yourself on race day; set at least two goals – a doable one (ie. U5-WELL), and a “stretch goal” (ie. be able to go up/down a flight of stairs without cringing the next day).  Make a plan for how you’re going to attack the course and when you’re going to take supplements.  Decide whether to run with a group for the first 6-7 miles of the course to conserve energy.  (If you lose your group, tack on to one along the way.)  Stick to your race plan, allowing for adjustments in the second half of the race, as needed.  Stage yourself conservatively at the start; it’s better to pass than to be passed.  Remember, the race starts at mile #20, and you own Kahala Avenue.  May each of you shine out there along the marathon course.  You earned this.  Have a wonderful race and remember to smile @ the finish line!

White Group by Blair Hoashi

 (Pace – 12:00 – 13:00 min. per mile)

Guru Sam made a special appearance today and led the 27+ members through a fun run/walk to the Kahala gas station and back.  We made a slight detour at the end to the 7-11 convenience store for Icees and beverages to cap off our nine months of training.  We earned it!!!   Diane, Fumiko, Rani, Berrie, Randy, Russel, Jessica, Jann, Sondra, Cammie, Darrin, Richard, Dina, Masami, Kay, Jenei, Tanya, Mike, Noe, Andrew, Gary, and Aileen with staffers Lilia, Dwight, Norm and Blair climbed the steep and daunting Kilauea Hill at “full speed” to get in a last minute “Speed Work” session for our group.  (Members who were there know the real story!  Can you imagine the Guru or Blair running full blast up that steep 70 degree incline?  I didn’t think so! )

We went over further details for marathon morning and mentioned to take it easy for the rest of the week.  Also, reminded everyone to attend Dr. Scaff’s carbo loading party on Friday, the Post Marathon dinner on Monday at Dave and Busters, and the Post Marathon Picnic next Sunday!   Friends and family invited!

Congrats to all of our members for their patience, discipline and perseverance throughout the year! Thank you for your friendship and camaraderie during the past nine months.  It was an incredible pleasure!  As Guru Sam states, “you are all successful as runners which further translates to success in life! “

  Enjoy your marathon!!! (And, let’s compare notes afterward.)

The Green Group – Beginners by Rosemary Kyte, Norm Uyeda and Dina Schneider:

(All walking speeds and 13-minute mile > running pace.)  

Still tapering, today we did only four miles, two laps around Kapiolani Park; repeating our very first session from way back in March.  Who would have thought way back then that we’d say “only” and “four miles” in the same breath!  A special congratulations to our first-year athletes, it has been a thrill and our privilege to be part of your marathon experience.  See you at the start line next Sunday.

 The 14s did their last Sunday training run today, completing the circle by ending with the very same run that seemed so daunting on that very first day in March.  Two laps around Kapiolani Park, with a lot of water stops and photo ops thrown in.  All beer fines for running violations were forgiven.

Don’t forget Doc Scaff’s Carbo Party on Friday.  Get to sleep early on Friday.  Pick up your race packet and see all of your friends down at the Expo. Post marathon Celebration Dinner on Monday at 6:00PM at Dave and Busters.  Meet in the Ala Moana Hotel Lobby from 3:00 to 4:00 AM on Sunday.

It has been said that the greatest gift you can give is a gift of your time. On behalf of myself and the Honolulu Marathon Clinic, I’d like to thank each and every “newbie” for sharing your time with us and letting us be a part of this wonderful adventure.  You will never ever have another first marathon. Enjoy this one to the fullest.

Only one more task to be completed.  Next Sunday.  Everybody have a GREAT run!

 Lucky 13s ran a short 4 around Kapiolani.  We discussed getting ready for race day and how attitude is the most important thing because physically we are ready!  Drink lots of water this week!  See you on Sunday

 Da Comment Corner:

 Upcoming:

Doc’s Carbo Loading Party on Friday, Dec. 9^th.  Make sure to attend; it will be difficult to recognize your fellow runners in “party attire”.

MARATHON!!! – DEC. 11; 5 a.m. start; please check with your group leaders as to your meeting place. 

The After Marathon Dinner @ Dave and Busters – December 12, Monday, 6:00 p.m.:

Guaranteed a great time! (You won’t be the only one aching legs.  D&B has escalators!)

Cost $30.

Clinic’s “After the Marathon” Picnic Dec. 18^th. 

It is a great time to compare notes about one’s marathon and bid farewell to your fellow group members till next year.  Also, good time to thank your staff leaders for their help throughout the year.

Chili and rice and drinks served but welcome other potluck items. Desserts, salads, and main dishes would be very much be appreciated.

Cost $1.

Have a Great Marathon!!

Blair

Tapering
This is the third and final week of tapering.  Do not over do it, especially at this point.  If your regular training runs were 40 miles per week, this week you drop to 12 miles.  If you were doing less than 40 miles, drop to 8 – 10 miles this week.  Tuesday and Thursday run for about an hour and go slow!  The purpose of running this week is just to maintain fitness and flexibility and avoid injury.  Any additional running at this point is NOT going to make you go one second faster or go one mile further, Dr. Scaff guarantees that.

Carbo-Loading Party
This Friday, December 09, 2011, is the 39th Carbo-Loading Party at Jack and Donna Scaff’s house.  Members of the Honolulu Marathon Clinic are invited and may bring a significant other, a child that is entered in the Marathon, or friends who are also entered in the Marathon.  This is an adults-only event.

The invitations that were handed out contain information about the party:

• No parking near the Scaff’s home; shuttle service is provided so please park near the Makiki Pumping Station
• Please kindly RSVP so they can get a head-count of attendees
• Though it is not required, if you decide you want to bring any food items to the party, let them know what you are bringing.
• To RSVP or to ask questions call:  955-4134

Carbo-Loading
Carbo-loading used to be de rigueur.  You would eat nothing but protein and fat starting today until Wednesday to deplete your carbohydrates.  Then on Thursday you’d load up on carbos and trick your muscles into taking up 20% more carbohydrates than if you didn’t do this.  But the latest data shows that we’re carbo-depleting all the time, so you don’t have to go through the miserable protein-fat phase.  Eat a regular diet until Thursday, then on Thursday switch over to a higher carbohydrate diet.  What is a carbohydrate?  A potato, rice, starch, pasta, …not a steak.  Starting Friday or Saturday avoid all roughage and gas-producing foods, because there’s no such thing as constipation in a marathon.

Sleep
Sleep goes in a 48-hour cycle.  The studies done on the East Germans during the Olympics and everywhere else found out that the performance of people who did not sleep the night before an athletic event was not affected by that one night of missed sleep.  So Friday night is the important night to get a good night sleep.  If you are at the Carbo-Loading party, sleep in the next day.  If you can’t sleep the night before the Marathon, stay up, do something else, enjoy, …you’ll get a good night sleep the following night.

Menstruation
Something that was also studied in the days before birth control pills was menstruation.  Looking at the Olympic performances, most women athletes were under 30 years old, so about 1 out of 4 were expected to be in that part of her cycle, but you couldn’t tell based on performance.

Marathon Day
Get up at 2 a.m., maybe 1 a.m.

If you have to eat, this is the time to eat, because when you start running your stomach no longer absorbs food.  This is why people puke when they cross the finish line because they cannot empty their stomach.

If you don’t eat anything, that’s ok too.  Most long-distance runners don’t eat before the Honolulu Marathon, but if you have to eat, keep it simple, keep it small.

Black coffee is good in small amounts.  It helps your body switch from carbohydrate to fat metabolism faster.

Be careful about drinking caffeinated drinks, especially drinks like Red Bull.  There have been about 6 deaths in marathons across the country and virtually every one of them has occurred in people taking too much caffeine.  Dr. Scaff is not saying Red Bull causes these problems, but the extra caffeine is not going to help you and he sees no reason to use such drinks at all.

The Well-Dressed Runner

• No new clothing on the day of the race.
• Shoes that have at least 200 miles on them.
• A shirt that says something.  It can get you noticed.

Your running number goes on your chest.  It does not cause heat stroke.  It is used for photographic purposes so people can tell who you are along the course and makes identification easier if they need to know little bit more about you.

Vaseline
Dr. Scaff has had many people tell him they should have listened to him about this.

• Two ounces of Vaseline per foot, so much that you have to wash your shoes after the race.
• Put Vaseline between your toes, on top of the feet, under the feet, all the wayup your ankles to half an inch above your sock.
• You’ll be surprised where you can get blisters.  They’ll show up where you never had blisters before: under the arm, under the bra line.
• Men should consider putting Vaseline on their nipples or wear pastiesbecause men finish the race with bloody nipples.
• You have to think about all the areas that might chafe.

No liquids after 4 a.m.
After about 20 minutes of running you stop producing urine (if you’re a 4-hour marathoner).  If you have to stop to urinate in the first 2 or 3 miles that is just bladder sweat that collected before you started the race. So you want to show up to the race with an empty bladder.  That is why we tell you to take the soda with you to drink about 10 minutes before the start of the race because it will help your body switch into fat metabolism.

On Marathon Day there are never enough restrooms for everybody (…but there are lots of trees and grass).

Parking
There will be no parking anywhere near Kapiolani Park, so don’t even think about it.  Have somebody drop you off where you can catch the bus or have someone take you to the start.

How to Start
Your training is done.  Ninety percent of the race is psychology.  The marathon is in your body and wants to get out, but you’ve got to keep it in there.

The marathon is not like football.  You are running against yourself, no one tackles you or pushes you aside.  It is not teamwork.

Being up front at the start doesn’t help because the race does not start for you until the chip on your shoe crosses the starting mat.  So line up sensibly.

About 10 minutes before the race, pop open the caffeinated diet cola and let if de-fizz.  A minute or two before the starting gun, drink 3 to 6 ounces and discard the rest.  The diet cola, because of the caffeine without the sugar, aids your body in converting from carbohydrate to fat metabolism – but this is only for the start – you will need carbohydrates all along the way so hit all the aid stations.  There will be diluted drinks being served along the race route.  It’s important to drink these as well as water.

Your Race Day Script
Before even getting to the marathon, think about how you are going to run that day.  When the gun goes off you are going to see a lot of people who throw the script away and take off like a bat out of Hades, …and they are wrong from step 1.

Part of the script is a game plan.  You can sort of dump the game plan after 15 miles, but don’t try this early.  For the first 15 miles, if you predicted a 9-minute pace, when you get to the mile mark it should say 9 minutes, …and when you get to the 2-mile mark it should say 18.  If it doesn’t be prepared to walk if you’ve gotten ahead of your schedule.

We know the people who perform the best run the second half of the race faster than the first half (negative splits).

If you are with a friend, they wrote their own script, so if they take off just say, “See you later.”  Dr. Scaff promises 90 percent of you will see them waiting for you at the 18-mile mark, …they’ll be walking because they went too fast in the first half of the race.

Negative Splits
Run the first half of the race slower than the second half.  People who run this way tend to finish 4 percent faster than people who ran at the same pace all the way through.  It does work.  It is hard to learn how to run the second half faster, but that comes with experience.  The mistakes you make in the first 10 miles will haunt you in the last 6.  This is why you want to stick with your game plan.

Hyponatremia
If you are out on the course more than 4 hours 100 percent of you will have hyponatremia (low sodium).  They say it causes people to die; it has.  Dr. Scaff did a study on 4,000 runners in Honolulu, all were hyponatremic, no one died from hyponatremia.  People die of over-hydration or under-hydration.  Some books say you shouldn’t drink until you’re thirsty.  Dr. Scaff disagrees.  You begin drinking from the beginning with the few ounces of caffeinated diet soda at the starting line.  If you’ve lost more than 5 – 6 percent of your weight then you are at risk for heat stroke and you have to address that.

Water
Water you ingest is better by a factor of about 4 than water poured on the body.  Pour water over your head, but not at the expense of what you are drinking. If you want to pour water over your head, bend over so the water does not run down your body and wash off your Vaseline or make your shoes wet (you will get blisters).

Do not drink water out of the sponge.

Energy Replacements
Power Gels are just expensive sugar.  You don’t need them.  You can if you want, but since they are hypertonic, fluid has to come out of your blood stream to dilute it to be absorbed.

Dr. Scaff recommends pretzels, about 2 or 3 every mile.  They have salt, carbohydrates, starch.

Race Course Etiquette
Keep to the right on the way out.  If you are walking, stay away from the center of the line.

How to Finish
At mile 15 if you are feeling pretty good, do a body check using the red-amber-green light analogy.  Check you head:  Are you thinking clearly?  If so, that’s green.  Are your joints feeling good?  If so, that’s green.  If there are any body parts that are hurting, that’s an amber.

If everything is green you can start contemplating your sprint at about 18 miles.

If anything is amber, do another body check at 18 miles.

If at 18 miles everything is good, try to pick up your pace just a little.  Try for a mile.  If it works and everything feels good, keep it up, if not, go back to your game plan.

Some people get to mile 18 and feel so bad they start wondering if they can finish.  Don’t think about finishing, think about the next aid station, it’s less than 2 miles away.  Keep this up and before you know it you are at the 23-mile mark and know you can finish.

What you will notice at the 18-mile mark is that you’ll start seeing walkers, people who were running ahead of you.  They had a terrible game plan.  How many people will you pass?  The median time in the Honolulu Marathon is 4 hours and 45 minutes.  This means if you are doing sub-five hours you’re going to pass 7,500 people.  This is an incentive to stick to your plan.

At the 20 or 22-mile mark, Dr. Scaff skips the aid stations unless he’s really thirsty or is out there a long time.  If you see someone puking it’s because they took their fluids too late.  At this point you can cut back in the fluids and just take water, which would be the most easy for your body to assimilate.

At the 22-Mile Mark
At this point, if everything feels good, you can begin your sprint (defined as increasing your pace by 3 to 5 seconds per mile), whatever that pace is for you.  If you go too fast in the first 18-miles, you lose your ability to do this.

Finishing
Slow down, enjoy crossing the finish line in style.  Look good for the photographs.

As soon as you cross the finish line you have to start hydrating.   Your body has been pouring fluids out of your muscles to maintain blood volume.  As soon as you stop if you don’t give your body some fluids you risk post-race collapse where a runner crosses the finish line feeling good and 10 minutes later they are in the first aid tent with an I.V.

Drink a cola-like beverage with sugar.  The race staff will have some there, they know it’s good.  The caffeine is a mild vasoconstrictive and will get you out of fat metabolism.  Get two cups and start sipping slowly before you’ve gone 100 feet.

If you feel bad don’t be afraid to lie down or ask for help.

Post-Marathon Tent
The Honolulu Marathon Clinic paid to be part of a tent with the Mid-Pacific Roadrunners this year.  It is located between the tennis courts and the bandstand on the ocean-side of Kapiolani Park near the sidewalk.  This is a good reunion area and there will be sodas and food.  If you need a massage it is $15, everything else will be taken care of.

Next Year
The Honolulu Marathon Clinic needs volunteers to serve as Honolulu Marathon Clinic staff.  Once you’ve competed a marathon you are eligible to become a volunteer staff member.  An eligible volunteer is an expert who has completed a marathon at any speed, because we need people to train beginners.

Wishing you a great time and a great Honolulu Marathon Experience!  ALOHA!!!

Tapering
The Wall Street Journal article Dr. Scaff shared last Sunday noted 15,000 runners couldn’t participate in the 2011 New York Marathon due to overtraining injuries.   It’s hard to get runners to taper, but start tapering!   This is week 2 of tapering. If you’ve been running 40 miles, cut down to 24.  For week 3, cut to 13 miles.  To illustrate the power of tapering, Dr. Scaff shared a Runner’s World April 1990 article about Ken Martin who did 7 weeks of tapering and finished second in the 1989 New York Marathon (2 hours, 09 minutes, 38 seconds).

Turkey Trot:
This week’s Turkey Trot was an important training.  The mistakes you make in the first 10 miles of the marathon will haunt you in the last 6.  Doing a negative split can help reduce your marathon time as much as 4 percent.

Carbo-Loading Party:
Next week Dr. Scaff will bring party invitations. The party isn’t open to the public, but you’re welcome to bring a friend. 

The Big Talk!
Next Sunday, the final talk before the Marathon, will cover everything you need to do from then until after the Marathon.
You can now read full, unabridged summaries of the Doc’s Talks:
   1) Go to the Honolulu Marathon Clinic web site (http://honolulumarathonclinic.org/)
   2) Look under the “Categories” listing. 
   3)  Click on “Doc’s Talk”.

Table Duty:

Staffer Lisa and her husband, Antonio (I hope that I got it right) took care of the fabulous table today!  Mahalo!

“Gifts” of Time, Effort and Knowledge:

This clinic is founded on volunteerism. Members, please thank the many staff volunteers who take the time to make sure that the clinic is “running” as smoothly as possible.

 A good way of “giving back to the clinic” is to volunteer to be a staff member next year!  One needs to have completed one marathon to qualify.

 A short list of HMC “Angels”:

Founder and leader        – Dr. Jack Scaff and his wife, Donna

Board                                    – Ro Kyte, Chair, Peter Garcia, Norm Uyeda, Val Ogi,  Luanne Murakami,  Muriel Taira, Stephen Zane, B.H.

Shirt Sales                           – Maile and John Burgey, and Val Ogi

Webmaster                        – Bob Lew with help from wife, Libby

Miscellaneous                 – Cliff Hand and Bruce Mullikin 

Group Leaders:

Advanced            – Les Young

Intermediate

Red                        -Jeff Beard

Pinks                     -Rosie Adam-Terem

Purple                  -Nelson Shigano

Grey                      -Ivie Kumura, Andy Hignite

Sliver                    -Alberto Olivas, Paris Monti

White                   -Guru Sam Usman, Joe Wong, Norm Kawamoto, BH

Blue                       -Andy Hirano

Beginners

Walkers / >14    -Ro Kyte,

14’s                        – Norm Uyeda

 Lucky 13’s           – Chris Isham, Dina Schneider

And, much mahalo to the rest of the staff members who help each group remain organized and safe. 

 Great job and mahalo to the Weekly Newsletter contributors:

 Doc’s Talk                           -Andrew Laurence

Group Comments            -Les Young- Advanced Group

                                                -Rosie Adam-Terem, Pink Group

                                                -Nelson Shigano- Purple Group

                                                -Ivie Kumura and Andy Hignite- Grey Group

                                                -Paris Monti and Lynnae Lee- Silverados

                                                -Guru Sam and Blair- White Group

                                                -Andy Hirano and Tony Padua- Blue Group

-Rosemary Kyte, Norm Uyeda, Chris Isham and Dina Schneider- Green Group (Beginners)

 Special thanks to webmaster Bob Lew, who takes care of the “mechanics” of getting the updates out every week to over 800 recipients.  We have readers from all over the world – our friends in New Zealand, Don and Annette Allen, Japan, China, Israel, Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Canada, Denmark, Australia, and Sweden to name a few.

 Group Reports:

Advanced Group by Les Young

(Pace <9:00 min. per mile)

The AG completed a 14 mile taper run.  The marathon is two weeks away.  The past 8 months of training have implanted a marathon in you.  I won’t wish you luck because all your dedicated training will carry you through a sub-4 marathon, not luck.  This is the time to enjoy your tapering runs and stay injury free.  By now you should have a plan to run a smart race.  Calculate your mile pace to accomplish you marathon finish goal time.  Run the first half of the marathon conservatively banking energy to run a faster second half (negative-split).  Stick to your hydration and carbohydrate/mineral replacement plan that worked for you during training.  Try not to accept handouts of food and drink from the spectators lining the marathon route.  You may be introducing something to your body it won’t agree with.  Remember:  Nothing new on marathon day.  If you didn’t have it in training, don’t introduce it during the marathon.  Don’t eat the stuff shoved at you at the end of a tongue depressor; it will be petroleum jelly for chaffing.  Really proud of you guys!!!  SUB-4!!!!!

Pink Group by Rosie Adam-Terem

(Pace 9:30 – 10:30 min. per mile)

A group of four Pink runners – Bill, Alfredo, Paul, and Rosie – ran out to the first beach park for an easy 12 miler. We had perfect running weather and fervently hope Marathon Day will be like this.

Next week we plan to run 8 miles on Sunday. The homework runs should be shorter too; just two 1-hour runs this week, and less in the final week of the taper.

For those who want to spread a little holiday cheer, there is a 5K fundraiser run for IHS in Manoa on the morning of our picnic, December 18th. It’s a great way to start the day and a nice short recovery run post-marathon. Here’s the web link: www.homewardbound5k.blogspot.com.

 Grey Group by Ivie Kumura:

(Pace 10:30- 11:30 min. per mile)

17 GREYS took in the front half of the marathon – 11 miles, tapering down.  The route started from Kapiolani Park, down Kalaukaua, along the beach trail, to Ward Centre, up Nuuanu Street then back to Kapiolani Park via the marathon route. All staffers were there!   Andy, Byron, Horacio and myself, along with Gannon, Malia, Samantha, Korwin, Jyo, Tosh, Lance, Satomi, Keysa, Nobu, welcomed Jamie and Guyann. Sorry, not sure about the spelling! It seems on each update, we repeat our mantras for training, but I myself need to heed that advice. What did we say we need to do as we taper?  NO INJURIES!!  We drill it in our psyche; don’t over train; be careful and don’t get injured. So, what does the fearless Ivie do?  She falls – those fire hydrants leap out from nowhere. Andy said he was able to dodge them. But, I was not alert, not watching my step and being carelessly stupid.  As usual, Horatio got my back; we got ice and added pressure and he stayed with me. My thigh swelled where I got hit. Samantha said it looked like another knee.   Good news, swelling has subsided and just turning color today. From here on out, I will run smarter.  Some advice to heed – “Watch your step,” states Horatio. “Pay attention,” says Alfredo.   And, “that means you were running on the outside; you could have fallen onto the street; that’s dangerous”, my concerned daughter admonished, in a very motherly tone.

The runners of this group have been an incredible group of GREYS; “great” is how I describe you all. Your progress has been amazing – you are all fine running greyhounds! There is no limit to your GREYtness!   Enjoy your taper; also, get your gear ready, get proper nutrition, plenty of rest and store up mental strength. Plan your marathon day start logistics.

We are still having our Wednesday, Friday runs at Ala Moana Magic Island 5:30 pm.
Date:  Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011 – PIZZA and BEER run – this is the only run we need a head count, so RSVP on this one. (Andrew arranging this one)
Time:  5:30 p.m.
Location:  Meet at the Ewa entrance of the Magic Island parking lot, across the street from the concession stand & first restrooms
Course:  Magic Island to the end of Kakaako Beach Park (Between 1 – 2 times)
Total:  6 miles (Still Tapering, it’s good for ya!)

November Schedule:
November 6th clinic 16.25 miles Overall pace 12:06, Moving pace anywhere from 9:40 to 12:30. Did any of you have a nice “kick” at the end, and could sprint?
November 13th 20.86 miles – Overall pace 12:11 (last year’s 12:41, and we ran only 20.12 miles) running pace 9:45 to 11:25.
November 20th – 14 miles – We had another date with Queen Kapiolani. Overall pace 12:31 (we had LONG stops, but who cares? We’re tapering) Outgoing pace: 10:41. Return running pace: 10:07.
November 24th Turkey Trot 10 miles – Andy was off by 6 seconds!
November 27th – 11.25 miles (Marathon Start) No real pacing tracked.
December 4th – 9 miles (Downtown again, going down Ala Wai Canal)

Silver Group by Lynnae Lee:

(Pace 11:00 – 12:00 min. per mile)

Continuing our tapering schedule, 8 Silvers were led by Lynnae on a scenic tour of Waikiki and downtown that largely comprises the front of the marathon route.  Today’s run was especially important for 1st-time marathoners Andrew and Sandy.  Paris did a good job making sure the group’s pace was kept within acceptable limits.  Today’s group consisted of a core of Silvers [Andrew, James, Steve, Sandy], with a couple of returnees (Tanya and her husband Miles).  The group started out quicker than anticipated, but maintained a solid pace overall.  We enjoyed running along the beach, visited our race day meeting place, and discovered a couple of really cool water fountains along the way (thank you Sandy!).  In the end, 6 of us completed 11.7 miles returning via Ala Wai in 2:33 total time (13:05 pace), averaging a running pace of 11:07 min/mile (2:10 total running time).  Calories burned were approximately 945-1366, based on weight/gender.  Weather conditions were a tad wintery – with very strong breezes triggering the “100 pound warning” in some areas.   

Weekday Runs:  Twice for 6 miles each, with a rest day in between.  Resist the urge to go further or faster; this is tapering time.  Mileage for weekday runs should decrease commensurate with the Sunday runs.  A good rule of thumb is for weekday mileage to equal the Sunday run.

 Schedule (The Final Push to Victory):

12/4 – 8 miles.

12/9 – HMC Carbo load party @ Dr. Scaff’s home [Then sleep early, very important.]

12/10 – Silvers carbo load meal.  (Place/time TBA @ 12/4 run.)

12/11 – RACE DAY!

12/18 – HMC recovery run + potluck

 Preparations:  Today’s run showed that the Silvers are ready and in full pursuit of “U5-WELL”.  The excitement is building…everyone should have received their race #s in the mail.  Schedule time to attend the marathon expo at your leisure.  Please stick to the tapering schedule – things are supposed to feel super easy at this point.  Continue to focus on staying healthy in the next 2 weeks.  Visualize yourself on race day; set at least two goals – a doable one (ie. be able to go to work the following day), and a “stretch goal”.  Make a plan for how you’re going to attack the course and when you’re going to take supplements.  Need a pace chart?  (I can help with that.)  For those who might need help containing all their excitement for the first 6-7 miles of the course, consider running with the group.  Each person ultimately has to run his/her own race, but it may help to run together for the “warm up”.  Plan now for no surprises, except a fast pace. 

White Group by Blair Hoashi

 (Pace – 12:00 – 13:00 min. per mile)

 Approximately 25 runners started with us this morning – Diane, Fumiko, Rani, Berrie, Randy, Russel, Jessica, Jann, Sondra, Ross, Ronnie, Darrin (minus Melissa), Janelle and mom, Richard, Dina, Lilia(a big help in keeping our group organized), Masami, Shoko(first time attendees but experienced marathoners), Lisa, and Jenei were led by Staff leader Norm with Blair as the sweeper.   I forgot to mention Janet K. from last week; hope Maurice is sleeping better. 

We did our “tapering “12 miler @12 minutes per mile and took in Farmer’s Road on the return.  

 Members -please leave Mr. /Ms. EGO “at the doorstep”; all you need to do is to maintain your current fitness level.  Our “motto” for the next two weeks – “just taper”!  No injuries or the weakening of your immune system by training too hard!  You deserve to take it easy!

 Hope Melissa and Gary are getting back on track.  We missed you!  Members spending their Thanksgiving holiday in Vegas- hope you are doing your “homework runs” (Yeah, right.)  Keep warm!

 Ronnie and Jenei, hope your injuries are minor.

 Tidbit:

Members have mentioned that ingesting a small packet of mustard will help to relieve cramps toward the end of our runs.

 Rest of Schedule:

December 4:      “Icee (or Beer)” run – 8 miles (Shave Ice store too far out of our route.)

December 11:    MARATHON!!!

December 18:    Post Marathon Picnic

 Blue Group by Andy Hirano:

(Pace – 12:30 – 13:30 min. per mile)

It was a wonderfully cool day as the Blue Group did a dress rehearsal of the start of the marathon route.  There were only a few water stops and the cool weather made it bearable.  Going around Kapiolani Park initially, we go an idea of where Brian Clark’s finisher’s tent would be.  Andy pointed out where one can look up their official finisher’s time.  He heads to the Shiatsu tent as soon as he picks up his finisher’s T-shirt.  Next we headed to the Zoo parking lot where one can get a free ride to the start of the race.  The buses will run from 2am - 4am.  Going down Ala Wai to Atkinson – we passed Ala Moana Hotel.  That’s where the Blue Group will be meeting prior to 4am.  The Beginning Group will be there as well.  It will be a nice photo op at the Christmas display in the lobby.  Then at 4am, we’ll head to the Ewa restrooms at Ala Moana Park.  There will be a lot of Clinic folks congregating there before the start of the race.  We’ll make our way to view the start of the race just before 5am, enjoy the fireworks and watch the elite runners take off.  After about 10 ten minutes, we’ll move to the area behind the starting mat, make our way into the crowd and then start our own race.  We can do that since our time does not actually start until you cross the starting mat with your timing chip.  The course goes down Ala Moana Boulevard and up Nuuanu Street and right on King Street.  There were a few Christmas displays at City Hall and the City workers were putting up more holiday displays; more to enjoy during race day.  The first water station during the marathon is around City Hall area and the second water station is just past Prince Hotel.  The Blue Group had to endure reaching the Waikiki area to finally have a water break.  Running through Waikiki was scenic but one has to watch out for a lot of tourists walking the area.  The group couldn’t wait to get back to Kapiolani Park to enjoy some refreshments after this 12-mile route.  It was a wonderful rehearsal for the first timers on what to expect and we are ready!!! 

 Our maintenance run next week will be 8-miles to the Kahala gas station and back.

The Green Group – Beginners by Rosemary Kyte, Norm Uyeda and Dina Schneider:

 (All walking speeds and 13-minute mile > running pace.)  

Rosemary reminded the group that the physical training is all behind us; from now on the preparation from now on it is 90% psychology and 10% luck. We are on the taper plan:   week of 27 November – 18 miles, we did 8 miles today (9 miles all the way to the marathon finish line); week of 4 December – 10 miles (reference:  ”Your First Marathon”, pages 55-56.).  

 The 14s did a SLOW 15 minute/mile trek out to the gas station and back.  The purpose of today’s run was to again familiarize our bodies with the slower pace of the marathon and also to continue the tapering process in order to build up our energy for the marathon.  We followed the actual marathon route from Kealaolu to Kahala Avenue and the Kalakaua finish line, practicing our picture taking poses along the way.

 Now is NOT the time to try to make up any missed training.  Now is NOT the time to start a diet.  Your body is prepped for the marathon and you can only make things worse by trying new and innovative schemes to make yourself “more prepared”.  Relax!  Breathe!  Enjoy these moments.  You will never have another first marathon – enjoy this one as much as you can.  Make plans to go to the Carbo Party.  Plan to attend the Celebration Dinner on the 12th.  Come to the picnic.  Contact your group leader if you have any questions.

 Next week – more tapering!   Last Friday run at Ala Moana Park 5:00 PM

Da Comment Corner:

Turkey Trot:

Mahalo to all of the volunteers at the Turkey Trot!   Congrats to all of the participants!  You all looked great!

Lastest Fashion Update for Marathon Morning:

1.  Wear what you have been wearing on your Sunday runs and duplicate (even if clothing a little worn and ragged - it shows character).

2.   Outer wear of the season – le gar’bage bag; white, dark green  or black preferable.  Pink or polka dots are out this season. 

Upcoming:

Doc’s Carbo Loading Party on Friday, Dec. 9^th.  Make sure to attend; it will be difficult to recognize your fellow runners in “regular garb”. 

 The After Marathon Dinner @ Dave and Busters – December 12, 6:00 p.m. 

Please sign up on the board. 

Clinic’s “After the Marathon” Picnic Dec. 18^th.  (It is a great time to compare notes about one’s marathon and bid farewell to your fellow group members till next year.  Also, good time to thank your staff leaders for their help throughout the year.)

See you at the water stops!

 Blair

Tapering
Last Sunday we started talking about tapering.  The Wall Street Journal article that Dr. Scaff shared as part of that talk noted that as many as 15,000 runners who registered for the 2011 New York Marathon could not participate due to overtraining injuries.

Also occurring last Sunday, some people did a 24-mile run, …which is ok if you are an experienced runner, but it usually takes 2 – 6 weeks to recover from a run like that.

It is hard to get runners to taper, but start tapering!

This is week 2 of tapering. If you’ve been running 40 miles per week, this week you cut your running down to 24 miles.  In tapering week 3, you’ll cut it to 13 miles total for the entire week.

To illustrate the power of tapering, Dr. Scaff shared an article from Runner’s World, April 1990, in which Ken Martin did 7 weeks of tapering and finished second in the 1989 New York Marathon with a personal record time of 2 hours, 09 minutes, 38 seconds.

So for today, taper!

Turkey Trot
This week’s Turkey Trot was an important training run because the mistakes you make in the first 10 miles of the marathon will haunt you in the last 6.  If you can manage a negative split, it can help reduce your marathon finish time by as much as 4 percent.

Carbo-Loading Party
Next week Dr. Scaff will bring the Carbo-Loading Party invitations to the Marathon Clinic. The Carbo-Loading Party is not open to the public, but you are welcome to bring a friend.

The Big Talk!
Next Sunday, December 04, 2011, is the final talk before the Honolulu Marathon.  This talk will be 20 minutes long covering what to do from that talk until around noon of Marathon Sunday.

Nutrition
For some good reading on nutrition, Dr. Scaff recommends everyone check out the daily postings on Dr. Alan Titchenal’s “Got Nutrients?” web site: http://gotnutrients.net/tips.cfm

Here is a recent posting from the “Got Nutrients?” web site:  http://gotnutrients.net/tips.cfm

November 26, 2011
A new review of over 140 studies on alcohol consumption confirms that heavy drinking (more than 3 or 4 drinks a day) is associated with an increased risk of dementia. However, light to moderate drinking seems to reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in older people.

Consumer Link
Drink Wine To Beat Dementia Risk, But Find The Balance Study Reports

Research Link
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2011;7:465-84.

Dr. Scaff spoke about tapering, the Turkey Trot, the Carbo-Loading Party, and purchases of his new book: “Your First Marathon – The Last Word In Long-Distance Running”.

Tapering
“Who Quits Before Race Day? Injury From Overtraining, Fear of Undertraining Can Lead to 15,000 No-Shows”

This headline from The Wall Street Journal, 11/01/2011, page D-1, says it all. Overtraining is a huge problem. The drop-out rate from overtraining injuries is over 20%. The article notes: “Most urgent for those running any marathon is the need to taper.” Coaches recommend 3 weeks to recover from the longest training run. No runs should exceed 12 miles 2 weeks before the race, and only 2 or 3 runs of 2 to 4 miles 1 week before. Dr. Scaff will share data on the importance of tapering in the next few weeks.

The Turkey Trot this Thursday, Novenber 24, 2011,Thanksgiving Day. Remember: Mistakes you make in the first 10 miles of the marathon will haunt you in the last 6.

Carbo-Loading Party

Dr. Scaff’s new book is available for purchase at the Carbo-Loading party 12/09/2011. It makes for a great Christmas present. Dr. Scaff will sign books at the party.

You can now read full, unabridged summaries of the Doc’s Talks:

1) Go to the Honolulu Marathon Clinic web site (http://honolulumarathonclinic.org/)
2) Look under the “Categories” listing.
3) Click on “Doc’s Talk”.

Table Duty

Helen, Chris, Suzette, and Noe took care of the fabulous table today. Fantastic!

Group Reports

Advanced Group by Les Young

(Pace <9:00 minutes per mile)

The Advanced Group of 9-11 runners completed their final long run today. The distance covered 23-25 miles. The new runners to the group are on target to do a Sub-4 marathon. They wanted to cover distances close to the marathon as a confidence builder and to gauge when they could expect cramping. Everyone ran strong with little or no cramping symptoms. The key for me was drinking twice as much water than before. Everyone at this point should know how much water it takes to keep hydrated and the proper amount and intervals of carbohydrate/mineral replacement. The long run should have revealed new chaffing points that need to be lubricated for the marathon. Again, proper pacing was the key to finishing the distance strong and without injury. Start enjoying the taper.

Grey Group by Ivie Kumura

(Pace 10:30- 11:30 minutes per mile)

Our Greys were split on Sunday; some did the Val Nolasco Half Marathon. Andy, myself, along with Shaym, Christine, Dr. Rob, Donna, Keysa, Yuko, Kay (welcome!), and Shauna made up the usual clinic group. It was fine running weather with a cool breeze. Head wind, or tail wind it makes a difference on our effort. It was a choice, 12 or 14 miles this past Sunday; running 2 more miles to get to Nelson’s Oasis, was worth-it! Thank you, Nelson for all the Sundays of hydration and fuel! Also, Nelson your jokes are always funny, good to gab with you. We spent 11 minutes at that water stop, this Sunday. It seems no one had war injuries from the 20-miler the Sunday prior, just a few chaffing stories. We are into Tapering! Enjoy the taper, start working on your mental strategies, what will give you strength those last miles. Are you running for a cause, purpose, goal? If you start to get anxious, and want to run more, or harder, don’t! It is all part of our getting our bodies, mind ready for Peak, Sunday, December 11th. Dr. Scaff says down by 20% each week. Turkey Trot another fun way to taper, and pace!

Val Nolasco participants were – Korwin at 1:50 (Who Dat?). also Satomi, Samantha, Horacio, Jyo, Tosh, and Lynnae – all looking might fine!

November Schedule:

November 6th clinic 16.25 miles (I know I wrote 14 prior, but I am sure you are all glad and proud we did 16!) Overall pace 12:06, Moving pace anywhere from 9:40 to 12:30. Did any of you have a nice “kick” at the end, and could sprint?

November 13th 20.86 miles – Overall pace 12:11 (last year’s 12:41, and we ran only 20.12 miles) running pace 9:45 to 11:25.

November 20th – 14 miles – We had another date with Queen Kapiolani. Overall pace 12:31 (we had Long stops, but who cares? We’re tapering) Outgoing pace: 10:41. Return running pace: 10:07. Andy says, no way to hold them back! I was running 8:30 to 9:30 pacing to try to catch up. I got left behind, giving Dennis my Costco order and got left behind. I could never catch up after that. Andy clocked the last sprint at 7:30.

November 24th Turkey Trot 10 miles – and continue to Taper, Yea! We Earned the Taper!

November 27th – 10 to 12 miles (we run the Marathon Start)

Silver Group by Lynnae Lee

(Pace 11:00 – 12:00 minutes per mile)

Now in full taper mode, the Silvers were led by worldly staff leader Paris on a 14-mile run to Nelson’s Oasis and back. Faithful staff leader Alberto was noticeably absent due to a work commitment. Today’s group consisted of a core of Silvers [Andrew, Lisa, Steve, Tiantian], with a couple of others (a newbie from Japan and 1 other – sorry didn’t get your name). Thankfully, Tiantian’s ankle healed up quickly so as not to deter her training (hooray!). The group maintained a solid pace. They returned via Kahala in 2:52 total running time (12:17 pace), averaging a running pace of 11 min/mile. James and I decided to challenge ourselves to a final pre-marathon race, participating in the half marathon event. He left me in the dust coming up Diamond Head…I guess he’s ready for marathon day. Weather conditions were a tad wintery – strong breezes and fortunately no rain.

Weekday Runs: Simple – Tuesday for about 45-60 minutes, then Turkey Trot. Resist the urge to go further; this is tapering time. Mileage for weekday runs should decrease commensurate with the Sunday runs. A good rule of thumb is for weekday mileage to equal the Sunday run.

Schedule (aka The Taper Plan):
11/24 – Turkey Trot 10 miles. A great pre-feast festivity. Gobble Gobble! Start calculating your race projection now…no cheating.
11/27 – Front part of the marathon route (downtown), ~12 miles, including our race day meeting spot for those interested in starting together.
12/4 – 8 miles.

The Awards Corner: Congratulations to all the HMCers who completed the Mizuno Val Nolasco Half Marathon, the final race in the Marathon Readiness Series. HMC was there to represent – Horatio, Benny, Michael, Sam (Grey group), Korwin, Satomi, Gyo + Toshi, Tomo, Gauhar, Les, Rosemary, Georgette, and more. Everyone had huge smiles, thoroughly happy with their performances. Special congrats to little Gyo for placing 2^nd in his age group (2:08:36; 9:49 pace). He provided yours truly with special motivation to sprint to the finish. He’s got a nice collection of awards from this year – HMC’s shining star!

Preparations: Tapering is wonderful! No more training. The Silvers are ready and in full pursuit of “U5-WELL”. Continue to focus on staying healthy in the next 3 weeks. With Thanksgiving here, now’s a good time to consider your pre-race diet for the week prior to the race. Doc recommends a 3-day protein load followed by a 3-day carb load. Visualize yourself on race day; make a plan for how you’re going to attack the course. Need a pace chart? (I can help with that.) Plan now for no surprises, except a fast pace.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so grateful to run alongside you all. Thank you for sharing my journey.

White Group by Blair Hoashi

(Pace – 12:00 – 13:00 minutes per mile)

“You Losers!” was heard in the distance as we approached Ala Moana Park. Yes, it was our long lost Guru, Sam, who decided to join us for a portion of our “Front Part of the Marathon” run. Another “long lost staffer”, Joe, reconnected with us so he could help the group experience the marathon’s starting route. We were truly blessed as Staff leaders Guru Sam, Joe, Norm, and Dwight led the group of 20 runners through unfamiliar territory. (Staffer Blair, as usual held up the rear.) The weather was almost perfect with slight showers and cool breezes. The group was in a joyous mood as we all knew and felt that much of our training was behind us and tapering taking place. Regulars Diane, Rani, Russel, Berrie, Randy, Richard, Jann, Aileen, Darrin, Melissa, Lilia, Fumiko, Lisa (recent N.Y. Marathon finisher), and Cammy made the trek a “fun run” with lots of chatter and joking taking place. Aside from the usual formalities – our meeting place, the marathon start, parking accessibility, etc. – everyone seemed to be laughing and smiling and enjoying the run.

We missed member Gary who was out ill today. I am sure he would have loved to join in on some of conversation flowing throughout the group! Get well and rejoin us soon!

Rest of Schedule:

November 27: Taper run- – 12 miles
December 4: “Shave Ice” run – 8 miles
December 11: Marathon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blue Group by Tony Padua

(Pace – 12:30 – 13:30 minutes per mile)

Hip Hip Hooray that tapering (decreasing our weekly total mileage) for the 2011 Honolulu Marathon has begun! Runners, we’ve been stacking on the miles these past 8+ months. By running less, we give our bodies the time to recover and heal with our strength peaking on Marathon Day. Stalwart leader Andy led the team of about 15 or so runners up Diamond Head and then turned back at Kahala gas station. We welcome first-timer Maria (a New York Marathon finisher) and returning clinic runner Benika to the Blue group today.

Three 1/2 miles at Medal of Honor Park (formerly Triangle Park), Andy advised us about our tapering schedule: decrease our total runs by 25% for each remaining week. Ex. If you do two 1-hour runs as your homework during the week, decrease it to two 45 minutes runs instead. But as many of my mentors have told me time and again, at this point in training we already have “the marathon in us.” How do we know that? Trust in the 30-plus year experience of the Honolulu Marathon Clinic training schedule to have prepared you to finish the marathon… and that your body will get so much stronger during this 2-week taper period.

Our group did quite well in maintaining a single-file run on Kalaianaole Highway and again we owe a debt of thanks to Francis for watching for and calling out “Bike!” as needed. Francis, you would make a terrific member of the Marathon Clinic staff in 2012, as well as any of you Blue Group runners. The only requirement is having completed a marathon and having the heart to give your support to new participants in the 2012 Honolulu Marathon Clinic.

At the mile 7 turn-around point, the remaining 13 or so runners enjoyed one last day of refreshments at Nelson’s Oasis for the 2011 Honolulu Marathon Clinic. Be sure to thank him for all of his hard work and support some time before our final meeting for this year, which is the Post Honolulu Marathon picnic on December 18th.

We bid farewell to Betsy and Mike at Mile 10 gas station, as the remaining 11 runners ran up Kahala Avenue, splitting this challenging run up into 4 parts. I also gave you a heads up as to what to expect on Marathon Day as you go up this road. Pace yourself as you go up this stretch so that you can finish the marathon in fine form. The weather was excellent and the company was splendid. I hope to see many of you at the Turkey Trot, meeting at Kapiolani Bandstand – sign-up is at 6:30 a.m. If not, have a terrific Thanksgiving Day and I hope to see you on the streets next week. Thanks to all for your time, pleasant company, and encouragement!

The Green Group – Beginners by Rosemary Kyte, Norm Uyeda and Dina Schneider

(All walking speeds and 13-minute mile > running pace.)

We are on the taper plan: week of 20 November – 24 miles; week of 27 November – 18 miles; week of 4 December – 10 miles (reference: “Your First Marathon”, pages 55-56.). Our groups ran 8 or 12 miles today, some will do the ten-miler on Thanksgiving day.

14s by Norm

Woo Hoo – Tapering!! We all rejoiced as Ro declared the commencement of the tapering season. This begins the “fun” time of the training with all of the related festivities and, of course, the attainment of our 26.2-mile goal. The 14s went out to the first park today while doing a dry run for the marathon by running at the marathon pace of 15 minutes per mile instead of the usual 13.5 – 14 minute training pace. This slower pace (plus a lot of walking) helps to conserve our energy and is the basis for all of our training. Don’t forget – tapering is an equally important part of your training.

Next week – more tapering (yay!) and Kalakaua finish line practice; maybe some Kahala Avenue thrown in for good measure – depending on the weather.

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Lucky 13s by Dina Schneider

“What, we’re tapering Ro?” Turkey Trot or not, our group welcomed tapering as we contemplated distance–Christine targeted 8 as a trotter while Dina, Raquel and Peter targeted 10 or 12. Filling in for Chris (table duty) and no Garmin, our group stayed together as Peter called out time to keep us in pace. Soon minds were persuaded as we enjoyed a cool and comfortable approach at the gas station turnaround. Alright, we then all agreed to go for it at 10 (high-five the phone booth). With continued ideal weather, we just couldn’t deny a longer 12 and strong finish. We collectively ran on the marathon route through “mile 22,” Kealaolu (along Waialae Country Club), Kahala and Diamond Head. Back at 10:44 a.m.–high-five again Raquel, Christine and Peter! Thank you for your company. Let’s be thankful to run! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

On a cautious note during our return on Kalanianaole, single file, we avoided a close call with a distracted motorist who quickly veered in and out short of our path. A safety reminder – stay alert on this very busy highway.

Da Comment Corner

Thanks to all and most of all to Nelson!

Just wanted to thank all of you who contributed to Nelson’s Oasis Fund! Nelson was very, very reluctant to accept the funds but finally did so (after the sharing of a few beers and pupus after our runs).

Nelson, thank you for your thoughtfulness – you might not be aware of how much your “oasis” means to of our many runners. (Also, thanks for the beer, chips and great beef jerky from Kauai).

From Nelson

Thank you for the generous gift from the clinic members. The Oasis (which many of you call it) was created by the purple group and extended to the clinic members. There are a many people who contribute to the Oasis by donating Gatorade, pretzels, chips, cookies, cups etc. (so it is not all me). Just to see the appreciation of the runners and to help make the training for the marathon a lot more tolerable, is a reward in itself to me.

Turkey Trot, November 24^th @6:30 a.m.

Volunteers still needed.

The After Marathon Dinner @ Dave and Busters – December 12, 6:00 p.m.

Please sign up on the board.

“Best Shoe in the World”

The latest Runners’ World magazine mentioned that the Asics GT-2160 as the “Best Shoe in the World” for 2011. But, some of us already knew this, like Andy H. (Grey Group Leader) and friend, Clayton. While Andy and I wear it for running, my friend Clayton bought it recently as a walking and golf shoe. FYI – It’s currently on sale at a major sporting goods store.

See you at the water stops!

Blair

Tapering

It seems nobody wants to hear about tapering, but it is vital for running a good marathon.
“Who Quits Before Race Day?
 Injury From Overtraining, Fear of Undertraining Can Lead to 15,000 No-Shows”
This headline from the first page of the Tuesday, November 1, 2011 edition of The Wall Street Journal Health & Wellness section (page D-1) says it all.

Overtraining is a huge problem. The drop-out rate due to injuries incurred from overtraining before any given race is over 20%.   

The article notes:  “Most urgent for those running any marathon is the need to taper.  Coaches generally recommend leaving three weeks to recover from the longest training run of 20 or more miles.  No runs should exceed 12 miles two weeks out from the race.  The week before should include only two or three runs of two to four miles.”

Dr. Scaff will share data on the importance of tapering in the next few weeks.

Turkey Trot
The Turkey Trot, the most important educational event of the year, is here (Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, Thanksgiving Day)!  Remember:  The mistakes you make in the first 10 miles of the marathon will haunt you in the last 6.

Carbo-Loading Party
Dr. Scaff’s new book, “Your First Marathon – The Last Word In Long-Distance Running”, will be available for purchase at the carbo-loading party at his house the Friday before the Marathon (December 09, 2011).  These books make for great Christmas presents, and you can get Dr. Scaff to sign the books at the party.

Nutrition
For some good reading on nutrition, Dr. Scaff recommends everyone check out the daily postings on Dr. Alan Titchenal’s “Got Nutrients?” web site: http://gotnutrients.net/tips.cfm

Here is a recent posting from the “Got Nutrients?” web site:

November 20, 2011
High fat meals may put asthmatics at increased risk of an attack. A study with asthmatics found that a high calorie, high fat meal impaired lung function for four hours following the meal. This effect likely continued beyond four hours, but measurements were not made past four hours.

Consumer Link
High-Fat Meals a No-No for Asthma Patients, Researchers Find

Research Link
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011 May;127(5):1133-40.