August 4, 2019 HMC Footnotes
A Bit Rusty on Iron
Dr. Titchenal discussed the importance of maintaining proper iron levels. Iron deficiency is the most common type of mineral deficiency. He noted that women in their reproductive years, eating a non-vegetarian diet, generally need about 18 mg of iron in their daily diet. Men need about half of that. A vegetarian diet requires more iron from non-meat sources to supply the body with adequate iron, because the iron in vegetables is not as easily absorbed. Plant based iron sources would increase a woman’s recommended daily intake to around 33 mg.
Athletes such as long distance runners, have a greater tendency to be iron deficient and may require higher daily intake of iron. For athletes on non-vegetarian diets, women may need around 23 mg per day and men around 11 mg.
It can take a while for iron levels to drop and the effects of an iron deficiency to be seen, but when it does occur symptoms can include thinning hair, fatigue, depression, and difficulty concentrating. Check with your doctor if you think you have an iron deficiency and follow his or her advice on safe and effective ways to address it.
For some great health information, subscribe to Dr. Titchenal’s “Got Nutrients?” Daily Food and Health Tips.
Rainbow Group For Injured Runners
The Rainbow Group will be starting up again and led by Norm Uyeda. They will take a couple of loops around Kapiolani Park for runners who are trying to recover from injuries. Along the route, they’ll discuss injuries and recovery techniques.
Meet at 7:30 on Sundays at the Clinic.
The Little Things
We are beginning our sixth month of training for the Honolulu Marathon. Hopefully you are feeling stronger and are being pleasantly surprised by what you’re physically capable of doing with this regular, 3-times a week, long-distance running. Many daily activities may be easier for you now, provided they aren’t being done after a long run, when stepping up onto a sidewalk might be challenging. However, you might start feeling a bit superhuman compared to your February self, before you started running. One physical attribute you may want to home in on is your olfactory sense, so your nose knows when things are a no go.
We stress that a runner should test their chosen outfits on long runs to be sure they don’t chafe or cause any other discomfort. You shouldn’t wear anything new on a race day, and it’s a good idea to wear your outfits many times so they’re tried and true. However, you may have noticed that your favorite shirt may have become possessed with an unkind spirit that repels those around you.
Unfortunately, our wonderful tech fabrics that wick away sweat so effectively, tend to grow odor causing bacteria more efficiently than cotton. This may be great news for introverted runners who enjoy alone time, or those worried that if they become lost on a trail that the search dogs won’t be able to sniff them out. However, your average person may not enjoy it when they notice odd tendencies occurring around them. People may push themselves to collapse point to stay ahead of you on a Sunday run. They may fade into the far distance, saying they need to walk. A sudden scramble may be initiated when the single-file signal goes up. Whatever the indicator may be, there is action that can be taken.
Wash your running gear regularly and as soon as you can after a run. During the rinse cycle, add a cup of vinegar into the machine and let it sit for a half hour before continuing the wash. Laundry sanitizers may also be effective and can be found in many popular stores. Just be careful with regular laundry detergent that may mask the smells with heavy perfumes. That will work until your clothes become a little damp with sweat and “voilà!” the possession continues.
At some point, wear and tear will create the need to retire your favorite running clothes, but until then, keeping them clean and fresh will make your runs much more enjoyable with one less thing to worry about.
Safety Reminders
- Stay hydrated on the road, whenever you run carry water or stop at water fountains. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty, drink water regularly along the route.
- Use sunscreen as directed on the bottle (30 SPF or higher) and wear sun-protective clothing because we’re out there in the sun for hours.
- Run single-file to share the sidewalk and road with other people.
- Run defensively. Watch out for cars and bicyclists. Give them room and don’t get into an altercation.
- Run with other people and if you run at night be sure you’re visible with lights and reflective clothing.
Pink Group (9:30 – 10 minutes per mile)
By Hao Yang
The Pinks started their run at 6am. We ran through Ala Wai to Magic island, ran around Magic Island then back through Waikiki. It gave us 7.8 miles before Dr.’s talk. After the talk, we ran an additional 6+ miles to start August off with 14 miles.
Weekday homework runs: 2-3 one hour runs, please make sure to rest between your long runs, and to listen to your body!
Next Sunday, we will meet again at 6am, run the same route as this past Sunday before the talk. The second half of the run will be to run to visit Bailey (and the ice cold drinking water). We are targeting 14 miles.
Happy Running!
Silver Group (10:30 – 11 minutes per mile)
By Carl Silva
It was a warm day, even with a few trade winds blowing.
The Silver group had four runners, Lynnae, Trieu, Tavy, and Carl. With the heat and a mutual agreement amongst the group members, we altered our distance to something more suitable for the day.
We got an early start from Kahala and ran into Kapiolani Park just in time to hear Dr. Titchenal’ talk about the importance of maintaining healthy levels of iron in our bodies as we train for the marathon. Peter also reminded everyone that the second bus run is coming up. If you haven’t done it before, you definitely should. It will be on August 18th. Sign up for it ahead of time so there’s an accurate count used to order the number of buses needed. Be at the park no later than 7:15 so the buses can be loaded and heading out by 7:30. There’s a $3 fee for taking the bus and additional donations are always welcome at the time of payment, to help support the Clinic.
Next Sunday, August 11 will be the first of the 5-race Marathon Readiness Series. It will start at 6 a.m. at Kapiolani Park, go out to the Kahala gas station and head back to the park via Kahala Avenue for about 9 miles. Many of the group members will be participating in the race. Lynnae will lead the scheduled run. The plan is for 13 – 14 miles, depending on conditions. Good luck if you’re racing. If you’re not racing, we hope you can make it to the group. Maybe you can cheer on racers if you see them along the course.
White Group (12 minutes per mile)
By Russ Uchida
For this week’s run, we were fortunate to have Violet (who normally runs earlier in the morning) as well as Erin from our 2017 running group, join the group.
We were led out of the park by Elena who kept an excellent 12:30 pace for the group. At Triangle Park, the Mid Pac Road Runner’s Club set up their tent and generously offered cold drinks and salty snacks to that really hit the spot. MPRRC also rented a porta-potty for runners to use. It was such a generous and thoughtful accommodation. Thank you very much!!
We missed our usual leader Richard who had other obligations but also welcomed back Helen who had missed last week’s Kahala Ave. run. Since this was the group’s first 14-miler of the month and the combined heat and humidity were unforgiving, we bypassed the dog-park route and instead went through the Kahala neighborhood to arrive at Kaimuki Middle from the backside.
This week’s great group of runners included Elena, Elaine, Helen, Violet, Danell, Jaime, and Erin.
Great job White Group runners. Running conditions were simply brutal today and you all persevered!
Best wishes to Danell as she participates in next week’s readiness series run.
See all of you next week!
Blue Group (12.5 minutes per mile)
By Val Ogi
The Blue Group did our 1st 14 miler! Thank you to Ron and Betty Gail and Mid Pacific Road Runners for the aid station at Triangle Park! Thank you to Nelson’s Oasis, for proof we made it out to Kawaikui Park!
Try to run a total of 14 miles for your homework runs during the weekdays. For myself I’ve only been able to run 2 more times during the week so I have to up my runs to 1 1/2 hours each of the 2 days.
Golden 14s (14 minutes per mile)
By Norm Uyeda
The Golden 14s had a very warm first Sunday in August. Our goal will be 12 miles for this month.
Great to see more of the group joining us this morning.
As the distance gets longer and the days gets warmer, don’t be overly concerned about speed. Build up gradually to avoid injuries.
The main message is keep hydrated, don’t skip water stops learn to drink at every water stop. More important in the first half of the run..
Important reminder, the next bus run is in two weeks, Sunday August 18.
Keep up your midweek homework, and we will see you next Sunday.
Green 15s (15 minutes per mile pace)
By Lou Crompton
Sometimes I get confused by our morning talk. I know we need iron, and maybe 15 mg daily, but how many thumbtacks or nails is that?
We had 9 green ones go out for 12.5 miles today. Bonus, there really was an oasis today! Thank you Sheik Nelson. By the time we got back into the park, Mr Garmin said we did 12.56 miles – that’s close enough to our plan – we’ll take it.
We had a 15.2 pace until our 4 mile “home stretch” from Aloha Gas down Kahala Ave over the “mountain” and into the park. Geez, did someone say HOT? Hot and humid seemed the order of the day. We still managed a decent 15.4 pace. On marathon day, the Green 15 will be out on the road after 11 a.m., so we do need and get that late morning training from our drill sergeant pace leader who says he loves us.
Stay hydrated and munch on pretzels. We may not have had any refreshments table today, but we did get a surprise visit by former staffer Scottwho was in town to ship his car back to Florida. He’s now retired retired and considers 2 miles a long distance. We wish you good tidings for your new life.
Next week: distance is lucky 13 Do homework!
Aloha!
Sweet 16s (16 minutes per mile pace)
By Annette Hayes
Got iron? Well, maybe not as much as you thought. Thank you to Dr Titchenal for enlightening us about the nutritional needs of our bodies. Iron is the most frequently deficient nutrient. Iron is needed to transport oxygen in the blood (think: Heme in hemoglobin). The liver needs iron to eliminate wastes. How to increase your iron level? Popeye got it wrong. Only 22% of iron is absorbed from spinach. Iron supplements are also not well absorbed. The best sources of iron is red meat. Fatigue is a symptom of iron deficiency. Some have an odd behavior of craving to chew on ice. If you think you may have an iron deficiency, ask your doctor to do lab tests.
Today we saw many familiar faces, of those who return to the Marathon Clinic to continue training, after a brief absence. This goes to show the addiction of the sport. What better way to spend a Sunday morning? It was really hot and humid today, but our group meandered around several neighborhoods. We made our final turn around at Wailupe park. Thank you to the Midpac Roadrunners for the drinks and snacks. It was so hot, even the M&Ms melted (in the mouth and in the hands).
Keep up with the homework.