5k tips

The Jim Gibbons 5k was a great success on Thursday evening.  At least that's what I hear from those who were able to run it.  I was stuck having to go about 30 miles south of Champaign for a news story, so I missed the race.  Maybe next year.  Special guest, former Olympic Marathon Silver medalist Frank Shorter was a big hit though, from what I hear.  He is one of the premier figures in American distance running, and has had success for a long period of time at distances from the 5k through the marathon. 

So that had me thinking about running a 5k, even while training for a longer race down the line, as I am.  My own strength as a runner is at shorter distances like the 5k (or even shorter).  The marathon is the race of choice these days, however, so I really do very little speed work, and it feels like my speed has basically disappeared in the last few years.

But there are some things you can do to work on your speed, even though you might be training for longer distance races.  I was at a party earlier in the week to kick off the registration for the Nike rock-n-run at Sox park in mid-July, and was fortunate enough to run into Coach Bill Leach.  The former DePaul track coach has some good advice on getting ready for a 5k without training specifically for that distance.  As always, you can  reach him at www.coachleach.com.  Here goes:

1. Add 8  - 10 X 80 - 100 meter sprints at the end of 1 - 2 running workouts each week, focusing upon upright posture and being very quick off of the ground - the value is in being in the briefest time of contact w/ the ground, not in how fast each sprint is run.

2. Add 10 - 20 single leg hops or 3 - 5 X 15 seconds of rope skipping at the conclusion to any running workout.

3. Run each repetition of all interval or repetition workouts at a speed that will allow recovery to a heart rate of 120 beats per minute within 90 seconds.

Meantime if you would like to register for the Nike run, and put those 5k tips to the test, here is the link: http://www.nikeplusrocknrun.com/  It should be a fun race, finishing on the field.  There will also be a post race concert in the ballpark.

Finally, if you are interested in sponsoring my marathon run for the American Lung Association, here is a link to my page.  ://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=226982&lis=1&kntae226982=98F051DC3012424697860B4B25F20264&supId=14678625

Thanks again to everyone who has donated!  See you on the roads...

San Jose running

So it's been a little while since I've written anything here.  I wanted to leave the last posting up for a while in case anyone wanted to make a contribution to the Lung Association, but then I realized I can put the link up top here, and then move on.  So here is the link to my fundraising page for the Chicago marathon.    http://lungpower2007.kintera.org/faf/login/partMenu.asp?ievent=226982&lis=1&kntae226982=FE83D709A870414EA631D16502DADA78

A big thank you to everyone who has contributed so far! 

Now, I have to tell you about the last couple days.  I was at a journalism convention in San Jose, California.  You know, 'do you know the way to San Jose', and all that.  Anyway, it's otherwise known as the silicon valley, and is just south of San Francisco.  I'd never been there, but I've been to San Francisco a number of times, and I was looking forward to being able to sleep in (a bit) without the kids, and get a few good runs in without the constant time pressures of home.

The only  challenge was, I didn't know where to run.  Fortunately, my hotel had a free computer with internet access, and I was able to search 'San Jose running trails'.  I immediately learned of a number of good paths, most of which seemed to link to the Bay Trail, which apparently runs from San Jose up through San Francisco.

Needless to say, I checked it out immediately.  You can see for yourself from the pictures, it's a nice path.  Crushed gravel, gravel, and dirt are much nicer to run on than concrete any day, and the views are also very nice.  I started in Sunnyvale, a little north of San Jose, near a water treatment plant.  I noticed immediately that I was near the headquarters of Lockheed-Martin, the big defense department contractor, and Yahoo, the internet company.  I noticed a couple of other runners and dog walkers out on the beautiful mornings, but for the most part, I felt like I was the only one out there.  Occasionally that's a really nice feeling, being alone with your thoughts.  I managed a couple of shorter runs, and a nine miler on Saturday morning.  It was a nice break from the crowded Lakefront path, or some of our other usual runs.

This week, though, it's back to the grind!  Not really.  There are a couple of fun races coming up that I'm excited about.  First, on Thursday evening is the Jim Gibbons run.  It's a 5k named for the legendary reporter from my station.  I was never blessed with the opportunity to work with him because he passed away just before I started, but I watched his stories while growing up in Chicago, and now am blessed to work with many colleagues who did work with him.  Channel 7 is a proud sponsor of the run, and it is much more personal than many of the other events we sponsor.

And coming up in July is an exciting new race that I'm sure will be a huge success.  Nike is sponsoring this run finishing at U.S. Cellular field.  They just put out the information in the last couple days, and this is one of those 'breaking news' bits I can offer in this space.  The race is called the Nike+ Rock 'n Run on July 14th.  It's a 5k and will run through the Bridgeport neighborhood and finish on the field.  They have a concert planned in the ballpark after the race, along with appearances by former Sox players. 

Nike is not doing the 'Run Hit Remix' in Chicago this year, but this sounds like a great replacement.  I'm looking forward to it.

Of course, there is a marathon or two looming in the fall, and at some point I'll have to start thinking about that.  But in the meantime, 5k's sound fast and fun.  I'm back from the little break in California, and ready to enjoy the Chicago summer running! 

Hope to see you at one of those races, or on one of the many other great Chicago running trails!

charity

I have run a dozen marathons and countless other races of varying distances.  And I have never run, really, for anyone other than myself.  I enjoy running, and challenging myself by competing in races.  I have never run a marathon for charity.  That, however, is going to change this  October.

Many of the training programs for the Chicago Marathon start this weekend.  CARA and Team in Training are two of the biggest.  Many of the runners in those programs and others are running to raise money for charity.

Charity runners make up a growing number of the field in most major marathons around the world.  According to one estimate in the book "The Chicago Marathon", by Andrew Suozzo, charity runners make up as much as ten percent of the field in Chicago.  The largest race for charity participation is the London marathon.  76% of the runners there are raising money for charity, and they raise more than fifty million dollars!  In Chicago the figure is closer to ten million.

The reasons I have never joined the ranks of the charity runners are several.  First, I tend to train on my own or with a couple select friends.  I have never joined a big training group, and don't plan to this time around.  Second, I really don't like asking people for money.  I am usually the first to donate to others when they are doing a run or walk to raise money, but I would rather not do it myself.

So what changed this time around?  Well, this is the first year that the American Lung Association of Chicago has been one of the official charities.  I have a long association with them dating back to their former ownership of the Chicago Distance Classic.  I even introduced my wife to them several years ago, and she now works for them.  It's a great organization, doing good work in the city.  They were instrumental in making Chicago a 'smoke-free' city last year, and they are continuing work to enforce and strengthen that ordinance. 

I was not really planning on running Chicago this fall.  I have my sights set on New York in November.  But they convinced me to do it for the Lung Power team.  And so I have committed.  That means I really am running it for charity, and would not have planned on doing it otherwise.

Last year I ran and was the honorary captain for Nike's 'Northside team'.  The made a huge contribution to charity as a result of that competition.  I, however, never had to ask anyone for money.  And I won't now.  But I will include a link to my fund-raising page with the Lung Power team.  Feel free to visit if you like.  https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=226982&lis=1&kntae226982=98F051DC3012424697860B4B25F20264&supId=14678625

See you on the roads!