Kurt Zaporozan: Week 3 Vancouver Sun Run

Friday, January 30, 2009

Week 3 Vancouver Sun Run

This is what needs to be done this week for the Vancouver Sun Run Training Clinic.

Sun Run InTraining Clinic Leader 2009 Network
Coaching - Week 3 already!
Week #3 already…How’s it going? Warmer temperature this week in most places, and at least in the Lower Mainland most of the snow has melted...Hope it's flying by and you're feeling great about the progress your participants have made.
*Make sure you check out your Coaching Tips in the Documents section here in your SportMed Leader Community, and Nordic Walk Leaders please click here.
FINAL WEEK FOR REGISTRATIONS!
IMPORTANT: GRADUAL ENTRY FOR NEWCOMERS:
Remember you will still have newcomers to the program this week, so take care to help them with a gradual entry to the program according to your Clinic Coordinator’s direction. It’s important that they don’t try to catch up to everyone in Week 3 all at once.
My suggestion is this:
Walk10K and Run10KFasters should be OK with the workout as it is, as long as you help them stay conscious of what it means to be at a “brisk” pace relative to their “talking” pace. We don’t want them working too hard. As always, slower is better.
LearnToRun10K groups are already up to *3 minutes of shuffling this week: It’s TOO LONG for those newcomers. Have them alternate only *1 minute of shuffling with *1 minute of walking while the others do their 3 minutes of shuffling. Keep the group together by looping. The pace should be such that the newcomers are walking as fast as the others are shuffling anyway. If not, SLOW THEM DOWN!
SLOWER IS BETTER
Remember from Leader Training? The secret to success is pacing... Click here to jog that memory!
MORE LOOPING
My spies out there are telling me the groups are not necessarily staying together, particularly in the RunFaster groups. BE VOCAL. LET PARTICIPANTS KNOW WHEN THE RUN PORTION BEGINS, HOW MUCH TIME HAS GONE BY WHILE THEY ARE RUNNING (IE. “1 MINUTE TO GO!”) SO THEY HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF HOW LONG THEY NEED TO KEEP THEIR PACE BRISK, and let participants know when the recovery jog is happening.
Keep good track of the intervals. If you are having trouble staying in sync as leaders, then designate ONE LEADER in charge of the timing in the group, while the other is there for support and encouragement.
Use those intervals to stay together.
TIRED LEGS THIS WEEK: ASK PARTICIPANTS HOW THEY ARE FEELING!
Those participants that have been with you since Week #1 may have legs that will be feeling tired and heavy. This would be understandable! Volume and intensity have been increasing each week, and you can remind them it takes time for the body to adapt to the changing demands of the program. They need to stay focused and persevere through all three weekly sessions. Tell them NEXT week will be a nice easy, rest and recovery week with easier sessions…they’ll love you for it!
FIND A SOFTER SURFACE
Consider taking a break from the pavement or asphalt if possible. The softer terrain will be more forgiving on those tired legs. Seek out a park with softer trails. Those of you that are in the snow should be OK. That snow acts as a nice cushion. If you’ve got icy roads, try to walk or run on the snow that’s along the shoulder.
CONSIDER PURCHASING A SPORT WATCH
One more suggestion for this week: Consider purchasing a Sport Watch to help you keep track of those interval times in the workouts. You don’t need anything fancy: They are not too expensive and last a good long while. The most important functions you need are the “stop-watch” and “repeat countdown timer”: All of the intervals in the program are of course repeats of one minute, so that when that watch beeps for you every minute, you’ll easily be able to keep track of those intervals. If you’re unsure of how many you’ve done, then all you have to do is glance down at the REAL time once in a while and you can easily figure it out. Trust me; I’ve been doing this for YEARS now. It’s too much work to have to look down at your watch all the time, especially if you’re wearing winter clothing. Plus if you’re anything like me, it’s hard to SEE the darn thing these days!
USE THOSE LOGBOOKS!
Keep it going gang! Remind participants they should be PROUD of themselves for making the changes in their regular routine to fit this program into their lives. Encourag them to record their workouts and how they are feeling.

No comments:

Personal Mission Statement

Defining who you are can be another powerful way to help you make the changes you desire. A personal mission statement is like a credo or motto that states what your life is about. It should reflect the values you hold about the importance of health and fitness and life in general. It can act as a guide to help you adhere to what you truly want to achieve. It can help you commit to a running (or walking) program.A personal mission statement can be anything you want – a favourite quotation, song lyrics or your own creation. It needs to inspire you and help you remember what you are all about. Take a look at the worksheet in your "Documents" section of your SportMed Community network - Develop Your Personal Mission Statement for examples and how to develop your own. Encourage your participants to do the exercise and once completed, to post it on the refrigerator or wall and review it regularly for inspiration.

Our Deepest Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” by Marianne Williamson

Training Tips

IS CHOCOLATE REALLY GOOD FOR YOU?
By Amby Burfoot

In January 2006, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) published the most convincing study yet linking flavanol-rich cocoa to improved blood-vessel health. A month later, the Archives of Internal Medicine reported that Dutch men who ate the most chocolate had a 47 percent lower mortality rate over 15 years than a similar group that consumed little chocolate. In June, the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology published a special supplement on cocoa flavanols, with 17 articles about chocolate's health benefits, ranging from lower blood pressure to increased brain blood flow to better skin health. In November, independent researchers at Johns Hopkins announced a study that showed a small amount of chocolate slowed platelet clumping. Also in November, a new chocolate called CocoaVia got a lift from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, which reported that two (small) bars a day lowered LDL cholesterol in a high-cholesterol subject group by 6.7 percent. This likely resulted from the addition of plant sterol esters (like those found in some margarines) to the CocoaVia. It's enough to make you look for Willy Wonka's nearest factory. Only one problem: Much of the research has been sponsored by Mars, the folks who brought us M&Ms, Snickers, and now CocoaVia. Almost any time you speak to a chocolate "expert," you're talking with someone who has cashed a few checks from Mars. Sweet Science Mary Engler is an exception. A cardiovascular physiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, Engler, along with her twin sister and fellow Ph.D., Marguerite, has spent the last 15 years researching the connection between diet and blood-vessel health. In 2004, the Englers published the first independent study, in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, to show that a dark-chocolate bar enhanced artery dilation. A chocolate bar with most of its healthy flavanols stripped away had no such effect. Flavanols are plant micronutrients, such as those found in tea, purple grapes, and apple skins, that can have a powerful effect on cell health. A particular cocoa flavanol, epicatechin, triggers blood vessels to release nitric oxide, which relaxes nearby muscle fibers, allowing the arteries to expand and carry more blood. "The evidence is absolutely compelling," Engler says, "and I believe the field is going to grow rapidly, just as we saw with the omega-3 fatty acids and their connection to heart health."Carl Keen lives and works just 70 miles from Engler at the same university, only he's at the branch in Davis, and his research has been funded by Mars. When I reach Keen, a Ph.D. professor of nutrition and internal medicine, we have a wide-ranging conversation. "Our research has found that cocoa flavanols from dark chocolate help keep the blood vessels expanded and flexible," he says. "This is a profound and exciting effect." This leads unexpectedly to the question of superfoods. What Keen tells me is that industry-sponsored chocolate research may help unlock the phytochemical secrets behind, say, blueberries and red peppers. After all, blueberries don't have a multibillion-dollar lobby. "Fruits and vegetables are all good for you," he says, "but some are better than others. And I hope that the next wave of discovery will enable us to say which are the really good ones."About the ProcessKeen has been doing a lot of his recent work with chocolate produced by Mars's private, patented Cocoapro process. The Mars people talk about the gentle, nutrient-retaining Cocoapro method the way some young parents describe their infant's bedroom, outfitted with a swaddling crib and speakers that waft Mozart through the air. CocoaVia products are made from Cocoapro, and are guaranteed to provide 100 milligrams of cocoa flavanols per serving, no matter how dark or light the chocolate. The people at Hershey's have been slow to jump on the dark-chocolate bandwagon, but they're not dumb-not with dark chocolate sales increasing 30 percent per year. Last May, Hershey's announced that it was forming a new Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition, and that a Yale University study of Hershey's Natural Cocoa showed that the drink improved the blood flow of those who consumed it. Last fall, Hershey's began selling a premium dark chocolate named Hershey's Cacao Reserve, and also bought Dagoba, an organic dark-chocolate company that produces an adorable "Tao of Cacao" newsletter. Okay, I'm being sarcastic there. But let's give Hershey's credit for its 30-year support of youth track and field in the United States.The Hershey's people are also waging a quiet war against the Cocoapro process. Last May, they published a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry that compared the antioxidant and polyphenol activities of chocolate products from a variety of leading manufacturers. Basically, they found no differences among manufacturers, only among product types (like dark chocolates versus milk chocolates). "Regardless of where the chocolate comes from, we found-as did a USDA article in the same issue-that the antioxidant and polyphenol values tracked very closely to the amount of nonfat cocoa solids in each product," says Dave Stewart, a plant biochemistry Ph.D. and Hershey's director of nutrition and natural product sciences. The chocolates that have the highest percentage of cocoa in them, information typically available on labels, probably have the most flavanols. Just a TasteI can't tell for sure who's making the healthiest chocolate, but here's my advice: Remember that chocolate is a plant food, so choose the most natural, least processed chocolate you can find. That means avoiding chocolate with milk solids, emulsifiers, and heaps of added sugar. Also, skip chocolates with any mention of alkali or "Dutching," which are known to reduce nutrients.And of course, don't be misled into thinking that chocolate is a health food. It's not. Chocolate, brimming with fat, is something you should learn to savor in small pieces. "No one should add calories to their diet by eating more chocolate," says longtime Runner's World nutrition editor Liz Applegate, Ph.D., a confirmed chocoholic herself. "You have to substitute it for something else, hopefully something less nutritious."For Valentine's Day, I've settled on the perfect menu. We'll start with a cup of black-bean soup, then have a kale salad with orange segments and sliced almonds, organic, long-grain brown rice with steamed broccoli and herbed tofu, and a nice glass of red wine, known for its heart-healthy attributes. After dinner, I'll pour another glass of wine and reach for a box of rich, dark, sinfully delicious chocolates, knowing that dark chocolate boosts blood flow. That's got to be a good thing. Especially on Valentine's Day.

Kurt Zaporozan

Friday, January 30, 2009

Week 3 Vancouver Sun Run

No comments:

Me and My running Buddies

Me and Em