IMPORTANT NOTICES…
A runner fended off an attacker with a can of mace Saturday night while running in southern Fairfax County.
The woman was running along Hayfield Road, close to Old Telegraph Road, around 10 p.m. when she was grabbed by a man wearing a dark long sleeve shirt and cream colored pants. After using her mace, the two ran in opposite directions, according to Fairfax County Police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.
Tuesday June 11, Washington, D.C.
A bicyclist on the Metropolitan Branch Trail in Northeast Washington was attacked and badly beaten by what he counted as more than a dozen teenagers near Third and S streets, NE. According to a Washington Post report, he said they took nothing from him and suffered a broken bone near his eye.
Monday June 10, Chevy Chase, Md.
During a storm on Monday afternoon, a Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School student, Joshua Davis, was apparently killed when a tree fell and struck him while he biked on a side trail off of the Rock Creek Trail, according to Montgomery County Police. He was close to the 9200 block of Jones Mill Road in Chevy Chase.
Saturday June 1, Vienna, Va.
Around 8:30 p.m., a woman was charged with driving while intoxicated and felony hit and run after she drove nearly five miles to Vienna on the W&OD Trail from Reston and hit a bicyclist, who was thrown from the bike onto the trail’s shoulder, and nearly hit a handful of other trail users.
Saturday June 1, Arlington, Va.
At approximately 11:17 a.m., a woman was reportedly cut in the upper left side of her torso by a man who jumped out of the brush as she was walking along the Four Mile Run Trail. The man ran away, she suffered superficial injuries but remains hospitalized Monday, according to the Arlington County Police Department, which has not released any information on the assailant. The attack happened between the N. Ohio Streetand Patrick Henry Drive overpasses over I-66.
If possible, run with someone when heading to an isolated area, carry identification and when possible, alert someone to your planned route.
Garret Martucci of Arlington, VA left plenty of cushion in his Father’s Day win at Dash for Dad. Right from the start, he proved to be the fastest competitor in the 820 person field, completing the 4 mile course in 20:59. But it wasn’t winning the race that was most special. Martucci was running for his uncle, who has prostate cancer. Dash for Dad, a 4 mile race starting at Pentagon Row in Arlington, VA was created by the Zero Project to End Prostate Cancer.
[button-red url=”https://register.racedctiming.com/results/default.aspx?event=13004&r=2963″ target=”_self” position=”left”] Results [/button-red]Eddie Valentine of Arlington, VA was 2nd place in 22:22. His father passed away when he was 14, and this was a special way to remember him. Rounding out the top 3 was Alex Roederer, 14, of West Bethesda, Maryland.
In the women’s race, Jenny Fitzgerald of Woodbridge, VA took home the title in 24:28. Looking to break 25 minutes, she was very pleased in achieving her goal. Mary Beth Chosak from Arlington, VA was second place in 26:19 and Melissa Wisner rounded out the top 3 in 26:25.
Not everyone participated in the open division at Dash for Dad. Runners had the option to stop at the first mile and put on a tie, a creative twist to today’s race. Andy Chosak of Arlington, VA selected this unique option. As a new father, today was extra special to Andy. He completed the race while pushing his 9-month old son, James, and watched his wife take home second place in the women’s division.
A kid’s dash preceded the run, with all ages and faces engaged on the starting line. Leo Weber-Jones, 6, made a point to run all out for Dad and never quit. Even his two year-old brother, Hugh, joined the fun. Drinking an entire Gatorade after the race, he proudly showed off his medal.
Dash for Dad is a national movement, featuring 27 races throughout the US with over 15,000 participants.
Washington, DC
March 4, 2011
Washington Running Report, a bi-monthly publication covering running, fitness, and multi-sport was recently revamped to a glossy magazine and is distributed throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, namely Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. A new digital edition has been added as well as new columns to reflect the diverse running communities: Military Running Scene, A Woman’s Perspective, and The Senior Runner.
“The running and fitness industry is recession resistant and with more people choosing to lead healthy lifestyles and road race participation growing, we’re providing the best local resource to motivate and educate our readers,” said Kathy Freedman, Publisher and owner of Capital Running Company, a race management company. “Our contributors are local runners and experts who share a passion for their sport and our advertisers know we are the source to reach this market.”
Sue Himes, CDR, U.S. Navy, pens “Military Running Scene,” and has represented the U.S. Armed Forces team in both the marathon and cross country. Coach Kirt West has been the online coach for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile and, as a senior runner in his early 60s, shares his journey to stay fit. In 2011, six women will contribute to “A Woman’s Perspective” with topics ranging from finding motivation to balancing running with motherhood.
The digital edition has been launched with the March/April 2011 issue and can be found on the Washington Running ReportWeb site: www.runwashington.com.
About Washington Running Report
Founded in 1984, Washington Running Report is published bi-monthly and provides the most comprehensive coverage of running, fitness, and multisport for Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia, plus the bordering regions of Delaware, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. For more information or to subscribe visit www.runwashington.com. WRR is represented nationally by the Endurance Sports Media Group.
About Capital Running Company
Capital Running Company is a professional race management and promotion company that has been producing road races in the Washington, DC metropolitan area and Northern Virginia for more than 30 years. It specializes in first-time and large events requiring sponsor exposure; the company uses the innovative ChronoTrack timing system.
Editorial Contact:
Brenda Barrera, Managing Editor
[email protected]
Kathy Freedman, Publisher
15739 Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville, MD 20855
[email protected] or 301-840-2042
www.runwashington.com
www.capitalrunning.com
Ask the Coach: Marathoning in the Fifties
Dear Coach: I am 53 years old, been running since 1979, and my last two marathons were November 2005 and January 2006-where I broke three hours in each race. In 2008, I had an injury and was off four months and by the summer of 2009 began to build a running base of 50 miles per week, but at a slow pace. I would like to continue racing but I find myself feeling so fatigued. How should I train at this age? Below I have included some of my training schedule.
I am now running 65 to 70 miles per week and training for my first marathon since 2006. My times seem slow, training paces are hard to hit, and I do speed work once a week at threshold pace. Here is an example of my most recent workout:
3 x 1 mile repeats at 6:44, 6:37, and 6:37
Jog 20 minutes
3 x 1 mile repeats in 6:46, 6:44, and 6:32 (That last mile was pretty tough!)
For my marathon training, I have already completed four long runs of more than 20 miles, with some finishing at a fast pace. The slow long runs are at an 8:00 to 8:10 pace. I take one day off completely each week. My easy runs are at an 8:30 pace.
Two weeks ago I ran a very disappointing 1:32 half marathon. I thought I would easily break 1:30–maybe I just forgot how hard it is. Here’s the workout I did the weekend before the race:
Warm up
4 x 5 minutes @ 6:40 with 1 minute recovery
80 minutes easy (10 miles)
20 minutes steady @ 6:30 to 6:35 pace.
For my upcoming marathon, I entertained thoughts of running sub-3:05, but now I’m thinking I’ll be lucky to get under 3:10 with a realistic expectation of 3:15. Sometimes on the weekends we run a really hilly course and last week I did 20+ miles there with the last nine miles pretty hard, probably under 7:00 pace. The next day I felt so sluggish I barely ran six miles @ 8:30 pace.
I am going to run the marathon SLOWLY just to get a Boston qualifying time. My plan is to run 8:15 to 8:30 pace and just finish the 26.2 and send in my entry. I only have to run 4:05 to qualify. With that said, my goal race is three weeks later. The full marathon/training run November 15 will be my last long run.–Christie
Dear Christie: Being in my 60s, I sympathize with what you are going through. We start to slow down particularly in our 50s. It may be that you need to lower expectations in terms of race times, etc. I certainly have had to do so. Old training paces have now become my race paces. Trying to maintain race times is like walking up a fast-moving down escalator.
You should do more recovery runs and less intensity. Your fatigue is probably caused by lack of recovery days combined with too much intensity. You are beating yourself up on some of your long runs and are not fully recovered from them when you do your next hard session. You certainly were not fully recovered when you ran the half marathon one week after a very hard long run.
Coach Roy Benson and I have had many discussions about the competitive athletes we have coached and our shared experience is that runners such as you are better off being slightly undertrained and running fewer hard miles. Based on your weekly mileage, I think both of us would restrict you to doing no more than 7 to 10 miles of hard work-with hard work meaning running faster than 7:45 to 8:00 minutes per mile in your case.
I also think your speed sessions are too long-the intensity and pace are good, but there is a diminishing value when you start running more than 3 to 4 miles at anaerobic threshold pace. Some of the miles on your long run are pretty intense and require more recovery than you are allowing.
I know that it seems counterintuitive that you will race faster by lowering the overall intensity of your training-it is a lesson that it took me years to learn the hard way. My PRs came at age 46 and 47, and only after I learned to back off on easy days and limit the amount of mileage on the hard days.
Finally, I am not sure that that you should run a marathon (even if it is slow) three weeks before another marathon. However, if you do it, you really need to back off from all intensity and mileage for the three weeks between the races.
Another suggestion is that you get a coach who uses effort-based training principles. I urge you to train with a heart monitor to assist recovery from hard efforts.–Coach
Follow-up note: I received an e-mail from Christie who has decided to get together with one of the local coaches in her community after her marathon. Due to a sore knee and continuing fatigue, she also decided not run a marathon three weeks before her goal race.
Coach Kirt West has been running for more than 30 years and coaching adults for the past 15 years. He is the online coach for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Virtual Training Program. He is a former member of the RRCA Coaching Committee and past Vice President and member of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club Board of Directors.
