After graduating in the spring of 2010, I was completely sold on the idea that I needed to train for and run a marathon. It was like the next big frontier for me to cross. My very first marathon was in the spring of 2011 when I ran the Lincoln Marathon. I was in the throws of my first public accounting busy season so I was not able to train as much as I would like, and a few weeks before I the race, I had already signed up for an October marathon in Chicago. It was the Chicago marathon that really cemented the idea that marathons equaled vacations to fun places and no location of any race I have ran met the atmosphere I encountered in Boston in 2012.
The picture above sums up probably the highlight of my trip: admission to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. With so much history surrounding the park, this was a must-see for our Boston marathon group. We spent the day or two leading up to the race just enjoying the city. We tried to keep walking to a minimum with the purpose of our trip at the forefront of our mind. We hit the expo, ate some crab cakes and got ready to pasta load for the big Monday race. If anyone was there that year, the race was hot. By the time we started around 10:45am, it was already 80 degrees and shortly after the gun went off, the temperatures steadily rose to 90 degrees. For me personally, it was THE worst race experience I ever had. I went in with the mentality that I was still going to run fast, and saying I struggled with dehydration over the last half of the race is a severe understatement. Again, the experience of the race was incredible but the race itself was not kind to me. After race day, we hung around another day or two to enjoy the city. We ate a delicious meal in the North End (probably best seafood meal I've ever had) and walked around to see all the historic landmarks. The culture in Boston and all that goes along with it was more than enough to make up for the bad experience I had running the race itself. Of course, this was a year before the bombings occurred, and since then, the race has taken on a whole new meaning. As I signed up for the Twin Cities Marathon this fall in an attempt to possibly get back to Boston, I am reminded and humbled by the running community and the reach it has across cities, states, nations and cultures. Good luck to everyone running tomorrow, and remember, it's the experience! Happy Running! Logan Watley **The picture below is me after the race. I was not properly prepared and didn't even think about needing sunscreen. I still have some weird skin left on my shoulders from the sunburn. I suppose it's a good reminder of the trip. :)
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Fascia is connective tissue that surrounds all of the structures in your body, from head to toe. In very simple terms, it’s the webbing that encases the body. Due to several factors including: poor hydration, poor posture, and injuries, we form trigger points in fascia that can keep us from performing at a high level. Today we are going to use the foam roller to perform self myofascial release techniques on two areas of the body that tend to hold a lot of trigger points. The first area is going to be the thoracic spine and also the areas around the shoulder blades. For a lot of us, we sit hunched over a computer for a significant part of the day. This poor posture causes trigger points to form in these areas. To perform this technique, lay face up on the roller. Place your feet flat on the floor and use them to guide your back up and down the roller. Also, take your arms and give yourself a hug, to open up the tissue around the shoulder blades. When you've found a sensitive area, stay on that area and take a few deep breaths, like your breathing into that area. One of the most important things to do when we’ve found a tender spot, is to relax your face, and picture that area in your mind relaxing. The other area we are going to foam roll is the quadriceps. This group of four muscles gets very tight when we sit for extended periods of time. For most of us, that’s a significant portion of our day. To perform this technique, we will lay face down placing the roller on our thighs. We can start with doing both legs at the same time, but eventually we can transition to one leg at a time to allow for our body weight to apply more pressure. Rest the forearms on the ground and use them to guide us up and down the roller from the hip to the knee. We want to use the same techniques mentioned above to help the trigger points release. Try these two techniques to help reduce the stress that our workday places on our body, and see your running improve.
Stay healthy, Wayne Earney MS, CSCS, PES, CES *Foam rollers are available for sale at 605 Running Company. 605 Running Club member Ryan Wanless has a vision for a new addition to the club. Imagine us being able to reach out to everyone that wanted to participate in the amazing races in the 605. Ryan sees our running club as an outlet for something like this! Four months ago Ryan laid the foundation for the 605 Running Club to add a race wheelchair for teams to push locally right here in Sioux Falls. Ryan has worked with Adaptive Star to procure a custom chair that is adjustable for multiple users. The total cost for this chair is $3000. The goal is for us to have the chair available for teams to sign-up and push at races this summer. To complete the production of our chair Ryan needs your help to secure the funding to make this chair a reality. The 605 Running Company is leading the way with a $500 dollar contribution to kick-off the fundraising goal. We are also working with The Cookie Jar Eatery next week to raise funds (checkout the details below). If you or somebody you know is interested in contributing direct dollars please have them contact me using the following email greg@run605.com or call me at the store #271-0480. FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY APRIL 20TH-25TH! Have you ever tried The Cookie Jar Eatery? Odds are if you have been at one of our group runs you have experienced the joy of their cookies, bars, or other delicious treats. Did you know they also serve breakfast and lunch? I’m telling you all of this because The Cookie Jar Eatery wants to help us raise money for our wheelchair! Here is how the fundraiser works. Simply use the voucher posted below when you make a purchase at The Cookie Jar Eatery next week and 10% of whatever you buy goes towards our project. Ways to Maximize Cookie Jar Eatery Fundraising Program · Get the office together to order lunch (The Cookie Jar delivers), use the voucher and bam! You have multiplied the amount of money donated. · Do you have a kid graduating this year? Plan on ordering a cake for the graduation party? Purchase it next week from the Cookie Jar Eatery and use the voucher, 10% of that goes toward our chair (they cater too). · Custom Cakes! Weddings, birthdays, family reunions, anniversaries, etc. order your custom cakes next week and 10% goes to the chair! · If we get everyone in the 605 Running Club to participate we could theoretically get the chair paid for by eating delicious food (what runner doesn’t love food!?!?) Some of you may know of The Oatmeal, but for those who don’t he is an internet comic writer/illustrator. His work is really funny, but one of his greatest comics (and most inspirational to me) explains why he runs. You can read it here. The reason I’m telling you about this is because there is a run coming up called Beat The Blerch. I plan on participating in the virtual race, since all of the actual races are far away. I wanted to let everyone know about it, though, just in case you weren’t aware of it already. The virtual race sign up opens on Monday at 1pm, CST. Happy Running, Jeramy De Vos 605 Running Club Member One of the newest shoes in the 605 Running Co stable is the Hoka Challenger ATR. Everyone at the store loved the Hoka Clifton so much that we just had to bring in the shoe that was touted as the trail version of the Clifton. The shoes arrived at the store a few weeks ago and they are selling like mad. The best part about these shoes is that they seem to have been made for running in Sioux Falls. They have great traction underfoot that makes running at local favorites like Good Earth and Great Bear a breeze while still having a very smooth ride on harder surfaces like the bike path. Most people loved the Clifton but those who didn’t often felt that it was too soft. The Challenger has more dense foam that still provides Hoka’s signature cushion but adds stability and responsiveness. The density of the foam also adds to the durability of the shoe. Some were worried about that in the Clifton. The Clifton lasted 550 miles for me and I think the Challengers will be able to surpass that mark with ease. The uppers are also reinforced for all of the extra force that turning and going downhill can put on a shoe. With all of the cushion and traction in the Hoka Challenger, one would think that they would be heavy and cumbersome. That is not the case, they are incredibly light at only 9.1 ounces for the men’s size 9. The Challenger is an ideal shoe for many people. If you like the feel of the Clifton but want a more firm and responsive feel, look no further than the Challenger. If you want a versatile trail shoe for local hiking and running trails, this is your go to shoe. It has the cushion for long runs and the lightweight for tempo runs. The Challenger is up for all tasks. Come on down to 605 Running to try on the new Hoka Challenger ATR. If you want to find out what this trail running thing is all about, join us and the Sioux Falls Area Running Club at Good Earth State Park on Thursdays at 6 PM. Happy Running, Kyle Schmidt |
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