This past weekend Team Alchemy’s Nicole Chyr toed the line in what was an incredibly deep field at the Greenland 25K. With a weather warning from the Race Director which included temperatures in the 80′s and a strong Southerly wind, not to mention a course that basically goes straight up and straight down, “challenging” would be a bit of an understatement!

Running this race for her second time, Nicole felt more prepared for this year’s race by carrying a water bottle of her own to make up for the fact that there are only two aid stations. Wisely deciding to race her own race early on, Nicole was racing with her eye on this year’s Colfax Marathon (which she won last year!). Even while coming off a bit of an injury and being relatively conservative, Nicole ran her way to a two minute course PR and third place!

Next up for Nicole is the aforementioned Colfax Marathon where she’ll be defending her title!

CEO Jerry Lee accepted award at Trickle Up annual gala on April 4

APRIL 9, 2012 (Boulder, Co)— Newton Running, the leader in natural form running, was awarded the 2012 Glen and Mildred Robbins Leet Humanitarian Award from Trickle Up, a New York-based, non-governmental organization dedicated to alleviating poverty. Since 2008, Newton Running has made financial contributions to Trickle Up, which provides conditional seed capital and business training to the world’s lowest-earning people so that they may start a micro-enterprise.

“We believe strongly in what they do to help the impoverished become financially independent and give women and their children a chance at a better life,” says Newton Running CEO Jerry Lee.

Trickle Up’s mission resonates personally with Lee, a self-made entrepreneur who grew up in a low-income Illinois household with 14 brothers and sisters, then moved to Boulder, Colorado, to become a highly successful real estate investor and later co-founded Newton Running with Danny Abshire in 2007.

Lee accepted the award on behalf of Newton Running at the annual Trickle Up gala in New York City on April 4. The Glen and Mildred Robbins Leet Humanitarian Award, named after the Trickle Up’s founders, is given to supporters who demonstrate a passionate commitment to the organization’s core mission of eradicating extreme poverty. Past award recipients include Wendy Gordon Rockefeller (2010), a leader in the green consumer movement, and Charles Slaughter, founder of TravelSmith and Living Goods (2009).

Newton Running’s  Director of Social Responsibility (and Jerry’s daughter), Wendy Lee, witnessed first hand the impact of Trickle Up’s investment in small businesses when she and her mother, Donna Lee, visited several war-affected Guatemalan communities in 2009. There, they met people who had opened weaving businesses and bakeries thanks to Trickle Up’s local lending programs.

Newton Running customers can easily support Trickle Up by adding a donation to their purchase fromwww.NewtonRunning.com.

To celebrate our HELLO BETTER campaign at the 2012 Boston Marathon, Newton is going give those who’ll be in Beantown in the coming week a chance to win some shoes!

Here’s how it works:

-We’ll be giving away FOUR pairs of shoes in total, two for the ladies and two for the gents.

-To enter, you must take a picture of yourself in front of one of our HELLO BETTER ads around the city. You can find them on pedicabs in the downtown area, Green Line trolleys and on the billboard by the Foodbank on I-93. Pictures can be however you want but YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE PICTURE!

-You can either email your pictures to: legs@newtonrunning.com OR (we’d prefer this one!) post your pictures to Twitter using the hashtag #HELLOBOSTON.

- There will be two (2) drawings.

-Drawing one will be open to all who enter and MUST be picked up at the Newton Running expo booth on Sunday, April 15.

-Drawing two will be done on Marathon Monday (4/16) and will be open to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

-Pictures must be authentic and no inserting/Photoshopping yourself into an image will be accepted (the above picture is merely for effect).

[official rules]

NOW, GO TAKE SOME PICTURES!

BY:

Mark Cucuzzella MD, Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine, LtCol US Air Force
2006 and 2011 Air Force Marathon Champion and Air Force Marathon Team Member since 1988

Now a few extra ways to get from start to finish quicker on the same gallon. 

• If you can add a little gas along the way then you can go more into gas mode.  This works a little at best.  If running too fast you shunt all blood to working muscles and nothing digests.  If you are in hybrid the early going you can continually add fuel- the key is not only the correct fuel, but the right pace.  A Powergel every 25 minutes is easy to digest and tops off the tank.  Carry them with you at the start.  The weight is nothing compared to the benefit you will get.  If you do the gels then you can drink water instead of the energy drinks which are often less predictable on the run. Boston has a Powergel station at Mile 17.  Carry 4 at the start (one every 4 miles or so) and reload at mile 17.
• Maintain effort on uphills.  Your pace will slow. You can easily use all your gas here if your effort increases.  Shorten your stride, relax, and use your arms.  Then allow gravity to take you down. Do not over reach and heel hit on the down hills- remember run over the ground not into the ground. If it is windy get behind a group.  This can save lots of physical and mental energy.
• If you are having a “bad patch” – try to refocus on relaxing, fuel a bit (sometimes a blood glucose drop triggers the sense of doom), and have faith in your training and race plan.  Another nice trick is when you hit mile 21 it is not 5 miles to go, it is 4 and change. Mile 22 is 3 and change to go.
• Do not over drink water. This can lead to a dangerous condition called hypontremia.

The fun of the marathon is that we are always learning and enjoying the adventure of it.  I’ve done over 70 marathons now with a couple under 2:25 in my younger years.  We learn from experience, taking chances, and occasional failures. My first marathon was the 1988 Marine Corps was 2:34, when I could run about 30 minutes for 10 k.  24 years later I hope to get near this time again and my current 10k is about 35 minutes (2011 Boston was 2:37.00).   I’ve learned a few things in 20 plus years on how to train and race efficiently and economically, but still there are uncertainties every time you line up.  So relax, taper up, and seize the day.

I’d like to especially thank all the Armed Forces Members around the world who sacrifice daily in the service of their country and for all the volunteers who make the Boston Marathon a Patriot’s Day celebration.  May the wind be at your back, like 2011!

(Click here to read part 1)

(Click here to read part 2)

(Click here to read part 3)

BY:

Mark Cucuzzella MD, Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine, LtCol US Air Force
2006 and 2011 Air Force Marathon Champion and Air Force Marathon Team Member since 1988

So how do you know you are running in your best hybrid mode? 

This is difficult because the sense at this level (Aerobic Threshold) is not as profound as Lactate Threshold (or Anaerobic Threshhold).  A slight increase from your optimal pace will switch you from hybrid to all gas without you realizing it, and the effects are felt miles later. Charging up hills early will tap your gas quickly.  If you want to speed up early….DON’T. Relax and maintain effort, not speed.  You should feel easy in the early stages, it is a marathon.

You must rehearse a bit in training.  I focus on relaxation and breathing.  If I’m breathing one cycle to 5 steps, then I’m hybrid.  If I’m breathing faster I’m using mostly glucose as fuel.  Belly breathe- allow lower belly to blow up like a beach ball on inhalation and pull your belly button back to your spine on exhalation.  Then you will fill the lower lung areas where oxygen exchange occurs. Notice the breathing efforts of those around you and many are rapid breathing- they tend to suffer somewhere past half way.  Rehearse complete relaxation from the top down- eyes, jaw, shoulders, allow your legs to relax and extend behind you, relax and soften your knees and ankles.  Find you own cue for this.  If you use the Heart Rate Monitor in training strongly consider one during the event.

In a marathon, the last 3-4 miles you will be mostly gas to maintain the same speed as fatigue sets in and heart rate rises.  The breathing is usually on a 3 to 4 steps per breath cycle- that is OK.  Still stay relaxed and use the cues that you have rehearsed to keep your form. Speed up only when you can “smell the barn”, this occurs when you see the Citgo sign (Mile 23).

Land softly, especially on the early downhills.  I run with a forefoot/midfoot landing harnessing elastic recoil. Focus on posture and hip extension. Use a slight forward lean from the ankles (think “face forward” and look ahead).  I’m never sore after marathons now and feel I can keep doing them until I enter the retirement home. I won the Air Force Marathon in 2:38 four weeks ago and feel fine now for another effort.  With good form it is “No pain…thank you”.

Your shoes matter too.  Make strong consideration to not running in minimalist racers unless you have trained substantially in them and adapted your structure to a natural barefoot style gait. I advocate gradually adapting all of your training into more minimal and level shoes.   If you relax your lower legs and load the springy tendons in your feet and Achilles, these shoes with no heel elevation put you in perfect position to allow natural elastic recoil of plantar fascia, Achilles, calf muscles, and hip flexors.  New research and runner’s experience is now making the case for running with a more efficient stride and questions modern running footwear. The evolving world of modern sports medicine is going back to the future too and rediscovering what evolution has taught us.  My shoe for the last 3 years at this race has been the Newton Distance.  A fast and efficient shoe for those who have worked on form.  For a library of information of footwear, running form, and biomechanics visit our website at The Natural Running Center( http://naturalrunningcenter.com). You can view lots of minimalist shoe information on http://www.tworiverstreads.com

Tomorrow: Now a few extra ways to get from start to finish quicker on the same gallon.  

(Click here to read part 1)

(Click here to read part 2)

BY:

Mark Cucuzzella MD, Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine, LtCol US Air Force
2006 and 2011 Air Force Marathon Champion and Air Force Marathon Team Member since 1988

So how does this apply to you in your Boston Marathon, whether you are going to run 2:20 or 4 hours plus?

As you enter the weeks prior to the race here are a few strategies to help you set your plan.  Running your best marathon is part art, science, guts, faith in what you can do, and a little luck.  Running your best 10k is mostly about fitness. The best analogy I can think of is this: if you have trained your body properly with the right mix of aerobic level training and some up tempo stuff in recent weeks, you have built your efficient hybrid engine ready to race the marathon.  Many of you have driven in a Prius and watched the subtle shifts between gas and electric on the screen.  You do not perceive these shifts. Your engine(muscles) runs on a mixture of gas and electric, and how much of each depends on the effort.  This is why slow aerobic training is critical for marathon success, you build a massive electric engine.

You are starting the race with one gallon in the tank- assuming you have eaten a nice meal the night before with a breakfast top off.

• If you are in all gas mode, your engine will run about 1.5 hours at a strong pace….then you are out of gas.
• If you are mostly electric you can run all day, but maybe not so quickly.
• If you are using the proper mix you will go quick and efficient for duration of your event, and you can even do some topping off along the way.

The glucose utilizing pathway (glycolysis for the science folks) is the gas. This is your stored liver/muscle glycogen and blood glucose (pasta meal and breakfast) – easy to access for ready energy.  The fat utilizing pathway (gluconeogenesis for the science folks)  is the electric.  In marathons you must be in hybrid the entire race.  Hybrid is where your energy (ATP) is coming from both sources.

Many runners are in great “10k shape” (an all gas event), then run their marathon in the gas mode- and usually crash.  Glycogen sparing strategy need not apply in races of less than an hour as long as you had a good pre-event meal to fill the tank. In marathons and ultras- top end fitness matters little and can only be applied very near the finish. Glucose gives 36 ATP per molecule, fat 460 ATP per molecule.  You must tap into the fat burning tank. Now you know how a bird can migrate 7000 miles without a Powerbar.

Tomorrow:  So how do you know you are running in your best hybrid mode

(Click here to read part 1)

BY:

Mark Cucuzzella MD, Professor West Virginia University School of Medicine, LtCol US Air Force
2006 and 2011 Air Force Marathon Champion and Air Force Marathon Team Member since 1988

I’ve had the pleasure of running the Boston Marathon 18 times with a string now of 10 consecutive.  My only misses were for military and work duties and a foot surgery.  In all these efforts had 5 under 2:30, 6 between 2:30 and 2:35; 3 between 2:35 and 2:40; 3 between 2:40-2:44; and one DNF (my first one in 1989 with all the rookie mistakes J ). My best learning experiences were when the men and women started together and I had the privilege of running alongside and witnessing the patient approach and incredibly efficient running  of the top ladies.

In the 1998  Fatuma Roba, the Marathon Gold Medalist in Atlanta and 3 time Boston winner, scooted over the ground with an incredibly efficient motion.  She hydroplaned along the ground, hips extending, arms relaxed, and face always relaxed.  She stayed out of trouble by tucking behind the lead pack of more aggressive ladies.  I followed behind the train and we hit half way in about 1:13.  Fatuma then opened her stride up in the second half moving away from all of us to run a 2:23.  An amazing second half effort.  I was pleased with a 2:27 that day and credit Fatuma as any thoughts to go faster sooner were mitigated by her patience.

A few years later in 2001 I witnessed multiple world champion and Boston winner Catherine “the Great” Ndereba employ the same strategy.  Her light springy stride and complete relaxation of effort were a contrast to other ladies in the pack who’s body language and breathing displayed they were putting out more energy than Katherine.  As a group we hit the half in 1:14.  Katherine kept relaxed down the last set of downhill during mile 17 then tightened the screws with a huge acceleration over the Newton hills, running a 50 minute last 10 miles for a 2:24.  Katherine helped my day.  By cueing off her pacing and relaxation I ran an  even race and finished in 2:29.

The other runner who taught me to have fun out there was the legendary 3 time Boston winner Uta Pippig of Germany.  In 1997 I ran with her until she dropped me at Cleveland Circle mile 22.  The crowds loved Uta and the noise escalated as she approached.  She smiled the whole way.  Maybe this was her cue to relax, feed off the crowd’s energy, and have fun in the moment. In marathoning you must be present in the moment; not thinking about how far you have to go,  what you may feel like later, wondering if you are going to slow down, fearing  the wall is coming.  Uta ran a strong fourth place that day in 2:28 and I finished a few strides back in 2:29. She is an example of how our brains govern our effort….when we are positive it flows.

All of these ladies made sure to get their fluid and nutrition at all stops. The few extra seconds used here paid dividends down the road.  They ran over the road not into the road, especially on the downhills…you could hardly hear them land as they did not employ hard heel striking technique.  Their posture was tall and their arms always relaxed.  But most vital was their efficient energy conservation and utilization strategy.

Tomorrow: So how does this apply to you in your Boston Marathon, whether you are going to run 2:20 or 4 hours plus?

Photo by: Martin Flinta

My 2012 season officially had lift off on the 3 March at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. With it’s unique racing format (3km swim: 200km bike: 20 km run) and location (you get to ride on the Yas Marina grand prix circuit) its an early season race that attracts a top notch field.

I went into the race with a good block of training under my belt after spending 7 weeks on the Spanish Canary Islands. I wanted to race well and to use it as a build for Ironman Melbourne three weeks later.

My race got off to a decent start. I was swimming comfortably with the front pack, with über swimmer Jodie Swallow gaining a two minute advantage off the front. Onto the bike I felt good and rode the first 40 km comfortably in a group of three until Caroline Steffan put a surge in and dropped me and fellow Brit, Emma Kate Lidbury on the Yas circuit. I didn’t panic and kept to my pace. Two hundred kilometers is a long way and I didn’t want to expend too much energy too soon!

At one point the TV crew pulled up next to me on amotorbike and started to try and conduct an interview. “How was I feeling?”, “Was I suffering in the heat?”.. Now, I didn’t want to appear uncooperative but I was in a race and putting some effort into the bike so I probably wasn’t at my most chatty .

At about the 100km mark the chasing pack caught me. In retrospect I wish I’d at least

Photo by: Martin Flinta

attempted to go with them, but I didn’t and over the next 80km they built quite a gap. I felt a little frustrated with myself going into T2 but I’d already resolved that’s I was going to give it what for on the run. It was a pleasure to put my new Newton Distance light weight running shoes on and head out not the run. I let my legs come to me and I felt good. I focused on keeping my turnover high and just ran as hard as I could. Although the women ahead had a good head start no race is over till you cross the finish line! Starting the run I was in 7th place and I ran into 5th. Yes, I’m a little disappointed with my overall result but take big positives from my running the fastest in split of the day (1.11:53 for 20km), and setting a new run course record (oh, and 6th fastest run overall ).

I’m now in Melbourne putting in my final preparation for Ironman Melbourne on 25 March. It’s all set to be another fantastic day of racing with a really stacked field. I can’t wait!

I grew up playing every sport and game imaginable; Skateboarding, boxing, kick ball, kill ball, running bases, soccer, softball, basketball and rugby.  I wore Converse, Adidas, Puma, Etonic, and Nike.  My feet were a topic of conversation often because they are so wide, and I had tremendous pain in my teenage years due to a bunion on my right foot.  It was surgically “repaired” when I was 21 years old, which left me with limited range of motion in my toe, but gratefully no pain.  I packed on some weight after college, and managed to max out at 155 lbs.  Just after I got married in 1989, I set out to change my lifestyle and regain the level of activity I had in my younger years by joining Weight Watchers, lifting weights and running.

I worked the 3-11 shift as a reservation sales agent for Northwest Airlines, so every day before work I ran a 1.1 mile loop by my house.  It took me 11-12 minutes.  I ran my first 5K in 36:00.  My first triathlon was in the summer of 1990, a Danskin sponsored sprint.  I loved it.  I was miserable at my job and wanted to do something involving fitness and my new healthy lifestyle.  I went back to school for three years and received my M.A. in exercise physiology from Adelphi University in New York.  That 1.1 mile run became 2, and then 4, 6, 13, and finally my first marathon, New York City 1996.  I continued in triathlon as well, competing in St.Croix in 1995 and Ironman Canada in 1998.  I had the best jobs in corporate fitness, running wellness centers for JP Morgan Chase and Philip Morris (yes, the cigarette company).  I grew tired of the toxic lifestyle in New York City and made a move to Scottsdale Arizona, just 12 days prior to 9/11.

We left Arizona almost 4 years to the day that we arrived, moving back East in order for my husband John to take a sales position with his company, PING Golf.  Determined to do something different, I took a part-time position at a local running store.  It kept me busy, but more importantly gave me an opportunity to meet people in the running community.  I started getting involved again in coaching individuals and large groups for 5K, as beginning runners were always special to me.  I also attended school again, and earned another degree and a license in massage therapy.  Seven years there… Following a three hour bike ride in June, I gave notice.  I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I couldn’t stay there anymore.  I had to clear something out of my life, to let something in.

I tried Newton running shoes for the first time in July 2008 at Ironman Lake Placid.  John bought a pair of Motions from Tom Curran!  I put them back on when we started to carry them at Charm City Run, but I was happy enough in whatever I was running in, so I didn’t switch.  Finally in the early part of 2011, my training partner wanted out of his Brooks Beasts and was on me constantly about Newton’s and Natural Running.  If I was to help him, I needed to know more about them so I started to run in the Gravity.  With a week left at my job at Charm City, another employee advised me of the Mid-Atlantic Tech Rep opening.  My strong exercise physiology background and my retail experience was a perfect combination, and Tom hired me in the parking lot of our Fleet Feet Baltimore store.

I have always been a positive, ebullient, and energetic person by nature, and was often told by my father to “cheer down” as a child.  I love what I do, I believe in what I do, and I give my best every day.  Since running in Newton shoes I have been injury free, able to run more mileage, and I’m running faster.  At 46 years of age I have run a PR at 5K, 10K, 8 Miles, 10 Miles and Half Marathon distances.  This year I plan to PR at DC Rock and Roll Marathon, finish the Northface 50 Miler and add two more Ironman events to my resume with Canada and Arizona.

Newton…just wanted to pass a big thanks for the great shoes. I ordered a pair after Ian came to March Air Base last Spring and gave a two day seminar. I brought the shoes with me on deployment to Afghanistan. I ran in them every day, over 1200 miles in 6 months and they still have plenty of mileage left. I took a couple of shoe pictures and posted them on my Facebook.