Gallagher Fitness Resources

Category: 10k, Half-Marathon, Marathon Clinic

This category and subsequent sub-categories and topics are for TEAM GFR Training participants and any other runners, walkers and interested people to read and post comments.

  • Portland Marathon Congratulations!

    Congratulations Salem area 2013 Portland Marathon Finishers!

    Women’s Results:

    Last First Time
    Poblacion Olivia 3:10:14
    Stange Heather 3:34:01
    Brixey Emily 3:41:21
    Esko Mariah 3:42:27
    Everetts Megan 3:42:59
    Mischkot Brooke 3:50:56
    Brager Virginia 3:51:16
    Brainard Susan 3:55:39
    Pollman Melissa 3:59:03
    Simmons Shannon 4:08:07
    Harrahill Kate 4:16:34
    White Lauri 4:19:22
    West Anne 4:19:40
    Valles Sarah 4:22:32
    Beers-Everson Susie 4:22:52
    Pendley Anne 4:25:35
    Thompson Anne 4:40:31
    Torres Kuca 4:42:26
    Wilding Deb 4:42:26
    Neely Heidi 4:51:57
    Davies Samantha 4:52:39
    Miles Amanda 4:53:50
    Chau Natasha 5:01:19
    Salchenberg Kris 5:01:54
    Bundy Leigha 5:07:00
    Jennings Maxine 5:11:35
    Schill Denise 5:11:44
    Russell Michelle 5:12:02
    Ball Karen 5:12:06
    Tea-Pelley Laurina 5:16:18
    Hill Ann 5:17:12
    Tilley Cathy 5:17:12
    King Lacey 5:24:10
    Comstock Kelley 5:25:29
    Knox Julie 5:26:29
    Guiger Christina 5:30:43
    Hanada Junko 5:34:25
    Underhill Marlee 5:35:15
    Shafran Helen 5:44:35
    Parker Maria 5:28:20
    Lechuga-Berg Jennifer 6:02:27
    Klug Jenni 6:04:04

    Men’s Results:

    Beach Jake 2:52:19
    Strother John 3:04:25
    Macquoid Kevin 3:09:55
    Whitney Jared 3:10:06
    Dakopolos Matthew 3:10:09
    Worthington Brian 3:15:36
    Young Travis 3:16:30
    Vogt Michael 3:22:15
    Fox David 3:27:37
    Stange Ben 3:34:01
    Howe Jay 3:34:04
    Collins Brandon 3:37:32
    Kravitz Nathaniel 3:41:18
    Jones Jason 3:45:22
    O’Day Sean 3:46:57
    Jones Jeff 3:47:39
    Miller Monty 3:48:15
    Monismith Caleb 3:35:31
    Brager Kyle 3:54:25
    Johnson ryan 3:56:37
    Barizo Jerry 3:58:05
    Pendley Todd 4:01:04
    Biasi Tony 4:01:57
    Tavera Jr. Isavel 4:02:48
    Bozicevic Tomislav 4:04:38
    Baird Scott 4:05:39
    Lemmons Grant 4:05:41
    Yoder Sean 4:11:36
    Fessler Scott 4:13:22
    White Randy 4:13:23
    Chalise Praveen 4:13:32
    Antrican Jeff 4:14:44
    Couduff Bill 4:16:09
    Muttbrock Jerry 4:17:59
    Wales Joe 4:26:09
    Roman Paul 4:28:43
    Haines Taylor 4:28:59
    Mielke Karl 4:37:11
    Crockett David 4:43:19
    Shadrin Mark 4:44:59
    Stewart Samuel 4:46:57
    Johnson Dexter 4:47:21
    Davies Thomas 4:52:44
    Seibert Jason 4:54:52
    Velasquez Pedro 4:58:43
    Canton Daniel 4:59:29
    Mortensen Brian 5:00:16
    Emery Rex 5:02:34
    Steyaert Jeff 5:03:02
    Weigand Joseph 5:07:21
    Sexton Britt 5:13:45
    Rockow Michael 5:17:39
    Todd Brian 5:25:07
    Bender Ed 5:33:37
    Ryoki Naoya 5:34:25
    Brown Taylor 5:35:16
    Dean Tom 5:48:33

  • Runners for Boston

    R4B_0028

    Gallagher Fitness Resources presents “Runners for Boston” a unified walk/run by Salem Area citizens to show our support and solidarity with the victims and families of the Boston Marathon bombing tragedy April 15, 2013.


    Date:     Monday, April 22 6:30 p.m. We will observe a Moment of Silence before beginning.


    Where:     Salem Riverfront Park – Rotary Club Pavilion


    Cost:     FREE event – donations encouraged to One Fund Boston (see below)


    Distance:     As short or long as you wish to walk or run


    Route:     Please stay on the pathways within Riverfront Park, the Union Street RR Bridge, and Wallace Marine Park. Please do not run or walk on the streets in the parks.


    Details:     This is not an organized, registered run, it’s more of an impromptu meeting to show support for those impacted by the Boston Marathon tragedy.  No money will be exchanged on site.

    T-Shirts: Please wear blue and yellow (Boston Marathon official colors) or any Boston Marathon apparel, anything that says Boston or a race t-shirt from a local event.

    Running Specialty Stores of the Independent Running Retailers Association (IRRA) across the USA are concurrently hosting “Runners for Boston.” While we are walking and running in Salem, tens of thousands of people will be participating simultaneously nationwide.

    Donations

    This is an opportunity to stand with the national running community and let the people of Boston know that we love their marathon as much as they do, that it’s much more than just a race, and that Boston is much more than just a city.

    Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino have announced the formation of The One Fund Boston, Inc. to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15, 2013.

    Find out more here.

    To donate click here.

    To send a check by mail:

    One Fund Boston, Inc.

    800 Boylston Street #990009

    Boston, MA 02199

    Send inquiries to: info@onefundboston.org

    Thank you for participating in “Runners for Boston” with Gallagher Fitness Resources, your Running Specialty Store for the Salem area.

  • Reflections on 2013 Boston Marathon

    Reflections on 2013 Boston Marathon

    Boston Marathon 2011

    “Hey, ya look like a runnah.  Ya here ta do Bahstun?”  Imagine being greeted with that line by a cab driver on Friday as you arrive at Logan Airport.  The race is Monday – Patriot’s Day, three days away – and it’s apparent the city has already accepted you with open arms.  Everywhere you look are signs, banners, and billboards welcoming you to the Boston Marathon.  The first, the oldest, the most famous.  You and 27,000 others from all over the world earned your way here by meeting a qualifying time or by raising a target goal for a charity. You belong here and Boston is already celebrating your achievement.

    For one hundred and seventeen years Bostonians have cheered their local citizens and guests from every corner of the world to that finish line on Boylston St.  The spectators spread out over 26.2 miles have exceeded a half million people in recent years.  They shout and applaud as if you were a superstar for the Celtics, Bruins, Patriots or Red Sox.  Crazy thing is that you are as average and normal as those people screaming your name.  Like them, you have a job, a family, and responsibilities.  What links you is a shared passion – the passion to run in this race.

    I have been a runner for over 40 years.  I have coached runners and walkers for 30 of those years and have been blessed to own a running store in Salem for the last fifteen plus years.  I have personally run the Boston Marathon three times and plan to run it again.  Today, I’m still working my way through the tragedy we all witnessed on Monday.

    On April 15, 2013 the finish line on Boylston Street was senselessly splattered with the blood of innocent spectators.  Within a few terrifying moments, those spectators in Boston were taken from a world of Boston Marathon Day magic to an agonizing reality of a world tainted by evil and infected with fear.

    It is true.  We runners and walkers shut down parks, cause traffic to be re-routed and create inconveniences for those not directly involved.  However, the trade-off is typically a city-wide happening that celebrates health, hard work, and personal achievement.  In cities and towns worldwide, road races offer participants and fans a unique opportunity to use the roads for a different purpose – to raise money for charities and to challenge ourselves to be better.  The intention is to provide for the good of many while offering our hometowns a free spectator event.  I pray to God that has not changed – not now, not ever.

    In my book, innate human joy and the unconquerable feeling of personal achievement trumps anything an evil mind can ever hope to defeat.  My wife, Susan, and I have witnessed that countless times as we have cheered runners, walkers, friends and family members to their own personal goals.  Accepting a challenge, whatever it may be, and continuing forward to a finish line, wherever it is, defines us as human beings.  We cannot let fear and terror take that sense of accomplishment from our hearts and souls.

    On Monday, three people were killed and many still cling to the hope that their lives will somehow be normal again.  Boston showed the world how to respond immediately to an unthinkable act of violence.  I believe Boston will also show us how strong and resilient we all should be when faced with tragedy.

    Put on your shoes, Salem.  Let’s join up with walkers and runners in Boston and worldwide and send a clear message that you can’t take away our streets or our dreams.

  • Uphill Techniques and Tips

    Negotiating hills can be challenging but you can improve your efficiency with some awareness. Here are some uphill tips, presuming you’re not having to be concerned about rocks, tree roots or other trip hazards.

    • Keep your eyes focused on the top of the hill. Don’t look down.
    • As you run or walk up the hill with your eyes up, visualize someone at the top of the hill pulling you up with a rope that’s tied to a central spot between your hips. Creative Visualization is an amazing tool that many athletes frequently use. If you practice this, you will actually “feel” your hips being drawn up the hill by this invisible rope.
    • Keep your hips going straight up the hill. Visualize small headlights attached to the front of your hip bones. You need to keep those headlights centered on the road! Don’t let them “weave” back and forth across the road.
    • Keep your head up! Looking up and keeping your head erect puts your body (especially your spine and hips) in the right position.
    • Maintain a quick cadence and keep your stride length short. Don’t over-stride. Think baby steps.
    • Use your arms, but don’t overdo it! Reach back with your hands far enough to brush the sides of your hips.

    Continue past the top of the hill and concentrate on using good form for several more yards after you have crested the top. Keep up the quick cadence. In other words, don’t lose your momentum when you get to the top. Going up hills with good form is important. Being able to continue after you have “conquered the hill” is what will make you more efficient and stronger.

    *************************

    Many look up at a hill and say, “Oh my!”

    Try this demonstration:

    • Look up, eyes straight forward – take a deep breath
    • Look down – take a deep breath

    You get more air with your head up and we need all the oxygen we can get when going uphill

    Eyes up – head up – oxygen

    Spine straightens up – hips align – increased efficiency

  • Breathing Awareness

    Do you practice diaphragmatic or “belly” breathing? Do you breathe when you stretch? Correct breathing – slow, relaxed “belly” breathing – is important for effective stretching, rolling out and many other activities. Good breathing helps us relax, increases blood flow throughout the body, and helps relieve built-up tension. With practice, correct breathing is a simple, yet highly effective tool.

    As you breathe in, the diaphragm presses downward on the internal organs and their associated blood vessels, squeezing the blood out of them. As you exhale, the abdomen, its organs and muscles, and their blood vessels flood with new blood. This rhythmic contraction and expansion of the abdominal blood vessels is partially responsible for the circulation of blood in the body. The rhythmic pumping action, referred to as the respiratory pump, also helps remove waste products.

    The respiratory pump is important during stretching and rolling out because increased blood flow to muscles improves their elasticity, and increases the rate at which lactic acid is removed from them. Work on slow, relaxed breathing when you stretch and roll out.

    BREATHING AWARENESS EXERCISE

    Observe your normal breathing pattern without making any changes, nor controlling the breath in any way. Simply observe, and notice the quality of your breathing, depth, evenness, sound, smoothness, roughness, rate. Let the breath come and go in its own natural rhythm.

    Follow the breath from moment to moment, and develop sensitivity by the direct experience of feeling the breath as it enters and leaves the body.

    Breathe in and out the nostrils.

    Feel the breath, and follow it, the moment it enters your nostrils, through the nasal passages, throat, trachea, bronchi and into the lungs. Let the exhalation be a long, slow release.

    Notice whether or not you are breathing equally into each nostril and lungs. Be aware of tightness and restriction in the rib cage. Notice the quality and amount of expansion in the ribs and lungs. Do both lungs expand equally? Into which part of the lungs do you mostly breathe?

    If you practice breathing with awareness, the quality of your breathing will improve with little effort.

    BREATHING EXERCISE #2

    How can I relax and bring my heart rate down? Practice diaphragmatic breathing. Here’s an exercise. It takes practice, so be patient and persistent.

    Get comfortable, either sitting, or lying on your back with pillows under the knees or lower legs on a couch.

    1. Breathe in slowly and deeply, using diaphragm, 4-6 seconds (one-one thousand, two-one thousand, etc)

    2. Hold your breath for about three seconds

    3. Slowly begin to exhale, counting for twice as long as the inhale, and gently pushing from down low for the last 2 or 3 seconds to get that last bit of stale air all the way out.

    Repeat steps 1-3, two more times for a total of three times. Next breathe normally for ten breaths. Then repeat the whole sequence. Although it takes practice, this is a relatively simple relaxation tool and it works really well.

  • Stretching

    STRETCHING

    Done properly, stretching can do more than just increase flexibility. Benefits include increased relaxation, increased body awareness, reduced risk of injury, and reduced muscle soreness and tension. Unfortunately, stretching is not always done properly. Therefore, the benefits are not always realized. Common mistakes include stretching cold muscles, overstretching, performing exercises the wrong way, and shallow breathing.

    Click here for breathing tips.

    OVER-STRETCHING

    Occasionally, the progression of sensations you feel as you reach the extreme ranges of a stretch are localized warmth of the stretched muscles, followed by a burning (or spasm-like) sensation, followed by sharp “ouch!” pain. The localized warming usually occurs at the muscle’s origin or point of insertion. When you begin to feel this, it is your first clue that you may need to “back off” and reduce the intensity of the stretch.

    If you ignore (or do not feel) the warming sensation, and you proceed to the point where you feel a definite burning sensation in the stretched muscles, then you should ease up immediately and discontinue the stretch! You may not feel soreness right away, but you probably will the next day. If your stretch gets to the point where you feel sharp pain, it is quite likely that tissue damage has already occurred and may cause immediate pain and soreness that persists for several days.

    Click here for Trigger Point Therapy information to help your stretching be even more effective!

  • Trigger Point Therapy

    TRIGGER POINT THERAPY

    Trigger Point therapy is an effective injury prevention strategy, increasing muscle elasticity and functionality. It’s like doing your own deep tissue massage. Trigger Point therapy helps you gain a better appreciation of which muscles are tight and how to release them. IT Band Syndrome, Plantar Fasciitis, Shin Splints, Piriformis Syndrome and other common conditions are addressed through TP therapy. You can learn to take care of yourself by treating the cause of a problem, not just the symptoms. You can minimize the aches, pains and conditions that steer you off the path toward your goals, and you can function at a higher level.

    What are trigger points?

    Pain related to an irritable point in muscle or fascia, not caused by acute local trauma, inflammation, degeneration or infection. The painful point can be felt as a nodule or band in the muscle, and a twitch response can be elicited on stimulation of the trigger point. Palpation of the trigger point reproduces the feeling of pain, and the pain radiates in a distribution typical of the specific muscle harboring the trigger point.

    What is muscle elasticity and why is it important?

    Muscle elasticity is the muscle rebounding to its natural state. It is important for sustaining optimal performance without factors of fatigue and injury. Proper muscle function is key for flexibility, balance, power, stamina and injury prevention. An inelastic muscle is like a rope. The muscle loses its ability to lengthen and rebound. In some cases, the rope-like muscle has knots. You cannot stretch a knot out of a rope, or a knot out of a muscle.

    How does the use of Trigger Point tools give me elasticity?

    The TP Massage Ball, TP Footballer and TP Quadballer work to improve the body’s performance by increasing elasticity within the muscles, allowing them to rebound to their natural state. This is achieved through increased blood flow and elevated oxygen use and reduction of scar tissue and muscle adhesions. The tools knead out the adhesions, scar tissue and knots within the muscles. The kneading and the increased blood and oxygen combine to increase elasticity, making the muscle function like a bungee cord instead of a knot-filled rope.

    What is the difference between elasticity and flexibility?

    Flexibility describes how far a muscle can stretch, without regard to how elastic the muscle actually is. Elasticity is the ability of the muscle to rebound to its natural state after it has been stretched. If you tried to stretch a knot in a rope, it just gets tighter. If you stretch a bungee cord, it returns to its normal state. Factors of aging, wear and tear and biomechanical dysfunction due to inelasticity of the muscle and the surrounding connective tissue and fascia can significantly reduce the range of flexibility.

    Gallagher Fitness Resources has been selling Trigger Point therapy tools since 2007 and offering classes since 2008.

    Contact: 503-364-4198 or E-mail Susan for more information or to schedule a Trigger Point session.

  • Three Stages of Aerobic Fitness

    You may have heard that aerobic exercise is the most efficient way to improve overall fitness. This is mostly true, but there is more to overall success in fitness than aerobic exercise. It is the necessary first step to improve overall fitness; and it is certainly the quickest step in the process.

    “Getting Fit” involves three major steps that occur in this order. Be aware, the human body is pretty wise to shortcuts!

    The Three Major Steps

    1. Aerobic Fitness – your heart and lungs get used to processing more blood and oxygen and your cardiovascular system responds by becoming more efficient. Major gains in aerobic fitness can occur in as little as 4-6 weeks.
    2. Muscle Fitness – your muscles adapt to the increase in exercise by getting stronger. This process takes a bit longer – about 8-16 weeks.
    3. Musculoskeletal Fitness – your bones, tendons, ligaments, and joints adapt to having a better cardiovascular system and stronger muscles. This process takes the longest time of all – about 3-6 months! (Depending on your beginning fitness level.)

    Whenever you try to shortcut the process, the human body usually responds with its most noticeable message – pain. Pain is the body’s defense mechanism and it can be employed at any time during these three major steps of getting fit. There are few things more discouraging than to get hurt after “I put all that time in exercising.” Listen to your heart, literally, and many of those aches and pains will never appear.

    Pain is highly avoidable if you exercise patience. You have all been told to avoid huffing & puffing and to keep your pace at a “conversation level.” The primary reason is to keep your heart rate in the right zone. The aerobic zone is between 60-80% of maximum heart rate. Keeping it there for 3-6 months during the majority of your workouts will allow your body to adapt gradually to your new level of fitness. Follow this advice and you will be truly amazed at how much higher that new level will be 6 months from now!

    Monitoring heart rate, during & after training, is a great tool to develop and maintain proper workouts. Heart rate gives immediate feedback on how the body is responding to exercise and to the conditions of the particular day. (See Factors Affecting Your Heart Rate.) The pulse is a direct measure of the effort being put on the heart and the body. Trust it! It’s the best indicator we’ve got.

  • Factors Affecting Your Heart Rate

    Factors Affecting Heart Rate
    Happy Running Heart

    Factors Affecting Heart Rate

    There are certain factors affecting heart rate when exercising. Your body relies as heavily on the oxygen/fuel ratio as your car does. Much like your car’s engine, your body uses oxygen and various fuels (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins) to yield muscle energy. When this ratio is not in balance in the body, a whole series of physiological events occur.

    These events can be gauged with your body’s tachometer — your heart rate. And much like the automobile engine, the true efficiency of the body’s engine is dependent upon a multitude of parts working efficiently together. Your heart rate will indicate if there is any sign of trouble in your body’s engine.

    A Brief List of Factors Affecting Heart Rate

    These factors play a role in directly affecting heart rate while running or walking:

    1. Emotions and anxiety can raise your heart rate! Unlike an automobile that is purely mechanical, we are not solely governed by working parts. Some days you can “feel” your way to a higher HR.
    2. Body Temperature: If you become too hot or too cold your body senses a thermal stress load. Blood is sent to your skin to enhance heat dissipation to cool you or increases blood flow to warm you. Apparent temperatures (which account for humidity or wind chill) above 70 degress (F) and below 35 degrees (F) will increase your heart rate at least 2-4 beats per minute. Over 90% humidity can equal as much as a 10 beat increase in heart rate.
    3. The terrain. Walk or run uphill and your HR increases. Walk or run downhill and your HR decreases.
    4. Wind. Walking or running with the wind at your back is easy, therefore HR decreases. Walking or running into the wind is more difficult: HR increases.
    5. Dehydration. As you become increasingly dehydrated during a long walk, hike, or run, your blood becomes thicker and waste products build up in bloodstream. Your heart will work harder to maintain constant cardiac output. A fluid loss of 3% of body weight increases pulse rate because of decrease in circulating blood volume.
    6. Diminishing glycogen stores — your muscles primary fuel source. As the fuel depletes, in order to maintain the same walking or running pace, your HR rises.
    7. Insufficient nutrition. HR increases.
    8. Insufficient sleep. HR increases.
    9. Insufficient recovery after a long hike, run, or other hard workout. HR increases.
    10. Recent illness — or — a signal of impending illness. You guessed it!
    11. Medication – depending upon the medication, heart rate can either decrease or increase. Be certain to ask your physician about any medication you are taking and its effects on your exercise heart rate.

  • Your True Resting Heart Rate

    Record your “true” resting heart rate. First thing in the morning, before rising from bed, take it for 15 seconds and multiply by four. Take it 3 or 4 times a week and note the lowest recording. It varies depending on how rested and calm we are, how hydrated we are and generally how healthy we are, or not. Track how it changes, both with life variables, and over time. Happily watch your “true” resting heart rate go down as your fitness level improves. This tells you your consistency is paying off! This gives you proof that you are getting in shape.

    Next, practice taking your heart rate in various situations. For example, take your HR while sitting and relaxed; following a bit of typical daily walking, such as from one room to the next or through a parking lot; after a meal with various beverages; following a “heated” discussion; following a hectic commute, etc. You get the idea. Then practice bringing it down. In my experience, focusing on breathing is the simplest method of bringing it down. Practice, practice, practice! “Are you breathing?” We’ll talk more about breathing in another session.