2013 5K (and 1-mile Kids' Race) Run/Walk Date Announced!

 Mark your calendar and come join the fun on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 8am at FDR State Park, Yorktown Heights, NY.

Forrest Gump And 8 Great Inspirations To Get You Out And Running

There is still time to register! MHA's 5K is Sunday, May 6 at FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights. Go to www.mhawestchester.org

By Allison Plunk

“Forrest Gump” is one of my favorite movies. As a runner, naturally, one of my favorite sequences in the movie is when Forrest decides to run across America multiple times. The movie states that Forrest ran for “three years, two months, fourteen days and sixteen hours.” When asked why the long trek, Forrest answered simply, “I just felt like run-ning.” He inspired individuals without even realizing it. I want to be that kind of person.


Inspiration is not solely found in the movies. Richard Donovan, an ultra marathoner from Ireland, ran seven marathons on seven continents in less than five days in February of 2012 all in an effort to raise money for GOAL, a humanitarian aid organization working to alleviate the suffering of people affected by famine and drought in the horn of Africa. Now I am not suggesting that you run across America multiple times like Forrest or see all seven continents while running marathons. However, I do encourage you to look for inspiration in those who have achieved.  I also want to empower you to not only look for inspiration in others but to be an inspiration to those around you.


 Even the most motivated of people find themselves in slumps. Making the move from sofa to cement is a tough challenge.but here are the 8 that work for me:


1. Set a goal. One of my favorite quotes that I recite repeatedly when embarking on a new challenge is “Begin with the end in mind” from Stephen Covey’s "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". Before a run, visualize yourself finished with the run, feeling remarkable having conquered it. If your goal is to complete a 5K, half marathon or marathon, visualize yourself crossing the finish line. Think about the great sense of pride and accomplishment you will experience having met this great feat. Mentally envision what you cannot at present see with your eyes.


2. Post the goal. To go one step further, post a picture of someone finishing a race or print out your goals (“Run a half marathon” for example). Put it in a place where you see it on a regular basis like a bathroom mirror, refrigerator door or the wall of your office cubicle. This is a great daily reminder and motivator.


3. Run with others. Run with a buddy or join a running club. When I was in college, I ran with a friend on a regular basis. On the days that I did not feel like running, I would go anyway because I did not want to leave her hanging. Once the run was complete, I was never disappointed that I made the conscious decision not to be lazy! Also, many cities have running clubs. Look it up. You might be surprised to find one near you. Running is always more fun with others, and accountability is key!


4. Listen to upbeat music. I never go on a run without my iPod. It just may give you that extra boost you need to keep moving. (See Lori Zakalik's blog piece on this subject


5. Explore. Don’t run the same route each time. Shake things up and discover new places to run in your area.
 6. Reward yourself. Rewards will give you something to look forward to when you are done. I am not suggesting you eat a dozen donuts from the local donut shop, but rewarding yourself with something reasonable is fine to do. Personally, I like ice cream cones from McDonald’s! If you are trying to lose weight then maybe a day at the spa is what you need to relax after meeting your running goals for the month. Figure out what works for you.


7. Stay positive. Don’t just think about how hard running can be, but keep in mind all the great benefits of running. Running is great not just for your physical health, but it is also incredible for your mental and emotional health. When I am experiencing the blues or feeling stressed, I like to go for a run and get those endorphins pumping through my body! Research has shown that these hormones cause runners to feel energized both during and after exercise and have great benefits.


8. Sign up for a race. Signing up for a 5K or a marathon is just what you need to stay motivated to run, run, run! Make it a tradition to run the same race every year.


While in graduate school, one of my professors made the comment that “life is all about coping.” You may or may not agree with him, but everyone would agree that life will inevitably bring trials. Running is a great way to blow off some steam, clear your mind, feel fabulous and cope with life’s challenges! Staying motivated is one challenge you can overcome while inspiring others to do the same.


Allison has a Master’s in Counseling Psychology and is a volunteer at the Mental Health Association of Westchester. She enjoys the challenge of running and motivating others to be healthy in all areas of life. She has completed one half marathon, two sprint triathlons and countless 5Ks. Allison recently relocated to Westchester County from Orlando and is looking to put her MS in counseling to good use. Any takers?

Happiness and the Big Goal

By Carla Lisio, LCSW

Executive Vice President, Behavioral Services


Have you read the Happiness Project yet? (The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin) I have – some might say I am now obsessed with it – and I can tell you, it has made me very thoughtful about happiness. Thinking about happiness can be a real happiness-killer. Maybe – but I think it has put me in touch with an important truth for me.


I love the Big Goal.


I am training for my first marathon. I always said I would never run a marathon, because I could not imagine devoting that kind of time, energy, will power and pain, to training. And then I registered for a marathon – impulsively. Believe it or not – registration was “on sale” and I thought “Yes – it’s a sign!”


And so, for the past 15 weeks, I have been following a marathon training schedule. Wow, was I wrong about training. Week after week, day after day, I set out to run the miles my schedule recommends. Almost every run feels elevated in importance – I am not just running, I am TRAINING – for a MARATHON! Once the long runs got to be farther than any distance I had ever completed before, I began to feel like every week was a new big goal and every week brought a new big accomplishment. When was the last time I had a big accomplishment – EVERY WEEK?


I was so HAPPY! I love that feeling. It stays with me. I may be driving to work and suddenly think – “I ran 20 miles this weekend!” You know that feeling inside – excited and proud, like your lungs are filled all the way up – it feels like that.


On Rubin’s The Happiness Project site, www.happiness-project.com, Gretchen asks you to find what brings you “joy, satisfaction and engagement and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom and remorse”. If the Big Goal brings you any of the positive things and defies the negative, then a Big Goal may be part of your happiness project too. As a runner, you don’t need a marathon to have a big goal. A big goal can be – your first road race, your first road race in years, your fastest time in a race, your farthest distance, etc. Challenge yourself – see how it feels.

4 Ways Strength Training Helps You Run Faster & Better

By Ingrid Rodgers, Athletic Trainer, Saw Mill Club East, Mount Kisco, NY and MHA on the move 5K Ambassador

#1

Strength training will make you faster. Whether you run short distance or longer distance you will find your pace increasing when you start to strength train. Your leg strength will improve as will your body's efficiency to use energy and oxygen. Increasing the body's ability to use oxygen efficiently is the primary goal of endurance training.  If you decrease the amount of oxygen needed to run at a certain speed, you will be able to sustain a faster pace for a longer time and run faster overall.

#2

Strength training increases the proportion of type IIA muscle fibers that fatigue slowly. Type II fibers are the fast twitch fibers. Sprinters have a large concentration of them because their training triggers the development of these fibers. Researchers found that the athletes who strength-trained increased the proportion of type II A muscle fibers in the quadriceps from 26 to 35 percent.

#3
Strength training will help you prevent injury. Muscle imbalances within each limb can cause problems for runners. Include both unilateral and bilateral leg exercises to avoid imbalances and prevent injury. Single side training has also been shown to improve sprinters' speed. Forward lunges and step-ups are excellent lower body exercises that will help equalize leg strength and power and are excellent for runners.


#4
Strength training (with traditional lifts such as squats,dead lifts,lunges, and chin ups) will increase your core strength, helping you avoid back pain and making you faster. Once you've got the basics down, you will get the most out of your strength workout by lifting heavy, above 80 percent of the maximal amount you can lift. Strength traing will challenge your weaknesses and make you faster and stronger.

Running From A Different Perspective

By Ed O'Connell, President of the Orange Runners Club

I have recently become enlightened about running, or should I say I have become aware of running from a different point of view. This summer I have been blessed by two running experiences that have opened my eyes to – things I’ve taken for granted. I also have a renewed hope that we have an effect on the people around us.


My first experience was when my nephew Ryan reached out to me for some tips on running. Ryan is 19 years old, and recently enlisted in the Army. Ryan has always been active. He’s either on his bike or skate board doing some crazy tricks, or just riding from Mt. Hope to Middletown to ride with friends and then back home – all on a single speed BMX bike. Ryan told me he’d been running 5 to 8 miles and would like to run a race with me. We signed up and did the Hudson Valley 15K together. Well, sort of. At the 5-mile mark he began to fade. Afterward, he assured me he was okay, so I ran ahead and Ryan finished about five minutes after me. Ryan then became aware that his training might not be working. Ryan committed to track and a new training schedule. After a few weeks of track, Ryan thought he’d like to try something else. Ryan convinced me and two of his friends to sign up for the Spartan Challenge, a 5K cross country race with obstacles. We started up the mountain off the front but within 100 meters we were in the lead of our group. About 10 minutes into the run Ryan began to fade, but we were able to get him to push a little harder. After 15 minutes and four or five obstacles, Ryan and his friends assured me they were okay, but didn’t want to hold me up. I was able to see Ryan and his friends continue their race and I was able to run my own race. Again, Ryan and his friends finished about 5 minutes behind me. Again, Ryan noted his training wasn’t working. Ryan continued to train on his own and continued to come to track on Wednesdays, but he was always asking questions and reevaluating his training.


On one Wednesday last month, Ryan came to track and I saw something had changed in him. I couldn’t put my finger on it but I watched as he put more effort into each interval and his focus was clear. He was now committed to a goal and that new focus was what struck me. My brother Tom called me that night and relayed this story. Dad: “How was your workout?” Ryan: “Dad, I did good, I almost beat Uncle Ed in the mile run.” Dad: “Almost beat Uncle Ed, he’s almost 60 years old.” Ryan: “Dad, Uncle Ed’s no joke.” This really hit me. This young man had surely paid me the ultimate compliment but what struck me most was that all the times we had talked, all the questions he asked, all the training and diet tips we spoke about, he was listening to me. In his eyes I was someone he saw as a runner. Ryan looked to me for helpful tips, advice , and support. I am grateful I was able to be there for him and I know now he had been watching me for years.


My second experience was working with Steve Holmbraker and the J-Runners. This was the men’s group of Jewish runners who were running from NYC to Monticello – a journey of almost 100 miles. My wife Karen and I committed to work exchange points within Orange County. We arrived early, 6:15 am, at the Bear Mountain exchange point. We waited for our lead runners and were advised by Steve that they were running a little late because they had to pray. We learned that their faith required 30 minutes of prayer three times a day. When you realize that there were eight teams of runners with 5-8 runners on each team, plus the support staff, this would require some planning for the race director. As our runners and support staff began to arrive we were greeted with a warm smile and hearty handshake. These teams were not different than the teams of the Catskill Mountain Relay 100K, which I had just completed. They cheered for one another and also teased one another, but you could see the bond they shared. I wasn’t sure what the excitement in these men was. Was it the money they were raising for the care of cancer patients, or their religion, or just the bond of men working together for a common cause. We waited for the last runner to complete their exchange and move up to assist at another exchange on the top of Mount Peter. This stage was a long uphill climb and each runner was completely exhausted when they reached us. But, again, I noticed the cheers and support from one another and how it motivated the runners to complete their leg with a last sprint and a smile. When we heard Steve was short on support, Karen and I went ahead to an exchange point in Westtown. As we waited and listened to the teams waiting for their runners to arrive I realized what I saw. It was people, from so many varied walks of life, come together for a common cause through running.


Ryan grew up knowing I was a runner, but he never understood how that commitment affected me. I forgot too, that with each step we take in life, someone is watching. When we lace up and run or walk, someone else may be watching and wondering what is it that drives that person to get up early, go out in the rain, snow, or cold to do that him or herself. Sometimes it's not until they try it that the light goes on and they see you in a new light. With the J-Runners, we saw people as fellow runners, not different from any us. As I watched the exchanges, I was reminded of the love and support we see at each and every race or at the track. We can make all the difference in someone’s life just because we share their effort and realize their goals are so similar to ours. In all we do, we are an example because someone is watching us. When we do the right thing, live our lives as a statement and positive outlook, we can make a difference just because of who we are.

Mike Sabath to Debut New Song at 5K on May 6

             Eighth grader Mike Sabath, of Katonah, NY, will be premiering a new song entitled, "Talk About It"  at MHA on the move 5K Run/Walk and 1 Mile Kids’ Race, taking place Sunday, May 6th, at FDR Park in Yorktown Heights, NY. Sabath wrote, arranged, recorded and will perform the song all in support of eliminating the stigma associated with mental illness. Mike is passionate about music and is now using that passion to make a difference. “Whenever I have the opportunity to use my music to help someone or some organization, I’m going to take it,” he said.

         Sabath is already a Youtube sensation thanks to the success of "Hand in Hand", a song he wrote as part of his Bar Mitzvah project last year. Mike organized a group of 140 children to join him in the recording of his song and he was awarded the ADO Philanthropy Award as a result of the song’s fundraising success. MHA’s CEO/Executive Director, Dr. Amy Kohn, asked Mike about what inspires him to write music. “When I write music, I think about the message that I’m trying to portray and I start from there. The message of this song is to not be afraid of your differences and to not be afraid to tell people about them.” In the chorus of, "Talk About It", Mike’s message of tolerance and acceptance comes through loud and clear as he sings, “So don’t be afraid / To let it out / Make every day happier / And scream and shout / Hurray / Let’s start today / To talk about it / Talk about it.”

              

Vegetarian and Running:What One Runner Has Learned

What to Eat Pre and Post-Workout…Vegetarian Edition
By Lori Zakalik



As a vegetarian and a runner, I used to find it difficult getting the nutrients I needed after a run. I don’t eat meat, I don’t eat fish and I don’t like eggs, so where do I get my post-workout protein fix? Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan foods that are high in protein, you just have to know where to look.

What to Eat?


Your post-workout meal should consist of a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 4:1. Livestrong.com recommends you eat complex carbs such as whole-wheat or whole grain breads and crackers. And now, the question vegetarians hate to hear, where do you get your protein? It is actually easier than you think. Eating a peanut butter sandwich on whole-wheat bread, or whole-wheat pita dipped in hummus can satisfy your carb and protein requirements. Foods like nuts, hummus, tofu, beans and egg whites (for non-vegan diets) are all suitable sources of protein for a vegetarian diet. Also be sure to drink a lot of water and eat fruit to replace lost electrolytes.


When to Eat?


It is important to time your post-workout meal to best aid your muscle recovery. According to No Meat Athlete, a blog about running and plant-based nutrition, the optimal re-fueling window is 15 to 60 minutes after your workout. This is the ideal time for your muscles to start recovery, so be sure to eat your post-workout meal within the hour after completing your run.


If you are a vegetarian or vegan, what diets and techniques work best for you?