GOTR 5K- Atlanta Chapter

November 14, 2010 marked the day as the Fall GOTR (Girls On The Run) 5K in Atlanta. This season I volunteered as a Coach for MSE working with 3rd- 5th grade girls. The season had it's ups and down, but seeing all the girls from Atlanta come together with their family and friends to run the 5K (3.1 miles) made it all worth it! To see the girls so proud of themselves at the end brought a little tear to my eye. To feel so selfless in doing something so good for the community made me have a new appreciation for people who volunteer on a regular basis. To dedicate your time to an organization is a big deal, and sometimes frustrating. However, at the end of the day it's worth having those parents thank you for your time, encouragement, knowledge, leading by example of a healthy lifestyle, and tell you how good of a job you did. My point is, it was fun to volunteer for an organization structured around something I love to do, run, and teach girls many life lessons including health.

The weather was perfect in Atlanta for the run. The picture above was the morning sky before the race. It started out a little chilly, but by the time the start of the race came around it was shorts with a light long sleeves running type of weather. All of the MSE girls finished under 40 minutes, with more than half of them being their first 5k! So proud of my girls! :-)

Remember it is important to give back to the community in any way you can. Teach people your skills and knowledge and feel good to contribute. It's important to take the seriousness out of some things. For example, I normally always try for a new PR, or just work my butt off when running. But to take time to "enjoy" the 5k and take my time was something new. Not to mention I had done a 6 miler Friday and an 8 miler the day before, so my muscles got a nice active rest. I got to see how hard the girls worked, enjoyed the motion of running, and not be so competitive. Everyone has their own reasons to why they exercise (weight loss, muscles growth, because they "have to", etc), but remember sometimes it is nice to have an "easy" or light exercise. You let your muscles rest while still doing work, active rest!

Training Exercise: 100 Jumping Jacks/ 1-2 minutes of high intensity cardio after a workout! After a hard workout add in a minute or plus of high intensity cardio to keep that heart rate up resulting in burning more fat! Not only does this give you the feeling of being exhausted after the workout (some people like it as a feeling of accomplishment), burning more fat, but it also give a little stretch to your muscles. It keeps them "warm" allowing you to have a nice cool down/ stretch afterwards. Your muscles are still lose; therefore, resulting in a longer and further stretch of the muscles. High intensity cardio helps keep the blood blowing throughout your body, as does stretching! Do both!

Training Tip: Relax while exercising! Remember to relax your shoulder, stand up straight, keep your chest out, back straight, and breathe in your nose out your mouth. This will help to keep you from cramping. During running, runners sometimes have a tendency to shrug their shoulders when stressed. This causes the neck muscles to contract, they tighten up, and you feel a cramp/pain like feeling around your neck. It can cause your breathing to be off forcing you to cut your run/workout short. So remember to relax, it will help you cover more distance regardless if it is in miles or time! This is your "me time" so enjoy it!

Training Songs: I kind of have a "love" type theme going on for some reason, well kind of. I love Ray LaMontagne and his voice always puts me in a good mood even if it is a sad song. Weird, I know. Enjoy!

1. Love- Matt White

2. Cameras- Matt and Kim

3. Trouble- Ray LaMontagne

4. Let It Be Me- Ray LaMontagne

5. Forever My Friend- Ray LaMontagne

Training Lagniappe: I just love Fall and everything about it. I know I say it a lot. There is something about it that motivates me to run further, especially in the mornings. I love the cool weather, pretty colors, and falling leaves. So I took some pictures, of course! Enjoy! :-)

The tree outside our front door!

Fallen leaves!

Happy Running,

Jayme Bergeron, BS

ACSM Health Fitness Specialist

"The Dog Days Are Over"

A LOT has happened in the past few weeks! Ended my old job of 5 years, started my career as a Fitness Coach, ran the Atlanta 13.1 Half Marathon, and set a new PR! Whew, now I mean it for real this time: I am going to start getting back to blogging. I have the best work schedule with lots of free time in the afternoon, so i'm back for real. In the words of Florence and the Machine, "the dog days are over"!

First, the Atlanta 13.1 Half was great for not only me, but all my friends who ran it as well! I set a new PR of 1:45, and now working on getting down to my ultimate goal of 1:30. Jesse ran his first Half with a kick ass time of 2:01; Megan ran her second half and kick her first half in the butt with a new PR shaving off 18 minutes!; Shannon ran his first half dragging Megan to finish in record time ;-); and, Rani, who made me tear up after she finished, ran her first half and has been bitten by the running bug! :-). Not to mention, Ross and Conal did an outstanding job of cheering us all on... And, oh, thanks Ross for capturing all of our true thoughts during the half via videos! I have some of the best friends and are so proud of every single one of them! Who's ready for the next one?! ... Come join Team Bergeron on February 13, 2011 in NOLA for the Mardi Gras Half!

Atlanta 13.1 Half Marathon Crew:

Now the party is over it's recovery time! It's important that after the race to recover from the distance endured and pounding of the pavement. It's like tapering before the race. Loose those muscles to avoid cramps and injuries. If you're like me, not running or running short distances is painful. I feel like a slug and just want to keep running the distance. So, I try to push myself and start to cramp. The reason being is because during a race you are pushing yourself full force and those muscles are contracting harder and faster than they normally have during your training. Now after the race your muscles are trying to relax and resume everyday functions. If you feel tighter than normal take a hot bath with sea salts, stretch, and/or roll on a foam roller or tennis/golf ball over the tight muscles. Work the kinks out and get the blood flowing! Slowly increase your mileage to your "normal" running schedule.

Training Exercise: Limited Rotation. This is one of my favorite core exercises. This exercise will help strengthen your core muscles: abs, lower back, glutes, and part of your hammies. A strong core helps improve/ correct breathing, strengthen your back muscles, and use oxygen more efficiently. You can preform this exercise with either a cable on the machine or a resistance band:

Basic Limited Rotation:

• Cable: Lower the lever arm to 90 degrees, where it is straight in front of you.
• Set the weight to 10-15 pounds. You do not need a lot of weight for this exercise.
• Grab the cable and step out facing sideways from the machine. Note: The further you step out the harder the exercise will be.
• Extend your arms out in front of you. Keep your arms straight the entire exercise.
• Move your arms shoulder to shoulder width keeping your core tight and resisting the rotation in your hips/ core area. Note: The shoulders should be the only thing moving- you should feel it in your ab area.
• Complete 15-20 reps and then turn and face the other side and repeat 15-20 reps. Complete the exercise 2-3 sets.
• Resistance Band: Secure the band in a shut door or around a steady post.
• Grab the band and step out facing sideways from the doorway/post. Note: The further you step out the harder the exercise will be. You may be able to step further out with the band than the cable since there is no weight applied, instead you are using the resistance of the band as your weight.
• Extend your arms out in front of you. Keep your arms straight the entire exercise.
• Move your arms shoulder to shoulder width keeping your core tight and resisting the rotation in your hips/ core area. Note: The shoulders should be the only thing moving- you should feel it in your ab area.
• Complete 15-20 reps and then turn and face the other side and repeat 15-20 reps. Complete the exercise 2-3 sets.

Training Tip: Remember that since the temperatures are cooling down to real Fall-like weather our skin will begin to dry out. Carry chapstick or some type of "lube" with you on your runs (I hate using the word lube in running context... makes me feel dirty). Don't forget to apply some type of anti-chafing to your skin in "irritated areas", ie: where the seams of clothes rub together on your skin. Lets face it, it happens to everyone... especially on those long windy runs. Get in the habit of at least applying chapstick to your lips before running and/or working out. That way it will become part of your routine and you avoid that cracking of your lips.

Training Songs: Here are some of the jams that got me through the half! Enjoy!

1. Monster- Kayne West ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicky Minaj, & Don Iver

2. Dog Days Are Over- Florence and The Machine

3. Stuck Like Glue- Sugarland

4. Fuck You- Cee Lo Green

5. Drop It Low (Remix)- Ester Dean ft. Chris Brown

Training Lagniappe: I am volunteering for the Atlanta Girls On The Run. I work with 4 other coaches and help elementary girls deal with every day issues such as self confidence, positive/negative feelings, etc, and how fitness is IMPORTANT. The girls train for a 5k that takes place on Sunday November 14, 2010! Sign up and run/walk for a good cause!

Atlanta GOTR Registration

Happy Running,
Jayme Bergeron, BS

ACSM Health Fitness Specialist