Andy Goes to Camp

9.19.09 - Saturday was a hot muggy day even at 7am. A couple campers came early and got their run in
and the rest of us did something a little different this week that did not really work as planned. Instead of
running up top on the bike free bike path, I decided to take us down a trail to the bike path for and out and
back run.

It was a bad idea because the bike path is very narrow at the bluffs and there were a lot of bikes who get way
too annoyed that we dare run/walk on "THEIR BIKE PATH". Plus out back long runs curtail the group aspect
of the Saturday run. The highlight of the morning was that we did catch Joe flashing by on his bike on the way
to a team win in the Bakersfield Triathlon.

9.18.09 - Saturday we are meeting at the Bluffs at 7am for some LSD (long steady distance) with a hill
chaser. When we are done, we can drive up Panorama a bit and watch our fearless leader Joe Peterson
destroy the bike field at the Bakersfield Triathlon. The bike course goes up the Bluffs turns left on Panorama
(Haley intersection) and then heads back to Hart Park. If we miss him the first time (around 9am), he will be
back by a second time in no time at all.

Speaking of Joe, today was testing day at the boot camp and it was hit and miss for me. I did the plank for a
minute and smoked a 8:42 mile (not bad considering I just put in an 80 mile week of walking). The sit ups and
push up results are classified. I was still sore from Wednesday and it was ugly.

9.17.09 - Thursday was tempo run day and most everyone handled the thirty minute run well. They went out
at a steady pace for 15 minutes and then came back at a quicker one for the most part. This Saturday we will
be meeting at the Panorama Bluffs at 7am and bring a watch and a water bottle.

I still have not found Move your Tail results but do have photos of the results board for our running campers in
the 10k HERE. Kim Nance lead our group with a 1:09:52 (11:17 pace) followed by Diana Daves (1:19:02 /
12:44 pace) and Kimberly Kelly (1:40:14 / 16:07) who walked the 10k with her daughter Kayla. These are all
good times especially since the course was hilly and at altitude.

9.16.09 - I survived my first week of Building Better Bodies Boot Camp. Many of my running campers do
both so I figured I should do it so I can relate better to how they feel on running days. Wednesday was day one
and i went over with the beginners so Joe could "Introduce Us" to the program.

I quickly found out that my concept of introduction was vastly shorter then his. But I survived and figured out
how to do most of the drills. Now doing them is another story. I can walk 60 to 80 miles a week but just getting
off the ground in any manner is tough whether it be sit ups, push ups or just trying to stand up.

To end the first session we did the dreaded ladder starting with 10 reps, then 8, then 6, then 4, and then finally
two. I was so glad he only gave us three stations instead of the initial four. 30 squats, 30 push ups and 30 sit
ups is way over my daily allowance but I survived. Later that evening, after my poker tournament I went to lift
myself out of my chair and boy were my arms sore.

9.16.09 - Boy have I been slacking on updating here. Cross Country season started and I got swamped.
Congrats on your Move Your Tail times, when I get official results, I will post them. On Tuesday, we ran four
four minute runs with a two minutes rest and everyone looked good. This running camp session is coming to
an end at the end of the month but one can sign up for the next session now. This next session is the "Mr.
Toad's Wild 20k Run" session and will run from October 1st till December when the Mr. Toad's Race is held

9.12.09 - I was suppose to shoot the Move Your Tail run but a flat tire this morning killed that idea. So I
walked over to the BTC Fun Run at Yokuts Park instead. Hope all who went there did well. Ironically, they were
having a dogfest at Yokuts today.

9.9.09 - Joe brought by the new Building Better Bodies shirts and they look nice. Love the new blue color
and the runner added to the logo. On Tuesday, we did some hill repeats, we ran my 0.4 mile loop by the 24th
street bridge. We ran a lap, then walked a lap for 5 laps.

Day One of BDP

Well I got my USATF club number and decided on a time and place for this summer's Bakersfield Distance Project's Summer Training Camp. I plan on meeting everyone at 6:30 pm at Yokuts Park every weekday but Tuesday. Tuesday evenings I will shooting the BTC and McFarland Summer Series. I hope to see many of you at these fine events.

On the weekends, I have listed some local fun runs and races that I will be attending with fellow BDPers. Other Saturday's I plan on being at the Panorama Bluffs doing the Killa Hilla Challenge at 8am. The Killa Hilla course is 5 miles up and down the trials at the bluffs. It is an out and back course that will wake you up in the morning.

The Challenge is to see how many miles I can walk before we cross paths a second time on the course. We take off together and you leave me. On your return trip you see me once. When you finish the out and back course, you had back on the course to find me again. When you find me again, I will record how far I went before you caught me. My son owns the record: he caught me before I got to 3.5 miles.

On Sundays I hope everyone does a long steady run. You should do at least 90 minutes even if you have to walk the whole time. You will improve your aerobic fitness even if you walk. The goal should be a one 120 minute run most weeks but 90 is the minimum. These runs should be real easy and relaxed. Carry a water bottle and just cruise.

How far is not as important as how long. I do at least a 2.5 hour walk heading west on the bike path every Sunday morning and my son Christopher usually does his in the evening on the Panorama Bluffs bike path. We can organize a weekly Sunday run if there is interest.

Long Steady Distance

Long-Sustained-Distance Run are usually run on Sundays because often there are races on Saturday. I do a two to four hour most Sunday mornings on the bike path or I walk to Highland and back from downtown. My son likes to sleep in, so he runs his on Sunday evening and prefers to run up on the Panorama Bluffs. He runs the 3.4 mile loop up there and at times has done six laps (over twenty miles) of the loop.

What is important is you get one in every week. If you want company, we can try an organize a Sunday long run group. For years I had a group that meet every Sunday morning early to run together. Below is why you need LSD.

Slightly higher in intensity and much longer in duration is the LSD Run. These long distance runs of 40 to 90+ minutes are used to develop & maintain an "endurance base". This base is the foundation on which the season is built. Ideally making up 20% of your total weekly mileage, these LSD Runs develop efficiency in oxygen uptake, fuel transference (both carbohydrates and fat), and heart rate to blood volume. They also contribute to a higher mileage total essential to an end of cycle tapering plan (more on tapering later). Because the LSD Run is a medium intensity workout that also allows for recovery, it can be used effectively in many places in your schedule.