Posted on by

An Ode to the Treadmill

In a state where the allure of outdoor adventures beckons, the treadmill often finds itself cast aside, perceived as a monotonous and uninspiring tool for fitness. However, beneath its unassuming appearance lies a powerhouse of potential, offering a plethora of benefits that can transform your fitness journey.

For those mornings where your winter legs and spirits aren’t rising early enough to suffer the steeps of the Nosedive Headwall on skins, or you’re tired of suiting up with 3 layers and 2 headlights for your morning run, we delve into the often-overlooked advantages of running on a treadmill and explore how this indoor running companion can be a game-changer for both beginners and seasoned athletes. Whether you’re a dedicated outdoor enthusiast or someone seeking a versatile and controlled environment for your workouts, here’s some workouts to mix things up and keep it interesting if you’re stuck indoors.

THE HIGHLANDER

Instead of increasing the speed to a run as you get warmed up on the treadmill, continue walking but crank the incline up to 12-15%. Keep this up for anywhere to 30-75minutes and make sure to bring an extra towel. Focus hard on each stride and engaging the rear leg muscles while keeping your torso as upright as possible. It doesn’t seem like much by description, but you will undoubtedly access some core and posterior muscles (glutes, hamstrings, lower back/core) while getting a killer cardio workout. It is the perfect because it is the same muscle pattern or running without the impact or eccentric movement of going back down the hill.

THE FORGOTTEN CORE

If you have ever seen someone doubled over while pushing their knee down with their hands to take another step along a trail or incline, you know how miserable and tiresome it looks. To avoid being worn down and hunched over at the waist, hit  this series of exercises to get your body and lungs ready for the inclines that await.

Walk or hike at an incline on the treadmill (or even stairmaster) for 5-10minutes to get the heartrate up a bit but don’t go over the top – you shouldn’t be gasping for breath.

Set up a mat next to your machine. After the 5-10min interval get on the mat for 10-30 “Supermans” (laying prone, flex and engage your lower back, hamstrings, and scapula muscles, like you’re flying)

After that, grab a bar or just a PVC pipe and crank out 5-15 “Good mornings”

Repeat this 3-4 times. Not only will they 45-60min fly by but the workout will hit the essential muscle groups needed to get you up to the top of the mountain without bowing down to it.

TREADMILL TIP-TOEING
If a day on the trails has ever left your calves screaming in soreness for the following few days, you are not alone. The descent from the peak back to the trailhead is a completely different animal than getting up to the top. Gravity is on your side when it comes to lungs/cardio work but it comes at the cost of the muscles in your lower leg (think ankle stabilizers and calf). Going back down the mountain leaves you more sore in these muscle groups because stepping downward is an “eccentric” movement. This means you have to work to keep the muscle from elongating. 

Get ready for the trek back down the mountain and prep your ankles to avoid injury with this routine:

10min on the treadmill either with no incline or a slight decline if the option is available. Set it to a speed that warms you up but doesn’t get you drastically out of breath. Instead of walking or running, exaggerate a tip-top stride. Try not to let your heels touch the treadmill and really push off your toes.

Get off the treadmill and do 10-20 single foot toe hops. Again, stay off the heels if you can. You can do this with a jump rope or just on your own.

After the hops, perform 10-20 calf raises. You can do these with your chest up against a wall or for an added bonus on a stability half-ball. This will help prevent rolled ankles by improving balance and stability, especially while you are tired from the tip-toes and hops.

Repeat this series 3-4 times. 

THE HOLY ROLLER

If you want to mix some faster paced stuff into your workout while also getting more hiking-focused try this one on for size. Guaranteed to give you a great workout while distracting you from the awfully slow treadmill timer.

Start off, as mentioned above, at a slower pace on 12-15% incline for 10-15min 

Then switch it to a bit faster pace while reducing the grade to 5-8% for another 10-15min.

Repeat as desired. Keep it a power walk or switch to a slower jog up the lower gradient. It will target all sorts of different leg muscles while also incorporating a great cardio workout.

Mixing things up helps to take your mind off the dreadfully slow timer on the treadmill. These routines also help to improve your muscle movement while you are cardiovascularly fatigued. It will also keep your mind on the exercises and focusing on what muscle groups to engage.

Posted on by

2023 Turkey Trot Recap!

On the slightly cloud but eventually sunny day of November 23rd, 2023, the 47th GMAA Turkey Trot kicked off with a bang for another year of raising donations for feeding Chittenden and trying to reach a new PR for attendance and food quantity. The air was thick with anticipation as the volunteers eagerly set up registration tables, GMAA apparel, food bins for Feeding Chittenden, and the timing and sound equipment for the annual event. Upon glancing at the RunSignUp list the night before, 513 participants were noted to have preregistered, which is already 200 more registrants than the previous year! But it didn’t end there. Around 9:00 am, the doors to Gutterson arena opened and in flooded hordes of trotters quickly making their way to the registration tables. However, with Ruth Blauweikel, Tim Richmond, and Scott Woodnorth at the helm of the registration tables, papers began to fly as money, checks, and registration papers went back and forth rapidly up until 9:58 am, 2 minutes before the race began. Jan, Janis, Christopher, and Ron quickly retreated to the course to make sure it was marked and ready to go. As quickly as the racers arrived, food bins immediately started filling up with piles and piles of donated food for Feeding Chittenden, the local food shelf.

As time passed, more and more runners/trotters arrived. Many for the kid’s race, which was put on without setbacks by our newest Kid’s Race volunteers (or voluntolder in Scott W.’s case), the Scotts! Scott Woodnorth and Scott Perapato, clad in a giant Turkey outfit for the masses to enjoy. I think he even made a TV debut! While the participants were gathering in Gutterson, Gordan MacFarland took his annual place at the microphone, manning the sound system, and giving all participants directions to the start in case they couldn’t see the giant orange cones lining the course. An unexpected visit occurred from the local news channels NCB5, whose cameras captured the very essence of Turkey Trotter persona. Many will never receive their claim to fame but most of greater Burlington was able to enjoy the event from the comfort of their homes.

At approximately 9:40 am, the runners/trotters were directed to make their way to the starting line however, panic arose as race participants stretched back as far as the side doors to the arena, making a large ‘C’ shape down the bike path less than 5 minutes before the race started. Would they make it?! It was later confirmed that 907 registered racers participated in the Turkey Trot that day, which is about 175 more runners than last year. (New PR!). At the start of the race, we recounted how grateful we were to have everyone out there, runners, trotters, spectators, and volunteers alike to participate in the Turkey Trot this year, especially with UVM’s Gutterson arena, bike path, and amenities at our disposal. At 10 am, the racers were off with the real trotters trailing behind.
To no surprise, fast times were run with Wondu Summa taking the victory with a time of 15:57 (unofficially) for the men and following not too far behind was the 1st female, Allie Ursiny. Due to the unofficial, casual, and fun nature of the race, runners are unable to be unidentified as race bibs are not provided. The winners of each category were asked to report to the registration table post-race to claim their prize so that we could congratulate them. The male and female winners came to claim their prizes but unfortunately, the non-binary category winner did not come to the table to get their SkiRack gift card so it is being held for them at SkiRack in case they make an appearance. The prizes were provided by SkiRack and generous donations were provided by local vendors to support the Turkey Trot annual raffle.
Following the conclusion of the race, the world’s greatest raffle was held with t-shirts, pint glasses, running socks, fleece blankets, gift certificates, and more were lying in wait to be won back in Gutterson arena. We had received donations from Zero Gravity, Mill River Brewing, Queen City Brewery, Pizza 44, Take Good Care Fitness, SkiRack, Ben & Jerry’s, Sangha Studio, and Starbucks just to name a few. Due to the learning experience that was last year’s lengthy raffle, prizes were set out by Tim, Ruth, and Alex McHenry with the winning raffle ticket numbers written on a sheet of paper so that runners could check to see if they were lucky enough to claim a prize. This significantly shortened the post-race prize-winning event as compared to last year.

At the end of the event, when all of the participants had taken their leave in lieu of turkey dinners and family time, the monetary donations were counted up and the food was prepared to be shipped off to be weighed. With the careful eyes and mathematical prowess of Ruth Blauweikel and the use of a calculator, a total of $7,330 ($998 more than last year) were raised between pre-registration and race-day registrants and 654 lbs of food were obtained for Feeding Chittenden (238 lbs more than last year!). We hope that next year is equally as or more successful with our donations and participants next year. I also want to commemorate our volunteers as the race would not have run as smoothly without them!

Posted on by

Our Brains on the Run!

It’s old news that moderate to intense exercise is good for our hearts, muscles. skeleton, and lungs. Running is particularly good since it’s weight-bearing and stresses the joints.  Some feel that it creates wear and tear, but the research is clear that a reasonable training load combined with strength-training, regular stretching, adequate recovery, builds cartilage at joint surfaces rather than wearing it away. This is due, in part, to nutrients being drawn into our joint capsules from physical activity.  Otherwise, the avascular (no blood vessels) cartilage is left to fend for itself and it’s not a fair fight.  

But what’s happening above our necks when we run? Does running benefit our brains? The American College of Sports Medicine published a paper in October 2018 entitled Exercise Protective Effects on the Brain. The article noted that without consistent, moderately intense exercise, there is a body-wide increase in low-grade inflammation as we age. There are several mechanisms in play, but one key effect is that inflammation reduces circulation to the brain, which in turn results in brain cell death. This is, essentially, brain aging, and we don’t have to wait to get into our later years for this to happen. It can begin early in adult life.

While the brain only accounts for 2% of our body weight, it uses about 25% of our energy.  However, unlike muscles it has no energy reserves – it draws in real time! So, it’s no surprise that elevating our heart rate results in more blood flowing to the brain. No wonder we can have eureka moments while on the run! Without regular exercise, the data indicates over time total brain size decreases, in particular the hippocampus, the site of memory function.  

The good news is that research shows vigorous exercise, (with running near the top of the list!) can mitigate, reverse, and at least hold at bay brain cell loss. In addition, there is strong evidence that vigorous exercise helps us sleep better while increasing memory, attention, and overall executive function.

We probably don’t really need more reasons to run than we already have.  Most of us feel the intrinsic benefits in our daily lives, but it doesn’t hurt to know there are clinical reasons why we feel good, not only when we run but also in the hours that follow. If our brain could talk (and maybe it does to some of us!) it might thank us for taking it along on those heady runs!

Posted on by

Hitting the Hills (Better!)

Want to improve your efficiency and up your running confidence? Head for the hills.

Here’s a few tips to become a little more “vertically inclined.”

There’s obviously no shortage of hills here in the Green Mountain State but aside from just bragging about vert, you can actually use the hills to improve running on the flats too.

STANDING TALL 

The pitch of the ground will naturally make you want to bend forward at the hips. Coaches often instruct runners to “stand tall” but a better thought might be to imagine you have a lasso around your waist and someone is tugging you up the hill from your waist. This will keep your glutes engaged and “un-hunch” your lower back. There is a lot of sneaky core work here that will prove beneficial on and off the hills!

Keep your neck straight. Look forward. Not at your feet.

STRIDE

You can use hills to naturally improve stride efficiency. It is (almost) impossible to over-stride while running up hills unless you’re really trying. If you’re a runner who’s prone to injury due to over striding, (like some knee joint pain or IT band syndrome that often sidelines you for a bit), you’ll be able to get used to what proper form feels like even on a one- to two-percent incline. As the road or trail gets even a little steeper, your stride naturally shortens, and if you’re taking shorter strides, you’ve got to take more of them to keep your pace where it was before the hill.

PACE = stride length x stride frequency (cadence)

Running hills will teach you naturally to keep your cadence nice and quick.

ENGAGING THE RIGHT MUSCLES

Running up an incline properly requires a hip drive, which means that you should use your hip flexors to drive your knee straight up and forward (instead of off to the side) and then power thru the bottom of the stride with your glute muscles. These are the biggest (relatively speaking) muscles you have, so accessing them is key.

Sometimes to start off, it is necessary to actually focus and think in your head, “Use your glutes.” A cue I often use is to think about trying to scrape off a wad of gum from the bottom of your shoe on each stride. You’ll be able to feel the difference when you are accessing the right muscles. It’s a really good kind of “pain in the butt!”

KEEPING THE MIND INCLINED

Staying upright will also keep your chest open and allow your lungs to expand fully as opposed to slouching into the vigorous huffing and puffing. Having a mantra or mental cue to use while running up hills. A deep breath, a big hand clap, or even a phrase to tell yourself, as you start up an incline can keep your mind in game and minimize the fear of a hill. Breathing deep and staying calm is key to conquering hills, as opposed to gasping for air and going up reckless abandon.

TACKLING HILLS IN A RACE

If you are training for a specific race, it is important to practice similar type hill lengths and grades as the race terrain. Doing this will have you mentally prepared for how to handle yourself and what to expect. Be prepared and know where the hills are; you should study the elevation chart and know the course you are about to race. If the hills are at the beginning or middle of the race it is probably best to run them by keeping your effort steady. Don’t go too crazy and leave your legs crushed for the rest of the race. It will help immensely if you practice consistently and know how your body will feel at each point before, during, and after the hill.

As you hit an incline your cadence naturally starts to quicken, your heart pumps faster, and your lungs beg for more oxygen. The bottom line? There’s nothing you can do that will make hills the easiest part of the run, but if you can keep good form and stay mentally focused, you’ll conquer them in no time!

Posted on by

2023 Apple Harvest 10K Roundup

The weather gods smiled on the 2023 GMAA Apple Harvest 10K – we had great temps in the low 60’s, just a
few high clouds, and gorgeous views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. Ninety finishers enjoyed
the scenic, gently rolling course with a fast downhill finish. Max Littman from Gloucester, MA took the 1st
place men’s spot at 34:18, and our own Blake Ressler of Winooski was 1st men’s master runner at 34:58.
Top female runner was Bryan Orban-Sally at 43:49, with Jessica Justice of South Burlington taking the
master’s crown at 48:31. Full results are on RunSignup.

Runners were treated to tasty apple crisp freshly made by Alex McHenry with apple cider and cider
doughnuts. Age group winners received apple pies as prizes.

The race director, Ruth Blauwiekel, wishes to thank all of the runners who competed in this race. Many
thanks as well to the awesome volunteers who made the Apple Harvest 10K possible: Jim and Jennifer
Adkisson (Jennifer was also an age group winner!), Steve Andrews (also an age group winner), Josh
Basset, Liz Buchanan, Liz Champagne, Russ Cooke, Harry Curth, Patrick Henry, David & Olivia Justice,
Martha Keenan, Lee Krohn, Seth Kutikoff, Gordon MacFarland, Jess Marini, Alex McHenry and Curt
Taylor.

Posted on by

Round Church Women’s Run 2023 Recap

This year’s race was as smooth in its execution as it was tumultuous in its planning. Extra consideration was
required in this year’s planning as we entertained controversy regarding recreational use of Cochran Rd and
the potential need to relocate the course, consideration of adding a non-binary category to this historically
women’s-only race and finally, historic flooding on July 10th that necessitated the rescheduling of the race due
to damage to the road and parking area.

Despite the 7:30AM start time, the temps were up in the mid-70s with a brief period of rain following a night of intense thunderstorms. 51 women toed the line, with 37 finishing the 5k and 14 in the 10k. The youngest runner was Cate Williams, age 8. She finished the 5k with a time of 22:48.1. The oldest runner was Janis Campbell, age 72. She finished the 10k with a time of 56:13.0. The fastest 5k finisher was Jess Marini, with a time of 19:41.6. The fastest 10k finisher was Kae Ravichandran, with a time of 38:13.0.

A huge thank you for all the support in pulling this race together. Notably, the Town of Richmond Selectboard, who were supportive and unanimously approved the race reschedule date, the 25 amazing volunteers who helped facilitate all things race-day, Nik Ponzio for providing photography, and 802Timing for running the professional timing services.

And as always, shout outs to our wonderful sponsors who donated prizes and race nutrition: SkiRack, Untapped, and Hannaford of Williston.

Race Director: Hillary Holmes, assistant Sylvie Frisbie
Sponsors: SkiRack, UnTapped, Hannaford of Williston

Posted on by

Clarence DeMar 5k 2023

Clarence Demar 5k 2023

We had the perfect July summer day to run the 41st annual Clarence DeMar 5k in South Hero, VT. There were 249 overall finishers!!

The historical society provided a great informational poster with the history of Clarence DeMar from an interview with Ray Allen, Sr who, unfortunately, was unable to make it to the race start this year. He was greatly missed!

Congratulations to Brady Martisus for his repeat overall win with a time of 16:14; first place female finisher Isabel Seay with a time of 18:39; and first place non-binary finisher Matthew Powers with a time of 18:43. Some quick times were run by all!

Many GMAA members volunteered to help make this race a huge success, including: Russ Cooke, Liz Champagne, Rose Bergeron, Gordan MacFarland, Chuck Spear, Ruth Blauwiekel, Martha & Bob Keenan, Paul Huyffer, Howard Kalfus, Harry Curth , Jim Shea, Tim Richmond, and Lisa Gunn.

Several local businesses generously donated prizes for our overall winners and to our raffle table. Island Ice Cream donated ice cream/sorbet for a cool treat following the race as well.

We are looking forward to another great day on July 4th, 2024!!
—
Kimberly & Shawn Lord
GMAA Race Directors
Clarence DeMar 5k

Posted on by

Solstice Trail Race Recap 2023

This past Sunday marked the 12th and final running of the Solstice/Equinox Trail Race in Charlotte, VT. The club is eternally grateful to the Keenans for hosting and directing such a fantastic event all these years. Here are a few words from the race directors:

Race day was overcast and cool, with a slight breeze. Having received 2 inches of rain this week, the course was pretty soggy with standing water. We had a 116 finishers for our final race with GMAA.


Thank you to my volunteers, they were awesome! Cari Causey, Janis Campbell, Hibby Regan, Harry Curth, Bob Sayers, Russ Cooke, Liz Champagne, Kasie Enman, Eric Darling, Anne McGrath, Bob & Sue Rusten, Diane Fuchs, Bill Pence, Ruth Blauwiekel. They helped it all run smoothly.


Happy Fathers Day to all!

Best,
Martha & Joe Keenan

Results

Posted on by

2023 Pump It Up 5 Miler!

Race Directors: Cari Causey and Liz Hollenbach 

The Jericho, VT dirt road out and back course was near perfect for the early Saturday start. Skies were clear blue and it was about 58°at the start of the race. The temperature rose slightly during the race.. There were 94 finishers.

Men’s winner Nick Orlando ran a time of 28:28.1, repeat women’s winner Isabel Tuck ran a time of 35:17.6 and Matthew Powers, winner of the non-binary category ran 29.17.9. The three winners each received a SkiRack Gift Card and a fruit pie from Poorhouse Pies. 

Thanks to an all star crew of volunteers for helping make race day run smoothly. Volunteers included:  Jim Adkisson, Karen Bove,  Karen and Brian Clark, Chris Cote, Liz Champagne, Russ Cooke, Harry Curth, Nancy and Peter Davis, Hideko Furukawa, Chris Hebert,  Martha Kennan, Tara Loyer (former race director), Gordon MacFarland, Peter Mitchell, Jen Nachbur, Katie Roy and Pat Speilman. 

Thanks to the Jericho Elementary School for providing a home base for the race. Palmer Lane Maple was a gracious neighbor in letting us take over their parking lot and road outside the store for the race start and finish line. We also woke up the neighborhood on Old Pump Road and several families came onto their lawns to cheer on the runners.

Our raffle prize sponsors included: Jericho Center Store, Jericho Ale and Bean- home of Lucy and Howe Brewing and Brew House Coffee, Birch Hill English Muffins (with Liz’s jam), Davis Farm, Palmer Lane Maple and Untapped.

Cheers and we’ll see you next year!

2023 Race Results

Posted on by

2023 GMAA Scholarship Winners

GMAA awarded three scholarships of $1,000 each to three graduating seniors to help fund their college careers this year.    The winners were chosen among many applicants, and were determined based on their academic achievements, community and school involvement, and their love of the sport of running.

The scholarship winners for 2023 are:

  • Evan Pidgeon – South Burlington High School
  • Lauren-Kate Garceau – BFA St. Albans
  • Scarlet Stimson – Essex High School

Congratulations once more to our 2023 scholarship recipients! More information about the GMAA Scholarship can be found here.