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Camp Pendleton Mud Run

Posted by Ralph Casas at Jun 23, 2002 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
Camp Pendleton Mud Run

Camp Pendleton Mud Run
(by Carol Moore)

The Mud Run was an experience that I must say I’ve never had and the family will never forget!  What a blast it was to see all the participants getting muddy, laughing, and having a great time, at the same time.  All of them were competitive and strong, dedicated and hard working.

It was a beautiful day for the run.  As we toured the site and viewed the obstacles, we could see that it would definitely be a challenge for some of the runners.  The broadcaster for the event placed the number of participants at 3,500—we were amazed with the number!  We were also surprised to see individuals put duct tape on their knees (fearing the scraping they would get in the tunnel was their reasoning), and other duct taping their shoes to their feet (to eliminate more sand then normal getting in the feet).  Nathaniel was socializing with a few people before the race, learning the ins and outs, and before you know it, he had been convinced that he better "duct tape" the pockets he had on his shorts!

After a morning warm-up and a little run to suicide hill, it was 9:00 a.m.  At the start of the race there were thousands of individuals—the teams started 15 minutes later.  Nathaniel was at the beginning of the pack (front line) and it took the whole pack 2 minutes and 17 seconds to pass the start line . . . what a massive crowd!  As we journeyed over to the stands, where they had put bleachers for the spectators to watch everyone go through the mud pits, we heard the talking from family and friends of last years times, etc.  I sat in amazement as I listened to the time it would take them . . . even with all the obstacles, walls, tunnels, water, etc.  Sure enough, at 43:45, the first runner approached the final mud lagoon!  By the way, it was his first year doing this and he did a great job breaking the course record.  After about 20 come across, we saw Nathaniel.  We cheered as he swam through the mud lagoon.  His time was 51:07.  He placed 3rd in his age group (15 to 19).  In 1st place was a 17 year-old who finished in 46:40. 2nd place in his age group was an 18 year-old at 49:43.  The top three finishers received very nice medals.

Nathaniel was glad it was over, and when I said, "How did you like it," his response was, "Not good" On the way home, however, all he could talk about was the run and the obstacles. So I asked him again, "did you have fun," and his response was, "YES." That’s all that matters. We must say we are very proud of his accomplishments.

For complete Results, see: http://www.y-events.com/mudiopen.htm

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Fast Times AND Outstanding Grades!

Posted by Ralph Casas at May 12, 2002 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
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The 2001 La Mirada Girls Varsity Cross Country Team finished the season with a perfect 15 - 0 record in dual meet competition. Their team times and season performances were the best in school history and left them just one place shy of a CIF-SS berth. They even beat 2 of the top thirty CIF Division II teams in the state in head-to-head competition. And, significantly, their performances on the field were exceeded by their performances in the classroom. The Lady Mats earned a cumulative district GPA of 4.16 and a non-weighted GPA of 3.81 on a 4.00 scale. That was good enough to earn the team a fifth place finish among all high schools in the STATE of California (the winning team earned a GPA of 3.84). More impressive: the Lady Mats earned their combined GPA with 10 runners, while the top 4 teams consisted of 7 or 8 runners. (The top 7 Matadores earned a combined GPA of 3.91 on a 4.00 scale)!

The 2001 Cross Country team consisted of Seniors: CHRISTINA BIRD, CRYSTAL HARE, AMBER MORRISON, ALISA SANCHEZ, GRETCHEN WITOWICH; Juniors: JOY JURE, AUDREY SERRATA, VANESSA THOMAS; Sophomore: AMANDA STEPHENS; and Freshman: JESSICA JORRIE. In addition to the team award, each girl qualified for the La Mirada High school Principal’s Honor Role and each earned "Scholastic All-CIF" honors.


The "Scholastic All-CIF" award is presented to Varsity level Student-athletes who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.50 during their season of sport competition. The state calculates grade point averages to three places (e.g., 3.64) and based on a 4.00 scale (unweighted only). Individuals need not advance to the state championship level to qualify as a Scholastic All-CIF winner. Competition during the season of sport is the requirement, along with meeting all eligibility requirements of the CIF.

Amanda StephensJ Jorrie

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1990-1999 Season Results

Posted by Ralph Casas at Apr 9, 2002 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
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1999
Head Coach: Ralph Casas
Assts: Lisa Harris

Boys Varsity: 4th Place
Record: 4 - 8

Girls Varsity: 1st Place (30 points)
Record: 11 - 1
(Mercy Wedi, Cali Vincelet, Shannon O'Donnell, Audrey Serrata, Leslie Ann Pando, Crystal Hare, Christina Bird)

League Runner-up: Mercy Wedi
Warren-Stauffer Invitational: 2nd Place Team

Warren-Stauffer Invitational: So Girls, 1st Place: (Leslie Ann Pando, Shannon O'Donnell, Christina Bird, Crystal Hare, Natasha Vanzinni, Alisa Sanchez, Gretchen Witowich)

Mt. SAC Invitational: So Girls, 2nd Place: (Shannon O'Donnell, Christina Bird, Leslie Ann Pando, Crystal Hare, Amber Morrison, Natasha Vanzinni, Crystal Alvarez)

J.V. League Champions (15 points)
J.V. League Champ: Amber Morrison

1998
Head Coach: Ralph Casas
Assts: Daren Estes & Jeff Deal

Boys Varsity: 4th Place
Record: 6 - 6

Girls Varsity: 2nd Place
Record: 10 - 2

Mt. SAC Invitational: Fr Girls, 2nd Place: (Leslie Ann Pando, Shannon O'Donnell, Christina Bird, Crystal Hare, Amber Morrison, Andria Andrade, Daisy Munoz, Melissa Deal)

Bronco Invitational: Fr-So Girls, 2nd Place: (Christina Bird, Sarah Makshanoff, Jenny Yen, Andria Andrade, Leslie Ann Pando, Crystal Hare, Amber Morrison, Michelle Fritchen, Shannon O'Donnell, Melissa Deal)

1997
Head Coach: Andy Gupton
Assts: Ralph Casas & Jeff Deal

Boys: 2nd Place
Record: 8 - 2

Girls: 1st Place (28 points)
Record: 10 - 0
(Tawney Gardner, Yelena Zavala, Laurel Barber, Cali Vincelet, Cynthia Maestas, Sarah Makshanoff, Melissa Anderson)
League Runner-up: Tawney Gardner

1996
Head Coach: Andy Gupton
Assts: Ralph Casas & Jeff Deal

Boys: 1st Place
Record: 10 - 0
League Champion: Josh Vincelet
Roadrunner Invitational: 3rd Place Small School Division: (Josh Vincelet, Jared Deal, Bruno Daltro, Paul Spillan, Andre Kelly)

Girls: 1st Place (24 points)
Record: 10 - 0
League Runner-up: Tawney Gardner
League 3rd place: Yelena Zavala
1995
Head Coach: Andy Gupton

Boys: 3rd Place
Record: 6 - 4
League Champion: Josh Vincelet
League Runner-up: Esteban Meza

Girls: 1st Place (25 points)
Record: 10 - 0
League Runner-up: Adrienne Perry
League 3rd place: Yelena Zavala
Girls Division II Sophomore Sweepstakes Champion: Mt. SAC Invitational: (Melissa Anderson, Yelena Zavala, Adrienne Perry, Tracy Yoshimura, Tawney Gardner, Monica Mendoza)

1994
Head Coach: Andy Gupton

Boys: 1st Place
Record: 10 - 0
League Champion: Brad Balaban
Fr-So League Champions
J.V. League Champions

Girls: 2nd Place
Record: 7 - 3
League Champion: Alexis Boyd

1993
Head Coach: Andy Gupton

Boys: 2ndPlace
Varsity Record: 8 - 2
League Runner-up: Juan Meza

Fr-So League Champions
Roadrunner Invitational: Frosh-Soph 1st Place Small School Division: (Jared Deal, Paul Spillan, Nat Buck, Jason De Bie, Kyle Davis, Andres Casas, Matthew Saenz)

Girls: 1stPlace
Record: 9 - 1
League Champion: Emily Maldonado
CIF Division III Finalist: Emily Maldonado

1992
Head Coaches: Andy Gupton & C. Grimsley

Boys: Last Place
Record: 0 - 10

Girls: 2nd Place
Record: 7 - 3

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State Youths Flunk Fitness Exam

Posted by Ralph Casas at Dec 12, 2001 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )
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December 11, 2001

State Youths Flunk Fitness Exam
Health: Of 1 million California students tested, just 23% were deemed physically fit. Officials say schools lack an emphasis on PE instruction.

 By DUKE HELFAND, Times Staff Writer

Nearly 80% of California adolescents are out of shape, with whites and Asians leaner and fitter than Latinos and African Americans, according to a statewide study released Monday.

The gap mirrors economic and academic gulfs between the groups, and it reflects persistent research documenting higher rates of unhealthful diets, obesity and related diseases, including diabetes, among low-income groups.

The fitness results are drawn from more than 1 million students statewide who took physical tests last spring-running a mile, doing push-ups and pull-ups, among other things.

Leading health experts believe the results bear directly on academic achievement. To improve scores in reading, writing and math, minority students must improve their physical fitness and diets with help from parents and schools, researchers and state officials believe.

“There is a tie between healthy minds and healthy bodies,” said Debbie Vigil, a consultant with the California Department of Education, which released the fitness results. “Kids are probably going to be more sluggish in the classroom if they are unfit.”

Health educators say too many students eat junk food and spend excessive amounts of time in front of televisions, computers or video games.

The lax habits come at a time when schools are retreating from physical fitness as they concentrate on teaching basic skills and raising test scores.

The size of PE classes in California reaches 60 students or more on some campuses, and in elementary schools, classroom teachers with minimal experience often teach the subject. Moreover, in many areas of the state, school overcrowding-made worse by efforts to reduce class sizes-has sharply limited playground space.

Individual schools conducted the study, using fitness standards developed by the nonprofit Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas. The fitness results were collected for fifth-, seventh- and ninth-graders. To be deemed fit, the students had to meet minimum levels in six categories, including aerobic capacity, flexibility and upper body strength. Students also had their body fat measured.

Overall, the study painted a troubling picture of the health of California’s schoolchildren. Among the findings:

  • Just 23% of all the tested students were physically fit, slightly higher than when test results were first reported two years ago.

  • Thirty-two percent of white seventh-graders were in shape, as were 34% of Asian seventh-graders. By contrast, just 19% of Latinos and 19% of African Americans were considered fit.

  • Thirty-five percent of African American ninth-graders had too much body fat to be healthy, as did 38% of Latino ninth-graders. By contrast, 28% of white children, and 20% of Asian students, fell into that category.

Of particular concern to state officials were the results for aerobic capacity, an indicator of how well the heart and lungs work. More than half of ninth-graders statewide did not meet the threshold for aerobic health when asked to run or walk a mile as fast as possible.

California requires elementary school students to have 200 minutes of physical activity every 10 school days, or about 20 minutes a day. For grades seven through 12, the requirement is 400 minutes every 10 school days. At the high school level, most students take PE for only two of the four years.

The state’s requirements are average compared with other states but fall short of what leading health and fitness experts recommend.

Federal guidelines suggest that students through high school receive at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

But schools, facing intense pressure to improve academically, are reluctant to carve out that much time for PE.

“A lot of schools don’t even count PE in the overall [grade point average],” said Curtis Garner, chairman of the physical education department at Fillmore High School, where only 5.4% of the ninth-graders were considered physically fit. “What kind of message does that send?”

At 118th Street Elementary School in South Los Angeles, teachers are so focused on lifting test scores that they don’t always have the time to teach physical education. It’s a matter of priorities at a school where almost all of the children are poor enough to receive subsidized lunches and a majority are still learning English.

“Sometimes we don’t have the equipment or the right facilities in the yard,” said Francisco Gonzalez, the school principal. “If you want to do aerobics, you need a boom box. Sometimes we lack the resources to do that.”

Fitness results for schools, districts, counties and the state are available at the California Department of Education web site, http://www.cde.ca.gov/statetests/pe/pe.html.
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The Dangers of Hot Weather Running

Posted by Ralph Casas at Dec 12, 2001 4:00PM PST ( 0 Comments )

The Dangers of Hot Weather Running:
Dehydration, Heat Cramps, Heat Exhaustion, Heatstroke & Hyponatremia
by Claudia Piepenburg

Running in hot weather can pose dangers to runners. Particularly dangerous is racing in hot, humid summer conditions.  Here’s how to protect yourself from these five serious (and potentially fatal) conditions.

Dehydration
Dehydration is not limited only to the summer months, although it’s probably more likely to occur during that time. Many physicians believe that most people are in a constant state of dehydration. Since coffee, tea, soda and alcohol act as a diuretic, anyone who drinks these fluids on a daily basis, and doesn’t drink at least an equal amount of water, will probably be dehydrated.  If the person is physically active, the potential for dehydration is even greater.

Working out in hot, humid conditions promotes sweating, which in turn can cause dehydration. Sweating is good for you because it cools your body, but when you lose too much water you become dehydrated.  If you’re already slightly dehydrated, sweating will only make it worse. It’s important to maintain an adequate fluid intake all the time.  Don’t expect that you can make up for several days of not drinking enough by downing two cups of sports drink before your next long run or race. It’s important to keep hydrated all the time.  Once you start to feel thirsty, it’s too late.

The average (sedentary) person needs a minimum of eight 8-ounce glasses of fluid a day.  Runners need more: anywhere from four to eight quarts of fluid. That translates to at least sixteen 8-ounce glasses daily.  Remember that coffee, tea, and soda don’t count!  Drink water and sports drinks, and if you don’t have to worry about calories, fruit drinks or juice.  Two hours before your daily summer workout or a race, you should drink 16 ounces of fluid.  Then ten minutes or so before you start to run, drink another one or two cups of water or sports drink.

Drinking early and drinking often is the key. During a race you should drink six to twelve ounces of fluid every 15-20 minutes. If the weather is very hot, you may need to drink even more. Training in warm weather, you should drink at least every 35 to 40 minutes. (Remember you will have already had two 8-ounce glasses before you started.)  If you’re running a race shorter than 30 minutes, you probably won’t need any water other than what you drank before the start.  The same goes for the last few miles of a longer race.  If you’re racing or training for longer than an hour, drink sports drinks as opposed to strictly water.

Start drinking immediately after finishing a run, no matter if it was a race or a workout.  Minimum is 16 ounces for every 30 minutes you ran.  If you tend to sweat a lot, you'll need more.  Weigh yourself after you’ve run.  Drink at least 16 ounces of fluid for every pound you lose through sweating.

By monitoring the color of your urine you can tell if you’re hydrated.  It should be pale yellow or even clear.  If it isn’t, you need to drink more fluids.  It’s important that you retain the fluid, so be careful it you’re urinating every fifteen or twenty minutes.  To restore your fluid balance, eat something salty (a bag of pretzels, salted nuts, crackers or potato chips), then drink a sports drink. The salt will make you thirstier, so you’ll take in even more fluid and urine production will decrease.

Heat Cramps
Have you ever seen a runner bent over at the side of the road massaging their calves during a race?  Chances are that he or she had heat cramps.  Heat cramps are very painful (envision someone stabbing a knife deep into your muscles!) and rarely “work themselves out.”  The cramps occur because you’ve lost minerals through sweating and dehydration.  Once you’ve reached the point of heat cramps, it’s too late to try to replace fluids on the run.  To make the cramps go away you should:

  • Stop running

  • Drink fluids immediately. The fluids should include sports drinks as well as water

  • Massage the muscles once the pain begins to subside

  • Cool your body with wet towels

  • Get out of the sun

Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is a very serious condition that can lead to heatstroke.  The symptoms of heat exhaustion are:

  • Dizziness

  • “Goose bumps” (particularly on the torso and arms)

  • Nausea (sometimes accompanied by vomiting)

  • Moderate to severe headache

  • Weak legs

  • Lack of coordination

  • Rapid pulse

  • Heavy sweating often accompanied by moist and cold skin

  • Muscle cramping

If you experience any of the above symptoms you must:

  • Stop running immediately

  • Get medical attention

  • Drink large amounts of fluids, including sports drinks

  • Get out of the sun

  • Lie down and elevate your feet above your heart

  • Loosen your clothing

Heatstroke
Heatstroke can be fatal.  Unfortunately runners will sometimes ignore the symptoms of heat exhaustion (particularly in races longer than 10K) and will continue to push themselves until they’re nearing a total thermo-regulatory breakdown. The symptoms of heatstroke are very similar to those of heat exhaustion, but rapidly progress to:

  • Disorientation

  • Weakness in the legs to the point that the runner may fall

  • Strange behavior (including flailing with the arms and shoving)

  • “Fuzzy” thinking

  • Rapid pulse

  • Cessation of sweating and hot/dry skin

  • Body temperature that may reach 104 degrees or higher

  • Lack of consciousness

  • Convulsions or seizures

  • Coma

Someone suffering from heatstroke needs immediate medical attention. They should be moved out of the sun, cooled by either rubbing their body with ice or immersing them in cold water and given fluids intravenously.

Hyponatremia
Within the last few years the condition known as hyponatremia has begun to attract the attention of sports medicine physicians, exercise physiologists, and the medical directors at some of the larger marathons around the country.  Hyponatremia has been called water intoxication because of the symptoms it produces. According to Dr. Tim Noakes, Professor of Exercise & Sports Science Director at the University of Cape Town, “ . . . a person with hyponatremia looks like he or she is mildly drunk.  They can’t concentrate normally . . . . they forget what you were talking about and start to concentrate elsewhere.”

Hyponatremia occurs when the body becomes dangerously low in sodium.  It’s caused when you literally take in too much water.  Although scientists have known about it for a long time, it has only been in the last few years as more runners have been competing in marathons that it has become a concern.  According to Dr. Noakes, fluid has to be ingested at high levels for several hours for hyponatremia to occur.  He suggests that a runner would have to be drinking water regularly for at least four to six hours to develop the condition.  Unfortunately, symptoms of hyponatremia tend to mimic those of severe dehydration and/or heat exhaustion.  By giving the athlete more water to drink the hyponatremia becomes worse, as more and more sodium is flushed out of the system.

If a runner with hyponatremia is given fluids intravenously, they can suffer a fatal reaction.  Dr. Noakes and other sports medicine professionals recommend that physicians and other medical personnel at road races be alert for the signs of hyponatremia. One of the earliest symptoms is a craving for salty food.  Although hyponatremia is rare, it’s wise to be aware that it can occur, particularly if you’re running a marathon in unusually hot weather. Hyponatremia serves as a reminder that water is good, but don’t forget sports drinks, which replenish your body with the sodium, potassium and other trace minerals you lose through sweat.It’s worth repeating: if you’re going to be running (or racing) for longer than an hour, you should be drinking a sports drink as well as water.

Hot weather racing tips:

  • Ditch the cotton T-shirt.  You've heard this countless times before but it still blows me away to see you running in cotton t-shirts.  If you have to, wear them during training.  When race day comes around, you want every performance edge you can get. Cotton is hot and gets heavy with sweat, both of which will slow you down.  CoolMax on the other hand is lightweight all the time and breathes.

  • Wear Sunscreen.  The sun sucks energy out of you especially if it is given the chance to burn you.

  • Wear a hat.

  • Go with lighter weight socks.  Your feet will swell more in the heat.  A lighter weight sock will breathe better and allow for the swelling.

  • Train in the heat.  The best way to get used to racing in heat is training in heat.  Make sure if you do this to pay attention to items 1 through 4 and stay hydrated.

  • Drink at every aid station on the course.  This way you maintain your hydration levels.  At the end of the race if you feel hydrated enough, you can skip the last aid station. At the end of the race, if you are dehydrated, nothing can help you until you cross the finish line and stop your activity.

  • Stay out of cold air-conditioned rooms.  If at all possible, the day before and the morning of the race, stay out of cold rooms. The shock to the body from that really cold room to the really hot race will be less.

  • Make sure you continue hydrating immediately after the event.  Your body continues to sweat to stay cool long after you have finished. If you stop hydrating or worse yet, head to the beer tent, you will slow down your recovery dramatically.

  • Wear the same coverage of clothing you do during training.  There is nothing worse than wearing a different cut of shorts than you normally wear. The night after the race you notice that your skin that is no normally exposed to sun is not hot pink and stings.  You look funny when you sit down in the nylon lawn chair that evening.

  • If you are near a body of water at the finish, go stand waste deep in the water. The cooler water will help your legs recover.

About the author:  Claudia Piepenburg has been running for 21 years and is the current editor for Peak Run Performance.  She holds or has held state age-group records in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and Virginia.  In 1990, she was ranked 18th fastest masters woman in the world and 8th fastest masters woman in the U.S. in 1990 and 1991. She competed in the 1988 Olympic Marathon Trials, was 20th woman overall in the 1987 Boston Marathon and women’s winner of the 1986 Virginia Beach Marathon.  If you have questions or comments for Claudia, she can be reached at cpiepe@roadrunnersports.com

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