Harriers Monthly Newsletter — August 2020 Edition

By Emilia Benton

Happy August, Harriers! Welcome to the second edition of our monthly newsletter. As a reminder, feel free to email any updates for future newsletter consideration to emiliamariebenton@gmail.com.

Again, kudos to everyone who has continued to log their miles as we continue to navigate these uncertain times with the ongoing pandemic. We're hopeful that it will be safe to reconvene for group long runs and track workouts in the near future.

Harriers Continue to Log High Mileage for Virtual Boston Marathon...and Life in General

The brutal summer heat has been no match for Harriers members who’ve continued to up their long runs every week. Sarah Rabourn also recently completed a solo 50K with Fren-Mark Banes pacing on the bike, and word on the street is that she’s preparing to cover the distance again in the near future. Additionally, Aracely Richardson covered separate 59K and 50-mile distances. The 59K served to help her friend Robin celebrate her 59th Birthday and the 50-miler helped to cover Robin’s Virtual Cyclops 100K For Trail Racing Over Texas. They completed the 59K over a 10-mile neighborhood loop and the 100K beginning at 10 p.m. in an effort to get as many miles in before the sun came up, ultimately finishing in 12 hours. Richardson’s next running goals include completing the virtual Boston Marathon in September and the Brazos Bend 100-Miler in December.

Several Harriers have also recently eked out 18- and 20-mile runs in preparation for the virtual Boston Marathon set to take place the weekend of September 12, which will most likely offer up the same hot and humid weather we’ve been experiencing for months. 

“The name of the game is ‘survive the virtual Boston Marathon,’ which is how I feel and the vibe I’m getting from some of my fellow runners,” said Harriers president Daniel Barron, who would have been running his first Boston Marathon this year. “While some runners maintained their mileage during these times, for others, running took a back seat, especially with no races in the foreseeable future. Overall, I’m just looking to 'survive' and enjoy a slow and easy 26.2 miles with the few friends I’ll be running with.”

Finally, credit is due for Felix Olivarez, the one-year-old son of Eugene and Jessica Olivarez, who has been walking and shuffling up a storm lately. No doubt he'll be ready for his first kids' 1K once racing is back.

Member of the Month: Jin Jung

Jin Jung is a new member of the Harriers as of this summer. Originally from Long Island, New York, Jung, a physician, lives in Houston with his wife, who works as a pediatric dentist, and his energetic three-year-old son. Jung and his wife came to Houston in 2017 after he matched for a medical fellowship in cardiac anesthesiology, and they loved Houston so much they decided to stay here long-term.

Although he has run on and off since 2012, Jung only started training consistently about two years ago, after his coworkers invited him to participate in their Texas Independence Relay team. However, he ran his first marathon in New York City in 2016, where he finished in 4:20 without much training. He has since run a 50-miler and two more marathons, bringing his personal best down to 3:19. Jung joined the Harriers in an effort to meet people to train with who could help him get faster, as he hopes to next run a 3:10 marathon, as well as complete a 100K and 100-miler. 

“The marathon is now my favorite distance to race — when you dedicate so many hours to training and show up to the starting line prepared, it’s the best feeling,” he said. 

In the Media

San Antonio transplant Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez was recently featured in News 4 San Antonio after opening the first COVID-19 rehab and recovery clinic in south Texas. She was also featured on The Running Grind Podcast to talk about her work as a physician, her journey as a runner, and her home life as a mom. 

Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier Starla Garcia was featured as one of Strava’s Legends in the Making for her efforts in making the running community more inclusive for Latinos. 

Emilia Benton also had several articles published in Women’s Health, SHAPE and SELF, including a feature on former Harrier Lindsay McClelland’s experience with cervical cancer during her pregnancy and after the birth of her son, Parker, now 7 months old.

Training Tips From Coach Doug Storey

Living and running in southeast Texas can be a serious problem if you do not understand the effects of the climate on your body. As we all know, running becomes almost intolerable by the time we reach August in Houston. Running in temperatures as low as 60 degrees Fahrenheit raises your core body temperature, which causes the body to divert the blood used to fuel muscles to the skin capillaries to cool the body. So, with less blood and oxygen reaching the working muscles, you’ll naturally feel sluggish as it gets warmer and you are forced to slow down. 

Several factors can affect how much heat your body generates and is able to dissipate, or balance. These include:

• Exercise intensity: The faster you run, the more heat you generate. That is why I make the prescribed summer track workouts fast but short in duration. There is a point of diminishing returns when training for a long time in the heat.
• Body size: The larger you are, the more effort it takes to move.
• Medications: Be careful with any medications you're taking and check with your doctor about how the heat can affect how you tolerate them. It is not safe to take NSAIDs like Advil or ibuprofen before running in the heat. 
• Caffeine: It’s a diuretic, which explains why you may feel like you need to urinate shortly after setting out for your run if you consumed coffee beforehand
• Sweat evaporation (almost nonexistent in Houston): Sweat evaporation helps with cooling, but this doesn’t really happen with the extreme humidity we deal with in Houston.
• Humidity (or humility, as I like to call it): Causes the wet bulb temperature to rise. 
• Air temperature: This one is self-explanatory. If it’s pushing 100 degrees outside, your body will feel hot.
• Cloud cover: It is easier to dissipate heat when there is cloud cover.
• Clothing: Lighter colors reflect the sun’s rays, so choose white or yellow over black or dark blue. This also includes the color of your shoes.
•  Acclimatization: Heat acclimatization can take up to 14 days after it starts getting hot. Improvements can take up to 30 days, though. 
• Cooling by sponging or wetting the body: Wetting can help return blood back to circulation from the skin. 

There are three types of heat illness: Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Take the time to familiarize yourself with each of these and watch for their signs and symptoms. I have seen runners collapse in a grocery store with a 911 call soon afterward. Also, once you experience a heat-related issue, you are more susceptible to them in the future. 

All of this being said, remember if you can run in H-Town, you can run anywhere. After all, Frank Shorter won the 1972 Olympic Marathon and trained with the Florida Track Club in Gainesville, Florida. By being mindful and training with heat safety in mind, you can reap significant gains if you’re rewarded with brisk weather on Race Day.

Nutrition Tip of the Month from Starla Garcia, M.Ed, RDN, LD

Pre-run snacks are beneficial because they help provide the body with easy and digestible energy. If you are feeling slugging on your runs, try having a small snack before exercising. 

Many runners are unsure about when to have a snack, so I always encourage first using the flow chart below to help them figure out when it is best for them fuel up.

If you are finding that your energy levels are dropping during your run, you get hungry during your run, or you are running long enough that you’d need to fuel beforehand, there are several options to choose from based on how much time you have and what you may be able to tolerate prior to your run. 

If you are close to your run start time (less than an hour) opt for a quick, simple carb (such as any of the options below) that are primarily carbohydrates:

If you have more time before your run, opt for carbohydrate and protein options like any of the examples below. The protein combination helps to provide more fullness and satiety, as well as stabilize blood sugar levels prior to and throughout your run.

For a more extensive list and more suggestions, use the list below for more options and combinations of quick energy. To get to a place where you can tolerate more food before a run, and especially as you prepare for a race, it is best to start practicing gut training. Gut training can be especially helpful to become more confident about which foods best suit your needs and don’t mess with your stomach. Practicing a snack before runs will help you prepare for your big day!

Houston Harriers Board

President: Daniel Barron

Secretary: Flora Lai

Vice Presidents: Fredis Benitez and Nele Lefeldt

Treasurer: Kelly Ramey

Advisory board members: Doug Storey, Sherry Fuller, Pamela Skaufel, Sarah Rabourn and Sarah Cherington 

Have a question for the board? Send it to houstonharriers@outlook.com

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