Here are a few upcoming races to motivate you for the spring running season. A complete list of local races from Gwinnett to Henry counties can be found at http://www.runningintheusa.com/.
If you are fit and ready to go:
Jog for a Cause
Saturday, 5K at 8 a.m. and 1-mile fun run at 9 a.m. Race begins at North Point Village Shopping Center, 7300 Northpoint Parkway in Alpharetta.
http://www.jogforacause.com/
The Junior League of Atlanta’s Shamrock ‘N Roll Road Race.
Sunday, 8 a.m. the Gold Tot Trot for 5 years and under; 8:15 the 5K, 8:30 the 10K. Race begins at Atlantic Station’s Central Park, 1380 Atlantic Drive, Atlanta.
http://www.jlatlanta.org/?nd=shamrock_n_roll
Publix Georgia Marathon and Half Marathon and Luckie 5K.
Sunday, March 17. Marathon and half marathon start at 7 a.m., 5K starts at 7:30. Run with the pack as an expected 16,000 runners wend their way through Atlanta. Race starts at Olympic Centennial Park, 265 Park Ave. West NW, Atlanta.
http://www.georgiamarathon.com/.
If you need a little more time to train:
Historic Roswell 10-mile, 5K run.
Saturday, April 13. Both races begin at 7 a.m., the 10-mile race starts at the corner of Canton and Woodstock streets, the 5K at the corner of Canton Street and Ga. 9.
http://roswell10miler.com/
Run the River 5K 10K and Fun Run at Roswell.
Saturday, April 20. 5K starts at 7:30 a.m., 10K at 8:30 and Fun Run at 8:35 at Saint Andrew Catholic Church, 675 Riverside Road, Roswell.
http://www.runtheriver.org/.
If you want to get into one of the numbered starting waves for the Peachtree Road Race in July, rather than getting stuck in the back, you will need a certified time from a road race you have run in the past two years. You can use a time from races from a 5K to a half marathon to qualify. If you don’t have one yet, you have until March 22 to run one, but it has to be a U.S.A. Track & Field certified course. Races should say on their websites if they are USATF certified.
The online lottery registration for this year’s AJC Peachtree Road Race will open on March 15. Go to www.ajc.com/peachtree.
As Spring approaches, the sound of running shoes slapping the pavement gets louder.
Katie Price has the sales figures to prove it. As manager of the Decatur location of Big Peach Running Co., Price oversees an inventory of shoes and accessories for running, walking and hiking.
“Business picks up around January,” Price said. “Things slow down in February, but when March hits and the weather warms up, we see a jump in business.”
That jump in business often coincides with runners preparing for spring racing season, with some working toward the summer highlight of the AJC Peachtree Road Race on July 4.
That could mean folks hopping feet first into a new training regimen or a new pair of shoes.
It’s the latter, Price said, that’s most important for a runner.
“If you want to have a much more successful training experience and get to your goal, you need a good pair of shoes,” she said.
Speciality running stores suggest a more serious selection process rather than simply picking a pair off of the wall.
Big Peach and other area shops offer the iStep, a digital foot scanner that provides an image of the foot based on pressure, arch height and other foot characteristics. Some also put the prospective buyer in a pair of test shoes, have them run on a treadmill and videotape the person’s feet as he or she runs. This provides a gait analysis. Both exams help the salesperson fit the runner with the most compatible shoes.
Different feet have different needs, calling for features such as neutral cushioning, for people with normal arches and strides, or structured cushioning for those whose strides call for more control.
Good running shoes can range from $100 to $200, but the average price is typically $110 to $120.
Price suggests slipping into a new pair every 300 to 500 miles to maintain health and avoid injuries.
For Nick Jeanfils, a Decatur-based marathon runner, spring racing season may not only mean shopping for a fresh pair of kicks, but changing his routine.
“When the weather warms up I start wearing lighter clothes, and I carry more water on my runs,” said Jeanfils. “I also run earlier in the morning before it gets hot and before there are a lot of cars on the road producing smog.”
Like many road racers Jeanfils gears up for upcoming events by participating in a regular training group. Each Saturday morning he joins the fellow members of the local Jeff Galloway Marathon Training program. The group steadily adds miles each week and tapers off just before a big race.
When his schedule allows, Jeanfils prefers to run a half marathon approximately a month before running a full marathon. The half marathon serves as a “tempo run” for Jeanfils, which helps him with his speed and to get his “head in the game a little bit.”
The Atlanta Track Club, various running stores and other local clubs and organizations offer similar training groups.
Price suggests newbies consider the popular Couch to 5K (www.c25k.com) program, which will have novices running three miles in nine weeks. Interested runners can download information about the program or am app for mobile devices to get their training off on the right foot.
Barbara Hays of Atlanta doesn’t subscribe to a particular training program, but steadily works up mileage at her own pace by running daily. The dangling carrot for her is the race she has chosen for herself. Her next goal is the 2013 Publix Half Marathon on March 17.
“Running a race is reaffirming to me,” she said. “It’s proof that all of that training has paid off. You just naturally run faster during races, and the people around you are motivating.”
Hays also sees the spring race season as a notable time on her running calendar.
“I tend to run a bit slower during the summer months when it gets really hot,” Hays said. “So the spring races are kind of a last hurrah for me.”
