Weekend Pacesetter (July 30-Aug.1, 2010)

Catfish Project will play at the Concert for Noah to benefit CTF.

ROCK
On Friday, the Tyrybon family and Team Noah are hosting the fourth annual Concert for Noah in Wynadotte, Mich., starting at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Frank and his wife Shannon run for NFE, and this season, Frank will complete the Detroit Marathon and Disney Half Marathon. In addition to this annual concert, the Tyrybon’s organize Bowling with Noah and a CTF Garage Sale.

RUNFOR A REASON
In a prelude to the 10.10.10 Chicago Marathon, NFE will be running in the Chicago Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on Aug. 1, 2010. Already the team, led by Bill and Martha Avery, has raised more than $18,000 for research, exceeding their $15,000 goal. Other top fund raisers include Sally Richards and Ned Purtell.

DON’T MISS…
Saturday, July 31, 2010 – Bowling4Bumps, Brooklawn, N.J. (for more info visit Bowling4Bumps on Facebook); Izzy’s Backyard Carnival, Paw Paw, Mich., (read more).

FUEL

Check out the new Racing4Research website and help fuel the cure.

Active Fundraising Page of the Week
Bill and Martha Avery
Why we like it: The husband and wife duo met their $7,500 goal with a clear message about why they were running: their daughter, Molly. Good luck to Bill on his very first half marathon.

Refocus Your Reason for Running

By: Janet Carney

I started running five years ago for the Children’s Tumor Foundation when my daughter Grace was first diagnosed with NF1. I was online one night trying to find out all the information I could about this disorder, which I had never heard of before but that now affected my family. I have always been athletic, but never, and I mean never, a runner. However, I am an emotionally charged person, and when I saw this opportunity to actually make a difference and do something, I signed up.
I honestly had no idea what a marathon really was. Well, 10 months later I found out — it was truly one of the hardest but most rewarding journeys I had ever experienced. For the next two years, I trained and raised money in hopes of making a difference for Grace and all those who had NF.
Last year, however, something started to change. Running started to become more about me rather than my daughter and so many others like her. I still wore my NF Endurance shirts to all of the races, but I pretty much forgot about fundraising.

This year I decided to give the whole fundraising thing a shot again and signed up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Half Marathon. I only made the minimum $600 my goal, and I was okay with that.

However, I was not prepared for what happened to me while at this event.
I felt overwhelmed by the way my heart had become so immune to why and for whom I was running.  As I sat at the pasta dinner the night before the race in Tukwila, Wash., I was humbled by the people surrounding me. They were taking this journey much more seriously than me. Their hero was not themselves for finishing marathon after marathon, but their heroes were their daughters, sons, friends, neighbors.

And, some even run for strangers. One lady was running no connection to NF other than to be part of a charity. This gal had raised more money than me, and I have a daughter with NF! At that point I recognized what had happened and decided to refocus, regroup and return to the reason I had started running: Grace.

Today I run for my daughter, for the sisters, the sons, brothers and friends of all the wonderful people I have met through the Children’s Tumor Foundation and NF Endurance. They are the reason I choose to get out of bed when I don’t feel like running 16 miles or six or whatever is on my schedule that day. I vowed that I would never again forget. I truly am honored and blessed to be a part of this amazing group of men and women called the  NF Endurance Team.

Janet Carney is a wife, mom and member of the NF Endurance Team. She recently completed the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon, and she along with Team Grace will ruNFor Grace in Portland on 10.10.10 in the Portland Marathon.

My Achy Knees

My Achy Knees
By: Anna Renderer

FAQ: My knees have been achy and stiff lately. I feel them tighten up during
my runs and some days it’s very painful to run at all. What can I do to help
my knees feel better?

Anna’s Answer: The knees take a large amount of impact from running and much more stress is placed on the knees if a runner has poor biomechanics. Poor biomechanics during running comes from tightness and strength imbalances of the muscles. It is very important to focus on the following techniques to help improve your biomechanics and therefore take unnecessary stress off the knees and decrease the post run aches and pains.
Before Running: If your knees have been achy and painful it is important to foam roll before and after a run.
1. Foam Roll: Focus mostly on the Piriformis, IT Band, Quadriceps, and Calves. If you are unsure of how to foam roll these specific muscles, you can search on YouTube for a preview.

After Running:
1. Stretch: Focus mostly on your Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Calves, and Piriformis. Stretches include: (Standing/Lying Quad Extension, Standing Hamstring Extension, Calf Extensions, Pigeon Pose). These stretches can be found easily in any stretching guide.
2. Foam Roll:  Focus mostly on the Piriformis, IT Band, Quadriceps and Calves.
3. Ice: If your knees are achy after a run or workout, it’s great to throw a bag of ice on those knees for 20 minutes to decrease inflammation.

If you feel no improvements after one month of following these recommendations, see a physical therapist for more specific exercises and stretches based on your individual needs. Do not wait and allow things to get worse.

Along with Anna’s expert training experience, DVD performances and affiliations, she is a running enthusiast, completing the 2009 San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon, 2007 & 2008 La Jolla Half Marathon, 2008 Carlsbad 5K and 2005 Boston Half Marathon. Check out more of her training tips at www.bridalbodiez.com.