Monday Minute: Single Leg Dead Lift

Monday Minute: Single Leg Dead Lift

Exercise for runners to prevent injury, strengthen hips, and engage the hamstrings and glutes.

Running in the heat!

It's been a hot and humid summer! Here is an article that explains a little bit about what is going on in your body while running in the heat and humidity.

Member Appreciation Week!

Take advantage of these great deals during Member Appreciation Week!

• Complimentary coffee & bagels every morning
• FREE member Guest Visits
• Climbing Friday Flash on 7/23 at LPAC
• 20% off all Climbing services, packages included
• 10% off all Personal Training services, packages included
• 10% off all Massage services, packages included
• 20% off all Kids Club purchases (Kids Camp, classes and visits)
• WAC Workouts open to members & non-members at West Loop Athletic Club

Bootcamp, Sun. 7/25 10am-noon

Workout Challenge, Tue. 7/20 5:30-7:30pm

Save The Date!

The Event

Join Universal Sole and Brooks on August 11, 2010 as we invite everyone out, plus two more guests to the You Plus Two 5k Fun Run @ Universal Sole. This Fun Run will leave from Universal Sole @ 6:30pm and head out on our famous 5k run loop. This run is just for fun, but we will throw in a bit of curve. We want to see if you can predict your 5k time through mid-summer. It is simple; you tell us what you think you can do our loop in. Keep in mind streets will not be closed and you will be on the sidewalk with other people, intersections, etc. The clock does not stop nor take into account outside factors! The top man and women closest to their time win a $50.00 USOLE gift card good towards any Brooks item in the store!

What is You Plus Two you ask?

Well, we plan to have a killer raffle thanks to Universal Sole & Brooks; we will have some shoes, running gear, gift cards to raffle off! Basically, you come out, bring your friends, family, anyone and you get more raffle entries (If you bring two people, you get two additional raffle entries besides yourself)! Your friends bring people and they get more raffle entries.

The After-party

Our friends over at Art of Pizza and Pabst Blue Ribbon have committed to providing the pizza and beer for afterward! It will be a party in front of Universal Sole! Much food and fun to be had and we want you all to be here! Finally, to end the evening, we will head over to Fizz Bar for a Universal Sole late night special with more drink and food!

Brooks Host The Ghost

Brooks will be out on-site as well to launch the New Brooks Ghost 3! We will have shoes for folks to try on as well as folks from Brooks on-site to talk about the new ghost and any other Brooks shoes as well! This is your Chance to talk with one of the top running shoe companies! All brooks apparel and shoes will also be on sale as well (10% off shoes, 20% off clothing).

The Info

Date - August 11, 2010 Time - 6:30pm @ Universal Sole

Entry Fee - This is free and open to everyone!

USOLE/Brooks Custom Tech T - to the first 20 folks that bring two or more people out! (While supplies last)

Come ready to run, USOLE will store your stuff!

Let me know if you want in!

Racing Weight: Counting Calories

Racing Weight: Counting Calories

Shoe Shopping?

Looking for a new pair of running shoes? Click here to browse through the 2010 summer running shoe guide before you head to the store!

Think About It!

What is your goal for today, for this training session? Is the goal you have set for this particular practice session SMART?

S- Is it specific? (I will run x-amount of minutes at threshold pace) rather than general (I’ll do my best today)

M- Is it measurable? (Does it have a specific time, distance, heart rate, number of intervals, number of reps, etc.)?

A- Is it agreeable? Is it your goal, and you are committed to it, or is it somebody else’s goal? Is it action oriented?

Meaning, is it something that you need to do, and is this under your control or do other athletes control it?

R- Is it realistic? Is it within your reach, and is it challenging. Or is it too easy, or too hard?

T- Is it time limited? Meaning, is it achievable today?

These are great questions to ask yourself before every training session that we do. Learn to maximize your run workouts by establishing daily goals and working efficiently to achieve them.

Defining The Four C's

Confidence means believing in yourself, in your skills, in your ability to handle whatever is thrown at you. Concentration is the ability to stay focused on the task at hand despite distractions (ex. your run cadence, breath and posture during changes in terrain or weather conditions). Composure means managing your emotions. Commitment is the willingness to train hard, to sacrifice, to persevere when things are not going well in order to achieve your goals.

These qualities play a role at all stages of performance and training. It is important as runners to understand and employ these qualities and work towards perfecting them during training and competition. In doing so, we "set the table" so to speak, by not only training optimally in all areas of performance, but also by developing these four mental qualities.

I think all of us have been "in the zone" at some point, where you are totally absorbed in the task at hand, fully engaged, all of your attention is focused "on the doing," on the "here and now". Outside distractions cease to exist and even though we exert great effort, it almost feels effortless. Unfortunately, this doesn't happen every time we go out for a run. Difficult and unexpected situations will come up, but the mentally strong runner will still make the best out of these situations by reassessing and modifying goals (commitment), toning down negative emotions such as anger, and turning the setback into positive energy (composure), quickly focusing on the immediate task at hand (concentration), all while believing in skills to reach new goals (confidence).

Keep the four C's in mind during your run sessions! We will be working on some exercises over the next few weeks that will help to develop or improve these mental qualities!

Coming Soon!

The Chicago Athletic Clubs will be adding an exciting new piece of equipment for members to use and enjoy! New Leaf's active metabolic assessments will provide individuals with information that will improve workouts and develop specific dietary plans. It is a great tool that will help individuals achieve desired results, whether that is managing weight, improving fitness, or taking your athletic performance to another level.

Everyone who attends the nutrition lecture at LVAC on Saturday will receive a 10% off coupon towards a test. Also, we will be raffling off one free test!

Click here for more info on New Leaf active metabolic training

See you Saturday!

Nutrition Clinic!

LVAC will be hosting a nutrition clinic in studio 2 at 8 AM this Saturday! This is a great opportunity for you to find answers to your questions on nutrition, learn about hydration and nutrition pre/post workout or race, and also educate yourself on topics like calorie goals and meal composition. Hope to see you all there!

Runners: Test and Improve Your Core Strength...

Upper Body Strength...

And Lower Body Strength!

Fit Week Schedule Is Out!

Be sure to take advantage of this great opportunity!

Next Week Is Fit Week!

Schedule will be posted soon!

New to running?

Intimidated by the words "running club"? Don’t be! As a beginner, this is a great opportunity to get started down the right track with individuals that can help you stay motivated throughout the season! You will learn a lot from coaches and peers who will help you each step of the way to reach your personal running goals. Get fit and get fast, but more importantly, stay healthy all season long!

Click here for some great information that can be beneficial for any runner, particularly beginners. Some of these articles will help prepare you mentally for running club practices.

Running club practice starts this evening at LVAC at 6:30 pm. We will meet in the lobby area, prepare to head outside for a run by 6:35 pm. Hope to see you there!

Welcome!

Hello Everyone!

Welcome to the CAC Running Club blog page. This site will contain all of the necessary info regarding practices, events, races, and other fun happenings. Be sure to check this page regularly as it will be a way for coaches to share important updates and running info. Feel free to comment or add any suggestions that you might have!