Getting ready to run

Young Chang

Only a week till the 18th annual Leigh and Lucy Steinberg Spirit Run,

and you can barely climb a flight of stairs without panting. Your idea of

exercise is rushing from the car to the front door, and the last time you

broke a sweat was during summer.

But you know that you want to participate this year and help to raise

money for local elementary schools. With that in mind, do you resolve to

run from now through Saturday, stopping only to sleep and eat? Or do you

go about this calmly, rationally?

Local experts choose the latter. As with any sport, it’s not a good

idea to overtrain or overextend your natural abilities. No matter how

worthy the cause, no matter how tempting the prize, they say.

The Spirit Run on March 11 includes a 10K run/walk (which equals 6.2

miles), a Jamba Juice 5K Banana Man Chase (3.1 miles), a 5K family walk

(another 3.1 miles), a 25-yard toddler trot and various 1 1/2-mile races for different age groups.

“If you’re training for a marathon, you want to train just with

running,” said David Phillips, a personal trainer at 24 Hour Fitness in

Newport Beach. “It’s sport-specific.”

He advises that people who don’t usually run start off jogging at a

comfortable level about every other day until the marathon. Walk when you

get tired, and stop if you’re uncomfortable. He recommends that you do

five miles about three times a week, but if you can’t do five, do two.

“Be aware of what your body tells you. If it says, ‘Ouch, I’m sore,’

give it a rest,” Phillips said.

Joe Dunning, director of personal training at the Newport Beach

Athletic Club, emphasizes the importance of stretching. All major muscle

groups should get stretched, both before and after running.

“Because that’s going to help with the soreness that they get when

they’re training,” Dunning said.

Phillips also recommends drinking about 70 to 80 ounces of water a day

during training week. This helps the body dilute bodily waste that it

sweats out, relieving the kidneys of having to work too hard.

As for your diet, Phillips suggests eating plenty of carbohydrates,

which are 70% water and some fat.

“Long distance running uses fat as fuel,” he said.

Past Spirit Runs have raised more than $100,000 a year, including

sponsorships, said Toni Solow, an organizer of the race and a parent of a

student at Harbor View Elementary School. Organizers expect about 5,000

runners and walkers this year, not including spectators.

“It’s the one event where the elementary schools can do something

together,” said Robyn Moss, a director for the event and a parent of

students at Newport Coast and Lincoln elementary schools. “And it’s a

positive environment -- being healthy, out there running, having fun.”

Kids go crazy over the Banana Man, Solow said. The person who can beat

the man dressed in a banana suit gets a year’s supply of smoothies from

Jamba Juice.

Karen Kendall, principal at Harbor View, said she participates in the

run every year for the cause and out of a commitment to fitness. She will

be at the starting line this year.

The kids “love having the principals out at the start line,” Kendall

said.

Cyndi Terry and her family -- Blake, 8; Brooke, 11; and husband Brad

-- will run and walk the race together for the second time. Brooke and

Blake are students at district schools. Terry expects the run to become

an annual family tradition.

“It’s just something fun we like to do together,” she said. “And it’s

for a good cause.”

Proceeds will benefit programs and improvement projects at Andersen,

Eastbluff, Harbor View, Lincoln and Newport Coast elementary schools.

FYI

WHAT: Spirit Run 2001

WHEN: Registration will start at 6:30 a.m. March 11

WHERE: Fashion Island, 905 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach

COST: $4-$20

CALL: (949) 451-4568

RUN WITH THIS

Trainers recommend the following for people planning to take part in

the Spirit Run next weekend:

* Stretch before and after you exercise. This helps to prevent sore

muscles.

* Drink plenty of water while training and during the race. You need

to replace liquid lost through sweating.

* Don’t run every day if you are not used to running. Try every other

day instead.

* Five miles, three times a week is optimal.