Shoe of the Week: Brooks Addiction 12

Get hooked on the new Brooks Addiction 12, which is here at Charm City Run for men and women! This upgraded running shoe offers superior new features that are sure to help you get through your run with tremendous comfort and support. The BioMoGo DNA midsole provides adaptive cushioning while the Extended Progressive Diagonal Rollbar delivers high-class comfortable stability. Add a Segmented Crash Pad, which will give you ultimate cushion for smooth landings and extra upper moisture-management to keep your feet more comfortable, and you have an all-around great shoe waiting to be slipped on for a run on the track or street.

Pronation Suitability: Moderate to severe pronation.

Men’s Specs: Weight: 13.05 oz.; Midsole drop: 12mm.

Women’s Specs: Weight: 11.9 oz.; Midsole drop: 12mm. 

Shoe of the Week: Mizuno Wave Inspire 12

Mizuno's new Wave Inspire 12 was built to help you run longer and farther. How do they accomplish such a thing? Well, the slogan says it all, "Dynamically Supportive. Flexibly Light." This sneaker was designed to keep you on the road longer with its improved upper, increased blown rubber, and redesigned midsole platform, which work together to provide ultimate support, durability and comfort without adding any weight. This shoe is great for overpronators as it has a redesigned U4ic midsole platform to provide a softer touch down every step of your run. The improved upper has a soft-yet-structural DynaMotion Fit for supportive flexibility, and the increased blown rubber in the forefront improves durability and softness. Add extra breathability with the Air Mesh Upper, and the Wave Inspire 12 is perfect for those in the market for a comfortably supportive, flexible sneaker.

Women's Specs: Heel: Medium to narrow; Toe Box Height: Medium; Shoe Shape: Semi Curved

Men's Specs: Heel: Medium to narrow; Toe Box Height: Medium; Shoe Shape: Semi Curved

Places to Run in the Baltimore Area

Have you ever wondered about the best places for a run or walk in the Baltimore area?  Or maybe you are just bored with your usual run. Here are a few places to run near each of our stores to change up the routine.

Charm City Run Annapolis (Anne Arundal County)

B&A Trail– This trail is flat and fast with water fountains every few miles.  Running Distance (Out and Back) 0-26 miles (more if you use it to connect to the BWI Trail)

Quiet Waters Park–. With its wooded trails and beautiful grounds makes it one of the favorites in the area.  A big plus is the big playground for the kids afterwards if you running buddy is a little one.  Running Distance – 6 mile loop

Kinder Park Farm — While most of the route is paved, there are several places throughout the park to duck into the woods and run along the dirt trails used by Arch Bishop Spalding’s Cross Country Team.  This park also has a couple of water fountains, bathrooms, and two playgrounds. Running Distance3-5 mile loop

USNA -–Almost half of the route is run along the water and is beautiful in all weather, so much so that it seems too special not to share with a running buddy.  Things to remember – No Headphones Allowed and You must have your ID with you. Running Distance 4mile loop


Charm City Run McHenry Row (Baltimore City)

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Inner Harbor Run – Start from Charm City Run McHenry Row and head down the promenade towards the Science Center and Aquarium.  You can run the promenade and docks all the way to Canton and back for any distance from 1-15 miles.

Fort McHenry Run – Start at Charm City Run McHenry Row and run to the entrance of Fort McHenry.  It’s a mile from the store with a mile loop around the Fort.  It’s a great way to see the water and city.  Water fountains and bathrooms are at the park. Running Distance3-5 Miles

Patterson Park – A challenging loop with hills to get a great workout.  The loop makes it convenient to your car and allows you to vary the distance. Running Distance 1-6 Miles


Charm City Run Bel Air  (Harford County)

Ma & Pa Trail – The MA & PA Trail is a walking, running & bicycle trail/pathlocated on portions of the former Maryland & Pennsylvania Railroad corridor in Bel Air and Forest Hill, Maryland.  The MA & PA Trail is 3.3 miles long from Edgeley Grove in Fallston to Williams St. in the Town of Bel Air. The Forest Hill segment is 1.75 miles long.

Susquehanna State Park – Susquehanna State Park contains over 15 miles of marked and maintained trails; ideal for hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers, equestrians and nature lovers. The terrain varies throughout the river valley. The different trails have ratings ranging from easy to difficult.


Charm City Run Columbia (Howard County)

Lake Elkhorn – Located right near our Columbia store, this 37-acre lake, in the village of Owen Brown, was built by the Columbia Association in 1974 with a watershed of about 2,500 acres.  The path around Lake Elkhorn is 2 miles.  There are also connecting trails to add on to the distance around the lake. Running Distance 2 miles and up

Patapsco Valley State Park – The park is nationally known for its trail opportunities and scenery.  They have 170 miles of trails, with 70 of those miles identified as maintained trails.  A great place to get away from it all and walk, hike or run. Park includes both technical trails and paved paths. All distances available.

Centennial Park – This park makes up 325 of Howard County's 7,000+ acre scenic park system. It features a 2.4-mile paved pathway that circles the lake as well as the 7.3-miles of interconnecting paved pathway that links to surrounding neighborhoods. These trails are great for walking, riding, or biking, and make for a perfectly serene place for some exercise. 


Charm City Run Timonium (Baltimore County)

NCR Trail -The Northern Central Railroad Trail (NCRT) extends 20 miles, stretching from Ashland Road in the Hunt Valley area to the state line. The trail is 10 feet wide with a stone dust surface. The most popular activities on the trail are hiking, jogging, bicycle riding and horseback riding. Out and back trail allows for any distance from 1 mile to 40 miles.

Loch Raven Reservoir – This weekend running spot provides paved road and off-road running north of Towson.  Park at the corner of Morgan Mill Road and Loch Raven Drive to enjoy beautiful scenery on a Saturday or Sunday morning.  You will see many runners on the road as well as on the extensive hiking trails throughout the woods. On weekends Loch Raven Drive between Morgan Mill Road and Providence Road is closed to cars to allow use by pedestrians.  Please note that it is not safe to run during the week as traffic is heavy with commuters.  You can walk/run 1-30 miles along this route.

ENJOY!

Time to Carb Load, Runners!

For everyone running in the Baltimore Running Festival, congrats! You made it this far, and your just a couple days before the big event. For the runners of the full marathon, I hope you've begun your carb load! Carb loading involves eating lots of carbohydrate-rich foods before an endurance event longer than two hours to load up your muscles with glycogen (aka stored carbohydrates). We can only store a small amount of carbs in our muscles—one to two hours max at hard effort of exercise. We have hours of fat to burn, but using fat for fuel is far less efficient than glycogen, so we need to maximize the carbs stored before we hit the start line by carb loading, eating breakfast on race day and supplementing with carbs on the course, or we risk an...ahem...uncomfortable finish.

The carb load doesn’t necessarily require us to eat lots more food. If you over do it by forcing down more calories than you need, you may feel bloated, or you could even be carrying extra poundage to the start line. Instead, think of it as eating about the same amount of calories, but more of it from carbohydrate, with less fat and protein. I approach it by considering meals and snacks I already eat and making adjustments to proportions and ingredients.

Example: Instead of my usual oatmeal with tons of seeds and nuts, I enjoy oatmeal with fresh & dried fruit and I add a bit of maple syrup to it. In place of my normal big green salad for lunch, I turn that salad into a wrap and add a side of roasted potatoes. In place of a snack of a banana and peanut butter, I might have banana slices on a piece of toast. 

Some simple tips for you below to get 3/4 or more of your calories from carbohydrate over the next couple days...

Enjoy fruit—including bananas, grapes, fresh dates and dried fruits. Avoid eating nuts

Enjoy lots of starchy vegetables that you tolerate well, like white potatoes and sweet potatoes (avoid eating them in sauces with lots of fat

Enjoy juice or smoothies in small amounts. Drink 100% real juice and avoid sugar-free like the plague. 

If you tolerate them, you can enjoy bread, rice, pasta, etc. Bread and pasta made with white flour are acceptable during this period, especially the day before the event

Enjoy a bit of honey and maple syrup if you like them

For the Day Before Your Race:

Do NOT try anything new!!!

Avoid alcohol

Avoid highly processed food like chips, snack cakes, etc.

Avoid high fiber foods

Try eating a number of carb-rich snacks rather than three large or heavy meals

Your biggest meal is not the night before your race—it’s the night before the night before.

The night before your race, finish your reasonably portioned carb-rich dinner a full 12 hours before your start to allow for proper digestion.

And of course on race morning, you'll eat the breakfast that you've practiced throughout your training season.

ABOUT LAUREN SHAFER AND LIVE FULL

Lauren is a board certified Health Coach who helps busy Baltimoreans tweak their diet and lifestyle to find their healthiest and happiest selves. She studied dietary theory and practical lifestyle management with top experts at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and founder her practice Live Full to help men and women articulate their health + wellness goals, and make measurable, sustainable changes for lasting transformation. She works with clients one-on-one and in group settings, including the Wellness Program at Charm City Run Baltimore. Never having played a team sport or run in her youth, Lauren began running as an adult, begrudgingly at first, until she discovered she actually enjoyed it. Now an 8-time marathoner and 2-time ultra-marathoner, you’ll frequently find Lauren running on roads and trails with her husband John and dog Osita.

Keys to Staying Injury Free

Roll Away Your Injuries – Anthony Inzirillo ATC & Charm City Run Manager

Let's stay injury free this weekend. Good luck to all those participating in the Baltimore Running Festival!  

Brett Clark, a Physical Therapist at LifeStrength PT, gives his best advice to staying injury free while training.

One of the most common questions I get asked while working the floor at Charm City Run is “what is the best way to stay injury free?” or “how can I get rid of the injuries that are holding me back?”.  Well, no one has the perfect answer to those questions, but there are some ways to keep the odds on your side.  Flexibility is something that every runner can work on because the running stride is such a limited range of motion.

In today’s world there are many ways of stretching whether it is static, dynamic, or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.  A new type of stretch has recently hit the exercise therapy world called myofascial release, which is a technique being introduced by many healthcare professionals.  A professional usually performs myofascial release on a patient but with the use of some numerous tools (e.g. foam roller, tennis ball, golf ball, the stick) the patient can achieve myofascial release on their own.  While all of these tools are beneficial, the foam roller is the most efficient, versatile, and easy to use.  The foam roller is a great instrument to use when trying to gain muscle relaxation and extensibility.

The concept and physiology behind foam rolling (self-myofascial release), stems from acupressure.  Acupressure is a technique in which physical pressure is applied directly to acupoints that are located throughout the body.  Acupoints can commonly tense up causing the formation of a trigger point.  When irritated, the fibrous tissue forms scars decreasing the function of the fascia.

Foam rolling focuses on applying physical pressure onto myofascial tissue restrictions. The pressure gets rid of associated pain, increases circulation, and increases motion by activating the stretch reflex of the muscles and overlying fascia.   Reduction in soft tissue tension decreases pain, restores normal muscle length tension relationships and improves function.

The use of foam rollers is fast, easy and cheap.   A foam roller goes for around $25, which is much cheaper than a personal massage therapist.  The recommended use for a foam roller is one to two minutes on each muscle.  When foam rolling, it is important that the muscle is felt before hand in order to find the trigger point that is the source of pain.  While rolling the runner should stop for 10-15 seconds over the trigger point to try and achieve a muscle spindle release.

The foam roller is most commonly used for the lower extremity muscles but can be used for almost every muscle throughout the body.  A foam roller can be used either before or after an activity starts.  It is important that before foam rolling a general warm up be performed (bike, light jog, jumping jacks, etc.), as a muscle should not be stretched cold.

In this day and age runners are always looking for the competitive edge.  Flexibility and muscle function are detrimental aspects to the performance of all athletes.  The foam roller combined with a dynamic warm up can be used as a great tool to help runners to stay healthy and achieve greatness.

Shoe of the Week: Nike Air Zoom Structure 19

Come check out what the new Nike Air Zoom Structure 19 has to offer. This running shoe takes support, responsiveness, and stability to a whole new level as it provides you with a ride that feels ultra fast. The Nike Zoom Air unit in the forefoot provides highly responsive, low-profile cushioning, which will propel your next step forward making it ideal for faster-paced runs. You will also feel increased stability with its triple-density Dynamic support system in the midsole. This helps slow the rate of pronation with firmer foam along the inside midfoot and wedged foam in the heel. The woven Flymesh upper provides ventilation and support where you need it most. Add some yarn that creates structure without sacrificing breathability, with flat, wide Flywire cables integrated with the laces and around your midfoot, and you’ll have a super-comfortable ride with enhanced lockdown and a glove-like fit. 

Men’s  Specs: Weight: 11.2 oz.

Women’s Specs: Weight: 9 oz.

Rain, Rain Go Away - Tips for Running in the Rain!

With lots and lots of rain in the forecast, and many of you heading into a races this weekend, here are some tips to get you through:

1.    Just accept you are going to be wet and set a positive mental attitude about it.

2.   Bring a few trash bags to the start to keep your body warm and dry (you can wrap your shoes too) until the race starts.

3.   Plan to wear tighter fitting clothes since they will be wet and prone to falling off/down or cause extra chaffing if they are too loose.

4.   BodyGlide everywhere you can including your feet– bring a travel sized glide and reapply right before the race starts.

5.    Put a dry set of clothes (including socks, sports bra if applicable, and dry shoes ) in a sealed ziplock bag into your gear check bag.

6.   Wear a brimmed cap or visor to keep rain off your face and out of your eyes.

7.   DRINK even though you may feel less inclined to do so since your are soaked already.  Stay on your hydration/nutrition plan.

8.   Avoid running any crazy lines/jumping puddles just to avoid a little splash (you are already wet!)– especially if you are in a crowded section of the race– it’ll do more harm than good and possibly injure you or a runner behind you.

9.   Have fun– you’ve trained all summer for this race– don’t let some rain drops get in the way of all your good work!

10.  Did I mention BodyGlide?

Updated: May 18th, 2018

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: DEIRDRE WEADOCK

A Baltimore native and graduate of NDP and University of Maryland in College Park, Deirdre bought her first pair of shoes from Charm City Run while home visiting Baltimore from her job training dolphins in the Florida Keys.  She became a part-time employee and full-time member of the Charm City Run family when she retuned to Baltimore and the National Aquarium in 2005.  She joined CCR full-time in 2011.  These days she trains CCR employees, runners, and pretends these skills help her handle her toddler son.

Frederick Runner of the Month: Mark Lawrence (October 2015)

This month we showcase a staple to the Frederick running community. We almost guarantee he has either directed you to make a turn on any local race or was cheering you on as you run through the finish line. Our October ROTM, radiates with his love for running and has found several unique ways to share his passion and knowledge with the community. He is humble, genuine and truly cares to help everyone be the best they can been in the healthiest way possible. To calculate the hours he spends volunteering at races and teaching workshops, we would imagine would be close to a full time job. In addition to his impact on the community he is a loving father, husband, friend and mentor to many. If you don’t already know who we talking about, we present to you Mark Lawrence as our October Runner of the Month.

Race Day Ready #1

Getting ready for the Baltimore Running Festival? It's important to make sure you have the right gear to help you get through the day comfortably and efficiently. Check out some of our great in-store ideas for women and men participants!

WOMEN'S

 

A.  Women’s UA Fly-By Mesh Tank: A super lightweight tank top offering superior breathability & comfort; B.  Brooks Moving Comfort Rebound Racer Back Sports Bra: Super-supportive, front-adjustable bra with PowerMesh zones for increased ventilation; C.  Brooks Greenlight Capri: Super-supportive, chafe-free leggings with two pockets; D.  Mizuno Wave Runner 18: Soft & flexible sneaker with extra padding & sockliner for better rebound & resiliency; E.  The North Face Better than Naked Hat: Ultra-light, ultra-thin hat with foam insert & velcro adjustment to provide extra comfort & customization; F.  Brooks Women's Infiniti Skort: Lightweight, supportive skort with two pockets & reflective accents; G.  Nike Women’s DriFIT Epic Run Capris: DriFIT fabric leggings maintains dryness & offers comfortable range of motion; H.  Nathan Icon Bottle (24 oz.): The SpeedLock Race Cap & flow valve keep this bottle secure with controlled fluid intake; I.  Timex Sleek 50: A lightweight & durable watch with 50 Lap Memory, interval timer, & chronograph training log.

 

MEN'S

A.  Nike Dri-FIT Contour Running T-Shirt: Dri-FIT mesh fabric and crew-neck design provide a nonrestrictive, comfortable fit with superior breathability & airflow; B.  UA HeatGear® Armour Compression Shorts – Mid: Comfortable, supportive compression shorts with extra mobility, sweat resistant fabric, & anti-odor technology; C.  UA Tech™ Patterned Long Sleeve: Quick-drying, ultra-soft long sleeve with sweat resistant fabric & anti-odor technology; D.  Brooks Sherpa 7’’ 2-in-1 Shorts - Navy: Lightweight shorts with sweat resistant pockets & internal mesh boxer brief with security pocket; E.  CamelBak ARC 2: This running belt keeps 20 oz. of water at your waist for a stable, bounce-free long run; F.  UA Shadow Run Cap – Navy: Unstructured fit conforms to your head with build-in HeatGear® sweatband & mesh ventilation to keep you dry & cool; G.  New Balance 860v5: ABZORB® & ACTEVA® provide extra cushioning in midfoot & midsole for better resistance, support & comfort; H.  Timex Ironman® Sleek 50 Full-Size: A lightweight & durable watch with 50 Lap Memory, interval timer, & chronograph training log.

Shoe of the Week: Saucony Redeemer

The Saucony Redemmer is now available here at Charm City Run. While flexibility and runnability remain as headlining Saucony attributes, the Redeemer adds outstanding stability and ride support to this sneaker’s features. Plush cushioning provides the underfoot with compressing materials between the foot and the running surface to deliver more impact protection through the use of PWRGRID+. This adds 20% more cushioning as well as fluid transition maintenance from the heel to toe for a smooth ride. The Redeemer provides those looking for a shoe tailored for support and stability with a greater level of motion control as it is designed with an 8mm. offset for those with severe pronation. The sneaker also features Injection Blown Rubber, which is liquid molded rubber allowing for higher consistency and durability. Add an ISOFIT upper for a sock-like fit and the Saucony Redeemer is a great combination of comfort and support for both road and track surfaces.

Pronation Suitability: Severe pronation

Women’s Specs: Weight: 11.5 oz.; Heel Stack Height: 21mm.; Forefoot Stack Height: 21mm.

Men’s Specs: Weight: 12.9 oz.; Heel Stack Height: 29mm.; Forefoot Stack Height: 21mm.