If you have mastered the 5k and are looking for a new challenge, consider training with Fleet Feet to complete a 10k (6.2 miles).

Pathways incorporates Fleet Feet’s award-winning training program with an increasingly popular distance race giving runners and run/walkers a new goal to advance toward.

Programs are beginning now, but there’s still time to join. For complete details about the No Boundaries I or II programs or Pathways, visit our training page or call the store at (918) 492-FEET (3338).

The goal race for the summer training programs is the Bedlam Race on Saturday, July 28.

Plenty of activities will be happening at this family-friendly event over the holiday weekend including a one-mile fun run at 8 a.m., 5 km run at 8:30 a.m., trike/bike races at 9:30 a.m. for kids 12 under, and new this year a special adults trike race at 9:35 a.m. (All trike/bike racers must have a helmet.)

To register, click here.

Race-day registration and packet pickup will open at 6:30 p.m. Online registration is currently open and in-person registration will be available at either Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa locations (dates and times to be announced later).

Perhaps no other buzz word in sports nutrition is less understood by the average athlete than electrolytes, but the one thing that is clear is that if you are active, especially for long periods of time in warm temperatures, you need to be taking in electrolytes (along with water and fuel) to perform at your peak.

Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa is proud to carry Nuun electrolyte tablets, which have no sugar, a balanced spectrum of electrolytes and dissolve quickly into 16 ounces of water. Nuun, available in many flavors, has a light and slightly fizzy taste that we find makes it easier to keep drinking water. Nuun is served on nearly every Fleet Feet Sports Tulsa training program run. We also carry Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes; capsules which can be swallowed or dissolved into gels or drinks. Endurolytes are great for situations in which you are not carrying your own water bottle as they are compact and don’t require any mixing.

Electrolytes (primarily calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium) are “chemicals that form electrically charged particles (ions) in body fluids” which “carry the electrical energy necessary for many functions, including muscle contractions and transmission of nerve impulses.”¹ Without proper levels of these chemicals, muscles do not function properly and will eventually cramp as a signal to the body to STOP MOVING.  In extreme conditions, severe electrolyte depletion can lead to cramping and hyponatremia, a dangerous condition in which the blood becomes too dilute relative to electrolyte levels.  In most cases, less severe electrolyte depletion simply makes for a less enjoyable workout and a lower level of performance.

The proper amount of electrolytes to be taken in during exercise is complicated for a couple or reasons. First, it varies from person to person much more than even caloric intake, making a definite intake difficult to quantify and it also varies widely depending on conditions. Our advice is to experiment early and often in your training, taking in a level on the low side of the suggested usage (1-2 Endurolyte capsules per hour or 1 Nuun tablet per hour/bottle,) making sure that it is not causing any GI issues, then increasing that gradually in warmer conditions and longer runs. Electrolytes in these forms would be very difficult to consume excessively while you’re exercising, contrary to taking straight salt (sodium and chloride) which could lead to excessive sodium intake. Even common sports drinks tend to contain relatively excessive sodium levels compared to other electrolytes and also carry with them excessive sugar and sweeteners.

Unfortunately many of these sports drink are the only alternative to straight water available on race courses.  If you are training with a better electrolyte source, we suggest carrying Nuun tablets or Endurolyte capsules to take with water provided on the course even if you’re not carrying a bottle or other hydration system.  Stay hydrated and maintain a regular intake of electrolytes and you’ll run happier and faster throughout the warmer months.

- Lance

¹Born, Steve,“Electrolyte Replenishment – Why It’s So Important and How to Do It Right.” Hammer     Nutrition, LTD, 2011. Web. 24 Apr. 2012.

Cinco de Mayo race video

The event will feature a live Mariachi band, Mexican food from Chimi’s, beer from Marshall’s (wristbands will be given to people 21 and over with ID) and a kids fun zone provided by Bounce Pro.  Cinco de Mayo is also part of the School Challenge and the Tulsa Public Schools Triple Crown Event and expects more than 300 kids participating in the evening’s activities.  The school with the most participants will get a cash award to benefit their school’s physical education program. Additionally, it is the goal race for Fleet Feet’s Zoomerangs kid’s training program.

All participants will be protected by one of the event sponsors, ICE.

Participants who registered online can begin picking up their packets on Wednesday, May 2 at 10 a.m. at the Fleet Feet location selected during registration.

Special thanks to our sponsors: Chimi’s, Marshall Brewing, ICE.events, Owasso Fence, Bounce Pro and Jamba Juice at KingsPointe Village.