The Game Plan
A publication of the National Senior Games Association - February 2011
Below you'll find the full content from the newsletter, or click a link below to go straight to the story :
- Modifying your training as you age
- Anthony Travel Information
- NSGA Briefs
- State Senior Games Calender:New Years, New Games
Registration Deadline EXTENDED to March 15th!
Late registration period now extends from Mar. 16-Mar. 31 for Summer National Senior Games
The registration deadline for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games has been extended to Mar. 15. Athletes and teams signing up after this period will be subject to late fees. The late period for registration now extends from Mar. 16-Mar.31. The late fees are $50 for individual sports and $200 for team sports. We do not anticipate extending registration past Mar. 31. Currently, we have more than 7,500 individuals including 330 teams who have registered for this summer’s Games.
For more information about registration, including pricing and detailed instructions about how to register, please visit the 2011 Summer National Senior Games registration information page at: http://www.nsga.com/2011-national-games/registration-info.
You can always find the most up-to-date schedule on the 2011 Summer National Senior Games competition schedule page: http://www.nsga.com/2011-national-games/competition-schedule.
And don’t forget to check out your Sport Specific information page: http://www.nsga.com/2011-national-games/sport-specific-info.
Check out the National Senior Games Association’s Facebook page to keep up-to-date on the latest about the 2011 Summer National Senior Games presented by Humana. You can visit the page by clicking here.
Athlete of the Month: J.Nathan Leech
J. Nathan Leech, of The Villages, Fla., won four swimming gold medals in the men’s 60-64 age group at the Florida State Senior Games in December. He won the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle races. He also won the 50-yard, 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke races.
He set a new age-group record for the Games with his time of 2 minutes, 11.86 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle.
Training for a Half Marathon
By Vonda Wright, M.D.
For More magazine, which sponsors its own half marathon, held in New York City on April 3, I’ve developed a 12-week training program to help run/walk the half marathon, which is 13.1 miles. This basic training program assumes that athletes can walk or walk/run for 30 to 45 minutes without stopping.
The program I’ve devised includes four walk/run days, two cross-training days and one rest day per week. Cross training includes yoga, pilates, cycling, spinning, swimming and resistance training. The inclusion of cross training helps reduce the likelihood of overuse injuries. You can find the full training schedule at www.vondawright.com.
Vonda Wright is an orthopaedic surgeon, author of Fitness After 40: How to Stay Strong at Any Age, and director of the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes at the UPMC Center for Sports Medicine.
Modifying your training as you age
By Lisa Menninger
In running, swimming, cycling, skiing and other sports, we can remain fast long after conventional wisdom says we should have slowed down. But the conventional wisdom isn’t totally wrong; it is, however, off target.
There are essentially two camps. There are those who think if they are over 40, they should start shopping for a nice plot next to their parents. There are also those who think they are still 25 and can train that way.
Neither is true.
To address the first, we are much more capable of fast times after 40 than we believe. It isn't so much that we lose speed, as we need more recovery. More and more we are seeing that the drop off in performance happens later than originally thought and is much less significant in our 40s and 50s than we anticipated. We need to just keep the speed and lose the junk miles, junk races, and junk workouts, staying within a training schedule that allows us to work hard and rest, recover and assimilate accordingly.
And this ties in with the thoughts from the second. We are not 25 anymore. Now that we’re older, we need to treat the body differently than when we were that age. If training hard and maintaining speed is the goal, then nutrition, sleep, proper training and attention to recovery are all mandatory.
We could get away with much more when we were in our 20s and even 30s. No more. Your body is there for you and will continue to be so, but it's our responsibility to give it the optimal opportunity to do what we ask it to do. Makes sense, right?
So if you ran seven days a week in your earlier years and didn't worry about recovery or nutrition, you have to change your tune if you want to keep your speed.
Quality workouts are king, not massive quantity. Predictable and frequent recovery is necessary. If you don't recover, you'll spend all your time in the red wondering why you can't improve.
So set some goals for yourself you may have let go of and see if you can take it step by step to get there, knowing how important it is to train smarter, eat well, sleep enough and recover fully.
Lisa Menninger is a personal trainer for triathletes, runners, and cyclists. She has competed at an elite level in running, cycling and multisport. You can contact Lisa via her website at www.lisamenninger.com.
Anthony Travel Info
Anthony Travel is a one-stop resource for athletes and guests for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games
Anthony Travel is the most convenient and knowledgeable resource for making your travel plans -- including hotel, air and rental car discounts --for the Summer National Senior Games in Houston. Athletes and guests who make reservations through Anthony Travel receive these benefits and more:
• Exclusive discounted rates at Official 2011 Summer National Senior Games Hotels
• New this year! A daily complimentary breakfast is available at all of the Official Hotels
To make your reservations or for more information, please visit AnthonyTravel.com (search Senior Games) or call (800) 736-6377.
NSGA Briefs
Here’s the latest from the National Senior Games Association.
After careful review of our demonstration sport program, NSGA and the Houston Local Organizing Committee have reluctantly decided to cancel 6-on-6 soccer as a demonstration sport.
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The AstraZeneca AthleteVillageis shaping up to be a superb hub for athletes to gather before and after competition. The Village will feature an entertainment stage, the Humana Cyber Café so athletes can get online, great NSGA merchandise and concessions. Additionally, the awards ceremonies will be held in the Village, and our sponsors will have booths where you can find out more about them and their products.
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The Archery venue has been changed. Archery will now take place at Reliant Center which is indoors and air conditioned.
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Need help finding a team/partner? Click here to visit the NSGA team/partner finder.
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Changes to cycling time trial dates
There have been scheduling changes in the 5K & 10K cycling events. Practice for both 5K and 10K is June 19. The 5K competition date is June 20, 2011. The 10K competition date is June 21, 2011. The rain date for both is still June 22. Changes were also made to the time trial course to provide additional safety. More information is available by clicking here.
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Power Walking presented by Humana
Power Walking will be a demonstration sport during the 2011 Summer National Senior Games presented by Humana. There will be two Power Walking events: 1500M and 5K. Athletes may not participate in both Race Walk and Power Walk; therefore, they must choose one or the other sport, not both. Complete rules for this demonstration sport are available on the NSGA website under the tab “2011 National Games”. Power Walk is an open sport so qualifying is not necessary. This is your chance to attend the Games and go for the gold. Power Walking is a great way to get your family and friends moving and into the spirit of the Games. Its fun and qualifying is not required. Anyone and everyone 50 and over may enter. Go online at www.nsga.com to register today!
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Two new deadlines
The NSGA has announced two deadlines for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games. “Limited Event” forms for qualifying must be postmarked no later than April 15, 2011. Additionally, the deadline for partner changes is March 31, 2011.
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Changes to softball qualifying, fees
The softball fee was reduced from $1,175 to $750. We’re expecting that an increased number of teams will make the national tournament even more competitive. Each event allows for a specific number of qualifiers. If out-of-state residents qualify at an “open” qualifying games, they will not take away a qualifying spot from a state resident.
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Check out the great venues in Houston
Below is a link to a video of the venues for the 2011 Summer National Senior Games in Houston, Texas. Many events, including badminton, basketball, horseshoes, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball will be held in the air-conditioned George R. Brown Convention Center. Bowling, racquetball and swimming will also be held in air-conditioned venues.
Click here for a video showing Houston venues
State Senior Games Calendar: New Year, New Games
Take a look at the upcoming state senior games listed below. Arizona has the honor of holding the first state senior games this year. Now is the time to start making your plans to compete in your favorite state senior games in 2011.
Arizona Senior Olympics
February 19 - March 13
Phoenix, AZ
