Events Brittany Katz Events Brittany Katz

Run for Kids 5k in Memory of Karen Lawrence

It may still be summer but we are starting to come up on to the fall race season! For us here at Terra, that means a lot of race timing for a lot of awesome local organizations. One of the first races on our calendar is the Run4Kids 5k in support of the Ronald McDonald House of Chattanooga. We reached out to race director Mary Pike to learn more about this fun, feel-good race.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the work you do at the Ronald McDonald House? 

I am the Development Specialist at the Ronald McDonald House. I plan and coordinate fundraising events as well as identify and cultivate donors. I have worked here for a little over two years.

Many people are familiar with the Ronald McDonald House but some might not be; can you tell us about what you all do, as well as what that specifically looks like in the Chattanooga area?

The Ronald McDonald House’s mission is to keep families close to their sick child at Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. We serve families not only in the Chattanooga area, but in surrounding counties. When families stay at the Ronald McDonald House, they have a place to stay, do their laundry, provided snacks and a hot meal every day, and more. We provide a “home away from home” for families.

What about the Run4Kids race? How did it come about and how does it benefit the Ronald McDonald House?

Before the race was called “Run4Kids”, it was called “The Karen Lawrence Run”. For 40 years the Lawrence family hosted the Karen Lawrence Run in memory of their daughter, Karen, who battled acute lymphocytic leukemia. In 2019, the staff at Ronald McDonald House decided to change the title to “Run4Kids in Memory of Karen Lawrence” to celebrate our mission with past families as well as celebrate Karen Lawrence’s memory. This event brings our past families, donors, and volunteers together to celebrate RMHC and the work we do in the community. All proceeds go back to the House and help us continue our mission.

What should runners expect on race day? Where is the race, when does it start, and is there anything else unique about it?

Run4Kids is Saturday, August 13th from 9-11:30 a.m. at Chattanooga State Community College. Runners (and walkers) should come dressed up in red, white and blue and expect a fun, filled day! After their race, they will head to Celebration Village where there will be games, food, and fun.

Other than running in the race, how can people support the work of the Ronald McDonald House in Greater Chattanooga?

Support from the community is what helps us keep our mission moving forward. We have several volunteer opportunities at the Ronald McDonald House and the Ronald McDonald House Family Room on the third floor of Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. We also have a wish list on our website that shows what we need at the House to best serve the families who stay here. For more ways to support RMHC, please visit https://rmhchattanooga.com/ or email Tonya West, Volunteer Coordinator, at tonya.west@rmhchattanooga.com

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Staff Adventures Asher Johnson Staff Adventures Asher Johnson

Running Around the World

Despite Covid restrictions, I managed to travel quite a lot the last two years. Every where I went, I added a run or two. I ran out west when I visited the Grand Canyon and Utah’s national parks, I ran at the beach, I ran all over Europe when I spent the month of July and December there, and I most recently ran in New York City while on a school trip. 

For me, running has become an essential experience to any vacation or trip. In order to best experience the places I go, I want to get out and run through them. Sometimes running is even more convenient than other forms of transportation. For example, in January I was visiting Paris. I had taken the train there from Cologne, Germany and I was relying on the Parisian subway system to explore the sites around the city. While there, I really wanted to visit Versailles. Versailles is about six miles from where I was staying in the south of Paris. This was out of the subway zones that I had paid for (in other words, the metro was not an option). So, I decided to make a run to Versailles. I packed the only snacks I had, three snack size Haribo gummy bear packets, and headed out. I used my phone to direct my way there. I ran over the bridge on the way out of Paris, through old French neighborhoods, sometimes on clean walking paths, and sometimes on narrow and hilly streets. About six and a half miles in (my phone would only read in kilometers for some reason, so I’m approximating), I arrived at the Palace of Louis XIV. I ran up to Versailles, golden studded and absolutely massive. I jogged through the guarded gateway to the palace grounds, saying bonjour to the attendant. I stopped for a picture and then ran left of the central palace finding my way around back. I could not have imagined what awaited me. I cornered the palace and looked out at the gardens of Versailles, stretching far out to the horizon. The man-made rectangular lake took up the center of my view. I looked as far as I could, barely seeing the final edge of the lake, where I could see little black specks of people moving. I had already run seven miles, but I was on vacation, so I had to go farther. I ran on into the Palace gardens, going all the way to the end. There were lots of other walkers and bikers, even some other runners. The main path forms a cross shape around the gardens, however, there are numerous branches farther on and throughout the property. I looped the whole area, stopped to eat my gummy bears, and used one of the public restrooms. I headed back to Paris on the Ave. de Paris. I ran into my metro zone and then took public transport to my Parisian lodging. I had great weather for the run, and it was relatively easy to run through the city. I would highly recommend running in Versailles. The Palace grounds alone could give you a 10 mile run. 

When I’m not thinking of Europe, however, my favorite place to run in the USA (so far) was in Arches National Park. I, also, ran there in the Winter. While you might think of running in a park as trail running, there were several good well trodden paths in Arches that are as easy as a road run. Nonetheless, the main road through Arches is also good to run on. I ran on both the Sand Dune Arch Trail and the Devil’s Garden Trail. These were beautiful paths with soft ground to run on. The only problem was that I wanted to stop and look at the nature every other minute. The Devil’s Garden Trail was longer and formed a loop, so I enjoyed it more. I ran it right at golden hour when the already red rocks appear to alight like fire. 

Running is the best way to experience a new place. Whether I visit a beach, a mountain, or a metropolis, I try to get a run in.

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Tips Brennan Humphreys Tips Brennan Humphreys

The Case for Covering Up

Summer seems like the time to shed layers. East TN humidity will swiftly turn your cotton t-shirt into a wet rag and your shoes into puddles, and any piece of clothing can feel like a greenhouse for your skin. Ditching the layers also prepares you for any sprinklers, pools, or creeks that happen to be along your route: dip and dash, no problem.

But if you pay a little attention to summertime seasonal workers—lawn care, especially—you’ll notice a few things: sun hats, long sleeves, sunglasses, pants, even neck gaiters. In high school, my teammates and I would wear as as little as possible: split shorts for the guys, sports bras and shorts for the girls. I would gawk at the workers out mowing and trimming, assuming they only layered up for protection from grass clippings and stray rocks.

It wasn’t until I started my college summer gig, working for my city’s Parks & Recreation maintenance crew, that I quickly learned the appeal of coverage.

A lightweight, light colored, sweat wicking long sleeve tee will keep you just as cool as a short sleeve tee. Even dark colored shirts will absorb and disperse heat, and they can offer greater SPF protection.

A brimmed cap, sunglasses, and a lightweight gaiter can keep the most sensitive skin on your body shaded. Soak the gaiter in ice water and toss a couple ice cubes in your hat before setting out to give your body more time to adjust to the heat. 

Covering isn’t necessarily a replacement for other protective methods. If you opt for lathering up, look for sport specific sunblocks. They’ll handle sweat better, and often come without some of the extra gunk in regular sunblocks. Best of all, opt for running at times when the sun’s strength is lowest—early morning and late evening. If you have to run midday, look for shaded paths. Summer is a great time to hit the trails, where you’ll stay much cooler. Combine sunblock, shade, and the right gear, and there’s no need for hot and humid weather to keep you from summer miles.

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Tips Asher Johnson Tips Asher Johnson

The Importance of Base Mileage

Base mileage is the first step to any specific running goal. In fact, building your running base is one of the most essential parts of any fitness goal. These are the slower, consistent, weekly runs that you do. Whether you want to become faster or enjoy your runs more, base mileage is the first step.

Starting out with consistent, easy runs of three to six miles, three times a week, before building up to five days a week, will help to prepare your body for any harder training plan. Increasing your running speed or feeling like your runs are easier is all dependent upon your running fitness; the more often you run, the higher your fitness will be.

Runners who want to add sprinting workouts or tempo runs to their routine will need a high base mileage to see the most improvement. Similarly, individuals who are getting into running or who are trying to grow their fitness need to develop their base mileage in order to initiate a new healthy habit. Base mileage is what prepares and develops your body, as well as prevent injury. It can be exhausting to run everyday, so it is important to start out with a low base mileage and work from there.

Base mileage is often acclaimed for building your aerobic endurance. This is important because you will want to build your aerobic abilities before attempting any anaerobic exercises (these are fast paced workouts that build up lactic acid in the muscles). Thus, base mileage runs should not be strenuous or fast-paced. They serve merely to grow your endurance and fitness. 

I think most of us understand the concept of base mileage. You need to have some foundation, some base level of fitness, to accomplish more specified goals. It can, however, be easy to get caught up with the idea of those specific goals and discount the importance of the slower, mundane, daily run. Nonetheless, working towards those goals will be fruitless without the consistency of base mileage.

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Tips Tiffany Skinner Tips Tiffany Skinner

What exactly are electrolytes?

As runners we know that it important to stay hydrated and replenish our electrolytes. We know that we lose water and electrolytes through sweat and that the longer we go (and the hotter that it is) the more we will lose.

But what exactly are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are essential minerals that our bodies need to properly function. Some of the most common include: sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and magnesium. These minerals carry either a positive or negative charge when dissolved in water (humans are made up of 60% water!); they help our cells regulate chemical reactions, maintain fluid level balance, and transmit electricity throughout our body. They aid our muscles, nervous system and heart especially, since these rely heavily on electrical impulses to function; in truth, they are used by every cell in our body.

In other words, electrolytes are a big deal.

Imbalances can be serious and need to be treated by a medical professional. Thankfully, most people shouldn’t end up at that level of imbalance (barring some kind of medical condition) however, athletes especially might end up sidelined by headaches, nausea and general malaise when not correctly hydrating and replenishing their electrolytes. Since electrolytes are found in the water in our bodies, when we sweat, we lose those electrolytes along with the water. This excessive sweating (and/or vomiting or urination) depletes our bodies of both the water and electrolytes needed to maintain homeostasis.

To stave off heat related illness the CDC recommends drinking 8oz of water ever 15-20 min not consuming more than 48 oz per hour (the risk of electrolyte imbalance goes the other way as well!). For someone running this is not super realistic, which is why it is important to hydrate well both before and after a run. On a hot day, a runner can sweat out 58-64 oz per hour (yikes!); since you should not be drinking more than 48 oz a hour, this means you will undoubtedly be finishing your run dehydrated and will need to rehydrate over the course of a few hours.

To prevent the effects of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, make sure to replenish fluids regularly and when sweating excessively to consume balanced electrolyte enhanced drinks like Nuun, Skratch, etc. It is worth noting that not all all sports drinks are created equal. As an example: Gatorade contains 160 mg of sodium and 50 mg potassium but it does not contain other electrolytes like magnesium, calcium, or chloride. Contrast this with Nuun Sport which has almost double the sodium at 300 mg, triple the amount of potassium at 150 mg, as well as magnesium, calcium and chloride. Sports drinks like Gatorade are also very high in sugar, which is not necessarily a bad thing for an athlete that needs easily digestible carbs, but it is not always the best option for someone simply needing to replenish electrolytes from a shorter activity or from a hot day. If you are needing a higher calorie option than Nuun (which only clocks in at 15 cals) for longer activities but don’t want the excessive amount of sugar found in Gatorade, check out Skratch which is made from fruit and has more carbs than Nuun (18 grams of sugar vs 1 gram) and an electrolyte profile that matches what is lost in sweat.

Whatever you are drinking to replace your electrolytes, Terra is here to help!

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Tips Tiffany Skinner Tips Tiffany Skinner

The Importance of Building Muscle

As runners, we love the joy of “the run.” The runner’s high, the sense of movement and exploration, the chance to get away for a few minutes or a few hours.

In short, runners love running. (even if they tell you otherwise)

That’s why when we hear that we should change up our workouts once in a while, either for flexibility or strength training (let alone for an injury!!) we balk. We want to add on mileage to increase our fitness and feel the freedom of the road or trail, not lock ourselves away in the gym.

But the truth is changing up or adding on to our workouts is important. This is especially true when it comes to building muscle mass.

Muscle mass is not only important for taking you farther and adding power, it is important for keeping the metabolism running at an optimum (the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest) and sustaining strength and mobility as we get older. Research shows that it can become harder for people to put on muscle as they age, which also means that it is important to start adding muscle now (no matter your age). The more muscle you start with, the easier it will be for you to sustain strength into your twilight years. This can also explain the “your metabolism slows with age” myth. If people are losing and then struggling to put on muscle as they age, their metabolism will start to appear slower even though it is running as usual.

So doesn’t running build muscle?

Absolutely! Running builds muscle (especially on your lower half) and tones your whole body as you shed fat. But it is primarily an aerobic exercise — running is burning calories, building your heart muscle and your entire cardiovascular system (which is awesome and super important!) — not necessarily bulking you up.

And yes, you don’t normally hear runners talk about “bulking up,” but everyone should be striving to add quality muscle for their overall health, even if their goal is not to become a body builder. The good news is you don’t have to spend countless hours at the gym to start adding muscle building to your routine. Though it is recommended that you have dedicated strength building sessions to your workout regimen each week, anyone can start by tacking on bodyweight training into their routine before or after their run, or even during some spare moments of their day. Think push ups and planks after your run. Squats, lunges and leg raises while brushing your teeth. Triceps dips, pull ups, and bicycle kicks for 5 min before bed. You could even try working with some resistance bands and/or simple dumbbells while watching TV.

Building muscle should be a goal for anyone who wants to be healthy for a myriad of reasons. If you find yourself struggling to get in dedicated strength workouts, start by adding smaller strength challenges into the simple moments of your day. Then, get in the gym and start adding some more variety each week. Your future you will thank you for it!


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Reviews Brittany Katz Reviews Brittany Katz

Trail Review: Bay Point Loop Trail at Harrison Bay

Harrison Bay State Park is a beautiful state park only 25 minutes from downtown Cleveland.  Harrison Bay became the first Tennessee State Park in 1937. Located in Hamilton County, the park name is derived from a large bay at the main channel of the Tennessee River that covers the old town of Harrison, and the last Cherokee Campground, according to the state park website. The parklands are historically significant because the Cherokee Campground consisted of three villages which were ruled by one of the last great Cherokee Chieftains. 

If you like to mountain bike, boat, swim, kayak, camp, trail run, or hike, this park is for you! On a warm May Saturday, I headed over to Harrison Bay with my trail running shoes and my kayak for a hot, sunny day outside! I ran the Bay Point Loop Trail, which is marked as 4.3 miles, but my GPS said it was only 3.8 miles. To access the trailhead, take a left at the Y inside the park and head toward the visitor center and marina. Pass the boat put-in and the trailhead is on your right. There is plenty of parking right at the trailhead, as well as a trash can and some park information. 

The Bay Point Loop Trail is a mostly-flat trail that is right by the water almost the entire time! The trails are similar in difficulty to Johnston Woods trails, mostly single-track with occasional roots and rocks. I loved that the trail was near the water because I caught cool breeze even though it was 80+ degrees outside! The dense tree cover also provides lots of shade. There were dogs, mountain bikes, and runners on this trail, but it never felt crowded. The trail didn't seem to cross any other trails, so following the red blazes on the trees was easy. I stopped to take a few pictures along the way, and at 3.8 miles I was pleasantly surprised to be done already! 

The entire loop only has 125 feet of ascent in elevation, so it's a relatively flat trail. There were two parts of the trail that were on a wooden boardwalk to keep people raised off the low lying muddy areas, but they were really well maintained and easy to navigate. 

I love that there are other outdoor activities to do at Harrison Bay that make the drive worthwhile. I followed up my run with a kayak on the water. Entrance to the park is free and it is much busier on weekends and in the summer.

I would highly recommend the Bay Point Loop Trail at Harrison Bay. I hope to visit again soon and try out mountain biking on this trail.

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Current Events Asher Johnson Current Events Asher Johnson

Running Shoes, Inflation, and the Supply Chain

A large amount of imports, including shoes, have been stuck on freighters due to labor shortages and increased demand.

It's common knowledge that the Federal Reserve wants to keep inflation at a slow, steady pace of 3% or less per year and that, for the first time since the 1980s, this pace has been broken. Inflation is as high as 10% at the moment.

As runners, we have seen the effects of inflation driving up the price that we are paying for our shoes. In fact, in 2021 the price of adult shoes rose 5%, while kids shoes rose 11%. In 2022 these prices have continued to rise. We know that in late 2020 and throughout 2021, companies struggled to maintain product output, as the economy reopened and rebounded. Most shoe retailers use production plants in Vietnam and these largely shut down during the pandemic and were not reopened until late 2021. Once reopened, manufacturing was slow and shipping products to the United States presented many setbacks, such as massive delays at ports. 

On the flip side, during the pandemic, runners were given extra time off work so they naturally ran more. Because of this, the demand for running shoes increased despite the pandemic. This demand rose partly due to the fact that we were running more, but was also largely due to the abundance of money that was pumped into our wallets from stimulus checks. We all became a little richer (temporarily), which created excessive demand and, ultimately, led to shoe prices being effected by demand-pull inflation. In other words, the low supply of shoes added to increased demand resulted in higher prices. The Brooks Ghost and Hoka Clifton, for example, both rose $10 in price to $140. 

Will this be the only increase in price? Inflation is still running hot and runners have not slowed down. Though the supply chain has sorted itself out to some extent — back-orders and long wait times for shoes are becoming more infrequent — prices, certainly, will not go down. Even shoes going on sale will likely have higher discounted prices. As inflation eventually cuts deeper into our wallets, the runner may seek to put more and more miles on their shoes, delaying a new purchase as long as possible. The Federal Reserve is currently working to combat inflation, and in doing so, it must reduce unsustainable demand. This will eventually pose a challenge to shoe retailers across the country. Nonetheless, it cannot stop us running!

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Announcements Tiffany Skinner Announcements Tiffany Skinner

Katz Awarded Small Business Person of the Year Award for 2022

Terra Running Company is proud to announce that owner and operator, Brittany Katz, has been awarded the Mel Bedwell Small Business Person of the Year Award for 2022. The award is presented by the Cleveland and Bradley County Chamber of Commerce.

Katz was presented with the award on Wednesday, May 18th at the Mel Bedwell Small Business Person of the Year Award Luncheon sponsored by Pinnacle Financial Partners. Senator Bob Corker was the headline speaker and last year’s winner, Brad Benton, presented the award.

The award goes to a small business owner who has shown: staying power, growth and number of employees, increase in sales and unit volume, innovation of product or service offered, response to adversity, and the evidence of contribution by the nominee to aid community oriented projects.

Since opening in Cleveland in 2016, Katz has grown Terra Running Company into, not only a community staple, but a business focused on doing good and enhancing the lives of residents in Bradley County and beyond.

Originally on Georgetown Road, Katz moved Terra Running Co. into the old Fillauer Building on N. Ocoee Street in 2018. The move was an investment in downtown Cleveland, aimed at promoting growth and community. Katz also added a coffee shop — Cleveland Coffee & Market (formally named Bear Brew) — at that time. She has grown both businesses even in the midst of the global pandemic and an unprecedented economic landscape.

Katz credits her loving family and friends, her staff, and the incredible support of the Cleveland community (as well as her dog Rocky!) to her success.

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Terra Girls Brittany Katz Terra Girls Brittany Katz

We're All About Altra!! Terra Girls Episode 5

Come along with Brittany and Tiff as they take a trip to Chattanooga to meet up with their Altra Rep, Vince, at the Moxy Hotel. Some important questions will be answered like, will Brittany get snacks, what's the new Altra trail shoe look like, and again (and most importantly)... will Brittany get snacks?

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Staff Favorites Brittany Katz Staff Favorites Brittany Katz

Some of My Favorite Health Apps

There are so many great apps to help keep you on track on your journey to a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few of my favorites.


AllTrails

AllTrails is a great resource for trails near you. I use it in Cleveland to learn more about local trails, but it's already super handy when I travel to discover new parks and trails. There are difficulty ratings, pictures so you know what to expect, user reviews, and a star rating system. If you feel in a rut with your runs, check out AllTrails and find somewhere new to explore!



Garmin Connect

If you are a Garmin user, Garmin Connect has it all! This is where your watch will auto-sync to and you can check out all the data for your workouts and daily activity. It is a super user-friendly app, so don't worry if you're new to Garmin. Today's workouts show up at the top of the app each day and you can tap on them to get a map and detailed info, like pace, distance, elevation, temperature, performance indicators, and much more! I also track my water intake on my Garmin, so I can see my average ounces per day (If you watch Terra Girls, you know this is a challenge for me!). My favorite stat to check out is my activity over the last 7 days. I love seeing that I have switched it up this past week and did a few different kinds of activities. For example, today mine says: 2 yoga, 7 walks, 3 runs, 1 bike!



Metronome

If you've ever worked on your cadence while running, a simple metronome app is very helpful. The goal cadence for runners is generally 170-180 steps per minute. It's a challenge to gauge your cadence on your own if you're just getting started, but listening to a metronome app for a bit at the beginning of your run can get you started on the right foot (pun intended). Increasing cadence means you are taking more, shorter, quicker steps per minute, decreasing the amount of time each foot is on the ground.



Headspace

All around health doesn't mean just fitness. I am loving the Headspace app for short, mindful guided meditations. There are videos and classes, playlists for focusing or relaxing, a meditation each day that you can control the length of, and so much more! This is a great beginner-friendly meditation app, so don't be intimidated if you've never tried it before.


Libby

The only thing I love more than running is reading, and when I can do both, my day is made! Libby is a free app with free audiobooks accessible with your free library card! If your favorite book is taken, you can place it on hold and get notified when it's available, but to be honest, there are always great books available for free download anytime. I listen to books when I workout, walk the dog, and do chores around the house.

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