Time to Run
By: Michael J. Montalbano
© The Times-Picayune

Excuses, excuses.

So, you decided at the beginning of the year to participate in the 30th annual Crescent City Classic, which is sponsored by The Times-Picayune and is scheduled to begin March 22 at 8:30 a.m. in Jackson Square. You even clipped out the TP's Training Guide, setting the stage -- and what it would take to finish -- 77 days before the 6.2-mile event was to take place. But your route to the starting line for Crescent City Classic might have been filled with some unexpected detours along the way.

Excuses, well . . .

-- LSU defeated Ohio State 38-24 to win the BCS championship Jan. 7 at the Superdome. C'mon, the days leading up to the big game and the days immediately after were filled with nervousness and exhilaration. Certainly, no time to train, right?
-- Mardi Gras was early this year. Parades, parties and just plain fun. You couldn't pass that up, right?
-- Inclement weather. It was too cool or it was too hot. It was too windy or the rain never relented. Mother Nature, you can't mess with her, right?
-- Work issues crept in. Darn, the man just keeps you down, right?
-- Family issues crept in. Well, family does come first, right?
-- Injuries. You started training, but your body didn't cooperate. Pain isn't a recipe for success, right?

The bottom line: If your training, or lack thereof, leading up to the Crescent City Classic has been suspect, do you still have time to get in shape to participate and enjoy the race? "In one word, yes," said Gini Davis, a physical therapist at Crescent City Physical Therapy who puts together the TP's annual training guide. "No. 1, make sure you are already in good health. . . . For a lot of people who haven't been doing anything for quite a while, the time to start training is NOW. They really need to get moving. It is 6.2 miles."

At the beginning of the year, Davis set up a training guide for three types of participants:

-- Walkers -- Individuals, possibly new to the event, who want to experience what it takes to get to the finish line.
-- Joggers -- Those who can walk 2 miles at the beginning of the training schedule, then strive to finish the event by jogging.
-- Runners -- Participants who run about 15-18 miles a week, with the ability to pick up the tempo by incorporating speed work into their training regimen.

Does any group have a better shot at achieving success in the Crescent City Classic despite hitting some bumps along the way while training? "If you are a regular walker, you'll probably be fine to walk the CCC," Davis said. "If you are a jogger, you may end up jogging some, walking some. . . . If you are a runner, a personal best is probably out of the question -- but it usually is like that because of the thousands of runners in the event."

Davis emphasized that it's not just about building one's endurance when getting ready for the Crescent City Classic. "Are you a healthy person with healthy joints? Consider your whole body," she said. "The other thing to consider is your age. If you've been pretty sedentary, but you've gotten yourself to running a mile -- and that's great -- then just plan that this year you'll walk the CCC instead of jogging it. "It takes six weeks for your body to build strength, and what you need is strength in your muscles to support those tendons and joints and bones. A lot of time people underestimate that. If cardiovascularly they are OK, and they think they are OK, well OK. But at some point it may catch up with them. It's better to underdo and feel good than to overdo and feel terrible."

Those who want to participate in the Crescent City Classic but haven't started/missed significant amounts of training might want/need to adjust their goals to get to the finish line -- and enjoy the entertainment that follows. Cowboy Mouth is the headliner. "It's a great party, and you don't want to miss the race," Davis said. "There is a lot to be said about walk, jog, walk, jog. Just be happy to run -- or walk. . . . With the event earlier this year, and along with possibly missing some training because of the BCS title game, the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras -- and eating a whole lot of snack foods -- there's still time."

Runners wanting to incorporating speed work into their training at this late date, but who have missed some training, are forewarned. "Speed work might not be an option for some, unless they are already running a 10-mile base," Davis said. "If the person has not been a runner for a while and is not regularly running over 6 miles, then just have fun. Know your body."

Entering a race leading up to the Crescent City Classic might be a way to gauge one's fitness level. "The NOTC's events (visit www.runnotc.org or call (504-467-8626) are always a good choice," Davis said. "Leading up to the CCC, runners can get their feet wet."

Ultimately on race day, despite one's training -- or lack thereof -- a participant might get caught up in the atmosphere surrounding the Crescent City Classic, and one's competitive nature might kick in. "If you just train, if you just do the running part of it, then on race day -- with all the excitement -- you may end up going faster anyway," Davis said. "But don't get carried away. . . . There's a big difference if you are a 20-something or a 40-something. Use some common sense. The point is, at the end of the race, people aren't all about how fast did you finish."

And at that point, no excuses are necessary.

CCC INFORMATION: Visit www.ccff.org or call (504) 861-8686.