Team Samoa

Running and Weight Loss

drviti — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 04:26:55 +0000

Runner’s World (RW) April 2011, Sarah Lorge Butler. Butler notes that running helps you to control your weight, but you can’t eat whatever you want and lose weight. Take Really Good Notes. Write down everything you eat for one week. Review where you eat, what you eat, and the number of calories. Measure what you eat, eat more protein, and add color to every meal (fruits, vegetables). Eat three good meals, fewer snacks. Plan all meals.

Balanced Diet

drviti — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:09:12 +0000

This information is from the February 2011 edition of Runner’s World (RW). Biggest Loser nutrition expert Cheryl Forberg provided six tips to fuel your workout, but not gain weight (I also include my own obsertations). 1. Get in Balance – Your diet should be 45% carbs, 30% protein, 35% good-for-you fats. Ther are good fats such as parmesan cheese and almonds, even good carbs. 2. Avoid anything artificial – avoid processed foods, eat vegetables, fruits, lean meats, whole grain pasta. 3. Pile on the green stuff – the bulk of your diet should be vegetables 4. Keep a food journal – when you do this, you will lose twice the weight. Use a small notebook and write down what you eat, how much you eat, then make adjustments. 5. Set healthy limits – women 1200 to 1500 calories a day, men 1600 to 2400 calories 6. Never let yourself get too famished or too full. These are great ideas, especially after a holiday season full of many sweets!

Become a Better Runner

drviti — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:37:04 +0000

This tip comes from the April 2011 Runners World (RW), p. 31. If you want to increase your aerobic base, run (or walk) 1.5 to 2 times as long as your normal run during the weekon the weekend. Example, if you normally run a maximum of 3 miles during the week, run 4.5 to 6 miles on the weekend. My training schedule would be: M,W,F I do alternate aerobics, swimming or cycling. TU and TH I run 3 miles, Saturday I run 6 miles, Sunday I rest. Your Saturday pace is “conversational,” meaning you can carry on a conversation without gasping. RW suggests you increase your run time 10-15 minutes weekly, then on week four, cut the length 25-50%, then ramp up again the next week.

Team Samoa 2012 Calendar

drviti — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:25:37 +0000

Team Members, Please mark your calendars for 2012. Our 1/21/12 fitness day will be at Rynerson Park in Lakewood, CA.

TEAM SAMOA Fitness Days 7:00-8:30 a.m. venue TBA
1/21 (Rynerson – Update – Cancelled Due to Heavy Rain in Southern California, Stay tuned for a possible re-scheduled run),

2/18, 3/17, 4/21, 5/12, 6/9, 7/14, 8/18, 9/8, 10/13, 11/17, 12/8

TEAM Samoa Endorsed Events:
Los Alamitos Race on the Base 5K 2/25/12
Lakewood Community Run 5K/10K 3/10/12
L.A. Marathon 3/18/12
La Canada Flintridge 5K 10K Run 5/28/12
Jimmy Grant Memorial Run 8/12
Long Beach Poly Bun Run 9/1/12
Long Beach Marathon 10/7/12
Long Beach Turkey Trot 11/22/12
Torrance Turkey Trot 11/22/12

Happy Turkey Trot!

drviti — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:49:13 +0000

TEAM Samoa members ran in the Long Beach, CA Turkey Trot and the Torrance CA Turkey Trot. Check Facebook for the Long Beach Team. My wife Marie and daughter Hope and long-time training partner Mike Durham ran the flat, fast 3 mile Torrance race. There were about 4,000 in the race. It is not competitive, no awards, just a fun run. I look forward to seeing everyone in December, hopefully 12/10/11. Make sure you get plenty of water after the race and before the turkey. Visit www.npien.com for more about Team Samoa, plus tips from podiatrist Dr. Mafutaga Tagaloa Tulifau.

Team Samoa Pre-Race Warm-up on Saturday 10/8/11, 7:30 a.m.

drviti — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 04:28:09 +0000

Team, We will meet on Saturday 10/8/11 at 7:30 a.m. to warm-up for the 10/9/11 Long Beach Marathon/5K. Race Cost now (‘til 10/5) it’s $40 for 5K, $90 for 1/2 Marathon, $110 for Marathon.

Meet at Rainbow Lagoon as a warm-up meet for the next day’s race. There’s a spot under the bridge near the corner of Pine and Shoreline. Metered Parking across street along curb on Pine and Shoreline… Bring some quarters… Race Registration Expo inside the Arena – which we can walk to after warm-up.

Jimmy Grant Memorial Run 9/24/11 6:45 a.m. in Irvine

drviti — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 02:30:28 +0000

Team, Please come to this run, in recognition of Jimmy Grant’s last run before he passed away in September 2009. Meet at the Alton Athletic Park, corner of West Yale Loop and Alton Parkway, across the street from Woodbridge High School in Irvine. The loop distances are 3 miles, 5 miles, 6 miles, 7 miles. You can run any distance you like at your pace. The cost is FREE.

Rainy Rynerson

drviti — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 16:34:14 +0000

Team, It was probably best that we had a small turn-out this morning. I was running with Mike Durham at Rynerson Park in Lakewood. Rynerson features a one mile loop course. It is right next to the San Gabriel River Trail, and you can see cyclists headed to the beach, plus an equestrian (that’s horse) trail. We were on mile 7, and close to finishing our goal of one hour, when it started to thunder, lightning, then pour rain. Buckets of rain, but probably not like Jason’s LA Marathon experience. We felt we did represent the team well, and we left some water bottles for our friends along the loop. See you at the next Aso Fa’atasi Day.

Long Beach Poly Bun Run

drviti — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:41:03 +0000

Team, I ran the Long Beach Poly 3 Mile Bun Run on 9/3/11 at Los Cerritos Park in Long Beach with my long-time training partner Mike Durham. Mike had four sons who starred on the Track and Cross Country teams at Poly, Chad, Aaron, Brian, and Ethan. The Bun Run is an annual final tune-up for the boys and girls cross country teams. There were over 100 athletes competing, an amazing number for a high school team. We ran in the Citizens Race, for parents and community members. For us, it should have been called the Senior Citizens Race. We are not getting faster. There was a running club present called The Equalizers, and many were in our race, including an 8 year old girl who was not far behind us. After the first mile on pavement, you run mile 2 on wood chips. It is similar to running on sand, and not very easy. The final mile was along the river trail. I recognized Will J. Reid Scout Park near Daisy Ave. and Del Amo Blvd., where I camped many times during my son’s Eagle Scout journey. The last mile had up hills and down hills, with a good downhill to finish the race. Cross Country season starts this month, and it looks like Poly is ready to go!

Looking Back at Last Saturday’s Aso Fa’atasi Run

Pita Taase — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:50:37 +0000

Last Saturday’s Aso Fa’atasi Run took us back to Wilson Park in Torrance, CA. We pulled into the parking lot at 6:50 am on a beautiful Saturday morning. The farmer’s market was gearing up for its Saturday routine of supporting local farmers and small businesses. Large trucks lined the main parking lot as farmers unloaded their bushels into their designated tents. A pleasant fruit-filled scent accompanies us as my wife and I make our way toward the trail to setup the Team Samoa table.

Our un-manned table consisted of our Team Samoa info sheets and two cases of water for our team and curious visitors. After taking a couple of minutes to set up the table, posting our table location on Facebook, and synchronizing a ‘Workout’ playlist on my iPod, I was off and running stretching.

Our setup at Wilson Park

As usual at Wilson Park, the trail was filled with people of all ages and backgrounds looking to increase their heart rate. Folks on the trail seem hardwired to tackle the 0.9-mile lap clockwise. My sci-fi mind wonders if they run counter-clockwise in Australia. I digress.

My wife and I decided to take to the trail in opposite directions to connect with our team members on the trail. As I turn to start my steady-paced jog/walk routine, I’m greeted by a fast-paced Dr. Victor Thompson and his daughter Hope. What more can I say about how valuable Dr. Thompson is to our team. While he’s known as one of our Pacific Islander community’s most active educators with the National Pacific Islander Educator Network (NPIEN), his endurance running is equally impressive. He cruises the track at a pace that I’ve never been able to achieve even during my peak running days. He completed 10 miles with an impressive time and he has the look of someone who’s eager to start his day. 10 miles of running and I think the rest of my Saturday’s shot. I digress yet again. Team Samoa is lucky to have Dr. Thompson. If you haven’t already done so, catch up with Dr. Thompson’s running blogs on our website.

After a couple of high fives with team members running in the opposite direction, a local ‘halau’ occupies the southeast corner of the trail as they fill the air with familiar drumming and hip shaking. Another turn on the trail, and there is a small group of people gracefully performing the various stances of Tai-Chi. My wife later joins the group out of curiosity and claims it’s one of the more fulfilling workouts she’s had in a while. The softball fields, basketball courts, and playgrounds come to life. Wilson Park is the place to be.

After our 2 hours on the trail, my wife and I eagerly walk through the farmer’s market before heading home. We sampled. We bought fruit. We went home happy. I’m looking forward to our next Aso Fa’atasi Run at Rynerson Park. I hope to see you all there. Check our website for more updates.

Jason Pereira and his wife.