Adventure Running!
Adventure Racing The next step maybe I can save you a step?
Quoting Tom Demerly of Michigan Sports & Fitness, "All the elements line up: Drama, outdoor exposure, team interaction and competition. The new lifestyle points people toward adventure racingadventure racing seems poised for a real explosion."
Tom explains that the sports involved require a range of skills that take years to acquire and perfect. If thats the case, Id say, expect some floundering during the explosion. In adventure racing, expect to see athletes out of their element in kayaks, climbing gear, on horses or reading instructions for their new GPS. If the sport doesnt work out long term for these new multi-sport athletes and is just a passing fad, expect some cool stuff at future garage sales!
From Susan Douglas, Runner
Dear Dirt Diva and Crew:
Amazing job putting on the race on Saturday! I've been adventure racing for four years, recently reached the conclusion that that sport is much too complicated and expensive for a married woman with two kids, and resigned myself to running for awhile even though it's not as much fun. WRONG!
To Run Your Best, Drink Beer or Believe in your running program!
No, youre not reading USA today but this kind of headline has the same effect in any publication. Those drawn to the topic because of common interest usually read on to find the so-called facts from the so-called study. So often if we agree with the findings we go on to tell others. If we disagree we dont repeat the information or we look for flaws in the report. I am guilty of doing this myself.
"To run your best, drink beer." This was the headline of an article I once read in just after Frank Shorter won Olympic gold in Munich. It went on to explain that the 2 pints of beer Frank drank was the reason he won the Olympic marathon.
Ready to stay fit for life? Become an athlete, become a runner.
Looking to loose weight, get fit, eat healthy, or just live healthy? Become an athlete and all the rest just falls in line. Become an athlete and comes along like a bonus. Diets and fitness programs fail because they aren't fun and they're certainly are not easy to get passionate about.
Yes, you can become an athlete. If becoming and athlete sounds intimidating you may have a different definition of "athlete" than mine. You become an athlete when you strive to get better at a sport in an organized manor. Gathering information, setting goals, competing and tracking your progress makes you an athlete. Age is irrelevant to this equation. You can become an athlete when you are 90 years old. Your fitness level has nothing to do with becoming an athlete I take that back
Post Marathon Depression
During a marathon-training clinic I was trying to explain how to handle the days following the marathon. I explained how post marathon depression is common, especially after the first one. I went on to say that like any big event in life that after the planning and work to have it all come together, the result, no matter how great, will leave you a bit let down once it is all done. I was grasping for an event other than the marathon to help make the connection and said it is like coming home from your honeymoon, after the big wedding and all the events and work that led up to it. A guy in the back grumbled, Oh my God, it cant be that bad.
Developing a Marathon Strategy.
Before the fall marathon season starts its time to develop your marathon strategy.
It doesnt matter if its your first or 50th marathon; a well thought out race strategy will set you up for success. By strategy I mean an hour by hour, mile by mile plan to follow on marathon day. The strategy should include pace, fluid - food intake, footwear and apparel. A well-planed strategy will take away some race day stress and will stack the deck in your favor. Transportation to and from the race and a race weekend schedule will also help.
Pace:
Gaining a sense of pace will help you from making the all too common mistake of going out too fast in the beginning of the marathon. Remember that most world records set at the marathon distance were set with "negative splits", that is, with a faster second half.
Train to be a hero
More American deaths in Iraq this weekend. As the problems of the world continue around us we must be thankful that we can still lace up our shoes and go for a run. Running gives us the chance to pray, think and to be at peace. No, we're not running away from lifes problems but running offers us a medium to put this life in perspective.
I think its our duty as American citizens to stay healthy and fit. To be able to help in a crisis, we need our mental and physical health. Unhealthy and abusive lifestyles create a burden for society.
Run long, look great!
The look of the distance runner, long, lean, defined. A look of balance, action and endurance, not a body built in a gym but on the roads and trails, sculpted in the natural environment by simple hard work, one foot in front of the other. The skin of a runner has an outdoor look. Wind, sun and sweat have given it texture, color and wear. An alive and real look, unlike skin that lives under incandescent light alone. Not to mention tan lines that tell a story of how this body spends its time in motion, in nature.
1987 Ultimate Runner Contest
I was recently having a one up conversation with some obsessed runners. Stuff like, Ive ran forty something marathons, Ive ran the Ironman in Kona twice, Ive ran the Western States 100 mile you get the picture. I was kind of feeling like, yeah, I hang around with obsessed runners that have done such amazing feats, it would be hard to impress them and a thought came to me a long forgotten event, (I really did forget about this). I got everyones attention and said, I once ran 35:16 for 10k, a mile in 5:05 and a marathon in 3:14. I got a lot of So what looks. Not bad times but no great shakes, until I said, I did that all on the same day.
Just as the Ironman Triathlon came from a one up conversation in a bar by 3 athletes discussing what was a greater achievement, the 2.4 mile Waikiki rough water swim, the around Owahoo 112 mile bike race or the Honolulu Marathon, when the idea to do them all back to back came up and the triathlon was born!
A few years later in a bar in Jackson, Michigan (Im not sure of this story but its close), the question of which of the Olympic glory running events got the most media hype. The conversation was followed by the idea to run them all back to back on the same day to see what kind of media hype that would bring and The Ultimate Runner contest was born Unfortunately it died a short time later and never caught on. But there I was on the starting line in 1987, hoping I would be a part of history (I ran the 4th and 5th Ironman in Kona and wished Id been there for the first). So that morning I ran 10km, then headed to the track to run the 100 meters, 400 meters, then the mile, all before heading back out on the road to run the marathon. Another thought, I guess this was my first ultra! 33.45 miles! Another thought, I averaged under 7 minute pace!
I was 31 and in my running prime. I was actually voted Michigan runner of the year in 1987 but not for this silliness. My Ultimate Runner times follow.
10km 35:16
400 m 65.5
100 m 14.7 (Quite embarrassing, I almost fell on my face out of the blocks!)
Mile 5:04
Marathon 3:14:39, it was a long day
Go ahead, one up me, I love this stuff!
Randy Step, still obsessed, after all these years
Speeedwork and Racing:No Need for Speed
For those of you following the basic schedule, forget speed work. The schedule calls for increased mileage each week. A good rule of thumb is that you can increase your mileage or the quality of your runs but not both.
On Good Pain: Injury Prevention
On Good Pain
If you run and you're normal, your body has a few aches and pains, especially in the morning. Marathoners do a lot of limping and creaking in the morning. Heel and foot pain, joint stiffness, and sore backs are the most common. Pains that go away after you warm up and get moving should not be ignored, but I consider these normal training pains. Ignoring these pains will cause a serious injury.
