Running into 2011...

Not sure if anyone is planning on running any of the local "New Year's" races - 2011 R.I.T.N.Y. (Cary, midnight on New Year's Eve) and Resolution Run (Cary, 9AM on New Year's Day) - but GOOD LUCK if you are! #20

And, because this was the best I could come up with for all of my New Year's related searches on the Guinness Book of World Records site... the record for the greatest mileage run daily (female) belongs to Kathy Pycior. She did not miss a day of training from 1-1-1981 to 6-30-2004, running a total of totalling a distance of 48,656.5 miles (78,305 km).

Athlete

Whew, all this goal setting has me tired, and wondering if I'll be able to achieve everything. So, as a backup plan, I decided to make a robot that could do it for me just in case... they even gave it running shorts! #20

... sorry, that was about the lamest segue ever, but that story was just too "awesome" not to post (and being that I had to google the spelling of segue because I wondered why the editor was red-squiggling at segway... well... my definition of awesome might be substantially different from most)!

The year of the...

Rabbit according to the Chinese zodiac, or the marathon according to Runner's World! Trying to decide on a good first marathon? Try one on this list. Or, have you already run 26.2 and looking to mix things up? Then try one of these.

But, who's to say Runner's World is right? I mean, on my funfetti calendar, 2011 is the year of red sprinkles. Red sprinkles signify total TAF domination at whatever distance they choose to race! #20

Goal Setting 101

1. Set modest race goals to achieve the best results
2. Break a "big" goal into "smaller" goals to see continual progress
3. Make your goals specific and stick to that plan
4. Diversify your goals in case something doesn't go according to plan
5. Make sure your goals are your goals

And, once you figure everything out, keep a running log to help stay honest! #20

Gearing up for 2011...

Now that the holiday season is drawing to an end and I am officially out of ideas for songs... Brian had a great idea the other week-- leave a comment on the blog describing your goals for 2011! Feel free to do so any day this week, and we'll come up with a "master list" for the new year. #20

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Fastest Marathon Dressed as Santa: 2:55:50
Largest Gathering of Santas: 13000
Largest Gathering of Santa's Elves: 607
Deepest Santa Ho Ho Ho: 62.81 Hz
Most Letters Collected for Santa (1 season): 1.06 million letters, 44,166 emails

Fa la la la la, la la la la

So, for the past three-ish weeks, the posts have been holiday music themed. However, many have mixed feelings about running while listening to music. On the one hand, situational awareness often suffers with headphones in your ears... but long runs alone are so boring and music does actually make you run faster! Runner's World had an interesting article this month on the topic. My personal rules on running while listening to music: (1) it has to be light outside, (2) the area has to be well-populated, and (3) the volume has to be lower than normal. #20

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

And weather.com has the Fitness and Comfort index fixed at a solid "uncomfortable"... so what to do? The thought of running on a treadmill makes most of us cringe, so here are some workouts you can do that aren't so awful. And, if you're in the market for a treadmill, here's a review of some of the more current models. #20

So he said lets run and we'll have some fun...

While I don't think we'll have to worry about melting away anytime soon, Frosty the Snowman was quite busy that day. To summarize: (1) he ran hill repeats in the snow, (2) got a good upper body workout carrying a broomstick, (3) ran a track workout around a square, and (4) managed a solid tempo workout outrunning a police officer. No wonder he melted away, he must have been exhausted!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...

Good thing, because they keep you healthy. Chestnuts are good sources of calcium, iron, phosphorus, and the B vitamins. They are good for muscle building, your teeth, and keeping blood vessels healthy. And, December is the prime month for fresh chestnuts. Roast them or add them to soup, rice, and stuffing. Either way, they're grrrrrrrrrreat! #20

The Grinch Song

The Grinch - Verse 6

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You're a nasty wasty skunk,
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk, Mr. Grinch,
The three words that best describe you are as follows and I quote,
"Stink, stank, stunk"!

The Grinch - Verse 5

You nauseate me, Mr. Grinch,
With a nauseous super "naus"!,
You're a crooked dirty jockey and you drive a crooked hoss, Mr. Grinch,
Your soul is an appalling dump heap overflowing with the most disgraceful assortment of rubbish imaginable mangled up in tangled up knots!

The Grinch - Verse 4

You're a rotter, Mr. Grinch,
You're the king of sinful sots,
Your heart's a dead tomato splotched with moldy purple spots, Mr. Grinch,
You're a three decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce!

The Grinch - Verse 3

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch,
You have termites in your smile,
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile, Mr. Grinch,
Given a choice between the two of you'd take the seasick crocodile!

The Grinch - Verse 2

You're a monster, Mr. Grinch,
Your heart's an empty hole,
Your brain is full of spiders, you have garlic in your soul, Mr. Grinch,
I wouldn't touch you with a thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole!

The Grinch - Verse 1

You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch,
You really are a heel,
You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch,
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

12/11-12 Race Reports

December spells total TAF Domination (not really, other than Domination and December both start with the same letter)... but we rocked this weekend.

• David Oyler was 2nd in his age group at the Jolly Elf 5K Trail Run, finishing 12th overall... WAHOOO! (results)
• Brad B. ran AWESOME at the Thunder Road Marathon, finishing in his goal time for 5th in his age group (72nd overall). Tim G. also competed well. In the half marathon, Nicole Lewis ran a huge PR, crushing the 2-hour barrier. CONGRATS! (marathon, half marathon)
• TAF Racing also did well at the USATF Club XC Championships. This race was fun... crazy fast... but fun... did I mention crazy fast?!? Seriously, it was awesome just to be there and see everyone. Dave and Sean competed in the Master's Men's race. This was the largest of the day, with over 400 people. I can't imagine how crazy their start was, nor do I want to contemplate running a 10K on that course! The women's race also went well, with Laura B. leading the way for team TAF. And... we beat a team, we beat a team, we beat a team... WAHOOO. I was super excited to learn this when we looked at the results, I mean there was some ridiculous teams there! GREAT JOB EVERYONE! (results) ... and Laurel and I made the photo gallery (let me know if y'all see other members of our team, some of the pictures are hard to tell)!

Nice job everyone! And, the Farmer's Market Breakfast Run went awesome this AM... rain held off just long enough for us to finish and watch it out the window over coffee, biscuits, maple syrup... all we were missing were sprinkles! Time to get ready for the end of the season party, have a good week. #20

Upcomming Weekend

Looks like we decided to end the 2010 season with a bang! We have teammates competing in three races this weekend (all on Sat.). Close to home, Oyler is running in the Jolly Elf Trail Run (the last of the Second Empire Series). In Charlotte, Brad B. and Tim G. are competing in the Thunder Road Marathon, and some of our friends from the NCSU Tri Team are running the half marathon. Dave M. and Sean are representing TAF in the master's men's race at the USATF XC Club Nationals, while Laura, Rita, Jennifer, Laurel, and I are competing in the women's open race. And Sunday brings the Farmer's Market Breakfast run. GOOD LUCK everyone... I sure hope it warms up! #20

And, for world record Friday... the record for the fastest speed on a towed skateboard was just recently broken by Lane Segerstrom. He topped out at 78.1mph... I just want to know who thought that was a good idea?!?

Laughing all the way!

In May I posted something on a "new exercise trend" called Laughercise. So, I thought I'd follow up on how this was catching on. First hit... a whole website dedicated to Laughercize! The website is absurd, but quite informative. Turns out, you can become a certified laugh instructor (just in case this whole PhD thing doesn't work out), practice at a certified laugh location (wait, Cup-of-Joe isn't listed), or jump on a laughing cruise! So, I got to thinking: (1) yoga classes usually end with some sort of breathing exercise as a sort of "cool down", (2) it is important to cool down after any workout, (3) I hate the stupid breathing exercises, but I like laughing. Therefore, I propose we incorporate Laughercise into all of our cool downs. I suspect that it will have the same effect on me as the breathing exercises do in yoga... mainly not breathing... oh well, at least I'll be in a good mood when I turn blue! #20

O'er the fields we go...

I was expecting to find a bunch of articles describing how running on grass is sooooooo much better than running on pavement, etc... but what I found was this: running on sand or grass may increase the risk of injury. So, I read on. Basically, the "increased rate of injury" is due to twisting ankles, knees, and other joints that really shouldn't be twisted on uneven surfaces afforded by many fields. Also, slopes can cause repetitive, off-axis motion, which isn't good either. Having said that, softer surfaces are better to run on in terms of not pounding your legs, so opt for more even, level surfaces if you're not an experienced trail runner (or clumsy). Alternatively, you could just get better at falling (note: I highly recommend this option... much more widely applicable... all the coordination in the world won't help you if you forget your glasses or water gets behind your contact lenses!). #20

In a one horse open sleigh...

Every June, in the little Welsh town of Llanwtryd Wells, people and horses square off at the annual Man vs. Horse Marathon (although technically it's only 22-miles... so not a Boston Qualifier). The race started in 1980, and it took until 2004 before a human won (wahooo Huw Lobb). A human won again in 2007, but other than that, a horse has always been victorious! #20

Dashing through the snow...

On snow shoes! Snowshoeing is a great form of cross training for the winter (I mean provided that there is actually enough snow on the ground). It mimics the intensity of hill workouts, has a low injury rate (it puts much less wear and tear on your body compared to running), and requires minimal equipment (and snow shoes can last for many years... wahooo). For everything you want to know about snoeshoe racing and more, check out the U.S. Snowshoe Association website. #20

12/4-5 Race Reports

First off, the Jingle Bell Run was actually a 5K this year... out and back down Hillsborough St... marked to the exact fire hydrant... AWESOME. Second, there were 1700 people running/walking... which means 3400 ringing bells... EVEN MORE AWESOME. And finally, TAF Racing rocked... WICKED AWESOME! Keith was first across the line for us, running a 17:38, which earned him 1st in his age group (8th overall). Jennifer took off at the start, and remained out front, claiming 2nd female overall. Rita (1st AG) and I (3rd female) followed about a minute later, finishing within 1sec of each other... I'm getting Rita some super glue for her shoe laces! Dave was right with us too, sprinting across the finish line despite turning his ankle on Wed (he was 4th in his age group). The NCSU Club XC Team was also out there, and Scott H. was 1st overall (CONGRATS!). We also saw John Tate and some of our friends from the Fit-tastic and Half Marathon Training Programs. It was a great race... and Mrs. Beard made us some delicious brownies... THANK YOU TEAM MOM!. (results) #20

Upcoming Races/Runs

Ok... 70 to 30 in 3 days is a bit much for me to handle! In any event, Saturday brings the annual Jingle Bell 5K... it's a TAF-sponsored event, so come on out and run / cheer / jingle all the way! Brad is also running some crazy 25-mile route on Saturday morning. Not sure if anyone else is planning on racing this weekend... one more week until Club XC Nationals and Thunder Road! #20

And, for world record Friday, the fastest speed on a gravity powered snow sled was achieved by Rolf Allerdissen in April of this year. He topped out at 62.25mph on the Brunnenkogel at the Pitztal Glacier. I just love the wording... I'm going to start selling empty jars of air and marketing them as the world's most efficient fuel.

Coming soon to a store by you - 9.81 m/s^2!

Weight Training

Turns out, you should do weight training after a hard workout vs. on you easy days. Not quite the answer I was expecting, but it kind of makes sense. I mean, the "answer" makes a good point of wanting to leave your easy days easy. And, being that we tend to alternate hard and easy days, I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want to go run a tempo workout 12hrs after lifting weights! #20

TAF Rule #3 - Don't Get Sick

With the temperature dropping and traveling increasing, I thought it would be appropriate to post this article about how NOT to get sick. Plus, finals are next week (for those of us still in college), so getting a full 8hrs of sleep might not be feasible! #20