Swimming "Equipment"

Wait, all I own is running sneakers... guess I'm going to have to run! Ever try to use this as an excuse for why you couldn't cross-train? Here's a list of equipment that may make your swim workouts more effective:

1. Kickboard
2. Fins
3. Pull Buoy
4. Hand Paddles
5. Portable Swim System

Some other things that you might need - goggles (can't really swim without them) and a swim cap (not necessary, but helpful if you swim a lot in highly chlorinated pools).

All Star 5K

Great race (with some big results... 4 of the top 10 women) this AM! Jennifer lead the way, running strong and finishing up as the 2nd female overall. Laura Berry also ran crazy fast, earning her 3rd female overall. Erica and I sewed up 1st's in our respective age groups... and Dave just missed 3rd in his. We also saw a bunch of our friends from the various training programs, and they all ran super! Brad was also out there to help and cheer, and both of his parents earned 3rd places in their age groups! See, wasn't that nice? Saved y'all scrolling down to the end of the post to find out the results... I learned this "efficient" strategy from the announcer this AM. However, if y'all want to hear how the race really went...

It was nice and freezing cold when we got there. I think we all huddled inside the RBC Center for as long as we possibly could until we "had" to warmup. However, by the time the race started, it was actually quite pleasant (you know it's been a bad winter when 35 feels warm). After they crammed all 950 or so of us into the starting chute, the "ready, set, go" command was issued, and off we ran.

According to the announcer, it was the "best start he's seen in Raleigh"... I sure hope he doesn't see many race starts (although, no one actually fell, but a few little kids came awfully close). The first mile wound through the parking lots, was mostly downhillish (which only accelerated the insane pace that the leaders were holding)... then we turned onto Trinity Rd. The hill didn't seem bad at first, but it kept going and going and going. Unfortunately, I am not the energizer bunny, and Blue Ridge was still no where to be seen (and courtesy of the fact that I now have contacts, that's a lot further than before). A guy with a Garmin passed me, and I amused myself thinking of what that data would look like when he uploaded it after the race.

Blue Ridge finally came, and so did the 2-mile mark (nothing like a 5280ft steady incline to distract you). The course continued to Westchase, which featured a much needed downhill. We turned back to the stadium, took a couple of turns, and suddenly the finish line was within sight! Everyone finished strong, and we were all super excited with our times. We ran a nice cooldown... checked the results... and, well, turns out the clock at the finish line was about 20sec or so fast. Jeez, and we thought the "2sec offset" was bad! But, we were all still happy because our times were still crazy fast (and it meant that the course probably was a 5K and not some random 3ish mile distance!). GOOD RACE and CONGRATS everyone! #20

Upcoming Weekend

We get to race, we get to race, we get to race... WAHOOO! Brian is running in the William H. Craig Race for Life on Sat. (this is a 15K in Wilmington). The All Star 5K is also on Sat. at the RBC Center (the race starts at 9AM), and I think some of us were planning on that. So come on out and run, cheer, and/or jump up and down repeatedly because you are so happy that it's supposed to be nice out this weekend (and you only have to run 1/10th of the distance of your previous race and don't have to Oregon-trail-it-up and ford a stream in the middle of the course)! Ok, I'll stop at half a Jet Blackberry GU...

Packet pickup for the All Star 5K is today from 4-6PM at the RBC Center (Edwards Mill side). And, if anyone else is racing this weekend, please let us know and GOOD LUCK everyone! #20

And, for world record Friday, I bring you this random (but awesome) fact: the record for the most people crammed in a mini-cooper (new model) was just recently set by 26 members of the Pilobolus dance company. Apparently, EMC is celebrating their "record breaking technology" by launching a global initiative to set [random] records. They have also recently set the record for the largest ball of magnetic tape and the most vinyl records broken in 30sec by a team. Now there's an angle we haven't considered for fund-raising!

ROYGBIV

At the club XC meet in December, we were noticing that a lot of teams had red and white uniforms. This got us on the topic of what would be "good" uniform colors to make us stand out from the rest... neon was a natural choice. We were leaning toward dark gray, orange, and white for its uniqueness... kind of like Saucony's new VisiPro line (aka Dave's City of Oaks shirt, but maybe with the orange more as an accent)... then I came across this article. Apparently consumers tend to select schemes that involve a few, matching colors. Who would have guessed from the way our team dresses?!? I guess we adopt more of the "neon matches neon" attitude, which is good because I'm pretty sure that denotes a positive outlook on things! And, since a positive attitude translates into better race performances... TOTAL TAF DOMINATION! #20

... betcha didn't see the post heading in that direction (being stuck inside as a result of "wintery mixes" drives me insane)!

Positive thinking results in negative splits...

The nature of your thoughts can have a significant effect on your race performance. Ever dread a workout or race and find that it was just as bad as you were thinking, if not worse? Or, your legs suddenly feel more tired and the pain grows exponentially as you count the number of people passing you by? This, in part, is due to negative thinking. Conversely, ever start passing people and feel like you are flying and have all the energy in the world? Or, hit every split dead on and suddenly your last one is way under pace? Wahooo for positive thinking.

So, to help his athletes "remember" to think positively, Dr. Walker tells his athletes to repeat a mantra. A good mantra (at least according to Dr. Walker) is short, positive, instructive, and full of action words. Or, sometimes, I just repeat advice that people have given me in my head. And, other times, for longer races, I find that singing songs works!

#20's Favorites:

• Be positive. (someone told me this in the last few miles of the Frosty 50, helped enormously)
• Remember your geometry. (1 of 2 most "most useful" pieces of advice ever given to me by a coach)
• Keep moving forward. (2 of 2 "most useful" pieces of advice ever given to be by a coach)
• I'm going to make it, I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna make it... wahooo! (the past tense of which I repeat after every workout... with a skip for good measure)

And, although singing this song can seem somewhat "daunting" at first, it makes me laugh:
... 31 more miles to go, 31 more miles, take one step, and then another... 30 more miles to go (the good thing about this "song", you can replace the distance measurement with anything you want: 42 more kilometers to go, 42 more kilometers...) -> note: the entirety of this song gets sung at every distance interval! :-)

What is the necessity of that?

This was a question that someone posed to me on my way to a run one day. It caught me kind of off guard, and all I could come up with was that I wanted to see my friends. Not such a good response... I was told that "normal" people usually meet for coffee or something. Ok, so I got to thinking about the necessity of running, or working out in general (yes yes yes, cross train cross train cross train... I know). Luckily, this article in the Feb. issue of Runner's World will spare y'all 10 minutes of my thinking (thank you notes should be addressed to Amy Rushlow). To highlight some of the benefits - longer life, stronger bones, healthier brain, better vision, and a lessening of the symptoms associated with asthma (wahooo)! #20

Look Up

A Mystery: Why Can't We Walk Straight? from NPR on Vimeo.

While watching this video at lunch (because that's what we do for fun in my lab), my thoughts immediately went to open water swimming. I mean aside from the whole getting swum over and drinking way too much disgusting lake water, open water swimming is hard because you have to constantly sight to make sure you stay on track. I know alternating breathing sides helps you swim straighter, but I guess this is why I still go careening off course no matter how hard I try. Good thing you don't have to swim blind-folded during triathlons, and that they actually give you bright buoys to look for! I mean really... did y'all catch that in the video?!? I would have loved to see the recruitment poster for that study... guess that's why we have to get IRB approval for stuff now!

Upcoming Weekend

Anyone racing this weekend? If you are, let us know and good luck! For the rest of us... I guess it's training, training, and more training! At least the ice is gone...

For world record Friday (this is actually pretty impressive), the fastest time to complete a half marathon 3-legged is 1:37:53. This record was set by Alastair and Nick Benbow at the 2003 London Half Marathon... wonder why only Nick got his name in the books?!?

Motion Control Shoes

According to Runner's World, you should wear motion-control shoes if you are a runner who overpronates moderately to severely. Motion-control shoes will give you maximum rearfoot control and extra support on the medial (arch) side of the foot. Motion-control shoes are also best suited for big or heavy runners who need plenty of support and durability. These runners often have low arches (flat feet).

• Asics (M / F): Evolution, Foundation, Fortitude
  
• Brooks (M / F): Beast (M), Ariel (F), Addiction
  
• Mizuno (M / F): Alchemy
  
• Saucony (M / F): ProGrid Stabil

*** some of the sneakers listed in yesterday's "stability" category may work depending upon the severity of pronation (I had trouble figuring out where to draw the divide)

Stability Shoes

According to Runner's World, you should wear stability shoes if you are a runner who needs medial (arch-side) support and good mid-sole cushioning. These shoes are best suited for runners who are mild to moderate over-pronators, and/or need added support and durability.

• Adidas (M / F): adioZERO Tempo, adiZERO Mana, adiZero Aegis, adiSTAR Salvation, Response Stability
• Asics (M / F): Kayano, Phoenix, Turbulent, DS Trainer, 3020, 2160, 1160
  
• Brooks (M / F): Adrenaline, Trance, Switch, Ravenna (mild support M / F)
  
• Mizuno (M / F): Nirvana, Elixir, Inspire, Nexus, Musha
  
• Newtons (M / F): Sir & Lady Isaac, Terra Momentus = Momentum
  
• Nike (M / F): Structure Triax, Equation, Shox Agent, Zoom Equalon, Air Span (F), LunarGlide (F)
• Saucony (M / F): ProGrid Guide, ProGrid Paramount, ProGrid Omni, ProGrid Hurricane, Grid Fusion, Fastwitch
  

Sponsored by GU!!!

Not sure if y'all have noticed the logos on the side of the blog changing... but yes, we are now sponsored (in part) by GU! This has me very very excited because Blackberry GU is my absolute most favorite energy gel in the whole wide world. And Gingerbread GU tastes just like breakfast to me... and Vanilla Bean GU is equivalent to funfetti in my books... and I haven't found a flavor of GU chomps that I don't like! So yes, 2x the caffeine ought to have me real hyped up for the next 347ish days... GU products are the best inventions since "end-of-the-bread" (which today was by the way)! #20

Neutral / Cushioned Shoes

We'll start with neutral (or cushioned) sneakers. According to Runner's World, you should wear cushioned shoes if you are a runner who needs maximum midsole cushioning and minimum medial (arch-side) support. These shoes are best suited for biomechanically efficient runners (you don't overpronate), and midfoot or forefoot strikers. Runners who do best in cushioned shoes often have moderate to high arches.

• Adidas (M / F): adioZERO (Adios, Boston Shoe), Supernova Glide, adiSTAR Solution, adiSTAR Ride, Response Cushion
• Asics (M / F): Nimubus, Landreth, Sky Speed, Kushion, Cumulus, Speedstar, Pulse, Fluent, Frantic, Reprisal, Finite, Equation, Impression, Kanbarra, Strike, Antares (M), Euphoria (F), Upstart (F), Lyte (F), Sayuri (F), Arianna (F)
• Brooks (M / F): Glycerin, Ghost, Launch, Dyad, Defyance, Summon (M)
• Mizuno (M / F): Precision, Creation, Rider
• Newtons (M / F): Sir & Lady Isaac, Gravitas = Gravity, Distancia = Distance
• Nike (M / F): Air Max, Air Max Moto, Air Max Turbulence, Air Max Tailwind, Air Max Run Lite, Air Max Torch, Air Pegasus, Air Citius, Air Run Dual, Shox Turbo, Shox Qualify, Shox Turmoil, Shox Ride, Shox TL, Zoom Vomero, LunarMax, LunarGlide, Impax Torrent
• Saucony (M / F): ProGrid Ride, ProGrid Kinvara, ProGrid Echelon, ProGrid Jazz, Grid Getgo, Grid Raider, Grid Cohesion, Grid Ignition

1/15-16 Race Report

They finally posted the results for the Little River Trail Run (boy am I impatient)... and TAF Racing rocked! In the 10-mile race,Tim G. was 2nd in his age group (10th overall) and David Oyler was in the top 25 overall (results). Robin Baxter was also 2nd in her age group in the 7K race (results). The trail was apparently a snowy, icy, slushy mess... I don't know how y'all did it... trail running alone is too complicated for me! Wahooo and congrats everyone. #20

Shoe Week

I was recently looking for new running sneakers, and was getting annoyed that I had to navigate to so many different websites to find ones that would work. So each post this week will feature a new "category" of running sneakers, who they're best for, when they should be worn, and a listing of sneakers that fit the description (there may be some errors... and I gave up on trying to classify K-Swiss and New Balance sneakers).

Some things that are helpful to know about your personal biomechanics when looking for shoes is (1) what type of arch you have and (2) if you pronate. You might also want to consider your personal racing/training goals. For example, there are many lightweight sneakers that are now available which maybe better suited for track/tempo workouts, as well as races. However, if you're going to be spending a lot of time on the single-track trails of Umstead, you might want to look into a pair of trail sneakers versus regular trainers. As always, it's best to go to The Athlete's Foot to make sure you're running in the right type of shoe. #20

1/15-16 Update

I heard the trail was pretty icy for the Little River Trail Run on Sat. Still need to catch up with Tim and Oyler, but Facebook tells me that Tim ran about the same time as last year despite the conditions and the fact that his ankle is apparently the size of a grapefruit! CONGRATS GUYS!

The rest of us attempted "skating" in Umstead yesterday... tried "go go Gadget ice skates"... but sadly our running sneakers remained blade-less. As a result, we lasted about 50yds, although it was pretty comical seeing us trying to get back to the road! I am ready for winter to be done, hopefully this ice melts soon... #20

Weekend Outlook

Oyler is racing in the Little River Trail Run (10 miles) on Sat. GOOD LUCK and I hope it reaches 32 by race time (would be at least a two-fold improvement over last year, right?!?). Not sure if anyone else is racing this weekend... if you are HAVE FUN and let us know!

And, since it's been freezing cold and snowy/icey as of late, Wim Hof can proudly claim the record for the fastest half marathon run while barefoot on ice or snow. He ran a 2:16:34 in Jan of 2007... apparently it's normal not to wear a shirt when you run and it's below freezing!

Swim Swim Swim

I like swimming... until it's the only thing I can do for 2 weeks... then I really begin to hate it. The last time this happened, I tried to analyze why... needed something "exciting" to think about by the 2nd day! I soon realized that this was the problem. Swimming is like running on a treadmill or riding on a trainer - you don't really get anywhere and the scenery doesn't change much. What's even worse, you can't really talk to anyone except yourself (and since I don't have to take breaths to talk to myself, those conversations go by quick... just kidding). I've tried pretending I really wasn't swimming, but rather doing the scheduled workout (when visualizing running 800s around a track makes whatever you are doing seem better, you've got a problem).

So, enough complaining because I did think of a solution (by the 4th day at least). I realized on the 3rd day that I had done the same workout for the past 3 days. This, in and of itself, is boring... we vary our running training so we can get better, so it would make sense to vary swims too! I found this website that described workouts to do to improve endurance, form, and speed... another website with options for target-specific workouts... and this website which just has a bunch of workouts. Some other things I "learned": (1) make sure you drink water while you swim and (2) bring all of the things you are going to need to the lane before you start! #20

"Running Specific" XT

Never want to swim or jump on a bike, but know you should still cross-train? Here's an aqua-running plan I found online. One of the advantages of aqua-running is that it simulates "actual" running, making it ideal for "sneaking" cross training into you schedule. One of this disadvantages... it can get really, really boring! Therefore, if you can convince a friend, awesome! Or, listening to music might help distract you (one time I ran in the shallow end of a pool with my mp3 player tucked into the strap of my bathing suit... I felt ridiculous... but it made the time go by a lot faster... unfortunately, my calfs killed for the next 2 days). I have also tried counting strides (doing math is always fun), pretending I was in a microgravity environment and training for a manned mission to Mars (told you I was a dork), mixing things up (i.e., doing intervals like the article suggests and swimming in between sets)... if anyone has suggestions for making these workouts more "interesting", let us know! #20

Spinning

So, I've heard a lot about spinning... everyone seems to like it... great workout, etc. Spinning (or indoor cycling) workouts generally consist of an instructor guiding a group through a series of intervals that are meant to simulate a "real" bike ride. This includes changes position, speed, resistance, etc... and music is generally used to help everyone stay motivated and on pace. Unfortunately, although it's been on my "To Try" list for a while, I still haven't quite got to it. I came across this article describing some benefits of spinning for runners. I also looked up the places in Raleigh that offer spinning classes... I also know a lot of YMCA's and NCSU's gym offer some! Ok, maybe I'll actually get around to it in the semi-near future! #20

Frosty 50K Report

We made our way down to the start about 10min before the race began. It was freezing, yet Brad S. was wearing a singlet and Kirby, Sean, and Brad B. were wearing shorts. They were not the only ones dressed like it was 40+ degrees versus the 20ish that it really was... there were quite a few people wearing singlets and shorts only! I have no idea how they were doing it, I couldn't feel my feet nor hands (and I was wearing two pairs of socks and magic gloves... and quite a few more layers). We lined up, the bugle sounded, and the race began.

Kirby and Brad S. took off with the leaders. Sean, Rita, and I ran together for a bit, until Rita pulled ahead of us around mile 2. The first 7 miles of the course were pretty uneventful... there were hills at about 1.5 and 6 miles... the ground was still frozen... the people at the aid stations were cheerful (I just want to go ahead and thank them again because they must have been freezing!). Shortly after mile 7, we hit a "stream crossing". Yes, there was a small stream running across the path. There was no going around it... the rocks in the middle looked slippery and sharp... for a brief moment, I convinced myself that my eyes were playing tricks on me and it was really shallow... no such luck, it was at least ankle deep. Oh well, steeplechase and 50K, that's two races for the price of one!

We came to the first turn-around shortly thereafter. I did like the out-and-back nature of the course because it allowed us to cheer for our teammates... everyone looked good at the "quarter of the way done" point. Then, I saw a snowflake... and then another... and then another. By 10 or so miles (at least for me and by my count), it started really snowing. It was pretty, but the wind had definitely picked up and it felt colder. A while later we saw Kirby, already on the second loop... and he had no shirt on... it made me cold just to look at him! The aid station at the turn-around had a lot of good snacks... like real peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches, and pretzels, and M&M's... yummmm. By this time the snow had stopped, but it was still windy and cold.

Back out again for the second lap... more of the same... pretty uneventful. Sean and I got to talking to this one guy who was just out for a run (I never did get his name... but I made a new friend... and he might do the 50K next year!). Saw Brad S., who was looking strong, and Kirby, who had put his shirt back on. Rita was looking chipper, and like she could run another 50K, and Brad B. was still passing people! The stream was just as cold the third time around... and the fourth!

The guy at the turnaround laughed when I sang "3/4 of the way done, 3/4 of the way done, 3/4 of the way done... wahooo!" And yes, I was totally picturing the pie diagrams that they use in math textbooks to explain fractions to little kids... I had decided to make mine funfetti! On and on and on... the hill was definitely more painful this time around. Finally got to the final aid station, where you could kind of see the finish. I figured Brad S. and Kirby were done by now, and I definitely wished I was them. With two miles to go, you could see the finish, which was a very welcome site. There were still quite a few bends left... plus a hill... and finally you turned the corner, and the finish line was right there!

I heard Brad and Sean cheering as I stumbled across the line yelling my number (my fingers weren't working well enough to unzipper my jacket)... and saw Rita shortly thereafter (she had gone to get her car). After a round of "We made it we made it we made it wahooo!", we got some water... and PB&J... and muffins... and M&M's... and, well, you get the point! It was a good race... not half bad... or even a tenth bad... this coming from a person that swore they would never run over 26.2 miles less than 6 weeks ago! CONGRATS EVERYONE!!! #20

The Theme of the Week - XT

So one of my goals was to re-incorporate cross training into my schedule because, after reviewing my training log, I realized that I might have neglected to do so from October-ish through December-ish of last year. I think a lot of runners are guilty of "sorta kinda forgetting" this unless we're injured or just coming off of an injury. I mean, "preparing" for running is so easy, especially when your pressed for time. It's one of the things I love about the sport... you can run anywhere... just throw on some sneakers and go!

But, cross training is important, not only for NOT winding up injured, but also for strengthening the muscles that just plain running neglects. Cross training can even make you a better, stronger runner... a fact that I have to keep reminding myself so I actually do it! I have also found that I need a "concrete reason" to cross-train, or I won't for very long. Therefore, if you are as "forgetful" as me, I totally recommend doing a triathlon or other multi-sport event to keep you "motivated" to cross-train. Again, after reviewing my training log, I realized that I did a few triathlons in the spring and summer. This meant that I "had" to swim and bike... my cross-training became "real" training! Alternatively, you could plan to meet people for strength training, yoga, etc. to keep you honest... capitalize on the whole "group training" philosophy.

In any event, waiting until you're injured to begin cross-training isn't the best plan... believe me... I know... I've done it... it was absolute torture not to run! #20

1/8-9 Race Reports

Big weekend for TAF Racing:

• Dave Meyer, despite swearing he would never run again after last weekend's ankle twisting on the Jan. 1st trail run, placed 3rd in his age group in the Run for Young. Only 5sec separated 2nd through 4th in his age group... must have been a mad dash to the finish! CONGRATS DAVE. (results)
• Lisa Howell and John Tate battled through 18mph head winds to finish 1st in their age groups at the Ocean Isle Half Marathon. Joey Anderson placed 4th in his age group... WAHOOO! (results)
  
• We also had a big group at the Frosty 50K. Even though Brad S. didn't quite know what day it even was, he still managed a 3:49 to place 8th overall (and would have BQ'd at the 26.2 distance... always key when the race is 31 miles long!). Kirby was next across the line for our team, running a 4:02... glad he put his shirt back on sometime during the second lap. Rita, in her first ultra ever, ran a 4:14, earning her 4th female overall (and she was only off 3rd by like a minute in a half... CRAZY). In my first try at the 10x5K distance (because this was totally what I was thinking), I ran a 4:23 for 5th female overall. Brad B., having run a PR'd in the marathon not even a month ago, added another PR to the books. We all placed in the top 50... it was a great race and definitely frosty! We also saw some of our other friends from NCRC out there... GREAT JOB EVERYONE! (results)

Wahooo

More details tomorrow... but Dave Meyer finished 3rd in his age group at the Run for Young this AM, out-sprinting the guy who placed 4th in his age group at the finish. And, Brad S., Brad B., Kirby, Sean, Rita, and I all ran in the Frosty 50K this AM. Brad S. finished 8th overall and Rita and I, after swearing we would never run more than a marathon, were the 4th and 5th females respectively. I'm not sure how everyone else ended up... we all ran really well though!

(we finished we finished we finished wahooo)!

2nd Weekend of the New Year!

Yup... and we're racing... again! There's a group of us headed to Salem Lake for the Frosty 50K... not sure if anyone is racing anything shorter around here. Let us know if you are, and good luck! Also, could y'all cross your fingers and hope that it at least reaches freezing by 8AM on Sat., because that would be great! #20

And, because its World Record Friday, the record for the fastest time to crawl one mile is 23:45. This record was set by Suresh Joachim in January of 2007. Good to know... because I've definitely wondered this before and am bound to wonder it again before too long!

(While double-over around mile 24 at Kiawah, I tried to calculate at what rate I would have to crawl to the finish to still qualify for Boston... the only reason I gave up and started jogging again was because I couldn't remember how many feet were in a mile... and I'm being totally serious... Dave can attest to how awful I looked the last mile)!

Patience is a virtue...

Maybe I should have added that to my goals for 2011! While I was not so calmly waiting to get a hold of a ticketing agent after my flight had been canceled for no apparent reason, I decided to "distract" myself by "banking" blog posts. RW Daily usually provides me with some good material, so on I read. I came across this post talking about an NPR article describing how Americans are becoming more impatient. Remy argued that, by nature, runners are patient because they train for weeks and weeks, without necessarily seeing concrete results, for a single race. He also suggests that runners who are not patient either (1) get injured or (2) burn out. Ok, I agree with him on the later point, but the former?!? I might be the least patient person I know... and I run! It did make me think though... and I now present to you my latest "running theorem":

Patience and race performance at a given distance are inversely related.

In other words, patience gives you an advantage for longer races. Think about it, it kind of makes sense. If you sprint, you need to get out quick... therefore, you need to be "impatient" in the blocks. The only "strategy" involved is run as fast as you can until you cross the finish line... am I there yet?!? For mid-distance, the start is a little less critical, and a little more strategy is involved, and a little patience comes in handy as you wait to make you final move. However, it's still hard for someone from the back of the pack to win a race, so a little impatience is needed on the line. Long distance is an entirely different story, start too quick and you'll be in a lot of pain later, the whole race is an exercise in patience!

Maybe its the fact that I was woken up from a sound sleep at 2:20AM... or that it's now 3:30 and I've been on hold for an hour... or the fact that I'm going completely insane from listening to the same loop of promotions... but I think it's a pretty solid theory! I'll work out the regression equation during my next long run, or treadmill run, or walk to school, or... the "commentary" at the end of the article also cracked me up... just replace "can I run my marathon today?" with "can we warm up now?" and you have just described my pre-race "routine". #20

POTM - September through December

POTM - September - John Royal for his 5th place finish (Masters win) at the Salem Lake 30k

POTM - October - Rita Beard for her amazing run at the Steamtown Marathon and a huge pr.

POTM - November - Sean Kurdys for his 2nd place in the Wilson 10k(ish).

POTM - December - David Oyler for his race at the Jolly Elf Trail 5k.

Congratulations guys, and gal! Great results and a fantastic year!

iChiropractor

Yup... one of the latest apps for the iPhone allows you to check alignment on the run! Simply have someone take a picture of you on a level surface, drag the guidelines, and see what doesn't match up. A series of pictures during the race also helps determine imbalances that occur as fatigue sets in. Cool. #20

The "New" Week

So the January issue of Runner's World has provided me countless minutes of entertainment. This story makes the blog for numerous reasons, starting with the author, whose name I initially mis-read (exchange the 'oo' for a 'u'). Then, the article just got better! Second, I love their approach to solving the problem of trying to cram all of your quality runs into a 7-day week. Instead of re-defining your training schedule... re-define week! Awesome, I love non-traditional approaches... just validates my reasoning that I need to get better at getting found and not improve my sense of direction or local geographical knowledge. Third, there is a clearly defined method for choosing the number of days in your "week" that involves math (note: I don't like their order, so I might have revised it a bit, and added some of my own suggestions based upon what coach has us do because I think that SK is smarter than MB):

1. Choose a race
2. Figure out how long you have until it
3. Identify key workouts (speed, tempo, and long days)... it's also a good idea to mix things up to add variety to your training
4. Figure out how long you have to give yourself between them so you don't wind up injured
5. Add up the days
6. Do math (i.e., divide the time you have left by the length of the training cycle... I had a chemistry book in high school that would "solve" problems by saying "do calculus" and then give the solution)
7. Plot it to make sure your not increasing mileage too quickly, but still meet your goal (wahooo... even more reason why Excel makes the best training log... and it involves taking a derivative... wow)

Maple Syrup

The mere thought of pancakes and waffles drowning in maple syrup has kept me running... down Centennial Campus Parkway in the 110+ degree heat... when all I wanted to do is stop (yeah, I don't think Keith, Rita, Brian, and I will ever forget that Farmer's Market Breakfast Run)! In fact, I think it has single-handedly motivated me to do more runs than any other condiment (I don't care what y'all say, it is a condiment). So, why am I rambling on and on about maple syrup... because it made Runner's World's list of "best foods to start a healthy new year"! You have no idea how excited this makes me, 2011 just officially got more awesome. I mean, I love maple syrup, and now it's healthy?!? Forget Brussels sprouts and red onions, I'm just waiting for the day funfetti makes this list! #20