10/6-7 Race Reports

Wow wow wow... wow wow wow... wow wow wow... wahooo! CONGRATS EVERYONE:

• Keith F. was 1st overall in the Triple Lakes Half (or should I say 13.6-miler), and Keith B. was 1st in his age group (5th overall) in the Triple Lakes Full (which was his first marathon ever!). (results)
• Team RRO/FASTcoaching was well represented at the Railroad Days 5k. Greg S. was first across the line for the team, placing 2nd in his age group. Jennifer C. ran a new PR, finishing 2nd on the female side. Sara S. and Lauren S. ran great as well, placing 1st in their age groups. (results)
• Dan H. and Laura F. braved wind and rain at Crawlin' Crab Half Marathon. Dan ran a master's PR, placing 3rd in his age group, and Laura placed 1st in hers. (results)
• Brian F. ran a new PR at the Chicago Marathon, and our friend Tim Meigs did as well, running sub-2:40 for 3rd in his age group. (results)

Weekend Outlook

The last non-ridiculously long local triathlon of the season is this weekend at Pinehurst and Brian is headed to Chicago to run 26.2-miles, but there are lots of races to choose from:

• Triple Lakes Trail Race (Sat. 8AM, Greensboro)
• Selma Railroad Run (Sat. 8AM, Selma)
• Blue 5K at the SAS Championship (Sat. 8AM, Cary)
• Carborro 10K (Sat. 8AM, Carborro)
• Run for Their Lives: SAFE Haven 5K (8:30AM, Raleigh)
• Breathe Deep 5K (Sat. 10AM, Cary)
• Holly Springs 4 at 4 (Sat. 4PM, Holly Springs)

And, now that it's October, Ugg Boot and Tempo Short season is officially underway. We will not see a fashion crisis like this again until late February-ish when it becomes North Face Jacket and Gladiator Sandal season.

Less = More

Yes, the New Balance ad campaign for their shoes is significant in more ways than one... although shoes from almost every manufacturer are getting lighter across the board, the price is going up. So, basically, you're paying more money for less shoe. Huh? That makes no sense. I mean, there's not as much material, so shouldn't they cost less? Well, as it turns out, there are other factors to take into consideration:

• Higher fuel prices mean higher costs for shipping... this impacts both raw materials and finished goods
• China has been pressured to increase worker's wages

Ok, so shoes cost more to make now than they used to, but how much more? I have no idea... the article doesn't give me those numbers. Now, I know what you're thinking- if I were a good blogger, I would chase down the price of rubber (and whatever the heck else they use to make shoes), crunch the numbers, and make my own graph. Aside from the fact that I really don't feel like spending the time to do this, there's also another factor that I really have no clue how to price out:

Research.

Yup, it takes brains to make shoes lighter, more flexible, etc. And, people have to pay to do the studies to show that you really can feel that "8mm difference", and that it might be better (*for some*). Anyways, here is one of the graphs from the Runner's World article that basically sums this up:

Tying Techniques

This article doesn't need much of an explanation... it basically shows you how to better tie your sneakers to help with anything from narrow or wide feet, a high instep, etc. I've seen/used the first one myself, and it works, but I can't speak to the rest of them!

Breathing Rate

As I was sucking wind after cresting Corkscrew Hill one day, I was reminded of an excerpt from the Daniels' Running Formula on breathing rate. Usually, I try and ignore my breathing; the more attention I pay to breathing, the more nervous that I get that I'm not, which makes breathing more difficult... However, as ignoring it was no longer working, I decided to pay attention to my breathing rate.

What was it Jack Daniel's said? 2-2 is most efficient? Ok, breathe in for two strides, breathe out for two strides, breathe in for two strides... stop gasping and put your lips together! Withing ~30sec, I started to calm down and stopped struggling so much. Then I hit Cemetery Hill...

In any event, the 2-2 pattern allows for a substantial amount of air to be moved both into and out of your lungs. Although this is the "ideal" rate, there are times that it's ok to deviate from it:

• When you're really trying to push yourself (like at the end of a race), it's often necessary to switch to a 1-2 or 2-1 pattern (m-n where m is the number of steps for inhaling and n is the number of steps for exhaling). A 1-1 pattern results in too shallow a breath.
• On easy runs, a slower 3-3 rate may be used, and perhaps even a 4-4 (although the energy needed to maintain this rate doesn't pay off in the end).

Race Reports

Sorry I've fallen a bit behind on race reports, but we've had some awesome results from the past two weekends. Big shout out to Rita B. who won the Women's Distance Festival and the Urban Wetland 5k. Sarah C. was 3rd in her age group, and our friend Lisa H. was 1st in hers (results). Bill C. placed 3rd in his age group amongst some speedy competition (results).

Team RRO/FASTcoaching dominated the Urban Wetland 5k. Nick M. and Keith F. went 2-3 overall, followed closely by James L., Gavin C., and Keith B. (5-7 overall; 2-4 age group). Rita B. and Marissa B. went 1-2 on the women's side, narrowly out-springing Sean K. (2nd age group), Dave M. (3rd age group), and Bill C. (1st age group). Our friend Bobby B., in his second 5k of the day, placed 2nd in his age group (results). I know Jim and Carolyn M. also ran in a 5k and were 1st and 3rd overall!

CONGRATS EVERYONE!!!

Bolt