50K: check!

As previously promised/threatened, I finally finished my first 50K race. That's slightly more than 31 miles, for us Amurricans. After the race I originally trained for got hurricaned out, I ended up running this trail 50K organized by the Baltimore Road Runners at Gunpowder Falls State Park, north of Baltimore. Here are some pics:


It was a blast. Even when I got all hypoglycemic and footsore on the third lap. Seriously.

But, no joke, my evaluation is that a typical marathon training program would prepare you for a 50K. I ended up doing more and longer long runs than in a typical marathon plan (3x20mi, 2x22mi, 2x24mi) and also doubled up on the weekends, running, say, a 20+ mi long run Saturday and then a 10 miler on Sunday. This was helpful, but I think you could still make it just with one long run a week. The thing is, most ultras are run on trails, which means that the impact damage and pain are less than with a typical road marathon (but definitely still there. Owwww.). Also, you're not running fast like in a marathon. It's really just a nice day out in the woods.

Health club kids

Here's an interesting AP article about a new movement towards enrolling kids in adult-style health clubs to keep them in shape and help stave off obesity.

Initial reactions:

I barely have the attention span to work out on a treadmill at age 29; at 10 it would have been impossible. Kids on the stairmaster? The whole point of gyms is that being an adult is kind of sucky. You work in an office all day and there's no recess. Unlike kids, who theoretically get plenty of exercise going about their daily play, adults often have to make extra time and sometimes do very boring things to stay fit.

I also agree with a couple of experts quoted in this article about the importance of play, not just exercise, to kids' health and development.

Children should be outside interacting with other children, not playing video games in a musty basement, said Tony Sparber, who runs New Image Weight Loss Camps....And considering children's short attention spans, they may not find any of these expensive toys fun enough, said Cedric Bryant, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise. He recommends simple games like Duck Duck Goose and Capture the Flag. "In the '50s and '60s, kids were playing and they were playing outside," he said. "We didn't have all these concerns about overweight, out-of-shape kids."

Hey, whatever works--but this whole notion strikes me as yet another example of the overall decline of American society. I mean, what happened to just making your kid go out for the basketball team, or something?

Toenails: A death is just a new beginning

Thanks to runner/blogger Scott Dunlap for informing us of Jan Ryerse's "Ceremonial Toenail Necklace" project. Now I sort of wish I had kept all of those little fallen soldiers. :P

We fought the hills of Vermont and won/lived

A very belated Vermont City Marathon report.

Sunday, May 25, 2008
Burlington, VT
Runners: 7,000+
Spectators: 25,000!
Conditions: Clear and sunny, around 60 at start, rising to 76 degrees by noon

This is not a PR course, and even less so on a hot day. It is, however, gorgeous, and the crowd support was phenomenal. Little kids handing out snacks, a Darth Vader impersonator, a professional 20-piece drum circle, several full plugged-in bands, a cardboard standup of Hillary Clinton reading "never give up"...you name it. We ran past the Ethan Allen homestead, through the UVM and Champlain College campuses, down Church Street, and on a lovely bike path by Lake Champlain. I did not spot Champ the lake monster but I was not looking very closely.

My original 3:40 goal was inappropriate for the course and conditions. I ran a 1:49 first half comfortably, but as the temperature rose, I decided to just chill out and enjoy the view, finishing in 3:55, 78th percentile in my age group. I was pretty pleased under the circumstances.

Ben ran a blistering 1:07 first ten miles and 1:29 for the half, but in the end the conditions caught up with him as well.




All in all, a lovely, well-organized race with fabulous spectators. We'll be sure to run this one again.

Bring the pain

Yes, indeed--I have registered for my first (maybe only) ultramarathon. It's a 50K trail race in the DC area. That's about 31 miles--5 miles farther than a marathon.

This is on the short end of races classified as "ultras," which range from 50K to as far as 150 miles and beyond.

The fact that it's a trail race mitigates the extra distance somewhat because it lessens the impact on legs as compared to asphalt. However, the trails and location (somewhere around Great Falls Park) mean it also has potential to be a pretty hilly course. It's also at noon on September 6, so high temps and humidity could become a problem.

We shall see!

Oh noes! My running shoes are endangered!

Road Runner Sports maintains an endangered shoe list of models soon to be discontinued. With great sadness, I notice that my beloved Asics DS-Trainer XIIs are endangered, soon to be extinct.

Some may say that they are not a distinct population segment of shoes deserving protection--as they do not differ "significantly" from the Asics DS-Trainer XIV, soon to be released, and the DS-T XIII, which thrives on the shelves now. But those people are wrong. They are completely different and have special adaptations including a much narrower heel and wider toe-box.

Where, oh where, will I find a shoe to fill the all-important neutral pronation, superlight trainer niche in my closet?

My right foot

Creepy.

Over the last six months, three unidentified, disembodied human feet have washed ashore on Gabriola Island in British Columbia. Each a right foot. Each wearing a size 12 running shoe. People are offering all sorts of rational, non-serial-killer-related explanations for this oddity. (NYT)

Just call me coppertop

This is excellent.


A Canadian scientist has designed a knee-brace-like generator that can produce 5 watts of electric power by harnessing the energy of a person's stride. (NYT)

So could I strap on a couple of these 3.3-pound devices (whoa, kinda heavy) and power my iPod as I run? Sweet! Actually, the article mentions several more serious possible uses, including helping soldiers in the field keep their equipment powered, and powering prosthetic limbs.

Not to mention the following creepy fact: "The energy stored in body fat is the equivalent of a battery that weighs more than a ton."

Marion Jones, Olympic medalist*

I.O.C. Formally Strips Jones of Five Medals From Sydney Games

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP)--The International Olympic Committee formally stripped [sprinter] Marion Jones of her five Olympic medals Wednesday, wiping her name from the record books after her admission that she was a drug cheat.

Sad. But cheaters never win. Except in baseball.

Philly Marathon report

It was a great day in Philly for our team. The conditions were pretty favorable; 40 degrees with intermittent showers and occasional (but strong) gusts of wind. And the course was relatively flat and fun, especially during miles 19-21, which pass through the quaint and very enthusiastic town of Manayunk, PA.

Ben ran a fantastic race, qualifying for the Boston Marathon in 3:07! This was especially impressive after an ankle injury that had put him down for nearly a week during the peak of training.

Sam also had a great day, running his second-best marathon ever. Lauren PR'd! (Also coming off of an injury during training. Way to go!)

I ran a solid 3:41:38, a PR, but also a heartbreaking, mere 39 seconds off of my Boston qualifying time.

Marathons: global warming casualty?

This past weekend's Chicago Marathon was only the latest to fall apart due to unseasonably high temperatures, though it did fall apart fantastically. It was 70 degrees at the 8 AM start--quite warm, but not impossible--but by 11:30, temperatures had hit the high 80s. Runners were collapsing, calling 911, and flooding aid stations in distress, and officials stopped the race. (This means the elite runners were all in, but many, many runners did not get to finish the race.) Worse yet, one man died during the race. (NYT)

Here in DC, there was also tragedy at the Army Ten-Miler that day. One runner died in the 80-degree, 94-percent-humidity conditions. (WP)

No one wants to bag a race after training for months and dropping a lot of money on travel and lodging. But after the bad experiences in Chicago, and in London earlier this year, I wonder whether more runners will think twice during the freak heat waves, cold snaps, and storms that are becoming more and more common.

Git yer T-shirts...

... here in a variety of colors and styles for men and women.

Race fees shooting through the roof?

Listen, I care as much about curing brain tumors as the next person. But I was pretty astonished to see that the entry fee for this Sunday's Cassidy & Pinkard Colliers 5k Race for Hope to benefit Brain Tumor Society and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure has a fifty-dollar entry fee for race-day registration.

Fifty bucks for a 5k? Typical fees for a big 5k are 25 or 30 bucks. Phew. All I can say is, I hope a hearty portion of that is netted for the charities. And the bagels had better be fresh.

Marathon report

In case you were wondering...

• Today Ben finished the Whidbey Island Marathon in 3 hours 20 minutes, and came in 3rd in his age group.
  
• I finished in 3 hours 44 minutes.
• It was really pretty and cool! And we got to hang out with Brian and Alicia, who cheered us on and then helped us knock back a bunch of beer, seafood, and ice cream.
• We'll be repeating that last part tomorrow in Seattle.

Yay marathon!

Recent experiments in endurance nutrition

These rule:
They are like slightly softer versions of those gummy fruit snacks you used to get in your brown bag school lunch. The black cherry and cola flavors contain a little caffeine bonus (about 50 milligrams for 3 blocks, equivalent to almost a shot of espresso).

These taste like Flintstones vitamins, which could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your preference:
These are small (150 cals), sit pretty well, and are therefore good for eating before a short race. Beware, they are also easily crushed in pocket or backpack:

These are the grand high emperor of bar foods, the best of all. Better than an actual Snickers bar, and nutritionally A-OK:

Well played

This woman:

Alisa Harvey, 4-time winner of the Army Ten-Miler, breaks the tape at the 22nd annual race on Sunday, October 8 in 59 minutes flat. (Washington Running Report)

Is forty years old!

There is hope for us all.

Science validates energy bar addiction!

Sweet.

According to a study outlined in this article, athletes who ate three energy bar snacks throughout the day (as opposed to a calorie-free liquid placebo) showed improved anaerobic power and endurance after only 2 weeks.

How to run really really really fast

Caffeine, the world's most abused, legallest, and bestest drug (in this blogger's opinion), is now available to young athletes in startlingly high doses. Let the fun begin.

At issue is a beverage called "Spark" that's being marketed to children as young as four. (NYT)

"In her endorsement for AdvoCare's children's products, [12-year-old gymnast] Taylor said: 'I have more energy and I like them a lot. I would suggest that anyone try them!'"

Yeah, I bet you have more energy, at 120 mg of caffeine a serving (roughly the equivalent of a double espresso).

Let me tell you something from personal experience, Taylor: caffeine will stunt your growth, young lady. And don't come crying to me when you find yourself dissolving instant coffee granules on your tongue just to feel "normal" someday...