Thanks go to Dr Tarveen Ahluwalia DC for providing me with this wonderful video. Tarveen was a pacer in a recent running clinic I taught and is also a running clinic instructor, as well as a personal trainer.

Other videos – ca.youtube.com/kinetichealthoneline

Recent Posts from Dawn’s Blog

• CRR Nose Creek XC – Race Director’s Report (Jan 14)
• Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
• 2012 Make Excuses or Make a Change
• It’s over….
• 2011 Dec 4 – RnR Vegas Half Marathon Race Report

The Western States Endurance Run from Squaw Valley to Auburn is not just any 100-mile race. It is the 100-mile race. It is the first foot race of that distance to have been held, and it has been going strong for 35 years. Even though plenty of people have difficulties believing that you could find more than 3 people willing to sign up for this kind of race, the truth is that this particular race is vastly oversubscribed. Runners have to go through a lottery process in order to be accepted for the entry list. For this year’s race, the chances of being accepted were no higher than 16 percent, and the just under 400 runners chosen counted themselves as the lucky ones.

It goes without saying that 100-mile races are gruelling. It takes months to prepare your body and mind for that kind of challenge, and it will take over your life.

So, when the announcement came on Wednesday, just 3 days before the start, that the race had been cancelled, it sent shockwaves through the ultra running community.

The decision had not been taken lightly. The race committee consists of experienced and passionate ultra runners, and if they felt there was a realistic option of staging the race, they would have gone ahead with it. However, the fires in California have made this impossible. The current air quality near the course is so bad that people are discouraged from even mowing their own lawns, never mind running 100 miles. At one place, the fires are so close to the course that the possibility of trapping runners could not be entirely ruled out and of course, the roads are needed for the fire crews—having hundreds of vehicles for the race on those narrow roads would have massively hindered their efforts.

I know several people who were signed up for the race, have trained for months, have spent a lot of money on air fares and accommodation, and are now faced with the fact that the race will not take place. I can only imagine how incredibly frustrating this must be, though I wholeheartedly support the decision of the race committee to cancel the race when they cannot guarantee the safety of runners or their support crews. Nobody wants to be responsible for the loss of life.

The ultra running scene will recover from the knock, I have no doubts about it.

August 31, 490 BC:

Sunny, with a little bit of wind. Did my final long run today. Was a bit of a struggle. These new Nike sandals don’t have much arch support. To add to my misery, I got an olive pit stuck in them at about mile 13. On the plus side, these FigShots are just the boost I need during my run.

It’s pretty hard to nail down my pace because my sundial doesn’t have a minute or second hand. But I’m pretty sure I can finish sub-noon.

Still can’t figure out what “BC” means and why we’re counting years backwards.

September 18, 490 BC:

Thank Zeus the tapering is almost over. I’ve got a lot of, uh, excess energy and Penelope says she won’t sleep with me unless I wear a Trojan. But it ruins the mood for me. Those guys are pretty heavy and the armor chafes.

September 22, 490 BC:

Race Day! Big crowd at the start ñ about 10,000 local dudes and boatloads of guys in long white singlets with names like Datis and Artaphernes. There was a lot of confusion, particularly since all the bibs had Greek numerals on them. This seemed to be a big problem for the boat people and they started to act up. There was a lot of jostling going on and it was getting ugly when everyone started running in all different directions, screaming at the top of their lungs. I figured the race had started and headed out.

The course was poorly marked and it didn’t look like they blocked off traffic on the E75. I almost got nailed by one of those chariots with the blades on the wheel hubs. And the aid stations were pathetic. Whose idea was it to hand out fennel juice?

As we got to the hills I noticed I had a pretty big lead on the rest of the field. In fact, I couldn’t see them at all. The coeds from Nea Ionia Women’s College were out in force, but they weren’t nearly as pretty as I had heard they were.

Anyway, my quads were burning pretty bad as I headed down the home stretch into Athens. I was starting to wish I had entered the Persian 200 Meter Dash for the Boats instead. I thought the finish line was at the Parthenon, but then I realized it hadn’t been built yet! (Damn backwards calendar again.) I saw a group of old guys in togas so I sprinted toward them. Running my last tired strides I yelled, “Victory, victory!”

I collapsed from a stomach cramp right at the end (fennel juice and FigShots, not a good combination), but I’m pretty happy with the finish line painting. Those thieves want five tetradrachma for a copy!

Maybe I should pay up. Who else will remember this race after today?

These are questions that have been on my mind as I have been fondly gazing at my 2008 Bolder Boulder 10K race shirt. The race isn’t until Memorial Day, but I’ve had the shirt for a couple of weeks now and it’s the nicest race shirt that they’ve given out in the 4 years that I’ve run the event. I’m very tempted to wear it, but I know better than that. It has never been scientifically proven that wearing your race shirt before you compete in the race has damaging effects on your performance but why take the chance? Race shirts are for finishers like Trix are for kids and wearing your race shirt before the race takes place is just begging for trouble.

As I was pondering the protocol for appropriate race shirt attire, I came across an interesting blog post at Frayed Laces, one of the CRN member blogs. Frayed Laces was enticed by the lure of a ìfree giftî to pre-register for the Honolulu Marathon, a race that she completed the previous year despite suffering a fractured pelvis early in the race. The free gift that was being given to all the runners turned out to be last year’s race shirt, available in Large, Large or Large. Am I the only one that disapproves of the previous year’s race shirts being given out as a free gift? A race shirt is not a gift that you’re given, it’s an honor that you earn by finishing the race. The idea of a race giving away finisher’s shirts to nonparticipants is akin to the golf pro at your local course handing you a scorecard, a pencil and an air horn before directing you to the first tee box. They are encouraging something that they shouldn’t.

When I first started running I had no idea that there were unspoken rules within the running community pertaining to race shirts. If a race allowed me to pick up my race shirt prior to the event, I obliviously paraded around in the shirt regardless of whether or not I’d previously completed that event or even that distance. I look back on those days now and shake my head at my own folly. I wish that someone would have been there to point out the error of my ways and clue me in on proper race shirt etiquette. With that in mind I wanted to bring to light some of these unspoken rules of the race shirt, and what better place to start than at another CRN member blog. Bad Ben’s Ramblings posted an insightful and comprehensive guide to Proper T-Shirt Etiquette last year that should be required reading for all runners.

Essentially what it comes down to is that wearing a race shirt represents that you have completed that race. If you haven’t completed the event, or volunteered at it, then you should not be wearing the shirt. You should know that if you are ever exposed wearing a race shirt you didn’t earn you will be viewed by those that completed the event in much the same way a tourist with a Property of Alcatraz shirt is viewed by the ex-cons who did hard time there. Even though I wouldn’t do it, I think it’s OK to wear the race shirt for the race you are about to run in but you are probably tempting fate, not to mention that most race shirts are cotton and that’s just another rookie mistake. If you DNF in that event, then you should not ever wear the shirt in public again. You can shamefully wear it in the privacy of your own home (think pajama shirt) or to mow the lawn in your back yard as long as your neighbor can’t see you, lest he wrongfully think too highly of you. The best idea is probably just to sacrifice the shirt to the running gods by using it to wipe the mud and dirt from your Asics.

Be sure to speak up in the comments if you have any other rules to add or if you disagree with any that you’ve read.

Recent Posts from Ian’s Blog
How to Trim Your Tree How Bad Do You Want It? Pumped Up Kicks Running Infographic: Men vs. Women Heart Not Included

I captured this photo during Sunday’s Calgary Police Half Marathon. I was there to run the 5k but snapped several photos before getting ready to head out in my own race. You can find this and many other photos from the race over at my Flickr site.

Want a photo from your race featured? Please leave a comment with the details.

Recent Posts from Dawn’s Blog

• CRR Nose Creek XC – Race Director’s Report (Jan 14)
• Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
• 2012 Make Excuses or Make a Change
• It’s over….
• 2011 Dec 4 – RnR Vegas Half Marathon Race Report

One week later, Deena Kastor came from behind to win the Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston. The race was filled with interesting storylines: Kastor’s bid to return to the Olympics, Blake Russell’s attempt to overcome the heartache from four years ago when she finished fourth in the last trials, and the amazing story of Magdalena Lewy Boulet. Lewy Boulet came out of nowhere to nab second place. She led the race for the first 23.5 miles before being passed by Kastor. The San Francisco Chronicle ran a story that described how she emigrated to the United States from Poland and how she was scheduled to be sworn in as a U.S. citizen…on September 11, 2001. You think you’re busy? She’s a full time track coach at Berkeley with a three-year-old son. She trains in the morning or at night on a treadmill.

On April 21, we were treated to the closest finish ever in the women’s race at Boston. After a series of attacks and counterattacks, Dire Tune beat Alevtina Biktimirova by two seconds. Robert Cheruiyot won his fourth Boston title, putting him among a select few. Lance Armstrong ran Boston for the first time and acknowledged that Heartbreak Hill lives up to its reputation.

You think it’s tough qualifying for Boston? The race allocates a certain number of slots to people who are running for charities. The Wall Street Journal examines the phenomenon, and points out that charities have to apply to the race organizers for an allotment of slots, too.

Move on Up

26.2 miles not enough for you? Then move up to ultramarathoning. The Times of London spotlights the Marathon des Sables, a 151 mile race through the Sahara Desert. Runners pack their food, clothing, cooking and sleeping gear on their backs as they trudge through heat that can reach 122 degrees (50 degrees Celsius).

Get Your Motor Running

A heart rate monitor can be a terrific training tool. It can help you determine the proper pace for training. But in order to use it correctly, you need to determine your maximum heart rate. So how do you do that? The Toronto Globe and Mail surveys the different methods. The New York Times takes a different approach. It begins by examining the connection between maximum heart rate and athletic performance.

The Six-Million Dollar Runner

It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie: genetically engineered runners. The Times of London examines how bio-engineering might boost the size of the human heart, improve endurance, and increase the number of red blood cells. How about a marathon in 90 minutes? If contemplating such possibilities is overwhelming, consider going on a running holiday. The Times lists a few places that combine running with good times.

This Week’s Must Read

We all have favorite racing distances, but what’s your ideal distance? Be careful, they might not be the same. The New York Times profiles middle distance runner Sara Hall, who excelled at 5K, then discovered that her best distance might be 1,500 meters. The article is full of helpful training tips from Hall’s coach, Terrence Mahon. Be sure to watch the video, in which Hall demonstrates some drills to improve efficiency.

Quick Hits

The flip side of training and racing hard is recovery. The Daily Telegraph reviews ways to treat various post-race problems, such as blisters and muscle aches. The Wall Street Journal profiles three “Boston Stragglers” who, because of other commitments, bad bosses, or some other reason, run the race long after the crowds have packed up and gone home. The Journal also charts the rise of open water swimming as an Olympic sport. E60, the ESPN video magazine, has a story on Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee sprinter who runs with carbon prosthetic legs, known as blades. Should he be allowed to compete with able-bodied athletes, or do his blades provide a competitive edge? We wrap things up with this New York Times feature—a first-person account of a runner’s one-man support team.

Please meet Dr. James Haney – night time runner extraordinaire.

Recent Posts from 21stCenturyMom’s Blog
One last time
One more time
Does Anyone Understand RSS?
Toasted
Hump Day Miscellany

Recent Posts from 21stCenturyMom’s Blog
One last time
One more time
Does Anyone Understand RSS?
Toasted
Hump Day Miscellany

Dear Complete Running Team,

I am emailing to see if you can post a reminder about “Spirit of the Marathon” premiering in Canada tonight!

The film will be showing in 52 Cineplex theaters across Canada at 7:00 PM local time. Tickets and theater information can be found at www.cineplex.com. I’ve attached a press release as well and image of the poster.

The reaction on most race discussion boards was predictable. I found it astounding how many people did not bother inquiring where that rule came from and just vented their spleen over “those unreasonable race directors,” despite all the explanations that they did not have a choice but to enforce the international athletic rules.

If someone gave me a Euro for each time I’ve read the sentence “I can not possibly run without music,” I could fund my running habit for some time to come. My (imaginary) retort to those people is always “have you actually ever tried?,” and I guess the answer would generally be “no.’ Now, don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against running with an MP3 player, I have done so myself plenty of times. I ran my first marathon, Dublin 2004, while listening to music, but decided afterwards that it had been a mistake. There had been many enthusiastic spectators supporting the runners, and I felt I had missed out on all the atmosphere. I did wear headphones once again in a race, when I ran my first ultra a year ago, which was held in a remote rural area with nobody there but sheep, and they were not particularly supportive. I thought that running for almost six hours would require some background noise. However, I have again changed my mind, and this year I’ll run with unblocked ears. I truly feel I get more enjoyment out of my running that way.

I don’t want to teach you about the way you should run. If you want to listen to music, by all means, do so, but please make sure you do not endanger yourself by losing track of your surroundings. However, I also advise that you give silence a running chance. You might well be surprised. But, whatever you do, cut some slack for those poor race officials who are organising those races for all of us. Don’t give them a hard time when they tell you to get rid of your iPod. They might not have a choice.

(CRN has tackled this topic before: here and here.)