Archive for March, 2009

Were You Born to Run?

We already know Jeanne’s answer to that question, but a lab in Boulder, Colorado, claims a child’s genetic disposition to certain types of athletic performance can be determined from a cheek swab.

Others are skeptical of the claim, especially since the Boulder lab charges $125 for a $22 test.

“There may be lots of genetic and environmental reasons that we don’t understand that say this person is going to be a world-class soccer player, despite what this one test tells you,” said Dr. Susan Hayflick, a geneticist at Oregon Health & Science University.

I’m pretty sure I wasn’t genetically preordained to be a distance runner, though I think in some cases the test might provide some parents with useful information.

Rehab, Alas, Is Not Funny

Fresh off my pretty good 10k yesterday I can report that I enthusiastically hopped out of bed this morning and immediately sank to my knees in agony. OK, it wasn’t that dramatic, but I’m hobbling around the house like Long John Silver with a hotfoot. So bye-bye training group! So long race schedule! Arrivederci running fitness! It’s back on the recovery train for this guy.

If history is any guide, it will be at least a two-week layoff, and perhaps more. The problem with this sort of injury is you never know when you’re actually better. You feel OK in the morning, you go out and run, you feel OK afterward, then you wake up the next morning numb below the knee.

In the meantime, I’m looking for a cross-training program that relies on hopping.

Nutrition Fuels Fitness 10k Race Report

This morning I ran the Nutrition Fuels Fitness 10k along with 369 other racers (another 500 ran the 5k).

I’m pretty proud of this one because it was almost a DNS. I took three days off from running because of tendinitis in my right lower leg. When I got out there this morning it was very sore and stiff.  It took me 30 minutes to loosen up and I almost packed it in. Once the race started, however, it felt fine.

The weather was warm and sunny, but very windy – a direct headwind between miles 5 and 6. I had pretty steady splits the whole way, which is unusual for me, but I spent so much time trying to warm up it probably helped me start faster than I normally would.

I had a lot of carbs this morning, so I felt strong the entire race, and even had some in the tank for a sprint at the end when a 13-year-old boy tried to pass me. I geezered him by 0.2 seconds, only to discover later he beat me on chip time. Oh well. It felt really good anyway.

Mile 1 – 8:14

Mile 2 – 8:17

Mile 3 – 8:00

Mile 4 – 8:06

Mile 5 – 8:12

Mile 6 – 8:05

.2 – 1:34

Finish – 50:28

117th out of 370
14th out of 20 in age group (ouch!)

The good news is I’m getting progressively faster, which finally puts my best times in sight, if still far away. The bad news is I’ll probably need to take two steps back because my leg soreness won’t disappear without a lot more rest. I’m controlling the inflammation and pain with Advil, but it’s not a cure. I’ll just have to play it by ear.

Amateur Wins Dash for the Cash

She did it. Anne Parker took her 2.7-mile head start and ran with it, beating the field of elites in the Monument Avenue 10k.

Coolest Race Promotion Ever

They are expecting 32,000 runners for the Monument Avenue 10k in Richmond, Virginia, but many eyes will be on only one – Anne Parker. Parker was chosen at random as this year’s contestant in the “Dash for the Cash.” She will be given a 2.7 mile head start, and if she beats the race’s elite runners, who will of course be covering the entire 10k distance, she will win $2,500.

At last year’s race, Billy Weldon won the Dash by beating Dan Browne and Olympian Abdi Abdirahman, but he was only the second contestant to win in four tries.

Parker admits to being nervous, but her previous bests indicate she should just squeeze in ahead.

Imagine the combination of panic and excitement you would feel heading into the final quarter-mile with Abdirahman and his ilk on your tail. Sweet.

Scantily Clad Coeds Running!

OK, it’s strictly PG, but I need a traffic spike every once in a while.

The Carnival of Running #22

Welcome to the 22nd edition of The Carnival of Running!

Not feeling inadequate enough? Here’s Haile Gebrselassie running on the treadmill:

Matt Fitzgerald wrote a profile of Geb for the Ethiopian Review that gives a new definition to “fawning.”

Still have some running self-esteem after that? Then read about Joan Benoit Samuelson, who broke a world indoor record for women 50 and older by completing the 3,000 meters in 10:22.68.

Covering that Masters Championship, Channel 8 ran with the headline, “Elderly Compete at Track & Field”. Fortunately, CNN took a different angle, pointing out that running is still good for you as you get older.

Headline of the week goes to the National Post for “Never Underestimate the Sensitivity of Nipples”. I know I don’t. And sometimes I even think about it while running.

The Vancouver Sun has a good article about running with your dog. Apparently the little darlings need to train to run with you. This is a good idea. I once saw a woman trying to run with her dachshund, yelling at the poor little thing, “C’mon, c’mon!”

Here’s a shout-out to sound mind, sound body – “a running blog by an Irish girl living in Amsterdam.” Head over there and say hi. And while you’re at it, take a gander at Walrus to Warrior, which is a running blog by an Irish girl living in, well, Ireland. This week’s entry has her tackling Killiney Hill, which you have to admit is a good name for a hill.

As long as I’m plugging blogs, copia verborum is heading to Boston next month, so wish her luck! How about a high-end carbo load dinner before the race? Hand-made cavatelli, yum! And afterwards, they have brunch!

Sara Catania seems to believe that California runners don’t spit or shoot snot rockets. Maybe not, but they will spill their white wine on you.

There are some great race names out there, but what could be better than a race on Mother’s Day called Run Like a Mother?

A study published in the Journal of Human Evolution claims that each individual has an optimal running pace. The average for males in the study was 8.3 mph and it was 6.5 mph for females. Good. Another reason for me to run with the women.

aNd! informs us, “My ass is so sore from the massage therapist!!!!” Uh, moving right along…

Washington DC Mayor Adrian Fenty shaved 15 minutes off his PR by completing the National Marathon in an impressive 3:25. The Running Moron has a race report from the accompanying half-marathon, and Jeanne at Not Born to Run PR’d in the same race. She also tells us, “I got a free massage at the end. It was an Active Release massage which involved lots of moaning on my part. Although it’s entirely possible that the masseuse also moaned.” Apparently, massages cause more “fatigue” than the race itself.

The Minnesota Half Marathon features a contest to finish exactly in the middle of the pack, plus a chance to beat the Jamaican bobsled team. Those guys need to get out of Minnesota. They’re looking a little pale.

Joseph Tame ran the Tokyo quarter-marathon with an iPhone strapped to his head, which means he had one useful implement above his neck.

The Times of London introduces us to AudioFuel, which is another service that provides downloadable music for specific running paces.

I mentioned the Stanley Marathon in the Falklands in a post last week. You’ll be happy to know the Argentine veterans of the 1982 war got a nice reception from the islanders and the British troops.

Chic Runner named her Garmin “Claude,” which is OK, but I maintain that all beloved electronic devices should be named “Robby”.

That’s all for this time, friends. It’s nearing the end of March, but don’t go out like a lamb. Submit your posts to carnival@runningisfunny.com. Now run away!