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!