26.2 fundraiser miles

Y'all know I'm not much of a salesperson, so I'm having a hard time with the idea of selling my cause, but I signed up to train for (and run? what was I thinking?!?) 26.2 miles to raise funds for playground repairs and active/fitness education.

If you're inclined to contribute, click the link below:

Donate online to Beth Jarosz running the MCM for RunningBrooke at Razoo

WHAT was I thinking? (And how did I survive?)

So... just learned I have an opportunity to run a fall marathon with a charity group.

In weighing pros/cons, I looked back at my 2006 training plan and wondered WTF I was doing -- and how the hell I survived. Sure, I did a 21 miler, and a couple of 18s... And my time wasn't even awful (4:45) on race day.

But -- and I wish I were kidding about this -- I was running (no joke) 2-3 mile runs, a couple of times a week mid-week, and calling that a training plan!

WHAT WAS I THINKING???

Needless to say, I'm in a much better position now than I was 10 years ago. Is it time for another crack at 26.2?????

Someone please talk me out of this? (Or maybe into it?)

Weekly roundup -- pardon this interruption

We interrupt this regularly-scheduled Weekly Roundup: Friday Potluck to bring you a break from wall-to-wall Boston bombing news coverage...

Source: runwiki.org via Lindsey on Pinterest

Be well, friends.

The Potluck will return, with all of its bizarre news and Stupid People Tricks, next week.

Is flat really fast?

We've all seen it in a race descriptions: "flat and fast" course.

Sure, on a 5k or even a 10k, a pancake flat course ignites PR dreams. But is flat really "fast" on longer distance races?

After many years of running and racing, I'm beginning to question the flat-is-fast logic. Before moving to Florida, I had never run a truly "flat" course.

Look at a topo map of San Diego. Compare it with Pensacola. You'll quickly understand what I mean. If that's not sufficient, here's a visual comparison... Yes, in that first photo I'm "hiking" in San Diego using a fixed rope to get down a rock ledge. And, yes, I'm scared sh**less in that photo.

Not flat: Four mile hike to Three Sisters Waterfall in San Diego. 

The second photo shows a favorite northwest Florida trail which has, maybe, 10 feet of elevation change along the entire route - typical of the topography here.

Flat: Four mile run along the Blackwater Heritage Trail near Pensacola

I expected that flat Gulf Coast topography would work in my racing favor, even if the weather didn't.

However, my burning quads and aching calves told a different story (especially after the Holiday Half Marathon in Point Clear).

What I'm finding is that my legs are TIRED after racing flat courses. My hunch is that hills recruit slightly different minor muscle groups and thus legs (my legs, at least) are less fatigued after a long run on gently rolling hills than they are after an entirely flat 13.1.

So I did a little research.

Which race courses are the fastest?

Runner's World compiled a list of the most competitive marathon courses. Not surprisingly, the list focuses on flat or net-downhill routes.

Of course, the statistician in me thinks: Who cares what proportion of the field BQs? Maybe only BQ runners sign up for this race. You're saying flat races have fast fields, but you're not controlling for WHO is running!*

So... fast runners gravitate toward flat courses.

But...

Does that mean flatter is faster? Or easier?

Even within the flat-is-fast list, the details give a clue that my hunch - that flat isn't necessarily fast - isn't so harebrained after all: 

"The course [at the Baystate Marathon] is flat... with just enough rolling terrain (10 to 15 feet up and down) to lessen muscle fatigue."

And of the California International Marathon...

"Race officials describe the gradual downhill route as 'biomechanically friendly,' meaning that for every gentle uphill, there's an equally gentle, and longer, downhill."

Ahh... muscle fatigue!

If you've ever seen a muscle-targeting chart next to an elliptical machine, you know that when we use an elliptical, we recruit different muscle groups at different levels of incline.

Image source

Running follows a similar pattern.

Arizona Central's health section notes:

"When you run a consistently flat terrain, the same muscles work for all 26.2 miles. A varying terrain shifts the muscle emphasis from the quads to the hamstrings as you race up and down hills. A flat course never allows the muscles to shift their workload and rest. As a result, you may fatigue sooner and find recovery harder."

And Pete Pfitzinger writes:

"... pancake flat marathon uses your muscles in exactly the same way over the same range of motion for thousands of strides. This lack of variety enhances fatigue as your hamstrings and calf muscles and quadriceps repeat the same cycle over and over again. To prepare optimally for a flat marathon, you should do most of your long runs over similarly flat terrain."

Well, Mr. Pfitzinger, I train on flat courses (this is coastal Florida, after all) but I think I still prefer a few rolling hills in my races.

So, flat might not be so fast after all.

Bring on the hills!!!

What do you prefer? Flat, rolling hills, or steep-as-they-come courses?

*With respect to the "who is running" issue, I will note that I've run the San Diego marathon. It is not a flat course, yet San Diego has one of the fastest course records in the U.S. And... um... Boston has the fastest U.S. course record (2:03:02). Anyone who's ever seen Heartbreak Hill knows Boston is not a flat course.

Beyond the controversy: Interview with a NYC marathon runner

Today thousands of registered New York Marathon runners turned their cancelled-race disappointment into hope by volunteering with hurricane cleanup, donating to disaster relief agencies, and taking part in a spontaneous 26.2 mile moving celebration of the city.

A friend of mine was among the runners who flew to NYC for the race, only to learn that the event was cancelled. I had the opportunity to catch up with D earlier today. Here's what she has to say about her experience with this year's non-marathon, including the impromptu running festival in Central Park:

Beth: Can you please provide readers with a little bit of background about your connection to New York and the marathon?

D: I didn't start running until 2008. I was heavily influenced to run after my mom trained for and ran her first race, the NYC marathon in 2007. I didn't love running, but I loved setting goals and achieving them which is how I ended up becoming a marathoner.

My first race was the More half marathon in Central Park in 2008, which I ran with my mom. We ran it again in 2009. I also began entering the lottery for the New York City marathon in 2008... It is such an iconic marathon and I love New York City.

I moved here for a short period of time to study at Columbia University in 2009 and was heartbroken when I wasn't accepted through the lottery that year for the marathon. I cried with excitement when I found out I was going to be able to finally run it this year. Qualifying for and running the Boston marathon was probably my biggest accomplishment, but somehow New York still meant more to me.

Beth: How long did you spend training for this race?

D: I spent 5 months training. It was particularly rough this summer since it was the hottest summer in recent history in San Diego.

Beth: What was your reaction when you learned the race had been cancelled?

D: Even though I was originally conflicted about running the marathon, following the destruction of hurricane Sandy, I was still very sad and upset when I heard it was cancelled. I understood there was little to no resources being used for the marathon that could help hurricane Sandy victims, but I also knew that many people felt it was insensitive.

I understood pretty quickly that they needed to cancel the marathon, given the controversy, in order to protect the integrity of the race. The New York marathon is such an amazing event because of the support of local residents on the course. Given the controversy, if the race went on, it could take many years for the marathon itself to recover.

Understanding all this, it is still a hard pill to swallow knowing that 80,000+ people went to the Meadowlands today for the football game and that didn't create any controversy, not to mention the basketball games that have taken place this week at Madison Square Garden.

In the end, I have waited 4 years to run this marathon, I can wait one more year. I just feel terrible for the people who, because of whatever situation, will not be able to make it back next year.

Beth: For what it's worth, I've been wondering that very same thing about the Giants game... How is NYRR different from the NFL? But I digress...

Beth: Would you have been able to cancel your travel plans or get refunds if the announcement had been made sooner?

D: I also forgot to mention in my previous answer that I did originally think last Tuesday that they should have cancelled the marathon. So when they waited until Friday, that only made me more upset.

My flights and hotels were refundable. The only thing that would not have been refundable was the tickets my mom and I purchased for a Broadway show on Saturday (The Book of Mormon - by the way, it was awesome).

Beth: You’ve mentioned that thousands of runners showed up today to run anyway. What’s going on?

D: Today, there were an unbelievable amount of people running in Central Park. (My best guess is 20-25,000 people.) Many people were wearing their orange NYC marathon shirts, and many wearing their bibs also. I only ran about 10 miles, but I spoke with a number of people doing the full 26.2.

There were tons of spectators, some just cheering, many had thunder sticks or cowbells, and some had set up informal aid stations with water, Gatorade, and even gummy worms. Some people were representing the charities they had raised money for. (I noticed spectators cheering particularly loudly for Team Fox.) And many people were representing their country with shirts and flags.

To the south of the finish line, the grandstands were packed. It was completely unorganized with people running in both directions around the park, but an incredible and emotional show of solidarity of runners who came to run and just wanted to support each other.

Beth: What made you decide to run today?

D: I have always loved running in New York City. I was here with my running gear. My mom was here to support me, and she also had her running gear with her. I didn't realize there would be so many people in Central Park today. I came here to run today, because I just wanted to get out and run.

Originally we were going to run up the east side to the reservoir, but when we were surprised by all the runners in Central Park, our plans changed.

We ran towards the finish line and took some pictures when we got there. My mom stayed in the stands while I did a full loop around the park and about an hour later she took pictures as I ran past (not through - it was closed) the finish line.

We both cried a lot on multiple occasions. It was an intensely emotional experience, and I am proud to have been a part of what must have been the largest informal run ever.

Beth: People are also reporting that thousands of people are spending the day volunteering on Staten Island. Have you seen or heard of volunteering by other NYC runners?

D: I did hear about the people who were volunteering on Staten Island on the ING New York City Marathon Facebook page. But last night I heard on the news that people in general were not encouraged to volunteer, and the best way you could help was to donate money to the Red Cross. I had already done so, and was aware of the $2.6 million New York Road Runners had raised for the relief effort on Thursday night. So I decided to just spend my Sunday going for a run and enjoying my vacation.

D, thanks for sharing your experience with us. I am truly sorry that things did not work out the way you - and so many other runners - planned, especially after months of training and all of the travel expense involved. But I am certain this is one run you will never forget.

You'll have to report back when you run in 2013!

Morning motivation

Here's a dose of inspiration to start the week off on the right foot...

"If you're losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon"
~K. Switzer

Time on your feet and tackling 26.2

Yesterday I planned to run long.

I woke up at 5:45 to "beat the heat" (whatever that means when it's already 80 degrees and 90 percent humidity at 6am). Unfortunately I knew I was going to have a dragging-arse day before my feet even hit the floor.

Most mornings I look forward to my long runs. Yesterday neither my head nor my hydration were in the game. (Yes, I know long runs are 90% mental. Yes, I tried every motivation trick in the books. I was still dehydrated and unmotivated.)

Ultimately I got out the door by promising myself that I could walk some... as long as I got out the door. My planned "16 miles or bust!" turned into a somewhat underwhelming "16 miles or 2 hours and 45 minutes, whichever comes first."

Thrilling, no?
Surely the Olympic marathon trials are in my future...

But, in all honesty, sometimes time on your feet is as important as covering a set distance.

And I'm not just saying that to justify a lackluster run.

In my case, I'm working on base-building before marathon training begins in earnest. Hitting a goal pace is less important right now than just getting my body used to being on the move for 3+ hours. Also, I'd like to not hate running (or get injured) before marathon training starts. Forcing a certain pace and distance at this point in the training cycle would be foolish.

Oh wait...
I haven't told you about marathon training yet?

Until now, I've only mentioned this to a handful of people...
I've signed up to lead a pace group for marathon training. This means 16 weeks of 5am wakeup calls. Plus, I not only need to run, I need to run evenly, consistently, and strongly enough to lead others on each and every run.

No pressure.

To be honest, I'm both excited and (more than a little) nervous about this. I've trained for dozens of races before (from 5k to marathon to Olympic distance triathlon) but I've always trained alone. I was only responsible for getting myself across the finish line. If I had a great day, I could roll with it. If I had a bad day, only I would be affected.

I've also led running groups before, but for shorter distances, and with few specific time goals. If I had a fast day, I could lead the pack. If I needed a rest day, I could hang back and someone else would step in to lead.

This marathon training program is new territory.

I'm looking forward to the challenge!

Have you ever trained with a group before? Coached group runs?
What's the best running advice you've ever received?

Vacation brain

The Green Bay marathon issue stirred up a pet peeve of mine (see yesterday's post). This pet peeve is an affliction I refer to as "vacation brain."

Vacation brain is the common ailment that strikes vacationers and recreation-ers alike, causing them to throw caution to the wind due to an overwhelming sense that "nothing bad happens on vacation."

• I've seen tourists walk into oncoming traffic. (What makes you think a Manhattan cab is going to stop just because you want to cross the street?)
• I've watched families in Yellowstone get out of the car and approach a grizzly bear for a photo op. (Really people? Those things bite!)
• I once saw a hiker crouch down with his 3-year-old toddler to point out a mountain lion 20 yards away. (Again with the biting! A toddler looks like lunch to that cat.)
• I passed a lady 2 miles down into the Grand Canyon. She was wearing high heels. (Hello honey, don't you realize you have to walk back UP? And didn't you see the signs at the top about proper gear and precautions?)
• I personally took a water taxi to a remote beach in Cabo to snorkel. Alone. (Yes, folks. That might be the dumbest thing I've ever done.)
• We've all heard the Aron Ralson story...and...
• I've seen otherwise sensible runners push themselves to the point of injury just because an event is called a "race."

In short, "vacation brain" makes us poor judges of risk.

Image source

If a bear sauntered into a family's back yard, they'd lock the doors and call animal control. But on vacation, risk assessment gets all screwed up somehow. Not only does the family not lock the doors, they reach out to pet the grizzly!

Then, if something does go wrong, emergency personnel and good samaritans will drop everything to help out, which might put even more people in danger.

Getting back to the marathon issue, everything I've heard from runners at Green Bay suggests that the course was well supported. Water stations were ample. (The event organizer added extra water stops when they learned of the warm weather forecast.) In addition, there were cooling/spraying stations along the route. This was not a situation in which the event coordinators were unprepared. In fact, by all accounts, volunteers stayed on the course to support runners even after the event was closed down.

Green Bay organizers did the race equivalent of shooing the bears away, and when that didn't work, they shut the race down.

Sometimes race organizers do deserve blame for poor planning, but this doesn't seem to be one of those cases.

So why, then, did dozens of runners seek medical attention?

I suspect it's a combination of factors.

Running in the heat is hard. Duh.
(Those of us who live in the south speak from experience.)
Some people have more trouble in the heat than others. Some people will get injured during a large half marathon no matter how good the planning is - it's a law of large numbers issue.

Running in the heat requires acclimation.
(Wisconsin in May is not Florida in May... That does make a difference, even if I would prefer to think we're just tougher down here.)

But no matter what the location or time of year: running in the heat doesn't need to turn into a total circus. That brings me back to... Vacation Brain.

Some of the responsibility for race safety should be pointed back at us - the participants.

Call it vacation-brain, call it race-day ego, call it poor risk assessment. No matter what the name is, it is our instinct to react differently during a "race" than we would in our own backyard. We're supposed to "tough it out" because it's a race. Or we expect that things will be fine because we're in the "safe" environment of an organized event.

Unfortunately, not stopping when we feel overheated is the running equivalent of that photo op with the grizzly (or my solo snorkeling expedition in Cabo).

Each and every day we need to assess risks as they are before us, not as they wish they would be.

Treating heat illness
Image source

Even thought I know most readers already know the basics, I'm going to repeat something I posted a couple of weeks ago (from Medlineplus.gov):

• Heatstroke - a life-threatening illness in which body temperature may rise above 106° F in minutes; symptoms include dry skin, rapid, strong pulse and dizziness
• Heat exhaustion - an illness that can precede heatstroke; symptoms include heavy sweating, rapid breathing and a fast, weak pulse
• Heat cramps - muscle pains or spasms that happen during heavy exercise
• Heat rash - skin irritation from excessive sweating

So, running friends, as we roll into the summer months, please stay cool out there!
Be safe!
(And avoid the bears.)

What's the silliest thing you've ever done or seen someone do on vacation?

Blame game

You may have heard that the Cellcom Green Bay Marathon closed down their race after only 2:35. The reason? High temperatures sent about 20 people to the emergency room and dozens more were evaluated on-site for heat illness.

People are questioning whether or not the race should have been suspended.
People are questioning whether or not the race should have even started.

I will not knock a race director for making a judgement on the side of safety.

That said - I think there's a larger issue at play here:

Did runners start losing their sense of personal responsibility?

Isn't it every runner's duty to know the signs of heat illness and react accordingly (i.e. before it becomes a medical crisis)?

I know that there are negligent organizers in the world, and I would not want to race with one of them. And cancelling a race for a hurricane, blizzard, tornado, or heat wave is perfectly logical.

But the blame game lately seems to be shifting the balance - especially for warmer than "expected" weather - away from runners and onto the shoulders of race organizers. In reality, a race director will never know if my personal "too hot" is 70 degrees or 85. It should be my responsibility to know my limits and plan/react accordingly. If I feel taxed by the weather, it should be me who is smart enough to slow down, walk, dunk my head in an ice bucket, or DNF.

Yes, even DNF is an option. The shot fired from a starting gun is merely a signal. No one points it at a runner's head and says "You will finish!"

So, in general, my mental math looks something like this:

• A race that runs out of water = organizer's fault
• A runner who pushes too hard and gets hurt = runner's fault

In reality, situations are rarely so clear-cut, but I worry that if this blame-game trend continues, we'll soon be left only with December races in Seattle. (Oh, but then there would be rain...)

What's your take on calling off or cancelling races on account of the weather?

Sweet treat

What do you get when you take a 14-mile paved trail around San Diego's Mission Bay, add 2 dozen cupcakes, and sprinkle in a handful of friends?

The fitness trail, east side of Mission Bay.

The "runner's bathroom" at Mission Bay.
Is there any doubt that this is a runner's town?

Answer: 1 happy runner.

I've been doing long-run training solo since I moved to Pensacola. Hubby paces me for the first mile or two, then speeds off into the distance.

It was a delicious change of pace to have company for my miles yesterday. Not only did my friend, C, pace me for nearly 2.5 hours, she also provided some post-run treats.

Post-run fuel-party: Homemade cupcakes, milk, almond milk, and water.

When I got back to my hotel, I had just enough energy left to take a shower and call for a plate of room service risotto... Room service can feel like a total cop-out when I'm surrounded by both great restaurants and plenty of friends to dine with, but the run wore me out (in a good way) and I did dine with friends first...  We feasted on cupcakes served from a sidewalk cafe!

I am one happy runner.

What's your post-run food of choice?

Do you train solo or with a group?

Running jokes

Image source

(Because some days you just need a good laugh...)




Q. How do crazy runners go through the forest?
A. They take the psycho path.

If you are going to try cross country, start with a small country.

John Bingham (on running marathons): "I didn't train all that time just to come here and get it over with as fast as I can."

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Beth on Pinterest

A school teacher asked a student, "John, will you please conjugate the verb 'to go' for the class?" The kid began, "I go... um... you go... ehmm... he goes..." "How about a little faster?" asks the teacher. And the kid, "Sure! I run, you run, she runs..."

Source: sparkpeople.com via Beth on Pinterest

Two hikers on a trail came around the bend to find an enormous brown bear about 75 yards up the trail. The bear spies them and begins running toward them at a full gallop. One hiker drops his backpack, sits down, throws off his boots, and starts lacing up a pair of running shoes. The other hiker says: "What are you doing? You will never outrun that bear!". The first hiker replies: "I don't have to outrun the bear..."

Did you hear about the marathon runner who ran for four hours? He only moved two feet!

Q. What do runners do when they forget something?
A. They jog their memory

Source: runtheplanet.com via Beth on Pinterest

If you liked these, you might also like my "you might be a runner" series...

What's your favorite corny joke (running or otherwise)?

2-bit Tuesday

Doubles, pairs, and seconds - today is all about 2s.

Tuesday is usually 2-fer Tuesday around here, with a morning and evening run. Given that this is both recovery week and pre-race week (see double-booking note below), I'm skipping the double run today. However, I'm still doing...

...2 running-related things. This morning I did a shake-out 5 mile run around the neighborhood. Tonight I'm heading to a kickoff meeting for a marathon-training program in which I'll be a pace group leader!

2 races in 6 days - This goes on the list of possibly over-ambitious things I double-booked myself signed up for. Sunday's half marathon was race number one and on Saturday I'll be hitting the trails for race number two. I hope my two little legs don't hate me too much at the end of this... But if I could run every day for a 42-day streak, two races in a week shouldn't be so bad... Right?

2 seconds are all that separated the female winner, Sharon Cherop, from the second place finisher, Jemima Sumgong at yesterday's Boston Marathon. (I cannot imagine how hard those two ladies battled it out for that close finish!)

Speaking of Boston and seconds... Yesterday's marathon win was the 2nd slowest on record since 1985.

What are your two cents?

Katherine the Great (a nod to Boston)

The year: 1967

The person: Katherine Switzer

The event: The first woman registers for, and completes, the Boston Marathon at a time when women were banned from the course. (She registered as "K.V. Switzer.")

The scandal: The event organizer, Jock Semple, tried to pull Switzer from the course, yelling "Get the hell out of my race!"

Image source

So... Happy 116th birthday to the Boston Marathon.

Happy 45th anniversary to K.V. Switzer's epic run.

And happy 40th anniversary of the first Boston Marathon that didn't chase women off the course. Thanks to that change in rules, today 43 percent of entrants are female.

Watch her interview with PBS here:

Watch Kathrine Switzer on PBS. See more from Makers: Women Who Make America.

My (personal) favorite quote from the interview:

"I'm gonna' finish this race on my hands and my knees if I have to... Because nobody believes that I can do this, and suddenly I realize, you know, if I don't finish this race, then everybody is going to believe women can't do it and that they don't deserve to be here and that they're incapable."

It wasn't until 1984 that women were (finally) allowed to run the marathon in the Olympics. That rule was changed in response to the lobbying work of Katherine and others.

Thank you Katherine!

Aren't you glad we no longer need bodyguards to run?

Run-derful Saturday

While I've been sidelined by a headcold most of this week, nothing could keep me from gorging myself on running, with an extra side of running, today!

Note the lack of spectators...

Breakfast: The only thing better than spectating at a 5k/10k/half marathon with friends this morning would have been actually running. (But this is taper weekend for me. 13.1 miles are calling my name next weekend!)

Lunch: 2 mile run. Gorgeous weather. Legs felt great! Unfortunately this should have been 4 miles, but my insides weren't happy about the running (note to self: spicy food at dinner = unpleasant run the next day).

I waddled home with no major digestive disasters, so we'll call that a win.

I'm also a firm believer that since bad runs happen, it's best to get them out of the way before a major race, rather than on race day. So today's failed four miles might be a blessing in disguise?

Dinner: Houston Olympic Marathon Trials.
The time-delayed broadcast kept me off the interwebs for most of the afternoon. Nothing ruins a good sporting event like knowing the score ahead of time! But now I know...

Men's team: Keflezighi, Hall, Abdirahman
Women's team: Flanagan, Davila, Goucher

Perfection for me would have been doing my run while watching the Trials. Sadly I don't own a treadmill (and I wasn't about to hog one at the gym for two full hours) so I did intervals on my stationary bike instead. Yes, my gym equipment is in my living room. My home will never resemble a Pottery Barn catalog. I've made peace with that.

Dessert: I finally read Jamoosh's excellent local reporting on the Trials. (Seriously, how great are the photos he posted?)

The Trials left me wanting to be a better runner.
I want to go out to a track and crank out 800s RIGHT NOW. (Except there's that half marathon thing next weekend... Logic will win out. I promise.)

But after the race, I also wondered: Why so much tripping and elbowing in the men's race? There's a big, wide road out there... why bump into each other?

I'm not naive. Intentional roughing is no stranger to the world of track and field, but with Hall, Keflezighi, and Abdriahman, it seemed accidental. The cameras caught them bumping into one another and then apologizing for it. It didn't seem like cruel strategy, more like stumbling... but it's hard to think of any one of them as a stumbler.

Does anyone have any insight into the bumping?
Who were you rooting for? Were you surprised at any performances (or lack thereof)?

Decisions. Decisions.

I bounced back from the half marathon in less than 5 days.
Clearly my return to longer distances (after a 2 year leave of absence) didn't kill me.

So now I'm thinking...
Marathon(s) in 2012!
Yes.
I know I made that potentially plural.

Maybe I've lost my mind?
I've definitely got marathons on the brain right now.

But here's the dilemma -- the Gulf Coast isn't exactly known for distance-running events, so any marathon will require travel, and my spring 2012 schedule is a MESS. I'm teaching a Monday morning class (read: this makes Sunday marathon travel difficult, to say the least), I have already signed up for one half marathon, and I have two other pre-planned trips (in addition to the half). There's also a professional conference I should attend in May... but at this point, that's completely negotiable.

What's a girl to do?

Should I...
A - Quit my teaching job and pursue my dreams of becoming the next Kara Goucher? (Please stop laughing if you have seen my race PRs...It's not nice to laugh at people's dreams!)
B - Buy a personal jet so I can get to races whenever and wherever I want? (I never realized what a difference living in a big city makes when it comes to travel schedules! The last scheduled flight to leave Pensacola on any given day is at 6pm -- like the pilots around here go to sleep at sunset? Get with the program, people! Planes can fly at night, too!)
C - Call in *cough cough* sick to make my travel plans work? (Doh! If I'm going to go with option C, I maybe shouldn't have blogged about it first...)
D - ________ (The write-in answer. What brilliant solution am I missing?)


What would you do?

Empire state of mind -- NYC Marathon stats

In my other life, I am a big, fat STATS GEEK. So, honor of the ING New York City Marathon, here are some eye-opening stats about the race (and some Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, just because):

Who's running:

Today the race is more than 350 times larger than it was the first year. In 1970, according to the organizers of the marathon, "127 runners paid the $1 entry fee to NYRR to participate in a 26.2-mile race... Fifty-five runners crossed the finish line." On Sunday officials expect 45,000 runners to toe the starting line. To put that in perspective, there will be one NYC Marathon runner for every resident of Olympia, WA (or Harrisburg, PA - for those in the eastern time zone).
Of those 45,000 runners:

• 62% men / 38% women (similar to nationwide stats which showed a 59/41 split for male/female marathon finishers in 2010)
• One third are between the ages of 40 and 49.
• The oldest male entrant is 87. The oldest female is 84.

Who's making it happen:

• More than 150 New York Road Runners staff work year-round on the marathon.
• There are more than 8,000 volunteers for the event.
• The week before the race, 100 people worked to clean up the post-snowstorm debris in Central Park that was blocking the race course.

Hydration and fuel:
According to Wolfram|Alpha "to help energize and hydrate the runners before the race begins" organizers will provide runners with:

• 42,000 Power Bars
• 90,000 bottles of water
• 45,000 cups of coffee

On the course, there will be:

• 62,370 gallons of water
• 32,040 gallons of Gatorade

And with all that hydration (plus race-day nerves), expect long bathroom lines:
On Sunday, more than 1,600 portable toilets will be available for the runners. That works out to about one port-o-potty for every 28 runners, but you know the lines will be longer than that!



Data Sources:
ING New York City Marathon website
Running Trip "NYC Marathon by the numbers"
Running USA Annual Marathon Report (2011)
The Weather Channel
Wolfram|Alpha

Running porn

My friend R recently posted a series of links on Facebook under the title "running porn."

After watching, I have to agree.

The most breathtaking is a slow-motion video of the male elite runners at this year's Boston Marathon. The video was shot at 300 frames per second at (approximately) mile 17, by Runblogger.



Is it weird that I find this video so beautiful?

Their running form is so fluid, graceful, and seemingly effortless (in slow motion). This is the kind of video that kindles the desire... to be a better runner.
(Hence: porn.)

And contrast that with Runblogger's video of mid-pack runners at the 10k mark of the Manchester City Marathon (2009). Ouch - the heel-strike on runner 2 and runner 4 makes me wince (and makes me hope I don't look like that when I run)!



Do you ever wonder what your own stride would look like in slow motion?

My how far we have come

When I was born, the marathon was still a men-only event in the Olympics (and no, I'm not that old!) In the era of Title IX it is difficult to remember that less than a generation ago, women were not grated equal access to sports (not to mention certain educational or occupational opportunities). Improvements in gender equity since the 1960s have been rapid, but the effects of gender discrimination linger in subtle ways.

I recently stumbled across this reminder of how much our sport has changed in the past thirty years:

Not until 1984 in Los Angeles would the women's marathon become a sanctioned Olympic event. Joan Benoit Samuelson, the winner, had attended high school in Maine, where women's track teams were not granted varsity status during her freshman and sophomore years. She won the 1975 state championship in the mile -- the longest distance a woman was allowed to run -- but because she insisted on practicing with the boys to improve her times, she was denied the school's most valuable athlete award. "That's when I said to myself, 'I'll show that coach -- I'm going to win an Olympic medal some day,' " Samuelson says. Nine years later she did.
NY Times (1996)

When I read that, I pumped my fist in the air and yelled "Go Joan!" (My cat, who was napping on my desk, was not pleased...)

I highly recommend reading the entire Times article. The piece is now 15 years old, written for the Atlanta Olympics, but is a timeless history of the challenges women have faced just to be able to be runners. If they had not pushed the boundaries of gender, would we be runners today?

One of the most common excuses for excluding women running was that our bodies "couldn't handle it," and that were not as ______ as men (insert "strong," "fast," "smart," "tough," or any number of other adjectives here).

But are women really weaker or slower than men?

Or did they just get a late start?

Today's marathon world record, still held by Paula Radcliffe from the 2003 London Marathon, represents a pace that is equivalent to the fastest man on earth in the early 1960s. And while men's marathon times have remained (from a statistical perspective) roughly stable over the last century, dropping from 2:55 in 1909 to 2:03:59 in 2006, women's times have seen rapid improvement.

Today the differential in men's and women's paces can be measured in seconds per mile, not minutes.

In 1980 only 10 percent of marathon runners were female. In 2009 the proportion reached 41 percent (data from Running USA). The share of women running in shorter races has risen even faster. In the half-marathon distance, women became the majority of runners in 2005.

And, perhaps most interestingly, women who enter ultra-marathons have a substantially higher likelihood of completing the race than male entrants do.

So it is entirely possible that women can be just as fast as men, but got a late start in this game. Granted, there are runners who make a strong argument to the contrary by suggesting that over the last couple of decades the disparity in paces between men and women has remained roughly constant both in the marathon and in other distances.

This is one case where only time will tell.

And I'll keep this in mind next time I'm at the track doing a speed workout.


Chart data source: http://www.marathonguide.com/history/records/ data compiled by author

San Diego Rock n Roll marathon memories

Today, as I'm sitting at my keyboard 2,000 miles away from home, I'm tracking my running buddies at the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll marathon. This is bittersweet for me, as Rock 'n' Roll was my first marathon five years ago, and I've either run or cheered at most of the races since then.

The city of San Diego feels like a festival on marathon day, and I miss the surging crowds, the faces of the runners digging deep to get in the last few miles, and the camaraderie among the finishers. Oh, and I dearly miss Balboa Park. In all the races I've run, I've never found a prettier place to start a run.

However, rather than letting long distance (the bad, you need-to-get-in-a-plane kind... not the good, long-run-on-a-Sunday kind) get me down, I've used remote marathon fever to help me pick a few half marathons for the fall.

Go runners!

Boston fever

Why does the Boston marathon distract me so thoroughly?

Today, Marathon Day, I find it hard to focus on work. I read an email, then check the leader board. I take a phone call, then check Facebook to see if there are any course updates from my fleet-footed running buddies who are racing today. (Yes... at least one of my Boston-running friends has been known to post status updates while on the move.)

And then I found the individual runner tracker, and am totally glued to my computer screen. I'll have to work late tonight to make up for my lack of productivity this morning, but some things just don't happen every day.

I'll use Boston as my mantra when I'm out on my training runs this week...

"If 20,000 other people can run up Heartbreak Hill, I can do one more hill repeat!"

"If 20,000 other people can BQ, I can add one more mile to my long run!"

I don't know what it is about THIS race that makes it so incredible. But it is. And I'm glad. (... now back to the race tracker!)