Highlights from Division I Nationals, Japanese women marathoners, Baumann tests positive for steroids, keeping the weight off, Sonia O’Sullivan, and oh yes, that 2000 marathon calendar.
November might mean marathons for most people, but for athletes under 22, November means nothing more than big cross country meets. The biggest piece of bragging rights in the U.S. was run on Monday, the NCAA Division I Nationals, and Joseph Kimani and Erica Palmer crossed the line first. (You get less mud on your uniform that way.) Team titles went to the Arkansas men (for the seventh time this decade) and Brigham Young women.
- Kimani, Arkansas win NCAA men's titles
< http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991123.html >- Brigham Young, Erica Palmer lead women's NCAA < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991123.html#head2 >
If cheering for American men's marathoners makes you feel like a Red Sox fan, you could always try switching allegiance to Japanese women. With one of their Olympic selections already made (World Championships silver medalist Ari Ichihashi), the Japanese federation had several proven stars (Junko Asari, Naoko Takahashi, Hiromi Suzuki, and Masako Chiba) contending for the other two spots. Then on Sunday at the Tokyo International Ladies Marathon, Eri Yamaguchi ran 2:22:12, a time some contend should be recognized as the women's world record.
- Women's marathon "world record" set in Tokyo < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991122.html >
It can't all be good news. Last week, German distance star Dieter Baumann, 1992 Olympic gold medalist at 5000m, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone. Baumann stated that he had no explanation for the positive test, but the rash of recent nandrolone positives among older athletes (Linford Christie, also a 1992 gold medalist, being the most recent example) is beginning to cause ripples in the drug-testing world.
- Baumann tests positive for nandrolone < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991119.html >
The reason walking is so valuable after an injury is that while you've been recovering the soft tissues surrounding the injured area have tried to mitigate the damage by functioning differently than normal. The muscles surrounding your injury work harder to keep the injured part from going through too much motion. -- from Running Injury-Free by Joe Ellis, page 225. You can buy this book at: http://rodalepress7.cam-colo.bbnplanet.com:8080/Unity/UrlView/7/10/38/2/4141 . .
Log 28 miles a week: That's how far you must run each week to lose weight and keep it off, according to a recent study. The study also found the people who work out for an hour five times a week are more likely to maintain their weight loss.
Sports drink math: Studies show that sports drinks with 6 percent carbohydrate or less empty the stomach faster than those with more sugar. Faster gastric emptying means less sloshing. You can figure out the percent of carbohydrate in your drink by dividing the grams of carbohydrate per serving by the serving size in milliliters and then multiplying by 100.
Don't be a turkey this Thanksgiving. Once the bird is gone, the cranberry sauce eaten and the pumpkin pie devoured, you'll definitely want to head out the door for a run. Once you've ruminated during that post-Thanksgiving run, hop onto our Training Forums and tell your fellow runners just what type of running plans you have scheduled for the upcoming holiday season. Can you say "spring marathon?" < http://proxicom.rodalestore.com:8080/servlet/AppServer?t=login/login_rw >.
Ireland's Sonia O'Sullivan, the double World Cross-Country champion in 1998, recently broke the 5-mile world record. She covered the distance in 24:27. One week earlier, in the Great North Run Half-Marathon, she finished fourth with a PR of 1:10:05. Runner's World spoke with Sullivan: < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991124.html#chat >
Thursday, The Manchester Road Race 4.75 Miles, Manchester, Conn. One of the oldest races in the country. Bands every mile, big hill ends second mile.
Thursday, Outback Distance Classic Half-Marathon, Jacksonville, Fla. A very flat and fast 13.1-miler in northern Florida. Web site: < http://www.1stplacesports.com >.
Friday, Citizen's Gas Race for Heat 5-K and 10-K, Indianapolis, Ind. Flat, fast certified course that winds through the heart of Indianapolis. Web site: < http://www.kenlongassoc.com >.
Sunday, Run to the Fair Side 5-K and 10-K, San Francisco. Another combination of serious running and fun in the Bay Area. Web site: < http://www.ssgate.com/runtothefarside >.
You may associate sunscreen with hot weather, but it's important in colder weather too. Cover your face, neck and any other exposed skin before you run - year round. - Beth Eck, RW associate editor
The music of the marathon is a powerful martial strain, one of those tunes of glory. It asks us to forsake pleasures, to discipline the body, to find courage, to renew faith and to become one's own person, utterly and completely. -- George Sheehan