Footlocker winners, controversy brews over Olympic Trials, Honolulu, teen dieting, buying a treadmill and the Runner’s World "century of greatness."
The list of alumni of the first twenty runnings of the Foot Locker High School National Cross-Country Championships includes some pretty impressive names, starting with the year Marc Davis, Todd Williams, and Bob Kennedy finished 1-2-3 in that order, and continuing through this year's NCAA champion Erica Palmer, who was 15th in 1996. We always love dropping by the Championships to see the stars of the future; you may not have heard of Victoria Chang or Dathan Ritzenhein yet, but you will.
- Complete Foot Locker coverage: < http://www.highschoolrunner.com/racing/footlocker99/home.html >
There's a lot of buzz around the Olympic Trials now, and not a little bit of politics. Now that two Americans have run the "A" standard for the Olympic games, what happens if a third runner wins, but doesn't make the "A" standard? Do we send the single Trials winner alone, or both "A" qualifiers while the Trials winner stays home? Do we reward the winner of a make-or-break race and not the runners who worked hard to qualify for the Olympics... or do we wonder why we run a Trials race at all? For more details, check out Amby Burfoot's article on the problem.
- Marathon Trials controversy brewing < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/December/991209.html >
Jimmy Muindi had placed in the top five at the Honolulu Marathon for five years. This year a strong kick in the last meters got him his first-ever marathon win, in the race which had frustrated him so long.
- Muindi wins Honolulu on sixth try < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/December/991213.html >
Overtraining is usually the result of weeks of stress, but it can also be triggered by your failure to recover from a single strenuous event. You compete in a marathon. You take a day or two off. You start training again for your next race and, pow, exhaustion hits you like a 16-wheeler. The best cure for overtraining is rest. Take a few days off. -- from Scott Tinley and Ken McAlpine, Winning Guide to Sports Endurance, page 198. You can buy this book at: http://rodalepress7.cam-colo.bbnplanet.com:8080/Unity/UrlView/7/10/41/2/4141
A good reason to buy a treadmill: Overweight women who had a treadmill or other type of exercise equipment at home exercised more consistently and lost twice as much weight as those who did not. Researchers suspect home exercise equipment provides you with another option during inclement weather. It also may serve as a visual reminder to exercise.
Teen dieting leads to weight gain: Teenage girls who diet or take appetite suppressants and laxatives are more likely to gain weight and are at a greater risk for obesity than girls who do not, according to a study done by researchers t the University of Texas at Austin and Stanford University. The researchers aren't sure if the girls were already predisposed to weight gain, which is why they were dieting in the first place, or if the dieting led to the weight gain.
========= In our forums ===========
With the conclusion of the 1999 cross-country season at last weekend's Foot Locker Championships in Orlando, it's time to start the training cycle all over again. Chat with other high school teams on our high school forums and uncover what it takes to make it to the most prestigious high school meet. < http://proxicom.rodalestore.com:8080/servlet/AppServer?t=login/login_rw >.
========= Interview =========
Victoria Chang and Dathan Ritzenhein won the Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championships in Orlando last Saturday morning. Runner’s World spoke with both winners after their races: < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/December/991213.html#chat >
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Eating soon after a hard run is key to a proper recovery. Carbohydrates are great, but don’t focus on them alone. Studies suggest it’s better to have a little protein, too. Try a turkey sandwich with an apple, or a bowl of cereal with skim milk and sliced banana. -- Parker Morse, RW electronic editor
It's been upsetting that people have seen my attitude not as recklessness but weakness. The Australian behavior toward losers is far from healthy. If youngsters are taught that losing is a disgrace, and if they're not sure they can win, they will be reluctant to even try. And not trying is the real disgrace. -- Ron Clarke, great Australian distance runner of the 1960s. Clarke was favored to win the Tokyo 10,000 (won by Billy Mills), but had to settle for a bronze.