Athletes of the Century, top sports personalities of the year, exercising later in life, burning fat while drinking tea, Maurice Greene, Inger Miller.
Once the IAAF announced its "Athletes of the Century" (Carl Lewis and Fanny Blankers-Koen), the rest of the media couldn't be far behind. Runner's World announced on Tuesday that our "Runner of the Century" was John A. "Old John" Kelly, two-time winner and 58-time finisher of the Boston Marathon. Then Reuters announced its "Sports personalities of the year" list, and Michael Johnson came in second, with Maurice Greene fourth and Gabriela Szabo ninth.
- John A. Kelly, Runner of the Century < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991130.html >
- Johnson, Greene named top sports personalities < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/December/991201.html >
The U.S. celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday last weekend, and Thanksgiving Day probably has more road races than any other day of the year. One of the biggest is in Manchester, Connecticut, over the highly unorthodox (but carefully measured) distance of 4.784 miles. Winners this year were Deena Drossin and David Makori.
- Drossin, Makori win at Manchester < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991129.html >
Also last weekend was the first round of the annual Foot Locker Cross Country Championships, the national high school event which claims to be the only true high school national championships in any sport. Three of the four regionals were contested on Saturday, with eight boys and eight girls from each qualifying for the National (to be held in Florida on December 11). West, the final regional, will be run on the 4th, delayed a week due to the late California state championships.
- Foot Locker Cross-Country Regionals set three-quarters of finals field < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/November/991129.html#head2 >
Eventually you will reach a peak in your training. Running becomes easier and less of an effort. You are able to finish your weekly long runs at the same pace you started-and you don't feel as tired or worn out the next day. You feel good. To achieve peak performance, mental strength may be as important as physical strength, but you achieve mental confidence by training yourself physically." -- from Hal Higdon's Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide, page 116. You can buy this book at: http://rodalepress7.cam-colo.bbnplanet.com:8080/Unity/UrlView/7/10/39/2/4141 . .
Erase the past: The exercise you do later in life is much more important than the exercise you didn't do earlier in your life, according to a recent study. So if you spent your younger years in a sedentary trance, don't worry. It's the running that you're doing now that matters most.
Tea burns fat: Those who drank a cup of green tea after eating a high-fat meal experienced a 4 percent boost in their metabolisms over the following 24 hours compared to a group of people who didn't drink tea. While the small amount of caffeine in green tea may help somewhat, the researchers suspect special substances in green tea called catechin polyphenols may be responsible for the metabolism boost.
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Runners need to be selective when it comes to eating breakfast before a morning run. What foods do you fuel up with in the early a.m.? Share your pre-run breakfast secrets with other morning runners on our Nutrition forum: < http://proxicom.rodalestore.com:8080/servlet/AppServer?t=login/login_rw >.
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Maurice Greene and Inger Miller are the winners of the 1999 Jesse Owens Award, given to the top male and female American track and field athletes of the year. Greene won the world indoor 60-meter gold medal, set a new world record of 9.79 in the 100 meters in Athens, won the 100 and 200 and anchored a gold medal-winning U.S. 4 x 100 relay at the World Championships in Seville. Miller won the 200 and earned a silver behind Marion Jones in the 100, setting personal bests of 21.77 (the best time in the world this year) and 10.79 in Seville. Runner's World spoke with both athletes: < http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/December/991202.html#chat >
Sunday, December 5, Brian's Run. This West Chester, Penn. event is a huge fund raiser and attracted more than 3,000 participants in 1998. Web site: < http://www.wcupa.edu/brians.run >.Sunday, December 5, California International Marathon. A point-to-point course with a net downhill drop, makes this Sacramento event a favorite with folks looking to qualify for Boston. Web site: < http://www.runcim.org >.
Sunday, December 5, First Tennessee Memphis Marathon. USATF-certified, pasta dinner, post-race party, finishes in an indoor facility. Web site: < http://www.runmemphis.com >.
Sunday, December 5, White Rock Marathon. A field or more than 5,000 is expected for one of Texas's oldest marathons. Also Two- and Five-person Relays and a "Run for the Kids." Web site: < http://www.whiterock-marathon.com >.
Next time you don't feel like finishing a run, try some 'mindful' running. Start by listening. First to the sound your feet make as they run on different surfaces. Then to your breath. Eventually, you'll be able to tune into chirps from birds, crackling of squirrels, the distant knock of someone hammering -- all sounds you would have otherwise missed. Next, smell by breathing through your nose. Catch the aroma of someone's fireplace. Smell the clean scent of laundry. Or the earthy smell of farms. Then feel the cool air on your skin. Use all of your senses. You'll find that you'll cover more distance at a faster pace than you otherwise would by staying lost in various thoughts." --Alisa Bauman, associate editor
God's been good to me. I've caught a few bad breaks along the way, but God likes me. And I like Him, too. Time marches on and here I am way up in my 80s. Jeepers. I want to run till I'm 100. I'll never stop. People ask me about my philosophy of life all the time. I just put one foot in front of the other and keep going -- John A. "Old John" Kelley, from Young at Heart