Tuesday, May 20, 2008 04:32 PM
A new 100-meter world record, the Pontiac Grand Prix, Comrades Marathon, sunblock secrets, icing injuries and Billy Mills.
It was a week of building excitement and surprise finishes, and more action in midweek than on the weekend. The biggest story of the week - and perhaps the month - can only be Maurice Greene's shattering of Donovan Bailey's 100m World Record Wednesday evening in Athens. Greene's time - 9.79 - took .05 seconds from the record, the biggest drop seen since the advent of electronic timing. Greene also became the first athlete to equal the drug-fueled performances of Ben Johnson.
After five hours and twenty minutes of running, we don't often see ultradistance races come down to the last kilometers, but in South Africa's Comrades marathon (89.9 kilometers) the field of 14,000 was down to two with only three kilometers to go. The Pole Jaraslaw Janicki overtook a cramping Alexei Volgin to take his first Comrades title in three tries.
Back home in America, the next-to-last stop in the Golden Spike Tour was the Pontiac Grand Prix on the University of North Carolina track in Raleigh. Marion Jones and Regina Jacobs were the heroes of the day.
As you improve in doing intervals, work on reducing the rest period before increasing the pace. >From Ken Sparks's The Runners Book of Training Secrets, p. 165 You can buy this book at: http://rodalepress7.cam-colo.bbnplanet.com:8080/Unity/UrlView/7/10/14/2/4141
Don't sweat the sunblock: To prevent sunburn, skin cancer and wrinkles, you need to slather on waterproof sunblock before running outdoors. Problem is, waterproof sunblocks can clog your pores, hindering your body's ability to stay cool. The solution? Apply sunblock only to your face, neck and shoulders, which usually absorb the brunt of the sun's rays, suggests exercise physiologist Kitty Consolo. When to ice, when to heat: If you hurt your knee, ankle, shin or any other body part for that matter, apply ice immediately after you injure yourself to limit inflammation. Freeze the ice into a paper cup and massage it into your hurt muscle or tendon for 20 minutes at a time during the first two days of the injury. After that, use a heating pad, warm bath water or hot compress for 20 minutes at a time to increase blood circulation.
Today's beginning runners have plenty of questions. And when you need help, it's comforting to know that there's a place to go for answers. Share your thoughts, concerns and questions in our Beginners Forums and let Runner's World editors provide you with advice and encouragement. This week's topics include training with a coach, evil baby-sitters, sunglasses and talking while running. Check it out at: http://proxicom.rodalestore.com:8080/servlet/AppServer?t=login/login_rw
Billy Mills, 60, will be inducted into the National Long Distance Hall of Fame in Utica, N.Y., on July 10. His 10,000-meter victory in Tokyo in 1964 in 28:24.4 is often called the biggest upset in Olympic history. Peter Gambaccini talked to Mills: http://www.runnersworld.com/dailynew/archives/1999/June/990611.html#chat
Saturday, Fujitsu/KNTV Run for the Kids 8-K: One of the major running events in San Jose, California. Big post race party. Twentieth anniversary run is big fund raiser for Special Olympics.
Saturday, Grandma's Marathon. The field of 7500 reached its limit months ago for this scenic Minnesota point-to-point course finishing in Duluth. Web site: http://www.grandmasmarathon.com
Saturday, Mt. Washington Road Race 7.6 Miles. Very tough run almost continuously uphill to the top of the highest mountain in Northeast. Website: < http://www.gsrs.com
Saturday, Steamboat Classic 4-Mile: There are not many 4 mile races around, but this one draws a world class field and world records have been set on this Peoria, Illinois course. Website: http://www.steamboatclassic.org
Sunday, Fairhaven Father's Day Classic 10-K. One of several races around the country to celebrate Father's Day, there are special awards for Father/son and Father daughter teams.
Do you find yourself getting hungry a few miles into that noontime run? Try eating a snack (a banana, half a bagel, snack bar) about an hour and half before you head out the door. It works for us. -- Alisa Bauman and Beth Eck, editors
In our ever-more mechanized society, marathoners want to assert their independence and affirm their individuality. Call it humanism, call it health, call it folly. Whatever it is, our ailing world could use a lot more of it. -- Erich Segal, marathoner and novelist
barry Tuesday, May 20, 2008 04:32 PM