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RUNNER'S NICHE
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Vol. 6 No.4 June/July 2001
Special Notice: HEY! Don't miss out on our special "To the Edge"
contest this month! And, as always, check out the Marathon &
Beyond Trivia contest!
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NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
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July is an important time to many high school runners. It's time
to prepare for the upcoming cross country season. While there
will always be a few who simply show up for cross country
practice in the fall without having run a step all summer, the
wise high school runner has been preparing by putting in the
miles all summer.
Many high school runners want to know how many miles they should
run each week, or over the course of the summer, to get in top
shape. Others want very specific workout schemes, and wonder
about lifting weights or cross training by swimming, riding a
bike or playing games like soccer, softball or baseball.
There is no exact plan that works for everyone, but there are
some important guidelines. In the many years I coached high
school cross country, I always felt the most important things in
off season training were:
1. Consistency.
2. Staying injury free.
3. Building endurance.
4. Keeping it fun.
To be really effective, training needs to be done on a regular
basis. For runners who are very serious and who have been in the
sport for a couple of years or more, this might mean running
almost every day. To a new runner just getting started, that
might mean 3-4 times a week to start. The distance you run will
be dependent on how long you have been running and what kind of
shape you are in. The key is to increase the distances you run
gradually. Vary the distance you run each day, as well.
In order to keep from getting injured, the key is to increase
both distance and intensity gradually. You should only have a
couple of hard runs each week, don't go out and race every day.
Many of your off season runs should be very easy jogs.
The most common injury to high school runners is shin splints.
This is pain in the muscle that borders the shin bone. It can
vary from mildly irritating to downright debilitating. To avoid
shin splits and most other injury make sure you are running in
shoes with proper fit that are designed specifically for
running. Don't go cheap here. Running is a pretty inexpensive
sport overall, but good running shoes are worth a few extra
dollars. Also, don't do all of your running on concrete of
streets. Get on dirt roads, trails and grass. This better
prepares you for cross country style running, and it provides a
softer surface, which saves your legs from some of the jarring
associated with running.
The summer is a good time to take a break from racing and hard
interval workouts. This is a good time to build strength and an
endurance base to make you really ready for the faster workouts
and races during the competitive season ahead. For experienced
runners that will mean longer runs and gradually building up
weekly mileage. New runners will need to work on getting into
shape. A totally inexperienced runner might find it difficult to
run a mile without stopping. That's okay. Start by running mixed
with walking if you are brand new to the sport. Gradually
decrease the amount you walk, and before long you will find
yourself running non-stop over longer and longer distances.
Finally, it is important to have fun in the off season. If you
enjoy doing other sports, go ahead and do them. Soccer, swimming
and cycling are all endurance sports that will give you some
benefit as a runner. Just remember not to abandon running
completely if you are serious about having a good cross country
season. Weight training is fine, as well. In fact, by building
your strength through weights, you may reduce the chances of
injury and make yourself a more efficient runner.
If you have a burning desire to race in the summer, it's fine to
jump into a race or two. Just don't overdo it. Remember, the
races that really count are the ones you will be running for
your team in the fall.
One of the best ways to keep up the enthusiasm while also having
fun with your running is to workout with your teammates. Perhaps
your coach has arranged regular workouts in the summer. If so,
don't miss them. The things that most older runners most fondly
remember about their high school cross country days are the
friendships and the feeling of team unity.
Good luck to all of you lucky enough to be preparing for a cross
country season with your team. Listen to your coach and be the
best team member you can. If you work as hard as you can for
your team, you will ultimately become the best runner you can,
as well. I hope some of you will e-mail me and let me know how
your season goes.
- WG
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MARATHON & BEYOND MAGAZINE - Marathon & Beyond, the only magazine
that focuses on the specific needs of marathoners and
ultrarunners. M&B offers in-depth articles on training, race
strategies, injuries, nutrition, race profiles, running history,
and more. Visit their web site at:
http://www.marathonandbeyond.com
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RUNNER'S NICHE / MARATHON & BEYOND TRIVIA CONTEST
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Heather Buten of Hopewell, New Jersey was our winner last month.
She will get a free issue of Marathon & Beyond and fame! Trivia
contest entrants are limited to one prize per calendar year.
When answering, email your answers with the subject "trivia
contest" and answer the questions in the order they appear below.
Mail to: woodyg3@netone.com. The FIRST person to answer all of
the questions correctly wins. If nobody answers each question
correctly, we will award the prize to the person who answers the
most questions accurately. Good Luck!
This Month's Questions (US Athlete Biographical Info theme):
1. What college did marathon runner Rod DeHaven attend?
2. What national title did Jason Pyrah win in 2000?
3. Which American woman placed 10th in the 1996 Olympic marathon?
4. What current, male US distance ace won the NCAA cross country
title as a freshman in 1988?
5. Which US woman won both the world cross country title and a
bronze medal in the Olympic 10,000 in 1992?
6. Which American distance star attended American College High
School in Cairo, Egypt?
7. Arkansas grad Deena Drossin placed 12th in the World Cross
Country Championships in 2000 despite what misfortune during the
race?
8. A member of the 2001 World Championships team at 10,000
meters, this athlete became an American citizen on January 28,
2000. Who is he?
9. Who won the TAC womens outdoor 1500 title in 1988?
10. Who won the same title in 1989?
11. Who won the mens outdoor USATF title for 10,000 meters in
1998?
12. National titles in the mens steeple chase from 1981 to 1987
all went to the same man, who was he?
Last Month's Answers:
What nation did each of the following athletes compete for in
past Olympic Games?
1. Johnny Hayes - USA
2. Kenny Moore - USA
3. Gaston Roelants - Belgium
4. Paola Cacchi - Italy
5. Seb Coe - Great Britain
6. John Walker - New Zealand
7. Lorraine Moller - New Zealand
8. Khalid Skah - Morocco
9. Richard Chelimo - Kenya
10. Nixon Kiprotich - Kenya
11. Fermin Cacho - Spain
12. Hassiba Boulmerka - Algeria
13. Elana Meyer - South Africa
14. Derartu Tulu - Ethiopia
15. Lidia Simon - Romania
16. Sonia O'Sullivan - Ireland
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RUNNING DELIGHTS - all occasion and holiday greeting cards,
novelty gifts, t-shirts, bracelets and many others items.
www.ontherun.com/runningdelights
Our entire catalog is now online with secure ordering.
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TO THE EDGE CONTEST
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Runner's Niche just received a few copies of a new book by Kirk
Johnson. The title is "To the Edge: A Man, Death Valley, And the
Mystery of Endurance." You have a chance to win a free copy!
Email with your prediction as to the winner and her time in the
womens World Championship Marathon to be held on August 12. The
winner will be the person who correctly identifies the winner and
comes closest to predicting her time. (Should no one correctly
predict the winner of the race, the book will go to the person
who comes closest to predicting the winning time.)
Not sure you can prognosticate the race that well? Not to worry,
we will randomly pick three additional names from all the contest
entries, and those individuals will also win a book.
To learn more about this book, point your web browser to:
http://www.twbookmark.com
To whet your appetite, here are the liner notes from "To the
Edge":
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When his much admired older brother, a gifted athlete, committed
suicide, New York Times reporter Kirk Johnson started running.
Running to escape, running to feel closer to his lost sibling,
running to comprehend his brother's perplexing surrender.
Then he heard about Badwater. An unusually severe sporting event,
the Badwater Ultramarathon starts in the middle of summer at
temperatures of 120 degrees or more and climbs through the even
hotter, unforgiving wastes of Death Valley. Besides potentially
lethal heat, runners must contend with scorpions and coyotes, 40
mph headwinds, and lightning storms. They hallucinate fantastic
visions, develop countless blisters, and face such dangerous
dehydration that crew members must accompany them to keep them
from stumbling into unconsciousness.
Although Johnson had never attempted even a half-marathon, he
signed on for the challenge of running the equivalent of five
consecutive marathons in a sandswept inferno. To help him,
Johnson enlisted his sister, as well as his only surviving
brother, from whom he'd drifted apart over the years. His fellow
competitors were virtual running machines-dreamers, fanatics, and
searchers, all united in the realization that the Badwater run
is, fundamentally, a journey inward.
On a mid-July day, after a freak rainstorm that delayed the race
but did little to alleviate the heat, Kirk stood at the Badwater
starting line, waiting with nerve-fraying apprehension. This is
an account of what happened...
A story of adventure and family, of loss and triumph, TO THE EDGE
is an enlightening, haunting memoir of one man's quest to
understand what makes us survive and, ultimately, what it means
to be alive.
All rights reserved. Posted with permission of
http://www.twbookmark.com
-----
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HASH HOUSE HARRIERS MAKE RUNNING FUN IN JAPAN
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By: Cpl. Chad Swaim
OKINAWA, Japan — A group of adults running through the streets
and woods of Okinawa, blowing whistles and shouting "on-on" and
"true trail" may seem strange to some people, but for the
Okinawa Hash House Harriers, it’s just another run.
The harriers are a group comprised of American service members,
civilians and Okinawans who come together to socialize and run,
or as they call it "un." The group is divided into two sections,
the hares and the hounds. The hares are the first to leave the
starting point. They mark the trail for the hounds to follow
using chalk, flour and paper signs. The markings, however, do
not always lead the hounds in the right direction.
"The hares take off 15 minutes ahead of the pack and leave marks
through fields or wherever they decide to take the run," said
Neil MacNevin, local hasher. "We get to follow those marks, and
sometimes we run through the city or go through mountains and
rivers, whatever the terrain has to offer."
During the summer, the group tends to stick to the city streets,
beaches and everything in between around Okinawa, but the
winters are a little different.
"Usually in the winter we go into what we call the ‘shiggy,’
which is the jungle, because the snakes hibernate during the
winter," MacNevin said.
At the end of the run all of the hashers gather in a circle for
a ceremony they call the "down-downs." Here they socialize,
welcome new hashers and bid farewell to departing members.
After a new hasher participates in his or her sixth run, the
down-down is also where the member gets a hash nickname from the
senior hash members, according to MacNevin.
While hashing is a casual, fun-filled activity, it also has some
history behind it and is not limited to Okinawa. A new hash
group cannot start without being sponsored by an established
hash, which is called the group’s mother
"We’re one small group of a world of hashers," MacNevin said.
"The main hash is out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. That’s where it
was started, and one of its offspring was Taipei, and from there
this hash was created, so we’re a third generation hash."
The group runs all over Okinawa and the surrounding islands,
exposing its members to various Okinawa culture. While scouting
a new area for a hash in the mountains around Nago City in
April, the hares uncovered six untouched Japanese bunkers,
according to Randy Robinson, local hasher.
The harriers usually hold seven runs per month, which sets it
apart from other hash groups. "The Okinawa hash is one of the
most active hashes in the world," MacNevin said. "We run every
Saturday and every other Thursday.
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FROM USATF
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*Webb Honored by USOC*
High school middle distance sensation Alan Webb was named the
United States Olympic Committee's Athlete of the Month for June.
Webb earned the distinction after becoming the fastest U.S. prep
miler in history with his time of 3:53.43 on May 27 at the
Prefontaine Classic in Eugene.
*Jackson Does it Again!*
For the fourth time this season, Elizabeth Jackson set a new
American record in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. In
finishing third (9 minutes, 43.36 seconds) July 9 at the Nikaia
meet in Nice, France, Jackson demolished her previous AR of
9:48.72 set on July 1 in winning the Norwich Union Challenge in
Glasgow, Scotland.
Bak Justyna of Poland won the race in Nice in a new world record
time of 9:25.31.
*Womens Marathon Team Set*
Olympic Trials champion Christine Clark leads the five-person
team that will compete for Team USA in the women's marathon at
the World Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Edmonton,
Canada.
Named to Team USA are Clark, Christine Clifton, Jill Gaitenby,
Jennifer Tonkin and Kim Pawelek. The women's marathon race closes
the Championships on August 12.
* USATF Web Site Doing Well*
Bucking a nationwide trend of decreased traffic to sports-related
Web sites, USATF's Web site, www.usatf.org, is showing huge
increases in traffic. The number of daily unique visitors to
www.usatf.org has more than quadrupled since the beginning of
2001.
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THIS AND THAT
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*Halloween Race in Denver, Colorado*
The Scream Scram 5K Run/Walk, and 100 meter Spooky Sneak for
children will be on October 26, 2001 at 6 p.m. The race will be
in Washington park, and fees will be $22 for Adults ($27 on race
day), and $13 for children age 18 and under and
seniors age 60 and older ($18 on race day).
More Info:
Dana Lauren Cantarano
Scream Advertising & PR
1424 Larimer Square Suite 201
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: 303-893-8608
Fax: 303-893-8607
Email: dana@screamagency.com
Web Site: www.screamagency.com
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WEB SITES OF INTEREST
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*Information on VitaShots and their Liposome nutraceutical
products is available at
http://www.vitashots.com
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LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
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Dear Runner's Niche,
Have any readers of Runner's Niche experienced what might be
called a 'stadium effect'? By this I refer to an apparent
advantages gained by competing at a particular stadium. It is
often said that Bislet Stadium in Oslo has this effect. The
effect may result from size, shape, compactness, atmosphere etc.
I'd be interested in knowing.
- John Bale (email: eda38@educ.keele.ac.uk)
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Fine 14K and Sterling Silver jewelry for runners. Call/write for
catalog. Creative Sports Jewelry, 6525 Gunpark Dr. #150-422,
Boulder, CO 80301. 303/527-1130 or 800/606-8887. E-mail
SprtJewlry@aol.com Website: www.ontherun.com/sportsjewelry
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