--------------
RUNNER'S NICHE
--------------
Vol. 1 No. 3 June, 1996
*********************
NOTES FROM THE EDITOR
*********************
Do you have a running related you'd like to write about? If so, send
it on, I'd like to see it! RUNNER'S NICHE would like to include more
reader contributions. We want to offer a real variety of running
stories in these electronic pages.
Please don't feel like you have to be a professional writer to send
something along to RUNNER'S NICHE. Most of our contributors are not
professional writers, just folks with a love for running.
I hope you enjoy this issue. Sorry it is a couple of days late!
- Woody Green
*****************************
RUNNER'S NICHE IS ON THE WEB!
*****************************
RUNNER'S NICHE now has a web page! We have some cool links, and
past issues can be downloaded there. Also, we have a Macintosh
training log program for free download. We will add features as
RUNNER'S NICHE continues to "grow up." If you'd like to visit, the URL
is: http://members.aol.com/woodyg3/web/runiche.html . Pass the
address on to your friends!
***********************
OTHER RUNNING WEB SITES
***********************
A new web site you might want to visit is the Boulder Road Runners
web site at: http://rainbow.rmii.com/~benjid/brr.html.
Another great spot is the RUNNING STATS web site, which features
race results from around the world. Their address is:
http://rainbow.rmii.com/~benjid/rs.html.
***************************
THE NATIONAL 12-STAGE RELAY
***************************
By Conrad Truedson
The National 12-stage Relay.
Sutton Coldfield, England
27 April 1996
Relays are always an exciting part of athletics. Who can forget
that incredible 2:54 1600 meter relay at the 93 World Champs.
(Probably most people, but that is another story.) Road racing in
the U.S. does not have much of a tradition in this area.
There are a few regional events such as the Hood-to-Coast relay and
the old Plymouth-to-Provincetown relay in Massachusetts. But
without some sort of club system there just is not the incentive to
put on these events. New England has such a system of local running
clubs and that is why the P-to-Ptown relay was so successful. In its
heyday there were over 250 clubs running the 86 miles from
Plymouth Rock to the centre of Provincetown on the tip of Cape
Cod.It was so popular that it was pushed out of the area to its
present race site in New Hampshire.
The last year of the P-to-Ptown race was in 1988. The winning team,
that year, Nike Boston, setting a new course record. Anchoring that
team was none other than England's Richard Nerurkar, who, not
coincidentally, played a key role in Bingley's attempt this year at the
all-time best mark on the Sutton Park course. Bristol A.C. in 1980,
with Steve Jones and Nick Rose among others, set the existing
standard of 4:00:37 for the 50+ miles.
Running in good conditions, sunny, cool and not much wind, Bingley
set the tone for the day by leading from mile 3 until the end. The
twelve stages are made up of six long legs of 5 mile 706 yards
alternated with six short legs of 3 miles 109 yards. At the end of the
stage 1 long leg Bingley's Mark Peters was in front and the Yorkshire
club never looked back after that. The only question was; will they
break the record and possibly go under 4 hours?
Bingley was slightly behind pace through the first six stages then
on stage seven it was Nerurkar's turn. Running solo (Bingley was
already 3 minutes ahead.) the Oxford grad blazed the long course to a
time of 24:50, the =8th fastest time ever behind Dave Moorcroft's CR
24:27 (1982). However, Bingley could not sustain the pace and in the
end came up short clocking 4:02:06 the 4th fastest time ever. The
next team, Tiptom anchored by former 2:09 marathon Tony
Milosorov, was over four minutes back.
From an American point of view it is this sort of activity that is
missing from the U.S. scene. Watching these guys bust-a-gut for
their club is true sport. Sadly missing in all the hype of athletics
today.
******
BOSTON
******
By Michael Sandrock
Gary Bjorkland got his first inkling into the power and mystique of
the Boston Marathon one day not long after returning to Minneapolis
after competing in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. His running
store had just opened for the day, and Bjorkland was up front, saying
hello to customers.
"I had just gotten back from the Olympics and really thought I was
hot stuff," Bjorkland recalls. "My business partner in the retail store
we had opened was a 2:38 marathoner. Here I am, standing at the
doorway, greeting customers. One man comes in and I start talking to
him. 'Have you ever run a marathon?' he asked me. 'No. My partner
has run Boston three times, but I ran the 10,000 meters in the
Olympics.' The guy pushed me aside, and said, 'The Boston Marathon!
Get out of my way. I want to talk to a real runner.' That's when I
realized the importance of Boston"
Bjorkland eventually made it to Boston, and was one of the many
starts leaving his sweat on the famed course. Here's what a few of
them remember about their Boston Marathons:
INGRID KRISTIANSEN
"I won Boston the first year I ran it, in '86. I was a bit disappointed,
because I thought I would run faster. (She won in 2:24:55), but
because of the conditions that year I didn't. What I remember is that
the crowds are so nice. I wanted to set a world record at Boston, so
I'd go as fast as possible from the start and try to keep it going. The
Boston Marathon is easy at the start, but when it came to 25 K, I
couldn't keep it going."
ROSA MOTA
"I always dreamed of running Boston, because of its tradition. It's the
oldest one, and I think all the runners want to do the Boston
Marathon. But I never did until 1987, because I didn't want to run a
spring marathon before the big championships. But when I wasn't
afraid to run a spring marathon, I chose Boston, of course. I came to
Boston for the first time in 1987 and won. It is the race with the
most history. After the Olympics, Europeans and World
Championships, Boston is number one. What I liked was the fans
cheering along the course. There is a big Portuguese community and
they cheered me, too. They knew a lot about runners, and about the
feeling of the runners. It is not an easy course, and when I was
running Boston I was competing against the course and against
myself. I wanted to do better every year."
BILL RODGERS
"My most disappointing Boston was the first one I ran, that I
dropped out of 1973. That led me to quit running. Or, in 1977, when
I was a contender to win. It was a warm day and I ended up
dropping out. Both were disappointing, and I had some in between...
"Certainly winning it in 1975 is my fondest feeling about Boston.
That marathon, in terms of racing and how I did, was a big surprise
for me. I broke Frank Shorter's American record (with a 2:09:55),
and it came out of th e blue. That would have to be my Number one
experience...
"It was a windy and cold day, and Charlie (his brother) went into the
hardware store and bought some gardening gloves for me to wear,
because we were hanging around before the start. Don't forget, there
was no Gore Tex in those days. Those gloves later became a part of
our (running apparel) line. Charlie used to go along the course and
hand out water, along with Billy Squires= and other friends. That
always helped me a lot. I knew the course well. The fans knew me
and it was deafening when I ran."
GREG MEYER
"How did I beat Billy (in 1983)? I trained harder than him. I just got
very fit. I set some personal bests from 10,000 meters through 30 K.
I give Benji Durden credit for making that race. He took off and I
chased him. I had a series of weeks around 130 miles, along with
some good quality. I ran sub-28 minutes for 10 K. and set a world
best for 10 miles.
LORRAINE MOLLER
"My best memory? Winning it.I can remember I was absolutely
amazed at how many people were on the course. I went into the race
thinking I was going to win. I was leading up to the '84 Olympic
games, and I didn't have a qualifying time yet. Either I had to
impress the qualifiers, or that was it. I did a Moller trick, once you
think I'm gone, I come back.
"The hills didn't bother me. Being from New Zealand, we are used to
running hills. I grew up training with a lot of men and got used to
running the downhills hard to keep up.:
KENNY MOORE
The memories are not all good for the elite runners who've made the
pilgrimage to Boston. The Boston Marathon may have cost Kenny
Moore an Olympic medal.
"I wish I had never run the Boston Marathon. I ran it once really
hard in 1970 and sustained an injury chasing Ron Hill in the sleet
and rain. That injury dogged me the rest of my career and affected
me in the Olympic Marathon two years later. I was an Oregon boy,
not used to running in that. There was a little bit of freezing rain and
wind, and Hill was just running magnificently as was Eamon O'Reilly."
"Hill ran 2:10:30, which for my money is worth 2:08:30, and Eamon
ran 2:11:15, breaking my American record. I was expecting to run
2:13 and ended up running 2:19 something, just under 2:20.
The injury came when Moore made a push to go after Hill. "I ran the
hills hard to maybe try to get warm and rev up the engine. I was a
good downhill runner, and I ran off the hills as hard as I could, and
in the cold I tore the hell out of my right hamstring."
Unfortunately, the leg cramped in the same spot during the Munich
Olympic Marathon, when Moore was running with Ethiopian Mamo
Walde in second place behind Frank Shorter. With his leg cramping,
Moore had to drop back with four miles to go, finishing forth.
**** This is part of an article appearing in the Boulder Road Runners
Newsletter. It is written by running author Michael Sandrock, and is
reprinted here with his permission. Michael Sandrock is the sports
editor for the Colorado Daily. He has also written articles for many
running magazines.****
******************************
A BOOK YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT!
******************************
Michael Sandrock, author of the above article, has a great new book
out entitled RUNNING WITH THE LEGENDS. The book includes training
and racing insights from 21 great runners such as Frank Shorter,
Emil Zatopek, Priscilla Welch, Grete Waitz, Seb Coe, Uta Pippig and
many more.
Scott Douglass, Editor of Running Times had this to say about
Sandrock's writing: "It's a joy to read RUNNING WITH THE LEGENDS
and to indulge in its expansive treatment of some of running's
pantheon. As one who lives the life he describes, Sandrock is a
natural to write this book."
The book is published by Human Kinetics and can be purchased by
calling 1-800-747-4457. The book is also available in better running
and book stores.
*************************************
BLUE DOTS, COMETS, AND TV INNOVATIONS
*************************************
By: Mike Morrisey
January 20, 1996, Boston, Massachusetts. At its annual All star game
the National Hockey League ushered in its latest television
innovation, Fox's Comet, officially titled Fox Trax. A little blue dot
that highlights the puck and turns into a red and gold comet tail as
it's shot towards the goal, or down the rink. The NHL's concept is to
make a hard to watch sport, hockey with its tiny and hard to follow
puck, fresh, new and viewer friendly.
How was it done is not the question, the real question is did it work?
Yes, and if you look at all the hype surrounding the live coverage on
Fox it worked 50 million times better than the actual game coverage.
The ratings for the game were as expected, but ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN,
ESPN and many local affiliates hyped the "technological advance"
with over a dozen major feature stories, as well as playing the
highlights in the hours after the game on hundreds of news and
sports news shows. That exposed the sport to 50 million non-hockey
fans, and hopefully whet their appetite for further hockey viewing.
There were also thousands of yards, not inches, of Fox Trax hype in
the printed sports media. USA Today hailed Fox Trax as the most
exciting innovation in television sports. The experiment was such a
success that Fox is using Fox Trax in many of its Stanley Cup playoff
coverage broadcasts.
How was it done? A two word answer, Digital Technology. Can road
racing utilize digital technology?
Beginning in the summer of 1996 innovations in digital television
production can alter road racing more than if a real comet impacted
an NHL rink. This summer a computer/camera manufacturer will
introduce a tapeless camcorder for broadcast television. Combined
with their existing nonlinear computer editors the time to edit a half
hour program goes from six to ten hours, with existing video tape, to
two to three hours max. Better specs and production values
included. By August 1997 the Falmouth 7 mile road race with a
10AM start can nationally air, on a cable sports network with a half
hour coverage program at noon, same day, via a "tape delay" - a soon
to be archaic term. Road racing will become viewer friendly 20
times per year, seen within four hours of the race, and technically
newsworthy for the first time in over ten years.
Unlike the NHL, no tractor trailers full of extremely expensive
equipment with about one hundred technicians to fit the NHL rinks
with special sensors will be needed. For road racing it's ten people or
less and barely enough gear to fill the trunk of a 1960 Mercury
Comet, compact car. And the video will be as perfect as the million
dollar NHL telecast, at a tiny fraction of the cost.
The NHL hopes to ride its comet tail to a rise in popularity. An
astrological comet circumnavigates the solar system about every one
hundred years. Should road racing wait that long to hitch a ride on
its own technological upshot? Lets hope not.
****Mike is a TV sports producer who has covered many road races
for TV networks.****
***************************************
TRAINING MORE AND GETTING AWAY WITH IT!
***************************************
By Woody Green
Every serious runner would like to run a few more miles each week,
or do an extra interval workout, or get in some extra cross training.
The human body imposes it's limit on our training, though. It must
recover between workouts, and if it doesn't, your body has ways of
letting you know.
There are ways to help your body recover more quickly and / or
more completely, though. Aiding your body in it's recovery might
allow you to make the breakthrough you are looking for in your
training.
So, what can you do to improve recovery between workouts?
Snorting elephant tusk powder while taking a bath in mud from the
Nile River, perhaps? Well, maybe, but there are some more basic and
practical methods.
1. STRETCH. "Nothing new here," you say. "Everyone knows to
stretch." Yes, everyone knows, but does everyone do it? Tell the
truth, do you ALWAYS stretch after EVERY workout? Do you do
several stretches for all your leg muscles, or do you just fly through a
couple of hamstring stretches and call it quits?
At a very minimum you should stretch your hamstrings, quadriceps,
groin, calves and outside hip. Better yet, take 10 - 15 minutes and do
a wide variety of leg stretches, and add an upper body stretch or two
as well.
If you have been neglecting flexibility, a few minutes of stretching a
day can give a huge boost to your running.
2. SLEEP. Your body needs down time to rejuvenate itself daily. You
can't expect to "catch up" on sleep on the weekends while catching
only a few Z's during the week.
Eight hours a night has been suggested as the right amount of sleep
by folklore and scientific studies alike. Frank Shorter used to say he
got ten hours or more a night when he was in marathon training.
3. POST WORKOUT CARBS. Studies have shown that the muscle tissues
absorb glucose more readily in the half hour or so after a training
effort. Further, one of the leading causes of chronic muscle fatigue
during periods of high training is depleted glucose stores in the
muscles.
Take advantage of the muscles "thirst" for glucose right after a
workout by having a high carbohydrate snack or drink shortly after
your workout. This will aid your recovery time!
4. WATER. My massage therapist tells me that drinking more water
is a great help in recovery between workouts. She says this is
especially true in athletes who are nearing or into the masters age
groups. I guess she's telling me that I am starting to get old and dry
up!
Good hydration is very important to the body is a wide variety of
ways. This just has to be good advice.
5. MASSAGE. Speaking of my massage therapist, massage is a great
way to help muscles rebuild and stay flexible. If you can find a good
sports minded massage therapist, it can make a world of difference.
Don't wait until you are injured or tight as a drum, go see a massage
therapist now!
6. RUN ON SOFT SURFACES. Swimmers, cyclists and other athletes
who do not pound the ground thousands of times a week can recover
much quicker from workouts than runners. Scientific evidence
suggests that running causes all kinds of micro-trauma to the
muscles and connective tissue. Swimming and cycling are much
easier on the muscles and joints because there is much less jarring
and pounding.
Short of doing all your workouts in the deep end of the pool, the next
best thing is to run on grass or dirt trails. If you live in Eugene,
you've got miles of wood chip trails to explore. Lucky you! The rest
of us can surely find grassy parks, dirt roads and trails or an old
fashioned cinder track.
By running on softer surfaces, you can help to cut the trauma to your
soft tissues. (It's kind of like hitting yourself with a rubber mallet
instead of a sledge hammer.) Your muscles should be able to heal and
build back faster as a result.
7. DO A WARM-DOWN. After a hard workout it is best to jog easy or
walk to warm-dowm. There is a controversy among coaches as to
why this helps. Some say that easy running helps remove lactic acid
from the legs, and thus cuts soreness and irritation.
Others say lactic acid has nothing to do with it, but by moving around
you flush the blood and fluids that would pool in your legs. This
prevents swelling and aids muscle recovery.
Whatever the reason, anecdotal evidence is strong. Warm-down
running helps recovery. But, don't do it just to add miles or get in an
additional workout. Warm-downs need to be easy to be effective.
8. HYDROTHERAPY. Oh, yes. The good old hot tub, you are thinking.
Well, hot water therapy can help to loosen muscles, and it does
promote circulation. But, some exercise physiologists think it can
promotes muscle swelling and may actually promote bleeding from
the tiny tears in muscle fibers.
Cool water, on the other hand, will help reduce swelling, stop
bleeding, and it feels pretty good once you get used to it. Some
runners find a couple of easy swimming laps in a cool pool does
wonders. Others like to wade in a creek or lake.
Dave Welch, husband and coach of Priscilla Welch, once told me that
she used to fill the bath tub up with cold water and sit in it after her
workouts. He found that too uncomfortable for himself, but believed
it helped her a great deal.
9. NUTRITION. There are thousands of books on nutrition, many of
them about nutrition for athletes. Find a good one and read it. If your
diet is poor, your body will not rebuild as quickly or completely as it
should.
I hope this list of suggestions helps you to get more out of your
training. Maybe a little extra work on these items will help bring the
PR you are looking for.
********************
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
********************
Most every serious runner has heard of Mary Slaney. Her maiden
name was Mary Decker, and she was already a running superstar in
her early teens. Many people remember the young Decker battling
much older athletes in international track meets in the early 70's.
What many people do not recall is Decker's short college career at the
University of Colorado. She spent much of her time at Colorado
recovering from serious shin splint problems that had sidelined her
and taken her out of international track and field competition. Mary
had nearly decided to quit running, but then CU coach Rich Castro
talked her into attempting a comeback at Colorado.
After surgery and some good high altitude training, she got back into
shape. She managed a 2:01 800 Meters in the 1978 track season. By
the Fall of '78, she seemed ready to take on the nations best again.
The NCAA was still a male only organization back then, and women's
athletics were under the jurisdiction of the AIAW (Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics for Women). The AIAW Cross Country
nationals were in Colorado in 1978, held around Kent Country Day
School.
The favorite in the race was Kathy Mills of Penn State. She had won
the '77 Nationals, and was running strong. She was the early leader,
and with a half mile to go, she and Julie Shea of NC State looked to
have the top two spots sewn up. Decker was back, but a strong third
at that point. Mary, figuring she had nothing to lose, surged to catch
the leaders.
Shea took a momentary wrong turn on the last bend before the home
stretch, but recovered. Decker, Shea and Mills were nearly even
coming onto the final straight. Decker used her superior sprint speed
and altitude training to break away and win in 16:59. Shea managed
second at 17:01. Mills, tiring badly, hit the line just behind Shea in
17:02.
Colorado had a shot at the team title as well, but a normally strong
Dana Slater, 8th the year before, could manage only 39th. A depth
laden Iowa State won, followed by NC State, Penn State and Colorado.
Other finishers you might recognize included Margaret Groos
(Virginia) forth, Joan Benoit (NC State) sixth, and Lynn Jennings
(Princeton) ninth.
Decker left Colorado after the Fall semester that year. She had come
to Colorado out of shape and injured, but she left strong and ready to
re-enter the international track arena. The 1978 AIAW Cross
Country Nationals title helped boost Mary back into running
prominence.
________________________
**
**
*
***
**** *
* ***
***
**
*****
** **
*** ** **
***** **
**
**
________________________
*******************
DRUG TESTING UPDATE
*******************
There have been two positive drug test results of note recently.
Kazakhstan's world 100 metres hurdles silver medalist Olga
Shishigina has been banned for four years pending a hearing after
testing positive for the steroid stanozolol. The test was taken in
February.
Yoshitaka Ito, Japan's top sprinter, tested positive for
methyltestosterone in a drug test by the IAAF in March. Ito, a 10.22
100 meter runner and national record holder, said ha has never even
heard of the drug and has asked for another test.
In a drug related incident,IAAF officials have demanded the U.S.
federation suspend athletes who competed in Mt. SAC Relays in April
against heptathlete Gea Johnson. Johnson tested positive for a banned
substance, but received a court order to allow her to compete, saying
her positive drug test was erroneous.
************
BOSTON VIDEO
************
The BAA is offering a 100th Boston commemorative video with
historical footage, parts of this years race and more. It is available
for $24.99 by calling 1-800-457-4189
*************
READER'S MAIL
*************
There wasn't any! Come on, you guys, drop a line. Just e-mail your
comments to: Woodyg3@aol.com!!!
****************************
NEXT MONTH IN RUNNER'S NICHE
****************************
- Olympic Trials
- Undertraining Trap
- Blast From the Past: 1985 Chicago Marathon
- Other cool stuff
*****************************
"Runner's Niche" is free, but it's contents are copyrighted. Nobody
may use the content without permission of the author and "Runner's
Niche."
SUBSCRIPTION IS FREE. Just write via e-mail to: woodyg3@aol.com.
Include your e-mail address. We'll send you an issue via e-mail
every month or so.
If you don't want to continue receiving "Runner's Niche", simply mail
with your e-mail address and ask that your subscription be stopped.