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THE DAY AFTER WATCHING A COMPETITION OF ELITE ATHLETES, like the Boston Marathon, it is possible to be wistful. Thinking, “if only…fill in the blank…I could have become good at …fill in the blank…and would not be so …. fill in the blank”.
And then, after the day after the day after, the thoughts and yearnings to have accomplished something, like the participants in that competition, have departed. Everyday life resumes, the justifications for why a significant achievement has not been realized fill the heart and head, and replace inspirational images of the competition. The dream goal is just as far away as ever. To get on an alternate ‘track’ that leads to accepting and meeting a challenge, sometimes an arm around the shoulders and gentle encouragement by friends or family will provide sufficient nudge to do so. However, depending on how far the current track is from the new track, a more forceful action is needed. Rather than an easing-over, only a kick-in-the-behind jolt will do. The jolt can come as a medical diagnosis, like diabetes or heart attack, or life event like the birth of a child, divorce, upcoming wedding, or retirement. If none of these jolts is likely to hit soon, what can substitute as an impetus to move in a new direction? An article from The Startup by Taylor J Wallace, “You Get One Shot: Earn It.” featured on Medium.com might work. The piece is subtitled, “The Pity Badge is Tired”. Wallace takes a hard stance on excuses. “If you want more, just shut up and do something” he writes. “Earn your screen time, earn your relaxation and your happiness.” His exhortation urges us to see that that any ‘thing’ worth having is earned through hard work, eyes-on-the prize focus, and perseverance. Wallace provides a pep talk that is all over the place, in a good way. Take action, responsibility, and abuse, but accomplish what you dream. And be generous afterward. It’s best to read Wallace’s piece if you need this sort of hard push forward to get going. “This is your life. You get one shot. Go get some”, he urges. If an athletic or fitness-related goal is what you want to accomplish, read from this perspective. Earned Runs feels that although others may be able to assist and encourage along the way, the commitment and effort toward accomplishing a goal must come from the individual. “It’s on you” Earned Runs would say. Taylor J Wallace seems to be saying it too. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://medium.com/swlh/you-get-one-shot-earn-it-ebcff1043815
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WEEK 14 HALF MARATHON TRAINING PLAN STARTS Finally, on the last day of this week you can prove you have what it takes to run 13 miles! If you have an opportunity to watch TV coverage of the Boston Marathon on Monday, take note of the leaders’ running forms. Their heads will be up, chests out, torsos tall and erect, shoulders loose and down, and elbows pulling back. If possible to count the number of steps taken per 15 seconds (multiply by 4 to get steps/minute) to calculate cadence, you might see the number is greater than 180, possibly up to 200. Honestly compare what you observe in the elite runners’ forms with your own. When advised to do this by a trainer to correct my form, I scoffed at the idea. I wasn’t an elite, was my thinking, so why run like one? I am a plodder, with a pace about 2.5 times greater than the best in the world. It would be pretentious! But I followed the advice and started to check out running form on all images, including magazine covers, ads, and online articles. All the pros displayed similar form. Athletes who dedicate their efforts 24/7 to being the best runners in the world and building professional running careers that span decades don’t adopt a certain form to look pretty in pictures; they do it to be fast and prevent sidelining injuries. I wanted to be fast and avoid injuries too, so tried to model my form on that of the elites, just like coach instructed. There are other components to good form running. See the chart from New Balance on the RESOURCES page to refresh your memory. The secret to maintaining it throughout a long run is to build core, upper body, hip, leg and strength in training. The form for walking fast, but not race walking, is somewhat similar. I find that the greatest source of fatigue at the end of 13.1 miles comes from having a tired back, core, and arms. Which means there’s more work to do to become stronger in these areas. An additional benefit is that this work will translate into a more athletic posture. Congratulations on finishing 13 miles! RUN & MOVE HAPPY! "HOW AND WHERE TO WATCH THE 2018 BOSTON MARATHON" by Nicolle Monico for running.Competitor.com has discussion. Below are the times listed by the Boston Athletic Association, the organizing entity:
THE ESSENTIAL TIMES (Eastern Daylight Saving): 8:40 am First to take off, the athletes in the mobility impaired division 9:17 am Men’s Push-rim Wheelchair 9:19 am Women’s Push-rim Wheelchair 9:22 am Hand-cycle 9:32 am Elite women 10:02 am Elite men and Wave One 10:25 am Wave Two 10:50 am Wave Three 11:15 am Wave Four (last) NATIONAL TV COVERAGE, NBC Sports
Check it out! Local coverage is more extensive. INTERNATIONAL COVERAGE (COPIED and pasted directly from the BAA web page) "Below is a list of international broadcasters that will be showing the 2018 Boston Marathon (as of April 1, 2018)
RUN & MOVE HAPPY! http://running.competitor.com/2018/04/news/how-to-watch-boston-marathon_170001 http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/tv-coverage.aspx http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/marathon-weekend/marathon-monday.aspx BOSTON 2018: THE INTERNATIONAL ELITE RUNNERS WHO WILL BE COMPETING in the Boston Marathon were announced in January this year by the race’s long time primary sponsor, John Hancock, headquartered in Boston as a division of an international financial services corporation.
Andrew Mahoney, who discussed the field in a piece for boston.com indicates that 6 previous champions will participate and that, overall, 23 Olympians will be lining up at the front of the start. A complete listing of the top competitors was provided by the BAA in a news release. Earned Runs identified the elite USA athletes in an earlier blog post. The top ten athletes from countries outside the US (by personal best finish time) are listed below in the men’s and women’s races, per the BAA press release. This has nothing to do with science, you might be thinking. Be patient; it’s coming. A glance at the lists below will show that Africans are prominently represented in this event, especially the men. Kenyans dominated the race last year. Among the women will be the 2017 Boston Marathon champion Edna Kiplagat of Kenya, Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia who holds the course record, and won the Marathon in 2014, and Mamitu Daska also of Ethiopia who placed third in the TCS -NYC Marathon after holding in with Shalane Flanagan for most of that race. This assessment was provided by Megan Roos in an article for womensrunning.competitor.com. Mahoney reports on the men’s field. It will include Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya, who won the 121stBoston marathon. He says several Kenyan men who ran personal best times in 2017 will debut at this year’s race: Norbert Kigen, Evans Chebet, Felix Kandie, and Philemon Cherop. Their PR’s were good enough to land them in the list below for this year by time! Because of Kenyan dominance there’s been a good deal of speculation on the reasons why. There have been investigations into the science of Kenyan running including physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, and hydration. Scientists Nicholas Tam and colleagues from the University of Cape Town, South Africa were interested in bone health, because it hadn’t yet been studied in this group. The Journal of Sport Sciences published their results in February 2018, “Bone health in elite Kenyan runners”, perfect timing in advance of the Boston Marathon it seems. Runners tend to consider their weight-bearing activity as protective when it comes to bone health All that leg pounding should be translating to the amount of impact loading that is good for bone mineral density (BMD), one measure of bone strength, we think. Unlike swimmers and cyclists, runners count the times per minute their feet strike the ground. We should have excellent bones, right? Possibly not*. Low BMD in the lumbar spine has been noted in white runners, and felt due to a variety of factors, including an absence of resistance training, increased running-only training volume (distance), and reduced energy availability. And since Kenyans are thought to be at high risk for reduced energy availability, the scientists who performed this research wanted to study bone health in this elite group of athletes. In their study, the body composition (fat mass, lean mass, etc.) and BMD at specific sites, including that of proximal femur (PF) and lumbar spine (LS), “was measured in 15 elite male Kenyan runners and 23 apparently healthy” controls comprised of male South Africans with different ethnic backgrounds. Variables associated with impact loading like training volume (running distance per week) and biomechanics were determined in the Kenyans. In terms of descriptive characteristics, the elite Kenyans were younger, lighter, and shorter than controls, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 18.8 compared to 24.4 of the controls. Their whole-body fat mass, lean mass, and bone mineral content was significantly lower even after adjusting for age and BMI. Results of dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) studies that assessed BMD revealed that the Kenyans had scores in the femoral neck and proximal femur similar to that of controls, and that the proximal femur BMD results were tied to greater training load and higher leg joint stiffness. BMD scores in the LUMBAR SPINE were not significantly lower than controls BUT six (40%) Kenyans had scores in the range that would be considered ABNORMAL (<-2.0 Z-score) as opposed to only 1 of the 23 South African controls. There were no significant ties of lower lumbar spine BMD to training load or leg joint stiffness. Because BMD of the proximal femur was tied to impact loading and biomechanics (the higher these variables, the higher BMD) and BMD of the lumbar spine was NOT in their study, the scientists looked for an explanation. They considered that the type of bone at each site might be related. Cortical bone, as found in the proximal femur, is known to be influenced by impact loading. Trabecular bone on the other hand, as found in the lumbar spine, is thought to be less influenced by it, and more likely to be influenced by metabolic factors like nutrition. Other studies, they said, specifically suggested that a “negative energy balance” could affect bone density on the lumbar spine, “which has been previously identified in elite Kenyan runners” and has been “associated with a low [Lumbar Spine] LSBMD in adolescent runners”. Running as the only form of physical exercise might be a factor too, they thought. It was possible that adding resistance training which specifically targeted impact loading on the skeletal spine could counteract the changes noted in the elite Kenyan runners’ lumbar bones. The authors also felt population differences might be in play. The reference values against which the z-scores of BMD were compared came from a database that did not include Africans, specifically persons of East African descent. The low scores associated with risk of future osteoporosis and fractures might not be clinically relevant in Kenyans. This study did not collect diet information and did not specifically ask for training details from the Kenyan elites. The physical activity habits of the controls weren’t described at all, so could not be examined or compared. The researchers admit there were study limitations and that the reasons for the results were not determined. The article concluded with a proposal that a long-term injury surveillance system might be established to document incidence and types of injuries in Kenyans, who represent a significant proportion of international runners. The reason for Earned Runs highlighting this bit of science today is to remind runners that being healthy over an entire lifetime may require more effort that just running. Runners may feel and look healthy, especially with a light body that allows greater speed. But the price to be paid for this body composition or poor nutrition may be exacted decades later. At times of rapid bone loss, just after menopause in women, or greatest bone building, in adolescence, the cost may be higher. Endurance sport participants may be at risk for poor bone health it seems, when calorie intake to meet the demands of energy expended in high volume training and nutrients to repair and maintain muscle and bone are deficient. And when training is restricted to running rather than strength conditioning designed to load and impact spinal bones. Earned Runs thinks the idea of surveillance is brilliant. Perhaps in following and collecting injury data on this and other running groups, including both men and women, more can be learned about the bone disease osteoporosis, and how it can be successfully prevented and potentially treated in athletes and all people. Today, Kenyans and runners from around the world are marathon stars, dazzling spectators and followers with their speed and endurance. What is their fate tomorrow? In the sport of American football, it was learned that head impacts play a role in the development of a terrible degenerative brain disease. Best to study now what might be occurring in endurance sports than later observe the emergence of a preventable condition in athletes who now thrill us in competition but unknowingly sacrifice their future health. It’s not worth it. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! "Bone health in elite Kenyan runners" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28406358 *NOTE: one article on the topic can be found through this link: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4987/3fdb8de585a53f534389bd772391552d48c7.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4955555/ https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2018/01/11/six-previous-champs-among-elite-field-for-2018-boston-marathon http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2018/01/boston2018/boston-marathon-international-elite-fields-2018_84494 https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/sports/boston-marathon-2017-kenyans-sweep-the-main-events.html https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2014/11/04/361403249/what-makes-kenyas-marathon-runners-the-worlds-best http://www.baa.org/news-and-press/news-listing/2018/january/john-hancock-announces-2018-boston-marathon-international-elite-field.aspx https://www.johnhancock.com/who-we-are.html NOTE: MEN Athlete Name/Country/Personal Best Marathon Tamirat Tola/Ethiopia/2:04:11 (Dubai, 2017) Lemi Berhanu/Ethiopia/2:04:33 (Dubai, 2016) Lelia Desisa/Ethiopia/2:04:45 (Dubai, 2013) Robert Kigen/Kenya/2:05:13 (Amsterdam, 2017) Wilson Chebet/Kenya/2:05:27 (Rotterdam, 2011) Evans Chebet/Kenya/2:05:30 (Valencia, 2017) Felix Kandie/Kenya/2:06:03 (Seoul, 2017) Geoffrey Kirui/Kenya/2:06:27 (Amsterdam, 2016) Philemon Rono/Kenya/2:06:52 (Toronto, 2017) Yuki Kawauchi/Japan/2:08:14 (Seoul, 2013) WOMEN Athlete Name/Country/Personal Best Marathon Aselefech Mergia/Ethiopia/2:19:31 (Dubai, 2012) Edna Kiplagat/Kenya/2:19:50 (London, 2012) Buzunesh Diba/Ethiopia/2:19:59 (Boston, 2014) CR Eunice Kirwa/Bahrain/2:21:17 (Nagoya, 2017) NR Mamitu Daska/Ethiopia/2:21:59 (Frankfurt, 2011) Masai Perez/Mexico/2:22:59 (Chicago, 2006) NR Caroline Rotich/Kenya/2:23:22 (Chicago, 2012) Jessica Augusto/Portugal/2:24:25 (London, 2014) Gladys Chesir/Kenya/2:24:51 (Amsterdam, 2017) …DUNKIN” & SAUCONY. FEATURED IN AN ARTICLE ON BOSTON.COM by Megan O'Brien are six different shoes that celebrate the Aril 16 Boston Marathon. Three come in various shades of medium blue, reflecting the background color of the Boston Athletic Association’s logo and media materials for the iconic race. The BAA established the race and organizes the event with John Hancock as a sponsor.
One of these pairs (Adidas’ Adizero Boston 7 W) is in-your-face-Boston, emblazoned with the BAA’s logo, a signature yellow unicorn in profile. Adidas has been the official supplier for footwear and apparel of the Marathon, for 30 years. This shoe might not be a good choice if you don’t want to answer questions about your participation in the marathon while wearing them. Other blue shoes include Asics Nimbus 20, which scream “BOSTON” on the outer aspect of the uppers and portray the Massachusetts State House on the tongue. The Japanese company just celebrated the opening of its “creation studio” in Boston on Summer Street. Brooks says their Boston Launch 5 shoe is “For those who train in nautical miles”; the shoes have a fun nautical theme. Other shoes are offered in sophisticated gray-black with subtle labeling that identifies ties to Boston. New Balance is a local company that indicates its birthplace is Boston, and claims, “We Are Boston”, having been in existence as a company there for 100 years. The NB shoe is the Boston 890V4. And the craziest and possibly coolest pair comes as the result of a partnership between 2 Boston companies, Dunkin’ Donuts (in Canton, Massachusetts) and Saucony (as part of Wolverine Word Wide in Waltham MA) These shoes feature mostly white uppers with orange, pink, and magenta sprinkles that seem to be falling from a pink frosted and sprinkled donut on the heel. Reportedly the shoes come in an orange donut box! If you are wondering why the Boston marathon is receiving all this love from athletic shoe companies, consider that Massachusetts is being described as “where the heart of footwear business is” by some, according to a 2016 article in The Boston Globe. Possibly because so many companies have established headquarters in and around Boston. Alden of New England, Clarks (UK), Converse, Earthbrands, New Balance, Puma, Rockport, Reebok, Vibram, Wolverine World Wide, and now Asics. Not to mention that the state held the title of “Shoe Capital of the World” before factories began closing in the 1960’s and ‘70s. It seems that more attention is being paid to Boston’s marathon compared with those of other big cities’ when it comes to special edition offerings. There’s a reason; it has become the home town of many shoe companies. if you appreciate great performing and looking athletic shoes, that’s another reason to celebrate Monday, April 16 this year. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2018/04/06/these-2018-boston-marathon-shoes-show-off-serious-city-spirit THERE ARE FACTS ABOUT THE BOSTON MARATHON that may not be widely known, or at least not easily answered by those who havn't taken an interest in the race up to this point. Just in case Earn Runs posts have inspired watching or becoming knowledgeable, a number of quiz questions have been assembled to further spark curiosity.
In my years as an Associate Professor of Human Pathology I created hundreds of quiz items. Students like to test themselves. There’s little bit of intellectual reward that comes from each question correctly answered, even if from a guess rather than from firm knowledge. The answer key is at the post's end. There are links to sites with more information. Good luck! 1. What’s the history behind the unicorn being the symbol of the Boston Marathon? a. A rider on a unicorn rode at the front of the first race to show the way b. The ethnic heritage and heraldry of many Bostonians was linked to Scotland c. Plush toy makers in Boston sponsored the first race d. Early winners were promised a paid trip to the British Isles https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2018/04/06/baa-unicorn-symbol-history-boston-marathon 2. What (where) is Heartbreak Hill? a. The first hill encountered on the course; it separates contenders from the pack. b. The hill in the middle of Boston’s historical ‘red light’ district is the highest c. The last hill, representing a huge challenge after 20.5 miles have been covered d. It’s not a hill; locals would put up warning signs to fool/confuse outsiders. http://archive.boston.com/marathon/course/stage4.htm 3. Why might runners look forward to entering the “Scream Tunnel” near Wellesley College? a. Students & faculty traditionally cheer runners with voices, encouraging/cute signs. b. It’s only one mile from the finish; spectators & fans scream for favorites. c. Runners making it to this point almost always finish, and scream for joy. d. Local college bar owners scream to runners to return after finishing for free beer. http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2017/04/15_places_to_watch_the_2017_bo.html 4. What is the significance of the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square? a. If the sign is lighted it means a course record has been set. b. It’s the corner where Paul Revere first warned of British movements in 1775 c. The last portable toilets are available for runners to use at this area. d. This sign is the marker of the last mile. 5. Where is the finish line of the Boston Marathon? a. Middle of Harvard Bridge to MIT. b. On Boylston Street c. Entrance to Fenway Park d. At the Old North Church I have never qualified for, run, or attended the marathon, but have hopes of being present for one in my life. Anyone more in the know about the race is welcome to comment or submit a topic for a trivia question, especially to make the quiz more fun. Maybe we can together add a few questions to make it more challenging? RUN & MOVE HAPPY! Answers: 1. b; 2. c. 3.a. 4. d; 5. b “Detail from the mosaic floor in the Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Ital: the coats of arms of the four capitals of the Kingdom of Italy. The fourth and last one: Rome. Picture by Giovanni Dall'Orto, June 22 2007.”https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AIMG_4341_-_Milano_-_Galleria_Vittorio_Emanuele_-_Le_4_capitali_Roma_-_Foto_Giovanni_Dall'Orto_20-jan_2007.jpg THIS ROUTINE might be seen as being presented in a tongue-in-cheek manner, as the individual exercises may not be ancient and definitely aren’t new. (“Yeah right, I’ll be a Roman soldier as a result of following this program”, you might be thinking).
But sometimes a novel or unexpected perspective on a familiar routine can jolt us out of inaction. If we can imagine ourselves re-creating the training regimen of a person or persons we admire, we may be able to persevere with fitness building. This workout may benefit runners, walkers, hikers, and exercise enthusiasts who are looking for ways to spend time outdoors yet train to improve strength and performance in a no frills manner. Veronica Seder presents a plausible scenario for this workout in her piece for Huckberry.com’s Journal section of its website “Warrior Workout: The Roman Legion.” Seder said the workout was developed by teaming up with Myles Apparel. The plan involves carrying a weighted pack, starting initially with a lower load, on a run, walk or hike. Every 2 minutes, one of three exercises will be performed: 1) Weighted Push-up; 2) Squat and Press; and 3) Lunge. The cycle of exercises is repeated throughout the duration of the run/walk/hike, the length of which is determined by each individual. One of the fun and innovative features of Seder’s article is her reference/links to other resources, if readers wish to explore further the topic of the Roman Legion and its wartime and physical conditioning activities. Thanks to Seder for this great piece and to Huckberry for featuring it! Good luck becoming a legionnaire, who has been trained to march behind the standard of the Roman Republic, imprinted with the letters SPQR, an abbreviation for Senatus Populusque Romanus (meaning Senate and people of Rome).* RUN & MOVE HAPPY! *In modern times “SPQR” can be seen in Rome, emblazoned on man-hole covers. Our family saw this on a trip more than a decade ago. https://huckberry.com/journal/posts/train-like-the-toughest-military-of-all-time https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPQR https://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Standard/ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARomeinse_vlag.jpg REMEMBERING THE 1918 MILITARY RELAY. The Boston Athletic Association’s #PassTheBaton campaign encouraging and recognizing acts of service and altruism will pay tribute to the 1918 Marathon in which batons were passed between military relay teams on race day.
To commemorate the century anniversary of this relay “the B.A.A has selected 16 people with ties to the five branches of the US Military and to the eight cities and towns” through which the race is run, “to pass a baton during the 2018 Boston Marathon” in the #PassTheBaton Challenge. The names are provided with links to more information on the organization’s “Year of Service” page. ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO THE BOSTON MARATHON was not run in the traditional manner, but as a military relay race. The Great War was being fought overseas and America had become involved in the conflict. Congress had agreed to President Woodrow Wilson’s request to declare war against Germany, with the resolution signed on April 6, 1917. Troops arrived in France in late June, became the American Expeditionary Force on July 5, and first entered combat October 21, 2017. They joined with British, French, Canadian, and Australian forces against the German Empire. In January of 1918 Wilson had put forth a plan for world peace, the Fourteen Points. In March of that year, Russia had withdrawn from participating in the fighting. Later in March and extending into April, Germany had begun a series of last-ditch spring offensives. Great Britain’s Royal Air Force was founded April 1, 1918. Because the Marathon was still a men-only competition, it must have been a daunting prospect to assemble a field of healthy athletes who were not serving in various military branches. From a public relations perspective, it would have been difficult to honor participants who were not assisting with the nation’s new war effort. Canadian men had won the Boston Marathon as early as 1898, and 6 more times before 1918. Other internationals had run the race in previous years as well. The worldwide conflict known then as The Great War plus the dangers of Atlantic Ocean crossings would have stopped participation. The country's and world's attention was perhaps not on marathon running. The B.A.A. description of the 1918 event is described below: “Due to American involvement in World War I, the traditional Patriots’ Day race underwent a temporary change of format. A 10-man military relay race was contested on the course, and one of the teams from Camp Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts, bested the field in 2:24:53. 1. Camp Devens Divisional Team 2:24:53 2. 302nd Infantry, Camp Devens 2:28:10 3. Boston Navy Yard 2:28:45 4. 301st Signal Battalion, Camp Devens.2:29:14 5. Naval Cadet School 2:29:23 6. 304th Infantry, Camp Devens 2:32:20 7. Bumkin Island 2:37:20 8. U. S. N. Radio School 2:44:26" The 5th anniversary of the 2013 terrorist bombing incident will also be recognized. Members of the running community have been asked to “Pass the Baton” forward with “acts of kindness to those who serve others” during the Year of Service campaign. With this effort, race organizers wished to bring people together, to highlight and thank all who serve our country, and others, especially the Boston community, who came together in solidarity after the tragedy. “From military to law enforcement personnel; firefighters to doctors, nurses, and EMTs, and our own thousands of Boston marathon volunteers” indicates the B.A.A. Knowledge that the 122nd race is commemorating other historical years makes watching* it even more special. It will be a delight to celebrate such a unique competition. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! *The schedule of race start-times for Monday, April 16 does not identify a separate start for the relay teams. Perhaps closer to the race there will be more information available. http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/firstworldwar/index-1918.html https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-u-s-troops-arrive-in-france http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/us-entry-into-ww1.htm http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history/race-summaries/1916-1920.aspx http://www.baa.org/news-and-press/news-listing/2018/april/boston-athletic-association-begins-passthebaton-challenge.aspx http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/year-of-service.aspx https://www.history.com/topics/boston-marathon-bombingswww.history.com/topics/boston-marathon-bombings WEEK 13 HALF MARATHON 2018 TRAINING PLAN STARTS Your long run is at the distance that some half marathon plans stop:12 miles. In my first half marathon, called because of terrible weather including downpours of cold rain, thunder, lightening, hail, and high winds, I overheard runners next to me in the starting chute talking about this. On their longest training run they had covered only 12 miles as instructed by thoer trainer. I don’t know their finish time or in what physical condition they were at the race’s end. You will be continuing the next week to reach 13 miles and then tapering for several weeks. If you wish to make it 13.1 miles, for mental training, that’s great. You can shorten the taper, as needed, by one week and skip week 15 depending on your race date. Be sure to warm-up and cool-down appropriately on the long runs. You will have the best chance of reaching race day in good shape, ready to compete if you take the time to prepare for and recover from the effort. From the past Friday’s post (4/6/18) on heat therapy, it was learned the pre-treatment before exercise might help with recovery by protecting the muscle and promoting adaptation to training. You might wish to warm up a bit before long runs, especially since the weather has been unseasonable cold in the northern portions of North America and Europe lately! As indicated in the post, research has not yet lead to recommendations on heat therapy details. Applying heat for a limited time at a safe temp to insure safety and comfort seems wise, about 16 hours before exercise. RUN & MOVE HAPPY!
EASY TRAVEL TOILETRY STORAGE! A VISIT TO THE ‘TRAVEL SIZE’ SECTION OF THE DRUGSTORE WAS NECESSARY nearly every time I went away for a few days’ trip in which I planned to travel light. Only a carry-on piece of luggage when flying to a destination and an overnight bag for land-based trips was to go with me.
The travel sizes were purchased because most of the time it was a pain to prepare little bottles of various items like face moisturizer or sunscreen myself. Usually stray, small-size shampoo and conditioner had been collected from previous hotel stays so there was no need to purchase them. Still, to cram all that into a quart-size bag was not easy for getting past airport security. There’s hardly a need to explain any further. Travel size toiletry preparation is a challenge for many. That’s why I was so excited when I ran across a ‘hack’ in a women’s magazine several months ago that seemed to solve at least some of the problems in this area. I was in a salon, so I don’t have the magazine at home and did not think to write down the reference at the time so as to give credit where it is due. Sorry! Here’s the trick: USE CONTACT LENS CASES to store supplies of items that won’t require huge volumes for the length of stay. For me, this is facial creams including sunblock, and tooth paste. Initially, I thought the small containers would not hold sufficient product, but I was WRONG! Using these mini travel aids saved space in my quart-size re-sealable plastic bags for other items like travel-size hair finisher and foundation, which by comparison contain larger amounts of product. The contact lens cases won’t work for all transportable toiletries, but give it a try for some. I store these items in my gym bag as well now. There is even enough space to take a single application of hair conditioner for apres-swimming. Another bonus is that the travel product tends not to be wasted. In larger refillable travel bottles, there’s a bit that cannot be retrieved. Or there’s so much in a bottle it never gets completely used. Contact lens cases store just the right amount and it’s completely accessible with a finger, cotton swab, or toothbrush swipe. My husband no longer complains about being out of those small tubes of toothpaste when he packs at the last minute for a short trip. We just squirt a bit into the little containers. Now that destination competitions are approaching, this life ‘hack’ may lessen the inconvenience of getting ready and concerns of not leaving essential items behind. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! DON’T GET RID OF THAT HEATING PAD. Cold therapy has routinely been recommended for the treatment of acute and post-exercise recovery. Movie scenes and commercials will show athletes with large ice packs taped around knees, calves, or elbows, and sitting in tubes of water in which ice cubes are floating.
Icing after a particularly hard and long run was my go-to routine to avoid injury until I learned that foam rolling before and after a tough session worked as well, if not better for me. Sitting in ice water is so uncomfortable that I believe most of these scenes can’t be using real ice but plastic faux cubes instead. Who could deliver script lines or act while undergoing this cryo- “torture”? Thus, when email notification arrived of the publication of a study about heat therapy, I was eager to read the full article. “Turning Up the Heat: An Evaluation of the Evidence for Heating to Promote Exercise Recovery, Muscle Rehabilitation and Adaption,” was written by Australian investigators Hamish McGorm, Llion Roberts, Jeff Coombes, and Jonathan Peake. Historically, the authors indicated, heat has been used to treat musculoskeletal injuries. Many of us are familiar with the explanation that heat increases blood flow to an injured area and cold reduces it. However, the article explained that more recently heat is being considered as a pre-conditioning tool to reduce the risk of injury, enhance adaptation to training in the recovery process, and ultimately improve performance. Thus, heat as a treatment might be administered at various times: after muscle injury in rehabilitation, and before, after and possibly during training or performance. That heat was being used as a pretreatment to decrease injury risk and aid in recovery after exercise was new to me. In my own interest, I hoped this review would reveal details on how best to use heat for this purpose and to guide rehabilitation. I had spent enough time recovering from injury this past year that the prospect of additional help with both healing and prevention was exciting. The researchers set out to examine the body of scientific literature regarding heat therapy in order to categorize the different types of therapy, methods of application, study protocols, and results. With this information, they sought to explain the scientific rationale for and “summarize and evaluate the effects of heat therapy BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER muscle injury, immobilization, and strength training”. To begin, the types of studies (animal and human for example), equipment used to measure heat (immersion/whirlpools, pads/sheets/blankets, microwave diathermy, and chambers), and timing (before, after, during exercise) were reviewed. This task revealed how challenging it was to compare the studies, because there was so much variability between them; even the temperature values used to define “hot” or “warm” differed! Next, the results of animal then human studies were outlined, briefly summarized below in the note, for those who want more detail. Animal studies showed benefits with heat pre-treatment and post-treatment (after injury or immobilization). Human studies showed benefits with pre-treatment under certain conditions of timing and heat intensity. The human studies assessing post- treatment couldn’t be summarized because of the lack of similarity between the investigative methods. The researchers felt that the effects of heat treatment during activity, in both animals and humans, required further well-designed studies. Lastly the science behind the results was discussed. The findings in the studies, the authors explained, suggest that heat produces protective effects, like reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, which lessen muscle injury and atrophy and the performance losses that follow. It promotes muscle regeneration through mechanisms that activate cells and proteins, and upregulate genes involved in muscle synthesis and hypertrophy while downregulating genes that would lead to atrophy and fibrosis, described in detail in the article. The authors indicate that a few conclusions could be drawn based on their review. It appeared that for muscle to benefit from heat treatment the temperature increase must be to approximately 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Also, it seemed that for pre-treatment to offer advantages over treatment immediately before the exercise, the timing needed to be at least 16 hours before exercise. Lastly, they felt heat application during exercise might also be beneficial, but gave no details. What to take from this article? That we may be hearing more about heat pre-treatment from trainers, coaches, and scientific journals for the purpose of injury prevention, and strength training and performance enhancement, and post-treatment for injured limbs immobilized in slings, splints, and casts. That research has yet to be performed that will work out the details as to exactly how and when to use heat for different purposes and sports. And that it’s just possible we’ll ‘need’ to make time for injury-prevention-sessions that involve sitting in a hot tub or warming with a heated blanket rather than stretching, rolling, and performing MYRTLs. My mother’s remedy for just about everything had been to put a heating pad on the hurting site. Occasionally old-fashioned remedies are eventually proven to be truly effective and based on scientific principles. Perhaps heat therapy falls into this category of medical ‘discoveries’ and the heating pad should be retrieved from the bottom of the first-aid drawer. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-018-0876-6 NOTE: In animals: Pre-heating- evidence suggests pre-treatment before injury or unloading (suspension of a limb) activates tissue processes that “help to restrict atrophy and facilitate regeneration of skeletal muscle.” Post-heating: studies reveal that it “expedites muscle repair/inflammation” after injury and “restores muscle mass following immobilization”. This treatment may assist with recovery after intense exercise or following musculoskeletal injuries that requires prolonged rest or restricted physical activity. During experimental treatment- Further research tightly controlled research is needed. In humans: Pre-heating- benefits were variable, possibly related to the timing of heat application. The best results (less soreness and improved range of motion) were seen when pre-treatment occurred 16 hours or more before exercise and generated high core and/or muscle temperatures. Post-heating- the mix of different exercise protocols used in the studies make it difficult to summarize the effects of this treatment. During experimental treatment- Further research tightly controlled research is needed. "Key Points: -Animal and human trials have shown that various forms of heating can be used in conjunction with exercise or stress to enhance recovery, adaptation and limit muscle atrophy. -Heating muscle activates protective mechanisms, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, and stimulates genes and proteins involved in muscle atrophy. -Further studies highlighting the differences between various heating modalities will help inform athletes and coaches on the best heating practices for specific situations" CLASSIC & SWISS BALL PLANKS Sara Angle, in “The Forearm Plank Exercise Is the Core Move You Shouldn’t Skip”, explains why the classic plank, with the upper body resting on and held up by the forearms, and hips/legs held up by the balls of the feet is such a good basic exercise. Angle’s article for SHAPE.com includes a description of how to properly perform it as well as a video demonstration.
The piece references a May 2011 scientific poster presentation abstract (a formal full article was not published). The abstract results reported that “activation of the abdominal and lumbar muscles was greatest during the exercises that required activation of the deltoid and gluteal muscles”. The example provided was of the forearm plank variations that “required over two times the average activity of the rectus abdominus, external abdominal oblique, and lumbar erector spinae compared to traditional trunk flexion and extension exercise”. [Acefitness.org provides images which show these muscle groups if you're not familiar with core muscle anatomy.] For those who find their wrists cannot accommodate the necessary prone movements and loading while performing floor exercises on a mat, a forearm plank on a Swiss ball might be less stressful and thus somewhat ‘easier’. Elizabeth Quinn provides discussion and an image that demonstrates the move in a piece for Verywellfit.com, “How to Perform a Swiss Ball Forearm Plank”. To qualify this statement about ball planks being ‘easier’, the wrists will be spared on the ball but the overall abdominal muscle work will be increased. I like the Swiss ball variation. For the sake of time, it’s is simpler to increase the difficulty and keep the duration of the plank hold the same but on the ball. For a really strenuous session, add movement. Purposely wiggle the ball from side to side. OUCH. It feels so good. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! https://www.shape.com/fitness/videos/forearm-plank-exercise-benefits-variations https://www.verywellfit.com/plank-on-a-balance-ball-3120023 https://www.acefitness.org/fitness-certifications/resource-center/exam-preparation-blog/3562/muscles-of-the-core https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2011/05001/Core_Exercises_That_Incorporate_Distal_Trunk.1155.aspx THIS WAS THE HEADLINE on the Boston Athletic Association's news release page of its website December 11, 2017. “John Hancock today announced its strongest U.S. Elite Team since its principal sponsorship began in 1986.” The 15-member SUPER TEAM was recruited by the sponsor to challenge an “accomplished international field” of top runners on the third Monday in April 2018. The U.S. WOMEN’S side will include:
U.S. MEN runners will feature:
The BAA.org article lists each runner and provides information and credentials that explain each person’s inclusion as an elite. The international runners are impressive as well and will be featured in an upcoming post. On the topic of elite U.S. marathoners, Shalane Flanagan deserves further mention. She has words of advice for all who will be watching her that day who also seek to achieve top performance, in “Eight Life Lessons from One of America’s Best Marathoners”, written by Brad Stulberg for Medium.com. While I am not in the position to critique the wisdom of her words with regard to top performance, I can tell you what thoughts crept into my non-elite mind while reading the lessons laid down by Flanagan as important. Trust Your Training:
If you've never been caught up in the excitement of this race, as perhaps in the Olympics, maybe this year is the best one to try. Plan ahead to view on TV or by live streaming. After all the winter storms, the people of New England should be in the mood for non-snowy excitement. The crowd is sure to be eager to cheer for and witness a spectacular performance . There will be many strong competitors from the USA and other countries trusting in their training and going all out for a victory. Just as in the Ancient Olympics, winners are tradionally crowned with a wreath of laurel branches. Follow the Earned Runs blog for more Boston Marathon-related posts leading up to April 16. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! http://www.baa.org/news-and-press/news-listing/2017/december/john-hancock-announces-2018-boston-marathon-us-elite-field.aspx https://medium.com/personal-growth/eight-life-lessons-from-one-of-americas-best-marathoners-ed286f87633b https://houseappeal.wordpress.com/2012/07/30/an-olympic-emblem-the-glory-of-the-laurel-leaf/ RUNNERS AND WALKERS WHO HOPE TO find a new, easy-to-master, outdoor sport activity that is relatively high in intensity, but spares legs from the usual continuous movement, are in luck. The hot trend that began in the early 2000’s in Alaska and the states of the southwestern USA utilizes bicycles with “massively oversized tires”. Kraig Becker wrote a piece. “The Skinny on Fat Bikes” by for Healthyway.com that likely introduced the fat tire bicycle to many who had not seen them on paths or trails. The name so aptly describes these distinctive cycling machines that there will be no difficulty in recognizing them. They have big, wide (most are 3.75-5” in width), heavily treaded tires, thick wheel rims, and a study frame with wider forks, features that experts say increases their weight, slows them down, and makes maneuverability a bit more difficult. Because they can maintain traction on “unstable surfaces” like mud, snow, and sand, the tires can be purposely underinflated to enhance traction and increase energy expenditure. The section headings in the Becker piece tell how the structure of fat tire bikes translate to a different riding experience, compared with traditional cycles: - Not Built for Speed - Beginner Friendly - All Season Riding - It’s a Great Workout Some articles, including Becker’s, allude to the higher calorie burning ability for riders especially on surfaces that are not flat and smooth. However, I’ve not yet located a scientific article that provides such information. The claim of 1000+ calories per hour burn might be a testimonial. However, bicycling as an activity is associated with exercise intensity level, as measured in METs (Metabolic Equivalents) from level 4.0 (leisure bicycling) to 16 (competitive mountain biking uphill). Fat tire biking intensity will probably fall somewhere in between those MET values and depend on the type of surface and incline of the route. I bought one a week ago, desperate to find a new way to get around in the chilly windy March weather that threatened snow almost daily. I had used a borrowed youth mountain bike before and wanted something more stable and fun. A way to maintain and hopefully improve fitness while enjoying harsh spring conditions and even the snow-covered paths next winter. I read Selene Yeager’s article “6 Ways Fat Biking Makes You Fitter” and I was sold. Yeager’s discussion hit all the buttons with regard to finding “fresh challenges”, “fat blasting”, and building “muscular endurance” that flipped the thrill switch for me. There aren’t too many of my exercise activities that are safe and yet can be described as thrilling. Okay, this is the only one. These bikes are not inexpensive, and I had to budget for this luxury purchase of $1100. It was an end of the season sale. Other pieces of sport equipment like stand-up paddleboards, stationary cycles, and electric bikes can be more expensive, as can gym memberships. Running is described as costing only the price of a pair of good shoes, but can lead to many more expenditures. It’s a tough budget decision. Monday, April 2, I used the fat tire bike to get in 30 minutes of high intensity interval work + 20 minutes of warm-up/cooldown effort for my personal “April Fools, No Fooling 50” event. At that moment, my purchase decision seemed wise. I was thrilled. RUN & MOVE HAPPY! NOTE: one MET is defined as 1kcal/kg/hour and is roughly equivalent to the energy cost of sitting quietly. Running at a pace of a 10- minute mile requires 9.8 METs. https://www.healthyway.com/content/the-skinny-on-fat-bikes/ https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity-Categories/bicycling https://www.bicycling.com/training/winter-cycling/6-ways-fat-biking-makes-you-fitter by JDTaken Jan 9, 2011. The Spirit of the Marathon Sculpture, Our Daily Challenge Standing at the mile one marker of the Boston Marathon, the statue celebrates the achievement in 1946 of famed Greek marathoner Stylianos Kyriakides. Kyriakides narrowly escaped execution during the Nazi occupation of Greece and hadn’t run in six years when he came to Boston. Emaciated from the lack of food in war-torn Greece, he ran against advice of doctors, winning the race in a mythic performance. https://flic.kr/p/98UpoP EARNED RUNS IS CRAZY ABOUT THIS MARATHON RUNNING EVENT, held this year on Monday April 16, and thinks the more you know about the Boston Marathon the more likely you are to become a fan of this elite running competition. Therefore, the topic of most of this week’s blogs will highlight the race. The hype is NOT about the city. It’s about running heritage and the race itself.
Some people don’t follow horse-racing but throw a party and very much enjoy the race in May. The same goes for those who aren’t football fans but join in the fun surrounding the Super Bowl. Major League Baseball’s World Series and ice hockey’s Stanley Cup are other sport championship finals that attract non-fans. Land lubbers who have never been sailing get excited about the America’s Cup competition. Final episodes of the series season lure larger number of television watchers at the end of the season. Big events, involving the best of the best, attract attention! To catch the excitement and be able to enjoy another sport ‘championship’ read on to learn how it all started. BOSTON MARATHON HISTORY The official Boston Athletic Association (B.A. A.) website provides a history of the Boston Marathon, which it has sponsored since it’s very first running. The page explains that “after experiencing the spirit and majesty “ of the marathon run at the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, “B.A.A. member and inaugural US Olympic Team Manager John Graham was inspired to organize and conduct a marathon in the Boston area.“ According to a Wikipedia entry, the “Boston Marathon is the world's oldest annual marathon”, and has been “held every year since 1897 to celebrate Patriots Day, a holiday marking the beginning of the American Revolution, thereby purposely linking Athenian and American struggle for democracy” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon Timeanddate.com explains that “Patriot's Day (or Patriots' Day) commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord, which were fought near Boston in 1775”, on the third Monday of April. It’s an official state holiday in the states of Massachusetts and Maine. The entry cautions readers not to confuse it “with Patriot Day, held on September 11 to mark the anniversary of terrorist attacks in the USA in 2001.” http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/patriots-day Boston Marathon History that you may not know: - The race’s distance was not always 26 miles 385 feet! The first modern Olympic marathon course covered 24 .5 miles and the Boston Marathon covered 24.8 miles. The official marathon distance was standardized by 1924. - The first year in which women were officially allowed to run was 1972. However, one ran and finished the full race without a bib number for 3 years, 1966-68, and one ran and finished but did not identify herself as a female in 1967. Read the page to learn their names and more about women in this race. - This was the FIRST marathon to include a WHEELCHAIR DIVISION, in 1975. http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history.aspx Other Race Milestones http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-history/boston-marathon-milestones.aspx (Updated; first presented in 2017) Watch for other posts in the next two weeks! RUN & MOVE HAPPY! 12 Fast Facts About the Boston Marathon by Kristan Dietz for Competitor.com March 20, 2018 /2018/03/boston-marathon/boston-marathon-fast-facts_163513#II8YK15H5DoC2ZSf.o3 |
BRIDGE TO PHYSICAL SELF
Running, walking, and fitness activities enable us to experience our physical selves in a world mostly accessed through use of fingers on a mobile device. AuthorEARNED RUNS is edited and authored by me, runner and founder. In 1978 I began participating in 10K road races before 5Ks were common. I've been a dietitian, practiced and taught clinical pathology, and been involved with research that utilized pathology. I am fascinated with understanding the origins of disease as well as health and longevity. Archives
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