Running with the Will to Finish: Broken Leg Runner Revisted In Depth

Okay - the youtube video of this event has been pulled - many are calling her the "Sportsman of the Year" Ironically - and who can argue? Somehow I managed to get a hold of this footage - hope no on like the Seattle Post Intelligencer threatens to sue me again for this - but the video is to amazing and sheer illustration of heart and the will to finish. The event is the Ohio state high school cross country championship, the runner is Berkshire High School senior Claire Markwardt. ESPN's Wayne Drehs has extensively chronicled this event, you can read his article here. Excerpted from his article, "At the 1- and 2-mile markers, Markwardt was on a personal-best pace. Then, as she entered the stadium at Columbus' Scioto Downs, with about 400 meters to go, she heard her left leg crack. The leg had been sore on and off for the previous two weeks, prompting Berkshire coach Julie Cole to limit Markwardt in practice. When she heard the crack, Markwardt thought it was a muscle pull or tear. She thought she could gut it out to the finish line. "There was a runner from one of our rival schools right in front of me," she said. "I kept staring at the back of her jersey and pushing myself to catch her." But some 200 meters later, Markwardt heard the leg crack again. And again. Then there was a louder crack, and her entire leg gave out. She fell to the ground as onlookers winced at the sound and the sight of what happened. One of Markwardt's teammates, unaware of what had happened, encouraged her to get up. She tried, using her right leg. But as soon as she shifted weight to the left, the loudest crack yet came. And her leg gave out again. "At that point, I knew what had happened. I knew my leg was broken pretty badly. And I knew I couldn't get up again. So I started crawling," she said. So, she finished the race in a time of 20:24.07, only 18 seconds slower than her personal best (20:06), despite crawling for the last 45 feet. Wayne Drehs is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He can be reached at wayne.drehs@espn3.com. Learn more about Wayne at his ESPN fan page.

Sleepless (& Clueless) in Seattle

Mr Smith,

Please see the attached letter and the other attachments. An original copy is en route to you by mail if the address is correct. Your urgent attention to this would be much appreciated,

Best,

Ken B.

Kenneth F. Bunting
Associate Publisher Seattle Post-Intelligencer
(206) 448-8210 (206) 448-8069 Fax
kenbunting@seattlepi.com

This week as I received the above email on my Blackberry and called Ken Bunting within 30 seconds after receipt (again on my Blackberry - I was mobile & unable to see the attachments). Ken was startled with how fast I responded - I simply said, "how can I help you"? He proceeded to tell me a Harlem 26.2 blog entry was a violation of their property rights, I replied, "oh, let me know which one and I'll remove it" (call over - when I got home I deleted the content entirely - no biggie - matter over - or so I thought.....). That night I scanned and replied to my emails. I got to Ken Bunting's email (now on my desktop PC) - a matter which I assumed resolved and on whim decided to look at what he in his email referred to as "attached letter and the other attachments", that's a photo of Ken Bunting there in the left.Some Foundation: The Seattle Post Intelligencer (Seattle PI) is owned by one of the nation's largest diversified communications companies, the Hearst Corporation, whose interests include 12 daily and 20 weekly newspapers, 28 TV stations and nearly 200 magazines around the world, last year they had $4.5 Billion in revenues. So as I downloaded & examined these "attached letter and other attachments" referred to in the email. Wow, The Seattle Post Intelligencer - Hearst Corporation went all out hardcore legal on me, Harlem 26.2, & Google (who publishes this site). The Seattle P.I. documented a legal infringement & targeted me and two different Google legal groups (people). In sum, the $4.5B Hearst Corporation lawyer'ed up over Harlem 26.2 blog entry. I kid you not!....and this was their first line effort of communication with me. Ken Bunting and the Hearst Corporation invested time, researched my name, address, identity, prepared documents, mailed them out to me & Google's Legal department, they did all this, all before ever trying to communicate with me to solve the problem. I emailed Ken Bunting back that night and said, "..intellectual property is a serious matter however a simple email would have corrected things to your satisfaction (as opposed to the legelese and looping in Google's legal group, etc.).... your response rest with me as an unnecessary heavy handed over-reaction when a tap on the shoulder would suffice...I am well versed on laws governing intellectual property and your job to preserve the property of the Seattle PI however I am also well versed on how to solve problems, evaluate magnitudes & intentions of violations, employ measured communications and responses". The facts of what the Seattle PI alleged are not in dispute or the issue. The issue to me was now the energy, time, resources, effort the Seattle PI invested over what could have been solved with a simple email. You don't use a hammer to kill an ant - and they hit me with a SLEDGE hammer. Then I thought - perhaps this is really just standard volley in the Hearst v. Google fight/war - as Google is kicking newsprint's ass and overseeing the demise of newspapers. Okay, now for the hilarious and illustration of what a joke and rag the Seattle PI is, note what they're doing to me and how since 1993 to early 2007, The Seattle Post Intelligencer circulation dropped from 206,936 to 126,225,....slowly dying and they've got time and resource
s to come after me guns-a-blazing? How do I feel about the Seattle Post Intelligencer? Total rag with no management, editorial, or publishing talent....and yes, Ken Bunting exhibited profoundly poor management & judgment to invest the resources he did to target me, a non-commercial enthusiast website on running. The best illustration of why and how the Seattle Post Intelligencer sucks? Look at the energy and resources they invest into attacking me (and Go

ogle) all of which was unnecessary to solve the rightfully illustrated breach. Meanwhile across town in Seattle, the credible legitimate ne

wspaper of Seattle? The Seattle Times with twice the circulation, and TALENT of writers, editors, managers, publishers, the "smart" newspaper people of Seattle.... While the Seattle Post Intelligencer is attacking Harlem 26.2, the Seattle Times is serving Seattle and exposing the possible fraud of the Seattle Marathon, which was ran just days ago. This week the Seattle Times published the following story,

Just 1% of Seattle Marathon money goes to charity By Nick Perry: Seattle Times staff reporter . Seattle Marathon / Runners: 11,000 to 12,00 / Entry fee: Up to $120 / Revenue: $1.1 millionPaid to workers: $330,000 in compensation to employees and organizers. Entry-fee money paid to charity: $0. When thousands of runners lined up near the Space Needle early Sunday for the half-marathon event at the 37th annual Seattle Marathon, the announcer said: Remember, you are running to benefit UW Medical Center patient housing today. What many runners may not have realized was that not one cent of their race-entry fee — which costs up to $95 for the half-marathon and $120 for the full marathon — is destined for charity. Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com. Staff news researcher Gene Balk contributed to this report.Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company(Click the link to read this full story about the financial side of the Seattle Marathon).

Can the Seattle Post Intelligencer cover real news story of their community like this above by the Seattle Times? No, that would require journalism skill and talent. What can the Seattle Post Intelligencer do? They can reduce their circulation incredibly and implement a full frontal attack on Harlem 26.2, with Hearst Corporation resources, that's what they can do, I'm not kidding ya'll, they cc'ed all this back and forth with me with Hearst Corporation, etc. The matters been resolved but the whole way they went about it? Ridiculous. Yes I am sending all their employees a link to this blog entry and if they want to come at me again, let'em - they'll only make my blog more popular. I thought I would let you all in on some behind the scenes shit - as it's too hilarious sometimes what goes down here. Have a great day - and if you need to wrap fish or line a bird cage the Seattle Post Intelligencer, oxymoron of the year, comes in quite handy!

"History of Women's Running": Well, Not Quite

Above is a nice 3 minute video that's just shown up on Youtube called "History of Womens Running" and I want to applaud the producers/creators of the clip - I am doing that by promoting it on Harlem 26.2. But honestly - it lacks historic truth, the full picture, a just and right narrative and real foundation. I hate to put on my "running-know-it-all" cap but I'm sorry, I happen to know it all when it comes down to this running thing - that's just the way it is. As I said a couple of days ago, historically women were not welcomed to run in many events and it was a NYC running advocate named "Doc" Charlie Robbins and Ted Corbitt who fought to create co-ed running events in New York. Furthermore if you want to get real about it? Speak truth? Not this "white wash" version of this video - the real shit? In 1970 - The Road Runners Club of America held the first championship marathon for women (won by Sara Mae Berman in 3:07:10) - but you don't get truth like this in clips like above - the truth, real history is diminished and marginalized. Who founded and was the first President of the Road Runner's Club of America? Ted Corbitt. Is the Road Runner's Club of America mentioned in this video clip? Of course not - I doubt the creators of the clip have this base of knowledge - no offense - just being real y'all and accurate! Ted Corbitt is the foundation for most of this stuff we do -and everything in running is "6 Degrees of Ted Corbitt" - Don't you all know that? Not Fred Lebow, Al Gordon, Joe Kleinerman or any of the other people annually honored by the NYRR - somebody remind Mary Wittenberg (NYRR President) that! That's just the way it is - No one can deny history - Ted paved the way for runners of all colors, women, everybody - and the NYRR have Ted sitting in the back of the fucking bus - I will win NYRR awards in '08 and send'em back! That's a promise, that's my protest. Have a great day!

The Sexiest Man Alive - Running!

Wow! Look what's on the Newstands all over America, PEOPLE Magazine & their Double Issue, The Sexiest Man Alive issue! Hot Damn! And speaking of Damn......Damn Damn Damn Damn, let me place an "O" in that "Damn" and you get Damon, as in Matt Damon, as in the Sexiest Man Alive! Whoa! 37 years old and hot! And oh my goodness, look what we have here, a photo taken just last week of the sexiest man alive! Running! That's Mr. Too Sexy below on the right running with his father. Wow, look at Matt Damon run! Woo hoo - too sexy! Yes, this is great - I love it - my fragile ego and mid-life crisis is doing just fine right about now when I see photos of the sexiest man alive pushing all that sexiness through those tough miles. I thought the sexiest man alive was supposed to be something light years beyond my reach - Even as a straight man I should be able to look at you and say, "ya know - you are one sexy MF'er". I'm no George Clooney. I'm no Brad Pitt. I'm no Wentworth Miller or Johnny Depp or any of these guys...... I'm not one of these dashing and handsome Hollywood guys - But when I look at that Photo of Mr. Sexiest Man Alive running?....I don't see one sexy MF'er - hell I just gotta say it.... he is not me! Oh hells-to-the-no -lol ~! sorry y'all - just keepin it real......that's how we do in Harlem - have a great day!

Running Aware & Safe

Rachel Sklar wrote today in the Huffington Post about an accident I saw in Central Park - if you read this blog you might note a couple of days ago I said I saw a nasty accident on Thanksgiving in Central Park, as it turns out it was that guy on the left, CNN's John Roberts who is an avid cyclist and rides in Central Park - well on Thursday afternoon when a car pulled out suddenly in front of him, it caused him to collide with a jogger. Both Roberts and the jogger, a woman, were taken away in ambulances. Now I saw this it was at about 75th Ave. right there before the 72nd St. transverse with lots of vehicles and pedestrians there in the park for the Thanksgiving Day Macy's Parade taking place right there on the West Side of Central Park. In Sklar's article with Huffington Post Roberts said, "It happened so fast, I couldn't even react," "One second the road was clear — the next, a car was blocking it. I was on my head in a heartbeat...Thank God for helmets." Sklar wrote, "Thank God, indeed — amazingly, Roberts was able to rally and go on air the next morning before taking a few planned days off before heading to Tampa for debate coverage on Wednesday. To the right is a shot of Roberts' helmet (kindly provided by Roberts) with the kind of dent that you'd rather not have in your head. "I never get on a bicycle or motorcycle without a helmet and am I glad," said Roberts. "I don't know where I'd be right now if I hadn't been wearing one. But I sure wouldn't have been on the air the next day. At the very least, I would have had a lot of stitches and abrasions — at worst, a cracked skull and brain injury." Roberts had to have stitches in his right hand after the impact of the fall ("skin and Central Park asphalt don't mix") but says he's more concerned about what happened to the woman he collided with — they left in separate ambulances and the last he heard is that she may have broken her nose. "I feel terrible... I'm sure her Thanksgiving was ruined," said Roberts. Now I read in the LA Times where writer David Reyes writes of two women jogging in the bicycle lane on the northbound side of Pacific Coast Highway in California (out in Orange County, Dana Point), hit by a car, one thrown about 60 feet, breaking her neck and pelvis and nearly severing one of her legs, the other suffered a fractured skull, broken legs and a broken pelvis, nose and cheek. Both women are now quadriplegics. They sued the city of Dana Point in Orange County and agreed on a $50Million settlement with the City. The lawsuit alleged that the road was unsafe because the bike lane was too wide -- possibly causing drivers to mistake it for another lane -- and improperly marked. The city has since added concrete barriers protecting joggers and bicyclists. Personal safety is always high on my list when running - sometimes I wear my reflective vest in the day time, if you see me at night in Central Park I will have on my head lamp too. I've just seen too many nasty accidents - I don't want to scare people or take anyone down - but this kind of stuff happens every day to joggers and runners somehwere in the country - and all the time in Central Park. Be very safe runners, visible, I ask that you do not wear ipods, there is nothing as precious as your health! Have a great day!

Running into Film Makers

So I am reading this news report about a guy, Forrest Bryan, from North Carolina who ran the NYC Marathon he guy planned it all out - in his film called The One Lamb he required scenes from the New York City Marathon, so Forrest joined 40,000 runners plodding through New York City's five boroughs to the cheers of 2 million spectators. The film crew rode subways and taxis to keep up with its star. Forrest ran the whole race (5:41 time) with a cell phone so the crew could reach him. "People were looking at me like I was crazy," he admitted. "Here I was, running with a cell phone." It's a Christian God film y'all. It's some kind of heavy religious film made where the whole move leads up to the guy "racing against time and his past - in a marathon - to inspire people and I imagine get closer to his God" - from the looks of it, strikes with me as it can possibly be a little overly "preachy" shall I respectfully say? In fact the purpose of the whole movie is further Christianity - so the makers of the film say - which is cool if that's your thing I'll give the guy points for guerrilla film making on this level - I am sure he had no permits or permission....but hey - I'm not mad at the guy but you know who might be?....Scientology - it seems he ran rather close to the same pace of the real actress Katie Holmes - wife of Tom Cruise - the hardcore Scientology couple. Would it be wrong for me to contact the Church of Scientology and say, "I understand Katie Holmes made a cameo appearance in Christian religious movie designed to spread Christianity when she ran the New York City Marathon" (and then send them the links to the film and article about the film shoot) - it is very possible that is an accurate statement y'all. You guys know Tom Cruise is paranoid - right? If I sent that email to Tom Cruise's people, along with proof of this film, the links, the pace of the running rather close to Katie Holmes, etc. the whole bit - wanna bet the poor guy gets hit with a law suit in 24 hours from Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes, The New York Road Runners, & the Church of Scientology? If I were to do this, 2 things would come out of it: 1) The guy would get millions of dollars in free advertising and be front page news, 2) A lightning bolt from the Heavens might strike me dead on my next run in the rain. I can't have that y'all - because yes - I run in the rain - in fact it was 11pm last night, 61F degrees - everyone knows I like to run damn near naked - so I took advantage of that weather last night and at 11pm went running in Central Park - yep, and it was great. I have no concern of safety at any hour in Central Park - I actually saw about 3 other runners too - and ran into another movie! Really - this time it was a little bigger budget than that guy above - in fact it was a major shoot, some sequel sort of to the film Ghost, this film is called a romantic comedy "Ghost Town," Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear) who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni). That puts Pincus squarely in the middle of a triangle with spirited result. - they were shooting at and behind The Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art) on the East Side. Now The Met looks like that above on the right in the front - grand classic architecture of incredible columns, etc. However the back of The Met that's actually within Central park is that on the left - glass and futuristic. I recognized Greg Kinnear - however other than that - heck, every other person in New York City looks like an actor or actress to me. Anyway - time to start my day - have a great one yourself!

Running to Finish: Never Count A Runner Out

Never bet against a runner - in anything in life, that's what I've learned -The sheer will to persevere through pressure and setbacks. A runner will find a way. Check out this 60 second video of a kid who in her highschool cross-country race has a major knee injury prior to the finish. Have a great day.

Running into a Pedicab & a Rice Shoe

Had a nice run yesterday in Central Park - as it's rather cold I've been waiting till noon - peak of the sun before I run - the problem with that is in the middle and south ends of the park? Tourist galore these last 3 days. Okay - we all have to get along and share the space - but those things on the right? The Pedicabs? They've become a hazard for everyone. The newspaper has even written about it - they said the pedicabs have invaded Central Park, causing so many tie-ups and headaches that New Yorkers say they make aggressive Rollerbladers and horse-drawn carriages seem like model citizens - the Broadway actors stagehand strike, which dried up all business in the Theater District, drivers say - so they've swarmed to Central Park. "The park is always the fallback, and now, because of the strike, it is at the saturation point," said Peter Meitzler, president of the NYC Pedicab Owners Association. Andrien Wote, who has been driving a pedicab in the park for several years, says his competition has doubled since the stagehand strike began. "All the pedicabs are concentrated in the park. One jogger in the paper said, "To me, they are always crowding up the place," said jogger Ray Vargas, 61. "Generally, the horse carriages have their own trail, but these guys go all over." These pedicab drivers kind of drift aimlessly, zig zagging with their head on a swivel looking for their next customer. You can't do that in Central Park - bikers, rollerbladers, runners, we all have to pay attention to our space for the safety of all of us. Then these Pedicabs park right adjacent to the park blocking the pedestrian lane forcing joggers to migrate out to where the cyclist are. I've had to shout "Heads Up" about 4 times to avert an accident - and I've only encountered one nasty accident this holiday season with tons of people in the park. It's a dangerous mixture though - the pedicabs, cyclist, rollerbladers, runners - all moving and trying to dodge these foreign tourist who simply have their heads in the sky and are oblivious to all the traffic - the accident I saw involved 3 cyclist - people were on the ground, blood, the whole bit - it was on Thanksgiving day too. Okay, I cracked up when I read this next thing - reminded me of my days in Asia - y'all know the Japanese (culture) can be a trip right? - you know - the whole xenophobia thing they got going on blast 24/7/365 - don't act like you don't know y'all - I'm not hating on them - just being real. Well marathon running in Japan is huge - far far bigger than here in the USA - in fact it might be the #1 most running crazed country in the world - did y'all know that? It's true - now their men are not distinguished at all - but as I've always said, women across the world are stronger than men - and that's why you see Japanese women marathoners always kicking some major ass everywhere on the planet. The U.S. or any country, not even the Kenyans or Ethiopians have a group of marathoners like this: Mizuki Noguchi: 2:19:12, Berlin `05, gold medalist, Athens Olympics, Yoko Shibui: 2:19:41, Berlin `04, Hiromi Ominami: 2:23:26, Berlin `04; winner, Rotterdam `07, Naoko Sakamoto: 2:21:51, Osaka `03; 7th, Athens Olympics, Yuri Kano: 2:24:23, Osaka `07; winner, Hokkaido `07, Kiyoko Shimahara: 2:26:14, Hokkaido `05;, Yasuko Hashimoto: 2:25:21, , Nagoya `05; winner, Berlin `03
Naoko Takahashi: 2:19:46 (former world record), Berlin `01; gold medalist, Sydney Olympics. Their biggest superstar of the moment is Mizuki Noguchi (in the center in that photo) she won Berlin, Gold in Athens-olympics....well her PR team and people have issued a major press release to the world, goes like this, "Mizuki Noguchi will wear a pair of "magic shoes" made of rice husks in her bid to win a second straight Olympic marathon gold in Beijing next year. The grip on the new shoes contains a mixture of rice husks which the designers say will improve air-flow in Beijing's stifling summer heat next year. "They are so light and really easy to run in," said Noguchi, 29. The roots of this sound like some classic Japanese Cultural "We're Better Than Everyone Else" nonsense to me...but hey, it might be legit - who knows and it's not like I can talk, hell I'm wearing the crazy wacked out Japanese Phiten Titanium necklace - and feeling kind of foolish in doing so - oh well. If Japanese Running turns you on - there's a guy who does nothing but blog all about it night an day - check it out and have a great day!

Running into the Foot Race Across America

There are 2 books about a historic footrace (photographed on the left) written by Charles B Kastner that I want to tell you about. On March 4, 1928, 199 men lined up in Los Angeles, California, to participate in a 3,400-mile transcontinental footrace to New York City. That event is chronicled in Kastner's book titled The Bunion Derby (available @ Amazon.com). Amazon summarized the book by saying, "Sports promoter Charles C. Pyle promised a $25,000 grand prize and claimed the competition would immortalize U.S. Highway Route 66, a 2,400-mile road, mostly unpaved, that subjected the runners to mountains, deserts, mud, and sandstorms, from Los Angeles to Chicago. The runners represented all walks of American life from immigrants to millionaires, with a peppering of star international athletes included by Pyle for publicity purposes. Drawn by hopes for a better future and dreams of fame, fortune, and glory, the bunioneers embarked on an exhaustive and grueling journey that would challenge their physical and psychological endurance to the fullest while Pyle struggled to keep his cross-country road show afloat."In a wild grab for glory, a cast of nobodies saw hope in the dust: blacks who escaped the poverty and terror of the Old South; one of the 5 Black men in the race was named Eddie Gardner. Eddie Gardner was born in 1897 in Birmingham, AL, the grandson of former slaves. Eddie started running at what's now Tuskegee University in Alabama, where he set the track team's 5-mile track record in 1915. In 1917 he won the black state cross-country championship in Alabama. These men were the 'shadow runners,' men without fame, wealth, or sponsors, who came to Los Angeles to face the world's greatest runners and race walkers. This was a formidable field of past Olympic champions and professional racers that should have discouraged sane men from thinking they could win a transcontinental race to New York. Yet they came, flouting the odds. Charley Pyle's offer of free food and lodging to anyone who would take up the challenge opened the race to men of limited means. For some, it was a cry from the psyche of no-longer-young men, seeking a last grasp at greatness or a summons to do the impossible. This pulled men on the wrong side of thirty from blue-collar jobs and families."--from the Preface. This same event was also written about by author Geof Williams in his book CC Pyle's Amazing Footrace. Publishers Weekly reviewed a book and in their review they said, "The story of Charley Pyle's 3,400 mile cross country race and extravaganza and the men who endured 84 days of mountains, deserts, mud, and sandstorms to compete for a $25,000 grand prize. Pyle, a sports agent and promoter, came up with the idea of a footrace (mockingly known as the Bunion Derby) from Los Angeles to New York that promised $48,500 in cash, including $25,000 to the first-place winner. For a $125 entry fee, male participants got the chance for a nice payday while subjecting themselves to harsh weather, primitive housing and Pyle's ego and shady business practices. They also had to run 3,500 miles over 84 days (the equivalent of 40 miles a day) long before comfortable running shoes and sophisticated sports nutrition. Williams, a contributor to Entrepreneur magazine, has evocatively recreated a long-forgotten sports event, mixing colorful anecdotes from the race with vivid portraits of the runners. There's Brother John, a bearded zealot who raced in a sackcloth, and 20-year-old Andy Payne, a part-Cherokee Oklahoman who competed to pay off his family's farm and to win the attention of the girl he loved. What could have been one long injury report or a sappy piece of nostalgic nuttiness is a breezy, entertaining read that properly balances the runners' integrity with the comedy of errors that was Pyle's grand experiment and his life. Photos. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. These are both great read of a time when distance running was all the rage in America - have a great day.

Running to Pump Blood (Year Round!)

Gorgeous 9 mile run yesterday in Central Park - low 60's - too many tourist though migrating into the park from the Thanksgiving Day parade - I don't blame them, it was a great day. I was reading in the NY Times how exercise physiologists say that training is exquisitely specific and though you can acquire and maintain cardiovascular fitness with many activities - if you want to keep your ability to run you have to do that exact activity. No cross training y'all - you have to run! They said that people who work out sporadically, running on weekends, for instance, will never reach their potential. Note Thanksgiving was yesterday and this is a time of year when many people who exercised religiously for months cannot maintain their exercise schedules because they are traveling, or it's too cold, or simply because they are celebrating holidays with family. That may not matter if you do not want to compete, and there is no reason why everyone who works out would want to race. But if competition or a new personal record is your goal - as it is mine - exercise physiologists have some lessons to impart. Training has a pronounced effect on the heart, says Matthew Hickey, the director of a human performance laboratory at Colorado St. University. Athletes develop a lower resting heart rate, their hearts beat slower during exercise, and their hearts are larger than they were before training began. They also have a greater blood plasma volume, which allows the heart to pump more blood with each beat. One of the first and most noticeable effects of detraining (taking time off this Winter) is that that plasma volume is lost. “It’s water in your plasma,” said Joseph Houmard, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at East Carolina State University. “You just lose it. There’s no reason to keep it.” Plasma water is lost amazingly fast, said Dr. Paul Thompson, a marathon runner and cardiologist at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut. “We once paid distance runners $10 a day not to run,” Dr. Thompson recalled. “They spent a lot of time in the men’s room urinating.” Two days into their running fast, he said, the men lost a little more than two pounds from water weight as their plasma volume fell 8 percent. But if runners keep running, even if they cover many fewer miles than at their peak, they can maintain their plasma volume, Dr. Thompson said. When athletes stop training, the heart also pumps less blood to their muscles with each beat. Both changes are so pronounced, says Edward Coyle, an exercise physiologist at the University of Texas at Austin, that within three months of detraining, athletes are no different in these measures than people who had been sedentary all their lives. What a horrible thought! The key, he found in his research, is to substitute intensity of effort for time. “A runner who’s been running doesn’t need much time to maintain his performance,” Dr. Coyle said. “But the training needs to be almost like racing.” Or in my case - I can do hill repeats if I'm not feeling like clocking a 7 - 10 miler. Even exercise physiologists are surprised at how quickly the body can readapt when training resumes. Almost immediately, blood volume goes up, heartbeats become more powerful, and muscle mitochondria come back. Part of the reason, researchers say, is that training may elicit lasting effects that are very hard to measure, like changes in nerve-firing patterns and blood vessels. Dr. Coyle, who has measured muscle mitochondria, said that even though muscles lose mitochondria when athletes stop training, they retain more of them than are found in muscles of a person who has always been sedentary. Bottom line? You can't fall off your running regime during the Holidays - or through the Winter - or you'll be back at Square One come Spring. Have a great day!

Running into Thanskgiving Advice from Buck O'Neil

That on the right is Buck O'Neil one of the most fascinating figures in the Baseball History, one of the greatest historians/storytellers of the Negro Leagues. He played with and managed the Kansas City Monarchs from 1938-55. He guided the team to five pennants and two Negro World Series titles. O'Neil also broke barriers in the Major Leagues, becoming the first African-American coach (also with the Cubs) in the big leagues in 1962. So on this Thanksgiving day I am reflecting on some of the wisdom of Buck O'neil. He died a couple years ago at 94, but prior to that in an interview he said, "Enjoy life...and when eating, never fill your stomach to capacity". “The main thing is to always be yourself and enjoy living,”. Enjoy life. Enjoy every day.” That was O’Neil’s overall philosophy. Do what you love. And love what you do. For O’Neil, that love was baseball. Then he got specific on the “Buck O’Neil diet.” O’Neil’s tips might come in handy during Thanksgiving dinner. “I eat whatever I want,” “But I never fill my stomach. I could always eat some more of that on that plate. But I won’t do it. My father told me when I was a boy to eat whatever I want, but don’t fill your stomach. So I don’t do that.” Then he revealed the “Buck O’Neil 30-minute workout.” “You got to exercise,” “Uh huh. I still stretch every morning. “I get on the treadmill every morning. I still do that. I stretch for 10 minutes. I spend the other 20 minutes on the treadmill. I walk some, then I’m going to speed it up a little so I can kind of jog.” “You got to take care of yourself,”. “You got to take care of your body.” To O’Neil, that meant doing regular cardio and never eating to excess. Enjoy your Thanksgiving! It's a gorgeous morning in New York City - warm, it will be in the low 60's today - the sun is coming out - I am taking a page from Buck O'neil and heading out to push 10 miles in Central Park.

Running into Macy's Floats on the UWS

Ran well last night - breezed through 5 miles @ a 7:15 pace - kinda fast for me - but it felt great. Going out for another 4.5 this morning at the same pace. A great place to gear gear on a discount is Final-Score. This is Footlocker & Eastbay's on-line clearance store where now they've got a 20% further discount coupon. *To receive 20% off your $75 purchase, enter promotion code IPFS7V75 at checkout. You gotta cross your fingers and hope they have your size - but I saw some top notch running shoes like New Balance 1222, Asics Nimbus VIII, etc. lots of models I would absolutely wear, plus you can get a $100 for about $50, or a $130 shoe for about $70. It's hit and miss on what they have in your size - but I always tell people to buy lots of shoes - and send back what you're note digging. And note here in the North East the weather is about to get cold, wet, icy & slushy. I often wear a trail shoe in the Winter when road training. Why? More "sure-footed", much better suited for the elements, over at Final Score you will see a trail shoe like the Adidas Wanaka GTX - Gore-Tex waterproof protection - I think that shoe is like $70 over there w/coupon - Normally about $110. I run in the snow, slush, ice - all of it. You need a shoe like this in the North East this time of year - sure footing / waterproof - a safe shoe to wear in the conditions that come with the season. This is how I stay "Runner Fly" - but I'm a frugal sucker so I gotta jump on these deals when they pop up & gear up! But check it out - they have some great technical gear & jackets and top notch shoes! I'm in town this Holiday and I'll probably go on a run this evening to the Upper West Side....why?...to check out the Macy's Parade blow-up action along 77th Street and 81st Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue, around the American of Natural History 3–10pm...today - it's a different angle on checking out the hoopla of the City this time of year - right there on the left is Mickey getting inflated. Then there's Float assembly, midnight–8am (Thursday morning)- the floats to emerge from the Lincoln Tunnel in disassembled form. The convoy will advance up Amsterdam Avenue to Central Park West around 11:45pm. At midnight, the Macy’s team assembles the fragments on the streets. It's kind of neat to see this, brings out the kid in you - but it's best to bring a Starbucks card if you do....a cup of Java or Tea comes in handy this time of year when you're simply watching the festivities. Go easy tomorrow runners - enjoy but remember - when you add up a serving of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and pie, 2,000 to 4,500 calories are consumed. Given that the average American should only consume between 1,600 and 2,400 calories per day, Thanksgiving dinner weighs in as the heaviest meal of the year. I know I will see a whole lot of guilty feeling people on Friday running in Central Park! Have a great day!

Running to Return NYRR Awards Back To The NYRRs

Last night was the best run I had in a very long time - just blazed with confidence and strength - effortlessly - I gotta define some goals to aim for - having goals is important. If you're looking for some inspiration to run harder, you'll find it in the December issue of Runner's World. It features "heroes" -- runners who've accomplished amazing feats in 2007. There's a 75-year-old nun who has run 300 triathlons, including 24 full Ironmans. And there's a 35-year-old woman who lost her left leg in a motorcycle accident in 1994, but runs marathons with a prosthetic "true running leg." One 45-year-old man has pushed his wife in a wheelchair in 170 road races, including a 2:57 marathon. After reading these stories, you'll wonder why you can't get out of bed in the morning to do 30 minutes on the road - weather be damned! FINALLY - one of the heroes recognized in the issue is the one and only Ted Corbitt there below on the left and right - who has made so many contributions to the world of distance running that listing them all would be an endurance feat in itself. I've blogged about Ted 3 or 4 times - The 88-year-old has tallied 199 ultras and marathons, held records in the 20-, 50-, and 100-mile distances, and logged 200- to 300-mile weeks over his career. A living symbol of durability and longevity, Corbitt has continued to run, and now walk, marathons and ultras into his eighth decade. This strength and tireless work ethic were cultivated when Corbitt spent his early childhood working on a cotton farm in South Carolina. He later ran through college, although segregation rules occasionally kept him from competing. At 32, Corbitt placed 15th in his first marathon in Boston, and the following year he ran the marathon in the 1952 Olympics. Corbitt's fascination with the human body not only fueled his running (he experimented with intervals, resistance training, self-massage, and other now-common techniques) but also his career (he became a physical therapist in New York City, where he regularly ran 31 miles around the island of Manhattan). Ted is a founding member of the New York Road Runners, he was the first first president of the NYRR, he founded and became president of the Road Runners Club of America, where he established the calibrated bicycle measurement system as the course-certification standard. "The biggest observation I'd make about our sport is the growth, especially among women," he says. Okay, I saw the blurb about Ted in the Marathon issue of the NYRR magazine - to which I say "don't throw me a bone". My never ending question to the NYRR and President Mary Wittenberg, Ted Corbitt is the most significant figure in the history of the NYRR - period - hands down NO ONE is even close. He started the damn club, invented how to measure courses, laid out the NYC Marathon Course - invented the sport of Ultra Running - keep in mind I speak to people once or twice a month that have known Ted for 50 - 60 years. I don't even want to tell you all some of the behind the scenes shit I've been told about Fred Lebow not being respectful (shall I say) to Ted at all times. How is it that the NYRR can honor Fred Lebow, Al Gordon, & Joe Kleinerman with races and not Ted? I'm not "diss'ing" any of these men or suggesting they don't merit being honored annually. But no one is more meritorious than Ted Corbitt my friends - that's just plain and obvious. Let's just quit fucking around about this y'all - The NYRRs have Ted Corbitt on the back of the fucking bus. People like Ted Corbitt had to sleep in high school gyms and at the residences of kind strangers because the local hotels where races were held did not welcome Black people as patrons. Ted Corbitt paved the way for me in many ways. So I gotta rep for Ted - and I don't have to be nice or patient or anything about it. Women, I doubt any of you out there know this but women were not welcomed and or allowed in most of these events with men in the '30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, and even into the 70's. It was Ted Corbitt and his friend "Doc" Charlie Robbins that fought to allow women be welcomed in races with men, they had to actually fight to create co-ed running events. I like Mary Wittenberg but I am going to signal Mary and the NYRR loud and clear about this gross injustice. The USATF governs this whole sport in the U.S.A. and even they have an annual award called the TED CORBITT AWARD. The USA T&F gives more recognition and honor to Ted Corbitt than the NYRR, how is that? I'm going to be winning NYRR Awards in my Age Group in 2008. As I started out with this blog - goals are important - I will win awards - count on it....and you know what - after I earn those awards - I will be sending them back via UPS to Mary Wittenberg and the NYRR with a note saying "When the NYRRs move Ted Corbitt from the back of the bus to a first class seat - maybe then I'll dignify the award by accepting it". There are various ways to protest an injustice and this is the protest of my choice. Mary & the NYRR will not like this - but that's the point - to make them uncomfortable with how comfortable they are sitting Ted Corbitt on the back of the bus. The NYRR should feel public humiliation and shame. Solutions? Fred Lebow's race can be renamed "Founders 4 Miler" or whatever wherein the founders of the NYRR are recognized and Ted Corbitt receives equal honoring. Or, how about a mural of Ted Corbitt right when you walk in the NYRR Club Office and rename the ground floor "Corbitt Hall"? There are all sorts of ways and means to move Ted Corbitt from the back of the bus, this is not a hard matter for the NYRR to "right". They just have to be moved to. This will be publicized far & wide - I'm not mad - I'm motivated - the awards will start being sent back in March or April - count on it - Have a great day!

Central Park: Safe For Runners? Robbery Up 40%

Last week a female Central Park runner asked my thoughts on her carrying mase or some other device for protection - I dismissed the idea and advised simply running during hours when the park has a number of other fellow runners on the route. Then this morning I see this somewhat alarming stat the crime (robberies) in Central Park are up 40% over the previous year. In context Central Park is one of the safest places in Manhattan - I dug into this at bit and learned it's a result of their being 28 robberies in '07 in Central Park - up 8 from 20 the previous year, you can see the stats: Click Here to see a PDF of the Central Park Crime Stats for the past year. However it looks like Felony Assault went up 400% from 2 in '06 to 10 in '07. Central Park Precinct is headed by Captain Timothy J. Beaudette, 86th Street & Transverse Road, New York, NY, 10024 (212) 570-4820. If you run in Central Park - might be prudent to place that number in your cell phone - I generally run with my cell. Yes it's dark early these days and my advice is to simply practice common sense - the NYRR website has a forum where you can meet-up / find a running buddy - and if you're going to run late and are concerned - run in pairs. Other than that run when other runners are about. I feel Central Park is very safe in the early morning hours even though dark - but you can contact the Precinct I suppose to get their advice. I am in Central Park at some crazy hours - and I don't see to many sketchy characters out and about at all - I do see a serious amount of police on patrol. Just wanted to touch on this topic while it's in the news today.

To Stretch Or Not To Stretch Before A Run?

Woke up this morning and clocked 3 easy in wet light snow - uggghhh! Winter cometh. Hey runners, wanna participate in a study? Check it - here's a list of comprehensive why you should stretch BEFORE running articles. Here's a list of comprehensive why you should stretch AFTER running articles. It's not hard to find sources, authorities, arguments on both side of this debate, to stretch or not to stretch before running. What do you do? Why? In fact some say stretching before a run is not advised & risky, here MedicineNet is saying "DON'T DO IT". I've seen lots of arguments on both sides of the fence - well now USA Track & Field is looking for thousands of runners who aren’t injured and who haven’t been injured in the past 6 weeks. The governing body of competitive running is trying to conduct a Large, Randomized, Prospective Study of the Impact of a Pre-run Stretch on the Risk of Injury (something with much lore saying is not advised). They started this summer and now the researchers are trying to spread the word to recruit healthy runners who are 13 or older and who run at least 10 miles a week - that might be you. Participants will be randomly assigned either to do no stretches before their runs or to do specific stretches before every run for three months. Afterward, the runners will report whether they became injured. They’ll also answer a raft of questions about their warm-up and post-run routines. “We have 616 people registered, and 89 have already sent in their reports,” said study coordinator Alan Roth. He and research leader Dr. Daniel Pereles hope to recruit as many as 10, 000 subjects, so they aren’t eager to close registration any time soon. But they will shut it down as soon as there’s enough evidence to show a 5 percent difference in risk from stretching or not stretching — enough proof for statistically relevant conclusions. The study is “urgently needed,” Roth says, because confusion is rampant. While studies have proved conclusively that pre-run warm-ups do prevent injury, he said, there has been no such proof on the effects of pre-run stretches. More than 300 studies of stretching have already been conducted, and a few directly looked into whether a pre-run stretch helps or hurts. “But the studies that have been done were not large randomized studies that were statistically valid,” he said. “They were indicators, but at the same time the margins of error were so great that you really couldn’t make any conclusions from them.” TWO GROUPS In the USA Track & Field study, participants in the nonstretching group are allowed to do whatever nonstretching activity they wish during their warmups, if they do warm-ups. The other group will stretch three muscle groups before their runs. Each “static” stretch should be held without bouncing for 10 seconds and then repeated three times on each leg. Quadriceps: While standing and steadying yourself with one hand, grab the foot or ankle on the same side as your other hand and pull the foot gently up toward your rear. Hamstrings: While standing, put your foot up on something so it’s off the ground, straighten that leg and lean forward. Calf / Achilles tendon: While standing, lean forward with the leg you plan to stretch straight out behind you, foot flat on the ground. Keep the knee straight for 10 seconds. Then flex the knee and repeat the stretch with the knee bent for 10 seconds. In the December issue of Runner’s World magazine, The Body Shop by Jim & Phil Wharton advises runners not to do it (stretch). The Whartons say to do toe lifts instead, which are a kind of “active-isolated stretch.” They say the popular standing calf stretch puts stress on the lower back and neck and inhibits blood flow to the muscles it intends to stretch. USA Track & Field has a link to more information and a registration form for its study at www. usatf. org. Roth can be reached at stretchstudy@usatf. org or (240 ) 238-5792. My feelings on all this? I say you should stretch before a run - and I love to stretch in the sun like that woman above - unfortunately for the next several months I will be stretching like that woman below - in the cold weather (you really need to stretch before a run in cold weather too!). I've been injured too many times from not stretching pre-training run. If you're not stressing your body - okay - you can get away with not stretching before a training run. My advice is based on the assumption that you train hard, with effort - like an 80%+ effort for you - whatever that is. I've found "explosive" or "sudden" movements bring rise to the muscle pulls and strains - I am referring to a singular stride or movement. You can run for miles - then have a sudden unanticipated movement that "shocks" your muscles. That "shock" translates or results in a strain or a pull. I've been running and stepped on a large rock hidden in snow, or branch, or root that "rolled my ankle" for example. I was able to manage that unanticipated explosive movement / strain from building strength in that muscular region and stretching it prior to the event. It's the "sudden extra unanticipated sudden movement" the muscular "jolt" to jump over an obstacle or adjust to a condition, the ill-fated foot placement strike running up hill or down hill - that pulls a muscle. In sum, I stretch my muscles so they are prepared to be called upon in an instant during the run - just in case. I stretch to eliminate the notion of an unanticipated muscular exertion. I don't want the first time I am calling upon a muscle to be when I need it during the run - that's how you get injured. All my opinion - I could be wrong, the MayoClinic has a great article on how to stretch: great thing about it is it illustrates with a slideshow the basic key stretches you want to do. Have a great day!

Running into the Peak of Fall & Che

Okay, ran well Saturday - going to try and do that again in about 10 minutes as I head out to Central Park. I saw snow flurries yesterday in Harlem y'all - wow....Winter is coming. Very few leaves have fallen (relatively speaking) at this, past the mid-way point of November - Central Park is gorgeous this weekend - perhaps at Peak - I would venture to say in terms of Fall Foliage...this weekend including today, Sunday - or next weekend will be the peak weekend for the colors of Fall. It's just a joy to run through the park during daylight hours -simply to enjoy the colors - it looks like that on the left - that photo is from the Harlem section of Central Park, the North Woods. If you live in NYC - if not run, just walk through the park. However having said all that, if I could be anywhere today - I would love to be right at that place below - with those other runners - and where are they? Cuba - today is the Marabana Havana Marathon. A marathon is a great way to see a City - I've been all over the world and dwelled in communist China - but I've never been to Cuba. Gotta love some of the comments on the race over at MarathonGuide.com:

This was an adventure not a marathon (General Comments)
Course: 3 Organization: 1 Fans: 1
irun42k from ohio (11/20/02)

It was wet, very windy and waves broke over the seawall. The second loop part of the road was flooded. Later in the afternoon the coast road was closed due to flooding. One pair of toilets for the loop. The timing system broke down so everyone [after 2.21 or so] has the same time. For the last 3-4miles, no traffic control. On a positive side, I did not get sunburnt. For all that, a great way to see Havana, but be prepared.

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stick to the cigars (General Comments)
Course: 2 Organization: 2 Fans: 2
A Runner from united states (11/24/01)
The race was a great way to see Havana. However, it was a two lap marathon that was not well marked. By the second lap, Havana had awoken and you were running with buses and cars. There were no clocks or time breakdowns. There is a chip for time, but wasn't distributed to all the runners before the start of the race. There were few cheering spectators. [END]. Okay, there are more favorable comments - but these comments struck with me as too funny and playing right into the propaganda of "anti-Castro" - so I had to highlight them. Yes they're old...but there are more recent reviews that are more fair I suppose - 5+ years is rather dated - and a Marathon can get its act together over that time - looks like the Havana Marathon or what I like to call the Che Classic has....besides, before you rip on Cuba's race....goodness gracious, you should see the numerous HORRIBLE reviews of today's Philadelphia Marathon - it was so poorly managed last year that they had to ration safety pins for bibs to runners - runners only were allowed 2 safety pins per person - seriously - now that sounds like Cuba, no? I am not kidding, per MarathonGuide.com about the Philadelphia Marathon.... Example? Poorly organized in 2006, Organization: 1 Fans: 4
S. H. from Brookline, MA (8/17/07) 6-10 previous marathons | 1 Philadelphia Marathon I have pretty much the same comments as most of those below: nice course, poor organization. Crowded start, difficulty finding baggage check, confusion with mile markers along the course, lack of volunteers at the finish, lack of food (i.e. none left) at the finish, and completely disorganized baggage pickup area all contributed to a mixed experience. I was also frustrated a couple times by people on bikes on the course and people running with their dogs. Let's hope today's Philadelphia & Havana Marathons are both great experiences - Have a great day!

Running into the First Nike Running Shoe: The Moon Shoe / Waffle Stomper

Did a light 3 miles yesterday - getting ready to head out this morning and see if I can do a 9 mile run @ at least 8:00/mile pace. People ask me about running shoes all the time and many non-runners assume I wear Nike running shoes. I summarily tell them "no", Nike running shoes by and large suck. The only good shoes Nike makes for running are in the racing flats series - however though Nike running shoes suck - keep in mind I've been running since the 70's - and if you ran then,....you had a pair of Nike shoes as they were the only game in town basically. Most all runners had a pair of "Pegs", Nike Pegasus running shoes back in the day when I started. This is the late 70's - however even before that if you ran, you had a pair of "waffle stompers" - that's what we called them then. And why? Well in 1964 legendary Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman - that guy above on the left - met and coached a guy by the name of Phil Knight - and together they started a company called Blue Ribbon Sports. In 1966 Blue Ribbon Sports opened it's first retail outlet selling sportswear, including the Japanese made Tiger (later to become Asics) running shoes. Well1972 comes along Bill Bowerman who feels he can make a better running shoe than that Japanese Tiger shoe - so he pulls out his wife's waffle iron just like that one on the left- heats up and pours in a rubber compound to mold the sole of a shoe that has better traction than what was available at the time - he created a shoe called the 'Moon Shoe' and distributed it to four track & field athletes at the 1972 Olympic Trials. In 1978 Blue Ribbon Sports is renamed Nike Inc. That above is the first Nike Running shoe, the "Moon Shoe" - have a great day!

Running to Comeback

Okay - I've been pushing through these 4.5 runs - getting used to run in colder air - I'm uncertain on what racing goals to target to be honest - what I can get motivated for - and whenever I'm in this boat - I need inspiration - and that woman in the photo on the right. That's 36 yr old Kim Fitchen-Young (also below on the right). I was reading about her comeback effort and she's not letting diapers, sleepless nights deter her from her goal of making the Women's Olympic marathon trials. 6 Months she gave birth - her son, Eli - “I think it makes me a better mom,” she said. “It’s pretty much the only time I’m away from Eli (when she's training). It’s nice to have that little break.” Kim made the Olympic marathon trials in 2000 and 2004. She had the 2008 trials as a goal long before getting pregnant, it may be her last chance to go. Then Eli came along, and she said everything changed except her goal. “I have so much respect for moms who are athletes, and just moms,” - “It’s different for men. They don’t have to go through all the physical part and the recovery and the breast feeding and all that. It really makes your body strong, I think, because you have to be able to carry the baby, but it is challenging." Despite all the physical differences, the biggest change, she said, has come in her focus. As an elite athlete, Kim admits she often thought about herself first. Now her own needs have been surpassed by her son’s. “It’s not just about me anymore. He comes first,” she said. “It’s more challenging now because my day is not planned around my running, it’s planned around Eli.” Kim still manages to log an incredible amount of miles, thanks to the cooperation of her husband, Paul, and her mother, Sue. Six months after giving birth by cesarean section, she’s gotten up to 90 miles a week — an average of more than 12 miles a day. Kim walk-jogged late into her pregnancy. After giving birth, she took about five weeks off before getting the OK from her doctor to work out. Then her marathon training started in earnest. She submitted a training program she had devised to her running coach, thinking he would tell her it was too aggressive. Instead, he’s holding her to it. Kim is on track to run her first marathon in January or February. She’ll need to complete the 26.2 miles in less than 2 hours, 42 minutes to qualify for the Olympic trials. They will be held April 20 in Boston. There she is on the left in her '02 form and when she ran the NYC Marathon @ 2:38, other races I have in common with her are the SF Bay to Breakers and the Santa Cruz to Capitola Wharf to Wharf race! So I'm rootin' for her y'all. She knows it’s a short time frame to prep for....but Kim says she’s not overdoing anything. “I have just enough time to come back, but I don’t have time to get injured. So, there’s this fine line,” she said. “It’s like ‘OK, this is my shot,’ but I may not have this shot again.” “Paula Radcliffe had this saying, she was saying when she’s happy, she runs well, and she’s never been so happy,” “That’s the way it is with me. ... I just can’t describe it. It’s the most wonderful thing in the world.” Okay - I'm going to have to find out which Jan or Feb Marathon Kim's going to run in to try and make the trials so I can root her on - she is running to come back! If you read my blog you know Men are out here "cherry picking" and "drug cheating" & all sorts of nonsense - whereas Women time and time again just keep puttin' it down in this running game y'all - doin' their thing. It damn near makes me think it migh be prudent to vote for Hillary over Obama, but that's another issue. With no further delay let me get my butt up and go push my 4.5 miles @ a 7:00 pace. Maybe I will be confident enough w/my speed to race this 10K in 3 weeks - - Have a great day and c'mon get happy!