Wednesday Night Run 2-1-2012

Hello ORC,

January has come and gone with very nice weather overall; are you still on your New Year's resolution? It feels like Spring and the Oakhurst Community gardens are having classes for everything from beeswax candle making to tree pruning. And the City of Decatur also has some classes for adult beginner's photography. 'Jamaica, Farewell' is playing at the Academy Theatre. Family Storytelling continues at Callanwolde. The Bach Bowl is at Emory. This is not to be confused with a super something ball game going on this weekend. Is it groundhog day this weekend because there is the Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival at the Yaarab Shrine Center auditorium.

What else is going on this week/weekend?

On the local and not so local racing scene this weekend is a couple of road races that one will have to travel to. On Saturday are the Owls Making Strides 5K in Kennesaw, the Norcross Blue Devils 5K Run & Mile Fun Run in Norcross, the Mardi Gras 10K in Athens, and the Run for the Son 5K and 10K in Powder Springs. On Sunday is the 1st Annual GPS 5K in Douglasville. And if trail races peak your interest there is the Dirty Spokes Heritage Park 8.0 Mile Trail Running Race in Watkinsville on Saturday and the 5th Annual Red Top Rumble 11.5 Mile Trail Run & Kids Trail Trot in Cartersville on Sunday.

This Wednesday you will be running route 10. Please wear your lights and other reflective gear. This run seems to have a lot of car traffic at the main intersections the route crosses so please watch out for drivers who may not be paying attention. The run hits Rockyford, Hosea, Tupelo, and the rolling hills of Spence/McDonough. You can see the map through the link below. I think this is the link that has the most trouble with, sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, but if not, run route 10. After this 5 miler it is off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks, and trivia.

Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9kfg7f38KdBNzBhOGUzZjgtNDFjOC00MmEwLWE1MjItMjczMzU5MTk4OGVk&hl=en

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, February 4
Dirty Spokes Heritage Park 8.0 Mile Trail Running Race, Watkinsville
Owls Making Strides 5K, Kennesaw
Norcross Blue Devils 5K Run & Mile Fun Run, Norcross
Mardi Gras 10K, Athens
Run for the Son 5K and 10K, Powder Springs

Sunday, February 5
5th Annual Red Top Rumble 11.5 Mile Trail Run & Kids Trail Trot, Cartersville
1st Annual GPS 5K, Douglasville

Runner pounds the pavement to drop the pounds

A feel good story from USA Today online...

Runner pounds the pavement to drop the pounds
By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY

Ken Chuney knows all too well the gut-busting hard work involved in losing a significant amount of weight and keeping it off for years.

At 5-foot-8, Chuney weighed 335 pounds when he was 20 years old. He slimmed down between his sophomore and junior years in college by cutting back on portions and eliminating whole milk and 100% juice.

"I lost about 65 pounds in 3½ months. It was pretty amazing. When I went back to college, I lost another 35 pounds the first semester."

He took up running several miles a day. "I felt stronger. I felt more confident."

Read on here<http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/story/2012-01-29/Runner-pounds-the-pavement-to-drop-the-pounds/52876514/1>.

Wednesday Night Run 1-25-2011

Hello ORC,

What's going on locally? The Decatur Library is having a book sale this Saturday. The Atlanta Experience of the ABA will be playing at Agnes Scott. There is an indoor flea market at Climatized Self Storage. Several classes are going on at the Oakhurst Community Garden Project including organic pest control and an intro to keeping chickens. At the Georgia Dome is the battle of the marching bands.

What else is going on this week/weekend? Want to share?

A couple of local runs this weekend to peak your interest. There is the Atlanta Mission 5K and the Frosty Run 5K both in Atlanta. If you want something longer, the Callaway Gardens Half Marathon is being run in Pine Mountain. Looks like a great weekend to run so get out on the road.

This Wednesday you will be running route 8, the East Lake Golf Course run. The link to the route is at the bottom of this e- mail. After getting out of the hill on Garland, the route runs downhill until climbing Oakview Rd. Then the route continues to climb Howard to a quick downhill on College. Then it's the climb on Wisteria, and a finishing uphill at the shop. And as always, please wear your flashing, reflective safety gear for the run in the dark. After the run, it's off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks and trivia.

Enjoy your run Wednesday night. Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9kfg7f38KdBZGQwMWNkNTAtMTIyMi00MjNiLWI5MTgtZDkwNDNmNWRlMmEw&hl=en

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, January 28
Tartan Trot 5K/10K & 1 Mile/Tot Trot, Dunwoody
Atlanta Mission 5K, Atlanta
Polar Bear Run 5K/2K/Cub Runs, Marietta
Frosty Run 5K, Atlanta

Sunday, January 29
Callaway Gardens Half Marathon & 5K, Pine Mountain

Indoor Marathon Gold Medal Challenge

I didn't realize there were several indoor marathons to speak of. Articles are here<http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/137666713.html> and here<http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/137863048.html> for the Icebreaker Marathon Gold Medal Challenge.

Icebreaker Marathon runners set to hibernate at race pace
By Tom Held, Special to the Journal Sentinel
Jan. 19, 2012

Call it a form of active hibernation.

More than 800 runners from 21 states will tuck themselves into the Pettit National Ice Center and race this weekend in the fourth annual Icebreaker Indoor Marathon.

In the cool confines of the ice center, dashers and plodders will turn thousands of laps in a 5K, half marathon, marathon and marathon relay. The truly committed will compete in the Slendertone Gold Medal Challenge, combining the half-marathon on Saturday and full marathon on Sunday.

For them, the weekend will be spent turning left, through 143.1 laps on the 443-meter track that circles the ice oval.

Inspired by the Zoom! Yah! Yah! Indoor marathon at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., Chris Ponteri created the Icebreaker in 2009.

It took off.

Wednesday Night Run 1-18-2012

Hello ORC,

If you are interested, the City of Decatur is offering a free CPR training course on Saturday morning. In Clarkston, there is the International Community School Benefit Concert to support the soccer program at Clarkston Community Center. That's free also. I also keep seeing ads for the Buckhead Beer fest this weekend. If you have ever watched the movie The King's Speech, the film is showing at Emory followed by a discussion by Susan Harte. Happy Chinese New Year! It is the year of the dragon. Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Anything else is going on this week/weekend?

On the running side, there is not much in local races this weekend. You can still find a race if you drive. A highlight would be the Hogpen Hillclimb 17K and its companion event the Piglet 5K in Helen. If you like hills, this one is for you. The Atlanta Track Club also continues their race series in Peachtree City with a fun run, a 5K, and a 10K.

This Wednesday you will be running the Winter route, route 12. A bulk of it is along DeKalb Av and W Howard on the PATH. But there are nice rolling hills getting there through MAK and Winnona. It's dark out there so wear your brightest, most reflective, most light flashing running wear. The link to the route is at the bottom of this e-mail. After the run it's off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks and trivia.

Enjoy your run Wednesday night. Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9kfg7f38KdBYzc4Y2E4OGUtMWI0NS00N2JhLThhZjktZGZhODZjMTg4NmU5&hl=en

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, January 21
Run Road Atlanta 5K / 10K / Fun Run, Braselton
ATC Peachtree City 5K / 10K / Mile, Peachtree City
33rd Annual Hogpen Hillclimb 17K and Piglet 5K, Helen
Reaching Argentina through Compassionate Evangelism 5K, Gainesville

Sunday, January 22
Lakeview Academy New Year's Resolution 5K & 1 Mile Fun Run, Gainesville

Go Meb

From Athletes In Court online...

Somebody ought to lose their job at Nike, Meb Keflezigh wins Olympic Marathon trials
By Lee Davis on January 14th, 2012

Meb Keflezighi won today's Men's Olympic Marathon trials in Houston. Meb, 36-years old, ran a personal best to win the race and qualify for the 2012 Men's Olympic Marathon Team. Keflezighi's time of 2:09:07 was just shy of an American Olympic trials record, with Ryan Hall, the race favorite, coming in second and finishing just under the 2:10 mark.

Meb was representing Skechers as Nike dropped him as an athlete in 2011. That is why I say someone at Nike should lose their job. Previously he had been a Nike athlete, and most in the sport associated him with Nike. Can you imagine the conversation in Beaverton, OR, next week? Eric Sprunk, Global Vice President of Merchandising and Product for Nike is going to call in John Capriotti, Director of Global Marketing, on Monday to explain how in the world Nike got scooped by Sketchers in the most important running event to be held every four years on American soil, the Olympic Marathon Trials.

Read on here<http://www.athletesincourt.com/2012/01/somebody-ought-to-lose-their-job-at-nike-meb-keflezigh-wins-olympic-marathon-trials/>.

Relishing Relays

From Running Times online…

Relishing Relays
Running from Miami to Key West with a bunch of like-minded runners
By Adam W. Chase
As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

I was never a real Dead Head and didn't even count as a legitimate Phish Head because I was already devoted enough to running that inhalation wasn't going to happen, despite my attending some awesome Dead and Phish concerts. I can always recall my experiences at those shows as one of awe. "Wow" – which is a mandatory expression for Dead and Phish Heads, I affirm – I thought to myself, "there are people like me." Until then I had always thought of myself as somewhat of an odd anomaly. 


At the Ragnar Relay 2012 kick-off event on Jan. 6-7 in the beautiful Florida Keys, I got to witness thousands of people who had flocked there to experience that same initiation, that same compelling sense of belonging and almost addictive emotional attachment of like-minded runners who were embracing their passion in zany yet athletic ways. Many came from cities, suburbs and towns where running is considered abnormal behavior and so being surrounded by so many runners and in a team setting was almost overwhelming, as evidenced by the elated expressions and permanent smiles they wore.

Read on here<http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=25028>.

Racing With No Chance of Winning

From the Wall Street Journal online...

Racing With No Chance of Winning
Simply Appearing in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Is Victory Enough For These N.Y. Runners

By SCOTT CACCIOLA

Kelly Chin is a realist. When she lines up Saturday for the start of the 2012 U.S. Olympic marathon trials in Houston, Chin will be aware that she has approximately zero chance of finishing among the top three women, which would earn her a trip to the Olympics in London this summer.

Chin, a 31-year-old information-technologies analyst from Brooklyn, has even done the math. She would need to lop about 20 minutes from her personal-best result of 2 hours, 44 minutes to even have a shot of contending. "There's no way," she said.

Read on here<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204124204577153182542374636.html>.

Wednesday Night Run 1-11-2012

Hello ORC,

For January, I think we are having some great weather, minus the rain of course. But think back to last year and we were snowed/iced in. This Friday Decatur High School is having a fashion show called Eco-Threads. There are several MLK day celebrations going on this weekend. Look around and you will find something.

What else is going on this week/weekend?

This is pretty amazing to see that there are no local runs this weekend. Or maybe I didn't look hard enough. I do see a full and half marathon in Warner Robbins, the 16th Annual Museum of Aviation Foundation Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5K.

As a continuing friendly reminder please wear your lights, reflective vests, etc. so you can be seen during your run. Run safely.

This Wednesday you are running through the Winnona neighborhood on Route 1. The run goes through Kirkwood, through McKoy Park, around Winnona, through Agnes Scott, and a long finishing straight on Ansley. This run has a lot of turns but it's all in the neighborhood, you can run your way out. The link to Route 1 is at the bottom of this e-mail. After the run it's off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks and trivia.

Enjoy your run Wednesday night. Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9kfg7f38KdBZDQwNzI3NTQtZGY4My00MWNjLWE2YWItNmUzNzIxNDNhOGE3&hl=en

Rescue ‘App’ Locates Lost Mountain Runner

There is an app for almost everything, from 98FM online…

It seems like there really is an 'App' for everything…

Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue last night found a long-distance runner lost in the mountains… by texting him a link for software that tracked him down using his smartphone.

Read on here<http://www.98fm.com/2012/category-news-sport/rescue-app/>.

Rent Space on Nick Symmonds on eBay

I found this on Runners World online and it shows the challenges of being an elite runner where your fulltime job is being a runner. Not all elites are sponsored and I can only guess at the dollars that are provided to them if they are sponsored.

You Can Rent Space on Nick Symmonds on eBay
The four-time USA 800-meter titleist and 2008 Olympian is the most vocal and visible presence in the movement to enable elite athletes to wear additional sponsor logos on their running (or jumping or throwing) uniforms. Now Symmonds takes his case to eBay, where he is offering space on his left shoulder; throughout 2012, he'll wear a temporary tattoo of the Twitter name of the highest bidder of his auction at eBay. The price was north of $1,000 when we posted this - it's probably higher now, and you have until January 14 to bid.

"Should the winner of this auction be a corporation, I will wear its Twitter name on my left shoulder when allowed to do so by governing bodies and, after reviewing the quality of the corporation's products, endorse them entirely provided my endorsement does not conflict with any of my current sponsors," Nike and Melaleuca, Nick Symmonds explains on eBay. "Along with this valuable advertising space (4.7 billion viewers during 2008 Olympic Games), I will tweet a message of support for the auction winner on the first of every month during 2012 from my personal Twitter account, @nsymm800, which currently has over 4500 followers." Symmonds does make clear "I will be forced to cover up the temporary tattoo with tape at all IAAF governed meetings. I will, however, have the tattoo on under the tape and will remove the tape as soon as the rules permit. In all interviews conducted before and after the event I will mention the sponsor's Twitter name and why it has been covered during competition."

A bold stratagem. This fellow Symmonds has True Grit, and audacity. "This is something I've discussed on runs with athletes for a long time. This is one of the '7 different types of smoke' I said I am going to throw at this problem (sponsorship issues). It's a way that corporations and fans can take action in this fight. I hope that a fan wins, and it's his Twitter handle on my arm," Symmonds told our colleague Jon Gugala. "I'm excited to see what a couple square inches on my shoulder is worth." Symmonds adds "the purpose is to bring awareness to athletes' sponsorship issues. The money will be used to continue training toward my goal of the 2012 Olympics. My goal is to eat only organic food for the year, and I've got a half-gallon milk habit per day - it's more expensive than gas. But I'm doing this (organic food) so that people can see my commitment to medal in 2012." Isn't there at least a reality TV show for this guy? (photo of Nick Symmonds by Victah Sailer) More<http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180789582037>

Read on here<http://racingnews.runnersworld.com/2012/01/january-5-you-can-rent-space-on-nick-symmonds-the-ones-to-watch-at-olympic-marathon-trials-a-208-marathon-for-fernando-cabada-lisa-dobriskeys-sheer-embarrassment-san-antonio-l.html>.

Free running shoes for all could get Britain back on its feet again

From The Telegraph online...

Free running shoes for all could get Britain back on its feet again

Goodbye gluttony, hello January. There were a lot of us about on New Year's Day, Christmas-pudding legs jogging through the mud of Sale Water Park with birdsong and the low cry of the M60 as companions.

By Tanya Aldred
7:00AM GMT 04 Jan 2012

The footpath was squelchy and my trainers schlepped past jaunty dogs, empty Coke cans and a bunch of fading flowers left on a bench in memoriam.

The Mersey swept past, swollen and fast, and even as a man 20 years older overtook and vanished into the distance, the year ahead seemed suddenly full of promise.

What were we doing out here, red-faced and out of breath? Fulfilling our resolutions or escaping the house? Or have we at last bought into the Olympic dream that was supposed to have inspired us on to the open road back in 2005?

This seems unlikely. The Blair, Brown and Cameron governments have been desperate to increase participation in sport. Yet despite the money, the inspiration of the Olympics, the health threats, we remain a ballooning nation with a diabetes problem and an unwavering addiction to the sofa.

Read on here<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8990370/Free-running-shoes-for-all-could-get-Britain-back-on-its-feet-again.html>.

Indoor marathon wins over Northfield runners

From the Star Tribune online...

Indoor marathon wins over Northfield runners
Article by: SHANNON PRATHER , Special to the Star Tribune Updated: January 3, 2012 - 3:59 PM

Despite the monotony, participants say the 7th annual "Zoom! Yah! Yah!" marathon is a blast -- all 150 laps of it.

It's one of those eccentric little trends in the world of long-distance running, but a small band of marathon runners seems to be lapping it up.

On Sunday, 44 competitors will gather at St. Olaf College in Northfield to run the "Zoom! Yah! Yah!" Indoor Marathon. It takes 150 laps on an elevated, indoor track to complete the 26.2-mile race.

Sound a bit monotonous? Might the scenery get a tad lackluster?

Organizers and runners say what the race lacks in terms of majestic backdrops, it makes up for in camaraderie and sideline revelry. Rub elbows with the same runners for several hours and you get to know a thing or two about each other.

Race cofounder Dick Daymont merrily boasts of the benefits of racing indoors in Minnesota at the apex of winter's wrath.

"We don't have traffic. We don't have to close streets," said Daymont, of Northfield. "It's flat. It's going to be nice weather. The running conditions are ideal."

Read on here<http://www.startribune.com/local/south/136398263.html>.

My job is to run: 100-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh

From the India Times...

4 Jan, 2012, 01.31PM IST, IANS

My job is to run: 100-year-old marathoner Fauja Singh

CHANDIGARH: His marathons at the ripe old age of 100 may not have been recognised by Guinness World Records on technical grounds, but Punjab-born British citizen Fauja Singh says the only thing he cares about is to keep running.

In fact Fauja, who will turn 101 April 1 this year, says he has not even heard of Guinness.

Read on here<http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/et-cetera/my-job-is-to-run-100-year-old-marathoner-fauja-singh/articleshow/11362182.cms>.

The interesting part is not being recognized by Guinness because according to the article...

Guinness had refused to recognise Fauja Singh as the world's oldest marathoner in October last year after he successfully completed the Toronto Marathon (42.195 km) in just over eight hours. Though Guinness officials came to witness his feat in Toronto, they refused to acknowledge him as the oldest man running marathons as he could not produce a birth certificate.

Chandigarh-based author Khushwant Singh, who wrote Fauja Singh's biography, "Turbaned Tornado" (Rupa Publications, price Rs.250) last year, says Guinness not recognizing Fauja Singh as the oldest marathoner showed a definite bias.

"In 1911, when Fauja Singh was born in a Punjab village, there was nothing like birth certificates. I feel that rules of Guinness book and other agencies in western countries are quite biased towards achievers from Asian countries. Would they question the British government, which ruled India at that time (1911), why it didn't have birth certificates at that time," Khushwant asked.

Wednesday Night Run 1-4-2012

Hello ORC,

Happy New Year, this week will be the first Wednesday night run of 2012 and so you will be hearing from me 51 more times this year. Most of you have probably already run your first runs of the year. Congrats to you and keep on running. There is not much happening this weekend but I did find that Kingsized is playing this weekend at Variety Playhouse. I guess the new year has to pick up and Kingsized is the way to do it.

What else is going on this week/weekend? Anyone want to share?

This weekend you can Run with the Dogs in Decatur for the RWTD/Frostbite 5K on Saturday. You can also head farther out to Marietta and Peachtree City for their respective 5K's and mile runs. On Sunday is the Rock The New Year Half, 5K, and 10K in Stone Mountain.

This Wednesday you will be running route 6. There are the challenging hills of Delano, the grind up Rogers, and of course climbing up McClendon. By the way, if it is getting too dark for this route to be run, let me know and I will shelve it for a while. And of course since daylight is shrinking away, wear your lights and other reflective gear for the run. The link to the route is at the bottom of this e-mail. After the run it's off to Mojo's Pizza for food, drinks and trivia.

Enjoy your run Wednesday night. Thanks for making the Oakhurst Running Club one of the friendliest running club in Atlanta.

Corny

http://oakhurstrunningclub.blogspot.com/

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B9kfg7f38KdBOGNjYzcxMzMtNmI1ZC00MzVlLThkYjAtYzJhMjRlZWUzODYx&hl=en

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, January 7
Run with the Dogs - Frostbite 5K, Decatur
Wonderful Days of Winter 5K/Mile, Marietta
Frostbite 5K and Mile Family Fun Run, Peachtree City

Sunday, January 8
Rock the New Year Half Marathon/5K/10K, Stone Mountain

113 Marathons In 2011

From mysanantonio.com...

Macon breaks own marathon record again
Published 10:58 p.m., Saturday, December 31, 2011

San Antonio attorney Larry Macon, whose running exploits have made him a nationwide sensation, broke his own Guinness world marathon record for the third time when he completed the New Year's Eve Marathon on Saturday in Allen. The competition marks his 113th marathon of 2011, breaking his own mark set last year.

Heading into Saturday's race, Macon, who turned 67 that day, had amassed almost 3,000 miles running in 2011, gone through a dozen pairs of shoes and logged roughly 200,000 miles in flying. He now has run 823 marathons during his lifetime.

- Richard Oliver

Read on here<http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/article/Macon-breaks-own-marathon-record-again-2435367.php>