The Running Shoes Experts Wear

The Running Shoes Experts Wear
from thatsfit.com


Posted on Feb 24th 2010 3:30PM by Jennifer Fields

Your shoes are probably the single most important piece of equipment for running. They can help or hinder your runs and can go a long way toward preventing injuries and optimizing performance. No single brand or make of shoe will work for everyone, but with so many choices out there at a wide range of price points that claim to meet all kinds of biomechanical needs, it can be a bit overwhelming. What do the experts choose for their runs? Read on to find out.

Georgia's First Varsity Women's Lacrosse Team Ready for First Game

Agnes Scott has the first varsity women’s lacrosse team in GA, from Agnes Scott…

Georgia’s First Varsity Women’s Lacrosse Team Ready for First Game

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Agnes Scott College’s lacrosse team, the first varsity women’s lacrosse team in Georgia, will take the field for its first regular season game ever on March 2 against LaGrange College.

Agnes Scott was the first Georgia college to establish a varsity women’s lacrosse team, though other Georgia teams (including LaGrange) have followed or are preparing for their first seasons. While there are several club lacrosse teams at other Georgia colleges and universities, Agnes Scott’s team was the first school-sponsored (varsity) women’s lacrosse team.

The game will be held at Agnes Scott’s Gellerstedt Track and Field from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. The NCAA Division III team is competing in the USA South Athletic Conference, which includes seven other colleges from Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

Decatur Electronics Recycling Day March 27th

From Decatur Commisioner Patti Garrett’s blog…

Mark your calendar for the City of Decatur’s next Electronics Recycling Day, slated for March 27th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Decatur High School.

More details will follow as we get closer to this event.

Sell took hard road to success in the long run

Sell took hard road to success in the long run

Author: NATHAN DOMINITZ, From Savannah Now

Brian Sell didn't set the running world on fire while in high school. There was barely a spark. His time in the 2-mile run was 10 minutes, 10 seconds.

"That won't even get you a letter from a college, let alone a scholarship," Sell, now 31, said this week. "I worked my way up."

He didn't go to hotbeds for collegiate runners, either, attending Messiah and Saint Francis in his native Pennsylvania. But Sell worked hard, and not only collected conference titles but developed into an Olympic athlete, competing in the marathon at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.

The same runner who once averaged 5:05 splits for the 2-mile averaged sub-5-minute miles for an entire 26.2-mile race.

"He is living proof that hard work and consistency in this particular sport can lead to great things," said Michael Sergi, cross country and track coach at the Savannah College of Art and Design. "A guy that had been a mediocre high school runner is now known as one of the best distance runners not only in America but in the world."

Decatur Lacrosse

From the Decatur Minute blog…

The Decatur High School Girl’s Lacrosse Team will be participating in the 2nd Annual Inside the Perimeter Lacrosse Tournament beginning on Thursday, February 25 and continuing through Saturday. The Boy’s Lacrosse Team will also be playing on Saturday. Games will be held in the new Decatur High School stadium. A one-day pass is $7 for adults and $5 for students. Better yet, get a Tournament Pass for only $12 for adults and $8 for students. Children 6 and under are free. What a great way to spend the weekend and show support for Decatur’s Youth! The schedule of games is below.

Thursday        25 February     Decatur vs. North Cobb  5:30 p.m.      
Thursday        25 February     Newnan vs. Holy Innocents’      7:30 p.m.      
Friday  26 February     Decatur vs. Grady       5:30 p.m.      
Friday  26 February     Woodward Academy vs. Holy Innocents’    7:30 p.m.      
Saturday        27 February     Girls’ Consolation Game 9:00 a.m.      
Saturday        27 February     Girls Championship Game 1:00 p.m.      
Saturday        27 February     Boys’ Consolation Game  11:00 a.m.     

Pete Magill's Guide to Pre-Race Jitters

Before my last marathon, I went through these jitters, from runningtimes.com.

Pete Magill's Guide to Pre-Race Jitters

10 steps to staying calm

By Pete Magill
As featured in the March 2010 issue of Running Times Magazine

We all get nervous before a race. During my 35 years of competing and coaching, I've seen race start lines that could double as medical triages. I've

witnessed athletes vomit, cry, fake injuries, warm up so long they miss the start, urinate, and even arrive on crutches.

"Any runner who denies having fears, nerves, or some other kind of disposition," said 1950s British Olympian Gordon Pirie, "is a bad athlete, or a liar."

Race jitters--irrational panic in the buildup to a race--can undermine our running goals more completely than illness or injury. What makes jitters especially destructive is that we don't always recognize them, even when we're shaking in our shoes.

Here, then, are 10 signs of race jitters, along with practical advice for coping with them.

Stand Up While You Read This!

From the NYTimes.com, even the ‘Notes’ section is interesting and full of facts.

February 23, 2010, 6:20 pm

Stand Up While You Read This!

By OLIVIA JUDSON

Olivia Judson on the influence of science and biology on modern life.

Zack Canepari for The New York Times, left; Chris Machian for The New York Times Wrong: Sitting at your cubicle. Better: Walking while clicking and talking.

Your chair is your enemy.

It doesn’t matter if you go running every morning, or you’re a regular at the gym. If you spend most of the rest of the day sitting — in your car, your office chair, on your sofa at home — you are putting yourself at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, a variety of cancers and an early death. In other words, irrespective of whether you exercise vigorously, sitting for long periods is bad for you.

That, at least, is the conclusion of several recent studies. Indeed, if you consider only healthy people who exercise regularly, those who sit the most during the rest of the day have larger waists and worse profiles of blood pressure and blood sugar than those who sit less. Among people who sit in front of the television for more than three hours each day, those who exercise are as fat as those who don’t: sitting a lot appears to offset some of the benefits of jogging a lot.

So what’s wrong with sitting? 

Local Races This Weekend

Local races in and around the Decatur area and a PRRQ

Saturday:

4th Annual XTERRA Georgia Thrill In The Hills 21K / 42K Trail Running Race at Fort Yargo

Charles Harris Run for Leukemia 10K in Tucker (PRRQ)

Sunday:

Merrick's Walk at the Galloway School in Atlanta

ING Marathon - Volunteers Needed!!

The ING Marathon will be passing through Decatur on Sunday March 21.  Volunteers are still needed.

Volunteers are the heart and “sole” of the ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon! Please join us at the 4th running of this great event on Sunday, March 21, 2010. There are many volunteer opportunities for you, your family, friends, co-workers, company or organization.

The City of Decatur Police Department is in need of fifteen more Volunteer Course Traffic Marshals. If you are interested in receiving information about this opportunity, please contact Juanchella G. Francis at: juanchella.francis@decaturga.com or 678-553-6656, no later than Monday, March 1, 2010.

Toronto Will Keep Both of its Marathons

From the Toronto Globe and Mail, all the more reason to visit Toronto more often.

A race divided: Toronto will keep both its marathons

GoodLife event to be held in May

KELLY GRANT

From Saturday's Globe and Mail Published on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010 12:00AM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 3:44AM EST

CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF

The race is over, and it's a tie.

Toronto's competing marathons have reached a compromise that will see one stay in the fall and the other move to the spring.

The agreement neutralizes city hall's threat to pit the marathon organizations against each other - and outside race groups - for the right to host Toronto's only marathon.

"Faced with impending doom, sanity prevailed," said Alan Brookes, race director for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, which remains in the autumn. "The arrangement that has been reached will be a win-win-win for everybody."

The GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon will move to May, beginning in 2011. This year's races will remain on their regularly scheduled fall dates.

Boston Marathon Announces Full Elite Field

From Running Times…

Boston Marathon Announces Full Elite Field

4 former women's champs, 2 former men's champs, plus Meb and Ryan Hall
As featured in the issue of Running Times Magazine

BOSTON, MA, February, 23, 2010—John Hancock Financial today announced the elite field of 44 athletes from ten countries for the 114^th running of the Boston Marathon on April 19.  A complete field list follows.

Headlining the field, and recently announced, are defending champions Deriba Merga and Salina Kosgei, and past champions Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Catherine Ndereba, Dire Tune and Lidiya Grigoryeva.  

2010 Neighborhood Cleanup Days

From the Decatur Minute blog...

Public Works just sent out their Neighborhood Cleanup Days schedule for the spring. The cleanup days will take place on Saturdays during April, May and June. The pickup crews will collect yard trimmings, building materials (that are not from the work of private contractors), tires, appliances (not containing Freon), and trash that would not normally be placed in pay-as-you-throw bags. Liquids, dirt, bricks, blocks, stone, rocks, concrete and motor vehicle batteries or parts will not be collected.

To see when your street will have its cleanup day, click on the PDF below. All items to be collected should be placed at the curb no later than 7:30 a.m.

2010 Neighborhood Association Spring Cleanup Days

Local Races This Weekend

Local races in and around the Decatur area and a PRRQ.

Saturday is the Druid Hills Fun Run Fundraiser 5K, Atlanta

And on Sunday is the Resolution Rush 5K/10K, Canton (PRRQ)

Used book sale at Decatur library

Used book sale at Decatur library, By April Hunt, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Friends of the Decatur Library will host a large used book sale later this month.

Hardcovers, paperbacks and other media items will be available at the sale, with prices ranging from 50 cents to $4. Money raised will be used for various programs at the library, the main branch for the DeKalb County system.

The sale runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Feb. 27 on the lower level of the library on Sycamore Street.

For additional information about the sale or other branch book sales, visit the system Web site at www.dekalblibrary.o

Train like an Olympian

I found this article in ajc.com…

Train like an Olympian

Health Day News

You may not be an Olympian, but there are lessons you can learn from them if you want to improve your athletic performance.

"The Olympics symbolize the chance for all of us to push the boundaries of human potential. As I tell my students, if you want to compete at a high level, mimic the strategies of those at the top," Chris Sebelski, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Saint Louis University, said in a news release from the school.

Weekend Races in the Snow and Ice

Please check websites and race directors to get the current information on your races this weekend.  It looks as if some races are cancelled or postponed.  Run safely in these conditions.

Here's a Runners World article for running in these kinds of conditions.

2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race t-shirt design contest

From the ajc.com, link here…

Track club accepting t-shirt designs

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

11:27 a.m. Friday, February 12, 2010

The Atlanta Track Club has begun accepting entries for the 2010 AJC Peachtree Road Race t-shirt design contest. The deadline is March 1. The winning artist will receive $1,000 and the unique honor of seeing his or her artwork on the 55,000 road race t-shirts.

The entries will be judged by a panel of judges from the track club, AJC and local graphic arts community. The five finalists will be revealed March 21, the same day that online race registration begins on ajc.com. The public can vote on the designs through April 30. The winning design will be revealed at the July 4 race.

Training Tired? Check Your Diet

I found this article on runningtimes.com.  I’m the worst at my diet and running so I found this article real interesting.

Training Tired? Check Your Diet

Five signs you're not adequately fueling your running

By Jackie Dikos, R.D.
As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

When you hit a patch of substandard running, and your training log doesn’t reveal obvious causes like poor sleep or a lingering cold, check your diet. Here are five signs that you might not be fueling (and refueling) well enough to support your running.

Avellino's Pizza

Avellino’s Pizza got a write-up in ajc.com, here’s the article…

Haven’t tried the place out yet but we’ve been meaning to.

Avellino’s Pizza

902 West College Ave., Decatur

By Bob Townsend

For the AJC

No doubt, it’s a tough time to open a restaurant. But in Atlanta, it’s become an even tougher time to open a pizza restaurant, as the so-called “pizza wars” have pitched the attention of metro dining bloggers and foodies toward the mystic equations of crust, sauce and cheese.

Clearly, Avellino’s Pizza, which specializes in a kind of Italian bakery-style pan pizza rarely seen in these parts, has struggled to find a steady following, changing its hours and menu since opening in early 2009.  

Tortillas is back … sort of

This is a great article I found in the Creative Loaf, Omnivore Atlanta blog.  I am/was a big fan of Tortillas back in the day so to see it come back (well sort of) is pretty cool.


Tortillas is back … sort of

February 2nd, 2010 by Cliff Bostock in Food & Life, Restaurants

Missy Babcock writes this exciting news:

After just having ingested exact replicas of the original Tortillas’ burrito, salsa, chips and guac, I felt compelled to give you this story tip.

There’s a guy on Facebook who is attempting to replicate Tortillas’ menu and do home delivery service within 2 miles of downtown Decatur. He’s been at it for many months, and I finally heeded one of his emails for home delivery today. And it’s right on. Check it out. It is legit. “West End Burritos: For Those Who Miss Tortillas.”

Races and PRRQ

Local Races this weekend and Peachtree Road Race Qualifier

One Love, One Heart 5K for CdLS in Medlock Park
The Front Page News "Half-Fast" 5K in Candler Park
ATC Hearts & Soles 5K/Mile at GA Perimeter College

Run the Reagan Half Marathon/10K/5K/Mile in Snellville (the 10K is a Peachtree Road Race Qualifier)

Hope Clinic 5K Saturday, March 6

When Saturday, March 6, 2010 (Race will be held rain or shine!)


7:30 - Race packet pick-up, late registration; Health Fair begins
8:00 – Start 1 Mile Walk - no strollers, skates or pets, please.
8:30 – Start 5K Run
9:30 - Award Presentation

Where Rock Springs Park in Lawrenceville (corner of Rock Springs Rd and Old Peachtree)

Cost $15 for participants registered before February 21st.
$20 after the 21st or on race day.

T-shirts in sizes ordered only guaranteed to participants that are pre-registered.

Awards Overall M/F finishers and top 3 M/F in each age group.
Age Groups: 10 &under; 11-14; 15-19; 20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 55-59; 60-64; 65 & over

Register 5kRace@hopeclinicgwinnett.info

Send registration form and check made payable to: “Hope Clinic 5K”
2215 Wildwood Lake Drive, Suwanee, GA 30024.

For questions, please call Kelly Wiechard @ 770-963-4137

ART PAPERS Eleventh Annual Art Auction

ART PAPERS will host its annual art auction tomorrow (February 6) at Mason Murer Fine Art's Main Gallery. (Click here for more info.)

The auction will include works by Atlanta artists and international artists as well, so it's definitely a must-attend if you're a collector looking for new works. But even if you don't collect, the auction's a great opportunity to check out some cool contemporary art and help support ART PAPERS too.

For those who aren't familiar with ART PAPERS, it's a non-profit organization with a mission to provide an independent and accessible forum for the exchange of perspectives on the role of contemporary art as a socially relevant and engaged discourse. To further this mission, the organization publishes ART PAPERS magazine, now in its 33rd year. It's distributed throughout the U.S. and is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-a-Million and other bookstores and museum shops.

Tickets to the auction on Saturday are only $25 per person, which is extremely reasonably priced for an art auction. And if you've never been to one, it would be a great way to impress a date if you want to get a heads start on Valentine's Day...

Running Your Own Race by Jill Koenig

I found this article online…

Running Your Own Race
by Jill Koenig

Author, Coach, Motivational Speaker

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Think back to a time in your life when you tried something new.

When I was a teenager I volunteered to work the water station at a 10k (6.2 mile) race.

It was called the "Heaven Can Wait" 10 K run and ironically, it was sponsored by the local cemetery.

My job was to pass out water to the runners. I remember being so excited to see all the different kinds of people who passed by and grabbed a cup of water. Some ran past, some walked past and a few wheeled past.

I saw so many types of people doing it, I thought maybe I can do it too!

So the next year I signed up for the race and gave it a shot.

Back then I didn't do much to prepare except jog around my neighborhood. I never tracked how far I jogged, or timed myself, I just ran around. :)

I had no time goals for the race, no specialized training, no game plan, nothing.

Needless to say that I prepare differently when I run races today, but back then my only goal was to finish.

On the day of the race, it was incredibly hot and humid. I remember struggling at about the 5th mile, thinking, "I must be crazy, why did I do this? What was I thinking? And at one point, I said, "I am never doing this again!"

Peachtree Road Race Qualifiers this Weekend

Saturday Road Races:
Chattahooche Challenge 10K/mile, Roswell, 8:00 a.m.; 770-992-2055 x 234 or web site
Run for the Angels 5K/10K/Mile, Newnan, 8:30 a.m.; 678-795-0115
Road-Kill Run 5K/10K, Adel, 9:00 a.m.; 229-896-3551

And Sunday Trail Races (not a PRRQ):
Red Top Rumble 11.5 Trail Race and Kids Trail Trot, Cartersville, 8:00 a.m.; 678-778-3905 or getguts.com

FLEXIBLE ROUTINE

Found this article online in runnersworld.com....


Stretches for Injury Prevention

FLEXIBLE ROUTINE

A 10-minute postrun yoga sequence that will improve your range of motion and prevent injury.

By Sage Rountree

Image by Daniel Krall

From the October 2009 issue of Runner's World

Most runners wouldn't describe themselves as limber or loose—especially after logging a five-, 10-, or 20-miler. But practicing yoga after your workouts can remedy that. By increasing blood and oxygen flow to muscles, tendons, and ligaments, yoga boosts flexibility, reduces soreness, and speeds recovery. This series of six poses targets runners' tightest and weakest spots, improving range of motion and strength to keep muscles and joints healthy. And as a bonus, you'll also develop balance, core strength, and focus. Done together, these exercises make the perfect postrun routine.

Renfro Middle School's "DREAM BIG" 2010 Auction for the Arts!

To: The greater Decatur community

What: RMS Auction for the Arts!
Date: Friday, February 19, 2010
Where: Solarium in Oakhurst
Time: 7:30 p.m. - 11 p.m

*Tickets are $35 per person in advance and $50 at the door, and include 3 drink tickets, food and dancing.

Visit the Renfro Auction Web Page http://www.renfroeauction.com/ to buy your tickets NOW and view the auction catalog!

We hope you'll join us for a fun-filled evening of food, drink, dancing and a great silent and live auction!

If you have a service, product or anything you would like to donate please contact Elaine Clark at elaine_clark@comcast.net before February 10th.

For general auction information, please contact Sara Baxter at 404-378-3891 or sbc@comcast.net.

Kirkwood Public Safety Social

Dignity February 4-6, 2010

Bank of America Chicago Marathon Registration Is Open

33rd Annual Event to Take Place on October 10


Online registration for the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon is open at chicagomarathon.com. The 33rd edition of the 26.2-mile race will be held on October 10 - 10/10/10 - beginning and ending in Chicago's historic Grant Park. Registration is open to the first 45,000 registered participants.

This sells out quickly.  If you want to run Chicago in the Fall, get to registering.