Local Races This Weekend 5-1 to 5-2

Some local races this weekend…

On Saturday, May 1st

5th Annual Big Peach 5K, Brookhaven

Chamblee Run and Rotary Roll Road Race, Chamblee

Atlanta Speech School 1M Fun Run, Atlanta, 8:00 a.m.

10th Annual Run,Walk 'N' Roll 8K/3K, Stone Mountain, 9:00 a.m.

New Balance Girls on the Run 5K, Atlanta, 8:00 a.m.

Well Run 5K, Roswell, 8:00 a.m.

TriCities 5K/10K Run/Walk, College Park, 8:00 a.m.

On Sunday, May 2^nd

Lauren's Run 5K/2K/Tot Trot, Concourse Office Park, 8:00 a.m.

Uncooperative Weather in Nashville

I wondered about the cooperative or uncooperative weather in Nashville for this past weekend’s Country Music Half and Full Marathon.  I found an article in Nashville’s paper the Tennessean and also an apology from the Nashville Competitor.

Stormy Day Apology

by Country Music Marathon

April 28, 2010

Helping you successfully complete the Country Music Marathon or Half Marathon had been both a goal of yours and ours for several months leading into last weekend’s event. Unfortunately, the severe weather predicted during the days leading up to race day prevented us from helping most marathoners attain that goal.

Due to severe weather in Nashville on race day, marathoners were asked to divert from the course and were unable to complete the full 26.2 miles. While we understand how disappointing it was for all parties involved, this decision was made in the best interest and safety of the participants, volunteers, and spectators.

We apologize for the disappointment experienced on race day and hope that you understand how difficult of a decision it was for our organization. In the end, as lightning flashed throughout the greater downtown region throughout the morning and afternoon, we are confident the right decision was made.

Once again, we apologize for the unfortunate events of this past weekend and look forward to seeing you on the road again in the coming months.

AJC Peachtree Road Race to have number exchange system

I like that they reference this as ‘something of a Peachtree tradition’, from the ajc.com.

AJC Peachtree Road Race to have number exchange system

By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For the first time, race numbers for the AJC Peachtree Road Race can now be officially exchanged, though it will come with a cost.

The Atlanta Track Club has introduced a number transfer system in which runners seeking a spot in the race can now run with the number in their name. Runners can transfer their numbers on the track club's Web site for a fee of $20. The deadline is May 20.

The re-sale of race numbers has been something of a Peachtree tradition, as people seeking to get into the race often acquire them from friends, co-workers and through Web sites like eBay and craigslist, sometimes at a premium. The track club has frowned on this exchange, citing concerns over being unable to identify runners who use another person's number and then become incapacitated.

Runners who are unable to participate in this year's race can now also turn in their number for a guaranteed spot in next year's race. There is no fee, but runners will have to pay another entry fee in 2011.

New Balance Girls on the Run Atlanta 5K – May 1, 2010

On Saturday May 1, 2010 at 8am is the New Balance Girls on the Run Atlanta 5K.  The race starts at WestStride running store located in the Northside Parkway Shopping Center, 3517 Northside Pkwy., Atlanta, GA 30327(I-75 at W Paces Ferry).

5K Kirkwood Spring Fling Road Race

The first annual 5K Kirkwood Spring Fling Road Race will be held on May 15 at 9am. The race starts at the Kirkwood Public House, which is on Hosea Williams Drive at Howard Street NE. The course is fast and runs through a historic neighborhood. T-shirts and gift cards are given to all runners who register before May 1, 2010 and limited to the first 500 people.

Race registration is $20 until May 1 and will be $25 for runners who register the day of the race. After the race, runners can stay and enjoy the Kirkwood Spring Fling and Tour of Homes from 10am until 7pm.

Taste of Failure Taste Of Decatur

This has been an interesting read in the blogosphere.  Taste of Decatur was to highlight local restaurants around Decatur.  But on Saturday it didn’t work out that way.  Can it be blamed on the rain, maybe?  But the blame seems to point more to the promoters of the event who used a bait and switch.  I would say that most if not all Decatur blogs were advertising this event.  The promotions even were on broadcast TV, ajc.com and I think even Creative Loafing.  It makes Decatur look bad and there is some name confusion also ‘Taste of Decatur’ versus ‘A Taste of Decatur’; ‘Tour of Decatur’ versus Tour Decatur.’

Read, read, and read…

From DNO: Taste of Decatur: Questions Answered, Questions Linger
From Decatur Metro: “Taste of Decatur” Not So Tasty
From John Kessler's Food and More blog: Was ‘Taste of Decatur’ a scam?
From CL's Omnivore: Taste of Decatur FAIL

Shin Splints

I haven’t had shin splints in a while but I am feeling them today. So here’s an article on it.

My Shin Hurts

A primer on lower-leg pain

By Cathy Fieseler
As featured in the April 2010 issue of Running Times Magazine

The shin or lower leg includes everything between the knee and ankle, and is a prime spot for pain in runners. Let's look at the anatomy of the area and some of the most common problems runners get in and around their shins.

The tibia is the large bone of the lower leg; the fibula is the thin bone along the outer aspect of the lower leg. There are four compartments in the lower leg, each of which includes several muscles along with a nerve, artery and vein. Each compartment is surrounded by a tissue known as fascia. The muscles in these compartments control motion of the foot and ankle. Many of the thigh muscles attach to the top of the tibia and fibula. Differentiating between specific causes of lower leg pain may be difficult due to overlapping symptoms.

New City of Atlanta Parking Meters

City of Atlanta has upgraded their parking meters and are more strict on their parking rules.  Decatur Square parking has already had these meters for some time.  The pictures below are along West Peachtree St between 3rd and 4th.

COA also has a new parking management office that some folks are not happy about. Here's the 'Parking Wars' article.

Marathon Fueling Fumbles from the Past

What were they thinking way back when, I found this article from runningtimes.com.

Marathon Fueling Fumbles from the Past

Some smart runners have eaten surprising snacks before and during marathons

By Roger Robinson
As featured in the April 2010 issue of Running Times Magazine

For your next marathon, try this: no water for 24 hours before or during the race. Oodles of apple butter the night before. One hour before, eat a fat 2-inch steak. If it's hot, drink champagne at mile 15. At 20 miles, eat a meal of fruit.

Or better, be thankful you are running in the first era to understand nutritional science.

Those aforementioned nutritional follies all affected marathon history. In the 1908 Olympic marathon in London, Canadian Tom Longboat, the 1907 Boston Marathon winner, was closing on the leaders, but at 15 miles was given champagne to quench his thirst and was out of the race two miles later. In the 1904 Olympic marathon in St. Louis, unknown Felix Carvajal (Cuba) looked a likely winner at 20 miles but stopped to eat a bowl of fresh fruit, and suffered convulsive stomach cramps. He finished fourth.

Tuskegee Fat Ass 50K

From Rob Lawson...

Fyi. We're having a 50k trail run in the Tuskegee National Forest on May 1, 2010. The course will combine the Pleasant Hill Trail, the eastern section of the Bartram National Recreation Trail , and the Bold Destiny/Bedford Cash Memorial (horse) Trail. This is a "fat ass", which means that it's not an official event. As far as the world is concerned we are just a bunch of nuts showing up at the same time and place to run a very long way!

For more info: http://business.auburn.edu/~ral0011/FA/
 
Being a fat ass run, there are:

1. No entry fees!
2. No T-shirts!
3. No awards!
4. No sponsors!
5. No support!
6. No time cutoffs!
7. No cheering crowds!
8. And MOST OF ALL: No wimps!

Taste of Decatur

Taste of Decatur is this weekend, April 24th.  It highlights the local businesses of greater Decatur, not just those businesses in the square but also others along College Ave and Clairemont.

Marta 'X' Marks

Marta has a big red ‘X’ on routes that will be affected by budget cuts.  This photo is of the #27 bus at North Ave station.  My bus the #2 also has a big red ‘X’ on it.  Here’s an ajc article.  There are 2 planned Marta rallies today.  The first one was at 10am and the second one is planned for 6pm, both at 5 Points Station.

Inman Park Festival 2010

The Inman Park Festival is this weekend.  Inman Park will be blocked off and lots of people will be coming through.  The estimate I read was over 70,000 people will go through the festival.  Here’s more…

During the last full weekend in April each year, Inman Park proudly presents a neighborhood festival widely regarded as Atlanta’s most spirited and eclectic. The 39th Annual Inman Park Spring Festival and Tour of Homes will take place Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25, 2010.

Take Back the Night 5K and 1M

Take Back the Night will be held April 24, 2010 at the Historic Agnes Scott College on the Gellerstedt Track and Field.  Proceeds go to the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center.

Fun and registration begins at 2:30

Warm-up 4:30 p.m.
1 Mile at 5:00 PM
5K at 5:30 PM

Awards, food, & entertainment follow!

Local Races This Weekend

Local races this weekend, even a Friday race

Friday, April 23

OLA Spring Stamped 5K & Tot Trot, Atlanta, Our Lady of Assumption Church, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 24

Dirty Spokes (Race #3) - Chicopee Woods Trail Running Race 10K, Gainesville; web site
Water for the World Run 10K/5K/Tot Trot, Johns Creek, 7:30 a.m.; web site. a Peachtree Road race Qualifier
Take Back the Night 5K/Mile, Decatur, 4:30 p.m.
Pace Race 5K & Fun Run, Atlanta, Pace Academy, 8:30 a.m.
Alpha Gamma Delta Run for Roses 5K & Fun Run, Atlanta, Georgia Tech, 9:00 a.m.; web site.
Green Day - Atlanta's Earth Day 5K, Atlanta, 8:00 a.m.
First Annual Financial Fitness 5K, Doraville, 8:00 a.m.; web site.

Run Commuting

This guy does it and he’s local.  This guy also does it.  This guy even provides tips.  He’s also a Microsoft VP and had an article written about him by The Seattle Times.

My schedule has completely changed so I haven’t been able to run as much as I want to.  Even the Wednesday night runs are out of the question for the next couple of months till my schedule changes.  I also have a motivational problem.  Once I get home, I really don’t want to leave for a run.  There is always something more fun to do at home.  I have still been able to bike commute from work to home after my day is done.  I have yet to subscribe to biking to work because I would be very sweaty and stink all day in my cube.  After reading about a local Atlanta run commuting, I just decided to try it.  And it wasn’t bad.

The run was a straight shot from Atlanta to Decatur with a route planned by Yahoo Map Directions.  Logistics of clothes was solved because I will commute by bike one day, run commute the next, and bike after that.  I can haul my clothes when I bike and don’t need to carry it on the way home.  Last Thursday was the 1^st day.  This week may be the complete week of run commuting.  I don’t get a chance to run so this may be the way to keep in running shape.  Sooner or later I’ll update with more info and pictures.  I can log a day in pictures easier on the run than on a bike.

Cheruiyot and Erkesso win Boston

Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot from Kenya and Ethiopia's Teyba Erkesso won the Boston Marathon men’s and women’s races.  Americans Ryan hall and Paige Higgins were the top Americans in the field.  Here is the usatoday.com article.

Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot captures Boston Marathon in record time

Photo left by Elise Amendola, AP

Robert Kirprono Cheruiyot wins the Boston Marathon in course-record time.

BOSTON (AP) — Kenya's Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot won the 114th Boston Marathon on Monday, breaking the course record with a time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, 52 seconds.

That was 82 seconds faster than the record set in 2006 by four-time winner Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, who's not related. The 2010 champion wins the $150,000 first prize and an extra $25,000 for setting the course record.

Cheruiyot finished 91 seconds ahead of Ethiopian Tekeste Kebede, with defending champion Deriba Merga in third and Americans Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi rounding out the top five.

It's the first time two Americans have finished in the top five since '06; no American has won the men's race since Greg Meyer in 1983.

Experts: Don't stretch before exercising

I found this in usatoday.com, always worth sharing.

Experts: Don't stretch before exercising

By Samuel Kubani, AFP/Getty Images

Runners compete during the Bratislava International Marathon on March 28. It's better to stretch after a run (or other exercise) rather than before, experts say.

LONDON (AP) — Want a better work-out? Then don't stretch beforehand, some experts say.

Many people take it for granted that they should start their exercise routines with some stretching on the spot, perhaps hoping it will loosen them up for their work-out. Most fitness experts now agree this kind of static stretching before exercise is not just counter-productive, but potentially harmful.

Traditional stretches, like when people bend over to touch their toes or stretch their legs on a fence, often cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax — exactly the opposite of what is needed for physical activity.

Experts say it is like extending a rubber band to its limit. When people stretch to the maximum, they are more likely to pull a muscle.

Druid Hills Artist Market April 16-18, 2010

From the Druid Hills Civic Association website…

In its sixth year, The Druid Hills Artist Market is a juried, indoor and outdoor market featuring high caliber works in a wide price range. The Market is located in the historic Stonehenge Mansion at 1410 Ponce de Leon Avenue, now home of St. John's Lutheran church.  Approximately 40 artists, many from the Druid Hills neighborhood, will be represented in numerous mediums including paintings in oils, watercolors, and acrylics; jewelry; pottery; photography; new and vintage textile art. Artist Market dates and hours coincide with the Druid Hills Home and Garden Tour on Friday, April 16: Saturday, April 17 from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday, April 18, from 1:00 until 5:00 PM.

Proceeds from the Market benefit the Druid Hills neighborhood, Frederick Law Olmsted’s best preserved residential suburb, by supporting all aspects of historic preservation including contributing to the preservation and development of green spaces in this renowned National Register district. Admission to the Artist Market is free.

The first of Atlanta’s spring artist markets, the Druid Hills Artist Market is fast becoming a jewel among markets and an eagerly anticipated event of the season.

(Note: Credit cards accepted by some artists. Cash or personal checks recommended.)

Earth Day Parade This Sunday in Oakhurst

Parade line-up begins at Harmony Park in Oakhurst at noon, and the parade begins at 12:30 p.m.  The parade will end at Oakhurst Community Garden.

74th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival this Weekend

Starts Friday, Apr 16 at Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA

The 74th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival takes place in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park. On April 16, 17 and 18, 2010, attendees will enjoy fine art, live entertainment, a variety of food, and the spring weather. From Access Atlanta here.

2010 BOSTON MARATHON PREVIEW

Here’s a preview of the Boston Marathon which is coming up next week, from runnersworld.com.

2010 BOSTON MARATHON PREVIEW

This year's race features the deepest, most talented field in at least 10 years. Here's a look at the contenders.

By Peter Vigneron

Photographs by Stacey Cramp

PUBLISHED 04/05/2010
LAST UPDATED 04/05/2010

When Ryan Hall and Meb Keflezighi line up in Hopkinton on April 19, they'll be looking to break a winless streak for American male runners at Boston that has stood since 1983.

They'll have their work cut out for them.

Race organizers and John Hancock Financial have assembled the best elite field at Boston in at least 10 years. Defending champions Deriba Merga and Salina Kosgei are back, as are past winners Dire Tune, Lidiya Grigoryeva, and Catherine Ndereba.

They'll be competing for $806,000 in prize money, including $150,000 each for the men's and women's winners. Anyone who breaks the course record—2:07:14 for men, 2:20:43 for women—will walk away with $25,000 more. (The bonus for a world record is $50,000, but don't hold your breath waiting for a world best on the hilly Hopkinton-to-Boston course.)

Here's an overview of the runners to watch on race day.

Sweetwater 420 Fest at Candler Park

On April 17th and 18th is the 6th annual Sweetwater 420 Fest at Candler Park.

Admission is free, 21+ to drink with a purchase of a $5 wristband.

Kids activities, lots of bands, and lots of community.  Too bad the 5K is sold out.

http://www.sweetwater420fest.com/

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday, April 17
• Sweetwater 420 Fest 5K - Atlanta - Candler Park
• IOCC 5K Atlanta - Century Center Office Park
• Emory PA 9th Annual Care to Share 5K Fun Run and Kids Mile, Atlanta, Lullwater Park, 9:00 a.m.;
• 9th Annual Run the River 5K/10K and Fun Run, Roswell, 5K - 7:30 a.m., 10K - 8:15 a.m. - PRRQ
• Climb Atlanta Stair Climb Challenge, Atlanta, 10:00 a.m.; 404-577-4212.
• Easter Seals Walk with Me 2 Mile Walk/Run, Atlanta, Chastain Park, 9:00 a.m.
• Pi Mile 5K, Atlanta, Georgia Tech, 8:00 a.m.
• Connect Race 5K, Atlanta, 9:00 a.m.
• Bring the Sping 5K, Atlanta, Embry Hills UMC, 8:00 a.m.
• Panther Walk 5K 2010, Decatur, 10:00 a.m.



Sunday, April 18
• Dow Live Earth Run for Water 6K, Atlanta, World of Coke, 8:30 a.m.; 404-231-9064 x20.
• Radiant Systems Sprint for Cancer 5K/10K, Atlanta, Atlantic Station, 8:00 a.m.; web site. - PRRQ

Thanks to rungeorgia.com for their calendar.

Beltline Art

Around the path for the Atlanta Beltline project is art located on utility poles. There were some on Ponce by City Hall East (they have since been taken down). You can see them in the Ansley area by the golf course. This one is on Park Dr entering Piedmont Park.  Some group put in a lot of time on this project.

Crucial Check Point

I found this article about the Boston Marathon.  At one point in time, it was on its last legs (no pun indented), great article from John Powers of the Boston Globe.

Crucial check point

Prize money kept Boston in running

By John Powers, Globe Staff  |  April 11, 2010

Geoff Smith (left) was the last men’s champion in the Boston Marathon (1985) who did not collect a check for his efforts. Last year’s men’s winner, Deriba Merga (right), earned $150,000. (File/Janet Knott (Left), John Blanding/Globe Staff)

Then, as now, it was the granddaddy of road races. The Boston Marathon first was held in 1897, a year after the revival of the Olympic Games in Athens. For nearly a century, runners competed for a laurel wreath, a medal, a bowl of beef stew, and a touch of immortality.

The beauty of Boston was that it never changed. The problem with Boston was that it never changed, even when the world around it did.

“We’ve been accused of being dinosaurs, of living in another age,’’ Will Cloney, the Boston Athletic Association’s longtime race director, mused in 1980. “I guess we’ll just have to be dinosaurs, then.’’

Only a few years later, the world’s most storied marathon was bordering on Jurassic.

“If they don’t go to prize money, that marathon is going to die,’’ defending champion Greg Meyer predicted before the 1984 edition.

What world-class runner would come to a place that offered no prize money, no appearance money, not even expenses?

“I can’t see going to Boston and wasting my effort there,’’ Ron Tabb, the 1983 runner-up, said when he withdrew before the 1985 event.

That year, Geoff Smith retained his men’s title by more than five minutes despite walking across the finish line. Lisa Larsen-Weidenbach won the women’s race by more than eight minutes. If her shoe company hadn’t offered her a bonus for winning Boston, she almost certainly wouldn’t have come.

“It’s just very difficult to go to a race for a handshake,’’ Larsen-Weidenbach observed.

That was the last time that the hand wasn’t holding a check. When Australia’s Rob de Castella turned up in 1986, he left town with $60,000 of sponsor John Hancock’s money plus a Mercedes-Benz after shattering the course record. Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen collected $35,000 and a car, and Boston was reborn.

Chamblee to host first road race at PDK

Want to run on an airport runway?  See the article here on ajc.com.

Chamblee to host first road race at PDK

By April Hunt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Chamblee will host its first road race for runners and walkers of all abilities next month.

Registration is now underway for the 5K or 1K Chamblee Run and Rotary Roll through either downtown Chamblee or along a runway at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport.

Entry fee is $15 until April 26, when the fee jumps to $20.

For more information, visit www.chambleega.com.

Photographer captures MARTA riders on iPhone

From the ajc.com and accessatlanta.com; also one of my favorite beat writers.

Photographer captures MARTA riders on iPhone

By Jamie Gumbrecht

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dejan Djordjevic rides the train to work every day in Boston, and many days, he takes out his iPhone and snaps photos of those around him -- the businesspeople, homeless guys, schoolkids. He began posting them on Facebook, just to keep it interesting. Then, the images became a Web site, www.subway-series.com, and a gallery show in Boston that revealed the day-to-day comings and goings on the city's transit system.

Dejan Djordjevic An unidentified man rides a MARTA train in one of Dejan Djordjevic's photos for his "Subway Series" exhibition running April 9-10.

 

During one weekend of riding MARTA, Djordjevic gave Atlanta the same photo treatment. This weekend, a gallery show featuring the images runs at The Granite Room in Castleberry Hill.

MARTA asks photographers and filmmakers to seek permission before shooting or filming at stations; Djordjevic didn't. In a statement, MARTA CEO Beverly Scott said:  "As a matter of policy, MARTA cannot prohibit individuals from taking photos or videos for noncommercial purposes with hand-held cameras in public areas of our system. However, as operators of the largest mass transit system in the South for the past 30 years, we recognize that MARTA is more than just about moving people around. It is also a moving piece of art that appeals to the creative impulse and often captivates the public's imagination."

Getting the Band Back Together

I have had IT band issues in the past, from runningtimes.com…

Getting the Band Back Together

Iliotibial band problems are entirely preventable. Here's what to do

By Mackenzie Lobby
As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

You may have more in common with Jean Claude Van Damme than you think. The “Muscles from Brussels” once joked, “I admit, I do have a very nice butt. Some say my career was built on it.” Indeed, the posterior also serves as the physiological foundation for all successful running careers. The largest and most powerful muscle in the body, the gluteus maximus fires every stride, sending signals to the surrounding muscles to propel you forward.

Considering the authority of the backside, it is not surprising that iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) is the second most common injury for runners. Stemming from the fibers in the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and tensor fascia latae muscles, the IT band wraps around the leg, becoming the thickest on the outside of the thigh as it travels down to the knee and attaches near the knee joint.

According to Dr. Jack Taunton at the University of British Columbia, ITBS has doubled in the last

COUNT YOUR STEPS

COUNT YOUR STEPS

 

To increase your steps:

·       Take 100 steps around your office or home about every hour. Program your computer to remind you when it's time to take a break.

·       At the office, don't e-mail or call anyone within 400 feet of you. Instead, walk to that person and give him or her the message.

·       Take the long way to the restroom.

·       Take a couple of quick laps around the mall before you start shopping.

·       Walk one city block, about 200 steps.

·       Take a brisk walk during your lunch break for about 20 minutes or so, about 2,000 steps.

·       Walk four laps around the track at a high school, 2,000 steps.

·       Play basketball game for 30 minutes, more than 4,300 steps.

·       Low-impact aerobic dancing for 20 minutes, more than 2,500 steps.

·       Play soccer for 1 hour, 8,000 to 10,000 steps.

This was a pretty interesting sidebar from usatoday.com.

Local Races This Weekend

Local Races This Weekend

Saturday

·       Hapeville Spring into Action Festival 5K, Hapeville

·       31st Annual Sickle Cell Road Race/Walk 7K Run and 4K Walk, Atlanta, 9:00 a.m.;  web site.

·       Bolt for PCOS 5K Run/Walk, Atlanta, Georgia Tech, 8:30 a.m.

·       Run Before You Can Crawl 5K, Atlanta, 9:00 a.m.; web site.

Sunday

·       Earth Day 5K & 1M Fun Run, Roswell, 7:30 a.m.

Free CFL Bulb Exchange at Greenfest

From The Decatur Minute blog…

Atlanta Light Bulbs, Inc. and the City of Decatur are partnering to bring a light bulb exchange to Greenfest 2010.  Greenfest is being held May 1st on the Downtown Square.  The event kicks off at 3pm with live music and ends at 9:30pm.

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8th Annual Kirkwood Spring Fling & Tour of Homes, May 15th and 16th

8th Annual Kirkwood Spring Fling & Tour of Homes

Hello Fling Fans! We are proud to announce that we will kick off this year's festival with a 5K run through our historic neighborhood. Stay tuned for details! Want the diversity of a big festival with the warmth and ease of a neighborhood party? Then join us for the 8th Annual Kirkwood Spring Fling and Tour of Homes. Browse the open air artist market in the shade of giant trees. Enjoy the sounds of bands and singers on the big stage. Bring the kids for the children’s area. Grab lunch, a snack, or a beverage from one of the food vendors.

Interested in architecture? Kirkwood has a diverse collection of building styles from classic Victorian cottages to Craftsman bungalows to Modern lofts and everything in between! Some of our best homes will be showcased on the Tour of Homes.

Admission to the festival is free. It is held in Bessie Branham Park and the surrounding areas. Tickets for the Tour can be purchased in the park at the festival or in advance at several local businesses. All proceeds go to benefit the Kirkwood Neighbors Organization, a local 501c3 non-profit group dedicated community improvement.

Get all the info from their site.

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Picking up its pace

Interesting article about New Balance, Adidas, and the Boston Marathon from boston.com.

Picking up its pace

New Balance, on outside looking in, tries to put its stamp on Marathon

New Balance employees Kelly Gray, Cristen Murray, and Courtney English cheered on runners training for the Boston Marathon near Heartbreak Hill in Newton last week. New Balance will unveil limited-edition shoes for the race and hand out goodie bags and guides mapping out the course. (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

 

By Jenn Abelson

Globe Staff / April 2, 2010

As the Boston Marathon approaches, New Balance is doing everything a running shoe company should when it sponsors one of the country’s premier races. It is plastering bus shelters, taking over a Park Street T stop, and wrapping trolley cars in its new “Run Faster Boston’’ advertisements.

Only New Balance is not the sponsor; that would be Adidas, one of the top players in the running gear industry. By covering the city before Adidas hoists its first sign around the Prudential Center, New Balance is trying to reestablish its reputation as one of the leaders in the business with its biggest promotion ever.

Eat Like a Kenyan Runner

From RunningTimes.com, an article about eating like a Kenyan runner.  That may be too many calories for regular runners.

Is Extreme Low-Fat Eating the Key to High Performance?

Research strongly suggests otherwise

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

Kenyan dominance in distance running leads to the inevitable question of why they’re so good. Is it what they eat? If so, should we all eat like that to run our best?A 2004

 study of elite Kenyan men during an intensive week-long training block found very low-fat diet patterns. In fact, their diet was documented to get just 13.4% of its calories from fat. (According to the USDA 2005 estimates, the average American eats nearly 2.5 times as much fat as the Kenyan runners who were studied.) The Kenyan study also found the men burned at least 600 more calories per day than they took in.

The Kenyan diet investigated was that of men. It’s a demonstration that a certain group of males can still achieve high levels of performance on very low-fat and low-energy diets, at least for a short time. (Again, the study tracked their diets for only a week and during an intensive training camp.) It’s likely, however, that the opposite holds true in other runners, especially women. Research produced at the University of Buffalo concluded that both male and female runners may have inadequate total calorie intake when eating a low-fat diet. It’s harder to meet high calorie requirements when dining on only low-fat options. For example, consider the Kenyan staple food ugali, which is a cornmeal paste (or more prosaically, glop)(see photo below)