Elvis I Alive 5K Chicago - Not So Local Race

A long time ago I was in Chicago for vacation and signed up for a race and I also signed up for the Fleet Feet Chicago mailing list.  I still get their emails and this one caught my eye because I'm a fan of Elvis.

It's not a local race.  Here's the info benefitting Girls On Thje Run.

About the Run
C'mon everybody, let's rock!
The 13th Annual Elvis Is Alive 5K is a non-competitive event and promises to be more fun than a honeymoon in Vegas. This Thursday evening race takes place on Chicago's lakefront and features an "all-Elvis" start corral and post-run show after the run, as well as Goose Island beer.
Race Charity
The Elvis Is Alive 5K benefits Girls On the Run, a non-profit prevention program that encourages preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through running. Click here to learn more about Girls On the Run.

Party in the Park with Elvis
An all-star, all-Elvis line-up will provide participants and friends and family with an evening of entertainment of which the King would be proud. One (1) free Goose Island beer is available for each participant, age 21 and over (must present ID). Additional beer tickets will be available for purchase at the race. All proceeds benefit Girls On the Run Chicago.

The Day After The Marathon

Man Day August 14th

It's the 2nd annual, support your local businesses!

Pictures From Wed Night 7-21-2010

Thanks to Cliff for sharing the pictures.  You can check out the complete album here.

Get Delicious! Atlanta's Hidden Restaurant Treasures

We watched this program last night for Atlanta’s hidden dining treasures.  Here’s a summary I pulled from pba.org.

Get Delicious! Atlanta’s Hidden Restaurant Treasures

Sunday, July 18 at 9:00pm; Thursday, July 22 at 9:00pm

Atlanta is full of high end fancy restaurants - but you won’t find out about them on this show. Instead we’ll be looking at the great mom and pop joints around town. You know, the ones with good, cheap food and lots of character - the neighborhood restaurants serving incredible food that you can enjoy without taking out a second mortgage.

Following on the heels of our success with Atlanta’s Best Barbeque we are proud to present Get Delicious! Atlanta’s Hidden Restaurant Treasures.

Visit our Facebook page»

The restaurants featured were:

The Colonnade

The Colonnade was founded in 1927 and move to its current location on Cheshire Bridge Road in 1962. Famous for its traditional Southern fare, the Colonnade has recently added some newer items to the menu. We tasted both, and met a customer who’s been dining there since 1935!

Carvers Country Kitchen

Robert and Sharon Carver start cooking everyday at 4am to provide you with one spectacular lunch. They’re open between 11am and 3pm but come early because the line forms quickly and goes out into the street. The food is unbelievable and the portions are huge. Have a Dolly Parton chicken breast with two sides and you’re done eating for the day!

Red Snapper

This unassuming restaurant on Cheshire Bridge road serves some of the best seafood in Atlanta. The signature dish is Ginger Snapper but make sure you try their many excellent appetizers as well. Jim was introduced to the place by his dad, who came down to share a meal, and reminisce about seafood from bygone days.

Nicks Food to Go

If Kevin Rathbun’s a fan need we say more? We met Kevin at this family run hole-in-the-wall and watched the Poulous family make one of their signature dishes - something so good that Kevin Rathbun was willing to break his diet to eat it.

Alfredo’s

Alfredo’s is another Cheshire Bridge classic, and Jim’s favorite restaurant. We’ll show you their sneaky trick that’ll leave your stomach crying out for food even before you reach the table. Jim takes his wife to enjoy the delights of this classic Italian restaurant.

The Beautiful Restaurant

Run by the good folks from the Perfect Church, this Soul food classic has been a West End landmark for over 30 years. All their food is mouthwatering, but Jim’s pilgrimage is made with one particular dish in mind. And don’t forget dessert!

Nuevo Laredo

Who doesn’t like Mexican food? - Especially when it’s as good as Nuevo Laredo’s. Chance Evans opened this place after a successful corporate career involving international trade in Mexico. This area of town (over on Chattahoochee Avenue) used to be all industrial. It’s still mostly industrial, but now those warehouse workers have somewhere decent to eat — and so do you.

The Silver Skillet

If you like a good cooked breakfast look no further! The Silver Skillet on 14th street is a favorite for Jim. Fried Pork chops, Country ham and red-eyed gravy — along with delicious biscuits of course! Jim investigates the breakfast food group with his good friend Mike Geier.

How About A Short Warm-Up

An article from running times

The Abbreviated Warm-up

What is the best way to do a short warm-up routine?

By Stephen Pyle

As featured in the July/August 2010 issue of Running Times Magazine

In 2004, 101 runners lined up at the start of the Olympic men's marathon in Athens. When the race started at 6 p.m., the temperature was 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the relative humidity was 40 percent.

Instead of doing their usual warm-up, many of the marathoners shortened their pre-race routine, which is saying something given the minimal warm-up most marathoners do. Before toeing the starting line, many of the men sat indoors; some even put on ice vests to keep their core temperatures cooler. Among those wearing an ice vest was Meb Keflezighi, who went on to score a silver medal.

Granted, most of us aren't obligated to race when it's too hot, as the Olympic marathoners more or less were. Still, it's likely you'll find yourself at a hotter-than-ideal race. In that situation, should you do your full warm-up routine? Or is there a point where warming up can lead to melting down, and an abbreviated warm-up makes more sense? And, regardless of weather, what if simple logistics necessitate curtailing your warm-up? What if you oversleep or traffic is bad or you get lost and have scant time before the start? Should you do all of your normal prerace activities, but less of each, or perform triage and do close to full versions of one or two aspects?

Read on here.

Drills For the Trails

Trail running help from running time online

Drills that Help Avoid Sprains and Strains on the Trail

Lisa Smith-Batchen's recommended routine

By Allison Pattillo

As featured in the issue of Running Times Magazine

An endless soft and loamy trail, dappled light, wildflowers dotting the landscape—what an amazing run…until you trip over an errant root and land face-down in the dirt. Trail running offers unparalleled beauty, solitude and, yes, hazards. But with some basic drills, you’ll be better able to navigate challenging terrain and get the most out of your runs. Drills usually focus on developing agility, core and the fast twitch muscles, which are imperative to navigating rocks, roots, log bridges, scree fields and curious critters.

  

Lisa Smith-Batchen, of Jackson Hole, WY, who just finished her 2,500-mile Running Hope Through America odyssey, does intense drill workouts three times a week and teaches a core functioning class. Her drills require minimal equipment and are scalable depending upon ability. Try adding the following exercises to your routine for improved power and responsiveness on the trail. Start with 30-second sets of each exercise with a 10–15 second rest between sets. As you are able, amp up the workout by doing two or three 30-second sets of each, aiming to work up to three sets of 1 minute per exercise. The second you lose proper form stop doing the exercise. Smith-Batchen likes to end her workouts by walking barefoot in the grass, focusing on toe curls and attempting to rip grass with her feet.

Read on here.

Myths and Facts

From runningtimes.com online,

Myths and Facts About Staying Hydrated

Fluid conceptions for training and racing in hot weather

By Jackie Dikos, R.D.

As featured in the JulyAugust 2010 issue of Running Times Magazine

Training and racing in hotter weather absolutely demands getting hydration right. For years, we've been told that key elements of doing so include avoiding caffeinated beverages and drinking small amounts throughout the day. Is that true? Let's look at some hydration claims and facts.

Read on here.

Do Certain Types of Sneakers Prevent Injuries?

I found this in the NY Times online edition

July 21, 2010

Phys Ed: Do Certain Types of Sneakers Prevent Injuries?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

A few years ago, the military began analyzing the shapes of recruits’ feet. Injuries during basic training were rampant, and military authorities hoped that by fitting soldiers with running shoes designed for their foot types, injury rates would drop. Trainees obediently began clambering onto a high-tech light table with a mirror beneath it, designed to help outline a subject’s foot. Evaluators classified the recruits as having high, normal or low arches, and they passed out running shoes accordingly.

Many of us have had a similar experience. For decades, coaches and shoe salesmen have visually assessed runners’ foot types in order to recommend footwear. Runners with high arches have been directed toward soft, well-cushioned shoes, since it’s thought that high arches prevent adequate pronation, or the inward motion of your foot and ankle as you run. Pronation dissipates some of the forces generated by each stride. Flat-footed, low-arched runners, who tend to over-pronate, typically have been told to try sturdy “motion control” shoes with firm midsoles and Teutonic support features, while runners with normal arches are offered neutral shoes (often called “stability” shoes by the companies that make and categorize them).

Read on here.

Race Day Mishaps

Some funny stories from runners world about Race Day Mishaps, like bring one right shoe and one left shoe, time zone changes, race bibs and timing chips, alarm clocks, etc.

Race Day Mishaps

By Jen Van Allen

Here at Runner's World, many of us are frantically rushing around preparing for this weekend's San Francisco Marathon and Half-Marathon, where we'll be touring the glorious city by the bay with more than 100 Runner's World Challengers.

Some folks are eyeing PRs; others will be finishing their first marathons. My goal? To remember my chip and race bib. Nope, it's not a lofty goal. But if accomplished, it will be a marked improvement over my last race. I forgot my bib and chip at the Flying Pig Marathon in May, proving once and for all that you're never too old or too experienced to make a rookie mistake.

Duuuuuuuuumb. I know.

But I have a theory. Most runners, I think, go a little crazy in the critical 24 hours before the starting gun fires. You know how it is. You're tired. And wired. You're second-guessing all those weeks of training; you're vacillating between PR dreams and doomsday scenarios. You're under the influence of adrenalin and oxytocin, and you're riding a sugar high from one too many Blueberry Pomegranate GU Roctane samples at the expo.

You're just not equipped to think clearly.

In an effort to prove this theory—and in a shameless attempt to make myself feel better—I appealed to RW's 99,627 Facebook friends. Gallup poll, it's not. But I can now say for certain that I'm not the only one who has arrived at the starting line without the bare essentials. And I can also tell you that there are way worse things to forget than a chip and a bib. And with that, dear readers, I leave you with a few friendly reminders about the prerace rules.

Read more here.

Nophest July 22-25 at Eyedrum

Nophest is this weekend.  I found out about them because of some graffitti at the Krog St tunnel.  Picture from the Nophest site.

And of course...

Not Running, Then Volunteer

The 13.1 in October needs volunteers to help with the race, help is needed for packet pick-up, in the start/finish areas, on the course and with gear check and parking.  Here's the link to volunteer.

13.1 October 3rd

Are you up for an October half marathon?  The 13.1 will be on October 3rd.

Training runs will be held at:

Saturday, July 24:    Fleet Feet Decatur @ 7:30 a.m.
Sunday, August 15:    Fleet Feet Johns Creek @ 8:00 a.m.
Saturday, August 28:    Phidippides Ansley Mall @ 8:00 a.m.
Saturday, September 18:    West Stride @ 8:00 a.m.
Saturday, September 25:    Fleet Feet Johns Creek @ 8:00 a.m.

For Humans, Slow And Steady Running Won The Race

An article from NPR online…

For Humans, Slow And Steady Running Won The Race

by Christopher Joyce

July 19, 2010

Charlie Riedel/AP Feet On The Ground: Barefoot runners tend to land on the balls of their feet rather than on their heels the way most shoe-runners do. Rick Roeber went shoeless in 2003 and has clocked more than 13,000 barefoot miles since.

July 19, 2010

Imagine for a moment how our earliest ancestors felt when they came down from the trees and stood on two legs.

"Hey, now we can carry stuff!" they might have thought. They paid a price, though: On the ground it was a tiger-eat-monkey world, and two legs were slower than four.

Video: Running With And Without Shoes

But one prominent biologist, Harvard anthropology professor Dan Lieberman, says not so fast. Humans invented something better than speed: endurance running. It allowed us to hunt faster animals, and that changed the course of evolution.

"How long a run do you think you can ..." Lieberman's voice trails off as he examines my "running form." We're standing next to the Charles River as other joggers pass by in the drizzle. "That's about a mile and a half," he offers, pointing down toward a distant bridge.

Lieberman looks like a human greyhound, and he's already run three miles this morning. Lieberman studies running and how it makes humans unique. Even when he's running a marathon, he's thinking about how the body does it.

"Sometimes I do kind of bizarre things when I'm running," he says as we start off at a leisurely trot. "You know, move my arms in funny ways just to think about it, and I get these strange looks and realize I probably should not be doing this in public."

Read, listen (All Things Considered), and watch more here.

Carb Boost Without The Carbs

Interesting little article from the NY Times

With This Rinse, Performance Improves

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

By GINA KOLATA

Published: July 19, 2010

Exercise scientists say they have stumbled on an amazing discovery. Athletes can improve their performance in intense bouts of exercise, lasting an hour or so, if they merely rinse their mouths with a carbohydrate solution. They don’t even have to swallow it.

It has to be real carbohydrates, though; the scientists used a solution of water and a flavorless starch derivative called maltodextrin. Artificial sweeteners have no effect.

And the scientists think they have figured out why it works. It appears that the brain can sense carbohydrates in the mouth, even tasteless ones. The sensors are different from the ones for sweetness, and they prompt the brain to respond, spurring on the athlete.

Many athletes depend on sugary beverages to keep them going. But often, when blood is diverted from the stomach to working muscles during intense exercise, drinks or foods cause stomach cramps. So a carbohydrate rinse can be a way to get the same effect.

Read on here.

10 Tips for a Distance Relay

Sooner or later I have to run one, article from Running Times.

10 Tips for a Distance Relay

How to get ‘er done while having fun

By Ethan Coffey

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

Long distance relays are becoming more popular every year. Why? I have no idea. I have never done another event that has kicked my butt (and mind) like the Blue Ridge Relay (BRR). And yet, I have competed in the ultra division of the BRR for the last two years. I’m also on a team for the Hood to Coast Relay (H2C). Am I just a masochist? Maybe.

After running 6 legs of the relay, you might need a little help from your friends ... just to get to your team van.

For anybody who has never run a relay like this, the idea is relatively simple. In the BRR, the 211-mile course is split into 36 legs. Each team can have between four and 12 runners. Those teams with four to six runners compete in the ultra category, and teams with seven to 12 people compete in the open category. There are also categories for masters runners and mixed teams, which need to be at least half female. 

Other relays may have different categories, such as the corporate category at H2C. Each team assigns a running order to its members. The order must stay the same for the entire race, and every team must hand off at every exchange zone. Since each leg varies in length and difficulty, this means that with a little planning, each runner can be assigned to a set of legs that matches his or her ability. Of course, if somebody gets sick or injured (which happens frequently with people racing three or more times in one day over challenging terrain), each remaining runner moves up a spot, which can wreak havoc on a team’s strategy. Teams usually have one or two vans, based on how many runners they have, that shuttle the team members who aren’t currently running to the next exchange zone. Start times are generally staggered throughout the day, with the slowest teams starting hours before the fastest teams. The goal is to have all the teams finishing at around the same time.

So, with the warning that you should only attempt one of these if you want to trash your body and have a hell of a fun time doing it, here are some things I have learned that may help you avoid some agony and enjoy the event even more.

Read on here.