Back On My Feet

I originally found this article in Creative Loafing about Back On My Feet, a nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of people experiencing homelessness by engaging them in running. You can read the article here and was written by Eric Celeste. Here’s a little bit of what Eric had written:

Well, Back on My Feet Atlanta kicks off tomorrow with a 5:30 am run at St Luke's Episcopal Church on Peachtree Street NE, and I'll be there. Because I've seen first-hand how much this uplifting, structured program helps give folks a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Fact is, I nearly cried every time she came home and told me how her homeless friends would cheer and encourage her when she was tiring at the end of a run, or how one of her running partners was no longer there because he'd finally gotten a job and was moving into his own place. And every one of the participants credited BOMF with helping them achieve these goals.

This is a pretty cool program. I agree with the structured program and if running is the way, then let there be more runners. And the following is from the BOMF press release:

Back on My Feet (BoMF), a nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of people experiencing homelessness by engaging them in running, will launch their Atlanta chapter on November 11. Thirty men and women experiencing homelessness will begin their journey with BoMF by participating in the group’s inaugural Atlanta run beginning at 5:30 a.m. Atlanta will be the eighth city to gain a BoMF chapter, joining Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C.

About Back on My Feet

Back on My Feet, which launched in Philadelphia in 2007, is a nonprofit organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of people experiencing homelessness by engaging them in running to build strength, confidence and self-esteem. The organization has chapters in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C., Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Dallas-Ft. Worth and now Atlanta. The Back on My Feet New York City launch is scheduled for April 2012. The organization has received media support, including attention from NBC Nightly News, ABC World News, CNN and The Today Show for its ingenuity in tackling this difficult social issue. More information can be found at backonmyfeet.org.

Good Luck! This is a great start in both running and life.

Sports Science Update: Did Meb's Socks Help Him PR?

I have not bought into the compression socks yet, from Competitor online…

Sports Science Update: Did Meb’s Socks Help Him PR?

Published: Nov 8th 2011 11:55 AM UTC by Matt Fitzgerald

New study adds little clarity to our understanding of the benefits of compression socks.

Written by: Matt Fitzgerald

Did Meb's compression socks help him to a 2-second personal best at the New York City Marathon?

If you watched live television or online video coverage of the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, you probably saw the 2009 champion, Meb Keflezighi, sporting a pair of white compression socks that rose to just below his knees. Although compression socks are primarily associated with recovery benefits, Meb obviously wasn’t wearing them during the most important race of the year to recover from the previous day’s shakeout jog. Nor is it likely that he wore them so that he’d have an easier time walking down stairs the next day. Instead, surely, he wore them for the same reason he did everything else that day: to enhance his performance in the race itself.

While Meb managed a sixth-place finish on a day that saw three men break the decade-old course New York City Marathon record, the 2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist did set a personal best for the marathon distance–and at 36 years of age, no less. Does Meb have his compression socks to thank for his new PR?

Read more here.

Wednesday Night Run 11-9-2011

Hello ORC,

WalMarts are surrounding Decatur. The only escape is West towards downtown Atlanta. I bring this up because I keep reading about the possible or confirmed WalMart at Suburban Plaza which by the way will be pedestrian friendly. Junktique will be at The Solarium this weekend. Mugs for Jugs a potters benefit for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is at MudFire. At Agnes Scott is the Four Year Art Exhibition. Or share some soup at the Oakhurst Community Gardens. At the Historic 4^th Ward Park is the BeltLine Lantern Parade. The Waldorf School of Atlanta is having their Holiday Fair. Also at Agnes Scott is the WRFG benefit concert. As always there is the Decatur Ghost Tour. And I don’t know how you celebrate 11-11-11. Is there a card for that?

What else is going on this week/weekend?

The closest run you can have in Oakhurst is the Run for Justice 5K which is being run in the neighborhood this time around. You can find a race just as easily by looking at Atlanta’s map because they are in a lot of neighborhoods this weekend.  Starting on Friday is the Atlanta Veterans Day Run 11K & Mile. On Saturday are the Uptown Rhodes Race 5K in Atlanta, the Breathe Deep Atlanta 5K at GA Tech, the MMRF Race for Research 5K at Piedmont Park, and the Dog Dash 5K at Historic 4^th Ward Park. And that’s just the Atlanta races. For those running the Hill Country Trail Race at Serenbe in Palmetto and the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon/Half Marathon; good luck to you this weekend. On Sunday is the New Balance Girls on the Run 5K in Atlanta.

This Wednesday you will be running route 10.  It’s getting dark earlier so for safety’s sake, please wear your lights and other reflective gear.  And while I am on my safety soapbox, 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. Hopefully I have the link correct 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

Friday, November 11

Atlanta Veterans Day Run 11K & Mile, Atlanta

Saturday, November 12

Run for Justice 5K, Decatur (Oakhurst)

Undy Run 5000, Marietta

Hill Country Trail Race at Serenbe - 15K & 5K, Palmetto

Flap Jack Dash 5K & Fun Run, Johns Creek

Uptown Rhodes Race 5K, Atlanta

Run for Shelter 5K & Mile, Lawrenceville

Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon/Half Marathon, Chickamauga Battlefield Park

Breathe Deep Atlanta 5K, Georgia Tech

Holcomb Bridge Hustle 5K, Roswell

Spartan Sprint 5K, Smyrna

Fuller Center 5K/Mile/Tot Trot, McDonough

4th Annual North Cobb High School Warrior Way 5K & 1K, Kennesaw

MMRF Race for Research 5K, Piedmont Park

Run For Relief 5K, Conyers

Dog Dash 5K, Historic 4th Ward Park

The Reindeer Run 5K & Mile, Conyers

Sunday, November 13

New Balance Girls on the Run 5K, Atlanta

Running As Therapy For Former Troubled Teen

From the NY Daily News online…

Running As Therapy For Former Troubled Teen

Updated: Nov 1st 2011 10:30 AM UTC by News

He will run his first marathon on Sunday.

“The world is my gym,” says 24-year-old Tyric Cuff.

This statement couldn’t be more true. As a child, Cuff was relocated from state to state. As a teenager, he was put into foster care and shifted between numerous families. He’s always been on the move.

In order to cope with his problems, Cuff has turned to exercise–specifically, walking and running.

“I had these moments when I would get upset, and while I would get upset I would feel really, really angry,” Cuff said. “I would want to punch walls and stuff. Instead of doing that, I took my music and walked and ran. Sometimes I would bring a basketball, or a backpack full of CDs with my Walkman and just walk.”

Now 24, Cuff is doing more than just walking; he’s going to take on one of the hardest running events: the marathon. Next Sunday, he will run the ING New York City Marathon.

Cuff’s mentor is David Kamnitzer. They are running the race together.

“It’s not about keeping up with him, or him keeping up with me,” Kamnitzer said. “Whether I do one mile, or he does ten, it’s just the fact that we are thinking about doing it together. It’s really about the process. We both hope to cross the finish line.”

Read on here.

Runner finds two-year-old boy in Michigan woods

From the AP and The Globe and Mail…

Runner finds two-year-old boy in Michigan woods

JOHN FLESHER

Traverse City, Mich— The Associated Press

Published Thursday, Nov. 03, 2011 4:41PM EDT

Trevor Vetort said he felt an urge to take a run, even though the weather was gloomy and it was supposed to be his day off.

As the 18-year-old college student headed down a pathway through thick, swampy woods near his home in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, he heard what sounded like crying. Then he saw a two-year-old boy sitting on the ground beside the trail, alone and frightened.

 “I was just weirded out — what in the world is he doing out here?” Mr. Vetort said by phone Thursday.

The sobbing child held out his arms, repeatedly saying, “Mama, mama.” Mr. Vetort picked up him up and carried him about 1.5 miles to an office at J.W. Wells State Park.

Read on here.

Ready for Redemption

I watched this happen and felt for her, she was running so well. I wish her luck in NYC. From Running Times online…

Ready for Redemption

Kim Smith hopes to put Boston misery behind her at this weekend's NYC Marathon

By Jim Gerweck

As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine

After struggling in Boston, Kim Smith is ready to run a solid race in New York.

As Kim Smith readies for her third run in Sunday's ING New York City Marathon, she hopes to forge a new image, one that will replace the one so deeply ingrained in the minds of running fans the world over.

The current edition is one that has joined the pantheon that illustrate the unpredictability and potential cruelty of the 26.2-mile distance, right up there with Geoff Smith collapsing to the pavement after being nipped at the line by Rod Dixon in New York in 1983, or Gabrielle Andersen staggering down the final yards of the inaugural Olympic women's marathon in 1984.


Smith's vignette was sketched this April in Boston, where in the space of a few strides she went from cruising to what could have been a wire-to-wire runaway victory in the marathon to hobbling along as painfully as any mid-packer suddenly struck with a cramp in the closing miles of the race.


Read on here.

Running to Remember

From Running Times online…

Running to Remember

10 years later, the 2001 U.S. marathon champion reflects on running in the shadow of 9/11

By Scott Larson

As featured in the November 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine

It was the second week of September. I was in Maine for my honeymoon. The air was crisp, the summer crowds were gone and the Twin Towers were burning. I was training for the New York City Marathon but more specifically for the U.S. marathon championships to be held in conjunction with the race. There was never a doubt in my mind that the race would take place. So I continued to run in silence among the lakes and the fall-tinged leaves--to dance around the track in what now seemed like a senseless endeavor. How could I go for a run when people were forced to jump from the 100th floor? "Can you imagine how bad it must have been for someone to do that?" I asked my wife, Robyn. She hesitated, searching for an answer. "You have to go on; you can't give in. What else are you going to do?" Her advice sounded trite and I had a hard time accepting it, but of course she was right.

Still, I felt guilty. A guilt born of an illogical reaction to an irrational act of misplaced hatred and fear. I was alive. I was safe. My friends and family were healthy. And of course I ran. It's what we runners do to cope with life's uncertainties, to make sense of the senseless--that somehow by taking that first stiff, lumbering, seemingly insignificant step, things will work out. Step by step until the cadence builds, breathing hard, legs begin to burn and the pain that comes is good because it means life and a willful sacrifice towards progress. And as lactic acid fills your legs and doubts assail you, the only way to continue is to forget.

Read on here.

Ageless Runners

From USA Today online...

Behold the agelessness of these long-distance runners 

By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY

On the eve of the ING New York City Marathon, Joy Johnson is thinking about how to layer her clothes for the cool weather and her finishing time.

Normal everyday runner concerns, right?

Johnson, one of more than 45,000 entrants in Sunday's race, belongs to a growing group of runners: the senior set. She is 84 and looking forward to her 24th consecutive 26.2-mile run in the Big Apple.

"I want to keep running as long as I can and drop in my running shoes when the time comes, " says Johnson, a San Jose resident.

Read on here.

Expert Advice: How To PR At The ING NYC Marathon

I should have read this beforehand…

Expert Advice: How To PR At The ING NYC Marathon

Published: Oct 28th 2011 10:48 AM UTC

by Sabrina Grotewold

Here are a few top tips from a local who’s clocked 2:15:05 on the bridge-heavy five borough course.

New Zealand Olympian and New York City resident John Henwood says, "Save your energy for the Bronx and for running along 5th Avenue when you're back in Manhattan." Photo: NYRR

Olympian John Henwood of New Zealand lives, trains and coaches runners in New York City. He finished 15th at the 2005 ING New York City Marathon and 21st in 2008. While he coaches athletes—from running to strength training—with a variety of abilities, he’s coached several sub-3:00 NYC marathon runners and Olympic Marathon Trials qualifiers. His running team, Henwood’s Hounds, are currently ranked fifth in the 2011 New York Road Runners club points standings in the open women’s category.

If you’re gunning for a personal best at this year’s ING New York City Marathon, here’s some advice from a local who’s clocked 2:15:05 on the bridge-heavy five borough course. Here are coach Henwood’s tips:

Complete your final workout seven to 10 days before the race. Henwood’s favorite workout: 3 minutes at 10K race pace, 2 minutes recovery at normal running pace; repeat eight times.

In the seven to 10 days leading up to the event, run relaxed and easy to return the “bounce” to the legs. If you’re feeling antsy, Henwood may prescribe 10 minutes of 100-meter strides during race week.

Have a fueling strategy before the start. Learn where the fuel and fluid stations are along the course—they’re printed prominently on the course map. “Consistent fluid stops of water, Gatorade and GU (or another gel) are important to run a PR,” coach Henwood advises.

Dress appropriately for the weather. It’s preferable to be too warm rather than too cold—dress in layers and bring throwaway clothes. The winds can really whip around in the start area at Fort Wadsworth and while you’re waiting in the corrals on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

When you arrive at the start, sit down and keep your legs at rest until 40 minutes prior to moving to the start line.

Henwood’s suggested race day warm-up: 10-12 minutes of easy jogging followed by three or four 70-meter strides at race pace, then stretching, to be completed 40 minutes prior to moving to the start line.

Plan to run an evenly paced race. “I try to get runners to run an even pace throughout the whole marathon,” Henwood says. “It’s a very hard marathon [course] to negative split.”

Notes on the course:

“The first mile is mostly uphill, so runners need to take it very relaxed during the first mile, as their adrenaline could get the better of them. You don’t want to use up too much energy in mile 1. Also, be aware that coming off the Queensboro Bridge can be tricky. The crowds are going crazy and runners can easily get carried away, thinking they’re the six million dollar man on the downhill part of the bridge. Use the energy of the crowds to flow downhill. Save your energy for the Bronx and for running along 5th Avenue when you’re back in Manhattan. You’ll need it!”

Read here.

How To Stay Warm In A Cold-Weather Marathon

I’ve run 20 miles in below freezing temps with snow and ice on the ground while training for a marathon. Luckily I have never run one in below freezing temps. This comes out just before the NYC marathon…

Tips for running in cold weather as New York City marathon approaches 

Keeping warm before the race is a way to stay safe on race day

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Monday, October 31 2011, 1:07 PM

Dr. Maharam: This winter I plan on running races in Central Park put on by the New York Road Runners just about every weekend. I find myself shivering after the races, and am afraid I may eventually get hypothermic. As you have been at these races for years giving medical care, do you have any tips for us to stay healthy running in the cold? - Chad M., New York City

Thanks, Chad. I had been thinking about writing a cold-weather post since our Rock 'n Roll Las Vegas marathon and half-marathon are coming up the first weekend of December, bringing cooler, evening temperatures, not to mention Sunday’s New York City Marathon.

Your question now gives me the perfect set-up to go over cold weather running for this race and for the coming winter runs.

I do have some basic cold-weather tips. Please follow these guidelines for staying safe if race day is unusually cold and/or damp, and especially if there is wind. (All temperatures listed are Fahrenheit.)

Read on here.