Sunday, December 18
Rockin' with Santa Half Marathon & 5K, Snellville
Brasstown Bald Buster 5K, Blairsville
Scientists kick off debate over barefoot running
By Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent
LONDON | Thu Dec 8, 2011 4:18pm GMT
LONDON (Reuters) - Despite the cold and many other potential hazards, naked from the ankle down is the way Anna Toombs likes it, and she gets plenty of catcalls in the street as a result.
The 35-year-old co-founder of the personal training company Barefoot Running UK says she's lost count of the times people yell "where are your shoes?" as she and partner David Robinson negotiate London's parks and pavements to indulge their passion and train their clients.
"People give you a lot of weird looks," says Robinson.
They are also getting a lot of inquiries.
A surge of interest in "natural," or barefoot, training has seen runners around the world kick off their arch-supporting, motion-controlling, heel-cushioning shoes and try to feel the ground beneath their feet.
Top scientists -- from sports physicians to podiatrists to evolutionary biologists -- are jumping in too.
At a recent sports science conference in London, hundreds of participants, many of them shod but a few daringly barefooted, flocked to a two-hour long discussion about the merits or otherwise of running without shoes.
"It's a really polarised debate -- there are what you might call the barefoot evangelicals on one side and the aggressive anti-barefoots on the other," says Ross Tucker, an expert in exercise physiology at South Africa's University of Cape Town and a middle- and long-distance running coach.
Read on here<http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/12/08/oukoe-uk-science-running-barefoot-idUKTRE7B71J020111208>.
Mastering Hill Workouts
Hill training, demystified
By Pete Magill
As featured in the December 2011 issue of Running Times Magazine
It's the worst-kept secret in running: If you want to improve strength and speed, run hills.
Recently, I did a trail run in Seattle with Tony Young, the world record-holder in the mile for men age 45-49 (4:16.09). Tony stopped at a point where the trail split, and he pointed up one fork, a 300m woodchip incline.
"See this hill?" said Tony. "If I beat you for the masters cross country title in December, this hill will be the reason why."
Tony's faith in the power of hills has precedent. In the 1960s, New Zealand coach Arthur Lydiard used hill training to propel his country's distance runners to international acclaim. Sebastian Coe relied on hills for the strength that netted him 11 indoor and outdoor world records in the late '70s and early '80s. And the slopes of the Great Rift Valley have lifted Kenyans to domination of the world distance scene for decades.
So why don't more runners make hills a centerpiece of their training?
Simply put, most runners don't understand how to train on hills. We pick hills that are too long or too steep. We run them too fast. We allow too little time afterward to recover. The result is a poor training effect at best, injury and burnout at worst.
Before we charge willy-nilly up the nearest mountain trail, we need to understand the training adaptations we're after and the best way to achieve them.
Read on here<http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=24629>.
Radcliffe seeks Olympic revenge
Paula Radcliffe is hoping for a change of fortune and that London streets will be paved with gold not pain next summer.
Radcliffe has been formally selected for her fifth Games and is hopeful she can write a fairytale ending to an Olympic story that has seen more than its share of tragedy.
Despite holding the world marathon record, winning the London Marathon three times in three appearances and claiming the world title in 2005, many still associate the 37-year old with her tearful exit from the Olympic marathon in Athens, which she started as a red-hot favourite.
Illness and injury conspired against her then and again four years later in Beijing, when she battled to the finish, albeit in a distant 23rd. In her Games debut over 5,000m at Atlanta 1996 she came home fifth while at the next attempt in Sydney she upgraded to an agonising fourth over 10,000m.
However, she insists exorcising her Olympic demons is not the sole motivating factor for next summer - where the technical loop course around central London, which is not expected to produce fast times, is expected to benefit her.
Read on here<http://au.eurosport.com/olympicgames/london-2012/2012/radcliffe-seeks-revenge_sto3055372/story.shtml>.
Marathon runners say they were sickened
Jessica Ebelhar/Las Vegas Review-Journal
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Dec. 8, 2011 | 2:00 a.m.
The water tasted metallic and stale, but runner Charlene Ragsdale needed to replenish her fluids if she were to finish Sunday's half-marathon at the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon.
Nerves twisted up her stomach, at least, that's what she thought.
Suddenly, it wasn't just the taste that didn't seem right, it was the way her body was reacting once she was done drinking.
Rock 'n' Roll had taken on a whole new meaning.
Read on here<http://www.lvrj.com/news/marathon-runners-say-they-were-sickened-135233493.html>.
Rapid improvement has earned Goodrich High grad Erin O'Mara berth in U.S. Olympic Women's Marathon Trials
Published: Monday, December 05, 2011, 2:22 PM Updated: Monday, December 05, 2011, 2:23 PM
By Bill Khan | Flint Journal The Flint Journal
At first, Erin O'Mara's motivation for running faster marathons had nothing to do with qualifying for major events or winning races.
After taking 4 hours, 8 minutes and 8 seconds to complete the 2006 Detroit Free Press Marathon, the 2002 Goodrich High graduate knew she never wanted to take that long to endure 26.2 miles of running again.
"When I finished that race, one of the first things I said to my family was I was definitely going to do it again, but I was going to run a lot faster, because that was too long to be out there," O'Mara said. "At that point, I remembered thinking I'd trained a lot and done all the work. The more you run, the more you realize you probably didn't train that much for it, which is why I ran well over an hour of what I run now."
Read on here<http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/runners/2011/12/erin-omara-120511.html>.
Roger on Running: Fall Marathon Insights
What the ordinary runner can learn from the extraordinary fall marathon season
By Roger Robinson
As featured in the Web Only issue of Running Times Magazine
The 2011 fall marathon season has been like a series of fantasy movies. Patrick Makau, Ed Whitlock, Geoffrey Mutai and company ventured time and again beyond the limits of human capability. Digitized wizards and magic rings could not match them. The regular runners I talk to at race expos struggled to relate to it all, regarding the elites at the front of their races with awe and incomprehension, like invaders from outer space.
But wait - they are runners, too. To achieve what they do, they need supreme inherited talent, sure, but also dedicated training, proper nutrition, skillful race tactics and a lot of guts, just like the rest of us. So to summarize this historic fall marathon season, instead of analyzing the superlatives, the records, the impact on world all-time rankings, etc., I want to ask simply, what can every ordinary runner learn from these extraordinary races? Here is a selection of six lessons to be learned from six weeks of miracles.
Read on here<http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=24605>.
I read somewhere that there is an ugly sweater party this Saturday at The Marlay in support of Toys for Tots. It made me smile at all the ugly sweaters gathered together. I remember we did an ugly jacket run but that was many runs ago. Pink Palooza holiday bazaar is this Friday. There is a handmade gift fair at Oakhurst Church on Saturday. Healing gifts from the heart will be at the Oakhurst Gardens. Druid Hills Baptists has their Christmas Fair Trade/Alternative Gift Fair and Open House. There seems to be a theme in these first couple of events. Avondale is hosting their Christmas Tour of Homes. DHS is showing The Nutcracker as performed by the Callanwolde Dance Ensemble. The holidays are such a busy time of the year.
Anything else is going on this week/weekend?
On the running side, there is not much in local races this weekend. There is a Jingle Jog in Atlanta and Sleighbells on the Square in Marietta. Other than that, the runs are farther off. The weekend end after has more stuff going on but the running event that is the Va-Hi jingle job is closed out. It amazes me that Va-Hi has a lot of runs in that neighborhood and they usually sell out. And its not like the sell outs are for a limited number that makes for a small attended race. The starting lines are usually crowded. Good for them that they have putting on races down to a successful science.
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
Jingle Jog 5K / Jr / Elf Run, Atlanta
Sleighbells on the Square 5K/1K/Tot Trot, Marietta
Frozen Rope 5K/Mile/Tot Trot, Locust Grove
Hello ORC,
On Thursday night above the Little Shop of Stories, Decatur will be lighting up the Christmas Tree at 7pm. If you are around the area, it would be cool to see. Also watch out for traffic. This weekend will be the 29th Annual Decatur Holiday Candlelight Tour of Homes. I can’t believe it is almost 30 years running strong. There is a Wicca 101 Class at Trilogy in Avondale Estates. Do you have a Beard? Well then join the Battle of the Beards at the Highland Inn Ballroom on Saturday night. Also on Saturday night is Roxie Watson at Eddie’s Attic. At Criminal Records is A-Hole Santa and Crappy Jesus. They will be posing for pictures on Saturday at 3pm. On Friday is the Stacks Lofts and Artist Tour which sounds really interesting to go to.
What else is going on this week/weekend?
The Decatur races continue on, the closest one being at Medlock Park for the One Love, One Heart CdLS Awareness 5K. If you are interested in a trail run there is the XTERRA Georgia Victoria Bryant State Park Trail Race in Royston. The Beltline is also running a 10K on the east side of the loop. And there are several races in Stone Mountain all this weekend. There is something for everyone.
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/
Saturday, December 3
One Love, One Heart CdLS Awareness 5K, Decatur
XTERRA Georgia Victoria Bryant State Park 10K / 5K Trail Running Race, Royston
2011 Jingle Bell Run/Walk, Stone Mountain
Faith Cline Elf Trot 5K, Kennesaw
The Arthrities Foundation Jingle Bell Run 5K, Stone Mountain
15th Annual Jingle Bell Trail 5K/1Mi Race and Fun Run, Peachtree City
Atlanta Beltline East Side 10K, Atlanta
Sunday, December 4
Season's Greetings Half Marathon & 5K, Stone Mountain
