Bengal Tigers, Molly the Dog

During running races there is a saying that "it felt like an elephant jumped on my back", meaning how heavy your legs got and there was no choice but to slow down.

Apparently UK wildlife photographer, Paul Goldstein is going to run four marathons during the month of April with a Bengal Tiger on his back.
Mr. Goldstein is raising money to assist in saving Bengal Tigers from the rampant poaching going on. The money will buy equipment and patrol vehicles for the parks where tigers are supposed to be protected and encourage more tourists to visit, adding to the local economy.

In a related story, MW is planning on running three races, the Spring Forward 15k, Lilac 10k and the Lake Placid half-marathon with Molly on his back. Molly is Mike's 10 pound dog. MW likes to pretend he doesn't like Molly, but I rarely see the two apart. It's fine if MW wants to take Molly on car trips and run with Molly in a carrying pack that most parents use for a child. Problems arise at the SUNY Brockport pool however, as most swimmers don't appreciate MW and Molly sharing a lane while doing the doggy paddle. It's also bizarre when MW hooks his Wizard of Oz bike basket to his Trek road bike, loads in Molly and races Eileen around town. MW is raising money for his Scotch Whiskey fund.

Quotes

From Running Times, 3/2011, Scott Douglas.

It's not uncommon to go to bed thinking, "Darn, I should have run today." It's not common to go to bed thinking, "I shouldn't have run today."

There are no junk miles. If you're not injured so badly that you're altering your form, or so sick that you feel worse after running, then it's all good...even slower paced runs promote blood flow, clear your mind, burn calories, assist with training...(paraphrased)

Look, you know you're going to run. So don't waste time and mental energy staring out the window at the horrible weather.

A national class woman who runs easy miles at 7:30/mile is doing recovery runs at more than 2 minutes per mile slower than her 10k pace. Do you (really slow down for recovery?). paraphrased.

Always get in a run before getting on an airplane.

Something is almost always better than nothing...real life intrudes...a 4-miler is much closer to a 10-miler than a 0-miler is.

Swim Smooth

Swim Smooth looks like an awesome website to improve your swimming technique. The animation used to illustrate swim strokes is easy to follow. Jump to beginner, intermediate or advanced sections and check your "ape index", learn about body roll, posture, open water techniques, improve your rhythm, timing and more.

If you swim like me, you'll want to read the tips on swimming straight. "The key to bilateral breathing is smooth, constant exhalation into the water. Doing the natural thing and holding on your breath is very inefficient and builds up lots of CO2 in your lungs and blood stream. Did you know that it's the build up of this CO2, not the lack of oxygen, that makes you desperate for air and causes the feelings of anxiety and panic?"

Before you can improve, you need to find out your swim type. "Based on speed and limited upper-body flexibility gives them very sinky legs when swimming" I am an "Arnie".

This is a drill to improve your core and posture while in the water;
"Squeezing Your Butt Muscles
Our second exercise is another visualisation. This time we're focused on the lower-rear core muscles, the glutes (your bum/butt). As you swim, imagine you have a large coin between your butt cheeks and you've got to keep it there! To do that you've got to lightly squeeze your butt cheeks together - a crude thought but very effective none the less!

Don't over do it, a very light clench is enough to engage your glutes, straighten your lower body and connect your legs better to your torso. This exercise also helps you develop better kicking technique.

Think about this regularly when you swim and you will gradually develop neural pathways to your glute muscles, recruiting them for permanent use."

I'll let you know if my times improve as a result of this website.

Sister Madonna Buder

Sister Madonna Buder, known as the Iron Nun, has completed more than 40 Ironman races and 325 triathlons in the last 30 years. She is now 80 and still competing.

She’s making plans to race in the Boston Marathon next month.

In 2005, at age 75, she became the oldest woman to ever complete the Hawaii Ironman, finishing a full hour before the 17-hour cut-off.

In 2009 she broke her own record as the oldest woman to complete the Ironman distance by finishing the Ironman Canada with a time of 16 hours and 54 minutes.

Sister Buder has faced many difficulties, from broken bones to a bicycle accident that almost kept her from competing in the Boston Marathon in 2009. She has always managed to push through the hard times. While still recovering from her accident, she finished the Boston Marathon in 4 hours and 42 minutes, .

These days Sister Buder has a pair of running shoes to go with every outfit. (and I thought Mike W was the only person who did this).

“When I was younger my mother used to say, ‘why don’t you act your age,’ and now I’m glad I never did.” she said. “You may age, but you don’t have to grow up.”

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/03/17/2120156/no-ordinary-nun.html#ixzz1GxhXSjdp

Sugar Snow

The USSSA National Championships were held on March 13 in Cable, Wisconsin. Jeff Beck, from Rochester NY, finished fourth overall (42:54) and secured a spot on the National Team. Michelle Weiler, a local phenom, was the sixth place woman, missing a spot on the National Team by one place. Michelle was the first master finisher (55:34). Charlie Andrews finished in 49 minutes and took second in the 50-54 age group.

Reports on the race compared snow conditions from last year's race, held near Syracuse, NY to this year. As one who struggled mightily in last years race it was nice to read that conditions may, indeed, affect some snowshoe racers. The 2011 race was in "Sugar Snow" which makes snowshoeing difficult and frustrating, it doesn't hold your weight well and has been known to make it feel like you are "running on ball bearings." "Sugar snow and hills sucked the life out of many a ‘shoer in the 2010 National Championship" (quote from Brad Canham, Snow Wars: Return of the Marathoners, 2011 National Championship report, Alford publishing).

The race in Wisconsin was hard packed, making it more suitable to road runners.

Apparently there are different cleats or snowshoes that will assist with the variable conditions and choosing the right ones for the course is important.
Dion Snowshoes, the title sponsor of the championships, offers customizable configurations – ex. deep cleat, versus standard cleat – depending on snow conditions. Made of Teflon Coated Aluminum Alloy, these durable cleats are interchangeable and can be easily removed to sharpen or replace.

Begin planning now for the 2012 championship, already scheduled for Frisco, CO, on February 24, 2012 with a starting elevation of 9,100 feet. Yes, 9,100 feet.

The Track

There is no better place to measure your speed, or lack thereof, than the track. Now that the snow has finally melted and it's light out until 7pm, I was able to head to the Spencerport high school track after work last night.

The high school team was gone and no one else was on the track. It was just me, my Garmin and the 400m oval. My plan was to run 4/800 with a 400 jog recovery. I didn't need to go all out, but wanted the effort to be on the edge. Time is getting short for conditioning to race a decent 1/2 marathon at Lake Placid in June.

Yasso 800's, created years ago by Bart Yasso from Runner's World magazine, is still one of my favorite 1/2 and full marathon workouts. Simply build up from 3-4 800's, adding 1-2 per week until you can do 10/800 about 10-12 days before the goal race. The speed should be equivalent to your marathon goal pace (or faster for the 1/2). Want a 3:30 marathon? Then run the 800 repeats at 3:30, 3:50 marathon, repeats at 3:50, and so on. Simple in concept.

I checked the Garmin after the first 800. Wow was I glad no one was there. Well, maybe I was just getting warmed up? Second 800, faster, but geez I'm slow and maybe I can't do all four? Heck, four was an arbitrary number I picked anyhow. I'll change to 2/400. No, don't be a wimp, no one's here to judge me, another 800, who cares what the time is? Go out at a decent pace for 400m, then push it the last 400m, that's doable, right?

Third one done, hey, same time as number two. Well, that's okay, slow but consistent. The Bear came out at 600m, not good. No speed or endurance is not a great combination. But only one more, I can do one more, right? Again I take off at a good pace and pick it up for the last 400m, the Bear joining me at 600m, wow I am so noisy, this is ridiculous. Fat, old and slow. My new motto, maybe a tattoo?

The good news is I hit the same time again. I have a lot of work to do, and most of it will be alone, behind the scenes, hard work. If I don't have hope then I might as well forget about racing again. Next week will be 4/800 again, but hopefully at a much faster pace.

Oil Prices

While we’re paying more to fill up, the three largest publicly traded oil companies based in the United States have been raking in the profits.

Three companies, ExxonMobil, Chevron and ConocoPhillips, made $58.3 billion in profits in 2010! (after all expenses).

ExxonMobil: $30.5 billion, up $11 billion from 2009.
Chevron: $19 billion, up from $10.5 billion in 2009.
ConocoPhillips: $8.8 billion, up from $4.9 billion in 2009.

Read more: http://technorati.com/business/article/as-gas-prices-rise-oil-companies/#ixzz1Fv5xZeUC

I hope you all have stock in these companies. As for me, once winter is over, if it ever is in Upstate NY, I will be biking home from work 2x/week and hopefully running home another day.

Here's a question; Why does Kwik-Fill, which likes to advertise itself as an American Gas Company, charge as much as companies using "foreign" oil? Shouldn't their prices be lower?

Spencerport Running Secret

There is a path beginning off of Slayton Avenue, near the new Top's Market. It is just past the wooden stairway leading to the canal, which is north of Tops, and behind the smaller strip mall with 4-6 stores. The path heads east, towards Gillett road. It is a dirt and grass trail that is yet to be fully developed, mostly due to too many governments, the railroad and utility companies being involved.

The path is still runable though. The original Town of Ogden plan called for it to be a smooth surface so that senior citizens could access it from the Glenn Haven road area of homes. At one time there were even supposed to be lights. You can climb up a small hill near the Gillett road overpass, get on Gillett, cross the canal bridge and come down to the canal path back into the village. This route would be about three miles.

For a year the path continued under Gillett road and through some nice woods and farmland to Manitou road, giving mtn bikers, runners and walkers another mile + of off road experience. Unfortunately one (1!!) neighbor complained (even though the path wasn't on his property, in fact is probably 100 yards from his house) and someone in a state agency authorized an 8' high steel fence be built. This was done without the Town of Ogden's knowledge.

A little government can be a bad thing. Too much government definitely is.

Road ID

Use the link to the right to connect directly to Road ID. Every runner or biker should wear an ID.

Coupon Number: ThanksMichael4203467

This coupon is good for $1 off any Road ID order. It can be used up to 20 times in the next 30 days.