Thank you, Hamilton!

By

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March 29, 2010

Dear Hamilton, Ontario:

Yesterday I ran my first Around the Bay 30K in your fine city. With a rich and legendary history stretching back 116 years, I was curious to see how many of the stories were true. I feel very fortunate to have experienced most of these first-hand.

While the whole day was absolutely fantastic from my perspective, there are some moments in every race that stand out:

When I was approaching the train tracks, the police officer there was hollering to people to pass back that a train was coming. As I ran over the tracks I looked over and could see the train in the distance, and I felt so relieved that I was ahead of it.
As I was crossing over the lift bridge in the first half of the course, I looked to my right over Lake Ontario and it was quite lovely. But as I crossed the bridge on the way to the finish, I looked left and saw the lift bridge – and it looked a thousand miles away. The fact that I had been over there, and now was over here, and had covered the distance entirely on foot blew my mind.
The last 400m of the course were amazing. By the time I got there it was raining, but both sides of the street were lined with spectators, all cheering and high-fiving the runners. Then, as I turned and ran down the ramp, there is no feeling quite like emerging into Copps Coliseum with the lights, the music and the cheering, with the finish line right there – I felt like a rock star!

To all of the people out cheering on their porches and front lawns, with your children and dogs, your pots, pans and stereos, your handmade signs and your morning cup of coffee – thanks for that! To your police officers who were so friendly and professional and kept us all safe – thanks for that too! To the volunteers without whom there would be no race, thank you. None of you may ever know what a difference you’ve made.

To all of the kind people of Hamilton, thank you for genuinely welcoming us into your neighbourhoods! I’ll definitely be back.

Love,

Karen

PS I personally apologize on behalf of all the runners who might have peed on your lawn – not cool.

IAAF World XC Championships This Weekend

By

UpToSpeed

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March 26, 2010

Canadian runners at the Around The Bay Road Race won’t be the only ones braving messy conditions on a hilly course this weekend. The IAAF World Cross Country Championships go off this Sunday in Bydgoszcz, Poland. This event is often considered the premier distance running event on the planet on account of the staggeringly loaded fields and who’s who on the winners’ list. Winners in the past 15 years have included Gete Wami (2 time Berlin Marathon champ), Paula Radcliffe (current marathon world record holder), Paul Tergat (former marathon world record holder), Derartu Tulu (2 time Olympic 10000m champ), Zersenay Tadese (current half marathon world record holder), Tirunesh Dibaba (reigning Olympic 5000m and 10000m champ) and Kenenisa Bekele (greatest distance runner of all-time?).

This year however things are somewhat more uncertain, with Bekele and Tadese absent. Speculation seems to have young Paul Tanui as a favourite after his convincing win at the Kenyan Championships.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMe05Elta-Y

On the distaff side, former champ Dibaba will vie for her fifth title. Young Linet Masai will be gunning for her though, having already taken Dibaba’s 10000m World Championship last summer in a sick closeout on the final straight.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXbOBOuy5fA

Regina’s Simon Bairu carries Canada’s best hopes.

Track and Field Videos on Flotrack

2 Updates – HaBay and Our Big Debut on the Runners’ Round Table

By

Vicky and Grant

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March 26, 2010

VICKY: This is going to be AWESOME.

GRANT: Word Up! This is going to rule.

VICKY: What are you talking about? You’re not going to be at the Hamilton Around the Bay race this weekend with me and Karen Karnis right?

GRANT: No. I thought you were talking about our appearance on the Runners’ Round Table on Wednesday?

VICKY: Oh yeah there’s that too. What time is that at?

GRANT: Wednesday at 5 PM EST. We should tell our readers that they can log in at that time and participate in a live chat with us and some pretty cool runners from the Runners’ Round Table.

VICKY: Yeah well either that or tune in to make fun at us trying to be cool while talking on live internet radio.

GRANT: Relax, it’ll be fine. We’ll be talking about Born To Run, barefoot running and your favourite topic: why women are better ultrarunners.

VICKY: Yeah, you’re right, I’m going to talk about how women kick ass.

GRANT: So, about this weekend, you and Karen are going to run the oldest race in North America?

VICKY: Well, like you, I’m training for the Ottawa Race Weekend Half Marathon in May so I’m not ready for HaBay. However, Karen Karnis is running the 30K distance and I’ll be doing the 5K with a friend of mine. I’ll be at the finish line as well encouraging a few of my running friends. I’m so proud of them for running the grueling distance, battling the hill and plowing through when the famous Grim Reaper runs beside them telling them they won’t finish the race.

GRANT: Holy smokes, that’s pretty intense!

VICKY: Hamilton folks are good like that 🙂 So, come join us even if you don’t run. It’ll be a great day and a great event. I’ll be the girl with the big smile and the red iRun t-shirt!

Around the Bay is 30K

By

Karen Karnis

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March 23, 2010

This Sunday I will be joining 6,999 of my closest friends running the oldest road race in North America* – Around the Bay in Hamilton, Ontario. With all that history, and the infamous “Older than Boston” t-shirts, what’s not to love? It fit into my marathon training schedule perfectly, so although I won’t be racing it, as such, it will make for an interesting, fast-paced and (hopefully) confidence-building training-run.

Naturally, when I tell people I am running Around the Bay, they ask how far it is – after all, not everyone is as interested in running history** as I am. But when I answer that it is 30K, people look at me and say “that’s an odd distance for a race, isn’t it?” What, because 42.195K makes sense?

*It should be noted that Around the Bay is not the oldest continually run road race in North America – that honour belongs to the Buffalo Turkey Trot, born in 1896, because Around the Bay missed a few years in there.

**Come on, even Saint Ralph did Around the Bay!! Okay so another obsession of mine that is not shared by everyone is watching movies about running.

Celebrity Chef Ramsay Filleted And Discarded By LA Marathon

By

UpToSpeed

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March 22, 2010

Grumbling gourmet Gordon Ramsay was forced to drop out of the LA Marathon this weekend due to a calf injury. A veteran of many marathons, Ramsay’s actually in pretty good condition and made it through 20K in 1:42… pretty sharp for a 43 year old with a crazy schedule. He was on track for a chance at a PB.

Ramsay had planned to run April’s London Marathon, so hopefully he can get healthy in a hurry. Persistent calf issues can be tricky in that they often lead to other problems (achilles injuries, plantar fasciitis, etc), but they can also be worked out pretty quickly.

New Half Marathon World Record For Eritrean Tadese

By

UpToSpeed

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March 21, 2010

Organizers of the Lisbon Half Marathon in Portugal were not disappointed by their aspirations of hosting a world record dash, as Eritrean Zersenay Tadese smashed his own PB by 36 seconds en route to both new half marathon (58:22) and 20km world records (55:21).

Take a moment to marvel at that math. He ran 20km at 2:46/km, then accelerated over the final 1.1km (2:45/km) to beat Samuel Wanjiru’s half marathon mark.

Quinoa and corn pilaf.

By

the-running-chef

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March 21, 2010

Here’s a simple side dish that can be served hot or cold. An ancient whole grain, thats good for you and tastes great.

1 cup Quinoa (you will have no problem finding this grain at health food stores) white or red or a mix of the two.

1.5 cups water.

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 spanish onion diced finely

2 cloves garlic minced

2 green onions sliced

2 tbsp chopped herbs. Your choice here. What’s in your fridge?

1 cup corn (frozen is just fine if it’s not corn season)

1 tbsp smoked paprika (we use our BBQ spice mix but smoked paprika is fine alone)

Salt and pepper

In a pot saute garlic and onions with 2 tbsp oil on med heat till very soft but not browned. Season with salt and pepper. Add quinoa and stir to get all grains coated in oil. Add water and cover with a lid. Cook about 20 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and leave lid on.

In a saute pan heat remaining tbsp oil and add corn. Sautee for one minute and add paprika. Continue to cook for another minute or so. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired. Mix with the quinoa. I now add the green onions and herbs.

All done ready for the plate. Hot or cold this pilaf is great. You can serve it alone or with your favourite meat on top. I love grilled salmon with this one. Cold it will keep in the fridge for about 4 days. So make extra and have it any time.

Enjoy

Gharib Goes For Redemption In Lisbon This Weekend

By

UpToSpeed

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March 19, 2010

The Lisbon Half Marathon, which has arguably become one of the world’s foremost half marathons, has attracted an exciting field to this Sunday’s start. Six of the men have broken 60 minutes, most notably Jaouad Gharib who ran 59:59 in Lisbon last year… and lost by three seconds(to Kenyan great Martin Lel). However it will be Eritrean Zersenay Tadese, he of the 58:59 PB (seventh fastest all-time), who will be paced to a world record attempt.

Jaouad Gharib is probably best known to North Americans for his part in the most BONKERS marathon finish imaginable at Chicago ’07. Check it out:

Surely the coach knows something I don’t

By

Karen Karnis

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March 17, 2010

It can be tricky to choose a marathon training plan. There are so many great ones available out there that there is surely something for everyone. And if not, there is so much information available that you can probably create your own. But this time around, I decided to invest in a training plan that was designed just for me.

I thought about it for a long time before entering my credit card. I read a lot, and asked for advice. However, the whole trial-and-error method hasn’t been working for me. I’ve tried it twice, which doesn’t seem like that many trials, but they were both errors, and when you’re talking marathon training, an error of this type means shooting half a year. In my case, I shot a whole year the first time after deciding to wait until fall to attempt my second marathon.

I have no illusions that the questionnaire I filled out gave the coach a complete history, or that he custom-designed every workout like none other he’s done before. But it was nice to know that he was sort of starting where I was at, and taking into account my habits, likes, dislikes and weaknesses.

So far I can say that it is wildly different than anything I’ve done before, but I guess that’s the whole point. After all, as Einstein points out, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I wouldn’t say this plan has taken me out of my comfort zone, because I am not terribly uncomfortable. No, it’s more like it has removed my comfort zone. I don’t know how these workouts are supposed to feel, so I have no expectations around when I might get tired, where I might start to struggle – I just do them.

Of course, I do have some questions in my mind, some hesitations and doubts about the volume and intensity, but then I remember the whole insanity thing and try to forget it. My goals, successes, failures and training history were all taken into account when this plan was designed. Besides, I remind myself that if I was just going to ignore the plan and do what I wanted to anyway, I could have done that for free!

Master Athletes Need to Eat Enough and On Time!

By

BMansfield

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March 14, 2010

Nutrition surveys suggest that most master athletes (anyone over 35 yrs of age) do NOT consume sufficient energy to support needs. They have a tendency to supply needed energy AFTER it is needed mainly because they are poor planners with many work, home and sport commitments or they are restricting their intake to achieve too fast a rate of weight loss leading to disordered eating patterns. Training on too few calories can lead to chronic fatigue, poor immune function, loss of muscle mass and decreased performance.

Practice makes perfect

Your digestive system (as well as your muscles) needs some training to be able to keep you well fueled during your training sessions (and competition). If you want to be able to eat and drink comfortably during your marathon (or longer) event, you need to be practicing that in training. Exercising hard while eating and drinking are not things that your body would normally prefer to do at the same time – but just like skiing fast, eating is a learned skill that requires the same amount of practice and attention to detail. If you plan on consuming 200-300 calories an hour and 1 litre of fluid (for example) during your race you need to practice consuming both of these in your training. Don’t skimp on fluid or calories during training!

So why do so many of us train on too few calories (and fluids)?

All it takes is getting dropped by the pack when the pace picks up or on a hill climb during training and it’s easy to start thinking that “if I just lost a couple of pounds I would be able to stay with the pack”. The problem with trying to diet while training is that the lack of calories and specific nutrients (especially carbohydrates) wreaks havoc on your muscles and immune system and makes you prone to injury. Taking in far fewer calories than what your body requires may result in the body attacking it’s own tissues, resulting in a a weakened muscular and immune system. Training, building muscle and following a sound diet are the best way to lose weight because it comes off slowly.

How much do you need to eat?

Track your intake for three days – don’t change anything. If you are able to answer yes to the following questions then you are likely eating enough:

Can you train without undue fatigue (i.e. you can train well throughout each training session)?
Are you maintaining your body composition (i.e. not losing muscle or gaining body fat?)
Do you have a fast recovery between training sessions (i.e. you are energized for each training session)?
Do you have optimal biological functioning (e.g. regular menstrual periods for women, able to sleep well, concentrate on the tasks at hand, etc)?
Is there an absence of health & performance issues?

If you answered YES to any of these questions then there are changes you can make to your eating patterns, food choices and timing of food intake to improve your health, your ability to train well and achieve peak performance in your sport.

My words of wisdom for optimal health and performance for master athletes are:

Get enough sleep
Eat snacks before and after working out
Rehydrate, refuel, rest up for recovery
Train properly
Keep a sport nutrition checklist