Saturday, July 29, 2006
Strides
The September issue of Runner's World pays tribute to 40 years of publication. In addition to history--RW entered the scene in 1966 as Distance Running News, in '70 adopting the moniker The Runner's World and dropping the The a year after; and, news to me, many of the mag's regular contributors have been on board for 20-plus years--"A Good Long Run" includes practical advice and inspiring quotes from said contributors, many of them prominent runners themselves (Joan Benoit Samuelson, Bill Rodgers, Hal Higdon). In reading the article, I felt a bit of pride swell in my chest, thinking about my own involvement in a sport taken up by so many amazing personalities past and present. Here are a few gems (hate that word in that context, but not as much as I hate 'nugget'):
Joan Benoit Samuelson: "I've always run by the seat of my pants I've never been very scientific about my training. I run the way I feel. Now, of course, w/ things like heart-rate monitors, it's easier to get more scientific about it all. But to tell you the truth, if I was coming into my prime right now, I probably wouldn't do things much differently." [K: Here ye! No heart-rate monitor or fancy running watch here.]
Bill Rodgers: "After 40 years of running on one side of the road and always tilting a little bit to the left, I think it tilted me a bit and resulted in a leg-length differential. Runners can counter such effects by periodically switching to the other side of the road." [K: Well I'll be.]
George Sheehan: "You can actually be pretty playful w/ treadmill training, which can result in some excellent workouts. You can speed up or slow down at will, and you can throw in 'hills' any time you want. And you're not stuck out in the middle of nowhere if you can't handle what you're doing." [K: This actually got me to the gym for cardio this morning. It'll be playful. Playful. Playful. I always say I hate the stupid treadmill, that it bores me to tears, but positive thinking + a 90-degree forecast worked wonders.]
John Bingham: "The only way for a beginner to truly understand how welcoming the sport of running has become is to put on a race number and join us." [K: Love it. Because it's really that easy. The running community kicks ass.]
Bart Yasso: "Yasso 800s are a good way to gauge your fitness level during marathon training and help you predict your finishing time. The key is to build up to running 10 x 800 meters w/ a 400-meter recovery between each repeat. You need to do at least two of these sessions three to five weeks before the marathon. If you're able to run your 800s in three minutes and 30 seconds, you're in shape to run a 3:30 marathon. For many people, the correlation is spot on. Do these workouts midweek, say, on Wednesday, when you've done your long run on the w/e. If you run your 800s on totally fresh legs, you'll do them a heck of a lot faster." [K: As I'd love that time, and came close once, this is a definite note-to-self.]
Amby Burfoot: "Don't expect to be in top shape at all times. Everyone has down periods, either deliberate or otherwise. You can always get back in shape." [K: Ever-helpful to keep in mind.]
But my favorite bit, in reference to the evolution of running and the need for a running-based publication like RW, is this:
"... Still, while growing, distance running's fundamental qualities somehow--thankfully--stay rooted. First, there's its universality: Running is vitually the same in Soweto, South Africa, as in California's Central Valley; in Managua, Nicaragua, as in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico; in New York City as in the sand hills of Nebraska, all places I've traveled to for the magazine. There's also its spiritual quality: It's impossible for a person to run for any sustained period w/o thinking, wondering, and, in his or her own way, praying. And, finally, there's its appeal to the everyday athlete--to teachers and nurses and the unemployed and soldiers and convicts and cancer patients and insurance adjustors. People striving to find the time in their day--that "hour w/ the gods," as Dr. Sheehan called it, to go for a run. And once they do, they want to share w/ other like souls how that hour graces the remainder of their day. We know exactly how they feel." --John Brant
Ah, yes.
Speaking of RW, about a month back I landed a second assignment through them: a profile piece on a runner-chef I found online. See, the mag features a monthly column called The Athlete's Palate, which is as it sounds. The guy I tracked down runs a small Mediterranean restaurant down south and has been a real kick to work w/. The coolest part: He, a RW subscriber, told me that when the column debuted, he made it his mission to 'one day be that profiled chef.' Happy to help! Also RW-related, MSN picked up my June story, and Syracuse's Post-Standard ran a story wherein the author mentions it as well. Fun!
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Thanks! These are very helpful to me--especially when I'm supposed to run a Fartlek on Monday and that's my scheduled gym time. Blah! Playful, playful right?
So, I sat at home this evening totally pouting because I didn't do the Torchlight Run (too much vino last night and yucky legs today)! Am I addicted or what?
Yes! (How'd it go?) So get this: The threat of 100 degrees tomorrow is pushing me into the gym for my early a.m. long run - hour and a half. But on the treadmill?! Up until the other day's successful cardio session, I never ever would've attempted such distance indoors, but what's the alternative? Messy heat stroke? Nah - I'll take closed captioning + Radiohead instead.