Run to Win

One reader found this site by searching Yahoo for how far is a swimming lap. There are a few different ways to determine the distance from one end of the pool to another, which will gives you the length of the pool. Multiply the length by two and you will have the distance of a lap in the pool. Most pools that you are likely to swim laps in are going to be either 25 yards (75 feet) or 25 meters (82+ feet). Here are some common ways of measuring a pool:
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In a continuing collaboration with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we will be writing about the technology of fitness equipment throughout the month of July.

Scott finishes the month off by discussing tools to keep up to date. He lists a few online training logs, sites for finding news and regimens, and a description of different ways to subscribe automatically to any of those sites.

• I continued my series on how to ice sore muscles by explaining how to give yourself an ice massage and how to use an ice bath.
• I spent a little time exploring the cost of racing and how much race registration fees can cost.
• Cramping and gas can be unpleasant when you are running. In fact, running can make gastrointestinal problems worse, so I explored ways to recover.
• I began having some problems with plantar fascitis, and one of the ways that I tried to stretch out my arches and recover was to mow the lawn barefoot. While certainly a very dangerous activity, it did do a good job of stretching out my feet.
• In doping news, Floyd Landis was first accused of doping at the Tour de France. His case still has not been resolved.
• Two years ago this week, and still on the Tour de France topic, Lance Armstrong won his final Tour. I also gave some tips about proper hydration and how to time rest intervals while lifting weights.

Susan from the Workin’ on My Fitness site recently wrote about doing some ab work in order to get over some work-related stress. I asked her whether she had ever tried using a swiss ball rather than using a machine or just a mat. She emailed me back with the following question:

I’ve never used a swiss ball, although I’ve used those balls that are weighted. Is there a difference? I’m down to trying anything new when it comes to ab work.

It turns out that she does in fact have a swiss ball, she just had not heard the terms that I refer to them as before. Below I have provided a brief description of medicine balls and swiss balls, as well as their ugly step-brother the bosu ball.
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The IAAF has finally agreed to work with Oscar Pistorius to determine whether he is actually a good runner or whether he gains an advantage from having prosthetic limbs.

Pistorius, who complained earlier this month he was not getting support from the IAAF, said he was pleased to help conduct research “so that we can jointly come to a fair and educated conclusion.”

“There is much at stake personally and for the future of all amputee athletes, and I applaud the IAAF for recognizing that,” Pistorius said. “By aligning experts from prosthetics and biomechanics, I believe we will be able to put this issue to rest one way or the other.”

The research will happen at the German Sport University in Cologne. The tests themselves should only take several days, and data analysis will probably take about 3 weeks.

By September, the IAAF may have a definitive conclusion about what is allowed and what is not allowed, and everybody can stop all of the knee jerking that has been going on while Oscar attempts to run an Olympic qualifying time.

(Source: ESPN)

I was checking the news wire this morning and saw quite a few articles of interest that I thought that I would share with you:

• Two national records were broken yesterday at the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships, both in the 4×800. The (15-16 year old) intermediate boy’s time was brought down to 7:41.30 by the Texas Stars, and the United Stars set the (17-18 year old) young women’s record at 8:50.72. (Source: USATF)
• The Tour de France is struggling to maintain its integrity after a lot of controversy over the past few days. No rider rode today in the leader’s jersey after the Tour leader was pulled by his team because he lied about his whereabouts during drug testing before the race. Two teams have pulled out following a rider testing positive in the doping tests. The Tour is not being canceled, despite protests from local French newspapers. I hope that the Tour is not canceled; just throw the cheaters out and let those who are remaining keep going. (Source: BBC Sport)
• The Walt Disney company is taking the plunge and removing cigarettes from their children’s movies completely. They are also going to discourage smoking in movies that they produce that is aimed at adults. While I do not see this as a bad thing, I also don’t see it as something that I think will make a huge difference. I think that these types of knee jerk reactions are a generally ineffectual, much like Homeland Security’s attempts to stop movie-plot terrorism attacks. (Source: BBC News)
• The New England Journal of Medicine has published a study that states that there may be a contagious element to obesity. Having friends that are obese may make it more likely that you in turn will become obese as the norms of what makes an acceptable body weight are adjusted. The study is not conclusive, and I am not so sure that I buy into their theories. I think that if you have friends that do not exercise, then you are less likely to exercise yourself, which can lead to weight gain. It is an interesting theory, though. (Source: New England Journal of Medicine)

Last week I got an email from Jeanne, who is an aerobics instructor. She was asking about one of the guys in her class and some pains that he has been having. If you have opinions or follow up questions then feel free to post in the comments below, and you can always email me about this topic or if you have any questions of your own that you would like me to answer.

This should probably go thru the website, but here it is anyway:

I had a member ask me today about pain in his legs and based on what he described and showed me, I think he has posterior shin splints. I suspect flat-footedness, but he also squats heavy and lifts heavy in general. He says the pain backs off after about a mile, but comes back. I think he said he ran about 8.5 on Sunday…

I told him ice for sure, which he is doing, and maybe some over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs and maybe 7-10 days of no running.

Any thoughts? Have you run into this before with any runners you know? Have you ever tried “arch-strapping”? I noticed that is a some-times cure for pain associated with flat-footedness.

I do think the guy is somewhat flat-footed.

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Photo by Ian ParlinThe Vermont 100 Mile Trail Race was this past weekend on July 24^th. The top three Maine finishers all belong run with the Trail Monsters, a running group in the greater Portland area that runs local trails every week and race in the local mountain series.

Stephen Wells was the first Maine finisher in 20:27:37.80, and was 15^th over all. He overcame cancer a few years ago and has been doing all of the endurance events that he never thought that he would do before he was diagnosed.

James Demer was the second Maine finisher in 23^rd place over all. His finishing time was 21:10:07.00. He came by to the Trail Monsters group run this evening with his daughter and puppy, but he was just walking around on the trails.

Jamie Anderson rounded out the group in 36^th place over all with a time of 22:09:55.50, which is very impressive only 3 months off of knee surgery. He wrote a very detailed race report that is well worth taking a gander at. He walks through the day from waking up at 3 a.m. to taking a short 1 hour nap after finishing and then watching more people come through the line.

Andy Jones-Wilkins won the race with an impressive 9:32 pace, almost exactly an hour off of the course record time. He ran the race in 15 hours, 53 minutes and 45 seconds. Mary Churchill was the first woman to finish with a time of 19:41:13.80. There were 142 finishers. Other Maine finishers within the 30 hour cutoff were Maurice Kelleher (25:54:00.70) and Sarah Heck (27:42:09.60).

(Full Results - Photos)