Would you have been able to run 3200 meters (almost 2 miles) in 11:58.9 when you were 10 years old? I certainly couldn’t have, especially inside.
In Louisiana, the state championship meets allow anybody from the school to compete, and some of the schools go from elementary right up through high school in one building with one principal. As such, we get to meet Gabrielle Jennings, who won the D2 state meet:
She runs 2½ miles per day most days and does interval work every other week, and is very obviously enjoying her running immensely. It must be exciting to beat girls that are 3-8 years older than her.
Update: Here’s the video of her race, where she comes from as far back as 5th place to win (Hat tip for the update » Running is Funny):
Registration opened this past Thursday for the New York City Marathon, and there is a new fee structure in place that you need to be aware of if you plan on registering.
Guaranteed Entry
Open (Age 18-39)
Marathon
Half-Marathon
Men
2:55:00
1:23:00
Women
3:23:00
1:37:00
Masters (Age 40+)
Marathon
Half-Marathon
Men
3:10:00
1:30:00
Women
3:38:00
1:44:00
Veterans (Age 50+)
Marathon
Half-Marathon
Men
3:30:00
1:40:00
Women
3:52:00
1:50:00
Veterans (Age 60+)
Marathon
Half-Marathon
Men
3:45:00
1:48:00
Women
4:13:00
2:00:30
Veterans (Age 70+)
Marathon
Half-Marathon
Men
4:00:00
1:55:00
Women
4:35:00
2:11:00
First, they are still using the lottery system, so you need to register by June 1st. If you have an automatic qualifying time (see the sidebar at right) then you need to register by May 1st. (This also includes guaranteed entry for NYRR members that run 9 of the 50 NYRR events throughout the year – but don’t forget that you need to volunteer at at least one as well!)
Whether you are getting a guaranteed entry through the lottery or you are hoping that luck will shine on you, you’ll need to pay an $11 processing fee whether you get accepted into the race or not.
If you are accepted into the race, then you need to pay between $138 and $231 to run (which is up between $16 and $21 from last year’s fees.)
Members of the NYRR pay $138
Non-members from the US pay $171
International runners pay $231.
You also authorize the purchase of your chip for $35, although that fee will not be processed as long as you return your chip and it doesn’t get lost. The entry price does not include admission to the pre-race pasta dinner, which you can purchase tickets for after being accepted for $15.
Everything is non-refundable, although if you are unable to run then you can waive your entry to bypass the lottery next year and pay your fees again.
Charity runners can receive guaranteed entry into the race until that charity has met its quota, and you will be required to raise a minimum of $2500. You can not cancel your registration without authorization from your charity.
New York City has been and continues to be the most expensive destination marathon in the United States, which is probably why I don’t expect to run it again at any point in the near future. It costs almost $100 more to run it now than when I ran it a few years ago.
Last night, there was a Yoga for Runners clinic at the Maine Running Company presented by Michael Gaige. He shared a lot of tips on how to effectively implement yoga into your regular routine and pointed out the benefits and dangers. Runners have some special concerns that they need to be aware of.
Afterwards, he was available for questions and answers, and my wife managed to get this great tip out of him. The question she is asking was about the proper way to breath during the yoga, but Michael went on to explain how that can affect your breathing during a race and how to prevent yourself from gasping for air without having to slow down.
Jenn Stuczynski set the American Indoor Pole Vault Record at the Boston Indoor Games last night at 15′ 9.75″ and then attempted to set a new world record. Here is the result of each of her jump from the video I shot at the meet:
Tomorrow evening is the Boston Indoor Games, a great event put on down at the Reggie Lewis Center every year. If you are planning on being there, then keep an eye out for me as I’ll be there with both my still and my video camera!
The Games will not be televised live, but will be on ESPN on Sunday from 4:00-6:00. If you haven’t made your picks yet, you have until 4:55 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday to choose who you think is going to score in tomorrow’s meet.
I am very excited about the meet. When making my picks, I saw that Kevin Sullivan is racing in the mile, so I had to make that pick despite thinking that he probably isn’t going to be able to beat Alan Webb.
Kara Goucher should put in a good 3000m as she gets herself into shape for the Boston Marathon, her goal race for 2009 and which has not been won by an American (man or woman) since 1985.
I also noticed today that the USATF Indoor Championships are also in Boston this year, so I am going to have to see if I can arrange my schedule to let me get down there again at the end of the month.
The 28th running of the Mid-Winter Classic in Cape Elizabeth was this morning in what were pretty ideal conditions for the area this time of year. Temperatures hovered around 20 degrees with wind speeds under 3 miles per hour. There were 686 finishers, just a few shy of last year’s record 691.
Speaking of records, the overall course record fell for the 3rd time in as many years, this time with Dan Vasello cutting nearly a minute off to bring the record down to 51:09. His closest competitor was Judson Cake who finished 91 seconds behind him.
In total, there were 22 people who ran under an hour for the 10 mile course, including the top 3 women who had a much closer race. Kristin Barry led Sheri Piers by less than half a minute with her winning time of 58:42. They were followed by Shannon McHale who ran 59:42.
For myself, I ran 58:09, and while it was about the same time as I ran last year, I had to work much harder for it. I went out a little too quick and was stuck with the lead pack for the first few miles, but there was nobody near us and dropping off would have meant running alone. Of course, once the pack started to string out, I fell back fast. I had a few people around me most of the race to keep me honest, although the uphill stretches nearly did me in. Normally one of my strong suits, I just could not eke out any sort of decent leg turnover, although I made up for it on the flats and downhill stretches. I guess I am not 100% recovered from the 50 miler.
I’ll post links to the photographs and videos of the race as they become available.
Registration opened this past Thursday for the New York City Marathon, and there is a new fee structure in place that you need to be aware of if you plan on registering.
