Run to Win

I just watched a very cool video from Outside Magazine about Chris Lieto, which was sent along to me because of the great headline copywriters from the magazine (as evidenced in the screenshot above).

It’s a very neat concept about how magazines in the near future will move just like online video and will appear to be a lot more interactive.
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When a race course is certified by the RRCA or USATF, it’s measured by the shortest route a person can run and remain on the course.

When most people race, they run the most convenient route through the course that they can, which isn’t necessarily the shortest. Ignoring the inherent inaccuracies of handheld GPS devices, you might actually run as far as 27 miles during a marathon as the mile markers come further and further past where your watch tells you it should be.

If you want to run a faster time, it only makes sense that you should try to race along the shortest route possible. The way that you do that is to run the tangents.

What is a tangent?

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After the registration fiascos of the past 2 years, I wrote an open letter on how to improve the Beach to Beacon with a few suggestions on how to improve the process (many of which were implemented this year.)

And with this year’s improvements, registration closed once again in record time. Technically, registration is still open for the 1500 lottery entrants, but of the first-come, first-served entries, all 600 of the Cape Elizabeth entries were snatched up in 21 minutes on Friday, and the 4,000 open registrations were all claimed within 32 minutes on Saturday morning.
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I recently received this email from Heather Murray:

Dear Blaine,

I have been reading your newsletter for some time now and i love all your tips. My question however is this: Is it possible that running is a sport that will never develop for some people?

I am a triathlete with running as my weaker discipline. I am training for my first half- marathon and have started running many more miles than ever before. My frustration is that it never feels easier and my assumption that long runs of 8-10 miles would instantly translate to more comfortable or maybe even faster 5k times. No such luck for me.

I also incorporate hill runs, intervals on the treadmill, striders/sprints at the end. It still feels tough, like my body is tired. I try to eat as healthy as possible to fuel the machine, but alas I struggle with running. Any suggestions for those of us who want to run happy, but just feel genetically doomed?

Thanks,
Heather

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Just a reminder, registration begins this weekend for the Beach to Beacon 10k.

If you are a Cape Elizabeth resident, you can register tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. and can avoid trying to beat the rush of the other 10,000 people that want to run for 24 hours (or at least until the 600 reserved slots are registered.)

Everybody else can try to register on Saturday morning.

Here are the full details direct from the folks at B2B:
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Andy Schachat has just signed on to announce at the Patriot’s Day 5 Miler in Portland, Maine.

Andy is the voice of the Mount Washington Road Race and has announced other premier events such as the Beach to Beacon 10k.

He is very well known in the New England area and always does a great job with any race he’s involved with.

Unfortunately, I’ll be out of town to watch the Boston Marathon (and possibly run Exeter) that weekend so I won’t get a chance to say hi and welcome him to Portland.

(Patriot’s Day 5 Miler)

If you are a race director and put on an RRCA Championship race, you may already qualify for sponsorship by Gatorade.

However, if you put on a non-championship RRCA race, then you can now benefit from discounted rates when purchasing Gatorade products for your race.

Products available through the purchase program include:

• Gatorade Thirst Quencher lemon-lime powder in 14-51 oz. cased – $86.00/case
• 8 oz. cups – $79.50 per case
• 7-gallon coolers – $54/unit

The new program can help race directors save about a third of the cost on aid station supplies.

(More info: RRCA)

Eating well while traveling can be difficult.

Hours on the roads, quick stops at restaurants, and bad hotel food served to captive audiences can easily lend itself to a “not quite right” feeling in your gut even a week after you get home and back to your normal diet.

There are a few tactics you can follow to improve matters, though.
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