Run to Win

Not being a part of the Coast to Coast run back in 2004 is one of the few regrets that I have in my life, which is a large part of why I like to share news about it even 4 years later. The other reason that I like to discuss it, of course, is that the entire idea of running a relay from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean is very exciting to me. (Plus, the guys that did it are friends of mine.)

Well, now that the run happened (2004) and the book was written (2006), it is time for the next step. It is time for a documentary!

And what do you know, but a couple of the guys got together and spent a few months putting one together. Kevin Turko and Ryan Pancoast teamed up and put a lot of work into the documentary, so I hope that you enjoy watching it as much as I did.

The video is 27 minutes long and details the trip from the West Coast to the East. Interspersed with actual video of the running is some great music, still photographs from the trip, and interviews with the coach and some of the runners.

If you enjoy the video, Kevin and Ryan have entered it into a contest at FloTrack. I am sure that they would appreciate it if you went over and voted for them. The voting page is at: http://www.flocasts.org/flotrack/080808_vote.php (Their video is entitled “Coast to Coast Relay 2004″ – The best video is awarded a pair of tickets to the Beijing Olympics!)
(Click here to continue reading…)

The recap for what I wrote this week last year is a little late this week, but I decided that a weekend off now and again is a good thing and went down to Boston to visit the circus. There was a lot that happened this weekend, between the heat and debacle at Chicago to the Maine Marathon and Half Marathon. This week last year, there was also a lot of racing news…

• My favorite DIII college team was ranked 23^rd in the nation after RIT placed 2^nd at the Geneseo Invitational. Across the planet, there was the Phedippidations world-wide half-marathon, which is taking place this weekend this year. In local racing, there was also the Presidential Road Race in Kennebunkport and Craig’s Cup 5k cross country race.
• Speaking of the Craig’s Cup 5k and the World Wide Half, I used those races as preparation for the New York City Marathon to great effect. I began the day with a 5k cross country race, which I then ran home from. I guestimated where the half-marathon mark would be for the world wide half and ran a 16 mile cool down all told, which brought me to over 20 miles on the day. I think that this workout was one of the best ones that I had leading up to New York City before I began my taper.
• I explained the difference between active and passive rest and why it matters to your workouts. In a slightly more opinionated vein, I shared my thoughts on banditing races, and attempted to explain why I run.
• I discovered that RIT does not hold the transcontinental record for running from the Pacific to the Atlantic. It turns out that one of my current teammates ran the relay a couple of decades ago in a faster time. It is a moot point anyway; the Guinness Book of World Records thinks that the activity is too dangerous to encourage and no longer lists it. Because running for a couple of weeks is so much more dangerous then spending your life being so overweight that you can’t fit through your door to leave your room.
• This week two years ago, I shared a story about Bobby Martin, a legless football player that was ejected from a game for not wearing knee pads. I also shared some tips about working out in inclement weather.

Don’t forget that today is the final day to enter my contest for a gift card good for 180 mp3 downloads. You can enter simply by leaving a comment on the site; I will be choosing a winner by random drawing this evening.

This week last year was dominated by the news, without as many tips, suggestions and strategies as last week.

• The animated series continued with how to do assisted pushups.
• Brendan Fitzgerald shared a story about the Penn Relays, and then randomly won a copy of Coast to Coast. It was the first book that I gave away from this site.
• The Back Cove 5k Race Series began the same week last year as it did this year. That isn’t a coincidence. In other locally relevant news, a Mainer climbed Mount Everest.
• In other running news, Justin Gatlin had a short lived world record in the 100 meter dash. On a different note, a jogger in Florida was killed by an alligator. Her name was Yovy Suarez Jimenez.
• I came close to concluding my thoughts on the New Rules of Lifting by discussing New Rule #18 (endurance exercise is unnecessary to burn fat) and New Rule #19 (Strength + Endurance = Endurance). Only one New Rule is left!

This week last year was very focused on a limited number of topics. The weekend series about the New Rules of Lifting continued, but everything else dealt with the Coast to Coast relay and the new book that had just been published, or with weight lifting and swiss balls.

• I continued my animated workout series with how to do a swiss ball bridge, which takes the standard exercise and makes it a little more challenging. The discussion about swiss balls continued throughout the week, beginning with why you would use a swiss ball in the first place and then discussing the difference between balance boards and swiss balls.
• Discussion about the Coast to Coast book continued, with a few reminders about the contest to win a free copy as well as a review of Coast to Coast. There was also the first guest article here at Run to Win, written by Matt Hartman. Matt was the photographer on the Coast to Coast relay.
• I continued my thoughts on the New Rules with New Rule #16 (lifting can make you flexible) and New Rule #17 (aerobic fitness is not all its cracked up to be).

This week last year was pretty busy. There was a lot of running news and tips, and I continued my animated weight lifting tutorials. The site also surpassed 100 people in a single day this week last year, which was a nice milestone to reach.

• I continued my animated workout series with how to do pushups, a staple in just about any routine. I also published a tip about bicycle riding and traffic, namely that you should always ride your bike with traffic. On a bike, you are usually going to be legally obligated not to ride against traffic.
• I first learned about the Endurance 50 Challenge where Dean Karnazes decided to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. I wound up getting to see him run one of them and was in another one (but I didn’t see him). In other marathon news, I learned that a 2:55:00 marathon guarentees entry into New York City, and not a 2:50:00 marathon. I also started a contest on the site to win a free copy of Coast to Coast, a book written by a friend of mine about a relay from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
• On a slightly less endurance-minded note, I gave my thoughts on whether or not it was worth it to taper for a 10k.
• I reviewed the Phedippations podcast/radio show. It is recorded by Steve “Runner” Walker on a weekly basis. I haven’t been keeping up for the past few months, though.
• I continued my thoughts on the New Rules of Lifting with New Rule #14 (stretching is not a warm-up) and New Rule #15 (you don’t need to warm up to stretch).

In a collaborative effort with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, we will be writing about books throughout the month of February. To start the month off, I am going to talk about running books.

Books are a great way to find some coaching without having to break your bank account wide open, and can provide the inspiration that you need to get out of the door every day. You can works of fiction, collections of quotes, how to manuals, collections of essays, and historical retrospectives on all manner of subtopics related to running. I am going to share some of my favorites in each category.
(Click here to continue reading…)

Chris Schauerman, one of the Coast to Coast runners, recently made his way into the news because of the undergraduate research that he has been doing. The experience of running across the country with the team really brought home to Chris how important teamwork is in accomplishing a goal.

“How hard do you want to work, and how much do you want to put into it? That will really determine what you get out of it.”

Other applications for this philosophy are not lost on Schauerman, and it very much drives his academic pursuits. The fifth-year physics major in the College of Science commits a lot of his “energy” to projects within RIT’s NanoPower Research Laboratories. Much of his focus centers on incorporating nanomaterials into the development of hydrogen fuel cells and lithium ion batteries.

“One of the things I find really cool is two of the most prominent areas of research going on in the country and in the world right now are renewable energy and nanotechnology.” Adds Schauerman, “To be at the forefront of that – trying new things and exploring new things – is something that is very exciting to me.”

It is very important to find the right school and the right educational opportunity for kids. I am glad that Chris is making the most of his experiences at RIT in both the college of science and on the cross country/track teams.

Thanks to Todd Spivak for bringing the article to my attention.

2006 has been a really busy year here at Run to Win. The website has really grown. I have written a total of about 750 articles so far, with around 900 comments and trackbacks on those articles. I have been taking a look at some of the most popular content over the past year, and some of it surprises me a little bit.

Based on total traffic throughout the year, my most popular topic that I wrote about is Dean Karnazes and his announcement to run 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. His announcement back in April and the coverage this Autumn as he ran it drove quite a bit of traffic through the site, as did Sam Thompson’s 50 marathon feat which finished up as Dean was starting.

The next most popular article was just a one off workout tip that I wrote about eating before and after working out last March. I have touched on diet quite a few times this years, giving my views and offering advice; I even hit on some zany ideas like intuitive eating. None of those articles were nearly as popular, though, or had as much time to be popular.

My series of articles on The New Rules of Lifting was also extremely popular. I hope that a few people decided to pick up a copy of the book, because I have been using workouts from it all year and have been very happy with my results. It probably did not hurt that one of the book’s authors, Alwyn Cosgrove, responded to the review. I shared my thoughts on all 20 new rules of lifting for those that wanted a preview of the first half of the book. The best part was definately the workout plans, though.

The series of articles that I wrote about Marathon Preparation this Autumn did not really have time to get enough eyeballs on it to make it to my official list, but I have no doubt it will be one of my most popular topics over the coming year. The past 2 or 3 months have shown that the tips in this 9 article series is very much in demand.

After reviewing Coast to Coast, I held a contest for a free copy of the book. I was rooting for a friend of mine to win the free copy, but I didn’t rig the system so somebody that I did not know wound up winning. By coincidence, it was somebody that is currently going to RIT. I also discovered that a current teammate of mine had also done a relay from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean about 20 years ago. That was when I discovered that transcontinental relay record.

I was a little bit surprised that my series about shoe maintenance was not more popular. I wrote all 12 articles ahead of time and had them appear on this site while I was on my honeymoon. My video about how to keep your shoes tied, however, was also very popular. It was helped in part by being a part of a group writing project over at ProBlogger, as is this article, for that matter!

I am looking forward to 2007, and have a lot of plans on ways to improve this website and provide even more valuable content for you. Until then, enjoy your holidays, and check out a few more retrospectives and looks ahead over at the ProBlogger group writing project.