Run to Win

• This week last year, I talked a bit about proper locker room etiquette, sharing some mostly obvious rules about how to get along with your neighbor in the locker room. If the locker room isn’t your thing, Scott also discussed the basics of setting up a home gym.
• In racing news, Dirigo managed to sweep in the Florida Keys, taking the top 3 positions in the Half Shells half marathon. There were 9 Maine finishers in the top 50. The Mid-Winter Classic was also this week last year, with not only a record turn out but a male course record in chilly temperatures. I expect that there will be another record turn out at the race tomorrow, as the weather forecast is very favorable.
• This week two years ago, I demonstrated how to do a seated leg extension and how to navigate a new gym, and also referred to a study that claims that exercise before bed is not so bad after all.

• I began the week last year by writing about safety equipment for road runners, such as shoes, identifications, clothing, and reflective items.
• I wrote about race etiquette that every runner should follow.
• I discovered how easy it is to slip off of a swiss ball when working out. That’ll teach me to use a smaller swiss ball!
• Every time that I go to a professional meet with my friend Andrew, we get to see world records. Last year I went down to watch the Boston Indoor Games and got to see some more records, both national and international. I planned to go down this year, but wasn’t able to make it.
• Steve Pavlina weighed in last year with why health research is worthless.
• This week two years ago, the World Marathon Majors were announced and I demonstrated how to do a dumbbell bench press, which is still a staple exercise of mine.

This week last year was a busy one, with a lot of quality articles on a wide range of topics. News bites were mixed in with training advice, and a good description of toys was mixed in with reader questions.

• The week began with a discussion of a number of different types of toys that runners use when then are training. I covered watches and pedometers to GPS receivers to technical fabrics and water bottles. This article was a continuation of on the Equipment series between Run to Win and Straight to the Bar.
• I posed the question, “When does your week begin?” My week begins on Monday and ends on Sunday. It makes it easier to plan my workouts and gives me a better idea about how to interpret my weekly mileage in a more useful manner.
• I offered one of my favorite racing tips, which I coincidentally included in my new book that I am publishing next week. This tip teaches you how to race with courtesy while gaining a competitive advantage over the other runners.
• Wes was getting ready for a new racing distance, and wanted to know how to hydrate for a half-marathon. He has since moved on to running full-length marathons and is actually running tomorrow morning at Walt Disney. Good luck, Wes!
• Is it possible to run under 2 hours in the marathon? This was a question that I was pondering a year ago when Paul Tergat still held the world record. Now that Haile Gebrselassie has run 2:04:26 and may make another run for a new record in Dubai this Friday, the sub-2 hour mark looks like it is becoming more of a reality. I really hope that we get to see it in the next decade or so.
• This week two years ago, I demonstrated how to use a machine that I don’t even plan to bother with again, the leg press sled. I just stick to doing squats these days. Tomorrow is also the 2 year anniversary of the death of Frank Fixaris. He was a Giants fan, so if he can he’ll be looking over them in their game against the Cowboys.
• This week two years ago was also when I had a great run in an unseasonably warm January, which was not unlike what the weather has been like for the past week here. If I can avoid it, though, I’d like to avoid breaking my neck again. Not that I did, but when I first sprained my neck getting out of bed on my birthday, it sure felt and sounded as though I had broken it.

From dogfaceboyYou may be somebody using a locker for the first time in your life because of a new year’s resolution, or you may be there to get your winter workouts taken care of, or you may be a seasoned gym rat. Good locker room etiquette should still be practiced. Do not break the following rules, and both you and your neighbors will have a better locker room experience.
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A fresh new year tends to bring a less competitive season to those of us in the Northern hemisphere. As such, it is a good time to remind ourselves of why we race, as well as how we race. Winter races, at least for me, tend to be more of a social affair than a competitive one. It is a good time to practice good racing etiquette, and to get the habits instilled in you so that you do not forget yourself when you are late in the season and can not spare your attention from the task at hand.

As such, here are some unwritten rules to always keep in mind when you are running a road race. Unless you are told otherwise by a race director, following these rules will make their jobs easier and your race more enjoyable.
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I would like to share one of my favorite racing tips this morning. By utilizing this tip, you will be running with courtesy against your fellow racers, you will be less likely to hurt or be hurt by somebody trying to pass you, and you will gain a small competitive advantage. What amazes me is that you do not see very many people employ this strategy. All you need to do is use turn signals when you are rounding a corner during a race or group run.

While this does not apply to running on a track, most of my road racing and cross country races involve making at least a few turns. I prefer to take a slightly wider angle on the turn so that I can keep up my momentum. The problem with that is that my competitors may try to cut me off and run to the inside on the turn. Not only do I not want them jumping in front of me, but it becomes very easy to clip one another’s heels or to run right into each other. Every once in a while you will come across somebody who does not even know there is a turn there and will keep going straight while you make the turn in front of them, resulting in a collision. It does not happen very often, but especially on a spread out course it is not unheard of.
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Gym etiquette is important for beginners to learn, preferably before offending fellow gym-goers. Five tips from ACE (the American Council on Exercise) provide a good starting point.

1. Don’t be rude.
2. Maintain good hygiene.
3. Restack your weights.
4. Stay back when starting a group exercise class.
5. Hire a personal trainer.

Read the original article for more details. The gist is that you will feel more comfortable and get into a working out groove faster if you first respect those around you, and that is always good advice in any walk of life.