Run to Win

I heard rumors last week that the USATF had changed their stance on headphones, and they have finally published some confirmation.

Headphones will still not be allowed in championship racing, but personal audio devices may be used at race director discretion as long as they do not allow communication. So iPods will be okay for most runners, but cell phones will still be banned.

The amendment is to Rule 144.3, and now reads as follows:

“(f) The visible possession or use by athletes of video, audio, or communications devices in the competition area. The Games Committee for an LDR event may allow the use of portable listening devices not capable of receiving communication; however, those competing in Championships for awards, medals, or prize money may not use such devices.”

Be sure to check with your individual race directors about whether iPods and other devices are allowed in their races, but there is no longer a blanket rule that they are expected to enforce on the matter. I know that this will make quite a few people happy.

That said, I will continue to race without them.

(More Info: USATF)

• This week last year, I wrote about the first annual Maine Coach and Athlete Cross Country Clinic, which I split into two parts. The first half covered topics such as progression, stretching and goal setting, while the second half covered topics such as intervals, recovery, mental preparation and teams.
• Scott tossed around some ideas about how the media impacts fringe sports and what we can do to increase their popularity.
• In an effort to explain why he bans them, Dave McGillivray discussed his opinions on iPods and racing. Dave is the race director for the Boston Marathon and the Beach to Beacon.
• This week two years ago I was still on my honeymoon, but I did discuss when it is appropriate to eat a midnight snack. I also finished the second half of my shoe maintenance series continued with a discussion on rotating your shoes, which can make it necessary to label your shoes. I suggested that you seek help when first choosing shoes, offered some advice on making sure your shoes fit when you purchase them, and recommended that when you find shoes that you like, stick with them! I described the differences between the eight categories of running shoes and suggested the circumstances under which you might want to replace the insoles of your shoes. The series ended after I got home from my honeymoon with a summary of all of the articles that I had published over the previous week.
• I also reviewed a movie called The Long Run two years ago, which is about a coach that tries to live vicariously through his athletes. The movie centers around the Comrades ultra marathon in South Africa.
• Three years ago this week, I predicted the record chase between Asafa Powell and Justin Gatlin.

• This week last year, I compared the pros and cons of running with headphones, which is always such a polarizing topic.
• Shani Davis broke his own 1500m speed skate record with a time of 1:42.32. He bested his own record by 0.36 seconds.
• Jim Snyder provided some information about the treadmill record from the week before, including providing a video of the event.
• How do you compare your workload from week to week when your training consists of multiple activities?
• This week two years ago, I began a weekly series on what I thought about the 20 new rules of lifting found in the book by the same name. I posted two rules per week, beginning this week with the list of rules and the first rule: use your muscles as they were designed. I also demonstrated how to do a swiss ball bench press with dumbbells, suggested that you always eat before and after working out, and wrote a review on Under Armour gloves. Unfortunately, I have sense lost that pair of gloves and replaced them with Sport Hills.

Race directors that want to insure and sanction their races through the RRCA or USATF know that they need to begin enforcing the “No Headphone” rules at their races. The RRCA has decided that the main problem isn’t necessarily enforcement, it’s education, and so they have designed a handy logo that race directors can put onto race entry blanks to let runners know how “serious” they are. The logo is pictured at right.
(Click here to continue reading…)

Do you listen to your iPod when you are working out? If so, then I have some good news for you.

Personally, I do not use my mp3 player when I am working out because I am too worried that I would wind up dead if I buried my head in a set of headphones.

From a safety perspective, I wouldn’t even consider listening to it unless I was on a track or a treadmill, and even then I would not be loading any music up. I prefer listening to podcasts and interviews. Listening to music when you are working out can have an effect upon your levels of exertion and heart rate, and mask the actual effort that you are putting in.

That being said, a well planned queue on your iPod could potentially lead you into a good workout and I know that a lot of people swear by training with them.
(Click here to continue reading…)

I felt great after running in New York City, but I can not say that the marathon took no toll on my body at all. It was very obvious after I returned to the weight room this week last year that squats and lunges right after a marathon can leave you sore for a while.

• This week last year, I continued the series on injuries by discussing a question that most runners would prefer to avoid. Namely, “Should you see a doctor about your injuries?” Runners and other athletes tend to have a higher pain tolerance than the general population, and if we can avoid going to the doctor then we can avoid having somebody tell us that we have to stop running or working out. That’s the worst case scenario, and we never want to hear it. Sometimes, though, you need to take the risk.
• I shared my views on running with headphones. It boils down to whether or not the person with the headphones is impeding my own race or workout. I never run with headphones, personally, and generally I am not bothered by the people that do. There are some people that cause problems for everybody around them, though, and the only thing that will ever let them know that they aren’t paying enough attention is when that car that they can’t hear or don’t notice manages to hit them.
• This week two years ago, I wrote about calculating your maximum heart rate. In a couple of months, I may actually wind up getting a heart rate monitor, so next year I will probably try to work heart rate training into my schedule.

Dave McGillivray, the race director for the Boston Marathon and the Beach to Beacon, recently shared his thoughts on headphone use. He gave his arguments about why he enforces the USATF rule about headphone use, which boil down to 3 points.

1. He’s technically required to.
2. Safety reasons.
3. Insurance reasons.

(Click here to continue reading…)

In a continuing collaboration with Scott over at Straight to the Bar, March is the month of Music and other audio topics. This week I would like to start us off with my thoughts on running with headphones.

This is not a new topic for me to discuss; last November I responded to a CRN article and shared my thoughts on running with headphones. I thought that it would be a good way to start the month off, though, and I know that Scott does not entirely agree with me so I am looking forward to what he has to say on the matter.
(Click here to continue reading…)