Run to Win

This week last year covered a lot of news, and I answered quite a few reader questions.

• This week last year started off with The Running Shoe FAQ, which explained why runners wear specialty shoes and what makes them different from normal walking shoes.
• I answered a question from an aerobics instructor about how to treat posterior shin splints, including what they are, how to best treat them, and how to prevent them from coming back.
• I was asked “What is the difference between swiss balls and medicine balls?” by Susan. Swiss balls are the large inflatable balls that you can sit on, while medicine balls are the small weighted balls that you can use in place of dumbbells. For good measure, I also explained what a bosu ball was.
• Some friends of mine ran the Vermont 100 mile race last year for the first time, and all three have continued on for their ultramarathoning endeavors. In fact, there were 5 guys who went to Vermont last weekend to compete in this year’s event from our training group.
• On the news front, the IAAF finally agreed to work with Oscar Pistorius to determine whether or not his prosthetics give him an advantage. I also provided a new wrap up that covered stories about new Junior American records, doping at the Tour de France, Disney’s move to ban smoking in their movies, and a study that found that obesity is contagious.
• This week two years ago, I continued my series on how to ice sore muscles by explaining how to give yourself an ice massage and how to use an ice bath. I spent a little time exploring the cost of racing and how much race registration fees can cost. I also discussed how gastrointestinal problems are affected by running.
• This week three years ago, Lance Armstrong won his final Tour. I also gave some tips about proper hydration and how to time rest intervals while lifting weights.

This week last year I was fighting off an infection that kept me away from the computer for extended periods.

• Scott continued our series on books by writing about health and fitness books.
• I pointed out that lifting weights is a means to an end and not an end in and of itself.
• In doping news, Dick Pound laughed off an IOC reprimand over his slander of Lance Armstrong. (It turns out that he was right to laugh it off, since it didn’t affect the IOC’s view on his character at all. He has since been nominated for President of the Court for Arbitration of Sport.)
• This week two years ago, I demonstrated how to do pullups and also explained how to do negative pullups. I learned that thirsty people feel more pain. I wrote up a recipe for cooking shark steaks and I wrote a review on The New Rules of Lifting.

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.
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Last weekend it was too hot to use the computer and I was otherwise occupied, so I never summed up the articles from the previous year.

• The Complete Running Network was relaunched. My biggest complaint with my first impressions was that they had gotten rid of the running blog aggregater service, but that service returned a few months ago. The site held a launch contest, but they never announced who won.
• I gave some reasons that running takes practice just like any other sport in response to an article published at Complete Running.
• There were just shy of 300 finishers in the L/A Bridge Run, which I finally ran this year. Not surprisingly, Ethan Hemphill won both years.
• I found the “Athletes Against Doping” website, which contains a lot of information about what substances are banned in each sport and who the governing bodies are. They have put a new theme in place since last year.
• Two years ago, I explained what EPO was after the furor with Lance Armstrong brought it to attention. In more positive news, Kenenisa Bekele set the 10k world record with a time of 26:17.53.

This week last year, I got married. Despite that, the website was pretty busy even after I started to ignore it. The end of this week last year and a good portion of the next week were devoted towards a series that I wrote ahead of time about shoes: how to choose them, and how to maintain them so that they last as long as possible.

• WCSH6 offered finish line videos of the entire Beach to Beacon in 5 minute increments: very cool!
• I explained the difference between RICE and RID and why either method is a good way to treat your injuries. Not that the two methods are all that dissimilar…
• Over in the UK, cross country running was declared a brand of abuse and was equated with bullying. It seems a little ridiculous to myself.
• The first half of my Shoe Maintenance Series went live while I was busy getting ready to be married. I introduced the series, and then offered up a central theme in the tips which is to keep your shoes dry when you are not wearing them. How you keep them dry is important, as well, which is why I continued on the second day by explaining how effective pulling out insoles can be and why you should remove rocks and mud after your run. The next day was the wedding itself, and then on Sunday there was one tip where I explained what to do if your shoes are sopping wet.
• For those following all of the doping scandals and couldn’t keep them straight, I offered up the difference between Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis. The jury is still out on Floyd Landis.
• I began offering this website in 8 new languages after installing Translation Gold.
• Two years ago, at the world championships in Helsinki, Kenenisa Bekele won the 10,000m, Bershawn Jackson won the 400m hurdles, and the United States took the top 4 in the 200 meters final. This year’s world championships will be in Osaka, Japan starting on August 25^th. I also reviewed my casio wristwatch and the book, Run Fast: How to beat your best time every time.

• I continued my series on how to ice sore muscles by explaining how to give yourself an ice massage and how to use an ice bath.
• I spent a little time exploring the cost of racing and how much race registration fees can cost.
• Cramping and gas can be unpleasant when you are running. In fact, running can make gastrointestinal problems worse, so I explored ways to recover.
• I began having some problems with plantar fascitis, and one of the ways that I tried to stretch out my arches and recover was to mow the lawn barefoot. While certainly a very dangerous activity, it did do a good job of stretching out my feet.
• In doping news, Floyd Landis was first accused of doping at the Tour de France. His case still has not been resolved.
• Two years ago this week, and still on the Tour de France topic, Lance Armstrong won his final Tour. I also gave some tips about proper hydration and how to time rest intervals while lifting weights.

This week last year dealt mostly with Lance Armstrong’s interactions with Dick Pound.

• First, Lance Armstrong published a letter criticising Dick Pound, who then responded in a predictable manner by rediculing Armstrong. This week last year also included some leaked testimony that alleges that Lance Armstrong admitted to taking EPO. Thankfully, the past year since then has not involved Lance Armstrong being continually accused of doping; the attention has instead shifted back to the rest of the bicycling world.
• My training got derailed a bit after I broke my ring finger. It had mostly healed by the time I got married; we were able to hide how difficult it was to get the ring on.
• If you want to improve your sleeping, then try not to fall asleep in front of the television. It is bad for your back and neck, and it can overstimulate you and lead to restless sleep.
• The Whirlaway 10k was this week last year, which was part of the USATF-NE Grand Prix race series. I was only three weeks removed from a marathon and barely broke 36 minutes. Unfortunately, the race was not held this year, so it looks like last year was the end of the road.
• This week last year was the first time that I started highlighting articles from a year prior, which I have done every weekend since then. Two years ago, I reviewed Running with the Buffaloes and Eat to Be Fit. I also shared how to make Beef Jerky and how to deal with migraines, and the enjoyment of a good Beach Run.

There were basically three topics on my mind this week last year. The Vermont City Marathon, the Complete Running website, and Lance Armstrong.

• I ran the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington over Memorial Day weekend last year. I had a lot of fun. You can read about the Vermont City course, as well as take a look at all of my splits for the race. I also wrote up a summary review about the marathon and how it was organized.
• At this point in the season last year, I still thought that I was going to be running two marathons two weeks apart in the Autumn. As such, I ran in the Back Cove 5k on Wednesday night despite having run a marathon on the previous Sunday. The race series has a website this year: http://BackBay.RunToWin.com
• The Complete Running website had a few ups and downs; their “running blog recents” functionality was a huge resource hog that wound up costing more than it was worth. Despite upgrades, they just didn’t have the horsepower to keep the service up. Eventually, the entire site went away to be replaced by the Complete Running Network, and has recently replaced the running blog recents functionality with an RSS feed handled by a third party.
• In doping news, Lance Armstrong was exhonerated and an impartial judge found that not only was there no evidence that he had cheated but that the entire thing had not been handled in a professional or legal manner. Lance also took Bode Miller and Dick Pound to task in Men’s Journal. He predicted in the article that the witch hunt wouldn’t stop, and he was right.