Run to Win

The Maine Marathon is next Sunday on October 4^th, and volunteers are still needed! It’s a big undertaking for one of Maine’s showcase events, so if you have some extra time and can help out you should head into Portland.

Volunteers will be given a T-Shirt and a coupon to attend a 2010 Portland Sea Dog’s baseball game, and all volunteers will be entered into a drawing for 1 of 25 Peak Performance gift certificates that will be raffled off.

If you’d like to volunteer, you can see what volunteer positions are still required and can sign up by visiting this page:
http://www.doitsports.com/volunteer/jobs-by-date.tcl?event_id=159487

(Don’t forget, Atayne will be doing a trash run as well if that is more your style.)

Last year, Atayne cleaned up after the Maine Marathon by organizing a trash run. This Summer, they did the same thing for the Beach to Beacon. I wasn’t able to participate in either one, as I was out of town at a wedding for the marathon last year, and had a broken foot this year. (My sister and my nephew had fun, though!)

This year, Atayne is stepping up and doing another trash run in conjunction with the Maine Marathon. Here’s an email I got from Jeremy:

Hello All,

Summer is almost over and that means it is time for the fall marathon season. But even more important it is time for the fall Trash Running season.

Last year the Atayne Trash Runners took the Maine Marathon by storm helping to divert about 75% of the event’s waste from going into a landfill.

We are once again working with the Maine Marathon and hope to make an even bigger impact this year.

I know many of you are experienced trash runners, but for all you rookies, it is a pretty simple concept. Run behind the participants and pick-up trash. It also includes some non-runners who separate recyclables from landfill waste at the start/finish and aid stations. Our goal is to recycle as much waste as possible and leave the race course cleaner than the event found it. As unglamorous as it may sound, it actually is a really good time.

I am reaching out to see if any of you would be interested in joining the Atayne Trash Running Team at the 2009 Maine Marathon. The event is Sunday, October 4. We are looking for a team of 30 to 35 people to run the course and help sort landfill and recyclable waste at the aid stations and the start/finish area. If we get enough people, we are even going to try to add composting this year.

As always, all volunteers will receive an Atayne top to wear while getting trashy and to sport proudly afterwards.

If you are available and interested in volunteering, please email me and include your preferred role: runner or sorter. If you are a runner please indicate how many miles you are willing to cover (minimum of 3 and maximum of 14). If you are interested in running but are unsure about the pace, we typically run a 12 to 15 minute mile while trash running. Feel free to spread the word and invite others you think might be interested.

Keep it clean,

Jeremy

You can contact Jeremy at Atayne’s website here:
http://atayne.com/connect/contact/

Just mention you are interested in taking part in the Maine Marathon Trash Run and he will get you the specific details.

For those looking to get a run in on Monday or Tuesday this week, you’ll need to find a new route if you planned on running the Back Cove. There will be some repair work being done on the Eastern end of the trail near Tukey’s Bridge to fix some damage caused by rain. Work is expected to be completed by 5:00 on Tuesday, but the trail will be blocked off while work is going on.

(Hat Tip: Jeff Walker)

The Maine Marathon was this past weekend, and local favorite Heather Pagano had a very strong showing in her debut marathon by taking the title in 3:06:54. She used the Weekly Back Cove Race Series this Summer as her training ground, and it seems to have served her well.

“It was overwhelming,” Pagano said. “I thought, ‘Oh my God, I actually won my first marathon.’ It was pretty cool to break the tape. That made it real. I put my arms up, then said, ‘OK, I’m done. I’m going down.’”

Both Heather and men’s winner Art Siemers collapsed after the finish line and had to be helped away by race officials, as you can see in the finish line video below:
(Click here to continue reading…)

This morning, I wrote about some of the difficulties that marathons face when considering their environmental impact. It can cost thousands of dollars more to go green than to not worry about such things.

Another difficulty marathon directors face is finding the manpower to take care of all the tasks that need to be done on race day. A marathon such as the Maine Marathon relies on over 600 volunteers to support the runners, although many of those 600 also run the race themselves.

As of the last count, there are over 130 volunteer slots yet to be filled this weekend.

If you have a little spare time and want to give back to your local community, sign up to volunteer for one of the needed positions.

There are 3 areas that currently have the largest needs.
(Click here to continue reading…)

This race review was provided by my wife, Erin Moore.

The Maine Coast Half Marathon: 600 women and One Lucky Guy

The second annual running of the Maine Coast Half Marathon got under way at 9:00 this morning. The weather was perfect for running and overall the day was as enjoyable as it was challenging. However, this young race has considerable room for improvement. The race drew 601 finishers, 600 women… and One Lucky Guy.

The Course

This 13.1 mile course wound through the beautiful area of York Village and included picturesque landscapes, the sound of the waves hitting the sand and a not insignificant number of hills! The race began with a semi-circle around York High School, but once we turned out of the driveway, the rolling hills began to challenge runners right away. However, having trained for hills thanks to my husband choosing many of my training routes, I found the hills quite manageable.
(Click here to continue reading…)

This week last year ranged from humorous to serious as I discussed topics ranging from cartoons to hospitals.

• In the training tips department, I wrote about training options while on the road. There are a lot of different ways to stay in shape even if you travel regularly, and this article pointed at some different ways to stay fit in your hotel room, the hotel fitness center or a local gym, or by heading outside.
• I make no bones about my abhorrence to caffeine, but I can still joke about it. I found a great webcomic strip that helps you to learn how to quit drinking caffeine. It gave me a good chuckle.
• In local news, cyclists received the protection of some new laws here in Maine by allowing motor vehicles to cross a solid yellow line when passing a cyclist, requiring at least 3 feet of clearance before passing, and by not allowing teenagers to use their cell phones while driving. I haven’t really noticed much of a difference on the streets over the past year, however. In other local news, Team competition returned to the Eliot 5k. Eliot used to be the largest 5k in Maine, and annually draws an extremely competitive local field. This year’s race (which is a week from today) should be no different.
• Also in the news, John L Parker, Jr had a heart attack and spent the next few months recovering. His health has since improved and he is doing quite well as of the last that I heard some months ago.
• This week 2 years ago, I created a video demonstration of how to tie your shoes with a runner’s knot so that they do not come untied. I also listed a few exercise related How-To articles and also reviewed Chariots of Fire, which must be the most well known running movie ever made. Dean Karnazes began the Endurance 50 and ran his first of 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. I began to mix up my pushups with medicine balls to give myself a little extra challenge, and I also offered a race tip about running first thing the morning before a race to properly loosen up your body.
• This week 3 years ago, I climbed Mount Washington and I wrote about proper gym etiquette.

• 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.