Run to Win

I never got around to writing a “this week last year” article last week, so here it is this week for last week. If that makes sense.

• Some folks decided to try and break the 24-hour treadmill world record by running as a team on the treadmill. Each of the people in the “relay” needed to average 22 miles in 2 hours while they were on the treadmill. They succeeded, smashing the former record by over 14 miles.
• The Irish Road Rover was last week last year; I did not run but I got out and took some photographs. This year’s race is tomorrow morning, and unless they need some extra help I should be there with my camera again.
• I offered a very important swimming tip for the guys. Always tie your shorts! Pushing off from the wall and discovering your shorts are around your ankles can be embarrassing. Or so I’m told…
• Something I am asked on occasion is, “How many pairs of shoes do you need to be a runner?” Technically, you don’t need any shoes. I tend to have a lot of shoes, though, between trainers and racers and such.
• Finally, I discussed a story where Terry Francona made a bet that he could stop chewing tobacco. I challenged Red Sox fans to challenge themselves as well, but nobody took me up on it.
• Last week two years ago, I demonstrated how to do an overhead triceps extension and suggested that you should space your hands evenly on the bar when you are weight lifting. I also wrote a review of the Mizuno Wave Rider running shoe. They didn’t work for me, but I do use a different type of Mizuno’s these days.

There was not a lot of news this week last year. There were a few notes about the goings on in the wider world of sports, a shoe review, and a few weight lifting tips.

• I continued my animated weight lifting demos with how to do an overhead triceps extension with a dumbbell. I also suggested that you space your hands evenly on a bar when lifting weights, both for safety and for power. This does not always apply, but in general is a good rule to go by.
• I reviewed the Mizuno Wave Rider running shoes. I recently retired them and tossed them in the trash, but I did pretty well by them. Mizuno has also been pretty generous to my local running community. Recently, they donated 8 pairs of shoes as prizes for the 2006 Back Bay 5k race series.
• In football related news, the Bills released Sam Adams in a move I still don’t really understand. Also, a new investigation was begun to look into the death of Pat Tillman.

The Back Cove 5k race series came to an end tonight. There were 59 people at the final race, which was run in a cool 60° with some fierce wind coming over Tukey’s Bridge. Blaine Moore won the race in 17:25, with Shale Rosen half a minute back. Lindsey Davis won the women’s race in 19:46, followed a minute later by Emily Durgin.

The final leaderboard for the overall standings are as follows:

I want to extend a big thank you to the sponsors of 18 of my last 19 mid-week workouts. The Maine Running Company on Forest Avenue, Portland Trails, and Mizuno made this race series possible, along with all of the individuals who volunteered their time and effort every week for the last 5 months.

Update: Eric Boucher’s pictures of the Back Cove 5k

Mizuno Wave Rider’s were a pair of shoes I picked up a year or two ago in an effort to broaden my shoe horizon. Every few years I will get a new type of shoe to see if my feet like them, but in general I stick to one pair and buy a lot of them.
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