A story about runner?s high

?In my imagination there is no limitation?there is no complication?there is no hesitation? Imagine you?re wandering around aimlessly and suddenly you stumble upon a huge, open field. This exquisite field is glowing with wild flowers, (okay okay, they are really …

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/runaddicts/~3/c8vyT7LVXJk/a-story-about-runners-high

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Ironman Access Program Pulled 24 Hours After Launch Due to Athlete Outrage

The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), owner of the Ironman brand, chose to pull a new program called Ironman Access just 24 hours after launching due to outrage from Ironman zealots. Now they are getting flack for the launch of their new 5150 program, a series of Olympic distance races, for diluting the brand and trouncing other local races. Gosh, it sure is hard to build an empire with all these die-hard fans! But it does show an interesting view into the frustrations on both sides of endurance events whose popularity has expanded widely past the supply, and the deep suspicions of any profit motive.

The Ironman Access program was going to allow participants to pay $1000 to get early access to register for Ironman events (that often sell out the day of availability at $500/pop and require on-site registration). Part of the stated purpose of this was to address the "2500-3000 Ironman slots that are not raced each year from people who register for multiple events but only race one". Personally it looked to me like seizing an opportunity to make more $$$ from an audience rumored to spend $22,000 annually on their hobby. Soon after, the Ironman Facebook page lit up with discontent and prompted Ben Fertic, President of WTC, to post a video apology that announced the Ironman Access program would be rescinded. The Ironman Facebook page continues to pile up heat faster than a Sierra Nevada forest fire with comments like:

"Although they have now back tracked, this for me was the final nail in the coffin of the sport I once loved. In my opion 'Unbranded' long distance events are the future of this sport. The M dot has become nothing more than a... Nike Swoosh or a McDonalds golden arch." - Dave Mccavoy


"WTC just committed suicide with this crap....after I'm done completing IM Texas I'm done with you suckers!!" - Ernesto Villarroel

"I know it's cliche, but it's the thought that counts, they still made Ironman Access, they still tried to rip people off. They found out it didn't work and they got rid of it. It's insulting that some of you are going back and going to do more mdot ...branded races." - Nick Jantz

There are also a lot of comments commending Mr. Fertic for having the guts to say they were wrong and acting quickly. His video says quite bluntly, "if you say we were wrong, then we were wrong".

I find the whole thing a fascinating study in how easy it is for a profit motive to create a wedge between a brand once built by athletes and now controlled by a corporation (and owned by a private equity firm) and the painful seperation that ensues. Be sure to check out that Facebook page to get a front row seat!

- SD

Source: http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/10/ironman-access-program-pulled-24-hours.html

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A great run! Added 10% to give me 5.5 miles

I didn't run last Friday or Saturday or Monday because of a quick trip to Phoenix for the commissioning and pinning ceremony that made my son a Second Lieutenant in the Arizona Army National Guard. He completed the 8-week OCS in Pennsylvania and Virginia. He is 41 and had to be commissioned by his 42nd birthday in January. This was the last class he could attend and be commissioned. During the past year and a half he worked really hard to lose about 130 pounds. He ran every day. He biked every day. He worked out in a gym every day. He had an unbelievable schedule. I'm glad he wasn't injured. He is going to continue his physical exercises, but on a reduced schedule. He also will continue his 5-mile road marches with a 45# ruck sack on his back.

My wakeup heart rate was 56. I felt really good and looked forward to my run. I didn't run until mid afternoon, and I was home before dark. I felt great during and after (so far) the run. The temperature was in the low 40s (F) during my run and was 39 when I returned home. It was a cold day. A few snow flakes fell in the morning, but the "storm" was over when I went running. The sky was overcast, and a cold breeze was blowing. I wore my long pants, a T-shirt and my nylon jacket (plus underclothes, giving me three layers on my core). I was warm and comfortable while running. I did forget, though, to drink water before I left, and I forgot to have water in my car to drink upon finishing the run. I got thirsty, but because of the cold weather, I didn't get very thirsty.

I drove to the East Pavilion at 108th South (approximately) and ran about a quarter mile past the tunnel under 123rd South. There were a number of runners and cyclists out today.


Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OldManRunning/~3/9GouWfcXGfg/great-run-added-10-to-give-me-55-miles.html

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Boston Marathon fills in ONE DAY!

Unbelievable. News from the Boston Athletic Association this afternoon:

?Registration for the 115th Boston Marathon began at 9:00 a.m. (EST) today, and closed at 5:03 p.m. (EST) The Boston Marathon -- the world's oldest and most prestigious annual marathon -- will take place on Monday, April 18, 2011, Patriots' Day in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 115 years, this is the fastest period of time in which the field size limit has been reached.

The number of entrants for next year?s race remains as it has been in recent years. In 2010, the race had 26,790 entrants and 22,721 finishers. For the 2010 Boston Marathon, registration filled in just over two months.

Given that the site wasn't even working for the first two hours, that means it filled up in ~7 hours. I guess it's time to introduce the BAA to Ultrasignup's lottery system! Just crazy. I guess this answers the question if last years fast fill-up created some pent up demand. But think of all that lost revenue from late entries! ;-)

Do you think this means they will raise the qualifying standards to get in for 2012? Seems like a feasible solution.

I hope all who wanted to get to Boston '11 set their alarms today...if so, I will see you there.


SD

Source: http://runtrails.blogspot.com/2010/10/boston-marathon-fills-in-one-day.html

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Whirlpool Ironman 70.3 Steelhead

Lets dispense with the formalities right off the bat... Although not a blazing time by any stretch of the imagination and no where near a slight threat to anyone on the course last Saturday,  I still PR'd!  And because my goal coming in was to beat last year's Ironman 70.3 Augusta time, I am happy!
I came in race day with a plan.  I tried, for the most part to follow the plan.  Because plans need to be flexible, I was forced, at times to make certain adjustments which had I not, I would probably still be out there somewhere on the course.

REGISTRATION
We arrived in what we had thought was plenty of time.  Registration opened at noon.  We were there at 11AM... or so we thought.  The time zone had changed on us and we didn't realize it.  It was already noon. We were now on EST. Good thing we were there early because the line was already huge.
The registration could have used a bit more help.  A bottle neck was created due to only two people checking ID's at the front desk.  Once you passed this point it went smooth and fast.
"Course Talks" were scheduled every 90 minutes.  We waited for the one at 1:30pm.  In the mean time, we had pasta lunch provided to the athletes by Pizza Hut.  It was great!
Biggest news to me was the fact that this is a WTC and USAT sanctioned event.  No big deal except they kept emphasizing the difference in the drafting rules.  4 bike lengths.  They would be very strict on this.  Also, men would have to wear tops on the bike and the run.  They would be very strict on this.

EXPO
Other than the Ironman shop, there really was not much to get excited about.

BIKE RACKING
 We made it to transition around 3pm on Friday.  There was already a bunch of activity and plenty of bikes were being racked.  I have been accused of getting overly exited about the small things.  Finding my bike spot marked with not only my number, but also my name, was very exiting to me.  How cool was that?

 
RACE DAY WEATHER PREDICTIONS
The temperatures in the area had been very high, mid to upper 90's,  for the previous two weeks.  For race day it was predicted low 80's and 30% chance of rain.  The water temperature on Friday was 76º.

RACE DAY WEATHER
We left the hotel at 5am.  Started raining about 5:05.  The temperature was cool, verging on the side of cold.  The wind as a bit gusty, the sky was covered with heavy clouds.  It did not look pretty.
At transition everyone was talking, including the PA announcer about the big system coming over the lake.  They were keeping an eye on it.  The race would start as planned.

TRANSITION SET UP
One thing I learned is that you have to bring a "rain" plan to transition.  Even if you don't use it you gotta have one.  I did not!  I arranged all my gear under the only trash bag I had brought with me.  I hoped for the best, expected the worst.  I thought and just knew that I would have to do the entire event with wet gear.
I left my area as organized as I could.  Took my wetsuit, cap and goggles and headed to the starting line.  But it was still early, so I took cover under a passage way.  I was getting cold, wet  and felt miserable.  I think a lot had to do with nerves as well.
Most every athlete taking cover at this point was wrestling with their wetsuit.  I never realized how difficult it is to put on a wetsuit when you're wet.  Lesson #2 learned.  But when I finally got it on, I immediately started to warm up, and felt much better.
Now it was time to head to swim start.  Had thirty minutes to walk the one mile on the beach.

SWIM
I arrived at swim start when they were playing the national anthem.  Which mean that I only had four minutes  before my wave would start.  This was a blessing because it didn't give me time to dwell or think about things.  Just got there and off we went.
The wave was very large.  Must have been 50 to 75 of us.  Men and women.  I waited a bit to get a spot in the back and to the outside.
The water was wonderful.  Just the right temperature, I thought.  Clear as could be.  Could see the bottom of the lake the whole way.  It also rained the whole way.
I followed my plan to perfection, maybe a little to perfect.  I wanted to go slow and smooth.  It took me 52:02 to finish the swim.  I still need to work on direction.  This was the longest 1.2 miles I've ever swam.  I wanted to do the swim in 45 min.  I will keep this as my goal for future races.


T1
Taking of the wetsuit proved to be as difficult a task as it was putting it on.  Not sure if all the sand had anything to do with it, but it took me forever to take it off.
Getting the gear out of the plastic bag was another time consuming chore.  It had remained dry, for the most part.  But that didn't last, for it was still raining.  Total time in T1 was 8:38.

BIKE

It continued to rain for the first 15-20 miles of my bike leg.  Everything was wet. The wind was getting cold.  The roads were slippery and the bike didn't like that.  My socks were soaked and I wonder if I'd have to run with wet socks?  I remember thinking that I have to train sockless.  This would be helpful today.
After the rain passed, the skies cleared and the sun came out.  It wasn't much longer before I was dry.  Even the socks were dry so I was happy.  At this point I cranked it up.
The bike course was nice.  Lots of newly resurfaced areas. Flat for the most part, slight rolling hills here and there and no big hills (that I can remember) to speak of.  A good portion of the road, however, was not in good condition.  Lots of holes and bumps and debris .  Saw at least 15 athletes fixing flat tires.
Oh yeah, regarding the drafting rule... only saw one judge and he did hand out a red card.  There were several pelotons that passed me.  Although illegal, it was cool to see this.
The bike-in portion of the course was amazing.  Coming in with the course lined with people yelling and cheering was surreal.
Total bike time was 3:17:24 which was a bike PR.


T2
Not as slow as T1 but still slow.  6:33.  Trying to think back, I can't point at one thing which made it so.

RUN
After the run experience in Augusta last year, I ran the first mile or so very cautiously.  Feeling with every step, every muscle in my legs.  Wondering if at any minute I would cramp like I did before.  It did not happen.  When I realized that my legs would be okay, I set in my pace and went off.  And then there was the first hill.  A big, steep, long hill.  Made it up, no problem.
The course was nice and well supported.  Plenty of water, sports drinks, gels, fruit, ice, etc.
I ran the course as I had planned.  Slow and steady.  Walking only through the water stops.  Took an ice cup at each along with water on one and sport drink at the next.  The ice I carried with me to help me stay cool.  It was hot at this point.
The course took us through two loops of the Whirlpool campus.  Outside the campus, you would turn right.  Right into another mother of a hill.  Twice!  Walked up half the hill both times.
As I kept track of my time, I knew that if I could just crank it up, I could make my goal time of under 7.  Every time I did so, I would feel like I would loose my legs, so I gave up on the under 7 goal and went for a PR.
The road to the finish line was also lined with people.  Everyone yelling and screaming and encouraging everyone.  You would hear your name being yelled.  That was cool!
Total run time was: 2:43:57 which was a run PR.

OVERALL
As I made the final turn towards the finish line, I saw the official time clock.  I knew then that I had my PR.  Nothing else seemed to matter.
Total overall time was:  7:08:34.  A PR by 11:11.


On a scale of 1-10, I would have to give this event a 9.  The support throughout the race was fantastic.  The volunteers, staff and organizers did an outstanding job.  My hat's off to them!

Would I do this one again?  You bet!

Source: http://www.triathlonat55.com/2010/08/whirlpool-ironman-703-steelhead.html

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Happy Thanksgiving from Sir Isaac

Here at Newton, we have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, but first and foremost we’re grateful for our incredible community of fans. We’re proud of the fact that we inspire so many of you to get out there and improve your running, and we always appreciate it when you guys return [...]

Source: http://www.therunningfront.com/just-for-fun/happy-thanksgiving-from-sir-isaac/

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Quad Dipsea

The 7+ mile trip from Mill Valley to Stinson Beach along the Dipsea Trail is legendary. Since 1905, a single crossing race of the Dipsea has been held almost every year making it the oldest cross country running event in the nation. The course is spectacular with sweeping views of the rugged Marin Coastline, San Francisco, [...]

Source: http://mountainrun.wordpress.com/2010/11/29/quad-dipsea/

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