Barb’s Pearls

Headphones:  Why all the fuss?

Boston and Fargo are behind us, Grandma’s will be here soon.  As marathon season progresses, there is much talk about headphones.  The ultimate question - Can you wear them or not? - seems buried by the more often heard question - What’s the big deal?  Despite the suspicions of many runners, the “headphone rule” is not something race directors made up to be mean.

A little technical background is helpful to put the issue in context.  The sport of long distance running, which includes any race of 5K or longer which is run on the roads, is governed by USA Track & Field.  USA Track & Field (“USATF”) is a non-profit organization created by Congress.  It is charged with promoting, nurturing, supervising, regulating, and conducting, the sports of long distance running, track, field, ultra-running, mountain and trail running, cross-country running, and race walking in the United States.  Congress is involved because one of the key responsibilities of USATF is developing and producing the U.S. Olympic teams in each of these sports.  As with any sport, we have official “Rules of Competition” - also within the responsibilities of USATF to develop and administer. 

A little historical background sheds further light on the subject.  The Rules of Competition are first and foremost about fairness.  The concept is if everyone plays by the same rules, everyone has an equal chance.  Rule 144 of the official Rules is titled “Assistance to Athletes.”  Topics covered here include things that might obviously give one person an unfair advantage over another.  For example, Rule 144.1 begins with “Competition under these rules consists of self-propelled motion without assistance…”  In other words, you can’t use your roller blades to make you go faster and you can’t ride your bike or get pushed in a chair by another person.  Simple enough.  The rule goes on to provide examples of what constitutes improper assistance. This includes “pacing in running or walking events by persons not participating in the event…” - But I digress.  We will save this one for the next newsletter.

At the crux of the headphone issue is Rule 144.3 (f), which provides that the following shall be considered assistance and therefore not allowed: “The visible possession or use by athletes of video or audio cassette recorders or player, TV’s, CD or DVD players, radio transmitters or receivers, mobile phones, computers, or any similar devices.”  The original concept underlying this rule is that the use of technical devices to convey information to an athlete while an event is in progress may give that person an unfair advantage.  For example, if you know your closest competitor is one mile behind you, there is no need to panic and pick up the pace.  So again you ask, “What’s the big deal about headphones?” 

First, there is no way to know what kind of information is flowing to an athlete through his or her headphones.  Second, and most important to this aspect of the rule, is the concept of safety.  As the sport of long distance running has evolved, race fields have gotten larger, and the average pace of runners has slowed, safety issues have become more and more important in the conduct of events.  Think about it.  The reason most often cited by headphone wearers for their use is that they need the distraction of the music to get them through.  It helps them “zone out”.  Maintaining safety for 5,000 plus runners moving shoulder to shoulder along streets susceptible to traffic, runners suffering injury, emergency vehicles, and a host of other possibilities requires all participants to be tuned in to the race, the road, the people around them, etc.  I have seen runners with headphones totally oblivious to emergency vehicles trying to get through.  I have seen runners miss turns in the race because they were tuned out.  I have seen runners trip and fall because they were not paying attention to the persons around them. 

Ali’s Extrasizes

The Mighty Foam Roller

Did you know the Foam Roller can be used for stretching?  This partner free, hands free technique is known as myofascial release.  It is kind of like getting your own massage using your body weight!  So how does it work?  The roller can be used for rehab, prevention and management of chronic problems. The Golgi Tendon Organ, which senses tension and rate of tension changes in a muscle as it responds to high or prolonged tension causing the muscle to relax the muscle being worked. The response is caused by your body weight resting against the foam roller.

Here is an exercise to try using the foam roller:  Iliotibia Tract or IT Band Stretch

• Begin with lying on your side with the foam roller under your hip bone.
• Keep the body perpendicular to the ground and balance on your forearm.
• Slowly roll until you find the “hot spot” or the point where you feel tightness or pain.
• Hold the foam roller there and roll slightly side to side to change emphasis.
• Roll on each side about 5-10 minutes a few times a day!

Stay loose and run happy!

Mitch’s Review

Gadget Review

Runner Profile, interview by Scott Spoo

Meet Scott Felton

Leah’s Fitness Food

BLUEBERRY ANGEL FOOD CAKE

Fresh blueberries are one of my favorite summer snacks! Enjoy the berry bounty with this light cake, topped with a lemony glaze.

Ingredients

Cake:
1 ½ cups sugar, divided
1 cup sifted cake flour (*)
12 large egg whites (**)
1 ¼ tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp sifted cake flour (*)
1 Tbsp grated lemon rind

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Sift together ½ cup sugar and 1 cup flour in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large, clean bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer at high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Beat until soft peaks form.
4. Add 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
5. Sift the flour-sugar mixture over the egg white mixture, ¼ cups at a time and gently fold in (gently!).
6. Fold in the vanilla and blueberries.
7. In a separate small bowl, combine the lemon rind and the 2 tablespoons of flour, and toss to coat. Sprinkle over the egg white mixture and gently fold in.
8. Spoon the batter into a 10-inch tube pan and spread evenly. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes, until cake springs back when lightly touched.
9. Invert pan and cool completely. Once cool, loosen from sides using a knife or narrow metal spatula and invert on to a plate.
10. Prepare the glaze: combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and stir well with a whisk. Drizzle over the cooled cake.

Notes

*Although the original recipe calls for cake flour, I only had whole wheat pastry flour when I tested this. The cake wasn’t quite as light as traditional angel food cakes, but the texture was still very similar and the added fiber gave it a nutritional boost to go with the blueberries. 
**Unless you use store-bought egg whites in a carton (a huge timesaver for this recipe!) be very careful when separating the eggs. Do not let any yolks sneak in to the whites or the mixture will not set up correctly. Also be sure your bowl and beaters are completely clean.

Scott’s - Run: The Math

Why do you run?  Is it for enjoyment?  For stress relief or socializing?  Perhaps, like many runners you do it for health reasons.  Motivated by good old genetic disposition you’re running to combat obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, or trying not to become another heart attack statistic.  Instead, become yet a better statistic: a Marathon Finisher. 

Unofficially, 2007 produced approximately 407,000 marathon finishers.  The majority were men, comprising 60.4%, and despite what you may think, there were no half-sizes; women made up the other 39.5%.  The finishers were very evenly spread out among the 340 marathons, with 57% coming from the 30 largest races.  Surprisingly, that number is down from 2006 in which the big 30 hosted 71% of all finishers.  Apparently, runners are starting to prefer smaller races.  ClubRun 2008 Marathon anyone?

Of the 407,000, the average time was 4:41:33, where men put in 4:29:52 to the women’s 4:59:28.  Women slowed down 9 seconds from last year, whereas men added a whopping 3 minutes and 13 seconds onto their time from 2006.  Maybe this increase is a result of the 2/10ths of a percent decrease in the number of finishers under 3 hours to 1.7%.  Either runners are getting slower, or more, slower runners are beginning to run marathons.  Perhaps the former, as evidenced by 700 some less runners with times under 3 hours.  Matter-of-factly, 71.3% of all finishers take more than 4 hours to cross the tape. 

So you’re a man who ran a 4:15, think you’re faster than average?  Well, look at it this way: the greatest number of men finish in 3:30-4:00 hours; however, most men are age 35-39 and finish in 4:22:40.  That’s over a minute slower than the fastest men who are 40-44 years old.  Follow all that?

Women marathoners are a little more even.  With most women being 25-29 and finishing over a minute later than those 10 years their senior, most women finish in 4:50-5:00 hours.  Those 35-39 year-olds being the fastest at 4:51:30.  Do these numbers seem high to you?  If so, keep in mind that over 3 times as many runners finish in over 9 hours than those that finish under 2:30 or less. 

All statistics provided by www.marathonguide.com

Carter’s Countdown

Top 10 Reasons to Run An Ultramarathon Instead Of A Marathon

1. It’s longer, so you get to run more.
2. No spectators = stop and walk anytime you want.
3. Marathons are expensive, but you get a t-shirt. Ultras are cheap, and you usually don’t get a thing for running it except some chili from Costco®.
4. Marathons are over in a few hours, so you might be expected to do something else with your day. Not so with an ultra.
5. Sometimes you can finish a marathon without getting really muddy.
6. Sometimes you can finish a marathon without wiping out.
7. Ultras very often involve beer and liquor.
8. Aid station at a marathon = water and gatorade. Aid station at an ultra = Old Country Buffet.
9. If you lay down for a nap during an ultra, chances are fairly good that passers by will just let you sleep.
10. It’s just fine to run drunk, if that’s what you want to do.

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