TRAILPODDER blog: September 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

40 down, 12 to go

What a perfect day for my 40th self-supported ultramarathon.

I ran 44.9K (27.9 miles) in 5 hours 28 minutes.

40 weekly ultramarathons down, only a dozen more to go!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Geb runs 123-minute marathon!

Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie broke his own world marathon record with an ashtonishing 2:03:59 performance in Berlin today. His previous record 2:04:26 was set on the same course a year ago.

This result was a pleasant surprise, although everyone certainly knew that Geb is capable of something like this. After all the man is 35 years old. What's more, he brushed off a calf injury two weeks ago.

This was already the sixth time the marathon world record has been broken in Berlin. Hmm... maybe there's some truth in the claims that the course is pretty fast. Maybe I should try to break my PR (2:55) there next year?

Saturday, September 27, 2008

We Want Tap

www.wewanttap.com

Friday, September 26, 2008

Spartathlon is on!

Spartathlon is on - with a live website.

Spartathlon is an international historic ultramarathon. Most of the 246K (153 miles) route from Athens to Sparta is on a road, but there are some mountain trails in the middle as well.

The best bet to win is Scott Jurek.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

BIGGER STRONGER FASTER

When you discover that your heroes have broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes?

BIGGER STRONGER FASTER is the story of director Christopher Bell and his two brothers with a diverse cast including professional athletes, medical experts, US politicians and gym rats.

This is a well-balanced documentary film about performance enhancing drugs and pop culture.

It doesn't feature that many endurance athletes. There's a short chapter about Floyd Landis and his altitude chamber. Lance Armstrong is only briefly mentioned. That's about it. No skinny marathon runners, only sprinters.

Highly recommended (the film, not the juice).

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

I've ran 4000K this year

My statistics show that today I've ran exactly 4000.8 km (2486 miles) since January 1st, 2008.

It averages about 15 km (9.3 miles) per day.

I'm not collecting miles or anything like that. I run because - and only if - I enjoy it. Anyway it looks like I will run over 5000 km this year.

Monday, September 22, 2008

39 down, 13 to go

Today I completed my 39th self-supported weekly ultramarathon this year. The weather was awesome.

It was 43.6K in 4:55. 39 down, 13 to go!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Why Brooks Racer ST 3 has become my fav shoe

Brooks Racer ST 3 racing flats have become my favourite shoes. Although they may be meant for racing, I'm using them in my daily training for all purposes.

I bough my first pair in June, and now I've got another pair already. The first ones are still good for running for a few more weeks, but I wanted to make sure I have a new pair available whenever I will need them.

Here's the story. In recent years I've been training mostly in 'motion control', 'stability' or 'trail' running shoes. About a year ago I developed a nagging injury (mostly tibial tendinitis) in my left foot. I kept on changing shoes, but they were all more or less the same type. Things have improved after starting to train with these different type of shoes. That's why I suspect the injury was caused by the stiff shoes that controlled the natural movement of my feet.

I've noticed that my running seems to have become much more enjoyable with the ST 3's. I don't have to tape my foot for my long runs, as I don't feel the pain anymore. These relatively simple and cheap shoes seem to be the perfect choice for my feet. What's more, they are very light and fast as well.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

38 down, 14 to go

The cool and cloudy fall weather seems to be here to stay. Today it was around 7C (43F) as I ran my self-supported weekly ultramarathon. Altogether it was 44.6K in 5:02.

38 ultramarathons down, 14 to go!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Dean Karnazes attempts 48h treadmill world record

Dean Karnazes is attempting to break the 48-hour treadmill world record.

You can watch him run on the Live with Regis and Kelly webcast. They are featuring several Guinness World Record breaking candidates this week, like a dude blowing balloons and another guy holding his breath. That's quite ok, as they all require a good set of lungs.

As dedicated fans like me will recall, Karno fell short of setting a new 24-hour treadmill record in June last year. He was running live on a webcast at Times Square in New York, and later admitted it was a bad idea. I guess ultrarunners never learn, huh?

If you are in New York, you should be able to see him in the ABC Studio window at 7 Lincoln Square (on the corner of Columbus and 67th Street).

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Six Frames for information

No one in their right mind would dream of qualifying for Ironman Hawaii triathlon without learning some open water swimming techniques first.

Yet many intelligent people plunge into the depths of the Information Ocean without giving much thought for any thinking techniques at all.

It has never been easier to obtain information. However information and intelligence (anymore than nutrition and fitness in sports) alone will not guarantee results - some basic skills are also required.

In his new book Six Frames For Thinking About Information, Edward de Bono shows us how to direct our attention in a conscious manner to get the most out of the masses of information around us.

The Six Frames are: