A running club based in Chapel Hill/Carrboro, NC
Here’s a great article on our USA 10k bronze medalist, Shalane Flanagan:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/trackandfield/columns/story?id=3537975
Note, she mentions our warm-up loop … Gimghoul.
I don’t know a runner in Chapel Hill who hasn’t logged a gazillion miles on this 1200m loop.
Congratulations, Shalane!
USA USA USA
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A few months and time zones later, I’ve returned to the blog. After struggling through the last part of my track season, I took a few months off from running and somehow ended up in Bangkok, a city only rivaled perhaps by Cairo in terms of unfriendliness to running. I arrived in early June and will be here until December studying abroad and hopefully not causing an international crisis. History is on my side in that respect.
Like anyplace, Thailand has its pros and cons.
Pro: Unlimited potential for growing out facial hair. . . even for those that have not been genetically endowed with a gorgeous mane along the jaw line. In case you were wondering, that includes me. Here’s a sample.
Con: Olympic coverage is minimal, at least in terms of semi-mainstream events. Boxing, shooting, and weightlifting dominate the airwaves, while swimming and track broadcasts are few and far between. Phelps’s eight golds? Nope. Flanagan’s bronze? No dice. Given the tape delays you all are subjected to back home you must think I’m crazy, but still, I’m envious. How envious? I almost cried when I got to watch the second round of the women’s 100m. That’s right, the 100m.
Pro: Delicious meals for less than $1.
Con: Not getting used to the delicious meals until after a month in.
So enjoy the broadcasts back home and also the streets and trails of Chapel Hill as you’re inspired on your run by the latest track event. I will start to run again soon, but my running will only truly begin in earnest once I’m back in Chapel Hill. It’s great to hear of everyone’s training and I wish you all the best the coming fall.
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In response to Marc’s earlier query (and Brent’s subsequent comment), here is my comment on this article (from the New York Times, Aug. 11 ‘08) about legalizing drugs in sport:
August 14th, 2008
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http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-olyelliott7-2008aug07,0,3672582.story
Discuss..
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Does running make you high? This was the first thing my Western Civ professor once asked me while we were reviewing material for his class. He has asked if I was an athlete at Carolina because I was wearing the team issues gear around campus one day. I explained to him that I was a long distance runner.
This conversation has been coming to mind lately because I’m getting fit. I feel great on most of my runs and when I finish a run at a sub 5 minute mile during a tempo and I’m barely breathing hard….I’m high. I finished my tempo this week so pumped up that I continued by doing strides, quick feet, hurdle drills, 25 minutes of core, pull ups, and of course push ups. We get our running high when we feel or see the results in personal bests or just great workouts. The point of this post is that I wanted to share my running high with everyone and hope that everyone is feeling the same way as we come closer to Aug 20! I hope that everyone is having a great summer and is looking forward to running fast times!
I’m currently visiting home! It is the first time in 8 months that I’ve had the chance to see my family and it feels great. It is currently 57 degrees outside with thick fog on the Mendocino Coast. I’m about to take off on a run and wearing long sleeves. Such a drastic difference from Chapel Hill. Take care everyone!
Run Hard!
Victor
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I must admit, I have been hesitant to post given all the thought-provoking and insightful posts of late. I haven’t had any deep thoughts about running lately. Perhaps this is due to the fact that what started out as a great trajectory of summer training was interrupted by a wedding and then a nasty cold. The recent heat wave certainly didn’t help my motivation to get back at it!
But, on to my thoughts about my new-found love for “strength” training. I started consistenly doing yoga this summer. I have always loved yoga, but it can get pricey and can be intimidating (have you ever seen someone do the Bird of Paradise pose?!). But, I can’t lie — the real precipitant was actually my wedding — who wants to have bad posture in a strapless dress? The strength and flexibility gained beyond that was just going to be icing on the cake.
I’ve discovered that although my legs are strong and my hips relatively open, there are back and shoulder muscles I didn’t know existed. I also realized I have a flexible lower back, which makes it all the more important to have a strong core (I need to find a way to make crunchies fun…). After yoga, I consistently wake up the morning after feeling like pulled taffy, which is much less comfortable to me than being really sore from a hard workout. But, overall I end up feeling stronger, more flexible, more centered.
I’m loving yoga as my “strength” training — and since I hate going to the gym, this is a step in the right direction! Hopefully my finances will allow me to continue my newfound love (second, of course, to running).
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One of the hardest things to do in any sport is to earn the right to represent your country in the Olympics. Over the past couple of days I’ve been glued to the races on TV. Watching my former Tar Heel teammate’s punching their tickets to Beijing! Watching athletes dreams come true after years and years of training. Incredibly talented and determined humans like my very own coach. It is an incredible feeling to watch. Better than any Superbowl, NBA finals, or Euro 2008. This means more to me. My dream is to one day be amongst those fighting for a spot. A dream that all of us on CAC share with each other.
I can’t explain how jealous I am of those watching in person from the stands at Hayward Field! It’s been two days of rest for the athletes and spectators. Now I’m 10 min away from watching some more sweet races from Eugene!
GO USA!
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While digging in the garden, I happened upon the perfect visualization/metaphor for when you know your racing season has come to an end. I was using a sharp, pointed shovel to really turn the earth and on one fierce downward thrust, I unintentionally chopped off the tail of a blue skink (lizard). The tail-less lizard skittered off, while - to my utter surprise and disgust (?) - the lizard’s tail squirmed a flopped around of its own volition for quite some time. Now, what does this have to do with the season’s end? As I was watching this grisly scene, I thought of Asher at his high school nationals race and of Brent tacking on his marathon at the end of track season. Both runners were like the tail still going after the season had been cut off. Asher managed to eek out an 800m and a 400m PR at the local all-comers meets, well after his regular high school season had finished up, but hanging onto intensity for a mile against the best freshmen in the nation was a too-tall order. And Brent, bravely jacking his mileage up for 5 weeks after his 10,000m PR at Penn Relays way back in April, must have known it was a long-shot to race a fast marathon. He went for it though, as did Asher, and THAT is what each of these athletes should take away from this season. Yeah, they flopped around in the end - like the skink’s tail - but they were still going, still striving, still fighting for their dreams.
Now, here’s my question … will that tail ever grow back?
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So, I finally found time and broke down (my body has been breaking down waaayyy before this!) and got NEW SHOES!!! the glory of a new pair of running shoes.
I find this is a significant purchase each and every single time. It’s always new when you get there because the company’s are coming out with new and different styles and it’s always a wonderful experience.
I went with the newest version of the Asics Gel-Cumulus with the new lace-up, in hopes that this will help my too big toe-box issue I constantly run into with shoes [after about two weeks i'm having to pull the toe-box so tight to keep my foot from moving around that there is folding - it's just too wide].
The past two weeks my body has been aching and hating me - sure signs of needed new shoes. I had intentions to get them last week and failed with late work hours never making it up to Chapel Hill. In a weird way, I was thankfully a little ill this past week and so did not run much, but Friday - ugh for the shoes and the run.
HOwever, as I write this post late out the door for church, I have my new running shoes on (I thought to just break them in a bit) and now am DYING to just get out and hit some ground. I love the springy and cushion-y inspiring new feeling of brand new running shoes and just had to post about it.
Anyone else get this feeling?
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well, i still have another week of down time, but i am already reading, thinking and plotting about how to get faster. I went for a three mile run, and let’s just say the mind recovers more quickly than the body. i realize that my last post was a little negative, but rest assured that i am over the slight disappointment of the marathon and looking toward my next training block. though it has not been announced yet, i have read and heard rumors that the 2012 qualifying window will open in 2009, meaning i can try for a qualifier pre-residency. it might mean not running track (or at least not being track focused), so I will have to think hard about it. anyway, i am itching to get back, but i will enjoy another few days of fat week.
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