Weekly RunDown #56

Ian Thompson

"I prefer to remain in blissful ignorance of the opposition. 

That way I'm not frightened by anyone's reputation."

Ian Thompson

Thanks again to all those that read my last post on Rest and Injuries as it was by far my most read post and that in only three days.

The Spartathlon race starts today in Greece and runs from Athens to Sparta for a distance of  246.8KM (152.4 Miles).  Running this year will be Will Rivera (Race number is 295) who is the owner of Running Soles in Elizabethtown, KY.   There will be Live Streaming and Live Data but if you want to follow Will you can do so here.  I know I posted it last week but you can see a promo video for the race below.

While no world record came at Berlin and two of the big names, Bekele and Kipsang, dropped out it was still a great race.  Eliud Kipchoge (2:03:32) confirmed his greatness and Guye Adula (2:03:46) had a record debut marathon.  I think weather, rain and humidity, as well as the dropping out of two of the main protagonist played into no world record but it was still well worth staying up late to watch.  The women's race was also close for the win with Gladys Cherono (2:20:23) in first and Ruti Aga (2:20:41) in second.

Check out Kipchoge's training log leading up to Berlin - just steady training, of course at paces most woudl like as PRs but easy to moderate for him.  But, then again he did a "TEMPO" run for 40k in 2:13 (Aug 31)!!!

Steve Magness looks at Kipchoge's training - his conclusion: "If I could guess what Kipchoge’s ‘secret’ was based on his training, it’s pretty simple: good consistent work for a long time."

Toni Reavis looks at Berlin and to focus on what was, a great duel, and not what wasn't, a world record

Guye Adula, 2nd in Berlin, did not know he was running Berlin till 4 days before

Would be nice if Kipchoge went back to Berlin and see what he can do there with better weather and maybe a few more staying at the front for longer.

If you thought Kipchoge was just a marathon guy well he beat Bekele and El Guerrouj at the 2003 World Championships 5000m in 12:52.79 with a last lap of 53.4 - Check out video here or in article

I had not seen this name in some time - Don Ritchie - That is till I came across this post on him.  If you have not heard of him take a moment to read this post.

On my list to listen to: How to Avoid Stomach Distress

Good to see Ryan Vail back running with his 8th at Berlin

iRunFar.com's This Week in Running: September 25, 2017

LetsRun.com's The Week That Was: September 18 - 24, 207

What about potatoes and rice for Ultra Endurance fuels

Some thoughts on the Off-Season

I wrote on aging about a month or so ago, Is Age Just a Number?, and over at the 33Shake blog they write on Rejecting Middle Age and how to put aside stereotypes and prolong your progress

If you are aiming for the 2019 Western States 100 here is the list of qualifying races

8 Habits that can better your running, the title of #4 may be off but the the idea that how we eat does affect how we run

Need an excuse for your next race - here are 13 to choose from - I am sure there are more - what ones can you think of?

Good advice from Danny Dreyer on having healthy feet - unfortunately many shoe do not allow one to follow these tips

Boston just needs to change the qualifying times.  To qualify for 2018 you had to be at least 3:23 faster than the standard

History of the Chicago Marathon which is October 8th, 2017

John Kelly, 2017 Barkley Marathons finisher, talks about Publicity, Sponsorship and the Social Media Quagmire

A heads, up the Yamacraw 50K/20K & 10K Trail Run registration opens at 7AM October 1st - will probably fill up fast.  Do not think it will fill up as fast as the Barkley Fall Classic 50K which i hear filled up in less than a minute, but you can still get on the waiting list:)

Masters Running News
Meb at 42 gets ready for his final race - 2017 New York Marathon


Races this Coming Week
Spartathlon, Athens, Greece - September 29-30, 2017
The Bear 100, Logan, UT - September 29-30, 2017
Cumberland Trail 50K, Cove Lake State Park, TN  - September 30, 2017

Past Weekend Race Results
The North Face Endurance Challenge, Park City, UT - September 23, 2017
Ultra Madeira, Madeira Islands - September 23, 2017
Ultra Pirineu, Bagà, Spain - September 23-24, 2017
Berlin Marathon, Berlin, Germany - September 24, 2017


2017 Spartathlon Promo


Ian Thompson winning the 1974 Commonwealth Games Marathon


2017 Berlin Race Highlights


Ultra-Trail World Tour 2017 Episode 4


Glen Coe Skyline 2017 Race


I have been dealign with some Achilles/Heel pain that could lead to PF and found this video helpful as often we go straight to the pain but in truth it usually starts elsewhere, 2 more parts to follow.


Here is Part 2 with mobility exercises for those problem areas found in Part 1


Mogollon Moster 100


The UTE 100 Mile Trail Race


Another nice video by Mary Lide Parker - The Chattanooga 100/50 Mile & Relay


National Geographics look at Nike's Breaking 2


This weeks Mountain Outhouse