Weekly RunDown #60

Steve Ovett

"You find out a lot about yourself through athletics. If you're cut out to be a winner or a failure or a quitter, athletics will bring it out of you. You're always stripping yourself down to the bones of your personality."

Steve Ovett

Here is a documentary on Steve Ovett: Part 1 and Part 2

Nice interview with Johnny Gray who has held the 800m American record for 32 years

Trail Runner magazine asks Jeff Browing, recent Bear 100 winner, 6 questions

4 Pilates moves modified for runners by Jae Gruenke of The Balanced Runner.  Here is Jae's post on these moves with a video to help show the moves in the Competitor article

iRunFar.com's This Week in Running: October  23, 2017

LetsRun.com's The Week That Was in Running: October 16-22, 2017

Interview with Rob Krar

Do you get enough sleep, I know I tend not to: Sleep should be prescribed

Not sure how many of these are on your list: 6 Races You'll Probably Die Before You Do

Thinking of running a 24 hour Ultra, not an ultra in 24 hours but running a prescribed circuit continually for 24 hours to see how far you can go.  Here are some good tips to help in the endeavor.

How about trying one of these, I am sure but these are a good place to start:  5 Toughest Stage Races.

Dr. Phil Maffetone writes on Exercising but Inactive?

If you can be in Charles Town, WV on November 3rd you would be well served to attend this seminar with Dr. Maffetone and hosted by Two River Treads, TrueForm Running & Freedom's Run

New inductees into the NYRR Hall of Fame Class of 2017

Philemon Rono wins Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon  on Sunday (22) in 2:06:52

One persons preparation for this weeks Javelina Jundred

More on Francois D’Haene FKT on the 210 Mile John Muir Trail

With the recent completion of the 2017 Big's Backyard Ultra here is an article from 2016 on the race

Speaking of Big's Backyard in the weeks to come I am sure there will be much written, here is Guillaume Calmette's Strava data

A look at Peter's fourth and fifth 100 milers

With fall coming, well I think it is as I am in So. Cal for work and it was 103 Monday and 101 Wednesday for my runs, here are some tips and if you run in the rain here are some tips

Have not gotten to this one yet but should be a good Podcast from The Intelligent Racer: Running, Coaching & Nutrition with Zack Bitter

Speaking of podcasts I have updated my podcast post with some new additions that are noted: Podcasts and More Podcasts


Masters Running News
Carrie Tollefson interviews masters runner & 3 time Olympian Jen Rhines

Nice article on Meb: So Long Meb!


Races this Coming Week
Javelina Jundred, Fountain Hills, Az - October 28, 2017
Chicago Lakefront 50/50, Chicago, IL - October 28, 2017
Annapurna 100K/50K, Nepal - October 28, 2017
Stinson Beach Marathon, Stinson Beach, CA - October 28, 2017
Cougar Mtn Trail Run Series,  Washington - October 29, 2017


Past Weekend Race Results
Grand Raid Reunion, France - October 19-22, 2017
Pony Express 50 and 100, Faust, UT - October 20-21, 2017
Big's Backyard Ultra - Last Man Standing, Bell Buckle, TN   October 21, 2017
Kansas City Marathon,  Kansas City, MO - October 21, 2017
Firewater 50K, 100K & 100M, Greenback, TN - October 21-22, 2017
Marine Corps Marathon,  Arlington, VA  - October 22, 2017
Scotia Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Toronto, Canada - October 22, 2017


Compilation of some Steve Ovett Races


Some guys catch up with Francois D'haene during is John Muir Trail FKT


Has your running store tried The Box Challenge


2017 Bear 100 - with focus on Jaybird athletes Timothy Olson and Luke Nelson - race was won by Jeff Browning


Here is some downhill running in Iceland


2017 Badwater


Mountain Outhouse Best Run News Show


Festival Des Templiers 2017


As Meb nears the end of his running career here is a reminder of his Boston win

Weekly RunDown #59

"Without patience, you will never conquer endurance."

Yiannis Kouros

I want to thank everyone who viewed/read my last Weekly Rundown, #58, as it was the most viewed Weekly RunDown yet at 2900+ views.  Not a lot compared to many blogs but awesome for mine, thanks again.

iRunFar.com's This Week in Running: October 16, 2017

LetsRun.com's The Week that Was in Running: October 9-15, 2017

I talk about MAF quite a bit and I have written on it here and here is a new article from Dr. Maffetone in MAF - What is MAF?

Not only did Francois D'Haene win UTMB less than 2 months ago he just broke, could truly say shattered, the John Muir Trail Supported FTK running it in 2 Days-19 Hours and 26 Minutes - Old record was 3 Days-7 hours and 36 minutes.  Here is the release from Salomon on the run.

So you think a couple miles is too much to warmup for a race - Dave Proctor ran 170K for his warmup

Courtney Dauwalter not only won the Moab 240 outright she won by more than 10 hours

Toni Reavis writes on Chicago and all that surrounds it

Are you running the Marine Corp Marathon this weekend, here are some tips from Dr. Mark Cucuzzella.  Some may be to late to implement but are great for any marathon.

Wilson Kipsang who dropped out at 30K in Berlin is now entered in the upcoming New York Marathon

With RICE being out BE CALM is an alternative with regards to rehab

You might have thought you did not need an APP to do an Ultra but maybe you might want one of these

John Kelly the winner, and only finisher, at the 2017 Barkley Marathons was 61st male (66th OA) at this years Ironman in Kona and had a marathon split of 3:00:42.  This not to speak on what is harder - I have my thoughts on that - as in many places I posted on this that is the direction the post went.  The post was intended to show the versatility of John in being able to not only do both but to finish and do well.  Check out the Ginger Runner interview with him at the bottom of the page or go here.

5 guys go under 2:06 at the Amsterdam Marathon with 14 under 2:10 (15th was at 2:10:01)

Meghan Laws' (Arbogast) race report on the Lake Fuxian Highland 100K in China

The answer from experience, even if studies are not conclusive, is that standing desks work great.  However, you need to not just stand but vary your position and routine including moving around.  To just stand as the article states will compound issues like PF but also sitting while a recovery time is not the best posture for recovery.  I think they are a great investment but are to be used as with anything as a tool.

New Post Feature in Strava

Speaking os Strava if you use Chrome and like data you might try the StravistiX Plugin

How often is something just taken as fact if you use the word "science" in the advertising.  But is science really what drives most sports nutrition sold to the public or is it about using the word "science" as a marketing tool.  Much like the marketing campaign selling Chocolate Milk as a sports drink even if it does contain around 24g of sugar per cup uses the terms "backed by science" because it sells.  This article shows how "science" can be manipulated as the study mentioned to support chocolate milk had it compared to other sugar laden drinks so it did not prove it is the best but that it was maybe the best among sugar packed drinks.

Jim Walmsley and Seth Swanson are entered in this weeks Grand Raid Reunion , running the Diagonale des Fouse (translates to the Diagonal of the Mad), which starts this Thursday night in France.  This is the races FB page

On a sad note not sure how many of you knew of Stephen Lee of The Heartland Podcast but he passed away early Wednesday morning unexpectedly.   Due to circumstances there is a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses


Masters Running News
Harriette Thompson who in 2015 became the oldest woman to finish a marathon passed away Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of 94.

The October 22nd Scotiabank Torono Waterfront Marathon will honor the late Ed Whitlock


Races this Coming Week
Grand Raid Reunion, France - October 19-22, 2017
Pony Express 50 and 100, Faust, UT - October 20-21, 2017
Big Backyard Ultra - Last Man Standing, Bell Buckle, TN   October 21, 2017
Kansas City Marathon,  Kansas City, MO - October 21, 2017
Firewater 50K, 100K & 100M, Greenback, TN - October 21-22, 2017
Marine Corps Marathon,  Arlington, VA  - October 22, 2017
Scotia Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Toronto, Canada - OCtober 22, 2017

Past Weekend Race Results
Bourbon Chase Relay, Clermont, KY (Starts at the Jim Beam Distillery) - October 13-14, 2017
Limone Extreme SkyRace, Limone, Italy - October 14, 2017
Cave Creek Thriller, Cave Creek , AZ - October 14, 2017
Canyon de Chelly 55K, Chinle, AZ - October 14, 2017
Heartland 100, Cassoday, KS - October 14, 2017
Ironman World Championships, Kona, HI - October 14, 2017
No Business 100, Blue Heron, KY - October 14-15, 2017 (Also results here)
Columbus Marathon & 1/2 Marathon, Columbus, OH - October 15, 2017
Lake Tahoe Marathon, Homewood, CA - October 15, 2017


Latest Video I did for SFuel bars


In the Footsteps of Pheidippides - with footage of the first Spartathlon in 83' and the vicotry by Kouros


The Grand Raid Reunion trailer


Flagstaff Sky Race 2017


2017 Amsterdam Marathon - 5 Men under 2:06 - 8 men under 2:08 and 14 under 2:10 - What a finish after 26 miles


Interesting short documentary on Kenyans trying to make it in Europe


2017 St. George Marathon


One record that no one as come close to in almost 15 years


Best Run News Show of October 16, 2017


Ginger Runner interview with John Kelly after his Kona Finish

Weekly RunDown #58

"I don’t train. I just run my 3-15 miles a day." 

 Jack Foster

Just posted an article on Recovery that goes along with the one I did on Rest

If you have not tried SFuel Low-Carb Bars yet you can get in on some free samples by going here

Nice article on Jack Foster who ran a 2:11 marathon at age 41 and here is one from Runner's World

Runner's Tribe article on the Chicago Marathon won by Galen Rupp and Tirunesh Dibaba

Has it been that long, Rupp is first American born winner of Chicago in 35 years

While Dibaba won Hasay in 3rd ran the second fastest time ever for an American women and fastest on US soil

Good to see Jordan go for it because we all know if she failed we would have heard how unwise she was to go with the lead.  Simply good to see someone race a race.

Sports Illustrated interview with Paula Radclife where she talks about a number of subjects including women's marathoning and world records

Interview with Danny Dryer of Chi Running

MoonTrekker 43K Night Trail Run, Hong Kong - October 13, 2017

Interview with Mark Allen on Heart Rate Training and Racing

iRunFar.com's This Week in Running: October 9, 2017

LetsRun.com's The Week That Was in Running: Oct 2-8, 2017

Karnazes, Sharman, Bitter, Coury, Lawrence and Backhausen share their #1 tips for increasing stamina

Running camps at altitude are not only physiologically helpful but also psychologically helpful as well

Bones do more than hold your skin and allow you to be upright: Need to know factors for bone health

How many of these have you run?  I have done Carlsbad and it is a great race but would like to do Catalina one day.

After much controversy the Portland Marathon took place this past weekend, quite the story.

It is not all about calories-in vs. calories-out but what calories you eat is just as important.

If you are going to be in Ranson, WV this Healthy Running Clinic should be good with both Mark Cucuzzella and Dr. Phil Maffetone there.

Joe Gray writes on Running Clean in a Sometimes Dirty Sport

Nice post my Michele Yates: Heart Affect

Good list of trail shoes and their associated drop - List is missing the more minimalist Carsons at Zero drop with hight being 15mm (10mm sole W/5mm Sock Liner)

Looking forward to see how the No Business 100 this weekend goes as I have run the Yamacraw 50K so a 100 miles on that terrain should be a challenge- beautiful but a challenge.  Speaking of the Yamacraw 50K if you are interested in running as of the time of this post there were only 63 spots left for the 50K


Masters Running News
The first winners of the 1977 Chicago Marathon are still running 40 years later

As Competitor Magazine put it: "And the 42-year-old will poetically run his final 42 kilometers where it all began—back in New York where he ran his first marathon in 2002."

Some thoughts on what it means to be a masters athlete


Races this Coming Week
Bourbon Chase Relay, Clermont, KY (Starts at the Jim Beam Distillery) - October 13-14, 2017
Cave Creek Thriller, Cave Creek , AZ - October 14, 2017
Canyon de Chelly 55K, Chinle, AZ - October 14, 2017
Heartland 100, Cassoday, KS - October 14, 2017
Ironman World Championships, Kona, HI - October 14, 2017 (Would not normally put this here but since Barkley Marathons finisher John Kelly is in the race thought it appropriate)
No Business 100, Blue Heron, KY - October 14-15, 2017
Columbus Marathon, Columbus, OH - October 15, 2017
Lake Tahoe Marathon, Homewood, CA - October 15, 2017

Past Weekend Race Results
100 Miles Sud de France,   France - October 6-7, 2017
Flagstaff Sky Race, Flagstaff, AZ - October 6-7, 2017
E'town Fall Classic 1/2 Marathon, Elizabethtown, KY - October 7. 2017
St. George Marathon, St. George UT - October 7, 2017
Cuyamaca 100K, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, CA - October 7, 2017
Cloudsplitter 100,  Norton, VA - October 7-8, 2017
Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL - October 8, 2017


My friend Leighton Phillips from SFuels is running the 2017 MoonTrekker 43K Night Trail Run this weekend, here is a video for the 2016 race

Video from Outside Magazine on Canyon de Chelly race director


2017 Chicago Marathon


Episode 1 of 3 that looks at the Hoka Northern Arizona Elite training group in Flagstaf


2017 Spartathlon Trailer


BeastCoast Episode 4 | Forged in Mountains


This is Why I Run - Rory Bosio - Meet Trail Runner Rory Bosio


Ultra-Trail World Tour Episode 5


Part 3 of series on Plantar Fasciitis~Stability Exersises - Part 1 & Part 2

Recovery: Rest is Just Part of the Story

I recently wrote on the need for rest as I have been dealing with a few nagging issues that finally

forced me to just stop and desist – take a rest.  The conclusion was that we all need to rest before we are broke but I had not heeded my own thoughts so now I am on the way back after two weeks of no running.  The point I want to focus on, and the reason for the article title, is that it is not enough just to rest but coming back from an injury also takes as much patience, maybe even more, than the rest itself.  Thus the recovery that follows a rest period needs to be as purposeful as the rest was.

I initially thought I was getting Plantar Fasciitis but after two weeks off and coming back for a short run it is pretty clear I have Achilles Tendonitis as the soreness is at the base of my heel.  I am also struggling with a sciatic issue, seems to be Piriformis Syndrome, that can give intermittent and sporadic shooting pains that are, well, a “PAIN.”  The sciatic issue is just something I have had for some time and not directly related to running but does at times affect it and I need to work at dealing with it via a number of methods.

This first day back I figured I would take an easy run/walk with the dog to see how things felt and while the run went OK afterwards my heel was a little sore, but not as it was before.  The message was clear; that I needed to take it easy and not rush back.  When I was younger and had an injury, and I had quite a few, I could come back pretty quick and jump right back into things.  However, with age comes the need for caution and patience two things I have never been really good at but need to lean now as I get older or things will not move forward as they should.

While I truly believe we can do way more with our bodies than most people realize as we age we do have limits and those limits increase, or at the least become more evident, as we get older.  With the recovery phase of rest and returning to running the wise approach is to come back slow and carefully.  Also, the recovery phase is a great time to evaluate how you got to where you are.  With me it is a realization that the lack of mobility and strength I have had for much of my running career, but was able to overcome with youth, can no longer be overlooked.  The truth is that as we age we all lose mobility and strength and while some loose it more slowly in the end we all loose it.  The good news is while it is clear we all loose mobility, flexibility and strength we can do something about it but it takes time and in taking time it takes a purposefulness.

Part of this purposefulness is setting time aside for the extra work it will take to be injury free.  If you are like me, with only so much time in a day and week, you will need to trade running time for all the other important things.  Now you can do as I have had a habit of and put it off telling myself I need the miles, or time on my feet, but being honest with myself if I factor in my injury time I would have just as many miles, probably more, due to the extra non-running work having the result of being injury free if I traded some miles for extra side work.

For me this means my recovery phase is going to be slower than I have had in the past.  First, because achilles issues take a lot of care to come back from and second because I do not have a race I am aiming for till March, Land Between the Lakes 50 Miler, so I have no need to push things.  Thus, my MAF).  If for some reason things do not feel right I can trade a run for a ride on the bike trainer if need be.  I still have a possible 30K I will only do in mid November as a training run if all the pain is gone since not worth the possibility of making things worse but it is more than likely I will pass on it.
plan is to only run every other day to start and on the off days do some strength and mobility work.  On the running days I will start at 2 -5 miles of running, and walking if necessary, with a focus on running easy within my usual aerobic heart rate number (

The other thing I have started, and will write on when I am done, is taking part in The Balanced Runner Online Camp.  In my look at a number of running programs such as Chi Running and the modules at the Natural Running Center I came across The Balanced Runner.  What drew me to The Balanced Runner, a program that uses the Feldenkrais Method applied to running, is that rather than focusing on form and how to run focuses on make more natural connections between ones body and mind so you can feel more than do.  For me this will be tough as I am a “just tell me what to do” kind of person and Feldenkrais looks more to one sensing how one moves.  In the end I think that this will all connect and many of the principles of Natural running and Chi Runner will show themselves.  The difference is that starting with the method can end up causing its own issues but starting with ones movement and sensing changes can get one to a more ‘natural” running form with little chance of injury.  More to come on this later but it looks to me to be integral to coming back stronger and more resilient than before.

I share all of this as I am sure there are others like me that when we are finally forced to rest we then want to come back as fast as possible fearful that we will lose our fitness.  Yes, with multiple weeks off you will lose something but I think you will find that you lose less than you think and if you come back too fast and have to rest more you will lose even more fitness than if you had come back slowly.  So, I will still be keeping my miles lower than I would have done in the past with a focus on easing back into things.  I also have some trips to the Chiropractor in store to have some adjustments done and also to undergo some Active Release Technique (ART) treatments, which I have found to be very beneficial.  With the first race I am aiming for being in early March I do not need to start upping my miles till mid November to early December so still have time to rest and even then I will make sure that I keep up the extra strength and mobility work. 

If you take anything away from this let it be:  “Rest is only Part of Recovery”

Weekly RunDown #57

George Young
(Courtesy Gay Cohen)

The races took care of themselves - I got to where I looked forward to them because the pain didn't last as long. 

George Young

Interview with George Young Bronze medalist in the 3000m steeplechase at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico city.  Here is another article on him.

Aleksandr Sorokin of Lithuania won the Spartathlon in Greece in 22:04.  That means that Yiannis Kouros is still the only person to run the 153 miles in under 22 hours and he did it 4 times(1983, 1984, 1986 & 1990) with a best of 20:25 in 1984.  In 1983 he ran 20:29 and was so fast he was accused of cheating so came back and ran faster.  Here is an article from the 1985 January/February UltraRunning Magazine that asks "How Good is Yiannis Kouros."  By the way our very own Will Rivera, owner of Running Soles in Elizabethtown KY finished in 70th place in 31:19:49

Thoughts on 2-A-Days - should you or shouldn't you

Race report on the Bear 100 from an 8 time finisher

Wonder how many other Barkley finishers would do Kona in the same year, how about every - John Kelly is and here is his look at his training for it

Are you overtraining?

With age comes a greater need to focus on how we run as often, if you are like me, areas of the body become weak or out of balance which affect form which can increase injuries.  Here is a good place to go look at with regards to form from Dr. Mark Cucuzzella and the Natural Running Center - The Efficient Running Training Modules

You do not have to do a hundred miler in a race, how about a Do-it-Yourself 100

Good article from Mark Sisson - How often we loose sight of the goal when we focus on the path. Make sure to read the whole article before assuming where Mark goes with this.

Added a few podcasts to the Podcast Post - they have a note next to them with an "Added Date"

Good info from Dr. Phil Maffetone on ones need for protein

Along the nutrition lines here is a podcast I was led to with Dr. Mark Cucuzzella:  Nutrition for Runners

Also on nutrition - How about Rice and Potatoes for running ultras when you are a Low Carb person.  Keep in mind that, at least for me, training and racing often take a different fueling strategy - of course the race strategy has been tried during a training run but they are usually different.

What can you learn from Kipchoge's Berlin race - here are 3 things

Some thoughts on running to consider as you get ready for 2018

iRunFar.com's This Week in Running October 2, 2017

LetsRun.com's The Week That Was in Running: Sept 25 - Oct 1, 2017

A look at this years Chicago Marathon

LetsRun.com's look at the men's race at the Chicago Marathon

Preview of the Women's race at Chicago

A quick look at how just getting your Boston Qualifier is not enough

If you want to run a beautiful race try the Yamacraw 50K in Sterns KY.  May not be any spots left but check it out and if it is sold out add it to your list for 2019.  Here is a podcast from Southeastern Trail Runner on the 2017 race.

Masters Running News
Joan Benoit Samuelson was looking to be the first woman at least 60 years old to break 3:00 in the marathon at this weeks Chicago Marathon but had to withdraw due to injury

Races this Coming Week
100 Miles Sud de France,   France - October 6-7, 2017
Flagstaff Sky Race, Flagstaff, AZ - October 6-7, 2017
St. George Marathon, St. George UT - October 7, 2017
Cuyamaca 100K, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, CA - October 7, 2017
Cloudsplitter 100,  Norton, VA - October 7-8, 2017
Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL - October 8, 2017

Past Weekend Race Results
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
Moonbow 50K, Cumberland Falls State Park, KY - September 30, 2017
USATF Half-Marathon Trail Championships, Hayward, WI - September 30, 2017

1968 Olympic 3000M Steeplechase with George Young in 3rd


2107 Spartathlon Photo Video No1


2017 100 Miles Sud de France teaser


2016 Flagstaff Skyrace


Meet Zack Bitter


50 Marathons - 50 Peaks - 50 Days - Movie Trailer


Best Run News Show


2018 Zion Ultras


Bigfoot 200 Endurance Run: 206 mile footrace - August 10-14, 2017