Runnerville

Chris Lukezic is a good friend. He’s someone I admire and respect, not for his 3:33 PR and 2006 US Championship, but for his ability to 1) see running through a broader lens and 2) define himself as more than a runner. When I was an assistant coach at Georgetown (while Chris was a student) Chris and I spent many hours discussing the sport, most often at his favorite coffee joint - Murky Coffee, situated across the river in Arlington, VA. The most frequently discussed, and lamented, topic of conversation was the failure of our sport to market itself and its athletes in a already-crowded marketplace. Well, in June 2007 Chris started a blog. And last week he wrote one of the most intelligent and thought-provoking posts I’ve ever read from an athlete. I strongly urge you to read his words below. Chris, welcome to the conversation… Read more…

And so the long known, but never scientifically backed, feeling known as “the runner’s high” has at long last been proven. In a story in today’s New York Times, ‘researchers in Germany, using advances in neuroscience, report in the current issue of the journal Cerebral Cortex that the folk belief is true: Running does elicit a flood of endorphins in the brain. The endorphins are associated with mood changes, and the more endorphins a runner’s body pumps out, the greater the effect.’

They call running the “positive addiction”, and those who get hooked understand why. The feelings of contentment and well-being, the sense of communion with all else beneath the sun and stars, the ability to eat and drink whatever one pleases, these are the inducements that provoke a powerful enticement to daily dosing. Read more…

Is a world championship without the world’s best, truly a championship?  This is the question posed by the NY Times in their coverage of Valencia 2K8.com — in an editorial, I might add.  (Now that’s some serious ink.)  And, if you ask me, it’s a pretty fair question.   Championships are held to weed out the riff-raff and allow the very best in a sport to elevate themselves.  They are the centrifuge of life, and the champions are the yield of this, this…. reverse emulsion!  (The athletes even provide their own centripetal acceleration!)

So, if you hold the World Championships and Jeremy Wariner isn’t running the 400, and Kenny Bekele isn’t running the 3k, what do you have?

Read more…

Say what you want about the tradition of America’s best runners not making World Championships a priority (excepting Outdoors, of course).  This time around, a healthy number of the top US athletes are turning out for Valencia and plan on heading to Edinburgh.  For once, this March might not be a month of split-squad games with overpriced tickets to see a line-up of a few stars and a bunch of kids headed back to Durham within a few weeks.  And  the traffic — oh, the traffic! — as you sit behind a train of maroon-haired ladies in wrap-around sunglasses driving to their Wednesday bingo.  You can play Mah-Jong from the comfort of your own home, granny!  Try it sometime!  Like today!

But I digress:  for us fans of running, this month is less Hot Stove and more just Stove.  March marks a season of opportunity - to turn heads and make some noise with an eye toward the Olympics… Read more…

In 2005 I zigged and zagged my way across the country, documenting the lifestyle and training of some of the top collegiate XC programs. chasingTRADITION was my first blogumentary, before I even knew what a blogumentary was. It was a lot of fun and - looking back - was probably the springboard to my career as a…whatever it is that I do.

chasingTRADITION was an experiment. I did some things well and some things poorly. I learned what worked and what didn’t. One thing that worked really well was giving Stamos an audience. Through his Outkicked! columns and Public Service Announcements, Stamos burst onto the scene. But his 15 minutes of fame expired with the NCAA XC Championships - also known as The End of chasingTRADITION. But Stamos and I stayed in touch. We wrote long letters. We sent text messages with smiley faces. We even clinked glassed at the LetsRun.com after party in New York City. And so it’s with great pride - and laughter - that I present to you:

The Return of Stamos! Read more…

What a difference one day makes. Before Sunday’s men’s 800m dash, the rivalry between Nick Symmonds and Khadevis Robinson was nearly not existent. While a few knowledgeable individuals may have labeled the duo a quality tandem that could really make an impact on the world stage, few were pitting the two against each other.

Now, in less than four news cycles, Symmonds and Robinson are being touted as the greatest rivalry in our sport. Whether or not you agree with these two being matched up, I completely agree with the idea of creating rivalry in our sport. Any type of sport, anywhere in the world, thrives off of rivalry. Duke v. North Carolina in basketball, Boston v. New York in baseball, Chicago v. Green Bay in football. Match ups between rivals get the most media exposure each time they face off because of the great battles between these groups in the past and what fans hope to see the next time they face off. Read more…

With the second showing of “Spirit of the Marathon” this week, one is left with the impression that Katherine Switzer was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. But as Craig Snapp of San Diego writes, there was one who came before; one who was left on the cutting room floor when “Spirit” was produced.

Each played a vital role in the development of women’s running. Bobbi Gibb showed by her solo efforts that the marathon distance was, in fact, no big deal for women. Katherine Switzer showed by her tenacity in the face of adversity that women could compete in more than the athletic arena. Her subsequent work in developing the Avon International Marathon series was a critical element in achieving a women’s Olympic Marathon in 1984. Both deserve our praise, but make no mistake - there remains a cool relationship between the camps of the two women. Craig’s revealing story is below. Read more…

On this President’s Day I’d like speak directly to our President about anti-doping and the crisis in Kenya (two separate topics). And by “speak to” I really mean “write my opinion.” If I were President Bush…

…A good friend passed along the following document (after the jump) from President Bush to the Senate, asking them to ratify an anti-doping policy called the International Convention Against Doping in Sport. The Convention was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) back in October 19, 2005.

I’m still on the fence in terms of our government getting involved in doping. On the one hand I have to reach into my pocket every time I watch these congressmen and women question the likes of Roger Clemens and Jose Canseco - my tax dollars are funding this carnival? But on the other hand it’s clear that our professional sports are losing the anti-doping battle and some Read more…

In this episode:

Running USA Conference in San Diego: Building the Industry? That’s right, 20 million a decade. That was the theme - 20 in 10 (20 million participants in 10 years).

Peter Englehart, new head of Competitor Group, Inc. (which recently acquired Elite Racing, Competitor Mag, Triathlete Mag, and Velo News) intros self to running USA and outlines the future.

Who will be new CEO of Running USA after Basil Honikman steps down?  They won’t even say Read more…

No tag for this post.

Over on Jesse Squire’s Track and Field Superblog today, he writes about problems with college track and field. Jesse lays down some interesting solutions to growing problems at the collegiate level. He offers up the idea of more dual meets, a true NCAA Team Championship and a few other pieces that really get the mind churning.

So in response to his article, I’ve come up with a solution of my own, which can be applied to collegiate track and field. Are you ready? Here you go…

GET RID OF INDOOR TRACK AND FIELD

Honestly, what purpose does it serve? You can sit there and tell me all day long it’s a separate sport (which I believe it is…kinda), and that sprinters, jumpers and throwers use it to hone their skills before outdoor, but is it honestly needed? Read more…