It's All About Moving Forward

"You know you're an ultrarunner when you go to bite into a hamburger at the finish line bar-b-q and get a cramp in your jaw" - Thomas Kennedy

Well, this has been quite a week. First, I want to thank all of you that have sent your prayers and thoughts for my wife's recovery after surgery. On Thursday, she had a back fusion and I'm happy to report she is doing excellent. I don't know how happy she is about living with a Physical Therapist, but at least I try to keep her on her feet with laps around the house and using proper form with her ups and downs. I think wearing a stopwatch around my neck adds a nice coaching flair to all of this. We've begun some hill training (stairs) and intervals are coming up soon. I've about convinced her to wear a pedometer to see how much she walks everyday. Yes, I've planted seeds of PR's and time goals. I thought getting her a GPS watch might be pushing it a little. Hmmm, maybe I'll give her my old one and heck, what could I do but get a new one? Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts and we both hope her "marathon" training goes smoothly.

I know I promised a couple of times that this blog wouldn't be a review of endurance events going on around the world, but Good Grief, this stuff just doesn't stop amazing me and it keeps coming. Last week, I wrote about a new Ironman World Record of 7:45 and how amazing it was. Well, that "unbreakable" record lasted all of one week!! Andreas Raelert did a 7:41:33 at the Ironman Roth in Germany. This is getting ridiculous with the times. He did a 2:41 marathon! In addition, at the same IM, Chrissie Wellington also set a Women's WR with a 8:18:13. Not only did she run a 2:45 marathon, but she did a negative split!! For you new guys to running, that means she did the 2nd half of the marathon faster than the first! In the 30+ years I have been doing marathons, I don't know if I EVER ran a negative split. I was lucky to finish on the same day I started. With that time, she would have a qualifying time for the USA Olympic Trials! Too bad she's Australian.

Also, last week, I wrote about how tough the Tour De France riders were. I was talking about their endurance - NOT riding along at 30 MPH and getting hit by one of the Press cars, careening the rider into a barbed wire fence!!! Holy crap!!!! Now, here's where the toughness comes in. This guy gets 33 stitches, zips up his man-suit and gets back on the bike, finishing the 118 mile stage! There are definitely different levels of toughness, and this guy is near the top of the pyramid.

Got an interesting email yesterday, wanting to know if the marathon training clinic had any fee attached. I answered him, asking what clinic he was referring to. He forwarded me the latest Trak Shak (our great local running store) newsletter, stating that "Once again, starting September 18th, Al DiMicco & Ken Harkless will be conducting the Mercedes Training Runs". Sometimes, you're the last to know! But yes, as we have done for the past hundred years or so, Ken & I will be gathering up the troops on Sunday mornings and yelling "go". I have put the training schedules for both the half and full Mercedes runs on the sidebar of my website http://runningwithal.blogspot.com You can also find the maps there for most of our runs. We won't begin the training for 2 months, but it won't hurt to build a base now. I'll write more about the philosophy of the runs (pace, courses, schedule,etc) as we get closer. Email me if you have any questions. Oh, and yeah, it's free, so no whining!

Finally, it seems like I'm doing a lot of reading this summer and most of it seems to be revolving around the great running endurance events. This week, I'm about halfway finished with Tales From Out There: The Barkley Marathons, The World's Toughest Trail Race by Ed Furtaw. For the past 25 years, every March, an almost impossible trail run is held in Frozen Head State Park in Eastern Tennessee. Every year, the race director changes the course a little in an effort to make it impossible for "runners" to finish. He's been pretty successful with only 10 finishers in the 25 years! It is advertised as a 100 mile run with an accompanying 60 mile "fun run". There are 20 mile loops that have time limits you have to meet to be allowed to continue the next loop, but generally, the total time limit is 40 hours for the fun run and 60 hours for the whole enchilada. Sounds pretty liberal with the time, doesn't it?
1) the loops were finally measured by GPS and found to be 26 miles long making the total of the runs 78 miles/130 miles with 49,000 feat of elevation in the long run!!!! But, the Race Director still calls the distance 60/100.
2) The Race Director is Gary Cantrell, who I used to know pretty good in my formative Ultra days. He lives near Brushy Mt. State Prison and in the early 80's, James Earl Ray (the assassin of Martin Luther King) escaped into the Frozen Head area. FIFTY-FOUR hours later he was caught TWO miles from the prison completely lost, dehydrated, severely cut up, and probably glad to be caught. Gary thought, "Hell, in 54 hours I could be halfway across the state!". So, he ran in the park, saw the difficulties James Earl encountered, thought about the possibilities, and he designed this poorly marked, brier-laced, incredibly mountainous, nearly impossible race.
Good reading when you want to see what that "there's-another-world-out-there" is doing.

Ok folks, that's about it from the RWA studio for this week. Good luck to the USA Women in the World Cup Gold Medal soccer game tomorrow. I'm in the great minority here in Alabama, but this is my kind of football. I won't be at Brownell on Sunday this week, but I'll be sure to see you all someplace on the roads - AL



"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

ENDURANCE MAKES THE MIND GROW FONDER

"I always start these events with very lofty goals, like I'm going to do something special, and after a point of body deterioration and the goals get evaluated down, the best I can hope for is to avoid throwing up on my shoes."
- Ephrain Romesberg (65 miles into the Badwater Ultramarathon)

I'll say this - these feats and events of endurance just keep coming like a runaway train this summer. I get so jacked up watching, reading about, and following these events. This blog should be a reflection of MY experiences of training and racing, but it is endurance that drives me and that sucks me towards these events like a black hole. Over the years, it became a part of what defines me. It is one of the areas my mind wanders to when it wanders to areas my mind wanders to. Back several years ago when I was doing 24 hour runs and racking up 100+ miles at a time, I had an inner strength that I felt was virtually indomitable. That's not to sound braggish. It was just that I knew any race I began, I had trained myself into a pretty good position to finish it. That feeling was built through hard miles in training and smaller races leading up to the main event. It was a confidence of knowing who I was, and what I was capable of enduring. Didn't always hit my goals, but I was usually in the ballpark. Just because you age (like me), or just because your anatomical mechanics hit a snag (me again), that causes you to physically take yourself off the Endurance Interstate onto the Service Road of running, the mind doesn't give in so easy. The bucket of my Bucket List gets smaller by the week, but all these endurance events going on get me so fired up. Let's see what's going on...

Belgium's Marino Vanhoenacker set the fastest time ever recorded in an IronMan event, when he produced an extra-ordinary 7:45.28 performance at the Ironman Austria. It came thanks to a 46:49 swim(1.2 miles), a 4:15:24 bike leg of 112 miles (that's over 25 MPH) and a marathon time of 2:39:24 (how 'bout 6:05/mile?). He beat the 14-year-old previous best mark by nearly four and a half minutes. I've never attempted even a kid's mini baby triathlon, but I tried to do biking followed by running once and I felt like my legs were a foreign attachment to my torso. I'll never understand how triathlete's ever find time to train, nevermind compete.

Next going on is the Tour De France. Every summer, for decades it seems, I get wrapped up for three weeks in this 3000 mile trek across France. Stage after stage of 100 mountainous miles or more, day after day, 198 riders (22 teams of 9), battle it out, but not necessarily just against each other. The team battle is just about as big as the individual race. Each team member has a specific job in the pecking order to take care of the head honcho rider of his team. And his position is displayed for the world to see on his bib number - i.e. #87 would be the 7th rider of the #8 team. There is a ton of internal racing etiquette, many races within the big race ( general points, points for sprint races DURING the stage, and mountain leaders), and of course the race for the Yellow Jersey (the big fromage). I read that these riders will burn 6000-8000 calories per day, but they consume at least half that during the ride! It's interesting that the illegal drugs you hear about being connected to bike racing has to do with increasing their ability to recover quickly, NOT race faster! I start whining when I run 3 days in a row! I ran The Pikes Peak Marathon in 2004 and I think I'm still recovering!

Finally, is the one that really makes me break out into a sweat..The Badwater 135. This race begins on Monday (July 11th) when roughly 90 runners line up in the desert of Death Valley (the lowest point in the United States - 282 feet below sea level) and run through the desert to the portal of Mt Whitney (the highest mountain in the 48 contiguous states). That's 135 miles of being exposed to constant sun and temperatures up to 130 degrees!! You might think this is a fairly flat course - nah, this ain't no sissy race. You traverse 3 mountain ranges and there is a total elevation gain of over 13,000 feet. If you finish under 48 hours, you get a Belt Buckle!! I just don't get these races that give out Belt Buckles. Anyway, there is a 60 Hour cutoff (AND you earn a medal!). Several runners, after they finish (and rest a while for sure) continue their unofficial trek another 11 miles to the summit of Mt Whitney (adding another 6000 feet of elevation). I remember when this race used to be the Badwater 146 and finished on the summit, but the Park Service put the quash on that. Some non-running bureaucrat said something about red tape stuff. I've read two excellent books about Badwater - Just finished "A Few Degrees From Hell" by Scott Ludwig, and "To The Edge" by Kirk Johnson. If you're in the Birmingham area and ever thought about the mechanics of doing this race, give Prince Whatley a call. He crewed a couple of years ago for his friend, Sarah Powell.

OK guys, I'm getting winded just writing about these events. I guess in the past few years my fascination has elevated to another level with the ability to follow them instantly on Twitter, Facebook, or the race's website. I remember the days when you'd run a marathon and the results would be mailed to you 2-3 weeks later. If any of you remember that, drop me a comment. Or drop me a comment anyway, or follow me on twitter @ runningwithal47. I'm not crazy about Facebook, so let's stay away from there to keep in touch. Hope you all have a good week and I'll see you on the roads - AL


"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

BACK FROM BEANTOWN

"Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos."
Don Kardong


I'm writing this as I'm winging my way at 35,000 feet back from Boston. Had a great trip visiting my family and wearing my grandson out trying to prove to him who had more energy and endurance. Of course, he has the advantage of a mid-day nap, a somewhat perfectly balanced diet, 10 hours of sleep at night, and a whole array of these cool nutritious snack things. I, on the other hand, am lucky to get 6 hours sleep at night (self-induced by my attraction to reading, TV, and computer technology at night, and getting up basically at 4;30 every morning), a poorly balanced diet heavily tilted towards carbohydrates in the form of pasta, and having a history of 64 years of life behind me. I think I kept up pretty good, though I did have moments of mental thoughts of "Good Grief, slow down". I did try to put a dent into his diet thing though with a trip to the Italian Ice Cream store. You know what? We both sure enjoyed vanilla ice cream mixed with peanut butter (hey, carbohydrates, fat, AND protein - perfect!!)

Another total joy was doing the Inaugural Boston Athletic Association 10k with my son, Michael. We did a half marathon a couple of years ago and had a blast. This one was just as blastful. Because we knew we weren't going to "race" and also because of an ill-timed per-race porta-john visit, we began in the very back of the pack...I mean THE VERY BACK! The race began in three waves, each about 4 minutes apart (still haven't really figured out why - there were only 3000 in the race) and we were so far back, we heard the volunteers basically saying "Ok,that's it" as we crossed the starting line. I don't want to give a "race report" because those are usually pretty boring, but let it be said that the second half of the race is basically the last 3 miles of the Boston Marathon course. For those of you who know me, this is like sacred ground to me. And because my endurance is several levels below marathon condition these days, when we went under the Citgo Sign (one mile to go) I was able to very accurately relive those wonderful late marathon feelings after only 5 miles of running instead of 25! In other words, I generally felt like crap! Finishing time was not important (that's what you say when your time is a little foreign to times of past races...ok, it was 1:03), but we had such a grand time laughing and talking most of the way that it was a perfect run. After the race, we got the obligatory Gatorade and bagel, found a patch of grass in the Public Garden and rehashed the race, wondering how we got hammered by the Kenyans. Actually, I had the leader in my sites at 5 miles - of course he was on the other side of the street and I was only at 2+ miles but I'm sure he felt me pushing him! Michael & I decided next year we would skip the running and just come get the Gatorade and bagel and come sit in the grass.

One of the funniest moments of the race was just as we passed 4 miles. Now, most of you know how I feel about this minimalist shoe craze going on. Not crazy about the way it's buffaloed it's way into the running scene, but that's fodder for a future RWA. Anyway, here we are, just flying past spectators like they're standing still, when we catch up to this guy CARRYING his Vibram Five Finger shoes and running completely barefoot. So, I saddleup next to this guy and said "I have to ask you...does completely barefoot actually feel better than the Vibrams or...well...what the heck's going on?". So he says "I just LOVE (his inflection, not mine) these shoes, but I haven't run many long runs in them and I got a bad blister on my little toe, so I took them off". Long runs? We're at mile 4! How long a run is long? OK, I wondered how bad must his feet feel wearing the Vibrams that the best option is actually running barefoot in the streets of Boston. I told him to cut the toes of the shoes off and maybe it'll feel better. Hey, maybe real shoes would feel better. Just a thought. As I say, give me the technology, and some rubber between me and the Mother Road.

Finally, on Sunday, I got a call from John Gordon. If you remember from a couple of posts ago, John was going for his 50th state. Well, he made it, finishing Kona. A big congratulations to John. He said it got hot the last 6 miles. Yeah, yeah, John, but no matter how bad it was, the finish line was still in Hawaii!! Now, I just have to keep hammering about the fact that he hasn't done a marathon in Washington DC. Of course, his excellent comeback is "It's not a state!". You win, for now.

Ok folks, about to put wheels down and I'm getting a scary look from the flight attendant. Better close here. I'll see you on the hot Birmingham roads - AL


"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

Musings in Boston (Again!)

"It takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that" - Red Queen, Through The Looking Glass

Flew up yesterday to Boston for my bi-monthly visit to see my son Michael, daughter-in-law Joanie, and especially our 20 month old grandson, Adam. Man, it is amazing how much they change in just two months. When I last saw him, Adam could barely say "dis" and "dat". Now, he's got a pretty good array one word thoughts and ideas and seems to understand a whole lot more than I anticipated. I never envisioned being Grandpa could be such a joy. Plus, it's a great way to try to stay in shape. I mean it's constant up and down, throwing him around, riding him like a 25# weight on the end of my leg, and being my own private medicine ball. He's running all over the place, so I'm planting all kinds of seeds to nurture this into a talent he can enjoy his whole life. Long distance running my boy...honest, it's a real chic magnet. Think he'll fall for that one?

Tomorrow, Michael and I will embark to downtown Boston for the 1st Annual Boston Athletic Association 10k. Now, I haven't run a 10k in a few years, but this will be just for complete fun. A couple of years ago, Michael and I ran a Half Marathon together and it was a complete blast for me. Michael had never gone that far, and it was on my birthday. The medal we got is one of those special "bookcase" medals I have displayed that I wrote about a couple of RWA posts back. We'll get a medal tomorrow and I plan to display it right next to that HM medal. Sometimes your favorite mementos have nothing to do with how you do in the race. As a matter of fact, I keep saying I hope my time tomorrow for the 6.2 miles is faster than the last time I did a 10 mile race! It's probably going to be close. I'll let you know next week how the run went.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the RAAM - the cycle race across America. 3000 miles of the-clock-doesn't-stop-till-you-reach-the-finish-line from California to Maryland. Well, the winner in the men's solo division finished in 8 days/8 hours. The female solo leader is still racing, but should finish today (11 days +). The first 4 man team did the 3000 miles in 5 days/11 hours!! Just amazing. I don't cycle (used to, but my butt got sore and I hated, JUST HATED (!), changing flats) but I now those of you are awed by this, because I sure am.

In the running scheme of big events, this morning, The Western States 100 Mile Run began in California. Now, this is not the steepest 100 miler, or even the toughest, but it is pretty dang tough, and old, and certainly prestigious. It's like the Boston Marathon of Ultra runs. Every Ultra runner, somewhere deep inside him wants to give WS a shot sometime. What makes this run so tough (well, the 100 miles has something to do with it) is overall, you ascend more than 18,000 feet of altitude, and the temperatures can range from the 20's to over 100 degrees - on the same day!! There's definitely snow...there's definitely mud! That's what running through mountains and canyons will do. If you finish under 24 hours, you get a silver belt buckle and under 30 hours earns you a bronze buckle. Over the 30 hour cutoff gets you and "Atta-boy" or "Atta-girl". About 60% of the starters will finish. There's another world out there folks.

On top of all this, this weekend I began reading Scott Ludwig's book "A Few Degrees From Hell" about the Badwater 135 Mile race through Death Valley. I'm halfway through it and just reading it gets my heart a-thumpin'. I'll write about this race in a couple of weeks, but all I'm trying to point out is 98% of me is stoked about Ultrarunning. Too bad my damn legs won't cooperate. Let's see how the 10k goes tomorrow.

Ok folks, gotta go. Adam is waking up from his power nap and grandpa has to be ready to get his butt in gear. I'll see you all on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

BOUNCING AROUND

"I ain't in no slump. I just ain't hitting" - Yogi Berra

OK, guys, this won't be long. I'm on my way to my cousin's 5 year old birthday party and if there's anything that I enjoy more than a dozen pre-schoolers jacked up on sugar, I just don't know what that might be! I'll tell you one thing that wasn't jacked up on anything this morning was ol' AL during his run. Let's just say 7 of my 9 miles wasn't bad at all, but then, WHAM! Good Morning!!! The hills were steeper, the temperature shot up, and the cement in my legs began to set, I mean really hard. Despite stopping twice for water, I still lost 4# along the way to the environment. Funny thing...I put my water bottle out, but after going out to get the paper before the run, I smartly said "I don't need no stinkin' water bottle". I mean, this is from a brain with over 30 years of long distance running experience! I may learn someday, but time is running out.

I made a huge decision last weekend and wound up changing shoe brands. I ran in New Balance for about 15 years straight, Then, in an effort to improve my ankle mechanics, and at the suggestion of Jeff down at the Trak Shak (DON'T go anyplace else if you're in Birmingham!) I switched to Nike Air Pegasus (Pegasi?) for the last 3 years. The pain improved some, but I was getting desperate for the magic shoe, so back to TS, and had a good long talk with Scott Strand (Birmingham legend and Olympic Marathon Trial runner). Essentially, he said take a deep breath and let's look at the Kahru Fast Ride. Now, the reason you have to take a deep breath is because they are a BRIGHT Lime Green!!! But, as I told Scott, I would wear Dorothy's shoes from the Wizard of Oz if he thought they would help. They have some technological gizmo in the sole that is designed to take some stress off the ankle transitioning through the roll and push-off cycle. After a week, I feel they may be helping (this morning's putrid finish had nothing to do with my ankles). The whole point is that if you are having any issues with your running that might be shoe related, speak to guys who know this stuff. There's a lot out there, from minimalist shoes (DON'T SAY BAREFOOT SHOES!!) to the Hoka OneOne that looks like a clown shoe rising you up with a 40mm sole. But, surprisingly, the Hoka is getting some excellent reviews from noted runners (mostly ultra guys). I'll keep you posted on how my Green Lanterns are doing.

Finally, a good friend of mine, John Gordon, will be flying to Kona, Hawaii this week to run the Kona Marathon. For the past 8 years, John has been on a quest to run a marathon in all 50 states, and this will be the cork in the bottle! Having followed John through this journey, I can tell you that though most folks pass it off as just "50 States" and what sounds like not that big a deal, this is one heck of a hard, expensive, and tiring accomplishment. With just about all of them, he travels and runs alone, and he sure doesn't boast about it - he just keeps doing them for his personal achievement. For the 49 so far, he has averaged 3:55 for each marathon. I asked him what his favorite was and the hugely surprising answer was Detroit! He loved running into Canada on the Windsor Bridge and coming back to the USA through a tunnel. The fact that he qualified for Boston with a 3:28 there didn't hurt either. Good luck John and a big congratulations.

Ok, guys gotta go. What do you get a 5 year old Princess for her birthday? I'm leaning towards a birdfeeder. Cinderella fed the birds, didn't she? Next week, I'll be in Boston. While I'm there, I'm "running" the BAA 10k with my son. That should be a whole lot of fun...not fast, just a whole lot of fun! So, either here, there, or someplace else, I'll see you on the roads - AL


"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

RAAMing Speed

"You gotta have a dream. If you don't have a dream, how will you know when a dream comes true?" - from the musical South Pacific


As many of you know, I love feats of endurance and although my attempts at it have been mostly bordering on pitiful, middle-of-the-pack-living-as-Walter-Mitty examples of pushing to the limits, it's still a passion of mine. Yes, there have been times in the woods where I was sure death was around the next tree (maybe hoping?), or in hour 21 of a 24 hour run wondering if Relentless Forward Motion was some sort of twisted dream, or thinking "Damn, 100 miles is one hell of a long way". But, somehow, having done dozens of these runs, my mind could get into a certain place, hide, and come awake at the other side of the tunnel. It comes down to four words...YOU JUST KEEP GOING!

I have always been enthralled by events, books and tales of overcoming staggering odds - you know, like Earnest Shackleton, or climbing Everest, or crossing the Sahara. And when you couple that with an athletic event, like Badwater, Triple Ironman races, or RUNNING across the Sahara well, I think my mind sounds like Gomer Pyle looking up at the skyscrapers in New York City...GOLLLLLLYYYYY!! Once you step onto the sideroads of ultra events, like I have, you marvel when you see or read about some athletes that do their events on relative interstates compared to my sideroads. I'll review some of my favorite books in a future post, but beginning this week will be one of those athletic events that 1) literally is so amazing that it is hard to get your head around, and 2) it goes basically unnoticed by 99% of the population. This is the RAAM - The Race Across America cycling race. Within Ultra-endurance athletic circles, it is one of the most respected and longest running annual endurance events. Since 1982, each June, cyclists dip their feet in the Pacific Ocean somewhere near San Diego, the gun goes off, the clock starts, and the clock doesn't stop till they dip their feet in the Ocean on the Right Coast in Annapolis, Maryland - some 3000 miles away!

This race has different categories, from solo to teams of 2, 4, & 8 persons, but it is the solo riders that awe me. This is a Race. Unlike other famous races, like the Tour de France, RAAM is not a stage race. The race is one stage that is almost 1000 miles longer than the famous Tour! This race is essentially a time trial...a 3000 mile time trial! In stage bike races, a time trial is usually called The Race of Truth. Well, my friend, this is more than a race of truth. It is a race to find out exactly what you're made of, what's inside you, who you are, and really, what is the breaking point and can you somehow get around it to finish.

In the heart of the race, in the solo division, this transcontinental crossing competition goes through 12 states and has greater than 170,000 feet in elevation (>32 miles!). They will usually ride 250 - 350 miles per day and will finish the race in 8 - 12 days averaging less than 3 hours of sleep per day. Now, while the clock is running, a support crew handles all of the logistics – food, fluids, navigation, clothing changes, medical needs, bike repairs, etc. so that the racers can try to focus on racing while they also must coordinate their nutrition with mostly staying on the bike and dealing with the many injuries, hallucinations, mechanical and mental breakdowns so unique to this long bike race (no, I won't go into them, but just use your imagination).

Just to get a taste of this epic ultraendurance event, take a look at the trailer of the movie BICYCLE DREAMS http://youtube/alEHvr-zKm0 .There is also a book recently released called HELL ON TWO WHEELS by Amy Snyder. I heard an interview with her and it sounds like she's captured the passion of these cyclists, but I don't think you can ever get them to eloquently answer the question...WHY? Several posts back, I tried to convey that there is no answer. It's just "in your blood". You can follow the race at
http://tinyurl.com/38bb2hg

Ok, one more thing staying somewhat on this biking theme. This morning, I was running and listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Competitor Radio ( http://competitorradio.competitor.com/ ). I have NEVER heard a bad show on this podcast. Anyway, they were interviewing Conrad Stoltz. He has won 40 Xterra competitions and 4 World Championships. Been an Olympian twice and obviously raced the world over. He was asked what his favorite race is and he said...get ready...Xterra Alabama!!! He went on about what a great venue Oak Mt is and how he loves the course going around the lake and talked about Blood Rock. It was really pretty neat. If you download the episode, the Oak Mt part is about 30-35 minutes into the interview.

Hope you all have a good week and whether you're on your bike, in a pool, or pounding the pavement or trail, I'll see you on the proverbial roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"

RUNNING MYTHS

“We must not be hampered by yesterday's myths in concentrating on today's needs.”
Harold S. Geneen

There are a lot of myths about running. I think I’ve heard them all, but here are a few.

You really shouldn’t run so much. It’s bad for your knees

FALSE. The most common heard myth about running is that it will ruin your knees. This has never, ever been proven in a well-designed study. Studies on osteoarthritis of the knee and hip in runners and non-runners have found that it is a problem in both groups equally. If genetically you're doomed to get arthritis, then the road has been paved for you. Running makes little to no difference in whether you will develop arthritis or not. Running may actually help to maintain a healthy joint. Now, if you have a pre-existing joint problem because of a previous injury or arthritis, then running may accelerate it. I find the biggest contributor to knee arthritis is weight. Every pound translates to 1.5 pounds of force in the knee joint with every step while walking. Assuming the average adult takes 5000-10,000 steps per day, you can see where just a few extra kilos can add up.

Don't run if you have a cold

FALSE. Generally, the old adage applies - if the cold is in your neck or above, it is usually safe to run. Now, I'm not saying you're going to have the run of your life. As a matter of fact, I'm prone to say you'll probably feel like crap, but if you must run, then you most likely will not endanger your health. If the cold is in your chest, or if you have a fever...c'mon, use some common sense and bag the run. You might spread the infection in your lungs, prolong the symptoms, keep throwing up, but hey...you're keeping your running streak going!

You should buy a new running shoes every 500 miles

TRUE. Back when I started running (with the pilgrims), I would take great pride in getting close to 1000 miles on a pair of shoes (no foolin'). But, this is where shoe technology has developed to protect your joints by discovering new materials. Unfortuneately, this technology also breaks down sooner. Modern shoes can still look as good as new after a year, but their impact-absorbing properties drop off significantly after 350-500 miles depending on your style and weight. Some conspiracy theorists view this as a way for shoe comapies to up their sales, and this might not be 100% nuts, but in an effort not to limp around any more than I do, I say Bring On The Technology.

Running on a treadmill is not as effective as running outdoors

FALSE. Although there is arguably less impact on a treadmill, which is more forgiving than the road, the big plus of a treadmill is that it will make you mighty honest to running at a cetain pace or you will be off the back of the treadmill like George Jetson. The effect of air resistence that is lost on a teadmill can be easily compensated by raising the incline 1%. I remember training for Pikes Peak and here in Alabama, the steepest hill I could find was an 8% grade and Pikes rises at 11% for 13 miles! I found out you can almost die on a treadmill when you put it at 11%!!

I’m a runner, so I can eat anything

FALSE: HOO-BOY, that's a good one. Yeah, you can eat anything, but you'll be big as a double-wide! The truth is that most runners burn about 100 calories per mile (same as walkers), so you do the math...5 miles equals 500 calories...come home, eat 1000 calories and your 500 in the hole. Plus, now you're whipped and the lawn doesn't get cut, the car doesn't get washed, and the Couch of Doom draws you in like a black hole. See where I'm going with this? Unfortunately, old habits die hard, and I really, really like my peanut M&Ms.

Running is counterproductive to strength training

TRUE: But only if your goal in life is to compete in the national weight lifting championships. A good exercise program combines both strength training and intense cardio, whether running or not. Weight lifting will protect your joints from the pounding of running, especially if you emphasize a low weight/high rep program. I know some pretty big Arnold-looking dudes who are fast runners.

You've got to run hard to sweat

FALSE: I love when folks say to me "I'll bet you can run a mile and not even break a sweat". The truth is I just THINK of running a mile and I sweat! A runner's cooling system is much more on alert to cool you off, hence you sweat like a pig pretty easily. Think of how many times you over-dressed in the winter and were drenched under your 3 layers two miles into the run.

You aren’t a runner until you’ve completed a marathon

BIG FALSE: You’re a runner if you run, period. The fact that I can run a marathon and you run 5k's just means we run different distances loving the same sport.

You must carbo load before a marathon

FALSE: What’s a marathon without the traditional pre race carbo loading dinner? Now, I can eat pasta every night of the week. I mean look at all those different shapes. To me they're as different as potatoes are from tomatoes! And they're all just jammed packed with tons of carbohydrates...and isn't that what we were taught our little running muslces craved in RUNNING 101? Those heaping plates of pasta the evening before your marathon have become an accepted part of marathon racing. But, do you need those huge helpings of pasta? Not really. Your pre race taper combined with your normal high carbohydrate helpings of food will get you ready for your race. You neither need nor want excessive portion sizes before your race. The large amounts of food can actually make you sluggish and tired on race morning. And let's not even talk about becoming friends with Mr. Porta-potty.

Higher Mileage is always better

FALSE: Higher mileage isn’t always better, but it may be under certain circumstances. Of course, it depends on what your goals are. There are a lot of runners out there that think the more miles they put in the better they will do. That is only half true. It’s true that more mileage will usually result in better performance, but only up to a point. Several studies have shown that up to about 70 miles per week you will reap a lot of benefits from increasing your running volume. After 70 miles per week you still see some gains but they are much smaller. Most runners can perform very successful marathon running on 40-45 miles per week, or sometimes, even less.

Running will give you a heart attack or other heart problems

FALSE: This is one of my pet-peeves. Every time there is a marathon in which a runner unfortuneately dies, all these non-runners come off their couch to tell you "See what happens if you run?". Look, let's take 50,000 runners in a marathon and 50,000 couch-potatoes and see how many of each has a heart attack. OK, the truth is that DURING a vigorous exercise, like a marathon, , there is a 7x greater chance of having a heart attack, but regular running and other forms of endurance exercises can reduce your overall risk of a heart attack by up to 50%. So, once again, I ask you to do the math. You're damned if you do (exercise), because every workout carries a small, transient risk. However, you're much more damned if you don't (exercise), because you're far more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and similar lifestyle diseases. Simply going out for a run most days of the week is doing far more good than bad for your heart.

Wow, RWA went way too long this week folks. I better go for my run before it gets too hot. Thank goodness it's not the winter, because you know if you run in the winter, you can freeze your lungs! I'll see you on the roads - AL

"One child lost is too many...one child saved can change the world"