PodiumRunner: A Short Marathon Build-Up?

The Case for a Shorter Marathon Buildup

The uncertainty of racing makes it hard to plan 4–6 months out. Take heart, 8–10 weeks might be a better marathon buildup. 

Sep 4, 2020/RICHARD A. LOVETT/PodiumRunner 

If you’re looking for candidates for the type of runners who’ve been most severely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, marathoners are probably top of the list. After all, it’s fairly easy to do a virtual 5K or 10K — or give the mile or the 800 a go on a track or measured road. 

But a virtual marathon? With no aid stations and no other runners to keep you focused during those long, later miles? That’s a different beast, entirely. 

Which means that once COVID-19 restrictions on road racing start to ease, there’s going to be a big clamor for marathons. But, when a marathon finally becomes possible, that will raise another question: how far in advance do you need to start training for it?

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Runner's World: How To REALLY Cut 30 Seconds Off Your 5K

How Stephanie Bruce Ran a 27-Second 5K Personal Best at 35 
After a 3-year racing break following the birth of her two boys, Bruce has been racking up personal bests and national titles.
Taylor Dutch/ Runner's World, May 19, 2019

“Believe, run first 3K with confidence, stay attached, you will be hurting a lot...pretty early on, but keep in contact. Split second decision to push, sub 15:22 top 3. Compete, compete, compete.”

These are the notes that Stephanie Bruce wrote in her phone an hour before she raced the 5K at the USATF Distance Classic in Eagle Rock, California, on May 16. The prerace practice is part of a conversation with herself where Bruce addresses her fears and nerves with confident solutions.

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Outside: Crazy Dreams

Nike and the Problem with Pro Running Contracts 
Martin Fritz Huber/Outside/May 17, 2019

Last weekend, on Mother’s Day, the New York Times published an op-ed criticizing Nike for not having a maternity leave policy for sponsored track and field athletes. The article was accompanied by a short video narrated by multiple 800-meter national champ Alysia Montaño, which satirizes Nike’s pro-women “Dream Crazier” campaign. For anyone who has been skeptical of Nike’s recent foray into performative progressivism, it was a call out that’s been long overdue.

“They tell us to “‘Believe in something,’” Montaño says in the video, echoing last year’s much hyped Colin Kapaernick ad. “We say: How about maternity leave’?”

Bravo...

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Outside: Go (Be) Pre

Running Needs Another Steve Prefontaine
It's been more than four decades since his death, and distance running hasn't yet found anyone who can match his bravado
Martin Fritz Huber/Outside


May 30, 2017, marks 42 years since the death of Steve Prefontaine, the charismatic Oregonian sometimes referred to as the “James Dean of track and field.” Like his Hollywood counterpart, Pre died in a car crash at age 24—an early exit that probably did more to secure his legend than an Olympic triumph ever would have. The site of the accident, known as Pre’s Rock, has become a repository of distance-running dreams: Fans visit from all over the world and leave behind tribute items (personal notes, track spikes, medals) for the man who once said, “I like to make something beautiful when I run. It’s more than just a race, it’s style.”


Prefontaine was never short on style...


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Outside: When Athletes Dope

When Athletes Dope, Not All Sports Are Created Equal
Why it's more upsetting when endurance athletes fail drug tests than when NFL or MLB players do.Martin Fritz Huber/Outside Online, Apr 21, 2017

Last January, in the wake of a retroactive doping violation, Usain Bolt was stripped of one of the three gold medals he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Bolt himself wasn’t accused of any wrongdoing—it was Nesta Carter, his teammate in the 4x100-meter relay, whose reanalyzed blood samples from the games showed traces of the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine. As a consequence, the Jamaican relay team was disqualified—more than eight years after blowing away the competition in the Bird’s Nest stadium...

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Active.com:Only Eight Of 'Em, Huh?

8 Ways to Piss Off a Runner
Caitlin Chock/Active.com

Although many runners are high on endorphins thanks to all those miles logged on the roads, trails and tracks, there are a few situations that can turn that happy mood into a sour one. Here are eight sure-fire ways to piss off a runner (details in link...)

Tripping a Runner

Hogging Lane One

Delaying Their Run

Pointing Out When They Can't Run

Delaying Post-Run Food

Provoking the Injured Runner

Calling a Runner The "J" Word

Inflicting the Jeans Debacle

I Run Far via Outside On-LineWhen Stopping After A Hundred Miles Is A Bad Day

Courtney Dauwalter breaks US 24-hour record at Riverbank One-Day
Riverbank, CA -- Race director Jon Olsen hosted the (Riverbank One-Day) event on a brand-new track with the promise of “on track for drama to unfold.”

Already assured a place on the U.S. 24-hour team that will compete at the IAU 24-Hour World Championships in Ireland in July, Courtney Dauwalter seemingly had little to gain here. Still, riding a recent hot streak, Dauwalter struck while the iron was hot and scored a new American record for 24 hours. Dauwalter ringed the track over and over to collect an even 250 kilometers, or 155.343 miles. The total haul was more than three miles better than Sabrina Little‘s previous American record, and only five kilometers back of Mami Kudo’s world best. With Katalin Nagy, Traci Falbo, Jenny Hoffman, and Pam Smith also on the U.S. 24-Hour Team, the Americans will be heavy heavy favorites in Ireland.

Second overall, Rich Riopel finished with 151.86 miles to run his way on to the U.S. men’s team. His qualifying mark currently ranks fourth. The qualifying window is set to close April 1. Already on the U.S. team, Bob Hearn was third overall with 144.41 miles.

The star of December’s Desert Solstice race, Gina Slaby totaled 132.72 miles. Pam Smith stopped after 100 miles.