Sub-2 Hour Marathon in 2015?

Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia), 2:03:59, Berlin Marathon, 2008

Dr. David Martin, a statistician with The Association of International Marathons (AIM), has predicted that, if the world record times for marathons continue to improve at the present rate, the 2 hour marathon will be shattered as early as 2015 (source Running Room Magazine, p.8, January/ February, 2009).

The doubters said that Haile Gebrselassie's 2.04.26 marathon achieved on September 30, 2007 was the height of human endurance and to go faster was simply impossible.

Fast forward to September 28, 2008 when Haile shattered his own record with a time of 2.03.59, a full 27 seconds better than his previous world time. His pace? A staggering 4.44 m/m average pace! Haile won the AIM's prestigious Fastest Time Award, twice, back to back, in the space of 12 months! An achievement AIM president, Hiroaki Chosa, called "astonishing". Regrettably, Haile was unable to beat his record in Dubai on January 18, 2009, missing a $1 000 000 incentive offered by the Dubai government to break his own record. He did, however, manage to take home a cool $250 000 prize for winning the race.

For a point of reference, Paul Tergat (Kenya) was the first person to break the 2.05 marathon in 2003, a record he held until 2008, and John Haynes (USA) set the world record in 1908 with a marathon time of 2.55.18. The point is records are states of mind. The doubters say, "no, never", and the dreamers say "yes, maybe tomorrow, maybe me".

On May 6, 1954 another record, equally daunting as the 1.59.59 marathon, was set. At the time the 4 minute mile was deemed impossible. Medical experts of the day claimed the heart would "explode" and to subject the human body to that much stress was "tantamount to suicide". Similar to the 1.59.59 marathon, the 4 minute mile captured the imagination of the world. The pundits predicted that, if it were possible, the conditions would need to be ideal and the audience would need to be huge to spur the runner to achieving the impossible 4-minute mile.

On a wet, windy day, with poor conditions and small crowds, Roger Bannister, from Oxford England, ran a 4 minute mile. He achieved the impossible because he believed no barrier existed. His achievement was received world wide as though the impossible had been achieved, and indeed it had.

After smashing the 2 hour, 5 minute marathon in 2003, Paul Tergat suggested we are getting close to the limit of marathon speed. He said "I believe that records are set to be broken and to fall lower is possible, but what remains impossible is running a marathon in under two hours.’ Then, with a smile, he added: "Maybe time will chide me."

A sub 2 hour marathon in my life time? I say yes!

A sub 4 hour marathon for me in 2009? I say, with focus and training, yes!

To dream. To achieve. To accomplish the impossible.

Happy training. Dream on!

Mike

Oh, one other thing, the pace needed to break 2 hours? An average of 4:33.8 minute/ miles.

Running Slows the Aging Clock

I happened upon this gentleman about one mile into the Twin Cities Marathon. As I passed him I asked "Can you give me any advice" to which he replied "Sure, whatever you do, don't start out too fast." Too bad I didn't heed his good advice. His name is Burt Carlson, age 83, and Twin Cities Marathon was his 300th slow dance. On December 5, 2008, he completed his 301st marathon at the Reggae Marathon in, where else, Jamaica.

Here's the race results of the 80+ category of Twin Cities Marathon 2008, one woman and three men ranging in age from 80 to 85, all simply amazing individuals. Joy Johnson, age 81, time 6:14:12, Jerry Johncock, age 80, time 3:59:12 (No, I'm not upset that an 80 year old has achieved my dream goal, no sir not me :>). Lloyd Young, age 85, time 5:00:35, Burt Carlson, age 83, time 5:57:41.

Stanford University School of Medicine recently completed a 20 year study involving 538 runners over the age of 50 and compared them to a similar group of non-runners. The subjects are now all in their 70's and 80's and the results of the study are encouraging for runners.

After 20 years 34% of the non-runners had died while only 19% of the runners had passed. The study found that both groups, the runners and non-runners, eventually became more disabled, but for the runners the onset of disability started much later, on average, about 16 years later! The study also found that the general ability level between the two groups became larger over time, meaning the runners stayed healthy longer while the non-runners lost physical and cognitive ability earlier. There was significantly fewer cardiovascular deaths and other deaths such as cancer, neurological, and infections. The running group had better eating habits and their overall outlook was more positive than the non-runners. Finally, a side study by the same group showed running was not associated with greater rates of osteoarthritis in elderly runners. Runners also do not require more total knee replacements than non-runners.

To summarize, runners live longer, have a better quality of life in later years, are happier, hold on to their physical and cognitive abilities longer, and don't experience greater than normal knee and hip difficulties. I'd say this is nothing short of win-win.

I leave you with this video of Joy Johnson. If you're not inspired, check your pulse... you may be expired.

George Carlin and Goal Setting

What does George Carlin have to do with setting goals? Surprisingly, quite a bit. Before I explain the Carlin connection let me tell you my goals for 2009.

1) Run a sub-four hour marathon.

2) Log 1261 miles (1 more mile than 2008... just to prove that I still have it ;>).

3) Run a spring and fall marathon.

Nothing too surprising here. These goals are a variation of goals set by millions of runners... run stronger, run faster, have fewer injuries, run greater distances, eat better, lose weight, gain core strength.... they're all honorable goals and we should stand proud, but do you ever feel something's missing? That's where Carlin comes in.

George Carlin wrote that the role of the comedian is "to find the line in the sand and take a giant step past it". He was all about ruffling feathers and causing the establishment to squirm. He was forever pushing the boundaries and nudging people out of comfortable, preconceived notions. He made us think bigger than the times we were living in and, no coincidence, we had a few laughs along the way. Carlin wrote the following passage shortly after his wife died. In typical Carlinesque style he reminds us to think bigger than ourselves and our pedestrian aspirations, to run past the line in the sand.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stock room. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin died on June 22, 2008 from heart failure. He was 71.

To the previously mentioned three goals for 2009 I add the following:

4. To love more.

5. To hate less.

6. To apologize when I have done wrong.

7. To find the line in the sand and run beyond.

Thank you to my perfect sister, Judith, and her beautiful partner, Heather, for their continued inspiration. Michael

Ghost Bikes

Ghost Bikes are junk bicycles that are spray painted white and locked to a post close to where a cyclist was killed or seriously hurt by a vehicle. A handmade plaque is attached and flowers adorn the bike. They are intended as a stark reminder for passing motorists to share the road. Ghost bikes are usually erected by bicycle advocacy groups such as Winnipeg's Bike To the Future. The Ghost Bike concept originated in San Francisco in 2002 as an art project, but the Ghost Bike Memorial Project evolved from an incident in St. Louis, Missouri in October 2003. After witnessing a cyclist being killed by a vehicle, Patrick Van Der Tuin placed a white bike next to the spot with a hand painted sign reading "Cyclist Struck Here". It was his way of expressing grief for what he had witnessed. The project has since spread to major cities throughout the world. Our city's first and only Ghost Bike is located close the Old Market Square in the Exchange District (not sure if it's an art project or memorial). Like many of you, I've noticed the bike, but I didn't understand the significance until last evening at a family gathering when the discussion arose. Toronto has four Ghost Bikes, Edmonton has seven.

Why 'bike talk' on a runners' blog?

I straddle the two communities, running and cycling, and both groups need frequent reminders to ride safe, to run safe. To my cycling friends and my running friends ...be careful out there, don't become a ghost. To the motorists, share the road and ... do the test.

M

Resolution Run 2009

It was a good day to be alive!

:) nu yr 2 u

m

(click pictures to enlarge)

Marathons aren't for everyone...

My wife sent me this cartoon. Call me paranoid, but I can't help but think there's a subliminal message intended. Hmm, now if I could only figure out what she really means...

Good luck to all runners participating in the Resolution Run and the Polar Bare Run (haven't heard of the Polar Bare Run? Click here). I am volunteering as a Road Marshal for the Resolution Run, same as last year. Hope to see you there.

It's a good day to be alive.

M ;>)

Running On Roads

The following letter was originally published in the Winnipeg Free Press on December 5th. The writer, Jenna, argues that runners should stay off the roads. My comments follow her letter.

Editor: As a Winnipegger who regularly runs outdoors year round, I am constantly infuriated by other runners' insistence at running on the street. The street is a place for traffic with wheels, whether it's a busy street like Portage Avenue or the meandering Wellington Crescent. I can understand a driver's irritation at coming across a wayward runner schlepping along a street when there is a perfectly good sidewalk to be had.I realize that sidewalks are currently coated in patches of icy snow that could down a pedestrian at the slightest misstep. Conditions aren't great. But these conditions will improve with a few more snowfalls and a steady freezing temperature, making running on the sidewalk viable and comfortable.If you can't handle running on the sidewalk, where you belong as a pedestrian, maybe you should take it inside to a treadmill. When it comes to a confrontation with a vehicle, a runner is not going to come out a winner.

Jenna

The crux of Jenna's argument is found in her last sentence, "a runner will always fair second in a battle with a vehicle". No argument here! We runners are pretty well at the bottom of the roadway food chain only just ahead of walkers and just below cyclists. Jenna reminds us that we need to be vigilant, smart, and respectful of vehicular traffic. But to stop running on the road altogether?! Well, that's simply not possible, and to suggest we "take it inside to a treadmill" is unreasonable and simplistic.

Coincidentally, I was hit by an SUV while running on the sidewalk several weeks ago and then was verbally and viciously assaulted by the driver for my troubles. A friend recently found himself battling with vehicles while running across an intersection in the pedestrian lane on the green light. Another friend was clipped from behind by a vehicle while running through Assiniboine Park, a runners' haven, in broad daylight in a large group. The driver of the vehicle stopped, not to apologize or assist, but to rant at the runners about his broken mirror! Clearly, there's a lot of idiot drivers out there and they're going to find you whether you run on the road, the sidewalk, or on the trails. Fortunately, they're in the minority, and cool headed drivers prevail.

Most drivers are courteous, they slow down when approaching runners, they make eye-contact and they give a wide berth when passing. They recognize the need to share the roadway with pedestrians and cyclists for the benefit of the community. They understand that running on winter sidewalks is dangerous and often impossible due to ice and knee-deep snow.

My view is it's an issue of fundamental respect. Drivers respecting runners and runners respecting drivers. We runners need to maintain a vigilance and healthy fear of running on roads. We must never assume drivers can see us. We must run towards traffic, wear reflective gear and a headlamp at night, consider leaving the tunes at home, and most notable, understand that no matter who's at fault, (in Jenna's words) a runner will "come in second in a confrontation with a vehicle". Likewise, drivers must learn to share the road, to ease up on the pedal when approaching a runner. They must understand that we're just regular folk, good folk... we're your sons, your daughters, your friends, your mothers and fathers. Good drivers share the road.

So dear runners, when you run on the road, be smart, never lose your guard, maintain a healthy fear of vehicular traffic and ... watch out for the idiots!

Will I freeze my lungs?

I just checked Environment Canada's web page for an update for this morning's six mile run. It's another typical winter run, Winnipeg style... periods of light snow beginning this morning, wind north 40 km/h gusting to 60, temperature steady near minus 26, extreme wind chill minus 43... sigh, another day in the ''peg...but fear not hearty runners for it's a dry cold! It's true, it really is a dry cold, and that could be a problem for asthmatics.

Occasionally I am asked, usually by my non-running friends, don't your lungs freeze running in weather like this? The answer, simply, is no, they don't freeze. Here' an article from The Globe and Mail that explores the question "will I freeze my lungs by exercising outside in the cold?".

The strangest story that Michel Ducharme, a scientist with Defence Research and Development Canada, has encountered is the Nordic skiers who were swallowing Vaseline to coat their airways as a protective measure against cold air. "That's just crazy," he says - and entirely unnecessary. Dr. Ducharme is the researcher whose work led to a major revision of the wind-chill scale earlier this decade, thanks to the efforts of volunteers who sat in a frigid wind tunnel until their faces developed frost nip. And he's happy to dismiss the idea that your lungs will suffer from contact with cold air. "The heat exchange is very quick," he says, "and there's no evidence of any risk of freezing tissue." This may be cold comfort for people who swear they are overcome by coughing fits or throat pain when they exert themselves in subzero conditions. Indeed, cold air has long been implicated in exercise-induced bronchoconstriction, an asthma-like narrowing of the airways that leads to shortness of breath and coughing. EIB affects between 4 and 20 per cent of the population. In these cases, though, it's the dryness of the air, not its temperature, that triggers the response, says John Brannan, a researcher at McMaster University's Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health in Hamilton.

The cells that line our airways are highly sensitive to dehydration, and breathing hard during exercise greatly increases the amount of dry air rushing past these cells. Although this hypothesis has been disputed for many years, recent experiments by Kenneth Rundell, a researcher at Marywood University in Scranton, Penn., who spent 10 years as an exercise physiologist with the United States Olympic Committee, have shown that warm, dry air and cold, dry air trigger identical responses. There are some makeshift solutions: Wearing a scarf or balaclava over the mouth can moisten the air as it is inhaled. "That makes breathing more difficult," Dr. Rundell notes, so it's less useful for skiers or runners in competition, but may be fine in training. Commercial heat-exchange masks, which accomplish the same thing with less breathing resistance, are also available. If the EIB symptoms are serious - and confirmed by a lung-function test administered by a doctor - asthma medication can help alleviate the symptoms. Contrary to what some athletes and coaches believe, though, there's no performance benefit to taking these medications if you don't suffer from EIB, Dr. Rundell says. It's still not clear whether chronic intense exercise can lead to EIB.

Winter Olympic athletes have a higher prevalence than the general population does, but so do summer athletes, who breathe in more pollution and allergens. This is a more controversial topic and only relevant to those training at elite levels. For most people, it's safe to conclude that, short of an asthma attack, exercising outside in the dead of winter is perfectly safe. Some people do experience a burning sensation in their throat or upper airways when they exercise in the cold, Dr. Rundell says, "but that's just a response of the nerve endings." In other words, you're not freezing your lungs - so you might as well keep going. Alex Hutchinson is a former member of Canada's long-distance running team, and has a PhD in physics.

TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL

C.I.M. When can I do it again? (guest blog by Vivian)

Now that I have braved the vagaries of air travel back from California to our little northern outpost, restocked the fridge that the teenagers ate bare, unpacked, and caught up on my sleep (a little), I am ready to try to put into words the amazing experience that was my first marathon.

We landed in San Francisco last Friday at noon to a beautiful sunny day, 22 degrees. Sacramento is a 90 minute drive north and east of San Francisco, on the interior. Weather experts tell us that Sacramento is supposed to be several degrees warmer than the Bay Area at any given time. As we enjoyed our lunch amidst the flowering pots of an outdoor café in San Francisco’s South Beach area, pre-race anxiety and sun-on-my-face-sleeveless-bliss competed for conquest of my emotional state. If it’s this hot here, what’s it going to be like 43 hours from now, 90 miles east, at race start?

We headed for Sacramento, checked in to our hotel and headed for the California International Marathon expo. What is that thing psychologists call “imposter syndrome”? There I was walking around the expo, picking up my race kit and beautiful CIM technical shirt, having my chip checked, acting like I was a marathoner. What’s with that?

Somehow we were able to shovel a massive quantity of pasta and salad into me at Buca di Beppo’s (which I highly recommend for the portions and price when doing a long run in the U.S.) and slept (pretty well) on Friday night. David always says it’s not the sleep the night before the race that matters, it’s the night before the night before.

As it turned out I needn’t have worried about the weekend weather. Looking out the window of our Sacramento hotel room on Saturday morning, I could see all the way to – well actually - my window. And what I could see through the fog onto the street looked like a whole bunch of people wearing down jackets and mitts. Is this how Californians react to a little bit of fall weather or is it really that cold?

There were vast numbers of young freakishly athletic looking people staying at our hotel. Many of these folks were leaving the hotel in droves for group runs on Saturday morning. David warned me that this would happen. He reassured me that going for a run in the fog would make no difference to whether I finished or even my time. So I tried to ignore all the BQ-chasers and resist peer group pressure to do a pre race day run. Instead David and I strolled the State legislature park that stretched for blocks across the street from our hotel. We couldn’t find the Governor’s mansion (we heard Arnold wasn’t in town anyway) but found scores of orange trees weighed down with fruit, rose bushes in bloom and fragrant snapdragons.

Somehow I got through pre-race day, we set our alarm for 3:45 AM and woke up to another foggy day, or should I say night. CIM is a point to point marathon. For $10 on top of your registration you board a school bus at your marathon hotel at 5 AM and get bussed literally to the starting line of the marathon. It was an other-worldly experience - scores of orange busses heading out to Folsom in the pitch dark, each bus boarded upon arrival by a CIM volunteer who makes announcements and wishes the group luck, and then 6000 marathoners and 750 relay starters headed off to 250 porta potties (max. wait time about 1 minute, really! Hear that, Manitoba Marathon?). Checked our sweat bags, threw our last minute warm up gear into the charity bin at the starting line, and off we went. A wide starting street, even well back in the pack it only took us about 45 seconds to cross the starting line.

Our race plan was for 10-minute miles inclusive of walk breaks every 10 minutes, which meant doing about a 9:30 pace while running. My “wildest dreams” time was 4:20. My “would be thrilled with” time was anything under 4:30. We kept to our race plan and things went according to plan, mostly. Every mile a CIM volunteer called out the clock time and average pace as runners passed the mile marker. We were on pace. The course was mainly straight, the spectators plentiful, and the course entertainment wonderful – high school cheerleaders in uniform, marching bands, live rock bands, soul singers. The first 5 miles were rural and there were cows and horses to cheer us on.

We took an unscheduled 2 – 3 minute break at about Mile 10 – someone didn’t use the porta potty before the race and it wasn’t me (and there were only 3 PP’s at Mile 10 not 250) – and our pace slowed down a touch after about mile 20 but honestly I didn’t start feeling really tired until about the last 3.5 miles (you know, those last three miles that you’ve never run before in training or in my case ever). The weather was near perfect for me – 3 degrees throughout the race, fog and clouds, obviously some humidity but not a real problem due to the low temperature.

As we turned the last corner and saw the State Capital Building and the finish line balloons David grabbed my hand and we headed for the women’s finish line. My chip time 4:24:01, David’s 4:24:02. That first marathon finish was really everything that they say it is, and then it’s all a blur of more awesome CIM volunteers, post-race phone calls, and the very stiff, very cold but very euphoric walk back to the hotel.

In my pre race blog I expressed my gratitude to David and my amazing running friends. I cannot say enough about the CIM organization and the Sacramento Marathon. The CIM organization bills itself as runners for runners, and this couldn’t be more true. Finally I want to put in a plug for the humble taper and for wonderful massage therapist Elanna Greene. I had many aches and pains, and worse, throughout the fall as I trained for this race. By race week the aches were there but they were whining a lot less, and by race day the taper and Elanna had scared my injuries into shadows of their former selves.

When can I do it again?

Vivian

Larry, Vivian, and David at the CIM exposition.

Congratulations to Larry who completed CIM with a 5:35 time in the 75 to 79 age category.

California International Marathon

Stay tuned... Vivian's race report coming. Y'all come back now! M