Weekend of extremes: from 100 meters worldrecord to a 100k ultra run

Last weekend was a weekend of extremes in running term. Asafa Powell improved his world record on the shortest outdoor distance, the 100 meter. He set the new time to beat on 9.74 seconds. A lead physiologist for the English Institute of Sport says "There is no sign that the 100m world record is slowing up" on BBC sport. He also expects that Powell will be able to lower the record to 9.7 in due time thanks to his explosive start.

On the other end of the scale was the 100k run in Winschoten with the Dutch Championchips, the European Championchips and the WMA Championchips. This was won by the Russian runner Oleg Kharitonov in a time of 6 hours, 30 minutes and 22 seconds. Check out the site for more results.


And on the scale from profesionalism to well....lets say enthousiasm...
I took part as a member of the relay team from my work on the 10 times 10km relay. We had two teams taking part. Before we tried to balance the teams so we could have a compitition between the to teams which worked out very well. In the end we finished just over two minutes apart. Picture shows me at the start of my 10k as last runner of one of the teams. Great thing of being the last runner of the team in a relay? Every other last runner you are overtaking (to be recognized by the 0 as the last digit of the number) means you are climbing one extra place in the final results. I am clad to say I overtook a a couple of runners without being overtaken myself!

Running in Portugal

During the previous two weeks I have spend my holidays in the Algarve in Portugal and of course....the running gear came along. Coming from Holland where our highest hill is just over 300mtrs (which we have to share with the Germans and the Belgians) and the biggest climb in my surroundings is in the dunes along the sea I can tell you the rolling countryside of the Algarve is a great training environment.
The location
We stayed in a very nice place away from the more crowded coastline called Monte da Bravura. Set on a hill top on a dead end road towards a barrage. 6k to Lagos, in the west Algarve. I don't have shares in the place but as it was a very nice stay, a very good guest house and the owners and staff are very nice people: I can realy recommend it.
Besides running the Algarve offers great opportunities for walking, has great beaches with waves suitable for surfing and a lot of restaurants (I can recommend to stay of the beaten track because the best dinners we had in smaller restaurants outside the crowded touristic towns and off the major roads...)
The runs
I did various runs however all of them were along two routes I entered on mapmyrun. One route is from the hotel to the barage (2k - one way) and the other route is from the hotel, directly downhill turning north on a rolling gradual climb with a steep climb (according to MMR ~70m climb in 800mtrs) in the end (7k one way). Specialy this second one is - for a someone with no hill experience - challenging on the return leg when you climb back to the hotel (again some 70 meters climb in app. 800-900 meters with a very steep bit in the middle). These two routes combined to a 10k training (cutting the long one short by turing around at the 5k point and saving my self one of the very steep climbs), two 14k routes (either the 7k back and forth or the 10k combined with hte 2k run back and forth) and a 18k training (both routes combined).
Below you find the routes on the map. For the elevation go to the MMR site itself and let is show the elevation panel. This is however and indications because if you would believe the panel the run woould have been like on a roller coaster but I can tell you the roads were very nice an smooth and nothing like the jitter that is shown on the panels.
To conclude
For someone with no hills around the Algarve offers very nice running, in perfect weather conditions (early morning starts recommended in warmer periods) on quite roads.



Two other routes in the area:

Luz and Lagos. If you want to find other routes in a wider area...zoom out on the map, click the find button on the map and select 'show public route on map'. Have some nice runs during your stay!

Headphones prohibited

On the site of Grandma's Marathon on of the first texts your read is this one:

Headphone Rule:

USATF rules (Click here and read rule #144.3b) prohibit the use of headphones and similar devices on the racecourse. This rule will be enforced during Grandma's Marathon,
the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, the William A. Irvin 5K, Fitger's 5K, the
Park Point 5-Miler and the Grandma's Minnesota Mile. Runners should not bring
these devices with them to the race. Those carrying/wearing these devices will
be given the option to surrender their music device to a designated race
official prior to entering the starting line gates. Surrendered devices will be
properly packaged and mailed back to their rightful owners within two weeks
after the race. Participants that choose not to surrender their device will be
disqualified from the race and their finishing time will not appear in the
official race results.

I don't think this is the best way to advertise your run! OK they start of with this line:

Grandma's Marathon is a point-to-point course run along the beautiful north
shore of Lake Superior. The 26.2-mile stretch begins on scenic Old Highway
61, just outside Two Harbors, Minnesota and finishes in Duluth's Canal Park.
Enthusiastic volunteers, spectators and live entertainers line the streets
to cheer runners on as they stride to the finish line.

That sounds more like it. If you make it a rule that headphones are
prohibited point it out in the regulations for the participants. Of course you can argue if it is necessary to prohibit use. Supposedly runners with headphones don't hear officials or other runners and the rule: "Keep your volume low so you can hear your surroundings" is hard to check. By the way: Be honest....would you still pay attention to some official shouting along the route after you hvae run 30k or more? They really have to be in my face to be noticed...

I myself seldom run with music, certainly not during a marathon where I want as little ballast as necessary. When running in nature I like to experience the sounds as well as for in the city...I need the sounds to make sure I am running save. For example a cyclist ready to overtake me cannot be heard while running with music. Even if the volume is turned very, very low. But that is a matter of taste and I can understand that people get a boost from running with music and that this might help them to finish a marathon so why prohibit the use of headphones?

Nice quotes

For those who like to read quotes on running or more general quotes on life that can also be applied to running look at the collection on complete running.

Sleep as part of your training

Rightly so about running asks the question if runners look at their sleeping habits.A good nights rest is as important for your fitness as is a training. That is why they refer to this site with 10 tips for a good sleep. The ten tips are:

1. Light exersises: yoga or walking helps to lower stress levels. With me runnig works as well even relatively short before going to sleep I can run but I nkow this will not be the case for everyone For some sport in the evening can be killing to get to sleep (see point 10)


2. Listening to music: Of course this should be the relaxing kind


3. Cleaning up: It might sound crazy but this appears to be working but I think I skip this one


4. Games instead of TV: Think of stress relieving memory games. Train your brain in the same time


5. A bubble bath


6. A massage: Lets hope your partner has the skills and can pay some extra attention to the muscles important to a runner


7. Write in your journal: Empty your head by writing down thought or experiences. The blog is of course the modern journal


8. Meditation: It relaxes, lower stress levels. I have it sometimes during running that it works like meditation. Repeating thoughts like a mantra or having a completely empty mind. Running is meditation to me.


9. Sex: I the order of the tips is saying something about the effectiveness I think this one should be on number one. Everyone knows it helps against stress. You relax while doing your exercises from tip 1. Your body releases soothing hormones and it is healthy for your relationship as well...realy shouldn't it be on 1?


10. Avoid arguments or stressful situations or stimulating activities. This can also be a TV show or film. Sport can also be stimulating (see also my remark about running at 1.) For me it was the case with volleybal.

I hope these tips might help to sleep better and improve your performance as a runner. Beauty of itis: some of the tips are useful for runners in the same time.

Review: Trailshoes

On the blog Run to Dream (in Dutch so for help with translating see my blog in Dutch) a short review on three trailschoes. Special schoes fit for the more rough off the road work (so less suitabel for the use on the road). The lady in question is will take part in the Trans Alpine Run. A run of 8 days and 240km across four of the Alpine countries.
Now about the shoes, the: Inov8 Flyroc 310, the Inov8 Terroc 330 and the Adidas Supernova Trail. The writer used all three (not on the same time;-p) and an opinion on the demping they provide which makes them suitabel for various terrain conditions. The Terroc is hard and there for very stable but is not comfortabel if you have to run on asphalt where the supernova has some demping causing no problems on asphalt. The flyroc is somewhere in between and suitable for soft off road terrain

To me this all sounds like very specialist stuff that is less usefull for the everyday recreational runner.

Review: Running skirt

On Complete Running Network I came acrossthis articlewhich has no meaning to myself but still are referr to it. It is about runningskirts! I don't need them myself but out of sheer amazement (I have never seen one) and with the female runner reader of this blog in mind here is my post on this topic. Besides previously on my Dutch blogI have written beforeon the way the sports fashion brands target the large and attractive group of recreational runners who like to spend money to look good while running. I blogged on thespecial site for women from Asics.
The article on CRN contains a review of the various skirts available. So for the ladies that like to know what other women think on these skirts I can recommend this blog. This review deals with skirts from Nike, Sugoi, Zoot, Moving Comfort and Hind. A second part will follow because the writer has also tested Skirt Sports, Running Skirts & Atalanta. For the curious ladies (and gents), who like me never have seen a skirt running, on the site of Runningskirt you can find images of ladies with a running skirt in action