Notes on the Erie Marathon from the race directors:

Erie Marathon at Presque Isle

2011 News — August 3, 2011

We hope everybody is having a great summer!  Erie has had some warm weather this summer like most other places in the US.  However, Mother Nature is thinking of us already as we had a low of 63° F  last night.  The “extended forecast” for race day is a morning high of 61° F – sounds chilly right now but it won’t come race morning.

Here are a few interesting registration trends so far:

• 55% of our entrants are female – go girls!
• More than half are registered for the full marathon vs the half marathon or 5k
• 50% of entrants are between the ages of 35 and 54 as well as 50% between 20 and 39.  The largest age group represented is 40-44 at 15% of total
• 33 of the USA states are represented so far

 

If you have yet to sign-up to participate this year, you can do so at:  https://secure.marathonguide.com/register/ErieMarathon/ at the incredibly low price of $50 for 26.2 miles or $40 for 13.1 miles.  This rate is good through August 1st 11:59 PM.

We spend zero dollars of your registration fees on advertising, promotion, or applications because we have you out there to spread the word – thank you.  You, as satisfied customers have us ahead of last years registration pace by 51% with 53 days to go until the gun goes off.  We anticipate the final growth over 2010 numbers to be about 30% when all is said and done – returnees tend to register early.

For course maps, registration lists, FAQs and  more 2011 race details, visit our website, www.eriemarathon.org.

We are making it a bit easier for the family and friend spectators this year as we have rented The Cookhouse Pavilion that is located at miles 5.5 and 18.5 on the course.  This is only about 0.2 miles from the start/finish line.

See you in September,

Jan and Mike

Since we last talked, I was self-diagnosing myself with posterial tibial tendonitis.

I was wrong.

And, it turns out that’s a good thing because posterial tibial tendonitis is much more serious problem than what I actually have which is a common runners  problem — plantar fasciitis, so say the good folks at Hertle & Brown Physical Therapy.

I have heard all about P.F., but….I thought P.F. was pain on the bottom of the foot and my pain is on the side of the inside arch…almost on top of my foot.

Turns out P.F. can manifest itself in many different places, including the backs of the heels! This is something I did serious battle with in 2009 when the backs of my heels hurt so badly they felt bruised and it hurt to wear shoes.

Ah ha.

As I read more about P.F, there are a lot of things that are making sense now. So many minor injuries, annoyances, small running layoffs….all can be attributed to the plantar fascia. Who knew? (Um, well…the therapists at Hertle & Brown did, but..we covered that).

“Plantar fascia is the flat band of tissue (ligament) that connects your heel bone to your toes. It supports the arch of your foot. If you strain your plantar fascia, it gets weak, swollen, and irritated (inflamed). Then your heel or the bottom of your foot hurts when you stand or walk.”

What causes it?

• Excessive pronation (feet roll inward when you walk). (CHECK)

• High (or low) arches (mine are, apparently, sky-high).(CHECK)
• Walking, running or standing for prolonged periods. (CHECK)
• Being overweight. (NO CHECK…thankfully)
• Worn out shoes (POSSIBLY?)
• Tight calf muscles. (BIG CHECK)

What can one do about it?

• Rest (most effective, but….possibly the HARDEST treatment!)
• Ice it (roll frozen water bottles under your feet after a run)
• New shoes (where’s my credit card)
• Stretches (calves, towel stretches, etc.)
• Orthotics (custom-made inserts for your shoes that support the arch).

I’ve been having therapy (icing, stretches, massage/manipulation and sonogram treatments) at Hertle & Brown and trying to do some of the stuff at home.

You know what’s fun? Rolling ice bottles under your feet when you get back from a 15-degree run in Erie in February. Ah…the things we runners will do to fix our feet!

So…that’s the saga so far. Add to this P.F. problem the fact that I’ve been sick since Christmas and…it’s no wonder that my running (and enthusiasm for running) has been waning.Yesterday, however, I bit the bullet and begged the doctor for an antibiotic to get rid of this sinus infection — that should help with the case of dragon ass I have right now (draggin’ ass).

I guess, however, if there is a time for me to be doing battle with P.F. it’s now when there is plenty of incentive to rest and heal (If only my guilty conscious will let me).

If you read any kind of running magazines or blogs, you’ve, no doubt, heard that the hot new craze sweeping the sport is barefoot running.

All the hub-bub has come about mostly because of the new book, “Born to Run,” by Christopher McDougall in which he “explores the life and running habits of the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, arguably the greatest distance runners in the world,” according to the description on Amazon.

If it sounds familiar, you may remember a recent Parade article by the author.

This month’s issue of Runner’s World magazine also had an article about barefoot running.

And, of course…if you’ve ever done an Erie race…you’ve no doubt noticed the barefoot guy running. He ran on New Year’s Day…barefoot…over that snow and ice! (If anyone knows him, give me a name, I’d love to interview him!).

So…with all this chitty chat about barefoot running and how those carefully-crafted cushy shoes may actually be doing us more damage than good, I had to give it a try.

I didn’t plan on it, but I was having some toe issues the other day (long story…too many days with feet sweating in hot boots, I guess) and 5 minutes into my treadmill run, I took off my shoe to access the problem.

I realized I wasn’t going to be able to finish the run…too much rubbing going on. But, well, you know me…I’ll try anything to avoid the guilt of a no-run day.

So, it occurred to me to try walking barefoot on the treadmill.

Hmmmm….feels strange…it’s kinda loud…the belt is warm under my feet….

Ultimately, though, it felt OK enough that I decided to start running…slowly at first. Then, I ratcheted it up to 7.0, then 7.2, then 7.5 where I held steady. (I typically run between 7.8 and 8.2, so..I was taking it a bit easy).

I ran 5 miles. Barefoot. And, it felt OK. Different, for sure, but not painful…not poundingly rough or unbearable.

Later that day and that evening, I felt uncomfortableness in the pads of my feet — like they were swelled or…maybe roughed up from the belt a bit — they felt like…well, like I’d run 5 miles barefoot.

The next day, though, that was gone and there were no ill effects.

I’m not sure it’s something I’d do regularly…and I don’t think I’d ever do it outside (rocks, glass, animal carcasses, pinecones, etc.), but I’d consider doing it again on the treadmill.

If you give it a try…let me know what you think.

P.S. I didn’t go into all the detail on why barefoot running is supposed to be beneficial, but you can read more about it here and here (pros & cons) and..there’s an interesting NY Times article about how it’s affecting the running shoe market here.

One of my most favorite runs of the year is on Christmas morning. It’s always so serene and peaceful. It’s usually snowy and beautiful and completely silent. No one is rushing off to work and few cars (if any) pass me at all — bound for relatives houses, I’m sure.

Before the kids, I used to get up early and head out at first light. Now, the kids are up at first light and my run has to wait until the gifts are opened and the Baby Jesus cake has been served up for breakfast.

I run alone, but I look forward to the day my husband and I can run together again (someone’s got to stay home to be with the kids and open all those absurdly packaged toys!). And a little part of me is hoping and praying that some day one, or both, of the girls will join me and we can make it a family tradition.

For now, it’s just my tradition and it’s as much a part of my Christmas as oatmeal scotchie cookies, candlelight church service and a Christmas tree we cut down ourselves.

I couldn’t imagine my Christmas without it.

I couldn’t imagine my life without it.

Running is a gift.

I used to be a die-hard winter runner — I prided myself on running in even the worst of winter weather and hell or high water (or freezing rain or 10-foot snowdrifts, etc.) I’d do what my schedule called for.

Now, as an older, wiser running friend puts it, I’ve matured as a runner.

This means I’ve come to realize that a workout cut short or an extra day of rest is nothing to get upset about and it will not automatically add 3 lbs. to my waistline.

I’ve come to realize that forcing myself to trudge 8 miles in a blizzard is just…well, silly…not only is it not fun, but the quality of the run suffers (you just can’t crank out quality mileage in 12 inches of snow or while dodging ice and slush).

The flexibility has been really liberating.

I now know that running in crappy weather is my choice. Sometimes I choose to go…I brave the Canadian winds and come back with icicles on my eyelashes. More often than not, though, I choose to wait out the storm. It’s usually cleared up by the next day. If it takes a few days…I resort to running on the treadmill (truly, my last resort).

I’m not suggesting you abandon your outdoor winter running plans — not at all — I’m simply suggesting you allow yourself a little bit of flexibility on the worst of winter days and take the hint when old Mother Nature suggests that you stay inside.

I’ve been having some nagging pain in my right heel for several weeks. It started with the bad shoes and just wouldn’t go away…except when I ran…which was weird, right?

It would hurt for the first mile and then — voila! — the pain in my heel was gone and I’d finish the rest of my run without so much as a twinge.

But..when I wasn’t running..oh..the pain. It became painful to wear certain shoes. My heel was painful to the touch — the pain centered in the back and sides of the heel bone leading me to start wondering if it was a stress fracture.

My running friend thought it had more to do with ligaments or tendons.

When I saw chiropractor (and ultra-marathoner/running guru) Dan Young on Tuesday I mentioned the heel pain.

He grabbed hold of my right calf…dug his thumbs deep into the muscle and hit pay dirt. I nearly jumped off the table.

“aaahhh…uuhhhhhuuuh….” he said in his trademark lilting…I-found-the-problem voice.

Knots. Several knots, actually, causing the ligaments and muscles in my leg to contract and pull tight. This caused the connections to my heel to be taut and strained …which, in turn, caused the heel pain.

The solution? Rubbing those knots out with my fingers, “the stick,” my knuckles…whatever I can use to break up the party in my right calf.

An article I found calls this “releasing the trigger points” and has some interesting information that would be useful to all runners — knotted up or not. Check it out  here.

OH….and the reason it didn’t hurt once I got moving? Because once I warmed up…the muscles, tendons and ligaments relaxed and stretched out.

Christine Vassen and Theressa Miller

Theressa writes:

It’s a Trick or Treat Sale!
October 24-31
~All in stock regular priced shoes are BUY ONE GET ONE 30% OFF. (Mix & match- 30% off lower valued shoe*)

~Extra 20% off sale apparel and sale shoes (already at 25% off)

Here’s the “Trick or Treat”-
15% off all new apparel and accessories
or
Pick a pumpkin for a secret discount 10-25%.

It is that time of year that I kindly ask if you can vote for us as Cleveland’s Best running specialty store.

I know everyone is very busy but if you have a few minutes and don’t mind please go to he below link and give us a plug.

Through all your past support we have won this award the last 2 years and it really helps our store that is still growing against our competitors.

Also you can vote only once per email account so if you have multiple accounts please vote on those as well.

Lastly, if you don’t mind forwarding this email and link to family and friends I would be very grateful.

Cheers and thanks again.

http://fox8.cityvoter.com/contests/best-of-the-cleveland-hot-list/4750/health-and-fitness/running-gear

By Frank Weber

Runnersworld.com has a pretty funny thread going today about how the new hybrid cars run so quietly that they could be dangerous for runners. It’s a tongue-in-cheek post, but…there’s an element of truth under the funny stuff.

Check it out here.