Week That Was 11/11/13: Running To Drink, The Richie Incognito Rules For Track And Field, And Olympic Gold At What Cost?
by LetsRun.com
November 11, 2013
Last week’s weekly recap can be found here: LRC Week That Was: Did Mark Wetmore Pull One Over On Everyone At PAC-12s? Wisconsin Men Lose, A Savior For The Providence Women, A 3:49 Miler Runs New York, And Is Indoor Track Faster Than Outdoors?
Last week was incredibly light in terms of action unless you are into high school running and then it was a crazy busy weekend as a slew of states held their state meets.
This week we share with you three quick points, before getting you to eight interesting quotes before sharing with you an awesome, free video, and giving away some incredible, free coaching advice.
****
Three Quick Thoughts
#1 US Indoors In Portland?!
Phil and Vin may extend Track Town North to Portland in 2016
So what’s the first thing that popped into your mind when you heard that the US and Track Town USA /USATF is bidding to have world indoors in Portland in Oregon in 2016?
Our was, “Will it be on an oversized track? Isn’t that what indoor track is for people in the Northwest?”
Ok, that’s kind of a joke but only kind of. On a more serious note, we think it’s a great move. The profile of World Indoors needs to be raised and having it in the US can only help get more marquee US athletes to run it. Additionally, filling the maximum of 8,000 that the Convention Center could hold shouldn’t be a problem. Nike alone has more 8,000 employees in Portland.
Except for the obvious fact you can’t do the 100 and many of the field events indoors, track and field is a better tv product indoors than out. The weather is always perfect, a small crowd looks big, and there is more contact/falls/randomness – like short track speed skating.
More: USATF Officially Announces Portland As US Bid For 2016 World Indoor Champs The British city of Birmingham is the only other city known to be preparing a bid. If Portland wins, it will only be the second time the US has hosted World Indoors (the first was in Indianapolis in 1987). *USATF Press Release
Maybe his mom slowed him down the 2nd half?
****
#2 A 5 Year Old Runs a Half Marathon!?
So did you see that five-year old Anthony Russo ran the Trenton Half-Marathon last weekend? We won’t comment on whether a five-year old should or shouldn’t be doing that. We’ll just comment on his pacing. Someone needs to teach the tyke about even pacing.
A slight negative split is the goal, young man. The kid ran 2:22:25 but he ran 64:03 for the first 10k and then 78:22 for the final 11.1 k. Ouch. That’s 10:18.5 per mile for 10k followed by 11:21.9 for the final 11.1. Maybe his mom slowed him down the second half (video of Anthony with his mohawk here)
****
#3 Strip Clubs for UK Athletes?!
Did you see the article we had up on the homepage about strip clubs and UK lottery funding? Going to a strip club might cause a British athlete to lose lottery funding – it doesn’t automatically mean they’d lose funding.
If you are an elite UK athlete and have a little bit of Richie Incognito in you (he reportedly held team meeting in strip clubs), you can breathe a little bit easier.
We took a look at what we think is the UK’s guidelines on funding and didn’t actually see the strip club language in there at all (perhaps they removed it after the uproar??). What we did find however is interesting.
Basically, the UK only cares about what you do if the media finds out about it and UK Sport is brought into “disrepute”. So Brits, knock yourselves out. You can go to strip clubs and tell racist or sexist jokes as long as no one finds out about it:
Telling a [sexist] joke or making a [sexist] remark at a private meeting the contents of which are subsequently disclosed.
If you are a UK elite and are confused, just think about Richie Incognito and ask yourself, “Even though my coach and my mates think this is fine, how will this play out if the media gets wind of it?”
It might be simpler if you just are a good dude or gal and aren’t racist, sexist or homophobic.
****
Quotes of the Week (that weren’t quote of the day)
Buzunesh Deba (l.) and Worku Beyi (r.) in advance of the 2013 Chevron Houston Marathon.(photo by David Monti for Race Results Weekly)
I
“We were joking that unless a mattress is laid out for them on the course and they take a nap, there’s no way they’ll get caught,”
–Worku Beyi, husband and coach, describing his reaction to seeing his wife Buzunesh Deba build a three plus minute lead in the women’s race at the 2013 ING New York City Marathon, in an article by Sabrina Yohannes on RWorld.
More: NYC Runner-Up Deba Targets Boston
*LRC Archives from January: IN PARTNERSHIP, DEBA AND BEYI REACH TOP OF MARATHON GAME
****
II
“One little boy asked me how old I was when I started running cross country and I told him I was 12. He replied with, “Well, I’m only 9 and I’ve already started, so maybe someday I can become an Olympian too!” It makes me smile again just typing it.”
– 2012 US Olympian Lisa Uhl blogging in the Des Moines Register about an interaction she had with a young fan while in New York during marathon weekend.
****
III
“I didn’t realize how painful running could be (until I went to Ethiopia this summer) We’re spoiled here. There: shoes with holes, no gear, limited opportunities. But they run so hard.”
– Oklahoma State’s Kirubel Erassa talking about what he learned from training in Ethiopia this summer, in a great Running Times article by Noah Gallagher Shannon on the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
****
IV
The family moved out of aid tents and constructed a small home “of mud and things.” They farmed, hunted and collected fruit in the jungle to supplement their meager food rations. At first, school was just English and mathematics meetings under a tree. “But society comes together,” (Joseph Manilafasha) says, his words careful and breathy. “Markets and schools popped up.”
– an excerpt in Noah Gallagher Shannon Runner’s World article on Oklahoma State describing Ok. State’s Joseph Manilafasha‘s life as a refugee in Tanzania.
More: Doubt Comes to Stillwater after the Big 12 Championships
****
V
“Beer running combines two actions: running and being social. You have the serious solo runner who needs socialization, and the guy who drinks too much who needs exercise. Being social encourages more people to be consistent.”
and
“It’s a reverse causality. Loving beer comes first. Finding something that I like that made me not get fat came next.”
– David April (first quote) and Matt Hotz explaining to the New York Times about the appeal of being a member of Philadelphia’s running club, the Fishtown Beer Runners, who meet every week and run 3-5 miles to a pub for some beers.
More: Runners Who Love Beer
****
VI
“Anyone who says being an elite athlete is good for you is nuts.”
– women’s 60 hurdle world record holder Susanna Kallur talking in a Swedish documentary, The Price of Gold, that documents the amazing sacrifices athletes will make in their pursuit of sporting stardom.
The Price of Gold follows three of Sweden’s all-time greatest track and field athletes, Olympic champions Carolina Klüft and Christian Olsson and Kallur, while training with the 2012 Olympics as their focus, and details the huge amount of pain/injuries athletes endure to reach the top.
Kallur’s quote comes from The Independent’s review of the film.
More: Matt Butler: The price of hope can be a life sentence of surgery and pain
****
VII
“You give your life in exchane for what you hope to achieve.”
– opening line by Kallur to start the film.
****
VIII
“How much is it really worth? How much can you endure for a shot at the gold? How much is a medal really worth?”
-the second line in the film by Kluft which comes after you see Kluft doing a workout up a hill in snow which leads to her vomiting.
****
Video Of the Week
Because you are a loyal and faithful visitor, LetsRun.com is pleased to bring you the film, the Price of Gold, which is just over 59 minutes long for the amazing price of zero. Yes, that’s right zero.
Enjoy.
The Price of Gold from Folke Rydén Production on Vimeo.
Disclaimer, that was a joke. The film is available to all for free on Vimeo.
We’ll admit we haven’t watched the film, The Price of Gold, yet. We’ve only watch the first two minutes but admit we definitely are going to find an hour later this week to watch it as we had goosebumps from the first two minutes.
*****
If you break the World Record LRC says you can drink more than 22 ouncex.
Weekly Free Training Advice
Dink a beer or two (just not six or seven (college kids, that’s for you)) after your next run. If anyone gives you a hard time, tell them about Dr. Manuel J. Castillo, a professor of medical physiology at the University of Granada School of Medicine in Spain.
“We found that this amount of beer (22.3 ounces) is as effective as water to recovery from exercise,” said Dr. Castillo.
*****
Recommended Reads
The Most Popular Article Ever on LRC?
LRC The Time Of My Life: Staten Island Native Mike Cassidy Shares His Experience Finishing The NYC Marathon Hand-In-Hand With His Hero Meb Keflezighi In the span of one hour last Sunday in NYC, Cassidy went from almost dropping out at 10 miles to finishing with the “highest honor of [his] career.” A definite recommended read which took the nation by storm and garnered more than 10,000 facebook likes.
A Very Provocative Interview With Anthony Famiglietti By RML: Meet Fam Fam wonders if many in America have passed that grey line into something that at a minimum would have to be considered legalized doping.
*MB: Thyroid drug cocktails = doping?
LRC Going To The Top Of The Empire State Building With Geoffrey Mutai And Priscah Jeptoo
****
Action of Note
- Alan Webb Dominates Oregon XC Race By More Than A Minute
High School: - Junior Alexa Efraimson Breaks CR With 17:01 To Win Washington’s Class 4A State XC Title By Almost A Minute
*Video Interview With Efraimson *MB Thread - MB: New England HS XC Champs – 5 guys break Ben True’s Course Record! Trevor Hopper won in 15:08 as the first 5 were all sub-15:20.
*DyeStat Coverage - MB: Matt Tegankamp’s Record As Well As Girl’s Record Broken At Missouri State Championships Noah Kauppila won the race in 15:22. Teg’s old record was 15:26. Taylor Werner won the girl’s race in 17:31
*DyeStat Coverage
****
Quotes Of The Day & Last Week’s Homepages:
Note: To see a particular day’s homepage, click on the hyperlink of the date. The hyperlink below the date on the quotes will take you to that particular article – not that day’s homepage.
– Oklahoma State’s Tom Farrell talking in the third installment of a Running Times series following the OSU men’s XC team through the 2013 season. They have won 3 of the last 4 NCAAs and are the defending champs, but are currently only ranked 3rd behind Colorado and NAU. *Part I and Part II of the RT series.
– Tom Cruise comparing acting to training and competing in the Olympics. You would expect more respect from someone who was supposedly a decent runner in high school
In so doing, Meb personified the power of running to reach beyond the race course.”
– Staten Island native and Olympic Trials qualifier Mike Cassidy writing about finishing the NYC Marathon last Sunday with Meb Keflezighi. The article has taken the nation by storm with more than 5,000 – 6,000 likes in less than 24 hours.
– Staten Island native and Olympic Trials qualifier Mike Cassidy writing about finishing the NYC Marathon last Sunday with Meb Keflezighi.
– Usain Bolt talking in his autobiography about breaking the 19-second barrier in the 200 in 2014.
– Former US Olympian Anthony Famiglietti talking to RML how easy it would be for him to dope today and get away with it and his interactions withDr. Jeffrey S. Brown, the doctor that Alberto Salazar and his group, including Galen Rupp, use.
– Geoffrey Mutai talking about his tough win in windy conditions at the NYC Marathon on Sunday.