Just came across this series of discussions on the Runners World site forum. I didn’t realize how “invested” some individuals are respect to “barefoot running”. It makes for interesting reading and thought.

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Re: barefoot running facts posted at 2/24/2010 1:53 PM CST

A muse Posts: 7981 First: 1/8/2008 Last: 3/15/2010

The nature article doesn’t claim that barefoot running is somehow better for you than shod running or that it reduces injury risk. The authors indicate a significant reduction in loading forces and impact forces but cannot conclude that these lessen chances of injury.If you want to run barefoot — either a little bit or a lot — go for it. There’s certainly plenty of evidence that it isn’t bad for you, provided you take the time to transition carefully. After all, Lieberman’s study refers to habituated barefoot runners. He has a website, btw, with lots of excellent information about how to do this safely.

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Re: barefoot running facts posted at 2/25/2010 9:46 AM CST

chapingo Posts: 52 First: 4/16/2008 Last: 3/15/2010

Reply to: The nature article doesn’t claim that barefoot running is somehow better for you than shod running or that it reduces injury risk. The authors indicate a significant reduction in loading forces and impact forces but cannot conclude that these lessen chances of injury. If you want to run barefoot — either a little bit or a lot — go for it. There’s certainly plenty of evidence that it isn’t bad for you, provided you take the time to transition carefully. After all, Lieberman’s study refers to habituated barefoot runners. He has a website , btw, with lots of excellent information about how to do this safely. Posted by A muse When I said that the articles are in support of barefoot running, I just meant that they show how running barefoot does what the running shoe indusry claims that their shoes can do.

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Were we really Born to Run?

Many years ago, more than I care to remember, I was running regularly with Thad Kostrubala, author of the Joy of Running. Many who knew him were skeptical of his views.   Thad believed that running seemed so natural because it brought us back to our origins – as hunter-gatherers. His theories were mocked. Now fast-forward 30 years, and that same theory is all the rage.  Barefoot running is featured almost everywhere. We have all seen that occasional barefoot runner in our last marathon or half. Soon, you will be seeing more. Recent articles in Runner’s World, Parade Magazine, Time Magazine, Nature, The San Diego Union, as well as in the best seller, Born to Run, the DVDs Evolution Running, Pose Method of Running, and others have all featured or discussed barefoot running as a natural way to utilize the body’s natural adaptations which have allowed humans to become the Earth’s greatest endurance runners. The natural elastic recoil of the calf muscles, Achilles tendon, and plantar fascia, in conjunction with gravity enable us to get maximum return for minimum effort. Numerous studies have now documented that there is a direct relationship between the cost of running shoes (and the amount of support/control/special features) and the incidence of running injuries. Unfortunately, the association is DIRECT, not INVERSE as might be expected. It appears that as with many common situations, less is more!

In the initial chapters of The Joy of Running, Kostrubala briefly describes several cultures which relied on endurance running for food, work or relaxation. The Tarahumara Indians of northern Mexico, the Australian Aborigines, the Hopi Indians, and the Kalahari Bushmen, all incorporated endurance running into their day-to-day lives. Interestingly, many of these cultures are also known for their longevity, despite the harsh conditions in which they continue to live. Today, the modern equivalent of these groups is the Marathon Clinic (which Kostrabala established in San Diego), the Marathon training programs of the San Diego Track Club, Leukemia Society, American Diabetes Association, HIV/Aids Society, USA Fit or any of other innumerable groups, or smaller individual groups, such as Pony Espresso Running Club. Most of these organizations combine the elements of running information, training techniques, training runs, and social encounters. For the past several years running marathons has been on the ascendancy. More and more of these organizations have embraced the training  principles of Pose, Evolution or Chi running. All share the common elements of rapid leg turnover (180 steps per minute of more), diminished foot strike (by keeping knees “unlocked” and the “stance” phase of the gait cycle with the weight bearing foot under, rather than in front of the body’s center), relaxation of other muscles such as the shoulders, engagement of the core muscles, and a forward lean from the ankles to allow gravity to assist in the forward motion (i.e. a “controlled forward fall”). A recurring element in virtually all these techniques is the proper use of the natural elastic recoil of the muscles and feet, and many suggest some “barefoot running” to assist in normal foot function. Just try it and you’ll find that landing on the uncushioned heel is essentially impossible. It’s just too painful. A soft landing on the ball of the foot is mechanically and physically more natural and efficient.

Last week, more than 40 individuals showed up for a workshop sponsored by the San Diego Marathon Clinic and featuring Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton, and early advocate and practitioner of “barefoot running.” You can go directly to his site by clicking on http://thebarefootrunning.com. It is an excellent, informative web site with information on the mechanics of barefoot running, as well as information about Barefoot Ken Bob’s training sessions.

So, the answer to the question posed at the beginning of this blog: Were we Born to Run? I’m not sure if we were born to run, but we certainly seem to have evolved to run!

Happy trails,

JRB

Pony Espresso Express

Dear PE’s:

For those of you new to this site, I have republished the Half Marathon Calendar for Southern Califonia. Please note (as I’m sure you already have) that most half marathons sell out early, so be sure to register even earlier!

So, there it is. ALL the “halfs” you ever wanted to know about and those you didn’t! Just click on the links to go directly to the race sites. One other date,  not yet listed in Race Place is  ?April 24,2010, La Jolla Half. Note that several of the “Marathons” have “Half” options but don’t mention them in the 2^nd column (see Pasadena and Orange County).

Happy Trails,

JRB

Pony Espresso Express

Dear PE’s:

Sunday, December 13th was a banner day for me. Having run 128 prior marathons, I certainly did not expect to make any startling new discoveries…but I did! As I have done for the past 10-15 years, I started the race with a dear friend, John Nerness, a physician from Vero Beach, Florida. We had each run this race 27 times in a row and were planning on #28 together. It started out like each of the other Honolulu Marathons we’ve run. We met in the lobby of my hotel at 4 am and took pictures and greeted family members. We walked to the start of the race with thousands of others in quest of conquering the mythic marathon distance. We heard the gun go off at exactly 5 am and we ran carefully to avoid walkers (where did they come from?) and watched the fabulous fireworks which lit up the still dark and starry sky. We ran conservatively (with John’s son Curt, also an established marathoner and physician) through the first half, all pretty much stride for stride. At that point, John suggested that I run ahead since he was feeling a little “under the weather”.  I took off  and ran easily and within the limits of my training and abilities. Much to my surprise, I actually continued to pickup the pace and finished with my single fastest mile (if you call 8:50 fast) and cruised under the finish banner with a negative split of more than 7 minutes! Now many of you have probably done this…but for me, it was an entirely new experience. In fact, I’ve never even been within 10 minutes of an even split! I’ve often told neophyte (and veteran) marathoners that the race is really a 10K race…with a 20 mile warm-up or that the 2nd half of the marathon starts at mile 20, but I never truly embraced the concept myself. Like thousands of others, I’d always get caught up in the moment and go out at 10k or half marathon pace assuming I could hold it. I never did! Sunday was different. This is not to say that it was fast. Nor did I come even close to my fastest times. But this was more satisfying than any of the prior efforts. I got to run with my “old friend” and meet many “new friends” and do something entirely new and different. At the end, I ran into a sports columnist for the Honolulu Star Bulletin. It would have never happened  had I not  finished just when I did. Below is the article which appeared the following morning in the paper. This was my reward:

Marathon’s 5-hour gang keep each other going

By Dave Reardon

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 14, 2009

I’d like to introduce you to someone, but it may be too late.

If you were at the Honolulu Marathon yesterday, there’s a good chance you’ve already met John Backman, a 63-year-old cardiologist from San Diego who not only talks the talk, but talks the run — seemingly the entire run, with plenty of vocal chords left to keep chatting after the 26.2 miles.

I met Backman a few feet beyond the finish line at Kapiolani Park, right around the 5-hour mark. He was getting his picture taken with a young lady who had also just completed the run, and a lot of conversation was involved. I figured they were maybe father and daughter.

“Oh, we just met,” the woman said.

Then a few minutes later, a guy dressed like Yoda floated through the finishers’ chute. Backman gave him one of those “You da man” point-and-nods, like teammates do after big plays.

“Thanks, Yoda. You helped me through that rough stretch. I wouldn’t have made it without you.”

The wise one nodded and pointed back.

Later, Backman laughed when I asked him about his costumed friend. “Yoda was cool. We were playing tortoise and hare. I picked him up between the 17 and 21 (miles). That stretch I was walking, but then I would run and catch him, then walk and run again. I knew Yoda had power.”

This was Backman’s 129th marathon and he’s finished here 28 years in a row. I asked him how many people he usually talks to — how many friends does he make — at each race.

“Probably 25 to 100,” replied the good doctor. “One guy today, I picked up at the 22-mile mark. He was a Marine. I said, ‘Come on, you’re a Marine. You’re tough, you can do this. He started running again.”

My 10 minutes with Backman yesterday made getting up at 3:30 a.m. worth it. He was three Red Bulls, without the crash.

Proper training: “I push consistency over intensity. Consistency trumps intensity, like in bridge.”

Aging: “We learn there’s more to running than beating the clock.”

Starting exercise at a late age: “Get out there. It’s one step at a time.”

THE 5-HOUR finishers are the most interesting and diverse — a cross-section of everyday society. To me, they are stars as much as the elite runners who cover most of the course before the sun peeks over Diamond Head.

Many of these middle-of-the-packers are first-timers, many are veterans like Backman. Quite a few think it’s Halloween, like Yoda. One of the bigger curiosities yesterday was two guys who came in under 6 hours simply wearing jeans and T-shirts.

A barefooted runner or two is always in the mix, and beginning to despair for an angle, I was chasing down a sole man when Backman’s magnetic field pulled me in. Something just told me I had to talk to the chatterbox when I heard him say something about being “stoked” about his “negative split.”

If I’d ever learned that term when I ran in the ’70s and ’80s, it’d gone the way of my knowledge of things like Rico Carty’s lifetime batting average: Once locked in for no apparent reason, now erased. Backman explained cheerfully. A negative split is when you complete the second half of the run faster than the first. “I never had a negative split before, ever,” he said, joyously.

Maybe the negative split is a reward for his positive attitude — that contagious we’re-all-in-it-together ethos of the middle-of-the-pack marathoners.

Reach Star-Bulletin sports columnist Dave Reardon at [email protected], his “Quick Reads” blog at starbulletin.com, and twitter.com/davereardon.

Thanks to all my mentors…past and present. Thank you John and Curt. And especially, thank you Dave Reardon, for being in the right place at the right time. There must be gods and muses of the marathon who look favorably on aging but determined athletes 🙂

Happy Trails,

JRB

Pony Espresso Express

December 11, 2009

Dear  PE’s-

Winter is just around the corner…and perhaps has already reared its ugly head if you live in certain parts of the country.  If you are anything like me, you might be anticipating upcoming travel to warmer areas for vacation and/or business. I look forward to travel as an opportunity to meet new people, see new places and run in new environments. In this day and age travel has become a bit more cumbersome, especially if you’re planning air travel. None of us has to be reminded about the challenges of air travel…fewer flights, more lost baggage and, of course, the TSA. So, from many recent trips and personal experiences…some tips (in no particular order):

Plan and book early: This sounds much like the admonition to sign up early for races (especially, half marathons). With fewer flights available, the seats get reserved earlier and earlier. If you don’t plan ahead, you might find yourself on a more circuitous, expensive flight, or series of flights. More transfers means more lost luggage, more hassle, more time delays, and, perhaps, more expense to replace lost items. I’m told that booking on a Tuesday is likely to result in lower fares, although I can’t honestly say that I have found that true in my experience.

Travel Lightly: If at all possible, take only carry-on luggage. Assuming you don’t leave it on the plane, you’re much more likely to arrive at your destination with your possessions. If you are traveling to a run, most certainly, at a minimum, take your running shoes on the plane with you…on your feet or otherwise. If you have other special gear or medicines, make sure these accompany you as well. I have made this a habit for 30 years. Only once did I not follow my own advice, and, of course, the luggage got lost. We were traveling to a run in southern France, the Medoc Marathon. This is a race renowned for the fact that it is a costumed event. A hand sewn, designer costume was anonymously floating around the world somewhere when it should have been in my hotel room. Only through the intervention of divine providence did it arrive less than 12 hours before the race, and after a three day period of AWOL!

Get to the airport early: It is difficult to predict just how many others are likely to show up at the airport at the same time you arrive. Long lines at the ticketing counter and even longer lines at the TSA can cause a visceral reaction. There’s always someone who has more questions than the agent has answers, which inevitably leads to even longer delays. If possible, print your boarding pass at home before you leave for the airport! This is not always possible, as I recently learned. If you are traveling on multiple carriers, booked through a 3^rd party such as Orbitz, and the 1^st leg of the trip is not the primary carrier, you may need to get to the airport even earlier to get the boarding passes.

Go with the flow: The TSA is an unpleasant fact of life, but it’s unlikely to go away in the near future! Make sure all your liquids are in the correct size containers, packaged together in a quart sized baggie. Remember that certain “less than solid” foods, although still in the original sealed containers, are considered “liquids”. I found this out the hard way on a recent trip when my yogurt was confiscated L

Something for the stomach: Airline food has a long tradition of being notoriously bad. Now, you can add to that…expensive. If you plan ahead, you can have anything from the epicurean to the healthful to the deliciously sinful. You are an individual! Why shouldn’t your choices enhance the trip? You can bring a 5 course meal, if you like. No candelabra, however J

Something for the mind: This summer, I’ve been on airline flights ranging from 25 minutes to 23 hours (including airport time). You can spend a lot of time in transit…often more than you expected. Some people just like to just chill out. I like to get something accomplished. Catch up on old magazines, new books, a DVD or maybe even write a blog 🙂

Happy trails,

JRB

Pony Espresso Express

Dear PE’s:

Well, we are now within 3 weeks of the year’s shortest day. In or around December 21st, those of us in the northern hemisphere have the least daytime and most night time of the year. This always makes training difficult, and I must admit it is my “least favorite” time of the year. However, in the spirit of the “glass is half-full”, it is also my “favorite” day since we embark on the path of longer days and visions of warmer spring and beautiful summer days ahead. I mention this because it is easy to snuggle up in a warm bed and forget about those cold morning workouts or dark evening workouts. Now, of course, if you are a “gym rat” most of this does not apply. However, if you like to hit the trails, roads, parks, etc. let me propose a theory I have developed over the years. First, it is ALWAYS easier to get up and out if you are meeting an individual or group for exercise. With the best of intentions, I frequently succumb to the lazy path (i.e. bed) if I know I’m going to be out there by myself. Perhaps some of you have more discipline, but discussions with many runners over the years suggest that this is generally true. Second, once I am out and started, I ALWAYS feel good about it. It virtually always makes the day go more smoothly and always enables me to have that “guilt free” chocolate chip cookie! Now, the theory:

There is a “gravitational field”  which emanates from the mattress and extends approximately

30 inches from the edge of the mattress.  If you can get 2 1/2 feet from the edge of the bed, you

are able to break free of the field and be on your way. If you sit on the edge of the mattress

contemplating your task ahead, you will invariably be “sucked” back into bed and then be unable

to break free from that field!

I have not seen this elucidated any further in the literature, but hold that it is true until proven otherwise. Consequently, it is incumbent on you to make the Herculean effort necessary to get up and out early. There are several corollaries which follow from this. The first is from the plains of Africa:

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or gazelle – when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”

The second relates to a recognized, but previously unexplained effect of chronic, intense exercise. We have all been at races, where the age-group winners have come to the podium to collect their awards and runners “good-naturedly” have cried out “check his (or her) ID” suggesting that the individual looked much to young to be competing in that division. Well, we may be on the road to explaining this phenomenon. See article below:

In an article appearing in the December 1, 2009 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, Ulrich Laufs, MD of Saarland University in Homburg, Germany and his colleagues report an association between long-term intense exercise and a reduction in the shortening of telomeres that occurs with aging. Telomeres are protective segments of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that shorten with cell division. Shorter telomeres limit the number of cell divisions, and have been linked with conditions associated with aging of the whole human organism, such as high blood pressure and dementia. Activation of an enzyme known as telomerase elongates telomeres. The researchers assessed white blood cell telomere length in blood samples from 32 professional runners whose age averaged 20, middle-aged athletes of an average age of 51 who had engaged in continuous endurance exercise since youth, and young and old groups of healthy nonsmoking untrained athletes who did not engage in regular exercise. Not surprisingly, the athletes in the study had slower resting heart rates, lower blood pressure, a lower body mass index, and improved lipids compared with those who did not exercise regularly. Age-dependent telomere loss was found to be lower in the middle aged athletes who had engaged in endurance exercise for several decades compared to the older, untrained men. “The most significant finding of this study is that physical exercise of the professional athletes leads to activation of the important enzyme telomerase and stabilizes the telomere,” noted Dr Laufs, who is a professor of clinical and experimental medicine at Saarland University’s department of internal medicine “This is direct evidence of an antiaging effect of physical exercise. Physical exercise could prevent the aging of the cardiovascular system, reflecting this molecular principle.” “Our data improves the molecular understanding of the protective effects of exercise on the vessel wall and underlines the potency of physical training in reducing the impact of age-related disease,” he added.

So, there you have it. Right off the press.  Get out of bed in the morning. Run for the camaraderie. Run for the health benefits. Run for the anti-aging effects. And run for the guilt-free chocolate chip cookie 🙂

Happy trails,

JRB

PONY ESPRESSO EXPRESS

Dear PE’s:

One of the things I have learned over the years is that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. I recently came across an excellent blog from Runners World, which I have reprinted below. It is a topic dear to my heart. I frequently deal with bariatric  (weight) issues in my practice. I have long been an advocate of jogging or running as a preferred method of exercise for weight control. Of course, for those who have significant orthopedic, cardiac or pulmonary issues, these may not be possible. Also, some individuals just abhor the thought. But, if you do run (which is likely if you’ve visited this site), here is some interesting information:

November 10, 2009

Nov. 10: Burn, Baby, Burn–Of Exercise and Calorie Burning

This blog has taken me longer to write than any other I’ve attempted–about 9 months. Here’s why: I can’t decide whether to make it simple or complex. It could go either way.

The topic is the energy expenditure (“calories burned”) of popular aerobic activities like running, walking, bicycling and swimming. It’s an important subject, especially for the millions who would like to use their exercise habits to maintain a healthy weight, or to drop pounds from an undesirably high body weight. And you’d think it would be simple. You just look up the food calories you consume every day, which are available from food labels, and web sites like NutritionData.com (a favorite of mine), books and lots of other places. Then you subtract your daily calorie output–the sum of your daily metabolism including work and family life, your thermogenesis (the calories your body expends in burning foods), and your exercise calories. What could be easier?

The metabolism and thermogenesis calculations are relatively easy to find on various web pages. But energy expenditures, particularly in useful forms (like miles and minutes), are not so easy to locate. Hence this blog.

For some reason, basic exercise calorie burning information is clouded in false assumptions and misconceptions. It’s one of the most misunderstood areas of fitness I know. For example, many if not most exercisers believe that walking a mile burns the same number of calories as running a mile. They figure: You move your body weight around a 400-meter track four times, and the work done is the same, whether you walk or run. Indeed, I believed this myself until five years ago when I read an insightful study, and then consulted with several experts in the field.

Here’s the real deal: running burns about 30 percent more calories per mile than walking, because running involves a completely different form of locomotion than walking. Yes, both use two feet and two legs. But runners “hop” or “bounce” across the ground, while walkers skim along without raising their center of gravity. All that hopping burns a lot of extra calories.

Other calorie-burning misconceptions arise because people get easily sidetracked by ideas like the “fat burning zone.” A recent New York Times “Well” blog confused many readers, to judge by the jumble of Comments, because it mixed “fat burning” into a column about calorie burning. But the former is almost completely unimportant, while the latter is critically important for those who want their exercise to help them control their weight.

In the table at the bottom of this blog, you’ll find a simple list of activities–running, walking, bicycling, and swimming–and the calories that a 150-pound male would burn doing them for a distance (per mile) or a time period (per minute). The per mile figures include both a “gross” amount and the much more meaningful “net” calorie burn. Also, since we all live our lives by the appointment book and the too-many activities we must do each day and week, I believe the per-minute, net burn view is the most important one. This is to the far right side of the table.

Here are a number of  other things you should know about the calorie burning table.

*** I’m confident of the running and walking figures. The others are a little less accurate because it’s difficult to get good research relating to them, and because they involve strange activities–like moving fast through a resistant layer of air, or moving slow through water, a much more resistant medium than air.

*** I’m not saying all the intensity levels (the speeds; or efforts) are the same. In fact, they surely aren’t. This would require some very advanced physiological testing. The intensities are simply ones I could find and feel relatively confident about.

*** The “gross” number of calories burned is the figure that everyone talks about, because it’s bigger than the “net” number, and we like bigger results. But the “net” figure gives a much clearer picture of the “extra calories” you’ve burned above and beyond your basal metabolic rate. For a 150# man, this is about 66 calories an hour. He burns these 66 calories even if he sits totally still for an hour. So they shouldn’t be counted as exercise calories, and they ARE NOT COUNTED in the two “net” calorie columns.

*** The far-right column, the net calories/minute, is the one you should look at when you only have 30 minutes for a workout, and you want to burn as many calories as you can. Here’s where the high-intensity exercises show their stuff. They don’t burn much fat, but they burn plenty of calories, which is the name of the game. Conversely, a low-intensity workout like walking doesn’t give you much bang per minute.

*** Running and walking are by far the two most popular calorie-burning exercises, so it’s interesting to know a few things about them. Your running calorie burn/mile doesn’t change as you go faster, or changes only minimally. This is a difficult concept, but has been proven many times. It would not be true if you could run 20mph, because then wind would become a big factor (as in cycling), but you can’t run that fast, so you don’t have to worry about it. Walking also has the same calorie-burn-per-mile up to about 5mph. But then it skyrockets; it actually surpasses running. Of course, almost no one walks that fast, and few even get up to 4mph.

*** For running and walking, your gross calorie burn/mile is directly related to your body weight, so we can produce simple formulas that you can use for your specific weight. In running, your gross calorie burn per mile = .75 x wt in lbs. For walking, it = .57 x wt in lbs.

The point of all this? First, to establish some benchmarks. Second, to make sure you understand that the harder you exercise, the more calories you burn per minute. Which is how we live our lives, minute by minute. This doesn’t mean that 6 miles of slow walking can’t burn as many calories as 5 miles of modest running. It can … almost. But the walking will probably take you two hours, and the running only about one hour.

Thirdly, to be just a little more honest with yourself about your exercise calorie burning, use your “net” calories burned per mile or minute.

So, there you have it. Now, take that Thanksgiving run, and ENJOY your TURKEY and FOOTBALL today

Happy Trails,

JRB

Every now and then we see someone in a race who seems to defy the normal process of aging. There’s always that one individual (usually in your age-group division) who runs away with the race and performs at levels we mortals only dream about, or vaguely remember from 15 or 20 years ago.  Many of us that race occasionally (or more often) feel that our training justifies performances far faster than the finish line clock reveals. Sorry guys and girls, but it just goes with the territory. For the vast majority of us, as we get older, we get slower. But that doesn’t mean that our performances have deteriorated. In fact, in many cases we have improved! Welcome to the world of Age-Graded Performances (AGP). Many races report both actual finishing time, actual finishing place and age-graded pefomance (%, time or place). This allows us old (I mean, veteran) runners to feel less bad, or, perhaps, much better about our efforts. However, if one runs one of the many races that doesn’t report AGP, I recently came across a  “do it yourself” tool on the Runners World site. For your psychological well-being, just go to:

www.runnersworld.com/cda/agegradingcalculator/

Believe me, you will really feel better.  I tried it a few minutes ago. My 1:59:21 at the Silver Strand Half Marathon, miraculously transformed itself into a 1:33:24 (63.4% AGP). I feel better already 🙂

Happy Trails,

JRB

Pony Espresso Express

Dear PE’s ,

In December, 1991, I had the good luck to share a cab from the Honolulu Airport to the Outrigger Reef on the Beach Hotel with one of America’s iconic marathoners. When I saw his name mentioned in the Wall Street Journal article about “mega-marathoners” I felt compelled to get back in touch with Norm. Here’s the story:

In 1982, at the urging of Thaddeus Kostrabala, MD  (author of The Joy of Running and my daily training partner), I signed up for and ran my 1st Honolulu Marathon. I have continued to do it every year since (28 in a row come December 13th this year).  On my 10th anniversary of the race (December 1991), I arrived at the Honolulu Airport several days early to get acclimated to the weather and time change and was waiting for my bags at the carousel . I noted a tall, wiry guy, wearing an Athens Marathon warmup suit and running shoes. He definitely did not look like most of the others waiting for their bags. He was definitely a runner! I introduced myself and suggested we share a cab to the hotel as it would be much quicker and less expensive as there were several of us going to the same hotel. On the ride to the hotel, he introduced himself and asked if I had run this race before. I indicated that this was my 10th year. I went on to describe the course.  Not knowing of his accomplishments, I gave myself a gentle “pat on the back” by casually throwing in that this was my 43rd marathon, and then asked him which other races he had run. He totally floored me when he announced that this was his 443rd marathon! I replied that he must be amongst the leaders. He explained that he was “chasing” Sy Mah’s record of 524. What was the chance of running into one of the few people is the whole world who could make me feel like a total jerk? I was not even within an order of magnitude of the number of marathons he had run. He was very kind and didn’t pursue or stress the point.

Over the years I have kept track of his running and noted the many landmarks, often reported in Runners World magazine. I was saddened to see that he had had a stroke and was no longer running. Today, I had a chance to call and speak with him. He sounds “great”! He is currently getting physical therapy and dealing with some other medical issues, but sill has hopes of getting back on the roads to complete his 1000th marathon! He is currently at 965!

Best of luck to you, Norm. We all respect and love you. You can read about his accomplishments at his web site www.normfrank.com. You can even wish him a speedy recovery via his email (listed on the site)

Happy Trails,

JRB

PONY ESPRESSO EXPRESS

Dear PE’s:

Always trying to be amongst the first out of the starting gate with late-breaking news, I’m pleased to report that the Competitor Group (RNR Half and Marathon Series) has expanded to Los Angeles. Actually, when I first saw the announcement, I thought they were taking over the Los Angeles Marathon, which has been in disarray for years. Well, something is better than nothing. They’re taking over the City of Angels Half Marathon, and moving the date from December (too bad, I kind of liked the Griffith Park start with the Christmas lights) to October. As all of you who have received this letter over the years know, the admonition to sign up early is more true today than it was just one year ago. For example, the Carlsbad Half Marathon (Carlsbad, Ca) sold out more than 2 months prior to the race! Below is the news release from the Competitor Group:

PRESS RELEASE

Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series Adds Los Angeles Event
Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon Set for October 24, 2010
San Diego, CA – November 19, 2009 – The Competitor Group announced today that it will
expand the presence of its Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series in Southern California through an
agreement with Grove of Hope to operate and manage an annual fall half marathon in Los
Angeles. The newly renamed Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon, scheduled for October
24, 2010, will replace the City of Angels Half Marathon, which has historically been held the
first weekend of December since 2006.
“As the second largest media market in the country, Los Angeles has been a critical
expansion target of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series,” said Peter Englehart, President and
CEO of the Competitor Group. “We were fortunate to connect with Katherine Gluck and
Kamal Oudrhiri with Grove of Hope, who have launched and built a successful event we feel
is poised for significant growth.”
“The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series has a great reputation for executing well-organized
events,” said Katherine Gluck, Treasurer of Grove of Hope. “We look forward to the
opportunity to work in partnership with the Competitor Group and continuing to generate
funding and awareness for science and technology education.”
Grove of Hope will remain a benefiting charity of the new half marathon, which promises an
entertaining destination event for runners and walkers of all abilities. Between 15,000 and
20,000 participants are expected for the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll event in Los Angeles, which
will highlight the brand’s unique combination of entertainment on courses that distinctively
feature their host cities. The event’s theme will showcase the glamour and entertainment
mecca that is Los Angeles.
“We’re excited to host this world-class event, which I believe will become the new flagship
half marathon on the west coast,” said Tom LaBonge, Los Angeles City Councilmember,
whose district encompasses a majority of the course. “In addition to providing race
participants a unique tour of Los Angeles, the event will serve as an outstanding platform to
promote health and fitness throughout the city.”
In keeping with the true spirit of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, the Los Angeles half
marathon will feature live bands, themed water stations and cheerleaders along the flat and
scenic course. The 2010 race will utilize the existing point-to-point course that takes runners
from Griffith Park near the Los Angeles Zoo, along the Los Angeles River, down Sunset
Boulevard, near the edge of Echo Park Lake and finishes with a scenic view of downtown at
the Los Angeles Civic Center.
For more information about the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, please visit
www.runrocknroll.com
About The Competitor Group
Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI), headquartered in San Diego, CA, is a leading endurance media
and event entertainment company dedicated to promoting the sports of running, cycling and
triathlons. CGI owns and operates 33 national events delivering more than 300,000
professional and amateur participants in 2010. CGI publishes four magazine titles with a
combined monthly circulation of over 800,000 and has recently launched an online
endurance community at www.competitor.com. Further information about Competitor and
its media properties can be found at www.cgimediakit.com.
About Grove of Hope
Grove of Hope is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization that was founded in Los Angeles,
California, to provide science education in our surrounding neighborhoods and around the
globe. Grove of Hope believes that science education and innovative scientific solutions
provide people with the access to high earning jobs, improved living standards and
alternative solutions to many global challenges including but not limited to health, water
management, agriculture, energy and climate changes. For more information, please visit
www.groveofhope.org.
Speaking of LA events, the 25th Annual Los Angeles Marathon (LAM XXV), has a new course which looks GREAT. It incorporates some of the old course and some new, with a generally downhill 2nd half. You can see the course by going to the website www.lamarathon.com.

Happy Trails ,

JRB