It Takes Months of Dedication to Ruin a Marathon

Nancy — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 15:48:45 +0000

Nancy says, “Perhaps next year I’ll finally commit myself to the training that is necessary to ruin a marathon.”

Running Deep.

Nancy — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:07:42 +0000

Legs.

Nancy — Wed, 21 May 2008 19:37:26 +0000

The world has been paying attention to Oscar Pistorious, the South African double amputee who recently won the right to qualify for the Olympic Games. Yesterday, Slate posted “The Emerging Supremecy of Artificial Legs,” which goes behind the headline and offers this message to Pistorious, “Go, Oscar, go. We’re all rooting for you to cross that finish line in Beijing. Just one note of caution: Don’t win.” This article considers the curious non-decision decision of the International Association of Athletics Federations . ESPN’s Page 2 columnist Tim Keown isn’t shy about voicing his opinion that Pistorius should not be allowed to compete, “This really isn’t that difficult. Pistorius is running on artificial legs, wonders of technology instead of flesh and bone. It’s simply not the same.” Keown writes that the whole Pistorius story is further proof of our hypersensitive, politcally correct society’s fear of exlcuding anyone. Dude, he has no legs ! He’s running on carbon blades. As far as I’m concerned, he can run in any damn race he pleases.

Could be Worse II

Nancy — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:18:34 +0000

Well, MD, at least you still have both kidneys (that I know of).

“A CORBALLY man, who donated a kidney to his brother, didn’t let losing one of his organs stop him from fulfilling his lifetime ambition of running the New York Marathon less than a year later.

Johnny Murnane completed the world’s largest marathon only 11 months after the operation which had a life-changing effect on his younger brother.”

Full Story:

”Man Who Donates Kidney to Brother runs New York City Marathon”

Could be worse.

mtdecruz — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:17:55 +0000

From the Canadian Parks Service, information about avoiding a Polar Bear attack while running:

“When a bear is approaching, its behaviour should be carefully observed. Any of the following behaviours suggest a curious bear:

Standing on four feet and moving slowly.
Stopping frequently and sniffing the air.
Holding its head high with ears forward or sticking out.
Moving its head from side to side or lifting its nose up into the air to test the wind and catch a scent. Like other bear species, a polar bear will often circle downwind and approach from behind to catch the scent of a person.

An agitated polar bear has different behaviours. These include:
Making a loud huffing sound.
Snapping its jaws to make loud sounds.
Staring directly at a person.
Lowering its head below shoulder level with ears back and pressed against the side of its head. The head may be swaying back and forth sideways. Sometimes they may stamp their feet. Bluff charges by polar bears are rare. A charging polar bear should be interpreted as a bear intent on injuring a person.”

That’s it. The Anchorage Marathon is out. Also, do not run a Google Image search for “polar bear attack.” Just don’t do it.

The World’s Most Annoying Runner?

mtdecruz — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:44:56 +0000

From Runner’s World:

“We know what you’re thinking: The most annoying runner ever is that guy who invariably lines up directly in front of you at every race. The one who is significantly slower than you are, but plans to make up for this fact by starting the race as close to the front as he possibly can — and then zig-zagging through the field at top speed as soon as the gun goes off, before being passed by you (and most of the rest of the pack) somewhere around the first mile marker.

Yes, that runner is annoying.

However! However… the fellow in this video may well edge past that runner, for the title of Most Annoying Runner Ever.”

See the video here.

Stay the Course

mtdecruz — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:17:00 +0000