Nutrition Trends for 2008

Wondering where the nutrition bandwagon is heading over the next twelve months? Well, endurance sports nutritionist and Run Junkie favorite, Monique Ryan, shares her thoughts on the topic on VeloNews.com (link). From "superfruits" to "mood foods" to recession-resistant meals, she covers a wide swath of trends. There's not too much edurance-specific information, but all of it's about getting the right food in the tank. Check it out.

The Real Run for the White House: How active are the candidates?

The race for the White House just got a lot slower with Senator John Edwards shutting down his campaign. The most accomplished runner in the field - with a marathon PR of 3:30 - he could handily spank the rest of the candidates as well as our famously active current president, Bush, who has a respectable PR of 3:44.

So, when it comes to the best of the rest, which candidate would win in a real test of endurance? Check out where the candidates fall on Run Junkie's water bottle rating system (below). Hands down, it seems Mike Huckabee would take the victory. With four marathons under his ever shrinking belt, and Boston queued up for April (previous post), he gets four bottles, and no other candidate even really comes close. Hillary Clinton speed walks occasionally (one bottle). Barack Obama stays fit by regularly playing basketball and hitting the gym (two bottles). Mitt Romney runs three miles every other day or so (two bottles). John McCain does some hiking now and then (one bottle, with one extra for enduring the Hanoi Hilton.) Though not yet an official candidate, Mike Bloomberg doesn't seem to be a regular exerciser (data are hard to come by, though), but we give him one full bottle for his great policy work to advance the health of NYC's eight million citizens.

Running Runner Huckabee to Run Boston Marathon

It didn't quite have the splash of Lance's announcement that he was running the Boston Marathon this year (post), but it's pretty big news that presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, will toe the line in Hopkinton as well. It will be his fifth marathon (PR 4:26:05), which he'll be running as part of the charity, Team Hoyt (site). Regardless of your politcal leanings, your have to appreciate such an ambitious goal given the time crunch of campaigning. That he's been spending so much energy fending of the smears of fiscal conservatives since Iowa makes it even more impressive. Check out the Boston.com article on Huck in Hopkinton (story).

Race Update: 2008 Robie Creek half marathon registration day set

See 2009 Robie Creek Registration Update

Following up on a previous post (post), registration day for the popular Boise area trail half marathon, Race to Robie Creek (site), has been set for Monday, February 18. Directors have yet to reveal the exact registration procedure, which is highly anticipated after the melt down of the athleteslounge.com servers in 2007.

Postscript: (2-18-08;3:05pm) Robie Creek site reports race is full; posts race logo for 2008 (post).

Postscript: (2-18-08; noon) It's registration day and sign-ups grind to a halt again. See update (post).

Postscript: (2-13-08) Race directors officially ban iPods from race (post).

Postscript: (1-31-08) Slightly testy update on the Robie Creek FAQ about registration for 2008: "100% online, it will start at 8 am mt time on february 18th 2008, president's day. a link to the sign up page will be at www.robiecreek.com on the 18th. please only hit your enter key once. the more you hit the enter or refresh keys it only slows down the computers, as the server must answer each hit. GOT IT?"

Postscript: (April 18, 2008) Race instructions on the eve of race day (post).

Be the Smog: Olympic athletes look to deal with Beijing's horrid pollution

Olympics-bound athletes concerned about dealing with the Beijing smog are trying to figure out how they can begin to adapt to the severe pollution while still on home turf. And the real struggle for some athletes may not be so much making the team but getting to the starting line alive. As Randy Wilber, lead exercise physiologist for the USOC, put it in the New York Times today (story): “If they thought locking themselves in the garage with the car running would help them win a gold medal, I’m sure they would do it. Our job, obviously, is to prevent that.”

The story also includes a great visual detailing pollution trends in and around Beijing and the effects pollution can have on performance. More than you may want to know, really. But, you be the judge (graphic, click to enlarge).

(Photo by kevindooley, under Creative Commons)

"Spot" Satellite Personal Tracker: A first look

First off, we've never used the new Spot GPS satellite messenger and personal tracker (site), but we sure like the idea of it. Alone on long, backcountry runs it's hard to know what might be coming your way - good, bad, or hungry. With the Spot, a push of a button can tell family and friends that everything's OK or that Life Flight better get the rotors warmed up. And with exact coordinates available via computer, they should be able to find you in no time. The cost of the device isn't bad ($169.99). Same with the one year service subscription ($99.99). Living to run another day: priceless.

When we get our hands on one, we'll give the full, stress-tested low down. Stay tuned.

Kenyan Runners Continue to Suffer: Marathoner Ngetich killed

In a tragic follow-up to a previous post (link), the New York Times reports that 2005 and 2007 Grandma's Marathon winner, Wesly Ngetich, was killed during an ethnic clash in Kenya (story). The country has been stricken by violence since a disputed presidential election in December. Olympic runner Lucas Sang has also fallen victim.

Hurting in Hawaii: Results in for the H.U.R.T 100

The H.U.R.T 100 mile ultra went off this weekend in the Aloha State (race site). As usual, the brutality of paradise came to the fore - rain, mud, wind, and about 27,000 feet of total climbing. Of 100 runners off the line, 21 went the full five laps of the 20 mile course. The winners:

100M male winner: Paul Hopwood 27:17
100M female winner: Suzanna Bon 31:56

100Km male winner: Rod Bien 17:02
100Km female winner: Jamie Donaldson 20:30

After Party: "Cottonwood Chords" from Mountain Khakis'

Because after the running stops, life goes on

Welcome to Run Jukie's newest segment - After Party - where we'll talk about and review some of the things that make life after your run that much more sweet. And, we're not talking about a dry shirt and a banana. We'll be writing about great food & drink, hip clothing, and just plain cool stuff that'll make you feel like every day's been marked by a PR.

Kicking things off - "Cottonwood Chords" from Mountain Khakis (site). And, yes, they're pants, which usually isn't something to get excited about. But, these pants are different. As comfortable as a pair of sweats--but warmer, more assuring, and downright stylish in a mountain kind of way--these will become your go-to pants after your 12 mile training run or 50 mile ultra. They're a fine wale chord but have the thickness and richness more common to wide wales. And don't worry about looking like a reject from the Preppy Handbook, these pants have a great high-altitude look--notched pockets (with two on the right side), gusseted crotch, reinforced heal cuff, and a cool, lined fly flap. Without missing a beat, the "Cottonwood Chords" can take you from the finishing chute to the sushi bar. Although they're missing a dedicated cell phone pocket and are a bit pricey (retail $75.00), their look, feel, and construction make them an After Party must have.

Lance Armstrong to Run 2008 Boston Marathon

Hot off the presses. Seven time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, will continue his running ways and toe the line in Beantown this April. For the full story, check out the BAA site (story).