The Runners Round Table

More and more major events are featuring activities for the entire family instead of the "main event" that often focused the lion's share of attention on the star athlete of the family. Additionally, a recent piece in "The New York Times" suggests that many young runners aren't using events solely as a training venue or to gain experience; some are blasting out of the starting gates and setting an event's overall tempo and pace. Listen in as a panel of runners, event participants, and parents discuss the impact that younger and teen athletes bring to the table in today's event landscape. Scheduled panelists, include:Brian Adkins (Moderator), Marathon Brian: http://marathonbrian.com/ Mike Westermeier, Westy's Running: http://mwrunfar.blogspot.com/ Kristin Janson, Team Michael Moyles: http://www.teammichaelmoyles.com/ Brian Ulrey, The Sole Daddy Running Blog: http://www.soledaddy.com/ Luke May, High School Cross Country Competitor and Marathoner Chris Duran, High School Track and Cross Country Competitor Click here to listen to RRT 122

Danny Bent definitely has a life less usual! Trekking to the South Pole, bog snorkening, stair climbing racing in skyscrapers all seem tame after Danny's 9000 mile cycle ride from London to Southern India to help his students understand geography. Now he’s trying to inspire more people in a UK-based international fundraising initiative - Oneoneoneone, that will raise over £1million for people living with, or affected by, HIV/AIDS around the globe, through the established charity Keep a Child Alive. Danny's also written a book, ‘You’ve gone too far this time Sir’? [Buy from ActionAid - half profit goes to charity @ http://act.ai/dannybent or on http://amazon.com for £9.99 however the special Kindle verson looks to be on offer at just 72p!] about his decision to raise money for charity and his adventures along his journey. Steve Chopper, host of Run World Radio, was joined by @Drusy (Toni), @Devoniain (Iain), @clewsy (Colin), @solshadow (Phil of Runcast.tv) and Roberto from Madrid, Spain as we chatted with Danny about his antics and charity goals. In the chatroom we had @Allterrain, Krister from Running the Narrow Path podcast and @Alcoupon Click here to listen to RRT 121

We are back with a show to discuss Running Injuries. Take a listen and plan to join us for a future show. My apologies for the few technical issues, it's been a while :-). So join Mark Ulrich, Joe Garland, Tim Kirchner, Craig MacFarlane and Mike Westermeier for a discussion that will cover a lot of different tangents of running injuries. We discussed continuing to run after an injury, when to see a Doctor, what happens if you try to run through an injury and various ways to recover from an injury. You will hear about torn ligaments and cartilage, stress fractures, muscle pulls and tears, sprains, strains as well as the normal overuse injuries like ITB syndrome, plantar fasciitis and probably a few more. Have you ever had an injury? Have you ever tried to run through it? Were you successful? Has part of your decision been based on that you signed up for a race and had to do it? Could it be that you have a streak going so you just have to run the event?If you want some additional information check out Mark's recent post: Running Injuries - Treatment and Prevention. Click here to listen to RRT 118

According to most standards running a road marathon is pretty extreme, yet some people need a different sort of challenge. A whole host of extreme races has sprung up to meet to this need, from ultramarathons to marathons held in challenging locations. Join us on April 20th, as several runners who have tackled one (or more!) of these extreme events discuss the rise in popularity of these events, what drives them personally, and what future holds. How extreme will the sport get? The discussion will be led by Kiersten Pfeifer (http://26for25.blogspot.com/) and feature Dan McKenna who just completed the Atacama Crossing, a seven-day, six-stage, 150-mile endurance footrace across the Atacama Desert of Chile ( Conquer Atacama St. Baldrick’s Page and Conquer Atacama Facebook Page.), Phil Moneypenny who ran the first solo Marathon at the Halley base on the Brunt Ice Shelf, and Paul Both who completed a Transcontinental run from Huntington Beach, CA to the Statue of Liberty in New York (http://www.runforliberty.com) Click here to listen to RRT 117

Listen to Episode 115 It wasn't so long ago that we had a show on Running Form. We thought we'd revisit the issue because it continues to get almost daily attention in the blogosphere. We'll have Pete Larson and Steve Magness (recently hired by the Oregon Track Club) on again and talk about developments since our last appearance. Joining us too will be Ian Adamson, Newton Running's Director of Research and Education. Pete interviewed Ian in December 2009. Pete just posted about Stride Cadence -- you may recall from our initial show that the consensus was that this is an important aspect of form -- and he discusses a number of recent pieces, including one by Steve, on this very topic. Pete also attended a conference in West Virginia last month and posted a series of pieces:A Natural Running CommunityNew Trends in Prevention and TreatmentGait Re-TrainingVertical Impact Load-RatesVertical Impact Load-Rates II In that last one, Pete sends you to a nice post by Jay Dicharry on the topic. It's a complex yet simple process, this running. With a discussion of a bit more of the science, we hope to provide a bit of clarity. Now for those discouraged by reading that Pete's shuffling-along rate is 186, one of our hosts (Joe Garland) can't break 170 and Steve's is 168 (getting north of 192 at his tempo pace). Mark Ulrich, Craig Macfarlane, and Joe Garland will share hosting duties.

Tired of yet another boring workout on the bike trainer or elliptical machine? Ever wondered what Cross Fit is, what is a TRX, what goes on in those hot yoga classes, and is Pole Dancing a legitimate workout? You'll get some answers to these questions and more when you listen in to our chat from Wednesday, February 9, 2011 with several runners who supplement their running with a variety of fun activities. We discussed what cross training and supplemental training are, why you should consider it it, and what activities you can add to your running. Hosted by Margaret Suddeth (Flutter-Bys), with Ann Brennan (Ann's Running Commentary), Tim Doiron (ICannotSitStill), and Nik Wong (4 Feet Running). Joining them will be Joe Garland (RunWestchester), who purports not to cross-train. [Click Here to Listen to RRT-114]Winter Cross Training Alternatives (by RRT-host Julie Threlkeld in Running Times)TRXCrossFit

The Runners Roundtable would like to extend a big congratulations to Steve Magness, who has provided a consistent source of excellent information both in his Science of Running blog and here at the Runners Roundtable within two excellent recent episodes (i.e. RRT-98 on Running Form and RRT-106 on Training Basics). Steve has accepted his new job as assistant coach to Alberto Salazar at the Nike Facility in Beaverton, Oregon. With the Oregon Track Club Steve will be helping to train Adam and Kara Goucher, Galen Rupp, Alan Webb and other world-class athletes! Found below is a video from Flotrack featuring an interview with Steve about his new gig:

We're at the midpoint of this winter season, and for some, it's been a long season already, especially if you live in the northern US. The groundhog didn't see his shadow today, so maybe spring is on its way...... For some runners, this is the time when their motivation falters, when their enthusiasm for our sport succumbs to the darkness and cold of this season, and the winter is only half over. For others though, this is a great time to be on the roads, with crisp fresh air in the North, and tolerable temperatures in the South. For these runners, motivation is just kicking in, Spring is coming, and winter is already half over. Listen in to this discussion of getting started on those winter days (and nights), the right gear to help you succeed in less-than-perfect conditions, and how to beat those winter blues. Mike W's Running blog: http://www.mwrunfar.blogspot.com Russ Porter's Running blog: http://www.breakfastmiles.blogspot.com Tim Doiron's (outdated) blog: http://www.rundervrun.blogspot.com [Click here to Listen to RRT 113] Click here to listen to the episode on TalkShoe!

As runners, we're always looking for ways to gain a competitive advantage. Whether it's shedding those last few pounds of extra body fat or hitting triple digits on a regular basis, we tend to be a driven, determined lot. But how do runners know when they've tipped over the edge and moved from healthy training- and eating-patterns to unhealthy ones? What causes these disorders? How are they typically treated and what's the outlook for those who are recovering from these issues? What can be done to prevent them from developing in the first place? We discussed these topics with three runners who have been there:Lize Brittin is hostess of the recently revived blog Training on Empty (and author of an as-yet-unpublished memoir of the same title). Lize was a top high school and national-class mountain runner in Colorado in the 1980s, having set the Pike's Peak Marathon ascent record at just 16 -- despite battling severe eating and exercise disorder issues at the time.Dave Dunham currently competes for the Central Massachusetts Striders. Something of a Renaissance Man, in addition to road running Dave also competes in ultras, trail/mountain runs and on snowshoes. Among other distinctions, Dave is a two-time qualifier for US Olympic Marathon Trials and seven-time member of the US Mountain Running team. While in his thirties, Dave struggled with anorexia, reaching 110 lbs on a 5'7" frame. He blogs at DDMountainRunrDiane Israel, 1984 Colorado mountain-running champion, was a successful professional triathlete and runner for 15 years. She is also a recovering anorexic. Her film, Beauty Mark: Body Image and the Race for Perfection, examines how images from popular culture, familial influence and the drive for athletic perfection can all collide, resulting in dangerously disordered thinking and behavior.Hosted by Julie Threlkeld -- RacesLikeAGirl and Running Times contributor -- for this show. Listen to Episode 111

On Wednesday, January 5 we spoke about the importance of recovery in any training plan. Training is all about (1) Stress, (2) Recovery, (3) Repeat. The importance of giving the body a chance to adapt to the stresses under which it is placed. And about how necessary it is for each of us to learn what our body needs on this front, and to listen to our bodies. On board were Brenn, Craig, Mark, Mike, and TK, with Joe Garland as the host. Our friend Flo put up a timely post on the taking-time-off issue, which is worth a read. Listen to Episode 110