Marathon News Clippings

I'm full of topics to post, but rather short on time.

So, I'm returning to the "find interesting news items to post" approach for today.

Original material (should) return on Thursday.

Excerpt from the New York Times Health Blog:

Lance Armstrong Talks Marathons (link to the full article: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/28/lance-armstrong-talks-marathons/)

"Mr. Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France winner, has twice run the New York City Marathon. His first year, Ms. Samuelson jumped in at the 10-mile mark and helped spur him to the finish line in 2 hours 59 minutes 36 seconds. He called it “the hardest physical thing” he had ever done."

Note: The bold and underline effects are mine to make sure you read what Lance said about the marathon effort.

Excerpt from the New York Times Fashion and Style section (link to the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/fashion/22FITNESS.html)

GETTING serious about a sport can mean doing the previously unthinkable. Swimmers shave their bodies sleek. Cyclists take blood-boosters. And ultramarathoners have their battered toenails surgically removed — for good.

Toenail removal is not for the faint of heart, but it can be a big relief to people who compete in 50- or 100-mile races. Even the most hardened ultramarathoners, for whom 26.2 miles is a warm-up, can be distressed by bleeding under a nail or a loose nail that bangs repeatedly against the front of a shoe.

Note #1: It's a bit hard to believe this bit of information appears in the "Fashion and Style" section. It appears both unfashionable and lacking in style.

Note #2: I have all my toe nails in tact. Of my 36 previous marathons, there has been only one occasion when the toe nails on my big toe turned black and blue from banging against the front of my shoe. This occurred at the 2006 Rochester Marathon due to my not having tied my shoes tightly, which resulted in my feet "sloshing" forward in my shoes...causing the bruising.

Back to the New York Times Health Blog for this little thought:

And the gluteus maximus, the largest muscle in the human body, is primarily engaged only during running. “Your butt is a running muscle; you barely use it when you walk,” Dr. Lieberman said. “There are so many features in our bodies from our heads to our toes that make us good at running.”

Note: You have to appreciate any article that includes the quote, "Your butt is a running muscle..."

OK, it's not from the New York Times it's from the New York Post and it's not about the New York City Marathon, but some things are just worth reading anyway (link to the full article: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/ball_dribbling_marathon_goes_through_tZ9RIlCYaMe44YXbnOv6wK)

B-Ball dribbling marathon goes through Brooklyn By Stephen Witt

October 13, 2009

With nary a hoop in sight, about 20 basketball dribblers bounced their way across the three East River bridges from Brooklyn to Manhattan to raise money and awareness about the genocide in Sudan.

And the final article for the day from the New York Times an article on the current New York Jets Vice-President, his running and his battle with cancer (link to the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/24/sports/football/24jets.html)

Cancer did not change Higgins. Running did.

As he prepares for the New York City Marathon, raising money for Lance Armstrong’s foundation, Higgins has lost 55 pounds and gained the balance that his success failed to provide.

“Running forces you to slow down,” Higgins said. “Because the only way you can finish is to allow time to elapse. That was important because I had never lived my life that way. I could always accelerate everything through the sheer force of will.”
Higgins, 34, always achieved by

Note: Original content on Thursday...I just have to figure out what it will be.