The Meat and Two Veg of One's Weekly Running Schedule

I made a vow after running Boston and Big Sur Marathons this spring that, in training for my next 26.2 miles, I'd like to run three times a week and definitely no more than five. This would be the "meat and two veg" staple diet of one long run, one tempo and one speed workout at the very minimum. Long runs I love (especially if it involves a road-trip) with tempos being social and a great time to catch up with friends; it's the speed workouts I've always had trouble with.

You see, I've always defined speed as equating to track workouts and I'm not very fond of running in circles and quickly get bored of it. Fortunately speed can also be attained via interval and fartlek workouts practically anywhere outdoors - a habit I've developed most Monday evenings. Tonight was no exception with fellow TMIRCEr's, Andy and Brian, being up for it too. The weather was cool and the sun already beginning to set when we met by the Esplanade at 6.15pm. My legs were tired following a 5K race yesterday so my expectations of completing the whole thing in a usual fast pace were somewhat low. 

Our goal was pre-programed into our Garmins of 5 miles of 0.15 mile fast / 0.35 mile slow with a short break in the middle and, after a short warm-up, we set off. Our fast pace always hovers in the low-mid 5 min/miles and the slower ranges anywhere up to a 9 min/mile pace depending on the weather, how tired we are etc. For me tonight the slow periods were slower than usual and much welcomed.

The beauty of these workouts is that time passes quickly, it's fun to see other runners you know and, most importantly, you're not getting dizzy on a track; I've found the discipline and speed comes in handy during races and it's an awesome workout to do with friends. 

We'd love to hear your thoughts and experience on track v's these more "open-road" intervals so please comment below. Thanks for reading... Martin

People of New Balance Reach the Beach Relay: Volunteers do it right

Every year, like ants preparing for the cold winter months, New Balance Reach the Beach Relay - RTB - volunteers begin hustling, bustling, and storing up sleep hours before setting off on this yearly adventure. With title sponsor New Balance in the mix, New Balance RTB has been able to explode onto the 200 mile relay running scene with some serious firepower to the 13 year old annual New Hampshire tradition.

But then there are the not so unsung hero's who are recognized as the back bone of this race by nearly all who participate and are held aloft within their own ranks. I'm of course referring to the aforementioned volunteers. Why are they not unsung? The volunteers that sacrifice their time and energy to ensure a smoothly operating event are at the forefront of every turn, literally, are praised by New Balance RTB staff and runners from the moment they begin to the last second they're on the clock. Starting at the top, Race directors Rich Mazzola and Mike Dionne forge lasting relationships that imbue volunteer organizations with a sense of pride in their massive accomplishments over the course of 4 days. That's right...some people start volunteering on the Wednesday before race day. Some volunteers show up to cook meals for race staff, some to unpack the merch tent, some pack race packets with hundreds of timing chips, while others staple banners to the walls of Cannon Mountains facade.

Spread across 200 miles of rural New Hampshire, hundreds of people turn out, some in costumes; selling cookies, hot breakfasts, showers all in support of their fire departments, local education facilities, girl scout troops, City Year programs, and even local running clubs! Organization, safety, and fun are the names of the game here. New Balance RTB commits itself to these core values by over-communicating them during several volunteer training sessions leading up to the big day. Volunteer coordinator, Carol Rainville, works especially hard at making sure every volunteer feels as if they're personally making a difference. They respond by working hard at every turn, getting their hands filthy with garbage, standing on the shoulder of the road for hours directing traffic while wearing a Mario costume, and getting personal with some of the teams in an effort to make lasting connections while teams wait for their runners to arrive. This year, like years past, New Balance RTB exceeded expectations; as volunteers, runners, and the communities of New England, came out in support of the annual celebration of endurance and ability to sleep in a smelly van.

Is Ragnar Relays stealing races?

Paul Vanderheiden thinks so. Mr. Vanderheiden claims Ragnar Relays is acting unethically by violating an unwritten code of ethics.

...there is an unwritten code of ethics between race directors that you don’t steal someone’s course, and you don’t piggy back on an established race’s date with a nearby, similar event.

Whether a race course is intellectual property and whether it is immoral to plan similar events near already established races are interesting questions. I understand planning a relay race is not a trivial task. However, every business makes decisions under uncertainty, faces barriers to entry, must navigate down learning curves, find returns to scale, etc. To the extent that new entrants learn from incumbents, costs can be minimized. Although I am not sympathetic to Mr. Vanderheiden’s views, I am not surprised he is frustrated: the history of business is filled with pleas by incumbents who find their competitors’ ethics questionable.

Putting ethics aside, will consumers (i.e. runners) be adversely affected by Ragnar Relays? I think the answer on the whole is unambiguously no. While some will not like what Martin Potter fears will be a “Wal-Mart” effect on running events, the average runner will most likely benefit from Ragnar Relays in the same way the average runner benefits from the rise of more corporate races. The popular Rock ‘n’ Roll marathons might be huge corporate events, but they certainly do a great job of motivating runners who would not otherwise run a 26.2 mile race.

Counterintuitively, Mr. Vanderheiden may even benefit from Ragnar Relays. If Ragnar Relays succeeds in growing the market for relay races, an entirely new generation of relay runners might emerge in much the same way the marathon has grown in popularity in recent decades. Consider the words of Mr. Vanderheiden’s governor in Colorado, John Hickenlooper, who in the 1980s owned a restaurant in Denver and actually advertised other nearby restaurants in his own restaurant: “Our competitors are not other restaurants but TV sets.”

Summer Days and nights on the road in Vermont - GMR Review

A few months ago, I received an invitation to join a team for a fabled 200 mile relay. That's right, 200 miles. But before you jump to the conclusion that I'm solely nuts, our team consisted of 11 other people, split between two vans that would leap frog one another during 30 hours of running.

The scenery is what you'd expect from Vermont. Green, mountainous, epic vistas and then there were the little details. During my 3:30am run, the near full moon was setting just in front of me to my right, while the darkened sky was giving way to the early morning sun behind my left shoulder. I quietly ran through a Christmas tree farm, seeing triangular shadows looming in the early morning mist, and smelling the deep pine as it moved over the roadway. My other two runs were equally experiential with rolling hills, turtles, and lots and lots of cows.