Writing on the Run

Where to Find Live Television and Online Coverage of the 2013 Boston Marathon

 


The 117th running of the Boston Marathon is Monday, April 15th


RACE DAY MEDIA COVERAGE

(coverage begins at 9:00 am)

• Live national TV coverage on Universal Sports Television Network, as well as live online streaming on www.universalsports.com
  
  
• Live web coverage on www.baa.org
  
  
• Plus: Thinking about qualifying for next year's race?  Go here for 2014 info.

 

2013 RACE DAY SCHEDULE

Division	Start Time
Mobility Impaired	9:00 a.m.
Wheelchair Division	9:17 a.m.
Handcycles	9:22 a.m.
Elite Women	9:32 a.m.
Elite Men & Wave One	10:00 a.m.
Wave Two	10:20 a.m.
Wave Three	10:40 a.m.
Awards Ceremony*	5:00 p.m.

Running and Racing Advice from the Experts

                                                             




As part of the process for my next book, I have been asking well-known runners the one tip they would offer others to help them run their best race.  Here are some responses:

Jeff Galloway (1972 Olympian, Best-Selling running author of all time)
“Insert walk breaks into your training and racing to reduce injury and
allow you to perform better in long distance events.  Walk breaks allow runners to shift back and forth between walking and running muscles to help distribute the workload.”

Amy Hastings (2012 Olympian in the 10K, 10-time All-American)
“A lot of times your best races will come after your toughest times, both physical and emotional.  So just get through it, and keep working.  It’s the people who can get through that and bounce back that end up having their best races and breakthrough performances.”                   

Marty Liquori (former world #1 in the mile and 5K, Track & Field commentator)
“It’s all in the preparation.  You have to be consistent in your training
and sometimes that takes years.  But then you’ll have the platform from which to launch your best race ever.  There’s no secret, it’s just hard work.” 

Molly Huddle (American record-holder in the 5K,  2012 Olympian)
“In a race you’re trying to finish ahead of as many people as you can, so focus more on the competition than on your time.  In the end, you may not only place
higher but will often have a good finishing time too.”  

Pam Reed (2-time winner of the Badwater Ultramarathon)
“Break up your long training runs because I see too many people getting injured.  Instead of going on a 20 mile run, go on 2 tens, or 3 X 7.  I think that is part of the reason for the longevity I have.  The long runs take a lot out of you and you should save that for the race.”

 

My Stair Climb for the American Lung Association

                                                

I recently completed my first ever stair climb and I can’t wait to do another one!  Mine was one of the Fight for Air stair climbs which raises money for the American Lung
Association (see this link for one of their stair climbs near you). 

A “vertical road race” has been on my runner’s bucket list for awhile, and the
one I did was to the top of 3 Logan Square in Philadelphia (photo above).  That’s 50 flights and 1,088 steps if you’re keeping score at home.  I really didn’t know what
to expect – except for a lot of stairs – so I had no time goal, but I was fortunate
enough to finish in 9:06 which put me in the “elite” competitor’s category. 

I had been seeking stair climbing advice from some of the runner’s I’ve been
interviewing for my next book, and the advice came in handy.  Bart Yasso, Chief Running Officer at Runner’s World magazine, warned me that one can become anaerobic very quickly on the steps, so he recommended some short-distance speed work (like repeat 220’s).  Pam Reed, two-time winner of the Badwater
Ultramarathon, said to use the handrails once in awhile to pull myself up and
give the legs a rest.  She also said not to take two steps at a time, but to try
and get into a nice patient rhythm.      

If your running has been getting a little stale or you want to try something
uniquely different, a stair climb should definitely be on your running calendar.


                                                

Boston Marathon Qualifying Times for 2014

                                                 

                                         (From the Boston Athletic Association)

• For the 2014 Boston Marathon, qualifying times (see below) must be run on or after September 22, 2012
  
• The qualifying times are based on each athlete's age on April 21, 2014, the date of the Boston Marathon
  
• Registration for the 2014 Boston Marathon is scheduled to open in September. The exact date will be published by July 1
  
  
  

****  Note: just achieving a qualifying time may not be enough. Like in the previous 
        year’s qualification process, the fastest qualifiers (in relation to their age 
        and gender) will be accepted first until the race field is full.  

 

   2014 QUALIFYING TIMES (effective September 22, 2012)      

AGE	Men	Women
18-34	3hrs 05min 00sec	3hrs 35min 00sec
35-39	3hrs 10min 00sec	3hrs 40min 00sec
40-44	3hrs 15min 00sec	3hrs 45min 00sec
45-49	3hrs 25min 00sec	3hrs 55min 00sec
50-54	3hrs 30min 00sec	4hrs 00min 00sec
55-59	3hrs 40min 00sec	4hrs 10min 00sec
60-64	3hrs 55min 00sec	4hrs 25min 00sec
65-69	4hrs 10min 00sec	4hrs 40min 00sec
70-74	4hrs 25min 00sec	4hrs 55min 00sec
75-79	4hrs 40min 00sec	5hrs 10min 00sec
80 and over	4hrs 55min 00sec	5hrs 25min 00sec

P.S. In my book, I write that every runner should attempt to qualify for and run the Boston Marathon at least once in their life. (it was one of the original "100 Things all Runners Should do Before They Die" before the publisher changed the title and format of the book).  And don't forget, like many others, you can complete a marathon without the training.  Good luck to all runners!  

                           
                               

Runner's Haiku for Spring!

In the Haiku tradition of Japanese poetry, a popular form consists of three lines and
a total of 17 (5-7-5) syllables.  Feel free to submit your own!




   
  
   
Running on a trail,
It is still very muddy.
I don’t care – it’s Spring!



Daffodils are out
along my neighborhood course.
 The best time of year. 



I need a 5K
to race off my winter blues,
And get the kinks out.



Mornings are still cold,
On top I dress in layers,
But shorts are the rule.



I see tulips now,
Where before I just saw snow.
I smile as I run.



Boston Marathon
Is just around the corner.
Did you qualify?



They say Spring is here,
But it’s snowing and sleeting!
I’m moving down south.

Running Gadgets for All Walks of Life

                                   



I am a regular reader of Money magazine and value their research and recommendations.  In the latest issue (April) they recommend four different gadgets for walkers and runners depending on what aspect of your fitness you want to track.  There's even one that also monitors your sleep cycles.  

Fitbug Air tracks steps, distance covered, and calories burned.

Fitbit One tracks steps, flights of stairs climbed, calories burned, and sleep cycles

Runkeeper a free app that tracks route, pace, distance covered, and calories burned

Garmin Forerunner 10 Tracks running speed, distance covered, and calories burned

  

Running in the Bible

 

Even those of us who run religiously need some inspiration sometimes to get out the door for that daily run.  And if it's divine inspiration you need, you may be surprised how many running references can be found in the Bible*.  Here is a sample.   

 

Come what may, I want to run (2 Samuel 18:23)



Let us run with perseverance the race
marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1)


I do not run like a man running aimlessly (I Corinthians 9:26) 

 

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer (Psalm 18:33)


 Both were running, but the other disciple outran
Peter and reached the tomb first (John 20:4)

 

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but ony one
gets the prize? (I Corinthians 9:24) 

                                                     
They will run and not
grow weary (Isaiah 40:31)



You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn. (Psalm 18:36)


                     I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, 
                    I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7) 

* New International Version

More About Stair Climbs

                                                          

 

Recently I wrote about vertical road races or stair climbs as an alternative to the usual 5Ks, 10Ks, and marathons.  As I mentioned, I will participate in my first one next month in Philadelphia.   

By coincidence, I came across this interesting article from the Wall Street Journal about Asia becoming the new capital for stair climbs. 

Want to Achieve a PR this Year? Try a New Distance!

 

                                                    

 

The one sure way to guarantee a PR (personal record) in a race is to enter one in distance you never ran before!  Another 5K, 10K, half-marathon?  YAWN.  How about a two-mile run, an 8K, or a 9-mile race for a good change of pace. 

Some of my all-time favorite races have been at rare distances: an 8K (4.9 miles) in Central Pennslyvania, a two-mile fun run in Virginia, a 20K (12.4 miles) leading up to the Penn Relays, and a 25K (15.5 miles) in Glasgow, Scotland, where the spectators along the course handed out chocolate instead of orange slices as we ran by. 

There are plenty of uncommon distance races out
there.  Here are a few: 

Distance	Race
1 mile	NMSU Nearly Naked Mile, Las Cruces, NM
2 miles	Henderson Elementary Fun Run, Woodbridge, VA
4K	Sickle Cell Road Race, College Park, GA
6K	Worcester Firefighters Memorial Run, Worcester, MA
7K	Pinch Gut Puffer, Augusta, GA
4.5 miles	Bigfork Valley Challenge, Bigfork, MN
8K	Kennedy Drive 8K, San Francisco, CA
6 miles	Six in the Stix, Newport, NH
11K	Greater Hartford ¼ Marathon, West Hartford, CT
7 miles	Falmouth Road Race, Falmouth, MA
12K	Heart of Winter 12K, Morton-Redwood Falls, MN
8 miles	Great Aloha Run, Honolulu, HI
15K	Navesink Challenge, Middletown, NJ
20K	Lake Monona 20K Run, Monona, WI
25K	Montana de Oro Trail Run, Los Osos, CA
16 miles	Boston Prep 16 Miler, Derry, NH

     

Love on the Run. Valentine's Runs to Get Your Heart Racing!

 

If you and your running partner ever become more than just friends, the next step in your relationship might be a couple’s race. Not surprisingly, many such races occur on or around Valentine’s Day, when you can get your heart racing in more ways than one!


The Cal Poly Triathlon team of San Luis Obispo, California sponsors the Heart and Soles 5K/10K/15K Valentine’s weekend, emphasizing a couples theme.  People dressed as cupids serve as course marshals who lead the race, trail the last runner on the course, and give directions. Any lover’s quarrel that occurs along the course will most likely be forgotten at the finish as all racing couples must cross the line holding hands. Twenty percent of race proceeds this year will be donated to the local food bank. 

All kinds of couples, from husbands and wives, fathers and daughters, and those who want to get in a run and go on a date at the same time, can enter the Bradford Valentines Road Races which have been held in Bradford, Massachusetts since 1996. What makes this couple’s race different from others
is that one teammate must run the 6K (3.7 miles) race while the other runs the 5-mile race, for a combined time.  Flowers and boxes of chocolates are given to every finisher.

 Not yet part of a couple? Maybe you can find that special someone at fitness-singles.com, a matchmaking site “if you’re an active single in search of a fit partner to share your adventures
and enthusiasm.” If love does blossom out on the road, on the trail, or on the track, the next stop could be the Las Vegas Marathon next November. There, couples can get married at the Run-Thru
Wedding Chapel at mile five, where they can profess their love (and their love of running) before 20,000 witnesses.

Check out this schedule for the Valentine's-themed race nearest you.