News
News
The News page is the place to look for race recaps, pictures, and running-related annoncements. If you have an article or pictures you would like to include on the News page, e-mail it to info@northlandrunner.com.
The News page is the place to look for race recaps, pictures, and running-related annoncements. If you have an article or pictures you would like to include on the News page, e-mail it to info@northlandrunner.com.
March 21, 2007: We're Back and Better Than...Well, We're Pretty Much the Same
Today was interesting, what with our website disappearing from the face of the earth and all. Our server guy calmly worked through the problem, our customer service person manned the phones, and I ran in circles screaming, which is my usual problem-solving strategy. Our website hosting company had lots of helpful "it's not us, it's you" advice, once we actually got through to a real person. Despite the hosting company's smug assurances of innocence, it appears the server rebooted at some point during the night and did not come back up correctly. All appears to be well now, apart from a few (more) grey hairs. Oh well, we needed a little more panic in our lives anyway.
March 19, 2007: Race Recap - Steve Chadwick 5k
The 12th Annual Steve Chadwick 5k took place on Saturday, March 17th. The race is run as a memorial to Steve Chadwick, the former director of Community Action Duluth who passed away in 1995. The proceeds of the race benefit a variety of social action organizations, including Community Action, the Citizens Federation, and the Northern Communities Land Trust. A number of Steve's family and friends were on hand for the race. Steve's memory obviously is dear to many, judging by the number of people who introduced themselves by proudly saying 'I knew Steve'. Stan Kaitfors, the current director of Community Action, spoke, and former State Senator Beckey Lourey gave a moving speech about Steve and his ideals.
The race started on Duluth's Lakewalk, directly below the Fitger's Brewery Complex. Runners began the race by running toward downtown Duluth. They turned around at the mural wall, ran to Leif Erickson Park, turned around again, and finished back at Fitger's. It was a sunny day with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. Leslie Semler won the women's race in 20:24, and Duluth Denfeld student Jordan Peterson won the men's race in 18:13.
The race started on Duluth's Lakewalk, directly below the Fitger's Brewery Complex. Runners began the race by running toward downtown Duluth. They turned around at the mural wall, ran to Leif Erickson Park, turned around again, and finished back at Fitger's. It was a sunny day with temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. Leslie Semler won the women's race in 20:24, and Duluth Denfeld student Jordan Peterson won the men's race in 18:13.
March 11, 2007: Seminar Recap
Yesterday I headed down to the Gearing Up for Grandma’s Seminar in downtown Duluth. It was a fun morning. Besides the entertaining speakers, it was nice to talk to and get to know some fellow runners.
Scott Keenan, Executive Director of Grandma’s Marathon, talked about the history of the race and some new races they are starting up this year. Grandma’s Marathon has over 10,000 participants and is the 12th largest marathon in the United States. There are still 450 spots available in this year’s race, so sign up soon if you would like to participate. This year, all three races (Grandma’s Marathon, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, and the William A. Irvin 5k) will be using a one-use chip for the first time. When you cross the finish line in one of those races, you do not have to turn in your chip; you can keep it for a souvenir. The idea is to speed up the finish line process so there are not a lot of exhausted runners milling around trying to disentangle the timing chip from their shoelaces. This seems like a good idea.
The Grandma’s Marathon team is also starting two new 1-mile races this year. One will be in Duluth, and the other one will take place in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota Mile – Duluth will be held on September 9th. The race course will be a straight shot down Superior Street, from the Fitger’s Brewery Complex to the Holiday Center. The Minnesota Mile – Saint Paul will be held on July 11th, and the race course is yet to be decided. Both races have quite a few time divisions and age brackets, and there is even some prize money for the top racers in the elite division.
Jim Stukel, co-owner of The Athelete’s Foot stores in Duluth, talked about different running shoes that are available and new apparel that has come out this year. Jim is very knowledgeable about running shoes, and talked in depth about the strengths and weaknesses of several brands. One brand Jim mentioned specifically, Pearl Izumi, has developed shoes that have no seams on the inside. This design is especially beneficial if you have bunions, blisters, or other foot conditions that get aggravated by rubbing against the inside seams of your shoe. Jim also mentioned a trivia fact about the Etonic shoe brand. They may not have a lot of flashy advertising like some of the other major shoe companies, but they are actually the oldest shoe company in the United States and supplied all the boots for the Army in the Spansh-American War. The Athlete’s Foot has a special computer system that analyzes your foot-strike pattern, and gives you information about what type of shoe would best suit your running style. Jim had his computer system with him, and after the seminar, he gave anyone who was interested a detailed analysis of their foot-strike pattern.
Doctor Kenji Sudoh, a medical orthopedist at the Duluth Clinic Sports Medicine Department, talked about common causes of running injuries and ways to prevent them. Doctor Sudoh mentioned that a very common cause of injury is jumping into your program too quickly. It is easy to be over-enthusiastic at the beginning of your training program and start putting on too many miles too soon, leading to injury. Doctor Sudoh stressed that it is important to build up mileage slowly and not overload your body. If you do find yourself beginning to get injured at some point, it is important to see a doctor right away. Doctor Sudoh mentioned that every year right before Grandma’s he gets many patients coming in looking for help with their injury so they can compete in the marathon. At that point it is too late, but if you get medical help early on in your injury, you are more likely to recover and be able to compete in your race. These, of course, are all things that we runners know but conveniently forget when an injury threatens to ruin our well-planned training schedule. Doctor Sudoh also mentioned that strengthening your supporting muscles can help you avoid injury. The website http://www.pfitzinger.com/cc.shtml is a good source for exercises to strengthen those muscle groups.
Carrie Tollefson was the final and keynote speaker of the morning. Carrie grew up in Dawson, Minnesota, which is in the southwestern part of the state. Duluth runners may be familiar with Carrie, as she competed with Duluth East’s Kara Wheeler at many state meets in cross country and track in the early and mid-‘90s. All in all, Carrie won 13 state cross-country and track titles and earned a scholarship to Villanova in Philadelphia. While attending college, Carrie won 5 NCAA titles. In 2004, Carrie finished a disappointing (at least for her) 6th in the 5000 meter race at the national championships. Determined to do better, she ran the 1500 meters the next day, a race she was not favored to do well in, and won. Her time ended up securing her a berth on the 2004 US Olympic team.
Carrie answered several personal questions about her training and what it is like to be a professional athlete. She runs about 80-90 miles per week. Her long runs are normally 15-18 miles, or about 2 to 2.5 hours. Responding to a question about her diet, Carrie said she pretty much eats normal food, but just makes sure she eats healthy. One point she made that we all can relate to, is that she doesn’t deprive herself of something she really craves. Carrie’s example was that whenever she really feels like hitting the Dairy Queen, she’ll do it. At least that’s one part of a professional athlete’s training regimen I know I can handle.
One point that both Carrie and Doctor Sudoh made, is that you need to be in tune with both your physical and mental health. If you’ve had a long day at work or had a rough day emotionally, it may not be the best day to do a pre-scheduled workout. You will probably be better served to do an easier run and save the workout for the next day. Carrie indicated that she follows this policy, and it is something that her coach encourages. Carrie stressed several times throughout the morning that her job is running, and it is undoubtedly much harder for us “normal” people who need to put together quality workouts after working an 8+ hour workday.
The entire seminar lasted two hours, and several audience members stuck around afterwards to ask the panelists questions. All in all, it was a very enjoyable morning. Excellent speakers aside, it was a great chance to get out of the house, make small talk with fellow runners, and get ready for another running season.
Scott Keenan, Executive Director of Grandma’s Marathon, talked about the history of the race and some new races they are starting up this year. Grandma’s Marathon has over 10,000 participants and is the 12th largest marathon in the United States. There are still 450 spots available in this year’s race, so sign up soon if you would like to participate. This year, all three races (Grandma’s Marathon, the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon, and the William A. Irvin 5k) will be using a one-use chip for the first time. When you cross the finish line in one of those races, you do not have to turn in your chip; you can keep it for a souvenir. The idea is to speed up the finish line process so there are not a lot of exhausted runners milling around trying to disentangle the timing chip from their shoelaces. This seems like a good idea.
The Grandma’s Marathon team is also starting two new 1-mile races this year. One will be in Duluth, and the other one will take place in the Twin Cities. The Minnesota Mile – Duluth will be held on September 9th. The race course will be a straight shot down Superior Street, from the Fitger’s Brewery Complex to the Holiday Center. The Minnesota Mile – Saint Paul will be held on July 11th, and the race course is yet to be decided. Both races have quite a few time divisions and age brackets, and there is even some prize money for the top racers in the elite division.
Jim Stukel, co-owner of The Athelete’s Foot stores in Duluth, talked about different running shoes that are available and new apparel that has come out this year. Jim is very knowledgeable about running shoes, and talked in depth about the strengths and weaknesses of several brands. One brand Jim mentioned specifically, Pearl Izumi, has developed shoes that have no seams on the inside. This design is especially beneficial if you have bunions, blisters, or other foot conditions that get aggravated by rubbing against the inside seams of your shoe. Jim also mentioned a trivia fact about the Etonic shoe brand. They may not have a lot of flashy advertising like some of the other major shoe companies, but they are actually the oldest shoe company in the United States and supplied all the boots for the Army in the Spansh-American War. The Athlete’s Foot has a special computer system that analyzes your foot-strike pattern, and gives you information about what type of shoe would best suit your running style. Jim had his computer system with him, and after the seminar, he gave anyone who was interested a detailed analysis of their foot-strike pattern.
Doctor Kenji Sudoh, a medical orthopedist at the Duluth Clinic Sports Medicine Department, talked about common causes of running injuries and ways to prevent them. Doctor Sudoh mentioned that a very common cause of injury is jumping into your program too quickly. It is easy to be over-enthusiastic at the beginning of your training program and start putting on too many miles too soon, leading to injury. Doctor Sudoh stressed that it is important to build up mileage slowly and not overload your body. If you do find yourself beginning to get injured at some point, it is important to see a doctor right away. Doctor Sudoh mentioned that every year right before Grandma’s he gets many patients coming in looking for help with their injury so they can compete in the marathon. At that point it is too late, but if you get medical help early on in your injury, you are more likely to recover and be able to compete in your race. These, of course, are all things that we runners know but conveniently forget when an injury threatens to ruin our well-planned training schedule. Doctor Sudoh also mentioned that strengthening your supporting muscles can help you avoid injury. The website http://www.pfitzinger.com/cc.shtml is a good source for exercises to strengthen those muscle groups.
Carrie Tollefson was the final and keynote speaker of the morning. Carrie grew up in Dawson, Minnesota, which is in the southwestern part of the state. Duluth runners may be familiar with Carrie, as she competed with Duluth East’s Kara Wheeler at many state meets in cross country and track in the early and mid-‘90s. All in all, Carrie won 13 state cross-country and track titles and earned a scholarship to Villanova in Philadelphia. While attending college, Carrie won 5 NCAA titles. In 2004, Carrie finished a disappointing (at least for her) 6th in the 5000 meter race at the national championships. Determined to do better, she ran the 1500 meters the next day, a race she was not favored to do well in, and won. Her time ended up securing her a berth on the 2004 US Olympic team.
Carrie answered several personal questions about her training and what it is like to be a professional athlete. She runs about 80-90 miles per week. Her long runs are normally 15-18 miles, or about 2 to 2.5 hours. Responding to a question about her diet, Carrie said she pretty much eats normal food, but just makes sure she eats healthy. One point she made that we all can relate to, is that she doesn’t deprive herself of something she really craves. Carrie’s example was that whenever she really feels like hitting the Dairy Queen, she’ll do it. At least that’s one part of a professional athlete’s training regimen I know I can handle.
One point that both Carrie and Doctor Sudoh made, is that you need to be in tune with both your physical and mental health. If you’ve had a long day at work or had a rough day emotionally, it may not be the best day to do a pre-scheduled workout. You will probably be better served to do an easier run and save the workout for the next day. Carrie indicated that she follows this policy, and it is something that her coach encourages. Carrie stressed several times throughout the morning that her job is running, and it is undoubtedly much harder for us “normal” people who need to put together quality workouts after working an 8+ hour workday.
The entire seminar lasted two hours, and several audience members stuck around afterwards to ask the panelists questions. All in all, it was a very enjoyable morning. Excellent speakers aside, it was a great chance to get out of the house, make small talk with fellow runners, and get ready for another running season.
March 7, 2007: Gearing Up for Grandma's Pre-race Seminar
Grandma's Marathon is having their annual pre-race seminar this Saturday, March 10th. This year's speakers are Carrie Tollefson (a very successful runner from Minnesota), Dr. Kenji Sudoh (a medical orthopedist from SMDC), and Jim Stukel (a Duluth running store owner). The event is free and starts at 9:00 AM at the Hearthstone Café in Duluth.
Hearthstone Café
420 East 1st Street
Duluth, MN 55805
Map
Visit the Grandma's Marathon website for more info.
Source: Grandma's Marathon
Hearthstone Café
420 East 1st Street
Duluth, MN 55805
Map
Visit the Grandma's Marathon website for more info.
Source: Grandma's Marathon
March 4, 2007: It's Easy Being Green
There's nothing like a blizzard to get a little web programming done. Free from the shackles of my real job, I spent the last weekend redesigning this site. During the blizzard, I imagined other people curled up around a fireplace with blankets and hot cocoa. I spent it hunched over a keyboard typing obscure things like "DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC" and "link rel=stylesheet type=text/css". To each his own, I guess. Enough talk, here's what's new:
-Kris
- We're green! I thought a little color around here might brighten this place up a bit. That dull, steely blue might work for IBM, but it just doesn't cut it for an informational running site. And after looking at that header picture a few times, I'm begining to remember that that's what my running routes are going to look like in a few short months. Woohoo!
- More searching. I've added a page for searching for races. Personally, I like looking at the whole race schedule, but if you're the type who knows exactly what you're looking for, this page is for you. You can find it by clicking on the Races tab. Also, the Runners page, where you can search for a specific runner, has been renamed to Find Result and is located on the Results tab.
- Less tabs. The main menu was getting a little crowded, so I've consolidated some of the tabs. The Clubs, Stores, Links, and Tools pages can all be found on the Info tab.
-Kris