Ultramarathon Daily News, Fri, Apr 21

Ten hidden gems on the Appalachian Trail.

Lots of great Lake Sonoma footage from RSGH right here and here’s Ginger Runner’s video of Kim’s race.

Bob Graham Round? Check. UTMB? Check. Nicky Spinks details her next big adventure right here and what it means to her at this point in her life.

I’m pretty sure Nike won’t be sending me samples any time soon, but this review of the new VaporFly makes it look pretty sweet. Only thing…the “pointed heel” makes it more aerodynamic? Really?

Beer mile too tame for you? Tomorrow there’s a naked beer mile at a clothing-optional resort in Southern California. Flap. Flap. Barf.

beer mile ultramarathon — 2012 Vertical Beer Mile. Your author on the left.

Science: Gut training.

…But what if the evidence is flawed?

Friday Funny: How training for a marathon is like announcing to your friends that you’re pregnant.

Neither course changes nor anxiety would prevent Saul from finishing Gorge Waterfalls 100k. Great mid-pack report with beautiful pictures.

And here’s a report from Southern California where front-of-the-pack banter includes Bronco Billy’s musings on Jim Walmsley and his longevity. Then the writer learns a few lessons about himself.

Am I being tech-resistant when I say that I don’t see the need for “smart shoes”? Here’s Altra’s foray into the new space.

There are approximately 927 bajillion plants blooming right now within a mile from my house. All of them are full of pollen, and most of that pollen finds its way to my nose. Here’s what runners need to know about springtime allergies. (Claritin works for me, whew.)

Hey you! Yeah, I’m talking to a few hundred of you right now. If you’re injured and thinking it’s a good idea to race this weekend, take a few minutes and read Jimmy’s report from his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

“Isn’t trail running dangerous?!?” is something we’ve all heard. Here are safety consideration to pay attention to while running in the most dangerous environment: City streets.

Another thing we’ve all heard: “Oh, a marathon must be so easy for you.” Consider.

While out of competition testing may be integral to cleaning up the sport, asking athletes to file whereabout for three months into the future seems an undue burden. Not sure what happened with this hurdler, but she’s suspended for a year now.

15 Responses to "Ultramarathon Daily News, Fri, Apr 21"

Mic Med says:

April 21, 2017 at 7:58 am

Athletes are asked to file their whereabouts, yes, but they’re also allowed to change their whereabouts at any point via “text message and email.” I read the report: There seems to be nothing that points to her being a doper, as she passed 8 tests including a test less than a week after a missed test. Without being too harsh, my opinion is it points to stupidity on her part. Her first violation, she didn’t update them until she was at the airport, and then when the tester showed up at the airport, she said she couldn’t be tested as she was already through security and worried about missing her flight to the Drake Relays. The next 2 were just her not anticipating her schedule very well. Again, they are asked to provide whereabouts well in advance, but you’re not held to that, you can update them very easily. And here’s the thing: once you miss a single test, you should be hyper aware of what could happen if you miss 2 more. You should be updating them HOURLY via text message.

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  April 21, 2017 at 8:10 am
  
  I agree 100%. Still, I’d think reporting your whereabouts with the text is a pain in the ass. But I agree, after the first ding it’s all on her now.
  
  Reply
2. Aleksandar Radan says:
  
  April 21, 2017 at 8:38 pm
  
  agree with Mic on this one. I am not an elete athlete, but I am a medical provider in a small community and have to be available “on-call” and/or make specific arrangements to have my call covered sporadically for a few hours or days if I need to step away from town. In 15 years I have never missed a call or not been available when I needed to be.
  
  Bottom line, if it’s important to the individual, they can be available. There are plenty of mechanisms available and it requires a modicum of organization to stay ontop of it. For athletes that really lack that orginzational skill, perhaps recruiting a family member, friend or team mate to keep you on track would be another option.
  
  Fair ruling.
  
  Reply
Ellie G says:

April 21, 2017 at 8:10 am

Yes, athletes have to file Whereabouts in annual quarters i.e. 3 month segments but any of that data can then be edited by the athlete within minutes of their daily 60 min testing slot for any one day commencing. This athlete by the sounds of it is likely clean due to passing so many other in and out of competition tests during the year but it does look like she was a little laid back about a reasonably workable administration system, which is surprising given she appears to be a full time pro athlete.Reference

Reply
1. eric schranz says:
  
  April 21, 2017 at 8:30 am
  
  Just as easy as I’ll blame her for her supposed laziness, I”ll admit that I’d probably do the same thing. I’m way too absent minded to remember to notify authorities even by text.
  
  Reply
  1. Sabrina says:
    
    April 21, 2017 at 8:33 am
    
    They warn you, though. They tell you the consequences of not reporting updates. You have to take an online test every year acknowledging that you know them. And you get three shots. And it’s her job. You almost have to intentionally mess that up.
    
    Reply
  2. Amy S says:
    
    April 21, 2017 at 9:43 am
    
    It’s a major pain in the ass, but if those of us with full time jobs (outside of running) can handle the burden, I don’t feel a lot of sympathy for a professional track and field athlete. I had my 60-min “obligatory” testing window at work, which was definitely awkward and pissed off my supervisor. And there’s nothing better than your USADA lady hanging out with you in your open work space because you haven’t yet produced a full sample.
    
    Plus it sounds like she was in the USADA testing pool which is actually less stringent than the international testing pool, because in the USADA one, they will keep calling until they find you, whereas in the international one they don’t call, but sit there and wait for you to appear. Regardless…it’s her job.
    
    And seriously, once you get 2 missed tests, that should be a trigger that you need to be VERY careful. I had 1 missed test because I traveled for work, forgot to update, and they came to test. After that, I was super careful.
    
    Reply
    1. eric schranz says:
      
      April 21, 2017 at 9:46 am
      
      Looks like the jury has spoken. Guilty by laziness. 😉
      
      Reply
2. Ben Zuehlsdorf says:
  
  April 21, 2017 at 8:37 am
  
  ‘If’ Brianna Collins was in fact clean than she is either not very organized or responsible. I don’t know enough about what potential PEDs she could be on that would give her a boost and then clear her system 7-17 days later (are there any?) but I’m suspicious. Her ‘excuses’ and quick acceptance of the full year ban seems odd to me.
  
  Reply
Zach Bitter says:

April 21, 2017 at 8:16 am

A couple thoughts on the blog addressing Jim’s sustainability. Jim doesn’t average 140-160 miles per week year round. In fact, the past year his peak week was under 150 mpw. He definitely builds up to very high mileage at around 140 miles per week with substantial climbing. If you look at his yearly averge it is around 100 miles per week. It’s not unsustainable to average 100 miles per week year round. People have done it in the past and are currently doing it now. How you go about it is potentially unsustainable. It’s all about developing the base properly and making sure everything else in your life is pretty dialed in from sleep, to non running stressors, nutrtion, etc… It comes down to patience. If you are willing to put in 5-10 years building up to 100 mpw and are willing to be mindful of sleep, mobility, nutrition, stress, and picking and chosing the right times to push hard it can be done.

Reply
1. CAB says:
  
  April 21, 2017 at 9:44 am
  
  Agreed. Looks like he’s averaging about 98 MPW this year so far and has only hit 140+ twice (his peak weeks during his Tarawera training block) with a good amount of variation week-to-week. Almost always building or tapering.
  
  Reply
  1. Alex says:
    
    April 21, 2017 at 12:01 pm
    
    I also don’t think the Anton/Walmsley comp in the piece really works. Walmsley runs about half as much as Anton did at his peak, and has a 5k PR that’s two and a half minutes faster. Frankly, that’s a whole different level of natural ability.
    
    Reply
2. Parker says:
  
  April 21, 2017 at 12:43 pm
  
  Interesting points, Zach. While I agree with the idea that everyone is different in their approach to mileage and how crucial the build up is, I find it hard to disagree with JB on this one.
  
  A runner of his caliber/accomplishment/longevity has to be taken seriously when talking about the sustainability of extremely high mileage weeks. I realize every runner is different but I tend to agree with his overall point. It’ll be interesting to see how your opinion changes as your body ages.
  
  Reply
Daniel Metzger says:

April 21, 2017 at 8:25 am

And $250?! Now that is crazy.Reference

Reply
Alexander says:

April 21, 2017 at 9:03 am

Yep, the pointed heel is actually quite clever. The shoes might be the only place on a runner where aerodynamics matter, and the pointed heel doesn’t seem to interfere with the shoe too much. You know the shape of a falling water drop? Those are really aerodynamic. The pointed trailing edge gives the air more to “cling on to”, resulting in less of a turbulent space with an underpreussare behind the shoe/drop. And thus a lower drag coefficient.

Reply

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