Saturday, February 11, 2012

This Day in Running- February 11th

This Day in Running... February 11th

2006- The United States 4x400m relay team set an Indoor World Record at the Tyson Invitational, hosted by Arkansas, with a time of 3:01.96.  The team consisted of indoor 400m world record holder, Kerron Clement, Darrold Williamson, Wallace Spearmon, and Jeremy Warner.

Wariner, the anchor.

Luke Leischner to Debut in Germany Singlet

Luke Leischner, in his 4th year at SDSU, will debut in the 400 in 2012 on Saturday in Ames.  He is redshirting this indoor season and will therefore be running unattached.  His unattached jersey of choice is of the German national team.  Leischner will be racing his conference rival, Jeffrey Gibson.  Gibson has recorded a 47.14 clocking at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational.

Heat Sheets

Leischner winning 2011 Howard Wood 400 with Jared Foote in second

Jacks Head North

The remainder of the Jackrabbit team will travel up I-29 to compete at the Bison Open today and Saturday.  This group mainly includes Jumpers, Sprinters, and Throwers, and Vaulters with a few distance runners.

Women's Friday Results

Men's Friday Results

Schedule and Info

Friday, February 10, 2012

This Day in History- February 10th

This day in history...

2008- Susanna Kallur of Sweden set the indoor World Record in the 60m Hurdles.  Her time was 7.68 at the BW-Bank Meeting in Karlsruhe, Germany.  Susanna has had a series of injuries and bad luck that prohibit her from making a real impact on the world hurdling scene.  She is also much better at the 60m distance as compared to the outdoor 100m distance.

Kallur after another Olympic Failure


2006- Wallace Spearmon of the United States set the Indoor World Record in the 300m at the Tyson Invitational with a time of 31.88 seconds.  2006 was Spearmon's first year as a professional after two years at the University of Arkansas.  It was fitting that he set the world record at his former school's track.



Thursday, February 9, 2012

This Day In Track History- February 9th

This day in track history...

1993- Irina Privalova of Russia set the Women's 60m dash world record with a time of 6.92 seconds in Madrid, Spain.  During the race, she was also credited with the world record in the 50m dash.  Irina went on to tie her own world record just two days later at the same event.  Irina had a long and glorious athletics career for Russia including winning a Gold Medal in the 400m hurdles in Sydney in 2000.

1990- Doina Melinte of Romania set the world record in the Women's Mile run with a time of 4:17.14 in East Rutherford, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City.  This performance came at the end of a long and consistent career for Doina.  She was a two time world champion and 2 time Olympic medalist- 1 silver and 1 gold.

Both of these records have stood for a long time.  That fact, along with where each of these women are from leads me to believe that there might have been some PEDs behind that Berlin Wall.  But maybe not, in either case these are crazy performances!

Irina

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Thanks Flotrack!

I would like to give a shout out to Alex Lohr and Ryan Fenton of Flotrack for getting my blog on their site and a mention in this week's Run Junkie.  Flotrack is a great site and is working to do great things for the sport of track and field!

Nike Free Run+ 2 Shield Review



In today's Blog I have decided to review two things simultaneously although I am only reviewing one item.  The item I am reviewing is the Nike Free Run + 2 Shield.  I will start by saying that most everything about the Shield  version of this awesome shoe is very similar to the regular version.  I think I will start by reviewing the Shield technology first because I just don't really like it that much.  I like in a pretty harsh environment and I feel like the Shield technology is too much.  Here is my review of the Shield Tights.  In both the tights and shoes my body gets very very hot.  While the Shield technology blocks out the elements; wind, water, cold, etc.  It also keeps the elements inside my shoe.  Those elements being the massive amount that my feet sweat.  I do appreciate the ability to hop through puddles on a warm spring day when the snow is melting but I think I would rather just have 2 pairs of trainers so I can go back to my dry pair when my regular pair gets wet.  In conclusion, the Shield technology is too much unless you are an antarctic explorer.

Now comes the good part, the Free Run + 2 Review.  These shoes are my go-to shoe.  I have worn the Free line since the first 5.0 came out when I was a freshman in high school about eight years ago.  They haven't changed all that much, less than most shoes.  The uppers have been re-inforced with leather to make sure that they don't rip out early like the first versions did.  The midsoles and soles have been made to be a little more like a regular trainer than the originals.  But overall, the shoes are vastly similar.

Specs:
Weight: 9.4 oz
Heel Drop: 7mm
Retail: $100

Feel: These shoes feel great.  I know they are not super minimal but they are a little bit.  I like the flexibility in the midsole.  The toe box is fairly roomy, it could be more roomy to allow the toes to spread a little more but it isn't bad.  The upper is comfortable, made of mesh and leather straps.  I also like the laces much more than the original Run +, those ones felt cheap and grainy almost.  There are actually two different kinds of foam used in the shoes.  The few models that have the Nike XC logo on the front of the tongue are the Competitor series and the foam in those shoes is harder than the rest of them.  I know the Blue/Yellow and bright Green colorways are part of that line.  After awhile of wearing both kinds of foam it gets hard to tell a difference but it can be hard right away.  The Frees are fairly lightweight at 9.4 oz but they could be a lot lighter.  The upper has grown more and more bulky as the models have went on.

Durability:  This may be the most durable of the Free line yet.  The first pairs had ripping issues and that got better and better with each model.  This current model has lots of leather in the upper and I don't know how they would rip.  However, I have noticed that the foam wears away faster than other Frees.  The same problem was around in the Free Run + but never before that.  I think the latest Frees are using more of a plastic like foam then before when it might have been more rubber based.  I am not a scientist but that is what I have gathered based on simple observation.

Uses: The original Free claimed to be only for doing exercises, drills, and light runs.  This was mainly because Nike was afraid that people would attempt to do too much in these shoes and would hurt themselves.  This Free was marketed more as a running shoe.  That is the reason it was named Free Run + 2.  These shoes are fairly lightweight and I like using them for both casual wear and everyday runs.  I work at a running store and I would say that well over half of the Free Run + 2s that I sell are going to be used for casual wear or for other forms of aerobics light dance, Zumba, Yoga, etc.

Look: Nike hit a grand slam with the looks of these shoes.  The only thing I would like is more color varieties.  They already have like 15 different ones but they save the best ones so that their Nike ID program will still get some business.  You can't blame them for that.  The Free is one of few running shoes that becomes popular to non-runners.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Free Run +2 for neutral runners that still want a little cushion.  If you want a minimalist shoe, this isn't really one of those.  The Free 3.0 is better but still not quite minimalist.

What's Next:  Soon I hope to do a feature on the Nike Free Run + 3.  It is going to be a lot less of a casual shoe and more of a functional running shoe.  It is even going to be lighter and have less of a toe drop than this one.


They are waterproof!


One Good Earbud- Giveaway

 I have entered a contest to win a One Good Earbud.  These are especially good for runners, cyclists, etc because they allow you to get the full listening experience of your music, podcasts, radio, etc while still being able to hear traffic and other possible hazards.

The contest can be found on a fellow blogger's blog: Here.  This blogger is Kyle Kranz, a recent SDSU graduate and ultrarunner/minimalist dude.  He offers some interesting insights on these topics and others.

Read his blog for details on how to enter the contest!

If you don't win and still want to purchase one, here is a link:


Iowa State Classic

The Jacks return to the 300m slice of Heaven that is the Lied Center for the second time in 2012, this time for the Iowa State Classic.  This is the place where all Jackrabbits run fast and set Personal Bests.  The competition is fierce as nearly 100 teams from all divisions come together.  The links below have this year's heat sheets and schedule as well as last year's results.

Jackrabbits competing and their events:
Brian Brochman, Drew Kraft, Greg Vollmer, Trent Lusignan- Men's 3000
Tera Potts, Erin Hargens- Women's 3000
Brandon Priebe- Men's 60h
Chris Curry- Men's 60
Gina Fritz, Ashley Odegaard- Women's 60
Lars Mattison, Drew Kraft- Men's Mile
Tera Potts- Women's Mile
Ashley Gruenwald- Women's 600y
Jared Foote- Men's 400
Dominic Thielen- Men's 800
Krista Creager- Women's 800
Brandon Priebe, Chris Curry- Men's 200
Gina Fritz- Women's 200
Greg Beesley, Kyle Schmidt- Men's 5000
Courtney Neubert- Women's 5000
SDSU A + B- Men's Distance Medley Relay
SDSU A- Women's Distance Medley Relay
Mike Krsnak- Men's Seeded Mile
Jake Schneller- Men's Seeded 800
McKenzie Johnson, Brooke Garner- Women's Weight Throw and Shot Put


2012 Heat Sheets

2011 Results

2012 Meet Schedule




Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Recovery Lessons: Eating

An often overlooked process in running is recovery and an often overlooked part of recovery is eating.  Eating is important after running and even more so after a harder workout or a race.  Now, I am no scientist, not even a Biology or Chemistry major, but I can offer a few simple insights into proper recovery.  A key word in refueling is glycogen.  Glycogen is the primary way that your body stores Carbohydrates.  Glycogen is processed more than 3x faster in a time period know as the "refueling window".  This "window" is open for a short period of time after a run.  The time period had been debated over for years and is said to be between 15 minutes and 1 hour.  Something that is not debated on is that it is very important to eat sometime during that time.  Now, that time starts when you stop running.  Not when you stop doing your core workout or when you stop stretching or whatever your post run routine is.  I know that for myself and most others on my team that we spend more than 1 hour post run doing something other than eating.  Everyday I bring something to eat.  I recommend a decent sized snack of at least 200 calories.  I usually try to follow the 4:1 Carb to Protein ratio but I don't dwell on it too much.  If I can have a cold glass of chocolate milk that is ideal.  Other times I will have a Clif Bar, PB+J, Trail Mix, or anything like that.  Even simple sports drinks like Powerade and Gatorade can help refuel your glycogen stores.  I also like to consume a decent amount of water with whatever I eat.  This helps both with hydration and with digesting the food you consume and turning it into glycogen.  Many people say you need protein immediately after a workout but I just try to get some in during my next larger meal, especially on harder effort days.

Monday, February 6, 2012

This Day In Track History

I am a history buff and track fan.  In order to educate not only myself, but all my readers as well, I have decided to have "This Day in Track History" posts when something significant happened in the world of running.  It will probably happen pretty often.  Today, February 6th, is the 14 year anniversary of Daniel Komen's World Record in the indoor 3000m at 7:24.90.  Many a legend has attempted to break this record including Haile G, Bekele, and El G and all have failed.  I hope to do a feature on the burst of world record performances that Daniel racked up in a short period of time.  As impressive as it is to have run 1 Mile under 4 minutes, Komen has run 2 miles under 4 minutes back to back.

Jacks Women's Recruits

Early signing day for Track and Field/Cross Country was Wednesday February 3rd.  So far the Lady Jacks have signed 4 women and are in the process of signing many more.  Here are some stats of the incoming women:

Samantha Anderson, Prior Lake, MN- Samantha is a distance/mid-distance runner with PRs of 2:19 for 800m,  5:19 for 1600m, 11:48 for 3200m, and 14:57 for 4km cross country.

Kristin Anderson, Prior Lake, MN- Kristin is a distance runner with PRs of 5:12 for 1600m, 11:30 for 3200m, and 15:30 for 4km cross country.

In case you were wondering, the Andersons are twins.

Celeste Borchardt, Belle Plaine, MN- Celeste is a long jumper and sprinter with PRs of 13.0 seconds in the 100m, 26.77 seconds in the 200,. and 17'6.25" in the long jump.

Jenna Grossenburg, Yankton, SD- Jenna is a long distance and cross country runner.  Jenna finished 3rd in the 3200m with a time of 11:21 and 8th in the 1600 with a time of 5:17.  She also finished 4th in the State Cross Country meet with a 4k time of 14:37.

Andersons, Front Left on Signing Day

Super Bowl Commercials- Skechers GoRun




My favorite Super Bowl commercial was definitely Skechers.  I don't know about you but I was definitely inspired by the chunky little pug overcoming the odds by taking out the greyhounds in the homestretch.  The commercial definitely made me want to buy some Skechers GoRuns as well.  Ok, maybe neither of those statements is true but I have wanted to try some Skechers GoRuns for awhile and I was just generally surprised to see a Skechers commercial on during the Super Bowl.  I was almost as surprised as when Meb Keflizighi, former NYC champion and 2012 Olympic Trials Champ, signed an endorsement deal with Skechers and actually wore the shoes to two PRs and an upset Trials victory.

I have had many people ask me what I think of Skechers as a running shoe maker.  My answer usually is that I would like to try a pair of GoRuns- if they were free.  And that I probably wouldn't wear anything else that they currently have out.  The GoRuns have taken a different approach to the whole minimalist battle among shoe makers today.  It is said to "guide body to efficient mid-foot strike".  I'm not really sure how it does that.  Is that why the shoe looks like it doesn't have much heel?  Giving it an almost Shape-Up like look.

I'm sure the shoe is comfortable and it sure is light at 6.9 seconds.  And guess what, I'm going to buy some, if they cost me like 30 dollars or less.  And I'm going to give them a serious try.  Or maybe I'll just apply to be a Skechers wear tester for the GoRun 2.  We'll see.

Other thoughts on the topic: I think it's really funny that they didn't use Meb in the commercial at all- but how many everyday Americans know who he is?  Less than %1 most likely.

-Running back Danny Woodhead is sponsored by Skechers as well.

-I guesstimated that it cost Skechers the profits of about 100,000 pairs of GoRuns to play that commercial.

Commercial Here

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Success at Nebraska

Day 2 of the Husker Invite saw much success for the Jackrabbits.  Here are some highlights:

1. Lora Shearer setting a school record in the 60m Hurdles with a time of 8.69 seconds.  She won the consolation heat and beat most of the finals heat as well.  The finals heat included Alexa Duling of USD and Deborah John of NDSU, Lora's main competition for the Summit League.  The race was followed up by typical Shearer celebration as usual after a good performance.

2. The women's Mile saw Erin Hargens and Danielle McCann unveil the new Jackrabbit uniforms and set Personal Bests in the process.  Erin ran 5:05 and Danielle ran 5:09.

3. The Men's 3k saw two Jacks run well in very different heats.  Greg Vollmer made a big move in the unseeded section and ended up with a time of 8:33.  Trent Lusignan basically ran a time-trial in the Special heat and ran 8:31.  Both of those times rank just outside the top-10 in the Summit League.  In my opinion, the Men's 3k is the hardest event to finish in the top 8 in the Summit League.

4. The 4x4s!  A good 4x4 race may be the best race in track.  Especially on an indoor track.  It is full of drama and usually has the attention of all the fans as it is the last race of the day.  Our 4x4s had their first good meet of the year.  The men ran 3:17, the second fastest time in school history.  They also ran a faster time than USD and NDSU in the fast heat.

5. Jake Schneller's 800m race was nearly a school record.  Jake ran 1:51.58 and coach Rod DeHaven's school record is 1:51.31.  In the process he defeated rivals Travis Fitzke of NDSU and Casey Shade of USD.

Next up, the Iowa State Classic.  Friday February 10th and 11th.  This meet is usually the most competitive meet the Jacks attend all year and as a result produces many of the best times of the year.  Go Big! Go Blue! Go Jacks!  Thanks for reading and don't forget to support my blog by clicking an ad!

Day 2 Results