Untamed Runner

In 1997 and 1999, I saw my first two Rolling Stones shows. They’re my favorite band for going on twenty-something years and back then, I assumed those concerts could have been part of their last tour. They’ve had several tours since then and this past weekend, I managed to see my third show. Even with a pre-sale access code, getting tickets to it was a marathon, not a sprint. To be more specific, from the moment I logged onto Ticketmaster to when I got the glorious message “The Tickets Are Yours” it took seventy-five minutes. This is seventeen minutes longer than the men’s half-marathon world record and eleven minutes longer than the women’s.

During my first two shows, some dismissed the band as “old” and past its prime. Two decades later, people marvel at their longevity as they defy time and expectations over and over again. They pack stadiums full of fans. The fervor of expectation sends all 70,000-plus into a frenzy as they start small pre-show tasks, like sending a sound-check man to the stage, or when they dim the lights and their appearance is only moments away. When they actually come on stage, the explosion of screams and dancing shakes the stadium to the point where it’s difficult to identify the opening number, and it doesn’t matter. You’re at a Stones concert and they are rock legends on multiple levels. They not only play from their deep catalog of favorites, they perform at high energy. While many classic rock acts still tour, none can be said to bring it like the Stones. They electrify the stadium for two hours.

How does this all relate to running? You’ll be there in about the amount of time it takes Wayde van Niekirk to run 400M. Mick Jagger especially defies all assumptions about aging as he struts, dances, and runs with remarkable agility around the stage throughout the two hours. There are several ways that allow him to accomplish this.

Despite a rock-star lifestyle of booze and drugs through the sixties, seventies, and early eighties, he has always been committed to maintaining some level of physical fitness. Starting in the nineties, he largely veered off the traditional rock star lifestyle and since that time has incorporated a variety of activities and dietary choices that keep him limber and in phenomenal shape. These include organic foods, extensive yoga, ballet, kickboxing, core and strength training, and running.

In preparing for a tour, he currently will run up to eight miles per day including distance and sprints. In the past, he reportedly ran ten miles or more per day in preparation. When you see him moving on the stage, you can see why he would need to do this. The stage is large and he goes to all parts of it multiple times during the show. There are varied estimates on how much ground he covers during a concert but it’s easily several miles and he’s doing so while singing. Lung power is critical and thus running is an ideal form of tour preparation to keep his legs in shape and lungs in sync.

Most of us don’t need to maintain that kind of endurance and eight miles a day is significant mileage. I suspect most medical professionals would say that some shorter distance or amount of time running would be adequate for fitness purposes for the majority of people. But, it points to the power of running that it forms a long-term and core segment of Jagger’s tour preparation. I can’t promise you’ll have moves like Jagger if you take up and keep a running routine, but it clearly can be a huge asset in maintaining fitness throughout your life.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Honey Stinger Vanilla: One taste of this took me back to the fall of 1998 when I was training for the Columbus Marathon and had mail-ordered, with a check, a case of Vanilla PowerGel. Fast-forward twenty-one years and to a different product that tastes the exact same and does a remarkably good job at energy delivery. I have no idea how it stacks up against the current PowerGel but the Honey Stinger version is one I would definitely use again and based on results, I don’t think it’s nostalgia.

Sources used:

https://www.quora.com/How-does-Mick-Jagger-stay-in-such-great-shape

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayde_van_Niekerk

*Title was shown twice. Post was edited to remove one of them.

Contrary to last week’s post, there are some parts of running where I eagerly embrace the newest developments in the industry. One of these is shoes. Over the years they have become lighter and better at protecting runners’ feet from impact. While it would be difficult to keep getting older shoes in new condition, given how superior the new ones are to what we once wore, even if you could buy old ones easily, it wouldn’t be a very logical thing to do. Shoes are the most important part of the runner’s gear and it’s possible that they make a significant difference in some people’s decision to run or not run.

My first years of running were back in high school and during that time, I wore whatever. Once I hit college, I convinced myself that Adidas was my brand and for about six years, I refused to wear any other. While they felt wonderful and I did purchase the best model for my footfall and needs, I could not be swayed to try a different vendor. When I visited my local running store, the owner would encourage me to try something else, and I always refused.

Until I bought a pair of Adidas that didn’t fit well in the store. Naturally I didn’t say anything; I took them home and then went through a couple months of running where the shoes never fit quite right.

When I went back for the replacement, I remarkably took the mature route of admitting they hadn’t worked so well and the store owner this time pleaded with me to give a different brand chance. I took the unusual step of putting on a pair of Brooks Adrenaline and they felt glorious. Did I immediately purchase them? Of course not. I sat on a bench in the store and hemmed and hawed over this decision. The Adidas were right there, and they were my brand. The store owner was probably exasperated by this act of willful stubbornness more than he let on, but I eventually relented and my running world has never been the same.

I went through six pairs of the Adrenaline before switching to a different model and I’ve worn a variety of brands since that time. Currently I’m on at least my twelfth straight pair of Sauconys because they have worked well. I assume at some point the model I use will change and I’ll need to find a different brand. I may end up trying on three, four, or even seven pairs in the process but it will be worth it.

I referenced the difficult choice we all have when choosing our next pair of shoes. If a shoe is working for you, as in you’re not experiencing any unusual or new aches or pains and they feel comfortable, then stick with it. You may want to try something on for fun, just to see the difference, but switching when something works well carries risk. If you are starting to feel something odd during or after running, or the shoes aren’t that comfortable, then it may be time for a change. It could be a simple brand change will work, or you may need a structural change. One good part of today’s running world is the different types of footwear. While the traditionally structured models will probably be the best option for most people, there are other possibilities (like the elevated Hokas or zero heel-to-toe drop Altras) that work better for some folks.

It’s essential to pick something that works. We may be tempted by varied reasons for our choice: vanity, wanting to wear a type of shoe the pros wear or that a celebrity wears (I’m not kidding–I’ve heard a lot of interesting reasons for shoe purchases), the political leanings of a company, etc. But, if your feet aren’t happy, your running world is difficult. I believe it’s much easier to keep running, especially if you’re trying to work your way into a new habit, if you have the best gear on your feet.

One benefit of some run clubs (including Runners Roost) is that shoe vendors are frequently there and they bring demo models to try out on the run. Most of the major brands visit a few times during the year. Typically they’ll bring a couple of different examples of their shoes and though they may not be the exact one within that brand that best fits your feet, it provides an opportunity to get a sense of how their shoes and technology feel and perform for free. Though I strongly encourage people to buy the shoes that feel the best from the first moment you lace them up, I’ve also been surprised at the times one of the demo shoes didn’t feel quite right but ended up feeling good by the end of the run. If you’re trying several pairs in a store and nothing feels perfect, it may be that the one that feels best among them will work for you.

Shoes are an art and a science. The new technology out there is outstanding (and getting better all the time) and the details from the company and the number of reviews provide a lot of information on what works. Yet, it’s good to try a few and see how they go. And, on one hand, you want to make sure you’re sticking with what works and not just changing for the sake of change. On the other hand, you don’t want to get into the stubbornness rut. Eventually, the shoes might hurt or they may not serve you as well as something different and you’re missing out on an opportunity that could make your running much more pleasant.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race):  Powerade Lemon Lime. One difference between Gatorade and Powerade is that the latter tastes a bit lighter. The lemon-lime flavor is similar between these two with that exception. The only times I’ve used Powerade Lemon Lime has been in hot weather and it works well for that, and the flavor is good. I don’t routinely go to this flavor but after this most recent test, I’m thinking I should more often.

I would likely be described as old-school with my approach to running, at least in terms of technology. I don’t use Strava, I don’t have a GPS watch, I don’t have a heart-rate monitor, and I avoid taking my phone with me while running. (For that last piece of equipment, I should probably carry it for safety purposes but that’s another thing…)

It’s just pencil and paper for designing my training plans and races, and a watch and my noggin for remembering splits and intervals during a speed workout.

This may strike some as odd, for I am also fiercely competitive when it comes to running. I plan my race splits precisely, I design my speed and distance workouts carefully, and when I’m on the race course, there’s not a “fun” element. I’m going to push myself. Having more devices and programs to track my training and race performance would give me more detailed information. And yet, I still rely on a watch, pen, and paper for all of this.

A lot of people thrive on running data and technology, and though I don’t use it, in spite of what I’ve written above, I do think it’s a good thing. It tends to inspire and push people to improve their fitness or times, and to have something affiliated with their workouts that they enjoy evaluating.

Would I be a faster or better prepared runner on race day if I used more of the technology that’s available out there? It’s possible. Being able to trace a more sluggish run or speed workout to my heart rate being slightly different one day or my course having a barely perceptible difference in elevation change might guide my post-workout evaluations (typically a simple “Eh” or “Nice!”) to be more precise, instead of just grumping that I wasn’t faster. Being able to compare my training paces to other runners on Strava routes might give me a better sense of how my training is going from a relative standpoint. On the other hand, short of resting, eating intelligently, and being mentally prepared, we have very little control over exactly how we feel on race morning. Maybe using more running technology and drawing on the data that morning could give me better expectations, but even then you sometimes have a phenomenal race when you least expect it. You would hate to falsely lower your expectations when if you just relax and run, you turn in a better result than anticipated. This also happens in training. Many times I’ve shot off the front step like a rocket, only to falter later. Conversely, I’ve also started more slowly and ended up with a time that surprised me.

This past Saturday, without planning it, I left my watch at home when I went running. It felt good to hit the trail without any time-keeping mechanism whatsoever. While at the moment there’s no danger of my becoming too dependent on technology, it’s also liberating to get out and run unattached to anything.

There have been times when it was probably unwise to be off the grid. For example, I hit some trails on some flatland in north Boulder one hot afternoon. Once I was pretty far off the road, it occurred to me that if I had been bitten by a rattlesnake (and they do live out here), I would be in some serious trouble. Fortunately, that didn’t come to pass and I relished my run with nothing but my car key and a bottle of Gatorade.

If you’re aiming for specific times, technology (even if it’s just a watch) and careful planning will need to be a part of it. The planning part is certainly there for me. Yet, there’s also a place for just going out with no care but to cover your training run. Maybe you want a more relaxed pace without the possibility of a Strava route or your own course times inadvertently pushing you. Or maybe you want the thrill of a hard run without seeing your time. Regardless, though I will admit that more technology and data would likely help me out, leaving the watch and other technology behind has a place in the routine, even if only occasionally.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Hammer Gel Orange (Real Fruit!): Presumably there is real fruit in this and presumably it’s orange. Oddly, this didn’t taste exactly like orange. There was a hint of it, but while it was sweet and pleasant, I wouldn’t define it as orange. From an energy standpoint, it was good. I’d run the night before and used this over a six-mile run, during which I felt pretty good. No GI issues. While I wouldn’t grab it again for flavor, I’d be fine picking it up on a race course.

After winning the last-ever Jackalope 5K in Laramie, Wyoming a little over a year ago, held on a beautiful course and on a beautiful day, I figured it had been a good final race at that distance. It’s the second-most difficult event to compete in, just behind the grueling 800M. You have to put the pedal to the metal for three point one miles and it’s excruciating. Yet, a couple of weeks ago I found myself signing up for another one on July 4^th.

Part of this inability to sever ties with the 5K may be that it was my formative race distance many years ago. There’s also an adrenaline factor with it. It rewards the well-prepared runner who carries out a good race plan and there’s no room for error.

The course for the one I did on July 4th is less than ideal and I knew that ahead of time. It’s two miles down and one up. When you have courses where there are long climbs and descents as opposed to occasional hills, it’s much easier to have the downhill on the latter part of the course. When the bulk of the second half is mostly uphill, it takes careful planning. This is unpleasant and yet it also contributes to the thrill factor. So why exactly am I doing this to myself? The thrill factor is hard to beat, and there’s something to that.

With no significant speed training or high mileage while leading up to this race, I penciled in a modest goal. My recent 5K times have been in the mid to high 19s so if I could keep it to somewhere between 20:00 to 20:45, I was fine with that. I planned a pace of 6:30 for the first two miles, leaving enough gas in the tank to cover the last uphill mile in 6:45-6:50.

When the race started, the lead runners shot off the line like a rocket and I crossed the one-mile in 6:00. (Per last week’s post, I’m going with the excuse that pacing is difficult, even when it’s well-planned.) Somehow, I felt fine and the downhill profile helped with that, but while 6:00 all the way through would yield an 18:40, that wasn’t happening on this one. I backed off a little, knowing that mile three was looming. Consequently, I felt relatively strong the whole way. There was a group of three of us still together at mile two and among them I was third. Fortunately, my surge over the last half-mile was strong enough to get past one of them which, given how low on gas I was, felt good. I finished sixth overall and first in my age group with a time of 20:08.

It was the best I’d felt in any 5K in years. Going in with modest expectations may have helped, and “best I’d felt” is relative. Compared to how I feel in other races, it was still a grind. And, I will probably find myself in another one in the near future. It drove home the realization that I can refuse to sign up for 5Ks, yet the 5K is just too strongly ingrained in my running DNA for me to actually retire from it.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Run Gum Spearmint: This is highly-caffeinated gum and one tablet equates to one cup of coffee, which is around 95 mg. Most running foods with caffeine have 25-35 mg with the exception of a couple of the espresso flavors that have more. The texture didn’t start out like traditional gum but a few moments in, it felt and tasted like any other piece of spearmint gum. I did feel a nice boost of energy but going forward I would use it to help supplement non-caffeinated running food. For example, if I were on a longer run and wasn’t sure if I wanted a caffeine boost, I would carry some Clif Bloks or a waffle and, if I needed caffeine, would use one of these right after I finished the other food.

One common question as people schedule races for later this summer or fall is, “How fast can I run that event?” There will be several factors in picking a goal time including past race experience, current training, whether it’s a familiar or new distance, the course toughness, etc.

As mentioned in a prior post, pacing is everything when planning and running your race. When Galen Rupp broke his own American 10000M record several years ago, two pacers were engaged to get him to his goal. One was set up to cover the first 3000M and the second one was to get him through most of the remainder of the race. (Obviously in professional races the pacers are not planning to break the record and it is up to the athlete to cover the final part of the race on their own.) Both performed phenomenally, hitting every lap on the 400M track basically on the money. This meant that Rupp only had to focus on staying with these pacers through most of the race and not worry about the clock. While it may not seem like a big deal, the mental burden that this removes is substantial. And, Rupp broke his record by four seconds.

Most of us don’t get to employ pacers so we have to go with the next best thing which is plotting out our splits ahead of time and figuring out a way to keep track of them. I suspect you could set up splits on a more advanced GPS watch but I’m old-school with my running technology and I write out my times on an index card and tape it to my wrist. While it’s not quite as easy as staying with someone who’s running a known speed for the better part of the race, it does mean that I only need to glance at my watch and the card at every mile point to see how I’m performing. This is much easier than trying to do math mid-race.

If your goal is a 44-minute 10K, that’s 7:05 per mile. If the course you’re racing is relatively flat, then you would want to run each mile at that pace. If the course is hilly, you’ll want to see where the hills are on the course and adjust. If miles 2 and 4 are net uphill, you might want to aim for 7:10 but then for the other miles where you lose elevation, you would want to go for 7:00 miles. Part of the time calculation will depend on how steep and/or long the hills are, and how much you’re gaining back on the downhill portions.

Pacing is difficult and even the pros don’t always get it right. Because of this, I would recommend either going to a track or on a route where you know the half-mile or mile points and running at your race pace so you get a sense of what that feels like. If there is a race you’ve chosen to hit your goal time, you can pick another one a few weeks beforehand so that you can practice your pace in “live” conditions. At that point you won’t have peaked for your target race and thus your overall time will probably be slower. But, if your goal race is a 10K, you could do a 5K at your projected race pace. And, discuss pacing with other runners. We all have different approaches and it’s helpful to get a sense of what other runners do and how it works for them. You may get some ideas for what to do with your race.

I’ve been guilty many times of racing on optimism—hoping that after a fast opening mile I can hold on the rest of the way. This doesn’t really work. Over the past twenty-five years, the races where I plotted out a sensible pace ahead of time and then held to it have gone far better than those where I did not. Also, not only were my times better but instead of feeling like garbage over the last half of the race because I was running on fumes, I was much more in control of my pace and my finish. That alone makes the pacing worth it.

Good luck with your pacing. It’s well-worth the effort to get it right.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Gatorade Prime Energy Chews Green Apple: I likened the Gatorade Fierce Green Apple beverage to drinking a green apple Jolly Rancher. These are like eating chewy Green Apple Jolly Ranchers, so the taste is excellent. On the energy and GI side, they are good, too.

Sources used:

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2014/05/flash-galen-rupp-runs-2644-36-break-american-record/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen_Rupp

Team sports including American and international football, baseball, and basketball are far more popular than running. More fans crowd their stadiums and events, more people have it on their televisions and phones, and more people follow their news cycles. Most people can probably name or at least recognize a number of athletes across the major team sports while they might be able to name one or two current world-class runners. I would venture to guess that the longest distance most people are willing to watch is the 200M, maybe the 400M. If an American athlete could choose between being a world-class 400M runner or becoming a first-round NFL or NBA draft pick, from a financial standpoint there’s no debate.

Without a doubt, team sports (and all sports) require their athletes to push their bodies to incredible limits and beyond in order to compete with the best. Around the world, the best team athletes are some of the best overall athletes. When teams like the New England Patriots or the Golden State Warriors have historic runs of dominance, it’s a testament to their athletic talent, coaching abilities, and hard work on all fronts. But, running is one sport that allows us to see what the human body can achieve in terms of speed.

We know there are certain speeds that a human cannot achieve, such as sixty miles per hour. That is reserved for cheetahs. What we don’t know is how much faster than our current records a human body can go. The world record for 800 meters is 1:40.9 and some question whether a human can go under 1:40.0. On one hand, that sounds absurd; it’s just one more second. On the other hand, 800 meters is a relatively short distance and humans have been racing it for a long time at a high level of precision, so maybe that’s true. Time will tell. This is one reason running is so interesting. What is our terminal velocity at various distances?

This coming fall, Eliud Kipchoge will be making another attempt at a sub-two hour marathon. He came close in 2017, posting 2:00:25. It’s one of the big “Can a human do this?” questions and many resources will be used to have him either reach that goal, or let it continue to sit out there, teasing all of us.

I believe he’ll go under two hours on this attempt and I have five reasons for this, which I will reveal next week…

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Skratch Energy Chews Raspberry: Like many energy chews, these would be more difficult to take down mid-run though if you were in an ultra where you expected to stop for refueling, they would work. The flavor was good and so were the results.

Sources used:

https://www.ineos159challenge.com/

https://www.runnersworld.com/advanced/a20784175/is-sub-1-40-possible/

The Untamed Runner celebrates its one-year birthday around now. Oddly, I don’t have the exact date I launched but it was sometime in late May. How does a running blog celebrate its birthday? By its author going for a long run and using Birthday Cake-flavored Gu for energy.

I got lucky and was able to do this by running to work one morning last, due to vehicle logistics with visiting family. This was a 13.5-mile, point-to-point run ending at a slightly higher elevation. It combined dirt trails, residential streets, and concrete running/bike paths. There is a shorter way for me to make the trek but that would involve a few miles on a heavily used road with no sidewalks. The extra couple of miles are well worth it to avoid that insanity. I managed to complete it at a faster pace than I had planned (given that it was three days after Bolder Boulder and had net elevation gain, I was pleased) but more importantly, it was an exhilarating way to start the day and celebrate one year.

To date, the Untamed Runner has featured a combination of race analysis, training anecdotes, posts focused on individual elite runners, overviews of the sport, and food reviews. The latter three have received the most enthusiastic feedback so you can expect more of that as the Untamed Runner strides ahead. For the next several weeks, I’ll be covering why running may yield more learning about human capabilities than many team sports (this will include an early prediction for the Ineos 1:59 challenge), the value of pacing, and a Badwater overview.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Gu Stroopwafel Hot Chocolate with a Hint of Cinnamon: I was pretty excited about this one but the texture was a little more chalky than I would have figured. However, I was eating it prior to my run so it didn’t interfere with that. As far as energy goes, I would give this one a thumbs-up and it didn’t affect my GI at all, which is another bonus. It might just be difficult to take down quickly mid-run.

For years I did not run the Bolder Boulder, basically because I was avoiding an unnecessary commute into a traffic-clogged city. Yet for years I only heard positive feedback about the event and was encouraged by many people to give it a try. I finally ran it this past Monday.

Prior to the Bolder Boulder, I had placed in my age group or better in eighteen straight races. I knew the streak would end on Monday, barring a significant time leap by me and some other faster runners dropping out.  In that way it was an odd approach to the race because I went into it solely focused on my time. Not only were my chances of placing slim, there were so many people running that unless you were in the front pack, you had no idea where you stood in the whole race, much less within your age group.

The race was a good reminder of a few things. Pacing is everything. Though my overall time was slower than what I hoped for, each mile, with the exception of the first one, was 12-15 seconds behind the splits I had penciled in, meaning my pacing matched what I expected on the course and I was able to run the miles, especially the latter ones, the way I had planned. (And how did I end up being that far off per mile? Being overly ambitious on a tough course and going out a little too fast contributed to it.) This relates to the second reminder, which is that the value of studying the course ahead of time cannot be overemphasized. At one point well before the end, a sign announces that you’re at the highest elevation point of the course. This is true, yet you have enough downhill remaining on the course that the final kilometer is a steady climb to the finish. In other words, you don’t just get to cruise. Knowing this, I didn’t rejoice at being at the highest point, I focused on pushing the pace so as to benefit from the downhill coming up, and bracing myself for the final climb.

I finished in the top 1.5% overall and top 4% in my age group (in a race with over 54,000 people, that equates to 777^th overall and 13^th in the age group) so given the size of the race, I was pleased. And, running a big race does have a lot of perks, including a closed course (ie not having to dodge other pedestrians on a public path/trail) and lots of spectators. In the meantime, summer running appears to be finally be here, in spite of our snow last week, so it’s time to put away the yak trax and heavy running coat and bring out the sunscreen.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Gu Chews Strawberry: I used these one morning after having run the night before. I had to be careful because I was on race taper and needed to avoid moving too quickly, but I also wanted to feel energetic. These worked well for all three of my criteria. I wouldn’t use them during a race as they are very sticky and chewy, but as a pre-run food, they’re good.

Source used:

https://bb10k.bolderboulder.com/

Shortly after the conclusion of this year’s London Marathon my daughter asked me, “Who’s a faster runner, Bolt or Kipchoge?” She was referring to Usain Bolt, arguably the greatest sprinter of all time , and Eliud Kipchoge, the greatest marathoner of all time. This is an interesting question and not one that’s easily, or maybe possibly, answered.

In a previous post, I discussed how sprints are very different from distance races. You don’t see athletes switching between them during their careers because of the significantly different styles of training and racing. To answer the question of who’s faster, you couldn’t have Bolt and Kipchoge meet in the middle by setting up a half-marathon showdown. Kipchoge would dominate it. You might be able to use a 600M race but since neither man specializes at that distance, it wouldn’t be a fair comparison either.

Another possibility is to look at how they dominated their respective distances. Bolt won the 100M and 200M gold medals at three straight Olympic games starting in 2008. This was unprecedented and no other Olympic sprinter, male or female, has come close to this mark. He owns a variety of world records but the two most prominent are the 100M at 9.58 seconds and 200M at 19.19 seconds. Though he lowered these records multiple times, his final ones stand at 1.6% and .006% faster, respectively, than the ones he initially broke.

Kipchoge has won 12 out of 13 marathons he’s entered and has a current winning streak of eleven. These victories include eight majors, Olympic gold in 2016, and a world record of 2:01:39, which is 1.05% faster than the prior mark. He owns the fastest unofficial time of 2:00:25, as well as the third and sixth fastest official times ever, and has defeated all of the other current top marathon performers head-to-head.

Bolt and Kipchoge’s performances at high-level races is exceptional and they’ve made it look almost easy. During a replay of the 100M final at the 2016 Olympics, the commentators slowed down the footage and pointed out Bolt turning and smiling at the camera. That is nearly unfathomable at that distance and it shows how confident he was he would win. In the 2018 Berlin Marathon and 2019 London Marathon, Kipchoge could be seen directing the other pacers and runners during the race in an effort to keep the speed up. When he’s finished his last several races, he has enough left over to enjoy the crowd in the final stretch. What does all this mean? They’re not barely getting over the line in front of everyone else, they’re winning comfortably.

So who is the faster runner? Given how far they’ve been ahead of their competitors, I’m going to call it a tie, something neither one is used to but which seems appropriate.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Clif Bar Fruit Smoothie Filled Blueberry Acai: This seemed like it had potential but it wasn’t much different than a standard Clif Bar. The interior was still very chewy. I liked it, it tasted like Blueberry, and it had good energy, but if they’re more expensive than the traditional Clif bars (and I forgot to check the price comparison) I wouldn’t see any reason to pay more for them.

Sources used:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_metres

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/200_metres

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliud_Kipchoge

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt

LetsRun carries extensive coverage of women’s and men’s marathons and running events and has enthusiasm for, and celebrates the successes of, both genders. Partly because of this, I recently started to suspect that American women may be better poised for near-term success on the world distance running stage than the men. This was reaffirmed by looking at a couple of items.

Earlier this year, the IAAF announced significantly more difficult qualifying standards for the 2020 Olympics. For example, the men’s marathon qualifying time dropped from 2:18 to 2:11:30. In the United States, the Olympic trials for middle and long distance runners takes every American athlete who has made the qualifying standard, puts them on the same track, and the top three finishers in each event advance to the Olympic games. For the 2020 trials, it appears they will keep the former time standards in place for allowing athletes to make the trials but the top three finishers, if they don’t have the new Olympic standard, won’t necessarily make the Olympic team.

LetsRun created a chart to show which of the top three finishers at the 2016 U.S. Olympic trials also met the 2020 standard. In other words, how would the Olympic team that year have looked if they had had to meet the 2020 standard? This chart included the 800M, 1500M, 3000M Steeplechase, 5000M, 10000M, and marathon. Since this is an argument for the distance runners, I’ll use just the 5000M, 10000M, and marathon results. On the women’s side, in two out of these three events the top three women finishers also met the new qualifying criteria. Not only did they have enough athletes with the new standard, but those athletes showed up and performed when it was necessary to do so. On the men’s side? Out of those three events, there were zero where all of the top three finishers also met the new standard. This wasn’t an issue of depth, for there were enough men in most of the events who had met the new standard but just didn’t finish in the top three that day. Credit the U.S. women for performing well when called upon. (If you’re curious, the results were similar for the 800M, 1500M, and 3000M steeplechase. The women would have gone three for three and the men were at zero.)

Given the dizzying array of data available for track races, I chose the marathon as the next comparison point. Taking the results from the six major marathons (Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, and Tokyo) from 2017 forward, American women have had a total of eight podium (or top three) finishes, and American men have had three. Among the men, it was two athletes who combined for the three finishes and for the women, it was a total of five unique athletes who earned the eight podium places.

American distance running is not in a position to start dominating any one event. None of those marathon podium finishes for the women or men came at Berlin or London, currently the two fastest marathons. But, Shalane Flanagan won the 2017 New York marathon and second place was Mary Keitany, the current women’s-only world record holder and at the time, considered the best female marathon runner on the planet. While she was dealing with a mild medical issue that day, one person pointed out that with how Flanagan ran the race, she would probably have won regardless. She followed up her 2017 win with a third place showing at the 2018 event, behind Keitany and Vivian Cheruiyot, the 2018 London marathon winner. Not a bad day out.

There are several American women who are showing significant potential including Jordan Hasay, Molly Huddle, and Emily Sisson. All have run well at major races. While Flanagan and Desiree Linden, the 2018 Boston Marathon champion, may be retiring sooner rather than later, there are technically five American women out there who can legitimately compete at the world level. It’s hard to say whether they’ll be able to challenge at Berlin or London but at the other four majors, they may be in a position to continue to make big statements.

American men do have some runners who may be able to contend at the world level and it may be that both genders will put on a strong showing over the next couple of years and at the 2020 Tokyo games. But for the moment, it appears that the best odds for American distance running success will be from the women’s side.

Running food review of the week: (note–gels, bars, chews, and other items affect everyone differently. Try them on a short run before using them for a key training run or race): Clif Bloks Spearmint: These are a new flavor in this line and taste like a chewy breath mint. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a breath mint right before running so it was a new sensation. GI-wise, they were good. Energy wise, they were fine. I used this on a day when I was rested and felt pretty average, so I don’t think they gave me a significant boost.

Sources used:

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2017/11/shalane-flanagan-wins-2017-new-york-city-marathon-1st-american-winner-40-years/

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2019/03/ethiopians-birhanu-legese-20448-and-ruti-aga-22040-ignore-poor-weather-and-win-first-marathons-of-their-careers-in-tokyo/

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2019/03/our-worst-fears-realized-usatf-will-not-honor-top-three-finish-at-the-us-olympic-trials-unless-you-have-the-standard/

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2019/04/2019-boston-marathon-tracking-live-leaderboard-and-results/

https://www.letsrun.com/news/2019/04/2019-london-marathon-results-tracking-and-live-leaderboard/

https://www.marathon.tokyo/en/about/past/2017/press-release/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Berlin_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Berlin_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Boston_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Boston_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_Chicago_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Chicago_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_London_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_London_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_New_York_City_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_New_York_City_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Tokyo_Marathon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jepkosgei_Keitany