The Shoe Rotation Myth

So the story goes that if you rotate shoes you get a couple benefits.  First, you prolong the life the shoe by giving it time to recovery, specifically the EVA sole which they argue needs 24-48 hrs. to decompress.  Second, you reduce the chances of repetitive stress injuries by moving stress points as each shoe will work different muscles and tendons.  Well, both points are extremely flawed.

First, there are numerous studies that validate the point that it only takes 2-6 hrs. for cushion to decompress and not 24-48 hrs. although that is a great marketing message to get you to buy more running shoes.  Second, repetitive stress injuries are very complex and if that was always a material issue then how did we run thousands of years ago when we either ran barefoot or in the same shoe until it literally self-destructed?  The real result of shoe rotation is that is hampers and reduces your ability to develop an optimal gait.  I say that will qualification because if you use a different shoe because of terrain, that's understandable, however, the vast majority of recreational runners run over the same easy surfaces which range from concrete/asphalt to easy packed dirt roads and trails, none of which require specialized technical running shoes (it's different if you are a hard core mountain runner then I understand switching to a shoe providing more protection).

However, let's go a bit deeper in the discussion.  There's no way to avoid a discussion about "cushion" in general, most of which is EVA.  This effectively leads the discussion to the impact of cushion on the human body.  Cushion is not to dissimilar from a sponge and if you step on a sponge if compresses and decompresses and during that process you are "not" in balance, and in fact, you are off balance and the body, muscles and tendons are at work to achieve balance during this process.  Furthermore, if you take that same step thousands of times, the cushion will mold to your foot, which as first sounds great but the impact is more imbalance and it magnifies the balancing process and not in a positive way.  So is all cushion bad?  No, I don't think so but the goal is to find a flat shoe (balance) with the least amount of cushion possible for your given body type.  The difference, for example, in 10mm vs. 20mm in stack height is enormous.

I'd further argue that once you find a flat (as possible) shoe with the least amount of cushion you run in happily, then use that same shoe over and over and over until it self destructs because you will develop an optimal gait in that shoe.  As for repetitive stress injuries, if you are running properly, then you are working the correct muscle groups (the big muscle groups) which were designed to support running.  Lastly, many injuries are directly related to "dumb" running, that is, running too far, too fast, or with too much intensity on a given day.  Learn how to adapt your running to what the body wants and needs on a specific day, and you'll be light years ahead of your comrades.

Cheers,

Harry

No motivation - Goal one: just figure out how to get our that door (just one step)

So here's the story. Woke up in the beautiful Cuchara mountain range at the base of the mountains at about 8,000 ft. I had absolutely no motivation to run . . . there's hills everywhere (no way to avoid them) and there was a strong wind (ingredients to not do anything but you must fight that off) so when I feel like this, I do a few simple things.

First, I put on my running gear and that always helps. Second, I decide to run for 20-30 minutes very slow and see how I feel. Lastly, I'm fine with whatever happens and as is often the case, what I thought might be a short run turned into a long run (about 13 miles).

I was surrounded by 13,000 ft. mountains and just smiled as I continued to run through gods country . . . open country roads and nothing but the sound of the wind. No humans around, just deer, cows and a fox, and, oh yea, a country dog that followed me for about 10 miles (he followed me home). I called the owner, showered, then met the owner to return his dog (it was a herding dog).

No better way to start Thanksgiving. It took me many years to learn how to push through those non-motivation days. Don't take the day off . . . push yourself out that door . . . this is what separates the committed runners from the no so committed runners . . . the "all in" runners figure out how to get out that door (it's a mind game). Best thing is many times, these turn out to be your best runs!

Happy Thanksgiving (or Holiday) to all!!!

Understand the absorption process

I knew this was coming . . . the absorption run. After a few weeks of increasing my weekly mileage to the 60 mile per week range, I knew an absorption run was on the horizon. An absorption run is the result of any material increase in mileage, pace or intensity and while you may feel great right after such an increase, the fact is the body is in shock and there's a point where it needs to absorb the change, down to the muscles, fibers and tendons and this morning I could feel the absorption process in full effect during my run, hence why I made sure to run slow and easy.

The impact of big changes isn't necessarily felt immediately but otherwise weeks down the road.  How many times have you run unexpectedly fast or long and feel fine the next few days?  Well, that's the beginning of the absorption process but eventually you will feel the impacts of the changes and how you deal with that point in time will determine whether you benefit or suffer from the changes.  It's at this time, after a material change in your running, where if you do not completely and fully listen to your body, you can take a turn for the worse. But, if you are listening and understanding this process, your body and mind will come out stronger and will rebuild with the understanding and expectation that such an increase is a permanent thing so it will adjust accordingly.

As I made the decision to increase my weekly mileage from 40-50 to 60-70 miles per week, I understood that I would have to navigate through the absorption process.  This is one reason I've slightly backed off the number and intensity of my hard runs as I need to absorb the mileage and duration increase, allow my body and mind to adjust, then slowly add back other elements.  The absorption process can be a beautiful thing if you understand what's going on and respond accordingly.

Harry

Why do you run?

If you really deeply think about this question, it should take a while to formulate a complete and full response.  At the 10,000 ft. level, many of us run for fitness and health, but after that, if you dig deep, it's a bit complicated.  If I ask myself, I have to admit that I like to run "to escape," and running allows me to escape and enter a different world, even if it's only for 45 minutes or 2 hrs.  

Running also helps me shed negative feelings and toss that luggage out the door.  I would describe it as follows:

"There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore, and who always will.  So, don't worry about people from your past . . . there's a reason they didn't make it to your future."

Running gives me this chance to "realize" and put things in perspective.  It allows me to shed the past and leave the negative in the past and only carry over the positive into the future.  In order to realize, one needs to think with an open mind and running provides that forum.  Some of my deepest thoughts happen while running.  This is a stark reminder that we "were born to run," physically, emotionally and spiritually."

So ultimately I guess I run to find out who I truly am.  Each time my foot lands, I'm in the "now," and the next step is to the "future."  There's no running backwards as it's about moving forward.  With each breath, I'm moving forward and isn't that what live is really about?

Harry

Live in cold weather: Double Up

This is for my cold weather friends that live in cold weather states like myself.  For you lucky folks that live in warm weather places, well, we are jealous and there's no need for you to read this post but feel free to do so if you like :).  So, it's a challenge to maintain a solid weekly mileage base when you have to deal with below freezing temperatures, ice and/or snow.  So, here's some ideas and approaches that have allowed me to not only maintain mileage but also not lose the fitness levels I've acquired through the preceding spring and summer.

The basis theme is to "Double Up" and "leverage the treadmill," but don't forget the trails and/or roads as only running on the treadmill does not allow your body to adjust to the different impact forces of running outside . . . with that in mind, here's couple ideas:

1.  Using my 60 miles per week goal (as an example), run 6 miles in the morning (either outside or inside on the treadmill), followed by 6 miles in the evening (either outside or inside on the treadmill).  This gives you flexibility as to when to run outside (morning or evening) and it will equate to a good long run in terms of total mileage.

2.  Split up a single run into a 30-45 minute warm-up on the treadmill, then do 20-40 minutes outside.  The advantage is that you will be fully warmed up from the treadmill and you can generally brave the cold conditions for 20-30 minutes or so which also allows you body to maintain familiarity with running outside (again, only running on the treadmill does not allow you body to adjust to the different impact forces of running outside on dirt or roads; the treadmill is "fake" and the conditions are "too perfect," which is not the real world :)

Remember, you substitute your mileage, time and/or running goals into the equation but the basic principal is to double up whether running once or twice in a day (I just used times and goals based on what I do).

Hope this helps . . .

Harry

Ditch the foam roller and save $

Like many, I use the hard form roller for, among other things, massaging my IT band and calves muscles but if you want to both save money and have a more mobile alternative, use the tennis balls.  In fact, not only is it much easier to travel with but it's more effective due to the smaller round design which works the muscles better and deeper.  However, take note, that the tennis ball will effectively provide a deep muscle massage which, well, can hurt!!!  At least, it will likely hurt at first until you get through the transition phase but if you stay with it, there's big rewards.

A trouble area for me has always been my left calf which is suffered a slight tear several years back (I ran through deep snow, lot feeling in my feet, and ran several miles with a severe forehand strike which led to the tear . . . stupidity on my part but I'll provide another post on those runners that consciously try to forefoot land and end up landing on their toes which puts tremendous stress on the calf and achilles tendon but that's a topic for another day) and while I healed up, I can feel slight tension from time to time, especially when I ramp up my miles so I started using the hard form roller and it's been extremely effective and useful.  However, it's a pain when I travel, especially for more than 2-3 days so I discovered the tennis ball (I also tried a beer bottle) and it hurt a bit at first as it goes much deeper than the hard form roller but it was quite effective.

Anyway, give it a try.  It's cheap, lasts forever and is easy to travel with . . . of course, running stores and outlets would not want this to become a trend :)

Harry

Your problem may rest at the "core"

First of all, let me say I'm crazy excited about devoting more time to this blog.  I had to shed some negative stuff which is now in the past and I'm looking forward as the sun rises from the Rocky Mountains . . . no, literally, that's what's happening right now :).

Anyway, I've started to ramp up my weekly mileage (I have no idea where I'll stop but I'm interested in throwing in some 100 mile weeks but that will take work and time).  Anyway, I'm on track for 50-60 mile week (I've been in the 40-50 mile week the past 6 months or so) and while it may not seem like much of a jump, it is . . . trust me.  And, while ramping up, I was reminded about how important a strong core is to running and in fact, as I ramp my mile back up, I can feel the work being put on my core.  Lucky for me, I've always devoted 2-3x a week to core exercising but I may have to increase that in conjunction with the mileage increase.

I want to point out that if you have issues running and even if you are having injury issues, it may not be your running for per say as the root cause may be a weak core.  With a weak core, you can't run correctly, at least not for prolonged periods of time.  As skinny as elite runners may look, they have incredibly strong cores.  A strong core is like the trunk of a tree as it holds everything together allowing you to maintain proper balance and stability.

Before you make any wholesale changes, check your core . . . is it soft or strong?  weak or muscular?  If the answers are the former, get to work on that core.

Harry

No formula better than consistency

Each time I'm asked how to become a better runner, my first response is to "run every day or as much as possible."  Whether you run 10, 20 , 30, 40, 50, 60 or more miles per week, and you take 1 or more rest days, carve back the total mileage and reduce the rest days, even down to running 7 days a week if possible (that's what I've done as I run 7 days a week; about 50 miles per week).  It's the consistency that speeds up the muscle memory process .

If you think about, the great Kenyan runners start by running back and forth to school every day and after 5-6 years, they've not only established a solid base but they've mastered the mechanics and fundamentals of efficient running by doing it over and over and over and over.  You may need to work your way toward this goal but ultimately the concept of "we must have a rest day," is not based on science or fact but instead is based on tradition.  There's no reason we are not designed and equipped to run every single day.

However, the issue is controlling and managing 2 factors:  duration and intensity.  If you have the discipline to manage those factors, you should be able to run every day and not increase your chances of injury.  I have what I call a "rest day run," which is a day off and on that day I run for no longer than 30 minutes and a slow comfortable pace.  Some call this junk miles but I think that's completely wrong.  I get huge benefits from a 25-30 minute run.  First, it's just flat good for my heart, body and soul.  Second, it's just long enough for me to continue the hard coding process with respect to form and technique.  Third, it feels good mentally and physically and I believe it assists in the healing process without stressing the body.  Of course the trick is to practice "discipline," and not turn a easy run into either a longer run or higher intensity.

You may say, there's no difference between a 30 and 40 min. run.  Well, it's a huge difference . . . it's a 30% increase if you really look at it . . . that's not insignificant.  Practice discipline, control intensity and duration, and you'll be off to floating along every single day.

Happy trails.

Harry

Keep it simple

Someone asked me how I manage "running by feel," and I simply said, "it's easy," and that's the beauty of running because running and everything related to it should simple, easy and fun.  They asked what type of running I do and when/where/how and I said, I simply have a few combinations of running, based on "feel," which I think equate to 9 types of runs based on effort level and length of run which, by the way, is never pre-determined since I run by feel but I'll jot down what I did post-run.

Here's how I break down my running.  I have 3 effort levels:  easy effort, medium effort and hard effort, and don't ask me to define each level because it's inside and I know it "by feel," and by my stride, cadence, breathing and overall feel.  I also have 3 type of runs in terms of length which I base on time (not distance):  short (less than 40 min.), medium (40-60 min.) and long (60+ min.).  The efforts levels and run types provide for 9 types of runs (for example, today I ran for 45 min. at medium effort so it was a medium (effort)/medium (length) run; yesterday was a 40 min. easy run so it was a short/easy run).

That's as much science and data that I need as a runner.  Ninety percent (90%) of my running is some combination of the easy to medium efforts + short and medium length runs.  The "hard" effort and "long" length runs only comprise about 10% of my running otherwise I'd get injured because if that became the majority of my running, I would over-stress the body (and mind).

So there it is for what it's worth.  I don't follow complicated training programs and the like because I think they actually do more harm than good.  The thing is, if you "run by feel" your body actually does establish a program that is customized for you.  For example, if I look my log over the past 12 months, I pretty much do the following over a 12 day cycle of continuous running:  1 long run, 1 hard run, 2 medium run, and 8 easy runs (this is on average).  Of course, I have no idea when/where I do my runs as my body & mind decides it on the fly but over a period of time, my running becomes pretty consistent.  Then, of course, there's deviations where my body goes off and does things like 50% of my running hard for weeks or 100% easy running for weeks but these are uncommon deviations based on some physical or psychological factors that only my body and mind know and so they steer me a different way for a short period of time to satisfy some internal need and I have reason to question it because it's "based on feel," but over the long haul, definite patterns come to the surface.

Harry

There is no shoe worth $100

I don't care who designed it.  I don't care what it looks like.  I don't care what new cutting age features it might incorporate.  I don't care where it's manufactured.  I don't care how aesthetically pleasing it may be.  All I know is no shoe is worth $100, or anything near that price.  It only took me 6+ years to figure that out, all the while I continued to pay stupid amounts of money to various shoe companies.  I'll admit, they all are incredible marketing machines and they prey on our innate weakness to acquire the coolest looking thing on the planet, regardless of usability or performance.

I now run in a $29.99 pair of Puma H-Streets (one of the original minimalist running shoes that are basically designed identical to how shoes were designed in the late 60's/early 70's when runners were much healthier and much less injured but that's a topic for another day) and I have about 750 miles on them.  Yes, you heard me right.  $29.99 AND 750 miles.  Hmmm, let's see . . . that's less than $0.04 per mile and with the aid of some cheap shoe gu, they are still going strong and I'll definitely pass the 1,000 mile mark at which point, I'll have paid less than $0.03 per mile, and they'll likely still be going strong.  This is the dirty little secret that no shoe company wants you to know.  The fact is you don't need their expensive shoes but the vast majority of you will fail to see the light and your pocketbook will suffer as a result.

Forget the discussion about zero drop, minimalism, no heel differential, less cushioning, etc., and just think about the exorbitant prices you pay for running shoes.  You have to be kidding me.  We were born and designed to run barefoot and somehow we've been sold premier land in the swamps of Florida and we think we discovered the deal of a lifetime.  Now, I'll admit, generally the $29.99 was on sale but I never pay more than $50 for the H-Street's as they are commonly available for between $40 - $49.99.  Now, the Puma H-Street is not the only option but I'm using it as an example since it's my running shoe of choice.  If you think about this minimalist movement, all that's really happened is the shoe companies have made us victims again as they are charging the same high prices for "less" shoe.  That's right folks . . . less shoe and we pay the same or more.  Of course, that's a great business approach but you need an idiot consumer and there's plenty of those and I was a card carrying member for years until I finally discovered the light.  There's nothing pretty about my shoes except they feel great, allow me to run pretty natural and I still can bang out sub 6:00 min. miles, and do all of it injury free.  So, in other words they do the job and they do the job cheaply.

I beg of you . . . Free your mind and quit buying into the hype . . . it's all crap.  The major shoe companies have done nothing else than repackage crap, remove the smell of crap, and find more idiot consumers to take advantage of . . . quit it!!!

Harry

Why running plans just don't work!!!

I know for the vast majority of folks that read this post, it will fall on deaf ears.  However, running plans are useless, they really are but it is something we buy into.  If you really think about it, our bodies don't perform or adhere to set rules about distance, pace and intensity.  In fact, our bodies, being the exceptional devices they are, are too sophisticated for set running plans.  In other words, we are trying to dummy down as sophisticated device, which really doesn't make sense.

To tell, and ultimately force, your body to do a set workout on a set day makes no sense "unless" you are a professional elite runner that "must" peak on a specific day and time and, under course of action, you are teetering along the line of disaster and injury.  The goal of a professional runner is to push the body to the brink of disaster without crossing the line, all in hopes of peak performance on a specific day and time.  For the elite, the risk and reward ratio is worth it.  Heck, I would push my body to disaster to win a major professional race and/or an Olympic medal.  However, for us mere mortals, to adhere to a modified race plan doesn't make sense.

I spent years, like many of you, running according to a pre-set race plan that would tell me how long, how fast and how often to run.  Boy, was a blind but I had nothing else to guide me until I figured out how to "run by feel," which led me to re-discover the amazing structure and design of the human body.  When you really "let go," and learn to rely on your own body and natural instincts, a new world is uncovered.  I have no idea exactly how far or fast I will run each day but I figure it out during the run because I let me body and mind guide me.  Here's the genius in it, we runners often say the body says one thing but the mind say another and that's true when you have blocked communication messages.

When you learn to let go, actually the body and mind align.  I know when to take a rest day, for example, and it's based on feel, not how many consecutive days I've run or how fast or slow or how long.  It's a feel, that is deep and down to the muscles and tendons.  In fact, I can feel my body repair.  In fact, today is a prime example, which is why I'm writing this post.  Two days again, I was running sub 6:00 per mile pace and today I ran a 10:25 pace.  What a delta, right?  Well, no, it's because I run by feel.  My muscles were tight for Saturday's run and after a warm-up, I knew it was going to be a fast pace run.  I also knew by the feel of my "loose" muscles this morning as well as my mental feeling that today was what other runners call a recovery day.  I do keep a log and I took a glance, and low and beyond, I've run 9 of the last 10 days which included 2 fast pace days (note:  I had not looked at my log in any detail in a while).  The point is, I didn't need the data because the data was in my body and mind and the message is clear that tomorrow is a rest day, but not because some running plan pre-decided but my body and mind, in total alignment, decided.

Like I said, very few runners will be willing to take the time to actually learn their own bodies.  It's not easy because it takes a completing letting go and 99% of runners are not willing or capable of doing that.

Harry

Why I'm running fast and injury free

As I sipped my pre-run coffee this morning and had my standard discussion with my body before heading out for a run, my body let me know today would be a rest day so I poured a second cup of coffee, relaxed on the couch and watched TV before showering and heading to work.  The point is you must learn and understand your body and that takes years and extremely focus and dedication but if you do it, the rewards are huge . . . injuries will be very few and very far between . . . 

As fate would have it, this is the quote I read this morning as I decided to take a rest day:

"As I get older, I know I can't keep the same intensity I had when I was 18. But I trust my strength and endurance and know it's there. So I swim less, but when I get into the water, my time is more focused. I choose what I do more carefully to make every exercise and training session count. "Natalie Coughlin, U.S. Olympic swimmer

You just can't continue to put the same level of stress and expectations on your body as you get older "BUT" you can and should demand and strive for excellence . . . nothing changes as you get older except the output but the work, dedication and consistency remands the same . . . or it should.  "Output," is nothing more than the by-product of hard work, dedication and striving toward your goals.  If you do that, the output is the output and you can't fail.  In fact, there's no such thing as failure only setbacks.  If you have goals and give your best to achieve those goals, you win every day in life . . . again, output is the output.

Harry

We really don't get it . . .

I happened to run into a few of my neighbors as I was beginning my run the other day and something I've noticed is that 99% of runners have no clue how to warm up or even what a warm up is really all about.  I'm much faster than my neighbor friends at least at race pace and we were all beginning our run and I refused to keep up with them as they immediately started at something near a 8:00 - 8:30 pace.  Similarly, I watch a lot of runners jump out the door of their house and immediately start in the 8:30 pace range which I think is insane.  The body hasn't awaken much less warmed up.  I tend to start in the 11:00 pace range even on days I'm going to eventually do tempo runs in the 6:00 pace range.  I learned this from elite level runners who I watched prod along very slowly during warm-up.

And, another thing, the idea, even as promoted by our running magazines, that a 20 min. warm-up is sufficient is not only wrong, but short sided.  It was awhile to warm-up the body correctly before launching into a hard effort workout.  I tend to warm-up for 40-45 minutes, followed by some active stretching, before moving into hard effort running.  This is likely why I haven't suffered a serious injury in many years.  Maybe it's a cultural thing in that we are just too darn impatient to let our bodies warm-up.  Or, perhaps, we don't have time and just force the issue instead of waiting until maybe the weekends when we have more time to properly prepare.  Or, maybe it's a competitive thing where we can't prod along because our ego's can't handle other runners passing us while we are warming up.  I don't know but I do know this is one of the major reasons so many runners are injured on a yearly basis and it won't change because we refuse to practice patience.

Harry

And so the beat goes on . . . the next plateau

No question I've crossed another successful threshold in my running life.  It's amazing what you learn about life and yourself from running.  A few random things as I continue my journey.

1.  In the near ending quest for the perfect running shoe, I found a shoe that surpassed the Nike XC and it's old school.  It's the Puma H-Street.  Yes, they are back.  These are in that group of the original minimalist footwear and was an all-time favorite of ultra runner Anton K.  I started running in these puppies several weeks ago and they are excellent.  Just a big better than the Nike XC b/c they are lower to the ground, no arch support and they fit my foot like a glove (note:  these are not for wider foot folks).  This is the new Terra Plana failed to develop with the Evo.  This is what the Evo should have been.  And the best part, I bought 2 pair for $35 each and they'll last thousands of miles.

2.  I don't do the "pain" thing anymore.  I'll run hard, although 90% of my running is nice and very easy, but even when I run hard, I will "within my breath" as is preached by Fred Rohe in "The Zen of Running."  As a result, I've lost about :30 - :45 sec. per mile when I run hard.  I run in the 6:30 pace range vs. 5:45-6:00 pace range but I run longer at that pace and, more importantly, I run happier.

3.  I still "run by feel," and it's the best thing I ever decided to do.  I run 20, 30, 40 days consecutively and I'm able to do it b/c I run by feel.  I do what my body wants to do each day.  I don't run with a watch, garmin, heart rate monitor, or any of that crap.  All those devices do is block the natural communication path between the body and mind and that's dangerous, in my humble opinion.  I basically run for 1 hr. every day and every 7-10 days, I stretch out a 90-100 min. run and only when my body says "go," then I'll throw in some hard runs, generally in the 15-30 min. range.

4.  Trails rock, streets suck.  If you believe surfaces don't matter in terms of impact to the body, I think you are crazy, at least with respect to this subject.

5.  I love life!!! Of course, the main reason is my wonderful wife and beautiful kids but I'll include running b/c it has changed my life.  I'm about 5,000 hrs. into running and half way to meeting that 10,000 hr. threshold everyone talks about.  I look forward to the journey to that destination but running has made me a better husband, father and person.  God gave me the ability to run so I thank God . . . thanks God!!!

Ok, enough and back to life (and running).

Peace,

Harry

Un-friggin-believable - Pete Magill rocks

Pete Magill: 15:11 for 5K at Age 50

May 7, 2012 2:07 pm
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By Peter Gambaccini

Photos by Diana Hernandez

Californian Pete Magill was dominant in the 45-49 age group; for example, he ran 14:45 for 5000 meters in March 2011, three months before turning 50, to become the oldest American to break 15:00 for the distance. He's kept to his record-breaking ways since turning 50, including running 15:11.13 for 5000 meters at this weekend’s Oxy Invite in California, under the recognized 50-and-over American record. But, as you'll see in a bit, don't look for Magill's name in the record books for this mark.

There’s been an abundance of activity in the 50-plus 5000 in 2012. The American record of 15:41.67 by Mike Heffernan had stood for 20 years until it was lowered by Ken Ernst to 15:34.62 in March and then to a formidable 15:16.77 by Mike Blackmore just a week ago.

Blackmore and Magill will apparently be doing battle in the coming weeks to further lower their times, and ownership of it may pass back and forth between them, with Tony Young, who has just turned 50, possibly joining the fray. But Magill, who is also a terrific Running Times columnist, is making no small plans. Lamenting that he “just got started too late this year” and is “definitely not quite race-fit yet," he declares, "I'm going to try to find another 5000 in June, because I think I'm 3 to 4 weeks away from 14:45-14:50." His concern, he says, is that "I honestly think I might not find a decent race."

In any case, from what Magill tells us, his 15:11 may never be considered an "official" record because he finds the ratification procedure to be "a really demeaning process." He explains, "It ultimately requires multiple follow-up phone calls, lots of begging, last-minute reminders at the [USATF] annual meeting where records are ratified, and that's after running around a meet for a couple hours, trying to get people to sign off on all the things that need signing off on (the person who installed the track is supposed to sign off on the track being 400 meters, the starter for the race has to sign, the timer(s), somebody signs to guarantee that the track has proper rails, the meet director, etc.) ... and even then the applications aren't always accepted (and are often misplaced ... often)."

Magill concludes, "Anyway, all that counts is that it gets on the ARRS top times list (they keep selected track times too) and the American Records Wikipedia entry, and I don't need paperwork for that."

Magill is exceptionally fast at 50 but, he says, "The worst part about being a 50-year-old runner is this: The day before the race, for no apparent reason, my legs and feet suddenly got inflamed. It actually hurt to jog. They had improved by race time, but I still had to loosen the laces on my shoes to warm up (you know, just so my feet could fit into them!). It didn't affect my race (exhaustion was much more of a factor). But it was one of those annoying age things that really puts a damper on training and racing enthusiasm."