If Marathons Received Football-Style Coverage

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Football article main_tcm25-328896

It was past midnight but I was having a hard time getting to sleep. Although I was plenty tired from a long day capped off by a demanding evening track workout, neither my mind nor my body had calmed down in the hours since. I still felt dehydrated even after several tall glasses of water. And to top it all off, my efforts to decompress by reading the sports pages had only served to make me more anxious about the upcoming Super Bowl. Now, tossing and turning in my bed, my thoughts ricocheted from one topic to another, from interval workouts to football air pressure, from the guy who shoveled the snow from the Marathon finish line on Boylston Street to Marshawn Lynch and refusing to answer questions at the Super Bowl media day in Arizona. Running and Football. The topics began to twist together in my brain as I drifted off into an uneasy sleep… Continue reading →

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Look, I’m Not a Scientist

Posted on January 28, 2015 by Jon Waldron

[In spite of appearances, this post is not about football. In spite of appearances, Friday’s post will also not be about football either.]

“Look, I’m not a scientist” – Bill Belichick

I tried — I really, really tried — to stay out of the media feeding frenzy that followed the NFL’s announcement a week ago Monday that it was investigating the under-inflation of footballs used by the New England Patriots in the first half of the AFC Championship game. But the incident itself, followed by a flood of increasingly idiotic commentary, pushed a lot of my buttons. No button was more repeatedly mashed down than the big red button labeled “Science” that I keep near me at all times. Continue reading →

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You’ve Got to Start Somewhere

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Jon Waldron

On Sunday, the Gordon Track was a familiar circus of activity. On the infield, sprinters and jumpers warmed up with their choreographed drills and dynamic mobility exercises, or rehearsed steps, starts, and hurdles. Officials wielding clipboards checked in competitors for the field events or milled around the tables near the finish line where heat sheets were being generated, results were being compiled, and hundreds of meet details were being resolved. Around the outside of the track and on the backstretch, runners jogged or did strides. In the stands, spectators followed the latest event, while athletes chilled with their iPods and Smartphones, or cheered on their teammates. On the track itself, runners were called to the start, held steady by the starter’s commands, and then sent on their way with the crack of the gun. Races unfolded and came to thrilling or anticlimactic conclusions, accompanied by a rise and fall of the crowd noise — the necessary soundtrack for the strenuous efforts of the athletes. Continue reading →

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Friday Morning Lions

Posted on January 23, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Dubai-Marathon

I didn’t MEAN to watch all two hours and six minutes of the Dubai Marathon last night. But the fact that it started at such a convenient time (7 a.m. Dubai time, 10 p.m. EST), that I just happened to be on the phone with Joni talking about marathons at that hour, and that the streaming video feed was smooth and uninterrupted — all of these things made it very easy to have the race playing on my iPad while I talked, and then later cleaned up and prepared for bed. I have to say, though, that there’s something really odd about watching some of the fittest marathon runners on the planet race to the limit of their endurance — while brushing one’s teeth. Continue reading →

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From the Archives: The Jericho Mile

Posted on January 21, 2015 by Jon Waldron

JerichoMilePoster

[Originally published February 1, 2008]

For many years, I’ve been wanting to track down an obscure running movie called “The Jericho Mile.” A couple of weeks ago, I finally located and ordered a DVD of this 1979 made-for-American-TV movie. I didn’t realize until it arrived that the DVD was produced in Holland and had Dutch subtitles. More about that later. Anyway, a few days ago I watched the movie, and here’s my review. Continue reading →

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A Modest Proposal to Bring Cross Country to the Olympics

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Cross_Country_Poland

Slogging along Sunday afternoon in what was becoming a steady rain, I suddenly realized what must be done to bring the sport of cross country to the Olympics. Continue reading →

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Jeremy Wariner and the 800m

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Jeremy_Wariner_2009

From 2004 to 2007, Jeremy Wariner was da bomb. Continue reading →

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Shivers

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Jon Waldron

Anyone out there looking for an interesting research project for your graduate level physiology studies? There’s one area that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention, but seems that it could (or should) hold a great deal of interest for almost anyone who engages in physical activity. I’m referring to the study of how exercising or competing as part of a group affects individual performance. Continue reading →

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A Young Man in Winter

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Jon Waldron

young_at_heart

Maybe the rest of the world does its soul-searching in late December and makes its resolutions on January 1st, but I’ve always found that the relative quiet and desolation of mid-January is more suitable for personal reflection than the frenzied holiday season. Or it could be that I’m more philosophical this time of year because with a birthday in late January, I’m more keenly aware of the passage of time. Whatever the reason, I was recently struck by the thought that when I turn fifty-seven in a couple of weeks, my time spent competing as a masters (over 40) runner will exceed my time spent competing as an open runner. Continue reading →

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Olympics Idol

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Jon Waldron

I have to admit, upon hearing the news that the U.S. Olympic Committee had backed Boston as the U.S.’s bid city for the 2024 Summer Olympics, I had a sudden urge to scream, jump up and down, and then run out of the house and down my street waving a banner emblazoned with five rings and a Boston 2024 logo. I was surprised by my own reaction since I don’t particularly like the Olympics, and have always felt more cynical than excited about the civic insanity that leads any city to knock itself out for the chance to host the world’s most expensive party. Continue reading →

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