RACE INFLATION

No matter what our age or status in life may be, we are all impacted by the economic law of supply and demand.

Its simple. When there is an abundance of a good, product, or service, the price of the item drops. When there's a scarcity, prices rise. If there's turmoil in the Middle East, or an offshore oil rig is crippled by a storm, gasoline prices will rise. In the late '90s, when personal computers became the rage, scarcity of the product saw us paying $1000 or more for the bulky hulks. Today, with the abundance of computers out there, a sleek laptop or tablet can be purchased for around $200.

When I began my road racing career, over 39 years ago, we sometimes needed to travel two hours or more in order to enter a race. Today, there are more races than ever. On any given weekend I can find a dozen or more races within an hour of my home.

And marathons?

Marathons and half marathons abound. From September to the Christmas season, marathons are everywhere.

And...they're more expensive than ever!!!

No law of supply and demand here.

I will not disparage any particular marathon. And, let me add, I fully realize the amount of time, labor, city services, and liability incurred when a town or city decides to host a marathon, Finally, I also understand that a loaf of bread doesn't cost a nickel any more, so my age doesn't cloud my judgement.

A couple of weeks ago, I was prepared to sign up for one of my favorite marathons, held in November. When I visited the website, I was astounded to find out that the entry fee stood at $150!

Ok, that's $150 for the entry fee. In most cities, hotels are more than happy to gouge runners, so I'm looking at a minimum of $200 a night to stay in the city. Throw in parking costs and meals, and you're looking at a weekend that will set you back nearly $1000.

It has become outrageous.

I refuse to do it anymore.

Let me add that, in addition to your overpriced entry fee, major races charge anywhere from $500 to $1500 for each of those booths you pass at the race expo. And don't forget corporate sponsorship. Somebody is making a lot of money off the backs (and the legs) of runners.

I AM going to single out two marathons that, in my experience, are high-quality events, remain very runner-friendly, and charge fair entry fees to their participants.

After my big-city race sticker shock, I turned to the site of my very first marathon, which will celebrate its 43rd running this November, the Harrisburg Marathon. A flat, fast race, which runs through Pennsylvania's capital city, along the Susquehanna River, this race attracts about 1500 runners, and is superbly managed. You can stay at local hotels and motels for a fraction of the cost of big-city lodging, and, if you register before August 31, you'll pay only $70 for your entry fee.

The date of the 43rd annual Harrisburg Marathon is Sunday, November 8. for more information, go to: http://ymcarun.com/

On Saturday, March 5, 2016, the 19th annual Myrtle Beach Marathon will be held.

I have several biases when it come to this race.

First, I love the Myrtle Beach/Grand Strand region. Next, the course is flat, fast, and the race is extremely well-organized. There are great ocean views, excellent crowd support, and a terrific post-race party.

Finally, you owe it to yourself to go to the Grand Strand Running Club's booth at the expo/packet pick up. You will meet friendly, supportive fellow runners. They even provide a clothing drop for all runners along the course.

The entry fee is a modest $85, if you register soon, and, unlike many other places, area hotels are very happy to host runners, at ridiculously low rates, even for oceanfront.

The race website is:http://mbmarathon.com

Do your homework. Stop paying ridiculous entry fees for hyped-up, big-city races. Seek out established, smaller, more local events, and you can beat race inflation.

Feel free to share your stories of great, economical races, as well as rip-off races, and I'll include your accounts in a future blog.

ACCLIMATIZE

In mid-May, a good friend, Samantha Snukis, and one of the runners I personally coach, Father Chris Zelonis, ran the Run for the Red Marathon in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. After a cold winter and a cool spring, the athletes, who had prepared diligently for the race, awoke to morning temperatures approaching 80 degrees. By the time they finished, the mercury hovered near 90 degrees, with high humidity. While both runners ran their personal bests, their times were negatively impacted, and Chris Zelonis suffered severe dehydration.

The reason for their diminished performances was simple. There was just no way they could acclimatize themselves to the temperature increase that quickly. Now, place the race in September, and their results would have been different.

Even during the coldest winter months, the body heats up rapidly when we run. During the summer months, we need to take precautions in order to avoid heat-related issues. But, sooner or later, we are going to be forced to run races under hot conditions, so, we need to acclimatize.

Last week, I left Pennsylvania for a week in Myrtle Beach. Each day my Weather Channel app warned me of "dangerous heat." My daily runs were conducted between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m., yet, most of the days, the heat index stood above 90 degrees. Like a moth to a light bulb, I darted toward shade whenever possible, and used the Atlantic Ocean for my cool down. I ran every morning, and my workout times improved each day. On Saturday morning, before we left for the airport, I ran my fastest workout of the week.

It was dismal  here in Pennsylvania yesterday. It was cool, temperature around 68 degrees, cloudy, and breezy. My dogs didn't want to go outside. Finally, around 3:00 p.m. I decided to go for my longer run of the week. My legs felt light. My breathing felt as though a plastic bag had been removed from my head. I ran my fastest 9-miler of the year.

Running through the Myrtle Beach blast furnace had helped,

The moral of the story?

If you're gonna race in the heat, you gotta train in the heat.

Be careful, but select a hot day here or there and train in the heat. Plant water along the way if you have to, but get your body accustomed to the brutal conditions. Granted, your training time may be slower, but come race day, you'll be better prepared when others aren't.

Get home to a garden hose, a cold shower or bath, a swimming pool, or an ocean and cool down immediately.

Embrace the heat in order to race in the heat.

www.muldowneyrunning.com

                                             Samantha Snukis

TRAIN FASTER...BE FASTER

You've run your first marathon, or 5K, or even the 1600 meters (mile). You like this running stuff. After a couple of races, your times get faster, but then you level off, become stagnant, or, God-forbid, your times get slower.

If you want to get faster, you need to train faster.

Grinding out long runs are a necessity for a marathon, but they are not an absolute necessity if you're concentrating strictly on 5K events. And once you've gotten that first marathon in the books,speed is essential if you want your time to come down.

Last summer, I was contacted by the father of a young man who runs on a local high school track team. The boy was a sophomore with terrific desire and a great deal of running potential. His coach seemed insistent on steering him toward the 3200 meters (2 miles), but he appeared to me to be ideally suited to the 1600 meter race. In addition, the coach seemed to stress slow runs of 5 to 7 miles, with few speed workouts.His best time for the 1600 meters was 4:54. Beginning last summer, I placed him on a steady diet of a weekly speed workout. Distances ranged from 200 meters to 1600 meters, with plenty of repeats. He was diligent and dedicated. Two weeks ago, he completed his junior season at the district track meet by turning in a time of 4:33 for the 1600 meters, a personal best, and some 20 seconds faster than a year ago.

On the other end of the running spectrum, good friend and one of the featured runners in the chapter entitled, 'Extraordinary,' in my latest book, Personal Best, Father Chris Zelonis, began his marathon career by running a 3:36 in September 2013. Together, we designed a program that would bring his time down. It featured a weekly long run at a faster pace as well as a weekly speed workout. He followed the plan religiously. (sorry) In November, he brought his marathon time down to 3:08, qualifying him for the 2016 Boston Marathon Two weeks ago, despite tropical conditions at the Pocono Run for the Red Marathon in Pennsylvania, he lowered his personal best further, crossing the finish line in 3:03:12

In order to run faster races, you have to train faster. It's just that simple. If you need help with a training program, I can write one for you. (I've written hundreds of them) Go to my website: www.muldowneyrunning.com and check out the personal training option. Or, you can check out my gigs on Fiverr, www.fiverr.com, Look for me under, 'Runnin Shorts.'

Train faster, cut down on 'junk miles,' do your speed workouts, and your times will plummet..

BEACH DAY

Winter's icy grip continued to clutch the eastern seaboard into the green month of May. Chilling temperatures, hovering in the low 50s, when the average temperature should hit 70, continued through last week.

Sunday, however, was a great day to go to the beach. Tropical conditions prevailed, with high humidity and temperatures finally reaching the 80s.

A great day to watch a marathon is a bad day to run a marathon.

Two dedicated runners, both of whom I have great admiration and am proud to call my friends, dedicated  the last three months or so to training for yesterday's Run for the Red Marathon, held in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. They had largely good weather for marathon training, with a few warm days sprinkled in. They could hardly be acclimatized for weather more suited to tanning than to running a marathon.

Samantha Snukis, a former high school state champion in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, and Father Chris Zelonis, a novice runner, who has quickly excelled in the sport and has qualified for the 2016 Boston Marathon, had turned in some of their best training for the race, but yesterday they knew that the 26.2 mile road to the finish was going to be a torrid trek.

Few things are more difficult than running a marathon under hot conditions. Heat produces devastating effects as body core temperatures can rise to near-death levels. World-class runner, Alberto Salazar's body temperature reached 105 degrees at the end of the hot 1982 Boston Marathon. He was immediately plunged into an ice bath to bring his temperature down.

It is very easy to mentally shut down during a hot marathon race. The mind literally asks, "What's the point of this?"

Amid the heat and humidity of yesterday's race, Snukis and Zelonis, who happen to hail from the same small town of Saint Clair, Pennsylvania, (Is there something in the water, or is it the Yuengling beer?) emerged as champions.

Samantha Snukis earned $500 by placing third in the women's division, smashing her personal best marathon time by clocking a 2:55:18.

Father Chris lopped a full five minutes off his best marathon time by hitting the finish line in 3:03:12, placing 4th in his age division.
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The intense heat drove him to the medical tent where he received an IV cocktail, but he quickly recovered.

Sometimes runners make excuses when weather conditions are poor.

Often, competitors pack it in, drop out and run another day.

These two gritty competitors faced the heat and conquered.

They earned complete admiration and praise.

I think it's time for them to go to the beach.

RUN FOR THE RED

Since many of us are currently stuck in the deep freeze, it's time to think about spring races, if, for no other reason, to set some type of goal in orderto get us through the winter doldrums.

To those of you training for the Boston Marathon, don't panic yet. I've been where you are. Simply try to maintain your fitness level through February, and throughout March, don't bother to enter races; rather, concentrate on long runs on weekends of that month.

Yesterday I told you about the Gettysburg North-South Marathon, which will be run on April 26.

If you feel you need a little more time to train, allow me to suggest another fine marathon, held here in Pennsylvania's beautiful Pocono Mountains.

The Run for the Red Pocono Marathon will be run on Sunday, May 17, beginning at 8:00 a.m., with a start at Pocono Mountain West High School, in Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania.

This fast, point-to-point course is a big, little marathon. There is a cap of 1600 runners and 150 relay teams. A 5K also accompanies the marathon and marathon relay.

In 2012, I ran the race, and I loved it.

Don't worry about the race being run in the middle of May. The Pocono Mountains lie at a higher elevation than most of the state, and I would guess that 70% of the largely rural course is covered in shade. The average high temperatures at that time of year are 65 degrees for a high and 45 for a low temperature

You won't get a large number of spectators at the Run for the Red, but you will get dedicated, competent groups of volunteers, and a course that is a net downhill, and is very fast. It is a point-to-point course, with a nice finish on the Stroudsburg High School track.

Entry fees are reasonable, and there are plenty of awards.

Having run this race, I would give it my highest recommendation.

For more information about the Run for the Red Pocono Marathon, visit their website: http://www.poconomarathon.org/