Posted by
Sassafras on
Runners – as you know – don’t just run. We like to talk about running, read about running (why hello there!), and listen to other people talk about running. Luckily for the running-obsessed amongst us, there are plenty of podcasts to help us get our fix. Daylight is waning and it’s treadmill season, so this post is for those of you who are looking to update your podcast subscriptions.
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Posted by
Sassafras on
It happens like clockwork, and it happened again yesterday.
No, I’m not talking about the need to change the clocks on our stove twice a year, though that’s annoying, too. I’m talking about when a World Marathon Major is on TV, runners everywhere get excited to watch…. and the race commentating is barely even phoned in.
Posted by
Sassafras on
So much to do, and only so many hours in the day! I had forgotten exactly how time consuming marathon training can be. I’m not alone, certainly.
Isn’t that true of training for any goal race? And really, just being an adult?
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Posted by
Sassafras on
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced last week that they are planning to move the marathon and race walking events in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to Sapporo – 500 miles north of Tokyo – due to concerns about heat and safety. (It’s a bit unclear if they will actually move, as the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee is interpreting this as just a “proposal”).
The aforementioned heat is no joke. A 2017 heatwave saw record high temps in Tokyo of around 106 degrees. This got me thinking, why award a Summer Games to Tokyo in the first place? After all, the last time they were the host city in 1964, the Games were in October.
In 2000, the IOC established July and August as the months to hold the Summer Olympics. They’re the ideal time window for TV networks to cover the event.
But does that really matter any more, with all the ways we have to watch?
Posted by
Sassafras on
In case you missed it, this was a pretty all-around amazing weekend for running.
First, Eliud Kipchoge bettered his own time to become the first human to run a marathon in less than two hours. Then Brigid Kosgei smashed the long-standing women’s world record in the marathon by running 2:14:04 in Chicago.
Which is more impressive?
You be the judge. Read more >>
Posted by
Laura Parson on
The IAAF track and field championships in Doha wrapped yesterday, and while there were some amazing performances, much of the coverage has focused on Doha as a venue – calling it terrible for the sport and calling out IAAF for making a decision based only on money.
Much of the criticism has focused on the less-than well-attended events, which led to empty stands and cheerless victory laps. Others have called out the ridiculousness of hosting a marathon that begins at midnight to avoid the heat of the day, and where reportedly 41% of the field dropped out.
Yikes! Right? Read more >>
Posted by
Sassafras on
A few months ago, I read that A League of Their Own is getting a remake. (Well, sort of. It will be an Amazon series focusing on a different team.) That got us Salties talking behind the scenes. Not only the familiar, “Why does everything need a remake?”, but also, “Why can’t people tell more stories about women athletes, instead of just updating the old ones?”
Posted by
Sassafras on
Y’all, I just love fall.
The crunch of the leaves, the faint sounds of high school football I can hear from my back porch, the cider and pumpkin of it all. I know these things are all so cliché, and yet, I simply do not care: fall is far and away my favorite season. Even though the calendar says today is the first day of fall, far and away” seems to be exactly where fall is this year! Read more >>
Posted by
Laura Parson on
My reputation as clumsy is legendary in my family. There are fridge door handles that my parents stopped replacing because I’d tripped and tore the handle off the door so many times (grasping the handle in a futile attempt to keep myself from falling). My sister loves to recall the work day where she heard me fall down an entire flight of cement stairs, coffee in hand, when my stiletto heel got caught in the cuff of my pants. I don’t just fall down stairs, I fall up stairs, and not gracefully. Ballet, ice skating lessons… nothing my parents put me in as a child helped. Read more >>
Posted by
Caraway on
It was one of our more philosophical discussions: if a crotch sweats on some pricey running shorts but you weren’t there to see it, and then you buy those same shorts for a very low price on eBay, did the crotch sweat ever really happen? What if you wash the sweated-on shorts twice before you wear them? Three times?
In other words, would you buy used running shorts? How low does the price of used name-brand or “designer” running shorts have to be to make you even consider putting them on? Read more >>
Posted by
Sal The Snail on
So the Boston Marathon has changed its qualifying standards once again. A few years ago, the open women’s time (ages 35 and under) went from 3:40 to 3:35. Now, as of the 2020 Boston Marathon, that standard is moving down to 3:30. And it’s not just young women: The B.A.A. tightened qualifying standards across the board, all ages and genders. We want to know what you think: Read more >>
Posted by
Chicory on
It’s a very Salty special edition of the Roundup and Roundtable, BOSTON MARATHON style! Where do we begin???
Des. We believed. It was hard to have a “favorite” going into this race but man, we’ve got a lot of Salty love for her. This time last year, we published “That Desiree Linden, She’s Second to None.” And now — finally — she’s first. Winning Boston is her first marathon win. Ever. Read more >>
Posted by
Chicory on
It was a very Salty Cherry Blossom 10 miler this weekend! American women took 7th through 10th, including two Saltines! Emma Bates was 7th, followed by Spearmint, Rue, and Alphine Tuliamuk. PLUS Tea in 25th and Pesto 28th! Read more >>
Posted by
Chicory on
The women’s-only half marathon record dropped to 66:11 this weekend at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Spain. Ethiopia’s Netsanet Gudeta defeated race favorite, Joyciline Jepkosgei (Kenya), by 43 seconds. Jepkosgei holds the mixed-gender women’s WR of 64:51 but was dropped by Gudeta around mile 8.5.
For the U.S., Emma Bates set a new personal best of 71:45 for 27th place. Becky Wade was 41st in 72:31 and Elaina Balouris Tabb 64th in 74:55.
“For sure the coolest race I’ve run yet and a big honor to wear the USA in a world-class field,” Becky posted on Instagram. She’s racing the London Marathon in four weeks.
Posted by
Chicory on
One of my all-time favorite races was this weekend — Shamrock Virginia Beach. Kara Goucher was there using it as a training run and generally being super-awesome — check her Instagram for cute posts of Colt doing the kids’ run!
