More than 7 million women finished road races in 2011. This is a record high according to Running USA. This huge number makes it nearly unfathomable to imagine that things have ever been different, especially for younger females who have no memory of NOW marches or the women’s movement of the 60′s and especially 70′s. 40 years ago running was not considered appropriate for women. They were told their their uterus would fall out, women running were viewed as a public spectacle and the physical exhaustion wasn’t good for them.

The longest distance women were allowed to run (allowed!) was 800 meters. After the 1928 Olympics even that was taken away until the 1960 Olympics in Rome. It wasn’t until 1984 that women were granted permission to compete in the marathon distance at the Los Angeles Olympic Games.

How different today looks! Women are fast, strong, and offer some fierce competition even to men. There is a reason why the term “chicked” is commonly thrown around. Women the world over turn out to running events from roads to trails, and do well.

What does this growth of women in running mean to the industry? According to Running USA’s 2012 Women’s National Runner Survey, 65% of the female respondents spent more than $90 on running shoes last year and 80% spent $100 or greater on running apparel in the last 12 months. In both cases, these female core runners were more apt to buy from the local running store.

The growth of women-only running events is astounding. Here in the Lehigh Valley we have the Women’s 5k Classic, which last year saw it’s largest participation yet with over 5400 entrants. Elsewhere around the country popular women-exclusive races include the Disney Princess Half Marathon, More/Fitness Women’s Magazine Half Marathon, and the Nike Women’s Marathon & Half Marathon. Of course, there are many more out there as well.

I’d be remiss if I failed to include Girls on the Run, an organization that encourages young girls to develop self-respect and a healthy lifestyle through running.

The 2012 State of the Sport – Part I: Growth of Women’s Running examines the statistics and trends on women’s running today in the United States. The survey measures: Demographics, Sports Participation, Running History & Routine, Shoes, Events, Community Resources, Sports Apparel, Sponsor Recall, Health & Diet, Technology, Sports & Fitness Products, Food & Drink, and Travel. The full report will be available after June 1, 2012.

1. Trust your training
2. Eliminate the “what ifs” [Negative thoughts = heavy shoes]
3. Put distractions on the back burner
4. Embrace the unexpected
5. Talk yourself up Heartbreak Hill
6. Indulge your superstitions
7. Choose 2-3 goals
8. Remember why you are running

Anyone interested in try to make their own personal version?

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2012/04/flashback_retro-style_running.html

You can send in a photo of your race medal to be included on the website, and view medals by state and/or country. It’s a lot of fun paging through the site and seeing all of the different designs and types of medals. Some are quite unique. Take, for example, this medal from the First Light Marathon in Alabama. The medals are hand crafted by special needs people.

26point2medals.com

They are basically a mini computer built into a pair of sunglasses, and with a tilt of your head you can control the information that is displayed inside the glasses. Google is supposedly working a version due out by the end of the year, Oakley is currently working on a prototype which will look like their THUMP 2 and will incorporate a working camera and the ability to gather information.

Vuzix has their hands in the mix as well. They are a leader in producing video eyewear and according to this press release they plan to build an eyeglass which will connect to Cloud technology. From their press release:

Applications, for example, can use face recognition to connect Twitter or Facebook users instantly with their Twitter name under the users face while using the glasses as a very natural human interface. NEC BIGLOBE expects applications ranging from sports to hobbies like skiing, snowboarding, mountain climbing and fishing. Being connected to the cloud can enhance these activities, for example, by helping the user identify fish and fishing techniques right on the river, to showing the user where his friends might be on the ski hill just by looking at icons that are geospatially correct inside the users view through the glasses.

Hey Google, as a runner it would be nice to see you incorporate things like monitoring my heart rate, speed, distance, running routes, elevation, and maps into these things. While you’re at it, could you keep track of my friends for me and let me know when if they are running nearby so that I can take that short cut ahead and bump into them?

If you can’t detect my note of sarcasm above, let me help you out. What ever happened to good old-fashioned phone calls? And running by feel? Just because the technology is available, do we really need it? Maybe Big Brother has that answer.

Thoughts?

Artist Pai-San Ng, born in Taiwan, raised in L.A. and now residing in Chicago, uses red-tipped wooden matches to create art. In Chinese culture the color red symbolizes luck and fire symbolizes danger. She mixes the two elements to create her art. This piece was created in memory of a good friend who passed away.
http://peisanng.com/portfolio/matches-mookies-sneakers/

Check out these prints I found online at Fine Art America. A sneaker as fine art? Maybe. You be the judge.
http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/running+shoe/prints

And then there is always Art Running …

http://artrunning.tumblr.com

I was poking around the web last night and came across these leggings. If you are looking for something fun, or something that is just plain different, check these out. Can you imagine showing up at your next race wearing these? You would definitely be noticed, that’s for sure!

The maker of these leggings is Black Milk, a company out of Australia. They retail for 75 AUD which is equivalent to around $81.00. They are made of polyester/elastine and had washing is suggested.

Here is another great legging from the same company. So who is going to be first to sport these around the valley?

Black Milk Clothing Company
Muscle Leggings
Bone Leggings

In case you missed it yesterday, the news was posted in various places on the internet, including NBC Sports which is the link I will give you.

A new world marathon record was set on Sunday. The fastest marathoner in the world is now Patrick Makau of Kenya. Makau ran ran the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours 3 minutes and 38 seconds, breaking the previous world record by 21 seconds. Haile Gebrselassie has held the world record for three years up until now.

Patrick Makau: “I came to Berlin to win. At the half way point I knew that I could break the record. It is the greatest day of my career.”

Gebrselassie has been struggling with injuries and asthma;, dropping out of the New York City Marathon at mile 16 in 2010 citing a knee injury, and on Sunday his lungs were seizing up and he struggled to breathe. Makau has been known for his fast half marathons. Sunday’s marathon attempt was meant to gain experience at the distance, not set a world record.

Ten years ago times like these were practically unthinkable. Predictions are being forecast that we will see more and more marathon times like this.

The first woman across the finish line was fellow Kenyan, Florence Kiplagat with a time of 2:19:44. She beat Paula Radcliffe who was running Berlin for the first time, and her first marathon in nearly two years. Radcliffe finishee third with a time of 2:23:46.

Read more: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44659145/ns/sports/

Photo: Avda

The Delaware & Lehigh Trail, more affectionately known as the D&L Trail, will be host to it’s first marathon and half marathon this coming October. The D&L Heritage Marathon/Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, October 23, 2011. I spoke with race representative, Elissa Garofalo, this morning and she assured me that the race course successfully weathered the damaging effects of Hurricane Irene. Aside from a few tree branches along the path, the trail is in great shape after the storm. Portions of the trail, from New Hope and south, did sustain damage from the storm and clean-up crews will be taking care of this in the coming weeks.

As local runners anxiously await and begin to train on the trail, new segments of the trail will be opening, making even more history. The newest section of the D&L Trail is now complete and can be seen in a video on The Morning Call website.

http://www.mcall.com/videogallery/64189964/Sports/VIDEO-Newest-section-of-the-D-L-Trail-complete

The D&L Trail is 165 miles long and extends from Bristol, outside of Philadelphia, northwards to Mountain Top, in the Poconos. A future link will extend from Mountain Top to Wilkes Barre and Seven Tubs Nature Area. The trail passes through three distinct areas: Wyoming Valley and Carbon County, Lehigh Valley, and Delaware Valley. The trail bears witness to 300 years of of activity, ranging from the anthracite industry to the cement and steel industries. Another important contribution to the area was early transportation via the locks and canals that can be found along the trail. Canals and towpaths helped to transport industry items such as coal and steel, as well as serving as transportation for people along its routes.

Today, there is an important effort to manage and preserve these historical reminders of our nation’s past. As athletes, we benefit by having beautiful, well-maintained trails and paths on which to train and enjoy our region. If you plan to run the D&L Heritage Marathon or Half Marathon this October, bear in mind the rich history these trails have to offer as you are running.

You can learn more about the D&L Trail on the website -  http://www.delawareandlehigh.org

To find out more about the marathon and half marathon, visit this link – D&L Heritage Marathon/Half Marathon

Catch a glimpse of a beautiful waterfall as you run the D&L Heritage Marathon.