More Great Science Projects – measuring foot strike pressure in runners

Nick Barrett is a grade 11 student at Riverview High School, and a runner.  His mom and dad – Tanya Brann-Barrett and Billy Barrett are both accomplished runners who many of you know.

You’ll recall a few posts back that Max Jennings (also a runner and RHS student) had a great project looking at whether or not running gives a “brain boost”.  Well, it seems to work for Max and Nick if not the rest of us!

Running increases brain activity. Max and Nick will eventually look like this. (disclosure – this is an artists rendering of, but not actually, Nick or Max)

Nick’s project is really interesting.  And since, like Max’s, it has to do with running, I thought it would be interesting to post

Mother’s Day Run 2013

Thanks to Race Director Colleen Carey, on Sunday May 12th we had the 2013 version of the Mother’s Day 5K.  This race, for women only, has quickly become one of the biggest races on the CB Roadrunners circuit.  With 130 last year, I wondered if we could possibly see an increase again this year.  Amazingly, we had 157 runners/walkers enter this year’s version.  Thanks to the runners for their patience.  The start was a little delayed dealing with the overwhelming response, and the fact that we’re breaking in a new timing system.

Mother-Daughter team Maralyn and Hannah Delaney finished 3rd and 4th this year. Hannah did not give Maralyn the mother’s day gift of allowing her to win.

As with previous years, Colleen managed to finagle a great bunch of prizes.  Thanks so much to Colleen and her crew of Sonya Dicks, Steve MacNeil, Florence Gillis, Mike Morrison, etc.

The results were interesting this year,

Playing catchup

OK, I have to admit I had a pretty bad fall.  First time really injured running in 30 years of it.  Moving.  Work stresses.  Just not a happy time. I was off my game for sure.  And I suffered from inbox constipation on my computer.

In the midst of all of that, there were a number of things I never got a chance to post about.  If for no other reason than to share the photos with you, I’d like to do so now, if only briefly…

Fiddler’s run caught everyone by surprise last fall.  A number of people commented that it snuck up on them with its Sept 9th date.  The wind, coupled with the point-to-point course, made for a tough day for marathoners and half marathoners.  Thanks to Lauchie McKinnon for some great photos.  They should be visible HERE.  If not let me know.  Details, as always, on http://www.capebretonfiddlersrun.com
This year the date is moved to October 20th to mesh with Celtic Colours.  So if you have friends or relatives who are planning a trip to CB, tell them to come for the music festival and catch the race.  It’s too good an opportunity to pass up.

Paddy McCluskey came home to CB from his current home in Victoria to take the W in the full marathon

Following hard on the heels of the Fiddler’s Run was

Triathlon is not just for old people!

I was going to title this “triathlon is not just for grown-ups”, but then I realized most of us adult-aged triathletes aren’t really “grown-up”, just “grown-old”.  There is a difference.  My favourite team slogan at Cabot Trail Relay: Youth is brief, Immaturity lasts forever”.

Anyway, this post has been pending since the end of last tri season.  Thanks a lot to Mike Morrison for writing it.  There are more and more Kids of Steel races happening across Canada each year, and they have arrived in NS several years ago.  Check out trins.ca for a schedule.  Here on the island, the Port Hood race offers a KOS, which takes place on the Saturday of race weekend (adult race is Sunday).

A proud bunch show off their medals

Triathlon is a great sport for kids.  It uses the entire body.  It’s sort-of competitive, but not really.  It encompasses a range of sports, and helps kids learn 2 important life skills – swimming and bicycling.  And it’s a sport that they can do through their whole life (I love volleyball but you don’t meet many 40+ volleyball players)

I’m sure Mike, Karen, or some of our other Barbarians with Kids of Steel at home would be more than happy to tell you a more about it.

Again thanks to Mike for this:

Anyone that knows me would probably agree that I have become a hopeless triathlon junkie. Seriously, I have a problem. Standing at the end of my second season of racing [as of late 2012] I am happy to report that the love of the sport has also taken root in my two daughters: Anna who is 9 and Rebecca who is 7.

Pre-race intensity!

The girls, along with their cousins Zach and Maria completed their first Kids of Steel race last year In Bridgetown. Almost immediately they set themselves the goal of completing more this summer. Anna’s hope was to complete 4 triathlons this summer; A lofty goal that they not only reached but exceeded.

Barbarians score successes at St. Croix

3 of our Barbarian Triathlon club members – Julie Curwin, Andreas Burger, and Peter Hanna, have spent the week in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands getting ready for the St. Croix Triathlon.  It’s a VERY competitive race, drawing top age groupers and pros from all over.  The fact that it is one of the few less-than-Ironman-distance races that still has qualifying spots for the Hawaii Ironman makes it very attractive.  Thanks to Julie for this report and the photos.  You can see full results at sportstats.ca or check out stcroixtriathlon.com

Greetings from St. Croix! Three Barbarians made the trip to this historic race, now celebrating it’s 25th anniversary. Peter Hanna competed in the sprint event, and had a solid race. More importantly, he got to hang out and hob-knob with the pretty ladies afterward!

Peter with former top 10 Hawaii finisher Wendy Ingraham, and today’s second place pro finisher Joanna Lawn

Andreas Burger and I competed in the 1/2 Ironman distance race and we both agreed it was probably the hardest race we’ve ever done. The non-wetsuit salt water swim was relatively calm and uneventful, but the bike was quite an adventure. Torrential rains the night before the race left huge piles of mud and gravel on the roads, leading to

Barbarians Triathletes subjects of Science Fair Project

OK, I have to admit that I wasn’t nearly as smart or as motivated when I was in high school.  Actually, I’m just happy my teachers and parents didn’t off me.

Max Jennings is a high school runner at Riverview.  He is also a very bright, interested and energetic young man.  He had an interesting idea for a science fair project this year.  The Barbarian group was good enough to help him out.

Does exercise make us smart? At least temporarily?

If you are scientifically bent, you can read Max’s actual paper and report HERE.

To summarize, Max was looking into whether exercise of various types (swim, bike, or run) made people more efficient at doing math problems.  Or in other words, does exercise rev up the brain?

Some thoughts on Boston from Lauchie McKinnon

As you all probably know, Lauchie is one of our veteran marathoners here in CB, and coaches a big group of runners – “Team Coxheath”.  He has been to Boston many times.  I thought I’d pass this along:

 

MARATHON MONDAY 2013

Terry Morris, his wife Kim and I just arrived back from the Boston marathon.I am pleased to report that all runners who participated in Mondays race made it back to Cape Breton unharmed.

We are all extremely saddened and in shock due to the horrific events that took place on marathon Monday

 

How can something this cruel happen to so many innocent, fun loving, caring people?

As runners, we all enjoy participating in racing events. We all enjoy helping other runners either improve on the running situation, perhaps by giving adviceon training or  words of  encouragement during a race.

As a group, the running community is extremely trustworthy. We all have each others back.

When you attend a big international event like the Boston Marathon you have the opportunity to experience first hand the common bond that we all have, no matter what language you speak ,or how fast or slow you run.