SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/340991_marathon24.html

By JON NAITO
P-I REPORTER

Uli Steidl has become synonymous with the Seattle Marathon. In each of the past eight years, the Shoreline man has won the Thanksgiving weekend race.

That streak will end Sunday morning. Steidl will be in attendance for the marathon's 38th running, but as a spectator, there to watch his wife, Trisha, defend her 2006 victory in the women's division.

"I've been running a few cross country races in the last two months and will run a 50-miler in San Francisco on Dec. 1," Steidl wrote in an e-mail. "The competition there will be very tough, so I can't run a marathon six days earlier."

Steidl, 35, began dedicating himself full time to competitive running late last year. He finished 12th at the Boston Marathon in April, and competed for the German national team at the world track and field championships last summer.

Trisha Steidl, meanwhile, will use the race as part of her training regimen in preparation for the Olympic trials next April in Boston.

The cross country and track and field coach at Seattle University (her husband is one of her assistants), Trisha Steidl, 30, said Sunday's marathon is an important training race, though she confesses that her competitive side relishes the opportunity to defend her championship.

"I'm not going to go in thinking that I have to win," she said. "But I know the competitive side of me. If I have somebody in my sights, I'm going to go after them. I do need to be smart about it, that I have an objective I'm trying to reach, but at the same time you can't just show up thinking this is only a training run, and understand that this race is challenging."

With their intimate knowledge of the course, as well as the success they've achieved in the marathon, the couple offered their thoughts on some of its distinctive features, as well as personal observations of their hometown race.

For Uli, the first two miles serve as a warm-up before the runners arrive at the Interstate 90 bridge, which takes the competitors to Mercer Island and back. This is the section of the race where the casual and elite runners begin to separate.

"No more spectators at this point," he said. "This is time to find your rhythm, and where the field starts to spread out. The I-90 bridge back is your only chance to see how close friends and competitors are ahead or behind."

Once back in Seattle, the runners head to Seward Park, then loop back toward Lake Washington Boulevard, which they will follow for the next seven miles.

"It's always nice to get to Seward Park because you know it's the halfway point," Trisha said. "It's a beautiful part of the course and you have people there cheering for you. The Edmonds-Woodway (track) team operates one of the aid stations there. We coached there a couple years ago, so we still know some of the kids, and they're cheering and giving you high fives."

Added Uli: "Seward Park to Lake Washington, this is where you still want to feel good. If you don't, the last seven miles will hurt."

What follows — from miles 19-21, generally the toughest part of a race for marathoners — is the course's most challenging stretch.

There is a pair of smaller climbs on Lake Washington Boulevard followed by a brutally steep ascent up Galer Street and then another climb up Madison Street.

"And they make a big deal about Heartbreak Hill at Boston," Uli said.

Echoed Trisha: "It's easy to want to take that part of the race super easy. If you go too fast up Galer then you still have Madison to contend with, which isn't as steep, but it's longer. You have to make sure you don't expend too much because you still have a ways to go to the finish."

A gradual climb up Interlaken Boulevard follows, followed by a short stretch on I-5 then onto Eastlake Avenue and South Lake Union.

"(The Eastlake/Lake Union area) is a few blocks of quad-busting downhill — if you have any quads left — followed by a flat section that seems a lot longer than it is," Uli said.

Then the final push down Mercer Street and the finish at Memorial Stadium, which the Steidls know a little about.

There are the eight consecutive victories for Uli, and Trisha's breakthrough win in miserably cold and wet conditions last year, but perhaps the most memorable moment was Uli's finish-line marriage proposal at the 2004 race.

"It's always nice at the finish, with the crowd cheering you and that final charge into the stadium," Trisha said. "It's always a great feeling when you get to the finish. That never gets old."

 

 

SEATTLE MARATHON

 

WHEN: Sunday, main race starts at 8:15 a.m.

ENTRANTS: About 11,000 expected for the running and walking events.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS: Men, Uli Steidl, 2:27.55; women, Trisha Steidl, 3:01.40

RECORDS: Men, Robert Greer, 1983, 2:17.25; women, Isabelle Dittberner, 1989, 2:41.04.

Tags: marathon, Marathon Races

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Tags: marathon, Marathon Races

 

Running is a wonderful form of cardiovascular exercise; unfortunately it has gained a reputation for causing injury. This is unfair, in my opinion, and in this article how to avoid common running injuries in 3 easy steps, I will show you how to avoid some of the most common ones. The first common problem that I see in runners that can cause everything from muscle strains to tears is simply lack of a proper warm-up. While this may not seem so bad, after all most people might think, "Well in five minutes I've worked up a sweat so it can't be all bad." While this may be true a cold and tight muscle is more apt to be injured be it a simple, pull, strain, or in the worse case and tear.

But the worst thing a lack of a proper warm-up does simply add wear and tear on the body, the body is not warm and ready to go so each time you push it to the limit by not warming up I feel you are just that much closer to an injury. Think of it this way if you keep stretching out a rubber over and over sooner or later it is going to break, but not just from that last stretch, it was all those previous stretches that combined to do it. One day you'll be running and out of the blew bam, an injury will happen, most people will put it off to well it was just my time, but what they forget is all those times they were in a hurry and ran without a warm-up. A warm up doesn't have to be much, walk first of 5-10 minutes progressively getting faster and faster until you're doing a light jog and then slowly and I mean slowly over the coarse of another 10 minutes pick up your pace until you are running at the pace you want to. The second common thing that I see runners do all the time, which over time can cause injuries is not stretching.

Again just like with warm ups, you think, well I'm running late so I'll just skip stretching JUST this once and well we all know what happens, something comes up again and again, and well you get the idea. Stretching out your hamstrings, calf muscles, lower back, upper back, abs, and just about any other muscle you find that is tight after a run will only take 10 minutes, yet as with warm-ups, over time you'll see less soreness, less of those nagging injuries and I'll bet that you're running will improve. Now if you're wondering why I didn't include the thighs in the list of muscles to stretch, it is simply because most peoples thighs maintain an adequate level of flexibility, however by all means if your thighs are tight by all means stretch them out. An excellent book that can be found at most libraries is called STRECTHING by Bob Anderson. With this book you'll have all the stretches you could possibly want. Last but definitely not least is the post workout meal. If you are wondering why I've included nutrition in an article about injuries, well a muscle that is not fully recovered/sore is more apt to be injured and there is no better time to refuel your body than after a hard run. I'm glad that protein has come back into favor as of late, because before running was all about carbohydrates, and they are great, especially if you favor good quality ones like brown rice, sweet potatoes and fruit. However, protein is vital for muscle growth and repair, so if you don't have enough you are not going to recover as well/if at all, as you should. A great post workout drink is called SURGE and it is made by biotest. However if you can't afford it or simply want something more basic go out and grab some whey protein isolate and mix it with some juice, or you could simply have a banana or two with your shake.

I know you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results you will see (faster recovery, better runs) from simply just adding a post workout protein and carb meal after your runs. If you're wondering how soon you should have your shake after your run, if you can get your shake or whey isolate and bananas in within 30 minutes of your run you'll be fine. I hope you've enjoyed, how to avoid common running injuries in 3 easy steps, and I wish you all the best in your running.

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The fitness guy has been involved in health and fitness for over 20 years For more info please visit: http://tinyurl.com/mt2mc

Tags: running for beginners, running injuries

Is treadmill better or running on the roads?

Running on a treadmill is much easier as there is no wind force blowing against you. Treadmills also have a propelling force, which makes the foot come in front of the other. Walking or jogging on treadmills is a boring job. On a road, you have to change according to the surface and this helps in developing many muscles and tendons in the body.

While running on roads, the surface is inclined or sloped and there are potholes, grass, soft mud, hard surface etc. These help in building different muscles. The main beneficial factor while running outdoors is that the oxygen levels in the air is high while indoors it is stuffy. Natural environment is the best to jog and exercise as exercise is meant to be done outdoors. Treadmills can be used as an alternate when the weather is not good enough to jog outdoors. If you don't have much time and you are in a hurry, then you can workout on a treadmill. Treadmill is an alternative to jogging but jogging outdoors is always the best.

About the Author

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