I assume you're doing that 10 miler, yes? I'm tempted to sign up for it. Not only do you get that jacket, but beer after the race!

I'll have to keep an eye on the registration. I imagine with 3000 runners that it may fill up early. I may have work-related travel in early June and I'm unsure of the dates, so I'm going to try and sit on this a bit. Scheduling aside, I'm excited about the race. Also, I have to add that traveling to your house (ignoring the sheer distance) is rather straightforward and not much of a chore.

So I'm making strides (pun) to update the Web site. I logged into what I'm pretty sure is the administrator account for the site and could not get access to any of the management tools. One possibility is that it's not giving me access because it has my credit card as having expired (but since my credit card number never changed, of course they've continued to bill it, which would make me angry if they were billing it without keeping the management tools enabled). Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've logged into the correct account, so it looks like I'm going to have to call Yahoo! if updating credit card info doesn't fix my rights. I somehow feel wronged that an Internet-based company may require a phone call for service.

I've recently begun considering why I don't travel for races. And by "travel," I don't mean the couple of races a year I do in Saint Mary's. I hear runners casually mention how they've done marathons all of America or even in other countries, and yet I don't think I've done more than one or two 5Ks outside of Maryland. That got me thinking about the possibility of planning an out-of-state trip for a future race (likely not until the wedding is in the review mirror). This race immediately sprang to mind: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=garber/090326

Okay, I'm a little freaked out by that site, too. It looked at my DNS or IP to see I was from Maryland and generated a front page based on my location. That's smart, but I don't like thinking of how it pinged me for that info. It had some results from my races, but just a mere fraction of ones I've actually done. I wonder how results get into the system. If they can get greater input and find better ways to sort (there were 4 names of me when I searched, 3 that were me I think and 1 that wasn't), then the ability to look up any runner's times using their site is a powerful tool. I noticed it had a friends section in the profiles of people AND a rivals section! That was funny.

I was thinking I should maybe get an insert to support my foot where I got the stress fracture a few years back. This blurb made me think it would help and that I would be pretty safe regardless of which size insert I picked. I don't think there are many good stores in St. Mary's to try things like these on. Metatarsal supports are effective at decreasing plantar foot pressures at the metatarsal heads, however, little is known about the dependence of this decrease upon height and position. METHODS: Barefoot static stance pressure measurements were recorded during standing in single limb support (n=22). Two metatarsal support heights (5mm, 10mm) were evaluated in six positions at 5mm increments (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 mm) proximal to the metatarsal heads along the longitudinal axis of the foot. The barefoot condition with no metatarsal support served as the control. Mean force was measured for each test condition. The findings of this study are limited to the barefoot (unshod) condition. FINDINGS: Mean plantar force decreased significantly under the second metatarsal head with both 5 and 10mm metatarsal supports compared to the control, and 10mm metatarsal support compared with 5mm metatarsal support (P<0.05) while no statistically significant differences were noted relative to longitudinal axis position. interpretation: the results of this study suggest that the thickness of a metatarsal support is a determinant factor in regulating plantar loading. surprisingly, the longitudinal axis location of a metatarsal support does not appear to be as important as clinically presumed since the data showed that the force decrease was similar for all positions from 5 to 25 mm. thus, the orthotic induced effect of a metatarsal support seems to have a sizable interaction range that has not previously been reported. we speculate that the metatarsal support's fulcrum and lift effect can be sustained at a more proximal position due to the foot's rigidity as a lever and the manner in which a metatarsal support interacts with the plantar aponeurosis. while="" no="" statistically="" significant="" differences="" were="" noted="" relative="" to="" longitudinal="" axis="" position.="" interpretation:="" the="" results="" of="" this="" study="" suggest="" that="" the="" thickness="" of="" a="" metatarsal="" support="" is="" a="" determinant="" factor="" in="" regulating="" plantar="" loading.="" surprisingly,="" the="" longitudinal="" axis="" location="" of="" a="" metatarsal="" support="" does="" not="" appear="" to="" be="" as="" important="" as="" clinically="" presumed="" since="" the="" data="" showed="" that="" the="" force="" decrease="" was="" similar="" for="" all="" positions="" from="" 5="" to="" 25="" mm.="" thus,="" the="" orthotic="" induced="" effect="" of="" a="" metatarsal="" support="" seems="" to="" have="" a="" sizable="" interaction="" range="" that="" has="" not="" previously="" been="" reported.="" we="" speculate="" that="" the="" metatarsal="" support's="" fulcrum="" and="" lift="" effect="" can="" be="" sustained="" at="" a="" more="" proximal="" position="" due="" to="" the="" foot's="" rigidity="" as="" a="" lever="" and="" the="" manner="" in="" which="" a="" metatarsal="" support="" interacts="" with="" the="" plantar=""></0.05) while no statistically significant differences were noted relative to longitudinal axis position. interpretation: the results of this study suggest that the thickness of a metatarsal support is a determinant factor in regulating plantar loading. surprisingly, the longitudinal axis location of a metatarsal support does not appear to be as important as clinically presumed since the data showed that the force decrease was similar for all positions from 5 to 25 mm. thus, the orthotic induced effect of a metatarsal support seems to have a sizable interaction range that has not previously been reported. we speculate that the metatarsal support's fulcrum and lift effect can be sustained at a more proximal position due to the foot's rigidity as a lever and the manner in which a metatarsal support interacts with the plantar aponeurosis.>

Perry, you've asked me a couple times if a particular fast female you've spotted in a race happens to be Jessica Schwab, the young woman who routinely runs in my neck of the woods. Well this is a shot of Schwab herself winning the 2008 Hughesville 10k with an impressive time (as one can see from the race clock). http://www.photoworks.com/servlet/GetThumb;jsessionid=6CC02C6E09A2265EB6F95D6A314BD43A?752926257,300x400,90,0,0&key=HughesvilleVillage&toh=m&cb=PW&guest=true&svr=web15 And receiving the award ... http://www.photoworks.com/servlet/GetThumb;jsessionid=6CC02C6E09A2265EB6F95D6A314BD43A?753458297,300x400,0,0,0&key=HughesvilleVillage&toh=m&cb=PW&guest=true&svr=web15

Well she did finish just a few seconds ... ahead of you at the Step By Step 5k last November.