ASK FLASH: Wind and Native American Indians and Racing?
Posted July 16th, 2007 at 11:00 AM by Joshua Flash Gordon
Section: Running & Training, Columns, Training Tips, Ask Flash
Need advice? Injured? Confused? Overwhelmed? Bored? ASK FLASH!
ASK FLASH is a free advice column to help you with all of your running, fitness and nutrition inquiries. To ASK FLASH — simply fill out the form at the conclusion of the column.
Q. Need to get in some repeat 800s tomorrow. What do you think with strong 25-30mph winds? Track or Treadmill?
~ Windstopper from Chicago
A. Seriously?!? Unless there is some risk of power lines or tree limbs striking fury upon your head…ummm, run outside. Or if you have the ability to only race in climate controlled environments than maybe the treadmill would be sufficient?
If you are nervous about how to run in the wind…
Josh Clark offered this passage on Coolrunning”
“Everybody likes a little help sometimes, and a stiff wind at your back can make you feel like you’re flying. Trouble is, if you have the wind at your back on one half of your run, you have to battle it on the other half. And it turns out that Mother Nature tends to the fickle side: a headwind slows you down more than a tailwind speeds you up. Studies have determined that a 10 mph tailwind will nudge you ahead about 5 percent faster, while a 10 mph headwind slows you down by about 8 percent.
When you have the wind behind you, revel in your speed. But when you’re running into it, don’t hold yourself to your normal training speed, which would cost you that extra 8 percent effort to maintain. Instead, slow down a bit, and you will still get the same benefit as you would from your normal pace.
Not that you’re completely helpless when it comes to battling a headwind. You can adjust your running style slightly to make the work easier. Lean into the wind a little to decrease resistance, and stay as relaxed as possible to keep your running form strong and to conserve energy. And there’s always drafting. If you’re running in a race or with a group of people, use those other runners as windbreaks, ducking in behind them to cut down the wind.”
So, Windstopper, barring a real safety issue, get off of the treadmill and get outside my friend!
Q: I am interested in doing running marathons for and with Native American Indians. If you know of any and the dates I would appreciate knowing where to find the marathons.
~ Iwannahelp in Wounded Knee, North Dakota
A. I sent some emails around and came up empty. So, I pose this one back to the readers. Does anybody know of marathons for and with Native American Indians? Please let me know and I will share.
Your question did get me thinking about the relationship Native Americans have with running and I was struck by the power of this passage from Indian Running: Native American History and Tradition by Peter Nabokov:
“Gods and animals raced long before Indian men and women did. Thereafter the gods told the people to do it. and the animals showed them how. “There is nothing that Indians like so well as to run races,” a Zuni Indian told Anna Risser. “Maybe that is because the gods in the far past settled so many difficult questions by races.” In practically every tribe’s oral history, running folklore instructed and entertained. Mythic races helped to order the world as we know it, providing a model and mandate for the activity which human beings would perpetuate. Racing contests decided the first temperaments and physical characteristics of animals, and played a part in allocating their territories and status in the emerging world. Often these creatures themselves were clan originators, whose groupings would then be mirrored by man’s social organization.”
Maybe our next great American runner will be a Native American runner just like Billy Mills at the 1964 Olympics (Click here to listen to TheFinalSprint.com Podcast 14: “Interview with legendary Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills”.
Please keep me posted and I hope to find more for you.
Gotta go…
—— —— —— —— ——
Joshua ‘Flash’ Gordon is a runner who is never shy to give his opinion. Flash has been running competitively since 1989 and can be found training hard on the roads and trails of Boston. Flash continues to compete in distances from 5k to the Marathon as part of the Boston Athletic Association (BAA).
Sometimes Flash runs fast. Sometimes Flash runs slow. But neither rain nor snow nor heat nor gloom of night can keep Flash from the swift completion of his training regimen.
Have a question? Please feel free to ASK FLASH and TheFinalSprint.com’s team of experts by submitting your question via the form below.
***Note: We encourage EVERYONE to see a doctor before altering their diet, taking a supplement and/or performing athletic, fitness or other strenuous physical activity. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness and usefulness of any information, instruction, opinion or advice contained in the content. Please also see our complete disclaimer.***
Tags: Ask Flash, bill mills, Joshua Flash Gordon, native americans, peter nabokov, repeats, running, track, treadmill, wind
Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!
The Final Sprint