The Warmup Lap

The Warmup Lap | 1.30.12

By C.J. Schexnayder Jan 30, 2012, 5:01am PST

HOPKINTON, MA - APRIL 18: Runners head out during the start of the 115th Boston Marathon on April 18, 2011 in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Good morning runners! As part of our ongoing effort to help you, our loyal readers, stay up to date with information concerning our shared athletic endeavor, we thought it would be handy to provide a daily collection of links to items of particular interest. Thus we are proud to introduce "The Warmup Lap."

We're still working on figuring out the optimum way to go about this so feel free to offer your suggestions on what you'd like to see from this feature in the comments. And if you find any other items out there on the interwebs you think are of note to your fellow runners, please pop the link in a comments as well.

Racing News

Tightest win in ING Miami Marathon history | MiamiHerald.com

Samuel Kipkosgei Malakwen of Kenya lunged forward at the finish of the ING Miami Marathon to beat Teferi Bacha Regasa of Ethiopia by a quarter of a second — the closest finish in the ING Miami Marathon’s 10-year history. Malakwen’s result: 2 hours 16 minutes 54.58 seconds. Regasa’s: 2:16:54.83.

Scott Rantall, Kelly Williamson win at 3M Half Marathon | Austin American-Statesman

Scott Rantall broke the tape on Congress Avenue in 1 hour, 7 minutes and 14 seconds, a pace of 5 minutes and 8 seconds per mile. Venancio Mancilla took second in 1:07:30. In the women's race, Austin's Kelly Williamson passed up Jess Barton of Amonate, Va., to take first in 1:14:42.

What did the Olympic Trials Marathon Tell Us About the Resurgence of American Marathon Running? | Sacramento Running News

The Olympic Trials have come and gone, and on the Men’s side we had what is being touted as a "record breaking" race. Unfortunately, the records that were broken were soft and old. Rather than illustrate a resurgence in U.S. running, it illustrated how far behind the rest of the world the United States really is.

Health News

New Study: Heart Risk ‘Low’ in Distance Races | Runner's World

The New England Journal of Medicine published what Runner's World Peak Performance blog the "the biggest and most informative medical research yet on cardiac arrests and deaths in marathons (and half-marathons)." And the findings? "Marathons and half-marathons are associated with a low overall risk of cardiac arrest and sudden death."

Effects of Footwear and Strike Type on Running Economy | NCBI

Minimally shod runners are modestly but significantly more economical than traditionally shod runners regardless of strike type, after controlling for shoe mass and stride frequency. The likely cause of this difference is more elastic energy storage and release in the lower extremity during minimal shoe running.

How Long Before I See The Benefits Of A Workout? | Competitor

Recovery runs important to overall health, balance | The Montgomery Advertiser

High heels cause muscle damage, change walk - even after taken off | CBS News

Running Stories

Things I wish I would have known when I started running | NOLA.com

I always have friends, here and there, ask me about tips for running, eating healthy, exercising, etc... because they want to be healthier or try something different. This past week I had five different people contact me about running in particular. All of them wanted to start running but didn't know what to do or where to start, which is why I decided to blog about it this week.

Running shoes put me on a new path | The Salt Lake Tribune

I was so in love with my new running shoes that one day I decided on a whim to — you know — actually run in them. I went outside and jogged about 10 feet before dying of sweatiness. "Wow," I said afterward, "I’m never doing that again." Except I did. The very next day.

My Motto for 2012: Be a Hill Seeker | Beyond Fatigue, Pain & ACTN3

Andrea Metcalf: If You Can Run a Mile, You Can Run a Marathon | Huffington Post

Houghton librarian completes marathons on all 7 continents | Wellsville Daily Reporter

Irish ultra runner Richard Donovan aiming to smash own record | Bourne Local