That other tournament’s “Selection Sunday” isn’t until tomorrow, but there’s no time like the present to join in on the madness!

It’s March, and that means it’s time for Madness… March Mile Madness!

I’m organizing a 6 round tournament designed to test runners’ speed and endurance, and I’d love for you to take part. Here’s how it will work:

Round of 64+: Open to everybody and anybody, this round will consist of a simple challenge: run as many miles as you can in a week: Monday March 15 to Sunday March 21. The top 32 will move on. Join now!

Round of 32: An invite-only challenge, this round is a simple 5k race. The runners of the 16 fastest 5k races on Monday March 22, Tuesday March 23, Wednesday March 24, or Thursday March 25 will move on.

Sweet Sixteen: Another invite-only challenge, this round is a four day distance competition. The 8 runners who compile the most milage between Friday March 26 and Monday March 29 will move on.

Elite Eight: It’s getting serious. The Elite Eight will be invited to run the fastest 10k race they can between Tuesday March 30 and Thursday April 1. Only four will move on.

Final Four: More distance, but less time. Runners will have two days, Friday April 2 and Saturday April 3 to run as many miles as they can. The top two will move on.

So I’ve settled on the Kettle Moraine 100 in Wisconsin. Within driving distance, family lives in Wisconsin, etc, etc. I almost ran–well, almost registered to run–the North Face Endurance Challenge in Madison last year, and from the sound of it they use the same trails. Of course, the North Face Endurance Challenge would have been 50 miles, whereas for Kettle Moraine I’m looking at doing the full 100.

I’m conflicted about the distance. On the one hand, doing 50 seems like a waste of an opportunity. I’ve run 50 miles by myself. I run 50K all the time. I should push myself. But on the other hand, 100 miles is intimidating. 24+ hours is intimidating. The whole thing is intimidating.

12,000 feet of climbing is a scary thought. It’s not the 18,000 feet of the Western States 100, but it’s significantly more than, say the Lean Horse 100.

There are other considerations, too. No buckle for finishers (you get a kettle instead.) But it works schedule-wise, and travel-wise, etc. And it might provide an opportunity to meet up with Rob again. So there are lots of reasons to do it.

And so I will, barring any unforeseen circumstances. But not without trepidation.

1. More privacy options.
   This is something my wife mentioned on Run Talk Radio a little while back. When I was starting out, I was a little shy about sharing my miles. I really wanted greater granularity when it came to privacy. Ideally, I’d love to see options where posts can be made private, friends only, or public. At this point I’m not sure that I’d avoid posting publicly all that often, but the option would be nice.
2. Sanity checks.
   I’ve almost made the mistake myself: posting a 262-mile run instead of 26.2 miles, or missing a digit while entering my time. It would be nice if the site checked to make sure what you were entering makes sense. Not that I think dailymile should prevent you from posting something that seems extreme… I just think the site should prompt you to make sure you didn’t make a mistake. So, for example, a run over 150 miles or under 3 minutes/mile might trigger a sanity check, a simple dialog asking if you possibly made a typo. Similar appropriately gauged triggers for cycling, swimming, etc. could be implemented as well.
3. More options for challenges.
   I think that the challenges on dailymile have a lot of potential yet. Multi-sport challenges, group or team challenges, etc.
4. Better gear management.
   I love using dailymile to keep track of how many miles my shoes have on them (and how little rubber the soles have left), but I wish the feature was a little more developed. In particular, I’d love to hide gear without retiring it–I want to keep the info on my older shoes in dailymile, but I don’t want to always see those older shoes when posting runs. Also, stats about your gear seem a little hidden right now, it would be nice if they were available from the analytics page.
5. Exporting data.
   I’m not looking to leave, but being able to easily get my data into Excel, Numbers, or OpenOffice for custom graphs and charts would be pretty cool.

Those are just a few ideas I wanted to jot down. They’re only meant as a starting point for thinking about what dailymile can offer down the road–they are by no means a criticism. I’ve been loving the site since I joined, more and more each day, to be honest, and I’m excited to see what comes next… whether it’s Garmin-integration or something else entirely!

Throughout January and February I was busy with rehearsals for a musical put on by the local community theater group. Singing, dancing, etc. was great fun, but once we started rehearsing with the orchestra I started feeling nostalgic for the days when I would have been one of their number instead of a member of the ensemble.

So I picked up my clarinet and started playing again. And I really think it’s a form of cross-training. It does nothing for my legs, of course, but the breath control needed can only improve my cardiovascular fitness. It’s a great, relaxing way to help improve my running without sacrificing my rest days.

We have a Pacific Outdoors Deluxe Boot and Glove Dryer. And it makes a difference. No longer are my shoes still damp from the melted snow accumulated during my last run. No longer are the insides of my gloves moist from, well, sweat. Like socks fresh from the dryer–another winter running essential–my shoes and gloves are fresh and ready for nature’s worst… which they often get.

My wife chose carefully. She went for a model with convection drying to circulate heat without blowing, preventing any damage from cracking or what have you (though that’s probably more a concern for leather items.) With four posts I can get the gloves and shoes done at the same time. It’s a luxury, sure, but I love it!

And hopefully I won’t be needing it much anymore until November or December.

I ran my first marathon in 2008 in Potsdam, Germany. But that wasn’t my first marathon experience.

My first marathon experience came two years before that in Mombasa, Kenya. I didn’t run, but rather I helped organize the first (and only) Americans in Mombasa Marathon.

It was the summer of 2006, and I was in Mombasa learning Swahili with a small group of Americans. Several were runners, and two had the bright idea of running a marathon. Their first. On their own.

So I pitched in. We measured out a course–nearly a dozen laps along Mama Ngina Drive, with beautiful ocean views. Bright and early one weekend they set out, and I set up shop outside the Florida Club halfway along the course with water, candy, and other essentials. Time and time again they went by, and each time I recorded their time and helped them refuel and rehydrate.

Then came the moment of truth–the lead runner passed me on her way out for the second to last time, and I started back towards the start/finish line. It was a bit of a hike, and I knew I’d need a little time to get the finish prepared. So instead of waiting with food and water at the Florida Club, I waited at Treasury Square, closer to home base. After the lead runner headed out on the last lap, I’d head to the finish.

As she finished her second to last lap, the lead runner shook her head. She stopped for some water, and I asked her what was wrong.

“I was so mad at you, Jason!” she told me. “I thought you abandoned me!” Turns out I hadn’t made my plan clear. When she got to the old aid station location, suffering more than ever in the African heat, I had simply vanished, and it appeared she was out of luck for the rest of the race.

Fortunately she made it to my new, temporary aid station, and with my (minor) help she ultimately finished her first marathon, with an (unofficial) Boston qualifying time! (The other runner finished as well, with the help of a friendly local pacing her on bike.)

Apparently 18-year-old Benjamin Harrison (no, not the 23rd President of the United States) was convicted a few weeks ago of repeatedly targeting a cyclist, trying to force him off the road and shouting death threats.

But Martin Melvin, the cyclist, was a “bit of an unfortunate choice of victim”: Melvin, it turns out, is a detective inspector with the local police.

Still, Harrison got off lightly. Nine months in jail suspended for two years, with 12 months supervision and 100 hours unpaid work. He was also banned from driving for two years and fined.

Lancashire Telegraph via treehugger

Wait, did I just say that?

Ok, I’m not going to miss the ice and sub-zero temperatures that make running so much more difficult, but I am sorry I can’t justify getting these goggles, especially so late in the season. (That being said, I love the cheapo ski goggles I have because they do a great job of keeping the wind and snow out of my eyes and my face warm when it hits -10F.)

What makes them so cool? They have a heads-up display (HUD) to show you speed, altitude, time, etc. Unfortunately, they aren’t cheap: $350-$450 sometime in the fall.

Wait, that’s just in time for next winter!

Via Gizmodo