The Planet Wave: Whatever Happened to Great Race Shirts?
by Bob "Wish" Wischnia on December 18, 2012
I’m not exactly sure exactly when or why the tradition of race T-shirts began, but my guess it was probably in the mid-70s when a handful of skinny guys (back then, it was always guys) would be standing around after finishing a road race, shivering uncontrollably in their wet stuff. That skinny, shivering guy would have been me.Eventually, someone came up with the bright idea to pass out a few dry shirts so the bedraggled finishers wouldn't look quite so pitiful as we waited around for a free beer, bagel and maybe even the award ceremony.Over the years, as road races...
The Planet Wave: Sitting Can Put a Big Hurt on Your Running
by Bob "Wish" Wischnia on November 7, 2012
I certainly don't make any claims about being one of the greatest runner on the planet, but there is one area I have always excelled: I get injured in the craziest ways. Sure, I have made all the typical mistakes—overtraining, too many races, too much speed--and suffered the logical consequences, but I have also found all sorts of unique ways to get hurt.Just in the past couple of years, I have hurt my back by sneezing too hard, tweaked a hamstring by doing a flip turn in the pool and inexplicably, strained a calf muscle by drinking warm Gatorade on a long run. Then, there ...
The Planet Wave: When Do You Run?
by Bob "Wish" Wischnia on September 30, 2012
I tend to have a very myopic view of the world. At least my little corner of it. And in my world, I divide people up into two categories: Morning and evening runners. You’re either one or the other.One isn’t necessarily better than the other; we’re just different species of the same running animal. But when we run, tends to shape our running persona. It doesn’t change how we run or what we can accomplish, but there are subtle distinctions between the two subspecies.Me? I’m a morning runner. Always have been, always will be. I grew up as a...
The Myths about Running Shoes: Separating Fact from Fiction
by Bob "Wish" Wischnia on September 17, 2012
Buying a new pair of running shoes should be the simplest task in running. But it isn’t. There are so many options and with so much talk these days about gait analysis, minimalism, support and reduced weight, finding the perfect pair of shoes for you can be a bit dicey.Also getting in the way of finding the best shoe for you are the inordinate number of myths about running shoes. Some of these had basis in fact 20-30 years ago, but today they are just that—myths—that somehow endure.Separating shoe fact from fiction is always a challenge because there is so mu...
The Planet Wave - Are You A Runner or A Jogger?
by Bob "Wish" Wischnia on August 24, 2012
My typical morning run is almost always a joy. I cruise for a mile through dark, neighborhood streets until I hit a trail that takes me through a greenbelt to the first tee of a golf course which I share with grazing deer, rabbits, fox and an occasional rattler and coyote.I’ve been running here nearly every morning for years and I’m such a familiar site to the groundskeepers that they don’t even look up from their pre-dawn chores when I pass by. Golfers? It’s still way too early for them.My golf course is truly an idyllic training environment. Running a...
