No more e-tickets for PreClassic?

Looks like the Prefontaine Classic got rid of the electronic ticket option this year. Only two options - pick up at will call or delivery via snail mail. A bit intriguing considering that more and more events seem to be moving to the electronic option these days.

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Prefontaine Classic 2012 tickets on sale next week

Tickets for this year's Prefontaine Classic go on sale on March 2nd. They haven't put up the start lists yet, but given that this is an Olympics year, it should be interesting to see who shows up and who doesn't. The last Olympics in 2008 didn't prevent the the likes of Bekele, Defar, Lagat, Webb, and Mottram from showing up in Eugene, Oregon. However, Asafa Powell and Usain Bolt most likely won't be there given that they are clashing it out in Rome, Italy just two days before the Pre Classic.

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New study about the benefits of muscle massage

According to a study published this week by researchers McMaster University, Canada, massaging muscles apparently results in biologic changes that help reduce inflammation akin to NSAIDs. This sheds new scientific light on the benefits of muscle massage.

Here's an excerpt:

Investigators obtained specimens of participants' quadriceps at rest, immediately after massage, and after a 2.5-hour recovery period.

Using whole-genome microarrays, Tarnopolsky and colleagues examined gene expression associated with massage and then performed targeted reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction studies, analyzed protein signaling, and quantified metabolite production.

As compared with baseline values, muscle tissue from the control leg exhibited changes in expression of 592 genes 30 minutes after exercise and 1,309 genes after the recovery period. Investigators identified five genes that exhibited changes in expression immediately after massage and four genes that differed in expression levels after the recovery period.

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"A Capriccio Of Rome With The Finish Of A Marathon"

An 'oil on canvas' painting by Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes from 1788. Saw this at the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco, California. It's a bit difficult to see, but, in the bottom left of the painting, there are a few runners presumably finishing the marathon. No timing mats, finish line tapes, TVs, etc. Barely a handful of spectators too.

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Finishing times at the US men's marathon Olympic Trials

This is an interesting table of the last qualifying finishing time for the men's marathon at the Olympic Trials dating back to 1968. (Three runners qualify.)

1968 - 2:33:09
1972 - 2:20:30
1976 - 2:13:54
1980 - 2:10:55
1984 - 2:11:50
1988 - 2:13:09
1992 - 2:12:54
1996 - 2:13:22
2000 - 2:15:30
2004 - 2:12:01
2008 - 2:11:40

This year the last qualifier was Abdi Adbirahman with 2:09:47. That would make it the fastest third place qualifying time since before 1968. Probably the fastest ever.

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Here's to a great new year

What does 2012 have in store for us? Is Usain Bolt going to set the London Olympics ablaze with a new WR or two? Will Haile Gebreselassie or Paula Radcliffe win Olympic gold and announce their retirement? Will yet another Kenyan bring down the marathon WR yet again? Will we see a sub-2:03 marathon?

Another 364 365 days to go (since this is a leap year) and we'll know the answers. Hang in there for the long run.

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